Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isolation and identification of the microalgal symbiont from primmorphs of the endemic freshwater sponge Lubomirskia baicalensis (Lubomirskiidae, Porifera)

The first reports on the presence of zoochlorellae within the organelles of mesenchymal cells from freshwater sponges were published in the 19th century. Today, it is well-known that freshwater sponges can be found in association with different endosymbiotic algae. However, until now there has been no detailed information about the endosymbiotic chlorophyll-containing algae in the remarkable endemic green sponges from Lake Baikal. In our study we were able for the first time to isolate and identify endosymbionts from primmorphs cultivated in vitro, and to compare them with those from naturally occurring Lubomirskia baicalensis sponges. Structural as well as molecular biological investigations show that the endosymbiotic alga is a Mychonastes species closely related to M. huancayensis. Another novel aspect of our work was to show that it is possible to use primmorphs of endemic sponges for isolation and subsequent cultivation of their endosymbiotic algae. We employed a simple cold-water (3–4°C) approach for cultivating Mychonastes sp. , both within sponge primmorphs and in culture.
Marx-Biased Technical Change and Income Distribution: A Panel Data Analysis

This paper provides a further empirical evaluation of the Neoclassical theory of distribution as opposed to Marx-biased technical change (MBTC) by applying the theoretical and empirical framework developed by Foley and Michl (1999), Michl (1999, 2009) and Basu (2010) to a panel of countries. Basu (2010) developed a test based on cross-sectional data: we argue that a panel data analysis is instrumental in increasing the efficiency and validity of the test. Our results generalize Basu’s findings in providing support for MBTC and against the Neoclassical theory of income distribution.
T cell receptor Vβ gene usage in the recognition of myelin basic protein by cerebrospinal fluid‐ and blood‐derived T cells from patients with multiple sclerosis

Because of its proximity to the central nervous system, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) represents an important source of T cells that potentially could mediate putative autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). To overcome the low CSF cellularity, we evaluated culture conditions that could expand CSF T cells, with a focus on the expression of T‐cell receptor Vβ genes utilized by T cells specific for the potentially encephalitogenic autoantigen myelin basic protein (BP). Expansion of “activated” CSF cells with IL‐2/IL‐4 plus accessory cells optimally retained BP‐responsive T cells that over‐expressed Vβ1, Vβ2, Vβ;5, or Vβ;18, compared to expansion using supernatants from PHA‐stimulated blood cells, or anti‐CD3 antibody that led to different V gene bias and rare reactivity to BP. Sequential evaluation of paired CSF and blood samples from a relapsing remitting MS patient indicated that BP‐reactive T cells were present in CSF during the period of clinical activity, and the pattern of BP recognition in CSF was partially reflected in blood, even after CSF reactivity had dissipated during remission. Over‐expressed Vβ genes were not always constant, however, since in three sequential evaluations of a chronic progressive MS patient, Vβ genes over‐expressed in the first BP‐reactive CSF switched to a different Vβ gene bias that was present in the second and third CSF samples. Blood samples reflected each pattern of CSF Vβ gene bias, but retained the initial bias for at least 4 months after its disappearance from CSF. These data indicate that selective expansion of IL‐2/Il‐4‐responsive CSF cells favors growth of the BP‐reactive subpopulation, and, in a limited number of patients studied, reflected clinical disease activity. In comparison, blood T cells provided a partial but longer lasting reflection of the CSF BP reactivity and Vβ gene bias. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The dependence of the assimilation efficiency in Daphnia magna on the 14C-labeling period of the food alga Scenedesmus acutus

The efficiency of carbon assimilation in Daphnia magna was estimated as a function of the 14C-labeling time of the food alga Scenedesmus acutus. The assimilation efficiency of 14C was up to 24% higher at low labeling times (≤ 1.4 generations) (P < 0.05) than at high labeling times (≥ 4.2 generations). In uniformly labeled cells the assimilation efficiency in D. magna was 71 ± 2% SE. Variation in the assimilation efficiency with labeling time is associated with change in the relative distribution of 14C among the different cell compartments in the food alga. Uniform labeling of algae is achieved effectively via exponential growth over several generations in batch cultures from sparse inocula.
Mate Selection By Asellus (Crustacea: Isopoda)

