Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Herbivory and Tree Stand Composition: Moose Patch Use in Winter

Foraging decisions by large herbivores in a heterogeneous environment with several available plant species are a scale problem. If, for example, the foraging decisions primarily occur at the stand level, then stands of trees might be regarded as patches within a habitat of several stands over which intake rate is to be maximized. The food consumption within a stand should be in proportion to the availability of different food types. If, on the other hand, food selection occurs at the tree level within a stand, then the individual trees are regarded as "patches"; total stand exploitation should then be the result of foraging decisions made within the stand. We tested these two hypothesis in field experiments in winter with free—ranging moose (Alces alces) having access to artificial stand of trees. In these stands Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) was mixed with either aspen (Populus tremula) or alder (Alnus incana). In experiment A, where the total available pine biomass per stand was much greater than any of the additional species, total stand consumption did not differ between stand types. In experiment B, where pine biomass did not dominate to the same extent, pine + aspen stands were more heavily used than pine + pine and pine + alder stands. The within—stand consumption of different species appeared to be nonrandom, i.e., the tree biomass was not consumed in proportion to availability. The mean pine biomass consumption per tree did not differ between stand types in either experiment. We conclude that the food selection appears to occur primarily at the tree level within stands. The level of decision might also be important for the performance of the plant species exploited. The results from this study question the general validity of recent hypotheses regarding "associational protection" in plant communities. We suggest that the optimal patch use approach taken in this study might give better insight in these kinds of plant—animal interaction problems.
Insights into the role of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway in graft-versus-host disease

Allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation (allo-HCT) is a curative therapy for a variety of hematologic malignancies, primarily through immune-mediated clearance of malignant cells. This graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effect is mediated by alloreactive donor T-cells against recipient malignant cells. Unfortunately, graft versus host disease is a potentially lethal complication of this procedure, also mediated by alloreactive donor T-cells against recipient normal tissues. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a key contributor to nonrelapse mortality and long-term morbidity in patients undergoing allo-HCT. Reducing GVHD without interfering with – or ideally while enhancing – GvL, would improve outcomes and increase patient eligibility for allo-HCT. The JAK/STAT signaling pathway acts downstream of over 50 cytokines and is central to a wide variety of inflammatory pathways. These pathways play a role in the development and maintenance of GVHD throughout the disease process and within T-cells, B-cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer cells. Agents targeting JAK/STAT signaling pathways have shown clinical efficacy and gained US Food and Drug Administration approval for numerous diseases. Here, we review the preclinical and clinical evidence for the role of JAK/STAT signaling in the development and maintenance of GVHD and the utility of blocking agents at preventing and treating GVHD.
Extratos vegetais usados no controle de dípteros vetores de zoonoses

Plant extracts used in the control of dipteran vectors of zoonosis. Insects are important transmitters of diseases increasingly occurring in peri-urban or urban areas due to the introduction or the reemergence of their respective vectors. Strategies to control diseases transmitted by biological vectors are difficult to implement, especially when associated with the existence of domestic and wild reservoirs and environmental aspects. The use of insecticides against adult forms of dipteran vectors has been frequent. However, the widespread use of synthetic insecticides since the discovery of DDT to control domestic and agricultural pests, as well as vectors that transmit diseases to humans, has led to greater concern for the toxicity and environmental impact of these agents. Moreover, resistance to insecticides has become an increasing concern in agriculture, economy and public health. A large number of different plant species representing different geographical areas around the world have been capable of causing lethal and sublethal effects on insects. This review addresses the use of potential plant extracts to control dipteran vectors of zoonosis.
Resistance Mechanisms Against Arthropod Herbivores in Cotton and Their Interactions with Natural Enemies

Cotton plants (genus Gossypium) are grown on more than 30 million hectares worldwide and are a major source of fiber. The plants possess a wide range of direct and indirect resistance mechanisms against herbivorous arthropods. Direct resistance mechanisms include morphological traits such as trichomes and a range of secondary metabolites. The best known insecticidal compounds are the terpenoid gossypol and its precursors and related compounds. Indirect resistance mechanisms include herbivore-induced volatiles and extrafloral nectaries that allow plants to attract and sustain natural enemy populations. We discuss these resistance traits of cotton, their induction by herbivores, and their impact on herbivores and natural enemies. In addition, we discuss the use of genetically engineered cotton plants to control pest Lepidoptera and the influence of environmental factors on the resistance traits.
Toxic Microcystis in shallow lake Müggelsee (Germany): dynamics, distribution, diversity

