Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variability in the diet of New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) at the Auckland Islands, New Zealand

We examined the stomach contents of 121 New Zealand (NZ) sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri) caught by the squid fishery during the summer/autumn 1997-2006 around the Auckland Islands (51°S, 166°E). Dietary variation was assessed among juveniles, lactating females, nonlactating females and males, and between areas on the Auckland Islands shelf. The digested fraction of the contents consisted mostly of opalfish (Hemerocoetes spp.) (50.1% by number [N], 4.7% by mass [M]), rattail (Coelorinchus spp.) (12.0% N, 2.4% M), arrow squid (Nototodarus slani) (14.1% N, 17.9% M), octopus (Enteroctopus zealandicus) (2.1% N, 27.8% M), and red cod (Pseudophycis bachus) (3.8% N, 4.3% M). Opalfish was found in greater proportions in the stomachs of females (lactating: 58.1% N, nonlactating: 62.4% N) and juveniles (56.9% N) than males (14.5% N). Juveniles caught smaller opalfish and rattail than adults did. Over all classes, sea lions ate larger prey in the east than in the north of the Auckland Islands shelf. The common prey-arrow squid and rattail-constitute an abundant resource at the edges of the Auckland Islands shelf, where lactating NZ sea lions forage. Although these key areas are far from the rookeries and impacted by the squid fishery, they may provide the only reliable resource able to support the cost of benthic foraging behavior in the deepest diver of all otariids.
The Contribution of Display Size and Dichogamy to Potential Geitonogamy in Campanula americana

An increase in floral display size may enhance fitness by increasing a plant’s attractiveness to pollinators. Alternatively, a larger display may reduce fitness by increasing pollen movement within an individual. In dichogamous species the frequency of this geitonogamy also depends on floral gender ratio and pollinator response to floral gender and to inflorescence architecture. We explored the relationships of floral display size and dichogamy to potential geitonogamy in Campanula americana, a protandrous herb. We observed pollinators in a natural population, in which individuals differed in display size, gender ratio, and distance to conspecifics, and in experimental arrays, in which individuals differed only in display size. In both settings, bees responded to increased floral displays by increasing the number and length of foraging bouts. The number of potentially geitonogamous visits, those to female‐phase flowers after male‐phase flowers, also increased with display size. In addition, although proportion of flowers visited did not increase with the floral display, the proportion of geitonogamous visits did. There was no evidence that dichogamy reduced the potential for geitonogamy. The ratio of male‐ to female‐phase flowers did not affect bee behavior, and bees did not display a gender preference. In contrast to other studies, the presentation of female‐phase flowers below male‐phase flowers on reproductive branches did not reduce geitonogamy. Variation in floral display size may cause the mating system to vary among populations. We found that display size varied among 12 populations and that geitonogamy may be infrequent in many populations as a result of small display sizes. Finally, within populations, the selfing rates of larger biennial C. americana are likely to exceed those of smaller annual individuals.
The Social Organisation of Antelope in Relation To Their Ecology

The types of social organisation displayed by the African antelope species have been assigned in this paper to five classes, distinguished largely by the strategies used by the reproductively active males in securing mating rights, and the effects of those strategies on other social castes. The paper attempts to show that these strategies are appropriate to each class because of the effects of other, ecological, aspects of their ways of life. The paper describes different feeding styles among antelope, in terms of selection of food items and coverage of home ranges. It argues that these feeding styles bear a relationship to maximum group size of feeding animals through the influence of dispersion of food items upon group cohesion. The feeding styles also bear a relationship to body size and to habitat choice, both of which influence the antelope species' antipredator behaviour. Thus feeding style is related to anti-predator behaviour which, in many species, influences minimum group size. Group size and the pattern of movement over the annual home range affect the likelihood of females being found in a given place at a given time, and it is this likelihood which, to a large extent, determines the kind of strategy a male must employ to achieve mating rights. The effects of the different strategies employed by males can be seen in such aspects of each species' biology as sexual dimorphism, adult sex ratio, and differential distribution of the sexes.
Verifying an Extinction Debt among Lichens and Fungi in Northern Swedish Boreal Forests