We have investigated how male Asellus decide whether to enter into precopulatory mate guarding with a female. The presence of a male in precopula does not influence the timing of oviposition in female Asellus aquaticus. Male Asellus are able to distinguish which of two females of identical size is closer to her moult. Males enter precopula with females before the female's ovipository moult but not before moults that are not followed by oviposition. This suggests that the cue that male Asellus use in assessing females is not a substance directly related to the moult cycle, and is possibly a sex hormone. Male Asellus seem to balance the cues of large female size and closeness to oviposition; in this way they are probably able to maximize the number of eggs fertilized per unit time.
Origin of land plants

Early Silurian and Late Ordovician Environments. Approaches to an Understanding of Early Land Plant Evolution. The Charophycean Algae. Morphology, Ecology, and Physiology of Charophytes. Gaps Between Charophycean Algae and Land Plants. The Evolution of Plant Morphology: Cell Walls, Cytoskeleton, Cytokinesis, Intercellular Communication, and Histogenesis. Evolution of Plant Sexual Reproduction. The Origin of Plant Signal Transduction Systems, Phytohormones, Photomorphogenesis, and Secondary Metabolism. Land Plant Origins----A Summary. Literature Cited. Index.
Mutual Funds’ Aversion to Tax-avoiding Firms: An Anomaly?

We document evidence that mutual funds, on average, are averse to investing in tax-avoiding firms, which seems anomalous given mutual fund managers’ incentive structure. Our results remain unchanged when we address endogeneity concerns using several methods, including identification through instrumental variables, difference-in-differences, and matching methodologies, and after running a litany of robustness checks. We also find that poor-performing mutual funds reduce their ownership in tax-avoiding firms, a result inconsistent with both fund managers’ incentive and diversification motives. Furthermore, mutual funds’ aversion to tax-avoiding firms persists regardless of the mutual funds’ investment horizons.
Residential Exodus from Dublin Circa 1900: Municipal Annexation and Preferences for Local Government

Dublin experienced a marked stagnation in population growth in the second half of the nineteenth century, accompanied by decaying infrastructure and poor public health. Historians have emphasized that this crisis was coupled with poor governance of the city of Dublin—manifested by eroding public services together with increasing tax burdens to counteract growing debt. This paper studies the municipal boundary expansion of Dublin in 1901, which occurred as a way to alleviate the city’s financial distress. It saw multiple relatively wealthy townships annexed by the city via royal order to increase Dublin’s tax base. Using a sample of census records matched to city streets, we show that wealthy residents and Protestant residents were more likely to leave annexed areas compared to areas that remained independent. Moreover, we offer anecdotal evidence that at least some of the wealthy Protestant households departing annexed townships sorted into jurisdictions that remained independent. Our findings offer support to arguments that the municipal annexation by the city of Dublin may have accelerated the decline of annexed areas in the early twentieth century and contributed to municipal fragmentation in metropolitan Dublin.
Breeding Ecology of the Red-Billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus Under Contrasting Environmental Conditions in the Gulf of California

Castillo-Guerrero J.A. , Guevara-Medina M.A. & Mellink E. 2011. Breeding ecology of the Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus under contrasting environmental conditions in the Gulf of California. Ardea 99: 61–71. We studied the breeding ecology of Red-billed Tropicbirds Phaethon aethereus at Farallón de San Ignacio, Sinaloa, in the south-central part of the Gulf of California, during two years with different oceanographic conditions: 2004, a neutral year, and 2007, a moderate El Niño year. We characterized oceanic changes by sea surface temperature and chlorophyll a concentration (150 km around the colony) from monthly satellite images. During two 5-day visits every month from January to May of each year we recorded timing of breeding, parental attendance, chick diet, and maximum diving depth of adults. We analyzed hatching and fledging success, chick growth and body condition. In agreement with oceanographic differences, we expected differences in timing of breeding, diet and foraging behaviour and lower breeding success and chick growth in the El Niño year. Sea surface temperature was higher, and chlorophyll concentration lower during early 2007 than in 2004. Average laying date and peak of laying occurred later in 2004 than in 2007. In 2007 adults dived deeper (2.09 ± 0.96 vs. 0.96 ± 0.66 m), had a different and more varied diet, and spent more time at sea at the expense of nest attendance than in 2004, suggesting that less food was available for this species in 2007. In agreement, hatching success was lower (35 vs. 75%), and chicks were lighter (641 vs. 739 g) and in worse body condition in 2007. Overall, despite the lower body condition of the chicks, the species seemed to exhibit some capacity to cope with the different conditions derived from warmer waters during the mild El Niño of 2006–2007.
Timing of breeding and reproductive performance of female European rabbits in response to winter temperature and body mass

