Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
STAT 1α/1β, STAT 3 and STAT 5: Expression and Association with c-MET and EGF-Receptor in Long-Term Cultures of Human Hepatocytes

Long-term cultures of human hepatocytes were maintained serum-free in a chemically defined medium in the presence of HGF and EGF for up to 30 days. STAT 1α/1β, STAT 3, and STAT 5 were present and tyrosine phosphorylated throughout the culture period in the cytosol as well as the nucleus. We show by co-immunoprecipitation that a portion of the cellular pools of STAT 1α/1β and STAT 5 is physically associated with c-MET and EGF-receptor. Co-immunoprecipitation of STAT 3 with STAT 5 did occur in the cytosol but not in the nucleus, suggesting dimerization of the two STAT family members. The observed differences of protein amounts and tyrosine phosphorylation between cytosol and nucleus, the association of STAT proteins with EGF-receptor and c-MET and with each other may all be involved in regulating the activity of the STAT transcription factors. It is intriguing to speculate that STAT 5 may have a modulating role in the regulation of STAT 3 activity.
ASSESSMENT OF PESTICIDE USE AND APPLICATION PRACTICES IN TOMATO BASED AGROSYSTEMS IN KALILUNI SUB LOCATION, KATHIANI DISTRICT, KENYA

Pesticides are of great benefit to agriculture in Kenya by decreasing crop losses due to insects, weeds, plant diseases, rodents and other pests. They also save lives through control of disease carrying insects and increase the quality and quantity of agricultural produce. However, pesticides are poisons and can affect human health and contaminate the environment. This paper reports on the findings of an assessment of pesticide use, application and practices in Kaliluni, Kathiani district in Kenya. The dominant activity in the area is intensive irrigated tomato farming for local and other markets. Due to the sensitivity of the crop to pests invasion and abrupt changes in temperature pesticides and other agrochemicals are in rampant usage. The area has over 400 households that engage in tomato farming. A total of 72 households were involved in a cross‐sectional survey to assess the pesticides usage, frequency of application, in small holder tomato production. Structured pre‐tested questionnaires were administered through personal interviews and focused group discussion among the tomato farmers in the study site. The aim of the study was to establish whether banned or restricted pesticides were still in use. The study showed that the pesticides used in the region include pyrethroids, organophosphates and carbamates. It was found that 36.8% of the respondents used and applied pyrethroid formulated pesticides while 31.5 % applied carbamate based pesticides. It was also found that some respondents used more than one pesticide in one application. The study also showed that 26.4% of the respondents applied Dithane M45 (fungicide) as their main pesticide while 13%, 12% and 12% used Karate (insecticide), Ridomil (fungicide) and Bestox (insecticide) respectively. Surprisingly 1.9% of the respondents used and applied Dimethoate (insecticide) whose use has been restricted for use in fruits and vegetables while 0.5% used and applied Mocap (insecticide) which has also been banned. The farmers who used the banned chemicals claimed that they were more effective than the other pesticides. On the frequency of application of pesticides, the study showed that 86.1% of the respondents used pesticides on weekly basis whereas 12.5% apply fortnightly. The study therefore recommend that strict measures be taken to safeguard the environment and human health by the enforcing the law on use of pesticides.
Resistance to temperature extremes in sub-Antarctic weevils: interspecific variation, population differentiation and acclimation

Much of the work on the responses of terrestrial arthropods to high and low temperatures has been done on model organisms such as Drosophila. However, considerable variation in thermotolerance is partitioned at the family level and above, raising questions about the broader applicability of this work to other taxa. Here we investigate resistance to high and low temperatures, following different temperature treatments, in ten species and 31 populations of weevils found on sub-Antarctic Heard Island and Marion Island, which have substantially different climates. In these weevils there is considerable interspecific and among-population variation in critical thermal minimum (CTmin) and critical thermal maximum (CTmax), but most of this variation in critical limits can be ascribed to phenotypic plasticity. We find no relationship between CTmin and CTmax at the species level, and this is true also of populations and of responses to the temperature treatments. In general, plastic (acclimation) changes in CTmin are larger than those in CTmax. Our data therefore provide support for the idea that resistance to heat and to cold are decoupled in terrestrial arthropods. Furthermore, our results suggest that investigations of physiological limits to species borders should incorporate the effects of phenotypic plasticity on physiological capabilities.
MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERGENCE AND EVIDENCE FOR REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION IN LITTORINA SAXATILIS(OLIVI) IN NORTHEAST ENGLAND

