Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibacterial activity of solvent fractions of crude water decoction of apical twigs and latex of Calotropis procera (Ait.) R. Br.

Water decoction of Calotropis procera (Ait.) R.Br. is reported as a purulent wound healer in Indian System of Medicine — Ayurveda. Antibacterial activity of solvent fractions derived from the crude water decoction of C. procera against pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacterial strains has been evaluated. Dried apical twigs and latex of the plant were used for getting extracts. Four solvent fractions of both the samples were tested for their antibacterial activity on eight opportunistic bacterial strains, viz. Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens, Enterobacter aerogenes and Escherichia coli. Other pathogenic strains selected were Salmonella paratyphi A and S. typhi, and non-pathogenic strains were Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus luteus. The disk diffusion method was used to determine the inhibitory effect of all the fractions of both the plant samples on twelve tested bacterial strains. Comparison of the inhibitory activity with already established eight antibiotics was carried out. The fractions of apical twigs of plant produced wider inhibition zones than the fractions of latex. The fractions of both the plant samples produced greatest inhibitory zone on Staphylococcus aureus one of the major wound infectious bacterial strain.
Signal signature in induced defense of Arabidopsis upon pathogen and insect attack

Three plant signaling molecules play a dominant role in the regulation of defenses in a number of plant-attacker model systems: salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET). In this study, the roles of these signaling compounds were determined in the induced defense responses of Arabidopsis thaliana upon attack by a set of microbial pathogens and herbivorous insects. The production of SA, JA and ET was activated in different combinations depending on the attacker encountered resulting in a specific signal signature. Analysis of the expression of SA-, JA-, and ET- responsive marker genes showed that the signal signature nicely correlates with the expression of the marker genes in each plant-attacker interaction. We hypothesize that the specific signal signature is involved in the activation of an optimal mix of defenses to counteract the intruder.
Effects of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae at Direct Addition or Pre-incubation on in Vitro Gas Production Kinetics and Degradability of Four Fibrous Feeds

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on in vitro gas production (GP) kinetics and degradability of corn stover, oat straw, sugarcane bagasse and sorghum straw. Feedstuffs were incubated with different doses of yeast [0, 4, 8 and 12 mg/g dry matter (DM)] at direct addition or 72 h pre-incubation. Rumen GP was recorded at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 24, 30, 48, 54 and 72 h of incubation. After 72 h, rumen pH and methane were determined and contents were filtrated for DM, neutral (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) degradability. Fibrous species×method of application×yeast interactions occurred (P< 0.001) for all measured ruminal GP parameters and degradability. The direct addition or 72 h pre-incubation of S. cerevisiae with corn stover improved (P< 0.05) GP and methane and decreased (P< 0.05) the lag time (L) and NDF degradability (NDFD). The direct addition of S. cerevisiae to oat straw increased (P< 0.05) rate of GP (c) and decreased (P< 0.05) asymptotic GP (b). However, 72 h pre-incubation increased (P< 0.05) c with linearly decreased b, DM degradability (DMD) and NDFD. Applying S. cerevisiae for 72 h pre-incubation decreased (P< 0.001) methane emission. The direct addition or 72 h pre-incubation of S. cerevisiae to sorghum straw increased (P< 0.05) b, c, L, DMD and NDFD. Overall, the effect of dose varied among different feedstuffs and different application methods. Results suggested that the direct addition of S. cerevisiae could support and improve ruminal fermentation of low-quality forages at 4 to 12 g/kg DM.
Magnetic Field Effects in Biology: A Survey of Possible Mechanisms with Emphasis on Radical-Pair Recombination

This article is organized around the principle of hypothesis-based research into biological magnetic field effects. It is intended to serve as an introduction to current issues and to review recent progress toward answering the fundamental question of how magnetic fields interact with biological systems. This review will focus on those magnetic field effects that can be addressed within the existing paradigms of chemistry and physics in order to encourage further research within this community. In the last section of this review, those biological magnetic field effects that are understood at only a minimal level will be summarized, but not evaluated critically. 191 refs.
Herbivory in Liolaemus poecilochromus, a Small, Cold-Climate Lizard from the Andes of Argentina

