Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ecomorphological diversification following continental colonization in muroid rodents (Rodentia: Muroidea)

The emergence of exceptionally diverse clades is often attributed to ecological opportunity. For example, the exceptional diversity in the most diverse superfamily of mammals, muroid rodents, has been explained in terms of multiple independent adaptive radiations. If multiple ecological opportunity events are responsible for generating muroid diversity, we expect to find evidence of these lineages ecologically diversifying following dispersal into new biogeographical areas. In the present study, we tested the trait-based predictions of ecological opportunity using data on body size, appendages, and elevation in combination with previously published data on biogeographical transitions and a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny. We identified weak to no support of early ecological diversification following the initial colonizations of all continental regions, based on multiple tests, including node height tests, disparity through time plots, evolutionary model comparison, and Bayesian analysis of macroevolutionary mixtures. Clades identified with increased diversification rates, not associated with geographical transitions, also did not show patterns of phenotypic divergence predicted by ecological opportunity, which suggests that phylogenetic diversity and phenotypic disparity may be decoupled in muroids. These results indicate that shifts in diversification rates and biogeographically-mediated ecological opportunity are poor predictors of phenotypic diversity patterns in muroids.
Sexual Size and Shape Dimorphism Variation in Caesar's Lizard (Gallotia caesaris, Lacertidae) from Different Habitats

Abstract We compared sexual dimorphism of body and head traits from adult lizards of populations of Gallotia caesaris living in ecologically different habitats of El Hierro and La Gomera. Males had larger body sizes than females, and sexual size and shape dimorphisms were greater in a population from La Gomera than in three populations from El Hierro. Multivariate analyses of variance, using linear and shape-adjusted traits, showed that the populations differed significantly in body and head traits, with pileus (head) width, snout–vent length (SVL), and body mass the main traits contributing to the differences. Males had larger SVL, heads, and limbs than females in all populations, but SVL relative to a shape index (calculated as the geometric mean of several body parameters) was larger in females than in males. Moreover, shape-adjusted hind-limb lengths were significantly shorter in lizards from the more densely vegetated habitats than in those from the less vegetated ones. The magnitude of sexual dimorphism was larger for relative limb length and head depth in the populations with less vegetation than in those with more vegetation. Our data suggest that morphological differences between populations reflect local adaptation to habitat structure.
Genotype x Environment interaction for quality traits in durum wheat cultivars adapted to different environments

The quality traits of durum wheat are important for the utilization by the industries. These traits may be influenced by genotype and interaction of genotype and environment (GxE). To evaluate the effects of genotype, environment and genotype x environment interaction on quality traits such as vitreousness, SDS sedimentation test, yellow pigment index, protein content and test weight, twelve Moroccan durum wheat cultivars representing a range of agronomic adaptation were tested in five locations representing a range of environments in three growing seasons. The results indicated significant effects of genotype, environment and GxE for all the quality traits. The extent of these effects differed; for SDS sedimentation volumes, yellow pigment and test weight, the component of variation due to genotype was larger than due to the environment, indicating the greater influence of genotypes on these traits. However, for vitreousness and protein content, the effect of environment was higher than the effect due to genotypes. Thus, these traits are controlled greatly by environmental effects than genetics. The variation due to GxE was higher than that of genotype for vitreousness and test weight, indicating high GxE interaction effect and less genotypic stability for these traits. For protein content, where the environmental effect was greater than that of genotype and GxE effect, multiple environmental trials are necessary in order to determine protein content of a cultivar. For other traits, preliminary evaluations can be done in one environment and good performing ones can be selected for multiple environmental trials.
Effects of UV-B Radiation on Terrestrial and Aquatic Primary Producers*

