Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plant and Mannal Changes on a Clearcut In West‐Central Oregon

Plant composition and coverage and small mammal populations were compared in virgin forest (control) and clearcut (experimental) areas from April 1954 to October 1965. Changes in ground cover vegetation were modest on the control area but marked on the experimental area. A late fall burn on the experimental area may have retarded herbaceous plant establishment. Nearly half of the herbaceous species were invaders not found in the virgin Douglas—fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forest. Ground plant coverage was less than 23% in the virgin forest; 1 year after the clearcut area was burned, the cover was 2%; and by 10 years it was above 53%. Woody plant coverage (mostly sprouts) was slightly more abundant the first 2 years after burning. Herbaceous species then became dominant for a 3—year period, after which woody plants gradually gained dominance. Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) increased on the experimental area soon after the burn. The populations varied from an estimated 0.9 to 12.8 animals per acre and fluctuated widely and irregularly. Townsend's chipmunk (Eutamias townsendii), Oregon vole (Microtus oregoni), and snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) populations also increased on the area at different periods after the burn. Trownbridge's shrews (Sorex trowbridgii), vagrant shrews (Sorex vagrans), and ermine (Mustela erminea) were present on both areas in relatively low numbers. Redback voles (Clethrionomys occidentalis), Douglas' squirrels (Tamiasciurus douglasii), and northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) were not found on the clearcut. California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) migrated to the clearcut and established a modest population. Richardson's voles (Microtus richardsoni), jumping mice (Zapus trinotatus), bushy—tailed woodrats (Neotoma cinerea), and a pika (Ochotona princeps) were visitors.
Genetic regulation of the Type III Secretion System and its potential effect on the lateral flagella system in Aeromonas hydrophila AH-3

Aeromonas species are ubiquitous water-borne bacteria that are able to cause a variety of diseases in poikilothermics and humans. Aeromonas hydrophila is one of the most pathogenic species, responsible for aeromonad septicaemia in fish, gastroenteritis and wound infections in humans. The T3SS is utilized to inject protein effectors directly into host cells. One of the major genetic regulators of the T3SS in several Gram-negative bacterial species is the AraC-like protein ExsA. Lateral flagella are expressed by bacteria upon contact with host cells or a surface and are required for host cell adherence and biofilm formation. However, no direct link between the T3SS and the lateral flagella system has yet been found in A. hydrophila. Moreover, the genetic regulation of the T3SS that involves the master regulator ExsA has not been determined in A. hydrophila AH-3. The aim of this project is to determine the genetic regulation of the T3SS and the potential interaction between the T3SS and the lateral flagella system in A. hydrophila AH-3. The genes encoding the T3SS regulatory components including exsA, exsD, exsC and exsE were mutated and the activities of the T3SS promoters were measured in exs mutant backgrounds. The interactions between each of the Exs proteins were investigated using BACTH assay and Far-Western Blot. Together, the findings suggested a regulatory cascade that the effector protein ExsE was bound to the chaperone protein ExsC, which sequestered the anti-activator ExsD from inhibiting the T3SS master regulator ExsA via direct protein-protein interactions. The T3SS regulatory components were also shown to affect the expression of the lateral flagella system using swarming assays. The activities of the lateral flagella promoters were shown to be repressed by the absence of ExsD and ExsE, suggesting that the T3SS master regulator ExsA was a negative regulator of the lateral flagella system.
Reassessment of the Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) pliosauroid Leptocleidus superstes Andrews, 1922 and other plesiosaur remains from the nonmarine Wealden succession of southern England

