On the origin ofVeronica persica (Scrophulariaceae)—a contribution to the history of a neophytic weed

A character analysis reveals a clearly intermediate position of the tetraploidV. persica (2n = 28) between the two diploid speciesV. polita andV. ceratocarpa (both 2n = 14) which are morphologically rather different and have been placed by several authors in different sections of the genus.V. ceratocarpa is native to subhumid deciduous forests of the Caucasus and of the Elburz mountains (N. Iran);V. polita has its centre of variation in the Elburz range where it grows in therophyte habitats. Three other closely related species,V. bungei, V. siaretensis, andV. francispetae, are endemic to the Elburz range which is the main centre of diversity and variability of theV. agrestis group. This comprises all the above mentioned species and also two more European weeds:V. agrestis andV. opaca. Veronica polita, was probably originally native to open places in deciduous mountain forests, before becoming a weed in neolithic times and migrating to Europe; nowadays it has an almost world-wide distribution. The allotetraploidV. persica combines the ecological characters of its parents, the slightly xerophyticV. polita and the more mesophyticV. ceratocarpa, thus being preadapted to become a highly successful weed with a large ecological range. It has spread rapidly almost all over the world since the early 19th century.Dedicated to Hofrat Univ.-Prof. DrKarl Heinz Rechinger on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of his birthday.     

Chorology of the Euxinian and Hyrcanian element in the woody flora of Asia

The Euxinian and the Hyrcanian floristic province are analysed in respect to their trees and shrubs. These provinces mark the southern limit of the Euro-Siberian Region in SW. Asia. Mesophyllic forests dominate; they are deciduous, but there is a substantial component of evergreen shrubs in the understorey. Characteristics species frequently have a relic nature. Species lists and some exemplary distribution maps are presented for the Euxinian and the Hyrcanian element, both with endemic and more wide-spread species, including the characteristic Euxine-Hyrcanian group.     

Ostéologie et position systématiquedu genre Thrissops Agassiz, 1833 (sensu stricto) (Jurassique supérieur de l'Europe occidentale) au sein des Téléostéens primitifs

The osteological study of the genus ThrissopsAgassiz, 1833 (sensu stricto) from the Upper Jurassic of Germany and France allows to define the systematic position of that fossil fish within the primitive Teleosts. The general shape of the skull, the jaws, the ethmoidal area, the circumorbital bones, the fronto-parieto-supra occipital area, the parasphenoid and the opercular bones are all characters which prove that Thrissops belongs to the family Ichthyodectidae (order Ichthyodectiformes, super-order Osteoglossomorpha). However Thrissops is more primitive than the other Ichthyodectidae which are all of Cretaceous age. It possesses indeed two parietals bearing pit-lines, a premaxillary and a maxillary normally developed, a palatine and a metapterygoid without any contact, a denticulated entopterygoid, three free epurals and six uroneurals, while, in the Cretaceous Ichthyodectidae, the parietals are fused in one bone without any pit-line, the premaxillary and the maxillary are hypertrophic, the palatine touchs the metapterygoid, the entopterygoid is toothless, the epural disappear or fuse with the terminal neural arches to form supplementary neural spines, and the uroneural are only five.     

Long-term spatio-temporal expansion of the native-invasive Retama monosperma on coastal dunes: Importance of land-use and natural dispersal vectors

Expansion of invasive species inducing sands stabilization is becoming an important ecological problem in coastal dunes in some parts of the world. Retama monosperma, an endemic to coasts of SE Spain and NE of Morocco, late-colonizing shrub occurring in sandy coastal areas, was planted along the coast of SW Spain during the 20th century to stabilize dunes. In recent decades, the species has spread rapidly, becoming invasive, and sometimes incurring notable changes in its environment and plant community. The expansion patterns of R. monosperma from 1956 to 2001 were described and quantified at the landscape scale within a protected dune system, using GIS. The differential effects on expansion patterns of the main factor controlling the population spread, grazing by domestic livestock and the abundance of wild rabbits, were analyzed comparatively. R. monosperma displays an exponential, invasive-type expansion trend, presenting a mean annual coverage increase of 15% and a mean lateral spread rate of 65.5 m yr⁻¹ from the original population nucleus to the Western and Eastern ends of the study area. The dispersal activity primarily of rabbits and the absence of competing woody species contribute to this rapid expansion. The highest local increases in plant coverage could be related to increased rabbit abundance and to the improved germination rates of seeds which have passed through the rabbit gut. In contrast, areas highly grazed by livestock present the lowest increases, and an open-type plant community is maintained there for a longer time.     

Expression of integrins α3β1 and α5β1 and GlcNAc β1,6 glycan branching influences metastatic melanoma cell migration on fibronectin

Acquisition of metastatic potential is accompanied by changes in cell surface N-glycosylation. One of the best-studied changes is increased expression of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V enzyme (GnT-V) and its products, β1,6-branched N-linked oligosaccharides, observed in the tumorigenesis of many cancers. In this study we demonstrate that during the transition from the vertical growth phase (VGP) (WM793 cell line) to the metastatic stage (WM1205Lu line), β1,6 glycosylation of melanoma cell surface proteins increases as a consequence of elevated expression of the GnT-V-encoding Mgat-5 gene. Treatment with swainsonine led to reduced cell motility on fibronectin in both cell lines; the effect was stronger in metastatic cells, probably due to the higher content of GlcNAc β1,6-branched glycans on the main fibronectin receptors – integrins α5β1 and α3β1. Our results show that GlcNAc β1,6 N-glycosylation of cell surface receptors, which increases with the aggressiveness of melanoma cells, is an important factor influencing melanoma cell migration.     

Paced QRS morphology predicts incident left ventricular systolic dysfunction and atrial fibrillation

Background

The prognostic significance of paced QRS complex morphology on surface ECG remains unclear. This study aimed to assess long-term outcomes associated with variations in the paced QRS complex.

The geological record of a mid-Holocene marine storm in southwestern Spain

Integrated analysis of a 50-m long sedimentary core collected in the central part of the Odiel estuary (SW Atlantic coast of Spain) allows delineation of the main paleoenvironmental changes that occurred in this area during the Holocene. Eight sedimentary facies were deposited in the last ca. 9000 years BP, confirming a transgressive-regressive cycle that involves the transition from fluvial to salt marsh deposits with intermediate marine tidal deposits. A storm event is detected at ca. 5705 ¹⁴C years BP (mean calibrated age) with distinct lithostratigraphical, textural, geochemical, and palaeontological features.     

Biodegradation of Ethametsulfuron-Methyl by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas</Emphasis> sp. SW4 Isolated from Contaminated Soil

A soil bacterium SW4, capable of degrading the sulfonylurea herbicide ethametsulfuron-methyl (ESM), was isolated from the bottom soil of a herbicide factory. Based on physiological characteristics, biochemical tests and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, the strain was identified as a Pseudomonas sp. The total degradation of ESM in the medium containing glucose was up to 84.6% after 6 days of inoculation with SW4 strain. The inoculation of strain SW4 to soil treated with ESM resulted in a higher degradation rate than in noninoculated soil regardless of the soil sterilized or nonsterilized. Five metabolites of ESM degradation were analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Based on the identified products, strain SW4 seemed to degrade ESM after two separate and different pathways: one leads to the cleavage of the sulfonylurea bridge, whereas the other to the dealkylation and opening of the triazine ring of ESM.