Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phylogeny of Siberian species of Carex sect. Vesicariae based on nuclear and plastid markers

Carex sect. Vesicariae is a group of about 30 sedge species widespread in temperate and cold regions of Eurasia and North America. In this study we performed a phylogenetic analysis of ten taxa (9 species and one subspecies) found in Siberia based on two plastid sequences (matK and atpF-H) and the nuclear ribosomal ITS2 sequence. We also developed a novel sequence marker for the genus Carex, an intron of the nuclear hsp90 gene, which was found to be several times more variable than plastid and nuclear ribosomal sequences. Total nucleotide variation within the Vesicariae section was found to be very low, comparable to that within single other sedge species. Phylogenetic analysis supported the existence of two groups within this section: clade A (C. vesicata, C. vesicaria, both subspecies of C. saxatilis and C. pamirica) and clade B (C. rostrata, C. mollissima, C. jacutica, C. rotundata and C. membranacea). Carex rhynchophysa holds an intermediate position between these groups. The main morphological difference between these clades lies in the nature of the transition of the utricle into the beak: it is gradual in clade A and abrupt in clade B. This division is in good accordance with the results of previous allozyme studies and with current taxonomy. These results may become the basis for consideration of subsectional taxa within this section.
Essentials of Neurosurgery for Students and Practitioners

In a style easy to read but not always clear, Dr. Mullan describes in general terms the field of modern neurologic surgery. In order to present the material from an applied anatomic and physiologic viewpoint, the author has arranged the text in a somewhat unusual order. After an introductory chapter on anatomy “through the eyes of the radiologist” in which diagnostic procedures are discussed, he presents the epilepsies and reviews some aspects of neurophysiology. Other facets of the function of the nervous system are given in the subsequent chapter on brain tumors in which the clinical manifestations of focal brain dysfunction are described. In this way, the author attempts to integrate the basic and clinical sciences of neurology. Thus, in 14 chapters, the broad areas of neurologic surgery are covered and a brief glimpse is taken at its history. Schematic line drawings of the anatomy of the brain and spinal cord and of pathologic changes wrought by disease of the nervous system illustrate the text. In general, the material is authoritative and accurate. Some discordant notes are present. Few neurosurgeons use as little as 4 cc. of contrast media for cerebral angiography. An occiput downview of the skull would not result from the technic diagrammed in Figure 3. Even in a textbook of neurosurgery, the student would need a more detailed account of electroencephalography than that given in order to understand its application to diagnostic problems. Surely some comment on brain scanning, so common nowadays, should be made in an up-todate text. Mistakes in spelling and typographic errors are too frequently encountered. For those who want a general description of the subject, this book does present the essentials of neurosurgery, but most serious students of the nervous system will require a more detailed treatise.
Quantitative analysis of branched amino acids in a single fruit fly by LC-ICP-MS after pre-column derivatization with a metal tag reagent

Water accounts for about 60% of the human body. About a half of the remaining part consists of amino acids (including proteins). Amino acids are essential for nutrition and they work as hub compounds in metabolic pathways. Therefore, their concentrations in the biofluids could reflect various diseases (hepatocellular carcinoma, malignant melanoma, liver disease, coronary heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic renal failure, diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer's disease) and metabolic conditions. Especially, branched amino acids (BCAAs) are frequently affected. It is very important to analyze the concentration of BCAAs. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is one of the most valuable organisms in biological research, particularly in genetics and developmental biology. Mutant flies, with defects in any of several thousand genes, are available, and the entire genome has been sequenced. The fly's genome is in good agreement with those of other eukaryotic organisms, including human. In the future, the fly will be used in other omics studies, such as metabolomics. However, since the fly is very small, it is quite difficult to analyze the metabolites in its body. To obtain an aminogram of the fly, a large sample pool is required. However, the pooled results can lead to the conclusion that the fly's aminogram is equalized, and the various important distinctions are lost. To address this issue, in this study, we have used a highly sensitive analytical method for a single fly sample. The method involves LC-ICP-MS after pre-column derivatization with a metal tag reagent. We could determine the quantities of free BCAAs in a single adult fly, the pupa, the larva and the ovary. In addition, we have found that the quantity of free BCAAs in the body of the mated female fly becomes increased.
Distribution of Petunia axillaris Sensu Lato in Uruguay as Revealed by Discriminant Analysis of the Live Plants.

