Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PII: S0042-6989(97)00426-4

The visibility of gratings improves with increasing stimulus area. This effect is usually interpreted as being due to probability summation between the outputs of linear, independent spatial filters, although non-linear spatial summation can have similar effects [1]. In order to distinguish between probabilistic and physiological summation models, we measured contrast thresholds using the Visual Evoked Potential (VEP). Our previous work [2] suggests that spatial summation in the VEP is nonlinear and that it occurs preferentially for collinear configurations. Traditional probability summation models predict that areal summation will improve threshold independent of stimulus configuration. Contrast thresholds were derived from VEP contrast response functions for either circular or elongated Gabor patches with aspect ratios up to 6:1. The carrier orientation was either the same as the patch envelope orientation (collinear) or orthogonal to it. Response amplitudes were larger and contrast sensitivity was higher for collinear configurations. The results are consistent with nonlinear, configuration dependent summation that is more extensive along the axis of orientation. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(01)00615-3

During Drosophila oogenesis, border cells perform a stereotypic migration. Slbo, a C/EBP transcription factor, is required for this migration. Here we identify Drosophila Stat92E (signal transducer and activator of transcription) in a screen for gain-of-function suppressors of the slbo mutant phenotype. By clonal analysis for Stat92E and hop (Drosophila JAK) mutants we find that the JAK/STAT pathway is required in border cells for their migration. The activating ligand for the pathway, Unpaired, is expressed in polar cells. Polar cells are specialized cells which can induce border cell fate in anterior follicle cells. On its own, ectopic expression of Unpaired can induce ectopic expression of border cell markers including Slbo. However, Stat92E mutant cells still express normal levels of Slbo protein, thus Stat92E must regulate other targets critical for border cell migration. q 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(00)00512-8

Endoreduplication cycles that lead to an increase of DNA ploidy and cell size occur in distinct spatial and temporal patterns during Drosophila development. Only little is known about the regulation of these modi®ed cell cycles. We have investigated foreand hindgut development and we present evidence that the Drosophila knirps and knirps-related genes are key components to spatially restrict endoreduplication domains. Our lack and gain-of-function experiments show that knirps and knirps-related which encode nuclear orphan receptors transcriptionally repress S-phase genes of the cell cycle required for DNA replication and that this down-regulation is crucial for gut morphogenesis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that both genes are activated in overlapping expression domains in the foreand hindgut in response to Wingless and Hedgehog activities emanating from epithelial signaling centers that control the regionalization of the gut tube. Our results provide a novel link between morphogen-dependent positional information and the spatio-temporal regulation of cell cycle activity in the gut. q 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(99)00114-8

Bone morphogenetic protein 1 (BMP1) is a metalloprotease that ventralises dorsal mesoderm when overexpressed in early Xenopus embryos. Here we show that Xenopus BMP1 blocks the dorsalising activity of chordin, but not noggin or DxBMPR, when coexpressed in the ventral marginal zone and degrades chordin protein in vitro. We also show that a dominant-negative mutation for XBMP1 (dnBMP1) dorsalises ventral mesoderm in vivo, and blocks degradation of chordin by both XBMP1 and Xolloid, a closely related Xenopus metalloprotease, in vitro. dnBMP1 does not dorsalise ventral mesoderm in UV-irradiated embryos, demonstrating that this activity is dependent upon a functional organiser ± the natural source of chordin in Xenopus gastrulae. Our results suggest that XBMP1 may regulate the availability of chordin during vertebrate embryogenesis. q 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0042-6989(01)00157-2

Physiological consequences of early stages of photoreceptor degeneration were examined in heterozygous P23H rhodopsin transgenic (Tg) and in aging normal Sprague–Dawley rats. Rod photoreceptor and rod bipolar (RB) cell function were estimated with maximum value and sensitivity parameters of P3 and P2 components of the electroretinogram. In both Tg and aging normal rats, the age-related rate of decline of P3 amplitude was steeper than that of the P2 amplitude. Tg rats showed greater than normal sensitivity of the rods. A new model of distal RB pathway connectivity suggested photoreceptor loss could not be the sole cause of physiological abnormalities; there was an additional increase of post-receptoral sensitivity. We propose that changes at rod-RB synapses compensate for the partial loss of rod photoreceptors in senescence and in early stages of retinal degeneration. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(01)00530-5

