Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regional, developmental, and cell cycle‐dependent differences in μ, δ, and κ‐opioid receptor expression among cultured mouse astrocytes

The diversity of opioid receptor expression was examined in astrocytes in low‐density and non‐dividing (confluent) cultures from the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, and striatum of 1‐day‐old mice. μ, δ, and κ opioid receptor expression was assessed in individual cells immunocytochemically, by using flow cytometry, and functionally by examining agonist‐induced changes in intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i). Significant spatial and temporal differences were evident in the pattern of expression of μ, δ, and κ receptors among astrocytes. In low‐density cultures, greater proportions of astrocytes expressed μ‐opioid receptor immunoreactivity in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus (26–34%) than in the cerebellum or striatum (7–12%). At confluence, a greater percentage of astrocytes in cerebellar (26%) and striatal (30%) cultures expressed μ‐immunoreactivity. Fewer astrocytes possessed δ‐immunoreactivity in low‐density striatal cultures (8%) compared to other regions (16–22%). The proportion of δ receptor‐expressing astrocytes declined in the cerebellum but increased in the hippocampus. κ‐opioid receptors were uniformly expressed by 27–34% of astrocytes from all regions, except in cortical cultures, where the proportion of κ expressing cells was 38% at low‐density and decreased to 22% at confluence. Selective μ (PLO 17; H‐Tyr‐Pro‐Phe (N‐Me) ‐D‐Pro‐NH2, δ ([D‐Pen2, D‐Pen5] enkephalin), or κ (U50,488H; trans‐(±)‐3,4‐Dichloro‐N‐methyl‐N‐[2‐(1‐pyrrolidinyl) cyclohexyl] benzeneacetamide methanesulfonate) opioid receptor agonists increased [Ca2+]i in subpopulations of astrocytes indicating the presence of functional receptors. Lastly, opioid receptor immunofluorescence varied during the cell division cycle. A greater proportion of astrocytes in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle were μ or δ receptor immunofluorescent than at G0/G1. When astrocytes were reversibly arrested in G1, significantly fewer cells expressed δ receptor immunofluorescence; however, upon reentry into the cell cycle immunofluorescent cells reappeared. In conclusion, opioid phenotype varies considerably among individual cultured astrocytes, and this diversity was determined by regional and developmental (age and cell cycle dependent) differences in the brain. These in vitro findings suggest astroglia contribute to regional and developmental idiosyncrasies in opioid function within the brain. GLIA 22:249–259, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Identifying the Dimensions of Suburban Shopping Centres and “Pasar Malam” (Night Markets) in Singapore from a Shopper’s Perspective

Abstract Over the last decade, there have been drastic developments of “pasar malam” or night markets and suburban shopping centres within the suburban public housing estates in Singapore. The “pasar malam” belongs to the bazaar sector, while the suburban shopping centre belongs to the firm-centered sector within the retail marketing system. In view of their differences, using a sequential mixed method approach involving a qualitative/quantitative sequence, this paper aims to examine how shoppers perceive both retailing entities. Principal component analysis and weighted factor ratings show that “pasar malam” and suburban shopping centre have different niches and, image structures notwithstanding, that there are some common images between them. These findings have significant implications on retail planning and management of the retail marketing system within the suburban public housing estates in Singapore.
BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH: Experimental introduction of the alien plant Hieracium lepidulum reveals no significant impact on montane plant communities in New Zealand

Aim There is debate over whether alien plants necessarily alter the communities they invade or can coexist with native species without discernable impacts. We followed the fate of montane plant communities in response to the experimental sowing of the alien weed Hieracium lepidulum, looking for changes in plant community composition and structure over 6 years.
Frugivory in Treeshrews (Tupaia)

