WorldWideScience

Sample records for silene acaulis caryophyllaceae

  1. The alpine cushion plant Silene acaulis as foundation species: a bug's-eye view to facilitation and microclimate.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olivia Molenda

    Full Text Available Alpine ecosystems are important globally with high levels of endemic and rare species. Given that they will be highly impacted by climate change, understanding biotic factors that maintain diversity is critical. Silene acaulis is a common alpine nurse plant shown to positively influence the diversity and abundance of organisms--predominantly other plant species. The hypothesis that cushion or nurse plants in general are important to multiple trophic levels has been proposed but rarely tested. Alpine arthropod diversity is also largely understudied worldwide, and the plant-arthropod interactions reported are mostly negative, that is,. herbivory. Plant and arthropod diversity and abundance were sampled on S. acaulis and at paired adjacent microsites with other non-cushion forming vegetation present on Whistler Mountain, B.C., Canada to examine the relative trophic effects of cushion plants. Plant species richness and abundance but not Simpson's diversity index was higher on cushion microsites relative to other vegetation. Arthropod richness, abundance, and diversity were all higher on cushion microsites relative to other vegetated sites. On a microclimatic scale, S. acaulis ameliorated stressful conditions for plants and invertebrates living inside it, but the highest levels of arthropod diversity were observed on cushions with tall plant growth. Hence, alpine cushion plants can be foundation species not only for other plant species but other trophic levels, and these impacts are expressed through both direct and indirect effects associated with altered environmental conditions and localized productivity. Whilst this case study tests a limited subset of the membership of alpine animal communities, it clearly demonstrates that cushion-forming plant species are an important consideration in understanding resilience to global changes for many organisms in addition to other plants.

  2. Vicariance, long-distance dispersal, and regional extinction-recolonization dynamics explain the disjunct circumpolar distribution of the arctic-alpine plant Silene acaulis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gussarova, Galina; Allen, Geraldine A; Mikhaylova, Yulia; McCormick, Laurie J; Mirré, Virginia; Marr, Kendrick L; Hebda, Richard J; Brochmann, Christian

    2015-10-01

    Many arctic-alpine species have vast geographic ranges, but these may encompass substantial gaps whose origins are poorly understood. Here we address the phylogeographic history of Silene acaulis, a perennial cushion plant with a circumpolar distribution except for a large gap in Siberia. We assessed genetic variation in a range-wide sample of 103 populations using plastid DNA (pDNA) sequences and AFLPs (amplified fragment length polymorphisms). We constructed a haplotype network and performed Bayesian phylogenetic analyses based on plastid sequences. We visualized AFLP patterns using principal coordinate analysis, identified genetic groups using the program structure, and estimated genetic diversity and rarity indices by geographic region. The history of the main pDNA lineages was estimated to span several glaciations. AFLP data revealed a distinct division between Beringia/North America and Europe/East Greenland. These two regions shared only one of 17 pDNA haplotypes. Populations on opposite sides of the Siberian range gap (Ural Mountains and Chukotka) were genetically distinct and appear to have resulted from postglacial leading-edge colonizations. We inferred two refugia in North America (Beringia and the southern Rocky Mountains) and two in Europe (central-southern Europe and northern Europe/East Greenland). Patterns in the East Atlantic region suggested transoceanic long-distance dispersal events. Silene acaulis has a highly dynamic history characterized by vicariance, regional extinction, and recolonization, with persistence in at least four refugia. Long-distance dispersal explains patterns across the Atlantic Ocean, but we found no evidence of dispersal across the Siberian range gap. © 2015 Botanical Society of America.

  3. The complete chloroplast genome sequences of Lychnis wilfordii and Silene capitata and comparative analyses with other Caryophyllaceae genomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Jong-Soo; Lee, Byoung Yoon; Kwak, Myounghai

    2017-01-01

    The complete chloroplast genomes of Lychnis wilfordii and Silene capitata were determined and compared with ten previously reported Caryophyllaceae chloroplast genomes. The chloroplast genome sequences of L. wilfordii and S. capitata contain 152,320 bp and 150,224 bp, respectively. The gene contents and orders among 12 Caryophyllaceae species are consistent, but several microstructural changes have occurred. Expansion of the inverted repeat (IR) regions at the large single copy (LSC)/IRb and small single copy (SSC)/IR boundaries led to partial or entire gene duplications. Additionally, rearrangements of the LSC region were caused by gene inversions and/or transpositions. The 18 kb inversions, which occurred three times in different lineages of tribe Sileneae, were thought to be facilitated by the intermolecular duplicated sequences. Sequence analyses of the L. wilfordii and S. capitata genomes revealed 39 and 43 repeats, respectively, including forward, palindromic, and reverse repeats. In addition, a total of 67 and 56 simple sequence repeats were discovered in the L. wilfordii and S. capitata chloroplast genomes, respectively. Finally, we constructed phylogenetic trees of the 12 Caryophyllaceae species and two Amaranthaceae species based on 73 protein-coding genes using both maximum parsimony and likelihood methods.

  4. Improving niche projections of plant species under climate change: Silene acaulis on the British Isles as a case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrarini, Alessandro; Alsafran, Mohammed H. S. A.; Dai, Junhu; Alatalo, Juha M.

    2018-04-01

    Empirical works to assist in choosing climatically relevant variables in the attempt to predict climate change impacts on plant species are limited. Further uncertainties arise in choice of an appropriate niche model. In this study we devised and tested a sharp methodological framework, based on stringent variable ranking and filtering and flexible model selection, to minimize uncertainty in both niche modelling and successive projection of plant species distributions. We used our approach to develop an accurate, parsimonious model of Silene acaulis (L.) presence/absence on the British Isles and to project its presence/absence under climate change. The approach suggests the importance of (a) defining a reduced set of climate variables, actually relevant to species presence/absence, from an extensive list of climate predictors, and (b) considering climate extremes instead of, or together with, climate averages in projections of plant species presence/absence under future climate scenarios. Our methodological approach reduced the number of relevant climate predictors by 95.23% (from 84 to only 4), while simultaneously achieving high cross-validated accuracy (97.84%) confirming enhanced model performance. Projections produced under different climate scenarios suggest that S. acaulis will likely face climate-driven fast decline in suitable areas on the British Isles, and that upward and northward shifts to occupy new climatically suitable areas are improbable in the future. Our results also imply that conservation measures for S. acaulis based upon assisted colonization are unlikely to succeed on the British Isles due to the absence of climatically suitable habitat, so different conservation actions (seed banks and/or botanical gardens) are needed.

  5. Inbreeding and oubreeding effects on pollen fitness and zygote survival in Silene nutans (Caryophyllaceae)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hauser, Thure Pavlo; Siegismund, H.R.

    2000-01-01

    inbreeding depression, oubreeding effects, outcrossing, pollen fitness, selfing, Silene nutans, zygote survival......inbreeding depression, oubreeding effects, outcrossing, pollen fitness, selfing, Silene nutans, zygote survival...

  6. Silene noctiflora L., present in the flora of Kosovo and Metohija (Serbia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prodanović, D.

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The genus Silene (family Caryophyllaceae comprises more than 700 species and it is one of the larger genera of the World’s flora. Studying the flora of the plain part of Kosovo and Metohija, in the village of Gračanica, on the eastern rim of the Kosovo basin (approximately 10 km to the south of Priština, near the Gračanka stream, we identified a weed and ruderal species, Silene noctiflora. The part of the stream bank is urbanised and turned into a quay. The quay is regularly maintained implying that the banks are regularly weeded and the riverbeds are cleaned as the Typha latifolia species rapidly grows; it may be the reason why this species was not immediately detected and appropriately identified. Except for the afore mentioned locality, the species was also reported on the neglected arable fields and tilths, around the unkempt orchards, along the new tarmac road between Gračanica and Laplje Selo, on the locality called Labura. Silene noctiflora is not mentioned for the region of Kosovo and Metohija in the new and revised edition of the book Flora of Serbia 2.

  7. Genomic diversity in two related plant species with and without sex chromosomes--Silene latifolia and S. vulgaris.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Radim Cegan

    Full Text Available Genome size evolution is a complex process influenced by polyploidization, satellite DNA accumulation, and expansion of retroelements. How this process could be affected by different reproductive strategies is still poorly understood.We analyzed differences in the number and distribution of major repetitive DNA elements in two closely related species, Silene latifolia and S. vulgaris. Both species are diploid and possess the same chromosome number (2n = 24, but differ in their genome size and mode of reproduction. The dioecious S. latifolia (1C = 2.70 pg DNA possesses sex chromosomes and its genome is 2.5× larger than that of the gynodioecious S. vulgaris (1C = 1.13 pg DNA, which does not possess sex chromosomes. We discovered that the genome of S. latifolia is larger mainly due to the expansion of Ogre retrotransposons. Surprisingly, the centromeric STAR-C and TR1 tandem repeats were found to be more abundant in S. vulgaris, the species with the smaller genome. We further examined the distribution of major repetitive sequences in related species in the Caryophyllaceae family. The results of FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization on mitotic chromosomes with the Retand element indicate that large rearrangements occurred during the evolution of the Caryophyllaceae family.Our data demonstrate that the evolution of genome size in the genus Silene is accompanied by the expansion of different repetitive elements with specific patterns in the dioecious species possessing the sex chromosomes.

  8. Breeding system in the dichogamous hermaphrodite Silene acutifolia (Caryophyllaceae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buide, M L; Guitian, J

    2002-12-01

    The breeding system of the dichogamous hermaphrodite species Silene acutifolia, endemic to north-west Spain and north and central Portugal, is examined. Pollen germinability and style-stigma receptivity were analysed to determine whether protandry is a barrier to self-fertilization. By 48 h after anthesis, pollen germinability had declined to approx. 10 %. The short straight styles are not receptive when flowers first open. They gradually elongate and curve outwards, develop stigma papillae and become receptive. There is no clear separation between stigma and style: the stigma papillae appear in a line along the length of the style. Fruit set is high regardless of pollen source; however, seed set is significantly reduced after both spontaneous and facilitated autogamy. Seed set following spontaneous autogamy was 30 % (86 % in controls) in 1998 and 33 % (87 % in controls) in 1999. Seed set following facilitated autogamy was 62 % (86 % in controls) in 1998 and 67 % (89 % in controls) in 1999. Thus, separation of the male and female phases does not prevent production of seeds by self-pollination, although it does reduce the likelihood of this. Furthermore, results of the present experiments indicate that this species has no self-incompatibility mechanisms (self-compatibility index = 0.98). The selfing rate in the study population was 0.41, which is supported by the lack of self-incompatibility systems and by the incomplete protandry. Copyright 2002 Annals of Botany Company

  9. A comparison of pollen-siring ability and life history between males and hermaphrodites of subdioecious Silene acaulis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Philipp, Marianne; Jakobsen, Ruth Bruus; Nachman, Gøsta Støger

    2009-01-01

    was performed in which females were hand A pollen-competition experiment was performed in which females were hand pollinated with a mixture of pollen from males and hermaphrodites, all with known isozyme alleles, which allowed determination of who sired each seed. We recorded plant size, flower morphology......, hermaphrodite, and male individuals. The sex expression of males and hermaphrodites can vary over years for the same individual, while females are always females. Previous studies have shown that outcrossed seeds from females become seedlings with higher survival and growth rates than those from outcrossed...... seeds from hermaphrodites.Questions: (1) Do pollen grains from males exhibit some advantage over pollen from (1) Do pollen grains from males exhibit some advantage over pollen from hermaphrodites? In particular, do they sire more seeds than hermaphrodites? (2) Is the reproductive system of S. acaulis...

  10. A taxonomic revision of the southern African native and naturalized species of Silene L. (Caryophyllaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. C. Manning

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The native and naturalized species of Silene L. in southern Africa are reviewed, with full synonomy and the description of two new species from the West Coast of Western Cape. Eight native species and three naturalized species are recognized, including the first identification in southern Africa of the Mediterranean S. nocturna L. The identity of S. aethiopica Burm., which has remained unknown since its description, is established and is found to be the oldest name for S. clandestina Jacq. Patterns of morphological variation within each species are discussed and subspecies are recognized for geographically segregated groups of populations that are ± morphologically diagnosable. The following new names or combinations are made among the southern African taxa: S. aethiopica subsp. longiflora; S. burchellii subsp. modesta, subsp. multiflora, and subsp. pilosellifolia; S. crassifolia subsp. primuliflora; S. saldanhensis; S. rigens; and S. undulata subsp. polyantha. Each taxon is described, with information on ecology and distribution, and most species are illustrated, including SEM micrographs of the seeds.

  11. Nectar sugar composition of European Caryophylloideae (Caryophyllaceae) in relation to flower length, pollination biology and phylogeny.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Witt, T; Jürgens, A; Gottsberger, G

    2013-10-01

    Floral nectar composition has been explained as an adaptation to factors that are either directly or indirectly related to pollinator attraction. However, it is often unclear whether the sugar composition is a direct adaptation to pollinator preferences. Firstly, the lower osmolality of sucrose solutions means that they evaporate more rapidly than hexose solutions, which might be one reason why sucrose-rich nectar is typically found in flowers with long tubes (adapted to long-tongued pollinators), where it is better protected from evaporation than in open or short-tubed flowers. Secondly, it can be assumed that temperature-dependent evaporation is generally lower during the night than during the day so that selection pressure to secrete nectar with high osmolality (i.e. hexose-rich solutions) is relaxed for night-active flowers pollinated at night. Thirdly, the breeding system may affect selection pressure on nectar traits; that is, for pollinator-independent, self-pollinated plants, a lower selective pressure on nectar traits can be assumed, leading to a higher variability of nectar sugar composition independent of pollinator preferences, nectar accessibility and nectar protection. To analyse the relations between flower tube length, day vs. night pollination and self-pollination, the nectar sugar composition was investigated in 78 European Caryophylloideae (Caryophyllaceae) with different pollination modes (diurnal, nocturnal, self-pollination) using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). All Caryophylleae species (Dianthus and relatives) were found to have nectar with more than 50% sucrose, whereas the sugar composition of Sileneae species (Silene and relatives) ranged from 0% to 98.2%. In the genus Silene, a clear dichotomous distribution of sucrose- and hexose-dominant nectars is evident. We found a positive correlation between the flower tube length and sucrose content in Caryophylloideae, particularly in day-flowering species, using both conventional

  12. Transcriptome and biochemical analysis of a flower color polymorphism in Silene littorea (Caryophyllaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Inés eCasimiro-Soriguer

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Flower color polymorphisms are widely used as model traits from genetics to ecology, yet determining the biochemical and molecular basis can be challenging. Anthocyanin-based flower color variations can be caused by at least 12 structural and three regulatory genes in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway. We use mRNA-Seq to simultaneously sequence and estimate expression of these candidate genes in nine samples of Silene littorea representing three color morphs (dark pink, light pink and white across three developmental stages in hopes of identifying the cause of flower color variation. We identified 29 putative paralogues for the 15 candidate genes in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway. We assembled complete coding sequences for 16 structural loci and nine of ten regulatory loci. Among these 29 putative paralogues, we identified 622 SNPs, yet only nine synonymous SNPs in Ans had allele frequencies that differentiated pigmented petals (dark pink and light pink from white petals. These Ans allele frequency differences were further investigated with an expanded sequencing survey of 38 individuals, yet no SNPs consistently differentiated the color morphs. We also found one locus, F3h1, with strong differential expression between pigmented and white samples (>42x. This may be caused by decreased expression of Myb1a in white petal buds. Myb1a in S. littorea is a regulatory locus closely related to Subgroup 7 Mybs known to regulate F3h and other loci in the first half of the ABP in model species. We then compare the mRNA-Seq results with petal biochemistry which revealed cyanidin as the primary anthocyanin and five flavonoid intermediates. Concentrations of three of the flavonoid intermediates were significantly lower in white petals than in pigmented petals (rutin, quercetin and isovitexin. The biochemistry results for rutin, quercetin, luteolin and apigenin are consistent with the transcriptome results suggesting a blockage at F3h, possibly caused

  13. Ecological implications of reduced pollen supply in the alpine: a case study using a dominant cushion plant species [v2; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/3xc

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anya Reid

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The reproductive assurance hypothesis states that self-incompatible female plants must produce twice the number of seeds relative to their self-compatible hermaphroditic counterparts to persist in gynodioecious populations. This is a viable life-history strategy, provided that pollination rates are sufficiently high. However, reduced pollination rates in alpine plants are likely due to climate induced plant-pollinator mismatches and general declines in pollinators. Using a gynodioecious population of the dominant plant Silene acaulis (Caryophyllaceae, we tested the reproductive assurance hypothesis and also the stress gradient hypothesis with a series of pollinator exclusion trials and extensive measurements of subsequent reproductive output (gender ratio, plant size, percent fruit-set, fruit weight, seeds per fruit, total seeds, seed weight, and seed germination. The reproductive assurance hypothesis was supported with female plants being more sensitive to and less likely to be viable under reductions in pollination rates. These findings are the first to show that the stress gradient hypothesis is also supported under a gradient of pollen supply instead of environmental limitations. Beneficiary abundance was negatively correlated to percent fruit-set under current pollen supply, but became positive under reduced pollen supply suggesting that there are important plant-plant-pollinator interactions related to reproduction in these alpine plant species.

  14. Ecological implications of reduced pollen deposition in alpine plants: a case study using a dominant cushion plant species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reid, Anya; Hooper, Robyn; Molenda, Olivia; Lortie, Christopher J

    2014-01-01

    The reproductive assurance hypothesis states that self-incompatible female plants must produce twice the number of seeds relative to their self-compatible hermaphroditic counterparts to persist in gynodioecious populations. This is a viable life-history strategy, provided that pollination rates are sufficiently high. However, reduced pollination rates in alpine plants are likely due to climate induced plant-pollinator mismatches and general declines in pollinators. Using a gynodioecious population of the dominant plant Silene acaulis (Caryophyllaceae), we tested the reproductive assurance hypothesis and also the stress gradient hypothesis with a series of pollinator exclusion trials and extensive measurements of subsequent reproductive output (gender ratio, plant size, percent fruit-set, fruit weight, seeds per fruit, total seeds, seed weight, and seed germination). The reproductive assurance hypothesis was supported with female plants being more sensitive to and less likely to be viable under reductions in pollination rates. These findings are the first to show that the stress gradient hypothesis is also supported under a gradient of pollen supply instead of environmental limitations. Beneficiary abundance was negatively correlated to percent fruit-set under current pollen supply, but became positive under reduced pollen supply suggesting that there are important plant-plant-pollinator interactions related to reproduction in these alpine plant species.

  15. Paronychia manfrediana (Caryophyllaceae), a new species from northeast Greece

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tan, Kit; Strid, Arne

    2008-01-01

    Paronychia manfrediana (Caryophyllaceae) is decribed as a species new to science based on material collected near the Turkish border in northeastern Greece; it is illustrated by a photograph. Although belonging to Paronychia sect. Heterosepalae it bears a strong resemblance to P.macedonica (Paron...

  16. Caryophyllaceae endémicas del Perú

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asunción Cano

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The Caryophyllaceae are represented in Peru by 19 genera and 126 species (Brako & Zarucchi, 1993, mainly herbs and subshrubs. Here we recognize 44 endemic taxa in 11 genera. We applied IUCN categories and criteria to 43 taxa. Endemic taxa are found mainly in the High- Andean and Mesoandean regions, between 2500 and 4950 m elevation. Ten endemic species have been registered within Peru´s protected areas system.

  17. Fuel solution criticality accident studies with the SILENE reactor: phenomenology, consequences and simulated intervention

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barbry, F.

    1984-01-01

    After defining the content and the objectives of criticality accident studies, the SILENE reactor, a means of studying fuel solution criticality accidents, is presented. Information obtained from the CRAC and SILENE experimental programs are then presented; they concern power excursion phenomenology, radiological consequences, and finally guide-lines for current and future programs

  18. Research program and uses of the solution fueled reactor SILENE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barbry, F.; Ratel, R.

    1985-09-01

    Designed and operated by the Nuclear Protection and Safety Institute of the CEA, SILENE is an original small sized reactor fueled with an uranyl nitrate solution. The reactor is capable to operate in three modes: ''Pulse'' operation (high power levels up to 1000 Megawatts during several millisecond), ''Free evolution'' operation (simulation of criticality accident excursions), ''Steady state'' operation in a power range of 0.01 W to 1 kW. The core can be surrounded by appropriate shields (lead, polyethylene) to vary the leakage radiations and the gamma to neutron dose ratio. It's possible to insert in the central cavity of the annular core vessel some capsules, devices or samples to be submitted to very high radiations levels. The research activities are mainly devoted towards nuclear safety studies: the criticality accident studies, and the behavior of oxide fuels under transient conditions. Some examples of tests are presented. As to other applications of the SILENE facility, the main studies now in progress deal with: designing and calibration of Health physics intrumentation, neutron and gamma dosimetry, and, radiobiology. Once the characteristics of radiation field are qualified by calculations and experimental techniques, SILENE will be proposed as a reference source [fr

  19. Pollinator specialization and pollination syndromes of three related North American Silene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, Richard J; Westbrook, M Jody; Rohde, Alexandra S; Cridland, Julie M; Fenster, Charles B; Dudash, Michele R

    2009-08-01

    Community and biogeographic surveys often conclude that plant-pollinator interactions are highly generalized. Thus, a central implication of the pollination syndrome concept, that floral trait evolution occurs primarily via specialized interactions of plants with their pollinators, has been questioned. However, broad surveys may not distinguish whether flower visitors are actual pollen vectors and hence lack power to assess the relationship between syndrome traits and the pollinators responsible for their evolution. Here we address whether the floral traits of three closely related hermaphroditic Silene spp. native to eastern North America (S. caroliniana, S. virginica, and S. stellata) correspond to predicted specialized pollination based on floral differences among the three species and the congruence of these floral features with recognized pollination syndromes. A nocturnal/diurnal pollinator exclusion experiment demonstrated that all three Silene spp. have diurnal pollinators, and only S. stellata has nocturnal pollinators. Multiyear studies of visitation rates demonstrated that large bees, hummingbirds, and nocturnal moths were the most frequent pollinators of S. caroliniana, S. virginica, and S. stellata, respectively. Estimates of pollen grains deposited and removed per visit generally corroborated the visitation rate results for all three species. However, the relatively infrequent diurnal hawkmoth pollinators of S. caroliniana were equally effective and more efficient than the most frequent large bee visitors. Pollinator importance (visitation X deposition) of each of the animal visitors to each species was estimated and demonstrated that in most years large bees and nocturnal moths were the most important pollinators of S. caroliniana and S. stellata, respectively. By quantifying comprehensive aspects of the pollination process we determined that S. virginica and S. stellata were specialized on hummingbirds and nocturnal moths, respectively, and S

  20. [Examples of the keeping of drugs during the XVIth, XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries: silenes and drawers].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fievet, B

    1998-01-01

    Silenes are wooden boxes with colourful paintings for the keeping of drugs and can be found nowadays in three collections in France: Hotel-Dieu in Troyes (Aube), a pharmacy in Bauge (Maine-et-Loire) and St-Roch museum in Issoudun (Indre). Drawers can be related to silenes but they are more ordinary and less attractive.

  1. On the distribution of Cerastium smolikanum (Caryophyllaceae) and Centaurea vlachorum (Asteraceae) in the Balkan Peninsula

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shuka, Lulezim; Tan, Kit

    2009-01-01

    Cerastium smolikanum (Caryophyllaceae) and Centaurea vlachorum (Asteraceae) are reported for the first () and () are reported for the first time in C and NE Albania. These two taxa were previously considered serpentine endemics restricted to a few localities in NW Greece and the extension...

  2. De novo transcriptome assembly of heavy metal tolerant Silene dioica

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Čegan, R.; Hudzieczek, V.; Hobza, Roman

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 11, MAR (2017), s. 118-119 ISSN 2213-5960 Institutional support: RVO:61389030 Keywords : genome * Silene dioica * RNA-Seq * Transcriptome * Heavy metal tolerance * Sex chromosomes Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Plant sciences, botany

  3. DRDC Ottawa Participation in the SILENE Accident Dosimetry Intercomparison Exercise. June 10-21, 2002

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Prud'homme-Lalonde, L

    2002-01-01

    .... The SILENE International Accident Dosimetry Intercomparison Exercise at Valduc, France in June 2002 coincided with DRDC Ottawa work designed to refine its proposed criticality dosimetry system...

  4. Comparative high-throughput transcriptome sequencing and development of SiESTa, the Silene EST annotation database

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marais Gabriel AB

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The genus Silene is widely used as a model system for addressing ecological and evolutionary questions in plants, but advances in using the genus as a model system are impeded by the lack of available resources for studying its genome. Massively parallel sequencing cDNA has recently developed into an efficient method for characterizing the transcriptomes of non-model organisms, generating massive amounts of data that enable the study of multiple species in a comparative framework. The sequences generated provide an excellent resource for identifying expressed genes, characterizing functional variation and developing molecular markers, thereby laying the foundations for future studies on gene sequence and gene expression divergence. Here, we report the results of a comparative transcriptome sequencing study of eight individuals representing four Silene and one Dianthus species as outgroup. All sequences and annotations have been deposited in a newly developed and publicly available database called SiESTa, the Silene EST annotation database. Results A total of 1,041,122 EST reads were generated in two runs on a Roche GS-FLX 454 pyrosequencing platform. EST reads were analyzed separately for all eight individuals sequenced and were assembled into contigs using TGICL. These were annotated with results from BLASTX searches and Gene Ontology (GO terms, and thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs were characterized. Unassembled reads were kept as singletons and together with the contigs contributed to the unigenes characterized in each individual. The high quality of unigenes is evidenced by the proportion (49% that have significant hits in similarity searches with the A. thaliana proteome. The SiESTa database is accessible at http://www.siesta.ethz.ch. Conclusion The sequence collections established in the present study provide an important genomic resource for four Silene and one Dianthus species and will help to

  5. Comparative high-throughput transcriptome sequencing and development of SiESTa, the Silene EST annotation database

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background The genus Silene is widely used as a model system for addressing ecological and evolutionary questions in plants, but advances in using the genus as a model system are impeded by the lack of available resources for studying its genome. Massively parallel sequencing cDNA has recently developed into an efficient method for characterizing the transcriptomes of non-model organisms, generating massive amounts of data that enable the study of multiple species in a comparative framework. The sequences generated provide an excellent resource for identifying expressed genes, characterizing functional variation and developing molecular markers, thereby laying the foundations for future studies on gene sequence and gene expression divergence. Here, we report the results of a comparative transcriptome sequencing study of eight individuals representing four Silene and one Dianthus species as outgroup. All sequences and annotations have been deposited in a newly developed and publicly available database called SiESTa, the Silene EST annotation database. Results A total of 1,041,122 EST reads were generated in two runs on a Roche GS-FLX 454 pyrosequencing platform. EST reads were analyzed separately for all eight individuals sequenced and were assembled into contigs using TGICL. These were annotated with results from BLASTX searches and Gene Ontology (GO) terms, and thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were characterized. Unassembled reads were kept as singletons and together with the contigs contributed to the unigenes characterized in each individual. The high quality of unigenes is evidenced by the proportion (49%) that have significant hits in similarity searches with the A. thaliana proteome. The SiESTa database is accessible at http://www.siesta.ethz.ch. Conclusion The sequence collections established in the present study provide an important genomic resource for four Silene and one Dianthus species and will help to further develop Silene as a

  6. Analytical evaluation of dose measurement of critical accident at SILENE (Contract research)

    CERN Document Server

    Nakamura, T; Tonoike, K

    2003-01-01

    Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) jointly organized SILENE Accident Dosimetry Intercomparison Exercise to intercompare the dose measurement systems of participating countries. Each participating country carried out dose measurements in the same irradiation field, and the measurement results were mutually compared. The participated in the exercise to measure the doses of gamma rays and neutron from SILENE by using thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD's) and an alanine dosimeter. In this examination, the derived evaluation formulae for obtaining a tissue-absorbed dose from measured value (ambient dose equivalent) of TLD for neutron. We reported the tissue-absorbed dose computed using this evaluation formula to OECD/NEA. TLD's for neutron were irradiated in the TRACY facility to verify the evaluation formulae. The results of TLD's were compared with the calculations of MCNP and measurements with alanine dose meter. We found that the ratio of the dose b...

  7. Patterns of molecular evolution in dioecious and non-dioecious Silene

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kaefer, J.; Talianová, Martina; Bigot, T.; Michu, Elleni; Gueguen, L.; Widmer, A.; Žlůvová, Jitka; Glemin, S.; Marais, G.A.B.

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 26, č. 2 (2013), s. 335-346 ISSN 1010-061X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA521/08/0932; GA ČR(CZ) GD204/09/H002; GA ČR(CZ) GBP501/12/G090 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : purifying selection * reproductive systems * Silene latifolia Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 3.483, year: 2013

  8. Photosynthetic responses to temperature and light of Antarctic and Andean populations of Colobanthus quitensis (Caryophyllaceae) Respuestas fotosintéticas a la temperatura y a la luz de poblaciones antarticas y andinas de Colobanthus quitensis (Caryophyllaceae)

    OpenAIRE

    ÁNGELA SIERRA-ALMEIDA; M. ANGÉLICA CASANOVA-KATNY; LEÓN A BRAVO; LUIS J CORCUERA; LOHENGRIN A CAVIERES

    2007-01-01

    Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth, 1831) Bartling (Caryophyllaceae) is characterized by a wide latitudinal distribution, ranging between the tropical high Andes and the Antarctic Peninsula. Although both habitat types are characterized by cold and freezing temperatures, important microclimatic differences exist during the growing season. Hence, important differences in the response of the photosynthetic apparatus to abiotic factors could be expected between Antarctic and Andean populations of C. q...

  9. Status and limiting factors of two rare plant species in dry montane communities of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pratt, Linda W.; VanDeMark, Joshua R.; Euaparadorn, Melody

    2012-01-01

    Two rare plants native to montane dry forests and woodland communities of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO) were studied for more than two years to determine their stand structure, short-term mortality rates, patterns of reproductive phenology, success of fruit production, floral visitor composition, seed germination rates in the greenhouse, and survival of both natural and planted seedlings. Phyllostegia stachyoides, a shrubby Hawaiian mint (Lamiaceae) that is a species of concern, was studied within two small kīpuka at a natural population on the park’s Mauna Loa Strip, and three plantings at sites along the Mauna Loa Road were also monitored. Silene hawaiiensis, a threatened shrub species in the pink family (Caryophyllaceae), was monitored at two natural populations, one on Mauna Loa at the Three Trees Kīpuka and the second on Kīlauea Crater Rim south of Halema`uma`u. Silene hawaiiensis plantings were also made inside and outside ungulate exclosures at the park’s Kahuku Unit

  10. Orobanche caryophyllacea Sm. (Orobanchaceae in Poland: current distribution, taxonomy, plant communities and hosts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renata Piwowarczyk

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the current distribution of Orobanche caryophyllacea Sm. in Poland based on a critical revision of herbarium and literature data as well as the results of my field studies. The majority of localities are in south and south-eastern Poland: Małopolska Upland, Lublin Upland, Roztocze, Przemyśl Foothills, Pieniny Mts, rarely in the valleys of the Lower Vistula and Oder rivers or Wolin island. The distribution map in Poland is included. The taxonomy, biology and ecology of the species are discussed.

  11. 2010 Criticality Accident Alarm System Benchmark Experiments At The CEA Valduc SILENE Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, Thomas Martin; Dunn, Michael E.; Wagner, John C.; McMahan, Kimberly L.; Authier, Nicolas; Jacquet, Xavier; Rousseau, Guillaume; Wolff, Herve; Piot, Jerome; Savanier, Laurence; Baclet, Nathalie; Lee, Yi-kang; Masse, Veronique; Trama, Jean-Christophe; Gagnier, Emmanuel; Naury, Sylvie; Lenain, Richard; Hunter, Richard; Kim, Soon; Dulik, George Michael; Reynolds, Kevin H.

    2011-01-01

    Several experiments were performed at the CEA Valduc SILENE reactor facility, which are intended to be published as evaluated benchmark experiments in the ICSBEP Handbook. These evaluated benchmarks will be useful for the verification and validation of radiation transport codes and evaluated nuclear data, particularly those that are used in the analysis of CAASs. During these experiments SILENE was operated in pulsed mode in order to be representative of a criticality accident, which is rare among shielding benchmarks. Measurements of the neutron flux were made with neutron activation foils and measurements of photon doses were made with TLDs. Also unique to these experiments was the presence of several detectors used in actual CAASs, which allowed for the observation of their behavior during an actual critical pulse. This paper presents the preliminary measurement data currently available from these experiments. Also presented are comparisons of preliminary computational results with Scale and TRIPOLI-4 to the preliminary measurement data.

  12. Arsenate tolerance in Silene paradoxa does not rely on phytochelatin-dependent sequestration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arnetoli, Miluscia; Vooijs, Riet; Bookum, Wilma ten; Galardi, Francesca; Gonnelli, Cristina; Gabbrielli, Roberto; Schat, Henk; Verkleij, Jos A.C.

    2008-01-01

    Arsenate tolerance, As accumulation and As-induced phytochelatin accumulation were compared in populations of Silene paradoxa, one from a mine site enriched in As, Cu and Zn, the other from an uncontaminated site. The mine population was significantly more arsenate-tolerant. Arsenate uptake and root-to-shoot transport were slightly but significantly higher in the non-mine plants. The difference in uptake was quantitatively insufficient to explain the difference in tolerance between the populations. As accumulation in the roots was similar in both populations, but the mine plants accumulated much less phytochelatins than the non-mine plants. The mean phytochelatin chain length, however, was higher in the mine population, possibly due to a constitutively lower cellular glutathione level. It is argued that the mine plants must possess an arsenic detoxification mechanism other than arsenate reduction and subsequent phytochelatin-based sequestration. This alternative mechanism might explain at least some part of the superior tolerance in the mine plants. - Neither decreased uptake nor phytochelatins seem to play a role in the As tolerance in Silene paradoxa

  13. Dioecious Silene latifolia plants show sexual dimorphism in the vegetative stage

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Žlůvová, Jitka; Žák, Jiří; Janoušek, Bohuslav; Vyskot, Boris

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 10, č. 208 (2010), s. 1-5 ISSN 1471-2229 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) KJB600040801; GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA600040801; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/10/0102 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507; CEZ:AV0Z50040702 Keywords : sex dimorphism * Silene latifolia * dioecious plants Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 4.085, year: 2010

  14. Medicinal plants of the family Caryophyllaceae: a review of ethno-medicinal uses and pharmacological properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satish Chandra

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Several species of the family Caryophyllaceae are widely used by many ethnic communities as traditional medicine throughout the world. The highest number of plants of the family are used in Chinese traditional medicine. The ethnopharmacologial studies of this family indicate that plants of the family possess anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Other miscellaneous properties reported are ribosome inactivation properties, inhibition of prostatic enlargement in rats, and inhibition of intestinal enzyme carboxyelasterase in rats, cerebro-protective activity, and antiobesity in rats. Few reviews have been published yet, providing information regarding medicinal plants of the family and their biomedical properties. All published reviews have focused either on a particular taxa or a few species. The present review is focused on the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the family Caryophyllaceae along with phytochemical and pharmacological studies of the family. A study of the literature revealed significant traditional medicinal importance of the family. Major chemical constituents of Caryophyllceae are saponins, Phytoecdysteroids, benzenoids, phenyl propanoids, and nitrogen containing compounds. The most important property of plants of the family is anticancer activity and is shown by the large number of plant species studied. This review of traditional medicinal and pharmacological uses of plants of the family, provide a ground for future research in the family.

  15. The SILENE reactor: an instrument suitable for studying the impact of intermediate and high radiation doses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verray, B.; Leo, Y.; Fouillaud, P.

    2002-01-01

    Designed in 1974 to study the phenomenology and consequences of a criticality accident, the SILENE experimental reactor, an intense source of mixed neutron and gamma radiation, is also suited to radiobiological studies. (author)

  16. On flavonoid accumulation in different plant parts: Variation patterns among individuals and populations in the shore campion (Silene littorea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jose Carlos Del Valle

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The presence of anthocyanins in flowers and fruits is frequently attributed to attracting pollinators and dispersers. In vegetative organs, anthocyanins and other non-pigmented flavonoids such as flavones and flavonols may serve protective functions against UV radiation, cold, heat, drought, salinity, pathogens and herbivores; thus, these compounds are usually produced as a plastic response to such stressors. Although the independent accumulation of anthocyanins in reproductive and vegetative tissues is commonly postulated due to differential regulation, the accumulation of flavonoids within and among populations has never been thoroughly compared. Here, we investigated the shore campion (Silene littorea, Caryophyllaceae which exhibits variation in anthocyanin accumulation in its floral and vegetative tissues. We examined the in-situ accumulation of flavonoids in floral (petals and calyxes and vegetative organs (leaves from 18 populations representing the species’ geographic distribution. Each organ exhibited considerable variability in the content of anthocyanins and other flavonoids both within and among populations. In all organs, anthocyanin and other flavonoids were correlated. At the plant level, the flavonoid content in petals, calyxes and leaves was not correlated in most of the populations. However, at the population level, the mean amount of anthocyanins in all organs was positively correlated, which suggests that the variable environmental conditions of populations may play a role in anthocyanin accumulation. These results are unexpected because the anthocyanins are usually constitutive in petals, yet contingent to environmental conditions in calyxes and leaves. Anthocyanin variation in petals may influence pollinator attraction and subsequent plant reproduction, yet the amount of anthocyanins may be a direct response to environmental factors. In populations on the west coast, a general pattern of increasing accumulation of

  17. Non-coding RNA may be associated with cytoplasmic male sterility in Silene vulgaris

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Stone, James D.; Koloušková, Pavla; Sloan, D.B.; Štorchová, Helena

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 68, č. 7 (2017), s. 1599-1612 ISSN 0022-0957 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA16-09220S Institutional support: RVO:61389030 Keywords : Cytoplasmic male sterility * Editing * Mitochondrion * Non-coding RNA * Silene vulgaris * Splicing * Transcriptome Subject RIV: EF - Botanics OBOR OECD: Plant sciences, botany Impact factor: 5.830, year: 2016

  18. SILENE and TDT: A code for collision probability calculations in XY geometries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez, R.; Stankovski, Z.

    1993-01-01

    Collision probability methods are routinely used for cell and assembly multigroup transport calculations in core design tasks. Collision probability methods use a specialized tracking routine to compute neutron trajectories within a given geometric object. These trajectories are then used to generate the appropriate collision matrices in as many groups as required. Traditional tracking routines are based on open-quotes globalclose quotes geometric descriptions (such as regular meshes) and are not able to cope with the geometric detail required in actual core calculations. Therefore, users have to modify their geometry in order to match the geometric model accepted by the tracking routine, introducing thus a modeling error whose evaluation requires the use of a open-quotes referenceclose quotes method. Recently, an effort has been made to develop more flexible tracking routines either by directly adopting tracking Monte Carlo techniques or by coding of complicated geometries. Among these, the SILENE and TDT package is being developed at the Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique to provide routine as well as reference calculations in arbitrarily shaped XY geometries. This package combines a direct graphical acquisition system (SILENE) together with a node-based collision probability code for XY geometries (TDT)

  19. Analytical evaluation of dose measurement of critical accident at SILENE (Contract research)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakamura, Takemi; Tonoike, Kotaro; Miyoshi, Yoshinori [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    2003-03-01

    Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) jointly organized SILENE Accident Dosimetry Intercomparison Exercise to intercompare the dose measurement systems of participating countries. Each participating country carried out dose measurements in the same irradiation field, and the measurement results were mutually compared. The authors participated in the exercise to measure the doses of gamma rays and neutron from SILENE by using thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD's) and an alanine dosimeter. In this examination, the authors derived evaluation formulae for obtaining a tissue-absorbed dose from measured value (ambient dose equivalent) of TLD for neutron. We reported the tissue-absorbed dose computed using this evaluation formula to OECD/NEA. TLD's for neutron were irradiated in the TRACY facility to verify the evaluation formulae. The results of TLD's were compared with the calculations of MCNP and measurements with alanine dose meter. We found that the ratio of the dose by the evaluation formula to the measured value by the alanine dosimeter was 0.94 and the formula agreed within 6%. From examination of this TRACY, we can conclude that the value reported to OECD/NEA has equivalent accuracy. (author)

  20. TRIPOLI calculation of the neutron field in the hall of the SILENE reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourdet, L.

    1986-05-01

    This study concerns the utilization of the experimental reactor SILENE as radiation source. Its aim is to get a theoretical estimation of the neutron field characteristics in different points of the irradiation hall (spectra, fluences, equivalents of biological doses and reaction yields). These estimations are compared to results obtained by several experimental techniques; they allow to know better this neutron field with or without lead shield [fr

  1. Criticality accident dosimetry systems: an international intercomparison at the SILENE reactor in 2002.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Médioni, R; Asselineau, B; Verrey, B; Trompier, F; Itié, C; Texier, C; Muller, H; Pelcot, G; Clairand, I; Jacquet, X; Pochat, J L

    2004-01-01

    In criticality accident dosimetry and more generally for high dose measurements, special techniques are used to measure separately the gamma ray and neutron components of the dose. To improve these techniques and to check their dosimetry systems (physical and/or biological), a total of 60 laboratories from 29 countries (America, Europe, Asia) participated in an international intercomparaison, which took place in France from 9 to 21 June 2002, at the SILENE reactor in Valduc and at a pure gamma source in Fontenay-aux-Roses. This intercomparison was jointly organised by the IRSN and the CEA with the help of the NEA/OCDE and was partly supported by the European Communities. This paper describes the aim of this intercomparison, the techniques used by the participants and the two radiation sources and their characteristics. The experimental arrangements of the dosemeters for the irradiations in free air or on phantoms are given. Then the dosimetric quantities measured and reported by the participants are summarised, analysed and compared with the reference values. The present paper concerns only the physical dosimetry and essentially experiments performed on the SILENE facility. The results obtained with the biological dosimetry are published in two other papers of this issue.

  2. Measurement of the gamma field around Silene reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spurny, Frantisek; Medioni, Roger.

    1976-07-01

    A method for measuring the gamma component in the mixed field emitted by the Silene facility implanted in Valduc is investigated. Various thermoluminescent phosphors (natural LiF, 7 LiF, SO 4 Ca, Al 2 O 3 ) in containers of different sizes and types are used. The detectors results are corrected for their neutron sensitivity by using coefficients which were determined in previous studies. Alumina is shown to be the most suitable detector for this problem because of the dose ranges to be measured and its low sensitivity to neutrons. A series of measurements carried out at many points in the irradiation hall shows a good homogeneity in the gamma distribution. Results are given for different distances from the source and for a 10 17 fissions power of the reactor [fr

  3. Structure and evolution of Apetala3, a sex-linked gene in Silene latifolia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Čegan, Radim; Marais, G.A.B.; Kubeková, Hana; Blavet, N.; Widmer, A.; Vyskot, Boris; Doležel, Jaroslav; Šafář, Jan; Hobza, Roman

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 10, č. 180 (2010), s. 1-10 ISSN 1471-2229 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA522/09/0083; GA ČR(CZ) GD204/09/H002; GA AV ČR(CZ) KJB600040901 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507; CEZ:AV0Z50040702; CEZ:AV0Z50380511 Keywords : sex chromosomes evolution * Apetala3 * Silene Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 4.085, year: 2010

  4. Identification of a Novel Retrotransposon with Sex Chromosome-Specific Distribution in Silene latifolia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Králová, Tereza; Čegan, Radim; Kubát, Zdeněk; Vrána, Jan; Vyskot, Boris; Vogel, Ivan; Kejnovský, Eduard; Hobza, Roman

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 143, 1-3 (2014), s. 87-95 ISSN 1424-8581 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LM2010005; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/10/0102; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/12/2220; GA ČR(CZ) GAP305/10/0930; GA ČR(CZ) GA522/09/0083; GA MŠk(CZ) LO1204 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : Microdissection * Sex chromosomes * Silene latifolia (white campion) Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics; EF - Botanics (UEB-Q) Impact factor: 1.561, year: 2014

  5. Comparative analysis of a plant pseudoautosomal region (PAR) in Silene latifolia with the corresponding S. vulgaris autosome

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Blavet, N.; Blavet, Hana; Čegan, Radim; Zemp, N.; Ždánská, Jana; Janoušek, Bohuslav; Hobza, Roman; Widmer, A.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 13, č. 226 (2012), s. 1-9 ISSN 1471-2164 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA522/09/0083; GA ČR GBP501/12/G090 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040702 Keywords : BAC library * pseudoautosomal region * Silene latifolia Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 4.397, year: 2012

  6. Coping with third parties in a nursery pollination mutualism: Hadena bicruris avoids oviposition on pathogen-infected, less rewarding Silene latifolia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Biere, A.; Honders, S.C.

    2006-01-01

    In nursery pollination systems, pollinator offspring usually feed on pollinated fruits or seeds. Costs and benefits of the interaction for plant and pollinator, and hence its local outcome (antagonismmutualism), can be affected by the presence of 'third-party' species. Infection of Silene latifolia

  7. Two Silene vulgaris copper transporters residing in different cellular compartments confer copper hypertolerance by distinct mechanisms when expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yanbang; Iqbal, Mazhar; Zhang, Qianqian; Spelt, Cornelis; Bliek, Mattijs; Hakvoort, Henk W J; Quattrocchio, Francesca M; Koes, Ronald; Schat, Henk

    2017-08-01

    Silene vulgaris is a metallophyte of calamine, cupriferous and serpentine soils all over Europe. Its metallicolous populations are hypertolerant to zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu) or nickel (Ni), compared with conspecific nonmetallicolous populations. These hypertolerances are metal-specific, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We investigated the role of HMA5 copper transporters in Cu-hypertolerance of a S. vulgaris copper mine population. Cu-hypertolerance in Silene is correlated and genetically linked with enhanced expression of two HMA5 paralogs, SvHMA5I and SvHMA5II, each of which increases Cu tolerance when expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana. Most Spermatophytes, except Brassicaceae, possess homologs of SvHMA5I and SvHMA5II, which originate from an ancient duplication predating the appearance of spermatophytes. SvHMA5II and the A. thaliana homolog AtHMA5 localize in the endoplasmic reticulum and upon Cu exposure move to the plasma membrane, from where they are internalized and degraded in the vacuole. This resembles trafficking of mammalian homologs and is apparently an extremely ancient mechanism. SvHMA5I, instead, neofunctionalized and always resides on the tonoplast, likely sequestering Cu in the vacuole. Adaption of Silene to a Cu-polluted soil is at least in part due to upregulation of two distinct HMA5 transporters, which contribute to Cu hypertolerance by distinct mechanisms. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

  8. Analysis of Chromosome Number in Some Allium and Silene Wild Species with Ornamental Use

    OpenAIRE

    Lucia DRAGHIA; Elena Liliana CHELARIU; Culiţă SÎRBU; Maria BRÂNZĂ; Cristina SANDU MICULSCHI

    2013-01-01

    The present study analyses the number of somatic chromosomes in plant species with ornamental value, in Romanian indigenous flora, Allium (A. flavum L., A. saxatile Bieb.) and Silene (S. compacta Fischer., S. supina M.Bieb.). The biological material was identified and harvested in the South-Eastern part of Dobrogea (Tulcea and Constanţa counties), area in the South-Eastern part of Romania, situated between the Danube and the Black Sea. Individuals from two populations of Allium flavum and All...

  9. Feasibility of reactivity worth measurements by perturbation method with Caliban and Silene experimental reactors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Casoli, Pierre; Authier, Nicolas [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Centre d' Etudes de Valduc, 21120 Is-Sur-Tille (France)

    2008-07-01

    Reactivity worth measurements of material samples put in the central cavities of nuclear reactors allow to test cross section nuclear databases or to extract information about the critical masses of fissile elements. Such experiments have already been completed on the Caliban and Silene experimental reactors operated by the Criticality and Neutronics Research Laboratory of Valduc (CEA, France) using the perturbation measurement technique. Calculations have been performed to prepare future experiments on new materials, such as light elements, structure materials, fission products or actinides. (authors)

  10. High-level Zn and Cd tolerance in Silene paradoxa L. from a moderately Cd- and Zn-contaminated copper mine tailing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arnetoli, Miluscia; Vooijs, Riet; Gonnelli, Cristina; Gabbrielli, Roberto; Verkleij, Jos A.C.; Schat, Henk

    2008-01-01

    Cadmium and zinc tolerance were examined in populations of Silene paradoxa, one from uncontaminated calcareous soil (CVD) and one from a mine tailing (FC) (Cd < 1-15 ppm, Zn 400-1300 ppm, pH 2-6). The mine population exhibited extremely high Zn and Cd tolerance levels, although the degrees of Cd and Zn enrichment relatively low at the population site. Cd and Zn hypertolerance in FC were associated with reduced rates of accumulation of these metals, both in roots and shoots (Cd), or exclusively in shoots (Zn). However, exclusion potentially explained only a minor part of the superior tolerance in FC. Cd hypertolerance in FC was associated with decreased, rather than enhanced phytochelatin accumulation. The remarkably high levels of Cd and Zn hypertolerance in FC might relate to the low soil pH, due to oxidation of sulphide minerals, and the absence of soil organic matter at the FC site. - Silene paradoxa from a copper mine exhibits extreme levels of Zn and Cd tolerance

  11. Intraspecific competition and mating between fungal strains of the anther smut Microbotryum violaceum from the host plants Silene latifolia and S-dioica.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Putten, W.F.; Biere, A.; Van Damme, J.M.M.

    2003-01-01

    We studied intraspecific competition and assortative mating between strains of the anther smut fungus Microbotryum violaceum from two of its host species, Silene latifolia and S. dioica. Specifically, we investigated whether strains from allopatric host populations have higher competitive ability on

  12. Intraspecific competition and mating between fungal strains of the anther smut Microbotryum violaceum from the host plants Silene latifolia and S-dioica

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Putten, WF; Biere, A; Van Damme, JMM

    We studied intraspecific competition and assortative mating between strains of the anther smut fungus Microbotryum violaceum from two of its host species, Silene latifolia and S. dioica. Specifically. we investigated whether strains from allopatric host populations have higher competitive ability on

  13. Next Generation Sequencing-Based Analysis of Repetitive DNA in the Model Dioceous Plant Silene latifolia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Macas, Jiří; Kejnovský, Eduard; Neumann, Pavel; Novák, Petr; Koblížková, Andrea; Vyskot, Boris

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 6, č. 11 (2011), e27335 E-ISSN 1932-6203 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) OC10037; GA MŠk(CZ) LC06004; GA MŠk(CZ) LH11058; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/10/0102; GA ČR(CZ) GAP305/10/0930 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50510513; CEZ:AV0Z50040702 Keywords : Plant genome * Sequencing-Based Analyses * Repetitive DNA * Silene latifolia Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 4.092, year: 2011

  14. The 2″-O-glucosylation of vitexin and isovitexin in petals of Silene alba is catalysed by two different enzymes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heinsbroek, R.; Brederode, J. van; Nigtevecht, G. van; Maas, J.; Kamsteeg, J.; Besson, E.; Chopin, J.

    1980-01-01

    Two separate genes, Fg and Vg, which govern the presence of isovitexin 2″-O-glucoside and vitexin 2″-O-glucoside respectively in the petals of Silene alba control different glucosyltransferases. In Vg/Vg,fg/fg plants no isovitexin 2″-O-glucosyltransferase was present and in vg/vg,Fg/Fg plants no

  15. The slowdown of Y chromosome expansion in dioecious Silene latifolia due to DNA loss and male-specific silencing of retrotransposons

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Puterova, Janka; Kubát, Zdeněk; Kejnovský, Eduard; Jesionek, Wojciech; Čížková, Jana; Vyskot, Boris; Hobza, Roman

    2018-01-01

    Roč. 19, FEB2018 (2018) ISSN 1471-2164 R&D Projects: GA ČR GJ15-21523Y Institutional support: RVO:68081707 ; RVO:61389030 Keywords : sex-linked genes * plant silene * transposable elements Subject RIV: EF - Botanics; EF - Botanics (UEB-Q) OBOR OECD: Plant sciences, botany; Plant sciences, botany (UEB-Q) Impact factor: 3.729, year: 2016

  16. Effect of Copper on Fatty-Acid Composition and Peroxidation of Lipids in the Roots of Copper Tolerant and Sensitive Silene-Cucubalus.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Vos, C.H.R.; TenBookum, W.M.; Vooijs, R.; Schat, H.; De Kok, L.J.

    1993-01-01

    The effect of high copper exposure in vivo on the lipid and fatty acid composition and lipid peroxidation was studied in the roots of plants from one copper sensitive and two copper tolerant genotypes of Silene cucubalus. At 0.5 muM Cu (control treatment) the compositions of lipids and fatty acids

  17. Evaluation of the concrete shield compositions from the 2010 criticality accident alarm system benchmark experiments at the CEA Valduc SILENE facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, Thomas Martin; Celik, Cihangir; Dunn, Michael E; Wagner, John C; McMahan, Kimberly L; Authier, Nicolas; Jacquet, Xavier; Rousseau, Guillaume; Wolff, Herve; Savanier, Laurence; Baclet, Nathalie; Lee, Yi-kang; Trama, Jean-Christophe; Masse, Veronique; Gagnier, Emmanuel; Naury, Sylvie; Blanc-Tranchant, Patrick; Hunter, Richard; Kim, Soon; Dulik, George Michael; Reynolds, Kevin H.

