Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain Tumors in S100&bgr;-v-erbB Transgenic Rats

We have established a line of transgenic rats expressing v-erbB, the viral form of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), under transcriptional regulation of the S100&bgr; promoter. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction revealed highest transgene expression in the cerebellum followed by the cerebrum, ovary, and testis. Other organs, including the lung, heart, salivary gland, colon, liver, kidney, and spleen, did not show detectable transgene expression. Of 23 homozygous rats that died or were killed because they became moribund between 25 and 91 weeks of age, 15 (65%) showed the presence of brain tumors (mean age, 59 weeks). Of the 10 heterozygous rats killed between 61 and 91 weeks of age, 4 (40%) showed the presence of brain tumors (mean, 77 weeks). With 3 exceptions, all tumors were located within or near the cerebellum (83%). There were 2 major histologic types; one type displayed a solid growth pattern with predominantly perivascular infiltration of adjacent central nervous system tissue and the meninges. Tumors showed histologic features of malignancy with occasional lung metastases. There was a consistent, strong immunoreactivity for S100 protein but no significant expression of glial, neuronal, or meningothelial markers. These tumors were classified as malignant gliomas. A second tumor type was less invasive and characterized by isomorphic cells with round to ovoid nuclei and clear perinuclear halos expressing S100 but no neuronal or glial marker proteins. They were diagnosed as oligodendrogliomas. This is the first transgenic rat model that spontaneously develops brain tumors. Because v-erbB is structurally and functionally similar to the truncated form of EGFR amplified and overexpressed in human glioblastomas, S100&bgr;-v-erbB transgenic rats may serve as a useful animal model for the identification of EGFR-related molecular targets and as a tool for the assessment of novel therapeutic approaches.
Trade-offs between molt and immune activity in two populations of house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Molt and immune defense are critical activities in which all birds must invest. Because each is costly, wild passerines may have to decrease their investment in one activity if they are to increase investments to others. Here, I studied such moltimmune trade-offs in one neotropical and one north-temperate population of house sparrows (Passer domesticus (L., 1758)). I included two populations in my study to investigate if moltimmune trade-offs in this species are phenotypically plastic or fixed. I expected that if they were fixed, then immune activity, molt, and immunemolt trade-offs would be distinct between populations after they were kept in captivity for 1 year under similar conditions. I found evidence for moltimmune trade-offs in house sparrows. Feather growth was inversely related to cutaneous immune activity to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Furthermore, feather growth 3 weeks post immune challenge was lower in immune-challenged birds relative to saline-injected controls. However, there was no effec.
The Effect of Whole‐Lake Nutrient Enrichment on Mercury Concentration in Age‐1 Yellow Perch

Abstract We evaluated the effect of whole-lake nutrient enrichment on Hg concentration in age-age-1 yellow perch Perca flavescens and assessed whether reduced Hg concentration in fish from enriched lakes could be attributed solely to enhanced fish growth (i.e., growth dilution). A survey of yellow perch in eighteight reference lakes and twotwo experimentally enriched lakes (P input = 2–6 mg · m−2 · d−1; N : P > 25 : 1 by atoms) indicated that yellow perch Hg concentration was highly correlated with lake pH and nutrient enrichment (R 2 = 0.87). Age-1 yellow perch were four to five times larger and had 50% lower Hg concentrations in enriched lakes than in reference lakes of an equivalent pH (reference lakes = 0.24 μg Hg/g wet mass; enriched lakes = 0.11 μg Hg/g). A mass balance model of Hg dynamics indicated that growth dilution could only account for 30–40% of the reduction in yellow perch Hg concentration, suggesting that lake enrichment produced effects on fish Hg concentration that were not explained by.
The performance of ELISA and dot-blot methods for the detection of crab flesh in heated and sterilized surimi-based products

Polyclonal anti-lobster arginine kinase antiserum was used as a probe to test for the presence of crab flesh (invertebrate tissues) in surimi-based products. Arginine kinase is a cytoplasmic enzyme present in many invertebrates and is absent from vertebrates. Antibodies against lobster arginine kinase interacted strongly with snow crab but they gave only a low response in molluscs such as limpet, squid and scallop. Surimi (washed fish mince) exhibited a slight residual immunobinding response. Arginine kinase could easily be detected in crab-supplemented surimi preparations with a correlation between the level of crab added to surimi and the level of immunological response. Using direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and an immunodot procedure, the results showed that an addition of 10–25 g of crab flesh per kg surimi-based products could be detected even after a high sterilization process.
Spectral Analysis, Systematic Bias, and the Evolution of Chloroplasts

