Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Induction of CD36 by all‐trans retinoic acid: retinoic acid receptor signaling in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis

Scavenger receptors mediating the uptake of oxidized low‐density lipoproteins (oxLDL) by macrophages play a crucial role in foam cell formation during atherosclerosis. One member of this receptor family, the thrombospondin receptor CD36, has recently been shown to mediate a major part of the oxLDL‐induced aggravation of atherosclerotic lesions. Here, we show that the expression of CD36 protein and mRNA in human monocytic THP‐1 cells is increased by all‐trans retinoic acid (atRA), a derivative of the essential Vitamin A, which leads to increased uptake of oxLDL. CD3106, a specific antagonist at the retinoic acid receptor (RAR), inhibited the atRA‐induced CD36 expression, whereas the RAR‐specific agonist CD367 induced CD36 to the same degree as atRA. This indicates an RAR‐mediated CD36 induction. AtRA and oxLDL had synergistic effects in up‐regulating CD36 when in both THP‐1 cells and primary monocytes. Applying a sensitive RAR‐GAL‐4 reporter assay, we could demonstrate RAR ligands in human atherosclerotic lesions. In addition, immunohistochemistry showed RAR‐α and ‐γ in the lesions, which indicates that atRA may contribute to foam cell formation and the progress of atherosclerosis.
Proposal of Minimal Standards for Describing New Taxa of Methanogenic Bacteria

The Subcommittee for Taxonomy of Methanogenic Bacteria has agreed in principle on minimum requirements for the description of new taxa of methanogenic bacteria. These requirements, as well as methods for determining specified characteristics, are indicated here and are proposed as minimal standards for the taxonomic description of new taxa of methanogens. The specified phenotypic characteristics are often not sufficient to distinguish among taxa or to determine the phylogenetic placement of a taxon, and, in these cases, additional chemotaxonomic, molecular, or genetic data may be required. The placement of a new taxon should be consistent with phylogeny, usually based on tests such as nucleic acid sequencing or cataloging studies or on protein fingerprinting. Suggestions are welcome for the improvement of these requirements, which are tentative until given final approval by the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology.
Bright ultraviolet colouration in the Asian whistling-thrushes (Myiophonus spp.)

The ability of birds to perceive ultraviolet light (300–400 nm), to which humans are blind, has been neglected in avian behavioural ecology, and the occurrence and significance of ultraviolet (UV) colouration in plumage signals are important to explore. The support for a role of UV in avian communication comes mainly from demonstrations of UV-components in avian plumage reflectance, but most of these might be nonadaptive secondary effects of colouring mechanisms operating in longer wavelengths. Only colouration principally in the UV strongly suggests signalling in this spectral region. Here is presented the first example of nearly pure UV colouration in passerines, the Asian whistling-thrushes (Myiophonus spp.). As in a previously investigated parrot species, the barb-born UV-structure seems to be a modification of the taxonomically widespread ‘spongy structure’ producing blue and violet feather colours. Lacking an obvious morphological constraint, the rarity of pure UV-signals is more likely to be explained by ambient light conditions and ecology. In the whistling-thrushes, a combination of high altitude, skylight-dominated habitat, mammalian predators, and semi-aquatic lifestyle might explain the evolution of UV-communication in this genus.
Carrying Progeny on the Back: Reproduction in the Brazilian Aquatic Frog Pipa carvalhoi