Herbivory is generally thought to be restricted to reptiles with large body sizes that live in warm climates. We show that Liolaemus poecilochromus is primarily herbivorous (>80% plants in diet) even as juveniles, making them the smallest herbivorous reptile known. We detected relatively few differences in diet between the sexes, despite male-biased sexual dimorphism in head and body size. Adults consumed more mites and flowers than juveniles, and we detected a weak ontogenetic shift from omnivory to herbivory that is attributable to the lower volumetric consumption of plants by juvenile males. We discuss the abiotic and biotic conditions that likely selected for herbivory in this and other small-bodied, high-elevation Liolaemus. Herbivoría en general se cree que se limita a los reptiles con cuerpos grandes que viven en climas cálidos. Mostramos que Liolaemus poecilochromus es principalmente herbívora (>80% de plantas en la dieta) incluso los juveniles, convirtiéndolo por esto en el reptil herbívoro más pequeño conocido. Asimismo, detectamos pocas diferencias en la dieta entre los sexos, a pesar del dimorfismo sexual a favor de los machos en el tamaño de la cabeza y el cuerpo. Los adultos consumen más ácaros y flores que los juveniles, por otro lado se detectó un cambio ontogenético débil de omnivoria a herbivoría en los machos juveniles, debido a su bajo consumo de plantas. Discutimos las condiciones abióticas y bióticas que probablemente favorecieron la herbivoría en este y otros Liolaemus de cuerpo pequeño y alta elevación.
Living Fossils: On Lampreys, Baronia, and the Search for Medicinals

Abstract “Living fossils” are organisms that, while still resembling their extinct progenitors in fundamental ways, have escaped the fate of these ancestors by specializing in ways that gave them an edge in survival. An example is provided by the butterfly Baronia brevicornis, the lone survivor of an ancient lineage; B. brevicornis may have beaten the odds against extinction by having evolved a form of defense, namely, mimicry of distasteful butterflies. In this article we argue that defense, particularly chemical defense, is likely to have often played a role in the survival of living fossils; consequently, the screening of such organisms for medicinals may have a better than average chance of paying off.
The influence of thyroid hormone status on the hypothalamo-hypophyseal growth hormone axis.

Growth hormone (GH) synthesis is known to be impaired by either abnormally high or low levels of thyroid hormone. To determine the effects of these conditions on the central regulation of GH secretion, we have examined their effects on the hypothalamic regulatory peptides GH-releasing hormone (GH-RH) and somatostatin (SRIF). In thyroidectomized rat hypothalamus, a dramatic increase in GH-RH mRNA occurred in parallel with a decrease in peptide content. The significance of this phenomenon is uncertain and might possibly reflect some posttranscriptional derangement of GH-RH synthesis or an increased rate of GH-RH synthesis and release. In the hyperthyroid group, GH-RH showed significant decreases in both peptide and mRNA levels that might possibly reflect a decrease in GH-RH synthesis and secretion. No change was observed in SRIF peptide or mRNA levels in either thyroidectomized or T4-treated animals. As expected, GH mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary were dramatically decreased by thyroidectomy and unaff.
Folic acid linked amino‐cellulose for in vitro evaluation of doxorubicin delivery: Synthesis and characterization

In this study, cellulose, a biodegradable polymer, was successfully aminated. For this purpose the cellulose was converted to a bromoacetylated derivative by reaction with bromoacetyl bromide. The resulting bromide derivative was then substituted with azido groups by reaction with sodium azide. Then the azido group was reduced to amines via the formation of the triphenylphosphinimine intermediate followed by hydrolysis using aqueous hydrazine. This sequence produced amino-cellulose. To gain a tumor-targeting doxorubicin (DOX) delivery system, we conjugated an active tumor-targeting ligand, folic acid, to the end of the resulting copolymer (FA-Amino-Cell). The structure of this copolymer was confirmed by FT-IR, UV–Vis, TGA, SEM, and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The SEM images showed that the hydrodynamic dimension of the resulted product is about 40 nm. Moreover, the Release profiles of DOX from the FA-Amino-Cell and its loading capacity were determined by UV–Vis absorption measurement at λmax 483 nm. The results showed that the DOX loaded copolymer had good control on the release period of DOX. So, it seems that the FA-Amino-Cell is a potential candidate for the targeted delivery of DOX for cancer treatment.
Morfoanatomia do sistema subterrâneo de Smallanthus sonchifolius (Poepp. & Endl.) H. Robinson (Asteraceae)

Smallanthus sonchifolius (Poepp. & Endl.) H. Robinson (Asteraceae), known as yacon is a high-altitude tropical herbaceous species. It was introduced into several countries, including Brazil, because of its nutritional potential, high yield but mainly as a source of inulin. Although its agronomy and biochemistry are relatively well established, little is known about the morphology and nature of its underground system, the main inulin source. The underground system is heterogeneous in nature, consisting of rhizophores, and adventitious thin and tuberous roots. The rhizophores and roots present secretory ducts of lipid in the inner cortical layers, which is derived from the meristematic endoderm.
Autocorrelated environmental variation and the establishment of invasive species

