33 research outputs found
Zamites pateri J. KVACEK 2022, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Zamites pateri</i> J.KVAČEK sp. nov. <p>Text-figs 1, 2</p> <p>H o l o t y p e. NM-F 5185, Text-figs 1, 2.</p> <p>P l a n t F o s s i l N a m e s R e g i s t r y N u m b e r.</p> <p>PFN003021.</p> <p>E t y m o l o g y. The species name is derived from pater, meaning father in Latin. It is devoted to my father and teacher Professor Zlatko Kvaček.</p> <p>T y p e l o c a l i t y. Pecínov quarry, 50 km west of Prague, the Czech Republic.</p> <p>T y p e h o r i z o n. Peruc-Korycany Formation.</p> <p>A g e. Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous.</p> <p>D i a g n o s i s. Leaf simply pinnate, pinnae linear to narrowly lanceolate, entire-margined. Base of pinna slightly contracted, apex unknown. Veins 2–3 per mm, simple or rarely dichotomising. Leaf hypostomatic. Adaxial cuticle very thin, bearing polygonal cells with tightly sinuous anticlinal walls. Mesophyll present, consisting of isodiametric cells. Abaxial cuticle thick, showing distinct marginal band bearing tetragonal ordinary cells. Inner part of leaf consists of costal ordinary cells forming zones typically narrower than intercostal zones, formed by 4–5 rows of syndetocheilic stomata (sometimes ill-defined). Subsidiary cells large, ellipsoidal, thickly cutinised, bearing one or several papillae. Ordinary cells of intercostal zone polygonal in shape with roughly straight anticlinal walls. Ordinary cells of costal zones quadrangular in shape with sinuous anticlinal walls. Epidermal cells of both costal and intercostal zones bearing 3–5 papillae.</p> <p>D e s c r i p t i o n.The holotype corresponds to a fragment of a simply pinnate leaf (Text-fig. 1a). Leaves are attached to the upper part of the robust, longitudinally striated rachis, 7–9 mm broad. The holotype shows 5 incomplete pinnae arising from a common rachis. The pinnae are attached to the dorsal part of the rachis, where they seem to touch each other. Each pinna is linear to narrowly lanceolate, gradually widening from a contracted base to about 10 mm wide in the parallel-sided middle region (Text-fig. 1a). From the base, parallel, rarely dichotomising veins arise in density 2–3 per 1 mm (Text-fig. 1c).</p> <p>The adaxial cuticle is very thin and thus difficult to prepare. It consists of polygonal ordinary cells (25–30 × 30–55 µm). Their anticlinal walls are thin and tightly sinuous (Text-fig. 1e). It is devoid of papillae. The tissue between the adaxial and abaxial cuticle is probably mesophyll, consisting of isodiametric cells (30–40 × 40–50 µm; Text-fig. 1f). The abaxial cuticle shows costal and intercostal zones. The costal zones are narrower than the intercostal ones, typically 75–90 µm wide (Text-fig. 1b, d). They consist of basically quadrangular ordinary epidermal cells (25–38 × 50–125 µm) with sinuous anticlinal walls (Text-fig. 2a, e). Intercostal zones are 220–300 µm wide with syndetocheilic stomata (Textfig. 2b–d). Stomata are oriented perpendicularly to the leaf margin, typically arranged in 3–4 ill-defined rows (Text-figs 1b, 2a). Externally, they are sunken in pits, surrounded by 2–5 papillae (Text-fig. 2f). Their subsidiary cells are 27–35 × 55– 66 µm. Ordinary epidermal cells are isodiametric to elongate (15–25 × 28–40 µm), with straight anticlinal walls (Text-fig. 2c). The external side of the cuticle shows numerous papillae, typically 4–5 per ordinary epidermal cell (Text-fig. 2i, h). They are so dense that they are sometimes fused, forming united groups (Text-fig. 2h).</p> <p> <b>two better-preserved ordinary cells, LM micro-photograph, scale bar 50 µm. f: Abaxial cuticle showing perpendicularly arranged stomata and papillae per ordinary cell, LM micrography, scale bar 50 µm. g: Detail of mesophyll tissue consisting of isodiametric cells, LM micrography, scale bar 50 µm.