Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Astrocytes and microglia play orchestrated roles and respect phagocytic territories during neuronal corpse removal in vivo

Astrocytes and microglia have specialized roles and display a coordinated response during corpse removal in the live brain. Cell death is prevalent throughout life; however, the coordinated interactions and roles of phagocytes during corpse removal in the live brain are poorly understood. We developed photochemical and viral methodologies to induce death in single cells and combined this with intravital optical imaging. This approach allowed us to track multicellular phagocytic interactions with precise spatiotemporal resolution. Astrocytes and microglia engaged with dying neurons in an orchestrated and synchronized fashion. Each glial cell played specialized roles: Astrocyte processes rapidly polarized and engulfed numerous small dendritic apoptotic bodies, while microglia migrated and engulfed the soma and apical dendrites. The relative involvement and phagocytic specialization of each glial cell was plastic and controlled by the receptor tyrosine kinase Mertk. In aging, there was a marked delay in apoptotic cell removal. Thus, a precisely orchestrated response and cross-talk between glial cells during corpse removal may be critical for maintaining brain homeostasis.
A Novel Thermoreversible Gelling Product Made by Enzymatic Modification of Starch

Amylomaltases or D-enzyme (4-α-glucanotransferases; E.C. 2.4.1.25) are carbohydrate-active enzymes that catalyze the transfer of glucan units from one α-glucan to another in a disproportionation reaction. These enzymes are involved in starch metabolism in plants or maltose/glycogen metabolism in many microorganisms. The amylomaltase of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB8 was overproduced in Escherichia coli, partially purified and used to modify potato starch. The action of amylomaltase caused the disappearance of amylose and the broadening of the side-chain length distribution in amylopectin, which resulted in a product with both shorter and longer side chains than in the parent starch. Amylomaltase-treated potato starch showed thermoreversible gelation at concentrations of 3% (w/v) or more, thus making it comparable to gelatin. Because of its animal origin, gelatin is not accepted by several consumer groups. Therefore, the amylomaltase-treated potato starch might be a good plant-derived substitute for gelatin. © 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Climate Change and Invasibility of the Antarctic Benthos

Benthic communities living in shallow-shelf habitats in Antarctica (<100-m depth) are archaic in structure and function compared to shallow-water communities elsewhere. Modern predators, including fast-moving, durophagous (skeleton-crushing) bony fish, sharks, and crabs, are rare or absent; slow-moving invertebrates are generally the top predators; and epifaunal suspension feeders dominate many soft-substratum communities. Cooling temperatures beginning in the late Eocene excluded durophagous predators, ultimately resulting in the endemic living fauna and its unique food-web structure. Although the Southern Ocean is oceanographically isolated, the barriers to biological invasion are primarily physiological rather than geographic. Cold temperatures impose limits to performance that exclude modern predators. Global warming is now removing those physiological barriers, and crabs are reinvading Antarctica. As sea temperatures continue to rise, the invasion of durophagous predators will modernize the shelf benthos and erode the indigenous character of marine life in Antarctica.
Albumin evolution in West Indian frogs of the genus Eleutherodactylus (Leptodactylidae): Caribbean biogeography and a calibration of the albumin immunological clock

