Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aboveground Biomass Allocation and Growth of Phragmites australis Ramets at Four Water Depths in the Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve,China

The Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve is a world natural heritage site in northern Sichuan, China, where an important wetland plant, Phragmites australis grows. The populations of P. australis from four different water depths in the Nature Reserve were compared for their aboveground biomass allocation, growth and reproduction of the single ramet. The results showed that the average aboveground biomass of a single ramet (4.2 g) was the largest in the habitat with water level of 47 cm above the soil surface. At the habitat with water level of 15 cm under soil surface (-15 cm), the leaf biomass percentage (of the total ramet biomass) was the largest (46.1%), and the height and percentage of ramose ramets (with branches on stem)(of the total ramets in a plot) were found obviously different. The deeper in water, the larger the biomass percentage and growth rate of stems were. The flowering rate and biomass of panicles were greater in shallow water than those in deep water. P. australis showed allometric growth for the height of ramets, and their biomass, stems and leaves by the power function. At the habitat with water level 15 cm under soil surface, the growth of leaf biomass was faster than that of stem biomass, and this was contrary to the growth at other water depths.
Comparison of Time Investment in Common Teaching Practices among Three Instructional Methods

Increasingly more collegiate courses are offered through a variety of distance formats. Course management platforms have reduced the faculty time required to create and deliver distance courses while enhancing asynchronous communication. In this study, the transactional distance theory was used to evaluate the different communication levels found between faculty and students in webfacilitated, online, and interactive video courses. A comparison of the online course sections to the web-facilitated course sections determined that there were significantly more asynchronous contacts with the online sections than with the webfacilitated sections. In addition, the total instructor time invested to administer the online course sections was significantly less than for the web-facilitated course sections. The interactive video conferencing sections could not be compared directly to the other teaching modes because the course content differed; however, mean time intervals for teaching and administrative activities are provided.
Solution of key issues about Pitaya’s health value and its rapid propagation in vitro

Pitaya is nutritious with high-fiber and low-calorie.Market prospects are extensive because its pharmacological effects related to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory function,enhancing immunity,lowering blood sugar and blood fat and other categories.Several key issues solved needly are pollution in early culture,adventitious bud induction and proliferation,as well as the proportion of the process of rooting hormone and other issues with the transplant about tissue culture.We can accelerate the speed of its propagation through greenhouse and formate the industrial production by solving all these issue successfully.
Co-effects of CO_2 and solar UVR on the growth and photosynthetic performance of the economic red macroalga Porphyra haitanensis

Increasing CO2in the atmosphere makes the oceans take up more CO2from the air,and H+concentration in surface seawater increase,which was known as ocean acidification.In order to find the responses of macroalgae to the environment changes,The economic macroalgaPorphyra haitanensis was selected to study the co-effects of solar UVR and CO2 on the physiological performances of the thalli.The experiments set up two CO2levels,390ppmv and 800ppmv,and three solar light treatments,full spectrum solar radiation(PAB),UV-B was cutting off and PAR only.Our results showed that the enhance of the growth of Porphyra haitanensis was found in the thalli cultured under high CO2 condition compared with that under ambient CO2 condition when the UV-B or UVR were cut off,but no significant difference was found in the thalli receiving full solar radiation.UV-B decreased the contents of UV-screening compounds in Porphyra haitanensis grown under elevated CO2,while UV has no apparent effect on it when the thalli cultured at ambient CO2 levels.It showed that the advantage of CO2 in growth of Porphyra haitanensis was offseted by the full spectrum solar radiation,and the production of the economic macroalga might decrease in future ocean where solar UV radiation will futher increase.
Histopathology and Metabolomics Study on the Influence of Chlorinated Pool Water on Swimming Training Effects

