A numerical analysis on forming limits during spiral and concentric single point incremental forming

Science.gov (United States)

Gipiela, M. L.; Amauri, V.; Nikhare, C.; Marcondes, P. V. P.

2017-01-01

Sheet metal forming is one of the major manufacturing industries, which are building numerous parts for aerospace, automotive and medical industry. Due to the high demand in vehicle industry and environmental regulations on less fuel consumption on other hand, researchers are innovating new methods to build these parts with energy efficient sheet metal forming process instead of conventionally used punch and die to form the parts to achieve the lightweight parts. One of the most recognized manufacturing process in this category is Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF). SPIF is the die-less sheet metal forming process in which the single point tool incrementally forces any single point of sheet metal at any process time to plastic deformation zone. In the present work, finite element method (FEM) is applied to analyze the forming limits of high strength low alloy steel formed by single point incremental forming (SPIF) by spiral and concentric tool path. SPIF numerical simulations were model with 24 and 29 mm cup depth, and the results were compare with Nakajima results obtained by experiments and FEM. It was found that the cup formed with Nakajima tool failed at 24 mm while cups formed by SPIF surpassed the limit for both depths with both profiles. It was also notice that the strain achieved in concentric profile are lower than that in spiral profile.

PCP-B class pollen coat proteins are key regulators of the hydration checkpoint in Arabidopsis thaliana pollen-stigma interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ludi; Clarke, Lisa A; Eason, Russell J; Parker, Christopher C; Qi, Baoxiu; Scott, Rod J; Doughty, James

2017-01-01

The establishment of pollen-pistil compatibility is strictly regulated by factors derived from both male and female reproductive structures. Highly diverse small cysteine-rich proteins (CRPs) have been found to play multiple roles in plant reproduction, including the earliest stages of the pollen-stigma interaction. Secreted CRPs found in the pollen coat of members of the Brassicaceae, the pollen coat proteins (PCPs), are emerging as important signalling molecules that regulate the pollen-stigma interaction. Using a combination of protein characterization, expression and phylogenetic analyses we identified a novel class of Arabidopsis thaliana pollen-borne CRPs, the PCP-Bs (for pollen coat protein B-class) that are related to embryo surrounding factor (ESF1) developmental regulators. Single and multiple PCP-B mutant lines were utilized in bioassays to assess effects on pollen hydration, adhesion and pollen tube growth. Our results revealed that pollen hydration is severely impaired when multiple PCP-Bs are lost from the pollen coat. The hydration defect also resulted in reduced pollen adhesion and delayed pollen tube growth in all mutants studied. These results demonstrate that AtPCP-Bs are key regulators of the hydration 'checkpoint' in establishment of pollen-stigma compatibility. In addition, we propose that interspecies diversity of PCP-Bs may contribute to reproductive barriers in the Brassicaceae. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Single chamber microbial fuel cell with spiral anode for dairy wastewater treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Mardanpour, Mohammad Mahdi; Nasr Esfahany, Mohsen; Behzad, Tayebeh; Sedaqatvand, Ramin

2012-01-01

This study reports on the fabrication of a novel annular single chamber microbial fuel cell (ASCMFC) with spiral anode. The stainless steel mesh anode with graphite coating was used as anode. Dairy wastewater, containing complex organic matter, was used as substrate. ASCMFC had been operated for 450 h and results indicated a high open circuit voltage (about 810 mV) compared with previously published results. The maximum power density of 20.2 W/m(3) obtained in this study is significantly greater than the power densities reported in previous studies. Besides, a maximum coulombic efficiency of 26.87% with 91% COD removal was achieved. Good bacterial adhesion on the spiral anode is clearly shown in SEM micrographs. High power density and a successful performance in wastewater treatment in ASCMFC suggest it as a promising alternative to conventional MFCs for power generation and wastewater treatment. ASCMFC performance as a power generator was characterized based on polarization behavior and cell potentials. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Properties of spiral resonators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haeuser, J.

1989-10-01

The present thesis deals with the calculation and the study of the application possibilities of single and double spiral resonators. The main aim was the development and the construction of reliable and effective high-power spiral resonators for the UNILAC of the GSI in Darmstadt and the H - -injector for the storage ring HERA of DESY in Hamburg. After the presentation of the construction and the properties of spiral resonators and their description by oscillating-circuit models the theoretical foundations of the bunching are presented and some examples of a rebuncher and debuncher and their influence on the longitudinal particle dynamics are shown. After the description of the characteristic accelerator quantities by means of an oscillating-circuit model and the theory of an inhomogeneous λ/4 line it is shown, how the resonance frequency and the efficiency of single and double spiral resonators can be calculated from the geometrical quantities of the structure. In the following the dependence of the maximal reachable resonator voltage in dependence on the gap width and the surface of the drift tubes is studied. Furthermore the high-power resonators are presented, which were built for the different applications for the GSI in Darmstadt, DESY in Hamburg, and for the FOM Institute in Amsterdam. (orig./HSI) [de

How far can we simplify in vitro diagnostics for grass pollen allergy?: A study with 17 whole pollen extracts and purified natural and recombinant major allergens

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Ree, R.; van Leeuwen, W. A.; Aalberse, R. C.

1998-01-01

BACKGROUND: Current diagnostics for grass pollen allergy are composed of mixtures of pollen of different grass species. Their complex composition hampers accurate standardization. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate whether mixtures of grass pollen extracts can be replaced by a single

Spiral phases of doped antiferromagnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shraiman, B.I.; Siggia, E.D.

1990-01-01

The dipole density field describing the holls in a doped antiferromagnet is considered for law hole density in the semiclassical limit. This yields a phase in which the order parameter is planar and spirals round a fixed direction. The single spiral state breaks the continuous spin rotational symmetry and exhibits long-range order at zero temperature. In it there is a global spin direction as rotation axis. The double spiral state, in which there are two perpendicular directions, is isotropic in both spin and real space. Several results of microscopic calculations, carried out to understand the electronic states, quantum fluctuations, lattice effects and normal mode dynamics, are recapitulated. 8 refs

High-Tc Superconducting Thick-Film Spiral Magnet: Development and Characterization of a Single Spiral Module

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

McGinnis, W

1997-01-01

The objective of this project was to make characterized and numerically model prototype modules of a new type of superconducting electromagnet based on stacked spirals of superconducting thick films...

A combinatorial approach to angiosperm pollen morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Mander, Luke

2016-11-30

Angiosperms (flowering plants) are strikingly diverse. This is clearly expressed in the morphology of their pollen grains, which are characterized by enormous variety in their shape and patterning. In this paper, I approach angiosperm pollen morphology from the perspective of enumerative combinatorics. This involves generating angiosperm pollen morphotypes by algorithmically combining character states and enumerating the results of these combinations. I use this approach to generate 3 643 200 pollen morphotypes, which I visualize using a parallel-coordinates plot. This represents a raw morphospace. To compare real-world and theoretical morphologies, I map the pollen of 1008 species of Neotropical angiosperms growing on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, onto this raw morphospace. This highlights that, in addition to their well-documented taxonomic diversity, Neotropical rainforests also represent an enormous reservoir of morphological diversity. Angiosperm pollen morphospace at BCI has been filled mostly by pollen morphotypes that are unique to single plant species. Repetition of pollen morphotypes among higher taxa at BCI reflects both constraint and convergence. This combinatorial approach to morphology addresses the complexity that results from large numbers of discrete character combinations and could be employed in any situation where organismal form can be captured by discrete morphological characters. © 2016 The Author(s).

Evaluation of Selected Ornamental Asteraceae as a Pollen Source for Urban Bees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wróblewska Anna

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Offering more floral resources for urban bees can be achieved by growing ornamental bee plants. The aim of the present study was to evaluate selected Asteraceae (Calendula officinalis ‘Persimmon Beauty’ and ‘Santana’, Centaurea macrocephala, Cosmos sulphureus, Dahlia pinnata, Tagetes patula, Tithonia rotundifolia, and Zinnia elegans as pollen sources for pollinators. Under urban conditions in Lublin, SE Poland, the investigated plants flowered from late June to the end of October. The mass of pollen produced in florets and capitula was found to be species-related. The highest pollen amounts per 10 florets (10.1 mg as well as per capitulum (249.7 mg were found for C. macrocephala. The mass of pollen yielded by a single plant depended on both the pollen mass delivered per disk florets and the proportion of disk florets in capitulum, and the flowering abundance of the plants. A single plant of D. pinnata and a single plant of T. rotundifolia each produced the largest pollen mass. Mean pollen yield per 1m2 of a plot ranged from 6.2 g (Z. elegans to 60.7 g (D. pinnata. Pollen grains are tricolporate, with echinate exine, medium or small in size. They can be categorised as oblatespherical, spherical, and prolatespherical. The principal visitors to C. macrocephala, C. sulphureus, and C. officinalis were honey bees, whereas bumble bees dominated on T. rotundifolia and D. pinnata. A magnet plant for butterflies was Z. elegans. Among the investigated species, D. pinnata, C. macrocephala, and T. rotundifolia were found to be the most valuable sources of pollen flow for managed and wild bees.

Cotton transformation via pollen tube pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Min; Zhang, Baohong; Wang, Qinglian

2013-01-01

Although many gene transfer methods have been employed for successfully obtaining transgenic cotton, the major constraint in cotton improvement is the limitation of genotype because the majority of transgenic methods require plant regeneration from a single transformed cell which is limited by cotton tissue culture. Comparing with other plant species, it is difficult to induce plant regeneration from cotton; currently, only a limited number of cotton cultivars can be cultured for obtaining regenerated plants. Thus, development of a simple and genotype-independent genetic transformation method is particularly important for cotton community. In this chapter, we present a simple, cost-efficient, and genotype-independent cotton transformation method-pollen tube pathway-mediated transformation. This method uses pollen tube pathway to deliver transgene into cotton embryo sacs and then insert foreign genes into cotton genome. There are three major steps for pollen tube pathway-mediated genetic transformation, which include injection of -foreign genes into pollen tube, integration of foreign genes into plant genome, and selection of transgenic plants.

Spiral magnetism in the single-band Hubbard model: the Hartree-Fock and slave-boson approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Igoshev, P A; Timirgazin, M A; Gilmutdinov, V F; Arzhnikov, A K; Irkhin, V Yu

2015-11-11

The ground-state magnetic phase diagram is investigated within the single-band Hubbard model for square and different cubic lattices. The results of employing the generalized non-correlated mean-field (Hartree-Fock) approximation and generalized slave-boson approach by Kotliar and Ruckenstein with correlation effects included are compared. We take into account commensurate ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, and incommensurate (spiral) magnetic phases, as well as phase separation into magnetic phases of different types, which was often lacking in previous investigations. It is found that the spiral states and especially ferromagnetism are generally strongly suppressed up to non-realistically large Hubbard U by the correlation effects if nesting is absent and van Hove singularities are well away from the paramagnetic phase Fermi level. The magnetic phase separation plays an important role in the formation of magnetic states, the corresponding phase regions being especially wide in the vicinity of half-filling. The details of non-collinear and collinear magnetic ordering for different cubic lattices are discussed.

Advanced single-slice rebinning for tilted spiral cone-beam CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kachelriess, Marc; Fuchs, Theo; Schaller, Stefan; Kalender, Willi A.

2001-01-01

Future medical CT scanners and today's micro CT scanners demand cone-beam reconstruction algorithms that are capable of reconstructing data acquired from a tilted spiral trajectory where the vector of rotation is not necessarily parallel to the vector of table increment. For the medical CT scanner this case of nonparallel object motion is met for nonzero gantry tilt: the table moves into a direction that is not perpendicular to the plane of rotation. Since this is not a special application of medical CT but rather a daily routine in head exams, there is a strong need for corresponding reconstruction algorithms. In contrast to medical CT, where the special case of nonperpendicular motion is used on purpose, micro CT scanners cannot avoid aberrations of the rotational axis and the table increment vector due to alignment problems. Especially for those micro CT scanners that have the lifting stage mounted on the rotation table (in contrast to setups where the lifting stage holds the rotation table), this kind of misalignment is equivalent to a gantry tilt. We therefore generalize the advanced single-slice rebinning algorithm (ASSR), which is considered a very promising approach for medical cone-beam reconstruction due to its high image quality and its high reconstruction speed [Med. Phys. 27, 754-772 (2000)], to the case of tilted gantries. We evaluate this extended ASSR approach (which we will denote as ASSR + , for convenience) in comparison to the original ASSR algorithm using simulated phantom data for reconstruction. For the case of nonparallel object motion ASSR + shows significant improvements over ASSR, however, its computational complexity is slightly increased due to the broken symmetry of the spiral trajectory

Measurement of single kidney contrast media clearance by multiphasic spiral computed tomography: preliminary results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hackstein, N.; Puille, M.F.; Bak, Benjamin H.; Scharwat, Oliver; Rau, W.S.

2001-01-01

Objective. We present preliminary results of a new method (hereinafter called 'CT-clearance') to measure single kidney contrast media clearance by performing multiphasic helical CT of the kidneys. CT-clearance was calculated according to an extension of the Patlak-Plot. In contrast to prior investigators, who repeatedly measured a single slice, this method makes it possible to calculate single kidney clearance from at least three spiral CTs, utilizing the whole kidney volume. Methods. Spiral CT of the kidneys was performed unenhanced and about 30 and 100 s after administration of about 120 ml iopromide. Sum-density of the whole kidneys and aortic density was calculated from this data. Using this data, renal clearance of contrast media was calculated by CT-clearance in 29 patients. As reference, Serum-clearance was calculated in 24 patients by application of a modified one-exponential slope model. Information on the relative kidney function was gained by renal scintigraphy with Tc99m-MAG-3 or Tc99m-DMSA in 29 patients. Results. Linear regression analysis revealed a correlation coefficient of CT-clearance with Serum-clearance of r=0.78 with Cl (CT) [ml/min]=22.2+1.03 * Cl (serum), n=24. Linear regression of the relative kidney function (rkf) of the right kidney calculated by CT-clearance compared to scintigraphy results provided a correlation coefficient r=0.89 with rkf(CT)[%]=18.6+0.58 * rkf(scintigraphy), n=29. Conclusion. The obtained results of contrast media clearance measured by CT-clearance are in the physiological range of the parameter. Future studies should be performed to improve the methodology with the aim of higher accuracy. More specifically, better determination of the aortic density curve might improve the accuracy

Continuing research on the classical spiraling photon model

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hongrui

2014-11-01

Based no the classical spiraling photon model proposed by Hongrui Li, the laws of reflection, refraction of a single photon can be derived. Moreover, the polarization, total reflection, evanescent wave and Goos-Hanchen shift of a single photon can be elucidated. However, this photon model is still unfinished. Especially, the spiraling diameter of a photon is not definite. In this paper, the continuous research works on this new theory are reported. According to the facts that the diffraction limit of light and the smallest diameter of the focal spot of lenses are all equal to the wavelength λ of the light, we can get that the spiraling diameter of a photon equals to the wavelength λ, so we gain that the angle between the linear velocity of the spiraling photon υ and the component of the linear velocity in the forward direction υb is 45°, and the energy of a classical spiraling photon E = (1/2)mυ2 = (1/2)m2c2 = mc2. This coincides with Einstein's mass-energy relation. While it is obtained that the velocity of the evanescent wave in the vacuum is slower than the velocity of light in glass in straight line. In such a way, the optical fiber can slow the light down. In addition, the force analysis of a single photon in optical tweezers system is discussed. And the reason that the laser beam can capture the particle slightly downstream from the focal point can be explained.

How does a planet excite multiple spiral arms?

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Jaehan; Zhu, Zhaohuan

2018-01-01

Protoplanetary disk simulations show that a single planet excites multiple spiral arms in the background disk, potentially supported by the multi-armed spirals revealed with recent high-resolution observations in some disks. The existence of multiple spiral arms is of importance in many aspects. It is empirically found that the arm-to-arm separation increases as a function of the planetary mass, so one can use the morphology of observed spiral arms to infer the mass of unseen planets. In addition, a spiral arm opens a radial gap as it steepens into a shock, so when a planet excites multiple spiral arms it can open multiple gaps in the disk. Despite the important implications, however, the formation mechanism of multiple spiral arms has not been fully understood by far.In this talk, we explain how a planet excites multiple spiral arms. The gravitational potential of a planet can be decomposed into a Fourier series, a sum of individual azimuthal modes having different azimuthal wavenumbers. Using a linear wave theory, we first demonstrate that appropriate sets of Fourier decomposed waves can be in phase, raising a possibility that constructive interference among the waves can produce coherent structures - spiral arms. More than one spiral arm can form since such constructive interference can occur at different positions in the disk for different sets of waves. We then verify this hypothesis using a suite of two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations. Finally, we present non-linear behavior in the formation of multiple spiral arms.

Taxonomic description of in situ bee pollen from the middle Eocene of Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Grímsson, FriĐgeir; Zetter, Reinhard; Labandeira, Conrad C; Engel, Michael S; Wappler, Torsten

2017-01-02

The middle Eocene Messel and Eckfeld localities are renowned for their excellently preserved faunas and diverse floras. Here we describe for the first time pollen from insect-pollinated plants found in situ on well-preserved ancient bees using light and scanning electron microscopy. There have been 140 pollen types reported from Messel and 162 pollen types from Eckfeld. Here we document 23 pollen types, six from Messel and 18 from Eckfeld (one is shared). The taxa reported here are all pollinated by insects and mostly not recovered in the previously studied dispersed fossil pollen records. Typically, a single or two pollen types are found on each fossil bee specimen, the maximum number of distinct pollen types on a single individual is five. Only five of the 23 pollen types obtained are angiosperms of unknown affinity, the remainder cover a broad taxonomic range of angiosperm trees and include members of several major clades: monocots (1 pollen type), fabids (7), malvids (4), asterids (5) and other core eudicots (1). Seven types each can be assigned to individual genera or infrafamilial clades. Since bees visit only flowers in the relative vicinity of their habitat, the recovered pollen provides a unique insight into the autochthonous palaeo-flora. The coexistence of taxa such as Decodon, Elaeocarpus, Mortoniodendron and other Tilioideae, Mastixoideae, Olax, Pouteria and Nyssa confirms current views that diverse, thermophilic forests thrived at the Messel and Eckfeld localities, probably under a warm subtropical, fully humid climate. Our study calls for increased attention to pollen found in situ on pollen-harvesting insects such as bees, which can provide new insights on insect-pollinated plants and complement even detailed palaeo-palynological knowledge obtained mostly from pollen of wind-pollinated plants in the dispersed pollen record of sediments. In the case of Elaeocarpus, Mortoniodendron, Olax and Pouteria the pollen collected by the middle Eocene bees

Pollen-Associated Microbiome Correlates with Pollution Parameters and the Allergenicity of Pollen.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Obersteiner

Full Text Available Pollen allergies have been rapidly increasing over the last decades. Many allergenic proteins and non-allergenic adjuvant compounds of pollen are involved in the plant defense against environmental or microbial stress. The first aim of this study was to analyze and compare the colonizing microbes on allergenic pollen. The second aim was to investigate detectable correlations between pollen microbiota and parameters of air pollution or pollen allergenicity. To reach these aims, bacterial and fungal DNA was isolated from pollen samples of timothy grass (Phleum pratense, n = 20 and birch trees (Betula pendula, n = 55. With this isolated DNA, a terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed. One result was that the microbial diversity on birch tree and timothy grass pollen samples (Shannon/Simpson diversity indices was partly significantly correlated to allergenicity parameters (Bet v 1/Phl p 5, pollen-associated lipid mediators. Furthermore, the microbial diversity on birch pollen samples was correlated to on-site air pollution (nitrogen dioxide (NO2, ammonia (NH3, and ozone (O3. What is more, a significant negative correlation was observed between the microbial diversity on birch pollen and the measured NO2 concentrations on the corresponding trees. Our results showed that the microbial composition of pollen was correlated to environmental exposure parameters alongside with a differential expression of allergen and pollen-associated lipid mediators. This might translate into altered allergenicity of pollen due to environmental and microbial stress.

Pollen

Science.gov (United States)

... that pollen can also be transported indoors on people and pets. Dry your clothes in an automatic dryer rather ... that pollen can also be transported indoors on people and pets. Dry your clothes in an automatic dryer rather ...

IMRT delivery verification using a spiral phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richardson, Susan L.; Tome, Wolfgang A.; Orton, Nigel P.; McNutt, Todd R.; Paliwal, Bhudatt R.

2003-01-01

In this paper we report on the testing and verification of a system for IMRT delivery quality assurance that uses a cylindrical solid water phantom with a spiral trajectory for radiographic film placement. This spiral film technique provides more complete dosimetric verification of the entire IMRT treatment than perpendicular film methods, since it samples a three-dimensional dose subspace rather than using measurements at only one or two depths. As an example, the complete analysis of the predicted and measured spiral films is described for an intracranial IMRT treatment case. The results of this analysis are compared to those of a single field perpendicular film technique that is typically used for IMRT QA. The comparison demonstrates that both methods result in a dosimetric error within a clinical tolerance of 5%, however the spiral phantom QA technique provides a more complete dosimetric verification while being less time consuming. To independently verify the dosimetry obtained with the spiral film, the same IMRT treatment was delivered to a similar phantom in which LiF thermoluminescent dosimeters were arranged along the spiral trajectory. The maximum difference between the predicted and measured TLD data for the 1.8 Gy fraction was 0.06 Gy for a TLD located in a high dose gradient region. This further validates the ability of the spiral phantom QA process to accurately verify delivery of an IMRT plan

Pollen Killer Gene S35 Function Requires Interaction with an Activator That Maps Close to S24, Another Pollen Killer Gene in Rice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takahiko Kubo

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Pollen killer genes disable noncarrier pollens, and are responsible for male sterility and segregation distortion in hybrid populations of distantly related plant species. The genetic networks and the molecular mechanisms underlying the pollen killer system remain largely unknown. Two pollen killer genes, S24 and S35, have been found in an intersubspecific cross of Oryza sativa ssp. indica and japonica. The effect of S24 is counteracted by an unlinked locus EFS. Additionally, S35 has been proposed to interact with S24 to induce pollen sterility. These genetic interactions are suggestive of a single S24-centric genetic pathway (EFS–S24–S35 for the pollen killer system. To examine this hypothetical genetic pathway, the S35 and the S24 regions were further characterized and genetically dissected in this study. Our results indicated that S35 causes pollen sterility independently of both the EFS and S24 genes, but is dependent on a novel gene close to the S24 locus, named incentive for killing pollen (INK. We confirmed the phenotypic effect of the INK gene separately from the S24 gene, and identified the INK locus within an interval of less than 0.6 Mb on rice chromosome 5. This study characterized the genetic effect of the two independent genetic pathways of INK–S35 and EFS–S24 in indica–japonica hybrid progeny. Our results provide clear evidence that hybrid male sterility in rice is caused by several pollen killer networks with multiple factors positively and negatively regulating pollen killer genes.

Pollen Killer Gene S35 Function Requires Interaction with an Activator That Maps Close to S24, Another Pollen Killer Gene in Rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Kubo, Takahiko; Yoshimura, Atsushi; Kurata, Nori

2016-05-03

Pollen killer genes disable noncarrier pollens, and are responsible for male sterility and segregation distortion in hybrid populations of distantly related plant species. The genetic networks and the molecular mechanisms underlying the pollen killer system remain largely unknown. Two pollen killer genes, S24 and S35, have been found in an intersubspecific cross of Oryza sativa ssp. indica and japonica The effect of S24 is counteracted by an unlinked locus EFS Additionally, S35 has been proposed to interact with S24 to induce pollen sterility. These genetic interactions are suggestive of a single S24-centric genetic pathway (EFS-S24-S35) for the pollen killer system. To examine this hypothetical genetic pathway, the S35 and the S24 regions were further characterized and genetically dissected in this study. Our results indicated that S35 causes pollen sterility independently of both the EFS and S24 genes, but is dependent on a novel gene close to the S24 locus, named incentive for killing pollen (INK). We confirmed the phenotypic effect of the INK gene separately from the S24 gene, and identified the INK locus within an interval of less than 0.6 Mb on rice chromosome 5. This study characterized the genetic effect of the two independent genetic pathways of INK-S35 and EFS-S24 in indica-japonica hybrid progeny. Our results provide clear evidence that hybrid male sterility in rice is caused by several pollen killer networks with multiple factors positively and negatively regulating pollen killer genes. Copyright © 2016 Kubo et al.

Fruit Set and Single Visit Stigma Pollen Deposition by Managed Bumble Bees and Wild Bees in Citrullus lanatus (Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Joshua W; Daniels, Jaret C; Ellis, James D

2018-04-02

Pollinators provide essential services for watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.; Cucurbitales: Cucurbitaceae). Managed bumble bees, Bombus impatiens (Cresson; Hymenoptera: Apidae), have been shown to be a useful watermelon pollinator in some areas. However, the exact contribution bumble bees make to watermelon pollination and how their contribution compares to that of other bees is unclear. We used large cages (5.4 × 2.5 × 2.4 m) to confine bumble bee hives to watermelon plants and compared fruit set in those cages to cages containing watermelons but no pollinators, and to open areas of field next to cages (allows all pollinators). We also collected data on single visit pollen deposition onto watermelon stigmas by managed bumble bees, honey bees, and wild bees. Overall, more fruit formed within the open cages than in cages of the other two treatment groups. B. impatiens and Melissodes spp. deposited the most pollen onto watermelon stigmas per visit, but all bee species observed visiting watermelon flowers were capable of depositing ample pollen to watermelon stigmas. Although B. impatiens did deposit large quantities of pollen to stigmas, they were not common within the field (i.e., outside the cages) as they were readily drawn to flowering plants outside of the watermelon field. Overall, bumble bees can successfully pollinate watermelon, but may be useful in greenhouses or high tunnels where watermelon flowers have no competition from other flowering plants that could draw bumble bees away from watermelon.

Raman spectroscopy as a tool for the characterization and classification of pollen; Raman-Spektroskopie als Werkzeug fuer die Charakterisierung und Klassifizierung von Pollen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulte, Franziska

2010-09-20

The chemical composition of pollen, the physiological containers that produce the male gametophytes of seed plants, has been a subject of research of plant physiologists, biochemists, and lately even material scientists for various reasons. The aim of this work was the analysis of whole pollen grains and pollen components by Raman Spectroscopy. These experiments were complemented by other techniques such as Enviromental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM), High-Performance- Thin-Layer-Chromatography (HPTLC), Infrared Spectroscopy (IR) and Nuclear-Magnetic-Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR). As reported here, individual fresh pollen grains and their morphological constituents can be characterized and also classified in situ without prior preparation. Classification of pollen is based on their biochemical fingerprint revealed in their Raman spectrum. Raman spectroscopy is nondestructive and can be carried out with single pollen grains or fragments. It could be shown that the biochemical makeup of the pollen (as a part of the recognition/mating system) is altered during formation of a new biological species and that the species-specific chemical similarities and dissimilarities indeed reflect in the Raman spectral fingerprint. On the basis of the chemical information, unsupervised multivariate analysis consisting of hierarchical clustering revealed in most cases chemical similarities between species that were indicative of both phylogenetic relationship and matin behavior. Therefore experiments were conducted that gave the in situ Raman spectroscopic signatures ot the carotenoid molecules. As the data indicates, the in situ Raman spectra of the carotenoid molecules measured in single intact pollen grains provide in situ evidence of interspecies variations in pollen carotenoid content, structure, and/or assembly without prior purification. Results from HPTLC confirmed that carotenoid composition varied greatly between species and that the different in situ spectral

In Vitro Pollen Viability and Pollen Germination in Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melekber Sulusoglu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Pollen quality is important for growers and breeders. This study was carried out to determine in vitro pollen viability and pollen germination in seven genotypes of cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus L.. Two pollen viability tests, TTC (2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride and IKI (iodine potassium iodide, were used. Pollen traits of genotypes were studied using an in vitro medium containing 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% sucrose to determine the best sucrose concentrations for germination. In the second step, the germinated pollen was counted 1, 4, 6, 10, 12, 24, and 48 hours later until there was no further germination. The viability rates were different according to genotypes and tests used. The IKI and TTC staining tests and pollen germination had low correlation (r2 = 0.0614 and r2 = 0.0015, resp.. Painted pollen rate was higher and pollen was well-stained with IKI test and pollen viability estimated with TTC staining test was better than that estimated with the IKI staining test. 15% sucrose gave the best germination rates in most of the genotypes. Pollen germination rates were recorded periodically from one hour to 48 hours in 15% sucrose and the results showed that pollen germination rates increased after 6 hours of being placed in culture media.

In vitro pollen viability and pollen germination in cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Sulusoglu, Melekber; Cavusoglu, Aysun

2014-01-01

Pollen quality is important for growers and breeders. This study was carried out to determine in vitro pollen viability and pollen germination in seven genotypes of cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus L.). Two pollen viability tests, TTC (2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride) and IKI (iodine potassium iodide), were used. Pollen traits of genotypes were studied using an in vitro medium containing 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% sucrose to determine the best sucrose concentrations for germination. In the second step, the germinated pollen was counted 1, 4, 6, 10, 12, 24, and 48 hours later until there was no further germination. The viability rates were different according to genotypes and tests used. The IKI and TTC staining tests and pollen germination had low correlation (r(2) = 0.0614 and r(2) = 0.0015, resp.). Painted pollen rate was higher and pollen was well-stained with IKI test and pollen viability estimated with TTC staining test was better than that estimated with the IKI staining test. 15% sucrose gave the best germination rates in most of the genotypes. Pollen germination rates were recorded periodically from one hour to 48 hours in 15% sucrose and the results showed that pollen germination rates increased after 6 hours of being placed in culture media.

Logarithmic Spiral

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Switzerland) even today can see the. Archimedian spiral and the inscription under it on the tombstone of Jacob Bernoulli 1. Logarithmic Spiral in Nature. Apart from logarithmic spiral no other curve seems to have attracted the attention of scientists, ...

Simple theory of how spiral galaxies acquire their principal global properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burstein, D.; Sarazin, C.L.

1983-01-01

The strongest correlations among the global properties of spiral galaxies are the power law correlations between luminosity and rotation velocity (the Tully-Fisher relation) and between luminosity and luminous radius. Both of these relations are derived from a single density-radius power-law relation for spiral galaxies, assuming that the total mass-to-luminosity ratio is fixed by the Hubble type of the spiral, and that spirals gain their angular momentum through tidal interactions. The predictions of this simple theory are consistent with the observed luminosity and mass properties of the Hubble type-restricted samples of spiral galaxies studied by Rubin et al. This model suggests that many of the physical properties of spiral galaxies, and of the Hubble sequence, originate before or during the formation of galaxies

Allergies, asthma, and pollen

Science.gov (United States)

Reactive airway - pollen; Bronchial asthma - pollen; Triggers - pollen; Allergic rhinitis - pollen ... Things that make allergies or asthma worse are called triggers. It is important to know your triggers because avoiding them is your first step toward feeling better. ...

The Pollen Coat Proteome: At the Cutting Edge of Plant Reproduction

Science.gov (United States)

Rejón, Juan David; Delalande, François; Schaeffer-Reiss, Christine; Alché, Juan de Dios; Rodríguez-García, María Isabel; Van Dorsselaer, Alain; Castro, Antonio Jesús

2016-01-01

The tapetum is a single layer of secretory cells which encloses the anther locule and sustains pollen development and maturation. Upon apoptosis, the remnants of the tapetal cells, consisting mostly of lipids and proteins, fill the pits of the sculpted exine to form the bulk of the pollen coat. This extracellular matrix forms an impermeable barrier that protects the male gametophyte from water loss and UV light. It also aids pollen adhesion and hydration and retains small signaling compounds involved in pollen–stigma communication. In this study, we have updated the list of the pollen coat’s protein components and also discussed their functions in the context of sexual reproduction PMID:28248215

The Pollen Coat Proteome: At the Cutting Edge of Plant Reproduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan David Rejón

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The tapetum is a single layer of secretory cells which encloses the anther locule and sustains pollen development and maturation. Upon apoptosis, the remnants of the tapetal cells, consisting mostly of lipids and proteins, fill the pits of the sculpted exine to form the bulk of the pollen coat. This extracellular matrix forms an impermeable barrier that protects the male gametophyte from water loss and UV light. It also aids pollen adhesion and hydration and retains small signaling compounds involved in pollen–stigma communication. In this study, we have updated the list of the pollen coat’s protein components and also discussed their functions in the context of sexual reproduction

Multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals in spatial rock–paper–scissors games

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Luo-Luo, E-mail: jiangluoluo@gmail.com [College of Physics and Electronic Information Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035 (China); College of Physics and Technology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, Guangxi 541004 (China); Wang, Wen-Xu [School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Department of Physics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Lai, Ying-Cheng [School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Ni, Xuan [School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States)

2012-07-09

We study the formation of multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals in spatial rock–paper–scissors games with mobile individuals. We discover a set of seed distributions of species, which is able to produce multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals with a finite number of arms and pairs based on stochastic processes. The joint spiral waves are also predicted by a theoretical model based on partial differential equations associated with specific initial conditions. The spatial entropy of patterns is introduced to differentiate the multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals. For the given mobility, the spatial entropy of multi-armed spirals is higher than that of single armed spirals. The stability of the waves is explored with respect to individual mobility. Particularly, we find that both two armed spirals and one pair antispirals transform to the single armed spirals. Furthermore, multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals are relatively stable for intermediate mobility. The joint spirals with lower numbers of arms and pairs are relatively more stable than those with higher numbers of arms and pairs. In addition, comparing to large amount of previous work, we employ the no flux boundary conditions which enables quantitative studies of pattern formation and stability in the system of stochastic interactions in the absence of excitable media. -- Highlights: ► Multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals are observed. ► Patterns are predicted by computer simulations and partial differential equations. ► The spatial entropy of patterns is introduced. ► Patterns are relatively stable for intermediate mobility. ► The joint spirals with lower numbers of arms and pairs are relatively more stable.

Multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals in spatial rock–paper–scissors games

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Luo-Luo; Wang, Wen-Xu; Lai, Ying-Cheng; Ni, Xuan

2012-01-01

We study the formation of multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals in spatial rock–paper–scissors games with mobile individuals. We discover a set of seed distributions of species, which is able to produce multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals with a finite number of arms and pairs based on stochastic processes. The joint spiral waves are also predicted by a theoretical model based on partial differential equations associated with specific initial conditions. The spatial entropy of patterns is introduced to differentiate the multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals. For the given mobility, the spatial entropy of multi-armed spirals is higher than that of single armed spirals. The stability of the waves is explored with respect to individual mobility. Particularly, we find that both two armed spirals and one pair antispirals transform to the single armed spirals. Furthermore, multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals are relatively stable for intermediate mobility. The joint spirals with lower numbers of arms and pairs are relatively more stable than those with higher numbers of arms and pairs. In addition, comparing to large amount of previous work, we employ the no flux boundary conditions which enables quantitative studies of pattern formation and stability in the system of stochastic interactions in the absence of excitable media. -- Highlights: ► Multi-armed spirals and multi-pairs antispirals are observed. ► Patterns are predicted by computer simulations and partial differential equations. ► The spatial entropy of patterns is introduced. ► Patterns are relatively stable for intermediate mobility. ► The joint spirals with lower numbers of arms and pairs are relatively more stable.

Frequency spirals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ottino-Löffler, Bertrand; Strogatz, Steven H.

2016-01-01

We study the dynamics of coupled phase oscillators on a two-dimensional Kuramoto lattice with periodic boundary conditions. For coupling strengths just below the transition to global phase-locking, we find localized spatiotemporal patterns that we call “frequency spirals.” These patterns cannot be seen under time averaging; they become visible only when we examine the spatial variation of the oscillators' instantaneous frequencies, where they manifest themselves as two-armed rotating spirals. In the more familiar phase representation, they appear as wobbly periodic patterns surrounding a phase vortex. Unlike the stationary phase vortices seen in magnetic spin systems, or the rotating spiral waves seen in reaction-diffusion systems, frequency spirals librate: the phases of the oscillators surrounding the central vortex move forward and then backward, executing a periodic motion with zero winding number. We construct the simplest frequency spiral and characterize its properties using analytical and numerical methods. Simulations show that frequency spirals in large lattices behave much like this simple prototype.

Frequency spirals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ottino-Löffler, Bertrand; Strogatz, Steven H., E-mail: strogatz@cornell.edu [Center for Applied Mathematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States)

2016-09-15

We study the dynamics of coupled phase oscillators on a two-dimensional Kuramoto lattice with periodic boundary conditions. For coupling strengths just below the transition to global phase-locking, we find localized spatiotemporal patterns that we call “frequency spirals.” These patterns cannot be seen under time averaging; they become visible only when we examine the spatial variation of the oscillators' instantaneous frequencies, where they manifest themselves as two-armed rotating spirals. In the more familiar phase representation, they appear as wobbly periodic patterns surrounding a phase vortex. Unlike the stationary phase vortices seen in magnetic spin systems, or the rotating spiral waves seen in reaction-diffusion systems, frequency spirals librate: the phases of the oscillators surrounding the central vortex move forward and then backward, executing a periodic motion with zero winding number. We construct the simplest frequency spiral and characterize its properties using analytical and numerical methods. Simulations show that frequency spirals in large lattices behave much like this simple prototype.

A pollen-specific RALF from tomato that regulates pollen tube elongation.

Science.gov (United States)

Covey, Paul A; Subbaiah, Chalivendra C; Parsons, Ronald L; Pearce, Gregory; Lay, Fung T; Anderson, Marilyn A; Ryan, Clarence A; Bedinger, Patricia A

2010-06-01

Rapid Alkalinization Factors (RALFs) are plant peptides that rapidly increase the pH of plant suspension cell culture medium and inhibit root growth. A pollen-specific tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) RALF (SlPRALF) has been identified. The SlPRALF gene encodes a preproprotein that appears to be processed and released from the pollen tube as an active peptide. A synthetic SlPRALF peptide based on the putative active peptide did not affect pollen hydration or viability but inhibited the elongation of normal pollen tubes in an in vitro growth system. Inhibitory effects of SlPRALF were detectable at concentrations as low as 10 nm, and complete inhibition was observed at 1 mum peptide. At least 10-fold higher levels of alkSlPRALF, which lacks disulfide bonds, were required to see similar effects. A greater effect of peptide was observed in low-pH-buffered medium. Inhibition of pollen tube elongation was reversible if peptide was removed within 15 min of exposure. Addition of 100 nm SlPRALF to actively growing pollen tubes inhibited further elongation until tubes were 40 to 60 mum in length, after which pollen tubes became resistant to the peptide. The onset of resistance correlated with the timing of the exit of the male germ unit from the pollen grain into the tube. Thus, exogenous SlPRALF acts as a negative regulator of pollen tube elongation within a specific developmental window.

Knockin' on pollen's door: live cell imaging of early polarization events in germinating Arabidopsis pollen

Science.gov (United States)

Vogler, Frank; Konrad, Sebastian S. A.; Sprunck, Stefanie

2015-01-01

Pollen tubes are an excellent system for studying the cellular dynamics and complex signaling pathways that coordinate polarized tip growth. Although several signaling mechanisms acting in the tip-growing pollen tube have been described, our knowledge on the subcellular and molecular events during pollen germination and growth site selection at the pollen plasma membrane is rather scarce. To simultaneously track germinating pollen from up to 12 genetically different plants we developed an inexpensive and easy mounting technique, suitable for every standard microscope setup. We performed high magnification live-cell imaging during Arabidopsis pollen activation, germination, and the establishment of pollen tube tip growth by using fluorescent marker lines labeling either the pollen cytoplasm, vesicles, the actin cytoskeleton or the sperm cell nuclei and membranes. Our studies revealed distinctive vesicle and F-actin polarization during pollen activation and characteristic growth kinetics during pollen germination and pollen tube formation. Initially, the germinating Arabidopsis pollen tube grows slowly and forms a uniform roundish bulge, followed by a transition phase with vesicles heavily accumulating at the growth site before switching to rapid tip growth. Furthermore, we found the two sperm cells to be transported into the pollen tube after the phase of rapid tip growth has been initiated. The method presented here is suitable to quantitatively study subcellular events during Arabidopsis pollen germination and growth, and for the detailed analysis of pollen mutants with respect to pollen polarization, bulging, or growth site selection at the pollen plasma membrane. PMID:25954283

Effect of temperature gradient in the solution on spiral growth of YBa2Cu3O7-x bulk single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanamori, Y.; Shiohara, Y.

1996-01-01

Bulk single crystals of Y123 are required to clarify the superconductivity phenomena and develop electronic devices using unique superconductive properties. Only the Solute Rich Liquid endash Crystal Pulling (SRL-CP) method has succeeded in continuous growth of the Y123 single crystal. In this paper, we investigated the growth of Y123 single crystals under different temperature gradients in the solution in order to understand the growth mechanism of Y123. It was revealed that Y123 single crystals grow with a spiral growth mode, which is in good agreement with the BCF theory. copyright 1996 Materials Research Society

Molecular and cellular characterization of the tomato pollen profilin, LePro1.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Long-Xi Yu

Full Text Available Profilin is an actin-binding protein involved in the dynamic turnover and restructuring of the actin cytoskeleton in all eukaryotic cells. We previously cloned a profilin gene, designated as LePro1 from tomato pollen. To understand its biological role, in the present study, we investigated the temporal and spatial expression of LePro1 during pollen development and found that the transcript was only detected at late stages during microsporogenesis and pollen maturation. Using antisense RNA, we successfully knocked down the expression of LePro1 in tomato plants using stable transformation, and obtained two antisense lines, A2 and A3 showing significant down-regulation of LePro1 in pollen resulting in poor pollen germination and abnormal pollen tube growth. A disorganized F-actin distribution was observed in the antisense pollen. Down-regulation of LePro1 also appeared to affect hydration of pollen deposited on the stigma and arrested pollen tube elongation in the style, thereby affecting fertilization. Our results suggest that LePro1 in conjunction with perhaps other cytoskeletal proteins, plays a regulatory role in the proper organization of F-actin in tomato pollen tubes through promoting actin assembly. Down-regulation of LePro1 leads to interruption of actin assembly and disorganization of the actin cytoskeleton thus arresting pollen tube growth. Based on the present and previous studies, it is likely that a single transcript of profilin gives rise to multiple forms displaying multifunctionality in tomato pollen.

Spiral symmetry

CERN Document Server

Hargittai, Istvan

1992-01-01

From the tiny twisted biological molecules to the gargantuan curling arms of many galaxies, the physical world contains a startling repetition of spiral patterns. Today, researchers have a keen interest in identifying, measuring, and defining these patterns in scientific terms. Spirals play an important role in the growth processes of many biological forms and organisms. Also, through time, humans have imitated spiral motifs in their art forms, and invented new and unusual spirals which have no counterparts in the natural world. Therefore, one goal of this multiauthored book is to stress the c

The Viability of Single Cancer Cells after Exposure to Hydrodynamic Shear Stresses in a Spiral Microchannel: A Canine Cutaneous Mast Cell Tumor Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dettachai Ketpun

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Our laboratory has the fundamental responsibility to study cancer stem cells (CSC in various models of human and animal neoplasms. However, the major impediments that spike our accomplishment are the lack of universal biomarkers and cellular heterogeneity. To cope with these restrictions, we have tried to apply the concept of single cell analysis, which has hitherto been recommended throughout the world as an imperative solution pack for resolving such dilemmas. Accordingly, our first step was to utilize a predesigned spiral microchannel fabricated by our laboratory to perform size-based single cell separation using mast cell tumor (MCT cells as a model. However, the impact of hydrodynamic shear stresses (HSS on mechanical cell injury and viability in a spiral microchannel has not been fully investigated so far. Intuitively, our computational fluid dynamics (CFD simulation has strongly revealed the formations of fluid shear stress (FSS and extensional fluid stress (EFS in the sorting system. The panel of biomedical assays has also disclosed cell degeneration and necrosis in the model. Therefore, we have herein reported the combinatorically detrimental effect of FSS and EFS on the viability of MCT cells after sorting in our spiral microchannel, with discussion on the possibly pathogenic mechanisms of HSS-induced cell injury in the study model.

INFLUENCE OF FABRIC TIGHTNESS ON SPIRALITY OF WEFTKNITTED PLAIN COTTON FABRIC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.K.M. Mobarok Hossain

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Global demand for knitted garments is growing at a faster rate than that of woven items.Currently around 50% of clothing needs in the developed countries is met by knit goods. So ensuring the required quality in a knitted fabric is a vital issue for the manufacturer. One of the major problems encountered in knitted fabric is spirality. It affects particularly single jersey fabric and presents a serious problem during garment confection and use. So controlling spirality is a basic requirement for producing quality knitted fabric. Though there are several factors that contribute to knitted fabric spirality, yarn twist and relative tightness of the fabric are said tobe the most significant ones. In this work the basic single jersey fabric, i.e. plain jersey cotton fabrics were produced by a Hosiery knitting machine and spirality values were observed for different yarn T.P.I. and tightness factor at relaxed state. It was found that tightness factor has a direct influence on knitted fabric spirality with a high degree of correlation. The work thus gives an idea to deal this problem by controlling the knitting parameters.

Triangular spiral tilings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sushida, Takamichi; Hizume, Akio; Yamagishi, Yoshikazu

2012-01-01

The topology of spiral tilings is intimately related to phyllotaxis theory and continued fractions. A quadrilateral spiral tiling is determined by a suitable chosen triple (ζ, m, n), where ζ element of D/R, and m and n are relatively prime integers. We give a simple characterization when (ζ, m, n) produce a triangular spiral tiling. When m and n are fixed, the admissible generators ζ form a curve in the unit disk. The family of triangular spiral tilings with opposed parastichy pairs (m, n) is parameterized by the divergence angle arg (ζ), while triangular spiral tilings with non-opposed parastichy pairs are parameterized by the plastochrone ratio 1/|ζ|. The generators for triangular spiral tilings with opposed parastichy pairs are not dense in the complex parameter space, while those with non-opposed parastichy pairs are dense. The proofs will be given in a general setting of spiral multiple tilings. We present paper-folding (origami) sheets that build spiral towers whose top-down views are triangular tilings. (paper)

Bee Pollen

Science.gov (United States)

... for nutrition; as an appetite stimulant; to improve stamina and athletic performance; and for premature aging, premenstrual ... use bee pollen as a general tonic, to increase urine flow, and for alcohol intoxication. Bee pollen ...

CFD simulation of flow through single and multi vane spiral pump for low pressure application using moving node unsteady computation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banerjee, I.; Mahendra, A.K.; Chandresh, B.G.; Srikanthan, M.R.; Bera, T.K.

2010-01-01

A spiral pump uses two interleaved spirals (it can be involutes of a circle, involutes of a square, hybrid wraps, Archimedean spiral, logarithmic spirals and so on). Interleaved spiral orbits eccentrically without rotation around a fixed scroll, thereby trapping and compressing pockets of fluids between the spirals. Another method of providing the compression motion is by virtue of co-rotating the spirals synchronously with an offset in centers of rotation thereby providing relative motion similar to orbiting. Recently spiral pumps for low-pressure application have become popular. Since spiral pumps contain gas volumes, whose shapes and size change continuously, the flow fields inside the pumps is time dependent. The unsteadiness controls the mechanisms responsible for the behavior of the spiral pump components. To improve the spiral pump design for better performance as per our process requirement and reliability, information is required to understand the detailed physics of the unsteady flows inside the spiral pumps. The unsteady flows in a pump are studied numerically. The system simulated includes one side gap between fixed and moving spirals as the other side lies just in the reverse symmetry of the one side. Heavy molecular weight, condensable gas is used as the moving fluid. The mesh free Least Square Kinetic Upwind Method (LSKUM) for moving node is applied for numerical analysis of wobbling spiral. Nodes and boundaries change their positions, for every real time step hence at every iteration nodes take new coordinates. Our work consists of identifying various spiral dimensions and geometry, geometric modeling of suction process, identifying the eccentric orbiting motion of the moving spiral, formation of variable velocity moving nodes. Flow analysis of the spiral pump is done with a view to design and develop new pump as per our requirement. Experimental data from an existing spiral pump is used to carryout validation of the code. (author)

Planet-driven Spiral Arms in Protoplanetary Disks. I. Formation Mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Jaehan; Zhu, Zhaohuan

2018-06-01

Protoplanetary disk simulations show that a single planet can excite more than one spiral arm, possibly explaining the recent observations of multiple spiral arms in some systems. In this paper, we explain the mechanism by which a planet excites multiple spiral arms in a protoplanetary disk. Contrary to previous speculations, the formation of both primary and additional arms can be understood as a linear process when the planet mass is sufficiently small. A planet resonantly interacts with epicyclic oscillations in the disk, launching spiral wave modes around the Lindblad resonances. When a set of wave modes is in phase, they can constructively interfere with each other and create a spiral arm. More than one spiral arm can form because such constructive interference can occur for different sets of wave modes, with the exact number and launching position of the spiral arms being dependent on the planet mass as well as the disk temperature profile. Nonlinear effects become increasingly important as the planet mass increases, resulting in spiral arms with stronger shocks and thus larger pitch angles. This is found to be common for both primary and additional arms. When a planet has a sufficiently large mass (≳3 thermal masses for (h/r) p = 0.1), only two spiral arms form interior to its orbit. The wave modes that would form a tertiary arm for smaller mass planets merge with the primary arm. Improvements in our understanding of the formation of spiral arms can provide crucial insights into the origin of observed spiral arms in protoplanetary disks.

Pollen rain and pollen representation across a forest-páramo ecotone in northern Ecuador

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moscol Olivera, M.; Duivenvoorden, J.F.; Hooghiemstra, H.

2009-01-01

Modern pollen spectra were studied in forest and páramo vegetation from the Guandera area, northern Ecuador. Pollen representation was estimated by comparing the presence of plant taxa from a recent vegetation survey with the pollen spectra in moss polsters and pollen traps. In total, 73 pollen taxa

Dose-response relationship of a new Timothy grass pollen allergoid in comparison with a 6-grass pollen allergoid.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfaar, O; Hohlfeld, J M; Al-Kadah, B; Hauswald, B; Homey, B; Hunzelmann, N; Schliemann, S; Velling, P; Worm, M; Klimek, L

2017-11-01

Subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy with grass pollen allergoids has been proven to be effective and safe in the treatment of patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Based on the extensive cross-reactivity among Pooideae species, it has been suggested that grass pollen extracts could be prepared from a single species, rather than from a multiple species mixture. To find the optimal dose of a Phleum pratense (P. pratense) allergoid preparation and compare its efficacy and safety to a 6-grass pollen allergoid preparation. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study (EudraCT: 2011-000674-58), three doses of P. pratense allergoid (1800 therapeutic units (TU), standard-dose 6000 TU and 18 000 TU) were compared with placebo and the marketed 6-grass pollen allergoid (6000 TU). In a pre-seasonal dosing regimen, 102 patients were randomized to five treatment groups and received nine subcutaneous injections. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change in weal size (late-phase reaction [LPR]) in response to the intracutaneous testing (ICT) before and after treatment, comparing the active allergoids to placebo. Secondary outcomes were the change in Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS) assessed in the allergen exposure chamber (AEC), the changes in P. pratense-serum-specific IgG 4 and the incidence of adverse events (AEs). All three doses of the P. pratense and the 6-grass pollen allergoid preparations were significantly superior to placebo for the primary outcome, whereas there were no significant differences in the change in TNSS. Compared to the standard-dose, the high-dose of P. pratense did not produce any additional significant benefit, but showed a slight increase in AEs. Yet this increase in AEs was lower than for the 6-grass pollen preparation. The standard-dose of the new P. pratense allergoid was comparable to the marketed 6-grass pollen preparation at equal dose for the parameters measured. © 2017 The Authors. Clinical & Experimental Allergy Published by John

How honey bees carry pollen

Science.gov (United States)

Matherne, Marguerite E.; Anyanwu, Gabriel; Leavey, Jennifer K.; Hu, David L.

2017-11-01

Honey bees are the tanker of the skies, carrying thirty percent of their weight in pollen per foraging trip using specialized orifices on their body. How do they manage to hang onto those pesky pollen grains? In this experimental study, we investigate the adhesion force of pollen to the honeybee. To affix pollen to themselves, honey bees form a suspension of pollen in nectar, creating a putty-like pollen basket that is skewered by leg hairs. We use tensile tests to show that the viscous force of the pollen basket is more than ten times the honeybee's flight force. This work may provide inspiration for the design of robotic flying pollinators.

Post-pollination mechanisms in Nicotiana longiflora and N. plumbaginifolia: pollen tube growth rate, offspring paternity and hybridization.

Science.gov (United States)

Figueroa-Castro, Dulce M; Holtsford, Timothy P

2009-09-01

In natural populations where interfertile species coexist, conspecific and heterospecific pollen can be delivered to the stigmas. Post-pollination mechanisms might determine the seed siring success of different pollen donors within species as well as the chances for hybridization between species. Nicotiana longiflora and N. plumbaginifolia occur in sympatry in Northwest Argentina, where they have overlapping flowering seasons and share floral visitors. We explored (1) pollen tube growth rates for outcross versus self pollen in single-donor pollinations; (2) siring success of self versus outcross pollen donors in competitive pollinations, and (3) possibilities for hybridization by performing two- (outcross conspecific vs. heterospecific) and three-pollen donor (self vs. outcross vs. heterospecific) crosses. In N. longiflora, both pollen tube growth rate and siring success favored outcross pollen over self pollen and strong rejection of heterospecific pollen. In N. plumbaginifolia, pollen tube growth rate was similar for self and outcross pollen, self pollen sired similar numbers of offspring than outcross pollen and heterospecific pollen sired roughly the same number of progeny than self pollen. Results suggest that in natural sympatric populations, interspecific crosses would likely lead to unidirectional hybridization with N. plumbaginifolia as the seed parent.

Review: Pre- and postinterventional control of stent grafts by means of single and multislice spiral computerized tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gebauer, B.; Knollmann, F.; Steinkamp, H.; Felix, R.

