Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Successful Conservation of a Threatened Maculinea Butterfly

Bringing Back the Large Blue Flagship endangered species, such as the Large Blue butterfly have driven conservation programs worldwide. However, the Large Blue butterfly (Maculinea arion) became extinct in the United Kingdom. The apparent driver of this extinction was a complex set of events documented by Thomas et al. (p. 80, published online 18 June; see the Perspective by Settele and Kühn). Life-tables and modeling demonstrate how ecological changes, affecting multiple species, cascaded to negatively impact Large Blue populations. When the changes that cause these extinctions were addressed, reintroduction efforts proved successful. Other insects have experienced similar declines and, hopefully, on sites where their known resources remain abundant, a similar approach may be applied. Prediction of population dynamics in relation to habitat requirements has led to a conservation success in the UK. Globally threatened butterflies have prompted research-based approaches to insect conservation. Here, we describe the reversal of the decline of Maculinea arion (Large Blue), a charismatic specialist whose larvae parasitize Myrmica ant societies. M. arion larvae were more specialized than had previously been recognized, being adapted to a single host-ant species that inhabits a narrow niche in grassland. Inconspicuous changes in grazing and vegetation structure caused host ants to be replaced by similar but unsuitable congeners, explaining the extinction of European Maculinea populations. Once this problem was identified, UK ecosystems were perturbed appropriately, validating models predicting the recovery and subsequent dynamics of the butterfly and ants at 78 sites. The successful identification and reversal of the problem provides a paradigm for other insect conservation projects.
D‐cycloserine facilitates extinction of cocaine self‐administration in c57 mice

Introduction: Cocaine is a highly addictive drug of abuse for which there are currently no medications. In rats and mice d‐cycloserine (DCS), a partial NMDA agonist, accelerates extinction of cocaine seeking behavior. Since cues delay extinction here, we evaluated the effects d‐cycloserine in extinction with and without the presence of cues. Methods: Two doses of DCS (15 and 30 mg/kg) were studied in C57 mice. Mice self‐administered cocaine (1 mg/kg) for 2 weeks and then underwent a 20‐day extinction period where DCS was administered i.p. immediately following each daily session. Extinction was conducted in some mice with the presence of cocaine‐paired cues; while others were in the absence of these cues. Results: DCS treated mice (either dose) showed significantly reduced lever pressing during extinction with cue exposures when compared with vehicle treated mice. Without cues, animals showed much lower levels of lever pressing but the differences between vehicle and DCS were not significant. Conclusion: DCS accelerated extinction with the presence of cues, but there were no differences on extinction without cues as compared with vehicle. These findings are consistent with DCS disrupting the memory process associated with the cues. Since drug cues are significantly involved in relapse, these findings support research to assess the therapeutic potential of DCS in cocaine addiction. Synapse 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Insect Neuropeptide PTTH Activates Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Torso to Initiate Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis Receptor Identified One of the challenges facing many multicellular organisms is when to change from the juvenile stage to the reproductively mature adult. In insects, this metamorphosis is activated by the brain-derived neuropeptide, prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH), when larvae reach a characteristic weight. Almost a century after this brain hormone was discovered, Rewitz et al. (p. 1403) have identified the PTTH receptor and its signaling cascade. The PTTH receptor is Torso (a receptor tyrosine kinase that signals through Ras/Raf/Erk), which patterns the embryonic termini during early development in response to the distantly related PTTH factor, Trunk. The receptor of the Drosophila brain hormone that initiates metamorphosis is identified. Holometabolous insects undergo complete metamorphosis to become sexually mature adults. Metamorphosis is initiated by brain-derived prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH), which stimulates the production of the molting hormone ecdysone via an incompletely defined signaling pathway. Here we demonstrate that Torso, a receptor tyrosine kinase that regulates embryonic terminal cell fate in Drosophila, is the PTTH receptor. Trunk, the embryonic Torso ligand, is related to PTTH, and ectopic expression of PTTH in the embryo partially rescues trunk mutants. In larvae, torso is expressed specifically in the prothoracic gland (PG), and its loss phenocopies the removal of PTTH. The activation of Torso by PTTH stimulates extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation, and the loss of ERK in the PG phenocopies the loss of PTTH and Torso. We conclude that PTTH initiates metamorphosis by activation of the Torso/ERK pathway.
Abnormal inhibition-excitation imbalance in migraine

