Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Keratinocyte Growth Factor/Fibroblast Growth Factor-7-regulated Cell Migration and Invasion through Activation of NF-κB Transcription Factors*

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF)/fibroblast growth factor-7 (FGF-7) is a paracrine- and epithelium-specific growth factor produced by cells of mesenchymal origin. It acts exclusively through FGF-7 receptor (FGFR2/IIIb), which is expressed predominantly by epithelial cells, but not by fibroblasts, suggesting that it might function as a paracrine mediator of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions. KGF/FGF-7 plays an essential role in the growth of epithelial cells and is frequently overexpressed in cancers of epithelial origin such as pancreatic cancer, switching paracrine stimulation of KGF/FGF-7 to an autocrine loop. Less is known, however, about the signaling pathways by which KGF/FGF-7 regulates the response of epithelial cells. To delineate the signaling pathways activated by KGF/FGF-7 and examine cellular response to KGF/FGF-7 stimulation, we performed functional analysis of KGF/FGF-7 action. In this report, we show that KGF/FGF-7 activated nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), which in turn induced expression of VEGF, MMP-9, and urokinase-type plasminogen activator and increased migration and invasion of KGF/FGF-7-stimulated human pancreatic ductal epithelial cells. Expression of phosphorylation-defective IκBα (IκBαS32A,S36A), which blocked NF-κB activation, inhibited KGF/FGF-7-induced gene expression and cell migration and invasion. Our results demonstrate for the first time that KGF/FGF-7 induces NF-κB activation and that NF-κB plays an essential role in regulation of KGF/FGF-7-inducible gene expression and KGF/FGF-7-initiated cellular responses. Thus, these findings identify one signaling pathway for KGF/FGF-7-regulated cell migration and invasion and suggest that paracrine sources of KGF/FGF-7 are one of the malignancy-contributing factors from tumor stroma.
Egg production in the Common toad, Bufo bufo

The number and size of eggs produced by the Common toad (Bufo bufo) was investigated at a site in southern England. There was a trend within the population as a whole for egg weight, egg number and ovary weight to increase with female size, as defined by body length and body weight. However, with use of partial correlation analysis to remove the effects of female size from the data, some of these trends changed. Thus, for females of the same size, although egg number increased with ovary weight, no significant correlation was found between egg weight and ovary weight whilst egg weight became negatively correlated with egg number. The possible significance of variation in egg weight on tadpole survival and female reproductive success is discussed.
Acoustic attractants enhance trapping success for cane toads

Cane toads are an introduced pest in many tropical locations around the world, but, surprisingly, there are few methods available for their control. Highly effective trapping may provide a means of controlling toads, either alone or as part of an integrated pest-management scheme. Existing cane toad trap designs use lights to lure insects to traps, and toads enter the traps to feed. Using a large, outdoor experimental arena and playback of cane toad mating calls, we examined the possibility that cane toads, like many other anurans, are attracted to conspecific mating vocalisations. We found that both male and female toads were attracted to quiet (47dB(A) at 1 m) playbacks, whereas only males responded to loud (67dB(A) at 1 m) playbacks with phonotaxis. We also tested whether playbacks broadcast from traps would be useful attractants to traps in the field. We captured three times more toads in traps with playbacks than in traps without playbacks, suggesting that playbacks can be used to enhance trapping success for toads.
Using Word Embeddings and Collocations for Modelling Word Associations

Word association is an important part of human language. Many techniques for capturing semantic relations between words exist, but their ability to model word associations is rarely tested in a real application. In this paper, we evaluate three models aimed at different types of word associations: a word-embedding model for synonymy, a point-wise mutual information model for word collocations, and a dependency model for common properties of words. The quality of the proposed models is tested on English and Czech by humans in an online version of the word-association game “Codenames”.
Mediterranean Diet and the Metabolic Syndrome: The Role of Protein

