Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Photosynthesis in rust-infected adult Norway spruce in the field.

• Norway spruce (Picea abies) has been infected by the needle rust Chrysomyxa rhododendri in many regions of the Central Alps with increasing intensities in recent years. Basidiospores formed on leaves of the main host, Rhododendron sp. , only penetrate into developing current-year needles of Norway spruce, which leads to shedding of infected needles in the autumn. • Net photosynthesis at ambient CO2 , net photosynthesis vs internal CO2 , pigment and nitrogen concentration were compared, as well as annual radial growth of severely infected and healthy adult Norway spruce under field conditions. • Net photosynthesis at ambient CO2 was significantly decreased (-47%) in infected current-year needles. However, net photosynethesis in uninfected, older (1-yr-old) needles increased, expressed per needle area, per gram of chlorophyll a + b as well as per gram of nitrogen. Annual ring width analysis revealed growth reductions (-25%) of the infected tree in periods of repeated C. rhododendri infections. • Although adult Norway spruce trees dispose of compensatory photosynthetic potentials of older needle age classes, C. rhododendri infections cause a substantial decrease in annual radial growth. If high infection intensities persist we predict serious damage to the subalpine spruce forest.
Responses of Scots pine seedlings to low root zone temperature in spring

The effects of root zone temperature (RZT) on growth, gas exchange, H + -ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3; PM-ATPase) activity and fatty acid composition of plasma membrane (PM) phospholipids in the roots of one-year-old seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) were studied for 10 days during flushing in spring. Nursery-grown seedlings were transferred to cold storage (-5°C) in mid-October, thawn in a cold room at 5°C in May, and transferred to hydroponic cultures at an air and root zone temperature of 5°C for a 3-day adjustment period. The experiment started when the RZT was changed to either 5, 12 or 20°C and the air temperature was increased to 20/15°C (day/night). RZTs of 5 and 12°C were suboptimal for root growth, and also shoot growth was suppressed at 5°C. The degree and rate of phospholipid fatty acid saturation in the PM of roots was highest at RZT of 20°C and intermediate at 12°C, while no change in the degree of saturation occurred at 5°C. PM-ATPase activities, measured at 5 and 12°C (real activities) were severely temperature-limited, but the increasing potential activities (measured at 38°C) at these RZTs indicated delayed deacclimation of the root system. At RZT 20°C, the decline of C18:2/C16:0 ratio in combination with decreasing potential and real PM-ATPase activities indicated, instead, fast deacclimation of the root system. Net photosynthesis of the seedlings was limited by non-stomatal factors at the beginning of the experiment, but recovered from winter inhibition and later became limited by low stomatal conductance at RZTs of 5 and 12°C. Instead, at 20°C the net photosynthesis increased with increasing stomatal conductance during the experiment. We conclude that low RZT suppresses growth of roots and such changes in the PM as are needed for efficient uptake of water and nutrients. This, in turn, limits net photosynthesis and, thus, the availability of photosynthates for root growth in spring. On the other hand, a rise in RZT can rapidly induce the structural and functional changes in PM of the roots that are needed for the efficient gas exchange and growth of the Scots pine seedlings.
A Study on the Investigation of Earnings Manipulation in the Form of Accruals Earnings Management (AEM): Evidence from Bangladeshi Firms

This research investigates the behavior of the managers of the Bangladeshi firms in applying Earnings manipulation through the technique of Accruals Earnings Management (AEM). This study examines whether the firm managers of Bangladesh involve themselves in earnings manipulation in the form of accruals earnings management that whether they beat of meat the earnings benchmarks in the context of Return on Assets, Changes in Return on Assets, Earnings per Shares and Changes in Earnings per Shares. The modified Cross Sectional Jones (1991) model has been applied to estimate the proxy for accruals earnings management (Abnormal Accruals) by using a 1652 firm-years observations of 168 companies of 10 industries (excluding Banking Industry, Financial Institutions, Insurance Industries and Telecommunication industries) over the 15 years from 2002 to 2016. Managers of other variables of accruals earnings management activities, this research reports that there is no evidence of earnings manipulation in the form of accruals earnings management from the evidence from Bangladeshi firms.
A geometric morphometric approach to establish body-shape trait criteria for aquatic insects

