The influence of environment on foliose lichen growth and its ecological significance

This chapter considers various aspects of the influence of the environment on the growth of foliose lichens and its significance in determining the ecology of individual species. Radial growth (RaG) and growth in mass of foliose lichens is influenced by climate and microclimate and also by substratum factors such as rock and bark texture, substrate chemistry, and nutrient enrichment. Seasonal fluctuations in growth, as measured by radial growth rate (RaGR) per month, often correlate best with average or total rainfall, the number of rain days, or rainfall in a specific season. Temperature has also been identified to be an important climatic factor influencing growth in some studies. Interactions between microclimatic factors and especially light intensity, temperature, and moisture status are important in determining differences in growth in relation to aspect and slope of the substratum. The physical and chemical nature of the substratum has a profound influence on the growth of foliose lichens. Hence, the effects of texture, porosity, rate of drying, and the physical changes of the substratum on growth are likely to influence lichen distributions. Bird droppings may influence growth and survival by smothering the thalli, altering the pH, or adding inhibitory and stimulatory compounds. Nitrogen and phosphate availability may also influence growth. Chemical factors also have an important influence on lichens of maritime rocks, the effect of salinity and calcium ions being of particular importance. Effects of environmental factors on growth influence the competitive ability of a lichen and ultimately its ecology and distribution.

The influence of environment on foliose lichen growth and its biological significance

Radial growth and growth in mass of lichens is influenced by climatic and microclimatic factors and also by substratum factors such as rock and bark texture, chemistry, and nutrient enrichment. Seasonal fluctuations in growth, as measured by radial growth rate (RaGR) per month, often correlate best with average or total rainfall, the number of rain days, or rainfall in a specific season. Temperature is also considered to be an important climatic factor in some studies. Interactions between microclimatic factors and especially light intensity, temperature, and moisture are the most important in determining local annual growth rates. The physical and chemical nature of the substratum has a profound influence on the growth of foliose lichens. Hence, the effects of texture, porosity, rate of drying, and the physical changes of the substratum on growth are likely to influence lichen distributions. Bird droppings may influence growth and survival by smothering the thalli, altering the pH, or adding inhibitory and stimulatory compounds. Nitrogen and phosphate availability may also influence growth. Chemical factors may also have an important influence on lichens of maritime rocks, the effect of salinity and calcium ions being of particular importance. Zinc, copper, and mercury may also be important in lichen growth as they have been shown to affect the chlorophyll content of lichen algae. Effects of environmental factors on growth influence the competitive ability of lichens thus influencing their ecology and distribution.

Physicochemical characterization of grewia polysaccharide gum:effect of drying method

Grewia polysaccharide gum, a potential pharmaceutical excipient was extracted from the inner stem bark of Grewia mollis, thereupon drying was achieved by three techniques: air-drying, freeze-drying and spray-drying. Analysis of the monosaccharide composition including 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic analysis of the polysaccharide gum was carried out. The effect of the drying methods on the physicochemical properties of the gum was evaluated by Fourier transformed infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopy, solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and gel permeation chromatography. Monosaccharide sugar analysis revealed that the gum is composed of glucose, rhamnose, galactose, arabinose and xylose as the main neutral sugars. These were supported by the results from 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic analysis. FT-IR and solid-state NMR results indicated that drying technique has little effect on the structure of the polysaccharide gum but XPS showed that surface chemistry of the gum varied with drying methods. Thermogravimetric analyses showed that oxidation onset varied according to the drying method. The molecular weight was also dependent on the drying technique. For industrial extrapolation, air-drying may be preferable to spray-drying and freeze-drying when relative cost, product stability and powder flow are required, for example in tablet formulation. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Grewia gum, a potential pharmaceutical excipient

Grewia gum was extracted from the inner stem bark of Grewia mollis and characterized by several techniques such as gas chromatography (GC), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis of the extracted sample. Spectroscopic techniques such as x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fourier-transformed infrared (FT-IR), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and 1H and 13C NMR techniques were also used to characterize the gum. The results showed that grewia gum is a typically amorphous polysaccharide gum containing glucose, rhamnose, galactose, arabinose and xylose as neutral sugars. It has an average molecular weight of 5925 kDa expressed as the pullulan equivalent. The gum slowly hydrated in water, dispersing and swelling to form a highly viscous dispersion exhibiting pseudoplastic flow behaviour. The polysaccharide gum is thermally stable and may have application as stabilizer or suspending agent in foods, cosmetics and in pharmaceuticals. It may have application as a binder or sustained-release polymer matrix in tablets or granulations. © IPEC-Americas Inc.

