54 research outputs found
Exochaenium natalense Kissling & K. W. Grieve
No full text<i>Exochaenium natalense</i> (Schinz) Kissling & K.W.Grieve, <i> <i>combinatio nova</i>.</i> <p> <i>Basionym</i>:— <i>Belmontia natalensis</i> Schinz (1894: 220).</p> <p> <i>Homotypic synonyms</i>:— <i>Exochaenium grande</i> var. <i>homostylum</i> Hill (1908: 338).</p> <p> <i>Sebaea natalensis</i> (Schinz) Schinz (1906:782), <i>nom. illeg.</i> [non <i>Sebaea natalensis</i> Schinz (1896:442)].</p> <p> Type:— SOUTHAFRICA. KwaZulu-Natal, Clairmont, 5 Aug. 1893, <i>Schlechter 3060</i> (Lectotype Z [Z000070706]!, <i>hic designatus</i>; isolectotype Z [Z000070705]!).</p> <p> <b>Nomenclatural notes:</b> —There are two sheets of <i>Schlechter 3060</i> at Herb. Z. One [Z000070706] contains five stems each with a single flower, whereas the other [Z000070705] contains a single stem from which the flower is removed and stored in a pocket. These two specimens should be considered as duplicates and thus a lectotype needed to be chosen, in accordance with the <i>International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants</i> Arts 8.2 and 8.3 (Turland <i>et al.</i> 2018). The first author (JK) has studied the type material in detail and confirmed that both sheets represent the same taxon. The sheet with five stems contains more and better material and is consequently chosen here as lectotype.</p> <p> When Schinz transferred <i>Belmontia natalensis</i> to the genus <i>Sebaea</i> in 1906, he clearly forgot that he had already described a different and currently still accepted species, as <i>Sebaea natalensis</i> in 1896. Thus, should <i>Exochaenium natalense</i> ever be transferred to the genus <i>Sebaea</i>, it will need a new name.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis:</b> —This species is morphologically closely allied to <i>Exochaenium grande</i> (E.Mey.) Griseb., but is markedly different in terms of its much smaller flower size of <i>c.</i> 0.8–1.5 cm diameter (<i>vs c.</i> 3.0– 4.5 cm for <i>E. grande</i>) and the arrangement of the reproductive organs, with anthers positioned at the same level as the stigma (<i>vs</i> distyly in <i>E. grande</i>), possibly indicating differences in pollination strategies. The species can also be differentiated on the basis of their ecological preferences.</p> <p> <b>Description:</b> —Annual, erect herbs, 15–20 cm tall. <i>Stems</i> simple, rarely branched from base, sometimes branched above, 4-ridged. <i>Leaves</i> sessile, opposite, 7–20 mm long, 3–6 mm broad, lanceolate, acute at apex, base narrowed, margin entire, basal leaves sometimes reduced. <i>Inflorescence</i> corymbose, lax, single to several flowered. <i>Calyx</i> of 4 or 5 free sepals, each 7–16 mm long, 3–5 mm broad, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, with conspicuous keel-wing, 2–3 mm broad at semi-cordate base, hyaline, presence of colleters on inside base. <i>Corolla</i> pure white; tube 9.0– 14.5 mm long, infundibuliform; corolla lobes suborbicular, 5.0– 8.5 mm long, 4–5 mm broad, margins entire, apex acuminate. <i>Stamens</i> inserted ± half way up tube, at same level as stigma. <i>Filaments</i> 6.0– 9.5 mm long; <i>anthers</i>, <i>c.</i> 1–2 mm long, each with apical and 2 tiny stipitate basal glands. <i>Ovary</i> ovoid, <i>c.</i> 2–6 × 2–4 mm, bilocular, placentation axile, ovules numerous. <i>Style</i> and <i>stigma</i> 4–18 mm long, filiform. <i>Stigma</i> slightly clavate, papillose. <i>Fruit</i> and <i>seed</i> not seen.</p> <p> <b>Iconography:</b> — Hill (1908: 317, plate G). See also drawing accompanying plate K000195293 (<i>J.M.Wood 541</i>) from Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.</p> <p> <b>Distribution:</b> —This species occurs along a section of the eastern coastal region of South Africa. It is found mainly in the Port Edward district, on the border between the Eastern Cape and southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The range extends northwards to Port Shepstone (Oribi Flats) and uMzinto districts in KwaZulu-Natal. There are historical records from the greater eThekwini [Durban] area and Zululand, localities that have been transformed by urban development and agriculture. The species has been observed by the second and third authors along the eastern seaboard of the Eastern Cape, known as the Pondoland coast, between Port St Johns and the Umtamvuna River, although no specimens have been collected from this region as yet.