Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The kiss-1-kisspeptin-gpr54 complex: a critical modulator of GnRH neurons during pubertal activation

Summary Establishment of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal-gonadal function is dependent on the highly controlled and dynamic interactions between regulatory signals from the brain, pituitary and gonads, all of them leading to the attainment of reproductive capacity, where a coordinated and timely activation of GnRH neurons must occur. The GnRH neurons extend their neurosecretory axons to the hypothalamus where GnRH is released into the pituitary portal vessels to elicit the secretion of LH and FSH, which in turn, will promote gonadal development and support reproductive physiology. Genetic studies have demonstrated that disabling mutations and targeted deletions of the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPR54) generated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. This link between GPR54 and reproduction, generated attention to the natural ligands of the GPR54 receptor, known as kisspeptins, which are translational products of the hypothalamic gene KiSS1. Recent advances in kisspeptin research have defined a major role of this molecule in controlling the onset of the reproductive function observed at puberty. The aim of this review is to highlight the basic endocrine and genetic concepts involved in the establishment of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal-gonadal axis function which promotes the onset of the reproductive function during puberty. The review highlights what is currently known about the kisspeptin-GPR54 signalling system in the activation of the GnRH neurons.
Ammonia and nitrous oxide losses following applications of ammonium sulfate to flooded rice

Ammonia volatilization from applications of ammonium sulfate to a wet season crop of flooded rice in the Philippines was measured directly by a micrometeorological technique. Prior to transplanting the rice, ammonium sulfate (80 kg nitrogen ha-1) was broadcast over the flooded soil and incorporated by harrowing. A further 40 kg nitrogen ha-1 was broadcast at the panicle initiation stage. The soil pH was 6.7, while the pH of the floodwater varied from 7 . 5 to 9.5 during the course of the experiment. Loss of ammonia was detected immediately after application of ammonium sulfate and continued for approximately 7 days. Ammonia volatilization rates were highest in the middle of the day and declined each evening following the diurnal variations in water temperature and wind speed. More ammonia was lost from the fertilizer applied at the panicle initiation stage (10.6%) than from the pre-planting application (5.1 %). The overall measured loss of ammonia was small and amounted to approximately 7 % of the total nitrogen applied to the crop. Nitrous oxide losses, measured with a chamber system, amounted to only 0.1 % of the nitrogen applied as ammonium sulfate.
THE EVOLUTION OF BIOLUMINESCENCE IN BACTERIA

Individuals of aerobic, saprophytic bacterial species, encountering a changing environment in which they were regularly exposed to periods of severe hypoxia, would have gained a major selective advantage in fatty acid metabolism if a mutation in a flavoprotein oxygenase permitted them to oxidize accumulated C8‐C18 aliphatic aldehydes to fatty acids at oxygen concentrations below which the cytochrome oxidase mediated electron transport pathway became inhibited. Such mutants, able to continue to metabolize exogenous lipid fatty acids under hypoxia, might have outproduced their wild type ancestors. Colonies of those mutants which utilized reduced flavin mononucleotide (FMNH2) as the flavin cofactor would have been luminous, owing to the fortuitous coincidence that the aldehyde oxygenation resulted in an enzyme‐flavin excited electronic state which emitted blue light with a high fluorescence yield. If this accidental “proto‐bioluminescence” were initially of sufficient brightness to have elicited phototactic responses in nearby motile organisms, increasing thereby detrital food sources or the potential for dispersal and colonization for the bacteria, a new and completely different selective advantage, that of bioluminescent signalling, would have arisen from the original metabolic function. This is the biochemical analog of Darwin's principle of functional change in structural continuity. It is proposed that bacterial luciferase, the FMNH2‐oxygenase in luminous bacteria, was such a mutation. The present ubiquitous distributions of luminous bacterial species in marine waters, on the surfaces of marine animals and as symbionts in the specialized light organs and digestive tracts of many fish species have resulted from subsequent environmental selection and optimization for this original proto‐bioluminescent reaction. By extension it is suggested whereas “protobioluminescence” arose in many species independently whenever metabolic oxygenation of a substrate resulted in an adventitiously efficient chemiluminescence, the function of bioluminescence arose only upon favorable interaction between the “proto‐bioluminescence” and its ecosystem.
The role of microtubule-based motors in the exocytic transport of polarized cells

