Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Demographics of Common Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina): Implications for Conservation and Management of Long-lived Organisms

Synopsis. A study of common snapping turtles conducted from 1975 through 1992 in southeastern Michigan provided sufficient demographic data to examine how life history characteristics may constrain population responses of long-lived organisms. Females reached sexual maturity between 11 and 16 years of age. Minimum reproductive frequency was less than annual (0.85), and nest survivorship over 17 years ranged from 0 to 64% and averaged 23%. Survivorship of yearlings had to be estimated since hatchlings can pass through the mesh on traps. Actual survivorship of juveniles was over 0.65 by age 2 and averaged 0.77 between the ages of 2 and 12 years. Annual survivorship of adult females ranged from 0.88 to 0.97. A life table for the population resulted in a cohort generation time of 25 years. Population stability was most sensitive to changes in adult or juvenile survival, and less sensitive to changes in age at sexual maturity, nest survival or fecundity. An increase in annual mortality of 0.1 on adults over 15 years of age with no density-dependent compen? sation would halve the number of adults in less than 20 years. The results from the present study indicate that life history traits of long-lived organisms consist of co-evolved traits that severely constrain the ability of populations to respond to chronic disturbances. Successful management and conservation programs for long-lived organisms will be those that recognize that protection of all life stages is necessary. Without protection of adults and older juveniles, programs that protect nests and headstart hatchlings have a low probability of success. Carefully managed sport harvests of turtles or other long-lived organisms may be sustainable; however, commercial harvests will certainly cause substantial population declines.
Expansion of distribution area following climate change versus increasing knowledge accuracy: the case of Earias albovenosana in the Iberian Peninsula (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Nolinae).

Earias albovenosana (Oberthur 1917), for a long time considered a North African species, is reported from several locations in the Iberian Peninsula (both Portugal and Spain), from where it is formally mentioned for the first time. Adults are characterized and compared to those of other Iberian congeneric species, particularly the most similar one, Earias vernana (Fabricius 1787). Male genitalia are illustrated and diagnosed. Geographic distribution patterns of both E albovenosana and E vernana in the Iberian area are examined; E albovenosana occupies roughly the southern 2/3 of the Iberian Peninsula, whereas E vernana displays a north-eastern distribution pattern. Faunistic data regarding E albovenosana are discussed, emphasizing geographical and temporal (i e, recording year) aspects. Some Iberian high latitude records of E albovenosana (published as E vernana; material checked) exist from the first third of the XX century; furthermore, there is no trend relating more recent records with more northern latitudes. Therefore, the hypothesis of a recent colonization of the Iberian Peninsula from the Maghrebian area is disregarded. The need for continuous monitoring is stressed in order to relate the presence of species with their causes (be it global warming or not).
Accumulation of Nickel in Trichomes of a Nickel Hyperaccumulator Plant, Alyssum inflatum

Abstract Compartmentation of metals in specific tissues, cells, and subcellular compartments is considered a metal-tolerance mechanism in metal hyperaccumulator plants. In this study, we investigated the accumulation of Ni in the trichomes of a serpentine endemic Ni hyperaccumulator plant, Alyssum inflatum, native to western Iran. Elemental analysis of plants from their natural habitat showed that the Ni concentration of trichomes was not higher than in the shoot, suggesting that Ni does not preferentially accumulate in trichomes. Treatment of plants by adding different concentrations of Ni to the growth medium showed that staining of trichomes with dimethylglyoxime (a specific stain for Ni) increased as concentrations of external Ni increased. Accumulation occurred in the base of trichomes and, by increasing the concentration of Ni, accumulation extended to the rays and cell walls. The results showed that trichomes can accumulate high concentrations of Ni and that Ni accumulation can be under the control of Ni concentration in the shoot.
Typing of toxigenic isolates of Clostridium perfringens by ELISA in ostrich

