Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seasonal Growth Dynamics in the Lichen Lobaria pulmonaria

We monitored growth (as change in biomass) of Lobaria pulmonaria for approximately 3 years in western Oregon, re-weighing thalli eleven times over the 3 years. Thalli were grown as pendant transplants in a Fraxinus latifolia forest. Most transplants survived for the full 3 years, with only 12 out of the 60 thalli missing by the end; another 9 were eliminated from the data set due to breakage. While growth rates were highly variable most thalli grew rapidly; mean biomass increases were 28%, 47%, and 69% over the first one, first two, and all 3 years, respectively. Growth rates were not correlated with starting sizes of transplants, which ranged from 0.18 to 0.56 g, but differences among individuals' growth rates were consistent over time. Growth rates were strongly seasonal. Thalli did not grow significantly during summer and early fall, which are dry seasons in the study area. Thalli grew throughout the wet seasons (November to June) and, in the year during which growth was measured most frequently, growth rates were maximal in spring, contrasting with our expectation that rapid growth would begin with the onset
In vitro models to evaluate the capacity of different sequestering agents to adsorb aflatoxins

Eight potential aflatoxin-sequestering agents (SAs) were tested for their ability to adsorb aflatoxin B1 (AfB1) and aflatoxin G1 (AfG1) in vitro. They belong to main SA classes: silicate minerals (calcium, magnesium and sodium bentonites, kaolinite, zeolite and clinoptinolite), activated carbon and yeast cell wall-derived. The AfB1 and AfG1 used in present work were extracted from a contaminated corn meal (82.21 mg/kg of AfB1 and 97.20 mg/kg of AfG1). Three single-concentration adsorption tests, consisting of a simply-water (W), a gastro-intestinal simulating monogastric model (MM) and a ruminant model (RM) were used. The methods differed for dilution media, incubation steps and pH condition in which they were conducted. In particular, one step (2h at 39°C) at pH 7 for W; two steps (4h at 39°C) at pH 2 and 7 for MM; and a pre-incubation in rumen fluid (pH 7 for 2h at 39°C) + two steps (4h at 39°C) at pH 2 and 7 for RM, characterized each method. The AfB1:SA ratio (g/g) and dilution factor (ng of incubated AfB1:mL of volume) were chosen (1:500,000 and 4.1, respectively) to reflect field conditions. The AfB1 and AfG1 recovered in controls were 92.3% and 104.9% in W and 89.5% and 101.5% in MM; while in RM were 65.2% and 81.9%; respectively. This supported the idea of intrinsic rumen fluid factors could be involved in sequestering of aflatoxins. In the present study, three SAs (activated carbon, Mg bentonite and Na bentonite) were very efficient to sequester the available AfB1, with a sequestering activity of over 99.0% with each method. The Ca bentonite and clinoptinolite were able to bind available AfB1 in MM and RM methods, while they appeared inefficient (available AfB1 sequestered less than 80%) when W was used. The adsorption ability of zeolite was confirmed only with the W method. Ineffective or limited sequestering activity were obtained with kaolinite and yeast cell wall-derived products with each method. The AfB1 and AfG1 sequestering efficiencies observed in the present work resulted very similar showing strong and positive correlation (P<0.001) within methods (r=0.79, r=0.96 and r=0.99, respectively for W, MM and RM methods). The two simulated gastrointestinal methods (MM and RM, respectively) gave similar results and could be considered useful for in vitro pre-screening of potential sequestering agents. However, the major practical and analytical implications related to rumen fluid method suggested that MM method should be used.
Quality of eggs and spermatozoa of rainbow trout fed an n-3 essential fatty acid-deficient diet and its effects on the lipid and fatty acid components of eggs, semen and livers.

