Synthesis of an Asymmetrically Substituted AZA Crown Ether as Metal and Amino Acid Binding Site in DNA Conjugates

Abstract

Crown ether 4 as a receptor core for protonated primary amines such as amino acids has been synthesized and incorporated into oligodeoxynucleotides as dangling ends.     

Assessing the role of bark- and wood-boring insects in the decline of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in the Swiss Rhone valley

Abstract.  1. In several dry inner Alpine valleys higher mortality levels of pine have been observed in recent years. This paper evaluates the role of xylophagous insects in the current pine decline and the influence of climate change on the infestation dynamics.
2. More than 200 trees of different levels of crown transparency (needle loss) were felled between 2001 and 2005 and sections of them incubated in insect emergence traps. Colonisation densities were related to the transparency level of each host tree at the time of attack.
3. Trees with more than 80% needle loss were colonised most frequently, but the breeding density was highest in trees with 65–80% needle loss.
4. The scolytine Ips acuminatus and the buprestid Phaenops cyanea colonised trees with 30–90% needle loss in high densities. The bark beetle Tomicus minor was less aggressive, preferring trees with 60–85% needle loss. The hymenopteran Sirex noctilio and the cerambycid Acanthocinus aedilis were restricted to greatly weakened trees with 50–85% needle loss. Most species colonised trees that had experienced a decline in vigour, that is an increase in crown transparency shortly before attack.
5. The infestation dynamics of P. cyanea covaried with the drought index as well as with temperature.
6. Increased temperatures not only trigger a drought stress rendering the host trees susceptible to insect attack, but also accelerate insect development. As more frequent drought periods are likely as a result of climate change, even trees only slightly or temporarily weakened will be more subject to attack by aggressive species such as I. acuminatus and P. cyanea .     

Phototropic Stimulation can Shift the Gradient of Crown Root Emergence in Maize

The crown roots in the coleoptilar node of maize emerge asymmetrically: emergence at the dorsal flank of the node (opposite to the caryopsis) precedes emergence at the ventral flank (facing the caryopsis). This asymmetry can be altered by phototropic stimulation: emergence of crown roots is delayed in the lighted flank and promoted in the shaded flank causing an inversion of the endogenous asymmetry. The curvature induced by the phototropic stimulation is transient, the effect on crown root emergence, in contrast, persists. This stable effect is not a consequence of curvature per se and becomes irreversibly fixed between one and two hours after stimulation. The emergence of crown roots depends on directional signalling from the coleoptile to the node. The data are discussed in terms of a stable blue light induced transverse polarity of the coleoptile that can imprint a stable asymmetry upon the coleoptilar node guiding the emergence of crown roots.     

林分因子对云顶山不同人工林林下植物多样性的影响

该研究采用典型抽样法,以成都云顶山5种人工林——柏木 枫杨林(BF)、银杏 楠木林(YN)、光皮梾木 香樟林(GZ)、枫杨 桤木林(FQ)、柏木林(CB)为研究对象,分析不同人工林的林下植物组成与多样性特征,并确定影响林下植物多样性的主导林分因子,为当地人工林经营管理提供理论依据。结果表明：(1)研究区共记录林下植物168种,隶属于62科130属;5种人工林灌木层与草本层的科属种数均以GZ最多。(2)5种不同人工林灌木层与草本层的优势种数分别为7、4、7、6、4种和5、4、9、9、10种,数量都较少。(3)5种人工林的Shannon Wiener多样性指数(H)、Simpson优势度指数(H′)、物种丰富度指数(D)、Pielou均匀度指数(J_sw) 均基本表现为草本层>灌木层,BF、GZ灌木层的D略高;灌木层的H、H′、D值均以GZ最大,但不同人工林的J_sw差异不显著;草本层的H、H′、D、J_sw均基本呈现CB>FQ>GZ>BF>YN趋势,GZ的D值略高于FQ。(4)6个林分因子对灌木层4个物种多样性指数的影响均无显著差异;林分平均树高、平均枝下高、平均胸径、平均冠幅和林分密度是影响草本层H、D的主要因子,但各林分因子对草本层H′、J_sw的影响差异不显著。研究认为,林分结构对林下草本层物种多样性的影响更大,平均树高、平均枝下高、平均胸径、平均冠幅、林分密度对草本层多样性有显著影响。     

Comparison of stress distribution in dental crown with different cusp angles: 3D finite element analysis

The purpose of this study is to measure the failure risk of a crown depending on the cusp angle. Three all-ceramic crown models consisting of C_H (high incline), C_M (middle incline), and C_L (low incline) are designed. Stress is applied to the crown with Loading case-1 (top of cusp tip) and Loading case-2 (middle of cusp ridge) with the use of FEA software. In Loading case-1 and case-2, the C_H showed the highest Maximum Principal Stress (MPS) while the CL showed the lowest MPS. The cusp angle is an influential factor affecting stress distribution in dental crowns.     

Big‐sized trees overrule remaining trees' attributes and species richness as determinants of aboveground biomass in tropical forests

Large‐diameter, tall‐stature, and big‐crown trees are the main stand structures of forests, generally contributing a large fraction of aboveground biomass, and hence play an important role in climate change mitigation strategies. Here, we hypothesized that the effects of large‐diameter, tall‐stature, and big‐crown trees overrule the effects of species richness and remaining trees attributes on aboveground biomass in tropical forests (i.e., we term the “big‐sized trees hypothesis”). Specifically, we assessed the importance of: (a) the “top 1% big‐sized trees effect” relative to species richness; (b) the “99% remaining trees effect” relative to species richness; and (c) the “top 1% big‐sized trees effect” relative to the “99% remaining trees effect” and species richness on aboveground biomass. Using environmental factor and forest inventory datasets from 712 tropical forest plots in Hainan Island of southern China, we tested several structural equation models for disentangling the relative effects of big‐sized trees, remaining trees attributes, and species richness on aboveground biomass, while considering for the full (indirect effects only) and partial (direct and indirect effects) mediation effects of climatic and soil conditions, as well as interactions between species richness and trees attributes. We found that top 1% big‐sized trees attributes strongly increased aboveground biomass (i.e., explained 55%–70% of the accounted variation) compared to species richness (2%–18%) and 99% remaining trees attributes (6%–10%). In addition, species richness increased aboveground biomass indirectly via increasing big‐sized trees but via decreasing remaining trees. Hence, we show that the “big‐sized trees effect” overrides the effects of remaining trees attributes and species richness on aboveground biomass in tropical forests. This study also indicates that big‐sized trees may be more susceptible to atmospheric drought. We argue that the effects of big‐sized trees on species richness and aboveground biomass should be tested for better understanding of the ecological mechanisms underlying forest functioning.     

Tolerance of Ornamental Succulent Plant Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milli) to Chromium and its Remediation

The potential of an ornamental shrub Crown of thorns (Euphorbia milli) was evaluated for remediation of soil contaminated with Cr. The plant is one of the rare succulent ornamental shrubs with a slow to moderate growth rate and is capable of blooming almost year-round. The plant could tolerate well up to 75 mg of applied Cr and beyond that there was mortality of plants. Though the plant could not be classified as a hyperaccumulator, the plant was still very efficient in translocating Cr from roots to shoots as evident from the data on uptake and translocation efficiency values. The translocation efficiency of over 80% in our study demonstrates that a large proportion of Cr has been translocated to the harvestable biomass of the plant and therefore, this plant could be effectively recommended for the remediation of soils contaminated with low to medium level of contamination i.e., up to 50 mg/kg soil.