Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Burst-Pulse Sounds Recorded from White-Beaked Dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris)

Dolphin sounds are generally categorized as tonal whistles or pulsed clicks. Pulsed signals in dolphins are usually associated with echolocation; however, an increasing number of species have been found to produce burst-pulse signals, which may be used for communication. Groups of whitebeaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) were recorded near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, with a hydrophone towed 25 m behind the boat at a depth of approximately 5 m and an M-Audio 24/96 digital recorder (16 bit, 96 kHz). During one 50-min encounter, 10 burst-pulse segments were recorded. Mean burst-pulse duration was 0.33 s (SD 0.17 s, range 0 3 to 0.60 s). Peaks from burstpulses were accurately identified with a MATLAB software-based signal detection and analysis program in nine segments of the recordings, totaling 521 individual peaks. Mean pulse rate was 719 Hz (SD 207 Hz, range 423 to 1,103 Hz), while the mean pulse period was 1.39 ms (SD 0.41 ms, range 0.91 to 2.36 ms). Mean peak frequency was 35.3 kHz (SD 11 kHz, range 1.5 to 46.5 kHz), and mean 3-dB bandwidth was 5.1 kHz (SD 1.4 kHz, range 3 to 10.5 kHz). Maximum received level was 159 dB re 1 μPa. The observed pulse rates were likely too rapid to be of use for echolocation. These sounds were made immediately before the group began actively swimming away from the boat at high speed, suggesting that they were used for communication as has been proposed for other species of dolphins. This is the first time burstpulses have been quantitatively analyzed for this genus of dolphin.
PROTEOMICS OF THE RED ALGA, GRACILARIA CHANGII (GRACILARIALES, RHODOPHYTA) 1

The application of proteomics in alga research is still quite limited. The present report describes the establishment of the proteome of a red alga of economic importance, Gracilaria changii (Xia et Abbott) Abbott, Zhang et Xia. Initially, four protein extraction methods including direct precipitation by trichloroacetic acid/acetone, direct lysis using urea buffer, Tris buffer, and phenol/chloroform extraction were compared for their suitability to generate G. changii proteins for two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis (2‐DE). The phenol/chloroform protein extraction method gave the best 2‐DE resolution of the proteins. Using these 2‐DE gels and mass spectrometry, several proteins including pigment proteins, metabolic enzymes, and ion transporters were identified. These findings highlight the potential of using proteomic approaches for the investigation of G. changii protein function.
Genetic monitoring of supportive breeding in brown trout (Salmo trutta L.), using microsatellite DNA markers

Stocking with offspring of local wild fish, so-called supportive breeding, is often advocated as an alternative to stocking domesticated fish. However, it is important to ensure that supportive breeding does not result in inbreeding and loss of genetic variability. We analysed eight microsatellite loci in samples of wild and hatchery-reared brown trout (Salmo trutta) from three populations subject to supportive breeding. For calibrating statistical procedures, we included two test samples of reared offspring for which the precise number of parent fish was known and a sample from a further wild reference population. Three different statistical procedures were used to detect population bottlenecks and loss of variability: (i) a randomization test for comparing allelic diversity between samples; (ii) estimates of effective number of breeders from gametic-phase disequilibrium; and (iii) a test for assessing population bottlenecks based on detecting deviations from mutation-drift equilibrium. All three procedu.
Antiinflammatory, antitumour and antifertility effects in rodents of two nor‐cucurbitacin glucosides from Wilbrandia species

The purified fraction (PF) of the rhizome of Wilbrandia sp. (Cucurbitaceae) that contained two nor‐cucurbitacin glucosides (WG1 and WG2) demonstrated potent antiinflammatory, antitumour and antifertility effects in rats and mice at oral doses ranging from 50 to 200 mg/kg. In rat, it significantly inhibited carrageenan‐induced hind paw oedema and granulomatous lesion, while in mice the increased vascular permeability induced by acetic acid was markedly reduced. The PF exhibited an antitumour effect in rats bearing Walker 256 carcinosarcoma and also demonstrated cytotoxic action against KB cells in vitro. In regularly cycling mice, PF treatment suppressed the incidence of the oestrus phase of the reproductive cycle suggesting a possible antiovulatory effect. The rats that received PF from days 1 to 7 of pregnancy showed either a total absence or a reduced number of implantations in utero. The PF failed to exhibit abortifacient, oestrogenic or antioestrogenic actions. The results indicate that the nor‐cucurbitacin glucosides of Wilbrandia sp. possess a novel spectrum of pharmacological activity different from that of cucurbitacins described earlier from other plants of this family.
Seaweeds as sources of antioxidant phytomedicines.