Current work at Old Peak (Ravenscar) on the northeast coast of England indicates that boulder-dwelling Lutonna saxaalis (Ohvi) comprise at least two distinct forms, inhabiting high- and mid-shore boulders Using multivanate morphometrics we show that these forms are significantly different in shape. Rare intermediates between these two distinct forms were occasionally found, usually with the low shore animals The two forms show different reproductive strategies. High shore females (L. saxatilis H) mature at a smaller size and produce a smaller number of large eggs giving rise to large crawlaways The mid-shore form (L. saxatilis M) matures at a larger size and produces a large number of small eggs which give rise to small crawlaways. A novel observation is that intermediate females (L saxatilis I) contain eggs of both sizes, giving rise to a bimodal distribution of egg sizes within the brood pouch. The usual incidence of abortion (observed in H and M forms) is Very low (<1%) However, in the intermediates the large eggs showed a high incidence of abortion (about 60%) and the incidence of abortion in the small eggs was also increased (about 30%) Thus there appears to be a partial reproductive barrier between the two forms, presumably resulting in reduced fitness due in the intermediates to reproductive dysfunction. These findings extend to other shores in the region, over total distance of about 66 km. The facts are suggestive of a hitherto unrecognised reproductive barrier with L. saxatilis, the nature and strength of which is under investigation
Savanna woody plant dynamics: the role of fire and herbivory, separately and synergistically

Althoughthedemographyofwoodyplantsinsavannashaslongbeenshowntobeduetomanyfactors,therestill is no consensus as to the relative importance of the top-down processes of fire and herbivory, nor on how fire and herbivory affect plant demography. We review the recent literature and suggest that further progress depends on the following: (i) a demographic framework with clear terminology and which focuses on recruitment, transitions and mortality, (ii) an understandingofmechanismsofhow fireactuallydamagesplantsandhowplantssurviveandout-growthisdamage,mainly throughheight,barkthicknessordiametergrowth,(iii)anunderstandingofhowlossesinbiomassduetoherbivorymayaffect plant demography and, (iv) a consideration of interactions between fire and herbivory. Our synthesis suggests (i) strong recruitment limitation as well as some evidence of transition limitation by both fire and herbivory, (ii) that in some cases herbivory alone, notably by elephants and impala, can be more significant than fire alone, on woody plant population size, (iii) that fire and herbivory together are a lethal combination for woody plants and, (iv) that differences in strategies and responses of savanna plants to fire and herbivory are poorly explored.
Modelling the diameter distribution of Pinus sylvestris, Pinus nigra and Pinus halepensis forest stands in Catalonia using the truncated Weibull function

Summary Parameter prediction models for the diameter distribution of Pinus sylvestris L. , Pinus nigra Arn. and Pinus halepensis Mill. in Catalonia were developed using the truncated Weibull function as the theoretical distribution. The parameter models allow one to use individual-tree models in the simulation of stand development when only stand-level data are collected in forest inventories. Parameter models for the diameter distribution of stand basal area were developed. The data consisted of permanent sample plots from the Spanish National Forest Inventory in Catalonia. A total of 1780 empirical distributions of P. sylvestris , 1204 distributions of P. nigra and 1535 distributions of P. halepensis were used as modelling data. The empirical data represent lefttruncated distributions, as the smallest diameter measured in the fi eld was 7.5 cm. Two different approaches, namely, regression (two-step method) and optimization approach (one-step method), were used to fi nd the coeffi cients of the parameter models. In the two-step modelling method, the Weibull parameters were fi rst estimated separately for every empirical distribution by maximizing the log-likelihood function of the Weibull density function. In the second-step, regression analysis was used to fi nd the relationship between Weibull parameters and stand basal area, number of trees per hectare and elevation of the site. The one-step method used optimization to fi nd such coeffi cients for the parameter models, which minimized the mean of the squared differences between empirical and predicted cumulative tree frequencies in the whole modelling data. The one-step optimization method performed better than the two-step regression method for all tree species. The parameter prediction models developed in this study enable the prediction of the diameter distribution of P. sylvestris , P. nigra and P. halepensis in Catalonia from limited stand information.
Mineral and phytochemical contents in leaves of Amaranthus hybridus L and Solanum nigrum L. subjected to different processing methods

