Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Farming by soil in Europe: status and outlook of cropping systems under different pedoclimatic conditions

Background Despite of the importance of soils in agronomy, to date no comprehensive assessment of cropping in Europe has been performed from the viewpoint of the soil variability and its relationship to cropping patterns. In order to fill this knowledge gap, we studied the cropping patterns in different soils of European climate zones with regards to the shares of their crop types in a comparative manner. The study highlights the main features of farming by soil in Europe. Farming by soil in this context means the consideration of soil characteristics when selecting crop types and cropping patterns. Methods We first assessed the dissimilarity between the cropping compositions of different pedoclimatic zones in Europe. Next, we assessed the differences of crop distribution in the climate zones by soil types and main crop types by analyzing the degree of association of crops to soil types. A detailed country scale assessment was performed using crops-specific soil productivity maps and land use survey data from Hungary. Results Results suggest that, in general, farmers consciously take pedoclimatic condition of farming into account when selecting their cropping patterns. In other words, farming by soil is a common practice in the different climatic regions of Europe. However, we have strong reasons to believe that soil suitability-based cropping is not practiced to its full potential over the continent. For example, the findings of our European assessment suggest that production areas of legumes are not always optimized for the local pedoclimatic conditions in some zones. These findings also underline that economic drivers are decisive, when farmers adopt their cropping (eg. oil crops on Albeluvsiols in Europe). Win-win situations of economic considerations and soil suitability based management are observed in all pedoclimatic zones of Europe. The country analysis shows that cropping is progressively practiced on more suitable areas, depending also the crop tolerance to variable pedoclimatic conditions In conclusion, we can assume that pedoclimatic conditions of cropping are respected in most of Europe and farmers crops according to edaphic conditions whenever economic considerations do not override the ecological concerns of farming.
EVALUATION OF METAL ION TOXICITY ON ROOT TIP CELLS BY THE ALLIUM TEST

ABSTRACT The effects of different concentrations of eleven different metals (aluminum chloride, chromium nitrate and potassium dichromate, lead nitrate, copper sulfate, manganous sulfate, cobaltous nitrate, zinc sulfate, magnesium sulfate, nickel sulfate, cadmium chloride, and mercuric chloride) on cell division and nucleoli in root tip cells of Allium cepa were studied. The results showed that the metal ions could, in varying degrees, cause chromosome, nucleus, and nucleolus irregularities, including c-mitosis, chromosome bridges, chromosome stickiness, irregularly shaped nuclei, micronuclei, irregularly shaped nucleoli, some silver-stained material scattered in the nucleus, the weakening of silver-staining reaction at the periphery of the nucleolus, and the release of nucleolar material from the nucleus into the cytoplasm. The Allium test may be useful for the rapid screening of chemicals involved in environmental problems.
Effects of Organic Management on Predator Densities of Myzus persicae (Sulzer) During Transition to Organic Agriculture in Peach Fields in China

We studied the effects of organic management (OM) on densities of six predator species of green peach aphid (GPA), three coccinellid predators (Propylea japonica, Harmonia axyridis, Coccinella septempunctata), and three non-coccinellid predators (Chrysoperla sinica, Epistrophc baltcata, and Misumenops tricuspidatus) in five OM peach fields, compared and paired with five conventional management (CM) fields from the first year of OM in 2004–2009. Coccinellid and non-coccinellid predator densities were significantly higher on several sampling dates in OM fields than in CM fields. Coccinellid predator density was significantly lower in the first two years of OM than in the last three years in the OM fields. The density of non-coccinellid predators in the fourth year of OM was much greater than during the first year of OM, and there was a significant increase by the sixth year of OM compared to the first two years of OM. The leaf density index of GPA was significantly lower in the fifth and sixth year of OM than the first three years of OM in the OM peach fields. Our study suggests organic management can resume and increase predator densities of green peach aphid during transition to organic agriculture in peach fields.
Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Some Polymers Derived from Modified Amino Polyacrylamide by Reacting It with Benzoate Esters and Benzaldehyde Derivatives

Functionalized polymers have gained much interest in the last decades. This is due to their functional groups and their polymer nature, which give them unique properties and more advantages than the corresponding small molecules. In this trend, we modified polyacrylamide by introducing an amino group in the side chain of the polymer by reacting it with ethylenediamine. The amine- modified polymer was reacted with two classes of active compounds. The first group is aromatic aldehydes contain- ing active groups such as p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillin, p-chlorobenzaldehyde, and anisaldehyde. The second group is phenolic ester derivatives such as p-hydroxymethylben- zoate, 2,4-dihydroxymethylbenzoate, 2-hydroxymethylben- zoate and 3,4,5-trihydroxypropylbenzoate. The antimicro- bial activity of these two classes were explored by cut plug method against Candida albicans SC5314, Aspergillus flavus, and Fusarium oxysporium as fungal organisms and Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus as bacterial organisms. It was found that the diameter of inhibition zone varied according to the active group in the modified poly- mer and the examined microorganism. In general, the mod- ified polymers showed antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms. However, the polymer derivative of p-chlorobenzaldehyde being the most effective on bacteria and fungi species. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 2428 -2437, 2006
Tuberculosis: an ancient disease that remains a medical, social, economical and ethical issue

