Anthropic modifications on megafauna bones in the paleontological collections of the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle de Paris: Historical aspects and implications for the Pampean Pleistocene peopling

The most abundant evidence of Pampean Pleistocene human presence are modified bones, as lithic procurement sites located farther than 300 km away. Therefore, we focused on the study of bone modifications, in particular cut and percussion marks. We studied Pampean paleontological collections of Argentine and European museums as an alternative resource of previously unnoticed human modification evidences. We compared marks characteristics with those of archaeological collections from diverse climatic and cultural adaptations, from middle Pleistocene sites (Vallonet, Atapuerca, Lazaret, Arago and Terra Amata) to terminal Pleistocene ones (Abri Pataud, Isturiz and La Vache). Marks typologies were defined, leading to the identification of a particular cutmark that we named double parallel considered as highly diagnostic of anthropic use of lithic artifacts. We also propose that hafted artifacts were used on carcass processing. Perimortem bone modifications are classified in relation with mark morphology (e.g., percussion striae), inferred gesture or action (e.g., breakage of diaphysis), and inferred objective of that action (e.g., marrow extraction). The megafauna specimens analyzed from the historical collections (d’Angelis-Vilardebó, 1847, Muñiz-Dupotet, 1842 and Breton-Bonnement, 1881) present modifications compatible with dismemberment, defleshing, tongue and masseter extraction, and utilization as anvils. The lack of contextual data (location, stratigraphy) and the loss due to museum selection/collecting of accompanying material prevent paleoenvironmental and paleoecological inferences. Regional geology indicates that most of the historical collections were exhumed in riverbank cuts with ages between 70 and 13 ky BP. Preliminary direct dating presents evidence of a Pampean human occupation, at least, since OIS 2.     

表油菜素内酯对月季切花保鲜作用的研究

本文初步探讨了表油菜素内酯（epiBR）对瓶插月季切花的保鲜作用。与对照（蒸馏水）和基本液（2％蔗糖＋500mgL-1柠檬酸＋250mgL-8-羟基喹啉＋25mgAgNO3）相比,经epiBR处理（基本液＋0．1mgL-1epiBR）的月季切花花枝坚挺,蓝变延迟,瓶插寿命延长1-1.5倍。测定有关生理指标表明,epiBR处理对月季切花瓶插花枝前期鲜重的增加及后期的保持有明显作用。并显著延缓花瓣和叶片质膜相对透性的增加,还能使瓶插前期花瓣还原糖含量增加。epiBR处理对花瓣蛋白质和叶片叶绿素含量变化无明显影响,而对花瓣花青素水平下降有轻微的促进作用。     

1-MCP-β-环糊精对香石竹切花保鲜作用的研究

对香石竹切花(Dianthus caryophyllus L.)用不同体积浓度的1-MCP-β-环糊精溶液处理不同的时间,观察其外观形态品质和生理生化指标,得知以50 mg/L的1-MCP-β-环糊精溶液在7 m³的密闭体系中处理8 h效果最佳。能极大提高香石竹切花的观赏价值,减少萎蔫程度,延缓开放,延迟香石竹切花叶片质膜相对透性下降,并对叶片叶绿素含量变化有一定的影响。     

The potential of South African indigenous plants for the international cut flower trade

A broad review is presented of recent developments in the commercialization of southern Africa indigenous flora for the cut flower trade, including potted flowers and foliages (“greens”). The botany, horticultural traits and potential for commercialization of several indigenous plants have been reported in several publications. The contribution of species indigenous and/or endemic to southern Africa in the development of cut flower crop plants is widely acknowledged. These include what is known in the trade as gladiolus, freesia, gerbera, ornithogalum, clivia, agapanthus, strelitzia, plumbago and protea. Despite the wealth of South African flower bulb species, relatively few have become commercially important in the international bulb industry. Trade figures on the international markets also reflect the importance of a few species of southern African origin. The development of new research tools are contributing to the commercialization of South African plants, although propagation, cultivation and post-harvest handling need to be improved. A list of commercially relevant southern African cut flowers (including those used for fresh flowers, dried flowers, foliage and potted flowers) is presented, together with a subjective evaluation of several genera and species with perceived potential for the development of new crops for the florist trade. It is concluded that research should be focused on potential markets rather than on preconceived product concepts. A special national effort is required to maximize the opportunities presented by the rich diversity of the flora and to develop an internationally competitive cut flower industry.     