Objective: To explore the influence of the chlorinated pool water to swimming training effects and analyze the biological mechanism which makes this influence happen.Method:Twelve male SD rats were randomly separated into experimental group and control group,an increasing load swimming training was carried out for ten weeks.The pool water of the experimental group was disinfected with calcium hypochlorite,while the pool water used for the control group was purified with a water purifier.After ten weeks training,the urine samples were collected for metabolomics analysis,and then a swimming capacity test was taken by recording the swimming time to exhaustion of each rat.Two days(48 h) later,all rats were decapitated and their lungs were collected for histopathology analysis.Results:The exhaustion time of experimental group was 28.97±2.55 minutes,which is significantly lower than the control group's 39.15±9.85 minutes(P0.05);No significant differences were found between two groups in the histopathology analysis.There were no organic disease appearing,but the capillary vessels around alveolus of both groups expanded and congested.Compared to the control group,the metabolic phenotype of experimental group significantly changed,and the main metabolic biomarkers were hippurate,pyruvate,γ-amino-n-butyrate.Conclusion:Chlorination of the swimming pool water with standard dose doesn't induce organic disease to the trained rats,but it does impair the training effects.Liver detoxification function excitement and the changed metabolic phenotype,induced by disinfection byproducts,might be the main factors for this influence.
Quantitative Genetics of reaction norms

A model of the quantitative genetics of phenotypically plastic characters is developed. When genotype‐environment interaction is present, and the allelic effects contributing to any two traits are linear functions of the environment, the additive genetic variances of, and additive genetic covariance between, traits become quadratic functions of the environmental variable. The additive genetic covariance will in general change sign over some range of the environmental variable. The conditions of the mathematically special case, where additive genetic covariance has the same sign in all environments, imply structure in the pleiotropic effects of any alleles, i.e. developmental constraints can prevent additive genetic covariance changing sign. Mathematical independence of polygenic effects between traits represents in this model a lack of developmental constraints and leads to sign change in the additive genetic covariance over environments.
The male dimorphism in the dwarf spider Oedothorax gibbosus (Blackwall, 1841)(Erigoninae, Linyphiidae, Araneae): Results of laboratory rearing experiments

Oedothorax gibbosus is a dwarf spider bound to oligo- and mesotrophic alder carrs. Two male morphs occur: gibbosus, characterised by a hunch and a hairy groove on its carapace, and tuberosus without these features. The hairy groove is supposedly of importance during gustatorial courtship behaviour. Earlier studies indicated that this dimorphism was presumably determined by a di-allelic gene only expressed in the male sex. Allele G for gibbosus is dominant over allele g for tuberosus. An elaborate laboratory rearing experiment was set up to test this hypothesis, which was based on only a small number of observations. Analysis of a large number of family trees was in agreement with this model of inheritance. A small fraction of the reared spiders (5%) needed a fifth moult to reach the adult instar. This is the first time that an exception to the normal number of four moults in dwarf spiders of the subfamily Erigoninae has been observed. The dwarf spiders that moulted five times also hatched significantly earlier, and this probably made an additional moult necessary. The juvenile phase of the gibbosus males was significantly longer than that of the tuberosus males. The juve- nile phase is the period between the emergence of the spiders and the last moult. Two possible mechanisms compensating for the advantage of gibbosus in sexual selection were observed: sex ratio distortion in favour of the female sex in tuberosus-genotypes, and shorter juvenile development.
Oral Presentations