Mineral and phytochemical contents of leaves of Amaranthus hybridus L. andSolanum nigrum L. Subjected to different processing methods were evaluated. Processing procedures adopted include shredding, sun–drying, oven–drying, steaming and a combination of these. Minerals examined are Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, P, and Zn while the phytochemicals are alkaloids, flavonoids, hydrocyanic acid, phenols, phytic acid and tannins. Oven – drying was the most effective method for retaining the studied minerals in S. nigrum but only for Na, Ca, Fe and Mg in A.hybridus L. Na/K and Ca/P ratios ranged between 0.13 – 0.14 and 1.24 - 1.28 A.hybridus L. while values for S. nigrum L. were 0.70 – 0.80 and 0.21 – 0.24 respectively in all the treatments. Sun–drying was the most effective method for retaining the phytochemicals. For retention of alkaloids, flavonoids and saponins, oven–drying proved the second best method while steaming with sun – drying elicited the greatest reduction in the levels of hydrocyanic acid, phenols, phytic acid and tannins. Processing methods employed when utilizing these leaves should therefore reflect the desired effect. Key words: A. hybridus L. , S. nigrum L. , processing, minerals, phytochemicals.
Structure of Molluscan Assemblages in Sheltered Intertidal Unconsolidated Environments

A malacofauna de 13 ambientes oceânicos, protegidos, entremares e nao-consolidados e sua relacao com os fatores abioticos foram estudados com o intuito de conhecer a riqueza de especies e compreender o papel dos fatores abioticos na estruturacao das associacoes. Quatro tipos distintos de ambiente entremares foram reconhecidos com base nos descritores da comunidade (diversidade, riqueza e densidade) e nas caracteristicas abioticas. O tamanho medio do grao de areia (em phy) e a inclinacao da praia mostraram uma relacao negativa com a diversidade, riqueza e densidade. Sedimentos grossos foram favoraveis a fauna de moluscos nas areas estudadas, contrastando o bem conhecido efeito negativo deste tipo de areia sobre a fauna em praias oceânicas tipicas. Os terracos de mare baixa, tipicos de areas dominadas pela mare, e a presenca de estruturas biogenicas, tais como fragmentos rochosos e cascalho, estiveram tambem associados aos altos valores de riqueza. O grande numero de especies registrado na area estudada como um todo parece ser uma consequencia direta desta heterogeneidade ambiental, uma vez que esta e composta por tipos de ambientes altamente distintos.
Development of the Mexican bean weevil (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) on bean genotypes with and without arcelin over two generations.

1 Depto. de Entomologia, Fitopatologia e Zoologia Agrícola (ESALQ/USP), Av. Pádua Dias, n o 11, Caixa Postal 9, CEP 13418-900, Piracicaba SP, Brazil. guzzo@esalq.usp. br jdvendra@esalq.usp. br 2 Universidade Metodista de Piracicaba (UNIMEP), Rod. do Açúcar, km 156, CEP 13400-911, Piracicaba SP, Brazil. omcorrea@unimep.br 3 Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC), Av. Barão de Itapura, n o 1481, Caixa Postal 28, CEP 13020-902, Campinas SP, Brazil. andre@iac.sp. gov.br afchiorato@iac.sp. gov.br * Corresponding author. Abstract
Phenotypic variability in Holcus lanatus L. in southern Chile: a strategy that enhances plant survival and pasture stability