Environmental parameters such as temperature and rainfall have a positively autocorrelated variance structure which makes it likely that runs of good or bad conditions will occur. It has previously been demonstrated that such autocorrelated environmental variance can increase the probability of extinction in small populations, in much the same way that increased variance without autocorrelation can increase extinction risk. As a result, it has also been suggested that positive autocorrelation will decrease the probability that a species will establish in a novel location. We suggest that describing the probability of invasion success as the probability of indefinite persistence may be an inappropriate definition of risk. Economic or ecological damage may be associated with a population that initially reaches high densities before going extinct in the new location. In addition, such populations may spread to new locations before extirpation. We use a modeling approach to examine the effect of positively autocorrelated conditions on the probability that small populations will reach large size before extinction. We find that where variance is high and the geometric mean of the population growth rate is low, autocorrelation increases the risk that a population will pass a an upper threshold density, even when extinction probability is unaffected. Therefore species classified as having low probability of invasion risk on the basis of population growth rates measured in low variance environments may actually have quite a substantial probability of establishing a large population for a period of time. The mechanism behind the effect is the disproportionate influence of short runs of good conditions initially following introduction.
Subclinical Johne's disease in sheep

This paper presents preliminary results from a 5-year study aimed at generating objective data on the effect of subclinical Johne’s disease on productivity in sheep. On two properties where Johne’s disease was considered to be a problem, replacement ewe lambs from a single generation were allocated to one of three groups. One group was vaccinated with the killed Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis vaccine Neoparasec, another with the live vaccine Gudair, and the other group remained as unvaccinated controls. The vaccinated and control ewes were monitored over the ensuing four years for the following parameters: lesion size, live weight, fleece weight, scanning percentage, lamb production and weight of lambs weaned per ewe. Serology was also performed on a sample of animals from each group. On one property, the size vaccination-site lesions associated with Gudair declined at a more rapid rate than those associated with Neoparasec. However, results to date have failed to detect a significant difference in productivity between vaccinated and unvaccinated ewes in either flock, suggesting that subclinical Johne’s disease may not be an important cause of production loss in sheep. The trial is now in its final year.
Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus Vocalizations and Associated Behaviours

Visual observations of nocturnal species such as owls can be difficult. Knowledge of vocalizations associated with particular behaviours is therefore an extremely useful tool in studying owls in the field. For this purpose, I studied the vocalizations and behaviours of the Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus, collecting observations on a female human-imprinted individual and wild pairs. Spectrographically, Great Horned Owl calls were divided into three main categories: hoots, chitters, and squawks. These categories were further subdivided into five types of hoots, four types of chitters, and five types of squawks based on inflection, number of syllables, duration, pitch, volume, and behavioural context. Two types of non-vocal communication were also distinguished: hisses and bill clacking. Although owl vocalizations are generally considered innate and variation between individuals should not differ in basic makeup and behavioural context, further verification on wild owls is encouraged.
Density-dependent costs of an inducible morphological defense in crucian carp

ere should be fitness costs associated with the defense, otherwise it should be permanent. Thus, in the absence of predators and with limited resources, defended individuals are expected to be outcompeted by individuals lacking the costly defense. Crucian carp, Carassius carassius, increase in body depth in response to chemical stimuli from piscivorous fish, and the deeper body constitutes a morphological defense against gape-limited piscivores. Here, we have performed a field experiment investigating effects of population density on the relative competitive performance of shallow-bodied and deepbodied crucian carp. We assigned groups of six individually marked fish (the ‘‘focal’’ individuals) of either morph into enclosures with either low or high crucian carp density, and monitored changes in body mass, length, and body depth of these fish for 4 mo. In addition, we determined sex, and final liver and gonadal mass, of all focal fish. At high population density, there was a reduction in food resources (zooplankters), which resulted in reduced gonad mass, reduced gonadosomatic indices, and reduced growth in fish of both morphs. Unexpectedly, the relative allocation to livers was higher at high density. There was no difference in body mass gain between morphs at the low density, whereas at the high density shallow-bodied fish gained twice as much body mass as deepbodied fish. Hence, when predators were absent and food resources were limited, deepbodied individuals suffered a substantial cost when competing with shallow-bodied conspecifics. This study verifies the theoretical prediction that an inducible defense results in fitness costs in the absence of predators. Further, as we found no measurable disadvantage of the deep-bodied morphology at high food availability but a strong disadvantage under intense competition for food, our results also demonstrate the importance of relating defense costs to levels of intraspecific competition. (Less)
Comparative Studies on Xanthoria Parietina, a Pollution Resistant Lichen, and Ramalina Duriaei, a Sensitive Species. I. Effects of Air Pollution on Physiological Processes