    2015-01-01

    In October 2010, a series of benchmark experiments were conducted at the French Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) Valduc SILENE facility. These experiments were a joint effort between the United States Department of Energy Nuclear Criticality Safety Program and the CEA. The purpose of these experiments was to create three benchmarks for the verification and validation of radiation transport codes and evaluated nuclear data used in the analysis of criticality accident alarm systems. This series of experiments consisted of three single-pulsed experiments with the SILENE reactor. For the first experiment, the reactor was bare (unshielded), whereas in the second and third experiments, it was shielded by lead and polyethylene, respectively. The polyethylene shield of the third experiment had a cadmium liner on its internal and external surfaces, which vertically was located near the fuel region of SILENE. During each experiment, several neutron activation foils and thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were placed around the reactor. Nearly half of the foils and TLDs had additional high-density magnetite concrete, high-density barite concrete, standard concrete, and/or BoroBond shields. CEA Saclay provided all the concrete, and the US Y-12 National Security Complex provided the BoroBond. Measurement data from the experiments were published at the 2011 International Conference on Nuclear Criticality (ICNC 2011) and the 2013 Nuclear Criticality Safety Division (NCSD 2013) topical meeting. Preliminary computational results for the first experiment were presented in the ICNC 2011 paper, which showed poor agreement between the computational results and the measured values of the foils shielded by concrete. Recently the hydrogen content, boron content, and density of these concrete shields were further investigated within the constraints of the previously available data. New computational results for the first experiment are now available

  18. Genetic variation of inbreeding depression among floral and fitness traits in Silene nutans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thiele, Jan; Hansen, Thomas Møller; Siegismund, Hans Redlef

    2010-01-01

    The magnitude and variation of inbreeding depression (ID) within populations is important for the evolution and maintenance of mixed mating systems. We studied ID and its genetic variation in a range of floral and fitness traits in a small and large population of the perennial herb Silene nutans......, using controlled pollinations in a fully factorial North Carolina II design. Floral traits and early fitness traits, that is seed mass and germination rate, were not much affected by inbreeding (delta0.4). Lack of genetic correlations indicated that ID in floral, early and late traits is genetically...... was statistically significant in most floral and all seed traits, but not in late fitness traits. However, some paternal families had delta...

  19. Molecular characterisation of four double-flowered mutants of Silene dioica representing four centuries of variation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingle, Elizabeth K. S.; Gilmartin, Philip M.

    2015-01-01

    Records of double-flowered Silene dioica date from the late sixteenth century and four named varieties are grown today, as previously, for their horticultural interest. Although double-flowered mutants have been characterized in several plants, their study in dioecious species is of particular interest due to influences of the homeotic mutation on the different floral whorl configurations in males and females. We have analysed four double-flowered varieties of Silene dioica: Flore Pleno and Rosea Plena date back to the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, Thelma Kay and Firefly were recognized in the latter part of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. We have analysed the floral structure of the four varieties, which have distinct floral architectures. Based on Y chromosome-specific PCR analysis we show that Firefly is male and that the other three varieties are female: Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses suggested a common origin for the three female varieties. The double-flowered phenotype in all four varieties is caused by mutation of the C-function MADS-box transcription factor gene SDM1. We show that Firefly carries a unique 44bp insertion into SDM1, revealing an independent origin for this variety. Comparative analysis of SDM1 cDNA and genomic sequences in Flore Pleno, Rosea Plena and Thelma Kay shows that all three are caused by the same 7bp insertion within SDM1 and therefore share a common origin. The three alleles also differ by several single nucleotide polymorphisms, which represent somatic mutations accumulated over four centuries of asexual propagation. PMID:25878355

  20. Corología de tres táxones de interés en el macizo del Castro Valnera: Eriophorum vaginatum L., Gentiana acaulis L. y Gentiana boryi Boiss. [Chorology of three interesting plants from Castro Valnera (Cantabrian Mountains, N Spain.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Antonio Alejandre Sáez

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available RESUMEN: Se ofrece una visión actualizada de la situación en el macizo del Castro Valnera de tres especies de alto interés regional: Eriophorum vaginatum L., Gentiana acaulis L. y Gentiana boryi Boiss. Se comentan datos sobre la historia de su descubrimiento en ese macizo. Se recogen y enumeran para cada uno de ellos los datos de recolecciones, citas bibliográficas y de campo. Con el conjunto de todas ellas se elaboran varios mapas. Finalmente, se aportan comentarios que contribuyen al conocimiento de su comportamiento ecológico y se apuntan algunas pautas y criterios a tener en cuenta para su protección. ABSTRACT: Chorology of three interesting plants from Castro Valnera (Cantabrian Mountains, N Spain. An updated view of the situation within the Castro Valnera mountain range of three species of high regional interest is provided: Eriophorum vaginatum L., Gentiana acaulis L. y Gentiana boryi Boiss. The history data of their discovery within that mountain range is discussed. Collections data and field citations are gathered and listed for each of them and several maps are drawn with the whole of them. Finally, comments that contribute to the knowledge of their environmental performance are provided, as well as some guidelines and criteria to be considered for their protection.

  1. Host-related genetic differentiation in the anther smut fungus Microbotryum violaceum in sympatric, parapatric and allopatric populations of two host species Silene latifolia and S. dioica

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Putten, W.F.; Biere, A.; Van Damme, J.M.M.

    2005-01-01

    We investigated genetic diversity in West European populations of the fungal pathogen Microbotryum violaceum in sympatric, parapatric and allopatric populations of the host species Silene latifolia and S. dioica, using four polymorphic microsatellite loci. In allopatric host populations, the fungus

  2. Host-related genetic differentiation in the anther smut fungus Microbotryum violaceum in sympatric, parapatric and allopatric populations of two host species Silene latifolia and S-dioica

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Putten, WF; Biere, A; Van Damme, JMM

    We investigated genetic diversity in West European populations of the fungal pathogen Microbotryum violaceum in sympatric, parapatric and allopatric populations of the host species Silene latifolia and S. dioica, using four polymorphic microsatellite loci. In allopatric host populations, the fungus

  3. Review of the CRAC and SILENE Criticality Accident Studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barbry, F.; Fouillaud, P.; Grivot, P.; Reverdy, L.

    2009-01-01

    In 1967, the Commissariat et l'Energie Atomique (French Atomic Energy Agency) performed its first research on criticality accidents for the purpose of limiting their impact on people, the environment, and nuclear facilities themselves. A criticality accident is accompanied by intense neutron and gamma emissions and release of radioactive fission products-gases and aerosols-gene rating risk of irradiation and contamination. This work has supplemented earlier work in criticality safety, which concentrated on critical mass measurements and computations. Understanding of the consequences of criticality accidents was limited. Emergency planning was hampered by lack of data. Information became available from pulsed reactor experiments, but the experiments were restricted to the established reactor configurations. The objectives of research performed at the Valduc criticality laboratory, mainly on aqueous fissile media, using the CRAC and SILENE facilities, by multidisciplinary teams of physicists, dosimetry specialists, and radio-biologists, were to model criticality accident physics, estimate irradiation risks and radioactive releases, detect excursions, and organize emergency response. The results of the Valduc experiments have contributed toward improved understanding of criticality accident phenomenology and better evaluation of the risks associated with such accidents. (authors)

  4. Review of the CRAC and SILENE Criticality Accident Studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barbry, F.; Fouillaud, P.; Grivot, P.; Reverdy, L. [CEA Valduc, Serv Rech Neutron and Critcite, 21 - Is-sur-Tille (France)

    2009-02-15

    In 1967, the Commissariat et l'Energie Atomique (French Atomic Energy Agency) performed its first research on criticality accidents for the purpose of limiting their impact on people, the environment, and nuclear facilities themselves. A criticality accident is accompanied by intense neutron and gamma emissions and release of radioactive fission products-gases and aerosols-gene rating risk of irradiation and contamination. This work has supplemented earlier work in criticality safety, which concentrated on critical mass measurements and computations. Understanding of the consequences of criticality accidents was limited. Emergency planning was hampered by lack of data. Information became available from pulsed reactor experiments, but the experiments were restricted to the established reactor configurations. The objectives of research performed at the Valduc criticality laboratory, mainly on aqueous fissile media, using the CRAC and SILENE facilities, by multidisciplinary teams of physicists, dosimetry specialists, and radio-biologists, were to model criticality accident physics, estimate irradiation risks and radioactive releases, detect excursions, and organize emergency response. The results of the Valduc experiments have contributed toward improved understanding of criticality accident phenomenology and better evaluation of the risks associated with such accidents. (authors)

  5. Genomic diversity in two related plant species with and without sex chromosomes - Silene latifolia and S. vulgaris

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Čegan, Radim; Vyskot, Boris; Kejnovský, Eduard; Kubát, Zdeněk; Blavet, Hana; Šafář, Jan; Doležel, Jaroslav; Blavet, N.; Hobza, Roman

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 7, č. 2 (2012), e31898 E-ISSN 1932-6203 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) KJB600040901; GA ČR(CZ) GPP501/10/P483; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/10/0102; GA ČR(CZ) GD204/09/H002; GA ČR(CZ) GAP305/10/0930; GA ČR(CZ) GA522/09/0083 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040702; CEZ:AV0Z50040507; CEZ:AV0Z50380511 Keywords : Silene * repetitive DNA * genome size Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 3.730, year: 2012

  6. Nomenclatural notes on the genus Pteranthus (Caryophyllaceae) with lectotypification of the name Camphorosma pteanthus and Pteranthus trigynus, and comments on Forsskål's seeds sent from Egypt

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iamonico, Dulio; Friis, Ib; Jarvis, Charles

    2015-01-01

    The nomenclatural history of the genus Pteranthus ( Caryophyllaceae) is reviewed. Original material of Camphorosma pteranthus and Pteranthus dichotomus came from a single gathering made by Forsskål in the desert outside Cairo, Egypt, in March 1762. The original material of C. pteranthus was grown...... from seed collected with the herbarium material of P. dicho­tomus. Pteranthus dichotomus is therefore considered a replacement name for C. pteranthus and lectotypified with the same specimen, no. 165.5 LINN (right-hand plant). A supporting epitype is chosen from flowering herbarium material of the same...

  7. Effects of pollination timing and distance on seed production in a dioecious weed Silene latifolia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Jay F.; Duddu, Hema S. N.; Shirtliffe, Steven J.; Benaragama, Dilshan; Syrovy, Lena D.; Stanley, Katherine A.; Haile, Teketel A.

    2015-11-01

    Silene latifolia Poir. (white cockle or white campion) is an important invasive weed in North American agriculture. It exhibits dioecy, therefore, both male and female plants are required in order for seed production to occur. However, dioecious species being invasive is not common because of their limitations in pollination and subsequent seed production. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of pollination timing and distance on seed production of Silene latifolia. A series of experiments including pollination exclusion, timing and pollination distance were conducted in 2009 and 2010 at or around Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. For pollination exclusion, exclosures were built around the natural female plants for exclosure, sham-exclosure, and male and female combined treatments. Pollination timing was studied by applying exclosure, non-exclosure, night-exclosure, and day-exclosure treatments to individual female plants. Female plants were transplanted along a linear interval at six different distances from the pollen source to study the effect of pollination distance. S. latifolia was exclusively insect-pollinated and pollination occurred both day and night; however, in one year, pollination occurred mainly at night. Female plants that were in the range of 0-4 m from a compatible pollen source experienced no limitation to pollination. However, when the distance was increased further up to 128 m, pollination levels and subsequent seed production were declined. Moreover, there were differences in seed production between years suggesting that pollination was affected by the environmental conditions during pollination and the crop that white cockle was grown in. These experiments indicate that seed production in S. latifolia is limited by insect-pollination. Although there was pollination limitation for seed production at greater distances from a pollen source, the high fecundity rate (3000-18000 seeds per plant) resulted in a large seed output. Thus, we

  8. Mosaic origins of a complex chimeric mitochondrial gene in Silene vulgaris.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helena Storchova

    Full Text Available Chimeric genes are significant sources of evolutionary innovation that are normally created when portions of two or more protein coding regions fuse to form a new open reading frame. In plant mitochondria astonishingly high numbers of different novel chimeric genes have been reported, where they are generated through processes of rearrangement and recombination. Nonetheless, because most studies do not find or report nucleotide variation within the same chimeric gene, evolution after the origination of these chimeric genes remains unstudied. Here we identify two alleles of a complex chimera in Silene vulgaris that are divergent in nucleotide sequence, genomic position relative to other mitochondrial genes, and expression patterns. Structural patterns suggest a history partially influenced by gene conversion between the chimeric gene and functional copies of subunit 1 of the mitochondrial ATP synthase gene (atp1. We identified small repeat structures within the chimeras that are likely recombination sites allowing generation of the chimera. These results establish the potential for chimeric gene divergence in different plant mitochondrial lineages within the same species. This result contrasts with the absence of diversity within mitochondrial chimeras found in crop species.

  9. Ultraviolet-B (280-320 nm) absorbing pigments in the leaves of Silene vulgaris: their role in UV-B tolerance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Staaij, J.W.M. van de; Ernst, W. H.O.; Hakvoort, H. W.J.; Rozema, J. [Vrije Univ., Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    1995-07-01

    The UV-B radiation tolerant perennial herb Silene vulgaris was tested on the influence of incident UV-B fluxes during growth on the synthesis of UV-B absorbing pigments in the leaves. Analysis of methanolic leaf extracts showed a stimulating effect of UV-B on the absorbing ability of leaf extracts. HPLC analysis made clear that UV-B radiation stimulated extractable flavonoid concentrations in leaves, but that UV-B absorption could only be partly attributed to these flavonoids. The contribution of flavonoids to UV-B absorption diminishes if plants mature. Other possible functions of flavonoids in plants growing under elevated UV-B conditions are discussed. (author)

  10. Ultraviolet-B (280-320 nm) absorbing pigments in the leaves of Silene vulgaris: their role in UV-B tolerance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Staaij, J.W.M. van de; Ernst, W.H.O.; Hakvoort, H.W.J.; Rozema, J.

    1995-01-01

    The UV-B radiation tolerant perennial herb Silene vulgaris was tested on the influence of incident UV-B fluxes during growth on the synthesis of UV-B absorbing pigments in the leaves. Analysis of methanolic leaf extracts showed a stimulating effect of UV-B on the absorbing ability of leaf extracts. HPLC analysis made clear that UV-B radiation stimulated extractable flavonoid concentrations in leaves, but that UV-B absorption could only be partly attributed to these flavonoids. The contribution of flavonoids to UV-B absorption diminishes if plants mature. Other possible functions of flavonoids in plants growing under elevated UV-B conditions are discussed. (author)

  11. Night life on the beach: selfing to avoid pollinator competition between two sympatric Silene species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buide, M Luisa; del Valle, José Carlos; Pissatto, Mônica; Narbona, Eduardo

    2015-08-01

    Evolution of autonomous selfing may be advantageous because it allows for reproductive assurance. In co-flowering plants competing for pollinators, the least common and/or attractive could suffer pollen limitations. Silene niceensis and S. ramosissima are taxonomically related species sharing the same habitat, although S. ramosissima is less abundant and has a more restricted distribution. They also have the same a priori nocturnal pollinator syndrome, and show an overlapping flowering phenology. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a selfing strategy in S. ramosissima allows it to avoid pollinator competition and/or interspecific pollen transfer with S. niceensis, which would thus enable both species to reach high levels of fruit and seed set. The breeding system, petal colour, flower life span and degree of overlap between male and female phases, floral visitor abundance and visitation rates were analysed in two sympatric populations of S. niceensis and S. ramosissima in southern Spain. Autonomous selfing in S. ramosissima produced very high fruit and seed set, which was also similar to open-pollinated plants. Silene niceensis showed minimum levels of autonomous selfing, and pollen/ovule ratios were within the range expected for the breeding system. In contrast to S. niceensis, flower life span was much shorter in S. ramosissima, and male and female organs completely overlapped in space and time. Upper surface petals of both species showed differing brightness, chroma and hue. Flowers of S. niceensis were actively visited by moths, hawkmoths and syrphids, whereas those of S. ramosissima were almost never visited. The findings show that different breeding strategies exist between the sympatric co-flowering S. niceensis and S. ramosissima, the former specializing in crepuscular-nocturnal pollination and the latter mainly based on autonomous selfing. These two strategies allow both species to share the restricted dune habitat in which they exist, with a

  12. Under fungal attack on a metalliferous soil: ROS or not ROS? Insights from Silene paradoxa L. growing under copper stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taiti, Cosimo; Giorni, Elisabetta; Colzi, Ilaria; Pignattelli, Sara; Bazihizina, Nadia; Buccianti, Antonella; Luti, Simone; Pazzagli, Luigia; Mancuso, Stefano; Gonnelli, Cristina

    2016-01-01

    We investigated how the adaptation to metalliferous environments can influence the plant response to biotic stress. In a metallicolous and a non-metallicolous population of Silene paradoxa the induction of oxidative stress and the production of callose and volatiles were evaluated in the presence of copper and of the PAMP fungal protein cerato-platanin, separately and in combination. Our results showed incompatibility between the ordinary ROS-mediated response to fungal attack and the acquired mechanisms of preventing oxidative stress in the tolerant population. A similar situation was also demonstrated by the sensitive population growing in the presence of copper but, in this case, with a lack of certain responses, such as callose production. In addition, in terms of the joint behaviour of emitted volatiles, multivariate statistics showed that not only did the populations respond differently to the presence of copper or biotic stress, but also that the biotic and abiotic stresses interacted in different ways in the two populations. Our results demonstrated that the same incompatibility of hyperaccumulators in ROS-mediated biotic stress signals also seemed to be exhibited by the excluder metallophyte, but without the advantage of being able to rely on the elemental defence for plant protection from natural enemies. - Highlights: • Silene paradoxa plants from metalliferous and nonmetalliferous soil were studied. • Plants were exposed to Cerato-platanin in presence/absence of Cu in culture media. • ROS response was fully present in nonmetallicolous plants only in the absence of Cu. • Similar ROS response in metallicolous plants with or without Cu. - The adaptation to high concentrations of copper was found to interfere with the ordinary ROS-mediated response to fungal attack in an excluder metallophyte.

  13. Toxicity Profile of the Aqueous Ethanol Root Extract of Corrigiola telephiifolia Pourr. (Caryophyllaceae in Rodents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hind Lakmichi

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Corrigiola telephiifolia Pourr. (Caryophyllaceae is a Moroccan medicinal plant. Despite its popular usage, no study has been published concerning its toxicological profile. The acute toxicity of C. telephiifolia root extract was evaluated by giving it orally to mice at single doses of 5000, 10000, and 14000 mg/kg bodyweight. The extract was also administered at doses of 5, 70, and 2000 mg/kg bodyweight per day to rats for a forty-day toxicity study. No mortality or signs of toxicity were observed in the acute study. In the forty-day study in rats, the extract at 5 mg/kg/day showed no toxicological effects in either sex. At 70 mg/kg/day, the treated group differed from the control only by a significant decrease in serum concentrations of sodium and chloride ions (P<.05. At the dose of 2000 mg/kg/day, the extract significantly increased the serum concentrations of creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltransferase and phosphorus (P<.05 all suggestive of functional nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. The relative bodyweight of both sexes decreased at the dose of 2000 mg/kg/day, with a fast recovery for males. Histological examination did not reveal any treatment-related effects. In conclusion, Corrigiola extract appears safe at the doses used ethno-medicinally. Much higher doses pose toxicological risks.

  14. Participation of IRD/CNEN-Br in International Intercomparison of Criticality Accident Dosimetry Systems at Silene reactor, France

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mauricio, Claudia Lucia P.; Fonseca, Evaldo S. da

    1996-01-01

    IRD has participated in an International Intercomparison of Criticality Accident Dosimetry Systems at the SILENE reactor, France on June 1993. The dosemeters were irradiated on phantoms and free in air, in bare and lead shield reactor pulses, simulating different irradiation fields that can be found in criticality accidents. Comparing with the reference measurements, the calculated mean neutron kerma found by IRD was only 2% greater for lead shield and 14% greater for bare reactor. For gamma absorbed dose, the differences were, respectively + 22% and -9% for the dosemeters free in air and -19% and -9% for dosemeters on phantoms. IRD results are closer to the real values than the mean values measured by the participants. IRD results show a good performance if its simple criticality accident system. (author)

  15. A new physical mapping approach refines the sex-determining gene positions on the Silene latifolia Y-chromosome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kazama, Yusuke; Ishii, Kotaro; Aonuma, Wataru; Ikeda, Tokihiro; Kawamoto, Hiroki; Koizumi, Ayako; Filatov, Dmitry A.; Chibalina, Margarita; Bergero, Roberta; Charlesworth, Deborah; Abe, Tomoko; Kawano, Shigeyuki

    2016-01-01

    Sex chromosomes are particularly interesting regions of the genome for both molecular genetics and evolutionary studies; yet, for most species, we lack basic information, such as the gene order along the chromosome. Because they lack recombination, Y-linked genes cannot be mapped genetically, leaving physical mapping as the only option for establishing the extent of synteny and homology with the X chromosome. Here, we developed a novel and general method for deletion mapping of non-recombining regions by solving “the travelling salesman problem”, and evaluate its accuracy using simulated datasets. Unlike the existing radiation hybrid approach, this method allows us to combine deletion mutants from different experiments and sources. We applied our method to a set of newly generated deletion mutants in the dioecious plant Silene latifolia and refined the locations of the sex-determining loci on its Y chromosome map.

  16. Paradoxical effects of density on measurement of copper tolerance in Silene paradoxa L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capuana, Maurizio; Colzi, Ilaria; Buccianti, Antonella; Coppi, Andrea; Palm, Emily; Del Bubba, Massimo; Gonnelli, Cristina

    2018-01-01

    This work investigated if the assessment of tolerance to trace metals can depend on plant density in the experimental design. A non-metallicolous and a metallicolous populations of Silene paradoxa were hydroponically cultivated at increasing density and in both the absence (-Cu conditions) and excess of copper (+Cu conditions). In -Cu conditions, the metallicolous population showed a lower susceptibility to plant density in comparison to the non-metallicolous one, explained by a higher capacity of the metallicolous population to exploit resources. In +Cu conditions, an alleviating effect of increasing density was found in roots. Such effect was present to a greater extent in the non-metallicolous population, thus making the populations equally copper-tolerant at the highest density used. In shoots, an additive effect of increasing plant density to copper toxicity was reported. Its higher intensity in the metallicolous population reverted the copper tolerance relationship at the highest plant densities used. In both populations, a density-induced decrease in root copper accumulation was observed, thus concurring to the reported mitigation in +Cu conditions. Our work revealed the importance of density studies on the optimization of eco-toxicological bioassays and of metal tolerance assessment and it can be considered the first example of an alleviating effect of increasing plant number on copper stress in a metallophyte.

  17. ЧИСЛА ХРОМОСОМ НЕКОТОРЫХ ВИДОВ ДВУДОЛЬНЫХ РАСТЕНИЙ ЮЖНОЙ СИБИРИ И КАЗАХСТАНА

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. V. An’kova

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Приведены числа хромосом (2n для девяти видов семейств Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae и Scrophulariaceae. Впервые определены числа хромосом Silene cretacea (2n=20 и Oxytropis stenofoliola (2n=48. Впервые для Казахстана и Южной Сибири (Западный Саян, Новосибирская область определены числа хромосом у Jurinea arachnoidea, Tragopogon ruber, Astragalus brachylobus, A. cicer, A. danicus, Verbascum phoeniceum.

  18. Dietary effects of four phytoecdysteroids on growth and development of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rharrabe, Kacem; Sayan, Fouad; Lafont, René

    2010-01-01

    Using pure phytoecdysteroids isolated from Ajuga iva (L.) Schreber (Lamiales: Lamiaceae) and Silene nutans L. (Caryophyllales: Caryophyllaceae), plants known for their high ecdysteroid content, a study was carried out on the effects of ingestion of four different phytoecdysteroids (20-hydroxyecdysone, polypodine B, ponasterone A and makisterone A) on the growth and development of the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella Hübner (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae when added at a concentration of 200 ppm in their diet. The experiments clearly showed the susceptibility of P. interpunctella to phytoecdysteroid ingestion. The toxicity of phytoecdysteroids manifested itself by a decrease in larval weight, induction of cannibalism and an increase of mortality, together with disruption of development. The severity of the phytoecdysteroid effect on P. interpunctella depended on the structure of the molecule. The results demonstrate that the minimal structural differences existing between these four phytoecdysteroids significantly affected their toxicity toward P. interpunctella. Makisterone A was the most toxic of the four compounds towards P. interpunctella larvae. In conclusion, phytoecdysteroids ingestion evokes disruptive growth effects on P. interpunctella. This work supports a role for phytoecdysteroids in plant defence against phytophagous insects.

  19. Point and interval estimation of pollinator importance: a study using pollination data of Silene caroliniana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, Richard J; Fenster, Charles B

    2008-05-01

    Pollinator importance, the product of visitation rate and pollinator effectiveness, is a descriptive parameter of the ecology and evolution of plant-pollinator interactions. Naturally, sources of its variation should be investigated, but the SE of pollinator importance has never been properly reported. Here, a Monte Carlo simulation study and a result from mathematical statistics on the variance of the product of two random variables are used to estimate the mean and confidence limits of pollinator importance for three visitor species of the wildflower, Silene caroliniana. Both methods provided similar estimates of mean pollinator importance and its interval if the sample size of the visitation and effectiveness datasets were comparatively large. These approaches allowed us to determine that bumblebee importance was significantly greater than clearwing hawkmoth, which was significantly greater than beefly. The methods could be used to statistically quantify temporal and spatial variation in pollinator importance of particular visitor species. The approaches may be extended for estimating the variance of more than two random variables. However, unless the distribution function of the resulting statistic is known, the simulation approach is preferable for calculating the parameter's confidence limits.

  20. Transgenerational plasticity in Silene vulgaris in response to three types of stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandner, T M; van Braak, J L; Matthies, D

    2018-03-23

    The environment experienced by plants can influence the phenotype of their offspring. Such transgenerational plasticity can be adaptive when it results in higher fitness of the offspring under conditions correlated with those experienced by the mother plant. However, it has rarely been tested if such anticipatory parental effects may be induced with different environments. We grew clonal replicates of Silene vulgaris under control conditions and three types of stress (nutrient deficiency, copper addition and drought), which are known from natural populations of the species. We then subjected offspring from differently treated mother plants to each of the different stress treatments to analyse the influence of maternal and offspring environment on performance and several functional traits. Current stress treatments strongly influenced biomass and functional traits of the plants, mostly in line with responses predicted by the theory of functional equilibrium. Plant performance was also influenced by maternal stress treatments, and some effects independent of initial size differences remained until harvest. In particular, stressed mothers produced offspring of higher fitness than control plants. However, there was no evidence for treatment-specific adaptive transgenerational plasticity, as offspring from a mother plant that had grown in a specific environment did not grow better in that environment than other plants. Our results indicate that the maternal environment may affect offspring traits and performance, but also that this transgenerational plasticity is not necessarily adaptive. © 2018 German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

  1. Inflorescences of alpine cushion plants freeze autonomously and may survive subzero temperatures by supercooling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacker, Jürgen; Ladinig, Ursula; Wagner, Johanna; Neuner, Gilbert

    2011-01-01

    Freezing patterns in the high alpine cushion plants Saxifraga bryoides, Saxifraga caesia, Saxifraga moschata and Silene acaulis were studied by infrared thermography at three reproductive stages (bud, anthesis, fruit development). The single reproductive shoots of a cushion froze independently in all four species at every reproductive stage. Ice formation caused lethal damage to the respective inflorescence. After ice nucleation, which occurred mainly in the stalk or the base of the reproductive shoot, ice propagated throughout that entire shoot, but not into neighboring shoots. However, anatomical ice barriers within cushions were not detected. The naturally occurring temperature gradient within the cushion appeared to interrupt ice propagation thermally. Consequently, every reproductive shoot needed an autonomous ice nucleation event to initiate freezing. Ice nucleation was not only influenced by minimum temperatures but also by the duration of exposure. At moderate subzero exposure temperatures (−4.3 to −7.7 °C) the number of frozen inflorescences increased exponentially. Due to efficient supercooling, single reproductive shoots remained unfrozen down to −17.4 °C (cooling rate 6 K h−1). Hence, the observed freezing pattern may be advantageous for frost survival of individual inflorescences and reproductive success of high alpine cushion plants, when during episodic summer frosts damage can be avoided by supercooling. PMID:21151351

  2. Both life-history plasticity and local adaptation will shape range-wide responses to climate warming in the tundra plant Silene acaulis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Megan L; Doak, Daniel F; Morris, William F

    2018-04-01

    Many predictions of how climate change will impact biodiversity have focused on range shifts using species-wide climate tolerances, an approach that ignores the demographic mechanisms that enable species to attain broad geographic distributions. But these mechanisms matter, as responses to climate change could fundamentally differ depending on the contributions of life-history plasticity vs. local adaptation to species-wide climate tolerances. In particular, if local adaptation to climate is strong, populations across a species' range-not only those at the trailing range edge-could decline sharply with global climate change. Indeed, faster rates of climate change in many high latitude regions could combine with local adaptation to generate sharper declines well away from trailing edges. Combining 15 years of demographic data from field populations across North America with growth chamber warming experiments, we show that growth and survival in a widespread tundra plant show compensatory responses to warming throughout the species' latitudinal range, buffering overall performance across a range of temperatures. However, populations also differ in their temperature responses, consistent with adaptation to local climate, especially growing season temperature. In particular, warming begins to negatively impact plant growth at cooler temperatures for plants from colder, northern populations than for those from warmer, southern populations, both in the field and in growth chambers. Furthermore, the individuals and maternal families with the fastest growth also have the lowest water use efficiency at all temperatures, suggesting that a trade-off between growth and water use efficiency could further constrain responses to forecasted warming and drying. Taken together, these results suggest that populations throughout species' ranges could be at risk of decline with continued climate change, and that the focus on trailing edge populations risks overlooking the largest potential impacts of climate change on species' abundance and distribution. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Determinants of genetic structure in a nonequilibrium metapopulation of the plant Silene latifolia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter D Fields

    Full Text Available Population genetic differentiation will be influenced by the demographic history of populations, opportunities for migration among neighboring demes and founder effects associated with repeated extinction and recolonization. In natural populations, these factors are expected to interact with each other and their magnitudes will vary depending on the spatial distribution and age structure of local demes. Although each of these effects has been individually identified as important in structuring genetic variance, their relative magnitude is seldom estimated in nature. We conducted a population genetic analysis in a metapopulation of the angiosperm, Silene latifolia, from which we had more than 20 years of data on the spatial distribution, demographic history, and extinction and colonization of demes. We used hierarchical Bayesian methods to disentangle which features of the populations contributed to among population variation in allele frequencies, including the magnitude and direction of their effects. We show that population age, long-term size and degree of connectivity all combine to affect the distribution of genetic variance; small, recently-founded, isolated populations contributed most to increase FST in the metapopulation. However, the effects of population size and population age are best understood as being modulated through the effects of connectivity to other extant populations, i.e. FST diminishes as populations age, but at a rate that depends how isolated the population is. These spatial and temporal correlates of population structure give insight into how migration, founder effect and within-deme genetic drift have combined to enhance and restrict genetic divergence in a natural metapopulation.

  4. POLLINATOR-MEDIATED COMPETITION, REPRODUCTIVE CHARACTER DISPLACEMENT, AND THE EVOLUTION OF SELFING IN ARENARIA UNIFLORA (CARYOPHYLLACEAE).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fishman, Lila; Wyatt, Robert

    1999-12-01

    Ecological factors that reduce the effectiveness of cross-pollination are likely to play a role in the frequent evolution of routine self-fertilization in flowering plants. However, we lack empirical evidence linking the reproductive assurance value of selfing in poor pollination environments to evolutionary shifts in mating system. Here, we investigated the adaptive significance of prior selfing in the polymorphic annual plant Arenaria uniflora (Caryophyllaceae), in which selfer populations occur only in areas of range overlap with congener A. glabra. To examine the hypothesis that secondary contact between the two species contributed to the evolution and maintenance of selfing, we used field competition experiments and controlled hand-pollinations to measure the female fitness consequences of pollinator-mediated interspecific interactions. Uniformly high fruit set by selfers in the naturally pollinated field arrays confirmed the reproductive assurance value of selfing, whereas substantial reductions in outcrosser fruit set (15%) and total seed production (20-35%) in the presence of A. glabra demonstrated that pollinator-mediated interactions can provide strong selection for self-pollination. Heterospecific pollen transfer, rather than competition for pollinator service, appears to be the primary mechanism of pollinator-mediated competition in Arenaria. Premating barriers to hybridization between outcrossers and A. glabra are extremely weak. The production of a few inviable hybrid seeds after heterospecific pollination and intermediate seed set after mixed pollinations indicates that A. glabra pollen can usurp A. uniflora ovules. Thus, any visit to A. uniflora by shared pollinators carries a potential female fitness cost. Moreover, patterns of fruit set and seed set in the competition arrays relative to controls were consistent with the receipt of mixed pollen loads, rather than a lack of pollinator visits. Competition through pollen transfer favors preemptive

  5. Biological dosimetry after criticality accidents. Intercomparison exercise in the Silene Reactor - France; Dosimetria biologica en accidentes de criticidad. Ejercicio de intercomparacion en el Reactor Silene - Francia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Di Giorgio, Marina; Vallerga, Maria B; Taja, Maria R [Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear, Buenos Aires (Argentina); arn gov ar, E-mail: mdigiorg@cae

    2004-07-01

    The Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Institute (IRSN) organized an international biological dosimetry intercomparison, at the SILENE experimental reactor (Valduc, France), simulating different criticality scenarios: bare source 4 Gy, lead shield source 1 and 2 Gy and gamma pure {sup 60}Co source 2 Gy. Fifteen laboratories were involved in this exercise, including the Argentine Biological Dosimetry Laboratory. The purposes of the intercomparison were: 1) To compare the unstable chromosome aberration (UCA) frequency observed by the different laboratories; and 2) To compare the dose estimation for gamma rays and neutrons. The objects of the present work were: I) To compare the mean frequency of UCA observed by the Argentine laboratory with the mean frequency observed by the participant laboratories as a whole. II) To compare the dose estimates performed by the Argentine lab with those estimated by the other laboratories involved in the second stage of the intercomparison. Overall, the mean frequencies of UCA and the correspondent 95% confidence limits obtained by the Argentine lab were consistent with the results obtained by the laboratories as a whole. For the gamma pure scenario, smaller variations were observed among laboratories in terms of dose (CV=18,2%) than in terms of frequency (CV=30,1%). For the mixed field scenarios, only four laboratories, including the Argentine lab, estimated gamma and neutron components of the total dose and just two (Argentine lab and lab 12) were in agreement with the given physical doses. The 1 Gy experiment presented lesser variations both in terms of frequency and dose than the other two scenarios. For the 4 and 2 Gy experiments, variations in neutron dose were more significant than variations in gamma dose, related to the magnitude of the dose. The results suggest that intercomparison exercises jointly with the accreditation of biological dosimetry by cytogenetic service laboratories, in compliance with ISO

  6. Comparative study of autecological, morphological, anatomical and karyological characteristics of Acanthophyllum ejtehadii Mahmoudi & Vaezi (Caryophyllaceae: a rare endemic in Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zahra Maleki Sadabadi

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Characterizing traits of a species in its habitat is substantial for planning a practical conservation program. Acanthophyllum ejtehadii Mahmoudi & Vaezi (Caryophyllaceae is a recently established endemic species for flora of Iran and has a narrow non-conserved natural habitat in Radkan region of Chenaran, Razavi Khorasan Province. The soil and climate of Radkan was studied and the ecological, morphological, anatomical, and karyological aspects of A. ejtehadii were investigated to obtain a comprehensive knowledge about this species and its natural growth conditions. Field observations were performed during the growing seasons in 2014‒2015 and 29 vegetation samples were collected as data. Results showed that this plant grows in mound-like sites on clay-loam soils at mean elevation 1279 m.a.s.l. in arid climate. Acanthophyllum ejtehadii is a thorn-cushion form chamaephyte plant. This Plant grow gradually in early-January, the flower unfolds in early-June and the matured seeds are produced in mid-July. A. ejtehadii is a diploid (2n=2x =30 species and has homogenous karyotype. Having unique morphological and anatomical adaptations such as expanded surface roots, reduced leaf area and thickened cuticle, this plant grows successfully in harsh environments. These mechanisms are specific to this specific kind of Acanthophyllum species. The Speciation time of this plant was estimated not more than 200 thousand years ago and if Radkan is preserved from anthropogenic disturbance, this species could expand its distribution area.

  7. Transcription profiles of mitochondrial genes correlate with mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in a natural population of Silene vulgaris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olson Matthew S

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although rapid changes in copy number and gene order are common within plant mitochondrial genomes, associated patterns of gene transcription are underinvestigated. Previous studies have shown that the gynodioecious plant species Silene vulgaris exhibits high mitochondrial diversity and occasional paternal inheritance of mitochondrial markers. Here we address whether variation in DNA molecular markers is correlated with variation in transcription of mitochondrial genes in S. vulgaris collected from natural populations. Results We analyzed RFLP variation in two mitochondrial genes, cox1 and atp1, in offspring of ten plants from a natural population of S. vulgaris in Central Europe. We also investigated transcription profiles of the atp1 and cox1 genes. Most DNA haplotypes and transcription profiles were maternally inherited; for these, transcription profiles were associated with specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. One individual exhibited a pattern consistent with paternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA; this individual exhibited a transcription profile suggestive of paternal but inconsistent with maternal inheritance. We found no associations between gender and transcript profiles. Conclusions Specific transcription profiles of mitochondrial genes were associated with specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in a natural population of a gynodioecious species S. vulgaris. Our findings suggest the potential for a causal association between rearrangements in the plant mt genome and transcription product variation.

  8. Manganese Silylene Hydride Complexes: Synthesis and Reactivity with Ethylene to Afford Silene Hydride Complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, Jeffrey S; Emslie, David J H; Britten, James F

    2017-05-22

    Reaction of the ethylene hydride complex trans-[(dmpe) 2 MnH(C 2 H 4 )] (1) with Et 2 SiH 2 at 20 °C afforded the silylene hydride [(dmpe) 2 MnH(=SiEt 2 )] (2 a) as the trans-isomer. By contrast, reaction of 1 with Ph 2 SiH 2 at 60 °C afforded [(dmpe) 2 MnH(=SiPh 2 )] (2 b) as a mixture of the cis (major) and trans (minor) isomers, featuring a Mn-H-Si interaction in the former. The reaction to form 2 b also yielded [(dmpe) 2 MnH 2 (SiHPh 2 )] (3 b); [(dmpe) 2 MnH 2 (SiHR 2 )] (R=Et (3 a) and Ph (3 b)) were accessed cleanly by reaction of 2 a and 2 b with H 2 , and the analogous reactions with D 2 afforded [(dmpe) 2 MnD 2 (SiHR 2 )] exclusively. Both 2 a and 2 b engaged in unique reactivity with ethylene, generating the silene hydride complexes cis-[(dmpe) 2 MnH(R 2 Si=CHMe)] (R=Et (4 a), Ph (4 b)). Compounds trans-2 a, cis-2 b, 3 b, and 4 b were crystallographically characterized, and bonding in 2 a, 2 b, 4 a, and 4 b was probed computationally. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Salicylic acid promotes plant growth and salt-related gene expression in Dianthus superbus L. (Caryophyllaceae) grown under different salt stress conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Jian; Ma, Xiaohua; Zhang, Xule; Hu, Qingdi; Qian, Renjuan

    2018-03-01

    Salt stress is a critical factor that affects the growth and development of plants. Salicylic acid (SA) is an important signal molecule that mitigates the negative effects of salt stress on plants. To elucidate salt tolerance in large pink Dianthus superbus L. (Caryophyllaceae) and the regulatory mechanism of exogenous SA on D. superbus under different salt stresses, we conducted a pot experiment to evaluate leaf biomass, leaf anatomy, soluble protein and sugar content, and the relative expression of salt-induced genes in D. superbus under 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9% NaCl conditions with and without 0.5 mM SA. The result showed that exposure of D. superbus to salt stress lead to a decrease in leaf growth, soluble protein and sugar content, and mesophyll thickness, together with an increase in the expression of MYB and P5CS genes. Foliar application of SA effectively increased leaf biomass, soluble protein and sugar content, and upregulated the expression of MYB and P5CS in the D. superbus , which facilitated in the acclimation of D. superbus to moderate salt stress. However, when the plants were grown under severe salt stress (0.9% NaCl), no significant difference in plant physiological responses and relevant gene expression between plants with and without SA was observed. The findings of this study suggest that exogenous SA can effectively counteract the adverse effects of moderate salt stress on D. superbus growth and development.

  10. Neutron Activation and Thermoluminescent Detector Responses to a Bare Pulse of the CEA Valduc SILENE Critical Assembly

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, Thomas Martin [ORNL; Isbell, Kimberly McMahan [ORNL; Lee, Yi-kang [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Centre de Saclay, Gif sur Yvette; Gagnier, Emmanuel [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Centre de Saclay, Gif sur Yvette; Authier, Nicolas [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Centre de Valduc, Is-sur-Tille; Piot, Jerome [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Centre de Valduc, Is-sur-Tille; Jacquet, Xavier [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Centre de Valduc, Is-sur-Tille; Rousseau, Guillaume [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Centre de Valduc, Is-sur-Tille; Reynolds, Kevin H. [Y-12 National Security Complex

    2016-09-01

    This benchmark experiment was conducted as a joint venture between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA). Staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US and the Centre de Valduc in France planned this experiment. The experiment was conducted on October 11, 2010 in the SILENE critical assembly facility at Valduc. Several other organizations contributed to this experiment and the subsequent evaluation, including CEA Saclay, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Y-12 National Security Complex (NSC), Babcock International Group in the United Kingdom, and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The goal of this experiment was to measure neutron activation and thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) doses from a source similar to a fissile solution critical excursion. The resulting benchmark can be used for validation of computer codes and nuclear data libraries as required when performing analysis of criticality accident alarm systems (CAASs). A secondary goal of this experiment was to qualitatively test performance of two CAAS detectors similar to those currently and formerly in use in some US DOE facilities. The detectors tested were the CIDAS MkX and the Rocky Flats NCD-91. These detectors were being evaluated to determine whether they would alarm, so they were not expected to generate benchmark quality data.

  11. Biological dosimetry after criticality accidents. Intercomparison exercise in the Silene Reactor - France

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di Giorgio, Marina; Vallerga, Maria B.; Taja, Maria R.

    2004-01-01

    The Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Institute (IRSN) organized an international biological dosimetry intercomparison, at the SILENE experimental reactor (Valduc, France), simulating different criticality scenarios: bare source 4 Gy, lead shield source 1 and 2 Gy and gamma pure 60 Co source 2 Gy. Fifteen laboratories were involved in this exercise, including the Argentine Biological Dosimetry Laboratory. The purposes of the intercomparison were: 1) To compare the unstable chromosome aberration (UCA) frequency observed by the different laboratories; and 2) To compare the dose estimation for gamma rays and neutrons. The objects of the present work were: I) To compare the mean frequency of UCA observed by the Argentine laboratory with the mean frequency observed by the participant laboratories as a whole. II) To compare the dose estimates performed by the Argentine lab with those estimated by the other laboratories involved in the second stage of the intercomparison. Overall, the mean frequencies of UCA and the correspondent 95% confidence limits obtained by the Argentine lab were consistent with the results obtained by the laboratories as a whole. For the gamma pure scenario, smaller variations were observed among laboratories in terms of dose (CV=18,2%) than in terms of frequency (CV=30,1%). For the mixed field scenarios, only four laboratories, including the Argentine lab, estimated gamma and neutron components of the total dose and just two (Argentine lab and lab 12) were in agreement with the given physical doses. The 1 Gy experiment presented lesser variations both in terms of frequency and dose than the other two scenarios. For the 4 and 2 Gy experiments, variations in neutron dose were more significant than variations in gamma dose, related to the magnitude of the dose. The results suggest that intercomparison exercises jointly with the accreditation of biological dosimetry by cytogenetic service laboratories, in compliance with ISO

  12. Salicylic Acid Alleviates the Adverse Effects of Salt Stress on Dianthus superbus (Caryophyllaceae) by Activating Photosynthesis, Protecting Morphological Structure, and Enhancing the Antioxidant System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Xiaohua; Zheng, Jian; Zhang, Xule; Hu, Qingdi; Qian, Renjuan

    2017-01-01

    Salt stress critically affects the physiological processes and morphological structure of plants, resulting in reduced plant growth. Salicylic acid (SA) is an important signal molecule that mitigates the adverse effects of salt stress on plants. Large pink Dianthus superbus L. (Caryophyllaceae) usually exhibit salt-tolerant traits under natural conditions. To further clarify the salt-tolerance level of D. superbus and the regulating mechanism of exogenous SA on the growth of D. superbus under different salt stresses, we conducted a pot experiment to examine the biomass, photosynthetic parameters, stomatal structure, chloroplast ultrastructure, reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations, and antioxidant activities of D. superbus young shoots under 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9% NaCl conditions, with and without 0.5 mM SA. D. superbus exhibited reduced growth rate, decreased net photosynthetic rate (Pn), increased relative electric conductivity (REC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, and poorly developed stomata and chloroplasts under 0.6 and 0.9% salt stress. However, exogenously SA effectively improved the growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant enzyme activity, and stoma and chloroplast development of D. superbus. However, when the plants were grown under severe salt stress (0.9% NaCl condition), there was no significant difference in the plant growth and physiological responses between SA-treated and non-SA-treated plants. Therefore, our research suggests that exogenous SA can effectively counteract the adverse effect of moderate salt stress on D. superbus growth and development. PMID:28484476

  13. Salicylic Acid Alleviates the Adverse Effects of Salt Stress on Dianthus superbus (Caryophyllaceae by Activating Photosynthesis, Protecting Morphological Structure, and Enhancing the Antioxidant System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaohua Ma

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Salt stress critically affects the physiological processes and morphological structure of plants, resulting in reduced plant growth. Salicylic acid (SA is an important signal molecule that mitigates the adverse effects of salt stress on plants. Large pink Dianthus superbus L. (Caryophyllaceae usually exhibit salt-tolerant traits under natural conditions. To further clarify the salt-tolerance level of D. superbus and the regulating mechanism of exogenous SA on the growth of D. superbus under different salt stresses, we conducted a pot experiment to examine the biomass, photosynthetic parameters, stomatal structure, chloroplast ultrastructure, reactive oxygen species (ROS concentrations, and antioxidant activities of D. superbus young shoots under 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9% NaCl conditions, with and without 0.5 mM SA. D. superbus exhibited reduced growth rate, decreased net photosynthetic rate (Pn, increased relative electric conductivity (REC and malondialdehyde (MDA contents, and poorly developed stomata and chloroplasts under 0.6 and 0.9% salt stress. However, exogenously SA effectively improved the growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant enzyme activity, and stoma and chloroplast development of D. superbus. However, when the plants were grown under severe salt stress (0.9% NaCl condition, there was no significant difference in the plant growth and physiological responses between SA-treated and non-SA-treated plants. Therefore, our research suggests that exogenous SA can effectively counteract the adverse effect of moderate salt stress on D. superbus growth and development.

  14. Substitution rates in the X- and Y-linked genes of the plants, Silene latifolia and S. dioica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filatov, Dmitry A; Charlesworth, Deborah

    2002-06-01

    Theory predicts that selection should be less effective in the nonrecombining genes of Y-chromosomes, relative to the situation for genes on the other chromosomes, and this should lead to the accumulation of deleterious nonsynonymous substitutions. In addition, synonymous substitution rates may differ between X- and Y-linked genes because of the male-driven evolution effect and also because of actual differences in per-replication mutation rates between the sex chromosomes. Here, we report the first study of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitution rates on plant sex chromosomes. We sequenced two pairs of sex-linked genes, SlX1-SlY1 and SlX4-SlY4, from dioecious Silene latifolia and S. dioica, and their non-sex-linked homologues from nondioecious S. vulgaris and Lychnis flos-jovis, respectively. The rate of nonsynonymous substitutions in the SlY4 gene is significantly higher than that in the SlX4 gene. Silent substitution rates are also significantly higher in both Y-linked genes, compared with their X-linked homologues. The higher nonsynonymous substitution rate in the SlY4 gene is therefore likely to be caused by a mutation rate difference between the sex chromosomes. The difference in silent substitution rates between the SlX4 and SlY4 genes is too great to be explained solely by a higher per-generation mutation rate in males than females. It is thus probably caused by a difference in per-replication mutation rates between the sex chromosomes. This suggests that the local mutation rate can change in a relatively short evolutionary time.

  15. Semi-automatic laser beam microdissection of the Y chromosome and analysis of Y chromosome DNA in a dioecious plant, Silene latifolia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsunaga, S.; Kawano, S.; Michimoto, T.; Higashiyama, T.; Nakao, S.; Sakai, A.; Kuroiwa, T.

    1999-01-01

    Silene latifolia has heteromorphic sex chromosomes, the X and Y chromosomes. The Y chromosome, which is thought to carry the male determining gene, was isolated by UV laser microdissection and amplified by degenerate oligonucleotide-primed PCR. In situ chromosome suppression of the amplified Y chromosome DNA in the presence of female genomic DNA as a competitor showed that the microdissected Y chromosome DNA did not specifically hybridize to the Y chromosome, but-hybridized to all chromosomes. This result suggests that the Y chromosome does not contain Y chromosome-enriched repetitive sequences. A repetitive sequence in the microdissected Y chromosome, RMY1, was isolated while screening repetitive sequences in the amplified Y chromosome. Part of the nucleotide sequence shared a similarity to that of X-43.1, which was isolated from microdissected X chromosomes. Since fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis with RMY1 demonstrated that RMY1 was localized at the ends of the chromosome, RMY1 may be a subtelomeric repetitive sequence. Regarding the sex chromosomes, RMY1 was detected at both ends of the X chromosome and at one end near the pseudoautosomal region of the Y chromosome. The different localization of RMY1 on the sex chromosomes provides a clue to the problem of how the sex chromosomes arose from autosomes

  16. Effect of genotype, Cr(III and Cr(VI on plant growth and micronutrient status in Silene vulgaris (Moench

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. E. Pradas-del-Real

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Chromium released into the environment from industrial activities has become an important environmental concern. Silene vulgaris has been proven to be tolerant to many heavy metals, so it is considered an interesting species in the revegetation and restoration of polluted soils, but no information is available about its response to Cr. The objective of this work was to study uptake and influence on plant growth of Cr(III and Cr(VI in six genotypes (four hermaphrodites and two females of S. vulgaris from different sites of Madrid (Spain. Plants were treated for 12 days with 60 µM of Cr(III or Cr(VI in semihydroponics. Dry weights, soil-plant analysis development values (SPAD reading with chlorophylls and micronutrient and total Cr concentrations were determined. Metal uptake was higher in presence of Cr(VI than of Cr(III and poorly translocated to the shoots. In both cases S. vulgaris did not show visual toxicity symptoms, biomass reduction, or differences among SPAD values as consequence of Cr additions. However genotypes SV36 and SV38 showed Fe and Mn imbalance. This is the first report on the relatively good performance of hermaphrodite and female S. vulgaris genotypes in Cr uptake and physiological traits, but further studies will be necessary to elucidate the mechanisms by which the gender may influence these variables. S. vulgaris presented high diversity at genotypic level; the treatment with hexavalent Cr increased the differences among genotypes so the use of cuttings from an homogeneous genotype seems to be an adequate method for the study of this species.

  17. Criticality accidents in solution (CRAC and SILENE programmes) and complementary studies of accidents; radiation dosimetry in human organism during the CRAC programme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barbry, M.; Dousset, M.

    C.R.A.C. (CRiticality occurring ACcidentally) programme is intended to study experimentally the development of a criticality accident as it could occur when handling solutions of fissile material as well as the radiological consequences of such an accident. The fissile matter solutions have been chosen (a) for practical considerations of use and (b) because the probability of an accident occurring seems greater with this type of environment, as the known accidents have shown. The programme is twofold: study of accident physics: form of the evolution (peak, plateau, oscillations, boil up of solutions) the most probable maximum power, minimal power, flux and radiation spectra emitted, freed energy, associated effects, radiolysis, constraints, etc., study of radiological consequences: area dosimetry, individual dosimetry, radiobiological studies, etc. Additional criticality Accident experiments have been and continue to be made on the SILENE reactor in the following principal domains: determination of the emission rate of gaseous fission products and aerosols, area dosimetry and health dosimetry in the presence of shields around the core to vary the neutron and gamma components of the radiation field. Improvement in the knowledge of certain particular aspects of the power excursion, radiolysis gas and pressure wave, experiments of the ''boiling'' type [fr

  18. Fungal Infection Induces Sex-Specific Transcriptional Changes and Alters Sexual Dimorphism in the Dioecious Plant Silene latifolia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niklaus Zemp

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Sexual dimorphism, including differences in morphology, behavior and physiology between females and males, is widespread in animals and plants and is shaped by gene expression differences between the sexes. Such expression differences may also underlie sex-specific responses of hosts to pathogen infections, most notably when pathogens induce partial sex reversal in infected hosts. The genetic changes associated with sex-specific responses to pathogen infections on the one hand, and sexual dimorphism on the other hand, remain poorly understood. The dioecious White Campion (Silene latifolia displays sexual dimorphism in floral traits and infection with the smut fungus Micobrotryum lychnidis-dioicae induces a partial sex reversal in females. We find strong sex-specific responses to pathogen infection and reduced sexual dimorphism in infected S. latifolia. This provides a direct link between pathogen-mediated changes in sex-biased gene expression and altered sexual dimorphism in the host. Expression changes following infection affected mainly genes with male-biased expression in healthy plants. In females, these genes were up-regulated, leading to a masculinization of the transcriptome. In contrast, infection in males was associated with down-regulation of these genes, leading to a demasculinization of the transcriptome. To a lesser extent, genes with female-biased expression in healthy plants were also affected in opposite directions in the two sexes. These genes were overall down-regulated in females and up-regulated in males, causing, respectively, a defeminization in infected females and a feminization of the transcriptome in infected males. Our results reveal strong sex-specific responses to pathogen infection in a dioecious plant and provide a link between pathogen-induced changes in sex-biased gene expression and sexual dimorphism.

