Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The grass seedling: when is it established?

Adventitious roots of sufficient length and diameter must develop to assure that the photosynthetic surfaces receive sufficient water and nutrients before grass seedlings can be considered established. We evaluated development of crested wheatgrass [Agropyron desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schult. ] and blue grama [Bouteloua gracilis (H.B.K.) Lag. ] seedlings in the field to decide when they were established. Blue grams and crested wheatgrass seedlings, under the environmental conditions of this study, were considered established 21 days after emergence. At this time, crested wheatgrass seedlings had 4 leaves, 2 adventitious roots penetrating to a depth of at least 80 mm into the soil, and 1 tiller per plant. Blue grama seedlings had about 6 leaves, 2 adventitious roots penetrating to a depth of at least 100 mm into the soil, and 2 tillers per plant. Most seedlings that reached this stage by the end of the first growing season overwintered and survived the following growing season and provided adequate stands for both species.
Dietary, anticancer and medicinal properties of the phytochemicals in chili pepper ( Capsicum spp. )

Chili pepper ( Capsicum spp.) is important as a spice, flavour enhancer, vegetable and component in herbal medicine. The numerous phytochemicals and their medicinally important properties present in diverse germplasm of chili pepper have been characterized and documented. Capsaicinoids, carotenoids, vitamins, flavonoids such as anthocyanins are present as the major phytochemicals in chili pepper fruits. Capsaicinoids, pungent analogues of capsinoids, are the most important group of phytochemicals in which capsaicin and dihydrocapsaic in are prominent in providing the basis for pungency and medicinal properties. The detailed studies conducted on the phytochemicals in chili pepper fruits using mouse models and human cell lines have reported an array of anticancer effects on leukemia, myeloma and various carcinomas associated with the digestive tract. In addition, chili pepper possesses anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticholesteremic, anticlotting and antioxidant activities. Therefore, this review is compiled to provide a comprehensive assessment of the phytochemical profile and medicinal values of chili pepper. Collectively, numerous studies performed to date demonstrated the potential medicinal significance of chili pepper for development of herbal medicine and to plan further studies to elucidate other hitherto unknown medicinal values.
Effects of fertilization on grass community diversity and productivity of degraded alpine grassland at Maqu, in South of Gansu Province.

Different fertilizers were used in the moderately degraded grassland in Maqu County in order to study their impacts on plant community diversity and productivity. The results showed that fertilization increased the height and above-ground biomass of the degraded grassland vegetation. Among them,the height and aboveground biomass in the treatments of FYM and N-P-K increased by 221% and 227%,332% and 316%. Fertilization also reduced weeds,in contrast,enhancing the proportion of Gramineae and Cyperaceae plants. For example,in the P treatment,the weeds reduced by 32.90%,but Cyperaceae increased by 73.43%. Gramineae in the FYM treatment increased by 19.69 %. All the fertilized plots had increases of Cyperaceae,Gramineae and Leguminosae,but decrease of weeds. The species richness was also reduced due to fertilization except the FYM treatment. The N-P-K treatment had high Simpson's index of species,Shannon-Wiener index and Pielou evenness index. The FYM treatment had high richness and Simpson dominance index. Nitrogen fertilizer resulted in an increase of Pielou evenness index and Simpson dominance. Both P and K treatment decreased Simpson index,Shannon-Wiener index,Pielou evenness index,richness and Simpson dominance index. Based on our results,it can be concluded that using FYM and N-P-K can be benefit to rehabilitation of the degraded grassland.
Habitat differences in allocation of eggs between successive breeding attempts in great tits (Parus major)1

