Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Male butterflies use an anti‐aphrodisiac pheromone to tailor ejaculates

Summary 1. When females mate with multiple partners, the risk of sperm competition depends on female mating history. To maximize fitness, males should adjust their mating investment according to this risk. In polyandrous butterflies, males transfer a large, nutritious ejaculate at mating. Larger ejaculates delay female remating and confer an advantage in sperm competition. 2. We test whether male ejaculate size in the butterfly Pieris napi (Lepidoptera) varies with female mating history and thus sperm competition, and whether males assess sperm competition using the male-transferred anti-aphrodisiac methyl salicylate (MeS) as a cue. 3. Both sexes responded physiologically to MeS in a dose-dependent manner. Males, however, were more sensitive to MeS than females. 4. Ejaculates transferred by males mating with previously mated females were on average 26% larger than ejaculates transferred by males mating with virgin females, which conforms to sperm competition theory and indicates that males tailored their reproductive investment in response to sperm competition. Furthermore, ejaculates transferred by males mating with virgin females with artificially added MeS were also 26% larger than ejaculates transferred to control virgin females. 5. Male-transferred anti-aphrodisiac pheromone not only functions as a male deterrent, but also carries information on female mating history and thus allows males to assess sperm competition.
Population density and adult sex ratio of the tortoise Testudo hermanni in Greece: evidence for intrinsic population regulation

The idea that the size of animal populations may be regulated by factors intrinsic to them, such as behaviour, has a long history in ecology. Although this idea is now rejected as a general mechanism, it may apply in some species where females are damaged during courtship attempts, such as the Mediterranean tortoise Testudo hermanni. The sex ratios (adult males: adult females) of most dense Greek populations were more extreme (over 1.5:1) than could be accounted for by the earlier age at maturity of males, and some ranged to over 6:1. The sex ratio was correlated with the population density of adult males and the frequency of courtship attempts on females, and negatively correlated with the longevity of females. A high population density of males limits the density of adult females. This intrinsic regulation of population size is a consequence, rather than a goal, of a particular type of courtship behaviour (persistent thrusts by the male using a tail with a sharp terminal spur) in T. hermanni. Existing population densities at many Greek sites are probably unnaturally high, owing to the reduction of natural predators.
Nuclear Transfer from Parasite to Host a b

One of the most intriguing aspects of the phenomenon of host-parasite interactions is the mechanism by which a parasite elicits a particular set of responses in a host that results in the success of the parasitism. In necrotrophic interactions these mechanisms are obvious; the parasite simply destroys the tissue of the host via toxins and cell-degrading enzymes and then feeds on the remains. However, many parasites require substances produced only by living host cells. These biotrophic parasites must stimulate the production and release of required substances from the host and concomitantly ensure that the host is not destroyed in the process. "* The mechanisms that mediate these most subtle biotrophic parasitic interactions are not at all clear. Probably the greatest insight into how biotrophic parasites may regulate their hosts comes from the gene-for-gene concept of resistance and virulence which Flor proposed for the interaction of highly host-specific obligate fungi and their plant hosts. ' This model suggests that parasite gene products involved in inducing the virulent reaction
A CATALOGUE OF BATS RECORDED IN THRISSUR DISTRICT, KERALA

An extensive survey and collection of specimens of 24 taxa of bats representing six families and 14 genera (barring Rhinopomatidae) were made in Thrissur District, Kerala during the years between 1990 and 1999; a few places in the northern and other central and southern districts of Kerala also were explored. All these places are agricultural areas. In the majority of cases specimens of different species of bats were collected from their roosts during day time. Total number of specimens of different species of bats collected ranges from a minimum of two to a maximum of about 550. bats were collected from their roosts during the day except those which were netted from trees, or caught during their flight in the evening or under other special cirumstances. The specimens were collected from ridges and clefts in the wall of wells, under the roofs and between tiles of roofs of houses, hollows in tree trunks, within the whorls of leaves of plantain, the grass reeds and holes underneath these, the internodal cavities of bamboo, the lofts of houses, subterranean refuges, etc. Long forceps, butterfly nets, fishing nets and Japanese mist nets were used to catch the specimens. The body weights, forearm length, fur colour, nature of mammary glands and external genitalia of females and the nature of the scrotum and the penis in the males were recorded. Several specimens of different taxa of bats under critical reproductive stages were dissected for their different genital organs and other parts, and these were fixed in appropriate fixatives and preserved. In some cases, specimens were maintained in captivity for the purpose of observing their breeding behaviour and also for conducting experiments under restricted conditions. Rest of the specimens were set free. The specimens were identified by the British Museum, London and by the Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. Representative specimens of each species of bats collected have been deposited in these Institutes.
Heat tolerance of developmental and seasonal stages of Chilo suppressalis

