Assessing specialized metabolite diversity in the cosmopolitan plant genus Euphorbia l.

Coevolutionary theory suggests that an arms race between plants and herbivores yields increased plant specialized metabolite diversity and the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution predicts that coevolutionary interactions vary across geographic scales. Consequently, plant specialized metabolite diversity is expected to be highest in coevolutionary hotspots, geographic regions, which exhibit strong reciprocal selection on the interacting species. Despite being well-established theoretical frameworks, technical limitations have precluded rigorous hypothesis testing. Here we aim at understanding how geographic separation over evolutionary time may have impacted chemical differentiation in the cosmopolitan plant genus Euphorbia. We use a combination of state-of-the-art computational mass spectral metabolomics tools together with cell-based high-throughput immunomodulatory testing. Our results show significant differences in specialized metabolite diversity across geographically separated phylogenetic clades. Chemical structural diversity of the highly toxic Euphorbia diterpenoids is significantly reduced in species native to the Americas, compared to Afro-Eurasia. The localization of these compounds to young stems and roots suggest a possible ecological relevance in herbivory defense. This is further supported by reduced immunomodulatory activity in the American subclade as well as herbivore distribution patterns. We conclude that computational mass spectrometric metabolomics coupled with relevant ecological data provide a strong tool for exploring plant specialized metabolite diversity in a chemo-evolutionary framework

Widersinn in Husserl’s Pure Logic

The purpose of this paper is to provide a unitary typology for the incompatibilities of meanings at stake on different levels of Husserlian pure logic—namely, between systems of axioms and pure morphology of meanings; I show that they perfectly match by converging on the notion of Widersinn (counter-sense)

Bioavailability of cadmium and lead in a soil amended with phosphorus fertilizers Biodisponibilidade de cádmio e chumbo em um solo adubado com diferentes fontes de fósforo

Phosphorus fertilizers are essential to obtain high productivity, however, they contain heavy metals that can contaminate the soil and threat the health of animals and humans. The present study focused the determination of Cd and Pb concentrations in different phosphorus fertilizers as well as the absorption of these heavy metals by velvet green bean grown on soil amended with such fertilizers. The experiment was set up as a completely randomized design in a factorial scheme. The factors were four phosphorus sources (triple superphosphate-TS, Yorin thermophosphate-YT, Araxa rock phosphate-AP, and Gafsa rock phosphate-GP) applied at five rates (0, 92, 183, 275, and 366 kg ha-1 of P2O5). The data obtained were submitted to variance and regression analysis. Lead availability to velvet bean was not altered as a result of fertilizer application. On the other hand, Cd uptake was significantly increased with addition of the tested fertilizers. Such an increase was a function of the rate. The highest Cd contents in shoots was reached by YT and TS applications, whereas the lowest one resulted from rock phosphate treatments. All the phosphorus sources tested increased Cd uptake in the first harvest. For the second harvest, Cd content in the shoot was detected only in plants grown on TS and GP amended soils.<br>Fertilizantes fosfatados são essenciais para obtenção de altas produtividades, entretanto, eles podem conter metais pesados que podem contaminar o solo e ameaçar a saúde humana e animal. Este trabalho objetivou a determinação da concentração de Cd e Pb em diferentes fertilizantes fosfatados, bem como a absorção desses metais por plantas de mucuna preta cultivadas em casa-de-vegetação em solo submetido a diferentes doses desses fertilizantes. Os tratamentos foram arranjados em esquema fatorial 4 x 5, dispostos em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, com três repetições, sendo os fatores quatro fontes de P (superfosfato triplo-ST, termofosfato de Yorin-TY, fosfato de Araxá-FA e fosfato de Gafsa-FG) e cinco doses de P2O5 (0, 92, 183, 275 e 366 kg ha-1). Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância e equações de regressão foram ajustadas. A disponibilidade de Pb para mucuna preta nos solos não foi alterada pela aplicação de nenhum dos fertilizantes testados. No entanto, a absorção de Cd pelas plantas foi significativamente aumentada pela aplicação de qualquer um dos fertilizantes, sendo esta absorção proporcional às doses aplicadas. O TY e o ST foram responsáveis pelas maiores concentrações de Cd na parte aérea das plantas, enquanto as menores foram observadas com a aplicação dos fosfatos naturais. Todas as fontes de fósforo disponibilizaram Cd para as plantas no primeiro cultivo. Entretanto, a absorção de Cd só foi detectada no segundo cultivo para os fertilizantes ST e FG

Increasing levels of zeolite and Yucca schidigera in diets for adult cats

The effect of the additives Yucca schidigera (YSC) and zeolite (clinoptilolite) on digestibility, fecal texture and odor, blood parameters and urine pH of domesticated felines was evaluated. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design, with twenty-one cats, in two periods, distributed in seven treatments: moist commercial feed (control); control + 125, 250 and 375 ppm YSC; and control + 0.5; 0.75 and 1.0 % zeolite. No differences were observed between the diets regarding apparent digestibility coefficients of nutrient, energy, urine pH or blood parameters. However, levels of 0.5 and 0.75% zeolite were effective both in reducing odor (R² = 96.39) and for fecal texture (R² = 99.63), showing a quadratic pattern for these variables. Levels of 125 and 375 ppm YSC were also efficient in reducing fecal odor; however they did not adjust to regression. Levels of 0.5% and 0.75% zeolite significantly reduce odor of feces and increase fecal texture when added to commercial feed for cats

The eleventh and twelfth data releases of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey : final data from SDSS-III

The third generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III) took data from 2008 to 2014 using the original SDSS wide-field imager, the original and an upgraded multi-object fiber-fed optical spectrograph, a new nearinfrared high-resolution spectrograph, and a novel optical interferometer. All of the data from SDSS-III are now made public. In particular, this paper describes Data Release 11 (DR11) including all data acquired through 2013 July, and Data Release 12 (DR12) adding data acquired through 2014 July (including all data included in previous data releases), marking the end of SDSS-III observing. Relative to our previous public release (DR10), DR12 adds one million new spectra of galaxies and quasars from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) over an additional 3000 deg2 of sky, more than triples the number of H-band spectra of stars as part of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE), and includes repeated accurate radial velocity measurements of 5500 stars from the Multi-object APO Radial Velocity Exoplanet Large-area Survey (MARVELS). The APOGEE outputs now include the measured abundances of 15 different elements for each star. In total, SDSS-III added 5200 deg2 of ugriz imaging; 155,520 spectra of 138,099 stars as part of the Sloan Exploration of Galactic Understanding and Evolution 2 (SEGUE-2) survey; 2,497,484 BOSS spectra of 1,372,737 galaxies, 294,512 quasars, and 247,216 stars over 9376 deg2; 618,080 APOGEE spectra of 156,593 stars; and 197,040 MARVELS spectra of 5513 stars. Since its first light in 1998, SDSS has imaged over 1/3 of the Celestial sphere in five bands and obtained over five million astronomical spectra