INTRODUCTION: as seaweeds are constantly exposed to oxidative stress conditions, significant quantities of antioxidant compounds are found in their chemical composition such as lypophilic compounds like unsaturated fatty acids, chlorophyll and carotenoids; hydrophilic compounds like polyphenols and vitamin C, and polysaccharides. OBJECTIVES: to review and analyze scientific information about the potentialities of seaweeds as source of natural antioxidants in relation with their chemical composition. METHODS: publications related to seaweeds ́ chemical composition and antioxidants properties were thoroughly analyzed and included in the review. RESULTS: the study of seaweeds as natural antioxidants is closely related to their chemical composition, and is at present an important field in natural products research, due to seaweed potentialities for human health and food industry. Nevertheless, it is frequently a challenge to exactly determine the compounds responsible for the antioxidant activity and sometimes, this activity may come from a synergistic effect is found among several compounds. CONCLUSIONS: seaweeds are organisms with wide biodiversity that might become a significant source of natural antioxidants.
PA139 STRUCTURE ELUCIDATION OF THE FUMONISINS, MYCOTOXINS FROM FUSARIUM MONILIFORME

The structures of the fumonisins, a family of structurally related mycotoxins isolated from cultures of Fusarium moniliforme, were elucidated by mass spectrometry and 1H and 13C n.m. r. spectroscopy as the diester of propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid and either 2-acetylamino- or 2-amino-12,16-dimethyl-3,5,10,14,15-pentahydroxyicosane as well as in each case the C-10 deoxy analogue; in all cases both the C-14 and C-15 hydroxy groups are involved in ester formation with the terminal carboxy group of propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid.
LA GÉNOMIQUE: UN OUTIL PERFORMANT POUR UNE GESTION INTÉGRÉE DE L'ÉLEVAGE, DE L'ENTRAÎNEMENT ET DE LA SANTÉ DES CHEVAUX

Genomics is a scientific discipline concerned with the study of genome structure, function and evolutionary changes. The field relies on systematic approaches to study the genome architecture and DNA sequence (structural genomics) as well as the regulation of genome expression (functional genomics). Resulting knowledge and technological tools may find numerous applications in the equine industry, such as genetic disease screening, identification of animals susceptible to various diseases, training management as well as genetic improvement and breeding. Equine veterinarians have a major role to play in the design and implementation of such work, which in turn should also provide new opportunities. Indeed, veterinarians may benefit from this genomic information to develop genetic counselling, to suggest relevant changes in breeding practices or to design novel treatment strategies.
Evolution of mixed farming systems for the delivery of triple bottom line outcomes: a synthesis of the Grain & Graze program