</p> <p> <b>Ecology and habitat:</b> — The species inhabits the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biome, in particular Pondoland-Ugu Coastal Sourveld (CB4) and KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Belt Sandstone Sourveld (CB3) (Mucina & Rutherford 2006). These vegetation types are characterised by undulating coastal plains, species-rich grasslands, rocky outcrops and forested gullies, at elevations up to 600 m. The area receives mostly summer rainfall with some rain in winter.</p> <p> <i>Exochaenium natalense</i> and <i>E. grande</i> occur sympatrically although the latter has a much wider distribution. The two species also have different ecological preferences—whereas <i>E. grande</i> is usually found in well drained grassland, <i>E. natalense</i> is always found in seasonally wet to moist grassland (sometimes even in water).</p> <p> <b>Etymology:</b> —This taxon was named by Schinz (1894), after its geographical origin, previously named Natal and now KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa.</p> <p> <b>Conservation status:</b> —This species has a restricted distribution and is endemic to the southwestern region of KwaZulu-Natal. A small part of the region is statutorily conserved and the rest is transformed by agriculture and subsistence farming, infrastructure development and urban sprawl and for these reasons, the area is regarded as being of conservation concern (Mucina & Rutherford 2006). <i>Exochaenium natalense</i> is a habitat specialist and is fairly uncommon within this region of <i>c.</i> 1230 km 2. Because the extent of occurrence of the species is estimated to be less than 5000 km 2, based on historical collections and the authors’ observations, and because populations seem to be fragmented, and population decline is projected due to habitat loss and degradation, it is suggested that this species should be regarded as Endangered: B1ab(i–iv).</p> <p> <b>Representative specimens examined:</b> — SOUTH AFRICA. KwaZulu-Natal: Eisdumbeni, 1800 ft., <i>J.M.Wood 133</i> (K [K000195293], NH [NH0004093 -0]); [Durban] “ Bei Port Natal ”, 28 Mar. 1832, <i>J.F.Drège s.n.</i> (P [P00560847]); [Durban] Fields Hill, 358m,n.d., <i>H.Evans 190</i> (NH); Inanda,[Durban district],[252m], <i>J.M.Wood 541</i> (K [K000195293], NH [NH0002056-0]); Izinqoleni district: Kwazamane, 394 m, 21 Mar. 2019, <i>K.W.Grieve 2841</i> (PRE); Margate, [114 m], 4 Feb. 1987, <i>H.B.Nicholson 2561</i> (PCE [PCE0005454]); Mvoti kloof, Canema estate, 7 Oaks, [2930BA], 20 Jan. 1990, <i>A.Abbott 4999</i> (PCE [PCE0005472], NH); Oribi, [432 m], Apr.1937, <i>A.McClean 442</i> (NH); Paddock district, Oribi Flats, Whistling Pine Farm, 482 m, 25 Jan. 2017, <i>K.W.Grieve 2295</i> (PCE [PCE0014180]); Port Edward, Red Desert Nature Reserve coastal section, 10 m, 8 Dec. 2015, <i>K.W.Grieve 1886</i> (NU [NU0088250]); Port Edward, Red Desert Nature Reserve coastal section, 17 m, 23 Feb. 2017, <i>K.W.Grieve 2322</i> (PCE [PCE0014181]); Port Edward, Red Desert Nature Reserve coastal section, 24 m, 6 Jan. 2022, <i>K.W.Grieve 3078</i> (NH); Port Edward, Izingolweni roadside, [3130AA], 2 Jan. 1965, <i>O.M.Hilliard 3038</i> (NU [NU0092021]); Port Edward, Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, [350 m], 14 Apr. 1982, <i>H.B.Nicholson 2248</i> (PCE [PCE0005455]); Port Edward, Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, Clearwater, [350 m], 3 Mar. 1983, <i>A.Abbott 880</i> (PCE [PCE0005451]); Port Edward, Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, [350 m], 13 Mar. 1984, <i>A.Abbott 1827</i> (NH, PCE [PCE0005450]); Port Edward, Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, Office [Beacon Hill], [350 m], 12 Feb. 1986, <i>A.Abbott 2982a</i> (NH, PCE [PCE0005449]); Port Edward, Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, [350 m], 31 Mar. 1995, <i>A.Abbott 6740</i> (NH); Port Edward, Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, Beacon Hill, [350 m], 2 Mar. 1997, <i>C.J.Potgieter s.n.