ABSTRACT. Female Pipa carvalhoi incubate their eggs in the skin of the dorsum where the embryos develop until they emerge. Behavioral and morphological aspects of this reproductive mode were studied through courtship until the tadpoles emerged. Samples of the female skin were collected beginning a few hours after egg deposition and through subsequent phases of larval development and examined using standard histology, histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. The females' dorsal skin structure changes during egg implantation and development. These changes may be mediated by hormones and enzymes in a manner paralleling that of trophoblast implantation in mammal endometrium. The lack of vittelum and the extensive vascularization in the female after the 14th day of egg implantation suggest interaction through blood between the female and embryos. This hypothesis could be better accessed, if comparisons could be made with similar species such as Pipa pipa and Pipa arrabali, in which the embryos hatch only after metamorphosis. Similar observations have been made for marsupial frogs of the genus Gastrotheca in which some females maintain the embryos in a pouch in the dorsal integument. For P. carvalhoi, at least within populations of the Brazilian semi-arid environment (Caatinga), where bodies of water and rivers are temporary and depend on the short rainy season, this type of reproduction may be important for the rapid dissemination of large numbers of progeny.
Douglas-Fir Beetle Infestations Are Associated with Certain Rock and Stand Types in the Inland Northwestern United States

Abstract Landscape-level geographic analysis was used to examine the occurrence of Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in association with geology (rock type) and forest stand types on the Panhandle National Forests of northern Idaho and northeastern Washington from 1996 to 1999. Beetle infestations occurred most often in mature stands comprised primarily of trees ≥23 cm in diameter at breast height (≈1.4 m), in habitat types likely to contain Douglas-fir. Douglas-fir stands growing on Prichard and lower Wallace formation metasedimentary rocks and intrusive dikes and sills were significantly more likely than Douglas-fir stands growing on other rock types to harbor beetle populations during nonoutbreak years early in the study period. By 1999 (when outbreak populations of Douglas-fir beetle were present), beetle infestations occurred across all rock types at rates proportional to the amount of stand area on those rocks, indicating a decrease in infestation rates for stands on particular rock types when beetle populations were large. Although the biological mechanisms influencing beetle preferences were not examined, information derived in this study could be useful in developing quantitative hazard-rating models for Douglas-fir beetle, and, subsequently, in designing silvicultural practices to reduce the amount of beetle-susceptible Douglas-fir stands on particular rock types.
Factors associated with the incidence of Aspergillus section Flavi and aflatoxin contamination of peanuts in the Busia and Homa bay districts of western Kenya

The aim of this study was to identify agronomic, ecological and sociocultural factors that could be modified to reduce the risk of aflatoxin contamination of peanuts from western Kenya. Presence of fungi within section Flavi of the genus Aspergillus and levels of total aflatoxin were determined for 436 peanut samples from the Busia and Homa bay districts. A total of 1458 cultures of Aspergillus flavus or A. parasiticus isolated from the samples were assayed for production of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2. Associations among the incidences of fungal species, incidences of samples with ≥10 μg kg−1 aflatoxin, production of specific aflatoxin types and various agronomic, ecological and sociocultural factors were modelled with chi-squared and logistic regression methods. The predominant species were A. flavus L-strain (78% incidence), A. flavus S-strain (68%) and A. niger (65%). Occurrence of A. caelatus, A. alliaceus and A. tamarii in Kenya was also documented. Samples from the Busia district were three times (odds ratio = 3·01) as likely to contain ≥10 μg kg−1 of total aflatoxin as were samples from the Homa bay district, while samples containing A. flavus S-strain were 96% more likely to exceed this threshold compared with samples from which this fungus was not isolated. Grading, planting improved cultivars and membership of a producer marketing group were negatively associated with the incidence of A. flavus, while crop rotation was negatively correlated with the incidence of B aflatoxins. These sociocultural factors can be modified to reduce the risk of peanut contamination with aflatoxin.
The effect of silicon on antioxidant metabolism of wheat leaves infected by Pyricularia oryzae

