Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Forest Structure and Primary Productivity in a Bornean Heath Forest

Aboveground forest structure, biomass, and primary productivity in a tropical heath forest in Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) were examined using data from 1‐ha plots and stand‐level allometric equations developed from harvested tree samples. The study site experienced a severe drought in 1997–1998 associated with the El Niño Southern Oscillation event. The drought effect on heath forest productivity was also assessed by evaluating changes in wood mass increment rates. Allometric relationships suggested that heath forest trees had leaves with smaller specific leaf area (SLA), and large heath forest trees allocate more to leaf mass compared to mixed dipterocarp forest trees. Aboveground biomass (for trees ≥ 4.8 cm DBH) in two 1‐ha plots, P1 and P4, totaled 244.8 and 232.0 Mg/ha. Aboveground wood mass increment rate was –0.1 and 4.7 Mg/ha/yr in P1 and P4 during the drought period (from February to August 1998), while it quickly recovered to 8.1 and 8.5 Mg/ha/yr during the post‐drought period (from August 1998 to August 1999 for P1 and from August 1998 to November 1999 for P4). This suggests a severe impact of the drought on heath forest productivity. Leaf characteristics of heath forest such as small SLA and long‐lived leaves probably play a significant role in effective assimilation and maintenance of heath forest productivity under stressful conditions.
Eucalypt Domestication and Breeding

Introduction 1. Eucalypts natural and planted 2. Genetic resources of eucalypts 3. Matching species and provenances to site 4. Testing species and provenances 5. Eucalyptus camaldulensis 6. Eucalyptus deglupta 7. Eucalyptus delegatensis 8. Eucalyptus fastigata 9. Eucalyptus globulus 10. Eucalyptus grandis and E. saligna 11. Eucalyptus nitens 12. Eucalyptus obliqua 13. Eucalyptus regnans 14. Eucalyptus tereticornis 15. Eucalyptus urophylla 16. Eucalyptus viminalis 17. Breeding strategies and breeding plans 18. Reproductive biology of eucalypts 19. Selection and breeding 20. Seed production 21. Mass vegetative propagation 22. Looking ahead Glossary References Index
Changes in soluble sugars in relation to desiccation tolerance in cauliflower seeds

Abstract Changes in soluble sugars in cauliflower seeds were followed during 50 h of imbibition in relation to desiccation tolerance. Sucrose and stachyose contents decreased, and glucose and fructose accumulated. This occurred in radicles first and subsequently in hypocotyls and cotyledons. Loss of desiccation tolerance in the various seed parts coincided with an increase in glucose and fructose and the complete loss of stachyose, but sucrose content, the major sugar, was still high. Drying imbibed seeds over silica gel did not evoke resynthesis of stachyose, but did increase sucrose and decrease glucose and fructose contents. Seeds primed in solutions of 30% polyethylene glycol for 10 days showed a loss of stachyose, while sucrose remained high and glucose and fructose contents were still very low. Redrying of primed seeds did not change the sugar contents. The primed seeds were still tolerant of desiccation. We conclude that stachyose is not a prerequisite for desiccation tolerance, but that sucrose may be. We suggest that glucose and fructose may be involved in desiccation damage.
Distribution patterns of invasive Monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) in an urban habitat

Distribution patterns of invasive Monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) in an urban habitat. — Several invasive species have been shown to have a marked preference for urban habitats. The study of the variables responsible for the distribution of these species within urban habitats should allow to predict which environmental variables are indicative of preferred habitat, and to design landscape characteristics that make these areas less conducive to these species. The Monk parakeet Myiopsitta monachus is an invasive species in many American and European countries, and cities are one of its most usual habitats in invaded areas. The aim of this paper was to identify the main factors that determine distribution of the Monk parakeet in Barcelona, one of the cities in the world with the highest parakeet density. We defined our model based on eight preselected variables using a generalized linear model (GLZ) and evaluated the strength of support for each model using the AIC–based multi–model inference approach. We used parakeet density as a dependent variable, and an analysis restricted to occupied neighbourhoods provided a model with two key variables to explain the distribution of the species. Monk parakeets were more abundant in neighbourhoods with a high density of trees and a high percentage of people over 65 years. This is interpreted by the fact that parakeets use trees as food sources and support for the nests, and that older people often feed the species. Data support the ‘human–activity’ hypothesis to explain how invasive species can successfully establish in a non–native habitat, and stress how limiting food resources, especially food supplied by humans, may be the easiest way to exert some control on Monk parakeet populations.
Ocean acidification and seaweed reproduction: increased CO2 ameliorates the negative effect of lowered pH on meiospore germination in the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae)