The Lower Cretaceous (upper Berriasian to lowermost Aptian) nonmarine Wealden succession of southern England has been a prolific source of vertebrate fossils for over 180 years. The sequence is most famous for terrestrial reptiles, particularly dinosaurs; however, significant aquatic tetrapod discoveries including rare nonmarine plesiosaurs have also been reported. The record of Wealden plesiosaurs currently incorporates a single valid taxon, Leptocleidus superstes Andrews, 1922a, based on a partial skeleton and skull from the Barremian Upper Weald Clay Formation of Berwick, Sussex. Traditional classifications place this plesiomorphic pliosauroid with basal Jurassic rhomaleosaurids; however, the genus Leptocleidus has since become a ‘waste basket’ for various Cretaceous rhomaleosaurid-like plesiosaurs from around the globe. In an attempt to clarify this situation, the type specimen of L. superstes was reexamined and redescribed. Previously unrecorded anatomical features were identified including an elongate, gracile paraoccipital process on the exoccipital-opisthotic, and tooth ornament comprising widely spaced, coarse striations that are restricted to the lingual surface of the crown (mesiodistal ‘carinae’ are absent). Other indeterminate pliosauroid remains (recovered along with coeval elasmosaurids) from the upper Berriasian–Valanginian Hastings Beds Group also exhibit potentially diagnostic traits: an atlas centrum with no anterolateral exposure and with ventral margin formed by the intercentrum; a single-headed rib articulation on the atlas centrum extending onto the axis centrum; and epipodials that are longer than broad. The placement of L. superstes is controversial in recent phylogenies. To test the competing hypotheses, L. superstes together with all closely related species were rescored into the most comprehensive published phylogenetic data sets of Plesiosauria and Pliosauroidea. Separate maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses of each matrix unanimously supported a relationship between L. superstes and pliosauroids but could not confirm placement within either Rhomaleosauridae sensu stricto, or a discrete ‘leptocleidoid’ clade. Examination of character states advocating affinities amongst Leptocleidus spp. suggests homoplasy rather than clear homology between what are potentially palaeobiogeographically disparate genus-level taxa. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 161, 663–691.
Dissecting the Heterogeneity of Luminal Subtype Breast Cancer Using Gene Component Analysis

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease in terms of molecular aberrations. Microarray technology in the past decade has redefined breast cancer as a group of distinct disease based on gene expression profiles of certain intrinsic genes. Luminal subtype breast cancers, most of which are also estrogen receptor (ER) positive clinically, constitute the majority of human breast cancers and better prognosis is reported compared with ER negative breast cancers such as basal-like or HER2-enriched subtype. Significant difference in survival and therapeutic response, however, is observed between Luminal A and Luminal B subtype of breast cancers. The aim of the study is to use gene component analysis for the classification of Luminal A and Luminal B breast cancer and candidate genes constituting the gene component classifiers may reveal therapeutic targets as potential biomarkers in further breast cancer treatment. A total of 169 breast cancer microarray experiments from Taiwan and Mainland China with Han Chinese ethnic origin were analyzed and 80 out of which were consistently designated into Luminal A or Luminal B subtype by Hu306 and PAM50 intrinsic signatures under gene-centring. Partial least square followed by discriminative analysis (PLS-DA) algorithm from the Top 40 of the 2576 filtered genes with the p<10 -4 t-statistic selection criteria delivered the best predictive model with parsimony. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering from the Top 40 genes also revealed well segregation of Luminal A and Luminal B breast cancers with only three errors. From our study, gene component analysis could discriminate Luminal A and Luminal B breast cancers and several proliferation- related genes over-expressed in the Luminal B subtype with compromised prognosis were identified.
Long-term targets for the Celtic Sea mixed-species multi-métiers fisheries

