Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sources for Salmonella Contamination During Pig Production in Eastern Spain

Salmonella spp. is one of the important foodborne pathogen and pose potential threats to consumers. The aims of this study are to determine the main sources of Salmonella contamination in pig production to assess the main risk factors for Salmonella contamination of pig herds at the end of the rearing period and determine the main serovars involved in pig production. Over two years, 47 commercial pig farms from the Valencian Region were intensively sampled. Each farm was sampled at different times during the fattening period. First, when the previous herd was taken to the slaughterhouse, Salmonella status of the house was assessed before and after cleaning and disinfection (C&D). During rearing, each farm was visited four times (day 1, 45, 90 and 135) taking samples of feces, dust, pen surfaces, corridor surfaces, water and farmers’ boots. In addition, fly and rodent traps were set up insisted the house. All samples taken were analyzed according to ISO 6579:2002 (Annex D) and positive samples were serotyped using Kauffman-White-Le-Minor technique. A total of 2,226 samples were taken and the total prevalence of positive samples was 19.6%. The results showed that 72.3% and 65.9% of the houses were positive for Salmonella before and after C&D, respectively. At the end of rearing period, houses were contaminated with feces (63.6%), corridor surfaces (54.5%), dust (40.5%), farmers’ boots (34.1%), water from drinkers (11.4%), tank water (9.1%) and pen surfaces (6.8%). The main risk factors for Salmonella contamination of pig herds at the end of the rearing period are Salmonella status of the house before C&D, Salmonella status of corridors and water from drinkers. The most prevalent serovars isolated from broiler production were S. Typhimurim (32.3%), followed by S. Rissen (23.6%) and S. Derby (19.7%). In this context, prevention of Salmonella contamination in swine products requires detailed control throughout the production chain to eradicate the bacteria from the primary production stage.
Phosphate starvation‐inducible pyrophosphate‐dependent phosphofructokinase occurs in plants whose roots do not form symbiotic associations with mycorrhizal fungi

Previously, we reported that phosphate (P i ) starvation of suspension cells or seedlings of Brassica nigra results in a large elevation in the activity of pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase (EC 2.7.1.90) (PFP). However, other researchers have found that P i deprivation either causes a significant reduction or no change in extractable PFP activity of Catharanthus roseus suspension cells, or roots of Nicotiana tabacum and Phaseolis vulgaris seedlings. The present study was undertaken to examine the prevalence of P i starvation-inducible PFP in seedlings, root cultures, or suspension cells of a variety of plant species differing in phylogenetic relatedness to B. nigra. In all species examined. fresh weights were decreased and acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) activities were increased by P i limitation. Brassica napus suspension cells, Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings, and roots of B. napus, B. carinata, B. oleracea, Beta vulgaris, Fagopyrum esculentum, Sinapis alba, and S. arvensis seedlings grown with P i -limited media contained 170-510% greater PFP activity than did nutrient-sufficient controls. In five of these species the induction of PFP activity by P i limitation was based in part upon an increased susceptibility of the enzyme to its allostcric activator, fructose-2,6-bisphosphate By contrast, the PFP activity in P i -deprived Lycopersicon esculentum root cultures and Nicotiana silvestris suspension cells decreased by 45-65% relative to P i -sufficient controls. Immunoblotting of extracts from A. thaliana seedlings, S. arvensis, F. esculentum and B. oleracea roots, and B. napus suspension cells probed with potato tuber PFP antibodies indicated that the upregulation of PFP activity by P i stress in these species was not correlated with an alteration in the amount or subunit composition of PFP. Our findings suggest that induction of PFP during long-term P i starvation may be characteristic of members of the Cruciferae. Chenopodiaceae and Polygonaceae families whose roots do not form symbiotic associations with mycorrhizal fungi.
Specificity and resilience in the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi of a natural woodland community