The worldwide effects of ocean acidification (OA) on marine species are a growing concern. In temperate coastal seas, seaweeds are dominant primary producers that create complex habitats and supply energy to higher trophic levels. Studies on OA and macroalgae have focused on calcifying species and adult stages, but critically, they have overlooked the microscopic stages of the reproductive life cycle, which, for other anthropogenic stressors, e.g., UV‐B radiation, are the most susceptible life‐history phase. Also, environmental cues and stressors can cause changes in the sex ratio, which has implications for the mating system and recruitment success. Here, we report the effects of pH (7.59–8.50) on meiospore germination and sex determination for the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera (Laminariales), in the presence and absence of additional dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). Lowered pH (7.59–7.60, using HCl‐only) caused a significant reduction in germination, whereas added DIC had the opposite effect, indicating that increased CO2 at lower pH ameliorates physiological stress. This finding also highlights the importance of appropriate manipulation of seawater carbonate chemistry when testing the effects of OA on photosynthetic organisms. The proportion of male to female gametophytes did not vary significantly between treatments, suggesting that pH was not a primary environmental modulator of sex. Relative to the baseline (pH 8.19), gametophytes were 32% larger under moderate OA (pH 7.86) and 10% larger under extreme OA (pH 7.61). We suggest that metabolically active cells can compensate for the acidification of seawater. This homeostatic function minimizes the negative effects of lower pH (high H+ ions) on cellular activity. The 6–9% reduction in germination success under extreme OA suggests that meiospores of M. pyrifera may be resistant to future OA.
Genetic variability in indigenous collection of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes for seed yield and quality traits

Present study was carried out to ascertain the extent of genetic variability in the population of 48 different chickpea genotypes with respect to yield, nutritional quality and other agronomic characters. The highest genotypic coefficient of variation was observed for 100-seed weight followed by methionine content, number of pods per plant, seed yield per plant and number of seeds per pod. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for methionine content, 100-seed weight, pods per plant and days to flowering indicating the predominance of additive gene action. The results demonstrated ample scope for improving seed yield in chickpea through selection of 100-seed weight, pods per plant and days to flowering. The protein quality can also be improved through changing the methionine content through selection.
The Effects of Bioactive Food Components on p53 Pathway in Cancer Prevention

Recent research has shown that a variety of bioactive food components, including both essential and nonessential nutrients, may influence cancer risk and tumor cell behavior by modulating the p53 tumor-suppressor gene pathway. The impact the dietary components have on this pathway likely depends on a host of genetic events that determine whether cells die or proliferate. This determination is made during the cell cycle progression that involves the actions of multiple genes including p21, bax, and bcl-2 as well as p53. Evidence from in vitro studies already exists linking a number of nutrients, including butyrate (an intestinal product of fiber), resveratrol (a phytoalexin found in red grapes), genistein (an isoflavonoid found in soybeans), and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (a polyphenol found in tea), to an increase in apoptosis or a decrease in proliferation of tumor cells. Although these results are promising, more research should be done to examine the efficacy of these compounds and to determine the optimal nutrient concentration needed to effectively prevent human cancers.
The geographic mosaic of co-evolution and the natural enemies of eurosta solidaginis

