Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WEDDELL SEAL HARVESTING AT SCOTT BASE, McMURDO SOUND, ANTARCTICA, 1970-76

Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddelli) have been killed annually since 1956 at Scott Base, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, to provide food for the resident husky dogs. Between 1970 and 1976 personnel of Antarctic Division, DSIR, killed 399 seals, recorded infonnation on their physical characteristics and collected jaws and reproductive organs (females only). Data made available to the Zoology Department, University of Canterbury, for analysis included 321 seal data-sheets, 186 lower jaws and 103 sets of female reproductive organs. The overall sex ratio of seals killed was 1: 1. Mean ages of males ranged from 6.75 years (1972) to 13 years (1975), with an overall mean of 10.4 years; mean ages of females ranged from 7.82 years (1973) to 12 years (1974) with an overall mean of 9.87 years. In the four seasons with adequate sample sizes (15 + animals) the proportion of animals 10 years and older in the samples ranged from 28% (1972) to 65.7% (1976). The mean body lengths of males declined from 260.63 cm in 1970 to 239.8 cm in 1976. Lengths of females fluctuated from year to year between values of 258.25 cm (1974) and 249.28 cm (1975). The thickness of subcutaneous fat on the chest of males in the years 1974-76 ranged from 4.43 cm to 5.16 cm; that of females varied from 4.98 cm to 5.78 cm. The overall pregnancy rate was 65%, with a range from 55% (1974) to 76.5% (1976). Comparison with data from seal kills in 1957, 1962-64 and 1966-68 (Stirling, 1971a) suggests that in the 1970-76 period the Weddell seal population of eastern McMurdo Sound was close to stability, but fluctuating slightly from year to year, probably in response to changes in availability of food and other resources.
The effect of a silver‐containing Hydrofiber® dressing on superficial wound bed and bacterial balance of chronic wounds

The treatment of chronic wounds represents a major cost to society and has a profound effect on the participant's quality of life. Chronic wounds may have an increased bacterial burden that can impair healing without all the clinical signs of infection. Silver dressings may provide an alternative topical method to control bacterial burden. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical improvement in chronic wounds through the effect on wound size, maceration, resolution of surface slough and conversion to healthy granulation during a 4‐week application of the silver‐containing Hydrofiber® dressing. This was a single centre, open‐label case series study which included a total of 30 evaluable participants: four with diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers, 13 venous stasis ulcers, four pressure ulcers and nine miscellaneous wounds that did not fit any of the previous categories. All participants had adequate vascular supply, indicating the potential to heal. The wounds were stalled or had the signs and symptoms consistent with critical colonisation. The underlying cause of the ulceration was identified and corrected, or the symptoms and signs were treated. This was followed by the application of silver‐containing Hydrofiber® dressings for a period of 4 weeks. The majority of wounds treated decreased in size (70%) with decreased exudate, decreased purulence and resolution of surface slough (75%). There was an increased quality and quantity of healthy granulation tissue. Unlike some silver dressings, the Hydrofiber® and silver combination dressing was unlikely to cause burning and stinging on application. Peri‐wound maceration was present in 54% of participants at baseline, and 85% of these resolved with this dressing. A desloughing action was seen in those patients with pre‐existing slough at baseline and its removal will lower the bacterial burden of the wound.
MOLECULAR BASIS OF THE DEMYELINATING DISEASES

presented at conferences: • Tremolada S, Delbue S, Elia F, Carloni C , Larocca S, Tavazzi E, Bargiggia V, Bergamaschi R, Ferrante P. JCV and BKV urinary excretion increases during the treatment with Natalizumab. 26th ECTRIMS; 13-16 Ottobre 2010, Gothenburg, Svezia.
Differentiation of human embryonic stem cell

Aim To study the effect of neural induction medium and RA on human embryonic stem cell differentiation.Methods H9 cells maintained on Matrigel in mTeSRTM1 medium were converted to neural cells with chemically defined neural induction medium to test the expression of neural marker proteins,and were treated with retinoid acid(RA) to test expression of BIP,an endoplasmic reticulum stress related protein.Results Neural cells were generated from H9 cells successfully with neural induction medium,and expression of BIP was upregulated during the H9 cell differentiation induced by RA.Conclusions Appropriate HESC differentiation provides the potential cell source for generating neural cells and a platform for developmental study.
Regional Variation in the Food of Nestling Cattle Egrets