▪ Abstract Ozone depletion by anthropogenic gases has increased the atmospheric transmission of solar ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280–315 nm). Our understanding of the consequencences of enhanced UV-B levels on primary producers has grown dramatically over the past 20 years, but it has been hampered by how realistically experimental UV-B exposures mimic ozone-depletion scenarios. Overcoming these shortcomings will require sophisticated and creative approaches. Biological weighting functions and solar spectral irradiance estimates are critical in evaluating effects and require more attention. Whereas UV screening compounds in terrestrial and aquatic producers commonly increase with UV-B exposure, the implications, while potentially far reaching, are unclear. Photosynthesis is more sensitive to UV-B in phytoplankton than in terrestrial plants, probably owing to less effective screening in phytoplankton. Productivity of terrestrial plants is usually unaffected by enhanced UV-B, although reduced growth has.
Evaluation of the Reliability of the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms

Reliable and convenient rating scales to assess the negative symptoms ia schizophrenia are necessary to evaluate the theoretical and clinical importance of the distinction between positive and negative symptoms. Although researchers and clinicians have recognised the importance of these symptoms for many years, they were not used in research on schizophrenia till recently. This is probably because of the belief that they are too subjective to be defined with adequate reliability. The researchers have of late expressed renewed interest in the assessment, etiology and the treatment of negative symptoms (Strauss and Carpenter, 1974; Crow, 1980; Andreasen and Oslen, 1982).
Production of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Cymbella sp

Natural limitations favour a novel approach for the production of omega-3 fatty acids. A series of PUFAs including Eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexanoic acid (DHA) have widespread nutritional and pharmaceutical values. This study investigated the potential production of these two economically important fatty acids from algae. The microorganisms used were Cymbella cistula and Cymbella ventricosa isolated from Koovam River and Porur Lake, Chennai, Tamilnadu and India. The use of Cymbella sp. is preferred since it produced considerable amounts of EPA and DHA. This paper presents the results on the ratios of EPA and DHA produced by these microalgae and recovery aspects.
Immune responsiveness to IBDV vaccine in SDL broiler chicken lines divergently selected for immunocompetence index

Birds having extreme immunocompetence (IC) index in G2 generation of divergent selection based on IC-index were evaluated for immunoresponsiveness to IBDV vaccine. The lines differed significantly (P 0.05), the titres were relatively higher in high IC-index line at other dpi too. Sex difference was significant on antibody titre at 28 dpi only; females had higher values. No specific trend could be observed at other dpis. The line x sex interaction was significant at 7 and 28 dpis indicating that differences between sexes across the lines were not similar.
HIGH-RESOLUTION TIME TO DIGITAL CONVERTER IN 0.13 µ M CMOS PROCESS FOR RFID PHASE LOCKED LOOP

Time to Digital Converter (TDC) has become an attractive replacement of the traditional phase/frequency detector and charge pump with the appearance of digitally intensive All-Digital Phase-Locked-Loop (ADPLL) in deep submicron Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS). The performance of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) ADPLL is limited by the TDC time resolution because it contributes to the in-band phase noise. The available TDC design consumes more power and also difficult to implement in ADPLL because of its complex circuitry. In this article, a simple TDC architecture, based on modified current starved delay element and D flip-flop, has been proposed for RFID ADPLL, which is implemented and tested in TSMC 0.13 µ m CMOS process. The proposed TDC circuit achieves 1.31 ps resolution and consumes an average power of 0.061 µ W only with 1.8 V power supply. The designed TDC will be suitable to be used in ADPLL frequency synthesizer for RFID applications, high-speed data transmission, automotive solutions etc.
Impact of nitrogen inputs on multiple facets of plant biodiversity in mountain grasslands: does nutrient source matter?

