Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DNA evidence for multiple introductions of barley into Europe following dispersed domestications in Western Asia

It has long been recognised that the Neolithic spread across Europe via two separate routes, one along the Mediterranean coasts, the other following the axis of the major rivers. But did these two streams have a common point of origin in south-west Asia, at least with regard to the principal plant and animals species that were involved? This study of barley DNA shows that the domesticated barley grown in Neolithic Europe falls into three separate types (groups A, B and C), each of which may have had a separate centre of origin in south-west Asia. Barley was relatively rarely cultivated by the early Linearbandkeramik farmers of Central and Northern Europe, but became more common during the fifth and fourth millennia BC. The analysis reported here indicates that a genetic variety of barley more suitable for northern growing conditions was introduced from south-west Asia at this period. It also suggests that the barley grown in south-eastern Europe at the very beginning of the Neolithic may have arrived there by different routes from two separate centres of domestication in south-west Asia. The multiple domestications that this pattern reveals imply that domestication may have been more a co-evolutionary process between plants and people than an intentional human action.
Oocyte development in captive Atlantic horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus

Ndjaula, H. O. N. , Hansen, T. , Kruger-Johnsen, M. , and Kjesbu, O. S. 2009. Oocyte development in captive Atlantic horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus. - ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 623-630.This 13-month experimental study focused on developing oocyte production in 101 adult female Atlantic horse mackerel. In addition, proxies of energy patterns in relation to oocyte development were investigated. The fish were captured off western Norway and fed to satiation from October 2005 to November 2006 in two replicate adjacent circular tanks. Monthly histological examination of the ovaries indicated that vitellogenic oocytes were present at all times throughout the study period, but that oocyte development did not progress past the incipient migratory nucleus stage. The oocyte diameter (OD) threshold between pre-vitellogenic and vitellogenic oocytes and the mean OD of the leading cohort were investigated, and no hiatus was observed within the OD size distribution around the 185-μm pre-vitellogenic and vitellogenic threshold. Variation in gonadosomatic index, hepatosomatic index, condition factor, and fat content (as measured by the use of a Distell Fish Fatmeter) increased with oocyte development. The observed development of oocyte recruitment and the absence of a hiatus in the oocyte distribution are characteristics of an asynchronous spawner. The species seems to have a prolonged spawning season, judging from the advanced and variety of maturity stages throughout the study period.
AVIAN PREDATORS HUNTING BIRDS NEAR WINDOWS1

Records of avian predators hunting in the vicinity of windows were obtained from 1974 to 1979. These data indicate that Accipiter hawks and Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicionus) are capable of exploiting prey-catching opportunities in humanmodified environments by learning that prey are easily available near windows. The data further show that these predators kill themselves by flnng into nearby windows while hunting. At least for accipiters and especially the Sharp-shinned Hawk (,4. striatus), the habit of hunting birds at feeding stations near windows may explain why these raptors become frequent windowkills.
Scaling environmental change through the community‐level: a trait‐based response‐and‐effect framework for plants

Predicting ecosystem responses to global change is a major challenge in ecology. A critical step in that challenge is to understand how changing environmental conditions influence processes across levels of ecological organization. While direct scaling from individual to ecosystem dynamics can lead to robust and mechanistic predictions, new approaches are needed to appropriately translate questions through the community level. Species invasion, loss, and turnover all necessitate this scaling through community processes, but predicting how such changes may influence ecosystem function is notoriously difficult. We suggest that community‐level dynamics can be incorporated into scaling predictions using a trait‐based response–effect framework that differentiates the community response to environmental change (predicted by response traits) and the effect of that change on ecosystem processes (predicted by effect traits). We develop a response‐and‐effect functional framework, concentrating on how the relationships among species' response, effect, and abundance can lead to general predictions concerning the magnitude and direction of the influence of environmental change on function. We then detail several key research directions needed to better scale the effects of environmental change through the community level. These include (1) effect and response trait characterization, (2) linkages between response‐and‐effect traits, (3) the importance of species interactions on trait expression, and (4) incorporation of feedbacks across multiple temporal scales. Increasing rates of extinction and invasion that are modifying communities worldwide make such a research agenda imperative.
Cold‐induced purpling of Pinus contorta seedlings depends on previous daylength treatment

The characteristic cold-induced foliar accumulation of anthocyanin (‘purpling’) seen in many species of pine seedlings in the autumn can be contingent upon photoperiod received months previously. In nursery-grown seedlings of Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm. , a 4-week exposure during August of 10-h days followed by return to ambient photoperiod diminished the frequency of purpling following the November onset of cold weather (21% compared to 71% of the untreated controls). Anthocyanin accumulation (primarily cyanidin 3-glucoside) was controlled differently than general phenolic metabolism, and involved the integration of two temporally separated environmental signals.
Dosis letal mínima del herbicida BASTA® en plantas in vitro del híbrido de papaya IBP 42-99

