Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chapter 57-Probiotics in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Cancer Prevention

Today’s consumers look for foods that, in addition to their intrinsic nutritional values, can offer some additional benefits to their health. For this reason, probiotics, which are live microorganisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host, are increasingly being consumed as diet supplements or pharmaceutical. Chronic pathological conditions such as intestinal inflammations and cancer usually require long treatments or are associated with alternate periods of remission and recurrence. Probiotics have been evaluated for some years now as an additional alternative for these patients to improve their quality of life with promising results. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) describes a group of intestinal pathologies in which inflammation is a major feature. The two more common forms of IBD are ulcerative colitis (UC) (Head and Jurenka, 2003) and Crohn’s disease (CD) (Baumgart and Sandborn, 2007) which share etiological factors (Price, 1992); however, clinical manifestations (such as the location of the pathology) and the immunological response involved are distinctive between both. The exact etiology of these diseases remains unclear, but great advances have been made using experimental animal models and it had been demonstrated that multifactorial processes and mechanisms result in chronic intestinal inflammation (Elson and Weaver, 2003). The mechanisms by which probiotic microorganisms can exert beneficial effects against IBD were evaluated using animal models. In these models, the environmental conditions and genetic factors can be either controlled or defined and can then be evaluated in human clinical trials. It is known that many factors are involved in cancer development, such as genetic, environmental, and dietary factors. Considering the promissory results demonstrated for different probiotics in IBD models, and the relation of chronic inflammation with increased probabilities of developing intestinal cancers, there is an increase in epidemiological reports and experimental studies that have shown the beneficial effect of certain probiotics against these cancers and even nonintestinal tumors. This chapter summarizes some of the most relevant studies performed in the last 5 years regarding probiotics in the prevention and/or treatment of IBD and certain types of cancer, with emphasis being placed on the possible mechanisms involved.
The Exploration–Exploitation Dilemma: A Review in the Context of Managing Growth of New Ventures

The metaphor of ambidexterity has been used by researchers to refer to the ability of the organization to maintain dual attention on exploration and exploitation activities in order to survive and excel the present, and secure the future, by creating potential for sustainable growth in future. Managing this duality is a challenge as often the needs of both these activities are contradictory. With business environment becoming increasingly dynamic, it is becoming more essential for start-up firms to balance their attention and resource allocation for exploration and exploitation activities. In our interaction with several start-up founders for another research, we found that at times start-ups were too focused on exploring the new, and engaged in too much experimentation, and in the process lost the scope of exploiting the outputs of their exploration activities. At the same time, we found start-up firms which seemed to be getting over-engaged in exploitation. However, it is unclear how start-ups cope with the dilemma of exploration and exploitation. In this article, we raise the need for investigating the mechanisms of how ambidexterity is managed in the growth phase of start-up firms.
Evolutionary genetics and ecology of sperm‐dependent parthenogenesis

Sperm‐dependent (or pseudogamous) forms of parthenogenetic reproduction occur in a wide variety of animals. Inheritance is typically clonal and matroclinous (of female descent), but sperm are needed to initiate normal development. As opposed to true parthenogenesis (i.e., sperm‐independent reproduction), pseudogamous parthenogenetic lineages must coexist with a ‘sperm donor’— e.g., males from a conspecific sexual lineage, conspecific hermaphrodites, or males from a closely related sexual species. Such sperm donors do not contribute genetically to the next generation. The parasitic nature of sperm‐dependent parthenogenesis raises numerous ecological and evolutionary questions. How do they arise? What factors help stabilize coexistence between the pseudogamous parthenogens and their sperm donors (i.e., ‘sexual hosts’)? Why do males waste sperm on the asexual females? Why does true parthenogenesis not evolve in pseudogamous lineages and free them from their dependency on sperm donors? Does pseudogamous parthenogenesis provide compensatory benefits that outweigh the constraints of sperm‐dependence? Herein, we consider some genetic, ecological, and geographical consequences of sperm‐dependent parthenogenesis in animals.
Occurrence of the Amphibian Pathogen Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis in the Pacific Northwest

