A single mouse monoclonal antibody, E58 modulates multiple IgE epitopes on group 1 cedar pollen allergens

PubMed Central

Goldblum, Randall M.; Ning, Bo; Judy, Barbara. M.; Holthauzen, Luis Marcelo F.; van Bavel, Julius; Kamijo, Atsushi; Midoro-Horiuti, Terumi

2016-01-01

We recently described a dominant role for conformational epitopes on the group 1 allergen of the mountain cedar (Juniperus ashei, Cupressaceae), Jun a 1, in pollen hypersensitivity in South Central U.S.A. Since these epitopes are surface exposed and are likely to be flexible, they may be susceptible to molecular or physical perturbations. This may make Jun a 1 a potential target for new forms of therapy for cedar pollinosis. Here, we describe a mouse monoclonal antibody, termed E58, which binds to the group 1 allergens of cedar pollens from three highly populated regions of the world (central U.S.A., France and Japan). Upon binding to these allergens, E58 strongly reduces the binding of patient’s IgE antibodies to these dominant allergens. This characteristic of E58, and potentially other similar antibodies, suggests an opportunity to identify preventative or therapeutic agents that may inhibit cedar pollen sensitization or prevent the allergic reactions. PMID:27174188

219 The Revised Edition of Korean Calendar for Allergenic Pollens

PubMed Central

Oh, Jae-won; Kim, Joo-Hwa; Kim, Seong-Won; Kang, Im-Joo; Kim, Bong-Seong; Kook, Myung-Hee; Park, Kang-Seo; Lee, Ha-Baik; Kim, Kyu Rang; Choi, Young-Jean

2012-01-01

Background The old version of pollen calendar was used until this year in South Korea. That calendar did not reflect current pollen distribution and concentrations that can be influenced by changes in weather and environment. A new pollen calendar of allergenic pollens was made based on the data on pollen concentrations obtained in 8 regions nationwide between 1997 and 2009 in South Korea. Methods The distribution of pollen grains was assessed every day at 8 areas (Seoul, Guri, Busan, Daegu, Jeonju, Kwangju, Kangneung, and Jeju) nationwide for 12 years between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 2009. Pollen were collected by using Burkard 7-day sampler (Burkard manufacturing Co Ltd, Hertfordshire, UK), and the collected pollens were sent every week to Hanyang Guri Hospital. Then pollens were strained with Calberla's fuchsin staining solution and were identified. The number of pollen grains per m3 was calculated. Results Alder, birch and Japanese cedar started to appear in February. Japanese cedar showed a highest pollen concentration in Jeju. Pine became the highest pollen in May, and the pollen concentrations of oak and birch also became high. Common ragweed appeared in the middle of August and showed the highest pollen concentration in the middles of September. Japanese hop showed a high concentration between the middle of August and the end of September, and mugwort appeared in the middles of August and its concentration increased up until early September. Birch appeared earlier in Kangneung, and pine showed a higher pollen concentration than in the other areas. In Daegu, Oriental thuja, alder and juniper produced a large concentration of pollens. Pine produced a large concentration of pollens between the middle of April and the end of May. Weeds showed higher concentrations in September and mugwort appeared earlier than common ragweed. In Busan where is the southeast city, the time of flowering is relatively early, and alder and Oriental thuja appeared earliest among

Determining Accuracy of Thermal Dissipation Methods-based Sap Flux in Japanese Cedar Trees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Man-Ping; Shinohara, Yoshinori; Laplace, Sophie; Lin, Song-Jin; Kume, Tomonori

2017-04-01

Thermal dissipation method, one kind of sap flux measurement method that can estimate individual tree transpiration, have been widely used because of its low cost and uncomplicated operation. Although thermal dissipation method is widespread, the accuracy of this method is doubted recently because some tree species materials in previous studies were not suitable for its empirical formula from Granier due to difference of wood characteristics. In Taiwan, Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese cedar) is one of the dominant species in mountainous area, quantifying the transpiration of Japanese cedar trees is indispensable to understand water cycling there. However, no one have tested the accuracy of thermal dissipation methods-based sap flux for Japanese cedar trees in Taiwan. Thus, in this study we conducted calibration experiment using twelve Japanese cedar stem segments from six trees to investigate the accuracy of thermal dissipation methods-based sap flux in Japanese cedar trees in Taiwan. By pumping water from segment bottom to top and inserting probes into segments to collect data simultaneously, we compared sap flux densities calculated from real water uptakes (Fd_actual) and empirical formula (Fd_Granier). Exact sapwood area and sapwood depth of each sample were obtained from dying segment with safranin stain solution. Our results showed that Fd_Granier underestimated 39 % of Fd_actual across sap flux densities ranging from 10 to 150 (cm3m-2s-1); while applying sapwood depth corrected formula from Clearwater, Fd_Granier became accurately that only underestimated 0.01 % of Fd_actual. However, when sap flux densities ranging from 10 to 50 (cm3m-2s-1)which is similar with the field data of Japanese cedar trees in a mountainous area of Taiwan, Fd_Granier underestimated 51 % of Fd_actual, and underestimated 26 % with applying Clearwater sapwood depth corrected formula. These results suggested sapwood depth significantly impacted on the accuracy of thermal dissipation

Seasonal allergic conjunctivitis induced by Japanese pear pollen.

PubMed

Yanagisawa, S; Nagaki, Y; Hiraki, S; Kadoi, C; Hayasaka, S; Teranishi, H

1999-01-01

To evaluate the ocular findings in patients with Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) pollinosis. Twenty-two farmers working on artificial pollination in Japanese pear orchards were examined for ocular itching, conjunctival conditions, presence of eosinophils in the conjunctival specimen, and nasal symptoms. Serum IgE antibody to Japanese pear pollen was determined in 16 farmers. Of the 22 subjects, 3 (Nos. 3, 4, and 13) exhibited ocular itching, conjunctival hyperemia, eosinophils in the conjunctival specimen, and positive serum IgE antibodies to Japanese pear pollen. In these patients, the conjunctivitis disappeared after treatment with topical cromoglycate. The present study demonstrated that seasonal allergic conjunctivitis may be induced by Japanese pear pollen (entomophilous flower pollen).

Comparison of the evapotranspiration and its components before and after thinning in Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tateishi, Makiko; Xiang, Yang; Matsuda, Hiroki; Saito, Takami; Sun, Haotian; Otsuki, Kyoichi; Kasahara, Tamao; Onda, Yuichi

2014-05-01

Water source area of Japan is often covered by forest, and 40 % of forest cover is coniferous plantation. Thinning has become a major tool in the management of plantation in recent years, but its effects on water cycle and its components are yet to be evaluated well. In this study, we investigated the changes in evapotranspiration and its components, including stand transpiration and canopy interception loss, after thinning in 50 years old Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress plantation at Yayama experimental catchment in Fukuoka, Japan. We established study plot in each Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress stand. Sap flow measurement was conducted for evaluating stand transpiration in each plot. Through fall and stem flow were also monitored to estimate canopy interception loss. The experiments were conducted over two years. During the measurements, 50 % of trees were thinned randomly in entire catchment, which has an area of 2.98 ha. Stem density was changed from 3945 to 1977 trees per ha after thinning. The reduction of daily stand transpiration in the studied Japanese cedar and cypress stands after thinning were 31.6 % and 48.2 % under the same condition of microclimate, respectively. These values were comparable to the changes in total sapwood area, 34.2 % and 44.5 %, and sap flow density did not change after thinning. It implies that sapwood area is a primary determinant of stand transpiration. Canopy interception ratios were 27 % and 26 % for Japanese cedar and cypress before thinning, and the ratios decreased to 24 % and 21 % after thinning, respectively. Thus, we obtained the changes in annual evapotranspiration and its components at catchment scale by using observation and models. The changes in partitioning of evapotranspiration is also discussed. The evapotranspiration before and after thinning were also compared to water balance data in this study site.

The effects of wavelength on photodegradation depth profiles in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) earlywood

Treesearch

Yutaka Kataoka; Makoto Kiguchi; R. Sam Williams; Philip D. Evans

2006-01-01

FT-IR microscopy was used to depth profile the photodegradation of Japanese cedar earlywood exposed to monochromatic light in the UV and visible ranges (band pass: 20nm). Parallel experiments assessed the transmission of the light through thin sections of Japanese cedar. The depth of photodegradation increased with wavelength up to and including the violet region of...

Safety and long-term immunological effects of CryJ2-LAMP plasmid vaccine in Japanese red cedar atopic subjects: A phase I study.

PubMed

Su, Yan; Romeu-Bonilla, Eliezer; Anagnostou, Athanasia; Fitz-Patrick, David; Hearl, William; Heiland, Teri

2017-12-02

Japanese Red Cedar (JRC) pollen induced allergy affects one third of Japanese and the development of effective therapies remains an unachieved challenge. We designed a DNA vaccine encoding CryJ2 allergen from the JRC pollen and Lysosomal Associated Membrane Protein 1 (LAMP-1) to treat JRC allergy. These Phase IA and IB trials assessed safety and immunological effects of the investigational CryJ2-LAMP DNA vaccine in both non-sensitive and sensitive Japanese expatriates living in Honolulu, Hawaii. In the Phase IA trial, 6 JRC non-sensitive subjects and 9 JRC and/or Mountain Cedar (MC) sensitive subjects were given 4 vaccine doses (each 4mg/1ml) intramuscularly (IM) at 14-day intervals. Nine JRC and/or MC sensitive subjects were given 4 doses (2 mg/0.5 ml) IM at 14-day intervals. The safety and functional biomarkers were followed for 132 d. Following this, 17 of 24 subjects were recruited into the IB trial and received one booster dose (2 mg/0.5 ml) IM approximately 300 d after the first vaccination dose to which they were randomized in the first phase of the trial. All safety endpoints were met and all subjects tolerated CryJ2-LAMP vaccinations well. At the end of the IA trial, 10 out of 12 JRC sensitive and 6 out of 11 MC sensitive subjects experienced skin test negative conversion, possibly related to the CryJ2-LAMP vaccinations. Collectively, these data suggested that the CryJ2-LAMP DNA vaccine is safe and may be immunologically effective in treating JRC induced allergy.

Next generation immunotherapy for tree pollen allergies.

PubMed

Su, Yan; Romeu-Bonilla, Eliezer; Heiland, Teri

2017-10-03

Tree pollen induced allergies are one of the major medical and public health burdens in the industrialized world. Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy (AIT) through subcutaneous injection or sublingual delivery is the only approved therapy with curative potential to pollen induced allergies. AIT often is associated with severe side effects and requires long-term treatment. Safer, more effective and convenient allergen specific immunotherapies remain an unmet need. In this review article, we discuss the current progress in applying protein and peptide-based approaches and DNA vaccines to the clinical challenges posed by tree pollen allergies through the lens of preclinical animal models and clinical trials, with an emphasis on the birch and Japanese red cedar pollen induced allergies.

[Quality of life in patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis: using the SF-8 health status questionnaire (Japanese version)].

PubMed

Fujii, Tsukasa; Ogino, Satoshi; Arimoto, Hiroe; Irifune, Morihiro; Iwata, Nobuko; Ookawachi, Ichiro; Kikumori, Hiroshi; Seo, Ritsu; Takeda, Mariko; Tamaki, Akiko; Baba, Kenji; Nose, Michihiro

2006-10-01

The number of patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCP) is increasing, and now, has extended up to about 15% of the Japanese. It is reported that the QOL is an important outcome in the JCP treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the QOL in patients with JCP by means of the SF-8 Health Survey (Japanese Version), a new, even shorter generic health survey. 411 patients with JCP who visited 10 ENT clinics in Osaka from March 14 to March 26 (peak pollen season) were questioned, and 204 patients without any treatments in this season were engaged in this study as subjects. In this study, the QOL scores were evaluated using the SF-8. This is an 8-item version of the SF-36 that yields a comparable 8-dimension health profile and comparable estimates of summary scores for the physical and mental components of health. The QOL score depressed in the patients with JCP compared with healthy subjects (Japanese national norms). Both Mental Component Score (MCS) and Physical Component Score (PCS) scores decreased more in females than in males. In females, MCS were significantly lower than national norms. The older the patients were, the lower PCS scores were showed. The severity of nasal symptoms influenced the PCS scores. These results showed the tendency similar to the early studies using SF-36 questionnaire. The sensitivity of SF-8 in the individual is not better than that of other specific QOL questionnaires, but SF-8 can be answered in a short time compared with other questionnaires including SF-36. We suggested that SF-8 become a useful questionnaire in the future.

LONGITUDINAL MONITORING OF TREE AIRBORNE POLLEN IN JAPAN.

PubMed

Kishikawa, Reiko; Kotoh, Eiko; Oshikawa, Chie; Soh, Nobuo; Shimoda, Terufumi; Saito, Akemi; Sahashi, Norio; Enomoto, Tadao; Usami, Atsushi; Teranishi, Hidetoyo; Fujisaki, Yohko; Yokoyama, Toshitaka; Murayama, Kohji; Imai, Tohru; Fukutomi, Yuma; Taniguchi, Masami; Iwanaga, Tomoaki

2017-01-01

In Japan patients with Japanese Cedar (JC) pollinosis have increased nation widely since the latter of 1970's. The Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japanese Governments has begun to take preventive measures against JC pollinosis and airborne pollen monitoring has begun to investigate as a causative agent since 1986. We have estimated the longitudinal investigation result for successful prevention and treatment against pollinosis in Japan. We have monitored airborne pollen all year around since July 1986 by gravitational pollen sampler, Durham's sampler, at more than 20 locations in the Japanese Islands. Pollen samples were sent to our hospital and counted pollen number per cm 2 after stained by Calberla solution and then classified main pollen grains as a causative agent of pollinosis. JC pollen number was the most of all, more than 40%, next cypress family, about 20%. They were occupied of more than 60% of all and they increased with the remarkable annual fluctuation as the allergen of JC pollinosis. Beech family pollen counting were also increasing and occupied about 10% of all pollen counts. In Hokkaido the prevalence of birch family pollen count was larger than that in other districts. There is cross-reactivity between beech and birch family which related with oral allergic syndrome.Perspective and Conclusion: In future new occurrences of oral allergy syndrome due to increasing allergic tree pollen grains would be appeared. The contentious pollen research should be important for patients with pollinosis in Japan.

[A VALIDATION STUDY OF THE IMPROVED PRODUCT FOR MEASURING JAPANESE CYPRESS POLLEN-SPECIFIC IgE (THERMO SCIENTIFIC™ ImmunoCAP™ ImmunoCAP JAPANESE CYPRESS POLLEN-SPECIFIC IgE)].

PubMed

Yonekura, Syuji; Okamoto, Yoshitaka; Nakayama, Satoshi

Japanese cypress pollen is a major causative allergen of seasonal allergic rhinitis in Japan. Although ImmunoCAP-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) reagent Japanese cypress pollen has been widely used as a diagnostic aid, its sensitivity requires enhancement. This study evaluated an improved version of this reagent. Serum samples from 61 subjects who underwent Japanese cypress pollen exposure testing in an environmental challenge chamber in Chiba University were assessed using the conventional ImmunoCAPspecific IgE Japanese cypress pollen product and the improved product. In addition, specific IgE for Cha o 1 and Cha o 2, the primary allergen components of Japanese cypress pollen, was evaluated and their reactivity to specific IgE was compared between the conventional and improved products. The antibody titer of the improved product was approximately 1.8-fold that of the conventional product. In addition, higher correlations with Cha o 1 and Cha o 2 were observed for the improved product than for the conventional product. The clinical sensitivity (≥class 2) in 56 exposure test-positive subjects was better for the improved product (80.4%) than for the conventional product (71.4%). An improvement of the ImmunoCAP-specific IgE reagent Japanese cypress pollen resulted in enhanced Japanese cypress pollen-specific IgE sensitivity. The primary reason for this appeared to be an improved Cha o 1- and Cha o 2-specific IgE detectability.

Standardization of Weed Pollen Extracts, Japanese Hop and Mugwort, in Korea

PubMed Central

Jeong, Kyoung Yong; Son, Mina; Choi, Soo-Young; Park, Kyung Hee; Park, Hye Jung; Hong, Chein-Soo; Lee, Jae-Hyun

2016-01-01

Purpose Japanese hop (Humulus spp.) and mugwort (Artemisia spp.) are notable causes of autumn pollinosis in East Asia. However, Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts, which are widely used for the diagnosis, have not been standardized. This study was performed to standardize Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts. Materials and Methods Allergen extracts were prepared in a standardized way using locally collected Humulus japonicus and purchased Artemisia vulgaris pollens. The immunoglobulin E (IgE) reactivities of prepared extracts were compared with commercial extracts via IgE immunoblotting and inhibition analyses. Intradermal skin tests were performed to determine the bioequivalent allergy unit (BAU). Results The IgE reactive components of the extracts via IgE immunoblotting were similar to those of commercial extracts. A 11-kDa allergen showed the strongest IgE reactivity in Japanese hop, as did a 28-kDa allergen in mugwort pollen extracts. Allergenic potencies of the investigatory Japanese hop and mugwort extracts were essentially indistinguishable from the commercial ones. Sums of erythema of 50 mm by the intradermal skin test (ΣED50) were calculated to be 14.4th and 13.6th three-fold dilutions for Japanese hop and mugwort extracts, respectively. Therefore, the allergenic activity of the prepared extracts was 90827.4 BAU/mg for Japanese hop and 34412 BAU/mg for mugwort. Conclusion We produced Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts using a standardized method. Standardized Japanese hop and mugwort pollen extracts will facilitate the production of improved diagnostic and immunotherapeutic reagents. PMID:26847293

Essential Oil of Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) Wood Increases Salivary Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate Levels after Monotonous Work.

PubMed

Matsubara, Eri; Tsunetsugu, Yuko; Ohira, Tatsuro; Sugiyama, Masaki

2017-01-21

Employee problems arising from mental illnesses have steadily increased and become a serious social problem in recent years. Wood is a widely available plant material, and knowledge of the psychophysiological effects of inhalation of woody volatile compounds has grown considerably. In this study, we established an experimental method to evaluate the effects of Japanese cedar wood essential oil on subjects performing monotonous work. Two experiment conditions, one with and another without diffusion of the essential oil were prepared. Salivary stress markers were determined during and after a calculation task followed by distribution of questionnaires to achieve subjective odor assessment. We found that inhalation of air containing the volatile compounds of Japanese cedar wood essential oil increased the secretion of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-s). Slight differences in the subjective assessment of the odor of the experiment rooms were observed. The results of the present study indicate that the volatile compounds of Japanese cedar wood essential oil affect the endocrine regulatory mechanism to facilitate stress responses. Thus, we suggest that this essential oil can improve employees' mental health.

Radiocaesium partitioning in Japanese cedar forests following the “early” phase of Fukushima fallout redistribution

PubMed Central

Coppin, Frederic; Hurtevent, Pierre; Loffredo, Nicolas; Simonucci, Caroline; Julien, Anthony; Gonze, Marc-Andre; Nanba, Kenji; Onda, Yuichi; Thiry, Yves

2016-01-01

Our study focused on radiocaesium (137Cs) partitioning in forests, three vegetation periods after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. 137Cs distribution in forest components (organic and mineral soil layers as well as tree compartments: stem, bark, needles, branches and roots) was measured for two Japanese cedar stand ages (17 and 33 years old). The results showed that around 85% of the initial deposit was found in the forest floor and topsoil. For the youngest stand almost 70% of the deposit is present in the forest floor, whereas for the oldest stand 50% is present in the 0–3 cm mineral soil layer. For trees, old and perennial organs (including dead and living needles and branches, litter fall and outer bark) directly exposed to the fallout remained the most contaminated. The crown concentrated 61–69% of the total tree contamination. Surprisingly the dead organs concentrated 25 ± 9% (young cedars) to 36 ± 20% (mature cedar) of the trees’ residual activity, highlighting the importance of that specific compartment in the early post-accident phase for Japanese cedar forests. Although the stem (including bark) represents the highest biomass pool, it only concentrates 3.3% and 4.6% of the initial 137Cs deposit for mature and young cedars, respectively. PMID:27876870

'Benifuuki' green tea containing o-methylated catechin reduces symptoms of Japanese cedar pollinosis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

PubMed

Masuda, Sawako; Maeda-Yamamoto, Mari; Usui, Satoko; Fujisawa, Takao

2014-06-01

Methylated catechin, one of the active ingredients in green tea, has been reported to ameliorate allergic reactions. We evaluated the efficacy of 'Benifuuki' green tea, which contains O-methylated epigallocatechin-3-O-[3-O-methyl] gallate (O-methylated EGCG), in alleviating Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCP). The study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. The subjects with JCP were randomly assigned to drink 700ml of 'Benifuuki' green tea containing O-methylated EGCG or 'Yabukita' green tea (not containing O-methylated EGCG) as a placebo every day from December 2007 through March 2008, which includes the pollen season. The primary outcome was the area under the curve (AUC) of symptom scores during the peak pollen season. Fifty-one adults with JCP participated in the study. Twenty-six subjects were assigned to 'Benifuuki' and 25 to 'Yabukita'. The AUC of symptom score during the peak pollen season in the 'Benifuuki' group was significantly smaller than in the 'Yabukita' group for each of runny nose, itchy eyes, tearing, total nasal symptom score, total ocular symptom score, nasal symptom-medication score and ocular symptom-medication score. The total QOL-related questionnaire score for one week in the peak pollen season was significantly better in the 'Benifuuki' group. Increase in the peripheral eosinophil count in response to pollen exposure was suppressed in the 'Benifuuki' group. No adverse events were reported in either group. 'Benifuuki' green tea containing a large amount of O-methylated EGCG reduced the symptoms of JCP and has potential as a complementary/alternative medicine for treating seasonal allergic rhinitis.

The efficacy of early treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis with benifuuki green tea containing O-methylated catechin before pollen exposure: an open randomized study.

PubMed

Maeda-Yamamoto, Mari; Ema, Kaori; Monobe, Manami; Shibuichi, Ikuo; Shinoda, Yuki; Yamamoto, Tomohiro; Fujisawa, Takao

2009-09-01

We previously reported that 'benifuuki' green tea containing O-methylated catechin significantly relieved the symptoms of perennial or seasonal rhinitis compared with a placebo green tea that did not contain O-methylated catechin in randomized double-blind clinical trials. In this study we assessed the effects of 'benifuuki' green tea on clinical symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis. An open-label, single-dose, randomized, parallel-group study was performed on 38 subjects with Japanese cedar pollinosis. The subjects were randomly assigned to long-term (December 27, 2006-April 8, 2007, 1.5 months before pollen exposure) or short-term (February 15, 2007: after cedar pollen dispersal--April 8, 2007) drinking of a 'benifuuki' tea drink containing 34 mg O-methylated catechin per day. Each subject recorded their daily symptom scores in a diary. The primary efficacy variable was the mean weekly nasal symptom medication score during the study period. The nasal symptom medication score in the long-term intake group was significantly lower than that of the short-term intake group at the peak of pollen dispersal. The symptom scores for throat pain, nose-blowing, tears, and hindrance to activities of daily living were significantly better in the long-term group than the short-term group. In particular, the differences in the symptom scores for throat pain and nose-blowing between the 2 groups were marked. We conclude that drinking 'benifuuki' tea for 1.5 months prior to the cedar pollen season is effective in reducing symptom scores for Japanese cedar pollinosis.

Reevaluation of pollen quantitation by an automatic pollen counter.

PubMed

Muradil, Mutarifu; Okamoto, Yoshitaka; Yonekura, Syuji; Chazono, Hideaki; Hisamitsu, Minako; Horiguchi, Shigetoshi; Hanazawa, Toyoyuki; Takahashi, Yukie; Yokota, Kunihiko; Okumura, Satoshi

2010-01-01

Accurate and detailed pollen monitoring is useful for selection of medication and for allergen avoidance in patients with allergic rhinitis. Burkard and Durham pollen samplers are commonly used, but are labor and time intensive. In contrast, automatic pollen counters allow simple real-time pollen counting; however, these instruments have difficulty in distinguishing pollen from small nonpollen airborne particles. Misidentification and underestimation rates for an automatic pollen counter were examined to improve the accuracy of the pollen count. The characteristics of the automatic pollen counter were determined in a chamber study with exposure to cedar pollens or soil grains. The cedar pollen counts were monitored in 2006 and 2007, and compared with those from a Durham sampler. The pollen counts from the automatic counter showed a good correlation (r > 0.7) with those from the Durham sampler when pollen dispersal was high, but a poor correlation (r < 0.5) when pollen dispersal was low. The new correction method, which took into account the misidentification and underestimation, improved this correlation to r > 0.7 during the pollen season. The accuracy of automatic pollen counting can be improved using a correction to include rates of underestimation and misidentification in a particular geographical area.

Concentrated Protein Body Product Derived from Rice Endosperm as an Oral Tolerogen for Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy—A New Mucosal Vaccine Formulation against Japanese Cedar Pollen Allergy

PubMed Central

Wakasa, Yuhya; Takagi, Hidenori; Watanabe, Nobumasa; Kitamura, Noriko; Fujiwara, Yoshihiro; Ogo, Yuko; Hayashi, Shimpei; Yang, Lijun; Ohta, Masaru; Thet Tin, Wai Wai; Sekikawa, Kenji; Takano, Makoto; Ozawa, Kenjirou; Hiroi, Takachika; Takaiwa, Fumio

2015-01-01

The endoplasmic reticulum-derived type-I protein body (PB-I) from rice endosperm cells is an ideal candidate formulation for the oral delivery of bioencapsulated peptides as tolerogens for allergen-specific immunotherapy. In the present study, PBs containing the deconstructed Japanese cedar pollen allergens Cryptomeria japonica 1 (Cry j 1) and Cry j 2 were concentrated by treatment with thermostable α-amylase at 90°C to remove the starch from milled rice powder, which resulted in a 12.5-fold reduction of dry weight compared to the starting material. The modified Cry j 1 and Cry j 2 antigens in this concentrated PB product were more resistant to enzymatic digestion than those in the milled seed powder despite the absence of intact cell wall and starch, and remained stable for at least 10 months at room temperature without detectable loss or degradation. The high resistance of these allergens could be attributed to changes in protein physicochemical properties induced by the high temperature concentration process, as suggested by the decreased solubility of the antigens and seed proteins in PBs in step-wise-extraction experiments. Confocal microscopy showed that the morphology of antigen-containing PB-Is was preserved in the concentrated PB product. The concentrated PB product induced specific immune tolerance against Cry j 1 and Cry j 2 in mice when orally administered, supporting its potential use as a novel oral tolerogen formulation. PMID:25774686

CryJ-LAMP DNA Vaccines for Japanese Red Cedar Allergy Induce Robust Th1-Type Immune Responses in Murine Model

PubMed Central

Connolly, Michael; Marketon, Anthony

2016-01-01

Allergies caused by Japanese Red Cedar (JRC) pollen affect up to a third of Japanese people, necessitating development of an effective therapeutic. We utilized the lysosomal targeting property of lysosomal-associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1) to make DNA vaccines that encode LAMP-1 and the sequences of immunodominant allergen CryJ1 or CryJ2 from the JRC pollen. This novel strategy is designed to skew the CD4 T cell responses to the target allergens towards a nonallergenic Th1 response. CryJ1-LAMP and CryJ2-LAMP were administrated to BALB/c mice and antigen-specific Th1-type IgG2a and Th2-type IgG1 antibodies, as well as IgE antibodies, were assayed longitudinally. We also isolated different T cell populations from immunized mice and adoptively transferred them into naïve mice followed by CryJ1/CryJ2 protein boosts. We demonstrated that CryJ-LAMP immunized mice produce high levels of IFN-γ and anti-CryJ1 or anti-CryJ2 IgG2a antibodies and low levels of IgE antibodies, suggesting that a Th1 response was induced. In addition, we found that CD4+ T cells are the immunological effectors of DNA vaccination in this allergy model. Together, our results suggest the CryJ-LAMP Vaccine has a potential as an effective therapeutic for JRC induced allergy by skewing Th1/Th2 responses. PMID:27239481

Polarization Analysis of Light Scattered by Pollen Grains of Cryptomeria japonica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwai, Toshiaki

2013-06-01

Pollinosis to airborne pollen grains is a severe problem that concerns the whole world. Almost spring allergies in Japan are caused by pollen grains of Japan cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) during the period of pollination from February to May. One of the key technologies in a pollen monitoring and forecast system is a pollen sensor. The pollen grain of Japan cedar is identified by introducing the degree of polarization to the optical sensor based on the scattered intensity. The detectability and discriminability in identifying the pollen grains of Japan cedar from the polystyrene spherical particles and the Kanto loam grains are achieved up to 95 and 86%, respectively.

An Electrostatic-Barrier-Forming Window that Captures Airborne Pollen Grains to Prevent Pollinosis

PubMed Central

Takikawa, Yoshihiro; Matsuda, Yoshinori; Nonomura, Teruo; Kakutani, Koji; Kusakari, Shin-Ichi; Toyoda, Hideyoshi

2017-01-01

An electrostatic-barrier-forming window (EBW) was devised to capture airborne pollen, which can cause allergic pollinosis. The EBW consisted of three layers of insulated conductor wires (ICWs) and two voltage generators that supplied negative charges to the two outer ICW layers and a positive charge to the middle ICW layer. The ICWs generated an attractive force that captured pollen of the Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica, from air blown through the EBW. The attractive force was directly proportional to the applied voltage. At ≥3.5 kV, the EBW exerted sufficient force to capture all pollen carried at an air flow of 3 m/s, and pollen-free air passed through the EBW. The findings demonstrated that the electrostatic barrier that formed inside the EBW was very effective at capturing airborne pollen; thus, it could allow a home to remain pollen-free and healthy despite continuous pollen exposure. PMID:28098835

An Electrostatic-Barrier-Forming Window that Captures Airborne Pollen Grains to Prevent Pollinosis.

PubMed

Takikawa, Yoshihiro; Matsuda, Yoshinori; Nonomura, Teruo; Kakutani, Koji; Kusakari, Shin-Ichi; Toyoda, Hideyoshi

2017-01-15

An electrostatic-barrier-forming window (EBW) was devised to capture airborne pollen, which can cause allergic pollinosis. The EBW consisted of three layers of insulated conductor wires (ICWs) and two voltage generators that supplied negative charges to the two outer ICW layers and a positive charge to the middle ICW layer. The ICWs generated an attractive force that captured pollen of the Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica , from air blown through the EBW. The attractive force was directly proportional to the applied voltage. At ≥3.5 kV, the EBW exerted sufficient force to capture all pollen carried at an air flow of 3 m/s, and pollen-free air passed through the EBW. The findings demonstrated that the electrostatic barrier that formed inside the EBW was very effective at capturing airborne pollen; thus, it could allow a home to remain pollen-free and healthy despite continuous pollen exposure.

Current cat ownership may be associated with the lower prevalence of atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and Japanese cedar pollinosis in schoolchildren in Himeji, Japan.

PubMed

Kurosaka, Fumitake; Nakatani, Yuji; Terada, Tadayuki; Tanaka, Akira; Ikeuchi, Haruki; Hayakawa, Akira; Konohana, Atsuo; Oota, Kenji; Nishio, Hisahide

2006-02-01

The aim of the study was to clarify the relationship between current pet ownership, passive smoking, and allergic diseases among the Japanese children. From 1995 to 2001, we distributed the Japanese edition of the questionnaire of the American Thoracic Society and the Division of Lung Diseases (ATS-DLD) to survey allergic diseases among 35,552 6-yr-old children at primary school in the city of Himeji, Japan. We analyzed the data by multiple logistic regression and calculated adjusted odds ratios for environmental factors, including passive smoking and pet (dog and/or cat) ownership. There were no significant relationships between the prevalence of asthma and current pet ownership and passive smoking. However, current cat ownership was related to a significantly lower prevalence of atopic dermatitis [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67-0.93], allergic rhinitis (aOR: 0.71, 95% CI 0.57-0.89) and Japanese cedar pollinosis (aOR 0.57, 95% CI 0.44-0.75). Strikingly, passive smoking was also related to a significantly lower prevalence of allergic rhinitis (aOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.77-0.89) and Japanese cedar pollinosis (aOR 0.81, 95% CI 0.74-0.88). Current cat ownership was associated with a lower prevalence of atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and Japanese cedar pollinosis. In addition, passive smoking was also associated with a lower prevalence of allergic rhinitis and Japanese cedar pollinosis.

The Revised Edition of Korean Calendar for Allergenic Pollens

PubMed Central

Lee, Ha-Baik; Kang, Im-Joo; Kim, Seong-Won; Park, Kang-Seo; Kook, Myung-Hee; Kim, Bong-Seong; Baek, Hey-Sung; Kim, Joo-Hwa; Kim, Ja-Kyung; Lee, Dong-Jin; Kim, Kyu-Rang; Choi, Young-Jin

2012-01-01

The old calendar of pollens did not reflect current pollen distribution and concentrations that can be influenced by changes of weather and environment of each region in South Korea. A new pollen calendar of allergenic pollens was made based on the data on pollen concentrations obtained in eight regions nationwide between 1997 and 2009. The distribution of pollen was assessed every day at 8 areas (Seoul, Guri, Busan, Daegu, Jeonju, Kwangju, Kangneung, and Jeju) for 12 years between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 2009. Pollens were collected by using Burkard 7-day sampler (Burkard Manufacturing Co Ltd, UK). Pollens which were stained with Calberla's fuchsin staining solution were identified and counted. Pine became the highest pollen in May, and the pollen concentrations of oak and birch also became high. Ragweed appeared in the middle of August and showed the highest pollen concentration in the middles of September. Japanese hop showed a high concentration between the middle of August and the end of September, and mugwort appeared in the middles of August and its concentration increased up until early September. In Kangneung, birch appeared earlier, pine showed a higher pollen concentration than in the other areas. In Daegu, Oriental thuja and alder produced a large concentration of pollens. Pine produced a large concentration of pollens between the middle of April and the end of May. Weeds showed higher concentrations in September and mugwort appeared earlier than ragweed. In Busan the time of flowering is relatively early, and alder and Oriental thuja appeared earliest among all areas. In Kwangju, Oriental thuja and hazelnut appeared in early February. Japanese cedar showed the highest pollen concentration in March in Jeju. In conclusion, update information on pollen calendar in South Korea should be provided for allergic patients through the website to manage and prevent the pollinosis. PMID:22211164

The revised edition of korean calendar for allergenic pollens.

PubMed

Oh, Jae-Won; Lee, Ha-Baik; Kang, Im-Joo; Kim, Seong-Won; Park, Kang-Seo; Kook, Myung-Hee; Kim, Bong-Seong; Baek, Hey-Sung; Kim, Joo-Hwa; Kim, Ja-Kyung; Lee, Dong-Jin; Kim, Kyu-Rang; Choi, Young-Jin

2012-01-01

The old calendar of pollens did not reflect current pollen distribution and concentrations that can be influenced by changes of weather and environment of each region in South Korea. A new pollen calendar of allergenic pollens was made based on the data on pollen concentrations obtained in eight regions nationwide between 1997 and 2009. The distribution of pollen was assessed every day at 8 areas (Seoul, Guri, Busan, Daegu, Jeonju, Kwangju, Kangneung, and Jeju) for 12 years between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 2009. Pollens were collected by using Burkard 7-day sampler (Burkard Manufacturing Co Ltd, UK). Pollens which were stained with Calberla's fuchsin staining solution were identified and counted. Pine became the highest pollen in May, and the pollen concentrations of oak and birch also became high. Ragweed appeared in the middle of August and showed the highest pollen concentration in the middles of September. Japanese hop showed a high concentration between the middle of August and the end of September, and mugwort appeared in the middles of August and its concentration increased up until early September. In Kangneung, birch appeared earlier, pine showed a higher pollen concentration than in the other areas. In Daegu, Oriental thuja and alder produced a large concentration of pollens. Pine produced a large concentration of pollens between the middle of April and the end of May. Weeds showed higher concentrations in September and mugwort appeared earlier than ragweed. In Busan the time of flowering is relatively early, and alder and Oriental thuja appeared earliest among all areas. In Kwangju, Oriental thuja and hazelnut appeared in early February. Japanese cedar showed the highest pollen concentration in March in Jeju. In conclusion, update information on pollen calendar in South Korea should be provided for allergic patients through the website to manage and prevent the pollinosis.

[Correlation between the SF-8 health status questionnaire and JRQLQ in patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis].

PubMed

Fujii, Tsukasa; Ogino, Satoshi; Arimoto, Hiroe; Irifune, Morihiro; Iwata, Nobuko; Ookawachi, Ichiro; Kikumori, Hiroshi; Seo, Ritsu; Takeda, Mariko; Tamaki, Akiko; Baba, Kenji; Nose, Michihiro

2007-02-01

It is reported that the health-related quality of life (HRQL) is an important outcome in the Japanese Cedar Pollinosis (JCP) treatment. In Japan, the disease-specific Japan Rhino-conjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (JRQLQ) and the generic SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36) has been used. The aim of this study is to investigate more profitable QOL by using both the disease-specific questionnaire and the non-disease-specific questionnaire together. 411 patients with JCP who visited 10 ENT clinics in Osaka from March 14 to March 26 (peak pollen season) in 2005 were questioned, and 240 patients were engaged in this study as subjects. In this study, the QOL scores were evaluated using the JRQLQ and SF-8 Health Survey (Japanese Version), a new, even shorter generic health survey. Using factor analysis and the correlation matrix, we showed that the disease-specific and the general health instrument covered a different half the total measurable HRQL. There was some correlation between the SF-8 items with the JRQLQ domains. There was little correlation between the SF-8 items and symptom scores, while, there was high correlation between the JRQLQ and symptom scores. The "Usual daily activities" domain in the JRQLQ correlated with any rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms. Both JRQLQ and SF-8 can be used to assess the quality of life of patients with JCP. Each instrument measures the aspects of the HRQL that hardly overlaps. For an assessment of the HRQL in JCP that is complete and responsive both instruments should be employed together.

Pollen count and exhaled nitric oxide levels in a seasonal allergic rhinitis patient.

PubMed

Shirai, Toshihiro; Mochizuki, Eisuke; Asada, Kazuhiro; Suda, Takafumi

2014-09-01

The subject was a 52-year-old man with Japanese cedar pollinosis, which developed between February and May. He had no history of asthma and was an ex-smoker. He underwent fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements twice a week from 2010 to 2012. The pollen counts in 2010 were the lowest during the last decade, and the FeNO level was less than 30 ppb for the whole year. In contrast, the mean pollen count in 2011 was very high and the patient's FeNO level rose to more than 100 ppb. The mean pollen count in 2012 was comparable with that of 2010; however, high counts were detected in April and May, and the FeNO level rose to 70 ppb during the latter stages of the pollen season. These results indicate that pollen counts should be taken into consideration during the interpretation of FeNO data in asthma or allergic rhinitis.

Enhanced concentrations of citric acid in spring aerosols collected at the Gosan background site in East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Jinsang; Kawamura, Kimitaka

2011-09-01

In order to investigate water-soluble dicarboxylic acids and related compounds in the aerosol samples under the Asian continent outflow, total suspended particle (TSP) samples ( n = 32) were collected at the Gosan site in Jeju Island over 2-5 days integration during 23 March-1 June 2007 and 16-24 April 2008. The samples were analyzed for water-soluble dicarboxylic acids, ketocarboxylic acids, and α-dicarbonyls using a capillary gas chromatography technique. We found elevated concentrations of atmospheric citric acid (range: 20-320 ng m -3) in the TSP samples during mid- to late April of 2007 and 2008. To specify the sources of citric acid, dicarboxylic acids and related compounds were measured in the pollen sample collected at the Gosan site (Pollen_Gosan), authentic pollen samples from Japanese cedar ( Cryptomeria) (Pollen_cedar) and Japanese cypress ( Chamaecyparis obtusa) (Pollen_cypress), and tangerine fruit produced from Jeju Island. Citric acid (2790 ng in unit mg of pollen mass) was found as most abundant species in the Pollen_Gosan, followed by oxalic acid (2390 ng mg -1). Although citric acid was not detected in the Pollen_cedar and Pollen_cypress as major species, it was found as a dominant species in the tangerine juice while malic acid was detected as major species in the tangerine peel, followed by oxalic and citric acids. Since Japanese cedar trees are planted around tangerine farms to prevent strong winds from the Pacific Ocean, citric acid that may be directly emitted from tangerine is likely adsorbed on pollens emitted from Japanese cedar and then transported to the Gosan site. Much lower malic/citric acid ratios obtained under cloudy condition than clear condition suggest that malic acid may rapidly decompose to lower molecular weight compounds such as oxalic and malonic acids (

Estimation of Carbon Balance in Young and Mature Stands of Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria Japonica) Plantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, M.; Sode, N.; Koizumi, H.

2006-12-01

Two-thirds of Japan is covered by forests, and Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) plantations occupy approximately 45% of the plantation areas or 20% of total forested area in Japan. Since the 1950s, cedar plantation has been encouraged and managed for timber production. Therefore, it is important to study quantitatively and synthetically the balance of carbon in cedar plantation ecosystems according to forest development. The ecological process-based approach provides a detailed assessment of belowground compartment as one of the major compartment of carbon balance. Carbon net balance (NEP: net ecosystem production) in ecosystems by this approach is determined by the balance between net primary production (NPP) of vegetation and heterotrophic respiration (HR) of soil (NEP= NPP-HR). HR is the difference between total soil respiration (SR) and root respiration (RR) (HR= SR-RR). To estimate the NPP, we used to biometric method by allometric relationships and litter traps. To estimate the SR, we used a chamber system with automatic open and closing for measuring continuous CO2 efflux from soil surface based on an open-flow method (AOCC) and a portable system for measuring leaf photosynthesis attached to a soil chamber (LI-6400). Our object is to examine balance of carbon in ca. 7 y old (young) and 45 y old (mature) stands of Japanese cedar. Our goal of this study is to investigate carbon cycling on a regional scale using ecological process, remote sensing, and climate observation and modeling analysis as part of the 21st COE program {Satellite Ecology}. This presents the initial results obtained by a process-based measurement since 2004. The study region refers to a cool temperate zone, Asia monsoon climate (36° 08'N, 137° 22'E). In the mature stand, Japanese cedar plantation located in about 10km east of Takayama city, central Japan. The ecological-process research plot was established on the middle of a slope (30m×50m) in November 2004. The slope

Isolation and identification of new pollen-specific SFB genes in Japanese apricot (Prunus mume).

PubMed

Wang, P P; Gao, Z H; Ni, Z J; Zhuang, W B; Zhang, Z

2013-09-03

SFB, a candidate gene for the pollen S gene, has been identified in several species of Prunus (Rosaceae). We isolated 5 new SFB alleles from 6 Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) lines using a specific Prunus SFB primer pair (SFB-C1F and Pm-Vb), which was designed from conserved regions of Prunus SFB. The nucleotide sequences of these SFB genes were submitted to the GenBank database. The 5 new SFB alleles share typical structural features with SFB alleles from other Prunus species and were found to be polymorphic, with 67.08 to 96.91% amino acid identity. These new SFB alleles were specifically expressed in the pollen. We conclude that the PmSFB alleles that we identified are the pollen S determinants of Japanese apricot; they have potential as a tool for studies of the mechanisms of pollen self-incompatibility.

Allergenic pollens and spores in the working environment of Japanese pear farmers.

