Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Utility of radium isotopes for evaluating the input and transport of groundwater‐derived nitrogen to a Cape Cod estuary

Because of rapid increases in population, anthropogenic sources of nitrogen have adversely impacted the water quality of coastal ponds on Cape Cod. A major source of “new” nitrogen to these estuaries is groundwater, which intercepts septic tank fields in its flow path to the coastline. Many attempts have been made to quantify this process; however, groundwater discharge is often patchy in nature and is therefore difficult to study by use of traditional techniques such as seepage meters. In Waquoit Bay, MA, we tested an approach based on radium, which is naturally enriched in aquifer fluids and has four isotopes with half‐lives ranging from 4 d to 1600 yr. Groundwater entering the bay was low in salinity and contained several orders of magnitude greater radium and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) relative to ambient bay water. Using a mass‐balance approach for radium, we calculated a submarine groundwater flux of ~37,000 m3 d−1, which compared well with aquifer recharge rates calculated from rainfall. From the DIN content of the groundwater, we estimated that ~2100 mol N d−1 was directly input to the estuary. However, this nitrogen flux was small in comparison with literature values for DIN fluxes from the heavily populated subestuaries. Furthermore, our results suggest that groundwater flux of DIN was assimilated by plant biomass during the summer but may be exported from the embayment to coastal waters during the winter months.
12 Seed Dormancy and Germination

Seeds are designed to permit the mature embryo, surrounded by its seed coat, to survive the period between detachment from the parental plant and its establishment as a new seedling. Seeds have a number of characteristics related to their survival strategy. They are resistant to desiccation; they possess food reserves, assumed to be required for proper growth as a seedling; and they exhibit seed dormancy, a mechanism that prevents germination in periods unfavorable for seedling growth but allows germination at the proper time in the right environment. A well-adapted species only germinates at the beginning of the season that benefits seedling growth, which allows the completion of the life cycle. Thus, proper timing of germination is essential for survival of the species. Arabidopsis is an annual distributed over a large part of the northern, mainly temperate, parts of the world. Since in many sites it flowers before the onset of a warm and dry summer, it can survive that summer period only in the seed stage. In general, conditions become favorable for germination during the fall when seeds germinate, and then the plants survive winter as seedlings or young nonflowering plants (Baskin and Baskin 1972). This is the typical behavior of a winter annual. In some cases, seed germination is postponed until the following spring, where-after the plant completes its life cycle in the same year (Ratcliffe 1976). Arabidopsis is well suited for the study of the physiological mechanisms of dormancy and germination, because as a “wild” plant, it still.
Taxonomic position and genetic differentiation of Korean Astragalus mongholicus Bunge

To clarify the taxonomic position for Astragalus nakaianus and provide correct scientific name for A. mongholicus cultivar in South Korea, we examined external morphological characters and sequence variations from ITS and five cp non-coding DNA regions. Genetic structure was also analyzed for 61 individuals from three populations using nine microsatellite loci. We found no significant difference between the South Korean cultivar and A. mongholicus var. dahuricus when morphology and ITS sequences were considered. Morphologically, A. nakaianus specimens varied somewhat from A. mongholicus var. mongholicus and var. dahuricus in habit, plant height, and lengths of leaf axis and leaflet. Although sequence data from ITS and cp noncoding DNA regions could not distinguished A. nakaianus from A. mongholicus, microsatellite analysis revealed strong structuring between the cultivar and A. nakaianus. Therefore, we conclude that the South Korean A. mongholicus cultivar should be treated as A. mongholicus var. dahuricus and that A. nakaianus should be merged into A. mongholicus as a variety, i.e., A. mongholicus var. nakaianus.
Breeding Peanut for Resistance to Aflatoxin Contamination at ICRISAT

Peanut plays an important role in the livelihoods of poor farmers and in the rural economy of many developing countries. Aflatoxin contamination in peanut seeds, caused by Aspergillus flavus, hampers international trade and adversely affects health of consumers of peanut and its products. It can occur in the field when the crop is growing, during harvesting and curing, and in storage and transportation. Aflatoxin research on peanut at ICRISAT focuses on identification and utilization of genetic resistance to preharvest seed infection and aflatoxin production by A. flavus and pre and post harvest management practices to minimize contamination. Breeding for aflatoxin resistance has been a contentious issue in peanut for nearly four decades since the first report of host resistance to aflatoxin production by A. flavus. Despite global efforts, progress in aflatoxin resistance breeding has been limited due to the low level of resistance to different components of resistance (preharvest seed infection and aflatoxin production, and in vitro seed colonization by A. flavus), their variable performance due to high G 3 E interaction, lack of reliable screening protocols, and limited understanding of genetics of resistance. Efforts to combine the three independently inherited components of resistance did not produce expected results towards improving the host plant resistance to aflatoxin contamination. Although breeding lines have shown better performance for resistance to aflatoxin contamination at ICRISAT, they need wider evaluation under diverse growing conditions. The search for better sources of resistance in the cultivated and wild Arachis germplasm continues, and recent developments in the area of transgenic research through modification of aflatoxin biosynthesis pathway or use of genes with antifungal and anti-aflatoxin properties appear encouraging. Meanwhile, the available improved breeding lines coupled with pre and post harvest aflatoxin management practices can help to significantly reduce aflatoxin contamination in farmers’ fields. It is expected that transgenic resistance against fungal infection and aflatoxin production in combination with conventional breeding efforts may lead to the development of agronomically superior peanuts that are free of aflatoxin contamination.
Effects of Temperature, Sowing Depth and Soil Hardness On Seedling Establishment and Yield of Cambodian Rice Direct-Seeded in Flood Paddy Fields