Une etude deterministe previsionnelle a ete menee, a l'equilibre, sur les pecheries multispecifiques et multi-metiers de mer Celtique, divisions CIEM VIIf et g. Les efforts de peche et les maillages optimaux ont ete calcules, pour chaque metier, afin de maximiser, soit le poids des captures, soit la valeur des captures, ou bien la marge beneficiaire. Les especes etudiees sont les populations residentes de morue (Gadus morhua), merlan (Merlangius merlangus), sole (Solea solea), plie (Pleuronectes platessa) et langoustine (Nephrops norvegicus), une attention complementaire a egalement ete portee sur les captures de merlu (Merluccius merluccius), baudroie (Lophius sp.) et cardine (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis). Les chalutiers a perche, les chalutiers langoustiniers et les chalutiers non-langoustiniers sont les metiers modelises. Si les maillages sont calcules independamment pour chacun des metiers, le poids et la valeur des captures sont les plus eleves lorsque les efforts de peche et les maillages sont accrus, particulierement pour les chalutiers non-langoustiniers. Si un maillage commun est requis pour tous les metiers, le poids et la valeur des captures sont les plus eleves lorsque (i) ce maillage est de 114 mm, (ii) l'effort de peche des flottilles de chalutiers a perche et de chalutiers langoustiniers augmente significativement, (iii) l'activite de peche des flottilles de chalutiers non-langoustiniers est reduite a zero. La plus grande marge beneficiaire est obtenue avec un maillage proche du maillage actuel de 80 mm, mais avec une reduction significative de l'effort de peche pour tous les metiers. Le profit moyen est accru de 50 millions EUROs par an, pour la pecherie de mer Celtique. Le modele propose un cadre a l'examen de strategies de gestion prenant en compte les composantes dynamiques et stochastiques des pecheries de mer Celtique.
Leukaemias in Africa.

Until recently, cALL has been uncommon in sub-Saharan Africa, but there is now emerging a peak of incidence at the age 3 to 5 years in west and southern Africa. Prognosis for African patients with cALL is poor because of a multitude of clinical, biological and social factors. AML is seen at high frequency (probably indicating truly high incidence) in male children 5-14 years, of whom up to a quarter present with chloroma. It is predicted that the incidence of AML in adults may rise in the near future, related to cigarette smoking, occupational and environmental exposures to benzene and other pollutants, and the prescription of alkylating agents to young people with malignant disease
Extrafloral Nectaries in Kudzu, Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr., and Groundnut, Apios americana Medicus (Fabaceae)

Abstract The inflorescences of kudzu, Pueraria montana, and the groundnut, Apios americana, have extrafloral nectaries at the base of each multiple-flowered fascicle. In P. montana, the EFNs lie under the lateral flowers and appear to become active and accessible only when the covering flower abscises and drops. In A. americana, there is one EFN per fascicle, representing an aborted secondary short-shoot. Five species of ants were observed visiting P. montana EFNs and six species at A. americana EFNs (four of which were found on both). EFN-related behaviors varied among ant species, but not within ant species between plants. The location and timing of these heretofore overlooked EFNs suggests a role in protecting early developing seeds. Thus, the low seed set reported for P. montana in its introduced range on the one hand and for A. americana in cultivation on the other might be explained by a shortage of ant mutualists in these atypical situations.
Effects of dew, plant age, and leaf position on the susceptibility of yellow starthistle to Puccinia jaceae

Potential for biocontrol of yellow starthistle (YST) (Centaurea solstitialis) by Puccinia jaceae was evaluated in the greenhouse over a wide range of dew temperatures and periods to determine optimum conditions for infection. Disease severity (pustules per square centimeter of leaf area) was greatest when inoculated plants were exposed to dew for 12 or 16 hr at 20 C. Pustule development occurred 15 days after inoculation at 15 C and 10 days after inoculation at either 20 or 25 C. Inoculation of YST plants four times per week beginning 4 wk after planting resulted in reductions of the dry weights of root by 40% and shoots by 50% compared with the uninoculated control (.)
The fish immune system : organism, pathogen, and environment

Anatomy of the Immune System. Cells and Tissues of the Immune System of Fish. The Immune System: Nonspecific Defense Mechanisms. Cellular Defenses. Humoral Defense. Specific Defense Mechanisms. Cellular Defenses. Humoral Defenses. Immunomodulation. Natural Changes in the Immune System of Fish. Environmental Factors in Fish Health, Immunological Aspects. Endogenous Factors. Infection and Disease. Bacterial, Viral, And Parasitic. Subject Index.
Anatomy of the oropharynx and tongue of the African pied crow (Corvus albus)