Four species of treeshrews (Tupaia spp.) studied in the field in Sabah, Malaysia, show intense frugivory concentrated on small, soft, bird-dispersed fruits. Observations of a wild individual and captives of two species show that treeshrews reject indigestible fibers and other parts of fruits before swallowing the pulp. Transit times of fruit through the gut are rapid and body-size dependent, with mean times to first defecation of marker dye of 20 min (range, 13-29 min) for Tupaia minor (≈60 g mass), and 57 min (range, 38-73 min) for Tupaia tana (220 g mass). The intestine of Tupaia species consists of a long small intestine, rudimentary or no cecum, and a greatly reduced, narrow, smooth colon. The fruit-processing method, rapid food transit time, and gut morphology of treeshrews resemble those of frugivorous bats but are unlike those of small primates.
Post-fire Seed Dispersal and Species Re-establishment in Proteaceous Heath

Aspects of seed dispersal of five functionally similar, serotinous species, Banksia serrata L.f. , B. ericifolia L.f. , B. marginata Cav. , Hakea sericea Schrader, and H. teretifolia (Salisb.) Britten (Proteaceae), from coastal heath near Sydney were investigated. These species have seeds with large papery wings apparently suited to dispersal by wind. Terminal falling velocities of seeds of all species were close to 1 m s-1 despite significant differences in seed sizes and wing loadings. Patterns of aerial dispersal of seeds in a wind tunnel and in a burnt heath site were also similar among species, with seeds dispersed up to 12 m. Seeds were also dispersed along a sandy substrate in burnt heath distances of up to 3 m in 1 h under windy conditions. A survey of post-fire seedling distribution relative to a seed source found seedling density to be highest in and near seed sources, decreasing loge–linearly with distance from the source up to 40 m. The similarity between distances of seed dispersal determined experimentally and patterns of in situ seedlings relative to a seed source led to the conclusion that wind dispersal of seed is the major determinant of seedling patterns after fire. Recolonisation of areas of local extinction of species following high fire frequency is likely to occur at the rate of a few tens of metres after each successive fire providing that plants have matured during the inter-fire period.
Comparative morphology of dark-eyed juncos Junco hyemalis breeding at two elevations: a common aviary experiment

H. Bears (correspondence), M.C. Drever and K. Martin, Centre for Applied Conservation Research, University of British Columbia, 2424 MainMall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada. Present address of H. B. : Rescan Environmental Services, 1111 West Hastings,Vancouver, B.C., V6E 2J3, Canada. Email: bears@zoology.ubc. caMorphologies of bird species often vary along elevation gradients, yet causes of the variation have not been examinedexperimentally. We investigated variation in morphological traits of the dark-eyed junco Junco hyemalis, breeding at1,000 m a.s. l. (low-elevation; i.e. low) and 2,000 m asl (high-elevation; i.e. high) in the Rocky Mountains, Canada. Eightmorphological traits were measured in free-living birds. We found two consistent differences in populations betweenelevations: at high-elevation sites, females had longer wings and males had longer tails than birds from low- elevationsites. Other age- and gender- specific results were observed in free-living birds between elevations: tarsi were shorter inhigh-elevation second year (SY) females and after second year (ASY) males, beak lengths were slightly longer in low-elevation SY females, and high-elevation ASY females tended to have lower fat than low-elevation ASY females.Morphological differences may result from genetic differences between elevations, or phenotypic flexibility resulting fromexposure to the different environmental conditions. To identify which mechanism caused the difference inmorphometrics, hand-reared birds from low- and high-elevation habitats were raised in identical conditions withunlimited access to high quality food until they had replaced all feathers. The traits measured in the lab (wing and rectrixlength, weight and fat score) tended to increase in magnitude compared to field values. Juncos from high- and low-elevations had similar responses to the aviary environment, with one exception: males from high-elevation sites hadgreater weight gain relative to free-living juncos than males from low-elevation sites. Thus, morphological traits in dark-eyed juncos were phenotypically flexible, capable of growing larger in the laboratory environment. However, there werealso persistent genetic or perinatal/maternal differences underlying population responses that prevented traits fromconverging under aviary conditions. As a result, trait size differences between high- and low-elevation populations weremaintained or exacerbated in the common aviary environment.
Urban governance in the knowledge-based economy: Challenges for different city types