Abstract Xanthona parietina thalli were collected from a ‘clean-air’ location and from a polluted area. Ramalina duriaei thalli were collected from the same ‘clean-air’ location and some thalli were transplanted to air polluted locations, where R. duriaei no longer occurs. The effects of air contaminants on these two lichens were compared under controlled laboratory conditions and in field experiments. Air contaminants and exposure to bisulphite ions had little or no damaging effect on X. parietina, whereas severe damage was caused to R. duriaei, as judged by chlorophyll degradation, autofluorescence of photobionts, photosynthetic activity, membrane integrity and ATP content. The different responses presented confirm the sensitivity of R. duriaei and resistance of X. parietina to air pollution.
Using the Phenology of Pond‐Breeding Amphibians to Develop Conservation Strategies

Abstract: Researchers suggest that regulatory agencies interested in protecting pond‐breeding amphibians should consider wetland isolation, wetland size, and pond hydroperiod (total number of days pond is flooded annually) when modifying existing wetland regulations. Another criterion that has received less attention is the effect of the timing of inundation on the reproductive success of pond‐breeding amphibians. Over 3 years, we monitored the timing of movements of adult and recently metamorphosed anurans and caudates at seven small, isolated wetlands in southern Rhode Island. Based on dates of immigration for adults and emigration for metamorphs, we concluded that different species of amphibians require ponds to be flooded for 125 days to at least 580 days. For species that breed primarily in seasonally flooded ponds, 95% of metamorphs had emigrated from breeding ponds by 31 July in only two species ( Rana sylvatica and Ambystoma opacum), whereas species using semipermanent ponds required inundation until 18 November. Our results suggest that in most years ponds must be inundated for 4–9 months, with water in ponds from March through August, for successful reproduction of the majority of pond‐breeding amphibians in Rhode Island. We recommend that biologists gather data on amphibian movement phenology in other regions to help regulators and managers develop relevant legislation to protect the habitat of pond‐breeding amphibians.
Geographical variation in allozyme frequencies of populations of Penaeus monodon (Crustacea : Decapoda) in Australia

This first systematic survey of genetic variation in P. monodon populations in Australia over a wide geographical range demonstrated highly significant differences in gene frequencies between the west-coast population and those on the northern and eastern coastlines. Some variation in gene frequencies among populations within the northern and eastern coastlines was detected in chi-square tests. Several loci (GPI*, PGM* and MPI*) contributed to the significant differences among populations. Genetic diversity decreased from east to west, suggesting colonization of the northern and western coasts by populations from the east after the last opening of the Torres Strait (c. 8000 BP). Evidence of genetic differences between western compared with northern and eastern populations is now available for three species of penaeid. These differences suggest, at least, that gene flow over several thousand years has been insufficient to erase genetic differences evolved during separation. Penaeid populations may therefore be more structured than has been thought, and the genetic homogeneity emphasized to date may be a result of the lack of genetic markers rather than a lack of population structure.
The ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): generic revision and relationship to other formicids

Three genera are recognized in the ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae: Myrcidris new genus (monotypic; type species M. epicharis, new species, from Amazonas, Brazil); Pseudomyrmex Lund (c. 150 nominal taxa; southern Nearctic and Neotropical regions); and Tetraponera F. Smith (c. 110 nominal taxa; Palaeotropical region). New generic synonymies are: Pseudomyrmex Lund =Ornatinoda Enzmann =Clavanoda Enzmann =Triangulinoda Enzmann =Apendunculata Enzmann =Latinoda Enzmann; and Tetraponera F. Smith =Pachysima Emery =Viticicola Wheeler =Sima Emery (nee Roger) =Parasima Donisthorpe. Autapomorphies are identified for the subfamily and for its constituent genera, indicating the monophyly of all four taxa. Based on available character‐state information, Myrcidris is most parsimoniously interpreted as a sister‐group to all other Pseudomyrmecinae {Pseudomyrmex+Tetraponera), although there is almost equally strong support for an alternative grouping: Tetraponera + (Myrcidris + Pseudomyrmex). Phylogenetic relationships of the Pseudomyrmecinae and other ant subfamilies within the ‘poneroid complex’ (sensu Taylor, 1978) were assessed by a cladistic analysis of eleven representative ant genera. At the level of subfamily relationships the results suggest that: (1) The Myrmicinae and the Pseudomyrmecinae are sister groups. (2) Within the ‘poneroid complex’ is an unresolved trichotomy composed of: (i) Pseudomyrmecinae + Myrmicinae, (ii) Myrmeciinae, and (iii) Ponerinae + Leptanillinae + (Cerapachyinae + Dorylinae (s.l.)). (3) The Nothomyrmeciinae are a basal lineage within the ‘poneroid complex’, rather than being allied with the ‘formicoid complex’ (Formicinae, Dolichoderinae and Aneuretinae).