PubMed

Teranishi, H; Uchida, M; Hayashi, S; Yamada, N

2007-01-01

Occupational allergies such as pollinosis are reported in several agricultural works in Japan. Many pollens and spores were observed in Japanese pear orchard during the artificial pollination season. By the study on daily symptoms in an allergic farmer, we confirmed that the pollinosis symptoms were most common and most severe during the artificial pollination. These results suggest that the exposure to allergenic pollens and spores induces allergic symptoms. Thus, caution should be paid for the avoidance of the exposure to these allergenic pollens and spores to prevent the allergy.

Regional Difference of Causative Pollen in Children with Allergic Rhinitis.

PubMed

Sung, Myongsoon; Kim, Sung Won; Kim, Jeong Hee; Lim, Dae Hyun

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate role of common pollen in Korean school-aged children with allergic rhinitis (AR) in 5 provinces (Incheon Metropolitan City-Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheongbuk-do, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Busan Metropolitan City, and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province), using a questionnaire and skin prick test, and to assess the differences among the residential regions. Among the enrolled 14,678 total children, 1,641 (22.0%) had AR. The sensitization rate to pollen (38.7%) was the second highest among examined allergens and significant differences were in the sensitization rates to trees, weeds, and grasses among the 5 provinces (P < 0.05). The sensitization to trees (25.2%) was the highest common among the pollen types and significant differences also were observed in the sensitization rates to alder, birch, Japanese cedar, oak, and elm among the 5 provinces. The sensitization rate to weeds (19.9%) was the second highest and significant differences were observed in the sensitization rate to Japanese hop, mugwort, and ragweed among the 5 provinces. The sensitization rate to house dust mite was 86.8%, the highest among examined allergens and that to Dermatophagoides farinae exhibited regional differences (P = 0.003) but not to D. farinae (P = 0.584). The sensitization rate to mold (13.5%) was the highest in Jeju and lowest in Busan, and a statistically significant difference was detected among the 5 provinces. These results support that examined pollen allergens are strongly associated with residential region due to regional causative pollen differences among children with AR within Korea to investigate the main pollen allergens. © 2017 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

Beneficial Effects of Citrus Juice Fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum YIT 0132 on Japanese Cedar Pollinosis.

PubMed

Harima-Mizusawa, Naomi; Iino, Tohru; Onodera-Masuoka, Norie; Kato-Nagaoka, Noriko; Kiyoshima-Shibata, Junko; Gomi, Atsushi; Shibahara-Sone, Harue; Kano, Mitsuyoshi; Shida, Kan; Sakai, Masashi; Miyazaki, Kouji; Ishikawa, Fumiyasu

2014-01-01

Recently, the prevalence of allergies in Japan has been increasing. Certain types of fruit juice and lactic acid bacteria are known to alleviate allergic symptoms. Therefore, we examined whether citrus juice fermented by a specific lactic acid bacteria can improve the symptoms of Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCPsis). Lactobacillus plantarum YIT 0132 (LP0132) was selected based on its high proliferative activity in citrus juice and anti-inflammatory interleukin-10-inducing activity. Dietary administration of heat-killed LP0132 cells or citrus juice fermented with LP0132 was found to significantly suppress nasal rubbing in a JCPsis mouse model, indicating relief of allergy symptoms. To evaluate the effects of LP0132-fermented citrus juice on pollinosis symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in humans with JCPsis, a single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial was conducted. The participants were 42 adults with JCPsis. They ingested 100 mL of sterilized LP0132-fermented citrus juice (active group) or unfermented citrus juice (placebo group) once daily for 8 weeks. Immediately after the pollen peak when allergy symptoms and QOL loss were most severe, itchy eyes, itchy skin, and QOL loss by JCPsis were alleviated in the active group compared with the placebo group. At 10 weeks after starting the intervention, increased the levels of blood eosinophils were significantly suppressed in the active group compared with the placebo group. We conclude that continuous ingestion of citrus juice fermented with LP0132 may help alleviate the allergy symptoms and impaired QOL caused by JCPsis.

Beneficial Effects of Citrus Juice Fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum YIT 0132 on Japanese Cedar Pollinosis

PubMed Central

HARIMA-MIZUSAWA, Naomi; IINO, Tohru; ONODERA-MASUOKA, Norie; KATO-NAGAOKA, Noriko; KIYOSHIMA-SHIBATA, Junko; GOMI, Atsushi; SHIBAHARA-SONE, Harue; KANO, Mitsuyoshi; SHIDA, Kan; SAKAI, Masashi; MIYAZAKI, Kouji; ISHIKAWA, Fumiyasu

2014-01-01

Recently, the prevalence of allergies in Japan has been increasing. Certain types of fruit juice and lactic acid bacteria are known to alleviate allergic symptoms. Therefore, we examined whether citrus juice fermented by a specific lactic acid bacteria can improve the symptoms of Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCPsis). Lactobacillus plantarum YIT 0132 (LP0132) was selected based on its high proliferative activity in citrus juice and anti-inflammatory interleukin-10-inducing activity. Dietary administration of heat-killed LP0132 cells or citrus juice fermented with LP0132 was found to significantly suppress nasal rubbing in a JCPsis mouse model, indicating relief of allergy symptoms. To evaluate the effects of LP0132-fermented citrus juice on pollinosis symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in humans with JCPsis, a single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial was conducted. The participants were 42 adults with JCPsis. They ingested 100 mL of sterilized LP0132-fermented citrus juice (active group) or unfermented citrus juice (placebo group) once daily for 8 weeks. Immediately after the pollen peak when allergy symptoms and QOL loss were most severe, itchy eyes, itchy skin, and QOL loss by JCPsis were alleviated in the active group compared with the placebo group. At 10 weeks after starting the intervention, increased the levels of blood eosinophils were significantly suppressed in the active group compared with the placebo group. We conclude that continuous ingestion of citrus juice fermented with LP0132 may help alleviate the allergy symptoms and impaired QOL caused by JCPsis. PMID:25379362

Oral allergy syndrome induced by tomato in a dog with Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollinosis.

PubMed

Fujimura, Masato; Ohmori, Keitaro; Masuda, Kenichi; Tsujimoto, Hajime; Sakaguchi, Masahiro

2002-11-01

A dog with Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica, CJ) pollinosis had oral allergy syndrome (OAS) after ingesting fresh tomato. The dog showed specific IgE to both CJ and tomato allergens. As a negative control, twenty dogs without atopic dermatitis that had no exposure to tomato and no specific IgE to CJ allergen were used. They had no specific IgE to tomato allergen. Furthermore, IgE cross-reactivity was observed between CJ and tomato allergens in the dog. We found that OAS induced by tomato exists in the dog and there is a relationship between CJ and tomato allergens.

Changes in daily pollen concentration based on meteorological data and days after seasonal initiation - a case study for Japanese hop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choe, H.; Kim, K. R.; Kim, M.; Han, M. J.; Cho, C.; Choi, B. C.

2014-12-01

Pollinosis causes various allergy symptoms such as seasonal rhinitis, asthma, and conjunctivitis (Min, 1991). Japanese hop (Humulus japonicus) is a major allergen in southern Gyonggi-do during the fall seasons (Park, 1998). So that it is needed to forecast the concentration of its pollens.For the germination of Japanese hop, a period of low temperature (<5C) followed by warm (~20C) and humid conditions is needed (Growing and Protecting New Zealand(2010)). The daily concentration of the pollens increases rapidly then decreases a few days afterward. In this study, the changes in daily pollen concentration were analyzed to yield a prediction model.As a result, a regression model was produced to forecast daily pollen concentration. It can be integrated into the daily pollinosis warning system of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) and provide more accurate daily risk information.

Molecular analysis confirms the long-distance transport of Juniperus ashei pollen

PubMed Central

Mohanty, Rashmi Prava; Buchheim, Mark Alan; Anderson, James; Levetin, Estelle

2017-01-01

Although considered rare, airborne pollen can be deposited far from its place of origin under a confluence of favorable conditions. Temporally anomalous records of Cupressacean pollen collected from January air samples in London, Ontario, Canada have been cited as a new case of long-distance transport. Data on pollination season implicated Juniperus ashei (mountain cedar), with populations in central Texas and south central Oklahoma, as the nearest source of the Cupressacean pollen in the Canadian air samples. This finding is of special significance given the allergenicity of mountain cedar pollen. While microscopy is used extensively to identify particles in the air spora, pollen from all members of the Cupressaceae, including Juniperus, are morphologically indistinguishable. Consequently, we implemented a molecular approach to characterize Juniperus pollen using PCR in order to test the long-distance transport hypothesis. Our PCR results using species-specific primers confirmed that the anomalous Cupressacean pollen collected in Canada was from J. ashei. Forward trajectory analysis from source areas in Texas and the Arbuckle Mountains in Oklahoma and backward trajectory analysis from the destination area near London, Ontario were completed using models implemented in HYSPLIT4 (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory). Results from these trajectory analyses strongly supported the conclusion that the J. ashei pollen detected in Canada had its origins in Texas or Oklahoma. The results from the molecular findings are significant as they provide a new method to confirm the long-distance transport of pollen that bears allergenic importance. PMID:28273170

210 Study on the Sensitization Rates to Airbone Pollen and Mold in Children

PubMed Central

Park, So Hyun; Lim, Dae Hyun; Son, Byong Kwan; Kim, Jeong Hee; Oh, In Bo; Kim, Yang Ho; Lee, Keun Hwa; Kim, Su Young; Hong, Sung Chul

2012-01-01

Background Aeroallergens are important causative factors for allergies such as allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and asthma. Previous studies for the sensitization rate to aeroallergen were based on those patient groups who had visited the pediatric allergy clinic. Compared to that, we inquired into the sensitization rates based on general school aged student population group in the city of Incheon, Jeju and Ulsan. Methods With informed consent, skin prick tests were performed on 5,094 students between April and June, 2010. Common 21 aeroallergens were used on elementary school student while middle and high school students were tested upon 28 allergens. 28 allergen list as positive control (1%Histamine), negative control (Normal saline), D.pteronyssinus, D.farinae, Citrus red mite, pollen (Birch, Alder, Oak, Japanese cedar, Pine, Willow, Elm, Maple, Bermuda grass, Timothy grass, Rye grass, Orchard, Meadow grass, Vernal grass, Mugwort, Japanese hop, Fat hen, Ragweed, Plantain), mold (Penicillatum, Asperugillus, Cladosporium, Alternaria) and 21 kinds of allergens that were used on elementary school students count as same as above except Elm, Rye grass, Orchard, Meadow grass, Vernal grass, Fat hen, Plantain. Results If arranged in rates of higher sensitization were D. pteronyssinus (25.79%), D. farinae (18.66%), Mugwort (6.20%), Willow (4.07%) in Incheon, D. pteronyssinus (33.35%), D. farinae (24.78%), Japanese cedar (15.36%), Alternaria (7.33%) in Jeju, D. pteronyssinus (32.79%), D. farinae (30.27%), Alder (10.13%), Birch (8.68%) in Ulsan respectively. The sensitization rate of Japanese cedar was statistically significantly higher in Jeju. The sensitization rate of Birch, Alder, Oak was higher in Ulsan. The sensitization rate of Ragweed was 0.99% in Incheon, 1.07% in Jeju, 0.81% in Ulsan. The sensitization rate of Mugwort in Incheon was 6.20% which was meaningfully higher in comparison to 2.32% of Jeju and 2.73% of Ulsan. The sensitization rate of Alternaria

Evaluating the efficacy of epinastine ophthalmic solution using a conjunctivitis allergen challenge model in patients with birch pollen allergic conjunctivitis.

PubMed

Tagawa, Yoshiaki; Namba, Kenichi; Nakazono, Yumi; Iwata, Daiju; Ishida, Susumu

2017-04-01

The efficacy of epinastine 0.05% ophthalmic solution for pollen allergic conjunctivitis has already been shown in a conjunctival allergen challenge (CAC) test using cedar pollen as a challenge. The present study investigated the efficacy of this solution against birch pollen conjunctivitis in a CAC test. Ten adult subjects (eight males and two females) with asymptomatic birch pollen conjunctivitis were enrolled in this study. The average age of the subjects was 41.1 years. This study was conducted during a period without birch pollen dispersion. In each subject, the epinastine 0.05% ophthalmic solution was instilled in one eye, and an artificial tear fluid was instilled in the fellow eye in a double-blind manner. Five minutes or 4 h after the drug instillation, both eyes were challenged with an optimal concentration of birch pollen, and ocular itching and conjunctival hyperemia were then graded. Tears were collected before the drug instillation and 20 min after the pollen challenge, and the histamine level was measured. The ocular itching scores and palpebral conjunctival hyperemia scores of the epinastine-treated eyes were significantly lower than those of the contralateral control eyes when the eyes were pretreated with the drug 4 h before the CAC. There was a significant correlation between the tear histamine level and mean ocular itching score of three time points (3, 5 and 10 min) following the CAC in the control eyes but not the epinastine-treated eyes. Epinastine is effective in suppressing ocular itching and conjunctival hyperemia in birch pollen conjunctivitis. Copyright © 2017 Japanese Society of Allergology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of a low severity fire on soil organic carbon and nitrogen characteristics in Japanese cedar soil Yamagata Prefecture, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seidel, Felix

2017-04-01

Slash and burn practices are widely used around the globe with different degrees of success which are mostly related to the impact of fire on the soil properties. In Japan slash and burn practises, known as Yakihata, have a long history and are still used in Yamagata Prefecture today. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a low severity controlled fire on Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) forest soil (Cambisol) which is the dominant species among plantations in Japan. We measured organic carbon and nitrogen content as well as changes in carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope composition in a steep west facing slope under heavy precipitation ( 2600 mm/a) and heavy snowfall ( 3-4 m/a). The results show that Ctotal and Ntotal values as well as the isotopes ratios of C and N change with decreasing elevation in the forest as well as in the burned site being consistent with leaching and erosion. The accumulation of Ctotal and Ntotal at the bottom of the slopes was remarkably higher at the slash and burned site than in the control forest site. After slash and burn δ15N isotopes in the slope in general became significantly lighter than in the control forest while the δ13C did not show any significant difference between the two sites except at the bottom of the slopes where δ13C was heavier in the forest. The reason for these changes in nitrogen and carbon isotopes appears to be related to the physical changes in soil horizon sequence of the original forest soil layer. Keywords: high precipitation, Japanese cedar forest soil, low severity fire, stable isotopes, steep slopes

Silvicultural guide for northern white-cedar (eastern white cedar)

Treesearch

Emmanuelle Boulfroy; Eric Forget; Philip V. Hofmeyer; Laura S. Kenefic; Catherine Larouche; Guy Lessard; Jean-Martin Lussier; Fred Pinto; Jean-Claude Ruel; Aaron. Weiskittel

2012-01-01

Northern white-cedar (eastern white cedar; Thuja occidentalis L.) is an important tree species in the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, occurring both in pure stands and as a minor species in mixed stands of hardwoods or other softwoods. Yet practitioners have little and often contradictory information about cedar ecology and...

Particulate matter modifies the association between airborne pollen and daily medical consultations for pollinosis in Tokyo.

PubMed

Konishi, Shoko; Ng, Chris Fook Sheng; Stickley, Andrew; Nishihata, Shinichi; Shinsugi, Chisa; Ueda, Kayo; Takami, Akinori; Watanabe, Chiho

2014-11-15

Pollen from Japanese cedar (sugi) and cypress (hinoki) trees is responsible for the growing prevalence of allergic rhinitis, especially pollinosis in Japan. Previous studies have suggested that air pollutants enhance the allergic response to pollen in susceptible individuals. We conducted a time-stratified case-crossover study to examine the potential modifying effects of PM2.5 and suspended particulate matter (SPM) on the association between pollen concentration and daily consultations for pollinosis. A total of 11,713 daily pollinosis cases (International Classification of Diseases, ICD-10, J30.1) from January to May, 2001-2011, were obtained from a clinic in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Daily pollen counts and the daily mean values of air pollutants (PM2.5, SPM, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3) were collected from monitoring stations across Tokyo. The effects of pollen were stratified by the level of PM2.5 and SPM to examine the interaction effect of pollen and particulate pollutants. We found a statistically significant interaction between pollen concentration and PM2.5/SPM. On days with a high level of PM2.5 (>95th percentile), an interquartile increase in the mean cumulative pollen count (an average of 28 pollen grains per cm(2) during lag-days 0 to 5) corresponded to a 10.30% (95%CI: 8.48%-12.16%) increase in daily new pollinosis cases, compared to 8.04% (95%CI: 7.28%-8.81%) on days with a moderate level of PM2.5 (5th-95th percentile). This interaction persisted when different percentile cut-offs were used and was robust to the inclusion of other air pollutants. A similar interaction pattern was observed between SPM and pollen when a less extreme cut-off for SPM was used to stratify the effect of pollen. Our study showed the acute effect of pollen was greater when the concentration of air particulate pollutant, specifically PM2.5 and SPM, was higher. These findings are consistent with the notion that particulate air pollution may act as an adjuvant that promotes allergic disease (i

Radioactive and stable cesium isotope distributions and dynamics in Japanese cedar forests.

PubMed

Yoschenko, Vasyl; Takase, Tsugiko; Hinton, Thomas G; Nanba, Kenji; Onda, Yuichi; Konoplev, Alexei; Goto, Azusa; Yokoyama, Aya; Keitoku, Koji

2018-06-01

Dynamics of the Fukushima-derived radiocesium and distribution of the natural stable isotope 133 Cs in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) forest ecosystems were studied during 2014-2016. For the experimental site in Yamakiya, Fukushima Prefecture, we present the redistribution of radiocesium among ecosystem compartments during the entire observation period, while the results obtained at another two experimental site were used to demonstrate similarity of the main trends in the Japanese forest ecosystems. Our observations at the Yamakiya site revealed significant redistribution of radiocesium between the ecosystem compartments during 2014-2016. During this same period radionuclide inventories in the aboveground tree biomass were relatively stable, however, radiocesium in forest litter decreased from 20 ± 11% of the total deposition in 2014 to 4.6 ± 2.7% in 2016. Radiocesium in the soil profile accumulated in the 5-cm topsoil layers. In 2016, more than 80% of the total radionuclide deposition in the ecosystem resided in the 5-cm topsoil layer. The radiocesium distribution between the aboveground biomass compartments at Yamakiya during 2014-2016 was gradually approaching a quasi-equilibrium distribution with stable cesium. Strong correlations of radioactive and stable cesium isotope concentrations in all compartments of the ecosystem have not been reached yet. However, in some compartments the correlation is already strong. An increase of radiocesium concentrations in young foliage in 2016, compared to 2015, and an increase in 2015-2016 of the 137 Cs/ 133 Cs concentration ratio in the biomass compartments with strong correlations indicate an increase in root uptake of radiocesium from the soil profile. Mass balance of the radionuclide inventories, and accounting for radiocesium fluxes in litterfall, throughfall and stemflow, enabled a rough estimate of the annual radiocesium root uptake flux as 2 ± 1% of the total inventory in the ecosystem

Fine root dynamics in moso bamboo and Japanese cedar forest by scanner method in central Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhi-Wei; Lin, Po-Hsuan; Kume, Tomonori

2017-04-01

is to characterize the temporal and spatial variation of fine root dynamics in moso bamboo forests in central Taiwan by using scanner method with 6 acrylic boxes. Other the other hand, this study compared the result with those of adjacent Japanese cedar forests with 8 acrylic boxes. Consequently, we found the fine root production rate and decomposition rate of the bamboo forest are higher than cedar forest. Also, the timing of first observation of new roots was earlier in bamboo forest than cedar forest. This study also examined differences of temporal patterns among measurement locations based on long-term data after box installation.

Effect of Ganoderma lucidum on pollen-induced biphasic nasal blockage in a guinea pig model of allergic rhinitis.

PubMed

Mizutani, Nobuaki; Nabe, Takeshi; Shimazu, Masaji; Yoshino, Shin; Kohno, Shigekatsu

2012-03-01

Ganoderma lucidum (GL), an oriental medical mushroom, has been used in Asia for the prevention and treatment of a variety of diseases. However, the effect of GL on allergic rhinitis has not been well defined. The current study describes the inhibitory effect of GL on the biphasic nasal blockage and nasal hyperresponsiveness induced by repeated antigen challenge in a guinea pig model of allergic rhinitis. Intranasally sensitized guinea pigs were repeatedly challenged by inhalation of Japanese cedar pollen once every week. Ganoderma lucidum was orally administered once daily for 8 weeks from the time before the first challenge. The treatment with GL dose-dependently inhibited the early and late phase nasal blockage at the fifth to ninth antigen challenges. Furthermore, nasal hyperresponsiveness to intranasally applied leukotriene D₄ on 2 days after the eighth antigen challenge was also inhibited by the treatment with GL. However, Cry j 1-specific IgE antibody production was not affected by the treatment. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the pollen-induced biphasic nasal blockage and nasal hyperresponsiveness were suppressed by the daily treatment with GL in the guinea pig model of allergic rhinitis. These results suggest that GL may be a useful therapeutic drug for treating patients with allergic rhinitis. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

18. VIEW OF BALES OF CEDAR TOW (CEDAR SHAVING WITH ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

18. VIEW OF BALES OF CEDAR TOW (CEDAR SHAVING WITH SAWDUST TUMBLED OUT) SOLD FOR GARDEN AND ANIMAL BEDDING, AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL USES; TUMBLER IS CYLINDRICAL MACHINE TO LEFT - Lester Shingle Mill, 1602 North Eighteenth Street, Sweet Home, Linn County, OR

Effect of ionic liquid treatment on the ultrastructural and topochemical features of compression wood in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica).

PubMed

Kanbayashi, Toru; Miyafuji, Hisashi

2016-07-18

The morphological and topochemical changes in wood tissues in compression wood of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) upon treated with two types of ionic liquids, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C2mim][Cl]) and 1-ethylpyridinium bromide ([EtPy][Br]) were investigated. Compression wood tracheids were swollen by both ionic liquids but their swelling behaviors were different in the types of ionic liquids used. Under the polarized light, we confirmed that crystalline cellulose in compression wood is amorphized by [C2mim][Cl] treatment whereas it changes slightly by [EtPy][Br] treatment. Raman microscopic analyses revealed that [C2mim][Cl] can preferentially liquefy polysaccharides in compression wood whereas [EtPy][Br] liquefy lignin. In addition, the interaction of compression wood with ionic liquids is different for the morphological regions. These results will assist in the use of ionic liquid treatment of woody biomass to produce valuable chemicals, bio-fuels, bio-based composites and other products.

Effect of ionic liquid treatment on the ultrastructural and topochemical features of compression wood in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)

PubMed Central

Kanbayashi, Toru; Miyafuji, Hisashi

2016-01-01

The morphological and topochemical changes in wood tissues in compression wood of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) upon treated with two types of ionic liquids, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C2mim][Cl]) and 1-ethylpyridinium bromide ([EtPy][Br]) were investigated. Compression wood tracheids were swollen by both ionic liquids but their swelling behaviors were different in the types of ionic liquids used. Under the polarized light, we confirmed that crystalline cellulose in compression wood is amorphized by [C2mim][Cl] treatment whereas it changes slightly by [EtPy][Br] treatment. Raman microscopic analyses revealed that [C2mim][Cl] can preferentially liquefy polysaccharides in compression wood whereas [EtPy][Br] liquefy lignin. In addition, the interaction of compression wood with ionic liquids is different for the morphological regions. These results will assist in the use of ionic liquid treatment of woody biomass to produce valuable chemicals, bio-fuels, bio-based composites and other products. PMID:27426470

Changes in Sensitization Rate to Weed Allergens in Children with Increased Weeds Pollen Counts in Seoul Metropolitan Area

PubMed Central

Kim, Joo-Hwa; Lee, Ha-Baik; Kim, Seong-Won; Kang, Im-Joo; Kook, Myung-Hee; Kim, Bong-Seong; Park, Kang-Seo; Baek, Hey-Sung; Kim, Kyu-Rang; Choi, Young-Jean

2012-01-01

The prevalence of allergic diseases in children has increased for several decades. We evaluated the correlation between pollen count of weeds and their sensitization rate in Seoul, 1997-2009. Airborne particles carrying allergens were collected daily from 3 stations around Seoul. Skin prick tests to pollen were performed on children with allergic diseases. Ragweed pollen gradually increased between 1999 and 2005, decreased after 2005 and plateaued until 2009 (peak counts, 67 in 2003, 145 in 2005 and 83 grains/m3/day in 2007). Japanese hop pollen increased between 2002 and 2009 (peak counts, 212 in 2006 and 492 grains/m3/day in 2009). Sensitization rates to weed pollen, especially ragweed and Japanese hop in children with allergic diseases, increased annually (ragweed, 2.2% in 2000 and 2.8% in 2002; Japanese hop, 1.4% in 2000 and 1.9% in 2002). The age for sensitization to pollen gradually became younger since 2000 (4 to 6 yr of age, 3.5% in 1997 and 6.2% in 2009; 7 to 9 yr of age, 4.2% in 1997 and 6.4% in 2009). In conclusion, sensitization rates for weed pollens increase in Korean children given increasing pollen counts of ragweed and Japanese hop. PMID:22468096

Changes in sensitization rate to weed allergens in children with increased weeds pollen counts in Seoul metropolitan area.

PubMed

Kim, Joo-Hwa; Oh, Jae-Won; Lee, Ha-Baik; Kim, Seong-Won; Kang, Im-Joo; Kook, Myung-Hee; Kim, Bong-Seong; Park, Kang-Seo; Baek, Hey-Sung; Kim, Kyu-Rang; Choi, Young-Jean

2012-04-01

The prevalence of allergic diseases in children has increased for several decades. We evaluated the correlation between pollen count of weeds and their sensitization rate in Seoul, 1997-2009. Airborne particles carrying allergens were collected daily from 3 stations around Seoul. Skin prick tests to pollen were performed on children with allergic diseases. Ragweed pollen gradually increased between 1999 and 2005, decreased after 2005 and plateaued until 2009 (peak counts, 67 in 2003, 145 in 2005 and 83 grains/m(3)/day in 2007). Japanese hop pollen increased between 2002 and 2009 (peak counts, 212 in 2006 and 492 grains/m(3)/day in 2009). Sensitization rates to weed pollen, especially ragweed and Japanese hop in children with allergic diseases, increased annually (ragweed, 2.2% in 2000 and 2.8% in 2002; Japanese hop, 1.4% in 2000 and 1.9% in 2002). The age for sensitization to pollen gradually became younger since 2000 (4 to 6 yr of age, 3.5% in 1997 and 6.2% in 2009; 7 to 9 yr of age, 4.2% in 1997 and 6.4% in 2009). In conclusion, sensitization rates for weed pollens increase in Korean children given increasing pollen counts of ragweed and Japanese hop.

Simulation of ground-water flow in the Cedar River alluvial aquifer flow system, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Turco, Michael J.; Buchmiller, Robert C.

2004-01-01

Model results indicate that the primary sources of inflow to the modeled area are infiltration from the Cedar River (53.0 percent) and regional flow in the glacial and bedrock materials (34.1 percent). The primary sources of outflow from the modeled area are discharge to the Cedar River (45.4 percent) and pumpage (44.8 percent). Current steady-state pumping rates have increased the flow of water from the Cedar River to the alluvial aquifer by 43.8 cubic feet per second. Steady-state and transient hypothetical pumpage scenarios were used to show the relation between changes in pumpage and changes in infiltration of water from the Cedar River. Results indicate that more than 99 percent of the water discharging from municipal wells infiltrates from the Cedar River, that the time required for induced river recharge to equilibrate with municipal pumpage may be 150 days or more, and that ground-water availability in the Cedar Rapids area will not be significantly affected by doubling current pumpage as long as there is sufficient flow in the Cedar River to provide recharge.

Selected water-quality data from the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids well fields, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2006-10

USGS Publications Warehouse

Littin, Gregory R.

2012-01-01

The Cedar River alluvial aquifer is the primary source of municipal water in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area. Municipal wells are completed in the alluvial aquifer approximately 40 to 80 feet below land surface. The City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have been conducting a cooperative study of the groundwater-flow system and water quality of the aquifer since 1992. Cooperative reports between the City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have documented hydrologic and water-quality data, geochemistry, and groundwater models. Water-quality samples were collected for studies involving well field monitoring, trends, source-water protection, groundwater geochemistry, surface-water-groundwater interaction, and pesticides in groundwater and surface water. Water-quality analyses were conducted for major ions (boron, bromide, calcium, chloride, fluoride, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, silica, sodium, and sulfate), nutrients (ammonia as nitrogen, nitrite as nitrogen, nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, and orthophosphate as phosphorus), dissolved organic carbon, and selected pesticides including two degradates of the herbicide atrazine. Physical characteristics (alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance and water temperature) were measured in the field and recorded for each water sample collected. This report presents the results of routine water-quality data-collection activities from January 2006 through December 2010. Methods of data collection, quality-assurance, and water-quality analyses are presented. Data include the results of water-quality analyses from quarterly sampling from monitoring wells, municipal wells, and the Cedar River.

Skeleton decay in red cedar

Treesearch

Kevin T. Smith; Jessie A. Glaeser

2013-01-01

Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a common tree species throughout the eastern United States and the Great Plains. Although “cedar” is in the common name, the scientifc name shows a botanical kinship to the juniper species of the American southwest. Red cedar can survive and thrive within a broad range of soil conditions, seasonal...

Bee Pollen-Induced Anaphylaxis: A Case Report and Literature Review.

PubMed

Choi, Jeong Hee; Jang, Young Sook; Oh, Jae Won; Kim, Cheol Hong; Hyun, In Gyu

2015-09-01

Bee pollen is pollen granules packed by honey bees and is widely consumed as natural healthy supplements. Bee pollen-induced anaphylaxis has rarely been reported, and its allergenic components have never been studied. A 40-year-old male came to the emergency room with generalized urticaria, facial edema, dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea 1 hour after ingesting one tablespoon of bee pollen. Oxygen saturation was 91%. His symptoms resolved after injection of epinephrine, chlorpheniramine, and dexamethasone. He had seasonal allergic rhinitis in autumn. Microscopic examination of the bee pollen revealed Japanese hop, chrysanthemum, ragweed, and dandelion pollens. Skin-prick with bee pollen extracts showed positive reactions at 0.1 mg/mL (A/H ratio > 3+). Serum specific IgE to ragweed was 25.2, chrysanthemum 20.6, and dandelion 11.4 kU/L; however, Japanese hop, honey-bee venom and yellow-jacket venom were negative (UniCAP®, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Uppsala, Sweden). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) confirmed serum specific IgE to bee-pollen extracts, and an ELISA inhibition assay for evaluation of cross-allergenicity of bee pollen and other weed pollens showed more than 90% of inhibition with chrysanthemum and dandelion and ~40% inhibition with ragweed at a concentration of 1 μg/mL. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and IgE-immunoblot analysis revealed 9 protein bands (11, 14, 17, 28, 34, 45, 52, 72, and 90 kDa) and strong IgE binding at 28-34 kDa, 45 and 52 kDa. In conclusion, healthcare providers should be aware of the potential risk of severe allergic reactions upon ingestion of bee pollen, especially in patients with pollen allergy.

Using Macrofossils to Reconstruct Paleoenvironmental History of Cedar Swamp, High Point NJ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buhler, K. M.; Peteet, D. M.

2016-12-01

Macrofossils from deep sediment cores taken from bog environments can reveal much about the paleoclimate of a certain site. A research study conducted by Niering in 1953 focused on the pollen records from Cedar Bog that, although are able to indicate which species were present regionally, are not able to establish the specific local vegetation of the site. By identifying and counting macrofossils from the core, we can determine the species growing in Cedar Bog in High Point State Park, NJ and utilize that data to reconstruct a paleoclimatic history at the highest elevation in New Jersey. We took a 6.5m core from Cedar Bog and, from that, used 4cm³ samples taken throughout the entire depth to wash through a 250um sieve and sift through at 60x magnification, identifying the macrofossils using an extensive Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory reference collection. Additionally, we tested for the percentage of organic matter through the core using loss on ignition. We found 5 zones throughout the core depth that indicate altering habitats. Beginning with low organic matter, less than 5%, the deepest part of the core has little vegetation but high rock content. The next zone introduced Chamaecyparis thyoides in the region and a period of changing organic matter. Following this comes a domination of aquatic plants and byrozoan statoblast and, afterwards, a shift towards sedges. The top of the core shows present day vegetation types from Cedar Bog, such as sphagnum moss and Tsuga canadensis, and 96% organic matter content. The lack of vegetation and high rock content, around 6.5m deep, signal erosion that took place after deglaciation. The vegetation types in zone 2 indicate deep lake/open landscape conditions. High aquatic vegetation and bryozoan statoblasts suggest a shallow lake. The site filled in to become a fen wetland as evidenced by the abundance of Scirpus and Cladium. The final zone signifies a bog habitat represented by the domination of sphagnum and Chamaedaphne

Effects of antihistamine on up-regulation of histamine H1 receptor mRNA in the nasal mucosa of patients with pollinosis induced by controlled cedar pollen challenge in an environmental exposure unit.

PubMed

Kitamura, Yoshiaki; Nakagawa, Hideyuki; Fujii, Tatsuya; Sakoda, Takema; Enomoto, Tadao; Mizuguchi, Hiroyuki; Fukui, Hiroyuki; Takeda, Noriaki

2015-11-01

In the present study, we examined the effects of antihistamine on the up-regulation of H1R mRNA in the nasal mucosa of patients with pollinosis induced by controlled exposure to pollen using an environmental exposure unit. Out of 20 patients, we designated 14 responders, whose levels of H1R mRNA in the nasal mucosa were increased after the first pollen exposure and excluded 6 non-responders. Accordingly, the first exposure to pollen without treatment significantly induced both nasal symptoms and the up-regulation of H1R mRNA in the nasal mucosa of the responders. Subsequently, prophylactic administration of antihistamine prior to the second pollen exposure significantly inhibited both of the above effects in the responders. Moreover, the nasal expression of H1R mRNA before the second pollen exposure in the responders pretreated with antihistamine was significantly decreased, as compared with that before the first pollen exposure without treatment. These findings suggest that antihistamines suppressed histamine-induced transcriptional activation of H1R gene in the nasal mucosa, in addition to their blocking effect against histamine on H1R, resulting in a decrease of nasal symptoms. These findings further suggest that by their inverse agonistic activity, antihistamines suppress the basal transcription of nasal H1R in the absence of histamine in responders. Copyright © 2015 Japanese Pharmacological Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Late Glacial-Holocene Pollen-Based Vegetation History from Pass Lake, Prince of Wales Island, Southeastern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ager, Thomas A.; Rosenbaum, Joseph G.

2009-01-01

A radiocarbon-dated history of vegetation development since late Wisconsin deglaciation has been reconstructed from pollen evidence preserved in a sediment core from Pass Lake on Prince of Wales Island, southeastern Alaska. The shallow lake is in the south-central part of the island and occupies a low pass that was filled by glacial ice of local origin during the late Wisconsin glaciation. The oldest pollen assemblages indicate that pine woodland (Pinus contorta) had developed in the area by ~13,715 cal yr B.P. An abrupt decline in the pine population, coinciding with expansion of alder (Alnus) and ferns (mostly Polypodiaceae) began ~12,875 yr B.P., and may have been a response to colder, drier climates during the Younger Dryas climatic interval. Mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) began to colonize central Prince of Wales Island by ~11,920 yr B.P. and was soon followed by Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis). Pollen of western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) began to appear in Pass Lake sediments soon after 11,200 yr B.P. The abundance of western hemlock pollen in the Pass Lake core during most of the Holocene appears to be the result of wind transport from trees growing at lower altitudes on the island. The late Holocene pollen record from Pass Lake is incomplete because of one or more unconformities, but the available record suggests that a vegetation change occurred during the late Holocene. Increases in pollen percentages of pine, cedar (probably yellow cedar, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis), and heaths (Ericales) suggest an expansion of muskeg vegetation occurred in the area during the late Holocene. This vegetation change may be related to the onset of cooler, wetter climates that began as early as ~3,774 yr B.P. in the region. This vegetation history provides the first radiocarbon-dated Late Glacial-Holocene terrestrial paleoecological framework for Prince of Wales Island. An analysis of magnetic properties of core sediments from Pass Lake suggests that unconformities

Selected Water-Quality Data from the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids Well Fields, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1999-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Littin, Gregory R.; Schnoebelen, Douglas J.

2010-01-01

The Cedar River alluvial aquifer is the primary source of municipal water in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area. Municipal wells are completed in the alluvial aquifer at approximately 40 to 80 feet deep. The City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have been conducting a cooperative study of the groundwater-flow system and water quality near the well fields since 1992. Previous cooperative studies between the City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have documented hydrologic and water-quality data, geochemistry, and groundwater models. Water-quality samples were collected for studies involving well field monitoring, trends, source-water protection, groundwater geochemistry, evaluation of surface and ground-water interaction, assessment of pesticides in groundwater and surface water, and to evaluate water quality near a wetland area in the Seminole well field. Typical water-quality analyses included major ions (boron, bromide, calcium, chloride, fluoride, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, silica, sodium, and sulfate), nutrients (ammonia as nitrogen, nitrite as nitrogen, nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, and orthophosphate as phosphorus), dissolved organic carbon, and selected pesticides including two degradates of the herbicide atrazine. In addition, two synoptic samplings included analyses of additional pesticide degradates in water samples. Physical field parameters (alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance and water temperature) were recorded with each water sample collected. This report presents the results of water quality data-collection activities from January 1999 through December 2005. Methods of data collection, quality-assurance samples, water-quality analyses, and statistical summaries are presented. Data include the results of water-quality analyses from quarterly and synoptic sampling from monitoring wells, municipal wells, and the Cedar River.

Exacerbation of daily cough and allergic symptoms in adult patients with chronic cough by Asian dust: A hospital-based study in Kanazawa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higashi, Tomomi; Kambayashi, Yasuhiro; Ohkura, Noriyuki; Fujimura, Masaki; Nakanishi, Sayaka; Yoshizaki, Tomokazu; Saijoh, Kiyofumi; Hayakawa, Kazuichi; Kobayashi, Fumihisa; Michigami, Yoshimasa; Hitomi, Yoshiaki; Nakamura, Hiroyuki

2014-11-01

The health effects associated with Asian dust have attracted attention due to the rapid increase in the number of Asian dust events in East Asia in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between Asian dust and daily cough, as well as allergic symptoms, in adult patients who suffer from chronic cough. We enrolled 86 adult patients from Kanazawa University Hospital, Japan, who were diagnosed with asthma, cough variant asthma, atopic cough or a combination of these conditions. From January to June 2011, subjects recorded their symptoms in a diary every day. Asian dust and non-Asian dust periods were defined according to the dust extinction coefficient, measured using the light detection and ranging (LIDAR). The daily levels of total suspended particulates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and coexisting factors related to allergies, such as the Japanese cedar pollen count, were measured. McNemar's test showed that there were significantly more cough-positive patients during Asian dust periods than during the non-Asian dust period (p = 0.022). In addition, during Asian dust periods when the daily levels of Japanese cedar pollen, Japanese cypress pollen and PAHs were elevated, there were significantly more patients who experienced itchy eyes than during the non-Asian dust period (p < 0.05). On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the allergic symptoms, including sneezing or a runny nose and nasal congestion. This is the first report to show that Asian dust triggers cough and allergic symptoms in adult patients with chronic cough.

Effect of desert dust exposure on allergic symptoms: A natural experiment in Japan.

PubMed

Kanatani, Kumiko T; Hamazaki, Kei; Inadera, Hidekuni; Sugimoto, Nobuo; Shimizu, Atsushi; Noma, Hisashi; Onishi, Kazunari; Takahashi, Yoshimitsu; Itazawa, Toshiko; Egawa, Miho; Sato, Keiko; Go, Tohshin; Ito, Isao; Kurozawa, Youichi; Konishi, Ikuo; Adachi, Yuichi; Nakayama, Takeo

2016-05-01

Desert dust originating from arid and semiarid areas is transported to widespread regions, including Japan. Desert dust particles exert adjuvant effects in animals. To examine whether desert dust enhances allergic symptoms in real-life settings and to explore its effect modifiers. We conducted an observational study of 3,327 pregnant women during spring and fall in October 2011 to May 2013 in 3 regions in Japan as an adjunct study of the Japan Environment & Children's Study. We acquired participants' daily symptom scores by sending a questionnaire to their mobile phones on high desert-dust days (>0.07/km) and on some randomly selected other days (control days) for each participant. Pregnant women had an increased risk of allergic symptoms on high desert-dust days (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.18). The increased OR was mostly driven by those who showed positive IgE to Japanese cedar pollen when pollen simultaneously dispersed (adjusted OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.13-1.38), whereas no clear risk increase was observed in the absence of pollen or for participants with negative IgE to Japanese cedar pollen. The risk elevation was observed from low levels of desert dust in a dose-dependent manner even on control days. Ambient desert dust level was associated with an increased risk of allergic symptoms in pollen-sensitized pregnant women when pollen was present in the air. The risk increase was dose dependent and was observed from low levels of desert dust. These results support a hypothesis that ambient desert dust particles exert adjuvant effects in human in real-life settings. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: UMIN000010826. Copyright © 2016 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cedrus - The True Cedars

Treesearch

Paula M. Pijut

2000-01-01

The true cedars (genus Cedrus) are valuable timber trees and striking specimen plantings in the urban landscape that grow well in a variety of soil and climatic conditions. The wood is durable and decay resistant. Cedars have been successfully introduced into areas outside of their natural range. The 4 species of Cedrus, 3 of which...

Changes in the distribution of radiocesium in the wood of Japanese cedar trees from 2011 to 2013.

PubMed

Ogawa, Hideki; Hirano, Yurika; Igei, Shigemitsu; Yokota, Kahori; Arai, Shio; Ito, Hirohisa; Kumata, Atsushi; Yoshida, Hirohisa

2016-09-01

The changes in the distribution of (137)Cs in the wood of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) trunks within three years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNP) accident in 2011 were investigated. Thirteen trees were felled to collect samples at 6 forests in 2 regions of the Fukushima prefecture. The radial distribution of (137)Cs in the wood was measured at different heights. Profiles of (137)Cs distribution in the wood changed considerably from 2011 to 2013, and the process of (137)Cs distribution change in the wood was clarified. From 2011 to 2012, the active transportation from sapwood to heartwood and the radial diffusion in heartwood proceeded quickly, and the radial (137)Cs distribution differed according to the vertical positon of trees. From 2012 to 2013, the vertical diffusion of (137)Cs from the treetop to the ground, probably caused by the gradient of (137)Cs concentration in the trunk, was observed. Eventually, the radial (137)Cs distributions were nearly identical at any vertical positions in 2013. Our results suggested that the active transportation from sapwood to heartwood and the vertical and radial diffusion in heartwood proceeded according to the vertical position of the tree and (137)Cs distribution in the wood approached the equilibrium state within three years after the accident. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Increasing Juniperus virginiana L. pollen in the Tulsa atmosphere: long-term trends, variability, and influence of meteorological conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flonard, Michaela; Lo, Esther; Levetin, Estelle

2018-02-01

In the Tulsa area, the Cupressaceae is largely represented by eastern red cedar ( Juniperus virginiana L.). The encroachment of this species into the grasslands of Oklahoma has been well documented, and it is believed this trend will continue. The pollen is known to be allergenic and is a major component of the Tulsa atmosphere in February and March. This study examined airborne Cupressaceae pollen data from 1987 to 2016 to determine long-term trends, pollen seasonal variability, and influence of meteorological variables on airborne pollen concentrations. Pollen was collected through means of a Burkard sampler and analyzed with microscopy. Daily pollen concentrations and yearly pollen metrics showed a high degree of variability. In addition, there were significant increases over time in the seasonal pollen index and in peak concentrations. These increases parallel the increasing population of J. virginiana in the region. Pollen data were split into pre- and post-peak categories for statistical analyses, which revealed significant differences in correlations of the two datasets when analyzed with meteorological conditions. While temperature and dew point, among others were significant in both datasets, other factors, like relative humidity, were significant only in one dataset. Analyses using wind direction showed that southerly and southwestern winds contributed to increased pollen concentrations. This study confirms that J. virginiana pollen has become an increasing risk for individuals sensitive to this pollen and emphasizes the need for long-term aerobiological monitoring in other areas.