The occurrence of toxic blooms of cyanobacteria in due course of the eutrophication of most inland waters has become an increasingly important issue of scientific and public health concern. One objective of many field studies is to assess the predictability of bloom toxicity. Here we present data of a four-year monitoring of microcystins in lake Muggelsee together with data on spatial distribution and diversity of the predominant toxin-producer Microcystis sp. Microcystins were detectable in all seasons when Microcystis -biovolumes were detectable with seasonal maximum concentrations of 1-3 μg/L. In spatially resolved samples, the microcystin concentrations spanned more than an order of magnitude between up-wind and down-wind sites with highest concentrations at the latter ones. The bloom development of Microcystis and Aphanizomen was significantly correlated to the ratio of DIN: SRP and it is discussed whether this reflects a causal relationship or rather similar trends in both variables related to third one, like water temperature. The microcystin content of Microcystis was negatively correlated to Microcystis abundance, thus blooms were relatively less toxic during their peak. A metabolic typing of strains isolated from a single bloom sample revealed that the Microcystis bloom was composed of a multitude of toxin-producing and non-producing strains that differed in their production of microcystins and other non-ribosomal peptides. The number of distinguishable chemolypes clearly exceeded the number of microscopically determined morphotypes. Given the high clonal diversity of the Microcystis community we argue that a quantitative prediction of bloom toxicity is not possible without a better understanding of the molecular ecology of Microcystis and that an avoidance of toxic blooms of Microcystis is best to be done by appropriate restoration measures.
Lack of Effect of Tobacco Mosaic Virus-Induced Systemic Acquired Resistance on Arthropod Herbivores in Tobacco

The nonspecificity of pathogen-induced systemic acquired resistance (SAR) of tobacco, cucurbits, and other plants against plant pathogens has led to speculation that cross-resistance might also be afforded to arthropod herbivores. However, we found that inoculation of the lower leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) had no effect on population growth of tobacco aphids (Myzus nicotianae) reared on upper leaves, for which SAR to TMV was active. Newly hatched tobacco hornworms (Manduca sexta) were reared to pupation on upper leaves from TMV-inoculated or control plants (.)
Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) Lekking sites in fragmented Finnish forest landscape

The location of Capercaillie lekking sites was compared in forest mosaics of different level of fragmentation. In north Finland the stand characteristics of the lekking sites did not differ from those of randomly selected stands in the 1950s judged from forestry maps and stand registers. In the 1980s, when forestry had considerably altered stand structure, lekking stands were older, larger and had a higher timber volume than random stands. These features evenly changed from the lek centre to the distance of 4 km, to which distance the adjacent areas were assessed. Southern and central Finnish analyses, based on topographic maps, showed that the proportion of forest distinctly decreased with increasing distance from a lek centre, up to a distance of 1–1.5 km. The average patch size of lekking stands were largest in the north (where both cut areas and remaining stands are large) and smallest in central Finland dominated by fine‐grained forest landscape. The results are discussed in terms of landscape ecolog.
Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Evidence of Glial Effects of Cumulative Lead Exposure in the Adult Human Hippocampus

Background Exposure to lead is known to have adverse effects on cognition in several different populations. Little is known about the underlying structural and functional correlates of such exposure in humans. Objectives We assessed the association between cumulative exposure to lead and levels of different brain metabolite ratios in vivo using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Methods We performed MRS on 15 men selected from the lowest quintile of patella bone lead within the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Normative Aging Study (NAS) and 16 from the highest to assess in the hippocampal levels of the metabolites N-acetylaspartate, myoinositol, and choline, each expressed as a ratio with creatine. Bone lead concentrations—indicators of cumulative lead exposure—were previously measured using K-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. MRS was performed on the men from 2002 to 2004. Results A 20-μg/g bone and 15-μg/g bone higher patella and tibia bone lead concentration—the respective interquartile ranges within the whole NAS—were associated with a 0.04 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.00–0.08; p = 0.04] and 0.04 (95% CI, 0.00–0.08; p = 0.07) higher myoinositol-to-creatine ratio in the hippocampus. After accounting for patella bone lead declines over time, analyses adjusted for age showed that the effect of a 20-μg/g bone higher patella bone lead level doubled (0.09; 95% CI, 0.01–0.17; p = 0.03). Conclusions Cumulative lead exposure is associated with an increase in the myinositol-to-creatine ratio. These data suggest that, as assessed with MRS, glial effects may be more sensitive than neuronal effects as an indicator of cumulative exposure to lead in adults.
Macaca thibetana at Mt. Emei, China: II. Birth seasonality

Birth censuses were conducted every 2 or 3 days for each of six groups of Macaca thibetana along trails at Mt. Emei in southwest China from March 7 to June 15, 1986. Based on direct observations and the timetable of forehead hair growth and behavior, each of 32 infants could be placed in one of sixteen 14‐day periods of the 1986 birth season. The mean estimated birth date was March 27 (SD = 39 days); the median estimated birth date was March 14. Sex ratios in newborns and yearlings did not deviate significantly from 1:1. Seasonal birth timing was correlated with the altitude of the range (r = −0.84, P < .05); that is, infants were born earlier in the season at higher altitudes.
Changes in demersal fish assemblages on the west coast of South Africa, 1986–2009