Environmental conditions frequently affect the reproduction of many mammal and bird species by modulat- ing maternal body condition. In our long-term study of European rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L., 1758), we investi- gated the effects of winter weather conditions and body mass on reproductive performance and reproductive timing. Specifically, we tested whether winter temperature affects both reproductive timing and reproductive performance of fe- male rabbits or whether females compensate for low body mass after winter by a shift in the timing of the onset of breeding. Winter body mass loss was higher in years with lower winter temperatures, and the onset of breeding was delayed after these conditions. However, mean size and mass of the first litter of each season and seasonal fecundity were not reduced after harsh winters. At the individual level, females with lower winter body mass started to reproduce later, but we did not find any effects on litter size and mass. In contrast, breeding body mass was a strong predictor of the females' reproductive performance. We also found high between-year variation in mean body mass in late winter but not in mean breeding body mass. In conclusion, our results suggest that the negative effects of winter weather on the body mass of females, which should potentially affect their reproductive performance, were compensated for by de- laying the onset of breeding.
The effect of supplementing highly wilted grass silage with maize silage, fodder beet or molasses on degradation of the diets and the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis in the rumen of sheep

This study aimed at determining the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis (EMPS) in diets based on highly wilted grass silage [(GS) 539 g dry matter (DM) kg−1] with the supplementation of starch or water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) rich feeds, i.e. maize silage [MS, 391 g kg−1 DM intake (DMI)], fodder beet (FB, 173 g kg−1 DMI) or molasses (M, 137 g kg−1 DMI). All the diets were made isonitrogenous by urea supplementation (14.0, 4.0 and 2.0 g kg−1 DMI in GS-MS, GS-FB and GS-M diets). In sacco determined crude protein (CP) and organic matter (OM) degradabilities were 756, 800, 778 and 814 (P<0.05) and 563, 577, 593 and 618 g kg−1 (P<0.05) in GS, GS-MS, GS-FB and GS-M diets, respectively. Synchrony indexes that describe the synchrony of CP and OM degradation in the rumen were 0.75, 0.67, 0.67 and 0.79 in GS, GS-MS, GS-FB and GS-M diets, respectively. The EMPS, assessed by means of urinary purine derivative excretion, did not differ significantly (P>0.05) among the diets (36.6, 35.1, 34.7 and 34.0 g microbial nitrogen kg−1 OM apparently digested in the rumen in GS, GS-MS, GS-FB and GS-M diets, respectively). The estimated metabolizable protein supply from GS, GS-MS, GS-FB and GS-M diets amounted to 98, 90, 93 and 87 g kg−1 DMI, respectively. Apparently, highly wilted GS containing a high concentration of WSC (91 g kg−1 DM) supports high EMPS in the rumen and this cannot be improved by the supplementation with starch or water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) rich feeds.
Substrate Specificity and Inhibition of Polyphenoloxidase (PPO) From a Dwarf Variety of Banana (Muss Cavendishii, L.)