M. MARTINI, N. RICCARDI, A. GIACOMELLI, V. GAZZANIGA, G. BESOZZI 1 Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Italy; UNESCO Chair “Anthropology of Health Biosphere and Healing System”, University of Genoa, Italy; StopTB Italia Onlus, Milan, Italy; Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy; III Infectious Disease Unit, ASST-FBF-Sacco, Milan, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, L. Sacco, University of Milan, Italy; Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; President of Italian Society of Human Sciences in Medicine (SISUMed), Rome Italy; Villa Marelli Insitute, Niguarda Ca’ Granda Hospital, Milan, Italy
Herbivores strongly influence algal recruitment in both coral- and algal-dominated coral reef habitats

Coral reefs can exist as coral- and macroalgae-dominated habitats often separated by only a few hundred metres. While herbivorous fish are known to depress the abundance of algae and help maintain the function of coral-dominated habitats, less is known about their influence in algae-dominated habitats. Here, we quantified herbivorous fish and benthic algal communities over a 6 mo period in coral-dominated (back-reef) and algal-dominated (lagoon) habitats in a relatively undisturbed fringing coral reef (Ningaloo, Western Australia). Simulta - neously, we tested the effects of herbivorous fish on algal recruitment in both habitats using recruitment tiles and fish exclusion cages. The composition of established algal communities differed consistently between habitats, with the back-reef hosting a more diverse community than the Sargassum-dominated lagoon. However, total algal biomass and cover only differed between habitats in autumn, coinciding with maximum Sargassum biomass. The back-reef hosted high coral cover and a diverse herbivorous fish community, with herbivore biomass an order of magni- tude greater than the lagoon. Despite these differences in herbivore composition, exclusion of large herbivores had a similar positive effect to foliose macroalgae recruitment on experimental tiles in both back-reef and lagoon habitats. Additionally, territorial damselfish found in the back- reef increased turf algae cover and decreased crustose coralline algae cover on recruitment tiles. Collectively, our results show that disparate herbivorous fish communities in coral- and algae- dominated habitats are similarly able to limit the recruitment of foliose macroalgae, but suggest that when herbivorous fish biomass and diversity are relatively low, macroalgal communities are able to escape herbivore control through increased growth.
Exploring the Clinical Response of Childhood Functional Gastro-Intestinal Disorder Symptoms to Deep Tissue Massage of Psoas Muscles: Results of Two-Year Clinical Audit with Telephone Follow-Up

Background & Purpose There is a high incidence of chronic recurrent functional abdominal pain in children causing significant disruption to schooling, quality of life, and costs to the health care system. Treatment routinely includes behavioral, pharmacological, and invasive surgical interventions, with varying levels of impact. This study aims to examine the response of symptoms of functional gastro-intestinal disorders (FGID) in children to treatment of psoas muscle tension and tenderness using remedial massage therapy. Setting & Participants Pediatric surgeon’s rooms, remedial massage therapist rooms, consenting children aged 2–18. Research Design Two years of clinical observations were analyzed including patient-reported symptoms, surgeon and remedial massage therapist observations, with 122 children suffering from moderate to severe FGID symptoms. Over the two year observation period, 96 children with FGID symptoms completed a course of remedial massage therapy to their psoas muscles. Results Improvement in psoas tension and tenderness on palpation was observed for all participants after an average of 5 treatments (range 2–12). Complete resolution of all symptoms of abdominal pain, reflux, vomiting, nausea, and bowel upset was seen in 88/96 (92%) participants at the time of treatment completion without side effects. Over the observation period, 72 children were followed up after completing remedial massage therapy; 75% reported they remained symptom free, 18% continued to have marked improvement and 7% mild improvement. Conclusion Despite study design limitations, more research is warranted on the potential for this low-cost, noninvasive therapeutic intervention to assist symptom management for children with FGID.
Isotopic biomonitoring of anthropic carbon emissions in a megalopolis

