Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Explosive Anther Dehiscence in Ricinus communis L. Involves Cell Wall Modifications and Relative Humidity

Explosive anther dehiscence in Ricinus communis L. (castor bean) was analyzed with regard to changes in anther wall cell structure and to shifts in relative humidity. The single cell layer of the anther was made up of four cell types based on shape and wall thickening. The major type present, except at the site of the stomium and connective tissue, was isodiametric cells with lignified inner tangential and lateral walls. Another type situated near the stomium had five to 10 rings of lignin. Cells at the stomium and connective tissue, the third and fourth types, had no lignin and were covered with a thicker exterior cuticle than other sites. Explosive dehiscence may be triggered by a rapid dehydration of thin cuticle cells, which generates structural changes in these cells, forcing separation of the anther at the stomium. Pressure released by the stomium opening causes the anther walls nearest the filament to snap together, forcing pollen to be launched. Relative humidity inhibited anther opening and decreased the distance pollen was launched. Thus, patterns of cell differentiation in the single-layered anther wall of R. communis L. appear to be responsible for explosive pollen release. Both anther opening and distance pollen is launched are influenced by relative humidity.
The protein truncation test: A review.

Only changes in the DNA sequence manifesting deleterious effects at a functional level provide "disease-causing" mutations. Consequently, mutation-scanning techniques applied on a protein level would be most informative. However, because of a lack of functional knowledge and powerful methods, most currently applied techniques try to resolve mutations at the DNA level. The protein truncation test (PTT) provides a rare exception, targeting mutations that generate shortened proteins, mainly premature translation termination. PTT has several attractive characteristics, including pinpointing the site of a mutation, good sensitivity, a low false-positive rate, and, more importantly, the near-exclusive highlighting of disease-causing mutations. In addition, PTT facilitated the detection of a new mutation type, i.e., a sequence change generating a hypermutable region surfacing in the RNA. The main technical problems are related to the fact that PTT generally uses an RNA target, including the difficulties that arise from the potential differential expression and stability of the transcripts derived from the two alleles present. The PTT has hardly evolved from the method originally described, with multiplexing and N-terminal protein tagging forming the only innovating modifications. To implement high-throughput screens using PTT, major improvements of the basic procedure will be required.
The toxicity of phosphine, methyl bromide, 1,1,1-trichloroethane and carbon dioxide alone and as mixtures to the pupae of red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum herbst†

The toxicity of phosphine, methyl bromide, 1,1,1-trichloroethane (methylchloroform) and carbon dioxide, and mixtures of phosphine + methyl bromide, methyl bromide + methylchloroform, phosphine + carbon dioxide, and methyl bromide + carbon dioxide to 1- to 2-day-old pupae of the tenebrionid flour pest Tribolium castaneum was investigated. Joint action ratios estimated at LD50 and LD90 for a 24-h exposure indicated no enhancement of toxicity for mixtures of phosphine and methyl bromide, or methylchloroform and methyl bromide on the pupae. Carbon dioxide up to 40% in air enhanced the toxic action of phosphine as well as of methyl bromide. Higher levels of carbon dioxide, however, failed to improve the toxicity of phosphine or methyl bromide proportionately. Carbon dioxide used alone produced a maximum of 11% mortality of the pupae exposed to 10-70% levels for 24 h. The order of toxicity of the fumigants both at LD50 and LD90 was phosphine > methyl bromide > methylchloroform.
The relationship between nematodes of the genus Cosmocercoides Wilkie, 1930 (Nematoda: Cosmocercoidea) in toads (Bufo americanus) and slugs (Deroceras laeve)