Abstract: Body shapes of aquatic insect larvae reflect phenotypic responses to complex environmental conditions and can be used to infer habitat properties and indicate natural and anthropogenic perturbations in river ecosystems. Investigation of relationships between body shape and physical-habitat characteristics has been restricted by a lack of an objective schema for quantitative characterization of body-shape variation. We present a functional ecological framework for body-shape classification based on defined criteria. We applied a geometric morphometric (GM) approach to the general classification of body shape in 4 morphologically diverse orders, Ephemeroptera (E), Plecoptera (P), Trichoptera (T), and Odonata (O) collected from 3 sites with contrasting hydrological and hydraulic characteristics. We describe a robust classification of body shapes for E, P, and O, which possess a compartmentalized body plan, and suggest a preliminary classification for T. We compared GM body shapes with body-shape trait states available in trait databases and found discordance between the 2 classifications. We explored the value of GM body shapes to describe taxon shape structure of reference sites and to detect variation reflecting physical properties of the sites. GM body-shape classes can augment the trait states already available and enhance inference regarding habitat status. Patterns in the shape strategies of aquatic insects, particularly EPO taxa, can be used to extrapolate shape information for other taxonomic groups. GM provides a stable shape classification that can contribute to the description of different ecological strategies of aquatic insects. Expanding the scope of shape information available for many taxonomic groups can improve our understanding of how organism phenotype relates to environmental conditions and supports traits-based assessment.
Relevance of Amylose‐Lipid Complexes to the Behaviour of Thermally Processed Starches

Maize grits of 50% moisture content (db) were thermally converted at 140 °C without shear. Analysis of the samples using X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, optical and scanning electron microscopy and by measurement of hot water absorption and solubility indices indicated that maize grits heated for 15 min or longer had undergone virtually complete melting of crystalline structure without loss of granular integrity and amylose-lipid complexes were formed. Rapid visco analysis (RVA) profiles of these samples were characterised by decreasing gelatinisation peak and final viscosities with longer heating times, but no cold swelling peak was observed for any heat treatment. Similar RVA patterns were also obtained for cereal starches (maize, wheat, rice) as well as for cassava starch in the presence of glycerol monostearate (GMS), whereas cassava, potato, waxy maize starch and waxy maize starch in the presence of GMS, all characterised by low lipid or amylose contents, showed cold swelling behaviour. It was concluded that the presence of amylose-lipid complexes in the granular starch particles played a key role in restriction of water penetration into the particles as well as starch granule swelling and solubilisation in cold water.
ALTERNATIVE FORAGING STRATEGIES AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION BY MALE AND FEMALE WANDERING ALBATROSSES

Allocation processes play a central role in life history theories. Yet very few studies have been carried out on the link between foraging and life history in the context of allocation of resources. Here we report a study examining the relationship between foraging and allocation of resources in the Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans of Crozet Islands. We simultaneously studied individual foraging strategies at sea and differential allocation to reproduction and storage by measuring the energy supplied to chicks and the variation of body mass of the adult. Satellite tracking and continuous monitoring of nest attendance by adults showed that while rearing a chick Wandering Albatrosses have two specific alternative foraging strategies. They either forage in short trips, short in duration and close to the colony over the southeastern slope of the peri-insular shelf, or in long trips far from the colony in the oceanic waters north of Crozet. On average, birds made five successive short trips before making a long trip. Chicks received a meal every 1.8 d and were fed with fresh prey, 72% squid and 24% fish, and a liquid fraction composed of oil and water. During short trips birds appear to rely to a great extent on Moroteuthis ingens, a squid species probably available in large numbers at the southeastern edge of the Crozet shelf. The measure of energy flows indicates that 74% of the energy delivered to the chick comes from short trips, whereas only 33.8% of the total energy is gained at sea during these trips. Males spent a greater proportion of their time foraging in short trips than females, and consequently chicks received 61.3% of their meals from males and 38.7% from females. Adult birds tended to lose mass after short trips and to lose more mass with increased duration of short trips, whereas they gained mass after long trips. They initiated long trips when their body mass was low. Although Wandering Albatrosses are able to provision their chicks at a rapid rate because of the proximity of an abundant resource, birds still have to forage far from the colony to restore their body condition. Estimates of energy yield explain this paradox, as they suggest that the rate at which prey is caught during short trips in shallow waters is half that during long trips in oceanic waters. The significance of the twofold foraging strategy in relation to food availability and foraging efficiency is discussed.
Different Audio Feature Extraction using Segmentation