Antisera to serum albumins from five West Indian species of the frog genus Eleutheroductylus were prepared, and the reciprocal immunological distances (IDs) obtained were used to provide a time frame for the evolution of this group in the West Indies. One-way IDS were obtained to 25 additional species within the genus, with emphasis on those from the West Indies. These immunological data support both a recent classification of Eleutheroductylus based on an analysis of slow-evolving allozyme loci, and the monophyly of the 17 native Jamaican species as indicated by a more comprehensive electrophoretic study. This is in contrast to the results of morphological studies supporting multiple invasions of Jamaica by Eleutherodactylus. Within the subgenus Euhyas, IDS ranged from6–27 between Jamaican species, whereas between species on different islands the range was29–67. The subgenus Syrrhophus in southern North America was found to be the sister group to the subgenus Euhyus, a western Caribbean clade. Pelorius, a subgenus restricted to Hispaniola, was found to be the sister group of the subgenus Eleutheroductylus in the West Indies. The largest IDs obtained for West Indian species were those between the two major groups, the subgenera Eleutheroductylus and Euhyas. The albumin immunological clock for Eleutheroductylus was calibrated with three events in the geologic history of the Caribbean: the breakup of the proto-Antilles (65-75 million years before present [mybp]), the emergence of Jamaica (20-30 mybp), and the uplift of the Blue Mountains in Jamaica (5-10 mybp). Immunological distances corresponding to those events yield a calibration of 1 ID=0.60 million years (my), the same as that previously obtained for other groups of amphibians and thus supports the use of albumin immunological distance as a molecular chronometer in the genus Eleutherodactylus
Book Review Identification Guide to the Ant Genera of the World

Part 1 Introduction: problems of classification outline of zoogeography preparation of specimens organization and use of the book. Part 2 The family formicidae: diagnosis of the family formicidae the extant subfamilies key to subfamilies based on external morphology new format key to subfamilies. Part 3 Subfamilies: subfamily aenictinae subfamily aenictogitoninae subfamily aneuretinae subfamily apomyrminae subfamily cerapachyinae subfamily dolichoderinae subfamily dorylinae subfamily ecitoninae subfamily formicinae subfamily leptanillinae subfamily leptanilloidinae subfamily myrmiciinae subfamily nothomyrmeciinae subfamily ponerinae subfamily pseudomyrmecinae the extinct subfamilies - subfamily armaniinae, subfamily formiciinae, subfamily sphecomyrminae, subfamily paleosminthurinae.
Sudden Increase in a Rare Endemic Carnivore: Ecology of the Island Spotted Skunk

Abstract The island spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis amphiala), an insular endemic carnivore, recently increased unexpectedly from rarity to abundance on Santa Cruz Island, California. Two explanations have been proposed for this striking increase: competitive release due to decline of the island fox (Urocyon littoralis santacruzae) and vegetative recovery due to removal of feral livestock. To examine the causes and consequences of the increase, we assessed abundance, body mass, home-range size, spatial resource use (den sites and habitat use), temporal resource use, and diet of island spotted skunks during abundance in 2003–2004 and compared it with similar measures during rarity in 1992. Capture success of skunks increased exponentially from 1992 to 2004 (r = 0.38), leading to extraordinarily high densities (9–19 individuals/km2). Both body mass and home-range size remained unchanged, suggesting that per capita resource abundance was not higher in 2003–2004 compared to 1992. We found modest shifts in habitat use, diet, and possibly diurnal activity, providing some support for release from exploitative competition as an explanation for the increase. However, there was a marked shift in den selection, toward unprotected dens and away from multiple use, that is not likely attributable to either release from exploitative competition or to island recovery. Thus, our results suggest that, although both of these processes have likely played a role, release from interference competition also may be a factor behind the dramatic increase in number of skunks. Skunks on Santa Cruz Island may be nearing or even exceeding carrying capacity, and the future of the population and its effects on the endangered island fox remain unclear.
New possibilities arise for studies of hybridization: SNP-based markers for the multi-species Daphnia longispina complex derived from transcriptome data

AQUATIC ECOLOGY, EAWAG, SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF AQUATIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, DUBENDORF 8600, SWITZERLAND, INSTITUTE OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY, ETH ZURICH, ZURICH 8092, SWITZERLAND, SCHOOL OF BIOSCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, EDGBASTON, BIRMINGHAM B15 2TT, UK AND 6 DEPARTMENT OF ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH, LEIBNIZ-INSTITUTE OF FRESHWATER ECOLOGY AND INLAND FISHERIES, MUGGELSEEDAMM 301, BERLIN 12587,
Cloning and sequence analysis of a novel cis-prenyltransferases gene from Hevea brasiliensis.