Holcus lanatus L. can colonise a wide range of sites within the naturalised grassland of the Humid Dominion of Chile. The objectives were to determine plant growth mechanisms and strategies that have allowed H. lanatus to colonise contrasting pastures and to determine the existence of ecotypes of H. lanatus in southern Chile. Plants of H. lanatus were collected from four geographic zones of southern Chile and established in a randomised complete block design with four replicates. Five newly emerging tillers were marked per plant and evaluated at the vegetative, pre-ear emergence, complete emerged inflorescence, end of flowering period, and mature seed stages. At each evaluation, one marked tiller was harvested per plant. The variables measured included lamina length and width, tiller height, length of the inflorescence, total number of leaves, and leaf, stem, and inflorescence mass. At each phenological stage, groups of accessions were statistically formed using cluster analysis. The grouping of accessions (cluster analysis) into statistically different groups (ANOVA and canonical variate analysis) indicated the existence of different ecotypes. The phenotypic variation within each group of the accessions suggested that each group has its own phenotypic plasticity. It is concluded that the successful colonisation by H. lanatus has resulted from diversity within the species.
Selección de Aislamientos de Hongos Entomopatógenos para el Control de Huevos de la Polilla del Tomate, Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: gelechiidae)

Se realizo un estudio en laboratorio sobre la patogenicidad de 64 aislamientos de Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliaey 70 de >Beauveria bassiana, en huevos de polilla del tomate Tuta absoluta. La primera evaluacion se realizo por aplicacion directa de suspensiones de 107 conidias mL-1 para cada aislamiento, con el sistema de pulverizacion de la torre de Potter. La mortalidad y esporulacion sobre huevos fueron significativamente mayores con los aislamientos M. anisopliae Qu-M558 y B. bassiana Qu-B911, Qu-B912 y Qu-B928. Estos aislamientos fueron evaluados nuevamente en suspensiones crecientes de 0 a 108 conidias mL-1. Los aislamientos Qu-M558 y Qu-B912, produjeron los mayores porcentajes de mortalidad sobre la base del calculo del area bajo la curva del progreso de mortalidad de huevos, 80 y 60%, respectivamente.
Erratum to: Induction of MAPK phosphatase-1 by hypothermia inhibits TNF-α-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction and apoptosis

Aims Hypothermia therapy has been shown to confer robust protection against brain injury and cardiac arrest. However, the mechanisms underlying endothelial cell protection of hypothermia have not yet been completely elucidated. Here, we investigated molecular effects of hypothermia on tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction and apoptosis. Methods and results Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with TNF-α were incubated under normothermia (37°C) or hypothermia (3°C). Endothelial permeability, actin alterations, and apoptosis were examined. The protein levels were determined by immunoblot analysis. Treatment of HUVECs with TNF-α resulted in a significant increase of permeability, actin reorganization, and apoptosis. Hypothermia markedly attenuated TNF-α-induced effects. The inhibitory action of hypothermia on stress fibre formation was mediated via inactivation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), and the decrease in TNF-α-induced apoptosis by hypothermia was associated with inhibition of p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity. Hypothermia had no action on p38 MAPK and JNK upstream kinases MAPK kinase 3/6 (MKK3/6) and MAPK kinase 7 (MKK7), but it markedly induced the expression of MAPK phosphatase-1 (MKP-1). Furthermore, siRNA experiments showed that MKP-1 was an important mediator of hypothermia in reducing TNF-α-induced inflammatory responses and activation of p38 MAPK and JNK in HUVECs. Conclusion These results for the first time demonstrate that hypothermia protects against TNF-α-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction and apoptosis through an MKP-1-dependent mechanism.
Annotated Checklist of the Bark and Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Platypodidae and Scolytidae) of Tropical Southern Florida

The fauna of Scolytidae and Platypodidae is reviewed for tropical southern Florida (Collier, Broward, Dade, and Monroe Counties). The family Platypodidae is represented by 3 species, all in the genus Platypus. The family Scolytidae includes 83 species in 37 genera in the region. This total includes 20 species considered immigrants to the area. Three species previously reported from the region, Cryptocarenus spatulatus Wood, Xyleborus xylographus (Say), and Araptus politus (Blandford), probably do not occur there. Feeding habits, mating systems, hosts, and distributions are summarized for all species included.
The humerus of South American caviomorph rodents: shape, function and size in a phylogenetic context