Today’s internet world consists of tremendous amount of audio and video data which is consuming more space on clouds and servers. Even streaming of such audio and video data requires lot of efforts from hardware as well as software point of view, which increase the cost of service. So today there is need to convert this audio/video into some digital form which can be easily accessible and the downloaded over the internet. Segmentation gives the best approach for dividing the multimedia data into digital data by extracting different features of multimedia data. This paper introduces new technique to segment the audio signals and extract the different features in feature vector so that this data will be reproduced after transmission over the internet. With feature extraction from audio, it is possible to recognize the content of a piece of audio. This paper explains the need for audio feature extraction system, and also describes the most important attributes such as Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient, Zero Crossing Ratio, Linear Predictive Coefficient, Signal to Noise Ratio, Spectrum Flux, Power Spectrum, RMS etc.
Pre-Infection Behavior of the Pitch Canker Fungus Fusarium circinatum on Pine Stems

Pre-infection behavior of Fusarium circinatum on stems of pine species was investigated with scanning electron microscopy. Two-year-old stems of Pinus densiflora and p. rigida were inoculated with the fungal conidial suspension and subjected to for up to 16 hr. Most microconidia germinated 12 hr after inoculation on pine stems. Conidia produced germ tubes from either one or both ends of microconidia. Germ tubes grew over the stem surface and appeared to enter host tissues through natural openings on pine stems. Surface cracks in the cork were entrance sites of germ tubes of F. circinatum. In addition, host cell wall cracks were often found at the tip of germ tubes. The cuticle appeared to be eroded either at the tip of germ tubes or around germlings. Germ tubes also produced appressoria-like structures, exhibiting swollen tips of germ tubes on the stem surface. There seems to be no significant differences in the pre-infection behavior of F. circinatum on stems between the two pine species.
Mode of inheritance and stability of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki in a diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) population from Malaysia

Genetic inheritance of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki (BTK) was examined in a diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) population collected from the Melaka region of Malaysia. A BTK-selected sub-population (BTK-SEL) which was more than 100-fold resistant to BTK compared with a susceptible (ROTH) population of P xylostella was used with standard reciprocal crosses and back-crosses between ROTH and BTK-SEL. Logit regression analysis of F 1 reciprocal crosses indicated that BTK resistance was inherited as an incompletely recessive autosomal trait and controlled by a single locus. In contrast, other studies have shown that resistance to Cry1Ac is inherited as an incompletely dominant autosomal trait in a Cry1Ac-selected sub-population of the same Melaka population. The frequency of the allele responsible for resistance decreased without exposure to insecticide in the laboratory. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci from a threatened rattlesnake (New Mexico Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake, Crotalus willardi obscurus)

Six novel microsatellite loci are identified from genomic DNA of the threatened New Mexico Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi obscurus). Data from the Animas Mountains (New Mexico) population demonstrate these loci: (i) are highly variable with 5–24 alleles per locus, expected heterozygosities between 0.35 and 0.92, and observed heterozygosities between 0.32 and 0.91; (ii) are sufficiently variable for assigning parentage with total exclusionary power for the first parent of 0.96, and 0.99 for the second parent; and (iii) amplify similar size fragments in other rattlesnakes (C. atrox, C. lutosus, C. scutulatus, and C. tigris).
Sperm whale diving behavior monitored using a suction-cup-attached TDR tag

