Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A SIMPLE METHOD FOR RECORDING LOW-AMPLITUDE SOUNDS. APPLICATION TO THE STUDY OF THE COURTSHIP SONG OF THE FRUIT FLY DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

ABSTRACT Some acoustic signals produced by small insects are very low in amplitude and attenuate rapidly with distance. To achieve high quality recordings with such signals, the use of specialised microphones or of sound insulation chambers is necessary. This paper presents a simple and efficient method for the recording of acoustic signals emitted by small sources. Its principle is based upon the use of two simultaneous digital recordings from two microphones: one records the ambient noise while the other records the ambient noise plus the signal to analyse. Both these recordings are converted into digital files and then a simple subtraction between the two isolates the signal with a good signal-to-noise ratio. With this method of background noise removal, the recording of low amplitude sounds in an uninsulated room with common microphones becomes possible. We have applied this method to the study of 12 complete courtships of Drosophila melanogaster and particularly to the analysis of pulse sounds produced by the male in presence of a female. The study focuses mainly on the rhythm of production of pulse trains over the course of the courtship.
Steady State and the Continuous Input Model of Litter Accumulation and Decompostion in Australian Eucalypt Forests

The continuous input litter accumulation and decomposition model of Olson (1963) is examined in the context of periodically burned eucalypt forests. Eucalypt forests are generally not in steady state since fires regularly deplete the pool of accumulated litter. A decay constant calculated assuming steady state would considerably overestimate the forest floor turnover rate if based on data collected much less than 10 yr after a fire. The approximate magnitude of the error has been deter- mined for jarrah (Eucalyptus marginate Sm.) and karri (E. diversicolor F. Muell.) forests as a function of time since fire. The predicted decay constants could also vary by up to 25% due to annual variations in the rate of litter input.
Introduction

This special issue of Applied Neuropsychology–Child is devoted to the topic of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). ADHD is perhaps the most prevalent childhood behavioral disorder and likely the most common referral for behavioral problems to medical and mental health professionals. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) defined ADHD as the “most common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood” that can “profoundly affect the academic achievement, well-being, and social interactions of children” (Subcommittee on Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, 2011). It is well recognized that children with ADHD represent an extremely heterogeneous population, presenting with wide variation in type and degree of symptoms, in the age of symptom onset, and in the extent with which ADHD is associated with other comorbid disorders. As summarized by Barkley (2006), comorbid disorders as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) have been reported to occur with ADHD between 32% and 80% of the time. Despite the complexity of these ADHD presentations, and despite the fact that the AAP defines the disorder as “neurobehavioral,” the guidelines for diagnosing the disorder consist of DSM-Fourth Edition behavioral criteria, with diagnostic information obtained through observational reports from parents, guardians, teachers, and other mental health clinicians. The past 25 to 30 years of neuroscientific research, with structural and functional neuroimaging, have consistently and persuasively demonstrated regional brain abnormalities and/or disturbances in various brain networks in ADHD. There is absolutely no question that ADHD is a neuropsychological/neurodevelopmental disorder. Neuropsychological “tests” have successfully been used as “probes” in functional imaging studies and have played an essential, primary, critical role in identifying the abnormalities that are evident in this
Editorial

Over the past few months we all must have witnessed, via television and the internet, the struggles for power in the Middle East. All too often what is taken as a truth by one of the parties involved can be transformed to a lie by another group without any recourse to analysis or theory. In reality it is through the dominant regimes of power in place at a particular time that certain truths and rationality are established while others are marginalised or discounted (Foucault, 1980). What is taken to be true is in fact linked in a circular relationship with the systems of power which generate and sustain it and to the effects of power which induce and extend it (Foucault, 1980). Truth is not a fact, certainty or reality, but an ever-changing relationship between things and people in the struggle to find meaning. For some time ‘Western’ democracies have criticised those states where power is highly concentrated rather than dispersed. The accusation is that in such states the population remains hostage to forms of government that are unaccountable to the people and whose circle of power is uncontrolled. Power can then be used to shape the relationships between things and people and in due course to establish a form of truth that satisfies the status quo. In turn, the states that profess democracy purport to have established a system of non-distorted communication and of reflection, both of which are inimical to a state of terror, political spin, military propaganda or religious fundamentalism. Freedom of speech and the media are symbols of transparency and openness and honesty. These views, which many people have long held to be true, have more recently faced a series of serious criticisms. For example, the ‘truth’ behind the call to invade Iraq has been challenged as an example of negative power politics – that is, the power concentrated in the elite that enabled the views and wishes of many thousands or even millions of protesters to be disregarded. The power held by the elite meant that it was able to offer ‘truths’ about the dangers faced by the threat of weapons of mass destruction and so on, even though, in reality, such messages were later discovered to be untrue. Positive and wonderful things can be achieved with power. We can create democracies, defeat tyrants, establish freedoms and forge relationships (Clegg et al, 2006) but, as in the case of Iraq, the power to achieve each of these things may entail the unleashing of violence, use of a manipulation strategy and reinforcement of domination (Clegg et al, 2006). Consequently, when the concept of power is associated with words such as ‘domination’, ‘violence’ and ‘manipulation’, power may well be viewed negatively and as a corrupting force. Power can thus be a positive or negative force, depending on how and why it is used.
BOOK REVIEW

