Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PHOTO‐OXIDATION OF UNSATURATED LIPIDS IN CUCUMIS LEAF DISCS DURING CHILLING

SUMMARY Unsaturated lipids in Cucumis leaf discs at 1°C undergo a photo-oxidative degradation which can be measured with the thiobarbituric-acid test. Kinetics of thiobarbituric-acid-reactivity (TBAR) show a lag phase followed by a rapidly increasing phase and a final decreasing phase. DCMU inhibits the photo-oxidative increase of TBAR. Among all combined fatty acids of Cucumis leaf discs linolenic acid is the most abundant (72.6%). The fatty acid composition of Cucumis leaf discs shows little alteration after 8 hours light at 1 °C but after 24 and 48 hours light there is a fast degradation of linolenic acid as compared to the rest of the fatty acids. A crude action spectrum shows a high maximum of TBAR in the blue and a lower maximum in the red spectral region and minimal TBAR in the green and in the far red region. It is suggested that chlorophyll and carotenoids are sensitizers of unsaturated fatty acid photo-oxidation. Possible connexions between chlorophyll and photo-oxidative fatty acid degradation are discussed.
Empirical corn yield loss estimation from common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album) and giant foxtail (Setaria faberi) in mixed communities

Abstract Corn yield loss associated with common lambsquarters and giant foxtail in mixed-weed species communities was estimated from empirical equations based on early-season weed density, weed relative leaf area, or weed relative shoot volume in 1998 and 1999. The estimated maximum corn yield loss ranged up to 20% in 1998 but was 50% or more in 1999. Competition coefficients estimated from weed density (I values) or weed relative shoot volume (qV values) indicated that the weed species were equally competitive in 1998 but that common lambsquarters was more competitive than giant foxtail in 1999. In contrast, the relative leaf area–based competition coefficients (qL values) indicated that common lambsquarters and giant foxtail were equally competitive in both years. Weed species emerged at the same time as corn in 1998, whereas in 1999, common lambsquarters emerged 3 d earlier than corn and 1 d earlier than did giant foxtail. Earlier emergence of common lambsquarters was associated with greater cumulative intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR) per plant compared with that of giant foxtail. Competition coefficients estimated from weed relative leaf area were similar between years for common lambsquarters but differed for giant foxtail. Similarly, the relationship between cumulative estimated IPAR and early-season relative leaf area was stable between years for common lambsquarters but not for giant foxtail. Consequently, competition coefficients were more consistent for common lambsquarters than for giant foxtail in mixed communities. The results suggest that the competitive ability of common lambsquarters and giant foxtail may not differ greatly in corn, but variability in corn yield loss between years was not adequately explained by these empirical models. Nomenclature: Common lambsquarters, Chenopodium album L. CHEAL; giant foxtail, Setaria faberi Herrm. SETFA; corn, Zea mays L. ‘Dekalb DK493SR’.
Genomic signatures of ancient asexual lineages

Ancient asexuals - organisms that have lived without sex for millions of years - offer unique opportunities for discriminating among the various theories of the maintenance of sex. The last few years have seen molecular studies of a number of putative ancient asexual lineages, including bdelloid rotifers, Darwinulid ostracods, and mycorrhizal fungi. To help make sense of the diverse findings of such studies, we present a review and classification of the predicted effects of loss of sex on the eukaryotic genome. These include: (1) direct effects on the genetic structure of individuals and populations; (2) direct effects on the mutation rate due to the loss of the sexual phase; (3) decay of genes specific to sex and recombination; (4) effects of the cessation of sexual selection; (5) dis-adaptation due to the reduced efficiency of selection; and (6) adaptations to asexuality. We discuss the utility of the various predictions for detecting ancient asexuality, for testing hypotheses of the reversibility of a transition to asexuality, and for discriminating between theories of sex. In addition, we review the current status of putative ancient asexuals. Society of London. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 2003, 79, 69-84.
Activity of the δ-Opioid Receptor Is Partially Reduced, Whereas Activity of the κ-Receptor Is Maintained in Mice Lacking the μ-Receptor