Banana polyphenoloxidases oxidize specifically o-diphenols. The Km values were low for dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. It was lower for L-dopa as compared with D-dopa. The most effective inhibitor was ascorbic acid followed by cysteine and then sodium metabisulfite. Diethyldithiocarbamate, at pH 7.0, was not as effective as the above inhibitors. Ammonium ion and the oxidized β-nicotine adenine dinucleotide acted as activators whereas Fe+2, Fe+3, Al+3, Ca+2 and Zn+2 showed various degrees of inhibition. On the other hand, C+1, Cu+2, Mg+2 and Mn+2 did not affect the enzyme activity. Mercaptoethanol (17 mM) completely inactivated the enzymes. On dialysis 30% of the activity was restored with regeneration of two isozymes.
Taxonomic revision of the genus Littorophiloscia Hatch, 1947 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) with description of six new species

In the present revision 15 species of Littorophiloscia are recognized. Six species, namely L. tropicalis, L. koreana, L. amphindica, L. pallida, L. bifasciata and L. hawaiiensis are described as new. Littorophiloscia isabellae (Vandel, 1973) is considered to be a junior synonym of L. albicincta (Vandel, 1973), and Philoscia dartevellei Brian, 1953 and Vandeloscia orientalis Roman, 1977 are considered to be junior synonyms of L. culebrae (Moore, 1901). Alloniscus compar sens. Vandel, 1952 nec Budde-Lund, 1893 is considered to be distinct from L. riedli (Strouhal, 1966) and it has been renamed L. tropicalis sp. nov. The genera Bilawrencia Vandel, 1973, Helenoscia Vandel, 1977, Vandeloscia roman, 1977 and Sayoscia Schultz, 1983 are considered to be synonymous with Littorophiloscia. Diagnostic characters of all the species are illustrated. A map and comments on the distribution of the 15 species are included.
Demography and reproductive ecology of the Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) across the Palouse

Here we report on the demography and reproductive ecology of the Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris Thompson, 1913) breeding in ponds across the Palouse Bioregion of Washington and Idaho. Spotted frogs are unusual, if not unique, among temperate ranids in that males establish the oviposition site before females become active. Females laid at one or two communal sites in shallow water. Our breeding populations were small, never exceeding 50 adults counted, and most displayed male-biased sex ratios. We estimated effective population sizes (Ne) as ranges determined by extremes in male breeding success; these varied between 3.2 and 37.8. Even the latter falls below the minimum required for long-term population viability. Small population size may make spotted frogs vulnerable to genetic problems and environmental insults. Communal oviposition certainly renders a population's reproductive effort vulnerable to variation in hydroperiod, which we observed during the dry spring of 2004. In the absence of inf.
Trade-offs between transgenerational transfer of nutritional stress tolerance and immune priming

Summary Transgenerational effects are often assumed to have adaptive value as a driver of variation in offspring and parental fitness. Studies of transgenerational effects often focus on single environmental variables. However, in nature, it is unlikely for one factor to vary independently from others and there are likely to be trade-offs between different stressors. We altered the nutritional environment of both parents and offspring to examine how nutritional stress influences transgenerational immune priming (TGIP) with a sublethal challenge by the bacterial pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis, in the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni. Transgenerational immune priming was adaptive when offspring encountered the same pathogen experienced by their parents, such that offspring resistance to B. thuringiensis increased 1·5-fold and antibacterial activity in the haemolymph increased by as much as 4-fold. However, this was not a general increase in pathogen resistance as susceptibility to a second pathogen, the baculovirus, TnSNPV remained the same. Interestingly, nutritional stress in the parents both enhanced nutritional stress tolerance of offspring and heightened resistance to both B. thuringiensis and TnSNPV. Elevated pathogen resistance was linked to increased egg size. There was a significant trade-off between TGIP and the transfer of nutritional stress tolerance when parents encountered both stressors simultaneously, such that parents transferred resistance to pathogens but not nutritional stress tolerance. These results highlight the trade-offs that can modulate the occurrence and magnitude of transgenerational effects and illustrate the importance of assessing interactions between multiple environmental variables. At high population densities, disease risk increases and resour-ces become depleted. Thus, our findings could have significant implications for population dynamics.
Why Do Takeover Targets Protect Acquirers? Evidence from Force-the-Vote Provisions