  19. Fungal Infection Induces Sex-Specific Transcriptional Changes and Alters Sexual Dimorphism in the Dioecious Plant Silene latifolia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zemp, Niklaus; Tavares, Raquel; Widmer, Alex

    2015-10-01

    Sexual dimorphism, including differences in morphology, behavior and physiology between females and males, is widespread in animals and plants and is shaped by gene expression differences between the sexes. Such expression differences may also underlie sex-specific responses of hosts to pathogen infections, most notably when pathogens induce partial sex reversal in infected hosts. The genetic changes associated with sex-specific responses to pathogen infections on the one hand, and sexual dimorphism on the other hand, remain poorly understood. The dioecious White Campion (Silene latifolia) displays sexual dimorphism in floral traits and infection with the smut fungus Micobrotryum lychnidis-dioicae induces a partial sex reversal in females. We find strong sex-specific responses to pathogen infection and reduced sexual dimorphism in infected S. latifolia. This provides a direct link between pathogen-mediated changes in sex-biased gene expression and altered sexual dimorphism in the host. Expression changes following infection affected mainly genes with male-biased expression in healthy plants. In females, these genes were up-regulated, leading to a masculinization of the transcriptome. In contrast, infection in males was associated with down-regulation of these genes, leading to a demasculinization of the transcriptome. To a lesser extent, genes with female-biased expression in healthy plants were also affected in opposite directions in the two sexes. These genes were overall down-regulated in females and up-regulated in males, causing, respectively, a defeminization in infected females and a feminization of the transcriptome in infected males. Our results reveal strong sex-specific responses to pathogen infection in a dioecious plant and provide a link between pathogen-induced changes in sex-biased gene expression and sexual dimorphism.

  20. Nurse effect in seedling establishment: facilitation and tolerance to damage in the Andes of central Chile Efecto nodriza en el establecimiento de plántulas: facilitación y tolerancia al daño en los Andes de Chile central

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    IAN S ACUÑA-RODRÍGUEZ

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Nurse effects, which occur when one plant species enhances the survival or growth of another plant species, are predicted to be most relevant in stressful environments. These effects are particulary important during seedling establishment due to their vulnerability to both biotic and abiotic factors, such as herbivory and drought. Tolerance to herbivory reflects the degree to which plants are able to regrow and reproduce after damage, and should vary with resource availability. In the high Andes of central Chile, the cushion plant Laretia acaulis (Apiaceae acts as a buffer against environmental stress, enhancing survival of several associated plant species. We hypothesized that tolerance to herbivory of seedlings growing inside the canopy of L. acaulis should be greater than that of seedlings growing outside the cushion plant. We conducted a field experiment to test this hypothesis for two native perennial species in the high Andes of central Chile: Hordeum comosum (Poaceae and Haplopappus anthylloides (Asteraceae. Seedlings of each species were planted inside and outside L. acaulis cushions and half of them received manual damage (50 % foliar tissue removed. Seedlings growing inside the nurse species showed high survival independent of the damage treatment. Whereas position (inside or outside the cushion plant did not affect tolerance of Haplopappus anthylloides, it significantly affected tolerance of Hordeum comosum. Thus, we found similar survival of damaged and control seedlings of H. comosum inside the cushions, but survival of damaged seedlings in the bare ground was lower than that of control seedlings. We verified the occurrence of nurse effects of Laretia acaulis on the establishment of both species, and detected enhancement of tolerance to damage in Hordeum comosum in this stressful habitatSe ha sugerido que el efecto nodriza, el cual se evidencia cuando una especie vegetal incrementa la supervivencia o el crecimiento de otra, es m

  1. Neutron Activation Foil and Thermoluminescent Dosimeter Responses to a Lead Reflected Pulse of the CEA Valduc SILENE Critical Assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, Thomas Martin; Celik, Cihangir; Isbell, Kimberly McMahan; Lee, Yi-kang; Gagnier, Emmanuel; Authier, Nicolas; Piot, Jerome; Jacquet, Xavier; Rousseau, Guillaume; Reynolds, Kevin H.

    2016-01-01

    This benchmark experiment was conducted as a joint venture between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA). Staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US and the Centre de Valduc in France planned this experiment. The experiment was conducted on October 13, 2010 in the SILENE critical assembly facility at Valduc. Several other organizations contributed to this experiment and the subsequent evaluation, including CEA Saclay, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Y-12 National Security Complex (NSC), Babcock International Group in the United Kingdom, and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The goal of this experiment was to measure neutron activation and thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) doses from a source similar to a fissile solution critical excursion. The resulting benchmark can be used for validation of computer codes and nuclear data libraries as required when performing analysis of criticality accident alarm systems (CAASs). A secondary goal of this experiment was to qualitatively test performance of two CAAS detectors similar to those currently and formerly in use in some US DOE facilities. The detectors tested were the CIDAS MkX and the Rocky Flats NCD-91. The CIDAS detects gammas with a Geiger-Muller tube, and the Rocky Flats detects neutrons via charged particles produced in a thin 6 LiF disc, depositing energy in a Si solid-state detector. These detectors were being evaluated to determine whether they would alarm, so they were not expected to generate benchmark quality data.

  2. Neutron Activation Foil and Thermoluminescent Dosimeter Responses to a Polyethylene Reflected Pulse of the CEA Valduc SILENE Critical Assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, Thomas Martin; Celik, Cihangir; McMahan, Kimberly L.; Lee, Yi-kang; Gagnier, Emmanuel; Authier, Nicolas

    2016-01-01

    This benchmark experiment was conducted as a joint venture between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA). Staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US and the Centre de Valduc in France planned this experiment. The experiment was conducted on October 19, 2010 in the SILENE critical assembly facility at Valduc. Several other organizations contributed to this experiment and the subsequent evaluation, including CEA Saclay, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Y-12 National Security Complex (NSC), Babcock International Group in the United Kingdom, and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The goal of this experiment was to measure neutron activation and thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) doses from a source similar to a fissile solution critical excursion. The resulting benchmark can be used for validation of computer codes and nuclear data libraries as required when performing analysis of criticality accident alarm systems (CAASs). A secondary goal of this experiment was to qualitatively test performance of two CAAS detectors similar to those currently and formerly in use in some US DOE facilities. The detectors tested were the CIDAS MkX and the Rocky Flats NCD-91. The CIDAS detects gammas with a Geiger-Muller tube and the Rocky Flats detects neutrons via charged particles produced in a thin "6LiF disc depositing energy in a Si solid state detector. These detectors were being evaluated to determine whether they would alarm, so they were not expected to generate benchmark quality data.

  3. Neutron Activation Foil and Thermoluminescent Dosimeter Responses to a Polyethylene Reflected Pulse of the CEA Valduc SILENE Critical Assembly

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, Thomas Martin [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Celik, Cihangir [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); McMahan, Kimberly L. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Lee, Yi-kang [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Saclay (France); Gagnier, Emmanuel [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Centre de Saclay, Gif sur Yvette; Authier, Nicolas [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Salives (France). Valduc Centre for Nuclear Studies; Piot, Jerome [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Salives (France). Valduc Centre for Nuclear Studies; Jacquet, Xavier [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Salives (France). Valduc Centre for Nuclear Studies; Rousseau, Guillaume [French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Salives (France). Valduc Centre for Nuclear Studies; Reynolds, Kevin H. [Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2016-09-01

    This benchmark experiment was conducted as a joint venture between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA). Staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US and the Centre de Valduc in France planned this experiment. The experiment was conducted on October 19, 2010 in the SILENE critical assembly facility at Valduc. Several other organizations contributed to this experiment and the subsequent evaluation, including CEA Saclay, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Y-12 National Security Complex (NSC), Babcock International Group in the United Kingdom, and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The goal of this experiment was to measure neutron activation and thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) doses from a source similar to a fissile solution critical excursion. The resulting benchmark can be used for validation of computer codes and nuclear data libraries as required when performing analysis of criticality accident alarm systems (CAASs). A secondary goal of this experiment was to qualitatively test performance of two CAAS detectors similar to those currently and formerly in use in some US DOE facilities. The detectors tested were the CIDAS MkX and the Rocky Flats NCD-91. The CIDAS detects gammas with a Geiger-Muller tube and the Rocky Flats detects neutrons via charged particles produced in a thin 6LiF disc depositing energy in a Si solid state detector. These detectors were being evaluated to determine whether they would alarm, so they were not expected to generate benchmark quality data.

  4. Neutron Activation Foil and Thermoluminescent Dosimeter Responses to a Lead Reflected Pulse of the CEA Valduc SILENE Critical Assembly

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, Thomas Martin [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Celik, Cihangir [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Isbell, Kimberly McMahan [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Lee, Yi-kang [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA-Saclay), Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Gagnier, Emmanuel [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA-Saclay), Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Authier, Nicolas [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA-Saclay), Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Piot, Jerome [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA-Saclay), Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Jacquet, Xavier [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA-Saclay), Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Rousseau, Guillaume [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA-Saclay), Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Reynolds, Kevin H. [Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2016-09-01

    This benchmark experiment was conducted as a joint venture between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA). Staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US and the Centre de Valduc in France planned this experiment. The experiment was conducted on October 13, 2010 in the SILENE critical assembly facility at Valduc. Several other organizations contributed to this experiment and the subsequent evaluation, including CEA Saclay, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Y-12 National Security Complex (NSC), Babcock International Group in the United Kingdom, and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The goal of this experiment was to measure neutron activation and thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) doses from a source similar to a fissile solution critical excursion. The resulting benchmark can be used for validation of computer codes and nuclear data libraries as required when performing analysis of criticality accident alarm systems (CAASs). A secondary goal of this experiment was to qualitatively test performance of two CAAS detectors similar to those currently and formerly in use in some US DOE facilities. The detectors tested were the CIDAS MkX and the Rocky Flats NCD-91. The CIDAS detects gammas with a Geiger-Muller tube, and the Rocky Flats detects neutrons via charged particles produced in a thin 6LiF disc, depositing energy in a Si solid-state detector. These detectors were being evaluated to determine whether they would alarm, so they were not expected to generate benchmark quality data.

  5. Regeneration of whole fertile plants from 30,000-y-old fruit tissue buried in Siberian permafrost.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yashina, Svetlana; Gubin, Stanislav; Maksimovich, Stanislav; Yashina, Alexandra; Gakhova, Edith; Gilichinsky, David

    2012-03-06

    Whole, fertile plants of Silene stenophylla Ledeb. (Caryophyllaceae) have been uniquely regenerated from maternal, immature fruit tissue of Late Pleistocene age using in vitro tissue culture and clonal micropropagation. The fruits were excavated in northeastern Siberia from fossil squirrel burrows buried at a depth of 38 m in undisturbed and never thawed Late Pleistocene permafrost sediments with a temperature of -7 °C. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating showed fruits to be 31,800 ± 300 y old. The total γ-radiation dose accumulated by the fruits during this time was calculated as 0.07 kGy; this is the maximal reported dose after which tissues remain viable and seeds still germinate. Regenerated plants were brought to flowering and fruiting and they set viable seeds. At present, plants of S. stenophylla are the most ancient, viable, multicellular, living organisms. Morphophysiological studies comparing regenerated and extant plants obtained from modern seeds of the same species in the same region revealed that they were distinct phenotypes of S. stenophylla. The first generation cultivated from seeds obtained from regenerated plants progressed through all developmental stages and had the same morphological features as parent plants. The investigation showed high cryoresistance of plant placental tissue in permafrost. This natural cryopreservation of plant tissue over many thousands of years demonstrates a role for permafrost as a depository for an ancient gene pool, i.e., preexisting life, which hypothetically has long since vanished from the earth's surface, a potential source of ancient germplasm, and a laboratory for the study of rates of microevolution.

  6. Pas de deux: An Intricate Dance of Anther Smut and Its Host

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Su San Toh

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The successful interaction between pathogen/parasite and host requires a delicate balance between fitness of the former and survival of the latter. To optimize fitness a parasite/pathogen must effectively create an environment conducive to reproductive success, while simultaneously avoiding or minimizing detrimental host defense response. The association between Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae and its host Silene latifolia serves as an excellent model to examine such interactions. This fungus is part of a species complex that infects species of the Caryophyllaceae, replacing pollen with the fungal spores. In the current study, transcriptome analyses of the fungus and its host were conducted during discrete stages of bud development so as to identify changes in fungal gene expression that lead to spore development and to identify changes associated with infection in the host plant. In contrast to early biotrophic phase stages of infection for the fungus, the latter stages involve tissue necrosis and in the case of infected female flowers, further changes in the developmental program in which the ovary aborts and a pseudoanther is produced. Transcriptome analysis via Illumina RNA sequencing revealed enrichment of fungal genes encoding small secreted proteins, with hallmarks of effectors and genes found to be relatively unique to the Microbotryum species complex. Host gene expression analyses also identified interesting sets of genes up-regulated, including those involving stress response, host defense response, and several agamous-like MADS-box genes (AGL61 and AGL80, predicted to interact and be involved in male gametophyte development.

  7. Spatial expression dynamics of Men-9 delineate the third floral whorl in male and female flowers of dioecious Silene latifolia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, S E; Li, Y; Scutt, C P; Willis, M E; Gilmartin, P M

    1997-07-01

    Sex determination in Silene latifolia is controlled by heteromorphic sex chromosomes. Female flowers have five fused carpels and ten arrested stamen primordia. The male-determining Y chromosome overrides female development to suppress carpel formation and promote stamen development. The isolation and characterization of two S. latifolia. Male enhanced cDNAs, Men-9a and Men-9b, which probably represent different alleles of a novel gene are reported here. Men-9a and Men-9b share 91.8% coding sequence nucleotide identity, yet only 85.4% amino acid identity. The Men-9 cDNAs are related to the previously reported MROS3 cDNA from S. latifolia. However, MROS3 is not present in the S. latifolia population used in these studies and the expression dynamics of Men-9a and Men-9b contrast dramatically with those reported for MROS3. Men-9 cDNAs are expressed primarily in anthers of young male flowers, with highest expression in 1-2 mm buds. Men-9 expression is also observed at a low level in female flowers. In situ hybridization analysis reveals two phases of Men-9 expression. The first phase is during a common stage of early stamen development in male and female flowers prior to stamen arrest in female flowers. The second phase of Men-9 expression is maximal in the epidermis and endothecium of Y chromosome- and Ustilago violacea-induced stamens; expression in male and female flowers extends to the epidermis of the staminal nectaries with strict boundaries at the second and fourth whorls, Men-9 gene expression therefore delineates the boundaries of the third floral whorl in S. latifolia flowers.

  8. Transcriptome analysis of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) based on next-generation sequencing technology

    OpenAIRE

    Tanase Koji; Nishitani Chikako; Hirakawa Hideki; Isobe Sachiko; Tabata Satoshi; Ohmiya Akemi; Onozaki Takashi

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Background Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.), in the family Caryophyllaceae, can be found in a wide range of colors and is a model system for studies of flower senescence. In addition, it is one of the most important flowers in the global floriculture industry. However, few genomics resources, such as sequences and markers are available for carnation or other members of the Caryophyllaceae. To increase our understanding of the genetic control of important characters in carnation, ...

  9. Multigene Sequence Analysis of Aster Yellows Phytoplasma Associated with Primrose Yellows

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Fránová, Jana; Přibylová, Jaroslava; Koloniuk, Igor; Podrábská, K.; Špak, Josef

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 164, č. 3 (2016), s. 166-176 ISSN 0931-1785 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris * pyrH-frr genes * Primula acaulis Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 0.853, year: 2016

  10. Swelling and Degradation of Calcium-Pectic Gel Particles Made of Pectins of Silene vulgaris and Lemna minor Сallus Cultures at Different Concentrations of Pectinase in an Artificial Colon Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anatoly A. Shubakov

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Spherical calcium-pectic gel particles (CaPGPs were obtained from pectins of callus cultures (CC of campion Silene vulgaris (silenan and duckweed Lemna minor (lemnan, as well as from commercial apple and citrus pectins by the method of ionotropic gelation. We studied the morphological characteristics of the obtained gel particles and found that the largest gel particles were formed from citrus pectin (CP, and the densest gel particles were formed from lemnan pectin (LP. The swelling and degradation of CaPGPs were comparatively evaluated by incubation in a simulated gastrointestinal environment. The swelling and degradation of CaPGPs formed from pectins of the silenan and lemnan callus cultures were studied at different concentrations of pectinase (0.4, 0.8 and 1.7 mg/ml in the simulated fluid of the colon. It has been established that the CaPGPs obtained from lemnan are more resistant to degradation in the simulated colon fluid than CaPGP obtained from silenan. It was shown that the concentration of pectinase in the simulated fluid of the colon and the type of pectin affect the degradability of CaPGPs formed on the basis of pectins of callus cultures.

  11. Photosynthetic responses to temperature and light of Antarctic and Andean populations of Colobanthus quitensis (Caryophyllaceae Respuestas fotosintéticas a la temperatura y a la luz de poblaciones antarticas y andinas de Colobanthus quitensis (Caryophyllaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ÁNGELA SIERRA-ALMEIDA

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth, 1831 Bartling (Caryophyllaceae is characterized by a wide latitudinal distribution, ranging between the tropical high Andes and the Antarctic Peninsula. Although both habitat types are characterized by cold and freezing temperatures, important microclimatic differences exist during the growing season. Hence, important differences in the response of the photosynthetic apparatus to abiotic factors could be expected between Antarctic and Andean populations of C. quitensis. We studied the relationship between net photosynthesis, leaf temperature and light intensity in two populations of C. quitensis, one from La Parva in the Andes of central Chile and the other from King George Island, in the Maritime Antarctic. Plants from both populations were grown in the laboratory at 15 °C under 250 μmol photons m-2 s-1, with a 16/8 h light/dark photoperiod. Twenty plants (about two months old of each population were transferred to a 4 °C chamber with the same light and photoperiod conditions as above to assess the photosynthetic acclimation capacity. At 15 °C, populations differed in their optimum leaf temperature for photosynthesis, being 24.0 °C in individuals from the Andes and 18.6 °C in individuals from the Antarctic. In contrast, Antarctic individuals showed the highest net photosynthesis rate under both temperature treatments, with the lowest light compensation and saturation points. Antarctic individuals had higher photosynthetic activity at lower temperatures compared to individuals from the Andes. Our results suggest that C. quitensis has adapted photosynthetic performance of individuals growing in different localities to the prevailing climatic conditions. Differences in photosynthetic responses to temperature and light are discussed in relation to ecotypic differentiation between two populations studiedColobanthus quitensis es una especie ampliamente distribuida, que crece desde los Andes tropicales hasta la Pen

  12. Identification and Initial Characterization of the Effectors of an Anther Smut Fungus and Potential Host Target Proteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Venkata S. Kuppireddy

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available (1 Background: Plant pathogenic fungi often display high levels of host specificity and biotrophic fungi; in particular, they must manipulate their hosts to avoid detection and to complete their obligate pathogenic lifecycles. One important strategy of such fungi is the secretion of small proteins that serve as effectors in this process. Microbotryum violaceum is a species complex whose members infect members of the Caryophyllaceae; M. lychnidis-dioicae, a parasite on Silene latifolia, is one of the best studied interactions. We are interested in identifying and characterizing effectors of the fungus and possible corresponding host targets; (2 Methods: In silico analysis of the M. lychnidis-dioicae genome and transcriptomes allowed us to predict a pool of small secreted proteins (SSPs with the hallmarks of effectors, including a lack of conserved protein family (PFAM domains and also localized regions of disorder. Putative SSPs were tested for secretion using a yeast secretion trap method. We then used yeast two-hybrid analyses for candidate-secreted effectors to probe a cDNA library from a range of growth conditions of the fungus, including infected plants; (3 Results: Roughly 50 SSPs were identified by in silico analysis. Of these, 4 were studied further and shown to be secreted, as well as examined for potential host interactors. One of the putative effectors, MVLG_01732, was found to interact with Arabidopsis thaliana calcium-dependent lipid binding protein (AtCLB and with cellulose synthase interactive protein 1 orthologues; and (4 Conclusions: The identification of a pool of putative effectors provides a resource for functional characterization of fungal proteins that mediate the delicate interaction between pathogen and host. The candidate targets of effectors, e.g., AtCLB, involved in pollen germination suggest tantalizing insights that could drive future studies.

  13. Genetic structure of Potentilla acaulis (Rosaceae) populations ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Jane

    2011-07-18

    Jul 18, 2011 ... populations based on randomly amplified polymorphic. DNA (RAPD) in habitat ..... the correlation between ΦST values and genetic distances was highly ... Propagule recruitment from genets of perennial clonal plants could ...

  14. A graphical user interface for 3D pre & post processing: state-of-the-art and new developments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stankovski, Zarko

    2011-01-01

    'La Java de Silene' (Silene) is an original Graphical User Interface (GUI), written in Java language, for generation of 3D arbitrarily shaped geometries for the neutron transport codes used at CEA. Silene provides data for APOLLO2 input format as well as for some other codes like Monte Carlo TRIPOLI4 code. In addition, the software serves as an experimental tool to explore the needs and feasibility for the GUI of the currently developing APOLLO3. This paper summarizes the principles of the software and presents some new capabilities. The interface deals simultaneously with two kinds of geometries: regular and unstructured, arranged in collections. Unstructured geometries are built visually and regular ones visually or by using text editor. Regular geometries consist of sets of predefined and parameterized components. The new developments will improve the efficiency of components with the ability to use variables instead of fixed values. Use of variables, derived components (mutants) and combination of media with generic names and meshes with physical names allow the management of collections with much different isotopic enrichment without increasing the number of fuel cells. The object of all these recent developments is to ensure an efficient and secure management of large and complex geometrical configurations. The effectiveness of the current version of Silene is illustrated with an example for a Boiling Water Reactor Assembly. (author)

  15. A graphical user interface for 3D pre & post processing: state-of-the-art and new developments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stankovski, Zarko, E-mail: zstankovski@cea.fr [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique (CEA Saclay), Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France)

    2011-07-01

    'La Java de Silene' (Silene) is an original Graphical User Interface (GUI), written in Java language, for generation of 3D arbitrarily shaped geometries for the neutron transport codes used at CEA. Silene provides data for APOLLO2 input format as well as for some other codes like Monte Carlo TRIPOLI4 code. In addition, the software serves as an experimental tool to explore the needs and feasibility for the GUI of the currently developing APOLLO3. This paper summarizes the principles of the software and presents some new capabilities. The interface deals simultaneously with two kinds of geometries: regular and unstructured, arranged in collections. Unstructured geometries are built visually and regular ones visually or by using text editor. Regular geometries consist of sets of predefined and parameterized components. The new developments will improve the efficiency of components with the ability to use variables instead of fixed values. Use of variables, derived components (mutants) and combination of media with generic names and meshes with physical names allow the management of collections with much different isotopic enrichment without increasing the number of fuel cells. The object of all these recent developments is to ensure an efficient and secure management of large and complex geometrical configurations. The effectiveness of the current version of Silene is illustrated with an example for a Boiling Water Reactor Assembly. (author)

  16. Podredumbres basales de Gypsophila paniculata (Caryophyllaceae: Agentes causales y su patogenicidad potencial sobre Dianthus caryophyllus (Caryophyllaceae Basal rots of Gypsophila paniculata (Caryophyllaceae: Causal agents and its potential pathogenicity on Dianthus caryophyllus (Caryophyllaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia María Wolcan

    Full Text Available Los objetivos del trabajo fueron identificar a los agentes causales de las podredumbres basales de Gypsophila paniculata en la Argentina y probar su posible patogenicidad sobre Dianthus caryophyllus . A partir de plantas con síntomas de «podredumbre de la corona» (la más importante se aislaron en orden decreciente: Fusarium solani , F. oxysporum , Phytophthora nicotianae , Rhizoctonia solani , F. graminearum , F. verticillioides, F. equiseti y Pythium sp. y de plantas con «podredumbre basal del tallo» F. graminearum , F. oxysporum y F. solani . Con distintas cepas de cada hongo se hicieron pruebas de patogenicidad mediante la infestación del suelo y el depósito de inóculo en heridas producidas en los tallos. En la «podredumbre de la corona» fueron patógenos P. nicotianae causando decaimiento rápido de la parte aérea y podredumbre blanda de la corona y R. solani causando una pudrición más lenta y tejidos desintegrados. F. graminearum fue el patógeno de la «podredumbre basal del tallo» de gipsofila, que se describe por primera vez en este hospedante , comprobando que el hongo penetra sólo por heridas del tallo. En condiciones de inoculación se confirmó que algunas cepas de R. solani y de F. graminearum aisladas de gipsofila pueden ser patógenas de clavel mientras que sólo algunas de P. nicotianae resultaron patógenas débiles.The aims of the paper were to determine the causal agents of basal rots of Gypsophila paniculata in Argentina, and to evaluate its possible pathogenicity on Dianthus caryophyllus. Fusarium solani, F. oxysporum , Phytophthora nicotianae , Rhizoctonia solani , F. graminearum , F. verticilloides, F. equiseti and Pythium sp. were isolated in decreasing order from plants with symptoms of «crown rot» (the major basal rot. F. graminearum , F. oxysporum and F. solani were isolated from plants with «basal stem rot». Inoculations of gypsophila were performed by soil infestation and by placing inoculum on basal stem wounds with different strains of each fungus. Crown rot was incited by P. nicotianae causing fast decay of leaves and stems and wet soft rot of the crowns, and by R. solani causing slower decay and disintegrated crown tissues. Basal stem rot was incited by F. graminearum , which was described for the first time on G. paniculata and enter through wounded tissues. Under experimental conditions some strains of R. solani and F. graminearum isolated from gipsofila caused stem rot on carnation plants and only some strains of P. niconianae were weakly pathogenic.

  17. Dose evaluation in criticality accidents using response of panasonic TL personal dosemeters (UD-809/UD-802)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeyrek, C. T.; Guenduez, H.

    2012-01-01

    This study gives the results of dosimetry measurements carried out in the Silene reactor at Valduc (France) with neutron and photon personal thermoluminescence dosemeters (TLDs) in mixed neutron and gamma radiation fields, in the frame of the international accident dosimetry intercomparison programme in 2002. The intercomparison consisted of a series of three irradiation scenarios. The scenarios took place at the Valduc site (France) by using the Silene experimental reactor. For neutron and photon dosimetry, Panasonic model UD-809 and UD-802 personal TLDs were used together. (authors)

  18. Herbarium of the university of malaga (Spain): vascular plants collection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Sánchez, José; Cabezudo, Baltasar

    2013-01-01

    The herbarium of University of Málaga (MGC Herbarium) is formed by four biological collections. The vascular plants collection (MGC-Cormof) is the main collection of the herbarium. MGC-Cormof dataset aims to digitize and publish data associated with over 76.000 specimens deposited in the collection, of which 97.2% of the specimens are identified at species level. Since 2011, the University of Malaga's Central Research Service (SCAI) has been responsible for maintaining the herbariums and the dataset. The collection is growing continuously, with an annual intake of about 1.500 specimens. Nearly 96% of the collection is digitized, by Herbar v3.7.1 software (F. Pando et al. 1996-2011), making over 73.000 specimens accessible through the GBIF network (http://data.gbif.org/datasets/resource/8105/). At present, 247 families and 8.110 taxa, distributed in angiosperms (93.97%), ferns and fern allies (4.89%) and gymnosperms (1.14%), constitute the MGC-Cormof collection. The families and genera best represented in the collection are Compositae, Leguminosae, Gramineae, Labiatae, Caryophyllaceae, Teucrium, Silene, Asplenium, Linaria and Quercus. Most of the specimens are from the Western Mediterranean Region, fundamentally Southern Spain (Andalusia: 82% of specimens) and Northern Morocco (2.17%). Approximately, 63% of the specimens are georeferenced. The identification of the specimens in the collection has been carried out by the plant biology department at the University of Malaga and plus 40% of the specimens has been reviewed by experts. The MGC-Cormof dataset has been revised by DarwinTest v3.2 tool (Ortega-Maqueda and Pando 2008) before being published in GBIF. The data included in this database are important for conservation works, taxonomy, flora, cartography, phenology, palynology, among others. El Herbario de la Universidad de Málaga (Herbario MGC) está constituido por cuatro colecciones biológicas. La colección de plantas vasculares (MGC Cormof) es la colecci

  19. General Characteristics of Flora and Vegetation Formations of Eastern Anatolia Region and Its Environs (Türkiye

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Münir ÖZTÜRK

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Eastern Anatolia and its environs are included in the Irano-Turanian phytogeographical region of Türkiye. The region abounds in highest mountain ranges (average 1900 m of the country some of which are of quarternary age and volcanic character. Many rivers of historical and international importance like Euphrates, Dicle, Murat, Karasu and Aras. Tigris, Aras and Çoruh flow through the region. It experiencens a typical continental climate. Soils are generally of alluvial, colluvial, chestnut-brown, regosal and basaltic types. The area embodies over 8 million ha of meadows and grasslands which is 41% of Türkiye's total pasturelands as such cattle raising is very high in this area. Forest vegetation is represented mainly by Pinus sylvestris, Quercus libani, Q. longipes, Q. brantii, Q. macranthera, Juniperus excelsa and Betula pendula. Most of these are highly degraded. Plant cover is rich in Irano - Turanian elements but we find Mediterranean and Euro-Siberian elements too to some extent, richest families being Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae, Lamiaceae, Caryophyllaceae and Apiaceae richest genera being Astragalus, Verbascum, Centaurea, Ranunculus, Alyssum, Vicia, Silene, Dianthus, Veronica and Trifolium. The number of endemics is very high, being around 950. And also the region has gene centers of genera Astragalus, Gypsophila, Cousinia, Acanthophyllum etc. The some typical associations one comes across in this area are; Triseto-Pinetum sylvestris, Trifolio-Pinetum sylvestris, Ballato-Rhamnetum pallasii, Caragano-Minuartietum lineatea, Hippophaetum rhamnoidis, Typho-Juncetum inflecii, Hordeetum violaceumii, Deschampsio-Ranunculetum brachylobus, Hordeeto-Ranunculetum comosae and Polygon-Primuletum auriculatae. Dominantly vegetation of the region is steppe. The are a lot of natural plant taxa using local people. Key Words: Eastern Anatolia, Flora, Vegetation, Biodiversity, Geobotany, Endemism, Türkiye. Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi ve

  20. Herbarium of the University of Malaga (Spain: Vascular Plants Collection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jose García Sánchez

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The herbarium of University of Málaga (MGC Herbarium is formed by four biological collections. The vascular plants collection (MGC-Cormof is the main collection of the herbarium. MGC-Cormof dataset aims to digitize and publish data associated with over 76.000 specimens deposited in the collection, of which 97.2% of the specimens are identified at species level. Since 2011, the University of Malaga’s Central Research Service (SCAI has been responsible for maintaining the herbariums and the dataset. The collection is growing continuously, with an annual intake of about 1.500 specimens. Nearly 96% of the collection is digitized, by Herbar v3.7.1 software (F. Pando et al. 1996–2011, making over 73.000 specimens accessible through the GBIF network (http://data.gbif.org/datasets/resource/8105/. At present, 247 families and 8.110 taxa, distributed in angiosperms (93.97%, ferns and fern allies (4.89% and gymnosperms (1.14%, constitute the MGC-Cormof collection. The families and genera best represented in the collection are Compositae, Leguminosae, Gramineae, Labiatae, Caryophyllaceae, Teucrium, Silene, Asplenium, Linaria and Quercus. Most of the specimens are from the Western Mediterranean Region, fundamentally Southern Spain (Andalusia: 82% of specimens and Northern Morocco (2.17%. Approximately, 63% of the specimens are georeferenced. The identification of the specimens in the collection has been carried out by the plant biology department at the University of Malaga and plus 40% of the specimens has been reviewed by experts. The MGC-Cormof dataset has been revised by DarwinTest v3.2 tool (Ortega-Maqueda and Pando 2008 before being published in GBIF. The data included in this database are important for conservation works, taxonomy, flora, cartography, phenology, palynology, among others.El Herbario de la Universidad de Málaga (Herbario MGC está constituido por cuatro colecciones biológicas. La colección de plantas vasculares (MGC Cormof es la

  1. Salvadorianae. III. Una descripció prelinneana de Silene niceensis All., deguda a Jaume Salvador i Pedrol, a l'edició de 1686 del Botanicum Monspeliense de Pèire Magnol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camarasa, Josep M.

    2000-12-01

    Full Text Available Silene niceensis All. (Cariophillaceae is a plant found on litoral sands of Western Mediterranian and also of Iberian Atlantic shores from Gibraltar to the Rias Baixas and in some places in Greece. It had been described twice in prelinnean times but Linné has neglected it in his works. First prelinnean description, though published by Pierre Magnol in the Appedix to the second edition (1686 of Botanicum monspeliense,has been wrote on the basis of materials and a short description sent to Magnol by Jaume Salvador i Pedrol. One specimen of this plant in Salvador Herbarium hold a short description that could be the original one by Jaume Salvador. The second one was published on a different name by Tournefort in Institutiones Rei herbariae. It is also one specimen of S. niceensisAll. in Salvador Herbarium under this identity. Pourret, studying this herbarium to put on etiquets the linnean name of each specimen (1792-98, realize the specific identity of both S. niceensis All. specimens but ignoring the description published by Allioni in 1773 he give them the new name of S. arenaria Pourr. Also Desfontaines described under the name of S. arenaria Desf. in his Flora Atlantica (1798-99 the same species on the basis of specimens collected near the Gibraltar Strait. Both. Pourrett and Desfontaines names, or today invalid and under sinonimy.

    La cariofil làcia Silene niceensis All. pròpia dels sorrats litorals de la Mediterrània occidental i present també a les costes atlàntiques ibèriques. des de l' estret de Gibraltar fins a les Rias Baixas i en alguna localitat grega, havia estar descrita al menys dues vegades temps prelinneans malgrat que Linné mateix la ignorés a les seves obres. La primera descripció prelinneana. bé que publicada por Péire Magnol a l’apèndix a la segona edició del seu Botanicum monspeliense,. es feu sobre la base de materials i fins i tot d

  2. DESCRIPTION OF SOME SPONTANEUS SPECIES AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF USE THEM IN THE ROCKY GARDENS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BUTA ERZSEBET

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available In Romania’s spontaneous flora are reported over 3759 species of plants, of which 3136 species are spontaneous [CIOCÂRLAN, 2000], 23 have been declared nature monuments, 74 are extinct, 39 endangered, 171 are vulnerable and 1253 are rare. Characteristic grassland species is approximately 37% of total existent plants in Romania, and alpine species is 14%. It was identified a total of 57 endemic taxons (species and subspecies and 171 subendemic taxons [www.wikipedia.org].The floristic ranges adapted to the unfavorable conditions dictated by nature, with the possibility to use in rocky gardens, are: Campanula carpatica Jacq., Dianthus callizonus Schott et Kotschy, Gentiana acaulis L., Leontopodium alpinum Cass., Phlox amoena Sims., Saxifraga oppositifolia L., Sedum alpestre Vill., Sempervivum montanum L., Viola odorata L. Species that grow on alpine meadows in the spring until late autumn, recommended in landscape arrangements are: Adonis vernalis L., Carlina acaulis L., Paeonia tenuifolia L., Primula elatior Hill., Primula veris L., species that impress through form and the chromatic variety.This paper contains a brief description of some native species used or recommended for rocky gardens.

  3. Are eavesdroppers multimodal? Sensory exploitation of flo-ral signals by a non-native cockroach Blatta orientalis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodrigo C. VERGARA, Alejandra TORRES-ARANEDA, Diego A. VILLAGRA, Robert A. RAGUSO, Mary T. K. ARROYO, Cristian A. VILLAGRA

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The study of multi-modal communication has only recently been extended to innate and learned interactions between flowers and their animal visitors, and usually only to pollinators. Here we studied the relevance of floral scent and visual display of a night blooming, putatively hawkmoth-pollinated plant Oenothera acaulis (Onagraceae in the attraction of non-native cockroaches Blatta orientalis (Blattodea: Blattidae, which function as facultative floral larcenists in coastal habitats of central Chile. We experimentally decoupled visual (corolla and olfactory (fragrance stimuli by presenting paper corollas and green mesh bags, with or without a freshly-picked natural flower inside. We then contrasted the behavioral responses of roaches in these treatments with those to the natural combination of traits in actual flowers and their respective control treatments, measuring the roaches’ frequency of first visits, mean and total residence time spent in each treatment. The roaches primarily used olfactory cues when approaching O. acaulis flowers at two biologically relevant spatial scales. In addition, the presence of conspecific roaches had a strong influence on recruitment to the experimental arena, increasing the statistical differences among treatments. Our results suggest a primacy of floral fragrance over visual stimuli in the foraging responses of B. orientalis. Olfactory cues were necessary and sufficient to attract the roaches, and the visual cues presented in our manipulations only marginally increased their attraction within a 20 cm diameter of the stimulus. The full spectrum of floral visitation behavior was not elicited by the artificial flowers, suggesting the need for additional tactile or contact chemosensory stimuli not provided by paper. Although the nitrogenous scent compounds that we found in O. acaulis flowers are almost exclusively found in hawkmoth-pollinated flowers, the attractiveness of these compounds to a non

  4. Differential activity of multiple saponins against omnivorous insects with varying feeding preferences

    Science.gov (United States)

    A variety of saponin glycosides and aglycones from seven different plant families (Aquifoliaceae, Asparagaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Leguminosae, Rosaceae, Sapindaceae) were tested against the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, and the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda. The corn earworm fe...

  5. New floristic records in the Balkans: 8

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tan, Kit; Issigoni, Margarita

    2008-01-01

    -56), Campanulaceae (10), Caryophyllaceae (11, 27, 57), Chenopodiaceae (12), Convolvulaceae (13, 58), Crassulaceae (14, 59, 60), Cucurbitaceae (28), Cupressaceae (19), Cuscutaceae (49), Dryopteridaceae (2), Ephedraceae (20), Fabaceae (42- 48, 50, 61-69, 84), Gesneriaceae (85), Iridaceae (77, 88), Lamiaceae (70...

  6. Nuevas citas de Asteraceae para la provincia de Catamarca (Argentina New records of Asteraceae for the province of Catamarca (Argentina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susana E. Freire

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Se mencionan los siguientes nuevos registros de Asteráceas para la provincia de Catamarca, Argentina: Baccharis acaulis, B. boliviensis var. latifolia, B. flexuosa, B. glutinosa var. angustissima, B. stenophylla (Tribu Astereae, Eupatorium patens var. tomentosum (Tribu Eupatorieae, Cosmos bipinnatus, C. peucedanifolius var. peucedanifolius, Helianthus annuus (Tribu Heliantheae, Gamochaeta erythractis, G. longipedicellata, Gnaphalium lacteum, Tessaria integrifolia var. integrifolia (Tribu Inuleae, Chuquiraga ruscifolia (Tribu Mutisieae, Senecio crepidifolius, S. subulatus var. subulatus, Xenophyllum incisum var. incisum (Tribu Senecioneae. Se citan además el hábitat de los taxones y las provincias fitogeográficas que integran. Se propone una nueva combinación, Baccharis glutinosa Pers. var. angustissima (DC. Giuliano.The following Asteraceae are mentioned for the province of Catamarca: Baccharis acaulis, B. boliviensis var. latifolia, B. flexuosa, B. glutinosa var. angustissima, B. stenophylla (Tribe Astereae, Eupatorium patens var. tomentosum (Tribe Eupatorieae, Cosmos bipinnatus, C. peucedanifolius var. peucedanifolius, Helianthus annuus (Tribe Heliantheae, Gamochaeta erythractis, G. longipedicellata, Gnaphalium lacteum, Tessaria integrifolia var. integrifolia (Tribe Inuleae, Chuquiraga ruscifolia (Tribe Mutisieae, Senecio crepidifolius, S. subulatus var. subulatus, Xenophyllum incisum var. incisum (Tribe Senecioneae. The habitat and phytogeographic provinces of the taxa are mentioned. The following new combination is proposed: Baccharis glutinosa Pers. var. angustissima (DC. Giuliano.

  7. BUMBLEBEE VISITATION AND SEEDSET IN MELAMPYRUM-PRATENSE AND VISCARIA-VULGARIS - HETEROSPECIFIC POLLEN AND POLLEN LIMITATION

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    KWAK, MM; JENNERSTEN, O

    1991-01-01

    Fruiting and seed set in two bumblebee-pollinated herbs, Melampyrum pratense L. (annual, Scrophulariaceae) and Viscaria vulgaris Bernh. (perennial, Caryophyllaceae) were studied on a dry meadow in south-western Sweden in June 1986 and 1988. Both species produced seeds by self-fertilization. In

  8. Tolerance of cut flowers to gamma-radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kikuchi, O.K.; Wiendl, F.M.; Arthur, V.

    1999-01-01

    Cut flowers were gamma-irradiated with doses of 0, 200, 400, 600, and 1000 Gy. Dianthuscaryophyllus (Caryophyllaceae), Gypsophila paniculata (Caryophyllaceae), Freesia sp (Iridaceae), Limonium sinuatum Mill. (Plumbaginaceae), L. latifolium Kuntze (Plumbaginaceae), Narcissus tazetta L. (Amaryllidaceae), Helichrysum bracteatum Andr. (Compositae) and Rhodanthe manglesii Lindl (Compositae) were tolerant up to 1000 Gy, without visible negative changes after irradiation and during the vase-life. Callistephus chinensis (Compositae) and Lilium longiflorum Thunb. (Liliaceae) were moderately tolerant, but were modified by high doses. Anthurium sp (Araceae), Strelitzia sp (Musaceae), Matthiola incana R. Br. (Cruciferae), Aechmea distichanta (Bromeliaceae), Consolida ajacis Niew (Ranunculaceae), Ranunculus sp (Ranunculaceae), Dendrobium phalenopsis (Orchidaceae) and Gerbera sp (Compositae) were not tolerant to a dose of 200 Gy. The most adequate flowers to be submitted to irradiation treatment for disinfestation purpose were those of the Caryophillaceae family and those which can be used as dried flowers, such as members of the Rhodanthe, Helichrysum and Limmonium genera. (author)

  9. New floristic records in the Balkans: 11

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2009-01-01

    -50, 59-61, 70, 71, 79, 80), Berberidaceae (62), Brassicaceae (17, 27, 35), Campanulaceae (3, 4, 42-44), Caryophyllaceae (5, 28, 72, 81), Commelinaceae (22), Crassulaceae (29), Fabaceae (7-10, 36, 51-58, 63, 82, 83), Geraniaceae (18), Guttiferae (73), Iridaceae (31-33), Lamiaceae (74), Liliaceae s.l. (11...

  10. New floristic records in the Balkans: 4

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2007-01-01

    ), Boraginaceae (6, 7), Brassicaceae (8, 9, 43-49, 70), Campanulaceae (10, 11, 98), Caryophyllaceae (12- (6, 7), (8, 9, 43-49, 70), (10, 11, 98), (12- 14, 50, 71, 72), Chenopodiaceae (15), Crassulaceae (61, 91), Cyperaceae (22, 23), Dryopteridaceae (59), Fabaceae (62, 73-75, 92, 99), Geraniaceae (63), Lamiaceae...

  11. Phytochemical profiles and antioxidant potential of four Arctic vascular plants from Svalbard

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Singh, P.; Singh, S.M.; DeSouza, L.; Wahidullah, S.

    the chemical composition and antioxidative activities of four Arctic flowering plant species (Dryas octopetala, Carex rupestris, Silene uralensis and Deschampsia alpina.) through in vitro measurements of the free radical scavenging activities (FRS), inhibition...

  12. Analysis of the Complete Chloroplast Genome of a Medicinal Plant, Dianthus superbus var. longicalyncinus, from a Comparative Genomics Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raman, Gurusamy; Park, SeonJoo

    2015-01-01

    Dianthus superbus var. longicalycinus is an economically important traditional Chinese medicinal plant that is also used for ornamental purposes. In this study, D. superbus was compared to its closely related family of Caryophyllaceae chloroplast (cp) genomes such as Lychnis chalcedonica and Spinacia oleracea. D. superbus had the longest large single copy (LSC) region (82,805 bp), with some variations in the inverted repeat region A (IRA)/LSC regions. The IRs underwent both expansion and constriction during evolution of the Caryophyllaceae family; however, intense variations were not identified. The pseudogene ribosomal protein subunit S19 (rps19) was identified at the IRA/LSC junction, but was not present in the cp genome of other Caryophyllaceae family members. The translation initiation factor IF-1 (infA) and ribosomal protein subunit L23 (rpl23) genes were absent from the Dianthus cp genome. When the cp genome of Dianthus was compared with 31 other angiosperm lineages, the infA gene was found to have been lost in most members of rosids, solanales of asterids and Lychnis of Caryophyllales, whereas rpl23 gene loss or pseudogization had occurred exclusively in Caryophyllales. Nevertheless, the cp genome of Dianthus and Spinacia has two introns in the proteolytic subunit of ATP-dependent protease (clpP) gene, but Lychnis has lost introns from the clpP gene. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of individual protein-coding genes infA and rpl23 revealed that gene loss or pseudogenization occurred independently in the cp genome of Dianthus. Molecular phylogenetic analysis also demonstrated a sister relationship between Dianthus and Lychnis based on 78 protein-coding sequences. The results presented herein will contribute to studies of the evolution, molecular biology and genetic engineering of the medicinal and ornamental plant, D. superbus var. longicalycinus.

  13. Analysis of the Complete Chloroplast Genome of a Medicinal Plant, Dianthus superbus var. longicalyncinus, from a Comparative Genomics Perspective.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gurusamy Raman

    Full Text Available Dianthus superbus var. longicalycinus is an economically important traditional Chinese medicinal plant that is also used for ornamental purposes. In this study, D. superbus was compared to its closely related family of Caryophyllaceae chloroplast (cp genomes such as Lychnis chalcedonica and Spinacia oleracea. D. superbus had the longest large single copy (LSC region (82,805 bp, with some variations in the inverted repeat region A (IRA/LSC regions. The IRs underwent both expansion and constriction during evolution of the Caryophyllaceae family; however, intense variations were not identified. The pseudogene ribosomal protein subunit S19 (rps19 was identified at the IRA/LSC junction, but was not present in the cp genome of other Caryophyllaceae family members. The translation initiation factor IF-1 (infA and ribosomal protein subunit L23 (rpl23 genes were absent from the Dianthus cp genome. When the cp genome of Dianthus was compared with 31 other angiosperm lineages, the infA gene was found to have been lost in most members of rosids, solanales of asterids and Lychnis of Caryophyllales, whereas rpl23 gene loss or pseudogization had occurred exclusively in Caryophyllales. Nevertheless, the cp genome of Dianthus and Spinacia has two introns in the proteolytic subunit of ATP-dependent protease (clpP gene, but Lychnis has lost introns from the clpP gene. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of individual protein-coding genes infA and rpl23 revealed that gene loss or pseudogenization occurred independently in the cp genome of Dianthus. Molecular phylogenetic analysis also demonstrated a sister relationship between Dianthus and Lychnis based on 78 protein-coding sequences. The results presented herein will contribute to studies of the evolution, molecular biology and genetic engineering of the medicinal and ornamental plant, D. superbus var. longicalycinus.

  14. The composition and depth of green roof substrates affect the growth of Silene vulgaris and Lagurus ovatus species and the C and N sequestration under two irrigation conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ondoño, S; Martínez-Sánchez, J J; Moreno, J L

    2016-01-15

    Extensive green roofs are used to increase the surface area covered by vegetation in big cities, thereby reducing the urban heat-island effect, promoting CO2 sequestration, and increasing biodiversity and urban-wildlife habitats. In Mediterranean semi-arid regions, the deficiency of water necessitates the use in these roofs of overall native plants which are more adapted to drought than other species. However, such endemic plants have been used scarcely in green roofs. For this purpose, we tested two different substrates with two depths (5 and 10 cm), in order to study their suitability with regard to adequate plant development under Mediterranean conditions. A compost-soil-bricks (CSB) (1:1:3; v:v:v) mixture and another made up of compost and bricks (CB) (1:4; v:v) were arranged in two depths (5 and 10 cm), in cultivation tables. Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke and Lagurus ovatus L. seeds were sown in each substrate. These experimental units were subjected, on the one hand, to irrigation at 40% of the registered evapotranspiration values (ET0) and, on the other, to drought conditions, during a nine-month trial. Physichochemical and microbiological substrate characteristics were studied, along with the physiological and nutritional status of the plants. We obtained significantly greater plant coverage in CSB at 10 cm, especially for L. ovatus (80-90%), as well as a better physiological status, especially in S. vulgaris (SPAD values of 50-60), under irrigation, whereas neither species could grow in the absence of water. The carbon and nitrogen fixation by the substrate and the aboveground biomass were also higher in CSB at 10 cm, especially under L. ovatus - in which 1.32 kg C m(-2) and 209 g N m(-2) were fixed throughout the experiment. Besides, the enzymatic and biochemical parameters assayed showed that microbial activity and nutrient cycling, which fulfill a key role for plant development, were higher in CSB. Therefore, irrigation of 40% can

  15. Gamma radiation use as a quarantine treatment alternative for cut flowers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kikuchi, Olivia Kimiko

    1999-01-01

    Methyl bromide is a broad spectrum pesticide to control insects, nematodes, weeds, pathogens and rodents It is effective to commodity treatment designed for exportation/importation, but is also toxic for human being. Besides, it is an ozone layer depleting substance and many countries are interested in finding other less damaging alternatives. The methyl bromide shall be banned until 2015 and one promising alternative is the radiation. It can be effective for some vegetables, like fresh cut flowers. The tolerance to gamma radiation was observed in some cut flowers. Dianthus (Caryophyllaceae), Gypsophyla (Caryophyllaceae), Gomphrena (Amarantaceae), Celosia (Amarantaceae) and Narcissus (Amaryllidaceae) were tolerant to 750 Gy. Heliconia and Strelitzia (Musaceae) were not tolerant, presenting a severe browning of the colored sepals. Anthurium (Araceae) was also sensitive to 750 Gy, presenting browning of the spike, discoloration and black spots on the sepals. The radiation inhibited the bud opening of Hemerocallis (Liliaceae) and Gladiolus (Iridaceae). Gerbera (Compositae) and Callistemon (Myrtaceae) wilted before the control flowers. Helianthus (Compositae) leaves wilted before the flowers because of the radiation. (author)

  16. [18S-25S rDNA variation in tissue culture of some Gentiana L. species].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mel'nyk, V M; Andrieiev, I O; Spiridonova, K V; Strashniuk, N M; Kunakh, V A

    2007-01-01

    18S-25S rDNA of intact plants and tissue cultures of G. acaulis, G. punctata and G. lutea have been investigated by using blot-hybridization. The decrease of rDNA amount was found in the callus cultures as compared with the plants. In contrast to other species, G. lutea showed intragenome heterogeneity of rRNA genes as well as qualitative rDNA changes in tissue culture, in particular appearance of altered repeats. The relationship between the peculiarities of rRNA gene structure and their rearrangements in in vitro culture was suggested.

  17. A Regional Guidebook for Applying the Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Assessing Wetland Functions of Prairie Potholes

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-05-01

    glyptosperma ribseed sandmat 0 Euphorbia maculata Spotted Spurge 0 Euthamia graminifolia Flat-top Goldentop 6 Fragaria virginiana Wild Strawberry 4...Foxtail UK Setaria viridis Pennisetum viridis Green Foxtail 0 Silene sp. Catchfly UK Sisyrinchium campestre White-eyed Grass 10 Sium suave

  18. Lead, zinc and cadmium accumulation from two metalliferous soils with contrasting calcium contents in hyperaccumulating and non-hyperaccumulating metallophytes: a comparative study.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mohtadi, A.; Ghaderian, S.M.; Schat, H.

    2012-01-01

    Aims and background: We previously compared metallicolous (M) and non-metallicolous (NM) populations of Noccaea (=Thlaspi) caerulescens, Silene vulgaris, and Matthiola flavida for their abilities to tolerate and (hyper)-accumulate lead (Pb) in hydroponics. In the present study we aimed 1) to check

  19. Adjuvants for single droplet application of glyphosate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathiassen, Solvejg Kopp; Kudsk, Per; Lund, Ivar

    2016-01-01

    Retention and biological activity of droplets of glyphosate deposited onto plant leaves using a Drop on Demand inkjet printer application system, was examined on pot-grown Brassica napus, Solanum nigrum, Chenopodium album, Silene noctiflora and Echinocloa crus-galli plants. Retention was measured...

  20. Histone H4 acetylation patterns during seed germination and early plant development

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hodurková, Jaromíra; Vyskot, Boris

    2003-01-01

    Roč. 46, č. 1 (2003), s. 23-28 ISSN 0006-3134 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA5004901 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5004920 Keywords : epigenetic modification * Silene latifolia * transcription Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 0.919, year: 2003

  1. [Chromosome variability in the tissue culture of rare Gentiana species].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tvardovs'ka, M O; Strashniuk, N M; Mel'nyk, V M; Adonin, V I; Kunakh, V A

    2008-01-01

    Cytogenetic analysis of plants and tissue culture of Gentiana lutea, G. punctata, G. acaulis has been carried out. Culturing in vitro was found to result in the changes of chromosome number in the calluses of the species involved. Species specificity for variation of the cultured cell genomes was shown. Contribution of the original plant genotypes to the cytogenetic structure of the tissue culture was established. Gentiana callus tissues (except for in vitro culture of G. punctata, derived from plant of Breskul'ska population) were found to exhibit modal class with the cells of diploid and nearly diploid chromosome sets.

  2. Dianthus vanensis (Caryophyllaceae), a new species from Turkey

    OpenAIRE

    İLÇİM, Ahmet; BEHÇET, Lütfi; MÜKEMRE, Muzaffer

    2013-01-01

    Dianthus vanensis Behçet & İlçim is described as a new species. It is confined to Çatak District (Van) in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. The diagnostic characters and taxonomic comments on the species are given. Notes are also presented on its ecology. A distribution map of new and related species is also provided.