Previous pharmacological studies have indicated the possible existence of functional interactions between μ-, δ- and κ-opioid receptors in the CNS. We have investigated this issue using a genetic approach. Here we describe in vitro and in vivo functional activity of δ- and κ-opioid receptors in mice lacking the μ-opioid receptor (MOR). Measurements of agonist-induced [35S]GTPγS binding and adenylyl cyclase inhibition showed that functional coupling of δ- and κ-receptors to G-proteins is preserved in the brain of mutant mice. In the mouse vas deferens bioassay, deltorphin II and cyclic[d-penicillamine2,d-penicillamine5] enkephalin exhibited similar potency to inhibit smooth muscle contraction in both wild-type and MOR −/− mice. δ-Analgesia induced by deltorphin II was slightly diminished in mutant mice, when the tail flick test was used. Deltorphin II strongly reduced the respiratory frequency in wild-type mice but not in MOR −/− mice. Analgesic and respiratory responses produced by the selective κ-agonist U-50,488H were unchanged in MOR-deficient mice. In conclusion, the preservation of δ- and κ-receptor signaling properties in mice lacking μ-receptors provides no evidence for opioid receptor cross-talk at the cellular level. Intact antinociceptive and respiratory responses to the κ-agonist further suggest that the κ-receptor mainly acts independently from the μ-receptor in vivo. Reduced δ-analgesia and the absence of δ-respiratory depression in MOR-deficient mice together indicate that functional interactions may take place between μ-receptors and central δ-receptors in specific neuronal pathways.
Endocytose : chaque voie compte !

Les travaux precurseurs de microscopie electronique de Roth et Porter demontrent en 1964 le role des puits recouverts de clathrine dans l’endocytose selective des proteines. Si la voie d’endocytose dependante de la clathrine a longtemps ete consideree comme la voie d’internalisation des recepteurs trans-membranaires, les etudes des deux dernieres decennies ont aussi etaye l’existence de voies d’endocytose differentes, dites « independantes de la clathrine ». Le manque de techniques et de marqueurs specifiques a longtemps retarde la caracterisation moleculaire de ces autres voies d’endocytose. Ce sont paradoxalement les derniers progres realises dans la connaissance de l’endocytose dependante de la clathrine, avec la mise au point d’inhibiteurs moleculaires nouveaux, qui ont permis d’etablir sans ambiguite l’existence de voies independantes de la clathrine et de caracteriser leur contribution dans les phenomenes d’internalisation. Cet article a pour but de faire le point sur les differentes voies d’endocytose de la cellule et leurs fonctions physiologiques.
Epidemiology of Swine Hepatitis E Virus in Guangxi, China and Construction of Eukaryotic Expression Plasmid with ORF2 Gene for possible Vaccine

Hepatitis E (HE) is a zoonotic disease that can be transmitted through food or water contaminated from swine with HE virus (HEV) as an important natural reservoir host. This paper presents emperical data of epidemiological testing conducted at 14 cities in Guangxi, China, where random samples of 1387 serum samples were collected from the swine population. ELISA test for total antibodies of HEV showed that 1107 were positive in swine serum samples, with an average positive rate of 79.81%. In order to develop swine hepatitis E DNA vaccine, specific primers of immunogenic specific ORF2 gene targets for LB1, LB2, LB3 were designed and amplified using PCR assays. DNA amplicons were then directly cloned into T-A plasmid and expressed using pEASY-M1 eukaryotic expression vector system. The expression plasmids of pEASY-LB1, pEASY-LB2, pEASY-LB3 were transfected into 293T cells. These three target genes were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR, indicating expression of eukaryotic ORF2 gene targets for LB1, LB2, LB3 in 293T cells. Analysis by SDS-PAGE and Western-blot indicated that expressed target proteins from 293T cells were transfected by eukaryotic expression plasmids. Further, antigenicity studies indicated corresponding results of HEV responses (data not shown). Therefore, three recombinants DNA of HEV ORF2 can be used for vaccine candidates. Further studies will be followed in vivo challenge and protection experiments in swine against HEV infection.
Effects of the leaf: Fruit ratio on growth and partitioning of water and dry matter in mango fruit