Endoscopy used to be organised and performed on a personal basis by enthusiastic individuals with a particular interest in the technique. Today the provision of a safe, effective and well-run endoscopy service is an essential part of every general hospital and clinic that provides a gastrointestinal service. Its organisation requires the skills, knowledge and experience that involve a wide range of professional talents and personnel. The role of the Endoscopy Director however remains critical in ensuring that patients receive the best care that is possible. This workshop that is designed for endoscopy Directors and those who hope to take on this role in the future is a continuation of a series of workshops that WEO and the A-PSDE have organised at A-PDW over the past four years. Whereas previously we have adopted a general approach to the responsibilities of the endoscopy director, on this occasion we will focus on Quality Assurance in endoscopy. As with previous years we will adopt an informal and interactive approach to the programme. We are delighted to have recruited an International Faculty with experience in each of the main endoscopic specialties and who have a particular interest in Quality issues. More importantly, we have involved well-known opinion leaders in Thailand who understand the particular challenges that confront endoscopy services in the Asian arena. The ability of an endoscopy unit to audit and record their successes and to identify their diffi culties is essential if they are to provide a safe and effective service and one that is able year by year to improve its outcomes. This workshop will set out the principles underlying a Quality Assurance Programme that will enable participants to develop their own protocols that will lead to a safer and more effective service. Quality indicators in general endoscopy, colonoscopy and ERCP will be addressed together with issues concerning minimal standards, continuous quality improvement and the management of under-performance. National and International guidelines and the importance of quality in protecting against litigation will be topics for discussion. The workshop programme is set out below and we welcome all those interested in improving their endoscopy service to attend what we believe will be an exciting and valuable learning experience. 6 December 2012 (Thursday) JGHF Okuda Lectureship 8:30–9:10
Intramuscular gold therapy for young patients with pemphigus vulgaris: a prospective, open, clinical study utilizing a dermatologist/rheumatologist team approach

Pemphigus vulgaris is a severe dermatosis, often requiring systemic corticosteroid therapy. The attempt to find disease‐modifying and corticosteroid‐reducing drugs is ongoing. In this open study, a combined dermatologist‐rheumatologist Learn approach is utilized in attempting to control pemphigus vulgaris with intramuscular gold therapy. Intra‐muscular gold seems to have been a particularly useful agent.
In vitro screening stem rot resistant (tolerant) materials in Brassica napus L

The experiment attempt to create stem rot-resistant rape materials through the way of inducing mutation and in vitro screening with the oxalic acid toxin. Dry seeds of B.napuscultivar Huashuang No.3 were exposed to gamma rays at doses of 40～480Krad. The irradiated seeds were cultured on B 5 medium added the selection agent oxalic acid of 1.0～ 5.0mmol/L to conduct the first cycle screening. Survived plantlets (2 leaves stage) were transplanted into the B 5 medium with 1.0～4.0mmol/L oxalic acid to treat for 4 days. The resistance (tolerance) of plantlets to stem rot were identified by inoculating the mycelia of S.sclerotiorumon leaves of plantlets screened. The results indicated that the doses of 40～120 Krad γ-rays can be used to irradiate rape seeds for resisting oxalic acid. The oxalic acid is a suitable selective agent for resistance screening in vitro; stem rot resistant or tolerant 9 plants were selected from 49 tube seedlings with resistance to oxalic acid.
Adiponectin and its Receptors mRNA Levels in Swine Adipose Tissue in the Condition of Cold Stress

The adipose tissue samples in the neck,pars dorsalis and viscera mesenteria of pig under the temperature of-15～-10 ℃,-10～-5 ℃,-5～0 ℃,15～18 ℃ were collected for sthdying the expression of adiponectin and adiponectin receptors mRNA by Real-time fluorescent quantification reverse transcriptase PCR to explore the effects of cold stress on lipometabolism.The results showed that the expression of adiponectin mRNA in the neck,pars dorsalis and viscera mesenteria gradually decreased with the increasing cold stimulus and the differences were significant(P0.05). The levels of AdipoR 1 and AdipoR 2 mRNA in viscera mesenteria firstly increased and then declined(P0.01). The expression of AdipoR 2 mRNA in pars dorsalis gradually decreased and then returned the normal level;AdipoR 1 mRNA of the different groups had no obvious difference.AdipoR 2 mRNA in the neck went up gradually and declined to the normal level(P0.01);AdipoR 1 mRNA firstly increased then down-regulated to normal level and went up again(P0.01). It was concluded that adiponectin and AdipoR are associated with the process of cold stress,which may play important role on redistribution of adipose tissue under animal cold stress.
Some New CAT(0) Free-by-Cyclic Groups

