Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climate and forest properties explain wildfire impact on microbial community and nutrient mobilization in boreal soil

The boreal landscape stores an estimated 40% of the earth's carbon (C) found in terrestrial vegetation and soils, with a large portion collected in thick organic soil layers. These ground stores are subject to substantial removals due to the centurial return of wildfire, which has strong impacts on the soil microbial community and nutrient cycling, which in turn can control ecosystem recovery patterns and process rates, such as C turnover. Currently, predictive knowledge used in assessing fire impacts is largely focused on ecosystems that experience only superficial burning and few robust observations exist regarding the effect that smoldering combustion in deeper active soil layers has on post-fire soil activity. This study provided a highly replicated and regionally extensive survey of wildfire impact on microbial community structure (using fatty acid biomarkers) and nutrient cycling (using in situ ionic resin capsules) across broad gradients of climate, forest properties and fire conditions within 50 separate burn scars and 50 additional matched unburnt boreal forest soils. The results suggest a strong metabolic shift in burnt soils due to heat impact on their structure and a decoupling from aboveground processes, releasing ecosystem N limitation and increasing mobilization of N, P, K, and S as excess in conjunction with an altered, C-starved microbial community structure and reduced root uptake due to vegetation mortality. An additional observed climatic control over burnt soil properties has implications for altered boreal forest function in future climate and fire regimes deserving of further attention.
Effects of 50 Hz low voltage electric stimulation on angiogenesis and the expression of VEGF in the ischemic myocardium

Objective To study the effects of 50 Hz low voltage electric stimulation on angiogenesis and the expression of VEGF in the ischemic myoeardium in rats. Methods Twelve Wistar rats with experimentally induced myocardial ischemia were randomly divided into an electric stimulation (ES) group and a control group. The animals in the electric stimulation group were electrically stimulated at 50 Hz and 0.3 V through electrodes implanted in the epicardium of the anterior wall of the left artrium. Those in the control group were delivered sham electrical stimula- tion through similar implanted electrodes. Immunohistochemistry was used to count endothelial cells (ECs) and measure the capillary density (CD). A reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was employed to measure the expression of VEGF protein and VEGF mRNA. Results The number of ECs, and the CDs in the ES group were significantly greater than in the control group, and the expression of VEGF protein and VEGF mRNA was also significantly higher. Conclusions Low voltage electrical stimulation at 50 Hz can promote angiogenesis and the expression of VEGF in the ischemic myocardium in rats. Key words: Electrical stimulation ; Myocardial ischemia; Angiogenesis ; Vascular endothelial growth factor
Diversity and assembly of root-associated microbiomes of rubber trees

Introduction Understanding the diversity and assembly of the microbiomes of plant roots is crucial to manipulate them for sustainable ecosystem functioning. However, there are few reports about microbial communities at a continuous fine-scale of roots for rubber trees. Methods We investigate the structure, diversity, and assembly of bacterial and fungal communities for the soil (non-rhizosphere), rhizosphere, and rhizoplane as well as root endosphere of rubber trees using the amplicon sequencing of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) and Internally Transcribed Spacer (ITS) genes. Results We show that 18.69% of bacterial and 20.20% of fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the rhizoplane derived from the endosphere and 20.64% of bacterial and 20.60% of fungal OTUs from the soil. This suggests that the rhizoplane microbial community was a mixed community of soil and endosphere microbial communities and that microorganisms can disperse bidirectionally across different compartments of the plant root. On the other hand, in the absence of an enrichment or depletion of core bacterial and fungal OTUs in the rhizosphere, little differences in microbial composition as well as a more shared microbial network structure between the soil and the rhizosphere support the theory that the rhizosphere microbial community is a subset of the soil community. A large number of functional genes (such as nitrogen fixation and nitrite reduction) and more enriched core OTUs as well as a less stable but more complex network structure were observed in the rhizoplane of rubber tree roots. This demonstrated that the rhizoplane is the most active root compartment and a hotspot for plant–soil–environment interactions. In addition, bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizoplane were more stochastic compared to the rhizosphere and soil. Discussion Our study expands our understanding of root-associated microbial community structure and function, which may provide the scientific basis for sustainable agriculture through biological process management.
Effect of Plastic Mulch Color and Insecticides on Thrips Populations and Damage to Tomato