</i> (NU [NU0092023]); Port Edward, Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, western heights, 365 m, 9 Feb. 2017, <i>K.W.Grieve 2306</i> (PCE [PCE0014179]); uMzinto district, Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, 449 m, 7 Feb. 2019, <i>K.W.Grieve 2801</i> (PCE [PCE0013839]); Uvongo sandflats, [19 m], 19 Dec. 1965, <i>R.Strey 6181</i> (NH); Zululand, Hlabisa district, Lake St Lucia, east shore [2832AB], 5–10 m, 30 Apr. 1974, <i>R.H.Taylor 175</i> (NU [NU0092020]); Zululand, Lake Nhlabane, 5 Jan. 1992, <i>C.J.Ward & A.Rajh 11674</i> (UDW [UDW13406]); Zululand, “ N’goya ” [oNgoye, 2831DD], 1000–2000 ft., 18 Mar. 1904, <i>J.M.Wood 9322</i> (K [K000195292]).</p>Published as part of <i>Kissling, Jonathan, Grieve, Kate W., Grieve, Graham & Bytebier, Benny, 2023, Exochaenium natalense (Gentianaceae), a reinstated taxon endemic to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, pp. 117-122 in Phytotaxa 619 (1)</i> on pages 120-121, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.619.1.8, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/8425836">http://zenodo.org/record/8425836</a>
A Simple Cell-Based Assay for the Detection of Surface Protein Shedding by Rhomboid Proteases
No full textRhomboids are intramembrane serine proteases that cleave their substrates within or immediately adjacent to their transmembrane domains, a process known as regulated intramembrane proteolysis. In eukaryotes, two main types of rhomboid proteases can be distinguished based on their subcellular localization: mitochondrial rhomboids and secretase-type rhomboids that target the secretory pathway. The latter class can cleave and release the extracellular domain of all epidermal growth factor-like proteins in Drosophila and can liberate epidermal growth factor (EGF) in mammals, in a process known as ectodomain shedding. These released EGFs can then activate the EGF receptor (EGFR). EGFR signaling is crucial for mammalian development and is often deregulated in human cancer. Here we describe a cell-based protocol for detecting the ability of rhomboid proteases to release EGFR ligands into the medium. First, cells are transfected with the corresponding protease- and substrate-expressing vectors; second, cells condition the medium and accumulate shed protein. After this, protein lysates from cells and media are prepared and Western blotting is performed to detect the EGFR ligands that have been released into the medium.</p
Author response: Phosphorylation of iRhom2 at the plasma membrane controls mammalian TACE-dependent inflammatory and growth factor signalling
No full textProteolytic cleavage and release from the cell surface of membrane-tethered ligands is an important mechanism of regulating intercellular signalling. TACE is a major shedding protease, responsible for the liberation of the inflammatory cytokine TNFα and ligands of the epidermal growth factor receptor. iRhoms, catalytically inactive members of the rhomboid-like superfamily, have been shown to control the ER-to-Golgi transport and maturation of TACE. Here, we reveal that iRhom2 remains associated with TACE throughout the secretory pathway, and is stabilised at the cell surface by this interaction. At the plasma membrane, ERK1/2-mediated phosphorylation and 14-3-3 protein binding of the cytoplasmic amino-terminus of iRhom2 alter its interaction with mature TACE, thereby licensing its proteolytic activity. We show that this molecular mechanism is responsible for triggering inflammatory responses in primary mouse macrophages. Overall, iRhom2 binds to TACE throughout its lifecycle, implying that iRhom2 is a primary regulator of stimulated cytokine and growth factor signalling
FRMD8 promotes inflammatory and growth factor signalling by stabilising the iRhom/ADAM17 sheddase complex
No full textMany intercellular signals are synthesised as transmembrane precursors that are released by proteolytic cleavage ('shedding') from the cell surface. ADAM17, a membrane-tethered metalloprotease, is the primary shedding enzyme responsible for the release of the inflammatory cytokine TNFα and several EGF receptor ligands. ADAM17 exists in complex with the rhomboid-like iRhom proteins, which act as cofactors that regulate ADAM17 substrate shedding. Here we report that the poorly characterised FERM domain-containing protein FRMD8 is a new component of iRhom2/ADAM17 sheddase complex. FRMD8 binds to the cytoplasmic N-terminus of iRhoms and is necessary to stabilise the iRhoms and ADAM17 at the cell surface. In the absence of FRMD8, iRhom2 and ADAM17 are degraded via the endolysosomal pathway, resulting in the reduction of ADAM17-mediated shedding. We have confirmed the pathophysiological significance of FRMD8 in iPSC-derived human macrophages and mouse tissues, thus demonstrating its role in the regulated release of multiple cytokine and growth factor signals