Toxigenic types of Clostridium perfringens are significant causative agents of enteric disease in domestic animals, although type E is presumably rare, appearing as an uncommon cause of enterotoxemia of lambs, calves and rabbits. In 100 feces samples collected from ostrich farm, 40 strains of C. Perfringens were isolated by biochemical test, of these, 4 strains were toxigenic strains type A and any toxigenic strains of type B and type C and type D are not fond. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for detection of type E not exist and isolation of type E not purpose. The technique of isolation and ELISA test are described in this paper. Key words: Toxigenic strains, Clostridium perfringens, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
MONTE CARLO METHODS FOR SOLVING MULTIVARIABLE PROBLEMS

This paper opens with a brief general introduction on the nature of Monte Carlo methods that can be skipped by readers acquainted with them. I then deal more specifically with the application of these methods to multivariable problems, and I indicate certain relatively unexplored areas of this field where further research might be profitable. As I believe is appropriate, some of my material is exploratory, speculative, and controversial, and accordingly I hope it will stimulate discussion.
Mechanical and barrier properties of lactic acid and rennet precipitated casein-based edible films

Tensile strength (TS), percent elongation (%E), oxygen permeability (OP), and water vapor permeability (WVP) of lactic acid and rennet precipitated casein-based edible films were studied to determine the effect of protein to plasticizer ratio (0.6:1, 1:1, 1.4:1) and plasticizer type (sorbitol, glycerol) on these properties. TS increased (p<0.05) with increase in protein to plasticizer ratio. Sorbitol plasticized films were stronger (p<0.05) than glycerol plasticized films. However, films plasticized with glycerol were more extensible (p<0.05). Film %E decreased with increase in protein/plasticizer ratio for lactic acid casein films, whereas it increased for rennet casein films. Films plasticized with sorbitol were more effective (p<0.05) moisture and oxygen barriers than glycerol plasticized films. Overall, lactic acid casein films plasticized with sorbitol had the most effective mechanical and barrier properties.
Misdiagnosis of tuberculosis: Sputum culture is a useful diagnostic tool in Quetta, Pakistan

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major contagious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosisand is endemic in many countries of the world. It is estimated that worldwide one third human population are infected with TB. There is little use of sputum culture regarding diagnosis of tuberculosis in TB endemic areas. The undertaken study evaluated the importance of TB sputum culture than other diagnostic tools among the doctors, and patients affected from active infectious pulmonary tuberculosis. The study was carried out at Fatima Jinnah General and Chest Hospital Quetta, Balochistan from January 2008 to December 2008. A total of 2237 suspected TB patient’s samples were sent for the TB diagnosis. Among the suspected TB samples, 244 (10.9%) samples were subjected for TB culture and smear microscopy, in which 119 (48.7%) samples were from female patients, while 125 (51.3%) were obtained from male patients. Of the 244 TB culture samples, 93 (38.11%) were positive, while the remaining 151 (61.8%) cases showed negative culture result. 82 of the 93 culture-positive patients were positive for acid fast bacilli (AFB) on sputum smear microscopy; however 11 samples were negative for AFB on smear analysis but positive for TB culture. Among the 244 samples, 91 (37.2%) cases were smear positive, while 153 (62.7%) were smear negative. These findings highlight the importance of suggesting sputum culture in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in the high prevalence area of Quetta. Key words: Tuberculosis, misdiagnosis, sputum culture.
Do Siskins have friends? An analysis of movements of Siskins in groups based on EURING recoveries

Capsule We analysed ring recovery data of Siskins from the EURING database (N = 42,707 individuals) and found 18 groups of birds that moved together a median distance of 200 km (range 51–1296 km). The median time elapsed between capture and recovery was 21 days (range 4–1390 days). These data suggest that Siskins have stable social bonds and move in stable social units.
Unravelling response-specificity in Ca2+ signalling pathways in plant cells.