In each of 3 years, the average number of thrips in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L. cv. Mountain Pride) blooms was greater on tomatoes grown on white plastic mulch than on tomatoes grown on black plastic mulch, aluminum plastic mulch, or bare ground. Early season differences, however, diminished with time as plants grew and shaded a larger portion of plastic mulch. Weekly applications of 12 insecticide treatments failed to reduce thrips populations below that found in the control. No significant differences were found among treatments in the quantity, quality, or earliness of tomato yields. Incidence of tomato spotted wilt (vectored by some thrips species) was too low to detect statistical differences or determine the importance of thrips population in disease epidemiology. Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) was the most common species found, followed by eastern flower thrips (F. tritici) and tobacco thrips (F. fusca). Thrips control, in the absence of tomato spotted wilt, is not justified for the thrips populations encountered in this study.
Test of alternative domains of attraction in the dynamics of a fishless oligotrophic lake

The theory of domains of attraction (alternative "stable" states) allows variability, thresholds and persistence as integral parts of ecological system functioning. This thesis investigates the potential for alternative domains of attraction in a zooplankton community. Two alternative states have been proposed for the zooplankton community of small Ashless, oligotrophic, mountain lakes. In the "competition state", Daphnia (Cladocera) outcompete solitary rotifers and impede predator recruitment. This state is persistent and resilient to disturbance. In the "predation state", predation by Chaoborus (Diptera) on both prey types alters community dynamics to favor rotifers over Daphnia. Persistence of the predation state requires reduced prey competition, enhanced young predator recruitment in summer and predator survival in high densities overwinter. I carried out graded field experiments using reduced Daphnia densities and predator additions in the spring to generate and test the predator state. I monitored lake and enclosure communities for three consecutive years using an adaptive sampling concept. Chaoborus recruitment was enhanced in enclosures and the new predator cohorts survived overwinter in high densities. However , developmental delays prior to the winter period prevented persistence of the predator state over several generations. Enhanced predator densities in the spring, as wel l as cold temperature, delayed Daphnia population onset and increase, which released solitary rotifer populations needed to feed young
Reproductive potential and its behavioural consequences

The supposition that aggression in orphaned workers is used in a battle over reproductive rights was evaluated for Bombus impatiens. Ovarian development was experimentally stimulated or inhibited in orphaned sisters. The manipulation translated into differences in egg laying. Two groups of pairs differed as to whether both or just one of the workers had developed ovaries. The prediction that workers with higher reproductive potential in the unmatched groups would show less aggression overall, compared to those in the matched groups, was not borne out. Nonetheless, butting frequency by the worker with developed ovaries was significantly reduced, as was oophagy, whereas the butting frequency by the worker with undeveloped ovaries was significantly increased. In contrast with Bombus terrestris, overt conflict does not end with one worker gaining a reproductive edge. The results challenge the premise that aggression is a means of preventing reproduction by kin: aggression may possibly serve to promote it.
Occurrence, importance and control of mycotoxins: A review