Hypothesis: Natural enemies of a host insect that has diverged across a major biome boundary will display better survival and higher fitness on hosts from their natal biome. Background: Eurosta solidaginis (Diptera: Tephritidae) forms galls on the goldenrod, Solidago altissima. Solidago altissima has two subspecies, one in the Great Plains and one throughout the eastern United States. Eurosta solidaginis has formed two host races, one on the prairie and one on the forest subspecies of S. altissima. These host races differ in gall size, allozyme frequencies, and morphology. An inquiline beetle, Mordellistena convicta, and a parasitoid wasp, Eurytoma gigantea, are specialist enemies of the larval stage of E. solidaginis and they also consume gall tissue. Both consume plant tissue in the gall as well. Mordellistena convicta is much more abundant in the prairie than in the forest. Methods: We measured the abundance and mass of the parasitoid and the beetle in laboratory choice experiments, common gardens, and reciprocal transplant gardens to test for evidence of local adaptation to galls from their natal biomes. Results: The parasitoid Eurytoma gigantea showed evidence of local adaptation consistent with the geographic mosaic of co-evolution hypothesis. The inquiline M. convicta did not show evidence of local adaptation, as both prairie and forest populations performed better on prairie galls. However, the population density of M. convicta is strongly influenced by interactions with other species that have diversified as the result of the geographic mosaic of co-evolution.
Supplementation with leucine does not prevent development of obesity in rats fed a high fat diet (258.5)

Excess dietary fat consumption has been implicated in the development of obesity and diabetes. Obesity can be characterized by a disproportionate increase in fat mass. However, if muscle mass can be increased or maintained in obesity, this may facilitate weight loss. Historically, supplementation with the branched‐chain amino acid leucine has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis via the protein kinase mTORC1. Recent studies suggest that supplementation with leucine also has the potential to reduce weight gain and fat deposition in high‐fat fed, obese mice. The objective of this study was to determine if long‐term dietary leucine supplementation prevents development of obesity in rats meal‐fed a high fat (60%) diet. Male, Sprague‐Dawley rats (n=30/dietary treatment) were meal‐fed (3 meals/day) either a control diet (C), control+leucine (CL), high‐fat (HF), or high‐fat+leucine (HFL) for 42 days. On day 42 rats were sacrificed at 0, 30 or 90 minutes postprandial. HF/HFL‐fed rats gained, 28 g more than rats fed C/CL diets (p<0.05). Insulin AUC was 35% higher in CL vs C and 13% higher in HFL vs HF. There was no difference in blood glucose values between treatment groups. Rats supplemented with leucine had significantly higher fat mass and significantly (p<0.05) lower muscle mass compared to their respective controls. However, preliminary data suggest that L and HFL activate translation initiation in muscle via 4E‐BP1 phosphorylation. Taken together, this study demonstrates that supplementation with leucine increases translation initiation, however this does not result in increased muscle mass. Supplementation with leucine does not prevent development of obesity in HF‐fed rats.
Effect of Feeding Varying Nutrient Density Diets on Productive Performance and Semen Quality Parameters in Dahlem Red Birds

The aim of the study was to optimize the nutrient requirement for Dahlem Red (DR) birds. In experiment-I, a total of 240 DR layers (31 weeks old) were selected and divided into 5 groups, each having 8 replicates of 6 birds each. For this, five diets were formulated i.e. one basal diet (BD) with optimum (100%) nutrients, two diets with lower (97.5% and 95%) and two diets with higher (102.5% and 105%) nutrient density. The experiment was continued up to 50 weeks. The egg production was higher (P<0.05) among the birds fed diet containing higher nutrient density (102.5% and 105%) compared to those birds fed lower nutrient density diets (97.5% and 95%) during 31-38 weeks. Similarly, feed efficiency was better (P<0.05) among the groups fed diet containing higher nutrient density compared to those groups fed lower nutrient density diets during the 35-38 weeks. However, hatchability, egg weight, stress and immune parameters did not differ among the groups throughout the experimental period. In experiment-II, a total of 45 DR roosters (39 weeks) were randomly divided into five groups in individual cages in an open-sided house. An experimental male breeder diet was prepared to contain optimum (100%), lower (95% and 97.5%) and higher (102.5% and 105%) nutrient density. Semen from all the roosters was collected at 4 th and 8 th weeks and semen quality parameters (volume, motility, sperm concentration, live and abnormal sperms) were similar in all the treatments. It was concluded that the diet with 102.5% nutrients was more remunerative because of higher egg production and better feed efficiency. Altering the nutrient in the diets up to 5% higher or lower to the basal breeder diet did not influence the semen quality parameters in Dalham red birds.
MOG79–90 Peptide in Complex with Recombinant MHC Class II Molecules Ameliorates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