Abstract The different membrane surfaces of polarized cells have different lipid and protein components. The biogenesis and maintenance of these surfaces require that the lipids and proteins are sorted and packaged into specific vesicular populations which will transport their ‘cargo’ to the different membranes. Taking advantage of well-described polarized cell systems, such as epithelial cells and neurons, functional studies have been carried out to examine the role of microtubules and their motors in polarized membrane trafficking. These studies demonstrate that vesicles transporting newly synthesized proteins from the Golgi complex to the cell surface use microtubule motors to reach their destinations.
Purification and properties of an extracellular xylanase from the thermophilic fungus Humicola grisea var. thermoidea

Humicola grisea var. thermoidea mycelium grown on xylan as the sole source of carbon produced at least two extracellular xylanases. The main xylanolytic component (form 2; 90% of recovered activity) was purified to homogeneity. The apparent molecular mass of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 23 000 and 25 550 Da by Bio-Gel P-60 filtration and urea–SDS–PAGE, respectively. The purified enzyme was a glycoprotein with 45% carbohydrate content and pH and temperature optima of 5.5 and 70 °C, respectively. The apparent Km and Vmax values determined with larch-wood xylan were 3.3 mg/mL and 229 μmol∙min−1∙mg protein−1, respectively. The enzyme was highly specific for xylan and degraded this substrate to produce xylo-oligosaccharides, suggesting that it is a β-1,4-endoxylanase (EC 3.2.1.8). The minor enzymatic component of H. grisea extracellular xylanase activity (form 1) was partially purified and some of its properties were studied for comparative purposes. The results obtained suggested that the mode of a.
Utilization of Sorghum and Finger Millet With or Without Feed Enzyme in Broiler Chickens

Abstract Elangovan, A.V. , Mandal, A.B. , Tyagi, Pramod K, Tyagi, Praveen K. , Toppo, S. and Johri, T.S. 2004. Utilization of sorghum and finger millet with or without feed enzyme in broiler chickens. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 26: 33–38. A 4x2 factorial experiment of seven weeks duration was conducted on day-old broiler chicks (n=240) to study the efficacy of commercial feed enzyme preparation added @ 50g/quintal in four experimental diets containing either maize, sorghum, finger millet as sole cereal source or a combination of maize, sorghum, finger millet and pearl millet in equal proportions on performance, nutrient utilization, carcass traits and feed cost of production. The body weight gain and feed efficiency were significantly lower (P<0.01) in finger millet based diet, which were improved (P<0.01) upon enzyme addition. However, addition of enzyme in diets based on other cereals did not improve the performance of broilers. The enzyme addition significantly (P<0.05) improved the dry matter and gross energy metabolizability with higher nitrogen retention from diet containing finger millet. The carcass traits remained unaltered (P>0.05) by various dietary treatments. Feed cost of broiler production was higher (P<0.05) in finger millet based diet. It is concluded that diet containing finger millet, a poor quality grain, can be improved by adding commercial feed enzyme preparation.
The Cell Types in the Adenohypophysis of the Marine Teleost Crenilabrus melops

Sagittal sections from pituitaries of winter and spring fish were stained with a number of methods including alcian blue-PAS-orange G, Herlant's tetrachrome, Luxol fast blue-PAS-orange G and lead haematoxylin. By these methods seven different endocrine cell types were readily demonstrated in the adenohypophysis. In the rostral pars distalis (RPD), there were conspicuous vacuoles (intra- and possibly extracellular) in the prolactin cell zone of all animals. The ACTH cells in the RPD were very numerous. In the proximal pars distalis (PPD), the growth hormone cells were arranged in coiling bands that were predominantly dorsal and juxtaposed to neurohypophysis. Two types of basophils were readily distinguished: both were predominantly ventral in the proximal pars distalis, though the type I basophil also formed a constant group in the dorsal region of the pituitary, between the PPD and the RPD. The pars intermedia contained two cell types — a lead haematoxylin-positive cell and a PAS-positive cell. The pituitary morphology is compared with that of other teleosts.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi may mitigate the influence of a joint rise of temperature and atmospheric CO2 on soil respiration in Grasslands

