Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rigidity of Collagen Fibrils Controls Collagen Gel-induced Down-regulation of Focal Adhesion Complex Proteins Mediated by α2β1 Integrin*

Previous studies have shown that collagen gel overlay induced selective proteolysis of focal adhesion complex proteins in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. In this study, we examined whether morphological and biochemical changes were present in cells cultured on collagen gel. We found that focal adhesion complex proteins, including focal adhesion kinase (FAK), talin, paxillin, and p130cas, but not vinculin, were decreased within 1 h when MDCK cells were cultured on collagen gel. Collagen gel-induced selective decrease of focal adhesion proteins was observed in all lines of cells examined, including epithelial, fibroblastic, and cancer cells. Matrigel also induced selective down-regulation of focal adhesion proteins. However, cells cultured on collagen gel- or matrigel-coated dishes did not show any changes of focal adhesion proteins. These data suggest that the physical nature of the gel, i.e. the rigidity, is involved in the expression of focal adhesion proteins. The collagen gel-induced down-regulation of focal adhesion complex proteins was caused by reduction of protein synthesis and activation of proteases such as calpain. Overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1) or FAK-related non-kinase (FRNK) did not prevent collagen gel-induced down-regulation of the focal adhesion complex protein, whereas an anti-α2β1 integrin-neutralizing antibody completely blocked it. Taken together, our results indicate that the rigidity of collagen gel controls the expression of focal adhesion complex proteins, which is mediated by α2β1 integrin but not DDR1.
Synthesis of DNA and the Development of Amylase and Phosphatase Activities in Cotyledons of Germinating Seeds of Vaccaria pyramidata

As in cotyledons of Agrostemma githago, synthesis of DNA takes place after germination in cotyledons of Vaccaria pyramidata and is followed by the formation of hydrolases, in particular, a-amylase and acid phosphatase. If DNA synthesis is inhibited by hydroxyurea, no, or only slight, enzyme activity develops. The possible role of this DNA synthesis is discussed.
Atypical Actions of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinases

G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) and β-arrestins have been known as regulators of G protein-coupled receptors. However, it has been recently reported that GRKs and β-arrestins mediate receptor-mediated cellular responses in a G proteinindependent manner. In this scheme, GRKs work as a mediator or a scaffold protein. Among 7 members of the GRK family (GRK1-GRK7), GRK2 is the most extensively studied in vitro and in vivo. GRK2 is involved in cellular migration, insulin signaling, and cardiovascular disease. GRK6 in concert with β-arrestin 2 mediates chemoattractant-stimulated chemotaxis of T and B lymphocytes. GRK5 shuttles between the cytosol and nucleus, and regulates the activities of transcription factors. GRK3 and GRK4 do not seem to have striking effects on cellular responses other than receptor regulation. GRK1 and GRK7 play specifi c roles in regulation of rhodopsin function. In this review, these newly discovered functions of GRKs are briefl y described.
Olfactory interactions between sexually active males in Adoxophyes orana (F.v.R.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Males of the summerfruit tortrix moth, Adoxophyes orana, placed in a windtunnel react to the odour of females with upwind walking, non-orientated wing fluttering and orientated fluttering. When groups of three males were arranged linearly in an air stream there was a decline in the last two sexual activities from upwind to downwind. As this was not found to be due to increasing distance from the pheromone source, it was concluded that upwind males inhibit the sexual behaviour of downwind males. The signal responsible for this inhibition proved to be an olfactory one. This inhibition was only seen when the upwind males were (1) sexually activated and (2) in a potentially competitive situation. Males perceiving male pheromone modify their behaviour by increasing the lateral component of their search path. This behaviour could increase the probability of finding another female in natural circumstances.
Bulbils of Lycopodium lucidulum