Global warming means that the ability to withstand heat stress is of crucial importance to insects' survival and reproduction. Insects have various ways of achieving thermal tolerance, which can be affected by thermal history, physiological state, and seasonal cycles. In this study, we compared the thermal tolerance of life stages and seasons of a wild population of the striped stem borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), an economically significant pest of rice crops in Asia. Our results demonstrate that the eggs, larvae, and adults of C. suppressalis collected in rice fields in Yangzhou, China, are able to tolerate extremely high temperatures, in excess of those this species encounters in nature. We found that egg masses had a survival rate of 75% after being kept at 42 °C for 8 h. Egg masses exposed to 39 °C for 8 h had the longest hatching time (3.3 days). LTemp50 and LTemp90 (i.e., the temperatures at which 50 or 90% of individuals died within 2 h) of larvae collected in late summer were 45.4 and 47.3 °C, respectively. LTime50 and LTime90 (i.e., the time required to kill 50 or 90% of individuals) at 44 °C were 6.2 and 9.6 h, respectively. The corresponding values for 46 °C were 1.5 and 2.6 h. We also found that the heat tolerance of adults collected in late summer was lower than that of larvae. For example, LTemp50 of male and female adults was 43.8 and 43.6 °C, respectively. Other measures of the heat tolerance of adults, such as LTime50 at 42 °C, also differed between the sexes, being 5.9 h for males and 7.2 h for females. Although adult survival was robust to heat stress, adult fertility was more sensitive. Our results also indicate that although the second generation of adults (i.e., the summer generation) typically encountered higher temperatures than the overwintering generation, survival of the second generation adults was lower.
Association of MYF5 gene allelic variants with production traits in pigs

We studied the phenotypic effects of polymorphisms at the MYF5 gene in a divergent F2 swine population and found that one polymorphism was due to an insertion and another to a deletion. The genotypes of 359 F2 animals were obtained and the Normal/Normal (NN) and Normal/Insertion (NI) genotypes analyzed to determine associations with phenotypic data for performance, carcass and meat quality traits. Significant differences were observed (p < 0.05) between NN and NI animals for drip (NN = 3.14 ± 1.56; NI = 3.69 ± 2.78%), cooking (NN = 32.26 ± 2.41; NI = 33.21 ± 2.31%) and total loss (NN = 34.16 ± 2.63 and NI = 34.97 ± 2.08%). The Deletion marker was not statistically tested. The results indicate that the allelic variant Insertion is associated with a deleterious effect on meat quality traits and should be monitored in marker assisted selection programs.
Simple three‐pool model accurately describes patterns of long‐term litter decomposition in diverse climates

As atmospheric CO2 increases, ecosystem carbon sequestration will largely depend on how global changes in climate will alter the balance between net primary production and decomposition. The response of primary production to climatic change has been examined using well‐validated mechanistic models, but the same is not true for decomposition, a primary source of atmospheric CO2. We used the Long‐term Intersite Decomposition Experiment Team (LIDET) dataset and model‐selection techniques to choose and parameterize a model that describes global patterns of litter decomposition. Mass loss was best represented by a three‐pool negative exponential model, with a rapidly decomposing labile pool, an intermediate pool representing cellulose, and a recalcitrant pool. The initial litter lignin/nitrogen ratio defined the size of labile and intermediate pools. Lignin content determined the size of the recalcitrant pool. The decomposition rate of all pools was modified by climate, but the intermediate pool's decomposition rate was also controlled by relative amounts of litter cellulose and lignin (indicative of lignin‐encrusted cellulose). The effect of climate on decomposition was best represented by a composite variable that multiplied a water‐stress function by the Lloyd and Taylor variable Q10 temperature function. Although our model explained nearly 70% of the variation in LIDET data, we observed systematic deviations from model predictions. Below‐ and aboveground material decomposed at notably different rates, depending on the decomposition stage. Decomposition in certain ecosystem‐specific environmental conditions was not well represented by our model; this included roots in very wet and cold soils, and aboveground litter in N‐rich and arid sites. Despite these limitations, our model may still be extremely useful for global modeling efforts, because it accurately (R2=0.6804) described general patterns of long‐term global decomposition for a wide array of litter types, using relatively minimal climatic and litter quality data.
Human skin microbiota and their volatiles as odour baits for the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae s.s