Abstract Rice is The Most Important Crop For Supporting Cambodian Economy, However The Cultivated Area is Limited Due To The Rice Production System. Rice is Transplanted By Hand and Yet The Direct-Seeding Technology and Proper Cultivars For Direct-Seeding Have Not Been Established. The Aim of This Study is To Find The Adaptability of Cambodian Cultivars For Direct Seeding. First, We Determined The Seedling Establishment of Rice Direct-Seeded in A Flooded Paddy Field, and Examined Their Growth and Yield. The Seedling Establishment of Koshihikari and W42 Were Significantly Higher Than Those of Rumpe and Sen Pidao At Both Medium and Low Temperatures, But Not Significantly Different Among Cultivars At High Temperature. Koshihikari and W42 Showed Significantly Higher Seedling Establishment Than Sen Pidao At 0 Cm Deep Sowing. and Koshihikari Also Showed Significantly Higher Seedling Establishment Than Both Rumpe and Sen Pidao At 1 Cm and 2 Cm Deep Sowing. The Percentage of Seedling Establishment From The Seeds Sown After 4, 1 and 0 Day of Drainage Was Higher in Rohat Than in The Other Cultivars. The Percentage of Seedling Establishment in 0 Day Drainage Was 51% in Rohat, But Only 28% in Sen Pidao, Which Was The Lowest Among The Cultivars. Cambodian Rice Cultivars Had A Short Plant Length and Short Basal Low internodes, Which Contributed To Strong Lodging Resistance. Crossing of Cambodian Cultivars With Koshihikari To Obtain Cultivars Adapted To Direct-Seeding in Cambodia Was Proposed.
Metabolizable Energy of Soybean Curd Residue and Its Effective Utilization for Broiler Chick Feed.

To estimate the value of metabolizable energy (ME) of soybean curd residue (SCR) (experiment 1), a semi-purified diet was substituted by SCR at 0 (CP; 18.4%, ME; 3.39 kcal/g, Gross energy (GE); 4.16kcal/g), 10 (CP; 21.0%, GE; 4.35kcal/g) and 20% (CP; 23.9%, GE; 4.48kcal/g) levels. Chromic oxide was mixed with each SCR diet at a 0.3% level to measure digestibility. A total of 4 Single Comb White Leghorn cockerels of each group were given water and each diet ad libitum for 6 days preliminary adaptation period, then feces from each bird were collected 2 times a day for 4 days. According to the glucose substitution method, ME values of SCR was estimated from the difference between ME of SCR containing diet and ME of reference diet. From this method, ME of SCR was determined as 2.70kcal/g DM. To investigate the effects of dietary SCR on feed intake and body weight gain in broiler chicks (experiment 2), all the diets were formulated to contain same amount of nitrogen (CP; 21.0%) and energy (ME; 3.00kcal/g). SCR was included at 0, 5, 10 and 15% levels in mash and pellet forms. Five broiler chicks were given each experimental diet and water ad libitum from 7 to 28-d-old. Five trials with same protocol were carried out using a total of 200 birds. In mash diets, the feed intake showed a tendency to decrease, but the body weight gain tended to increase with increasing the SCR levels, resulting in improved feed conversion ratio. However, in pellet diets, both feed intake and body weight tended to decrease due to inclusion of SCR, resulting in the impairment of feed conversion ratio. Although feed intakes were higher in each pellet diet than those of mash diets, the body weight gain did not show a definite increase. These results suggest that SCR could be incorporated into broiler chick diets up to 15% in mash form.
Effects of Nitrogen-Fixing Shrubs in Washington and Coastal California1