IN their spread into and across North America, Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) appear to be occupying a previously vacant niche. Most breeding colonies established in North America have been in preexisting heronries, but the Cattle Egrets do not compete with the indigenous species for food. At a heronry in north central Florida, the diet of Cattle Egret nestlings differed from the diets of the nestlings of three other heron species (Jenni 1969). At another locality in north central Florida, adults ate a diet that was noncompetitive with the diets of other species (Fogarty and Hetrick 1973). This paper compares the food of nestling Cattle Egrets at four different Florida localities. I systematically collected boluses of undigested food regurgitated by Cattle Egret nestlings in response to my intrusion into their colonies during the late morning and early afternoon. The samples were preserved immediately in 10% formalin. Later they were washed and transferred to 30% isopropanol. The food items were identified, counted, dried on paper toweling, and their volumes measured. Collections from four Florida colonies (Figure 1) were made in 1960: Lake Alice, Alachua County, collected between 27 May and 26 July; Lake Griffin, Lake County, 27 June; Lake Okeechobee spoilbanks, Glades County, 7 July; and Tampa Bay, Alafia River spoilbanks, Hillsborough County, 8 July. Field work was sponsored by grants to the Florida State Museum from the Florida Audubon Society and from the National Wildlife Federation. J. Alan Holman helped identify the amphibians. Cattle Egret nestlings were fed a wide variety of invertebrate and vertebrate prey. Detailed analyses of samples from these colonies suggested that they differed significantly in prey composition (Table 1), though comparisons of percentages by volume of all orthopteran insects and of all amphibians showed remarkable agreement among the four breeding populations (Table 2). The food fed nestling Cattle Egrets at these localities averaged nearly 60% orthopterans and 34% amphibians. Together they comprised 94% of the diet. Although spiders averaged only 3.6% in the four samples, they were the third, fourth, or fifth most frequently taken class of prey. Reptiles varied from none at Tampa Bay, one lizard at Lake Okeechobee, one lizard and one snake at Lake Griffin, to four small snakes at Lake Alice. The remaining 1.3% of the prey was composed of a wide variety of prey items, none of which con-
Effects of exogenous nitric oxide on Cucumis sativus seedlings growth and osmoatic adjustment substances contents under NaCl stress

The study with water culture showed that under normal conditions,exogenous nitric oxide could promote the growth of Cucumis sativus seedlings,while methylene blue(MB-1),an inhibitor of guanylate cyclases,could inhibit the growth markedly.Under NaCl stress,nitric oxide alleviated the NaCl injury markedly and increased the plant height,stem thickness,dry and fresh biomass,and soluble sugar and soluble protein contents of the seedlings significantly,while MB-1 blocked these effects to some extent.The effects of nitric oxide on C.sativus seedlings growth were more prominent under NaCl stress than under normal conditions,suggesting that the effects could be induced by guanylate cyclases.
Some ecological aspects of the genus Microtus Schrank, 1798 (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Northwest of Iran

In order to study the ecology of the genius Microtus Schrank, 1798 (Mammalia: Rodentia) in NWof Iran, three regions including Salmas, Marand, and Moghan were selected. The number of active nests of M. socialis and M. aff. socialis (2n=54) were detected during spring and autumn. In this period, detection were made in three blocks of each location (each one 20×50m) with intervals of one week in 2008-2009. In each blocks, hole colony diameter, slop, length, distance from the other holes, number of rooms in the holes, shape of the tunnels and their connection to each other were measured in the block from the same colony. Meteorological data of each location including temperature (oC), humidity (%) and rainfall (mm) were obtained from meteorological stations. Decrease in population was found in the first and second blocks of Salmas from 2008 autumn to 2009, but an increase in population was observed after 2009 autumn to September 2010. In spite of appropriate weather conditions, it is agricultural controls that have probably caused changes in population size. The number of M. socialis nesting population in Moghan was higher than Salmas and Marand. The average sizes of diameter and length of the holes were 47.7 mm and 510 mm, and the slope angle was 35.4° in Marand. In Salmas, the average for diameter, length of hole entry, and slope angle degrees were 43 mm, 498 mm and 29.5° respectively. In Moghan, both types of the described colonies were observed.
Gravitropic Signal Transduction: A Systems Approach to Gene Discovery