Susceptibility of raspberry cultivars to the raspberry cane midge (Resseliella theobaldi BARNES)

During the 2004 growing season, five raspberry cultivars were evaluated in terms of their susceptibility to the raspberry cane midge (Resseliella theobaldi Barnes). The trial was carried out at Berkenye, Nógrád County, Hungary. The cultivars evaluated were ‘Rubaca’ from Germany, ‘Fertődi Zamatos’ from Hungary, ‘Tulameen’ from Canada, and ‘Autumn Bliss’ and ‘Golden Bliss’ from the United Kingdom. Every other week, twenty-five split primocanes of each cultivar were randomly collected for laboratory examination. Data recorded for each cultivar included the mean number of larvae, the mean split length, and the mean extent of bark peeling per primocane. Pearson’s linear correlation coefficients were calculated for the correlations between the annual mean number of larvae per primocane on the one hand, and the annual cumulative mean split length per primocane and annual mean extent of bark peeling per primocane on the other hand. There was a weak correlation between annual mean number of larvae and annual cumulative mean split length, and a stronger correlation between annual mean number of larvae and annual mean extent of bark peeling. Annual mean number of larvae per primocane and annual mean extent of bark peeling per primocane were both highest in ‘Rubaca’, which means that the number of larvae per cane largely depends on the extent of stem peeling, although longitudinal splitting may also play a role. Therefore, cultivars with hardly any bark peeling and few and small longitudinal splits can be presumed to be less susceptible to infestation by the raspberry cane midge. Using these criteria, the least susceptible of the five cultivars evaluated would be ‘Tulameen’ and ‘Fertődi Zamatos’. Further research is needed to confirm this conclusion and to gather data on other factors which affect cultivar choice for new plantations, including winter hardiness, and susceptibility to cane diseases.

Trichloroethylene fate and transport studies and biodegradation kinetics in the saturated zone

Permeable reactive barriers (PRB) are constructed from soil solid amendments to support the growth of bacteria that are capable of degrading organic contaminants. The objective of this study was to identify low-cost soil solid amendments that could retard the movement of trichloroethylene (TCE) while serving as long-lived carbon sources to foster its biodegradation in shallow groundwater through the use of a PRB. The natural amendments high in organic carbon content such as eucalyptus mulch, compost, wetland peat, organic humus were compared based on their geophysical characteristics, such as pHw, porosity and total organic carbon (TOC), and as well as TCE sorption potentials. The pHw values were within neutral range except for pine bark mulch and wetland peat. All other geophysical characteristics of the amendments showed suitability for use in a PRB. While the Freundlich model showed better fit for compost and pine bark mulch, the linear sorption model was adequate for eucalyptus mulch, wetland peat and Everglades muck within the concentration range studied (0.2-0.8 mg/L TCE). According to these results, two composts and eucalyptus mulch were selected for laboratory column experiments to evaluate their effectiveness at creating and maintaining conditions suitable for TCE anaerobic dechlorination. The columns were monitored for pH, ORP, TCE degradation, longevity of nutrients and soluble TOC to support TCE dechlorination. Native bacteria in the columns had the ability to convert TCE to DCEs; however, the inoculation with the TCE-degrading culture greatly increased the rate of biodegradation. This caused a significant increase in by-product concentration, mostly in the form of DCEs and VC followed by a slow degradation to ethylene. Of the tested amendments eucalyptus mulch was the most effective at supporting the TCE dechlorination. The experimental results of TCE sequential dechlorination took place in eucalyptus mulch and commercial compost from Savannah River Site columns were then simulated using the Hydrus-1D model. The simulations showed good fit with the experimental data. The results suggested that sorption and degradation were the dominant fate and transport mechanisms for TCE and DCEs in the column, supporting the use of these amendments in a permeable reactive barrier to remediate the TCE.

Transformações químicas, caracterizações e estudo de modelagem molecular do clerodano bioativo trans-desidrocrotonina

In this work it were developed synthetic and theoretical studies for clerodane-type diterpenes obtained from Croton cajucara Benth which represents one of the most important medicinal plant of the Brazil amazon region. Specifically, the majoritary biocompound 19-nor-clerodane trans-dehydrocrotonin (t-DCTN) isolated from the bark of this Croton, was used as target molecule. Semi-synthetic derivatives were obtained from t-DCTN by using the followed synthetic procedures: 1) catalytic reduction with H2, 2) reduction using NaBH4 and 3) reduction using NaBH4/CeCl3. The semi-synthetic 19-nor-furan-clerodane alcohol-type derivatives were denominated such as t-CTN, tCTN-OL, t-CTN-OL, t-DCTN-OL, t-DCTN-OL, being all of them characterized by NMR. The furan-clerodane alcohol derivatives t-CTN-OL and tCTN-OL were obtained form the semi-synthetic t-CTN, which can be isolated from the bark of C. cajucara. A theoretical protocol (DFT/B3LYP) involving the prevision of geometric and magnetic properties such as bond length and angles, as well as chemical shifts and coupling constants, were developed for the target t-DCTN in which was correlated NMR theoretical data with structural data, with satisfactory correlation with NMR experimental data (coefficients ranging from 0.97 and 0.99) and X-ray diffraction data. This theoretical methodology was also validated for all semi-synthetic derivatives described in this work. In addition, topological data from the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) showed the presence of H-H and (C)O--H(C) intramolecular stabilized interactions types for t-DCTN e t-CTN, contributing to the understanding of the different reactivity of this clerodanes in the presence of NaBH4.

