Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Avian vision: a review of form and function with special consideration to birds of prey

Abstract More so than any other terrestrial vertebrate, birds rely most heavily on their ability to assess their visual environment. High visual acuity is not only necessary to find and acquire food, but also to navigate surroundings, to identify conspecifics and potential mates, and to quickly identify and escape from predators. This article aims to help the reader understand how birds, particularly birds of prey, see by reviewing pertinent anatomy and physiology of the eye, color vision, visual fields, visual acuity, accommodation, and flicker-fusion frequency. For more information on specific disease conditions of the avian eye, the reader is encouraged to review any number of avian medical and surgical texts.
The Influence of Trunk Cutting on Growth and Fructification in Old Sweet Cherry Orchards

In 2010-2011, the investigations were carried out on trees of â€˜Germersdorfâ€™ sweet cherrycultivar, grafted on Mahaleb rootstock, planted in 1991, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The trunk was cutwith a motor chain saw in order to break the flow of assimilates and bio regulators in the phloem ofthe tree trunk and induce flower bud setting. These treatments were also made in order to reducevegetative growth on trees that are particularly vigorous. Reducing vigour allows more sun to reachlower fruiting wood, making it more productive. The following treatments were compared: V1 -Control, V2 - Trunk cutting on side with a motor chain saw to a depth of Â½ of their diameter, V3 -Trunk cutting, i.e. tree trunks were cut with a mechanic chain saw to a depth of Â½ of their diameter, ontwo opposite sides of the trunk 30 cm apart. Every year the trunk diameter of the investigated treeswas measured 10 cm above the upper place of the treatment, the cross-section area and the increases inthis area calculated based on these measurements. In addition, the number of flower buds on the spurswas calculated both in cutting trunk variants and in the control. Cutting trunk treatments inhibitedincreases in trunk circumference, in the first year after the treatment. Stronger influence in V3treatment was obtained. The number of bearing branches and the yield increased using also trunkcuttingtreatments with statistically differences assured as to the control.
Cytotype distribution and phylogeography of Hieracium intybaceum (Asteraceae)

Using flow cytometry and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), we explored the cytogeography and phylogeography of Hieracium intybaceum, a silicicolous species distributed in the Alps and spatially isolated in the Vosges Mountains and the Schwarzwald Mountains. We detected two ploidies, diploid and tetraploid, but no triploid or mixed-ploidy populations. Whereas diploids are sexual and distributed all across the Alps, tetraploids are apomictic and seem to be confined to the western Alps and the Vosges. We detected a low level of genetic variation. Bayesian clustering identified four clusters/genetic groups, which are partly congruent with the ploidal pattern. The first two groups consisting exclusively of diploids dominate the whole distribution range in the Alps and show east–west geographical separation with a diffuse borderline running from eastern Switzerland to the eastern part of North Tyrol. The third genetic group lacks a defined geographical range and includes diploid and tetraploid plants. The last genetic group comprises tetraploid plants in the French Alps and the Vosges. We suppose that diploids colonized the deglaciated areas from source populations most likely located mainly in the southern part of the recent distribution range and occasionally also in the western Alps. Gene flow and further differentiation likely took place. Apomictic tetraploids most likely originated in the western Alps or in the refugium at the south-western foot of the Alps. Their rather limited geographical range (partly contrasting with the theory of geographical parthenogenesis) can be explained by their rather recent origin. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 179, 487–498.
Optimising the use of phosphorus sources in growing meat ducks

Optimal utilisation of limited phosphate resources in animal feeding requires detailed knowledge of both the requirement for available phosphorus (P), and the availability of P from relevant feed ingredients. In growing ducks, the P concentration of gained body weight and the inevitable P losses voided determine the requirement for available P. The concentration of available P needed in the diet then depends on the feed conversion ratio. Plant and mineral feedstuffs contribute to the available P content of the diet depending on their respective availability. This review summarises the literature on P nutrition in ducks with regard to factors affecting P requirement and considerations of P availability, including the use of microbial phytase. Most of the published data refer to the Pekin duck. The P content in body weight gain is 5.0-5.5 g/kg in young ducks, and it probably decreases with age. The ratio of Ca to P in body weight gain is about 1.8:1. Inevitable P losses are not yet quantified and can only be estimated to account for 1 g/kg of feed intake. Availability of P from plant-based diets without P supplements and phytase ranged between 28 and 49%. Availability of P from different mineral sources ranged between 77 and 100%. Microbial phytases were efficient in improving the availability of P from plant-based diets. A simple model is presented, which allows flexible calculations to be made of the necessary P concentrations in the diets for ducks. The most efficient tool for reducing the use of P sources is the frequent adjustment of the dietary P content during the growth period. Data from growth studies indicate that the suggestions made herein are sufficiently safe for application in Pekin duck feeding.
Cryptic diversity of chemosymbiotic bivalves: A systematic revision of worldwide Anodontia (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Lucinidae)

