Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overexpression of Arabidopsis FT gene in apple leads to perpetual flowering

Transgenic apple plants that overexpressed Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) under the control of the rolC promoter showed early flowering, while the introduction of FT driven by the 35S promoter induced flower development directly from transgenic apple callus in vitro, but vegetative growth was not maintained and the explant died. GFP–FT fusion proteins were detectable in transgenic apple tissues but never caused early flowering in the transformants. Under the control of the rolC promoter, the fused protein was localized in vascular tissues and fluorescence was detectable in companion cells in the stem and petiole. The transgenic apple lines that expressed AtFT driven by the rolC promoter showed differences in inflorescence architecture and floral organ number from those typical of nontransformed apple. Flowers of transgenic apple lines often contained more numerous petals, fewer stamens, and no pistils, and the pollen grains were incapable of germinating. The transgenic apple lines showed perpetual flowering without the requirement for low temperature and obvious photoperiodism. The expression patterns of six floral meristem identity genes and floral organ genes in flowers of transgenic apple lines were investigated. Among the floral meristem identity genes, expression of MdFT2 was suppressed and that of AFL2 was dramatically enhanced in the transformants. Of the floral organ genes, expression of MdMADS13, which functions as a class B gene, was unchanged from that of the flower of wild type one, whereas expression of MdMADS-NB, a possible class C gene, was suppressed.
Evaluation of visible implant elastomer as a method for tagging small European eels

Visible implant elastomer (VIE) tagging showed no significant effect on survival of either 230 single-tagged or 60 multiple-tagged small European eels Anguilla anguilla. Mean tag retention was 98·7% during the 5 month laboratory experiments. Multiple VIE tags had no observed effect on European eel locomotor behaviour. VIE appears a reliable method for individually tagging small European eels, and could be useful in capture–recapture field studies.
The relationship of host and endophyte during flowering, seed formation, and germination of Lolium perenne

Abstract The development of a fungal endophyte in the tissue of Lolium perenne during flowering, seed set, and germination is described. The endophyte progresses intercellularly from the vegatative apex into the inflorescence primordium and floral apices, from where it penetrates the tissues of ovary and ovule. At megagametophyte maturity, hyphae are concentrated outside its wall adjacent to the large lateral antipodal cells and subsequently gain entry to the embryo sac, probably soon after fertilisation. During early embryogenesis, hyphae occur on the surface of the embryo, and penetrate it at the ‘notched’ stage. At seed maturity, hyphae are widespread within the embryo, including the plumule apex, as well as below the testa, between cells of the aleurone layer, and between scutellum and endosperm. At germination, hyphae outside the embryo appear to play no further part in invasion of the already infected embryo. The endophyte of Festuca arundinacea has a similar relationship with its host and appears t.
Interaction between Aβ (1-42) and Aβ (1-40) in Alzheimer's β-amyloid fibril formation in vitro

We analyzed the interaction of two kinds of amyloid β-peptides (Aβ), i.e., Aβ(1−42) and Aβ(1−40), in the kinetics of β-amyloid fibril (fAβ) formation in vitro, based on a nucleation-dependent polymerization model using fluorescence spectroscopy with thioflavin T. When 25 μM Aβ(1−42) was incubated with increasing concentrations of amyloidogenic Aβ(1−40), the time to proceed to equilibrium was extended dose-dependently. A similar inhibitory effect was observed when 45 μM Aβ(1−40) was incubated with increasing concentrations of Aβ(1−42). On the other hand, when 50 μM of nonamyloidogenic Aβ(1−40) was incubated with Aβ(1−42) at a molar ratio of 10:1 or 5:1, Aβ(1−42) initiated fAβ formation from Aβ(1−40). The lag time of the reaction shortened in a concentration-dependent manner, with Aβ(1−42). We next examined the seeding effect of fAβ formed from Aβ(1−42) (fAβ(1−42)) on nonamyloidogenic Aβ(1−40). When 50 μM of nonamyloidogenic Aβ(1−40) was incubated with 10 or 20 μg/mL (2.2 or 4.4 μM) of fAβ(1−42), the fluore.
Mechanisms of aluminum‐induced growth stimulation in tea (Camellia sinensis)