Background People with migraine show increased surround suppression of perceived contrast, a perceptual analogue of centre-surround antagonistic interactions in visual cortex. A proposed mechanism is that cortical ‘hyperexcitability’ or ‘hyperresponsivity’, a prominent theory in the migraine literature, drives abnormal excitatory-inhibitory balance to give increased local inhibition. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether cortical hyperresponsivity and excitatory-inhibitory imbalance manifests in the visual cortical response of migraine sufferers. Methods Interictal steady-state visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in response to 0 to 97% contrast were recorded in 30 migraine participants (15 without aura, 15 with aura) and 21 non-headache controls. Monotonicity indices were calculated to determine response saturation or supersaturation. Contrast gain was modelled with a modified saturating hyperbolic function to allow for variation in excitation and inhibition. Results A greater proportion of migraine participants (43%) than controls (14%) exhibited significant VEP supersaturation at high contrast, based on monotonicity index (chi-square, p = 0.028). Supersaturation was also evident by the trend for greater suppressive exponent values in migraine compared to control individuals (Mann-Whitney rank sum, p = 0.075). Conclusions Supersaturation in migraine is consistent with excess excitation (hyperresponsivity) driving increased network inhibition and provides support for excitatory-inhibitory imbalance as a pathophysiological disturbance in migraine.
A brain-computer interface for chronic pain patients using epidural ECoG and visual feedback

Electrocorticography (ECoG) offers the possibility of decoding movement intention even in the absence of motor control, making it a powerful signal source for brain-computer interfaces (BCI). We designed a BCI that translates attempts to move the hand into movements of a video of an opening hand to investigate its use for pain therapy and stroke rehabilitation. One patient with phantom limb pain after amputation of the arm and one patient suffering from chronic pain and paralysis after a stroke trained with this BCI for several sessions. Signals were acquired with epidural ECoG grids placed over the motor cortex contralateral to the affected or missing hand. The analysis of data obtained in screening sessions with cued attempted movements showed highly significant (p <; 0.01, permutation test) r2 values for the discrimination between movement and rest conditions for most frequencies up to 200 Hz. Both patients acquired control of the BCI system which was verified by the evaluation of three measures of the ability to start and stop the video application. In particular, both patients learned to reliably start the video application in all trials. This demonstrates that it is feasible for patients with phantom limb pain and chronic pain as well as paralysis after stroke to operate a BCI that targets their missing or impaired limb, making it a potentially useful tool for new approaches in pain therapy and stroke rehabilitation.
Genetic Discontinuity Between Local Hunter-Gatherers and Central Europe’s First Farmers