We show the existence of several new infinite families of polynomially-growing automorphisms of free groups whose mapping tori are CAT(0) free-by-cyclic groups. Such mapping tori are thick, and thus not relatively hyperbolic. These are the first families comprising infinitely many examples for each rank of the nonabelian free group; they contrast strongly with Gersten's example of a thick free-by-cyclic group which cannot be a subgroup of a CAT(0) group.
Supplementation with dietary EPA/DHA influences red blood cell fatty acid desaturase estimates and reflects tissue changes in fatty acids in systemic organs

Delta‐5‐desaturase (D5D) and delta‐6‐desaturase (D6D) are critical in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolism. D5D and D6D catalyze the conversion of linoleic acid (LA) into arachidonic acid (AA) and that of alpha‐linolenic acid (ALA) into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Altered PUFA desaturation (i.e., increased D6D and decreased D5D) can exacerbate inflammatory responses. Supplementation with the long chain PUFAs (LCPUFAs) EPA and DHA can influence PUFA metabolism and decrease pro‐inflammatory responses. Furthermore, changes in D5D and D6D activity are associated with obesity, type‐2 diabetes, and dysregulated metabolism. The objective of this study was to determine how increasing dietary EPA and DHA alters the D5D and D6D enzyme activity estimates (EAEs) in the RBC (red blood cell) and systemic tissues. In this study, mice were fed control plus three diets with increasing percent of energy (%en) derived from EPA+DHA. Dietary levels reflected recommended intakes of fish/fish oil by the American Heart Association. These doses translated to 0.1%en, 0.675%en, and 1.8%en from dietary EPA+DHA. Phospholipid (PL) fatty acids (FAs) were isolated from heart, skeletal muscle, spleen, lung, adipose tissue, and RBCs. PL FAs were converted to FA methyl esters and analyzed using gas chromatography. D5D and D6D EAEs were calculated using the ratio of arachidonic/dihomo‐gamma linolenic acid (DGLA) and DGLA/linoleic acid, respectively. We observed a positive correlation between RBC D5D EAEs and tissue D5D EAEs across all tissues. RBC D6D EAEs were positively correlated with muscle and negatively correlated with adipose D6D EAEs. D5D and D6D EAEs varied with EPA+DHA supplementation. When comparing the control vs the 1.8%en EPA+DHA diets, a significant decrease in D5D EAE was observed in heart (−42.51%), lung (−54.99%), spleen (−51.46%), and adipose (−78.06%). No significant difference was observed in muscle D5D EAE. Muscle D6D EAE significantly decreased (−39.95%). In adipose tissue, D6D was significantly increased compared to control (+97.80%). No significant dietary effect on D6D EAE was observed in heart, lung, or spleen with supplementation. RBC desaturase EAEs are reflective of tissue desaturase EAEs. Interestingly, RBC desaturase EAEs remained reflective of tissue desaturase EAEs despite changes in mean D5D and D6D EAEs after EPA+DHA supplementation. The high correlation between RBC desaturase EAEs and tissue desaturase EAEs with increasing dietary EPA and DHA, indicates RBC D5D and D6D EAEs are accurate non‐invasive methods to assess tissue PUFA metabolism. Future studies should investigate the usefulness of RBC desaturases in assessing tissues desaturases in disease models such as obesity, type‐2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome and how EPA+DHA may alter fatty acid metabolism to favor an anti‐inflammatory profile.
Antiviral therapy of herpes simplex virus infection: recent developments 1