2003-01-01

Purpose. Could contrast enhanced computed tomography replace conventional catheter angiography in the preoperative evaluation of aortic aneurysms before stentgraft implantation? Does multi slice computed tomography have advantages comparing to single slice computed tomography? Methods. We compared 15 single slice with 13 multi slice computed tomography studies and reconstructions according to their ability to replace conventional catheter angiography in the preoperative evaluation. In the postoperative follow-up 60 single slice computed tomography studies were compared to 60 multi slice studies. Results. By using appropriate reconstructions the spiral computed tomography studies could deliver all information necessary for implantation. In our study no advantage of multi slice computed tomography could be detected. In the postoperative evaluation of stengrafts our computed tomography scan protocol could detect all relevant complications in single and multi slice computed tomography. No significant advantage of multi slice computed tomography could be detected. Conclusion. Contrast enhanced computed tomography is equal to conventional catheter angiography in the pre- and postoperative evaluation of stentgrafts. No significant advantage of multi slice versus single slice could be detected. (orig.) [de

Absorbed and effective dose from spiral and computed tomography for the dental implant planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Beong Hee; Han, Won Jeong; Kim, Eun Kyung

2001-01-01

To evaluate the absorbed and effective doses of spiral and computed tomography for the dental implant planning. For radiographic projection. TLD chips were placed in 22 sites of humanoid phantom to record the exposure to skin and the mean absorbed dose to bone marrow, thyroid, pituitary, parotid and submandibular glands and nesophages. Effective dose was calculated, using the method suggested by Frederiksen at al.. Patient situations of a single tooth gap in upper and lower midline region, edentulous maxilla and mandible were simulated for spiral tomography. 35 axial slices (maxilla) and 40 axial slices (mandible) with low and standard dose setting were used for computed tomography. All the radiographic procedures were repeated three times. The mean effective dose in case of maxilla was 0.865 mSv, 0.452 mSv, 0.136 mSv and 0.025 mSv, in spiral tomography of complete edentulous maxilla, computed tomography with standard mAs, computed tomography with low mAs and spiral tomography of a single tooth gap (p<0.05). That in case of mandible was 0.614 mSv, 0.448 mSv, 0.137 mSv and 0.036 mSv, in spiral tomography of complete edentulous mandible, computed tomography with standard mAs, computed tomography with low mAs and spiral tomography of a single tooth gap (p<0.05). Based on these results, it can be concluded that low mAs computed tomography is recommended instead of spiral tomography for the complete edentulous maxilla and mandible dental implant treatment planning

Radioprotective effect of the pollen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Ying; Zhu Gengbo; Huang Meiying; Yin Zhiwei; Fang Jixi; Fan Xiudi

1990-10-01

The radioprotective injury effect of pollen in animals was studied. Research came to the conclusion that: (1) the acute death rate of animals is decreased by the pollen; (2) the peripheral leukocytes and spleen-B-lymph cells of animals are increased by the pollen; (3) the activity of superoxide dimutase (SOD) in the erythrocytes of animals is increased by the pollen; (4) the pollen has the function of protecting the structure of the organs of thymus and testes and so on; (5) the plasma hydroxyproline of animals is remarkably decreased by the pollen

Review of probabilistic pollen-climate transfer methods

Science.gov (United States)

Ohlwein, Christian; Wahl, Eugene R.

2012-01-01

Pollen-climate transfer methods are reviewed from a Bayesian perspective and with a special focus on the formulation of uncertainties. This approach is motivated by recent developments of spatial multi-proxy Bayesian hierarchical models (BHM), which allow synthesizing local reconstructions from different proxies for a spatially complete picture of past climate. In order to enhance the pollen realism in these models we try to bridge the gap between spatial statistics and paleoclimatology and show how far classical pollen-climate transfer concepts such as regression methods, mutual climatic range, modern analogues, plant functional types, and biomes can be understood in novel ways by refining the data models used in BHMs. As a case study, we discuss modeling of uncertainty by introducing a new probabilistic pollen ratio model, which is a simplified variation of the modern analogue technique (MAT) including the concept of response surfaces and designed for later inclusion in a spatial multiproxy BHM. Applications to fossil pollen data from varved sediments in three nearby lakes in west-central Wisconsin, USA and for a Holocene fossil pollen record from southern California, USA provide local climate reconstructions of summer temperature for the past millennium and the Holocene respectively. The performance of the probabilistic model is generally similar in comparison to MAT-derived reconstructions using the same data. Furthermore, the combination of co-location and precise dating for the three fossil sites in Wisconsin allows us to study the issue of site-specific uncertainty and to test the assumption of ergodicity in a real-world example. A multivariate ensemble kernel dressing approach derived from the post-processing of climate simulations reveals that the overall interpretation based on the individual reconstructions remains essentially unchanged, but the single-site reconstructions underestimate the overall uncertainty.

The effect of pitch in multislice spiral/helical CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, G.; Vannier, M.W.

2000-01-01

The purpose of this study is to understand the effect of pitch on raw data interpolation in multislice spiral/helical computed tomography (CT) and provide guidelines for scanner design and protocol optimization. Multislice spiral CT is mainly characterized by the three parameters: the number of detector arrays, the detector collimation, and the table increment per x-ray source rotation. The pitch in multislice spiral CT is defined as the ratio of the table increment over the detector collimation in this study. In parallel to the current framework for studying longitudinal image resolution, the central fan-beam rays of direct and opposite directions are considered, assuming a narrow cone-beam angle. Generally speaking, sampling in the Radon domain by the direct and opposite central rays is nonuniform along the longitudinal axis. Using a recently developed methodology for quantifying the sensibility of signal reconstruction from non-uniformly sampled finite points, the effect of pitch on raw data interpolation is analyzed in multislice spiral CT. Unlike single-slice spiral CT, in which image quality decreases monotonically as the pitch increases, the sensibility of raw data interpolation in multislice spiral CT increases, suggesting that image quality does not decrease monotonically in this case. The most favorable pitch can be found from the sensitivity-slice spiral CT is provided. The study on the effect of pitch using the sensitivity analysis approach reveals the fundamental characteristics of raw data interpolation in multislice spiral CT, and gives insights into interaction between pitch and image quality. These results may be valuable for design of multislice spiral CT scanners and imaging protocol optimization in clinical applications. (authors)

Pollen extracts and constituent sugars increase growth of a trypanosomatid parasite of bumble bees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evan C. Palmer-Young

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Phytochemicals produced by plants, including at flowers, function in protection against plant diseases, and have a long history of use against trypanosomatid infection. Floral nectar and pollen, the sole food sources for many species of insect pollinators, contain phytochemicals that have been shown to reduce trypanosomatid infection in bumble and honey bees when fed as isolated compounds. Nectar and pollen, however, consist of phytochemical mixtures, which can have greater antimicrobial activity than do single compounds. This study tested the hypothesis that pollen extracts would inhibit parasite growth. Extracts of six different pollens were tested for direct inhibitory activity against cell cultures of the bumble bee trypanosomatid gut parasite Crithidia bombi. Surprisingly, pollen extracts increased parasite growth rather than inhibiting it. Pollen extracts contained high concentrations of sugars, mainly the monosaccharides glucose and fructose. Experimental manipulations of growth media showed that supplemental monosaccharides (glucose and fructose increased maximum cell density, while a common floral phytochemical (caffeic acid with inhibitory activity against other trypanosomatids had only weak inhibitory effects on Crithidia bombi. These results indicate that, although pollen is essential for bees and other pollinators, pollen may promote growth of intestinal parasites that are uninhibited by pollen phytochemicals and, as a result, can benefit from the nutrients that pollen provides.

PollenCALC: Software for estimation of pollen compatibility of self-incompatible allo- and autotetraploid species

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aguirre, Andrea A; Wollenweber, Bernd; Frei, Ursula K

2012-01-01

available for predicting pollen haplotype frequencies and pollen compatibility in tetraploid species. Results PollenCALC is a software tool written in C++ programming language that can predict pollen compatibility percentages for polyploid species with a two-locus (S, Z) self-incompatibility system...

Effect of gamma rays doses on pollen germination, polysiphony and pollen tube elongation in Pinus patula Schiede et Deppe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katiyar, S.R.; Chauhan, Y.S.

1987-01-01

The present study aimed to study the effects of gamma radiation ( 60 Co) on pollen germination and pollen tube elongation in Pinus patula. Pollen germination and pollen tube elongation are stimulated by low doses of radiation. Although higher doses of radiation inhibit the germination of pollen, pollen tube elongation remains unaffected. Thus in Pinus patula pollen tube elongation is less radiosensitive than pollen germination. Compared to control pollen, irradiated pollen produced more number of long pollen tubes. Therefore pollen tube size can be improved using low doses of radiation. (author). 15 refs., 5 figs., 2 tables

Ozone affects pollen viability and NAD(P)H oxidase release from Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasqualini, Stefania; Tedeschini, Emma; Frenguelli, Giuseppe; Wopfner, Nicole; Ferreira, Fatima; D'Amato, Gennaro; Ederli, Luisa

2011-01-01

Air pollution is frequently proposed as a cause of the increased incidence of allergy in industrialised countries. We investigated the impact of ozone (O 3 ) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and allergen content of ragweed pollen (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). Pollen was exposed to acute O 3 fumigation, with analysis of pollen viability, ROS and nitric oxide (NO) content, activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD[P]H) oxidase, and expression of major allergens. There was decreased pollen viability after O 3 fumigation, which indicates damage to the pollen membrane system, although the ROS and NO contents were not changed or were only slightly induced, respectively. Ozone exposure induced a significant enhancement of the ROS-generating enzyme NAD(P)H oxidase. The expression of the allergen Amb a 1 was not affected by O 3 , determined from the mRNA levels of the major allergens. We conclude that O 3 can increase ragweed pollen allergenicity through stimulation of ROS-generating NAD(P)H oxidase. - Highlights: → O 3 reduces the viability of ragweed pollen. → ROS and allergens of ragweed pollen were not affected by O 3 exposure. → O 3 enhances the activity of the ROS-generating enzyme NAD(P)H oxidase. → O 3 increases ragweed pollen allergenicity through NAD(P)H-oxidase stimulation. - This study focuses on the effects of the atmospheric pollutant ozone on ROS content and NAD(P)H oxidase activity of ragweed pollen grains.

Ozone affects pollen viability and NAD(P)H oxidase release from Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasqualini, Stefania, E-mail: spas@unipg.it [Department of Applied Biology, University of Perugia, Perugia (Italy); Tedeschini, Emma; Frenguelli, Giuseppe [Department of Applied Biology, University of Perugia, Perugia (Italy); Wopfner, Nicole; Ferreira, Fatima [Department of Molecular Biology, CD Laboratory for Allergy Diagnosis and Therapy, University of Salzburg, Salzburg (Austria); D' Amato, Gennaro [Division of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, ' A. Cardarelli' High Speciality Hospital, Naples (Italy); Ederli, Luisa [Department of Applied Biology, University of Perugia, Perugia (Italy)

2011-10-15

Air pollution is frequently proposed as a cause of the increased incidence of allergy in industrialised countries. We investigated the impact of ozone (O{sub 3}) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and allergen content of ragweed pollen (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). Pollen was exposed to acute O{sub 3} fumigation, with analysis of pollen viability, ROS and nitric oxide (NO) content, activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD[P]H) oxidase, and expression of major allergens. There was decreased pollen viability after O{sub 3} fumigation, which indicates damage to the pollen membrane system, although the ROS and NO contents were not changed or were only slightly induced, respectively. Ozone exposure induced a significant enhancement of the ROS-generating enzyme NAD(P)H oxidase. The expression of the allergen Amb a 1 was not affected by O{sub 3}, determined from the mRNA levels of the major allergens. We conclude that O{sub 3} can increase ragweed pollen allergenicity through stimulation of ROS-generating NAD(P)H oxidase. - Highlights: > O{sub 3} reduces the viability of ragweed pollen. > ROS and allergens of ragweed pollen were not affected by O{sub 3} exposure. > O{sub 3} enhances the activity of the ROS-generating enzyme NAD(P)H oxidase. > O{sub 3} increases ragweed pollen allergenicity through NAD(P)H-oxidase stimulation. - This study focuses on the effects of the atmospheric pollutant ozone on ROS content and NAD(P)H oxidase activity of ragweed pollen grains.

Pollen characteristics and in vitro pollen germination of Cedrus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PRECIOUS

2009-11-02

Nov 2, 2009 ... This study aims to determine the germination characteristics, pollen tube developments, effects of germination media and temperature and incubation durations of the pollens obtained from the four clones (11342, 11344, 11345 and 11351) of Cedrus libani A. Rich. (Lebanon Cedrus) obtained from clonal.

Occupational Allergy to Peach (Prunus persica) Tree Pollen and Potential Cross-Reactivity between Rosaceae Family Pollens.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Nannan; Yin, Jia; Mak, Philip; Wen, Liping

2015-10-01

Orchard workers in north China are highly exposed to orchard pollens, especially peach and other Rosaceae family pollens during pollination season. The aim of this study was to investigate whether occupational allergy to peach tree pollen as a member of Rosaceae family is IgE-mediated and to evaluate the cross-reactivity among Rosaceae family pollens. Allergen skin test and conjunctival challenge test were performed; enzyme linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA), inhibiting ELISA, western immunoblotting and inhibiting western immunoblotting were done with Rosaceae family orchard pollens, including peach, apricot, cherry, apple and pear tree pollens. Mass spectrometry was also performed to probe the main allergen component and cross-reactive protein. Sensitizations to peach pollen were found in both skin test and conjunctival challenge in the patients. Serum specific IgE to three pollens (peach, apricot and cherry) were detected through ELISA. When peach pollen used as solid phase, ELISA inhibition revealed other four kinds of pollens capable of inducing partial to strong inhibitions (45% to 87%), with the strongest inhibition belonging to apricot pollen (87%). Western blotting showed predominant IgE binding to a 20 KD protein among these pollens, which appeared to be a cross-reactive allergen component through western blotting inhibition. It was recognized as a protein homologous to glutathione s-transferase 16 from Arabidopsis thaliana. Peach and other Rosaceae family tree pollen may serve as a potential cause of IgE mediated occupational respiratory disease in orchard workers in north China.

Gibberellin regulates pollen viability and pollen tube growth in rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Chhun, Tory; Aya, Koichiro; Asano, Kenji; Yamamoto, Eiji; Morinaka, Yoichi; Watanabe, Masao; Kitano, Hidemi; Ashikari, Motoyuki; Matsuoka, Makoto; Ueguchi-Tanaka, Miyako

2007-12-01

Gibberellins (GAs) play many biological roles in higher plants. We collected and performed genetic analysis on rice (Oryza sativa) GA-related mutants, including GA-deficient and GA-insensitive mutants. Genetic analysis of the mutants revealed that rice GA-deficient mutations are not transmitted as Mendelian traits to the next generation following self-pollination of F1 heterozygous plants, although GA-insensitive mutations are transmitted normally. To understand these differences in transmission, we examined the effect of GA on microsporogenesis and pollen tube elongation in rice using new GA-deficient and GA-insensitive mutants that produce semifertile flowers. Phenotypic analysis revealed that the GA-deficient mutant reduced pollen elongation1 is defective in pollen tube elongation, resulting in a low fertilization frequency, whereas the GA-insensitive semidominant mutant Slr1-d3 is mainly defective in viable pollen production. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that GA biosynthesis genes tested whose mutations are transmitted to the next generation at a lower frequency are preferentially expressed after meiosis during pollen development, but expression is absent or very low before the meiosis stage, whereas GA signal-related genes are actively expressed before meiosis. Based on these observations, we predict that the transmission of GA-signaling genes occurs in a sporophytic manner, since the protein products and/or mRNA transcripts of these genes may be introduced into pollen-carrying mutant alleles, whereas GA synthesis genes are transmitted in a gametophytic manner, since these genes are preferentially expressed after meiosis.

The clinical relevance of sensitization to pollen-related fruits and vegetables in unselected pollen-sensitized adults

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Osterballe, M.; Hansen, T.K.; Mørtz, Charlotte G

2005-01-01

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have described cross-reactivity between fresh fruits, vegetables and pollen. However, no data demonstrates the clinical relevance of sensitization to pollen-related fruits and vegetables in unselected pollen-sensitized adults with and without symptoms in the pollen...... season. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate the clinical relevance of sensitization to pollen-related fruits and vegetables in unselected pollen-sensitized adults and to examine the diagnostic value of skin-prick test (SPT), histamine release and specific IgE compared with the outcome...... of oral challenge. METHODS: In total, 936 unselected adults (female : male 479 : 457, median age 33.7 years) were examined for pollen sensitization and clinical cross-reactivity with pollen-related fruits and vegetables by questionnaire, SPT, histamine release, specific IgE and oral challenge. RESULTS...

Pollen reference collection digitization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ercan, F.E.Z.; Donders, T.H.; Bijl, P.K.; Wagner, F.

2016-01-01

The extensive Utrecht University pollen reference collection holds thousands of pollen samples of many species and genera from all over the world and has been a basis for the widely-used North West European Pollen Flora. These samples are fixed on glass slides for microscopy use, but the aging

Effects of fluorides and sulphur dioxide on pollen germination and growth of the pollen tube

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leon Mejnartowicz

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The action of fluorides and sulphur dioxides from emissions from a phosphate fertilizer factory significantly reduced the germination of Scots pine pollen grains. The pollen tube length indicated that its growth is uninhibited even though the pollen was collected under conditions of air-pollution. There are statistically significant differences showing longer tubes in the sensitive trees pollen grains. l he ageing of pollen from the sensitive trees occurs probably more rapidly than in the tolerant trees.

Influence of pollen nutrition on honey bee health: do pollen quality and diversity matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Di Pasquale, Garance; Salignon, Marion; Le Conte, Yves; Belzunces, Luc P; Decourtye, Axel; Kretzschmar, André; Suchail, Séverine; Brunet, Jean-Luc; Alaux, Cédric

2013-01-01

Honey bee colonies are highly dependent upon the availability of floral resources from which they get the nutrients (notably pollen) necessary to their development and survival. However, foraging areas are currently affected by the intensification of agriculture and landscape alteration. Bees are therefore confronted to disparities in time and space of floral resource abundance, type and diversity, which might provide inadequate nutrition and endanger colonies. The beneficial influence of pollen availability on bee health is well-established but whether quality and diversity of pollen diets can modify bee health remains largely unknown. We therefore tested the influence of pollen diet quality (different monofloral pollens) and diversity (polyfloral pollen diet) on the physiology of young nurse bees, which have a distinct nutritional physiology (e.g. hypopharyngeal gland development and vitellogenin level), and on the tolerance to the microsporidian parasite Nosemaceranae by measuring bee survival and the activity of different enzymes potentially involved in bee health and defense response (glutathione-S-transferase (detoxification), phenoloxidase (immunity) and alkaline phosphatase (metabolism)). We found that both nurse bee physiology and the tolerance to the parasite were affected by pollen quality. Pollen diet diversity had no effect on the nurse bee physiology and the survival of healthy bees. However, when parasitized, bees fed with the polyfloral blend lived longer than bees fed with monofloral pollens, excepted for the protein-richest monofloral pollen. Furthermore, the survival was positively correlated to alkaline phosphatase activity in healthy bees and to phenoloxydase activities in infected bees. Our results support the idea that both the quality and diversity (in a specific context) of pollen can shape bee physiology and might help to better understand the influence of agriculture and land-use intensification on bee nutrition and health.

Influence of pollen nutrition on honey bee health: do pollen quality and diversity matter?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garance Di Pasquale

Full Text Available Honey bee colonies are highly dependent upon the availability of floral resources from which they get the nutrients (notably pollen necessary to their development and survival. However, foraging areas are currently affected by the intensification of agriculture and landscape alteration. Bees are therefore confronted to disparities in time and space of floral resource abundance, type and diversity, which might provide inadequate nutrition and endanger colonies. The beneficial influence of pollen availability on bee health is well-established but whether quality and diversity of pollen diets can modify bee health remains largely unknown. We therefore tested the influence of pollen diet quality (different monofloral pollens and diversity (polyfloral pollen diet on the physiology of young nurse bees, which have a distinct nutritional physiology (e.g. hypopharyngeal gland development and vitellogenin level, and on the tolerance to the microsporidian parasite Nosemaceranae by measuring bee survival and the activity of different enzymes potentially involved in bee health and defense response (glutathione-S-transferase (detoxification, phenoloxidase (immunity and alkaline phosphatase (metabolism. We found that both nurse bee physiology and the tolerance to the parasite were affected by pollen quality. Pollen diet diversity had no effect on the nurse bee physiology and the survival of healthy bees. However, when parasitized, bees fed with the polyfloral blend lived longer than bees fed with monofloral pollens, excepted for the protein-richest monofloral pollen. Furthermore, the survival was positively correlated to alkaline phosphatase activity in healthy bees and to phenoloxydase activities in infected bees. Our results support the idea that both the quality and diversity (in a specific context of pollen can shape bee physiology and might help to better understand the influence of agriculture and land-use intensification on bee nutrition and health.

Unstable spiral waves and local Euclidean symmetry in a model of cardiac tissue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marcotte, Christopher D.; Grigoriev, Roman O.

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the properties of unstable single-spiral wave solutions arising in the Karma model of two-dimensional cardiac tissue. In particular, we discuss how such solutions can be computed numerically on domains of arbitrary shape and study how their stability, rotational frequency, and spatial drift depend on the size of the domain as well as the position of the spiral core with respect to the boundaries. We also discuss how the breaking of local Euclidean symmetry due to finite size effects as well as the spatial discretization of the model is reflected in the structure and dynamics of spiral waves. This analysis allows identification of a self-sustaining process responsible for maintaining the state of spiral chaos featuring multiple interacting spirals

Unstable spiral waves and local Euclidean symmetry in a model of cardiac tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Marcotte, Christopher D; Grigoriev, Roman O

2015-06-01

This paper investigates the properties of unstable single-spiral wave solutions arising in the Karma model of two-dimensional cardiac tissue. In particular, we discuss how such solutions can be computed numerically on domains of arbitrary shape and study how their stability, rotational frequency, and spatial drift depend on the size of the domain as well as the position of the spiral core with respect to the boundaries. We also discuss how the breaking of local Euclidean symmetry due to finite size effects as well as the spatial discretization of the model is reflected in the structure and dynamics of spiral waves. This analysis allows identification of a self-sustaining process responsible for maintaining the state of spiral chaos featuring multiple interacting spirals.

Ecological stoichiometry of the honeybee: Pollen diversity and adequate species composition are needed to mitigate limitations imposed on the growth and development of bees by pollen quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Filipiak, Michał; Kuszewska, Karolina; Asselman, Michel; Denisow, Bożena; Stawiarz, Ernest; Woyciechowski, Michał; Weiner, January

2017-01-01

The least understood aspects of the nutritional needs of bees are the elemental composition of pollen and the bees' need for a stoichiometrically balanced diet containing the required proportions of nutrients. Reduced plant diversity has been proposed as an indirect factor responsible for the pollinator crisis. We suggest stoichiometric mismatch resulting from a nutritionally unbalanced diet as a potential direct factor. The concentrations and stoichiometric ratios of C, N, S, P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu were studied in the bodies of honeybees of various castes and sexes and in the nectar and pollen of various plant species. A literature review of the elemental composition of pollen was performed. We identified possible co-limitations of bee growth and development resulting mainly from the scarcity of Na, S, Cu, P and K, and possibly Zn and N, in pollen. Particular castes and sexes face specific limitations. Concentrations of potentially limiting elements in pollen revealed high taxonomic diversity. High floral diversity may be necessary to maintain populations of pollen eaters. Single-species crop plantations, even if these species are rich in nectar and pollen, might limit bee growth and development, not allowing for gathering nutrients in adequate proportions. However, particular plant species may play greater roles than others in balancing honeybee diets. Therefore, we suggest specific plant species that may (1) ensure optimal growth and production of individuals by producing pollen that is exceptionally well balanced stoichiometrically (e.g., clover) or (2) prevent growth and development of honeybees by producing pollen that is extremely unbalanced for bees (e.g., sunflower). Since pollen is generally poor in Na, this element must be supplemented using "dirty water". Nectar cannot supplement the diet with limiting elements. Stoichiometric mismatch should be considered in intervention strategies aimed at improving the nutritional base for bees.

Ecological stoichiometry of the honeybee: Pollen diversity and adequate species composition are needed to mitigate limitations imposed on the growth and development of bees by pollen quality.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michał Filipiak

Full Text Available The least understood aspects of the nutritional needs of bees are the elemental composition of pollen and the bees' need for a stoichiometrically balanced diet containing the required proportions of nutrients. Reduced plant diversity has been proposed as an indirect factor responsible for the pollinator crisis. We suggest stoichiometric mismatch resulting from a nutritionally unbalanced diet as a potential direct factor. The concentrations and stoichiometric ratios of C, N, S, P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu were studied in the bodies of honeybees of various castes and sexes and in the nectar and pollen of various plant species. A literature review of the elemental composition of pollen was performed. We identified possible co-limitations of bee growth and development resulting mainly from the scarcity of Na, S, Cu, P and K, and possibly Zn and N, in pollen. Particular castes and sexes face specific limitations. Concentrations of potentially limiting elements in pollen revealed high taxonomic diversity. High floral diversity may be necessary to maintain populations of pollen eaters. Single-species crop plantations, even if these species are rich in nectar and pollen, might limit bee growth and development, not allowing for gathering nutrients in adequate proportions. However, particular plant species may play greater roles than others in balancing honeybee diets. Therefore, we suggest specific plant species that may (1 ensure optimal growth and production of individuals by producing pollen that is exceptionally well balanced stoichiometrically (e.g., clover or (2 prevent growth and development of honeybees by producing pollen that is extremely unbalanced for bees (e.g., sunflower. Since pollen is generally poor in Na, this element must be supplemented using "dirty water". Nectar cannot supplement the diet with limiting elements. Stoichiometric mismatch should be considered in intervention strategies aimed at improving the nutritional base

Coconut (Cocos nucifera l.) pollen cryopreservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Karun, A; Sjini, K K; Niral, V; Amarnth, C H; Remya, P; Rajesh, M K; Samsudeen, K; Jerard, B A; Engelmann, F

2014-01-01

Coconut genetic resources are threatened by pests and pathogens, natural hazards and human activities. Cryopreservation is the only method allowing the safe and cost-effective long-term conservation of recalcitrant seed species such as coconut. The objective of this work was to test the effect of cryopreservation and of cryostorage duration on coconut pollen germination and fertility. Pollen of two coconut varieties (West Coast Tall WWCTW and Chowghat Orange Dwarf CODC) was collected in March-May over three successive years, desiccated to 7.5 % moisture content (FW) and cryopreserved by direct immersion in liquid nitrogen. Germination and pollen tube length (PTL) of desiccated and cryopreserved pollen were not significantly different for both WCT and COD over the three harvest months of the three consecutive years of study. Pollen germination ranged from 24 to 32 % in desiccated pollen whereas it was between 26 and 29 % in cryopreserved COD pollen. In the case of WCT, germination ranged from 30 to 31 % in desiccated pollen, while it was between 28 and 32 % in cryopreserved pollen. PTL of cryopreserved pollen ranged between 224-390 nm and 226-396 mm for COD and WCT, respectively. Germination of COD pollen varied between 29.0 and 44.1 % after 4 years and 1.0/1.5 years cryostorage, respectively. Germination of WCT pollen did not change significantly between 0 and 6 years cryostorage, being comprised between 32 (24 h) and 40 % (1.5 years). Germination and vigour of cryopreserved pollen were generally higher compared to that of pollen dried in oven and non-cryopreserved. Normal seed set was observed in COD and WCT palms using pollen cryostored for 6 months and 4 years. Cryopreserved pollen of five Tall and five Dwarf accessions displayed 24-31 % and 25-49 % germination, respectively. These results show that it is now possible to establish pollen cryobanks to contribute to coconut germplasm long-term conservation.

Angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma: correlation of single-level dynamic spiral CT scans in arterial phase and expression of α-smooth muscle actin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yan; Min Pengqiu; Chen Weixia; Zhang Lin

2005-01-01

Objective: To investigate the correlation between the single-level dynamic spiral CT scans (SDCT) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in arterial phase (AP) and the immunohistochemistry expression of α-smooth muscle actin (ASMA). Methods: 33 cases of suspected HCC undergoing spiral CT plain scan of the whole liver, the single-level dynamic scan of the target level of lesion in AP and finally the whole liver scan in portal-venous phase before operations and proved after were included into the study. After the SDCT, a time-density curve (T-DC) was drawn according to the density change of the region of interest (ROI) of the tumor parenchyma with some parameters calculated, and signs of enhancement evaluated. Slices of post-operation specimen underwent hemotoxylin-eosin (HE) and ASMA immunohistochemistry staining. Then the slices were evaluated with emphases on the ASMA-positive neovasculatures in the parenchyma and mesenchyma of carcinomas, and the average count in a low microscopic field (x 100) was recorded (5 low microscopic field were observed and then an average was calculated.). Finally the immunohistochemistry and histologic results were correlated with image findings. Results: According to the PV of the tumor parenchyma, T-DC was divided into type I, II and III in which the criteria were PV>80, 40 HU< PV< 80 HU and PV<40 HU respectively. In the 33 cases, type I, II and III of T-DC were 3, 17 and 13 cases with PV of 103.30, 57.65 and 33.55 HU respectively. In ASMA immunohistochemistry study, ASMA-positive neovasculatures were devided into type A with a thick wall and B with a thin wall. The mean count of neovasculatures of tumor parenchyma in type I, II and III of T-DC were 10, 4.59 and 1 respectively. Statistically, different types of T-DC were significantly correlated with the count of neovasculatures in the parenchyma of carcinomas (r=-0.567, P<0.01). Homogeneous and inhomogeneous enhancement of carcinomas during SDCT in AP were correlated with the

A microfluidic platform for the investigation of elongation growth in pollen tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agudelo, C G; Sanati, A; Ghanbari, M; Packirisamy, M; Geitmann, A

2012-01-01

Pollen tubes are an excellent model for the investigation of plant cell growth: they elongate at very high rates and are easily cultured in vitro. One major constraint in the study of pollen tube growth has been the difficulty in providing an in vitro testing environment that physically resembles the in vivo conditions. This work presents the development of a microfluidic platform for the study and manipulation of individual pollen tubes. The platform is fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane using a Silicon/SU-8 mold and makes use of microfluidics to distribute pollen grains to serially arranged microchannels into which the tubes grow to allow for individual testing. A 2D finite element fluid analysis is done to assist optimization of the architectural design. Validation of the device is carried out by growing Camellia japonica pollen. Results show that pollen tube germination and growth rate within the microfluidic network are similar to those obtained in conventional plate or batch assays. The microfluidic network allows for specific testing of a variety of structural features as demonstrated with a simple collision test, and it permits the straightforward integration of further single-cell test assays. (paper)

Storage of strawberry pollen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafet Aslantaş

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study was carried out to determine storage ability of strawberry pollen at different temperatures for three different strawberry cultivars 'Aliso', 'Brio', and 'Cruz'. Strawberry pollen was stored at room temperature (22 ±2°C, +4°C, -4°C and -18°C in stabile humidity conditions. Strawberry poIlen was germinated using the hanging drop method in a 20% sucrose solution. Pollen germination rate increased because of low temperature storage. Pollen stored at room temperature and +4°C, -4°C, and -18°C was kept for 8 months, about one year, and 20 months, respectively. Pollen germination rates decreased as the length of storage period increased. The reaction of all cultivars tested on the duration and temperature of storage was similar.

Colour learning when foraging for nectar and pollen: bees learn two colours at once.

Science.gov (United States)

Muth, Felicity; Papaj, Daniel R; Leonard, Anne S

2015-09-01

Bees are model organisms for the study of learning and memory, yet nearly all such research to date has used a single reward, nectar. Many bees collect both nectar (carbohydrates) and pollen (protein) on a single foraging bout, sometimes from different plant species. We tested whether individual bumblebees could learn colour associations with nectar and pollen rewards simultaneously in a foraging scenario where one floral type offered only nectar and the other only pollen. We found that bees readily learned multiple reward-colour associations, and when presented with novel floral targets generalized to colours similar to those trained for each reward type. These results expand the ecological significance of work on bee learning and raise new questions regarding the cognitive ecology of pollination. © 2015 The Author(s).

Fractionation and immunochemical characterization of Prosopis juliflora pollen allergen.

Science.gov (United States)

Thakur, I S

1986-12-01

Prosopis juliflora pollen grain crude extract gave six different molecular weight fractions varied from 81,000 to 13,000 dalton on Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. The purity of fractions of Prosopis juliflora pollen extract were checked by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The fraction had an molecular weight 20,000 dalton showed four absorption maxima whereas other fractions had single absorption maxima. Allergenic activity and nature of allergens were evaluated by in vitro Radioallergosorbent test and in vivo Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis test. All these tests indicated that most allergenic fractions were in the 20,000 molecular weight.

Electromechanics of graphene spirals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korhonen, Topi; Koskinen, Pekka, E-mail: pekka.koskinen@iki.fi [NanoScience Center, Department of Physics, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä (Finland)

2014-12-15

Among the most fascinating nanostructure morphologies are spirals, hybrids of somewhat obscure topology and dimensionality with technologically attractive properties. Here, we investigate mechanical and electromechanical properties of graphene spirals upon elongation by using density-functional tight-binding, continuum elasticity theory, and classical force field molecular dynamics. It turns out that electronic properties are governed by interlayer interactions as opposed to strain effects. The structural behavior is governed by van der Waals interaction: in its absence spirals unfold with equidistant layer spacings, ripple formation at spiral perimeter, and steadily increasing axial force; in its presence, on the contrary, spirals unfold via smooth local peeling, complex geometries, and nearly constant axial force. These electromechanical trends ought to provide useful guidelines not only for additional theoretical investigations but also for forthcoming experiments on graphene spirals.

[The development of pollen grains and formation of pollen tubes in higher plants : I. Quantitative measurements of the DNA-content of generative and vegetative nuclei in the pollen grain and pollen tube of Petunia hybrida mutants].

Science.gov (United States)

Hesemann, C U

1971-01-01

The DNA-content of generative and vegetative nuclei in mature pollen grains of four Petunia hybrida mutants was determined by cytophotometry. In addition the DNA-content of generative and vegetative nuclei in the pollen tube of two of these four mutants (virescens-2 n and ustulata-2 n) was cytophotometrically measured.The DNA-values found in the generative nuclei indicate that the DNA-replication continues in the mature pollen grain and comes to an end only after the migration of the nuclei into the pollen tube. These data are in disagreement with the results of DNA-measurements described for a limited number of other species which all show completion of DNA-synthesis during the maturation stage of the pollen grains.The vegetative nuclei of the four Petunia mutants studied show significant differences in the onset of the degenerative phase. Extreme variation is manifested in the ustulata-2 n mutant in which the degeneration of nuclei may reach the final stage in the maturing pollen grain. However in this mutant vegetative nuclei with an unaltered DNA-content may also be demonstrated in the pollen tube. Some of the vegetative nuclei in the pollen tube of ustulata-2 n exhibit an increased amount of DNA which could be the result of differential DNA-replication in the vegetative nuclei. The decrease of the DNA-content in a certain fraction of the vegetative nuclei in the maturing pollen grain does not agree with observations made in other species by several authors who report DNA constancy until the pollen grain is fully mature.The data obtained from the analysis of the four Petunia hybrida mutants point to an important role of the vegetative nucleus in the development of the pollen tube. The Petunia hybrida mutants may be regarded as especially favourable material for investigations concerning the function of the vegetative cell in the development of the pollen grain and pollen tube.

Characterizing aeroallergens by infrared spectroscopy of fungal spores and pollen.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Zimmermann

Full Text Available Fungal spores and plant pollen cause respiratory diseases in susceptible individuals, such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Aeroallergen monitoring networks are an important part of treatment strategies, but unfortunately traditional analysis is time consuming and expensive. We have explored the use of infrared spectroscopy of pollen and spores for an inexpensive and rapid characterization of aeroallergens.The study is based on measurement of spore and pollen samples by single reflectance attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (SR-ATR FTIR. The experimental set includes 71 spore (Basidiomycota and 121 pollen (Pinales, Fagales and Poales samples. Along with fresh basidiospores, the study has been conducted on the archived samples collected within the last 50 years.The spectroscopic-based methodology enables clear spectral differentiation between pollen and spores, as well as the separation of confamiliar and congeneric species. In addition, the analysis of the scattering signals inherent in the infrared spectra indicates that the FTIR methodology offers indirect estimation of morphology of pollen and spores. The analysis of fresh and archived spores shows that chemical composition of spores is well preserved even after decades of storage, including the characteristic taxonomy-related signals. Therefore, biochemical analysis of fungal spores by FTIR could provide economical, reliable and timely methodologies for improving fungal taxonomy, as well as for fungal identification and monitoring. This proof of principle study shows the potential for using FTIR as a rapid tool in aeroallergen studies. In addition, the presented method is ready to be immediately implemented in biological and ecological studies for direct measurement of pollen and spores from flowers and sporocarps.

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MAIZE POLLEN TRANSCRIPTOME

Science.gov (United States)

Pollen is a primary vehicle for transgene flow from engineered plants to their non-transgenic, native or weedy relatives. Hence, gene flow will be affected by pollen fitness (e.g., how well a particular pollen grain can outcompete other pollen present on the stigma and complete ...

Observations of barred spirals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elmegreen, D.M.

1990-01-01

Observations of barred spiral galaxies are discussed which show that the presence of a bar increases the likelihood for grand design spiral structure only in early Hubble types. This result is contrary to the more common notion that grand design spiral structure generally accompanies bars in galaxies. Enhanced deprojected color images are shown which reveal that a secondary set of spiral arms commonly occurs in barred galaxies and also occasionally in ovally distorted galaxies. 6 refs

Analisa Kekuatan Spiral Bevel Gear Dengan Variasi Sudut Spiral Menggunakan Metode Elemen Hingga

OpenAIRE

Deta Rachmat Andika; Agus Sigit Pramono

2017-01-01

Seiring perkembangan zaman,  teknologi roda gigi dituntut untuk mampu mentransmisikan daya yang besar dengan efisiensi yang besar pula. Pada jenis intersecting shaft gear, tipe roda gigi payung spiral (spiral bevel gear)  merupakan perkembangan dari roda gigi payung bergigi lurus (straight bevel gear). Kelebihan dari spiral bevel gear antara  lain adalah kemampuan transmisi daya dan efisiensi yang lebih besar pada geometri yang sama serta tidak terlalu berisik. Akan tetapi spiral bevel gear j...

Barred spiral structure of galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Z.; Weng, s.; Xu, M.

1982-01-01

Observational data indicate the grand design of spiral or barred spiral structure in disk galaxies. The problem of spiral structure has been thoroughly investigated by C. C. Lin and his collaborators, but yet the problem of barred spiral structure has not been investigated systematically, although much work has been done, such as in Ref. 3--7. Using the gasdynamic model for galaxies and a method of integral transform presented in Ref. 1, we investigated the barred spiral structure and obtained an analytical solution. It gives the large-scale pattern of barred-spirals, which is in fairly good agreement with observational data

Aerobiology and pollen allergy in Islamabad

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abbas, S [Allergy and Asthma Centre, Islamabad (Pakistan); Raza, S M [Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi (Pakistan); Khan, M A [Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad (Pakistan). Dept. of Plant Sciences

2009-10-15

Pollen allergies affect a significant proportion of Islamabad residents. Many patients with pollen allergy Are hospitalized in Islamabad in spring (February to April), fall seasons (July to September) and after monsoons. To determine the type and concentration of airborne pollens causing allergic diseases in the susceptible patients in Islamabad. The study was conducted from January 2005 to December 2006 and Burkard Volumetric Spore Trap' provided by the World Allergy Organization was used. This spore trap was placed in the F-10 area of Islamabad and samples were collected on weekly basis during the whole study period. To obtain the sample, the spore trap drum was loaded with a strip of sticky tape every week. The sampled sticky tape was then collected each week at a specified time and replaced with a fresh strip of sticky tape, which was then collected next week. This cycle , continued for whole study period. From each sample seven permanent slides were made and mounted with gelevitol mounting media; The slides were then examined microscopically. A total of 702 individuals irrespective of age or gender were included in the study. Skin prick tests were performed for pollens using allergen extracts of Hollister-Steir, USA and the results were recorded. The two flowering seasons in Islamabad i.e., spring and fall caused maximum pollen allergies. The Broussonetia papyrifera (paper mulberry) tree in spring, and the Cannabis sativa (bhang) weed in the fall season, Produced the highest seasonal pollen counts. In the spring season of 2005, Broussonetia papyrifera produced the highest pollen count, (73%) of the total pollen count, with a maximum count of 1390 pollen/cu meter of air/hour on 20th of March, while in 2006, it accounted for 75% of the total pollen-count with a maximum count of 1430 pollen/cu meter of air/hour on 10th of March. in fall Season of 2005, Cannabis sativa produced maximum pollen counts of 85 pollens/cu meter of air/hr on 18th of August, while in 2006

Aerobiology and pollen allergy in Islamabad

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbas, S.; Raza, S.M.; Khan, M.A.

2009-01-01

Pollen allergies affect a significant proportion of Islamabad residents. Many patients with pollen allergy Are hospitalized in Islamabad in spring (February to April), fall seasons (July to September) and after monsoons. To determine the type and concentration of airborne pollens causing allergic diseases in the susceptible patients in Islamabad. The study was conducted from January 2005 to December 2006 and Burkard Volumetric Spore Trap' provided by the World Allergy Organization was used. This spore trap was placed in the F-10 area of Islamabad and samples were collected on weekly basis during the whole study period. To obtain the sample, the spore trap drum was loaded with a strip of sticky tape every week. The sampled sticky tape was then collected each week at a specified time and replaced with a fresh strip of sticky tape, which was then collected next week. This cycle , continued for whole study period. From each sample seven permanent slides were made and mounted with gelevitol mounting media; The slides were then examined microscopically. A total of 702 individuals irrespective of age or gender were included in the study. Skin prick tests were performed for pollens using allergen extracts of Hollister-Steir, USA and the results were recorded. The two flowering seasons in Islamabad i.e., spring and fall caused maximum pollen allergies. The Broussonetia papyrifera (paper mulberry) tree in spring, and the Cannabis sativa (bhang) weed in the fall season, Produced the highest seasonal pollen counts. In the spring season of 2005, Broussonetia papyrifera produced the highest pollen count, (73%) of the total pollen count, with a maximum count of 1390 pollen/cu meter of air/hour on 20th of March, while in 2006, it accounted for 75% of the total pollen-count with a maximum count of 1430 pollen/cu meter of air/hour on 10th of March. in fall Season of 2005, Cannabis sativa produced maximum pollen counts of 85 pollens/cu meter of air/hr on 18th of August, while in 2006

Spiral branches and star formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zasov, A.V.

1974-01-01

Origin of spiral branches of galaxies and formation of stars in them are considered from the point of view of the theory of the gravitational gas condensation, one of comparatively young theories. Arguments are presented in favour of the stellar condensation theory. The concept of the star formation of gas is no longer a speculative hypothesis. This is a theory which assumes quantitative verification and explains qualitatively many facts observed. And still our knowledge on the nature of spiral branches is very poor. It still remains vague what processes give origin to spiral branches, why some galaxies have spirals and others have none. And shapes of spiral branches are diverse. Some cases are known when spiral branches spread outside boundaries of galaxies themselves. Such spirals arise exclusively in the region where there are two or some interacting galaxies. Only first steps have been made in the explanation of the galaxy spiral branches, and it is necessary to carry out new observations and new theoretical calculations

De novo post-pollen mitosis II tobacco pollen tube transcriptome

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hafidh, Said; Breznenová, Katarína; Honys, David

2012-01-01

Roč. 7, č. 8 (2012), s. 918-921 ISSN 1559-2316 R&D Projects: GA ČR GPP501/11/P321; GA ČR GA522/09/0858 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50380511 Keywords : de novo pollen tube transcriptome * male gametophyte development * pollen tube growth Subject RIV: ED - Physiology

Ion Implantation Hampers Pollen Tube Growth and Disrupts Actin Cytoskeleton Organization in Pollen Tubes of Pinus thunbergii

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Guoping; Yang Lusheng; Huang Qunce; Qin Guangyong

2008-01-01

Pollen grains of Pinus thunbergii Parl. (Japanese black pine) were implanted with 30 keV nitrogen ion beams and the effects of nitrogen ion implantation on pollen tube growth in vitro and the organization of actin cytoskeleton in the pollen tube cell were investigated using a confocal laser scanning microscope after fluorescence labeling. Treatment with ion implantation significantly blocked pollen tube growth. Confocal microscopy showed that ion implantation disrupted actin filament cytoskeleton organization in the pollen tube. It was found that there was a distinct correlation between the inhibition of pollen tube growth and the disruption of actin cytoskeleton organization, indicating that an intact actin cytoskeleton is essential for continuous pollen tube elongation in Pinus thunbergii. Although the detailed mechanism for the ion-implantation-induced bioeffect still remains to be elucidated, the present study assumes that the cytoskeleton system in pollen grains may provide a key target in response to ion beam implantation and is involved in mediating certain subsequent cytological changes.

Can we improve pollen season definitions by using the symptom load index in addition to pollen counts?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bastl, Katharina; Kmenta, Maximilian; Geller-Bernstein, Carmi; Berger, Uwe; Jäger, Siegfried

2015-01-01

Airborne pollen measurements are the foundation of aerobiological research and provide essential raw data for various disciplines. Pollen itself should be considered a relevant factor in air quality. Symptom data shed light on the relationship of pollen allergy and pollination. The aim of this study is to assess the spatial variation of local, regional and national symptom datasets. Ten pollen season definitions are used to calculate the symptom load index for the birch and grass pollen seasons (2013–2014) in Austria. (1) Local, (2) regional and (3) national symptom datasets are used to examine spatial variations and a consistent pattern was found. In conclusion, national datasets are suitable for first insights where no sufficient local or regional dataset is available and season definitions based on percentages provide a practical solution, as they can be applied in regions with different pollen loads and produce more constant results. - Highlights: • The definition of the pollen season has an impact on the calculated symptom load. • Pollen season definitions based on percentages of total pollen are a practical solution. • The symptom load index is a robust tool to assess the allergy burden in a population. • Local, regional and national burdens of pollen allergy sufferers are comparable. - The symptom load index is a robust tool to assess the allergy burden in a population. Local, regional and national burdens of pollen allergy sufferers are comparable

A Review of the Effects of Major Atmospheric Pollutants on Pollen Grains, Pollen Content, and Allergenicity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hélène Sénéchal

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This review summarizes the available data related to the effects of air pollution on pollen grains from different plant species. Several studies carried out either on in situ harvested pollen or on pollen exposed in different places more or less polluted are presented and discussed. The different experimental procedures used to monitor the impact of pollution on pollen grains and on various produced external or internal subparticles are listed. Physicochemical and biological effects of artificial pollution (gaseous and particulate on pollen from different plants, in different laboratory conditions, are considered. The effects of polluted pollen grains, subparticles, and derived aeroallergens in animal models, in in vitro cell culture, on healthy human and allergic patients are described. Combined effects of atmospheric pollutants and pollen grains-derived biological material on allergic population are specifically discussed. Within the notion of “polluen,” some methodological biases are underlined and research tracks in this field are proposed.

A Review of the Effects of Major Atmospheric Pollutants on Pollen Grains, Pollen Content, and Allergenicity

Science.gov (United States)

Sénéchal, Hélène; Visez, Nicolas; Charpin, Denis; Shahali, Youcef; Peltre, Gabriel; Biolley, Jean-Philippe; Lhuissier, Franck; Couderc, Rémy; Yamada, Ohri; Malrat-Domenge, Audrey; Pham-Thi, Nhân; Poncet, Pascal; Sutra, Jean-Pierre

2015-01-01

This review summarizes the available data related to the effects of air pollution on pollen grains from different plant species. Several studies carried out either on in situ harvested pollen or on pollen exposed in different places more or less polluted are presented and discussed. The different experimental procedures used to monitor the impact of pollution on pollen grains and on various produced external or internal subparticles are listed. Physicochemical and biological effects of artificial pollution (gaseous and particulate) on pollen from different plants, in different laboratory conditions, are considered. The effects of polluted pollen grains, subparticles, and derived aeroallergens in animal models, in in vitro cell culture, on healthy human and allergic patients are described. Combined effects of atmospheric pollutants and pollen grains-derived biological material on allergic population are specifically discussed. Within the notion of “polluen,” some methodological biases are underlined and research tracks in this field are proposed. PMID:26819967

Ozone affects pollen viability and NAD(P)H oxidase release from Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen.

Science.gov (United States)

Pasqualini, Stefania; Tedeschini, Emma; Frenguelli, Giuseppe; Wopfner, Nicole; Ferreira, Fatima; D'Amato, Gennaro; Ederli, Luisa

2011-10-01

Air pollution is frequently proposed as a cause of the increased incidence of allergy in industrialised countries. We investigated the impact of ozone (O(3)) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and allergen content of ragweed pollen (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). Pollen was exposed to acute O(3) fumigation, with analysis of pollen viability, ROS and nitric oxide (NO) content, activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD[P]H) oxidase, and expression of major allergens. There was decreased pollen viability after O(3) fumigation, which indicates damage to the pollen membrane system, although the ROS and NO contents were not changed or were only slightly induced, respectively. Ozone exposure induced a significant enhancement of the ROS-generating enzyme NAD(P)H oxidase. The expression of the allergen Amb a 1 was not affected by O(3), determined from the mRNA levels of the major allergens. We conclude that O(3) can increase ragweed pollen allergenicity through stimulation of ROS-generating NAD(P)H oxidase. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plasma Generator Using Spiral Conductors

Science.gov (United States)

Szatkowski, George N. (Inventor); Dudley, Kenneth L. (Inventor); Ticatch, Larry A. (Inventor); Smith, Laura J. (Inventor); Koppen, Sandra V. (Inventor); Nguyen, Truong X. (Inventor); Ely, Jay J. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A plasma generator includes a pair of identical spiraled electrical conductors separated by dielectric material. Both spiraled conductors have inductance and capacitance wherein, in the presence of a time-varying electromagnetic field, the spiraled conductors resonate to generate a harmonic electromagnetic field response. The spiraled conductors lie in parallel planes and partially overlap one another in a direction perpendicular to the parallel planes. The geometric centers of the spiraled conductors define endpoints of a line that is non-perpendicular with respect to the parallel planes. A voltage source coupled across the spiraled conductors applies a voltage sufficient to generate a plasma in at least a portion of the dielectric material.

Simple methods for in vitro pollen germination and pollen preservation of selected species of the genus Agave

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sigifredo López Díaz

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Simple methods to evaluate the viability and to preserve Agave tequilana Weber var. azul and A. angustifolia Haw pollen were established. Pollen viability was assessed by improving a growing media and evaluating three common pollen germination media components: sucrose, boric acid, and calcium ion. Optimal germination of pollen was obtained at 0.300 M sucrose, 0.324 mM boric acid, and 1.219 mM calcium nitrate and incubated at a temperature of 25°C. Agave pollen was preserved in olive oil and organic solvents. Olive oil, which is immiscible with water, provides an anhydrous environment and limits available oxygen, conditions similar to those provided by some organic solvents. Fresh pollen was put into eppendorf tubes containing n-butanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, extra virgin olive oil and preserved at -20, 4, and 25°C. The germination of the preserved pollen was scored at different time periods during preservation employing the optimal germination medium. The viability of pollen grains preserved at -20°C in olive oil, proved olive oil as an efficient medium for agave pollen preservation for at least 6 months.

Germination and storage of pollen

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visser, T.

1955-01-01

Germination of pear pollen markedly improved when boric acid was added to the medium. The pollen was more sensitive to boron in water than in 10 % sugar solution. Supplying weak solutions of boron to pear branches before flowering resulted in a good germination of the pollen in sugar solution

Initial clinical experience with spiral CT angiography in the abdomen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaa, J.; Stehling, M.K.; Costello, P.

1993-01-01

The latest developments in modern CT instruments, offering scanning times of a second, opened up new possibilities in CT imaging in combination with the spiral technique. The data set normally taken with single-breath-hold technique is free of respiratory artefacts and thus is a good basis for accurate 3D image reconstruction. Spiral CTA allows a non-invasive 3D imaging of various blood vessels. Patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms of aorto-iliac bypass can be examined as outpatients within 15 minutes. (orig.) [de

Pollen sources in the Bojanów forest complex identified on honeybee pollen load by microscopic analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ernest Stawiarz

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to determine sources of pollen for the honeybee in the Bojanów forest complex, Nowa Dęba Forest District (southeastern Poland. Sampling of pollen loads from bees extended from the beginning of May until the end of September 2016 and was carried out at 7-day intervals using pollen traps mounted at the entrance of beehives. A total of 73 pollen load samples were collected from the study area. Fifty-nine taxa from 31 plant families were identified in the analyzed material. From 4 to 21 taxa (average 9.5 were recorded in one sample. The pollen of Brassicaceae (“others”, Taraxacum type, Solidago type, and Rumex had the highest frequency in the pollen loads examined. Apart from these four taxa, pollen grains of Rubus type, Poaceae (“others”, Calluna, Fagopyrum, Trifolium repens s. l., Phacelia, Aster type, Melampyrum, Quercus, Cornus, and Veronica were recorded in the dominant pollen group. The forest habitat taxa that provided pollen rewards to honeybees in the Bojanów forest complex were the following: Rubus, Calluna, Prunus, Tilia, Frangula alnus, Pinus, Quercus, Cornus, Robinia pseudoacacia, Salix, and Vaccinium. Apart from forest vegetation, the species from meadows and wastelands adjacent to this forest complex, represented by Taraxacum, Rumex, Plantago, Poaceae, Trifolium repens, and Solidago, proved to be an important source of pollen. The study indicates that forest communities are a valuable source of pollen for pollinating insects from early spring through to late fall.