Based on observations made in the native habitat in Uruguay, P. axillaris sensu latogrowing in southeastern and northwestern departments were considered as typical subsp.axillaris and subsp. parodii, respectively. Among 30 morphological characters, differencesin 18 of them between typical subsp. axillaris and subsp. parodii were significant. Sevendiscriminant functions discriminating these 2 subspecies from each other were calculated, and plants from 49 locations in the whole of Uruguay were predicted as subsp. axillarisor subsp. parodii by substituting the measurements into the thus obtained functions. Subspecies axillaris and parodii were southeastern and northwestern taxa, respectively, separated roughly by the river Rio Negro. There were 4 exceptional locations along the lowerstream of the Rio Negro in which intermediate forms between subsp. axillaris and parodiiwere found. Subspecies axillaris in the southwestern department possessed a corolla-tubelonger than that of the typical one. Occurrence of intergradation between subsp. axillarisand subsp. parodii was suggested even on the Uruguayan side of the Plata region.
Cell‐cycle arrest and inhibition of G1 cyclin translation by iron in AFT1‐1up yeast

Although iron is an essential nutrient, it is also a potent cellular toxin, and the acquisition of iron is a highly regulated process in eukaryotes. In yeast, iron uptake is homeostatically regulated by the transcription factor encoded by AFT1. Expression of AFT1‐1up, a dominant mutant allele, results in inappropriately high rates of iron uptake, and AFT1‐1up mutants grow slowly in the presence of high concentrations of iron. We present evidence that when Aft1‐1up mutants are exposed to iron, they arrest the cell division cycle at the G1 regulatory point Start. This arrest is dependent on high‐affinity iron uptake and does not require the activation of the DNA damage checkpoint governed by RAD9. The iron‐induced arrest is bypassed by overexpression of a mutant G1 cyclin, cln3‐2, and expression of the G1‐specific cyclins Cln1 and Cln2 is reduced when yeast are exposed to increasing amounts of iron, which may account for the arrest. This reduction is not due to changes in transcription of CLN1 or CLN2, nor is it due to accelerated degradation of the protein. Instead, this reduction occurs at the level of Cln2 translation, a recently recognized locus of cell‐cycle control in yeast.
Effects of recreational use and fragmentation on the understorey vegetation and soil microbial communities of urban forests in southern Finland

The impacts of fragmentation and recreational use on the hemiboreal urban forest understorey vegetation and the microbial community of the humus layer (the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) pattern, microbial biomass and microbial activity, measured as basal respiration) were examined in the greater Helsinki area, southern Finland. Trampling tolerance of 1) herb-rich OMT, 2) mesic MT, and 3) sub-xeric VT forests (in decreasing order of fertility) was studied by comparing relative understorey vegetation cover (urban/untrampled reference ratio) of the three forest types. The trampling tolerance of forest vegetation increased with the productivity of the site (sub-xeric < mesic < herb-rich). Wear of understorey vegetation correlated positively with the number of residents (i.e., recreational pressure) around the forest patch. An increase of 15000 residents within a radius of 1 km around a forest patch was associated with ca. 30% decrease in the relative understorey vegetation cover. The cover of dwarf shrub Vaccinium myrtillus in particular decreased with increasing levels of wear. The cover of mosses in urban forests was less than half of that in untrampled reference areas. Cover of tree saplings, mainly Sorbus aucuparia, and some resilient herbs was higher than in the reference areas. In small urban forest fragments, broad-leaved trees, grasses and herbs were more abundant and mosses were scarcer than in larger urban forest areas. Thus, due to trampling and edge effects, resilient herb and grass species are replacing sensitive dwarf shrubs, mosses and lichens in urban forests. Differences in the soil microbial community structure were found between paths and untrampled areas and the effects of paths extended more than one meter from the paths. Paths supported approximately 25-30% higher microbial biomass with a transition zone of at least 1 m from the path edge. However, microbial activity per unit of biomass was lower on paths than in untrampled areas. Furthermore, microbial biomass and activity were 30-45% lower at the first 20 m into the forest fragments, due to low moisture content of humus near the edge. The decreased microbial activity detected at forest edges and paths implies decreased litter decomposition rates, and thus, a change in nutrient cycling. Changes in the decomposition and nutrient supply may in turn affect the diversity and function of plant communities in urban forests.
Sialyl Lewis x Liposomes as a Multivalent Ligand and Inhibitor of E-Selectin Mediated Cellular Adhesion

