Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BIODIVERSITY OF SESSILE AND MOTILE MACROFAUNA ON INTERTIDAL OYSTER REEFS IN MOSQUITO LAGOON, FLORIDA

Abstract Our research focused on determining the diversity and abundance of sessile and motile macrofauna that use intertidal reefs of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica for feeding, settlement space or refuge in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida. Five replicate lift nets were deployed at six sites (three impacted reefs with seaward margins of disarticulated shells, three reference reefs without dead margins) to determine the species composition and numbers present on these reef types. All nets were deployed intertidally on backreef areas on living oyster reefs, just above mean low water. One and a half liters of live oysters and oyster shells were placed in each net (1m2) on deployment. Nets were surveyed for all fauna monthly for one year. Metrics used to evaluate habitat use were species richness (total number of different species found) and density (total number of organisms per net). Comparisons were also made between community assemblages found on the two different types of reefs in the area (with and without dead margins) and for sessile species, recruitment on living oysters versus disarticulated shells. Forty sessile and 64 motile species of macroorganisms were found utilizing the oyster reefs in Mosquito Lagoon. However, recruitment on live oysters was twice that on disarticulated shells. Significant temporal variations were documented. When the two reef types were compared, however, no differences were found.
Microhabitat choice and diet of rodents in Maynugus irrigation field, northern Ethiopia

An ecological study on the choice of microhabitat and diet of small mammals was carried out in Maynugus irrigation field of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia. Abundance of rodents was high during the reproductive phase of the agricultural plants. Mastomys erythroleucus occurred more frequently in vegetable fields, whereas Arvicanthis dembeensis was more frequent in habitats with monocot plants. Scrotal males and reproductive females consumed more food by weight than abdominal males and quiescent females. Arvicanthis dembeensis consumed more food than M. erythroleucus. Both the species consumed more food during the main rainy season. All the cultivated plants were attacked by these rodents with a degree of difference in relation to season, species, sex, age and sexual condition. As rodent attack was more intense during the fruiting phase of the plants, rodent control management should be carried out during the flowering phase. Resume On a mene une etude ecologique du choix du micro-habitat et du regime alimentaire des petits mammiferes dans le champ d'irrigation de Maynugus, dans la region du Tigre, au nord de l’Ethiopie. L'abondance de rongeurs etait tres grande au moment de la phase de reproduction des plantes cultivees. Dans les champs de legumes, c’etait Mastomys erythroleucus qui etait le plus frequent, tandis que Arvicanthis dembeensisetait plus frequent dans des habitats comportant des monocotyledones. Les mâles «scrotaux» et les femelles reproductrices consommaient plus de nourriture par unite de poids corporel que les mâles «abdominaux» et les femelles quiescentes. Arvicanthis dembeensis consommait plus de nourriture que M. erythroleucus. Les deux especes mangeaient davantage pendant la saison des pluies principale. Toutes les plantes cultivees etaient attaquees par ces rongeurs avec un certain degre de differences selon la saison, le sexe, l’âge et la condition sexuelle. Comme l'attaque des rongeurs etait plus intense pendant la fructification des plantes, le controle des rongeurs devrait etre realise au cours de la floraison.
Osteoblasts Adherence and Migration through Three-dimensional Porous Mineralized Collagen Based Composite: nHAC/PLA

Osteoblast cells were separated from the neonatal rat calvaria and co-cultured on a novel mineralized hydroxyapatite/collagen/poly(lactic acid) composite scaffold. By using this static cell culture, a three-dimensional osteoblasts/composite bone-like was constructed in vitro. The culture process was observed by scanning electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and histological analysis. Cells were observed to spread and proliferate throughout the inner-pores of the scaffold material. After a 12-day culture, the cells had grown into the interior scaffold about 200–400 μm depth of the composite by histological section observation. This mobile behavior of osteoblasts appeared to be similar to the composition and hierarchical structure of bone tissue. The adherence and migration of osteoblast cells in this three-dimensional composite is clinically important for large bone defect repair based on tissue engineering.
An African twin to the Brazilian Calamopleurus (Actinopterygii: Amiidae)