We examine force-the-vote (FTV) provisions in M&amp;A transactions from 2003-2016 and test competing agency and efficient contracting explanations for their usage. Target FTV provisions are observed more frequently when bidding is costly, and are associated with higher target returns, lower likelihood of competing bids and higher likelihood of deal completion. By providing greater deal protection to acquirers, target FTV provisions appear to improve bidding incentives, resulting in higher target returns, consistent with efficient contracting. Our primary results appear robust and economically significant and complement prior literature that evaluates the effects of various M&amp;A clauses and features on deal outcomes.
Effect of Sodium Chloride, Acetic Acid, and Enzymes on Carotene Extraction in Carrots (Daucus carota L.)

ABSTRACT: Carrot root cores were cut off longitudinally and treated with NaCl (0.6 and 1.2 M) and/or acetic acid (1.33%, 2.67%, and 4%) solutions. The extractability of the carotenes was estimated. Similarly, carrot cores were also treated with some degrading enzymes (carbohydrases, lipases, and proteases) alone or in combination to study the effect of the tissue rupture or the hydrolysis of possible complexes or interactions between carotenes and other components on the carotene extractability. The results showed that acetic acid increased the extractability of α- and β carotenes up to 99.8% and 94.6%, respectively, at a 4% acid concentration compared with the samples without any treatment. This increase was directly proportional to the acid concentration. An increase in extractability was also observed for NaCl, although the increases were not as high as in the previous case with values of 49% and 41.4% for α- and β-carotenes respectively at a 0.6 M concentration. The study of microstructural changes and extractability revealed that the enzymatic treatments could have broken some carotene complexes and interactions and altered the carbohydrate matrix structure, increasing to a certain extent the extractability of carotenes. It can be concluded then that pickling with 4% acetic acid is a good method to increase the extractability of α- and β-carotenes.
Pollen morphology of peumus boldus (monimiaceae) — a comparison with palmeria scandens

Abstract Pollen of the Chilean plant Peumus boldus Molina was compared with that of the Australian plant Palmeria scandens F. Muell. (Monimiaceae) under SEM and TEM. Both have apolar, radiosymmetric, globose-spherical, inaperturate spinulose pollen of medium (Peumus) and small (Palmeria) size. The spinules appear to have been built up by successive layers of cylindrical strands of material 100–250 nm (Peumus) and 100–150 nm diameter (Palmeria). The tectum comprises interwoven cylindrical strands, smaller than those of the spinules. Ion/atom beam etching in Palmeria revealed that each strand resembled a tightly coiled spring of similar size to models for exine units proposed by J. R. Rowley and co-workers. Under TEM the spinules appeared homogeneous in section. It was concluded that this was because material cementing the strands was of similar electron density to the strands themselves. For, prolonged ion/atom beam etching of spinules revealed substructure indicating the presence of the strands. In both g.
External Effects of Diesel Trucks Circulating Inside the São Paulo Megacity

The medical literature documents adverse health effects of acute exposure to diesel exhaust, yet quasi-experimental evidence of a policy intervention sustained over months at the scale of a metropolis is lacking. Exploiting the inauguration of a beltway that removed 20,000 cargo trucks passing daily through inner-city roads in São Paulo, we examine the spatially differentiated impacts on the megacity’s traffic, air quality and public health. We combine rich panel data on road congestion, ambient NOx concentrations (as a signature of diesel exhaust), and hospital admissions and deaths. The policy reduced congestion, pollution, and hospitalizations, with effects attenuating at increasing distances from a key inner-city corridor used by the transit trucks prior to the beltway opening. The change in congestion was transient, as gasoline-ethanol passenger cars responded by filling the space the diesel trucks left behind. Effects on air and health persisted thanks to the compositional change in road users. We use 2SLS regression, taking policy-induced variation in NOx to instrument for measured pollution, to quantify about one annual hospitalization for every 10 to 20 trucks – and one annual death for every 100 to 200 trucks – using inner-city roads. Policymakers in megacities where humans and diesel vehicles reside and transit in close proximity may learn from São Paulo’s experience.