Research survey data collected over 24 years (1986–2009) were used to explore long-term changes in demersal fish assemblages on the west coast of South Africa. Differences in spatial (latitude and depth) and temporal (seasonal and annual) factors were examined using multivariate analyses. Fish assemblages are clearly influenced by depth, with a distinct change in the region of the shelf break between 300 m and 400 m. There are also geographic differences in fish assemblage from north to south. Multivariate analyses show two clear temporal changes in assemblages, first in the early 1990s and second in the mid-2000s, although the latter change may be confounded by a concurrent change in survey trawl gear. The abundance of three fast-growing, early-maturing species increased over the study period whereas that of two slow-growing, long-lived species decreased, supporting the hypothesis of an increase in fast-growing, early-maturing species and a decline in slow-growing, long-lived species in fished systems. Shifts in demersal fish assemblages coincide temporally with spatial shifts observed in West Coast rock lobster Jasus lalandii and with regime shifts in the pelagic ecosystem. The changes in demersal fish assemblages detected are probably a reflection of long-term indirect effects of fishing in combination with environmental changes.
Cyanobacterial toxins, exposure routes and human health

The production of potent toxins by bloom-, scum- and mat-forming cyanobacteria, in fresh-, brackish and marine waters, appears to be a global phenomenon. Cyanobacterial toxins can also be produced by cyanobacteria from terrestrial sources. The range and number of known cyanobacterial toxins are increasing apace as associated poisoning incidents are investigated, and increasingly powerful analytical methods are applied to complement toxicity-based studies on both natural samples and laboratory isolates of cyanobacteria. Water quality management to reduce toxic cyanobacterial mass developments, and schemes to mitigate the potential effects of cyanobacterial toxins, require an understanding of the occurrence and properties of the toxins and of the exposure routes via which the toxins present risks to health. Here, we review advances in the recognition of cyanobacterial toxins and their toxicity, and of the exposure routes with reference to human health, namely via skin contact, inhalation, haemodialysis and .
Soil temperature, nitrogen mineralization, and carbon source–sink relationships in boreal forests

Boreal forests contain large quantities of soil carbon, prompting concern that climatic warming may stimulate decomposition and accentuate increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. While soil warming increases decomposition rates, the accompanying increase in nutrient mineralization may promote tree growth in these nutrient-poor soils and thereby compensate for the increased carbon loss during decomposition. We used a model of production and decomposition to test this hypothesis. In black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.), white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss), and paper birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh.) forests, decomposition increased with the soil warming caused by a 5 °C increase in air temperature. However, increased nitrogen mineralization promoted tree growth, offsetting the increased carbon loss during decomposition. In the black spruce forest, increased tree production was maintained for the 25 years of simulation. Whether this can be maintained indefinitely is unknown. In the birch forest, .
Variation in Prevalence of Nanophyetus salmincola, a Parasite Tag Indicating U.S. Northwest Origin, in Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Caught in the Central North Pacific Ocean

Infections with the parasite "tag" Nanophyetus salmincola indicated that in 1986 and 1987, steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) from the U.S. Northwest (Washington to northern California, including Idaho) were relatively abundant in the central North Pacific Ocean as far west as 165°E, about 5000–5500 km from their area of origin. Infection prevalence (the frequency of the presence of infection) was estimated annually for specimens stratified by 5°-longitude areas. East–west and north–south trends in prevalence occurred in 1986 but not in 1987. Correlation analysis indicated no between-year correlation in the relative magnitude of prevalence in areas sampled in both 1986 and 1987 (r = 0.017). Confidence intervals (90%) for overall annual prevalence in the central North Pacific Ocean steelhead population were 29.9–61.3% (point estimate = 45.4%) for 1986 and 43.3–63.0% (point estimate = 53.2%) for 1987.
International conservation volunteering from the UK: what does it contribute?