1. The origin and vascular bundles of branches, leaves, and bulbils are described, and the conclusion is reached that the bulbil is comparable to a leaf rather than to a branch. 2. The accumulation of starch in the bulbil proper is ascribed to the absence of phloem in the narrow neck joining it to the base, and the detachment of the ripe bulbil to the disorganization of the xylem walls in this region. 3. The rate of growth is estimated from the persistent bases of the bulbils, and observations are made on the habits of the plant.
On the head size of sauropodomorph dinosaurs: Implications for ecology and physiology

The heads of prosauropod and sauropod dinosaurs appear to be small, compared with those of extant endothermic mammals. This has been considered inconsistent with the hypothesis, supported by several other anatomical characteristics, that these animals had cellular metabolic rates significantly above the usual reptilian level. However, prosauropods and sauropods had only moderately developed cranial musculature, comparable with that of more typical reptiles. This musculature is plesio‐morphic, in contrast with the specialized and powerful muscles of the mammalian cranium. In feeding, these dinosaurs used their heads exclusively in cropping vegetation, a modest amount of oral processing occurring only in certain sauropods. Thus, the heads of prosauropods and sauropods did not have to be as long, at any given body mass, as those of mammals, for the posterior part of the mammal cranium is expanded to accommodate a food processing apparatus as well as the large brain. Statistical comparisons show that sauropod.
The epidemiology of Wheat streak mosaic virus in Australia: case histories, gradients, mite vectors, and alternative hosts

Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) infection and infestation with its wheat curl mite (WCM; Aceria tosichella) vector were investigated in wheat crops at two sites in the low-rainfall zone of the central grainbelt of south-west Australia. In the 2006 outbreak, after a preceding wet summer and autumn, high WCM populations and total infection with WSMV throughout a wheat crop were associated with presence of abundant grasses and self-sown ‘volunteer’ wheat plants before sowing the field that became affected. Wind strength and direction had a major effect on WSMV spread by WCM to neighbouring wheat crops, the virus being carried much further downwind than upwind by westerly frontal winds. Following a dry summer and autumn in 2007, together with control of grasses and volunteer cereals before sowing and use of a different seed stock, no WSMV or WCM were found in the following wheat crop within the previously affected area or elsewhere on the same farm. In the 2007 outbreak, where the preceding summer and autumn were wet, a 40% WSMV incidence and WCM numbers that reached 4800 mites/ear at the margin of the wheat crop were associated with abundant grasses and volunteer wheat plants in adjacent pasture. WSMV incidence and WCM populations declined rapidly with increasing distance from the affected pasture. Also, wheat plants that germinated early had higher WSMV infection incidences than those that germinated later. The alternative WSMV hosts identified at these sites were volunteer wheat, annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum), barley grass (Hordeum sp.), and wild oats (Avena fatua). In surveys outside the growing season at or near these two sites or elsewhere in the grainbelt, small burr grass (Tragus australianus), stink grass (Eragrostis cilianensis), and witch grass (Panicum capillare) were identified as additional alternative hosts.
Comparative morphology of the leaf epidermis in Schisandra (Schisandraceae)

The leaf epidermis of 127 samples representing ten species within Schisandra Michaux. and one species of the related genus, Kadsura Kaempf. ex Juss. , was investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy. Many characters of the leaf epidermis in Schisandra, such as pattern of epidermal cells, type of stomata, shape of guard cell pairs and cuticular ornamentation, are usually constant within species and thus make good characters for studying the relationship between and within genera. A new character, rim number, of the outer stomatal rim in the genus is introduced. It is shown that double outer stomatal rims occur only in evergreen Schisandra species, whereas a single rim occurs in deciduous species. This character supports the classification of Schisandra into two subgenera based on habit and androecial organs. This classification is also supported by additional morphological and molecular taxonomic characters. Kadsura coccinea (Lem.) Smith A. C. is the most primitive taxon in the related genus Kadsura. The outer stomatal rim of this species also has double rims. Combined with morphological and molecular evidence, this suggests that Schisandra and Kadsura are closely related and may share a recent common ancestor. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 148, 39–56.
Vegetation Change and Plant Demography in Permanent Plots in the Sonoran Desert