Recently, Martin et al. (1998) studied the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis by analyzing concatenated protein sequences from nine complete chloroplast (plastid) genomes, together with those from one complete cyanobacterial genome. The new data set included 45 proteins from chloroplasts exhibiting a variety of lightharvesting complex types (chlorophyll [chl] a/b [greens], chlorophyll a/c [chromophytes], and phycobilins plus chlorophyll a [reds]). Concatenating sequences is expected to overcome the problem of multiple substitutions which cause the loss of phylogenetic information between eukaryote chloroplast lineages. Such an approach is necessary since analysis of single gene loci suggests that even within the chl a/b lineage, there is significant information loss between deeply diverged taxa (Lockhart and Penny 1992). The issue of chloroplast origins has been controversial. The most popular hypothesis has been that the origin of chloroplasts is monophyletic, with all extant taxa arising ultimately from one primary endosymbiosis. The alternative is that each group of taxa with the same light-harvesting complex is monophyletic and represents an endosymbiosis event independent of that of other groups. Acceptance of the former hypothesis has been based on reconstructed evolutionary trees inferred from sequence data (e.g., Palmer and Delwiche 1998), but it is also favored by some genome organization data (e.g., Kowallik 1997). With sequence analyses, we have found that differences in compositional bias among plastids and bacteria can mislead simple tree-building programs which assume stationary or symmetric nucleotide or amino acid compositions (Lockhart et al. 1992; Barbrook, Lockhart, and Howe 1998). This finding has led us to the development of methods which accommodate substitution biases in nucleotide frequencies (Steel, Lockhart, and Penny 1993; Steel 1994; Lockhart et al. 1994). More recently, we characterized the complexity of the nucleotide substitution pattern in such data and demonstrated that the systematic biases of covariotide/covarion evolution and nucleotide/amino acid composition, rather than genuine phylogenetic signal, are likely to be the most important features of reconstructed evolutionary trees in studies of plastid origins (Lockhart et al. 1998). Here, we emphasize the concern independently raised by Philippe and Laurent (1998), Lopez, Forterre, and Philippe (1999), and Philippe and Forterre (1999)
LA SPERMATOGENÈSE DE POECILIA RETICULATA. II. — LA PRODUCTION SPERMATOGÉNÉTIQUE

La production spermatogenetique de Poecilia reticulata est de 36 spermatozeugmes par jour soit environ 750 000 spermatozoides. Dans cette espece, le canal testiculaire apparait comme un veritable organe de stockage desspermatozoides qui n'assure pas une elimination reguliere des spermatozeugmes ce qui conduit a une grande heterogeneite dans l'âge des spermatozoides et pose le probleme du vieillissement des gametes et de ses consequences.
Production of Siderophore by Edwardsiella tarda

Whether Edwardsiella tarda produces siderophore or not was investigated. CAS assay was used for detecting siderophore and Eagle's MEM was employed as a basal medium with a slight modification. Iron was eliminated from the basal medium by chloroform-8-hydroxyquinoline extraction. On this iron deficient agar medium, all the strains of E. tarda showed siderophore positive reactions. The siderophores were prepared from two virulent and two avirulent strains and examined their electrophoretic mobilities at pH 5.6. The siderophore mobilities against H2PO4-were all-0.05 and no differece was found among these 4 strains.
Associations of melanocortin 1 receptor genotype with growth and carcass traits in beef cattle.

