Output signals of neural circuits, including the retina, are shaped by a combination of excitatory and inhibitory signals. Inhibitory signals can act presynaptically on axon terminals to control neurotransmitter release and regulate circuit function. However, it has been difficult to study the role of presynaptic inhibition in most neural circuits due to lack of cell-type specific and receptor-type specific perturbations. In this study, we used a transgenic approach to selectively eliminate GABAA inhibitory receptors from...

Natural selection by pollinators is an important factor in the morphological diversity and adaptive radiation of flowering plants. Selection by similar pollinators in unrelated plants leads to convergence in floral morphology, or “floral syndromes.” Previous investigations into floral syndromes have mostly studied relatively small and/or simple systems; emphasizing vertebrate-pollination. Despite the importance of multiple floral traits in plant-pollinator interactions, these studies have examined few quantitative traits, so their co-variation and phenotypic integration have been underexplored....

Antipredator behavior affects prey fitness, prey demography, and the strength of ecological interactions. Although predator-prey interactions increasingly occur in habitats that experience multiple forms of human-generated disturbance, it is unclear how different forms of disturbance might affect antipredator behavior. Fire is a contemporary disturbance that has dramatic effects on terrestrial habitats. Such habitats may have also experienced past disturbances, like agricultural land use, that leave lasting legacies on habitat structure (e.g., overstory and understory composition)....

Despite illegal killing (poaching) being the major cause of death among large carnivores globally, little is known about the effect of implementing lethal management policies on poaching. Two opposing hypotheses have been proposed in the literature: implementing lethal management may decrease poaching incidence (‘killing for tolerance’) or increase it (‘facilitated killing’). Here, we propose a test of two opposed hypotheses that poaching (reported and unreported) of Mexican grey wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) in Arizona and...

The mechanisms that govern thalamocortical transmission are poorly understood. Recent data have shown that sensory stimuli elicit activity in ensembles of cortical neurons that recapitulate stereotyped spontaneous activity patterns. Here, we elucidate a possible mechanism by which gating of patterned population cortical activity occurs. In this study, sensory-evoked all-or-none cortical population responses were observed in the mouse auditory cortex in vivo and similar stochastic cortical responses were observed in a colliculo-thalamocortical brain slice preparation. Cortical...

Traits differentially adapt plant species to particular conditions generating compositional shifts along environmental gradients. As a result, community-scale trait values show concomitant shifts, termed trait‒environment relationships. Trait‒environment relationships are often assessed by evaluating community-weighted mean (CWM) traits observed along environmental gradients. Regression-based approaches (CWMr) assume that local communities exhibit traits centered at a single optimum value and that traits do not covary meaningfully. Evidence suggests that the shape of trait‒abundance relationships can vary widely along...

A key challenge in understanding how natural selection operates is to identify the mutations and genes that make it possible. Positive selection on beneficial mutations distorts linked variation by altering the site frequency spectrum, the configuration of haplotypes, and population differentiation. By comparing patterns of sequence variation to neutral predictions across genomes, the targets of positive selection can be located. We applied this logic to an unusual population of house mice that shows phenotypic and...

Heterosis refers to the superior performance of a hybrid offspring over its two inbred parents. Although heterosis has been widely observed in agriculture, its molecular mechanism is not well studied. Recent advances in high-throughput genomic technologies such as RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) facilitate the investigation of heterosis at the gene expression level. However, it is challenging to identify genes exhibiting heterosis using RNA-seq data because high-dimension of hypotheses tests are conducted with limited sample size. Furthermore,...

Heterosis refers to the superior performance of a hybrid offspring over its two inbred parents. Although heterosis has been widely observed in agriculture, its molecular mechanism is not well studied. Recent advances in high-throughput genomic technologies such as RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) facilitate the investigation of heterosis at the gene expression level. However, it is challenging to identify genes exhibiting heterosis using RNA-seq data because high-dimension of hypotheses tests are conducted with limited sample size. Furthermore,...

Subunits of the chromatin remodeler SWI/SNF are the most frequently disrupted genes in cancer. However, how post-translational modifications (PTM) of SWI/SNF subunits elicit epigenetic dysfunction remains unknown. Arginine-methylation of BAF155 by coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) promotes triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) metastasis. Herein, we discovered the dual roles of methylated-BAF155 (me-BAF155) in promoting tumor metastasis: activation of super-enhanceraddicted oncogenes by recruiting BRD4, and repression of interferon / pathway genes to suppress host immune response....

Subcellular localization of transcripts is highly associated with regulation of gene expression, synthesis of protein, and also the development of the human brain cortex. Although many mechanisms are prevalent in the occurrence of neuroinflammation, the mechanisms based on differences in subcellular localization of transcripts have not been explored. To characterize the dynamic profile of nuclear and cytoplasmic transcripts during the progress of haemorrhage-induced neuroinflammation, we isolated nucleo-cytoplasmic RNA fractions of oxyhaemoglobin (oxy-Hb) treated microglia cells...