Abstract This paper discusses the governance of cities in the knowledge economy. It focuses on three main aspects. First, it discusses the uneven urban impacts of the structural move towards a knowledge economy and concludes that different types of cities face different chances and opportunities because of their structural characteristics. Second, it addresses the issue of urban governance and discusses a number of successful interventions within cities via the concerted action of a number of key actors in the urban region. Moreover, it considers the unintended impacts of national policy on the urban level. Finally, the paper defines some key policy challenges for various city types and for national governments.
Seed rain under the canopies of female and male Myrsine coriacea, a pioneer tree from the Brazilian Atlantic forest

Abstract: Isolated pioneer trees have been shown to increase the deposition of animal-dispersed seeds. The effect of gender on seed rain has not yet been investigated, and this study aimed to evaluate whether female and male plants of a pioneer dioecious zoochoric tree differ with respect to the seed rain under their canopies. Seed rain was evaluated for 13 mo, from October 2009 to October 2010, in secondary vegetation of the Atlantic forest in southern Brazil. We used 60 seed traps (0.5 m2): 40 traps under the crowns of 40 Myrsine coriacea (Primulaceae) trees (20 male and 20 female individuals) and 20 at sites without trees. We found 365071 diaspores belonging to 115 morphospecies from 37 families, and 38.3% of the morphospecies were trees, most of them zoochoric. The female trees accumulated a greater number of diaspores and species richness than male trees. The male trees accumulated a higher number of seeds and species than areas without trees. This study shows that sites containing female and male trees of M. coriacea and sites without trees differed significantly in terms of seed rain, and there is a gender effect in this dioecious, pioneer tree species because female plants promote an increase in the richness and abundance of diaspores.
Terpenoids Found in the Umbelliferae Family Act as Agonists/Antagonists for ERα and ERβ: Differential Transcription Activity between Ferutinine-Liganded ERα and ERβ

Abstract Phytoestrogens are assumed to affect the endocrine system of animal species similarly to other man-made endocrine disrupters and to exert their effects through estrogen receptors, specifically ERα and ERβ. However, these molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, 19 phytochemicals were surveyed for agonist and antagonist activities of ERα and ERβ using an ERE–luciferase reporter assay. The results showed that ferutinine is an agonist for ERα and an agonist/antagonist for ERβ, tschimgine is an agonist for both ERα and ERβ, and tschimganidine is an agonist for only ERα. Ferutinine and tschimganidine are sesquiterpenoids, and tschimgine is a monoterpenoid derived from the Umbelliferae family. A competitive binding assay showed that ferutinine has higher binding affinities than tamoxifen for both ERs. Co-transfections of coactivators such as SRC-1, TIF2, AIB1, and TRAP220 in 293T cells and use of the luciferase assay revealed that TRAP220 failed to enhance the transcription mediated by ERβ in the presence of ferutinine. Moreover, a GST pull-down assay showed that TRAP220 marginally bound to ERβ ligand binding domain in the presence of ferutinine. These results suggest that the conformation of ferutinine-liganded ERβ is difficult for TRAP220 to recognize. Taken together, this suggests that some terpenoids can modulate estrogen signaling as ER subtype-selective phytoestrogens similar to SERMs (selective estrogen receptor modulators).
Genetic variability in nuclear DNA in field populations of Stagonospora nodorum.

