Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patterns of growth in the early life history of the round herring Etrumeus teres

Early life history traits of young-of-the-year (YOY) round herring Etrumeus teres, caught in Tosa Bay (south-western Japan), were studied using otolith microstructure analysis for the 2000–2003 year classes. Hatch dates ranged from October to March, and were restricted to either autumn or winter within each year class. YOY ranged from 50 to 123 mm total length (LT) and from 57 to 192 days in age. The relationship of LT to otolith radius was linear. Individual growth rates (GI) were backcalculated between the 70th and 150th days (the size range of most YOY caught) using the biological intercept method. GI ranged from 0� 3t o 1� 4 mm day � 1 and decreased in most cases as season progressed irrespective of year class, although GI in winter cohorts were significantly higher than in autumn cohorts. Otolith growth rates (GO) ranged from 2� 13 to 12� 25 mm day � 1 for autumn spawned YOY and from 3� 12 to 12� 41 mm day � 1 for YOY spawned in winter. The GO trajectories followed three consistent patterns: (1) an increase in increment widths after first feeding through the second week of larval life, then (2) a plateau in increment spacing before increment widths increased again until reaching the maximum growth rate, followed by (3) a gradual decrease in increment widths until the end of the fifth month. The three stages occurred irrespective of spawning season, although YOY spawned in October and December had higher GO during stages (1) and (2) than YOY spawned in February and March, whereas higher GO was observed for latewinter cohorts in stage (3). Otolith growth from YOY spawned in December and January showed an intermediate pattern between YOY hatched in the early autumn (October to December) and late winter (February to March). The GO trajectories were cross-matched to the calendar date to estimate time series of otolith growth rates (GOTS) for each year. A parabolic trend was found with maximum GOTS in autumn and spring and minimum values in winter. This trend was significantly correlated to daily sea surface temperature variations. The differences in otolith growth trajectories suggest that the otolith microstructure of E. teres may be used as a natural tag for identifying autumn and winter spawned cohorts.
Structural features of ether lipids in the archaeobacterial thermophiles Pyrococcus furiosus, Methanopyrus kandleri, Methanothermus fervidus, and Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

The ether lipids of several thermophilic archaea (archaeobacteria) were compared by negative-ion fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. The major polar lipids in extracts of Pyrococcus furiosus were assigned as archaeol lipids (phosphatidylglycerol diether, m/z 805; phosphatidylinositol diether, m/z 893; and diglycosyl diether, m/z 975) and caldarchaeol lipids (diglycosyl phosphatidylglycerol tetraether, m/z 1778; and diglycosyl phosphatidylinositol tetraether, m/z 1866). The polar lipids of Methanopyrus kandleri were primarily glycolipids consisting of a series of archaeol lipids with one to six hexose units, composed primarily of mannose (mannose:glucose 9:1); phospholipids consisting of archaeol lipids (phosphatidylinositol diether; and a novel phosphatidylcholine diether, m/z 802.7), and phosphoglycolipids as minor caldarchaeol lipids (primarily diglycosyl phosphatidylglycerol tetraether). Methanothermus fervidus extracts contained archaeol lipids (phosphatidylinositol diether; diglycosyl diether; a.
Identification of 9α,11β-Prostaglandin F2 in Human Amniotic Fluid and Characterization of Its Production by Human Gestational Tissues

Context: 9α,11β-Prostaglandin F2 (9α,11β-PGF2) can contract uterine smooth muscle with a potency equal to PGF2α. Its presence in the human uterus and production by human gestational tissues is unknown. Objective: These studies were performed to determine whether the PGD2-derived 9α,11β-PGF2 is both present in human amniotic fluid and synthesized by human gestational tissues and if so, whether labor-related substances could regulate its production. Results: Detectable concentrations of 9α,11β-PGF2 were found in amniotic fluid samples and appeared to increase in late gestation. All gestational tissues studied synthesized 9α,11β-PGF2, with the placenta having the highest basal production rate, followed by the amnion and then the choriodecidua. IL-1β and TNFα caused concentration-dependent increases in 9α,11β-PGF2 production in human amnion and choriodecidual explants. Moreover, treatment of choriodecidual and placental explants with lipopolysaccharide resulted in a significant increase in 9α,11β-PGF2 product.
El jilguero dorado (Sicalis flaveola) modifica la estructura de sus vocalizaciones para adaptarse a hábitats urbanos