Abstract A new species of amiid fish, Calamopleurus africanus sp. nov., is described on the basis of fragmentary material from? Albian Kem Kem beds of southern Morocco. The new species shows several derived characters of the genus Calamopleurus such as ossified dermopterotic ribs, an inferred loose association between the dermosphenotic and the skull roof, a gular plate with a scalloped posterior margin, and a hyomandibular with a very long posterior (opercular) process. It differs from the type species in the proportions of the frontals, supramaxilla and gular. The distribution of Calamopleurus and some other Lower Cretaceous fishes is discussed in the context of the presumed adjacency of west Africa and eastern Brazil during much of the Mesozoic.
Organochlorine (OC) pesticide residues in soils of major cocoa plantations in Ondo State, Southwestern Nigeria

Organochlorine compounds were extracted from soils of major cocoa plantations in Ondo State of Nigeria by supercritical fluid extraction and their concentrations were determined by electron capture detector – gas chromatography. The percentage recoveries for the optimized extraction temperatures were 89.99 ± 0.05 to 105.24 ± 0.04 at 60°C and 63.88 ± 1.12 to 93.33 ± 0.15 at 80°C while the analytes were not detected at 50 and 100°C. The extraction pressure was also optimized and percentage recoveries were 54.13 ± 5.03 to 87.98 ± 10.56 and 89.99 ± 0.05 to 105.24 ± 0.04 at 200 and 300 Bar, respectively. Results of routine analysis using the optimized conditions (60°C, 300 Bar) showed that soils of the study area are contaminated by organochlorine compounds (OCCs) in varied degree which ranged from ND to 40.55 ±1.54 µg/g which may be due to pesticide application on cocoa plantations for the control of insect pests and diseases in the study area. Key words: Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), soil, supercritical fluid extraction, electron capture detector – gas chromatography (ECD-GC).
Relationships Between Some Hordein Components and Quality Properties in Two Tunisian Barley Varieties as Influenced by Nitrogen Fertilisation

Two Tunisian barley varieties, Martin and Rihane, differing by their degrees of adaptation to the envi- ronmental conditions and grain yield potential, were grown under different levels of nitrogen (N) fertilisation. The effect of nitrogen supply on the hordein components (expressed in mg per albumen) was determined by Nu-PAGE electrophoresis system using the MOBS running buffer and densitometric analysis. Increasing nitrogen fertilisation increased the protein content by increasing the amount of C-hordeins. The sub-fraction BIII of high molecular weight B-hordeins appeared, in the present study, as the best criterion for distinguishing between the two barley varieties genetic adaptation, and its quantification could be recommended for the understanding of the quality properties of the barley response to different environmental conditions particularly nitrogen fertilisa- tion which appears to be the main origin of differences in the protein aggregation mode of different B-hordein sulphur-rich sub-fractions.
Periodic changes in Prosopis cineraria associated AM population at different soil depth and its relationship with organic carbon and soil moisture

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) spore population was studied at eight levels of soil depth under two different sites viz., P. cineraria under agro forestry area (with moong bean) and P. cineraria as sole crop at four different quarters of the year (July, October, January, April). In agro forestry areas the spore population recorded higher as compared to P. cineraria grown as sole crop. The upper layer (0-30 cm) contains more number of AMF population in comparison to deeper layers. The trend in decrease of spore population to soil depth was as follows: 11 - 20 cm > 0 - 10 cm > 21 - 30 cm > 31 - 40 cm > 41 - 50 cm > 51 - 60 cm > 61 - 70 cm > 71 - 80 cm. AMF population was also correlated with organic carbon content at different soil depths. The per cent organic carbon content varied between sites and among the soil depths. The more organic carbon content was recorded at upper layers and decreasing towards deeper layers. The maximum moisture content was found in first quarter, that is, in month of July and minimum in fourth quarter, that is, in April. However, spore population was positively correlated with soil organic matter throughout the year but not with soil moisture. The results demonstrated that status of AMF population under P. cineraria depends on soil depth, soil organic carbon, soil moisture content and the site of plantation.
External and Internal Structure of Ankylosaur (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) Osteoderms and Their Systematic Relevance

