967 research outputs found
[To Flower Mission workers].
No full textCaption title. Author from last p.; Cover title: Flower Mission Department, W.W.C.T.U.; Ferguson, J.A. Australia, 18876; Electronic reproduction. Canberra, A.C.T. : National Library of Australia, 2010.Flower Mission Department, W.W.C.T.
Anti-Allergic Cromones Inhibit Histamine and Eicosanoid Release from Activated Human and Murine Mast Cells by Releasing Annexin A1
No full textPMCID: PMC3601088This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Modulation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by endogenous Annexin A1
No full textAbstract Background Autoimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis, are triggered by uncontrolled activation of cells of the immune system against self-antigen present, for instance, in the central nervous system. We have reported novel biological functions for Annexin A1, an effector of endogenous anti-inflammation, to produce positive actions on the adaptive immune system by reducing the threshold of T cell activation. In this study, we investigated the potential modulatory role of Annexin A1 in the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a model of multiple sclerosis. Methods Male control C57/BL6 and AnxA1 null mice were immunized subcutaneously with an emulsion consisting of 300 μg of MOG35-55 in PBS combined with an equal volume of CFA. Lymph node cells obtained from mice immunized with MOG33-55 for 14 days were re-stimulated in vitro with MOG33-55 (100 μg/ml) for 4 days and the Th1/Th17 cytokine profile measured by ELISA. Spinal cords were processed either to isolate the infiltrated T cells or fixed and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. Statistical analyses were performed using two-tailed, unpaired Student's t tests or ANOVA. Results Our results show a direct correlation between Annexin A1 expression and severity of EAE. Analysis of MOG35-55-induced EAE development in Annexin A1 null mice showed decreased signs of the disease compared to wild type mice. This defect was significant at the peak of the disease and accompanied by reduced infiltration of T cells in the spinal cord. Finally, analysis of the T cell recall response in vitro following stimulation with MOG35-55 showed a decrease proliferation of Annexin A1 null T cells, with a significantly reduced Th1/Th17 phenotype, compared to wild type cells. Conclusion Together these findings suggest that Annexin A1 null mice have an impaired capacity to develop EAE. Furthermore strategies aiming at reducing Annexin A1 functions or expression in T cells might represent a novel therapeutic approach for multiple sclerosis.</p
A portable hand-operated sampler for shallow-water surface sediments with special reference to epipelic communities
No full textA convenient, portable, hand-operated surface-sediment sampler for use in shallow water is described. Collection of replicable, undisturbed surface sediment samples from shallow-water locations is made simple. The sampler is highly portable for use at remote sites and can be operated by one person. It is especially useful for sampling in the 0.3–1.3 m water depth range where other samplers are often unsuccessful. This sampler consists of a PVC tube (about 33-cm length, 7.1-cm diameter) attached to a 1-m-long supporting rod. A lever system is used to close off the PVC core tube. In the open position, the core tube is inserted into the sediment to an optimal depth (typically 1-cm) so that a 1-cm disc of surface sediment is enclosed. This disc is then isolated by operating the lever and tube closure plate. The sampler and sediment sample (with an intact epipelon biofilm) are removed carefully so that most of the enclosed water drains away and the sample is retained intact. <br/
Lipocortin-1: Cellular mechanisms and clinical relevance
No full textLipocortin-1, a 37 kDa member of the annexin superfamily of proteins, originally evoked interest as one of the 'second messengers' of the antiinflammatory actions of the glucocorticoids. Subsequent research has shown that the protein plays a major regulatory role in systems as diverse as cell-growth regulation and differentiation, neutrophil migration, CNS responses to cytokines, neuroendocrine secretion and neurodegeneration. The role of lipocortin-1 in mediating glucocorticoid-induced effects in these systems has been demonstrated using immunoneutralization strategies and by mimicking steroid actions with highly purified or recombinant lipocortin-1 or its biologically active peptide fragments. Originally the mode of action of lipocortin-1 seemed to be largely through inhibition of prostaglandin formation, but it is now clear that it can modify other aspects of cell function, perhaps pointing to a more fundamental mechanism than was originally envisaged. In this article Rod Flower and Nancy Rothwell review the nature, possible mechanisms and clinical relevance of these diverse actions of lipocortin-1
golden-rod