Nematodes of the genus Cosmocercoides Wilkie, 1930 from Bufo americanus and Deroceras laeve, generally considered to belong to the same species (Cosmocercoides dukae), were compared. Male worms from B. americanus had 20 or 21 rosette papillae per subventral row whereas males from D. laeve had 13 to 14. Worms from toads had numerous simple postanal papillae. Worms from slugs generally lacked such papillae. Worms from the two hosts differed morphometrically and were well separated by discriminant analysis after bias of worm length was removed by analysis of covariance. Differences in isoenzyme migration were detected using starch gel electrophoresis. In cross-transmission experiments, more toads became infected when exposed to larvae of worms from toads than when exposed to larvae of worms from slugs. More slugs became infected when exposed to larvae from slugs than when exposed to larvae from toads. Intensity of mature worms recovered was significantly (p < 0.05) greater (and patent infections developed) w.
Nonenzymatic Browning of Freeze‐Dried Sucrose

The appearance of nonenzymatic browning products in sucrosebased systems (5-20%; pH 1-5) during freeze drying and during subsequent room temperature storage in the dry state was investigated. Results showed that following the completion of the primary sublimation stage of drying, sucrose hydrolysis to glucose and fructose was initiated. Glucose and fructose undergo further breakdown, and at the same time products which absorb in the UV (280 nm) were formed. A short time later observable brown colors are noted (absorbance at 400 nm). The extent of UV absorbance and brown color formation increased with decreasing sucrose concentration and decreasing pH in the initial solution.
Distribution, Growth, Selective Feeding, and Energy Transformations of Young-of-the-Year Blueback Herring, Alosa aestivalis (Mitchill), in the James River, Virginia

Abstract A direct relationship existed between standing crops of zooplankton and distribution, growth, and feeding of young-of-the-year blueback herring, Alosa aestivalis, in the James River, Virginia. Zooplankton densities were highest upstream where food consumption and growth rates were correspondingly highest. A progressive downstream decrease and upstream increase in fish abundance occurred during the study. Condition (K) decreased after flooding from Hurricane Camille. Blueback herring fed primarily on copepods (Eurytemora affinis, Cyclops vernalis, and Canthocamptus robertcokeri), but cladocerans (Bosmina sp. and Diaphanosoma brachyurum) were also important. Selection (electivity) was strongest for adult copepods and weakest for copepod nauplii. Selection for copepodites and Bosmina sp. was moderate to weak. Feeding occurred only during daylight. Predation on copepods and copepodites by blueback herring resulted in population dominance by the smaller Bosmina sp. Respiration experiments were carried.
Variation in foot size and shape in some British land snails and its functional significance

Live weight, and the length, breadth and surface area of the extended foot sole were measured in 24 species of British terrestrial snails. Allometric relationships between these variables are described, concentrating on the relationship between foot surface area and weight. Intraspecific foot area/weight relationships deviate from isometric expectation for several species; this may be attributed to density changes, foot-shape variation or the physical constraint imposed by shell aperture size. The rate of increase of foot sole area with live weight among species is greater than expected under isometry, indicating that larger species partially compensate for the increase in foot loading (weight per unit foot area). The rate of whorl expansion of the shell is related to the deviations from the interspecific foot area/weight relationship, reinforcing the possibility that shell aperture area may limit foot size in some species. Foot ratio (foot length:foot width) is negatively related to live weight and foot loading. The findings are discussed in relation to the known behaviour and microdistribution patterns of the species.
Changes in amino acid and fatty acid composition during shelf‐life of marinated fish