Considerable advances have been made, both in the technologies available to study changes in intracellular cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+ ]i ), and in our understanding of Ca2+ signalling cascades in plant cells, but how specificity can be generated from such a ubiquitous component as Ca2+ is questionable. Recently the concept of 'Ca2+ signatures' has been formulated; tight control of the temporal and spatial characteristics of alterations in [Ca2+ ]i signals is thought to be responsible, at least in part, for the specificity of the response. However, the way in which Ca2+ signatures are decoded, which depends on the nature and location of the targets of the Ca2+ signals, has received little attention. In a few key systems, progress is being made on how diverse Ca2+ signatures might be transduced within cells in response to specific signals. Valuable pieces of the signal-specificity puzzle are being put together and this is illustrated here using some key examples; these emphasize the global importance of Ca2+ -mediated signal-transduction cascades in the responses of plants to a wide diversity of extracellular signals. However, the way in which signal specificity is encoded and transduced is still far from clear. Contents Summary 7 I. Introduction: Ca2+ as a signal transducer 8 II. Alterations in intracellular [Ca2+ ] 8 1. Measuring alterations in [Ca2+ ] 8 Imaging [Ca2+ ]i using Ca2+ -sensitive dyes 8 Measuring [Ca2+ ]i using aequorin 9 Imaging [Ca2+ ]i using cameleon 10 2. The concept of the 'Ca2+ signature 10 3. How might specific Ca2+ signatures be generated? 11 Control of intracellular Ca2+ release 11 Control of influx of extracellular Ca2+ 12 4. Examples of Ca2+ signatures and cellular responses to increases in [Ca2+ ] 13 Ca2+ signatures in stomatal guard cells in response to abscisic acid signals 14 Ca2+ signals in response to abiotic stimuli1 8 Ca2+ signatures involved in plant-pathogen responses 19 Ca2+ signatures in control of plant reproduction 20 Ca2+ signatures in root hairs in response to nodulation signals 23 III. Decoding the [Ca2+ ]i signatures 24 1. Coupling Ca2+ signals to responses through CaM 26 2. Coupling Ca2+ signals to responses through CDPK 27 3. Novel Ca2+ binding proteins as primary Ca2+ sensors 28 Conclusions and Perspective 28 References 29.
Drought-induced increase in xylem malate and mannitol concentrations and closure of Fraxinus excelsior L. stomata

Changes in the malate and mannitol composition of ash leaf (Fraxinus excelsior L.) xylem sap were studied in response to water deficit. Xylem sap was collected by the pressure method from the petiole of leaves sampled on irrigated and non-irrigated ash seedlings. As the leaf water potential decreased from -0.3 to -3.0 MPa, there was a significant increase in malate and mannitol xylem concentrations, and a concomitant decrease in maximal stomatal conductance. The functional significance of the increased malate and mannitol concentrations was investigated by using a transpiratory bioassay with mature detached leaves which exhibited, for stomatal conductance, the typical pattern showed by expanded leaves during dark/light transitions. Supplying detached leaves with mannitol in a range of concentrations found in the xylem sap had no effect on stomatal movements, but malate, for concentrations between 0.5 and 3 mM, was effective in preventing stomatal opening. The ability of malate to inhibit stomatal opening appeared to be rather non-specific. Two structural malate analogues, citrate and aspartate or an unrelated anion, shikimate, also inhibited this process. Given the drought-induced increase in xylem malate concentrations, and the fact that the range of malate levels required to close stomata was very similar to that of the concentrations found in the xylem sap, it has been hypothesized that malate is involved in the stomatal closure of ash leaves under drying conditions.
THE INFLUENCE OF APPLICATION OF “CLEAN VALUE” AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF EMPLOYEE WITH ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AT PT PERTAMINA MARKETING OPERATION REGION V SURABAYA