Beneficial effects of aluminum (Al) on plant growth have been reported for plant species adapted to acid soils. However, mechanisms underlying the stimulatory effect of Al have not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to determine the possible contribution of photosynthesis, antioxidative defense, and the metabolism of both nitrogen and phenolics to the Al-induced growth stimulation in tea (Camellia sinensis [L.] Kuntze) plants. In hydroponics, shoot growth achieved its maximum at 50 μM Al suply (24 μM Al3+ activity). A more than threefold increase of root biomass was observed for plants supplied with 300 μM Al (125 μM Al3+ activity). Total root length was positively related to root Al concentrations (r = 0.98). Chlorophyll a and carotenoid concentrations and net assimilation rates were considerably enhanced by Al supply in the young but not in the old leaves. Activity of nitrate reductase was not influenced by Al. Higher concentrations of soluble nitrogen compounds (nitrate, nitrite, amino acids) and reduction of protein concentrations suggest Al-induced protein degradation. This occurred concomitantly with enhanced net CO2-assimilation rates and carbohydrate concentrations. Aluminum treatments activated antioxidant defense enzymes and increased free proline content. Lowering of malondialdehyde concentrations by Al supply indicates that membrane integrity was not impaired by Al. Leaves and roots of Al-treated plants had considerably lower phenolic and lignin concentrations in the cell walls, but a higher proportion of soluble phenolics. In conclusion, Al-induced growth stimulation in tea plants was mediated by higher photosynthesis rate and increased antioxidant defense. Additionally, greater root surface area may improve water and nutrient uptake by the plants.
Unusual patterns of tooth wear among koalas Phascolarctos cinereus from St Bees Island, Queensland, require re-evaluation of criteria for aging koalas by tooth-wear class

Tooth wear patterns among P. cinereus on St Bees Island in the humid Central Queensland Coast bio geographic region differ significantly from those observed in the sub-humid Brigalow Belt bio geographic region. Within the Brigalow Belt region, tooth-wear patterns among P. cinereus at Biloela, Springsure and Oakey are similar. The published method for the estimation of age based on tooth-wear from P. cinereus populations at Springsure and Oakey is applicable to the Biloela population but is not applicable to the St Bees Island population. It is concluded that, in Queensland at least, the tooth wear - age class classification should be verified with local data when applied in environments different from those of the Brigalow Belt. Further, the appropriateness of using a single tooth-wear classificatory scheme to establish the age of P. cinereus for transfer overseas is questioned.
VOCAL RECOGNITION OF RECORDED LAMBS VOICES BY EWES OF THREE BREEDS OF SHEEP

Vocal recognition of lamb's voices by their dams was investigated in Border Leicester, Jacob and Soay sheep, using recordings of lambs voices which were played to ewes simultaneously with presentation of a moving model lamb when the lambs were 15-20 days and 40-50 days of age. The number of bleats made by the ewes during playback of own and alien lamb voices was recorded and then the number of times a ewe bleated in answer to a lamb's bleats within 2 s of hearing the lamb bleat was counted. At both age groups the ewes bleated more in response to recordings of their own lambs than to alien lambs, and answered their own lamb's bleats more than alien bleats. The frequency of the ewes bleats increased more to their own lamb's bleats than to alien bleats. The Soay ewes bleated less than the other breeds and the Jacob ewes were the most vocal.
Status of the estuarine fish fauna in the St Lucia Estuarine System, South Africa, after 30 months of mouth closure

The Lake St Lucia Estuarine System, South Africa, has been under pressure due to recent drought conditions, which led to extreme low lake levels, hypersaline conditions and closure of the mouth. The estuary mouth closed in June 2002 and has remained so for more than two-and-a-half years. A lack of information on biotic responses during extended closed-mouth conditions prompted a study to ascertain the current status of the fish fauna in the system. Fish were sampled with seine and gill-nets at six sites spread throughout the system. At the time of sampling in December 2004, the system had become partitioned into four isolated compartments. A total of 4 475 fish comprising 30 species were recorded during the survey. The CPUEs were generally low, except for those of Oreochromis mossambicus, Liza dumerili and Ambassis ambassis. The freshwater cichlid O. mossambicus made up 45% of the total catch. The species composition in each of the four compartments of the system were very different. Historical data indicated a loss of about 40% of the commonly-occurring species from the lake since mouth closure, reflecting a substantial change in species composition from that which occurs under 'normal' conditions. It is expected that the decline in the number of species and the abundance of remaining taxa will continue if drought conditions persist and the mouth remains closed.
Reversed effects of grazing on plant diversity: the role of below- ground competition and size symmetry