Atmospheric pollution has become a serious threat for human health and the environment. However, the deployment, operation and maintenance of monitoring networks can represent a high cost for local governments. In certain locations, the use of naturally occurring plants for monitoring pollution can be a useful supplement of existing monitoring networks, and even provide information when other types of monitoring are lacking. In this work, we (i) determined the tissue carbon content and the δ13C values for the epiphytic CAM bromeliad Tillandsia recurvata and the relationship of both parameters with the existing CO concentrations in the Valley of Mexico basin and (ii) mapped the spatial distribution of such elemental and isotopic composition for this plant within the basin, in order to assess its potential as an atmospheric biomonitor of carbon monoxide, a pollutant with important repercussions on public health. The CO concentrations in the basin ranged from 0.41 ppm at rural locations to 0.81 ppm at urban sites. The carbon content of T. recurvata, which averaged 42.9 ± 0.34% (dry weight), was not influenced by the surrounding CO concentration. In contrast, the δ13C depended on the sites where the plants were collected. For example, the values were −13.2‰ in rural areas and as low as –17.5‰ in an urban site. Indeed, the isotopic values had a positive linear relationship with the atmospheric CO concentrations. Given the close relationship observed between the isotopic composition of T. recurvata with the CO concentrations in the Valley of Mexico, the δ13C values can be useful for the detection of atmospheric carbonaceous emissions.
Prey capture by the African lion

The capture of prey by the African lion in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, is examined. For analytic purposes the process is envisaged as a consecutive set of events: searching, stalking, attacking, and subduing prey.Initiation of prey capture activity by the lion arises from the interaction of degree of stimulation presented by the prey, timing of the activity cycle of the lion (diurnal or nocturnal), and its level of hunger. These factors yield thresholds for initiation which result in kills being directly related to prey density at high and low densities and inversely density dependent at intermediate prey densities.Success in stalking appears to depend primarily upon the failure of the prey to see the approaching lion until it is within its effective distance. Using data from actual stalks and contrived experiments, the probability is calculated of the lion being detected for a range of conditions.The attack involves a matching of the sprinting abilities of the predator and prey. To analyze this aspect i.
The impact of smog on the concentration of particulate matter in the antelope house in the Silesian zoological garden

Persistent negligence in the field of environmental protection in Poland as well as strong dependance of the energy sector on the fossil fuels have led to serious pollution of the air with particulate matter, which at high concentrations is capable of penetrating into the buildings. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of particulate airborne pollution on the concentration of particulate matter inside the antelope house in the Silesian Zoological Garden located within the Upper Silesia in Poland. The research was conducted from February to May in 2018. The records taken in the research period show that the concentration of PM10 exceeded the level of 50 µg/m3 outside the building during 26 days and 11 days when it comes to the concentration of particulate matter inside the antelope house. The quantity of particulate matter in the antelope house is strongly correlated with the concentration of the particles in the air. Despite fitting existing ventilation system with a filter that reduces the dust level by 60% during the highest level of smog, particulate matter concentration in the antelope house exceeded acceptable limit for PM10 more than twofold. Particle size-fraction analysis revealed that as much as 85% of the particles detected in the studied compartment constitute PM2.5.
Suscetibilidade de Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) ao enxofre

The laboratory rearing of Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) is frequently infested by the parasite mite Acarophenax lacunatus (Cross and Krantz) (Prostigmata: Acarophenacidae). This study was aimed at evaluating the sulfur doses, an effective acaricide against A. lacunatus, not harmful to the development of with R. dominica. The experimental units were Petri dishes containing 30g of whole wheat grains powdered with the different doses of the sulfur (0.0, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 12.0, 24.0 and 48.0mg a i g-1) infested with 30 adults of R. dominica, in ten replicates. All treatments were maintained under controlled conditions (30±1°C, 60±5% r h and 24h scotophase) for 60 days after the insect infestation. Sulfur doses higher than 3.0mg a i g-1 negatively affected R. dominica development.
The multiple forms of the interspecific abundance : distribution relationship

Within a taxonomic assemblage, locally abundant species tend to be widespread and locally rare species tend to be restricted in their distribution. Although frequently treated en masse, the data sets on which studies of interspecific abundance-distribution relationships have been based differ enormously in the scales and forms of measurements of both abundance and distribution. It may thus be misleading to talk of the abundance-distribution relationship, for there appear to be a number of such relationships, albeit they are inter-related. In this paper the form of this variation and its significance are examined.
Mountain goat survival and mortality during a period of increased puma abundance in the Black Hills, South Dakota