: The effect of an n-3 essential fatty acid (EFA) -deficient diet on spawning and on the lipid and fatty acid contents of eggs, semen and livers of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss was investigated. Fish were split into two groups and fed either of two diets for a period of 4 months prior to the start of the spawning season. The control group was fed a commercial diet, containing n-3 EFA, whereas the experimental group was fed an n-3 EFA-deficient diet. Fish were 3 years old at the time of spawning. Eggs and semen were stripped off five females and five males from each diet group and cross-fertilized. Two of the five males fed the deficient diet showed a lower sperm motility, resulting in slightly lower mean hatching rates when crossed with eggs of either group. Higher lipid contents in the EFA-deficient diet were reflected in the egg and semen lipid contents, whereas the lipid contents of male livers of both diet groups were higher than those of female livers. In livers and eggs, the main polar lipid was phosphatidylcholine accompanied by phosphatidylethanolamine in sperm polar lipids. The non-polar lipids of eggs were mainly triacylglycerols but in livers and semen, free fatty acids and free sterols were more abundant. Essential fatty acids, namely n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids and linolenic acid, were generally lower in eggs, semen and livers sampled from the EFA-deficient diet group. These results indicate that the fertilization, eyed and hatching rates obtained from crossings with males fed the EFA-deficient diet were slightly lower because of the dietary effect on sperm motility. Moreover, lipids of eggs, semen and livers of male and female rainbow trout were influenced greatly by their dietary availability.
Energetics of leaping in dolphins and other aquatic animals

The energetics of leaping (porpoising) in aquatic animals is investigated employing two simple hydromechanical models. The first compares the energy required for swimming at different depths below the surface with that for leaping, the second is employed to calculate maximum cruising speeds in fish and cetaceans for the cases of laminar and turbulent boundary layer flow. Leaping is energetically less efficient than swimming close to the surface up to a certain speed (crossover speed) after which it is more efficient. It is shown that dolphins ought to be capable of reaching the required crossover speeds even if subject to a turbulent boundary layer. This is not so for the larger cetaceans that have been observed to porpoise (e.g. killer whales, Orcinus orca). However, crossover speeds for leaping are well within their scope for the case of a boundary layer that is half laminar and half turbulent. Crossover speeds in pelagic animals that do not undulate a substantial proportion of their body in swimming (e.g. baleen whales and penguins) are relatively high. The crossover speeds of the baleen whales are about four times their observed cruising speeds. It is suggested that these animals swim at speeds at which their filtration apparatus (baleen) operates most efficiently. Pelagic fish do not porpoise and reasons are suggested for this.
The Use of a Model to Investigate the Influence of some Environmental Factors on the Growth of Perennial Ryegrass

A model of the grass crop is constructed, in which the simulated values of crop morphology and physiology adapt automatically to changes in the environment. The model predicts photosynthesis, partitioning of assimilates and the growth of the crop in terms of leaves, -stems and roots from environmental data and the initial weights of the crop components following defoliation. The model is used to investigate the separate effects of light, temperature, canopy structure and maintenance respiration on the growth and development of the crop. It demonstrates how the crop attempts to optimize above-ground growth, and the complexity of the interaction between the physiological and environmental factors controlling growth.
Biogenesis of peroxisomes

Genetic and proteomic approaches have led to the identification of 32 proteins, collectively called peroxins, which are required for the biogenesis of peroxisomes. Some are responsible for the division and inheritance of peroxisomes; however, most peroxins have been implicated in the topogenesis of peroxisomal proteins. Peroxisomal membrane and matrix proteins are synthesized on free ribosomes in the cytosol and are imported post‐translationally into pre‐existing organelles (Lazarow PB & Fujiki Y (1985) Annu Rev Cell Biol1, 489–530 [ 1 ]). Progress has been made in the elucidation of how these proteins are targeted to the organelle. In addition, the understanding of the composition of the peroxisomal import apparatus and the order of events taking place during the cascade of peroxisomal protein import has increased significantly. However, our knowledge on the basic principles of peroxisomal membrane protein insertion or translocation of peroxisomal matrix proteins across the peroxisomal membrane is rather limited. The latter is of particular interest as the peroxisomal import machinery accommodates folded, even oligomeric, proteins, which distinguishes this apparatus from the well characterized translocons of other organelles. Furthermore, the origin of the peroxisomal membrane is still enigmatic. Recent observations suggest the existence of two classes of peroxisomal membrane proteins. Newly synthesized class I proteins are directly targeted to and inserted into the peroxisomal membrane, while class II proteins reach their final destination via the endoplasmic reticulum or a subcompartment thereof, which would be in accord with the idea that the peroxisomal membrane might be derived from the endoplasmic reticulum.
YIELD TURGOR OF GROWING LEAVES OF BETULA AND ACER