Abstract Open grasslands in California and Washington are being invaded by two closely related European shrubs, French broom and Scotch broom, that are considered among the most invasive and damaging of wildland species in those habitats. In this study, we present evidence of their effects on soil nitrogen (N) and the implications for restoration. Using natural abundance 15N signatures of leaves, we show that N fixation by brooms varies across sites and may depend on a suite of site-specific factors. Nonetheless, in sites in both California and Washington, we observe up to a twofold increase in soil N availability, as assayed in the laboratory. Across a range of sites, we determined that burning decreases total soil N by nearly 40%. We found burning to have the simultaneous effect of decreasing the broom seedbank by 68% after one burn. In a separate experiment, we removed broom and added sawdust to the soil to test whether a N-immobilization effect would help slower growing native perennial grasses in competition with European annual grasses. We found that although sawdust effectively decreased N availability after a 2-yr application period, we could not effectively target which group of species would benefit most. Nomenclature: French broom, Genista monspessulana L. Link; Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius L. Link. Additional index words: Grassland, nitrogen fixation, restoration, shrub.
Flooding, soil seed bank dynamics and vegetation resilience of a hydrologically variable desert floodplain

Summary 1. This paper explores soil seed bank composition and its contribution to the vegetation dynamics of a hydrologically variable desert floodplain in central Australia: the Cooper Creek floodplain. We investigated patterns in soil seed bank composition both temporally, in response to flooding (and drying), and spatially, with relation to flood frequency. Correlations between extant vegetation and soil seed bank composition are explored with respect to flooding. 2. A large and diverse germinable soil seed bank was detected comprising predominantly annual monocot and annual forb species. Soil seed bank composition did not change significantly in response to a major flood event but some spatial patterns were detected along a broad flood frequency gradient. Soil seed bank samples from frequently flooded sites had higher total germinable seed abundance and a greater abundance of annual monocots than less frequently flooded sites. In contrast, germinable seeds of perennial species belonging to the Poaceae family were most abundant in soil seed bank samples from rarely flooded sites. 3. Similarity between the composition of the soil seed bank and extant vegetation increased following flooding and was greatest in more frequently flooded areas of the floodplain, reflecting the establishment of annual species. The results indicate that persistent soil seed banks enable vegetation in this arid floodplain to respond to unpredictable patterns of flooding and drying.
Antibacterial activity of long-chain alcohols against Streptococcus mutans

The antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans of a number of naturally occurring compounds was tested. The emphasis was placed on a series of long-chain alcohols to gain new insight into their structural functions. Minimum activity seems to depend on the hydrophobic chain length from the hydrophilic hydroxyl group. Among the alcohols tested, 1-tridecanol was found to be the most effective for controlling this cariogenic bacterium
Costs and benefits of constructing roots of small diameter

Abstract Roots represent a considerable carbon cost for plants. Furthermore, plants vary considerably in how carbon is expended for belowground processes. One attribute that varies widely among species is the investment of root biomass in the production of root length. Relatively thin roots have a high specific root length (SRL) or length: dry weight ratio. Since water and nutrient uptake is based more upon root length than mass, one might conclude that species of high SRL invest their root biomass more efficiently than species of low SRL. This, however, ignores many other functional attributes of roots that may permit coarse lateral roots to be more adaptive than fine lateral roots under certain environmental conditions. In leaves, studies on the relationship of structure and function suggest that evergreen plants with greater leaf longevity commonly have thicker leaves, lower photosynthetic capacity, and lower respiration rates than deciduous plants. These kinds of relationships may also be true for thi.
Factors Affecting Timing of Brood Desertion By Female Kentish Plovers Charadrius Alexandrinus

[We investigated the factors affecting timing of female desertion in the Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus, in relation to a number of previously proposed hypotheses. Females deserted their broods on average 5.9 ± 1.4 (SE) days after hatching. Although timing of desertion was highly variable (0-30d), females deserted on the day of hatching in 9 out of 33 broods (median = 2.3 d). Timing of desertion was not related to mass or condition of the female at hatching, suggesting that energetic costs of incubation were not involved in determining desertion time. Similarly, there was no significant relationship between timing of desertion and the quality of the female's mate, either in terms of his mass, condition, or relative contribution to parental care prior to desertion. Desertion time was also unrelated to brood quality measured by weight, size or number of chicks at hatching. However, timing of desertion was negatively related to hatching date. We conclude that the strategy of desertion is time-constrained: females with early-hatching broods can afford to spend more time with their first brood (perhaps enhancing their expected gain from this brood) and still have sufficient time to desert, remate and rear a second brood. Females with later-hatching broods must desert this brood earlier in order to have time to rear a second brood successfully. , We investigated the factors affecting timing of female desertion in the Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus, in relation to a number of previously proposed hypotheses. Females deserted their broods on average 5.9 ± 1.4 (SE) days after hatching. Although timing of desertion was highly variable (0-30d), females deserted on the day of hatching in 9 out of 33 broods (median = 2.3 d). Timing of desertion was not related to mass or condition of the female at hatching, suggesting that energetic costs of incubation were not involved in determining desertion time. Similarly, there was no significant relationship between timing of desertion and the quality of the female's mate, either in terms of his mass, condition, or relative contribution to parental care prior to desertion. Desertion time was also unrelated to brood quality measured by weight, size or number of chicks at hatching. However, timing of desertion was negatively related to hatching date. We conclude that the strategy of desertion is time-constrained: females with early-hatching broods can afford to spend more time with their first brood (perhaps enhancing their expected gain from this brood) and still have sufficient time to desert, remate and rear a second brood. Females with later-hatching broods must desert this brood earlier in order to have time to rear a second brood successfully. ]
CLATHROMORPHUM NEREOSTRATUM (CORALLINALES, RHODOPHYTA): THE OLDEST ALGA? 1