  3. Dianthus aticii, a new species from Turkey (Caryophyllaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ergin Hamzaoğlu

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available During the taxonomic revision of the Turkish Dianthus species, specimens collected from Bilecik, Seben (Bolu, and Nallıhan (Ankara were discovered that represent a new species. Its description, images, chorology, ecology, and threat category are provided. It was compared with a closely related species, D. zonatus, and differences are based on its general morphology and seed micromorphology.

  4. Dianthus aticii, a new species from Turkey (Caryophyllaceae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamzaoğlu, Ergin; Koç, Murat; Aksoy, Ahmet

    2015-01-01

    Abstract During the taxonomic revision of the Turkish Dianthus species, specimens collected from Bilecik, Seben (Bolu), and Nallıhan (Ankara) were discovered that represent a new species. Its description, images, chorology, ecology, and threat category are provided. It was compared with a closely related species, Dianthus zonatus, and differences are based on its general morphology and seed micromorphology. PMID:25931971

  5. The Endemic Plant Taxa of the Köprülü Kanyon National Park and Its Surroundings (Antalya-Isparta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hasan ÖZÇELİK

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available This study has been conducted in 2003-2004 in order to identify the endemic plants of the Köprülü Kanyon National Park (Antalya-Isparta and its surroundings. A total of 230 endemic taxa belonging to 29 families were determined in the national park and its surroundings. There are 229 taxa belonging to Angiospermae subdivision and 1 taxon belonging to Gymnospermae subdivision in these collected and identified endemic taxa from the research area. There is no endemic taxon in the Bryophyta and Pteridophyta divisions of the park. 218 of the 229 taxa belonging to the Angiospermae subdivision are in the Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledoneae class and other 11 are in the Liliopsida (Monocotyledoneae class. 18 taxa of the vascular plants are specific to the research area. 44 of endemic taxa are included in the endangered category. The number of priority conservation requiring taxa is 21. Endemic taxon number is almost 25% of total flora of the area. The top five families with the highest number of taxa in the study area are Lamiaceae (38, Caryophyllaceae (37, Asteraceae (26, Scrophulariaceae (20, Fabaceae (16 (Table 2. The 10 largest genera with the highest number of taxa are as follows: Silene (15, Astragalus (9, Sideritis (8, Verbascum (7, Centaurea (7, Stachys (6, Helichrysum (6, Alkanna (6, Veronica (5 and Minuartia (5. The distributions according to the phytogeographical regions of the endemic plants identified from the area is as follows: 59.565% Mediterranean elements (137 taxa, 23.478% Irano-Turanian elements (54 taxa, 0.304% Euro-Siberian elements (7 taxa and 13.913% with unknown phytogeographical region (32 taxa. The distributions of these taxa according to the conservation status is as follows: CR (Critically Endangered: 3, EN (Endangered: 22, VU (Vulnerable: 34, LR (Low Risk: 164, (cd (Conservation Dependent: 29, (lc (Least Concern: 106, (nt (Near Threatened: 29. In this study, menacing factors on the flora and vegetation of the area and

  6. Divergent biology of facultative heavy metal plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bothe, Hermann; Słomka, Aneta

    2017-12-01

    Among heavy metal plants (the metallophytes), facultative species can live both in soils contaminated by an excess of heavy metals and in non-affected sites. In contrast, obligate metallophytes are restricted to polluted areas. Metallophytes offer a fascinating biology, due to the fact that species have developed different strategies to cope with the adverse conditions of heavy metal soils. The literature distinguishes between hyperaccumulating, accumulating, tolerant and excluding metallophytes, but the borderline between these categories is blurred. Due to the fact that heavy metal soils are dry, nutrient limited and are not uniform but have a patchy distribution in many instances, drought-tolerant or low nutrient demanding species are often regarded as metallophytes in the literature. In only a few cases, the concentrations of heavy metals in soils are so toxic that only a few specifically adapted plants, the genuine metallophytes, can cope with these adverse soil conditions. Current molecular biological studies focus on the genetically amenable and hyperaccumulating Arabidopsis halleri and Noccaea (Thlaspi) caerulescens of the Brassicaceae. Armeria maritima ssp. halleri utilizes glands for the excretion of heavy metals and is, therefore, a heavy metal excluder. The two endemic zinc violets of Western Europe, Viola lutea ssp. calaminaria of the Aachen-Liège area and Viola lutea ssp. westfalica of the Pb-Cu-ditch of Blankenrode, Eastern Westphalia, as well as Viola tricolor ecotypes of Eastern Europe, keep their cells free of excess heavy metals by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi which bind heavy metals. The Caryophyllaceae, Silene vulgaris f. humilis and Minuartia verna, apparently discard leaves when overloaded with heavy metals. All Central European metallophytes have close relatives that grow in areas outside of heavy metal soils, mainly in the Alps, and have, therefore, been considered as relicts of the glacial epoch in the past. However, the current

  7. Shortening the juvenile phase for flowering

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Higazy, M.K.M.T.

    1962-01-01

    Higazy tried to determine whether the duration of the juvenile phase for flowering was a fixed character or whether it could be influenced by external growth factors.

    Lunaria biennis was chosen as a cold-requiring biennial, Silene armeria as a long-day plant and Salvia

  8. Polen de las Mieles de la Patagonia Andina (Chubut-Argentina Pollen of honeys from the Andean Patagonia (Chubut-Argentina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alicia Forcone

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available Se describen e ilustran mediante fotomicrografías tomadas con MO y MEB, 30 tipos polínicos, determinados en las mieles producidas en la región andina de Chubut (Patagonia Argentina. Los tipos morfológicos descriptos pertenecen a las siguientes familias: Alstroemeriaceae, Apiaceae, Buddlejaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Celastraceae, Clusiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Ericaceae, Elaeocarpaceae, Fabaceae, Fagaceae, Lamiaceae, Papaveraceae, Polemoniaceae, Polygalaceae, Proteaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rosaceae, Saxifragaceae, Solanaceae, Thymelaceae y Verbenaceae. La mayoría de los tipos polínicos descriptos fueron hallados en las mieles como polen de menor importancia o traza con excepción de Aristotelia chilensis y Escallonia sp., que alcanzaron la categoría de polen dominante, y de Lomatia hirsuta, hallada como polen secundario.Thirty pollen types identified in the honeys from the Andean region of Chubut are described and illustrated by means of LM and SEM photomicrographs. Pollen types belong to the following families: Alstroemeriaceae, Apiaceae, Buddlejaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Celastraceae, Clusiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Ericaceae, Elaeocarpaceae, Fabaceae, Fagaceae, Lamiaceae, Papaveraceae, Polemoniaceae, Polygalaceae, Proteaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rosaceae, Saxifragaceae, Solanaceae, Thymelaceae, and Verbenaceae. Most pollen types described were found in the honeys as minor important pollen or traces, except Aristotelia chilensis, Escallonia sp., which reached the category of dominant pollen, and Lomatia hirsuta, which was found as secondary pollen.

  9. The genomics of plant sex chromosomes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vyskot, Boris; Hobza, Roman

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 236, JUL 2015 (2015), s. 126-135 ISSN 0168-9452 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP501/12/G090; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/12/2220 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : Y-CHROMOSOME * SILENE-LATIFOLIA * DIOECIOUS PLANT Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 3.362, year: 2015

  10. Fully automated pipeline for detection of sex linked genes using RNA-Seq data

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Michalovová, Monika; Kubát, Zdeněk; Hobza, Roman; Vyskot, Boris; Kejnovský, Eduard

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 16, č. 78 (2015) ISSN 1471-2105 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP501/12/G090; GA MŠk(CZ) LM2010005 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : SILENE-LATIFOLIA * RUMEX-ACETOSA * Y-CHROMOSOME Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics; EF - Botanics (UEB-Q) Impact factor: 2.435, year: 2015

  11. Two new triterpenoid saponins from Dianthus superbus L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xia; Luo, Jian-Guang; Kong, Ling-Yi

    2010-06-01

    Two new triterpenoid saponins (1 and 2) were isolated from the dried aerial parts of Dianthus superbus L. (Caryophyllaceae). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data to be 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl olean-9(11),12-diene-23,28-dioic acid 28-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl olean-11,13(18)-diene-23,28-dioic acid 28-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2).

  12. Rocky Flats Neutron Detector Testing at Valduc, France

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, S.S.; Dulik, G.M.

    2011-01-01

    Recent program requirements of the US Department of Energy/NNSA have led to a need for a criticality accident alarm system to be installed at a newly activated facility. The Criticality Safety Group of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was able to recover and store for possible future use approximately 200 neutron criticality detectors and 20 master alarm panels from the former Rocky Flats Plant in Golden, Colorado when the plant was closed. The Criticality Safety Group participated in a facility analysis and evaluation, the engineering design and review process, as well as the refurbishment, testing, and recalibration of the Rocky Flats criticality alarm system equipment to be used in the new facility. In order to demonstrate the functionality and survivability of the neutron detectors to the effects of an actual criticality accident, neutron detector testing was performed at the French CEA Valduc SILENE reactor from October 7 to October 19, 2010. The neutron detectors were exposed to three criticality events or pulses generated by the SILENE reactor. The first excursion was performed with a bare or unshielded reactor, and the second excursion was made with a lead shielded/reflected reactor, and the third excursion with a polyethylene reflected core. These tests of the Rocky Flats neutron detectors were performed as a part of the 2010 Criticality Accident Alarm System Benchmark Measurements at the SILENE Reactor. The principal investigators for this series of experiments were Thomas M. Miller and John C. Wagner of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with Nicolas Authier and Nathalie Baclet of CEA Valduc. Several other organizations were also represented, including the Y-12 National Security Complex, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, CEA Saclay, and Babcock International Group.

  13. Structural, functional, and evolutionary features of plant sex chromosomes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vyskot, Boris; Hobza, Roman; Kejnovský, Eduard; Žlůvová, Jitka; Janoušek, Bohuslav

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 17, č. 4 (2009), s. 547 ISSN 0967-3849. [17th International Chromosome Conference. 23.06.2009-26.06.2009, Boone] R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LC06004 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507; CEZ:AV0Z50040702 Keywords : sex chromosomes * Silene latifolia * epigenetic Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics

  14. CALLUS INDUCTION FROM 15 CARNATION (DIANTHUS CARYOPHYLLUS L.) CULTIVARS

    OpenAIRE

    Jaime A. TEIXEIRA DA SILVA

    2014-01-01

    Plant growth regulators (PGRs) were used to induce callus in 15 carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.; Caryophyllaceae) cultivars: Orange Sherbert, Avalanche, Magenta, La France, Stripe Red, Marie, Concerto PVP, Snap, Lucky Pierot, Cinnamon Tea, White Love, Siberia, Magesta, Spark Bruno, and Honono no Estejo. Seeds were initially sown on autoclaved moistened filter paper and internodes of surface-sterilized seedlings were used as explants. Most callus was induced in the presence of 0.5 mg/L α-n...

  15. STUDIES CONCERNING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FLORIFEROUS SPECIES FOR PARKS AND GARDENS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Violeta Dinuta

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The study aims the evaluation and scientific documentation for some floral species of spontaneous flora for understanding the ecological requirements and decorative and terapeutical characteristics; choose the most effective and rapid methods for obtaining planting material, to preserve natural biodiversity and their propagation for ornamental and medicinal purposes. The analysed species belonged to Ranunculaceae family (Hepatica transsilvanica Fuss, Iridaceae family (Iris aphylla L, Crocus vernus L, Caryophyllaceae family (Dianthus spiculifollius and Asteraceae family (Arnica montana L.

  16. Satellite DNA and Transposable Elements in Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), a Dioecious Plant with Small Y and Large X Chromosomes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Puterova, Janka; Razumova, O.; Martínek, T.; Alexandrov, O.; Divashuk, M.; Kubát, Zdeněk; Hobza, Roman; Karlov, G.; Kejnovský, Eduard

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 1 (2017), s. 197-212 ISSN 1759-6653 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP501/12/G090 Grant - others:GA MŠk(CZ) LM2010005 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : sex-chromosomes * repetitive sequences * silene-latifolia Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Developmental biology Impact factor: 3.979, year: 2016

  17. Étude de l'activité antibactérienne des huiles essentielles de ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SARAH

    31 juil. 2014 ... J. Appl. Biosci. 2014. Étude de l'activité antibactérienne des huiles essentielles de Teucrium capitatium L et l'extrait de Siléne vulgaris sur différentes souches testées. 7482. Study the antibacterial activity of essential oils Teucrium capitatium L and Silene vulgaris extract on different strains tested. Abstract:.

  18. An ethnobotany of the Lukomir Highlanders of Bosnia & Herzegovina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrier, Jonathan; Saciragic, Lana; Trakić, Sabina; Chen, Eric C H; Gendron, Rachelle L; Cuerrier, Alain; Balick, Michael J; Redžić, Sulejman; Alikadić, Emira; Arnason, John T

    2015-11-25

    This aim of this study is to report upon traditional knowledge and use of wild medicinal plants by the Highlanders of Lukomir, Bjelašnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The Highlanders are an indigenous community of approximately 60 transhumant pastoralist families who speak Bosnian (Bosanski) and inhabit a highly biodiverse region of Europe. This paper adds to the growing record of traditional use of wild plants within isolated communities in the Balkans. An ethnobotanical study using consensus methodology was conducted in Lukomir in Bjelašnica's mountains and canyons. Field work involved individual semi-structured interviews during which informants described plants, natural product remedies, and preparation methods on field trips, garden tours, while shepherding, or in settings of their choice. Plant use categories were ranked with informant consensus factor and incorporated into a phylogenetic tree. Plants cited were compared to other ethnobotanical surveys of the country. Twenty five people were interviewed, resulting in identification of 58 species (including two subspecies) from 35 families, which were cited in 307 medicinal, 40 food, and seven material use reports. Individual plant uses had an average consensus of five and a maximum consensus of 15 out of 25. There were a number of rare and endangered species used as poisons or medicine that are endemic to Flora Europaea and found in Lukomir. Ten species (including subspecies) cited in our research have not previously been reported in the systematic ethnobotanical surveys of medicinal plant use in B&H: (Elymus repens (L.) Gould, Euphorbia myrsinites L., Jovibarba hirta (L.) Opiz, Lilium bosniacum (Beck) Fritsch, Matricaria matricarioides (Less.) Porter ex Britton, Phyllitis scolopendrium (L.) Newman, Rubus saxatilis L., Silene uniflora Roth ssp. glareosa (Jord.) Chater & Walters, Silene uniflora Roth ssp. prostrata (Gaudin) Chater & Walters, Smyrnium perfoliatum L.). New uses not reported in any of the

  19. Response of wild and weedy broomrapes to synthetic strigolactone analogue GR24

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Radoslava Matusova

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Parasitic plants of genera Orobanche and Phelipanche germinate after exposition to chemical signals exuded by roots of the host plants. The most studied germination stimulants belong to strigolactones (SLs, the newly discovered plant hormones which are stimulating hyphal branching of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and are involved in regulation of shoot and root architecture of plants. However, little is known about the effect of strigolactones on germination of non-weedy broomrapes. The objective of our study was to investigate the sensitivity of seeds of non-weedy broomrapes to synthetic analogue of SLs, GR24. The seeds of non-weedy broomrapes Orobanche alba, O. alsatica, O. caryophyllacea, O. elatior, O. flava, O. lutea, O. pallidiflora, O. reticulata, Phelipanche arenaria, P. purpurea and weedy species P. ramosa were collected in natural and cropland plant communities in Slovakia. Seeds of P. ramosa and P. purpurea were highly sensitive to GR24. On the other hand, effectivity of GR24 in inducing germination of several wild species, O. alba, O. caryophyllacea and P. arenaria was low, while the stimulant shown to be completely not effective on other non-weedy species O. alsatica, O. elatior, O. flava, O. lutea, O. pallidiflora, and O. reticulata. The results point out there are differences in the requirement for germination signals that possibly depend on the host.

  20. Orobanchaceae in the

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Foley, Michael J.Y.

    2000-12-01

    Full Text Available Two new Orobanche taxa are described: O. austrohispanica MJ.Y. Foley, and O. crinita Viv. var. occidentalis MJ.Y. Foley. Thirty-one species or subspecies of Orobanche and one species of Cistanche have been confirmed as being present within the Flora iberica área but some others previously recorded appear to have been so erroneously. In addition, Lathraea phelypaea L. {Cistanche phelypaea (L. Cout.] and nine species of Orobanche (O. caryophyllacea Sm., O. cernua Loefl., O. elatior Sutton, O. gracilis Sm., O. ramose L., O. reticulate Wallr., O. rosmarina Beck, O. schultzii Mutel y O. variegata Wallr. are typified.Se describen una especie y una variedad nuevas de Orobanche: O. austrohispanica M J.Y. Foley y O. crinita Viv. var. occidentalis MJ.Y. Foley. Del estudio del material de herbario disponible se concluye que las Orobanchaceae están representadas en el área de Flora iberica por una especie de Cistanche y 31 de Orobanche. Se discuten las citas de varias especies de ambos géneros que han de ser consideradas erróneas o dudosas. Además se tipifican Lathraea phelypaea L. [Cistanche phelypaea (L. Cout.] y nueve especies de Orobanche (O. caryophyllacea Sm., O. cernua Loefl., O. elatior Sutton, O. gracilis Sm., O. ramose L., O. reticulate Wallr., O. rosmarina Beck, O. schultzii Mutel y O. variegate Wallr..

  1. New records of Microbotryum species parasitizing Caryophyllaceae from Ukraine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyrylo G. Savchenko

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Four records of smut fungi belonging to the genus Microbotryum Lév.are reported. Two species were found on new hosts, namely M. dianthorum on Dianthus borbasii and D. pseudoserotinus and M. superbum on D. stenocalyx. Microbotryum lagerhemii on Lychnis viscaria is a new species for Ukraine.

  2. Impact of Repetitive Elements on the Y Chromosome Formation in Plants

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hobza, Roman; Čegan, Radim; Jesionek, Wojciech; Kejnovský, Eduard; Vyskot, Boris; Kubát, Zdeněk

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 8, č. 11 (2017), č. článku 302. ISSN 2073-4425 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA16-08698S; GA ČR GJ15-21523Y Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : papaya sex-chromosomes * male-specific region * transposable elements * silene-latifolia Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Developmental biology Impact factor: 3.600, year: 2016

  3. Estudio de la composición en ácidos grasos del aceite de las semillas en algunas plantas silvestres españolas

    OpenAIRE

    Vioque, Javier; Pastor Díaz, Julio Enrique; Vioque Martínez, Eduardo

    1994-01-01

    The fatty acid composition of 34 species of plants from a variety of families that grow wild in the Iberian Peninsula was analysed. The aim to the survey was to indentify oils that contain a mix of fatty acids that from a qualitative or quantitative point of view have a commercial value. Because of the diverse taxonomic origin of the samples, the oil content between species was very variable, fluctuating between an average value of 3.4% in the Caryophyllaceae and 31.1% in &...

  4. Criticality accident studies and methodology implemented at the CEA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barbry, Francis; Fouillaud, Patrick; Reverdy, Ludovic; Mijuin, Dominique

    2003-01-01

    Based on the studies and results of experimental programs performed since 1967 in the CRAC, then SILENE facilities, the CEA has devised a methodology for criticality accident studies. This methodology integrates all the main focuses of its approach, from criticality accident phenomenology to emergency planning and response, and thus includes aspects such as criticality alarm detector triggering, airborne releases, and irradiation risk assessment. (author)

  5. Dicty_cDB: Contig-U12284-1 [Dicty_cDB

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available nogaster LD14594 fu... 185 3e-45 AF107797_1( AF107797 |pid:none) Capronia mansonii DNA-dependent RN... 185 3...1( AF107798 |pid:none) Capronia pilosella DNA-dependent R... 120 9e-26 AJ634168_1( AJ634168 |pid:none) Silen..._1( AY699223 |pid:none) Musa velutina RNA polymerase II se... 120 9e-26 AF107798_

  6. In vitro placental self and cross pollination in some species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azza Shehata

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Excised placentae with ovules of Primula pubescens, P. auricula, Scopolia carniolica, Digitalis purpurea, Torenia fournieri and Chionodoxa luciliae were self pollinated in vitro and the development of seeds was observed. The same method was used for obtaining hybrid globular embryos from crosses between: P. pubescens x P. auricula, Scopolia carniolica x Physochlaina praealta, Melandrium album x Silene saxifraga and M. album x Arenaria pungens.

  7. Epigenetic regulation of photoperiodic flowering

    OpenAIRE

    Takeno, Kiyotoshi

    2010-01-01

    The cytidine analogue 5-azacytidine, which causes DNA demethylation, induced flowering in the non-vernalization-requiring plants Perilla frutescens var. crispa, Silene armeria and Pharbitis nil (synonym Ipomoea nil) under non-inductive photoperiodic conditions, suggesting that the expression of photoperiodic flowering-related genes is regulated epigenetically by DNA methylation. The flowering state induced by DNA demethylation was not heritable. Changes in the genome-wide methylation state we...

  8. Smoke-induced seed germination in California chaparral

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keeley, J.E.; Fotheringham, C.J.

    1998-01-01

    The California chaparral community has a rich flora of species with different mechanisms for cuing germination to postfire conditions. Heat shock triggers germination of certain species but has no stimulatory effect on a great many other postfire species that are chemically stimulated by combustion products. Previous reports have shown that charred wood will induce germination, and here we report that smoke also induces germination in these same species. Smoke is highly effective, often inducing 100% germination in deeply dormant seed populations with 0% control germination. Smoke induces germination both directly and indirectly by aqueous or gaseous transfer from soil to seeds. Neither nitrate nor ammonium ions were effective in stimulating germination of smoke-stimulated species, nor were most of the quantitatively important gases generated by biomass smoke. Nitrogen dioxide, however, was very effective at inducing germination in Caulanthus heterophyllus (Brassicaceae), Emmenanthe penduliflora (Hydrophyllaceae), Phacelia grandiflora (Hydrophyllaceae), and Silene multinervia (Caryophyllaceae). Three species, Dendromecon rigida (Papaveraceae), Dicentra chrysantha, and Trichostema lanatum (Lamiaceae), failed to germinate unless smoke treatment was coupled with prior treatment of 1 yr soil storage. Smoke-stimulated germination was found in 25 chaparral species, representing 11 families, none of which were families known for heat-shock-stimulated germination. Seeds of smoke-stimulated species have many analogous characteristics that separate them from most heat-shock-stimulated seeds, including: (1) outer seed coats that are highly textured, (2) a poorly developed outer cuticle, (3) absence of a dense palisade tissue in the seed coat, and (4) a subdermal membrane that is semipermeable, allowing water passage but blocking entry of large (molecular mass > 500) solutes. Tentative evidence suggests that permeability characteristics of this subdermal layer are altered by

  9. Study of Plant Species Composition of Grasslands in Mugla Village Region (Western Rhodopes, South Bulgaria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Plamen S. Stoyanov

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The study presents data on the diversity of grass species in the region of the village of Mugla (the Western Rhodopes. One hundred forty-one species of higher plants belonging to 40families were registered. (Apiaceae, Aspleniaceae, Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae,Campanulaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Cistaceae, Cyperaceae, Dipsacaceae, Equisetaceae, Ericaceae,Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Gentianaceae, Geraniaceae, Gesneriaceae, Hypericaceae, Juncaceae,Lamiaceae, Lemnaceae, Liliaceae, Linaceae, Menyanthaceae, Oleacea, Onagraceae, Orchidaceae,Parnassiaceae, Plantaginaceae, Plumbaginaceae, Poaceae, Polygalaceae, Primulaceae,Ranunculaceae, Rosaceae, Rubiaceae, Saxifragaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Valerianaceae andViolaceae. Their conservation status was presented, as well as medicinal plants.

  10. Satellite DNA and Transposable Elements in Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), a Dioecious Plant with Small Y and Large X Chromosomes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Puterová, J.; Razumova, O.; Martínek, T.; Alexandrov, O.; Divashuk, M.; Kubát, Z.; Hobza, Roman; Karlov, G.; Kejnovský, E.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 1 (2017), s. 197-212 ISSN 1759-6653 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP501/12/G090 Institutional support: RVO:61389030 Keywords : sex-chromosomes * repetitive sequences * silene-latifolia * molecular cytogenetics * arabidopsis-thaliana * genome size * evolution * organization * alignment * database * sex chromosomes * genome composition * chromosomal localization * repetitive DNA Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Plant sciences, botany Impact factor: 3.979, year: 2016

  11. Aportaciones a la flora de Galicia, VIII

    OpenAIRE

    Gómez Vigide, F.; García Martínez, X.R.; Silva Pando, F.J.; González Domínguez, J.; Blanco Dios, J.B.; Rodríguez González, A.; Rial Pousa, S.; Álvarez Graña, D.; Caamaño Portela, J.L.; Pino Pérez, J.J.; Pino Pérez, R.

    2006-01-01

    Se citan 37 plantas de variado interés para la flora gallega. Se incluyen 8 novedades de carácter regional (Pteris incompleta Cav., Potentilla recta L., Myriophyllum spicatum L., Solanum sisymbrifolium Lam., Knautia integrifolia (L.) Bertol., Senecio inaequidens DC. Melica arrecta G. Kunze y Stipa clausa Trab.), 17 novedades provinciales (Vandenboschia speciosa (Willd.) G. Kunkel, Ranunculus bupleuroides Brot., Silene niceensis All., Armeria transmontana (Samp.) Lawr., Alcea rosea...

  12. A new species of Stellaria (Caryophyllaceae) from the Nepal Himalaya

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Majumdar, N.C.

    1968-01-01

    Herba perennis, gracilis, caule repente valde furcato. Rami erecti vel suberecti, quadrangulares, e gemmis axillaribus emergentes, straminei, squamosi, simpliccs et infra glabrescentes, corymbose furcati et glandulari-pubescentes, sursum altitudine 10—20 cm attingentes. Folia simplicia, exstipulata,

  13. Criticality accident studies and research performed in the Valduc criticality laboratory, France

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barbry, F.; Fouillaud, P.

    2001-01-01

    In 1967, the IPSN (Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire - Nuclear Protection and Safety Institute) started studies and research in France on criticality accidents, with the objective of improving knowledge and modelling of accidents in order to limit consequences to the public, the environment and installations. The criticality accident is accompanied by an intense emission of neutronic and gamma radiation and releases of radioactive products in the form of gas and aerosols, generating irradiation and contamination risks. The main objectives of the studies carried out, particularly using the CRAC installation and the SILENE reactor at Valduc (France), were to model the physics of criticality accidents, to estimate the risks of irradiation and radioactive releases, to elaborate an accident detection system and to provide information for intervention plans. This document summarizes the state of knowledge in the various fields mentioned above. The results of experiments carried out in the Valduc criticality laboratory are used internationally as reference data for the qualification of calculation codes and the assessment of the consequences of a criticality accident. The SILENE installation, that reproduces the various conditions encountered during a criticality accident, is also a unique international research tool for studies and training on those matters. (author)

  14. Sementes nocivas que ocorreram em amostras de sementes de azevém (Lolium multiflorum, analisadas no Rio Grande do Sul nos anos de 1978 e 1979 Weed seeds in ryegrass seeds, analysed in Rio Grande do Sul, during 1978 and 1979

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Giaretta

    1984-06-01

    Full Text Available Foram levantadas informações sobre a qualidade da semente de azevém utilizadas no Rio Grande do Sul e produzida no próprio Estado ou em outras uni dades da Federação e mesmo em outros Países, nos anos de 1978 e 1979. Estas informações foram obtidas através de fichas e Boletins de Análise de Sementes dos Laboratórios de Análise de Sementes (LAS do Rio Grande do Sul. Em 1978 analisou-se 2.319 t de azevém sendo 74% da semente oriunda do Rio Grande do Sul e 26% introduzida, enquanto que das 4.772 t analisadas em 1979 99,6% são do Rio Grande do Sul e 0,4% são introduzidas. O percentual de sementes de azevém, produzidas no Estado, contaminadas com sementes nocivas foi de 61,5% em 1978 e de 60,0% em 1979; e o de sementes int roduzidas no Estado foi de 45,6% em 1978 e de 29,4%em 1979. Foi observado que ent re as sementes originárias do RS destacaram -se com maior ocorrênci a em 1978 as espécies nocivas de Silene gallica, Setaria geniculata, Anthemis cotula, Digitaria adscendens e Echinochloa spp, enquanto que nas sementes int roduzidas desta caram-se Sida spp e Rumex spp; em 1979, na semente oriunda do Estado desta caram-se Amaranthus spp, Silene gallica e Setaria geniculata, enquanto que nas sementes introduzidas a maior ocorrência foi de Setaria geniculata, Echinochloa spp e Solanum spp.This paper presents a quality record of rye-grass seeds produced in Rio Grande do Sul or imported from other countries. It refers to the presence of weeds in ryegrass during 1978 and 1979. These record were obtained in the Analysis Bulletins at the Seed Analysis Laboratory of the Instituto de Pesquisas Agronômicas (IPAGRO Rio Grande do Sul°Brasil and in those from other institutions. This State produced 74% of 2.319 t analysed seeds and 26% come from other places in 1978. In 1979 4.772 t were registred, 99,6% from here and 0,4% from outside. The percentage of ryegrass seeds contaminated with weed seeds produced in the State, in 1978, were 61

  15. Analysis of Tospovirus NSs Proteins in Suppression of Systemic Silencing

    OpenAIRE

    Hedil, Marcio; Sterken, Mark G.; de Ronde, Dryas; Lohuis, Dick; Kormelink, Richard

    2015-01-01

    RNA silencing is a sequence-specific gene regulation mechanism that in plants also acts antiviral. In order to counteract antiviral RNA silencing, viruses have evolved RNA silencing suppressors (RSS). In the case of tospoviruses, the non-structural NSs protein has been identified as the RSS. Although the tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) tospovirus NSs protein has been shown to exhibit affinity to long and small dsRNA molecules, its ability to suppress the non-cell autonomous part of RNA silen...

  16. A new species of Dianthus (Caryophyllaceae) from Antalya, South Anatolia, Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deniz, İsmail Gökhan; Aykurt, Candan; Genç, İlker; Aksoy, Ahmet

    2016-01-01

    Dianthus multiflorus from Gazipaşa (Antalya), south Anatolia (Turkey), is described as a new annual species with verrucose calyx. The morphological differences from the species within the same group with Dianthus multiflorus, which are Dianthus aydogdui, Dianthus cyri and Dianthus tripunctatus, are discussed. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat category and observations on the ecology of the populations are noted. The karyology and seed micromorphology of Dianthus multiflorus and Dianthus tripunctatus were examined by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

  17. A new species of Dianthus (Caryophyllaceae) from Antalya, South Anatolia, Turkey

    OpenAIRE

    Deniz,İsmail Gökhan; Aykurt,Candan; Genç,İlker; Aksoy,Ahmet

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Dianthus multiflorus from Gazipa?a (Antalya), south Anatolia (Turkey), is described as a new annual species with verrucose calyx. The morphological differences from the species within the same group with Dianthus multiflorus , which are Dianthus aydogdui , Dianthus cyri and Dianthus tripunctatus , are discussed. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat category and observations on the ecology of the populations are noted. The karyology and seed micromorphology...

  18. Colobanthus Quitensis (H.B.K. Bartl. (Caryophyllaceae en los Andes Colombianos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aguirre C. Jaime

    1982-04-01

    Full Text Available Colobantbus quitensis y Deschampsia antarctica son las dos únicas fanerogamas nativas presentes hoy dia en el continente antártico (Green, 1970. La primera tiene una distribución amplia en regiones templadas y frías de América Latina, desde la Tierra del Fuego hasta México (Moore, 1972.  En noviembre de 1978 se realizó una exploración geobotánica corta al Páramo Alto del Almorzadero en la Cordillera Oriental, Departamento de Santander; en el piso pantanoso de un vallecito a 3.900 m (El Tutal se encontraron algunas maticas dispersas de Colobanthus quitensis (biótipo laxa cerca de una corriente lenta de agua. El hallazgo anterior de Colobanthus quitensis en la región del Nevado del Ruiz en la Cordillera Central motivó la elaboración del presente trabajo, con el fin de dar a conocer los caracteres morfológicos, palinológicos y sociológicos de esta interesante especie.

  19. The distribution and habitat requirements of the genus Orobanche L. (Orobanchaceae in SE Poland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renata Piwowarczyk

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available The distribution of the genus Orobanche in SE Poland is presented. The study area stretches between the Vistula and the Bug rivers, and comprises the Polish areas of the Lublin-Lwów Upland, the Wołyń Upland and the southern part of Polesie. Eight species of the genus Orobanche: O. alba, O. alsatica, O. arenaria, O. caryophyllacea, O. elatior, O. lutea, O. pallidiflora, O. picridis, were collected during floristic investigations conducted between 1999 and 2010. The hosts, abundance and habitat preferences at the localities are given and a supplemented map of the distribution in SE Poland is included.

  20. Contribución a la flora giennense

    OpenAIRE

    Blanca López, Gabriel; Díaz de la Guardia Guerrero, Consuelo; Valle, Francisco

    1985-01-01

    En el presente trabajo se comenta la ecología, corología y taxonomía de varias especies de la provincia de Jaén. Muchas de ellas se citan por vez primera en dicha provincia: Paronychia echinulata Chater, Silene stricta L., Leucojum trichophyllum Schouboe, Merendera androcymbioides Valdés, Romulea ramiflora Ten., Barlia robertiana (Loisel) W. Greuter, Sera�pias cordigera L., etc. In this paper we comment on the ecologic, chorologic and taxonomic behavior of several taxa in the province of J...

  1. Contrasting Patterns of Transposable Element and Satellite Distribution on Sex Chromosomes (XY1Y2) in the Dioecious Plant Rumex acetosa

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šteflová, Pavlína; Tokan, Viktor; Vogel, Ivan; Lexa, M.; Macas, Jiří; Novák, Petr; Hobza, Roman; Vyskot, Boris; Kejnovský, Eduard

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 5, č. 4 (2013), s. 769-782 ISSN 1759-6653 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP305/10/0930; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/10/0102; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/12/2220 Grant - others:GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0068 Program:ED Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040702 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 ; RVO:60077344 Keywords : Y-CHROMOSOME * REPETITIVE SEQUENCES * SILENE-LATIFOLIA Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics; EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology (BC-A) Impact factor: 4.532, year: 2013

  2. The architecture of the chloroplast trnH-psbA non-coding region in angiosperms

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Štorchová, Helena; Olson, M.S.

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 268, 1-4 (2007), s. 235-256 ISSN 0378-2697 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LC06004 Grant - others:ESPSCor Visiting Scholar Research Grant(US) NSF DEB 0317115 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50380511 Source of funding: V - iné verejné zdroje ; V - iné verejné zdroje Keywords : Chloroplast DNA * psbA-trnH intergenic region * Silene * deletions * insertions and inversions in stem-loop region * psbA 3´untranslated region * RNA secondary structure Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.492, year: 2007

  3. New Records To The Vascular Flora Of Kazakhstan (Central Asia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ebel Aleksandr L.

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents distributional data for seven species new for the flora of Kazakhstan: Atriplex gardneri var. aptera (A. Nelson S. L. Welsh. & Crompton, Cardamine hirsuta L., Carduus acanthoides L., Galega orientalis Lam., Silene cserei Baumg., Didymophysa fedtschenkoana Regel and Acinos arvensis (Lam. Dandy. Didymophysa fedtschenkoana is a native element in the Kazakh flora; the other species should be treated as alien, expansively spreading or invasive in this part of Asia. A list of localities of the species in Kazakhstan and their habitat preferences are presented.

  4. Avaliação da suscetibilidade natural e do potencial à erosão laminar na Bacia Hidrográfica do Ribeirão do Boqueirão, município de Davinópolis (GO)

    OpenAIRE

    Rodrigues, Diego Emanoel

    2016-01-01

    As sociedades humanas ao longo do tempo desenvolveram e aumentaram a sua capacidade de reorganizar espacialmente os elementos do meio que as envolve. Dessa forma, a intervenção antrópica se tornou um dos agentes dinamizadores da paisagem, juntamente com os processos físicos e biológicos. Isso implica dizer que as atividades humanas influem e aceleram os processos de erosão. Especificamente, a erosão laminar é uma forma de manifestação da erosão hídrica que ocorre de forma silen...

  5. Transcriptome analysis of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) based on next-generation sequencing technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanase, Koji; Nishitani, Chikako; Hirakawa, Hideki; Isobe, Sachiko; Tabata, Satoshi; Ohmiya, Akemi; Onozaki, Takashi

    2012-07-02

    Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.), in the family Caryophyllaceae, can be found in a wide range of colors and is a model system for studies of flower senescence. In addition, it is one of the most important flowers in the global floriculture industry. However, few genomics resources, such as sequences and markers are available for carnation or other members of the Caryophyllaceae. To increase our understanding of the genetic control of important characters in carnation, we generated an expressed sequence tag (EST) database for a carnation cultivar important in horticulture by high-throughput sequencing using 454 pyrosequencing technology. We constructed a normalized cDNA library and a 3'-UTR library of carnation, obtaining a total of 1,162,126 high-quality reads. These reads were assembled into 300,740 unigenes consisting of 37,844 contigs and 262,896 singlets. The contigs were searched against an Arabidopsis sequence database, and 61.8% (23,380) of them had at least one BLASTX hit. These contigs were also annotated with Gene Ontology (GO) and were found to cover a broad range of GO categories. Furthermore, we identified 17,362 potential simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in 14,291 of the unigenes. We focused on gene discovery in the areas of flower color and ethylene biosynthesis. Transcripts were identified for almost every gene involved in flower chlorophyll and carotenoid metabolism and in anthocyanin biosynthesis. Transcripts were also identified for every step in the ethylene biosynthesis pathway. We present the first large-scale sequence data set for carnation, generated using next-generation sequencing technology. The large EST database generated from these sequences is an informative resource for identifying genes involved in various biological processes in carnation and provides an EST resource for understanding the genetic diversity of this plant.

  6. Transcriptome analysis of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L. based on next-generation sequencing technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanase Koji

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L., in the family Caryophyllaceae, can be found in a wide range of colors and is a model system for studies of flower senescence. In addition, it is one of the most important flowers in the global floriculture industry. However, few genomics resources, such as sequences and markers are available for carnation or other members of the Caryophyllaceae. To increase our understanding of the genetic control of important characters in carnation, we generated an expressed sequence tag (EST database for a carnation cultivar important in horticulture by high-throughput sequencing using 454 pyrosequencing technology. Results We constructed a normalized cDNA library and a 3’-UTR library of carnation, obtaining a total of 1,162,126 high-quality reads. These reads were assembled into 300,740 unigenes consisting of 37,844 contigs and 262,896 singlets. The contigs were searched against an Arabidopsis sequence database, and 61.8% (23,380 of them had at least one BLASTX hit. These contigs were also annotated with Gene Ontology (GO and were found to cover a broad range of GO categories. Furthermore, we identified 17,362 potential simple sequence repeats (SSRs in 14,291 of the unigenes. We focused on gene discovery in the areas of flower color and ethylene biosynthesis. Transcripts were identified for almost every gene involved in flower chlorophyll and carotenoid metabolism and in anthocyanin biosynthesis. Transcripts were also identified for every step in the ethylene biosynthesis pathway. Conclusions We present the first large-scale sequence data set for carnation, generated using next-generation sequencing technology. The large EST database generated from these sequences is an informative resource for identifying genes involved in various biological processes in carnation and provides an EST resource for understanding the genetic diversity of this plant.

  7. Inter-populations genetic and morphological diversity in three Silene ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    enoho

    2012-03-30

    Mar 30, 2012 ... 2Biology Department, School of Basic Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University (SRBIAU), ... other populations in both morphological and molecular features. ... species with world-wide distribution.

  8. Evaluation of LLNL's Nuclear Accident Dosimeters at the CALIBAN Reactor September 2010

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hickman, D.P.; Wysong, A.R.; Heinrichs, D.P.; Wong, C.T.; Merritt, M.J.; Topper, J.D.; Gressmann, F.A.; Madden, D.J.

    2011-01-01

    The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory uses neutron activation elements in a Panasonic TLD holder as a personnel nuclear accident dosimeter (PNAD). The LLNL PNAD has periodically been tested using a Cf-252 neutron source, however until 2009, it was more than 25 years since the PNAD has been tested against a source of neutrons that arise from a reactor generated neutron spectrum that simulates a criticality. In October 2009, LLNL participated in an intercomparison of nuclear accident dosimeters at the CEA Valduc Silene reactor (Hickman, et.al. 2010). In September 2010, LLNL participated in a second intercomparison of nuclear accident dosimeters at CEA Valduc. The reactor generated neutron irradiations for the 2010 exercise were performed at the Caliban reactor. The Caliban results are described in this report. The procedure for measuring the nuclear accident dosimeters in the event of an accident has a solid foundation based on many experimental results and comparisons. The entire process, from receiving the activated NADs to collecting and storing them after counting was executed successfully in a field based operation. Under normal conditions at LLNL, detectors are ready and available 24/7 to perform the necessary measurement of nuclear accident components. Likewise LLNL maintains processing laboratories that are separated from the areas where measurements occur, but contained within the same facility for easy movement from processing area to measurement area. In the event of a loss of LLNL permanent facilities, the Caliban and previous Silene exercises have demonstrated that LLNL can establish field operations that will very good nuclear accident dosimetry results. There are still several aspects of LLNL's nuclear accident dosimetry program that have not been tested or confirmed. For instance, LLNL's method for using of biological samples (blood and hair) has not been verified since the method was first developed in the 1980's. Because LLNL and the other DOE

  9. Three New Flavone Glycosides from Drymaria diandra Bl.

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Zhong-Tao DING; Xue-Qiong YANG; Qiu-E CAO; Fei LI

    2005-01-01

    In order to find new structural and biologically active compounds, the constituents from the whole plant of Drymaria diandra B1. (Caryophyllaceae) were investigated and three new flavone glycosides,named drymariatins B (1), C (2), and D (3), were isolated by solvent partition, Si gel, sephadex LH-20, and Rp-18 column chromatography. Using spectroscopic methods, including two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, the structures of these compounds were elucidated as 6-C-(2-deoxy-β-D-fucopyranosyl)-5,7,4'-trihydroxyl-flavone, 6-C-(2-deoxy-β-D-fucopyranosyl)-7-O-(β-D-glucopyranosyl)-5,4'-dihydroxylflavone, and 6-C-(3-keto-β-digitoxopyranosyl)-7-O-(β-D-glucopyranosyl)-5,4'-dihydroxyl-flavone.

  10. Tratamento de matrizes de cravo (Dianthus caryophyllus L., Caryophyllaceae com nitrogênio e calogênese in vitro Nitrogen treatment of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus l., Caryophyllaceae and in vitro calogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Telma Kazumi Hayashi

    2002-03-01

    Full Text Available Indução de calogênese eficiente e multiplicação celular rápida são pré-requisitos fundamentais em biotecnologia de plantas. Sucesso na calogênese é dependente dos componentes do meio de cultura e da qualidade dos explantes. Neste trabalho é relatada a influência do tratamento de matrizes de Dianthus caryophyllus L. com nitrogênio na indução de calogênese in vitro. Mudas de cravo cultivadas em vasos contendo areia foram tratadas com soluções nutritivas contendo 5 níveis de nitrogênio. Explantes folha, entrenós e nó foram coletados aos 30, 45 e 60 dias após início dos tratamentos e inoculados em meio de cultura contendo os sais básicos e vitaminas de Murashige & Skoog (1962, suplementado com 1 g L-1 de caseína hidrolizada, 2 mimol L-1 de cinetina e 3 mimol L-1 de 2,4-D para indução da calogênese. Ao longo dos 60 dias de tratamento com as soluções nutritivas, as matrizes de cravo não apresentaram sintomas visíveis de deficiência ou de excesso do nutriente nitrogênio. O tratamento com nitrogênio afetou a calogênese avaliada em massa de matéria fresca e seca. A produção da massa de matéria fresca de calos foi proporcional ao tratamento com nitrogênio até concentração de 267 mg L-1 para explantes folha por durante 30 dias. Tratamentos mais prolongados (45 e 60 dias afetaram negativamente a calogênese e foram inversamente proporcionais a concentração de nitrogênio na solução nutritiva.Efficient calogenesis induction and rapid cell multiplication are fundamental requirements in plant biotechnology. The success of calogenesis is dependent on the growth medium components and the quality of explants. This work is referred to the influence of Dianthus caryophyllus L. nitrogen treatment on calogenesis induction in vitro. Carnation cuts rooted in sand pots were treated with nutrient solutions containing 5 nitrogen levels. Leaves, internodes and node explants were collected and inoculated on callus induction culture media containing Murashige & Skoog (1962 salts and vitamins, supplemented with 1 g L-1 hidrolysed casein, 2 mumol L-1 kinetin and 3 mumol L-1 2,4-D. No plant deficiency and toxicity symptoms were apparent on the treated plants during the 60 day treatment. The nitrogen treatment affected calogenesis in relation to calli fresh and dry weights. Callus fresh weigth yield was proportional to nitrogen concentration up to 267 mg L-1 for leaf explant during 30 days. Longer treatments (45 and 60 days affected calogenesis negatively which were inversely proportional to the nitrogen concentration of the nutrient solution.

  11. A Comparison of Selective Pressures in Plant X-Linked and Autosomal Genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krasovec, Marc; Nevado, Bruno; Filatov, Dmitry A

    2018-05-03

    Selection is expected to work differently in autosomal and X-linked genes because of their ploidy difference and the exposure of recessive X-linked mutations to haploid selection in males. However, it is not clear whether these expectations apply to recently evolved sex chromosomes, where many genes retain functional X- and Y-linked gametologs. We took advantage of the recently evolved sex chromosomes in the plant Silene latifolia and its closely related species to compare the selective pressures between hemizygous and non-hemizygous X-linked genes as well as between X-linked genes and autosomal genes. Our analysis, based on over 1000 genes, demonstrated that, similar to animals, X-linked genes in Silene evolve significantly faster than autosomal genes—the so-called faster-X effect. Contrary to expectations, faster-X divergence was detectable only for non-hemizygous X-linked genes. Our phylogeny-based analyses of selection revealed no evidence for faster adaptation in X-linked genes compared to autosomal genes. On the other hand, partial relaxation of purifying selection was apparent on the X-chromosome compared to the autosomes, consistent with a smaller genetic diversity in S. latifolia X-linked genes (π x = 0.016; π aut = 0.023). Thus, the faster-X divergence in S. latifolia appears to be a consequence of the smaller effective population size rather than of a faster adaptive evolution on the X-chromosome. We argue that this may be a general feature of “young” sex chromosomes, where the majority of X-linked genes are not hemizygous, preventing haploid selection in heterogametic sex.

  12. Analýza interakcí rodičovských genomů mezidruhového hybrida S. latifolia x S. viscosa na cytogenetické úrovni

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Marková, Michaela

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 100, č. 5 (2006), s. 395-396 ISSN 0009-2770. [Mezioborové setkání mladých vědeckých a výzkumných pracovníků z oborů chemie, biochemie a molekulární biologie /6./. 14.06.2006-17.06.2006, Devět skal - Žďárské vrchy] R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA521/05/2076; GA ČR(CZ) GD204/05/H505 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507 Keywords : interspecific hybrid * GISH * Silene Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics

  13. Determinación de la dosis absorbida por medio de láminas de indio

    OpenAIRE

    Pérez Fonseca, Agustín; Ortiz Trujillo, Diego; Sánchez León, José Guillermo

    2003-01-01

    El personal de la fabrica de Juzbado dispone, integrado en la tarjeta de identificación, de laminas de indio 115 de 0.06 gramos y 1cm2 con la finalidad de ser utilizados como dosímetros en un accidente decriticidad. En un experimento realizado en reactor Silene (Valduc, Francia) en Junio de 2002, en el que participó ENUSA, se irradiaron con neutrones diversos dosímetros, entre ellos este tipo de láminas. El In 115 es un isótopo estable con una alta sección eficaz de captura neutrónica (especi...

  14. How cushion communities are maintained in alpine ecosystems: A review and case study on alpine cushion plant reproduction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianguo Chen

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Cushion species occur in nearly all alpine environments worldwide. In past decades, the adaptive and ecosystem-engineering roles of such highly specialized life forms have been well studied. However, the adaptive strategies responsible for cushion species reproductive success and maintenance in severe alpine habitats remain largely unclear. In this study, we reviewed the current understanding of reproductive strategies and population persistence in alpine cushion species. We then present a preliminary case study on the sexual reproduction of Arenaria polytrichoides (Caryophyllaceae, a typical cushion species inhabiting high elevations of the Himalaya Hengduan Mountains, which is a hotspot for diversification of cushion species. Finally, we highlight the limitations of our current understanding of alpine cushion species reproduction and propose future directions for study.

  15. Three new triterpenoid saponins from Dianthus superbus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Jian-Guang; Chen, Xia; Kong, Ling-Yi

    2011-01-01

    Three new triterpenoid saponins (1-3) were isolated from the dried aerial parts of Dianthus superbus L. (Caryophyllaceae). Their structures were established as 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl gypsogenic acid 28-O-[β-D-6-O-((3S)-3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl)glucopyranosyl(1→6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl gypsogenic acid 28-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→3)][β-D-6-O-((3S)-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl)glucopyranosyl(1→6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), 3-O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-3β,16α-dihydroxyolean-12-en-23,28-dioic acid 28-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), on the basis of various spectroscopic analyses and chemical degradations.

  16. International nuclear accident dosimetry intercomparison: results of Czech participation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spurny, F.; Votockova, I.

    1996-01-01

    An international intercomparison scheme for criticality accident dosimetry systems took place at the SILENE reactor, Valduc, France in June 1993. The dosemeters were exposed both on phantoms and in free air to radiation from the reactor, both shielded by lead and bare. The results obtained during this event by Czech participants are presented and compared with the average values obtained by the complete group of participants and with the reference values. The systems used consisted mostly of Si-diodes and thermoluminescent detectors, some supporting measurements were performed with solid state nuclear track detectors and using the albedo principle. The agreement between the data sets is very good. 7 tabs., 13 refs

  17. CALLUS INDUCTION FROM 15 CARNATION (DIANTHUS CARYOPHYLLUS L. CULTIVARS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jaime A. TEIXEIRA DA SILVA

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Plant growth regulators (PGRs were used to induce callus in 15 carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.; Caryophyllaceae cultivars: Orange Sherbert, Avalanche, Magenta, La France, Stripe Red, Marie, Concerto PVP, Snap, Lucky Pierot, Cinnamon Tea, White Love, Siberia, Magesta, Spark Bruno, and Honono no Estejo. Seeds were initially sown on autoclaved moistened filter paper and internodes of surface-sterilized seedlings were used as explants. Most callus was induced in the presence of 0.5 mg/L α-naphthaleneacetic acid used together with 1 mg/L 6-benzyladenine or 1 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid on basal Murashige and Skoog medium. Callus is not a desirable method to clonally propagate important germplasm but can serve as one possible way of deriving periclinal mutants as a result of somaclonal variation.

  18. A bHLH-Based Feedback Loop Restricts Vascular Cell Proliferation in Plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vera-Sirera, Francisco; De Rybel, Bert; Úrbez, Cristina; Kouklas, Evangelos; Pesquera, Marta; Álvarez-Mahecha, Juan Camilo; Minguet, Eugenio G; Tuominen, Hannele; Carbonell, Juan; Borst, Jan Willem; Weijers, Dolf; Blázquez, Miguel A

    2015-11-23

    Control of tissue dimensions in multicellular organisms requires the precise quantitative regulation of mitotic activity. In plants, where cells are immobile, tissue size is achieved through control of both cell division orientation and mitotic rate. The bHLH transcription factor heterodimer formed by target of monopteros5 (TMO5) and lonesome highway (LHW) is a central regulator of vascular width-increasing divisions. An important unanswered question is how its activity is limited to specify vascular tissue dimensions. Here we identify a regulatory network that restricts TMO5/LHW activity. We show that thermospermine synthase ACAULIS5 antagonizes TMO5/LHW activity by promoting the accumulation of SAC51-LIKE (SACL) bHLH transcription factors. SACL proteins heterodimerize with LHW-therefore likely competing with TMO5/LHW interactions-prevent activation of TMO5/LHW target genes, and suppress the over-proliferation caused by excess TMO5/LHW activity. These findings connect two thus-far disparate pathways and provide a mechanistic understanding of the quantitative control of vascular tissue growth. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Polymorphic Microsatellite Markers for the Tetrapolar Anther-Smut Fungus Microbotryum saponariae Based on Genome Sequencing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fortuna, Taiadjana M.; Snirc, Alodie; Badouin, Hélène; Gouzy, Jérome; Siguenza, Sophie; Esquerre, Diane; Le Prieur, Stéphanie; Shykoff, Jacqui A.; Giraud, Tatiana

    2016-01-01

    Background Anther-smut fungi belonging to the genus Microbotryum sterilize their host plants by aborting ovaries and replacing pollen by fungal spores. Sibling Microbotryum species are highly specialized on their host plants and they have been widely used as models for studies of ecology and evolution of plant pathogenic fungi. However, most studies have focused, so far, on M. lychnidis-dioicae that parasitizes the white campion Silene latifolia. Microbotryum saponariae, parasitizing mainly Saponaria officinalis, is an interesting anther-smut fungus, since it belongs to a tetrapolar lineage (i.e., with two independently segregating mating-type loci), while most of the anther-smut Microbotryum fungi are bipolar (i.e., with a single mating-type locus). Saponaria officinalis is a widespread long-lived perennial plant species with multiple flowering stems, which makes its anther-smut pathogen a good model for studying phylogeography and within-host multiple infections. Principal Findings Here, based on a generated genome sequence of M. saponariae we developed 6 multiplexes with a total of 22 polymorphic microsatellite markers using an inexpensive and efficient method. We scored these markers in fungal individuals collected from 97 populations across Europe, and found that the number of their alleles ranged from 2 to 11, and their expected heterozygosity from 0.01 to 0.58. Cross-species amplification was examined using nine other Microbotryum species parasitizing hosts belonging to Silene, Dianthus and Knautia genera. All loci were successfully amplified in at least two other Microbotryum species. Significance These newly developed markers will provide insights into the population genetic structure and the occurrence of within-host multiple infections of M. saponariae. In addition, the draft genome of M. saponariae, as well as one of the described markers will be useful resources for studying the evolution of the breeding systems in the genus Microbotryum and the

  20. Behavior of the natural and cultivated flora in the presence of air pollutant report. Etude du comportement de la flore sauvage ou cultivee a l'egard des pollutants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bossavy, J.

