The Angiosperm Stem Hemiparasitic Genus Cassytha (Lauraceae) and its host interactions : a review

Cassytha, also known as laurel dodder or love vine, is a stem hemiparasite of the Lauraceae family. It has long been used for medicinal purposes in many countries and has increasingly influenced agricultural and natural ecosystems by its effects on a wide range of host species. Previous studies have focused on the taxonomy and evolutionary position of different Cassytha, with the pan-tropical species Cassytha filiformis being the most widely studied. However, Cassytha–host interactions have never been reviewed, which is an essential issue related to the understanding of mechanisms underlying plant hemiparasitic and the assessment of benefits and damage caused by aerial parasitic plants. This review explores the parasitic habits, worldwide distribution, and host range of Cassytha, and examines its impacts on the biology of host plants and the overall influence of environmental changes on Cassytha–host associations. We also comment on areas of future research directions that require to better understanding Cassytha–host interactions. It appeared that some traits, such as flowering phenology, facilitated Cassytha’s widespread distribution and successful parasitism and that Cassytha preferred woody species rather than herbaceous species as a host, and preferred species from certain families as hosts, such as Fabaceae and Myrtaceae. Cassytha often decreased biomass and impacted the physiology of host species and global environmental changes seemed to intensify the negative impacts of Cassytha on their hosts. Cassytha was not only a noxious weed, but can also function as a biocontrol agent to mitigate alien plant invasion. Copyright © 2022 Zhang, Florentine and Tennakoon

An investigation of the effects of stage of ensilage on Nassella neesiana seeds, for reducing seed viability and injury to livestock

The noxious weed Nassella neesiana is established on a wide range of productive land throughout southeastern Australia. N. neesiana seeds, when mature, are sharp, causing injury to livestock, thus posing a problem in fodder bales. To reduce infestations of agricultural weeds in situ, production of silage from weed-infested pastures is practised as part of integrated weed management (IWM). However, there is little data to demonstrate whether this process is useful to reduce infestations or the harmful properties of N. neesiana. Therefore, the minimum duration of ensilage required to reduce the viability of N. neesiana seeds was investigated, both with and without addition of ensilage inoculants in this process. Also, the decreasing propensity of the seeds to injure livestock, after various times and conditions of ensilage, was assessed. Ensilage inoculant reduced seed germination probability to zero after 35 days. When no inoculant was added, zero viability was achieved after 42 days. A qualitative assessment of the hardness of ensilaged seeds found seed husks were softer (and therefore safer) after 42 days, whether inoculant was used or not. Therefore, we suggest that both the viability of N. neesiana seeds and hardness of seed casings are significantly reduced after 42 days, thereby reducing the risks of seed dispersal and injury to livestock

MLP: a MATLAB toolbox for rapid and reliable auditory threshold estimation

In this paper, we present MLP, a MATLAB toolbox enabling auditory thresholds estimation via the adaptive Maximum Likelihood procedure proposed by David Green (1990, 1993). This adaptive procedure is particularly appealing for those psychologists that need to estimate thresholds with a good degree of accuracy and in a short time. Together with a description of the toolbox, the current text provides an introduction to the threshold estimation theory and a theoretical explanation of the maximum likelihood adaptive procedure. MLP comes with a graphical interface and it is provided with several built-in, classic psychoacoustics experiments ready to use at a mouse click

Communications Biophysics

Contains research objectives and reports on six research projects split into three sections.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 P01 NS13126-07)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 T32 NS07047-05)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 2 T32 NS07047-06)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS 77-16861)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 R01 NS1284606)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 T32 NS07099)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-21751)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 R01 NS14092-04)Gallaudet College SubcontractKarmazin Foundation through the Council for the Arts at M.I.T.National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 R01 NS1691701A1)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 R01 NS11080-06)National Institutes of Health (Grant GM-21189

Communications Biophysics

Contains reports on ten research projects.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 P01 NS13126)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 T32 NS0704)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS80-06369)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 R01 NS11153)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-16861)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS12846)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-21751)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 P01 NS14092)Karmazin Foundation through the Council for the Arts at MITNational Institutes of Health (Fellowship 5 F32 NS06386)National Science Foundation (Fellowship SP179-14913)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS11080

Communications Biophysics

Contains reports on nine research projects split into four sections.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 PO1 NS13126)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 KO4 NS00113)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 T32 NS07047)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 1 T32 NS07099)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-16861)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 ROI NS10916)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS12846)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-21751)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 RO1 NS14092)Edith E. Sturgis FoundationHealth Sciences FundNational Institutes of Health (Grant 2 R01 NS11680)National Institutes of Health (Fellowship 5 F32 NS05327)National Institutes of Health (Grant 2 ROI NS11080)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 T32 GM07301

Communications Biophysics

Contains reports on seven research projects split into three sections.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 PO1 NS13126)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 RO1 NS18682)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 T32 NS07047)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-16861)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 F33 NS07202-01)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS10916)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS12846)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 RO1 NS16917)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 RO1 NS14092-05)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS 77 21751)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 R01 NS11080)National Institutes of Health (Grant GM-21189

Communications Biophysics

Contains reports on nine research projects split into four sections.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 P01 NS13126)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 K04 NS00113)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 T32 NS07047)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 ROl NS11153-03)National Institutes of Health (Fellowship 1 T32 NS07099-01)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-16861)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 ROl NS10916)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 ROl NS12846)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-21751)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 RO1 NS14092)Health Sciences FundNational Institutes of Health (Grant 2 R01 NS11680)National Institutes of Health (Grant 2 RO1 NS11080)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 T32 GM07301

Communications Biophysics

Contains reports on eight research projects split into four sections.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 P01 NS13126)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 K04 NS00113)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 T32 NS07047)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS80-06369)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 ROl NS11153)National Institutes of Health (Fellowship 1 F32 NS06544)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-16861)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 R01 NS10916)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS12846)National Science Foundation (Grant BNS77-21751)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 R01 NS14092)National Institutes of Health (Grant 2 R01 NS11680)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 ROl1 NS11080)National Institutes of Health (Training Grant 5 T32 GM07301