Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feeding habits of anophelines (Diptera: Culicidae) in 1971–78, with reference to the human blood index: a review

A synoptic view is given of the data amassed by WHO, with technical assistance from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, on the origins of blood-meals in Anopheles samples collected from 1971 to 1978. Attention is focused on the proportion of each sample found to contain human blood and on the problems of interpreting from this the human blood index or degree of biting-contact with man exhibited by vector populations. The difficulties of overcoming bias in sampling, which are formidable in unsprayed areas, are further compounded where the dwellings are treated with a slow-acting residual insecticide which knocks down many engorged mosquitoes before they can be collected from their daytime resting places. There is evidence to suggest that the host-selection patterns of those vectors which are ‘opportunistic’ feeders may be heavily influenced, even from village to village or from month to month, by the changing availability of alternative hosts, particularly cattle. This suggests in turn that the possibilities of manipulating the degree of mosquito-man contact by encouraging deflection to animals (zooprophylaxis) or by measures to afford a degree of personal protection should not be under-estimated by malaria strategists. It may sometimes be found less difficult to reduce the vector’s human blood index than it is to measure it, but in view of the epidemiological importance of this parameter, suggestions are put forward for improving entomological field practice in this area. They include a quantitative survey of the biotopes available to the mosquito population as diurnal shelters, a longitudinal survey of the densities of blood-fed females per biotope, and a survey of the numbers and the respective distribution of people and domestic animals available as hosts. The work-load entailed by such a thorough form of investigation, to be repeated where necessary at different seasons of the year, underlines the necessity to concentrate efforts on a small number of localities, carefully chosen for the malaria situations they represent and the vector populations they support. A large-scale blood-meal sampling programme, confined to these selected localities, is most likely in our estimation to yield information of value for controlling malaria vectors.
DIETARY VITAMIN E INHIBITS POULTRY PSE AND IMPROVES MEAT FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES

The objective of this work was to investigate the occurrence of pale, soft, exudative meat (PSE) in chicken by submitting birds to physical stress. Dietary supplementation of vitamin E was undertaken to overcome this syndrome. Postmortem muscle biochemical events and their consequence on meat properties were evaluated in samples with and without supplemented vitamin E. Our studies showed chickens were susceptible to heat stress which promoted changes in the glycolytic parameters causing the development of chicken PSE. Dietary vitamin E was capable of inhibiting the development of the syndrome hence improving meat functional properties.
Isolamento de micobactérias em Felis concolor em cativeiro

Este trabalho foi realizado em uma reserva natural da Argentina com antecedentes de tuberculose em uma sucuarana adulta. O objetivo foi identificar por meio de tecnicas bacteriologicas e de biologia molecular as especies isoladas da orofaringe de cinco sucuaranas que apresentavam sinais clinicos inespecificos. As amostras foram colhidas das sucuaranas apos sedacao. Posteriormente foram processadas para obtencao do isolamento e identificacao por meio de provas bioquimicas do genero Mycobacterium pela tecnica de PCR. Investigou-se a presenca das sequencias de insercao IS6110 e IS1081 e hsp65. Obtiveram-se resultados positivos a coloracao de Ziehl-Neelsen de quatro amostras, isolando cinco cepas de crescimento lento. As cepas foram classificadas como M. gordonae em dois casos e M. simiae, M scrofulaceum e M. avium/intracellulare em um. Por PRA, identificou-se o padrao de M. gordonae em tres cepas e M. avium III ou M. simiae em dois.
In vitro inhibition of the paraoxonase from human serum with sulfonamide

This study was conducted to determine the in vitro effects of sulfonamide on human serum paraoxonase (PON1) activity. The enzyme was purified by two-step using ammonium sulfate precipitation and sepharose-4B-L-tyrosine-1-napthylamine hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Sulfonamide was an effective inhibitor on purified human serum PON1 activity for phenylacetate and paraoxon as substrates with IC50 values of 0.22 and 0.81 mM, respectively. The kinetics of interaction of sulfonamide with the purified enzyme indicated a different inhibition pattern for two substrates. Sulfonamide showed a non-competitive inhibition with Ki of 0.0037 ± 0.0009 mM for phenylacetate and competitive inhibition with Ki of 0.0057 ± 0.0002 mM for paraoxon.
Les protéines de pathogenèse PR-10 des végétaux

