Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of β-Cell Toxins on Genetically Engineered Insulin-Secreting Cells

Abstract The betacyte is a genetically engineered insulin-secreting liver cell line that is glucose responsive. Whether this cell is affected by specific β-cell toxins is unknown. To explore this possibility we exposed these cells and those from the NIT-1 β-cell line (positive controls) to the toxins streptozotocin (STZ, 2.5–20 mM), alloxan (ALL, 2.5–20 mM), and pentamidine (PENT, 10 −6 –1 mM). STZ and ALL were added for 1 h and pentamidine for 24 h. Insulin secretion from betacytes during a period of 5 h after removal of the toxin was inhibited only by pentamidine; all agents were inhibitory to NIT-1 cells. Glucose metabolism, as determined by a colorimetric MTT reduction assay, was adversely affected in betacytes by ALL (20 mM) and PENT (1 mM), and in NIT-1 cells by STZ (20 mM) as well as by ALL (2.5 mM) and PENT (1 mM). The magnitude of inhibition was less for the betacytes—58 v. 99%. Confluence of cells in culture wells and cell viability as assessed by the fluorochromes propidium iodide and acridine orange was reduced to a lesser extent for the betacytes than for the NIT-1 cells. The metabolic and microscopic effects of the toxins were unchanged in the betacyte from those in the liver cell line, HEP G2, from which the betacyte was engineered. These results of general resistance of the betacyte to β-cell toxins with differing modes of action offer hope that this cell, or cells created in a similar manner from primary hepatocytes, may be at least partly resistant to the adverse effect of β-cell toxins involved in autoimmune destruction of the pancreas. This increases the potential of the use of these cells for reversal of diabetes.
History of TM Biocontrol-1: the first registered virus-based product for control of a forest insect

The Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata (McDunnough) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) (Fig. 1), is a defoliator of significant importance in Douglas-fir and true-fir forests of western North America. Outbreaks of this insect have occurred in many regions, from British Columbia to Arizona and New Mexico, and from the Rocky Mountains to the Cascade and Siskiyou ranges of Washington, Oregon, and California. Since the first reported infestation at Chase, British Columbia, in 1916, several major outbreaks have occurred in stands where conditions changed rapidly in favor of tussock moth survival. Prominent among these outbreaks: in Idaho, 447,000 acres from 1944 to 1947,225,000 acres from 1961 to 1965, and 110,000 acres from 1971 to 1974; in Oregon, 438,000 acres from 1971 to 1974; and in Washington, 251,000 acres from 1971 to 1974.
Local adaptation to higher temperatures reduces immigration success of genotypes from a warmer region in the water flea Daphnia

There is growing awareness that microevolutionary dynamics may alter ecological processes. Rising temperatures under global change are expected to open windows for establishment of species and genotypes from warmer regions. Yet, microevolutionary tracking of temperature change by local populations may reduce establishment success of these immigrants. We exposed a UK population of the water flea, Daphnia magna, to two temperature regimes during a 1.5‐year experimental evolution trial, and subsequently compared competitive strength of non‐warm‐adapted and warm‐adapted D. magna in competition with French genotypes. Our results indicate that local microevolutionary responses to global warming may reduce establishment success of immigrant genotypes that are preadapted to warmer climate. Simulation modeling shows that microevolution results in a reduced likelihood and speed of displacement of local populations by immigrant genotypes under realistic immigrant/resident ratios. We conclude that local evolutionary dynamics may shift the relative impact of local and regional processes in response to global change.
Dinophyte chloroplasts and phylogeny - A review