Abstract Marine bivalves of the family Lucinidae possess a likely obligate chemosymbiosis with sulphide‐oxidising bacteria from which they derive much of their nutrition. Molecular analysis has shown that species of the ’Anodontia’ group form a distinct clade within the monophyletic Lucinidae. Species identification of the largely tropical ’Anodontia’ group, has been confused because of the white, sub‐spherical, smooth, toothless shells, with the name Anodontia edentula used uncritically for most Indo‐West Pacific species. Preliminary morphological analysis also showed that the group was much more diverse than previously realised. The present systematic revision of the world Anodontia species, based on museum collections, field sampling, anatomical and molecular data, now recognises 25 species (eight of these new). These species are divided into eight subgenera (four of these, Euanodontia, Afrophysema, Crytophysema and Bythosphaera are new) on the basis of shell morphology, corroborated by some molecular data. Two species are known from the tropical eastern Pacific, two from the Western Atlantic, five from the eastern Atlantic and 16 from the Indo‐West Pacific. Two new genera, Neophysema (type species N. aphanes sp. nov.) and Leucosphaera (type species Loripinus salamensis Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931), are proposed for species previously confused with Anodontia.
Potent bioactivities of the endemic Annonaceae heightens its dire conservation status

Sri Lanka records 17 endemic species of the Annonaceae family. Worldwide, the Annonaceae are known to possess compounds with pharmaceutically important properties such as anticancer and insecticidal actions. In an attempt to investigate the mosquito larvicidal and antioxidant activities of the endemic Annonaceae plants, twelve plant species were collected. Of the 71 extracts investigated from various plant parts, five plants showed significant larvicidal activity with the CH2Cl2 extracts of the leaves of G . hookeri and G . gardneri (LC50 at 48 h = 0.4 and 0.3 ppm, respectively) exhibiting potency compared to the known larvicide (4S)-4- methyl-2-(11-dodecynyl)-2-butenolide (LC50=0.3 ppm). Compared to the percent radical scavenging activity of the standard dl-α tocopherol (55.84), the MeOH extracts of the stem of A. hortensis (56.30), the leaves of U. semecarpifolia (57.33), and the seeds of X. nigricans (62.06) showed very promising activity. Significantly, it is recorded that two of the Sri Lankan endemic Annonaceae plants are extinct ( P. moonii and A. hortensis ) and the rest, except for U. sphenocarpa , are critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable or near threatened. These grim statistics highlight not only the urgency and the importance of biodiversity conservation of the endemic Annonaceae of Sri Lanka but also of investigating the plants for new phamacophores. J.Natn. Sci.Foundation Sri Lanka 2013 41 (4): 345-350 DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.4038/jnsfsr.v41i4. 6251
SIMULATING THE VERNALIZATION RESPONSE OF THE "SNOW QUEEN" LILY (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.)