The ability to navigate “cocktail-party” situations by focussing on sounds of interest over irrelevant, background sounds is often considered in terms of cortical mechanisms. However, subcortical circuits such as the pathway underlying the medial olivocochlear (MOC) reflex modulate the activity of the inner ear itself, supporting the extraction of salient features from auditory scene prior to any cortical processing. To understand the contribution of auditory subcortical nuclei and the cochlea in complex listening tasks, we...

Four-dimensional data from high-resolution simulations (50 meter grid spacing) of supercell thunderstorms conducted on the Frontera supercomputer are contained in this archive. Output from two simulations is included, named "Strong" and "Weak". In the Strong simulation, data from parcel trajectories is also included. The four-dimensional (time, and three dimensions of space) data and parcel data is saved in Network Common Data Format (NetCDF), version 4, an open-source self-describing scientific data format commonly used in the...

Extensive restoration and translocation efforts beginning in the mid-20th century helped to reestablish eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) throughout their ancestral range. The adaptability of wild turkeys resulted in further population expansion in regions that were considered unfavorable during initial reintroductions across the northern United States. Identification and understanding of species distributions and contemporary habitat associations are important for guiding effective conservation and management strategies across different ecological landscapes. To investigate differences in wild...

Forest biodiversity conservation and species distribution modeling greatly benefit from broad-scale forest maps depicting tree species or forest types rather than just presence and absence of forest, or coarse classifications. Ideally, such maps would stem from satellite image classification based on abundant field data for both model training and accuracy assessments, but such field-data does not exist in many parts of the globe. However, different forest types and tree species differ in their vegetation phenology,...

To explore the effect of antepartum bleeding caused by PP on pregnancy outcomes. We retrospectively analyzed 493 pregnant women complicated with PP. Patients were divided into antepartum repeated bleeding and non-bleeding groups. Maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes were compared. The risk of antepartum hemorrhage was 2.038 times higher when gravidity was 5 (95% CI 1.104–3.760, p = .023). Pregnant women with a history of more than three intrauterine procedures had a 1.968 times higher risk...

Two new sesquiterpenoid lactone derivatives, linderin A (1) and linderin B (2) comprising a sesquiterpenoid lactone and a methyl geranylhomogentisate moiety together with six known compounds were isolated from the roots of Lindera aggregata. Their chemical structures were elucidated using extensive spectroscopic analysis including 1 D, 2 D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS data and compared with previously reported data. The absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were assigned based on the electronic circular dichroism calculation. Compound...

Two new amide glycosides, streblusoamides A (1) and B (2), along with 11 known compounds (3–13) were isolated from the leaves of Streblus ilicifolius. The structures of the isolates were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. All of the isolates were tested for inhibition of NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells to investigate their anti-inflammatory effects. The results revealed that compounds 1, 5 and 6 moderately inhibited the release of NO production with IC50 values...

Two new amide glycosides, streblusoamides A (1) and B (2), along with 11 known compounds (3–13) were isolated from the leaves of Streblus ilicifolius. The structures of the isolates were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. All of the isolates were tested for inhibition of NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells to investigate their anti-inflammatory effects. The results revealed that compounds 1, 5 and 6 moderately inhibited the release of NO production with IC50 values...

It is best practice to numb the horn buds before disbudding dairy calves, which can be achieved by injecting lidocaine, a local anesthetic, around the cornual nerve. In humans, the acute pain that occurs upon injection of lidocaine can be reduced by neutralizing the pH of the solution with an alkalizing agent, such as sodium bicarbonate. We evaluated whether buffering lidocaine would reduce calves’ behavioral and physiological responses to cornual nerve blocks on the left...

Salix nigra (black willow) is a widespread tree that hosts many species of polylectic hymenopterans and oligolectic bees of the genus Andrena. The early flowering of S. nigra makes it an important nutritive resource for insects emerging from hibernation. However, since S. nigra is dioecious, not all insect visits will lead to successful pollination. Using both visual observation and pan-trapping we characterized the community of insects that visited S. nigra flowers and assessed differences among...

The ability to tolerate neighboring plants (i.e., degree of competitive response) is a key determinant of plant success in high-competition environments. Plant genotypes adjust their functional trait expression under high levels of competition, which may help explain intraspecific variation in competitive response. However, the relationships between traits and competitive response are not well understood, especially in trees. In this study, we investigated among-genotype associations between tree trait plasticity and competitive response. We manipulated competition intensity...

This paper studies discounting in mortgage markets. Using transaction-level data on Canadian mortgages, we document that over time there's been an increase in the average discount, along with substantial dispersion. The standard explanation for dispersion in credit markets is that lenders engage in risk-based pricing. Our setting is unique since contracts are guaranteed by government-backed insurance, meaning risk cannot be the main driver of dispersion. We find that mortgage rates depend on individual, contractual, and...

Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) commonly facilitate habitat conservation on private land in the United States, yet the effectiveness of individual HCPs is rarely evaluated. Here, we assess the effectiveness of a high-profile HCP created by a lumber company to protect old-growth forest used for breeding by Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) on private land. We used 17 years of HCP-monitoring data to compare trends in murrelet occupancy and inland counts between private HCP areas and public...