The traditional Mediterranean diet is suggested to be associated with the lowest prevalence of metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, and type 2 diabetes and is suggested to be the optimal diet for the general public. This diet is considered to be a moderate protein diet. It has been suggested that the Mediterranean diets protein content is partly responsible for the beneficial effects on health, but the level of protein intake to induce a cardioprotective effect is not yet well known. Nevertheless, there are current studies that support the hypothesis that high protein intake, particularly of plant origin, may have beneficial health effects, which provides some insight on the role of protein in modulating cardiovascular disease risk factors. Therefore, in this work current information about the role of the adoption of the traditional Mediterranean diet on the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome as a risk factor for coronary heart disease is reviewed. Also special attention is given on the influence of protein intake in relation to the incidence of this syndrome.
Contribution of space remote sensing to river studies

SUMMARY 1 A review is presented of types of satellite remote-sensing data currently available, and their recent uses in studies of river systems. 2 Broad-scale assessments of relative water quality may be carried out, although precise indication of water quality requires samples to be taken in situ. 3 In the event of flooding, the extent of inundation may be determined and damage assessed quickly. Some radar data allow measurements of flood water even when obscured by vegetation. 4 Riparian vegetation may be mapped over large areas, although the recognition of specific tree species remains difficult. 5 One of the most basic and widely used applications of remote-sensing data for rivers is that of mapping, both as a single event and over time to follow changes, e.g. channels in a delta. Entire catchments may be mapped, although the efficiency of detection of low-order streams is dependent upon the characteristics of the system used. 6 Remote-sensing data has been widely used in all of the above types of study, but is rarely employed on a long-term basis. Several factors can explain this situation, including, for example, the absence of reliable absolute relationships between spectral data and ecological parameters. 7 A clear definition of observational needs (e.g. spectral bands, ground resolution, acquisition frequency) of stream ecologists, together with the identification of ecological parameters that may be collected relatively easily from space, will improve remote sensing as an ecological tool in many restoration and management situations.
Inducible Permease Involved in the Uptake of Octopine, Lysopine and Octopinic Acid by Agrobacterium tumefaciens Strains Carrying Virulence-associated Plasmids

Summary: [3H]Octopine is transported by ‘octopine’ strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens after induction by either octopine, lysopine or octopinic acid and by ‘nopaline’ strains after induction by nopaline. The analogues noroctopine, homo-octopine and desmethylhomo-octopine had no inducing effect. Lysopine and octopinic acid showed a competitive influence on octopine uptake, as would be expected if there was one permease for all three compounds. The Michaelis—Menten constant for octopine transport was about 1.5 μm. A sharp decline in transport activity was observed at pH values below 6.0. Evidence is provided that the octopine permease gene (uadB) and the accessory regulator gene (uadR) are carried by TI plasmids.
Lichenological exploration of Algeria: historical overview and annotated bibliography, 1799–2013

Abstract Amrani S. , Nacer A. , Noureddine N. -E. & Seaward M. R. D. : Lichenological exploration of Algeria: historical overview and annotated bibliography, 1799–2013. — Willdenowia 45: 15–34. 2015. — Version of record first published online on 20 February 2015 ahead of inclusion in April 2015 issue; ISSN 1868-6397; © 2015 BGBM Berlin-Dahlem. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3372/wi.45. 45102 Despite more than two centuries of almost uninterrupted surveys and studies of Algerian lichenology, the history and lichen diversity of Algeria are still poorly understood. During the preparation of a forthcoming checklist of Algerian lichens it was considered necessary to provide the present historical overview of lichenological exploration of the country from 1799 to 2013, supported by a reasonably comprehensive annotated bibliography of 171 titles.
Rates of Succession and Soil Changes on Southern Lake Michigan Sand Dunes