1 The composition of communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can have a large effect on the performance of their plant hosts. The role of individual fungal species in shaping this response is as yet unresolved. 2 We have used the fungicide benomyl to alter the community of AM fungi in undisturbed monoliths of soil in a natural community. Changes in the community were characterized by root colonization (%RLC), cloning, sequencing and tRFLP of a partial SSUrDNA fragment. Eleven plant species were sufficiently abundant in the monoliths to be examined. 3 In the highly mycorrhiza‐dependent perennial herb Ajuga reptans, phosphate concentration was significantly reduced after benomyl treatment over a full growing season. The other plant species showed low colonization and no significant difference in phosphate concentration after benomyl treatment. 4 Although colonization in A. reptans was reduced, many mycorrhizal fungi survived in the roots. Some became more abundant following fungicide treatment, suggesting competitive release. Fungi that increased were generalists that have been identified in field samples from published studies colonizing a wide range of plant species. Those that declined were specialists with a narrow host range; five types had not been recorded previously in field samples. 5 AM fungi in this study differed greatly in their response to perturbation, independent of the identity of the host plant. If such functional diversity is widespread, then elucidating the part played by AM fungal diversity in regulating plant community structure will be key to our understanding and management of ecosystems.
Arabidopsis genes with roles in root hair development

After a decade of Arabidopsis genetics many genes with important roles in root hair development have been identified. Mutants have been used to discover genes, define their roles, and identify their DNA sequences. Plant growth regulator signaling and transcription factor genes determine which root epidermal cells form hairs. A network of gene activity has been characterized that produces a swelling on the surface of each hair cell and a single tubular outgrowth from each swelling. The molecular functions of some genes in this network have been revealed. We are approaching a molecular understanding of root hair development that will provide exciting opportunities in plant cell biology and physiology.
Temporal patterns of arrival from migration as a response to competition for breeding space

Birds arriving from spring migration have higher chances of securing a territory if they reach the breeding area before their companions. However, an early arrival may compromise their chances of surviving until reproduction begins. Here, we study how evolutionarily stable responses to these opposite constraints may shape patterns of arrival in a population of migratory birds, with the help of a simple evolutionary algorithm. We show that, initially, an increasing level of competition for breeding territories generates a massive peak of early arrivals. However, when the level of competition becomes very high, the temporal distribution of arrivals may take diff erent shapes, depending on the modalities of competition. If individuals trying to usurp territories have relatively high chances of success, a second peak of arrival emerges at the very end of the arrival period. Birds arrive then in two successive waves. By contrast, if these chances are low, a single early peak of arrival is still present. Many individuals do however continuously arrive afterwards, at a regular and increasing tempo, until reproduction begins. The prior residence effect, that rules competition between resident birds and their challengers, is thus expected to influence the whole distribution of arrival dates on breeding grounds. This distribution will, in turn, affect the ability of the population to respond to changing environmental conditions.
Osmoregulation and gene expression of Na+/K+ ATPase in families of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts

This study reports that families of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts vary in their ability to osmo- and iono-regulate following abrupt transfer to cold seawater. Eleven families of Atlantic salmon 0+ smolts were held in fresh water (2.44 °C) or transferred to seawater (1.94 °C) and sampled 0 h, 24 h, 96 h, and 30 days post-transfer. Plasma osmolality was significantly different among the families after 24 h of seawater exposure. The family with the lowest osmolality at 24 h also displayed the lowest plasma Cl concentrations as well as the highest gill Na+/K+ ATPase activity. Gill mRNA expression of the Na+/K+ ATPase α1b isoform increased following seawater exposure, whereas the α1a isoform decreased, but there was no significant difference among families. Taken together, the interfamily differences in osmoregulatory ability are correlated with gill Na+/K+ ATPase activity but not the expression of two salinity-sensitive Na+/K+ ATPase isoforms. Furthermore, the data indicate that family differences i.
SEXUAL SELECTION IN MOTHS: THE ROLE OF CHEMICAL COMMUNICATION