We investigated the effects of mycorrhizal colonization and future climate on roots and soil respiration (Rsoil) in model grassland ecosystems. We exposed artificial grassland communities on pasteurized soil (no living arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) present) and on pasteurized soil subsequently inoculated with AMF to ambient conditions and to a combination of elevated CO2 and temperature (future climate scenario). After one growing season, the inoculated soil revealed a positive climate effect on AMF root colonization and this elicited a significant AMF x climate scenario interaction on root biomass. Whereas the future climate scenario tended to increase root biomass in the noninoculated soil, the inoculated soil revealed a 30% reduction of root biomass under warming at elevated CO2 (albeit not significant). This resulted in a diminished response of Rsoil to simulated climatic change, suggesting that AMF may contribute to an attenuated stimulation of Rsoil in a warmer, high CO2 world.
Tumour necrosis factor-α causes an increase in blood-brain barrier permeability during sepsis

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability during sepsis with Escherichia coli or Streptococcus pneumoniae was examined in a mouse model and measured by a circulating β-galactosidase tracer. The leakage of brain microvascular vessels during sepsis was confirmed by transmission electron microscopic examination of brain tissues stained with horseradish peroxidase. The increase of BBB permeability induced by E. coli and S. pneumoniae, which was maximal at 3 h and 12 h after injection, respectively, was transient because of rapid clearance of the bacteria from the blood. Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was stained on microvascular vessels of the brain during sepsis and intravenous injection of recombinant TNF-α also increased the BBB permeability. The increase in BBB permeability induced by either E. coli or S. pneumoniae could be inhibited by anti-TNF-α antibody. It was concluded that circulating TNF-α generated during sepsis induced the increase in BBB permeability.
Freshwater Food Habits of Salvelinus malma (Walbaum) on Amchitka Island, Alaska

Freshwater Food Habits of SaZveZinus maZma (Wa1baum) On Amchitka Island, Alaska by John F. Palmisano, Master of Science Utah State University, 1971 Major Professor: Dr. William T. Helm Department: Wildlife Resources ix Stomach contents of 3,672 Dolly Varden char collected from September 1967 to November 1968 were examined to determine the food habits of this species. Of these, 3,100 (86%) had food in their stomachs. Aquatic invertebrates (Insecta and Crustacea) comprised over 90% of the diet. Food habits varied with habitat. Aquatic insects were most important in the diet of stream fish while aquatic insects and crustaceans were most important in the diet of lake fish. Food habits of lake fish were re1ated to lake bottom type and access to the sea. Fish in landlocked lakes fed primarily on aquatic insects, fish, and fish eggs. In lakes with access to the sea, crustaceans, followed by aquatic insects, were the major food items in those with firm bottoms adjacent to shore while aquatic insects, followed by crustaceans, were the major food items in those with muck bottoms adjacent to shore. As fish size increased, feeding activity decreased and aquatic insects became less important in the diet while crustaceans and fish became more important. During summer, feeding activity was highest for lake fish while it was highest during autumn and summer for stream fish. Aquatic insects were the dominant food item in summer while crustaceans and fish were dominant
Anatomie et valeur systématique de l’oreille moyenne des rongeurs actuels et fossiles

