A Distinctive New Species Of Ouratea (ochnaceae) From The Jalapão Region, Tocantins, Brazil

Ouratea acicularis R. Chacon & K. Yamamoto (Ochnaceae), a new species from the recently created Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins, Jalapão region, Brazil, is described. Ouratea acicularis appears to be most closely allied to O. oleifolia (A. Saint-Hilaire) Engler. Both species share a pubescent indumentum on the young branches, leaf surfaces, inflorescence axes, and outer surface of the flower buds, as well as revolute leaves and acute flower buds. Ouratea acicularis is unique in the genus in its aciculate leaf blade, at least 4 times narrower than in O. oleifolia, with a strongly revolute margin that conceals the abaxial leaf surface except for the midrib, as well as its inconspicuous secondary venation and narrower flower buds. Anatomically, O. acicularis differs from other previously studied species of Ouratea Aublet in that the cells of the adaxial epidermis have an hourglass-shaped lumen, pericellular forked hairs fused at the base, an unusually large cap of fibers and sclereids above the collateral vascular bundles, and in the predominantly 2-layered chlorenchyma. The stems of O. acicularis are noteworthy for the conspicuous secretory cavities of the cortex and secondary xylem, in which fibers and vessel members predominate.183397404Arruda, M.B., von Behr, M., Introdução (2002) Jalapão: Expedição Científica e Conservacionista, pp. 11-12. , Pp, M. B. Arruda & M. von Behr editors, IBAMA. BrasíliaBarroso, G.M., Morin, M.P., Peixoto, A.L., Ichaso, C.L.F., Frutos e Sementes (1999) Morfologia Aplicada à Sistemáticas de Dicotiledôneas, , Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Minas Gerais, BrazilBaum, H., Die Frucht von Ochna multiflora DC., ein Fall ökologischer Apokarpie. (1951) Oesterr. Bot. Z, 98 (4), pp. 388-395Engler, A. 1876. Ochnaceae. Pp. 301-332, pl. 62-77 in C. F. P. Martius & I. Urban (editors). Flora Brasiliensis 12(2)Guédès, M. & C. Sastre. 1981. Morphology of the gynoecium and systematic position of the Ochnaceae. Bot. J. Finn. Soc. 82: 121-138IUCN. 2001. IUCN Red Uist Categories and Criteria Version 3.1. Prepared by the IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, United KingdomMaguire, B., Steyermark, J.A., Ouratea (Ochnaceae) in Guyana and adjacent Amazonian hvlea (1989) Mem. New York Bot. Gard, 51, pp. 56-102Mittermeier, R.A., Myers, N., Gil, P.R., Mittermeier, C.G., (1999) Hotspots: Earth's Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions, , Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, and CEMEX, HoustonProença, C. E. B., A. B. Sampaio, L. C. Milhomens, L. H. Soares e Silva, M. F. Simon, P. L. Simpson Jr. & R. Farias. 2002. Relatório da botânica. Pp. 21-28 in M. B. Arruda & M. von Behr (editors), Jalapão: Expedição Científica e Conservacionista. IBAMA, BrasíliaMittermeier, R.A., Myers, N., Gil, P.R., Mittermeier, C.G., Singer, R.F., Gomes, B.M., Pleonotoma orientalis (Bignonieae, Bignoniaceae): Expanded description, distribution, and a new variety of a poorly known species (2007) Edinburgh J. Bot, 64, pp. 17-23Reis, M. L., D. C. Coelho, D. de F. Pereira. I. H. Carvalho, M. L. de A. Nunes, M. F. Simon & V. da S. Braz. 2002. Relatório da zoologia. Pp. 29-44 in M. B. Arruda & M. von Behr (editors), Jalapão: Expedição Científica e Conservacionista. IBAMA, BrasíliaSastre, C., Studies on the Flora of the Guianas 34. Synopsis generis Ouratea Aublet (Ochnaceae) (1988) Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., B, Adansonia, 1, pp. 47-67Sastre, C., New Ouratea species (Ochnaceae) from Venezuela and adjacent countries (2001) Novon, 11, pp. 105-118Scariot, A.O., Cavalcanti, T.B., Sevilha, A.C., Sampaio, A.B., Carvalho-Silva, M., Pereira-Silva, G., (2002) Flora e Vegetação do Entomo do Parque Estadual do Jalapão (TO): Relatório de Atividades, , EMBRAPA, BrasíliaSolereder, H., (1908) Systematic Anatomy of the Dicotyledons, , Clarendon Press, OxfordSpujt, R.W., A systematic treatment of fruit types (1994) Mem. New York Bot. Gard, 70, pp. 1-182Tieghem, van, P., Sur les Ochnacées. (1902) Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot, 16, pp. 161-416Whitefoord, C., Eight new species of Ouratea (Ochnaceae) from Mesoamerica (1992) Novon, 2, pp. 274-281Yamamoto, K. 1989. Morfologia, Anatomia e Sistemática do Gênero Ouratea Aubl.: Levantamento Preliminar de Características de Importância Taxonômica e Avaliação das Classificações Vigentes. Dissertação de Mestrado, Programa de Pós Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brasil_. 1995. Estudos Taxonômicos Sobre Ouratea parviflora (DC.) Baill. (Ochnaceae) e Espécies Afins Ocorrentes em Floresta Atlântica nas Regiões Sudeste e Sul do Brasil. Ph.D. Thesis (unpubl.), Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazi

Type I cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Delays Apoptosis in Human Neutrophils at a Site Upstream of Caspase-3

Current data suggest that apoptosis controls neutrophil numbers in tissues. We analyzed roles for and the sites of action for the cAMP-dependent protein kinases (cAPKs) in apoptosis induced in human neutrophils by in vitro storage, cycloheximide (CHX) exposure, and anti-Fas exposure. Treatment with 8-chlorophenylthio-cAMP (8-CPT-cAMP) prolonged the time required for 50% of the cells to exhibit apoptotic morphology (t 50) from 16.3 to 41.8 h (in vitro culture), from 2.4 to 7.8 h (CHX), and from 4.8 to 6.5 h (anti-Fas). CHX ± 8-CPT-cAMP did not significantly alter resting intracellular calcium levels and H-89, a selective inhibitor of cAPK, had no effect on apoptosis in the absence of the analogue. In contrast, site-selective cAMP analogues that specifically activated the type I cAPK, but not type II cAPK, synergistically attenuated apoptosis. Exposure to 8-CPT-cAMP delayed, in parallel, the activity of caspase-3 (CPP-32β), whereas mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) inhibitor, PD98059, had no effect on CHX-induced apoptosis ± 8-CPT-cAMP. Together these results indicate that type I cAPK activation is necessary and sufficient to mediate cAMP-induced delay in human neutrophil apoptosis induced by several mechanisms and suggest that one of the major sites of cAPK action is upstream of caspase-3 (CPP-32β) activation

The ultracool dwarf DENIS-P J104814.7-395606. Chromospheres and coronae at the low-mass end of the main-sequence

We have obtained an XMM-Newton observation and a broad-band spectrum from the ultraviolet to the near infrared with X-Shooter for one of the nearest M9 dwarfs, DENIS-P J1048-3956 (4pc). We integrate these data by a compilation of activity parameters for ultracool dwarfs from the literature with the aim to advance our understanding of these objects by comparing them to early-M type dwarf stars and the Sun. Our deep XMM-Newton observation has led to the first X-ray detection of DENIS-P J1048-3956 (log Lx = 25.1) as well as the first measurement of its V band brightness (V = 17.35mag). Flux-flux relations between X-ray and chromospheric activity indicators are here for the first time extended into the regime of the ultracool dwarfs. The approximate agreement of DENIS-P J1048-3956 and other ultracool dwarfs with flux-flux relations for early-M dwarfs suggests that the same heating mechanisms work in the atmospheres of ultracool dwarfs, albeit weaker as judged from their lower fluxes. The observed Balmer decrements of DENIS-P J1048-3956 are compatible with optically thick plasma in LTE at low, nearly photospheric temperature or optically thin LTE plasma at 20000K. Describing the decrements with CaseB recombination requires different emitting regions for Halpha and the higher Balmer lines. The high observed Halpha/Hbeta flux ratio is also poorly fitted by the optically thin models. We derive a similarly high value for the Halpha/Hbeta ratio of vB10 and LHS2065 and conclude that this may be a characteristic of ultracool dwarfs. We add DENIS-P J1048-3956 to the list of ultracool dwarfs detected in both the radio and the X-ray band. The Benz-Guedel relation between radio and X-ray luminosity of late-type stars is well-known to be violated by ultracool dwarfs. We speculate on the presence of two types of ultracool dwarfs with distinct radio and X-ray behavior.Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Opportunistic dose amplification for proton and carbon ion therapy via capture of internally generated thermal neutrons

