On the thermodynamic origin of metabolic scaling

This work has been funded by projects AYA2013-48623-C2-2, FIS2013-41057-P, CGL2013-46862-C2-1-P and SAF2015-65878-R from the Spanish Ministerio de Economa y Competitividad and PrometeoII/2014/086, PrometeoII/2014/060 and PrometeoII/2014/065 from the Generalitat Valenciana (Spain). BL acknowledges funding from a Salvador de Madariaga fellowship, and L.L. acknowledges funding from EPSRC Early Career fellowship EP/P01660X/1

Sesquiterpene lactones and other constituents of Centaurea diffusa

Fil: Fortuna, Antonio Mario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Contreras Marañon de Riscala, Elmira. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Catalan, Cesar Atilio Nazareno. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Gedris, T. E.. Florida State University; Estados UnidosFil: Herz, W.. Florida State University; Estados Unido

Comparative study of the complement-activating and specific IgE-binding properties of ragweed pollen allergen

Previous reports have defined the capacity of ragweed pollen extract (RWA) to activate human complement (C) in fluid phase through the classical pathway and have ascertained a strong correlation between the extent of complement activation and the severity of symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis during the ragweed blooming season. In the present study the complement-activating and specific IgE-binding capacities of various ragweed allergen preparations were compared. Elimination of physically adsorbed (flavonoid) pigments from the allergenic proteins had no significant effect on their complement-consuming capacity, although the process strongly diminished specific IgE binding. Removal of an IgE-binding trypsin inhibitor from RWA significantly enhanced RWA-induced complement activation, whereas it did not change IgE binding. These findings indicate that neither the physically adsorbed pigments nor the trypsin inhibitor are involved in complement activation by ragweed pollen allergens, and suggest that complement activation and specific IgE binding are distinct molecular properties of ragweed pollen allergen

Sesquiterpene lactones and a neolignan from Hyaloseris andrade-limae

Aerial parts of Hyaloseris andrade-limae furnished the eudesmanolides ivasperin andisoivasperin, the guaianolide 14-hydroxypseudoivalin, the peptide aurentiamide acetate anda new neolignan hyaloserin.Fil: de Trimarco, Juliana T.. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Contreras Marañon de Riscala, Elmira. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Catalan, Cesar Atilio Nazareno. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Química del Noroeste. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia. Instituto de Química del Noroeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia. Instituto de Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Griffin, Claire L.. Florida State University; Estados UnidosFil: Herz, Werner. Florida State University; Estados Unido

Does invasion by an alien plant species affect the soil seed bank?

Questions: How does invasion affect old-field seed bank species richness, composition and density? How consistent are these effects across sites? Does the soil seed bank match vegetation structure in old-fields? Location: Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain, western Mediter- ranean basin. Methods: We monitored seed germination in soils from old- fields that were both uninvaded and invaded (legacy effect) by the annual geophyte Oxalis pes-caprae. We also added O. pes-caprae bulbs to uninvaded soils to test O. pes-caprae interference with seedling emergence (competitive effect). We compared species composition in the seed bank with that of the vegetation. Results: Species richness in the seed bank and in the vegetation was not significantly different between invaded and uninvaded areas. Uninvaded areas did not have larger seed banks than in- vaded areas. More seedlings, especially of geophytes, emerged when O. pes-caprae bulbs were added to the soil. Species similarity between invaded and uninvaded areas was higher in the seed bank (74%) than in the vegetation (49%). Differences in species composition were as important as differences among sites. The degree of species similarity between the seed bank and the vegetation was very low (17%). Conclusions: Despite invasion by O. pes-caprae not affecting species richness, the variation in the seed bank species com- position in invaded and uninvaded areas, and the differences between the seed bank and the mature vegetation, highlights that even if the invader could be eradicated the vegetation could not be restored back to the exact composition as found in uninvaded areas.Peer reviewe