3 Dedication . 5 Acknowledgments . 6 List of Tables . 9 List of Figures . 11 Abbreviations . 13 Chapter 1: Introduction . 14 Gravitropism . 14 The perception of gravity and the starch statolith hypothesis. 15 Signal transduction. 19 Gravity response . 24 Arabidopsis mutants . 26 The gravity persistent signal (gps) mutants . 28 Chapter 2: Transcriptome analysis oF gravitropic signal transduction . 3
Lethal Thermal Maxima for Age‐0 Pallid and Shovelnose Sturgeon: Implications for Shallow Water Habitat Restoration

We evaluated temperature tolerance in age‐0 pallid and shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus and Scaphirhynchus platorynchus), two species that occur sympatrically in the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Fish (0.04–18 g) were acclimated to water temperatures of 13, 18 or 24 °C to quantify temperatures associated with lethal thermal maxima (LTM). The results show that no difference in thermal tolerance existed between the two sturgeon species, but that LTM was significantly related to body mass and acclimation temperature. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to estimate LTM, and outputs from the model were compared with water temperatures measured in the shallow water habitat (SWH) of the Missouri River. Observed SWH temperatures were not found to yield LTM conditions. The model developed here is to serve as a general guideline in the development of future SWH. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The dynamics of some rainforest associations in Tasmania

(1) Spatial and temporal patterns of regeneration of the major Tasmanian cool temperate rainforest canopy species were investigated. Nothofagus cunninghamii, Eucryphia lucida and Atherosperma moschatum generally exhibit continuous regeneration and tend towards self-replacement. Evidence of autogenic replacement of N. cunninghamii and E. lucida by the more shade-tolerant A. moschatum, as predicted by successional theories, was not observed, but would take many generations due to the slow dispersal rate of A. moschatum through rainforest. (2) The endemic conifers, Phyllocladus aspleniifolius and Athrotaxis selaginoides regenerate continuously in open vegetation, and occasionally in large canopy gaps created by natural tree death in closed forest, where competition with co-occurring species is low. However, both species, particularly P. aspleniifolius which is most frequent in scrub rainforests on poor soils in which canopy gaps are small and quickly occupied by species which reproduce vegetatively, commonly occur in a narrow range of size classes. This size structure is indicative of regeneration following a large scale disturbance and inability of the species to regenerate in the mature closed forest. (3) Canopy composition and dynamics in Tasmanian rainforest is, therefore, influenced by differences among species in the modes of reproduction, and in tolerance of the light environment under the canopy. However, autogenic replacement of canopy species by those with greater shade-tolerance is infrequent because of the slow rate of replacement relative to the frequency of catastrophic disturbance.
Quantitative Trait Loci for Femoral and Lumbar Vertebral Bone Mineral Density in C57BL/6J and C3H/HeJ Inbred Strains of Mice

Significant differences in vertebral (9%) and femoral (50%) adult bone mineral density (BMD) between the C57BL/6J (B6) and C3H/HeJ (C3H) inbred strains of mice have been subjected to genetic analyses for quantitative trait loci (QTL). Nine hundred eighty‐six B6C3F2 females were analyzed to gain insight into the number of genes that regulate peak BMD and their locations. Femurs and lumbar vertebrae were isolated from 4‐month‐old B6C3F2 females at skeletal maturity and then BMD was determined by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Estimates of BMD heritability were 83% for femurs and 72% for vertebrae. Genomic DNA from F2 progeny was screened for 107 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–based markers discriminating B6 and C3H alleles on all 19 autosomes. The regression analyses of markers on BMD revealed ten chromosomes (1, 2, 4, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 18) carrying QTLs for femurs and seven chromosomes (1, 4, 7, 9, 11, 14, and 18) carrying QTLs for vertebrae, each with log10 of the odds ratio (LOD) scores of 2.8 or better. The QTLs on chromosomes (Chrs) 2, 6, 12, 13, and 16 were unique to femurs, whereas the QTLs on Chrs 7 and 9 were unique to vertebrae. When the two bone sites had a QTL on the same chromosome, the same marker had the highest, although different, LOD score. A pairwise comparison by analysis of variance (ANOVA) did not reveal significant gene × gene interactions between QTLs for either bone site. BMD variance accounted for by individual QTLs ranged from 1% to 10%. Collectively, the BMD QTLs for femurs accounted for 35.1% and for vertebrae accounted for 23.7% of the F2 population variances in these bones. When mice were homozygous c3/c3 in the QTL region, 8 of the 10 QTLs increased, while the remaining two QTLs on Chrs 6 and 12 decreased, femoral BMD. Similarly, when mice were homozygous c3/c3 in the QTL region for the vertebrae, five of the seven QTLs increased, while two QTLs on Chrs 7 and 9 decreased, BMD. These findings show the genetic complexity of BMD with multiple genes participating in its regulation. Although 5 of the 12 QTLs are considered to be skeleton‐wide loci and commonly affect both femurs and vertebrae, each of the bone sites also exhibited unique QTLs. Thus, the BMD phenotype can be partitioned into its genetic components and the effects of these loci on normal bone biology can be determined. Importantly, the BMD QTLs that we have identified are in regions of the mouse genome that have known human homology, and the QTLs will become useful experimental tools for mechanistic and therapeutic analyses of bone regulatory genes.
Notch signalling in vertebrate neural development