Abstract The PR-10 protein family contains proteins related to pathogenesis and allergenic proteins. They are acidic proteins, with an intracellular localization, usually members of a multigene family and ubiquitous among plant kingdom. They contain a highly conserved motif, identified as a phosphate binding site. Even if the biological function of these proteins is still unknown, many indicators seem to favour the hypothesis of an RNAse activity. Moreover, one of them seems to be a cytokinin specific binding protein. Besides, PR-10 protein expression induction under cytokinin treatment was observed with the Catharanthus roseus CrPR-10a protein. Here, we present the evidence of a significative increase of endogenous cytokinin contents in leaves of transgenic Tobacco plants over-expressing the CrPR-10a protein.
Effects of Heat Stress on Some Blood Parameters in Broilers

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of acute heat stress on the proportions of leucocyte components and hematocrit values in broiler chickens. Exposure of broiler chickens to 39±1 °C for 2 h at 44 d of age caused an increase in rectal temperatures, and in heterophil and basophil ratios. The H/L ratio also increased from 0.25 to 0.43. The exposure of the broilers to acute heat stress resulted in decreased monocyte and lymphocyte proportions whereas the proportion of eosinophil and the hematocrit values were not affected.
Primary prevention of alcohol and drug use in junior high school

Pape’s critical literature review of whether evaluations hold adequate quality focuses on two problems: 1) Too many papers presenting the program implementers’ intended effects get published while negative results are often underreported. This is partly due to the scientists’ wishes to highlight the positive results in the programs they have contributed to and have economic interest in, and partly due to a bias in which negative results are difficult to get published. 2) Ecological validity – can the positive results from intervention programs researchers implement be repeated, when ordinary teachers are left alone to implement the programs on a large scale? While one easily agrees that negative or a lack of results are underreported, the reasons are rather less suspicious than those suggested by Pape (pp. 524–525). Authors and referees evaluating such papers will suspect that ‘something’ went wrong in the research process. Unidentified causes of negative results easily render the paper to be unworthy to be published. The opposite is also true theoretically sound intended effects are reported, as one believes that the study Commentary to Pape HENRIK NATVIG
Interactions of physical chemical and biological processes in depth and time within a productive English lake during summer stratification

A survey is given of physical, chemical and biological events in the water-mass of a productive lake (Esthwaite Water, N. England) during summer stratification. They are interrelated in terms of i) responses to meteorological changes (ii) susceptibility to density stratification (iii) participation in acid-base and redox systems, with interactions of these (iv) modification due to the generation of particulate material from soluble precursors (v) limiting factors in such bio-generation (vi) mechanisms of internal nutrient loading, and (vii) control by the characteristics of individual plankters. The significance is demonstrated of differential inputs of meteorological variables, and especially of biological production and degradation, for determining the overall structure and metabolism of the lake.
Experience changes pollinator responses to floral display size: from size‐based to reward‐based foraging

Summary 1Plants that display many open flowers usually receive higher pollinator visitation rates, but it is unclear whether pollinators select plants to visit based on the size of floral display (apparent size) or the value of the floral rewards (reward size). To examine how pollinators respond to apparent size and reward size, we observed bumble bees foraging among arrays of artificial plants. 2We constructed two kinds of artificial flower: (i) rewarding flowers that produced nectar constantly; and (ii) unrewarding flowers that produced only water. Thus, we could construct plants that varied both in numbers of flowers (apparent size) and in numbers of rewarding flowers (reward size). 3At the beginning of the experiments, bees made more visits to the plants with the most flowers, irrespective of the rewards they contained. However, after several hours of foraging, bees returned selectively to plants with the greater number of rewarding flowers, irrespective of the number of flowers the plant presented. After we replaced rewarding plants with non-rewarding plants, bees continued visiting plants at formerly-profitable locations for a while. 4Our results demonstrate that bees initially showed preferences for plants with larger floral displays, but eventually bees were able to discriminate between rewarding and less-rewarding plants of equal display size by associating a plant's location with its reward size. Our results suggest that plants with many flowers can achieve higher visitation rates from pollinators in two ways: (i) by attracting inexperienced pollinators with large displays; and (ii) by encouraging experienced pollinators to return with the promise of greater rewards.
The Employment and Earnings of Britain's Senior Citizens