When wolves cry: long distance calling by wild maned wolves

The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus Illiger 1815) is the biggest canid in South America and it is considered a “near threatened” species by IUCN. Because of its nocturnal, territorial and solitary habits, there are still many understudied aspects of their behavior in natural environments, including acoustic communication. In its vocal repertoire, the wolf presents a longdistance call named “roar-bark” which, according to literature, functions for spacing maintenance between individuals and/or communication between members of the reproductive pair inside the territory. In this context, this study aimed: 1) to compare four methods for detecting maned wolf’s roar-barks in recordings made in a natural environment, in order to elect the most efficient one for our project; 2) to understand the night emission pattern of these vocalizations, verifying possible weather and moon phases influences in roarbark’s emission rates; and 3) to test Passive Acoustic Monitoring as a tool to identify the presence of maned wolves in a natural environment. The study area was the Serra da Canastra National Park (Minas Gerais, Brazil), where autonomous recorders were used for sound acquisition, recording all night (from 06pm to 06am) during five days in December/2013 and every day from April to July/2014. Roar-barks’ detection methods were tested and compared regarding time needed to analyze files, number of false positives and number of correctly identified calls. The mixed method (XBAT + manual) was the most efficient one, finding 100% of vocalizations in almost half of the time the manual method did, being chosen for our data analysis. By studying roarbarks’ temporal variation we verified that the wolves vocalize more in the early hours of the evening, suggesting an important social function for those calls at the beginning of its period of most intense activity. Average wind speed negatively influenced vocalization rate, which may indicate lower sound reception of recorders or a change in behavioral patterns of wolves in high speed wind conditions. A better understanding of seasonal variation of maned wolves’ vocal activity is required, but our study already shows that it is possible to detect behavioral patterns of wild animals only by sound, validating PAM as a tool in this species’ conservation.

Characterization of wood biochar and evaluation of its adsorption potential for removal of sulphate from produced water in offshore oil and gas industry

This thesis analyses the potential of wood biochar as an adsorbent in removal of sulphate from produced water. In worldwide offshore oil and gas industry, a large volume of waste water is generated as produced water. Sulphur compounds present in these produced water streams can cause environmental problems, regulatory problems and operational issues. Among the various sulphur removal technologies, the adsorption technique is considered as a suitable method since the design is simple, compact, economical and robust. Biochar has been studied as an adsorbent for removal of contaminants from water in a number of studies due to its low cost, potential availability, and adsorptive characteristics. In this study, biochar produced through fast pyrolysis of bark, hardwood sawdust, and softwood sawdust were characterized through a series of tests and were analysed for adsorbent properties. Treating produced water using biochar sourced from wood waste is a two-fold solution to environmental problems as it reduces the volume of these wastes. Batch adsorption tests were carried out to obtain adsorption capacities of each biochar sample using sodium sulphate solutions. The highest sulphur adsorption capacities obtained for hardwood char, softwood char and bark char were 11.81 mg/g, 9.44 mg/g, and 7.94 mg/g respectively at 10 °C and pH=4. The adsorption process followed the second order kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm model. Adsorption reaction was thermodynamically favourable and exothermic. The overall analysis concludes that the wood biochar is a feasible, economical, and environmental adsorbent for removal of sulphate from produced water.

Of Marx and Makers: an Historical Perspective on Generative Justice

In Marxist frameworks “distributive justice” depends on extracting value through a centralized state. Many new social movements—peer to peer economy, maker activism, community agriculture, queer ecology, etc.—take the opposite approach, keeping value in its unalienated form and allowing it to freely circulate from the bottom up. Unlike Marxism, there is no general theory for bottom-up, unalienated value circulation. This paper examines the concept of “generative justice” through an historical contrast between Marx’s writings and the indigenous cultures that he drew upon. Marx erroneously concluded that while indigenous cultures had unalienated forms of production, only centralized value extraction could allow the productivity needed for a high quality of life. To the contrary, indigenous cultures now provide a robust model for the “gift economy” that underpins open source technological production, agroecology, and restorative approaches to civil rights. Expanding Marx’s concept of unalienated labor value to include unalienated ecological (nonhuman) value, as well as the domain of freedom in speech, sexual orientation, spirituality and other forms of “expressive” value, we arrive at an historically informed perspective for generative justice. 