Abstract: Destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats results in small species populations that face increased risk of extinction. A time delay may be involved in the regional extinction of species, and the number of species that eventually may go extinct in the future is called the “extinction debt. ” In boreal Sweden, we examined whether the number of epiphytic crustose lichens and wood‐inhabiting fungi in old‐growth forest remnants diverges from species richness levels in forest patches that have been naturally isolated for millennia. An excess of species in forest remnants could indicate the presence of an extinction debt. Observed species richness in 32 old‐growth forest remnants (also called woodland key habitats [WKHs]) was compared with predicted species richness. To predict species richness we used regression models based on data from 46 isolated old‐growth forest patches in a forest‐wetland matrix. The reference landscape is ancient and assumed to reflect the conditions of insular floras in dynamic equilibrium. Stand factors constituted predictive variables in the models. The observed number of lichen species was higher than expected (i.e., an extinction debt among lichens may exist). By contrast, there was no significant difference between observed and expected species richness among wood‐inhabiting fungi. The species richness of wood‐inhabiting fungi has adjusted to the changes in forest and landscape structure more rapidly than the species richness of lichens. Differences in substrate dynamics between epiphytes on living trees and species growing on decaying logs might explain the difference between species groups. The results also indicate that population densities of red‐listed species were low, which may result in continuing extinctions of red‐listed species. The importance of WKHs might be overvalued because species may be lost if conservation efforts consider only protection and preservation of WKHs.
Roles of important candidate genes on broiler meat quality

Among various factors affecting broiler meat quality, the genetic attributes play an imperative role. The growth hormone gene imparts anabolic effects on skeletal muscle growth and myostatin. The growth and differentiation factor-B gene negatively regulates the myogenesis to determine the body mass. This review concerns the role of growth hormone, myostatin and other such important candidate genes affecting development and differentiation of skeletal muscles. The relationships of higher weight gain with meat quality traits with pH, water holding capacity, extract release volume, collagen solubility, texture and muscle proteins has been ascertained. It is inferred that fast growing broilers give relatively poor meat quality. It is concluded that there is a strong need for genetic manoeuvring regarding silencing of myostatin gene for better qualitative and quantitative broiler meat yields.
A very singular muscle: the secondary muscle of chaetognaths

Chaetognaths show in their trunk and tail a type of muscle fibre that is at present unique in the animal kingdom. It was identified and first described by Grassi in 1883, who termed it the secondary muscle. It is less than 1% of the tissue wall volume. This muscle forms four longitudinal bands, two mediodorsal and ventral and two lateral, suggesting an antagonistic functional role. It is related to myoepithelial cells, which may adjust the tonus of the hydroskeleton. The secondary muscle shows a unique mode of cross-striation: two sarcomere types (s1 and s2) alternate in series along the longitudinal axis of the contractile apparatus. Successive Z bands are common to these two sarcomeres types, s1 sarcomeres have irregular A bands, about 1.7 μm in length; their loose architecture, poor lateral cohesion and F1:F2 = 1:9 or 1:10, probably reflects a slow mode of functioning. s2 sarcomeres are pleomorphic. They are composed of filaments assembled laterally in various ways and embedded in a loose matrix; they have no A bands, their length can vary from 10 μm without apparent change in myofibrillar density. The functioning of s1 sarcomeres is in accordance with the sliding filament model, but that of the s2 functioning is not; the s2 sarcomeres look like stress-fibres. These two sarcomere types seem to have a relatively independent function. It is suggested that the chaetognath secondary muscle shows a contractile architecture partly related to more general cytoskeletal structures and partly related to a true myofibrillar contractile apparatus. It is a highly dynamic contractile architecture which seems to be able to modulate strongly the muscular contraction. It profoundly differs from all other chaetognath muscles. This muscle is peculiar to chaetognaths; it does not assist in relating them to phyla.
Review of the systematics and biology of the Otopheidomenidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) with a description of Eickwortius gen.n. from a termite (Isoptera: Termitidae)