Questions: What is the impact of nitrogen (N) inputs on the vegetation of mountain permanent grasslands? Beyond the effect of fertilizer quantity (total and available N supply), is there a specific effect of fertilizer quality (the various N sources) on the multiple biodiversity facets of plant communities? Location: Jura Mountains (France). Methods: Based on a vegetation and agronomic survey of 29 mown grasslands, we considered taxonomic, phylogenetic and multi-trait functional diversity indices as well as community-weighted means of seven functional traits (CWMs) including CSR strategies. Using partial redundancy analysis (pRDA) and Spearman correlations, we assessed the response of these biodiversity metrics to (1) the medium-term total N input and the short-term available N input of any origin, and (2) the relative contribution of industrial fertilizers, solid manure, liquid manure, livestock restitutions and atmospheric deposition to the amount of available N added to the soil during the year preceding vegetation sampling. Results: We report significant negative rank correlations between total or available N input and two diversity metrics: species richness and functional richness. Among CWMs, high N inputs were positively correlated with specific leaf area (SLA), competitive and ruderal strategies, and negatively with seed mass and stress-tolerant strategy. Results also revealed various trends according to the N source: when the proportion of available N from livestock restitutions was high, plant communities showed higher taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity and lower leaf dry matter content. In contrast, communities receiving mainly industrial fertilizers showed lower taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity and higher SLA. Moreover, pRDA suggested contrasting impacts of the main N source on life strategies: R strategy appeared more favoured by a high proportion of industrial fertilizers, while C strategy was enhanced by liquid or solid manure. Conclusions: Our observations support the common finding that a high N supply impacts plant functional composition and is associated with a decrease in species richness through the loss of stress-tolerant species. In addition, they show that biodiversity patterns mostly depend on fertilizer origin. In particular, industrial fertilizers appear to be the most detrimental sources of nutrients for both taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity in mountain grasslands.
Reef fishes of the Mazunte-Bahías de Huatulco reef track, Oaxaca, Mexican Pacific

Although fish are one of the most abundant, conspicuous and structurally important inhabitants of reef systems, the group has remained largely ignored from biodiversity accounts on the Oaxaca reef track. Reef icthyofauna composition at 10 sites between Mazunte and Isla Montosa was gathered through stationary visual census techniques during 19982008. A total of 112 species belonging to 81 genera, 40 families and 11 orders were recorded. Species richness of the study area is higher than similar reef communities in the Mexican Pacific. Thirty species represent new records for the study area, and some discrepancies were found between local (this study) and regional accounts. Our data suggest that species composition in the area is still incomplete.
Infection Process of Sphaerotheca fuliginea on Host Cucumber and Nonhost Wheat Leaves

The infection process of Sphaerotheca fuliginea into epidermal cells of host cucumber and nonhost wheat were studied histochemically. The percentages of germinated conidia had no significant difference on cucumber and wheat leaves at the pre-penetration stage. When S. fuliginea overcame the constitutive barriers of wheat leaf, papillae and hypersensitive reaction were induced to prevent the further development of S. fuliginea. Less than 1% haustoria could form in wheat at the post-penetration stage. However, in cucumber to S. fuliginea interaction, plentiful secondary hyphae and haustoria formed in cucumber leaves.
El género Calceolaria (Calceolariaceae) en el departamento de Lima-Perú

Calceolaria has 29 species in Lima. These species belong to two subgenus and thirteen sections of the genus. Calceolaria rivularis is first reported for this department. Calceolaria bicrenata, C. inflexa, C. linearis, C. neglecta, C. pulverulenta and C. scabra, have not been collected in Lima for more than fifty years, and the existing collections for this department are not in national herbariums. Most of the species are found in grass steppe with dispersed bushes, between 3000-3900 m; five species grow in lomas, and only one (C. dichotoma) is restricted to this formation. A key, drawings and short descriptions are provided for these species. Brief comments about the genus diversity in Peru, common names and uses are also included.
Epidemiological aspects of cassava brown streak disease in field grown cassava in Coastal regions of Tanzania