Role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF in pollen-induced allergic conjunctivitis and pollen dermatitis in mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuka Nagata

Full Text Available Pollen is a clinically important airborne allergen and one of the major causes of allergic conjunctivitis. A subpopulation of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD are also known to have exacerbated skin eruptions on the face, especially around the eyelids, after contact with pollen. This pollen-induced skin reaction is now known as pollen dermatitis. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF is a pluripotent cytokine that plays an essential role in allergic inflammation. Recent findings suggest that MIF is involved in several allergic disorders, including AD. In this study, MIF knockout (KO, MIF transgenic (Tg and WT littermate mice were immunized with ragweed (RW pollen or Japanese cedar (JC pollen and challenged via eye drops. We observed that the numbers of conjunctiva- and eyelid-infiltrating eosinophils were significantly increased in RW and JC pollen-sensitized MIF Tg compared with WT mice or MIF KO mice. The mRNA expression levels of eotaxin, interleukin (IL-5 and IL-13 were increased in pollen-sensitized eyelid skin sites of MIF Tg mice. An in vitro analysis revealed that high eotaxin expression was induced in dermal fibroblasts by MIF combined with stimulation of IL-4 or IL-13. This eotaxin expression was inhibited by the treatment with CD74 siRNA in fibroblasts. These findings indicate that MIF can induce eosinophil accumulation in the conjunctiva and eyelid dermis exposed to pollen. Therefore, targeted inhibition of MIF might result as a new option to control pollen-induced allergic conjunctivitis and pollen dermatitis.

Pollen cone anatomy of Classostrobus crossii sp. nov. (Cheirolepidiaceae)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rothwell, Gar W.; Mapes, Gene [Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens OH 45701 (United States); Hilton, Jason [Department of Earth Sciences, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Hollingworth, Neville T. [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Winfrith Technology Centre, Winfrith Newburgh, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 8ZD (United Kingdom)

2007-01-02

Discovery of a permineralized fossil cone in Mesozoic deposits of southern England provides an opportunity to document the first detailed evidence of internal pollen cone anatomy for the extinct conifer family Cheirolepidiaceae. The specimen, described here as Classostrobus crossii sp. nov., occurs in a calcareous nodule recovered from Middle Jurassic marine sediments of the Lower Callovian Sigaloceras calloviense biozone, Kellaways, near Cirencester, England. The cone is 2.0 cm long and 1.8 cm wide. Sporophylls diverge helically from the axis. Each sporophyll displays a narrow stalk and a distal lamina approx. 11 mm long that tapers to a pointed tip. There is also a basal keel that bends inward at the bottom and sides to form a shallow pocket. A single vascular bundle diverges from the cone axis, extends distally into the sporophyll stalk at the contact of two distinctly different histological zones, and further expands into the distal lamina as transfusion tracheids. Several pollen sacs are attached abaxially at the juncture of the sporophyll stalk and keel. Pollen is roughly spheroidal, 26-35 {mu}m in diameter, with unequal polar caps separated by a striated belt with a subequatorial furrow. This specimen helps clarify the range of variation in the morphology of Mesozoic conifer pollen cones. (author)

Allergenic pollen pollinosis in Madrid.

Science.gov (United States)

Subiza, J; Jerez, M; Jiménez, J A; Narganes, M J; Cabrera, M; Varela, S; Subiza, E

1995-07-01

A 15-year pollen count was performed in the atmosphere of Madrid, Spain, to determine the months in which the highest concentrations of allergenic pollens occur. Pollen counts were done with a Burkard spore trap (Burkard Manufacturing, Rickmansworth, Herst., U.K.). The results were subsequently compared with results of skin tests in patients with pollinosis born and living in and around Madrid. The highest airborne presence (percent of total yearly pollen counts, mean of counts from 1979 to 1993) was for Quercus spp. (17%); followed by Platanus spp. (15%), Poaceae (15%), Cupressaceae (11%), Olea spp. (9%), Pinus spp. (7%), Populus spp. (4%), and Plantago spp. (4%). The most predominant pollens from January to April are tree pollens (Cupressaceae, Alnus, Fraxinus, Ulmus, Populus, Platanus, and Morus), although these are also abudant in May and June (Quercus, Olea, and Pinus spp.). The grass pollination period shows a double curve: the first peak occurs from February to April (8% of yearly grasses), and the second peak occurs from May to July (90% of yearly grasses). Among allergenically significant weeds, the most notable is Plantago; in contrast, Rumex, Urticaceae, Cheno-Amaranthaceae, and Artemisia spp. have very low concentrations (arizonica (20%). The population of Madrid is exposed to high concentrations of allergenic pollen from February to July, although the most intense period is from May to June. Grass pollens are the most important cause of pollinosis in this area.

Identification of sweet chesnut pollen in bee pollen pellet using using molecular analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jana Žiarovská

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Castanea sativa posses many characteristics that are used by human for different purposes, not only as a part of the food. One of them is the utilization of the sweet chesnut pollen for its pharmacological benefits. Actually, no information about the DNA based identification of the sweet chesnut exist. Here, an identification of Castanea sativa based on the specific DNA fragment amplification is described for the first time. Sweet chesnut identification was performed in the very complex sample of bee pollen pellets that were identified as to contain sweet chesnut pollen grains by morphological analysis. First, bioinformatic analysis was performed to find a Castanea sativa conservative part of galactol synthase gene. BLAST alignment of the CDS of GolS1 gene was performed by BLASTtn against plants nucleotide sequences in the NCBI database to ensure for the specifity or existing nucleotide differences. Then, specific primers were subsequently designed and PCR amplification was performed. All the PCRs have run in duplicates for pollen pellet sample and two independent samples of Castanea sativa pure pollen. Restriction cleavage of the PCR amplified fragment was performed to confirm the specifity of the obtained PCR product with the positive confirmation as the predicted three restriction fragments were obtained that fully correspond by the length to those from virtual clevage. Restriction endonuclease Hpy166II was used in restriction cleavage analysis. Castanea sativa pollen grains were confirmed reliable in multifloral pollen pellet by PCR and this approach has the potential to be used effectively for the authentication purposes of sweet chesnut.

Rank-based characterization of pollen assemblages collected by honey bees using a multi-locus metabarcoding approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Rodney T; Lin, Chia-Hua; Quijia, Juan O; Riusech, Natalia S; Goodell, Karen; Johnson, Reed M

2015-11-01

Difficulties inherent in microscopic pollen identification have resulted in limited implementation for large-scale studies. Metabarcoding, a relatively novel approach, could make pollen analysis less onerous; however, improved understanding of the quantitative capacity of various plant metabarcode regions and primer sets is needed to ensure that such applications are accurate and precise. We applied metabarcoding, targeting the ITS2, matK, and rbcL loci, to characterize six samples of pollen collected by honey bees, Apis mellifera. Additionally, samples were analyzed by light microscopy. We found significant rank-based associations between the relative abundance of pollen types within our samples as inferred by the two methods. Our findings suggest metabarcoding data from plastid loci, as opposed to the ribosomal locus, are more reliable for quantitative characterization of pollen assemblages. Furthermore, multilocus metabarcoding of pollen may be more reliable than single-locus analyses, underscoring the need for discovering novel barcodes and barcode combinations optimized for molecular palynology.

Spiral CT for evaluation of chest trauma; Spiral-CT beim Thoraxtrauma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roehnert, W. [Universitaetsklinikum Dresden (Germany). Inst. und Poliklinik fuer Radiologische Diagnostik; Weise, R. [Universitaetsklinikum Dresden (Germany). Inst. und Poliklinik fuer Radiologische Diagnostik

1997-07-01

After implementation of spiral CT in our department, we carried out an analysis for determining anew the value of CT as a modality of chest trauma diagnosis in the emergency department. The retrospective study covers a period of 10 months and all emergency patients with chest trauma exmined by spiral CT. The major lesions of varying seriousness covered by this study are: pneumothorax, hematothorax, pulmonary contusion or laceration, mediastinal hematoma, rupture of a vessel, injury of the heart and pericardium. The various fractures are not included in this study. In many cases, spiral CT within relatively short time yields significant diagnostic findings, frequently saving additional angiography. A rigid diagnostic procedure cannot be formulated. Plain-film chest radiography still remains a diagnostic modality of high value. (Orig.) [Deutsch] Nach Einfuehrung der Spiral-CT in unserer Einrichtung versuchten wir, den Stellenwert der Computertomographie in der Notfalldiagnostik des Thoraxtraumas neu zu bestimmen. Dazu wurden retrospektiv ueber einen Zeitraum von 10 Monaten alle mittels Spiral-CT untersuchten Notfallpatienten mit Thoraxverletzungen ausgewertet. Im Vordergrund standen folgende Befunde unterschiedlichen Schweregrades: Pneumothorax, Haematothorax, Lungenkontusion/-lazeration, Mediastinalhaematom, Gefaessruptur, Herz- und Herzbeutelverletzung. Auf die unterschiedlichen Frakturen wird bewusst nicht naeher eingegangen. In vielen Faellen liefert die Spiral-CT mit relativ geringem Zeitaufwand wesentliche diagnostische Aussagen. Haeufig kann auf eine Angiographie verzichtet werden. Ein starres diagnostisches Stufenschema laesst sich nicht definieren. Die Thoraxuebersichtsaufnahme besitzt einen unveraendert hohen Stellenwert. (orig.)

Quantifying pollen-vegetation relationships to reconstruct ancient forests using 19th-century forest composition and pollen data

Science.gov (United States)

Dawson, Andria; Paciorek, Christopher J.; McLachlan, Jason S.; Goring, Simon; Williams, John W.; Jackson, Stephen T.

2016-04-01

Mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its effects relies partly on how effectively land-atmosphere interactions can be quantified. Quantifying composition of past forest ecosystems can help understand processes governing forest dynamics in a changing world. Fossil pollen data provide information about past forest composition, but rigorous interpretation requires development of pollen-vegetation models (PVMs) that account for interspecific differences in pollen production and dispersal. Widespread and intensified land-use over the 19th and 20th centuries may have altered pollen-vegetation relationships. Here we use STEPPS, a Bayesian hierarchical spatial PVM, to estimate key process parameters and associated uncertainties in the pollen-vegetation relationship. We apply alternate dispersal kernels, and calibrate STEPPS using a newly developed Euro-American settlement-era calibration data set constructed from Public Land Survey data and fossil pollen samples matched to the settlement-era using expert elicitation. Models based on the inverse power-law dispersal kernel outperformed those based on the Gaussian dispersal kernel, indicating that pollen dispersal kernels are fat tailed. Pine and birch have the highest pollen productivities. Pollen productivity and dispersal estimates are generally consistent with previous understanding from modern data sets, although source area estimates are larger. Tests of model predictions demonstrate the ability of STEPPS to predict regional compositional patterns.

Quantifying pollen-vegetation relationships to reconstruct ancient forests using 19th-century forest composition and pollen data

Science.gov (United States)

Dawson, Andria; Paciorek, Christopher J.; McLachlan, Jason S.; Goring, Simon; Williams, John W.; Jackson, Stephen T.

2016-01-01

Mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its effects relies partly on how effectively land-atmosphere interactions can be quantified. Quantifying composition of past forest ecosystems can help understand processes governing forest dynamics in a changing world. Fossil pollen data provide information about past forest composition, but rigorous interpretation requires development of pollen-vegetation models (PVMs) that account for interspecific differences in pollen production and dispersal. Widespread and intensified land-use over the 19th and 20th centuries may have altered pollen-vegetation relationships. Here we use STEPPS, a Bayesian hierarchical spatial PVM, to estimate key process parameters and associated uncertainties in the pollen-vegetation relationship. We apply alternate dispersal kernels, and calibrate STEPPS using a newly developed Euro-American settlement-era calibration data set constructed from Public Land Survey data and fossil pollen samples matched to the settlement-era using expert elicitation. Models based on the inverse power-law dispersal kernel outperformed those based on the Gaussian dispersal kernel, indicating that pollen dispersal kernels are fat tailed. Pine and birch have the highest pollen productivities. Pollen productivity and dispersal estimates are generally consistent with previous understanding from modern data sets, although source area estimates are larger. Tests of model predictions demonstrate the ability of STEPPS to predict regional compositional patterns.

MICROBIAL QUALITY OF HONEY MIXTURE WITH POLLEN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ján Mareček

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 21 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The aim of this study was evaluation of microbial quality in raw materials (honey, pollen and evaluation of microbial quality in honey mixture with pollen (2.91 % and 3.85 % and also dynamics of microbial groups in honey mixtures with pollen after 14 days storage at the room temperature (approximately 25 °C and in cold store (8 °C. We used dilution plating method for testing of samples. Detections of total plate microbial count (aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms, sporulating bacteria, coliform bacteria, Bifidobacterium sp., Lactobacillus sp. and microscopic fungi were performed. In general, counts of microorganisms decreased in honey mixture with pollen compared to raw pollen and these counts increased compared to natural honey. Total plate count was 5.37 log KTJ.g-1 in pollen; 1.36 log KTJ.g-1 in honey; 2.97 log KTJ.g-1 in honey mixture with 2.91 % pollen and 2.04 log KTJ.g-1 in honey mixture with 3.85 % pollen. Coliform bacteria were detected in pollen (1.77 log KTJ.g-1. Then, we found coliform bacteria in one sample of honey mixtures with pollen (2.91 % - 1.00 log KTJ.g-1.Bifidobacterium species were detected only in raw pollen. We did not findLactobacillus sp. in any of the samples. Microscopic fungi were detected on two cultivating media. Yeasts were present in pollen sample (average 5.39 log KTJ.g-1, honey mixture with 2.91 % pollen (average 2.51 log KTJ.g-1 and honey mixture with 3.85 % pollen (average 1.58 log KTJ.g-1. Filamentous microscopic fungi were detectable in pollen (average 3.38 log KTJ.g-1, in honey (only on one medium: 1.00 log KTJ.g-1, in honey mixture with 2.91 % pollen (average 1.15 log KTJ.g-1 and in honey mixture with 3.85 % pollen (1.71 %. Raw pollen contained microscopic fungi as Absidiasp., Mucor sp., Alternaria sp. andEmericella nidulans. Honey mixture with 2.91 % pollen after storage (14 days contained lower microbial counts when compared with the sample

Pollen Forecast and Dispersion Modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Costantini, Monica; Di Giuseppe, Fabio; Medaglia, Carlo Maria; Travaglini, Alessandro; Tocci, Raffaella; Brighetti, M. Antonia; Petitta, Marcello

2014-05-01

The aim of this study is monitoring, mapping and forecast of pollen distribution for the city of Rome using in-situ measurements of 10 species of common allergenic pollens and measurements of PM10. The production of daily concentration maps, associated to a mobile phone app, are innovative compared to existing dedicated services to people who suffer from respiratory allergies. The dispersal pollen is one of the most well-known causes of allergic disease that is manifested by disorders of the respiratory functions. Allergies are the third leading cause of chronic disease and it is estimated that tens millions of people in Italy suffer from it. Recent works reveal that during the last few years there was a progressive increase of affected subjects, especially in urban areas. This situation may depend: on the ability to transport of pollutants, on the ability to react between pollutants and pollen and from a combination of other irritants, existing in densely populated and polluted urban areas. The methodology used to produce maps is based on in-situ measurements time series relative to 2012, obtained from networks of air quality and pollen stations in the metropolitan area of Rome. The monitoring station aerobiological of University of Rome "Tor Vergata" is located at the Department of Biology. The instrument used to pollen monitoring is a volumetric sampler type Hirst (Hirst 1952), Model 2000 VPPS Lanzoni; the data acquisition is carried out as reported in Standard UNI 11008:2004 - "Qualità dell'aria - Metodo di campionamento e conteggio dei granuli pollinici e delle spore fungine aerodisperse" - the protocol that describes the procedure for measuring of the concentration of pollen grains and fungal spores dispersed into the atmosphere, and reported in the "Manuale di gestione e qualità della R.I.M.A" (Travaglini et. al. 2009). All 10 allergenic pollen are monitored since 1996. At Tor Vergata university is also operating a meteorological station (SP2000, CAE

Predicting spiral wave patterns from cell properties in a model of biological self-organization.

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Geberth, Daniel; Hütt, Marc-Thorsten

2008-09-01

In many biological systems, biological variability (i.e., systematic differences between the system components) can be expected to outrank statistical fluctuations in the shaping of self-organized patterns. In principle, the distribution of single-element properties should thus allow predicting features of such patterns. For a mathematical model of a paradigmatic and well-studied pattern formation process, spiral waves of cAMP signaling in colonies of the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, we explore this possibility and observe a pronounced anticorrelation between spiral waves and cell properties (namely, the firing rate) and particularly a clustering of spiral wave tips in regions devoid of spontaneously firing (pacemaker) cells. Furthermore, we observe local inhomogeneities in the distribution of spiral chiralities, again induced by the pacemaker distribution. We show that these findings can be explained by a simple geometrical model of spiral wave generation.

High assurance SPIRAL

Science.gov (United States)

Franchetti, Franz; Sandryhaila, Aliaksei; Johnson, Jeremy R.

2014-06-01

In this paper we introduce High Assurance SPIRAL to solve the last mile problem for the synthesis of high assurance implementations of controllers for vehicular systems that are executed in today's and future embedded and high performance embedded system processors. High Assurance SPIRAL is a scalable methodology to translate a high level specification of a high assurance controller into a highly resource-efficient, platform-adapted, verified control software implementation for a given platform in a language like C or C++. High Assurance SPIRAL proves that the implementation is equivalent to the specification written in the control engineer's domain language. Our approach scales to problems involving floating-point calculations and provides highly optimized synthesized code. It is possible to estimate the available headroom to enable assurance/performance trade-offs under real-time constraints, and enables the synthesis of multiple implementation variants to make attacks harder. At the core of High Assurance SPIRAL is the Hybrid Control Operator Language (HCOL) that leverages advanced mathematical constructs expressing the controller specification to provide high quality translation capabilities. Combined with a verified/certified compiler, High Assurance SPIRAL provides a comprehensive complete solution to the efficient synthesis of verifiable high assurance controllers. We demonstrate High Assurance SPIRALs capability by co-synthesizing proofs and implementations for attack detection and sensor spoofing algorithms and deploy the code as ROS nodes on the Landshark unmanned ground vehicle and on a Synthetic Car in a real-time simulator.

3D design and electric simulation of a silicon drift detector using a spiral biasing adapter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yu-yun; Xiong, Bo [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105 (China); Center for Semiconductor Particle and photon Imaging Detector, Development and Fabrication, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105 (China); Li, Zheng, E-mail: zhengli58@gmail.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105 (China); Center for Semiconductor Particle and photon Imaging Detector, Development and Fabrication, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105 (China)

2016-09-21

The detector system of combining a spiral biasing adapter (SBA) with a silicon drift detector (SBA-SDD) is largely different from the traditional silicon drift detector (SDD), including the spiral SDD. It has a spiral biasing adapter of the same design as a traditional spiral SDD and an SDD with concentric rings having the same radius. Compared with the traditional spiral SDD, the SBA-SDD separates the spiral's functions of biasing adapter and the p–n junction definition. In this paper, the SBA-SDD is simulated using a Sentaurus TCAD tool, which is a full 3D device simulation tool. The simulated electric characteristics include electric potential, electric field, electron concentration, and single event effect. Because of the special design of the SBA-SDD, the SBA can generate an optimum drift electric field in the SDD, comparable with the conventional spiral SDD, while the SDD can be designed with concentric rings to reduce surface area. Also the current and heat generated in the SBA are separated from the SDD. To study the single event response, we simulated the induced current caused by incident heavy ions (20 and 50 μm penetration length) with different linear energy transfer (LET). The SBA-SDD can be used just like a conventional SDD, such as X-ray detector for energy spectroscopy and imaging, etc. - Highlights: • The separation of the spiral biasing adapter and SDD is a new concept. • The distribution of the electric potential is symmetrical around the axis through the anode. • The region with higher electron concentrations defines the drift channel.

Differential skin test reactivity to pollens in pollen food allergy syndrome versus allergic rhinitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ta, Von; Scott, David R; Chin, William K; Wineinger, Nathan E; Kelso, John M; White, Andrew A

2015-01-01

Pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS), also called oral allergy syndrome, is a form of food allergy in which uncooked foods cause allergic symptoms generally limited to the oral mucosa. It occurs in a subset of patients with pollen allergy, although not all patients have prominent rhinitis symptoms. PFAS is related to antigenic similarity between the pollen and food allergen. The size of skin test reactions in a group of subjects with pollen sensitivity with PFAS was compared with a group of subjects who were pollen sensitive and without PFAS. Self-reported rhinitis symptoms between the two groups were compared to identify if symptom severity differed. Twenty subjects with PFAS and 20 subjects with seasonal allergic rhinitis without PFAS were enrolled in the study. All the subjects underwent standard skin-prick testing to a panel of common allergens, including select fresh fruits and vegetables. The subjects completed a Mini Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire as part of their clinical evaluation. The subjects with PFAS and those without PFAS were compared statistically. The subjects with PFAS had significantly larger-sized skin-prick test results specific to pollens (p PFAS reported milder nasal symptoms in relation to pollen skin test result size when compared with allergic rhinitis controls without PFAS. Our study outlined basic differences between two seemingly similar patient groups with a particularly striking discordance between skin test result sizes and rhinitis symptoms. This discordance should be explored further to increase mechanistic understanding of allergen cross-reactivity in PFAS.

Storage and irradiation of Cucumis pollen and their influence on pollen vitality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oost, E.H.; Nijs, A.P.M. den

1979-01-01

In connection with an interspecific hybridization programme and a mentor pollen experiment in Cucumis, the optimal storage conditions and in vitro germination medium for both fresh and irradiated pollen of the cultivated cucumber and two wild African Cucumis species have been searched for. (Auth.)

Inherent optical properties of pollen particles: a case study for the morning glory pollen.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chao; Yin, Yan

2016-01-25

Biological aerosols, such as bacteria, fungal spores, and pollens, play an important role on various atmospheric processes, whereas their inherent optical property is one of the most uncertainties that limit our ability to assess their effects on weather and climate. A numerical model with core-shell structure, hexagonal grids and barbs is developed to represent one kind of realistic pollen particles, and their inherent optical properties are simulated using a pseudo-spectral time domain method. Both the hexagonal grids and barbs substantially affect the modeled pollen optical properties. Results based on the realistic particle model are compared with two equivalent spherical approximations, and the significant differences indicate the importance of considering pollen geometries for their optical properties.

Simulations of the flocculent spiral M33: what drives the spiral structure?

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Dobbs, C. L.; Pettitt, A. R.; Corbelli, E.; Pringle, J. E.

2018-05-01

We perform simulations of isolated galaxies in order to investigate the likely origin of the spiral structure in M33. In our models, we find that gravitational instabilities in the stars and gas are able to reproduce the observed spiral pattern and velocity field of M33, as seen in HI, and no interaction is required. We also find that the optimum models have high levels of stellar feedback which create large holes similar to those observed in M33, whilst lower levels of feedback tend to produce a large amount of small scale structure, and undisturbed long filaments of high surface density gas, hardly detected in the M33 disc. The gas component appears to have a significant role in producing the structure, so if there is little feedback, both the gas and stars organise into clear spiral arms, likely due to a lower combined Q (using gas and stars), and the ready ability of cold gas to undergo spiral shocks. By contrast models with higher feedback have weaker spiral structure, especially in the stellar component, compared to grand design galaxies. We did not see a large difference in the behaviour of Qstars with most of these models, however, because Qstars stayed relatively constant unless the disc was more strongly unstable. Our models suggest that although the stars produce some underlying spiral structure, this is relatively weak, and the gas physics has a considerable role in producing the large scale structure of the ISM in flocculent spirals.

Pollen and spores of terrestrial plants

Science.gov (United States)

Bernhardt, Christopher E.; Willard, Debra A.; Shennan, Ian; Long, Antony J.; Horton, Benjamin P.

2015-01-01

Pollen and spores are valuable tools in reconstructing past sea level and climate because of their ubiquity, abundance, and durability as well as their reciprocity with source vegetation to environmental change (Cronin, 1999; Traverse, 2007; Willard and Bernhardt, 2011). Pollan is found in many sedimentary environments, from freshwater to saltwater, terrestrial to marine. It can be abundant in a minimal amount of sample material, for example half a gram, as concentrations can be as high as four million grains per gram (Traverse, 2007). The abundance of pollen in a sample lends it to robust statistical analysis for the quantitative reconstruction of environments. The outer cell wall is resistant to decay in sediments and allows palynomorphs (pollen and spores) to record changes in plant communities and sea level over millions of years. These characteristics make pollen and spores a powerful tool to use in sea-level research.This chapter describes the biology of pollen and spores and how they are transported and preserved in sediments. We present a methodology for isolating pollen from sediments and a general language and framework to identify pollen as well as light micrographs of a selection of common pollen grains, We then discuss their utility in sea-level research.

SpArcFiRe: Scalable automated detection of spiral galaxy arm segments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, Darren R.; Hayes, Wayne B.

2014-01-01

Given an approximately centered image of a spiral galaxy, we describe an entirely automated method that finds, centers, and sizes the galaxy (possibly masking nearby stars and other objects if necessary in order to isolate the galaxy itself) and then automatically extracts structural information about the spiral arms. For each arm segment found, we list the pixels in that segment, allowing image analysis on a per-arm-segment basis. We also perform a least-squares fit of a logarithmic spiral arc to the pixels in that segment, giving per-arc parameters, such as the pitch angle, arm segment length, location, etc. The algorithm takes about one minute per galaxies, and can easily be scaled using parallelism. We have run it on all ∼644,000 Sloan objects that are larger than 40 pixels across and classified as 'galaxies'. We find a very good correlation between our quantitative description of a spiral structure and the qualitative description provided by Galaxy Zoo humans. Our objective, quantitative measures of structure demonstrate the difficulty in defining exactly what constitutes a spiral 'arm', leading us to prefer the term 'arm segment'. We find that pitch angle often varies significantly segment-to-segment in a single spiral galaxy, making it difficult to define the pitch angle for a single galaxy. We demonstrate how our new database of arm segments can be queried to find galaxies satisfying specific quantitative visual criteria. For example, even though our code does not explicitly find rings, a good surrogate is to look for galaxies having one long, low-pitch-angle arm—which is how our code views ring galaxies. SpArcFiRe is available at http://sparcfire.ics.uci.edu.

RNaseI from Escherichia coli cannot substitute for S-RNase in rejection of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia pollen.

Science.gov (United States)

Beecher, B; Murfett, J; McClure, B A

1998-03-01

Unilateral incompatibility often occurs between self-incompatible (SI) species and their self-compatible (SC) relatives. For example, SI Nicotiana alata rejects pollen from SC N. plumbaginifolia, but the reciprocal pollination is compatible. This interspecific pollen rejection system closely resembles intraspecific S-allele-specific pollen rejection. However, the two systems differ in degree of specificity. In SI, rejection is S-allele-specific, meaning that only a single S-RNase causes rejection of pollen with a specific S genotype. Rejection of N. plumbaginifolia pollen is less specific, occurring in response to almost any S-RNase. Here, we have tested whether a non-S-RNase can cause rejection of N. plumbaginifolia pollen. The Escherichia coli rna gene encoding RNAseI was engineered for expression in transgenic (N. plumbaginifolia x SC N. alata) hybrids. Expression levels and pollination behavior of hybrids expressing E. coli RNaseI were compared to controls expressing SA2-RNase from N. alata. Immunoblot analysis and RNase activity assays showed that RNaseI and SA2-RNase were expressed at comparable levels. However, expression of SA2-RNase caused rejection of N. plumbaginifolia pollen, whereas expression of RNaseI did not. Thus, in this system, RNase activity alone is not sufficient for rejection of N. plumbaginifolia pollen. The results suggest that S-RNases may be specially adapted to function in pollen rejection.

The different star formation histories of blue and red spiral and elliptical galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Tojeiro, Rita; Masters, Karen L.; Richards, Joshua; Percival, Will J.; Bamford, Steven P.; Maraston, Claudia; Nichol, Robert C.; Skibba, Ramin; Thomas, Daniel

2013-06-01

We study the spectral properties of intermediate mass galaxies (M* ˜ 1010.7 M⊙) as a function of colour and morphology. We use Galaxy Zoo to define three morphological classes of galaxies, namely early types (ellipticals), late-type (disc-dominated) face-on spirals and early-type (bulge-dominated) face-on spirals. We classify these galaxies as blue or red according to their Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) g - r colour and use the spectral fitting code Versatile Spectral Analyses to calculate time-resolved star formation histories, metallicity and total starlight dust extinction from their SDSS fibre spectra. We find that red late-type spirals show less star formation in the last 500 Myr than blue late-type spirals by up to a factor of 3, but share similar star formation histories at earlier times. This decline in recent star formation explains their redder colour: their chemical and dust content are the same. We postulate that red late-type spirals are recent descendants of blue late-type spirals, with their star formation curtailed in the last 500 Myr. The red late-type spirals are however still forming stars ≃17 times faster than red ellipticals over the same period. Red early-type spirals lie between red late-type spirals and red ellipticals in terms of recent-to-intermediate star formation and dust content. Therefore, it is plausible that these galaxies represent an evolutionary link between these two populations. They are more likely to evolve directly into red ellipticals than red late-type spirals, which show star formation histories and dust content closer to blue late-type spirals. Blue ellipticals show similar star formation histories as blue spirals (regardless of type), except that they have formed less stars in the last 100 Myr. However, blue ellipticals have different dust content, which peaks at lower extinction values than all spiral galaxies. Therefore, many blue ellipticals are unlikely to be descendants of blue spirals, suggesting there may

Transfer of Chernobyl-derived 134Cs, 137Cs, 131I and 103Ru from flowers to honey and pollen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunzl, K.; Kracke, W.

1988-01-01

The activity concentrations of 137 Cs, 134 Cs, 131 I and 103 Ru were determined separately in honey and pollen samples collected from a single bee colony during several months after the deposition of Chernobyl fallout. The source of each honey and pollen sample was determined by pollen analysis. Although the activity concentrations in honey and pollen varied with time, the concentrations of 137 Cs and 134 Cs were, in general, higher in pollen than in honey. For 103 Ru and 131 I, these differences were comparatively small. The mean 131 I/ 137 Cs and 103 Ru/ 137 Cs ratios were about one order of magnitude higher in honey than in pollen. The mean 131 I/ 103 Ru ratio was about the same for honey and pollen. This observation, in the light of the corresponding nuclide ratios found in the deposition, suggests that 137 Cs, 134 Cs, 131 I and 103 Ru were taken up by the plant leaves and transported to nectar and pollen. The higher activity concentrations of 137 Cs and 134 Cs in pollen, relative to honey, indicate that these radionuclides behave analogously to potassium, which is also found in higher quantities in pollen. (author)

Stigma-pollen recognition: a new look

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Dumas

2014-01-01

Full Text Available During the last two decades, there have been several conceptual developments in our understanding of pollen-stigma recognition and molecular mechanisms involved. The main models proposed are compared. Based on additional data a hypothesis to complete these models especially for pollen hydration and adhesion is proposed. After attachment of the pollen to the stigma surface a close interaction exists involving lipoproteic membrane-like compounds (pollenkitt and stigma pellicle and pollen agglutinating ability.

Rank-based characterization of pollen assemblages collected by honey bees using a multi-locus metabarcoding approach1

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Rodney T.; Lin, Chia-Hua; Quijia, Juan O.; Riusech, Natalia S.; Goodell, Karen; Johnson, Reed M.

2015-01-01

Premise of the study: Difficulties inherent in microscopic pollen identification have resulted in limited implementation for large-scale studies. Metabarcoding, a relatively novel approach, could make pollen analysis less onerous; however, improved understanding of the quantitative capacity of various plant metabarcode regions and primer sets is needed to ensure that such applications are accurate and precise. Methods and Results: We applied metabarcoding, targeting the ITS2, matK, and rbcL loci, to characterize six samples of pollen collected by honey bees, Apis mellifera. Additionally, samples were analyzed by light microscopy. We found significant rank-based associations between the relative abundance of pollen types within our samples as inferred by the two methods. Conclusions: Our findings suggest metabarcoding data from plastid loci, as opposed to the ribosomal locus, are more reliable for quantitative characterization of pollen assemblages. Furthermore, multilocus metabarcoding of pollen may be more reliable than single-locus analyses, underscoring the need for discovering novel barcodes and barcode combinations optimized for molecular palynology. PMID:26649264

Allergy to foods in patients monosensitized to Artemisia pollen.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia Ortiz, J C; Cosmes, P M; Lopez-Asunsolo, A

1996-12-01

It is known that patients with pollinosis may display clinical characteristics caused by allergy to certain fruits and vegetables, but subjects allergic to Artemisia seem to show particularly peculiar characteristics. The clinical features of 84 patients with rhinitis, asthma, urticaria, and/or anaphylaxis whose inhalant allergy was exclusively to Artemisia vulgaris were studied and compared with a control group of 50 patients monosensitized to grass pollen. The mean age for the beginning of symptoms was 30.2 years, and this was higher than in the control group (P history of atopia, lower than in the control group (P lettuce (two), pollen (two), beer (two), almond (one), peanut (one), other nuts (one), carrot (one), and apple (one). None of the patients monosensitized to grass had food allergy. CAP inhibition experiments were carried out on a single patient. Results showed the existence of common antigenic epitopes in pistachio and Artemisia pollen for this patient. We concluded that mugwort hay fever can be associated with the Compositae family of foods, but that it is not normally associated with other foods.

Immunochemical Characterization of Acacia Pollen Allergens and Evaluation of Cross-Reactivity Pattern with the Common Allergenic Pollens

Science.gov (United States)

Shamsbiranvand, Mohammad-Hosein; Khodadadi, Ali; Assarehzadegan, Mohammad-Ali; Borsi, Seyed Hamid; Amini, Akram

2014-01-01

Pollen from the Acacia has been reported as an important source of pollinosis in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The aim of this study was to characterize the IgE binding protein of Acacia farnesiana pollen extract and evaluate cross-reactivity with the most allergenic pollens. In this study, pollen extract was fractionated by SDS-PAGE and the allergenic profile was determined by IgE-immunoblotting and specific ELISA using forty-two Acacia allergic patients. Potential cross-reactivity among Acacia and selected allergenic plants was evaluated with ELISA and immunoblotting inhibition experiments. There were several resolved protein fractions on SDS-PAGE which ranged from 12 to 85 kDa. Several allergenic protein bands with molecular weights approximately between 12 and 85 kDa were recognized by IgE-specific antibodies from Acacia allergic patients in the immunoblot assay. The inhibition by the Prosopis juliflora pollen extract was more than those by other pollen extracts. Moreover, the wheal diameters generated by the Acacia pollen extract were highly correlated with those of P. juliflora pollen extracts. The findings suggest that several proteins such as 15, 23, 45, and 50 kDa proteins could be used as diagnostic and therapeutic reagents for patients allergic to A. farnesiana and P. juliflora. PMID:24949020

Functional immunoglobulin E cross-reactivity between Pas n 1 of Bahia grass pollen and other group 1 grass pollen allergens.

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, J M; Dang, T D; Voskamp, A; Drew, A C; Biondo, M; Phung, M; Upham, J W; Rolland, J M; O'Hehir, R E

2011-02-01

Grass pollens are major triggers of allergic rhinitis and asthma, but the immunological relationships between pollen allergens of the subtropical Bahia grass, Paspalum notatum, and temperate grasses are unresolved. To assess serum IgE cross-reactivity between subtropical P. notatum and temperate Lolium perenne (Ryegrass) pollen allergens. Serum IgE reactivities of grass pollen-allergic patients with P. notatum, L. perenne and Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) pollen extracts and their respective purified group 1 allergens, Pas n 1, Lol p 1 and Cyn d 1, were compared by immunoblotting, ELISA and basophil activation. In a cohort of 51 patients from a temperate region, a high frequency of IgE reactivity with each grass pollen was detected, but reactivity with L. perenne pollen was substantially greater than with P. notatum and C. dactylon pollen. Similarly, serum IgE reactivity with Lol p 1 was greater than with Pas n 1 or Cyn d 1. For seven of eight sera studied in detail, asymmetric serum IgE cross-reactivity was observed; L. perenne pollen inhibited IgE reactivity with P. notatum pollen but not the converse, and IgE reactivity with Pas n 1 was inhibited by Lol p 1 but IgE reactivity with Lol p 1 was not inhibited by Pas n 1 or Cyn d 1. Importantly, P. notatum pollen and Pas n 1 activated basophils in grass pollen-allergic patients from a temperate region, although stimulation was greater by pollen of L. perenne than P. notatum or C. dactylon, and by Lol p 1 than Pas n 1 or Cyn d 1. In contrast, a cohort of 47 patients from a subtropical region showed similar IgE reactivity with P. notatum and L. perenne pollen, and reciprocal cross-inhibition of IgE reactivity between L. perenne and P. notatum. Pollen allergens of the subtropical P. notatum, including Pas n 1, show clinically relevant IgE cross-reactivity with pollen allergens of L. perenne but also species-specific IgE reactivity. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Pollen lipidomics: lipid profiling exposes a notable diversity in 22 allergenic pollen and potential biomarkers of the allergic immune response.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Elfatih H Bashir

Full Text Available BACKGROUND/AIM: Pollen grains are the male gametophytes that deliver sperm cells to female gametophytes during sexual reproduction of higher plants. Pollen is a major source of aeroallergens and environmental antigens. The pollen coat harbors a plethora of lipids that are required for pollen hydration, germination, and penetration of the stigma by pollen tubes. In addition to proteins, pollen displays a wide array of lipids that interact with the human immune system. Prior searches for pollen allergens have focused on the identification of intracellular allergenic proteins, but have largely overlooked much of the extracellular pollen matrix, a region where the majority of lipid molecules reside. Lipid antigens have attracted attention for their potent immunoregulatory effects. By being in close proximity to allergenic proteins on the pollen surface when they interact with host cells, lipids could modify the antigenic properties of proteins. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed a comparative pollen lipid profiling of 22 commonly allergenic plant species by the use of gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, followed by detailed data mining and statistical analysis. Three experiments compared pollen lipid profiles. We built a database library of the pollen lipids by matching acquired pollen-lipid mass spectra and retention times with the NIST/EPA/NIH mass-spectral library. We detected, identified, and relatively quantified more than 106 lipid molecular species including fatty acids, n-alkanes, fatty alcohols, and sterols. Pollen-derived lipids stimulation up-regulate cytokines expression of dendritic and natural killer T cells co-culture. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Here we report on a lipidomic analysis of pollen lipids that can serve as a database for identifying potential lipid antigens and/or novel candidate molecules involved in allergy. The database provides a resource that facilitates studies on the role of lipids in the

Fluid mechanics and heat transfer spirally fluted tubing

Science.gov (United States)

Larue, J. C.; Libby, P. A.; Yampolsky, J. S.

1981-08-01

The objective of this program is to develop both a qualitative and a quantitative understanding of the fluid mechanics and heat transfer mechanisms that underlie the measured performance of the spirally fluted tubes under development at General Atomic. The reason for the interest in the spirally fluted tubes is that results to date have indicated three advantages to this tubing concept: The fabrication technique of rolling flutes on strip and subsequently spiralling and simultaneously welding the strip to form tubing results in low fabrication costs, approximately equal to those of commercially welded tubing. The heat transfer coefficient is increased without a concomitant increase of the friction coefficient on the inside of the tube. In single-phase axial flow of water, the helical flutes continuously induce rotation of the flow both within and without the tube as a result of the effect of curvature. An increase in condensation heat transfer on the outside of the tube is achieved. In a vertical orientation with fluid condensing on the outside of the helically fluted tube, the flutes provide a channel for draining the condensed fluid.

Multiple mechanisms quench passive spiral galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Fraser-McKelvie, Amelia; Brown, Michael J. I.; Pimbblet, Kevin; Dolley, Tim; Bonne, Nicolas J.

2018-02-01

We examine the properties of a sample of 35 nearby passive spiral galaxies in order to determine their dominant quenching mechanism(s). All five low-mass (M⋆ environments. We postulate that cluster-scale gas stripping and heating mechanisms operating only in rich clusters are required to quench low-mass passive spirals, and ram-pressure stripping and strangulation are obvious candidates. For higher mass passive spirals, while trends are present, the story is less clear. The passive spiral bar fraction is high: 74 ± 15 per cent, compared with 36 ± 5 per cent for a mass, redshift and T-type matched comparison sample of star-forming spiral galaxies. The high mass passive spirals occur mostly, but not exclusively, in groups, and can be central or satellite galaxies. The passive spiral group fraction of 74 ± 15 per cent is similar to that of the comparison sample of star-forming galaxies at 61 ± 7 per cent. We find evidence for both quenching via internal structure and environment in our passive spiral sample, though some galaxies have evidence of neither. From this, we conclude no one mechanism is responsible for quenching star formation in passive spiral galaxies - rather, a mixture of mechanisms is required to produce the passive spiral distribution we see today.

Pollen-gamma irradiation on pineapple and pollination using irradiated pollen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benega, R.; Cisneros, A.; Martinez, J.; Arias, E.; Yabor, L.; Isidron, M.; Castillo, E.; Fernandez, J.

1997-01-01

In order to try to induce haploid plants, pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) ;err.) pollen grains were gamma-rays irradiated with a Co 60 source at rates of doses from 0 to 300 Gy. The effect of gamma-rays on the generative-nucleus division and vitro pollen viability as well as, seed contents and plantlets obtained after pollinations was analysed. The were reducing in the division frequencies of generative nucleus at all assayed doses. The LD50 was achieved among 200 and 250 Gy. There were not differences on pollen viability in the rates of assayed doses. Seed contents were dose-dependent. The percentages of seed full and seed containing only embryos decreases at increasing of irradiation doses. Contrary effect was observed on the seed empty. Some plantlets regenerated from the different irradiation doses showed phenotypes with small and leaves and short inter nodes

Are spiral galaxies heavy smokers?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, J.; Disney, M.; Phillipps, S

1990-01-01

The dustiness of spiral galaxies is discussed. Starburst galaxies and the shortage of truly bright spiral galaxies is cited as evidence that spiral galaxies are far dustier than has been thought. The possibility is considered that the dust may be hiding missing mass

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermentation Effects on Pollen: Archaeological Implications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Crystal A. Dozier

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Pollen is the reproductive agent of flowering plants; palynology is utilized by archaeologists because sporopollenin, a major component in the exine of pollen grains, is resistant to decay and morphologically distinctive. Wine, beer, and mead have been identified in the archaeological record by palynological assessment due to indicator species or due to a pollen profile similar to that recovered from honey, a common source of sugar in a variety of fermented beverages. While most palynologists have assumed that pollen grains are resistant to alcoholic fermentation, a recent study in food science implies that pollen is a yeast nutrient because pollen-enriched meads produce more alcohol. The experiment presented here explores the potential distortion of the pollen record through fermentation by brewing a traditional, pollen-rich mead with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this experiment, the pollen grains did not undergo any discernible morphological changes nor were distorted in the pollen profile. Any nutrition that the yeast garners from the pollen therefore leaves sporopollenin intact. These results support palynological research on residues of alcoholic beverages and confirms that the fermentation process does not distort the pollen profile of the original substance. The paper concludes with the potential and limits of palynological study to assess fermentation within the archaeological record.

Investigation of heterogeneous ice nucleation in pollen suspensions and washing water

Science.gov (United States)

Dreischmeier, Katharina; Budke, Carsten; Koop, Thomas

2014-05-01

Biological particles such as pollen often show ice nucleation activity at temperatures higher than -20 °C. Immersion freezing experiments of pollen washing water demonstrate comparable ice nucleation behaviour as water containing the whole pollen bodies (Pummer et al., 2012). It was suggested that polysaccharide molecules leached from the grains are responsible for the ice nucleation. Here, heterogeneous ice nucleation in birch pollen suspensions and their washing water was investigated by two different experimental methods. The optical freezing array BINARY (Bielefeld Ice Nucleation ARraY) allows the direct observation of freezing of microliter-sized droplets. The IN spectra obtained from such experiments with birch pollen suspensions over a large concentration range indicate several different ice nucleation active species, two of which are present also in the washing water. The latter was probed also in differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) experiments of emulsified sub-picoliter droplets. Due to the small droplet size in the emulsion samples and at small concentration of IN in the washing water, such DSC experiments can exhibit the ice nucleation behaviour of a single nucleus. The two heterogeneous freezing signals observed in the DSC thermograms can be assigned to two different kinds of ice nuclei, confirming the observation from the BINARY measurements, and also previous studies on Swedish birch pollen washing water (Augustin et al., 2012). The authors gratefully acknowledge funding by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through the project BIOCLOUDS (KO 2944/1-1) and through the research unit INUIT (FOR 1525) under KO 2944/2-1. We particularly thank our INUIT partners for fruitful collaboration and sharing of ideas and IN samples. S. Augustin, H. Wex, D. Niedermeier, B. Pummer, H. Grothe, S. Hartmann, L. Tomsche, T. Clauss, J. Voigtländer, K. Ignatius, and F. Stratmann, Immersion freezing of birch pollen washing water, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 10989

Drought, pollen and nectar availability, and pollination success.

Science.gov (United States)

Waser, Nickolas M; Price, Mary V

2016-06-01

Pollination success of animal-pollinated flowers depends on rate of pollinator visits and on pollen deposition per visit, both of which should vary with the pollen and nectar "neighborhoods" of a plant, i.e., with pollen and nectar availability in nearby plants. One determinant of these neighborhoods is per-flower production of pollen and nectar, which is likely to respond to environmental influences. In this study, we explored environmental effects on pollen and nectar production and on pollination success in order to follow up a surprising result from a previous study: flowers of Ipomopsis aggregata received less pollen in years of high visitation by their hummingbird pollinators. A new analysis of the earlier data indicated that high bird visitation corresponded to drought years. We hypothesized that drought might contribute to the enigmatic prior result if it decreases both nectar and pollen production: in dry years, low nectar availability could cause hummingbirds to visit flowers at a higher rate, and low pollen availability could cause them to deposit less pollen per visit. A greenhouse experiment demonstrated that drought does reduce both pollen and nectar production by I. aggregata flowers. This result was corroborated across 6 yr of variable precipitation and soil moisture in four unmanipulated field populations. In addition, experimental removal of pollen from flowers reduced the pollen received by nearby flowers. We conclude that there is much to learn about how abiotic and biotic environmental drivers jointly affect pollen and nectar production and availability, and how this contributes to pollen and nectar neighborhoods and thus influences pollination success.

Ultraviolet irradiation of maize (Zea Mays L.) pollen grains. Pt. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfahler, P.L.; Linskens, H.F.

1977-01-01

Mature pollen grains from two single cross (F 1 ) hybrids, Wf9 x H55 and K64 x K55, were exposed to eleven levels (0 to 6.80 erg/cm 2 x 10 5 at 0.68 intervals) of ultraviolet irradiation and then were used to pollinate their source. Height and kernel characteristics (kernel weight, weight/100 kernels, kernel number) of individual F 2 plants produced by the normal F 2 kernels obtained from these pollinations were measured within each level and population. Highly significant exposure x population interactions were found for all characters, indicating that the effect of irradiation depended on the genetic source of the pollen grains. Increasing exposure increased or did not change the mean of Wf9 x H55 and decreased the mean in K64 x K55 for all characters. For coefficient of variation values, the interaction, exposure x population, was not significant for any character measured, indicating that irradiation-induced variability was unrelated to pollen source. The results indicate that pollen source strongly influenced the effect of ultraviolet irradiation on plant means but had no influence on variability. (orig.) [de

Spiral silicon drift detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehak, P.; Gatti, E.; Longoni, A.; Sampietro, M.; Holl, P.; Lutz, G.; Kemmer, J.; Prechtel, U.; Ziemann, T.

1988-01-01

An advanced large area silicon photodiode (and x-ray detector), called Spiral Drift Detector, was designed, produced and tested. The Spiral Detector belongs to the family of silicon drift detectors and is an improvement of the well known Cylindrical Drift Detector. In both detectors, signal electrons created in silicon by fast charged particles or photons are drifting toward a practically point-like collection anode. The capacitance of the anode is therefore kept at the minimum (0.1pF). The concentric rings of the cylindrical detector are replaced by a continuous spiral in the new detector. The spiral geometry detector design leads to a decrease of the detector leakage current. In the spiral detector all electrons generated at the silicon-silicon oxide interface are collected on a guard sink rather than contributing to the detector leakage current. The decrease of the leakage current reduces the parallel noise of the detector. This decrease of the leakage current and the very small capacities of the detector anode with a capacitively matched preamplifier may improve the energy resolution of Spiral Drift Detectors operating at room temperature down to about 50 electrons rms. This resolution is in the range attainable at present only by cooled semiconductor detectors. 5 refs., 10 figs

Rediscovering the Giant Low Surface Brightness Spiral Galaxy Malin 1

Science.gov (United States)

Galaz, Gaspar

2018-01-01

I summarize the latest discoveries regarding this ramarkable diffuse and giant galaxy, the largest single spiral in the universe so far. I describe how the latest discoveries could have been done easily 20 years ago, but an incredible summation of facts and some astronomical sociology, keeped many of them undisclosed. I present the most conspicuous features of the giant spiral arms of Malin 1, including stellar density, colors, stellar populations and some modeling describing their past evolution to the current state. I conclude with pending issues regarding stellar formation in Malin 1, and the efforts to detect its elusive molecular gas.

Trends in airborne pollen and pollen-season-related features of anemophilous species in Jaen (south Spain): A 23-year perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-Valenzuela, Luis; Aguilera, Fátima

2018-05-01

Over the last few decades, global warming is prompting phenological changes in numerous plant species across Europe, and a trend towards rising airborne pollen concentrations has been detected. This study, focused on the most frequent pollen types from arboreal and herbaceous species in the airborne spectrum of Jaen (southern Spain), revealed significant changes in airborne pollen intensity and duration of the pollen season over the 23-year study period. Here Cupressaceae, Olea, Pinus, Platanus, Quercus as arboreal taxa and Plantago as herbaceous taxa were the most important with notable changes of at least three pollen season characteristics. Airborne pollen trends from arboreal taxa with high to very high allergenic potential are rising in line with the local temperature increasing trend, and their pollen seasons tend to end later and last longer. However, both the pollen concentrations and the duration of the pollen season of some herbaceous taxa are declining. The climate conditions projected for south Europe under different greenhouse emissions scenarios could continue to prompt greater pollen release and longer pollen season in tree species, especially those that flowering in winter and early spring, but these warming trends might be adverse for the local development of some herbaceous species and favorable for others sharing the same ecological niche. If similar warming trends accompany long-term climate change, greater exposure times to seasonal allergens may occur with subsequent effects on health.

High correlation of specific IgE sensitization between birch pollen, soy and apple allergens indicates pollen-food allergy syndrome among birch pollen allergic patients in northern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Guo-Dong; Zheng, Yi-Wu; Wang, Zhi-Xiang; Kong, Xing-Ai; Song, Zhi-Jing; Lai, Xu-Xin; Spangfort, Michael D

2016-05-01

Birch pollen sensitization and associated pollen-food syndrome among Chinese allergic patients have not been investigated. Sera from 203 allergic patients from the northern part of China and collected during February to July 2014 were investigated. Specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) against birch pollen extract Bet v and major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 were measured using the ADVIA Centaur. The presence of major apple allergen Mal d 1 and soy bean allergen Gly m 4 specific IgE was measured by ImmunoCAP 100. Among the 203 sera, 34 sera (16.7%) had specific IgE to Bet v and of these, 28 sera (82.4%) contained Bet v 1-specific IgE. Among the 28 sera with Bet v 1-specific IgE, 27 sera (96.4%) contained Mal d 1-specific IgE and 22 sera (78.6%) contained Gly m 4-specific IgE. Of the 34 Bet v-positive sera, 6 sera (17.6%) contained no specific IgE for Bet v 1, Mal d 1, or Gly m 4. Almost all Bet v-positive sera were donated during the birch pollen season. The prevalence of birch allergy among patients visiting health care during pollen season can be as high as 16.7% in Tangshan City. The majority of Chinese birch allergic patients are IgE-sensitized to the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 as well as to the major apple allergen Mal d 1 and soy bean allergen Gly m 4. A relatively high number of patients (17.6%) are IgE-sensitized to birch pollen allergen(s) other than Bet v 1. The high prevalence of specific IgE to Mal d 1 and Gly m 4 among Bet v 1-sensitized patients indicates that pollen-food allergy syndrome could be of clinical relevance in China.

Divergent rules for pollen and nectar foraging bumblebees--a laboratory study with artificial flowers offering diluted nectar substitute and pollen surrogate.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabine Konzmann

Full Text Available Almost all bees collect nectar and pollen from flowers. Female bees collect pollen to provision their nest cells, whereas they use nectar for individual energy supply and nest cell provisioning. Bees fine-tune nectar foraging to the amount and to the concentration of nectar, but the individual bees' response to variability of amount and concentration of pollen reward has not yet been studied thoroughly in laboratory settings. We developed an experimental set-up in which bumblebees simultaneously collected sugar solution and pollen from artificial flowers; natural pollen was mixed with cellulose powder or glass powder as a pollen surrogate. Here we show that bumblebee (Bombus terrestris workers do not specialise in nectar or pollen collection, but regularly collect both rewards on the same day. When offered a fixed pollen reward and varied amounts and concentrations of sugar solution, the bumblebees fine-tuned sugar solution foraging dependent on both the volume and concentration, with strong preferences for the highest concentration and the greatest volume. In the reciprocal tests, when offered a fixed sugar reward and varied amounts and concentrations of pollen mixed with a nutrient-free pollen surrogate, the bumblebees follow more an all-or-none rule for pollen, accepting all amounts and concentrations except pure surrogate. It is discussed how the bumblebees' ability to sense sugar, and their apparent inability to sense the pollen protein content, shaped their foraging behaviour. It is argued that the rarity of nectar mimicry and the frequency of pollen mimicry in natural flowers might be interpreted in the context of divergent abilities of nectar and pollen recognition in bees.

Considerations for the preparation of peat samples for palynology, and for the counting of pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F.M. Chambers

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Peat deposits are valuable archives for studying palaeoclimate, the history of local and regional vegetation, and human impact. The most widely applied laboratory analytical technique has been palynology (pollen analysis, which is often limited to the study of pollen and a few easily recognisable spores; however, a variety of other microfossils can be studied in peat deposits and can provide information on past environmental conditions. Among the so-called non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs are fungal and algal spores that can be used as indicators for local hydrological changes and trophic conditions. This article provides an overview of aspects to consider and sample preparation methods for pollen, spores and other non-pollen palynomorph microfossils in peat deposits; advice on aids to pollen identification and counting; and a brief guide to the range of NPPs that can be counted from prepared subfossil-pollen microslides.

