Chemical constituents from the whole plant of Euphorbia altotibetic

Four new jatrophane diterpenoids, altotibetin A (1), altotibetin B (2), altotibetin C (3), altotibetin D (4), and nine known compounds, beta-sitosterol, cycloart-23-ene-3beta,25-diol, cycloart-25-ene-3beta,24-diol, lupeol acetate, scopoletin, kaempferol, uracil, uridine, astragalin, and daucosterol have been isolated from the whole plant of Euphorbia altotibetic PAULS. Their structures were established by spectral methods, and the configurations of 1 and 2 were confirmed by X-ray analysis.

Effects of plateau zokors (Myospalax Fontanierii) on plant community and soil in an alpine meadow

Effects of plateau zokors (Myospalax fontanierii) on seasonal above- and belowground plant biomass, plant species diversity, and soil moisture and organic matter were examined at an alpine meadow site in Qinghai Province, People's Republic of China. Above- and belowground biomass increased significantly in areas where zokors were removed or burrow systems were abandoned for 5 years compared with areas that zokors had occupied for >10 years. Biomass of monocotyledons was reduced greatly, but biomass of nonpalatable dicotyledons increased significantly, in occupied areas. Diversity of dicotyledons, monocotyledons, and total plants in unoccupied areas was significantly greater than in occupied or abandoned areas. Vegetation cover and height in occupied areas were significantly less than in unoccupied and abandoned areas. No consistent effect by zokors on soil moisture and organic matter was observed.

Synthesis of a group of diosgenyl saponins by a one-pot sequential glycosylation

A group of natural diosgenyl saponins was synthesized in a highly efficient manner employing the 'one-pot sequential glycosylation' protocol with the combined use of glycosyl trichloroacetimidates and thioglycosides. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abacaxi ornamental : uma riqueza a ser explorada.

A Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura Tropical iniciou em principios dos anos 80 um Banco de Gemoplasma tendo reunido atualmente um total de quase 700 acessos no campo, do gênero Ananas e outras bromeliáceas, sendo uma das maiores coleções de gemoplasma desse gênero no mundo, reunindo expressiva variabilidade genética intra e interespecífica. A coleção está em condições de campo e uma duplicata vem sendo introduzida na conservação in vitro desde 2003, como cópia de segurança. A variabilidade genética do gênero Ananas, no entanto, é ainda muito pouco explorada, apesar do potencial que essas plantas têm para a geração de diversos produtos. Os genótipos silvestres possuem uma diversidade de formas e cores, que chamam atenção pela beleza e exoticidade. Essas características conferem a essas plantas um grande potencial para serem usadas como planta omamental. O abacaxi já vem se destacando como fruteira omamental, representando, atualmente, o segundo produto mais exportado da floricultura do Ceará. Essa comercialização, no entanto, está pautada em apenas duas cultivares, o Ananas comosus var. erectifolius (=Lucidus) e o Ananas comosus var. bracteatus (=Ananas Porteanus).

Banano ornamental: diversificación del uso de germoplasma para atender a nuevos mercados.

El mercado de plantas ornamentales tropicales ha mostrado un crecimiento expresivo y la búsqueda por novedades es constante. Actualmente hay pocas variedades de bananos ornamentales disponibles para comercialización, y en su mayoría constituyen el uso directo de especies de las secciones Rhodoclamys (M. ornata y M. velutina) y Callimusa (M. coccinea). La generación de nuevas variedades de banano ornamental para diferentes usos constituye una alternativa para satisfacer esta demanda. La Embrapa Yuca y Frutales mantiene un banco de germoplasma de Musa spp. con 290 accesiones, que contemplan variedades y especies silvestres de la sección Eumusa, con un predominio de M. acuminata y M. balbisiana, con diferentes grados de ploidia y combinaciones de los genomas A y B. La colección también alberga representantes de las secciones Rhodochlamys y Callimusa. Tradicionalmente el uso de este germoplasma estaba direccionado sólo a la producción de cultivares para la alimentación, y ha generado varios cultivares productivos, con frutos de buena calidad y resistentes al mal de Panamá, Sigatoka amarilla y Sigatoka negra.