This study investigated whether the increase in wheat resistance to blast, caused by Pyricularia oryzae, potentiated by silicon (Si) is linked to changes in the activity of antioxidative enzymes. Wheat plants (cv. BR 18) were grown in hydroponic culture with either 0 (–Si) or 2 mM (+Si) Si and half of the plants in each group were inoculated with P. oryzae. Blast severity in the +Si plants was 70% lower compared to the Si plants at 96 h after inoculation (hai). Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were higher in the leaves of the Si plants compared with the +Si plants at 96 hai. This indicates that other mechanisms may have limited P. oryzae infection in the +Si plants restricting the generation of reactive oxygen species, obviating the need for increased antioxidative enzyme activity. In contrast, glutathione reductase (GR) activity at 96 hai was higher in the +Si plants than in the Si plants. Although the inoculated plants showed significantly higher concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) than the non-inoculated plants, lower MDA concentrations were observed in the +Si plants compared with the Si plants. The lower MDA concentration associated with decreased activities of SOD, CAT, POX, APX and GST, suggest that the amount of reactive oxygen species was lower in the +Si plants. However, GR appears to play a pivotal role in limiting oxidative stress caused by P. oryzae infection in +Si plants.
Expansin and XET Genes Are Differentially Expressed During Aril Breakdown in Harvested Longan Fruit

Fresh fruit of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) are susceptible to pericarp browning and aril breakdown. Aril breakdown in longan fruit is regarded as one of the most important factors reducing quality and shortening storage life of the fruit. To better understand the molecular mechanism of aril breakdown, the expression patterns of three expansin (EXP) and three xyloglucan endotransglucosylase (XET) genes in relation to the aril breakdown of longan fruit stored at room temperature (25 8C) or low temperature (4 8C) were investigated. The results showed that aril breakdown index increased progressively during storage at 25 and at 4 8C. Northern blotting analysis revealed that the accumulations of three EXP and three XET genes exhibited differential characteristics with the occurrence of aril breakdown. During storage at 25 8C, the accumulations of Dl-XET3 increased after 1 day, suggesting that Dl- XET3correlatedwellwiththeearlyarilbreakdown,whileDl-EXP3togetherwithDl-XET1andDl-XET2wasinvolved in later aril breakdown. However, expression ofDl-XET1 and Dl-XET2could be mainly involved in aril breakdown of longan fruit stored at 4 8C. In addition, Dl-EXP2, whose accumulation increased sharply when longan fruit were transferred from low temperature to room temperature within 12 hours, was related to the aril breakdown in this storageperiod.These dataindicated thatDl-EXPsandDl-XETswere closelyrelated to aril breakdownin longanfruit.
Development of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to study diversity in the herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora)

The herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) is a well-known herbaceous flowering plant that yields high medicinal and economic value in Korea and China. In this study, 14 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed and characterized through the construction of a simple sequence repeat (SSR)-enriched library from genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of P. lactiflora. In total, 103 alleles across 85 P. lactiflora accessions were detected, with an average of 7.4 alleles per locus. The values of the major allele frequency, genetic diversity, and polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.39 to 0.88 (mean = 0.61), 0.21 to 0.71 (mean = 0.50), and 0.19 to 0.67 (mean = 0.43), respectively. The mean genetic distance among the P. lactiflora accessions was 0.5559, indicating wide variation. These new SSR markers will be useful tools for assessing genetic diversity, understanding population structure, identifying genotypes, and breeding of P. lactiflora.
Aspects of Breeding, Molt, Measurements and Population Trend of Hartlaub’s Gull in Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract In South Africa’s Western Cape, the main breeding season of Hartlaub’s Gull (Larus hartlaubii) is from January or February until May. At southern localities, there may be a second peak in breeding in August and September. Primary molt of adults mostly starts between August and December and lasts on average 115 days. In each of nine body measurements, averages were higher for males than for females, but values overlapped. In Western Cape during 1990-2001, the species bred at nine localities where breeding had not previously been reported. The maximum number recorded breeding at all localities in this region in any one year was about 5,500 pairs in 1995, less than the 10,000-11,000 pairs estimated for the region in the 1980s. Because the timing of the peak in breeding varies from year to year, it is considered that the 5,500 pairs represent an under-estimate, but it is likely that numbers did decrease after the 1980s. There are substantial inter-annual fluctuations in numbers of birds breeding, suggesting that in some years an appreciable proportion of the adults do not breed.
Reconstruction of the Thoracic Epaxial Musculature of Diplodocid and Dicraeosaurid Sauropods