Iain McGilchrist’s well-researched and magisterial book The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Modern World, has re-opened for the educated public the question of the cognitive differences in processing characteristic of the right and left hemispheres of the brain. The book is based on McGilchrist’s many years of study and training, as a psychiatrist, neuroimaging researcher, and Oxford University teacher of English. But at the end of his book, even after he supports his argument with exhaustive, impressive, and up-to-date neurobiological knowledge, he makes it clear that what he is talking about is not ultimately the hemispheres of the brain as such.
Evolution of Iron Acquisition in Higher Plants

ABSTRACT In the plant kingdom, two iron (Fe) acquisition strategies exist. All plant species, except grasses, acquire Fe2 + from soil after reduction of Fe3 + using the Strategy I mechanism. Although expressing many Strategy I activities, grasses employ the Strategy II mechanism, which involves the synthesis, secretion, and uptake of phytosiderophores that chelate Fe3 + from soil. In recent years, several genes involved in Fe acquisition have been identified in plants. This study examined the phylogenetic distribution of iron-acquisition genes of five dicots, five grasses, and one gymnosperm. Both Strategy I and II plant species possessed either all or some genes for Strategy I. For Strategy II genes, only the five grasses expressed genes for phytosiderophore synthesis. Due to the conservation of Strategy I genes among both Strategy I and II species and absence of Strategy II genes from dicot and gymnosperm species, we concluded that Strategy II in grasses was derived relative to Strategy I.
Kinetics of hydrogen ion diffusion across phospholipid vesicle membranes.

The membrane-impermeant, pH-sensitive fluorescence probe 8-hydroxy-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonate can be entrapped within the internal aqueous compartment of unilamellar phospholipid vesicles, where it serves as a reliable indicator of internal aqueous hydrogen ion concentration [Clement, N. R. , & Gould, J. M. (1981) Biochemistry 20, 1534-1539]. When the external (medium) pH of a suspension of soybean phospholipid vesicles was rapidly changed from 8.2 to 6.65, the rate of subsequent H+ influx into the vesicles, measured as the change in pyranine fluorescence, was limited (in KCl media) by the rate of charge-compensating counterion redistributions. The half-time for the pyranine fluorescence change (corresponding to an internal pH change from 8.2 to 7.43), which was several minutes in the absence of valinomycin, could be decreased to approximately 300 ms, but not further, by the K+ ionophore valinomycin. Proton ionophores such as gramicidin or bis(hexafluoroacetonyl)acetone (1799), on the other hand, decreased the time required for transmembrane H+ equilibration to less than 1 ms. These findings indicate that the intrinsic permeability of unilamellar vesicle membranes to hydrogen ions is surprisingly high and much greater than the observed permeabilities of other small ions.
Effective Survey on Hierarchical Routing Protocols in WSN

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) gives low cost solutions to various real world problems. WSN consists of autonomous sensors located at distance to monitor physical or environmental conditions, such as sound, vibration, pressure, temperature, motion or pollutants and to cooperatively transfer their data through the network to a main location. The energy balancing for nodes is an important factor in wireless sensor networks. Energy consumption is an essential design issue in WSNs. Thus, many routing, power management and data dissemination protocols have been specifically designed for WSNs. Designing energy-efficient routing mechanism to extend the overall network lifetime has become most important. So this paper studies the different hierarchical routing protocols.
Ethnobotany of a threatened medicinal plant "Indravan" (Cucumis callosus) from central India

Indravan, Cucumis callosus (Rottler) Cogn is a native wild medicinally important species. During an exploration trip for collecting cucurbit genetic resources in the tribal tracts of eastern Madhya Pradesh in October 2013, information on the use of this species as a traditional medicinal plant was gathered from Gond and Baiga tribes inhabiting forest areas of Anuppur, Dindori and Shahdol districts. The scientific name (Cucumis callosus) was earlier misapplied to a taxon, occurring under semi-wild condition in crop fields, C. melo L. var. agrestis (Naudin) Pangalo. Hence, the botanical identity of Indravan material as C. callosus was confirmed through field, herbarium and literature studies. The ethno-medicinal use of this species was recorded from old-experienced folk, ojhas and vaidyas, using a semi-structured questionnaire. [Medicinal Plants 2014; 6(4) : 307-309]
Seed germination ofStenocereus thurberi(Cactaceae) under different solar irradiation levels