Antifungal activities of three supercritical fluid extracted cedar oils

Treesearch

Tianchuan Du; Todd F. Shupe; Chung Y. Hse

2009-01-01

The antifungal activities of three supercritical CO2 (SCC) extracted cedar oils, Port-Orford-cedar (POC) (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), Alaska yellow cedar (AYC) (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis), and Eastern red cedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L), were evaluated against two common wood decay fungi, brown-rot fungi (...

Spanish-cedar : Cedrela spp.

Treesearch

B. F. Kukachka

1964-01-01

From the earliest days of exploration and colonization in tropical America, Spanish-cedar has been one of the most important timber trees of the area. The wood became an article for the export trade during the 1800’s when the cigar industry demanded the use of Spanish-cedar for packing cigars. These fragrant boxes were commonplace before rising costs in the 1930’s...

Port-Orford-Cedar Root Disease

Treesearch

Lewis F. Roth; Robert D. Jr. Harvey; John T. Kliejunas

1987-01-01

The most serious disease of Port-Orford-cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murr.) Parl.) is a root disease caused by the fungus Phytophthora lateralis. Nursery stock, ornamentals, and timber trees are subject to attack. Other species of Chamaecyparis are less susceptible than Port-Orford-cedar, and trees of other genera are not affected.

7. View looking northwest along Cedar Avenue Bridge. Delaware, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

7. View looking northwest along Cedar Avenue Bridge. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Cedar Avenue Bridge, Spanning Cedar Avenue at Railroad Alley, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

Collaborative environmental DNA sampling from petal surfaces of flowering cherry Cerasus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino' across the Japanese archipelago.

PubMed

Ohta, Tazro; Kawashima, Takeshi; Shinozaki, Natsuko O; Dobashi, Akito; Hiraoka, Satoshi; Hoshino, Tatsuhiko; Kanno, Keiichi; Kataoka, Takafumi; Kawashima, Shuichi; Matsui, Motomu; Nemoto, Wataru; Nishijima, Suguru; Suganuma, Natsuki; Suzuki, Haruo; Taguchi, Y-H; Takenaka, Yoichi; Tanigawa, Yosuke; Tsuneyoshi, Momoka; Yoshitake, Kazutoshi; Sato, Yukuto; Yamashita, Riu; Arakawa, Kazuharu; Iwasaki, Wataru

2018-02-19

Recent studies have shown that environmental DNA is found almost everywhere. Flower petal surfaces are an attractive tissue to use for investigation of the dispersal of environmental DNA in nature as they are isolated from the external environment until the bud opens and only then can the petal surface accumulate environmental DNA. Here, we performed a crowdsourced experiment, the "Ohanami Project", to obtain environmental DNA samples from petal surfaces of Cerasus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino' across the Japanese archipelago during spring 2015. C. × yedoensis is the most popular garden cherry species in Japan and clones of this cultivar bloom simultaneously every spring. Data collection spanned almost every prefecture and totaled 577 DNA samples from 149 collaborators. Preliminary amplicon-sequencing analysis showed the rapid attachment of environmental DNA onto the petal surfaces. Notably, we found DNA of other common plant species in samples obtained from a wide distribution; this DNA likely originated from the pollen of the Japanese cedar. Our analysis supports our belief that petal surfaces after blossoming are a promising target to reveal the dynamics of environmental DNA in nature. The success of our experiment also shows that crowdsourced environmental DNA analyses have considerable value in ecological studies.

4. Underside and southeast end of Cedar Avenue Bridge. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

4. Underside and southeast end of Cedar Avenue Bridge. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Cedar Avenue Bridge, Spanning Cedar Avenue at Railroad Alley, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

8. Perspective view of Cedar Avenue Bridge looking east. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

8. Perspective view of Cedar Avenue Bridge looking east. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Cedar Avenue Bridge, Spanning Cedar Avenue at Railroad Alley, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

The pollen complex from postglacial sediments of the Laptev Sea as a bioindicator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naidina, O. D.

2014-05-01

The first results of comparison of palynological analysis (pollen of terrestrial plants), SEM analysis of pollen morphology, and radiocarbon age dating (AMS14C) of sediments of the eastern shelf of the Laptev Sea show that the diverse taxonomic composition of pollen spectra provides an integrated idea of the vegetation and climate of the region over 11.2 calendar kiloyears. It is found that phases of the tree and shrub vegetation development (maxima of pollen of Betula sect. Nanae and Pinus s/g Haploxylon) correspond to the warm epochs in the Holocene. It is obvious that birch phytocoenoses first settled in the southern tundra subzone with increasing temperature, and then coniferous communities of forest tundra. An occurrence of pollen of shrubby birches (Nanae) suggests compliance of permafrost landscapes with cold climate conditions, i.e., with an annual average temperature of -2°C and amount of precipitation of less than 500 mm. Owing to a progressive increase in summer temperatures, dwarf cedar and pine communities advanced toward the seashore. The SEM analysis results show that a significant proportion of regional coniferous pollen belongs to representatives of Pinus pumila (Pall.) and P. sylvestris L. In addition, the SEM study of the exine of Pinus sylvestris L. and P. pumila (Pall.) Regel pollen grains confirmed polymorphism in coniferous pollen. According to the inverse relationship between climate and vegetation, frequent climate fluctuations that are typical of progressive and differential postglacial transgression were revealed. An increase in arboreal pollen transfer onto the shelf later than 9.1 cal. ka coincides with the time of forest boundary migration to the north due to the warming of the Earth's climate. At that time, the tundra vegetation was replaced by forest-tundra vegetation, the maximum stage of sea transgression began, and there appeared a trend of increasing temperature and moisture.

CEAP in the Cedar Creek watershed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This publication provides research updates from the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) in the Cedar Creek watershed in Indiana. In this inaugural issue, we explain the CEAP and why the National Soil Erosion Research Lab is doing research in Cedar Creek. It also includes a 'Research Featu...

A Six-Year Study on the Changes in Airborne Pollen Counts and Skin Positivity Rates in Korea: 2008-2013.

PubMed

Park, Hye Jung; Lee, Jae-Hyun; Park, Kyung Hee; Kim, Kyu Rang; Han, Mae Ja; Choe, Hosoeng; Oh, Jae-Won; Hong, Chein-Soo

2016-05-01

The occurrence of pollen allergy is subject to exposure to pollen, which shows regional and temporal variations. We evaluated the changes in pollen counts and skin positivity rates for 6 years, and explored the correlation between their annual rates of change. We assessed the number of pollen grains collected in Seoul, and retrospectively reviewed the results of 4442 skin-prick tests conducted at the Severance Hospital Allergy-Asthma Clinic from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2013. For 6 years, the mean monthly total pollen count showed two peaks, one in May and the other in September. Pollen count for grasses also showed the same trend. The pollen counts for trees, grasses, and weeds changed annually, but the changes were not significant. The annual skin positivity rates in response to pollen from grasses and weeds increased significantly over the 6 years. Among trees, the skin positivity rates in response to pollen from walnut, popular, elm, and alder significantly increased over the 6 years. Further, there was a significant correlation between the annual rate of change in pollen count and the rate of change in skin positivity rate for oak and hop Japanese. The pollen counts and skin positivity rates should be monitored, as they have changed annually. Oak and hop Japanese, which showed a significant correlation with the annual rate of change in pollen count and the rate of change in skin positivity rate over the 6 years may be considered the major allergens in Korea.

Herbicides and herbicide degradates in shallow groundwater and the Cedar River near a municipal well field, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boyd, R.A.

2000-01-01

Water samples were collected near a Cedar Rapids, Iowa municipal well field from June 1998 to August 1998 and analyzed for selected triazine and acetanilide herbicides and degradates. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of herbicides and herbicide degradates in the well field during a period following springtime application of herbicides to upstream cropland. The well field is in an alluvial aquifer adjacent to the Cedar River. Parent herbicide concentrations generally were greatest in June, and decreased in July and August. Atrazine was most frequently detected and occurred at the greatest concentrations; acetochlor, cyanazine and metolachlor also were detected, but at lesser concentrations than atrazine. Triazine degradate concentrations were relatively small (<0.50 ??g/l) and generally decreased from June to August. Although the rate of groundwater movement is relatively fast (approx. 1 m per day) in the alluvial aquifer near the Cedar River, deethylatrazine (DEA) to atrazine ratios in groundwater samples collected near the Cedar River indicate that atrazine and DEA probably are gradually transported into the alluvial aquifer from the Cedar River. Deisopropylatrazine (DIA) to DEA ratios in water samples indicate most DIA in the Cedar River and alluvial aquifer is produced by atrazine degradation, although some could be from cyanazine degradation. Acetanilide degradates were detected more frequently and at greater concentrations than their corresponding parent herbicides. Ethanesulfonic-acid (ESA) degradates comprised at least 80% of the total acetanilide-degradate concentrations in samples collected from the Cedar River and alluvial aquifer in June, July and August; oxanilic acid degradates comprised less than 20% of the total concentrations. ESA-degradate concentrations generally were smallest in June and greater in July and August. Acetanilide degradate concentrations in groundwater adjacent to the Cedar River indicate acetanilide

Airborne pollen and suicide mortality in Tokyo, 2001-2011.

PubMed

Stickley, Andrew; Sheng Ng, Chris Fook; Konishi, Shoko; Koyanagi, Ai; Watanabe, Chiho

2017-05-01

Prior research has indicated that pollen might be linked to suicide mortality although the few studies that have been undertaken to date have produced conflicting findings and been limited to Western settings. This study examined the association between the level of airborne pollen and suicide mortality in Tokyo, Japan in the period from 2001 to 2011. The daily number of suicide deaths was obtained from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, with pollen data being obtained from the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health. A time-stratified case-crossover study was performed to examine the association between different levels of pollen concentration and suicide mortality. During the study period there were 5185 male and 2332 female suicides in the pollen season (February to April). For men there was no association between airborne pollen and suicide mortality. For women, compared to when there was no airborne pollen, the same-day (lag 0) pollen level of 30 to <100 grains per cm 2 was associated with an approximately 50% increase in the odds for suicide (e.g. 30 to <50 grains per cm 2 : odds ratio 1.574, 95% confidence interval 1.076-2.303, p=0.020). The estimates remained fairly stable after adjusting for air pollutants and after varying the cut-points that defined the pollen levels. Our results indicate that pollen is associated with female suicide mortality in Tokyo. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

5. Detail of underside of Cedar Avenue Bridge at northwest ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

5. Detail of underside of Cedar Avenue Bridge at northwest end. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Cedar Avenue Bridge, Spanning Cedar Avenue at Railroad Alley, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

3. Concrete and stone abutment at southeast end of Cedar ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. Concrete and stone abutment at southeast end of Cedar Avenue Bridge. - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Scranton Yards, Cedar Avenue Bridge, Spanning Cedar Avenue at Railroad Alley, Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA

Differential Effects of Carbohydrates on Arabidopsis Pollen Germination.

PubMed

Hirsche, Jörg; García Fernández, José M; Stabentheiner, Edith; Großkinsky, Dominik K; Roitsch, Thomas

2017-04-01

Pollen germination as a crucial process in plant development strongly depends on the accessibility of carbon as energy source. Carbohydrates, however, function not only as a primary energy source, but also as important signaling components. In a comprehensive study, we analyzed various aspects of the impact of 32 different sugars on in vitro germination of Arabidopsis pollen comprising about 150 variations of individual sugars and combinations. Twenty-six structurally different mono-, di- and oligosaccharides, and sugar analogs were initially tested for their ability to support pollen germination. Whereas several di- and oligosaccharides supported pollen germination, hexoses such as glucose, fructose and mannose did not support and even considerably inhibited pollen germination when added to germination-supporting medium. Complementary experiments using glucose analogs with varying functional features, the hexokinase inhibitor mannoheptulose and the glucose-insensitive hexokinase-deficient Arabidopsis mutant gin2-1 suggested that mannose- and glucose-mediated inhibition of sucrose-supported pollen germination depends partially on hexokinase signaling. The results suggest that, in addition to their role as energy source, sugars act as signaling molecules differentially regulating the complex process of pollen germination depending on their structural properties. Thus, a sugar-dependent multilayer regulation of Arabidopsis pollen germination is supported, which makes this approach a valuable experimental system for future studies addressing sugar sensing and signaling. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Phytophthora lateralis on Port-Orford-cedar.

Treesearch

John Hunt

1959-01-01

Results from annual surveys of the destructive Phytophthora root disease of Port-Orford-cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murr.) Parl.) show that the disease is gradually spreading and intensifying within the natural range of Port-Orford-cedar. The disease became established on native trees in the early 1950's in the vicinity of Coos Bay,...

Structural features of N-glycans linked to glycoproteins expressed in three kinds of water plants: Predominant occurrence of the plant complex type N-glycans bearing Lewis a epitope.

PubMed

Maeda, Megumi; Tani, Misato; Yoshiie, Takeo; Vavricka, Christopher J; Kimura, Yoshinobu

2016-11-29

The Japanese cedar pollen allergen (Cry j1) and the mountain cedar pollen allergen (Jun a1) are glycosylated with plant complex type N-glycans bearing Lewis a epitope(s) (Galβ1-3[Fucα1-4]GlcNAc-). The biological significance of Lewis a type plant N-glycans and their effects on the human immune system remain to be elucidated. Since a substantial amount of such plant specific N-glycans are required to evaluate immunological activity, we have searched for good plant-glycan sources to characterize Lewis a epitope-containing plant N-glycans. In this study, we have found that three water plants, Elodea nuttallii, Egeria densa, and Ceratophyllum demersum, produce glycoproteins bearing Lewis a units. Structural analysis of the N-glycans revealed that almost all glycoproteins expressed in these three water plants predominantly carry plant complex type N-glycans including the Lewis a type, suggesting that these water plants are good sources for preparation of Lewis a type plant N-glycans in substantial amounts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Correlation between Asian dust storms and worsening asthma in Western Japan.

PubMed

Watanabe, Masanari; Yamasaki, Akira; Burioka, Naoto; Kurai, Jun; Yoneda, Kazuhiko; Yoshida, Atsushi; Igishi, Tadashi; Fukuoka, Yasushi; Nakamoto, Masaki; Takeuchi, Hiromi; Suyama, Hisashi; Tatsukawa, Toshiyuki; Chikumi, Hiroki; Matsumoto, Shingo; Sako, Takanori; Hasegawa, Yasuyuki; Okazaki, Ryota; Horasaki, Kazunori; Shimizu, Eiji

2011-09-01

Severe wind storms during spring in East Asia, called Asian dust storms (ADS), have been assessed in the past for their effect on health in Asian countries. Our objective was to study the ADS association with asthma symptoms in adult patients in Japan. We designed a telephone survey to assess ADS influence on upper and lower respiratory, ocular and cutaneous symptoms in 98 patients with adult asthma from April to May 2007. Peak expiratory flow (PEF) was also measured from February to May. Worsening lower respiratory symptoms were noted by 22 of 98 patients during ADS in April, when Japanese cedar pollen levels also increased. During ADS in May, however, Japanese cedar and cypress pollen levels were not elevated, 11 patients had worsening of lower respiratory symptoms. None required emergency treatment for the exacerbation. Lower respiratory symptoms worsening most were cough and sputum; this was more common in patients with allergic rhinitis or atopy than in those without (P < 0.05). Min%Max differed significantly at 88.7 ± 6.6% during dust dispersion period, defined as the ADS day plus the next 6 days, versus 92.0 ± 5.3% during the 7-day period before a dust storm. We found that ADS aggravated lower respiratory symptoms in adult patients with asthma, but this influence was mild.

Resilient plant-bird interactions in a volcanic island ecosystem: pollination of Japanese Camellia mediated by the Japanese White-eye.

PubMed

Abe, Harue; Ueno, Saneyoshi; Takahashi, Toshimori; Tsumura, Yoshihiko; Hasegawa, Masami

2013-01-01

Observations of interspecies interactions during volcanic activity provide important opportunities to study how organisms respond to environmental devastation. Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica L.) and its main avian pollinator, the Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonica), offer an excellent example of such an interaction as key members of the biotic community on Miyake-jima, which erupted in 2000 and continues to emit volcanic gases. Both species exhibit higher resistance to volcanic damage than other species. We examined the effects of volcanic activity on this plant-pollinator system by estimating pollen flow and the genetic diversity of the next generation. The results showed that despite a decrease in Camellia flowers, the partitioning of allelic richness among mother-tree pollen pools and seeds decreased while the migration rate of pollen from outside the study plot and the pollen donor diversity within a fruit increased as the index of volcanic damage increased. In areas with low food (flower) density due to volcanic damage, Z. japonica ranged over larger areas to satisfy its energy needs rather than moving to areas with higher food density. Consequently, the genetic diversity of the seeds (the next plant generation) increased with the index of volcanic damage. The results were consistent with previously published data on the movement of Z. japonica based on radio tracking and the genetic diversity of Camellia pollen adhering to pollinators. Overall, our results indicated that compensation mechanisms ensured better pollination after volcanic disturbance.

A Six-Year Study on the Changes in Airborne Pollen Counts and Skin Positivity Rates in Korea: 2008–2013

PubMed Central

Park, Hye Jung; Lee, Jae-Hyun; Park, Kyung Hee; Kim, Kyu Rang; Han, Mae Ja; Choe, Hosoeng

2016-01-01

Purpose The occurrence of pollen allergy is subject to exposure to pollen, which shows regional and temporal variations. We evaluated the changes in pollen counts and skin positivity rates for 6 years, and explored the correlation between their annual rates of change. Materials and Methods We assessed the number of pollen grains collected in Seoul, and retrospectively reviewed the results of 4442 skin-prick tests conducted at the Severance Hospital Allergy-Asthma Clinic from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2013. Results For 6 years, the mean monthly total pollen count showed two peaks, one in May and the other in September. Pollen count for grasses also showed the same trend. The pollen counts for trees, grasses, and weeds changed annually, but the changes were not significant. The annual skin positivity rates in response to pollen from grasses and weeds increased significantly over the 6 years. Among trees, the skin positivity rates in response to pollen from walnut, popular, elm, and alder significantly increased over the 6 years. Further, there was a significant correlation between the annual rate of change in pollen count and the rate of change in skin positivity rate for oak and hop Japanese. Conclusion The pollen counts and skin positivity rates should be monitored, as they have changed annually. Oak and hop Japanese, which showed a significant correlation with the annual rate of change in pollen count and the rate of change in skin positivity rate over the 6 years may be considered the major allergens in Korea. PMID:26996572

Risks and Cough-Aggravating Factors in Prolonged Cough. Epidemiological Observations from the Nagahama Cohort Study.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Hisako; Izuhara, Yumi; Niimi, Akio; Tabara, Yasuharu; Nagasaki, Tadao; Kanemitsu, Yoshihiro; Murase, Kimihiko; Oguma, Tsuyoshi; Ito, Isao; Muro, Shigeo; Sekine, Akihiro; Matsuda, Fumihiko; Kosugi, Shinji; Nakayama, Takeo; Chin, Kazuo; Mishima, Michiaki

2017-05-01

Chronic cough hypersensitivity, a potentially important concept of chronic or prolonged cough, is featured by heightened cough response to low-intensity stimuli, which may be generated in the absence of airflow limitations or allergic conditions. However, there is little epidemiological evidence to support this. In this large-scale community survey, we aimed to determine risks and cough-aggravating factors of prolonged cough while focusing on serum IgE levels. Prevalence of prolonged cough, defined as cough lasting 3 weeks or longer, was determined in 9,804 residents from a baseline measurement of the Nagahama Cohort Study, conducted from 2008 to 2010. Risk assessment of prolonged cough was confined to subjects without asthma (n = 9,402). A follow-up measurement of the Nagahama Study was successively conducted from 2013 to 2015, recruiting the same residents living in Nagahama City, Japan (n = 8,292). Validation analysis was performed in the follow-up measurement. In a baseline measurement, prolonged cough was reported by 9.5% of subjects without asthma and 32.3% of subjects with asthma. In subjects without asthma, various cough-aggravating factors were associated with prolonged cough. On the multivariate analysis, several cough-aggravating factors, including nighttime or early morning, weather, pollen season, and common cold, were associated with prolonged cough, independent of female sex, younger age, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, postnasal drip, daytime sputum, and lower serum total IgE. Serum-specific IgE levels against Japanese cedar pollen were significantly higher in subjects who responded "yes" to "cough in the pollen season" than in those who did not respond, whereas, among subjects who responded "yes" to "cough in the pollen season," prolonged coughers showed lower serum IgE levels against Japanese cedar pollen than temporal coughers. Validation analysis in a follow-up measurement confirmed the associations between prolonged cough and

Cedar Ridge Camp: Using the Local Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Grayson

2007-01-01

In 2007 Cedar Ridge Camp opened for its first season as a traditional co-ed summer camp and year-round outdoor education and recreation centre. The mission would centre on creating a program that would encourage personal development and growth through a shared outdoor experience. Cedar Ridge's main goals were to promote the formation of close…

Transmission of microbial pathogens by cedar shoe trees.

PubMed

Woeste, S

1998-01-01

Cedar shoe trees are used to keep shoes from shrinking and losing their shape. When the same cedar shoe trees are used by different shoe wearers, there is a chance of transmission of disease-causing microorganisms between people. This study was conducted to determine whether or not transmission of disease-causing microorganisms via cedar shoe trees occurs, what kinds of microorganisms can be transmitted, and how many organisms can be transmitted. In this study, both bacteria and bacterial spores were transmitted, while fungi were not; however, only several hundred to several thousand pathogenic bacteria were transmitted between any two shoes.

Eastern red cedar: Cedarwood oil extraction and bioactivity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Eastern red cedar (ERC), Juniperus virginana L. (Cupressaceae) is a common coniferous evergreen tree and is a very abundant natural resource in the United States. Because of its encroachment onto pastures and rangeland, ERC is considered an invasive species. Eastern red cedar, however, is highly pri...

Determination of male strobilus developmental stages by cytological and gene expression analyses in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica).

PubMed

Tsubomura, Miyoko; Kurita, Manabu; Watanabe, Atsushi

2016-05-01

The molecular mechanisms that control male strobilus development in conifers are largely unknown because the developmental stages and related genes have not yet been characterized. The determination of male strobilus developmental stages will contribute to genetic research and reproductive biology in conifers. Our objectives in this study were to determine the developmental stages of male strobili by cytological and transcriptome analysis, and to determine the stages at which aberrant morphology is observed in a male-sterile mutant of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don to better understand the molecular mechanisms that control male strobilus and pollen development. Male strobilus development was observed for 8 months, from initiation to pollen dispersal. A set of 19,209 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) collected from a male reproductive library and a pollen library was used for microarray analysis. We divided male strobilus development into 10 stages by cytological and transcriptome analysis. Eight clusters (7324 ESTs) exhibited major changes in transcriptome profiles during male strobili and pollen development in C. japonica Two clusters showed a gradual increase and decline in transcript abundance, respectively, while the other six clusters exhibited stage-specific changes. The stages at which the male sterility trait of Sosyun was expressed were identified using information on male strobilus and pollen developmental stages and gene expression profiles. Aberrant morphology was observed cytologically at Stage 6 (microspore stage), and differences in expression patterns compared with wild type were observed at Stage 4 (tetrad stage). © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

75 FR 13668 - Amendment of Class E Airspace; Cedar Rapids, IA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-23

...-0916; Airspace Docket No. 09-ACE-12] Amendment of Class E Airspace; Cedar Rapids, IA AGENCY: Federal... Cedar Rapids, IA, to accommodate Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) at The Eastern Iowa Airport, Cedar Rapids, IA. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety...

75 FR 68780 - Cedar Creek Wind Energy, LLC; Notice of Filing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-09

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. RC11-1-000] Cedar Creek Wind Energy, LLC; Notice of Filing November 2, 2010. Take notice that on October 27, 2010, Cedar Creek Wind Energy, LLC (Cedar Creek) filed an appeal with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) of...

Seasonal differences in freezing tolerance of yellow-cedar and western hemlock trees at a site affected by yellow-cedar decline

Treesearch

Paul G. Schaberg; Paul E. Hennon; Amore, David V. D; Gary J. Hawley; Catherine H. Borer; Catherine H. Borer

2005-01-01

To assess whether inadequate cold hardiness could be a contributor to yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach) decline, we measured the freezing tolerance of foliage from yellow-cedar trees in closed-canopy (nondeclining) and open-canopy (declining at elevations below 130 m) stands at three sites along an elevational gradient in the heart of the decline...

Librarian of the Year 2009: Team Cedar Rapids

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berry, John N., III

2009-01-01

When flood came to Cedar Rapids city, the Cedar Rapids Public Library (CRPL), IA, lost 160,000 items including large parts of its adult and youth collections, magazines, newspapers, reference materials, CDs, and DVDs. Most of its public access computers were destroyed as was its computer lab and microfilm equipment. The automatic circulation and…

Red Cedar Invasion Along the Missouri River, South Dakota: Cause and Consequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, S.; Knox, J. C.

2012-12-01

This research evaluates drivers of and ecosystem response to red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) invasion of riparian surfaces downstream of Gavin's Point Dam on the Missouri River. Gavin's Point Dam changed the downstream geomorphology and hydrology of the river and its floodplain by reducing scouring floods and flood-deposited sediment. The native cottonwood species (Populus deltoides) favors cleared surfaces with little to no competitors to establish. Now that there are infrequent erosive floods along the riparian surfaces to remove competitor seeds and seedlings, other vegetation is able to establish. Red cedar is invading the understory of established cottonwood stands and post-dam riparian surfaces. To assess reasons and spatial patterns for the recent invasion of red cedar, a stratified random sampling of soil, tree density and frequency by species, and tree age of 14 forest stands was undertaken along 59 river kilometers of riparian habitat. Soil particle size was determined using laser diffraction and tree ages were estimated from ring counts of tree cores. As an indicator of ecosystem response to invasion, we measured organic matter content in soil collected beneath red cedar and cottonwood trees at three different depths. Of 565 red cedars, only two trees were established before the dam was built. We applied a multiple regression model of red cedar density as a function of cottonwood density and percent sand (63-1000 microns in diameter) in StatPlus© statistical software. Cottonwood density and percent sand are strongly correlated with invasion of red cedar along various riparian surfaces (n = 59, R2 = 0.42, p-values < 0.05). No significant differences exist between organic matter content of soil beneath red cedar and cottonwood trees (p-value > 0.05 for all depths). These findings suggest that the dam's minimization of downstream high-stage flows opened up new habitat for red cedar to establish. Fluvial geomorphic surfaces reflect soil type and cottonwood

Silvical characteristics of Atlantic white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)

Treesearch

S. Little

1959-01-01

Atlantic white-cedar ((Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) B.S.P.) has been a highly prized species since Colonial times because of the durability and high quality of its wood. The wood has been used for many purposes: boat boards, shingles and lath, framing, house and boat finish, pails and tanks, cabin logs, posts, and poles. Good white-cedar has always...

Contextual view of building 733 along Cedar Avenue; camera facing ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Contextual view of building 733 along Cedar Avenue; camera facing southwest. - Mare Island Naval Shipyard, WAVES Officers Quarters, Cedar Avenue, west side between Tisdale Avenue & Eighth Street, Vallejo, Solano County, CA

14. VIEW OF CEDAR MILL CREEK TRESTLE FROM TRESTLE OVER ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

14. VIEW OF CEDAR MILL CREEK TRESTLE FROM TRESTLE OVER CEDAR MILL CREEK ON SPUR LINE, FACING SOUTHWEST - Oregon Electric Railway Westside Corridor, Between Watson & 185th Avenues, Beaverton, Washington County, OR

15 CFR 754.4 - Unprocessed western red cedar.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...” in the “Reason for Control” paragraph in the “License Requirements” section of ECCN 1C988 on the CCL... the export of unprocessed western red cedar covered by ECCN 1C988 (Western red cedar (thuja plicata... defined in ECCN 1C988, that has not been processed into: (i) Lumber of American Lumber Standards Grades of...

15 CFR 754.4 - Unprocessed western red cedar.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

...” in the “Reason for Control” paragraph in the “License Requirements” section of ECCN 1C988 on the CCL... the export of unprocessed western red cedar covered by ECCN 1C988 (Western red cedar (thuja plicata... defined in ECCN 1C988, that has not been processed into: (i) Lumber of American Lumber Standards Grades of...

15 CFR 754.4 - Unprocessed western red cedar.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

...” in the “Reason for Control” paragraph in the “License Requirements” section of ECCN 1C988 on the CCL... the export of unprocessed western red cedar covered by ECCN 1C988 (Western red cedar (thuja plicata... processed lumber containing wane on one or more sides, as defined in ECCN 1C988, that has not been processed...

15 CFR 754.4 - Unprocessed western red cedar.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

...” in the “Reason for Control” paragraph in the “License Requirements” section of ECCN 1C988 on the CCL... the export of unprocessed western red cedar covered by ECCN 1C988 (Western red cedar (thuja plicata... defined in ECCN 1C988, that has not been processed into: (i) Lumber of American Lumber Standards Grades of...

15 CFR 754.4 - Unprocessed western red cedar.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...” in the “Reason for Control” paragraph in the “License Requirements” section of ECCN 1C988 on the CCL... the export of unprocessed western red cedar covered by ECCN 1C988 (Western red cedar (thuja plicata... defined in ECCN 1C988, that has not been processed into: (i) Lumber of American Lumber Standards Grades of...

13. VIEW FROM CEDAR MILL CREEK TRESTLE NEAR MERLO ROAD ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

13. VIEW FROM CEDAR MILL CREEK TRESTLE NEAR MERLO ROAD TOWARD TRESTLE ON SPUR TRACK OVER CEDAR MILL CREEK, FACING NORTHEAST - Oregon Electric Railway Westside Corridor, Between Watson & 185th Avenues, Beaverton, Washington County, OR

Contextual view of building 505 Cedar avenue, showing south and ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Contextual view of building 505 Cedar avenue, showing south and east elevations; camera facing northwest. - Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Defense Electronics Equipment Operating Center, I Street, terminus west of Cedar Avenue, Vallejo, Solano County, CA

33 CFR 110.83a - Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio. 110.83a Section 110.83a Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ANCHORAGES ANCHORAGE REGULATIONS Special Anchorage Areas § 110.83a Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio. The water...

33 CFR 110.83a - Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio. 110.83a Section 110.83a Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ANCHORAGES ANCHORAGE REGULATIONS Special Anchorage Areas § 110.83a Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio. The water...

The Cedars ultramafic mass, Sonoma County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blake, M. Clark; Bailey, Edgar H.; Wentworth, Carl M.

2012-01-01

The Cedars ultramafic mass is a mantle fragment that consists of partially serpentinized spinel harzburgite and dunite. Compositional layering and a chromite lineation define a penetrative metamorphic foliation that almost certainly formed in the upper mantle. Although detailed petrofabric and mineral chemistry are presently lacking, it seems reasonable that the Cedars peridotite represents a slice of mantle tectonite that once formed the base of the Coast Range ophiolite, and not an abyssal peridotite tectonically emplaced within the Franciscan accretionary prism.

Port-Orford-cedar—a poor risk for reforestation.

Treesearch

John Hunt; Edward J. Dimock

1957-01-01

Port-Orford-cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murr.) Parl.) has been the most widely used introduced species in reforestation projects in western Washington and Oregon. However, as a result of two recent and unrelated occurrences, a severe early cold wave and a destructive root disease, the advisability of continued planting of Port-Orford-cedar...

Comparative characterization of extractives in Alaskan Yellow, Eastern Red, and Western Red Cedars

Treesearch

Roderquita K. Moore; Doreen Mann; Gabriel Epstein; Phoebe Wagner; Brett Hinkforth; Jun Hyunji

2017-01-01

Softwoods, more specifically Cedars, are a set of tree species known to have extractive components with many different biological activities. Research has shown that certain compounds in Cedars are able to resist various forms of attack (microbial, fungal, insect, etc.). Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Red Cedar, Cupressus/Chamacyparis...

Mechanical properties of salvaged dead yellow-cedar in southeast Alaska : Phase I

Treesearch

K. A. McDonald; P. E. Hennon; J. H. Stevens; D. W. Green

An intensive decline and mortality problem is affecting yellow-cedar trees in southeast Alaska. Yellow-cedar snags (dead trees) could be important to the economy in southeast Alaska, if some high-value uses for the snags could be established. Due to the high decay resistance of yellow-cedar, the rate of deterioration is so slow that snags may remain standing for a...

No evidence of recent (1995-2013) decrease of yellow-cedar in Alaska

Treesearch

Tara M. Barrett; Robert R. Pattison

2017-01-01

Climate change is expected to impact forests worldwide, and yellow-cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis (D. Don) Oerst. ex D.P. Little) decline has been used as an example of how changing climate can impact a tree species. However, most previous research has not placed yellow-cedar decline within the context of yellow-cedar overall. We used a 2004–2013...

Seasonal change in the level and the chemical forms of aluminum in soil solution under a Japanese cedar forest.

PubMed

Umemura, Tomonari; Usami, Yosuke; Aizawa, Sho-ichi; Tsunoda, Kin-ichi; Satake, Ken-ichi

2003-12-30

The level of dissolved aluminum and its chemical forms in soil solutions consecutively collected by a porous cup vacuum sampler were monitored over a period from January 2001 to December 2001 at a Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) forestry area susceptible to acid deposition to characterize current soil dynamics and to evaluate potential tree damages. Distinction and characterization of Al species with differential toxicities were performed by two complementary speciation techniques; cation-exchange HPLC with fluorometric detection using 8-hydroxyquinoline-5-sulfonic acid (HQS) and size-fractionation/inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The concentrations of free Al (mainly Al3+ and Al(OH)2+) and inert Al (existing as the complexed and/or colloidal forms) ranged between 0-150 microM and 10-50 microM, respectively. The concentrations of inert Al were mostly below 40 microM during an annual cycle and showed no marked seasonal variation, while free Al concentrations showed a clear tendency to increase in the spring and summer seasons (in the period from April to August) probably due to the enhanced activity of microbial nitrification and the resultant soil acidification. Major cations and anions were also regularly determined and their seasonal changes were correlated with that of the dissolved Al concentration. Correlations between total Al (mainly existing as free Al) and the related species (and environmental conditions) were as follows: Al and Mg (R=0.96, P<0.01), Al and Ca (R=0.97, P<0.01), Al and NO3- (R=0.68, P<0.01), Al and temperature (R=0.68, P<0.01), Al and solution pH (R=-0.61, P<0.01), solution pH and NO3- (R=-0.65, P<0.01).

96. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, LOW LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

96. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, LOW LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY SOUTH OF FILER, IDAHO; OUTLET SIDE OF CEDAR DRAW, WEST VIEW. - Milner Dam & Main Canal: Twin Falls Canal Company, On Snake River, 11 miles West of city of Burley, Idaho, Twin Falls, Twin Falls County, ID

Breeding system and bumblebee drone pollination of an explosively pollen-releasing plant, Meliosma tenuis (Sabiaceae).

PubMed

Wong Sato, A A; Kato, M

2018-05-01

Explosive pollen release is a mechanism used by some angiosperms that serves to attach pollen to a pollinator's body. It is usually adopted by species with zygomorphic tubular flowers and pollinated by birds and bees. The tree genus Meliosma (Sabiaceae, Proteales) has unique disc-like flowers that are externally actinomorphic, but internally zygomorphic, and release pollen explosively. To elucidate the adaptive significance of explosive pollen release, we observed flowering behaviour, the breeding system and pollinator visits to flowers of the Japanese species Meliosma tenuis in a temperate forest. Flowers bloomed in June and were nectariferous and protandrous. Explosive pollen release was triggered by slight tactile stimuli to anther filaments or staminodes in male-stage flowers. Because pollen cannot come into contact with the pistils enclosed by staminodes, M. tenuis is functionally protandrous. Artificial pollination treatments revealed that M. tenuis is allogamous. The dominant flower visitors were nectar-seeking drones of the bumblebee species Bombus ardens (Apidae). The drones' behaviour, pollen attachment on their bodies and fruit set of visit-restricted flowers suggest that they are the only agent triggering the explosive pollen release mechanism, and are the main pollinator of M. tenuis. The finding that bumblebee workers rarely visit these flowers suggests that the explosive pollen release has another function, namely to discourage pollen-harvesting bumblebee workers. © 2018 German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Consumer willingness to pay a price premium for standing-dead Alaska yellow-cedar.

Treesearch

Geoffrey H. Donovan

2004-01-01

Alaska yellow-cedar has declined in Southeast Alaska over the past 100 years, resulting in half a million acres of dead or dying trees. The natural decay resistance of Alaska yellow-cedar means that many of these trees are still merchantable. However, the topography of Southeast Alaska is such that selectively harvesting Alaska yellow-cedar may often require helicopter...

Evaluation of the Cedar memory system: Configuration of 16 by 16

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallivan, K.; Jalby, W.; Wijshoff, H.

1991-01-01

Some basic results on the performance of the Cedar multiprocessor system are presented. Empirical results on the 16 processor 16 memory bank system configuration, which show the behavior of the Cedar system under different modes of operation are presented.

A comparison of pressure treated wood and cedar signposts : final reports

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-11-01

This report compares the use of pressure treated wood and cedar for signposts. Both materials are being used by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), however sign crews are now primarily using Port Orford cedar posts. There are two types of...

The National Science Foundation's Coupling, Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) Student Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sox, L.; Duly, T.; Emery, B.

2014-12-01

The National Science Foundation sponsors Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) Workshops, which have been held every summer, for the past 29 years. CEDAR Workshops are on the order of a week long and at various locations with the goal of being close to university campuses where CEDAR type scientific research is done. Although there is no formal student group within the CEDAR community, the workshops are very student-focused. Roughly half the Workshop participants are students. There are two Student Representatives on the CEDAR Science Steering Committee (CSSC), the group of scientists who organize the CEDAR Workshops. Each Student Representative is nominated by his or her peers, chosen by the CSSC and then serves a two year term. Each year, one of the Student Representatives is responsible for organizing and moderating a day-long session targeted for students, made up of tutorial talks, which aim to prepare both undergraduate and graduate students for the topics that will be discussed in the main CEDAR Workshop. The theme of this session changes every year. Past themes have included: upper atmospheric instrumentation, numerical modeling, atmospheric waves and tides, magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, equatorial aeronomy and many others. Frequently, the Student Workshop has ended with a panel of post-docs, researchers and professors who discuss pressing questions from the students about the next steps they will take in their careers. As the present and past CSSC Student Representatives, we will recount a brief history of the CEDAR Workshops, our experiences serving on the CSSC and organizing the Student Workshop, a summary of the feedback we collected about the Student Workshops and what it's like to be student in the CEDAR community.

Ecology, pathology, and management of Port-Orford-Cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana).

Treesearch

Donald B. Zobel; Lewis F. Roth; Glenn M. Hawk

1982-01-01

Information about the biology, diseases, and management of Port-Orford- cedar was collected from the literature, from unpublished research data of the authors and the USDA Forest Service, conversations with personnel involved in all facets of Port-Orford-cedar management, and visits to stands throughout the range of the species. Information is summarized and presented...

Bee Pollen

MedlinePlus

... confuse bee pollen with bee venom, honey, or royal jelly. People take bee pollen for nutrition; as an ... menstrual cycles. This product contains 6 mg of royal jelly, 36 mg of bee pollen extract, bee pollen, ...

Tamarisk (Salt Cedar) Infestations in Northwestern Nevada Mapped Using Landsat TM Imagery and GIS Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sengupta, D.; Geraci, C.; Kolkowitz, S.

2004-12-01

Tamarisk, also known as salt cedar (Tamarix sp.) is a prevalent invasive species that has infested many riparian areas in the southwestern United States. Mature salt cedar plants are resistant to high stress environments and fare well in drought conditions, mainly due to their extensive root systems that derive much of their sustenance from the water table rather than surface water and precipitation. The salt cedar root systems have altered hydrological patterns by tapping into underlying aquifers. This has decreased water available for recreational use, regional ecology and plant diversity. Many states have implemented salt cedar monitoring programs at the local level, but the problem of large-scale mapping of this invasive species has continued to be a challenge to land management agencies. Furthermore, inaccessible and unexplored areas continue to be absent in the mapping process. In August 2004, using field data consisting of large areas as training sets for classification of Landsat TM imagery, the DEVELOP student research team at NASA Ames Research Center generated a preliminary map of areas that that were susceptible to salt cedar growth for a region in northwestern Nevada. In addition to the remote sensing-based classification of satellite imagery, the team used the variables of elevation and estimated distance to the water table in conjunction with collected field data and knowledge of salt cedar growth habits to further refine the map. The team has further extended the mapping of key environmental factors of water availability for salt cedar, soil types and species distribution in regions infested by salt cedar. The investigation was carried out by 1) improving an existing GIS layer for water access using a suitable interpolation method, 2) including a GIS layer for soils associated with salt cedar growth and 3) completing field work to evaluate species distribution and regions of presence or absence of salt cedar. The outcome of this project served to

Biological assay using T cell response for Cry-consensus peptide designed for the peptide-based immunotherapy of Japanese cedar pollinosis.

PubMed

Kozutsumi, Daisuke; Tsunematsu, Masako; Yamaji, Taketo; Kino, Kohsuke

2007-01-01

Cry-consensus peptide is a linearly linked peptide of T-cell epitopes for the management of Japanese cedar (JC) pollinosis and is expected to become a new drug for immunotherapy. However, the mechanism of T-cell epitopes in allergic diseases is not well understood, and thus, a simple in vitro procedure for evaluation of its biological activity is desired. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated from 27 JC pollinosis patients and 10 healthy subjects, and cultured in vitro for 4 days in the presence of Cry-consensus peptide and (3)H-thymidine. The relationship between growth stimulation (stimulation index; SI) and antigen-specific IgE levels in serum was also investigated in JC pollinosis patients. Moreover, to confirm the importance of the primary sequence in Cry-consensus peptide, heat-treated Cry-consensus peptide and a mixture of the amino acids of which Cry-consensus peptide is composed, and their (3)H-thymidine uptake was compared with Cry-consensus peptide. Finally, whether Cry-consensus peptide stimulates PBMCs from healthy subjects was investigated. The mean SI of JC patients showed a good correlation with Cry-consensus peptide concentration in the culture medium; however, the SI was independent of the anti-Cry j 1 IgE level. Heat-denatured Cry-consensus peptide retained a PBMC proliferation stimulatory effect comparable to the original Cry-consensus peptide, while the mixture of amino acids constituting Cry-consensus peptide did not stimulate PBMC proliferation. PBMCs from healthy subjects did not respond to Cry-consensus peptide at all. These data indicate that the PBMC response of patients suffering from JC pollinosis to Cry-consensus peptide is specific for the sequence of T cell epitopes thereof and may be useful for the evaluation of the efficacy of Cry-consensus peptide in vivo.