Host seeking by the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae Giles sensu stricto (Diptera: Culicidae) is mainly guided by volatile chemicals present in human odours. The skin microbiota plays an important role in the production of these volatiles, and skin bacteria grown on agar plates attract An. gambiae s.s. in the laboratory. In this study, the attractiveness of volatiles produced by human skin bacteria to An. gambiae s.s. was tested in laboratory, semi‐field, and field experiments to assess these effects in increasing environmental complexity. A synthetic blend of 10 compounds identified in the headspace of skin bacteria was also tested for its attractiveness. Carbon dioxide significantly increased mosquito catches of traps baited with microbial volatiles in the semi‐field experiments and was therefore added to the field traps. Traps baited with skin bacteria caught significantly more An. gambiae s.s. than control traps, both in the laboratory and semi‐field experiments. Traps baited with the synthetic blend caught more mosquitoes than control traps in the laboratory experiments, but not in the semi‐field experiments. Although bacterial volatiles increased mosquito catches in the field study, trapping several mosquito vector species, these effects were not significant for An. gambiae s.l. It is concluded that volatiles from skin bacteria affect mosquito behaviour under laboratory and semi‐field conditions and, after fine tuning, have the potential to be developed as odour baits for mosquitoes.
Gene pyramiding-a broad spectrum technique for developing durable stress resistance in crops.

The development of molecular genetics and associated technology like MAS has led to the emergence of a new field in plant breeding-Gene pyramiding. Pyramiding entails stacking multiple genes leading to the simultaneous expression of more than one gene in a variety to develop durable resistance expression. Gene pyramiding is gaining considerable importance as it would improve the efficiency of plant breeding leading to the development of genetic stocks and precise development of broad spectrum resistance capabilities. The success of gene pyramiding depends upon several critical factors, including the number of genes to be transferred, the distance between the target genes and flanking markers, the number of genotype selected in each breeding generation, the nature of germplasm etc. Innovative tools such as DNA chips, micro arrays, SNPs are making rapid strides, aiming towards assessing the gene functions through genome wide experimental approaches. The power and efficiency of genotyping are expected to improve in the coming decades. The present review discusses the design parameters in a gene pyramiding scheme, potential application of gene pyramiding in crop plant improvement, and the prospect and challenges in integrating MAS based gene pyramiding with conventional plant breeding programmes. Key words: Gene pyramiding, marker-assisted selection, durable resistance
Structures of Integrated DNA Containing Human Adenovirus E1A Gene in Transgenic Mice

One of the DNAs, Charon 10-gE1A-2, pSV2-gpt-gE1A, or Ad12 E1A, was microinjected separately into pronuclei of fertilized mouse eggs and fourteen transgenic mouse lines were obtained. The structures of integrated DNAs in these transgenic mice were analyzed by Southern blot hybridization. Head-to-head and tail-to-tail structures were found, although the injected molecules had a tendency to join each other in head-to-tail tandem forms when multiple copies were integrated. The analyses of the mice containing pSV2-gpt-gE1A showed that most of the restriction sites at the end of the injected molecules were restored at the tandem junctions. Furthermore, the integrated DNAs at the junctions to the host chromosomal DNA were deleted and/or rearranged.
Subordinate plant species enhance community resistance against drought in semi‐natural grasslands

According to the insurance hypothesis, more diverse plant communities are more likely to be resistant to drought. Whilst many experiments have been carried out to determine the effects of plant diversity on plant community insurance, the results are still contradictory. Here, we conducted a drought experiment where we tested whether the presence of subordinate species increases plant community insurance. In Swiss Jura grassland, we combined a removal experiment of subordinate species with a summer drought event using rainout shelters. Plant community composition was determined after the drought and based on biomass measurements; we estimated resistance, recovery and resilience of the plant community for each combination of treatments. Moreover, to assess drought impacts on water‐use efficiency (WUE), we analysed carbon isotope ratios (δ13C values) in plant leaves of two dominants and two subordinates collected at the end of the drought period. We showed that subordinate species are more resistant to drought and increased community resistance by enhancing their above‐ground biomass production during the imposed drought. These patterns were associated with decreased competitiveness of dominant species whose biomass decreased during drought. Significant increase in δ13C values in plant tissue under drought indicated a better WUE for the measured species. Interestingly, the WUE was significantly higher in plots where subordinates were removed. Recovery and resilience were not affected by the summer drought, but the absence of subordinates reduced overall above‐ground biomass in both watered and drought plots. Synthesis. We demonstrated that, independent of plant diversity, the presence of drought‐resistant subordinate species increases plant community insurance against drought and, hence, is important for the functioning of grassland ecosystems.
Graph Family Characterization using the Path Length Array

Distance-based definition of graph families the range in between nodes or sides here on network is known as the shortest route size between both two nodes or sides. The degree of a specific edge is defined as the total number pf triangles that surround that apex. The node e sequence's length level series () is the quantity of nodes but rather vertices at a length I from v, where () = 0(), 1(),…,()(). Here, utilizing their distance extent sequence, they have covered the creation and classification of total circles, cycles of extremely weird and now even dimensions, and complete PPI network 2. In addition, some of the findings have really been provided with methodologies.
The impact of crop residue amendments and lime on microbial community structure and nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the wheat rhizosphere