The continued evolution of mixed farming systems will depend on the development of technology which addresses the basic biophysical constraints of the agro ecological zone within which these systems have developed. However, the application of these technologies will increasingly depend on the extent to which they address all dimensions of the social–economic–environmental system within which mixed farmers operate. The Grain & Graze program has accelerated the adoption of several technologies that can provide a basis for continuing evolution of mixed farming systems (e.g. grazing of cereals, drought containment of livestock, perennial pastures) while initiating the development and exploration of others whose potential will be realised in the longer term (e.g. pasture cropping, integrated pest management in mixed farming systems, cover cropping and alley farming with old man saltbush). Some technologies capable of supporting continued evolution were not addressed comprehensively by the program but remain opportunities for future development, particularly technologies for feed demand management and inter-seasonal feed transfer. The program made considerable progress in fostering the explicit consideration of the ‘triple bottom line’ consequences of new technology. It has confirmed that no universal solution to the question of profitability and sustainability is to be expected but has also demonstrated that methodology is available to make the formal consideration of this question much more robust. Clearer definition of the institutional requirements for support of change in complex systems, and for effective management of large national projects, will provide key underpinnings to ensure that subsequent programs achieve the benefits of scale in RD&E that Grain & Graze has convincingly demonstrated. In addition, we argue that ongoing evolution of mixed farming systems that will deliver triple bottom line outcomes will require policies that achieve appropriate cost sharing for delivery of environmental benefits and increased capacity for structural adjustment within the industry itself, to account for changes in demography, infrastructure and farm management arrangements.
B Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) results from the clonal accumulation of CD5+ B lymphocytes. We and others have demonstrated that B-CLL can be divided into at least two clinically distinct subgroups based on the presence of mutations in genes encoding the immunoglobulin V region (Ig V) and on the percentage of the leukemic cells expressing the marker CD38.1–3 Based on these observations, we speculated that cases with mutated Ig V genes probably arose from the transformation of post-germinal center (GC) memory cells. However, the origin of clonal BCLL cells with unmutated Ig V genes is unclear. Therefore, it is plausible that these cases may have derived from transformed cells that had not undergone a classical GC reaction. To characterize the state of activation/maturation of B-CLL cells in detail, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from B-CLL cases and age-matched normal donors were subjected to three-color immunofluorescent staining and analyzed by flow cytometry. A significantly higher percentage of B-CLL cells expressed activation markers such as CD23, CD25, and CD69 compared with CD5+ B cells from normal age-matched controls. When phenotypes of B-CLL cases grouped by V gene mutations were compared, the unmutated cases showed HLA-DR expression at significantly higher densities than the mutated cases. In addition, higher percentages of B-CLL cells from unmutated cases expressed CD38, CD69, and CD40, whereas significantly lower percentages expressed CD39, CD62L, and CD71 compared to the mutated cases (FIG. 1A and B). These data suggest that cells in the subgroups of BCLL are arrested at different stages of activation.
Mites (Acarina) associated with stored food products in Himachal Pradesh, India: A taxonomic study

Preliminary surveys conducted in Himachal Pradesh to have an idea of the mite fauna associated with stored food products resulted in the discovery of 15 species of mites under 15 genera, 10 families and 3 orders. The mites observed are Astigmata: Acaridae: Acarris siro L. , Aleuroglyphus ovatus (Tropeau), Caloglyphus berlesei (Michael), Thyreophagus entomophagus (Laboulbene), Tyrophagus longior (Gervais), Glycyphagide: Austroglycyphagus geniculatus (Vitzthum), Glycyphagus geniculatus Vitzthum, Mesostigmata; Phytoseiidae: Amblyseius sp. , Uropodidae: Leiodinychus parasiticus Choudhury and Mukherjee. Prostigmmata: Cheyletidae: Cheyletus malaccensis Oudemans, Pyemotidae: Pygmephorus nilanjana Putatunda. Stigmaeidae: Agistemus sp. , Tarsonemidae: Tarsonemus confusus Ewing. Tetranychidae: Tetranychus sp. and Tydeidae: Pronematus sp. Key to the identification of mites is provided in the text. The mites are new record for Himachal Pradesh from stored food.
Physicochemistry and Vegetation of Piccaninnie Ponds, a Coastal Aquifer-fed Pond in South-eastern South Australia

The aquatic vegetation and physicochemistry of Piccaninnie Ponds are described and recent annual losses of aquatic vegetation investigated. The aquifer-derived waters of the Ponds are characterized by their clarity, low nutrient content, low salinity, and lack of thermal and chemical stratification. In 1985, large areas of aquatic vegetation within the Ponds degraded and were lost. Subsequent faster regeneration of denuded areas by Ruppia polycarpa resulted in the displacement of Lepilaena cylindrocarpa. The annual uprooting of R. polycarpa, which has occurred since, results from Ruppia's comparatively poorer anchorage capacity in the loose sediment floc. Gradual expansion of L. cylindrocarpa into freshly uprooted regions restricts the regrowth of R. polycarpa and hence the area susceptible to denudation in the following year. It is expected that the displacement of R. polycarpa will continue until only small isolated stands remain, which will be prevented from uprooting by the root matrix of surrounding vegetation.
Genetic Analysis reveals a distinct and highly diverse Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) population in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia

Population genetics can reveal otherwise hidden information involving a species' history in a given region. Koalas were thought to have been virtually exterminated from the Australian state of Victoria during the koala fur trade of the late 1800s. Koalas in the South Gippsland region of Victoria were examined using microsatellite markers to infer population structure and gene flow and to locate a possible remnant gene pool. The results indicate that the South Gippsland koala population had higher genetic diversity (A = 5.97, HO = 0.564) than other published Victorian populations, and was genetically distinct from other koala populations examined. South Gippsland koalas, therefore, may have survived the population reductions of the koala fur trade and now represent a remnant Victorian gene pool that has been largely lost from the remainder of Victoria. This paper illustrates that historic anthropogenic impacts have had little effect on reducing the genetic diversity of a population in the South Gippsland region. However, the South Gippsland population is now subject to threats such as logging and loss of habitat from housing and agriculture expansion. Our results suggest that the South Gippsland koalas require an alternative conservation management program.
Infrared Spectroscopy in Microbiology

Infrared (IR) spectra of intact microbial cells are highly specific fingerprint-like signatures which are used to differentiate, classify, and identify diverse microbial species and strains. Microbial IR spectra are also useful to (1) detect in situ intracellular compounds or structures such as inclusion bodies, storage materials, and endospores, (2) monitor and quantify metabolically released CO2 in response to various different substrates, and (3) characterize growth-dependent phenomena and cell–drug interactions. The characteristic information, useful for microbial characterizations, is generally distributed over the entire IR region of the electromagnetic spectrum, i.e. over the near-infrared (NIR), mid-infrared (MIR), and far-infrared (FIR). The spectral traits can be systematically extracted from the typically broad and complex spectral contours applying resolution enhancement techniques, difference spectroscopy, and pattern recognition methods such as factor-analysis and cluster-analysis, and artificial neural networks (ANNs). Additional applications arise by means of a light microscope coupled to the IR spectrometer. IR spectra of microcolonies containing less than 103 cells are obtained from colony replica by a stamping technique that transfers microcolonies growing on culture plates to a special IR-sample holder. Using a computer-controlled x,y-stage together with mapping and video techniques, the fundamental tasks of microbiological analysis, namely detection, enumeration, and differentiation of microorganisms, are perspectively integrated in one single apparatus.
Monitoring for invasive tunicates in Nova Scotia, Canada (2006-2009).

The shellfish culture industry in Atlantic Canada has been adversely affected by the presence of non-indigenous, invasive tunicates since the mid-1990’s. A Fisheries and Oceans Canada Aquatic Invasive Species (DFO-AIS) monitoring program documented the presence, establishment, and spread of five tunicate species at geo-referenced coastal monitoring stations in Nova Scotian waters from 2006-2009. Styela clava (Herdman, 1881) and Didemnum vexillum (Kott, 2002) were not found in Nova Scotia during the course of this study, despite their problematic presence in Prince Edward Island and the Gulf of Maine, respectively. Botryllus schlosseri (Pallas, 1766) was the most widely distributed species, found at more than 69% of sites monitored in all years. Ciona intestinalis (Linnaeus, 1767) was present at about half of the stations in all years, and while its populations were heaviest and most persistent in the Halifax – St. Margaret’s Bay, Shelburne – Port La Tour, and Canso – Isle Madame areas, there was evidence of spread on the eastern and Fundy shores, and in Cape Breton. Botrylloides violaceus (Oka, 1927), was the least common tunicate encountered, but its distribution increased from 19% of stations in 2006 to 50% of stations in 2009. Tunicates occupied a wide variety of hard substrates (natural and artificial) in waters with 13.0 to 33.2 salinity and at oxygen saturations of 32.5 to 124.8%.
Laccases: A Useful Group of Oxidoreductive Enzymes