CONTENTS . I . Introduction 113 ( I ) Mating signals. 114 (2) Female signalling 1x5 (3) Male signalling 115 11. Mate choice 115 111. Moth mating systems . 1x6 117 (2) Why do females mate more than once? 1x8 IV. Female selection . I 20 (I) Female intrasexual selection . 120 (2) Female choice . 121 (3) Courtship . 122 (4) Leks 123 V. Male selection 123 (I) Male intrasexual selection 124 (2) Male choice 125 VI. Interspecific signal competition . I 26
Cold shock proteins and cold acclimation proteins in a psychrotrophic bacterium

The synthesis of proteins in the psychrotrophic bacterium Bacillus psychrophilus in response to both cold shock and continuous growth at low temperatures was examined. Cold shocks of 20 to 0, 5, or 10 °C resulted in the induction of nine, seven, and five cold shock proteins, respectively, as determined by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and computing scanning laser densitometry. Two cold shock proteins, with molecular masses of 61 and 34 kDa, which were induced in B. psychrophilus by cold shocks of 20 to 0 or 5 °C, were not induced in a cold-sensitive mutant of B. psychrophilus. Analysis of protein profiles of B. psychrophilus during continuous growth at 0, 5, or 10 °C revealed the synthesis of 11, 10, and 4 cold acclimation proteins, respectively. Some of these cold acclimation proteins were similar to cold shock proteins. In addition, the relative synthesis of both cold shock proteins and cold acclimation proteins increased with decreasing temperature. Thus, both types of proteins increased both in nu.
INTESTINE MORPHOMETRICS OF FISHES: A COMPILATION AND ANALYSIS OF BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

Background. The examination of morphological features r elated to feeding in fish, as well as their relation with body length, are of increasing scientific interest. In the present study, information on intestine (gut) morphomet- rics that appear in the relevant literature has been compiled, analysed, and discussed. Materials and Methods. Search of gut-related bibliography was conducted, using online literature databases on fish feeding and ecomorphology. The resulted data was tabulated. Relationships between mean, m inimum, and maximum relative gut length (RGL) and intestine length weight index (ILW, Zihler's index), as provided by the original author, with species' fractional trophic levels (TROPHs; extracted from FishBase) were explored. Finally, using the relations between gut length (GL) and body length (L) provided by the original authors, regres- sions were reconstructed and compared based on species' feeding habits and taxonomy. Results. The amount of information related t o gut morphometrics referred to 498 species. The relations between GL and L referred to 71 species, but four species were omitted from the analyses. Mean, minimum, and maxi- mum RLG and ILW values were negatively related (for all cases: P < 0.01) with TROPH. The GL-L regressions performed for 67 species revealed the presence of two major groups as herbivorous fishes and carnivorous fish- es. Grouping according to species' taxonomic order did not form any significant g roupings. Conclusion. Existing information on intestine morphometrics is generally accumulated in a few scientific papers. All the analyses performed on the compiled data reinforced the pattern generally accepted that herbivores have longer intestines than carnivores. In addition, the influence of species' evolutionary history on comparisons of gut length between species with different feeding habits was not verified. Finally, equations relating RGL and ILW t o TROPH can be used for TROPH value estimates from morphological data that are easy to obtain, espe- cially in the lack of species' feeding habits data.
Responses of the plasma membrane to low temperatures

The plasma membrane is considered to be the primary site of injury when plant cells are subjected to extracellular freezing. In order for plants or plant cells to acquire freezing tolerance, it is, thus, necessary that the plasma membrane increases its cryostability during freeze-thaw excursion. During cold acclimation both under natural and artificial conditions, there are compositional, structural and functional changes occurring in the plasma membrane, many, if not all, of which ultimately contribute to increased stability of the plasma membrane under freezing conditions. In addition, changes in the cytosol or intracellular compartments also affect the cryobehaviour of the plasma membrane during freeze-induced dehydration. Although many alterations occurring during cold acclimation influence the cryobehaviour of the plasma membrane comprehensively, recent advances in functional genomics approaches provide interesting information on the function of specific proteins for plasma membrane behaviour under freezing conditions.
Improved Colonization of East African Highland Musa Tissue Culture Plants by Endophytic Fusarium oxysporum

