Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regrowth Following Herbivory in Ipomopsis aggregata: Compensation but not Overcompensation

In 1987, Paige and Whitham published a surprising result. They reported that when mule deer and elk browse the bolting inflorescence ofIpomopsis aggregata, seed production and subsequent seedling survival increased to 2.4 times that of uneaten control plants. Since the publication of Paige and Whitham's (1987) article on the reproductive performance of naturally grazed and experimentally clipped I. aggregata in Arizona, it has been customary for authors of review articles on herbivory to state that, while herbivory typically reduces plant fitness, many plants can compensate for the tissue removed by herbivores, and in certain cases (e.g., I. aggregata; Paige and Whitham 1987) herbivory may actually increase plant fitness (e.g., Marquis 1992; Watson 1995). This is fine, provided that it is true that I. aggregata does, indeed, overcompensate (i.e., gains a fitness benefit from herbivory). Unfortunately, all subsequent attempts to detect overcompensation in independent populations of I. aggregata have failed (Bergelson and Crawley 1992a, 1992b; A. Brody, personal communication). We contend that there is no compelling evidence of overcompensation i natural populations of I. aggregata (or in any other plant species) and that, until such evidence is produced, we should revert, for reasons of parsimony, to the conventional view that herbivory is deleterious for the individuals that are grazed. We have previously tested for overcompensation i 14 populations located in five states throughout the range of I. aggregata, and we have consistently failed to detect overcompensation. These results were obtained when plants were carefully standardized for initial size. Rather than detecting overcompensation, we revealed tremendous variation in the compensatory ability of I. aggregata, with many populations demonstrating little or no fitness reduction associated with grazing. In a recent rebuttal, Paige (1994) argues that differences inmethodology are largely responsible for this variation. The crux of his argument is that our grazing treatment (Bergelson and Crawley 1992a, 1992b), in which plants were clipped 8 cm above their rosette, was unrepresentative ofnatural incidences of herbivory; the height at which plants are clipped affects their ability to overcompensate, with our treatment being less likely to result in overcompensation than his treatment; and the clipping treatments we applied (Bergelson and Crawley 1992a, 1992b) were conducted relatively late in the season, decreasing the period available for regrowth and the likelihood of detecting overcompensation. The implication of Paige's argument is that overcompensation could have been detected in many of these populations had our methods been appropriate. Therefore, he concludes, overcompensation should still be considered a general phenomenon.
Polyelectrolytes Assembly: A Powerful Tool for Electrochemical Sensing Application

The development of sensing coatings, as important sensor elements that integrate functionality, simplicity, chemical stability, and physical stability, has been shown to play a major role in electrochemical sensing system development trends. Simple and versatile assembling procedures and scalability make polyelectrolytes highly convenient for use in electrochemical sensing applications. Polyelectrolytes are mainly used in electrochemical sensor architectures for entrapping (incorporation, immobilization, etc.) various materials into sensing layers. These materials can often increase sensitivity, selectivity, and electronic communications with the electrode substrate, and they can mediate electron transfer between an analyte and transducer. Analytical performance can be significantly improved by the synergistic effect of materials (sensing material, transducer, and mediator) present in these composites. As most reported methods for the preparation of polyelectrolyte-based sensing layers are layer-by-layer and casting/coating methods, this review focuses on the use of the latter methods in the development of electrochemical sensors within the last decade. In contrast to many reviews related to electrochemical sensors that feature polyelectrolytes, this review is focused on architectures of sensing layers and the role of polyelectrolytes in the development of sensing systems. Additionally, the role of polyelectrolytes in the preparation and modification of various nanoparticles, nanoprobes, reporter probes, nanobeads, etc. that are used in electrochemical sensing systems is also reviewed.
The cohesin loader SCC2 contains a PHD finger that is required for meiosis in land plants

Cohesin, a multisubunit protein complex, is required for holding sister chromatids together during mitosis and meiosis. The recruitment of cohesin by the sister chromatid cohesion 2/4 (SCC2/4) complex has been extensively studied in Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitosis, but its role in mitosis and meiosis remains poorly understood in multicellular organisms, because complete loss-of-function of either gene causes embryonic lethality. Here, we identified a weak allele of Atscc2 (Atscc2-5) that has only minor defects in vegetative development but exhibits a significant reduction in fertility. Cytological analyses of Atscc2-5 reveal multiple meiotic phenotypes including defects in chromosomal axis formation, meiosis-specific cohesin loading, homolog pairing and synapsis, and AtSPO11-1-dependent double strand break repair. Surprisingly, even though AtSCC2 interacts with AtSCC4 in vitro and in vivo, meiosis-specific knockdown of AtSCC4 expression does not cause any meiotic defect, suggesting that the SCC2-SCC4 complex has divergent roles in mitosis and meiosis. SCC2 homologs from land plants have a unique plant homeodomain (PHD) motif not found in other species. We show that the AtSCC2 PHD domain can bind to the N terminus of histones and is required for meiosis but not mitosis. Taken together, our results provide evidence that unlike SCC2 in other organisms, SCC2 requires a functional PHD domain during meiosis in land plants.
A role for GLP-1 in treating hyperphagia and obesity.

