Tropical Ginger Cultivation in North American Temperate Climes

The popularity of gingers, in the family Zingiberaceae and many native to Southeast Asia, is increasing as more species are brought into cultivation by botanists and as botanic gardens increase their public displays in glasshouses and outside beds. Not only are the foliage and flowers striking in appearance with bright colors and unusual forms, but many have medicinal uses as well. Some species are evergreen while others go dormant during the winter months. Gingers are relatively easy to cultivate and are not prone to insect pests. In regions with freezing temperatures during the winter a glasshouse is required. With proper care and planning, a great variety of species can be successfully cultivated and put on view for the public

Fast, linked, and open – the future of taxonomic publishing for plants: launching the journal PhytoKeys

The paper describes the focus, scope and the rationale of PhytoKeys, a newly established, peer-reviewed, open-access journal in plant systematics. PhytoKeys is launched to respond to four main challenges of our time: (1) Appearance of electronic publications as amendments or even alternatives to paper publications; (2) Open Access (OA) as a new publishing model; (3) Linkage of electronic registers, indices and aggregators that summarize information on biological species through taxonomic names or their persistent identifiers (Globally Unique Identifiers or GUIDs; currently Life Science Identifiers or LSIDs); (4) Web 2.0 technologies that permit the semantic markup of, and semantic enhancements to, published biological texts. The journal will pursue cutting-edge technologies in publication and dissemination of biodiversity information while strictly following the requirements of the current International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN)

Phlogeny and Biogeography of the Prayer Plant Family

Marantaceae are the second largest family in the order Zingiberales, with approximately 31 genera and 535 species. Earlier studies based on morphological and molecular characters could not confidently determine the relationships among major lineages of the family, nor could they identify the basal branch of the family tree. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data from all three genomic compartments (chloroplast: matK, ndhF, rbcL, rps16 intron, and trnL-trnF intergenic spacer; mitochondrion: cox1; nucleus: ITS region and the 5\u27-end of 26S) for a restricted set of taxa were conducted under parsimony criteria to define the root node and to assess geographical distribution patterns. Our results support the recognition of five major lineages, most of which are restricted to a single geographical region (tropical America, tropical Africa, or tropical Asia). The phylogenies and character reconstructions (Fitch parsimony optimization, Bremer ancestral areas, and DIVA) support an African origin for the family, followed by a minimum of two dispersal events to the New World tropics and four or more dispersal events to the Asian tropics. Less likely are two alternative hypotheses: (1) vicariance of a western Gondwanan group (the Americas and Africa) followed by several dispersals to Asia and Africa, or (2) an American origin followed by several dispersals to Africa and Asia. The low specific diversity in Africa may be due to higher extinction rates as a result of shrinking lowland tropical forests during the Tertiary

The Evolutionary and Biogeographic Origin and Diversification of the Tropical Monocot Order Zingiberales

Zingiberales are a primarily tropical lineage of monocots. The current pantropical distribution of the order suggests an historical Gondwanan distribution, however the evolutionary history of the group has never been analyzed in a temporal context to test if the order is old enough to attribute its current distribution to vicariance mediated by the break-up of the supercontinent. Based on a phylogeny derived from morphological and molecular characters, we develop a hypothesis for the spatial and temporal evolution of Zingiberales using Dispersal-Vicariance Analysis (DIVA) combined with a local molecular clock technique that enables the simultaneous analysis of multiple gene loci with multiple calibration points. We employ a pairwise relative rates test to assign four rate classes to 24 ingroup and 12 outgroup taxa using evidence from three gene regions (rbcL, atpB, 18S). Five nodes of in group and outgroup taxa were calibrated using fossils and previous monocot-wide age estimates. The results are compared with non-parametric rate smoothing and penalized likelihood estimates of temporal diversification. The divergence of Zingiberales from the remaining commelinid monocots is found to have occurred around 124 million years ago, with major family-level lineages becoming established in the late Cretaceous (80-110 mya) and crown lineages within each family beginning to diversify during the early to mid-Tertiary (29-64 mya). Ancestral Gondwanan vicariance combined with a potential Laurasian distribution and multiple secondary dispersal events within families during the Tertiary can explain the main biogeographic events leading to the current pantropical distribution of this tropical order

DNA barcodes confirm the taxonomic and conservation status of a species of tree on the brink of extinction in the Pacific

The taxonomic status of a single island, narrow range endemic plant species from Palau, Micronesia (Timonius salsedoi) was assessed using DNA barcode markers, additional plastid loci, and morphology in order to verify its conservation status. DNA barcode loci distinguished T. salsedoi from all other Timonius species sampled from Palau, and were supported by sequence data from the atpB-rbcL intergenic spacer region. Timonius salsedoi was only known from two mature individual trees in 2012. Due to its extremely narrow range and population size, it had previously been recommended to be listed as Critically Endangered Status under three separate IUCN Criteria. In 2014 a second survey of the population following a typhoon revealed that the only two known trees had died suggesting that this species may now be extinct. Comprehensive follow up surveys of suitable habitat for this species are urgently required