Abstract Chytridiomycosis (infection by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) has been associated with amphibian declines in at least four continents. We report results of disease screens from 210 pond-breeding amphibians from 37 field sites in Oregon and Washington. We detected B. dendrobatidis on 28% of sampled amphibians, and we found ≥ 1 detection of B. dendrobatidis from 43% of sites. Four of seven species tested positive for B. dendrobatidis, including the Northern Red-Legged Frog (Rana aurora), Columbia Spotted Frog (Rana luteiventris), and Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa). We also detected B. dendrobatidis in nonnative American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) from six sites in western and central Oregon. Our study and other recently published findings suggest that B. dendrobatidis has few geographic and host taxa limitations among North American anurans. Further research on virulence, transmissibility, persistence, and interactions with other stressors is needed to assess the potential impact of B. dendrobatidis on Pacific Northwestern amphibians.
Cytogenetics and Evolution in American Fragaria

Fragaria × ananassa Duch. , the modern cultivated octoploid strawberry (2n = 8x = 56), is the culmination of all strawberry evolution as we know it. It was derived from the two American octoploid species: F. virginiana L. , native to North America north of Mexico (primarily the Atlantic seaboard, Great Plains, and westem mountain ranges); and F. chiloensis Duch. , native to west coastal North America and the west coast and Andes Mountains of South America. Both natural species are products of ancient polyploidization and natural selection. The modern cultivated strawberry (F. ×ananassa) is of recent origin [in Europe between 1714 and 1759, according to Staudt (1962)], resulting from human intervention in the evolutionary process (Darrow, 1966). There is no convincing evidence that any of the lower ploidy level Fragaria spp. of Europe, Asia, or elsewhere were directly involved in the synthesis of the modern octoploid cultivars, as suggested by some (Wilhelm and Sagen, 1974). In this paper, I attempt to establish that the evolutionary forces that gave rise to the present polyploids (particularly polyploidization and introgression), are still active in the narrow and fragile coastal fog belt of California today. Unless the evolutionary process is terminated by the imprudent destructive activities of humans, new ploidy levels may yet evolve with greater breadth of adaptation than that- of the present coastal octoploids. In addition, a significant amount of introgressive gene flow from the diploids into the octoploids without long-term changes in chromosome number is also likely.
Crud (Re)Defined

The idea that in behavioral research everything correlates with everything else was a niche area of the scientific literature for more than half a century. With the increasing availability of large data sets in psychology, the “crud” factor has, however, become more relevant than ever before. When referenced in empirical work, it is often used by researchers to discount minute—but statistically significant—effects that are deemed too small to be considered meaningful. This review tracks the history of the crud factor and examines how its use in the psychological- and behavioral-science literature has developed to this day. We highlight a common and deep-seated lack of understanding about what the crud factor is and discuss whether it can be proven to exist or estimated and how it should be interpreted. This lack of understanding makes the crud factor a convenient tool for psychologists to use to disregard unwanted results, even though the presence of a crud factor should be a large inconvenience for the discipline. To inspire a concerted effort to take the crud factor more seriously, we clarify the definitions of important concepts, highlight current pitfalls, and pose questions that need to be addressed to ultimately improve understanding of the crud factor. Such work will be necessary to develop the crud factor into a useful concept encouraging improved psychological research.
The Olive Ridley Turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea, in the Persian Gulf: A Review of the Observations, Including the First Nesting of the Species in the Area

Abstract In total, there are 11 confirmed records of the olive ridley turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea, from the Persian Gulf through June 2015, including 9 and 2 records from northern and southern coasts of the Gulf, respectively. Furthermore, on 16 May 2013, nesting was recorded from Nayband Marine-Coastal National Park, which is the first record of olive ridley nesting in the Gulf and is also the most northerly nesting account for the species in the Western Indian Ocean. Although few, these records suggest that the species lives and reproduces in the Persian Gulf.
Notes on Alexandrium population dynamics

We review within-year and between-year survival strategies of the meroplanktonic dino- flagellate Alexandrium, with special attention to the role of cyst beds and extended dormancy. Some of the constraints on the evolution of cyst bed dynamics are discussed in the framework of a model borrowed from desert seed ecology, in which Q, the annual germination rate, is selected by p, the probability that the vegetative phase will be successful on decadal time scales. Since Alexandrium, and the closely related Pyrodinium, undergo gametogenesis at relatively low cell concentrations, special- ized traits must have evolved to achieve syngamy. It is suggested that motility and the use of chemical signals promote mating, and that the toxins act as pheromones. It is also proposed that toxins in cysts are used as signals to influence planozygote settlement so as to control dispersal of this stage, and ensure that cyst beds are sufficiently stocked to inoculate the water column adequately at the appro- priate time of year.
DNA Methylation in Eukaryotes: 20 Years On