L'ctude de l'anatomie compared de la rögion de l'oreille moyenne des rongeurs a ete entreprise pour chercher si certains de ses nombreux caracteres variables pouvaient etre utilises en systematique au niveau supra-gonerique, plus specialement lorsque la denture montre une importante variation. A cet effet, une centainc de genres de rongeurs a pu etre etudie*e et comparee ä differents mammiferes. Dans un premier temps, nous avons cherche* ä etablir les e*tats ple*siomorphes et apomorphes des caracteres en les comparant aux e*tats pro-mammaliens et en utilisant les donnees de la Physiologie. Nous nous sommes ensuite appuye sur ces resultats pour etablir une diagnose des families ou super-families de rongeurs basee sur ce seul caractere, en de*duire des relations systömatiques qui ont enfin e*te comparoes avec les donnees pre^demment etablies d'apres l'etude des cränes et des dents. Les principaux räsultats de cette etude sont les suivants: 1) L'etat primitif se retrouve chez les Sciuravidae, les Theridomorphes, les Zapodidae, les Muridae et les Cricetinae actuels ainsi que chez les genres oligocfcnes Pseudocricetodon, Eutypomys et Paradjidaumo. Les Paramyidac et Eucricetodon montrent au moins un caractere ovolue et ne pourraient plus £tre ni les plus anciens rongeurs ni les plus anciens Myomorphes. 2) La variabilite des Phiomorphes recouvre celle des Caviomorphes. Cette similitude, jointe aux homologies dejä connues au niveau du cräne, de la dentition et de la circulation arterielle au niveau de la tete, renforce la validite systematique des Hystricognathi Lavocat (1973). 3) Les Aplodontidae sont plus proches des Sciuridae que des Paramyidae. 4) Les Anomaluridae miocfcnes pourraient etre derives d'ancetres proches des Theridomorphes. 5) Les Castoridae et les Geomyidae actuels demeurent isoles des autres rongeurs. Ces premiers resultats paraissent justifier des etudes nouvelles au niveau des autres ordres de mammiferes.
An Explanation for the Warmwater Intrusion off the British Columbia Coast

An explanation is given for the well-known annual variations in the northward penetration of relatively warm water off the British Columbia coast. At the top of the permanent halocline, a characteristic feature of the region, both the onshore Ekman transport, resulting from a northward meridional wind-stress component, and the relative warmth of the upper oceanic layer in winter are suggested as being responsible for these variations. At the bottom of the halocline, which lies below the depth of direct surface influence, comparison of the northward meridional wind-stress component with the temperature variations suggests that other processes besides the direct effect of Ekman transport are important in determining the variations at that level.
The life history of Cryptocotyle lingua (Creplin), with notes on the physiology of the metacercariae

The various stages in the life history of Cryptocotyle lingua are identified and described. Adults naturally occur in the intestine of fish‐eating birds and mammals. They were experimentally obtained in the cat, white rat, and guinea‐pig. The development of the miracidium was followed within the egg. Larval stages occur in the marine snail, Littorina littorea. The structure of the redia and cercaria is described in detail, and evidence is submitted to show that the cercaria is identical with Cercaria lophocerca Lebour, described from the same snail on the British coast. Penetration and encystment of the cercaria in the skin of the cunner were experimentally secured. Excystment of the metacercaria was obtained both in experimental animals and in vitro. The metacercariae were maintained in culture media for as long a time as is required for them to attain sexual maturity in the final host. The host relations and specificity of the parasite are discussed on the basis of infection experiments. The cercaria is compared with similar larvae and its taxonomic position determined.
Hotfoot Mouse Mutations Affect the δ2 Glutamate Receptor Gene and Are Allelic to Lurcher

Abstract Hotfoot (ho) is a recessive mouse mutation characterized by cerebellar ataxia associated with relatively mild abnormalities of the cerebellum. It has been previously mapped to Chromosome 6, and at least eight independent alleles have been reported. Here we show that the hotfoot phenotype is associated with mutations in the glutamate receptor ionotropic δ2 gene (Grid2). We have identified a 510-bp deletion in theGrid2coding sequence in theho4Jallele, resulting in a deletion of 170 amino acids of the extracellular domain of the receptor. Analysis of a second allele,hoTgN37INRA, revealed a 4-kb deletion in theGrid2transcript. The GRID2 protein in these hotfoot mutants probably has a reduced (or null) activity since the phenotype of hotfoot bears similarities with the previously described phenotype ofGrid2knockout mice. The exceptionally high number of independent alleles at theholocus is an invaluable tool for investigating the function of the glutamate receptor ionotropic δ2 protein, which so far remains largely unknown.
Non-native plant species benefit from disturbance: a meta-analysis.