William J. Glackens: "The Cedar Walk."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidson, Marilyn

1986-01-01

Provides a lesson plan for primary grade-level students based on William J. Glackens' oil painting, "The Cedar Walk." The goal of the lesson is to introduce students to landscape/seascape painting. (JDH)

Do limited cold tolerance and shallow depth of roots contribute to yellow-cedar decline?

Treesearch

Paul G. Schaberg; David V. D' Amore; Paul E. Hennon; Joshua M. Halman; Gary J. Hawley

2011-01-01

It has been proposed that yellow-cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis) decline is initiated by the freezing injury of roots when soils freeze during times of limited snowpack. To explain the unique susceptibility of yellow-cedar in contrast to co-occurring species, yellow-cedar roots would need to be less cold tolerant and/or more concentrated in upper...

A tale of two cedars – International symposium on western redcedar and yellow-cedar

Treesearch

Constance Harrington

2010-01-01

From May 24-28, 2010, an international symposium on western redcedar (Thuja plicata) and yellowcedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis [syn., Chamaecyparis nootkatensis]) was held at the University of Victoria on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The symposium was entitled “A Tale of Two Cedars” and...

A biology-driven receptor model for daily pollen allergy risk in Korea based on Weibull probability density function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyu Rang; Kim, Mijin; Choe, Ho-Seong; Han, Mae Ja; Lee, Hye-Rim; Oh, Jae-Won; Kim, Baek-Jo

2017-02-01

Pollen is an important cause of respiratory allergic reactions. As individual sanitation has improved, allergy risk has increased, and this trend is expected to continue due to climate change. Atmospheric pollen concentration is highly influenced by weather conditions. Regression analysis and modeling of the relationships between airborne pollen concentrations and weather conditions were performed to analyze and forecast pollen conditions. Traditionally, daily pollen concentration has been estimated using regression models that describe the relationships between observed pollen concentrations and weather conditions. These models were able to forecast daily concentrations at the sites of observation, but lacked broader spatial applicability beyond those sites. To overcome this limitation, an integrated modeling scheme was developed that is designed to represent the underlying processes of pollen production and distribution. A maximum potential for airborne pollen is first determined using the Weibull probability density function. Then, daily pollen concentration is estimated using multiple regression models. Daily risk grade levels are determined based on the risk criteria used in Korea. The mean percentages of agreement between the observed and estimated levels were 81.4-88.2 % and 92.5-98.5 % for oak and Japanese hop pollens, respectively. The new models estimated daily pollen risk more accurately than the original statistical models because of the newly integrated biological response curves. Although they overestimated seasonal mean concentration, they did not simulate all of the peak concentrations. This issue would be resolved by adding more variables that affect the prevalence and internal maturity of pollens.

Pecky rot in incense-cedar: evaluation of five scaling methods.

Treesearch

James M. Cahill; W.Y. Pong; D.L. Weyermann

1987-01-01

A sample of 58 logs was used to evaluate five methods of making scale deduc-tions for pecky rot in incense-cedar (Libocedrus decurrens Torr.) logs. Bias and ac-curacy were computed for three Scribner and two cubic scaling methods. The lumber yield of sound incense-cedar logs, as measured in a product recovery study, was used as the basis for...

Selected hydrologic data for Cedar Valley, Iron County, southwestern Utah, 1930-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Howells, James H.; Mason, James L.; Slaugh, Bradley A.

2001-01-01

This report presents hydrologic data collected by the U. S. Geological Survey from 1930 to 2001 with emphasis on data collected from 1997 to 2001 as part of a study of ground-water resources in Cedar Valley, Iron County, southwestern Utah (fig. 1). Data collected prior to this study are also presented to show long-term trends. Data were collected during this study in cooperation with the Central Iron County Water Conservancy District; Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Resources; Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality; Cedar City; and Enoch City; as part of a study to better understand the ground-water resources of Cedar Valley and to assess possible effects of increased ground-water withdrawal on water quality. Quality of ground water in Cedar Valley is variable and water suppliers need to know if additional water resources can be developed without drawing water of lower quality into public-supply wells.Cedar Valley is in central Iron County at the transitional boundary between the Basin and Range and Colorado Plateau physiographic provinces described by Hunt (1974) and covers about 570 mi2. Additional data from wells west of Cedar Valley and to the south in the vicinity of Kanarraville in the Virgin River drainage (Colorado River Basin) adjacent to the study area are included. Cedar Valley is bounded on the east by the Markagunt Plateau and Red Hills, on the southwest by the Harmony Mountains, on the west by a complex of low hills, and on the north by the Black Mountains. Altitudes in the study area range from about 5,300 ft in Mud Spring Canyon to about 10,400 ft at Blowhard Mountain to the east.

Aerial treatment of salt cedar within threatened and endangered species habitat - a success story

Treesearch

Nyleen H. Troxel Stowe

2006-01-01

The Lower Rio Grande Salt Cedar Control Project treated 7,648 acres of monotypic Tamarisk (Salt cedar) in riparian areas along the Rio Grande in Socorro, Sierra, and Dona Ana Counties in New Mexico. We contracted North Star Helicopters, Inc. to do aerial treatment of these Salt cedar stands. The biggest issue in doing this treatment was the presence of the Southwestern...

Adjuvant activity of diesel-exhaust particulates for the production of IgE antibody in mice.

PubMed

Muranaka, M; Suzuki, S; Koizumi, K; Takafuji, S; Miyamoto, T; Ikemori, R; Tokiwa, H

1986-04-01

The prevalence rate of allergic rhinitis caused by pollen has strikingly increased in Japan in the last three decades. The number of diesel cars in use has also rapidly increased in the country. This fact urged us to study the effects of particulates emitted from diesel cars on the production of IgE antibody. The primary IgE antibody responses in mice immunized with intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OA) mixed with diesel-exhaust particulates (DEP) were higher than those in the animals immunized with OA alone. This effect of DEP on the production of IgE antibody in mice was also demonstrated when mice were immunized with repeated injections of dinitrophenylated-OA. In addition, persistent IgE-antibody response to major allergen of Japanese cedar pollen (JCPA), a most common pollen causing allergic rhinitis in Japan, was observed in mice immunized with JCPA mixed with DEP but not in the animals immunized with JCPA alone. The results do indicate that the adjuvant activity of DEP can not be excluded as a possible cause of the associated change in the number of diesel cars and allergic rhinitis caused by pollen in Japan.

Regeneration patterns of northern white cedar, an old-growth forest dominant

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scott, Michael L.; Murphy, Peter G.

1987-01-01

Regeneration of Thuja occidentalis L. was examined in an old-growth dune forest on South Manitou Island, Michigan. To estimate the current status of cedar regeneration, we determined size structure of seedlings and stems and analyzed present patterns of establishment and persistence relative to substrate type. There has been a shift in the pattern of cedar establishment from soil to log substrates. While 97% of all stems ≥15 cm dbh are associated with a soil substrate, 81% of stems ≥2.5cm-25 cm tall. There was no significant relationship between the state of log decay and the density of seedlings >25 cm in height, indicating that long-term survival is not dependent on the degree of log decomposition. However, survival on logs is associated with canopy openings. Seedlings >25 cm tall were associated with gaps, and 78% of cedar stems (≥2.5 cm dbh) on logs were associated with a single windthrow gap. Thus, current cedar regeneration in this old-growth forest depends on logs and the canopy openings associated with them.

The “anomalous cedar trees” of Lake Ashi, Hakone Volcano, Japan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oki, Y.

1984-01-01

On the bottom of Lake Ashi at Hakone, Japan, there stand great trees that, since ancient times, have been widely known as the "Anomalous Cedar Trees" of Ashi. It is not known why these trees grow on the bottom of the lake, and it remains one of the mysteries of Hakone. It was formerly thought that, at the time Lake Ashi was born, a great forest of cedar trees which was growing in the caldera of the volcano sank into the water. From radioactive carbon dating techniques, it is known that a steam explosion in the Kami Mountains created the caldera approximately 3,000 years ago. The age of the "Anomalous Cedars" is placed at approximately. 

76 FR 50212 - Cedar Creek Wind, LLC; Notice of Petition for Enforcement

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-12

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL11-59-000] Cedar Creek Wind, LLC; Notice of Petition for Enforcement Take notice that on August 5, 2011, Cedar Creek Wind, LLC filed a Petition requesting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) institute an...

A biology-driven receptor model for daily pollen allergy risk in Korea based on Weibull probability density function.

PubMed

Kim, Kyu Rang; Kim, Mijin; Choe, Ho-Seong; Han, Mae Ja; Lee, Hye-Rim; Oh, Jae-Won; Kim, Baek-Jo

2017-02-01

Pollen is an important cause of respiratory allergic reactions. As individual sanitation has improved, allergy risk has increased, and this trend is expected to continue due to climate change. Atmospheric pollen concentration is highly influenced by weather conditions. Regression analysis and modeling of the relationships between airborne pollen concentrations and weather conditions were performed to analyze and forecast pollen conditions. Traditionally, daily pollen concentration has been estimated using regression models that describe the relationships between observed pollen concentrations and weather conditions. These models were able to forecast daily concentrations at the sites of observation, but lacked broader spatial applicability beyond those sites. To overcome this limitation, an integrated modeling scheme was developed that is designed to represent the underlying processes of pollen production and distribution. A maximum potential for airborne pollen is first determined using the Weibull probability density function. Then, daily pollen concentration is estimated using multiple regression models. Daily risk grade levels are determined based on the risk criteria used in Korea. The mean percentages of agreement between the observed and estimated levels were 81.4-88.2 % and 92.5-98.5 % for oak and Japanese hop pollens, respectively. The new models estimated daily pollen risk more accurately than the original statistical models because of the newly integrated biological response curves. Although they overestimated seasonal mean concentration, they did not simulate all of the peak concentrations. This issue would be resolved by adding more variables that affect the prevalence and internal maturity of pollens.

Ulmus crassifolia Nutt. Cedar Elm

Treesearch

John J. Stransky; Sylvia M. Bierschenk

1990-01-01

Cedar elm (Ulmus cassifolia) grows rapidly to medium or large size in the Southern United States and northeastern Mexico, where it may sometimes be called basket elm, red elm, southern rock elm, or olmo (Spanish) It usually is found on moist, limestone soils along water courses with other bottomland trees, but it also paws on dry limestone hills. The...

Groundwater geochemistry in the Seminole Well Field, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boyd, Robert A.

1999-01-01

The City of Cedar Rapids obtains its municipal water supply from four well fields in an alluvial aquifer along the Cedar River in east-central Iowa. Since 1992, the City and the U.S. Geological Survey have cooperatively studied the groundwater-flow system and water chemistry near the well fields. The geochemistry in the alluvial aquifer near the Seminole Well Field was assessed to identify potentially reactive minerals and possible chemical reactions that produce observed changes in water chemistry. Calcite, dolomite, ferrihydrite, quartz, rhodochrosite, and siderite were identified as potentially reactive minerals by calculating saturation indexes. Aluminosiicate minerals including albite, Ca-montmorillonite, gibbsite, illite, K-feldspar, and kaolinite were identified as potentially reactive minerals using hypothetical saturation indexes calculated with an assumed dissolved aluminum concentration of 1 microgram per liter. Balanced chemical equations derived from inverse-modeling techniques were used to assess chemical reactions as precipitation percolates to the water table. Calcite dissolution was predominate, but aluminosilicate weathering, cation exchange, and redox reactions also likely occurred. Microbial-catalyzed redox reactions altered the chemical composition of water infiltrating from the Cedar River into the alluvial aquifer by consuming dissolved oxygen, reducing nitrate, and increasing dissolved iron and manganese concentrations. Nitrate reduction only occurred in relatively shallow (3 to 7 meters below land surface) groundwater near the Cedar River and did not occur in water infiltrating to deeper zones of the alluvial aquifer.

Does stronger pollen competition improve offspring fitness when pollen load does not vary?

PubMed

Pélabon, Christophe; Hennet, Lauriane; Bolstad, Geir H; Albertsen, Elena; Opedal, Øystein H; Ekrem, Runa K; Armbruster, W Scott

2016-03-01

Competition among pollen grains from a single donor is expected to increase the quality of the offspring produced because of the recessive deleterious alleles expressed during pollen-tube growth. However, evidence for such an effect is inconclusive; a large number of studies suffer from confounding variation in pollen competition with variation in pollen load. In this study, we tested the effect of pollen competition on offspring performance independently of pollen-load variation. We compared seed mass and early seedling performance in Dalechampia scandens (Euphorbiaceae) between crosses in which variation in pollen competition was achieved, without variation in pollen load, by manipulating the dispersion of pollen grains on the stigmas. Despite a large sample size (211 crosses on 20 maternal plants), we failed to find an effect of pollen competition on seed characteristics or early seedling performance. Paternal effects were always limited, and pollen competition never reduced the within-father (residual) variance. These results suggest that limited within-donor variation in genetic quality of pollen grains reduces the potential benefits of pollen competition in the study population. The lack of paternal effects on early sporophyte performance further suggests that benefits of pollen competition among pollen from multiple donors should be limited as well, and it raises questions about the significance of pollen competition as a mechanism of sexual selection. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Atlantic white-cedar being eliminated by excessive animal damage in south Jersey

Treesearch

S. Little; H. A. Somes

1965-01-01

Atlantic white-cedar, which grows in the swamps of the New Jersey Pine Region, is a prized timber species. Most areas now growing white-cedar have been clearcut 4 or 5 times since 1700. In contrast, the associated swamp hardwoods-red maple, blackgum, and sweetbay-rarely produce wood that is valuable enough to harvest.

Sediment deposition and selected water-quality characteristics in Cedar Lake and Lake Olathe, Northeast Kansas, 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mau, D.P.

2002-01-01

The Lake Olathe watershed, located in northeast Kansas, was investigated using bathymetric survey data and reservoir bottom-sediment cores to determine sediment deposition, water-quality trends, and transport of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen species), selected trace elements, selected pesticides, and diatoms as indicators of eutrophic (organic-enriched and depleted oxygen supply) conditions. To determine sediment deposition and loads, bathymetric data from Cedar Lake and Lake Olathe, both located in the Lake Olathe watershed, were collected in 2000 and compared to historical topographic data collected when the lakes were built. Approximately 338 acre-feet of sediment deposition has occurred in Cedar Lake since dam closure in 1938, and 317 acre-feet has occurred at Lake Olathe since 1956. Mean annual sediment deposition was 5.45 acre-feet per year (0.89 acre-feet per year per square mile) for Cedar Lake and 7.0 acre-feet per year (0.42 acre-feet per year per square mile) for Lake Olathe. Mean annual sediment loads for the two reservoirs were 9.6 million pounds per year for Cedar Lake and 12.6 million pounds per year for Lake Olathe. Mean concentrations of total phosphorus in bottom-sediment samples from Cedar Lake ranged from 1,370 to 1,810 milligrams per kilogram, and concentrations in bottom-sediment samples from Lake Olathe ranged from 588 to 1,030 milligrams per kilogram. The implication of large total phosphorus concentrations in the bottom sediment of Cedar Lake is that inflow into Cedar Lake is rich in phosphorus and that adverse water-quality conditions could affect water quality in downstream Lake Olathe through discharge of water from Cedar Lake to Lake Olathe via Cedar Creek. Mean annual phosphorus loads transported from the Lake Olathe watershed were estimated to be 14,700 pounds per year for Cedar Lake and 9,720 pounds per year for Lake Olathe. The mean annual phosphorus yields were estimated to be 3.74 pounds per acre per year for Cedar Lake and 0

Yellow-cedar decline in the North Coast Forest District of British Columbia.

Treesearch

Paul E. Hennon; David V. D' Amore; Stefan Zeglan; Mike Grainger

2005-01-01

The distribution of a forest decline of yellow-cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis (D. Don) Örsted) has been documented in southeast Alaska, but its occurrence in British Columbia was previously unknown. We conducted an aerial survey in the Prince Rupert area in September 2004 to determine if yellow-cedar forests in the North Coast Forest District of...

Growth and transpiration of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) and Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) seedlings in response to soil water content.

PubMed

Nagakura, Junko; Shigenaga, Hidetoshi; Akama, Akio; Takahashi, Masamichi

2004-11-01

To investigate the effects of soil water content on growth and transpiration of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) and Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold et Zucc.) Endl.), potted seedlings were grown in well-watered soil (wet treatment) or in drying soil (dry treatment) for 12 weeks. Seedlings in the wet treatment were watered once every 2 or 3 days, whereas seedlings in the dry treatment were watered when soil water content (Theta; m3 m(-3)) reached 0.30, equivalent to a soil matric potential of -0.06 MPa. From Weeks 7 to 12 after the onset of the treatments, seedling transpiration was measured by weighing the potted seedlings. After the last watering, changes in transpiration rate during soil drying were monitored intensely. The dry treatment restricted aboveground growth but increased biomass allocation to the roots in both species, resulting in no significant treatment difference in whole-plant biomass production. The species showed similar responses in relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR) and shoot mass ratio (SMR) to the dry treatment. Although NAR did not change significantly in either C. japonica or C. obtusa as the soil dried, the two species responded differently to the dry treatment in terms of mean transpiration rate (E) and water-use efficiency (WUE), which are parameters that relate to NAR. In the dry treatment, both E and WUE of C. japonica were stable, whereas in C. obtusa, E decreased and WUE increased (E and WUE counterbalanced to maintain a constant NAR). Transpiration rates were lower in C. obtusa seedlings than in C. japonica seedlings, even in well-watered conditions. During soil drying, the transpiration rate decreased after Theta reached about 0.38 (-0.003 MPa) in C. obtusa and 0.32 (-0.028 MPa) in C. japonica. We conclude that C. obtusa has more water-saving characteristics than C. japonica, particularly when water supply is limited.

The long pollen tube journey and in vitro pollen germination of Phalaenopsis orchids.

PubMed

Chen, Jhun-Chen; Fang, Su-Chiung

2016-06-01

Pollen biology in P. aphrodite. Orchids have a distinct reproductive program. Pollination triggers ovule development and differentiation within flowers, and fertilization occurs days to months after pollination. It is unclear how pollen tubes travel through the developing ovaries during ovule development and when pollen tubes arrive at the mature embryo sac to achieve fertilization. Here, we report a robust staining protocol to image and record the timing of pollen germination, progressive growth of pollen tubes in ovaries, and arrival of pollen tubes at embryo sacs in Phalaenopsis aphrodite. The pollen germinated and pollen tubes entered the ovary 3 days after pollination. Pollen tubes continued to grow and filled the entire cavity of the ovary as the ovary elongated and ovules developed. Pollen tubes were found to enter the matured embryo sacs at approximately 60-65 days after pollination in an acropetal manner. Moreover, these temporal changes in developmental events such as growth of pollen tubes and fertilization were associated with expression of molecular markers. In addition, we developed an in vitro pollen germination protocol, which is valuable to enable studies on pollen tube guidance and tip growth regulation in Phalaenopsis orchids and possibly in other orchid species.

Extraordinary trace-element accumulations in roadside cedars near Centerville, Missouri

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Connor, J.J.; Shacklette, H.T.; Erdman, J.A.

1971-01-01

Unusually high concentrations of lead, copper, zinc, and cadmium were found in samples of cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) collected on the roadside of State Highway 21-72 about 4 miles northeast of Centerville, Mo. For 15 samples, geometric mean concentrations for these elements in cedar ash were, in parts per million: Pb, 5,800; Cu, 190; An, 940; and Cd, 12. The high concentrations are thought to reflect vehicular transport of lead-bearing ores from mine to smelter, rather than mineralized rock at depth.

Isolation and Structure Elucidation of the Terpene "[beta]"-Thujone from Cedar Leaf Oil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French, Larry G.

2011-01-01

Western red cedar leaf affords an essential oil characterized by high thujone content. Students in an advanced organic chemistry lab course isolate a single thujone diastereoisomer from commercially available cedar leaf oil. Treatment of crude oil, containing roughly 70% thujone, predominately as [alpha]-thujone (6.5:1), with ethanolic sodium…

High prevalence of pollinosis symptoms among the farmers cultivating Japanese pears.

PubMed

Hayashi, S; Teranishi, H; Shimooka, Y; Yamada, N

2007-01-01

In a district of Japanese pear cultivators, a questionnaire survey and an IgE antibody survey were conducted on the pollinosis. A high prevalence of 36.3 percent of the farmers complained of pollinosis symptoms. By the IgE antibody survey, the symptoms were found to be related to the airborne pollens in the orchard.

Research notes : signposts - pressure treated or cedar?

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-01

Since August 1998, most of the signposts installed by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) have been Port Orford cedar. Prior to that time, pressure treated wood had been the primary signpost material. ODOTs Research Group was asked to c...

77 FR 31831 - Designation for the Topeka, KS; Cedar Rapids, IA; Minot, ND; and Cincinnati, OH Areas

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-30

... the Topeka, KS; Cedar Rapids, IA; Minot, ND; and Cincinnati, OH Areas AGENCY: Grain Inspection.... Applications were due by March 12, 2012. Topeka, KS; Cedar Rapids, IA; Minot, ND and Cincinnati, OH areas were...) 233-7063 7/1/2012 6/30/2015 Mid-Iowa Cedar Rapids, IA; (319) 363-0239...... 7/1/2012 6/30/2015 Minot...

Pollen resistance to water in 80 angiosperm species: flower structures protect rain-susceptible pollen.

PubMed

Mao, Yun-Yun; Huang, Shuang-Quan

2009-08-01

Flowers exhibit adaptive responses to biotic and abiotic factors. It remains unclear whether pollen susceptibility to rain damage plays a role in the evolution of floral form. We investigated flower performance in rain and compared pollen longevity in dry conditions, pure water and solutions with different sucrose concentrations in 80 flowering species from 46 families with diverse floral shapes and pollination modes. A pollen viability test showed that pollen longevity in all studied species was greatly reduced by wetting. We found that pollen of species with complete protection by flower structures was susceptible to water damage and a high proportion of resistant pollen occurred in unprotected species. Flowers whose structures expose pollen to rain may also reduce rain damage through temporal patterns of pollen presentation. This prediction was supported by our direct measurement of pollen presentation duration on rainy days. Our observations showed that variation in pollen performance in water was associated with differences in floral forms. Water-resistant pollen and extended pollen presentation duration were favored by selection via rain contact in species in which pollen was not protected from rain. These findings support the functional hypothesis that flower structures protect susceptible pollen from rain, demonstrating that rain acts as a force shaping floral form.

Static and elevated pollen traps do not provide an accurate assessment of personal pollen exposure.

PubMed

Penel, V; Calleja, M; Pichot, C; Charpin, D

2017-03-01

Background. Volumetric pollen traps are commonly used to assess pollen exposure. These traps are well suited for estimating the regional mean airborne pollen concentration but are likely not to provide an accurate index of personal exposure. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that hair sampling may provide different pollen counts from those from pollen traps, especially when the pollen exposure is diverse. Methods. We compared pollen counts in hair washes to counts provided by stationary volumetric and gravimetric pollen traps in 2 different settings: urban with volunteers living in short distance from one another and from the static trap and suburban in which volunteers live in a scattered environment, quite far from the static trap. Results. Pollen counts in hair washes are in full agreement with trap counts for uniform pollen exposure. In contrast, for diverse pollen exposure, .individual pollen counts in hair washes vary strongly in quantity and taxa composition between individuals and dates. These results demonstrate that the pollen counts method (hair washes vs. stationary pollen traps) may lead to different absolute and relative contributions of taxa to the total pollen count. Conclusions. In a geographic area with a high diversity of environmental exposure to pollen, static pollen traps, in contrast to hair washes, do not provide a reliable estimate of this higher diversity.

Pollen development in Annona cherimola Mill. (Annonaceae). Implications for the evolution of aggregated pollen

PubMed Central

Lora, Jorge; Testillano, Pilar S; Risueño, Maria C; Hormaza, Jose I; Herrero, Maria

2009-01-01

Background In most flowering plants, pollen is dispersed as monads. However, aggregated pollen shedding in groups of four or more pollen grains has arisen independently several times during angiosperm evolution. The reasons behind this phenomenon are largely unknown. In this study, we followed pollen development in Annona cherimola, a basal angiosperm species that releases pollen in groups of four, to investigate how pollen ontogeny may explain the rise and establishment of this character. We followed pollen development using immunolocalization and cytochemical characterization of changes occurring from anther differentiation to pollen dehiscence. Results Our results show that, following tetrad formation, a delay in the dissolution of the pollen mother cell wall and tapetal chamber is a key event that holds the four microspores together in a confined tapetal chamber, allowing them to rotate and then bind through the aperture sites through small pectin bridges, followed by joint sporopollenin deposition. Conclusion Pollen grouping could be the result of relatively minor ontogenetic changes beneficial for pollen transfer or/and protection from desiccation. Comparison of these events with those recorded in the recent pollen developmental mutants in Arabidopsis indicates that several failures during tetrad dissolution may convert to a common recurring phenotype that has evolved independently several times, whenever this grouping conferred advantages for pollen transfer. PMID:19874617

Pollen development in Annona cherimola Mill. (Annonaceae). Implications for the evolution of aggregated pollen.

PubMed

Lora, Jorge; Testillano, Pilar S; Risueño, Maria C; Hormaza, Jose I; Herrero, Maria

2009-10-29

In most flowering plants, pollen is dispersed as monads. However, aggregated pollen shedding in groups of four or more pollen grains has arisen independently several times during angiosperm evolution. The reasons behind this phenomenon are largely unknown. In this study, we followed pollen development in Annona cherimola, a basal angiosperm species that releases pollen in groups of four, to investigate how pollen ontogeny may explain the rise and establishment of this character. We followed pollen development using immunolocalization and cytochemical characterization of changes occurring from anther differentiation to pollen dehiscence. Our results show that, following tetrad formation, a delay in the dissolution of the pollen mother cell wall and tapetal chamber is a key event that holds the four microspores together in a confined tapetal chamber, allowing them to rotate and then bind through the aperture sites through small pectin bridges, followed by joint sporopollenin deposition. Pollen grouping could be the result of relatively minor ontogenetic changes beneficial for pollen transfer or/and protection from desiccation. Comparison of these events with those recorded in the recent pollen developmental mutants in Arabidopsis indicates that several failures during tetrad dissolution may convert to a common recurring phenotype that has evolved independently several times, whenever this grouping conferred advantages for pollen transfer.

Maize pollen coat xylanase facilitates pollen tube penetration into silk during sexual reproduction.

PubMed

Suen, Der Fen; Huang, Anthony H C

2007-01-05

Cell wall hydrolases are well documented to be present on pollen, but their roles on the stigma during sexual reproduction have not been previously demonstrated. We explored the function of the tapetum-synthesized xylanase, ZmXYN1, on maize (Zea mays L.) pollen. Transgenic lines (xyl-less) containing little or no xylanase in the pollen coat were generated with use of an antisense construct of the xylanase gene-coding region driven by the XYN1 gene promoter. Xyl-less and wild-type plants had similar vegetative growth. Electron microscopy revealed no appreciable morphological difference in anther cells and pollen between xyl-less lines and the wild type, whereas immunofluorescence microscopy and biochemical analyses indicated an absence of xylanase on xyl-less pollen. Xyl-less pollen germinated as efficiently as wild-type pollen in vitro in a liquid medium but less so on gel media of increasing solidity or on silk, which is indicative of partial impaired water uptake. Once germinated in vitro or on silk, the xyl-less and wild-type pollen tubes elongated at comparable rates. Tubes of germinated xyl-less pollen on silk did not penetrate into the silk as efficiently as tubes of wild-type pollen, and this lower efficiency could be overcome by the addition of xylanase to the silk. For wild-type pollen, coat xylanase activity on oat spelled xylan in vitro and tube penetration into silk were inhibited by xylose but not glucose. The overall findings indicate that maize pollen coat xylanase facilitates pollen tube penetration into silk via enzymatic xylan hydrolysis.

Floods of July 19-25, 1999, in the Wapsipinicon and Cedar River basins, northeast Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ballew, J.L.; Eash, D.A.

2001-01-01

Severe flooding occurred during July 19-25, 1999, in the Wapsipinicon and Cedar River Basins following two thunderstorms over northeast Iowa. During July 18-19, as much as 6 inches of rainfall was centered over Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Mitchell, and Worth Counties. During July 20-21, a second storm occurred in which an additional rainfall of as much as 8 inches was centered over Chickasaw and Floyd Counties. The cumulative effect of the storms produced floods with new maximum peak discharges at the following streamflow-gaging stations: Wapsipinicon River near Tripoli, 19,400 cubic feet per second; Cedar River at Charles City, 31,200 cubic feet per second (recurrence interval about 90 years); Cedar River at Janesville, 42,200 cubic feet per second (recurrence interval about 80 years); and Flood Creek near Powersville, 19,000 cubic feet per second. Profiles of flood elevations for the July 1999 flood are presented in this report for selected reaches along the Wapsipinicon, Cedar, and Shell Rock Rivers and along Flood Creek. Information about the river basins, rain storms, and flooding are presented along with information on temporary bench marks and reference points in the Wapsipinicon and Cedar River Basins.

The dry-rot of incense cedar

Treesearch

J.S. Boyce

1920-01-01

Incense cedar (Libocedrus decurrens) is of considerable economic importance on the Pacific coast. The available supply of this species, which never occurs alone but always in mixture, chiefly with yellow pine, Jeffrey pine, sugar pine, Douglas fir, and white fir, averaging about 8 per cent of the stand, although often forming as high as 30 to 50 per...

Expression and Protein Interaction Analyses Reveal Combinatorial Interactions of LBD Transcription Factors During Arabidopsis Pollen Development.

PubMed

Kim, Mirim; Kim, Min-Jung; Pandey, Shashank; Kim, Jungmook

2016-11-01

LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN (LBD) transcription factor gene family members play key roles in diverse aspects of plant development. LBD10 and LBD27 have been shown to be essential for pollen development in Arabidopsis thaliana. From the previous RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data set of Arabidopsis pollen, we identified the mRNAs of LBD22, LBD25 and LBD36 in addition to LBD10 and LBD27 in Arabidopsis pollen. Here we conducted expression and cellular analysis using GFP:GUS (green fluorescent protein:β-glucuronidase) reporter gene and subcellular localization assays using LBD:GFP fusion proteins expressed under the control of their own promoters in Arabidopsis. We found that these LBD proteins display spatially and temporally distinct and overlapping expression patterns during pollen development. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation and GST (glutathione S-transferase) pull-down assays demonstrated that protein-protein interactions occur among the LBDs exhibiting overlapping expression during pollen development. We further showed that LBD10, LBD22, LBD25, LBD27 and LBD36 interact with each other to form heterodimers, which are localized to the nucleus in Arabidopsis protoplasts. Taken together, these results suggest that combinatorial interactions among LBD proteins may be important for their function in pollen development in Arabidopsis. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A pollen-specific RALF from tomato that regulates pollen tube elongation.

PubMed

Covey, Paul A; Subbaiah, Chalivendra C; Parsons, Ronald L; Pearce, Gregory; Lay, Fung T; Anderson, Marilyn A; Ryan, Clarence A; Bedinger, Patricia A

2010-06-01

Rapid Alkalinization Factors (RALFs) are plant peptides that rapidly increase the pH of plant suspension cell culture medium and inhibit root growth. A pollen-specific tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) RALF (SlPRALF) has been identified. The SlPRALF gene encodes a preproprotein that appears to be processed and released from the pollen tube as an active peptide. A synthetic SlPRALF peptide based on the putative active peptide did not affect pollen hydration or viability but inhibited the elongation of normal pollen tubes in an in vitro growth system. Inhibitory effects of SlPRALF were detectable at concentrations as low as 10 nm, and complete inhibition was observed at 1 mum peptide. At least 10-fold higher levels of alkSlPRALF, which lacks disulfide bonds, were required to see similar effects. A greater effect of peptide was observed in low-pH-buffered medium. Inhibition of pollen tube elongation was reversible if peptide was removed within 15 min of exposure. Addition of 100 nm SlPRALF to actively growing pollen tubes inhibited further elongation until tubes were 40 to 60 mum in length, after which pollen tubes became resistant to the peptide. The onset of resistance correlated with the timing of the exit of the male germ unit from the pollen grain into the tube. Thus, exogenous SlPRALF acts as a negative regulator of pollen tube elongation within a specific developmental window.

Phosphoproteomics Profiling of Tobacco Mature Pollen and Pollen Activated in vitro *

PubMed Central

Fíla, Jan; Radau, Sonja; Matros, Andrea; Hartmann, Anja; Scholz, Uwe; Feciková, Jana; Mock, Hans-Peter; Čapková, Věra; Zahedi, René Peiman; Honys, David

2016-01-01

Tobacco mature pollen has extremely desiccated cytoplasm, and is metabolically quiescent. Upon re-hydration it becomes metabolically active and that results in later emergence of rapidly growing pollen tube. These changes in cytoplasm hydration and metabolic activity are accompanied by protein phosphorylation. In this study, we subjected mature pollen, 5-min-activated pollen, and 30-min-activated pollen to TCA/acetone protein extraction, trypsin digestion and phosphopeptide enrichment by titanium dioxide. The enriched fraction was subjected to nLC-MS/MS. We identified 471 phosphopeptides that carried 432 phosphorylation sites, position of which was exactly matched by mass spectrometry. These 471 phosphopeptides were assigned to 301 phosphoproteins, because some proteins carried more phosphorylation sites. Of the 13 functional groups, the majority of proteins were put into these categories: transcription, protein synthesis, protein destination and storage, and signal transduction. Many proteins were of unknown function, reflecting the fact that male gametophyte contains many specific proteins that have not been fully functionally annotated. The quantitative data highlighted the dynamics of protein phosphorylation during pollen activation; the identified phosphopeptides were divided into seven groups based on the regulatory trends. The major group comprised mature pollen-specific phosphopeptides that were dephosphorylated during pollen activation. Several phosphopeptides representing the same phosphoprotein had different regulation, which pinpointed the complexity of protein phosphorylation and its clear functional context. Collectively, we showed the first phosphoproteomics data on activated pollen where the position of phosphorylation sites was clearly demonstrated and regulatory kinetics was resolved. PMID:26792808

Knockin' on pollen's door: live cell imaging of early polarization events in germinating Arabidopsis pollen

PubMed Central

Vogler, Frank; Konrad, Sebastian S. A.; Sprunck, Stefanie

2015-01-01

Pollen tubes are an excellent system for studying the cellular dynamics and complex signaling pathways that coordinate polarized tip growth. Although several signaling mechanisms acting in the tip-growing pollen tube have been described, our knowledge on the subcellular and molecular events during pollen germination and growth site selection at the pollen plasma membrane is rather scarce. To simultaneously track germinating pollen from up to 12 genetically different plants we developed an inexpensive and easy mounting technique, suitable for every standard microscope setup. We performed high magnification live-cell imaging during Arabidopsis pollen activation, germination, and the establishment of pollen tube tip growth by using fluorescent marker lines labeling either the pollen cytoplasm, vesicles, the actin cytoskeleton or the sperm cell nuclei and membranes. Our studies revealed distinctive vesicle and F-actin polarization during pollen activation and characteristic growth kinetics during pollen germination and pollen tube formation. Initially, the germinating Arabidopsis pollen tube grows slowly and forms a uniform roundish bulge, followed by a transition phase with vesicles heavily accumulating at the growth site before switching to rapid tip growth. Furthermore, we found the two sperm cells to be transported into the pollen tube after the phase of rapid tip growth has been initiated. The method presented here is suitable to quantitatively study subcellular events during Arabidopsis pollen germination and growth, and for the detailed analysis of pollen mutants with respect to pollen polarization, bulging, or growth site selection at the pollen plasma membrane. PMID:25954283

Cedar-Iowa River Rail transit project feasibility study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-11-09

Five Seasons Transportation & Parking (FSTP) and the Johnson County Council of : Governments (JCCOG) are interested in evaluating the feasibility of prospective passenger rail : service(s) that would operate over existing trackage of the Cedar Rapids...

Port-Orford-cedar plantations in the Pacific Northwest.

Treesearch

George A. James

1958-01-01

In the recent past, Port-Orford-cedar was one of the most valuable timber trees in southwestern Oregon and northwestern California. Special characteristics of the wood uniquely fitted it for special uses—battery separators in particular.

The ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) fauna of the cedar glades and xeric limestone prairies of the Central Basin of Tennessee

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ants may be the most thoroughly documented group of insects inhabiting the cedar glades of the Central Basin of Tennessee with two studies conducted in the late 1930s reporting ants found in cedar glades of the region. To compare the ant fauna of modern cedar glades with the lists produced in earlie...

Groundwater-Mining-Induced Subsidence and Earth Fissures in Cedar Valley, Southwestern Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knudsen, T. R.; Inkenbrandt, P.; Lund, W. R.; Lowe, M.; Bowman, S. D.

2014-12-01

Groundwater pumping in excess of recharge (groundwater mining) has lowered the potentiometric surface in Cedar Valley, southwestern Utah, by as much as 114 feet since 1939. Lowering the potentiometric surface (head decline) has caused permanent compaction of fine-grained sediments of the Cedar Valley aquifer. Recently acquired interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) imagery shows that land subsidence is occurring over an ~100 square-mile area, including two pronounced subsidence bowls in the northeastern (Enoch graben) and southwestern (Quichapa Lake area) parts of the valley. A lack of accurate historical benchmark elevation data over much of the valley prevents detailed long-term quantification of subsidence. In response to the land subsidence, earth fissures have formed along the margins of the Enoch graben and north and west of Quichapa Lake. Our initial inventory of Cedar Valley fissures, which relied on aerial-photography analysis, identified 3.9 miles of fissures in 2009. With newly acquired light detection and ranging (LiDAR) coverage in 2011, we more than doubled the total length of mapped fissures to 8.3 miles. Fissures on the west side of the Enoch graben exhibit ongoing vertical surface displacement with rates as high as 1.7 inches/year. The largest Enoch-graben-west fissure has displaced street surfaces, curb and gutter, and sidewalks, and has reversed the flow direction of a sewer line in a partially developed subdivision. Several Cedar Valley fissures are closely associated with, and in some places coincident with, mapped Quaternary faults. While the majority of Cedar Valley fissures are mapped in agricultural areas, continued groundwater mining and resultant subsidence will likely cause existing fissures to lengthen and new fissures to form that may eventually impact other developed areas of the valley.

Herpetofauna of the cedar glades and associated habitats of the Inner Central Basin of middle Tennessee

USGS Publications Warehouse

Niemiller, M.L.; Graham, Reynolds R.; Glorioso, B.M.; Spiess, J.; Miller, B.T.

2011-01-01

The cedar glades and barrens of the Inner Central Basin (ICB) of middle Tennessee support a unique and diverse flora and fauna and represent some of the state's most valued natural areas. We conducted herpetofaunal inventories of the cedar glades, associated barrens, cedar-hardwood forest, and adjacent aquatic habitats of the Stones River drainage of Middle Tennessee, focusing our sampling effort primarily at seven state- or federally owned properties in Rutherford and Wilson counties. These properties included Stones River National Battlefield (SRNB), Flat Rock State Natural Area (FRSNA), Vesta Cedar Glade State Natural Area (VSNA), Fall Creek Recreation Area (FCRA) on J. Percy Priest Wildlife Management Area, Cedars of Lebanon State Forest (CLSF), Cedars of Lebanon State Forest Natural Area (CLSNA), and Cedars of Lebanon State Park (CLSP). We used a variety of inventory techniques in terrestrial, aquatic, and subterranean habitats to survey these properties periodically from 1989 to 2010. We documented 49 species (22 amphibian and 27 reptile) accounting for 75.4% of the 65 herpetofaunal species thought to occur in the ICB, including records for Cemophora coccinea, Aneides aeneus, Gyrinophilus palleucus, Ambystoma barbouri, and Pseudotriton montanus. We found differences in alpha and beta diversity between sites, with the CLSF complex containing a high of 41 herpetofaunal species and FRSNA containing a low of 23 species. Beta diversity comparisons indicated similarity in amphibian species composition between FRSNA and CLSF and between SRNB and CLSF (9 shared species), and in reptile species composition between VSNA and the CLSF complex (16 shared species). We compare the results of our inventory with two previous studies conducted in the area and discuss the relative abundance, conservation, and threats to the herpetofaunal community of these habitats.

Differential consumption of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) by avian and mammalian guilds: Implications for tree invasion

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horncastle, V.J.; Hellgren, E.C.; Mayer, P.M.; Engle, David M.; Leslie, D.M.

2004-01-01

Increased abundance and distribution of eastern redcedar (Juniperns virginiannus), a native species in the Great Plains, has been associated with changes in ecosystem functioning and landscape cover. Knowledge of the main consumers and dispersal agents of eastern red cedar cones is essential to understanding the invasive spread of the species. We examined animal removal of cedar cones in three habitats (tallgrass prairie, eastern red cedar and woodland-prairie margins) in the Cross Timbers ecoregion using three exclosure treatments during autumn and winter. Exclosure treatments excluded study trees from ungulates, from terrestrial rodents and ungulates or from neither (control). Loss of cones from branches varied by a habitat-time interaction, but was not affected by exclosure type. Loss of cones from containers located under experimental trees varied by a habitat-treatment-time interaction. In December and January, cone consumption from containers in no-exclosure treatments was highest in margins, followed by tallgrass prairie and eastern red cedar habitats. We conclude birds consumed the majority of cones from branches and small-and medium-sized mammals consumed cones on the ground. Both birds and mammals likely contribute to the spread of eastern red cedar but at different scales. Limiting invasion of eastern red cedar in forests may require early detection and selective removal of pioneer seedlings in cross timbers and other habitats that attract a high diversity or density of frugivores.

Cedar-a large scale multiprocessor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gajski, D.; Kuck, D.; Lawrie, D.

1983-01-01

This paper presents an overview of Cedar, a large scale multiprocessor being designed at the University of Illinois. This machine is designed to accommodate several thousand high performance processors which are capable of working together on a single job, or they can be partitioned into groups of processors where each group of one or more processors can work on separate jobs. Various aspects of the machine are described including the control methodology, communication network, optimizing compiler and plans for construction. 13 references.

How honey bees carry pollen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matherne, Marguerite E.; Anyanwu, Gabriel; Leavey, Jennifer K.; Hu, David L.

2017-11-01

Honey bees are the tanker of the skies, carrying thirty percent of their weight in pollen per foraging trip using specialized orifices on their body. How do they manage to hang onto those pesky pollen grains? In this experimental study, we investigate the adhesion force of pollen to the honeybee. To affix pollen to themselves, honey bees form a suspension of pollen in nectar, creating a putty-like pollen basket that is skewered by leg hairs. We use tensile tests to show that the viscous force of the pollen basket is more than ten times the honeybee's flight force. This work may provide inspiration for the design of robotic flying pollinators.

Pollen (quick guide)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

What is pollen, and is it haploid or diploid? Pollen is a crucial stage of the plant life cycle — without pollen there will be no seed. When someone says “Think of a plant,” the plant you think of (whether it’s a tree, a tomato plant, or a geranium) is a sporophyte. Most land plants are sporophytes...