The proposals published in 1975, and reprinted in this volume, were based on certain features of development that were not understood at the time and, in large part, are still not understood. One such feature is the stability of the differentiated state; that is, the fact that differentiated cells, whether they are postmitotic or commonly undergo mitosis, stably retain their phenotype. Any differentiated cell has a large number of active genes coding for “housekeeping” enzymes or other proteins and a subset of genes coding for specialized “luxury” functions. This also means that genes coding for other luxury functions, appropriate to another specialized cell type, are stably repressed. A second feature of development, obviously related to the first, is the formation of different cell types by the switching on of specific sets of genes and the inactivity of other sets. The 1975 paper in Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics concentrated on the switch that inactivates one X chromosome in female mammals. The 1975 paper in Science discussed several switching mechanisms, including stem-line situations, the inactivation of the X chromosome, transdetermination in imaginal discs of Drosophila, and other developmental contexts. A third feature of development we1 considered to be important was the likely existence of developmental clocks; that is, the existence of specific controls on the number of cell divisions in particular situations, before some developmental switch occurred. In this connection, we referred to some of the concepts developed by Holtzer, in which differentiation events are tied to cell division (Holtzer et al.
The herbicidal potential of tagetes minuta and tagetes patula extracts and their residues on the germination and growth of some crop plants.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------xiii List of figures------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ix List of tables-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------xi Abbreviations-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------xii Acknowledgements-----------------------------------------------------------------------------iv CHAPTER ONE 1.0 Introduction-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 1.1 Background---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 1.2 Problem statement-------------------------------------------------------------------------5 1.3 Objectives------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6 1.3. 1 Specific objectives--------------------------------------------------------------------6 1.4 Hypotheses-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------6 / 1.5 Justification----------------------------------------------------------------------------------7 CHAPTER TWO 2.0 Literature Review------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8 2.1 Diversity of allelochemicals from plants and their influence on other plants. ----8 2.2 The influence of allelochemicals on growth of other plants. ----------------------11 2.3 Allelochemicals with herbicide effect on plants. ----------------------------------------13 2.4 Allelopathy as an alternative strategy for managing weeds. --------------------------14
Repression of nitrification in soils under a climax grassland vegetation

Two hypotheses on repression of nitrification in climax vegetations (i.e. nitrogen immobilization and allelopathy) were investigated. In this study the potential nitrification activities and numbers of ammonium-oxidizing bacteria were established in a nature reserve with a series of natural grasslands with vegetational different stages of succession of plants species. The pastures had not been fertilized for 3, 7, 20 and 46 years, respectively, and the gradual decrease in availability of nutrients had led to pastures dominated by different grass species. In each field soil parameters, potential nitrification activities (PNA) and numbers of ammonium-oxidizing bacteria were determined in the root zone of Holcus lanatus as well as in that of a grass species characteristic of the stage of succession. In the rhizosphere of H. lanatus decreasing PNA and numbers of ammonium-oxidizing bacteria were observed as the period of non fertilization increased. Within each field no significant differences in PNA were observed between the root zones of H. lanatus and those of the dominant grass species. From these results it is concluded that, in these fields, decreasing nitrification was related only to decreasing ammonium availability and not to species composition. No indications were obtained that allelochemicals were involved in the flow nitrification potentials of late stages of succession. The optimum pH of the ammonium-oxidizing community, measured as PNA, decreased as the period of non fertilization increased. It is suggested that impoverishment of the grassland soil with respect to nitrogen availability selects against ammonium-oxidizing bacteria with a relatively high pH optimum.
The way forward in biochar research: targeting trade‐offs between the potential wins

Biochar application to soil is currently widely advocated for a variety of reasons related to sustainability. Typically, soil amelioration with biochar is presented as a multiple‐‘win’ strategy, although it is also associated with potential risks such as environmental contamination. The most often claimed benefits of biochar (i.e. the ‘wins’) include (i) carbon sequestration; (ii) soil fertility enhancement; (iii) biofuel/bioenergy production; (iv) pollutant immobilization; and (v) waste disposal. However, the vast majority of studies ignore possible trade‐offs between them. For example, there is an obvious trade‐off between maximizing biofuel production and maximizing biochar production. Also, relatively little attention has been paid to mechanisms, as opposed to systems impacts, behind observed biochar effects, often leaving open the question as to whether they reflect truly unique properties of biochar as opposed to being simply the short‐term consequences of a fertilization or liming effect. Here, we provide an outline for the future of soil biochar research. We first identify possible trade‐offs between the potential benefits. Second, to be able to better understand and quantify these trade‐offs, we propose guidelines for robust experimental design and selection of appropriate controls that allow both mechanistic and systems assessment of biochar effects and trade‐offs between the wins. Third, we offer a conceptual framework to guide future experiments and suggest guidelines for the standardized reporting of biochar experiments to allow effective between‐site comparisons to quantify trade‐offs. Such a mechanistic and systems framework is required to allow effective comparisons between experiments, across scales and locations, to guide policy and recommendations concerning biochar application to soil.
Plague Minnow or Mosquito Fish? A Review of the Biology and Impacts of Introduced Gambusia Species

