Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of habitat fragmentation on population structure and fitness components of the wetland specialist Swertia perennis L. (Gentianaceae)

Summary We assessed the effects of habitat fragmentation on the demography of the locally abundant, long-lived fen plant Swertia perennis L. , by examining population structure, components of fitness and herbivory of 17 populations in Switzerland. We distinguished between large MAIN, small, barely isolated NEAR and small, geographically isolated DISTANT habitat islands. Large isolation distance of small sites significantly affected the transition from sub-adult to adult age states: the mean population density was reduced by 30%, the density of vegetative adults by 60% and the density of reproductive adults by 78% on DISTANT compared with NEAR islands. Seedling survivorship decreased significantly from MAIN to NEAR to DISTANT islands. Moreover, several vegetative components of fitness were significantly reduced on DISTANT islands, i.e. the length and number of leaves and the stem height. Finally, leaf herbivory was highest on small NEAR islands. Our results indicate that population viability of S. perennis is reduced on small, isolated fens, possibly because of arrested individual adult growth due to inbreeding. In contrast, environmental influences such as higher productivity through increased nutrient influx on small sites may be responsible for changed plant-herbivore interactions. Wir untersuchten die Auswirkungen von Habitatfragmentierung auf die Demographie des Moorenzians ( Swertia perennis L.), eines langlebigen Flachmoor-Spezialisten. Dazu verglichen wir Populationsstruktur, Fitnes-Merkmale und Herbivorie von 17 Populationen im Schweizerischen Alpenvorland. Wir unterschieden zwischen grosen ‘MAIN’, kleinen, kaum isolierten ‘NEAR’ und kleinen, geographisch isolierten ‘DISTANT’ Habitatinseln. Der Ubergang von sub-adulten zu adulten Individuen wurde durch die raumliche Isolation signifikant verringert: Auf DISTANT-, verglichen mit NEAR-Inseln, war die mittlere Populationsdichte um 30%, die Dichte von vegetativen Adulten um 60% und die Dichte von reproduktiven Adulten um 78% reduziert. Das Uberleben von Keimlingen nahm von MAIN- uber NEAR- zu DISTANT-Inseln signifikant ab. Mehrere vegetative Wachstumsmerkmale waren auf DISTANT-Inseln ebenfalls signifikant verringert, so die Lange und Anzahl von Blattern und die Stengelhohe. Ferner war die Herbivorie von Blattern auf den kleinen NEAR-Inseln am hochsten. Diese Resultate zeigen, das die Vitalitat von S. perennis in kleinen, isolierten Flachmooren herabgesetzt ist, was moglicherweise auf Inzucht zuruckzufuhren ist. Dagegen konnten Umwelteinflusse, wie erhohte Standortsfertilitat durch Nahrstoffeintrag, auf kleinen Flachen fur veranderte Interaktionen von Herbivoren mit Pflanzen verantwortlich sein.
Effect of Soybean Plant Populations in a Soybean and Maize Rotation

Plant population of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] may influence the residual N contribution to a cropping system and yield benefits to following cereals. Field studies were conducted from 1994 to 1996 on a N-depleted Sharpsburg silty clay loam soil at Mead, NE to: (i) determine soybean yield at different plant populations; (ii) investigate residual N, chlorophyll-N-yield relations, and yield benefits from these different soybean populations to a following maize (Zea mays L.) crop; (iii) and compare N credits from soybean assessed with fallow and cereal plots as references. Eight soybean populations froml4 000 to 544 000 plants ha -1 in narrow 50-cm rows, a fallow plot, and a maize plot were followed by maize in a rotation study. Soybean yield was highest at populations of ≥129 000 plants ha 1 . Maize grain yields were highest following fallow and soybean populations <20 000 plants ha -1 , intermediate following higher soybean populations, and least in continuous maize. This is most likely due to N uptake as indicated by chlorophyll and N accumulation of maize. Nitrogen credits to maize were 16 to 46 kg N ha when calculated as Nitrogen Fertilizer Replacement Values (NFRVs). This is probably overestimating the potential N contribution from soybean because N credits from soybean populations assessed with fallow instead of maize as references were negative. A net positive N balance due to soybean reached a maximum of 17 kg N ha but soil N was depleted at populations <20 000 plants ha -1 . We conclude that yield increases of maize in rotation with soybean may be due to N from reduced N immobilization, N added to the soil from N 2 fixation, and possibly from non-N rotation effects such as water use efficiency.
Seed banks: ecological definitions and sampling considerations