Urban and suburban ecosystems are areas that, despite of being modified by human activities, can sustain a large amount of biodiversity. Acoustic field alterations affect communication among animals, threatening the populations' stability dynamics. In birds, where acoustic communication take place at a certain distance, signals that reach the receptor may differ from those emitted, due to song degradation and acoustic pollution. In order to secure communication, species have to modify their vocalizations in different ways. We studied songs of the Saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola) at 2 sites with different levels of acoustic pollution. At the most polluted site, songs showed shorter trills with higher frequencies (max and min), and preludes with lower maximum frequencies. This is the first contribution on the vocalization's structure of the Saffron Finch at the study area, and provides new evidence on the effects that acoustic pollution produces on it. None of known song hypothesis was able to explain by itself the changes in song structure found in this study. Thus, this species adjusts its vocalizations to acoustic pollution in different ways simultaneously, depending on the species' inner capacities.
Placebo

Placebo, used here to mean an inert treatment given as if it was a real treatment, means lots of different things to different people. The structure of the article is that it begins by talking about the technical use of placebos in clinical trials, and the extent of the placebo response, then about the mechanism—“How does the placebo work? ”—and last about the ethics of placebo in the contexts of research and in everyday practice.
MDPtoolbox: a multi-platform toolbox to solve stochastic dynamic programming problems

Stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) or Markov decision processes (MDP) are increasingly being used in ecology to find the best decisions over time and under uncertainty so that the chance of achieving an objective is maximised. To date, few programs are available to solve SDP/MDP. We present MDPtoolbox, a multi-platform set of functions to solve Markov decision problems (MATLAB, GNU Octave, Scilab and R). MDPtoolbox provides state-of-the-art and ready to use algorithms to solve a wide range of MDPs. MDPtoolbox is easy to use, freely available and has been continuously improved since 2004. We illustrate how to use MDPtoolbox on a dynamic reserve design problem.
Zn-α2-Glycoprotein Is a Novel Adhesive Protein

An amino acid sequence (Arg-Gly-Asp-Val) specifically associating with cell adhesion between cells and extracellular matrices was found on the human Zn-α2-glycoprotein (Znα2gp) molecule. Although other mammalian cell lines such as breast carcinoma and melanoma did not, SMKT R-3 cells (human renal cell carcinoma) but not the kidney cell lines (Vero and COS7) preferentially attached and spread on a tissue culture plate coated with either blood plasma Znα2gp or seminal plasma Znα2gp. The spreading of SMKT R-3 cells on Znα2gp required divalent cations such as Mn2+ and Mg2+, and this spreading was inhibited by synthetic peptides such as RGDS, LRGDV and ELRGDV. These findings suggested that the RGDV region mainly interacted with the cell surface integrins to regulate cell attachment and spreading.
Fate of urea nitrogen applied in solution in furrows to sunflowers growing on a red-brown earth: transformations, losses and plant uptake

Nitrogen transformations and transfers were investigated after applying a urea solution to a crop of sunflowers by ponding in furrows. The fertilizer was applied 24 days after sowing. Distribution of the applied nitrogen (N) in the soil, N uptake by plants, and losses by ammonia (NH3) volatilization and denitrification were measured. This method of fertilizer application resulted in concentration of the applied N in the furrow and shoulder zone of the soil beds; little of the applied N moved across to the centre of the beds. Inorganic N was not leached into the clay B horizon, but was retained by the surface 0-200 mm layer. A 15N mass balance showed that 28 kg of the 80 kg N ha-1 applied (35%) was lost during the experiment. Less than 5 kg N ha-1 (6% of the applied N) was lost as NH3 and the remainder (22 kg N ha-1 or 29% of the applied N) appeared to be lost by denitrification. The 15N balance data suggest that c. 4.6 kg ha-1 fertilizer N were lost after each irrigation up to 44 days after fertilizer application. The study indicates that N loss could be markedly reduced by delaying the bulk of the application to coincide with the period of rapid uptake.
Developmental divergence among hatchery strains of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). II. Hybrids