Abstract: The effect of habitat heterogeneity on animal behaviour and reproduction has recently captured serious attention in population and conservation biology. The great tit (Parus major) is a facultative double-brooded species that prefers deciduous forests as breeding habitats. However, it is able to reproduce in managed coniferous forests where nest boxes are provided. During 1999–2002, we measured various reproductive parameters of great tits, including double breeding, in a heterogeneous habitat complex consisting of both deciduous and coniferous forests. Probability of laying a second clutch after the hatch of the first clutch did not differ significantly between habitats. However, clutch size was allocated between two successive breeding attempts more equally in coniferous than in deciduous forests. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such a difference in seasonal breeding patterns between adjacent habitats has been demonstrated in birds. However, the total number of offspring fledged per pair did not differ significantly between habitats. Possible proximate and ultimate causes of the observed habitat differences are discussed. We suggest that habitat-specific allocation of reproductive investment between successive breeding attempts plays an important role in optimizing breeding tactics by facultative multiple-brooded bird species in a heterogeneous environment, potentially serving as a useful mechanism facilitating their adaptation to novel habitats.
Yeasts associated with insects in agricultural areas of Perugia, Italy

The association of some yeast species with insects (Dermaptera, Rynchota, Diptera, Hymenoptera) collected around Perugia, Italy was investigated. Whole or specific body contents (gut, hemolymph and fat body) of over 450 insects were studied. Isolates, identified by conventional and molecular analyses, were represented by both ascomycetous (64%) and basidiomycetous (36%) strains. While Pichia guilliermondii and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa were the most commonly isolated species from the bodies of host insects, several other species were consistently associated with insects. The ecological significance of these findings is discussed.
Roles of conjugated double bonds in electron-donating capacity of sorghum grains

Sorghum bicolor is cultivated worldwide as a staple food and forage, and is receiving a renewed interest as a bioenergy crop. The objective of this study was to understand the relationships between the function (redox and metal complexation) and structural properties (aromaticity and ionizable functionalities) of (poly) phenolic pigments in the pericarp of sorghum grain which will ultimately control its antioxidant and bird/mold resistance behaviors. As compared to white seeds lacking condensed tannins, brown seeds (with and without pigmented testa) contained (i) 0.08-0.01 wt% cyanidin-equivalent condensed tannins, (ii) higher aromaticity (which decreases the reduction potential of polyphenols), and (iii) as much as 6-fold greater FeIII reduction capacity. The degree of aromaticity was determined by (i) UV absorbance at 360 nm and (ii) fluorescence excitation-emission (EEM) peak position. Basic (0.1 M NaOH) extracts of all seeds contained EEM peaks (230/330 and 280/330) attributable to protein. Addition of FeIII resulted in a new aromatic EEM peak (320/440) only for the brown seeds which could be used as a fingerprint for the redox and coordination chemistry of sorghum grain pigments. Key words: Proanthocyanidin, cereal, sweet sorghum, colorimetric method, transition metal.
Effects of midstory reduction and thinning in red-cockaded woodpecker cavity tree clusters

ductivity of piping plovers in central North Dakota. M.S. Thesis, Univ. Missouri-Columbia. Slpp. PRINDIVILLE GAINEs, E. , AND M. R. RYAN. 1988. Piping plover habitat use and reproductive success in North Dakota. J. Wildl. Manage. 52:266-273. RIMMER, D. W. , AND R. D. DEBLINGER. 1990. Use of predator exclosures to protect piping plover nests. J. Field Ornithol. 61:217-223. SARGEANT, A. B. , A. D. KRUSE, AND A. D. AFroN. 1974. Use of small fences to protect ground bird nests from mammalian predators. Prairie Nat. 6:60-63. SORDAHL, T. A. 1981. Predator-mobbing behaviour in the shorebirds of North America. Wader Study Group Bull. 31:41-44. U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE. 1985. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; determination of endangered and threatened status for the piping plover; final rule. Fed. Regist. 50:50726-50734. WHnv, A. J. 1985. Breeding ecology of the piping plover (Charadrius melodus) in central Saskatchewan. M.S. Thesis, Univ. Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. 126pp. WIENS, T. P. 1986. Nest-site tenacity and mate retention in the piping plover. M.S. Thesis, Univ. Minnesota, Duluth. 34pp. , AND F. J. CUTHBERT. 1984. Status and reproductive success of the piping plover in Lakeof-the-Woods. Loon 56:106-109.
Identification of virulence determinants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis via genetic comparisons of a virulent and an attenuated strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF TABLES. viii LIST OF FIGURES . ix ABBREVIATIONS . xi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. xiv CHAPTER 1: Introduction. 1 1.1 Background. 1 1.2 Mycobacterium tuberculosis . 3 1.2.1 Genomic organisation in M. tuberculosis . 3 1.2.2 Lipid metabolism . 4 1.2. 3 PE and PPE gene family . 5 1.3 Intracellular life for M. tuberculosis . 6 1.3. 1 Encountering the host . 7 1.3. 2 Adaptations of M. tuberculosis to host defences. 8 1.4 Bacterial model of interest: M. tuberculosis H37Ra and H37Rv . 9 1.5 Difference analyses of M. tuberculosis H37Ra and H37Rv . 10 1.5. 1 Genomic analyses of M. tuberculosis H37Ra versus H37Rv. 11 1.5. 2 Expression analyses examining differences between M. tuberculosis H37Ra and H37Rv . 12 1.6 Project goals. 14 1.6. 1 Hypothesis. 15 1.6. 2 Objective and specific aims of project. 15 CHAPTER 2: Materials and methods . 16 2.1 Growth of mycobacteria . 16 2.1.1 Aerobic Growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra and H37Rv. 16 2.1.2 Growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra and H37Rv for fumarate reductase studies. 18 2.2 Isolation of nucleic acids from broth culture . 19
Comparative Morphology of Disk Floret Trichomes of Encelia (Asteraceae: Heliantheae)