Leaf growth of first year seedlings of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) was measured continuously using linear variable transducers (LVTDs) when shoots were enclosed in small Perspex chambers, in which temperature, vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and photon fiuence rate were all controlled. A new method was used to measure the yield turgor (Y) of growing leaves. The VPD of air in the chamber was altered so that transpiration rate was changed. Turgor pressures, measured using thermocouple psychrometers, and growth rates varied as a result of this treatment, and the relationship between leaf growth and turgor pressure (P) and the turgor pressure at which growth ceased (Y) could be measured within a very short time period using well-watered plants. The value of Y was constant for illuminated and darkened leaves of both species, but Y was higher for sycamore leaves (Y= 0.250 MPa) compared with the value for birch leaves (K = 0.071 MPa). Cell wall extensibility (w, MPa? 1 h? 1) was calculated from the slope of the line relating turgor pressure to growth. For leaves of birch, there was a significant increase in m when leaves were illuminated (m, dark = 1.3 × 10? 2 MPa? 1 h? 1; m, light = 46 × 10? 2 MPa? 1), similar in magnitude to the increase in wall extensibility measured previously by mechanical analysis of killed leaf tissue (WEX, the plasticity of tissue subjected to a uniaxial stress). No change in m was detected when darkened sycamore leaves were illuminated (m, dark = 4.2 × 10? 2 MPa? 1 h? 1; m, light = 4.4 × 10? 2 MPa? 1 h? 1). The results confirm earlier work on the factors controlling the diurnal patterns of leaf growth of these two species and suggest that leaf growth of birch is primarily limited by cell wall loosening but that the growth of sycamore leaves may be limited by leaf turgor.
STUDIES ON TETRAPHYLLIDEAN AND TETRARHYNCHIDEAN METACESTODES FROM SQUIDS TAKEN ON THE NEW ENGLAND COAST

Metacestoid stages of tetraphyllidean and tetrarhynchidean cestodes were described from marine fishes by O. F. Mueller (1787), Fabricius (1794), and Cuvier (1817). Although known for more than a century, knowledge of these tapeworms is meager, and the life-cycle has not been experimentally demonstrated for any one of them. The worms mature only in the spiral valve of elasmobranch fishes, but larval and developmental stages occur in a great variety of marine invertebrates as well as in fishes. Technical difficulties of maintaining experimental hosts for long periods under controlled laboratory conditions have precluded the successful completion of life-histories. After a period of incubation, the eggs contain motile larvae, oncospheres, which, when eaten by copepods, migrate to the body cavity and transform into second stage larvae, procercoids. When the copepodes are eaten, the procercoids emerge from the intestine of the second intermediate host and enter the body cavity or penetrate adjacent tissues whe.
Invasive Hollies (Ilex, Aquifoliaceae) and Their Dispersers in the Pacific Northwest