Dinophytes acquired chloroplasts obviously early in evolution and later lost them multiple times. Most families and genera contain both photosynthetic and heterotrophic species. Chloroplasts enveloped by three membranes with thylakoids in stacks of three, containing peridinin as the main pigment, are regarded as the original dinophyte plastids. Pyrenoids are generally present. Stigmata, if present, are usually parts of the chloroplast or are modified original plastids. The form II type RUBISCO found in the dinophytes is unique for eukaryotes, otherwise known only in some anaerobic bacteria. It is disputed whether the original dinophyte chloroplasts are derived from a prokaryotic or an eukaryotic endosymbiosis. Various dinoflagellates contain aberrant chloroplasts. Glenodinium foliaceum and Peridinium balticum have a single complete endosymbiont, originally a pcnnate diatom. Podolampas bipes houses several dictyophycean symbiont cells. The “symbionts” of Lepidodiniurn viride and Gymnodinium chlorophorum ar.
BIOSYNTHESIS AND SUBCELLULAR ORGANIZATION OF NUCLEIC ACIDS IN MYCOPLASMA GALLISEPTICUM A5969 *

The “replicon” model of Jacob and associatesg hypothesized that in eubacteria, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was attached to the cell membrane. Membrane synthesis, together with replication of the chromosome, would allow for segregation of the DNA during cell division. This segregation would ensure that both daughter cells received a full complement of the genetic material. Subsequently, Goldstein and Brown,6 using Escherichia coli, presented evidence that DNA synthesis itself was a membrane-associated phenomenon, and other data has accumulated indicating that membrane-bound DNA synthesis seems to be a general occurrence, being found in procaryotes,1° for bacteriophage replication,lo and in eucaryotes.15 The correlation between cell division and DNA synthesis in eubacteria has been most extensively studied by Helmstetter and colleagues7 and by Clark. ’ Using E . coli, these investigators found that synchronized cells (with generation times exceeding 60 minutes) exhibited a period of active DNA synthesis (the C-period), which commences as the cell is separating from its daughter cell; this was followed by a “gap” where there was no net DNA synthesis (D-period) prior to the cell-separation phase of the next division cycle. DNA synthesis resumed as the cells began separating again. This is analogous to the cell cycle in mammalian system^,^^^^^ where S and G2 correspond to the Cand D-periods, respectively, in E. coli. Relative to studying the membrane-bound DNA growing-point complex in eubacteria, technical problems arise because of the necessity of removing the cell wall prior to cell lysis and fractionation. Another problem involves the use of detergents to lyse cells; this can affect the interpretation of any subsequent chemical analyses on a membrane fraction. Mycoplasma gallisepticum A5969 provides a system for studying the replication of DNA and its relationship to other cellular processes without the above technical problems. There is no cell wall to remove and no intracellular membrane system. In addition, there is a polar bleb ~ t r u c t u r e ~ ~ J 4 that can serve as a morphological marker. Munkres and Wachtel16 have shown that adenosine triphosphatase ( ATPase) activity resides along the inner surface of the bleb-infrableb membrane; rhus, the bleb can serve, morphologically and biochemically, to distinguish one area of the membrane from another. The life cycle of M . gallisepticum A5969 has been shownl4 to begin with a pear-shaped daughter cell with a terminal bleb-infrableb structure. These structures are replicated and form opposite poles of the cell at division, which takes
A new long-finned Corydoras Lacépède, 1803 (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) from the lower rio Paraná basin, Brazil

A new species of Corydoras is described from the lower rio Parana basin, just downstream from Itaipu Dam, Brazil, close to Paraguay boundary. The new species can be distinguished from most of its congeners by the infraorbital 2 with a posterior laminar expansion conspicuously reduced, first and second dorsal-fin branched rays conspicuously elongated in males, mesethmoid entirely covered by skin, and by the presence of four to six irregular black or brownish blotches on the midline of the flank. The probable occurrence of the new species in the floodplain of the upper portion of the rio Parana drainage is discussed.
The genus Orobanche L. (Orobanchaceae) in the Małopolska Upland (S Poland): distribution, habitat, host preferences, and taxonomic problems

Abstract The paper presents the distribution of Orobanche species (parasitic herbs known as broomrapes) in the Małopolska Upland (Wyoyna Małopolska) in southern Poland. During floristic research conducted there in 1999-2011, 12 species of this genus were recorded: O. alba, O.alsatica, O . arenaria, O.bartlingii, O . caryophyllacea, O. coerulescens, O. elatior s.str. , O. kochii, O. lutea, O. pallidiflora, O. picridis and O.ramosa. Eight species were not previously known from this area. Information on the hosts, abundance, and habitat preferences at the localities is given, and an updated map of the distribution in the Małopolska Upland is included. The taxonomic position of O. elatior s.str. and O.k ochii, diagnostic features to differentiate between them, and a revised map of distribution of both species in Poland are also presented.
Cambios en la estructura de ensambles de visitantes florales en espeletia schultzii wedd y senecio wedglacialis cuatrec (asteraceae) ante modificaciones artificiales de algunos caracteres florales

