Here we report a new transgenic expression system by combination of liver-specific expression, mifepristone induction and Cre-loxP recombination to conditionally control the expression of oncogenic kras[superscript]V12. This transgenic system allowed expression of kras[superscript]V12 specifically in the liver by a brief exposure of mifepristone to induce permanent genomic recombination mediated by...
Premise of research. We sought to determine the role of flowering in recovery of understory herbs from a major disturbance and to determine the effects of plant and environmental factors on flowering patterns.
Methodology. We counted flowering and nonflowering shoots in permanent plots eight to 10 times over a 30-year period for...
The direct major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigen presentation pathway ensures intracellular peptides are displayed at the cellular surface for recognition of infected or transformed cells by CD8⁺ cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Chlamydia spp. are obligate intracellular bacteria and, as such, should be targeted by CD8⁺ T cells. It is...
Temperature and humidity affect insect physiology, survival, fecundity, reproductive status and behaviour. Complementing previous work investigating the effects of temperature on adult survival and fecundity of the invasive frugivorous pest, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), this study was conducted to determine the effect of humidity on D. suzukii larval development, adult survival,...
Population viability analyses provide a quantitative approach that seeks to predict the possible future status of a species of interest under different scenarios and, therefore, can be important components of large-scale species’ conservation programs. We created a model and simulated range-wide population and breeding habitat dynamics for an endangered woodland...
Background:
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major public health burden in western societies. The progressive form of NAFLD, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is characterized by hepatosteatosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and hepatic damage that can progress to fibrosis and cirrhosis; risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma. Given the scope of NASH,...
Juvenile survival and recruitment can be more sensitive to environmental, ecological and anthropogenic factors than adult survival, influencing population-level processes like recruitment and growth rate in long-lived, iteroparous species such as southern right whales. Conventionally, Southern right whales are individually identified using callosity patterns, which do not stabilise until 6–12...
The relationships of the unusual salticid spider Depreissia from central Africa and Borneo have been difficult to resolve, obscured by its highly modified ant-like body. Phylogenetic analysis of the gene 28S strongly supports its placement outside the major clade Salticinae and within the clade of cocalodines, spartaeines and lapsiines, with...
Processed potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) products, such as chips and French fries, contribute to the dietary intake of acrylamide, a suspected human carcinogen. One of the most promising approaches for reducing its consumption is to develop and commercialize new potato varieties with low acrylamide-forming potential. To facilitate this effort, a...
Questions: Are exotic plant species favoured by non-native ungulate herbivores and disadvantaged by native herbivores in forested rangelands? Do the impacts of ungulates on exotic vs native plants depend on forest management activities such as prescribed fire and stand thinning?
Location: Northeastern Oregon, USA.
Methods: We recorded changes in richness...
Nech Sar National Park (NSNP) is one of the most important biodiversity centers in Ethiopia. In recent years, a widespread decline of the terrestrial ecosystems has been reported, yet to date there is no comprehensive assessment on degradation across the park. In this study, changes in landcover were analyzed using...
Information about spatial distribution patterns during early life stages of fish is key to understanding dispersal trajectories and connectivity from spawning to nursery areas, as well as adult population dynamics. More than 30 years of historical field data were analyzed in order to describe the horizontal and vertical distributions of...
The field of conservation genetics, when properly implemented, is a constant juggling act integrating molecular genetics, ecology, and demography with applied aspects concerning managing declining species or implementing conservation laws and policies. This young field has grown substantially since the 1980s following the development of polymerase chain reaction and now...
The role of nanotopographical extracellular matrix (ECM) cues in vascular endothelial cell (EC) organization and function is not well-understood, despite the composition of nano- to microscale fibrillar ECMs within blood vessels. Instead, the predominant modulator of EC organization and function is traditionally thought to be hemodynamic shear stress, in which...
Laser-based spectroscopic techniques, such as cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), provide a new, cost effective and more widely available approach to measure the oxygen isotope ratio in water molecules, H₂¹⁸O/H₂¹⁶O (δ¹⁸O), and are used increasingly to measure δ¹⁸O in the world's oceans. Here, we present results from an interlaboratory comparison designed...
3) The standard deviations of the SST anomalies in the HadISST1.1 dataset are 0.2–0.4°C smaller prior to 1949 than after 1949. This nonstationarity could complicate interpretations of the long HadISST1.1 data record for some studies of climate variability. It is likely attributable mostly to the improved sampling of SST observations...
Critical information for evaluating the effectiveness of management strategies for species of concern include distinguishing seldom occupied (or low-quality) habitat from habitat that is frequently occupied and thus contributes substantially to population trends. Using multi-season models that account for imperfect detection and a long-term (1981-2002) dataset on migratory Arctic Peregrine...
Adult Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) migrate from salt water to freshwater streams to spawn. Immune responses in migrating adult salmon are thought to diminish in the run up to spawning, though the exact mechanisms for diminished immune responses remain unknown. Here we examine both adaptive and innate immune responses as...
Large “hypercarnivorous” felids are recognized for their role as apex predators and hence as key elements in food webs and ecosystem functioning through competition and depredation. Here we show that cougars (Puma concolor), one of the largest and the most widely ranging apex felid predators with a strictly carnivorous diet,...