This study aims to analyze the effect of applying clean values, employee empowerment towards organizational citizenship behavior with employee performance. This type of research used a quantitative approach. Data collection used interviews, observation and questionnaire dissemination. The population of this research were employees of PT. Pertamina MORV Surabaya with a sample of 135 respondents from 204 employees. The analytical method used the application of SmartPLS (Partial Least Square). Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded clean value management, employee empowerment have a significant effect on organizational citizenship behavior. Clean values, empowerment, organizational citizenship behavior have a significant effect on employee performance.
The movement of African elephants in a human‐dominated land‐use mosaic

Land outside of gazetted protected areas is increasingly seen as important to the future of elephant persistence in Africa. However, other than inferential studies on crop raiding, very little is understood about how elephants Loxodonta africana use and are affected by human‐occupied landscapes. This is largely a result of restrictions in technology, which made detailed assessments of elephant movement outside of protected areas challenging. Recent advances in radio telemetry have changed this, enabling researchers to establish over a 24‐h period where tagged animals spend their time. We assessed the movement of 13 elephants outside of gazetted protected areas across a range of land‐use types on the Laikipia plateau in north‐central Kenya. The elephants monitored spent more time at night than during the day in areas under land use that presented a risk of mortality associated with human occupants. The opposite pattern was found on large‐scale ranches where elephants were tolerated. Furthermore, speed of movement was found to be higher where elephants were at risk. These results demonstrate that elephants facultatively alter their behaviour to avoid risk in human‐dominated landscapes. This helps them to maintain connectivity between habitat refugia in fragmented land‐use mosaics, possibly alleviating some of the potential negative impacts of fragmentation. At the same time, however, it allows elephants to penetrate smallholder farmland to raid crops. The greater the amount of smallholder land within an elephant's range, the more it was utilized, with consequent implications for conflict. These findings underscore the importance of (1) land‐use planning to maintain refugia; (2) incentives to prevent further habitat fragmentation; (3) the testing and application of conflict mitigation measures where fragmentation has already taken place.
Pengaruh Promosi Penjualan ”Purchase With Purchase” Terhadap Motivasi Belanja dan Keputusan Pembelian

The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of "purchase with purchase" promotion on shopping motivation and consumer purchasing decisions. This research was conducted on 150 respondents by answering the questions posed in the questionnaire which was divided into three case simulations. Analysis of data processing in this study uses a regression method which includes correlation analysis, t test and F test. The results of processing respondents' answers indicate that "purchase with purchase" promotion has a significant and positive effect on hedonic purchase motivation, utilitarian purchase motivation, and consumer purchasing decisions. In addition, the results of this study indicate that "purchase with purchase" promotions have a greater influence on utilitarian purchase motivation.
Scaling Up in Ecology: Mechanistic Approaches

Ecologists have long grappled with the problem of scaling up from tractable, small-scale observations and experiments to the prediction of large-scale patterns. Although there are multiple approaches to this formidable task, there is a common underpinning in the formulation, testing, and use of mechanistic response functions to describe how phenomena interact across scales. Here, we review the principles of response functions to illustrate how they provide a means to guide research, extrapolate beyond measured data, and simplify our conceptual grasp of reality. We illustrate these principles with examples of mechanistic approaches ranging from explorations of the ecological niche, random walks, and macrophysiology to theories dealing with scale transition, self-organization, and the prediction of extremes.
Monoclonol antibody against murine T cell receptor Vα14 cross-reacts with human CD3θ and detects disulfide-linked dimeric form

A monoclonal antibody against V14+ alpha-chain of murine T cell receptor (TCR) was established by fusing spleen cells from a rat immunized with a soluble chimeric TCR/IgG3 protein containing murine TCR V alpha 14J alpha 281 in place of the VHDHJH of an IgG3. lambda 1, and subjected to screening on a human transfectant (Jurkat variant) expressing the murine V14J281 alpha-chain. The anti-mouse V alpha 14 antibody precipitated TCR alpha beta molecules from Triton X-100-solubilized extracts of 125I-labeled murine thymocytes and spleen cells. Unexpectedly, the antibody showed cross-reactivity to the human CD3 epsilon molecule and detected a disulfide-linked 20 kDa dimeric form of human CD3 epsilon, which is a novel family component of the CD3 complex and is associated closely with the CD3 zeta-zeta homodimer as well as TCR alpha beta or TCR gamma delta.
ANTINEOPLASTIC ACTIVITY OF CULTURED BLUE‐GREEN ALGAE (CYANOPHYTA) 1