Cultivating Farmers Were the ancestors of modern Europeans the local hunter-gatherers who assimilated farming practices from neighboring cultures, or were they farmers who migrated from the Near East in the early Neolithic? By analyzing ancient hunter-gatherer skeletal DNA from 2300 to 13,400 B.C.E. Bramanti et al. (p. 137, published online 3 September) investigated the genetic relationship of European Ice Age hunter-gatherers, the first farmers of Europe, and modern Europeans. The results reject the hypothesis of direct continuity between hunter-gatherers and early farmers and between hunter-gatherers and modern Europeans. Major parts of central and northern Europe were colonized by incoming farmers 7500 years ago, who were not descended from the resident hunter-gatherers. Thus, migration rather than cultural diffusion was the driver of farming communities in Europe. Skeletal DNA shows the relationship between Ice Age hunter-gatherers, the first farmers, and modern Europeans. After the domestication of animals and crops in the Near East some 11,000 years ago, farming had reached much of central Europe by 7500 years before the present. The extent to which these early European farmers were immigrants or descendants of resident hunter-gatherers who had adopted farming has been widely debated. We compared new mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from late European hunter-gatherer skeletons with those from early farmers and from modern Europeans. We find large genetic differences between all three groups that cannot be explained by population continuity alone. Most (82%) of the ancient hunter-gatherers share mtDNA types that are relatively rare in central Europeans today. Together, these analyses provide persuasive evidence that the first farmers were not the descendants of local hunter-gatherers but immigrated into central Europe at the onset of the Neolithic.
Formation and Survival of Water Vapor in the Terrestrial Planet–Forming Region

Watery Worlds Water vapor has been detected in the protoplanetary disks of a variety of stars. Explaining its origin is important because it bears on our understanding of planet formation. Bethell and Bergin (p. 1675) propose that this water originates in photochemistry occurring in the upper layers of the disks. In these regions, the rate at which water is produced exceeds the rate at which water is destroyed by ultraviolet radiation. Water forming in the upper layers of the disks then shields water vapor within the disks' interiors, allowing that vapor to interact with planet-forming materials and possibly be incorporated into young planets. Water in protoplanetary disks shields water molecules in deeper layers of the disk from destructive ultraviolet radiation. Recent astronomical observations have revealed what may prove to be the ubiquity of water vapor during the early stages of planet formation. We present here a simple mechanism showing how water vapor forms in situ and is capable of shielding itself from molecule-destroying stellar radiation. The absorption of this radiation by water can control the thermodynamics of the terrestrial planet–forming zone. Similar to Earth's ozone layer, which shelters the chemistry of life, the water layer protects other water molecules and allows for a rich organic chemistry. The total abundance of water vapor in the natal habitable zone is equal to that of several thousand oceans.
Obese rats with deficient leptin signaling exhibit heightened sensitivity to olfactory food cues

The Zucker rat is used as a model of genetic obesity, and while Zucker rats have been well studied for their reduced sensitivity to leptin signaling and subsequent weight gain, little work has examined their responses to environmental signals that are associated with “hedonic” feeding. This study evaluated the effects of a high‐fat food olfactory cue (bacon) in stimulating nose‐poke food‐seeking behavior on first exposure (novel) and after a period of access for consumption (familiar) in lean and obese Zucker rats at either 4 or 12 months of age, and under ad‐lib fed (unrestricted; U) or chronically food‐restricted (70% of ad‐lib; R) conditions. Baseline nose‐poke levels were comparable amongst all groups. At 4 months of age, only ObU rats displayed increased behavioral activation to familiar food cues. Twelve‐month‐old Ob rats, regardless of diet, exhibited substantially greater food‐seeking behavior when exposed to both the novel and familiar olfactory cues. A strong positive correlation between body weight and nose‐poke entries for the familiar food cue was observed at both ages, while this correlation for the novel food cue was significant in 12–month‐old rats only. Similarly, there were strong positive correlations between food intake and poke entries for the familiar food cue was observed at both ages, while this correlation for the novel food cue was significant in 12–month‐old rats only. Although it is possible that differences in olfactory sensitivity contribute to these behavioral effects, our findings support the interactions between food intake, obesity, and food‐seeking behavior and are consistent with leptin inhibiting the brain's reactivity to food cues and suggest that the enhanced sensitivity to the food cues with leptin deficiency is likely to contribute to overeating and weight gain. Synapse, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Longitudinal changes in cerebral blood flow velocities in different clinical courses of migraine