The longevity of organisms is intrinsically interesting and can provide useful information on their population structure and dynamics and the dynamics of associated communities. With the exception of perennial Laminariales that have rings in the stipe, the life spans of most perennial macroalgae are unknown or based on anecdotal observations. Using morphological analyses combined with the location and time of the rise in 14C from atmospheric nuclear testing within the thallus, we determined that the growth rate of a specimen of Clathromorphum nereostratum Lebednik from Adak Island was 0.30 mm·yr−1, the 30 bands within the thallus were annual, and the specimen sampled was 61–75 years old. Living crusts of this species from the same geographic region are reported to be up to 20 cm thick. Assuming our growth rate is typical, C. nereostratum can be approximately 700 years old, the oldest known living alga. This longevity and consistent banding within the thallus suggest that smaller scale sampling and additional chemical analyses of this alga could provide a detailed long‐term record of environmental variation at high latitudes in the North Pacific.
Influence of Extrusion on Dietary Fiber Profile and Bioactive Compound in Different Parts of Tatary Buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum)

The aim of this investigation was to examine the influence of extrusion on dietary fiber profile and the content of bioactive compounds, rutin and quercetin in young sprout, whole seed, and matured stem of Tartary buckwheat. WSI(water soluble index) is increased by a function of both screw profile and process temperature, compared to control in different parts of Buckwheat. Also, WSI of ME is increased more than 5.2 times in grain, compared to that of control. The effect of precooking by extrusion on the dietary fiber profile of buckwheat flour was evaluated. Precooking by extrusion significantly increased SDF in flour, although in most cases extrusion decrease in TDF a little. The thermo-mechanical treatment undergone by the buckwheat flour during extrusion led to redistribute part IDF fraction to SDF, leading to an increase in the latter. The content of rutin was increased about two fold in extruded flour of sprout, compared to in control. This increase maybe why these compounds are released from cell wall by high shear processing under high temperature.
Interpreting interfluvial landscape transformations in the pre-Columbian Amazon

Despite evidence for the protracted presence of humans in the Amazon Basin, its vast interfluvial habitats are frequently depicted as having survived until recently as ‘wild’ landscapes with neither human settlement nor substantial human land use. Related research interests of paleoecology and archaeology share parallel histories in the development of explanatory paradigms for understanding processes contributing to neotropical ecology, as both emerged from earlier periods dominated by models based on stability and equilibrium to a contemporary advocacy of dynamic stability and change. Recent paradigms accommodate humans as keystone species and implicate their role in past and present landscape management. This is particularly important in the neotropics where it is argued that an extensive and ancient indigenous agroforestry employed intermediate disturbance in the management of interfluvial landscapes. This is contrasted with a critical discussion of recent paleoecological research in central and western Amazonia, which argues that interfluvial landscapes were devoid of pre-Columbian populations and survived as relatively pristine relic landscapes throughout most of the Anthropocene.
Sex, Gender, and Alcoholic Typologies a

Classification systems for subtyping alcoholics have a long history in alcohol research. The typological approach promises parsimonious theoretical explanations for the etiology of alcoholism in the large and diverse population of affected individuals. Moreover, the prospect of treatment-matching effects, that is, improved outcomes as a result of matching subsets of clients to appropriate types and intensities of care, is another potential benefit. Although less frequently mentioned, an enhanced understanding of the different pathways that lead to alcoholism may promote the development of prevention and intervention efforts tailored to particular subgroups with different vulnerabilities for the development of alcohol problems. Although females have been understudied in alcohol research, sex and gender have been explicitly or implicitly implicated in typological schemes since investigators began to conceptualize alcoholics in these terms. The present paper selectively reviews research findings that may be relevant to understanding the role of sex and gender in alcoholic subtyping and offers a heuristic framework for integrating existing findings and guiding future research. Although the topics of sex and gender concern males as well as females, research that pertains more directly to the development of alcohol-related problems in women is emphasized. New data analyses are reported; however, the major aims of this paper are to highlight issues and to formulate hypotheses. Particular attention is focused on research methods and analytic procedures that are appropriate for addressing the questions and hypotheses presented.