Different floral syndromes associated with the attraction of specific guilds of pollinators have been recognized. There is little available information on floral visitors of the Andean paramo vegetation. The objective of this study was to determine the floral visitors of two representative species of the paramo and how their floral characteristics may influence their identity and frequency of visits. As study site was chosen an area in the Andean Paramo to the North of the State of Merida, Venezuela, at 3900 m elevation, with a close to one hectare surface and where coexist Espeletia schultzii and Senecio wedglacialis (Asteraceae). The experimental design consisted of selecting four individuals of each species of plant, which was modified to artificially color and scent of its floral capitula, keeping one as a control. Later we recorded in normal and modified capitula visitor´s taxa and their frequency of arrival. We found 19 taxa associated with the capitula of E. schultzii and 7 to S. wedglacialis. The bumblebees Bombus rohweri and B. rubicundus are proposed as the more efficient pollinators for their high frequency of visits and flower specificity; however, Oxypogon lindenii (Trochilidae) could play a similar role in E. schultzii. The frequency of visits varied between treatments and showed significant differences in the case of E. schultzii. We found that visitor assemblage were modified between treatments in both cases. Therefore we consider that flower color and natural scent are key in attracting their pollinators and the reproductive success of both species.
Representativeness of point-wise phenological Betula data collected in different parts of Europe

Aim We examine issues of uncertainty regarding the spatial and temporal representativeness of phenological observations using a newly compiled Europe-wide data base of phenological observations for Betula species. Location Europe. Methods A new data base was compiled from national phenological observations covering 15 European countries, with the longest observational periods exceeding several decades for some sites. From this, the spatial and temporal representativeness of phenological observations were evaluated via statistical analysis. Results The results showed that there was a significant and irreducible uncertainty related to the use of data of a single station, which varied from 3 to 8 days depending on the station location. In more continental and northern climatic zones the uncertainty was lower, probably due to faster spring-time weather developments. In mild climatic conditions, the uncertainty of dates of the phenological phases registered by a single station exceeded 1 week. The considerable number of data allowed us to preliminarily estimate the features of some stations, marking them as ‘late’, ‘early’, ‘representative’ or ‘random’, depending on the dates reported by these sites and the corresponding regional means. Main conclusions The uncertainties discovered in single-site phenological observations are significant for virtually any potential application. Possible approaches for handling the uncertainty problem are station pre-averaging and spatial regularization of the data set, pre-selection (down-sampling) or changing the description of the phenomena from deterministic to probabilistic.
Linkage in Rats

AT the present time there are at least five factor pairs or series known in rats. Some of these have been described only quite recently, and it may therefore be profitable to tabulate all of them and to mention some of their interactions. These genes are: 1. R, black-eyed; 'r, red-eyed. 2. P, black-eyed; p, pink-eyed. 3. S, self; Si, Irish; Sh, hooded. 4. A, agouti; a, non-agouti. 5. C, intense pigmentation; C(i, non-yellow; Ca, albinism. Color varieties homozygous for one or the other of the first two recessive genes mentioned above were described by Castle (1914). Both are yellow-coated. A PPrsr animal is yellow with eyes of a reddish tint, while animals of the composition ppRR or pprr are yellow with pink eyes. Pink-eyed yellows, therefore, may be of two kinds, those carrying R and those lacking it. Animals carrying both P and R are black-eyed and have black coats. Pink-eyed yellows, carrying R (ppRR), mated to red-eyed (PPrr) produce PpRr, black-eyed animals having black coats. Pink-eyed yellows lacking R, and therefore of the composition pprr, when mated to red-eyed yellows (PPrr) give Pp rr, or red-eyed yellows. Castle and Wright (1915) and Castle (1916) present evidence that the genes above described are linked. When pink-eyed yellows (ppRR) were crossed with red-eyed
Phylogeny, Molecular and Fossil Dating, and Biogeographic History of Annonaceae and Myristicaceae (Magnoliales)