We report on vegetation changes and population dynamics during a 72-yr period within permanent plots in Sonoran Desert vegetation. A set of plots established in 1906 and supplemented in 1928 at Tumamoc Hill, near Tucson, Arizona, USA, have been mapped at irregular intervals through 1978. Data from the four 100-M2 and one 800-M2 plots censused most frequently (6-8 times since 1906 or 1928) are presented in detail; data from five less frequently censused plots are noted briefly. At each census all woody and succulent plants, including seedlings, were mapped by recording both stem coordinates and canopy outline. There have been no consistent, directional changes in vegetation composition in the Tumamoc Hill plots between 1906 and 1978, despite large fluctuations in absolute cover and density of most species. The relative cover of the dominants was generally similar within a given plot over the entire time sequence. Coverage of most species responded strongly to regimes of extremely wet or extremely dry years; the response of density to climatic extremes was somewhat less strong. Total cover, density, and species diversity have increased more or less contin- uously in many plots between 1906 and 1978. The species were divided into five groups based on several population dynamic traits. At one end of a continuum are species with long maximum life- span (often greater than the 72-yr study period), high early and long-term (50-yr) survivorship, large size at maturity, low density, erratic recruitment, and age structure skewed toward older plants. At the other end of the continuum are species with short maximum life-span, low early and long-term survivorship, small size at maturity, high density, some recruitment at most censuses, and age structures strongly skewed toward newest recruits. While some of these traits are necessarily related (e.g., long maximum life-span and high long-term survivorship), others are not (e.g., high early survivorship and erratic recruitment), and the relationships deserve further study.
A Study of the Diverse Races of Entamoeba histolytica distinguishable from one another by the dimensions of their Cysts

1. Entamoeba histolytica Schaudinn (vel E. dysenteriae Councilman and Lafleur), the human dysentery amoeba, is a collective species. It comprises a number of distinct races, strains, or pure lines, distinguishable from one another by the size of the cysts which they produce. 2. How many such distinct races exist is still undetermined; but we have demonstrated the existence of at least five. 3. There is no evidence that the different races differ in their geographical distribution, or in any character save size. 4. These races remain constant in character within a given host; and the dimensions of the cysts are not determined by the action of the host upon the parasite, since two different races may coexist side by side in the same host. 5. Different values for the dimensions of the cysts are obtained when these are measured in different media. Taking the measurements of living cysts suspended in physiological saline solution as representing the true value, we find that the dimensions of cysts in iodine solution are approximately the same; but that cysts which have been suitably fixed, stained, and mounted in balsam, have undergone an apparent reduction of approximately 10% from the true diameter. 6. The most suitable fixative for E. histolytica cysts we have found to be a modification of Schaudinn's fluid. (Saturated aqueous solution of corrosive sublimate, two parts; absolute alcohol, one part; glacial acetic acid, 4–5%.) Cysts fixed in this fluid undergo no measurable shrinkage or swelling in the process. 7. The apparent loss of size observed in cysts which have been fixed, stained, and mounted in balsam, is due chiefly to the invisibility of the cyst wall in the mounting medium. 8. It follows from what has been said above (5 and 6) that to obtain an approximately true value for the dimensions of the living cysts from measurements made upon those suitably fixed, stained, and mounted in balsam, these measurements should be multiplied by the factor 9. We find no evidence of the existence of a sexual dimorphism in the cysts belonging to a single race, such as has been described by Mathis and Mercier. 10. Since cysts of E. histolytica may be found with all diameters from about 5μ. to about 20μ—a range overlapping or covering the dimensions of the cysts of the two common harmless intestinal amoebae of man (E. coli and E. nana) and of other cysts and cyst-like bodies occurring in human faeces—it is of considerable practical importance to recognize and distinguish the diverse races of E. histolytica which differ from one another in the dimensions of the cysts which they produce.
Twenty-Three Years after the First Record of Aedes albopictus in Nigeria: Its Current Distribution and Potential Epidemiological Implications