Quality aspects of marinated fish were examined over a 120 day period. Nutritional quality parameters (proximate composition, fatty acid profile and amino acid profile) were determined. Changes in amino acids and fatty acids were examined in the muscle of marinated fish during storage. Aspartic acid, threonine, proline, glycine, tyrosine and lysine concentrations in marinated anchovy and rainbow trout greatly influenced their quality. Polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations decreased significantly (p 0.05) in marinated rainbow trout, while total saturated fatty acid concentrations increased significantly (p < 0.05) in both marinated fish during storage. These changes in fatty acid and amino acid concentrations were found to be useful as an index of freshness and decomposition of marinated fish in storage. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry
Pollen Wall Structure Using a New Stripping-Sputtering Device for Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract A new method has been developed to elucidate pollen wall architecture by the separation of wall layers and the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Separation of wall layers at natural boundaries, breakage across the wall and metal-coating of the specimen have been achieved by controlled ramming of free scattered ions produced by a novel “ion separating and coating – model A” instrument. The stripping treatment reveals interfaces and cross profiles of pollen walls and the sputtering treatment results in metal coating for examination with SEM. An advantage of the method is that it provides intact interfaces that are not eroded or damaged. The application of the method is exemplified by SEM analyses of pollen grains of Gossypium hirsutum L. , Zea mays L. , Sesamum indicum L. and Brassica napus L. var. oleifera. Interfaces between the tectum, column, foot, nexine-2 and intine layers of the pollen wall were all portrayed in G. hirsutum and to a great part in the other species. In G. hirsutum, it .
Alterações morfofisiológicas em folhas de Coffea arabica L. cv. "Oeiras" sob influência do sombreamento por Acacia mangium Willd

Light availability is one of the most important environmental factors affecting leaf structure and functions in coffee plants that can respond differently to radiation by changes in leaf anatomy, morphology, growth and photosynthetic rate. The objective of this research was evaluate some morphophysiological aspects in leaves of coffee (Coffea arabica L. cv. 'Oeiras') cropped under shelter trees in the south of Minas Gerais during the rainy and dry season. The shade caused lower leaves thickness and higher intercellular spaces in spongious tissue. There was also verified a change in chloroplast shape, which showed more elongated in coffee tree kept at full sunlight in relation to that ones maintained on shading.
Integrated fertilizer management to attain sunflower sustainable production under different irrigation regimes

Nitrogen release studies are of considerable interest in soil and environmental science. The objective of this research was to study integrated fertilizer management for the reduction of nitrogen leaching in sandy soils. An experiment was conducted during 2005–2006 to evaluate the effect of integration of zeolite, manure and urea on some traits of sunflower under different irrigation regimes. The results demonstrated that different irrigation regimes had significant effects on seed yield and yield component, final dry matter, chlorophyll content, leaf area index (LAI) and oil yield. But elements concentration in leaf and seed were not affected by irrigation regimes. Also it was observed that seed yield, oil yield, capitulum diameter, percentage protein, chlorophyll content, final dry matter, yield component, nitrogen concentration of leaf and seed, LAI and water use efficiency (WUE) were affected significantly by manure treatments. Interaction effects were significant on some traits. Finally, regarding the results of this experiment and the significant effect of the application of zeolite, the best treatment is suggested as the supply of 80 kg ha−1 N by urea and 50 kg ha−1 N by manure in combination with 15% of total manure weight zeolite, under the first irrigation regime.
Recent decline in the use of invasive neurocritical care monitoring for traumatic brain injury: A case report

Background: In this article, we discuss the dramatic decline in the utilization of invasive cranial monitoring of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Case Description: A 52-year-old male presented with a severe TBI following a motor vehicle accident. The initial computed tomography scan showed a subdural hematoma, and the patient underwent a craniotomy. However, preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively, the critical care team never utilized invasive cranial monitoring. Therefore, when the patient expired several weeks later due to multiorgan failure, his death was in part attributed to the neurocritical care specialists’ failure to employ invasive cranial monitoring techniques. Conclusion: Evidence-based and defensive medicine, cost containment, and a lack of leadership have contributed to neurocritical care specialists’ increased failure to utilize invasive hemodynamic and neurological monitoring for TBI.
Small-scale distribution of Great Barrier reef bioeroding sponges in shallow water