Abstract Non-pathogenic endophytic Fusarium oxysporum inoculated into banana (Musa spp.) tissue culture plants can provide protection against banana weevils (Cosmopolites sordidus) and nematodes (Radopholus similis). The degree of control probably depends, in part, upon the level of endophyte establishment following inoculation. In this study, we compared three methods of inoculating endophytic fungi into eight week-old tissue culture plants: (1) Dipping the roots and rhizomes in a spore suspension, (2) dipping the roots and rhizomes in a spore suspension after the plants had been grown in an additional nutrient solution to enhance root growth, and (3) using a solid substrate inoculum after plants were grown in an additional nutrient solution. Irrespective of the inoculation method, rhizomes were colonized to a higher extent (91%) than roots (64%). The use of a solid substrate inoculum resulted in a higher percentage root colonization (96%) than when plants were dipped in a spore suspension. When roots and rhizomes were dipped in a spore suspension, root colonization was higher (71%) for plants grown in an additional nutrient solution than for plants obtained directly from rooting medium (49%). Use of a solid substrate inoculum and increased root development by growing the plants in a nutrient solution are necessary to maximize root colonization by fungal endophytes.
Surface and submarine pollination in the seagrass Zostera marina L.

COX, P. A. , LAUSHMAN, R. H. & RUCKLESHAUS, M. H. , 1992. Surface and submarine pollination in the seagrass Zostera marina L. Hydrophilous plants can be divided into three ecological categories depending upon whether their pollen is transported above, on, or under the water surface. A mixed mode of submarine and surface hydrophilous pollination occurs in the seagrass Zostera marina L. In the surface mode of pollination, pollen rafts or ‘search vehicles’ which superficially resemble snowflakes, form at low tide and are transported on the surface of the sea by winds and water currents. Some of the search vehicles collide with the floating female stigmas, effecting pollination. In the submarine mode of pollination, small pollen masses resembling whisk brooms travel beneath the surface of the water. Although we failed to observe a submarine pollination event, SEM analysis of stigmas from subtidal populations confirms that submarine pollination does occur in Z. marina. However, observations of stigmas positioned at and below the surface of the water show surface pollination to be highly efficient. Electrophoretic evaluation of both subtidal and intertidal populations indicates significant genetic variation between populations. Given the high flux rates of surface-borne pollen and pollen viability in excess of 5 h, it is likely that surface-borne pollen is a major source of gene flow in Zostera marina populations.
Improved doubled haploid production protocol for Brassica napus using microspore colchicine treatment in vitro and ploidy determination by flow cytometry

A rapid and efficient microspore culture protocol was applied to produce homozygous progeny of crosses between low erucic canola and high erucic resynthesized rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). Microspores of Canadian cultivars 'Excel' and 'Profit' as well as three F 1 hybrids with the resynthetic line 'RS239' were treated with colchicine immediately after isolation. Flow cytometry was applied for early identification of doubled haploid (DH) regenerants. The diploidization rate was subsequently verified by scoring flower morphology. In vitro colchicine treatment had a positive effect on induced diploidization, and was associated with the frequency of preliminary spontaneous diploidization which was, however, determined by the genotype. In addition, the effects of colchicine treatment on embryoid formation and regeneration have been evaluated. The method presented is feasible for commercial large-scale production of DHs in rapeseed as the genotype-specific diploidization can be efficiently balanced by in vitro colchicine treatment. In addition, the use of flow cytometry immediately after in vitro culture allows efficient selection for DHs, thus saving labour and cost and in the laboratory and subsequent greenhouse phase.
The N-Terminal Z Repeat 5 of Connectin/Titin Binds to the C-Terminal Region of α-Actinin