Abstract Naturalized Ilex aquifolium L. (English holly) was first collected in the Pacific Northwest in 1953, based on herbarium records. Field surveys showed it is now commonly naturalized from northwestern California to coastal British Columbia. Ilex crenata Thunb. and I. opaca Aiton were also found growing outside of cultivation, but rarely. A key and seed illustrations are provided to distinguish these three Ilex species. Between 2003 and 2006 twice-weekly visits to naturalized and cultivated hollies in Seattle revealed seven species of birds disseminating seeds by eating the fruits. American robins, Turdus migratorius, accounted for 96% of 2796 frugivory observations on I. aquifolium, followed by European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris (3.2%). Ilex aquifolium fruits ripened in October and persisted for six months, yet 99% of all fruit was consumed between November and February. A study of I. aquifolium seed fate found pre-dispersal diurnal seed predation was rarely observed. Bird-regurgitated seed was more frequently attacked by nocturnal rodents in a sheltered forested setting in Clark Co., Washington (39% losses), compared to an exposed urban setting in Seattle (2% losses). The percentage of viable seed surviving rodent attack was higher in the urban sample (66%) than in the forest sample (24%). Commercial and ornamental use of I. aquifolium is extensive in the coastal region and less-invasive alternatives should be considered, to provide food and cover for urban avians without degrading natural areas.
Establishment and Lateral Growth of Glyphosate-resistant Creeping Bentgrass in Bare Soil

Plant establishment and lateral growth of glyphosate-resistant creeping bentgrass [Agrostis stolonifera (synonym A. palustris)] were assessed to determine if the insertion of the construct conferring herbicide tolerance affected establishment rate or aggressiveness characteristics in unmowed situations. Field studies were carried out in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Oregon in 2000 and 2001 to examine the relative lateral growth of several transformed lines of creeping bentgrass, non-transformed controls, and cultivar standards. Vegetative plugs of creeping bentgrass were transplanted into replicated bare-soil plots and irrigated as needed to prevent moisture stress for an initial 6-week period. Measurements of maximum and minimum stolon spread, percent cover, and stand density for each entry were made in the fi eld at all locations during 2000 and 2001. Few statistical differences (P = 0.05) in establishment and lateral growth were observed between individual lines of transgenic creeping bentgrass, non-transformed control lines, and standard cultivars and over a 15to 18-month period. Overall, lateral growth and establishment rate of transgenic lines were similar to their non-transformed parent and the standard cultivars tested. Transgenic creeping bentgrass lines should have no greater potential for lateral growth than conventional creeping bentgrass cultivars currently in use.
Crustose corallinaceous algae (Rhodophyta) of the New Zealand and United States scientific expedition to the Ross Sea, Balleny Islands, and Macquarie Ridge, 1965

Fourteen taxa of crustose Corallinaceae are described from a collection of marine algae picked up in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters along a Ross Sea — Balleny Islands — Macquarie Island traject aboard the USS Glacier in 1965. Three of these taxa are newly described, i.e. Lithothamnium macquariensis, L. zaneveldii and Phymatolithon lenormandii f. macquariensis. Two of the taxa recognized (Lithothamnium foecundum and L. laeve) appear to have a bipolar distribution. The remainder of the taxa collected are restricted to the southern hemisphere. The observed depth distribution of these crustose corallines shows that only one of the fourteen taxa is steno-eulittoral and four taxa are steno-elittoral. The remainder of the taxa cover a wide vertical range, i.e. from the eulittoral or sublittoral down into elittoral depths.
Aging of Penicillium chrysogenum cultures under carbon starvation: II: protease andN‐acetyl‐b‐D‐hexosaminidase production

In aging carbon‐depleted cultures of Penicillium chrysogenum the fragmentation and autolysis of old mycelia were coupled with the production of high levels of extracellular protease and N‐acetyl‐b‐D‐hexosaminidase; this could be stopped by the addition of an extra dose of glucose at any incubation time tested, but was not affected by endogenous NH3. After the addition of glucose, intracellular enzyme accumulation was observed only for the N‐acetyl‐b‐D‐hexosaminidase, and the concomitant decrease in both the extracellular protease and N‐acetyl‐b‐D‐hexosaminidase activities was not caused by the action of extracellular proteases. The physiological function of the N‐acetyl‐b‐D‐hexosaminidase remains to be elucidated because the P. chrysogenum culture studied did not utilize N‐acetyl‐D‐glucosamine as a carbon source. However, the proteases (mainly serine and, to a much smaller extent, metalloproteases) might provide surviving hyphal fragments with sufficient amino acids to maintain the cryptic growth observed in aging carbon‐depleted cultures.
Allelopathic effects of root extracts from walnut on seed germination and seedling growth of three plant types