Notch is highly conservative and expresses in many invertebrates and vertebrates. In the embryonic development of vertebrates, Notch signal controls the differentiation of the neural precursors, affects the extension of the axons, regulates the migration of neurons and forming of brain areas. More and more attention has been paid to the Notch signal in the vertebrate neural system, the research of its function in the formation of the mammalian neocortex may reveal the molecular mechanism of the vertebrate telencephalon evolution.
Plant Regeneration through Somatic Embryo in Herpetospermum pedunculosum, an Endangered Tibetan Medicinal Herb

Objective An effective reproducible protocol for complete plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis has been developed for Herpetospermum pedunculosum, an endangered Tibetan medicinal herb. Methods The cotyledon explants used in this study were excised from seedlings germinated in vitro. Callus was induced from cotyledon explants on Murashige and Skoog’s medium, supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D, 0.1–1.0 mg/L) alone or in combination with 6-benzylaminopurine (BA, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/L). Results The calli showed differentiation of globular embryos after three weeks of incubation on MS medium supplemented with various combinations of BA and NAA. Sixty-two percent of the embryogenic calli produced somatic embryos in MS basal medium supplemented with BA (1.0 mg/L) + NAA (2.0 mg/L). The addition of KN (0.5 mg/L) to MS medium containing both BA and NAA (2.0 mg/L each) significantly increased the frequency of somatic embryogenesis. The maximum percentage of embryogenic calli formation was 83%, and globular embryos formed and germinated successfully in this medium. Then, transferring the regenerated plants from this medium to hormone-free MS medium will further enhanced the development of the plants, and the healthy plantlets are formed successfully within four weeks. The plantlets were transferred to soil to acclimatize under greenhouse conditions and 75% survived. Conclusion Somatic embryogenesis protocol as reported here can play a key role in the propagation and conservation of this endangered species.
ATIVIDADE, USO DE AMBIENTES, COMPORTAMENTO E DENSI DADE DE CAPIVARA HYDROCHOERUS HYDROCHAERIS (LINNAEUS, 1766) (MAMMALIA: RODENTIA: CAVIIDAE) NO PANTANAL DO MIRAN DA, MS

ACTIVITY, ENVIRONMENTS USE, BEHAVIOR AND DENSITY OF CAPYBARA HYDROCHOERUS HYDROCHAERIS (LINNAEUS, 1766) (MAMMALIA: RODENTIA: CAVIIDAE) IN THE PANTANAL DO MIRANDA, MS This work brings information on the activity, environment use, behav ior and density of capybaras in Pantanal do Miranda, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Th ere 111 records in 60 h of observation. The capybaras were more active at dawn and at midda y, they preferred the environment close to water and with the low grass, and in most of the records they were foraging and resting. These data are in accordance to the litera tur . However the abundance was 2.2 indiv/ha, below the one already registered for the Pantanal in Mato Grosso.
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Membrane Vesicles Deliver Virulence Factors into Host Cells In vitro