We describe the cloning of HOXD1 in human unfertilised oocytes and detailed expression analyses during mouse oogenesis and embryogenesis. The cDNA of 1991 bp has an open reading frame of 987 bp encoding a protein of 329 amino acids. A comparison of the amino acid sequence with the mouse homologue revealed an overall homology of 85.5% with 99% identity within the homeodomain. Expression was detected in unfertilised human oocytes and 2-, 4-, 8-cell and blastocyst stage embryos. Expression analyses in mature mouse ovaries, early embryos and isolated gut revealed expression in the oocytes of the primary and secondary ovarian follicles, and in embryonal mesodermal derivatives such as dermatomes, urogenital tubercle, tail bud, kidney, ovaries, testes and enteric mesoderm adjacent to the caecum where expression was up-regulated in vitro in response to increasing doses of retinoic acid. Our observations indicate a possible role for HOXD1/Hoxd1 in the ovarian oocytes and the establishment of mesodermal derivatives during embryogenesis. q 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0042-6989(98)00080-7

We examined the properties of the foveal, parafoveal, and near peripheral cone lattice in human neonates. To estimate the ability of these lattices to transmit the information used in contrast sensitivity and visual acuity tasks, we constructed ideal-observer models with the optics and photoreceptors of the neonatal eye at retinal eccentricities of 0, 5, and 10°. For ideal-observer models limited by photon noise, the eye’s optics, and cone properties, contrast sensitivity was higher in the parafovea and near periphery than in the fovea. However, receptor pooling probably occurs in the neonate’s parafovea and near periphery as it does in mature eyes. When we add a receptor-pooling stage to the models of the parafovea and near periphery, ideal acuity is similar in the fovea, parafovea, and near periphery. Comparisons of ideal and real sensitivity indicate that optical and receptoral immaturities impose a significant constraint on neonatal contrast sensitivity and acuity, but that immaturities in later processing stages must also limit visual performance. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(99)00183-5

The reaper and head involution defective genes can induce apoptotic death in several Drosophila cell types, including portions of the embryo and eye. By a combination of FLP recombinase and the yeast Gal4/UAS transcription activation system, we expressed both cell death genes in discrete clones in the adult ovarian follicle cell layer. The expression of either reaper or head involution defective induced follicle cell apoptosis during all oogenic stages. Unexpectedly, the disruption of the follicle layer led to the induced degeneration of the nurse cells in an apoptotic manner, demonstrating a germline-somatic interaction required for germ cell viability. The germline apoptosis initiates at a speci®c time in oogenesis, coinciding with the beginning of vitellogenesis. This observation is intriguing given previous suggestions of a process to eliminate defective egg chambers at these same oogenic stages. The induce germline degeneration initiates with the transient formation of a network of ®lamentous actin around the nurse cell nucleus, in close association with a product of the adducin-related hu-li tai shao gene. This was immediately followed by nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation, both characteristics diagnostic of apoptosis. Occurring concomitantly with the nuclear phenotypes were the disorganization of ring canals, and the degradation of Armadillo protein (a b catenin homolog) and ®lamentous actin. Germ cells degenerating as a normal consequence of oogenesis displayed a similar set of phenotypes, suggesting that a common apoptotic mechanism may underlie these different germline death phenomena. q 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(01)00388-4

We previously determined that Protocadherin 15 (Pcdh15) is associated with the Ames waltzer mutation in the mouse. Here we describe where the Pcdh15 gene is expressed at speci®c times during mouse development using RNA in situ hybridization. The expression of Pcdh15 is found in the sensory epithelium in the developing inner ear, in Rathke's pouch, and broadly throughout the brain with the highest level of expression being detected at embryonic day 16 (E16). Pcdh15 transcripts are also found in the developing eye, dorsal root ganglion, and the dorsal aspect of the neural tube, ̄oor plate and ependymal cells adjacent to the neural canal. Additionally, expression is also detected in the developing glomeruli of the kidney, surface of the tongue, vibrissae, bronchi of the lung, and in the epithelium of the olfactory apparatus, gut and lung. q 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(99)00302-0

