cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825581
title: Thermophilous deciduous forests in Southeastern Europe

description: This paper deals with the numerical elaboration of the database of 1764 relevés of thermophilous deciduous forests assigned by the authors to the order <i>Quercetalia pubescentis</i> in the northwestern part of Southeastern Europe. After elimination of relevés which were dominated by mesophilous deciduous and coniferous tree species, the stratification of relevés was carried out. The TWINSPAN classification revealed eight ecologically and phytogeographically interpretable groups. Additionally the analysis of Pignatti indicator values passively projected on the PCA diagram of the eight groups, and a chorological analysis of individual groups were made. The analyses revealed that all groups in general match with the traditionally accepted alliances, such as <i>Quercion pubescenti-sessiliflorae</i>, <i>Aceri tatarici–Quercion</i>, <i>Quercion confertae</i>, <i>Quercion petraeae-cerris</i>, <i>Syringo-Carpinion</i>, <i>Pruno tenelle–Syrinion</i>, <i>Carpinion orientalis</i> and <i>Fraxino orni–Ostryion</i>. Finally, a synsystematic classification of the elaborated group is proposed, and the nomenclature is harmonised with the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature. The results are also presented in a synoptic table together with calculation of the diagnostic species.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825579.v1
title: Heterotrophy in recruits of the scleractinian coral <i>Pocillopora damicornis</i>

description: Heterotrophy is essential for meeting the metabolic requirements of scleractinian corals but the feeding mechanisms of coral juveniles are poorly understood. In this study, we observed that two-day-old <i>Pocillopora damicornis</i> recruits were able to immobilize and capture <i>Artemia salina</i> nauplii that come into direct contact with their tentacles. The recruits were able to consume up to six nauplii h<sup>−1</sup> and the shortest time required to fully ingest one nauplius was 1 min 25 s. This is the first study to describe the feeding mechanisms employed by coral recruits, and provided both observational and quantitative evidence to show that coral juveniles are able to commence heterotrophy at an early stage.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825578.v1
title: Feeding in the megalopae of the mud crab (<i>Scylla paramamosain</i>): mechanisms, plasticity, role of chelipeds and effect of prey density

description: We used microscopic video records to analyse the behaviour of mud crab megalopae (<i>Scylla paramamosain</i>) fed on rotifers (<i>Brachiomus</i> spp.), <i>Artemia</i> sp. or copepods (<i>Schmackeria dubin</i>). The megalopae were able to capture prey whose sizes ranged from no larger than <i>Artemia</i> nauplii to no smaller than adult <i>Artemia</i>. The megalopae employed three feeding modes: (1) Ambush-Prey mode, (2) Swim-Suspension-Feed mode and (3) Sit-Sweep mode. These involved raptorial feeding, suspension feeding and an in-between raptorial-suspension feeding mode, depending on the size of the prey and their density in the surrounding water. The chelipeds played an important role in feeding. Megalopae used the chelipeds to grip or sweep prey items and their movement generated eddies that can increase feeding efficiency. To verify the contribution of the chelipeds to feeding efficiency, we observed and compared the animals under three cheliped treatment regimes: (1) Autotomized – chelipeds removed by induced autotomy; (2) Glued – chelipeds glued at the dactylus-propodus joint to eliminate their ability to grip; and (3) Control – normal chelipeds. The feeding rates of the autotomized and glued treatments were lower than those of the controls, demonstrating that the chelipeds assist in feeding but that the megalopae can still feed without them. The density of prey also affected feeding efficiency. Feeding rate and prey density were positively correlated. When prey density was high, megalopae were able to feed in excess of their nutritional requirements. The study shows that mud crab megalopae respond flexibly to variations in feeding conditions, such as damaged chelipeds, as well as prey size and density. We postulate that this plasticity evolved in response to the dilute and patchy prey conditions of the estuarine environment. All the analysed behaviours are illustrated with video sequences.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825581.v1
title: Thermophilous deciduous forests in Southeastern Europe