iv Introduction.1 Materials and Methods . 4 Results . 6 Trichome types . 6 Results by Taxon . 8 Statistical analysis.9 Discussion. 11 Comparisons with Enceliopsis, Geraea, and other Encelia organs. 11 Phylogenetic utility of disk floret trichomes . 12 Species boundaries and delimitation. 12 Evolutionary implications . 14 Conclusion . 15 Literature cited . 16 Collections table. 19 Figures . 23 Scanning electron micrographs . 23 Principal components analysis plots . 27 Appendices. 33
Cold Tolerance in 'Kousui' Japanese Pear and Possibility for Avoiding Frost Injury by Treatment with n-Propyl Dihydrojasmonate

Effects of n-propyl dihydrojasmonate (PDJ) treatment on flowers of Japanese pear 'Kousui' (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai cv. Kousui) during spring frost were investigated to study mechanisms for avoiding spring frost injury. PDJ applied during the flowering period resulted in a lower injury index for the ovules and pistils after freezing tests. Average ion leakage in control flowers was 37.9% during the balloon stage at -5 °C, while the flowers treated with PDJ displayed a 16.6% ion leakage. Similarly, at the full bloom stage, PDJ treatment reduced ion leakage at -5 °C from 73.1% to 47.8% in the control. The organs of the flower more sensitive to low temperature stress were the ovule, pistil, and ovary; stamens were more resistant. Sugar content in the flower at the balloon stage was increased by PDJ when treated at the pink stage. Moreover, free amino acids, especially proline, increased similarly with PDJ treatment. These results show that PDJ affects supercooling capacity of a flower by changing solute content and protects organs from freezing.
Biogeographical barriers to dispersal and rare gene flow shape population genetic structure in red‐footed boobies (Sula sula)

The ecological and biogeographical factors that influence population differentiation in seabirds are likely to be too complex and nuanced to be captured by many commonly held models of population differentiation. Pelagic seabirds exhibit high natal philopatry but can disperse long distances, potentially leading to long periods of genetic isolation with rare gene flow between isolated populations. Here, we assess levels of population genetic structure and gene flow in red‐footed boobies (Sula sula) to test two hypotheses: (1) terrestrial and marine barriers to gene flow have caused population genetic differentiation among red‐footed booby populations, and (2) despite high genetic differentiation among populations, rare gene flow still occurs among populations.
The Correlation between Toxin Genotype and Antibiotic Resistance in Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Clinical Specimen of Intensive Care Unit

