Plants of the Annonaceae traditionally used as antimalarials: a review

Species of the Annonaceae family are used all over the tropics in traditional medicine in tropical regions for the treatment of malaria and other illnesses. Phytochemical studies of this family have revealed chemical components which could offer new alternatives for the treatment and control of malaria. Searches in scientific reference sites (SciFinder Scholar, Scielo, PubMed, ScienceDirect and ISI Web of Science) and a bibliographic literature search for species of Annonaceae used traditionally to treat malaria and fever were carried out. This family contains 2,100 species in 123 genera. We encountered 113 articles reporting medicinal use of one or more species of this family including 63 species in 27 genera with uses as antimalarials and febrifuges. Even though the same species of Annonaceae are used by diverse ethnic groups, different plant parts are often chosen for applications, and diverse methods of preparation and treatment are used. The ethanol extracts of Polyalthia debilis and Xylopia aromatica proved to be quite active against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro (median inhibition concentration, IC50 < 1.5 µg/mL). Intraperitoneal injection of Annickia chlorantha aqueous extracts (cited as Enantia chlorantha) cleared chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis from the blood of mice in a dose-dependant manner. More phytochemical profiles of Annonaceous species are required; especially information on the more commonly distributed antimalarial compounds in this family.

Uncovering Cryptic Parasitoid Diversity in Horismenus (Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae).

Horismenus parasitoids are an abundant and understudied group of eulophid wasps found mainly in the New World. Recent surveys based on morphological analyses in Costa Rica have quadrupled the number of named taxa, with more than 400 species described so far. This recent revision suggests that there is still a vast number of unknown species to be identified. As Horismenus wasps have been widely described as parasitoids of insect pests associated with crop plants, it is of high importance to properly establish the extant diversity of the genus, in order to provide biological control practitioners with an exhaustive catalog of putative control agents. In this study, we first collected Horismenus wasps from wild Phaseolus bean seeds in Central Mexico and Arizona to assess the genetic relatedness of three morphologically distinct species with overlapping host and geographical ranges. Sequence data from two nuclear and two mitochondrial gene regions uncovered three cryptic species within each of the three focal species (i.e., H. missouriensis, H. depressus and H. butcheri). The monophyly of each cryptic group is statistically supported (except in two of them represented by one single tip in which monophyly cannot be tested). The phylogenetic reconstruction is discussed with respect to differences between gene regions as well as likely reasons for the differences in variability between species.

Lipid mobilization and gluconeogenesis in plants: Do glyoxylate cycle enzyme activities constitute a real cycle? A hypothesis

Glyoxysomes are specialized peroxisomes present in various plant organs such as germinating cotyledons or senescing leaves. They are the site of beta-oxidation and of the glyoxylate cycle. These consecutive pathways are essential to the maintenance of gluconeogenesis initiated by the degradation of reserve or structural lipids. In contrast to mitochondrial beta-oxidation, which is prevalent in animal cells, glyoxysomal beta-oxidation and the glyoxylate cycle have no direct access to the mitochondrial respiratory chain because of the impermeability of the glyoxysomal membrane to the reduced cofactors. The necessity of NAD(+) regeneration can conceivably be fulfilled by membrane redox chains and/or by transmembrane shuttles. Experimental evidence based on the active metabolic roles of higher plant glyoxysomes and yeast peroxisomes suggests the coexistence of two mechanisms, namely a reductase/peroxidase membrane redox chain and a malate/aspartate shuttle susceptible to transfer electrons to the mitochondrial ATP generating system. Such a model interconnects beta-oxidation, the glyoxylate cycle, the respiratory chain and gluconeogenesis in such a way that glyoxysomal malate dehydrogenase is an essential and exclusive component of beta-oxidation (NAD(+) regeneration). Consequently, the classical view of the glyoxylate cycle is superseded by a tentative reactional scheme deprived of cyclic character.