description: This paper deals with the numerical elaboration of the database of 1764 relevés of thermophilous deciduous forests assigned by the authors to the order <i>Quercetalia pubescentis</i> in the northwestern part of Southeastern Europe. After elimination of relevés which were dominated by mesophilous deciduous and coniferous tree species, the stratification of relevés was carried out. The TWINSPAN classification revealed eight ecologically and phytogeographically interpretable groups. Additionally the analysis of Pignatti indicator values passively projected on the PCA diagram of the eight groups, and a chorological analysis of individual groups were made. The analyses revealed that all groups in general match with the traditionally accepted alliances, such as <i>Quercion pubescenti-sessiliflorae</i>, <i>Aceri tatarici–Quercion</i>, <i>Quercion confertae</i>, <i>Quercion petraeae-cerris</i>, <i>Syringo-Carpinion</i>, <i>Pruno tenelle–Syrinion</i>, <i>Carpinion orientalis</i> and <i>Fraxino orni–Ostryion</i>. Finally, a synsystematic classification of the elaborated group is proposed, and the nomenclature is harmonised with the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature. The results are also presented in a synoptic table together with calculation of the diagnostic species.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825580.v1
title: Vertical distribution and seasonal dynamics of mesozooplankton in the Iceland Basin

description: The abundance and seasonal vertical distribution of dominant zooplankters in the Iceland Basin was studied from data collected on four cruises between November 1996 and June 1997. Copepods were by far the most abundant group, making up ∼70% or more of the mesozooplankton. Two species constituted &gt;90% of the copepod biomass: <i>Calanus finmarchicus</i> and <i>Pareuchaeta norvegica</i>. A seasonal migration pattern was evident in <i>C. finmarchicus</i>, <i>P. norvegica</i>, <i>Oithona</i> spp., and <i>Metridia lucens</i>: from December to February they inhabited the deeper layers, whereas from April to June they were most abundant in the upper layers. The vertical distribution of <i>Pleuromamma robusta</i> was rather similar year round. <i>Oncaea</i> spp. stayed deep during winter, but only a limited part of the population rose to upper waters during the summer. The reproduction of <i>C. finmarchicus</i> took place in May in the surface layers and it was linked to the phytoplankton spring bloom. In contrast, the reproduction of <i>P. norvegica</i> occurred at depth in February and was uncoupled to the spring bloom. <i>Calanus hyperboreus</i> is an expatriate in the Iceland Basin that does not reproduce there. The data on <i>Oithona</i> spp. and <i>Oncaea</i> spp. indicate that the former group reproduces between April and June in the upper layers, whereas the latter appears to reproduce year round at depth. As judged by the incidence of adults of both sexes the reproduction of <i>M. lucens</i> took place in spring and summer. The breeding of <i>P. robusta</i> was probably not confined to a particular season of the year.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825569
title: Reproductive features of three maternal-caring species of <i>Leptodactylus</i> (Anura: Leptodactylidae) with a report on alloparental care in frogs

description: We describe aspects of the reproduction of three shoaling/maternal-caring <i>Leptodactylus</i> species (<i>Leptodactylus</i> aff. <i>latrans</i>, <i>Leptodactylus podicipinus</i> and <i>Leptodactylus</i> aff. <i>leptodactyloides</i>), pointing to the relevance of the female to tadpoles and describe a case of alloparental care in frogs. Females of the three species connected water bodies by digging channels to their tadpoles. <i>Leptodactylus</i> aff. <i>latrans</i> females often expelled predatory snakes and conspecific males that approached shoals to prey upon tadpoles. In water bodies containing predatory teleosts, tadpoles of <i>L.</i> aff. <i>latrans</i> only reached metamorphosis in the presence of guardian females. Channel digging can provide tadpoles with access to new feeding grounds and prevent predation and desiccation. We found brood mixing and alloparental care between <i>L.</i> aff. <i>latrans</i> and <i>L. podicipinus</i> which, as in some Teleostei, may be regarded as the result of identification mistakes.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825570
title: Fluorescence spectroscopy as a tool for determining microbial quality in potable water applications