Cis-prenyltransferases is the key enzyme to rubber biosynthesis.A cDNA fragment which was highly homologous to the gene encoding cis-prenyltransferases was isolated by screening of a latex subtracted cDNA library.The latex subtracted cDNA library was constructed by suppressive subtractive hybridization(SSH),in which the polyA+RNA of latex from Hevea brasiliensis served as tester,and polyA+RNA of leaves as driver.According to its sequences information,a novel full-length cDNA of 1 156 bp termed R363(GenBank number: AY461414) was obtained by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends(RACE). R363 contained a 1 035 bp ORF,which encoded 290 amino acids with a theoretical molecular weight of 32.9 kD and an isoelectric point of 7.2. Hydropathy and transmembrane motif analysis of deduced amino acid sequences indicated that R363 possessed a signal peptide of 27 amino acids at its N-end.The result of the conserved domains analysis indicated that R363 contained five highly conserved regions as well as signature motif of undecaprenyl pyrophosphate sythetase family,which implied that R363 would be a cis-prenyltransferases gene.Furthermore,the transcripts of R363 were expressed predominantly in the latex as compared with leaves,and exerted no differences in latex with or without 2% ethylene pretreatment.
The leaf-litter earthworm fauna (Annelida: Oligochaeta) of forests in Limpopo Province, South Africa: diversity, communities and conservation

ABSTRACT A qualitative survey of the leaf-litter earthworm fauna of 11 selected indigenous forests in Limpopo Province, South Africa, was conducted to identify the species present, to describe the communities and to assess the relationship between indigenous and exotic species. A total of 8185 individuals from 17 species (five indigenous and 12 exotic species) were recorded. The average earthworm community comprised fewer than five species, but up to seven species were sampled from a single forest. Four of the species recorded are national (one species), regional (one species) or local (two species) endemics. Because these species are not known to live elsewhere, the protection of Limpopo Province forests is critical to their survival. The majority (71%) of the earthworm species sampled was exotic, and differences between exotic and indigenous species richness in forests were mostly significant. At the two spatial scales examined (20 m2 and individual forest) there is no evidence of an association between exotic and indigenous species richness. However, we cannot assume that exotic earthworms do not impact the forest ecosystem.
Bioelectronic monitoring of parasite‐induced stress in brown trout and roach

A non-contact bioelectronic monitoring system was used to record changes in heart rate, ventilation rate and swimming activity in brown trout Salmo trutta and roach Rutilus rutilus, following exposure to two species of cercariae of digenean trematodes: Diplostomum pseudospathaceum which is a common parasite in the lens of fishes and xiphidiocercariae of Plagiorchis elegans, a parasite of anatid birds, both of which have the snail Lymnaea stagnalis as their first intermediate host. Swimming activity increased significantly in roach exposed to Diplostomum cercariae at densities as low as 3.8l−1 and remained elevated for 24–36 h post exposure. Brown trout showed no response when exposed to low densities of Diplostomum (2.9 and 5.7 cercariae 1−1) but there was a significant response at higher cercarial exposure densities (>501−1). Total activity of brown trout increased immediately, peaking after 2 h and returning to pre-exposure levels within 5–6 h. There was a simultaneous increase in heart and ventilation rates which both declined following the reduction in activity of the fish. Heart rate then increased for a second time to a maximum level at 14–16 h and thereafter declined to reach a steady state at 3 days post-exposure. During this period there was no significant change in total activity. The qualitative nature of the heart response was identical in five infected brown trout although the magnitude of the response varied widely among fish. Exposure to cercariae of P. elegans elicited no response in either fish species. (c) 1996 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles
Small Spark