STRATEGIC-1: A multiple-lines, randomized, open-label GERCOR phase III study in patients with unresectable wild-type RAS metastatic colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The management of unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is a comprehensive treatment strategy involving several lines of therapy, maintenance, salvage surgery, and treatment-free intervals. Besides chemotherapy (fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, irinotecan), molecular-targeted agents such as anti-angiogenic agents (bevacizumab, aflibercept, regorafenib) and anti-epidermal growth factor receptor agents (cetuximab, panitumumab) have become available. Ultimately, given the increasing cost of new active compounds, new strategy trials are needed to define the optimal use and the best sequencing of these agents. Such new clinical trials require alternative endpoints that can capture the effect of several treatment lines and be measured earlier than overall survival to help shorten the duration and reduce the size and cost of trials. METHODS/DESIGN: STRATEGIC-1 is an international, open-label, randomized, multicenter phase III trial designed to determine an optimally personalized treatment sequence of the available treatment modalities in patients with unresectable RAS wild-type mCRC. Two standard treatment strategies are compared: first-line FOLFIRI-cetuximab, followed by oxaliplatin-based second-line chemotherapy with bevacizumab (Arm A) vs. first-line OPTIMOX-bevacizumab, followed by irinotecan-based second-line chemotherapy with bevacizumab, and by an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody with or without irinotecan as third-line treatment (Arm B). The primary endpoint is duration of disease control. A total of 500 patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of the two treatment strategies. DISCUSSION: The STRATEGIC-1 trial is designed to give global information on the therapeutic sequences in patients with unresectable RAS wild-type mCRC that in turn is likely to have a significant impact on the management of this patient population. The trial is open for inclusion since August 2013. TRIAL REGISTRATION: STRATEGIC-1 is registered at Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01910610, 23 July, 2013. STRATEGIC-1 is registered at EudraCT-No.: 2013-001928-19, 25 April, 2013.

Sensing the light environment in plants: photoreceptors and early signaling steps.

Plants must constantly adapt to a changing light environment in order to optimize energy conversion through the process of photosynthesis and to limit photodamage. In addition, plants use light cues for timing of key developmental transitions such as initiation of reproduction (transition to flowering). Plants are equipped with a battery of photoreceptors enabling them to sense a very broad light spectrum spanning from UV-B to far-red wavelength (280-750nm). In this review we briefly describe the different families of plant photosensory receptors and the mechanisms by which they transduce environmental information to influence numerous aspects of plant growth and development throughout their life cycle.

Characterization and genetic mapping of eceriferum-ym (cer-ym), a cutin deficient barley mutant with impaired leaf water retention capacity.

The cuticle covers the aerial parts of land plants, where it serves many important functions, including water retention. Here, a recessive cuticle mutant, eceriferum-ym (cer-ym), of Hordeum vulgare L. (barley) showed abnormally glossy spikes, sheaths, and leaves. The cer-ym mutant plant detached from its root system was hypersensitive to desiccation treatment compared with wild type plants, and detached leaves of mutant lost 41.8% of their initial weight after 1 h of dehydration under laboratory conditions, while that of the wild type plants lost only 7.1%. Stomata function was not affected by the mutation, but the mutant leaves showed increased cuticular permeability to water, suggesting a defective leaf cuticle, which was confirmed by toluidine blue staining. The mutant leaves showed a substantial reduction in the amounts of the major cutin monomers and a slight increase in the main wax component, suggesting that the enhanced cuticle permeability was a consequence of cutin deficiency. cer-ym was mapped within a 0.8 cM interval between EST marker AK370363 and AK251484, a pericentromeric region on chromosome 4H. The results indicate that the desiccation sensitivity of cer-ym is caused by a defect in leaf cutin, and that cer-ym is located in a chromosome 4H pericentromeric region.

Living with invasive plants in the Anthropocene : the importance of understanding practice and experience

The role of humans in facilitating the rapid spread of plants at a scale that is considered invasive is one manifestation of the Anthropocene, now framed as a geological period in which humans are the dominant force in landscape transformation. Invasive plant management faces intensified challenges, and can no longer be viewed in terms of 'eradication' or 'restoration of original landscapes'. In this perspectives piece, we focus on the practice and experience of people engaged in invasive plant management, using examples from Australia and Canada. We show how managers 1) face several pragmatic trade-offs; 2) must reconcile diverse views, even within stakeholder groups; 3) must balance competing temporal scales; 4) encounter tensions with policy; and 5) face critical and under-acknowledged labour challenges. These themes show the variety of considerations based on which invasive plant managers make complex decisions about when, where, and how to intervene. Their widespread pragmatic acceptance of small, situated gains (as well as losses) combines with impressive long-term commitments to the task of invasives management. We suggest that the actual practice of weed management challenges those academic perspectives that still aspire to attain pristine nature.