The diving behavior of a medium-sized female sperm whale off the Kumano Coast, Japan, was studied using a suction-cup-attached TDR (time depth recorder) tag. The tag remained attached to the whale for 62 h and recorded 74 dives deeper than 100 m. The whale repeatedly dived for 30 to 45 min down to 400-1200 m. Surface intervals were gener- ally 10 min between dives, except for a period of 1.3 to 4.2 h spent at the surface every afternoon. The whale spent long periods of time at the bottom of dives, during which there was considerable variability in both depth and velocity data, with occasional bursts in velocity. These data suggest that sperm whales use an active search-and-pursue strategy while forag- ing. Assuming all dives with active bottom time were for for- aging, this whale spent about 80% of its total time in foraging dives. Dives with little activity at depth were occasionally observed, which were probably for resting. Although dive parameters resemble those of northern bottlenose whales, dive profiles seem to be different, suggesting that these 2 deep diving cetaceans employ different foraging strategies.
ETUDES DE CYTOGENETIQUE SUR DES MURINAE AFRICAINS APPARTENANT AUX GENRES ARVICANTHIS, PRAOMYS, ACOMYS ET MASTOMYS (RODENTIA)

La formule Chromosom i que des Murinae suivants a ote etablie : Arwicanthis niloticus, 2N = 56; Praomys morio, 2N = 42; Praomys taitae, 2N = 48 ; Acomys subspinosus, 2N = 64 ; Mastomys sp. (de C te d'Ivoire), 2N = 38. La formule donnee pour Pr. morio a έίό etablie d'apros un sujet de Boukoko. Un autre sujet, provenant de Fernando Po et dotermind comme Pr. morio est cytologiquement identique a Pr. tullbergi de C te d'Ivoire procodemment έΐιιαίέ par l'auteur (1958), ne possedant que 34 chromosomes.
Muscle as a putative producer of acid α-glucosidase for glycogenosis type II gene therapy

Glycogenosis type II (GSD II) is a lysosomal disorder affecting skeletal and cardiac muscle. In the infantile form of the disease, patients display cardiac impairment, which is fatal before 2 years of life. Patients with juvenile or adult forms can present diaphragm involvement leading to respiratory failure. The enzymatic defect in GSD II results from mutations in the acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) gene, which encodes a 76 kDa protein involved in intralysosomal glycogen hydrolysis. We previously reported the use of an adenovirus vector expressing GAA (AdGAA) for the transduction of myoblasts and myotubes cultures from GSD II patients. Transduced cells secreted GAA in the medium, and GAA was internalized by receptor-mediated capture, allowing glycogen hydrolysis in untransduced cells. In this study, using a GSD II mouse model, we evaluated the feasibility of GSD II gene therapy using muscle as a secretary organ. Adenovirus vector encoding AdGAA was injected in the gastrocnemius of neonates. We detected a strong expression of GAA in the injected muscle, secretion into plasma, and uptake by peripheral skeletal muscle and the heart. Moreover, glycogen content was decreased in these tissues. Electron microscopy demonstrated the disappearance of destruction foci, normally present in untreated mice. We thus demonstrate for the first time that muscle can be considered as a safe and easily accessible organ for GSD II gene therapy.
A new species of Heliosperma (Caryophyllaceae) from Serbia and Montenegro

