Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 15

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of three vascular plants are presented according to IUCN categories and criteria. It includes the assessment of Oryza rhizomatis D.A.Vaughan and Saxifraga facchinii W.D.J.Koch at a global level and Helianthemum caput-felis Boiss. at a regional level

A new chemical method for purification and surface modification of Sri Lankan vien graphite

Sri Lanka has its own demarcated possession for the high quality vein graphite containing 95-98 % of initial purity of carbon.Presently Sri Lankan vein graphite is exported as a cheap raw material without any value addition. The present study focuses to find a cost effective and convenient new chemical method for the graphite purification and to modify the graphite surface using alkali chloride solutions for improving performance of a graphite electrode (for negative electrode) of batteries. Collected vein graphite samples were powdered and prepared samples (10 g of <53 μm) were treated for acid digestion method with a mixture of 5 % of HF, Con.H2SO4& Con.HNO3. 3.50 g of portions graphite powders were separately mixed with 100 ml of 0.1% LiCl, 0.1% KCl and 0.1 % NaCl aqueous solutions for preparing of surface modified graphite. The carbon content of the Needle Platy Graphite (NPG) variety has the highest carbon content and the purity of the samples has been enhanced after acid digestion treatment by removing impurities. The FTIR analysis proved that many of impurity related functional group bands have been removed from the surface modified NPG.The Lithium, Sodium and Potassium Chloride coatings were capable to improve the electric conductivity performance

The role of peripheral afferents in persistent inguinal postherniorrhaphy pain:a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of ultrasound-guided tender point blockade

BACKGROUND: Severe, persistent inguinal postherniorrhaphy pain (PIPP) is a debilitating condition that develops in 2–5% of patients. PIPP may be neuropathic in nature, yet the lesion in the peripheral nervous system has not been located. Most PIPP-patients demonstrate a tender point (TP) in the medial aspect of the inguinal region that triggers pain upon minimal pressure. As TPs may play a role in the pathophysiology of PIPP, the aim of this trial was to investigate the analgesic effects of local anaesthetic TP-blockade. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial was performed in 14 PIPP-patients and six healthy volunteers. All participated in two sessions, seven days apart, receiving 10 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine or normal saline via an ultrasound-guided fascial plane block at the TP. The TP-area was used for pain assessments (at rest, on movement, with 100 kPa pressure-algometry) and quantitative sensory testing (pressure pain thresholds, thermal detection/pain thresholds, supra-threshold heat perception), before and after the TP-blockade. RESULTS: The median (95% CI) reduction in pain was 63% (44.1 to 73.6%) after bupivacaine compared with 36% (11.6 to 49.7%; P=0.003) after placebo. Significant increases in cool detection (P=0.01) and pressure pain thresholds (P=0.009) with decreases in supra-threshold heat pain perception (P=0.003) were seen after bupivacaine only. In four out of six volunteers, increased thermal and evoked-pain thresholds after bupivacaine compared with placebo, was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: This trial demonstrates that peripheral afferent input from the TP-area is important for maintenance of spontaneous and evoked pain in PIPP. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02065219

Development of a novel visuomotor integration paradigm by integrating a virtual environment with mobile eye-tracking and motion-capture systems

Visuomotor integration (VMI), the use of visual information to guide motor planning, execution, and modification, is necessary for a wide range of functional tasks. To comprehensively, quantitatively assess VMI, we developed a paradigm integrating virtual environments, motion-capture, and mobile eye-tracking. Virtual environments enable tasks to be repeatable, naturalistic, and varied in complexity. Mobile eye-tracking and minimally-restricted movement enable observation of natural strategies for interacting with the environment. This paradigm yields a rich dataset that may inform our understanding of VMI in typical and atypical development

Seed priming: state of the art and new perspectives

Priming applied to commercial seed lots is widely used by seed technologists to enhance seed vigour in terms of germination potential and increased stress tolerance. Priming can be also valuable to seed bank operators who need improved protocols of ex situ conservation of germplasm collections (crop and native species). Depending on plant species, seed morphology and physiology, different priming treatments can be applied, all of them triggering the so-called ‘pre-germinative metabolism’. This physiological process takes place during early seed imbibition and includes the seed repair response (activation of DNA repair pathways and antioxidant mechanisms), essential to preserve genome integrity, ensuring proper germination and seedling development. The review provides an overview of priming technology, describing the range of physical–chemical and biological treatments currently available. Optimised priming protocols can be designed using the ‘hydrotime concept’ analysis which provides the theoretical bases for assessing the relationship between water potential and germination rate. Despite the efforts so far reported to further improve seed priming, novel ideas and cutting-edge investigations need to be brought into this technological sector of agri-seed industry. Multidisciplinary translational research combining digital, bioinformatic and molecular tools will significantly contribute to expand the range of priming applications to other relevant commercial sectors, e.g. the native seed market

Na₂Ti₃O₇ nano fibres as an anode material for rechargeable Na-ion batteries

Na2Ti3O7 has been known for a long time and studied for several applications in sensors, catalysis and in toxic waste removal. The applicability of Na2Ti3O7 as an anode material for rechargeable Na-ion batteries was investigated in this study. Na2Ti3O7 nano fibers were synthesized by hydrothermal technique and characterized by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that spherical Na2Ti3O7 materials consisting of tiny nano fibers have been formed. The electrochemical characterization was performed with Na metal electrode in coin half-cells fabricated in an Ar inert atmosphere. The galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements in the voltage range of 0.02 - 1.9 V revealed the initial discharge capacity of 787.2 mAhg-1 at C / 10 rate and the discharge capacity was decreased to 55 mAhg-1 over 30 cycles. The results suggest that the crystalline Na2Ti3O7 nano fibers are suitable to be used as an anode material in rechargeable Na-ion batteries