Gambusia affinis and G. holbrooki, introduced worldwide from eastern North America, are collectively the most abundant, widespread freshwater fish in the world, which is not surprising because they tolerate, and sometimes thrive under, an exceptional range of environmental conditions and have high reproductive potential. Some know them as mosquitofish because of a legendary ability to control mosquitoes, and diseases they carry, while others doubt this ability or argue that indigenous fish are equally or more effective. However, rigorous evidence to support these views remains scant, so the legend persists. Some know them as plague minnow because of negative impacts on many native animal species, and abundant evidence exists to support this view. Despite such polarized attitudes toward them, their high abundance and wide distribution, and a large scientific literature devoted to them, many important aspects of their biology remain poorly known.
Response of Bedding Plants to Saline Water Irrigation

Bedding plants are extensively used in urban landscapes. As high-quality water supply becomes limited in many parts of the world, the use of recycled water with high salt levels for landscape irrigation is being encouraged. Therefore, information on salt tolerance of bedding plants is of increasing importance. Two experiments were conducted, one in a 25% light exclusion shadehouse in summer (Expt. 1) and the other in a greenhouse in winter (Expt. 2). Plants were irrigated with saline solution at electrical conductivities of 0.8, 2.8, 4.0, 5.1, or 7.4 dS·m -1 created by adding NaC), MgSO 4 , and CaCl 2 to tap water to simulate the composition of local reclaimed water. In Expt. 1, shoot dry weight (DW) at the end of the experiments was reduced in all species at 7.4 dS·m -1 compared with the control (0.8 dS·m -1 ). The magnitude of reduction varied with species and cultivars. The salinity thresholds of irrigation water in which growth reduction occurred were 4.0 dS·m -1 for angelonia (Angelonia angustifolia) cultivars and ornamental pepper (Capsicum annuum) 'Calico' and 4.0 to 5.1 dS·m -1 for helenium (Helenium amarum), licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolatum), and plumbago (Plumbago auriculata). Shoot DW and growth index of ornamental pepper 'Black Pearl' and vinca (Catharanthus roseus) 'Rose' decreased linearly as salinity increased. All plants survived in Expt. 1 regardless of treatment, except for ornamental pepper 'Purple Flash'. No visual injuries were observed in Expt. 1 regardless of treatment. Leaf sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) concentrations varied with species and treatments. Ornamental pepper 'Black Pearl' had the highest leaf Cl concentrations at higher salinities compared with other species and cultivars. LeafNa concentrations in licorice plant and plumbago were in the range of 10 to 30 g·kg -1 DW, higher than those in other species. In Expt. 2, shoot DW was reduced by salinity treatments in ornamental pepper 'Black Pearl', plumbago, and angelonia but not in other species. The three ornamental peppers, 'Black Pearl', 'Calico', and 'Purple Flash', exhibited slight foliar injuries on some plants in Expt. 2 as a result of high salinity in the root zone in the highest salinity treatment. Ornamental pepper 'Black Pearl' was most sensitive to salinity stress. In general, the bedding plants tested in this study are moderately tolerant to salt stress and may be irrigated with saline water up to 4.0 dS·m -1 with little reduction in aesthetical appearance.
Rodent Pest Control Through the Reintroduction of an Extirpated Raptor Species

Zoos, by nature, are breeding grounds for high numbers of rodents. The use of poisons and traps has been the main tool for rodent control. By acquiring and reintroducing avian predators, specifically barn owls, into a zoo setting, the rodent population could be controlled naturally. Barn owls (Tyto alba) once flourished in Pennsylvania and surrounding areas, particularly in old wooden barns, but the development of new prefabricated barns has left the owls with fewer places to nest. This study focuses on installing several manmade nest boxes for three avian predators on the grounds of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium and surrounding areas. In time, it is hoped that the owls will begin to breed and higher densities will be achieved, as well as a suppressed rodent population.