Melanocortin 1 Receptor (MC1R) is considered to be the main gene controlling the production of eumelanin or phaeomelanin, resulting in black or red coat colour of cattle. The recessive red allele, e, codes for a nonfunctional receptor, which does not bind the agonist alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), allowing for the production of phaeomelanin, or red pigment, whereas the dominant ED allele binds α-MSH leading to the production of eumelanin. We hypothesized that black cattle would have more α-MSH bound to MC1R, which could result in more α-MSH binding to the appetite suppressing receptor, Melanocortin 4 Receptor. We genotyped 328 crossbred steers of various colours that were purchased at weaning and fed until slaughter. Black cattle of ED/ED or ED/e genotype had increased back fat and required significantly fewer days (15-25) on feed to reach a target fat level for slaughter than the red cattle. Red cattle of e/e genotype were found to have a significantly larger longissimus dorsi (l. dorsi), .
Larval mouthparts and feeding mechanism of the Hessian fly (Diptera : Cecidomyiidae)

The morphology of the larval mouthparts of the hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say), was studied using electron microscopy to explain the feeding mechanism Major structures, such as the clypeus-labrum, paired mandibles and maxillae, and labium, were identified. The clypeus-labrum appears to be a composite structure bearing two, prominent, dorsomedial pits. Mandibles of the first instar are bladelike, tapering distally to a single, sharp-pointed tooth, and appear to be adapted for piercing plant tissue. Each tooth is deeply grooved and contains a minute hole at its base that connects to a canal like passage extending longitudinally through the mandible. Ultrastructure of the mandible suggests that the canalike passage may function in conveying salivary secretions. The mandible of the second instar terminates in a foreshortened tooth, broadly rounded and flared at the apex. The maxilla comprises three distinct plates : a large median outer plate, bearing a crescent-shaped palp; a small dorsal inner plate bearing a minute, one-segmented papilla; and a small ventral plate. The labium is well defined, tapers dorsally to a central sclerite, and widens ventrally into a thick, deltoid structure bearing four minute papillae. A functional model of the first instar's feeding mechanism is proposed based on the hypothesis that salivary fluids are injected into the plant via highly specialized mandibles and that these substances react with plant cell components and cause physiological alterations in the plant, which allow the larva to suck liquids through the functional mouth
Photographic guide for the determination from otoliths of the age of young hake Merluccius capensis from South West Africa (Namibia)

In an attempt to reduce subjectivity and arbitrary interpretation in the reading of hake Merluccius capensis otoliths from South West Africa (Namibia), interpreted photographs of a large random sample of young otoliths of age groups 0 — III are presented as a guide for readers. The various rings and zones and their positioning are discussed.
Fatty acid regulation of the germination of Erynia variabilis conidia on adults and puparia of the lesser housefly, Fannia canicularis

Conidia of the entomogenous fungus Erynia variabilis germinate vegetatively on the cuticular surface of adults of the lesser housefly, Fannia canicularis, and on a basal agar growth medium in which cuticular lipid extracts of adult flies have been incorporated. Formation and discharge of secondary spores occur on puparial cuticles and on media in which puparial cuticle lipid extracts have been included. Relative free fatty acid compositions of puparial and adult cuticle lipid extracts are nearly identical, but adults average ca. five times the concentration of free fatty acids on their cuticle surface as that found on puparia. A regulatory role for esterified fatty acids in conidial germination is suggested. Limitation of E. variabilis to adult dipteran hosts is postulated to be due in part to characteristics of the fatty acids of this order of insects: the presence of sufficient oleic acid to induce germination; high levels of palmitoleic acid to enhance mycelial growth; and low levels of linoleic and li.
The toxic effects of direct pesticide exposure for a nontarget weed-dwelling chrysomelid beetle (Gastrophysa polygoni) in cereals

Direct insecticide deposition on adults of the chrysomelid beetle Gastrophysa polygoni L. was measured by use of fluorescent spray tracer. The beetles captured 1 . 3-to 2.5–fold the spray volume of an equivalent area of weed leaf surface. This disproportionate rate of exposure declined down through the crop canopy toward the ground. Spray deposition was measured for insects placed on both the upper and the lower surfaces of Polygonum convolvulus L. leaves within winter wheat crop canopies. The upper-to-lower-surface deposition ratio was 2.3 irrespective of the position of the leaf in the crop canopy. The mortality of adult G. polygoni exposed to pesticides on their host plant was estimated, based on measurements of spray deposition on insects in different positions, the laboratory dose-response relationship for dimethoate, and the distribution pattern of adults on the host plant measured in the laboratory. At full recommended field rate (280 g ha−1) an expected 40.7% of the adult population would die as a result of direct exposure to dimethoate. The mortalities on specific positions on the plant ranged between zero and 76.7%. To reduce predicted mortality to a level of 10%, it would be necessary to reduce field rate to 50% according to these calculations. Those individuals surviving the dimethoate treatment had a reduced fertility, whereas the egg viability was unaffected.
Metabolism of the rumen bacterium Selenomonas ruminantium grown in continuous culture