Grazing is known as one of the key factors for diversity and community composition in grassland ecosystems, but the response of plant communities towards grazing varies remarkably between sites with different environmental conditions. It is generally accepted that grazing increases plant diversity in productive environments, while it tends to reduce diversity in unproductive habitats (grazing reversal hypothesis). Despite empirical evidence for this pattern the mechanistic link between modes of plant—plant competition and grazing response at the community level still remains poorly understood. Root-competition in particular has rarely been included in theoretical studies, although it has been hypothesized that variations in productivity and grazing regime can alter the relative importance of shoot- and root-competition. We therefore developed an individual-based model based on plant functional traits to investigate the response of a grassland community towards grazing. Models of different complexity, either incorporating only shoot competition or with distinct shoot- and root-competition, were used to study the interactive effects of grazing, resource availability, and the mode of competition (size-symmetric or asymmetric). The pattern predicted by the grazing reversal hypothesis (GRH) can only be explained by our model if shoot- and root-competition are explicitly considered and if size asymmetry of above- and symmetry of below-ground competition is assumed. For this scenario, the model additionally reproduced empirically observed plant trait responses: erect and large plant functional types (PFTs) dominated without grazing, while frequent grazing favoured small PFTs with a rosette growth form. We conclude that interactions between shoot- and root-competition and size symmetry/asymmetry of plant-plant interactions are crucial in order to understand grazing response under different habitat productivities. Our results suggest that future empirical trait surveys in grassland communities should include root traits, which have been largely ignored in previous studies, in order to improve predictions of plants' responses to grazing.
SUBCELLULAR LOCALIZATION OF IRON AND MANGANESE SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE IN CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII (CHLOROPHYCEAE)

Subcellular localization of superoxide dismutase (SOD) isozymes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard was investigated. From both biochemical and immunological studies, Fe‐ containing superoxide dismutase (Fe SOD) was localized in the chloroplast, and the major Mn‐containing SOD (Mn SOD) was localized in the mitochondria. We isolated cDNA clones, Sod1, and Sod2, which encode Mn SOD and Fe SOD, respectively. Genomic DNA hybridization with these SOD clones demonstrated that there are two additional sequences closely related to Sod1. The transcriptional levels of both genes were compared in light‐ and dark‐grown cells. Mn SOD was higher in heterotrophically grown cells, whereas the accumulation of Fe SOD transcripts was higher under phototrophic condition.
Mapping Changes in Soil Microbial Community Composition Signaling Bioremediation

Abstract Chemical signatures of biological processes reflect their complex interrelationships. The chemical profile is rich in information but poor in content due to the complex processes underlying the chemical composition of natural biological communities. A nonlinear mapping technique, based on artificial neural networks (ANNs), was proposed to highlight information coded in lipid signatures in soil by demonstrating the biological response to hydrocarbon contamination. ANNs do not require mechanistic assumptions, and they can cope with nonlinear associations. Soil sample lipid signatures were mapped using ANNs to recover information on exposure to contamination, to assess the potential for bioremediation as assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) gene probes, and to monitor the effects of selected inocula. A two-coordinate system was built from signature lipid biomarkers containing 64 components from which the values of target parameters (6 components) could be recovered.
Microtubule dynamics in plants

Plant cells form a highly dynamic microtubule network organized into different arrays that are essential for many important cellular activities. A key feature of microtubules is their dynamic behaviour in which individual microtubules stochastically switch between periods of growth and disassembly. This feature contributes substantially to the rapid reorganization of the microtubule system in response to environmental and developmental stimuli. In this review we highlight recent developments on the dynamic behaviour of microtubules in plant cells and discuss some of the mechanisms responsible for the regulation of microtubule turnover. We also include an outline of the contribution of the dynamics toward the overall arrangement of the plant microtubule network. Special attention is given to the spatiotemporal changes in the microtubule configuration and dynamics during the establishment of the relationships between plants and other organisms.
Clinical characteristics of hospitalised patients with schizophrenia who were suspected to have coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Hubei Province, China

Background Since the outbreak of COVID-19, no data have been available for hospitalised psychiatric patients who are suspected to have COVID-19. We performed a comprehensive investigation of the clinical features of hospitalised patients with schizophrenia with or without suspected COVID-19 in Hubei Province, China. Aim To explore the clinical characteristics of hospitalised patients with schizophrenia with suspected COVID-19 in Hubei Province, China. Methods 21 hospitalised patients with schizophrenia with suspected COVID-19 (COVID-19 suspected group) in the isolation ward of a mental health hospital in Wuhan and 30 hospitalised patients with schizophrenia (clean group) in the general ward of another mental health hospital in Yichang were recruited. We retrospectively reviewed their clinical characteristics, laboratory findings and chest CT results before 21 February 2020. We also compared the emotional and mental symptoms between the two groups. Results Medical records revealed that 21 COVID-19 suspected patients were transferred to the isolation ward between 30 January 2020 and 15 February 2020. The mean age (SD) of COVID-19 suspected patients was 43.1 (2.6). 12 (57.1%) patients showed abnormalities on chest CT before onset of respiratory symptoms. 14 (66.7%) patients had psychiatric medications adjustment after detection of abnormal chest CT findings. By 21 February, one patient was confirmed to have COVID-19. Even though the remaining 20 (95.2%) were negative for at least two reverse transcription PCR tests, 11 (52.4%) patients met the diagnostic criteria for clinically confirmed cases. Compared with patients in the clean group, patients in the suspected COVID-19 group showed significantly higher stress, depression and anxiety levels and poorer sleep quality. Conclusion Setting up an independent isolation ward for hospitalised psychiatric patients who are suspected to have symptoms of COVID-19 helped control the spread of the epidemic. Patients with schizophrenia suspected to have COVID-19 showed increased stress and mood and sleep disturbances, which should be appropriately managed.
THE POPULATION DYNAMICS OF BRUCELLOSIS IN THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