Abstract Data on bioeroding sponge ecological distributions are sparse despite their important role in tropical reef erosion. Difficulties with in situ species identification and estimation of biomass have impeded field studies and remain a problem. An extensive transect study has been conducted at Orpheus Island, Central Great Barrier Reef. Encrusting Cliona orientalis, Aka mucosa and Zyzzya criceta were identified in the field, other sponges were grouped according to colour and papillar diameter. The sponges were not host-specific and frequencies per substrate type varied. Encrusting C. orientalis was almost restricted to massive coral substrates (> 90 %), whereas all brown papillate sponges were also abundant in branching corals. The latter encompass papillate C. orientalis, Pione vastifica, Pione caesia and other species. Only A. mucosa and C. orientalis occurred adjacent to live coral. C. orientalis harbours photoactive zooxanthellae and requires high irradiation levels. A. mucosa has specialised in living in substrate buried in sediment, erect fistules reaching into the water. A. mucosa persists on the sandy zone, where no other species was successful. The entire species composition changed across the reef. Species richness increased with substrate availability, and biomass was highest at the reef edge, where water turbulence is most pronounced.
MODELLING OF THE HYDRAULIC ARCHITECTURE OF ROOT SYSTEMS : AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO WATER ABSORPTION : MODEL DESCRIPTION

A numerical model simulating water uptake by root systems is presented. This model can combine the locally measured root hydraulic conductances with data on the root system architecture to give a detailed description of water absorption, from the single root level to the entire root system. This is achieved by coupling a three-dimensional root system architecture model with laws describing water flow in roots. In addition to water absorption studies, the model has been developed so that it can be included in a soil water transfer simulator in order to analyse soil–plant interactions for water uptake. The use of the model in describing water absorption is illustrated for a specific case where the hydraulic conductances are considered uniform in the whole root system. In this way, analytical results of Landsberg and Fowkes (Annals of Botany42: 493–508, 1978) are extended from the single root to the root system level. The influence of the type of root system architecture, axial conductance between crowns of maize nodal roots, transpiration in the course of the day, and non-homogeneous soil water potential on fluxes and water potentials in the root system are examined. The dynamics of the total conductance of the maize root system with plant growth is also shown for this case of uniform conductance in the root system. Cases which consider other distributions of the conductance in the root system are presented in an accompanying paper.
Fungos micorrízicos arbusculares em estéril revegetado com Acacia mangium, após mineração de bauxita

RESUMO – O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a composicao das comunidades de FMAs em areas revegetadas com Acacia mangium apos a mineracao de bauxita na regiao de Porto Trombetas, PA. Foram coletadas amostras de solo compostas nos periodos seco e chuvoso, em areas revegetadas com Acacia mangium, que receberam inoculos de Glomus clarum e Gigaspora margarita, com 1 e 5 anos de idade. Os solos foram revegetados sem a reposicao do horizonte superficial orgânico. Os esporos dos fungos micorrizicos arbusculares (FMAs) foram extraidos e identificados atraves de suas caracteristicas morfologicas. Analisou-se a densidade de esporos e de especies em cada amostra, a densidade relativa e a frequencia de ocorrencia de cada especie por periodo de amostragem, alem do indice de abundância e frequencia (IAF). Sob o plantio de mudas de A. mangium, a densidade de esporos de FMAs foi elevada e aumentou com a idade, enquanto o numero de especies nao variou. Glomus clarum produz alta densidade de esporos na fase inicial do plantio e declina com o tempo, e Gigaspora margarita nao esporula nas condicoes edafoclimaticas locais. A maioria das especies de FMA nao apresenta o mesmo padrao de esporulacao nos periodos seco e chuvoso. Palavras-chave: Taxonomia, micorrizas, sazonalidade e areas degradadas.
Smart Nanoformulation Based on Stimuli-Responsive Nanogels and Curcumin: Promising Therapy against Colon Cancer