</b></p> <p> D i s c u s s i o n. <i>Zamites pateri</i> is reminiscent of <i>Zamites bayeri</i> J.KVAČEK, from the same Peruc-Korycany Formation in Praha Malá Chuchle (Knobloch and Kvaček 1997). They are similar in morphology of the pinnae. <i>Zamites pateri</i> differs from <i>Z. bayeri</i> in having pinnae attached to the dorsal part of the rachis. Further differences are in epidermal structures. Abaxial ordinary epidermal cells in the intercostal zones of the newly described species are nearly straight, bearing 3–5 papillae, whereas <i>Z. bayeri</i> shows ordinary cells more sinuously waved, bearing typically one, rarely several papillae per ordinary epidermal cell. Stomata of <i>Z. bayeri</i> in the marginal parts are occasionally oriented longitudinally to the leaf margin, whereas in <i>Z. pateri</i> they are always perpendicularly oriented (Tab. 1). Furthermore, <i>Z. bayeri</i> does not have preserved any mesophyll tissues. Additionally, <i>Z. bayeri</i> comes from calcareous substrates of Barrandian limestones, whereas <i>Z. pateri</i> comes from silicate substrates of Carboniferous clastic.</p> <p> Discussion about other similar impression material, including <i>Zamites bohemicus</i> VELEN. described from the Peruc-Korycany Formation by earlier authors was published in detail by Knobloch and Kvaček (1997), and therefore not discussed here.</p> <p> <i>Z. pateri</i> resembles some <i>Zamites</i> species described from the English Wealden by Watson and Sincock (1992). It particularly shares characters with <i>Z. dowellii</i> J.WATSON et SINCOCK, <i>Z. corderi</i> J.WATSON et SINCOCK and <i>Z. nicolae</i> J.WATSON et SINCOCK in having long and narrow pinnae. <i>Zaimets dowellii</i> is similar in possessing papillae on the abaxial cuticle, but differs from the present material in having stomata on the adaxial cuticle, thus being amphistomatic. Additionally, its abaxial cuticle shows stomata with clearly sinuous anticlinal walls. <i>Zamites corderi</i> differs from <i>Z. pateri</i> in lacking papillae on the abaxial side, while its cuticle shows ordinary epidermal cells with conical trichome bases and well-developed sinuous anticlinal walls. <i>Zamites nicolae</i> differs from <i>Z. pateri</i> in having abaxial ordinary cells with sinuous anticlinal walls, and with only one papilla per ordinary cell. <i>Zamites decurrens</i> C.A.MENÉNDEZ from the Early Cretaceous of Argentina (Menéndez 1966) resembles <i>Z. pateri</i> in cuticle, having stomata perpendicularly oriented, forming rows and belts. It differs from <i>Z. pateri</i> in having spatulate pinnae. Its adaxial cuticle is thicker, consisting of uniform elongated cells. Its abaxial cuticle shows less dense stomata, forming regular rows (Tab. 1).</p> <p> Other Early Cretaceous species of <i>Zamites</i> from the English Wealden show more profound differences from <i>Z. pateri</i>: <i>Z. carruthersii</i> SEWARD and <i>Z. manoniae</i> J.WATSON et SINCOCK differ in having narrowly to broadly oval pinnae with rounded bases and bluntly rounded apex; <i>Z. wendyellisae</i> J.WATSON et SINCOCK differs in having pinnae triangular in outline; <i>Z. notokenensis</i> J.WATSON et SINCOCK and <i>Z. tatianae</i> J.WATSON et SINCOCK differ in having smooth or tuberate but not papillate external side of abaxial cuticle (Watson and Sincock 1992). Further differential characters in epidermal micromorphology of the discussed species are shown in Table 1.</p>Published as part of <i>Kvaček, Jiří, 2022, New Species Of Zamites From The Cenomanian Of The Bohemian Cretaceous Basin, pp. 425-431 in Fossil Imprint 78 (2)</i> on pages 427-430, DOI: 10.37520/fi.2022.017, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/7522682">http://zenodo.org/record/7522682</a>
Genetic control of chemokines in severe human internal carotid artery stenosis
No full textBackground and purpose: Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease. Chemokines and chemokine receptors are known to be involved
in atherogenesis. Common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) affect transcription in response to inflammatory stimuli. The aim of
this study was to evaluate the correlations between MCP-1, RANTES, SDF-1, CCR2, and CCR5 gene polymorphisms with increased
risk of internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis. Methods: Hundred and twelve patients, consecutively recruited for ICA occlusive disease,
and 282 controls were genotyped for MCP-1-2518G, RANTES-403A, CCR5D32, CCR2 V64I, and SDF-1-801A polymorphisms.