All the transformation systems developed up to the moment need to select those plants that contain the transgene introduced and eliminate the rest. One way is to use as scoreboard a resistance gene to an herbicide. The main objective was to study the lethal minimal dose of the herbicide BASTA R an in vitro plants hybrid IBP 42-99. In vitro plants of the papaya hybrid IBP 42-99 were used as plant material, which were in 6 th subculture. MS culture medium supplement with 6-BAP 0.45 mg.l -1 and ANA 0.14 mg.l -1 , sucrose 3 % was used and hardened with gelrite 2.5 g.l -1 , the pH was always adjusted to 5.8 before autoclaved. (BASTA ® ) was used as selective agent in the following concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15 mg.l -1 ). The best result were achieved when 10 mg.l -1 were used since it was the treatment with minor concentration of the herbicide that produced the 100 % of mortality in the in vitro plants. Key words: biotechnology, Carica papaya, in vitro plants, selection, culture medium
Growth and physiological response of tomato plants to different periods of nitrogen starvation and recovery

Summary Young, vegetative-state tomato plants, starved of N for 1, 3 or 7 d, followed, in each case, by a 7-d recovery period with nutrient solution containing N, were examined. Relative growth rate (RGR), leaf photosynthesis and leaf expansion were reduced after only 1 d of N starvation. Tissue N concentrations fell during N starvation, the effect being stronger in stems and leaves than in roots, while the growth rate of roots, expressed as a fraction of total plant mass, was less affected than for stems or leaves. Net assimilation rate (NAR) was affected more than leaf area ratio (LAR) in the early stages of N-starvation. During the N starvation period, NO3-N concentrations in plant organs fell quickly and were negligible after 7 d. During the recovery period, the RGR and plant total-N concentration of starved plants were restored to control values. The critical N concentration for optimum growth rate was found to be 3.8%, which was reached before 3 d of N starvation.
An economically based evaluation index for perennial and short-term ryegrasses in New Zealand dairy farm systems

Grazed pastures based on ryegrass species provide most of the feed for dairy cattle in New Zealand. There are many cultivars of perennial (Lolium perenne), annual and Italian (L. multiflorum), and hybrid (L. boucheanum) ryegrasses available for dairy farmers to use in pasture renewal. This study describes an index which ranks ryegrass cultivars relative to a genetic base according to the estimated economic value (EV) of seasonal dry matter (DM) traits. A farm system model was used to derive EVs ($ ha−1 calculated as change in operating profit divided by unit change of the trait) for additional DM produced in different seasons of the year in four regions. The EV of early spring DM was consistently high across all regions, whereas EV for late spring DM was moderate to low. Genotype × environment analysis revealed significant reranking of DM yield among ryegrass cultivars across regions. Hence, separate performance values (PVs) were calculated for two mega-environments and then combined with the corresponding season and region EV to calculate the overall EV for twenty-three perennial ryegrass and fifteen short-term ryegrass cultivars. The difference in operating profit between the highest ranked and lowest ranked perennial ryegrass cultivar ranged from $556 ha−1 to $863 ha−1 year−1 depending on region. For short-term ryegrasses used for winter feed, the corresponding range was $394 to $478 ha−1 year−1. Using PV for DM yield, it was estimated that plant improvement in perennial ryegrass has added $12–$18 ha−1 year−1 (depending on region) operating profit on dairy farms since the mid-1960s.
Variação nos hábitos alimentares da mosca de estábulos Stomoxys calcitrans L

During the course of a study on the behaviour, of Stomoxys calcitrans a research on the feeding habits of this fly was carried out. A total of 27l4 flies were caught in three poultry ranches from Araucaria, Parana. The source of the flie's sucked blood has been established by precipitin test. The results showed that although almost all the flies usually feed mammal blood, some of them gave positive precipitin test for birds blood. Although all flies were caught on poultry ranches, none had feed on chickens but 2,7% of the total had feed on ducks, 0.7% on geese and 0.37% on turkeys.
Skeletochronology of the limb elements of mosasaurs (Squamata; Mosasauridae)

Abstract Skeletochronology is a method used to determine the age of an individual from bone histology. The method is based on growth lines found in cortical bone, an area until now seldom examined in mosasaurs. For the first time, diaphysial thin sections of Tylosaurus, Platecarpus and Clidastes limb bones are studied using skeletochronological techniques. Results indicate that sexual maturity in mosasaurs was reached between ages five and seven, and that the mosasaurs studied exhibit a typical sauropsid growth pattern, although their growth rates are interpreted as faster than those of extant taxa because of fully aquatic adaptations.
New Rodent Material from the John Day Formation (Arikareean, Middle Oligocene to Early Miocene) of Oregon

