The Flora of Iowa - A Progress Report Based on Past Contributions

All one of the basic preliminaries in a plan for the ultimate preparation of a flora of Iowa, a survey of Iowa botanical literature has been undertaken in an attempt to assay the status of our knowledge of the state flora. Three aspects of this knowledge were kept in mind during the literature search: (a) general, regional and county floras, (b) the comparison of areas, and (c) taxonomic treatments of specific families and genera of plants. Only the ferns and the flowering plants were included in this literature survey, the mosses and liverworts having been recently summarized by Conard (1945a, 1945b) and the algae and fungi being considered as beyond the scope of this particular study. To obtain the data presented in the present paper, individual volumes of certain periodicals were examined for papers dealing with Iowa plants, a few unpublished theses in the Iowa State College library were consulted, and complete sets of the following publications were examined

A Comparison of the Forest Floras along the Des Moines and Missouri Rivers

A cursory examination of the deciduous forest of eastern North America, at intervals from its center (14) in the Ohio River basin westward, discloses changes in the structure of the forest characterized chiefly by a reduction in number of species and in the abundance and size of the component trees. Beyond the Mississippi river in Iowa and eastern Nebraska the forest flora is concentrated chiefly along streams flowing diagonally southeastward. Bordering these streams the deciduous forest extends into the prairie

The Family Boraginaceae in Iowa - A Preliminary Report

Except for the annotated list published by Cratty in The Iowa Flora (1933), there has been no publication dealing with the entire family Boraginaceae in Iowa. · On the basis of only the Iowa State College herbarium, Cratty listed thirteen species of the family known to occur in the state; three of these were indicated as introductions from Europe or Asia. Prior to the appearance of Cratty\u27s list, certain species of the family had been included in local and county lists,1 and in Cratty\u27s paper on the immigrant flora of Iowa ( 1929), while Conard and Clarke ( 1929) had discussed the differentiation of Lithospermum canescense and L. gmelini (the L. croceum of the present paper). Four species, not listed by Cratty ( 1933), had been reported for the state prior to the publication of The Iowa Flora; these are: (a) Hackelia americana (A. Gray) Fern., reported by Arthur (1878) as Echinospermum deflexum and by Somes (1913) as Lappula deflexa var. americana; (b) Lithospermum arvense L., reported by Arthur ( 1884), Halstead ( 1888), Barnes, Reppert and Miller ( 1901), Greene ( 1907), and more recently by Goodman ( 1940) and Augustine (1941); (c) Lithospermum officinale L., reported by Fink (1897); and (d) Symphytum officinale L., reported by Diehl (1916) and Hagge (1929). Cratty (1934), in a second paper on the immigrant flora of Iowa, added Borago officinalis L. to the state list. Six other species have been reported for Iowa, but we have been unable to find specimens of them; they are placed, therefore, in the list of Excluded Species on page 147 of the present paper

A Preliminary Report on Biosystematic Studies of Iowa Smartweeds (Polygonum Spp.)

The senior author first developed an interest in the smartweeds (Polygonum spp.) in connection with studies and survey work on the European corn borer (Pyrausta nubilalis Hubn.) and related borers. These are Pyrausta ainsliei Hein, the smartweed borer, and P. penitalis Grote, the lotus borer; both are native to North America, while P. nubilalis was introduced into this country from Europe and has become a serious pest of corn. This insect was first noticed in the United States in 1917 in the New England states. It gradually spread westward and was first reported in Iowa in 1943 from Clinton County. By last year (1947) it had spread throughout the state arid into eastern Nebraska

Genetic Landscape of the ACE2 Coronavirus Receptor

Background:SARS-CoV-2, the causal agent of COVID-19, enters human cells using the ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) protein as a receptor. ACE2 is thus key to the infection and treatment of the coronavirus. ACE2 is highly expressed in the heart and respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, playing important regulatory roles in the cardiovascular and other biological systems. However, the genetic basis of the ACE2 protein levels is not well understood.Methods:We have conducted the largest genome-wide association meta-analysis of plasma ACE2 levels in >28 000 individuals of the SCALLOP Consortium (Systematic and Combined Analysis of Olink Proteins). We summarize the cross-sectional epidemiological correlates of circulating ACE2. Using the summary statistics–based high-definition likelihood method, we estimate relevant genetic correlations with cardiometabolic phenotypes, COVID-19, and other human complex traits and diseases. We perform causal inference of soluble ACE2 on vascular disease outcomes and COVID-19 severity using mendelian randomization. We also perform in silico functional analysis by integrating with other types of omics data.Results:We identified 10 loci, including 8 novel, capturing 30% of the heritability of the protein. We detected that plasma ACE2 was genetically correlated with vascular diseases, severe COVID-19, and a wide range of human complex diseases and medications. An X-chromosome cis–protein quantitative trait loci–based mendelian randomization analysis suggested a causal effect of elevated ACE2 levels on COVID-19 severity (odds ratio, 1.63 [95% CI, 1.10–2.42]; P=0.01), hospitalization (odds ratio, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.05–2.21]; P=0.03), and infection (odds ratio, 1.60 [95% CI, 1.08–2.37]; P=0.02). Tissue- and cell type–specific transcriptomic and epigenomic analysis revealed that the ACE2 regulatory variants were enriched for DNA methylation sites in blood immune cells.Conclusions:Human plasma ACE2 shares a genetic basis with cardiovascular disease, COVID-19, and other related diseases. The genetic architecture of the ACE2 protein is mapped, providing a useful resource for further biological and clinical studies on this coronavirus receptor

CMS physics technical design report : Addendum on high density QCD with heavy ions

Peer reviewe

Selaginella schizobasis

Pteridophyte

Compilation Contexts of Medieval and Early Modern Bulgarian Charms

The article deals with the medieval and early modern Bulgarian verbal charms and their textual contexts. More specifically, the focus is on the manuscripts in which these charms can be found. Both the charms and the manuscripts are discussed as cultural phenomena, which were part of complex cultural contexts, including processes like compilation, usage, adaptation and transmission. The article traces the organising principles of the miscellanies containing verbal magic, and also the actors and factors that influence these manuscripts and their content. Then, the article discusses the specifics and the role of variation and practicality, and the complex interrelation between the written and the oral. Finally, the article points out some specific patterns and relations between the apotropaic and curative functions of the charms, the processes of written and oral transmission, and the broader textual content of the manuscripts. The main goal of the paper is to urge a discussion on medieval and early modern Bulgarian verbal charms in the light of their immediate textual and broader cultural environment

Observatoire de Lyon

(Arrêté du 7 août 2006