Abstract Connectin/titin, a 3000 kDa protein, links the Z line to the myosin filament in striated muscle sarcomeres. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, the present work shows that the N-terminal Z repeat 5 region (amino acids 447-472) of connectin binds to the C-terminal region (amino acids 825-897) of α-actinin, the main constituent of the Z line.
Effects of predators on prey growth rate : relative contributions of thinning and reduced activity

Predators affect individual growth rates of surviving prey in two conflicting ways. First, predation acts to increase growth rate by thinning the density of prey populations, which releases survivors from competition. At the same time, predators intimidate prey into decreasing their feeding activity and increasing refuge use, causing prey to grow more slowly. Both processes are known to affect individual growth rates in many systems, but their relative importances and interactive effects have not been measured. We designed an experiment to estimate the separate and joint effects of thinning and activity suppression, using Rana sylvatica tadpoles reared in 1100-L outdoor artificial ponds The experiment manipulated the perceived risk of predation (using caged Anax dragonfly larvae) independently from the loss rate (by manually removing tadpoles every other day according to a predetermined mortality schedule). The presence of predators caused tadpoles to decrease time spent feeding and swimming, verifying that the conditions for behaviorally-mediated growth suppression were satisfied. During the first half of the experiment, when tadpoles were small and not yet competing for food, growth declined sharply with predation risk but was unaffected by thinning. During the second half of the experiment, when tadpoles were much larger and had presumably depleted food resources, growth rate increased under thinning but was unaffected by predation risk. Overall, there was an interaction among treatments because activity suppression was only important at low density, while thinning was especially important in the absence of predation risk. Our results suggest that the numerical effects of predators on prey will predominate in communities composed of strongly interacting species with resource depletion (e.g., communities with clear keystone predator effects), whereas growth costs of predator avoidance may quantitatively affect species interactions in communities with less severe exploitative competition.
Antipredator responses of two anurans towards native and exotic predators

When faced with the risk of predation, tadpoles of many amphibian species are known to modify their phenotype. In this work we studied the effect of an exotic species, the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), on the phenotype of two species of amphibians with different reproduction habitats: the Iberian painted frog, Discoglossus galganoi, that normally reproduces in temporary water bodies and the common toad, Bufo bufo, that reproduces in permanent water bodies. The responses were compared with the ones shown in the presence of a native predator, dragonfly (Aeshnidae) larvae. Behaviour, growth and morphology of tadpoles were monitored in a factorial experiment with five treatments. Our results showed that only the permanent habitat species altered its behaviour and life-history traits in the presence of P. clarkii; however, this was mediated by chemical cues from consumed conspecifics. Antipredator responses of B. bufo towards the exotic crayfish were similar to the ones towards the native predator, while D. galganoi responded to the dragonfly larvae but not to P. clarkii. This may be the result of infrequent colonization events of temporary habitats by the crayfish. Therefore, the consequences of the introduction of P. clarkii might be more serious for D. galganoi and other species living in temporary habitats. Species breeding in permanent habitats, more prone to having generalized antipredator responses, may be relatively protected against this exotic crayfish although the effectiveness of these responses still needs to be tested.
Larval development and production by the net‐spinning caddis, Polycentropus flavomaculatus (Pictet) (Trichoptera), in a recirculating stream channel

Abstract 1. The gravel substratum of a recirculating stream channel, sited in southern England, supported a population of P. flavomaculatus larvae. A short summer generation was followed by an overwintering generation with extended periods of recruitment and pupation. 2. The highest population density estimate (20,515 m‐2) was recorded during January. 3. Pupae were found in comparatively low numbers and in all months except October, November and December. 4. Estimates of production for P. flavomaculatus larvae, in terms of unpreserved dry weight, gave values of 14.57 g m‐2 (Allen curve) and 17.64 g m‐2 (Computational method) for the overwintering generation. The latter method gave a value of 2.73 g m‐2 for the summer generation. 5. Extended recruitment of young larvae and the long flight period recorded for this species may have obscured the presence of a fast growing, short, summer generation in other populations.