Anonymous nuclear DNA markers were used to characterize the genetic structure of field populations of the wheat pathogen Stagonospora nodorum. High levels of genetic and genotypic diversity were found when DNA probes that hybridized to single restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) loci and to a dispersed, repetitive DNA sequence were used. The populations surveyed contained a high number of different genotypes distributed on a small scale. In the majority of cases, separate lesions on the same leaf were caused by different genotypes of S. nodorum. Pairwise comparisons between individual RFLP loci showed that the majority of alleles at these loci were in gametic equilibrium, as is expected in a random-mating population [. ]
Cyanogenesis in Canned Stone Fruits

The amount of cyanogenic glycosides in seeds and pulp of stone fruits, and the HCN content in heat processed unstoned fruit have shown that the decisive factors affecting HCN concentration in canned unstoned fruits are the glycoside content of raw fruits and the conditions of heat processing. Enzymatic hydrolysis of glycosides during canning is the main source of HCN in fruit products. HCN contents found in canned fruits (0-4 mg kg-1) were not acutely toxic, but are not negligible.
Proximity, clump size and root distribution pattern in bamboo: A case study of Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Willd., Poaceae, in the Ultisols of Kerala, India

Root distribution pattern and competitiveness of bamboo ( Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Willd. ) for below ground resources in mixed species systems were evaluated using logarithmic spiral trenching and 32 P soil injection techniques respectively. Excavation studies indicated that rooting intensity in different soil horizons declined either exponentially or quadratically with increasing lateral distance from the bamboo clump. Surface horizon (0- 10 cm) of the soil proe le showed the least bamboo rooting intensity. It was highest in the 10- 20 cm soil layer with nearly 27% of the total roots. Clump size is another important determinant of bamboo rooting intensity. Smaller bamboo crowns/clumps showed the lowest rooting intensity, when measured at 5 m and 7.5 m lateral distances and increased linearly with increasing crown radius. Implicit in this is the potential for management practices to regulate competition in mixed species systems through controlling clump size/crown expansion. Our results also showed that 32 P uptake by bamboo in binary combinations involving teak (Tectona grandis ) and vateria ( Vateria indica ) was proportional to bamboo rooting intensity, when the 32 P label was applied to the dicot trees. Root competitiveness in polycultural systems involving bamboo, therefore, is a function of the proximity of bamboo to the associated tree/crop, which in turn, decides the bamboo rooting intensity.
Total protein and organic iodine in the colloid and cells of single follicles of the thyroid gland

Thyroglobulin has a characteristic absorption curve in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum. The two absorption maxima of this curve are in the neighborhood of 2800B and of 3200 A. The former is due chiefly to the absorption peaks of tyrosin and tryptophane. The latter is caused almost entirely by the absorption of thyroxin and diiodotyrosin. Methods developed by Caspersson (to be published) make it possible to measure directly and quantitatively with the aid of a photoelectric cell the absorption of ultraviolet light in a small, definitely circumscribed area of about 0.5 sq. p of a thin section of an organ such as the thyroid. Even smaller areas can be studied by his photographic methods ( '36) . These procedures permitted us to take advantage of the specific ultraviolet light -absorbing proper ties of thyr oglobulin to determine quantitatively the concentration of total protein in the colloid, and of thyroxin + diiodotyrosin in both colloid and cells. Attempts were made to localize the iodine-containing substances in the gland cells. The tyrosin and tryptophane content of the colloid is regarded as a measure of its protein concentration. This assumption is justified by the analyses of Cavett, who showed that the amino acid composition of thyroglobulin (except for its iodine-containing moieties) remains
Adaptation of the Euryhaline Charophyte Lamprothamnium papulosum to Brackish and Freshwater: Turgor Pressure and Vacuolar Solute Concentrations During Steady-State Culture and After Hypo-osmotic Treatment