1. Geological dating of the Great Lakes shore lines and other methods now provide approximate absolute age estimates for many dune systems in Indiana. 2. Plots on these dunes provide estimates of rates of change in Cowles's classic succession from dune grasses (Ammophila, Calamovilfa, Andropogon) to pine (Pinus banksiana or P. strobus) and black oak (Quercus velutina). 3. Soil analyses of carbon, nitrogen, moisture equivalent, carbonates, acidity, and cation exchange relations show how most soil improvement of the original barren dune sand occurs within about a thousand years after stabilization. The pattern of change on older dunes promises little further improvement and perhaps even deterioration of fertility. 4. Low fertility favors vegetation with low nutrient requirements. But such vegetation probably is relatively ineffective in returning nutrient to the dune surface in its litter and thus aggravates low fertility. Leaching of nutrients out of the sand-dune ecosystem and the low moisture reserve of most dune surfaces help account for the poor prospects for successional replacement of the black oak-blueberry community by the more exacting species of the mesophytic forests. 5. Fire history probably (a) helped keep black oak in some areas that could otherwise have supported a richer forest; (b) aggravated the normal loss of nutrients from the black oak-blueberry community; and (c) helped favor persistence or return of grass undercover in prairie-margin areas and probably slowed soil acidification here. 6. A succession of basswood → red oak → sugar maple (Tilia americana, Quercus rubra, Acer saccharum) develops in moister sites, on lower lee slopes and dune pockets that are protected from drying and burning, usually without passing through stages like those leading to black oak-blueberry communities. These and associated species seem to have higher nutrient requirements; the higher nutrient content of their litter apparently helps maintain the fertility of soils in these local areas at a higher level than in the surrounding pine and oak dunes. 7. These conclusions fit into a mathematical framework for analyzing ecological succession and climax. Vegetation, soil, and other properties of an ecosystem usually change rapidly at first and more slowly later on. If they approach some limit asymptotically or fluctuate around it, this limit should describe the climax community or mature soil. In some cases like the soil nitrogen or cation exchange relations discussed here, this limit might be computed theoretically from rates of gains and losses. 8. The limit itself may vary with time and place. Ideally it describes a gradational "climax pattern" of communities or ecosystems in any region-generally not a uniform "climatic climax. " 9. These points follow simply from assuming a quantitative meaning for Cowles's own statement of the fundamental principle of ecological succession: that it represents a "variable approaching a variable rather than a constant. "
Size Selection of Daphnia pulicaria by Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) Fry in West Blue Lake, Manitoba

Prior to mid-July, Daphnia pulicaria in yellow perch (Perca flavescens) fry stomachs were smaller than those in plankton collections but after this date mean lengths of D. pulicaria in stomachs and collections were similar indicating an initial selection for small D. pulicaria by the fish. The relation between D. pulicaria body depth and perch mouth gape width indicated that perch fry less than 18 mm long, a length attained in mid-July, could not readily ingest D. pulicaria with body depths greater than 0.7 mm (1.3 mm long). The heterogenic relation between growth in mouth and body size enabled perch fry in West Blue Lake to quickly utilize, as an energy source, the abundant D. pulicaria population.
Inhibition of hexokinase and expression of asparagine synthetase and p‐galactosidase genes during sugar feeding and starvation of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) callus cultures

Abstract Hexokinase has an important role in hexose metabolism and in signalling sugar status in plants. The aim of this study was to inhibit hexose phosphorylation using a hexokinase inhibitor (glucosamine), and to determine the effects on expression of asparagine synthetase (AS) and (3‐galactosidase during glucose feeding and starvation of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) callus cultures. After 48 h without glucose and a further 24‐h incubation with a range of hexoses and analogues, expression of both AS and β‐galactosidase was repressed by d‐glucose, d‐galactose, and 2‐deoxyglucose, but the genes were not repressed when glucose was absent, or when 3‐O‐methylglucose or L‐glucose were supplied. Glucose‐and fructose‐phosphorylating activity was determined in extracts from callus cultures which had been exposed to glucose, 2‐deoxyglucose, 2‐deoxyglucose with glucosamine or mannitol (as an osmotic control), or glucose‐free media. After 48 h on glucose‐free media and 48‐h incubation with 2‐deoxyglucose and glucosamine, glucose‐ and fructose‐phosphorylating activities were reduced by 68 and 83%, respectively. When glucose was present in the cultures, there was no expression of AS transcripts, but when glucose was absent, AS was highly expressed. AS expression was reduced when 2‐deoxyglucose was present for 48 h, even when glucosamine or mannitol was also present in the culture media. P‐galactosidase was highly expressed when glucose was absent, but expression was very low in all of the treatments which contained 2‐deoxyglucose (including the glucosamine and mannitol treatments). The results suggest AS and P‐galactosidase are sugar regulated, but inconsistencies, particularly reduced AS expression in the presence of glucosamine, are discussed in relation to the possibilities that multiple forms of hexokinases exist which might be differentially affected by glucosamine, and that uptake and distribution of 2‐deoxyglucose and glucosamine are limited.
Dual function of seminal substances for mate guarding in a ground beetle