Abstract Mycotoxins are poisonous chemical compounds produced by certain fungi. There are five mycotoxins or groups of mycotoxins that occur quite often in food: deoxynivalenol/Nivalenol, zearalenone, ochratoxin, fumonisins and aflatoxins. The fungi that produce mycotoxins in food fall broadly into two groups: those that invade before harvest, commonly called field fungi, and those that occur only after harvest, called storage fungi. There are three types of toxicogenic field fungi: plant pathogens such as Fusarium graminearum (deoxynivalenol, nivalenol); fungi that grow on senescent or stressed plants, such as Fusarium moniliforme (fumonisin) and sometimes Aspergillus flavus (aflatoxin); and fungi that initially colonize the plant before harvest and predispose the commodity to mycotoxin contamination after harvest, such as Penicillium verrucosum (ochratoxin) and A. flavus (aflatoxin). The favourable conditions for mycotoxins production are instigated with poor hygienic conditions at the time of transportation and storage, high temperature and moisture content and heavy rains. Mycotoxins are distributed in different items such as animal feeds, cereal crops, leguminous plants and animal products. Concentrated animal feed stuffs harbour highest level of mycotoxins. Noug cake and sorghum was warranted as the main source of aflatoxin contaminant among those concentrated animal feeds. Health effects occur in companion animals, livestock, poultry and humans because aflatoxins are potent hepatotoxins, immunosuppressant, and mutagens and carcinogens. Factors that affect mycotoxins production and contamination can be categorized as physical, chemical and biological. Therefore, African countries particularly Ethiopian governmental jurisdictions shouldimplement and regulate level of mycotoxins in animal feed stuffs and human foods.
Pigeon pea refuge crops are likely to provide patchy delivery of Helicoverpa (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) within Bt cotton production regions in eastern Australia

Refuge crops, in particular pigeon pea and conventional (non‐Bt) cotton, are mandatory components within the Bt resistance management strategy for Helicoverpa pests in Bt cotton production systems in eastern Australia. These refuge crops are expected to produce large numbers of Bt‐susceptible moths, some of which will mate with the relatively few resistant moths emerging from Bt cotton, thus reducing the likelihood of Bt resistance developing. The spatial and temporal variability in Helicoverpa production in pigeon pea refuge crops within the St George Irrigation Area in southern Queensland was measured in this study, and the likely dispersal of moths produced in such refuges to Bt cotton crops throughout the local landscape was modelled. The attractiveness of pigeon pea for Helicoverpa oviposition and the resultant abundance of eggs on plants and pupae in the soil were highly variable between refuge crops within and between seasons. A simulation model was developed to explore the effects of random and wind‐biased assumptions on moth movements within the landscape. The model was initialised using data on the abundance of either live pupae or remains of pupal cases in the soil as surrogates for moth production within refuges. The results of the model suggested that delivery of moths from refuges to Bt cotton crops throughout the St George landscape would be patchy, with some areas thus more likely to be exposed to the threat of Bt resistance development than others. A reduction in refuge area requirements, such as recently proposed as a change to the Bt resistance management guidelines, appears likely to exacerbate such risk.
Area, Continental Drift and Mammalian Diversity

Mammalian generic, familial, and ordinal diversities correlate significantly with continental area. The area effect is similar in form to that shown for true islands: S = kAz, where S is the diversity, A is the area, and k and z are fitted constants. For mammalian genera and continental area, z equals 0.33, for families, z equals 0.23, and for orders, z equals 0.13. The area effect permits quantitative modeling of extinction due to biotic competition between previously isolated faunas. The Late Cenozoic extinction of North and South American mammalian faunas following the rise of the Panamanian land bridge is overestimated by seven families. The overestimate may result from assumptions of complete biotic interchange and universal competition. The role of plate tectonics in regulating diversity may be extensively modified by regional environmental conditions.
EXPRESIÓN DE MOLÉCULAS B7 Y TLR:9 EN CÉLULAS EPITELIALES CORNEALES INFECTADAS CON ADENOVIRUS: IMPLICACIONES CLÍNICO-PATOLÓGICAS EN LA QUERATOCONJUNTIVITIS VIRAL EXPRESSION OF B7 MOLECULES AND TLR-9 ON CORNEAL EPITHELIAL CELLS INFECTED WITH ADENOVIRUS: CLINICO- PATHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS IN VIRAL KERA