    1971-01-01

    A complex study of the effects of air pollution by fluorine compounds on the vegetation in the Vallee de l Arc, Vallee de la Romanche, and Vallee de la Durance regions in France is presented. Iris, Veratrum, album, Picea excelsa, Pinus sylvestris, Abies alba, Polygonatum vulgare, Silene inflata. Gentiana lutea, Hypericum species, and Vaccinium myrtillus were the most sensitive species. Coniferous needles which tend to accumulate fluorine were most susceptible to fluorine which caused necrosis, premature loss of needles, and reduced growth. Vast expanses of dead coniferous forests were detected. The fluorine concentrations in the air, determined by means of exposed, calcium hydroxide-impregnated filter paper, ranged from 2.77 to 2.82 g/sq cm/day.

  1. Fissile solution dynamics: Student research

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hetrick, D.L.

    1994-09-01

    There are two research projects in criticality safety at the University of Arizona: one in dynamic simulation of hypothetical criticality accidents in fissile solutions, and one in criticality benchmarks using transport theory. We have used the data from nuclear excursions in KEWB, CRAC, and SILENE to help in building models for solution excursions. An equation of state for liquids containing gas bubbles has been developed and coupled to point-reactor dynamics in an attempt to predict fission rate, yield, pressure, and kinetic energy. It appears that radiolytic gas is unimportant until after the first peak, but that it does strongly affect the shape of the subsequent power decrease and also the dynamic pressure.

  2. Criticality accident dosimetry with ESR spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    d'Errico, F; Fattibene, P; Onori, S; Pantaloni, M

    1996-01-01

    The suitability of the ESR alanine and sugar detectors for criticality accident dosimetry was experimentally investigated during an intercomparison of dosimetry techniques. Tests were performed irradiating detectors both free-in-air and on-phantom during controlled critcality excursions at the SILENE reactor in Valduc, France. Several grays of absorbed dose were imparted in neutron gamma-ray fields of various relative intensities and spectral distributions. Analysed results confirmed the potential of these systems which can immediately provide an acute dose assessment with an average underestimate of 30%in the various fields. This performance allows for the screening of severely exposed individuals and meets the IAEA recommendations on the early estimate of accident absorbed doses.

  3. EPR dosimetry in a mixed neutron and gamma radiation field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trompier, F; Fattibene, P; Tikunov, D; Bartolotta, A; Carosi, A; Doca, M C

    2004-01-01

    Suitability of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy for criticality dosimetry was evaluated for tooth enamel, mannose and alanine pellets during the 'international intercomparison of criticality dosimetry techniques' at the SILENE reactor held in Valduc in June 2002, France. These three materials were irradiated in neutron and gamma-ray fields of various relative intensities and spectral distributions in order to evaluate their neutron sensitivity. The neutron response was found to be around 10% for tooth enamel, 45% for mannose and between 40 and 90% for alanine pellets according their type. According to the IAEA recommendations on the early estimate of criticality accident absorbed dose, analyzed results show the EPR potentiality and complementarity with regular criticality techniques.

  4. Notes on Alcyonidium erectum Silen, 1942 (Ectoprocta) from the Indian Ocean

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Menon, N.R.

    Seventy new species were recorded during the study of the ectoproctous bryozoans of Indian waters Of these Alcyonidium erectum is of special interest Several zoaria of A erectum were collected from the appendages and carapace of Portunus pelagicus...

  5. Mosaic Origins of a Complex Chimeric Mitochondrial Gene in Silene vulgaris

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Štorchová, Helena; Müller, Karel; Lau, S.; Olson, M. S.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 7, č. 2 (2012), e30401-- E-ISSN 1932-6203 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA521/09/0261; GA MŠk(CZ) LC06004; GA MŠk ME09035 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50380511 Keywords : CYTOPLASMIC MALE-STERILITY * OPEN READING FRAME * COMPLETE NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCE Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 3.730, year: 2012

  6. Colonization and diversification in the African “sky islands” by Eurasian Lychnis L. (Caryophyllaceae)

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Popp, M.; Gizaw, A.; Nemomissa, S.; Suda, Jan; Brochmann, C.

    2008-01-01

    Roč. 35, č. 6 (2008), s. 1016-1029 ISSN 0305-0270 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516 Keywords : evolution * cytometry * phylogeography Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 4.566, year: 2008

  7. The trophic plasticity of genus phelipanche pomel (orobanchaceae in bulgaria Trofichna plastichnost na rod phelipanche pomel (orobanchaceae v bulgaria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kiril STOYANOV

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available New data about the natural parasitism of Phelipanche ramosa (L Pomel, P. mutelii (Shultz Pomel, P. oxyloba, P. arenaria and P. purpurea in Bulgaria are collected. The information for the hosts describes 46 new trophic systems with species from the families: Brassicaceae, Solanaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Apiaceae, Poaceae, Lamiaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Araliaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Geraniaceae, Dioscoreaceae and Verbenaceae. The samples are collected outside the crop fields, far from the known host crops, from different parts of the country. Some of the registered hosts are new for Bulgaria. The voucher specimens with physical connection to the hosts are deposited in the Herbarium of The Agricultural University - Plovdiv (SOA. The collected data suggest that genus Phelipanche is represented by two trophic groups according to the known sections. Sect. Phelipanche unites the polyphags P. ramosa, P. oxyloba and P. mutelii. Sect. Arenariae consist oligophags - P. arenaria and P. purpurea.

  8. Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi - a plant with potential medicinal value

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michał P. Maliński

    Full Text Available Lychnis flos-cuculi L., Caryophyllaceae, contains a number of active compounds belonging to several chemical groups. Previous studies have led to the identification of phytoecdysteroids, triterpenoids saponins, volatile compounds, fatty acid derivatives, phenolic acids and flavonoids. Research on pharmacological activity showed that plant extracts inhibited the growth of bacteria and fungi. The antimitotic properties of preparations from the herb L. flos-cuculi were also reported. The phytochemical analyses demonstrated that this taxon contains pharmaceutically promising compounds, but more phytochemical and pharmacological studies of L. flos-cuculi are needed for further information regarding this plant. This review summarizes reports regarding chemical composition and biological activity of L. flos-cuculi as well as several cognate species, which pose opportunities related to in vitro propagation and cell and tissue cultures. In vitro-regenerated plantlets could be a good source of genetically uniform plant material for future research.

  9. Anatomy of Subterranean Organs of Medicinally Used Cardueae and Related Species and its Value for Discrimination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fritz, Elisabeth; Saukel, Johannes

    2011-01-01

    Numerous species of the Asteraceae, the composites, are famous for their use in both traditional and conventional medicine. Reliable anatomical descriptions of these plants and of possible adulterations provide a basis for fast identification and cheap purity controls of respective medicinal drugs by means of light microscopy. Nevertheless, detailed comparative studies on root and rhizome anatomy of valuable as well as related inconsiderable composite plants are largely missing yet. The presented study aims to narrow this gap by performing anatomical analyses of roots and rhizomes of 16 species belonging to the tribe Cardueae, of formerly and currently used drugs as well as their near relatives as potential adulterations (Carlina acaulis L., Carlina vulgaris L., Arctium lappa L., Arctium tomentosum Mill., Carduus defloratus L., Carduus personata (L.) Jacq, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop., Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten., Cirsium erisithales (Jacq.) Scop., Onopordum acanthium L., Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn., Rhaponticum scariosum Lam., Centaurea jacea L., Centaurea scabiosa L., Centaurea cyanus L., Cnicus benedictus L.). A detailed verbal and graphical survey of the analysed anatomical features is provided. Several characters were finally extracted which allow for discrimination of the examined species and may be effectively used for drug quality controls. PMID:21617780

  10. Medicinal and ethnoveterinary remedies of hunters in Trinidad

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georges Karla

    2001-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Ethnomedicines are used by hunters for themselves and their hunting dogs in Trinidad. Plants are used for snakebites, scorpion stings, for injuries and mange of dogs and to facilitate hunting success. Results Plants used include Piper hispidum, Pithecelobium unguis-cati, Bauhinia excisa, Bauhinia cumanensis, Cecropia peltata, Aframomum melegueta, Aristolochia rugosa, Aristolochia trilobata, Jatropha curcas, Jatropha gossypifolia, Nicotiana tabacum, Vernonia scorpioides, Petiveria alliacea, Renealmia alpinia, Justicia secunda, Phyllanthus urinaria,Phyllanthus niruri,Momordica charantia, Xiphidium caeruleum, Ottonia ovata, Lepianthes peltata, Capsicum frutescens, Costus scaber, Dendropanax arboreus, Siparuma guianensis, Syngonium podophyllum, Monstera dubia, Solanum species, Eclipta prostrata, Spiranthes acaulis, Croton gossypifolius, Barleria lupulina, Cola nitida, Acrocomia ierensis (tentative ID. Conclusion Plant use is based on odour, and plant morphological characteristics and is embedded in a complex cultural context based on indigenous Amerindian beliefs. It is suggested that the medicinal plants exerted a physiological action on the hunter or his dog. Some of the plants mentioned contain chemicals that may explain the ethnomedicinal and ethnoveterinary use. For instance some of the plants influence the immune system or are effective against internal and external parasites. Plant baths may contribute to the health and well being of the hunting dogs.

  11. Medicinal and ethnoveterinary remedies of hunters in Trinidad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lans, C; Harper, T; Georges, K; Bridgewater, E

    2001-01-01

    Ethnomedicines are used by hunters for themselves and their hunting dogs in Trinidad. Plants are used for snakebites, scorpion stings, for injuries and mange of dogs and to facilitate hunting success. Plants used include Piper hispidum, Pithecelobium unguis-cati, Bauhinia excisa, Bauhinia cumanensis, Cecropia peltata, Aframomum melegueta, Aristolochia rugosa, Aristolochia trilobata, Jatropha curcas, Jatropha gossypifolia, Nicotiana tabacum, Vernonia scorpioides, Petiveria alliacea, Renealmia alpinia, Justicia secunda, Phyllanthus urinaria,Phyllanthus niruri,Momordica charantia, Xiphidium caeruleum, Ottonia ovata, Lepianthes peltata, Capsicum frutescens, Costus scaber, Dendropanax arboreus, Siparuma guianensis, Syngonium podophyllum, Monstera dubia, Solanum species, Eclipta prostrata, Spiranthes acaulis, Croton gossypifolius, Barleria lupulina, Cola nitida, Acrocomia ierensis (tentative ID). Plant use is based on odour, and plant morphological characteristics and is embedded in a complex cultural context based on indigenous Amerindian beliefs. It is suggested that the medicinal plants exerted a physiological action on the hunter or his dog. Some of the plants mentioned contain chemicals that may explain the ethnomedicinal and ethnoveterinary use. For instance some of the plants influence the immune system or are effective against internal and external parasites. Plant baths may contribute to the health and well being of the hunting dogs.

  12. Measurement of neutron and gamma absorbed doses in phantoms exposed to mixed fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beraud-Sudreau, E.; Lemaire, G.; Maas, J.

    1985-01-01

    In order to study the dosimetric characteristics of PIN junctions, the absorbed doses measured by junctions and FLi7 in air and water phantoms were compared with the doses measured by classical neutron dosimetry in mixed fields. The validity of the experimental responses of PIN junctions being thus checked and established, neutron and gamma dose distributions in tissue equivalent plastic phantoms (plastinaut) and mammals (piglets) were evaluated as well as the absorbed dose distributions in the pig bone-marrow producing areas. By using correlatively a Monte-Carlo calculation method and applying some simplifying assumptions, the absorbed doses were derived from the spectrum of SILENE's neutrons at various depths inside a cubic water phantom and the results were compared with some from the literature [fr

  13. Apoptotic potential of two Caryophyllaceae species in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 cell lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Mosaddegh

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and objectives: Plants have been used to treat diseases like cancer for many years and today the trend towards their use is increasing. One of the most effective mechanisms of plants against cancer is inducing apoptosis. Apoptosis is a programmed cell death which acts opposite to cell division. It starts in response to some stimuli. Despite the effectiveness of apoptosis inducing agents, their use has been limited due to side effects and resistance to these treatments; so, applying medicinal herbs due to their lower cost and toxicity has drawn attentions. Recent research at the Traditional Medicine and Materia Medica Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences on two medicinal plants Acanthophyllum bracteatum and A. microcephalum has shown cytotoxic effects of these two species, but the mechanism of their toxicity has remained unknown; thus, the present study was designed to evaluate the apoptotic potential of Acanthophyllum bracteatum and A. microcephalum. Methods: In the present study, the cytotoxic effects of the methanol extract of Acanthophyllum bracteatum and A. microcephalum was evaluated against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 cells by MTT assay; furthermore, their apoptosis potential has been evaluated by annexin-V/propidium iodide assay and Hoechst 33258 staining in the same cell lines. Results: The methanol extract of A. microcephalum and A. bracteatum showed cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 cell lines with IC50 values of 64, 159 and 102, 250 μg/mL, respectively. The results of the apoptosis assays confirmed the potential of the two plants extracts to induce apoptosis in both cell lines while A. microcephalum demonstrated more considerable results. Conclusion: A. microcephalum could be a suitable choice for further breast cancer studies.

  14. Evolution of sex determination systems with heterogametic males and females in Silene

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šlancarová, Veronika; Ždánská, Jana; Janoušek, Bohuslav; Talianová, Martina; Zschach, C.; Žlůvová, Jitka; Široký, Jiří; Kováčová, Viera; Blavet, Hana; Danihelka, J.; Oxelman, B.; Widmer, A.; Vyskot, Boris

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 67, č. 12 (2013), s. 3669-3677 ISSN 0014-3820 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA13-06264S; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/10/0102; GA ČR(CZ) GBP501/12/G090; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/12/2220 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : ANCESTRAL CHARACTER STATES * MAXIMUM-LIKELIHOOD * DETERMINATION PATHWAY Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 4.659, year: 2013

  15. Accumulation of chloroplast DNA sequences on the Y chromosome of Silene latifolia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kejnovský, Eduard; Kubát, Zdeněk; Hobza, Roman; Lengerová, Martina; Sato, S.; Tabata, S.; Fukui, K.; Matsunaga, S.; Vyskot, Boris

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 128, 1-3 (2006), s. 167-175 ISSN 0016-6707 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA204/05/2097; GA ČR(CZ) GD204/05/H505; GA AV ČR(CZ) 1QS500040507 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507 Keywords : accumulation * chloroplast DNA * Y chromosome Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 1.492, year: 2006

  16. Etude des groupements d'adventices dans le Maroc occidental

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Douira, A.

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Study of the weeds groupings in western Morocco. An ecological floristic study was carried out in the principal areas of Morocco severely infested by the sterile oats. From 110 readings taken in cereals, the 324 listed species belong to 47 botanical families including 39 dicotyledons. Six families: Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae and Apiaceae add up 59% of the total staff complement alone. The biological aspect shows a prevalence of the therophytes with 80%, followed by the hemicryptophytes and the geophytes with respectively 11 and 7%. Mediterranean taxa are dominating with 62% of the total staff complement. The taking into account of the index partial of noxiousness made it possible to release 27 problematic species whose Avena sterilis, Phalaris paradoxa, Phalaris brachystachys, Scolymus maculates, Lolium multiflorum, Papaver rhoeas and Lolium rigidum are most harmful by far. The factorial analysis of correspondences (A.F.C., by the means of the edaphic variables, made it possible to highlight six ecological groups.

  17. Chemical composition of the essential oil from carnation coniferous (Dianthus acicularis Fisch. ex Ledeb) growing wild in Northern Kazakhstan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirillov, Vitaliy; Stikhareva, Tamara; Suleimen, Yerlan; Serafimovich, Mariya; Kabanova, Svetlana; Mukanov, Bolat

    2017-01-01

    The aim of the study was to investigate volatile compounds from the aerial parts of Dianthus acicularis of the genus Dianthus of the family Caryophyllaceae grown wild in Northern Kazakhstan for the first time. D. acicularis is a typical Trans-Volga-Kazakhstani endemic. D. acicularis has high resistance to the bacterial wilt, a serious disease caused by Burkholderia caryophylli. The qualitative and quantitative compositions of the specimens of the essential oils were analysed by the method of GC-MS. The main constituents of D. acicularis essential oil were methyl ketones - 2-pentadecanone (26.9-32.2%) and 2-tridecanone (4.7-17.7%), identified for the first time in the Dianthus genus. The methyl ketone activity provides protection of the plants from herbivores and fungal pathogens. One can suppose that the presence of 2-pentadecanone and 2-tridecanone in the essential oil of carnation coniferous provides its resistance to different insects and pathogens, including the resistance to the bacterial wilt.

  18. A cutin fluorescence pattern in developing embryos of some angiosperms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewa Szczuka

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A cuticle visualized by auramine O fluorescence appears on the developing embryos of 9 species belonging to Cruciferae, Caryophyllaceae, Plantaginaceae, Linaceae and Papilionaceae. In the investigated species the formation and extent of fluorescing and non-fluorescing embryonic areas follow a similar pattern. At first the cutin fluorescing layer is formed on the apical part of the proembryo without delimited protoderm. This layer extends and at the late globular stage envelops the embryo proper, except for a cell adjoining the suspensor. Fluorescing cutin persists during the heart stage but disappears from the torpedo embryo. During these stages there is no cutine fluorescence on suspensorial cells. Continuous cutin fluorescence appears again on the surface of the whole embryo by the late torpedo stage. Then fluorescence disappears from the radicular part of U-shaped embryos, but persists on the shoot apex, cotyledons and at least on the upper part of hypocotyl. It is assumed that polarization and nutrition of the embryo may be influenced by cuticular changes.

  19. Arbuscular mycorrhiza of plants from the Mountain Botanical Garden in Zakopane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Szymon Zubek

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The mycorrhizal status of 77 plant species collected from the Mountain Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Zakopane (southern Poland was surveyed. These plants include rare, endemic and threatened species in the Tatra Mts. (the Western Carpathians and are maintained in the botanical garden in order to develop effective methods of protection and cultivation. Plants belonging to Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Dryopteridaceae, Juncaceae, Polygonaceae, Rubiaceae and Woodsiaceae families were nonmycorrhizal. 41 species formed AM symbiosis. Spores of nine AMF spccies (Glomeromycota, including Archaeospora trappei, Glomus aggregatum, G. claroideum, G. constrictum, G. deserticola, G. geosponrum, G. microcarpum, G. mosseae and G.rubiforme were isolated for the first time from this region of Poland. In addition, the occurrence of the fine endophyte, G. tenue was detected in roots of 18 species from the study area, although formation of arbuscules by this fungus was observed rarely. AM fungi were sporadically accompanied by dark septate endophytes (DSE. 70% of nonmycorrhizal plant sepcies were devoid of DSE.

  20. Unilateral irradiation of pigs in a mixed neutrons+gamma field. Early results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lemaitre, Guy; Maas, Jean.

    1982-08-01

    Pigs (16-20kg) were irradiated with 60 Co gamma or in a mixed field (neutron + gamma from the pulsed reactor SILENE). Pigs were unilaterally exposed by the left side. Each experimental group was composed of twelve animals and one control. Within the dose range explored (reference dose is mid-line tissue dose): 4-9.8 Gy of gamma rays only; 4.6 - 5.7 Gy of neutrons and gamma rays, pigs presented the haematopioetic form of the acute radiation sickness. At 5 Gy mixed field was more harmful than gamma rays only. Therefore the numerical value of neutron RBE (lethality 50 p cent within 30 days) is more than one. Experiments will be carried out in order to determine RBE values more accurately. Bone marrow dose will also be determined [fr

  1. Photosynthetic performance of Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth Bartl. (Caryophyllaceae in a high-elevation site of the Andes of central Chile Desempeño fotosintético de Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth Bartl. (Caryophyllaceae en los Andes de Chile central

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. ANGÉLICA CASANOVA-KATNY

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Photosynthesis of Colobanthus quitensis and mesoclimatic conditions of air temperature and light intensity during the growing season were investigated at 2,650 m in the central Chilean Andes. On three typical days of the growing period (January, March and May, CO2 exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence were measured. In addition, a series of fluorescence response curves with increasing light intensity at different temperatures were performed to estimate the propensity of Andean C. quitensis populations to be photoinhibited. Net Photosynthesis (Pn was low (ca. 2.0 mmol CO2 m-2s-1 during the morning and noon in days with high photosynthetic active radiation (PAR, above 1,800 mmol photons m-2s-1. Pn increased in the afternoon (3.5-4.8 mmol CO2 m-2s-1 when PAR decreased to ca. 1,400 mmol photons m-2s-1 and leaf temperature were ca. 20 °C. Fv/Fm in the diurnal periods was between 0.7-0.75 without evidence of photoinhibition. Leaves at 15 and 22 °C exhibited a slow decrease of F PSII with the increase in actinic light intensity, although the fraction of reaction centers open (expressed by qP remained higher at 22 °C. NPQ was saturated at light intensities close to 500 mmol photons m-2s-1 in leaves at 22 °C and at higher intensities at 15 °C, suggesting that NPQ could be a mechanism of energy dissipation at high light intensity and high leaf temperature in the field. Our results indicated that C. quitensis is not photodamaged during the diurnal cycle and that the low Pn registered during some diurnal periods are likely to be related with photorespiration, which has been suggested as an efficient protective mechanism for photoinhibition in alpine plants. Our results are also compared with the photosynthetic performance of C. quitensis populations from the maritime AntarcticSe estudió la fotosíntesis de Colobanthus quitensis y las condiciones mesoclimáticas de temperatura del aire e intensidad lumínica a 2.650 m en los Andes de Chile central. Se midió la tasa de intercambio gaseoso y la fluorescencia de la clorofila en tres días típicos durante la estación de crecimiento (enero, marzo y mayo. Adicionalmente, se realizaron una serie de curvas de respuesta a incrementos en la intensidad lumínica a diferentes temperaturas para estimar la propensión de C. quitensis a la fotoinhibición. La fotosíntesis neta (Pn fue baja (ca. de 2,0 mmol CO2 m-2s-1 en la mañana y mediodía en días con alta radiación fotosintéticamente activa (PAR, sobre los 1.500 mmol fotones m-2s-1. La tasa de fotosíntesis aumentó en la tarde (3,5-4,8 mmol CO2 m-2s-1 cuando la radiación PAR disminuyó a alrededor de 1.000 mmol fotones m-2s-1. Fv/Fm osciló entre 0,7-0,75 en los registros de enero y marzo, decreciendo en mayo a 0,67. Hojas medidas a 15 y 22 °C mostraron un leve descenso en F PSII con el aumento en la intensidad de luz actínica, aunque la fracción de centros de reacción abiertos (expresados por qP fue mayor a 22 °C. NPQ fue saturado a intensidades lumínicas cercanas a 500 mmol photons m-2s-1 en hojas a 22 °C, y a intensidades mayores en hojas a 15 °C, sugiriendo que NPQ puede ser un mecanismo de disipación energética bajo condiciones de altas intensidades lumínicas y altas temperaturas en el campo. Nuestros resultados indican que C. quitensis no sufre fotodaño durante los ciclos diurnos, y probablemente, los bajos Pn registrados durante algunos periodos diurnos están relacionados con fotorrespiración, la cual ha sido sugerida como un mecanismo muy eficiente en la protección de plantas alpinas contra la fotoinhibición. Nuestros resultados también son comparados con el desempeño fotosintético de las poblaciones de C. quitensis en la Antártica marítima

  2. The detection of criticality accidents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prigent, R.; Renard, C.

    It is necessary to shield the personnel from the radiological consequences of a criticality accident. In the past ten years the study programmes have highlighted fresh data which have led to new thinking on the detection philosophy and as a consequence the design of detection equipment. Concurrently, new recommendations have been drawn up by the Safety Criticality Committee. The new detection equipment was developed by the CEA on the basis of the CRAC and SILENE experiments. Its industrialization was entrusted to the Intertechnique Company and the first network installed dates back to 1976. An examination is made of the problem of accident detection, dealing in turn with detection, the characteristics of the equipment and the installation rules. To clarify the various points discussed, a parallel has been drawn between the equipment existing up to 1975 and the new generation developed since then [fr

  3. The role of chromosomal rearrangements in the evolution of Silene latifolia sex chromosomes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hobza, Roman; Kejnovský, Eduard; Vyskot, Boris; Widmer, A.

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 278, č. 6 (2007), s. 633-638 ISSN 1617-4615 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA204/05/2097; GA ČR(CZ) GA521/06/0056 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507; CEZ:AV0Z50040702 Keywords : chromosomal rearrangements * sex chromosomes * FISH Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 2.978, year: 2007

  4. THE FLORA OF HEKIMDAG (BOZDAG, ESKISEHIR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murat ARDIÇ

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available In this study the flora of Eskişehir Hekimdağ (Bozdağ were investigated. According to Davis's grid system, the research area lies in B3 square. The plant samples collected in this region and determined that there are 59 families, as well as 467 species and subspecies taxa belonging to 219 genera. The phytogeographical distribution is as follows: 49 Mediterranean, 31 Euro-Siberian, 19 Irano-Turanian, 6 Euxin and 362 unknown or other-regional elements. The largest families are Asteraceae (50, Fabaceae (38, Lamiaceae (24, Poaceae (21 and Liliaceae (18 in terms of the number of species and subspecies included. Genera represented by the highest number of species are Centaurea (7, Alyssum (6, Silene, Astragalus, Trifolium, Lathyrus ve Campanula (5 . The number of endemic taxa within the study area is 41 (10.86%. 13 taxa are new records for the B3 square.

  5. Irradiated fuel behavior under accident heating conditions and correlation with fission gas release and swelling model (Chicago)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kryger, B.; Ducamp, F.; Combette, P.

    1981-08-01

    We analyse the mixed oxide fast fuel response to off normal conditions obtained by means of an out-of-pile transient simulation apparatus designed to provide direct observations (temperature, pressure, fuel motion) of fuel fission gas phenomena that might occur during the transients. The results are concerning fast transient tests (0,1 to 1 second) obtained with high gas concentration irradiated fuel (4 to 7 at % burn up, 0,4 cm 3 Xe + Kr /g.UPuO 2 ). The kinetics of fission gas release during the transients have been directly measured and then compared with the calculated results issued of the Chicago model. This model agrees, quite well, with other experiments done in the silene prompt reactor. Other gases than xenon and krypton (such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide) do not play any role in fuel behavior, since they have been completely ruled out

  6. Improved phytoaccumulation of cadmium by genetically modified tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L.). Physiological and biochemical response of the transformants to cadmium toxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorinova, N.; Nedkovska, M.; Todorovska, E.; Simova-Stoilova, L.; Stoyanova, Z.; Georgieva, K.; Demirevska-Kepova, K.; Atanassov, A.; Herzig, R.

    2007-01-01

    The response of tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L.)-non-transformed and transformed with a metallothionein gene MThis from Silene vulgaris L. - to increase cadmium supply in the nutrient solution was compared. The transgenic plants accumulated significantly more Cd both in the roots and the leaves. Visual toxicity symptoms and disturbance in water balance were correlated with Cd tissue content. Treatment with 300 μM CdCl 2 resulted in inhibition of photosynthesis and mobilization of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle. Treatment with 500 μM CdCl 2 led to irreversible damage of photosynthesis and oxidative stress. An appearance of a new peroxidase isoform and changes in the leaf polypeptide pattern were observed at the highest Cd concentration. The level of non-protein thiols gradually increased following the Cd treatment both in transgenic and non-transformed plants. - Genetic transformation of Nicotiana tabacum L. by metallothionein gene improved phytoaccumulation of cadmium

  7. Genealogical evidence for epidemics of selfish genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingvarsson, Par K; Taylor, Douglas R

    2002-08-20

    Some genetic elements spread infectiously in populations by increasing their rate of genetic transmission at the expense of other genes in the genome. These so-called selfish genetic elements comprise a substantial portion of eukaryotic genomes and have long been viewed as a potent evolutionary force. Despite this view, little is known about the evolutionary history of selfish genetic elements in natural populations, or their genetic effects on other portions of the genome. Here we use nuclear and chloroplast gene genealogies in two species of Silene to show the historical pattern of selection on a well known selfish genetic element, cytoplasmic male sterility. We provide evidence that evolution of cytoplasmic male sterility has been characterized by frequent turnovers of mutations in natural populations, thus supporting an epidemic model for the evolution of selfish genes, where new mutations repeatedly arise and rapidly sweep through populations.

  8. HPLC determination of flavonoid glycosides in Mongolian Dianthus versicolor Fisch. (Caryophyllaceae) compared with quantification by UV spectrophotometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obmann, Astrid; Purevsuren, Sodnomtseren; Zehl, Martin; Kletter, Christa; Reznicek, Gottfried; Narantuya, Samdan; Glasl, Sabine

    2012-01-01

    Dianthus versicolor is used in traditional Mongolian medicine against liver impairment. Fractions enriched in flavone-di- and triglycosides were shown to enhance bile secretion. Therefore, reliable and accurate analytical methods are needed for the determination of these flavonoids in the crude drug and extracts thereof. To provide a validated HPLC-DAD (diode array detector) method especially developed for the separation of polar flavonoids and to compare the data obtained with those evaluated by UV spectrophotometry. Separations were carried out on an Aquasil® C₁₈-column (4.6 mm × 250.0 mm, 5 µm) with a linear gradient of acetonitrile and water (adjusted to pH 2.8 with trifluoroacetic acid) as mobile phase. Rutoside was employed as internal standard with linear behavior in a concentration range of 0.007-3.5 mg/mL. Accuracy was determined by spiking the crude drug with saponarin resulting in recoveries between 92% and 102%. The method allows the quantification of highly polar flavonoid glycosides and the determination of their total content. For saponarin a linear response was evaluated within the range 0.007-3.5 mg/mL (R²  > 0.9999). It was proven that threefold sonication represents a time-saving, effective and cheap method for the extraction of the polar flavonoid glycosides. The contents determined by HPLC were shown to be in agreement with those obtained employing UV spectrophotometry. The study has indicated that the newly developed HPLC method represents a powerful technique for the quality control of D. versicolor. Ultraviolet spectrophotometry may be used alternatively provided that the less polar flavonoids are removed by purification. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Identifying new sex-linked genes through BAC sequencing in the dioecious plant Silene latifolia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Blavet, Nicolas; Blavet, Hana; Muyle, A.; Käfer, J.; Cegan, R.; Deschamps, C.; Zemp, N.; Mousset, S.; Aubourg, S.; Bergero, R.; Charlesworth, D.; Hobza, Roman; Widmer, A.; Marais, G.A.B.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 16, JUL 25 (2015), s. 546 ISSN 1471-2164 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP501/12/2220 Institutional support: RVO:61389030 Keywords : Sex chromosomes * Sex-linked genes * Plant Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 3.867, year: 2015

  10. Identifying new sex-linked genes through BAC sequencing in the dioecious plant Silene latifolia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Blavet, N.; Blavet, Hana; Muyle, A.; Kaefer, J.; Čegan, Radim; Deschamps, C.; Zemp, N.; Mousset, S.; Aubourg, S.; Bergero, R.; Charlesworth, D.; Hobza, Roman; Widmer, A.; Marais, G.A.B.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 16, JUL 2015 (2015) ISSN 1471-2164 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/12/2220 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : Y-CHROMOSOME * EVOLUTION * REARRANGEMENTS Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 3.867, year: 2015

  11. Kebutuhan Fisur Silen Gigi Posterior pada Murid-Murid Sekolah Dasar di Kota Madya Medan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lina Natamiharja

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The application of pit and fissure sealants is widely accepted practice in carious prevention, these materials were developed in an effort to prevent plaque, bacteria and carbohydrates penetrating pits and fissures of the teeth. Fissure sealants are effective in preventing occlusal carious in 33 out of every 100 teeth. The purpose of this study was to determine the needs of fissure sealant among the children age 6-13 years old. This study was carried out in two elementary schools. Samples was taken by sistematic random sampling based on age and sex. The totals of samples was 430 children. The needs of fissure sealant in the molars were quite high (36,75%, the highest percentage was in the lower first molar (49,64%, followed by the lower second molar (42,92%. In the premolars the needs was low (8,02%, the greatest needs was in the lower second premolar (15,79% followed by upper first premolar (7,50%.

  12. Expression response of duplicated metallothionein 3 gene to copper stress in Silene vulgaris ecotypes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Nevrtalová, Eva; Baloun, Jiří; Hudzieczek, Vojtěch; Čegan, Radim; Vyskot, Boris; Doležel, Jaroslav; Šafář, Jan; Milde, D.; Hobza, Roman

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 251, č. 6 (2014), s. 1427-1439 ISSN 0033-183X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/12/2220; GA ČR(CZ) GBP501/12/G090; GA ČR(CZ) GP13-34962P; GA ČR(CZ) GA522/09/0083 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : Copper * Gene duplication * Metallothionein Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics; EF - Botanics (UEB-Q) Impact factor: 2.651, year: 2014

  13. Frequency-Dependent Disease Transmission and the Dynamics of the Silene-Ustilago Host-Pathogen System

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Thrall, P.H.; Biere, A.; Uyenoyama, M.K.

    1995-01-01

    Models incorporating density-dependent disease transmission functions generally provide a good fit for airborne and directly transmitted bacterial or viral diseases. However, the transmission dynamics of sexually transmitted and vector-borne diseases are likely to be frequency- rather than density-

  14. A gravity model for the spread of a pollinator-borne plant pathogen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrari, Matthew J; Bjørnstad, Ottar N; Partain, Jessica L; Antonovics, Janis

    2006-09-01

    Many pathogens of plants are transmitted by arthropod vectors whose movement between individual hosts is influenced by foraging behavior. Insect foraging has been shown to depend on both the quality of hosts and the distances between hosts. Given the spatial distribution of host plants and individual variation in quality, vector foraging patterns may therefore produce predictable variation in exposure to pathogens. We develop a "gravity" model to describe the spatial spread of a vector-borne plant pathogen from underlying models of insect foraging in response to host quality using the pollinator-borne smut fungus Microbotryum violaceum as a case study. We fit the model to spatially explicit time series of M. violaceum transmission in replicate experimental plots of the white campion Silene latifolia. The gravity model provides a better fit than a mean field model or a model with only distance-dependent transmission. The results highlight the importance of active vector foraging in generating spatial patterns of disease incidence and for pathogen-mediated selection for floral traits.

  15. Recalibration of indium foil for personnel screening in criticality accidents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takada, C; Tsujimura, N; Mikami, S

    2011-03-01

    At the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), small pieces of indium foil incorporated into personal dosemeters have been used for personnel screening in criticality accidents. Irradiation tests of the badges were performed using the SILENE reactor to verify the calibration of the indium activation that had been made in the 1980s and to recalibrate them for simulated criticalities that would be the most likely to occur in the solution process line. In addition, Monte Carlo calculations of the indium activation using the badge model were also made to complement the spectral dependence. The results lead to a screening level of 15 kcpm being determined that corresponds to a total dose of 0.25 Gy, which is also applicable in posterior-anterior exposure. The recalibration based on the latest study will provide a sounder basis for the screening procedure in the event of a criticality accident.

  16. Wild food plants used in the villages of the Lake Vrana Nature Park (northern Dalmatia, Croatia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Łukasz Łuczaj

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Croatia is a country of diverse plant use traditions, which are still insufficiently documented. The aim of this study was to document local traditions of using wild food plants around Lake Vrana (northern Dalmatia, Zadar region.  We interviewed 43 inhabitants of six traditional villages north of Lake Vrana. On average 12 species were listed, which in total produced an inventory of 55 food plants and 3 fungi taxa. Wild vegetables were most widely collected, particularly by older women who gathered the plants mainly when herding their flocks of sheep. Wild fruits and mushrooms were rarely collected. The former used to be an important supplementary food for children, or for everyone during times of food shortage, and the latter were relatively rare due to the dry climate and shortage of woods. The most commonly collected plants are wild vegetables: Cichorium intybus, Foeniculum vulgare, Sonchus oleraceus, Asparagus acutifolius, Papaver rhoeas, Rumex pulcher, Daucus carota, Allium ampeloprasum and Silene latifolia.

  17. Quick evaluation of the neutron dose following a criticality accident by measurement of sodium 24 activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tabardel, R.; Ricourt, A.; Parmentier, N.

    1984-07-01

    In order to quickly sort out the irradiated individuals following a criticality accident, the neutron dose can be evaluated quickly by measuring the sodium-24 activity induced in the human body. The report supplies the information necessary for this evaluation from the response of various detectors of current use in radiation protection. The first part describes the method of evaluation of sodium-24 activity (A) given by the reading (M) of each instrument. The second part describes the method of kerma evaluation from the measured sodium-24 activity. The third part is an experimental application of the method of kerma evaluation from the sodium-24 activity measured in a phantom irradiated in the SILENE reactor flux. The results given by radiation protection instruments are in good agreement with the calculated values for a front exposure and demonstrate the usefulness of measuring the induced sodium-24 activity by radiation protection instruments of current use [fr

  18. Modeling of criticality accidents and their environmental consequences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, W.; Gmal, B.

    1987-01-01

    In the Federal Republic of Germany, potential radiological consequences of accidental nuclear criticality have to be evaluated in the licensing procedure for fuel cycle facilities. A prerequisite to this evaluation is to establish conceivable accident scenarios. First, possibilities for a criticality exceeding the generally applied double contingency principle of safety are identified by screening the equipment and operation of the facility. Identification of undetected accumulations of fissile material or incorrect transfer of fissile solution to unfavorable geometry normally are most important. Second, relevant and credible scenarios causing the most severe consequences are derived from these possibilities. For the identified relevant scenarios, time-dependent fission rates and reasonable numbers for peak power and total fissions must be determined. Experience from real accidents and experiments (KEWB, SPERT, CRAC, SILENE) has been evaluated using empirical formulas. To model the time-dependent behavior of criticality excursions in fissile solutions, a computer program FELIX has been developed

  19. Secondary associations in ‘Himalayan pink’ (Dianthus angulatus Royle ex Benth., Caryophyllaceae from cold deserts of Lahaul-Spiti

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kumar Puneet

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In current investigation we studied the male meiosis and details of secondary chromosomal associations or pairing recorded for the first time in Dianthus angulatus Royle ex Benth., from the cold deserts of Lahaul-Spiti (Himachal Pradesh, India. All the presently studied individuals of the species existed at 2x level (x = 15. The present chromosome count of n = 15 in the species is in conformity with the previous counts from India and outside of India. Secondary associations are defined as the affinity of bivalents to be positioned in pairs having gentle connections. The secondary chromosomal associations in the species existed among bivalents/chromosomes were observed in the meiocytes at metaphase-I and continued till the metaphase-II. The bivalents positioned side by side and end to end to form secondary pairing. The difference in the number of bivalents/chromosomes involved in the secondary associations has also been witnessed. A secondary association between bivalents is considered to be of immense importance as it is being taken as a gauge of ploidy in plants. The incidence of such secondary associations of bivalents/chromosomes in D. angulatus which existed at 2x level indicated the secondary polyploid nature of the species.

  20. Radionuclides: Accumulation and Transport in Plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, D K; Chatterjee, S; Datta, S; Voronina, A V; Walther, C

    Application of radioactive elements or radionuclides for anthropogenic use is a widespread phenomenon nowadays. Radionuclides undergo radioactive decays releasing ionizing radiation like gamma ray(s) and/or alpha or beta particles that can displace electrons in the living matter (like in DNA) and disturb its function. Radionuclides are highly hazardous pollutants of considerable impact on the environment, food chain and human health. Cleaning up of the contaminated environment through plants is a promising technology where the rhizosphere may play an important role. Plants belonging to the families of Brassicaceae, Papilionaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Poaceae, and Asteraceae are most important in this respect and offer the largest potential for heavy metal phytoremediation. Plants like Lactuca sativa L., Silybum marianum Gaertn., Centaurea cyanus L., Carthamus tinctorius L., Helianthus annuus and H. tuberosus are also important plants for heavy metal phytoremediation. However, transfer factors (TF) of radionuclide from soil/water to plant ([Radionuclide]plant/[Radionuclide]soil) vary widely in different plants. Rhizosphere, rhizobacteria and varied metal transporters like NRAMP, ZIP families CDF, ATPases (HMAs) family like P1B-ATPases, are involved in the radio-phytoremediation processes. This review will discuss recent advancements and potential application of plants for radionuclide removal from the environment.

  1. Purification and characterization of a novel anti-HSV-2 protein with antiproliferative and peroxidase activities from Stellaria media

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Yu Shan; Yuhong Zheng; Fuqin Guan; Jianjian Zhou; Haiguang Zhao; Bing Xia; Xu Feng

    2013-01-01

    A novel antiviral protein,designated as Stellarmedin A,was purified from Stellaria media (L.) Vill.(Caryophyllaceae) by using ammonium sulfate precipitation,cation-exchange chromatography system.Gel electrophoresis analysis showed that Stellarmedin A is a highly basic glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 35.1 kDa and an isoelectric point of ~8.7.The Nterminal 14-amino acid sequence,MGNTGVLTGERNDR,is similar to those of other plant peroxidases.This protein inhibited herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) replication in vitro with an ICso of 13.18 μg/ml and a therapeutic index exceeding 75.9.It was demonstrated that Stellarmedin A affects the initial stage of HSV-2 infection and is able to inhibit the proliferation of promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 and colon carcinoma LoVo cells with an ICso of 9.09 and 12.32 μM,respectively.Moreover,Stellarmedin A has a peroxidase activity of 36.6 μmol/min/mg protein,when gualacol was used as substrate.To our knowledge,this is the first report about an anti-HSV-2 protein with antiproliferative and peroxidase activities from S.media.

  2. A floristic study of Kuh-e Khom in Tang Shekan region of Arsanjan county in Fars province

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masumeh Zare

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available A floristic study was done in Kuh-e Khom in east of Arsanjan county as part of the southern Zagros in Fars province. Altitude of the region is ranged from 1740 to 3270 m above sea level. The flora of the region with an emphasis on identifying habitats and the effect of altitude on vegetation were studied and sampling was done from 2010 to 2012. Totally, 440 plant specimens of vascular plant were collected which were belonging to 50 families, 198 genera and 287 species. The angiosperm plants were dominant and from them the dicot plants with 37 families, 167 genera and 246 species had the most diversity. The monocots plants with 9 families, 27 genera and 37 species were the second diversely group in the region. Gymnosperms and Pteridophyte each with two species had the lowest number of species. In respect to species richness, Asteraceae (43 species was the largest family and after that Breassicaceae (33 species, Poaceae (24 species, Fabaceae (24 species, Lamiaceae (22 species, Caryophyllaceae (19 species and Boraginaceae (13 species had the most species diversity. Half of species were therophyte and 68% of species were belonging to Irano-Turanian region.

  3. Origins of native vascular plants of Antarctica: comments from a historical phytogeography viewpoint.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mosyakin, S L; Bezusko, L G; Mosyakin, A S

    2007-01-01

    The article provides an overview of the problem of origin of the only native vascular plants of Antarctica, Deschampsia antartica (Poaceae) and Colobanthus quitensis (Caryophyllaceae), from the viewpoint of modern historical phytogeography and related fields of science. Some authors suggested the Tertiary relict status of these plants in Antarctica, while others favour their recent Holocene immigration. Direct data (fossil or molecular genetic ones) for solving this controversy is still lacking. However, there is no convincing evidence supporting the Tertiary relict status of these plants in Antarctica. Most probably D. antarctica and C. quitensis migrated to Antarctica in the Holocene or Late Pleistocene (last interglacial?) through bird-aided long-distance dispersal. It should be critically tested by (1) appropriate methods of molecular phylogeography, (2) molecular clock methods, if feasible, (3) direct paleobotanical studies, (4) paleoclimatic reconstructions, and (5) comparison with cases of taxa with similar distribution/dispersal patterns. The problem of the origin of Antarctic vascular plants is a perfect model for integration of modern methods of molecular phylogeography and phylogenetics, population biology, paleobiology and paleogeography for solving a long-standing enigma of historical plant geography and evolution.

  4. [Differentiation of species of Bupleurum and its changes].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Bao-Lin

    2013-07-01

    Bupleurum is originated from the genus of Bupleurum chinensis DC of Umbelliferae. In China, the species of bupleurum for medicinal used are very complicate. During the Han-Tang Dynasties the bupleurum used covered a variety of its genera from Umbelliferae. "Yinzhou bupleurum" is the most famous in the Song Dynasty. Due to the continuous deterioration of its growing environment, the resources of the wild species of Yinzhou Bupleurum was declined, hence, those grown in other locations gradually attracted people's interests. Bupleutum was differentiated as Northern and Southern ones in the Ming Dynasty based on its different properties. Similar in its morphology and growing location to the Yinzhou Bupleurum, the Stellaria dichotoma lanceolata of the Caryophyllaceae was used as a substitute for the former. However, due to its prominent medicinal effects different from the Yinzhou one, the latter was continuously applied as a new herb. There are 2 great varieties of bupleurum used in modern times, the Bupleurum chinensis DC, and the Bupleurm scorzonerifolium Willd. Since the species of bupleurum in the current market are very complicate, and its clinical applications are quite confused, standardization and strengthening of its research are badly needed so as to promote its marketing.

  5. Identification and characterization of a bacteria-like sequence in the genome of some Silene species

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Talianová, Martina; Žlůvová, Jitka; Hobza, Roman; Vyskot, Boris; Janoušek, Bohuslav

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 56, č. 2 (2012), s. 247-253 ISSN 0006-3134 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA521/08/0932; GA ČR(CZ) GA522/09/0083; GA ČR(CZ) GD204/09/H002 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507; CEZ:AV0Z50040702 Keywords : horizontal gene transfer * microdissection * phylogenetic analysis Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 1.692, year: 2012

  6. Strong Accumulation of Chloroplast DNA in the Y Chromosomes of Rumex acetosa and Silene latifolia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šteflová, Pavlína; Hobza, Roman; Vyskot, Boris; Kejnovský, Eduard

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 142, č. 1 (2014), s. 59-65 ISSN 1424-8581 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP305/10/0930; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/10/0102; GA ČR(CZ) GBP501/12/G090; GA ČR GAP501/12/2220; GA ČR(CZ) GA522/09/0083; GA MŠk(CZ) LO1204 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040702 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : Chloroplast DNA * Rumex acetosa * Sex chromosomes Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 1.561, year: 2014

  7. Mutations in ribosomal proteins, RPL4 and RACK1, suppress the phenotype of a thermospermine-deficient mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun-ichi Kakehi

    Full Text Available Thermospermine acts in negative regulation of xylem differentiation and its deficient mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, acaulis5 (acl5, shows excessive xylem formation and severe dwarfism. Studies of two dominant suppressors of acl5, sac51-d and sac52-d, have revealed that SAC51 and SAC52 encode a transcription factor and a ribosomal protein L10 (RPL10, respectively, and these mutations enhance translation of the SAC51 mRNA, which contains conserved upstream open reading frames in the 5' leader. Here we report identification of SAC53 and SAC56 responsible for additional suppressors of acl5. sac53-d is a semi-dominant allele of the gene encoding a receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1 homolog, a component of the 40S ribosomal subunit. sac56-d represents a semi-dominant allele of the gene for RPL4. We show that the GUS reporter activity driven by the CaMV 35S promoter plus the SAC51 5' leader is reduced in acl5 and restored by sac52-d, sac53-d, and sac56-d as well as thermospermine. Furthermore, the SAC51 mRNA, which may be a target of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, was found to be stabilized in these ribosomal mutants and by thermospermine. These ribosomal proteins are suggested to act in the control of uORF-mediated translation repression of SAC51, which is derepressed by thermospermine.

  8. Genome-wide identification, phylogenetic analysis, and expression profiling of polyamine synthesis gene family members in tomato.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Taibo; Huang, Binbin; Chen, Lin; Xian, Zhiqiang; Song, Shiwei; Chen, Riyuan; Hao, Yanwei

    2018-06-30

    Polyamines (PAs), including putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd), spermine (Spm), and thermospermine (T-Spm), play key roles in plant development, including fruit setting and ripening, morphogenesis, and abiotic/biotic stress. Their functions appear to be intimately related to their synthesis, which occurs via arginine/ornithine decarboxylase (ADC/ODC), Spd synthase (SPDS), Spm synthase (SPMS), and Acaulis5 (ACL5), respectively. Unfortunately, the expression and function of these PA synthesis-relate genes during specific developmental process or under stress have not been fully elucidated. Here, we present the results of a genome-wide analysis of the PA synthesis genes (ADC, ODC, SPDS, SPMS, ACL5) in the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). In total, 14 PA synthesis-related genes were identified. Further analysis of their structures, conserved domains, phylogenetic trees, predicted subcellular localization, and promoter cis-regulatory elements were analyzed. Furthermore, we also performed experiments to evaluate their tissue expression patterns and under hormone and various stress treatments. To our knowledge, this is the first study to elucidate the mechanisms underlying PA function in this variety of tomato. Taken together, these data provide valuable information for future functional characterization of specific genes in the PA synthesis pathway in this and other plant species. Although additional research is required, the insight gained by this and similar studies can be used to improve our understanding of PA metabolism ultimately leading to more effective and consistent plant cultivation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Epigenetic contribution to successful polyploidizations: variation in global cytosine methylation along an extensive ploidy series in Dianthus broteri (Caryophyllaceae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alonso, Conchita; Balao, Francisco; Bazaga, Pilar; Pérez, Ricardo

    2016-11-01

    Polyploidization is a significant evolutionary force in plants which involves major genomic and genetic changes, frequently regulated by epigenetic factors. We explored whether natural polyploidization in Dianthus broteri complex resulted in substantial changes in global DNA cytosine methylation associated to ploidy. Global cytosine methylation was estimated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in 12 monocytotypic populations with different ploidies (2×, 4×, 6×, 12×) broadly distributed within D. broteri distribution range. The effects of ploidy level and local variation on methylation were assessed by generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). Dianthus broteri exhibited a higher methylation percent (˜33%) than expected by its monoploid genome size and a large variation among study populations (range: 29.3-35.3%). Global methylation tended to increase with ploidy but did not significantly differ across levels due to increased variation within the highest-order polyploidy categories. Methylation varied more among hexaploid and dodecaploid populations, despite such cytotypes showing more restricted geographic location and increased genetic relatedness than diploids and tetraploids. In this study, we demonstrate the usefulness of an HPLC method in providing precise and genome reference-free global measure of DNA cytosine methylation, suitable to advance current knowledge of the roles of this epigenetic mechanism in polyploidization processes. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

  10. Fitness drivers in the threatened Dianthus guliae Janka (Caryophyllaceae): disentangling effects of growth context, maternal influence and inbreeding depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gargano, D; Gullo, T; Bernardo, L

    2011-01-01

    We studied inbreeding depression, growth context and maternal influence as constraints to fitness in the self-compatible, protandrous Dianthus guliae Janka, a threatened Italian endemic. We performed hand-pollinations to verify outcomes of self- and cross-fertilisation over two generations, and grew inbred and outbred D. guliae offspring under different conditions - in pots, a common garden and field conditions (with/without nutrient addition). The environment influenced juvenile growth and flowering likelihood/rate, but had little effect on inbreeding depression. Significant interactions among genetic and environmental factors influenced female fertility. Overall, genetic factors strongly affected both early (seed mass, seed germination, early survival) and late (seed/ovule ratio) life-history traits. After the first pollination experiment, we detected higher mortality in the selfed progeny, which is possibly a consequence of inbreeding depression caused by over-expression of early-acting deleterious alleles. The second pollination induced a strong loss of reproductive fitness (seed production, seed mass) in inbred D. guliae offspring, regardless of the pollination treatment (selfing/crossing); hence, a strong (genetic) maternal influence constrained early life-history traits of the second generation. Based on current knowledge, we conclude that self-compatibility does not prevent the detrimental effects of inbreeding in D. guliae populations, and may increase the severe extinction risk if out-crossing rates decrease. © 2010 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

  11. Equation of state for L.M.F.B.R. fuel (measurement of fission gas release during transients)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Combette, P.; Barthelemy, P.

    1979-01-01

    A sample of fuel (UO 2 or UPuO 2 ) can be heated by fission in a heating transient up to energy deposition 4000 j/g, in the Silene reactor. The Kistler type capsule, the calorimeter device and the radiochemical analysis of fission products enable the pressure pulse and the fuel energy deposition to be measured. So, the relationship between the fuel vapour pressure and the fuel specific energy can be deduced. Peaks pressure (about 1 MPa) coming from fresh UO 2 vaporization, have been measured on a 7 milliseconds time scale. There is a good agreement with the E.O.S. for fresh UO 2 , which is well known for low pressure (1 MPa). Numerous tests have been done with 93% enriched UO 2 and a first test with highly active fuel containing plutonium (15 at %) has been performed. The capsule allows the released gas coming from the irradiated fuel to be retained for measurements and analysis. To investigate the mode of fuel disruption, in-pile fission-heated fuel pellets has been recorded by high speed cinematography

  12. Naturally-assisted metal phytoextraction by Brassica carinata: Role ofroot exudates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Quartacci, Mike F., E-mail: mfquart@agr.unipi.i [Dipartimento di Chimica e Biotecnologie Agrarie, Universita di Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa (Italy); Irtelli, Barbara [Dipartimento di Chimica e Biotecnologie Agrarie, Universita di Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa (Italy); Gonnelli, Cristina; Gabbrielli, Roberto [Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale, Sezione di Ecologia e Fisiologia Vegetale, Universita di Firenze, Via Micheli 1, 50121 Firenze (Italy); Navari-Izzo, Flavia [Dipartimento di Chimica e Biotecnologie Agrarie, Universita di Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa (Italy)

    2009-10-15

    Due to relatively high chelant dosages and potential environmental risks it is necessary to explore different approaches in the remediation of metal-contaminated soils. The present study focussed on the removal of metals (As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) from a multiple metal-contaminated soil by growing Brassica carinata plants in succession to spontaneous metallicolous populations of Pinus pinaster, Plantago lanceolata and Silene paradoxa. The results showed that the growth of the metallicolous populations increased the extractable metal levels in the soil, which resulted in a higher accumulation of metals in the above-ground parts of B. carinata. Root exudates of the three metallicolous species were analysed to elucidate their possible role in the enhanced metal availability. The presence of metals stimulated the exudation of organic and phenolic acids as well as flavonoids. It was suggested that root exudates played an important role in solubilising metals in soil and in favouring their uptake by roots. - Phytoextraction of metals is enhanced in Brassica carinata grown in succession to metallicolous populations of spontaneous species.