Definitions of seed banks are discussed in the introductory part of the paper. In the second part, a literature review regarding sampling problems in soil seed bank ecology is presented. Regarding sampling depth, a rapid decline in soil seed content is demonstrated from example studies. The use of soil cores with 5 cm or 10 cm depth is suggested to ensure comparability of results. For determination of optimal sample volumes for various communities, the species saturation model is suggested such that “minimal volume” can be defined for soil seed banks in the same way that “minimal area” can be defined in phytosociological studies. Although sampling time may depend on research goals for vegetation types with a winter standstill period, late autumn sampling is suggested for detecting the entire soil seed bank, whilst late spring sampling is recommended for the examination of its persistent part. Studies looking at medium (plant community level) and fine scales (patch level) have demonstrated that soil seed bank distributions show horizontal aggregation for most of the cases and for most of the species. Seed dispersal processes which are among major factors responsible for such aggregated patterns are also discussed.
Activation of Orphan Nuclear Constitutive Androstane Receptor Requires Subnuclear Targeting by Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor γ Coactivator-1α

In contrast to the classical nuclear receptors, the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) is transcriptionally active in the absence of ligand. In the course of searching for the mediator of CAR activation, we found that ligand-independent activation of CAR was achieved in cooperation with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α). PGC-1β, a PGC-1α homologue, also activated CAR to less of an extent than PGC-1α. Coexpression of the ligand-binding domain of a heterodimerization partner, retinoid X receptor α, enhanced the PGC-1α-mediated activation of CAR, although it had a weak effect on the basal activity of CAR in the absence of PGC-1α. Both the N-terminal region, with the LXXLL motif, and the C-terminal region, with a serine/arginine-rich domain (RS domain), in PGC-1α were required for full activation of CAR. Pull-down experiments using recombinant proteins revealed that CAR directly interacted with both the LXXLL motif and the RS domain. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the RS domain of PGC-1α was required for CAR localization at nuclear speckles. These results indicate that PGC-1α mediates the ligand-independent activation of CAR by means of subnuclear targeting through the RS domain of PGC-1α.
Leaf phenolics of three willow clones differing in resistance to Melampsora rust infection

Leaf phenolic composition in three Salix myrsinifolia Salisb. clones (V8, V45, and V43), inoculated with Melampsora rust, was analyzed to detect local rust-induced alterations during different stages of infection (2, 7, and 21 days after inoculation [DAI]). Phenolic levels and percentage of uredial area varied significantly between clones. In the most resistant clone,V8, the levels of some phenolic compounds were lower in rust-infected plants than in control plants at the initial stages of rust infection, suggesting a rapid response of phenolic metabolism to rust attack. Moreover, the clone V8 contained the highest constitutive (+ )-catechin level. In clone V45, rust infection caused the most pronounced increase in the levels of individual phenolics at 7 DAI. This increase may have been effective in retarding the subsequent spread and development of rust. In the most susceptible clone V43, rust-induced phenolic responses were less pronounced and delayed. The results suggest that in specific willow-rust interactions, constitutive levels of phenolics, as well as induced phenolic responses, may contribute to the expression of rust resistance. In general, rust-induced alterations in willow phenolic levels are highly specific to genotype and compound and vary depending on the stage of rust development.
Screening