Males of internally fertilizing animals often produce ejaculates consisting of various substances in addition to sperm. Seminal substances can inhibit female remating through physical blocking of the female genitalia or by physiological induction of the female refractory period. We demonstrated that the seminal substances of the ground beetle Leptocarabus procerulus serve as both physical (i.e., mating plugs) and physiological (i.e., substances inducing female refractory behavior) devices for mate guarding. Although females counteract these functions via expulsion of the plug and the delay of the occurrence of refractory behavior, the interplay of these 2 functions can be compensatory and consistently lowers the female remating rate during a postmating period that is important for male fertilization success. Such interplay of 2 defensive strategies may be a male adaptation against female resistance, as predicted by the hypothesis that multiple functions in seminal substances are a historical outcome of an arms race between males and females. Our findings highlight the importance of sexual conflict in the evolution of complex seminal substances. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
The nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway: Its role in human exercise physiology

Abstract Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent signalling molecule that influences an array of physiological responses. It was traditionally assumed that NO was derived exclusively via the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) family of enzymes. This complex reaction requires a five electron oxidation of L-arginine and is contingent on the presence of numerous essential substrates (including O2) and co-factors. Recently an additional, O2-independent, NO generating pathway has been identified, where nitrite (NO2 −) can undergo a simple one electron reduction to yield NO. NO2 − is produced endogenously from the oxidation of NO and also from the reduction of dietary nitrate (NO3 −) by facultative bacteria residing on the tongue. Recent data show that dietary NO3 − supplementation, which increases the circulating plasma [NO2 −], reduces the O2 cost of submaximal exercise in healthy humans. This finding is striking given that efficiency during moderate-intensity exercise has been considered to be immutable. There is evidence that the muscle ATP turnover at a fixed work rate is reduced and the mitochondrial P/O ratio is increased following NO3 − supplementation, which offers important insights into the physiological bases for the reduced during exercise. NO3 − supplementation has also been shown to improve exercise performance in both healthy and patient populations. Therefore, dietary NO3 − supplementation may represent a practical and cost-effective method to improve exercise efficiency and exercise tolerance in humans. Given that a NO3 −-rich diet may have numerous cardiovascular and other health benefits, dietary NO3 − intake may have important implications for human lifelong health and performance.
The Rivers Inlet Sockeye Salmon

The Rivers Inlet sockeye catch has averaged about 1 million fish per year, over 45 years. These are from smolts produced in a cold, deep lake, only 30 square miles in extent, and most of it heavily silted by glacial tributaries. The water has only a moderate lime content and its reaction is neutral or very slightly acid. The lake's plankton crops are small, though blooms of bluegreen algae occur in autumn in the clear uppermost basins, following on the death of large numbers of spawning sockeye. Smolts are unusually small in size, averaging about 2 grams when sampled in 1914–16 and again in 1954; almost all are age 1. The commercial gill-net fishery harvests most efficiently the salmon of intermediate sizes: the medium and large age 4 fish, and the medium and small age 5 fish. Hence escapement tends to consist of extremes of size, the larger age 5's, smaller age 4's, and almost all the age 3's. Sockeye spawning takes place in many inlet streams, along parts of the lake shore, and in the outlet river. The .
INHERITANCE OF SEED COLOR IN TURNIP RAPE