This study is aimed to determine the correlation between the toxin gene types and antibiotic resistance from MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Fifty-two strains of MRSA, between January 2014, and December 2014, were isolated from clinical specimens obtained from 2,664 cases in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Suncheon, Jeonnam, Korea. Genes encoding mecA, enterotoxin (SE), toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), exfoliative toxin (ET), and Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) were detected by multiplex PCR-mediated amplification using specific primers. Toxin genes (seg and sei) were present in 40 strains (76.9%), followed by tst in 34 strains (65.4%). Other genes (eta, etb, sea, sed, see, seh, sej, and pvl) were not detected. Forty strains (76.9%) of MRSA had 2 or more toxin genes simultaneously; 5 coexistent toxin-genes (seb, sec, seg, sei, tst) were the most common in 28 strains (53.8%), and 6 strains (11.5%) had seg and sei genes. The coexistence of genes were 72.5∼100%, showing a high correlation among genes (seb, sec, seg, sei and tst). As strains (seb, sec, tst) that had particular toxin genes (seb, sec, seg, sei, tst) in multiple showed 100% resistance to ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, we were able to find that seb, sec, and tst genes have a close relationship to the aforementioned antibiotics. It showed a higher resistance to ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline compared with strains that had toxin genes independent from multiple toxin genes.
Competition between Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) and Redroot Pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus)

Growth and competition of barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. ♯ ECHCG] and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L. ♯ AMARE) were studied at different seed proportions, seed burial depths, and soil moisture levels. After 7 days, emergence from 1-, 2-, 4-, and 8-cm depths was 96, 90, 83, and 27% for barnyardgrass and 84, 73, 62, and 0% for redroot pigweed, respectively. Barnyardgrass was more competitive than redroot pigweed. Intraspecific competition of barnyardgrass was greater than interspecific competition from redroot pigweed. Increasing planting depth from 1 to 4 cm and increasing soil moisture from 30 to 50% (low) to 100% (high) of field capacity reduced the competitive ability of redroot pigweed.
Somatic cell count and major elements in milk during lactation in buffaloes

Apparently healthy Murrah buffaloes (18) were divided equally into early, mid-and late lactation stages. The difference in somatic cell count amongst three stages of lactation were statistically highly significant. The milk somatic cell counts increased towards the end of lactation because of the higher prevalence of mastitis, normal involution of the udder and decreased milk production, which causes less dilution of the milk leucocytes. The milk Cl and Mg concentration were higher in late and lower in mid lactation. Milk Ca, P, Na, K, Fe, and Zn increased in buffaloes at advanced stage of lactation, while milk Cu remained almost same during early and mid-lactation but increased during late lactation. The Mn remained constant throughout lactation.
BRINE SHRIMP LETHALITY BIOASSAY OF ABRUS PRECATORIUS (LINN) LEAVES AND ROOT EXTRACT

Objective: The present study was conducted to test for in vivo Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay (BSLA) of Abrus precarious leaves and root extracts after successive maceration in four solvents (n-hexane, dichloromethane (DCM) ethyl acetate and methanol) and correlate cytotoxicity results with known pharmacological activities of the plant. Methods: Cytotoxicity was evaluated in terms of LC 50 (lethality concentration), 10 nauplii were added into three replicates of each concentration of the plant extracts, and after 24 h the surviving brine shrimp larvae were counted, and LC 50 was assessed. Results: Potent cytotoxicity was found for both the leaves and root extracts of Abrus precatorius , results showed a concentration dependent increment in mortality rate of the brine shrimp nauplii and the n-hexane and dichloromethane fractions of the root and leaves extracts were more potent against the brine shrimp with LC 50 values of 7.870 ppm and 19.135 ppm (µg/ml) respectively, whereas methanol fractions of both the extracts exhibited low potent activity with LC 50 values 61.575 ppm and 226.053 ppm (µg/ml) in root and leaves respectively. Conclusion: The result indicated bioactive components are present in this plant that could be accounted for its pharmacological effects.
Living Memories: AI-Generated Characters as Digital Mementos