A vernalizacao e um processo que certas especies de plantas, incluindo lirios (Lilium spp.), necessitam para entrar no periodo reprodutivo, por meio da exposicao a baixas temperatures. Avaliou-se uma funcao nao linear de resposta a vernalizacao para o lirio a -0,5; 4,0 e 10,0 oC durante dois, quatro, seis e oito semanas. Dados de duracao do subperiodo compreendido do plantio dos bulbos ate o aparecimento do botao das plantas com lirio, cultivar "Snow Queen", provenientes de um experimento realizado em Santa Maria, RS, Brasil, foram usados como dados independentes para testar a funcao nao linear de vernalizacao. Plantas de lirio nao foram vernalizadas com menos de oito dias efetivos de vernalizacao enquanto que as plantas estavam completamente vernalizadas com 40 ou mais dias efetivos de vernalizacao. A funcao geral nao linear de vernalizacao descreveu bem a resposta de desenvolvimento a vernalizacao com uma raiz quadrada media do erro de 0,178.
HABITAT SELECTION BY ELK BEFORE AND AFTER WOLF REINTRODUCTION IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Abstract Prey species are thought to select habitats to obtain necessary resources while also avoiding predation. We examined whether habitat selection by elk (Cervus elaphus) changed following the reintroduction of wolves (Canis lupus) into Yellowstone National Park in 1995. Using conditional fixed-effects logistic regression to build habitat-selection models, we compared seasonal habitat selection by elk based on weekly elk radiolocations taken in 1985–1990 (without wolves) and 2000–2002 (with wolves). Fire-related habitat changes and climate likely interacted with wolf avoidance in shaping habitat selection by elk. In summer, when wolf activity was centered around dens and rendezvous sites, elk apparently avoided wolves by selecting higher elevations, less open habitat, more burned forest, and, in areas of high wolf density, steeper slopes than they had before wolf reintroduction. In winter, elk did not spatially separate themselves from wolves. Compared to the pre-wolf period, elk selected more open habitats in winter after wolf reintroduction, but did not change their selection of snow water equivalents (SWE) or slope. Elk appear to select habitats that allow them to avoid wolves during summer, but they may rely on other behavioral antipredator strategies, such as grouping, in winter. This study provides evidence that wolves can alter seasonal elk distribution and habitat selection, and demonstrates how the return of wolves to Yellowstone restores important ecosystem processes.
PARTITIONING COMPONENTS OF RISK REDUCTION IN A DRAGONFLY-FISH INTRAGUILD PREDATION SYSTEM

Risk to prey imposed by intraguild predation (IGP) can be influenced by a number of factors, yet to date, few studies have measured the contributions of these factors to overall risk. A three-species IGP system with larvae of the dragonfly Anax junius as IG (top) predators, larvae of the dragonfly Plathemis lydia as IG prey (intermediate predators), and fathead minnow hatchlings (Pimephales promelas) as shared prey was used to estimate the contribution of the following three factors to shared-prey mortality rate in combined predator treatments: (1) the trophic effect of the IG predator on IG prey density; (2) the effect of reduced shared prey consumption by the IG prey in the presence of the IG predator; and (3) the effect of alternative prey for the IG predator. These factors were integrated into a model of multiple predator effects. To quantify minnow mortality, P. promelas were exposed to A. junius only, P. lydia only, A. junius and P. lydia, or neither in a two-by-two factorial design. Additional trea.
Caracterización biológica y genética de dos clones pertenecientes a los grupos I y II de Trypanosoma cruzi de Colombia

Introduction. Genetic differences between T. cruzi I and T. cruzi II may determine differences in their tissue tropism in the vertebrate host and may also be responsible for the differences in clinical manifestations of Chagas disease. Objective. Two Colombian clones of the T. cruzi groups I and II were characterized biologically and genetically in a murine model. Materials and methods. Strains Cas15 and AF1 belonging to the T. cruzi groups I and II were cloned in semisolid medium. A clone of each strain and a mix of both were used to infect mice; the mice were subsequently sacrificed at selected post-infection intervals. In order to identify the parasite presence in blood and organs, two methods were used (a) microhematocrit and (b) polymerase chain reaction with primers for satellite DNA and the intergenic region of miniexon. Results. The T. cruzi I clone was more infectious, with a preferential tropism observed in heart, rectum and skeletal muscle, whereas clone T. cruzi II exhibited a preferential tropism for spleen and liver. During the infection with the clone mixture a predominance of the T. cruzi I clone over clone II in blood as well as in organs was observed. Conclusion. The results corroborate that the genetic differences between the T. cruzi groups correlate with their tissue tropism, and can play an essential role in explaining the clinical manifestations of Chagas disease observed in Colombia.
PRODUÇÃO DE ETANOL A PARTIR DA FERMENTAÇÃO DE RESÍDUOS INDUSTRIAIS

