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Wisteria japonica Siebold & Zucc. is described and illustrated. The history of its introduction from Japan to Europe is discussed along with its complicated taxonomy, nomenclature and synonymy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Magical charm plants to ensure good luck in hunting, fishing, agriculture, love and warfare are known among many Amerindians groups in the Guianas. Documented by anthropologists as social and political markers and exchangeable commodities, these charms have received little attention by ethnobotanists, as they are surrounded by secrecy and are difficult to identify. We compared the use of charm species among indigenous groups in the Guianas to see whether similarity in charm species was related to geographical or cultural proximity. We hypothesized that cultivated plants were more widely shared than wild ones and that charms with underground bulbs were more widely used than those without such organs, as vegetatively propagated plants would facilitate transfer of charm knowledge. Methods: We compiled a list of charm plants from recent fieldwork and supplemented these with information from herbarium collections, historic and recent literature among 11 ethnic groups in the Guianas. To assess similarity in plant use among these groups, we performed a Detrended Component Analysis (DCA) on species level. To see whether cultivated plants or vegetatively propagated species were more widely shared among ethnic groups than wild species or plants without rhizomes, tubers or stem-rooting capacity, we used an independent sample t-test. Results: We recorded 366 charms, representing 145 species. The majority were hunting charms, wild plants, propagated via underground bulbs and grown in villages. Our data suggest that similarity in charm species is associated with geographical proximity and not cultural relatedness. The most widely shared species, used by all Amerindian groups, is Caladium bicolor. The tubers of this plant facilitate easy transport and its natural variability allows for associations with a diversity of game animals. Human selection on shape, size and color of plants through clonal reproduction has ensured the continuity of morphological traits and their correlation with animal features. Conclusions: Charm plants serve as vehicles for traditional knowledge on animal behavior, tribal warfare and other aspects of oral history and should therefore deserve more scientific and societal attention, especially because there are indications that traditional knowledge on charms is disappearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New, wide-range reference equations for the thermal conductivity of cyclopentane, iso-pentane, and n-pentane are presented. The equations are based in part upon a body of experimental data that has been critically assessed for internal consistency and for agreement with theory whenever possible. In the case of the dilute-gas thermal conductivity, a theoretically based correlation was adopted in order to extend the temperature range of the experimental data. In the critical region, the enhancement of the thermal conductivity is well represented by theoretically based equations containing just one adjustable parameter, estimated by a predictive scheme. The thermal-conductivity equations behave in a physically reasonable manner over a wide range of conditions that correspond to the range of validity of the most accurate equations of state for each fluid. The estimated uncertainties of the correlations are dependent on the availability of accurate experimental data for validation, and are different for each fluid, varying from 1% (at the 95% confidence level) for the liquid phase of iso-pentane over the temperature range 307 K < T < 355 K at pressures up to 400 MPa (where high-accuracy data are available) to a more typical 4% for the liquid phase of cyclopentane over the temperature range 218 K < T < 240 K at pressures to 250 MPa. Estimated uncertainties in the gas phase are typically on the order of 3%-5%. For all three fluids, uncertainties in the critical region are much larger, since the thermal conductivity approaches infinity at the critical point and is very sensitive to small changes in density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article summarizes the correlation procedures developed for IUPAC Project 2012-040-1-100 [Reference correlations for the thermal conductivity and viscosity of fluids over extended range of conditions (vapor, liquid and supercritical regions)]. This project is focused on the development of wide-range reference correlations for the thermal conductivity and viscosity of fluids that incorporate as much theoretical knowledge of these properties as possible. The thermal conductivity and viscosity correlations developed here for pure fluids are functions of temperature and density. The best available equations of state for a given fluid are used to calculate the thermodynamic properties required for these correlations, often from measured temperatures and pressures. The correlation methodology developed during this project has been applied to hexane in this report but can be applied to any pure fluid with a reliable equation of state and reliable data for the thermal conductivity