Selenomonas ruminantium 0078A was grown in a glucose‐limited chemostat over a dilution rate range of 0.049‐0‐137/h. Fermentation products were acetate, propionate, succinate, lactate and C02; traces of ethanol were also detected. Succinate accounted for up to 52% of the substrate glucose carbon. When dilution rate was increased without a concomitant increase in glucose supply per unit time there were changes in the fermentation pattern which were not apparent when both dilution rate and glucose supply were simultaneously increased; the molar proportion of acetate increased at the expense of propionate.
Behavior and survival of white-tailed deer neonates in two suburban forest preserves.

Neonatal survival influences growth of unhunted populations of suburban white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmerman, 1780)). Understanding the interaction of habitat and survival may inform conservation efforts and studies of life history of cervids at high density. We chose two forest preserves representative of forests in suburban Chicago. We radio-marked 56 neonates (1999–2001) to investigate mortality and habitat use. Through 1 July, 21 of 29 (72%) neonates and 6 of 22 (27%) died mostly because of predation by coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823). Akaike’s information criterion suggested that optimal mark–recapture models of survival contained covariates reflecting differences by preserve and timing chosen to coincide with behavioral change from hiding to accompanying the doe. Survival was lower during early parturition (0.26–0.78) relative to the latter part (0.90–0.96). Early fawns (hiders) at one site had lower survival (0.26–0.29) than fawns at the other (0.78). Lower survival associated wit.
Tavşanlarda farkli süperovulatör ajanlarin oosit kalitesi ve in vitro fertilizasyonu üzerine etkisi

Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two different superovulator agents on oocyte quality, quantity and in vitro fertilization of rabbits. In this study 16 female and 2 male New Zealand White rabbits were used. A group of female rabbits (n=8) was intramusculary injected with 75 IU PMSG 3 times with 24 hours intervals. Another group of female rabbits (n=8) was injected (intramuscular) with 7.5 IU FSH twice daily during three consecutive days. Twentyfour hours after the last hor-mon injection both groups of animals ovulation was induced by an intravenous injection of 100 IU hCG. Fifteen hours after hCG injection, oocytes were collected by flushing the oviducts. A total of 34 oocytes were obtained from PMSG applied group and 77 oocytes were collected from FSH applied group. Difference between groups for oocyte number was found significant (p 0.05). Detection of embryos reaching to 2-cell stage was approved as criterion for the assesment of
Responses of Imidazolinone-Resistant Corn, Several Weeds, and Two Rotational Crops to Trifloxysulfuron1