Objective To assess longitudinal changes in cerebral blood flow velocities (ΔCBFVs) according to the clinical course of migraine. Methods We retrospectively included migraine patients with two or more attacks per month at baseline who were followed up within 2 years with transcranial Doppler in a tertiary headache clinic. ΔCBFVs were analyzed in relation to clinical courses, defined as remission (0–1 headache days/month), persistence (2–14/month), or progression (≥15/month) in episodic migraine (EM), and conversion to EM (<15/month) and persistence (≥15/month) in chronic migraine (CM). Results A total of 166 patients (90 EM and 76 CM) were included. In EM, the remission group (n = 30) showed a decrease in CBFV in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and the basilar artery (BA). The progression group (n = 10) showed increasing CBFVs in the bilateral MCAs. Patients with the persistence course (n = 50) showed generally unchanged CBFVs. In CM, ΔCBFVs decreased in the BA and increased in the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) after conversion to EM (n = 61), whereas they remained unchanged in the persistence group (n = 15). In all patients, % change in headache days was positively correlated with the %ΔCBFVs of the bilateral MCAs and the BA. Conclusions CBFV changes are associated with the different clinical courses of migraine. The association is more prominent in EM than CM.
A new Method for Hearing Tests in the Guinea Pig

Experiments are described in which the hearing in guinea pigs is determined by a method where response to tones is obtained as an inhibition of the cold shivering in the slightly refrigerated animals. The conditioning and recording technique is described and results of threshold determinations in normal hearing as well as in animals with hearing defects are presented. The inapplicability of the pinna reflex in quantitative test of the hearing function is confirmed and the hazardous outcome of this test is explained. In return the extreme value of the pinna reflex as a recruitment test is demonstrated.
Functional and Evolutionary Insights from the Genomes of Three Parasitoid Nasonia Species

Parasitoid Wasp Genomes Parasitoid wasps, which prey on and reproduce in host insect species, play important roles in plant herbivore interactions, and may provide valuable tools in the biological control of pest species. The Nasonia Genome Working Group (p. 343; see the news story by Pennisi) presents the genome of three very closely related species: Nasonia vitripennis, N. giraulti, and N. longicornis. The findings document rapid evolution between a host and endosymbiont that can cause nuclear-cytoplasmic incompatibilities that may affect speciation. The genomes of three parasitoid wasp species offer insights into speciation, insect evolution, and parasitoid biology. We report here genome sequences and comparative analyses of three closely related parasitoid wasps: Nasonia vitripennis, N. giraulti, and N. longicornis. Parasitoids are important regulators of arthropod populations, including major agricultural pests and disease vectors, and Nasonia is an emerging genetic model, particularly for evolutionary and developmental genetics. Key findings include the identification of a functional DNA methylation tool kit; hymenopteran-specific genes including diverse venoms; lateral gene transfers among Pox viruses, Wolbachia, and Nasonia; and the rapid evolution of genes involved in nuclear-mitochondrial interactions that are implicated in speciation. Newly developed genome resources advance Nasonia for genetic research, accelerate mapping and cloning of quantitative trait loci, and will ultimately provide tools and knowledge for further increasing the utility of parasitoids as pest insect-control agents.
Investigating the role of adipokines in chronic migraine

Background and aims Adiponectin, leptin, and resistin are adipocyte-derived secretory factors involved in endothelial function, weight, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Recent studies suggested a role for adipokines in episodic migraine as mediators of inflammatory processes. The aim of this study was to investigate plasma concentrations of adiponectin, leptin, and resistin in patients with chronic migraine. Materials and methods Twenty-seven chronic migraineurs (20 females, 7 males; mean age 49.0 ± 9.0 yrs) and 37 healthy controls (23 females, 14 males; mean age 49.8 ± 15.0 yrs) were selected for the study. Fasting plasmatic levels of total adiponectin, leptin, and resistin were measured using ELISA kits during a pain-free period. Fasting glucose, insulin, total and HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and ESR were also determined. Results Serum levels of adiponectin and resistin were significantly increased in chronic migraineurs in comparison with controls (p = 0.001 and p = 0.032, respectively). After correction for BMI, sex and age, leptin levels were significantly increased in chronic migraineurs (p = 0.007). A positive correlation between leptin concentrations and both indices of insulin resistance and markers of inflammation was found. Discussion Our data suggest that adiponectin and resistin are altered in non-obese chronic migraineurs. Further studies are needed to elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying adipokine dysfunction in migraine.
Experimental Observations of Stress-Driven Grain Boundary Migration