Post-treatment efficacy of discontinuous treatment with 300IR 5-grass pollen sublingual tablet in adults with grass pollen-induced allergic rhinoconjunctivitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Didier, A; Malling, H-J; Worm, Marcel

2013-01-01

Sustained efficacy over three pollen seasons of pre- and co-seasonal treatment with 300IR 5-grass pollen sublingual tablet has been demonstrated in adults with moderate-severe grass pollen-associated allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.......Sustained efficacy over three pollen seasons of pre- and co-seasonal treatment with 300IR 5-grass pollen sublingual tablet has been demonstrated in adults with moderate-severe grass pollen-associated allergic rhinoconjunctivitis....

Nature of galaxy spiral arms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Efremov, Yu.N.

1984-01-01

The nature of galaxy spiral arms is discussed in a popular form. Two approaches in the theory of spiral arms are considered; they are related to the problem of differential galaxy rotation and the spiral structure wave theory. The example of Galaxy M31 is considered to compare the structural peculiarity of its spiral arms with the wave theory predictions. The situation in the central and south-eastern part of arm S4 in Galaxy M31 noted to be completely explained by the wave theory and modern concepts on the origin of massive stars

Three phase spiral liver Scanning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanyanja, T.A.

2006-01-01

The ability to perform rapid back-to-back spiral acquisitions is an important recent technical advantage of spiral CT. this allows imaging of the upper abdomen (liver) during peak arterial enhancement (arterial phase) and during peak hepatic parenchymal enhancement (portal venous phase). Breatheld spiral CT has completely replaced dynamic incremental CT for evaluation of the liver. in selected patients with hyper vascular metastasis (hepatoma, neuroendocrine tumors, renal cell carcinoma, etc.) a biphasic examination is performed with one spiral acquisition obtained during the hepatic arterial phase and a second acquisition during the portal venous phase

Flotation preferentially selects saccate pollen during conifer pollination.

Science.gov (United States)

Leslie, Andrew B

2010-10-01

• Among many species of living conifers the presence of pollen with air bladders (saccate pollen) is strongly associated with downward-facing ovules and the production of pollination drops. This combination of features enables saccate pollen grains captured in the pollination drop to float upwards into the ovule. Despite the importance of this mechanism in understanding reproduction in living conifers and in extinct seed plants with similar morphologies, experiments designed to test its effectiveness have yielded equivocal results. • In vitro and in vivo pollination experiments using saccate and nonsaccate pollen were performed using modeled ovules and two Pinus species during their natural pollination period. • Buoyant saccate pollen readily floated through aqueous droplets, separating these grains from nonbuoyant pollen and spores. Ovules that received saccate pollen, nonsaccate pollen or a mixture of both all showed larger amounts and higher proportions of saccate pollen inside ovules after drop secretion. • These results demonstrate that flotation is an effective mechanism of pollen capture and transport in gymnosperms, and suggest that the prevalence of saccate grains and downward-facing ovules in the evolutionary history of seed plants is a result of the widespread use of this mechanism.

Pollen

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Records of past vegetation and climate derived from pollen found in lake and ocean sediments. Parameter keywords describe what was measured in this data set....

Monitoring, modelling and forecasting of the pollen season

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scheifinger, Helfried; Belmonte, Jordina; Buters, Jeroen

2013-01-01

The section about monitoring covers the development of phenological networks, remote sensing of the season cycle of the vegetation, the emergence of the science of aerobiology and, more specifically, aeropalynology, pollen sampling instruments, pollen counting techniques, applications of aeropaly......The section about monitoring covers the development of phenological networks, remote sensing of the season cycle of the vegetation, the emergence of the science of aerobiology and, more specifically, aeropalynology, pollen sampling instruments, pollen counting techniques, applications...... of aeropalynology in agriculture and the European Pollen Information System. Three data sources are directly related with aeropalynology: phenological observations, pollen counts and remote sensing of the vegetation activity. The main future challenge is the assimilation of these data streams into numerical pollen...

The perfect shape spiral stories

CERN Document Server

Hammer, Øyvind

2016-01-01

This book uses the spiral shape as a key to a multitude of strange and seemingly disparate stories about art, nature, science, mathematics, and the human endeavour. In a way, the book is itself organized as a spiral, with almost disconnected chapters circling around and closing in on the common theme. A particular strength of the book is its extremely cross-disciplinary nature - everything is fun, and everything is connected! At the same time, the author puts great emphasis on mathematical and scientific correctness, in contrast, perhaps, with some earlier books on spirals. Subjects include the mathematical properties of spirals, sea shells, sun flowers, Greek architecture, air ships, the history of mathematics, spiral galaxies, the anatomy of the human hand, the art of prehistoric Europe, Alfred Hitchcock, and spider webs, to name a few.

Band-notched spiral antenna

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Jae; Chang, John

2018-03-13

A band-notched spiral antenna having one or more spiral arms extending from a radially inner end to a radially outer end for transmitting or receiving electromagnetic radiation over a frequency range, and one or more resonance structures positioned adjacent one or more segments of the spiral arm associated with a notch frequency band or bands of the frequency range so as to resonate and suppress the transmission or reception of electromagnetic radiation over said notch frequency band or bands.

Spiral-wave dynamics in ionically realistic mathematical models for human ventricular tissue: the effects of periodic deformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nayak, Alok R; Pandit, Rahul

2014-01-01

We carry out an extensive numerical study of the dynamics of spiral waves of electrical activation, in the presence of periodic deformation (PD) in two-dimensional simulation domains, in the biophysically realistic mathematical models of human ventricular tissue due to (a) ten-Tusscher and Panfilov (the TP06 model) and (b) ten-Tusscher, Noble, Noble, and Panfilov (the TNNP04 model). We first consider simulations in cable-type domains, in which we calculate the conduction velocity θ and the wavelength λ of a plane wave; we show that PD leads to a periodic, spatial modulation of θ and a temporally periodic modulation of λ; both these modulations depend on the amplitude and frequency of the PD. We then examine three types of initial conditions for both TP06 and TNNP04 models and show that the imposition of PD leads to a rich variety of spatiotemporal patterns in the transmembrane potential including states with a single rotating spiral (RS) wave, a spiral-turbulence (ST) state with a single meandering spiral, an ST state with multiple broken spirals, and a state SA in which all spirals are absorbed at the boundaries of our simulation domain. We find, for both TP06 and TNNP04 models, that spiral-wave dynamics depends sensitively on the amplitude and frequency of PD and the initial condition. We examine how these different types of spiral-wave states can be eliminated in the presence of PD by the application of low-amplitude pulses by square- and rectangular-mesh suppression techniques. We suggest specific experiments that can test the results of our simulations.

Spiral-Wave Dynamics in Ionically Realistic MathematicalModels for Human Ventricular Tissue: The Effects of PeriodicDeformation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alok Ranjan Nayak

2014-06-01

Full Text Available We carry out an extensive numerical study of the dynamics of spiral waves of electrical activation, in the presence of periodic deformation (PD in two-dimensional simulation domains, in the biophysically realistic mathematical models of human ventricular tissue due to (a ten-Tusscher and Panfilov (the TP06 model and (b ten-Tusscher, Noble, Noble, and Panfilov (theTNNP04 model. We first consider simulations in cable-type domains, in which we calculate the conduction velocity $CV$ andthe wavelength $lambda$ of a plane wave; we show that PD leads to a periodic, spatial modulation of $CV$ and a temporallyperiodic modulation of $lambda$; both these modulations depend on the amplitude and frequency of the PD. We then examine three types of initial conditions for both TP06 and TNNP04 models and show that the imposition of PD leads to a rich variety ofspatiotemporal patterns in the transmembrane potential including states with a single rotating spiral (RS wave, a spiral-turbulence (ST state with a single meandering spiral, an ST state with multiple broken spirals, and a state SA in which all spirals are absorbed at the boundaries of our simulation domain. We find, for both TP06 and TNNP04 models, that spiral-wave dynamics depends sensitively on the amplitude and frequency of PD and the initial condition. We examine how these different types of spiral-wave states can be eliminated in the presence of PD by the application of low-amplitude pulses on square and rectangular control meshes. We suggest specific experiments that can test the results of our simulations.

EXO70C2 is a key regulatory factor for optimal tip growth of pollen

KAUST Repository

Synek, Lukas

2017-03-30

The exocyst, an eukaryotic tethering complex, co-regulates targeted exocytosis as an effector of small GTPases in polarized cell growth. In land plants, several exocyst subunits are encoded by double or triple paralogs, culminating in tens of EXO70 paralogs. Out of 23 Arabidopsis EXO70 isoforms, we analyzed seven isoforms expressed in pollen. Genetic and microscopic analyses of single mutants in EXO70A2, C1, C2, F1, H3, H5, and H6 genes revealed that only a loss-of-function EXO70C2 allele resulted in a significant male-specific transmission defect (segregation 40%:51%:9%) due to aberrant pollen tube growth. Mutant pollen tubes grown in vitro exhibited enhanced growth rate and a decreased thickness of the tip cell wall, causing tip bursts. However, exo70C2 pollen tubes could frequently recover and restart their speedy elongation, resulting in a repetitive stop-and-go growth dynamics. A pollen-specific depletion of the closest paralog, EXO70C1, using ami-RNA in the exo70C2 mutant background resulted in a complete pollen-specific transmission defect, suggesting redundant functions of EXO70C1 and EXO70C2. Both EXO70C1 and EXO70C2, GFP-tagged and expressed under their native promoters, localized in the cytoplasm of pollen grains, pollen tubes, and also root trichoblast cells. Expression of EXO70C2-GFP complemented aberrant growth of exo70C2 pollen tubes. The absent EXO70C2 interactions with core exocyst subunits in the yeast two-hybrid assay, cytoplasmic localization, and genetic effect suggest an unconventional EXO70 function possibly as a regulator of exocytosis outside the exocyst complex. In conclusion, EXO70C2 is a novel factor contributing to the regulation of optimal tip growth of Arabidopsis pollen tubes.

Antimicrobial effect of bee collected pollen extract to Enterobacteriaceae genera after application of bee collected pollen in their feeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukáš Hleba

2013-10-01

Full Text Available In this study we researched antimicrobial activity of bee pollen extracts to Enterobacteriaceae genera isolated from chicken intestinal tract after application of bee collected pollen in their feeding. We used well plate agar diffusion method for antimicrobial testing of bee pollen extract and disc diffusion method for antibiotic susceptibility testing of bacteria by EUCAST. Identification of bacteria was done by test kit Enterotest 24. We identified tree bacterial strains: E. coli, P. mirabilis and K. oxytoca. We determined that K. oxytoca was resistant to ampicillin only and others identified strain were sensitive to used antibiotics. Also we determined antimicrobial effect of bee pollen extract to all tested strains of Enterobacteriaceae genera which were isolated from intestinal tract of chicken after application of bee collected pollen extract in their feeding. From obtained results we could be conclude that bacteria isolated from chicken after application of bee pollen extract had more resistance to bee collected pollen extract in in vitro experiment as E. coli CCM 3988, which did not be in contact with bee pollen extract.

High-Assurance Spiral

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-01

HIGH-ASSURANCE SPIRAL CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY NOVEMBER 2017 FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED STINFO...MU 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15217 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION...Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited. Carnegie Mellon Carnegie Mellon HA SPIRAL Code Synthesis KeYmaera X Hybrid Theorem Prover

Measuring nutrient spiralling in streams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Newbold, J D; Elwood, J W; O' Neill, R V; Van Winkle, W

1981-01-01

Nutrient cycling in streams involves some downstream transport before the cycle is completed. Thus, the path traveled by a nutrient atom in passing through the cycle can be visualized as a spiral. As an index of the spiralling process, we introduce spiralling length, defined as the average distance associated with one complete cycle of a nutrient atom. This index provides a measure of the utilization of nutrients relative to the available supply from upstream. Using /sup 32/p as a tracer, we estimated a spiralling length of 193 m for phosphorus in a small woodland stream.

TESTING THEORIES IN BARRED-SPIRAL GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martínez-García, Eric E.

2012-01-01

According to one version of the recently proposed 'manifold' theory that explains the origin of spirals and rings in relation to chaotic orbits, galaxies with stronger bars should have a higher spiral arms pitch angle when compared to galaxies with weaker bars. A subsample of barred-spiral galaxies in the Ohio State University Bright Galaxy Survey was used to analyze the spiral arms pitch angle. These were compared with bar strengths taken from the literature. It was found that the galaxies in which the spiral arms maintain a logarithmic shape for more than 70° seem to corroborate the predicted trend.

Collective excitations in itinerant spiral magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kampf, A.P.

1996-01-01

We investigate the coupled charge and spin collective excitations in the spiral phases of the two-dimensional Hubbard model using a generalized random-phase approximation. Already for small doping the spin-wave excitations are strongly renormalized due to low-energy particle-hole excitations. Besides the three Goldstone modes of the spiral state the dynamical susceptibility reveals an extra zero mode for low doping and strong coupling values signaling an intrinsic instability of the homogeneous spiral state. In addition, near-zero modes are found in the vicinity of the spiral pitch wave number for out-of-plane spin fluctuations. Their origin is found to be the near degeneracy with staggered noncoplanar spiral states which, however, are not the lowest energy Hartree-Fock solutions among the homogeneous spiral states. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Anther response to high-temperature stress during development and pollen thermotolerance heterosis as revealed by pollen tube growth and in vitro pollen vigor analysis in upland cotton.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Guicheng; Wang, Miaomiao; Zeng, Bin; Zhang, Jing; Jiang, Chenliang; Hu, Qirui; Geng, Guangtao; Tang, Canming

2015-05-01

Pollen tube growth in styles was strongly inhibited by temperature above 35 °C, and the yield of cotton decreased because of the adverse effect of high temperatures during square development. High-temperature stress during flowering influences the square development of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and cotton yield. Although it is well known that square development is sensitive to high temperature, high-temperature sensitive stages of square development and the effects of high temperature on pollen tube growth in the styles are unknown. The effect of high temperature on anther development corresponding to pollen vigor is unknown during anther development. The objectives of this study were to identify the stages of square development that are sensitive to high temperatures (37/30 and 40/34 °C), to determine whether the abnormal development of squares influenced by high temperature is responsible for the variation in the in vitro germination percent of pollen grains at anthesis, to identify the effect of high temperature on pollen germination in the styles, and to determine pollen thermotolerance heterosis. Our results show that the stages from the sporogenous cell to tetrad stage (square length styles was strongly inhibited by temperature above 35 °C, and the yield of cotton decreased because of the effect of high temperature during square development. The thermotolerance of hybrid F1 pollen showed heterosis, and pollen viability could be used as a criterion for screening for high-temperature tolerance cultivars. These results can be used in breeding to develop new cotton cultivars that can withstand high-temperature conditions, particularly in a future warmer climate.

Pollen of Southeast Asian Alchornea (Euphorbiaceae), with an overview of the pollen fossil record

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bulalacao, L.J.; Ham, van der R.W.J.M.

2003-01-01

In order to evaluate pollen morphological descriptions of Alchornea in the literature, which are almost completely based on African and American species, the pollen of eight Southeast Asian species of Alchornea was investigated, using light and scanning electron microscopy. Very little variation

Seasonal variation in diurnal atmospheric grass pollen concentration profiles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Peel, Robert George; Ørby, Pia Viuf; Skjøth, Carsten Ambelas

2014-01-01

the time of day when peak concentrations are most likely to occur using seasonally averaged diurnal profiles. Atmospheric pollen loads are highly dependent upon emissions, and different species of grass are known to flower and emit pollen at different times of the day and during different periods......In this study, the diurnal atmospheric grass pollen concentration profile within the Danish city of Aarhus was shown to change in a systematic manner as the pollen season progressed. Although diurnal grass pollen profiles can differ greatly from day-to-day, it is common practice to establish...... of the pollen season. Pollen concentrations are also influenced by meteorological factors - directly through those parameters that govern pollen dispersion and transport, and indirectly through the weather-driven flowering process. We found that three different profiles dominated the grass pollen season...

A clinically relevant major cross-reactive allergen from mesquite tree pollen.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhyani, A; Singh, B P; Arora, N; Jain, V K; Sridhara, S

2008-10-01

Prosopis juliflora (mesquite) is one of the major sources of pollinosis in tropical and semi-arid countries of the world. The present study was undertaken to purify and characterize a major cross-reactive allergen from this tree species. Mesquite pollen extract was purified using reverse-phase chromatography. Allergen characterization was done by electrophoresis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting. Clinical relevance of the purified protein was analyzed by in vivo (skin tests) and in vitro experiments such as ELISA, histamine release, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) proliferation and cytokine assays. Cross-reactivity of purified protein with allergenic tree species and lima bean (food) was assessed by inhibition assays. A 66-kDa protein was purified from mesquite pollen extract using octadecyl silica resin. Purified protein recognized 90% of mesquite-sensitized patients in skin test and ELISA. It induced significant histamine release in allergic patients' blood and interleukin-4 secretion in the PBMC culture supernatants. Inhibition assays suggested close allergenic relationship of this protein with Ailanthus excelsa, Cassia siamea, Salvadora persica pollen and Phaseolus lunatus (lima bean - an edible legume). A 66-kDa major cross-reactive allergen was isolated from mesquite pollen using single-step purification procedure. The protein seems relevant for clinical applications in allergic disorders.

The revised edition of korean calendar for allergenic pollens.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Jae-Won; Lee, Ha-Baik; Kang, Im-Joo; Kim, Seong-Won; Park, Kang-Seo; Kook, Myung-Hee; Kim, Bong-Seong; Baek, Hey-Sung; Kim, Joo-Hwa; Kim, Ja-Kyung; Lee, Dong-Jin; Kim, Kyu-Rang; Choi, Young-Jin

2012-01-01

The old calendar of pollens did not reflect current pollen distribution and concentrations that can be influenced by changes of weather and environment of each region in South Korea. A new pollen calendar of allergenic pollens was made based on the data on pollen concentrations obtained in eight regions nationwide between 1997 and 2009. The distribution of pollen was assessed every day at 8 areas (Seoul, Guri, Busan, Daegu, Jeonju, Kwangju, Kangneung, and Jeju) for 12 years between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 2009. Pollens were collected by using Burkard 7-day sampler (Burkard Manufacturing Co Ltd, UK). Pollens which were stained with Calberla's fuchsin staining solution were identified and counted. Pine became the highest pollen in May, and the pollen concentrations of oak and birch also became high. Ragweed appeared in the middle of August and showed the highest pollen concentration in the middles of September. Japanese hop showed a high concentration between the middle of August and the end of September, and mugwort appeared in the middles of August and its concentration increased up until early September. In Kangneung, birch appeared earlier, pine showed a higher pollen concentration than in the other areas. In Daegu, Oriental thuja and alder produced a large concentration of pollens. Pine produced a large concentration of pollens between the middle of April and the end of May. Weeds showed higher concentrations in September and mugwort appeared earlier than ragweed. In Busan the time of flowering is relatively early, and alder and Oriental thuja appeared earliest among all areas. In Kwangju, Oriental thuja and hazelnut appeared in early February. Japanese cedar showed the highest pollen concentration in March in Jeju. In conclusion, update information on pollen calendar in South Korea should be provided for allergic patients through the website to manage and prevent the pollinosis.

Ultrastructure of Withania Somnifera (L.) Dunal pollen grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alwadie, H.M.

2002-01-01

Light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the morphology and ultrastructure of Withania Somnifera (L.) Dunall pollen grains. Light microscopic examination revealed that the pollen grains are tri- or tetrazonocoplate grains, approximately as long as broad, measuring 29-um. Scanning electron microscopic observation showed that surface sculpturing of the pollen is scarbate-granulate. Ultrathin sections as examined by transmission electron microscope showed that the pollen contained numerous starch grains, lipid droplets, endoplasmic reticulum and vesicles of dictyosomes. Two layers of the pollen wall were also distinguished, the outer wall (exine) divided into ektexine and endexine as well as the inner layer (intine). The nutritive values of Withania pollen are discussed. The importance of studying the ultrastructure of pollen grains as a new tool in palynology is also discussed. (author)

Chiral Magnetic Spirals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basar, Goekce; Dunne, Gerald V.; Kharzeev, Dmitri E.

2010-01-01

We argue that the presence of a very strong magnetic field in the chirally broken phase induces inhomogeneous expectation values, of a spiral nature along the magnetic field axis, for the currents of charge and chirality, when there is finite baryon density or an imbalance between left and right chiralities. This 'chiral magnetic spiral' is a gapless excitation transporting the currents of (i) charge (at finite chirality), and (ii) chirality (at finite baryon density) along the direction of the magnetic field. In both cases it also induces in the transverse directions oscillating currents of charge and chirality. In heavy ion collisions, the chiral magnetic spiral possibly provides contributions both to the out-of-plane and the in-plane dynamical charge fluctuations recently observed at BNL RHIC.

Pollen food allergy syndrome in Turkey: Clinical characteristics and evaluation of its association with skin test reactivity to pollens.

Science.gov (United States)

Özdemir, Seςil Kepil; Özgüςlü, Selcan

2017-09-17

There is limited data regarding pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS) in Turkey. To investigate the clinical characteristics and possible risk factors of PFAS in Turkey, and to evaluate if there was an association between skin test reactivity to pollens and presence of PFAS. A total of 254 consecutive adult patients with pollen sensitivity were prospectively recruited. Patients were interviewed with a questionnaire including a list of pollen-associated foods. Patients were classified as having PFAS if they reported clear allergic symptoms compatible with PFAS. All participants underwent skin prick tests (SPT) to a panel of common aeroallergens, prick-to-prick tests with culprit fresh foods were performed in patients who gave consent. Self-reported PFAS was observed in 49 patients (19.3%). The most common culprit foods were kiwi, peach, tomato, melon and watermelon. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that potential risk factors for PFAS were having asthma (OR=2.392, P=0.044) and tree pollen sensitization (OR=2.904, P=0.004). There were no significant differences in the SPT wheal sizes to individual pollen extracts between patients with and without PFAS with a positive SPT result for that pollen extract (P> 0.05). PFAS is frequent in pollen sensitized adults in Turkey. The most commonly implicated foods are kiwi, peach,tomato, melon and watermelon, in our geographical region. SPT wheal sizes to pollen extracts seems to be similar in patients with and without PFAS.

Initiation and dynamics of a spiral wave around an ionic heterogeneity in a model for human cardiac tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Defauw, Arne; Dawyndt, Peter; Panfilov, Alexander V

2013-12-01

In relation to cardiac arrhythmias, heterogeneity of cardiac tissue is one of the most important factors underlying the onset of spiral waves and determining their type. In this paper, we numerically model heterogeneity of realistic size and value and study formation and dynamics of spiral waves around such heterogeneity. We find that the only sustained pattern obtained is a single spiral wave anchored around the heterogeneity. Dynamics of an anchored spiral wave depend on the extent of heterogeneity, and for certain heterogeneity size, we find abrupt regional increase in the period of excitation occurring as a bifurcation. We study factors determining spatial distribution of excitation periods of anchored spiral waves and discuss consequences of such dynamics for cardiac arrhythmias and possibilities for experimental testings of our predictions.

Juniper Pollen Hotspots in the Southwest

Science.gov (United States)

Bunderson, L. D.; VandeWater, P.; Luvall, J.; Levetin, E.

2013-01-01

Rationale: Juniperus pollen is a major allergen in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. While the bulk of pollen may be released in rural areas, large amounts of pollen can be transported to urban areas. Major juniper species in the region include: Juniperus ashei, J. virginiana, J. pinchotii, and J. monosperma. Pollen release is virtually continuous beginning in late September with J. pinchotii and ending in May with J. monosperma. Urban areas in the region were evaluated for the potential of overlapping seasons in order to inform sensitive individuals. Methods: Burkard volumetric pollen traps were established for two consecutive spring seasons at 6 sites in northern New Mexico and 6 sites for two consecutive winter and fall seasons in Texas and Oklahoma Standard methods were used in the preparation and analysis of slides. Results: The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is home to over 6 million people. It is adjacent to populations of J. pinchotii, J. virginiana, and J. ashei. Peak concentration near Dallas for J. ashei in 2011 was 5891 pollen grains/m3 in January 7th. The peak date for J. pinchotii at an upwind sampling location in San Marcos, TX was November 1, 2010 and peak for J. virginiana at a nearby station in Tulsa, OK was November 1, 2010 and peak for J. virginiana at a nearby station in Tulsa, OK was February 20, 2011. Amarillo, TX is adjacent to J. pinchotii, J. ashei, and J. monosperma populations and may be subject to juniper pollen from September through May. Conclusions: Considering the overlapping distributions of juniper trees and the overlapping temporal release of pollen, sensitive patients may benefit from avoiding hotspots.

Two-peaked dose curves for irradiated pollen growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrejchenko, S.V.; Grodzinskij, D.M.

1992-01-01

The effect of γ-radiation on growth activity of bicellular pollen of hybrid petunia has been investigated. Irradiation of pollen with doses of 5 to 70 Gy increases the pollen tube growth in an artificial culture medium. As the radiation dose increases the germination ability of pollen gradually decreases and the mean pollen tube length shortens, which is accompanied by the suppression of the generative cell division into spermia and inhibition of the unscheduled incorporation of labelled thymidine into DNA. With radiation doses of 1200 to 1700 Gy some pollen tubes grow intensively. It is suggested that the phenomenon observed lays the basis for the gametic transformation

Forming Spirals From Shadows

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-07-01

What causes the large-scale spiral structures found in some protoplanetary disks? Most models assume theyre created by newly-forming planets, but a new study suggests that planets might have nothing to do with it.Perturbations from Planets?In some transition disks protoplanetary disks with gaps in their inner regions weve directly imaged large-scale spiral arms. Many theories currently attribute the formation of these structures to young planets: either the direct perturbations of a planet embedded in the disk cause the spirals, or theyre indirectly caused by the orbit of a planetary body outside of the arms.Another example of spiral arms detected in a protoplanetary disk, MWC 758. [NASA/ESA/ESO/M. Benisty et al.]But what if you could get spirals without any planets? A team of scientists led by Matas Montesinos (University of Chile) have recently published a study in which they examine what happens to a shadowed protoplanetary disk.Casting Shadows with WarpsIn the teams setup, they envision a protoplanetary disk that is warped: the inner region is slightly tilted relative to the outer region. As the central star casts light out over its protoplanetary disk, this disk warping would cause some regions of the disk to be shaded in a way that isnt axially symmetric with potentially interesting implications.Montesinos and collaborators ran 2D hydrodynamics simulations to determine what happens to the motion of particles within the disk when they pass in and out of the shadowed regions. Since the shadowed regions are significantly colder than the illuminated disk, the pressure in these regions is much lower. Particles are therefore accelerated and decelerated as they pass through these regions, and the lack of axial symmetry causes spiral density waves to form in the disk as a result.Initial profile for the stellar heating rate per unit area for one of the authors simulations. The regions shadowed as a result of the disk warp subtend 0.5 radians each (shown on the left

Identification of IgE- binding pollen protein from Cannabis sativa in pollen-hypersensitive patients from north Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhary, Shazia; Murad, Sheeba; Hayat, Muhammad Qasim; Shakoor, Zahid; Arshad, Muhammad

2017-01-01

Cannabis sativa (C.sativa) is well-known for its medicinal, industrial and recreational use. However, allergies in relation to Cannabis sativa (C.sativa) are rarely reported. C. sativa is one of the common weeds found in Pakistan and its pollen grains are common in spring and fall season. Although categorized as an aeroallergen, there are limited number of reports regarding allergenic potential in C. sativa. Therefore, the current study is aimed at exploring the IgE- binding potential among the C. sativa pollen in local pollen allergic patients. Initial screening of C. sativa sensitized individuals was carried out by dot blot from the sera of pollen allergic patients. Proteins from the pollen grains were extracted and resolved on 10% gel. Eight bands were visible on gel however only one protein fragment i.e. of 14KDa size was found to bind to IgE as analyzed through protein gel blot analysis. Strong IgE affinity of a 14 kDa protein fragment from C. sativa pollen extract suggests its allergenic potential. Further study is required to find the exact nature of this protein fragment.

Effect of gamma-radiation on grapevine pollen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bozhinova-Boneva, I.

1974-01-01

A test was performed in 1968-1971. Pollen of the Bolgar and Muscat of Hamburg varieties was irradiated with doses of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 60 kR. Variously treated pollen was used for pollinating 10-20 catkins of Chaoush variety. The viability of treated pollen was checked on 1% agarmedium at 25 0 C. Low doses of 0.5 and 1.0 kR have exerted a stimulant effect on the pollen sprouting. A dose of 60 kR did not bring about full loss of pollen viability. As the dose increased the number of hybrid seeds produced declined. The Chaoush x Bolgar cross as a control yielded 459 seeds; 580 from 0.5 kR-treated pollen; 530 from 1.0 kR-treated pollen; 324 from 1.5 kR-; 287 from 7 kR-; 202 from 10 kR-; 96 from 20 kR-; 46 from 30 kR-; 19 from 40 kR- and no seeds from 60 kR-treated pollen were obtained. A similar picture was obtained for the other cross. The Chaoush x Bolgar cross produced the following number of hybrid seeds: control - 13; 0.5 kR - 16; 1.0kR - 14; 5 kR - 14; 7 kR - 10; 10 kR - 6 seeds and from over 20 kR - nil

Incorporating hydrologic variability into nutrient spiraling

Science.gov (United States)

Doyle, Martin W.

2005-09-01

Nutrient spiraling describes the path of a nutrient molecule within a stream ecosystem, combining the biochemical cycling processes with the downstream driving force of stream discharge. To date, nutrient spiraling approaches have been hampered by their inability to deal with fluctuating flows, as most studies have characterized nutrient retention within only a small range of discharges near base flow. Here hydrologic variability is incorporated into nutrient spiraling theory by drawing on the fluvial geomorphic concept of effective discharge. The effective discharge for nutrient retention is proposed to be that discharge which, over long periods of time, is responsible for the greatest portion of nutrient retention. A developed analytical model predicts that the effective discharge for nutrient retention will equal the modal discharge for small streams or those with little discharge variability. As modal discharge increases or discharge variability increases, the effective discharge becomes increasingly less than the modal discharge. In addition to the effective discharge, a new metric is proposed, the functionally equivalent discharge, which is the single discharge that will reproduce the magnitude of nutrient retention generated by the full hydrologic frequency distribution when all discharge takes place at that rate. The functionally equivalent discharge was found to be the same as the modal discharge at low hydrologic variability, but increasingly different from the modal discharge at large hydrologic variability. The functionally equivalent discharge provides a simple quantitative means of incorporating hydrologic variability into long-term nutrient budgets.

Spirals on the sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walter Munk

2001-12-01

Full Text Available Spiral eddies were first seen in the sun glitter on the Apollo Mission 30 years ago; they have since been recorded on SAR missions and in the infrared. The spirals are globally distributed, 10-25 km in size and overwhelmingly cyclonic. They have not been explained. Under light winds favorable to visualization, linear surface features with high surfactant density and low surface roughness are of common occurrence. We have proposed that frontal formations concentrate the ambient shear and prevailing surfactants. Horizontal shear instabilities ensue when the shear becomes comparable to the coriolis frequency. The resulting vortices wind the liner features into spirals. The hypothesis needs to be tested by prolonged measurements and surface truth. Spiral eddies are a manifestation of a sub-mesoscale oceanography associated with upper ocean stirring; dimensional considerations suggest a horizontal diffusivity of order 103 m2 s-1.

Quasicrystallography on the spiral of Archimedes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bursill, L.A.

1990-01-01

The concept of a spiral lattice is discussed. Some examples of known mineral structures, namely clino asbestos, halloysite and cylindrite, are then interpreted in terms of this structural principle. An example of a synthetic sulphide catalyst spiral structure having atomic dimensions is also described. All of these inorganic spiral structures are based on the sprial of Archimedes. The principles for a new type of crystallography, based on the Archimedian spiral, are then presented. 45 refs., 8 figs

Allelic interaction of F1 pollen sterility loci and abnormal chromosome behaviour caused pollen sterility in intersubspecific autotetraploid rice hybrids.

Science.gov (United States)

He, J H; Shahid, M Q; Li, Y J; Guo, H B; Cheng, X A; Liu, X D; Lu, Y G

2011-08-01

The intersubspecific hybrids of autotetraploid rice has many features that increase rice yield, but lower seed set is a major hindrance in its utilization. Pollen sterility is one of the most important factors which cause intersubspecific hybrid sterility. The hybrids with greater variation in seed set were used to study how the F(1) pollen sterile loci (S-a, S-b, and S-c) interact with each other and how abnormal chromosome behaviour and allelic interaction of F(1) sterility loci affect pollen fertility and seed set of intersubspecific autotetraploid rice hybrids. The results showed that interaction between pollen sterility loci have significant effects on the pollen fertility of autotetraploid hybrids, and pollen fertility further decreased with an increase in the allelic interaction of F(1) pollen sterility loci. Abnormal ultra-structure and microtubule distribution patterns during pollen mother cell (PMC) meiosis were found in the hybrids with low pollen fertility in interphase and leptotene, suggesting that the effect-time of pollen sterility loci interaction was very early. There were highly significant differences in the number of quadrivalents and bivalents, and in chromosome configuration among all the hybrids, and quadrivalents decreased with an increase in the seed set of autotetraploid hybrids. Many different kinds of chromosomal abnormalities, such as chromosome straggling, chromosome lagging, asynchrony of chromosome disjunction, and tri-fission were found during the various developmental stages of PMC meiosis. All these abnormalities were significantly higher in sterile hybrids than in fertile hybrids, suggesting that pollen sterility gene interactions tend to increase the chromosomal abnormalities which cause the partial abortion of male gametes and leads to the decline in the seed set of the autotetraploid rice hybrids. © 2011 The Author(s).

Embracing the Spiral

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Mao

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Critical research demands that we interrogate our own positionality and social location. Critical reflexivity is a form of researcher critical consciousness that is constant and dynamic in a complex spiral-like process starting within our own experiences as racialized, gendered, and classed beings embedded in particular sociopolitical contexts. Across diverse critical methodologies, a group of graduate students and their supervisor explored their own conceptualization of the reflexivity spiral by reflecting on how their research motivations and methodologies emerged from their racializing, colonizing, language-learning, parenting, and identity negotiating experiences. In this article, they present a spiral model of the critical reflexivity process, review the literature on reflexivity, and conclude with a description of critical reflexivity as a social practice within a supportive and collaborative graduate school experience.

Evolution of spirals during molecular beam epitaxy of GaN on 6H-SiC(0001)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui, Y.; Li, L.

2002-01-01

Evolution of spirals during molecular beam epitaxy growth of GaN films on 6H-SiC(0001) was studied by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy. It was found that dislocations emerge at the film surface, creating straight steps with orientation along directions with a density of 10 10 cm -2 for 40-nm-thick films. During subsequent growth, these straight steps wind around dislocations and develop into spirals with a density of 10 9 cm -2 for 100-nm-thick films. The spirals can be classified into three types: single arm, interlocking double arm, and closed loop. The first two types originate from steps with one end pinned, and the third type results from steps with both ends pinned. At film thickness larger than 200 nm, these spirals further evolve into spiral mounds with a density of 10 7 cm -2 . Based on the Burton, Cabrera, and Frank theory, a model is proposed to explain the formation of different types of spirals and the reduction of their densities

Multiple spiral patterns in the transitional disk of HD 100546

Science.gov (United States)

Boccaletti, A.; Pantin, E.; Lagrange, A.-M.; Augereau, J.-C.; Meheut, H.; Quanz, S. P.

2013-12-01

Context. Protoplanetary disks around young stars harbor many structures related to planetary formation. Of particular interest, spiral patterns were discovered among several of these disks and are expected to be the sign of gravitational instabilities leading to giant planet formation or gravitational perturbations caused by already existing planets. In this context, the star HD 100546 presents some specific characteristics with a complex gaseous and dusty disk that includes spirals, as well as a possible planet in formation. Aims: The objective of this study is to analyze high-contrast and high angular resolution images of this emblematic system to shed light on critical steps in planet formation. Methods: We retrieved archival images obtained at Gemini in the near IR (Ks band) with the instrument NICI and processed the data using an advanced high contrast imaging technique that takes advantage of the angular differential imaging. Results: These new images reveal the spiral pattern previously identified with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) with an unprecedented resolution, while the large-scale structure of the disk is mostly cancelled by the data processing. The single pattern to the southeast in HST images is now resolved into a multi-armed spiral pattern. Using two models of a gravitational perturber orbiting in a gaseous disk, we attempted to constrain the characteristics of this perturber, assuming that each spiral is independent, and drew qualitative conclusions. The non-detection of the northeast spiral pattern observed in HST allows putting a lower limit on the intensity ratio between the two sides of the disk, which if interpreted as forward scattering, yields a larger anisotropic scattering than is derived in the visible. Also, we find that the spirals are likely to be spatially resolved with a thickness of about 5-10 AU. Finally, we did not detect the candidate planet in formation recently discovered in the Lp band, with a mass upper limit of 16-18 MJ

Flowering and the Pollen Fertility in Iranian Garlic Clones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. R. Abbasifar

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Garlic (Allium sativum L. cannot produce seed because it is a sterile plant. For studying bolting and determination of pollen fertility, 68 Iranian garlic clones were gathered from different parts of Iran and evaluated in Research Field of Horticultural Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. For determining the pollen fertility, some tests including specific RAPD marker, pollen germination, pollen viability detection using acetocarmine and in vitro culture of ovules and fruits were used. Results showed that 37 of Iranian garlic clones could produce scape and inflorescence. The percentage range of pollen stained with acetocarmine was from 0.5 up to 20 percent showing infertility of pollens. Lack of two markers (OPJ121300 and OPJ121700 and pollen tube growth proved the infertility of garlic clones pollen. Fruits and embryo sac were alive for more than two months, showing their potential for producing seeds following pollination with fertile pollens.

Investigating Pollen and Gene Flow of WYMV-Resistant Transgenic Wheat N12-1 Using a Dwarf Male-Sterile Line as the Pollen Receptor.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Shanshan; Liu, Yan; Yu, Cigang; Zhang, Zhenhua; Chen, Ming; Wang, Changyong

2016-01-01

Pollen-mediated gene flow (PMGF) is the main mode of transgene flow in flowering plants. The study of pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat can help to establish the corresponding strategy for preventing transgene escape and contamination between compatible genotypes in wheat. To investigate the pollen dispersal and gene flow frequency in various directions and distances around the pollen source and detect the association between frequency of transgene flow and pollen density from transgenic wheat, a concentric circle design was adopted to conduct a field experiment using transgenic wheat with resistance to wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) as the pollen donor and dwarf male-sterile wheat as the pollen receptor. The results showed that the pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat varied significantly among the different compass sectors. A higher pollen density and gene flow frequency was observed in the downwind SW and W sectors, with average frequencies of transgene flow of 26.37 and 23.69% respectively. The pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat declined dramatically with increasing distance from its source. Most of the pollen grains concentrated within 5 m and only a few pollen grains were detected beyond 30 m. The percentage of transgene flow was the highest where adjacent to the pollen source, with an average of 48.24% for all eight compass directions at 0 m distance. Transgene flow was reduced to 50% and 95% between 1.61 to 3.15 m, and 10.71 to 20.93 m, respectively. Our results suggest that climate conditions, especially wind direction, may significantly affect pollen dispersal and gene flow of wheat. The isolation-by-distance model is one of the most effective methods for achieving stringent transgene confinement in wheat. The frequency of transgene flow is directly correlated with the relative density of GM pollen grains in air currents, and pollen competition may be a major factor influencing transgene flow.

Investigating Pollen and Gene Flow of WYMV-Resistant Transgenic Wheat N12-1 Using a Dwarf Male-Sterile Line as the Pollen Receptor.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shanshan Dong

Full Text Available Pollen-mediated gene flow (PMGF is the main mode of transgene flow in flowering plants. The study of pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat can help to establish the corresponding strategy for preventing transgene escape and contamination between compatible genotypes in wheat. To investigate the pollen dispersal and gene flow frequency in various directions and distances around the pollen source and detect the association between frequency of transgene flow and pollen density from transgenic wheat, a concentric circle design was adopted to conduct a field experiment using transgenic wheat with resistance to wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV as the pollen donor and dwarf male-sterile wheat as the pollen receptor. The results showed that the pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat varied significantly among the different compass sectors. A higher pollen density and gene flow frequency was observed in the downwind SW and W sectors, with average frequencies of transgene flow of 26.37 and 23.69% respectively. The pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat declined dramatically with increasing distance from its source. Most of the pollen grains concentrated within 5 m and only a few pollen grains were detected beyond 30 m. The percentage of transgene flow was the highest where adjacent to the pollen source, with an average of 48.24% for all eight compass directions at 0 m distance. Transgene flow was reduced to 50% and 95% between 1.61 to 3.15 m, and 10.71 to 20.93 m, respectively. Our results suggest that climate conditions, especially wind direction, may significantly affect pollen dispersal and gene flow of wheat. The isolation-by-distance model is one of the most effective methods for achieving stringent transgene confinement in wheat. The frequency of transgene flow is directly correlated with the relative density of GM pollen grains in air currents, and pollen competition may be a major factor influencing transgene flow.

Spiral 2 Week

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-07-01

The main goal of this meeting is to present and discuss the current status of the Spiral-2 project at GANIL in front of a large community of scientists and engineers. Different issues have been tackled particularly the equipment around Spiral-2 like injectors, cryo-modules or beam diagnostics, a workshop was devoted to other facilities dedicated to radioactive ion beam production. This document gathers only the slides of the presentations.

Spiral 2 Week

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

The main goal of this meeting is to present and discuss the current status of the Spiral-2 project at GANIL in front of a large community of scientists and engineers. Different issues have been tackled particularly the equipment around Spiral-2 like injectors, cryo-modules or beam diagnostics, a workshop was devoted to other facilities dedicated to radioactive ion beam production. This document gathers only the slides of the presentations

Radiation exposure in multi-slice versus single-slice spiral CT: results of a nationwide survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brix, G.; Nagel, H.D.; Stamm, G.; Veit, R.; Lechel, U.; Griebel, J.; Galanski, M.

2003-01-01

Multi-slice (MS) technology increases the efficacy of CT procedures and offers new promising applications. The expanding use of MSCT, however, may result in an increase in both frequency of procedures and levels of patient exposure. It was, therefore, the aim of this study to gain an overview of MSCT examinations conducted in Germany in 2001. All MSCT facilities were requested to provide information about 14 standard examinations with respect to scan parameters and frequency. Based on this data, dosimetric quantities were estimated using an experimentally validated formalism. Results are compared with those of a previous survey for single-slice (SS) spiral CT scanners. According to the data provided for 39 dual- and 73 quad-slice systems, the average annual number of patients examined at MSCT is markedly higher than that examined at SSCT scanners (5500 vs 3500). The average effective dose to patients was changed from 7.4 mSv at single-slice to 5.5 mSv and 8.1 mSv at dual- and quad-slice scanners, respectively. There is a considerable potential for dose reduction at quad-slice systems by an optimisation of scan protocols and better education of the personnel. To avoid an increase in the collective effective dose from CT procedures, a clear medical justification is required in each case. (orig.)

Wave-particle dualism of spiral waves dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Biktasheva, I V; Biktashev, V N

2003-02-01

We demonstrate and explain a wave-particle dualism of such classical macroscopic phenomena as spiral waves in active media. That means although spiral waves appear as nonlocal processes involving the whole medium, they respond to small perturbations as effectively localized entities. The dualism appears as an emergent property of a nonlinear field and is mathematically expressed in terms of the spiral waves response functions, which are essentially nonzero only in the vicinity of the spiral wave core. Knowledge of the response functions allows quantitatively accurate prediction of the spiral wave drift due to small perturbations of any nature, which makes them as fundamental characteristics for spiral waves as mass is for the condensed matter.

Spiral-arm instability: giant clump formation via fragmentation of a galactic spiral arm

Science.gov (United States)

Inoue, Shigeki; Yoshida, Naoki

2018-03-01

Fragmentation of a spiral arm is thought to drive the formation of giant clumps in galaxies. Using linear perturbation analysis for self-gravitating spiral arms, we derive an instability parameter and define the conditions for clump formation. We extend our analysis to multicomponent systems that consist of gas and stars in an external potential. We then perform numerical simulations of isolated disc galaxies with isothermal gas, and compare the results with the prediction of our analytic model. Our model describes accurately the evolution of the spiral arms in our simulations, even when spiral arms dynamically interact with one another. We show that most of the giant clumps formed in the simulated disc galaxies satisfy the instability condition. The clump masses predicted by our model are in agreement with the simulation results, but the growth time-scale of unstable perturbations is overestimated by a factor of a few. We also apply our instability analysis to derive scaling relations of clump properties. The expected scaling relation between the clump size, velocity dispersion, and circular velocity is slightly different from that given by the Toomre instability analyses, but neither is inconsistent with currently available observations. We argue that the spiral-arm instability is a viable formation mechanism of giant clumps in gas-rich disc galaxies.

Pollen as indicator of radionuclide pollution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirkham, M.B.; Corey, J.C.

1977-01-01

To assess hazards of radioactivity in the environment, agricultural scientists must identify plant and animal species which can be used as biological indicators of radionuclide contamination. In this experiments, the pollen-bee-honey system was chosen to study movement of radioactive elements in the plant-animal-man food chain. Pollen, bees, and honey were collected from different locations at a nuclear facility in South Carolina. They were analyzed for nine radionuclides and 22 stable elements. The results showed that pollen is a more sensitive indicator of pollution than bees or honey. If pollen-monitoring shows that an area has become polluted, hives and other sources of human and animal food should not be placed in the region until it is no longer contaminated. (author)

Solvable model of spiral wave chimeras.

Science.gov (United States)

Martens, Erik A; Laing, Carlo R; Strogatz, Steven H

2010-01-29

Spiral waves are ubiquitous in two-dimensional systems of chemical or biological oscillators coupled locally by diffusion. At the center of such spirals is a phase singularity, a topological defect where the oscillator amplitude drops to zero. But if the coupling is nonlocal, a new kind of spiral can occur, with a circular core consisting of desynchronized oscillators running at full amplitude. Here, we provide the first analytical description of such a spiral wave chimera and use perturbation theory to calculate its rotation speed and the size of its incoherent core.

Solvable Model of Spiral Wave Chimeras

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Martens, Erik Andreas; Laing, Carlo R.; Strogatz, Steven H.

2010-01-01

Spiral waves are ubiquitous in two-dimensional systems of chemical or biological oscillators coupled locally by diffusion. At the center of such spirals is a phase singularity, a topological defect where the oscillator amplitude drops to zero. But if the coupling is nonlocal, a new kind of spiral...... can occur, with a circular core consisting of desynchronized oscillators running at full amplitude. Here, we provide the first analytical description of such a spiral wave chimera and use perturbation theory to calculate its rotation speed and the size of its incoherent core....

Pollen morphology of the Alangiaceae

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reitsma, Tj.

1970-01-01

This paper presents a pollen-morphological study of Alangium, a genus mainly restricted to the tropics of the Old World, of which 18 of the 19 known species were studied. The pollen grains, studied with the use of a light microscope, a transmission electron microscope and a scanning electron

Pollen Contaminated With Field-Relevant Levels of Cyhalothrin Affects Honey Bee Survival, Nutritional Physiology, and Pollen Consumption Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolezal, Adam G; Carrillo-Tripp, Jimena; Miller, W Allen; Bonning, Bryony C; Toth, Amy L

2016-02-01

Honey bees are exposed to a variety of environmental factors that impact their health, including nutritional stress, pathogens, and pesticides. In particular, there has been increasing evidence that sublethal exposure to pesticides can cause subtle, yet important effects on honey bee health and behavior. Here, we add to this body of knowledge by presenting data on bee-collected pollen containing sublethal levels of cyhalothrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, which, when fed to young honey bees, resulted in significant changes in lifespan, nutritional physiology,and behavior. For the first time, we show that when young, nest-aged bees are presented with pollen containing field-relevant levels of cyhalothrin, they reduce their consumption of contaminated pollen. This indicates that, at least for some chemicals, young bees are able to detect contamination in pollen and change their behavioral response, even if the contamination levels do not prevent foraging honey bees from collecting the contaminated pollen.

Interaction of multiarmed spirals in bistable media.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Ya-feng; Ai, Bao-quan; Liu, Fu-cheng

2013-05-01

We study the interaction of both dense and sparse multiarmed spirals in bistable media modeled by equations of the FitzHugh-Nagumo type. A dense one-armed spiral is characterized by its fixed tip. For dense multiarmed spirals, when the initial distance between tips is less than a critical value, the arms collide, connect, and disconnect continuously as the spirals rotate. The continuous reconstruction between the front and the back drives the tips to corotate along a rough circle and to meander zigzaggedly. The rotation frequency of tip, the frequency of zigzagged displacement, the frequency of spiral, the oscillation frequency of media, and the number of arms satisfy certain relations as long as the control parameters of the model are fixed. When the initial distance between tips is larger than the critical value, the behaviors of individual arms within either dense or sparse multiarmed spirals are identical to that of corresponding one-armed spirals.

Transitions between Taylor vortices and spirals via wavy Taylor vortices and wavy spirals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffmann, Ch; Altmeyer, S; Pinter, A; Luecke, M

2009-01-01

We present numerical simulations of closed wavy Taylor vortices and of helicoidal wavy spirals in the Taylor-Couette system. These wavy structures appearing via a secondary bifurcation out of Taylor vortex flow and out of spiral vortex flow, respectively, mediate transitions between Taylor and spiral vortices and vice versa. Structure, dynamics, stability and bifurcation behaviour are investigated in quantitative detail as a function of Reynolds numbers and wave numbers for counter-rotating as well as corotating cylinders. These results are obtained by solving the Navier-Stokes equations subject to axial periodicity for a radius ratio η=0.5 with a combination of a finite differences method and a Galerkin method.

SIGNATURES OF LONG-LIVED SPIRAL PATTERNS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martínez-García, Eric E.; González-Lópezlira, Rosa A.

2013-01-01

Azimuthal age/color gradients across spiral arms are a signature of long-lived spirals. From a sample of 19 normal (or weakly barred) spirals where we have previously found azimuthal age/color gradient candidates, 13 objects were further selected if a two-armed grand-design pattern survived in a surface density stellar mass map. Mass maps were obtained from optical and near-infrared imaging, by comparison with a Monte Carlo library of stellar population synthesis models that allowed us to obtain the mass-to-light ratio in the J band, (M/L) J , as a function of (g – i) versus (i – J) color. The selected spirals were analyzed with Fourier methods in search of other signatures of long-lived modes related to the gradients, such as the gradient divergence toward corotation, and the behavior of the phase angle of the two-armed spiral in different wavebands, as expected from theory. The results show additional signatures of long-lived spirals in at least 50% of the objects.

Measurement of total lung capacity : a comparison of spiral CT and spirometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Kyung Il; Park, Kyung Ju; Lee, Eh Hyung; Yune, Heun Young; Suh, Jung Ho; Choe, Kyu Ok; Lim, Tae Hwan; Chung, In Hyuk

1996-01-01

To determine the potential of spiral CT as a functional imaging modality of the lung aside from its proven value in morphological depiction. Spiral CT scan was performed in ten normal female and nine normal male adults (mean age: 39, height: 163 cm, weight: 62 kg ) after single full breath-holding. Three dimensional lung images were reconstructed(minimal threshold value: -1,000HU, maximal threshold values: -150, 250, -350, -450 HU) to obtain total lung volume(TLV) on a histogram. Total lung volume measured by spiral CT was compared with TLV obtained by spirometry. Mean TLV measured by spirometry was 5.62L and TLV measured by CT at maximal threshold values of -150, -250, -350, and -450 HU was 5.53, 5.33, 5.15, and 4.98L, respectively. Mean absolute differences between the modalities of 0.17L(3%), 0.32L(5.6%), 0.48L(8.5%), 0.65L(11.5%) were statistically significant(p<0.001). Linear regression coefficients between the modalities were 0.99, 0.97, 095, and 0.94 and no statistically significant differences in accuracy of threshold levels in the estimation of lung volume(r=0.99, standard error=0.034L in all) were seen. TLV measured by spiral CT closely approximated that measured by spirometry. Spiral CT may be useful as a means of evaluating lung function

Spiral waves are stable in discrete element models of two-dimensional homogeneous excitable media

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, A. B.; Chernyak, Y. B.; Cohen, R. J.

1998-01-01

The spontaneous breakup of a single spiral wave of excitation into a turbulent wave pattern has been observed in both discrete element models and continuous reaction-diffusion models of spatially homogeneous 2D excitable media. These results have attracted considerable interest, since spiral breakup is thought to be an important mechanism of transition from the heart rhythm disturbance ventricular tachycardia to the fatal arrhythmia ventricular fibrillation. It is not known whether this process can occur in the absence of disease-induced spatial heterogeneity of the electrical properties of the ventricular tissue. Candidate mechanisms for spiral breakup in uniform 2D media have emerged, but the physical validity of the mechanisms and their applicability to myocardium require further scrutiny. In this letter, we examine the computer simulation results obtained in two discrete element models and show that the instability of each spiral is an artifact resulting from an unphysical dependence of wave speed on wave front curvature in the medium. We conclude that spiral breakup does not occur in these two models at the specified parameter values and that great care must be exercised in the representation of a continuous excitable medium via discrete elements.

Fraxinus pollen as a source of environmental pollution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Fernández-González

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In Southern Europe there are but a few studies focused on the allergenic impact of ash (Fraxinus pollen as a result of its scarce distribution. In the city of Ourense this type of pollen represents 2% of the total atmospheric pollen recorded. The goal of this study is to determine the atmospheric concentrations of Fraxinus pollen and its allergen in Ourense’s atmosphere in 2015, and to assess their relationship with the main meteorological variables. The aim is to assess whether the pollen counts match the actual exposure conditions for allergen-sensitive patients. A Lanzoni VPPS-2000 volumetric sampler was used for pollen sampling, whereas a Burkard Cyclone sampler was used for allergen detection.The flowering period of Fraxinus was long, having a duration of 76 days between the third week of January and the rst week of April as consequence of the asynchronous flowering of the different species growing in the study area. The presence of the ash allergen in the atmosphere can be detected using the main olive tree allergen, Ole e 1. Our study indicates that the combination of pollen counts and allergen quanti cation should be contemplated to estimate the real exposure of sensitive people. In the case of Fraxinus pollen, there may be allergy risk periods before and after the occurrence of the highest pollen concentrations in the atmosphere as a result of special rain and humidity conditions during its flowering period.