Effects of the leaf:fruit ratio on water and dry matter accumulation in mango peel, pulp and stone were analysed. Measurements were performed on girdled branches (10, 25, 50, 100 and 150 leaves per fruit). Results showed a strong positive effect of the leaf:fruit ratio on fruit growth and on water and dry matter partitioning between the three components. The strongest accumulation was observed in the fruits from the 100 and 150 leaves per fruit treatments. A unique relationship between water and dry matter accumulation in each component was observed irrespective of the treatment. Thus, the corresponding equation for the pulp and dry mass measurements of whole fruit allow describing the evolution of the pulp dry matter content for the different treatments.
Stndieson clinical signs, growth response and haematological changes in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) infected with Salmonella typhimurium

Clinical signs, growth response and haematological alterations were studied in Japanese quail following infection with S. typhimurium. The disease followed an acute course with high (40%) mortality. A significant decrease in body weight gain was noticed in infected birds. Haematological studies revealed significant decrease in PCV, Hb and TEC. A sharp increase was noticed in total leucocyte count which was due to increase in the number of both the heterophils and lymphocytes but the heterophilia contributed more towards leucocytosis.
Checklist of dicotyledons, gymnosperms, and pteridophytes naturalised or casual in New Zealand: Additional records 2001–2003

Abstract New records of fully naturalised and casual plants are reported for the flora of New Zealand during the 3‐year period 2001–2003. Ten species are reported as additional or newly substantiated fully naturalised, 92 taxa are considered to be new records of casual plants, and 13 additional species that were previously known from few collections are given extended distributions.
Plasma rico em plaquetas no tratamento de lesões condrais articulares induzidas experimentalmente em equinos: avaliação clínica, macroscópica, histológica e histoquímica

The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of articular cartilage defects induced experimentally in horses was studied. For this purpose, both patellofemoral joints of four animals were approached through arthroscopic surgery to perform a cartilage defect on the medial femoral trochlea. After 30 days of induction the eight joints were divided into two groups. Group 1 animals received intralesional and intra-articular treatment with PRP and Group 2 animals were treated only with saline solution. The clinical assessments, constituted by lameness signs and synovial fluid analysis, were performed before induction of injury (time zero) and every 15 days in 120 days, with last analysis on day 150. The macroscopic and morphologic analysis were performed at 0 and 150 days. During the experiment Group 1 animals showed improvement in lameness when compared to Group 2 animals. The macroscopic and morphological analysis showed a better tissue repair in the treated horses. Thus, the implantation of autologous PRP showed beneficial effects in the treatment of chondral lesions, experimentally induced in horses.
Introduction