The study aimed at determining the spatial and temporal spread of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) in field grown cassava in Chambezi, coastal Tanzania and identifying the alternative hosts of Cassava brown streak virus viruses (CBSVs). In determining the spatial and temporal spread of CBSD three treatments were used in the study and a no disease plot served as a control. Data were collected on CBSD severity, incidence and whitefly counts and analysed using SPSS for analysis of variance. Graphs for the temporal disease spread were established to explain the temporal disease spread and examined. Based on the shapes suggest that CBSD progressively increased with time, limited effects of blocking and treatments on foliar and stem incidence of CBSD was observed. The effect of time was highly significant on foliar and stem incidence (P < 0.005). In addition, the effect of blocking, treatments and time (MAP) was highly significant on whitefly population (P < 0.005). The study has shown that susceptible CBSD cassava cultivars become infected though CBSVs infected cassava plant(s) planted in the farm. In determining the alternative hosts of CBSD leaf samples were collected from shrubs and herbs with-virus like symptoms in the Coast, Dar es Salaam and Tanga Regions. Detection of CBSVs was done where samples from Annona senegalensis Pers. tested positive to CBSV whereas UCBSV was detected in Solanum incanum L. Psorospermum febrifugum Spach.var tested positive for the two viruses (CBSV and UCBSV) suggesting coinfections. This new findings sheds light on the origin of this viruses that was first reported from East Africa at Amani in Tanga Region. It further suggests that cleaning of new stock from virus might not offer an effective solution to CBSD management in areas where alternative host plants are rampant.
Identifikasi Secara Serologi Galur Virus Flu Burung Subtipe H5N1 Clade 2.1.3 dan Clade 2.3.2 pada Ayam Petelur (SEROLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION OF AVIAN INFLUENZA STRAIN VIRUS SUBTYPE H5N1 CLADE 2.1.3 AND CLADE 2.3.2 FROM LAYER)

The aim of the study was to know avian influenza (AI) infection in field by using serology test in threemarketing area of AI vaccines. Haemagglutination inhibition methode was used in this test. There werefour antigen strains of AI subtype H5N1 clade 2.1. 3 (AIstrainA/Chicken/West Java/PWT-WIJ/2006, AIstrain A/Chicken/Garut/BBVW-223/2007, AI strain A/Chicken/West Java-Nagrak/30/2007, and AI strainA/Chicken/Pekalongan/BBVW-208/2007) and 2 antigen strains of AI subtype H5N1 clade 2.3. 2 (AI strainA/duck/Sukoharjo/BBVW-1428-9/2012 and AI strain A/duck/Sleman/BBVW-1463-10/2012) was used inthis study for HI test. The result presents that 93,33% chicken farms in three marketing area of PT. SanbioLaboratories have positive antibody titre to AI subtype H5N1 clade 2.1. 3. This titre may be obtained fromAI clade 2.1. 3 vaccination. From 15 samples, 92,86% are positive to AI subtype H5N1 clade 2.3. 2A/duck/Sukoharjo/BBVW-1428-9/2012 and 92,31% are positive to A/duck/Sleman/BBVW-1463-10/2012 evenwithout AI clade 2.3. 2 vaccination. This antibody titre may be obtained from AI clade 2.1. 3 vaccine crossprotection or field infection.
Reproductive Potential of Male House Rats (Rattus rattus) Inhabiting South-West Region of Punjab

Mammals including human beings are exposed to several thousand chemicals used in industrial processes, developmental activities and also through food chain. High level of pesticides residues existing in the environment exerts adverse effects on reproductive health of animals leading to direct toxicity to the reproductive organs or by interferences with the hormonal functions. The present study was designed to examine the possible effect of environmental contaminants on the male fertility indices and testicular functions in Rattus rattus inhabiting South-West region of Punjab. There was significantly decrease in the weight of testis, epididymus (caput, corpus and cauda) prostate gland in mature and immature Bathinda rats as compared to the control rats inhabiting South-West region of Punjab. The level of total proteins and phospholipids decreased while that of total lipids and cholesterol increased in testis of mature and immature house ratsinhabiting South-West region of Punjab. The concentration of testicular enzymes viz. acid and alkaline phosphatases (AKP, ALP) decreased in testis of mature and immature house rats. There was also observed a decrease in the sperm motility and the sperm concentration in these rats. Abnormal form sperm were significantly increased in Bathinda rats as compared to the control rats. In the present study Testosterone level decreased in rats collected from Bathinda as compared to control rats. Pesticide residue of chlorpyriphos was detected in plasma of these rats. Histopathological evaluations of testis of the Bathinda rats revealed some distorted seminiferous tubules and degenerative changes in seminiferous tubules with reduced spermatozoa. From present study we conclude that exposure of multiple pesticides/environmental contaminants for prolonged period has affected the reproductive health of house rats, thereby disrupting male reproduction.
The Effect on Growth Performance of Chicken Meat in Broiler Chicks by Dietary Supplementation of Black Soldier Fly Larvae, Hermetia illucens(Diptera: Stratmyidae)

