Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Body size variation in insects: a macroecological perspective

Body size is a key feature of organisms and varies continuously because of the effects of natural selection on the size‐dependency of resource acquisition and mortality rates. This review provides a critical and synthetic overview of body size variation in insects from a predominantly macroecological (large‐scale temporal and spatial) perspective. Because of the importance of understanding the proximate determinants of adult size, it commences with a brief summary of the physiological mechanisms underlying adult body size and its variation, based mostly on findings for the model species Drosophila melanogaster and Manduca sexta. Variation in nutrition and temperature have variable effects on critical weight, the interval to cessation of growth (or terminal growth period) and growth rates, so influencing final adult size. Ontogenetic and phylogenetic variation in size, compensatory growth, scaling at the intra‐ and interspecific levels, sexual size dimorphism, and body size optimisation are then reviewed in light of their influences on individual and species body size frequency distributions. Explicit attention is given to evolutionary trends, including gigantism, Cope's rule and the rates at which size change has taken place, and to temporal ecological trends such as variation in size with succession and size‐selectivity during the invasion process. Large‐scale spatial variation in size at the intraspecific, interspecific and assemblage levels is considered, with special attention being given to the mechanisms proposed to underlie clinal variation in adult body size. Finally, areas particularly in need of additional research are identified.
Annotation: understanding the development of psychopathy.

BACKGROUND Psychopaths are not only antisocial, but also have a callous and unemotional personality profile. This article selectively reviews evidence that psychopathic personality traits are an important factor in understanding and predicting the development of persistent antisocial conduct. Cognitive neuroscience research and more tentative genetic work on psychopathy will be discussed, especially as they relate to possible developmental trajectories to psychopathy. RESULTS A personality-based approach has been successful in clarifying the conceptual boundaries of psychopathy and delineating a group of antisocial individuals with a distinct profile of offending and clear neurocognitive markers indicating problems in processing distress in others and punishment directed to oneself. These markers are also present in children with psychopathic tendencies, suggesting that psychopathy may be a developmental disorder. The neurocognitive profile relates to the callous and unemotional personality traits at the core of psychopathy and may index particular vulnerability to persistent antisocial conduct. Preliminary twin studies suggest that personality traits at the core of psychopathy are much more highly heritable than other personality traits. There are as yet no molecular genetic studies of psychopathy. CONCLUSIONS It is argued that an interdisciplinary approach that integrates cognitive neuroscience and genetics will enhance understanding of the development of psychopathy.
Determinants of hyperkyphosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Objective: To determine clinical and radiographic determinants of hyperkyphosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Methods: Spinal hyperkyphosis was assessed by occiput to wall distance (OWD) in 135 patients participating in the OASIS cohort and defined as OWD >0. Disease activity was assessed by the Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI). Wedging of the vertebrae was calculated as the Ha/Hp ratio. Structural damage of the spine was assessed by the modified Stoke ankylosing spondylitis spine score (mSASSS). Hip involvement was assessed by the Bath ankylosing spondylitis radiology index (BASRI) and defined as a score >2. Data were analysed by multiple regression analysis on van der Waerden-normal OWD values, with mean Ha/Hp ratio, mSASSS, hip involvement, and BASDAI as explanatory variables, and age, sex, and disease duration after diagnosis as covariates. Results: 61 patients (45.2%) had an OWD >0 cm. Of these, 81% were male, v 57% in the group with normal OWD (p<0.001). Forty two patients had wedged thoracic vertebrae, and 27 of these (44%) had an increased OWD, compared with 15 of 74 with a normal OWD (20%) (p = 0.005). OWD was correlated with mean wedging of the thoracic spine (r = −0.45, p = 0.01), mSASSS (r = 0.56, p = 0.01), and hip involvement (r = 0.2, p = 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that mSASSS (standardised β (stβ) = 0.52; p<0.001), wedging of the thoracic spine (stβ = −0.28; p = 0.01), and BASDAI (stβ = 0.15; p = 0.05) were independent determinants of OWD. Conclusions: Radiological damage of the cervical and lumbar spine, thoracic wedging, and disease activity are determinants of hyperkyphosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. These findings could be important in determining treatment goals in this disease.
Carbonic Anhydrase in the Scleractinian Coral Stylophora pistillata