Purpose: B7 molecules are a family of proteins that co-stimulate T cells during immune activation. Normally the corneal epithelial cells (CEC) do not express these molecules on their cell surface. Tolllike receptors play an important role in the innate immune response to invading pathogens and recently have been demonstrated to be expressed on mice cornea. The objective of this study was to determine whether adenoviral infection induces B7 molecules and TLR9 on human CEC. Methods: CEC were isolated from human corneas treated with dispase-II, and grown in the presence of supplemented hormonal epithelial medium until confluence. Then CEC were then infected with adenovirus 5 (Ad5) and cultured for different times.
LABORATORY OBSERVATIONS ON ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION (SCHIZOGONY) AND ONTOGENY OF AMMONIA TEPIDA WITH COMMENTS ON THE LIFE CYCLE

The production of several successive generations of megalospheric schizonts, alternating with phases of sexual reproduction, was observed in laboratory cultures of Ammonia tepida . The isolation of megalospheric schizonts facilitated observations on the formation of reproductive cysts and the nearly total decalcification of the parental test during schizogony. These studies also follow the ontogenic development of the test in individuals produced by schizogony. Irregularities during development of the early stages lead to adults with characteristic malformations. This study brings new materials for a better understanding of the trimorphic cycle of Ammonia tepida.
Curbing undesirable invaders The Norway/United Nations Conference on Alien Species calls for global action to squelch the rising tide of unwanted species

Ranging from rabbits in Australia to zebra mussels in the Great Lakes, tales of invasive alien species that wreak havoc in agricultural or natural ecosystems are textbook horror stories to most ecologists. T aday, opportunities for the global redistribution of species, hy design or default, arc expanding rapidly. The same crumbling of trade barriers and burgeoning of global markets that leads to concerns about the" McDonaldization" of world cultures is causing biologists to worry about homogenization of the world's biota. In recognition of the threat to unique native plant and animal assemblages, the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted at the 1992 United Nations environmental summit in Rio de Janeiro calls on participating nations "as far as possible and as appropriate" to "prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species. " So far, IS3 nations have ratified the biodiversity treaty. Spurred by these treaty obligations and growing international concern, groups like The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), which was created by the nongovernmental International Council of Scientific Unions, are developing new global strategies and resources to help nations better manage introduced species and prevent further damage by invaders to either wild or productive landscapes. Yet, when scientists, land manag-
EFECTO SOBRE CARACTERES DE INTERÉS AGRONÓMICO DE GENES PROVENIENTES DE POBLACIONES SILVESTRES DE TIPO CERASIFORME Y MUTANTES EN UN GENOTIPO

El objetivo del trabajo fue analizar el efecto de genes provenientes de poblaciones silvestres con frutos de tipo cerasiforme y mutantes incorporados a un genotipo de tomate cultivado argentino ( L.) en caracteres de importancia agronómica. Los genotipos fueron: el cv. Caimanta (Cai), la entrada 804627 (N) con los genes mutantes que demoran la maduración del fruto y la entrada LA1385 (Ce), que representa una población silvestre con frutos de tipo cerasiforme, los híbridos (Cai x N) y (Cai x Ce) y las respectivas generaciones F . Se evaluó: en planta, número de flores por racimo (FR) y precocidad (DF), y en fruto, peso (P), diámetro (D), altura (A), vida poscosecha (VP), porcentaje de reflectancia (L) y sólidos solubles (SS). Se encontraron diferencias significativas (p < 0,01) entre los híbridos para todos los caracteres excepto para DF, L y SS. En las generaciones F de ambos cruzamientos se observaron individuos transgresivos en los caracteres VP y SS pero no en DF y L. Para el resto de los caracteres (FR, P,A y D) sólo se observaron transgresivos en el cruzamiento (Cai x N). Las diferencias significativas encontradas entre (Cai x Ce) y (Cai x N) y las segregaciones en F son una prueba del distinto efecto de los genomas provenientes de poblaciones silvestres con frutos de tipo cerasiforme y mutante sobre el del cultivar argentino.
Comparative assessment of TPHs and bioaccumulation in some fresh fish species in the Qua lbeo River of Eket of Akwa lbom State in Nigeria