ABSTRACT Thoracic epaxial muscles of diplodocid and dicraeosaurid sauropods are reconstructed for the first time using an Extant Phylogenetic Bracket approach. In the dorsal vertebral column, three different epaxial muscle groups were present. The medialmost m. transversospinalis and the laterally adjacent m. longissimus dorsi were connected to the neural arches. The lateralmost m. iliocostalis was connected to the dorsal ribs. The medial part of m. transversospinalis of diplodocids and dicraeosaurids comprised at least two tendon systems that had a trellis-like arrangement. Osteological characters of the dorsal vertebrae in related taxa suggest a similar configuration of the thoracic epaxial muscles in all eusauropods, although there was variation in tendon arrangements and in the cross-section of each muscle. The thoracic epaxial musculature in eusauropods played an important role for trunk support; its variation in different eusauropods is directly connected with bony support structures and influenced the mobility of the trunk and locomotion. Modifications in the thoracic epaxial musculature are especially apparent in Saltasauridae, which suggests differences in their locomotor capabilities, such as increased trunk mobility or larger stride lengths.
Maltol, a Maillard reaction product, exerts anti-tumor efficacy in H22 tumor-bearing mice via improving immune function and inducing apoptosis

The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-hepatoma activity of maltol, a Maillard reaction product, in H22 tumor-bearing mice. The results demonstrate that maltol not only significantly inhibited the growth of hepatoma H22 transplanted in mice, but also prolonged the survival time of H22-bearing mice. Furthermore, the levels of serum cytokines in H22 tumor-bearing mice, such as interferon gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-2 (IL-2), were enhanced by maltol treatment. Importantly, immunohistochemical and western blotting analysis clearly show that maltol treatment increased Bax and decreased Bcl-2 protein expression levels of H22 tumor tissues in a dose-dependent manner. Collectively, our findings in the present study clearly demonstrate that the maltol markedly suppressed the tumor growth of H22 transplanted tumors in vivo at least partly via improving the immune functions, inducing apoptosis, and inhibiting angiogenesis.
Seasonal Phenology and Biology of Calocoris norvegicus (Hemiptera: Miridae) in Pistachios and Associated Host Plants

The biology and seasonal phenology of Caloeoris norvegieus (Gmelin) were studied in pistachios, Pistaeia vera L. , and associated host plants in the laboratory and four orchards in the Sacramento Valley. Nymphs were found in weeds in the orchards from late March; adults were found in early April and disappeared by late May. In beating-tray samples, adults were observed on pistachio clusters from 12 April until 25 May. Increases in numbers of adults in the beating-tray samples corresponded to high levels of epicarp lesion, ranging from 11 to 34%. Dispersal to pistachios coincided with the development of adults and was correlated with the drying of orchard weeds or cutting of alfalfa. C. norvegicus nymphs and adults were recorded on various host plants, which included several species of legumes, mustards, and orchard grasses. In late March, first instars hatched from diapausing eggs laid in the dried stems of wild radish, Raphanus sativus L. , and wheat, Triticum aestivum L. Neither eggs nor first instars were found on pistachio limbs. In the laboratory, survival to adulthood was 92-98% on winter vetch, View villosa Roth, curly dock, Rumex erispus L. , and wild radish, and 25% in wild oats, Avena fatua L. Oviposition was observed within all herbaceous hosts except wild oats.
Predicting plant responses to global environmental change.