Carbonic anhydrases (CA) play an important role in biomineralization from invertebrates to vertebrates. Previous experiments have investigated the role of CA in coral calcification, mainly by pharmacological approaches. This study reports the molecular cloning, sequencing, and immunolocalization of a CA isolated from the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata, named STPCA. Results show that STPCA is a secreted form of α-CA, which possesses a CA catalytic function, similar to the secreted human CAVI. We localized this enzyme at the calicoblastic ectoderm level, which is responsible for the precipitation of the skeleton. This localization supports the role of STPCA in the calcification process. In symbiotic scleractinian corals, calcification is stimulated by light, a phenomenon called “light-enhanced calcification” (LEC). The mechanism by which symbiont photosynthesis stimulates calcification is still enigmatic. We tested the hypothesis that coral genes are differentially expressed under light and dark conditions. By real-time PCR, we investigated the differential expression of STPCA to determine its role in the LEC phenomenon. Results show that the STPCA gene is expressed 2-fold more during the dark than the light. We suggest that in the dark, up-regulation of the STPCA gene represents a mechanism to cope with night acidosis.
A Retrospective Survey of Human Hydatidosis Based on Hospital Records During The Period 1990–2003 in Ngorongoro, Tanzania

A 13‐year (1990–2003) retrospective study was carried out to investigate the occurrence of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in patients at Wasso hospital in Ngorongoro district, Tanzania. Hospitalization records were reviewed and confirmed cases of CE were classified according to ward of residence, age, sex, cyst location and type. A total of 171 hydatidosis patients were diagnosed and operated giving an average of 13 cases per year, equivalent to approximately 10 cases per 100 000 people per year. Cystic echinococcosis affected more females (59.1%) than males (40.9%). A significantly higher number of CE cases were recorded in individuals <30 years of age (22.8–30.4%) than in those >30 years of age (2.3–9.4%) (P < 0.05). High proportion of CE (81.5%) occurred in the liver than in other sites, and more females had higher hepatic cysts (47.4%) than males (31.0%). Solitary cysts and single organ involvement were noted in 81.5% cases and multiple cysts in 18.5% cases. Higher multiple organ infections (14.1%) and cyst recurrences (5.3%) were also recorded in females. Orgosorok ward had the highest number (18.7%) of CE cases, while Nainokanoka had the lowest (1.2%). It was concluded that CE infection occurs frequently in humans in Ngorongoro district and female and youths are those most affected. These findings merit for more extensive epidemiological investigations of CE in human to better determine the prevalence, economic impact and risk factors for the disease in this district and other areas of Tanzania.
Analysis of energy restriction and physical activity on brain function: the role of ketone body and brain-derived neurotrophic factor

Brain development is a complex process, and stimuli during this development period may modulate the functional maturation of the brain. It has been shown that environmental stimuli, such as physical activity habits, have a beneficial effect on brain development. Endurance exercise and prolonged fasting state are known to improve brain function including cognition. The exact mechanisms of exercise improving brain function are still unknown. However, it can be considered that energy restriction and stressful challenge induced by long-lasting physical exercise might cause direct effect on brain function. Upregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and ketone body caused by exercise might be considered as the mechanism of exercise on brain function. In the present study, we discussed on two main topics: “exercise and BDNF” and “exercise and energy restriction. ”
Structures of heat-stable and unstable homologues of the sweet protein mabinlin. The difference in the heat stability is due to replacement of a single amino acid residue.