Characterisation of particulate matter on airborne pollen grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribeiro, Helena; Guimarães, Fernanda; Duque, Laura; Noronha, Fernando; Abreu, Ilda

2015-01-01

A characterization of the physical–chemical composition of the atmospheric PM adsorbed to airborne pollen was performed. Airborne pollen was sampled using a Hirst-type volumetric spore sampler and observed using a Field Emission Electron Probe Microanalyser for PM analysis. A secondary electron image was taken of each pollen grain and EDS spectra were obtained for individually adsorbed particles. All images were analysed and the size parameters of the particles adsorbed to pollen was determined. The measured particles’ equivalent diameter varied between 0.1 and 25.8 μm, mostly in the fine fraction. The dominant particulates identified were Si-rich, Organic-rich, SO-rich, Metals & Oxides and Cl-rich. Significant daily differences were observed in the physical–chemical characteristics of particles adsorbed to the airborne pollen wall. These differences were correlated with weather parameters and atmospheric PM concentration. Airborne pollen has the ability to adsorb fine particles that may enhance its allergenicity. - Highlights: • Airborne pollen sorbs other PM found in suspension. • 84% of the particles sorbed belonged to the fine aerosol fraction. • Adsorbed PM presented daily physical–chemical variations. • Particles sorbed dominated by Si-rich, Organic-rich, SO-rich, Fe-rich and Cl-rich. - Airborne pollen is able to transport finer particulate matter, which presents daily physical–chemical variations.

MS26/CYP704B is required for anther and pollen wall development in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L. and combining mutations in all three homeologs causes male sterility.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manjit Singh

Full Text Available Development of anthers and pollen represents an important aspect of the life cycle in flowering plants. Genes contributing to anther and pollen development have been widely studied in many plant species. Ms26/CYP704B genes play an important role in pollen development through biosynthesis of sporopollenin for pollen exine formation. To investigate the role of Ms26/CYP704B genes in anther and pollen development of bread wheat, mutations in the A-, B-, and D-homeologs of the putative Ms26/CYP704B gene were analyzed. Single and double homozygous mutants in any of the homeologs did not affect pollen development and male fertility. Triple homozygous mutants resulted in completely male sterile plants that were defective in pollen and anther development. Additionally, double homozygous-single heterozygous mutants were also male sterile although with varying levels of residual fertility. The fertility of these triple mutants was dependent upon the homeolog contributing the wild-type allele. Two heterologous Ms26/CYP704B genes, when transformed into a triple homozygous mutant background, completely restored male fertility, whereas a single gene was unable to restore fertility. Functional analysis of Ms26/CYP704B furthers the understanding of male fertility genes which can be utilized for the development of novel hybrid seed production systems in wheat.

Scaling effects in spiral capsule robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Liang; Hu, Rong; Chen, Bai; Tang, Yong; Xu, Yan

2017-04-01

Spiral capsule robots can be applied to human gastrointestinal tracts and blood vessels. Because of significant variations in the sizes of the inner diameters of the intestines as well as blood vessels, this research has been unable to meet the requirements for medical applications. By applying the fluid dynamic equations, using the computational fluid dynamics method, to a robot axial length ranging from 10 -5 to 10 -2  m, the operational performance indicators (axial driving force, load torque, and maximum fluid pressure on the pipe wall) of the spiral capsule robot and the fluid turbulent intensity around the robot spiral surfaces was numerically calculated in a straight rigid pipe filled with fluid. The reasonableness and validity of the calculation method adopted in this study were verified by the consistency of the calculated values by the computational fluid dynamics method and the experimental values from a relevant literature. The results show that the greater the fluid turbulent intensity, the greater the impact of the fluid turbulence on the driving performance of the spiral capsule robot and the higher the energy consumption of the robot. For the same level of size of the robot, the axial driving force, the load torque, and the maximum fluid pressure on the pipe wall of the outer spiral robot were larger than those of the inner spiral robot. For different requirements of the operating environment, we can choose a certain kind of spiral capsule robot. This study provides a theoretical foundation for spiral capsule robots.

Echo-Interleaved-Spiral MR Imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenthal, Shirrie; Azhari, Haim; Montag, Avram

1998-01-01

Interleaved-Spiral imaging is an efficient method for MRI fast scans. However, images suffer from blurring and artifacts due to field inhomogeneities and the long readout times. In this paper, we combine interleaved-spirals with spin-echo for 3D scans. The refocusing RF-pulses (echoes) refocus off-resonance spins, thus allowing longer acquisition times per excitation, by limiting inhomogeneity effects. The total number of excitations for a 3D scan is reduced by half. The 3D Fourier transform of an object is divided into pairs of slices, one slice is scanned in an outgoing interleaved-spiral, initiated after a 90 degree pulse has been applied. The second slice is scanned in an ingoing interleaved-spiral, after a 180 degree pulse has been applied, thus reaching the slice origin at the echo time. (authors)

Single-level dynamic spiral CT of hepatocellular carcinoma: correlation between imaging features and tumor angiogenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Weixia; Min Pengqiu; Song Bin; Xiao Bangliang; Liu Yan; Wang Wendong; Chen Xian; Xu Jianying

2001-01-01

Objective: To investigate the correlation of the enhancement imaging features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and relevant parameters revealed by single-level dynamic spiral CT scanning with tumor microvessel counting (MVC). Methods: The study included 26 histopathologically proven HCC patients. Target-slice dynamic scanning and portal venous phase scanning were performed for all patients. The time-density curves were generated with measurement of relevant parameters including: peak value (PV) and contrast enhancement ratio (CER), and the gross enhancement morphology analyzed. Histopathological slides were carefully prepared for the standard F8RA and VEGF immunohistochemical staining and tumor microvessel counting and calculation of VEGF expression percentage of tumor cells. The enhancement imaging features of HCC lesions were correlatively studied with tumor MVC and VEGF expression. Results: Peak value of HCC lesions were 7.9 to 75.2 HU, CER were 3.8% to 36.0%. MVC were 6 to 91, and the VEGF expression percentage were 32.1% to 78.3%. The PV and CER were significantly correlated with tumor tissue MVC (r = 0.508 and 0.423, P < 0.01 and 0.05 respectively). There were no correlations between PV and CER and VEGF expression percentage. Both the patterns of time-density curve and the gross enhancement morphology of HCC lesions were also correlated with tumor MVC, and reflected the distribution characteristics of tumor microvessels within HCC lesions. A close association was found between the likelihood of intrahepatic metastasis of HCC lesions with densely enhanced pseudo capsules and the presence of rich tumor microvessels within these pseudo capsules. Conclusion: The parameters and the enhancement imaging features of HCC lesions on target-slice dynamic scanning are correlated with tumor MVC, and can reflect the distribution characteristics of tumor microvessels within HCC lesions. Dynamic spiral CT scanning is a valuable means to assess the angiogenic activity and

The Spiral of Euroscepticism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Galpin, Charlotte; Trenz, Hans-Jörg

2017-01-01

of Euroscepticism’, taking media autonomy seriously to understand how media logics and selective devices contribute to the shaping of public discourse about the EU. We review the literature on the media and EU legitimacy to show how media frames and their amplification on social media can account for the salience......Media scholars have increasingly examined the effects of a negativity bias that applies to political news. In the ‘spiral of cynicism’, journalist preferences for negative news correspond to public demands for sensational news. We argue that this spiral of cynicism in EU news results in a ‘spiral...... of Eurosceptic opinions in the public sphere that then push parties to contest the EU in predominantly negative terms....

Analytical three-point Dixon method: With applications for spiral water-fat imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dinghui; Zwart, Nicholas R; Li, Zhiqiang; Schär, Michael; Pipe, James G

2016-02-01

The goal of this work is to present a new three-point analytical approach with flexible even or uneven echo increments for water-fat separation and to evaluate its feasibility with spiral imaging. Two sets of possible solutions of water and fat are first found analytically. Then, two field maps of the B0 inhomogeneity are obtained by linear regression. The initial identification of the true solution is facilitated by the root-mean-square error of the linear regression and the incorporation of a fat spectrum model. The resolved field map after a region-growing algorithm is refined iteratively for spiral imaging. The final water and fat images are recalculated using a joint water-fat separation and deblurring algorithm. Successful implementations were demonstrated with three-dimensional gradient-echo head imaging and single breathhold abdominal imaging. Spiral, high-resolution T1 -weighted brain images were shown with comparable sharpness to the reference Cartesian images. With appropriate choices of uneven echo increments, it is feasible to resolve the aliasing of the field map voxel-wise. High-quality water-fat spiral imaging can be achieved with the proposed approach. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Quality of durable cookies enriched with rape bee pollen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miriam Solgajová

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to enrich durable cookies with different additions of rape (Brassica napus var. napus bee pollen to increase nutritional properties of cookie samples and to improve technological and sensorial properties as well. Bee pollen is an important raw material due to its nutritional and functional properties. Cookie samples were prepared by substituting wheat flour with rape bee pollen in the amount of 16 % (1 g of bee pollen per cookie and 32 % (2 g of bee pollen per cookie using bee pollen from two localities Lenártovce and Nové Zámky. In baked samples beside sensory properties also chemical parameters and technological parameters of cookies were evaluated. It was found out that with the gradual addition of rape bee pollen the amount of ash content increased and the highest ash content was analysed in variants II and IV (0.71 and 0.77 % using 32 % addition of rape bee pollen. In terms of reducing sugars, addition of bee pollen caused that the content of reducing sugars in the products increased slightly. The highest reducing sugar content was determined in variant II. (24.59 %. On the other hand amount of crude protein the most considerably raised by addition of 2 g of pollen per cookie. The highest content of crude protein was analysed in variants II and IV (8.72 and 9.00 %. From the results of a linear models in which the dependent variables were the ash, crude protein and moisture it was determined the significant effect (p <0.05 only of the pollen addition. In the case of the model with the dependent variable reducing sugars it was found out significant effect (p<0.0001 of pollen addition and locality and their interactions. With the gradual addition of bee pollen values of technological parameters such as diameter and weight of cookies increased and thickness of products decreased. Based on sensory scores using a 9-point Hedonic scale the best sensorial acceptability (7.4 was found in variant I (1 g of bee

The formation of pollen in male flowers and yearly atmospheric pollen counts of Cryptomeria japonica in the following year

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hideaki Taira

1998-01-01

Full Text Available Prediction of yearly atmospheric pollen counts is a very important component in the prevention of allergenic symptoms. We investigated the relationship between atomspheric pollen counts and the formation of male flowers of Cryptomeriajaponica D. Don (C. japonica. An atmospheric pollen survey of C. japonica was conducted from 1983 to 1996 using a Durham’s sampler. A regression analysis was performed between the total pollen count and July temperature in previous years. The atmospheric pollen counts of C. japonica had a high positive correlation with the mean temperature in July of the previous year. However, the predicted using average mean July temperature records of the previous year were insufficient, especially in years following high pollen count. In experimental conditions, using 60 C. japonica trees in pots, the formation of male flowers was shown to increase with a rise in incubation temperature. In a forest of C. japonica, our results showed that the length and weight of new needle growth from old needles, which produced many flowers in the previous year, were shorter and lighter, respectively. These aerobiological and plant physiological studies provide evidence that a smaller number of pollen counts are a common result in a year following one in which many male flowers are produced, even if the mean July temperature of that year was high.

Pollen Ultrastructure of Genus Dendrobium Orchids as a Learning Resource

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lika Dwi Apriani

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Anggrek genus Dendrobium merupakan salah satu genus dari divisi spermatophyta yang merupakan kelompok tumbuhan yang berkembang dengan menggunakan biji. Tumbuhan berbiji tentu memiliki bunga sebagai alat perkembangan generatifnya. Perkembangan generatif pada bunga artinya pertemuan antara sel gamet jantan dan sel gamet betina. Sel gamet betina pada tumbuhan dihasilkan oleh putik, sedangkan sel gamet jantan disebut serbuk sari atau pollen. Genus Dendrobium merupakan salah satu kekayaan alam Indonesia, jumlahnya diperkirakan mencapai 275 spesies. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana ultrastruktur pollen anggrek genus Dendrobium dari sepuluh spesies yang diamati menggunakan SEM. Jenis penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kualitatif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan unit pollen untuk semua spesies yaitu kategori pollinia, sedangkan untuk polaritas pollen adalah apolar. Jenis aperture kesepuluh spesies yang diamati mempunyai aperture dengan pola yang tidak beraturan dan lebih dari enam yang disebut colpate. Bentuk pollen dari semua spesies yang diteliti bentuknya adalah subprolate hingga prolate dan ukuran pollen termasuk dalam kategori minuta hingga media. Ornamentasi pollen atau skluptur pollen tidak teridentifikasi dikarenakan ukuran pollen yang terlalu kecil, permukaan pollen terlihat kurang jelas. Sumber belajar yang digunakan adalah atlas.

Pollen Flora of Pakistan-LXV, berberidaceae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perveen, A.

2010-01-01

Pollen morphology of 12 species representing 2 genera of the family Berberidaceae from Pakistan has been examined by light and scanning electron microscope. Pollen grains usually radially symmetrical, iso polar or apolar, spheroidal or sub-prolate, spiroaperturate rarely colpate (3- more), sexine thicker than nexine. Tectal surface mostly foveolate-fossulate or sub-psilate, often rugulate - reticulate. On the basis of apertutal types and exine ornamentation four distinct pollen types are recognized, viz., Berberis calliobotrys-type, Berberis jaeschkeana-type, Berberis kunawurensis-type and Epimedium elatum-type. (author)

Tracking maize pollen development by the Leaf Collar Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Begcy, Kevin; Dresselhaus, Thomas

2017-12-01

An easy and highly reproducible nondestructive method named the Leaf Collar Method is described to identify and characterize the different stages of pollen development in maize. In plants, many cellular events such as meiosis, asymmetric cell division, cell cycle regulation, cell fate determination, nucleus movement, vacuole formation, chromatin condensation and epigenetic modifications take place during pollen development. In maize, pollen development occurs in tassels that are confined within the internal stalk of the plant. Hence, identification of the different pollen developmental stages as a tool to investigate above biological processes is impossible without dissecting the entire plant. Therefore, an efficient and reproducible method is necessary to isolate homogeneous cell populations at individual stages throughout pollen development without destroying the plant. Here, we describe a method to identify the various stages of pollen development in maize. Using the Leaf Collar Method in the maize inbreed line B73, we have determined the duration of each stage from pollen mother cells before meiosis to mature tricellular pollen. Anther and tassel size as well as percentage of pollen stages were correlated with vegetative stages, which are easily recognized. The identification of stage-specific genes indicates the reproducibility of the method. In summary, we present an easy and highly reproducible nondestructive method to identify and characterize the different stages of pollen development in maize. This method now opens the way for many subsequent physiological, morphological and molecular analyses to study, for instance, transcriptomics, metabolomics, DNA methylation and chromatin patterns during normal and stressful conditions throughout pollen development in one of the economically most important grass species.

Ragweed (Ambrosia) pollen source inventory for Austria.

Science.gov (United States)

Karrer, G; Skjøth, C A; Šikoparija, B; Smith, M; Berger, U; Essl, F

2015-08-01

This study improves the spatial coverage of top-down Ambrosia pollen source inventories for Europe by expanding the methodology to Austria, a country that is challenging in terms of topography and the distribution of ragweed plants. The inventory combines annual ragweed pollen counts from 19 pollen-monitoring stations in Austria (2004-2013), 657 geographical observations of Ambrosia plants, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), local knowledge of ragweed ecology and CORINE land cover information from the source area. The highest mean annual ragweed pollen concentrations were generally recorded in the East of Austria where the highest densities of possible growth habitats for Ambrosia were situated. Approximately 99% of all observations of Ambrosia populations were below 745m. The European infection level varies from 0.1% at Freistadt in Northern Austria to 12.8% at Rosalia in Eastern Austria. More top-down Ambrosia pollen source inventories are required for other parts of Europe. A method for constructing top-down pollen source inventories for invasive ragweed plants in Austria, a country that is challenging in terms of topography and ragweed distribution. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Urtica dioica pollen allergy: Clinical, biological, and allergomics analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Tiotiu, Angelica; Brazdova, Andrea; Longé, Cyril; Gallet, Patrice; Morisset, Martine; Leduc, Virginie; Hilger, Christiane; Broussard, Cédric; Couderc, Rémy; Sutra, Jean-Pierre; Sénéchal, Hélène; Poncet, Pascal

2016-11-01

The most emblematic members of Urticaceae at allergic risk level are wall pellitories (Parietaria), whereas nettle (Urtica) pollen is considered as poorly allergenic. No allergen from nettle pollen has yet been characterized, whereas 4 are listed for Parietaria pollen by the International Union of Immunological Societies. Clinical and biological profiles of 2 adult men who developed symptoms against nettle pollen and/or leaves were studied. To characterize the allergic reaction and identify the potential nettle pollen sensitizing allergens. IgE-mediated reaction to nettle pollen extract was evaluated by skin prick test, immunoassay, nasal provocation, and basophil activation test. To characterize specific nettle pollen allergens, an allergomic (IgE immunoproteomic) analysis was performed combining 1- and 2-dimensional electrophoresis, IgE immunoblots of nettle pollen extract, identification of allergens by mass spectrometry, and database queries. The results of biological and immunochemical analyses revealed that the allergic rhinitis was due to Urtica dioica pollen in both patients. The allergomic analysis of nettle pollen extract allowed the characterization of 4 basic protein allergens: a thaumatin-like protein (osmotin) with a relative molecular mass of 27 to 29 kDa, a pectinesterase (relative molecular mass, 40 kDa), and 2 other basic proteins with relative molecular masses of 14 to 16 kDa and 43 kDa. There is no or only very weak allergen associations between pellitory and nettle pollen. Exposure to nettle pollen can be responsible of allergic symptoms, and several allergens were characterized. Unravelling the allergens of this underestimated allergy might help to improve diagnosis and care for patients, to predict cross-reactivities and design adapted specific immunotherapy. Copyright © 2016 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modern pollen data from the Canadian Arctic, 1972-1973

Science.gov (United States)

Nichols, Harvey; Stolze, Susann

2017-05-01

This data descriptor reports results of a 1972-73 baseline study of modern pollen deposition in the Canadian Arctic to originally aid interpretation of Holocene pollen diagrams from that region, especially focussed on the arctic tree-line. The data set is geographically unique due to its extent, and allows the assessment of the effects of modern climate change on northern ecosystems, including fluctuations of the a arctic tree-line. Repeated sampling was conducted along an interior transect at 29 sites from the Boreal Forest to the High Arctic, with five additional coastal sites covering a total distance of 3,200 km. Static pollen samplers captured both local pollen and long-distance pollen wind-blown from the Boreal Forest. Moss and lichen polsters provided multi-year pollen fallout to assess the effectiveness of the static pollen samplers. The local vegetation was recorded at each site. This descriptor provides information on data archived at the World Data Center PANGAEA, which includes spreadsheets detailing site and sample information as well as raw and processed pollen data obtained on over 500 samples.

Echo-Interleaved-Spiral MR Imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rosenthal, Shirrie; Azhari, Haim [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000 (Israel); Montag, Avram [Elscint Ltd., MRI division, Haifa (Israel)

1999-12-31

Interleaved-Spiral imaging is an efficient method for MRI fast scans. However, images suffer from blurring and artifacts due to field inhomogeneities and the long readout times. In this paper, we combine interleaved-spirals with spin-echo for 3D scans. The refocusing RF-pulses (echoes) refocus off-resonance spins, thus allowing longer acquisition times per excitation, by limiting inhomogeneity effects. The total number of excitations for a 3D scan is reduced by half. The 3D Fourier transform of an object is divided into pairs of slices, one slice is scanned in an outgoing interleaved-spiral, initiated after a 90 degree pulse has been applied. The second slice is scanned in an ingoing interleaved-spiral, after a 180 degree pulse has been applied, thus reaching the slice origin at the echo time. (authors) 4 refs., 3 figs.

Pollen Processing Behavior of Heliconius Butterflies: A Derived Grooming Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Hikl, Anna-Laetitia; Krenn, Harald W.

2011-01-01

Pollen feeding behaviors Heliconius and Laparus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) represent a key innovation that has shaped other life history traits of these neotropical butterflies. Although all flower visiting Lepidoptera regularly come in contact with pollen, only Heliconius and Laparus butterflies actively collect pollen with the proboscis and subsequently take up nutrients from the pollen grains. This study focused on the behavior of pollen processing and compared the movement patterns with proboscis grooming behavior in various nymphalid butterflies using video analysis. The proboscis movements of pollen processing behavior consisted of a lengthy series of repeated coiling and uncoiling movements in a loosely coiled proboscis position combined with up and down movements and the release of saliva. The proboscis-grooming behavior was triggered by contamination of the proboscis in both pollen feeding and non-pollen feeding nymphalid butterflies. Proboscis grooming movements included interrupted series of coiling and uncoiling movements, characteristic sideways movements, proboscis lifting, and occasionally full extension of the proboscis. Discharge of saliva was more pronounced in pollen feeding species than in non-pollen feeding butterfly species. We conclude that the pollen processing behavior of Heliconius and Laparus is a modified proboscis grooming behavior that originally served to clean the proboscis after contamination with particles. PMID:22208893

Pollen and spore monitoring in the world.

Science.gov (United States)

Buters, J T M; Antunes, C; Galveias, A; Bergmann, K C; Thibaudon, M; Galán, C; Schmidt-Weber, C; Oteros, J

2018-01-01

Ambient air quality monitoring is a governmental duty that is widely carried out in order to detect non-biological ("chemical") components in ambient air, such as particles of monitoring networks are publicly funded and air quality data are open to the public. The situation for biological particles that have detrimental effects on health, as is the case of pollen and fungal spores, is however very different. Most pollen and spore monitoring networks are not publicly funded and data are not freely available. The information regarding which biological particle is being monitored, where and by whom, is consequently often not known, even by aerobiologists themselves. This is a considerable problem, as local pollen data are an important tool for the prevention of allergic symptoms. The aim of this study was to review pollen monitoring stations throughout the world and to create an interactive visualization of their distribution. The method employed to collect information was based on: (a) a review of the recent and historical bibliography related to pollen and fungal spore monitoring, and (b) personal surveys of the managers of national and regional monitoring networks. The interactive application was developed using the R programming language. We have created an inventory of the active pollen and spore monitoring stations in the world. There are at least 879 active pollen monitoring stations in the world, most of which are in Europe (> 500). The prevalent monitoring method is based on the Hirst principle (> 600 stations). The inventory is visualised as an interactive and on-line map. It can be searched, its appearance can be adjusted to the users' needs and it is updated regularly, as new stations or changes to those that already exist can be submitted online. The map shows the current situation of pollen and spore monitoring and facilitates collaboration among those individuals who are interested in pollen and spore counts. It might also help to improve the

Pollen flora of pakistan-lxxi. rosaceae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perveen, A.; Qaiser, M.

2014-01-01

Pollen morphology of 50 species representing 17 genera of the family Rosaceae i.e., Alchemilla, Argimonia, Cotoneaster, Crataegus, Duchesnea, Fragaria, Eriybotyra, Filipandula, Geum, Malus, Prunus, Potentilla, Pyrus , Rosa, Sibbaldia, Sorbaria and Sorbus has been studied from Pakistan by light and scanning electron microscope. Pollen grains are usually free, radially symmetrical, isopolar, prolate-spheroidal to subprolate or oblate-spheroidal rarely perprolate, tricolporate rarely tricolpate. Tectum mostly coarsely-finely striate, rarely striate-rugulate, scabrate or spinulose often reticulate. Rosaceae is more or less eurypalynous family. Significant variation is found in P/E ratio, shape and exine ornamentation and on the basis of these characters family has been divided into seven pollen types viz., Agrimonia eupatoria-type, Alchemilla ypsilotoma-type, Cotoneaster affinis-type, Fragaria nubicola-type, Geum roylei-type, Malus pumila-type, Potentilla pamirica-type. Pollen data is useful at specific and generic level. (author)

Silencing of the pollen-specific gene NTP303 and its family members in tobacco affects in vivo pollen tube growth and results in male sterile plants.

Science.gov (United States)

de Groot, Peter; Weterings, Koen; de Been, Mark; Wittink, Floyd; Hulzink, Raymond; Custers, Jan; van Herpen, Marinus; Wullems, George

2004-07-01

In seed plants, successful fertilization requires correct regulation of pollen tube growth. At germination and during growth, the pollen tube interacts with tissues from the pistil while the pollen tube extends via tip growth. Despite the fact that much research has been devoted to the mechanisms regulating pollen tube growth, many aspects are currently unknown. Previously, we have isolated a pollen-specific gene from tobacco--NTP303--that probably functions during pollen tube growth. NTP303 is part of a family of five members. Its expression is regulated both at the transcriptional and at the translational level. While NTP303 transcripts accumulate to high levels between early bi-cellular and mature pollen stages, NTP303 protein is hardly detectable until germination and pollen tube growth. In order to elucidate the role and function of NTP303 in the pollen tube, we studied the effect of NTP303 gene silencing on pollen function. Therefore, we have transformed tobacco plants with NTP303 co-suppression and anti-sense gene constructs. In these plants, the kanamycin resistance trait--which was linked to the NTP303-silencing gene--was not transmitted through the male gametophyte. This indicated that lowering the transcript level of NTP303 and/or its family members interferes with pollen function. Because we could not find a readily distinguishable phenotype in pollen from the hemizygous anti-sense and co-suppression plants, we rescued the defective pollen to produce doubled haploid plants that were homozygous for the NTP303 anti-sense gene. We found that in pollen from these plants the transcript levels of all NTP303 family members were reduced. Although pollen and pollen tubes from these plants appeared completely normal in vitro, the pollen tubes showed slower growth rates in vivo and arrested in the style before they reached the ovary, so that fertilization failed. These data demonstrate that NTP303 and its family members are essential for normal pollen tube growth

Cloning and characterisation of a putative pollen-specific polygalacturonase gene (CpPG1) differentially regulated during pollen development in zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Carvajal, F; Garrido, D; Jamilena, M; Rosales, R

2014-03-01

Studies in zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L. spp. pepo) pollen have been limited to the viability and morphology of the mature pollen grain. The enzyme polygalacturonase (PG) is involved in pollen development and pollination in many species. In this work, we study anther and pollen development of C. pepo and present the cloning and characterisation of a putative PG CpPG1 (Accession no. HQ232488) from pollen cDNA in C. pepo. The predicted protein for CpPG1 has 416 amino acids, with a high homology to other pollen PGs, such as P22 from Oenothera organensis (76%) and PGA3 from Arabidopsis thaliana (73%). CpPG1 belongs to clade C, which comprises PGs expressed in pollen, and presents a 34 amino acid signal peptide for secretion towards the cell wall. DNA-blot analysis revealed that there are at least another two genes that code for PGs in C. pepo. The spatial and temporal accumulation of CpPG1 was studied by semi-quantitative- and qRT-PCR. In addition, mRNA was detected only in anthers, pollen and the rudimentary anthers of bisexual flowers (only present in some zucchini cultivars under certain environmental conditions that trigger anther development in the third whorl of female flowers). However, no expression was detected in cotyledons, stem or fruit. Furthermore, CpPG1 mRNA was accumulated throughout anther development, with the highest expression found in mature pollen. Similarly, exo-PG activity increased from immature anther stages to mature anthers and mature pollen. Overall, these data support the pollen specificity of this gene and suggest an involvement of CpPG1 in pollen development in C. pepo. © 2013 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Variations in pollen counts largely explained by climate and weather

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Stephan; Damialis, Athanasios; Estrella, Nicole; Jochner, Susanne; Menzel, Annette

2017-04-01

The interaction between climate and vegetation is well studied within phenology. Climatic / weather conditions affect e.g. flowering date, length of vegetation period, start and end of the season and the plant growth. Besides phenological stages also pollen counts can be used to investigate the interaction between climate and vegetation. Pollen emission and distribution is directly influenced by temperature, wind speed, wind direction and humidity/precipitation. The objective of this project is to study daily/sub daily variations in pollen counts of woody and herbaceous plant species along an altitudinal gradient with different climatic conditions during the vegetation period. Measurements of pollen were carried out with three volumetric pollen traps installed at the altitudes 450 m a.s.l (Freising), 700 m a.s.l (Garmisch-Partenkirchen), and 2700 m a.s.l (Schneefernerhaus near Zugspitze) representing gradient from north of Munich towards the highest mountain of Germany. Airborne pollen concentrations were recorded during the years 2014-2015. The altitudinal range of these three stations accompanied by different microclimates ("space for time approach") can be used as proxy for climate change and to assess its impact on pollen counts and thus allergenic risk for human health. For example the pollen season is shortened and pollen amount is reduced at higher sites. For detailed investigations pollen of the species Plantago, Quercus, Poaceae, Cupressaceae, Cyperacea, Betula and Platanus were chosen, because those are found in appropriate quantities. In general, pollen captured in the pollen traps to a certain extent has its origin from the immediate surrounding. Thus, it mirrors local species distribution. But furthermore the distance of pollen transport is also based on (micro-) climatic conditions, land cover and topography. The pollen trap shortly below the summit of Zugspitze (Schneefernerhaus) has an alpine environment without vegetation nearby. Therefore, this

Pollen types used by Centris (Hemisiella tarsata Smith (1874 (Hymenoptera, Apidae in the provisioning of brood cells in an area of Caatinga

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Ana Paula Araújo da Cruz

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to identify, by sediment pollen analysis, the plant species used as floral resources for the provisioning of brood cells in Centris (Hemisiella tarsata, in an area of Caatinga, within the municipality of Nova Soure, Bahia State, Brazil. The analysis of pollen contents from three brood cells revealed 11 pollen types, corresponding to four botanical families. Malpighiaceae was represented most, followed by Leguminosae, Ochnaceae, and Solanaceae, the latter two represented by just a single pollen type each. On the basis of the percentages in the samples, it was possible to infer that C. tarsata visited distinct plants, but intensified its pollen collection in species related to Aeschynomene martii and Solanum paniculatumpollen types, which are considered the most important pollen sources in the larval diet of this bee. In addition to the pollen sources, we have also recorded seven pollen types regarded as oil ones, all related to the Malpighiaceae family. The information about the resources for C. tarsata can be of great relevance, in view of the importance of these bees in the pollination of native flora.

Analysis of airborne pollen grains in Konya, Turkey, 2005

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altunoglu, M.K.; Bicakci, A.; Temel, M.; Kargioglu, M.

2010-01-01

In this study, airborne pollen grains of Konya province were investigated using Durham sampler from January to December 2005. A total of 4420 pollen grains/cm/sup 2/ which belonged to 29 taxa and 9 unidentified pollen grains were recorded. From identified taxa, 19 belong to arboreal and 10 taxa to non-arboreal plants. Total pollen grains consist of 87,49% arboreal, 12,31% non-arboreal plants and 0,20% unidentified pollen grains. In the investigated region, from arboreal plant taxa Pinus spp. (21,63%), Fraxinus spp. (21,13%), Cupressaceae (15,84%), Ailanthus spp. (7,47%), Platanus spp. (3,80%), Acer spp. (3,28%), Populus spp. (1,86%), Sophora spp. (3,85%) and from non-arboreal plant taxa Chenopodiaceae / Amaranthaceae (4,77%), Poaceae (3,67%) were responsible for the greatest amount of pollen. During the study period, the pollen fall reached its highest level in March. (author)

Immunochemical characterization of prosopis juliflora pollen allergens and evaluation of cross-reactivity pattern with the most allergenic pollens in tropical areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Assarehzadegan, Mohammad-Ali; Khodadadi, Ali; Amini, Akram; Shakurnia, Abdol-Hosein; Marashi, Seyed Saeid; Ali-Sadeghi, Hosein; Zarinhadideh, Farnoosh; Sepahi, Najmeh

2015-02-01

Allergy to Prosopis juliflora (mesquite) pollen is one of the common causes of respiratory allergy in tropical countries. Mesquite is widely used as street trees in towns and ornamental shade trees in parks and gardens throughout arid and semiarid regions of Iran. The inhalation of mesquite pollen and several species of Amaranthus/Chenopodiaceae family is the most important cause of allergic respiratory symptoms in Khuzestan province. This study was designed to evaluate IgE banding proteins of mesquite pollen extract and its IgE cross-reactivity with other allergenic plants. Twenty patients with allergic symptoms and positive skin prick tests (SPT) for mesquite pollen extract participated in the study. Crude pollen extract was prepared from local mesquite trees and used for the evaluation of allergenic profiles of P. juliflora pollen extract by Sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and IgE-immunoblotting. There were several protein bands in mesquite pollen extract using SDS-PAGE with the approximate range of molecular weight of 10-85 kDa. The most frequent IgE reactive bands among the patients' sera were approximately 20 and 66 kDa. However, there were other IgE reactive protein bands among the patients' sera with molecular weights of 10, 15, 35, 45, 55 and 85 kDa. Inhibition experiments revealed high IgE cross-reactivity between mesquite and acacia. There are several IgE-binding proteins in P. juliflora pollen extract. Results of this study indicate that proteins with a molecular weight of 10 to 85 kDa are the major allergens in P. juliflora pollen extract.

Investigation of logarithmic spiral nanoantennas at optical frequencies

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Anamika; Pandey, Awanish; Mishra, Vigyanshu; Singh, Ten; Alam, Aftab; Dinesh Kumar, V.

2013-12-01

The first study is reported of a logarithmic spiral antenna in the optical frequency range. Using the finite integration technique, we investigated the spectral and radiation properties of a logarithmic spiral nanoantenna and a complementary structure made of thin gold film. A comparison is made with results for an Archimedean spiral nanoantenna. Such nanoantennas can exhibit broadband behavior that is independent of polarization. Two prominent features of logarithmic spiral nanoantennas are highly directional far field emission and perfectly circularly polarized radiation when excited by a linearly polarized source. The logarithmic spiral nanoantenna promises potential advantages over Archimedean spirals and could be harnessed for several applications in nanophotonics and allied areas.

Chemical constituents and free radical scavenging activity of corn pollen collected from Apis mellifera hives compared to floral corn pollen at Nan, Thailand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chantarudee Atip

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Bee pollen is composed of floral pollen mixed with nectar and bee secretion that is collected by foraging honey (Apis sp. and stingless bees. It is rich in nutrients, such as sugars, proteins, lipids, vitamins and flavonoids, and has been ascribed antiproliferative, anti-allergenic, anti-angiogenic and free radical scavenging activities. This research aimed at a preliminary investigation of the chemical constituents and free radical scavenging activity in A. mellifera bee pollen. Methods Bee pollen was directly collected from A. mellifera colonies in Nan province, Thailand, in June, 2010, whilst floral corn (Zea mays L. pollen was collected from the nearby corn fields. The pollen was then sequentially extracted with methanol, dichloromethane (DCM and hexane, and each crude extract was tested for free radical scavenging activity using the DPPH assay, evaluating the percentage scavenging activity and the effective concentration at 50% (EC50. The most active crude fraction from the bee pollen was then further enriched for bioactive components by silica gel 60 quick and adsorption or Sephadex LH-20 size exclusion chromatography. The purity of all fractions in each step was observed by thin layer chromatography and the bioactivity assessed by the DPPH assay. The chemical structures of the most active fractions were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance. Results The crude DCM extract of both the bee corn pollen and floral corn pollen provided the highest active free radical scavenging activity of the three solvent extracts, but it was significantly (over 28-fold higher in the bee corn pollen (EC50 = 7.42 ± 0.12 μg/ml, than the floral corn pollen (EC50 = 212 ± 13.6% μg/ml. After fractionation to homogeneity, the phenolic hydroquinone and the flavone 7-O-R-apigenin were found as the minor and major bioactive compounds, respectively. Bee corn pollen contained a reasonably diverse array of nutritional components, including

Cell Wall Composition, Biosynthesis and Remodeling during Pollen Tube Growth

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Jean-Claude Mollet

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The pollen tube is a fast tip-growing cell carrying the two sperm cells to the ovule allowing the double fertilization process and seed setting. To succeed in this process, the spatial and temporal controls of pollen tube growth within the female organ are critical. It requires a massive cell wall deposition to promote fast pollen tube elongation and a tight control of the cell wall remodeling to modify the mechanical properties. In addition, during its journey, the pollen tube interacts with the pistil, which plays key roles in pollen tube nutrition, guidance and in the rejection of the self-incompatible pollen. This review focuses on our current knowledge in the biochemistry and localization of the main cell wall polymers including pectin, hemicellulose, cellulose and callose from several pollen tube species. Moreover, based on transcriptomic data and functional genomic studies, the possible enzymes involved in the cell wall remodeling during pollen tube growth and their impact on the cell wall mechanics are also described. Finally, mutant analyses have permitted to gain insight in the function of several genes involved in the pollen tube cell wall biosynthesis and their roles in pollen tube growth are further discussed.

Evaluation of radiation exposure with singleslice- and a multislice-spiral CT system (a phantom study)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giacomuzzi, S.M.; Rieger, M.; Lottersberger, C.; Peer, S.; Peer, R.; Buchberger, W.; Bale, R.; Mallouhi, A.; Jaschke, W.; Torbica, P.; Perkmann, R.

2001-01-01

The purpose of study was to compare patient dose applying singleslice- and multislice-spiral CT. Methods: The examinations were performed with a singleslice-spiral CT (Highspeed Advantage; GE Medical Systems; Milwaukee, USA) and with a multislice CT systems (LightSpeed QX/i GE Medical Systems; Milwaukee, USA). For the determination of the radiation exposure (absorbed dose) a selection of most executed protocols (thorax-helical, abdomen-helical, petrous bone-axial, head-axial) were simulated using an Alderson Rando Phantom. The dose was determined by means of lithiumfluorid-thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD-GR 200). Results: For thorax and abdomen protocols higher energy dose values could be found using a multislice CT. On the average the energy dose values were increased by 2.6 on an average in relation to single slice spiral CT. The energy dose values of the multisclice CT using head protocols could be reduced by 30% in relation to single slice spiral CT due to suitable parameter selections. The energy dose applying a petrous bone protocol resulted in an average increase by a factor 1.5 using a multislice CT. Conclusion: Using the new multislice CT technique protocol strategies must be optimized regarding the patient doses. Users can operate critically in the sense of the radiation protection only if they are aware of the occurring dose amounts to the patient. (orig.) [de

Honey bee workers that are pollen stressed as larvae become poor foragers and waggle dancers as adults.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hailey N Scofield

Full Text Available The negative effects on adult behavior of juvenile undernourishment are well documented in vertebrates, but relatively poorly understood in invertebrates. We examined the effects of larval nutritional stress on the foraging and recruitment behavior of an economically important model invertebrate, the honey bee (Apis mellifera. Pollen, which supplies essential nutrients to developing workers, can become limited in colonies because of seasonal dearths, loss of foraging habitat, or intensive management. However, the functional consequences of being reared by pollen-stressed nestmates remain unclear, despite growing concern that poor nutrition interacts with other stressors to exacerbate colony decline. We manipulated nurse bees' access to pollen and then assessed differences in weight, longevity, foraging activity, and waggle-dance behavior of the workers that they reared (who were co-fostered as adults. Pollen stress during larval development had far-reaching physical and behavioral effects on adult workers. Workers reared in pollen-stressed colonies were lighter and shorter lived than nestmates reared with adequate access to pollen. Proportionally fewer stressed workers were observed foraging and those who did forage started foraging sooner, foraged for fewer days, and were more likely to die after only a single day of foraging. Pollen-stressed workers were also less likely to waggle dance than their unstressed counterparts and, if they danced, the information they conveyed about the location of food was less precise. These performance deficits may escalate if long-term pollen limitation prevents stressed foragers from providing sufficiently for developing workers. Furthermore, the effects of brief pollen shortages reported here mirror the effects of other environmental stressors that limit worker access to nutrients, suggesting the likelihood of their synergistic interaction. Honey bees often experience the level of stress that we created, thus

The effect of irradiation on date palm pollen grains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ismail, M M; Alajaily, F R [The National Academy for Scientific Research Tripoli (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)

1995-10-01

The evaluation of male date palm is very important in date palm culture, it is very well known that the source of pollen has its influence on fruit set, physical and chemical characters of the fruits. Date pollen was collected from previously studied male date palm trees. The pollen was subjected to the following irradiation treatments: 0,5, 10, 20, 40, 80 krad. The irradiated pollen was treated with acetocarmine and its viability was studied under the light microscope. No differences were observed between the treated pollen and the control. The pollen was germinated on agar, sucrose and boric acid media in an incubator at 27 degree C for hours. Germination count under the light microscope indicated that there were no significant differences between 5, 10, 20 krad treatments and the control, but the high doses reduced the germination percentage. The irradiated pollen used to pollinate date palm trees and the effect of metaxynia was studied. 3 tabs.

Exceptional preservation of Miocene pollen: plasmolysis captured in salt?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durska, W.

2016-07-01

Exceptionally well-preserved Miocene pollen from the Bochnia salt mine of southern Poland is reported herein. The halite deposits within the salt mine belonging to Late Badenian (Miocene) marine evaporites originated in the Paratethys. Rounded and angular structures are present inside pollen grains. On the basis of the similarity with plasmolyzed pollen grains of modern plants, these structures are considered to represent cytoplasms plasmolyzed in the condensed brine prior to fossilization. Two forms of plasmolyzed cytoplasms (concave and convex) can be observed in modern pollen. Both are distinguished in the investigated fossil material. In porate and colporate grains the shape of the plasmolyzed cellular content is concave while in inaperturate it is convex. The plasmolysis form depends on the type of apertures and pollen shape. The percentage of pollen with fossilized cytoplasms within individual taxa is a valuable environmental indicator, as it depends on the proximity of the pollen-producing plant assemblages to the depositional setting. (Author)

A statistical mixture model for estimating the proportion of unreduced pollen grains in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) via the size of pollen grains

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, R.C.; Nijs, A.P.M. den

1993-01-01

The size of pollen grains is commonly used to indicate the ploidy level of pollen grains. In this paper observations of the diameter of pollen grains are evaluated from one diploid accession of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), which was expected to produce diploid (unreduced) pollen grains in

Next generation immunotherapy for tree pollen allergies.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Yan; Romeu-Bonilla, Eliezer; Heiland, Teri

2017-10-03

Tree pollen induced allergies are one of the major medical and public health burdens in the industrialized world. Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy (AIT) through subcutaneous injection or sublingual delivery is the only approved therapy with curative potential to pollen induced allergies. AIT often is associated with severe side effects and requires long-term treatment. Safer, more effective and convenient allergen specific immunotherapies remain an unmet need. In this review article, we discuss the current progress in applying protein and peptide-based approaches and DNA vaccines to the clinical challenges posed by tree pollen allergies through the lens of preclinical animal models and clinical trials, with an emphasis on the birch and Japanese red cedar pollen induced allergies.

Differential Effects of Carbohydrates on Arabidopsis Pollen Germination.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirsche, Jörg; García Fernández, José M; Stabentheiner, Edith; Großkinsky, Dominik K; Roitsch, Thomas

2017-04-01

Pollen germination as a crucial process in plant development strongly depends on the accessibility of carbon as energy source. Carbohydrates, however, function not only as a primary energy source, but also as important signaling components. In a comprehensive study, we analyzed various aspects of the impact of 32 different sugars on in vitro germination of Arabidopsis pollen comprising about 150 variations of individual sugars and combinations. Twenty-six structurally different mono-, di- and oligosaccharides, and sugar analogs were initially tested for their ability to support pollen germination. Whereas several di- and oligosaccharides supported pollen germination, hexoses such as glucose, fructose and mannose did not support and even considerably inhibited pollen germination when added to germination-supporting medium. Complementary experiments using glucose analogs with varying functional features, the hexokinase inhibitor mannoheptulose and the glucose-insensitive hexokinase-deficient Arabidopsis mutant gin2-1 suggested that mannose- and glucose-mediated inhibition of sucrose-supported pollen germination depends partially on hexokinase signaling. The results suggest that, in addition to their role as energy source, sugars act as signaling molecules differentially regulating the complex process of pollen germination depending on their structural properties. Thus, a sugar-dependent multilayer regulation of Arabidopsis pollen germination is supported, which makes this approach a valuable experimental system for future studies addressing sugar sensing and signaling. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Origins of galactic spiral structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piddington, J.H.

1978-01-01

Theories of galactic structure are reviewed briefly before comparing them with recent observations. Also reviewed is the evidence for an intergalactic magnetic field and its possible effects on gas concentrations and patterns of star creation, including spiral arms. It is then shown that normal spiral galaxies may be divided into the M51-type and others. The rare M51-type have H I gas arms coincident with unusually filamentary and luminous optical arms; they also have a companion galaxy. The remaining great majority of spirals have no well-defined gas arms and their optical arms are irregular, broader and less luminous; they have no companion galaxy. It appears that without exception the half-dozen or so galaxies whose structures appear to support the density-wave theory show one or more of the characteristics of the rare type of spiral, and that 'the three principal confirmations of the spiral-wave idea' (M51, M81, M101) have companions which may account for their arms. Toomre has rejected this idea on the grounds that his models do not agree with the observed structures. It is shown that these models are inadequate in two major respects, and when replaced by magneto-tidal models using non-uniform gas disks one might expect agreement. The original hydromagnetic model of spiral arms is now reserved for non-interacting galaxies, of which M33 might be taken as a prototype. The model predicts broad or 'massive' optical arms and no corresponding arms of neutral hydrogen, as observed. (Auth.)

Generalized multi-dimensional adaptive filtering for conventional and spiral single-slice, multi-slice, and cone-beam CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kachelriess, Marc; Watzke, Oliver; Kalender, Willi A.

2001-01-01

In modern computed tomography (CT) there is a strong desire to reduce patient dose and/or to improve image quality by increasing spatial resolution and decreasing image noise. These are conflicting demands since increasing resolution at a constant noise level or decreasing noise at a constant resolution level implies a higher demand on x-ray power and an increase of patient dose. X-ray tube power is limited due to technical reasons. We therefore developed a generalized multi-dimensional adaptive filtering approach that applies nonlinear filters in up to three dimensions in the raw data domain. This new method differs from approaches in the literature since our nonlinear filters are applied not only in the detector row direction but also in the view and in the z-direction. This true three-dimensional filtering improves the quantum statistics of a measured projection value proportional to the third power of the filter size. Resolution tradeoffs are shared among these three dimensions and thus are considerably smaller as compared to one-dimensional smoothing approaches. Patient data of spiral and sequential single- and multi-slice CT scans as well as simulated spiral cone-beam data were processed to evaluate these new approaches. Image quality was assessed by evaluation of difference images, by measuring the image noise and the noise reduction, and by calculating the image resolution using point spread functions. The use of generalized adaptive filters helps to reduce image noise or, alternatively, patient dose. Image noise structures, typically along the direction of the highest attenuation, are effectively reduced. Noise reduction values of typically 30%-60% can be achieved in noncylindrical body regions like the shoulder. The loss in image resolution remains below 5% for all cases. In addition, the new method has a great potential to reduce metal artifacts, e.g., in the hip region

Flocculent and grand design spiral galaxies in groups: time scales for the persistence of grand design spiral structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elmegreen, B.G.; Elmegreen, D.M.

1983-01-01

Spiral arm classifications were made for 261 low-inclination galaxies in groups listed by Huchra and Geller. The fractional occurrence of grand design spiral structure in nonbarred galaxies was found to increase from approx.0.1 to approx.0.6 and then level off as the group crossing rate or galaxy collision rate in a group increases. A simple model is discussed where the random encounters between galaxies of any type and flocculent galaxies induce transient grand design spirals in the flocculent galaxies. If this grand-design stimulation occurs for binary collisions with impact parameters less than αR 25 , were R 25 is the galactic radius at 25 mag arcsec - 2 , and if the induced grand design spirals persist for an average time equal to #betta# galactic rotations, then the quantity α 2 #betta# equals approximately 3 x 10 4 . If binary collisions are responsible for grand design spirals, then this result implies either that the induced spirals last for many galactic rotations (#betta#>15), or that they can be stimulated by very remote encounters (α>45.) Alternatively, grand design spirals may be stimulated by multiple galaxy encounters, which would be the case for such large α, or by interactions with the potential well of the associated group, rather than by simple binary encounters. Weak correlations between the grand design fraction and the galaxy size, or between this fraction and the total number of galaxies in a group, were also found. Spiral structures of barred galaxies show no correlations with group environment

[Allergic responses to date palm and pecan pollen in Israel].

Science.gov (United States)

Waisel, Y; Keynan, N; Gil, T; Tayar, D; Bezerano, A; Goldberg, A; Geller-Bernstein, C; Dolev, Z; Tamir, R; Levy, I

1994-03-15

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) and pecan (Carya illinoensis) trees are commonly planted in Israel for fruit, for shade, or as ornamental plants. Pollen grains of both species are allergenic; however, the extent of exposure to such pollen and the incidence of allergic response have not been studied here. We therefore investigated skin-test responses to pollen extracts of 12 varieties of palm and 9 of pecan in 705 allergic patients living in 3 cities and 19 rural settlements. Sensitivity to the pollen extracts of both species was much higher among residents of rural than of urban communities. Moreover, there was a definite relationship between the abundance of these trees in a region and the incidence of skin responders to their pollen. Sensitivity was frequent in settlements rich in these 2 species, such as those with nearby commercial date or pecan plantations. In general, sensitivity to date pollen extracts was lower than to pecan. However, differences in skin responses to pollen extracts of various clones were substantiated. Air sampling revealed that pollen pollution decreased considerably with distance from the trees. At approximately 100 m from a source concentrations of airborne pollen were low. Since planting of male palm and pecan trees in population centers would increase pollen pollution, it should be avoided.

Consumptive emasculation: the ecological and evolutionary consequences of pollen theft.

Science.gov (United States)

Hargreaves, Anna L; Harder, Lawrence D; Johnson, Steven D

2009-05-01

Many of the diverse animals that consume floral rewards act as efficient pollinators; however, others 'steal' rewards without 'paying' for them by pollinating. In contrast to the extensive studies of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of nectar theft, pollen theft and its implications remain largely neglected, even though it affects plant reproduction more directly. Here we review existing studies of pollen theft and find that: (1) most pollen thieves pollinate other plant species, suggesting that theft generally arises from a mismatch between the flower and thief that precludes pollen deposition, (2) bees are the most commonly documented pollen thieves, and (3) the floral traits that typically facilitate pollen theft involve either spatial or temporal separation of sex function within flowers (herkogamy and dichogamy, respectively). Given that herkogamy and dichogamy occur commonly and that bees are globally the most important floral visitors, pollen theft is likely a greatly under-appreciated component of floral ecology and influence on floral evolution. We identify the mechanisms by which pollen theft can affect plant fitness, and review the evidence for theft-induced ecological effects, including pollen limitation. We then explore the consequences of pollen theft for the evolution of floral traits and sexual systems, and conclude by identifying key directions for future research.

Pollen Contents Of Commercial Honeys Of Opi, Nsukka, Enugu ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Pollen Contents Of Commercial Honeys Of Opi, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. ... Abstract. Pollen analyses of seven honey samples from Opi-Nsukka Mini market were evaluated for their pollen composition. The results ... HOW TO USE AJOL.

Global extinction in spiral galaxies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tully, RB; Pierce, MJ; Saunders, W; Verheijen, MAW; Witchalls, PL

Magnitude-limited samples of spiral galaxies drawn from the Ursa Major and Pisces Clusters are used to determine their extinction properties as a function of inclination. Imaging photometry is available for 87 spirals in the B, R, I, and K' bands. Extinction causes systematic scatter in

Molecular cloning of plane pollen allergen Pla a 3 and its utility as diagnostic marker for peach associated plane pollen allergy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wangorsch, A; Larsson, H; Messmer, M; García-Moral, A; Lauer, I; Wolfheimer, S; Schülke, S; Bartra, J; Vieths, S; Lidholm, J; Scheurer, S

2016-05-01

Non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTP) are considered to provoke allergic symptoms to plane tree pollen, which are frequently associated with peach allergy. The objective was to clone the cDNA of plane pollen nsLTP Pla a 3, to characterize IgE-binding and allergenic potency of recombinant Pla a 3 in comparison to its natural counterpart and peach nsLTP Pru p 3. Natural Pla a 3 was purified from plane pollen and analysed by mass spectrometry (MS). Recombinant Pla a 3 was characterized by SDS-PAGE and CD spectroscopy. Specific IgE to extract, components of plane pollen and Pru p 3 was measured by ImmunoCAP in sera of patients allergic to either plane pollen (n = 10), peach (n = 15) or both (n = 15). Biological potency of the proteins was investigated by in vitro mediator release assays and IgE cross-reactivity by competitive ELISA. Two Pla a 3 isoforms were identified. Recombinant Pla a 3 showed high purity, structural integrity, IgE-binding capacity comparable to nPla a 3 and biological potency. Sensitization to plane pollen extract was confirmed in 24/25 plane pollen allergics. The frequency of sensitization to Pla a 3 was 53% among patients allergic to both plane pollen and peach and 10% among plane pollen allergics tolerating peach where most patients were sensitized to Pla a 1. Pla a 3 and Pru p 3 showed strong bi-directional IgE cross-reactivity in patients allergic to peach and plane pollen, but not in peach allergics tolerating plane pollen. Levels of IgE-binding were generally higher to Pru p 3 than to Pla a 3. Sensitization to Pla a 3 is relevant in a subgroup of plane pollen allergics with concomitant peach allergy. IgE testing with Pla a 3 may serve as a marker to identify plane pollen allergic patients at risk of LTP-mediated food reactions and thereby improve in vitro diagnostic procedures. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Determination of pollen quality and quantity in mulberry (morus alba l.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erdogan, U.