and viscosity over a significant range of temperatures and densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to use a historical series of exsiccates as a documentary source, aiming to retrieving information on species of Urticaceae Juss. The study approached the collections of exsiccates belonging to herbaria of the Royal Botanic Gardens (K), Kew, England; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (P), Paris, France; and New York Botanical Garden (NY), New York, USA, also printed sources and manuscripts. We analyzed more than 2800 exsiccates, comprising the period between 1783 and 2003. From the information labels of the exsiccates, it was possible to obtain the use and common name of the Urticaceae species. A total of thirteen species with register of use were find in the labels, six genera of Urticaceae: five species of Pourouma Aubl., three of Cecropia Loefl., two of Urera Gaudich., one of Boehmeria Jacq., one of Coussapoa Aubl., one of Laportea Gaudich. Five categories of usage were identify: (1) animal feeding; (2) human feeding; (3) medicinal; (4) fiber and (5) fuel. The analysis of the labels registers pointed to be efficient to raise information related to Urticaceae species, and combined to the research of printed sources and manuscripts provide more details to the data. Furthermore, adding information to the review of the collections history in Brazil. It is necessary to establish initiatives which facilitate the access to documents associated to exsiccates, like the manuscripts of collectors, for continuing the advances in the retrieval of knowledge registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contains new, representative reference equations for the thermal conductivity of o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene, and ethylbenzene. The equations are based in part upon abody of experimental data that has been critically assessed for internal consistency and for agreement with theory whenever possible. In the case of the dilute-gas thermal conductivity, a theoretically based correlation was adopted in order to extend the temperature range of the experimental data. Moreover, in the critical region, the experimentally observed enhancement of the thermal conductivity is well represented by theoretically based equations containing just one adjustable parameter. All four correlations are applicable for the temperature range from the triple point of each fluid to 700 K, and an upper pressure limit determined by the maximum density limit for the equation of state used to provide density. At the upper temperature limit of 700 K, the maximum pressure was 200 MPa for m-xylene and p-xylene, but 60 and 70 MPa for ethylbenzene and o-xylene, respectively. At lower temperatures, the maximum pressure is lower. The overall uncertainty (at the 95% confidence level) of the correlations of the thermal conductivity of o-, m-, p-xylene, and ethylbenzene, over their range of applicability, varies for each fluid. For o-xylene, we estimate the uncertainty for liquid and supercritical densities for temperatures from the triple point to 400 K to be 2.6%, and 4% at higher temperatures, and in the dilute-gas region we estimate the uncertainty to be 2%. For m-xylene, the estimated uncertainty for liquid and supercritical densities at temperatures from the triple point to 375 K is 3.6%,and 5% at higher temperatures, and 6% for the dilute gas. For p-xylene, the estimated uncertainty for liquid and supercritical densities at temperatures from the triple point to 700 K is 3.6%, and 2.5% for the dilute gas. Finally, for ethylbenzene the estimated uncertainty for liquid and supercritical densities at temperatures from the triple point to 400 K is 2.8%, and 2.5% in the dilute-gas region. Uncertainties in the critical region for all four fluids are much larger, since the thermal conductivity approaches infinity at the critical point and is very sensitive to small changes in density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advancements in molecular techniques enable us to extract DNA from historic herbarium specimens and facilitate genetic comparisons between herbarium material and living plant collections. These recent advances offer an exciting opportunity for identifying extant Linnaean plants by genetic comparisons of Linnaeus's own herbarium specimens with potentially remnant plants from his cultivations. DNA from the lectotype of Malus baccata (L.) Borkh. in the Linnaean Herbarium was successfully extracted and amplified for five of twelve loci of microsatellites. Results of genetic comparisons with M. baccata trees from Linnaeus's Hammarby, Sweden, show that the trees at Hammarby are closely related to each other, but not to the lectotype, which is closer to material from Russia. This suggests that Linnaeus received M. baccata from more than one source. Although not close to the lectotype and not represented by a specimen in the Linnaean Herbarium, the extant M. baccata at Hammarby may still represent Linnaean plants, that were grown by Linnaeus himself, or the descendants to such plants. Future studies on the almost 50 living, potential Linnaean plants may reveal an invaluable biological, scientific and cultural heritage from the era that saw the rise of systematic biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a