Field and greenhouse studies were conducted in 2000, 2001, and 2002 to evaluate the response of imidazolinone-resistant (IR) corn and selected weeds to trifloxysulfuron applied postemergence (POST). Treatments included a nontreated control and S-metolachlor applied preemergence at 1,075 g ai/ha followed by (fb) trifloxysulfuron POST at 0, 3.8, 7.5, 11.2, and 15 g ai/ha. IR corn visible injury was less than 6% from field applications of trifloxysulfuron. Visual symptoms were transient, and IR corn yield was not affected by trifloxysulfuron. Common ragweed, common lambsquarters, annual grass species (giant foxtail and large crabgrass), and carpetweed were controlled at least 95% by S-metolachlor fb trifloxysulfuron applications. Morningglory species (ivyleaf morningglory, pitted morningglory, and tall morningglory) were controlled at least 97% in 2000 and greater than 77% in 2001 from S-metolachlor fb trifloxysulfuron. Jimsonweed was not adequately controlled. S-metolachlor alone controlled annual grass species 90% but did not control the broadleaf weeds that were present. Wheat was planted following IR corn harvest, and non-IR corn was planted the following spring. No visible response was observed to rotational wheat or non-IR corn crops. Rotational non-IR corn yield was not affected by trifloxysulfuron and was not different from the yield of corn treated with S-metolachlor alone. In greenhouse studies, IR corn was injured 10% at 10 d after treatment with 380 g/ha trifloxysulfuron POST, but recovery was rapid. Based upon results, trifloxysulfuron may be used as an herbicide in IR corn, and rotational wheat and non-IR corn may be planted at normal intervals after cotton harvest. Nomenclature: Trifloxysulfuron; S-metolachlor; carpetweed, Mollugo verticillata (L.) #3 MOLVE; common lambsquarters, Chenopodium album L. # CHEAL; common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L # AMBEL; giant foxtail, Setaria faberi Herrm. # SETFA; ivyleaf morningglory, Ipomoea hederacea (L.) Jacq. IPOHE; jimsonweed, Datura stramonium L. # DATST; large crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. # DIGSA; pitted morningglory, I. lacunosa L. # IPOLA; tall morningglory, I. purpurea (L.) Roth # IPOPU; corn, Zea mays L. ‘Pioneer 32Z18 IR’, ‘Pioneer 33G26’; wheat, Triticum aestivum L. ‘Pocahontas’. Additional index words: Carryover, sulfonylurea. Abbreviations: ALS, acetolactate synthase enzyme (EC 4.1.3.18); DAT, days after postemergence treatment; fb, followed by; IR, imidazolinone-resistant; POST, postemergence; PRE, preemergence; WAP, weeks after planting.
The Fluorescence Spectrum of the Introduced Tryptophans in the α3(βF155W)3γ Subcomplex of the F1-ATPase from the Thermophilic Bacillus PS3 Cannot Be Used to Distinguish between the Number of Nucleoside Di- and Triphosphates Bound to Catalytic Sites*

It has been reported that shifts in the fluorescence emission spectrum of the introduced tryptophans in the βF155W mutant of Escherichia coli F1 (bovine heart mitochondria F1 residue number) can quantitatively distinguish between the number of catalytic sites occupied with ADP and ATP during steady-state ATP hydrolysis (Weber, J., Bowman, C., and Senior, A. E. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 18711–18718). In contrast, addition of MgADP, Mg-5′-adenylyl β,γ-imidophosphate (MgAMP-PNP), and MgATP in 1:1 ratios to the α3(βF155W)3γ subcomplex of thermophilicBacillus PS3 F1 (TF1) induced nearly identical blue shifts in the fluorescence emission maximum that was accompanied by quenching. Addition of 2 mm MgADP induced a slightly greater blue shift and a slight increase in intensity over those observed with 1:1 MgADP. However, addition of 2 mm MgAMP-PNP or MgATP induced a much greater blue shift and substantially enhanced fluorescence intensity over those observed in the presence of stoichiometric MgADP or MgAMP-PNP. It is clear from these results that the fluorescence spectrum of the introduced tryptophans in the βF155W mutant of TF1 does not respond in regular increments at any wavelength as catalytic sites are filled with nucleotides. The fluorescence spectrum observed after entrapping MgADP-fluoroaluminate complexes in two catalytic sites of the βF155W subcomplex indicates that the fluorescence emission spectrum of the enzyme is maximally perturbed when nucleotides are bound to two catalytic sites. This finding is consistent with accumulating evidence suggesting that only two β subunits in the α3β3γ subcomplex of TF1 can simultaneously exist in the completely closed conformation.
Involvement of polyamines in the mechanism of break of dormancy in Helianthus tuberosus

SummaryThe results presented here attempt to correlate polyamines with dormancy, artificial break of dormancy and natural release from dormancy. Aliphatic polyamines, now regarded as new plant growth substances, have been found during dormancy of Helianthus tuberosus tubers at levels too low to stimulate cell proliferation; however, when exogenous polyamines are supplied in culture, tuber cells are able to divide synchronously. There is good evidence that the artificial break of tuber dormancy is influenced by endogenous polyamines. Furthermore the levels of polyamines change during dormancy and increase when natural release approaches. The interaction of polyamines with nucleic acids, namely RNAs, and their involvement in the cell cycle have induced us to study the effect of several specific inhibitors of polyamine synthesis on the regulation of the growth processes.