The systematics of the family Otopheidomenidae (Acari: Mesostigmata) is reviewed. Eickwortius termes gen.n. et sp.n. is described from a termite, Macrotermes michaelseni (Sjöstedt) (Isoptera: Termitidae) from Kenya. Treatia ghaiguptaorum nom.n. is proposed for Treatia indica Ghai & Gupta, 1984, which is a junior homonym of Treatia indica Krantz & Khot, 1962. The Otopheidomenidae as recognized in this paper consists of twenty‐five species in nine genera grouped into three subfamilies: Otopheidomeninae Treat, Treatiinae Wainstein, and Kadytiseiinae Fain & Lukoschus. Keys to the subfamilies and genera of Otopheidomenidae are provided and the described species of each genus are listed. The biology of the Otopheidomenidae and its potential in biological control are discussed.
A high performance xylose microbial fuel cell enabled by Ochrobactrum sp. 575 cells

A new strain, Ochrobactrum sp. 575, is applied as an anodic biocatalyst in a xylose MFC. After evolution under electrochemical tension in MFCs, Ochrobactrum sp. 575 can deliver a maximum power density of 2625 mW m−3, which is 20 times higher than that reported for similar MFCs. The slight increase in pH with the operation progress of Ochrobactrum sp. 575 MFC indicates proton involvement in the anode electrochemical reaction. For the first time, fumaric acid, an important intermediate in the succinate oxidation respiratory chain of gram-negative strains is discovered in the anodic supernatant of the MFC. This indicates that the process of xylose digestion with Ochrobactrum sp. 575 depends on the succinate oxidation respiratory chain, which is quite different from the traditional NADH oxidation respiratory chain in other electroactive bacterial strains. The significant improvement in the MFC power density is likely to be attributed to fumaric acid generated by bacteria cells as an electron mediator to facilitate electron transfer during the discharging process.
ROOT STUDY OF THREE WHEAT VARIETIES AND THEIR RESISTANCE TO DROUGHT AND DAMAGE BY SOIL CRACKING

Roots of three varieties, Thatcher, Cypress (Triticum aestivum), and Pelissier (T. durum), were studied in growth boxes with sloping glass face. Nine weekly measurements were taken of the roots showing on the glass face and of the top growth. After the plants matured, the soil was washed away and the roots air-dried and weighed. Regardless of the different moisture levels used the three varieties were found to have three distinct patterns of growth. These root patterns help to explain varietal differences in resistance to damage by soil cracking and to drought. The tests conducted illustrate advantages of using growth boxes with sloping glass face in a plant breeding program.
Comparative study on antioxidative activity of yellow stripe trevally protein hydrolysate produced from Alcalase and Flavourzyme

Summary Antioxidative activities of protein hydrolysates from yellow stripe trevally (Selaroides leptolepis) prepared using Alcalase 2.4 L (HA) and Flavourzyme 500 L (HF) with the degree of hydrolysis of 15% by pH-stat method were determined. Both protein hydrolysates exhibited the antioxidative activity in a concentration dependent manner. HF generally showed the greater antioxidative activity than HA (P < 0.05) as indicated by the higher 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, reducing power and metal chelating activity. Antioxidative activity of both hydrolysates was stable when heated at 90 °C for 10 and 30 min and subjected to a wide pH range (2–12). Nevertheless, metal chelating activity decreased in very alkaline and acidic pH ranges. HA and HF at 200 ppm retarded the formation of conjugated diene and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in lecithin liposome system. HF possessed the stronger antioxidative activity than HA (P < 0.05). However, α-tocopherol at 200 ppm showed the higher antioxidative activity in the system.
Host plant resistance genes for fusarium head blight: Mapping and manipulation with molecular markers