Human migration is a constant rather than an aberration throughout European history. Its significance has waxed and waned but rarely has it been insignificant to understanding society and politics in Europe or, for that matter, the rest of the world. Nonetheless, one is hard-pressed to recall a period in which international migration figured so prominently in European history as since 1989. Indeed, usage of the term crisis is not inappropriate. Five major reasons account for the increased saliency ofinternational migration issues. These developments for the most part did not occur overnight but rather were long in the making. Yet their confluence by 1989 appeared to mark the end of one period in the history of international migration to Europe and the advent ofanother. First, there were the asylum seekers. Their numbers began to grow noticeably in the late 1970s. By 1980 in the Federal Republic of Germany, they already figured prominently in the elections of that period. There were some 107,000 asylum applicants in Germany in 1980. In 1991, there were over 250,000. The inflow of asylum seekers overwhelmed the capacity of Western European states to process and adjudicate the claims. Long delays developed and asylum seekers denied asylum frequently appealed their cases. Despite revisions oflaws to expedite adjudication and costly increases in personnel devoted to hearing cases, backlogs persisted as the ranks ofasylum seekers swelled. Recognition rates plummeted to under 5 percent in several major states and there was general agreement that some aliens posed as refugees in order to circumvent restrictions on residency and employment. Perhaps three quarters of the asylum seekers succeeded in staying on in Western Europe despite the low recognition rate. This threw into question the credibility of Western European immigration policies. The reasons for the inability ofWestern European states to deport aliens denied asylum were many. The cases of some asylum seekers were under adjudication for so long that the claimants meanwhile established themselves in Western Europe, sometimes with families. After a while, it was deemed inhumane to deport them. Other governments could not secure the cooperation ofhomelands, required to deport those denied asylum. In other cases, insufficient funds and personnel were allocated to ensure compliance with deportation orders.
Migration of Mexican Seasonal Farm Workers to Canada and Development: Obstacles to Productive Investment

This article explores the impact of international labor migration on development in communities of origin. It outlines three theoretical positions corresponding to specific theoretical trends in the field of development. The first position is represented by those who postulate that remittances and acquired skills and knowledge contribute to local development (the optimistic perspective). The second position is represented by those who regard the impact of international migration in predominantly negative terms (the pessimistic perspective). And finally, there are those who believe that some, although limited, growth is possible when transmigrants remit financial and social capital (the moderately optimistic perspective). Based on research on Mexican seasonal workers in Ontario, the article will argue that while international migration can contribute to some economic growth, this growth is limited. While the standards of living of seasonal labor migrants and their households improve (and therefore there is basis for some limited optimism), few among them invest their money in productive activities. Instead, the improvements that the migrants’ households experience are linked to continuous external sources of income. The article illustrates that while Canada-bound migrants experience both structural constraints related to the decline in subsistence agriculture in Mexico and those related to household composition (absence of males from the household), specific criteria used to select participants in the Canadian seasonal farm worker program compound the problems associated with the low potential among these workers to invest remittances productively.
Treponema denticola Is Resistant to Human β-Defensins

ABSTRACT Spirochetes, including Treponema denticola, are implicated in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. Because T. denticola lacks lipopolysaccharides that serve as targets for human β-defensin (hβD) binding, we postulated that T. denticola would resist killing by hβD. We showed that T. denticola is resistant to hβD-1 and -2. Protease inhibitors did not enhance killing of T. denticola by hβD-2, suggesting that degradation of hβD-2 by treponemal proteases is not a major factor in T. denticola resistance.
Conducting Ecological Risk Assessments of Inorganic Metals and Metalloids: Current Status

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) of inorganic metals and metalloids (metals) must be specific to these substances and cannot be generic because most metals are naturally occurring, some are essential, speciation affects bioavailability, and bioavailability is determined by both external environmental conditions and organism physiological/biological characteristics. Key information required for ERA of metals includes: emissions, pathways, and movements in the environment (Do metals accumulate in biota above background concentrations? ); the relationship between internal dose and/or external concentration (Are these metals bioreactive? ); and the incidence and severity of any effects (Are bioreactive metals likely to result in adverse or, in the case of essential metals, beneficial effects? ) — ground-truthed in contaminated areas by field observations. Specific requirements for metals ERA are delineated for each ERA component (Hazard Identification, Exposure Analysis, Effects Analysis, Risk Characterization), updating Chapman and Wang (2000). In addition, key specific information required for ERA is delineated by major information category (conceptual diagrams, bioavailability, predicted environmental concentration [PEC], predicted no effect concentration [PNEC], tolerance, application [uncertainty] factors, risk characterization) relative to three different tiered, iterative levels of ERA: Problem Formulation, Screening Level ERA (SLERA), and Detailed Level ERA (DLERA). Although data gaps remain, a great deal of progress has been made in the last three years, forming the basis for substantial improvements to ERA for metals.
5-Hydroxydictamnine, a new alkaloid from Atalantia monophylla