A large‐scale screening program was initiated to evaluate laboratory‐cultured blue‐green algae (cyanobacteria) as a source of novel antineoplastic agents. Approximately 1000 cyanophyte strains from diverse habitats were cultured to provide extracts for testing. The screening program identified the families Scytonemataceae and Stigonemataceae as prolific producers of novel cytotoxic compounds. Rates of rediscovery of known compounds were relatively low.
β-catenin in Epithelial Morphogenesis: Conversion of Part of Avian Foot Scales into Feather Buds with a Mutated β-Catenin

We explored the role of beta-catenin in chicken skin morphogenesis. Initially beta-catenin mRNA was expressed at homogeneous levels in the epithelia over a skin appendage tract field which became transformed into a periodic pattern corresponding to individual primordia. The importance of periodic patterning was shown in scaleless mutants, in which beta-catenin was initially expressed normally, but failed to make a punctuated pattern. To test beta-catenin function, a truncated armadillo fragment was expressed in developing chicken skin from the RCAS retrovirus. This produced a variety of phenotypic changes during epithelial appendage morphogenesis. In apteric and scale-producing regions, new feather buds with normal-appearing follicle sheaths, dermal papillae, and barb ridges were induced. In feather tracts, short, wide, and curled feather buds with abnormal morphology and random orientation formed. Epidermal invaginations and placode-like structures formed in the scale epidermis. PCNA staining and the distribution of molecular markers (SHH, NCAM, Tenascin-C) were characteristic of feather buds. These results suggest that the beta-catenin pathway is involved in modulating epithelial morphogenesis and that increased beta-catenin pathway activity can increase the activity of skin appendage phenotypes. Analogies between regulated and deregulated new growths are discussed.
Opposing roles of NF-κB family members in the regulation of NK cell proliferation and production of IFN-γ

It is well established that the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) family of transcription factors participates in the regulation of many aspects of innate and adaptive immunity. The majority of these reports have focused on the role of NF-κB in accessory cell and T or B cell function, but less is known about the role of NF-κB in NK cells. However, several studies have demonstrated that these transcription factors are required for NK cell production of IFN-γ and proliferation. The studies presented here examine the role of two NF-κB members, c-Rel and p50, in NK cell function. In vitro data revealed that in the absence of c-Rel, NK cells have a defect in their ability to secrete IFN-c, but remain unaffected in their capacity to proliferate. In contrast, p50-/- NK cells have enhanced proliferative and IFN-γ responses compared with wild-type NK cells. The latter findings suggest a role for p50 as a negative regulator of NK cell production of IFN-γ and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated the association of p50 with the IFN-γ promoter of resting NK cells. Consistent with the in vitro studies, in vivo studies with NF-κB gene-deficient mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii revealed that the absence of p50 leads to enhanced NK cell proliferation and production of IFN-γ. Together, these studies define distinct roles for c-Rel and p50 in the function of NK cells.
Effects of Douglas‐fir parentage on Swiss needlecast expression

Densities of pseudothecia on Douglas-fir needles infected with Phaeocryptopus gaeumanni and needle retention on Christmas trees were related to male and female parentage in a 4 by 5 factorial mating in replicated plantings in western Oregon. Interactions of families by plantation and of male parentage by plantation were highly significant. The additive proportion of variation calculated from variance components due to male and female parentage was greater than 1.00; hence, no evidence was found of nonadditive genetic variance.