Results: The frequency of the SDF-1A allele was significantly different between cases and controls: 0.32 vs. 0.20, respectively (OR
1.81; 95% CI 1.25–2.60; p = 0.007). The frequency of the RANTES-403G allele was significantly higher in patients with stenosis
>70% (OR, 2.45; 95% CI 1.12–5.71; p = 0.015). No significant differences were observed with the other polymorphisms. Conclusion:
The reported results seem to correlate the polymorphisms of the genes encoding for SDF-1, RANTES with pathogenesis and progression
of ICA occlusive disease. Although suggestive, these results need confirmation in prospective cross-sectional studies
A new storage medium containing amphotericin B versus Optisol-GS for preservation of human donor corneas
No full textBackground/Aim: We compared the quality of human donor corneas stored in a cold storage medium containing 2.5 μg/ml of amphotericin B (Kerasave, AL.CHI.MI.A. S.R.L., Ponte San Nicolò, Italy) and Optisol-GS (Bausch & Lomb Inc., Bridgewater, NJ, USA) for 14 days. Methods: Sixteen pairs of human donor corneas were collected in Eusol-C (AL.CHI.MI.A. S.R.L., Ponte San Nicolò, Italy). Next, all tissues underwent the first evaluation that included the assessments of central corneal thickness (CCT), endothelial cell density (ECD) measured using both trypan blue staining and specular microscopy, endothelial cell (EC) mortality and morphology, and corneal transparency within 24 hours from recovery (Day 1). Afterwards, one cornea of each pair was transferred into Kerasave or Optisol-GS. ECD and CCT were also assessed at Day 7, and all the metrics were evaluated again at the end of the storage period (Day 14). Results: At all tested time points, no differences were found in the qualitative (corneal transparency, EC morphology) and quantitative metrics (ECD, CCT, EC mortality) between the Kerasave and the Optisol-GS storage groups. At Day 14, the corneas stored in Kerasave and Optisol-GS showed ECD of 2312±98 and 2335±128 cells/mm2 (p=0.886), CCT of 717±17 and 697±19 μm (p=0.454) and central EC mortality of 0.54%±0.40% and 0.14%±0.14% (p=0.719), respectively. Conclusions: The new amphotericin B-containing medium Kerasave was comparable to Optisol-GS in terms of preservation of corneal characteristics at 2-8°C for 14 days
Polimorfismo di ossido nitrico sintasi endoteliale (ENOS) come fattore di rischio per la disfunzione erettile di eziologia vascolare.
No full text
Properties Of Low Temperature Indium-Based Ternary Lead Free Solders System [TS610. S165 2008 f rb].
No full textPendekatan sistem pateri ternari digunakan untuk membangunkan pateri bebas plumbum bersuhu lebur rendah.
The ternary solder system approach is used to develop low melting lead free solders