Annonaceae and Myristicaceae, the two largest families of Magnoliales, are pantropical groups of uncertain geographic history. The most recent morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses identify the Asian‐American genus Anaxagorea as sister to all other Annonaceae and the ambavioids, consisting of small genera endemic to South America, Africa, Madagascar, and Asia, as a second branch. However, most genera form a large clade in which the basal lines are African, and South American and Asian taxa are more deeply nested. Although it has been suggested that Anaxagorea was an ancient Laurasian line, present data indicate that this genus is basically South American. These considerations may mean that the family as a whole began its radiation in Africa and South America in the Late Cretaceous, when the South Atlantic was narrower, and several lines dispersed from Africa‐Madagascar into Laurasia as the Tethys closed in the Tertiary. This scenario is consistent with the occurrence of annonaceous seeds in the latest Cretaceous of Nigeria and the Eocene of England and with molecular dating of the family. Based on distribution of putatively primitive taxa in Madagascar and derived taxa in Asia, it has been suggested that Myristicaceae had a similar history. Phylogenetic analyses of Myristicaceae, using morphology and several plastid regions, confirm that the ancestral area was Africa‐Madagascar and that Asian taxa are derived. However, Myristicaceae as a whole show strikingly lower molecular divergence than Annonaceae, indicating either a much younger age or a marked slowdown in molecular evolution. The fact that the oldest diagnostic fossils of Myristicaceae are Miocene seeds might be taken as evidence that Myristicaceae are much younger than Annonaceae, but this is implausible in requiring transoceanic dispersal of their large, animal‐dispersed seeds.
Habitat-population density relationship for the white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus during the dry season in a Pacific Mexican tropical dry forest

Abstract The habitat-population density relationship in the white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus was analyzed in a tropical dry forest of the Zicuirán-Infiernillo Biosphere Reserve in the Pacific region of Mexico. In 2008, pellet groups were sampled in strip-transects during the dry season to estimate population density in five locations. Habitat variables (physical, vegetation, and human) were obtained during field sampling and through the use of geographic information systems. Principal component analysis and stepwise multiple regression were used to analyze the habitat-density relationships. The mean population density of white-tailed deer for the region was 6.7 ind/km2; however, this varied significantly among sites (1.9–11.3 ind/km2). Higher densities were found in sites with lower human activity, irregular topography, dense understory cover, and well-developed tree strata. In contrast, sites with lower deer density presented high human activities such as livestock and crop production, which act to modify the tropical dry forest. We discuss the management and conservation implications.
Availability and use of woody plants in a agrarian reform settlement in the cerrado of the state of Goiás, Brazil

Protected areas are important sources providing plant resources for human populations, and contributing to the livelihood and income of families. To test the ecological apparency hypothesis, that there is positive relationship between the visibility of a species and its use, we conducted an ethnobotanical survey in the protected area of the Itauna rural settlement in the municipality of Planaltina, in the state of Goias, in central Brazil. The phytosociological parameters were obtained in 5.6 ha area of the Brazilian cerrado (savanna), and the ethnobotanical survey conducted with semi-structured interviews with 75 people. There was a weak positive correlation between the use value and the phytosociological parameters. A principal component analysis showed that seven species (Pterodon pubescens, Hancornia speciosa, Hymenaea stigonocarpa, Eugenia dysenterica, Annona crassiflora, Stryphnodendron adstringens and Solanum lycocarpum) have high use value, despite having low density, dominance and frequency. Nineteen species showed a positive relationship between their use value and their phytosociological parameters. The relationship between vegetation structure and use value differed among species in the protected area, indicating that more attention should be paid to those under more pressure, with low abundance. Further studies of these seven species should be conducted to determine whether human pressure is affecting populations structures and to define management strategies.
DIATOM BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE UPPER OLIGOCENE TO LOWERMOST MIOCENE SAN GREGORIO FORMATION, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO

Sixty biostratigraphically useful diatom taxa are tabulated from three stratigraphic sections of the upper Oligocene to lowermost Miocene of the San Gregorio Formation of Baja California, Mexico. The diatom flora is a mixture of low- and high-latitude species and allows correlation of key sequences at San Gregorio, La Ventana, and San Hilario. Three tropical diatom zones, the early to late Oligocene Rocella vigilans Zone, the late Oligocene Bogorovia veniamini Zone, and the latest Oligocene to earliest Miocene Rocella gelida Zone, are recognizable within the formation. Radiometric dates in the San Gregorio Formation, together with correlation of diatom zonal boundaries to the geologic time scale, provide multiple evidence of age.
Genetic structure of the introduced heaven tree (Ailanthus altissima) in Japan: evidence for two distinct origins with limited admixture

The heaven tree, Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, was intentionally introduced from China to many temperate areas globally, where it has become successfully established. Here, we investigated the patterns of genetic differentiation between introduced Japanese A. altissima populations using both plastid and nuclear microsatellite markers. Three hundred and eighty-eight trees were sampled from six planted and 12 naturalized populations. Two distinct chloroplastic haplotypes were observed, which allowed us to separate two groups of trees, H1 and H3, containing 128 and 260 trees, respectively. Nine nuclear genetic microsatellites revealed 17.7 alleles per locus on average. These data did not indicate significant isolation-by-distance. Analysis of molecular variance showed the absence of genetic differentiation between the planted and naturalized populations. In contrast, the two groups defined according to the chloroplastic haplotypes (H1 and H3) were differentiated. STRUCTURE analysis showed that, within.
Analysis of Parentage for Naturally Established Seedlings of Chamaelirium Luteum (Liliaceae)

The genealogical relationships among naturally established seedlings and flowering individuals were analyzed for a large population of the dioecious plant species Chamaelirium luteum. Genetic likelihoods based on 11 electrophoretic markers of all possible parent pairs within flowering seasons from 1974 to 1981 preceding observed establishment of seedlings from 1976 to 1982 were evaluated; and most—likely parents for 283 seedlings were thus identified, enabling a partial reconstruction of the genealogy of this population. This information, combined with the map location of each plant, was used to analyze realized gene—flow patterns. Intermate distances showed more nearby matings than would the kind of pollen dispersal profile that could be expected under random mating. Overall, seedlings tended to undergo establishment at locations between their maternal and paternal parents, indicating localized genetic adaptation along environmental gradients. Finally, a negative correlation was observed between inflorescence size (reproductive effort) and number of progeny observed (reproductive success). Techniques of genealogy reconstruction have previously been limited to human populations. As seen in the present study, such techniques also show great promise for revealing the evolutionary behavior of natural populations.
Mesozooplankton grazing in the coastal Gulf of Alaska: Neocalanus spp. vs. other mesozooplankton

Liu, H. , Dagg, J. M. , Napp, J. M. , and Sato, R. 2008. Mesozooplankton grazing in the coastal Gulf of Alaska: Neocalanus spp. vs. other mesozooplankton. - ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 351-360.Three species of large calanoid copepod, Neocalanus flemingeri, Neocalanus plumchrus, and Neocalanus cristatus, dominate the spring biomass of mesozooplankton in the Subarctic Pacific. We compared the grazing impact of Neocalanus species on phytoplankton with grazing by the remainder of the mesozooplankton community in the coastal and shelf waters of the Gulf of Alaska during spring and summer 2003. Neocalanus spp. and other mesozooplankton fed mainly on particles >20 μm, and phytoplankton in the smaller size-fractions ( 20 μm in the outer-shelf region, where chlorophyll a concentrations were 20 μm daily phytoplankton production in the inner- and mid-shelf regions where chlorophyll a concentrations were typically >5 mg m −3 with blooms of large diatoms. In summer, without Neocalanus spp. in the surface layer, mesozooplankton grazing accounted for a very small proportion of phytoplankton production across the whole shelf.