  13. Naturally-assisted metal phytoextraction by Brassica carinata: Role ofroot exudates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quartacci, Mike F.; Irtelli, Barbara; Gonnelli, Cristina; Gabbrielli, Roberto; Navari-Izzo, Flavia

    2009-01-01

    Due to relatively high chelant dosages and potential environmental risks it is necessary to explore different approaches in the remediation of metal-contaminated soils. The present study focussed on the removal of metals (As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) from a multiple metal-contaminated soil by growing Brassica carinata plants in succession to spontaneous metallicolous populations of Pinus pinaster, Plantago lanceolata and Silene paradoxa. The results showed that the growth of the metallicolous populations increased the extractable metal levels in the soil, which resulted in a higher accumulation of metals in the above-ground parts of B. carinata. Root exudates of the three metallicolous species were analysed to elucidate their possible role in the enhanced metal availability. The presence of metals stimulated the exudation of organic and phenolic acids as well as flavonoids. It was suggested that root exudates played an important role in solubilising metals in soil and in favouring their uptake by roots. - Phytoextraction of metals is enhanced in Brassica carinata grown in succession to metallicolous populations of spontaneous species.

  14. Detoxification of Arsenic by Phytochelatins in Plants1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmöger, Marcus E.V.; Oven, Matjaz; Grill, Erwin

    2000-01-01

    As is a ubiquitous element present in the atmosphere as well as in the aquatic and terrestrial environments. Arsenite and arsenate are the major forms of As intoxication, and these anions are readily taken up by plants. Both anions efficiently induce the biosynthesis of phytochelatins (PCs) ([γ-glutamate-cysteine]n-glycine) in vivo and in vitro. The rapid induction of the metal-binding PCs has been observed in cell suspension cultures of Rauvolfia serpentina, in seedlings of Arabidopsis, and in enzyme preparations of Silene vulgaris upon challenge to arsenicals. The rate of PC formation in enzyme preparations was lower compared with Cd-induced biosynthesis, but was accompanied by a prolonged induction phase that resulted finally in higher peptide levels. An approximately 3:1 ratio of the sulfhydryl groups from PCs to As is compatible with reported As-glutathione complexes. The identity of the As-induced PCs and of reconstituted metal-peptide complexes has unequivocally been demonstrated by electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy. Gel filtration experiments and inhibitor studies also indicate a complexation and detoxification of As by the induced PCs. PMID:10712543

  15. Chemical dosimetry system for criticality accidents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miljanić, Saveta; Ilijas, Boris

    2004-01-01

    Ruder Bosković Institute (RBI) criticality dosimetry system consists of a chemical dosimetry system for measuring the total (neutron + gamma) dose, and a thermoluminescent (TL) dosimetry system for a separate determination of the gamma ray component. The use of the chemical dosemeter solution chlorobenzene-ethanol-trimethylpentane (CET) is based on the radiolytic formation of hydrochloric acid, which protonates a pH indicator, thymolsulphonphthalein. The high molar absorptivity of its red form at 552 nm is responsible for a high sensitivity of the system: doses in the range 0.2-15 Gy can be measured. The dosemeter has been designed as a glass ampoule filled with the CET solution and inserted into a pen-shaped plastic holder. For dose determinations, a newly constructed optoelectronic reader has been used. The RBI team took part in the International Intercomparison of Criticality Accident Dosimetry Systems at the SILENE Reactor, Valduc, June 2002, with the CET dosimetry system. For gamma ray dose determination TLD-700 TL detectors were used. The results obtained with CET dosemeter show very good agreement with the reference values.

  16. Using operational equipment to read accident dosemeters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Devine, R T; Vigil, M M; Martinez, W A

    2004-01-01

    Analysis of accident dosemeters usually involves the use of laboratory-based counting equipment. Gamma spectrometers are used for indium, copper and gold, and alpha-beta detectors for sulphur. This equipment is usually not easily transported due to the shielding required and the weight and delicacy of the counters. For intercomparison studies that require reading the dosemeters on site, a transportable system is required unless the site operating the study can count samples for all the participants. In the case of an actual accident these systems would have a difficulty in counting a large number of accident dosemeters. In an accident, personnel are usually subdivided according to their level of exposure. Those exposed to higher doses are treated immediately. An alternate system should be made available to handle the dosemeters worn by those personnel are likely to receive lower doses. Improvements in portable operational equipment for gamma and beta monitoring allow their use as spectrometers. Such a system was used for the SILENE intercomparison conducted at IRSN Valduc on 12 June and 19, 2002, and the preliminary results compared well with the other participants.

  17. Transcriptome Sequencing of Dianthus spiculifolius and Analysis of the Genes Involved in Responses to Combined Cold and Drought Stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Aimin; Ma, Hongping; Liu, Enhui; Jiang, Tongtong; Feng, Shuang; Gong, Shufang; Wang, Jingang

    2017-04-17

    Dianthus spiculifolius , a perennial herbaceous flower and a member of the Caryophyllaceae family, has strong resistance to cold and drought stresses. To explore the transcriptional responses of D. spiculifolius to individual and combined stresses, we performed transcriptome sequencing of seedlings under normal conditions or subjected to cold treatment (CT), simulated drought treatment (DT), or their combination (CTDT). After de novo assembly of the obtained reads, 112,015 unigenes were generated. Analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed that 2026, 940, and 2346 genes were up-regulated and 1468, 707, and 1759 were down-regulated in CT, DT, and CTDT samples, respectively. Among all the DEGs, 182 up-regulated and 116 down-regulated genes were identified in all the treatment groups. Analysis of metabolic pathways and regulatory networks associated with the DEGs revealed overlaps and cross-talk between cold and drought stress response pathways. The expression profiles of the selected DEGs in CT, DT, and CTDT samples were characterized and confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR. These DEGs and metabolic pathways may play important roles in the response of D. spiculifolius to the combined stress. Functional characterization of these genes and pathways will provide new targets for enhancement of plant stress tolerance through genetic manipulation.

  18. Unparalleled rates of species diversification in Europe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valente, Luis M.; Savolainen, Vincent; Vargas, Pablo

    2010-01-01

    The most rapid species radiations have been reported from ‘evolutionary laboratories’, such as the Andes and the Cape of South Africa, leading to the prevailing view that diversification elsewhere has not been as dramatic. However, few studies have explicitly assessed rates of diversification in northern regions such as Europe. Here, we show that carnations (Dianthus, Caryophyllaceae), a well-known group of plants from temperate Eurasia, have diversified at the most rapid rate ever reported in plants or terrestrial vertebrates. Using phylogenetic methods, we found that the majority of species of carnations belong to a lineage that is remarkably species-rich in Europe, and arose at the rate of 2.2–7.6 species per million years. Unlike most previous studies that have inferred rates of diversification in young diverse groups, we use a conservative approach throughout that explicitly incorporates the uncertainties associated with phylogenetic inference, molecular dating and incomplete taxon sampling. We detected a shift in diversification rates of carnations coinciding with a period of increase in climatic aridity in the Pleistocene, suggesting a link between climate and biodiversity. This explosive radiation suggests that Europe, the continent with the world's best-studied flora, has been underestimated as a cradle of recent and rapid speciation. PMID:20106850

  19. Expressed sequences tags of the anther smut fungus, Microbotryum violaceum, identify mating and pathogenicity genes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Devier Benjamin

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The basidiomycete fungus Microbotryum violaceum is responsible for the anther-smut disease in many plants of the Caryophyllaceae family and is a model in genetics and evolutionary biology. Infection is initiated by dikaryotic hyphae produced after the conjugation of two haploid sporidia of opposite mating type. This study describes M. violaceum ESTs corresponding to nuclear genes expressed during conjugation and early hyphal production. Results A normalized cDNA library generated 24,128 sequences, which were assembled into 7,765 unique genes; 25.2% of them displayed significant similarity to annotated proteins from other organisms, 74.3% a weak similarity to the same set of known proteins, and 0.5% were orphans. We identified putative pheromone receptors and genes that in other fungi are involved in the mating process. We also identified many sequences similar to genes known to be involved in pathogenicity in other fungi. The M. violaceum EST database, MICROBASE, is available on the Web and provides access to the sequences, assembled contigs, annotations and programs to compare similarities against MICROBASE. Conclusion This study provides a basis for cloning the mating type locus, for further investigation of pathogenicity genes in the anther smut fungi, and for comparative genomics.

  20. Новые данные по числам хромосом некоторых сосудистых растений из Израиля и России

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. N. Lomonosova

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Приведены числа хромосом для 10 видов из семейств Amaranthaceae s. str., Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Chenopodiaceae и Frankeniaceae. Для Atriplex intracontinentalis Sukhor. (2n = 18, Corispermum filifolium C.A. Meyer ex Becker (2n = 18 и Frankenia tuvinica Lomon. (2n = 20 числа хромосом не были известны ранее. Впервые на материале из Израиля указаны числа хромосом для Amaranthus albus L. (2n = 32, Dyssodia tenuiloba (DC R.B. Rob. (2n = 24, Lactuca viminea (L. J. et C. Presl (2n = 18, Tragopogon coelesyriacus Boiss. (2n = 12, Chenopodium opulifolium Schrad. ex W.D.J. Koch et Ziz (2n = 54 и Chenopodium missouriense Aellen (2n = 54.

  1. Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish Border.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozlowska, Weronika; Wagner, Charles; Moore, Erin M; Matkowski, Adam; Komarnytsky, Slavko

    2018-01-01

    Plants were an essential part of foraging for food and health, and for centuries remained the only medicines available to people from the remote mountain regions. Their correct botanical provenance is an essential basis for understanding the ethnic cultures, as well as for chemical identification of the novel bioactive molecules with therapeutic effects. This work describes the use of herbal medicines in the Beskid mountain ranges located south of Krakow and Lviv, two influential medieval centers of apothecary tradition in the region. Local botanical remedies shared by Boyko, Lemko, and Gorale ethnic groups were a part of the medieval European system of medicine, used according to their Dioscoridean and Galenic qualities. Within the context of ethnic plant medicine and botanical classification, this review identified strong preferences for local use of St John's-wort ( Hypericum perforatum L.), wormwood ( Artemisia absinthium L.), garlic ( Allium sativum L.), gentian ( Gentiana lutea L.), lovage ( Levisticum officinale W.D.J. Koch), and lesser periwinkle ( Vinca minor L.). While Ukrainian ethnic groups favored the use of guilder-rose ( Viburnum opulus L.) and yarrow ( Achillea millefolium L.), Polish inhabitants especially valued angelica ( Angelica archangelica L.) and carline thistle ( Carlina acaulis L.). The region also holds a strong potential for collection, cultivation, and manufacture of medicinal plants and plant-based natural specialty ingredients for the food, health and cosmetic industries, in part due to high degree of biodiversity and ecological preservation. Many of these products, including whole food nutritional supplements, will soon complement conventional medicines in prevention and treatment of diseases, while adding value to agriculture and local economies.

  2. Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish Border

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weronika Kozlowska

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Plants were an essential part of foraging for food and health, and for centuries remained the only medicines available to people from the remote mountain regions. Their correct botanical provenance is an essential basis for understanding the ethnic cultures, as well as for chemical identification of the novel bioactive molecules with therapeutic effects. This work describes the use of herbal medicines in the Beskid mountain ranges located south of Krakow and Lviv, two influential medieval centers of apothecary tradition in the region. Local botanical remedies shared by Boyko, Lemko, and Gorale ethnic groups were a part of the medieval European system of medicine, used according to their Dioscoridean and Galenic qualities. Within the context of ethnic plant medicine and botanical classification, this review identified strong preferences for local use of St John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum L., wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L., garlic (Allium sativum L., gentian (Gentiana lutea L., lovage (Levisticum officinale W.D.J. Koch, and lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor L.. While Ukrainian ethnic groups favored the use of guilder-rose (Viburnum opulus L. and yarrow (Achillea millefolium L., Polish inhabitants especially valued angelica (Angelica archangelica L. and carline thistle (Carlina acaulis L.. The region also holds a strong potential for collection, cultivation, and manufacture of medicinal plants and plant-based natural specialty ingredients for the food, health and cosmetic industries, in part due to high degree of biodiversity and ecological preservation. Many of these products, including whole food nutritional supplements, will soon complement conventional medicines in prevention and treatment of diseases, while adding value to agriculture and local economies.

  3. Transcription profiles of mitochondrial genes correlate with mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in a natural population of Silene vulgaris

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Elansary, Hosam O; Müller, Karel; Olson, M.S.; Štorchová, Helena

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 10, č. 11 (2010), s. 1-10 ISSN 1471-2229 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA521/09/0261; GA MŠk(CZ) LC06004 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50380511 Keywords : GYNODIOECIOUS PLANT * PATERNAL TRANSMISSION * MULTIPLE PROMOTERS Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 4.085, year: 2010

  4. The ENEA criticality accident dosimetry system: a contribution to the 2002 international intercomparison at the SILENE reactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gualdrini, G; Bedogni, R; Fantuzzi, E; Mariotti, F

    2004-01-01

    The present paper summarises the activity carried out at the ENEA Radiation Protection Institute for updating the methodologies employed for the evaluation of the neutron and photon dose to the exposed workers in case of a criticality accident, in the framework of the 'International Intercomparison of Criticality Accident Dosimetry Systems' (Silène reactor, IRSN-CEA-Valduc June 2002). The evaluation of the neutron spectra and the neutron dosimetric quantities relies on activation detectors and on unfolding algorithms. Thermoluminescent detectors are employed for the gamma dose measurement. The work is aimed at accurately characterising the measurement system and, at the same time, testing the algorithms. Useful spectral information were included, based on Monte Carlo simulations, to take into account the potential accident scenarios of practical interest. All along this exercise intercomparison a particular attention was devoted to the 'traceability' of all the experimental and computational parameters and therefore, aimed at an easy treatment by the user.

  5. How to be an attractive male: floral dimorphism and attractiveness to pollinators in a dioecious plant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Waelti Marc O

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Sexual selection theory predicts that males are limited in their reproductive success by access to mates, whereas females are more limited by resources. In animal-pollinated plants, attraction of pollinators and successful pollination is crucial for reproductive success. In dioecious plant species, males should thus be selected to increase their attractiveness to pollinators by investing more than females in floral traits that enhance pollinator visitation. We tested the prediction of higher attractiveness of male flowers in the dioecious, moth-pollinated herb Silene latifolia, by investigating floral signals (floral display and fragrance and conducting behavioral experiments with the pollinator-moth, Hadena bicruris. Results As found in previous studies, male plants produced more but smaller flowers. Male flowers, however, emitted significantly larger amounts of scent than female flowers, especially of the pollinator-attracting compounds. In behavioral tests we showed that naïve pollinator-moths preferred male over female flowers, but this preference was only significant for male moths. Conclusion Our data suggest the evolution of dimorphic floral signals is shaped by sexual selection and pollinator preferences, causing sexual conflict in both plants and pollinators.

  6. The program of international intercomparison of accident dosimetry; Le programme d'intercomparaison internationale de dosimetrie d'accident 10-12 juin 2002

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2002-06-01

    The French institute of radioprotection and nuclear safety (IRSN) has carried out in June 2002 an international intercomparison program for the testing of the physical and biological accident dosimetry techniques. The intercomparison is jointly organized by the IRSN and the OECD-NEA with the sustain of the European commission and the collaboration of the CEA centre of Valduc (France). About 30 countries have participated to this program. Each country has supplied its own dosimeters and biological samples which have been irradiated using the Silene reactor of CEA-Valduc or a {sup 60}Co source. These experiments allow to test the new dosimetric techniques that have been developed since the previous intercomparison program (1993) and to confirm or improve the performances of older techniques. Aside from the intercomparison exercise, this report makes a status of the known radiological accidents and of the effects of high doses of ionizing radiations on human health (symptoms, therapeutics). It explains the phenomenology of criticality accidents, the prevention means, and the history of such accidents up to the Tokai-Mura one in 1999. Finally, the dosimetry of criticality is presented with its physical and biological techniques. (J.S.)

  7. The program of international intercomparison of accident dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2002-06-01

    The French institute of radioprotection and nuclear safety (IRSN) has carried out in June 2002 an international intercomparison program for the testing of the physical and biological accident dosimetry techniques. The intercomparison is jointly organized by the IRSN and the OECD-NEA with the sustain of the European commission and the collaboration of the CEA centre of Valduc (France). About 30 countries have participated to this program. Each country has supplied its own dosimeters and biological samples which have been irradiated using the Silene reactor of CEA-Valduc or a 60 Co source. These experiments allow to test the new dosimetric techniques that have been developed since the previous intercomparison program (1993) and to confirm or improve the performances of older techniques. Aside from the intercomparison exercise, this report makes a status of the known radiological accidents and of the effects of high doses of ionizing radiations on human health (symptoms, therapeutics). It explains the phenomenology of criticality accidents, the prevention means, and the history of such accidents up to the Tokai-Mura one in 1999. Finally, the dosimetry of criticality is presented with its physical and biological techniques. (J.S.)

  8. Immatures of Palaearctic species of the weevil genus Sibinia (Coleoptera, Curculionidae): new descriptions and new bionomic data with suggestions on their potential value in a phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skuhrovec, Jiří; Gosik, Rafał; Caldara, Roberto; Košťál, Michael

    2015-05-04

    The larvae and pupae of six species of the Palaearctic genus Sibinia Germar, 1817 are described in detail for the first time. Five of them develop in seeds of Caryophyllaceae and belong to Sibinia (s. str.): S. attalica Gyllenhal, 1835; S. femoralis Germar, 1824; S. tibialis Gyllenhal, 1835; and S. viscariae (Linnaeus, 1760), which are included in the S. femoralis group, and S. sicana Ragusa, 1908, which is included in the S. unicolor Fåhraeus, 1843 group. The sixth species is S. sodalis Germar, 1824, which develops in seeds of Plumbaginaceae and belongs to the subgenus Dichotychius Bedel, 1885. The larvae and pupae of these species are compared with those previously described for some species of the third subgenus, Microtychius Casey, 1910 from the Americas. Some larval characters, but no pupal ones, are useful to support the three subgenera and the two previously mentioned groups of Sibinia s. str., which were previously postulated based on a few adult morphological characters. The immatures of Sibinia are also compared with those of the closely related genus Tychius Germar, 1817, providing some distinctive characters between both genera. New bionomic data on larval and pupal development and adult emergence are reported for all the described species. These data suggest that species in this genus are highly homogeneous in life history traits.

  9. Diversity and ecological characteristics of flora of mastuj valley, district chitral, hindukush range, pakistan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hussain, F.; Shah, S.M.; Badshahi, L.; Durrani, M.J.

    2015-01-01

    This study revealed that the floristic diversity consisted of 571 species belonging to 82 families including 65 dicots, 13 monocots, 2 gymnosperms and 2 pteridophyte families. There were 334 genera including 3 Pteridophytes, 2 gymnosperms, 54 monocot and 275 dicot genera. Asteraceae (91 Spp., 15.95 %), Poaceae (58 Spp., 10.16 %), Papilionaceae (38 Spp., 6.65 %), Lamiaceae and Rosaceae (each with 26 Spp., 4.55 %), Polygonaceae (25 spp; 4.38), Caryophyllaceae (23 spp.; 4.03%), Apiaceae (21 Spp., 3.68 %), Boraginaceae and Brassicaceae (20 Spp., each with 3.50 %) were the leading families. There were 45 (13.47%), 32 (9.58%), 19 (5.69%), 18 (5.39%) and 16 (4.79%) genera respectively in Asteraceae, Poaceae, Brassicaceae, Apiaceae and Papilionaceae. Flora consisted of 91.59% wild species, 92.64% deciduous species, 92.12% nonspiny species, 80.04% mesophytes and 94.57% heliophytes. Biological spectrum was dominated by therophytes (234 spp., 40.98%), followed by hemicryptophytes (154 spp., 26.97%), geophytes (82 spp., 14.36%), chamaephytes (44 spp., 7.71%), nanophanerophytes (31 spp, 5.43%) and megaphanerophytes (24 spp., 4.20%). The leaf size spectra was dominated by nanophylls (40.98%), leptophylls (24.87%), mesophylls 18.56%) and microphylls (9.11%). Further plant exploration is suggested in this remote inaccessible valley in the Hindukush Range, Pakistan. (author)

  10. Urban ecological characteristics and vascular wall flora on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Volkan Altay

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to specify the urban ecologic characteristics of Istanbul and to show their reflection to the vascular wall flora of the Anatolian side, which is a distinctive wall habitat. Plants samples of the urban habitat were collected from the top and vertical surfaces of walls during 2005-2007. A total of 101 taxa (81 species, 13 subspecies and 7 varieties belonging to 74 genera and 33 families were recorded. It was determined that 80 species were Dicotyledones while 1 was Monocotyledone. The families with the largest number of taxa were Asteraceae (18 species, 22.22%, Poaceae (8 species, 9.87%, Lamiaceae and Brassicaceae (5 species, 6.17%, and Polygonaceae and Scrophulariaceae (4 species, 4.93%. The most common plant species on walls were Parietaria judaica L. (Urticaceae, Stellaria media (L. Vill. subsp. media (Caryophyllaceae, and Mercurialis annua L. (Euphorbiaceae. The percentage of phytogeographical elements among the recorded taxa varied as follows: Euro-Siberian (6 taxa, 7.41%, Mediterranean (11 taxa, 13.58%, E. Mediterranian (2 taxa, 2.47%, Irano-Turanian (1 taxon, 1.23% and unknown (61 taxa, 75.31%. It was found that 6 taxa (7.41% were cosmopolitan, 12 (14.82% were widespread while 1 (1.23% was endemic. The results were compared with some other European wall floras and some similarities and dissimilarities were noted.

  11. E.coli and investigation of antibody titer in rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    masoud abdollahi

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Plant ribosome inactivating proteins act as N-glycosidase enzyme and produce by several family of Caryophyllaceae such as Saponaria Officinalis. Different Isoforms of RIPs expressed by Saponaria Officinalis. SO6 isoform depurinate Adenine 4324 in the conserved GAGA loop of 28SrRNA and disrupts protein synthesis. The aim of this study was expression of SO6 isoform in E.coli and investigation of antibody titer in rats. Methods: In this experimental study, SO6 synthetic gene was excised from recombinant pUC57- SO6 plasmid with BamHI and SalI restriction enzymes and subcloned into pET28a (+ expression vector. The expression of recombinant protein was induced by IPTG. Recombinant SO6 was purified by nickel affinity chromatography. Western blotting was performed to confirm the recombinant protein. Rats were immunized intraperitoneal with purified protein and IgG serum titer was assayed by ELISA. Results: PCR reaction and enzyme digestion confirmed subcloning of SO6 gene into pET28a (+ expression vector. A 29.5kDa protein band on SDS-PAGE showed a high level of recombinant protein expression. Polyclonal antibodies recognized SO6. ELISA confirmed significant antibody titer after injection of protein in test group compared with the control group. Conclusion: The recombinant purified SO6 antigen can be used for anti-cancer and vaccine candidate research.

  12. Cushions of Thylacospermum caespitosum (Caryophyllaceae) do not facilitate other plants under extreme altitude and dry conditions in the north-west Himalayas

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    de Bello, Francesco; Doležal, Jiří; Dvorský, Miroslav; Chlumská, Zuzana; Řeháková, Klára; Klimešová, Jitka; Klimeš, Leoš

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 108, č. 3 (2011), s. 567-573 ISSN 0305-7364 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA600050802; GA ČR GD206/08/H044 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516 Keywords : stress-gradient hypothesis * positive associations * ecosystem engineering Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 4.030, year: 2011

  13. Evaluation of semiarid grassland degradation in North China from multiple perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, D.; Wang, G.; Xue, B. L.; Xu, X.

    2017-12-01

    There has been increasing interest in grassland ecosystem degradation resulting from intensive human activity and climate change, especially in arid and semiarid regions. Species composition, grassland desertification, and aboveground biomass (AGB) are used as indicators of grassland degradation in this study. We comprehensively analyzed variations in these three indicators in semiarid grassland in North China, on multiple time scales, based on MODIS products and field sampling datasets. Since 1984, species composition has become simpler and species indicative of grassland degradation, such as Potentilla acaulis and Artemisia frigida, have become dominant. These changes indicate that serious grassland degradation has occurred since 1984. Grassland degradation was also analyzed on shorter time scales. Analyses of interannual variations during 2005-2015 showed that desertification decreased and average AGB in the growth season increased over the study area, indicating that grassland was recovering. Analyses of spatial variations showed that the position of slightly desertified grassland shifted and formed a band in the west, where the lowest AGB in the growth season was recorded but tendency ratio of AGB increased from 2005 to 2015. Climatic factors had critical effects on grassland degradation, as identified by the three indicators on different time scales. The simpler species composition resulted from the increase in average temperature and decrease in average precipitation over the past 30 years. For nearly a decade, an increase in precipitation and decreases in temperature and potential evapotranspiration reduced desertification and increased AGB in the growth season overall. Consequently, there has distinct difference in grassland degradation between analysis results on above two time scales, indicating multiple perspectives should be considered to accurately assess the state and characteristics of grassland degradation.

  14. Mean rate of DNA replication and replicon size in the shoot apex of Silence coeli-rosa. During the initial 120 minutes of the first day of floral induction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ormrod, J.C.; Francis, D.

    1986-01-01

    28-day-old plants of Silence coeli-rosa were exposed, at 1700 hours, to long day (LD) conditions comprising light of low fluence rate provided by tungsten bulbs, or maintained in darkness as short day (SD) controls. All plants were exposed at 1700 hours to tritiated-(methyl- 3 H)-thymidine for 30, 45, 60, 90, or 120 minutes. Apical domes were isolated and prepared as fiber autoradiographs from which replicon size and rates of DNA replication, per single replication fork were recorded. In SD, replicon size was between 15-20 μm and exposure to LD conditions altered neither replicon size nor the pattern of deployment of replicons during S-phase relative to the SD controls. However, the mean rate of replication in LD was 8.7 μm h -1 compared with 5.2 μm h -1 in SD. Thus, exposure to LD resulted in a 1.7-fold increase in the rate of DNA replication relative to the SD controls. This rapid increase in replication rate, detectable within 30 minutes of the start of the LD is discussed in relation to changes known to occur to the cell cycle in Silene during the first day of floral induction. (Author)

  15. Rhizosphere characteristics of indigenously growing nickel hyperaccumulator and excluder plants on serpentine soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wenzel, W.W.; Bunkowski, M.; Puschenreiter, M.; Horak, O.

    2003-01-01

    Field study reinforces that root exudates may contribute to nickel hyperaccumulation in Thlaspi goesingense Halacsy. - The role of rhizosphere processes in metal hyperaccumulation is largely unexplored and a matter of debate, related field data are virtually not available. We conducted a field survey of rhizosphere characteristics beneath the Ni hyperaccumulator Thlaspi goesingense Halacsy and the metal-excluder species Silene vulgaris L. and Rumex acetosella L. growing natively on the same serpentine site. Relative to bulk soil and to the rhizosphere of the excluder species, we found significantly increased DOC and Ni concentrations in water extracts of T. goesingense rhizosphere, whereas exchangeable Ni was depleted due to excessive uptake of Ni. Chemical speciation analysis using the MINTEQA2 software package revealed that enhanced Ni solubility in Thlaspi rhizosphere is driven by the formation of Ni-organic complexes. Moreover, ligand-induced dissolution of Ni-bearing minerals is likely to contribute to enhanced Ni solubility. Increased Mg and Ca concentrations and pH in Thlaspi rhizosphere are consistent with ligand-induced dissolution of orthosilicates such as forsterite (Mg 2 SiO 4 ). Our field data reinforce the hypothesis that exudation of organic ligands may contribute to enhanced solubility and replenishment of metals in the rhizosphere of hyperaccumulating species

  16. Characterization of TL dosimeters for determination of the gamma component in a mixed n+γ radiation field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ranogajec-Komor, M.; Miljanic, S.; Ferek, S.; Dvornik, I.; Osvay, M.

    1996-01-01

    In the International Intercomparison of the Criticality Accident Dosimetry Systems organized by the Commission of European Communities at SILENE Reactor in Valduc, France, 1993, the Ruder Boskovic Institute (RBI) measured the total neutron and gamma tissue absorbed dose (D n+γ ) at the body surface irrespective of neutron and gamma energy spectra variations using the chemical dosimeters DL-M4. For deriving the neutron dose i.e recoil dose, D n , from the differences D n = D n+γ - D t , the total gamma dose (D tγ ) has to be measured with highest accuracy. The determination of the gamma dose in a mixed field is complicated because TL dosimeters are sensitive both to neutrons and gammas. Besides, the radiation doses and energy spectra vary because of scattering and absorption in the body or phantom. Therefore dosimeters with different sensitivities, energy dependences and encapsulations have to be used. In this paper only the study of some characteristics of various TL detectors, such as sensitivity, linearity, supralinearity and fading, for measurement of the gamma component are described. These investigations were carried out in RBI before and after the Valduc intercomparison experiments. The encapsulations, TL response corrections for thermal and fast neutron effects as well as the discussion of Valduc results will be published later

  17. Improvement of the Surface Hardness of Stainless Steel with the TitaniumCarbonitride Ti(CN) Thin Films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agus-Purwadi; Tri-Mardji Atmono; Widdi-Usada; Lely-Susita; Yunanto

    2000-01-01

    Fabrication of the T i (CN) thin films with methods of implantation and RFsputtering for improving the surfaces hardness of stainless steel (SS) hasbeen done. Some kinds of T i C thin films which made individually by varyingof RF sputtering power from 0 up to 160 watt are implanted by the nitrogenion beams on the doses and energy ion optimum of 6.107 x 10 17 ion/cm 2 and100 keV, also fabrication of T i (CN) thin films use RF sputtering method withT i target and reaction gases as argon, silene and nitrogen on the optimum ofsputtering parameter condition. The thin films yields are characterized byusing Microhardness Tester MX 170, obtained SS hardness which layered T i (CN)as 402.5 KHN from its initial of 215.54 KHN and 371.74 KHN (layered T i C), itmeans that the SS surface hardness improve 1.867 times cumulatively. From theX-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis yield showed that the microstructure ofT i (CN) films on the SS substrates are dominated by characteristic cubiccrystal structure with Miller plane orientation (111) on the scattering angleof 2 θ = 44 o . Morphology visualization of T i (CN) thin films crosssection on the SS substrate is realized by Spectroscopy Electron Microscope(SEM). (author)

  18. Palynological analysis of camelid coprolites: seasonality in the use of the site Cerro Casa de Piedra 7 (Santa Cruz, Argentina)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velázquez, Nadia Jimena; Burry, Lidia Susana; Fugassa, Martín Horacio; Civalero, María Teresa; Aschero, Carlos Alberto

    2014-01-01

    Palynological, palaeoparasitological and paleobotanical studies of coprolites found in archaeological sites from Perito Moreno National Park (47°57‧S72°05‧W) yielded information on diet, palaeoenvironment and health. These studies allowed adding evidence to the reconstruction of life history of the hunter-gatherers that inhabited Patagonia during the Holocene. We examined the season of the year when camelid Lama guanicoe coprolites (5400 ± 64 yr 14C BP to 9640 ± 190 yr 14C BP) were deposited at Cerro Casa de Piedra 7 (site CCP7). The study used palynological evidence and comparison with pollen spectra of modern feces collected during summer, fall, winter and spring of 2010. The dominant types were: pollen of Nothofagus, Empetrum rubrum, Asteraceae subfam. Asteroideae, Nassauvia, Caryophyllaceae and Poaceae; fern spores; remains of Eimeria macusaniensis; and plant remains of Poaceae, Festuca pallescens, Stipa speciosa, Armeria maritima, Gaultheria mucronata and E. rubrum. Pollen spectra of modern and fossil feces were used for multivariate analysis. Coprolites associated to fall and winter modern feces. These results and those obtained from pollen concentration values and the presence of pollen types indicators of seasonality, allowed the determination of summer, fall and winter coprolites. However, caution must be taken with the seasonality results of coprolites dated earlier than 9000 years BP since the environmental conditions differed from now. The site was probably a camelid shelter during the unfavorable seasons.

  19. Diversité des communautés de mauvaises herbes des cultures annuelles de Côte-d'Or (France

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dessaint F.

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available Diversity of weed communities of annual crops in Cote-d'Or, France. Weed flora of annual crops in Cote-d'Or, France, were characterized in three successive growing seasons by measuring species frequencies and abundance over 245 fields. A total of 210 species in 143 genera were recorded representing a total of 43 families with Asteraceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Brassicaceae, Lamiaceae and Caryophyllaceae predominating. More than half of the species occurred in less than 5/ of the sampled plots (fields x years and only 9 species (namely Galium aparine L., Polygonum aviculare L., Fallopia convolvulus (L. A. Loeve, Alopecurus myosuroides Hudson, Stellaria media (L. Vill., Convolvulus arvensis L., Sinapis arvensis L., Veronica persica Poiret and Anagallis arvensis L. occurred in more than 50/ of the plots. The maximum plot density was greater than 20 plants per square metre for more than one third of the species. Meanwhile, the plots where the density exceeded 20 plants per square metre, were rare and represented, for the most abundant species (A. myosuroides, less than 16/ of the plots. The total number of weed species per plots varied from 4 to 65 with a median species number of 20. In most of the plots, the weed community was mainly composed of species having a small density (less than one plant per square metre and was dominated by only one or two species in half of the plots.

  20. HPLC-UV/DAD and ESI-MS(n) analysis of flavonoids and antioxidant activity of an Algerian medicinal plant: Paronychia argentea Lam.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sait, Sabrina; Hamri-Zeghichi, Sabrina; Boulekbache-Makhlouf, Lila; Madani, Khodir; Rigou, Peggy; Brighenti, Virginia; Pio Prencipe, Francesco; Benvenuti, Stefania; Pellati, Federica

    2015-01-01

    Paronychia argentea Lam., belonging to the Caryophyllaceae family, is a perennial plant widely distributed in Algeria. Even though this plant is used in the Algerian popular medicine, its phytochemical characterization is incomplete. In this study, the flavonoid profile and the in vitro antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extract, decoction and infusion of P. argentea aerial parts are reported. Flavonoids were analyzed by means of high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Eleven compounds were identified and six of them, including isorhamnetin-3-O-dihexoside, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetinmethylether-O-hexoside, quercetin, jaceosidin and isorhamnetin, were described in this plant for the first time. The ethanol extract showed the highest flavonoid content, followed by the decoction and the infusion (25.4 ± 0.8 mg/g of DM, 8.4 ± 0.5 mg/g of DM, 0.2 mg/g of DM, respectively), while the best antioxidant activity was shown by the decoction (RC0.5 = 178 μg/mL for reducing power, 72.4% of inhibition of lipid peroxidation, IC50 = 27.38μ g/mL for DPPH radical scavenging activity and 59.7% of inhibition of NO radical). These results showed that P. argentea decoction could be considered as a valuable source of flavonoids and antioxidants that might contribute to the valorization of the phytotherapeutic potential of this plant. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Cell-wall polysaccharide composition and glycanase activity of Silene vulgaris callus transformed with rolB and rolC genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Günter, Elena A; Shkryl, Yury N; Popeyko, Oxana V; Veremeichik, Galina N; Bulgakov, Victor P

    2015-03-15

    The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of the Agrobacterium rhizogenes rol genes on the composition of cell-wall polysaccharides and glycanase activity in the campion callus. The expression of the rolC gene reduces the yield of campion pectin, while the expression of the rolB or rolC gene inhibits the volumetric production of both pectin and intracellular arabinogalactan. The rol genes are involved in regulating the activity of glycanases and esterases, thereby contributing to the modification of polysaccharide structures, their molecular weight (Mw) and the degree of pectin methyl esterification (DE). The increase in pectin arabinose residue appears to be connected to a decrease in intracellular and extracellular α-l-arabinofuranosidase activity in transgenic campion calluses. In transgenic calluses expressing the rolB and rolC genes, the increase in pectin galactose residue is likely due to a decrease in β-galactosidase activity. The decrease in the Mw of pectin and its d-galacturonic acid content appears to be connected to an increase in extracellular polygalacturonase activity. Finally, the increase in pectinesterase activity causes a decrease in the DE of pectin. Thus, the expression of rolB and rolC genes in campion callus has a considerable effect on pectin's sugar composition, DE and Mw, while it appears to have an insignificant influence on intracellular and extracellular arabinogalactans. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. MK17, a specific marker closely linked to the gynoecium suppression region on the Y chromosome in Silene latifolia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hobza, Roman; Hrušáková, P.; Šafář, Jan; Bartoš, Jan; Janoušek, Bohuslav; Žlůvová, Jitka; Michu, Elleni; Doležel, Jaroslav; Vyskot, Boris

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 113, č. 2 (2006), s. 280-287 ISSN 0040-5752 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA521/06/0056; GA ČR(CZ) GD204/05/H505; GA ČR(CZ) GA521/05/2076; GA AV ČR(CZ) 1QS500040507 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507; CEZ:AV0Z50380511 Keywords : sex chromosomes * melandrium-album * evolution Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 2.715, year: 2006

  3. Transient exposure to oxygen or nitrate reveals ecophysiology of fermentative and sulfate-reducing benthic microbial populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saad, Sainab; Bhatnagar, Srijak; Tegetmeyer, Halina E; Geelhoed, Jeanine S; Strous, Marc; Ruff, S Emil

    2017-12-01

    For the anaerobic remineralization of organic matter in marine sediments, sulfate reduction coupled to fermentation plays a key role. Here, we enriched sulfate-reducing/fermentative communities from intertidal sediments under defined conditions in continuous culture. We transiently exposed the cultures to oxygen or nitrate twice daily and investigated the community response. Chemical measurements, provisional genomes and transcriptomic profiles revealed trophic networks of microbial populations. Sulfate reducers coexisted with facultative nitrate reducers or aerobes enabling the community to adjust to nitrate or oxygen pulses. Exposure to oxygen and nitrate impacted the community structure, but did not suppress fermentation or sulfate reduction as community functions, highlighting their stability under dynamic conditions. The most abundant sulfate reducer in all cultures, related to Desulfotignum balticum, appeared to have coupled both acetate- and hydrogen oxidation to sulfate reduction. We describe a novel representative of the widespread uncultured candidate phylum Fermentibacteria (formerly candidate division Hyd24-12). For this strictly anaerobic, obligate fermentative bacterium, we propose the name ' U Sabulitectum silens' and identify it as a partner of sulfate reducers in marine sediments. Overall, we provide insights into the function of fermentative, as well as sulfate-reducing microbial communities and their adaptation to a dynamic environment. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology published by Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. The impact of different soil tillage on weed infestation of spring barley in conditions of dryer climatic areas Czech Republic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Winkler

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The impact of soil tillage on weeds in spring barley was observed on the field trial. The field trial was established in very warm and dry climatic region (experimental field station in Žabčice, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno, Czech Republic. In the experiment there was used 7-strip crop rotation and three variants of soil tillage: conventional tillage (CT, minimum tillage (MT, when soil is shallow loosened and no tillage (NT what means direct sowing without any soil tillage. The weed infestation was evaluated by counting method before herbicide application. Analysis of va­rian­ce (ANOVA and then LSD methods, DCA (Detrended Correspondence Analysis and CCA (Canonical Correspondence Analysis were used for evaluation of results. The obtained results showed, that different soil tillage did not statistically influenced weed infestation in spring barley. The number of weed species depended on the depth of soil tillage, the variant of minimum tillage had lower number of weed species. These species were more common on the variant of conventional tillage: Chenopodium album, Silene noctiflora, Sinapis arvensis, Veronica polita. The variant of minimum tillage was more suitable for these species: Cirsium arvense, Convolvulus arvensis, Amaranthus sp., Galium aparine. On the variant of direct so­wing there appeared mainly these species: Sonchus oleraceus, Lactuca serriola, Tripleurospermum inodorum.

  5. PNNL Results from 2010 CALIBAN Criticality Accident Dosimeter Intercomparison Exercise

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hill, Robin L.; Conrady, Matthew M.

    2011-01-01

    This document reports the results of the Hanford personnel nuclear accident dosimeter (PNAD) and fixed nuclear accident dosimeter (FNAD) during a criticality accident dosimeter intercomparison exercise at the CEA Valduc Center on September 20-23, 2010. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) participated in a criticality accident dosimeter intercomparison exercise at the Commissariat a Energie Atomique (CEA) Valduc Center near Dijon, France on September 20-23, 2010. The intercomparison exercise was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Nuclear Criticality Safety Program, with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as the lead Laboratory. PNNL was one of six invited DOE Laboratory participants. The other participating Laboratories were: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Savannah River Site (SRS), the Y-12 National Security Complex at Oak Ridge, and Sandia National Laboratory (SNL). The goals of PNNL's participation in the intercomparison exercise were to test and validate the procedures and algorithm currently used for the Hanford personnel nuclear accident dosimeters (PNADs) on the metallic reactor, CALIBAN, to test exposures to PNADs from the side and from behind a phantom, and to test PNADs that were taken from a historical batch of Hanford PNADs that had varying degrees of degradation of the bare indium foil. Similar testing of the PNADs was done on the Valduc SILENE test reactor in 2009 (Hill and Conrady, 2010). The CALIBAN results are reported here.

  6. Hair dosimetry following neutron irradiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebaron-Jacobs, L; Gaillard-Lecanu, E; Briot, F; Distinguin, S; Boisson, P; Exmelin, L; Racine, Y; Berard, P; Flüry-Herard, A; Miele, A; Fottorino, R

    2007-05-01

    Use of hair as a biological dosimeter of neutron exposure was proposed a few years ago. To date, the (32)S(n,p)(32)P reaction in hair with a threshold of 2.5 MeV is the best choice to determine the fast neutron dose using body activation. This information is essential with regards to the heterogeneity of the neutron transfer to the organism. This is a very important parameter for individual dose reconstruction from the surface to the deeper tissues. This evaluation is essential to the adapted management of irradiated victims by specialized medical staff. Comparison exercises between clinical biochemistry laboratories from French sites (the CEA and COGEMA) and from the IRSN were carried out to validate the measurement of (32)P activity in hair and to improve the techniques used to perform this examination. Hair was placed on a phantom and was irradiated at different doses in the SILENE reactor (Valduc, France). Different parameters were tested: variation of hair type, minimum weight of hair sample, hair wash before measurement, delivery period of results, and different irradiation configurations. The results obtained in these comparison exercises by the different laboratories showed an excellent correlation. This allowed the assessment of a dose-activity relationship and confirmed the feasibility and the interest of (32)P measurement in hair following fast neutron irradiation.

  7. New xenophytes from La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain, with emphasis on naturalized and (potentially invasive species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Otto

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Many years of field work in La Palma (western Canary Islands yielded a number of interesting new records of non-native vascular plants. Amaranthus blitoides, A. deflexus, Aptenia cordifolia, Argemone ochroleuca, Begonia schmidtiana, Capsella rubella, Cardamine hamiltonii, Centratherum punctatum, Cerastium fontanum subsp. vulgare, Chasmanthe floribunda (widely confused with C. aethiopica and Crocosmia xcrocosmiiflora in Macaronesia, Chenopodium probstii, Commelina latifolia var. latifolia, Dichondra micrantha, Dysphania anthelmintica, Epilobium ciliatum, Erigeron sumatrensis, Erodium neuradifolium, Eucalyptus globulus, Euphorbia hypericifolia, E. maculata, Gamochaeta antillana, Geranium pyrenaicum, Hedychium coronarium, Hypochaeris radicata, Kalanchoe daigremontiana, K. delagoensis, K. xhoughtonii, Kickxia commutata subsp. graeca, K. spuria subsp. integrifolia, Lactuca viminea subsp. ramosissima, Landoltia punctata, Malvastrum coromandelianum subsp. capitatospicatum, Oenothera jamesii, Orobanche nana, Oxalis latifolia, Papaver hybridum, P. setigerum, Pilea microphylla, Podranea ricasoliana, Polygonum arenastrum, Portulaca granulatostellulata, P. nicaraguensis, P. nitida, P. papillatostellulata, Rumex crispus subsp. crispus, R. pulcher subsp. pulcher, R. xpratensis, Sechium edule, Sida spinosa var. angustifolia, Silene nocturna, Solanum abutiloides, S. alatum, S. decipiens, Sonchus tenerrimus, Spergularia marina, Stellaria pallida, Tragopogon porrifolius subsp. australis, Tribulus terrestris and Trifolium repens subsp. repens are naturalized or (potentially invasive xenophytes, reported for the first time from either the Canary Islands or from La Palma. 37 additional, presumably ephemeral taxa are reported for the first time from the Canary Islands, whereas 56 ephemeral taxa are new for La Palma..

  8. Bacterial diversity in rhizosphere soil from Antarctic vascular plants of Admiralty Bay, maritime Antarctica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teixeira, Lia C R S; Peixoto, Raquel S; Cury, Juliano C; Sul, Woo Jun; Pellizari, Vivian H; Tiedje, James; Rosado, Alexandre S

    2010-08-01

    The Antarctic is a pristine environment that contributes to the maintenance of the global climate equilibrium. The harsh conditions of this habitat are fundamental to selecting those organisms able to survive in such an extreme habitat and able to support the relatively simple ecosystems. The DNA of the microbial community associated with the rhizospheres of Deschampsia antarctica Desv (Poaceae) and Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth) BartI (Caryophyllaceae), the only two native vascular plants that are found in Antarctic ecosystems, was evaluated using a 16S rRNA multiplex 454 pyrosequencing approach. This analysis revealed similar patterns of bacterial diversity between the two plant species from different locations, arguing against the hypothesis that there would be differences between the rhizosphere communities of different plants. Furthermore, the phylum distribution presented a peculiar pattern, with a bacterial community structure different from those reported of many other soils. Firmicutes was the most abundant phylum in almost all the analyzed samples, and there were high levels of anaerobic representatives. Also, some phyla that are dominant in most temperate and tropical soils, such as Acidobacteria, were rarely found in the analyzed samples. Analyzing all the sample libraries together, the predominant genera found were Bifidobacterium (phylum Actinobacteria), Arcobacter (phylum Proteobacteria) and Faecalibacterium (phylum Firmicutes). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first major bacterial sequencing effort of this kind of soil, and it revealed more than expected diversity within these rhizospheres of both maritime Antarctica vascular plants in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, which is part of the South Shetlands archipelago.

  9. Vegetación de un bosque de Polylepis incarum (Rosaceae en el distrito de Lampa, Puno, Perú

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel B. Montesinos-Tubée

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Se estudió la vegetación de los bosques de Polylepis incarum (Bitter M. Kessler & Schmidt-Lebuhn en el anexo de Lamparaquen, en la provincia de Lampa, departamento de Puno en los años 2009 y 2014. Se determinaron 83 especies vasculares pertenecientes a 35 familias. En cuanto a las formas de vida, dominan las herbáceas, gramíneas, arbustos y árboles, siendo en su mayoría, nativas e endémicas, algunas introducidas. Se identificó el ecosistema queñoal representado por la nueva unidad fitosociológica Lupino chlorolepis-Polylepidetum incari con cuatro subasociaciones respectivamente. La composición florística demuestra una riqueza moderada-alta de especies, siendo las familias con mayor representatividad, Asteraceae, Poaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Fabaceae y Pteridaceae. Se aplicó el método fitosociológico de Braun-Blanquet para el análisis de unidades vegetativas. Se presenta la clasificación de comunidades mediante el software TWINSPAN, el análisis de ordinación DCA con el software CANOCO 4.5 y un dendrograma basado en correlación de especies para cada cuadrante efectuado con el software PC-ORD. Mayores estudios son aún necesarios para tener una visión más amplia de las comunidades de plantas en otras zonas geográficas, y evaluar como la vegetación puede verse afectadas con el cambio climático y acciones antrópicas.

  10. In vitro propagation of Silene bolanthoides Quézel, Contandr. & Pamukç. and assessment of genetic stability by flow cytometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Çördük Nurşen

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The non-target effects of 5-aza-2´-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC, an epigenetically effective agent, were assessed on different life-history traits of two successive generations of Achroia grisella F. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae by trophic exposure. The results did not reveal any prominent effect of 5-Aza-dC on emergence times and morphological disorders of offspring of both sexes, and dry weight of F1 females (except for 0.1 mg/ml and males according to controls. However, 5-Aza-dC caused a considerable decrease in wet weight of F1 females at >0.1 mg/mL and in F1 males only at 0.5 mg/mL. The mean longevity of F1 and F2 females was almost unchanged after exposure to 5-Aza-dC treatment. However, the longevity was considerably shorter, by 16% at a dose of 0.75 mg/mL for F1 males and 28% longer at 1.0 mg/mL for F2 males with respect to the controls. When the two generations were compared with each other in terms of adult longevity, the differences were not significant for the longevity of females, whereas F2 males lived significantly longer than F1 males in all groups except for the control and 0.5 mg/mL groups. 5-Aza-dC also markedly decreased the total number of both offspring but no dose-related alterations were observed. Analysis of the data for the number of viable and damaged eggs laid per F1 females revealed that 5-Aza-dC adversely affected the reproductive potential of A. grisella based on daily and three-day observations. The most striking effect was a decline in fecundity of females by 57% at 1.0 mg/mL. These observations suggest that 5-Aza-dC has a negative effect on developing moth progeny across trophic levels.

  11. Life-cycle phases of a zinc- and cadmium-resistant ecotype of Silene vulgaris in risk assessment of polymetallic mine soils.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ernst, W.H.O.; Nelissen, H.J.M.

    2000-01-01

    Short-term exposure of plants to heavy metals is often used for risk assessment of metal-enriched soils (OECD guideline 208) without considering the reliability of the assessment for long-term exposure, i.e. for the completion of a plant's life-cycle. In the present study with 15 orogenic soils

  12. Characterization of the HMA7 gene and transcriptomic analysis of candidate genes for copper tolerance in two Silene vulgaris ecotypes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Baloun, Jiří; Nevrtalová, Eva; Kováčová, Viera; Hudzieczek, Vojtěch; Čegan, Radim; Vyskot, Boris; Hobza, Roman

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 171, č. 13 (2014), s. 1188-1196 ISSN 0176-1617 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP501/12/G090; GA MŠk LO1204 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : Copper * Genes coding ROS-eliminating and Cu-transporting proteins * RNA-Seq database Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 2.557, year: 2014

  13. Characterization of the HMA7 gene and transcriptomic analysis of candidate genes for copper tolerance in two Silene vulgaris ecotypes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Baloun, J.; Nevrtalová, E.; Kováčová, V.; Hudzieczek, V.; Čegan, R.; Vyskot, B.; Hobza, Roman

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 171, č. 13 (2014), s. 1188-1196 ISSN 0176-1617 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP501/12/G090 Institutional support: RVO:61389030 Keywords : Copper * Genes coding ROS-eliminating and Cu-transporting proteins * RNA-Seq database Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 2.557, year: 2014

  14. An accumulation of tandem DNA repeats on the Y chromosome in Silene latifolia during early stages of sex chromosome evolution

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hobza, Roman; Lengerová, Martina; Svoboda, J.; Kubeková, H.; Kejnovský, Eduard; Vyskot, Boris

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 115, č. 5 (2006), s. 376-382 ISSN 0009-5915 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA521/06/0056; GA ČR(CZ) GA204/05/2097 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507 Keywords : plant melandrium-album * dioecious plant * X-chromosome Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 4.065, year: 2006

  15. Intraspecific variation in mitochondrial genome sequence, structure, and gene content in Silene vulgaris, an angiosperm with pervasive cytoplasmic male sterility

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Sloan, D.B.; Müller, Karel; McCauley, D.; Taylor, D.R.; Štorchová, Helena

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 196, č. 4 (2012), s. 1228-1239 ISSN 0028-646X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA521/09/0261; GA MŠk(CZ) LC06004; GA MŠk ME09035 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50380511 Keywords : cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) * gynodioecy * intracellular gene transfer Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 6.736, year: 2012

  16. Aportació al coneixement de l’herbari Trèmols de l’Institut Botànic de Barcelona

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gavioli, L.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The herbarium BC-Trèmols was created during the second half of the 19th century by the Catalan chemist and botanist Frederic Trèmols Borrell. Between 1930 and 1960, the technician Antoni Marcos carried out a thorough review. The current collection consists of approximately 9000 specimen sheets; is made up of 58 volumes reordered by Marcos, two volumes with the original structure, four boxes of Hieracium and 85 boxes with additional material. Up to now 22 volumes and four boxes of Hieracium have been computerized (3695 specimens; we made an inventory at genus level of all volumes, and we computerized the original catalogue of the herbarium and the existing taxonomical fiches. We have also developed a preliminary inventory of the contents of the extra boxes. The analysis of these 3695 herbarium specimens clearly shows that it mainly consists of samples obtained by exchange (67.1% especially within the Société Helvétique pour l’Échange des Plantes and the Societat Botànica Barcelonesa. Among the materials studied we found two specimens regarded as interesting from a taxonomical and/or nomenclatural point of view (isotypes of Silene holzmanii Heldr. ex Boiss. and of Arenaria minutiflora Loscos. Therefore, the main interest of the herbarium lies in the diversity of the geographical provenance of plants, which makes of this collection one of the first “pan-European herbaria” in Catalonia.El herbario BC-Trèmols fue creado durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX por el químico y botánico catalán Frederic Trèmols i Borrell. Entre 1930 y 1960, el técnico Antoni Marcos llevó a cabo una profunda revisión. La colección actual consta aproximadamente de unos 9000 pliegos; está formada por 58 volúmenes reordenados por Marcos, más otros dos con la estructura original, cuatro cajas de Hieracium y 85 cajas de material adicional. Hasta la fecha se han informatizado 22 de los volúmenes y las cuatro cajas de Hieracium (3695 especímenes, se

  17. Ethnomedicines used in Trinidad and Tobago for urinary problems and diabetes mellitus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lans, Cheryl A

    2006-10-13

    This paper is based on ethnobotanical interviews conducted from 1996-2000 in Trinidad and Tobago with thirty male and female respondents. A non-experimental validation was conducted on the plants used for urinary problems and diabetes mellitus: This is a preliminary step to establish that the plants used are safe or effective, to help direct clinical trials, and to inform Caribbean physicians of the plants' known properties to avoid counter-prescribing. The following plants are used to treat diabetes: Antigonon leptopus, Bidens alba, Bidens pilosa, Bixa orellana, Bontia daphnoides, Carica papaya, Catharanthus roseus, Cocos nucifera, Gomphrena globosa, Laportea aestuans, Momordica charantia, Morus alba, Phyllanthus urinaria and Spiranthes acaulis. Apium graviolens is used as a heart tonic and for low blood pressure. Bixa orellana, Bontia daphnoides, Cuscuta americana and Gomphrena globosa are used for jaundice. The following plants are used for hypertension: Aloe vera, Annona muricata, Artocarpus altilis, Bixa orellana, Bidens alba, Bidens pilosa, Bonta daphnoides, Carica papaya, Cecropia peltata, Citrus paradisi, Cola nitida, Crescentia cujete, Gomphrena globosa, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Kalanchoe pinnata, Morus alba, Nopalea cochinellifera, Ocimum campechianum, Passiflora quadrangularis, Persea americana and Tamarindus indicus. The plants used for kidney problems are Theobroma cacao, Chamaesyce hirta, Flemingia strobilifera, Peperomia rotundifolia, Petiveria alliacea, Nopalea cochinellifera, Apium graveolens, Cynodon dactylon, Eleusine indica, Gomphrena globosa, Pityrogramma calomelanos and Vetiveria zizanioides. Plants are also used for gall stones and for cooling. Chamaesyce hirta, Cissus verticillata, Kalanchoe pinnata, Peperomia spp., Portulaca oleraceae, Scoparia dulcis, and Zea mays have sufficient evidence to support their traditional use for urinary problems, "cooling" and high cholesterol. Eggplant extract as a hypocholesterolemic agent has some support but

  18. High transcript abundance, RNA editing, and small RNAs in intergenic regions within the massive mitochondrial genome of the angiosperm Silene noctiflora

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Wu, Z.; Stone, James D.; Štorchová, Helena; Sloan, D.B.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 16, NOV 14 (2015), s. 938 ISSN 1471-2164 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) EE2.3.30.0048 Institutional support: RVO:61389030 Keywords : Antisense RNA * Junk DNA * mtDNA Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 3.867, year: 2015

  19. TL detectors for gamma ray dose measurements in criticality accidents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miljanic, S.; Zorko, B.; Gregori, B.; Knezevic, Z.