ABSTRACT Ankylosaurian systematics can be assessed using morphological, textural, and histological characters of osteoderms. Archosaur osteoderms have cortices surrounding cancellous cores. Ankylosaurs are united by an external cortex distinguishable from the core and by the presence of mineralized structural fibers. Nodosaurid osteoderms lack a well-developed basal cortex and have dense external cortical fibers. Ankylosaurid osteoderms are thinner than those of other ankylosaurs. Polacanthine osteoderms have a cancellous core, but share this feature with other derived and primitive taxa. Cortical thickness overlaps among groups, so a thick cortex is not diagnostic for polacanthines. Specialized elements diverge histologically from the primitive condition to suit their specific functions. Some shapes and external textures are diagnostic for specific taxa, such as Ankylosaurus and Glyptodontopelta. Parsimony analyses suggest osteodermal support for a monophyletic Polacanthinae (excluding Mymoorapelta) and Shamosaurinae.
Examination of the Genotoxic Effects of Various Parabens Used as Food Additives with the Drosophila Wing Spot Test (SMART)

The objective of this study is to determine the possible genotoxic effects of the para-hydroxybenzoic acid esters (Parabens) of ethylparaben and butylparaben used as preservative substances in the food, cosmetic and drug industries on Drosophila melanogaster with the Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART). In our study, two different mutant strains of D. melanogaster known as the fruit fly with recessive flr 3 and mwh identifier genes in its genome were used. The trans-heterozygous larvae of 72±4 hours obtained as a result of the crossbreeding between these two mutant strains were fed chronically with various concentrations (100, 150, 200 and 250mM) of ethylparaben and butylparaben. In addition, experimental setups for control groups have been prepared using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and distilled water. Wing preparates of the full-grown individuals developed from these larvae have been prepared and these preparates have been examined under a microscope. According to the data obtained from microscopic analysis, no significant increase has been determined in all type clone number of ethylparaben and butylparaben groups in comparison with the control group. This has been determined to have negative (-) or insignificant (i) effects on the control group statistically (P>0.05). As a result of the data we obtained, it has been concluded that parabens show toxic effects, although no genotoxic effects on D. melanogaster.
Managing for Preferred Hunting Experiences: A Typology of Minnesota Waterfowl Hunters

Abstract Most research describing the characteristics and behaviors of waterfowl hunters has assumed this group of sportsmen to be relatively homogenous. Using data obtained through a mail survey conducted in 2000, we developed a typology of Minnesota waterfowl hunters based on experience preferences. This type of information may assist wildlife managers in making regulatory recommendations that increase hunter satisfaction, and hence, participation. We used cluster analysis to group hunters into 5 types. We identified 2 types as enthusiasts and 3 as participants. Enthusiasts hunted more days and placed greater importance on almost all experience items than other respondents. We characterized participant hunters as longtime waterfowl-hunting participants, less-engaged waterfowl-hunting participants, and recreational–casual waterfowl-hunting participants. Longtime and less-engaged waterfowl hunters tended to be older than all other respondents. We suggest that modeling hunter participation using experience preferences and satisfaction also may enhance the harvest-management process.
Gibberellin Inhibits Fruit Abscission Following Seed Abortion in Peach