Screening for cancer is currently entering a very promising period as new technologies become available for assessment. However, this great opportunity also presents significant problems, starting with how do you select the likeliest method for evaluation? How do you do trials where the technology will be out-moded by the time the result is known? Indeed, how can all promising technologies be evaluated? There is a need for a renewal of methodological thinking on this topic at present. Randomised trials, which currently rely on death as the primary outcome, are very long and very complicated to undertake and run. There is an urgent need for biological markers, which are true surrogate end-points, to help reduce sample size and make trials more feasible, so that more trials can be done. For those screening modalities of demonstrated effectiveness, the key issue at present is how to maximise the outcome in population screening when the technology is transferred from the research setting to the public health setting. It is essential to remember that screening, per se, has never prevented a cancer nor prevented a cancer death. It is impossible to separate the issues of screening with those of adequate treatment: the best results in a screening programme will come when treatment is excellent. Screening is the first, and sometimes key, stage in a global management programme for the cancer in question. As the aim at present is to strive to maximise the effectiveness of population-based programmes, this aspect should be foremost in all thought processes.
Cloning of tangerine from Tomato Reveals a Carotenoid Isomerase Essential for the Production of β-Carotene and Xanthophylls in Plants Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at www.plantcell.org/cgi/doi/10.1105/tpc.010303.

Carotenoid biosynthesis in plants has been described at the molecular level for most of the biochemical steps in the pathway. However, the cis-trans isomerization of carotenoids, which is known to occur in vivo, has remained a mystery since its discovery five decades ago. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of carotenoid isomerization, we have taken a genetic map-based approach to clone the tangerine locus from tomato. Fruit of tangerine are orange and accumulate prolycopene (7Z,9Z,7′Z,9′Z-tetra-cis-lycopene) instead of the all-trans-lycopene, which normally is synthesized in the wild type. Our data indicate that the tangerine gene, designated CRTISO, encodes an authentic carotenoid isomerase that is required during carotenoid desaturation. CRTISO is a redox-type enzyme structurally related to the bacterial-type phytoene desaturase CRTI. Two alleles of tangerine have been investigated. In tangerinemic, loss of function is attributable to a deletion mutation in CRTISO, and in tangerine3183, expression of this gene is impaired. CRTISO from tomato is expressed in all green tissues but is upregulated during fruit ripening and in flowers. The function of carotene isomerase in plants presumably is to enable carotenoid biosynthesis to occur in the dark and in nonphotosynthetic tissues.
Net radiation model evaluation at an hourly time step for mediterranean conditions

A study was performed to evaluate a model for computing net radiation over grass canopies located in Talca (Chile) and Avignon (France). In both locations, an automatic meteorological station was installed over a grass main- tained in reference conditions to measure net radiation, solar radiation, air temperature and air vapour pressure on a hourly basis. Results indicated that there was a good correlation between measured (Rno) and estimated (Rne) values of net radiation, with a correlation coefficient greater than 0.95 for both locations. Major disagreements were observed during the night time, but they did not affect the final calculation of net radiation. This analysis suggest that the model could be used in the Penman-Monteith equation to compute crop water requirement in Avignon and Talca, using net- work measurements for the evaluation of net radiation.
Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tagging Did Not Negatively Affect the Short-Term Feeding Behavior or Swimming Performance of Juvenile Rainbow Trout

Abstract Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagging is a commonly used procedure to identify fish. However, there is a lack of research on the short-term effects of such tagging. The purpose of our study was to measure the short-term effects of PIT tagging on the feeding behavior and swimming performance of juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Three experiments were conducted. The treatment groups in the first two experiments consisted of a control group and a PIT-tagged group. In the first experiment, we timed the latency to resume feeding before and after the experimental day in fish trained to feed with a light cue. In the second experiment, we recorded the amount of food ingested before and after the experimental day in fish that had been fed to satiation every day for a week prior to the experiment. We found no significant differences between control and PIT-tagged groups for either the latency to resume feeding (time from providing food to food intake) or the amount of food eaten. The third.
Cluster root development in Grevillea robusta (Proteaceae). II. The development of the endodermis in a determinate root and in an indeterminate, lateral root

Light, fluorescence and electron microscopy were employed to follow the development of the endodermis in cluster roots and lateral roots of Grevillea robusta A. Cunn. ex R. Br. Endodermal cells had three different origins: rootlet endodermis arose from the rootlet meristem; endodermis covering the primordium shortly after initiation came from division of parental endodermis; cells at the junction between parent and rootlet endodermis developed from re-differentiated rootlet cortical cells. In the cluster root, the Casparian band formed in three ways, and was not initially present opposite the two sets of single xylem elements in the rootlet stele. A new clearing technique was developed that allowed visualization of xylem, suberized endodermis, Casparian band formation and phenolic compounds. In lateral roots, endodermal differentiation was asynchronous, but was related to position relative to protoxylem poles. However, the observed delay began before these poles had differentiated. At the tip of mature rootlets, which are determinate, the endodermis terminates in a ‘dome’ of cells, with the initial cell differentiating as an endodermal cell. Results are discussed in terms of determinate development in roots and the spatial and temporal contexts within which this development takes place.
GC and HPLC of grape monoterpenyl glycosides