There are several analogues of the sweet protein mabinlin. In previous studies, we purified the heat-stable analogue, mabinlin II, from the seeds of Capparis masaikai Lévl. and determined its amino acid sequence [Liu, X. , Maeda, S. , Hu, Z. , Aiuchi, T. , Nakaya, K. & Kurihara, Y. (1993) Eur. J. Biochem. 211, 281-287] and the disulfide structure [Nirasawa, S. , Liu, X. , Nishino, T. & Kurihara, Y. (1993) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1202, 277-280]. We have now purified four additional homologues of mabinlin. The sweet activities of mabinlin III and mabinlin IV were unchanged by incubation for 1 h at 80 degrees C, as was found previously for mabinlin II, while the sweet activity of mabinlin I-1 was completely abolished by a 1-h incubation at 80 degrees C. The circular dichroic spectrum showed that alpha-helical structures of mabinlins II-IV were unchanged by the 1-h incubation at 80 degrees C, while the alpha-helical structures of mabinlin I-1 were completely destroyed by the 1-h incubation in parallel with the decrease of the sweet activity. To compare the structures of the heat-stable and unstable homologues, we determined their amino acid sequences and the disulfide array. The positions of four disulfide bridges of mabinlin I-1 were the same as those of mabinlin II, suggesting that the disulfide bridges do not contribute to the difference in the heat stability among the homologues. There was a high similarity among amino acid sequences of the homologoues. Only three amino acid residues (A-chain residues at positions 22 and 32 and B-chain residue at position 47) were different between mabinlin I-1 and mabinlin III. A-chain residue at position 32 was lacking in mabinlin IV and the A-chain residue at position 22 was identical in both mabinlin I-1 and mabinlin II. The B-chain residue at position 47 was the only residue present in all three heat-stable homologues (mabinlins II-IV) and is not present in the unstable homologue (mabinlin I-1). This suggests that the difference in the heat stability of mabinlin is due to the difference in a B-chain residue at position 47; the difference in the heat-stable homologues is due to the presence of an arginine residue and the difference of the unstable homologue is due to the presence of glutamine. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Role of N- and C-terminal Residues of Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF)-binding Protein-3 in Regulating IGF Complex Formation and Receptor Activation*

Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), the major IGFBP in the circulation, sequesters IGF in a stable ternary complex with the acid-labile subunit. The high affinity IGF-binding site is proposed to reside within an N-terminal hydrophobic domain in IGFBP-3, but C-terminal residues have also been implicated in the homologous protein IGFBP-5. We have mutated in various combinations Leu77, Leu80, and Leu81 in the N terminus and Gly217 and Gln223 in the C terminus of IGF-BP-3. All mutants retained immunoreactivity toward a polyclonal IGFBP-3 antibody, whereas IGF ligand blotting showed that all of the mutants had reduced binding to IGFs. Both solution IGF binding assays and BIAcore analysis indicated that mutations to the N-terminal region caused greater reduction in IGF binding activity than C-terminal mutations. The combined N- and C-terminal mutants showed undetectable binding to IGF-I but retained <10% IGF-II binding activity. Reduced ternary complex formation was seen only in mutants that had considerably reduced IGF-I binding, consistent with previous studies indicating that the binary IGF·IGFBP-3 complex is required for acid-labile subunit binding. Decreased IGF binding was also reflected in the inability of the mutants to inhibit IGF-I signaling in IGF receptor overexpressing cells. However, when present in excess, IGFBP-3 analogs defined as non-IGF-binding by biochemical assays could still inhibit IGF signaling. This suggests that residual binding activity of IGFBP-3 mutants may still be sufficient to inhibit IGF biological activity and questions the use of such analogs to study IGF-independent effects of IGFBP-3.
Changes in water chemistry can disable plankton prey defenses

The effectiveness of antipredator defenses is greatly influenced by the environment in which an organism lives. In aquatic ecosystems, the chemical composition of the water itself may play an important role in the outcome of predator–prey interactions by altering the ability of prey to detect predators or to implement defensive responses once the predator’s presence is perceived. Here, we demonstrate that low calcium concentrations (<1.5 mg/L) that are found in many softwater lakes and ponds disable the ability of the water flea, Daphnia pulex to respond effectively to its predator, larvae of the phantom midge, Chaoborus americanus. This low-calcium environment prevents development of the prey’s normal array of induced defenses, which include an increase in body size, formation of neck spines, and strengthening of the carapace. We estimate that this inability to access these otherwise effective defenses results in a 50–186% increase in the vulnerability of the smaller juvenile instars of Daphnia, the stages most susceptible to Chaoborus predation. Such a change likely contributes to the observed lack of success of daphniids in most low-calcium freshwater environments, and will speed the loss of these important zooplankton in lakes where calcium levels are in decline.
3D Sorghum Reconstructions from Depth Images Identify QTL Regulating Shoot Architecture1[OPEN]