An understanding of the anatomy of components of the digestive tract of the African pied crow would prove useful in relation to the medical, surgical and nutritional management of these birds, especially in captivity. The present study was designed to provide basic data on the morphology of the oropharynx and tongue of the African pied crow. Our results showed that the roof of the oropharyngeal cavity was formed by a cartilaginous hard palate, whose mucous membrane exhibited many caudally directed papillae. The tongue was located in the fl oor of the oropharyngeal cavity. The rostral and caudal parts of the tongue were demarcated by a transverse row of caudally pointed papillae. The histology of the caudal part of the tongue revealed the presence of many mucous glands that discharge their secretions onto the dorsal surface of the tongue via ducts. Whereas the papillae may serve principally as mechanical obstacles to the involuntary return of food that has passed over them, the secretions of the glands may aid in swallowing by lubricating the caudal part of the oropharyngeal cavity and probably, the initial part of the oesophagus. It was concluded that the anatomical features of the oropharyngeal cavity and tongue of the African pied crow may be adaptations to the bird’s mode of food acquisition and feeding habits.
Thermal Analgesic Effects from Weak, Complex Magnetic Fields: Critical Parameters

Magnetic applications have been used to treat painful stimuli in various contexts. Magnetic fields that mimic electrophysiological patterns have been referred to as complex magnetic fields. In 7 different experiments, the optimal parameters for producing a robust analgesia (equivalent to about 4 mg/kg of morphine) in male rats to thermal stimuli following exposures to weak (1 microTesla (μT)) complex magnetic fields were explored. Thermal nociceptive thresholds for male Wistar rats were examined after exposure to the experimental treatment. Two different complex magnetic patterns were investigated for their potential analgesic effects. Rats were exposed (whole body) to a magnetic field treatment for a pre-defined duration usually lasting 30 min unless otherwise specified. The parameters evaluated for eliciting analgesia included the optimal time delay between successive presentations of the magnetic field, total length of magnetic field exposure, and the duration the specific values that generated the total pattern were activated. Maximum analgesia occurred when patterns of magnetic fields with burst-firing-like configurations lasting 690 msec were presented once every approximately 4 sec for 30 min rather than 60 min. Rats with histories of epilepsy and brain damage showed maintained elevation of nociceptive thresholds for at least one week after a single exposure to these magnetic fields. A different frequency-modulated pattern also produced an analgesic response that lasted for 4 h following an exposure of 30 min but not 2 h. A constantly generated pattern derived from a chaos (May algorithm) function produced similar levels of analgesia. The results of these experiments suggest that rational designs of the temporal structures of weak magnetic fields may be a novel, inexpensive, and, reliable technique for producing analgesia to some classes of painful stimuli.
Atividade antioxidante de Jacaranda decurrens Cham., Bignoniaceae

Since many diseases and degenerative processes have been associated to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) many research groups are motivated to investigate the antioxidant potential of substances produced by several families of the world flora. The aim of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of crude hydroalcoholic extract of Jacaranda decurrrens leaves and fractions obtained from that extract, using the free radical DPPH (2,2-difenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) through spectrometric discoloration method. Results confirmed that either the crude extract or fractions of the extract presented antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity (91%) demonstrated by the crude extract was equivalent to the antioxidant activity determined for fraction Jd-2 in the concentration of 10 mg/L, and similar to the activity showed by the standard rutin, in the concentration of 1 mg/L (92,56%). Fraction Jd-1 in the concentration of 10 mg/L and 5 mg showed 84% and 86% antioxidant activity, respectively. Those values are significantly different and inferior if compared to the standard rutin. Compared to the other fractions the Jd-3 presented higher antioxidant activity. The antioxidant potential of Jacaranda decurrens crude extracts and fractions Jd-1 and Jd-2 is probably related to the production of the triterpenes ursolic and oleanolic acids and also to the glycosylated flavonoids produced in the fraction Jd-3. This is the first report on the antioxidant activity of crude hydroalcoholic extract of J. decurrrens leaves and fractions obtained from that extract.
Otoliths, increments, and elements: keys to a comprehensive understanding of fish populations?