A new furoquinoline alkaloid, 5-hydroxydictamnine, along with β-sitosterol was isolated from the heartwood of Atalantia monophylla. The structure of this alkaloid was established by chemical and spectral evidences together with a nuclear overhauser effect (NOE) experiment.
Plant response to changes in disturbance magnitude

In this thesis, I investigate plant performance in semi-natural grasslands, in order to be able to predict species composition after a change in management (from mowing to rototilling). Empirical studies were done at two different levels. On the community level population response due to a change in management is presented without explaining the underlying processes. Although investigations into the regeneration potential of all characteristic semi-natural grassland species can account for plant community response after disturbance, only life-cycle analysis for individual species, based on the observations of individuals within that species, can link population dynamics and environmental factors and hence provide useful insights into the underlying pattern and mechanisms. In this study, plant response of focal species after disturbance is extrapolated in time using simulation models, and population survival/extinction is forecasted for given disturbance return intervals.
Book Reviews

Information Economics is intended as an undergraduate textbook for students who have already completed a second-year course in microeconomics. This is an awkward space in the market. Part of the problem is the ambiguity about what an advanced undergraduate course in microeconomics should do. Is it a bridge from second-year to graduate microeconomic theory, or is it a capstone experience for non-advancing students? At the University of Auckland, we have tended to emphasise the latter aspect. From my own experience teaching this course, it is virtually impossible to find a text that suits the purpose. Birchler and Bütler’s new book is a step – a healthy stride even – in the right direction. Most other books aimed at this market focus on game theory, and many include material on the economics of information as well. They are also rather heavy going, covering a wide array of game-theoretic tools, and doing so with considerable formality. Information economics, by contrast, eschews all but the most basic concepts from game theory (Nash equilibrium and backward induction), gives a far more extensive coverage of the economics of information than you will find elsewhere, and presents the material with minimal formality and an emphasis on examples and applications. This is a book of ideas, not of tools. I cannot think of any close comparators in the market. In terms of coverage, the authors’ starting point, as they discuss in the Preface, is the classic text by Jack Hirshleifer and (New Zealander) John Riley, The analytics of information and uncertainty. Given that 15 years have passed since the publication of this book, Birchler and Bütler set out to write something ‘which would present the present state of the field in a readable, intuitive, but still consistent way’ (p. xxi). What they have produced certainly covers a lot of ground, though it sticks far closer to the surface than its weightier pre-cursor. It also makes far fewer technical demands of the reader, with all the models presented in their simplest possible form. For students who have tackled intermediate microeconomics, the step up in level is not great, demanding some additional familiarity with basic probability, but nothing more in the way of algebra or calculus. Information economics is a genuine textbook. Each chapter follows a common structure: there is an informal sketch of the main ideas at the start, and a summary of the key points with a guide to further reading at the end. There are also exercises and questions for discussion at the conclusion of each chapter, and an accompanying website (www.alicebob.info) with answers to the problems, errata and other supplementary material. (There does not seem to be any New Zealand Economic Papers Vol. 44, No. 1, April 2010, 113–119
An index to measure weather-induced stress of trees associated with outbreaks of Psyllids in Australia

A measure of the changes in soil water which induce water deficits–and thus physiological stress–in the tissues of plants is described, and named the stress index. Known outbreaks of psyllids throughout Australia were strongly correlated with suddenly increasing high levels of this stress index. It is postulated that physiological stress of plants at these times increased the amount of nitrogeneous food available to the psyllids, thus greatly increasing the chances of young surviving and reproducing. A similar correlation of outbreaks of other sorts of phytophagous insects with the appropriate stress index has been found, and it is suggested that herein may lie an ecological generalization of some significance. See full-text article at JSTOR