Every human culture has developed practices and rituals associated with remembering people of the past - be it for mourning, cultural preservation, or learning about historical events. In this paper, we present the concept of “Living Memories”: interactive digital mementos that are created from journals, letters and data that an individual have left behind. Like an interactive photograph, living memories can be talked to and asked questions, making accessing the knowledge, attitudes and past experiences of a person easily accessible. To demonstrate our concept, we created an AI-based system for generating living memories from any data source and implemented living memories of the three historical figures “Leonardo Da Vinci”, “Murasaki Shikibu”, and “Captain Robert Scott”. As a second key contribution, we present a novel metrics scheme for evaluating the accuracy of living memory architectures and show the accuracy of our pipeline to improve over baselines. Finally, we compare the user experience and learning effects of interacting with the living memory of Leonardo Da Vinci to reading his journal. Our results show that interacting with the living memory, in addition to simply reading a journal, increases learning effectiveness and motivation to learn about the character.
THERMAL SELECTION AND PROSTAGLANDIN E1 FEVER IN THE SALAMANDER NECTURUS MACULOSUS

Injections of prostaglandin E1 into the third ventricle of the brain of Necturus maculosus produced a long-lasting behavioral fever. The mean temperature selected by exper- imental animals was 4.7 C higher than that of controls on day 1 and 4.9 C higher following a second injection on day 2. The long duration of the febrile response contrasts with results ob- served in an anuran. The results add caudate amphibians to the list of ectotherms showing behavioral hyperthermia after injection with the pyrogen prostaglandin E1.
Development of a ProtonNuclearMagneticResonanceSpectroscopic Methodfor DeterminingPlasmaLipoprotein Concentrations and SubspeciesDistributions froma Single,RapidMeasurement

distinct NMR properties sufficient to permit their concentrations to be extracted from a computer lineshape analysisof the plasmalipidmethylresonanceenvelope(Clin Chem 1991 ;37:377-86). We have now discovered that the spectra ofthesubspecieswithineach lipoprotein class are different enough to influence the composite spectrum of that class and hence the spectrum of whole plasma. By includingspectra representative of these subspecies as additional components in the lineshape-fltting analysis, a complete concentration profile of very-low-density, lowdensity (LDL), and high-density (HOL) lipoproteins plus the subspecies distributions within these classes can be simuftaneously generated. A pilot study of 30 plasma samples of widely varied compositiondemonstrated good agreement between NMR-denved values and lipoprotein lipid concentrations and LDL and HDL subspecies distributions determined by gradient-gel electrophoresis. Plasma concentrations oflow-density (LDL) and highdensity (HDL) lipoproteins have well-established value in coronary heart disease (CHD) risk assessment (1,2), and additional predictive discrimination may be provided by the concentration ofvery-low-densitylipoprothin (VLDL) (3)4#{149} All current methods for quantifying these three major lipoprotein classes require their physical separation by techniques that exploit differences in particle size, density, or chemical composition. Once separated, the individual lipoprothins are quantified by their mass, protein content, or lipid content (usually cholesterol for LDL and HDL and triglyceride for VLDL). Most separation methods, including ultracentrifugation, chromatography, and electrophoresis, are
Effect of cyclodextrins on the degradation of cortisone acetate, œstradiol benzoate and prednicarbate in aqueous solution

La degradation de trois esters de steroides, l'acetate de cortisone, le 3-benzoate de 17β-estradiol et le prednicarbate, a ete etudiee en solutions aqueuses tamponnees. Une petite quantite de maltosyl-dimaltosyl β-cyclodextrine a ete utilisee pour solubiliser le 3-benzoate de 17β-estradiol dans les solutions tamponnees aqueuses. Son profil de degradation en fonction du pH est tres nettement en V, avec un minimum a pH 3,7 et, a ce pH et a 80°C, la conservation du produit est de 7,3 jours. L'acetate de cortisone et le prednicarbate ont ete etudies en solutions aqueuses tamponnees. Ces deux produits ont un profil de degradation en fonction du pH en forme de U avec une catalyse notable du solvant et un maximum de stabilite a pH voisin de 3,5. La conservation de l'acetate de cortisone a ce pH et a 70°C est d'environ un jour, et celle du prednicarbate de seulement 5 h