Combining niche modelling and landscape genetics to study local adaptation: A novel approach illustrated using alpine plants

Understanding the factors that shape adaptive genetic variation across species niches has become of paramount importance in evolutionary ecology, especially to understand how adaptation to changing climate affects the geographic range of species. The distribution of adaptive alleles in the ecological niche is determined by the emergence of novel mutations, their fitness consequences and gene flow that connects populations across species niches. Striking demographical differences and source sink dynamics of populations between the centre and the margin of the niche can play a major role in the emergence and spread of adaptive alleles. Although some theoretical predictions have long been proposed, the origin and distribution of adaptive alleles within species niches remain untested. In this paper, we propose and discuss a novel empirical approach that combines landscape genetics with species niche modelling, to test whether alleles that confer local adaptation are more likely to occur in either marginal or central populations of species niches. We illustrate this new approach by using a published data set of 21 alpine plant species genotyped with a total of 2483 amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP), distributed over more than 1733 sampling sites across the Alps. Based on the assumption that alleles that were statistically associated with environmental variables were adaptive, we found that adaptive alleles in the margin of a species niche were also present in the niche centre, which suggests that adaptation originates in the niche centre. These findings corroborate models of species range evolution, in which the centre of the niche contributes to the emergence of novel adaptive alleles, which diffuse towards niche margins and facilitate niche and range expansion through subsequent local adaptation. Although these results need to be confirmed via fitness measurements in natural populations and functionally characterised genetic sequences, this study provides a first step towards understanding how adaptive genetic variation emerges and shapes species niches and geographic ranges along environmental gradients.

Capillarity and fibre types in locomotory muscles of wild yellow-legged gulls (Larus cachinnans)

This study analyzes the capillarity and fibre-type distribution of six locomotory muscles of gulls. The morphological basis and the oxygen supply characteristics of the skeletal muscle of a species with a marked pattern of gliding flight are established, thus contributing to a better understanding of the physiology of a kind of flight with low energetic requirements. The four wing muscles studied (scapulotriceps, pectoralis, scapulohumeralis, and extensor metacarpi) exhibited higher percentages of fast oxidative glycolytic fibres (>70%) and lower percentages of slow oxidative fibres (<16%) than the muscles involved in nonflight locomotion (gastrocnemius and iliotibialis). Capillary densities ranged from 816 to 1,233 capillaries mm(-2), having the highest value in the pectoralis. In this muscle, the fast oxidative glycolytic fibres had moderate staining for succinate dehydrogenase and relatively large fibre sizes, as deduced from the low fibre densities (589-665 fibres mm(-2)). All these findings are seen as an adaptive response for gliding, when the wing is held outstretched by isometric contractions. The leg muscles studied included a considerable population of slow oxidative fibres (>14% in many regions), which suggests that they are adapted to postural activities. Regional variations in the relative distributions of fibre types in muscle gastrocnemius may reflect different functional demands placed on this muscle during terrestrial and aquatic locomotion. The predominance of oxidative fibres and capillary densities under 1,000 capillaries mm(-2) in leg muscles is probably a consequence of an adaptation for slow swimming and maintenance of the posture on land rather than for other locomotory capabilities, such as endurance or sprint activities.

Nitric oxide-induced p53 accumulation and regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression by wild-type p53.

The tumor suppressor gene product p53 plays an important role in the cellular response to DNA damage from exogenous chemical and physical mutagens. Therefore, we hypothesized that p53 performs a similar role in response to putative endogenous mutagens, such as nitric oxide (NO). We report here that exposure of human cells to NO generated from an NO donor or from overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) results in p53 protein accumulation. In addition, expression of wild-type (WT) p53 in a variety of human tumor cell lines, as well as murine fibroblasts, results in down-regulation of NOS2 expression through inhibition of the NOS2 promoter. These data are consistent with the hypothesis of a negative feedback loop in which endogenous NO-induced DNA damage results in WT p53 accumulation and provides a novel mechanism by which p53 safeguards against DNA damage through p53-mediated transrepression of NOS2 gene expression, thus reducing the potential for NO-induced DNA damage.

Supplier Energy Audits in Thermal Power Plants

This master’s thesis handles an operating model for an electric equipment supplier conducted sale oriented energy audit for pumping, fan and other motor applications at power plants. The study goes through the largest factors affecting internal electricity use at a power plant, finds an energy audit –like approach for the basis of information gathering and presents the information needed for conducting the analysis. The model is tested in practice at a kraft recovery boiler of a chemical pulping mill. Targets chosen represent some of the largest electric motor applications in the boiler itself and in its fuel handling. The energy saving potential of the chosen targets is calculated by simulating the energy consumption of the alternatives for controlling the targets, and thereafter combining the information with the volume flow duration curve. Results of the research are somewhat divaricated, as all the information needed is not available in the automation system. Some of the targets could be simulated and their energy saving potential calculated quite easily. At some of the targets chosen the monitoring was not sufficient enough for this and additional measurements would have been needed to base the calculations on. In traditional energy audits, energy efficiency of pump and fan applications is not necessarily examined. This means that there are good possibilities for developing the now presented targeted energy audit procedure basis further.