description: Building on previous work where fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to detect sewage in rivers, a portable LED spectrophotometer was used for the first time to establish bacterial numbers in a range of water samples. A mixed-method approach was used with standard bacteria enumeration techniques on diluted river water and sewage works final effluent using a number of diluents (Ringer's solution, tap water and potable spring water). Fluorescence from uncultured dilutions was detected at a 280 nm excitation/360 nm emission wavelength (corresponding to the region of tryptophan and indole fluorescence) and compared with bacteria numbers on the same cultured sample. Good correlations were obtained for total coliforms, <i>E. coli</i> and heterotrophic bacteria with the portable LED spectrophotometer (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup>=0.78, 0.72 and 0.81 respectively). The results indicate that the portable spectrophotometer could be applied to establish the quality of drinking water in areas of poor sanitation that are subject to faecal contamination, where infrastructure failure has occurred in the supply of clean drinking water. This would be particularly useful where laboratory facilities are not at hand.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825569.v1
title: Reproductive features of three maternal-caring species of <i>Leptodactylus</i> (Anura: Leptodactylidae) with a report on alloparental care in frogs

description: We describe aspects of the reproduction of three shoaling/maternal-caring <i>Leptodactylus</i> species (<i>Leptodactylus</i> aff. <i>latrans</i>, <i>Leptodactylus podicipinus</i> and <i>Leptodactylus</i> aff. <i>leptodactyloides</i>), pointing to the relevance of the female to tadpoles and describe a case of alloparental care in frogs. Females of the three species connected water bodies by digging channels to their tadpoles. <i>Leptodactylus</i> aff. <i>latrans</i> females often expelled predatory snakes and conspecific males that approached shoals to prey upon tadpoles. In water bodies containing predatory teleosts, tadpoles of <i>L.</i> aff. <i>latrans</i> only reached metamorphosis in the presence of guardian females. Channel digging can provide tadpoles with access to new feeding grounds and prevent predation and desiccation. We found brood mixing and alloparental care between <i>L.</i> aff. <i>latrans</i> and <i>L. podicipinus</i> which, as in some Teleostei, may be regarded as the result of identification mistakes.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825570.v1
title: Fluorescence spectroscopy as a tool for determining microbial quality in potable water applications

description: Building on previous work where fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to detect sewage in rivers, a portable LED spectrophotometer was used for the first time to establish bacterial numbers in a range of water samples. A mixed-method approach was used with standard bacteria enumeration techniques on diluted river water and sewage works final effluent using a number of diluents (Ringer's solution, tap water and potable spring water). Fluorescence from uncultured dilutions was detected at a 280 nm excitation/360 nm emission wavelength (corresponding to the region of tryptophan and indole fluorescence) and compared with bacteria numbers on the same cultured sample. Good correlations were obtained for total coliforms, <i>E. coli</i> and heterotrophic bacteria with the portable LED spectrophotometer (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup>=0.78, 0.72 and 0.81 respectively). The results indicate that the portable spectrophotometer could be applied to establish the quality of drinking water in areas of poor sanitation that are subject to faecal contamination, where infrastructure failure has occurred in the supply of clean drinking water. This would be particularly useful where laboratory facilities are not at hand.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825566
title: A video tracking based improvement of acute toxicity test on <i>Artemia salina</i>

description: Booster biocides have negative impacts on marine organisms and it is therefore essential to monitor their toxicity prior to their use in antifouling paints. In this study, we describe a method for improving the reliability of a well-used acute toxicity test. We studied a model organism, <i>Artemia salina</i>, by using a novel video tracking method. Acute toxicities of a reference toxicant (potassium dichromate) and a potential toxicant (p-coumaric acid) were examined for newly hatched <i>A. salina</i> nauplii. Survival percentage, swimming velocity, and paths covered by nauplii were determined with the new algorithm. <i>A. salina</i> nauplii were affected by both tested toxicants, an outcome clearly detected by the algorithm. The results demonstrate that the video tracking algorithm could be used for testing the acute toxicities of booster biocides as well as other potential toxicants on <i>A. salina</i>. With slight modifications, it could be used for testing other similar aquatic micro-organisms. This report has linked video sequences.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825566.v1
title: A video tracking based improvement of acute toxicity test on <i>Artemia salina</i>