Moving Boundaries Classical models of fine-grained metals view grain boundaries as static objects, but this view has been challenged by recent experimental observations. Drawing on techniques used by the fracture mechanics community, Rupert et al. (p. 1686) present experiments on freestanding aluminum films that show specific geometries cause either stress or strain concentrations on deformation. Confirming recent simulations, shear stresses were found to be a key driver of grain boundary motion. Shear stresses drive grain boundaries to move in a manner consistent with predictions of coupled grain boundary migration. In crystalline materials, plastic deformation occurs by the motion of dislocations, and the regions between individual crystallites, called grain boundaries, act as obstacles to dislocation motion. Grain boundaries are widely envisaged to be mechanically static structures, but this report outlines an experimental investigation of stress-driven grain boundary migration manifested as grain growth in nanocrystalline aluminum thin films. Specimens fabricated with specially designed stress and strain concentrators are used to uncover the relative importance of these parameters on grain growth. In contrast to traditional descriptions of grain boundaries as stationary obstacles to dislocation-based plasticity, the results of this study indicate that shear stresses drive grain boundaries to move in a manner consistent with recent molecular dynamics simulations and theoretical predictions of coupled grain boundary migration.
Development of Monocytes, Macrophages, and Dendritic Cells

Development of Myeloid Immune Cells As leukocytes develop to maturity, they proceed through an array of phenotypically distinct intermediates. For T and B lymphocyte populations, the different developmental stages, anatomical locations, and cell signals required for progression are well established. However, until recently, much less has been known about how development proceeds in the myeloid lineage, which includes monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. Geissmann et al. (p. 656) review our current understanding of myeloid lineage development and describe the developmental pathways and cues that drive differentiation. Monocytes and macrophages are critical effectors and regulators of inflammation and the innate immune response, the immediate arm of the immune system. Dendritic cells initiate and regulate the highly pathogen-specific adaptive immune responses and are central to the development of immunologic memory and tolerance. Recent in vivo experimental approaches in the mouse have unveiled new aspects of the developmental and lineage relationships among these cell populations. Despite this, the origin and differentiation cues for many tissue macrophages, monocytes, and dendritic cell subsets in mice, and the corresponding cell populations in humans, remain to be elucidated.
Mechanisms Underlying Lineage Commitment and Plasticity of Helper CD4+ T Cells

Critical Mediators Helper T cells are the immune system's ringmasters, having a multiplicity of functions that mediate the body's immune responses to infections. Depending on the type of infection, CD4+ helper T cells respond by secreting specific patterns of cytokines, which provide important cues to other subsets of immune cells. CD4+ T cells with distinct cytokine profiles have been viewed classically as separate lineages; however, there is mounting evidence that these cells may not be terminally differentiated but are in fact quite plastic. O'Shea and Paul (p. 1098) review the current understanding of CD4+ T cell subset differentiation and the underlying mechanisms that drive cell-lineage commitment. CD4+ T cells are critical for host defense but are also major drivers of immune-mediated disease. These T cells specialize to become distinct subsets and produce restricted patterns of cytokines, which are tailored to combat various microbial pathogens. Although classically viewed as distinct lineages, recent work calls into question whether helper CD4+ T cell subsets are more appropriately viewed as terminally differentiated cells or works in progress. Herein, we review recent advances that pertain to this topic and the mechanisms that contribute to helper CD4+ T cell commitment and plasticity. The therapeutic implications of these new findings are also considered.