O etanol e um biocombustivel produzido a partir de diversas materias primas, sendo a principal a cana-de-acucar, tambem podem ser utilizados residuos industriais como o glicerol do biodiesel, e residuos da industria de papel. Esses residuos industriais apresentam em sua composicao consideravel concentracao de carbono, podendo ser utilizados em processos de fermentacao. Com isso, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo produzir etanol pela fermentacao anaerobica do glicerol e de residuos da industria de papel utilizando-se um microorganismo especifico. Foi utilizado um planejamento experimental multivariado 2² com ponto central. O processo de fermentacao foi realizado por 72 horas a 36 °C ± 0,5. Os resultados mostraram uma tendencia de maior producao de etanol nos ensaios com 2 g de residuo celulosico e 4 mL de microorganismo. Os maiores teores de etanol obtido foram de 83 e 81 °GL.
Soil water extraction by dryland crops, annual pastures, and lucerne in south-eastern Australia

The extraction of soil water by dryland crops and pastures in south-eastern Australia was examined in 3 studies. The first was a review of 13 published measurements of soil water-use under wheat at several locations in southern New South Wales. Of these, 8 showed significantly more water extracted by crops managed with increased nitrogen supply or growing after a break crop. The mean additional soil water extraction in response to break crops was 31 mm and to additional N was 11 mm. The second study used the SIMTAG model to simulate growth and water-use by wheat in relation to crop management at Wagga Wagga. The model was set up to simulate crops that produced either average district yields or the potential yields achievable with good management. When simulated over 50 years of weather data, the combined water loss as drainage and runoff was predicted to be 67 mm/year for poorly managed crops and 37 mm for well-managed crops. Water outflow was concentrated in 70% of years for the poorly managed crops and 56% for the well-managed crops. In those years the mean losses were estimated to be 95 mm and 66 mm, respectively. The third study reports soil water measured twice each year during a phased pasture-crop sequence over 6.5 years at Junee. Mean water content of the top 2.0 m of soil under a lucerne pasture averaged 211 mm less than under a subterranean clover-based annual pasture and 101 mm less than under well-managed crops. Collectively, these results suggest that lucerne pastures and improved crop management can result in greater use of rainfall than the previous farming systems based on annual pastures, fallows, and poorly managed crops. The tactical use of lucerne-based pastures in sequence with well-managed crops can help the dewatering of the soil and reduce or eliminate the risk of groundwater recharge. Additional keywords: water-use, groundwater recharge, simulation, dryland salinity, soil dewatering. J.s, R.lt, les, per,n Herwa AR3 Watersd p J.us et a
Rapeseed oil and magnesium manipulations affect the seizure threshold to kainate in mice

We have previously shown that the drop in N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced seizure threshold caused by nutritional magnesium deprivation responded well to the w-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) alpha-linolenate (ALA) (5% rapeseed oil) diet when compared to w-6 PUFA diet. In the present work, kainate-induced seizures are shown to be also exacerbated by magnesium deprivation. ALA diet better attenuates this seizure exacerbation when compared to the non-ALA diet. The reversion of the drop in kainate seizure threshold induced in these conditions by magnesium administration was, however, better under the non-ALA diet in comparison with the ALA diet. Taken as a whole, present data indicate that kainate like NMDA brain injury is attenuated by ALA diet. On the other hand, the relative failure of ALA diet to potentiate reversion induced by magnesium might suggest that magnesium and ALA protections are not additive.
The impact of ecosystem connectivity on coral reef resilience