Giant Cell Arteritis: Clinical Guide for the Eyecare Professional

Purpose The purpose of this article is to review giant cell arteritis, with a focus on ophthalmic manifestations, and provide a quick reference for clinical identification, diagnosis and appropriate management. Summary Giant cell arteritis is one of a few true medical emergencies that may present initially to the eyecare professional. Understanding the clinical picture of disease course and management arms the eyecare professional with the ability to detect and manage early in the disease process, potentially preventing blindness and life-threatening systemic manifestations

Reducing Stigma toward the Transgender Community: An Evaluation of a Humanizing and Perspective-Taking Intervention

Transgender (TG) individuals, or those whose gender identities, expressions and/or behaviors differ from their biological sex (Kirk & Kulkarni, 2006) feel there is a pervasive pattern of discrimination and prejudice directed toward them (Lombardi et al., 2001). In comparison to their heterosexual peers, LGBT youth and emerging adults are at increased risk for a host of adverse outcomes including: suicide, depression, harassment, and victimization (IOM, 2011). Stigma has been characterized as encompassing several components: labeling, making an association between the label and a negative stereotype, separating those who are different as an “out-group” and discriminating. In a recent analysis of the transgender experience, Hill (2002) described three key constructs that can be used to understand negative emotions and behaviors toward transgender individuals: transphobia – an emotional disgust toward gender non-conforming individuals; genderism – a belief that gender non-conforming individuals are pathological or disordered; gender bashing – assault or harassment of gender non-conforming individuals. Recent work on minority stress posits a distal-proximal model of stress in which a person identifies with and makes proximal, distal social attitudes that can have negative effects on their psychological well-being (Meyer, 2003). Thus, stigmatized attitudes and behaviors not only have the potential to contribute to violence or discriminatory behavior but also have a direct impact on the psychological health of the target individual. Thus, the question of how to change negative attitudes and behaviors toward TG individuals is paramount. Researchers have sought to develop interventions aimed at reducing stigma with three basic strategies identified: protest, education and contact (Corrigan & Penn, 1999). However, to date only two such strategies have garnered empirical support: contact and education. In relation to mental illness, education strategies have received limited support (Holmes et al., 1999; see Luty et al., 2007 for an exception). In contrast, contact-based interventions yield the most dramatic changes in attitudes and behaviors; contact involving media depictions have also been demonstrated to yield positive attitude change. Comparing traditional diagnosis-centered teaching about mental illness to a humanizing approach that required students to write a first-person narrative about suffering from a mental illness, Mann and Himelein (2008) found that attitudes changed only when students were required to adopt the perspective of a mentally ill individual. In their recent meta-analysis, Pettigrew and Tropp (2006) demonstrated that contact reduces prejudice and is particularly effective when it occurs under favorable conditions (e.g., conditions of equality, cooperation, and institutional support). While a wealth of research has supported the contact hypothesis related to changing negative attitudes toward ethnic minorities, the mentally ill, the homeless, gays/lesbians and other stigmatized groups, there have been a limited number of studies evaluating associations between contact and attitudes toward the TG community (Harvey, 2002; Hill & Willoughby, 2005) and no controlled studies to evaluate the efficacy of such methods. The current study extends work evaluating anti-stigma interventions to the TG community and seeks to evaluate whether attitude change will differ between participants receiving basic education about the transgender community and those who are educated about TG through media depictions of TG families and are asked to engage in a perspective-taking task. We hypothesize that participants in the humanizing condition who view a documentary and write a first-person narrative of transgender experiences will show a more significant change in transphobia, genderist attitudes and desire for social distance across time relative to participants in the education-only condition signaling less stigmatized and prejudicial attitudes at post-test. Hodson (2011) recently examined the existing contact literature and found that, consistent with Pettigrew’s (1998) focus on individual differences, intergroup contact was effective (and perhaps even more effective) among individuals who were intolerant and cognitively rigid. Religious fundamentalism has been associated with anti-homosexual sentiment (Fulton et al., 1999). Whether religiosity is similarly associated with negative attitudes toward TG individuals will be explored. Whether religiosity and prior contact with the LGBTQ community will moderate intervention outcomes will also be explored

Phylogenetic Analysis of the Zingiberales Based on \u3cem\u3erbc\u3c/em\u3eL Sequences

Morphological data have been used previously to construct phylogenies of the eight families of the Zingiberales one of the most widely accepted monophyletic groups of flowering plants. To provide additional support for phylogenetic relationships within the order, and placement of the order among monocots, we present a parsimony analysis of DNA sequences from the chloroplast-encoded gene, rbcL, for 21 species of Zingiberales and proposed relatives. Five analyses with equal, and differential weights were performed. All analyses resulted in the same most parsimonious tree for taxa within the Zingiberales and the immediate outgroup. The closest sister group to the Zingiberales based on these data is a clade containing Commelinaceae/Haemodoraceae/Pontederiacea. The tree topology within the order based on rbcL sequence data is different from previous morphological analyses. The order can be divided into two sister groups, one containing the Costaceae and Marantaceae, and the other, the remaining six families. All recognized families are monophyletic with the exception of the Musaceae, which is paraphyletic with the Cannaceae. Wtih trees one and two steps longer tha the most parsimonious trees, phylogenetic resolution is rapidly lost, suggesting that the phylogenetic utility of rbcL sequence date for the Zingiberales is limited to interordinal and intrafamilial relationships