How robust are community-based plant bioindicators? Empirical testing of the relationship between Ellenberg values and direct environmental measures in woodland communities

There are several community-based bioindicator systems that use species presence or abundance data as proxies for environmental variables. One example is the Ellenberg system, whereby vegetation data are used to estimate environmental soil conditions. Despite widespread use of Ellenberg values in ecological research, the correlation between bioindicated values and actual values is often an implicit assumption rather than based on empirical evidence. Here, we correlate unadjusted and UK-adjusted Ellenberg values for soil moisture, pH, and nitrate in relation to direct environmental measures for 50 woodland sites in the UK, which were subject to repeat sampling. Our results show the accuracy of Ellenberg values is parameter specific; pH values were a good proxy for direct environmental measures but this was not true for soil moisture, when relationships were weak and non-significant. For nitrates, there were important seasonal differences, with a strong positive logarithmic relationship in the spring but a non-significant (and negative) correlation in summer. The UK-adjusted values were better than, or equivalent to, Ellenberg’s original ones, which had been quantified originally for Central Europe, in all cases. Somewhat surprisingly, unweighted values correlated with direct environmental measures better than did abundance-weighted ones. This suggests that the presence of rare plants can be highly important in accurate quantification of soil parameters and we recommend using an unweighted approach. However, site profiles created only using rare plants were inferior to profiles based on the whole plant community and thus cannot be used in isolation. We conclude that, for pH and nitrates, the Ellenberg system provides a useful estimate of actual conditions, but recalibration of moisture values should be considered along with the effect of seasonality on the efficacy of the system

Находки редких и заносных видов сосудистых растений в Новосибирской области

В Новосибирской области обнаружены новые местонахождения семи редких видов растений, два из которых – Polygonum novoascanicum Klok. и Polygonum sabulosum Worosch. являются новыми для территории области. Также найдены шесть заносных видов, три из них – Allium oleraceum L., Laserpitium hispidum Bieb. и Petasites amplus Kitam. – ранее для Новосибирской области не отмечались

EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF THE OPHTHALMIC REMEDIES COMBINATION ON THE VIABILITY OF HUMAN CONJUNCTIVAL CELL CULTURE CHANG CONJUNCTIVA

Objective. Investigation of the cytological and immunological effects, caused by the simultaneous exposure of normal Chanq conjunctiva cells to ophthalmic drugs Broxinac® and Ophthalmoferon®, in order to improve the evaluation techniques of ophthalmic drugs combinations in vitro.Material and methods. A transplantable culture of normal Chang conjunctiva cells, clone 1-5 C-4, was used. The drugs Broksinak® and Oftalmoferon® were quantified by their effect on cell viability using the MTT method. The change in cell morphology during the cultivation process was studied by intravital visual observation. The effect of the combination of drugs on the functional activity of conjunctival cells was assessed by production of cytokines at the level of their in vitro transcription.Results. The investigated drugs (dilutions 1/512-1/2048 Broksinak® and 1/32-1/2048 Oftalmoferon®) were incubated with human Chang conjunctiva cells for 48 hours and did not cause an inhibition of growth activity or viability, and did not change the morphology of the cells, and the test sample was not different from the state of the control cells. Cytokine production by cells of the conjunctiva when exposed to Broksinak® alone stimulated secretion of antiviral IFN-α and IFN-λ and inhibition of production of proinflammatory IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-8, IL-12. Ophthalmoferon stimulated the production of IFN-α and VEGF R1. The production of RNA IFN-α, IFN-λ2, IL-2, IL-12 was observed in drug’s combination.Сonclusions. The combined use of Broksinak® and Oftalmoferon® on human Chang conjunctiva cells results in the formation of an adequate antiviral and anti-inflammatory cytokine response: i.e. increase of IFNalpha production, IFN-lambda, IL-2 and IL-12

Cyclic Methacrylate Tetrahydropyrimidinones: Synthesis, Properties, (Co)Polymerization

During radical polymerization of novel biocidal methacrylate guanidine monomers, a cyclic byproduct was discovered and identified as 2-imino-5-methyltetrahydropyrimidin-4(1H)-one (THP). Its methacrylate salt (MTHP) was synthesized and characterized via 1H and 13C NMR and pyrolysis chromatography. Synthesis conditions of both THP and MTHP were optimized to high yields, and both MTHP homopolymerization (in aqua) and copolymerization with diallyldimethylammonium chloride (in aqua in salt form) were successfully carried out with middle to high yields, providing a promising platform for potential tailored biocide polymers

Electromagnetic and magnetic properties of magnetophotonic crystal based on opal matrix with Co and CoO nanoparticles

Magnetic properties of magnetophotonic crystals based on opal matrices have been studied as well as their electromagnetic properties in millimeter waveband. The particles of cobalt oxide are embedded into the inter-sphere voids of the matrix. After annealing in hydrogen the cobalt oxide particles transform to metallic cobalt. It has been shown that if antiferromagnetic cobalt oxide remains besides ferromagnetic cobalt, the low-temperature magnetic hysteresis loop is shifted along the field axis. Magnetic field influences essentially on the microwave transmission and reflection coefficients only after annealing in hydrogen that is if the ferromagnetic phase presents in the sample. The spectra of magnetic resonance and antiresonance are studied. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.Rochester Academy of ScienceThe work was carried with partial support of the RAS Program and the NSh-6172.2012.2 grant. Authors are grateful to Dr. A. Korolev for magnetic measurements carried out in the Testing Center of Institute of Metal Physics

Three-dimensional nanocomposite metal dielectric materials on the basis of opal matrices

The microwave properties of 3D nanocomposites based on opal matrices containing one or two transition metal particles have been investigated. Phase analysis of the nanocomposites has been carried out. Magnetic field dependences of transmission and reflection coefficients were obtained. Magnetic resonance and antiresonance spectra have been reconstructed. Frequency dependences of resonance and antiresonance amplitude have been obtained. It has been found that the magnetic resonance amplitude of a nanocomposite containing particles of two metals is essentially higher than that of a nanocomposite with particles of one metal. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.The work was financially supported in part by the Russian Academy of Sciences in the framework of the “Basic Research in Nanotechnologies and Nano-materials” Program (project no. NSh-6172.2012.2) and by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation in the framework of the State Contract 2.5737.2011 “Electromagnetic Properties of Metal and Composite Nanostructured Materials in the Millimeter Wavelength Range”

Giant antiresonance in electromagnetic wave reflection from a 3D structure with ferrite spinel nanoparticles

We analyze the microwave properties of nanocomposite materials obtained by embedding opal matrices (regular packing of SiO2 spheres about 250 nm in diameter) of ferrite spinel nanoparticles in the interspherical space. It is found that the main reason for microwave changes is the magnetic resonance in a nanocomposite. In addition to the resonance, antiresonance also takes place, which is manifested as a minimum of absorbed power at frequencies higher than a certain frequency characteristic of the given type of ferrite particles. Antiresonance appears in the fields smaller than the resonance field. The amplitude of the reflected signal in antiresonance increases fourfold. The measurements are taken in the frequency range from 26 to 38 GHz. The change in the moduli of transmission and reflection coefficients in the external magnetic field in a rectangular waveguide containing a nanocomposite is analyzed. The modulus of the wave transmittance through a rectangular resonator with a nanocomposite specimen is measured. The structural analysis of nanocomposites is carried out. In addition, the magnetization curves and hysteresis loops are measured. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Russian Academy of SciencesACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was performed under the plan of the Russian Academy of Sciences and was supported in part by the program of the presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (project no. NSh 6172.2012.2)