A 12,000-Yr Pollen Record off Cape Hatteras: Pollen Sources and Mechanisms of Pollen Dispersion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naughton, F.; Keigwin, L.; Peteet, D.; Costas, S.; Desprat, S.; Oliveira, D.; de Vernal, A.; Voelker, A.; Abrantes, F.

2015-01-01

Integrating both marine and terrestrial signals from the same sediment core is one of the primary challenges for understanding the role of ocean-atmosphere coupling throughout past climate changes. It is therefore vital to understand how the pollen signal of a given marine record reflects the vegetation changes of the neighboring continent. The comparison between the pollen record of marine core JPC32 (KNR178JPC32) and available terrestrial pollen sequences from eastern North America over the last 12,170 years indicates that the pollen signature off Cape Hatteras gives an integrated image of the regional vegetation encompassing the Pee Dee river, Chesapeake and Delaware hydrographic basins and is reliable in reconstructing the past climate of the adjacent continent. Extremely high quantities of pollen grains included in the marine sediments off Cape Hatteras were transferred from the continent to the sea, at intervals 10,100-8800 cal yr BP, 8300-7500 cal yr BP, 5800- 4300 cal yr BP and 2100-730 cal yr BP, during storm events favored by episodes of rapid sea-level rise in the eastern coast of US. In contrast, pollen grains export was reduced during 12,170-10,150 cal yr BP and 4200- 2200 cal yr BP, during episodes of intense continental dryness and slow sea level rise episodes or lowstands in the eastern coast of US. The near absence of reworked pollen grains in core JPC32 contrasts with the high quantity of reworked material in nearby but deeper located marine sites, suggesting that the JPC32 recordwas not affected by the DeepWestern Boundary Current (DWBC) since the end of the Younger Dryas and should be considered a key site for studying past climate changes in the western North Atlantic.

The Health Connection at Cedar Crest College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Kerrie; Boland, Kathleen; Laffey, Joan M.

2006-01-01

The mission of Cedar Crest College, an independent women's college, is to provide students with excellent education that is grounded in the liberal arts and informed by humanistic values. In 2003, Student Affairs staff of the school looked closely at those students who were graduating and began to realize that though the college was providing…

Multitasking runtime systems for the Cedar Multiprocessor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guzzi, M.D.

1986-07-01

The programming of a MIMD machine is more complex than for SISD and SIMD machines. The multiple computational resources of the machine must be made available to the programming language compiler and to the programmer so that multitasking programs may be written. This thesis will explore the additional complexity of programming a MIMD machine, the Cedar Multiprocessor specifically, and the multitasking runtime system necessary to provide multitasking resources to the user. First, the problem will be well defined: the Cedar machine, its operating system, the programming language, and multitasking concepts will be described. Second, a solution to the problem, calledmore » macrotasking, will be proposed. This solution provides multitasking facilities to the programmer at a very coarse level with many visible machine dependencies. Third, an alternate solution, called microtasking, will be proposed. This solution provides multitasking facilities of a much finer grain. This solution does not depend so rigidly on the specific architecture of the machine. Finally, the two solutions will be compared for effectiveness. 12 refs., 16 figs.« less

Pollen mitosis and pollen tube growth inhibition by SO/sub 2/ in cultured pollen tubes of Tradescantia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ma, T.H.; Khan, S.H.

Mature pollen of Tradescantia paludosa Anders, Sax clone-3 was collected from greenhouse grown plants and desiccated in the dark for 4--5 hours. The pollen was sown on microslides coated with lactose agar medium (supplemented with 0.02 percent colchicine). Five minutes after sowing, pollen cultures were treated with various concentrations (0.075--2000 ppM) of SO/sub 2/ obtained from the chemical reaction between K/sub 2/S/sub 2/O/sub 5/ and HCl. Treatments were carried out in an airtight Plexiglas chamber throughout the full incubation period of 19 hours. Treated and control pollen cultures were fixed and stained in aceto-carmine or Feulgen reaction to determine themore » tube lengths and mitotic indices. Results of repeated experiments indicated that the values of mitotic indices dropped from the normal 38.7 percent in the control to the range of 24.3--3.8 percent when treated with 0.075--50.00 ppM of SO/sub 2/. Pollen tube growth was inhibited from the normal length of 1.5 mm in the control to the range of 800--100 ..mu..m when treated with 10--2000 ppM of SO/sub 2/. The inhibitory effect of SO/sub 2/ presumably resulted from physiological disturbance of the cell and severe damage to chromosomes of both generative and tube nuclei of the pollen tubes.« less

In vitro and in vivo anti-allergic effects of ‘benifuuki’ green tea containing O-methylated catechin and ginger extract enhancement

PubMed Central

Ema, Kaori; Shibuichi, Ikuo

2007-01-01

‘Benifuuki’, a tea (Camellia Sinensis L.) cultivar in Japan, is rich in anti-allergic epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl) gallate (EGCG3″Me). ‘Benifuuki’ green tea and simultaneous addition of ginger extract remarkably suppressed cytokine (TNF-α and MIP-1α) secretion from mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells after antigen stimulation and, as expected, suppressed delay-type allergy. After drinking ‘benifuuki’ green tea containing 43.5 mg of EGCG and 8.5 mg of EGCG3″Me, the AUC (area under the drug concentration time curve; min μg/ml) of EGCG was 6.72 ± 2.87 and EGCG3″Me was 8.48 ± 2.54 in healthy human volunteers. Though the dose of EGCG was 5.1 times the dose of EGCG3″Me, the AUC of EGCG3″Me was higher than that of EGCG. A double blind clinical study on subjects with Japanese cedar pollinosis was carried out. At the 11th week after starting the study, in the most severe cedar pollen scattering period, symptoms, i.e., blowing the nose and itching eyes, were significantly relieved in the ‘benifuuki’ intake group compared with the placebo group, and blowing the nose, itching eyes and nasal symptom score, and at the 11th and 13th weeks, stuffy nose, throat pain and the nasal symptom medication score were significantly relieved in the ‘benifuuki’ containing ginger extract group compared with the placebo group. These results suggested that over one consecutive month, drinking ‘benifuuki’ green tea was useful to reduce some of the symptoms from Japanese cedar pollinosis, and did not affect any normal immune response in subjects with seasonal rhinitis, and the ginger extract enhanced the effect of ‘benifuuki’ green tea. PMID:19003003

Exposure to an environment containing the aromatic red cedar, Juniperus virginiana: procarcinogenic, enzyme-inducing and insecticidal effects.

PubMed

Sabine, J R

1975-11-01

(1) Shavings from the Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) were examined for three diverse biological properties, i.e. enzyme induction, procarcinogenicity and insecticidal activity. (2) The ability of a cedar environment to stimulate liver drug-metabolizing enzymes in mice was confirmed by lowered values for barbiturate sleeping time. (3) In susceptible strains of mice (C3H-Avy, C3H-AvyfB and CBA/J) the use of cedar shavings as bedding increased significantly the incidence of spontaneous tumors of the liver and mammary gland, and also reduced the average time at which tumors appeared. (4) Cedar and some of its derivatives (Oil of Cedarwood, cedrene, cedrol) disrupted the reproductive and developmental cycle of a number of insects, including the Peanut Trash Bug (Elasmolomus sordidus), the Indian Meal Moth (Plodia interpunctella) and the Forage Mite (Tyrophagus putrescentiae).

Fur versus feathers: pollen delivery by bats and hummingbirds and consequences for pollen production.

PubMed

Muchhala, Nathan; Thomson, James D

2010-06-01

One floral characteristic associated with bat pollination (chiropterophily) is copious pollen production, a pattern we confirmed in a local comparison of hummingbird- and bat-adapted flowers from a cloud forest site in Ecuador. Previous authors have suggested that wasteful pollen transfer by bats accounted for the pattern. Here we propose and test a new hypothesis: bats select for increased pollen production because they can efficiently transfer larger amounts of pollen, which leads to a more linear male fitness gain curve for bat-pollinated plants. Flight cage experiments with artificial flowers and flowers of Aphelandra acanthus provide support for this hypothesis; in both instances, the amount of pollen delivered to stigmas by birds is not related to the amount of pollen removed from anthers on the previous visit, while the same function for bats increases linearly. Thus, increased pollen production will be linearly related to increased male reproductive success for bat flowers, while for bird flowers, increased pollen production leads to rapidly diminishing fitness returns. We speculate that fur takes up and holds more pollen than feathers, which seem to readily shed excess grains. Our gain-curve hypothesis may also explain why evolutionary shifts from bird to bat pollination seem more common than shifts in the opposite direction.

The mysterious demise of an ice-age relic: exposing the cause of yellow-cedar decline.

Treesearch

Jonathan Thompson

2007-01-01

For more than a century, yellow-cedar has been inexplicably dying throughout the northern coastal rain forests of the Pacific Northwest. Yellow-cedar mortality has been mapped on more than a half million acres in southeastern Alaska, yet until recently the cause of death was a stubborn mystery. Researchers are hopeful, after several decades of investigation, that they...

Minearl associated microbial communities from The Cedars, associate with specific geological features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowe, A. R.; Wanger, G. P.; Bhartia, R.

2017-12-01

The Cedars, an area of active serpentinization located in the Russian River area of Northern California, represents one of the few terrestrial areas on Earth undergoing active serpentinization. One of the products of the serpentinization reaction is the formation of hydroxyl radicals making the springs of the Cedars some of the most alkaline natural waters on Earth. These waters, with very high pH (pH>11), low EH and, low concentrations of electron acceptors are extremely inhospitible; however microbial life has found a way to thrive and a distinct microbial community is observed in the spring waters. Previous work with environmental samples and pure culture isolates [3] derived from The Cedars has suggested the importance of minearal association to these characteristic microbes. Here we show the results combined spectroscopic and molecular studies on aseries of mineral colonization experiemnts performed with a pure culture Cedar's isolate (Serpentenamonas str. A1) and in situ at CS spring. Centimeter scale, polished coupons of a variety of mminerals were prepared in the lab, spectroscopically characterized (Green Raman, DUV Raman, and DUV Fluorescence maps) and deployed into the springs for three months. The coupons were recovered and the distribution of the microbes on the minerals was mapped using a deep-UV native fluorescent mapping sustem that allows for non-destructive mapping of organics and microbes on surfaces. Subsequently the DNA from the minerals was extracted for community structure analysis. The MOSAIC (i.e. deep UV Fluorescence) showed extensicve colonization of the minerals and in some cases we were able to correlate microbial assemblages with specific geological features. In one example, organisms tended to associate strongly with carbonate features on Chromite mineral surfaces (Figure 1). The 16s rDNA revealed the microbial assemblages from each slide was dominated by active Cedars community memebers (i.e., Serpentinamonas and Silanimonas species

Pollen morphology and viability in Bromeliaceae.

PubMed

Souza, Everton H; Souza, Fernanda V D; Rossi, Mônica L; Packer, Renan M; Cruz-Barros, Maria Amelia V; Martinelli, Adriana P

2017-01-01

Pollen morphology characterization is important in taxonomy, conservation and plant breeding, and pollen viability studies can support breeding programs. This study investigated pollen morphology and male fertility in 18 species of Bromeliaceae with ornamental potential. For morphological characterization, pollen grains were acetolyzed and characterization of exine was done using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Pollen viability was investigated by in vitro germination and histochemical tests. Species belonging to Aechmea and Ananas genera presented medium size pollen, except for Ae. fasciata, with large pollen. Al. nahoumii, P. sagenarius and the Vriesea species analyzed showed large pollen, except for V. carinata, with very large pollen. Pollen of Aechmea, Ananas and P. sagenarius presented bilateral symmetry, diporate, exine varying from tectate to semitectate. Al. nahoumii and Vriesea species presented pollen with bilateral symmetry, monocolpate; exine was semitectate, reticulate and heterobrochate. Germination percentage and tube growth were greater in SM and BKM media. Histochemical tests showed pollen viability above 70% for all species, except for Ananas sp. (40%). Pollen morphology is important for the identification of species, especially in this family, which contains a large number of species. High rates of viability favor fertilization and seed production, essential for efficient hybrid production and conservation.

Effects of low thinning in Atlantic white-cedar stands

Treesearch

G. T. Bamford; S. Little

1960-01-01

Atlantic white-cedar typically grows in dense stands. In southern New Jersey, young stands commonly contain several thousand trees per acre, and at ages around 60 years there still may be 1,000 or more trees per acre.

Biomass estimates of eastern red cedar tree components

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schnell, R.L.

1976-02-01

Fresh and dry-weight relationships of species of the eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) found in the Tennessee Valley are presented. Both wood and bark were analyzed. All fresh and dry weights tabulated were computed from predicting equations developed by multiple regression analysis of field data. (JGB)

Production of recombinant allergens in plants

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

A large percentage of allergenic proteins are of plant origin. Hence, plant-based expression systems are considered ideal for the recombinant production of certain allergens. First attempts to establish production of plant-derived allergens in plants focused on transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana infected with recombinant viral vectors. Accordingly, allergens from birch and mugwort pollen, as well as from apple have been expressed in plants. Production of house dust mite allergens has been achieved by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of tobacco plants. Beside the use of plants as production systems, other approaches have focused on the development of edible vaccines expressing allergens or epitopes thereof, which bypasses the need of allergen purification. The potential of this approach has been convincingly demonstrated for transgenic rice seeds expressing seven dominant human T cell epitopes derived from Japanese cedar pollen allergens. Parallel to efforts in developing recombinant-based diagnostic and therapeutic reagents, different gene-silencing approaches have been used to decrease the expression of allergenic proteins in allergen sources. In this way hypoallergenic ryegrass, soybean, rice, apple, and tomato were developed. PMID:21258627

Production of recombinant allergens in plants.

PubMed

Schmidt, Georg; Gadermaier, Gabriele; Pertl, Heidi; Siegert, Marc; Oksman-Caldentey, Kirsi-Marja; Ritala, Anneli; Himly, Martin; Obermeyer, Gerhard; Ferreira, Fatima

2008-10-01

A large percentage of allergenic proteins are of plant origin. Hence, plant-based expression systems are considered ideal for the recombinant production of certain allergens. First attempts to establish production of plant-derived allergens in plants focused on transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana infected with recombinant viral vectors. Accordingly, allergens from birch and mugwort pollen, as well as from apple have been expressed in plants. Production of house dust mite allergens has been achieved by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of tobacco plants. Beside the use of plants as production systems, other approaches have focused on the development of edible vaccines expressing allergens or epitopes thereof, which bypasses the need of allergen purification. The potential of this approach has been convincingly demonstrated for transgenic rice seeds expressing seven dominant human T cell epitopes derived from Japanese cedar pollen allergens. Parallel to efforts in developing recombinant-based diagnostic and therapeutic reagents, different gene-silencing approaches have been used to decrease the expression of allergenic proteins in allergen sources. In this way hypoallergenic ryegrass, soybean, rice, apple, and tomato were developed.

Beneficial effects of citrus juice fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum YIT 0132 on atopic dermatitis: results of daily intake by adult patients in two open trials.

PubMed

Harima-Mizusawa, Naomi; Kamachi, Keiko; Kano, Mitsuyoshi; Nozaki, Daisuke; Uetake, Tatsuo; Yokomizo, Yuji; Nagino, Takayuki; Tanaka, Akira; Miyazaki, Kouji; Nakamura, Shinichiro

2016-01-01

This study aimed to examine whether daily intake of citrus juice containing heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum YIT 0132 (LP0132-fermented juice) alleviates symptoms of atopic dermatitis. This was a natural extension of our previous study in which LP0132 was shown to enhance IL-10 production in vitro and LP0132-fermented juice was found to alleviate symptoms and enhance quality of life (QOL) in patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis. In two open trials, Trial 1 and Trial 2, 32 and 18 adult patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis consumed LP0132-fermented juice for 8 weeks. Skin conditions and QOL were subjectively evaluated using Skindex-16 before intake of the juice (Pre-treatment), 8 weeks after starting intake (Treatment) and 8 weeks after termination of intake (Post-treatment). Blood parameters were also analyzed. Comparison of the Treatment and Post-treatment time points with the Pre-treatment time point revealed significant reductions in the Skindex-16 overall score and the 3 domain subscores (symptoms, emotions, and functioning domains) in both trials. Moreover, blood levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and specific IgEs for Japanese cedar and cypress pollen were significantly attenuated in Trial 2. The findings suggest that daily intake of citrus fermented juice containing heat-killed LP0132 has beneficial effects on symptoms and QOL in patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis due to an immunomodulatory effect via attenuation of IgE and ECP.

Beneficial effects of citrus juice fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum YIT 0132 on atopic dermatitis: results of daily intake by adult patients in two open trials

PubMed Central

HARIMA-MIZUSAWA, Naomi; KAMACHI, Keiko; KANO, Mitsuyoshi; NOZAKI, Daisuke; UETAKE, Tatsuo; YOKOMIZO, Yuji; NAGINO, Takayuki; TANAKA, Akira; MIYAZAKI, Kouji; NAKAMURA, Shinichiro

2015-01-01

This study aimed to examine whether daily intake of citrus juice containing heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum YIT 0132 (LP0132-fermented juice) alleviates symptoms of atopic dermatitis. This was a natural extension of our previous study in which LP0132 was shown to enhance IL-10 production in vitro and LP0132-fermented juice was found to alleviate symptoms and enhance quality of life (QOL) in patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis. In two open trials, Trial 1 and Trial 2, 32 and 18 adult patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis consumed LP0132-fermented juice for 8 weeks. Skin conditions and QOL were subjectively evaluated using Skindex-16 before intake of the juice (Pre-treatment), 8 weeks after starting intake (Treatment) and 8 weeks after termination of intake (Post-treatment). Blood parameters were also analyzed. Comparison of the Treatment and Post-treatment time points with the Pre-treatment time point revealed significant reductions in the Skindex-16 overall score and the 3 domain subscores (symptoms, emotions, and functioning domains) in both trials. Moreover, blood levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and specific IgEs for Japanese cedar and cypress pollen were significantly attenuated in Trial 2. The findings suggest that daily intake of citrus fermented juice containing heat-killed LP0132 has beneficial effects on symptoms and QOL in patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis due to an immunomodulatory effect via attenuation of IgE and ECP. PMID:26858928

S-genotype identification based on allele-specific PCR in Japanese pear

PubMed Central

Nashima, Kenji; Terakami, Shingo; Nishio, Sogo; Kunihisa, Miyuki; Nishitani, Chikako; Saito, Toshihiro; Yamamoto, Toshiya

2015-01-01

Gametophytic self-incompatibility in Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) is controlled by the single, multi-allelic S-locus. Information about the S-genotypes is important for breeding and the selection of pollen donors for fruit production. Rapid and reliable S-genotype identification system is necessary for efficient breeding of new cultivars in Japanese pear. We designed S allele-specific PCR primer pairs for ten previously reported S-RNase alleles (S1–S9 and Sk) as simple and reliable method. Specific nucleotide sequences were chosen to design the primers to amplify fragments of only the corresponding S alleles. The developed primer pairs were evaluated by using homozygous S-genotypes (S1/S1–S9/S9 and S4sm/S4sm) and 14 major Japanese pear cultivars, and found that S allele-specific primer pairs can identify S-genotypes effectively. The S allele-specific primer pairs developed in this study will be useful for efficient S-genotyping and for marker-assisted selection in Japanese pear breeding programs. PMID:26175617

Influence of simulated snow cover on the cold tolerance and freezing injury of yellow-cedar seedlings

Treesearch

Paul G. Schaberg; Paul E. Hennon; David V. D' amore; Gary J.  Hawley

2008-01-01

It has been hypothesized that yellow-cedar [Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach] decline may result from root freezing injury following climate change-induced reductions in protective snow cover. To test this hypothesis, we measured the freezing tolerance and injury expression of yellow-cedar seedlings in three treatments that differed in the...

Gibberellin regulates pollen viability and pollen tube growth in rice.

PubMed

Chhun, Tory; Aya, Koichiro; Asano, Kenji; Yamamoto, Eiji; Morinaka, Yoichi; Watanabe, Masao; Kitano, Hidemi; Ashikari, Motoyuki; Matsuoka, Makoto; Ueguchi-Tanaka, Miyako

2007-12-01

Gibberellins (GAs) play many biological roles in higher plants. We collected and performed genetic analysis on rice (Oryza sativa) GA-related mutants, including GA-deficient and GA-insensitive mutants. Genetic analysis of the mutants revealed that rice GA-deficient mutations are not transmitted as Mendelian traits to the next generation following self-pollination of F1 heterozygous plants, although GA-insensitive mutations are transmitted normally. To understand these differences in transmission, we examined the effect of GA on microsporogenesis and pollen tube elongation in rice using new GA-deficient and GA-insensitive mutants that produce semifertile flowers. Phenotypic analysis revealed that the GA-deficient mutant reduced pollen elongation1 is defective in pollen tube elongation, resulting in a low fertilization frequency, whereas the GA-insensitive semidominant mutant Slr1-d3 is mainly defective in viable pollen production. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that GA biosynthesis genes tested whose mutations are transmitted to the next generation at a lower frequency are preferentially expressed after meiosis during pollen development, but expression is absent or very low before the meiosis stage, whereas GA signal-related genes are actively expressed before meiosis. Based on these observations, we predict that the transmission of GA-signaling genes occurs in a sporophytic manner, since the protein products and/or mRNA transcripts of these genes may be introduced into pollen-carrying mutant alleles, whereas GA synthesis genes are transmitted in a gametophytic manner, since these genes are preferentially expressed after meiosis.

Are relationships between pollen-ovule ratio and pollen and seed size explained by sex allocation?

PubMed

Burd, Martin

2011-10-01

Positive correlations between pollen-ovule ratio and seed size, and negative correlations between pollen-ovule ratio and pollen grain size have been noted frequently in a wide variety of angiosperm taxa. These relationships are commonly explained as a consequence of sex allocation on the basis of a simple model proposed by Charnov. Indeed, the theoretical expectation from the model has been the basis for interest in the empirical pattern. However, the predicted relationship is a necessary consequence of the mathematics of the model, which therefore has little explanatory power, even though its predictions are consistent with empirical results. The evolution of pollen-ovule ratios is likely to depend on selective factors affecting mating system, pollen presentation and dispensing, patterns of pollen receipt, pollen tube competition, female mate choice through embryo abortion, as well as genetic covariances among pollen, ovule, and seed size and other reproductive traits. To the extent the empirical correlations involving pollen-ovule ratios are interesting, they will need explanation in terms of a suite of selective factors. They are not explained simply by sex allocation trade-offs. © 2011 The Author(s). Evolution© 2011 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Individual pollen exposure measurements: are they feasible?

PubMed

Berger, Uwe; Kmenta, Maximilian; Bastl, Katharina

2014-06-01

The purpose of the recent review is to give insight into recent attempts to measure individual pollen exposure and to give advice for interpreting such data. It is well recognized that there are various challenges in monitoring the atmospheric content of pollen in the air. Although pollen data gathered by Hirst type spore traps and evaluated by human expertise are of inestimable value because of long-time data series and as the basic foundation for pollen information services as well as for diagnosis and therapy of pollen allergies, there is a need for more precise information for individual pollen allergy sufferers. Different types of individual pollen exposure measurement samplers are presented, and estimates are offered. Further developments, especially standardization of personal pollen samplers, are needed. Improvements should lead to more usability. Because of a variety of factors, a pollen count will always stay a pollen count, and a pollen forecast is not a symptom forecast, something pollen allergy sufferers actually desire. Thus, a different promising path to individualized pollen information was recently chosen: personal pollen information is now possible based on personal symptom data and regional pollen data. In future, personal pollen data could complete this achievement.

Influence of Pollen Nutrition on Honey Bee Health: Do Pollen Quality and Diversity Matter?

PubMed Central

Di Pasquale, Garance; Salignon, Marion; Le Conte, Yves; Belzunces, Luc P.; Decourtye, Axel; Kretzschmar, André; Suchail, Séverine; Brunet, Jean-Luc; Alaux, Cédric

2013-01-01

Honey bee colonies are highly dependent upon the availability of floral resources from which they get the nutrients (notably pollen) necessary to their development and survival. However, foraging areas are currently affected by the intensification of agriculture and landscape alteration. Bees are therefore confronted to disparities in time and space of floral resource abundance, type and diversity, which might provide inadequate nutrition and endanger colonies. The beneficial influence of pollen availability on bee health is well-established but whether quality and diversity of pollen diets can modify bee health remains largely unknown. We therefore tested the influence of pollen diet quality (different monofloral pollens) and diversity (polyfloral pollen diet) on the physiology of young nurse bees, which have a distinct nutritional physiology (e.g. hypopharyngeal gland development and vitellogenin level), and on the tolerance to the microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae by measuring bee survival and the activity of different enzymes potentially involved in bee health and defense response (glutathione-S-transferase (detoxification), phenoloxidase (immunity) and alkaline phosphatase (metabolism)). We found that both nurse bee physiology and the tolerance to the parasite were affected by pollen quality. Pollen diet diversity had no effect on the nurse bee physiology and the survival of healthy bees. However, when parasitized, bees fed with the polyfloral blend lived longer than bees fed with monofloral pollens, excepted for the protein-richest monofloral pollen. Furthermore, the survival was positively correlated to alkaline phosphatase activity in healthy bees and to phenoloxydase activities in infected bees. Our results support the idea that both the quality and diversity (in a specific context) of pollen can shape bee physiology and might help to better understand the influence of agriculture and land-use intensification on bee nutrition and health. PMID:23940803

Influence of pollen nutrition on honey bee health: do pollen quality and diversity matter?

PubMed

Di Pasquale, Garance; Salignon, Marion; Le Conte, Yves; Belzunces, Luc P; Decourtye, Axel; Kretzschmar, André; Suchail, Séverine; Brunet, Jean-Luc; Alaux, Cédric

2013-01-01

Honey bee colonies are highly dependent upon the availability of floral resources from which they get the nutrients (notably pollen) necessary to their development and survival. However, foraging areas are currently affected by the intensification of agriculture and landscape alteration. Bees are therefore confronted to disparities in time and space of floral resource abundance, type and diversity, which might provide inadequate nutrition and endanger colonies. The beneficial influence of pollen availability on bee health is well-established but whether quality and diversity of pollen diets can modify bee health remains largely unknown. We therefore tested the influence of pollen diet quality (different monofloral pollens) and diversity (polyfloral pollen diet) on the physiology of young nurse bees, which have a distinct nutritional physiology (e.g. hypopharyngeal gland development and vitellogenin level), and on the tolerance to the microsporidian parasite Nosemaceranae by measuring bee survival and the activity of different enzymes potentially involved in bee health and defense response (glutathione-S-transferase (detoxification), phenoloxidase (immunity) and alkaline phosphatase (metabolism)). We found that both nurse bee physiology and the tolerance to the parasite were affected by pollen quality. Pollen diet diversity had no effect on the nurse bee physiology and the survival of healthy bees. However, when parasitized, bees fed with the polyfloral blend lived longer than bees fed with monofloral pollens, excepted for the protein-richest monofloral pollen. Furthermore, the survival was positively correlated to alkaline phosphatase activity in healthy bees and to phenoloxydase activities in infected bees. Our results support the idea that both the quality and diversity (in a specific context) of pollen can shape bee physiology and might help to better understand the influence of agriculture and land-use intensification on bee nutrition and health.

Growth comparison of northern white-cedar to balsam fir and red spruce by site class

Treesearch

Philip V. Hofmeyer; Laura S. Kenefic; Robert S. Seymour; John C. Brissette

2006-01-01

Though northern white-cedar is a common and economically important component of the Acadian Forest of Maine and adjacent Canada, there is little regional data about the growth and development of this species. Sixty sites in northern Maine were used to compare growth of cedar to that of red spruce and balsam fir along a range of site classes and light exposures. On...

Springtime carbon emission episodes at the Gosan background site revealed by total carbon, stable carbon isotopic composition, and thermal characteristics of carbonaceous particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, J.; Kawamura, K.

2011-11-01

In order to investigate the emission of carbonaceous aerosols at the Gosan background super-site (33.17° N, 126.10° E) in East Asia, total suspended particles (TSP) were collected during spring of 2007 and 2008 and analyzed for particulate organic carbon, elemental carbon, total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), and stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) of TC. The stable carbon isotopic composition of TC (δ13CTC) was found to be lowest during pollen emission episodes (range: -26.2‰ to -23.5‰, avg. -25.2 ± 0.9‰), approaching those of the airborne pollen (-28.0‰) collected at the Gosan site. Based on a carbon isotope mass balance equation, we found that ~42% of TC in the TSP samples during the pollen episodes was attributed to airborne pollen from Japanese cedar trees planted around tangerine farms in Jeju Island. A negative correlation between the citric acid-carbon/TC ratios and δ13CTC was obtained during the pollen episodes. These results suggest that citric acid emitted from tangerine fruit may be adsorbed on the airborne pollen and then transported to the Gosan site. Thermal evolution patterns of organic carbon during the pollen episodes were characterized by high OC evolution in the OC2 temperature step (450 °C). Since thermal evolution patterns of organic aerosols are highly influenced by their molecular weight, they can be used as additional information on the formation of secondary organic aerosols and the effect of aging of organic aerosols during the long-range atmospheric transport and sources of organic aerosols.

Soil respiration patterns and controls in limestone cedar glades

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cartwright, Jennifer M.; Hui, Dafeng

2015-01-01

Soil depth, SOM, and vegetation cover were important drivers of Rs in limestone cedar glades. Seasonal Rs patterns reflected those for mesic temperate grasslands more than for semi-arid ecosystems, in that Rs primarily tracked temperature for most of the year.

Effects of virus infection on pollen production and pollen performance: Implications for the spread of resistance alleles.

PubMed

Harth, Jacquelyn E; Winsor, James A; Weakland, Danelle R; Nowak, Kayla J; Ferrari, Matthew J; Stephenson, Andrew G

2016-03-01

Studies over the past 25 years have shown that environmental stresses adversely affect male function, including pollen production and pollen performance (germination and pollen tube growth rate). Consequently, genetic variation among plants in resistance to a stress has the potential to impact pollen donation to conspecifics and, if deposited onto a stigma, the ability of the pollen to achieve fertilization. We examined the effects of a nonlethal virus epidemic on pollen production and pollen performance in a population of susceptible and resistant (transgenic) wild squash (Cucurbita pepo subsp. texana). We grew 135 susceptible and 45 virus-resistant wild squash plants in each of two 0.4-ha fields, initiated a zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) epidemic, and recorded staminate and pistillate flower production per plant over the field season and the total number of mature fruit. We also assessed pollen production per flower on ZYMV-infected and non-infected plants and the ability of pollen from flowers on infected and non-infected plants to achieve fertilization under competitive conditions. ZYMV infection reduced flower and fruit production per plant and pollen production per flower. Pollen from infected plants was also less likely to sire a seed under competitive conditions. ZYMV infection adversely impacts the amount of pollen that can be donated to conspecifics, and pollen competition within the styles increases the probability that the ovules are fertilized by pollen from plants that are thriving when challenged by a viral disease. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Geomorphic and hydrologic study of peak-flow management on the Cedar River, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Magirl, Christopher S.; Gendaszek, Andrew S.; Czuba, Christiana R.; Konrad, Christopher P.; Marineau, Mathieu D.

2012-01-01

Assessing the linkages between high-flow events, geomorphic response, and effects on stream ecology is critical to river management. High flows on the gravel-bedded Cedar River in Washington are important to the geomorphic function of the river; however, high flows can deleteriously affect salmon embryos incubating in streambed gravels. A geomorphic analysis of the Cedar River showed evidence of historical changes in river form over time and quantified the effects of anthropogenic alterations to the river corridor. Field measurements with accelerometer scour monitors buried in the streambed provided insight into the depth and timing of streambed scour during high-flow events. Combined with a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model, the recorded accelerometer disturbances allowed the prediction of streambed disturbance at the burial depth of Chinook and sockeye salmon egg pockets for different peak discharges. Insight gained from these analyses led to the development of suggested monitoring metrics for an ongoing geomorphic monitoring program on the Cedar River.

Coconut (Cocos nucifera l.) pollen cryopreservation.

PubMed

Karun, A; Sjini, K K; Niral, V; Amarnth, C H; Remya, P; Rajesh, M K; Samsudeen, K; Jerard, B A; Engelmann, F

2014-01-01

Coconut genetic resources are threatened by pests and pathogens, natural hazards and human activities. Cryopreservation is the only method allowing the safe and cost-effective long-term conservation of recalcitrant seed species such as coconut. The objective of this work was to test the effect of cryopreservation and of cryostorage duration on coconut pollen germination and fertility. Pollen of two coconut varieties (West Coast Tall WWCTW and Chowghat Orange Dwarf CODC) was collected in March-May over three successive years, desiccated to 7.5 % moisture content (FW) and cryopreserved by direct immersion in liquid nitrogen. Germination and pollen tube length (PTL) of desiccated and cryopreserved pollen were not significantly different for both WCT and COD over the three harvest months of the three consecutive years of study. Pollen germination ranged from 24 to 32 % in desiccated pollen whereas it was between 26 and 29 % in cryopreserved COD pollen. In the case of WCT, germination ranged from 30 to 31 % in desiccated pollen, while it was between 28 and 32 % in cryopreserved pollen. PTL of cryopreserved pollen ranged between 224-390 nm and 226-396 mm for COD and WCT, respectively. Germination of COD pollen varied between 29.0 and 44.1 % after 4 years and 1.0/1.5 years cryostorage, respectively. Germination of WCT pollen did not change significantly between 0 and 6 years cryostorage, being comprised between 32 (24 h) and 40 % (1.5 years). Germination and vigour of cryopreserved pollen were generally higher compared to that of pollen dried in oven and non-cryopreserved. Normal seed set was observed in COD and WCT palms using pollen cryostored for 6 months and 4 years. Cryopreserved pollen of five Tall and five Dwarf accessions displayed 24-31 % and 25-49 % germination, respectively. These results show that it is now possible to establish pollen cryobanks to contribute to coconut germplasm long-term conservation.

Honey bees preferentially consume freshly-stored pollen

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Honey bees collect and store pollen in cells in a preserved form known as stored pollen, or beebread. To preserve pollen, bees add nectar and honey to collected pollen to form stored pollen. Bees eat stored pollen from a wide selection of pollen cells that have been stored for different lengths of...

Atmospheric pollen count in Monterrey, Mexico.

PubMed

González-Díaz, Sandra N; Rodríguez-Ortiz, Pablo G; Arias-Cruz, Alfredo; Macías-Weinmann, Alejandra; Cid-Guerrero, Dagoberto; Sedo-Mejia, Giovanni A

2010-01-01

There are few reports of pollen count and identification in Mexico; therefore, it is important to generate more information on the subject. This study was designed to describe the prevalence of pollen in the city of Monterrey, Mexico, during the year 2004. Atmospheric pollen was collected with a Hirst air sampler, with an airflow of 10 L/minute during 2004. Pollen was identified with light microscopy; the average monthly pollen count as well as total was calculated from January 2004 to January 2005. The months with the highest concentration of pollen were February and March (289 and 142 grains/m(3) per day, respectively), and July and November had the lowest concentration (20 and 11 grains/m(3) per day, respectively). Most of the pollen recollected corresponded to tree pollen (72%). Fraxinus spp had the highest concentration during the year (19 grains/m(3) per day; 27.5% of the total concentration of pollen). Tree pollen predominated from January through March; with Fraxinus spp, Morus spp, Celtis spp, Cupressus spp, and Pinus spp as the most important. Weed pollen predominated in May, June, and December and the most frequently identified, were Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae, Ambrosia spp, and Parietaria spp. The highest concentration of grass pollen was reported during the months of May, June, September, October, and December with Gramineae/Poaceae predominating. Tree pollen was the most abundant during the year, with the ash tree having the highest concentration. Weed and grass pollen were perennial with peaks during the year.

Honey bees preferentially consume freshly-stored pollen.

PubMed

Carroll, Mark J; Brown, Nicholas; Goodall, Craig; Downs, Alexandra M; Sheenan, Timothy H; Anderson, Kirk E

2017-01-01

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) collect and store both honey and pollen in preserved forms. Pollen storage involves the addition of honey or nectar and oral secretions to pollen granules. It is controversial whether the duration of pollen storage alters the palatability or nutritive value of the pollen storage medium. We examined how bees utilize different-aged stored pollen during an extended pollen flow. The deposition of pollen into wax cells and subsequent consumption were monitored daily on 18 brood frames from 6 colonies over an 8d observation period. Despite a greater abundance of older stored pollen cells on brood frames, bees showed a marked preference for the consumption of freshly-stored pollen. Two to four day-old pollen cell contents were significantly more likely to be consumed, while pollen cell contents more than seven days old were eaten at much lower rates. Similar experiments that controlled for cell abundance and spatial effects using cage assays yielded the same result. One day-old stored pollen was consumed approximately three times more often than 10d-old stored pollen, and two times more often than 5d-old stored pollen. These consumption preferences for freshly-stored pollen occurred despite a lack of clear developmental advantages. Young adult workers reared for 7 days on 1d-, 5d-, or 10d-old stored pollen showed no difference in body mass, stored pollen consumption, hindgut fecal material accumulation, or hypopharyngeal gland (HPG) protein titers, suggesting that different-aged pollen stores did not vary in their nutritional value to adult bees. These findings are inconsistent with the hypothesis promoting a period of microbially-mediated, "beebread maturation" that results in greater palatability or nutritive value for aged pollen stores. Rather, stored pollen that is not eaten in the first few days accumulates as excess stores preserved in a less preferred, but nutritionally-similar state.

Selected hydrologic data from the Cedar Rapids area, Linn County, Iowa, April 1996 through March 1999

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boyd, R.A.; Kuzniar, R.L.; Schulmeyer, P.M.

1999-01-01

The City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa obtains its municipal water supply from four well fields along the Cedar River. The wells are completed at depths of about 60 to 80 feet in a shallow alluvial aquifer adjacent to the Cedar River. The City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have conducted a cooperative study of the groundwater flow system and water quality near the well fields since 1992. The purpose of this report is to document selected hydrologic data collected from April 1996 through March 1999. Data include the results of water-quality analyses, ground-waterlevels continuously measured with pressure transducers and data recorders, and physical properties continuously monitored using multiprobe instruments. Water-quality samples were collected from selected wells and the Cedar River to conduct periodic monitoring, to evaluate ground-water geochemistry, to assess the occurrence of pesticides and herbicide degradates in the alluvial aquifer, and to characterize water quality in shallow ground water near a wetland area in the Seminole Well Field. Types of water-quality analyses included common ions (calcium, chloride, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, silica, sodium, and sulfate), trace elements (boron, bromide, and fluoride), nutrients (ammonia as nitrogen, nitrite as nitrogen, nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, and orthophosphate as phosphorus), dissolved organic carbon, and selected pesticides and herbicide degradates. Ground-water levels in selected observation wells were continuously measured to assess temporal trends in groundwater levels in the alluvial aquifer and bedrock aquifer, to help calibrate a ground-water flow model being constructed to simulate local groundwater flow under transient conditions near the well fields, and to assess hydrologic conditions near a wetland area in the Seminole Well Field. Physical properties (specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, and water temperature) were continuously monitored to assess temporal

The evolution of self-fertilization and inbreeding depression under pollen discounting and pollen limitation.

PubMed

Porcher, E; Lande, R

2005-05-01

We model the evolution of plant mating systems under the joint effects of pollen discounting and pollen limitation, using a dynamic model of inbreeding depression, allowing for partial purging of recessive lethal mutations by selfing. Stable mixed mating systems occur for a wide range of parameter values with pollen discounting alone. However, when typical levels of pollen limitation are combined with pollen discounting, stable selfing rates are always high but less than 1 (0.9pollen discounting becomes very large at high selfing rates, so that the automatic advantage of selfing changes to a disadvantage. These results suggest that mixed mating systems with high selfing rates can be maintained by selection, whereas mixed mating systems with low to moderate selfing rates are more likely attributable to unavoidable geitonogamous selfing.

78 FR 44090 - Television Broadcasting Services; Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-23

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 73 [MB Docket No. 11-182, RM-11701; DA 13-1577] Television Broadcasting Services; Cedar Rapids, Iowa AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION... comments on or before September 6, 2013. ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, Office of the...

Estimates of common ragweed pollen emission and dispersion over Europe using RegCM-pollen model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, L.; Solmon, F.; Vautard, R.; Hamaoui-Laguel, L.; Torma, Cs. Zs.; Giorgi, F.

2015-11-01

Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) is a highly allergenic and invasive plant in Europe. Its pollen can be transported over large distances and has been recognized as a significant cause of hayfever and asthma (D'Amato et al., 2007; Burbach et al., 2009). To simulate production and dispersion of common ragweed pollen, we implement a pollen emission and transport module in the Regional Climate Model (RegCM) version 4 using the framework of the Community Land Model (CLM) version 4.5. In the online model environment where climate is integrated with dispersion and vegetation production, pollen emissions are calculated based on the modelling of plant distribution, pollen production, species-specific phenology, flowering probability, and flux response to meteorological conditions. A pollen tracer model is used to describe pollen advective transport, turbulent mixing, dry and wet deposition. The model is then applied and evaluated on a European domain for the period 2000-2010. To reduce the large uncertainties notably due to ragweed density distribution on pollen emission, a calibration based on airborne pollen observations is used. Resulting simulations show that the model captures the gross features of the pollen concentrations found in Europe, and reproduce reasonably both the spatial and temporal patterns of flowering season and associated pollen concentrations measured over Europe. The model can explain 68.6, 39.2, and 34.3 % of the observed variance in starting, central, and ending dates of the pollen season with associated root mean square error (RMSE) equal to 4.7, 3.9, and 7.0 days, respectively. The correlation between simulated and observed daily concentrations time series reaches 0.69. Statistical scores show that the model performs better over the central Europe source region where pollen loads are larger. From these simulations health risks associated common ragweed pollen spread are then evaluated through calculation of exposure time above health

Variation in pollen-donor composition among pollinators in an entomophilous tree species, Castanea crenata, revealed by single-pollen genotyping.

PubMed

Hasegawa, Yoichi; Suyama, Yoshihisa; Seiwa, Kenji

2015-01-01

In plants, reproductive success is largely determined by the composition of pollen (i.e., self-pollen and outcross-pollen from near and distant pollen-donors) transported as a result of pollinator foraging behavior (e.g., pollen carryover). However, little evidence is available on how and to what extent the pollen carryover affects the pollen-donor composition and on which insect taxa are effective outcross-pollen transporters under field conditions. In this study, we explored roles of foraging behavior of insect pollinators on pollen-donor composition and subsequent reproductive success in a woody plant. We performed paternity analyses based on microsatellite genotyping of individual pollen grains found on diurnal pollinators (i.e., bumblebee, small bee, fly, small beetle, and honeybee) visiting Castanea crenata trees. The outcross-pollen rate was highest in bumblebees (66%), followed by small bees (35%), flies (31%), and small beetles (18%). The effective number of pollen donors, representing pollen carryover, was greater in bumblebees (9.71) than in flies (3.40), small bees (3.32), and small beetles (3.06). The high percentages of pollen from outside the plot on bumblebees (65.4%) and flies (71.2%) compared to small bees (35.3%) and small beetles (13.5%) demonstrated their longer pollen dispersal distances. All of the diurnal insects carried outcross-pollen grains for long distances via pollen carryover. This fact suggests that a wide range of insect taxa are potential outcross-pollen transporters for the self-incompatible C. crenata.