ABSTRACT The recent advancement in the field of biomedical technologies has opened up new possibilities in the treatment of autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Here, we report the production of soluble complexes between the myelin oligodendrocytic glycoprotein (MOG) 79–90 peptide and a genetically engineered murine MHC class II molecule Aq. Using mouse model of MS, we demonstrate that the generated complexes are functional and able to ameliorate the clinical signs and reduce the incidence of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Our findings offer a new possibility for the treatment of chronically active autoimmune inflammation such as multiple sclerosis.
Localized Glenoid Hypoplasia

Examinations were done on 1150 scapular bone specimens from museum collections- A localized hypoplasia of the posteroinferior glenoid was found in significant numbers (20%-35%) depending on the population group studied. Criteria were established for the identification of this variant in computed tomography and magnetic resonance studies. Localized hypoplasia of the posteroinferior glenoid was detected as an incidental finding in 54 (18%) of 300 such studies. Using these same imaging criteria in a prospective manner, 9 of 12 patients seen for voluntary multidirectional instability of the shoulder displayed a localized posteroinferior glenoid hypoplasia. This phenomenon also may add to the picture of extreme posterior glenoid wear that sometimes is seen in association with osteoarthritis of the shoulder.
Venous Anatomy of the Right Colon: Precise Structure of the Major Veins and Gastrocolic Trunk in 58 Cadavers

PURPOSE This study was designed to describe the precise venous anatomy of the right colon, which is especially important for laparoscopic right hemicolectomy. METHODS Fifty-eight adult cadavers were dissected to define the three major venous tributaries of the right colon: the ileocolic vein, right colic vein, and middle colic vein. Two or three middle colic veins were often present, and the biggest one was designated as the main middle colic vein. The middle colic vein and the right colic vein occasionally formed a common trunk with the right gastroepiploic vein and/or the pancreaticoduodenal vein. This common trunk was defined as the gastrocolic trunk. RESULTS All 58 cadavers had a single ileocolic vein. All of the ileocolic veins drained into the superior mesenteric vein. The right colic vein was absent in 56.9 percent (33/58), and the other 43.1 percent had a single right colic vein. The right colic vein joined the superior mesenteric vein directly in 56 percent (14/25) and the gastrocolic trunk in 44 percent (11/25). The middle colic vein was the most variable. A single middle colic vein was present in 37.9 percent (22/58), 2 middle colic veins were present in 50 percent (29/58), and 3 middle colic veins were present in 12.1 percent (7/58). The main middle colic vein drained into the superior mesenteric vein directly in 84.5 percent (49/58), whereas 12.1 percent (7/58) drained into the gastrocolic trunk. In two cadavers, there was anomalous drainage of the main middle colic vein to the splenic vein and the inferior mesenteric vein. Forty-three accessory middle colic veins were present in total. These drained into the superior mesenteric vein in 17 cadavers and into the gastrocolic trunk in 23. The gastrocolic trunk was present in 69 percent (40/58), being formed with the right colic vein in 27.5 percent (11/40; 1 was together with an accessory middle colic vein) and with the middle colic vein in 75 percent (30/40; 7 with the main middle colic vein, 23 with the accessory middle colic vein). CONCLUSION Venous anatomy of the right colon is highly variable. It is especially important to recognize the lack of direct drainage of the right colic vein to the superior mesenteric vein and the high frequency of the presence of plural middle colic veins and the gastrocolic trunk.
Indirect interactions in seagrasses: fish herbivores increase predation risk to sea urchins by modifying plant traits