The aim of the present study was to find a method alternative to enzymic hydrolysis for the analysis of grape terpenyl glycosides. GC after trimethylsilane derivatisation, and HPLC on four different stationary phases, ie bare silica, aminopropyl-, diol- and octadecyl-bonded silicas, were in turn considered for the separation of these aroma precursors extracted from grape juice, and specific enzymic hydrolyses with highly purified glycosidases showed which were the major components. These investigations show that reversed-phase liquid chromatography is better suited for both the direct and individual analysis of these glycosides.
Molecular Mechanism of Thromboxane A2-induced Platelet Aggregation

Thromboxane A2 is a positive feedback lipid mediator produced following platelet activation. The Gq-coupled thromboxane A2 receptor subtype, TPα, and Gi-coupled TPβ subtype have been shown in human platelets. ADP-induced platelet aggregation requires concomitant signaling from two P2 receptor subtypes, P2Y1 and P2T AC , coupled to Gq and Gi, respectively. We investigated whether the stable thromboxane A2 mimetic, (15S)-hydroxy-9,11-epoxymethanoprosta-5Z,13E-dienoic acid (U46619), also causes platelet aggregation by concomitant signaling through Gq and Gi, through co-activation of TPα and TPβ receptor subtypes. Here we report that secretion blockade with Ro 31-8220, a protein kinase C inhibitor, completely inhibited U46619-induced, but not ADP- or thrombin-induced, platelet aggregation. Ro 31-8220 had no effect on U46619-induced intracellular calcium mobilization or platelet shape change. Furthermore, U46619-induced intracellular calcium mobilization and shape change were unaffected by A3P5P, a P2Y1 receptor-selective antagonist, and/or cyproheptadine, a 5-hydroxytryptamine subtype 2A receptor antagonist. Either Ro 31-8220 or AR-C66096, a P2T AC receptor selective antagonist, abolished U46619-induced inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. In addition, AR-C66096 drastically inhibited U46619-mediated platelet aggregation, which was further inhibited by yohimbine, an α2A-adrenergic receptor antagonist. Furthermore, inhibition of U46619-induced platelet aggregation by Ro 31-8220 was relieved by activation of the Gi pathway by selective activation of either the P2T AC receptor or the α2A-adrenergic receptor. We conclude that whereas thromboxane A2 causes intracellular calcium mobilization and shape change independently, thromboxane A2-induced inhibition of adenylyl cyclase and platelet aggregation depends exclusively upon secretion of other agonists that stimulate Gi-coupled receptors.
TIME RESOLVED QUENCHING STUDY OF SERINE‐195 LABELED α‐CHYMOTRYPSIN

Abstract— Pyrenebutylmethylphosphonofiuoridate or pyrenepropylmethylphosphonofluoridate reacts with the serine 195 residue of α‐chymotrypsin to yield a stoichiometric fluorescent derivative. The fluorescence decay of the modified enzyme was studied using a frequency‐doubled, synchronously pumped picosecond rhodamine‐6G laser excitation source with time‐correlated single‐photon‐counting detection. Upon excitation above 330 nm, it could only be described adequately by a triple exponential decaying function. The exact reason for complexity of the emission has not yet been understood. Heterogeneous labeling seems irrelevant. The presence of different enzyme conformations on the single‐photon‐counting time‐scale seems more plausible. The enzyme conformations where the pyrene label is situated close to the side groups of certain residues such as tryptophan and lysine show a much shorter fluorescence decay time resulting in non‐exponential fluorescence behaviour. Dynamic fluorescence quenching experiments indicate that the pyrene label is located in a more polar region of the enzyme characterized by a negative charge. It seems that the pyrene group is too large to fit well in the hydrophobic pocket of the enzyme but is bent more towards the entrance of the cavity which is characterized by a higher polarity. Upon excitation at 296 nm, the excitation energy is transferred from the tryptophan chromophores towards the pyrene label.
Terranes