The expression pattern described here is that of the chick BMP-1/Tolloid family of secreted metalloproteinases during early stages of development. BMP-1/Tolloid transcripts are expressed in the blastoderm, at gastrulation stages and as the neural plate forms and neural tube folds, BMP-1/Tolloid is found at the neural plate/ectodermal transition. Expression is maintained in the premigratory neural crest, and transiently in the migrating cephalic neural crest cells. BMP-1/Tolloid is also expressed in the caudal, but not in the anterior notochord, and in the ventral neural tube at the time of dorso-ventral patterning. Further sites of BMP-1/Tolloid expression are the lateral plate mesoderm and the dermotome and the myotome of the somites. q 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(02)00010-2

During Drosophila neuroblast lineage development, temporally ordered transitions in neuroblast gene expression have been shown to accompany the changing repertoire of functionally diverse cells generated by neuroblasts. To broaden our understanding of the biological significance of these ordered transitions in neuroblast gene expression and the events that regulate them, additional genes have been sought that participate in the timing and execution of these temporally controlled events. To identify dynamically expressed neural precursor genes, we have performed a differential cDNA hybridization screen on a stage specific embryonic head cDNA library, followed by wholemount embryo in situ hybridizations. Described here are the embryonic expression profiles of 57 developmentally regulated neural precursor genes. Information about 2389 additional genes identified in this screen, including 1614 uncharacterized genes, is available on-line at ‘BrainGenes: a search for Drosophila neural precursor genes’ (http://sdb.bio.purdue.edu/fly/brain/ahome.htm). Published by Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.
PII: S0925-4773(00)00445-7

We isolated zebra®sh homologues of the Runt-related transcription factor gene family (Runx family), runxa and runxb, and analyzed their developmental expression patterns. The deduced amino acid sequence of Runxa was highly homologous to that of AML1 (also called CBFA2, PEBP2aB or Runx1), a critical regulator of mammalian hematopoiesis expressed in cells of the hematopoietic lineage as well as other tissues. During zebra®sh development, the runxa gene was not expressed in hematopoietic tissues but in the olfactory placodes and cells attached to the otic vesicles. We identi®ed three kinds of runxb transcripts, which encoded two types of proteins with different N-terminal regions. The Runxb proteins were highly similar to AML2 (CBFA3, PEBP2aC or Runx3). The expression sites of the shared region of runxb mRNAs during development were the trigeminal ganglions, dorsal neurons of the neural tube and the lateral line primordia. These ®ndings show that expression patterns of the zebra®sh Runx genes are distinct from that of the mammalian genes. q 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0042-6989(98)00079-0

We measured the symmetry of phoria angles in six normal subjects. Subjects were selected on the basis of good visual acuity and stereopsis, normal binocular eye alignment and, apart from mild refraction errors, absence of ocular abnormalities. They were instructed to look at a word on a reading chart at 2 m distance. Each measurement consisted of five subsequent intervals of 5 s duration. During these five intervals viewing was binocular, with the right eye only, binocular, with the left eye only, and binocular, respectively. Each experiment consisted of twelve measurements. Eye movements were measured with scleral coils suited for measuring in horizontal, vertical and torsional directions. Five out of six subjects displayed an asymmetrical vertical phoria; one subject showed an alternating hyperphoria; four displayed a left over right vertical phoria that was largest for left eye occlusion. Only one subject showed a symmetrical vertical phoria. Both the size of the vertical phorias and the size of the asymmetries in these vertical phorias were very small: on average 0.1690. 01 and 0.1790. 01°, respectively. The direction of the vertical phoria asymmetries (the largest left over right was found with left eye occlusion) and the fact that asymmetries were found more often in vertical than horizontal and torsional phorias suggest that these asymmetries are related to dissociated vertical deviation. These results suggest that dissociated vertical deviation, often observed in subjects with a disruption of binocular vision early in life, reflects the enhancement of a phenomenon that is present in normal subjects as well. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(00)00324-5