Pollen selection under acid rain stress

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Y.

To investigate whether acid rain stress induces pollen selection in nature, three different approaches were used, based on the assumption that the response of pollen grains to acid rain is controlled by an acid sensitive gene product. Germination of pollen from homozygous and heterozygous individuals under acid rain stress was examined to detect any differences in rate of germination between populations of homogeneous and heterogeneous pollen grains. In vitro and in vivo bulked segregant analysis using RAPDs was used to search for differences in DNA constitution between the survivors of acid rain stressed and non-acid rain stressed pollen populations inmore » vitro and between the progenies of acid rain stressed and non-acid rain stressed populations during pollination, respectively. No evidence for the pollen selection under acid rain stress was obtained in any of the test systems. Inhibition of protein synthesis using cycloheximide led to significant reduction of tube elongation at 4 hr and had no effect on pollen germination at any time interval tested. Total proteins extracted from control and acid rain stressed pollen grain populations exhibited no differences. The reduction of corn pollen germination in vitro under acid rain stress was mainly due to pollen rupture. The present data indicates the reduction of pollen germination and tube growth under acid rain stress may be a physiological response rather than a genetic response. A simple, nontoxic, and effective method to separate germinated from ungerminated pollen grains has been developed using pollen from corn (Zea mays, L. cv. Pioneer 3747). The separated germinated pollen grains retained viability and continued tube growth when placed in culture medium.« less

Bioassaying for ozone with pollen systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feder, W.A.

Sensitivity to ozone of pollen germinating in vitro is closely correlated with ozone sensitivity of the pollen parent. Ozone-sensitive and tolerant pollen populations have been identified in tobacco, petunia, and tomato cultivars. The rate of tube elongation can be reversibly slowed or stopped by exposure to low concentrations of ozone. The performance of selected pollen populations can then be used to bioassay ozone in ambient air by introducing the air sample into a growth chamber where ozone-sensitive pollen in growing. Year-round pollen producion can be achieved in the greenhouse. Harvested pollen can be tested, packaged, and transported to user facilitiesmore » without loss of vigor. Pollen populations are inexpensive to produce, respond reliably, and are simple to use as a bioassay for air quality.« less

Floods of May 30 to June 15, 2008, in the Iowa and Cedar River basins, eastern Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Linhart, Mike S.; Eash, David A.

2010-01-01

As a result of prolonged and intense periods of rainfall in late May and early June, 2008, along with heavier than normal snowpack the previous winter, record flooding occurred in Iowa in the Iowa River and Cedar River Basins. The storms were part of an exceptionally wet period from May 29 through June 12, when an Iowa statewide average of 9.03 inches of rain fell; the normal statewide average for the same period is 2.45 inches. From May 29 to June 13, the 16-day rainfall totals recorded at rain gages in Iowa Falls and Clutier were 14.00 and 13.83 inches, respectively. Within the Iowa River Basin, peak discharges of 51,000 cubic feet per second (flood-probability estimate of 0.2 to 1 percent) at the 05453100 Iowa River at Marengo, Iowa streamflow-gaging station (streamgage) on June 12, and of 39,900 cubic feet per second (flood-probability estimate of 0.2 to 1 percent) at the 05453520 Iowa River below Coralville Dam near Coralville, Iowa streamgage on June 15 are the largest floods on record for those sites. A peak discharge of 41,100 cubic feet per second (flood-probability estimate of 0.2 to 1 percent) on June 15 at the 05454500 Iowa River at Iowa City, Iowa streamgage is the fourth highest on record, but is the largest flood since regulation by the Coralville Dam began in 1958. Within the Cedar River Basin, the May 30 to June 15, 2008, flood is the largest on record at all six streamgages in Iowa located on the mainstem of the Cedar River and at five streamgages located on the major tributaries. Flood-probability estimates for 10 of these 11 streamgages are less than 1 percent. Peak discharges of 112,000 cubic feet per second (flood-probability estimate of 0.2 to 1 percent) at the 05464000 Cedar River at Waterloo, Iowa streamgage on June 11 and of 140,000 cubic feet per second (flood-probability estimate of less than 0.2 percent) at the 05464500 Cedar River at Cedar Rapids, Iowa streamgage on June 13 are the largest floods on record for those sites. Downstream

Dating Fossil Pollen: A Simulation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheridan, Philip

1992-01-01

Describes a hands-on simulation in which students determine the age of "fossil" pollen samples based on the pollen types present when examined microscopically. Provides instructions for the preparation of pollen slides. (MDH)

Honey bees preferentially consume freshly-stored pollen

PubMed Central

Goodall, Craig; Downs, Alexandra M.; Sheenan, Timothy H.

2017-01-01

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) collect and store both honey and pollen in preserved forms. Pollen storage involves the addition of honey or nectar and oral secretions to pollen granules. It is controversial whether the duration of pollen storage alters the palatability or nutritive value of the pollen storage medium. We examined how bees utilize different-aged stored pollen during an extended pollen flow. The deposition of pollen into wax cells and subsequent consumption were monitored daily on 18 brood frames from 6 colonies over an 8d observation period. Despite a greater abundance of older stored pollen cells on brood frames, bees showed a marked preference for the consumption of freshly-stored pollen. Two to four day-old pollen cell contents were significantly more likely to be consumed, while pollen cell contents more than seven days old were eaten at much lower rates. Similar experiments that controlled for cell abundance and spatial effects using cage assays yielded the same result. One day-old stored pollen was consumed approximately three times more often than 10d-old stored pollen, and two times more often than 5d-old stored pollen. These consumption preferences for freshly-stored pollen occurred despite a lack of clear developmental advantages. Young adult workers reared for 7 days on 1d-, 5d-, or 10d-old stored pollen showed no difference in body mass, stored pollen consumption, hindgut fecal material accumulation, or hypopharyngeal gland (HPG) protein titers, suggesting that different-aged pollen stores did not vary in their nutritional value to adult bees. These findings are inconsistent with the hypothesis promoting a period of microbially-mediated, “beebread maturation” that results in greater palatability or nutritive value for aged pollen stores. Rather, stored pollen that is not eaten in the first few days accumulates as excess stores preserved in a less preferred, but nutritionally-similar state. PMID:28430801

Defining pollen exposure times for clinical trials of allergen immunotherapy for pollen-induced rhinoconjunctivitis - an EAACI position paper.

PubMed

Pfaar, O; Bastl, K; Berger, U; Buters, J; Calderon, M A; Clot, B; Darsow, U; Demoly, P; Durham, S R; Galán, C; Gehrig, R; Gerth van Wijk, R; Jacobsen, L; Klimek, L; Sofiev, M; Thibaudon, M; Bergmann, K C

2017-05-01

Clinical efficacy of pollen allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has been broadly documented in randomized controlled trials. The underlying clinical endpoints are analysed in seasonal time periods predefined based on the background pollen concentration. However, any validated or generally accepted definition from academia or regulatory authorities for this relevant pollen exposure intensity or period of time (season) is currently not available. Therefore, this Task Force initiative of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) aimed to propose definitions based on expert consensus. A Task Force of the Immunotherapy and Aerobiology and Pollution Interest Groups of the EAACI reviewed the literature on pollen exposure in the context of defining relevant time intervals for evaluation of efficacy in AIT trials. Underlying principles in measuring pollen exposure and associated methodological problems and limitations were considered to achieve a consensus. The Task Force achieved a comprehensive position in defining pollen exposure times for different pollen types. Definitions are presented for 'pollen season', 'high pollen season' (or 'peak pollen period') and 'high pollen days'. This EAACI position paper provides definitions of pollen exposures for different pollen types for use in AIT trials. Their validity as standards remains to be tested in future studies. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Variation in Pollen-Donor Composition among Pollinators in an Entomophilous Tree Species, Castanea crenata, Revealed by Single-Pollen Genotyping

PubMed Central

Hasegawa, Yoichi; Suyama, Yoshihisa; Seiwa, Kenji

2015-01-01

Background In plants, reproductive success is largely determined by the composition of pollen (i.e., self-pollen and outcross-pollen from near and distant pollen-donors) transported as a result of pollinator foraging behavior (e.g., pollen carryover). However, little evidence is available on how and to what extent the pollen carryover affects the pollen-donor composition and on which insect taxa are effective outcross-pollen transporters under field conditions. In this study, we explored roles of foraging behavior of insect pollinators on pollen-donor composition and subsequent reproductive success in a woody plant. Methods We performed paternity analyses based on microsatellite genotyping of individual pollen grains found on diurnal pollinators (i.e., bumblebee, small bee, fly, small beetle, and honeybee) visiting Castanea crenata trees. Results The outcross-pollen rate was highest in bumblebees (66%), followed by small bees (35%), flies (31%), and small beetles (18%). The effective number of pollen donors, representing pollen carryover, was greater in bumblebees (9.71) than in flies (3.40), small bees (3.32), and small beetles (3.06). The high percentages of pollen from outside the plot on bumblebees (65.4%) and flies (71.2%) compared to small bees (35.3%) and small beetles (13.5%) demonstrated their longer pollen dispersal distances. Conclusions All of the diurnal insects carried outcross-pollen grains for long distances via pollen carryover. This fact suggests that a wide range of insect taxa are potential outcross-pollen transporters for the self-incompatible C. crenata. PMID:25793619

Hive-stored pollen of honey bees: many lines of evidence are consistent with pollen preservation, not nutrient conversion

PubMed Central

Anderson, Kirk E; Carroll, Mark J; Sheehan, Tim; Mott, Brendon M; Maes, Patrick; Corby-Harris, Vanessa

2014-01-01

Honey bee hives are filled with stored pollen, honey, plant resins and wax, all antimicrobial to differing degrees. Stored pollen is the nutritionally rich currency used for colony growth and consists of 40–50% simple sugars. Many studies speculate that prior to consumption by bees, stored pollen undergoes long-term nutrient conversion, becoming more nutritious ‘bee bread’ as microbes predigest the pollen. We quantified both structural and functional aspects associated with this hypothesis using behavioural assays, bacterial plate counts, microscopy and 454 amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene from both newly collected and hive-stored pollen. We found that bees preferentially consume fresh pollen stored for <3 days. Newly collected pollen contained few bacteria, values which decreased significantly as pollen were stored >96 h. The estimated microbe to pollen grain surface area ratio was 1:1 000 000 indicating a negligible effect of microbial metabolism on hive-stored pollen. Consistent with these findings, hive-stored pollen grains did not appear compromised according to microscopy. Based on year round 454 amplicon sequencing, bacterial communities of newly collected and hive-stored pollen did not differ, indicating the lack of an emergent microbial community co-evolved to digest stored pollen. In accord with previous culturing and 16S cloning, acid resistant and osmotolerant bacteria like Lactobacillus kunkeei were found in greatest abundance in stored pollen, consistent with the harsh character of this microenvironment. We conclude that stored pollen is not evolved for microbially mediated nutrient conversion, but is a preservative environment due primarily to added honey, nectar, bee secretions and properties of pollen itself. PMID:25319366

Hive-stored pollen of honey bees: many lines of evidence are consistent with pollen preservation, not nutrient conversion.

PubMed

Anderson, Kirk E; Carroll, Mark J; Sheehan, Tim; Lanan, Michele C; Mott, Brendon M; Maes, Patrick; Corby-Harris, Vanessa

2014-12-01

Honey bee hives are filled with stored pollen, honey, plant resins and wax, all antimicrobial to differing degrees. Stored pollen is the nutritionally rich currency used for colony growth and consists of 40-50% simple sugars. Many studies speculate that prior to consumption by bees, stored pollen undergoes long-term nutrient conversion, becoming more nutritious 'bee bread' as microbes predigest the pollen. We quantified both structural and functional aspects associated with this hypothesis using behavioural assays, bacterial plate counts, microscopy and 454 amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene from both newly collected and hive-stored pollen. We found that bees preferentially consume fresh pollen stored for <3 days. Newly collected pollen contained few bacteria, values which decreased significantly as pollen were stored >96 h. The estimated microbe to pollen grain surface area ratio was 1:1 000 000 indicating a negligible effect of microbial metabolism on hive-stored pollen. Consistent with these findings, hive-stored pollen grains did not appear compromised according to microscopy. Based on year round 454 amplicon sequencing, bacterial communities of newly collected and hive-stored pollen did not differ, indicating the lack of an emergent microbial community co-evolved to digest stored pollen. In accord with previous culturing and 16S cloning, acid resistant and osmotolerant bacteria like Lactobacillus kunkeei were found in greatest abundance in stored pollen, consistent with the harsh character of this microenvironment. We conclude that stored pollen is not evolved for microbially mediated nutrient conversion, but is a preservative environment due primarily to added honey, nectar, bee secretions and properties of pollen itself. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

78 FR 58470 - Television Broadcasting Services; Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-24

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 73 [MB Docket No. 13-182; RM-11701; DA 13-1882] Television Broadcasting Services; Cedar Rapids, Iowa AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Final... be available via ECFS ( http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/ ). This document may be purchased from the...

2. VIEW OF BLOCK AND TACKLE FOR MOVING CEDAR LOGS ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. VIEW OF BLOCK AND TACKLE FOR MOVING CEDAR LOGS FROM POND TO JACK LADDER--AN ENDLESS CHAIN CONVEYOR THAT MOVES LOGS INTO MILL - Lester Shingle Mill, 1602 North Eighteenth Street, Sweet Home, Linn County, OR

[The development of pollen grains and formation of pollen tubes in higher plants : I. Quantitative measurements of the DNA-content of generative and vegetative nuclei in the pollen grain and pollen tube of Petunia hybrida mutants].

PubMed

Hesemann, C U

1971-01-01

The DNA-content of generative and vegetative nuclei in mature pollen grains of four Petunia hybrida mutants was determined by cytophotometry. In addition the DNA-content of generative and vegetative nuclei in the pollen tube of two of these four mutants (virescens-2 n and ustulata-2 n) was cytophotometrically measured.The DNA-values found in the generative nuclei indicate that the DNA-replication continues in the mature pollen grain and comes to an end only after the migration of the nuclei into the pollen tube. These data are in disagreement with the results of DNA-measurements described for a limited number of other species which all show completion of DNA-synthesis during the maturation stage of the pollen grains.The vegetative nuclei of the four Petunia mutants studied show significant differences in the onset of the degenerative phase. Extreme variation is manifested in the ustulata-2 n mutant in which the degeneration of nuclei may reach the final stage in the maturing pollen grain. However in this mutant vegetative nuclei with an unaltered DNA-content may also be demonstrated in the pollen tube. Some of the vegetative nuclei in the pollen tube of ustulata-2 n exhibit an increased amount of DNA which could be the result of differential DNA-replication in the vegetative nuclei. The decrease of the DNA-content in a certain fraction of the vegetative nuclei in the maturing pollen grain does not agree with observations made in other species by several authors who report DNA constancy until the pollen grain is fully mature.The data obtained from the analysis of the four Petunia hybrida mutants point to an important role of the vegetative nucleus in the development of the pollen tube. The Petunia hybrida mutants may be regarded as especially favourable material for investigations concerning the function of the vegetative cell in the development of the pollen grain and pollen tube.

Influence of forest canopy and snow on microclimate in a declining yellow-cedar forest of southeast Alaska

Treesearch

Paul E. Hennon; David V. D' Amore; Dustin T. Witter; Melinda B. Lamb

2010-01-01

Site factors predispose yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis D. Don (Spach)) to a widespread climate-induced mortality in southeast Alaska. We investigated the influence of canopy cover and snow on microclimate at two small watersheds across a range of declining yellow-cedar stands on Baranof and Chichagof Islands in southeast Alaska. Two...

Climate warming and the decline of Taxus airborne pollen in urban pollen rain (Emilia Romagna, northern Italy).

PubMed

Mercuri, A M; Torri, P; Casini, E; Olmi, L

2013-01-01

Woody plant performance in a changing global environment has always been at the centre of palaeoenvironmental and long-term climate reconstructions carried out by means of pollen analysis. In Mediterranean regions, Taxus constitutes the highest percentage in past pollen diagrams from cold or cool periods, and therefore it is generally considered a good index to infer climate features from past records. However, a comparison of these inferences with the true current trends in pollen production has not been attemped until now. This study reports the decline of airborne pollen of Taxus observed in Emilia Romagna, a region of northern Italy, during the period 1990-2007. Phenological observations on four male specimens and microscopic examination of fresh pollen were made in order to check Taxus flowering time and pollen morphology. Airborne pollen was monitored through continuous sampling with a Hirst volumetric sampler. In the 18-year long period of investigation, Taxus pollen production has decreased, while total woody pollen abundance in air has increased. The trend of the Taxus pollen season shows a delay at the beginning, a shortening of the pollen period, and an advance of the end of the pollen season. This was interpreted as a response to climate warming. In particular, Taxus follows the behaviour of winter-flowering plants, and therefore earlier pollination is favoured at low autumn temperatures, while late pollination occurs more often, most likely after warm autumn temperatures. © 2012 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Allergenic pollen pollinosis in Madrid.

PubMed

Subiza, J; Jerez, M; Jiménez, J A; Narganes, M J; Cabrera, M; Varela, S; Subiza, E

1995-07-01

A 15-year pollen count was performed in the atmosphere of Madrid, Spain, to determine the months in which the highest concentrations of allergenic pollens occur. Pollen counts were done with a Burkard spore trap (Burkard Manufacturing, Rickmansworth, Herst., U.K.). The results were subsequently compared with results of skin tests in patients with pollinosis born and living in and around Madrid. The highest airborne presence (percent of total yearly pollen counts, mean of counts from 1979 to 1993) was for Quercus spp. (17%); followed by Platanus spp. (15%), Poaceae (15%), Cupressaceae (11%), Olea spp. (9%), Pinus spp. (7%), Populus spp. (4%), and Plantago spp. (4%). The most predominant pollens from January to April are tree pollens (Cupressaceae, Alnus, Fraxinus, Ulmus, Populus, Platanus, and Morus), although these are also abudant in May and June (Quercus, Olea, and Pinus spp.). The grass pollination period shows a double curve: the first peak occurs from February to April (8% of yearly grasses), and the second peak occurs from May to July (90% of yearly grasses). Among allergenically significant weeds, the most notable is Plantago; in contrast, Rumex, Urticaceae, Cheno-Amaranthaceae, and Artemisia spp. have very low concentrations (< or = 2% yearly total pollens). The most significant allergenic pollen is that of grasses, with a prevalence of positive prick test results of 94%, followed by Olea europaea (61%), Plantago lagopus (53%), Platanus hybrida (52%), and Cupressus arizonica (20%). The population of Madrid is exposed to high concentrations of allergenic pollen from February to July, although the most intense period is from May to June. Grass pollens are the most important cause of pollinosis in this area.

Lumber recovery from incense-cedar in central California.

Treesearch

Pong W.Y.; James M. Cahill

1988-01-01

A sample of 130 incense-cedar (Libocedrus decurrens Torr.) trees was selected from the Eldorado National Forest in California. The trees were felled and bucked into 403 woods-length logs and processed through a sawmill cutting Shop and Common grades of lumber. Recovery estimates are shown for woods-length logs based on Scribner board-foot scale and...

Lilium spp. pollen in China (Liliaceae): Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Implications and Pollen Evolution Related to Environmental Conditions

PubMed Central

Du, Yun-peng; Wei, Chi; Wang, Zhong-xuan; Li, Shuang; He, Heng-bin; Jia, Gui-xia

2014-01-01

Recent molecular and karyologic studies have significantly modified delimitation of Lilium. However, despite the importance of pollen evolution in the genus comprehensive studies with electron microscopy and evaluation of pollen evolution are lacking. Therefore, we studied pollen morphology in a sample of 65 individuals from 37 taxa covering all the sections distributed in the world, using scanning electron microscopy. Our collection of 49 individuals from 21 taxa covering all five sections in China was also included in the database. We found pollen tetrads in L. bakerianum. Based on present and previous studies, our results suggest that pollen from L. formosanum should be classified as a new type, Formosanum. Combined with morphological and molecular evidence, pollen sculpture patterns appear to reflect phylogenetic relationships and are useful for species or subsection delimitation. Based on a comprehensive survey and correlation with potential functional implications, we propose the following hypothesis: evolution of an exine sculpture shows pollen type trends from Martagon → Callose → Concolor → Formosanum. The evolutionary trend regarding pollen sculpture and size could be related to selective pressure to adapt to environmental conditions. Pollen size and shape showed a significantly positive correlation with annual precipitation, and smaller pollen grains appear to adapt better in habitats with extreme conditions. Evolution trends in exine sculpture do not appear to be definitively correlated with pollen size and shape. PMID:24498208

Lilium spp. pollen in China (Liliaceae): taxonomic and phylogenetic implications and pollen evolution related to environmental conditions.

PubMed

Du, Yun-peng; Wei, Chi; Wang, Zhong-xuan; Li, Shuang; He, Heng-bin; Jia, Gui-xia

2014-01-01

Recent molecular and karyologic studies have significantly modified delimitation of Lilium. However, despite the importance of pollen evolution in the genus comprehensive studies with electron microscopy and evaluation of pollen evolution are lacking. Therefore, we studied pollen morphology in a sample of 65 individuals from 37 taxa covering all the sections distributed in the world, using scanning electron microscopy. Our collection of 49 individuals from 21 taxa covering all five sections in China was also included in the database. We found pollen tetrads in L. bakerianum. Based on present and previous studies, our results suggest that pollen from L. formosanum should be classified as a new type, Formosanum. Combined with morphological and molecular evidence, pollen sculpture patterns appear to reflect phylogenetic relationships and are useful for species or subsection delimitation. Based on a comprehensive survey and correlation with potential functional implications, we propose the following hypothesis: evolution of an exine sculpture shows pollen type trends from Martagon → Callose → Concolor → Formosanum. The evolutionary trend regarding pollen sculpture and size could be related to selective pressure to adapt to environmental conditions. Pollen size and shape showed a significantly positive correlation with annual precipitation, and smaller pollen grains appear to adapt better in habitats with extreme conditions. Evolution trends in exine sculpture do not appear to be definitively correlated with pollen size and shape.

76 FR 78641 - Cedar Creek Wind Energy, LLC, Milford Wind Corridor Phase I, LLC; Notice of Filing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-19

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. RC11-1-002; Docket No. RC11-2-002] Cedar Creek Wind Energy, LLC, Milford Wind Corridor Phase I, LLC; Notice of Filing Take...) June 16, 2011 Order.\\1\\ \\1\\ Cedar Creek Wind Energy, LLC and Milford Wind Corridor Phase I, LLC, 135...

ROPES reveals past land cover and pollen productivity estimates from single pollen records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theuerkauf, Martin; Couwenberg, John

2018-04-01

Quantitative reconstructions of past vegetation cover commonly require pollen productivity estimates (PPEs). PPEs are calibrated in extensive and rather cumbersome surface-sample studies, and are so far only available for selected regions. Moreover, it may be questioned whether present-day pollen-landcover relationships are valid for palaeo-situations. We here introduce the ROPES approach that simultaneously derives PPEs and mean plant abundances from single pollen records. ROPES requires pollen counts and pollen accumulation rates (PARs, grains cm-2 year-1). Pollen counts are used to reconstruct plant abundances following the REVEALS approach. The principle of ROPES is that changes in plant abundance are linearly represented in observed PAR values. For example, if the PAR of pine doubles, so should the REVEALS reconstructed abundance of pine. Consequently, if a REVEALS reconstruction is ‘correct’ (i.e. ‘correct’ PPEs are used) the ratio ‘PAR over REVEALS’ is constant for each taxon along all samples of a record. With incorrect PPEs, the ratio will instead vary. ROPES starts from random (likely incorrect) PPEs, but then adjusts them using an optimization algorithm with the aim to minimize variation in the ‘PAR over REVEALS’ ratio across the record. ROPES thus simultaneously calculates mean plant abundances and PPEs. We illustrate the approach with test applications on nine synthetic pollen records. The results show that good performance of ROPES requires data sets with high underlying variation, many samples and low noise in the PAR data. ROPES can deliver first landcover reconstructions in regions for which PPEs are not yet available. The PPEs provided by ROPES may then allow for further REVEALS-based reconstructions. Similarly, ROPES can provide insight in pollen productivity during distinct periods of the past such as the Lateglacial. We see a potential to study spatial and temporal variation in pollen productivity for example in relation to site

Fungal Disfigurement of Paper, and Soft Rot of Cedar Shingles 1

PubMed Central

Eveleigh, D. E.

1970-01-01

Disfiguration of paper by Cladosporium cladosporioides is described, and the association between “soft rot” fungi and the greying of cedar shingles in marine locations is reported. Images PMID:5463581

Preliminary basic performance analysis of the Cedar multiprocessor memory system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallivan, K.; Jalby, W.; Turner, S.; Veidenbaum, A.; Wijshoff, H.

1991-01-01

Some preliminary basic results on the performance of the Cedar multiprocessor memory system are presented. Empirical results are presented and used to calibrate a memory system simulator which is then used to discuss the scalability of the system.

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MAIZE POLLEN TRANSCRIPTOME

EPA Science Inventory

Pollen is a primary vehicle for transgene flow from engineered plants to their non-transgenic, native or weedy relatives. Hence, gene flow will be affected by pollen fitness (e.g., how well a particular pollen grain can outcompete other pollen present on the stigma and complete ...

New EAACI definition on pollen season mirrors symptom load for grass and birch pollen-induced allergic rhinitis.

PubMed

Karatzas, Kostas; Katsifarakis, Nikos; Riga, Marina; Werchan, Barbora; Werchan, Matthias; Berger, Uwe; Pfaar, Oliver; Bergmann, Karl-Christian

2018-05-23

The use of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) for allergic rhinitis and its clinical efficacy in clinical trials depends on the effective determination of pollen allergens exposure time-periods. We evaluate pollen data from Germany to examine the new definitions on pollen season and peak pollen period start and end as proposed by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) in a recently published Position Paper. The aim was to demonstrate the ability of these definitions to mirror symptom loads for grass and birch pollen-induced allergic rhinitis based on real-life data. Data coming from four Pollen monitoring stations in the Berlin and Brandenburg area in Germany and for 3 years (2014 - 2016) were used to investigate the correlation of season definitions, birch and grass pollen counts and total nasal symptom and mediation scores as reported by patients in "Patients Hayfever Diaries" (PHDs). After the identification of pollen periods on the basis of the EACCI criteria, a statistical analysis was employed, followed by a detailed graphical investigation. The analysis revealed that the definitions of pollen season as well as peak pollen period start and end as proposed by the EAACI are correlated to symptom loads for grass and birch pollen-induced allergic rhinitis reported by patients in PHDs. Based on our analysis, the validity of the EAACI definitions on pollen season is confirmed. Their use is recommended in future clinical trials on AIT as well as in daily routine for optimal patient care. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PCP-B class pollen coat proteins are key regulators of the hydration checkpoint in Arabidopsis thaliana pollen-stigma interactions.

PubMed

Wang, Ludi; Clarke, Lisa A; Eason, Russell J; Parker, Christopher C; Qi, Baoxiu; Scott, Rod J; Doughty, James

2017-01-01

The establishment of pollen-pistil compatibility is strictly regulated by factors derived from both male and female reproductive structures. Highly diverse small cysteine-rich proteins (CRPs) have been found to play multiple roles in plant reproduction, including the earliest stages of the pollen-stigma interaction. Secreted CRPs found in the pollen coat of members of the Brassicaceae, the pollen coat proteins (PCPs), are emerging as important signalling molecules that regulate the pollen-stigma interaction. Using a combination of protein characterization, expression and phylogenetic analyses we identified a novel class of Arabidopsis thaliana pollen-borne CRPs, the PCP-Bs (for pollen coat protein B-class) that are related to embryo surrounding factor (ESF1) developmental regulators. Single and multiple PCP-B mutant lines were utilized in bioassays to assess effects on pollen hydration, adhesion and pollen tube growth. Our results revealed that pollen hydration is severely impaired when multiple PCP-Bs are lost from the pollen coat. The hydration defect also resulted in reduced pollen adhesion and delayed pollen tube growth in all mutants studied. These results demonstrate that AtPCP-Bs are key regulators of the hydration 'checkpoint' in establishment of pollen-stigma compatibility. In addition, we propose that interspecies diversity of PCP-Bs may contribute to reproductive barriers in the Brassicaceae. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

An integrated approach to salt cedar control and rehabilitation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Salt cedar (Tamarix spp.), a small tree native to Central Asia has invaded more than 4.7 million acres in the western United States. Planted in the early 1800s as an ornamental and later for windbreaks and soil stabilization, it escaped cultivation, infesting riparian and adjacent communities. Thre...

Arabidopsis shaker pollen inward K+ channel SPIK functions in SnRK1 complex-regulated pollen hydration on the stigma.

PubMed

Li, Dan-Dan; Guan, Huan; Li, Fei; Liu, Chang-Zhen; Dong, Yu-Xiu; Zhang, Xian-Sheng; Gao, Xin-Qi

2017-09-01

Pollen hydration is a critical step that determines pollen germination on the stigma. KINβγ is a plant-specific subunit of the SNF1-related protein kinase 1 complex (SnRK1 complex). In pollen of the Arabidopsis kinβγ mutant, the levels of reactive oxygen species were decreased which lead to compromised hydration of the mutant pollen on the stigma. In this study, we analyzed gene expression in kinβγ mutant pollen by RNA-seq and found the expression of inward shaker K + channel SPIK was down-regulated in the kinβγ pollen. Furthermore, we showed that the pollen hydration of the Arabidopsis spik mutant was defective on the wild-type stigma, although the mutant pollen demonstrated normal hydration in vitro. Additionally, the defective hydration of spik mutant pollen could not be rescued by the wild-type pollen on the stigma, indicating that the spik mutation deprived the capability of pollen absorption on the stigma. Our results suggest that the Arabidopsis SnRK1 complex regulates SPIK expression, which functions in determining pollen hydration on the stigma. © 2017 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

A Review of the Effects of Major Atmospheric Pollutants on Pollen Grains, Pollen Content, and Allergenicity

PubMed Central

Sénéchal, Hélène; Visez, Nicolas; Charpin, Denis; Shahali, Youcef; Peltre, Gabriel; Biolley, Jean-Philippe; Lhuissier, Franck; Couderc, Rémy; Yamada, Ohri; Malrat-Domenge, Audrey; Pham-Thi, Nhân; Poncet, Pascal; Sutra, Jean-Pierre

2015-01-01

This review summarizes the available data related to the effects of air pollution on pollen grains from different plant species. Several studies carried out either on in situ harvested pollen or on pollen exposed in different places more or less polluted are presented and discussed. The different experimental procedures used to monitor the impact of pollution on pollen grains and on various produced external or internal subparticles are listed. Physicochemical and biological effects of artificial pollution (gaseous and particulate) on pollen from different plants, in different laboratory conditions, are considered. The effects of polluted pollen grains, subparticles, and derived aeroallergens in animal models, in in vitro cell culture, on healthy human and allergic patients are described. Combined effects of atmospheric pollutants and pollen grains-derived biological material on allergic population are specifically discussed. Within the notion of “polluen,” some methodological biases are underlined and research tracks in this field are proposed. PMID:26819967

Ozone affects pollen viability and NAD(P)H oxidase release from Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen.

PubMed

Pasqualini, Stefania; Tedeschini, Emma; Frenguelli, Giuseppe; Wopfner, Nicole; Ferreira, Fatima; D'Amato, Gennaro; Ederli, Luisa

2011-10-01

Air pollution is frequently proposed as a cause of the increased incidence of allergy in industrialised countries. We investigated the impact of ozone (O(3)) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and allergen content of ragweed pollen (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). Pollen was exposed to acute O(3) fumigation, with analysis of pollen viability, ROS and nitric oxide (NO) content, activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD[P]H) oxidase, and expression of major allergens. There was decreased pollen viability after O(3) fumigation, which indicates damage to the pollen membrane system, although the ROS and NO contents were not changed or were only slightly induced, respectively. Ozone exposure induced a significant enhancement of the ROS-generating enzyme NAD(P)H oxidase. The expression of the allergen Amb a 1 was not affected by O(3), determined from the mRNA levels of the major allergens. We conclude that O(3) can increase ragweed pollen allergenicity through stimulation of ROS-generating NAD(P)H oxidase. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aerodynamics and pollen ultrastructure in Ephedra.

PubMed

Bolinder, Kristina; Niklas, Karl J; Rydin, Catarina

2015-03-01

• Pollen dispersal is affected by the terminal settling velocity (Ut) of the grains, which is determined by their size, bulk density, and by atmospheric conditions. The likelihood that wind-dispersed pollen is captured by ovulate organs is influenced by the aerodynamic environment created around and by ovulate organs. We investigated pollen ultrastructure and Ut of Ephedra foeminea (purported to be entomophilous), and simulated the capture efficiency of its ovules. Results were compared with those from previously studied anemophilous Ephedra species.• Ut was determined using stroboscopic photography of pollen in free fall. The acceleration field around an "average" ovule was calculated, and inflight behavior of pollen grains was predicted using computer simulations. Pollen morphology and ultrastructure were investigated using SEM and STEM.• Pollen wall ultrastructure was correlated with Ut in Ephedra. The relative proportion and amount of granules in the infratectum determine pollen bulk densities, and (together with overall size) determine Ut and thus dispersal capability. Computer simulations failed to reveal any functional traits favoring anemophilous pollen capture in E. foeminea.• The fast Ut and dense ultrastructure of E. foeminea pollen are consistent with functional traits that distinguish entomophilous species from anemophilous species. In anemophilous Ephedra species, ovulate organs create an aerodynamic microenvironment that directs airborne pollen to the pollination drops. In E. foeminea, no such microenvironment is created. Ephedroid palynomorphs from the Cretaceous share the ultrastructural characteristics of E. foeminea, and at least some may, therefore, have been produced by insect-pollinated plants. © 2015 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Allergies, asthma, and pollen

MedlinePlus

... hay fever (allergic rhinitis) and asthma include: Some trees Some grasses Weeds Ragweed ... pollen at different times of the year. Most trees produce pollen in the spring. Grasses usually produce ...

Northern white-cedar ecology and silviculture in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada: a synthesis of knowledge

Treesearch

Philip V. Hofmeyer; Laura S. Kenefic; Robert S. Seymour

2009-01-01

Sustainability of the northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) resource is a concern in many regions throughout its range because of regeneration failures, difficulty recruiting seedlings into sapling and pole classes, and harvesting levels that exceed growth. Management confusion has resulted from the scarcity of research on northern white-cedar...

109. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, LOW LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

109. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, LOW LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY, SOUTH OF FILER, IDAHO; OVERALL VIEW LOOKING WEST. - Milner Dam & Main Canal: Twin Falls Canal Company, On Snake River, 11 miles West of city of Burley, Idaho, Twin Falls, Twin Falls County, ID

95. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, LOW LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

95. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, LOW LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY SOUTH OF FILER, IDAHO; OVERALL VIEW LOOKING EAST. - Milner Dam & Main Canal: Twin Falls Canal Company, On Snake River, 11 miles West of city of Burley, Idaho, Twin Falls, Twin Falls County, ID

90. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, HIGH LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

90. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, HIGH LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY, SOUTH OF FILER, IDAHO; CLOSE-UP OF GATES. - Milner Dam & Main Canal: Twin Falls Canal Company, On Snake River, 11 miles West of city of Burley, Idaho, Twin Falls, Twin Falls County, ID

Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park : transportation synthesis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-05-01

This document outlines how the current and expected future uses of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove NHP (CEBE) create demands on the transportation system for use by GMP planners. The report summarizes current and proposed uses of different areas of the p...

Synthetic Minor NSR Permit: Red Cedar Gathering Company - Midway Compressor Station

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page contains the administratively revised synthetic minor NSR permit and administrative record for the Red Cedar Gathering Company, Midway Compressor Station, located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in La Plata County, CO.

Survival and growth of northern white-cedar and balsam fir seedlings in riparian management zones in northern Minnesota, USA

Treesearch

Brian J. Palik; Brooke K. Haworth; Andrew J. David; Randall K. Kolka

2015-01-01

Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea.) are co-occurring species in riparian forests of the western Great Lakes region. Throughout much of the region, northern white-cedar has been experiencing population declines due to herbivory by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)....

City scale pollen concentration variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Molen, Michiel; van Vliet, Arnold; Krol, Maarten

2016-04-01

Pollen are emitted in the atmosphere both in the country-side and in cities. Yet the majority of the population is exposed to pollen in cities. Allergic reactions may be induced by short-term exposure to pollen. This raises the question how variable pollen concentration in cities are in temporally and spatially, and how much of the pollen in cities are actually produced in the urban region itself. We built a high resolution (1 × 1 km) pollen dispersion model based on WRF-Chem to study a city's pollen budget and the spatial and temporal variability in concentration. It shows that the concentrations are highly variable, as a result of source distribution, wind direction and boundary layer mixing, as well as the release rate as a function of temperature, turbulence intensity and humidity. Hay Fever Forecasts based on such high resolution emission and physical dispersion modelling surpass traditional hay fever warning methods based on temperature sum methods. The model gives new insights in concentration variability, personal and community level exposure and prevention. The model will be developped into a new forecast tool to serve allergic people to minimize their exposure and reduce nuisance, coast of medication and sick leave. This is an innovative approach in hay fever warning systems.

Quantifying pollen-vegetation relationships to reconstruct ancient forests using 19th-century forest composition and pollen data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dawson, Andria; Paciorek, Christopher J.; McLachlan, Jason S.; Goring, Simon; Williams, John W.; Jackson, Stephen T.

2016-01-01

Mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its effects relies partly on how effectively land-atmosphere interactions can be quantified. Quantifying composition of past forest ecosystems can help understand processes governing forest dynamics in a changing world. Fossil pollen data provide information about past forest composition, but rigorous interpretation requires development of pollen-vegetation models (PVMs) that account for interspecific differences in pollen production and dispersal. Widespread and intensified land-use over the 19th and 20th centuries may have altered pollen-vegetation relationships. Here we use STEPPS, a Bayesian hierarchical spatial PVM, to estimate key process parameters and associated uncertainties in the pollen-vegetation relationship. We apply alternate dispersal kernels, and calibrate STEPPS using a newly developed Euro-American settlement-era calibration data set constructed from Public Land Survey data and fossil pollen samples matched to the settlement-era using expert elicitation. Models based on the inverse power-law dispersal kernel outperformed those based on the Gaussian dispersal kernel, indicating that pollen dispersal kernels are fat tailed. Pine and birch have the highest pollen productivities. Pollen productivity and dispersal estimates are generally consistent with previous understanding from modern data sets, although source area estimates are larger. Tests of model predictions demonstrate the ability of STEPPS to predict regional compositional patterns.

Quantifying pollen-vegetation relationships to reconstruct ancient forests using 19th-century forest composition and pollen data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, Andria; Paciorek, Christopher J.; McLachlan, Jason S.; Goring, Simon; Williams, John W.; Jackson, Stephen T.

2016-04-01

Mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its effects relies partly on how effectively land-atmosphere interactions can be quantified. Quantifying composition of past forest ecosystems can help understand processes governing forest dynamics in a changing world. Fossil pollen data provide information about past forest composition, but rigorous interpretation requires development of pollen-vegetation models (PVMs) that account for interspecific differences in pollen production and dispersal. Widespread and intensified land-use over the 19th and 20th centuries may have altered pollen-vegetation relationships. Here we use STEPPS, a Bayesian hierarchical spatial PVM, to estimate key process parameters and associated uncertainties in the pollen-vegetation relationship. We apply alternate dispersal kernels, and calibrate STEPPS using a newly developed Euro-American settlement-era calibration data set constructed from Public Land Survey data and fossil pollen samples matched to the settlement-era using expert elicitation. Models based on the inverse power-law dispersal kernel outperformed those based on the Gaussian dispersal kernel, indicating that pollen dispersal kernels are fat tailed. Pine and birch have the highest pollen productivities. Pollen productivity and dispersal estimates are generally consistent with previous understanding from modern data sets, although source area estimates are larger. Tests of model predictions demonstrate the ability of STEPPS to predict regional compositional patterns.

77 FR 3840 - Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd.-Lease Exemption-Line of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Company

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-25

... Railroad, Ltd.--Lease Exemption--Line of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Company AGENCY: Surface... from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. 10902 for Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd. (IAIS), a Class II rail carrier, to lease and operate 8.4 miles of railroad owned by Cedar Rapids & Iowa City...

Pollen Forecast and Dispersion Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costantini, Monica; Di Giuseppe, Fabio; Medaglia, Carlo Maria; Travaglini, Alessandro; Tocci, Raffaella; Brighetti, M. Antonia; Petitta, Marcello

2014-05-01

The aim of this study is monitoring, mapping and forecast of pollen distribution for the city of Rome using in-situ measurements of 10 species of common allergenic pollens and measurements of PM10. The production of daily concentration maps, associated to a mobile phone app, are innovative compared to existing dedicated services to people who suffer from respiratory allergies. The dispersal pollen is one of the most well-known causes of allergic disease that is manifested by disorders of the respiratory functions. Allergies are the third leading cause of chronic disease and it is estimated that tens millions of people in Italy suffer from it. Recent works reveal that during the last few years there was a progressive increase of affected subjects, especially in urban areas. This situation may depend: on the ability to transport of pollutants, on the ability to react between pollutants and pollen and from a combination of other irritants, existing in densely populated and polluted urban areas. The methodology used to produce maps is based on in-situ measurements time series relative to 2012, obtained from networks of air quality and pollen stations in the metropolitan area of Rome. The monitoring station aerobiological of University of Rome "Tor Vergata" is located at the Department of Biology. The instrument used to pollen monitoring is a volumetric sampler type Hirst (Hirst 1952), Model 2000 VPPS Lanzoni; the data acquisition is carried out as reported in Standard UNI 11008:2004 - "Qualità dell'aria - Metodo di campionamento e conteggio dei granuli pollinici e delle spore fungine aerodisperse" - the protocol that describes the procedure for measuring of the concentration of pollen grains and fungal spores dispersed into the atmosphere, and reported in the "Manuale di gestione e qualità della R.I.M.A" (Travaglini et. al. 2009). All 10 allergenic pollen are monitored since 1996. At Tor Vergata university is also operating a meteorological station (SP2000, CAE

Evolution of pollen morphology in Loranthaceae

PubMed Central

Grímsson, Friðgeir; Grimm, Guido W.; Zetter, Reinhard

2018-01-01

Abstract Earlier studies indicate a strong correlation of pollen morphology and ultrastructure with taxonomy in Loranthaceae. Using high-resolution light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy imaging of the same pollen grains, we document pollen types of 35 genera including 15 studied for the first time. Using a molecular phylogenetic framework based on currently available sequence data with good genus-coverage, we reconstruct trends in the evolution of Loranthaceae pollen and pinpoint traits of high diagnostic value, partly confirming earlier intuitive hypotheses based on morphological observations. We find that pollen morphology in Loranthaceae is strongly linked to phylogenetic relationships. Some pollen types are diagnostic for discrete genera or evolutionary lineages, opening the avenue to recruit dispersed fossil pollen as age constraints for dated phylogenies and as independent data for testing biogeographic scenarios; so far based exclusively on modern-day data. Correspondences and discrepancies between palynological and molecular data and current taxonomic/systematic concepts are identified and suggestions made for future palynological and molecular investigations of Loranthaceae. PMID:29386990

Hybridizing pines with diluted pollen

Treesearch

Robert Z. Callaham

1967-01-01

Diluted pollens would have many uses by the tree breeder. Dilutions would be particularly advantageous in making many controlled pollinations with a limited amount of pollen. They also would be useful in artificial mass pollinations of orchards or single trees. Diluted pollens might help overcome troublesome genetic barriers to crossing. Feasibility o,f using diluted...