The role that pathogens play in structuring ecological communities needs to be examined from both a theoretical and empirical perspective. This paper provides a brief introduction to the ecology and epidemiology of brucellosis in Yellowstone National Park. Observed patterns of infection for brucellosis in bison in national parks in the United States suggest that Brucella has a relatively sharply defined threshold for establishment and that the proportion of the host population infected increases as a relatively simple function of population density. Unfortunately, the threshold population for Brucella establishment in bison is low, a herd of at least 200 individuals; this makes it very hard to eradicate Brucella from wild populations. Simple calculations based on observed prevalence and recruitment data for the Yellowstone bison herd suggest that unacceptably high levels of culling would be required to eradicate brucellosis in the park. A simple mathematical model is used to describe aspects of the population dynamics of Brucella. The analyses suggest that an understanding of infectious disease dynamics is crucial to the management and conservation of wild and domestic ungulate species in and around national parks and other nature reserves. The consequences of disease control for the maintenance of biodiversity in other natural and captive communities need to be better understood.
SUN-622 The Risk of Hip and Non-Vertebral Fractures in Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Update

Abstract Background Previous meta-analyses have reported an increase in the risk of hip fractures in diabetes, but the risk of non-vertebral fractures has not been investigated. In addition, it is not known how the risk of fractures is affected by age, body mass index, diabetes duration and insulin use. To investigate these features, we conducted a meta-analysis on the risk of hip and non-vertebral fractures in diabetes. MethodsWe selected a previously published review to be updated. Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched in March 2018 and an update conducted in March 2019 (Pubmed) using relevant MeSH and free text terms such as “diabetes”, “hyperglycaemia” and “fracture”. We selected observational studies with data on the risk of fractures in adults ολδερ τηαν 18 years old with diabetes compared to people without diabetes. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. We used the random-effects model to calculate the risk estimates and 95% confidence intervals.Results Forty-nine studies were included. Forty-three studies were included in the hip fracture analysis, 40 cohorts and 3 case-control studies, reporting data from 17,575,873 participants, 2,387,899 with diabetes and 321,720 fractures. Eighteen studies reported the risk of fractures in two or more sites and were included in the non-vertebral fracture risk analysis. All but one study were cohorts. These studies reported data from 2,982,622 participants, 414,195 with diabetes and 185,363 fractures. In both analyses, age varies from 20 to 100 years old, including both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Overall, the study quality was judged to be moderate to good.We found a significant increase in the risk of fracture in diabetes both for hip (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.42-1.63) and for non-vertebral fracture (RR 1.20, 1.14-1.27). The increase in the risk was greater for insulin users and longer duration of diabetes, at both sites. At the hip, the risk was higher in the younger population, women, and those with T1D. ConclusionThere was an increase in the risk of hip and non-vertebral fractures in diabetes. Although the mechanisms are not established, patients with type 1 diabetes were the population at higher relative risk. The evidence suggest that the skeleton should be considered a site for diabetic complications.
Saturation of Bird Communities in the West Indies

The paper is directed to interpreting the set of data displayed in figure 1, which shows that the number of bird species in two widespread West Indian habitats reaches a ceiling (saturation) that holds over a wide range of island species numbers. Four hypotheses are evaluated in an effort to understand the result: (1) Island communities are as tightly packed as they can be without breaching the limits of similarity; (2) island bird species are habitat specialists; (3) island species display an upper limit of tolerance of interspecific competition; (4) island species respond to reduced competition by broadening habitat spectra and other forms of ecological release. West Indian guilds are found to be less tightly packed than their mainland counterparts, eliminating hypothesis 1 in the sense of absolute limits to packing, but not foreclosing the possibility that island species are competitively excluded at lower packing levels than mainland species. The number of species per island increases in tight correlation (r2 = .90) with the number of available habitats, and large islands do contain numbers of species with restricted habitat ranges. Nevertheless, when tested with the opportunity to expand into atypical habitats containing reduced numbers of competitors most species do so, suggesting that habitat ranges in rich faunas are largely delineated by diffuse interspecific competition. A good deal of evidence suggests that island species are unable to invade richer mainland communities or, in some cases, even the richest large islands. We speculate that the evolution of ecological versatility at the expense of competitiveness leads to coadaptation of the fauna throughout the archipelago for the level of diffuse interspecific competition characteristic of the largest islands. Various forms of ecological release (expansion of abundance, habitat spectra, vertical foraging ranges) could then serve on smaller islands to maintain the observed constancy of within-habitat species numbers over a wide range of island species numbers.