    2007-01-01

    Determination of gamma ray dose in mixed neutron + gamma ray fields is still a demanding task. Dosemeters used for gamma ray dosimetry are usually in some extent sensitive to neutrons and their response variations depend on neutron energy i.e., on neutron spectra. Besides, it is necessary to take into account the energy dependence of dosemeter responses to gamma rays. In this work, several types of thermoluminescent detectors (TLD) placed in different holders used for gamma ray dose determination in the mixed fields were examined. Dosemeters were from three different institutions: Ruder Boskovic Inst. (RBI), Croatia, Jozef Stefan Inst. (JSI), Slovenia and Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear (ARN), Argentina. All dosemeters were irradiated during the International Intercomparison of Criticality Accident Dosimetry Systems at the SILENE Reactor, Valduc, June 2002. Three accidental scenarios were reproduced and in each irradiation the dosemeters were exposed placed on the front of phantom and 'free in air'. Following types of TLDs were used: 7 LiF (TLD-700), CaF 2 :Mn and Al2 O3 :Mg,Y - all from RBI; CaF 2 :Mn from JSI and 7 LiF (TLD-700) from ARN. Reported doses were compared with the reference values as well as with the values obtained from the results of all participants. The results show satisfactory agreement with other dosimetry systems used in the Intercomparison. The influence of different types of holders and applied corrections of dosemeters' readings are discussed. (authors)

  20. TL detectors for gamma ray dose measurements in criticality accidents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miljanić, Saveta; Zorko, Benjamin; Gregori, Beatriz; Knezević, Zeljka

    2007-01-01

    Determination of gamma ray dose in mixed neutron+gamma ray fields is still a demanding task. Dosemeters used for gamma ray dosimetry are usually in some extent sensitive to neutrons and their response variations depend on neutron energy i.e., on neutron spectra. Besides, it is necessary to take into account the energy dependence of dosemeter responses to gamma rays. In this work, several types of thermoluminescent detectors (TLD) placed in different holders used for gamma ray dose determination in the mixed fields were examined. Dosemeters were from three different institutions: Ruder Bosković Institute (RBI), Croatia, JoZef Stefan Institute (JSI), Slovenia and Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear (ARN), Argentina. All dosemeters were irradiated during the International Intercomparison of Criticality Accident Dosimetry Systems at the SILENE Reactor, Valduc, June 2002. Three accidental scenarios were reproduced and in each irradiation the dosemeters were exposed placed on the front of phantom and 'free in air'. Following types of TLDs were used: 7LiF (TLD-700), CaF2:Mn and Al2O3:Mg,Y-all from RBI; CaF2:Mn from JSI and 7LiF (TLD-700) from ARN. Reported doses were compared with the reference values as well as with the values obtained from the results of all participants. The results show satisfactory agreement with other dosimetry systems used in the Intercomparison. The influence of different types of holders and applied corrections of dosemeters' readings are discussed.

  1. Multifunctionality is affected by interactions between green roof plant species, substrate depth, and substrate type.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dusza, Yann; Barot, Sébastien; Kraepiel, Yvan; Lata, Jean-Christophe; Abbadie, Luc; Raynaud, Xavier

    2017-04-01

    Green roofs provide ecosystem services through evapotranspiration and nutrient cycling that depend, among others, on plant species, substrate type, and substrate depth. However, no study has assessed thoroughly how interactions between these factors alter ecosystem functions and multifunctionality of green roofs. We simulated some green roof conditions in a pot experiment. We planted 20 plant species from 10 genera and five families (Asteraceae, Caryophyllaceae, Crassulaceae, Fabaceae, and Poaceae) on two substrate types (natural vs. artificial) and two substrate depths (10 cm vs. 30 cm). As indicators of major ecosystem functions, we measured aboveground and belowground biomasses, foliar nitrogen and carbon content, foliar transpiration, substrate water retention, and dissolved organic carbon and nitrates in leachates. Interactions between substrate type and depth strongly affected ecosystem functions. Biomass production was increased in the artificial substrate and deeper substrates, as was water retention in most cases. In contrast, dissolved organic carbon leaching was higher in the artificial substrates. Except for the Fabaceae species, nitrate leaching was reduced in deep, natural soils. The highest transpiration rates were associated with natural soils. All functions were modulated by plant families or species. Plant effects differed according to the observed function and the type and depth of the substrate. Fabaceae species grown on natural soils had the most noticeable patterns, allowing high biomass production and high water retention but also high nitrate leaching from deep pots. No single combination of factors enhanced simultaneously all studied ecosystem functions, highlighting that soil-plant interactions induce trade-offs between ecosystem functions. Substrate type and depth interactions are major drivers for green roof multifunctionality.

  2. Bamboo tea: reduction of taxonomic complexity and application of DNA diagnostics based on rbcL and matK sequence data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Häser, Annette

    2016-01-01

    Background Names used in ingredient lists of food products are trivial and in their nature rarely precise. The most recent scientific interpretation of the term bamboo (Bambusoideae, Poaceae) comprises over 1,600 distinct species. In the European Union only few of these exotic species are well known sources for food ingredients (i.e., bamboo sprouts) and are thus not considered novel foods, which would require safety assessments before marketing of corresponding products. In contrast, the use of bamboo leaves and their taxonomic origin is mostly unclear. However, products containing bamboo leaves are currently marketed. Methods We analysed bamboo species and tea products containing bamboo leaves using anatomical leaf characters and DNA sequence data. To reduce taxonomic complexity associated with the term bamboo, we used a phylogenetic framework to trace the origin of DNA from commercially available bamboo leaves within the bambusoid subfamily. For authentication purposes, we introduced a simple PCR based test distinguishing genuine bamboo from other leaf components and assessed the diagnostic potential of rbcL and matK to resolve taxonomic entities within the bamboo subfamily and tribes. Results Based on anatomical and DNA data we were able to trace the taxonomic origin of bamboo leaves used in products to the genera Phyllostachys and Pseudosasa from the temperate “woody” bamboo tribe (Arundinarieae). Currently available rbcL and matK sequence data allow the character based diagnosis of 80% of represented bamboo genera. We detected adulteration by carnation in four of eight tea products and, after adapting our objectives, could trace the taxonomic origin of the adulterant to Dianthus chinensis (Caryophyllaceae), a well known traditional Chinese medicine with counter indications for pregnant women. PMID:27957401

  3. Transcriptome analysis of Pseudostellaria heterophylla in response to the infection of pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Xianjin; Wu, Hongmiao; Chen, Jun; Wu, Linkun; Lin, Sheng; Khan, Muhammad Umar; Boorboori, Mohammad Reza; Lin, Wenxiong

    2017-09-18

    Pseudostellaria heterophylla (P. heterophylla), a herbaceous perennial, belongs to Caryophyllaceae family and is one of the Chinese herbal medicine with high pharmacodynamic value. It can be used to treat the spleen deficiency, anorexia, weakness after illness and spontaneous perspiration symptoms. Our previous study found that consecutive monoculture of Pseudostellaria heterophylla could lead to the deterioration of the rhizosphere microenvironment. The specialized forms of pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.Sp. heterophylla (F. oxysporum) in rhizosphere soils of P. heterophylla plays an important role in the consecutive monoculture of P. heterophylla. In this study, F. oxysporum was used to infect the tissue culture plantlets of P. heterophylla to study the responding process at three different infection stages by using RNA-sequencing. We obtained 127,725 transcripts and 47,655 distinct unigenes by de novo assembly and obtained annotated information in details for 25,882 unigenes. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis and the real-time quantitative PCR results suggest that the calcium signal system and WRKY transcription factor in the plant-pathogen interaction pathway may play an important role in the response process, and all of the WRKY transcription factor genes were divided into three different types. Moreover, we also found that the stimulation of F. oxysporum may result in the accumulation of some phenolics in the plantlets and the programmed cell death of the plantlets. This study has partly revealed the possible molecular mechanism of the population explosion of F. oxysporum in rhizosphere soils and signal response process, which can be helpful in unraveling the role of F. oxysporum in consecutive monoculture problems of P. heterophylla.

  4. Quantitative methods in ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology: considering the overall flora--hypothesis testing for over- and underused plant families with the Bayesian approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weckerle, Caroline S; Cabras, Stefano; Castellanos, Maria Eugenia; Leonti, Marco

    2011-09-01

    We introduce and explain the advantages of the Bayesian approach and exemplify the method with an analysis of the medicinal flora of Campania, Italy. The Bayesian approach is a new method, which allows to compare medicinal floras with the overall flora of a given area and to investigate over- and underused plant families. In contrast to previously used methods (regression analysis and binomial method) it considers the inherent uncertainty around the analyzed data. The medicinal flora with 423 species was compiled based on nine studies on local medicinal plant use in Campania. The total flora comprises 2237 species belonging to 128 families. Statistical analysis was performed with the Bayesian method and the binomial method. An approximated χ(2)-test was used to analyze the relationship between use categories and higher taxonomic groups. Among the larger plant families we find the Lamiaceae, Rosaceae, and Malvaceae, to be overused in the local medicine of Campania and the Orchidaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Poaceae, and Fabaceae to be underused compared to the overall flora. Furthermore, do specific medicinal uses tend to be correlated with taxonomic plant groups. For example, are the Monocots heavily used for urological complaints. Testing for over- and underused taxonomic groups of a flora with the Bayesian method is easy to adopt and can readily be calculated in excel spreadsheets using the excel function Inverse beta (INV.BETA). In contrast to the binomial method the presented method is also suitable for small datasets. With larger datasets the two methods tend to converge. However, results are generally more conservative with the Bayesian method pointing out fewer families as over- or underused. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Vaccatides: Antifungal Glutamine-Rich Hevein-Like Peptides from Vaccaria hispanica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ka H. Wong

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Hevein and hevein-like peptides are disulfide-constrained chitin-binding cysteine-rich peptides. They are divided into three subfamilies, 6C-, 8C-, and 10C-hevein-like peptides, based on the number of cysteine residues. In addition, hevein-like peptides can exist in two forms, short and long. The long C-terminal form found in hevein and 10C-hevein-like peptides contain a C-terminal protein cargo. In contrast, the short form without a protein cargo is found in all three subfamilies. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of two novel glutamine-rich and protein cargo-free 8C-hevein-like peptides, vaccatides vH1 and vH2, from Vaccaria hispanica of the Caryophyllaceae family. Proteomic analyses showed that the vaccatides are 40–41 amino acids in length and contain a chitin-binding domain. NMR determination revealed that vaccatide vH2 displays a highly compact structure with a N-terminal cystine knot and an addition C-terminal disulfide bond. Stability studies showed that this compact structure renders vaccatide vH2 resistant to thermal, chemical and proteolytic degradation. The chitin-binding vH2 was shown to inhibit the mycelium growth of four phyto-pathogenic fungal strains with IC50 values in the micromolar range. Our findings show that vaccatides represent a new family of 8C-hevein-like peptides, which are protein cargo-free and glutamine-rich, characteristics that differentiate them from the prototypic hevein and the 10C-hevein-like peptides. In summary, this study enriches the existing library of hevein-like peptides and provides insight into their molecular diversity in sequence, structure and biosynthesis. Additionally, their highly disulfide-constrained structure could be used as a scaffold for developing metabolically and orally active peptidyl therapeutics.

  6. The establishment of an in vitro gene bank in Dianthus spiculifolius Schur and D. glacialis ssp. gelidus (Schott Nym. et Kotschy Tutin: I. The initiation of a tissue collection and the characterization of the cultures in minimal growth conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihaela Holobiuc

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available In the last decades the plants have to cope with the warming of the climate. As a consequence of this process more than half of the plant species could become vulnerable or threatened until 2080. Romania has a high plant diversity, with endemic and endangered plant species, the measures of biodiversity conservation being necessary. The integrated approach of biodiversity conservation involves both in situ and ex situ strategies. Among ex situ methods of conservation, besides the traditional ones (including field and botanic collection and seed banks, in vitro tissues techniques offer a viable alternative. The germplasm collections can efficiently preserve the species (of economic, scientific and conservative importance, in the same time being a source of plant material for international exchanges and for reintroduction in the native habitats.The "in vitro gene banking" term refers to in vitro tissues cultures from many accessions of a target species and involves the collection of plant material from field or from native habitats, the elaboration of sterilization, micropropagation and maintaining protocols. These collections have to be maintained in optimal conditions, morphologically and genetically characterized. The aim of our work was to characterize the response of the plant material to the minimal in vitro growth protocol for medium-term cultures achievement as a prerequisite condition for an active gene bank establishment in two rare Caryophyllaceae taxa: Dianthus spiculifolius and D. glacialis ssp. gelidus. Among different factors previously tested for medium-term preservation in Dianthus genus, mannitol proved to be more efficient for minimal cultures achievement. In vitro, the cultures were evaluated concerning their growth, regenerability and enzyme activity (POX, SOD, CAT as a response to the preservation conditions in the incipient phase of the initiation of the in vitro collection. The two species considered in this study showed a

  7. Low interannual precipitation has a greater negative effect than seedling herbivory on the population dynamics of a short-lived shrub, Schiedea obovata.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bialic-Murphy, Lalasia; Gaoue, Orou G

    2018-01-01

    Climate projections forecast more extreme interannual climate variability over time, with an increase in the severity and duration of extreme drought and rainfall events. Based on bioclimatic envelope models, it is projected that changing precipitation patterns will drastically alter the spatial distributions and density of plants and be a primary driver of biodiversity loss. However, many other underlying mechanisms can impact plant vital rates (i.e., survival, growth, and reproduction) and population dynamics. In this study, we developed a size-dependent integral projection model (IPM) to evaluate how interannual precipitation and mollusk herbivory influence the dynamics of a Hawaii endemic short-lived shrub, Schiedea obovata (Caryophyllaceae). Assessing how wet season precipitation effects population dynamics it critical, as it is the timeframe when most of the foliar growth occurs, plants flower and fruit, and seedlings establish. Temporal variation in wet season precipitation had a greater effect than mollusk herbivory on S . obovata population growth rate λ, and the impact of interannual precipitation on vital rates shifted across plant ontogeny. Furthermore, wet season precipitation influenced multiple vital rates in contrasting ways and the effect of precipitation on the survival of larger vegetative and reproductively mature individuals contributed the most to variation in the population growth rate. Among all combination of wet season precipitation and herbivory intensities, the only scenario that led to a growing population was when high wet precipitation was associated with low herbivory. Our study highlights the importance of evaluating how abiotic factors and plant-consumer interactions influence an organism across its life cycle to fully understand the underpinning mechanisms that structure its spatial and temporal distribution and abundance. Our results also illustrate that for short-lived species, like S. obovata , seedling herbivory can have

  8. Molecular adaptation during adaptive radiation in the Hawaiian endemic genus Schiedea.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maxim V Kapralov

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available "Explosive" adaptive radiations on islands remain one of the most puzzling evolutionary phenomena. The rate of phenotypic and ecological adaptations is extremely fast during such events, suggesting that many genes may be under fairly strong selection. However, no evidence for adaptation at the level of protein coding genes was found, so it has been suggested that selection may work mainly on regulatory elements. Here we report the first evidence that positive selection does operate at the level of protein coding genes during rapid adaptive radiations. We studied molecular adaptation in Hawaiian endemic plant genus Schiedea (Caryophyllaceae, which includes closely related species with a striking range of morphological and ecological forms, varying from rainforest vines to woody shrubs growing in desert-like conditions on cliffs. Given the remarkable difference in photosynthetic performance between Schiedea species from different habitats, we focused on the "photosynthetic" Rubisco enzyme, the efficiency of which is known to be a limiting step in plant photosynthesis.We demonstrate that the chloroplast rbcL gene, encoding the large subunit of Rubisco enzyme, evolved under strong positive selection in Schiedea. Adaptive amino acid changes occurred in functionally important regions of Rubisco that interact with Rubisco activase, a chaperone which promotes and maintains the catalytic activity of Rubisco. Interestingly, positive selection acting on the rbcL might have caused favorable cytotypes to spread across several Schiedea species.We report the first evidence for adaptive changes at the DNA and protein sequence level that may have been associated with the evolution of photosynthetic performance and colonization of new habitats during a recent adaptive radiation in an island plant genus. This illustrates how small changes at the molecular level may change ecological species performance and helps us to understand the molecular bases of extremely

  9. Characterisation of bio-aerosols during dust storm period in N-NW India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yadav, Sudesh; Chauhan, M. S.; Sharma, Anupam

    Bio-investigations for pollen and spores were performed on dry free-fall dust and PM 10 aerosol samples, collected from three different locations separated by a distance of 600 km, situated in dust storm hit region of N-NW India. Presence of pollen of trees namely Prosopis ( Prosopis juliflora and Prosopis cinearia), Acacia, Syzygium, Pinus, Cedrus, Holoptelea and shrubs namely Ziziphus, Ricinus, Ephedra and members of Fabaceae, Oleaceae families was recorded but with varying proportions in the samples of different locations. Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Brassicaceae and Cyperaceae (sedges) were some of the herb pollen identified in the samples. Among the fungal spores Nigrospora was seen in almost all samples. Nigrospora is a well known allergen and causes health problems. The concentration of trees and shrubs increases in the windward direction just as the climate changes from hot arid to semiarid. The higher frequency of grasses (Poaceae) or herbs could either be a result of the presence of these herbs in the sampling area and hence the higher production of pollen/spores or due to the resuspension from the exposed surface by the high-intensity winds. But we cannot ascertain the exact process at this stage. The overall similarity in the pollen and spore assemblage in our dust samples indicates a common connection or source(s) to the dust in this region. Presence of the pollen of the species of Himalayan origin in our entire samples strongly point towards a Himalayan connection, could be direct or indirect, to the bioaerosols and hence dust in N-NW India. In order to understand the transport path and processes involved therein, present study needs further extension with more number of samples and with reference to meteorological parameters.

  10. INFLUENCIA DE COBERTURAS EN SUELO SOBRE LA SELECCIÓN DEL HOSPEDANTE POR Bemisia tabaci, EN CONDICIONES DE INVERNADERO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luko Hilje

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Aunque varios tipos de coberturas en suelo (inertes o vivas pueden reducir la afluencia de adultos de B. tabaci en plantas de tomate, se desconoce el mecanismo específico de acción de cada una de ellas. Por tanto, se realizó un experimento en un invernadero en Turrialba, Costa Rica, para determinar su respuesta tanto a coberturas inertes (metal verde y plástico plateado y amarillo como vivas: maní forrajero (Arachis pintoi, Fabaceae, cinquillo (Drymaria cordata, Caryophyllaceae y culantro (Coriandrum sativum, Umbelliferae. Se les comparó con un testigo (suelo desnudo. Hubo 4 repeticiones de cada tratamiento. Cada cobertura se sembró en una maceta grande, rodeado de una plántula de tomate de 15 cm de altura. Las macetas se colocaron sobre el piso del invernadero, espaciadas 40 cm entre sí. Cada experimento se repitió en 4 días consecutivos, para lo cual los tratamientos se aleatorizaron todos los días. Se utilizó un diseño de parcelas divididas, con las coberturas como la parcela principal y las fechas como las subparcelas. La víspera de cada repetición se liberaron 1200 adultos de B. tabaci (biotipo A en el área experimental y al día siguiente se registraron sus datos tanto en la planta de tomate como en cada cobertura. Los números de adultos fueron mucho mayores (p0,05. Aunque todas interfieren con la habilidad de los adultos para localizar las plantas de tomate, el mecanismo específico de acción difirió según la naturaleza de cada una, excepto en las coberturas vivas, que parecen compartir el mismo mecanismo.

  11. SEX-DETector: A Probabilistic Approach to Study Sex Chromosomes in Non-Model Organisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muyle, Aline; Käfer, Jos; Zemp, Niklaus; Mousset, Sylvain; Picard, Franck; Marais, Gabriel AB

    2016-01-01

    We propose a probabilistic framework to infer autosomal and sex-linked genes from RNA-seq data of a cross for any sex chromosome type (XY, ZW, and UV). Sex chromosomes (especially the non-recombining and repeat-dense Y, W, U, and V) are notoriously difficult to sequence. Strategies have been developed to obtain partially assembled sex chromosome sequences. Most of them remain difficult to apply to numerous non-model organisms, either because they require a reference genome, or because they are designed for evolutionarily old systems. Sequencing a cross (parents and progeny) by RNA-seq to study the segregation of alleles and infer sex-linked genes is a cost-efficient strategy, which also provides expression level estimates. However, the lack of a proper statistical framework has limited a broader application of this approach. Tests on empirical Silene data show that our method identifies 20–35% more sex-linked genes than existing pipelines, while making reliable inferences for downstream analyses. Approximately 12 individuals are needed for optimal results based on simulations. For species with an unknown sex-determination system, the method can assess the presence and type (XY vs. ZW) of sex chromosomes through a model comparison strategy. The method is particularly well optimized for sex chromosomes of young or intermediate age, which are expected in thousands of yet unstudied lineages. Any organisms, including non-model ones for which nothing is known a priori, that can be bred in the lab, are suitable for our method. SEX-DETector and its implementation in a Galaxy workflow are made freely available. PMID:27492231

  12. Effects of Metal Phytoextraction Practices on the Indigenous Community of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi at a Metal-Contaminated Landfill

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pawlowska, Teresa E.; Chaney, Rufus L.; Chin, Mel; Charvat, Iris

    2000-01-01

    Phytoextraction involves use of plants to remove toxic metals from soil. We examined the effects of phytoextraction practices with three plant species (Silene vulgaris, Thlaspi caerulescens, and Zea mays) and a factorial variation of soil amendments (either an ammonium or nitrate source of nitrogen and the presence or absence of an elemental sulfur supplement) on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Glomales, Zygomycetes) at a moderately metal-contaminated landfill located in St. Paul, Minn. Specifically, we tested whether the applied treatments affected the density of glomalean spores and AM root colonization in maize. Glomalean fungi from the landfill were grouped into two morphotypes characterized by either light-colored spores (LCS) or dark-colored spores (DCS). Dominant species of the LCS morphotype were Glomus mosseae and an unidentified Glomus sp., whereas the DCS morphotype was dominated by Glomus constrictum. The density of spores of the LCS morphotype from the phytoremediated area was lower than the density of these spores in the untreated landfill soil. Within the experimental area, spore density of the LCS morphotype in the rhizosphere of mycorrhizal maize was significantly higher than in rhizospheres of nonmycorrhizal S. vulgaris or T. caerulescens. Sulfur supplement increased vesicular root colonization in maize and exerted a negative effect on spore density in maize rhizosphere. We conclude that phytoextraction practices, e.g., the choice of plant species and soil amendments, may have a great impact on the quantity and species composition of glomalean propagules as well as on mycorrhiza functioning during long-term metal-remediation treatments. PMID:10831433

  13. Sexual dimorphism in white campion: complex control of carpel number is revealed by Y chromosome deletions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lardon, A.; Georgiev, S.; Aghmir, A.; Le Merrer, G.; Negrutiu, I.

    1999-01-01

    Sexual dimorphism in the dioecious plant white campion (Silene latifolia = Melandrium album) is under the control of two main regions on the Y chromosome. One such region, encoding the gynoecium-suppressing function (GSF), is responsible for the arrest of carpel initiation in male flowers. To generate chromosomal deletions, we used pollen irradiation in male plants to produce hermaphroditic mutants (bsx mutants) in which carpel development was restored. The mutants resulted from alterations in at least two GSF chromosomal regions, one autosomal and one located on the distal half of the (p)-arm of the Y chromosome. The two mutations affected carpel development independently, each mutation showing incomplete penetrance and variegation, albeit at significantly different levels. During successive meiotic generations, a progressive increase in penetrance and a reduction in variegation levels were observed and quantified at the level of the Y-linked GSF (GSF-Y). Possible mechanisms are proposed to explain the behavior of the bsx mutations: epigenetic regulation or/and second-site mutation of modifier genes. In addition, studies on the inheritance of the hermaphroditic trait showed that, unlike wild-type Y chromosomes, deleted Y chromosomes can be transmitted through both the male and the female lines. Altogether, these findings bring experimental support, on the one hand, to the existence on the Y chromosome of genic meiotic drive function(s) and, on the other hand, to models that consider that dioecy evolved through multiple mutation events. As such, the GSF is actually a system containing more than one locus and whose primary component is located on the Y chromosome

  14. The X Chromosome Is Necessary for Somatic Development in the Dioecious Silene latifolia: Cytogenetic and Molecular Evidence and Sequencing of a Haploid Genome

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Soukupová, Magda; Nevrtalová, Eva; Čížková, Jana; Vogel, Ivan; Čegan, Radim; Hobza, Roman; Vyskot, Boris

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 143, 1-3 (2014), s. 96-103 ISSN 1424-8581 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP501/12/G090; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/12/2220; GA ČR(CZ) GAP501/10/0102; GA MŠk(CZ) LM2010005; GA MŠk LO1204 Institutional support: RVO:68081707 Keywords : Anther culture * Cytometry * Dihaploids Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics; EF - Botanics (UEB-Q) Impact factor: 1.561, year: 2014

  15. Ethnomedicines used in Trinidad and Tobago for urinary problems and diabetes mellitus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lans, Cheryl A

    2006-01-01

    Background This paper is based on ethnobotanical interviews conducted from 1996–2000 in Trinidad and Tobago with thirty male and female respondents. Methods A non-experimental validation was conducted on the plants used for urinary problems and diabetes mellitus: This is a preliminary step to establish that the plants used are safe or effective, to help direct clinical trials, and to inform Caribbean physicians of the plants' known properties to avoid counter-prescribing. Results The following plants are used to treat diabetes: Antigonon leptopus, Bidens alba, Bidens pilosa, Bixa orellana, Bontia daphnoides, Carica papaya, Catharanthus roseus, Cocos nucifera, Gomphrena globosa, Laportea aestuans, Momordica charantia, Morus alba, Phyllanthus urinaria and Spiranthes acaulis. Apium graviolens is used as a heart tonic and for low blood pressure. Bixa orellana, Bontia daphnoides, Cuscuta americana and Gomphrena globosa are used for jaundice. The following plants are used for hypertension: Aloe vera, Annona muricata, Artocarpus altilis, Bixa orellana, Bidens alba, Bidens pilosa, Bonta daphnoides, Carica papaya, Cecropia peltata, Citrus paradisi, Cola nitida, Crescentia cujete, Gomphrena globosa, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Kalanchoe pinnata, Morus alba, Nopalea cochinellifera, Ocimum campechianum, Passiflora quadrangularis, Persea americana and Tamarindus indicus. The plants used for kidney problems are Theobroma cacao, Chamaesyce hirta, Flemingia strobilifera, Peperomia rotundifolia, Petiveria alliacea, Nopalea cochinellifera, Apium graveolens, Cynodon dactylon, Eleusine indica, Gomphrena globosa, Pityrogramma calomelanos and Vetiveria zizanioides. Plants are also used for gall stones and for cooling. Conclusion Chamaesyce hirta, Cissus verticillata, Kalanchoe pinnata, Peperomia spp., Portulaca oleraceae, Scoparia dulcis, and Zea mays have sufficient evidence to support their traditional use for urinary problems, "cooling" and high cholesterol. Eggplant extract as a

  16. Ethnomedicines used in Trinidad and Tobago for urinary problems and diabetes mellitus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lans Cheryl A

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This paper is based on ethnobotanical interviews conducted from 1996–2000 in Trinidad and Tobago with thirty male and female respondents. Methods A non-experimental validation was conducted on the plants used for urinary problems and diabetes mellitus: This is a preliminary step to establish that the plants used are safe or effective, to help direct clinical trials, and to inform Caribbean physicians of the plants' known properties to avoid counter-prescribing. Results The following plants are used to treat diabetes: Antigonon leptopus, Bidens alba, Bidens pilosa, Bixa orellana, Bontia daphnoides, Carica papaya, Catharanthus roseus, Cocos nucifera, Gomphrena globosa, Laportea aestuans, Momordica charantia, Morus alba, Phyllanthus urinaria and Spiranthes acaulis. Apium graviolens is used as a heart tonic and for low blood pressure. Bixa orellana, Bontia daphnoides, Cuscuta americana and Gomphrena globosa are used for jaundice. The following plants are used for hypertension: Aloe vera, Annona muricata, Artocarpus altilis, Bixa orellana, Bidens alba, Bidens pilosa, Bonta daphnoides, Carica papaya, Cecropia peltata, Citrus paradisi, Cola nitida, Crescentia cujete, Gomphrena globosa, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Kalanchoe pinnata, Morus alba, Nopalea cochinellifera, Ocimum campechianum, Passiflora quadrangularis, Persea americana and Tamarindus indicus. The plants used for kidney problems are Theobroma cacao, Chamaesyce hirta, Flemingia strobilifera, Peperomia rotundifolia, Petiveria alliacea, Nopalea cochinellifera, Apium graveolens, Cynodon dactylon, Eleusine indica, Gomphrena globosa, Pityrogramma calomelanos and Vetiveria zizanioides. Plants are also used for gall stones and for cooling. Conclusion Chamaesyce hirta, Cissus verticillata, Kalanchoe pinnata, Peperomia spp., Portulaca oleraceae, Scoparia dulcis, and Zea mays have sufficient evidence to support their traditional use for urinary problems, "cooling" and high cholesterol

  17. Lower prevalence but similar fitness in a parasitic fungus at higher radiation levels near Chernobyl.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguileta, Gabriela; Badouin, Helene; Hood, Michael E; Møller, Anders P; Le Prieur, Stephanie; Snirc, Alodie; Siguenza, Sophie; Mousseau, Timothy A; Shykoff, Jacqui A; Cuomo, Christina A; Giraud, Tatiana

    2016-07-01

    Nuclear disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima provide examples of effects of acute ionizing radiation on mutations that can affect the fitness and distribution of species. Here, we investigated the prevalence of Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae, a pollinator-transmitted fungal pathogen of plants causing anther-smut disease in Chernobyl, its viability, fertility and karyotype variation, and the accumulation of nonsynonymous mutations in its genome. We collected diseased flowers of Silene latifolia from locations ranging by more than two orders of magnitude in background radiation, from 0.05 to 21.03 μGy/h. Disease prevalence decreased significantly with increasing radiation level, possibly due to lower pollinator abundance and altered pollinator behaviour. Viability and fertility, measured as the budding rate of haploid sporidia following meiosis from the diploid teliospores, did not vary with increasing radiation levels and neither did karyotype overall structure and level of chromosomal size heterozygosity. We sequenced the genomes of twelve samples from Chernobyl and of four samples collected from uncontaminated areas and analysed alignments of 6068 predicted genes, corresponding to 1.04 × 10(7)  base pairs. We found no dose-dependent differences in substitution rates (neither dN, dS, nor dN/dS). Thus, we found no significant evidence of increased deleterious mutation rates at higher levels of background radiation in this plant pathogen. We even found lower levels of nonsynonymous substitution rates in contaminated areas compared to control regions, suggesting that purifying selection was stronger in contaminated than uncontaminated areas. We briefly discuss the possibilities for a mechanistic basis of radio resistance in this nonmelanized fungus. © 2016 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Influence of Multiple Infection and Relatedness on Virulence: Disease Dynamics in an Experimental Plant Population and Its Castrating Parasite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buono, Lorenza; López-Villavicencio, Manuela; Shykoff, Jacqui A.; Snirc, Alodie; Giraud, Tatiana

    2014-01-01

    The level of parasite virulence, i.e., the decrease in host's fitness due to a pathogen, is expected to depend on several parameters, such as the type of the disease (e.g., castrating or host-killing) and the prevalence of multiple infections. Although these parameters have been extensively studied theoretically, few empirical data are available to validate theoretical predictions. Using the anther smut castrating disease on Silene latifolia caused by Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae, we studied the dynamics of multiple infections and of different components of virulence (host death, non-recovery and percentage of castrated stems) during the entire lifespan of the host in an experimental population. We monitored the number of fungal genotypes within plants and their relatedness across five years, using microsatellite markers, as well as the rates of recovery and host death in the population. The mean relatedness among genotypes within plants remained at a high level throughout the entire host lifespan despite the dynamics of the disease, with recurrent new infections. Recovery was lower for plants with multiple infections compared to plants infected by a single genotype. As expected for castrating parasites, M. lychnidis-dioicae did not increase host mortality. Mortality varied across years but was generally lower for plants that had been diseased the preceding year. This is one of the few studies to have empirically verified theoretical expectations for castrating parasites, and to show particularly i) that castrated hosts live longer, suggesting that parasites can redirect resources normally used in reproduction to increase host lifespan, lengthening their transmission phase, and ii) that multiple infections increase virulence, here in terms of non-recovery and host castration. PMID:24892951

  19. Light Regulation of Gibberellin Biosynthesis and Mode of Action.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Martinez, José Luis; Gil, Joan

    2001-12-01

    Some phenotypic effects produced in plants by light are very similar to those induced by hormones. In this review, the light-gibberellin (GA) interaction in germination, de-etiolation, stem growth, and tuber formation (process regulated by GAs) are discussed. Germination of lettuce and Arabidopsis seeds depends on red irradiation (R), which enhances the expression of GA 3-oxidase genes (GA3ox) and leads to an increase in active GA content. De-etiolation of pea seedling alters the expression of GA20ox and GA3ox genes and induces a rapid decrease of GA1 content. Stem growth of green plants is also affected by diverse light irradiation characteristics. Low light intensity increases stem elongation and active GA content in pea and Brassica. Photoperiod controls active GA levels in long-day rosette (spinach and Silene) and in woody plants (Salix and hybrid aspen) by regulating different steps of GA biosynthesis, mainly through transcript levels of GA20ox and GA3ox genes. Light modulation of stem elongation in light-grown plants is controlled by phytochrome, which modifies GA biosynthesis and catabolism (tobacco, potato, cowpea, Arabidopsis) and GA-response (pea, cucumber, Arabidopsis). In Arabidopsis and tobacco, ATH1 (a gene encoding an homeotic transcription factor) is a positive mediator of a phyB-specific signal transduction cascade controlling GA levels by regulating the expression of GA20ox and GA3ox. Tuber formation in potato is controlled by photoperiod (through phyB) and GAs. Inductive short-day conditions alter the diurnal rhythm of GA20ox transcript abundance, and increases the expression of a new protein (PHOR1) that plays a role in the photoperiod-GA interaction.

  20. Alterations in water and electrolyte absorption in the rat colon following neutron irradiation: influence of neutron component and irradiation dose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dublineau, I; Ksas, B; Joubert, C; Aigueperse, J; Gourmelon, P; Griffiths, N M

    2002-12-01

    To study the absorptive function of rat colon following whole-body exposure to neutron irradiation, either to the same total dose with varying proportion of neutrons or to the same neutron proportion with an increasing irradiation dose. Different proportions of neutron irradiation were produced from the reactor SILENE using a fissile solution of uranium nitrate (8, 47 and 87% neutron). Water and electrolyte fluxes were measured in the rat in vivo under anaesthesia by insertion into the descending colon of an agarose gel cylinder simulating the faeces. Functional studies were completed by histological analyses. In the first set of experiments, rats received 3.8 Gy with various neutron percentages and were studied from 1 to 14 days after exposure. In the second set of experiments, rats were exposed to increasing doses of irradiation (1-4Gy) with a high neutron percentage (87%n) and were studied at 4 days after exposure. The absorptive capacity of rat colon was diminished by irradiation at 3-5 days, with a nadir at 4 days. The results demonstrate that an increase in the neutron proportion is associated with an amplification of the effects. Furthermore, a delay in the re-establishment of normal absorption was observed with the high neutron proportion (87%n). A dose-dependent reduction of water absorption by rat colon was also observed following neutron irradiation (87%n), with a 50% reduction at 3 Gy. Comparison of this dose-effect curve with the curve obtained following gamma (60)Co-irradiation indicates an RBE of 2.2 for absorptive colonic function in rat calculated at 4 days after exposure.

  1. Soil seed-bank composition reveals the land-use history of calcareous grasslands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karlík, Petr; Poschlod, Peter

    2014-07-01

    We compared soil seed banks and vegetation of recent (established on abandoned arable fields) and ancient (continuously managed as pastures at least since 1830) calcareous grasslands if there is any impact of former arable field use. The study was carried out in two regions of Southern Germany with well-preserved dry grassland vegetation: the western Jurassic mountains (Kaltes Feld) and the climatically drier eastern part of Southern Germany (Kallmünz). Total number of species in the seed bank was similar in both regions, but species composition partly differed, reflecting phytogeographical differences between the regions. The total number of emerged seedlings showed a large disparity (5457 compared to 2523 seedlings/m2 in Kaltes Feld and Kallmünz, respectively). Though there were differences in seed bank composition and size, we found a uniform pattern of plant traits (affiliation to phytosociological groups, Raunkiaer plant life-forms and seed longevity), which depended on the age of the grassland. The main conclusion is that seed banks in contemporary calcareous grasslands still reflect the history of former land use - in this case arable cultivation, even though it occurred a long time ago (up to 150 years). Indicators of former arable fields are germinable seeds of weeds which have persisted in the soil to the present. By contrast, weedy species are completely absent from the seed banks of ancient grasslands. Soil seed banks of recent grasslands may be of substantial conservation importance because they may store seeds of rare and endangered weed species such as Kickxia spuria, Silene noctiflora and Stachys annua, the majority of which have already gone extinct from the current vegetation of the study sites.

  2. TL detectors for gamma-ray dose measurements in critically accidents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miljanic, S.; Knezevic, Z.; Zorko, B.; Gregori, B.

    2005-01-01

    Full text: Determination of gamma-ray dose in mixed neutron + gamma-ray fields is still a challenging task. Dosemeters used for gamma-ray dosimetry are usually in some extent sensitive to neutrons and their response variations depend on neutron energy i.e. on neutron spectra. Besides, it is necessary to take into account the energy dependence of dosimeter responses to gamma-rays. To reduce all these influences, design of dosemeter holders is of special importance. In this work, several types of thermoluminescent detectors (TLD) placed in different holders used for gamma-ray dose determination in mixed fields were examined. Dosemeters were from three different institutions: Ruder Boscovic Institute (RBI), Croatia, Jozef Stefan Institute (JSI), Slovenia and Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear (ARN), Argentina. All dosemeters were irradiated during the International Intercomparison of Criticality Accident Dosimetry Systems at the SILENE Reactor, Valduc, June 2002. At that exercise three accidental scenarios were reproduced: bare reactor, free evolution; lead shielded reactor, steady state; and lead shielded reactor, free evolution. In each irradiation dosemeters were exposed placed on the front of phantom and 'free-in-air'. Also, dosemeters were irradiated in a pure gamma ray field of 60 Co source. Following types of TLDs were used: 7 LiF (TLD-700), CaF 2 :Mn and AI 2 O 3 :Mg,Y - all from RBI; CaF 2 :Mn from JSI and 7 LiF (TLD-700) from ARN. Reported doses were compared with the reference values as well as with the mean participants' values. The results show satisfactory agreement with other dosimetry systems used in the Intercomparison. The influence of different types of holders and applied corrections of dosemeters' readings are discussed. (author)

  3. The relative contribution of diurnal and nocturnal pollinators to plant female fitness in a specialized nursery pollination system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scopece, Giovanni; Campese, Lucia; Duffy, Karl J; Cozzolino, Salvatore

    2018-02-01

    Plants involved in specialized pollinator interactions, such as nursery pollination, may experience trade-offs in their female fitness, as the larvae of their pollinators may also consume seeds produced by the flowers they pollinate. These interactions could potentially shift between mutualism and parasitism, depending on the presence and abundance of both the nursery pollinator and of other pollinators. We investigated the fitness trade-off in a Mediterranean plant ( Silene latifolia ), which has a specialist nocturnal nursery pollinator moth ( Hadena bicruris ) and is also visited by several diurnal pollinators. We estimated the pollination rates and fecundity of S. latifolia in both natural and experimental populations in the Mediterranean. We estimated natural pollination rates in different flowering times and with presence/absence of the H. bicruis moth. Then by exposing plants to each pollinator group either during the day or at night, we quantified the contribution of other diurnal pollinators and the specialized nocturnal nursery pollinator to plant female fitness. We found no difference in plant fruit set mediated by diurnal versus nocturnal pollinators, indicating that non-specialist pollinators contribute to plant female fitness. However, in both natural and experimental populations, H. bicruris was the most efficient pollinator in terms of seeds produced per fruit. These results suggest that the female fitness costs generated by nursery pollination can be overcome through higher fertilization rates relative to predation rates, even in the presence of co-pollinators. Quantifying such interactions is important for our understanding of the selective pressures that promote highly specialized mutualisms, such as nursery pollination, in the Mediterranean region, a centre of diversification of the carnation family.

  4. Effects of ionizing radiation on gastrointestinal function

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bertin, C; Dublineau, I; Griffiths, N M; Joubert, C; Linard, C; Martin, J M; Mathe, D; Scanff, P; Valette, P [CEA Centre d` Etudes de Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France). Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire

    1994-10-01

    The aim of this project is to investigate the effects of ionizing radiation (<10 Gy) on several parameters of gastrointestinal function: (a) regulatory peptides; (b) pancreatic and biliary secretions and (c) electrolyte and lipid transport using both gamma alone (cobalt-60) and a mixture of gamma/neutron ({gamma}/N Silene reactor) in two animal models, the rat and the pig. Preliminary data in rats following gamma irradiation (2-8 Gy) show that plasma nurotensin gastrin releasing peptide and substance P are increased in a dose dependent manner most markedly between two and four days after exposure. Intestinal brush border marker enzyme activities (sucrose and leucine amino-peptidase) were also reduced. Such differences were more marked and persisted longer after {gamma}/N irradiation (2-4 Gy: +Pb: {gamma}/:N =0.2). Following the latter type of irradiation (4 Gy) plasma cholesterol increased as well as the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio. Analysis of cholesterol distribution in lipoprotein actions revealed a large increase in cholesterol carried b High Density Lipoprotein-1 (HDL1). In the pig following either type of irradiation the volumes of both pancreatic and biliary secretions were reduced. Irradiation of pigs with either {gamma} (6 Gy) alone or {gamma}/N (6 Gy: {gamma}/N I :1) resulted in a marked decrease in both brush border (sucrase: leucine aminopeptidase) and basolateral (sodium ump` aden late cyclase) enzyme activities. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) stimulated adenylate cyclase was markedly attenuated and in addition specific VIP binding was modified as shown by a reduction in receptor affinity. The significance of the data will be discussed and the importance of a new therapeutic strategies or new biological markers of radiation-induced gastrointestinal dysfunction.

  5. Evaluation of reference genes for reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) studies in Silene vulgaris considering the method of cDNA preparation

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Koloušková, Pavla; Stone, James D.; Štorchová, Helena

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 12, č. 8 (2017), č. článku e0183470. E-ISSN 1932-6203 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH15075; GA ČR(CZ) GA16-09220S Institutional support: RVO:61389030 Keywords : CYTOPLASMIC MALE -STERILITY * SUITABLE REFERENCE GENES * INTERNAL CONTROL GENES Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Plant sciences, botany Impact factor: 2.806, year: 2016

  6. Isolation and identification of antibacterial compounds from Thymus kotschyanus aerial parts and Dianthus caryophyllus flower buds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammed, Muthanna J; Al-Bayati, Firas A

    2009-06-01

    The aerial parts of Thymus kotschyanus Boiss. and Hohen. (Lamiaceae) and flower buds of Dianthus caryophyllus L. (Caryophyllaceae) have been traditionally implemented in the treatment of wounds, throat and gum infections and gastro-intestinal disorder by the indigenous people of northern Iraq, although the compounds responsible for the medicinal properties have not been identified. In this study, antibacterial compounds from both plants were isolated and characterized, and the biological activity of each compound was assessed individually and combined. Compounds were isolated and characterized from the extracted essential oils of both plants using different spectral techniques: TLC, FTIR spectra and HPLC. The minimum inhibitory concentrations MIC values for the compounds were assessed individually and combined based on a microdilution and the checkerboard method in 96 multi-well microtiter plates. Two known compounds were isolated from the essential oils of both plants and were identified as thymol and eugenol. The isolated compounds were investigated for their single and combined antibacterial activities against seven selected pathogenic bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Thymol MIC values ranged from 15.6 to 250.0 microg/ml and B. cereus was found to be the most sensitive pathogen with a MIC value of 15.6 microg/ml. Eugenol achieved stronger MIC values against most tested pathogens and the best MIC value (15.6 microg/ml) was observed against B. cereus, L. monocytogenes and K. pneumoniae whereas, S. aureus, P. mirabilis and E. coli were inhibited with a MIC value of 31.2 microg/ml. Combination results had antibacterial enhancement against most pathogens and the best synergistic result was seen against P. mirabilis and E. coli. The isolation of two antibacterial compounds from Thymus kotschyanus aerial parts and Dianthus caryophyllus flower

  7. Testing the Stress-Gradient Hypothesis at the Roof of the World: Effects of the Cushion Plant Thylacospermum caespitosum on Species Assemblages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dvorský, Miroslav; Doležal, Jiří; Kopecký, Martin; Chlumská, Zuzana; Janatková, Kateřina; Altman, Jan; de Bello, Francesco; Řeháková, Klára

    2013-01-01

    Many cushion plants ameliorate the harsh environment they inhabit in alpine ecosystems and act as nurse plants, with significantly more species growing within their canopy than outside. These facilitative interactions seem to increase with the abiotic stress, thus supporting the stress-gradient hypothesis. We tested this prediction by exploring the association pattern of vascular plants with the dominant cushion plant Thylacospermum caespitosum (Caryophyllaceae) in the arid Trans-Himalaya, where vascular plants occur at one of the highest worldwide elevational limits. We compared plant composition between 1112 pair-plots placed both inside cushions and in surrounding open areas, in communities from cold steppes to subnival zones along two elevational gradients (East Karakoram: 4850–5250 m and Little Tibet: 5350–5850 m). We used PERMANOVA to assess differences in species composition, Friedman-based permutation tests to determine individual species habitat preferences, species-area curves to assess whether interactions are size-dependent and competitive intensity and importance indices to evaluate plant-plant interactions. No indications for net facilitation were found along the elevation gradients. The open areas were not only richer in species, but not a single species preferred to grow exclusively inside cushions, while 39–60% of 56 species detected had a significant preference for the habitat outside cushions. Across the entire elevation range of T. caespitosum, the number and abundance of species were greater outside cushions, suggesting that competitive rather than facilitative interactions prevail. This was supported by lower soil nutrient contents inside cushions, indicating a resource preemption, and little thermal amelioration at the extreme end of the elevational gradient. We attribute the negative associations to competition for limited resources, a strong environmental filter in arid high-mountain environment selecting the stress-tolerant species

  8. Testing the stress-gradient hypothesis at the roof of the world: effects of the cushion plant Thylacospermum caespitosum on species assemblages.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miroslav Dvorský

    Full Text Available Many cushion plants ameliorate the harsh environment they inhabit in alpine ecosystems and act as nurse plants, with significantly more species growing within their canopy than outside. These facilitative interactions seem to increase with the abiotic stress, thus supporting the stress-gradient hypothesis. We tested this prediction by exploring the association pattern of vascular plants with the dominant cushion plant Thylacospermum caespitosum (Caryophyllaceae in the arid Trans-Himalaya, where vascular plants occur at one of the highest worldwide elevational limits. We compared plant composition between 1112 pair-plots placed both inside cushions and in surrounding open areas, in communities from cold steppes to subnival zones along two elevational gradients (East Karakoram: 4850-5250 m and Little Tibet: 5350-5850 m. We used PERMANOVA to assess differences in species composition, Friedman-based permutation tests to determine individual species habitat preferences, species-area curves to assess whether interactions are size-dependent and competitive intensity and importance indices to evaluate plant-plant interactions. No indications for net facilitation were found along the elevation gradients. The open areas were not only richer in species, but not a single species preferred to grow exclusively inside cushions, while 39-60% of 56 species detected had a significant preference for the habitat outside cushions. Across the entire elevation range of T. caespitosum, the number and abundance of species were greater outside cushions, suggesting that competitive rather than facilitative interactions prevail. This was supported by lower soil nutrient contents inside cushions, indicating a resource preemption, and little thermal amelioration at the extreme end of the elevational gradient. We attribute the negative associations to competition for limited resources, a strong environmental filter in arid high-mountain environment selecting the stress

  9. Late Miocene (Pannonian) Vegetation from the Northern Part of Central Paratethys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kováčová, M.; Doláková, N.

    2009-04-01

    . Accumulations of the Chenopodiaceae in the interfluve areas probably indicate local saline swampy environments during sea level fall. The increasing amounts of herbs indicate the existence of wet prairie areas (Thalictrum, Rumex, Valeriana, Dipsacaceae, Lamiaceae, Galium) or steppes (Artemisia - up to 17%, Asteraceae, Campanula, Fabaceae, Daucaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Plantago). This is the contribution to the projects ESF -EC-009-07, APVT 51-011305, APVV-0280-07 (Slovakia) and MSM0021622427 (Czech republic).

  10. The Vascular Flora of Rarău Massif (Eastern Carpathians, Romania. Note I

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian Oprea

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The present study is concerned with the flora of the Rarău Massif, an area lying in the northeastern part of Romania, nearby the town of Câmpulung Moldovenesc. This study attempt to list all the vascular plants (i.e. ferns, conifers, and flowering plants from the whole area of Rarău Massif. Till now, there are published several papers on this area, but no paper deals with the whole surface of Rarău Massif. The research was carried out between 2000 to 2011. During the study period, 1377 taxa (1089 species and 288 subspecies, belonging to 95 families and 411 genera; 43 of the species belong to Pteridophytes, 8 belongs to Gymnosperms, and 1038 belongs to Angiosperms (835 Dicotyledons, 203 Monocotyledons subdivisions. The largest families (in terms of the number of species and subspecies included are: Asteraceae (167, Poaceae (78, Brassicaceae (53, Rosaceae and Lamiaceae (50, Scrophulariaceae and Cyperaceae (47, Caryophyllaceae and Ranunculaceae (42. The highest number of species, of a certain genus, is like the next: Carex L. (39, Centaurea L. (25, Hieracium L. (21, Festuca L. (19, Senecio L. (12, Cirsium, Pilosella, and Poa (11, etc. Since the flora of the area is analysed according to Raunkiaer’s life forms, the results are as follows: Hemicryptophytes 605 species (H=55.6%, Cryptophytes (also called Geophytes 137 species (G=12.6%, Therophytes 120 species (11.0%, Phanerophytes 84 species (Ph=7.7%, Chamaephytes 57 species (Ch=5.2%, Hemitherophytes 77 species (Ht=7.1%, Helo-hydatophytes 8 species (HH=0.7%, and Epiphytes 1 species (Ep=0.1%. The phytogeographic elements are the next ones: European=375 species (36.6%, Eurasian=349 species (34.0%, Circumboreal=148 species (14.8%, Cosmopolite=37 species (3.6%, Carpathians=31 species (3.0%, Pontics=19 species (1.9%, Mediterranean-submediterrannean=11 species (1.1%, and Adventitious=2 species (0.2%. The number of endemic and near-endemic taxa (species and subspecies within the study area is 53 (5.2%.