Britain's senior citizens, in common with the rest of Europe, are the fastest growing age group among the population and the numbers working have grown substantially. In 2007 the numbers working at or beyond the state pension age (65 and over for men, 60 and over for women) was 1.26 million, a number that has doubled over the past decade. In Europe generally these numbers will rise substantially. Using (mainly) a pooled dataset from the Labour Force Survey, the paper explores the determinants of the decision to work by household type (those with a partner and those without) as well as earnings, which are generally low. Female disadvantage appears to be a feature, just as with the working age population. Some comments about data discrimination against senior citizens are also made.
Do multiple caregivers speed up language acquisition?

In this paper we compare three different implementations of language learning to investigate the issue of speaker-dependent initial representations and subsequent generalization. These implementations are used in a comprehensive model of language acquisition under development in the FP6 FET project ACORNS. All algorithms are embedded in a cognitively and ecologically plausible framework, and perform the task of detecting word-like units without any lexical, phonetic, or phonological information. The results show that the computational approaches differ with respect to the extent they deal with unseen speakers, and how generalization depends on the variation observed during training. Index Terms: Language acquisition, Computational modeling
Ewe welfare and ovine milk and cheese quality

Abstract Causes of welfare reduction in dairy sheep flocks are presented and their impact on ovine milk and cheese quality is discussed. Attention is focused on climatic extremes, poor housing and milking hygiene, and nutritional imbalance: mechanisms are outlined through which stress-induced reduction of immune function can result in poor milk composition, deteriorated renneting ability of milk and altered proteolysis in cheese during ripening. In particular, the impact is brought out of exposure to high ambient temperature on the nutritional properties of ewe milk, in terms of increased short-chain and saturated fatty acids, and decreased unsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio. As well, the relationship is highlighted between ewe welfare and udder health. Especially under poor hygiene conditions the risk of mastitis markedly increases due to reduction of the natural defense mechanisms of the teat and mammary gland and increased number and pathogenicity of the micro-organisms in contact with the entrance of the teat canal. Evidence is provided that rise in milk somatic cell count, in response to bacteria penetration into the udder, can lead to decreased milk yield and altered composition of milk and cheese, due to extensive epithelium secretory cell damage.
Increasing home-grown forage consumption and profit in non-irrigated dairy systems. 1. Rationale, systems design and management

The profitability of dairy businesses in southern Australia is closely related to the amount of feed consumed from perennial ryegrass-dominant pasture. Historically, the dairy industry has relied on improvements in pasture productivity and utilisation to support profitable increases in stocking rate and milk production per hectare. However, doubts surround the extent to which the industry can continue to rely on perennial ryegrass technology to provide the necessary productivity improvements required into the future. This paper describes the design and management of a dairy systems experiment at Terang in south-west Victoria (780-mm average annual rainfall) conducted over four lactations (June 2005–March 2009) to compare the production and profitability of two forage base options for non-irrigated dairy farms. These options were represented by two self-contained farmlets each milking 36 mixed-age, autumn-calving Holstein-Friesian cows at peak: (1) well managed perennial ryegrass pasture (‘Ryegrass Max’, or ‘RM’); and (2) perennial ryegrass plus complementary forages (‘CF’) including 15% of farmlet area under double cropping with annual species (winter cereal grown for silage followed by summer brassica for grazing on the same land) and an average of 25% of farmlet area in perennial pasture based on tall fescue for improved late spring–early summer feed supply. The design of these systems was informed by farming systems models (DairyMod, UDDER and Redsky), which were used to estimate the effects of introducing different forage options on farm profitability. The design of the CF system was selected based on modelled profitability increases assuming that all forage components could be managed to optimise forage production and be effectively integrated to optimise milk production per cow. Using the historical ‘average’ pasture growth curve for the Terang district and a mean milk price of $3.71 per kg milk solids, the models estimated that the return on assets of the RM and CF systems would be 9.4 and 15.0%, respectively. The objectives of the experiment described here were to test whether or not such differences in profitability could be achieved in practice, and to determine the risks associated with including complementary forages on a substantial proportion of the effective farm area. Key results of the experiment are presented in subsequent papers.
Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology

Preface Foreword by Tim Flannery 1. Biochar for Environmental Management: An Introduction 2. Physical Properties of Biochar 3. Characteristics of Biochar: Microchemical Properties 4. Characteristics of Biochar: Organo-chemical Properties 5. Biochar: Nutrient Properties and Their Enhancement 6. Characteristics of Biochar: Biological Properties 7. Developing a Biochar Classification and Test Methods 8. Biochar Production Technology 9. Biochar Systems 10. Changes of Biochar in Soil 11. Stability of Biochar in Soil 12. Biochar Application to Soil 13. Biochar and Emissions of Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases from Soil 14. Biochar Effects on Soil Nutrient Transformations 15. Biochar Effects on Nutrient Leaching 16. Biochar and Sorption of Organic Compounds 17. Test Procedures for Determining the Quantity of Biochar within Soils 18. Biochar, Greenhouse Gas Accounting and Emissions Trading 19. Economics of Biochar Production, Utilization and Greenhouse Gas Offsets 20. Socio-economic Assessment and Implementation of Small-scale Biochar Projects 21. Taking Biochar to Market: Some Essential Concepts for Commercial Success 22. Policy to Address the Threat of Dangerous Climate Change: A Leading Role for Biochar Index
Root system growth and nodule establishment on pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Development of the root system, appearance of nodules, and relationships between these two processes were studied on pea (Pisum sativum L., cv. Solara). Plants were grown in growth cabinets for 4 weeks on a nitrogen-free nutrient solution inoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum. Plant stages, primary root length, distance from the primary root base to the most distal first-order lateral root, and distance from the root base to the most distal nodule, were recorded daily. Distribution of nodules along the primary root and distribution of laterals were recorded by sampling root systems at two plant stages. Primary root elongation rate was variable, and declined roughly in conjunction with the exhaustion of seed reserves. First-order laterals appeared acropetally on the primary root. A linear relationship was found between the length of the apical unbranched zone and root elongation rate, supporting the hypothesis of a constant time lag between the differentiation of first-order lateral's primordia and their emergence. Decline of the primary root elongation rate was preceded by a reduction in density and length of first-order laterals. Nodules appeared not strictly but roughly acropetally on the primary root. A linear relationship was found between the length of the apical zone without nodule and root elongation rate, supporting the hypothesis of a constant time lag between infection and appearance of a visible nodule. A relationship was found between the presence/absence of nodules on a root segment and the root elongation rate between infection and appearance of nodules on the considered root segment. Regulation of both processes by carbohydrate availability, as a causal mechanism, is proposed.
Evaluation of Crude Protein Needs for Large White Male Turkeys from 16 to 20 Weeks of Age 1