The risks of spreadsheet use do not just come from the misuse of formulae. As such, training needs to go beyond this technical aspect of spreadsheet use and look at the spreadsheet in its full business context. While standard training is by and large unable to do this, task-based training is perfectly suited to a contextual approach to training. 1 THE SITUATION 1.1 What Are The Risks Of Spreadsheet Use? The main risks associated with spreadsheet use are the prevalence of errors (which can cause inadvertent error and make fraud harder to detect) and the gross misuse of time by spreadsheet operators (designers, users, etc.). The effects of spreadsheet errors are well documented: bad decision making, noncompliance, ease of fraud etc. “The biggest fear for organisations is losing data or suffering losses due to unchecked inaccurate data. ” [Baxter, 2007] It has been reported that as many as 90% of spreadsheets contain errors and that many of those errors can be critical to business [Bewig, 2005]. The EuSpRIG website [EuSpRIG] contains many reports of specific instances of business loss due to spreadsheet error. The effects of time-wasting are not as well documented, as they hit businesses in a more indirect manner. However, staff productivity is definitely affected by fighting an unfriendly system and by wasting hours doing things a long way. This waste can cost money. 1.2 What Are The Causes Of These Risks? There are two levels at which spreadsheet errors occur: the user level and the business level. User Error We all make mistakes regardless of whether we are designing, auditing or using a spreadsheet system. While natural human error cannot be eradicated by training, an awareness of possible errors can assist with detection and remedy [Purser, Chadwick, 2006].
An annotated check-list of Ascomycota reported from soil and other terricolous substrates in Egypt

By screening of available sources of intormation, it was possible to tigure out a range of 310 taxa that could be representing Egyptian Ascomycota up to the present time . In this treatment. concern was given to ascomycetous fungi of almost all terricolous substrates while phytopathogenic and aquatic torms are not included. According to the scheme proposed by Kirk et a! (2008). reported taxa in Egypt belonged to 88 genera in 31 families, and l l orders. In view of this scheme. very few numbers of taxa remained without certain taxonomic position (im:ertae sedis). It is also worthy to be mentioned that among species included in the list . twenty-eight are introduced to the ascosporic mycobiota as novel taxa based on type materials collected ti·om Egyptian habitats . The list includes also 19 species which are considered new records to the general mycobiota of Egypt. When species richness and substrate preference, as impotiant ecological parameters. are considered. it has been noticed that Egyptian Ascomycota shows some interesting features noteworthy to be mentioned. At the s ubstrate level , clay soils. came first by hosting a range of I 08 taxa to I lowed by deseti soils (60 taxa). At the taxono mic level, Sordariales. compared to other orders, accommodated the greatest number of taxa i.e. 92 taxa followed by Eurotiales (61 taxa). Chaetomiaceae and Trichocomaceae are by far the richest families by housing 61 taxa. At the generic level, Chaetomium occupied the tirst place among all reported genera by including 51 species followed by Arthroderma ( 15 spp.). Provisional keys to the identitication of reported taxa are given.
Effects of sulfur-containing amino acids and glycine on plasma cholesterol level in rats fed on a high cholesterol diet.

The effects of the addition of individual amino acids on methionine-induced hypercholesterolemia (experiment 1), and the interacting effects of dietary protein level and sulfur-containing amino acids and glycine on plasma cholesterol concentration (experiment 2) were studied in growing rats fed on a high cholesterol diet. In experiment 1, rats were fed on a 25% casein-0.75% methionine (25CM) diet containing 2.5% of individual amino acids for 2 weeks. Methionine-induced hypercholesterolemia was prevented by the concurrent addition of glycine or serine, but the other amino acids tested (alanine, threonine, leucine, phenylalanine, lysine, arginine, and glutamic acid) had no effect. Histidine rather enhanced the hypercholesterolemia. In experiment 2, rats were fed on a 10%, 25%, or 50% casein diet containing 0.75% methionine, 0.60% cystine, 0.63% taurine, 2.5% glycine, or 0.75% methionine +2.5% glycine for 3 weeks. Dietary addition of 0.75% methionine increased the plasma cholesterol concentration for the 25% and 50% casein diets, but it decreased the plasma cholesterol for the 10% casein diet. When the addition level of methionine was doubled in the 10% casein diet, the plasma cholesterol concentration was significantly higher for the 1.5% methionine-added diet than for the 0.75% methionine-added diet. Cystine and taurine lowered plasma cholesterol for all dietary casein levels. Methionine-induced hypercholesterolemia with 25% and 50% casein diets was prevented by the glycine supplementation. These data suggest that sulfur-containing amino acids and glycine are important in plasma cholesterol regulation.
Recovery of viable but non-culturable Campylobacter jejuni cells in two animal models