Materials selection for superheater tubes in municipal solid waste incineration plants

Corrosion reduces the lifetime of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) superheater tubes more than any other cause. It can be minimized by the careful selection of those materials that are most resistant to corrosion under operating conditions. Since thousands of different materials are already known and many more are developed every year, here the selection methodology developed by Prof. Ashby of the University of Cambridge was used to evaluate the performance of different materials to be used as MSWI superheater tubes. The proposed materials can operate at steam pressures and temperatures over 40 bars and 400ºC, respectively. Two case studies are presented: one makes a balanced selection between mechanical properties and cost per thermal unit; and the other focuses on increasing tube lifetime. The balanced selection showed that AISI 410 martensitic stainless steel (wrought, hard tempered) is the best candidate with a good combination of corrosion resistance, a relatively low price (0.83-0.92 e/kg) and a good thermal conductivity (23-27 W/m K). Meanwhile, Nitronic 50/XM-19 stainless steel is the most promising candidate for longterm selection, as it presents high corrosion resistance with a relatively low price (4.86-5.14 e/kg) compared to Ni-alloys.

Jasmonic acid and the THO/TREX complex participate in phosphate starvation response

All plants are typically confronted to simultaneous biotic and abiotic stress throughout their life cycle. Low inorganic phosphate (Pi) is the most common nutrient deficiency limiting plant growth in natural and agricultural ecosystems while insect herbivory accounts for major losses in plant productivity and impacts on ecological and evolutionary changes in plant populations. Here we report that plants experiencing Pi deficiency induce the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway and enhance their defence against insect herbivory. The phol mutant is impaired in the translocation of Pi from roots to shoots and shows the typical symptoms associated with Pi deficiency, including high anthocyanin and poor shoot growth. These phol shoot phenotypes were significantly attenuated by blocking the JA biosynthesis or signalling pathways. Wounded phol leaves hyper-accumulated JA in comparison to wild type, leading to increased resistance against the generalist herbivore Spodoptera littoralis. Pi deficiency also triggered enhanced resistance to herbivory in wild-type Arabidopsis as well as tomato and tobacco, revealing that the link between Pi deficiency and JA-mediated herbivory resistance is conserved in a diversity of plants, including crops. We performed a phol suppressor screen to identify new components involved in the adaptation of plants to Pi deficiency. We report that the THO RNA TRANSCRIPTION AND EXPORT (THO/TREX) complex is a crucial component involved in modulating the Pi- deficiency response. Knockout mutants of at least three members of the THO/TREX complex, including TEX1, HPR1, and TH06, can suppress the phol shoot phenotype. Grafting experiments showed that loss of function of TEX1 only in the root was sufficient to suppress the reduced shoot growth phenotype of phol while maintaining low Pi contents. This indicates that TEX1 is involved in a long distance root-to-shoot signalling component of the Pi-deficiency response. We identified a small MYB-like transcription factor, RAD LIKE 3 (RL3), as a potential downstream target of the THO/TREX complex. RL3 expression is induced in phol mutants but attenuated in phol-7 texl-4 double mutants. Identical to knockout mutants of the THO/TREX complex, rl3 mutants can suppress the phol shoot phenotypes. Interestingly, RL3 is induced during Pi deficiency and is described in the literature as likely being mobile. It is therefore a promising new candidate involved in the root-to-shoot Pi-deficiency signalling response. Finally, we report that PHOl and its homologue PH01:H3 are involved in the co-regulation of Pi and zinc (Zn) homeostasis. PH01;H3 is up-regulated in response to Zn deficiency and, like PHOl, is expressed in the root vascular cylinder and localizes to the Golgi when expressed transiently in tobacco cells. The phol;h3 mutant accumulates more Pi as compared to wild-type when grown in Zn-deficient medium, but this increase is abolished in the phol phol;h3 double mutant. These results suggest that PH01;H3 restricts the PHOl-mediated root-to-shoot Pi transfer in responsé to Zn deficiency. Résumé Au cours de leur cycle de vie, toutes les plantes sont généralement confrontées à divers stress biotiques et abiotiques. La carence nutritionnelle la plus fréquente, limitant