Abstract Increasing numbers of fee-paying volunteers now travel from the UK to work on conservation projects in middle and low income countries. The time and resources they commit have important implications for international conservation practice. This article provides an overview of this sector, comprising data on its size, value and key organizations. I map the scope of volunteer-led conservation in 2007 in terms of the countries, species and habitats prioritized for attention, and identify distinct geographical and taxonomic partialities towards particular taxa, countries and habitats. I outline how conservation priorities are established and reflect on two factors that help account for the identified partialities: the history and politics of international conservation and the cultural preferences of volunteers. In conclusion I argue that volunteering can help international conservation but is not a panacea for comprehensive efforts to protect threatened biodiversity.
Repeated call types in short‐finned pilot whales, Globicephala macrorhynchus

Four short-finned pilot whales, Globicephala macrorhynchus, were tagged with digital acoustic recording tags (DTAGs) for a total of 30 h in the Bahamas during 2007. Spectrograms were made of all audible sounds, which were independently categorized by three observers. Of 4,098 calls, 1,737 (42%) were placed into 173 call types, which were defined as calls that occurred more than once. Of the 173 call types, 51 contained at least 10 calls (= 24), and were termed predominant call types (PCTs), which comprised 1,219 (70%) of categorized calls. PCTs tended to occur in sequences of the same call, which appeared to be produced by a single animal. However, matching interactions consisting of adjacent or overlapping calls of the same type were also observed, and some call types were recorded on more than one tag, suggesting that at least some calls are shared by members of a group or subgroup. These results emphasize the importance of categorizing calls before attempting to draw conclusions about call usage and possible effects of noise on vocal behavior.
Distribution of intravenously and perorally administeredAeromonas salmonicidalipopolysaccharide in Atlantic salmon,Salmo salarL.

Abstract The uptake and distribution of Aeromonas salmonicida lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. , was investigated. The purified LPS molecule was radiolabelled by bromine oxidation and subsequent sodium borotritide reduction, or fluorescein labelled. After intravenous injection, high amounts of radiolabelled LPS was found in the spleen, liver, anterior and posterior kidneys at 30 min and 2 h. Twenty four hours after i.v. administration, the spleen still contained high amounts of radioactivity, the liver contained increased amounts while the anterior and posterior kidneys showed reduced contents of radioactivity compared with the findings 30 min and 2 h after administration. After peroral administration, relatively less radioactive LPS accumulated in the liver compared with the spleen and kidneys at 0·5, 1, 4 and 24 h. At 24 and 48 h after administration the anterior intestine contained high amounts of radioactivity while the posterior intestine contained low amounts. Histological examinations of tissue sections revealed accumulation of fluorescein-labelled LPS in kidney sinusoidal endothelial cells and macrophages and in splenic ellipsoid sheath cells (macrophages and reticular cells). Liver endothelial cells also showed accumulation of FITC-LPS.
Jinhua Qinggan granule, a Chinese herbal medicine against COVID-19, induces rapid changes in the plasma levels of IL-6 and IFN-Î³

Background: Currently, effective vaccines or specific therapeutic agents against COVID-19 are not available. However, in China, traditional Chinese herbal medicines have provided therapeutic benefit to patients with COVID-19. Jinhua Qinggan granule (JHQGG) is a Chinese multi-herbal formula previously developed for the treatment of H1N1 influenza and has been encouraged for patients clinically suspected of COVID-19 during medical observation. However, the immunological mechanism for the efficacy of JHQGG has not been confirmed. Objectives: We thus examined whether the administration of JHQGG affects hematological and immunological measures in healthy individuals. Method: We enrolled 18 healthy volunteers, all of whom tested negative for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. Peripheral blood samples were collected 1 h after oral administration of JHQGG and subjected to hematological, biochemical, and cytokine tests. Results: JHQGG rapidly induced a significant decrease in the plasma level of IL-6 and an increase in the plasma level of IFN-{gamma}. Conclusions: Our finding suggests that the therapeutic efficacy of JHQGG against COVID-19 is, in part, associated with its rapid immunomodulatory activity.
The Diverse Search for Synthetic, Semisynthetic and Natural Product Antibiotics From the 1940s and Up to 1960 Exemplified by a Small Pharmaceutical Player

The 1940s and 1950s witnessed a diverse search for not just natural product antibiotics but also for synthetic and semisynthetic compounds. This review revisits this epoch, using the research by a Danish pharmaceutical company, LEO Pharma, as an example. LEO adopted a strategy searching for synthetic antibiotics toward specific bacterial pathogens, in particular Mycobacterium tuberculosis, leading to the discovery of a new derivative of a known drug. Work on penicillin during and after WWII lead to the development of associated salts/esters and a search for new natural product antibiotics. This led initially to no new, marketable compounds, but concluded with the serendipitous discovery of fusidic acid, an antibiotic used to treat infections by Staphylococcus aureus, in 1960. The discovery process included contemporary approaches such as open innovation; targeting specific pathogens and/or specific organs in the patient; examining the effects of antimicrobial compounds on bacterial virulence as well as on antibiotic-resistant variants, and searching for antibiotic producers among microorganisms not previously well explored. These activities were promoted by the collaboration with a renowned Danish clinical microbiologist, K. A. Jensen, as well as company expertise in fermentation technologies, chemical synthesis and purification of bioactive compounds from organic materials.