Summary The dominant paradigm of top-down control of ecological communities through direct consumption pathways is giving way to a more nuanced understanding of trophic interactions with the recognition that subtler indirect effects can often play an important role in structuring communities. Direct and indirect trophic and non-trophic processes could well be acting simultaneously within the same food web, and their overall effects may even interact with each other. We studied indirect interactions in a relatively simple trophic system comprising a single producer, two herbivores and a guild of predators. In particular, we assessed whether (i) the principal herbivore fish, Sarpa salpa, is capable of modifying a seagrass trait, canopy height, by grazing and (ii) whether grazing-induced habitat alteration can trigger an environment-mediated modification of the interaction between herbivorous sea urchins Paracentrotus lividus and their predators. We tested these hypotheses with field experiments including fish herbivore-exclusion experiments (to examine the ability of S. salpa to modify seagrass habitats) and predation experiments using tethered sea urchins in a meadow with varying canopy heights (to test whether habitat modification can mediate urchin predation risk). The effect of S. salpa herbivory was highly significant. Canopy height in herbivore-excluded plots was more than 3·5 times higher than in uncaged control plots. In addition, adult sea urchin predation risk in the most highly grazed plots was 4–5 times higher than plots with higher canopy heights. In contrast, predation risk on juvenile urchins was not influenced by canopy height. Our results show that predation pressure on a key herbivore can be modified both by the environmental context within which it finds itself and by the actions of another herbivore that modifies the plant traits that create this environmental context. These act as two discrete pathways that interact in potentially nonlinear ways, mediating top-down control in these ecosystems. Herbivores, particularly when acting as ecosystem engineers, may have the potential to mediate and increase predation risk, as they substantially modify habitat structure, with consequences for refuge availability, among others. Assessing these indirect interactions is not just important to understand the functioning of the system itself but may have important management and conservation consequences.
The role of Asia in the origin and diversification of hystricognathous rodents

In the absence of a comprehensive pre‐Oligocene fossil record, the origin and early evolution of hystricognathous rodents have long been the subject of much uncertainty. Baluchimyinae (Rodentia) were initially interpreted as a subfamily of the ctenodactyloid Chappatimyidae (sciurognathous), a group considered to be endemic to the Indian subcontinent and to be closely related to hystricognathous rodents. A newly discovered early Oligocene hystricognathous rodent, Bugtimys zafarullahi gen. n. et sp. n. , described herein, from the Bugti Hills (Balochistan, Pakistan) sheds new light on the higher level taxonomy of the previously described Baluchimyinae. As a contribution to the phylogenetic debates regarding the origin of Hystricognathi, we present a cladistic assessment of the dental evidence for the Palaeogene hystricognathous rodent cladogenesis. Our phylogenetic results consistently support the monophyly of the Hystricognathiformes clade (including Tsaganomyidae plus Hystricognathi) of which baluchimyine rodents are clearly members. There is, however, no support for the monophyly of a baluchimyine clade. Nonetheless, ‘baluchimyines’ are for the moment reinterpreted as Hystricognathi incertae sedis. Hystricognathous rodents appear to be well diversified at least since the early Oligocene, both in Africa and South America (phiomorphs and caviomorphs, respectively), and also now in south Asia. Furthermore, our phylogenetic results support close relationships between early hystricognathous and Asian ‘ctenodactyloid’ rodents, which clearly points to an Asian origin for Hystricognathi. In this phylogenetic framework, ‘baluchimyines’ and tsaganomyids are representatives of an initial phase of diversification of hystricognathous rodents in Asia. Oligocene phiomorphs and caviomorphs (sister groups) seem therefore to share a common ‘Asian’ hystricognathous ancestor. This reinforces the possibility that the early dispersal of hystricognathous rodents to South America was not from Africa but from Asia.