The developmental rates of first generation hybrids between six closely related hatchery strains of rainbow trout are compared using hatching time, morphology, and the pattern of ontogenetic change of four enzymes. Hybrid developmental rates can not be explained by additive genetic effects. Nine of 14 hybrid types developed slower than their maternal parent. These results are consistent with a hypothesis of regulatory divergence between the hybridizing strains. Heterotic effects were observed in five hybrid groups in that hybrids developed faster than their maternal parent. A strong dominance component was observed in the reciprocal hybrids of one strain. There was no association between the degree of perturbation of hybrid developmental rates and the genetic distance between hybridizing strains. Hybrids between more distantly related strains were no more delayed in their development than those from closely related strains.Key words: developmental rate, rainbow trout, hybrids, gene regulation.
Field assessment of several insecticides against the potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella Zell. Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) at Pukekohe

Abstract Field trials at Pukekohe of insecticides against potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella Zell.) showed that little direct control of tuber infestation was achieved. Foliage infestation, however, was effectively controlled; and this indirectly effected a reduction in tuber infestation, as long as nearby areas were also clean. Although both recommended insecticides, azinphos ethyl and endosulfan, were effective against foliage mining under low to moderate population pressure, only azinphos ethyl was consistently effective under high to extreme pressure. Four additional candidate insecticides (ENT 27041, acephate. methamidophos, and chlorpyrifos) were compared with azinphos ethyl, but none proved as good, although acephate showed some promise. The standard aphicide oxydemeton methyl was found to have a small but significant effect on the foliage-mining population. It was found that 4.8% of infested tubers escaped detection at harvest grading because young mines and eggs are not easily seen. As a .
Quantitative Fluorescence Microscopy

Abstract Quantitative fluorescence microscopy has exploited the principle that the excitation wavelengths of biological molecules is always lower than their emission wavelengths. This has enabled scientists to visualize biological structures and their functions. The addition of immunofluorescence techniques allowed the specificity of antibody-hapten bonds and naturally occurring ligands to be used to generate specific probes. New filter designs made it possible to simultaneously detect multiple tluorophores with even greater specificity. These, however, were only qualitative observations. The latest developments in engineered probes and microscopy methods such as radiomekic imaging, fluorescence resonance energy transfer imaging, and fluorescence lifetime imaging have permitted quantitative measurements. This review examines the latest in quantification techniques and their applications. (The J Histotechnol 23:229, 2000).
Using 137Cs to measure and compare bioenergetic budgets of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the field

Through the 137Cs mass balance method, annual consumption rates were estimated for juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr and precocious males as well as for brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) at four sites in the Ste-Marguerite River system, Quebec. With explicit age analysis, consumption rates and growth rates were derived on an individual fish and age-class basis. These represent the first consumption estimates for Atlantic salmon in the wild. Precocious males had consumption rates 1.5 times greater than nonmaturing parr, while Atlantic salmon parr consumption rates were 2.7 times greater than brook trout. There was a strong positive relationship between individual annual consumption and growth rates for Atlantic salmon and brook trout at all sites. Subsequently the concept of field maintenance ration was introduced as the intercept of consumption over growth. Maintenance rations for Atlantic salmon parr ranged from 0.010 to 0.016 g·g-1·day-1 between sites. Brook trout had maintenance rations app.
Bacterium-dinoflagellate interactions: investigative microscopy of Alexandrium spp. (Gonyaulacales, Dinophyceae)