The Tension-sensitive Ion Transport Activity of MSL8 is Critical for its Function in Pollen Hydration and Germination.

PubMed

Hamilton, Eric S; Haswell, Elizabeth S

2017-07-01

All cells respond to osmotic challenges, including those imposed during normal growth and development. Mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels provide a conserved mechanism for regulating osmotic forces by conducting ions in response to increased membrane tension. We previously demonstrated that the MS ion channel MscS-Like 8 (MSL8) is required for pollen to survive multiple osmotic challenges that occur during the normal process of fertilization, and that it can inhibit pollen germination. However, it remained unclear whether these physiological functions required ion flux through a mechanically gated channel provided by MSL8. We introduced two point mutations into the predicted pore-lining domain of MSL8 that disrupted normal channel function in different ways. The Ile711Ser mutation increased the tension threshold of the MSL8 channel while leaving conductance unchanged, and the Phe720Leu mutation severely disrupted the MSL8 channel. Both of these mutations impaired the ability of MSL8 to preserve pollen viability during hydration and to maintain the integrity of the pollen tube when expressed at endogenous levels. When overexpressed in an msl8-4 null background, MSL8I711S could partially rescue loss-of-function phenotypes, while MSL8F720L could not. When overexpressed in the wild-type Ler background, MSL8I711S suppressed pollen germination, similar to wild-type MSL8. In contrast, MSL8F720L failed to suppress pollen germination and increased pollen bursting, thereby phenocopying the msl8-4 mutant. Thus, an intact MSL8 channel is required for normal pollen function during hydration and germination. These data establish MSL8 as the first plant MS channel to fulfill previously established criteria for assignment as a mechanotransducer. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Performance of northern white-cedar in central Illinois

Treesearch

J.J. Jokela; C.L. Cyr

1977-01-01

Growth and survival of 20 provenances of northern white-cedar in the nursery and to age 12 in 3 test plantings in east central Illinois were examined. Survival at age 12 exceeded 95 percent in all tests. Total height differed significantly among provenances at age 4 in the nursery and at greater ages in all tests except after the first and second growing seasons...

88. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, HIGH LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

88. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, HIGH LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY, SOUTH OF FILER, IDAHO; WEST VIEW OF CANAL AND GATES. - Milner Dam & Main Canal: Twin Falls Canal Company, On Snake River, 11 miles West of city of Burley, Idaho, Twin Falls, Twin Falls County, ID

91. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, HIGH LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

91. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, HIGH LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY, SOUTH OF FILER, IDAHO; NORTHEAST VIEW OF CANAL AND GATES. - Milner Dam & Main Canal: Twin Falls Canal Company, On Snake River, 11 miles West of city of Burley, Idaho, Twin Falls, Twin Falls County, ID

89. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, HIGH LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

89. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, HIGH LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY, SOUTH OF FILER, IDAHO; OUTLET SIDE OF CANAL, SOUTHWEST VIEW. - Milner Dam & Main Canal: Twin Falls Canal Company, On Snake River, 11 miles West of city of Burley, Idaho, Twin Falls, Twin Falls County, ID

A cyclic nucleotide-gated channel (CNGC16) in pollen is critical for stress tolerance in pollen reproductive development.

PubMed

Tunc-Ozdemir, Meral; Tang, Chong; Ishka, Maryam Rahmati; Brown, Elizabeth; Groves, Norman R; Myers, Candace T; Rato, Claudia; Poulsen, Lisbeth R; McDowell, Stephen; Miller, Gad; Mittler, Ron; Harper, Jeffrey F

2013-02-01

Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNGCs) have been implicated in diverse aspects of plant growth and development, including responses to biotic and abiotic stress, as well as pollen tube growth and fertility. Here, genetic evidence identifies CNGC16 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) as critical for pollen fertility under conditions of heat stress and drought. Two independent transfer DNA disruptions of cngc16 resulted in a greater than 10-fold stress-dependent reduction in pollen fitness and seed set. This phenotype was fully rescued through pollen expression of a CNGC16 transgene, indicating that cngc16-1 and 16-2 were both loss-of-function null alleles. The most stress-sensitive period for cngc16 pollen was during germination and the initiation of pollen tube tip growth. Pollen viability assays indicate that mutant pollen are also hypersensitive to external calcium chloride, a phenomenon analogous to calcium chloride hypersensitivities observed in other cngc mutants. A heat stress was found to increase concentrations of 3',5'-cyclic guanyl monophosphate in both pollen and leaves, as detected using an antibody-binding assay. A quantitative PCR analysis indicates that cngc16 mutant pollen have attenuated expression of several heat-stress response genes, including two heat shock transcription factor genes, HsfA2 and HsfB1. Together, these results provide evidence for a heat stress response pathway in pollen that connects a cyclic nucleotide signal, a Ca(2+)-permeable ion channel, and a signaling network that activates a downstream transcriptional heat shock response.

Synthetic Minor NSR Permit: Red Cedar Gathering Company - Sambrito Compressor Station

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page contains the response to public comments and the final synthetic minor NSR permit for the Red Cedar Gathering Company, Sambrito Compressor Station, located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in La Plata County, CO.

Development of personal pollen information—the next generation of pollen information and a step forward for hay fever sufferers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kmenta, Maximilian; Bastl, Katharina; Jäger, Siegfried; Berger, Uwe

2014-10-01

Pollen allergies affect a large part of the European population and are considered likely to increase. User feedback indicates that there are difficulties in providing proper information and valid forecasts using traditional methods of aerobiology due to a variety of factors. Allergen content, pollen loads, and pollen allergy symptoms vary per region and year. The first steps in challenging such issues have already been undertaken. A personalized pollen-related symptom forecast is thought to be a possible answer. However, attempts made thus far have not led to an improvement in daily forecasting procedures. This study describes a model that was launched in 2013 in Austria to provide the first available personal pollen information. This system includes innovative forecast models using bi-hourly pollen data, traditional pollen forecasts based on historical data, meteorological data, and recent symptom data from the patient's hayfever diary. Furthermore, it calculates the personal symptom load in real time, in particular, the entries of the previous 5 days, to classify users. The personal pollen information was made available in Austria on the Austrian pollen information website and via a mobile pollen application, described herein for the first time. It is supposed that the inclusion of personal symptoms will lead to major improvements in pollen information concerning hay fever sufferers.

Embracing the River: Smart Growth Strategies for Assisting in Cedar Rapids' Recovery

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This report from an EPA-FEMA technical assistance project with Cedar Rapids, IA, offers ideas to encourage infill development, make development more resilient to floods, and improve stormwater management.

Prevalence of pollen-induced allergic rhinitis with high pollen exposure in grasslands of northern China.

PubMed

Wang, X-Y; Ma, T-T; Wang, X-Y; Zhuang, Y; Wang, X-D; Ning, H-Y; Shi, H-Y; Yu, R-L; Yan, D; Huang, H-D; Bai, Y-F; Shan, G-L; Zhang, B; Song, Q-K; Zhang, Y-F; Zhang, T-J; Jia, D-Z; Liu, X-L; Kang, Z-X; Yan, W-J; Yang, B-T; Bao, X-Z; Sun, S-H; Zhang, F-F; Yu, W-H; Bai, C-L; Wei, T; Yang, T; Ma, T-Q; Wu, X-B; Liu, J-G; Du, H; Zhang, L; Yan, Y; Wang, D-Y

2018-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of epidemiologic and physician-diagnosed pollen-induced AR (PiAR) in the grasslands of northern China and to study the impact of the intensity and time of pollen exposure on PiAR prevalence. A multistage, clustered and proportionately stratified random sampling with a field interviewer-administered survey study was performed together with skin prick tests (SPT) and measurements of the daily pollen count. A total of 6043 subjects completed the study, with a proportion of 32.4% epidemiologic AR and 18.5% PiAR. The prevalence was higher in males than females (19.6% vs 17.4%, P = .024), but no difference between the two major residential and ethnic groups (Han and Mongolian) was observed. Subjects from urban areas showed higher prevalence of PiAR than rural areas (23.1% vs 14.0%, P < .001). Most PiAR patients were sensitized to two or more pollens (79.4%) with artemisia, chenopodium, and humulus scandens being the most common pollen types, which were similarly found as the top three sensitizing pollen allergens by SPT. There were significant regional differences in the prevalence of epidemiologic AR (from 18.6% to 52.9%) and PiAR (from 10.5% to 31.4%) among the six areas investigated. PiAR symptoms were positively associated with pollen counts, temperature, and precipitation (P < .05), but negatively with wind speed and pressure P < .05). Pollen-induced AR (PiAR) prevalence in the investigated region is extremely high due to high seasonal pollen exposure, which was influenced by local environmental and climate conditions. © 2018 The Authors. Allergy Published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Effects of fluoride on pollen germination, pollen tube growth, and fruit development in tomato and cucumber

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sulzbach, C.W.; Pack, M.R.

Tomato and cucumber pollen germination in vitro was significantly inhibited at 10.5 and 2.6 mM NaF, respectively, or higher, in media containing 1.25 mM Ca. Germination was not inhibited provided the Ca was at least chemically equivalent to the F in the media. Long-term, continuous HF fumigations of tomato plants at 7.9 and 13.0 ..mu..g F/m/sup 3/ reduced pollen germination in vitro when the plants were grown with low Ca (1 mM) nutrient solution. No reduction was found at 13.0 ..mu..g F/m/sup 3/ when tomato plants were grown with 4 mM Ca. Regardless of Ca nutrition, HF fumigations of cucumbermore » plants at 10.2 ..mu..g F/m/sup 3/ or less did not inhibit pollen germination. Fluorescent staining of pistils from manually pollinated tomato flowers showed reductions in the number of pollen grains retained on the stigma, pollen germination, and pollen tubes reaching ovules when the maternal parent plants were grown in HF treatments averaging as low as 4.2 ..mu..g F/m/sup 3/. Similar effects were found when pollen parents grown with 1 mM Ca were subjected to 7.9 ..mu..g F/m/sup 3/, but not when pollen parents grown with 5 mM Ca were subjected to 4.4 ..mu..g F/m/sup 3/. Early tomato fruit and seed development were inhibited by treatments similar to those that caused the pollen responses. 11 references, 1 figure, 5 tables.« less

Comprehensive Cell-specific Protein Analysis in Early and Late Pollen Development from Diploid Microsporocytes to Pollen Tube Growth*

PubMed Central

Ischebeck, Till; Valledor, Luis; Lyon, David; Gingl, Stephanie; Nagler, Matthias; Meijón, Mónica; Egelhofer, Volker; Weckwerth, Wolfram

2014-01-01

Pollen development in angiosperms is one of the most important processes controlling plant reproduction and thus productivity. At the same time, pollen development is highly sensitive to environmental fluctuations, including temperature, drought, and nutrition. Therefore, pollen biology is a major focus in applied studies and breeding approaches for improving plant productivity in a globally changing climate. The most accessible developmental stages of pollen are the mature pollen and the pollen tubes, and these are thus most frequently analyzed. To reveal a complete quantitative proteome map, we additionally addressed the very early stages, analyzing eight stages of tobacco pollen development: diploid microsporocytes, meiosis, tetrads, microspores, polarized microspores, bipolar pollen, desiccated pollen, and pollen tubes. A protocol for the isolation of the early stages was established. Proteins were extracted and analyzed by means of a new gel LC-MS fractionation protocol. In total, 3817 protein groups were identified. Quantitative analysis was performed based on peptide count. Exceedingly stage-specific differential protein regulation was observed during the conversion from the sporophytic to the gametophytic proteome. A map of highly specialized functionality for the different stages could be revealed from the metabolic activity and pronounced differentiation of proteasomal and ribosomal protein complex composition up to protective mechanisms such as high levels of heat shock proteins in the very early stages of development. PMID:24078888

Comprehensive cell-specific protein analysis in early and late pollen development from diploid microsporocytes to pollen tube growth.

PubMed

Ischebeck, Till; Valledor, Luis; Lyon, David; Gingl, Stephanie; Nagler, Matthias; Meijón, Mónica; Egelhofer, Volker; Weckwerth, Wolfram

2014-01-01

Pollen development in angiosperms is one of the most important processes controlling plant reproduction and thus productivity. At the same time, pollen development is highly sensitive to environmental fluctuations, including temperature, drought, and nutrition. Therefore, pollen biology is a major focus in applied studies and breeding approaches for improving plant productivity in a globally changing climate. The most accessible developmental stages of pollen are the mature pollen and the pollen tubes, and these are thus most frequently analyzed. To reveal a complete quantitative proteome map, we additionally addressed the very early stages, analyzing eight stages of tobacco pollen development: diploid microsporocytes, meiosis, tetrads, microspores, polarized microspores, bipolar pollen, desiccated pollen, and pollen tubes. A protocol for the isolation of the early stages was established. Proteins were extracted and analyzed by means of a new gel LC-MS fractionation protocol. In total, 3817 protein groups were identified. Quantitative analysis was performed based on peptide count. Exceedingly stage-specific differential protein regulation was observed during the conversion from the sporophytic to the gametophytic proteome. A map of highly specialized functionality for the different stages could be revealed from the metabolic activity and pronounced differentiation of proteasomal and ribosomal protein complex composition up to protective mechanisms such as high levels of heat shock proteins in the very early stages of development.

Rejection of S-heteroallelic pollen by a dual-specific s-RNase in Solanum chacoense predicts a multimeric SI pollen component.

PubMed Central

Luu, D T; Qin, X; Laublin, G; Yang, Q; Morse, D; Cappadocia, M

2001-01-01

S-heteroallelic pollen (HAP) grains are usually diploid and contain two different S-alleles. Curiously, HAP produced by tetraploids derived from self-incompatible diploids are typically self-compatible. The two different hypotheses previously advanced to explain the compatibility of HAP are the lack of pollen-S expression and the "competition effect" between two pollen-S gene products expressed in a single pollen grain. To distinguish between these two possibilities, we used a previously described dual-specific S(11/13)-RNase, termed HVapb-RNase, which can reject two phenotypically distinct pollen (P(11) and P(13)). Since the HVapb-RNase does not distinguish between the two pollen types (it recognizes both), P(11)P(13) HAP should be incompatible with the HVapb-RNase in spite of the competition effect. We show here that P(11)P(13) HAP is accepted by S(11)S(13) styles, but is rejected by the S(11/13)-RNase, which demonstrates that the pollen-S genes must be expressed in HAP. A model involving tetrameric pollen-S is proposed to explain both the compatibility of P(11)P(13) HAP on S(11)S(13)-containing styles and the incompatibility of P(11)P(13) HAP on styles containing the HVapb-RNase. PMID:11560908

Effect of tree thinning and skidding trails on hydrological connectivity in two Japanese forest catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Vicente, Manuel; Sun, Xinchao; Onda, Yuichi; Kato, Hiroaki; Gomi, Takashi; Hiraoka, Marino

2017-09-01

Land use composition and patterns influence the hydrological response in mountainous and forest catchments. In plantation forest, management operations (FMO) modify the spatial and temporal dynamics of overland flow processes. However, we found a gap in the literature focussed on modelling hydrological connectivity (HC) in plantation forest under different FMO. In this study, we simulated HC in two steep paired forest subcatchments (K2 and K3, 33.2 ha), composed of Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endl.) and Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) plantations (59% of the total area) against a tree thinning intensity of 50% at different time. Additionally, construction of new skidding trails and vegetation recovery was simulated on five thinning-based scenarios that covered a 40-month test period (July 2010 - October 2013). As a future scenario, six check-dams located in the main streams were proposed to reduce sediment and radionuclide delivery. An updated version of Borselli's index of runoff and sediment connectivity was run, using the D-infinity flow accumulation algorithm and exploiting three 0.5-m resolution digital elevation models. On the basis of the pre-FMO scenario, HC increased at catchment scale owing to tree thinning and the new skidding trails. This change was more noticeable within the area affected by the FMO, where HC increased by 11.4% and 10.5% in the cypress and cedar plantations in K2 respectively and by 8.8% in the cedar plantation in K3. At hillslope plot and stream scales, the evolution in the values of HC was less evident, except the increment (by 5.4%) observed in the streams at K2 after the FMO. Progressive vegetation recovery after the FMO triggered a slight reduction of connectivity in all compartments of both subcatchments. Forest roads and especially skidding trails presented the highest values of HC, appearing as the most efficient features connecting the different vegetation patches with the stream network. The spatial

Climate warming, reduced snow, and freezing injury could explain the demise of yellow-cedar in southeast Alaska, USA

Treesearch

P. Hennon; D. D' Amore; D. Wittwer; A. Johnson; P. Schaberg; G. Hawley; C. Beier; S. Sink; G. Juday

2006-01-01

Yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) is a valuable tree species that has been experiencing concentrated mortality known as yellow-cedar decline on 200,000 ha of largely pristine forests in Southeast Alaska. Mature trees that regenerated and grew during the Little Ice Age have been dying on low elevation sites with wet soils and open canopies for...

94. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, LOW LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

94. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, LOW LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY SOUTH OF FILER, IDAHO; CLOSE-UP OF GATES FROM THE CANAL SIDE. - Milner Dam & Main Canal: Twin Falls Canal Company, On Snake River, 11 miles West of city of Burley, Idaho, Twin Falls, Twin Falls County, ID

Eastern red cedar: critical fluid extraction and bioactivity of extracts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Eastern red cedar is an abundant natural resource in the United States. It is valuable for its lumber and cedarwood oil derived from the wood. Cedarwood is generally obtained by steam distillation; however, this process has several disadvantages, including relatively low yields and altered oil chara...

Cryopreservation of Arecanut (Areca catechu L.) Pollen.

PubMed

Karun, A; Sajini, K K; Muralikrishna, K S; Rajesh, M K; Engelmann, F

Cryopreservation opens new avenues in the field of genetic resource conservation, especially in recalcitrant seeded palms such as arecanut for which field genebanks are exposed to pest and disease attacks and natural calamities. It is only through cryopreservation that the safety of the conserved germplasm can be assured at a relatively low cost for extended periods. The objective of this work was to standardize various aspects of arecanut pollen cryopreservation, viz. collection and desiccation of pollen, in vitro germination, viability and fecundity studies. Pollens of three arecanut genotypes (Sumangala, Hirehalli Dwarf and Hirehalli Dwarf x Sumangala) were collected in December 2013-February 2014. In vitro viability tests were conducted using fresh and desiccated pollen. Desiccated pollen was cryopreserved by direct immersion in liquid nitrogen and cryostored for different durations (24 hours to 2 years). Viability and fertility studies were conducted using cryopreserved pollen. Pollen extraction was achieved from fully opened male flowers by desiccation at room temperature (33-34 degree C). A medium containing 2.5 g/L sucrose was found to be best for in vitro germination at room temperature. There was no significant difference in germination between desiccated and cryopreserved pollen whereas pollen tube length decreased significantly after cryopreservation. Fertility studies using HD x Sumangala pollen cryostored for various durations (1 month, 1 year and 2 years) showed the setting of 70, 43 and 62%, respectively. Normal nut set was observed using cryopreserved pollen. Pollen cryopreservation is a viable option for germplasm conservation and hybridization programmes in arecanut.

Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.): an annotated bibliography

Treesearch

Philip V. Hofmeyer; Laura S. Kenefic; Robert S. Seymour

2007-01-01

Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) is arguably one of the least studied commercial tree species in United States and Canada. It is an important source of wildlife habitat and forage, as well as commodities such as fence posts, shingles and siding. Much of the research on this species comes from the Lake States and Canada; few studies have...

Pollen and spores of terrestrial plants

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bernhardt, Christopher E.; Willard, Debra A.; Shennan, Ian; Long, Antony J.; Horton, Benjamin P.

2015-01-01

Pollen and spores are valuable tools in reconstructing past sea level and climate because of their ubiquity, abundance, and durability as well as their reciprocity with source vegetation to environmental change (Cronin, 1999; Traverse, 2007; Willard and Bernhardt, 2011). Pollan is found in many sedimentary environments, from freshwater to saltwater, terrestrial to marine. It can be abundant in a minimal amount of sample material, for example half a gram, as concentrations can be as high as four million grains per gram (Traverse, 2007). The abundance of pollen in a sample lends it to robust statistical analysis for the quantitative reconstruction of environments. The outer cell wall is resistant to decay in sediments and allows palynomorphs (pollen and spores) to record changes in plant communities and sea level over millions of years. These characteristics make pollen and spores a powerful tool to use in sea-level research.This chapter describes the biology of pollen and spores and how they are transported and preserved in sediments. We present a methodology for isolating pollen from sediments and a general language and framework to identify pollen as well as light micrographs of a selection of common pollen grains, We then discuss their utility in sea-level research.

Classification of pollen species using autofluorescence image analysis.

PubMed

Mitsumoto, Kotaro; Yabusaki, Katsumi; Aoyagi, Hideki

2009-01-01

A new method to classify pollen species was developed by monitoring autofluorescence images of pollen grains. The pollens of nine species were selected, and their autofluorescence images were captured by a microscope equipped with a digital camera. The pollen size and the ratio of the blue to red pollen autofluorescence spectra (the B/R ratio) were calculated by image processing. The B/R ratios and pollen size varied among the species. Furthermore, the scatter-plot of pollen size versus the B/R ratio showed that pollen could be classified to the species level using both parameters. The pollen size and B/R ratio were confirmed by means of particle flow image analysis and the fluorescence spectra, respectively. These results suggest that a flow system capable of measuring both scattered light and the autofluorescence of particles could classify and count pollen grains in real time.

Anther response to high-temperature stress during development and pollen thermotolerance heterosis as revealed by pollen tube growth and in vitro pollen vigor analysis in upland cotton.

PubMed

Song, Guicheng; Wang, Miaomiao; Zeng, Bin; Zhang, Jing; Jiang, Chenliang; Hu, Qirui; Geng, Guangtao; Tang, Canming

2015-05-01

Pollen tube growth in styles was strongly inhibited by temperature above 35 °C, and the yield of cotton decreased because of the adverse effect of high temperatures during square development. High-temperature stress during flowering influences the square development of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and cotton yield. Although it is well known that square development is sensitive to high temperature, high-temperature sensitive stages of square development and the effects of high temperature on pollen tube growth in the styles are unknown. The effect of high temperature on anther development corresponding to pollen vigor is unknown during anther development. The objectives of this study were to identify the stages of square development that are sensitive to high temperatures (37/30 and 40/34 °C), to determine whether the abnormal development of squares influenced by high temperature is responsible for the variation in the in vitro germination percent of pollen grains at anthesis, to identify the effect of high temperature on pollen germination in the styles, and to determine pollen thermotolerance heterosis. Our results show that the stages from the sporogenous cell to tetrad stage (square length <6.0 mm) were the most sensitive to high temperature, and the corresponding pollen viability at anthesis was consistent with the changes in the square development stage. Pollen tube growth in the styles was strongly inhibited by temperature above 35 °C, and the yield of cotton decreased because of the effect of high temperature during square development. The thermotolerance of hybrid F1 pollen showed heterosis, and pollen viability could be used as a criterion for screening for high-temperature tolerance cultivars. These results can be used in breeding to develop new cotton cultivars that can withstand high-temperature conditions, particularly in a future warmer climate.

Pollen Aquaporins: The Solute Factor.

PubMed

Pérez Di Giorgio, Juliana A; Soto, Gabriela C; Muschietti, Jorge P; Amodeo, Gabriela

2016-01-01

In the recent years, the biophysical properties and presumed physiological role of aquaporins (AQPs) have been expanded to specialized cells where water and solute exchange are crucial traits. Complex but unique processes such as stomatal movement or pollen hydration and germination have been addressed not only by identifying the specific AQP involved but also by studying how these proteins integrate and coordinate cellular activities and functions. In this review, we referred specifically to pollen-specific AQPs and analyzed what has been assumed in terms of transport properties and what has been found in terms of their physiological role. Unlike that in many other cells, the AQP machinery in mature pollen lacks plasma membrane intrinsic proteins, which are extensively studied for their high water capacity exchange. Instead, a variety of TIPs and NIPs are expressed in pollen. These findings have altered the initial understanding of AQPs and water exchange to consider specific and diverse solutes that might be critical to sustaining pollen's success. The spatial and temporal distribution of the pollen AQPs also reflects a regulatory mechanism that allowing a properly adjusting water and solute exchange.

Variation of the group 5 grass pollen allergen content of airborne pollen in relation to geographic location and time in season.

PubMed

Buters, Jeroen; Prank, Marje; Sofiev, Mikhail; Pusch, Gudrun; Albertini, Roberto; Annesi-Maesano, Isabella; Antunes, Celia; Behrendt, Heidrun; Berger, Uwe; Brandao, Rui; Celenk, Sevcan; Galan, Carmen; Grewling, Łukasz; Jackowiak, Bogdan; Kennedy, Roy; Rantio-Lehtimäki, Auli; Reese, Gerald; Sauliene, Ingrida; Smith, Matt; Thibaudon, Michel; Weber, Bernhard; Cecchi, Lorenzo

2015-07-01

Allergies to grass pollen are the number one cause of outdoor hay fever. The human immune system reacts with symptoms to allergen from pollen. We investigated the natural variability in release of the major group 5 allergen from grass pollen across Europe. Airborne pollen and allergens were simultaneously collected daily with a volumetric spore trap and a high-volume cascade impactor at 10 sites across Europe for 3 consecutive years. Group 5 allergen levels were determined with a Phl p 5-specific ELISA in 2 fractions of ambient air: particulate matter of greater than 10 μm in diameter and particulate matter greater than 2.5 μm and less than 10 μm in diameter. Mediator release by ambient air was determined in FcεRI-humanized basophils. The origin of pollen was modeled and condensed to pollen potency maps. On average, grass pollen released 2.3 pg of Phl p 5 per pollen. Allergen release per pollen (potency) varied substantially, ranging from less than 1 to 9 pg of Phl p 5 per pollen (5% to 95% percentile). The main variation was locally day to day. Average potency maps across Europe varied between years. Mediator release from basophilic granulocytes correlated better with allergen levels per cubic meter (r(2) = 0.80, P < .001) than with pollen grains per cubic meter (r(2) = 0.61, P < .001). In addition, pollen released different amounts of allergen in the non-pollen-bearing fraction of ambient air, depending on humidity. Across Europe, the same amount of pollen released substantially different amounts of group 5 grass pollen allergen. This variation in allergen release is in addition to variations in pollen counts. Molecular aerobiology (ie, determining allergen in ambient air) might be a valuable addition to pollen counting. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Differential skin test reactivity to pollens in pollen food allergy syndrome versus allergic rhinitis.

PubMed

Ta, Von; Scott, David R; Chin, William K; Wineinger, Nathan E; Kelso, John M; White, Andrew A

2015-01-01

Pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS), also called oral allergy syndrome, is a form of food allergy in which uncooked foods cause allergic symptoms generally limited to the oral mucosa. It occurs in a subset of patients with pollen allergy, although not all patients have prominent rhinitis symptoms. PFAS is related to antigenic similarity between the pollen and food allergen. The size of skin test reactions in a group of subjects with pollen sensitivity with PFAS was compared with a group of subjects who were pollen sensitive and without PFAS. Self-reported rhinitis symptoms between the two groups were compared to identify if symptom severity differed. Twenty subjects with PFAS and 20 subjects with seasonal allergic rhinitis without PFAS were enrolled in the study. All the subjects underwent standard skin-prick testing to a panel of common allergens, including select fresh fruits and vegetables. The subjects completed a Mini Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire as part of their clinical evaluation. The subjects with PFAS and those without PFAS were compared statistically. The subjects with PFAS had significantly larger-sized skin-prick test results specific to pollens (p < 0.05). Despite the larger-sized skin-prick test results, the subjects with allergic rhinitis and PFAS reported milder nasal symptoms in relation to pollen skin test result size when compared with allergic rhinitis controls without PFAS. Our study outlined basic differences between two seemingly similar patient groups with a particularly striking discordance between skin test result sizes and rhinitis symptoms. This discordance should be explored further to increase mechanistic understanding of allergen cross-reactivity in PFAS.

Evolution of the incidence of pollen grains and sensitivity to pollen in the city of Elche (Spain).

PubMed

Javier, Fernandez; Emilio, Flores; Montserrat, Varea; Victor, Soriano; Purificaci N, Gonzalez

2015-09-01

Environment-mediated pollen production varies over time and space, influencing pollen exposure risk and ultimately patient sensitization trends. In order to assess temporal variation of pollen incidence and patient sensitization, we set up a pollen incidence and patient sensitization survey in the city of Elche, Spain, over a 10-years interval. Pollen counts were obtained from a Burkard-type collector located in the city of Elche. We studied consecutive patients attending the outpatient consulting room at the Elche Hospital for suspected pollinosis (276 in 2005), and compared observed trends with cases from 1995 (200). Skin tests were performed for most of the common pollen in our area. The total pollen count increased by 41% from 1995 (13,219) to 2005 (22,854). There were significant counts differences between 1995 and 2005 in Olea europaea (2,018 vs. 4,433), Phoenix dactylifera (3,130 vs. 3,891), and Cupressaceae (1,212 vs. 3,115). The differences between sensitization to pollen in both years were mainly for those in relation to Olea europaea (51.4% vs. 74.9%), Salsola kali (53.7% vs. 71.8%), Parietaria judaica (10.3% vs. 21.5%), Phoenix dactylifera (5.6% vs. 22.3%), Plantago lanceolata (17.8% vs. 38.5%), and Poaceae (47.7% vs. 44.1%). The percentage of monosensitized patients was similar in both years, 16% in 1995 and 17% in 2005. Increased pollen counts in the environment may have led to increased sensitization to pollen. Possible causes may be due to changes in the weather, although the improvements of the extracts used in skin testing, increased air pollution, and/or climate change are factors to consider.

92. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, HIGH LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

92. CEDAR DRAW SPILL, HIGH LINE CANAL, TWIN FALLS COUNTY SOUTH OF FILER, IDAHO; CLOSE-UP OF OUTLET SIDE OF GATES, SOUTH VIEW. - Milner Dam & Main Canal: Twin Falls Canal Company, On Snake River, 11 miles West of city of Burley, Idaho, Twin Falls, Twin Falls County, ID

Pollen Lipidomics: Lipid Profiling Exposes a Notable Diversity in 22 Allergenic Pollen and Potential Biomarkers of the Allergic Immune Response

PubMed Central

Bashir, Mohamed Elfatih H.; Lui, Jan Hsi; Palnivelu, Ravishankar; Naclerio, Robert M.; Preuss, Daphne

2013-01-01

Background/Aim Pollen grains are the male gametophytes that deliver sperm cells to female gametophytes during sexual reproduction of higher plants. Pollen is a major source of aeroallergens and environmental antigens. The pollen coat harbors a plethora of lipids that are required for pollen hydration, germination, and penetration of the stigma by pollen tubes. In addition to proteins, pollen displays a wide array of lipids that interact with the human immune system. Prior searches for pollen allergens have focused on the identification of intracellular allergenic proteins, but have largely overlooked much of the extracellular pollen matrix, a region where the majority of lipid molecules reside. Lipid antigens have attracted attention for their potent immunoregulatory effects. By being in close proximity to allergenic proteins on the pollen surface when they interact with host cells, lipids could modify the antigenic properties of proteins. Methodology/Principal Findings We performed a comparative pollen lipid profiling of 22 commonly allergenic plant species by the use of gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, followed by detailed data mining and statistical analysis. Three experiments compared pollen lipid profiles. We built a database library of the pollen lipids by matching acquired pollen-lipid mass spectra and retention times with the NIST/EPA/NIH mass-spectral library. We detected, identified, and relatively quantified more than 106 lipid molecular species including fatty acids, n-alkanes, fatty alcohols, and sterols. Pollen-derived lipids stimulation up-regulate cytokines expression of dendritic and natural killer T cells co-culture. Conclusions/Significance Here we report on a lipidomic analysis of pollen lipids that can serve as a database for identifying potential lipid antigens and/or novel candidate molecules involved in allergy. The database provides a resource that facilitates studies on the role of lipids in the immunopathogenesis of allergy. Pollen

The Pollen Receptor Kinase LePRK2 Mediates Growth-Promoting Signals and Positively Regulates Pollen Germination and Tube Growth

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In flowering plants, the process of pollen germination and tube growth is required for successful fertilization. A pollen receptor kinase from tomato, LePRK2, has been implicated in signaling during pollen germination and tube growth as well as in mediating pollen (tube)-pistil communication. Here w...

The ultraviolet radiation environment of pollen and its effect on pollen germination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The damage to pollen caused by natural ultraviolet radiation was investigated. Experimental and literature research into the UV radiation environment is reported. Viability and germination of wind and insect pollinated species were determined. Physiological, developmental, and protective factors influencing UV sensitivity of binucleate, advanced binucleate, and trinucleate pollen grains are compared.

An increase in pectin methyl esterase activity accompanies dormancy breakage and germination of yellow cedar seeds.

PubMed

Ren, C; Kermode, A R

2000-09-01

Pectin methyl esterase (PME) (EC 3.1.1.11) catalyzes the hydrolysis of methylester groups of cell wall pectins. We investigated the role of this enzyme in dormancy termination and germination of yellow cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis [D. Don] Spach) seeds. PME activity was not detected in dormant seeds of yellow cedar but was induced and gradually increased during moist chilling; high activity coincided with dormancy breakage and germination. PME activity was positively correlated to the degree of dormancy breakage of yellow cedar seeds. The enzyme produced in different seed parts and in seeds at different times during moist chilling, germination, and early post-germinative growth consisted of two isoforms, both basic with isoelectric points of 8.7 and 8.9 and the same molecular mass of 62 kD. The pH optimum for the enzyme was between 7.4 and 8.4. In intact yellow cedar seeds, activities of the two basic isoforms of PME that were induced in embryos and in megagametophytes following dormancy breakage were significantly suppressed by abscisic acid. Gibberellic acid had a stimulatory effect on the activities of these isoforms in embryos and megagametophytes of intact seeds at the germinative stage. We hypothesize that PME plays a role in weakening of the megagametophyte, allowing radicle emergence and the completion of germination.

Drought, pollen and nectar availability, and pollination success.

PubMed

Waser, Nickolas M; Price, Mary V

2016-06-01

Pollination success of animal-pollinated flowers depends on rate of pollinator visits and on pollen deposition per visit, both of which should vary with the pollen and nectar "neighborhoods" of a plant, i.e., with pollen and nectar availability in nearby plants. One determinant of these neighborhoods is per-flower production of pollen and nectar, which is likely to respond to environmental influences. In this study, we explored environmental effects on pollen and nectar production and on pollination success in order to follow up a surprising result from a previous study: flowers of Ipomopsis aggregata received less pollen in years of high visitation by their hummingbird pollinators. A new analysis of the earlier data indicated that high bird visitation corresponded to drought years. We hypothesized that drought might contribute to the enigmatic prior result if it decreases both nectar and pollen production: in dry years, low nectar availability could cause hummingbirds to visit flowers at a higher rate, and low pollen availability could cause them to deposit less pollen per visit. A greenhouse experiment demonstrated that drought does reduce both pollen and nectar production by I. aggregata flowers. This result was corroborated across 6 yr of variable precipitation and soil moisture in four unmanipulated field populations. In addition, experimental removal of pollen from flowers reduced the pollen received by nearby flowers. We conclude that there is much to learn about how abiotic and biotic environmental drivers jointly affect pollen and nectar production and availability, and how this contributes to pollen and nectar neighborhoods and thus influences pollination success.

Human clinical studies of tea polyphenols in allergy or life style-related diseases.

PubMed

Maeda-Yamamoto, Mari

2013-01-01

Many previous epidemiological studies have revealed that green tea or green tea catechins contributed to the preveintion of lifestyle-related diseases. Several cohort studies on the relationship between green tea consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk/type 2 diabetes mellitus risk have been conducted. The results showed that green tea consumption (5 or more cups/day) was inversely associated with mortality from CVD and all causes. Within CVD mortality, the strongest inverse association was observed for stroke mortality. Furthermore, consumption of green tea, coffee, and total caffeine was associated with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, the analysis of randomized clinical trial (RCT) studies showed that the administration of green tea beverages or extracts resulted in significant reductions in serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrations, but had no apparent effect on HDL-cholesterol. Green tea reduced fasting blood glucose levels in a small intervention trial, although no improvements in HbA1c levels were seen. Continuous intake of green tea containing catechins and caffeine (5 or more cups per day) may be beneficial for body weight management, vascular disease risk reduction via LDL-cholesterol improvement, and type 2 diabetes risk reduction through the lowering of fasting blood glucose levels. Epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl) gallate (EGCG3"Me) isolated from cv. "Benifuuki" green tea has been shown to strongly inhibit mast cell activation and histamine release after FcepsilonRI cross-linking through the suppression of tyrosine phosphorylation (Lyn) of cellular protein kinase, and the suppression of myosin light chain phosphorylation and high-affinity IgE receptor expression via the binding to 67 kDa laminin receptors. A double-blind clinical study on subjects with Japanese cedar pollinosis was carried out. At the eleventh week after starting intake, which was coincident with the most severe period of cedar pollen

Forecasting model of Corylus, Alnus, and Betula pollen concentration levels using spatiotemporal correlation properties of pollen count.

PubMed

Nowosad, Jakub; Stach, Alfred; Kasprzyk, Idalia; Weryszko-Chmielewska, Elżbieta; Piotrowska-Weryszko, Krystyna; Puc, Małgorzata; Grewling, Łukasz; Pędziszewska, Anna; Uruska, Agnieszka; Myszkowska, Dorota; Chłopek, Kazimiera; Majkowska-Wojciechowska, Barbara

The aim of the study was to create and evaluate models for predicting high levels of daily pollen concentration of Corylus , Alnus , and Betula using a spatiotemporal correlation of pollen count. For each taxon, a high pollen count level was established according to the first allergy symptoms during exposure. The dataset was divided into a training set and a test set, using a stratified random split. For each taxon and city, the model was built using a random forest method. Corylus models performed poorly. However, the study revealed the possibility of predicting with substantial accuracy the occurrence of days with high pollen concentrations of Alnus and Betula using past pollen count data from monitoring sites. These results can be used for building (1) simpler models, which require data only from aerobiological monitoring sites, and (2) combined meteorological and aerobiological models for predicting high levels of pollen concentration.

Pollen-Specific Aquaporins NIP4;1 and NIP4;2 Are Required for Pollen Development and Pollination in Arabidopsis thaliana

PubMed Central

Bienert, Gerd Patrick; Barberini, María Laura

2016-01-01

In flowers with dry stigmas, pollen development, pollination, and pollen tube growth require spatial and temporal regulation of water and nutrient transport. To better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in reproductive processes, we characterized NIP4;1 and NIP4;2, two pollen-specific aquaporins of Arabidopsis thaliana. NIP4;1 and NIP4;2 are paralogs found exclusively in the angiosperm lineage. Although they have 84% amino acid identity, they displayed different expression patterns. NIP4;1 has low expression levels in mature pollen, while NIP4;2 expression peaks during pollen tube growth. Additionally, NIP4;1pro:GUS flowers showed GUS activity in mature pollen and pollen tubes, whereas NIP4;2pro:GUS flowers only in pollen tubes. Single T-DNA mutants and double artificial microRNA knockdowns had fewer seeds per silique and reduced pollen germination and pollen tube length. Transport assays in oocytes showed NIP4;1 and NIP4;2 function as water and nonionic channels. We also found that NIP4;1 and NIP4;2 C termini are phosphorylated by a pollen-specific CPK that modifies their water permeability. Survival assays in yeast indicated that NIP4;1 also transports ammonia, urea, boric acid, and H2O2. Thus, we propose that aquaporins NIP4;1 and NIP4;2 are exclusive components of the reproductive apparatus of angiosperms with partially redundant roles in pollen development and pollination. PMID:27095837

A Simple Method for Collecting Airborne Pollen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kevan, Peter G.; DiGiovanni, Franco; Ho, Rong H.; Taki, Hisatomo; Ferguson, Kristyn A.; Pawlowski, Agata K.

2006-01-01

Pollination is a broad area of study within biology. For many plants, pollen carried by wind is required for successful seed set. Airborne pollen also affects human health. To foster studies of airborne pollen, we introduce a simple device--the "megastigma"--for collecting pollen from the air. This device is flexible, yielding easily obtained data…

Balsam Fir Dominant Species Under Rethinned Northern White-Cedar

Treesearch

William F. Johnston

1972-01-01

A 20-year thinning study in a Wisconsin swamp stand of middle-aged northern white-cedar indicates that advance tree reproduction and shrubs grow little under after a second thinning to less than 150 square feet of basal area per acre. Balsam fir will probably dominate this undergrowth, particularly if the area is used heavily by snowshoe hare or white-tailed deer....

Anther evolution: pollen presentation strategies when pollinators differ.

PubMed

Castellanos, Maria Clara; Wilson, Paul; Keller, Sarah J; Wolfe, Andrea D; Thomson, James D

2006-02-01

Male-male competition in plants is thought to exert selection on flower morphology and on the temporal presentation of pollen. Theory suggests that a plant's pollen dosing strategy should evolve to match the abundance and pollen transfer efficiency of its pollinators. Simultaneous pollen presentation should be favored when pollinators are infrequent or efficient at delivering the pollen they remove, whereas gradual dosing should optimize delivery by frequent and wasteful pollinators. Among Penstemon and Keckiella species, anthers vary in ways that affect pollen release, and the morphology of dried anthers reliably indicates how they dispense pollen. In these genera, hummingbird pollination has evolved repeatedly from hymenopteran pollination. Pollen production does not change with evolutionary shifts between pollinators. We show that after we control for phylogeny, hymenopteran-adapted species present their pollen more gradually than hummingbird-adapted relatives. In a species pair that seemed to defy the pattern, the rhythm of anther maturation produced an equivalent dosing effect. These results accord with previous findings that hummingbirds can be more efficient than bees at delivering pollen.

Evaluation of soil saturation, soil chemistry, and early spring soil and air temperatures as risk factors in yellow-cedar decline.

Treesearch

D.V. D' Amore; P.E. Hennon

2006-01-01

Yellow-cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis (D. Don) Oerst.) is a valuable tree species that is experiencing a widespread decline and mortality in southeast Alaska. This study evaluated the relative importance of several potential risk factors associated with yellow-cedar decline: soil saturation, soil aluminum (Al) toxicity or calcium (Ca) deficiency...