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe [teleomorph Gibberella zeae (Schwein.)], or scab, causes severe reductions in yield and quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Evaluation of FHB resistance is laborious and subject to environmental influence; therefore, molecular markers for FHB resistance genes will greatly enhance selection for FHB resistance. This review seeks to summarize information on molecular markers associated with quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to FHB in wheat and barley and the use of those markers for marker assisted selection. Our goal is to summarize the current state of knowledge on the genetics of FHB resistance, the map locations of QTL for FHB resistance, and the future directions and potential applications of this research. In wheat, five types of resistance have been described, and Type II resistance (expressed in Chinese wheat cultivar Sumai 3) is the easiest type to assess. Several research groups are developing molecular markers associated with genes for FHB resistance from Sumai 3, a widely used source of Type II resistance in wheat breeding programs worldwide. In four different populations, each having Sumai 3 or a derivative as one parent, one to four QTL have been identified that explain up to 63% of the variation in resistance. QTL were identified on chromosomes 3BS and 6BL in three or more populations. Recently, in barley, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers associated with genes for FHB resistance, deoxynivalenol (DON) accumulation, and kernel discoloration were identified on all seven chromosomes. Three regions, located on chromosomes 2, 3, and 5 were identified in several mapping populations. Comparing the QTL locations between wheat and barley shows that the barley chromosome 3 QTL is located in a syntenous region in wheat. The following areas of research on molecular markers associated with FHB resistance should be emphasized: (i) identifying and mapping better resistance sources in wheat and barley; (ii) validating QTL in additional populations; and (iii) developing markers that can be easily used in breeding programs and across populations.
Food sharing in lion tamarins: Tests of three hypotheses

Infant marmosets and tamarins (Callitrichidae) frequently receive food from older group members. Three possible functions of food sharing in lion tamarins were examined experimentally. The first hypothesis, that food sharing ensures that infants receive sufficient food even if it is difficult for them to acquire it themselves, was tested by varying the ease with which infants could reach a food source. When access to food was restricted, infants fed themselves less, received more food from others, and had a higher success rate in begging attempts. The second hypothesis, that food sharing helps teach infants an appropriate diet, was tested by presenting fruits that were novel to infants. Although infants fed themselves less under these conditions, adults were less likely to share novel foods than familiar foods. The final experiment compared food sharing when food was abundant with behavior when food items were presented singly. Infants fed themselves less and received more food from others when food items were rare. These results suggest that food sharing in lion tamarins helps to ensure that infants receive adequate amounts of food which is difficult to locate or acquire, but that it is not involved in teaching infants which foods they should eat. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analysis of Progress Curves of Sugarcane Smut on Different Cultivars Using Functions of Double Sigmoid Pattern

The progress of smut on the sugarcane cultivars NAS6-79, SP71-799, SP71-1406, SP71-6163, and SP70-1143 was quantified with artificial and natural inoculation during five consecutive years at Primeiro de Maio, Parana, Brazil. The annual progress curves were fitted by the generalized monomolecular y(t)=p 1 {1-exp[-(p 2 +p 3 t+p 4 t 2 +p 5 t 3 )]} and the generalized Gompertz y(t)=p 1 exp{-exp[-(p 2 +p 3 t+p 4 t 2 +p 5 t 3 )]} functions, in which the dependent variable y(t) was disease severity (whips per hectare) and the independent variable t was time (days after harvest) [. ]
Rotenone, a mitochondrial electron transport inhibitor, ameliorates ischemia–reperfusion-induced intestinal mucosal damage in rats

Abstract In ischemia–reperfusion (I/R)-induced tissue injury, oxygen radicals can be generated by several mechanisms. One of the important sources of oxygen radicals is thought to be mitochondrial respiration. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidative defense effect of the mitochondrial electron transport inhibitor, rotenone using the I/R-induced rat intestinal mucosal injury model in vivo. Intestinal ischemia was induced for 30 min by applying a small clamp to the superior mesenteric artery in rats. Rotenone at a dose of 100 mg/kg was given to rats orally 2 h before the ischemia. Intraluminal hemoglobin and protein levels, the mucosal content of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), the mucosal myeloperoxidase activity, and the content of inflammatory cytokines (CINC-1, TNF-α) were all significantly increased from mean basal levels after 60 min of reperfusion. These increases after I/R were inhibited by treatment with rotenone at a dose of 100 mg/kg. Co-administration with succinate (100 mg/kg), a substrate of the mitochondrial electron transport system, cancelled significant reduction of intraluminal hemoglobin and mucosal TBARS treated with rotenone alone. The results of the present study indicate that rotenone inhibited lipid peroxidation and reduced development of the intestinal mucosal inflammation induced by I/R in rats. This investigation suggests that rotenone has potential as a new therapeutic agent for reperfusion injury.
Construction and Characterization of Genetically Modified Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 Photosystem II Core Complexes Containing Carotenoids with Shorter π-Conjugation than β-Carotene*