No full textgolden. . . spiked willow-weed; golden rod; the sweet flower of the bake-apple, and other pretty things grow quietly upon this ground, which is scarce habitable for man.PRINTED ITEM W. J. KIRWIN AUG 1973JH AUG 1973Used INot usedWithdrawnTyped. Head used, but not in this sense
Flower litters of alpine plants affect soil nitrogen and phosphorus rapidly in the eastern Tibetan Plateau
No full textLitters of reproductive organs have rarely been studied despite their role in allocating nutrients for offspring reproduction. This study determines the mechanism through which flower litters efficiently increase the available soil nutrient pool. Field experiments were conducted to collect plant litters and calculate biomass production in an alpine meadow of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. C, N, P, lignin, cellulose content, and their relevant ratios of litters were analyzed to identify their decomposition features. A pot experiment was performed to determine the effects of litter addition on the soil nutrition pool by comparing the treated and control samples. The litter-bag method was used to verify decomposition rates. The flower litters of phanerophyte plants were comparable with non-flower litters. Biomass partitioning of other herbaceous species accounted for 10-40% of the aboveground biomass. Flower litter possessed significantly higher N and P levels but less C / N, N / P, lignin / N, and lignin and cellulose concentrations than leaf litter. The litter-bag experiment confirmed that the flower litters of Rhododendron przewalskii and Meconopsis integrifolia decompose approximately 3 times faster than mixed litters within 50 days. Pot experiment findings indicated that flower litter addition significantly increased the available nutrient pool and soil microbial productivity. The time of litter fall significantly influenced soil available N and P, and soil microbial biomass. Flower litters fed the soil nutrition pool and influenced nutrition cycling in alpine ecosystems more efficiently because of their non-ignorable production, faster decomposition rate, and higher nutrient contents compared with non-flower lit-ters. The underlying mechanism can enrich nutrients, which return to the soil, and non-structural carbohydrates, which feed and enhance the transitions of soil microorganisms
Alien plants have greater impact than habitat fragmentation on native insect flower visitation networks
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordAim
Habitat fragmentation and alien species are among the leading causes of biodiversity loss. In an attempt to reduce the impact of forestry on natural systems, networks of natural corridors and patches of natural habitat are often maintained within the afforested matrix, yet these can be subject to degradation by invasion of non-native species. Both habitat fragmentation and alien invasive species disrupt the complex interaction networks typical of native communities. This study examines whether an invasive plant and/or the fragmented nature of the forestry landscape influences natural flower visitation networks (FVNs), flower–visitor abundance and richness or flower/visitor species composition.
Location
The species rich and diverse grasslands in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa is under threat from transformation, particularly by commercial forestry plantations, restricting much of the remaining untransformed grasslands into remnant grassland patches (RGPs). Remaining patches are under additional threat from the invasive Rubus cuneifolius Pursh (bramble). Sites were established in RGPs and in a nearby protected area (PA), with and without brambles present for both areas.
Results
Flower abundance and flower area of native plant species were greater within RGP than in PA, but only in the absence of R. cuneifolius. Flower–visitor assemblages differed between invaded and uninvaded sites and also differed between PA and RGP sites. Both areas lost specialist flower–visitor species in the presence of brambles. Network modularity was greatly reduced by the presence of bramble, indicating a reduction in complexity and organization. The structure of FVNs was otherwise unaffected by presence of bramble or being located in RGPs or the PA.
Main conclusions
The RPGs contribute to regional biodiversity conservation through additional compositional diversity and intact FVNs. Rubus cuneifolius reduces ecological complexity of both RGPs and PAs, however, and its removal must be prioritized to conserve FVNs.Financial support was from the Green Landscapes Programme (DST/NRF grant) (Grant number 90139; Contract number 0054/2013) and the Mondi Ecological Networks Programme (MENP). This work was also supported by the European Union Marie Curie International Research staff Exchange Scheme (Contract number 318929)
Determining the Contribution of Epidermal Cell Shape to Petal Wettability Using Isogenic Antirrhinum Lines
No full textThis is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Bee botany and entomology [aster, golden rod, boneset, amphiachyris, mist flower, coreopis]
No full textDigital copy courtesy of the Biodiversity Heritage Librar
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