Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of shading on leaf anatomy in konjak plant (Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch)

Konjak plants were grown under different light intensities; full sunlight, 30, 50 and 70% shading. Leaf anatomy was studied with a light microscopy and the following results were obtained. 1. The corm dry weight increased by shading and statistically higher values were obtained from plants in shading as compared with those in full sunlight (Table 1). 2. The length of whole leaf and each leaflet increased with decreasing light intensity, but the width of leaflets was not affected by shading. Accordingly, the leaf area increased about 3-30% by shading (Table 2). 3. The thickness of upper and lower epidermis, palisade and spongy tissues in leaflets decreased with decreasing light intensity. The number of cell layers in palisade and spongy tissues also decreased by the shading treatment (Table 3, 4). 4. The total palisade cell surface area per unit leaf area was decreased with decreasing light intensity, because of decrease in number of cells and cell volume, but the intercellular space of palisade tissue was larger in leaves developed in shade than those in full sunlight (Table 5). 5. The above-mentioned anatomical changes of the leaflet were more remarkable at the base of the leaflets than those at the top portion. 6. The number of chloroplasts per unit leaf area in palisade tissue was greatest at 1-2 weeks after shading treatment and decreased thereafter with aging. The number of chloroplasts of leaves grown under 50% and 70% shading decreased more gradually than those under full sunlight (Fig. 4). Based on these observations, the relationship between photosynthetic rate and anatomy of the leaflet was discussed.
The Microbiological Quality of Private Water Supplies

This paper provides a detailed assessment of the microbiological quality of a selection of private water supplies. Samples were taken from 91 supplies and analyzed for total coliforms, faecal coliforms and faecal streptococci. The microbiological quality of the samples was generally poor, with almost 50% of the supplies failing to meet the required standards on at least one occasion. Given the high level of sanitary microbiological failures, there is the possibility that harmful microorganisms could be present and a significant risk to health cannot be discounted.
INTERGENERIC HYBRIDIZATION IN FLOWERING PLANTS

Summary The importance of hybridization in speciation is emphasized by listing most of the known intergeneric hybrids in flowering plants and including a figure (23,675) of all the known hybrids including interspecife ones. No claims are made that the list is complete or absolutely accurate. Some of the strong points regarding hybridization as a process are given. In addition, it is pointed out that hybrids, throughout the range, show both dominance and intermediacy, some possess normal meiosis and many are highly or partially fertile. Although mutation has been given the major role in effecting diversity in the natural world during the first half of this century, it is now quite clear to many biologists, that the role of hybridization in speciation has been
The Misteaching Of Academic Discourses

Foreword (James Paul Gee) Understanding Academic Discourses Language and Ideology: The (Il)literacy of Linguistic-Minority Students A Potentially Ideal Classroom The Misteaching of Academic Discourses: Three Discourse Events Student Language Performance on Language Tasks Rethinking Academic Discourses: Some Pedagogical Comments
Contribution of soil fauna to mass loss of Abies faxoniana leaf litter during the freeze-thaw season

Aims Mass loss in wintertime is one of the key processes in litter decomposition in cold biomes.The contribution of soil fauna to litter decomposition has been unclear,and the contribution might be different in different winter periods (OF:the onset of the freeze-thaw season,DF:the deep frozen period and TS:the thawing stage). The objective was therefore to quantify the contributions of soil fauna to fir (Abies faxoniana) leaf litter decomposition during the freeze-thaw season.Methods A field experiment using litterbags was conducted in an alpine fir forest from October 2010 to April 2011.Samples of air-dried fir leaf litter were placed in nylon litterbags (20 cm×20 cm,10 g per bag),and the edges were sealed.We investigated mass loss rates in litterbags with different mesh sizes (0.020,0.125,1.000 and 3.000 mm) and simultaneously analyzed contributions of micro-,meso-and macro-fauna to leaf litter decomposition.Important findings Over the freeze-thaw season,the mass loss rates in litterbags with different mesh sizes were 12.13% (0.020 mm),13.07% (0.125 mm),14.95% (1.000 mm) and 18.74% (3.000 mm). Contribution per-centages of all three body-size soil faunas were about 35.28%. Mass loss rates of fir leaf litter appeared consistent with the taxa and individual relative density of soil fauna.Contribution percentages of mass loss rates showed the order as micro-meso-macro-fauna during the three stages of the freeze-thaw season.The highest contribution percentages of micro-fauna (6.56%),meso-fauna (11.77%) and macro-fauna (21.94%) were detected at DF,OF and TS stage,respectively.However,the contribution percentages of meso-and macro-fauna during the DF stage were lower than the other two stages.The results demonstrated that soil fauna played an important role in litter decomposition during the freeze-thaw season in alpine forests of western China.
POST-COLD WAR AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION ON THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE

Extending and further testing the theory advanced by Bruce Jentleson with post-cold war data, variations in U.S. public support for the use of military force are shown to be best explained by the principal policy objective for which military force is being used, with a third category of "humanitarian intervention" added to the previous two of "foreign policy restraint" and "internal political change. " The principal policy objective theory is shown through a series of tests, including regression and logistic analyses, to offer the most powerful and parsimonious explanation, both directly superseding and indirectly subsuming such other alternative variables as interests, elite cues, risk, and multilateralism. These findings support the broader theoretical view of a rational public purposive and not purely reactive in its opinion formulation and have important implications for the basic dispositions of the types of military interventions the American public will and will not support in the post-cold war era.
Effect of Polysaccharides of Cistanche deserticola on Immune Cells and Telomerase Activity in Aging Mice

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of polysaccharides of cistanche deserticola(PCD) on tissue malondialdehyde(MDA) content and telomerase activity and immune function of experimentally aging model mice.METHODS Subacute aging model mice were induced by D-galactose.The MDA content and telomerase activity were measured with thiobarbituric acid colorimetric method and PCR-ELISA,respectively.The lymphocyte proliferation was measured by MTT method.Phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages was tested by neutral red test.The interleukin-2(IL-2) content in peripheral blood was measured by ELISA method.RESULTS In model group,MDA content was significantly increased in heart,liver and brain,telomerase activity,lymphocyte proliferation,phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages and blood IL-2 content were obviously decreased.After treatment with PCD,MDA content was significantly decreased in heart,liver and brain.The telomerase activity in heart and brain,lymphocyte proliferation,phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages and peripheral blood IL-2 content were obviously enhanced.CONCLUSION PCD can prevent aging of mice induced by D-galactose,which may be related to antagonize the free radical injury and enhance the immunity of aging mice.
Research Note: Effect of Posthatch Holding Time on Performance and on Residual Yolk and Liver Composition

Abstract An experiment was carried out to determine the importance of holding time after hatching on the performance of male broiler chickens. This was done by transferring the chicks from the hatchery to the poultry house at intervals of 24 h. The weight and composition of the yolk residue on time of transfer were also determined. At 21 and 40 days of age, feed intake and body weight were inversely related to the period of holding. The chicks did not compensate for their posthatching body weight loss. The growth retardation caused by 24- and 48-h holding was equivalent at market age to 1 or 2 days body weight gain, respectively. There were no differences among treatments for feed utilization or mortality.
PRODUCTION ECOLOGY III. SHOOT PRODUCTION IN PHRAGMITES IN RELATION TO HABITAT

In attempting to survey the factors associated with the size of the standing crop of natural vegetation types, a more detailed study was made, in the late summer (September, 1953) of the soil relations of stands of Phragmites communes under various habitat conditions. The basis of the estimates differed somewhat from that used in the previous paper. Less attention was paid to the amount of average cover and more to the attempt to estimate maximal performance in each site. It was found necessary where performance was poor to use the size of isolated shoots as the criterion and under these circumstances the sample quadrats on more favourable sites were taken in representative clumps of the denser stands. As a result the weight of shoot per unit area of soil would give local maximum crop weights rather than the average cover as mean standing crop. In many cases, samples were taken where Phragmites was not completely dominant, and in at least two instances, the Rannoch Moor and Kinrara 2 sites, the shoots were scattered and of a vestigial nature, so that only one would have been found in a quadrat of 625 sq. cm. , the size used. In the denser stands examined the quadrats usually contained between 7 and 9 shoots fairly constantly.
Family formation and dissolution patterns

The rates at which marriages are formed and/or dissolved in any society affect the levels of fertility and hence the birth rate in the broader population. Since, generally, the bulk of childbearing takes place within the context of marriage (Caldwell 1976), in the absence of widespread HIV infection and effective use of contraception including condoms, higher marriage rates mean higher levels of fertility. Available evidence (see for instance Gregson et al. 1997) suggests association between HIV infection and reduced fertility in sub-Saharan countries. Thus, nuptiality patterns are of great importance to the institution of the family.
Exponential forgetting and geometric ergodicity in HMM's

We consider a hidden Markov model with multidimensional observations and with misspecification, i.e. the assumed coefficients (transition probability matrix and observation conditional densities) are possibly different from the true coefficients. Under mild assumptions on the coefficients of both the true and the assumed models, we prove that: 1) the prediction filter forgets almost surely their initial condition exponentially fast; and 2) the extended Markov chain, whose components are the unobserved Markov chain, the observation sequence and the prediction filter, is geometrically ergodic, and has a unique invariant probability distribution.
Co-W alloys for replacement of conventional hard chromium