The Meis and Pbx genes encode for homeodomain proteins of the TALE class and have been shown to act as co-factors for other homeodomain transcription factors (Mann and Affolter, 1998. Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 8, 423±429). We have studied the expression of these genes in the mouse telencephalon and found that Meis1 and Meis2 display region-speci®c patterns of expression from embryonic day (E)10.5 until birth, de®ning distinct subterritories in the developing telencephalon. The expression of the Meis genes and their proteins is highest in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and mantle regions of the ventral telencephalon. Compared to the Meis genes, Pbx genes show a broader expression within the telencephalon. However, as is the case in Drosophila (Rieckhof et al., 1997. Cell 91, 171±183; Kurrant et al., 1998. Development 125, 1037±1048; Pai et al., 1998. Genes Dev. 12, 435±446), nuclear localized PBX proteins were found to correlate highly with Meis expression. In addition, DLX proteins co-localize with nuclear PBX in distinct regions of the ventral telencephalon. q 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(02)00359-3

We have identified a novel Tolloid-like metalloprotease, called Xolloid-related (Xlr), that is expressed during early Xenopus development. Transcripts for xlr are localized to the marginal zone of mid-gastrulae and are most abundant in ventral and lateral sectors. At neurula stages xlr is strongly expressed around the blastopore and in the pharyngeal endoderm, and more weakly expressed throughout the ventral half of the embryo. Transcripts are detected in the nervous system, particularly the hindbrain and spinal cord, and tailbud of tailbud stage embryos, with weaker expression in the anterior nervous system, otic vesicle, heart, and pronephric duct. Transcription of xlr is increased by BMP4 and decreased by Noggin and tBR, indicating that xlr is regulated by BMP signalling. Injection of xlr mRNA inhibits dorsoanterior development and the dorsal axis inducing ability of coinjected chordin, but not noggin or tBR, mRNA. Xlr conditioned media cleaves Chordin in vitro, indicating that this protease may regulate the availability of Chordin in vivo. q 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(01)00626-8

Organogenesis requires coordination between developmental programs and cell cycle progression. The Cip/Kip families of cyclindependent kinase inhibitor (CKI) are main effectors linking these two programs. In many instances, expression of Cip/Kip CKIs are increased abruptly in cells entering their last mitotic cycle, suggesting that CKI expression is developmentally regulated. Expression of Dacapo (Dap), a Drosophila Cip/Kip CKI, is transiently up-regulated immediately before cells enter G1 arrest. Here we report that dap transcription is controlled by modular arrays of tissues specific cis-regulatory elements. Furthermore, we identified pan-neural Prospero as a regulator of dap transcription in the developing nervous system, providing an example how tissue-specific developmental programs can be linked to cell cycle progression. q 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0042-6989(96)00141-1

The inhibitory actions of picrotoxin (PTX) and zinc on the GABAc receptor in acutely isolated catfish cone horizontal cells were studied and compared using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. PTX blocked the GABAc current elicited by 30/~M GABA with ICso --0.64 pM. Over a PTX concentration range of 1-100 #M, simultaneous application of PTX with GABA (30/~M) produced current transients at both the onset and offset of the drug pulse. When the PTX concentration was maintained before, during, and after GABA application, the current transients at the onset and offset of GABA application disappeared. Thus, these transients seem to reflect a slower initial action of PTX at, and faster washout of PTX from, the GABAc receptor than GABA when they were co-applied. The full recovery from PTX inhibition required a second GABA application. Recovery could not be achieved by a prolonged wash in the absence of GABA. These results suggest that PTX effect iis use-dependent. Zinc also potently blocked the GABAc current elicited by 30 GABA with an ICso about an order of magnitude higher than that of PTX (ICso = 8.2/~M). However, only the onset, but not the offset current transient was observed when zinc was simultaneously applied with GABA. The full recovery of the GABAc current from zinc inhibition was obtained after washing for 20 sec and did not require a subsequent GABA application. This indicates that the zinc effect is use-independent. Our findings suggest that: (1) the zinc binding site is on the surface of the GABAc receptor molecule; (2) there is a PTX binding site that is probably inside the receptor and its access requires GABA binding to the receptor. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd
PII: S0925-4773(02)00083-7