Obesity is a chronic recurring disease whose prevalence has almost tripled over the past 40 years. In individuals with obesity there is significant increased risk of morbidity and mortality, along with decreased quality of life. Increased obesity prevalence results, at least partly, from the increased global food supply that provides ubiquitous access to tasty, energy-dense foods. These hedonic foods and the non-food cues that through association become reward predictive cues activate brain appetitive control circuits that drive hyperphagia and weight gain by enhancing food- seeking, motivation, and reward. Behavioral therapy (diet- and lifestyle-modifications) is the recommended initial treatment for obesity, yet it often fails to achieve meaningful weight loss. Furthermore, those who lose weight, regain it over time through biological regulation. The need to effectively treat the pathophysiology of obesity thus centers on biologically based approaches like bariatric surgery and more recently developed drug therapies. This review highlights neurobiological aspects relevant to obesity causation and treatment by emphasing the common aspects of the feeding-inhibitory effects of multiple signals. We focus on glucagon like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) signaling as a promising obesity treatment target by discussing the activation of intestinal- and brain-derived GLP-1 and GLP-1R expressing CNS circuits resulting from normal eating, bariatric surgery, and GLP-1R agonist drug therapy. Given the increased availability of energy-dense foods and frequent encounters with cues that drive hyperphagia, this review also describes how bariatric surgery and GLP-1R agonist therapies influence food reward and the motivational drive to overeat.
Methane Production in Dairy Cows

Abstract The relationship among diet composition, intake, and methane production was investigated with data during 404 total energy balance trials with Holstein cows. Methane production in all trial was measure in open circuit respiration chambers. The most useful predictor of total methane productin was amounts of soluble residue, hemicellulose, and cellulose that apparently were digested. The regression was methane (Mcal) = . 439 + . 273 ± . 015 kg digestible soluble residue + . 512 ± . 078 kg digestible hemicellulose + 1.393 ± . 097 kg digestible cellulose.
Proximity to the forest edge affects the production of sexual offspring and colony survival in the red wood ant Formica aquilonia in forest clear-cuts

Abstract Red wood ants of the Formica rufa group, as well as their nests, form a vital part of the ecosystems of both European and Siberian boreal and temperate forests. It has been well documented that the nests of red wood ants in clear-cuts do not perform as well as those deeper in the forest. However, clear-cuts may not be a homogeneously poor habitat for such forest-dwelling ants because the distance of the nest site to the edge of the remaining forest may be a significant factor affecting the nest performance. In this study, I compared the probability of nest survival and sexual offspring production between the nests of Formica aquilonia (Yarrow, 1955) in a forest edge zone (distance to the forest edge <9.2 m) and a clear-cut centre zone in 18 different clear-cut areas. Although the nests were generally smaller, the probability of sexual offspring production and nest survival was higher among those nests in the edge compared to the centre zone. Since the proximity to the forest edge increased the performance of a nest, selective logging and smaller scale clear-cuts may not be as harmful to red wood ants as clear-cutting over a large area.
Label-Free Split Aptamer Sensor for Femtomolar Detection of Dopamine by Means of Flexible Organic Electrochemical Transistors

The detection of chemical messenger molecules, such as neurotransmitters in nervous systems, demands high sensitivity to measure small variations, selectivity to eliminate interferences from analogues, and compliant devices to be minimally invasive to soft tissue. Here, an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) embedded in a flexible polyimide substrate is utilized as transducer to realize a highly sensitive dopamine aptasensor. A split aptamer is tethered to a gold gate electrode and the analyte binding can be detected optionally either via an amperometric or a potentiometric transducer principle. The amperometric sensor can detect dopamine with a limit of detection of 1 μM, while the novel flexible OECT-based biosensor exhibits an ultralow detection limit down to the concentration of 0.5 fM, which is lower than all previously reported electrochemical sensors for dopamine detection. The low detection limit can be attributed to the intrinsic amplification properties of OECTs. Furthermore, a significant response to dopamine inputs among interfering analogues hallmarks the selective detection capabilities of this sensor. The high sensitivity and selectivity, as well as the flexible properties of the OECT-based aptasensor, are promising features for their integration in neuronal probes for the in vitro or in vivo detection of neurochemical signals.
How resilient are southwestern ponderosa pine forests after crown fires