South American caviomorph rodents comprise four major lineages encompassing wide taxonomic and ecological diversity, but the morphological diversity of their postcranial skeleton has not been thoroughly explored using phylogenetic comparative methods. The main goal of this work is to analyze their humerus using geometric morphometrics in a phylogenetic context and attempt to tease apart the influence of locomotory preferences and shared evolutionary history on morphological variation. We examined 28 genera in 9 families representing all major clades. Humeral shape was captured by 13 landmarks and four semilandmarks in 2D. In the morphospace of the first two principal components, most taxa were located near the origin along both axes. Fossorial octodontoids were apart from this central group. Most caviids were separated in one extreme of the morphospace; the specialized digging ctenomyid Ctenomys, the fossorial chinchillid Lagostomus and the generalized cavioid Cuniculus were located at the opposite end. Phylogenetic signal was significant. Regressions of shape on size were not significant; regression of shape on habit was significant for raw data and not significant after phylogenetic control. Humeral shape variation was primarily associated with the phylogenetic structure of the group; additionally, some morphological traits were associated with particular habits and interpreted as functional specializations. This association between humeral shape and both phylogeny and habit at different hierarchical levels suggests early ecomorphological diversification of caviomorphs.
Midwater zooplankton and suspended particle dynamics in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre: A stable isotope perspective

We used amino acid (AA) compound‐specific isotope analysis (δ15NAA and δ13CAA values) of midwater zooplankton and suspended particles to examine their dynamics in the mesopelagic zone. Suspended particle δ15NAA values increased by up to 14‰ with depth, whereas particle trophic status (measured as trophic position, TP) remained constant at 1.6 ± 0.07. Applying a Rayleigh distillation model to these results gave an observed kinetic isotope fractionation of 5.7 ± 0.4‰, similar to that previously measured for protein hydrolysis. AA‐based degradation index values also decreased with depth on the particles, whereas a measure of heterotrophic resynthesis (ΣV) remained constant at 1.2 ± 0.3. The main mechanism driving 15N enrichment of suspended particles appears to be isotope fractionation associated with heterotrophic degradation, rather than a change in trophic status or N source with depth. In zooplankton the “source” AA phenylalanine (Phe) became 15N enriched by up to 3.5‰ with depth, whereas zooplankton TP increased by up to 0.65 between the surface ocean and midwaters. Both changes in the δ15N values of food resources at the base of the zooplankton food web and changes in zooplankton TP drive observed zooplankton 15N enrichment with depth. Midwater zooplankton δ15NPhe values were lower by 5–8‰ compared with suspended particles, indicating this organic matter pool is not a significant zooplankton food resource at depth. Instead, 62–88% of the N sustaining midwater zooplankton is surface derived, obtained through consumption of sinking particles, carnivory of vertical migrants, or direct feeding in surface waters at night.
LEGUME, GRASS, AND CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM EFFECTS ON SOIL ORGANIC MATTER RECOVERY

Active pools of soil organic matter (SOM) can recover to native levels on formerly cultivated fields that are abandoned for ≈50 yr, but the short-term (<10 yr) recovery dynamics of SOM and nutrient supply have not been widely investigated. In several fields on a farm in southeastern Wyoming that had been involved in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP, a federal program that pays landowners to convert cultivated land into revegetated grasslands), we compared C and N in several SOM pools (coarse particulate organic matter [POM, between 500 μm and 2 mm], fine POM [53–500 μm], and total SOM), and we compared potential C and N mineralization in active pools responsible for nutrient supply. The two CRP treatments, planted 6 yr prior to this study, were an ≈80% legume:20% grass mixture (HL CRP) and a 20% legume:80% grass mixture (LL CRP). To quantify SOM accumulations directly due to increased plant inputs within CRP fields, we also compared SOM pools under legumes and grasses relative to plant interspaces, w.