Summary 1. Ontogenetic dispersal of animals has been observed among many ecosystems, but its full ecological significance is poorly understood. By modelling the consequences of ontogenetic reef fish dispersal between Caribbean mangroves and adjacent coral reefs, we quantify the broader implications of ecosystem connectivity for ecosystem function and resilience to climate-driven disturbance. 2. Mangrove-driven enrichment of parrotfish grazing on two coral reef habitats was calculated using empirical data. The consequences of increased grazing were then investigated using a spatial simulation of coral reef dynamics in shallow (depth 3‐6 m) and mid-shelf forereefs (depth 7‐15 m). 3. The largest increase in grazing occurred in shallow reefs, but was found to have negligible consequences for coral population dynamics. 4. In contrast, relatively weak increases in grazing on deeper reefs had profound consequences: reefs near mangroves were able to experience coral recovery under the most intense hurricane regimes of the Caribbean, whereas those lacking ecosystem connectivity had little capacity for recovery. 5. This surprising result occurs because reefs exhibit multiple stable equilibria and mangrove enrichment of grazing in mid-shelf reefs coincides with a zone of system instability. A small increase in grazing shifted the reef beyond a bifurcation point, thereby enhancing resilience massively. A relatively large increase in grazing in shallow reefs had minimal ecosystem consequence because the grazing levels concerned were more than double the levels needed to exceed the corresponding bifurcation point for this habitat. 6. Synthesis and applications . Caribbean mangroves are being deforested at a faster rate than rainforests, yet their protective role against hurricane damage extends not only shoreward to coastal environments but also seaward to increasing the resilience of offshore coral reefs. Specifically, ontogenetic mechanisms of ecosystem connectivity involving parrotfish may increase the probability that coral populations will recover from climate-induced changes in hurricane disturbance. Efforts to arrest mangrove deforestation and restore mangrove habitats are likely to increase the likelihood of recovery of corals on mid-depth (7‐15 m) reefs after disturbance. In general, the ecosystem-level consequences of ontogenetic migration do not correspond necessarily to the magnitude of locally observed effects (i.e. the pattern of grazer enrichment exhibited the opposite pattern to that of its consequences for system resilience). Therefore, caution must be exercised when interpreting the functional significance of changes in species abundance for ecosystem process (e.g. grazing pressure and its implications for coral growth and survival). Impacts of shifting abundance or process are perhaps best appreciated using mechanistic ecosystem models.
The bacteriocin producer Lactobacillus amylovorus DCE 471 is a competitive starter culture for type II sourdough fermentations

Type II sourdoughs were prepared using Lactobacillus amylovorus DCE 471, a producer of the bacteriocin amylovorin L. The strain was used as a starter culture for rye and wheat sourdoughs on laboratory scale (10 L), and in rye sourdough on pilot scale (100 L). The sourdoughs were acidified to a pH of around 3.5 within 15 h (laboratory dough) to 25 h (pilot-scale dough). Final amylovorin L titres of 0.3–0.4 (laboratory scale) and 0.2 (pilot scale) MAU kg−1 of sourdough were detected. After baking of wheat dough that was supplemented with the pilot-scale sourdough, no amylovorin L activity was recovered from the breadcrumbs. On laboratory scale, aeration or the addition of complex carbohydrates hardly affected growth or amylovorin L production. Rye and wheat sourdough fermentation were rather similar despite differences in sugar concentrations. The persistence of L. amylovorus DCE 471 during rye sourdough fermentation, both on laboratory and pilot scale, was confirmed by repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) and by testing isolates towards an amylovorin L-sensitive organism. Further, rep-PCR indicated that the background microbiota of the flour—probably responsible for the production of low amounts of acetic acid—grew poorly and were overgrown by L. amylovorus DCE 471 during the pilot-scale fermentation. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
Chloroplast Phylogeny of Asplenioid Ferns based on rbcL and trnL-F Spacer Sequences (Polypodiidae, Aspleniaceae) and its Implications for Biogeography

Abstract Molecular phylogenies have been generated to investigate relationships among species and putative segregates in Asplenium, one of the largest genera in ferns. Of the ∼700 described taxa, 71 are included in a phylogenetic analysis using the chloroplast rbcL gene and trnL-F spacer. Our results support Hymenasplenium as the sister lineage to all other asplenioid ferns, and all other putative satellite genera are nested within this asplenioid clade. Instead of the classical and well-recognized separation into Old and New World clades, asplenioid ferns reveal a separation of the deeper branches into tropical and temperate clades. Temperate clades have evolved from tropical, more-basal clades and the phylogeny indicates up to six shifts between temperate and tropical preferences in the evolution of this widespread genus. Implications for speciation processes and biogeographic aspects, including the re-colonization of temperate regions after the last glacial period, are discussed and we present a phylogenetic framework from which the historical biogeography of asplenioid ferns can be inferred for Europe and North America.