The exclusion of low-severity surface fire from ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson) forests of the Southwest has changed ecosystem structure and function such that severe crown fires are increasingly causing extensive stand mortality. This altered fire regime has resulted from the intersection of natural drought cycles with human activities that have suppressed natural fires for over a century. What is the trajectory of forest recovery after such fires? This study explores the regeneration response of ponderosa pine and other species to crown fires that occurred in the region from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s. We address two main questions: (1) What is the success of ponderosa regeneration and establishment, and (2) Can these sites, burned in stand-destroying fires, be "captured" by other species on the scale of decades? Two main trajectories of recovery were found: (1) establishment of unnaturally dense ponderosa pine stands vulnerable to further crown fire and (2) establishment of nonforested grass or shrub communities.
Use and Efficacy of the Lob to Achieve the Offensive Position in Women´s Professional Padel. Analysis of the 2018 WPT Finals

Studies that analyze the actions carried out by paddle tennis players during the point are scarce. The present investigation characterizes every action in which a stroke by a pair in a defensive position sends the ball over the position of a pair in an offensive position. It is a descriptive and observational study of quantitative methodology. The sample consisted of 1324 actions, statistical analysis units, from the women’s circuit in the 2018 World Padel Tour (WPT) season. For this study, various situational, dependent, and independent variables were analyzed. The results showed the number of times the categories of each variable occurred, as well as the significant relationships between the independent variable kind of hit and the dependent variables “actions that facilitate the possible change of position” (AFPCP) and “incidences in the game” (IG). The conclusion is that the lob is the most effective kind of hit (CSR = 4.9) to achieve the offensive position (CSR = 11.4), even if the point does not finish (CSR = 5.8), leading to more position exchanges during the same point in the AFPCP. These findings are of great interest since they give information about how and why certain behaviors produce a certain result.
Predictive Value of Early Amplitude Integrated EEG in Extremely Premature Infants

Amplitude integrated EEG (aEEG) is increasingly utilized in preterm infants. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether semiquantitative visual assessment of aEEG background during the first 72 hours of life is associated with long-term outcome in a group of premature infants born less than 28 weeks’ gestation. Infants were prospectively enrolled and monitored in the first 72 hours after birth. aEEG was classified daily according to background activity, appearance of cyclical activity and presence of seizures activity. Log-rank and multivariable cox analysis were used to explore associations of background aEEG activity with short and long-term outcome. Overall, 51 infants were enrolled into the study. Depressed aEEG background on the third day of life was associated with poor outcome (P = .028). Similarly, absence of cycling on the third day of life was associated with death or poor outcome (P = .004 and .012, respectively). In different multivariable models adjusted for gestational age, severe intraventricular hemorrhage or use of sedative medication, neither background nor cycling activities were associated with outcome. Depressed aEEG background and absence of aEEG cycling on the third day of life are associated with poor outcome in univariable analysis. Although continuous aEEG monitoring of premature infants can provide real-time assessment of cerebral function, its use as a predictive tool for long-term outcome using visual analysis requires caution as its predictive power is not greater than that of gestational age or intraventricular hemorrhage.
KINETICS OF THE THERMAL DEGRADATION OF METHYLMETHIONINE SULFONIUM IONS IN CITRATE BUFFERS AND IN SWEET CORN AND TOMATO SERUM

Thermal degradation of methylmethionine sulfonium ions was determined in sodium citrate buffers ranging in pH from 4.0–8.0. Reaction temperatures of 82 °, 88 °, 93 ° and 99 °C were studied at reaction times of 20, 40, 60 and 80 min. The same conditions were used to study the degradation of naturally occurring methylmethionine sulfonium ions in sweet corn and tomato serums. In each solvent system, the thermal degradation of these salts occurred according to first order kinetics; the reaction rates doubled for a 5–6 °C increase in temperature and activation energies of the reaction in the various media were comparable. The characteristic degradation kinetics provides a means of identifying methylmethionine sulfonium salts in fresh foods without having to resort to involved isolation procedures.
Reconsidering Reciprocal Length Patterns of the Anteromedial and Posterolateral Bundles of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament During In Vivo Gait