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) was first recorded in Nigeria in 1991 during a post epidemiological surveillance of yellow fever epidemics in Delta State. In this report, we present a map of the current distribution of Ae. albopictus and its possible epidemiological implications based on accessible records of mosquito fauna in Nigeria using electronic e-journal searching engines. We also report the results of a field study on population dominance between Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus in a woodland habitat in southwestern Nigeria between March and November 2002. Of over 100 accessible papers on mosquito fauna in Nigeria, only 18 have reported information on Ae. albopictus. Literature shows that Ae. albopictus became well established in southeastern Nigeria and then spread to other southern regions. There was no information about the species in northern Nigeria except Kano where a record of its breeding was reported. Data showed dominance of Ae. albopictus over Ae. aegypti in southeastern Nigeria but the reverse was observed during a field investigation at Ikenne farm settlement in southwestern Nigeria. Aedes albopictus was perhaps involved in the transmission of arboviral infections and Bancroftian filariasis in southern Nigeria. Data show that Ae. albopictus is well established in southern Nigeria but not in arid zones of the country. Its establishment and role as a vector of arboviral infections and Bancroftian filariasis in southern Nigeria should be a source of concern. The present report therefore serves as a baseline map for future epidemiological surveillance and the understanding of ecological distribution of Ae. albopictus in the country.
Wildlife Demography—Analysis of Sex, Age, and Count Data

As Ken Pollock writes in the Foreword to this new synthesis of demographic methods, the literature on wildlife techniques is replete with capture-recapture studies, yet much less attention has been given to studies with similar aims that do not involve marking the subjects. Although hundreds of research papers have described and promoted non-invasive methods for studying population dynamics, no recent work has reviewed these methods in detail. The classic treatise by Seber, and the recent work by Williams and co-authors, both focus on capture-recapture methods. The Wildlife Techniques Manual covers only some of the non-invasive methods and only briefly. The same can be said of other recent books on quantitative methods in wildlife biology. The current volume, with its clear, comprehensive, and authoritative account of observational methods for studying animal populations is thus a welcome addition to the literature on quantitative methods for wildlife and fisheries biologists.
Floral display in Vicia faba, and the distribution of a flower thrips, Kakothrips pisivorus

The flower thrips Kakothrips pisivorus (Westwood) (Thysanoptera) breeds in flowers of Vicia faba L. (Leguminosae). The egg and larval stages combined outlast the flowers. Each larva must move between the flowers on a plant at least once. The presence of old larvae in buds demonstrates successful inter‐floral movement by larvae. If thrips leaving a dying flower transfer to a new flower nearby, old larvae will accumulate at the end of a spatial sequence of adjacent short‐lived flowers. The distribution of K pisivorus on the plant was investigated. Old larvae did accumulate in flowers at the end of V. faba racemes, as predicted. The relationship between floral lifespan, floral display, and flower inhabitants is discussed. The distribution of the thrips is relevant to sampling procedures.
A Generalized Model of the Effects of Grazing by Large Herbivores on Grassland Community Structure

Current disturbance models do not adequately account for the wide range of responses by grassland plant communities to grazing by large generalist herbivores. The evolutionary history of grazing, an important factor in the response of grasslands to grazing, has not been explicitly addressed. Grazing history alone, however, is not a good predictor of plant-herbivore interactions. Interactions occur along gradients of convergent to divergent selection pressures with increasing environmental moisture and of intolerance to tolerance of grazing with increasingly long evolutionary histories of grazing. We suggest that feedback mechanisms between plants and grazing animals are well developed in grasslands with long evolutionary histories of grazing. Feedback mechanisms are manifest in the rapid switching capabilities (of plant species and modes of competition) of subhumid grasslands with long evolutionary histories of grazing and divergent selection pressures. Switching capabilities do not exist in semiarid grasslands with long evolutionary histories of grazing and convergent selection pressures. Rather, for heavily grazed dominant species dominance increases. Feedback mechanisms are not well developed in systems with short evolutionary histories of grazing. In these cases, the differences in response to grazing by semiarid and subhumid situations arise primarily from differences in the grazing tolerance of plants adapted to semiaridity or of plants adapted to competition for light and from the different effects of grazing on canopy structure.
Otolith Elemental Fingerprinting for Stock Identification of Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) Using Laser Ablation ICPMS