A sialyl Lewis x−PEG−DSPE derivative (3) has been prepared using a combined chemical enzymatic approach and incorporated into mPEG−DSPE containing liposomes (PEG, poly(ethylene glycol); mPEG, methoxypoly(ethylene glycol); DSPE, distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine). Several liposomal formulations of 3 were evaluated as inhibitors of E-selectin mediated cellular adhesion in an ELISA assay and were found to be ∼750-fold more potent than the nonliposomal oligosaccharide (2) and greater than 5000-fold more potent than the natural glycotope structure (1). The dramatic increase in potency of the liposomal formulations suggests that oligosaccharide multivalency enhances inhibition of E-selectin adhesion and is an effective approach to the design of more potent selectin cell adhesion inhibitors.
Seasonal variation of lipid content and fatty acid composition of Sardinella aurita from the Tunisian coast

This study was conducted to clarify the seasonal variation of the chemical composition of the Tunisian Sardinella aurita with a focus on the total lipid content. The chemical composition showed a large fluctuation over years in response to various factors. For the entire fish, lipid content was lower in July (2.50%), but higher in November (10.25%). It varies with seasons in inverse proportion to water content. Interestingly, it was found that red muscle have much higher lipid content than white muscle and the entire fish body. The major fatty acids in S. aurita lipids were palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and myristic acid. Palmitic acid comprised the main proportion (23.9%). The high amounts of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in the screened species are almost in agreement with other studies. Moreover, the percentage of omega-3 fatty acids (25%) was very similar to that in oil production commercial fish.
THE EFFECT OF A VERTICILLIUM DAHLIAE PHYTOTOXIN ON GERMINATION OF POTATO POLLEN

The feasibility of selecting potato tolerance, in the pollen stage, to Verticillium wilt was evaluated using a phytotoxic Verticillium dahliae protein-lipopolysaccharide complex which was isolated from culture filtrates of a fungal isolate pathogenic to potato. The toxin, at concentrations of 10 mg/ml and above, significantly reduced both germination and tube growth in vitro of pollen from the disease-susceptible potato genotypes, Promesse and Solanum phureja IvP35, but not from the tolerant genotypes, Alpha and WA-85-4-5. Vital staining showed that inhibition of germination was not due to pollen death. Although toxin-sensitivity of pollen mirrored that of excised potato leaves or cultured roots, cell suspensions, and plantlets, reduction in germination occurred only at toxin concentrations 100-fold higher than that required to cause damage to vegetative potato tissue. The results suggested that this bioassay may be useful for selection in pollen before pollination.
BRANCH SUPPORT AND TREE STABILITY

Abstract— Branch support is quantified as the extra length needed to lose a branch in the consensus of near‐most‐parsimonious trees. This approach is based solely on the original data, as opposed to the data perturbation used in the bootstrap procedure. If trees have been generated by Farris's successive approximations approach to character weighting, branch support should be examined in terms of weighted extra length needed to lose a branch. The sum of all branch support values over the tree divided by the length of the most parsimonious tree[s] provides a new index, the total support index. This index is a measure of tree stability in terms of supported resolutions, which is of prime importance in cladistic analysis.
Developing models for mother–infant behaviour in Black rhinoceros and Reticulated giraffe Diceros bicornis michaeli and Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata at Brookfield Zoo, Illinois

For over a decade the behaviours of mothers and newborn calves of Black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis michaeli and Reticulated giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata have been observed at Brookfield Zoo during the critical first few weeks post-partum. Consistent patterns were seen for individuals within species, allowing models of time budgets, including ranges of variability surrounding each behaviour, to be developed. Once the model is created any data collected for neonates can be compared to the mean values in the model so infant development and the adequacy of maternal care can be assessed quantitatively.
Ecophysiological investigations of Usnea antarctica in the maritime Antarctic I. Annual microclimatic conditions and potential primary production

Photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), air relative humidity and thallus temperature (TT) were measured in Usnea antarctica over a period of 12 months at a coastal rock on King George Island, South Shetland Islands. TT had an annual amplitude of c. 54 K with the maximum of +27.4°C recorded in December and minimum of −27.3°C in July. Daily maximum TT exceeded 0°C every month except in June and July when they were below −0.4°C and −1.6°C, respectively. Daily minimum temperatures were always below zero. Diel courses of PPFD showed pronounced seasonal differences between summer (more than 2000 μmol m−2s−1) and winter (less than 50 μmol m−2s−1 in July). Daily sum of PPFD was highest (more than 30 mol m−2d−1) in December and lowest (0.1 mol m−2d−1) in July. A photosynthesis model was used to estimate the potential annual primary production from habitat PPFD and TT. The estimated potential annual carbon balance of U. antarctica was 323 mg CO2 g−1 dry weight y−1 assuming that the lichen was always at optimal moisture. The potential carbon balance indicates that primary production is severely limited by low PPFD and subzero TT in the austral winter. Nevertheless, the PPFD and TT would allow metabolic activity during winter but with a negative carbon balance during May–August. Spring and autumnal months are revealed as probably the most important periods for lichen primary production because PPFD exceeds photosynthetic light compensation point during the daytime and ambient moisture conditions frequently favour a positive carbon balance.
Blood activity of glutathione peroxidase and its correlation with blood selenium concentration in grazing dairy cattle