The inheritance of seed color was investigated in one Swedish and three Canadian cultivars of turnip rape (Brassica campestris L.). Seed color was determined by two independent dominant genes, Br1 and Br3. Dominance at the Br1 locus results in brown seed, while dominance at the Br3 locus and homozygous recessive alleles at the Br1 locus produces yellow-brown seed. The homozygous recessive condition at both loci results in yellow seed. The significance of these findings in relation to other reports is discussed.
Comparative study of gill dimensions of three erythrinid species in relation to their respiratory function

Gill dimensions were analysed in relation to body mass in three erythrinid fish, an air-breathing species, Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus, and two ecologically distinct water-breathing species, Hoplias malabaricus and Hoplias lacerdae. Evidence was obtained of remarkable differences in patterns of increase in filament length, number of secondary lamellae, bilateral area of the secondary lamellae, total area of the secondary lamellae, and mass-specific area of the secondary lamellae among these three species. The analysis showed a large increase in respiratory surface area relative to body mass in H. malabaricus (b = 1.14) compared with Hoplias lacerdae (b = 0.81) and H. unitaeniatus (b = 0.66). This difference is mainly attributed to an increase surface area of individual secondary lamellae together with an increase in filament length and total number of secondary lamellae. The results indicate that the increased respiratory surface area of the H. malabaricus gill facilitates oxygen uptake in hypoxic environ.
Migrations of Salmonids in Sand Creek, Oregon

Abstract A picket barrier with upstream and downstream fish traps was maintained on Sand Creek, a small Oregon Coast stream, during 4 upstream and 3 downstream fish runs (1946–1949), and a smaller trap was operated on a tributary during part of 1947. Two species of trout, coast cutthroat, Salmo clarki clarki Richardson, and steelhead, Salmo gairdneri gairdneri Richardson, and two species of Pacific salmon, the coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum), and the chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum), made spawning runs during the fall and winter. Downstream migrations of fry and fingerlings, and of spent adult trout, occurred in the spring. Physical data on Sand Creek included water temperatures and information on occurrence and magnitude of freshets. Records on fish trapped included the numbers of salmonids in each migration, lengths, weights, sex ratios in upstream runs, loss in weight after spawning, and survival rates. The results of this experiment indicate the need for a careful study of environm.
Status of Birds at the U. P. Laguna Land Grant, Luzon, Philippines

The avifauna of the U. P. Laguna Land Grant in Southern Luzon consists of 101 species belonging to 41 families. Collectively, a total of 78 bird species were recorded along four transects selected for their different habitats: mature secondary forest (44 species), heavily disturbed forest (35), grassland with scattered remnant forest trees (38) and second growth forest with mixed cultivated areas (35). Species richness and abundance were determined for each transect and the feeding guild, residency and conservation status for each bird species were discussed. Significant reduction in diversity and endemicity are attributed mainly to habitat degradation caused by extensive logging activites, both local and commercial. Non-endemic birds colonized the overlogged areas while only a few strictly forest birds tolerate non-native vegetation. The inclusion of the lowland forests of Luzon such as the Paete-Pakil-Kalayaan zone as one of the most critical Endemic Bird Areas (EBA) in the world should prompt concerned parties to increase its protection efforts in the area and ensure the long-term preservation of its biodiversity.
An Overview of problems caused by toxic blue–green algae (cyanobacteria) in drinking and recreational water

Toxic blue–green algae present a hazard to human populations that are exposed through drinking water or recreational activities. The toxins include hepatotoxic peptides, a cytotoxic alkaloid, neurotoxic alkaloids, and saxitoxin derivatives, with allergens and lipopolysaccharides also present. The recorded outbreaks of hepatoenteritis through drinking water have occurred in chlorinated supplies at the time of either natural or copper‐induced lysis of blue–green algal water blooms. Recent deaths of dialysis patients were from liver injury caused by blue–green algal toxins contaminating a water supply carried by tanker from an algal infested reservoir source. Recreational exposures to water containing toxic blue–green algae have caused illnesses ranging from acute pneumonia and hepatoenteritis to mild skin irritation and gastroenteritis. Water safety guidelines for cyanobacterial toxins are under development by WHO, and a provisional guideline for microcystin‐LR of 1 μg/L has been approved. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Environ Toxicol 14: 5–12, 1999