The chronological properties of otoliths are unparalleled in the animal world, allowing accurate estimates of age and growth at both the daily and the yearly scale. Based on the successes of calcified structures as environmental proxies in other taxa, it was logical that researchers should attempt to link otolith biochronologies with otolith chemistry. With the benefit of hindsight, this anticipation may have been naive. For instance, the concentrations of many elements are lower in the otolith than in corals, bivalves, seal teeth, or the other bony structures of fish, making them less than ideal for elemental analyses. Nevertheless, there is growing interest in the use of otolith chemistry as a natural tag of fish stocks. Such applications are directed at questions concerning fish populations rather than using the fish as a passive recorder of the ambient environment and do not rely upon any explicit relationship between environmental variables and otolith chemistry. The questions that can be addressed w.
Purification of Japanese quail IgG from serum and egg yolk

The purification of Japanese quail IgG from serum was performed using caprilic acid and ammonium sulfate, and from egg yolk using PEG-6000 and ethanol. After confirming the purification and the concentration of IgG, the yolk samples had twice the amount of protein compared to serum samples. The IgG extracts were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and western blot showing similar results as the ones of chicken IgG used as the standard. So, these methodologies can be used for purifying quail serum or egg yolk IgG, which would enable the development of diagnostic assays.
Mitochondrial DNA variation of Champsocephalus gunnari Lönnberg (Pisces: Channichthyidae) stocks on the Kerguelen Plateau, southern Indian Ocean

The distribution of the icefish Champsocephalus gunnari on the Kerguelen Plateau is confined to the inner shelves of Heard and Kerguelen islands and outlying banks where the water depth is less than 350 m. For fisheries management purposes, it is necessary to know whether fish from the various shelves and banks belong to one single or several separate populations. Analysis of the mitochondrial DNA of fish from various localities using restriction endonclease enzymes revealed no significant genetic heterogeneity between any of the localities. This does not preclude the existence of isolated stocks at the present time but indicates that the populations have been separated too recently for genetic isolation to be manifested, or that low-level interchange of fish between the populations may be maintaining genetic homogeneity.
Two new skeletons of the enigmatic, rail-like avian taxon Songzia Hou, 1990 (Songziidae) from the early Eocene of China

MIN WANG, MAYR, G. , JIANGYONG ZHANG & Zhonghe Zhou, December 2012. Two new skeletons of the enigmatic, rail-like avian taxon Songzia Hou, 1990 (Songziidae) from the early Eocene of China. Alcheringa 36, 487–499. ISSN 0311-5518. We describe two nearly complete articulated skeletons of a new species of Songziidae Hou, 1990 from the early Eocene of Central China. The specimens provide new anatomical information on this poorly known avian taxon. Songziids were considered most closely related to Rallidae in the original description, but as yet no convincing evidence has been put forth concerning their affinities. Phylogenetic analyses based on two previously published data sets combining data from the new fossils did not provide conclusive evidence concerning the affinities of songziids. Whereas one analysis supported rallid affinities, the other resulted in a clade including Songziidae, Messelornithidae, Rallidae and Heliornithidae. Apart from the proportionally much longer legs, the osteology of Songzia is, however, more similar to that of the contemporary Messelornithidae than to Rallidae.
Sinopsis y novedades taxonómicas de la familia Aristolochiaceae para la Argentina

Aristolochia is the only genus of the family Aristolochiaceae in Argentina, where 21 native species grow, none of them restricted to this country. A total of 10 names are subordinated as synonyms, and 32 lectotypes are designated. This work includes a key for the identification of Aristolochia species in Argentina, along with short descriptions, vernacular names in Argentina and neighboring countries, and taxonomic and nomenclatural notes for the cases where new synonyms or typification issues are resolved.