Crop management practices can affect the soil microbial community, but it is not clear whether the effect of these practices is measurable at the wheat root–soil interface, where the plant exerts significant influence through root exudation. In this study, wheat plants were grown in soil amended with milled canola, lucerne, lupin, pea, and wheat residues with and without lime, to determine what changes occur to microbial community structure in the rhizosphere. Rhizosphere soil collected from wheat plants at the 5-leaf stage was assessed for overall microbial functional diversity using BIOLOG analysis and the diversity of the functional gene nifH using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), and cloning. Plant development was reduced in all residue amendments except lucerne, and a high positive correlation in the non-limited treatments between plant residue nitrogen (N) content and wheat shoot N suggested microbial competition for available N. Results from BIOLOG analysis indicated significant differences in rhizosphere microbial community structure due to lime, and to a lesser extent, residue type. Diversity, measured by the Shannon Diversity Index, was higher in limed rhizosphere soil, in addition to an increase in soils amended with lucerne, lupin, and pea residues compared with amendment with wheat, canola, and control soil. Each residue amendment promoted unique microbial communities determined by multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) and analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) of the BIOLOG data; the strongest effect was produced by addition of canola residues. N-fixing bacteria were also affected by lime, but residue effects were less apparent, especially between limed samples. The factor that correlated best with both BIOLOG and nifH T-RFLP data in non-limed soil was a combination of residue sodium (Na), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn). In limed soil, phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), and pH correlated well with BIOLOG data, and N, potassium (K), and iron (Fe) correlated with nifH T-RFLP data. A clone library of nifH sequences from control and limed, pea-amended soils revealed significant diversity amongst nifH sequences, most clustering with α-proteobacteria, and in some instances with Geobacter sulfurreducens. Clone distribution was significantly different for control soil and pea/lime soil, especially amongst the α-proteobacteria. The results suggest that rhizosphere microorganisms can be influenced by soil amendments, and change, depending on the type of residue applied. The addition of lime, however, produced the most significant changes in microbial community structure and nifH-containing rhizobacteria, highlighting the significant functional changes that occur when soil pH is increased.
PCR cloning and partial sequencing of rtxA gene of non-O1/non-O139 Vibrio cholerae isolated from gold fish Carassius auratus in India.

A total of 16 non-O1/ non-O139 Vibrio cholerae isolates were obtained from ornamental fish collected from aquarium traders located in four metro cities of India. All the isolates were confirmed by amplifying the 300 bp fragment in the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer regions. Amplification of 431 bp fragment of gene, which resulted in detectable levels of PCR product, was achieved with a minimum of 8 CFU/ml of V. cholerae . The detection limit for rtxA gene by PCR amplification of genomic DNA was 20 picogram. A 431 bp fragment of the rtxA gene of V. cholerae was cloned and sequenced (NCBI accession number EU714289). Nucleotide sequence analysis data of the rtxA gene showed that about 96% identical to those of V. cholerae RTX toxin gene cluster.
In Search of Optimal Harvest Rates for West Coast Groundfish

Abstract In this paper, I explore how patterns of compensatory mortality, as assessed through stock–recruitment relationships, may influence optimal harvest rates and relative yields for several West Coast groundfish stocks. To do this, I revisited Clark's (1991) groundfish life history model and maximin (i.e., maximize the minimum) yield approach to evaluate target harvest rates for five stocks (Dover sole Microstomus pacificus, lingcod Ophiodon elongatus, sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria, Pacific hake Merluccius productus, and widow rockfish Sebastes entomelas) using recent estimates of fishery and life history parameters and stock–recruitment data. I found that a spawning-stock-per-recruit target of roughly 35% of its unfished amount would be reasonable for these stocks if Clark's assumed stock–recruitment parameters are representative and the policy goal is a maximin yield. In contrast, use of estimated stock–recruitment parameters suggested more conservative percentages of the unfished spawning stock per.
Long-and Short-Term Forecasting for Portfolio Selection with Transaction Costs

In this paper we focus on the problem of on-line portfolio selection with transaction costs. We tackle this problem using a novel approach for combining the predictions of long-term experts with those of short-term experts so as to eﬀectively reduce transaction costs. We prove that the new strategy maintains bounded regret relative to the performance of the best possible combination (switching times) of the long-and short-term experts. We empirically validate our approach on several standard benchmark datasets. These studies indicate that the proposed approach achieves state-of-the-art performance.