Abstract This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of the black soldier fly (bsf) larvaeon growth performance, carcass rate, and fatty acid profile of chicken meat in broiler chicks. Four hundred eighty 1-d-old broilers (Ross 308) were distributed into 3 treatments with 4 pens at 30 birds per replicate. Treatments were corn-soybean meal based broiler diet (control) and the basal diet replaced with bsf at the level of 3 and 6% respectively. Via-bility was not different significantly. Body weight gain was higher in control than other treatments. Feed intake was notstatistically different of treatments. Feed conversion ratio was lower in control than other treatments. Relative weightof breast meat was significantly increased in all treated groups than in control. But, another relative weights of chickenmeat cuts (thigh, wing, neck, back) were not significantly different among the groups. In conclusion, it could be sug-gested that dietary supplementation of black soldier flylarvae could beneficially improved the performanceon broiler.Key words : black soldier fly (bsf), Hermetia illucens, organic wastes
Intra- and Interspecific Competition among the Water Snakes Nerodia sipedon and Nerodia rhombifer

Abstract I investigated the potential role of intra- and interspecific competition for food in Midland Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon pleuralis) and Diamond-Backed Watersnakes (Nerodia rhombifer rhombifer) during the summers of 1999 and 2000. Snakes offered prey (juvenile spotted bass, Micropterus punctulatus) at low densities (five fish/enclosure/week) had significantly lower proportional changes in mass than snakes offered prey at high densities (10 fish/enclosure/week). However, differences in mass changes of N. sipedon were not significant at constant relative densities of prey to snakes. Nerodia sipedon and N. rhombifer that were offered 10 fish per week and tested individually had significantly higher mass changes than snakes tested in intraspecific pairs. For snakes maintained in interspecific pairs and offered 10 fish per week, N. sipedon had higher mass changes than N. rhombifer, although the difference was not significant. I lab-tested the potential for exploitation as a mechanism of competition between N. sipedon and N. rhombifer by comparing rates of gastric breakdown after feeding snakes a goldfish (Carassius auratus), forcing regurgitation at six, 12, and 18 h after ingestion, and comparing ash-free dry masses (AFDMs) of the digested fish. Relatively higher AFDMs of digested fish were obtained from N. sipedon than from N. rhombifer at six and 12 hours after ingestion. Thus, the former species exhibited a faster rate of gastric breakdown than the latter. These differences in competitive abilities may potentially contribute to the higher abundance of N. sipedon than N. rhombifer in the upper Pascagoula River system of southeastern Mississippi.
Bullseye!

Power makes people think, feel, and behave in ways that help them to maintain and increase power. Thus far, the mechanisms underlying power’s beneficial effects on goal pursuit have been investigated predominantly on a cognitive level. The present research tested whether power influences goal pursuit in an even more fundamental way, namely by improving actual behavior on motor-based tasks. Furthermore, we suggest that this effect is produced by changes in perceptual goal representation. Consistent with our assumptions, Experiment 1 found that individuals primed with high-power outperformed control participants on a golf-putting task. In Experiment 2, individuals receiving a high-power prime outperformed individuals receiving a low-power prime on a dart-throwing task. Moreover, high-power primed participants represented the focal goal (a dart board) in greater goal-relevant detail, which mediated the effect of power on motor performance. Taken together, these findings suggest that power shapes performance in more fundamental ways than previously assumed.