Curcumin (CUR) has gained much attention for its widely reported anticancer effect; however, its clinical use is restricted due to its low water solubility and, consequently, its poor bioavailability. Here, we report on the use of a nanoformulation of CUR with cationic nanogels for colon cancer therapy. Cationic stimuli-sensitive nanogels were prepared using a scale-up polymerization methodology based on surfactant-free emulsion polymerization of N,N′-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DEAEM) and poly(ethyleneglycol) methacrylate (PEGMA). The obtained nanogels showed a homogeneous size distribution (from 51 to 162 nm, polydispersity index (PDI) < 0.138) and exhibited a spherical form and core–shell morphology as confirmed by dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy, respectively. Nanogels were responsive to and degradable by variations of pH, temperature, or the redox environment, depending on the cross-linker used in the synthesis. Nanogels cross-linked with bis(acryloyl)cystamine incubated in a buffer (pH 7.4) containing 3 mM glutathione degraded in 60 min, while nanogels cross-linked with a divinylacetal cross-linker degraded in 10 min (pH ≤ 6). Nanoformulations of nanogels with CUR were stable as tested up to 30 days at physiological conditions. In vitro studies of the human colon cancer cell line (HCT-116) showed a synergistic effect of CUR and the degradable nanogels. Further, in vivo acute cytotoxicity tests of empty nanogels in mice demonstrate their potential as CUR nanocarriers for colon-anticancer therapies.
Spatial refugia and the coexistence of a diurnal raptor with its intraguild owl predator

Summary 1. Intraguild predation (IGP) has been studied extensively in predatory fish, amphibians and mammals, but less so in top avian predators. We studied the impact of IGP by large eagle owls Bubo bubo Linnaeus (body mass ~ 1·5‐4 kg) on diurnal black kites Milvus migrans Boddaert ( ~ 0·5‐1 kg) in eight populations located in the Italian Alps. Eagle owls preyed on both adult and nestling kites, especially when kites nested within 2 km of an owl nest. Food overlap was low as kites preyed mainly on fish and owls on mammals. Eagle owls were absent from two study areas, bred very close to another area and were present at medium‐high densities in the other five. Within-population effects varied and were most severe in areas with high owl densities. Overall, kites responded to predation risk through predator spatial avoidance, being concentrated in interstitial predationrefugia bordering the core home range of owl pairs. 2. Kite productivity declined steeply with increasing predation risk; no nestling fledged within 1 km of an owl nest. Brood predation was higher in an area with medium owl density than in an area lacking eagle owls. 3. The abandonment of kite territories increased near owl nests, but close coexistence was maintained by new kite territories being established occasionally in areas of high predation risk and high food abundance, which probably functioned as ecological traps. Compared to a random nest dispersion, colonial nesting was avoided within 1 km of an owl pair and peaked in conditions of medium predation risk. 4. At the population level, kite density and productivity were related to a complex interaction of IGP risk and food abundance, and were probably shaped by a mixture of top-down and bottom-up effects. These results may apply to many other vertebrate mesopredators, whose individual decisions and population responses are probably the result of a trade-off between predator avoidance and food acquisition. 5. At the community level, the density of different diurnal avian predators responded differently to IGP risk, some of them even increasing with this risk. The diversity of the assemblage peaked at medium‐high eagle owl density. Future studies of top vertebrate predators need to take more account of IGP effects. Their conservation management needs to be highly case-specific and framed within a broader ecosystem perspective.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 10:2

■ This article develops a neural model of how sharp disparity tuning can arise through experience-dependent development of cortical complex cells. This learning process clariaes how complex cells can binocularly match left and right eye image features with the same contrast polarity, yet also pool signals with opposite contrast polarities. Antagonistic rebounds between LGN ON and OFF cells and cortical simple cells sensitive to opposite contrast polarities enable anticorrelated simple cells to learn to activate a shared set of complex cells. Feedback from binocularly tuned cortical cells to monocular LGN cells is proposed to carry out a matching process that dynamically stabilizes the learning process. This feedback represents a type of matching process that is elaborated at higher visual processing areas into a volitionally controllable type of attention. We show stable learning when both of these properties hold. Learning adjusts the initially coarsely tuned disparity preference to match the disparities present in the environment, and the tuning width decreases to yield high disparity selectivity, which enables the model to quickly detect image disparities. Learning is impaired in the absence of either antagonistic rebounds or corticogeniculate feedback. The model also helps to explain psychophysical and neurobiological data about adult