© 2018, The Author(s). This paper presents Neutron Capture Enhanced Particle Therapy (NCEPT), a method for enhancing the radiation dose delivered to a tumour relative to surrounding healthy tissues during proton and carbon ion therapy by capturing thermal neutrons produced inside the treatment volume during irradiation. NCEPT utilises extant and in-development boron-10 and gadolinium-157-based drugs from the related field of neutron capture therapy. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that a typical proton or carbon ion therapy treatment plan generates an approximately uniform thermal neutron field within the target volume, centred around the beam path. The tissue concentrations of neutron capture agents required to obtain an arbitrary 10% increase in biological effective dose are estimated for realistic treatment plans, and compared to concentrations previously reported in the literature. We conclude that the proposed method is theoretically feasible, and can provide a worthwhile improvement in the dose delivered to the tumour relative to healthy tissue with readily achievable concentrations of neutron capture enhancement drugs

Non-Line-of-Sight Tracking and Mapping with an Active Corner Camera

The ability to form non-line-of-sight (NLOS) images of changing scenes could be transformative in a variety of fields, including search and rescue, autonomous vehicle navigation, and reconnaissance. Most existing active NLOS methods illuminate the hidden scene using a pulsed laser directed at a relay surface and collect time-resolved measurements of returning light. The prevailing approaches include raster scanning of a rectangular grid on a vertical wall opposite the volume of interest to generate a collection of confocal measurements. These are inherently limited by the need for laser scanning. Methods that avoid laser scanning track the moving parts of the hidden scene as one or two point targets. In this work, based on more complete optical response modeling yet still without multiple illumination positions, we demonstrate accurate reconstructions of objects in motion and a 'map' of the stationary scenery behind them. The ability to count, localize, and characterize the sizes of hidden objects in motion, combined with mapping of the stationary hidden scene, could greatly improve indoor situational awareness in a variety of applications

Non-line-of-sight snapshots and background mapping with an active corner camera

The ability to form reconstructions beyond line-of-sight view could be transformative in a variety of fields, including search and rescue, autonomous vehicle navigation, and reconnaissance. Most existing active non-line-of-sight (NLOS) imaging methods use data collection steps in which a pulsed laser is directed at several points on a relay surface, one at a time. The prevailing approaches include raster scanning of a rectangular grid on a vertical wall opposite the volume of interest to generate a collection of confocal measurements. These and a recent method that uses a horizontal relay surface are inherently limited by the need for laser scanning. Methods that avoid laser scanning to operate in a snapshot mode are limited to treating the hidden scene of interest as one or two point targets. In this work, based on more complete optical response modeling yet still without multiple illumination positions, we demonstrate accurate reconstructions of foreground objects while also introducing the capability of mapping the stationary scenery behind moving objects. The ability to count, localize, and characterize the sizes of hidden objects, combined with mapping of the stationary hidden scene, could greatly improve indoor situational awareness in a variety of applications

Symphony on strong field approximation

This paper has been prepared by the Symphony collaboration (University of Warsaw, Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, DESY/CNR and ICFO) on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the 'simple man's models' which underlie most of the phenomena that occur when intense ultrashort laser pulses interact with matter. The phenomena in question include high-harmonic generation (HHG), above-threshold ionization (ATI), and non-sequential multielectron ionization (NSMI). 'Simple man's models' provide both an intuitive basis for understanding the numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation and the motivation for the powerful analytic approximations generally known as the strong field approximation (SFA). In this paper we first review the SFA in the form developed by us in the last 25 years. In this approach the SFA is a method to solve the TDSE, in which the non-perturbative interactions are described by including continuum-continuum interactions in a systematic perturbation-like theory. In this review we focus on recent applications of the SFA to HHG, ATI and NSMI from multi-electron atoms and from multi-atom molecules. The main novel part of the presented theory concerns generalizations of the SFA to: (i) time-dependent treatment of two-electron atoms, allowing for studies of an interplay between electron impact ionization and resonant excitation with subsequent ionization; (ii) time-dependent treatment in the single active electron approximation of 'large' molecules and targets which are themselves undergoing dynamics during the HHG or ATI processes. In particular, we formulate the general expressions for the case of arbitrary molecules, combining input from quantum chemistry and quantum dynamics. We formulate also theory of time-dependent separable molecular potentials to model analytically the dynamics of realistic electronic wave packets for molecules in strong laser fields. We dedicate this work to the memory of Bertrand Carre, who passed away in March 2018 at the age of 60