Disturbances, such as fire and grazing, are often claimed to facilitate plant species richness and plant invasions in particular, although empirical evidence is contradictory. We conducted a meta-analysis to synthesize the literature on how non-native plant species are affected by disturbances. We explored whether the observed impact of disturbance on non-native plant communities is related to its type and frequency, to habitat type, study approach (observational or experimental), and to the temporal and spatial scales of the study. To put the results in a broader context, we also conducted a set of parallel analyses on a data set involving native plant species. The diversity and abundance of non-native plant species were significantly higher at disturbed sites than at undisturbed sites, while the diversity and abundance of native plant species did not differ between the two types of sites. The effect of disturbance on non-native plant species depended on the measure used to evaluate the impact (species diversity or abundance) and on disturbance type, with grazing and anthropogenic disturbances leading to higher diversity and abundance of non-native plant species than other disturbance types examined. The impact of disturbance on non-natives was also associated with study approach, habitat type and temporal scale, but these factors covaried with disturbance type, complicating the interpretation of the results. Overall, our results indicate that disturbance has a positive impact particularly on non-native plant species (at least when they are already present in the community), and that the strength of this impact depends primarily on the disturbance type. Synthesis Empirical evidence of the effect of disturbances on plant species richness is contradictory. Here we use a meta-analysis to synthesize the published literature on how different types of disturbances influence the diversity and abundance of plant species, focusing in particular on non-native plants. Our study supports the hypothesis that disturbances generally facilitate the diversity and abundance of non-native plant species, although the strength of this facilitation depends primarily on the disturbance type.
The pancreatic-polypeptide family of peptides: their role in the brain-gut axis

In this volume of Biomedical Reviews , Rogers and Hermann present an interesting model for the regulation of gastrointestinal function by two peptides, neuropeptide Y (NPY), and peptide YY (PYY), both of which belong to a related group of peptides known as the pancreatic polypeptide (PP)-fold family of peptides. In this review, largely of their own innovative work, they develop the hypothesis that PYY, acting as a humoral (hormonal) agent, may be a major inhibitory factor in the regulation of the upper gastrointestinal tract. In contrast, NPY would appear to be a major excitatory transmitter. How can two structurally homologous peptides produce such divergent actions? Biomedical Reviews 1997; 8: 70-72.
Role for the α7β1 integrin in vascular development and integrity

The α7β1 integrin is a laminin receptor that has been implicated in muscle disease and the development of neuromuscular and myotendinous junctions. Studies have shown the α7β1 integrin is also expressed in nonskeletal muscle tissues. To identify the expression pattern of the α7 integrin in these tissues during embryonic development, α7 integrin chain knockout mice were generated by a LacZ knockin strategy. In these mice, expression from the α7 promoter is reported by β‐galactosidase. From embryonic day (ED) 11.5 to ED14.5, β‐galactosidase was detected in the developing central and peripheral nervous systems and vasculature. The loss of the α7 integrin gene resulted in partial embryonic lethality. Several α7 null embryos were identified with cerebrovascular hemorrhages and showed reduced vascular smooth muscle cells and cerebral vascularization. The α7 null mice that survived to birth exhibited vascular smooth muscle defects, including hyperplasia and hypertrophy. In addition, altered expression of α5 and α6B integrin chains was detected in the cerebral arteries of α7 null mice, which may contribute to the vascular phenotype. Our results demonstrate for the first time that the α7β1 integrin is important for the recruitment or survival of cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells and that this integrin plays an important role in vascular development and integrity. Developmental Dynamics 234:11–21, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Diet supplied with L-lysine and L-arginine during chronic stress of high stock density normalizes growth of broilers

The effects of fortifying a diet with L-lysine HCl (Lys) and L-arginine (Arg) in broilers housed under conditions of high stock density, were studied in an experiment that measured bodyweight, feed intake, feed conversion, body temperature, serum protein, immune parameters and neutrophils. A diet fortified with Lys and Arg increased bodyweight gain in broilers housed under high stock density conditions, but not in normally housed controls. The diet fortified with Lys and Arg decreased the feed conversion ratio and abdominal fat, as compared to the effects of a control diet, without regard to housing conditions. No effects of amino acid fortification or stock density on body temperature, serum protein or immune parameters were recorded. The results indicate that an increase in the dietary supply of Lys and Arg is beneficial to broilers during stressful conditions of high stock density, potentially contributing to an enhancement of animal welfare in broiler farms.