To determine the best extraction solvent of walnut roots,the allelopathic activities of root extracts from walnut were tested against wheat,cabbage and mung bean by the indicator of synthesis effect(SE) on seed germination and seedling growth.The allelopathy of different extraction phases from 95% ethanol extracts was also studied.The result showed that:95% ethanol extracts of walnut roots had the strongest inhibition on the seed germination and seedling growth of three acceptors(SE=-0.559). When the tested mass concentration was 40 mg/mL,the inhibited effect of different extracts from 95% ethanol extracts on root length of three acceptors was greater than it on seedling height,with the most significant integrated allelopathy of ethyl acetate extracts(SE=-0.571). The inhibition rate of root length and seedling height of wheat and cabbage was above 60%;cabbage is more sensitive than wheat and mung bean.Different mass concentration treatments of ethyl acetate extracts had different allelopathy intensity to three acceptors.As the increasing of mass concentration,root length,seedling height and relative water content of wheat were inhibited,significantly lower than control.The allelopathic effect on cabbage and mung bean presented dual effect;low mass concentration promotes growth,while high mass concentration inhibits growth.
IκBα Degradation and Nuclear Factor-κB DNA Binding Are Insufficient for Interleukin-1β and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α-induced κB-dependent Transcription*

Two closely related IκBα kinases as well as the upstream kinase, NIK, which integrates interleukin-1β (IL-1β)- and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-dependent activation of the transcription factor NF-κB have recently been described. However, in this emerging pathway the role of previously identified components of cytokine-induced NF-κB activation, namely phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C and protein kinase C, remains unclear. We now show that, in A549 human alveolar epithelial cells, the activation of a stably transfected NF-κB-dependent reporter gene by TNF-α and IL-1β is completely blocked by the phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C inhibitor D609 and the protein kinase C inhibitor RO31-8220. However, IL-1β-induced IκBα degradation as well as NF-κB nuclear translocation and DNA binding, as determined by Western blot and electro-mobility shift assay, respectively, are not affected by these inhibitors. A similar effect, although less pronounced, is observed with the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor SB 203580. On the basis of these data we propose the existence of a second signaling pathway induced by IL-1β and TNF-α that is activated in parallel to the cascade leading to IκBα degradation and is specifically required for NF-κB-dependent transcriptional competency.
α-Mangostin induces G1 cell cycle arrest in HCT116 cells through p38MAPK-p16INK4a pathway

α-Mangostin (α-MG), one of the active substances in Garcinia mangostana, has been shown to exhibit anti-cancer effects in various cancer cell types. α-MG treatment induces G1 arrest in cancer cell models through the induction of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs) and the subsequent loss of CDK activity. However, outside its role in the p53-p21CIP1 axis, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of α-MG on cell cycle arrest remain unclear. In this study, we observed that α-MG inhibits the proliferation of HCT116 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, although the loss of p53 rescued the α-MG effect on cell cycle arrest, in agreement with previous reports, p21Cip1 expression was only marginally delayed in the absence of p53 after α-MG treatment. Instead, we found that the activation of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the subsequent downregulation of Bmi-1 also contributed to the induction of p16Ink4a, which is responsible for G1 arrest upon α-MG treatment. These findings indicate that α-MG exerts cytostatic effects on colon cancer cells by inducing G1 arrest via the p38MAPK-p16INK4a axis.
Caractéristiques spermatiques des taureaux en Guadeloupe. Variations avec la race et la saison

et anormaux (7,4 ± 3,6 p. 100) ne diffèrent pas entre les races. De plus aucun des paramètres étudiés ne varie avec le mois de récolte. Mots clés : Qualité de la semence, tropiques, zébus, taurins.