synopsis of the major trends of Siebold's life, his youth in the Rhineland and his lengthy employment as a physician and natural scientist in the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies. We follow his career on the cramped Japanese island of Dejima where he was based for 6 years. We reveal how, during two visits to Japan, Siebold became a renowned ethnographer, natural historian, author and entrepreneur and an unsuccessful diplomat. In this paper we attempt to provide an insight into Siebold's varied life in Bavaria, The Netherlands and Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of the name Wisteria japonica is discussed and an assessment is made of the availability of prospective original material from Siebold and Bürger's collections at Leiden (L) and Munich (M). The lectotype chosen in 1912 from among the Siebold collections at Leiden (L) is confirmed as such. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plants of Leguminosae, which comprises 731 genera, bear monocarpellary flowers. The fruit, known as a pod, generally contains a row of seeds, and the internal structure appears to be simple. In Leguminosae, the seeds are generally arranged longitudinally along the suture of the pod but, in a few genera, namely, Cassia, Indigofera, and Senna, they are arranged transversely. Transverse seed arrangement facilitates the accommodation of a considerable number of seeds and has been considered to be established by rotation of seeds during development. We studied the development both these patterns of seed arrangement, i.e., longitudinal and transverse, in Senna and Indigofera in order to elucidate the structural changes occurring in ovaries (or pods) and determine the forces responsible for rotation of ovules (or seeds) by dissecting ovaries and pods at different developmental stages. Our results showed that at an early developmental stage the ovules were obliquely oriented or transversely arranged; later, the direction of their growth was restricted by the ovary walls or neighboring ovules, and therefore the obliquely oriented ovules rotated inward or outward. Thus, it was clarified that the processes involved in the formation of the internal structure of pods are regulated in a complex manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhodococcus opacus PD630 was investigated for physiological and morphological changes under water stress challenge. Gluconate- and hexadecane-grown cells were extremely resistant to these conditions, and survival accounted for up to 300 and 400 days; respectively, when they were subjected to slow air-drying. Results of this study suggest that strain PD630 has specific mechanisms to withstand water stress. Water-stressed cells were sensitive to the application of ethanol, high temperatures and oxidative stress, whereas they exhibited cross-protection solely against osmotic stress during the first hours of application. Results indicate that the resistance programme for water stress in R. opacus PD630 includes the following physiological and morphological changes, among others: (1) energetic adjustments with drastic reduction of the metabolic activity (≈39% decrease during the first 24 h and about 90% after 190 days under dehydration), (2) endogenous metabolism using intracellular triacylglycerols for generating energy and precursors, (3) biosynthesis of different osmolytes such as trehalose, ectoine and hydroxyectoine, which may achieve a water balance through osmotic adjustment and may explain the overlap between water and osmotic stress, (4) adjustments of the cell-wall through the turnover of mycolic acid species, as preliminary experiments revealed no evident changes in the thickness of the cell envelope, (5) formation of short fragmenting-cells as probable resistance forms, (6) production of an extracellular slime covering the surface of colonies, which probably regulates internal and external changes in water potential, and (7) formation of compact masses of cells. This contributes to understanding the water stress resistance processes in the soil bacterium R. opacus PD630. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Millions of votive mummies of mammals, birds and reptiles were produced throughout ancient Egypt, with their popularity increasing during the reign of Amenhotep III (1400 bc) and thereafter. The scale of production has been taken to indicate that relatively little care and expense was involved in their preparation compared with human mummies. The accepted view is that animals were merely wrapped in coarse linen bandages and/or dipped in‘resin’before death. However, as with human mummification there was a range of qualities of treatments, and visual inspection of animal mummies suggests that the procedures used were often as complex as those used in humans (for example, evisceration and elaborate bandaging). Moreover, the ancient Egyptians treated animals with great respect, regarding them both as domestic pets and representatives of the gods; for example, the cat symbolized the goddess Bastet; the hawk, Horus; the ibis, Thoth, and so on. We report here the results of chemical investigations of tissues and wrappings from Pharaonic cat, hawk and ibis mummies using gas chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The analyses