Seed coats of developing fruit of peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch CVS. Redkist, Redskin, and Loring) were punctured at 31, 33, and 38 days after full bloom (DAFB), respectively. Injections of water, 390 mg GA 3/liter, or 390 mg GA4+7/liter were made immediately following seed puncture. Seed puncture and water injection following puncture resulted in abscission of all fruit. Injection of GA 3 and GA4+7 delayed abscission of 'Redkist' and 'Redskin' fruits of punctured seeds by 6 to 10 days. Both GA treatments resulted in normal growth into Stage II and increased fruit retention through Stage III in 'Loring'. About 100 µl of 250, 500, or 1000 mg GA 3/liter was injected into the locule of 'Loring' fruits following seed puncture at 30, 40, or 50 DAFB. GA treatments at 30 DAFB resulted in 75% fruit set in comparison to seeded control fruit, while fruit treated at 40 and 50 DAFB abscised by the end of Stage II. Increasing GA concentration from 250 to 1000 mg·liter -1 had no additional effect. Movement of the GA was examined by injecting 3 H-GA1 into the locule following the puncture treatment. More than 97% remained in the fruit after 96 hours. The percentage of 3 H recovered in the seed cavity decreased over time, whereas recovered label increased in both endocarp and mesocarp. The results suggest a potential regulatory role for seed-produced gibber- ellins during early Stage I of development. We have identified an apparent change in tissue sensitivity to gibberellin induction of seedless fruit development between 30 and 40 DAFB in 'Loring' peach.
A Forager‐Resource Population Ecology Model and Implications for Indigenous Conservation

Population ecology and foraging theory can be combined to simulate the population dynamics of hunter‐gatherers and their prey resources. Such simulation study is important to issues of conservation because many of the population processes that link human foragers and their prey occur over time scales that elude both ethnographic and archaeological fieldwork. To demonstrate, we used the model to examine hunter‐gatherer population dynamics. We focused on a prey characteristic that affects its susceptibility to over‐exploitation: the intrinsic rate of increase, r. We found that forager‐prey systems can stabilize without intentional conservation behavior and that prey “switching,” fall‐back foods, and in certain circumstances, a higher r contribute to resource species persistence. Furthermore, a prey’s vulnerability to local depletion or extinction may depend on the demographic characteristics of the suite of resources harvested along with it. The model can serve as a “null hypothesis” for examining intentional resource conservation and presents points in concordance with, as well as divergent from, tenets in conservation biology. In particular, we discuss the implications of these findings for indigenous resource conservation in Amazonia (e.g., the overhunting of large primates and avifauna and the adoption of new procurement technologies) as well as the “Pleistocene Overkill Hypothesis. ”
The UV visual world of fishes: a review

Ultraviolet-A radiation (320-400 nm) is scattered rapidly in water. Despite this fact, UV is present in biologically useful amounts to at least 100 m deep in clear aquatic environments. Discovery of UV visual pigments with peak absorption at around 360 nm in teleost cone photoreceptors indicates that many teleost fishes may be adapted for vision in the UV range. Considering the characteristic absorption curve for visual pigments, about 18% of the downwelling light that illuminates objects at 30-m depth would be available to W-sensitive cones. Strong scattering of UV radiation should produce unique imaging conditions as a very bright UV background in the horizontal view and a marked veiling effect that, with distance, obscures an image. Many teleosts have three, or even four, classes of cone cells mediating colour vision in their retina and one can be sensitive to UV. These UV-sensitive cones contain a visual pigment based on a unique opsin which is highly conserved between fish species. Several powerful methods exist for demonstration of UV vision, but all are rather demanding in terms of technique and equipment. Demonstration that the eye lacks W-blocking compounds that are present in many fish eyes is a simpler method that can indicate the possibility of UV vision. The only experimental evidence for the use of UV vision by fishes is connected to planktivory: detection of UV-opaque objects at close range against a bright UV background is enhanced by the physical properties of UV light. Once present, perhaps for the function of detecting food, UV vision may well be co-opted through natural selection for other functions. Recent discovery that UV vision is critically important for mate choice in some birds and lizards is a strong object lesson for fish ecologists and behaviourists. Other possible functions amount to far more than merely adding a fourth dimension to the visible spectrum. Since UV is scattered so effectively in water, it may be useful for social signalling at short range and reduce the possibility of detection by other, illegitimate, receivers. Since humans are blind to UV light, we may be significantly in error, in many cases, in our attempts to understand and evaluate Visual aspects of fish behaviour. A survey of the reflectance properties of skin pigments in fishes reveals a rich array of pigments with reflectance peaks in the UV. For example, the same yellow to our eyes may comprise two perceptually different colours to fish, yellow and UV-yellow. It is clearly necessary for us to anticipate that many fishes may have some form of UV vision. (C) 1999 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.
Exchange Pathway; Reversibility ofTransport and Asymmetry ofthe Modifier Site