Wing vein development in Drosophila is controlled by different morphogenetic pathways, including Notch. Hairless (H) antagonizes Notch target gene activation by binding to the Notch signal transducer Suppressor of Hairless [Su(H)]. Accordingly, overexpression of H phenocopies reduction of Notch activity. Deletion of the Su(H)-binding domain in H–C2 results in loss of H activity. However, overexpression of H–C2 induces formation of ectopic veins. In a screen for genetic modifiers of this phenotype, we have identified several genes involved in Notch and epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling. Most notably veinlet, an activator of EGF signaling, acts downstream of H– C2. H–C2 positively regulates veinlet maybe through inhibition of inter-vein determinants in agreement with a model, whereby Notch and EGF signaling pathways cross-regulate vein pre-patterning. q 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(02)00154-5

In zebrafish, maternally produced vasa (vas) transcripts become targeted to the cleavage planes of early embryos and subsequently incorporated into the primordial germ cells (PGCs). Zygotic vas transcription occurs from the onset of gastrulation. Here, we report on the characterisation of the zebrafish vas locus. The gene consists of 27 exons, spans about 25 kb, and contains two CpG-rich regions. We have used vas regulatory regions to establish transgenic zebrafish lines expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in their PGCs. Maternally encoded vas::EGFP transcripts and VAS::EGFP protein segregate with the PGCs during embryogenesis. We find that the maternally deposited vas::EGFP transcripts are stable during embryogensis at least up to 50 h of development. Vas::EGFP transcripts could not be detected in embryos that inherit the transgene from males, most likely due to the lack of one or more regulatory elements required for early zygotic expression. We show that vas::EGFP transcripts become enriched to the cleavage planes in early embryos, a finding that supported an RNA localisation signal localised within the vas region of these transcripts. q 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0042-6989(98)00203-X

The optimal viewing position phenomenon discovered by (O’Regan, J. K., Lévy-Schoen, A., Pynte, J., Brugaillère, B. (1984). Convenient fixation location within isolated words of different length and structure. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and performance. 10 (2), 250–257) is characterized by a minimization of gaze duration on a word and maximization of word recognition rates when the eye fixates a word near its center. Subsequent studies (Holmes, V. M., & O’Regan, J. K. (1987). Decomposing french words. In J. K. O’Regan, & A. Lévy-Schoen, Eye movements: from physiology to cognition, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 459–466; O’Regan, J. K. , & Lévy-Schoen, A. (1987). Eye movement strategy and tactics in word recognition and reading. In M. Coltheart, Attention and performance XII: the psychology of reading, Erlbaum, Hillsdale N.J., 363–383) have shown that lexical structure can affect the location of the optimal viewing position. In this paper we show that the optimal viewing position is near to the position which minimizes word ambiguity arising from incomplete recognition of the letters in the word. This conclusion is supported by a statistical analysis based on inter-letter correlations in English and French word corpuses. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S0925-4773(01)00522-6

The Dan gene was first identified as the putative rat tumor suppressor gene and encodes a protein structurally related to Cerberus and Gremlin in vertebrates. Xenopus DAN, as with Cerberus and Gremlin, was demonstrated to block bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling by binding BMPs, and to be capable of inducing additional anterior structures by ectopic overexpression in Xenopus embryos. DAN, thus, is suggested to play pivotal roles in early patterning and subsequent organ development, as in the case of other BMP antagonists. In this report, we isolated the chicken counterpart of Dan. Chicken Dan is mainly expressed in the cephalic and somitic mesoderm and several placodes during organ development. q 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.