2015-01-01

In this study, the pollen grains of eight different mulberry types in I.spir and Pazaryolu districts of Erzurum were tested for the determination of viability, germination rates, pollen production levels and morphologically homogeneity. Viability of the pollens was determined by TTC (2, 3, 5-triphenly tetrazolium chlorid) and IKI (iodine + potassium iodide) tests. Pollen germination experiments were performed with Agar-plate (1%) method in sucrose solutions of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% concentrations. In addition, pollen production and morphologically homogeneity were determined by the Hemacytometric method. The pollen viability of all types used in this study was obtained in high ratios. Pollen germination rates were the highest for 15% and 20% sucrose solutions. The highest pollen production level was obtained from the genotype 6. The morphologically homogeneity levels of pollens changed from 97.36 to 98.86% in types. (author)

Viable suspensions of maize (Zea mays L.) pollen with exogenous DNA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Broglia, M. [ENEA, Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Rome (Italy). Dip. Innovazione

1996-12-01

A viable suspension of maize pollen in aqueous medium containing exogenous DNA would be a suitable tool in attempting maize genetic transformation via pollen grains by different techniques. In this work the effects of addition of DNA to hypertonic aqueous media able to preserve maize pollen viability were investigated. An almost total loss of viability was found when pollen was incubated with native DNA in water or sucrose medium due to the immediate sticking of DNA on the pollen wall. Calcium in the incubation medium avoided DNA sticking preserving pollen fertilization ability. Pre-washing of pollen in hypertonic sucrose solution was proved to remove DNA binding components from the pollen wall. PEG 20%, that is known to inhibit pollen, and silk nucleases, was also used instead of sucrose, without any reduction in the seed-set yields.

A study of spiral galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wevers, B.M.H.R.

1984-01-01

Attempts have been made to look for possible correlations between integral properties of spiral galaxies as a function of morphological type. To investigate this problem, one needs the detailed distribution of both the gaseous and the stellar components for a well-defined sample of spiral galaxies. A sample of about 20 spiral galaxies was therefore defined; these galaxies were observed in the 21 cm neutral hydrogen line with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope and in three broad-band optical colours with the 48-inch Palomar Smidt Telescope. First, an atlas of the combined radio and optical observations of 16 nearby northern-hemisphere spiral galaxies is presented. Luminosity profiles are discussed and the scale lengths of the exponential disks and extrapolated central surface brightnesses are derived, as well as radial color distributions; azimuthal surface brightness distributions and rotation curves. Possible correlations with optical features are investigated. It is found that 20 to 50 per cent of the total mass is in the disk. (Auth.)

Long-term storage method for soft X-ray irradiated 'Hyuganatsu' pollen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yano, S.; Tanaka, M.; Ohara, N.

2008-01-01

The long-term storage conditions for 'Hyuganatsu ' pollen that had been irradiated with soft X-rays was examined. This study, was aimed at production of 'Tosa-buntan' without formation of nuclear fruit. 1. We evaluated the germination rate of pollen that had been irradiated with soft X-ray (500 or 1,000 Gy) and stored at 3 deg C, -20 deg C, and -40 deg C. The germination rate was the same as that of unirradiated pollen, even after storage for 1 year. Soft X-ray irradiation did not influence the storage attributes of pollen. 2. In unirradiated pollen and pollen that had been irradiated with soft X-ray (500 or 1,000 Gy), temperature conditions necessary for storing from 3 months to 1 year were -20 deg C or less, and pollen stored at -40 deg C had a higher germination rate after 1 year. 3. The germination rate was 1% or less in 4 months if silica gel was sealed into a gas barrier bag with 1,000 Gy-irradiated pollen at a rate of 10:1 (w/w). The ability to germinate was completely lost after 1 year in these conditions. 4. We evaluated the effect of sealing methods on 1,000 Gy-irradiated pollen stored at -20 deg C. There was no difference in germination rates among pollen stored in gas-barrier bags, vacuum-packaged pollen, and pollen stored with nitrogen in gas-barrier bags. Moreover, the germination rate of 750 Gy-irradiated pollen stored at -20 deg C decreased from 3 months onwards when pollen was stored with a free-oxygen absorber (Ageless ZP). 5. Pollen that was treated with acetone before or after soft X-ray irradiation (750 Gy) withstood long-term storage of 1 year. Long-term storage was possible if pollen was stored at -20 deg C, as is the case for rough pollen

Pollen viability and membrane lipid composition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bilsen, van D.G.J.L.

1993-01-01

In this thesis membrane lipid composition is studied in relation to pollen viability during storage. Chapter 1 reviews pollen viability, membranes in the dry state and membrane changes associated with cellular aging. This chapter is followed by a study of age-related changes in phospholipid

Imaging of head and neck tumors -- methods: CT, spiral-CT, multislice-spiral-CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baum, Ulrich; Greess, Holger; Lell, Michael; Noemayr, Anton; Lenz, Martin

2000-01-01

Spiral-CT is standard for imaging neck tumors. In correspondence with other groups we routinely use spiral-CT with thin slices (3 mm), a pitch of 1.3-1.5 and an overlapping reconstruction increment (2-3 mm). In patients with dental fillings a short additional spiral parallel to the corpus of the mandible reduces artifacts behind the dental arches and improves the diagnostic value of CT. For the assessment of the base of the skull, the orbital floor, the palate and paranasal sinuses an additional examination in the coronal plane is helpful. Secondary coronal reconstructions of axial scans are helpful in the evaluation of the crossing of the midline by small tumors of the tongue base or palate. For an optimal vascular or tissue contrast a sufficient volume of contrast medium and a start delay greater than 70-80 s are necessary. In our opinion the best results can be achieved with a volume of 150 ml, a flow of 2.5 ml/s and a start delay of 80 s. Dynamic enhanced CT is only necessary in some special cases. There is clear indication for dynamic enhanced CT where a glomus tumor is suspected. Additional functional CT imaging during i-phonation and/or Valsalva's maneuver are of great importance to prove vocal cords mobility. Therefore, imaging during i-phonation is an elemental part of every thorough examination of the hypopharynx and larynx region. Multislice-spiral-CT allows almost isotropic imaging of the head and neck region and improves the assessment of tumor spread and lymph node metastases in arbitrary oblique planes. Thin structures (the base of the skull, the orbital floor, the hard palate) as well as the floor of the mouth can be evaluated sufficiently with multiplanar reformations. Usually, additional coronal scanning is not necessary with multislice-spiral-CT. Multislice-spiral-CT is especially advantageous in defining the critical relationships of tumor and lymph node metastases and for functional imaging of the hypopharynx and larynx not only in the

Calcium in pollen-pistil interaction in Petunia hybrida Hort. I. Localization of Ca2+ ions in mature pollen grain using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Bednarska, E; Butowt, R

1994-01-01

The localization of Ca2+ in the mature pollen grain and the flow of these ions from the somatic tissues of the anther to the pollen grains has been studied using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods. In the pollen grain, Ca2+ ions have been localized in the sporoderm and in the cytoplasmic vesicles of probably dictyosomal origin. Calcium ions were transported into the sporoderm together with the compounds of degenerating tapetum. The material of degenerating tapetum forms pollen coat surrounding the mature pollen grain.

Influence of airborne pollen counts and length of pollen season of selected allergenic plants on the concentration of sIgE antibodies on the population of Bratislava, Slovakia

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Jana Ščevková

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction and objective. The association between airborne pollen counts or duration of pollen season and allergy symptoms is not always distinguished. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between pollen exposure (annual total pollen quantity and main pollen season length of selected allergenic plants in the atmosphere of Bratislava, and concentration of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE in serum of patients with seasonal allergy during 2002–2003. Materials and methods. The concentration of pollen was monitored by a Burkard volumetric pollen trap. At the same time, 198 pollen allergic patients were testing to determine the values of sIgE antibodies against selected pollen allergens; a panel of 8 purified allergens was used. Results. The highest percentages of sensitization were detected for Poaceae and [i]Ambrosia[/i] pollen allergens. The most abundant airborne pollen types were Urticaceae, [i]Betula[/i], [i]Populus[/i], Fraxinus, Pinus and Poaceae. The length of the pollen season varied. The longest pollen season was that of the [i]Plantago[/i] – 105 days, and the shortest, [i]Corylus[/i] – 20 days. A significant correlation was found between annual total pollen quantity and median sIgE values, especially in 2002. Conclusions. A strong and significant positive correlation was observed between pollen counts, excluding [i]Betula[/i], and sIgE levels in both analysed years. The correlation was weaker and negative in the case of length of pollen season and sIgE values.

Galaxy Zoo: dust in spiral galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Masters, Karen L.; Nichol, Robert; Bamford, Steven; Mosleh, Moein; Lintott, Chris J.; Andreescu, Dan; Edmondson, Edward M.; Keel, William C.; Murray, Phil; Raddick, M. Jordan; Schawinski, Kevin; Slosar, Anže; Szalay, Alexander S.; Thomas, Daniel; Vandenberg, Jan

2010-05-01

We investigate the effect of dust on spiral galaxies by measuring the inclination dependence of optical colours for 24276 well-resolved Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) galaxies visually classified via the Galaxy Zoo project. We find clear trends of reddening with inclination which imply a total extinction from face-on to edge-on of 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.4mag for the ugri passbands (estimating 0.3mag of extinction in z band). We split the sample into `bulgy' (early-type) and `discy' (late-type) spirals using the SDSS fracdeV (or fDeV) parameter and show that the average face-on colour of `bulgy' spirals is redder than the average edge-on colour of `discy' spirals. This shows that the observed optical colour of a spiral galaxy is determined almost equally by the spiral type (via the bulge-disc ratio and stellar populations), and reddening due to dust. We find that both luminosity and spiral type affect the total amount of extinction, with discy spirals at Mr ~ -21.5mag having the most reddening - more than twice as much as both the lowest luminosity and most massive, bulge-dominated spirals. An increase in dust content is well known for more luminous galaxies, but the decrease of the trend for the most luminous has not been observed before and may be related to their lower levels of recent star formation. We compare our results with the latest dust attenuation models of Tuffs et al. We find that the model reproduces the observed trends reasonably well but overpredicts the amount of u-band attenuation in edge-on galaxies. This could be an inadequacy in the Milky Way extinction law (when applied to external galaxies), but more likely indicates the need for a wider range of dust-star geometries. We end by discussing the effects of dust on large galaxy surveys and emphasize that these effects will become important as we push to higher precision measurements of galaxy properties and their clustering. This publication has been made possible by the participation of more than

Reduction of Allergenicity of Litchi chinensis Flowers Pollen Protein Conjugated with Polysaccharide by Maillard Reaction

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Ranajit Kumar Shaha

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Allergy to pollen from gymnosperms is well documented in the west. The objective was to define the allergologic protein from Litchi chinensis (Litchi pollen and conjugate the protein with polysaccharides by Maillard reaction to reduce the allergic effect of that protein. Methods: Total soluble proteins were extracted from the pollen of Litchi flower pollen and subjected to ammonium sulphate precipitation at 80% saturation. Pollen antigen from Litchi chinensis (Litchi was prepared by gel cutting method and characterized by biochemical and designated by LFPP. The homogeneity of this protein was demonstrated by a single band on SDS-PAGE. The protein then conjugated with galactomannan through Maillard Reaction. The resulting purified pollen protein and conjugated protein were administered to the Swiss albino mice as amount of 5.8mg/kg body weight. Results: The total protein was then separated on a 12% SDS-Polyacrylamide gel which revealed 5 bands between molecular weight range of 29kDa and 69kDa. Each band was recovered from the gel by electroelution and sent for skin tests. 28kDa proteins was the only allergenic protein while others were not shown reactivity in patients. Intraperitoneal injection of the purified protein (LFPP caused a significant rise in the levels of neutrophils (38-81% and eosinophils (3-14% compared to control (P < 0.001 whereas conjugated protein caused only a 2% increase of both neutrophils and eosinophils level. On the other hand treatment with LFPP-galactomannan conjugate causes no such change in physical appearance with eosinophils and neutrophils level. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that the protein extracted and purified from Litchi flowers pollen has been recognized as a new allergen from Bangladesh for the first time and the allergic effects can be reduced by conjugation with polysaccharides.

Use of MODIS Satellite Data to Evaluate Juniperus spp. Pollen Phenology to Support a Pollen Dispersal Model, PREAM, to Support Public Health Allergy Alerts

Science.gov (United States)

Luvall, J. C.; Sprigg, W. A.; Levetin, E.; Huete, A.; Nickovic, S.; Prasad, A.; Pejanovic, G. A.; Vukovic, A.; VandeWater, P. K.; Budge, A. M.;

Use of MODIS Satellite Data to Evaluate Juniperus spp. Pollen Phenology to Support a Pollen Dispersal Model, PREAM, to Support Public Health Allergy Alerts

Science.gov (United States)

Luvall, J. C.; Sprigg, W. A.; Levetin, E.; Huete, A. R.; Nickovic, S.; Prasad, A. K.; Pejanovic, G.; Vukovic, A.; Van De Water, P. K.; Budge, A.; Hudspeth, W. B.; Krapfl, H.; Toth, B.; Zelicoff, A.; Myers, O.; Bunderson, L.; Ponce-Campos, G.; Menache, M.; Crimmins, T. M.; Vujadinovic, M.

2012-12-01

Pollen can be transported great distances. Van de Water et. al., 2003 reported Juniperus spp. pollen was transported 200-600 km. Hence local observations of plant phenology may not be consistent with the timing and source of pollen collected by pollen sampling instruments. The DREAM (Dust REgional Atmospheric Model, Nickovic et al. 2001) is a verified model for atmospheric dust transport modeling using MODIS data products to identify source regions and concentrations of dust. We are modifying the DREAM model to incorporate pollen transport. Pollen emission is based on MODIS-derived phenology of Juniperus spp. communities. Ground-based observational records of pollen release timing and quantities will be used as model verification. This information will be used to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program and the State of New Mexico environmental public health decision support for asthma and allergies alerts.

In vitro pollen quantity, viability and germination tests in quince ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) cvs. Ekmek, Esme, Limon, Ege 2, Ege 22, Ege 25 and Quince-A rootstock pollens were collected in April from the unopened pink balloon-stage flowers on mature trees. The pollen amount was between 20063 pollen/flower ('Ege 25') and 11906 pollen/flower ('Limon') with hemacytometer.

Pollen tube branching in the ovary of five species of Oenothera

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Renata Śnieżko

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Flowers of Oenothera hookeri Torr. et Gray, Oe. brevistylis and Oe. lamarkiana de Vries were pollinated after anthesis by insects. Oe. biennis L., Oe. suaveolens Desf and sulfurea were selfpollinated in the buds. Pollen morphology was slightly different: Oe. hookeri have regular, triporated pollen, often germinating through two pores; in Oe. suaveolens many pollen grains had callose patches on the intine; in Oe. brevistylis tetraporated pollen were more often than in other species; in Oe. lamarckiana many pollen grains were empty; in Oe. biennis and Oe. suaveolens pollen grain size and viability varied. The pollen tube growth and fertilization were similar in 5 species and can be considered as typical for Oenothera. In the ovary pollen tubes branched and changed their growth direction. Near micropyle they formed short branches to the inner integument. In the nucellus the pollen tube became swollen.

Interference of the Histone Deacetylase Inhibits Pollen Germination and Pollen Tube Growth in Picea wilsonii Mast.

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Yaning Cui

Full Text Available Histone deacetylase (HDAC is a crucial component in the regulation of gene expression in various cellular processes in animal and plant cells. HDAC has been reported to play a role in embryogenesis. However, the effect of HDAC on androgamete development remains unclear, especially in gymnosperms. In this study, we used the HDAC inhibitors trichostatin A (TSA and sodium butyrate (NaB to examine the role of HDAC in Picea wilsonii pollen germination and pollen tube elongation. Measurements of the tip-focused Ca2+ gradient revealed that TSA and NaB influenced this gradient. Immunofluorescence showed that actin filaments were disrupted into disorganized fragments. As a result, the vesicle trafficking was disturbed, as determined by FM4-64 labeling. Moreover, the distribution of pectins and callose in cell walls was significantly altered in response to TSA and NaB. Our results suggest that HDAC affects pollen germination and polarized pollen tube growth in Picea wilsonii by affecting the intracellular Ca2+ concentration gradient, actin organization patterns, vesicle trafficking, as well as the deposition and configuration of cell wall components.

POLLEN MORPHOLOGY OF CROCUS L.(IRIDACEAE IN BULGARIA

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UZUNDZHALIEVA KATYA SPASOVA

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The pollen of the wild species from the genus Crocus L., spread in Bulgaria has been analyzed. The investigations, made by light microscope show that the pollen of these species is spherical in shape and round in outlines, comparatively big. These morphological characteristics of the pollen of the wild Bulgarian Crocuses define it as a primitive one [6]. The Scanning Electron Microscope investigations, made by Beug [1], established two types of pollen morphology. The results of our investigation led to the conclusion that the same types are also presented in Bulgarian species: – C.biflorus –type, or syncolpate and C.vernus – type, or inaperturate. Eight of the species belong to the first type and only C. pallasii belongs to the second. The pollen of C. reticulatus is with quite unclear aperture – maybe transition to the inaperturate type.

Pollinators, geitonogamy and a model of pollen transfer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Pasquale, C.

1995-12-01

A model of pollination that considers the amount of geitonogamous pollen transfer in different flowers and plants is presented. We assumed in this work self-incompatible plant species and we studied how pollination is affected by different round trips described by pollinator from its nest, taking into account the fraction geitonogamy and the fraction pollen export. A deterministic model and a stochastic model of pollen transfer were developed from which we found that when pollinators describe a uniform sequence (visit the same number of flowers in each plant), individuals receive the maximum outcross pollen or minimum self pollen. That is, from the point of view of fertilization, the optimal number of flowers visited in each plant depends on the number of flowers of the plant, the length of the visit and the number of individuals. (author). 18 refs, 1 fig

Single-course specific immunotherapy with mixed pollen allergoids: results of a multi-centre study.

Science.gov (United States)

Drachenberg, K J; Pröll, S; Urban, E; Woroniecki, S R

2003-01-01

A short-term immunotherapy vaccine for the treatment of pollen allergy has been developed utilising L-tyrosine adsorbed allergoids. The reduced number of injections could provide advantages over long-term therapy schedules. This would improve compliance and support application of specific immunotherapy (SIT) to a greater extent. We report a multicenter study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this treatment in a clinical practice setting. Patients (n = 1808) with a diagnosis of sensitivities to various pollens and symptoms of allergic asthma and/or allergic rhinitis and/or allergic conjunctivitis were selected. The vaccine formulation was made up according to individual sensitivities and contained L-tyrosine adsorbed allergoids. The patients were treated with a 3-injection initial course followed by a 3-injection maintenance course. Efficacy was measured by consumption of symptomatic anti-allergic medication compared with that in the previous season and by physician assessment using a 5-point scale. All adverse events were recorded. Efficacy was demonstrated by a considerable decrease in regular and frequent use of medication compared with that in the previous season (p allergoid/L-tyrosine vaccine in a clinical practice setting provided a high level of efficacy with a low incidence of mainly mild adverse events.

Spatially Extended and High-Velocity Dispersion Molecular Component in Spiral Galaxies: Single-Dish Versus Interferometric Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Caldú-Primo, Anahi; Schruba, Andreas; Walter, Fabian; Leroy, Adam; Bolatto, Alberto D.; Vogel, Stuart

2015-02-01

Recent studies of the molecular medium in nearby galaxies have provided mounting evidence that the molecular gas can exist in two phases: one that is clumpy and organized as molecular clouds and another one that is more diffuse. This last component has a higher velocity dispersion than the clumpy one. In order to investigate these two molecular components further, we compare the fluxes and line widths of CO in NGC 4736 and NGC 5055, two nearby spiral galaxies for which high-quality interferometric as well as single-dish data sets are available. Our analysis leads to two main results: (1) employing three different methods, we determine the flux recovery of the interferometer as compared to the single-dish to be within a range of 35%-74% for NGC 4736 and 81%-92% for NGC 5055, and (2) when focusing on high (S/N ≥ 5) lines of sight (LOSs), the single-dish line widths are larger by ˜(40 ± 20)% than the ones derived from interferometric data, which is in agreement with stacking all LOSs. These results point to a molecular gas component that is distributed over spatial scales larger than 30″(˜1 kpc), and is therefore filtered out by the interferometer. The available observations do not allow us to distinguish between a truly diffuse gas morphology and a uniform distribution of small clouds that are separated by less than the synthesized beam size (˜3″ or ˜100 pc), as they would both be invisible for the interferometer. This high velocity dispersion component has a dispersion similar to what is found in the atomic medium, as traced through observations of the H i line.

Polarization study of spiral galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ward-Thompson, D

1987-01-01

Optical polarimetry results are presented for four spiral galaxies: NGC 5194 (M51), NGC 1068, NGC 4565 and NGC 4594 (M104). M51 and NGC 1068 show spiral polarization patterns interpreted as indicating a spiral magnetic field in each case. NGC 4565 and M104 show polarizations in their dust lanes which are parallel to their galactic planes, and which are interpreted in terms of a magnetic field in the plane of each. It is hypothesized that the observed magnetic fields may be linked to galactic shocks. A discussion of the origin of galactic magnetic fields concludes that there is not evidence that necessitates a primordial magnetic field.

219 The Revised Edition of Korean Calendar for Allergenic Pollens

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Jae-won; Kim, Joo-Hwa; Kim, Seong-Won; Kang, Im-Joo; Kim, Bong-Seong; Kook, Myung-Hee; Park, Kang-Seo; Lee, Ha-Baik; Kim, Kyu Rang; Choi, Young-Jean

2012-01-01

Background The old version of pollen calendar was used until this year in South Korea. That calendar did not reflect current pollen distribution and concentrations that can be influenced by changes in weather and environment. A new pollen calendar of allergenic pollens was made based on the data on pollen concentrations obtained in 8 regions nationwide between 1997 and 2009 in South Korea. Methods The distribution of pollen grains was assessed every day at 8 areas (Seoul, Guri, Busan, Daegu, Jeonju, Kwangju, Kangneung, and Jeju) nationwide for 12 years between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 2009. Pollen were collected by using Burkard 7-day sampler (Burkard manufacturing Co Ltd, Hertfordshire, UK), and the collected pollens were sent every week to Hanyang Guri Hospital. Then pollens were strained with Calberla's fuchsin staining solution and were identified. The number of pollen grains per m3 was calculated. Results Alder, birch and Japanese cedar started to appear in February. Japanese cedar showed a highest pollen concentration in Jeju. Pine became the highest pollen in May, and the pollen concentrations of oak and birch also became high. Common ragweed appeared in the middle of August and showed the highest pollen concentration in the middles of September. Japanese hop showed a high concentration between the middle of August and the end of September, and mugwort appeared in the middles of August and its concentration increased up until early September. Birch appeared earlier in Kangneung, and pine showed a higher pollen concentration than in the other areas. In Daegu, Oriental thuja, alder and juniper produced a large concentration of pollens. Pine produced a large concentration of pollens between the middle of April and the end of May. Weeds showed higher concentrations in September and mugwort appeared earlier than common ragweed. In Busan where is the southeast city, the time of flowering is relatively early, and alder and Oriental thuja appeared earliest among

Relaxation near Supermassive Black Holes Driven by Nuclear Spiral Arms: Anisotropic Hypervelocity Stars, S-stars, and Tidal Disruption Events

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamers, Adrian S. [Institute for Advanced Study, School of Natural Sciences, Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 (United States); Perets, Hagai B., E-mail: hamers@ias.edu [Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000 (Israel)

2017-09-10

Nuclear spiral arms are small-scale transient spiral structures found in the centers of galaxies. Similarly to their galactic-scale counterparts, nuclear spiral arms can perturb the orbits of stars. In the case of the Galactic center (GC), these perturbations can affect the orbits of stars and binaries in a region extending to several hundred parsecs around the supermassive black hole (SMBH), causing diffusion in orbital energy and angular momentum. This diffusion process can drive stars and binaries to close approaches with the SMBH, disrupting single stars in tidal disruption events (TDEs), or disrupting binaries, leaving a star tightly bound to the SMBH and an unbound star escaping the galaxy, i.e., a hypervelocity star (HVS). Here, we consider diffusion by nuclear spiral arms in galactic nuclei, specifically the Milky Way GC. We determine nuclear-spiral-arm-driven diffusion rates using test-particle integrations and compute disruption rates. Our TDE rates are up to 20% higher compared to relaxation by single stars. For binaries, the enhancement is up to a factor of ∼100, and our rates are comparable to the observed numbers of HVSs and S-stars. Our scenario is complementary to relaxation driven by massive perturbers. In addition, our rates depend on the inclination of the binary with respect to the Galactic plane. Therefore, our scenario provides a novel potential source for the observed anisotropic distribution of HVSs. Nuclear spiral arms may also be important for accelerating the coalescence of binary SMBHs and for supplying nuclear star clusters with stars and gas.

Forensic Pollen Evidence from Clothes by the Tape Adhesive Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chun-Liang Wu

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Collection and identification of pollen is becoming important in forensic applications. Many criminal cases have been reported to link suspects to the crime scene by analysis of pollen. Several methods have been used in the pollen collection and analysis, but they are expensive and tedious. Therefore, it is important to develop a simple method to collect pollen grains from clothes. We tried to recover pollen from clothing surface by using the sticky tapes method. The tape adhesive method has been widely used for sample collection for various purposes, but the efficiency of recovery of invisible pollen from clothes has rarely been reported. Therefore, to test the efficiency of the tape adhesive method in recovering pollen from clothes is important. The first author wore clothes that were made from textile S made by the mixture of cotton 60% and polyester fiber 40% to collect pollen from 26 different areas mostly in the northern part of Taiwan and then used cellophane tape D (Sirchie Finger Print Lab., Inc-No. 131LT4 to recover them from different body parts. Twenty-six pollen taxa were detected in different parts of clothes depending upon what kind of plant the first author stayed near. From the results, we concluded that the tape adhesive method is suitable in recovering pollen from clothes. We have suggested that the tape adhesive method could be part of methods for collecting pollen from clothes of suspects. It is simpler, faster and less expensive than other methods.

National Allergy Bureau Pollen and Mold Report

Science.gov (United States)

... Search AAAAI National Allergy Bureau Pollen and Mold Report Date: May 19, 2018 Location: San Antonio (2), ... 18/2018 ( click here to view ). Our Allergen Report Email Service can automatically email you daily pollen ...

Orientation decoding: Sense in spirals?

Science.gov (United States)

Clifford, Colin W G; Mannion, Damien J

2015-04-15

The orientation of a visual stimulus can be successfully decoded from the multivariate pattern of fMRI activity in human visual cortex. Whether this capacity requires coarse-scale orientation biases is controversial. We and others have advocated the use of spiral stimuli to eliminate a potential coarse-scale bias-the radial bias toward local orientations that are collinear with the centre of gaze-and hence narrow down the potential coarse-scale biases that could contribute to orientation decoding. The usefulness of this strategy is challenged by the computational simulations of Carlson (2014), who reported the ability to successfully decode spirals of opposite sense (opening clockwise or counter-clockwise) from the pooled output of purportedly unbiased orientation filters. Here, we elaborate the mathematical relationship between spirals of opposite sense to confirm that they cannot be discriminated on the basis of the pooled output of unbiased or radially biased orientation filters. We then demonstrate that Carlson's (2014) reported decoding ability is consistent with the presence of inadvertent biases in the set of orientation filters; biases introduced by their digital implementation and unrelated to the brain's processing of orientation. These analyses demonstrate that spirals must be processed with an orientation bias other than the radial bias for successful decoding of spiral sense. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aberrant Classopollis pollen reveals evidence for unreduced (2n) pollen in the conifer family Cheirolepidiaceae during the Triassic–Jurassic transition

Science.gov (United States)

Kürschner, Wolfram M.; Batenburg, Sietske J.; Mander, Luke

2013-01-01

Polyploidy (or whole-genome doubling) is a key mechanism for plant speciation leading to new evolutionary lineages. Several lines of evidence show that most species among flowering plants had polyploidy ancestry, but it is virtually unknown for conifers. Here, we study variability in pollen tetrad morphology and the size of the conifer pollen type Classopollis extracted from sediments of the Triassic–Jurassic transition, 200 Ma. Classopollis producing Cheirolepidiaceae were one of the most dominant and diverse groups of conifers during the Mesozoic. We show that aberrant pollen Classopollis tetrads, triads and dyads, and the large variation in pollen size indicates the presence of unreduced (2n) pollen, which is one of the main mechanisms in modern polyploid formation. Polyploid speciation may explain the high variability of growth forms and adaptation of these conifers to different environments and their resistance to extreme growth conditions. We suggest that polyploidy may have also reduced the extinction risk of these conifers during the End-Triassic biotic crisis. PMID:23926159

Short-term effects of airborne pollens on asthma attacks as seen by general practitioners in the Greater Paris area, 2003-2007.

Science.gov (United States)

Huynh, Bich Tram; Tual, Séverine; Turbelin, Clément; Pelat, Camille; Cecchi, Lorenzo; D'Amato, Gennaro; Blanchon, Thierry; Annesi-Maesano, Isabella

2010-09-01

To investigate for the first time the short-term effects of airborne pollen counts on general practitioner (GP) consultations for asthma attacks in the Greater Paris area between 2003-2007. Counts were available for common pollens (Betula, Cupressa, Fraxinus and Poaceae). Weekly data on GP visits for asthma attacks were obtained from the French GP Sentinel Network. A quasi-Poisson regression with generalised additive models was implemented. Short-term effects of pollen counts were assessed using single and multi-pollen models after adjustment for air pollution and influenza. A mean weekly incidence rate of 25.4 cases of asthma attacks per 100,000 inhabitants was estimated during the study period. The strongest significant association between asthma attacks and pollen counts was registered for grass (Poaceae) in the same week of asthma attacks, with a slight reduction of the effect observed in the multi-pollen model. Adjusted relative risk for Poaceae was 1.54 (95% CI: 1.33-1.79) with an inter-quartile range increase of 17.6 grains/m3 during the pollen season. For the first time, a significant short-term association was observed between Poaceae pollen counts and consultations for asthma attacks as seen by GPs. These findings need to be confirmed by more consistent time-series and investigations on a daily basis.

Modern pollen data from the Canadian Arctic, 1972–1973

Science.gov (United States)

Nichols, Harvey; Stolze, Susann

2017-01-01

This data descriptor reports results of a 1972–73 baseline study of modern pollen deposition in the Canadian Arctic to originally aid interpretation of Holocene pollen diagrams from that region, especially focussed on the arctic tree-line. The data set is geographically unique due to its extent, and allows the assessment of the effects of modern climate change on northern ecosystems, including fluctuations of the a arctic tree-line. Repeated sampling was conducted along an interior transect at 29 sites from the Boreal Forest to the High Arctic, with five additional coastal sites covering a total distance of 3,200 km. Static pollen samplers captured both local pollen and long-distance pollen wind-blown from the Boreal Forest. Moss and lichen polsters provided multi-year pollen fallout to assess the effectiveness of the static pollen samplers. The local vegetation was recorded at each site. This descriptor provides information on data archived at the World Data Center PANGAEA, which includes spreadsheets detailing site and sample information as well as raw and processed pollen data obtained on over 500 samples. PMID:28509898

Herbivory in spiders: the importance of pollen for orb-weavers.

Science.gov (United States)

Eggs, Benjamin; Sanders, Dirk

2013-01-01

Orb-weaving spiders (Araneidae) are commonly regarded as generalist insect predators but resources provided by plants such as pollen may be an important dietary supplementation. Their webs snare insect prey, but can also trap aerial plankton like pollen and fungal spores. When recycling their orb webs, the spiders may therefore also feed on adhering pollen grains or fungal spores via extraoral digestion. In this study we measured stable isotope ratios in the bodies of two araneid species (Aculepeira ceropegia and Araneus diadematus), their potential prey and pollen to determine the relative contribution of pollen to their diet. We found that about 25% of juvenile orb-weaving spiders' diet consisted of pollen, the other 75% of flying insects, mainly small dipterans and hymenopterans. The pollen grains in our study were too large to be taken up accidentally by the spiders and had first to be digested extraorally by enzymes in an active act of consumption. Therefore, pollen can be seen as a substantial component of the spiders' diet. This finding suggests that these spiders need to be classified as omnivores rather than pure carnivores.

Diurnal Variations of Airborne Pollen and Spores in Taipei City, Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yueh-Lin Yang

2003-09-01

Full Text Available The diurnal variation of airborne pollen and spores in Taipei City, Taiwan, was investigated during a two-year survey from 1993 to 1994. The pollen and spores were sampled using a Burkard seven-day volumetric pollen trap. The diurnal trends of the total amount of pollen and spores in 1993 and in 1994 were similar to each other, and peaked at 3 to 10 o’clock. The diurnal patterns of airborne pollen and spores of Broussonetia, Fraxinus, Cyathea and Gramineae in 1993 were similar to those in 1994. High concentrations of Broussonetia and Fraxinus were obtained from midnight to the next morning. Cyathea spores peaked from morning till noon, and Gramineae peaked in the afternoon. The diurnal patterns of airborne pollen of Bischofia, Juniperus, Mallotus, Morus, Trema and Urticaceae in 1993 were different to those in 1994. Regular diurnal patterns also associated with the taxa, which produce large pollen or spores, such as Gramineae and Cyathea. In contrast, Bischofia, Juniperus, Mallotus, Morus, Trema and Urticaceae produce relatively small pollen and the diurnal patterns of their airborne pollen were found irregular. The source plants Broussonetia and Fraxinus were close to the collection site so the diurnal patterns of their airborne pollen were regular, suggesting that the diurnal fluctuations of the pollen or spores in air might be affected by the source of plants and the sizes of pollen or spores. The transportation of the smaller pollen or spores in air is probably more easily affected by instability of air currents; they are therefore more likely to exhibit irregular diurnal patterns.

Diagnosis of pancreatic tumors by spiral angio CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miura, Kohi; Nakao, Norio; Takayasu, Yukio; Okawa, Tomohisa

1995-01-01

Spiral angio were performed with injection of 30 ml of contrast material at a rate of 1 ml/sec with a scan delay of 6 sec through catheter into the celiac artery while the blood flow of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) was occluded by the inflated balloon catheter. Spiral CT scans were obtained using Somatom Plus (Siemens). Parameter for spiral CT were 24-sec acquisition time, 5 mm collimation, 5 mm/sec table incrementation. Reconstructions were performed every 5 mm. Pancreatic cancers were characteristically depicted with spiral angio CT as hypodensity relative to normal enhanced pancreatic parenchyma. On dynamic angio CT studies performed in pancreatic cancers, the area of cancer and normal parenchyma had maximum level of enhancement at 10-15 sec after injection of contrast material via catheter into the celiac, and there was no difference in enhancement between tumor and normal parenchyma. On the other hand, the lesions of cancer were revealed as hypodensity with spiral angio CT. In case of chronic pancreatitis, the enhancement of the entire pancreas obtained with spiral angio CT was homogeneous. Insulinoma in the tail of pancreas was detected by spiral angio CT but was not detected by both selective angiography and conventional CT. Three-dimensional (3-D) rendering spiral angio CT data shows the extent of vascular involvement by pancreatic cancer and provides useful information for surgical planning. Spiral angio CT is the most useful procedure for diagnosis of pancreatic tumor. (author)

Pollen irradiation and possible gene transfer in Nicotiana species

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engvild, Kjeld Christensen

1985-01-01

, and Petunia parodii with irradiated pollen from N. alata and Petunia hybrida showed no evidence of gene transfer, nor did experiments with irradiated mentor pollen. This indicates that gene transfer with irradiated pollen between non-crossing species or between species giving sterile hybrids is probably...

Poaceae pollen as the leading aeroallergen worldwide: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Mozo, H

2017-12-01

The Poaceae family comprises over 12 000 wind-pollinated species, which release large amounts of pollen into the atmosphere. Poaceae pollen is currently regarded as the leading airborne biological pollutant and the chief cause of pollen allergy worldwide. Sensitization rates vary by country, and those variations are reviewed here. Grass pollen allergens are grouped according to their protein structure and function. In Poaceae, although species belonging to different subfamilies are characterized by distinct allergen subsets, there is a considerable degree of cross-reactivity between many species. Cross-reactivity between grass pollen protein and fresh fruit pan-allergens is associated with the appearance of food allergies. The additional influence of urban pollution may prompt a more severe immunological response. The timing and the intensity of the pollen season are governed by species genetics, but plant phenology is also influenced by climate; as a result, climate changes may affect airborne pollen concentrations. This article reviews the findings of worldwide research which has highlighted the major impact of climate change on plant phenology and also on the prevalence and severity of allergic disease. © 2017 EAACI and John Wiley and Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Morphology and viability of castor bean genotypes pollen grains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Selma Alves Silva Diamantino

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to characterize the morphology and viability of the pollen of 15 genotypes of castor bean (Ricinus communis L. and to generate information that can assist in the selection of highly promising male parents for future use in genetic improvement programs aimed at producing seeds for oil extraction. Acetolysis and scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the morphology of the pollen. The viability of the pollen grains was estimated by in vitro germination and colorimetric analysis (acetocarmine 2% and 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride 1%. For the in vitro germination, pollen grains were grown in 10 types of solidified culture medium consisting of different concentrations of sucrose, boric acid, calcium nitrate, magnesium sulfate and potassium nitrate. The pollen grains had the following characteristics: medium size, isopolar and subspheroidal shape, radial symmetry, circular ambit, 3-colporate, elongated endoapertures, tectate exine and granulated sexine. The acetocarmine dye overestimated pollen viability. The media M5 and M8 were the most efficient at promoting the germination of pollen grains. The studied genotypes had high levels of viability and can therefore be used as male parents in genetic improvement programs.

On the Relationship between Pollen Size and Genome Size

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles A. Knight

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Here we test whether genome size is a predictor of pollen size. If it were, inferences of ancient genome size would be possible using the abundant paleo-palynolgical record. We performed regression analyses across 464 species of pollen width and genome size. We found a significant positive trend. However, regression analysis using phylogentically independent contrasts did not support the correlated evolution of these traits. Instead, a large split between angiosperms and gymnosperms for both pollen width and genome size was revealed. Sister taxa were not more likely to show a positive contrast when compared to deeper nodes. However, significantly more congeneric species had a positive trend than expected by chance. These results may reflect the strong selection pressure for pollen to be small. Also, because pollen grains are not metabolically active when measured, their biology is different than other cells which have been shown to be strongly related to genome size, such as guard cells. Our findings contrast with previously published research. It was our hope that pollen size could be used as a proxy for inferring the genome size of ancient species. However, our results suggest pollen is not a good candidate for such endeavors.

Calcium in pollen-pistil interaction in 'Petunia hybrida Hor'. Pt. 1. Localization of Ca2+ ions in mature pollen grain using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bednarska, E.; Butowt, R.

1994-01-01

The localization of Ca 2+ in the mature pollen grain and the flow of these ions the somatic tissues of the anther to the pollen grains has been studied using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods. In the pollen grain, Ca 2+ ions have been localized in the sporoderm in the cytoplasmic vesicles of probably dictyosomal origin. Calcium ions were transported into the sporoderm together with the compounds of degenerating tapetum. The material of degenerating tapetum forms pollen coat surrounding the mature pollen grains. (author). 18 refs, 9 figs

Cochlea and other spiral forms in nature and art.

Science.gov (United States)

Marinković, Slobodan; Stanković, Predrag; Štrbac, Mile; Tomić, Irina; Ćetković, Mila

2012-01-01

The original appearance of the cochlea and the specific shape of a spiral are interesting for both the scientists and artists. Yet, a correlation between the cochlea and the spiral forms in nature and art has been very rarely mentioned. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible correlation between the cochlea and the other spiral objects in nature, as well as the artistic presentation of the spiral forms. We explored data related to many natural objects and examined 13,625 artworks created by 2049 artists. We also dissected 2 human cochleas and prepared histologic slices of a rat cochlea. The cochlea is a spiral, cone-shaped osseous structure that resembles certain other spiral forms in nature. It was noticed that parts of some plants are arranged in a spiral manner, often according to Fibonacci numbers. Certain animals, their parts, or their products also represent various types of spirals. Many of them, including the cochlea, belong to the logarithmic type. Nature created spiral forms in the living world to pack a larger number of structures in a limited space and also to improve their function. Because the cochlea and other spiral forms have a certain aesthetic value, many artists presented them in their works of art. There is a mathematical and geometric correlation between the cochlea and natural spiral objects, and the same functional reason for their formation. The artists' imagery added a new aspect to those domains. Obviously, the creativity of nature and Homo sapiens has no limits--like the infinite distal part of the spiral. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Frequency Modulation and Absorption Improvement of THz Micro-bolometer with Micro-bridge Structure by Spiral-Type Antennas.

Science.gov (United States)

Gou, Jun; Niu, Qingchen; Liang, Kai; Wang, Jun; Jiang, Yadong

2018-03-05

Antenna-coupled micro-bridge structure is proven to be a good solution to extend infrared micro-bolometer technology for THz application. Spiral-type antennas are proposed in 25 μm × 25 μm micro-bridge structure with a single separate linear antenna, two separate linear antennas, or two connected linear antennas on the bridge legs, in addition to traditional spiral-type antenna on the support layer. The effects of structural parameters of each antenna on THz absorption of micro-bridge structure are discussed for optimized absorption of 2.52 THz wave radiated by far infrared CO 2 lasers. The design of spiral-type antenna with two separate linear antennas for wide absorption peak and spiral-type antenna with two connected linear antennas for relatively stable absorption are good candidates for high absorption at low absorption frequency with a rotation angle of 360*n (n = 1.6). Spiral-type antenna with extended legs also provides a highly integrated micro-bridge structure with fast response and a highly compatible, process-simplified way to realize the structure. This research demonstrates the design of several spiral-type antenna-coupled micro-bridge structures and provides preferred schemes for potential device applications in room temperature sensing and real-time imaging.

Stacking the Equiangular Spiral

OpenAIRE

Agrawal, A.; Azabi, Y. O.; Rahman, B. M.

2013-01-01

We present an algorithm that adapts the mature Stack and Draw (SaD) methodology for fabricating the exotic Equiangular Spiral Photonic Crystal Fiber. (ES-PCF) The principle of Steiner chains and circle packing is exploited to obtain a non-hexagonal design using a stacking procedure based on Hexagonal Close Packing. The optical properties of the proposed structure are promising for SuperContinuum Generation. This approach could make accessible not only the equiangular spiral but also other qua...

Spiral-shaped disinfection reactors

KAUST Repository

Ghaffour, Noreddine

2015-08-20

This disclosure includes disinfection reactors and processes for the disinfection of water. Some disinfection reactors include a body that defines an inlet, an outlet, and a spiral flow path between the inlet and the outlet, in which the body is configured to receive water and a disinfectant at the inlet such that the water is exposed to the disinfectant as the water flows through the spiral flow path. Also disclosed are processes for disinfecting water in such disinfection reactors.

Pollen Dispersion Forecast At Regional Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Mangin, A.; Asthma Forecast System Team

The forecast of the pollen concentration is generally based on an identification of sim- ilar coincidence of measured pollen at given points and meteorological data that is searched in an archive and which, with the help of experts, allows building a predicted value. This may be classified under the family of statistical approaches for forecast- ing. While palynologists make these methods more and more accurate with the help of innovative techniques of regression against empirical rules and/or evolving mathe- matical structures (e.g. neural networks), the spatial dispersion of the pollen is not or poorly considered, mainly because it requires a lot of means and technique that are not familiar to this scientific discipline. The research on pollen forecasts are presently mainly focused on the problematic of modeling the behavior of pollen trends and sea- sons at one location regardless of the topography, the locations of emitters, the relative strengths of emitter, in one word the Sspatial backgroundT. This research work was a & cedil;successful attempt to go a step further combining this SlocalT approach with a trans- & cedil;port/dispersion modeling allowing the access to mapping of concentration. The areas of interest that were selected for the demonstration of feasibility were 200x200km zones centered on Cordoba, Barcelona and Bologna and four pollen types were ex- amined, namely: Cupressaceae, Olea europaea, Poaceae and Parietaria. At the end of this three-year European project in December 2001, the system was fully deployed and validated. The multidisciplinary team will present the original methodologies that were derived for modeling the numerous aspects of this problem and also some con- clusions regarding potential extent to other areas and taxa.

Spiral Wave in Small-World Networks of Hodgkin-Huxley Neurons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Jun; Zhang Cairong; Yang Lijian; Wu Ying

2010-01-01

The effect of small-world connection and noise on the formation and transition of spiral wave in the networks of Hodgkin-Huxley neurons are investigated in detail. Some interesting results are found in our numerical studies. i) The quiescent neurons are activated to propagate electric signal to others by generating and developing spiral wave from spiral seed in small area. ii) A statistical factor is defined to describe the collective properties and phase transition induced by the topology of networks and noise. iii) Stable rotating spiral wave can be generated and keeps robust when the rewiring probability is below certain threshold, otherwise, spiral wave can not be developed from the spiral seed and spiral wave breakup occurs for a stable rotating spiral wave. iv) Gaussian white noise is introduced on the membrane of neurons to study the noise-induced phase transition on spiral wave in small-world networks of neurons. It is confirmed that Gaussian white noise plays active role in supporting and developing spiral wave in the networks of neurons, and appearance of smaller factor of synchronization indicates high possibility to induce spiral wave. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

Bee pollen: a dangerous food for allergic children. Identification of responsible allergens.

Science.gov (United States)

Martín-Muñoz, M F; Bartolome, B; Caminoa, M; Bobolea, I; Ara, M C Garcia; Quirce, S

2010-01-01

Bee pollen has been proposed as a food supplement, but it can be a dangerous food for people with allergy. We study an allergic reaction after ingestion of bee pollen in a 4-year-old boy who had developed rhinitis in the last spring and autumn. We performed a prick-by-prick test with bee pollen and skin prick tests with the most important local pollens, house dust mites, common fungi, and animal danders. The levels of serum tryptase, serum total IgE and specific IgE against bee venom and local pollen extracts were determined. The composition of the bee pollen was analysed and SDS-PAGE immunoblotting and blotting-inhibition were carried out. Prick tests were positive to bee pollen and all local pollens extracts and negative to any other allergen sources. The bee pollen sample contained pollens from Quercus genus, and Asteraceae (Compositae) and Rosaceae families. Total IgE was 435 kU/l. Serum specific IgE to bee pollen was 6 kU/l and greater than 0.35 kU/L against pollens from Artemisia vulgaris, Taraxacum officinalis, Cupressus arizonica, Olea europaea, Platanus acerifolia and Lolium perenne as well as to n Art v 1 and other pollen marker allergens. Tryptase level was 3.5 mcg/mL. SDS-PAGE immunoblotting-inhibition points to Asteraceae pollen as the possible cause of the allergic reaction. Foods derived from bees can be dangerous to people with allergy to pollen. Copyright © 2009 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Six Decades of Spiral Density Wave Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Shu, Frank H.

2016-09-01

The theory of spiral density waves had its origin approximately six decades ago in an attempt to reconcile the winding dilemma of material spiral arms in flattened disk galaxies. We begin with the earliest calculations of linear and nonlinear spiral density waves in disk galaxies, in which the hypothesis of quasi-stationary spiral structure (QSSS) plays a central role. The earliest success was the prediction of the nonlinear compression of the interstellar medium and its embedded magnetic field; the earliest failure, seemingly, was not detecting color gradients associated with the migration of OB stars whose formation is triggered downstream from the spiral shock front. We give the reasons for this apparent failure with an update on the current status of the problem of OB star formation, including its relationship to the feathering substructure of galactic spiral arms. Infrared images can show two-armed, grand design spirals, even when the optical and UV images show flocculent structures. We suggest how the nonlinear response of the interstellar gas, coupled with overlapping subharmonic resonances, might introduce chaotic behavior in the dynamics of the interstellar medium and Population I objects, even though the underlying forces to which they are subject are regular. We then move to a discussion of resonantly forced spiral density waves in a planetary ring and their relationship to the ideas of disk truncation, and the shepherding of narrow rings by satellites orbiting nearby. The back reaction of the rings on the satellites led to the prediction of planet migration in protoplanetary disks, which has had widespread application in the exploding data sets concerning hot Jupiters and extrasolar planetary systems. We then return to the issue of global normal modes in the stellar disk of spiral galaxies and its relationship to the QSSS hypothesis, where the central theoretical concepts involve waves with negative and positive surface densities of energy and angular

Vacuum storage of yellow-poplar pollen

Science.gov (United States)

James R. Wilcox

1966-01-01

Vacuum-drying, followed by storage in vacuo or in an inert gas, is effective for storing pollen of many species. It permits storage at room environments without rigid controls of either temperature or humidity, an advantage that becomes paramount during long-distance transfers of pollen when critical storage conditions are impossible to maintain. In...

Chiralities of spiral waves and their transitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Jun-ting; Cai, Mei-chun; Li, Bing-wei; Zhang, Hong

2013-06-01

The chiralities of spiral waves usually refer to their rotation directions (the turning orientations of the spiral temporal movements as time elapses) and their curl directions (the winding orientations of the spiral spatial geometrical structures themselves). Traditionally, they are the same as each other. Namely, they are both clockwise or both counterclockwise. Moreover, the chiralities are determined by the topological charges of spiral waves, and thus they are conserved quantities. After the inwardly propagating spirals were experimentally observed, the relationship between the chiralities and the one between the chiralities and the topological charges are no longer preserved. The chiralities thus become more complex than ever before. As a result, there is now a desire to further study them. In this paper, the chiralities and their transition properties for all kinds of spiral waves are systemically studied in the framework of the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation, and the general relationships both between the chiralities and between the chiralities and the topological charges are obtained. The investigation of some other models, such as the FitzHugh-Nagumo model, the nonuniform Oregonator model, the modified standard model, etc., is also discussed for comparison.

[Sensitization to Castanea sativa pollen and pollinosis in northern Extremadura (Spain)].

Science.gov (United States)

Cosmes Martín, P M; Moreno Ancillo, A; Domínguez Noche, C; Gutiérrez Vivas, A; Belmonte Soler, J; Roure Nolla, J M

2005-01-01

Castanea sativa pollen allergy has generally been considered to be uncommon and clinically insignificant. In our geographical area (Plasencia, Cáceres, Spain) Castanea sativa pollen is a major pollen. To determine the atmospheric fluctuations and prevalence of patients sensitized to Castanea pollen in our region and to compare this sensitization with sensitizations to other pollens. Patients with respiratory symptoms attending our outpatient clinic for the first time in 2003 were studied. The patients underwent skin prick tests with commercial extracts of a battery of inhalants including Castanea sativa pollen. Serologic specific IgE to Castanea sativa pollen was determined using the CAP system (Pharmacia and Upjohn, Uppsala, Sweden). Airborne pollen counts in our city were obtained using Cour collection apparatus over a 4-year period (2000 to 2003). The most predominant pollens detected were (mean of the maximal weekly concentrations over 4 years in pollen grains/m3): Quercus 968, Poacea 660, Olea 325, Platanus 229, Pinus 126, Cupresaceae 117, Plantago 109, Alnus 41, Populus 40, Castanea 32. We studied 346 patients (mean age: 24.1 years). In 210 patients with a diagnosis of pollinosis, the percentages of sensitization were: Dactylis glomerata 80.4%, Olea europea 71.9%, Fraxinus excelsior 68%, Plantago lanceolata 62.8%, Chenopodium album 60.9%, Robinia pseudoacacia 49%, Artemisia vulgaris 43.8%, Platanus acerifolia 36.6%, Parietaria judaica 36.1%, Populus nigra 32.3%, Betula alba 27.6%, Quercus ilex 21.4%, Alnus glutinosa 20.9%, Cupressus arizonica 7.6% and Castanea sativa 7.1%. Fifteen patients were sensitized to Castanea sativa and 14 had seasonal rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma. Ten patients had serum specific IgE to Castanea pollen (maximum value: 17.4 Ku/l). Castanea pollen is present in our area in large amounts from the 23rd to the 28th weeks of the year, with a peak pollen count in the 25th week. The most important allergenic pollens in northern Extremadura

Aerobiology of Juniperus Pollen in Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Levetin, Estelle; Bunderson, Landon; VandeWater, Pete; Luvall, Jeff

2014-01-01

Pollen from members of the Cupressaceae are major aeroallergens in many parts of the world. In the south central and southwest United States, Juniperus pollen is the most important member of this family with J. ashei (JA) responsible for severe winter allergy symptoms in Texas and Oklahoma. In New Mexico, pollen from J. monosperma (JM) and other Juniperus species are important contributors to spring allergies, while J. pinchotii (JP) pollinates in the fall affecting sensitive individuals in west Texas, southwest Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico. Throughout this region, JA, JM, and JP occur in dense woodland populations. Generally monitoring for airborne allergens is conducted in urban areas, although the source for tree pollen may be forested areas distant from the sampling sites. Improved pollen forecasts require a better understanding of pollen production at the source. The current study was undertaken to examine the aerobiology of several Juniperus species at their source areas for the development of new pollen forecasting initiatives.

Analysis of protein profile and pollen morphology of guaiacum officinale linn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeb, S.

2017-01-01

Asthma and allergic rhinitis is triggered by the pollen of trees, grasses and weeds. Guaiacum officinale L. tree is widely cultivated along with the road side. This species was selected to check its allergenic role.Pollen morphology of Guaiacum officinale was examined by Light microsco4pe (LM) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). Pollen grains of Guaiacum officinale were prolate shape, having tricolpate aperture, and rugulate tectum. Pollen protein concentration of G. officinale was determined by Bradford's assay and qualitative protein analysis of pollen was done by SDS-PAGE(Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis).Total protein content in the pollen extract was 24.28mg/g of pollen. The SDS-PAGE pollen grains protein analysis showed 07 different protein bands. The molecular weight of separated proteins ranged from 25 to 65kDa. Biochemical analysis of G. officinale pollen grains revealed the presence of low molecular weight proteins therefore it is strongly suggested that this species must be considered as a potent allergy causing species. This research would help for the proper diagnosis and treatment of the bronchial allergy suffering patients. (author)

Pollen Biology of Ornamental Ginger (Hedychium spp. J. Koenig)

Science.gov (United States)

An improved in vitro pollen germination assay was developed to assess the viability of stored Hedychium pollen. The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) (10, 15, and 20% w/v) on pollen germination and tube growth was evaluated for H. longicornutum and two commercial Hedychium cultivars, ‘Orange Brush...