description: Booster biocides have negative impacts on marine organisms and it is therefore essential to monitor their toxicity prior to their use in antifouling paints. In this study, we describe a method for improving the reliability of a well-used acute toxicity test. We studied a model organism, <i>Artemia salina</i>, by using a novel video tracking method. Acute toxicities of a reference toxicant (potassium dichromate) and a potential toxicant (p-coumaric acid) were examined for newly hatched <i>A. salina</i> nauplii. Survival percentage, swimming velocity, and paths covered by nauplii were determined with the new algorithm. <i>A. salina</i> nauplii were affected by both tested toxicants, an outcome clearly detected by the algorithm. The results demonstrate that the video tracking algorithm could be used for testing the acute toxicities of booster biocides as well as other potential toxicants on <i>A. salina</i>. With slight modifications, it could be used for testing other similar aquatic micro-organisms. This report has linked video sequences.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825559
title: Evaluation of enniatins A, A1, B, B1 and beauvericin in Portuguese cereal-based foods

description: Sixty-one samples of Portuguese cereal-based foods were analysed for the occurrence of emerging mycotoxins called enniatins (A, A1, B and B1) and beauvericin. Samples were extracted with a mixture of acetonitrile/water (85/15, v/v) using an Ultra-Turrax homogeniser, and mycotoxins were detected with liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer. This method was validated and adequate values of recovery (70–103%) and relative standard deviation (&lt;15%) were obtained. Signal suppression/enhancement was studied and matrix-matched calibration used to minimise this effect, but no additional clean-up step was necessary. The mass spectrometer was operated in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode and with selected transitions for each compound to quantify and to qualify them. Fifty-nine per cent of samples were contaminated. The percentages of enniatins were 53%, 49%, 44% and 16% for A1, B, B1, and A, respectively, and for beauvericin it was 1.6%. For the total samples, the mean contamination was 30, 24, 15, 2.1 and 0.1 ng g<sup>−1</sup> for enniatins A1, B, B1 and A, and beauvericin, respectively. The wheat-based samples showed higher levels and greater prevalence than any other cereals monitored. These results were used to estimate the daily intake of ENs from wheat-based cereal by the Portuguese population. At the same time, the usefulness of this method in the analysis of other important mycotoxins (aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub>, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin, fumonisin B<sub>1</sub> and zearalenone) was evaluated.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825556
title: Two heads are better than one: false head allows <i>Calycopis cecrops</i> (Lycaenidae) to escape predation by a Jumping Spider, <i>Phidippus pulcherrimus</i> (Salticidae)

description: The deflection of attack from vital organs to the wing margin is regarded as an important adaptation in hairstreak butterflies. However, this “lose-little-to-save-much” strategy akin to the detachable lizard's tail had never been tested experimentally. The present study tests the “false head” hypothesis by exposing a hairstreak butterfly, <i>Calycopis cecrops</i>, as well as many other Lepidoptera species as controls, to the attacks of the jumping spider, <i>Phidippus pulcherrimus</i>. The results unambiguously indicate that the “false head” is a very efficient strategy in deflecting attacks from the vital centres of the hairstreak butterfly whereas other similar-sized Lepidoptera fall easy prey. Predator fatigue resulting from unsuccessful attacks was also observed, suggesting that jumping spiders can learn to avoid attacking prey they cannot capture, which would increase the efficiency of the “false head” as a defensive mechanism.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825559.v1
title: Evaluation of enniatins A, A1, B, B1 and beauvericin in Portuguese cereal-based foods