This investigation was carried out in four different locations mapped out along the river bank. Twelve water samples were collected and six different fresh fish species that are frequently consumed were caught. They include: African red snapper ( Lutjanus agennes ), Yellow tail ( Seriola lalandi ), Barracuda ( Sphyraena barracuda ), Atlantic Croker ( Micropogonias undulates ), Catfish ( Clarias gariepinus ) and Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ). Samples were subjected to screening using gas chromatography and flame ionization detector instrument. Results revealed presence of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contaminant in all the fish samples and varies with species significantly at p >0.05. The profound TPH compound is Nonane with molecular formula C 9 H 20 . 9 x 10 -9 mg/l was adapted as Nonane concentration in water samples. Nonane concentration in fish samples showed African red snapper 3.9565±4.64648 mg/l, Yellow tail 8.7243±2.15546 mg/l, Barracuda 6.2555±0.48889 mg/l, Atlantic Croker 9.3866±0.42208 mg/l, Catfish 4.1973±1.52959 mg/l and Tilapia 6.0039±0.96487 mg/l respectively. The bioaccumulation factor varies in fish species, where the Yellow tail have higher bioaccumulation factor 969,369061, followed by Barracuda 695,067209, Tilapia 667,101072, Catfish 466,368366, African red Sniper 439,616275 and Crocker fish 104,2956024 respectively. This investigation reveal considerably the extent of bioaccumulation of TPH contaminants in aquatic animal models and making unsafe for consumption as some fishes bio-accumulate nonane beyond permissible limit Bangladesh J. Sci. Ind. Res. 51(2), 147-154, 2016
Double-Strand Hydrolysis of Plasmid DNA by Dicerium Complexes at 37 °C

Significant effort has been made to develop synthetic metal complexes that hydrolyze DNA. Here we report a new dicerium complex, Ce2(HXTA) (HXTA = 5-methyl-2-hydroxy-1,3-xylene-α,α-diamine-N,N,N‘,N‘-tetraacetic acid), which can hydrolyze DNA at pH 8 and 37 °C. This complex hydrolyzes DNA restriction fragments to give products with high regioselectivity, affording >90% 5‘-OPO3 and 3‘-OH ends, like the products of DNA hydrolyzing enzymes. Ce2(HXTA) also hydrolyzes Litmus 29 plasmid DNA to afford both nicked and linear DNA. Analysis of the relative amounts of supercoiled, nicked, and linear DNA present show that there is one double-strand cleavage per ten single-strand cleavages, indicating that the linear DNA formed cannot be the result of two random single-strand cleavage events. The kinetics of nicked and linear DNA formation are comparable, both being associated with apparent first-order rate constants of approximately 1 × 10-4 s-1 for complex concentrations of 10-5−10-4 M. These observations suggest tha.
Investigation Recent Impacts with Temporal Image Pairs and Photometric Sequences

Temporal observations and follow-up photometric sequences by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) enable the detection and analysis of newly formed impact craters. From the temporal pairs we can locate new craters and identify up to four distinct reflectance zones surrounding the impact site. Photometric sequences acquired after the impact reveal a higher backscatter signature associated with several of the reflectance zones.
Effects of different raising systems on growth performance, carcass, and meat quality of medium-growing chickens

ABSTRACT A growing awareness of human health, nutrition, and animal welfare concerns has led to the development of specialty markets for organic food. Poultry produced in alternative systems, such as free-range or organic, are part of this trend. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the differences in growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of medium-growing chickens raised in three different raising systems: indoor-floor, cage, and free-range. One hundred and twenty female Lingnanhuang medium-growing birds were reared in each system. All birds were offered the same diets and were grown for 90 days. The body weight gain and feed conversion ratios (feed/gain) of birds from the cage and indoor-floor systems were superior to those kept in the free-range system. The raising system significantly affected eviscerated carcass, abdominal fat, breast muscle, and leg muscle yields as well as shear force value of muscle (P < .05). There was no difference in pH, water-holding capacity, intramuscular fat, and inosine monophosphate content among the systems (P > .05). In conclusion, in medium-growing chickens, the free-range raising system had significant negative effects on growth performance and abdominal fat content.