Trace element incorporation into fish otoliths varies among samples collected at different sites. If otolith elemental composition (the elemental "fingerprint") somehow reflects the characteristics of the ambient water, the elemental fingerprint of the otolith nucleus could serve as a natural marker of fish hatched at different sites. To test this hypothesis, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) otoliths collected from five spawning grounds in the northwest Atlantic were tested for differences in elemental and isotopic composition. Laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (LA-ICPMS) was used to assay the concentration of 14 isotopes (nine elements) in otolith nuclei. The sensitivity of the laser ablation system exceeded that of the electron microprobe by 2–4 orders of magnitude, with an average CV of 21% for any given isotope. Most isotopic concentrations were consistent between left and right otoliths of a given fish, and most differed significantly among sample sites; there were no significa.
Comparison of direct and indirect selection for rainbow trout sea grow-out survival

Survival of farmed fish during grow-out is important economic, environmental and animal health issue. General assumption has been that traits under strong natural selection harbour little genetic variation. However, in our previous studies (Vehvilainen et al. (2008); (2009); (2010)) we have established that 1) rainbow trout survival during grow-out period has low, but significant heritability (0.08-0.17), 2) genetic correlations between survival in generation and test-station specific cohorts are not stable, 3) life-stage (egg, fingerling, grow-out) specific survival traits are best regarded as separate traits, 4) genetic correlations between grow-out survival and growth are favourable (mean rG=0.17) 5) health traits are favourably related to grow-out survival, and 6) fingerling survival is not genetically related to growth. Breeding programs are typically started with selection on few traits such as body weight and maturity age. Survival is not usually among the first traits directly selected, but it may improve as a correlated genetic response to selection for other traits. Thus, after establishing the genetic associations of survival with other traits, the first question asked here was: 1) How effective is the current indirect selection of sea grow-out survival via other traits in Finnish national rainbow trout breeding program? In rainbow trout farming, sea survival is economically important. However, breeding takes place in freshwater nucleus and G x E has to be taken into account. That only alive fish can be selected and the binary nature further complicate the selection of sea survival. Thus, the second question of this study was: 2) How much can the accuracy of sea survival be elevated by utilising information from other traits?
UV‐B INDUCTION OF UV‐B PROTECTION IN ULVA PERTUSA (CHLOROPHYTA) 1

The green macroalga Ulva pertusa Kjellman produced UV‐B absorbing compounds with a prominent absorption maximum at 294 nm in response only to UV‐B, and the amounts induced were proportional to the UV‐B doses. Under a 12:12‐h light:dark regime, the production of UV‐absorbing compounds occurred only during the exposure periods with little turnover in the dark. There was significant reduction in growth in parallel with the production of UV‐B absorbing compounds. The polychromatic action spectrum for the induction of UV‐B absorbing compounds in U. pertusa exhibits a major peak at 292 nm with a smaller peak at 311.5 nm. No significant induction was detected above 354.5 nm, and radiation below 285 nm caused significant reduction in the levels of UV‐B absorbing compounds. After UV‐B irradiation at 1.0 W·m−2 for 9 h, the optimal photosynthetic quantum yield of the samples with UV‐B absorbing compounds slightly increased relative to the initial value, whereas that of thalli lacking the compounds declined to 30%–34% of the initial followed by subsequent recovery in dim light of up to 84%–85% of the initial value. There was a positive and significant relationship between the amount of UV‐B absorbing compounds with antioxidant activity as determined by the α,α‐diphenyl‐β‐picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay. In addition to mat‐forming characteristics and light‐driven photorepair, the existence and antioxidant capacity of UV‐B absorbing compounds may confer U. pertusa a greater selective advantage over other macroalgae, thereby enabling them to thrive in the presence of intense UV‐B radiation.