ABSTRACT The John Day Formation of Oregon is one of the richest and best studied assemblages in North America. Including seven members and spanning about 20 million years, there are over 150 vertebrate species known from the John Day Formation. The rodent faunas of John Day have not been as well studied as larger mammals, with many families having received little attention in the last hundred years. Here, twenty one species of rodents are described, based on new discoveries and previously unpublished specimens from the John Day Formation. The new material includes four new genera and species; the eutypomyid Allotypomys pictus, the anchitheriomyine castorid Microtheriomys brevirhinus, the eomyid Proapeomys condoni, the heteromyid Bursagnathus aterosseus; and six new species: the sciurine sciurid Miosciurus covensis, the eomyids Apeomys whistleri and Neoadjidaumo arctozophus, the heteromyids Proheteromys latidens and Trogomys oregonensis, and the sicistine dipodid Plesiosminthus fremdi. The problematical eomyid species, “Florentiamys” lulli Wood, 1936a, is referred questionably as a new combination, ? Proapeomys lulli (Wood, 1936a). Emended diagnoses of Miosciurus ballovianus (Cope, 1881) and Proheteromys thorpei Wood, 1935b, are offered based upon substantially more complete material than was previously known for either. Biostratigraphic ranges of the newly described rodents allow more direct comparison with other contemporaneous faunas from North America. These new rodents also allow better reconstruction of past ecosystems and are vital for understanding how faunas have changed through time in the region.
A Novel Method for Simplified Reliability-based Code Calibration

This paper compares two methods for geotechnical reliability code calibration, the well known design value method (DVM) based on first-order reliability method and a recently developed method based on quantile, called the quantile value method (QVM). The unique issue of non-constant coefficients of variation (COV) pertaining to geotechnical designs is studied in this paper. With the non-constant COVs, the main focus is to verify which method after being calibrated by using a single calibration case can provide more uniform reliability levels over a wide range of validation cases. A very simple geotechnical design example for which analytical solution is available is taken as the demonstrative example for the comparison. The results show that QVM is more robust than DVM in terms of providing uniform reliability level.
Gene Flow and Genetic Restoration: The Florida Panther as a Case Study.

Populations of some endangered species have become so small that they have lost genetic variation and appear to have become fixed for deleterious genetic variants. To avoid extinction from this genetic deterioration individuals from related subspecies or populations may have to be introduced for genetic restoration i.e., elimination of deleterious variants and recovery to a normal level of genetic variation. I construct a general population genetics framework from which to evaluate the potential for genetic restoration, and I discuss its specific application to the Florida panther. The translocation of Texas cougars into the free-ranging Florida panther population has been recommended to genetically restore the Florida panther, a subspecies of Felis concolor that appears to have both a low level of genetic variation and low fitness. Specific recommendations recently given by a scientific panel are to introduce enough animals so that there is approximately 20% gene flow in the first generation of translocation and approximately 2-4% in the generations thereafter. I evaluated these recommendations in a theoretical population genetics framework and found that they should result in the removal of most detrimental genetic variation and an increase in the standing genetic variation without a high probability of loss of any adaptive Florida panther alleles. Unless the population of the free-ranging Florida panthers is very small, the planned translocation should result in genetic restoration of the Florida panther. Flujo de genes y restauractión: La pantera de la Florida como un estudio de caso.
Fatty acid digestion, synthesis and metabolism in broiler chickens and pigs