Abstract The association of bacteria with dinoflagellates has been a neglected field of study, which has gained prominence in recent years because of the possible role of bacteria in toxin synthesis. A number of dinoflagellates undergo sexual reproduction, passing through various life-cycle stages in addition to the vegetative form. The presence of bacteria within dinoflagellates has been well established, but their presence throughout the dinoflagellate life-cycle has not been investigated. Using cultures of Alexandrium (A. tamarense, A. fundyense), we investigated the association of bacteria with various vegetative growth phases (lag, log, stationary) and sexual life-cycle stages (planozygote, planomeiocyte, hypnozygote), using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and epifluorescence microscopy. Bacteria were found to be associated with the surfaces of vegetative cells, planozygotes, hypnozygotes and planomeiocytes. TEM showed bacteria to be present within all vegetative growth phases, as well as in the sexual planozygote, cyst and planomeiocyte. The presence of intra-cellular bacteria in vegetative cells was also confirmed using DAPI staining combined with epifluorescence microscopy, and lipopolysaccharide staining combined with TEM.
Chapter 3 Development of the Santorini volcanic field in space and time

Excerpt Santorini is one of the largest Quaternary volcanic centres of the Aegean Region. The caldera cliffs preserve well-exposed sequences of lavas and pyroclastic deposits, which record the long development of the volcano in space and time. These include the products of 12 major explosive eruptions and the dissected remains of several ancient lava shields, stratovolcanoes, and lava-dome complexes. The former existence of multiple eruptive centres scattered over the present-day islands shows that Santorini is best considered as a volcanic field, which probably also continues under the sea (Heiken & McCoy 1984). Santorini is best known for the Minoan eruption of the late Bronze Age (Bond & Sparks 1976; Heiken & McCoy 1984; Sparks & Wilson 1990), but some of the previous explosive eruptions may have been as large (Druitt et al. 1989). The occurrence of repeated explosive eruptions has triggered formation of at least four large calderas, such that the present-day caldera is a composite structure (Druitt & Francaviglia 1992). Santorini is potentially one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Europe, having had numerous eruptions in historic times, some of them with significant explosive components (Fytikas et al. 1990a). The evolution of Santorini has been the focus of several detailed studies (Fouqué 1879; Reck 1936; Pichler & Kussmaul 1980; Heiken & McCoy 1984; Huijsmans 1985; Druitt et al. 1989; Druitt & Francaviglia 1992) as summarized in Chapter 1. Pichler & Kussmaul (1980) published a geological map of the islands that has been the basis of volcanological studies for the last
Multiple Niche Polymorphism

Maynard Smith (1970) extended results of Levene (1953) on multiple niche polymorphism to cases with only limited migration between niches. This letter shows how Maynard Smith's results can be obtained in greater generality using the idea of a migration matrix as introduced by Bodmlier and Cavalli-Sforza (1968) for the study of random genetic drift. Consider a single locus with two alleles, A1 and A2, and suppose that genotypic frequencies (before selection) and witnesses in the ith niche are as follows:
The influence of slope aspect and soil type on immigration and emergence of some northern temperate dung beetles