Selenium (Se) is part of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px; EC 1.11.1.9) structure, whose blood activity is related to the blood level of selenium. This study was designed to validate the analytical method to analyze the GSH-Px blood activity at the Clinical Pathology Laboratory of the Universidad Austral de Chile, and to correlate it with blood Se level in dairy cattle from the South of Chile. Blood heparinized samples were taken from 112 dairy cows from eight dairy herds located at Valdivia province, Chile. A kinetic NADPH-dependent technique was used to analyze the blood GSH-Px, and the content of Se in blood and plasma was analyzed by neutron activation. The Se concentration in blood was analyzed in 12 samples to correlate GSH-Px blood activity with blood and plasma Se level. The inaccuracy and imprecision were 5.9% and 10%, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of the obtained values were 89 ± 45 U/g of hemoglobin (Hb). The correlation between blood selenium and blood GSH-Px activity was r=0.97 (P< 0.05). Accordingly, it is possible to analyze the blood activity of GSH-Px by using the described technique. The blood activity of GSH-Px was related to the blood selenium level.
Germination Characteristics and Mobilization of Seed Reserves in Maize Varieties as Influenced by Temperature Regimes

In a laboratory experiment seeds of four maize varieties viz., BARI hybrid maize -5, BARI hybrid maize -2, BARI maize -7 and BARI maize -5 were germinated at 24, 30 and 36°C to study seed metabolic activity and seed reserve translocation. Temperature had significant effect on germination characteristics and seed reserves mobilization. The shoot dry weights were increased with the increase of temperature from 24 to 36°C. But in root dry weight and length of shoot and root the highest value was found at 30°C compared to 24 to 36°C. At moderate temperature (30°C) all the varieties showed highest seed metabolic efficiency (SME) than those of at 24 and 36°C temperature and hybrid varieties BARI hybrid maize -2 and BARI hybrid maize -5 attained higher seed metabolic efficiency than the BARI maize -5 and BARI maize -7. Key words: Maize; temperature; germination; seed metabolic efficiency. DOI: 10.3329/jard.v7i1. 4421 J Agric Rural Dev 7 (1&2), 51-56, June 2009
The Educational Pipeline for Health Care Professionals

The underrepresentation of blacks in the healthcare professions may have direct implications for the health outcomes of minority patients, underscoring the importance of understanding movement through the educational pipeline into professional healthcare careers by race. We jointly model individuals’ postsecondary decisions including enrollment, college type, degree completion, and choosing a healthcare occupation requiring an advanced degree. We estimate the parameters of the model with maximum likelihood using data from the NLS-72. Our results emphasize the importance of pre-collegiate factors and of jointly examining the full chain of educational decisions in understanding the sources of racial disparities in professional healthcare occupations.
Assessing the Impact of Releasing Exogenous Hatchery-Reared Juveniles of Pacific Abalone, Haliotis discus

We studied the impact of releasing exogenous hatchery-reared juveniles on populations in Pacific abalone based on 10 microsatellite loci at the population and individual level. Standard measures of genetic variation (R S and H E) for collections from Ezo-and Kuro-abalone habitats did not differ. However, samples from Ezo-and Kuro-abalone habitats, respectively, were clearly divided into genetically distinct clusters; a result that was consistent with the F ST analysis. In population-assignment testing, most individuals collected from Kuro-abalone habitats, where intensive release of hatchery-reared Ezo-abalone juveniles have been carried out, were assigned to a genetically defined Kuro-abalone group, suggesting that most of exogenous hatchery-reared Ezo-abalone had difficulty reproducing successfully in Kuro-abalone habitats. However, in the warm-water sampling area stocked with the greatest number of exogenous Ezo-abalone hatchery-reared juveniles, the numbers of misassigned individuals were highest. This suggests that the reproductive contribution of stocked hatchery-reared Ezo-abalone cannot be ruled out completely. Therefore, hatchery-mediated introgression of exogenous Ezo-abalone genes into the Kuro-abalone subspecies remains a possibility. To support the goal of a genetically fit and sustainable abalone fishery, further detailed studies and evaluation of the potential impact of introgression are needed.