Abstract The Precambrian and Lower Palaeozoic foundations of the British Isles may be viewed as a series of suspect terranes whose exposed boundaries are prominent fault systems of various kinds, each with an unproven amount of displacement. There are indications that they accreted to their present configuration between late Precambrian and Carboniferous times. From north to south they are as follows. In northwest Scotland the Hebridean terrane (Laurentian craton in the foreland of the Caledonian Orogen) comprises an Archaean and Lower Proterozoic gneissose basement (Lewisian) overlain by an undeformed cover of Upper Proterozoic red beds and Cambrian to early mid Ordovician shallow marine sediments. The terrane is cut by the Outer Isles Thrust, a rejuvenated Proterozoic structure, and is bounded to the southeast by the Moine Thrust zone, within the hanging wall of which lies a Proterozoic metamorphic complex (Moine Supergroup) which constitutes the Northern Highlands terrane. The Moine Thrust zone represents an essentially orthogonal closure of perhaps 100 km which took place during Ordovician-Silurian times (Elliott & Johnson 1980). The Northern Highlands terrane records both Precambrian and late Ordovician to Silurian tectonometamorphic events (Dewey & Pankhurst 1970) and linkage with the Hebridean terrane is provided by slices of reworked Lewisian basement within the Moine Supergroup (Watson 1983). To the southwest of the Great Glen-Walls Boundary Fault system lies the Central Highlands (Grampian) terrane, an area dominated by the late Proterozoic Dalradian Supergroup which is underlain by a gneissic complex (Central Highland Granulites) that has been variously interpreted as either older
Role of superoxide, lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase in membrane perturbation during loss of viability in seeds of Shorea robusta Gaertn.f

SUMMARY Recalcitrant seeds of Shorea robusta (sal) exhibit 100% viability up to 4 d after maturity. The rapid loss of viability after 4 d is associated with the reduction in moisture content below the lowest safe moisture content (37°o). Seed becomes non-viable on 8 d. Increased leakage of electrolytes in seeds and lipid peroxidation in embryonic axes was discernible immediately from 0 d. In embryonic axes, very low levels of superoxide (O2−) were maintained up to 4 d and a sharp increase was registered up to 7 d. It is suggested that loss of moisture content in sal seeds below 37% (after 4 d) induces substantial leakage loss probably due to increased lipid peroxidation and O2−) radical formation which are responsible for severe membrane perturbations leading to rapid loss of viability. In embryonic axes SOD activity was recorded only in 100% viable seeds.
QTL analysis of yield-related traits in sunflower under different water treatments.

A set of sunflower recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was used to study agronomical traits under greenhouse and field conditions each with two water treatments and three replications. The difference among RILs was significant for all the traits studied in all conditions; and water treatment × RILs interaction was also observed for most of the traits in both field and greenhouse conditions. Because of the low rate of drought stress, this part of field data are not informative. Several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified for yield‐related traits with the percentage of phenotypic variance explained by QTLs (R 2) ranging from 4% to 40%. Several QTLs for grain yield per plant (GYP) under four water treatments were identified on different linkage groups, among which two were specific to a single treatment (GYPN.4.1 , GYPI.7.1 ). Three QTLs for GYP were overlapped with several QTLs for drought‐adaptative traits detected in our previous study (Poormohammad Kiani et al. 2007b). The whole results do highlight interesting genomic regions for marker‐based breeding programmes for drought tolerance in sunflower.
Dry matter production in 40-year-old Pinusbanksiana stands in Quebec

Dry matter production data were obtained for jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) stands growing at three density levels on two sites. Regression equations relating tree weight to diameter and height were calculated for stem wood, stem bark, branches, needles, cones, and total aboveground biomass, as well as for periodic net annual increment of these components. Different sets of equations were needed to evaluate biomass on each site, but density levels within sites could be grouped. Total net periodic annual weight increment was linearly related to foliage weight and basal area, but a levelling-off at higher densities was evident when basal area was replaced by stand density index or bole area equivalent as the measure of density.