β-Carotene has been identified as an intermediate in a secondary electron transfer pathway that oxidizes ChlZ and cytochrome b559 in Photosystem II (PS II) when normal tyrosine oxidation is blocked. To test the redox function of carotenoids in this pathway, we replaced the ζ-carotene desaturase gene (zds) or both the zds and phytoene desaturase (pds) genes of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 with the phytoene desaturase gene (crtI) of Rhodobacter capsulatus, producing carotenoids with shorter conjugated π-electron systems and higher reduction potentials than β-carotene. The PS II core complexes of both mutant strains contain approximately the same number of chlorophylls and carotenoids as the wild type but have replaced β-carotene (11 double bonds), with neurosporene (9 conjugated double bonds) and β-zeacarotene (9 conjugated double bonds and 1 β-ionylidene ring). The presence of the ring appears necessary for PS II assembly. Visible and near-infrared spectroscopy were used to examine the light-induced formation of chlorophyll and carotenoid radical cations in the mutant PS II core complexes at temperatures from 20 to 160 K. At 20 K, a carotenoid cation radical is formed having an absorption maximum at 898 nm, an 85 nm blue shift relative to the β-carotene radical cation peak in the WT, and consistent with the formation of the cation radical of a carotenoid with 9 conjugated double bonds. The ratio of Chl+/Car+ is higher in the mutant core complexes, consistent with the higher reduction potential for Car+. As the temperature increases, other carotenoids become accessible to oxidation by P680+.
Human embryonic stem cell-derived dopaminergic neurons reverse functional deficit in Parkinsonian rats

We show that human embryonic stem cell‐derived dopaminergic neurons survived transplantation to the neurotoxin 6‐hydroxydopamine‐lesioned rat striatum and, in combination with the cells newly differentiated from their progenitors, contributed to locomotive function recovery at 5 months. The animal behavioral improvement was correlated with the dopamine neurons present in the graft. Although the donor cells contained forebrain and midbrain dopamine neurons, the dopamine neurons present in the graft mainly exhibited a midbrain, or nigra, phenotype, suggesting the importance of midbrain dopamine neurons in functional repair. Furthermore, progenies of grafted cells were neurons and glia with greatly diminished mitotic activity by 5 months. Thus, the in vitro‐produced human dopamine neurons can functionally engraft in the brain.
Phytoplankton from two sub-Arctic fjords in northern Norway 2002–2004: I. Seasonal variations in chlorophyll a and bloom dynamics

Abstract Chlorophyll a, meteorology and hydrography were sampled during a 3 year period in Altafjord and Porsangerfjord. The analysis demonstrated a decoupling between spring bloom progression and the classical ‘Sverdrup’ regulators, i.e. there was no correlation between spring bloom biomass and critical depth, mixed or station depth and irradiance. The only significant correlation was linear between bloom magnitude and day length. We also observed significant correlations between log chlorophyll a and critical depth, irradiance and heat flux. From early March to mid-May, day length increases from 7 to 24 h in the area, whereas daily integrated irradiance increases ca. 14 times. Then, if blooms have not yet triggered early in April, water turbidity will remain low and critical depth will deepen rapidly, causing blooms to start after this date, i.e. irradiance will become the main forcing function if initial stocks are present. Another characteristic feature in the area is that spring bloom concentrations are low and that production is more spread out throughout the growth season, contrary to what is common further south (spring bloom, summer recession and autumn bloom).