The influence of deposition conditions on bath stability and some coating properties was investigated. Using the Rochelle salt-ammonium chloride bath electroplating, with the soluble tungsten anode, was possible only at elevated temperatures of about 90 °C and resulted in current efficiency at 92 to 96 percent. With an inert platinum anode, deposition temperature could be reduced to 50 °C, but with significant decrease in current efficiency and much faster deterioration of the bath. Deposits obtained from the bath with the tungsten anode were fine-grained, with crystallite size 90 to 150 A, while plating at 50 °C with an inert platinum anode yielded nanocrystalline coatings. Thermal treatment of deposits at 400 to 500 °C in air led to the formation of a Co 3 O 4 surface layer, 3-5 μm thick. The oxide coating was distinguished by good protective characteristics, capable of enhancing corrosion resistance substantially. Properties of alloy deposits are compared with those of conventional hexavalent chromium.
Burkholderia cepacia complex infection in cystic fibrosis patients: mechanisms of pathogenesis

Related species that make up the Burkholderia cepacia complex can be opportunistic pathogens of the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). B. multivorans and B. cenocepacia are the predominant clinical isolates from this group. The pathogenesis of B. cepacia complex of the CF lung has certain characteristics. Firstly some strains are found in many patients (hyper-transmissible strains) whereas others are limited to infection of single patients. Attempts to identify specific virulence genes or markers linked to hyper-transmissibility have to date been largely unsuccessful with the possible exception of the expression of a functional ‘cable’ pilus by one strain. This strain (ET12 lineage) is highly infectious and has widespread distribution. Once acquired it may be suppressed, it is rarely, if ever, eradicated from the CF lung. Virulence factors associated with persistence have been identified and include biofilm formation, the ability of invasion and replication within epithelial tissue, production of siderophores and particular ornibactins and possibly exotoxins directed against phagocytic cells. In addition, recent work using signature tagged mutagenesis and an animal model in which the lungs are infected with agarose embedded B. cenocepacia, has identified more than 100 genes required for in vivo persistence. A third characteristic of B. cepacia complex infection is the variable sequelae following infection from apparent long-term asymptomatic carriage to the development of acute and usually fatal pneumonitis ('B. cepacia syndrome'). The later condition may be associated in part with undefined host responses to the infection together with invasiveness of the complex and the elevated inflammatory cytokine production in response to B. cepacia complex lipopolysaccharide. Although much information concerning the virulence factors of the B. cepacia complex has emerged in the last few years, there are still many aspects that need clarification before our knowledge in this area will have a clinical benefit to patients with CF.
Age determination of breeding shorebirds: quantification of feather wear in the lekking great snipe

We develop a method of aging Great Snipe (Gallinago media) by quantifying primary feather wear. No reliable method has hitherto existed to separate young (firstsummer, second calendar year) and old Great Snipe during the breeding season. We quantified primary wear of cut-off feather tips using a binocular microscope and scored the degree of wear on six variables. We found that primary wear separated well between young and old birds, whereas morphological variation did not. In a sample of 405 Great Snipes from Norway, 98.7% of the males of known age (74 old, 3 young) were correctly classified to age with discriminant analysis using primary feather wear. We review the potential use of primary feather wear to separate first-summer individuals from older individuals in 113 Nearctic and Palearctic shorebird (Charadriiformes) species. We note that in the majority of species, differential primary wear is the only available aging method during the breeding season.
DNA barcoding of East Asian Amentotaxus (Taxaceae): Potential new species and implications for conservation

DNA barcoding is a useful tool for species identification using standardized genomic DNA fragments. The genus Amentotaxus, consisting of five or six species, is confined to South China, Northeast India, Laos, and Vietnam. All species have been assessed as globally or nationally threatened. However, there is uncertainty about the number of species involved, especially in the border areas of southern China, northern Vietnam, and Laos. We selected five DNA barcodes (rbcL, matK, trnH‐psbA, trnL‐F, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS)) to evaluate their discrimination ability in this genus, and to investigate the current taxonomy of Amentotaxus. Our results indicate that all the selected barcoding regions showed a high level of universality for PCR and sequencing. When six species are recognized, the nuclear ribosomal DNA region ITS and the chloroplast DNA region trnL‐F used on their own provided the highest identification success (60%). Two barcode combinations that included either ITS or trnL‐F had the same species discrimination ability. Combinations using additional barcodes did not improve the species identification success. When only five species are recognized, with A. hatuyenensis T. H. Nguyen treated as a synonym of A. yunnanensis H. L. Li, the discrimination rate rises to 100%. Our results also indicate that recent collections from Yunnan province, China, Lao Cai province, Vietnam, and Laos may represent a potential new species. The findings from this study will be very useful for the formulation of appropriate conservation strategies for threatened Amentotaxus species in national and trans‐boundary regions.
Typification of nineteen names of AfricanSolanumspecies described by A. Richard and others, includingS. campylacanthumandS. panduriforme