Background: Some cadaveric studies have indicated that the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) consists of anteromedial and posterolateral bundles that display reciprocal function with regard to knee flexion. However, several in vivo imaging studies have suggested that these bundles elongate in parallel with regard to flexion. Furthermore, the most appropriate description of the functional anatomy of the ACL is still debated, with the ACL being described as consisting of 2 or 3 bundles or as a continuum of fibers. Hypothesis: As long as their origination and termination locations are defined within the ACL attachment site footprints, ACL bundles elongate in parallel with knee extension during gait. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: High-speed biplanar radiographs of the right knee joint were obtained during gait in 6 healthy male participants (mean ± SD: body mass index, 25.5 ± 1.2 kg/m2; age, 29.2 ± 3.8 years) with no history of lower extremity injury or surgery. Three-dimensional models of the right femur, tibia, and ACL attachment sites were created from magnetic resonance images. The bone models were registered to the biplanar radiographs, thereby reproducing the in vivo positions of the knee joint. For each knee position, the distances between the centroids of the ACL attachment sites were used to represent ACL length. The lengths of 1000 virtual bundles were measured for each participant by randomly sampling locations on the attachment site surfaces and measuring the distances between each pair of locations. Spearman rho rank correlations were performed between the virtual bundle lengths and ACL length. Results: The virtual bundle lengths were highly correlated with the length of the ACL, defined as the distance between the centroids of the attachment sites (rho = 0.91 ± 0.1, across participants; P < 5 × 10-5). The lengths of the bundles that originated and terminated in the anterior and medial aspects of the ACL were positively correlated (rho = 0.81 ± 0.1; P < 5 × 10-5) with the lengths of the bundles that originated and terminated in the posterior and lateral aspects of the ACL. Conclusion: As long as their origination and termination points are specified within the footprint of the attachment sites, ACL bundles elongate in parallel as the knee is extended. Clinical Relevance: These data elucidate ACL functional anatomy and may help guide ACL reconstruction techniques.
Overexpression of improved EPSPS gene results in field level glyphosate tolerance and higher grain yield in rice

Summary Glyphosate is a popular, systemic, broad‐spectrum herbicide used in modern agriculture. Being a structural analog of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), it inhibits 5‐enolpyruvylshikimate 3‐phosphate synthase (EPSPS) which is responsible for the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids and various aromatic secondary metabolites. Taking a lead from glyphosate‐resistant weeds, two mutant variants of the rice EPSPS gene were developed by amino acid substitution (T173I + P177S; TIPS‐OsEPSPS and G172A + T173I + P177S; GATIPS‐OsEPSPS). These mutated EPSPS genes were overexpressed in rice under the control of either native EPSPS or constitutive promoters (maize ubiquitin [ZmUbi] promoter). The overexpression of TIPS‐OsEPSPS under the control of the ZmUbi promoter resulted in higher tolerance to glyphosate (up to threefold of the recommended dose) without affecting the fitness and related agronomic traits of plants in both controlled and field conditions. Furthermore, such rice lines produced 17%–19% more grains compared to the wild type (WT) in the absence of glyphosate application and the phenylalanine and tryptophan contents in the transgenic seeds were found to be significantly higher in comparison with WT seeds. Our results also revealed that the native promoter guided expression of modified EPSPS genes did not significantly improve the glyphosate tolerance. The present study describing the introduction of a crop‐specific TIPS mutation in class I aroA gene of rice and its overexpression have potential to substantially improve the yield and field level glyphosate tolerance in rice. This is the first report to observe that the EPSPS has role to play in improving grain yield of rice.
Understanding the association between metformin plasma concentrations and lactate

There is considerable confusion about the safe dosing of metformin in patients with renal impairment. Metformin has traditionally been contraindicated in this patient group due to the concern that reduced metformin elimination would lead to elevated plasma concentrations and an increased risk of hyperlactatemia and associated acidosis. Recent changes to published guidelines propose that metformin can be used in renally impaired patients provided that doses are reduced. Unfortunately, the dosing guidelines show little agreement, and few appear to be evidence-based. This leaves prescribers with inconsistent messages concerning the safe dosing of metformin and a poor understanding of risk mitigation. In theory, metformin dose adjustment along with metformin plasma concentration monitoring will ensure that concentrations do not exceed the upper limit of safety in renally impaired patients and may therefore help mitigate the risk of hyperlactatemia and possibly acidosis. To date, however, a therapeutic range for metformin plasma concentrations has not been well defined. Using data extracted from the published literature, we aimed to understand the relationship between plasma metformin and lactate concentrations and to establish the metformin plasma concentration associated with severe hyperlactatemia (lactate >5 mmol/L). In this work, plasma lactate concentrations are used as a marker of lactic acidosis risk. The metformin concentration associated with severe hyperlactatemia is assumed to define the upper limit of safety for metformin. We conducted a retrospective analysis of plasma metformin and lactate concentrations extracted from four primary sources: (i) an observational study conducted by Duong et al. investigating the plasma concentrations of metformin and lactate in type two diabetic patients who were taking therapeutic doses of metformin, retrospective studies by (ii) Vecchio et al. and (iii) Duong et al. examining the plasma concentrations of metformin, lactate, creatinine and arterial pH in suspected cases of metformin associated lactic acidosis (MALA) and, lastly, (iv) acute metformin overdose cases extracted from a published database of metformin associated hyperlactatemia and associated acidosis case reports. The data were analysed by fitting a concentration–response (Emax) model where plasma metformin concentration was the independent variable and lactate the response variable. The Emax model is given by E =Basal + Emax−Basal ð Þ C EC50 +C ,