Abstract Germination of Stenocereus thurberi seeds was evaluated under different conditions of solar irradiation and humidity. Seed germination increased under higher humidity and low solar irradiation which provided cooler temperatures and higher water availability. Seedlings were also greener and more turgid under these conditions. Increased solar irradiation reduced seed germination and decreased seedling size and water content. The results of this study support the importance of natural shelter systems in the arid zones in providing better conditions for S. thurberi seed germination and seedling establishment, particularly in the desert of Baja California.
Effect of Overexpressed Ref-1 on AKT Phosphorylation for NO Production in Mouse Aortic Endothelial Cell Line

Redox factor-1 (Ref-1) is essential for repair of oxidatively damaged DNA and also govern the reductive activation of many transcription factors. In this study, we examined the effect of overexpressed Ref-1 on AKT activation for nitric oxide (NO) production in mouse aortic endothelial (MAE) cells. Adenoviral-mediated overexpression of Ref-1 enhanced NO production in unstimulated- as well as bradykinin-stimulated MAE cells. Importantly, forced overexpression of Ref-1 induced direct phosphorylation of AKT in cells. And, a PI3K inhibitor wortmannin completely abolished the increase in AKT phosphorylation by stimulation of bradykinin and/or overexpressed Ref-1. In addition, inhibition of AKT activity with HA-tagged activation-deficient AKT suppressed Ref-1-induced endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation and resulted in a corresponding inhibition of unstimulated- and bradykinin-stimulated NO production. These results suggest that Ref-1 stimulates direct phosphorylation of AKT for eNOS enzyme activity in murine endothelial cells.
Synthesis and biological activity of 9-mercaptodethiobiotin—a putative biotin precursor in Escherichia coli

A total synthesis of (±)-9-mercaptodethiobiotin 3via the aldehyde 9 is described. Compound (±)-3 does not function as a biotin replacement factor for an E. coli mutant (SA291) lacking the entire biotin synthesis operon (bioABFCD–) but supports growth of an E. coli bioA mutant. Compound (±)-3 also supports growth of transformed cells of SA291 carrying a plasmid encoding the E. coli biotin synthase (bioB) gene indicating that the compound may be able to substitute for dethiobiotin 2 as a substrate for biotin synthase.
Physiological Functions of Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum

Partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) has a number of properties associated with dietary fiber. PHGG ingestion results in not only an increase in defecting frequency and softer stools in persons with constipation but also significantly improvement of diarrhea in patient with gastrointestinal intolerance. The lowering of fecal pH by intake of PHGG resulted in the growth of Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. , intestinal flora good for human health. Improvement of balance of intestinal microflora resulted in prevention from infection and colonization of Salmonella enteritidis. Further the ingestion of PHGG promoted absorption of mineral and lowered serum cholesterol and triglycerides in the rat and serum cholesterol in human by improving lipid metabolism without reduction of protein utilization. In addition, PHGG significantly reduced the level of plasma glucose, and thereby improved acute post-prandial plasma glucose and insulin response. All these observations suggest that the PHGG is prospective one of dietary fiber with various biological functions.
COMMUNITY GENETICS: NEW INSIGHTS INTO COMMUNITY ECOLOGY BY INTEGRATING POPULATION GENETICS1

Community genetics is the study of the interaction between genes within a species and pop-ulations of other species in a community. This area of research ﬁrst introduced (1992 community genetics. 426–429 Plant resistance to herbivores and pathogens: ecology, evolution and genetics. Illinois, USA]) as a modern attempt to integrate community ecology and evolution. Research programs in community genetics span from understanding the mechanistic bases of the evolution of organisms in a community context to identifying the role of genetic variation in generating community patterns. Is community genetics an emerging subdiscipline that ﬁnally unites multispecies ecology with the genetics of evolutionary change? It is argued that a mature understanding of either ecological communities or the evolution of species will require community genetics. Others cry that this label is nothing more than funding-agency-style renaming of perfectly good, classic questions in evolutionary ecology. I have asked two of the leading groups in community genetics to lay down the deﬁnitions and set the agenda for future work: Neuhauser et al., who established a Center for Community Genetics at the University of Minnesota; and Whitham et al., who have been studying the consequences of genetic variation for diverse communities and community processes. The result is two fresh and controversial lead papers. Following these papers are commentaries from eight respondents. Some of these authors were pioneers in bridging the ﬁelds of community ecology and evolution; others are newcomers seeking to infuse ecology with novelty. The result is a mix of arguments that illustrate the vigorous debate within modern community ecology. The feature starts ends perspectives Neuhauser Whitham reductionist holist The the reductionist rapid evolutionary change. nonequilibrial anthropogenic in-ﬂuences, strong in Although we may be able to agree that it is a worthy goal to integrate more than one or two species into the study of population genetic change and to integrate genetics into the study of community patterns, will the reductionist and holistic approaches ever meet? Perhaps the study of coevolution in real communities (diffuse coevolution) will be the ﬁrst benefactor of the com-bined reductionist and holistic approaches to community genetics. Others will soon follow. Ul-timately, the goal is to develop an increasing ability to describe and predict patterns in nature.
Differential acceptance of and survivorship on a non‐host plant between two geographically separate populations of the phytophagous ladybird beetle Henosepilachna yasutomii