Using enzymes as decontaminating agents has received great attention. One of the most promising groups of enzymes, laccases, are used to decontaminate phenol-polluted systems and for bio technological applications. Higher plants and fungi, mostly wood-rotting fungi, are the main producers of laccases, but bacterial laccases also have been found. Belonging to the class of phenoloxidases, laccases catalyze the polymerization of several phenolic substances to polymeric products. In addition, they have transformed lignin and lignin-related compounds, showing a very broad substrate specificity. Specific compounds acting as protein-synthesis inducers historically have been used to improve the production of the enzyme. Recent success in fungal molecular and cellular engineering technology has contributed to significantly increase the industrial production of recombinant laccase. Kinetic (Michaelis-Menten parameters, optimum pH, kcat) and stability properties of laccases may vary according to the source of the en.
Energizing Eukaryotes

Power, Sex, Suicide. Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life. By Nick Lane. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2005. 368 pp. $30, £18.99. ISBN 0-19-280481-2. The author explores a range of big questions in biology--including eukaryote origins, human evolution, sex, fertility, and death--from the perspective of mitochondria.
Do spatial patterns of benthic diatom assemblages vary across regions and years?

Abstract: Authors of several studies of the spatial distributions of microorganisms have shown strong geographical patterns and stressed the importance of considering the spatial component explicitly when studying assemblage—environment relationships. The processes underlying the patterns are still under debate because it is difficult to separate the unique roles of dispersal limitation and mass effects from spatially structured variation in environment. We analyzed correlations between assemblage dissimilarity and geographical and environmental distances in a large French diatom database, subdivided into regions, years, and different water-quality levels, with multiple regression on distance matrices (MRM) and partial Mantel correlograms. Before we applied MRM, we identified the strongest environmental predictors with the BIO-ENV procedure, which selects the best predictors after testing correlations between distance matrices including every possible set of variables. Environmental control of assemblages was stronger than spatial factors in explaining assemblage patterns, but purely spatial patterns also were significant at the national scale and within some regions. When we averaged environmental and biological data over 3 y, environmental variables accounted for more variability in assemblage structure than relationships estimated with data from a single year. Assemblages in mountainous regions showed particularly strong spatial patterns, perhaps because dispersal barriers hinder the exchange of colonists across sites. The strong spatial structure in the diatom data leads us to encourage researchers to divide ecoregions into smaller areas, especially in mountainous landscapes, when studying assemblage—environment relationships. We also recommend the use of averaged biological and environmental data when developing biotypologies of biotic assemblages for environmental assessment and conservation.
From East Gondwana to Central America: historical biogeography of the Alstroemeriaceae

Aim The Alstroemeriaceae is among 28 angiosperm families shared between South America, New Zealand and/or Australia; here, we examine the biogeography of Alstroemeriaceae to better understand the climatic and geological settings for its diversification in the Neotropics. We also compare Alstroemeriaceae with the four other Southern Hemisphere families that expanded from Patagonia to the equator, to infer what factors may have permitted such expansions across biomes.
An unusual new archosauriform from the Middle–Late Triassic of southern Brazil and the monophyly of Doswelliidae

Until now the Doswelliidae was considered a monospecific family including Doswellia kaltenbachi from the Late Triassic of North America. The phylogenetic position of this taxon remained enigmatic until recently, when a sister-group relationship with the Proterochampsidae was suggested. In the present contribution we describe the new doswelliid species Archeopelta arborensis gen. et sp. nov. from the Middle–Late Triassic of Brazil. A cladistic analysis recovered Archeopelta, Doswellia, and Tarjadia within a monophyletic group of basal archosauriforms, the Doswelliidae. The monophyly of this family is supported by the presence of osteoderm ornamentation that is coarse, incised, and composed of regular pits and the presence of an unornamented anterior articular lamina. Archeopelta is more closely related to Doswellia than to other archosauriforms by the presence of basipterygoid processes anterolaterally orientated, dorsal centra with a convex surface, width of the neural arch plus ribs of the first primordial sacral that are three times the length of the neural arch, and iliac blade laterally deflected, with strongly convex dorsal margin, and a length less than three times its height. The phylogenetic analysis indicates that Doswellidae is the closest large monophyletic entity to Archosauria, which achieved a wide palaeolatitudinal distribution during the late Middle and Late Triassic time span. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 161, 839–871.