Summary Soil type is a habitat factor that influences both adult habitat choice and reproductive success in tropical dung beetles. However, soil type habitat preferences of northern temperate dung beetles have not been studied, nor has their reproductive success in relation to habitat heterogeneity been investigated. The aim of this study was, firstly, to study the impact of slope aspect (southern vs. northern) and soil type (sand vs. clay) on immigration and subsequent emergence of dung beetle offspring. A second aim was to evaluate whether the soil type selection was reflected in reproductive success. The study was performed with cow dung during early summer in central Sweden. Beetle immigration was estimated using dung-baited pitfall traps and numbers of emerging beetles were assessed using specially designed emergence traps. Immigrating beetles collected represented 11 Aphodius species (Scarabaeidae), three Sphaeridium species (Hydrophilidae), and one Geotrupes species (Geotrupidae). Seven emerging species were caught, all from the genus Aphodius. Immigration was influenced by soil type, i.e. more individuals of A. ater, were caught on clay while more individuals of A. haemorrhoidalis were caught on sand. Slope aspect had no significant influence on immigration. Four species (A. ater, A. fimetarius, A. fossor and A. pusillus) dominated amongst the emerging beetles at both sites. Emergence was earlier on the south-facing slope for A. fimetarius and on both the south-facing slope and on sand for A. fossor. Emergence patterns were dependent on soil type. More individuals of A. ater emerged on clay while more individuals of A. fossor and A. pusillus emerged on sand. Slope aspect did not significantly influence the number of emerging beetles. We conclude that soil type influenced both adult habitat selection and reproduction, while slope aspect had less effect. Patterns of immigration and emigration corresponded for some species but not for others, hence selection of soil type may not directly correspond to reproductive success. Our results also indicate that Aphodius reproduction may be risky in wet clay soils because of mortality in over-wintering individuals.
Petunia Ap2-like Genes and Their Role in Flower and Seed Development

We have isolated three Apetala2 (Ap2)-like genes from petunia and studied their expression patterns by in situ hybridization. PhAp2A has a high sequence similarity to the A function gene Ap2 from Arabidopsis and a similar expression pattern during flower development, suggesting that they are cognate orthologs. PhAp2B and PhAp2C encode for AP2-like proteins that belong to a different subgroup of the AP2 family of transcription factors and exhibit divergent, nearly complementary expression patterns during flower development compared with PhAp2A. In contrast, all three PhAp2 genes are strongly expressed in endosperm. The phenotype of the petunia A-type mutant blind cannot be attributed to mutations in the petunia Ap2 homologs identified in this study, and reverse genetics strategies applied to identify phap2a mutants indicate that PhAp2A might not be essential for normal perianth development in petunia. Nevertheless, we show that PhAp2A is capable of restoring the homeotic transformations observed in flowers and seed of the ap2-1 mutant of Arabidopsis. Although the interspecific complementation proves that PhAp2A encodes a genuine Ap2 ortholog from petunia, additional factors may be involved in the control of perianth identity in this species.
Erratum for Kljavin et al., Cell Adhesion Molecules Regulating Neurite Growth from Amacrine and Rod Photoreceptor Cells

Due to a printing error, Figure 2 in Kljavin et al. (“Cell Adhesion Molecules Regulating Neurite Growth from Amacrine and Rod Photoreceptor Cells”), which appeared in the August 1994 issue of the journal, was poorly reproduced in some copies of the issue. The publisher regrets the error.
Psychedelics

Psychedelics (serotonergic hallucinogens) are powerful psychoactive substances that alter perception and mood and affect numerous cognitive processes. They are generally considered physiologically safe and do not lead to dependence or addiction. Their origin predates written history, and they were employed by early cultures in many sociocultural and ritual contexts. After the virtually contemporaneous discovery of (5R,8R)-(+)-lysergic acid-N,N-diethylamide (LSD)-25 and the identification of serotonin in the brain, early research focused intensively on the possibility that LSD and other psychedelics had a serotonergic basis for their action. Today there is a consensus that psychedelics are agonists or partial agonists at brain serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptors, with particular importance on those expressed on apical dendrites of neocortical pyramidal cells in layer V. Several useful rodent models have been developed over the years to help unravel the neurochemical correlates of serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor activation in the brain, and a variety of imaging techniques have been employed to identify key brain areas that are directly affected by psychedelics. Recent and exciting developments in the field have occurred in clinical research, where several double-blind placebo-controlled phase 2 studies of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in patients with cancer-related psychosocial distress have demonstrated unprecedented positive relief of anxiety and depression. Two small pilot studies of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy also have shown positive benefit in treating both alcohol and nicotine addiction. Recently, blood oxygen level–dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetoencephalography have been employed for in vivo brain imaging in humans after administration of a psychedelic, and results indicate that intravenously administered psilocybin and LSD produce decreases in oscillatory power in areas of the brain’s default mode network.