Phytophagous specialists among insects occasionally accept plants they do not or only rarely utilize under natural conditions. This non‐host acceptance could represent an initial stage in host‐range evolution. Here, we examined adult acceptance of and larval survivorship on a non‐host plant – wild thistle, Cirsium kamtschaticum Ledeb. (Asteraceae) – for two geographically separate populations of the phytophagous ladybird beetle Henosepilachna yasutomii Katakura (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), which normally utilizes blue cohosh, Caulophyllum robustum Maxim. (Berberidaceae), in the wild. The two beetle populations showed lower acceptance of and survivorship on the non‐host plant (thistle) than on the normal host plant (blue cohosh). Furthermore, they differed significantly in their responses to thistle but not to blue cohosh. Even for the beetle population that more readily accepted thistle as adults, acceptance was moderate and the eclosion rate was low, indicating reduced performance on the non‐host plant. Although studies have infrequently focused on non‐host acceptance, this is likely common in phytophagous specialists and thus is a potentially important evolutionary factor, as it may determine the future direction of food‐range evolution.
Tree fine root Ca/Al molar ratio – Indicator of Al and acidity stress

Abstract High soil acidity and elevated soil Al concentrations limit plant growth in many terrestrial ecosystems. Aluminium toxicity can be ameliorated by Ca. Thus, Ca/Al molar ratios in soil solution and in plant tissues have been proposed as superior indicators than Al concentration itself for evaluating the Al toxicity stress to trees (Cronan & Grigal, J Environ Qual 1995;24:209 – 226). This article presents an overview of publications since 1995 where the reduced Ca/Al ratio in fine tree roots has been used as an indicator of stress for Al and/or soil acidity. The main aim of this review was to evaluate the use and the critical threshold of the fine root Ca/Al ratio as a potential indicator for Al toxicity stress to trees in acid soils. Based on the reviewed literature, the fine root Ca/Al molar ratio was strongly negatively related to Al stress in small tree seedlings in controlled environments, whereas the response was not clear under field conditions where other environmental factors interact. Fine root Ca/Al ranged from 0.03 to 17 in tree seedlings and from 0.1 to 18 in mature trees depending on experimental and site conditions, as well as the tolerance and uptake mechanisms of the different tree species. Fine root Ca/Al was positively related to the soil solution Ca/Al molar ratio. Fine root Ca/Al ratios were related positively to fine root length, growth, specific root length, and biomass, and negatively to root diameter, callose formation, respiration chain activity, starch concentration, and root necromass. A number of relationships have been also found between the fine root Ca/Al and above-ground seedling and/or mature tree growth and nutrient uptake. The critical thresholds for the Ca/Al fine root ratio of 0.2 suggested by Cronan and Grigal (1995) is estimated to represent 90% risk of inverse impact on root and above-ground tree growth. Values of Ca/Al molar ratio in the fine roots of mature trees were only rarely determined below the critical 0.2. The caveats for the use and the interpretation of Ca/Al ratio in fine roots have been addressed in detail. A protocol for root processing and elemental analysis to obtain reliable and comparable results of Ca and Al concentrations in roots is also provided. The article concludes with recommendations for a wider use of the Ca/Al ratio in roots as a bioindicator of Al toxicity to trees in acid soils.
New tools for studying epidemiology and resistance of grape powdery mildew to DMI fungicides

Using a Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay, we investigated the genetic polymorphism existing among 62 European isolates of the grape powdery mildew fungus (Uncinula necator [Schw.] Burr.). Isolates overwintering as mycelium in buds were genetically distinct from isolates overwintering as ascospores, suggesting the existence of two genetically isolated powdery mildew populations, and consequently of two independent sources of inoculum in the vineyard. Isolates resistant to fungicides inhibiting sterol 14α-demethylation (DMIs) were found in both populations, suggesting that resistance to DMIs may arise independently in the two powdery mildew populations. A PCR assay targeting the gene encoding U. necator 14α-demethylase has been developed which will permit an early, specific detection of U. necator infections, and may be useful for spraying programmes.