la croissance des plantes dans les écosystèmes naturels et agricoles, est la faible teneur en phosphate inorganique (Pi). Au niveau des stress biotiques, les insectes herbivores sont responsables de pertes majeures de rendement et ont un impact considérable sur les changements écologiques et évolutifs dans les populations des plantes. Au cours de ce travail, nous avons mis en évidence que les plantes en situation de carence en Pi induisent la voie de l'acide jasmonique (JA) et augmentent leur défense contre les insectes herbivores. Le mutant phol est déficient dans le transport du phosphate des racines aux feuilles et démontre les symptômes typiques associés à la carence, tels que la forte concentration en anthocyane et une faible croissance foliaire. Ces phénotypes du mutant phol sont significativement atténués lors d'un blocage de la voie de la biosynthèse ou des voies de signalisation du JA. La blessure des feuilles induit une hyper-accumulation de JA chez phol, résultant en une augmentation de la résistance contre l'herbivore généraliste Spodoptera littoralis. Outre Arabidopsis, la carence en Pi induit une résistance accrue aux insectes herbivores aussi chez la tomate et le tabac. Cette découverte révèle que le lien entre la carence en Pi et la résistance aux insectes herbivores via le JA est conservé dans différentes espèces végétales, y compris les plantes de grandes cultures. Nous avons effectué un crible du suppresseur de phol afin d'identifier de nouveaux acteurs impliqués dans l'adaptation de la plante à la carence en Pi. Nous rapportons que le complexe nommé THO RNA TRANSCRIPTION AND EXPORT (THO/TREX) est un élément crucial participant à la réponse des feuilles à la carence en Pi. Les mutations d'au moins trois des membres que composent le complexe THO/TREX, incluant TEX1, HPR1 et 77/06, peuvent supprimer le phénotype de phol. Des expériences de greffes ont montré que la perte de fonction de TEX1, seulement dans la racine, est suffisante pour supprimer le phénotype de la croissance réduite des parties aériennes observé chez le mutant phol, tout en maintenant de faibles teneurs en Pi foliaire. Ceci indique que TEX1 est impliqué dans la signalisation longue distance entre les racines et les parties aériennes. Nous avons identifié un petit facteur de transcription proche de la famille des MYB, RAD LIKE 3 (RL3), comme une cible potentielle en aval du complexe THO / TREX. L'expression du gène RL3 est induite dans le mutant phol mais atténuée dans le double mutant phol-7 texl-4. Exactement comme les plantes mutées d'un des membres du complexe THO/TREX, le mutant rl3 peut supprimer le phénotype foliaire de phol. RL3 est induit au cours d'une carence en Pi et est décrit dans la littérature comme étant potentiellement mobile. Par conséquent, il serait un nouveau candidat potentiellement impliqué dans la réponse longue distance entre les racines et les parties aériennes lors d'un déficit en Pi. Enfin, nous reportons que PHOl et son homologue PHOl: H3 sont impliqués dans la co- régulation de l'homéostasie du Pi et du zinc (Zn). PHOl; H3 est sur-exprimé en réponse au déficit en Zn et, comme PHOl, est exprimé dans les tissus vasculaires des racines et se localise dans l'appareil de Golgi lorsqu'il est exprimé de manière transitoire dans des cellules de tabac. Le mutant phol; h3 accumule plus de Pi par rapport aux plantes sauvages lorsqu'il est cultivé sur un milieu déficient en Zn, mais cette augmentation en Pi est abolie dans le double mutant phol phol; h3. Ces résultats suggèrent qu'en réponse à une carence en Zn, PHOl; H3 limite l'action de PHOl et diminue le transfert du Pi des racines aux parties aériennes.

Pots&Plants Aplicació de Realitat Augmentada

Joc de Realitat Augmentada on l’usuari haurà de complir petits reptes interactuant amb els elements virtuals de l’escena. Aquests elements es presentaran fent us de marcadors. El projecte és un joc on l’usuari ha de cuidar unes plantes. Per a poder fer aquesta feina el jugador realitzarà 3 tipus de reptes. Aquests reptes són petits jocs, és a dir, que hi ha tres tipus de “mini-jocs” dintre de la Aplicació. Degut a que cada jugador té preferències diferents, aquesta divisió́ de jocs permet accedir a un major nombre d’usuaris. Pel seu desenvolupament s'ha fet un recull d’informació i evolució històrica de la Realitat Augmentada. S'han agafant referents de jocs similars en el mercat: PC, Apps i videoconsoles com a base d’inspiració per a la creació de la historia del joc. I finalment una recollida de requeriments tècnics per al desenvolupament tecnològic a nivell de programació i disseny. Amb tota aquesta informació i tenint com a medis de desenvolupament Blender, Unity + Vuforia s'ha complert la implementació del joc.