A phenotyping platform that generates 3D plant reconstructions identifies genetic loci regulating shoot architecture in the agriculturally important crop sorghum. Dissecting the genetic basis of complex traits is aided by frequent and nondestructive measurements. Advances in range imaging technologies enable the rapid acquisition of three-dimensional (3D) data from an imaged scene. A depth camera was used to acquire images of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), an important grain, forage, and bioenergy crop, at multiple developmental time points from a greenhouse-grown recombinant inbred line population. A semiautomated software pipeline was developed and used to generate segmented, 3D plant reconstructions from the images. Automated measurements made from 3D plant reconstructions identified quantitative trait loci for standard measures of shoot architecture, such as shoot height, leaf angle, and leaf length, and for novel composite traits, such as shoot compactness. The phenotypic variability associated with some of the quantitative trait loci displayed differences in temporal prevalence; for example, alleles closely linked with the sorghum Dwarf3 gene, an auxin transporter and pleiotropic regulator of both leaf inclination angle and shoot height, influence leaf angle prior to an effect on shoot height. Furthermore, variability in composite phenotypes that measure overall shoot architecture, such as shoot compactness, is regulated by loci underlying component phenotypes like leaf angle. As such, depth imaging is an economical and rapid method to acquire shoot architecture phenotypes in agriculturally important plants like sorghum to study the genetic basis of complex traits.
A Compact Frequency-Reconfigurable Dielectric Resonator Antenna for LTE/WWAN and WLAN Applications

A compact frequency-reconfigurable dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) for LTE/WWAN and WLAN applications is investigated and presented. The proposed antenna provides the frequency tuning between 1.60 and 2.71 GHz. The design consists of four identical rectangular dielectric resonators with permittivity of 10 each and three p-i-n diode switches that are located on the feedline network between each of two dielectric resonators. The proposed antenna size is 20 ×36 ×5.57 mm3, which is suitable for mobile devices. The measurement and simulation results are applied to demonstrate the performance of the proposed antenna. From the measured results, it is found that the proposed antenna with acceptable performance provides four single-band modes with the impedance bandwidths of 17%, 11%, 14%, and 6%.
Expression of angiogenic growth factors in dural arteriovenous fistula.

OBJECT Although various mechanisms of the development of dural arteriovenous fistula (AVF) have been described, the exact course of its pathogenesis, including molecular processes mediating its genesis, is still unknown. Recently, the importance of sinus thrombosis and venous hypertension has been reported in experimental and clinical studies. Additionally, a role of angiogenic growth factors in the pathogenesis of vascular malformations of the central nervous system has been reported. In this study, the authors investigated the existence of sinus thrombosis in dural AVF and the expression of angiogenic growth factors (basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF] and vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF]) in nine patients with dural AVFs that were surgically resected. METHODS The authors examined histological features of dural AVFs that involved the transverse/sigmoid sinus in seven patients and the superior sagittal sinus in two. Sinus thrombosis was verified angiographically in seven cases and histologically in all cases. In surgically resected specimens the angiogenic growth factors bFGF and VEGF were examined immunohistochemically in nine patients with dural AVFs, with five dural sinuses from cadavers with unrelated central nervous system diseases serving as a normal control group. The media and perivascular connective tissues of the arteries in the wall of the normal dural sinuses stained faintly for bFGF; on the other hand, the expression of VEGF was not detected. In all patients with dural AVFs, the thick wall of the dural sinus stained strongly for bFGF, mainly in the subendothelial layer and media of the strongly proliferative vessels in the sinus wall, in addition to the perivascular connective tissues. In all nine cases VEGF was expressed in the endothelium of the sinus and perivascular connective tissues. In two cases, VEGF was expressed in many capillaries proliferating in the granulation-like tissues in sinuses that were obliterated by organized thrombi. CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that the pathogenesis of dural AVF is still unknown, but that angiogenic growth factors, which might be produced by the healing process due to sinus thrombosis, may participate in the genesis of dural AVF. Understanding the mechanism of molecular pathogenesis in the development of dural AVF might aid in the establishment of a new therapeutic strategy for this dynamic vascular disease.
Effects of pH on Nicotine-Induced DNA Damage and Oxidative Stress