Mechanism of spiral formation in heterogeneous discretized excitable media.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinoshita, Shu-ichi; Iwamoto, Mayuko; Tateishi, Keita; Suematsu, Nobuhiko J; Ueyama, Daishin

2013-06-01

Spiral waves on excitable media strongly influence the functions of living systems in both a positive and negative way. The spiral formation mechanism has thus been one of the major themes in the field of reaction-diffusion systems. Although the widely believed origin of spiral waves is the interaction of traveling waves, the heterogeneity of an excitable medium has recently been suggested as a probable cause. We suggest one possible origin of spiral waves using a Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction and a discretized FitzHugh-Nagumo model. The heterogeneity of the reaction field is shown to stochastically generate unidirectional sites, which can induce spiral waves. Furthermore, we found that the spiral wave vanished with only a small reduction in the excitability of the reaction field. These results reveal a gentle approach for controlling the appearance of a spiral wave on an excitable medium.

Effect of smoke derivatives on in vitro pollen germination and pollen tube elongation of species from different plant families

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kumari, A.; Papenfus, H. B.; Kulkarni, M. G.; Pošta, Martin; van Staden, J.

2015-01-01

Roč. 17, č. 4 (2015), s. 825-830 ISSN 1435-8603 Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : karrikinolide * pollen germination * pollen tube growth * smoke-water * trimethylbutenolide Subject RIV: CC - Organic Chemistry Impact factor: 2.216, year: 2015

Bee Pollen: Chemical Composition and Therapeutic Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarzyna Komosinska-Vassev

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Bee pollen is a valuable apitherapeutic product greatly appreciated by the natural medicine because of its potential medical and nutritional applications. It demonstrates a series of actions such as antifungal, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anticancer immunostimulating, and local analgesic. Its radical scavenging potential has also been reported. Beneficial properties of bee pollen and the validity for their therapeutic use in various pathological condition have been discussed in this study and with the currently known mechanisms, by which bee pollen modulates burn wound healing process.

SELF-DESTRUCTING SPIRAL WAVES: GLOBAL SIMULATIONS OF A SPIRAL-WAVE INSTABILITY IN ACCRETION DISKS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bae, Jaehan; Hartmann, Lee; Nelson, Richard P.; Richard, Samuel

2016-01-01

We present results from a suite of three-dimensional global hydrodynamic simulations that shows that spiral density waves propagating in circumstellar disks are unstable to the growth of a parametric instability that leads to break down of the flow into turbulence. This spiral wave instability (SWI) arises from a resonant interaction between pairs of inertial waves, or inertial-gravity waves, and the background spiral wave. The development of the instability in the linear regime involves the growth of a broad spectrum of inertial modes, with growth rates on the order of the orbital time, and results in a nonlinear saturated state in which turbulent velocity perturbations are of a similar magnitude to those induced by the spiral wave. The turbulence induces angular momentum transport and vertical mixing at a rate that depends locally on the amplitude of the spiral wave (we obtain a stress parameter α ∼ 5 × 10 −4 in our reference model). The instability is found to operate in a wide range of disk models, including those with isothermal or adiabatic equations of state, and in viscous disks where the dimensionless kinematic viscosity ν ≤ 10 −5 . This robustness suggests that the instability will have applications to a broad range of astrophysical disk-related phenomena, including those in close binary systems, planets embedded in protoplanetary disks (including Jupiter in our own solar system) and FU Orionis outburst models. Further work is required to determine the nature of the instability and to evaluate its observational consequences in physically more complete disk models than we have considered in this paper.

Pollen morphology of the Onobrychis sect. Heliobrychis in Iran

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Roya Karamian

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Pollen morphology of 20 species belonging to Onobrychis sect. Heliobrychis was studied in Iran. The pollen grains from the herbarium specimens were prepared by acetolysis method and then 8 quantitative characters were studied by light microscopy. Data analysis was carried out by cluster analysis and principal component analysis methods. Pollen grains of the sections were 3-colpate with reticulate ornamentation. Results of the study showed that although the pollen grains in the section were comparatively homogenous, but had a considerable variation in the studied quantitative characters. However among the studied characters, equatorial and polar diameters of pollen grains were the most significant characters. The members of the section can be divided into 3 groups based on these characters.

In vitro pollen germination of five citrus species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, S.A.; Perveen, A.

2014-01-01

The aim of present study is In vitro germination of the pollen grains of five Citrus species belonging to the family Rutaceae viz., Citrus aurantium L. var., aurantium Hook.f., C. limon (L.) Brum. f., C. paradisii Macfad, C. reticulata Blanco and C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck. using hanging drop technique. The germination was checked up to 48 weeks, for the pollen stored at different temperatures like 4 degree C, -20 degree C, -30 degree C and -60 degree C. The study indicates that low temperature and low relative humidity is better than high temperature and humidity with respect to pollen germination capacity and viability. Freeze dryer (-60 degree C) seems to be the best method to maintain pollen viability of stored pollen grains for a long period of time. Among five species Citrus aurantium, C. limon and C. sinensis showed high percentage of germination as compared to C. reticulata and C. paradisii. (author)

Evaluation of the botanical origin of commercial dry bee pollen load batches using pollen analysis: a proposal for technical standardization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ortrud M. Barth

2010-12-01

Full Text Available High quality of bee pollen for commercial purpose is required. In order to attend the consumer with the best identification of the botanical and floral origin of the product, 25 bee pollen batches were investigated using two techniques of pollen grain preparation. The first started to identify pollen loads of different colors in two grams of each well mixed batch, and the second to identify pollen grains in a pool made of all the pollen loads comprised in two grams. The best result was obtained by this last technique, when a pollen grain suspension was dropped on a microscope slide and circa 500 pollen grains were counted per sample. This analysis resulted in the recognition of monofloral and bifloral pollen batches, while the use of the first technique resulted in all samples receiving a heterofloral diagnosis.É exigida alta qualidade para a comercialização de pólen apícola. A fim de atender o consumidor com a melhor identificação da origem botânica e floral do produto, 25 partidas de pólen apícola feram investigadas usande duas diferentes técnicas na preparação dos grãos de pólen. A primeira partiu da identificação das cargas polínicas contidas em dois gramas de cada partida bem misturada segundo suas cores. A segunda visava identificar os grãos de pólen de um agrupamento ("pool" de todas as cargas polínicas contidas em dois gramas de cada amostra. O melhor resultado foi obtido pela última técnica, quando uma suspensão de grãos de pólen era gotejada sobre uma lâmina de microscopia e cerca de 500 grãos de pólen eram centades por amostra. Esta análise resultou no reconhecimento de partidas monoflorais e biflorais de pólen apícola, enquanto que usando a primeira técnica, todas as amostras receberam a diagnose heterefloral.

Spiral blood flow in aorta-renal bifurcation models.

Science.gov (United States)

Javadzadegan, Ashkan; Simmons, Anne; Barber, Tracie

2016-01-01

The presence of a spiral arterial blood flow pattern in humans has been widely accepted. It is believed that this spiral component of the blood flow alters arterial haemodynamics in both positive and negative ways. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of spiral flow on haemodynamic changes in aorta-renal bifurcations. In this regard, a computational fluid dynamics analysis of pulsatile blood flow was performed in two idealised models of aorta-renal bifurcations with and without flow diverter. The results show that the spirality effect causes a substantial variation in blood velocity distribution, while causing only slight changes in fluid shear stress patterns. The dominant observed effect of spiral flow is on turbulent kinetic energy and flow recirculation zones. As spiral flow intensity increases, the rate of turbulent kinetic energy production decreases, reducing the region of potential damage to red blood cells and endothelial cells. Furthermore, the recirculation zones which form on the cranial sides of the aorta and renal artery shrink in size in the presence of spirality effect; this may lower the rate of atherosclerosis development and progression in the aorta-renal bifurcation. These results indicate that the spiral nature of blood flow has atheroprotective effects in renal arteries and should be taken into consideration in analyses of the aorta and renal arteries.

Atmospheric conditions during high ragweed pollen concentrations in Zagreb, Croatia

Science.gov (United States)

Prtenjak, Maja Telišman; Srnec, Lidija; Peternel, Renata; Madžarević, Valentina; Hrga, Ivana; Stjepanović, Barbara

2012-11-01

We examined the atmospheric conditions favourable to the occurrence of maximum concentrations of ragweed pollen with an extremely high risk of producing allergy. Over the 2002-2009 period, daily pollen data collected in Zagreb were used to identify two periods of high pollen concentration (> 600 grains/m3) for our analysis: period A (3-4 September 2002) and period B (6-7 September 2003). Synoptic conditions in both periods were very similar: Croatia was under the influence of a lower sector high pressure system moving slowly eastward over Eastern Europe. During the 2002-2009 period, this type of weather pattern (on ~ 70% of days), in conjunction with almost non-gradient surface pressure conditions in the area (on ~ 30% of days) characterised days when the daily pollen concentrations were higher than 400 grains/m3. Numerical experiments using a mesoscale model at fine resolution showed successful multi-day simulations reproducing the local topographic influence on wind flow and in reasonable agreement with available observations. According to the model, the relatively weak synoptic flow (predominantly from the eastern direction) allowed local thermal circulations to develop over Zagreb during both high pollen episodes. Two-hour pollen concentrations and 48-h back-trajectories indicated that regional-range transport of pollen grains from the central Pannonian Plain was the cause of the high pollen concentrations during period A. During period B, the north-westward regional-range transport in Zagreb was supplemented significantly by pronounced horizontal recirculation of pollen grains. This recirculation happened within the diurnal local circulation over the city, causing a late-evening increase in pollen concentration.

Grass pollen symptoms interfere with the recollection of birch pollen symptoms - a prospective study of suspected, asymptomatic skin sensitization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Assing, K; Bødtger, Uffe; Poulsen, L K

2007-01-01

of seasonal allergic symptoms and prospective seasonal symptom registration among subjects with AS. METHODS: On the basis of a population survey, autumn 2002, including skin prick tests (positive if > or =3 mm) and a screening questionnaire, 87 subjects with AS to birch and/or grass pollen, birch and/or grass...... days. RESULTS: Eleven AS subjects (birch: n = 10) subsequently developed allergic symptoms, yet nine admitted, at follow up, to have had symptoms before inclusion, or even denied pollen-related symptoms despite a significant diary. Compared with AS subjects sensitized to grass pollen, AS subjects...

Effect of space flight on meiosis of pollen mother cells and its derived pollens in impatiens balsamina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Zesheng; Yang Jun; Yuan Haiyun; Zhao Yan

2005-01-01

Effects of space flight on meiosis of pollen mother cells and meiosis of microspores in Impatiens balsamina were investigated. It was found that meiosis showed abnormal in most plants germinated from seeds after space flight, and chromosome fragment, chromosomal bridge and lagging chromosome were observed in the process of meiosis in these plants. Disproportional segregation of chromosome, multipolar division and multinucleus were also observed in most plants, which developed into paraspores with different chromosome number. Mitosis of microspores was found to be abnormal in most plants, and the number of chromosome in microspore unequal. The fertility of the pollens was tested with iodic solution; it was found that the fertility of pollens varied in different plants. (authors)

Spatial variability in airborne pollen concentrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Raynor, G S; Ogden, E C; Hayes, J V

1975-03-01

Tests were conducted to determine the relationship between airborne pollen concentrations and distance. Simultaneous samples were taken in 171 tests with sets of eight rotoslide samplers spaced from one to 486 M. apart in straight lines. Use of all possible pairs gave 28 separation distances. Tests were conducted over a 2-year period in urban and rural locations distant from major pollen sources during both tree and ragweed pollen seasons. Samples were taken at a height of 1.5 M. during 5-to 20-minute periods. Tests were grouped by pollen type, location, year, and direction of the wind relative to the line. Data were analyzed to evaluate variability without regard to sampler spacing and variability as a function of separation distance. The mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, ratio of maximum to the mean, and ratio of minimum to the mean were calculated for each test, each group of tests, and all cases. The average coefficient of variation is 0.21, the maximum over the mean, 1.39 and the minimum over the mean, 0.69. No relationship was found with experimental conditions. Samples taken at the minimum separation distance had a mean difference of 18 per cent. Differences between pairs of samples increased with distance in 10 of 13 groups. These results suggest that airborne pollens are not always well mixed in the lower atmosphere and that a sample becomes less representative with increasing distance from the sampling location.

Model for the local spiral structure of the galaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Humphreys, R.M.

1976-01-01

The spatial distribution of the most luminous stars, associations, clusters, and H II regions in the region l = 270 0 to 30 0 reveal a major spiral arm, Sagittarius-Carina, which can be observed to 9 or 10 kpc from the sun in the direction l = 290 0 to 305 0 . Evidence is also presented for a spur at l = 305 0 to 310 0 on the inner side of the Saggitarius-Carina arm. The noncircular motions observed in the Carina and Sagittarius spiral features agree in both magnitude and direction and support the suggestion that Sagittarius-Carina is a major spiral arm. A model is presented for the local spiral structure with wide, massive, spiral arms which show fragmentation in our region of the Galaxy. On the basis of the optical spiral structure, the Milky Way is an Sc type spiral galaxy, perhaps of the M 101 type

Pollen diversity, viability and floral structure of some Musa genotypes

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Pollen diversity, viability and floral structure of some Musa genotypes. ... This experiment was designed to study the floral structure, pollen morphology and the potential pollen viability of five Musa genotypes obtained ... HOW TO USE AJOL.

Ablation acceleration of macroparticle in spiral magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikuta, Kazunari.

1981-05-01

The rocket motion of macroparticles heated by energetic pulses in a spiral magnetic field was studied. The purpose of the present work is to study the ablation acceleration of a macroparticle in a spiral magnetic field with the help of the law of conservation of angular momentum. The basic equation of motion of ablatively accelerated projectile in a spiral magnetic field was derived. Any rocket which is ejecting fully ionized plasma in an intense magnetic field with rotational transform is able to have spin by the law of conservation of momentum. The effect of spiral magnetic field on macroparticle acceleration is discussed. The necessary mass ratio increase exponentially with respect to the field parameter. The spiral field should be employed with care to have only to stabilize the position of macroparticles. As conclusion, it can be said that the ablation acceleration of the projectile in a spiral field can give the accelerated body spin quite easily. (Kato, T.)

Microwave-Assisted Drying for the Conservation of Honeybee Pollen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angelo Canale

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Bee pollen is becoming an important product thanks to its nutritional properties, including a high content of bioactive compounds such as essential amino acids, antioxidants, and vitamins. Fresh bee pollen has a high water content (15%–30% wt %, thus it is a good substrate for microorganisms. Traditional conservation methods include drying in a hot air chamber and/or freezing. These techniques may significantly affect the pollen organoleptic properties and its content of bioactive compounds. Here, a new conservation method, microwave drying, is introduced and investigated. The method implies irradiating the fresh pollen with microwaves under vacuum, in order to reduce the water content without reaching temperatures capable of thermally deteriorating important bioactive compounds. The method was evaluated by taking into account the nutritional properties after the treatment. The analyzed parameters were phenols, flavonoids, with special reference to rutin content, and amino acids. Results showed that microwave drying offers important advantages for the conservation of bee pollen. Irrespective of microwave power and treatment time, phenol and flavonoid content did not vary over untreated fresh pollen. Similarly, rutin content was unaffected by the microwave drying, suggesting that the microwave-assisted drying could be a powerful technology to preserve bioprotective compounds in fresh pollen.

Therapeutic effect of bee pollens on acute radiation sickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Mingsuo; Huang Chaoqun; Chen Zhen; Huang Meiying; Jiang Ying; Wang Tao

1997-09-01

The therapeutic effect of bee pollens on acute radiation sickness were evaluated by observing the changes in the peripheral white blood cell (PWBC) count, the total activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the levels of lipid peroxides (LPO) in sera of the irradiated rats following P.O. administration of bee pollens. It was found that bee pollens could remarkably help irradiated rats recover from radiation-induced injury. The functions of bee pollens might be summarized as follows: (1) Stimulating Proliferation of PWBC. The PWBC count of the bee pollens group showed no significant difference as compared with the normal control group on the 30 th day postirradiation. (2) Enhancing antioxidative effect of clearing free radicals. The total activity of serum SOD in the bee pollens group increased by 6.48% as compared with the normal control group on the 30 th day after irradiation, and the LPO levels i.e. MDA and POV in sera of the irradiated rats decreased by 54.73% and 21.60% respectively. The result suggests that using bee pollens as antiradiation and health-promoting agents in clinical treatment of acute radiation sickness and during radiotherapy of patients with tumors may has certain practical value. (12 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.)

[Does a lateral gradient of membrane potential on the plasma membrane of growing pollen tube of germinating pollen grain exist?].

Science.gov (United States)

Andreev, I M

2011-01-01

The data presented in the article by Breigina et al. (2009) "Changes in the membrane potential during pollen grain germination and pollen tube growth" (Tsitologiya. 51 (10): 815-823) and concerning the measurement of electric membrane potential (Delta Psi) on the plasma membrane of growing pollen tube of germinating pollen grain with the use of fluorescent potential-sensitive dye, di-4-ANEPPS, were critically analyzed in order to clarify whether a lateral gradient of Delta Psi on this membrane indeed exists. This analysis showed that the main conclusion of the authors of the above article on the existence of polar distribution of Delta Psi along the pollen tube plasma membrane is not in accordance with a number of known peculiarities of di-4-ANEPPS behavior in biological membranes and requires a significant revision. The findings in question reported by the authors, in my opinion, might be interpreted as evidence for the presence on the plasma membrane of growing pollen tube not only the membrane potential Delta Psi but also lateral gradient of so called intra-membrane dipole potential. Based on the comments made, another interpretation of the experimental results described by Breigina et al. has been offered. In addition, some drawbacks in the methodology used by the authors for measurement of Delta Psi with other fluorescent potential-sensitive dye, DiBAC3(3), are also shortly considered.

Are Elias 2-27's Spiral Arms Driven by Self-gravity, or by a Companion? A Comparative Spiral Morphology Study

Science.gov (United States)

Forgan, Duncan H.; Ilee, John D.; Meru, Farzana

2018-06-01

The spiral waves detected in the protostellar disk surrounding Elias 2-27 have been suggested as evidence of the disk being gravitationally unstable. However, previous work has shown that a massive, stable disk undergoing an encounter with a massive companion are also consistent with the observations. We compare the spiral morphology of smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations modeling both cases. The gravitationally unstable disk produces symmetric, tightly wound spiral arms with constant pitch angle, as predicted by the literature. The companion disk’s arms are asymmetric, with pitch angles that increase with radius. However, these arms are not well-fitted by standard analytic expressions, due to the high disk mass and relatively low companion mass. We note that differences (or indeed similarities) in morphology between pairs of spirals is a crucial discriminant between scenarios for Elias 2-27, and hence future studies must fit spiral arms individually. If Elias 2-27 continues to show symmetric tightly wound spiral arms in future observations, then we posit that it is the first observed example of a gravitationally unstable protostellar disk.

Planet-driven Spiral Arms in Protoplanetary Disks. II. Implications

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Jaehan; Zhu, Zhaohuan

2018-06-01

We examine whether various characteristics of planet-driven spiral arms can be used to constrain the masses of unseen planets and their positions within their disks. By carrying out two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations varying planet mass and disk gas temperature, we find that a larger number of spiral arms form with a smaller planet mass and a lower disk temperature. A planet excites two or more spiral arms interior to its orbit for a range of disk temperatures characterized by the disk aspect ratio 0.04≤slant {(h/r)}p≤slant 0.15, whereas exterior to a planet’s orbit multiple spiral arms can form only in cold disks with {(h/r)}p≲ 0.06. Constraining the planet mass with the pitch angle of spiral arms requires accurate disk temperature measurements that might be challenging even with ALMA. However, the property that the pitch angle of planet-driven spiral arms decreases away from the planet can be a powerful diagnostic to determine whether the planet is located interior or exterior to the observed spirals. The arm-to-arm separations increase as a function of planet mass, consistent with previous studies; however, the exact slope depends on disk temperature as well as the radial location where the arm-to-arm separations are measured. We apply these diagnostics to the spiral arms seen in MWC 758 and Elias 2–27. As shown in Bae et al., planet-driven spiral arms can create concentric rings and gaps, which can produce a more dominant observable signature than spiral arms under certain circumstances. We discuss the observability of planet-driven spiral arms versus rings and gaps.

Spatially extended and high-velocity dispersion molecular component in spiral galaxies: Single-dish versus interferometric observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldú-Primo, Anahi; Walter, Fabian; Schruba, Andreas; Leroy, Adam; Bolatto, Alberto D.; Vogel, Stuart

2015-01-01

Recent studies of the molecular medium in nearby galaxies have provided mounting evidence that the molecular gas can exist in two phases: one that is clumpy and organized as molecular clouds and another one that is more diffuse. This last component has a higher velocity dispersion than the clumpy one. In order to investigate these two molecular components further, we compare the fluxes and line widths of CO in NGC 4736 and NGC 5055, two nearby spiral galaxies for which high-quality interferometric as well as single-dish data sets are available. Our analysis leads to two main results: (1) employing three different methods, we determine the flux recovery of the interferometer as compared to the single-dish to be within a range of 35%–74% for NGC 4736 and 81%–92% for NGC 5055, and (2) when focusing on high (S/N ≥ 5) lines of sight (LOSs), the single-dish line widths are larger by ∼(40 ± 20)% than the ones derived from interferometric data, which is in agreement with stacking all LOSs. These results point to a molecular gas component that is distributed over spatial scales larger than 30″(∼1 kpc), and is therefore filtered out by the interferometer. The available observations do not allow us to distinguish between a truly diffuse gas morphology and a uniform distribution of small clouds that are separated by less than the synthesized beam size (∼3″ or ∼100 pc), as they would both be invisible for the interferometer. This high velocity dispersion component has a dispersion similar to what is found in the atomic medium, as traced through observations of the H i line.

Improved reconstruction for IDEAL spiral CSI

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Rie Beck; Mariager, Christian; Laustsen, Christoffer

2017-01-01

In this study we demonstrate how reconstruction for IDEAL spiral CSI (spectroscopic imaging scheme developed for hyperpolarized dynamic metabolic MR imaging) can be improved by using regularization with a sparsity constraint. By exploiting sparsity of the spectral domain, IDEAL spiral CSI can...

Development of plant anatomy teaching material based on palynological studies of pollen impacted by the haze of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Science.gov (United States)

Desti

2018-05-01

The research about palynological study of pollen impacted by the haze of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis from Riau Province and its development as a teaching material for plant anatomy has been conducted in Biology Laboratory of Islamic University of Riau. The objective of this research is to find out of the pollen morphology of H. rosa-sinensis and the result of this study developed for teaching materials for plant anatomy subject. The method is descriptive. The analysis data used descriptive qualitative. The result showed that pollen has several characteristics which can be observed which is impacted by the haze. Pollen was observed is single pollen type, spheroidal sarcoid, polyphenoporate aperture type and exterior ornament. From result of research can be concluded that there is difference of pollen analysis between plant observed. Implication of research results in learning in the form of teaching materials for Plant Anatomy subject. Based on the validation results, it is known that the teaching materials that have been prepared can be used in the learning with percentage level achievement of 90.91% for teaching materials. The subject matter of Plant Anatomy which has been prepared based on the research result can be used in the learning process

Mycobiota and mycotoxins in bee pollen collected from different areas of Slovakia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kačániová, Miroslava; Juráček, Miroslav; Chlebo, Róbert; Kňazovická, Vladimíra; Kadasi-Horáková, Miriam; Kunová, Simona; Lejková, Jadža; Haščík, Peter; Mareček, Ján; Simko, Milan

2011-01-01

Contamination by microscopic fungi and mycotoxins in different bee pollen samples, which were stored under three different ways of storing as freezing, drying and UV radiation, was investigated. During spring 2009, 45 samples of bee-collected pollen were gathered from beekeepers who placed their bee colonies on monocultures of sunflower, rape and poppy fields within their flying distance. Bee pollen was collected from bees' legs by special devices placed at the entrance to hives. Samples were examined for the concentration and identification of microscopic fungi able to grow on Malt and Czapek-Dox agar and mycotoxins content [deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin (T-2), zearalenone (ZON) and total aflatoxins (AFL), fumonisins (FUM), ochratoxins (OTA)] by direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The total number of microscopic fungi in this study ranged from 2.98 ± 0.02 in frozen sunflower bee pollen to 4.06 ± 0.10 log cfu.g(-1) in sunflower bee pollen after UV radiation. In this study, 449 isolates belonging to 21 fungal species representing 9 genera were found in 45 samples of bee pollen. The total isolates were detected in frozen poppy pollen 29, rape pollen 40, sunflower pollen 80, in dried poppy pollen 12, rape pollen 36, sunflower 78, in poppy pollen after UV radiation treatment 54, rape 59 and sunflower 58. The most frequent isolates of microscopic fungi found in bee pollen samples of all prevalent species were Mucor mucedo (49 isolates), Alternaria alternata (40 isolates), Mucor hiemalis (40 isolates), Aspergillus fumigatus (33 isolates) and Cladosporium cladosporioides (31 isolates). The most frequently found isolates were detected in sunflower bee pollen frozen (80 isolates) and the lowest number of isolates was observed in poppy bee pollen dried (12 isolates). The most prevalent mycotoxin of poppy bee pollen was ZON (361.55 ± 0.26 μg.kg(-1)), in rape bee pollen T-2 toxin (265.40 ± 0.18 μg.kg(-1)) and in sunflower bee pollen T-2 toxin

Pollen flow of wheat under natural conditions in the Huanghuai River Wheat Region, China

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ai-Qing; Zhang, Chun-Qing; Wu, Cheng-Lai; Gao, Qing-Rong

2015-01-01

abstract The transgenic pollen spread is the main pathway of transgenic plant gene flow. The maximum distance of pollen dispersal (horizontal), the spatial dynamics of pollen movement (vertical), and the patterns of pollen dispersal are important considerations in biosafety assessments of genetically modified crops. To evaluate wheat (Triticum aestivum) pollen dispersal, we measured the pollen suspension velocity and analyzed pollen dispersal patterns under natural conditions in the Huanghuai River wheat-growing region in 2009. The pollen suspension velocity was 0.3–0.4 m/s. The highest pollen densities were detected in the north, northwest, and south of the pollen source. Pollen was dispersed over distances greater than 245 m in the northwest and northeast directions. At the pollen source center, pollen density decreased with increasing vertical height. In the north of the pollen source, the pollen density from 65 m to 225 m showed a wave-mode decrease with increasing height. The horizontal transport of pollen over longer distances fitted polynomial equations. In the north, the pollen density was highest at 45 m from the pollen source, and decreased with increasing distance. In the northwest, the pollen density showed a double-peak trend. In the northeast, pollen density was highest from 45 m to 125 m from the source. Wind speeds greater than the pollen suspension velocity and the duration of continuous gusts were the main factors affecting pollen dispersal. This information will be useful for determining the spatial isolation distances for hybrid seed production and for the commercial production of transgenic wheat. PMID:25658025

Magnetic spiral arms in galaxy haloes

Science.gov (United States)

Henriksen, R. N.

2017-08-01

We seek the conditions for a steady mean field galactic dynamo. The parameter set is reduced to those appearing in the α2 and α/ω dynamo, namely velocity amplitudes, and the ratio of sub-scale helicity to diffusivity. The parameters can be allowed to vary on conical spirals. We analyse the mean field dynamo equations in terms of scale invariant logarithmic spiral modes and special exact solutions. Compatible scale invariant gravitational spiral arms are introduced and illustrated in an appendix, but the detailed dynamical interaction with the magnetic field is left for another work. As a result of planar magnetic spirals `lifting' into the halo, multiple sign changes in average rotation measures forming a regular pattern on each side of the galactic minor axis, are predicted. Such changes have recently been detected in the Continuum Halos in Nearby Galaxies-an EVLA Survey (CHANG-ES) survey.

Electrostatic potentials of the S-locus F-box proteins contribute to the pollen S specificity in self-incompatibility in Petunia hybrida.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Junhui; Zhang, Yue; Song, Yanzhai; Zhang, Hui; Fan, Jiangbo; Li, Qun; Zhang, Dongfen; Xue, Yongbiao

2017-01-01

Self-incompatibility (SI) is a self/non-self discrimination system found widely in angiosperms and, in many species, is controlled by a single polymorphic S-locus. In the Solanaceae, Rosaceae and Plantaginaceae, the S-locus encodes a single S-RNase and a cluster of S-locus F-box (SLF) proteins to control the pistil and pollen expression of SI, respectively. Previous studies have shown that their cytosolic interactions determine their recognition specificity, but the physical force between their interactions remains unclear. In this study, we show that the electrostatic potentials of SLF contribute to the pollen S specificity through a physical mechanism of 'like charges repel and unlike charges attract' between SLFs and S-RNases in Petunia hybrida. Strikingly, the alteration of a single C-terminal amino acid of SLF reversed its surface electrostatic potentials and subsequently the pollen S specificity. Collectively, our results reveal that the electrostatic potentials act as a major physical force between cytosolic SLFs and S-RNases, providing a mechanistic insight into the self/non-self discrimination between cytosolic proteins in angiosperms. © 2016 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of radiation on fruit pollen germination and distant hybridization compatibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jing; Shang Xiaoli

2006-01-01

Pollens of Zhouxingshantao peach trees, apricot cultivar Katy and plum cultivar Friar were irradiated by different doses of 60 Co γ-rays and ultraviolet to study the radiation effect on the pollen germination and distant hybridization settings. The germination percentages of the pollen irradiated by 60 Co γ-rays and ultraviolet were lower than those of the controls. The pollens of the tested fruits have different sensitivities of 60 Co γ-rays and ultraviolet: the Friar pollen was the most sensitive to the radiation, and the Katy was the least. With the germinate percentages of the irradiated pollen dropping, the distant hybridization fruit setting percentage also lowered. (authors)

Pollen aroma fingerprint of two sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) genotypes characterized by different pollen colors.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertoli, Alessandra; Fambrini, Marco; Doveri, Silvia; Leonardi, Michele; Pugliesi, Claudio; Pistelli, Luisa

2011-09-01

Samples of fresh pollen grains, collected from capitula in full bloom from two genotypes of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and characterized by a different color, i.e., white-cream (WC) and orange (O), were analyzed by the HS-SPME (headspacesolid phase microextraction)/GC/MS technique. This study defined for the first time the fingerprint of the sunflower pollen, separated from the disc flowers, to define its contribution to the inflorescence aroma. In the GC/MS fingerprints of the WC and O genotypes, 61 and 62 volatile compounds were identified, respectively. Monoterpene hydrocarbons (34% in O vs. 28% in WC) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (37% in O vs. 31% in WC) were ubiquitous in all samples analyzed and represented the main chemical classes. α-Pinene (21% in O vs. 20% in WC) and sabinene (11% in O vs. 6% in WC) were the dominant volatiles, but also a full range of aliphatic hydrocarbons and their oxygenated derivatives gave a decisive contribution to the aroma composition (10% in O vs. 12% in WC). In addition, dendrolasin (3% in O vs. 4% in WC) and some minor constituents such as (E)-hex-2-en-1-ol (0.4% in O vs. 0.1% in WC) were pointed out not only for their contribution to the pollen scent, but also for their well-known role in the plant ecological relationships. Having evaluated two pollen morphs with different carotenoid-based colors, the study sought to highlight also the presence of some volatile precursors or derivatives of these pigments in the aroma. However, the pollen aroma of the two selected genotypes made a specific chemical contribution to the sunflower inflorescence scent without any influence on carotenoid derivatives. 2011 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.

The Metabolic Basis of Pollen Thermo-Tolerance: Perspectives for Breeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marine J. Paupière

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Crop production is highly sensitive to elevated temperatures. A rise of a few degrees above the optimum growing temperature can lead to a dramatic yield loss. A predicted increase of 1–3 degrees in the twenty first century urges breeders to develop thermo-tolerant crops which are tolerant to high temperatures. Breeding for thermo-tolerance is a challenge due to the low heritability of this trait. A better understanding of heat stress tolerance and the development of reliable methods to phenotype thermo-tolerance are key factors for a successful breeding approach. Plant reproduction is the most temperature-sensitive process in the plant life cycle. More precisely, pollen quality is strongly affected by heat stress conditions. High temperature leads to a decrease of pollen viability which is directly correlated with a loss of fruit production. The reduction in pollen viability is associated with changes in the level and composition of several (groups of metabolites, which play an important role in pollen development, for example by contributing to pollen nutrition or by providing protection to environmental stresses. This review aims to underline the importance of maintaining metabolite homeostasis during pollen development, in order to produce mature and fertile pollen under high temperature. The review will give an overview of the current state of the art on the role of various pollen metabolites in pollen homeostasis and thermo-tolerance. Their possible use as metabolic markers to assist breeding programs for plant thermo-tolerance will be discussed.

A DNA barcoding approach to characterize pollen collected by honeybees.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Galimberti

Full Text Available In the present study, we investigated DNA barcoding effectiveness to characterize honeybee pollen pellets, a food supplement largely used for human nutrition due to its therapeutic properties. We collected pollen pellets using modified beehives placed in three zones within an alpine protected area (Grigna Settentrionale Regional Park, Italy. A DNA barcoding reference database, including rbcL and trnH-psbA sequences from 693 plant species (104 sequenced in this study was assembled. The database was used to identify pollen collected from the hives. Fifty-two plant species were identified at the molecular level. Results suggested rbcL alone could not distinguish among congeneric plants; however, psbA-trnH identified most of the pollen samples at the species level. Substantial variability in pollen composition was observed between the highest elevation locality (Alpe Moconodeno, characterized by arid grasslands and a rocky substrate, and the other two sites (Cornisella and Ortanella at lower altitudes. Pollen from Ortanella and Cornisella showed the presence of typical deciduous forest species; however in samples collected at Ortanella, pollen of the invasive Lonicera japonica, and the ornamental Pelargonium x hortorum were observed. Our results indicated pollen composition was largely influenced by floristic local biodiversity, plant phenology, and the presence of alien flowering species. Therefore, pollen molecular characterization based on DNA barcoding might serve useful to beekeepers in obtaining honeybee products with specific nutritional or therapeutic characteristics desired by food market demands.

The metabolic basis of pollen thermo-tolerance: perspectives for breeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Paupière, Marine J; van Heusden, Adriaan W; Bovy, Arnaud G

2014-09-30

Crop production is highly sensitive to elevated temperatures. A rise of a few degrees above the optimum growing temperature can lead to a dramatic yield loss. A predicted increase of 1-3 degrees in the twenty first century urges breeders to develop thermo-tolerant crops which are tolerant to high temperatures. Breeding for thermo-tolerance is a challenge due to the low heritability of this trait. A better understanding of heat stress tolerance and the development of reliable methods to phenotype thermo-tolerance are key factors for a successful breeding approach. Plant reproduction is the most temperature-sensitive process in the plant life cycle. More precisely, pollen quality is strongly affected by heat stress conditions. High temperature leads to a decrease of pollen viability which is directly correlated with a loss of fruit production. The reduction in pollen viability is associated with changes in the level and composition of several (groups of) metabolites, which play an important role in pollen development, for example by contributing to pollen nutrition or by providing protection to environmental stresses. This review aims to underline the importance of maintaining metabolite homeostasis during pollen development, in order to produce mature and fertile pollen under high temperature. The review will give an overview of the current state of the art on the role of various pollen metabolites in pollen homeostasis and thermo-tolerance. Their possible use as metabolic markers to assist breeding programs for plant thermo-tolerance will be discussed.

Kidney spiral CT, indications, realization, results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braunschweig, R.; Beilicke, M.; Hundt, W.; Breiteneder, T.; Reiser, M.

1999-01-01

The introduction of spiral computed tomography (spiral CT) has vastly enriched the methodologically diversity of computer-tomographic scans. It allows for the recording of different perfusion or excretion stages of the kidney parenchyma of the urine draining paths by carrying out long-distance, phase-identical multiple examinations of the retroperitoneum. The description of the findings which are characterized by their local and contrasts behavior is possible. The following report describes the indications and technological process of kidney spiral CT using kidney-typical intravenous contrast media. Special emphasis is put on the advantages and limits of multiple phase spiral CT. Decisive preconditions are: 1. Specific clinical query, 2. selection of the corresponding phase contrasts of the kidneys and uretra or bladder, 3. exact technical and temporal adjustment of the acquisition parameters. Scanning times are in the range of seconds. The overall examination can be carried out quick and without any major strain on the part of the patient. A sound proof and a general differentiation of focal kideny lesions can be derived from the acquired data. This is also true for kidneys and ureters findings. Bladder findings can be localized and differentiated according to stage. More than two 'spiral acquisitions' should be carried out with restraint taking exposure to radiation into account. Due to the sound registration of focal lesions, its capability of reproduction and its short-time examination, the spiral CT of the kidneys can be said to be the most effective current scanning method of the retroperitoneum following clinical examinations and sonography. (orig.) [de

Pollen loads and specificity of native pollinators of lowbush blueberry.

Science.gov (United States)

Moisan-Deserres, J; Girard, M; Chagnon, M; Fournier, V

2014-06-01

The reproduction of lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) is closely tied to insect pollination, owing to self-incompatibility. Many species are known to have greater pollination efficiency than the introduced Apis mellifera L., commonly used for commercial purposes. In this study, we measured the pollen loads of several antophilous insect species, mostly Apoidea and Syrphidae, present in four lowbush blueberry fields in Lac-St-Jean, Québec. To measure pollen loads and species specificity toward V. angustifolium, we net-collected 627 specimens of pollinators, retrieved their pollen loads, identified pollen taxa, and counted pollen grains. We found that the sizes of pollen loads were highly variable among species, ranging from a few hundred to more than 118,000 pollen grains per individual. Bombus and Andrena species in particular carried large amounts of Vaccinium pollen and thus may have greater pollination efficiency. Also, two species (Andrena bradleyi Viereck and Andrena carolina Viereck) showed nearly monolectic behavior toward lowbush blueberry. Finally, we identified alternative forage plants visited by native pollinators, notably species of Acer, Rubus, Ilex mucronata, Ledum groenlandicum, and Taraxacum. Protecting these flowering plants should be part of management practices to maintain healthy pollinator communities in a lowbush blueberry agroecosystem.

Overexpression of the tomato pollen receptor kinase LePRK1 rewires pollen tube growth to a blebbling mode

Science.gov (United States)

The tubular growth of a pollen tube cell is crucial for the sexual reproduction of flowering plants. LePRK1 is a pollen-specific and plasma membrane–localized receptor-like kinase from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). LePRK1 interacts with another receptor, LePRK2, and with KINASE PARTNER PROTEIN (KPP...

Evaluation of pollen dispersal and cross pollination using transgenic grapevine plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Harst, Margit; Cobanov, Beatrix-Axinja; Hausmann, Ludger; Eibach, Rudolf; Töpfer, Reinhard

2009-01-01

Public debate about the possible risk of genetically modified plants often concerns putative effects of pollen dispersal and out-crossing into conventional fields in the neighborhood of transgenic plants. Though Vitis vinifera (grapevine) is generally considered to be self-pollinating, it cannot be excluded that vertical gene transfer might occur. For monitoring pollen flow and out-crossing events, transgenic plants of Vitis vinifera cv. 'Dornfelder' harboring the gus-int gene were planted in the center of a field experiment in Southwest Germany in 1999. The rate of pollen dispersal was determined by pollen traps placed at radial distances of 5-150 m from the pollen-donor plants, at 1.00 and 1.80 m above ground. Transgenic pollen was evaluated by GUS staining, and could clearly be distinguished from pollen originating from non-transgenic grapevine plants. Transgenic pollen was observed up to 150 m from the pollen donors. The rate of out-crossing was determined by sampling seeds of selected grapevines at a distance of 10 m to the pollen source, and of a sector at 20 m distance, respectively, followed by GUS analysis of seedlings. The average cross-pollination rate during the experiment (2002-2004) was 2.7% at a distance of 20 m. The results of this first pilot study present a good base for further assessment under the conditions of normal viticulture practice.

High-displacement spiral piezoelectric actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadi, F.; Kholkin, A. L.; Jadidian, B.; Safari, A.

1999-10-01

A high-displacement piezoelectric actuator, employing spiral geometry of a curved piezoelectric strip is described. The monolithic actuators are fabricated using a layered manufacturing technique, fused deposition of ceramics, which is capable of prototyping electroceramic components with complex shapes. The spiral actuators (2-3 cm in diameter) consisted of 4-5 turns of a lead zirconate titanate ceramic strip with an effective length up to 28 cm. The width was varied from 0.9 to 1.75 mm with a height of 3 mm. When driven by the electric field applied across the width of the spiral wall, the tip of the actuator was found to displace in both radial and tangential directions. The tangential displacement of the tip was about 210 μm under the field of 5 kV/cm. Both the displacement and resonant frequency of the spirals could be tailored by changing the effective length and wall width. The blocking force of the actuator in tangential direction was about 1 N under the field of 5 kV/cm. These properties are advantageous for high-displacement low-force applications where bimorph or monomorph actuators are currently employed.

SELF-DESTRUCTING SPIRAL WAVES: GLOBAL SIMULATIONS OF A SPIRAL-WAVE INSTABILITY IN ACCRETION DISKS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bae, Jaehan; Hartmann, Lee [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 1085 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Nelson, Richard P.; Richard, Samuel, E-mail: jaehbae@umich.edu, E-mail: lhartm@umich.edu, E-mail: r.p.nelson@qmul.ac.uk, E-mail: samuel.richard@qmul.ac.uk [Astronomy Unit, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS (United Kingdom)

2016-09-20

We present results from a suite of three-dimensional global hydrodynamic simulations that shows that spiral density waves propagating in circumstellar disks are unstable to the growth of a parametric instability that leads to break down of the flow into turbulence. This spiral wave instability (SWI) arises from a resonant interaction between pairs of inertial waves, or inertial-gravity waves, and the background spiral wave. The development of the instability in the linear regime involves the growth of a broad spectrum of inertial modes, with growth rates on the order of the orbital time, and results in a nonlinear saturated state in which turbulent velocity perturbations are of a similar magnitude to those induced by the spiral wave. The turbulence induces angular momentum transport and vertical mixing at a rate that depends locally on the amplitude of the spiral wave (we obtain a stress parameter α ∼ 5 × 10{sup −4} in our reference model). The instability is found to operate in a wide range of disk models, including those with isothermal or adiabatic equations of state, and in viscous disks where the dimensionless kinematic viscosity ν ≤ 10{sup −5}. This robustness suggests that the instability will have applications to a broad range of astrophysical disk-related phenomena, including those in close binary systems, planets embedded in protoplanetary disks (including Jupiter in our own solar system) and FU Orionis outburst models. Further work is required to determine the nature of the instability and to evaluate its observational consequences in physically more complete disk models than we have considered in this paper.

Calcium in pollen-pistil interaction in `Petunia hybrida Hor`. Pt. 1. Localization of Ca{sup 2+} ions in mature pollen grain using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bednarska, E.; Butowt, R. [Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, Torun (Poland)

1994-12-31

The localization of Ca{sup 2+} in the mature pollen grain and the flow of these ions the somatic tissues of the anther to the pollen grains has been studied using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods. In the pollen grain, Ca{sup 2+} ions have been localized in the sporoderm in the cytoplasmic vesicles of probably dictyosomal origin. Calcium ions were transported into the sporoderm together with the compounds of degenerating tapetum. The material of degenerating tapetum forms pollen coat surrounding the mature pollen grains. (author). 18 refs, 9 figs.

Climate Change and Future Pollen Allergy in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Lake, Iain R; Jones, Natalia R; Agnew, Maureen; Goodess, Clare M; Giorgi, Filippo; Hamaoui-Laguel, Lynda; Semenov, Mikhail A; Solomon, Fabien; Storkey, Jonathan; Vautard, Robert; Epstein, Michelle M

2017-03-01

Globally, pollen allergy is a major public health problem, but a fundamental unknown is the likely impact of climate change. To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify the consequences of climate change upon pollen allergy in humans. We produced quantitative estimates of the potential impact of climate change upon pollen allergy in humans, focusing upon common ragweed ( Ambrosia artemisiifolia ) in Europe. A process-based model estimated the change in ragweed's range under climate change. A second model simulated current and future ragweed pollen levels. These findings were translated into health burdens using a dose-response curve generated from a systematic review and from current and future population data. Models considered two different suites of regional climate/pollen models, two greenhouse gas emissions scenarios [Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5], and three different plant invasion scenarios. Our primary estimates indicated that sensitization to ragweed will more than double in Europe, from 33 to 77 million people, by 2041-2060. According to our projections, sensitization will increase in countries with an existing ragweed problem (e.g., Hungary, the Balkans), but the greatest proportional increases will occur where sensitization is uncommon (e.g., Germany, Poland, France). Higher pollen concentrations and a longer pollen season may also increase the severity of symptoms. Our model projections were driven predominantly by changes in climate (66%) but were also influenced by current trends in the spread of this invasive plant species. Assumptions about the rate at which ragweed spreads throughout Europe had a large influence upon the results. Our quantitative estimates indicate that ragweed pollen allergy will become a common health problem across Europe, expanding into areas where it is currently uncommon. Control of ragweed spread may be an important adaptation strategy in response to climate change. Citation: Lake IR

Analysis of IgE binding proteins of mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) pollen and cross-reactivity with predominant tree pollens.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhyani, Anamika; Arora, Naveen; Gaur, Shailendra N; Jain, Vikram K; Sridhara, Susheela; Singh, Bhanu P

2006-01-01

Pollen from the mesquite tree, Prosopis juliflora, is an important source of respiratory allergy in tropical countries. Our aim was to partially characterize the IgE binding proteins of P. juliflora pollen extract and study cross-reactivity with prevalent tree pollen allergens. Intradermal tests with P. juliflora and five other tree pollen extracts were performed on respiratory allergy patients from Bikaner (arid) and Delhi (semi arid). Prosopis extract elicited positive skin reactions in 71/220 of the patients. Sera were collected from 38 of these 71 patients and all demonstrated elevated specific IgE to P. juliflora. Immunoblotting with pooled patients' sera demonstrated 16 IgE binding components, with components of 24, 26, 29, 31, 35, 52, 58, 66 and 95 kDa recognized by more than 80% of individual patients' sera. P. juliflora extract is allergenically potent requiring 73 ng of self-protein for 50% inhibition of IgE binding in ELISA inhibition. Cross-inhibition assays showed close relationship among P. juliflora, Ailanthus excelsa, Cassia siamea and Salvadora persica. IgE binding components of 14, 41, 52 and 66 kDa were shared allergens whereas 26 and 29 kDa were specific to P. juliflora. The findings suggest that purification of cross-reactive allergens will be helpful for diagnosis and immunotherapy of tree pollen allergic patients.

Temperature variations in the southern Great Lakes during the last deglaciation: Comparison between pollen and GDGT proxies

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Benjamin I.; Williams, John W.; Russell, James M.; Jackson, Stephen T.; Shane, Linda; Lowell, Thomas V.

2018-02-01

Our understanding of deglacial climate history in the southern Great Lakes region of the United States is primarily based upon fossil pollen data, with few independent and multi-proxy climate reconstructions. Here we introduce a new, well-dated fossil pollen record from Stotzel-Leis, OH, and a new deglacial temperature record based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) at Silver Lake, OH. We compare these new data to previously published records and to a regional stack of pollen-based temperature reconstructions from Stotzel-Leis, Silver Lake, and three other well-dated sites. The new and previously published pollen records at Stotzel-Leis are similar, but our new age model brings vegetation events into closer alignment with known climatic events such as the Younger Dryas (YD). brGDGT-inferred temperatures correlate strongly with pollen-based regional temperature reconstructions, with the strongest correlation obtained for a global soil-based brGDGT calibration (r2 = 0.88), lending confidence to the deglacial reconstructions and the use of brGDGT and regional pollen stacks as paleotemperature proxies in eastern North America. However, individual pollen records show large differences in timing, rates, and amplitudes of inferred temperature change, indicating caution with paleoclimatic inferences based on single-site pollen records. From 16.0 to 10.0ka, both proxies indicate that regional temperatures rose by ∼10 °C, roughly double the ∼5 °C estimates for the Northern Hemisphere reported in prior syntheses. Change-point analysis of the pollen stack shows accelerated warming at 14.0 ± 1.2ka, cooling at 12.6 ± 0.4ka, and warming from 11.6 ± 0.5ka into the Holocene. The timing of Bølling-Allerød (B-A) warming and YD onset in our records lag by ∼300-500 years those reported in syntheses of temperature records from the northern mid-latitudes. This discrepancy is too large to be attributed to uncertainties in radiocarbon dating, and

Rebuilding Spiral Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

Major Observing Programme Leads to New Theory of Galaxy Formation Summary Most present-day large galaxies are spirals, presenting a disc surrounding a central bulge. Famous examples are our own Milky Way or the Andromeda Galaxy. When and how did these spiral galaxies form? Why do a great majority of them present a massive central bulge? An international team of astronomers [1] presents new convincing answers to these fundamental questions. For this, they rely on an extensive dataset of observations of galaxies taken with several space- and ground-based telescopes. In particular, they used over a two-year period, several instruments on ESO's Very Large Telescope. Among others, their observations reveal that roughly half of the present-day stars were formed in the period between 8,000 million and 4,000 million years ago, mostly in episodic burst of intense star formation occurring in Luminous Infrared Galaxies. From this and other evidence, the astronomers devised an innovative scenario, dubbed the "spiral rebuilding". They claim that most present-day spiral galaxies are the results of one or several merger events. If confirmed, this new scenario could revolutionise the way astronomers think galaxies formed. PR Photo 02a/05: Luminosity - Oxygen Abundance Relation for Galaxies (VLT) PR Photo 02b/05: The Spiral Rebuilding Scenario A fleet of instruments How and when did galaxies form? How and when did stars form in these island universes? These questions are still posing a considerable challenge to present-day astronomers. Front-line observational results obtained with a fleet of ground- and space-based telescopes by an international team of astronomers [1] provide new insights into these fundamental issues. For this, they embarked on an ambitious long-term study at various wavelengths of 195 galaxies with a redshift [2] greater than 0.4, i.e. located more than 4000 million light-years away. These galaxies were studied using ESO's Very Large Telescope, as well as the

Considerations for the preparation of peat samples for palynology, and for the counting of pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chambers, F.M.; van Geel, B.; van der Linden, M.

2011-01-01

Peat deposits are valuable archives for studying palaeoclimate, the history of local and regional vegetation, and human impact. The most widely applied laboratory analytical technique has been palynology (pollen analysis), which is often limited to the study of pollen and a few easily recognisable

Pollen parameters estimates of genetic variability among newly ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Pollen parameters estimates of genetic variability among newly selected Nigerian roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) genotypes. ... Estimates of some pollen parameters where used to assess the genetic diversity among ... HOW TO USE AJOL.

A prognostic pollen emissions model for climate models (PECM1.0

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. C. Wozniak

2017-11-01

Full Text Available We develop a prognostic model called Pollen Emissions for Climate Models (PECM for use within regional and global climate models to simulate pollen counts over the seasonal cycle based on geography, vegetation type, and meteorological parameters. Using modern surface pollen count data, empirical relationships between prior-year annual average temperature and pollen season start dates and end dates are developed for deciduous broadleaf trees (Acer, Alnus, Betula, Fraxinus, Morus, Platanus, Populus, Quercus, Ulmus, evergreen needleleaf trees (Cupressaceae, Pinaceae, grasses (Poaceae; C3, C4, and ragweed (Ambrosia. This regression model explains as much as 57 % of the variance in pollen phenological dates, and it is used to create a climate-flexible phenology that can be used to study the response of wind-driven pollen emissions to climate change. The emissions model is evaluated in the Regional Climate Model version 4 (RegCM4 over the continental United States by prescribing an emission potential from PECM and transporting pollen as aerosol tracers. We evaluate two different pollen emissions scenarios in the model using (1 a taxa-specific land cover database, phenology, and emission potential, and (2 a plant functional type (PFT land cover, phenology, and emission potential. The simulated surface pollen concentrations for both simulations are evaluated against observed surface pollen counts in five climatic subregions. Given prescribed pollen emissions, the RegCM4 simulates observed concentrations within an order of magnitude, although the performance of the simulations in any subregion is strongly related to the land cover representation and the number of observation sites used to create the empirical phenological relationship. The taxa-based model provides a better representation of the phenology of tree-based pollen counts than the PFT-based model; however, we note that the PFT-based version provides a useful and climate-flexible emissions

Effects of Alternaria alternata f.sp. lycopersici toxins on pollen

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bino, R.J.; Franken, J.; Witsenboer, H.M.A.; Hille, J.; Dons, J.J.M.

1988-01-01

Effects of the phytotoxic compounds (AAL-toxins) isolated from cell-free culture filtrates of Alternaria alternata f.sp. lycopersici on in vitro pollen development were studied. AAL-toxins inhibited both germination and tube growth of pollen from several Lycopersicon genotypes. Pollen from

The dynamics of the spiral galaxy M81

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Visser, H.C.D.

1978-01-01

A detailed comparison of the observations of the spiral galaxy M81 with the density-wave theory for tightly-wound spirals is presented. In particular, hydrogen-line observations are compared with the nonlinear density-wave theory for the gas with the aim of constructing a density-wave model for the spiral galaxy M81

Influence of boundary-layer dynamics on pollen dispersion and viability

Science.gov (United States)

Arritt, Raymond W.; Viner, Brian J.; Westgate, Mark E.

2013-04-01

Adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops has raised concerns that GM traits can accidentally cross into conventional crops or wild relatives through the transport of wind-borne pollen. In order to evaluate this risk it is necessary to account both for dispersion of the pollen grains and environmental influences on pollen viability. The Lagrangian approach is suited to this problem because it allows tracking the environmental temperature and moisture that pollen grains experience as they travel. Taking advantage of this capability we have combined a high-resolution version of the WRF meteorological model with a Lagrangian particle dispersion model to predict maize pollen dispersion and viability. WRF is used to obtain fields of wind, turbulence kinetic energy, temperature, and humidity which are then used as input to the Lagrangian dispersion model. The dispersion model in turn predicts transport of a statistical sample of a pollen cloud from source plants to receptors. We also use the three-dimensional temperature and moisture fields from WRF to diagnose changes in moisture content of the pollen grains and consequent loss of viability. Results show that turbulent motions in the convective boundary layer counteract the large terminal velocity of maize pollen grains and lift them to heights of several hundred meters, so that they can be transported long distances before settling to the ground. We also found that pollen lifted into the upper part of the boundary layer remains more viable than has been inferred using surface observations of temperature and humidity. This is attributed to the thermal and moisture structure that typifies the daytime atmospheric boundary layer, producing an environment of low vapor pressure deficit in the upper boundary layer which helps maintain pollen viability.