The Paris Herbarium (P) contains many important but neglected specimens, collected from Abyssinia (now Eritrea and Ethiopia) by Quartin-Dillon and Petit, as well as by Schimper, and first described as new species by Achille Richard. A brief account is presented here of the circumstances of the collection, description and publication of these. Definitive typification and nomenclatural details are provided for twelve names of AbyssinianSolanumspecies described by A. Richard in 1850 in Paris, and of five other African species described by Dunal (1852) and of two others. These areS. adoenseHochst. ex A. Rich. ,S. bifurcatumHochst. ex A. Rich. (=S. bifurcumHochst. ex Dunal),S. campylacanthumHochst. ex A. Rich. ,S. grossidentatumA. Rich. ,S. hirtulumSteud. ex A. Rich. ,S. macilentumA. Rich. ,S. macracanthumA. Rich. ,S. piperiferumA. Rich. ,S. plebeiumA. Rich. ,S. polyanthemumHochst. ex A. Rich. ,S. schimperianumHochst. ex A. Rich. andS. unguiculatumA. Rich. , and alsoS. albicauleKotschy ex Dunal,S. delagoenseDunal,S. heudelotiiDunal,S. panduriformeE. Mey. ex Dunal andS. senegambicumDunal, and alsoS. kotschyiiSteud. (ined.) andS. senegalensePerr. (ined.). Some of these are synonyms ofS. anguiviLam. ,S forskaliiDunal,S. incanumL. ,S. terminaleForssk. andS. villosumMill. Hitherto, places of publication of several of these names, and the authorship of many of them have been cited incorrectly.
Semantic memory in Alzheimer's disease : Representativeness, ontologic category, and material

Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with semantic memory difficulty and AD patients with relatively preserved semantic memory named pictures and judged the category membership of words and pictures of natural kinds and manufactured artifacts that varied in their representativeness. Only semantically impaired patients were insensitive to representativeness in their category judgments. AD subgroup judgments did not differ for natural kinds compared to manufactured artifacts nor for words compared to pictures. AD subgroup differences could not be explained by dementia severity, memory, reading, and visuoperception. The similarity process for relating coordinate members of a taxonomic category contributes to the normal appreciation of word and picture meaning, and this process is compromised in AD patients with semantic difficulty.
The electronic grapevine : rumor, reputation, and reporting in the new on-line environment

Contents: Preface. Part I: Rumor. J.E. Newhagen, M.R. Levy, The Future of Journalism in a Distributed Communication Architecture. S. Hornig Priest, Public Opinion, Expert Opinion, and the Illusion of Consensus: Gleaning Points of View Electronically. W.S. Williams, The Blurring of the Line Between Advertising and Journalism in the On-Line Environment. P. Aufderheide, Niche-Market Culture, Off and On Line. Part II: Reputation. J. Primuth, Cyberspace: A Consensual Hallucination. K. Harvey, Going On Line With the U.S. Constitution: Gender Discussions in the Cultural Context of the First Amendment. D.L. Borden, Cyberlibel: Time to Flame the Times Standard. Part III: Reporting. B. Henderson, J. Fernbank, The Campus Press: A Practical Approach to On-Line Newspapers. L.C. Christopher, Technology and Journalism in the Electronic Newsroom. S.S. Ross, Journalists' Use of On-Line Technology and On-Line Sources. W. Evans, Content Analysis in an Era of Interactive News: Assessing 21st Century Symbolic Environments. K. Kawamoto, Making Sense of the New On-Line Environment in the Context of Traditional Mass Communications Study.
Responses of Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera:Coccinellidae) adults to cold acclimation and the related changes of activities of several enzymes in their bodies

In order to clarify the effects of cold acclimation on cold tolerance of adult Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), we investigated the survival rate, supercooling point (SCP), water content and reproduction capability of adults under low temperature in the laboratory condition. Adults of H. axyridis were cold acclimated at 5℃ successively for 1, 3, 5 and 10 d prior to cold stress. The results showed that the survival rate of the adults exposed to -5℃ for 3 d was improved from 46% of the control (without prior cold stress) to 60% and 67% when adults were acclimated for 3 d and 5 d, respectively, but decreased to 51% after the cold acclimation for 10 d. Returning of the adults to 25℃ caused a loss of cold acclimation within 7 d. The SCP and the water content decreased as the duration of cold acclimation prolonged. Short-term (5, 10 d) exposure to 5℃ did not decrease the SCP even though it significantly decreased water content in the body. The pre-oviposition period of the female was delayed after acclimation. Acclimation significantly decreased the fecundity within 72 h, but did not affect the number of eggs laid in the first cluster. The effects of cold acclimation on several enzyme activities were examined, and the results showed that superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities increased whereas lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and Na+, K+-ATPase activities decreased after cold acclimation. These results indicate that cold acclimation is a complex physiological and biochemical process, which is very important to the survival and reproduction of H. axyridis.