Life beneath the surface of the central Texan Balcones Escarpment: genus Anillinus Casey, 1918 (Coleoptera,Carabidae, Bembidiini): new species,a key to the Texas species,and notes about their way of life and evolution

The Texas fauna of the genus Anillinus Casey, 1918 includes three previously described species (A. affabilis (Brues), 1902, A. depressus (Jeannel), 1963 and A. sinuatus (Jeannel), 1963) and four new species here described: A. acutipennis Sokolov & Reddell, sp. n. (type locality: Fort Hood area, Bell County, Texas); A. comalensis Sokolov & Kavanaugh, sp. n. (type locality: 7 miles W of New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas); A. forthoodensis Sokolov & Reddell, sp. n. (type locality: Fort Hood area, Bell County, Texas); A. wisemanensis Sokolov & Kavanaugh, sp. n. (type locality: Wiseman Sink, Hays County, Texas). A key for identification of adults of these species is provided. The fauna includes both soil- and cave-inhabiting species restricted to the Balcones Fault Zone and Lampasas Cut Plain and adjacent areas underlain by the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer. Based on morphological and distributional data, we hypothesize that four lineages of endogean Anillinus species extended their geographical ranges from a source area in the Ouachita-Ozark Mountains to the Balconian region in central Texas. There the cavernous Edwards-Trinity aquifer system provided an excellent refugium as the regional climate in the late Tertiary and early Quaternary became increasingly drier, rendering life at the surface nearly impossible for small, litter-inhabiting arthropods. Isolated within the Edwards-Trinity aquifer system, these anilline lineages subsequently differentiated, accounting for the currently known diversity. The paucity of specimens and difficulty in collecting them suggest that additional undiscovered species remain to be found in the region.     

Daffodil flowers delay senescence in cut Iris flowers

Visible symptoms of tepal senescence in cut Iris x hollandica (cv. Blue Magic) flowers were delayed by placing one cut daffodil flower (Narcissus pseudonarcissus, cv. Carlton) in the same vase. Addition of mucilage, exuded by daffodil stems, to the vase water had the same effect as the flowering daffodil stem. The active compound in the mucilage was identified as narciclasine (using LC/MS, GC/MS, 1H and 13C-NMR, and comparison with an authentic sample of narciclasine). The delay of senescence, either by mucilage or purified narciclasine, was correlated with a delayed increase in protease activity, and with a considerable reduction of maximum protease activity. Narciclasine did not affect in vitro protease activity, but is known to inhibit protein synthesis at the ribosomal level. Its effects on senescence and protease activity were similar to those of cycloheximide (CHX), another inhibitor of protein synthesis, but the effective narciclasine concentration was about 100 times lower than that of CHX. It is concluded that the delay of Iris tepal senescence by daffodil stems is due to narciclasine in daffodil mucilage, which apparently inhibits the synthesis of proteins involved in senescence.     

Isolation and Characterization of a Cysteine Protease of Freesia Corms

A protease, freesia protease (FP)-A, was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from regular freesia (Freesia reflacta) corms in harvest time. The M _r of FP-A was estimated to be 24 k by SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH of the enzyme was 8.0 using a casein substrate. These enzymes were strongly inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoic acid but not by phenylmethane-sulfonylfluoride and EDTA. These results indicate that FP-A belongs to the cysteine proteases. The amino terminal sequence of FP-A was similar to that of papain, and the sequences was regarded to the conservative residues of cysteine protease. From the hydrolysis of peptidyl-pNAs, the specificity of FP-A was found to be broad. It was thought that FP-A was a new protease from freesia corms.