reveal the presence of highly complex mixtures of n-alkyl and cyclic biomarker components characteristic of fats, oils, beeswax, sugar gum, petroleum bitumen, and coniferous, Pistacia and possibly cedar resins. The mixture of balms is of comparable complexity to those used to mummify humans from the same period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradation of crude oil in subsurface petroleum reservoirs is an important alteration process with major economic consequences. Aerobic degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons at the surface is well documented and it has long been thought that the flow of oxygen- and nutrient-bearing meteoric waters into reservoirs was necessary for in-reservoir petroleum biodegradation. The occurrence of biodegraded oils in reservoirs where aerobic conditions are unlikely, together with the identification of several anaerobic microorganisms in oil fields and the discovery of anaerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation mechanisms, suggests that anaerobic degradation processes could also be responsible. The extent of anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation processes in the world's deep petroleum reservoirs, however, remains strongly contested. Moreover, no organism has yet been isolated that has been shown to degrade hydrocarbons under the conditions found in deep petroleum reservoirs. Here we report the isolation of metabolites indicative of anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation from a large fraction of 77 degraded oil samples from both marine and lacustrine sources from around the world, including the volumetrically important Canadian tar sands. Our results therefore suggest that anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation is a common process in biodegraded subsurface oil reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracts of the foliar apoplast of leaves of different ages of Luzula sylvatica (Huds.) Gaud. were prepared by vacuum infiltration and centrifugation. Measurements of pH and NH4+ concentration were performed on extracts. From these bioassay measurements the relative magnitude of NH3 compensation points for leaves of different ages were inferred. Young leaves were found to have much higher apoplast pH than old leaves, leading to the calculation of 4-10-fold higher NH NH3 compensation points. Such age-related differences in the NH3 compensation point are considerably larger than those previously reported. Apoplast pH and NH4+ concentration were found to increase during leaf expansion before declining prior to senescence. Bulk foliar tissue pH, NH and total N concentrations were also found to be generally higher in young leaves than in old leaves. Where a significant correlation was found, total foliar N, bulk tissue foliar NH4+ and the calculated NH3 compensation point were all found to increase with N supplied to roots, whilst apoplast and bulk tissue H+ concentrations were found to decline. The potential of bulk foliar tissue measurements to act as simple predictors of the NH3 compensation point is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new expression for the thermal conductivity of an N-component polyatomic gas mixture in the dilute-gas limit has been derived, based on the Thijsse approximation. The results are presented in terms of experimentally accessible quantities to allow for easier calculation of the thermal conductivity and easier interpretation of the experimentally available data. The resulting expression are much simpler than other formulae hitherto available. An additional new expression for the thermal conductivity of an N-component polyatomic gas mixture has been derived by replacing the effective cross-section by their spherical limits. These results are cast in a form which is analogous with, and no more complicated than, the corresponding expressions for purely monatomic mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of metabolism studies with acrylic acid (AA) have indicated that 60–80% of the administered dose is excreted as CO within 2–8 hr of oral dosing of rats; however, the pathway of AA metabolism to CO in mammals has not been determined. To define this route, rat hepatocytes were isolated and incubated with [1–C]AA in a sealed vial modified to trap evolved CO Rapid oxidation of AA to CO was observed. Similar incubations conducted with rat liver homogenates fortified with ATP, ADP, coenzyme A, carnitine, and malate also resulted in oxidation of AA. Mitochondria isolated from liver homogenates were incubated with AA under the same conditions and yielded higher rates of AA oxidation than homogenates. Addition of equimolar amounts of propionic acid, 3-hydroxypropionic acid, or 3-mer-captopropionic acid significantly inhibited the oxidation of AA by mitochondria. HPLC analysis of the mitochondrial incubation mixtures indicated that a single major metabolite, which coeluted with 3-hydroxypropionate, accumulated in the solution. The results indicate that AA is rapidly incorporated into a mitochondrial pathway for propionic acid catabolism that results in the release of CO and possible bioincorporation as acetate. This pathway appears to be the principal route of detoxification of AA in mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]