A Taxonomic Reduced-Space Pollen Model for Paleoclimate Reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Wahl, E. R.; Schoelzel, C.

2010-12-01

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction from fossil pollen often attempts to take advantage of the rich taxonomic diversity in such data. Here, a taxonomically "reduced-space" reconstruction model is explored that would be parsimonious in introducing parameters needing to be estimated within a Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling context. This work involves a refinement of the traditional pollen ratio method. This method is useful when one (or a few) dominant pollen type(s) in a region have a strong positive correlation with a climate variable of interest and another (or a few) dominant pollen type(s) have a strong negative correlation. When, e.g., counts of pollen taxa a and b (r >0) are combined with pollen types c and d (r logistic generalized linear model (GLM). The GLM can readily model this relationship in the forward form, pollen = g(climate), which is more physically realistic than inverse models often used in paleoclimate reconstruction [climate = f(pollen)]. The specification of the model is: rnum Bin(n,p), where E(r|T) = p = exp(η)/[1+exp(η)], and η = α + β(T); r is the pollen ratio formed as above, rnum is the ratio numerator, n is the ratio denominator (i.e., the sum of pollen counts), the denominator-specific count is (n - rnum), and T is the temperature at each site corresponding to a specific value of r. Ecological and empirical screening identified the model (Spruce+Birch) / (Spruce+Birch+Oak+Hickory) for use in temperate eastern N. America. α and β were estimated using both "traditional" and Bayesian GLM algorithms (in R). Although it includes only four pollen types, the ratio model yields more explained variation ( 80%) in the pollen-temperature relationship of the study region than a 64-taxon modern analog technique (MAT). Thus, the new pollen ratio method represents an information-rich, reduced space data model that can be efficiently employed in a BHM framework. The ratio model can directly reconstruct past temperature by solving the GLM equations

Spiral computed tomography phase-space source model in the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc Monte Carlo system: implementation and validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sangroh; Yoshizumi, Terry T; Yin Fangfang; Chetty, Indrin J

2013-01-01

Currently, the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc Monte Carlo (MC) system does not provide a spiral CT source model for the simulation of spiral CT scanning. We developed and validated a spiral CT phase-space source model in the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc system. The spiral phase-space source model was implemented in the DOSXYZnrc user code of the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc system by analyzing the geometry of spiral CT scan—scan range, initial angle, rotational direction, pitch, slice thickness, etc. Table movement was simulated by changing the coordinates of the isocenter as a function of beam angles. Some parameters such as pitch, slice thickness and translation per rotation were also incorporated into the model to make the new phase-space source model, designed specifically for spiral CT scan simulations. The source model was hard-coded by modifying the ‘ISource = 8: Phase-Space Source Incident from Multiple Directions’ in the srcxyznrc.mortran and dosxyznrc.mortran files in the DOSXYZnrc user code. In order to verify the implementation, spiral CT scans were simulated in a CT dose index phantom using the validated x-ray tube model of a commercial CT simulator for both the original multi-direction source (ISOURCE = 8) and the new phase-space source model in the DOSXYZnrc system. Then the acquired 2D and 3D dose distributions were analyzed with respect to the input parameters for various pitch values. In addition, surface-dose profiles were also measured for a patient CT scan protocol using radiochromic film and were compared with the MC simulations. The new phase-space source model was found to simulate the spiral CT scanning in a single simulation run accurately. It also produced the equivalent dose distribution of the ISOURCE = 8 model for the same CT scan parameters. The MC-simulated surface profiles were well matched to the film measurement overall within 10%. The new spiral CT phase-space source model was implemented in the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc system. This work will be beneficial in estimating the

Spiral computed tomography phase-space source model in the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc Monte Carlo system: implementation and validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sangroh; Yoshizumi, Terry T; Yin, Fang-Fang; Chetty, Indrin J

2013-04-21

Currently, the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc Monte Carlo (MC) system does not provide a spiral CT source model for the simulation of spiral CT scanning. We developed and validated a spiral CT phase-space source model in the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc system. The spiral phase-space source model was implemented in the DOSXYZnrc user code of the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc system by analyzing the geometry of spiral CT scan-scan range, initial angle, rotational direction, pitch, slice thickness, etc. Table movement was simulated by changing the coordinates of the isocenter as a function of beam angles. Some parameters such as pitch, slice thickness and translation per rotation were also incorporated into the model to make the new phase-space source model, designed specifically for spiral CT scan simulations. The source model was hard-coded by modifying the 'ISource = 8: Phase-Space Source Incident from Multiple Directions' in the srcxyznrc.mortran and dosxyznrc.mortran files in the DOSXYZnrc user code. In order to verify the implementation, spiral CT scans were simulated in a CT dose index phantom using the validated x-ray tube model of a commercial CT simulator for both the original multi-direction source (ISOURCE = 8) and the new phase-space source model in the DOSXYZnrc system. Then the acquired 2D and 3D dose distributions were analyzed with respect to the input parameters for various pitch values. In addition, surface-dose profiles were also measured for a patient CT scan protocol using radiochromic film and were compared with the MC simulations. The new phase-space source model was found to simulate the spiral CT scanning in a single simulation run accurately. It also produced the equivalent dose distribution of the ISOURCE = 8 model for the same CT scan parameters. The MC-simulated surface profiles were well matched to the film measurement overall within 10%. The new spiral CT phase-space source model was implemented in the BEAMnrc/EGSnrc system. This work will be beneficial in estimating the spiral

Evolution of Gas Across Spiral Arms in the Whirlpool Galaxy

Science.gov (United States)

Louie, Melissa Nicole

To investigate the dynamic evolution of gas across spiral arms, we conducted a detailed study of the gas and star formation along the spiral arms in the Whirlpool Galaxy, M51. This nearby, face-on spiral galaxy provides a unique laboratory to study the relationship between gas dynamics and star formation. The textbook picture of interstellar medium (ISM) evolution is rapidly changing. Molecular gas was once believed to form along spiral arms from the diffuse atomic gas in the inter-arm regions. Star formation occurs within giant molecular clouds during spiral arm passage. Lastly, the molecular gas is photo-dissociated back into atomic gas by massive stars on the downstream side of the spiral arm. Recent evidence, however, is revealing a new picture of the interstellar medium and the process of star formation. We seek development of a new picture by studying the development and evolution of molecular gas and the role of large scale galactic dynamics in organizing the interstellar medium. This thesis begins by presenting work measuring the geometrical offsets between interstellar gas and recent star formation. Interstellar gas is traced by atomic hydrogen and carbon monoxide (CO). Star formation is traced by ionized hydrogen recombination lines and infrared emission from dust warmed by young bright stars. Measuring these offsets can help determine the underlying large scale galactic dynamics. Along the spiral arms in M51, offsets between CO and the star formation tracers suggest that gas is flowing through the spiral arms, but the offsets do not show the expected signature of a single pattern speed and imply a more complicated pattern. This thesis also examines the intermediate stages of gas evolution, by studying a denser component of the ISM closer to which stars will form. Only a small percent of the bulk molecular gas will become dense enough to form stars. HCN and HCO+ probe densities ˜104 cm-3, where as the bulk gas is 500 cm-3. This thesis looks at HCN and

The importance of pollen counts in the air: an example

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco José González Minero

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The Bay of Cádiz in general and Sanlúcar de Barrameda in particular were pioneering places for aerobiological analysis in Spain. This study presents unpublished pollen data collected with a Hirst spore trap during a year. Results are structured in pollen calendar form which is easy to interpret by health professionals. This article also intends to pay tribute to those medical pioneers who began their studies in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. On this subject, we discuss the data obtained in 1941 and we relate them with data collected in 2009. The Mediterranean climate and the geographical location of Sanlúcar de Barrameda bring about an archetypical pollen calendar of the towns of the Iberian Peninsula’s southern coast. A total of 21 pollen types are quanti ed, Olea europaea L. (25.1%, Quercus (17.5%, Pinaceae (12.3%, Poaceae (10.2% and Cupressaceae (8.1% being the more abundant types . The months of highest pollen concentration are April and May. The maximum daily concentration was reached on May 13 with 825 grains/m3 of Olea europaea L. pollen. Daily concentrations of grass pollen and other herbaceous plants are not exceptionally high, but they do have a continued presence throughout the year, so the risk of pollen allergies cannot be con ned to spring.

A comparison of sedimentary DNA and pollen from lake sediments in recording vegetation composition at the Siberian treeline.

Science.gov (United States)

Niemeyer, Bastian; Epp, Laura S; Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen R; Pestryakova, Luidmila A; Herzschuh, Ulrike

2017-11-01

Reliable information on past and present vegetation is important to project future changes, especially for rapidly transitioning areas such as the boreal treeline. To study past vegetation, pollen analysis is common, while current vegetation is usually assessed by field surveys. Application of detailed sedimentary DNA (sedDNA) records has the potential to enhance our understanding of vegetation changes, but studies systematically investigating the power of this proxy are rare to date. This study compares sedDNA metabarcoding and pollen records from surface sediments of 31 lakes along a north-south gradient of increasing forest cover in northern Siberia (Taymyr peninsula) with data from field surveys in the surroundings of the lakes. sedDNA metabarcoding recorded 114 plant taxa, about half of them to species level, while pollen analyses identified 43 taxa, both exceeding the 31 taxa found by vegetation field surveys. Increasing Larix percentages from north to south were consistently recorded by all three methods and principal component analyses based on percentage data of vegetation surveys and DNA sequences separated tundra from forested sites. Comparisons of the ordinations using procrustes and protest analyses show a significant fit among all compared pairs of records. Despite similarities of sedDNA and pollen records, certain idiosyncrasies, such as high percentages of Alnus and Betula in all pollen and high percentages of Salix in all sedDNA spectra, are observable. Our results from the tundra to single-tree tundra transition zone show that sedDNA analyses perform better than pollen in recording site-specific richness (i.e., presence/absence of taxa in the vicinity of the lake) and perform as well as pollen in tracing vegetation composition. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Regulatory networks in pollen development under cold stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamal Dev Sharma

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Cold stress modifies anthers’ metabolic pathways to induce pollen sterility. Cold-tolerant plants, unlike the susceptible ones, produce high proportion of viable pollen. Anthers in susceptible plants, when exposed to cold stress, increase abscisic acid (ABA metabolism and reduce ABA catabolism. Increased ABA negatively regulates expression of tapetum cell wall bound invertase and monosaccharide transport genes resulting in distorted carbohydrate pool in anther. Cold-stress also reduces endogenous levels of the bioactive gibberellins (GAs, GA4 and GA7, in susceptible anthers by repression of the GA biosynthesis genes. Here we discuss recent findings on mechanisms of cold susceptibility in anthers which determine pollen sterility. We also discuss differences in regulatory pathways between cold-stressed anthers of susceptible and tolerant plants that decide pollen sterility or viability.

Effects of pollen dilution on infection of Nosema ceranae in honey bees.

Science.gov (United States)

Jack, Cameron J; Uppala, Sai Sree; Lucas, Hannah M; Sagili, Ramesh R

2016-04-01

Multiple stressors are currently threatening honey bee health, including pests and pathogens. Among honey bee pathogens, Nosema ceranae is a microsporidian found parasitizing the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) relatively recently. Honey bee colonies are fed pollen or protein substitute during pollen dearth to boost colony growth and immunity against pests and pathogens. Here we hypothesize that N. ceranae intensity and prevalence will be low in bees receiving high pollen diets, and that honey bees on high pollen diets will have higher survival and/or increased longevity. To test this hypothesis we examined the effects of different quantities of pollen on (a) the intensity and prevalence of N. ceranae and (b) longevity and nutritional physiology of bees inoculated with N. ceranae. Significantly higher spore intensities were observed in treatments that received higher pollen quantities (1:0 and 1:1 pollen:cellulose) when compared to treatments that received relatively lower pollen quantities. There were no significant differences in N. ceranae prevalence among different pollen diet treatments. Interestingly, the bees in higher pollen quantity treatments also had significantly higher survival despite higher intensities of N. ceranae. Significantly higher hypopharyngeal gland protein was observed in the control (no Nosema infection, and receiving a diet of 1:0 pollen:cellulose), followed by 1:0 pollen:cellulose treatment that was inoculated with N. ceranae. Here we demonstrate that diet with higher pollen quantity increases N. ceranae intensity, but also enhances the survival or longevity of honey bees. The information from this study could potentially help beekeepers formulate appropriate protein feeding regimens for their colonies to mitigate N. ceranae problems. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Food allergy to apple and specific immunotherapy with birch pollen

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, K.S.; Khinchi, M.S.; Skov, P.S.

2004-01-01

Conflicting results concerning the effect of specific pollen immunotherapy (SIT) on allergy to plant foods have been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of SIT using a birch pollen extract on food allergy with focus on allergy to apple. Seventy-four birch pollen-allergic......Conflicting results concerning the effect of specific pollen immunotherapy (SIT) on allergy to plant foods have been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of SIT using a birch pollen extract on food allergy with focus on allergy to apple. Seventy-four birch pollen......-allergic patients were included in a double-blind, double-dummy, and placebo-controlled comparison of sublingual-swallow (SLIT) and subcutaneous (SCIT) administration of a birch pollen extract. Sixty-nine percent of these patients reported allergy to apple. The clinical reactivity to apple was evaluated by open...... oral challenges with fresh apple and a questionnaire. The immunoglobulin E (IgE)-reactivity was assessed by skin prick test (SPT), specific IgE, and leukocyte histamine release (HR). Forty patients were included in the final evaluation of the effect of SIT. The challenges were positive in 9 (SCIT), 6...

SPIRAL2 Week 2012 - Slides of the presentations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staley, F.; Jacquemet, M.; Lewitowicz, M.; Bertrand, P.; Tuske, O.; Caruso, A.; Leyge, J.F.; Perrot, L.; Di Giacomo, M.; Ausset, P.; Moscatello, M.H.; Savalle, A.; Rannou, B.; Lambert, M.; Petit, E.; Hulin, X.; Barre-Boscher, N.; Tusseau-Nenez, S.; Tecchio, L.B.

2013-01-01

The main goal of the 5. edition of the SPIRAL2 Week is to present and discuss the current status of the SPIRAL2 project in front of a large community of scientists and engineers. The program of the meeting will include presentations on scientific and technical developments related to the baseline project, experiments and theory. The main topics to be discussed at the conference are: -) physics and detectors at SPIRAL2, -) driver accelerators, -) production of radioactive ion beams (RIB), -) safety, -) buildings and infrastructure, -) RIB facilities worldwide, and -) SPIRAL2 preparatory phase. This document is made up of the slides of the presentations

Pollen morphology and variability of Tulipa hungarica Borb

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Yomi

2012-01-10

Jan 10, 2012 ... Pollen morphology of the endemic species Tulipa hungarica Borb was investigated with the goal of ... pollen size may balance the competitive advantages of .... (2009). Comparative analysis of microspore size variability in the.

STUDY ON POLLEN VIABILITY AS BIOINDICATOR OF AIR QUALITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florentina ŞTEFLEA

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research is to estimate the relationship between pollen viability and atmospheric pollution (in polluted and non-polluted conditions. The study was carried out in the city of Timisoara. Two areas, with different intensity of road traffic (very high and absent but all characterized by the presence of the same plant species, were selected. The pollen of herbaceous spontaneous species, arboreal species and a shrub species was used (Robinia pseudacacia, Aesculus x carnea, Catalpa bignonioides, Albizzia julibrissin, Rosa canina, Sambucus nigra, Malva neglecta, Ranunculus acer, Trifolium repens, Cichorium intybus. The pollen of these species was treated with TTC (2, 3, 5 Tryphenil-Tetrazolium-Chloride staining solution and viability was then estimated by light microscopy. The results of the mean pollen viability percentage of the examined species are reported. Pollen viability of herbaceous plants is significantly different between the two environments.

Safe Control for Spiral Recovery of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang-Jian Ru

2014-01-01

Full Text Available With unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs widely used in both military and civilian fields, many events affecting their safe flying have emerged. That UAV’s entering into the spiral is such a typical safety issue. To solve this safety problem, a novel recovery control approach is proposed. First, the factors of spiral are analyzed. Then, based on control scheduling of state variables and nonlinear dynamic inversion control laws, the spiral recovery controller is designed to accomplish guidance and control of spiral recovery. Finally, the simulation results have illustrated that the proposed control method can ensure the UAV autonomous recovery from spiral effectively.

Pollen Flora of Yuenyang Lake Nature Preserve, Taiwan (IV

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Fa Wang

2002-06-01

Full Text Available Yuenyang Lake is an acidic lake situated within a nature preserve in northern Taiwan. The pollen of nineteen taxa, belonging to five families, was collected from this nature preserve and investigated with light and scanning electron microscopy. The results of this investigation are supplementary work to the previous publications in this journal (Chen and Wang, 1999, 2001; Wang and Chen, 2001. A total of 4 pollen classes were identified on the basis of the aperture on the pollen wall: 3-colpate, 6-colpate, 3-colporate, and 4-7-colporate pollen. These results could be useful in the reconstruction of vegetation history around the Yuenyang Lake.

ANGULAR-MOMENTUM IN BINARY SPIRAL GALAXIES

NARCIS (Netherlands)

OOSTERLOO, T

In order to investigate the relative orientations of spiral galaxies in pairs, the distribution of the angle between the spin-vectors for a new sample of 40 binary spiral galaxies is determined. From this distribution it is found, contrary to an earlier result obtained by Helou (1984), that there is

Profiling and functional classification of esterases in olive (Olea europaea) pollen during germination.

Science.gov (United States)

Rejón, Juan D; Zienkiewicz, Agnieszka; Rodríguez-García, María Isabel; Castro, Antonio J

2012-10-01

A pollen grain contains a number of esterases, many of which are released upon contact with the stigma surface. However, the identity and function of most of these esterases remain unknown. In this work, esterases from olive pollen during its germination were identifided and functionally characterized. The esterolytic capacity of olive (Olea europaea) pollen was examined using in vitro and in-gel enzymatic assays with different enzyme substrates. The functional analysis of pollen esterases was achieved by inhibition assays by using specific inhibitors. The cellular localization of esterase activities was performed using histochemical methods. Olive pollen showed high levels of non-specific esterase activity, which remained steady after hydration and germination. Up to 20 esterolytic bands were identified on polyacrylamide gels. All the inhibitors decreased pollen germinability, but only diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DIFP) hampered pollen tube growth. Non-specific esterase activity is localized on the surface of oil bodies (OBs) and small vesicles, in the pollen intine and in the callose layer of the pollen tube wall. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was mostly observed in the apertures, exine and pollen coat, and attached to the pollen tube wall surface and to small cytoplasmic vesicles. In this work, for the first time a systematic functional characterization of esterase enzymes in pollen from a plant species with wet stigma has been carried out. Olive pollen esterases belong to four different functional groups: carboxylesterases, acetylesterases, AChEs and lipases. The cellular localization of esterase activity indicates that the intine is a putative storage site for esterolytic enzymes in olive pollen. Based on inhibition assays and cellular localization of enzymatic activities, it can be concluded that these enzymes are likely to be involved in pollen germination, and pollen tube growth and penetration of the stigma.

Galaxy Zoo: constraining the origin of spiral arms

Science.gov (United States)

Hart, Ross E.; Bamford, Steven P.; Keel, William C.; Kruk, Sandor J.; Masters, Karen L.; Simmons, Brooke D.; Smethurst, Rebecca J.

2018-05-01

Since the discovery that the majority of low-redshift galaxies exhibit some level of spiral structure, a number of theories have been proposed as to why these patterns exist. A popular explanation is a process known as swing amplification, yet there is no observational evidence to prove that such a mechanism is at play. By using a number of measured properties of galaxies, and scaling relations where there are no direct measurements, we model samples of SDSS and S4G spiral galaxies in terms of their relative halo, bulge and disc mass and size. Using these models, we test predictions of swing amplification theory with respect to directly measured spiral arm numbers from Galaxy Zoo 2. We find that neither a universal cored or cuspy inner dark matter profile can correctly predict observed numbers of arms in galaxies. However, by invoking a halo contraction/expansion model, a clear bimodality in the spiral galaxy population emerges. Approximately 40 per cent of unbarred spiral galaxies at z ≲ 0.1 and M* ≳ 1010M⊙ have spiral arms that can be modelled by swing amplification. This population display a significant correlation between predicted and observed spiral arm numbers, evidence that they are swing amplified modes. The remainder are dominated by two-arm systems for which the model predicts significantly higher arm numbers. These are likely driven by tidal interactions or other mechanisms.

Pollen Characterization in Size Segregated Atmospheric Aerosol

Science.gov (United States)

Kolpakova, Anna; Hovorka, Jan; Klán, Miroslav

2017-12-01

The first stage of a High Volumetric Cascade Impactor - HiVol (BGI-900), used for sampling of aerosol particles larger than 10 micrometres in aerodynamic diameter, was tested for bioaerosol sampling. Low air flow-rate and low pressure-drop at the jets of the first stage and high air volume are advantageous parameters, which would favour the use of the first stage for bioaerosol sampling. The sampling went in urban, rural and background localities, Prague, Brezno and Laz respectively in the Czech Republic, in summer and autumn. Pollen was separated from the impaction substrate, polyurethane foam, into homogeneous deposit on Nylon filter. The homogeneity of the deposit varied within 4%. Representative portion of the deposit was analysed by a scanning electron microscopy - SEM. There were taken 485 SEM images from 12 samples in 3 localities. Pollen grains were identified in 295 SEM images and determined into 9 genus and 4 families. Median pollen grain concentrations/deformities were 9m-3/24%, 3m-3/18%, 8m-3/50% for Prague, Brezno and Láz localities respectively. The pollen grains of the Poaceae family were found with the highest frequency in all localities. Number of pollen increased with total aerosol mass in Prague locality only. There were also identified brochosomes, rather unique insect secretion products, in the samples from the Láz locality.

Assessment of Salix spp. pollen availability to insects based on aerobiological investigations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elżbieta Weryszko-Chmielewska

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Pollen and nectar produced by flowers of species from the genus Salix are an important source of food for various insect groups in early spring. Most willows are entomophilous species; however, substantial amounts of airborne Salix pollen can be noted. The aim of the study was to evaluate the content of pollen of this taxon in the air of Lublin (central-east Poland in 2001–2016 and to identify the period of its greatest availability to insects. In 2015, we compared the course of the Salix pollen season in Lublin (51°14'37" N; 22°32'25" E and in the Roztoczański National Park (50°34'57" N; 23°04'24" E, Poland. We found that the date of the pollen season onset fluctuated greatly between March 16 and April 17. The greatest availability of Salix pollen to insects was noted from the end of the first 10-day-period of April to the first 10-day-period of May. The mean annual sum of airborne Salix pollen grains was 833. In Lublin, Salix pollen accounted for ca. 1.25% of the total airborne pollen content of different plant taxa. The investigations have demonstrated a 2-year cycle of Salix pollen abundance. The comparison of the pollen seasons in Lublin and in the Roztoczański National Park indicates that considerably greater amounts of pollen occur in the urban area than in the air of the Roztoczański National Park.

Arsia Mons Spiral Cloud

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

One of the benefits of the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Extended Mission is the opportunity to observe how the planet's weather changes during a second full martian year. This picture of Arsia Mons was taken June 19, 2001; southern spring equinox occurred the same day. Arsia Mons is a volcano nearly large enough to cover the state of New Mexico. On this particular day (the first day of Spring), the MOC wide angle cameras documented an unusual spiral-shaped cloud within the 110 km (68 mi) diameter caldera--the summit crater--of the giant volcano. Because the cloud is bright both in the red and blue images acquired by the wide angle cameras, it probably consisted mostly of fine dust grains. The cloud's spin may have been induced by winds off the inner slopes of the volcano's caldera walls resulting from the temperature differences between the walls and the caldera floor, or by a vortex as winds blew up and over the caldera. Similar spiral clouds were seen inside the caldera for several days; we don't know if this was a single cloud that persisted throughout that time or one that regenerated each afternoon. Sunlight illuminates this scene from the left/upper left.Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, CA and Denver, CO.

Pulsatile spiral blood flow through arterial stenosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Linge, Fabian; Hye, Md Abdul; Paul, Manosh C

2014-11-01

Pulsatile spiral blood flow in a modelled three-dimensional arterial stenosis, with a 75% cross-sectional area reduction, is investigated by using numerical fluid dynamics. Two-equation k-ω model is used for the simulation of the transitional flow with Reynolds numbers 500 and 1000. It is found that the spiral component increases the static pressure in the vessel during the deceleration phase of the flow pulse. In addition, the spiral component reduces the turbulence intensity and wall shear stress found in the post-stenosis region of the vessel in the early stages of the flow pulse. Hence, the findings agree with the results of Stonebridge et al. (2004). In addition, the results of the effects of a spiral component on time-varying flow are presented and discussed along with the relevant pathological issues.

The Effect of Pollen on Some Reproductive Parameters of Male Rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Güldeniz Selmanoğlu

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Honeybee pollen is consumed as natural food in healthy human diet in many European and Asian countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pollen use on some reproductive parameters. In this study, mature male rats were fed on pollen of three different plant sources (Trifolium spp., Raphanus spp. and Cistus spp. at 60 mg/per animal/ per day over a 30-day period. At the end of the treatment, testosterone levels of rats were analysed and weights of testis, epididymis, prostate and seminal vesicle were recorded. In addition, epididymal sperms were counted. There were increases in testosterone levels, sperm counts and daily sperm production of rats fed with pollen of Raphanus spp. and Cistus spp. There were no significant changes in absolute weights, except in prostate weights. Also there were no changes in relative testis,prostate and seminal vesicle weights of rats fed on pollen, but relative epididymis weights of rats in pollen groups decreased. The results of this study show that bee pollen caused an increase in testosterone level and sperm counts of male rats. We suggest that bee pollen has an androgenic effect.

Seasonal and intradiurnal variation of airborne pollen concentrations in Bodrum, SW Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Tosunoglu, Aycan; Bicakci, Adem

2015-04-01

An aeropalynological study was performed in Bodrum, the famous tourism center in southwestern Turkey with a Hirst-type volumetric 7-day pollen and spore trap for 2 years (2007-2008). In Bodrum, 25,099 pollen grains as a mean value belonging to 41 taxa were recorded annually during the study period, and pollen grains from woody plant taxa had the largest atmospheric contribution of 86.99% and 24 taxa. However, 17 herbaceous plant taxa constituted 12.82% of the annual total pollen count, and 0.19% were unidentified. An average annual pollen index of 22.66% was recorded in March, despite differences from year to year. The highest pollen variability of 34 taxa was recorded in April and May. Predominant pollen types belonged to Cupressaceae/Taxaceae (42.73%), Quercus (15.95%), Pinus (9.78%), Olea europaea (9.04%), Poaceae (5.50%), Betula (1.82%), Pistacia (1.74%), Morus (1.72%), Urticaceae (1.46%), and Plantago (1.28%) and generated 91.03 of the annual total. In total, 32.59% of the mean annual total pollen index was recorded in the morning, and less pollen was recorded in the evening (18.71%). Maximum pollen concentration was recorded between 11:00 and 12:00 a.m.

Application of pollen treated with ionizing radiation in grapes breeding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Semin, V.S.

1988-01-01

Problem concerning the priority of investigations into transformation inducing using plant pollen irradiation method is raised. Data on investigations into grape predominant type pollen irradiation with rigid 1-100 Gy dose gamma rays are considered. Using grape seedling morphological index analysis it is shown that gene transformation inducing is possible using high dose pollen irradiation for cross pollination process. Advantages of the given method are indicated: application of irradiated pollen for pollination allows one to transmit certain characters to progeny at some stages - without impregnation (1); with pollen irradiation dose increase the number of male plant characters transmitted to progeny is reduced (2); deep recessive characters of one of the parent plants can be manifested in progeny or valuable neoplasms can even occur

ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND POLYPHENOL CONTENT OF MALT BEVERAGES ENRICHED WITH BEE POLLEN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miriam Solgajová

2014-02-01

Full Text Available In food industry, especially among the brewers, using of natural ingredients is increasingly growing demand. Beer is one of the most popular beverages in the world with evident positive effects on the overall health condition. It can be used as a base for developing a variety of products with specific physiological activity. Bee pollen is considered to be one of the possible sources of active ingredients for that purpose. Activity of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in bee pollen can contribute to the antioxidant potential of beer. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of different types and content of bee pollen on the antioxidant properties of malt beverages and to compare phenolic and flavonoid profiles. The technological process of malt beverages preparation with addition of bee pollen was also verified. It was found out that all beverages enriched with bee pollen had higher polyphenol, flavonoid content and antioxidant potential than control sample – pure wort. The higher antioxidant activities of all extracts was measured in sample R2 - wort with 0.6% of dry rapeseed pollen and sample R4 - wort with 0.6% of frozen rapeseed pollen. The higher phenolic content than in other samples was measured in sample M4 - wort with 0.6% of frozen poppy pollen and sample M1 - wort with 0.256% of dry poppy pollen. Higher total flavonoid content was found out in sample M2 - wort with 0.6% of dry poppy pollen and M4 - wort with 0.6% of frozen poppy pollen. In conclusion, the most noticeable results of antioxidant activity, phenolic and flavonoid content were achieved in samples with higher 0.6% addition of bee pollen, mostly poppy (Papaver somniferum L. pollen.

Region-specific sensitivity of anemophilous pollen deposition to temperature and precipitation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timme H Donders

Full Text Available Understanding relations between climate and pollen production is important for several societal and ecological challenges, importantly pollen forecasting for pollinosis treatment, forensic studies, global change biology, and high-resolution palaeoecological studies of past vegetation and climate fluctuations. For these purposes, we investigate the role of climate variables on annual-scale variations in pollen influx, test the regional consistency of observed patterns, and evaluate the potential to reconstruct high-frequency signals from sediment archives. A 43-year pollen-trap record from the Netherlands is used to investigate relations between annual pollen influx, climate variables (monthly and seasonal temperature and precipitation values, and the North Atlantic Oscillation climate index. Spearman rank correlation analysis shows that specifically in Alnus, Betula, Corylus, Fraxinus, Quercus and Plantago both temperature in the year prior to (T-1, as well as in the growing season (T, are highly significant factors (TApril rs between 0.30 [P<0.05[ and 0.58 [P<0.0001]; TJuli-1 rs between 0.32 [P<0.05[ and 0.56 [P<0.0001] in the annual pollen influx of wind-pollinated plants. Total annual pollen prediction models based on multiple climate variables yield R2 between 0.38 and 0.62 (P<0.0001. The effect of precipitation is minimal. A second trapping station in the SE Netherlands, shows consistent trends and annual variability, suggesting the climate factors are regionally relevant. Summer temperature is thought to influence the formation of reproductive structures, while temperature during the flowering season influences pollen release. This study provides a first predictive model for seasonal pollen forecasting, and also aides forensic studies. Furthermore, variations in pollen accumulation rates from a sub-fossil peat deposit are comparable with the pollen trap data. This suggests that high frequency variability pollen records from natural

Pathomorphism of spiral tibial fractures in computed tomography imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Guzik, Grzegorz

2011-01-01

Spiral fractures of the tibia are virtually homogeneous with regard to their pathomorphism. The differences that are seen concern the level of fracture of the fibula, and, to a lesser extent, the level of fracture of the tibia, the length of fracture cleft, and limb shortening following the trauma. While conventional radiographs provide sufficient information about the pathomorphism of fractures, computed tomography can be useful in demonstrating the spatial arrangement of bone fragments and topography of soft tissues surrounding the fracture site. Multiple cross-sectional computed tomography views of spiral fractures of the tibia show the details of the alignment of bone chips at the fracture site, axis of the tibial fracture cleft, and topography of soft tissues that are not visible on standard radiographs. A model of a spiral tibial fracture reveals periosteal stretching with increasing spiral and longitudinal displacement. The cleft in tibial fractures has a spiral shape and its line is invariable. Every spiral fracture of both crural bones results in extensive damage to the periosteum and may damage bellies of the long flexor muscle of toes, flexor hallucis longus as well as the posterior tibial muscle. Computed tomography images of spiral fractures of the tibia show details of damage that are otherwise invisible on standard radiographs. Moreover, CT images provide useful information about the spatial location of the bone chips as well as possible threats to soft tissues that surround the fracture site. Every spiral fracture of the tibia is associated with disruption of the periosteum. 1. Computed tomography images of spiral fractures of the tibia show details of damage otherwise invisible on standard radiographs, 2. The sharp end of the distal tibial chip can damage the tibialis posterior muscle, long flexor muscles of the toes and the flexor hallucis longus, 3. Every spiral fracture of the tibia is associated with disruption of the periosteum.

Quantification and Sequencing of Crossover Recombinant Molecules from Arabidopsis Pollen DNA.

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Choi, Kyuha; Yelina, Nataliya E; Serra, Heïdi; Henderson, Ian R

2017-01-01

During meiosis, homologous chromosomes undergo recombination, which can result in formation of reciprocal crossover molecules. Crossover frequency is highly variable across the genome, typically occurring in narrow hotspots, which has a significant effect on patterns of genetic diversity. Here we describe methods to measure crossover frequency in plants at the hotspot scale (bp-kb), using allele-specific PCR amplification from genomic DNA extracted from the pollen of F 1 heterozygous plants. We describe (1) titration methods that allow amplification, quantification and sequencing of single crossover molecules, (2) quantitative PCR methods to more rapidly measure crossover frequency, and (3) application of high-throughput sequencing for study of crossover distributions within hotspots. We provide detailed descriptions of key steps including pollen DNA extraction, prior identification of hotspot locations, allele-specific oligonucleotide design, and sequence analysis approaches. Together, these methods allow the rate and recombination topology of plant hotspots to be robustly measured and compared between varied genetic backgrounds and environmental conditions.

Profiles of the stochastic star formation process in spiral galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Comins, N.

1981-01-01

The formation of spiral arms in disc galaxies is generally attributed to the effects of spiral density waves. These relatively small (i.e. 5 per cent) non-axisymmetric perturbations of the interstellar medium cause spiral arms highlighted by O and B type stars to be created. In this paper another mechanism for spiral arm formation, the stochastic self-propagating star formation (SSPSF) process is examined. The SSPSF process combines the theory that shock waves from supernovae will compress the interstellar medium to create new stars, some of which will be massive enough to also supernova, with a disc galaxy's differential rotation to create spiral arms. The present work extends this process to the case where the probability of star formation from supernova shocks decreases with galactic radius. Where this work and previous investigations overlap (namely the uniform probability case), the agreement is very good, pretty spirals with various numbers of arms are generated. The decreasing probability cases, taken to vary as rsup(-j), still form spiral arms for 0 1.5 the spiral structure is essentially non-existent. (author)

Use of MODIS Satellite Data to Evaluate Juniperus spp. Pollen Phenology to Support a Pollen Dispersal Model, PREAM, to Support Public Health Allergy Alerts

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Luvall, J. C.; Sprigg, W.; Levetin, E.; Huete, A.; Nickovic, S.; Pejanovic, G. A.; Vukovic, A.; VandeWater, P.; Budge, A.; Hudspeth, W.;

Sporophytic control of pollen tube growth and guidance in maize

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Lausser, Andreas; Kliwer, Irina; Srilunchang, Kanok-orn; Dresselhaus, Thomas

2010-01-01

Pollen tube germination, growth, and guidance (progamic phase) culminating in sperm discharge is a multi-stage process including complex interactions between the male gametophyte as well as sporophytic tissues and the female gametophyte (embryo sac), respectively. Inter- and intra-specific crossing barriers in maize and Tripsacum have been studied and a precise description of progamic pollen tube development in maize is reported here. It was found that pollen germination and initial tube growth are rather unspecific, but an early, first crossing barrier was detected before arrival at the transmitting tract. Pollination of maize silks with Tripsacum pollen and incompatible pollination of Ga1s/Ga1s-maize silks with ga1-maize pollen revealed another two incompatibility barriers, namely transmitting tract mistargeting and insufficient growth support. Attraction and growth support by the transmitting tract seem to play key roles for progamic pollen tube growth. After leaving transmitting tracts, pollen tubes have to navigate across the ovule in the ovular cavity. Pollination of an embryo sac-less maize RNAi-line allowed the role of the female gametophyte for pollen tube guidance to be determined in maize. It was found that female gametophyte controlled guidance is restricted to a small region around the micropyle, approximately 50–100 μm in diameter. This area is comparable to the area of influence of previously described ZmEA1-based short-range female gametophyte signalling. In conclusion, the progamic phase is almost completely under sporophytic control in maize. PMID:19926683

Suppression of Spiral Wave in Modified Orengonator Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Jun; Wang Chunni; Jin Wuyin; Yi Ming

2008-01-01

In this paper, a spatial perturbation scheme is proposed to suppress the spiral wave in the modified Orengonator model, which is used to describe the chemical reaction in the light-sensitive media. The controllable external illumination Φ is perturbed with a spatial linear function. In our numerical simulation, the scheme is investigated by imposing the external controllable illumination on the space continuously and/or intermittently. The numerical simulation results confirm that the stable rotating spiral wave still can be removed with the scheme proposed in this paper even if the controllable Φ changed vs. time and space synchronously. Then the scheme is also used to control the spiral wave and turbulence in the modified Fitzhugh-Nagumo model. It is found that the scheme is effective to remove the sable rotating and meandering spiral wave but it costs long transient period and intensity of the gradient parameter to eliminate the spiral turbulence

Circumnuclear Regions In Barred Spiral Galaxies. 1; Near-Infrared Imaging

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Perez-Ramirez, D.; Knapen, J. H.; Peletier, R. F.; Laine, S.; Doyon, R.; Nadeau, D.

2000-01-01

We present sub-arcsecond resolution ground-based near-infrared images of the central regions of a sample of twelve barred galaxies with circumnuclear star formation activity, which is organized in ring-like regions typically one kiloparsec in diameter. We also present Hubble Space Telescope near-infrared images of ten of our sample galaxies, and compare them with our ground-based data. Although our sample galaxies were selected for the presence of circumnuclear star formation activity, our broad-band near-infrared images are heterogeneous, showing a substantial amount of small-scale structure in some galaxies, and practically none in others. We argue that, where it exists, this structure is caused by young stars, which also cause the characteristic bumps or changes in slope in the radial profiles of ellipticity, major axis position angle, surface brightness and colour at the radius of the circumnuclear ring in most of our sample galaxies. In 7 out of 10 HST images, star formation in the nuclear ring is clearly visible as a large number of small emitting regions, organised into spiral arm fragments, which are accompanied by dust lanes. NIR colour index maps show much more clearly the location of dust lanes and, in certain cases, regions of star formation than single broad-band images. Circumnuclear spiral structure thus outlined appears to be common in barred spiral galaxies with circumnuclear star formation.

General surface reconstruction for cone-beam multislice spiral computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Laigao; Liang Yun; Heuscher, Dominic J.

2003-01-01

A new family of cone-beam reconstruction algorithm, the General Surface Reconstruction (GSR), is proposed and formulated in this paper for multislice spiral computed tomography (CT) reconstructions. It provides a general framework to allow the reconstruction of planar or nonplanar surfaces on a set of rebinned short-scan parallel beam projection data. An iterative surface formation method is proposed as an example to show the possibility to form nonplanar reconstruction surfaces to minimize the adverse effect between the collected cone-beam projection data and the reconstruction surfaces. The improvement in accuracy of the nonplanar surfaces over planar surfaces in the two-dimensional approximate cone-beam reconstructions is mathematically proved and demonstrated using numerical simulations. The proposed GSR algorithm is evaluated by the computer simulation of cone-beam spiral scanning geometry and various mathematical phantoms. The results demonstrate that the GSR algorithm generates much better image quality compared to conventional multislice reconstruction algorithms. For a table speed up to 100 mm per rotation, GSR demonstrates good image quality for both the low-contrast ball phantom and thorax phantom. All other performance parameters are comparable to the single-slice 180 deg. LI (linear interpolation) algorithm, which is considered the 'gold standard'. GSR also achieves high computing efficiency and good temporal resolution, making it an attractive alternative for the reconstruction of next generation multislice spiral CT data

Variation patterns of pollen production in palm flowers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alapetite, Elodie; Barfod, Anders; Albert, Beatrice

2016-01-01

pollen production and stamen number has never been so far investigated. The diversity in stamen number observed among palms species and genera provides an ideal case study to test for such a correlation, taking into account phylogenetic constraints. Based on a survey of flowers from 82 species...... representative of the various palm tribes and compared it to stamen number, we show that pollen production in palms ranges from hundreds to millions grains. There is a relationship between stamen number and pollen production in our sampling, particularly in Coryphoideae and Arecoideae where there is a tendency...

Efficacy of recombinant birch pollen vaccine for the treatment of birch-allergic rhinoconjunctivitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pauli, Gabrielle; Larsen, Tina H; Rak, Sabina

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND: Recombinant DNA technology has the potential to produce allergen-specific immunotherapy vaccines with defined composition. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a new recombinant birch pollen allergen vaccine in patients with birch pollen allergy. METHODS: A multicenter, randomi......-treated group. CONCLUSION: The rBet v 1-based vaccine was safe and effective in treating birch pollen allergy, and induced a highly specific immune response.......BACKGROUND: Recombinant DNA technology has the potential to produce allergen-specific immunotherapy vaccines with defined composition. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a new recombinant birch pollen allergen vaccine in patients with birch pollen allergy. METHODS: A multicenter......, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was undertaken to compare the following 3 vaccines in 134 adults with birch pollen allergy: recombinant birch pollen allergen vaccine (rBet v 1a), licensed birch pollen extract, natural purified birch pollen allergen (nBet v 1), and placebo. Patients...

Securing maximum diversity of Non Pollen Palynomorphs in palynological samples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Enevold, Renée; Odgaard, Bent Vad

2015-01-01

Palynology is no longer synonymous with analysis of pollen with the addition of a few fern spores. A wide range of Non Pollen Palynomorphs are now described and are potential palaeoenvironmental proxies in the palynological surveys. The contribution of NPP’s has proven important to the interpreta......Palynology is no longer synonymous with analysis of pollen with the addition of a few fern spores. A wide range of Non Pollen Palynomorphs are now described and are potential palaeoenvironmental proxies in the palynological surveys. The contribution of NPP’s has proven important...

The spinning ball spiral

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dupeux, Guillaume; Le Goff, Anne; Quere, David; Clanet, Christophe

2010-01-01

We discuss the trajectory of a fast revolving solid ball moving in a fluid of comparable density. As the ball slows down owing to drag, its trajectory follows an exponential spiral as long as the rotation speed remains constant: at the characteristic distance L where the ball speed is significantly affected by the drag, the bending of the trajectory increases, surprisingly. Later, the rotation speed decreases, which makes the ball follow a second kind of spiral, also described in the paper. Finally, the use of these highly curved trajectories is shown to be relevant to sports.

Airborne pollen trends in the Iberian Peninsula.

Science.gov (United States)

Galán, C; Alcázar, P; Oteros, J; García-Mozo, H; Aira, M J; Belmonte, J; Diaz de la Guardia, C; Fernández-González, D; Gutierrez-Bustillo, M; Moreno-Grau, S; Pérez-Badía, R; Rodríguez-Rajo, J; Ruiz-Valenzuela, L; Tormo, R; Trigo, M M; Domínguez-Vilches, E

2016-04-15

Airborne pollen monitoring is an effective tool for studying the reproductive phenology of anemophilous plants, an important bioindicator of plant behavior. Recent decades have revealed a trend towards rising airborne pollen concentrations in Europe, attributing these trends to an increase in anthropogenic CO2 emissions and temperature. However, the lack of water availability in southern Europe may prompt a trend towards lower flowering intensity, especially in herbaceous plants. Here we show variations in flowering intensity by analyzing the Annual Pollen Index (API) of 12 anemophilous taxa across 12 locations in the Iberian Peninsula, over the last two decades, and detecting the influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Results revealed differences in the distribution and flowering intensity of anemophilous species. A negative correlation was observed between airborne pollen concentrations and winter averages of the NAO index. This study confirms that changes in rainfall in the Mediterranean region, attributed to climate change, have an important impact on the phenology of plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In vivo and in vitro pollen maturation in Lilium: influence of carbohydrates

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Christophe Clement

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to develop a protocol for in vitro conform pollen maturation, as a model to study the involvement of carbohydrates on pollen maturation in Lilium. In vivo and in vitro pollen maturations were followed and compared by transmission electron microscopy, and several in vitro parameters were tested in terms of carbohydrate physiology. In vivo, pollen maturation was initiated at the vacuolated microspore stage, and consisted of two successive phases. The first phase was characterized by reactivation of microspore organelles, followed by microspore mitosis, starch synthesis and vacuole breakdown. During the second phase, starch was progressively degraded whereas lipid and phytine reserves accumulated. In vivo, pollen maturation occured within 14 days and pollen germination rate was 73.6 ± 2.2%. We then attempted to realise in vitro pollen maturation starting from the vacuolated microspore stage. The best results were obtained with flower buds cultivated at 26oC, in 100 µmol/m2/s light, with a 16h/8h photoperiod on a modified Heller's medium supplemented with NAA (10-2 mg/l and sucrose (M/6. In these conditions, pollen maturation occured within 7 days only. In vitro matured pollen is cytologically comparable to in vivo developed pollen grains and the germination rate was 72.4 ± 3.7%. When flower buds were cultivated in the dark, the germination rate decreased, but this could be compensated by providing high sucrose concentrations (1M in the medium. Further, photosynthesis inhibitors had the same effect on pollen maturation than the darkness, strongly suggesting that photosynthesis occurs in the flower bud and is important for pollen maturation in Lilium.

The handedness of historiated spiral columns.

Science.gov (United States)

Couzin, Robert

2017-09-01

Trajan's Column in Rome (AD 113) was the model for a modest number of other spiral columns decorated with figural, narrative imagery from antiquity to the present day. Most of these wind upwards to the right, often with a congruent spiral staircase within. A brief introductory consideration of antique screw direction in mechanical devices and fluted columns suggests that the former may have been affected by the handedness of designers and the latter by a preference for symmetry. However, for the historiated columns that are the main focus of this article, the determining factor was likely script direction. The manner in which this operated is considered, as well as competing mechanisms that might explain exceptions. A related phenomenon is the reversal of the spiral in a non-trivial number of reproductions of the antique columns, from Roman coinage to Renaissance and baroque drawings and engravings. Finally, the consistent inattention in academic literature to the spiral direction of historiated columns and the repeated publication of erroneous earlier reproductions warrants further consideration.

Selective suppression of antibody production with the aid of radiolabelled birch pollen allergen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filipp, G.; Biro, G.; Hartung, W.D.; Lehmann, G.

1981-01-01

In accordance with the clonal selection theory we intended to prevent the development of artificially induced birch pollen allergy in rabbits with the aid of of the radiolabelled pollen allergen (75-1000 μCi 125 I-pollen/animal) intravenously administered prior to pollen sensitization. The birch pollen allergen, in accordance with Burnet's working hypothesis, reacts only with a genetically determining B cell subpopulation. The fixation of the radiolabelled birch pollen allergen to the receptors of the competent B cell clone causes the lesion of the latter. Compared with the control group, this group of rabbits showed an extensive suppression of anaphylactic reagin-like PCA-antibodies, and haemagglutinating antibodies in the blood as well as in nasal secretion. In addition, we tried to influence the already ongoing synthesis of the antibodies with the aid of a subsequent intravenously administered radiolabelled birch pollen allergen (750-1000μCi 125 I-pollen/animal). An intensive suppression of the synthesis of antibodies could also be proved in this case. The simultaneous immunization of the control rabbits with birch pollen and egg albumin resulted in the production of antibodies against both antigens, as expected. The hot-labelled birch pollen antigen intravenously injected before or after immunization with egg albumin and birch pollen led selectively to suppression of anti-birch-pollen PCA antibodies. The synthesis of anti-egg albumin PCA antibodies was unaffected. (author)

Analysis of spiral components in 16 galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Considere, S.; Athanassoula, E.

1988-01-01

A Fourier analysis of the intensity distributions in the plane of 16 spiral galaxies of morphological types from 1 to 7 is performed. The galaxies processed are NGC 300,598,628,2403,2841,3031,3198,3344,5033,5055,5194,5247,6946,7096,7217, and 7331. The method, mathematically based upon a decomposition of a distribution into a superposition of individual logarithmic spiral components, is first used to determine for each galaxy the position angle PA and the inclination ω of the galaxy plane onto the sky plane. Our results, in good agreement with those issued from different usual methods in the literature, are discussed. The decomposition of the deprojected galaxies into individual spiral components reveals that the two-armed component is everywhere dominant. Our pitch angles are then compared to the previously published ones and their quality is checked by drawing each individual logarithmic spiral on the actual deprojected galaxy images. Finally, the surface intensities for angular periodicities of interest are calculated. A choice of a few of the most important ones is used to elaborate a composite image well representing the main spiral features observed in the deprojected galaxies

The Impact of the Invasive Alien Plant, Impatiens glandulifera, on Pollen Transfer Networks.

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Carine Emer

Full Text Available Biological invasions are a threat to the maintenance of ecological processes, including pollination. Plant-flower visitor networks are traditionally used as a surrogated for pollination at the community level, despite they do not represent the pollination process, which takes place at the stigma of plants where pollen grains are deposited. Here we investigated whether the invasion of the alien plant Impatiens glandulifera (Balsaminaceae affects pollen transfer at the community level. We asked whether more alien pollen is deposited on the stigmas of plants on invaded sites, whether deposition is affected by stigma type (dry, semidry and wet and whether the invasion of I. glandulifera changes the structure of the resulting pollen transfer networks. We sampled stigmas of plants on 10 sites invaded by I. glandulifera (hereafter, balsam and 10 non-invaded control sites. All 20 networks had interactions with balsam pollen, although significantly more balsam pollen was found on plants with dry stigmas in invaded areas. Balsam pollen deposition was restricted to a small subset of plant species, which is surprising because pollinators are known to carry high loads of balsam pollen. Balsam invasion did not affect the loading of native pollen, nor did it affect pollen transfer network properties; networks were modular and poorly nested, both of which are likely to be related to the specificity of pollen transfer interactions. Our results indicate that pollination networks become more specialized when moving from the flower visitation to the level of pollen transfer networks. Therefore, caution is needed when inferring pollination from patterns of insect visitation or insect pollen loads as the relationship between these and pollen deposition is not straightforward.

Physicochemical characteristics of pollen collected by Amazonian stingless bees

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Kemilla Sarmento Rebelo

2016-05-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to determine the physicochemical characteristics of pollen collected by the Amazonian stingless bees Melipona seminigra and Melipona interrupta , in order to verify whether their characteristics meet the physicochemical requirements established by the Brazilian Technical Regulation for Identity and Quality of Bee Pollen. Physicochemical analyses were performed through official analytical methods. Results of pollen analyses collected by M. seminigra and M. interrupta were respectively as follows: moisture: 53.39 and 37.12%; protein: 37.63 and 24.00%; lipids: 10.81 and 6.47%; ash: 4.03 and 2.74%; crude fiber: 9.30 and 13.65%; carbohydrates: 25.66 and 44.27%; energy: 350.47 and 331.33kcal%; pH: 3.70 and 3.34; total solids: 46.60 and 62.87%, and water activity: 0.91 and 0.85. The percentages of moisture and pH in pollen collected by both studied bees are not in agreement with the Technical Regulation for bee pollen. Since some characteristics, which are inherent to the Melipona pollen, were not in conform to the current Regulation, we recommend that further studies should be conducted to better characterize it, and correct the Regulation, if necessary.

Nursing protects honeybee larvae from secondary metabolites of pollen.

Science.gov (United States)

Lucchetti, Matteo A; Kilchenmann, Verena; Glauser, Gaetan; Praz, Christophe; Kast, Christina

2018-03-28

The pollen of many plants contains toxic secondary compounds, sometimes in concentrations higher than those found in the flowers or leaves. The ecological significance of these compounds remains unclear, and their impact on bees is largely unexplored. Here, we studied the impact of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) found in the pollen of Echium vulgare on honeybee adults and larvae. Echimidine, a PA present in E. vulgare pollen, was isolated and added to the honeybee diets in order to perform toxicity bioassays. While adult bees showed relatively high tolerance to PAs, larvae were much more sensitive. In contrast to other bees, the honeybee larval diet typically contains only traces of pollen and consists predominantly of hypopharyngeal and mandibular secretions produced by nurse bees, which feed on large quantities of pollen-containing bee bread. We quantified the transfer of PAs to nursing secretions produced by bees that had previously consumed bee bread supplemented with PAs. The PA concentration in these secretions was reduced by three orders of magnitude as compared to the PA content in the nurse diet and was well below the toxicity threshold for larvae. Our results suggest that larval nursing protects honeybee larvae from the toxic effect of secondary metabolites of pollen. © 2018 The Authors.

Nursing protects honeybee larvae from secondary metabolites of pollen

Science.gov (United States)

Lucchetti, Matteo A.; Kilchenmann, Verena; Glauser, Gaetan; Praz, Christophe

2018-01-01

The pollen of many plants contains toxic secondary compounds, sometimes in concentrations higher than those found in the flowers or leaves. The ecological significance of these compounds remains unclear, and their impact on bees is largely unexplored. Here, we studied the impact of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) found in the pollen of Echium vulgare on honeybee adults and larvae. Echimidine, a PA present in E. vulgare pollen, was isolated and added to the honeybee diets in order to perform toxicity bioassays. While adult bees showed relatively high tolerance to PAs, larvae were much more sensitive. In contrast to other bees, the honeybee larval diet typically contains only traces of pollen and consists predominantly of hypopharyngeal and mandibular secretions produced by nurse bees, which feed on large quantities of pollen-containing bee bread. We quantified the transfer of PAs to nursing secretions produced by bees that had previously consumed bee bread supplemented with PAs. The PA concentration in these secretions was reduced by three orders of magnitude as compared to the PA content in the nurse diet and was well below the toxicity threshold for larvae. Our results suggest that larval nursing protects honeybee larvae from the toxic effect of secondary metabolites of pollen. PMID:29563265

Analysis of pollen load based on color, physicochemical composition and botanical source

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