  11. [Effects of different amendments on contents of phenolic acids and specific microbes in rhizosphere of Pseudostellaria heterophylla.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Lin Kun; Wu, Hong Miao; Zhu, Quan; Chen, Jun; Wang, Juan Ying; Wu, Yan Hong; Lin, Sheng; Lin, Wen Xiong

    2016-11-18

    Pseudostellaria heterophylla is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. The tuberous roots of P. heterophylla are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine and have a high market demand. However, extended monoculture of P. heterophylla results in a significant decline in the biomass and quality, and escalates disease and pest problems. Therefore, it is important to understand the underlying mechanism and biocontrol methods for consecutive monoculture problems. With "Zheshen 2" as an experimental material, the changes in the contents of main nutrients in soil, phenolic acids and specific microbes under monoculture and different amendments were analyzed by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and qPCR. The results showed that consecutive monoculture of P. heterophylla led to a decrease in yield by 43.5% while the microbial fertilizer treatment and the paddy-upland rotation could relieve the consecutive monoculture problems. Available nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium and total potassium were significantly higher in the consecutively monocultured soils than in the newly planted soils. But consecutive monoculture resulted in soil acidification. HPLC analysis showed that conse-cutive monoculture of this plant did not lead to a consistent accumulation of soil phenolic acids. At middle stage of root expansion and at harvest stage, most of phenolic acids were even higher in the newly planted soils than in the consecutively monocultured soils. Furthermore, qPCR analysis showed that the amounts of three specific pathogens identified previously (i.e. Fusarium oxysporum, Talaromyces helicus, Kosakonia sacchari) were significantly higher in the consecutively monocultured soils than in the newly planted soils. However, the microbial fertilizer treatment and the paddy-upland rotation resulted in a significant decline in the population of these specific pathogens and improved the soil environment. In conclusion, the

  12. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Ampelopsis: gene organization, comparative analysis and phylogenetic relationships to other angiosperms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gurusamy eRaman

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Ampelopsis brevipedunculata is an economically important plant that belongs to the Vitaceae family of angiosperms. The phylogenetic placement of Vitaceae is still unresolved. Recent phylogenetic studies suggested that it should be placed in various alternative families including Caryophyllaceae, asteraceae, Saxifragaceae, Dilleniaceae, or with the rest of the rosid families. However, these analyses provided weak supportive results because they were based on only one of several genes. Accordingly, complete chloroplast genome sequences are required to resolve the phylogenetic relationships among angiosperms. Recent phylogenetic analyses based on the complete chloroplast genome sequence suggested strong support for the position of Vitaceae as the earliest diverging lineage of rosids and placed it as a sister to the remaining rosids. These studies also revealed relationships among several major lineages of angiosperms; however, they highlighted the significance of taxon sampling for obtaining accurate phylogenies. In the present study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of A. brevipedunculata and used these data to assess the relationships among 32 angiosperms, including 18 taxa of rosids. The Ampelopsis chloroplast genome is 161,090 bp in length, and includes a pair of inverted repeats of 26,394 bp that are separated by small and large single copy regions of 19,036 bp and 89,266 bp, respectively. The gene content and order of Ampelopsis is identical to many other unrearranged angiosperm chloroplast genomes, including Vitis and tobacco. A phylogenetic tree constructed based on 70 protein-coding genes of 33 angiosperms showed that both Saxifragales and Vitaceae diverged from the rosid clade and formed two clades with 100% bootstrap value. The position of the Vitaceae is sister to Saxifragales, and both are the basal and earliest diverging lineages. Moreover, Saxifragales forms a sister clade to Vitaceae of rosids. Overall, the results of

  13. Wild vegetable mixes sold in the markets of Dalmatia (southern Croatia).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Łuczaj, Łukasz; Zovkokončić, Marijana; Miličević, Tihomir; Dolina, Katija; Pandža, Marija

    2013-01-03

    Dalmatia is an interesting place to study the use of wild greens as it lies at the intersection of influence of Slavs, who do not usually use many species of wild greens, and Mediterranean culinary culture, where the use of multiple wild greens is common. The aim of the study was to document the mixtures of wild green vegetables which are sold in all the vegetable markets of Dalmatia. All vendors (68) in all 11 major markets of the Dalmatian coast were interviewed. The piles of wild vegetables they sold were searched and herbarium specimens taken from them. The mean number of species in the mix was 5.7. The most commonly sold wild plants are: Sonchus oleraceus L., Allium ampeloprasum L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Urospermum picroides F.W.Schmidt, Papaver rhoeas L., Daucus carota L., Taraxacum sp., Picris echioides L., Silene latifolia Poir. and Crepis spp. Also the cultivated beet (Beta vulgaris L.) and a few cultivated Brassicaceae varieties are frequent components. Wild vegetables from the mix are usually boiled for 20-30 minutes and dressed with olive oil and salt. Altogether at least 37 wild taxa and 13 cultivated taxa were recorded.Apart from the mixes, Asparagus acutifolius L. and Tamus communis L. shoots are sold in separate bunches (they are usually eaten with eggs), as well as some Asteraceae species, the latter are eaten raw or briefly boiled. The rich tradition of eating many wild greens may result both from strong Venetian and Greek influences and the necessity of using all food resources available in the barren, infertile land in the past. Although the number of wild-collected green vegetables is impressive we hypothesize that it may have decreased over the years, and that further in-depth local ethnobotanical studies are needed in Dalmatia to record the disappearing knowledge of edible plants.

  14. Investigation of the effects of radiolytic-gas bubbles on the long-term operation of solution reactors for medical-isotope production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souto Mantecon, Francisco Javier

    One of the most common and important medical radioisotopes is 99Mo, which is currently produced using the target irradiation technology in heterogeneous nuclear reactors. The medical isotope 99Mo can also be produced from uranium fission using aqueous homogeneous solution reactors. In solution reactors, 99Mo is generated directly in the fuel solution, resulting in potential advantages when compared with the target irradiation process in heterogeneous reactors, such as lower reactor power, less waste heat, and reduction by a factor of about 100 in the generation of spent fuel. The commercial production of medical isotopes in solution reactors requires steady-state operation at about 200 kW. At this power regime, the formation of radiolytic-gas bubbles creates a void volume in the fuel solution that introduces a negative coefficient of reactivity, resulting in power reduction and instabilities that may impede reactor operation for medical-isotope production. A model has been developed considering that reactivity effects are due to the increase in the fuel-solution temperature and the formation of radiolytic-gas bubbles. The model has been validated against experimental results from the Los Alamos National Laboratory uranyl fluoride Solution High-Energy Burst Assembly (SHEBA), and the SILENE uranyl nitrate solution reactor, commissioned at the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, in Valduc, France. The model shows the feasibility of solution reactors for the commercial production of medical isotopes and reveals some of the important parameters to consider in their design, including the fuel-solution type, 235U enrichment, uranium concentration, reactor vessel geometry, and neutron reflectors surrounding the reactor vessel. The work presented herein indicates that steady-state operation at 200 kW can be achieved with a solution reactor consisting of 120 L of uranyl nitrate solution enriched up to 20% with 235U and a uranium concentration of 145 kg/m3 in a graphite

  15. Assessing radiation exposure of herbaceous plant species at the East-Ural Radioactive Trace

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karimullina, Elina; Antonova, Elena; Pozolotina, Vera

    2013-01-01

    The East-Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT) is a result of the Mayak Production Association accident that occurred in 1957 in Russia. Radiological assessment improves the interpretation of biological effects of exposure to ionizing radiation. Therefore a modeling approach was used to estimate dose rates on Leonurus quinquelobatus, Silene latifolia, Stellaria graminea and Bromus inermis. Soil-to-organism transfer parameter values are delivered from empirical data of 90 Sr and 137 Cs soil and vegetative plant mass activity concentrations. External and internal whole-body dose rates were calculated using deterministic (The ERICA Tool-Tier 2 and R and D 128/SP1a) and probabilistic (The ERICA Tool-Tier 3) methods. The total dose rate for herbs was under 100 μGy h −1 at the most polluted site. The total absorbed dose rates increased 43–110 times (Tier 3) for different herbaceous plant species along the pollution gradient. Based on these data, it can be concluded that herbaceous plant populations currently exist under low-level chronic exposure at the EURT area. -- Highlights: • A modeling approach (The ERICA Tool-Tier 2, Tier 3 and R and D 128/SP1a) was used to estimate dose rates for herbs growing in the wild at the East-Ural Radioactive Trace. • The highest levels of anthropogenic radiation exposure were determined for herbs at Impact EURT sites. • Total absorbed dose rates increased 43–110 times (Tier 3) for different herbaceous plant species along the pollution gradient. • Total dose rate per plant organism for herbs is under 100 μGy h −1 at the most polluted site. Currently herbaceous plant populations exist under low-level chronic exposure at the EURT area

  16. Extracts from the Mongolian traditional medicinal plants Dianthus versicolorFisch. and Lilium pumilum Delile stimulate bile flow in an isolated perfused rat liver model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obmann, Astrid; Tsendayush, Damba; Thalhammer, Theresia; Zehl, Martin; Vo, Thanh Phuong Nha; Purevsuren, Sodnomtseren; Natsagdorj, Damdinsuren; Narantuya, Samdan; Kletter, Christa; Glasl, Sabine

    2010-10-05

    Dianthus versicolor (Caryophyllaceae) and Lilium pumilum (Liliaceae) are two medicinal plants used in traditional Mongolian medicine to treat hepatic and gastrointestinal disorders. In this study aqueous (AE) and methanolic (ME) extracts of Dianthus versicolor and Lilium pumilum were investigated for their influence on the bile flow. The aqueous extracts of both plants were tested in absence and presence of 10 μM taurocholic acid at three different concentrations (100, 250, and 500 mg/L). The aqueous extract of Dianthus versicolor was further purified in order to locate the active principles. Two resulting fractions, one enriched in flavonoids and the other in sugars, were investigated for their influence on the bile flow in absence of taurocholic acid at 10, 20, and 40 mg/L. The aqueous extracts of both plants were analysed qualitatively by LC-MS(n) and quantitatively by UV-spectrophotometry. The bile flow experiments were performed in the isolated perfused rat liver. The compounds were identified by LC-DAD-MS(n) and TLC using references. The UV-spectrophotometric analysis was based on the monograph "Passiflorae herba" of the European Pharmacopoeia, and the total flavonoid contents were calculated and expressed as vitexin. AE and ME of both plants increased the bile flow dose-dependently (between 9% and 30%), and no hepatotoxic effect was seen even during longer perfusions. Stimulation of bile secretion was comparable in the presence and in the absence of taurocholic acid. The flavonoid fraction of Dianthus versicolor increased the bile flow by 18% (pDianthus versicolor AE (total flavonoid content 1.78%) revealed the presence of the isovitexin derivative saponarin. In the AE of Lilium pumilum (total flavonoid content 1.04%) the flavonoids rutoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, and isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside were detected. The results show that choleresis under extract application is due to a stimulation of the bile-salt-independent bile flow which might be caused

  17. Sesquiterpene lactone mix patch testing supplemented with dandelion extract in patients with allergic contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis and non-allergic chronic inflammatory skin diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jovanović, M; Poljacki, M; Mimica-Dukić, N; Boza, P; Vujanović, Lj; Duran, V; Stojanović, S

    2004-09-01

    We investigated the value of patch testing with dandelion (Compositae) extract in addition to sesquiterpene lactone (SL) mix in selected patients. After we detected a case of contact erythema multiforme after patch testing with dandelion and common chickweed (Caryophyllaceae), additional testing with common chickweed extract was performed. A total of 235 adults with a mean age of 52.3 years were tested. There were 66 men and 169 women: 53 consecutive patients with allergic contact dermatitis (ACD); 43 with atopic dermatitis (AD); 90 non-atopics suffering from non-allergic chronic inflammatory skin diseases; 49 healthy volunteers. All were tested with SL mix 0.1% petrolatum (pet.) and diethyl ether extracts from Taraxacum officinale (dandelion) 0.1 and 3.0% pet. and from Stellaria media (common chickweed) 0.1 and 3% pet. A total of 14 individuals (5.9%) showed allergic reaction (AR) to at least 1 of the plant allergens, 4 (28.6%) to common chickweed extract, and 11 (78.6%) to Compositae allergens. These 11 persons made the overall prevalence of 4.7%: 8 (3.4%) were SL-positive and 3 (1.3%) reacted to dandelion extract. 5 persons (45.5%) had AD, 2 had ACD, 2 had psoriasis and 2 were healthy controls. The Compositae allergy was relevant in 8 cases (72.7%). The highest frequency of SL mix sensitivity (9.3%) was among those with AD. Half the SL mix-sensitive individuals had AD. ARs to dandelion extract were obtained only among patients with eczema. A total of 9 irritant reactions (IRs) in 9 individuals (3.8%) were recorded, 8 to SL mix and 1 to common chickweed extract 3.0% pet. No IR was recorded to dandelion extract (P = 0.007). Among those with relevant Compositae allergy, 50.0% had AR to fragrance mix and balsam of Peru (Myroxylon pereirae resin) and colophonium. SLs were detected in dandelion but not in common chickweed. Our study confirmed the importance of 1 positive reaction for emerging, not fully established, Compositae allergy. In conclusion, the overall

  18. Palynological and palaeobotanical investigations in the Miocene of the Yatağan basin, Turkey: High-resolution taxonomy and biostratigraphy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouchal, Johannes Martin; Güner, Tuncay H.; Denk, Thomas

    2015-04-01

    The subject of this study is the palynology (biostratigraphic and taxonomic) and the plant remains of the lignite strip mines of Eskihisar, Salihpasalar, and Tinaz (Muğla province, western Turkey). In the Yatağan basin two Miocene to Pliocene formations are present, the Eskihisar Formation (early to middle Miocene) and the Yatağan Formation (late Miocene to early Pliocene). Both formations represent river and lake deposits consisting mainly of conglomerate, sandstone, claystone, limestone, tuffite, and intercalated lignite; the thickest, actively mined lignite seams occur in the Sekköy member of the Eskihisar Formation. Previous palynological studies of the palynoflora of the Yatağan basin mainly focussed on its biostratigraphic and palaeoclimatic significance, using conventional morphological nomenclature and light microscopy (LM). In this study the "single grain method" is applied. Using this method, the same individual pollen grains are investigated by using both LM and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The resulting high-resolution pictographs enable a much higher taxonomic resolution. The studied palynoflora is very rich and taxonomically diverse. Cryptogams are represented by more than ten spore morphotypes of at least three families (Osmundaceae, Pteridaceae, Polypodiaceae). Gymnosperm pollen is dominated by Cupressaceae, Gnetales (Ephedra), and Pinaceae (Cathaya, Keteleeria, Pinus). Angiosperm pollen can be assigned to 57 different genera belonging to Poaceae, Typhaceae, Altingiaceae, Amaranthaceae (Chenopodieae), Anacardiaceae, Apiaceae (three types), Asteraceae (Asteroideae, Cichoriodeae), Betulaceae (Alnus, Betula, Carpinus, Ostrya) Buxaceae, Campanulaceae, Caprifoliaceae (Lonicera), Caryophyllaceae, Dipsacaceae, Eucommiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Fagaceae (Fagus, Quercus, Trigonobalanopsis) Geraniaceae, Juglandaceae, Linaceae, Malvaceae (Tilia), Myricaceae, Oleaceae (four different types), Plumbaginaceae, Polygonaceae (Rumex), Rosaceae

  19. Christ's thorn formation (Paliureta spina-christi in the Tbilisi environs (East Georgia, South Caucasus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N.J. Lachashvili

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Christ's thorn formation (Paliureta spina-christi of Tbilisi environs is studied. This formation is one of the typical representatives of hemixerophilous shrubberies of shibliak type in the Caucasus region and one of the characteristic for vegetation cover of Tbilisi surroundings. Plant communities of Christ's thorn formation with different plots area are fragmentary spread almost all over the territory of Tbilisi environs from 400 to 800 (900 m above s.l.. Plant communities are developed on slopes and plane place with various exposure and inclination, mainly on the grey-cinnamonic and cinnamonic soils. The most xerophilous variants are developed on the erosive bare mother rocks as well. In Tbilisi environs the Christ-thorn's plant communities are either primary or secondary origin. Formation is characterized by rich typological and floristic composition. We identified 6 plant communities: (1 Paliureto-mixtofruticetum gramino-mixtoherbosum, (2 Paliureto-Rhmanetum gramino-mixtoherbosum, (3 Paliureto gramino-mixtoherbosum, (4 Paliureto bothriochlooso gramino-mixtoherbosum, (5 Paliuretum festuceto-bothriochloosum, (6 Paliureto-Astragaleto-Rhamnetum. For each separated plant communities the basic structural characteristics (general projective coverage, projective coverage, distribution and height of layers, sodding degree, dominant-edificator plants, characteristic species, number of species, moss cover, litter, species richness, spectrum of life forms, distribution area in the Tbilisi environs and main physical-geographical conditions (topography, altitude, exposure, inclination, soil type are given. 190 species of vascular plants, which belong to 40 families and 132 genera, were recorded. In the floristic spectrum leading families are: 1. Poaceae – 27 species (14,2%, 2. Asteraceae – 25 species (13,2%, 3. Fabaceae – 17 species (8,9%, 4-5. Lamiaceae and Rosaceae – 15-15 species (7,9-7,9%, 6-8. Apiaceae, Caryophyllaceae and Rubiaceae – 8

  20. Late Glacial to Holocene environments in the present-day coldest region of the Northern Hemisphere inferred from a pollen record of Lake Billyakh, Verkhoyansk Mts, NE Siberia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Müller

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available In this study, a radiocarbon-dated pollen record from Lake Billyakh (65°17' N, 126°47' E; 340 m a.s.l. in the Verkhoyansk Mountains was used to reconstruct vegetation and climate change since about 15 kyr BP. The pollen record and pollen-based biome reconstruction suggest that open cool steppe (STEP and grass and sedge tundra (TUND communities with Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, Caryophyllaceae and Selaginella rupestris dominated the area from 15 to 13.5 kyr BP. On the other hand, the constant presence of Larix pollen in quantities comparable to today's values points to the constant presence of boreal deciduous conifer (CLDE trees in the regional vegetation during the Late Glacial. A major spread of shrub tundra communities, including birch (Betula sect. Nanae, alder (Duschekia fruticosa and willow (Salix species, is dated to 13.5–12.7 kyr BP, indicating a noticeable increase in precipitation toward the end of the Last Glaciation, particularly during the Bølling-Allerød Interstadial. Between 12.7 and 11.4 kyr BP pollen percentages of herbaceous taxa rapidly increased, whereas shrub taxa percentages decreased, suggesting strengthening of the steppe communities associated with the relatively cold and dry Younger Dryas Stadial. However, the pollen data in hand indicate that Younger Dryas climate was less severe than the climate during the earlier interval from 15 to 13.5 kyr BP. The onset of the Holocene is marked in the pollen record by the highest values of shrub and lowest values of herbaceous taxa, suggesting a return of warmer and wetter conditions after 11.4 kyr BP. Percentages of tree taxa increase gradually and reach maximum values after 7 kyr BP, reflecting the spread of boreal cold deciduous and taiga forests in the region. An interval between 7 and 2 kyr BP is noticeable for the highest percentages of Scots pine (Pinus subgen.

  1. Effect of RNAi p21 gene on uncoupling of EL-4 cells induced by X-irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ju Guizhi; Yan Fengqin; Fu Shibo; Shen Bo; Sun Shilong; Yang Ying; Li Pengwu

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the effect of RNAi p21 gene on uncoupling of EL-4 cells induced by X-irradiation. Methods: Construction of RNAi p21 plasmid of pSileneer3.1-H1 neo-p21 was performed. Lipofectamine transfection assay was used to transfer the p21siBNA into EL-4 cells. Fluorescent staining and flow cytometry (FCM) analysis were employed for measurement of protein expression. Fluorescent staining of propidium iodide (PI) and FCM were used for measurement of potyploid cells. Results: In dose-effect experiment it was found that the expression of P21 protein of EL-4 cells increased significantly 24 h after X- irradiation with different doses compared with sham-inadiated control. In time course experiment it was found that the expression of P21 protein of EL-4 cells increased significantly at 8 h to 72 h after 4.0 Gy X-irradiation compared with sham-irradiated control. The results showed that the number of polyploid cells in EL-4 cells was not changed markedly after X-irradiation with doses of 0.5-6.0 Gy. After RNA interference with p21 gene, the expression of P21 protein of EL-4 cells decreased significantly 24 h and 48 h after 4.0 Gy X-irradiation in transfection of plasmid of pSilencer3.1-H1 neo-p21 compared with transfection of plasmid of pSilencer3.1-H1 nco control. And at the same time, the number of polyploid cells in EL-4 cells was increased significantly in transfection of plasmid of pSilencer3.1-H1 neo-p21 compared with transfection of plasmid of pSilencer3.1-H1 nco control. Conclusions: Uncoupling could be induced by X-irradiation in EL-4 cells following BNAi p21 gene, suggesting that P21 protein may play an important role in uncoupling induced by X-rays. (authors)

  2. Wild vegetable mixes sold in the markets of Dalmatia (southern Croatia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Łuczaj Łukasz

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Dalmatia is an interesting place to study the use of wild greens as it lies at the intersection of influence of Slavs, who do not usually use many species of wild greens, and Mediterranean culinary culture, where the use of multiple wild greens is common. The aim of the study was to document the mixtures of wild green vegetables which are sold in all the vegetable markets of Dalmatia. Methods All vendors (68 in all 11 major markets of the Dalmatian coast were interviewed. The piles of wild vegetables they sold were searched and herbarium specimens taken from them. Results The mean number of species in the mix was 5.7. The most commonly sold wild plants are: Sonchus oleraceus L., Allium ampeloprasum L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Urospermum picroides F.W.Schmidt, Papaver rhoeas L., Daucus carota L., Taraxacum sp., Picris echioides L., Silene latifolia Poir. and Crepis spp. Also the cultivated beet (Beta vulgaris L. and a few cultivated Brassicaceae varieties are frequent components. Wild vegetables from the mix are usually boiled for 20–30 minutes and dressed with olive oil and salt. Altogether at least 37 wild taxa and 13 cultivated taxa were recorded. Apart from the mixes, Asparagus acutifolius L. and Tamus communis L. shoots are sold in separate bunches (they are usually eaten with eggs, as well as some Asteraceae species, the latter are eaten raw or briefly boiled. Conclusions The rich tradition of eating many wild greens may result both from strong Venetian and Greek influences and the necessity of using all food resources available in the barren, infertile land in the past. Although the number of wild-collected green vegetables is impressive we hypothesize that it may have decreased over the years, and that further in-depth local ethnobotanical studies are needed in Dalmatia to record the disappearing knowledge of edible plants.

  3. Epigenetic changes of Arabidopsis genome associated with altered DNA methyltransferase and demethylase expressions after gamma irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Ji Eun; Cho, Eun Ju; Kim, Ji Hong; Chung, Byung Yeoup; Kim, Jin Hong

    2012-01-01

    DNA methylation at carbon 5 of cytosines is a hall mark of epigenetic inactivation and heterochromatin in both plants and mammals. In Arabidopsis, DNA methylation has two roles that protect the genome from selfish DNA elements and regulate gene expression. Plant genome has three types of DNA methyltransferase, METHYLTRANSFERASE 1 (MET1), DOMAINREARRANGED METHYLASE (DRM) and CHROMOMETHYLASE 3 (CMT3) that are capable of methylating CG, CHG (where H is A, T, or C) and CHH sites, respectively. MET1 is a maintenance DNA methyltransferase that controls CG methylation. Two members of the DRM family, DRM1 and DRM2, are responsible for de novo methylation of CG, CHG, and CHH sites but show a preference for CHH sites. Finally, CMT3 principally carries out CHG methylation and is involved in both de novo methylation and maintenance. Alternatively, active DNA demethylation may occur through the glycosylase activity by removing the methylcytosines from DNA. It may have essential roles in preventing transcriptional silencing of transgenes and endogenous genes and in activating the expression of imprinted genes. DNA demetylation in Arabidopsis is mediated by the DEMETER (DME) family of bifunctional DNA glycosylase. Three targets of DME are MEA (MEDEA), FWA (FLOWERING WAGENINGEN), and FIS2 (FERTILIZATION INDEPENDENT SEED 2). The DME family contains DEMETER-LIKE 2 (DML2), DML3, and REPRESSOR OF SILENING 1 (ROS1). DNA demetylation by ROS1, DML2, and DML3 protect the hypermethylation of specific genome loci. ROS1 is necessary to suppress the promoter methylation and the silencing of endogenous genes. In contrast, the function of DML2 and DML3 has not been reported. Several recent studies have suggested that epigenetic alterations such as change in DNA methylation and histone modification should be caused in plant genomes upon exposure to ionizing radiation. However, there is a lack of data exploring the underlying mechanisms. Therefore, the present study aims to characterize and

  4. Epigenetic changes of Arabidopsis genome associated with altered DNA methyltransferase and demethylase expressions after gamma irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Ji Eun; Cho, Eun Ju; Kim, Ji Hong; Chung, Byung Yeoup; Kim, Jin Hong [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-05-15

    DNA methylation at carbon 5 of cytosines is a hall mark of epigenetic inactivation and heterochromatin in both plants and mammals. In Arabidopsis, DNA methylation has two roles that protect the genome from selfish DNA elements and regulate gene expression. Plant genome has three types of DNA methyltransferase, METHYLTRANSFERASE 1 (MET1), DOMAINREARRANGED METHYLASE (DRM) and CHROMOMETHYLASE 3 (CMT3) that are capable of methylating CG, CHG (where H is A, T, or C) and CHH sites, respectively. MET1 is a maintenance DNA methyltransferase that controls CG methylation. Two members of the DRM family, DRM1 and DRM2, are responsible for de novo methylation of CG, CHG, and CHH sites but show a preference for CHH sites. Finally, CMT3 principally carries out CHG methylation and is involved in both de novo methylation and maintenance. Alternatively, active DNA demethylation may occur through the glycosylase activity by removing the methylcytosines from DNA. It may have essential roles in preventing transcriptional silencing of transgenes and endogenous genes and in activating the expression of imprinted genes. DNA demetylation in Arabidopsis is mediated by the DEMETER (DME) family of bifunctional DNA glycosylase. Three targets of DME are MEA (MEDEA), FWA (FLOWERING WAGENINGEN), and FIS2 (FERTILIZATION INDEPENDENT SEED 2). The DME family contains DEMETER-LIKE 2 (DML2), DML3, and REPRESSOR OF SILENING 1 (ROS1). DNA demetylation by ROS1, DML2, and DML3 protect the hypermethylation of specific genome loci. ROS1 is necessary to suppress the promoter methylation and the silencing of endogenous genes. In contrast, the function of DML2 and DML3 has not been reported. Several recent studies have suggested that epigenetic alterations such as change in DNA methylation and histone modification should be caused in plant genomes upon exposure to ionizing radiation. However, there is a lack of data exploring the underlying mechanisms. Therefore, the present study aims to characterize and

  5. Whole-gene positive selection, elevated synonymous substitution rates, duplication, and indel evolution of the chloroplast clpP1 gene.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Per Erixon

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Synonymous DNA substitution rates in the plant chloroplast genome are generally relatively slow and lineage dependent. Non-synonymous rates are usually even slower due to purifying selection acting on the genes. Positive selection is expected to speed up non-synonymous substitution rates, whereas synonymous rates are expected to be unaffected. Until recently, positive selection has seldom been observed in chloroplast genes, and large-scale structural rearrangements leading to gene duplications are hitherto supposed to be rare. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: We found high substitution rates in the exons of the plastid clpP1 gene in Oenothera (the Evening Primrose family and three separate lineages in the tribe Sileneae (Caryophyllaceae, the Carnation family. Introns have been lost in some of the lineages, but where present, the intron sequences have substitution rates similar to those found in other introns of their genomes. The elevated substitution rates of clpP1 are associated with statistically significant whole-gene positive selection in three branches of the phylogeny. In two of the lineages we found multiple copies of the gene. Neighboring genes present in the duplicated fragments do not show signs of elevated substitution rates or positive selection. Although non-synonymous substitutions account for most of the increase in substitution rates, synonymous rates are also markedly elevated in some lineages. Whereas plant clpP1 genes experiencing negative (purifying selection are characterized by having very conserved lengths, genes under positive selection often have large insertions of more or less repetitive amino acid sequence motifs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We found positive selection of the clpP1 gene in various plant lineages to correlated with repeated duplication of the clpP1 gene and surrounding regions, repetitive amino acid sequences, and increase in synonymous substitution rates. The present study sheds light on the

  6. The Neogene Environment of the Beardmore Glacier, Transantarctic Mountains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashworth, A. C.; Cantrill, D. J.; Francis, J. E.; Roof, S. R.

    2004-12-01

    Discontinuous sequences of Neogene marine and non-marine glacigenic sequences, including the Meyer Desert Formation (MDF), occur throughout the Transantarctic Mountains. The upper 85m of the MDF, consisting of interbedded diamictites, conglomerates, sandstones and siltstones, outcrops in the Oliver Bluffs on the Beardmore Glacier at 85° 07'S, 166° 35'E. The location is about 170 km south of the confluence of the Beardmore Glacier with the Ross Ice Shelf and about 500 km north of the South Pole The glacial, fluvioglacial and glaciolacustrine facies of the MDF represent a dynamic glacial margin which advanced and retreated on at least four occasions. On at least one occasion, the retreat was sufficiently long for plants and animals to colonize the head of a major fjord which existed in the place of the existing Beardmore Glacier. From the fossils we have identified at least 18 species of plants, 3 species of insects, 2 species of freshwater mollusks, and a species of fish. The plant fossils consist of pollen, seeds, fruits, flowers, leaves, wood, and in situ plants. The plants include a cryptogamic flora of mosses and liverworts, conifers, and angiosperms in the families Gramineae, Cyperaceae, Nothofagaceae, Ranunculaceae, Hippuridaceae, ?Caryophyllaceae, and ?Chenopodiaceae or ?Myrtaceae. The plants grew in a weakly developed soil developed on a complex periglacial environment that included moraines, glacial outwash streams, well-drained gravel ridges, and poorly drained depressions in which peat and marl were being deposited. The fossil assemblage represents a mosaic tundra environment of well- and poorly-drained micro-sites, in which nutrient availability would have been patchily distributed. Antarctica has been essentially in a polar position since the Early Cretaceous and at 85° S receives no sunlight from the middle of March until the end of September. Today, the annual radiation received is about 42% that of Tierra del Fuego at 55° S. During the Neogene

  7. Helichrysum italicum growing on metalliferous areas as a potential tool in phytostabilization of metal-contaminated soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bini, Claudio; Maleci, Laura; Giuliani, Claudia

    2015-04-01

    Plants that colonize metalliferous soils have developed physiological mechanisms that allow to tolerate high metal concentrations. Generally, metal uptake by these plants is not suppressed, but a detoxification process occurs, as a response to different strategies: some plants (accumulators) concentrate metals in the aerial parts, while others (excluders) present low metal concentrations in the aerial parts, since metals are arrested in their roots. In several regions of Italy (e.g. Veneto, Sardinia, Tuscany), numerous abandoned mine sites are present; On these metal-contaminated soils grow both metalliferous (e.g. Silene paradoxa) and non-metalliferous plants (e.g. Taraxacum officinale). Among them, Helichrysum italicum deserved attention since it is known as essential oil producer and is also used as a medicinal plant for its anti-inflammatory properties; for this reason, it must undergo the Drug Master File certifying the absence of chemical impurities and heavy metals. Samples of the whole plant (roots, leaves and flowers) of H. italicum have been collected at various sites, both mined and not mined, in order to ascertain its ability to uptake and translocate metals from roots to the aerial parts. Fresh and embedded material was examined by Light microscopy and Electron Microscopy (Scanning and Transmission) to ascertain possible damages in plant morphology. Dried samples were crushed, digested with HNO3 and analysed by ICP-OE technique for heavy metal (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) concentrations. Preliminary observations on the morphology of the different samples do not show significant differences in the leaf structure. The inorganic chemical composition of H. italicum was characterized by high metal content. Preliminary results of our analyses show that H. italicum accumulate metals (Mn, Zn) in roots, but do not translocate metals to the aerial parts; therefore, it may be considered an excluder plant. On the basis of our results, the aerial parts (leaves, flowers) of

  8. Genetic and physical maps around the sex-determining M-locus of the dioecious plant asparagus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Telgmann-Rauber, Alexa; Jamsari, Ari; Kinney, Michael S; Pires, J Chris; Jung, Christian

    2007-09-01

    Asparagus officinalis L. is a dioecious plant. A region called the M-locus located on a pair of homomorphic sex chromosomes controls the sexual dimorphism in asparagus. The aim of this work was to clone the region determining sex in asparagus from its position in the genome. The structure of the region encompassing M should be investigated and compared to the sex-determining regions in other dioecious model species. To establish an improved basis for physical mapping, a high-resolution genetic map was enriched with AFLP markers closely linked to the target locus by carrying out a bulked segregant analysis. By screening a BAC library with AFLP- and STS-markers followed by chromosome walking, a physical map with eight contigs could be established. However, the gaps between the contigs could not be closed due to a plethora of repetitive elements. Surprisingly, two of the contigs on one side of the M-locus did not overlap although they have been established with two markers, which mapped in a distance as low as 0.25 cM flanking the sex locus. Thus, the clustering of the markers indicates a reduced recombination frequency within the M-region. On the opposite side of the M-locus, a contig was mapped in a distance of 0.38 cM. Four closely linked BAC clones were partially sequenced and 64 putative ORFs were identified. Interestingly, only 25% of the ORFs showed sequence similarity to known proteins and ESTs. In addition, an accumulation of repetitive sequences and a low gene density was revealed in the sex-determining region of asparagus. Molecular cytogenetic and sequence analysis of BACs flanking the M-locus indicate that the BACs contain highly repetitive sequences that localize to centromeric and pericentromeric locations on all asparagus chromosomes, which hindered the localization of the M-locus to the single pair of sex chromosomes. We speculate that dioecious Silene, papaya and Asparagus species may represent three stages in the evolution of XX, XY sex

  9. Environmentally induced transgenerational changes in seed longevity: maternal and genetic influence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mondoni, A; Orsenigo, S; Donà, M; Balestrazzi, A; Probert, R J; Hay, F R; Petraglia, A; Abeli, T

    2014-06-01

    Seed longevity, a fundamental plant trait for ex situ conservation and persistence in the soil of many species, varies across populations and generations that experience different climates. This study investigates the extent to which differences in seed longevity are due to genetic differences and/or modified by adaptive responses to environmental changes. Seeds of two wild populations of Silene vulgaris from alpine (wA) and lowland (wL) locations and seeds originating from their cultivation in a lowland common garden for two generations (cA1, cL1, cA2 and cL2) were exposed to controlled ageing at 45 °C, 60 % relative humidity and regularly sampled for germination and relative mRNA quantification (SvHSP17.4 and SvNRPD12). The parental plant growth environment affected the longevity of seeds with high plasticity. Seeds of wL were significantly longer lived than those of wA. However, when alpine plants were grown in the common garden, longevity doubled for the first generation of seeds produced (cA1). Conversely, longevity was similar in all lowland seed lots and did not increase in the second generation of seeds produced from alpine plants grown in the common garden (cA2). Analysis of parental effects on mRNA seed provisioning indicated that the accumulation of gene transcripts involved in tolerance to heat stress was highest in wL, cL1 and cL2, followed by cA1, cA2 and wA. Seed longevity has a genetic basis, but may show strong adaptive responses, which are associated with differential accumulation of mRNA via parental effects. Adaptive adjustments of seed longevity due to transgenerational plasticity may play a fundamental role in the survival and persistence of the species in the face of future environmental challenges. The results suggest that regeneration location may have important implications for the conservation of alpine plants held in seed banks. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All

  10. Potential ecosystem service delivery by endemic plants in New Zealand vineyards: successes and prospects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shields, Morgan W; Tompkins, Jean-Marie; Saville, David J; Meurk, Colin D; Wratten, Stephen

    2016-01-01

    Vineyards worldwide occupy over 7 million hectares and are typically virtual monocultures, with high and costly inputs of water and agro-chemicals. Understanding and enhancing ecosystem services can reduce inputs and their costs and help satisfy market demands for evidence of more sustainable practices. In this New Zealand work, low-growing, endemic plant species were evaluated for their potential benefits as Service Providing Units (SPUs) or Ecosystem Service Providers (ESPs). The services provided were weed suppression, conservation of beneficial invertebrates, soil moisture retention and microbial activity. The potential Ecosystem Dis-services (EDS) from the selected plant species by hosting the larvae of a key vine moth pest, the light-brown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana), was also quantified. Questionnaires were used to evaluate winegrowers' perceptions of the value of and problems associated with such endemic plant species in their vineyards. Growth and survival rates of the 14 plant species, in eight families, were evaluated, with Leptinella dioica (Asteraceae) and Acaena inermis 'purpurea' (Rosaceae) having the highest growth rates in terms of area covered and the highest survival rate after 12 months. All 14 plant species suppressed weeds, with Leptinella squalida, Geranium sessiliforum (Geraniaceae), Hebe chathamica (Plantaginaceae), Scleranthus uniflorus (Caryophyllaceae) and L. dioica, each reducing weed cover by >95%. Plant species also differed in the diversity of arthropods that they supported, with the Shannon Wiener diversity index (H') for these taxa ranging from 0 to 1.3. G. sessiliforum and Muehlenbeckia axillaris (Polygonaceae) had the highest invertebrate diversity. Density of spiders was correlated with arthropod diversity and G. sessiliflorum and H. chathamica had the highest densities of these arthropods. Several plant species associated with higher soil moisture content than in control plots. The best performing species in this context

  11. Potential ecosystem service delivery by endemic plants in New Zealand vineyards: successes and prospects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Morgan W. Shields

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Vineyards worldwide occupy over 7 million hectares and are typically virtual monocultures, with high and costly inputs of water and agro-chemicals. Understanding and enhancing ecosystem services can reduce inputs and their costs and help satisfy market demands for evidence of more sustainable practices. In this New Zealand work, low-growing, endemic plant species were evaluated for their potential benefits as Service Providing Units (SPUs or Ecosystem Service Providers (ESPs. The services provided were weed suppression, conservation of beneficial invertebrates, soil moisture retention and microbial activity. The potential Ecosystem Dis-services (EDS from the selected plant species by hosting the larvae of a key vine moth pest, the light-brown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana, was also quantified. Questionnaires were used to evaluate winegrowers’ perceptions of the value of and problems associated with such endemic plant species in their vineyards. Growth and survival rates of the 14 plant species, in eight families, were evaluated, with Leptinella dioica (Asteraceae and Acaena inermis ‘purpurea’ (Rosaceae having the highest growth rates in terms of area covered and the highest survival rate after 12 months. All 14 plant species suppressed weeds, with Leptinella squalida, Geranium sessiliforum (Geraniaceae, Hebe chathamica (Plantaginaceae, Scleranthus uniflorus (Caryophyllaceae and L. dioica, each reducing weed cover by >95%. Plant species also differed in the diversity of arthropods that they supported, with the Shannon Wiener diversity index (H′ for these taxa ranging from 0 to 1.3. G. sessiliforum and Muehlenbeckia axillaris (Polygonaceae had the highest invertebrate diversity. Density of spiders was correlated with arthropod diversity and G. sessiliflorum and H. chathamica had the highest densities of these arthropods. Several plant species associated with higher soil moisture content than in control plots. The best performing species

  12. Baseline Polymorphisms and Emergence of Drug Resistance in the NS3/4A Protease of Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1 following Treatment with Faldaprevir and Pegylated Interferon Alpha 2a/Ribavirin in Phase 2 and Phase 3 Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berger, K L; Scherer, J; Ranga, M; Sha, N; Stern, J O; Quinson, A-M; Kukolj, G

    2015-10-01

    Analysis of data pooled from multiple phase 2 (SILEN-C1 to 3) and phase 3 studies (STARTVerso1 to 4) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural protein 3/4A (NS3/4A) protease inhibitor faldaprevir plus pegylated interferon alpha/ribavirin (PR) provides a comprehensive evaluation of baseline and treatment-emergent NS3/4A amino acid variants among HCV genotype-1 (GT-1)-infected patients. Pooled analyses of GT-1a and GT-1b NS3 population-based pretreatment sequences (n = 3,124) showed that faldaprevir resistance-associated variants (RAVs) at NS3 R155 and D168 were rare (<1%). No single, noncanonical NS3 protease or NS4A cofactor baseline polymorphism was associated with a reduced sustained virologic response (SVR) to faldaprevir plus PR, including Q80K. The GT-1b NS3 helicase polymorphism T344I was associated with reduced SVR to faldaprevir plus PR (P < 0.0001) but was not faldaprevir specific, as reduced SVR was also observed with placebo plus PR. Among patients who did not achieve SVR and had available NS3 population sequences (n = 507 GT-1a; n = 349 GT-1b), 94% of GT-1a and 83% of GT-1b encoded faldaprevir treatment-emergent RAVs. The predominant GT-1a RAV was R155K (88%), whereas GT-1b encoded D168 substitutions (78%) in which D168V was predominant (67%). The novel GT-1b NS3 S61L substitution emerged in 7% of virologic failures as a covariant with D168V, most often among the faldaprevir breakthroughs; S61L in combination with D168V had a minimal impact on faldaprevir susceptibility compared with that for D168V alone (1.5-fold difference in vitro). The median time to loss of D168 RAVs among GT-1b-infected patients who did not have a sustained virologic response at 12 weeks posttreatment (non-SVR12) after virologic failure was 5 months, which was shorter than the 14 months for R155 RAVs among GT-1a-infected non-SVR12 patients, suggesting that D168V is less fit than R155K in the absence of faldaprevir selective pressure. Copyright © 2015, American Society for

  13. The importance of a taste. A comparative study on wild food plant consumption in twenty-one local communities in Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Binda Riccardo

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract A comparative food ethnobotanical study was carried out in twenty-one local communities in Italy, fourteen of which were located in Northern Italy, one in Central Italy, one in Sardinia, and four in Southern Italy. 549 informants were asked to name and describe food uses of wild botanicals they currently gather and consume. Data showed that gathering, processing and consuming wild food plants are still important activities in all the selected areas. A few botanicals were quoted and cited in multiple areas, demonstrating that there are ethnobotanical contact points among the various Italian regions (Asparagus acutifolius, Reichardia picroides, Cichorium intybus, Foeniculum vulgare, Sambucus nigra, Silene vulgaris, Taraxacum officinale, Urtica dioica, Sonchus and Valerianella spp.. One taxon (Borago officinalis in particular was found to be among the most quoted taxa in both the Southern and the Northern Italian sites. However, when we took into account data regarding the fifteen most quoted taxa in each site and compared and statistically analysed these, we observed that there were a few differences in the gathering and consumption of wild food plants between Northern and Southern Italy. In the North, Rosaceae species prevailed, whereas in the South, taxa belonging to the Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, and Liliaceae s.l. families were most frequently cited. We proposed the hypothesis that these differences may be due to the likelihood that in Southern Italy the erosion of TK on wild vegetables is taking place more slowly, and also to the likelihood that Southern Italians' have a higher appreciation of wild vegetables that have a strong and bitter taste. A correspondence analysis confirmed that the differences in the frequencies of quotation of wild plants within the Northern and the Southern Italian sites could be ascribed only partially to ethnic/cultural issues. An additional factor could be recent socio-economic shifts, which may be having

  14. International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) - ICSBEP 2015 Handbook

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bess, John D.

    2015-01-01

    The Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (CSBEP) was initiated in October of 1992 by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The project quickly became an international effort as scientists from other interested countries became involved. The International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) became an official activity of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) in 1995. This handbook contains criticality safety benchmark specifications that have been derived from experiments performed at various critical facilities around the world. The benchmark specifications are intended for use by criticality safety engineers to validate calculation techniques used to establish minimum subcritical margins for operations with fissile material and to determine criticality alarm requirements and placement. Many of the specifications are also useful for nuclear data testing. Example calculations are presented; however, these calculations do not constitute a validation of the codes or cross-section data. The evaluated criticality safety benchmark data are given in nine volumes. These volumes span approximately 69000 pages and contain 567 evaluations with benchmark specifications for 4874 critical, near-critical or subcritical configurations, 31 criticality alarm placement/shielding configurations with multiple dose points for each, and 207 configurations that have been categorised as fundamental physics measurements that are relevant to criticality safety applications. New to the handbook are benchmark specifications for neutron activation foil and thermoluminescent dosimeter measurements performed at the SILENE critical assembly in Valduc, France as part of a joint venture in 2010 between the US DOE and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). A photograph of this experiment is shown on the front cover. Experiments that are found unacceptable for use as criticality safety benchmark experiments are discussed in these

  15. Palynostratigraphical correlation of the excavated Miocene lignite seams of the Yataǧan basin (Muǧla Province, south-western Turkey)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouchal, Johannes Martin; Grímsson, Friðgeir; Denk, Thomas

    2016-04-01

    The excavated main lignite seams and overlying lacustrine sediments of the opencast mines Eskihisar, Salihpaşalar, and Tı naz, Muǧla Province, south-western Turkey were investigated using a high taxonomic resolution palynological approach. The Eskihisar section comprises 47m and 56 samples of which 30 were usable for palynological analysis. The Tı naz section comprises 75 m and 29 samples of which 15 were usable for palynological analysis. Finally, the Salihpaşalar section comprises 25 m and 26 samples of which 16 were usable for palynological analysis. The age of the palynological sections is middle to late Miocene based on radiometric dating and vertebrate fossils. In order to investigate dispersed pollen and spores and their botanical affinities a combined light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy approach was used. The rich palynoflora comprises: seven types of algal cysts (Botryococcus, Zygnemataceae), seventeen spore types belonging to Lycopsida (club mosses), Marsileaceae (water-clover), Osmundaceae, Pteridaceae (brake), and Polypodiaceae; 14 types of gymnosperm pollen belonging to Ephedraceae (Mormon tea), Cupressaceae, Pinaceae (Cathaya, cedar, hemlock, pine, spruce); five types of monocotyledone pollen belonging to Poaceae (grasses, common reed), and Typhaceae (bulrush, bur-reed); ca 90 dicotyledone pollen types belonging to Altingiaceae (sweet gum), Amaranthaceae (goosefoot), Anacardiaceae (sumac family), Apiaceae (parsley family), Aquifoliaceae (holly), Asteraceae (sunflower family), Betulaceae (alder, birch, hazel, hophornbeam, hornbeam), Campanulaceae (bellflower family), Cannabaceae (hackberries), Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle, teasel family), Caryophyllaceae (pink family), Ericaceae (heather family), Eucommiaceae, Euphorbiaceae (spurge family), Fabaceae (bean family), Fagaceae (beech, oak), Geraniaceae (storkbills), Juglandaceae (hickory, walnut, wingnut), Lamiaceae (bagflower), Linaceae (flax), Lythraceae (waterwillow), Malvaceae

  16. Volumen y dimensiones como predictores del peso de semilla en especies herbáceas del centro de la Península Ibérica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sánchez, Ana M.

    2001-12-01

    de la filogenia. Se elaboraron cinco grupos de modelos: uno con las especies del genero Trifolium, otros tres corresponden a las familias representadas por un mayor número de especies (Caryophyllaceae, Asteraceae y Poaceae y, por Último, se elaboró un modelo general con una especie de cada una de las familias presentes en la muestra. Los modelos se valoran en función de la varianza absorbida, su significación respecto al anterior en complejidad y el esfuerzo invertido en la obtención de los datos requeridos en cada uno de ellos. Además, se comprobó la validez de los datos de dimensión de semilla obtenidos de la bibliografía para predecir el peso de las mismas. Las dos primeras dimensiones de la semilla son excelentes predictores del peso en el caso de Trifolium (Peso = - 24.55 + 0,10Dl + 3,38D2, r2= 0.94 y Astemceae (Peso = - 20.90 + 1,19D1+ 1.67D2, r2= 0.91 y bastante satisfactorios en el caso del modelo general (Peso = - 16.01 + 0,56D1 + 1,60D2, r2 = 0,69.

  17. Geogenic Enrichment of PTEs and the " Serpentine Syndrome"(H. Jenny, 1980). A proxy for soil remediation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bini, Claudio; Maleci, Laura

    2014-05-01

    Serpentine soils have relatively high concentrations of PTEs (e.g., Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni) but generally low amounts of major nutrients. They often bear a distinctive vegetation, and a frequently-used approach to understanding serpentine ecology and environmental hazard has been the chemical analysis of soils and plants. Long-term studies on aspects of serpentine soils and their vegetation provide results on total concentrations, or on plant-available fractions, of soil elements which counteract ecological conditions. For example, there is evidence of Ni toxicity at Ni-concentration >0.3 mg/L in the soil solution (Johnston and Proctor, 1981). The serpentine vegetation differs from the conterminous non-serpentine areas, being often endemic, and showing macroscopic physionomical characters such as dwarfism, prostrate outcome, glaucescence and glabrescence, leaves stenosis, root shortening (what Jenny, 1980, called "the serpentine syndrome"). Similarly, at microscopic level cytomorphological characteristics of the roots and variations in biochemical parameters such as LPO and phenols have been recorded in serpentine native vegetation (Giuliani et al., 2008). Light microscopy observations showed depressed mitotic activity in the meristematic zone, and consequent reduced root growth (Gabbrielli et al., 1990) The metal content of plants growing on serpentine soils at sites with different microclimatic conditions has been examined by several authors (e.g. Bini et al., 1993; Dinelli and Lombini, 1996) . A preferential Ni distribution in epidermis and sclerenchima has been observed in the stem of Alyssum bertoloni, a well known Ni-accumulator plant (Vergnano Gambi, 1975). The different tolerance mechanisms responsible for plant adaption to high concentrations of PTEs in serpentine soils can be related to the capacity of plants either to limit metal uptake and translocation or to accumulate metals in non toxic forms. The majority of serpentine species (e.g. Silene italica) tend

  18. Synthesis of main group, rare-earth, and d{sup 0} metal complexes containing beta-hydrogen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Ka King [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2013-01-01

    A series of organometallic compounds containing the tris(dimethylsilyl)methyl ligand are described. The potassium carbanions KC(SiHMe2)3 and KC(SiHMe2})3TMEDA are synthesized by deprotonation of the hydrocarbon HC(SiHMe2)3 with potassium benzyl. KC(SiHMe2)3TMEDA crystallizes as a dimer with two types of three-center-two-electron KH- Si interactions. Homoleptic Ln(III) tris(silylalkyl) complexes containing β-SiH groups M{C(SiHMe2)3}3 (Ln = Y, Lu, La) are synthesized from salt elimination of the corresponding lanthanide halide and 3 equiv. of KC(SiHMe2)3. The related reactions with Sc yield bis(silylalkyl) ate-complexes containing either LiCl or KCl. The divalent calcium and ytterbium compounds M{C(SiHMe2)3}2L (M = Ca, Yb; L = THF2 or TMEDA) are prepared from MI2 and 2 equiv of KC(SiHMe2)3. The compounds M{C(SiHMe2)3}2L (M = Ca, Yb; L = THF2 or TMEDA) and La{C(SiHMe2)3}3 react with 1 equiv of B(C6F5)3 to give 1,3- disilacyclobutane {Me2Si-C(SiHMe2)2}2 and MC(SiHMe2)3HB(C6F5)3L, and La{C(SiHMe2)3}2HB(C6F5)3, respectively. The corresponding reactions of Ln{C(SiHMe2)3}3 (Ln = Y, Lu) give the β-SiH abstraction product [{(Me2HSi)3C}2LnC(SiHMe2)2SiMe2][HB(C6F5)3] (Ln = Y, Lu), but the silene remains associated with the Y or Lu center. The abstraction reactions of M{C(SiHMe2)3}2L (M = Ca, Yb; L = THF2or TMEDA) and Ln{C(SiHMe2)3}3 (Ln = Y, Lu, La) and 2 equiv of B(C6

  19. Trace element concentration in soils and plants in the vicinity of Miduk copper mine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farid Moore

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction High concentrations of metals are usually encountered in surface soil and vegetation in areas affected by mining activity (Liu et al., 2006. Different distribution of elements in chemical fractions result in different bioavailability; therefore knowledge of the total content of an element in soil is not a sufficient criterion to estimate the environmental implications of trace metal presence (Maiz et al., 2000. Sequential extraction analysis gives information on the element distribution among different phases of soil. Several schemes of sequential extraction are used for the determination of commonly distinguished metal species, which are in general: (1 easily exchangeable or water soluble; (2 specifically sorbed; e.g., by carbonates or phosphates; (3 organically bound; (4 occluded by Fe-Mn oxides and hydroxides; and (5 structurally bound in minerals or residual (Kabata-Pendias and Mukherjee, 2007. The main objectives of this study are: (1 to describe the distribution pattern of elements in rocks and soils of the Miduk area; (2 to assess the fractionation of elements in soil and the mining impact on the mobility of trace elements; (3 to investigate the uptake of analyzed elements by selected indigenous plant species. Materials and Methods In this study, 32 soil samples at two depths (0-5 cm and 15-20 cm, were analyzed for total concentration of 45 elements. In order to assess the possible bioaccumulation of the elements, the roots and the overground parts of 3 plant species (Astragalus-Fabaceae, Acanthophyllum -Caryophyllaceae, Artemisia -Asteraceae were also collected and analyzed. Enrichment factors (EFs were calculated to assess whether the concentrations observed represent background or contaminated levels. The Tessier et al. method (Tessier et al., 1979 was chosen for sequential extraction of 6 subsoil samples. Correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between the analyzed elements in soil. The plant’s ability