A study was conducted to determine the minimum crude protein content of finisher diets based on corn and soybean meal supplemented with commercially available amino acids for male Large White turkeys. Diets were formulated to contain a minimum of 105% of NRC (1994) recommended levels of Met, Lys, TSAA, Thr, and Trp for diets fed 16 to 20 wk of age; no other essential amino acids were specified. The crude protein content of the diets ranged from 75 to 100% of the recommended level of 16.5%. When diets were formulated to contain at least the minimum recommended levels of Met, TSAA, Lys, Thr, reducing the crude protein content of the diet to less than 85% resulted in a significant reduction in weight at 20 wk or body weight gain from 16 to 20 wk. Addition of Ile and Val to diets formulated to contain 80 or 85% of the recommended crude protein level had no significant effect on body weight or weight gain, indicating that a deficiency of these amino acids per se was not responsible for the reduction in performance on diets with low levels of crude protein. Feed conversion was more variable and was not significantly influenced by dietary crude protein.
Analysis of bacterial and protozoan communities in an aquifer contaminated with monoaromatic hydrocarbons

Bacterial and protozoan communities were examined in three cores (A, B and C) from an aquifer located at an abandoned refinery near Hunxe, Germany. Cores were removed along a transect bordering a plume containing various monoaromatic hydrocarbons. Monoaromatic hydrocarbons could not be detected in the unsaturated zone in any core but were present in the saturated zones of core C (between 280 and 42 600 μmol kg−1 of core material [dry wt.]) and cores A and B (between 30 and 190 μmol kg−1 of core material [dry wt.]). Xylene isomers accounted for 50–70% of monoaromatic hydrocarbons in all cores. The number of DAPI-stained bacteria was found to increase from the low-contaminated cores A and B (approx. 0.1×108 cells and 0.2×108 cells g−1 of core material [dry wt.], respectively) to the high-contaminated core C (2.4×108 cells g−1 of core material [dry wt.]). The higher bacterial numbers in core C were found to coincide with a higher detection rate obtained by in situ hybridization using probe Eub338 to target the domain Bacteria (13–42% for core C as compared to 3–25% for cores A and B, respectively). Proteobacteria of the δ-subdivision (which includes many sulfate-reducing bacteria) were the most predominant of the groups investigated (7–15% of DAPI-stained bacteria) and were followed by Proteobacteria of the γ- and β-subdivisions (4% and 1% of DAPI-stained bacteria, respectively). The total numbers of protozoa and bacteria determined by direct counting occurred in a ratio of approx. 1:103, which was independent of depth or core examined. Most probable number analysis combined with a subsequent classification of the culturable protozoa revealed nanoflagellates as the major component of the protozoan community. Naked amoebae became increasingly more encysted with depth, except in the high-contaminated core C where vegetative trophozoites were present in the saturated zone. The co-occurrence of bacteria and protozoa in association with high concentrations of monoaromatic hydrocarbons suggests the involvement of trophic interactions in the process of biodegradation.
THE EFFECT OF LABORATORY COLONY CONDITION ON THE TROPHALLACTIC INTERACTIONS OF CAMPONOTUS VAGUS (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)

In this study, our aim was to give a detailed evaluation of the trophallactic interactions among foragers of Camponotus vagus in outside-nest situation, and to find out which properties of trophallaxis may have a role in the information-flow among workers about current nutritional state of the colony. Measured parameters were the number and frequency of trophallactic interactions, the duration of trophallaxes, the frequency of different duration interactions, and the number and size-class of workers participating in trophallactic events outside the nest. Experiments were conducted both with starved and satiated colonies to examine the effect of feeding condition. We demonstrated that the dynamics of trophallaxis is a stable parameter; it was independent from the starvation level. Similarly, the number of partners and the size class distribution of the different sized worker pairs did not differ between the two colony states. Starvation level influenced both the frequency and mean duration of trophallactic interactions. The frequency-distribution of the duration of trophallactic events showed an exponential trend, i.e., the short term interactions were more frequent than the prolonged ones in both colony states. However, the rate of these two distinguished types of trophallaxis was different in the case of the two colony conditions. Different rates of the short term and prolonged interactions may provide information about the current nutritional requirements of the colony, enhancing the speed and efficiency of colony responses to feeding stress. Frequent short term trophallaxis may not only contribute to a high level of cooperation during retrieval of food among foragers, but also maintain the integration of colony members even outside their nest.