Abstract As in many bacteria, including such pathogens as Salmonella enteritidis , enterotoxic Escherichia coli, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio cholerae , the occurrence of a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state has been described for Campylobacter jejuni . This bacteria has been recognized as a leading foodborne pathogen. In this study, VBNC cells from three C. jejuni human isolates were suspended in microcosm water at 4°C and entered the VBNC state. The metabolic activity of these VBNC cells was monitored by CTC reduction. Once in VBNC state, the strains were inoculated per os into newborn mice and 1-day-old chicks so as to evaluate and compare these animal models of VBNC cell recovery. The three strains used in this experiment were revived using the murine model, whereas only two strains were revived with the chick model. The results show that the murine model permits better recovery than the 1-day chick model. All three strains revived exhibited an associative index very similar to that measured in the culturable state. This study indicates that the VBNC state should be considered as playing a role in the epidemiology of Campylobacter infection.
Effects of body size and water temperature on food consumption and growth in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka) with special reference to aestivation

To investigate the effects of body size and water temperature on feeding and growth in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka), the maximum rate of food consumption in terms of energy (C-maxe; J day(-1)) and the specific growth rate in terms of energy (SGRe; % day(-1)) in animals of three body sizes (mean +/- SE) - large (134.0 +/- 3.5 g), medium (73.6 +/- 2.2 g) and small (36.5 +/- 1.2 g) - were determined at water temperatures of 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 degrees C. Maximum rate of food consumption in terms of energy increased and SGRe decreased with increasing body weight at 10, 15 and 20 degrees C. This trend, however, was not apparent at 25 and 30 degrees C, which could be influenced by aestivation. High water temperatures (above 20 degrees C) were disadvantageous to feeding and growth of this animal; SGRe of A. japonicus during aestivation was negative. The optimum temperatures for food consumption and for growth were similar and were between 14 and 15 degrees C, and body size seemed to have a slight effect on the optimal temperature for food consumption or growth. Because aestivation of A. japonicus was temperature dependent, the present paper also documented the threshold temperatures to aestivation as indicated by feeding cessation. Deduced from daily food consumption of individuals, the threshold temperature to aestivation for large and medium animals (73.3-139.3 g) was 24.5-25.5 degrees C, while that for small animals (28.9-40.7 g) was between 25.5 and 30.5 degrees C. These values are higher than previous reports; differences in sign of aestivation, experimental condition and dwelling district of test animals could be the reasons.
Density of Trichospilus diatraeae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) Parasitizing Diaphania hyalinata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) Pupae

ABSTRACT Diaphania hyalinata L. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is a key pest of plants in the family Cucurbitaceae, defoliating and reducing photosynthetic area and yield. Trichospilus diatraeae Margabandhu & Cherian, 1942 (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) parasitizes the pupae of this pest, but its biological and reproductive parameters with this host are unknown. The objective of our study was to characterize the reproduction of T. diatraeae in D. hyalinata pupae with different densities of this parasitoid. Individual D. hyalinata pupae (48 h old) were exposed to different densities of T. diatraeae (1:1, 4:1, 8:1, 12:1, 16:1, 20:1, and 24:1). The parasitoid density did not affect the parasitism and emergence rate of this natural enemy. The progeny, sex ratio, longevity, and head capsule width of T. diatraeae males and females decreased with increasing density, and its life cycle was proportional to density increase of T. diatraeae. Densities of up to eight T. diatraeae individuals per D. hyalinata pupae are favorable for the development of this parasitoid.