Na+ flux and cytoplasmic pH (pHi) determinations were used to study the reversibility, symmetry, and mechanism of activation of the Na+/ H+exchange system in rat thymic lymphocytes. In acid-loaded cells, theantiport can be detected as an Na+-induced, amiloride-sensitive alkalinization . At pHi >7.0, amiloride-sensitive net H+ fluxes are not detectable. To investigate whether at this pHi the transporter is operative in a different mode, e.g., Na/ Na+ exchange, 22Na+ uptake was measured as a function of pHi. The results indicate that the antiport is relatively inactive at pH i >7.0 . Comparison of the rates of H+ efflux (or equivalent OH- uptake) and Na+ uptake indicate that Na+/Na+ countertransport through this system is negligible at all values of pHi and that the Na+:H+. stoichiometry is 1 :1 . Measurements of pHi in Na+-loaded cellssuspended in Na+-freemedium revealed an amiloride-sensitive cytoplasmic acidification, which is indicative of exchange of internal Na+ for external H+. The symmetry of the system was analyzed by measuring the effect of extracel- lular pH (pH.) on Na+ efflux . Unlike cytoplasmic acidification, lowering pH. failed to activate the antiport . The results indicate that the amiloride-sensitive Na+ /H+ exchanger is reversible but asymmetric . The system is virtually inactive at pHi >7.0 but can be activated by protonation of a modifier site on the cytoplasmic surface . Activation can also occur by depletion of cellular Na' . It is proposed that Na+ may also interact with the modifier site, stabilizing the unprotonated (inactive) form .
Tailoring rice plants for sustainable yield through ideotype breeding and physiological interventions

The success of yield-improvement programmes hinges on the accurate selection of parents from which to generate superior breeding populations, and the selection of high-yielding genotypes from early-segregating generations. Development of the ideotype concept has focused the attention of plant physiologists and breeders on the identification of simple morphological characters which influence physiological processes determining yield. A major advantage in breeding for ideotype is that genes for certain characters can be easily introgressed from the related species with aid of biotechnological interventions. Characters such as leaf inclination and leaf shape are often simply inherited and can greatly influence crop canopy structure and radiation interception. Such characters could be rapidly modified by selection to increase crop photosynthesis and yield. This review provides integrated information on these relationships and gives plant breeders a blueprint of the characteristics of high-yielding cultivars of rice in specified environments. Key words: Ideotype, physiological traits, sustainable yield, rice, new plant type.
Ascaris suum infective eggs upregulate IL-4, 5 and 10 in BALB/c mice

invaluable models in the elucidation of immune responses in parasitic infections. The present study determined the effect of the infective eggs of Ascaris suum in BALB/c mice through the measurement of cytokine and immunoglobulin levels. Thirty BALB/c mice were randomly grouped into normal control group (NC) and Ascaris group (AS), divided into three trials (5 mice per group per trial). Those in the AS group were chronically infected with Ascaris suum (As) eggs, while those in the NC group were given placebos. At days 0, 36 and 72, stool samples were collected for fecalysis and formalin ether concentration technique (FECT) while blood samples were extracted and used for ELISA for the measurement of cytokines and As-specific antibodies. Liver, lungs and small intestines were harvested for E histopathologic analysis. Chronic Ascaris suum infection in BALB/c mice significantly increased the levels of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10. It did not significantly change the level of As-specific IgE but slightly increased the level of As-specific IgG. Stool specimens from all mice showed negative fecalysis and FECT results. Pathological conditions were observed from the liver, lungs and small intestines of infected mice. Ascaris suum is capable of infecting BALB/c mice, which indicates that it can cross species barrier. Immune response of mice was modulated through production of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 and As-specific IgG.