Predicting the future responses of plants and ecosystems to further changes in the CO2 concentration of the atmosphere and to the possibility of global warming are important current concerns. Predictions have been most frequently attempted using short-term, single-factor experiments in controlled environments. However, these experiments have failed to indicate the outcome of field experiments at larger spatial and temporal scales. Some of this failure is due to ignorance of environmental conditions and interactions while some is due to the use of inappropriate short-cuts, such as the addition of fertilizers for simulating enhanced mineralization, and some is due to ignorance of the processes involved in scaling-up from individual plants to populations. Long-term observations on plants in ecosystems nevertheless indicate that community-scale experiments may provide a useful but imperfect capacity to predict ecosystem responses. Although difficult to implement in practice, it is concluded that catchment-scale experiments offer the best opportunity to predict plant, community and ecosystem responses to environmental change. CONTENTS Summary 239 I. Introduction 239 II. CO2 -enrichment experiments 240 III. Experiments with applied nitrogen fertilizer 243 IV. Population ecophysiology 245 V. Ecosystem predictions 248 Acknowledgements 249 References 250.
A new species of Cinachyra (Demospongiae: Tetillidae) collected by Project REVIZEE off Espírito Santo State, SE Brazil

A new species of Cinachyra Sollas (Porifera, Spirophorida) was dredged from 500 m depth off Espirito Santo State, SE Brazil, by Project REVIZEE Central SCORE. Cinachyra helena sp. nov. is characterized by the presence of a single category each, of protriaenes, anatriaenes, anisoactinal choanosomal oxeas, isoactinal cortical oxeas, and sigmaspires. The cortex is formed by small isoactinal oxeas arranged obliquely to the surface, and an anchoring basal spicule mass is absent. This is the first valid record of Cinachyra from the Atlantic; all similar species lacking a cortex should be transferred to Cinachyrella or other genera of Tetillidae. At the present state of knowledge, there are four valid species in the genus Cinachyra: C. barbata Sollas, C. crustata (Wilson), C. uteoides Dendy, and C. helena sp. nov.
Effect of boiling on the antioxidant capacity of Dioscorea alata (Raja Ala) grown in Sri Lanka

The present study evaluated the effect of boiling on the antioxidant capacity of Dioscorea alata (raja ala) using water extracts; raw yam extract, boiled yam extract prepared with water used in boiling, boiled yam extract prepared with fresh water. The total antioxidant capacity was measured by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and reducing power assays. The total phenol, total flavonoid, monomeric anthocyanin and condensed tannin contents were measured by Folin-Ciocalteu, aluminium chloride, pH differential and vanillin assays respectively. The results indicated that FRAP, reducing power, total phenol and monomeric anthocyanin contents of the boiled yam extract prepared with fresh water were significantly lower (p Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 26 (1): 109 – 119 (2014)
Knot

Let K be a knot in a closed orientable irreducible 3–manifold M and let P be a Heegaard splitting of the knot complement of genus at least two. Suppose Q is a bridge surface for K and let N ( K ) denote a regular neighborhood of K . Then either • d ( P ) ≤ 2 − χ ( Q − ( N ( K )), or • K can be isotoped to be disjoint from Q so that after the isotopy Q is a Heegaard surface for M − N ( K ) that is isotopic to a possibly stabilized copy of P .
Comparing trophic position of freshwater fish calculated using stable nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) and literature dietary data

Stable nitrogen isotope ratios ( delta 15N) are commonly used to represent the trophic structure of aquatic systems, yet the ability of delta 15N to indicate the trophic position of aquatic consumers remains untested using traditional dietary methods. Interpreting the delta 15N of aquatic consumers relative to large, long-lived primary consumers such as unionid mussels provides a continuous measure of an organism's trophic position that adjusts for among-system variation in baseline delta 15N. We used this method to estimate the trophic position of eight littoral fish species from 36 lakes in Ontario and Quebec. We validated these delta 15N measures of trophic position by compiling literature dietary data from 342 populations of these same fish species and calculated a continuous measure of trophic position for each population. Mean dietary trophic position estimates corresponded closely to 15N estimates, with mean trophic position ranging from 3.3 for pumpkinseed (Lepomis gobbosus) to 4.4 for walleye (St.