Application of metabolomics to plant genotype discrimination using statistics and machine learning

Janet Taylor, Ross D King, Thomas Altmann and Oliver Fiehn (2002). Application of metabolomics to plant genotype discrimination using statistics and machine learning. 1st European Conference on Computational Biology (ECCB). (published as a journal supplement in Bioinformatics 18: S241-S248).

Competitive relationships in a fertile grassland community - does size matter?

John Warren, Fred Wilson & Anita Diaz (2002). Competitive relationships in a fertile grassland community - does size matter? Oecologia, 132 (1) pp.125-130 Sponsorship: SEERAD / Leverhulme Trust RAE2008

A trait specific model of competition in a spatially structured plant community

John Warren and Chris Topping (2004). A trait specific model of competition in a spatially structured plant community. Ecological Modelling, 180 pp.477-485 RAE2008

Evidence in support of a role for plant-mediated proteolysis in the rumens of grazing animals

Kingston-Smith, A. H., Merry, R. J., Leemans, D. K., Thomas, Howard, Theodorou, M. K. (2005). Evidence in support of a role for plant-mediated proteolysis in the rumens of grazing animals. British Journal of Nutrition, 93(1), 73-79. Sponsorship: DEFRA / BBSRC RAE2008

Effects of a stay-green mutation on plant nitrogen relations in Lolium perenne during N starvation and after defoliation

Macduff, J. H., Humphreys, M. O., Thomas, Howard (2002). Effects of a stay-green mutation on plant nitrogen relations in Lolium perenne during N starvation and after defoliation. Annals of Botany, 89 (1), 11-21. Sponsorship: BBSRC RAE2008

Przyszłość amerykańskiej potęgi

W artykule autor analizuje percepcję potęgi amerykańskiej. Nie zgadza się z założeniem innych badaczy, iż nastąpi upadek siły Stanów Zjednoczonych. Nawet gdyby do tego doszło, USA nadal będą „Primus Inter Pares” wśród innych członków Wielkiej Szachownicy. Przygląda się On uważnie wadom i zaletom polityki tego mocarstwa. Dzieli potęgę imperium na trzy płaszczyzny: segment siły militarnej, potencjał ekonomiczny oraz soft power. Jego zdaniem tylko rozsądne użycie odpowiedniego zasobu siły „miękkiej” lub „twardej” prowadzi do smart power, czyli rozważnej polityki. Na tym właśnie powinno się opierać amerykańskie mocarstwo, a nie na nadużywaniu siły. USA powinny określić swoją rolę na arenie międzynarodowej, nie bać się „nadwyrężenia imperialnego” oraz stać się prawdziwym przywódcą a nie tylko hegemonem. Takie właśnie postępowanie, polegające na właściwym użyciu swojej potęgi doprowadzi do wzajemnej kooperacji, jak również wzrostu bezpieczeństwa międzynarodowego.

Cancer mortality in IBM endicott plant workers, 1969-2001: An update on a NY production plant

BACKGROUND: In response to concerns expressed by workers at a public meeting, we analyzed the mortality experience of workers who were employed at the IBM plant in Endicott, New York and died between 1969-2001. An epidemiologic feasibility assessment indicated potential worker exposure to several known and suspected carcinogens at this plant. METHODS: We used the mortality and work history files produced under a court order and used in a previous mortality analysis. Using publicly available data for the state of New York as a standard of comparison, we conducted proportional cancer mortality (PCMR) analysis. RESULTS: The results showed significantly increased mortality due to melanoma (PCMR = 367; 95% CI: 119, 856) and lymphoma (PCMR = 220; 95% CI: 101, 419) in males and modestly increased mortality due to kidney cancer (PCMR = 165; 95% CI: 45, 421) and brain cancer (PCMR = 190; 95% CI: 52, 485) in males and breast cancer (PCMR = 126; 95% CI: 34, 321) in females. CONCLUSION: These results are similar to results from a previous IBM mortality study and support the need for a full cohort mortality analysis such as the one being planned by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.