Epidemiological evidence suggests that chewing betel quid and smoking have synergistic potential in the development of oral squamous-cell carcinoma in Taiwan. Chewing betel quid produces alkalization of saliva. This study investigated the response of human oral cancer OEC-M1 cells to nicotine in different pH environments (6.5 and 8) by examining its effects on DNA damage as evidenced by single-cell gel electrophoresis. Nicotine (1 and 10 μM) significantly induced DNA strand breakage when cultured at pH 8 for 6 h but did not induce DNA damage at pH 6.5. Nicotine-induced DNA damage was also time dependent. When cells were pretreated with catalase or N-acetylcysteine, a significant reduction in nicotine-induced DNA damage was observed. Flow cytometric analyses showed that the production of 8-oxoguanine was significantly increased following nicotine (10 μM) treatment. Posttreatment of nicotine-damaged DNA by endonuclease III and formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase, recognizing oxidized DNA bases, increased the extent of DNA damage. These results suggest that nicotine-induced DNA strand breakage is pH dependent, and oxidative stress might be involved in nicotine-induced DNA damage. Finally, cigarette smoke condensate (equivalent to 8 μM nicotine) induced significant DNA strand breaks in OEC-M1 cells at pH 8 and correlated with the generation of oxidative DNA damage. Thus, alkaline saliva generated by chewing betel quid plays an important role in cigarette-related nicotine-induced DNA damage, and reactive oxygen species may be involved in generating this DNA damage.
Species‐dependent expression patterns of DNA methyltransferase genes in mammalian oocytes and preimplantation embryos

DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) comprise a family of proteins involved in the establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation patterns in the mammalian genome. DNA methylation involves the transfer of the methyl group of the coenzyme S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine to the 5 position of cytosine residues within CpG dinucleotides. DNA methylation is implicated in the control of imprinted genes expression, X chromosome silencing, development of certain types of cancer, and embryonic development. DNA methylation is also believed to protect the genome from parasitic elements such as transposons, retrotransposons, and viruses. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression patterns of DNMT1, DNMT2, DNMT3A, DNMT3B, and DNMT3L genes in rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) oocytes and preimplantation stage embryos from fertilization to the hatched blastocyst stage, and to compare these results with the expression profiles in the mouse and other mammalian species. We describe species‐dependent differences as well as similarities in expression patterns of DNMT genes among mammals. Mol. Reprod. Dev. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Analytical Framework for Throughput Analysis of Real Time Applications in All-IP Networks

Guaranteeing the quality of service (QoS) for real time applications is one of the challenging issues in next generation all-IP networks. Analysing the user perceived throughput is essential to measure the QoS experienced by real time applications. Medium access control (MAC) mechanism of the serving access network as well as the vertical handover (VHO) algorithm used by the mobile terminals (MTs) for target network selection have significant impact on user perceived throughput. Apart from that the upper layer mobility management protocol also influences the throughput performance considerably. The existing frameworks for throughput analysis do not adequately address the MAC specific issues. In this work, we have developed an analytical framework to analyse user perceived throughput considering the effect of both MAC specific details and upper layer mobility management protocol. Using our proposed framework, we have compared the throughput performance of video traffic application when mobile IPv6 (MIPv6) and seamless IP diversity based generalized mobility architecture (SIGMA) are used for mobility management. Our analysis reveals that the superiority of SIGMA over MIPv6 is actually conditional on the performance of the underlying VHO algorithm. Extensive simulations have been done to validate the analytical results.