description: Sixty-one samples of Portuguese cereal-based foods were analysed for the occurrence of emerging mycotoxins called enniatins (A, A1, B and B1) and beauvericin. Samples were extracted with a mixture of acetonitrile/water (85/15, v/v) using an Ultra-Turrax homogeniser, and mycotoxins were detected with liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer. This method was validated and adequate values of recovery (70–103%) and relative standard deviation (&lt;15%) were obtained. Signal suppression/enhancement was studied and matrix-matched calibration used to minimise this effect, but no additional clean-up step was necessary. The mass spectrometer was operated in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode and with selected transitions for each compound to quantify and to qualify them. Fifty-nine per cent of samples were contaminated. The percentages of enniatins were 53%, 49%, 44% and 16% for A1, B, B1, and A, respectively, and for beauvericin it was 1.6%. For the total samples, the mean contamination was 30, 24, 15, 2.1 and 0.1 ng g<sup>−1</sup> for enniatins A1, B, B1 and A, and beauvericin, respectively. The wheat-based samples showed higher levels and greater prevalence than any other cereals monitored. These results were used to estimate the daily intake of ENs from wheat-based cereal by the Portuguese population. At the same time, the usefulness of this method in the analysis of other important mycotoxins (aflatoxin B<sub>1</sub>, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin, fumonisin B<sub>1</sub> and zearalenone) was evaluated.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825556.v1
title: Two heads are better than one: false head allows <i>Calycopis cecrops</i> (Lycaenidae) to escape predation by a Jumping Spider, <i>Phidippus pulcherrimus</i> (Salticidae)

description: The deflection of attack from vital organs to the wing margin is regarded as an important adaptation in hairstreak butterflies. However, this “lose-little-to-save-much” strategy akin to the detachable lizard's tail had never been tested experimentally. The present study tests the “false head” hypothesis by exposing a hairstreak butterfly, <i>Calycopis cecrops</i>, as well as many other Lepidoptera species as controls, to the attacks of the jumping spider, <i>Phidippus pulcherrimus</i>. The results unambiguously indicate that the “false head” is a very efficient strategy in deflecting attacks from the vital centres of the hairstreak butterfly whereas other similar-sized Lepidoptera fall easy prey. Predator fatigue resulting from unsuccessful attacks was also observed, suggesting that jumping spiders can learn to avoid attacking prey they cannot capture, which would increase the efficiency of the “false head” as a defensive mechanism.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.825552
title: An siRNA designing tool with a unique functional off-target filtering approach

description: Investigations have revealed that silencing unwanted transcripts or off-targeting can induce false positive phenotype during RNA interference (RNAi)-based gene function study. But still the standard computational approaches towards small interfering RNA (siRNA) off-target minimization fall short in terms of addressing this false positive phenotype issue. Some of these off-targets may interfere with the biochemical pathway being investigated. It may also inadvertently target cell’s metabolic pathways with unquantifiable consequences on the processes of user’s interest. Here, we report the development of a siRNA selection tool that, for the first time, implements a functional off-target filtering that aims to minimize false positive phenotypes arising from inadvertent targets that are functionally similar or related to the direct target gene, along with a multi-parametric classifier (support vector machine) for optimized selection of potent siRNAs. The functional off-target filtering minimizes the number of off-target genes which are functionally related to the direct target gene, i.e. involved in a common biological process and may have similar phenotype. A text-mining algorithm is used to find related biological processes associated with the direct target and each off-target transcript by comparison of the biological processes associated with these genes. It also gives the user a choice to select one or more off-targets that may be potentially more harmful, from a predicted off-target gene list to be filtered out. Testing with huge set of biologically validated siRNAs from three different sources showed consistent good performance of our tool in terms of effective siRNA selection. It outperformed four potent siRNA selection algorithms of present day in terms of specificity in the selection of highly efficient siRNAs when compared on a common test set. A genome wide testing with potent siRNAs used in high-content screening confirmed validation of 2767 designed siRNAs in terms of phenotypic output. This tool presently supports siRNA designs for human genes and is freely available at http://gyanxet-beta.com.