Since 1981, the standard therapy of herpes simplex virus infections has been based on acyclovir. Valaciclovir, the l‐valine ester of acyclovir and famciclovir, a pro‐drug of penciclovir with an improved oral bioavailability have been recently licensed. HPMPC, an acyclic nucleoside phosponate, is highly active and shows a broad range of activity against all the herpes viruses, and it is far more efficient than ganciclovir against cytomegalovirus. Ribonucleotidase inhibitors have so far been unsuccessful in the treatment of acyclovir‐resistant HSV infections. In the future, anti‐sense oligonucleotides may play a role in the therapy of herpes virus infections and many efforts continue to be made to develop vaccines which may prevent recurrences in already infected individuals. Resistance to anti‐HSV agents is almost exclusively encountered in immunocompromised patients. Failure of acyclovir therapy is mostly due to viral thymidine kinase (TK) deficiency as a result of mutation in the TK gene. Until now, the only alternatives for the treatment of acyclovir‐resistant infections have been the intravenous administration of foscarnet, frequently associated with relatively severe side effects, or the topical application of trifluridine either as single agent or in combination with interferon alpha. In vitro observations suggest that the failure of antiviral therapy is not directly due to the emergence of resistant virus isolates. Reduced uptake or activation of acyclovir may represent a selective pressure for resistant isolates in immunocompromised patients. New prodrugs with increased bioavailability, such as valaciclovir and famciclovir will perhaps prevent or delay the emergence of drug resistant isolates in immunocompromised patients since higher intracellular levels of the active compound can be achieved.
Influence of Different Fertilizers to Crop Rhizosphere Microorganisms

The amounts of three large groups of microorganisms in the immature soil with crops planted were higher than that without crops planted and changed with the species of crops. There were larger amounts of rhizosphere microorganism on the trial plots with fertilizers than without fertilizers. And among all trial plots, there was the highest amount of microorganism on the plots with mixed fertilizer of N, P, K. The amounts of rhizosphere microorganisms were closely related to root and shoot growth of crops. The sequences of differences in the buckwheat growth influenced by different fertilizers corresponded basically with quantitative differences of rhizosphere microorganisms reaction to fertilization. The results indicated that well shoot and root growth of crops benefited the multiplying of three large groups of microorganisms—soil bacteria , fungi and actinomyces, and there were interactive and interdependent relations among the photosynthetic system , root system and microorganism system of crops.
Embryology of Swertia tetraptera Maxim. (Gentianaceae) and its systematic implication

The embryology of Swertia tetraptera is reported for the first time. The anther is tetrasporangiate and its wall, of which the development conforms to the dicotyledonous type, is composed of epidermis, endothecium, middle layer and tapetum at the mature stage. The tapetum has dual origin and is similar to the glandular type. Cytokinesis is of the simultaneous type and microspore tetrads are mostly tetrahedral. Pollen grains are mostly 3 celled when shed. The ovary is bicarpellate and unilocular with four series of ovules. The fused margins of two carpels intensively protrude into the locule. The ovule is unitegmic, tenuinucellate and orthotropous. The development of embryo sac is of the Polygonum type. The development of endosperm conforms to the nuclear type and the embryogeny corresponds with the Physalis Ⅰ variation of Solanad type. Three antipodal cells persist at the mature embryo sac. The embryo is at the globular stage when seeds are released from the capsule. Compared with the other studied species in Swertia, S. tetraptera shows differences from them in three distinctive embryological traits: enlargement and protrusion of the fused margins of two carpels into the ovary locule; orthotropous ovules and a developed hypostase. These three characters were previously only found in the genus Halenia of the tribe Gentianinae in the Gentianaceae,and thus suggest that S. tetraptera should be related to Halenia. The results partly correspond with the molecular evidence (Yuan Kupfer, 1995). The monophyletic Halenia clade in Yuan Kupfer's molecular cladogram includes Halenia, S. tetraptera and Frasera (section Frasera in Swertia s.l.); nevertheless, up to now, no embryological study on Frasera has been reported. The embryological results imply that the taxonomic status of S. tetraptera needs to be revaluated and the genus Swertia s.l. may not be a monophyletic group.
Natural and sexual selection on a plumage signal of status and on morphology in house sparrows, Passer domesticus

Temporal patterns of natural and sexual selection on male badge size and body traits were studied in a population of house sparrows, Passer domesticus. Badge size was a heritable trait as revealed by a significant father‐son regression. Survival during autumn dispersal and winter was not related to badge size or body traits in yearling male house sparrows. Badges that signal dominance status were affected positively by directional selection for mating. Adult male house sparrows suffered an opposing selection pressure on badge size during autumn.