The euryhaline charophyte Lamprothamnium papulosum (Wallr.) J. Gr. was adapted to media with decreasing salinities ranging from 550 to ~0 mosmol kg"1. Vegetative plants grown in media with osmotic pressures (77°) in the range of 550 to 130 mosmol kg-1 maintained a constant turgor pressure (Ait) at 309 ±7 mosmol kg-1. The ions K+, Na+ and CI", were the predominant solutes in the vacuole. Changes in their concentrations account for the variation in internal osmotic pressure (1? ) with 7r°. The divalent ions Mg2+, Ca2+ and SOJ" were also present in significant amounts, but their concentrations did not alter with changes in 7T°. In cells subjected to hypo-osmotic shock the regulation of An was incomplete. The turgor pressure increased from 302 to 383 mosmol kg-1. The first rapid response to the sudden decrease in n° was a loss of K+ and CI". In contrast to the decrease in ionic concentrations an accumulation of sucrose occurred which could account for the increase of AttThe increase in sucrose concentration started 24 to 48 h after the downshock and reached its highest value after 3 to 4 weeks. The sucrose concentration in the vacuole was up to 320 mol m"3. During this time the ionic content continued to decrease but did not counterbalance the sucrose concentration sufficiently to regain the original Att. High sucrose levels accompanied by an enhanced Att were also observed during the period of fructification (sexual reproduction: formation of antheridia and oogonia) in Lamprothamnium kept under conditions of constant salinity. It is concluded that high sucrose content and elevated An are characteristic of sexual reproduction in this charophyte. Lamprothamnium is able to tolerate different An during various developmental stages (e.g. vegetative and reproductive phases).
Chemical evidence from the flavonoids relevant to the classification of Malus species

The phenolic compounds of the leaf and bark of Malus species have been examined. The dihydrochalcone phloridzin and a range of flavonoids occur in all barks, but eight compounds were found in only a limited number of species and their distribution shows a relationship with the taxonomy of Malus, providing useful additional characters. The various proposed classifications of Malus species are discussed in the light of this evidence and that of Rehder is found to be in best agreement except for his placing of M'. florentina which, by its chemistry, is clearly related to the section Docyniopsis. The geographical distribution of the distinctive phenolics suggests a wide spreading of early Malus probably from south-east Asia as far as North America and a later diversification confined almost entirely to Eurasia. The different phenolic patterns are discussed and related to proposed phytogenies of Malus.
Pollen-stamen polymorphism in the Sudanese Cassias with special reference to Cassia italica (Leguminosae)

Abstract This study is on the different pollen types exhibited by the Sudanese Cassias having intra-specific pollen polymorphism Cassia italica (Mill.) Lam. , C. senna L. , C. sieberiana DC. and C. nigricans Vahl). Quantitative and qualitative characters of modern samples of C. italica pollen grains and stamens are presented in an attempt to evaluate the possible source(s) of the pollen polymorphism. LM and SEM were used. Three types of stamens and at least three pollen types were recognized in C. italica. The three types of stamens differ in size, general outline, apex, base, surface ornamentation, anther dehiscence and fertility. The pollen grains contained in these three types of stamens show continuous variation with respect to their exine sculpturing. The extremes of such variation are classed as pollen types I and II, whereas the intermediates, which are hardly identifiable with LM, are all designated pollen type III. These three pollen-types occur with varying percentages in the fertile stamens (i.e.
Determination of discriminatory traits in maize hybrids

Une analyse discriminante a ete faite pour un ensemble de caracteres morphologiques chez un groupe d'hybrides commerciaux de mais argentins (Zea mays L.). Avec cette analyse, une serie de variables canoniques a ete definie pour evaluer la capacite discriminante de ces caracteres entre les hybrides. Des analyses discriminantes ont ete realisees pour des caracteres de plante entiere, de l'epi et du grain. A l'exception des caracteres correspondants a la plante entiere, des discriminations significatives ont ete trouvees pour tous les caracteres etudies et la composition des variables canoniques pour les expliquer a ete definie. Entre les caracteres mesures pour la plante entiere, la hauteur d'insertion de l'epi a ete le principal responsable de la variation, tandis que le diametre de la tige a ete le plus stable. Les caracteres mesures pour l'epi (diametre moyen et longueur), le poids du grain et le nombre de grains ont ete les plus significatives entre les hybrides. Finalement, des distances significatives entre hybrides ont ete detectees avec la longueur et la largeur du grain.