Inclusion of pupils perceived as experiencing social and emotional behavioural difficulties (SEBD) : affordances and constraints
No full textThis paper takes as its principal theme barriers to the inclusion of pupils perceived as experiencing social and emotional behavioural difficulties (SEBD) and how these might be overcome. It draws upon an evaluative case study of an initiative, devised by the author, to support pupils - the Support Group Initiative (SGI) - which was conducted over a five-year period in a Scottish Secondary School situated in an area of multiple deprivation. The central focus of the discussion is the range of variables that impacted upon pupil outcomes, illustrating the ways in which these variables acted as affordances or constraints in the pursuit of inclusive practice. The paper takes as its starting point the contested nature of inclusion and introduces, briefly, the Scottish policy context as it pertains to inclusion before exploring the nature of the problem - the barriers to the inclusion of and the difficulties presented by the inclusion of pupils perceived as having SEBD, as discussed in the literature. The findings of the study are discussed in relation to central themes - the ethos of the Support Group; the process of re-signification through which pupils are enabled to effect improvement; the classroom context; and wider variables relating to school policy, practice, ethos and the management of change. The paper concludes by exploring what inclusion has meant to the pupils involved within the intervention, summarising the affordances and constraints to its realisation, before reflecting upon the significance of the study
Neonatal ventilation with inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) versus ventilatory support without iNO for term and near term infants with severe respiratory failure: The INNOVO multicentre randomised controlled trial
No full textAttribution of Pollution Generation to Local Private and Public Demands in a Small Open Economy : Results from a SAM-Based Neo-Classical Linear Attribution System for Scotland
No full textFor the construction of environmental accounts, Input Output (IO) systems have a number of clear advantages. First IO is an internally consistency, rigorous accounting framework. Second, the characteristics of IO systems are well known. Third, IO systems focus on the link between intermediate and final demands, and can attribute the indirect, intermediate use of commodities to elements of final demand. However, there are concerns over the degree of appropriateness of the standard IO attribution approaches (McGregor et al, 2001a). If standard Type I output-pollution multiplier, especially in the case of a very open economy such as Scotland, responsibility for much pollution can be attributed to external sources of demand. Furthermore, when Type II output-pollution multipliers are utilised, local private consumption virtually disappears as a pollution source. This seems to be at variance with the common environmental approach, which would wish to place domestic consumption at the centre of pollution attribution
Modernism, antisemitism and Jewish identity in the writing and publishing of John Rodker
No full textThis thesis examines the relationship between the English Jewish writer and publisher John Rodker and the modernism of the Pound circle. Previous considerations of the antisemitism of Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot have either
ignored or cited in their defence their Jewish friends and acquaintances. This thesis shows that the modernist interest in the figure of `the Jew' took effect not only in
their poetry and social commentary but also in the social grouping which they formed in order to produce and circulate this writing. Rodker was both a necessary
figure to Pound's theory and practice of modernism, but one who had to be kept on the margins. This resulted in his being able to articulate certain aspects of his
experience as an assimilated Jew-loss, disconnection, feeling out of place place-while excluding any other possible aspects, including naming himself as Jewish.