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is a Gram-negative pathogenic bacterium that is believed to be an evolutionary ancestor of Yersinia pestis, a deadly pathogen causing bubonic plague. As a pathogen, Y. pseudotuberculosis causes a foodborne disease in humans and zoonotic infections in a variety of animal hosts, both wild and domestic. It is known that Yersinia pseudotuberculosis delivers various virulence factors into the host cells via type III secretion system (TTSS) during infection. Recent studies related to pathogenic bacteria showed most pathogenic bacteria uses an alternative mode of the delivery vehicle called membrane vesicles (MVs) in addition to their secretion systems. The current study focused on Yersinia pseudotuberculosis membrane vesicles and their impact on mammalian host cell in vitro. Transmission electron and super resolution microscopy analysis revealed 24 hours grown Y. pseudotuberculosis produced MVs. Further proteomic analysis by LC-MS/MS identified 887 proteins associated with membrane vesicles. MVs contained some secreted bacterial proteins, including 60kDa chaperonin (GroEL), Attachment invasion locus proteins (AilA), urease, etc. Based on subcellular localization predictions, MVs were found to be a double membrane structure. Further studies on human airways epithelial cell NuLi1 revealed purified MVs induced morphological changes and were shown to be cytotoxic as they were internalized into the cells successfully delivering 60 kDa Chaperonin and cytotoxic necrotizing factor (CNFy). When purified MVs were tested on murine macrophage, RAW 264.7 cells severer actin rearrangement could be observed within 3 hours. Significant loss in raw cell viability could be observed after 48 hours in a dose dependent manner as determined by MTT assay while confocal microscopy revealed giant cell multinucleated phenotype due to MVs exposure. Flow cytometric analysis confirmed that apoptosis is not a major event in cytotoxicity with only 2% cells found to be apoptotic. Furthermore, MVs induced high levels of TNF-α in raw cells. Finally, as cytotoxic necrotizing factor toxin (CNFy) is one of the crucial virulence factor allied with Yersinia pseudotuberculosis YPIII (+), we also tried to characterize this CNFy in detail in this study. Some early proteomics study confirmed that there was some signature post translational modification (PTM) of the Y. pseudotuberculosis CNFy protein. For further confirmation, we cloned and expressed Y. pseudotuberculosis (termed YCNFy) in E.coli (termed ECNFy). Analyzes with both Yersinia and E.coli CNFy for multinucleation in NuLi1 cells confirmed that YCNFy was 8 times more active than ECNFy. Comparative proteomics unveiled a greater PTM value of 61 in the Yersinia CNFy compared to that expressed in E. coli with a modification of only 6 amino acids. Out of all, only Lysine 1003 is “methylation” was found to be common in both YCNFy and ECNFy whereas 17 glutamic acid
Letters to the Editor

We thank Dr. BeruP for his many kind words about our article, "Characterization of conduction in the ventricles of normal and heterozygous Cx43 knockout mice using optical mapping," which was published in the October 1999 issue of the Journal.However, we are concerned that some of his editorial comments contain misleading statistical analysis and statements, which imply that our results serve more to highlight the ambiguity in the cardiac connexin field than to resolve it. We discuss each of our concerns below.
Contemplating effects of genomic structural

Two developments have sparked new directions in the genetics-to-genomics transition for research and medical applications: the advance of whole-genome assays by array or DNA sequencing technologies, and the discovery among human genomes of extensive submicroscopic genomic structural variation, including copy number variation. For health care to benefit from interpretation of genomic data, we need to know how these variants contribute to the phenotype of the individual. Research is revealing the spectrum, both in size and complexity, of structural genotypic variation, and its association with a broad range of human phenotypes. Genomic disorders associated with relatively large, recurrent contiguous variants have been recognized for some time, as have certain Mendelian traits associated with functional disruption of single genes by structural variation. More recent examples from phenotype- and genotype-driven studies demonstrate a greater level of complexity, with evidence of incremental dosage effects, gene interaction networks, buffering and modifiers, and position effects. Mechanisms underlying such variation are emerging to provide a handle on the bulk of human variation, which is associated with complex traits and adaptive potential. Interpreting genotypes for personalized health care and communicating knowledge to the individual will be significant challenges for genomics professionals. Genet Med 2008:10(9):639–647.