We investigated survival and cause-specific mortality for a mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) population during a period when the puma (Puma concolor) population was growing in the Black Hills, South Dakota, 2006–2018. We obtained survival data from 47 adult goats (n = 33 females, n = 14 males). Annual survival varied from 0.538 (95% CI [0.285–0.773]) to 1.00 (95% CI [1.00–1.00]) and puma predation was the primary cause-specific mortality factor over a 12-year period. Cumulative hectares of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) disturbance was a covariate of importance (wi = 0.972; β = 0.580, 95% CI [0.302–0.859]) influencing survival. To our knowledge, this is the first account of puma being the primary mortality factor of mountain goats over a long-term study. The Black Hills system is unique because we could examine the expanded realized niche of puma in the absence of other large carnivores and their influence on mountain goats. We hypothesize that puma were being sustained at higher densities due to alternate prey sources (e.g., white-tailed deer; Odocoileous virginianus) and this small population of mountain goats was susceptible to predation by one or several specialized puma in the Black Hills. However, we also hypothesize a changing landscape with increased tree mortality due to insect infestation provided conditions for better predator detection by goats and increased survival. Alternatively, open canopy conditions may have increased understory forage production potentially increasing mountain goat survival but we did not evaluate this relationship. Survival and mortality rates of mountain goats should continue to be monitored as this small population may be highly susceptible to population declines due to slow growth rates.
Mycorrhizal effects on growth, P uptake and Cd tolerance of the host plant vary among different AM fungal species

Abstract It has been documented that arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis can enhance plant tolerance to heavy metal (HM) contamination. However, variations among different AM fungal species for their ability to make their host HM tolerant have rarely been examined. This study therefore aimed to compare the cadmium (Cd) tolerance of plants colonized by different AM fungi, and to test the relationship between phosphorus (P) uptake efficiency and the Cd tolerance of the symbiotic associations. Lotus japonicus L. inoculated with each of three different AM fungi, Gigaspora margarita Becker & Hall, Acaulospora longula Spain & Schenck and Rhizophagus irregularis Blaszk. , Wubet, Renker & Buscot, was grown under three Cd addition levels (0, 5 and 50 mg kg−1) in a pot experiment, and growth, P and Cd uptake of the plants were examined. Significant linear correlations were observed between growth, P-uptake and Cd-uptake of the plant. R. irregularis was more resistant to Cd contamination compared with the other two AM fungal species in terms of higher colonization rate, P uptake efficiency and better plant growth, even in a Cd contaminated environment. Symbiotic P uptake might determine the Cd tolerance of mycorrhizal plants, and it could possibly serve as an important criterion for screening efficient AM fungal species/strains for bioremediation of HM-contaminated environments.
Amplifications of stemness genes and the capacity of breast tumors for metastasis

Introduction: The phenomenon of non-CSC (cancer stem cell) to CSC plasticity has been previously described in multiple studies and occurs during the ectopic expression of stemness genes such as OCT3, SOX2, KLF4, MYC, NOTCH1, and NANOG. In our opinion, acquiring the ability to ectopically express stemness genes, selected by bioinformatics analysis and, accordingly, non-CSC to CSC plasticity, is due to amplification of genes at the following locations: 3q, 5p, 6p, 7q, 8q, 13q, 9p, 9q, 10p, 10q21.1, 16p, 18chr, 19p. This paper demonstrates the significance of stemness gene amplifications leading to metastasis and stem-like cancer cell activity. Materials and Methods: In our studies, stemness gene amplifications were determined using the CytoScan HD Array. We studied the association of changes in stemness gene amplifications in tumors with metastasis treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in 50 patients with breast cancer. We used qPCR to evaluate the expression of 13 stemness genes in tumors before and after NAC in 98 patients with breast cancer. Using primary cultures from the breast tumor of patient St23784/17 with stemness gene amplifications (SOX2, MYC, KLF4, NOTCH1, NODAL) and patient Ti41749/17 without stemness gene amplifications in the tumor, we studied the expression of stemness genes, proliferative tumor stem-cell activity, mammosphere formation, and expression of the CD44 tumor stem cell marker. Results: The occurrence of amplifications at regions of stemness gene localization during NAC (22% cases) in residual tumors was associated with a very high metastasis rate (91% cases). Eliminating tumor clones with stemness gene amplifications using NAC (42% cases) led to 100% metastasis-free survival. In patients who developed hematogenic metastases after treatment, the expression of 7/13 stemness genes in the residual tumor after NAC was statistically higher than in patients without metastases. Primary cultures of EpCam+ tumor cells from patients with stemness gene amplifications revealed high proliferative activity. After the 3rd passage, the number of tumor cells increased 30-fold. Due to IL-6, this cell population showed a 2.5-fold increase in the EpCam+CD44hiCD24–/low and 2-fold decrease in the EpCam+CD44lowCD24– subpopulations of tumor stem cells; the formation of mammospheres was also observed. Primary cultures of EpCam+ tumor cells from the patient with no stemness gene amplifications had relatively low proliferative activity. IL-6 caused a 2.3-fold increase in the EpCam+CD44lowCD24– and 2-fold decrease in the EpCam+CD44hiCD24–/low subpopulations of tumor stem cells with no induction of mammospheres. Conclusions: The results of this study show that stemness gene amplifications in tumor cells are associated with metastasis and determine their potential stem property activation and non-CSC to CSC plasticity with the formation of EpCam+CD44hiCD24–/low cells, active proliferation, mammosphere formation, and metastasis.