Chapter 1 shows that Pound and Eliot's antisemitic statements and poetry functioned as part of the formation of the `men of 1914', and as a means of shocking their audience through a poetry of ugliness. Chapter 2 considers a printing error in Rodker's Ovid Press edition of Hugh Selwyn Mauberley (1920), and reads it as a sign of Pound's failure to carry out his social and poetic project, a failure which he blamed on Jews, but, because this failure was inevitable, part of the task for carrying the project out was assigned to Jews. Chapter 3 reads Rodker's volume
of poetry Hymns (1920), and traces how his marginal position within modernism resulted in a poetry which did not directly address Jewish issues, but was affected
by his Jewish social position. Chapter 4 considers Rodker and two other Jewish writers, Carl Rakosi and Louis Zukofsky, who Pound published in The Exile (1927-
28), showing that Pound's interest in these writers was combined with an unease with them that played out in editorial decisions and means of framing their work.
Chapter 5 examines Rodker's Memoirs of Other Fronts (1932). His selfdescriptions of himself as a foreigner are shown to be still influenced by the Pound circle's ideas of Jews, but also reworked through his increasing interest in
psychoanalysis
Off the leash : understanding the dynamics of capital mobility in IPE
No full textIn this paper I seek to extend much of the writing on capital mobility to be found in the IPE literature by arguing that there are two distinct types of mobility which need to be treated as analytically separable. The tendency in IPE is to think only in terms of ‘international’ capital mobility, which immediately creates the impression that for capital to be mobile it has to move from one country to another. This image conforms to what I call the spatial mobility of capital. However, capital should also be thought of as mobile in those instances in which it is deliberately reinvested in an alternative financial instrument. This is what I call the functional mobility of capital. Recent increases in capital mobility are linked to the institutionalisation of rentier interests within the financial economy, with subsequent implications for the distribution of life chances globally. In order to gain a full understanding of these implications it is necessary to be working with a perspective that recognises the dynamics of both the spatial and the functional mobility of capital
The safety and effectiveness of different methods of ear wax removal: a systematic review and economic evaluation
No full textEar wax (cerumen) is a natural secretion produced to protect the inner ear from dirt and other fragments by moving these particles towards the outer ear. If this process does not happen properly, wax may build up causing blockage in the ear canal and the possibility of impaction. People with a build up of ear wax may suffer from hearing loss, discomfort and, on occasions, infection. It may present problems in assessing hearing, blocking the view of the ear drum during medical examination and interfering with the fitting or function of hearing aids. Although it is thought to affect between 2% and 6% of the population in the England and Wales, some groups may be at a higher risk, such as those using hearing aids or with small ear canals and/or skin conditions. Recurrence is thought to be high among some of these groups. The consequences of the build up of ear wax in the ear canal are thought to be a common reason for consultation and cost in general practice with over 2 million consultations per year in the NHS.Methods of removal of ear wax include drops, flushing with water in general practice, and removal with suction or probes in specialist clinics. The relative safety and benefits of these different methods of removal remains uncertain. This research will systematically review published and unpublished evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of different methods for the removal of ear wax. Where appropriate, it will develop an economic model using data from this systematic review and other relevant sources to estimate the relative costs and benefits of different methods. In addition, the project will provide recommendations for future research to try to help answer any remaining areas of uncertainty
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