Att leva med HIV/AIDS i Norden

Bakgrund: Humant immunbristvirus, HIV, är ett virus som angriper kroppens immunsystem. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS, utvecklas från HIV efter lång tid utan behandling. I samhället råder det okunskap och rädsla kring sjukdomen vilket skapar stigmatisering och diskriminering som dagligen påverkar de som lever med HIV/AIDS. Attityden mot HIV-smittade personer är hos många negativ. Det finns sjuksköterskor som inte vill behandla HIV-smittade på grund av rädsla och okunskap. Att få diagnosen är livsomställande och att handskas med det är inte lätt. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva hur det är att leva med HIV/AIDS i Norden. Metod: Litteraturöversikten baserades på sex kvantitativa och sju kvalitativa artiklar för att få en fördjupad kunskap och en överblick över kunskapsläget för hur det är att leva med HIV/AIDS i Norden. Resultat: I resultatet framkommer det tre kategorier som tillsammans ger en överblick om hur det är att leva med HIV/AIDS. Dessa kategorier är; anpassning till ett nytt liv, hålla hemligt eller komma ut och begränsad sexualitet. Stigmatisering påverkade personernas syn på sig själva och deras beslut kring avslöjandet av sjukdomen. Slutsats: Personer som lever med HIV bemöts ofta med okunskap, fördomar och avståndstagande, därför är bemötandet avgörande. Litteraturöversikten bidrar med information och kunskap som senare kan användas av vårdpersonal för att få en djupare förståelse för personer som lever med HIV. Sjuksköterskan bör ha kunskap om HIV/AIDS för att på bästa sätt kunna ge god omvårdnad, då okunnighet och fördomar i samhället ansågs vara värre än själva sjukdomen.Nyckelord:

Spiroacetals in the Colonization Behaviour of the Coffee Berry Borer: A 'Push-Pull' System

Coffee berries are known to release several volatile organic compounds, among which is the spiroacetal, conophthorin, an attractant for the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei. Elucidating the effects of other spiroacetals released by coffee berries is critical to understanding their chemo-ecological roles in the host discrimination and colonization process of the coffee berry borer, and also for their potential use in the management of this pest. Here, we show that the coffee berry spiroacetals frontalin and 1,6-dioxaspiro [4.5] decane (referred thereafter as brocain), are also used as semiochemicals by the coffee berry borer for host colonization. Bioassays and chemical analyses showed that crowding coffee berry borers from 2 to 6 females per berry, reduced borer fecundity, which appeared to correlate with a decrease in the emission rates of conophthorin and frontalin over time. In contrast, the level of brocain did not vary significantly between borer-uninfested and infested berries. Brocain was attractive at lower doses, but repellent at higher doses while frontalin alone or in a blend was critical for avoidance. Field assays with a commercial attractant comprising a mixture of ethanol and methanol (1:1), combined with frontalin, confirmed the repellent effect of this compound by disrupting capture rates of H. hampei females by 77% in a coffee plantation. Overall, our results suggest that the levels of frontalin and conophthorin released by coffee berries determine the host colonization behaviour of H. hampei, possibly through a 'push-pull' system, whereby frontalin acts as the 'push' (repellent) and conophthorin acting as the 'pull' (attractant). Furthermore, our results reveal the potential use of frontalin as a repellent for management of this coffee pest.

Produção de biomassa e exportação de nutrientes de Eucalyptus grandis e E. urophylla

Scientific research in forest production technology area search techniques that increase production per unit area, with high economic viability and reducing environmental impacts. When dealing with forest plantations, studies are needed in the production of biomass and its nutrient content, and these are data parameters for planning the environmental implications of different intensities of forest harvesting. Given the above, this study aimed to elucidate the production and export of biomass and nutrients for two species of the genus Eucalyptus (E. grandis and E. urophylla) grown in the southwestern region of Parana. For this, it was evaluated: the stock of biomass and nutrients in eucalyptus (wood, bark, branches and leaves) at 60 months of age; the export rate of nutrients; the calorific value and economic viability. The biomass and the largest eucalyptus nutrient stocks are predominantly allocated to the stem (wood + bark). The components of biomass showed different chemical compositions, generally being higher in the leaves and bark and lower in wood and branches components. As for the calorific value, the leaves had its calorific value statistically superior than the other fractions, followed by branches, wood and bark. The organic carbon content (C.O.) is directly connected to the calorific value, and the calorific value increases as its content increase. The wood had the highest nutrient use efficiency values, something highly desirable and of great interest to forestry. The leaves showed smaller nutrient utilization efficiency values, with the exception of Ca and Mg that were smaller in the bark, indicating the importance of maintaining these components in the soil after harvest. The wood fraction presents the biomass lower cost when considering the replacement of nutrients exported by its biomass. On the other hand, the leaf fraction showed NPK higher cost of replacement.