The impact of variation in the composition of dietary fat on digestion, metabolism and synthesis of fatty acids was studied in broiler chickens and in pigs. In young broiler chickens, digestion of unsaturated fatty acids was substantially higher compared with that of saturated fatty acids. Positional distribution appeared important. Particularly digestion of saturated fatty acids, e.g. palmitic acid (C16:0), esterified at the sn-1 and -3 position of the glycerol backbone was lower (51%) compared with that observed at the sn-2 position (90%). Based on these observations, an equation was developed predicting the digestion of dietary fat sources in broiler chickens and pigs, taking fatty acid composition, the positioning, and the proportion of free fatty acids into account. The deposition of fat, especially of monounsaturated fatty acids in body tissues, increased in broilers by feeding saturated fats in comparison with unsaturated fats caused by both a reduced s-oxidation and an increased rate of de novo synthesis of fatty acids. In a feeding trial with pigs, starch, saturated and unsaturated fatty acid sources were compared at similar intakes of net energy. Growth performance and backfat thickness were unaffected by dietary energy source. Intramuscular fat content, however, tended to be increased in starch fed pigs when compared with pigs fed the saturated fatty acid source. To study the interactions between dietary linoleic acid (LA; C18:2 n-6) and -linolenic acid (ALA; C18:3 n-3) and their impact on the synthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) in both the n-3 and n-6 chains, a trial was designed in which identical increments in the intake of ALA and LA were fed to growing pigs. Generally, dietary LA inhibited the synthesis of n-3 LC-PUFA in the liver. Dietary ALA increased the content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5 n-3) but decreased that of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6 n-3) in the liver. DHA levels in brain were hardly affected by both dietary LA and ALA. It was concluded that in addition to Δ6 desaturase, elongase 2 might be a rate-limiting enzyme in the formation of DHA. The impact of these findings on the potential of contribution of feeding LA and ALA to pigs to meet human dietary requirements for LC-PUFA by meat products was investigated by analysing the fatty acid composition of muscle and fat tissues. It appeared impossible to attain substantial improvements in tissue DHA contents by feeding different combinations of LA and ALA. However, EPA of intramuscular fat can be increased by feeding ALA, particularly when restricting LA intake. In addition, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA; C22:5 n-3) was increased in both muscle and backfat by dietary ALA. DPA might have comparable biological effects as EPA. The potential of meat products to supply DPA in food is considerable and therefore of interest.
The nervous system of Loligo, III. Higher motor centres: the basal supraoesophageal lobes

The three main basal lobes are orientated in different planes set approximately at right angles. The components of each are similar and based on an organization reminiscent of a cerebellum, like that of the peduncle lobes. They all have large cells and fibres ventrally and numerous small cells dorsally. Each of the two parts of the anterior basal lobe contains a region with numerous very fine parallel fibres, similar to the 'spine' of the peduncle lobes. The dorsal basal lobes contain a similar system, but less regular. The three main parts of the basal lobe system all send fibres to the oculomotor centres of the lateral pedal lobes. The two parts of the anterior basal lobe also send fibres to the centres controlling arm movements in the anterior pedal lobe. The median basal lobe sends large tracts to the posterior pedal lobe, controlling movement of the funnel and fins. It also sends a large tract to the region of the first order giant cell, initiating the jet. There is a further massive system of descending fibres from all the basal lobes (and the precommissural lobe) sending branches to all parts of the magnocellular and palliovisceral lobes. The functional organization of the basal and peduncle lobes can be understood as follows. They all receive visual and static inputs and send large outputs to the oculomotor centre and back to the optic lobes. The oculomotor centre also receives direct inputs from the statocyst. The control of eye movements is thus organized in cephalopods in the same way as it is in vertebrates' there is a direct static input to the oculomotor centre, which also receives indirect static influences combined with visual ones, by way of the cerebellum in vertebrates, or basal and peduncle lobes in cephalopods. The basal and peduncle lobes show further similarity to the cerebellum in the presence of the numerous parallel fibres of various diameters, some very fine. These lobes receive dorsal and ventral sets of visual fibres and a set from the magnocellular lobes. The dorsal visual fibres follow the topology of the optic lobes and it is suggested that they provide a tracking system. The numerous fibres passing back from the basal lobes to the optic lobes, allow for a 'corollary discharge' (' efference copy'). The ventral set of large fibres from the optic lobes to the basal lobes may serve to promote the final attack, after the smaller fibres have produced the preliminary tracking movements. The system of large fibres from the magnocellular to the basal lobes are perhaps concerned with avoiding reactions. Each of the large fibres of both of these sets gives branches to all parts of the basal lobes. All the basal lobes contain many microneurons with trunks limited to the lobes. Some of these are very short amacrines. The median basal and dorsal basal lobes contain especially numerous small cells, perhaps neurosecretory and related to reproduction by way of the optic gland, whose nerve arises nearby.
Aroma and flavour properties of Saskatchewan grown field peas (Pisum sativum L.)

Malcolmson, L. , Frohlich, P., Boux, G. , Bellido, A-S. , Boye, J. and Warkentin, T. D. 2014. Aroma and flavour properties of Saskatchewan grown field peas (Pisum sativum L.). Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 1419–1426. The aroma and flavour properties of cooked field peas (Pisum sativum L.) were evaluated by a trained sensory panel. Two to four cultivars within four market classes of pea (yellow, green, marrowfat and dun) grown in two locations in Saskatchewan over 2 crop years were evaluated. Panelists found the greatest differences in aroma and flavour properties among market classes, although significant differences were also found among crop year for the aroma attributes of cooked vegetable, earthy, brothy, grainy, hay-like and metallic and the flavour attributes of pea and bitterness. There was also a significant cultivar by crop year interaction for metallic and pea flavor. Dun peas had low intensity scores for sweetness, bitterness and pea flavour. Both green and marrowfat peas had high intensity scores for sw.