Heliosperma oliverae Niketic & Stevanovic is described from Mt. Prokletije in south-west Serbia and north-east Montenegro, together with an estimation of its ecological preferences and International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) threat status. A map and illustration are provided. It is compared with seven closely related Balkan endemic taxa: H. macranthum Pancic, H. retzdorffianum K. Malý, H. tommasinii Vis. , H. insulare Trinajstic, H. chromodontum (Boiss. & Reuter) Juratzka, H. intonsum (Greuter & Melzh.) Niketic & Stevanovic, and H. nikolicii (Seliger & T. Wraber) Niketic & Stevanovic. An amended key to species and a table showing differences from the related Balkan taxa are also provided. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 154, 55–63.
Expression of Mucins in the Human Fetal and Neonatal Stomach

Department of Structural Cell Biology, Field of Neuro-musculoskeletal Disorder, Course of Advanced Therapeutics, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima 890–8544, Japan, Department of Histology and Embryology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China, Department of Pathology, Municipal Hospital, 20–17 Kajiya-cho, Kagoshima 892–8580, Japan, Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, 1–10, Ami-dong, Suh-Gu, Pusan, South Korea and Department of Human Pathology, Field of Oncology, Course of Advanced Therapeutics, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima 890–8544, Japan
Relations among the great apes and humans: New interpretations based on the fossil great ape Dryopithecus

Dryopithecus has been known longer than most fossil primate taxa, but until recently was only represented by fragmentary jaws and isolated teeth. New specimens, including postcrania and relatively complete cranial remains, provide much new evidence on the biology of Dryopithecus and its relations t o other primates. The phylogenetic evidence indicates that Dryopithecus is probably more closely related to the African apes and humans than is Sivapithecus. When compared closely to living forms, Dryopithecus shares more with gorillas. This does not imply a close relationship between Dryopithecus and gorillas, since the similarities between the two are all primitive characters. Instead, it suggests that chimps and humans, which lack these characters, share a series of alternative character states that are derived, and indicative of a close evolutionary relationship between them. Humans probably diverged from a very chimp-like ancestor characterized by much of the ecology and behavior of living chimps, including knuckle-walking. But the earliest humans must have been ecologically quite distinctive, and not very much like any living primate, to account for the dramatic morphological changes that mark human origins. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Five Unique Amino Acid Residues of Hemagglutinin (HA) Proteins of Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Detected in 2009 in Jakarta, Indonesia

Nine HA genes of influenza A (H1N1) viruses originating from swine which were detected in 2009 in Jakarta, Indonesia, were characterized in this study. Nasopharyngeal and/or pharyngeal samples were extracted to obtain viral RNA genomes. Amplification of the HA segment was performed by using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and followed by nested PCR in cases of RT-PCR negative. DNA sequencing was performed by using eight overlapping primers. All the Jakarta strains were closely related to vaccine strain A/California/07/2009. Nine amino acid changes were found in the Jakarta strains, and 5 (P100S, S220T, G239D, R240Q, and I338V) of those were unique to all Jakarta strains with respect to strain A/California/07/2009 used to produce vaccine. An I338V substitution was detected in a cleavage site of HA and no amino acid changes were detected in potential sites for N-linked glycosylation. For seven sites (positions 131, 158, 160, 183, 187, 222, and 227) playing an important role in viral attachment to host receptor, none of the expected amino acid changes was detected; however, a S220T substitution close to amino acid 222 was found in all the Jakarta strains. All amino acid changes potentially affect the pathogenicity of the viruses and the efficacy of strain A/California/07/2009 in neutralizing the Jakarta strains.
Reduction of black vine weevil larval growth by vesicular‐arbuscular mycorrhizal infection

Larvae of Otiorhynchus sulcatus (black vine weevil) were reared at three densities (zero, two or eight), on plants of Taraxacum officinale (dandelion) with and without infection by the mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae. On plants without the fungus, survival of larvae to late final instar was 84%, but this was only 43% on infected plants. The differential survival of larvae was evident in their effects on plant biomass. Significant interactions were found between larval density and infection, indicating that mycorrhizal presence mitigated the effects of herbivory at the low larval density. Infection by G. mosseae thus conferred some degree of resistance in roots to this insect and the consequences of this for horticultural and natural situations are discussed.