Trends in airborne pollen and pollen-season-related features of anemophilous species in Jaen (south Spain): A 23-year perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz-Valenzuela, Luis; Aguilera, Fátima

2018-05-01

Over the last few decades, global warming is prompting phenological changes in numerous plant species across Europe, and a trend towards rising airborne pollen concentrations has been detected. This study, focused on the most frequent pollen types from arboreal and herbaceous species in the airborne spectrum of Jaen (southern Spain), revealed significant changes in airborne pollen intensity and duration of the pollen season over the 23-year study period. Here Cupressaceae, Olea, Pinus, Platanus, Quercus as arboreal taxa and Plantago as herbaceous taxa were the most important with notable changes of at least three pollen season characteristics. Airborne pollen trends from arboreal taxa with high to very high allergenic potential are rising in line with the local temperature increasing trend, and their pollen seasons tend to end later and last longer. However, both the pollen concentrations and the duration of the pollen season of some herbaceous taxa are declining. The climate conditions projected for south Europe under different greenhouse emissions scenarios could continue to prompt greater pollen release and longer pollen season in tree species, especially those that flowering in winter and early spring, but these warming trends might be adverse for the local development of some herbaceous species and favorable for others sharing the same ecological niche. If similar warming trends accompany long-term climate change, greater exposure times to seasonal allergens may occur with subsequent effects on health.

Forest tree pollen dispersal via the water cycle.

PubMed

Williams, Claire G

2013-06-01

Pine pollen (Pinus spp.), along with other atmospheric particles, is dispersed by the water cycle, but this mode of dispersal requires cloud-pollen interactions that depend on taxon-specific biological properties. In the simplest form of this dispersal, pine pollen ascends vertically to altitudes of 2 to 6 km, where a fraction is captured by mixed-phase cloud formation. Captured pollen accretes into frozen droplets, which ultimately descend as rain, snow, or hail. Whether Pinus pollen can still germinate after its exposure to high-altitude freezing is pertinent to (1) how forests adapt to climate change and (2) potential gene flow between genetically modified plantation species and their conspecific relatives. • To address this question, pollen from four Old World and two New World Pinus species were subjected to immersion freezing, a common cloud formation mode, under laboratory conditions. • Some pollen grains immersed at -20°C for 15, 60, or 120 min in either a dehydrated or a water-saturated state were still capable of germination. After exposure, dehydrated pine pollen had higher germination (43.3%) than water-saturated pollen (7.6%). • Pine pollen exposed to freezing during cloud formation can still germinate, raising the question of whether rain-delivered live pollen might be linked to rain-facilitated pollination. Dispersal of live pine pollen via cloud formation and the water cycle itself deserves closer study.

High correlation of specific IgE sensitization between birch pollen, soy and apple allergens indicates pollen-food allergy syndrome among birch pollen allergic patients in northern China.

PubMed

Hao, Guo-Dong; Zheng, Yi-Wu; Wang, Zhi-Xiang; Kong, Xing-Ai; Song, Zhi-Jing; Lai, Xu-Xin; Spangfort, Michael D

2016-05-01

Birch pollen sensitization and associated pollen-food syndrome among Chinese allergic patients have not been investigated. Sera from 203 allergic patients from the northern part of China and collected during February to July 2014 were investigated. Specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) against birch pollen extract Bet v and major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 were measured using the ADVIA Centaur. The presence of major apple allergen Mal d 1 and soy bean allergen Gly m 4 specific IgE was measured by ImmunoCAP 100. Among the 203 sera, 34 sera (16.7%) had specific IgE to Bet v and of these, 28 sera (82.4%) contained Bet v 1-specific IgE. Among the 28 sera with Bet v 1-specific IgE, 27 sera (96.4%) contained Mal d 1-specific IgE and 22 sera (78.6%) contained Gly m 4-specific IgE. Of the 34 Bet v-positive sera, 6 sera (17.6%) contained no specific IgE for Bet v 1, Mal d 1, or Gly m 4. Almost all Bet v-positive sera were donated during the birch pollen season. The prevalence of birch allergy among patients visiting health care during pollen season can be as high as 16.7% in Tangshan City. The majority of Chinese birch allergic patients are IgE-sensitized to the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 as well as to the major apple allergen Mal d 1 and soy bean allergen Gly m 4. A relatively high number of patients (17.6%) are IgE-sensitized to birch pollen allergen(s) other than Bet v 1. The high prevalence of specific IgE to Mal d 1 and Gly m 4 among Bet v 1-sensitized patients indicates that pollen-food allergy syndrome could be of clinical relevance in China.

Cell-Cell Interactions during pollen tube guidance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Daphne Preuss

The long-term goal of this research is to identify the signaling molecules that mediate plant cell-cell interactions during pollination. The immediate goals of this project are to perform genetic and molecular analysis of pollen tube guidance. Specifically, we proposed to: 1. Characterize the pistil components that direct pollen tube navigation using the Arabidopsis thaliana in vitro pollen tube guidance system 2. Identify pistil signals that direct pollen tube guidance by a) using microarrays to profile gene expression in developing pistils, and b) employing proteomics and metabolomics to isolate pollen tube guidance signals. 3. Explore the genetic basis of natural variationmore » in guidance signals, comparing the in vitro interactions between pollen and pistils from A. thaliana and its close relatives.« less

Pollen-imprinted polyurethanes for QCM allergen sensors.

PubMed

Jenik, Michael; Seifner, Alexandra; Lieberzeit, Peter; Dickert, Franz L

2009-05-01

Molecularly imprinted polymers for detecting plant pollen were designed as artificial recognition materials for quartz crystal microbalances in the gaseous phase. Imprints of birch (diameter, 25 mum) and nettle (diameter, 15 mum) pollen can be generated by polydimethylsiloxane stamping technique as proven by atomic force microscopy. If pollen grains are able to access the cavities and thus are incorporated, the resulting sensors display Sauerbrey-like negative frequency shifts. Non-Sauerbrey behaviour can be observed as soon as pollen is prevented from entering the selective hollows: this results in grain mobility on the electrode surface leading to frequency increases. Access to the cavities is determined by the diameter ratio between pollen grains and imprints as can be revealed during cross-selectivity measurements of nettle and birch pollen imprinted layers. When the amount of pollen grains on the electrode surface exceeds the number of available imprints, the excess particles move freely, resulting in positive, non-Sauerbrey frequency shifts.

A combinatorial morphospace for angiosperm pollen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mander, Luke

2016-04-01

The morphology of angiosperm (flowering plant) pollen is extraordinarily diverse. This diversity results from variations in the morphology of discrete anatomical components. These components include the overall shape of a pollen grain, the stratification of the exine, the number and form of any apertures, the type of dispersal unit, and the nature of any surface ornamentation. Different angiosperm pollen morphotypes reflect different combinations of these discrete components. In this talk, I ask the following question: given the anatomical components of angiosperm pollen that are known to exist in the plant kingdom, how many unique biologically plausible combinations of these components are there? I explore this question from the perspective of enumerative combinatorics using an algorithm I have written in the Python programming language. This algorithm (1) calculates the number of combinations of these components; (2) enumerates those combinations; and (3) graphically displays those combinations. The result is a combinatorial morphospace that reflects an underlying notion that the process of morphogenesis in angiosperm pollen can be thought of as an n choose k counting problem. I compare the morphology of extant and fossil angiosperm pollen grains to this morphospace, and suggest that from a combinatorial point of view angiosperm pollen is not as diverse as it could be, which may be a result of developmental constraints.

Flotation preferentially selects saccate pollen during conifer pollination.

PubMed

Leslie, Andrew B

2010-10-01

• Among many species of living conifers the presence of pollen with air bladders (saccate pollen) is strongly associated with downward-facing ovules and the production of pollination drops. This combination of features enables saccate pollen grains captured in the pollination drop to float upwards into the ovule. Despite the importance of this mechanism in understanding reproduction in living conifers and in extinct seed plants with similar morphologies, experiments designed to test its effectiveness have yielded equivocal results. • In vitro and in vivo pollination experiments using saccate and nonsaccate pollen were performed using modeled ovules and two Pinus species during their natural pollination period. • Buoyant saccate pollen readily floated through aqueous droplets, separating these grains from nonbuoyant pollen and spores. Ovules that received saccate pollen, nonsaccate pollen or a mixture of both all showed larger amounts and higher proportions of saccate pollen inside ovules after drop secretion. • These results demonstrate that flotation is an effective mechanism of pollen capture and transport in gymnosperms, and suggest that the prevalence of saccate grains and downward-facing ovules in the evolutionary history of seed plants is a result of the widespread use of this mechanism.

Trehalase: A New Pollen Enzyme

PubMed Central

Gussin, Arnold E. S.; McCormack, Jeffrey H.; Waung, Lucille Yih-Lo; Gluckin, Doreen S.

1969-01-01

Pollen from 5 plant species (Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium Mill., Hermerocallis minor Mill., Galtonia condicans Decne., Camellia japonica L., and Lathyrus odoratus L.) representing 4 families germinated well in media containing trehalose as the sole carbon source. Data are presented indicating that pollen metabolized this disaccharide for germination and subsequent pollen-tube growth; the sugar was not merely an osmoregulator. An inhibitor of trehalase activity depressed germination in trehalose but not in sucrose. Phloridzin dihydrate, an inhibitor of glucose transport, depressed germination in both disaccharides. Biochemical tests demonstrated that a pollen extract was capable of hydrolyzing trehalose to its constituent glucose monomers. Heat inactivation experiments confirmed the presence of a distinct trehalase having a rigid specificity for its substrate. By this method, trehalase activity was completely distinguishable from the activities of other α- and β-glucosidases and β-galactosidases. Localization data indicated that the enzyme diffused from intact grains and was probably soluble. The presence of its substrate could not be demonstrated in pollen or in stigmatic or stylar tissues. PMID:5379538

Trehalase: a new pollen enzyme.

PubMed

Gussin, A E; McCormack, J H; Waung, L Y; Gluckin, D S

1969-08-01

Pollen from 5 plant species (Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium Mill., Hermerocallis minor Mill., Galtonia condicans Decne., Camellia japonica L., and Lathyrus odoratus L.) representing 4 families germinated well in media containing trehalose as the sole carbon source. Data are presented indicating that pollen metabolized this disaccharide for germination and subsequent pollen-tube growth; the sugar was not merely an osmoregulator. An inhibitor of trehalase activity depressed germination in trehalose but not in sucrose. Phloridzin dihydrate, an inhibitor of glucose transport, depressed germination in both disaccharides. Biochemical tests demonstrated that a pollen extract was capable of hydrolyzing trehalose to its constituent glucose monomers. Heat inactivation experiments confirmed the presence of a distinct trehalase having a rigid specificity for its substrate. By this method, trehalase activity was completely distinguishable from the activities of other alpha- and beta-glucosidases and beta-galactosidases. Localization data indicated that the enzyme diffused from intact grains and was probably soluble. The presence of its substrate could not be demonstrated in pollen or in stigmatic or stylar tissues.

AmeriFlux US-Ced Cedar Bridge

DOE Data Explorer

Clark, Ken [USDA Forest Service

2016-01-01

This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Ced Cedar Bridge. Site Description - Wildfires and prescribed fires are a common occurrence in the NJ Pinelands. Prior to a 1995 nonstand replacing wildfire, the stand was last burned in the very large wildfire in 1963. Plow lines were installed for fire control in December of 2007, followed by a prescribed burns in 2008 and 2013, conducted by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. Pine looper defoliated the stand in 1998, and Gypsy moth defoliated the understory and deciduos oaks in 2007. Pitch Pines are largely unaffected by defoliation by Gypsy moth.

33 CFR 334.200 - Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River... Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, danger zones. (a) Aerial firing range—(1) The danger zone. The waters...

33 CFR 334.200 - Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River... Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, danger zones. (a) Aerial firing range—(1) The danger zone. The waters...

33 CFR 334.200 - Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River... Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland, danger zones. (a) Aerial firing range—(1) The danger zone. The waters...

33 CFR 334.200 - Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River... Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout to Cedar Point; aerial and surface firing range and target area, U.S. Naval Air...) The regulations. (i) Through navigation of surface craft outside the target areas will be permitted at...

[Allergic disease--pollen allergy and climate change].

PubMed

Sommer, Janne; Plaschke, Peter; Poulsen, Lars K

2009-10-26

Pollen allergy currently affects a fifth of the population. A warmer climate will lead to a longer pollen season and more days with high pollen counts. In addition, a warmer climate increases the risk of proliferation of new plants with well-known allergenic pollens like ragweed, plane tree and wall pellitory, which have not previously caused allergy in Denmark. The consequences will be more people with hay fever and pollen asthma, longer allergy seasons and an increase in the severity of symptoms, disease-related costs and demands on health care for diagnosis and treatment of more complex allergies.

Hexose Transport in Growing Petunia Pollen Tubes and Characterization of a Pollen-Specific, Putative Monosaccharide Transporter1

PubMed Central

Ylstra, Bauke; Garrido, Dolores; Busscher, Jacqueline; van Tunen, Arjen J.

1998-01-01

We investigated the molecular and physiological processes of sugar uptake and metabolism during pollen tube growth and plant fertilization. In vitro germination assays showed that petunia (Petunia hybrida) pollen can germinate and grow not only in medium containing sucrose (Suc) as a carbon source, but also in medium containing the monosaccharides glucose (Glc) or fructose (Fru). Furthermore, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis demonstrated a rapid and complete conversion of Suc into equimolar amounts of Glc and Fru when pollen was cultured in a medium containing 2% Suc. This indicates the presence of wall-bound invertase activity and uptake of sugars in the form of monosaccharides by the growing pollen tube. A cDNA designated pmt1 (petunia monosaccharide transporter 1), which is highly homologous to plant monosaccharide transporters, was isolated from petunia. Pmt1 belongs to a small gene family and is expressed specifically in the male gametophyte, but not in any other vegetative or floral tissues. Pmt1 is activated after the first pollen mitosis, and high levels of mRNA accumulate in mature and germinating pollen. A model describing the transport of sugars to the style, the conversion of Suc into Glc and Fru, and the active uptake by a monosaccharide transporter into the pollen tube is presented. PMID:9733549

Methods for screening Port-Orford-cedar for resistance to Phytophthora lateralis

Treesearch

Everett M. Hansen; Paul Reeser; Wendy Sutton; Richard A. Sniezko

2012-01-01

Port-Orford-cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murray) Parl.) (POC) is an economically and ecologically valuable tree in the forests of southwest Oregon and northern California and in the horticultural trade worldwide. Phytophthora lateralis, the aggressive, invasive cause of POC root disease, was introduced to the native...

Synthetic Minor NSR Permit: Red Cedar Gathering Company - South Ignacio Central Delivery Point

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page contains the final synthetic minor NSR permit for the Red Cedar Gathering Company, South Ignacio Central Delivery Point, located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in La Plata County, CO.

The medical and scientific responsibility of pollen information services.

PubMed

Bastl, Katharina; Berger, Markus; Bergmann, Karl-Christian; Kmenta, Maximilian; Berger, Uwe

2017-01-01

Pollen information as such is highly valuable and was considered so far as a self-evident good free for the public. The foundation for reliable and serious pollen information is the careful, scientific evaluation of pollen content in the air. However, it is essential to state and define now the requirements for pollen data and qualifications needed for institutions working with pollen data in the light of technical developments such as automated pollen counting and various political interests in aerobiology including attempts to finally acknowledge pollen and spores as relevant biological particles in the air worth being considered for pollution and health directives. It has to be emphasized that inadequate pollen forecasts are a considerable health risk for pollen allergy sufferers. Therefore, the responsibility of institutions involved in pollen monitoring and forecasting is high and should be substantiated with respective qualifications and know-how. We suggest here for the first time a portfolio of quality criteria and demand rigorous scientific monitoring and certification of such institutions in the interest and for the protection of persons affected by a pollen allergy.

A combinatorial approach to angiosperm pollen morphology.

PubMed

Mander, Luke

2016-11-30

Angiosperms (flowering plants) are strikingly diverse. This is clearly expressed in the morphology of their pollen grains, which are characterized by enormous variety in their shape and patterning. In this paper, I approach angiosperm pollen morphology from the perspective of enumerative combinatorics. This involves generating angiosperm pollen morphotypes by algorithmically combining character states and enumerating the results of these combinations. I use this approach to generate 3 643 200 pollen morphotypes, which I visualize using a parallel-coordinates plot. This represents a raw morphospace. To compare real-world and theoretical morphologies, I map the pollen of 1008 species of Neotropical angiosperms growing on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, onto this raw morphospace. This highlights that, in addition to their well-documented taxonomic diversity, Neotropical rainforests also represent an enormous reservoir of morphological diversity. Angiosperm pollen morphospace at BCI has been filled mostly by pollen morphotypes that are unique to single plant species. Repetition of pollen morphotypes among higher taxa at BCI reflects both constraint and convergence. This combinatorial approach to morphology addresses the complexity that results from large numbers of discrete character combinations and could be employed in any situation where organismal form can be captured by discrete morphological characters. © 2016 The Author(s).

A combinatorial approach to angiosperm pollen morphology

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Angiosperms (flowering plants) are strikingly diverse. This is clearly expressed in the morphology of their pollen grains, which are characterized by enormous variety in their shape and patterning. In this paper, I approach angiosperm pollen morphology from the perspective of enumerative combinatorics. This involves generating angiosperm pollen morphotypes by algorithmically combining character states and enumerating the results of these combinations. I use this approach to generate 3 643 200 pollen morphotypes, which I visualize using a parallel-coordinates plot. This represents a raw morphospace. To compare real-world and theoretical morphologies, I map the pollen of 1008 species of Neotropical angiosperms growing on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, onto this raw morphospace. This highlights that, in addition to their well-documented taxonomic diversity, Neotropical rainforests also represent an enormous reservoir of morphological diversity. Angiosperm pollen morphospace at BCI has been filled mostly by pollen morphotypes that are unique to single plant species. Repetition of pollen morphotypes among higher taxa at BCI reflects both constraint and convergence. This combinatorial approach to morphology addresses the complexity that results from large numbers of discrete character combinations and could be employed in any situation where organismal form can be captured by discrete morphological characters. PMID:27881756

Is non-host pollen suitable for generalist bumblebees?

PubMed

Vanderplanck, Maryse; Decleves, Sylvain; Roger, Nathalie; Decroo, Corentin; Caulier, Guillaume; Glauser, Gaetan; Gerbaux, Pascal; Lognay, Georges; Richel, Aurore; Escaravage, Nathalie; Michez, Denis

2018-04-01

Current evidence suggests that pollen is both chemically and structurally protected. Despite increasing interest in studying bee-flower networks, the constraints for bee development related to pollen nutritional content, toxicity and digestibility as well as their role in the shaping of bee-flower interactions have been poorly studied. In this study we combined bioassays of the generalist bee Bombus terrestris on pollen of Cirsium, Trifolium, Salix, and Cistus genera with an assessment of nutritional content, toxicity, and digestibility of pollen. Microcolonies showed significant differences in their development, non-host pollen of Cirsium being the most unfavorable. This pollen was characterized by the presence of quite rare δ7-sterols and a low digestibility. Cirsium consumption seemed increase syrup collection, which is probably related to a detoxification mixing behavior. These results strongly suggest that pollen traits may act as drivers of plant selection by bees and partly explain why Asteraceae pollen is rare in bee generalist diet. © 2016 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

A one-dimensional, steady-state, dissolved-oxygen model and waste-load assimilation study for Cedar Creek, Dekalb and Allen counties, Indiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilber, William G.; Peters, J.G.; Ayers, M.A.; Crawford, Charles G.

1979-01-01

A digital model calibrated to conditions in Cedar Creek was used to develop alternatives for future waste loadings that would be compatible with Indiana stream water-quality standards defined for two critical hydrologic conditions, summer and winter low flows. The model indicates that the dissolved-oxygen concentration of the Auburn wastewater effluent and nitrification are the most significant factors affecting the dissolved-oxygen concentration in Cedar Creek during summer low flows. The observed dissolved-oxygen concentration of the Auburn wastewater effluent was low and averaged 30 percent of saturation. Projected nitrogenous biochemical-oxygen demand loads, from the Indiana State Board of Health, for the Auburn and Waterloo wastewater-treatment facilities will result in violations of the current instream dissolved-oxygen standard (5 mg/l), even with an effluent dissolved-oxygen concentration of 80 percent saturation. Natural streamflow for Cedar Creek upstream from the confluence of Willow and Little Cedar Creeks is small compared with the waste discharge, so benefits of dilution for Waterloo and Auburn are minimal. The model also indicates that, during winter low flows, ammonia toxicity, rather than dissolved oxygen, is the limiting water-quality criterion in the reach of Cedar Creek downstream from the wastewater-treatment facility at Auburn and the confluence of Garrett ditch. Ammonia-nitrogen concentrations predicted for 1978 through 2000 downstream from the Waterloo wastewater-treatment facility do not exceed Indiana water-quality standards for streams. Calculations of the stream 's assimilative capacity indicate that future waste discharge in the Cedar Creek basin will be limited to the reaches between the Auburn wastewater-treatment facility and County Road 68. (Kosco-USGS)

Determination of allergenic load and pollen count of Cupressus arizonica pollen by flow cytometry using Cup a1 polyclonal antibody.

PubMed

Benítez, Francisco Moreno; Camacho, Antonio Letrán; Del Cuvillo Bernal, Alfonso; de Medina, Pedro Lobatón Sánchez; Cózar, Francisco J García; Romeu, Ma Luisa Espinazo

2013-07-10

Background: There is an increase in the incidence of pollen related allergy, thus information on pollen schedules would be a great asset for physicians to improve the clinical care of patients. Like cypress pollen sensitization shows a high prevalence among the causes of allergic rhinitis, and therefore it is of interest to use it like a model of study, distinguishing cypress pollen, pollen count and allergenic load level. In this work, we use a flow cytometry based technique to obtain both Cupressus arizonica pollen count and allergenic load, using specific rabbit polyclonal antibody Cup a1 and its comparison with optical microscopy technique measurement. Methods: Airborne samples were collected from Burkard Spore-Trap and Burkard Cyclone Cupressus arizonica pollen was studied using specific rabbit polyclonal antibody Cup a1, labelled with AlexaFluor ® 488 or 750 and analysed by Flow Cytometry in both an EPICS XL and Cyan ADP cytometers (Beckman Coulter ® ). Optical microscopy study was realized with a Leica optical microscope. Bland & Altman was used to determine agreement between both techniques measured. Results: We can identify three different populations based on rabbit polyclonal antibody Cup a1 staining. The main region (44.5%) had 97.3% recognition, a second region (25%) with 28% and a third region (30.5%) with 68% respectively. Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy showed that main region corresponds to whole pollen grains, the second region are pollen without exine and the third region is constituted by smaller particles with allergenic properties. Pollen schedule shows a higher correlation measured by optical microscopy and flow cytometry in the pollen count with a p-value: 0.0008E -2 and 0.0002 with regard to smaller particles, so the Bland & Altman measurement showed a good correlation between them, p-value: 0,0003. Conclusion: Determination of pollen count and allergenic load by flow cytometry represents an important tool in the determination

Determination of allergenic load and pollen count of Cupressus arizonica pollen by flow cytometry using Cup a1 polyclonal antibody.

PubMed

Benítez, Francisco Moreno; Camacho, Antonio Letrán; del Cuvillo Bernal, Alfonso; de Medina, Pedro Lobatón Sánchez; García Cózar, Francisco J; Romeu, Marisa Espinazo

2014-01-01

There is an increase in the incidence of pollen related allergy, thus information on pollen schedules would be a great asset for physicians to improve the clinical care of patients. Like cypress pollen sensitization shows a high prevalence among the causes of allergic rhinitis, and therefore it is of interest to use it like a model of study, distinguishing cypress pollen, pollen count, and allergenic load level. In this work, we use a flow cytometry based technique to obtain both Cupressus arizonica pollen count and allergenic load, using specific rabbit polyclonal antibody Cup a1 and its comparison with optical microscopy technique measurement. Airborne samples were collected from Burkard Spore-Trap and Burkard Cyclone Cupressus arizonica pollen was studied using specific rabbit polyclonal antibody Cup a1, labeled with AlexaFluor(®) 488 or 750 and analysed by Flow Cytometry in both an EPICS XL and Cyan ADP cytometers (Beckman Coulter(®) ). Optical microscopy study was realized with a Leica optical microscope. Bland and Altman was used to determine agreement between both techniques measured. We can identify three different populations based on rabbit polyclonal antibody Cup a1 staining. The main region (44.5%) had 97.3% recognition, a second region (25%) with 28% and a third region (30.5%) with 68% respectively. Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy showed that main region corresponds to whole pollen grains, the second region are pollen without exine and the third region is constituted by smaller particles with allergenic properties. Pollen schedule shows a higher correlation measured by optical microscopy and flow cytometry in the pollen count with a P-value: 0.0008 E(-2) and 0.0002 with regard to smaller particles, so the Bland and Altman measurement showed a good correlation between them, P-value: 0.0003. Determination of pollen count and allergenic load by flow cytometry represents an important tool in the determination of airborne respiratory allergens

Pollen food allergy syndrome in Turkey: Clinical characteristics and evaluation of its association with skin test reactivity to pollens.

PubMed

Özdemir, Seςil Kepil; Özgüςlü, Selcan

2017-09-17

There is limited data regarding pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS) in Turkey. To investigate the clinical characteristics and possible risk factors of PFAS in Turkey, and to evaluate if there was an association between skin test reactivity to pollens and presence of PFAS. A total of 254 consecutive adult patients with pollen sensitivity were prospectively recruited. Patients were interviewed with a questionnaire including a list of pollen-associated foods. Patients were classified as having PFAS if they reported clear allergic symptoms compatible with PFAS. All participants underwent skin prick tests (SPT) to a panel of common aeroallergens, prick-to-prick tests with culprit fresh foods were performed in patients who gave consent. Self-reported PFAS was observed in 49 patients (19.3%). The most common culprit foods were kiwi, peach, tomato, melon and watermelon. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that potential risk factors for PFAS were having asthma (OR=2.392, P=0.044) and tree pollen sensitization (OR=2.904, P=0.004). There were no significant differences in the SPT wheal sizes to individual pollen extracts between patients with and without PFAS with a positive SPT result for that pollen extract (P> 0.05). PFAS is frequent in pollen sensitized adults in Turkey. The most commonly implicated foods are kiwi, peach,tomato, melon and watermelon, in our geographical region. SPT wheal sizes to pollen extracts seems to be similar in patients with and without PFAS.

Juniper Pollen Hotspots in the Southwest

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bunderson, L. D.; VandeWater, P.; Luvall, J.; Levetin, E.

2013-01-01

Rationale: Juniperus pollen is a major allergen in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. While the bulk of pollen may be released in rural areas, large amounts of pollen can be transported to urban areas. Major juniper species in the region include: Juniperus ashei, J. virginiana, J. pinchotii, and J. monosperma. Pollen release is virtually continuous beginning in late September with J. pinchotii and ending in May with J. monosperma. Urban areas in the region were evaluated for the potential of overlapping seasons in order to inform sensitive individuals. Methods: Burkard volumetric pollen traps were established for two consecutive spring seasons at 6 sites in northern New Mexico and 6 sites for two consecutive winter and fall seasons in Texas and Oklahoma Standard methods were used in the preparation and analysis of slides. Results: The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is home to over 6 million people. It is adjacent to populations of J. pinchotii, J. virginiana, and J. ashei. Peak concentration near Dallas for J. ashei in 2011 was 5891 pollen grains/m3 in January 7th. The peak date for J. pinchotii at an upwind sampling location in San Marcos, TX was November 1, 2010 and peak for J. virginiana at a nearby station in Tulsa, OK was November 1, 2010 and peak for J. virginiana at a nearby station in Tulsa, OK was February 20, 2011. Amarillo, TX is adjacent to J. pinchotii, J. ashei, and J. monosperma populations and may be subject to juniper pollen from September through May. Conclusions: Considering the overlapping distributions of juniper trees and the overlapping temporal release of pollen, sensitive patients may benefit from avoiding hotspots.

Pollen Germination--A Challenging and Educational Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tse, H. L. H.; Chan, G. Y. S.

2001-01-01

Summarizes the recent research on pollen germination and introduces some basic studies on pollen tube growth that can be conducted in a secondary school laboratory. Discusses the use of a light microscope and refrigerator to study pollen. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/YDS)

Survey of airborne pollen in Hubei province of China.

PubMed

Liu, Guang-hui; Zhu, Rong-fei; Zhang, Wei; Li, Wen-jing; Wang, Zhong-xi; Chen, Huan

2008-12-01

To study the genera and seasonal distribution of airborne pollen in Hubei province of China, and its relationship with pollinosis. From November 2003 to October 2004, an airborne pollen investigation was performed in 16 chosen areas in 12 cities of Hubei province using gravity sedimentation technique. Meanwhile, univalent skin prick tests of pollens were performed and the invasion season was studied on 2,300 patients with pollinosis. Among them, 352 cases underwent the airway responsiveness measurements, and the correlation between airway responsiveness and results of pollen count was analyzed. A total of 61 pollen genera were observed and 257,520 pollens were collected. The peak of airborne pollen distribution occurred in two seasons each year: spring (March and April) and autumn (from August to October). The attack of pollinosis corresponded to the peak of pollen distribution. There was a significantly negative relationship between the provocation dose causing a 20% decrease of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) from baseline and airborne pollen concentration (r= -0.6829, P < 0.05). This study provides useful information for airborne pollen epidemiology of Hubei province, and it provides important insights to clinical prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of pollen-related allergic diseases.

Immersion freezing of birch pollen washing water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Augustin, S.; Wex, H.; Niedermeier, D.; Pummer, B.; Grothe, H.; Hartmann, S.; Tomsche, L.; Clauss, T.; Voigtländer, J.; Ignatius, K.; Stratmann, F.

2013-11-01

Birch pollen grains are known to be ice nucleating active biological particles. The ice nucleating activity has previously been tracked down to biological macromolecules that can be easily extracted from the pollen grains in water. In the present study, we investigated the immersion freezing behavior of these ice nucleating active (INA) macromolecules. Therefore we measured the frozen fractions of particles generated from birch pollen washing water as a function of temperature at the Leipzig Aerosol Cloud Interaction Simulator (LACIS). Two different birch pollen samples were considered, with one originating from Sweden and one from the Czech Republic. For the Czech and Swedish birch pollen samples, freezing was observed to start at -19 and -17 °C, respectively. The fraction of frozen droplets increased for both samples down to -24 °C. Further cooling did not increase the frozen fractions any more. Instead, a plateau formed at frozen fractions below 1. This fact could be used to determine the amount of INA macromolecules in the droplets examined here, which in turn allowed for the determination of nucleation rates for single INA macromolecules. The main differences between the Swedish birch pollen and the Czech birch pollen were obvious in the temperature range between -17 and -24 °C. In this range, a second plateau region could be seen for Swedish birch pollen. As we assume INA macromolecules to be the reason for the ice nucleation, we concluded that birch pollen is able to produce at least two different types of INA macromolecules. We were able to derive parameterizations for the heterogeneous nucleation rates for both INA macromolecule types, using two different methods: a simple exponential fit and the Soccer ball model. With these parameterization methods we were able to describe the ice nucleation behavior of single INA macromolecules from both the Czech and the Swedish birch pollen.

Throughfall and stemflow dynamics in a riparian cedar swamp: possible ecohydrological feedbacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duval, T. P.

2012-12-01

Partitioning of rainfall through forest canopies as throughfall and stemflow have deservedly been the subject of much research in the past; however, very little is known about the fluxes of water and solutes through forested wetland communities. Temperate swamps are characterized by intermittent canopy coverage, with areas that are denser than upland forests of similar species, but also contain canopy gaps of meadow and marsh communities,. Understanding the role of vegetation on the distribution of precipitation in these ecosystems is necessary to effectively constrain water balance estimates and predict possible community responses to shifting climate regimes. This study examines throughfall, stemflow, and interception dynamics in a riparian cedar swamp in Alliston, Ontario, Canada over the 2012 growing season. Throughfall averaged 76 % of above-canopy rainfall; however, there were spatial-magnitude interaction variations within the swamp. For events less than 20 mm, between 17 and 75 % of the measured swamp floor received greater depth of rain than above the canopy, whereas for events greater than 20 mm only between 2 and 23 % of the sampled swamp floor received more water than the actual event. The observed spatial variability in throughfall was not related to leaf area index, suggesting remote sensing modelling efforts may not be an accurate method for quantification of wetland precipitation dynamics. Stemflow along the predominantly cedar trees averaged 5 %; therefore, net precipitation on a seasonal basis in this cedar swamp was 81 % of above canopy rainfall. Throughfall DOC and total nitrogen concentrations averaged 31 and 2.2 mg/L, respectively, with stemflow DOC and TN concentrations averaging 109 and 6.5 mg/L, respectively. These values are much higher than reported for upland forest species. In general, throughfall magnitudes increased and solute concentrations decreased with increasing distance from the existing forest boles. The delivery of high

More than sixty origins of pantoporate pollen in angiosperms.

PubMed

Prieu, Charlotte; Sauquet, Hervé; Gouyon, Pierre-Henri; Albert, Béatrice

2017-12-01

Apertures in pollen grains are key structures of the wall, involved in pollen tube germination and exchanges with the environment. Aperture types in angiosperms are diverse, but pollen with one and three apertures (including monosulcate and tricolpate, respectively) are the two most common types. Here, we investigate the phylogenetic distribution in angiosperms of pollen with many round, scattered apertures called pantoporate pollen. We constructed a morphological data set with species producing pantoporate pollen and representative angiosperm species with other pollen types, sampled from every angiosperm order, with a total of 1260 species distributed in 330 families. This data set was analyzed with parsimony to characterize the phylogenetic distribution of pantoporate pollen in angiosperms. We show that pantoporate pollen is distributed throughout most of the angiosperm tree, including early diverging angiosperms, monocots, and eudicots. However, this pollen type is usually restricted to a few species in a given group, and is seldom fixed at large taxonomical scales, with a few notable exceptions. Pantoporate pollen evolved many times during angiosperm history, but the persistence of this morphology in the long term is infrequent. This distribution pattern could indicate conflicting short-term and long-term selective pressures, pantoporate pollen being selected in the short run, but eliminated in the long run. Biological hypotheses supporting this scenario are discussed, in the context of both theoretical and empirical data on pollen biology. © 2017 Botanical Society of America.

Biogeographical drivers of ragweed pollen concentrations in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matyasovszky, István; Makra, László; Tusnády, Gábor; Csépe, Zoltán; Nyúl, László G.; Chapman, Daniel S.; Sümeghy, Zoltán; Szűcs, Gábor; Páldy, Anna; Magyar, Donát; Mányoki, Gergely; Erostyák, János; Bodnár, Károly; Bergmann, Karl-Christian; Deák, Áron József; Thibaudon, Michel; Albertini, Roberto; Bonini, Maira; Šikoparija, Branko; Radišić, Predrag; Gehrig, Regula; Rybníček, Ondřej; Severova, Elena; Rodinkova, Victoria; Prikhodko, Alexander; Maleeva, Anna; Stjepanović, Barbara; Ianovici, Nicoleta; Berger, Uwe; Seliger, Andreja Kofol; Weryszko-Chmielewska, Elżbieta; Šaulienė, Ingrida; Shalaboda, Valentina; Yankova, Raina; Peternel, Renata; Ščevková, Jana; Bullock, James M.

2017-06-01

The drivers of spatial variation in ragweed pollen concentrations, contributing to severe allergic rhinitis and asthma, are poorly quantified. We analysed the spatiotemporal variability in 16-year (1995-2010) annual total (66 stations) and annual total (2010) (162 stations) ragweed pollen counts and 8 independent variables (start, end and duration of the ragweed pollen season, maximum daily and calendar day of the maximum daily ragweed pollen counts, last frost day in spring, first frost day in fall and duration of the frost-free period) for Europe (16 years, 1995-2010) as a function of geographical coordinates. Then annual total pollen counts, annual daily peak pollen counts and date of this peak were regressed against frost-related variables, daily mean temperatures and daily precipitation amounts. To achieve this, we assembled the largest ragweed pollen data set to date for Europe. The dependence of the annual total ragweed pollen counts and the eight independent variables against geographical coordinates clearly distinguishes the three highly infected areas: the Pannonian Plain, Western Lombardy and the Rhône-Alpes region. All the eight variables are sensitive to longitude through its temperature dependence. They are also sensitive to altitude, due to the progressively colder climate with increasing altitude. Both annual total pollen counts and the maximum daily pollen counts depend on the start and the duration of the ragweed pollen season. However, no significant changes were detected in either the eight independent variables as a function of increasing latitude. This is probably due to a mixed climate induced by strong geomorphological inhomogeneities in Europe.

Mismatch in aeroallergens and airborne grass pollen concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plaza, M. P.; Alcázar, P.; Hernández-Ceballos, M. A.; Galán, C.

2016-11-01

An accurate estimation of the allergen concentration in the atmosphere is essential for allergy sufferers. The major cause of pollinosis all over Europe is due to grass pollen and Phl p 5 has the highest rates of sensitization (>50%) in patients with grass pollen-induced allergy. However, recent research has shown that airborne pollen does not always offer a clear indicator of exposure to aeroallergens. This study aims to evaluate relations between airborne grass pollen and Phl p 5 concentrations in Córdoba (southern Spain) and to study how meteorological parameters influence these atmospheric records. Monitoring was carried out from 2012 to 2014. Hirst-type volumetric spore trap was used for pollen collection, following the protocol recommended by the Spanish Aerobiology Network (REA). Aeroallergen sampling was performed using a low-volume cyclone sampler, and allergenic particles were quantified by ELISA assay. Besides, the influence of main meteorological factors on local airborne pollen and allergen concentrations was surveyed. A significant correlation was observed between grass pollen and Phl p 5 allergen concentrations during the pollen season, but with some sporadic discrepancy episodes. The cumulative annual Pollen Index also varied considerably. A significant correlation has been obtained between airborne pollen and minimum temperature, relative humidity and precipitation, during the three studied years. However, there is no clear relationship between allergens and weather variables. Our findings suggest that the correlation between grass pollen and aeroallergen Phl p 5 concentrations varies from year-to-year probably related to a complex interplay of meteorological variables.

Manager's handbook for northern white cedar in the north-central states.

Treesearch

William F. Johnston

1977-01-01

Presents the resource manager with a key for choosing silvicultural practices to manage northern white cedar stands, especially for timber and deeryards on organic soil sites. Discusses control of growth, composition, establishment, and damaging agents; also discusses managing for other wildlife habitat, water, and esthetics. Includes yield data and broadcast burning...

Identification of IgE- binding pollen protein from Cannabis sativa in pollen-hypersensitive patients from north Pakistan.

PubMed

Choudhary, Shazia; Murad, Sheeba; Hayat, Muhammad Qasim; Shakoor, Zahid; Arshad, Muhammad

2017-01-01

Cannabis sativa (C.sativa) is well-known for its medicinal, industrial and recreational use. However, allergies in relation to Cannabis sativa (C.sativa) are rarely reported. C. sativa is one of the common weeds found in Pakistan and its pollen grains are common in spring and fall season. Although categorized as an aeroallergen, there are limited number of reports regarding allergenic potential in C. sativa. Therefore, the current study is aimed at exploring the IgE- binding potential among the C. sativa pollen in local pollen allergic patients. Initial screening of C. sativa sensitized individuals was carried out by dot blot from the sera of pollen allergic patients. Proteins from the pollen grains were extracted and resolved on 10% gel. Eight bands were visible on gel however only one protein fragment i.e. of 14KDa size was found to bind to IgE as analyzed through protein gel blot analysis. Strong IgE affinity of a 14 kDa protein fragment from C. sativa pollen extract suggests its allergenic potential. Further study is required to find the exact nature of this protein fragment.

[Oral allergy syndrome in patients with pollen allergy].

PubMed

Chimielewska, Anna; Mazur, Marcel; Sacha, Malgorzata; Myszkowska, Dorota; Dyga, Wojciech; Obtułowicz, Krystyna; Czarnobilska, Ewa

2013-01-01

The symptoms of pollen allergy in the European population occur in a period of increased pollen precipitation, and take the form of allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis, bronchial asthma, contact urticaria, and food allergy. Diagnosis in addition to medical history, takes into account the positive results of skin tests and elevated allergen-specific IgE antibodies (specific IgE) in serum. These studies are considered to be objective diagnostic tests confirming the diagnosis of pollen allergy. Not in every case there is a correspondence of symptoms and results of diagnostic tests, which puts into question the accuracy of the diagnosis of pollen allergy. The aim of this study was to test the characteristics of patients with oral allergy syndrome on the background of all patients with pollen allergy and evaluation of the diagnostic value of history, skin tests and specific IgE levels in the diagnosis of patients with pollen allergy and oral allergy syndrome. A retrospective analysis of the cases of 85 patients with a diagnosis of pollen allergy and the 30 patients with OAS was performed. In our study the most common sensitizing allergen in patients with OAS was birch pollen, while patients showing no symptoms of OAS were equally sensitive to timothy and birch pollen. The main food responsible for the presence of the OAS in the mechanism of cross-allergy to pollen was an apple. Among patients with OAS we did not show significantly higher incidence of polyvalent allergies. It was shown, however, that there is a tendency that the maximum concentration of allergen-specific IgE causing clinically significant symptoms, ie in line with the pollen season, is higher in the OAS patients than in the absence of OAS. Further research is needed using new diagnostic methods, which would predict future symptoms after eating certain foods in particularly endangered patients with pollen allergy.

Dolichandrone platycalyx: New entomophilous pollen--A report on pollen sensitization in allergic individuals.

PubMed

Mridula, P A; Mahesh, P A; Abraham, Jacob N; Amrutha, D H; Agashe, S N; Sitesh, Roy; Vedanthan, P K

2011-01-01

Dolichandrone platycalyx, commonly known as Nile trumpet tree, is believed to have originated in East Africa. However, this and the variants of this tree are found in Europe, Asia, and America (California and Florida). The tree mostly grows in tropical climates, but temperate species are also found. This study was designed to evaluate the allergenicity of D. platycalyx, one of the most common entomophilous avenue trees in Karnataka state, and to determine the pollen production of D. platycalyx. All of the patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma attending a tertiary care center in South India during August 2007 to March 2008 underwent a detailed clinical evaluation and skin-prick testing to common allergens along with D. platycalyx. Control subjects without any symptoms of respiratory allergy also underwent skin testing. The pollen counts were determined for a mature unopened flower of D. platycalyx. A total of 317 subjects with respiratory allergy and 30 controls were included in the study. A significant percentage (16.1%) of patients evaluated were observed to be sensitive to Dolichandrone pollen extract by skin-prick testing, whereas none of the control subjects were found to be sensitized. D. platycalyx was the fourth most common sensitizer after Parthenium hysterophorus, Prosopis juliflora, and Artemesia vulgaris. D. platycalyx was found to be a moderate pollen producer at 66,000 pollens/flower. Sensitization to D. platycalyx is common in subjects with respiratory allergies. The clinical relevance of this sensitization and other entomophilous plants needs additional study.

Glutathione synthesis is essential for pollen germination in vitro

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The antioxidant glutathione fulfills many important roles during plant development, growth and defense in the sporophyte, however the role of this important molecule in the gametophyte generation is largely unclear. Bioinformatic data indicate that critical control enzymes are negligibly transcribed in pollen and sperm cells. Therefore, we decided to investigate the role of glutathione synthesis for pollen germination in vitro in Arabidopsis thaliana accession Col-0 and in the glutathione deficient mutant pad2-1 and link it with glutathione status on the subcellular level. Results The depletion of glutathione by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of glutathione synthesis, reduced pollen germination rates to 2-5% compared to 71% germination in wildtype controls. The application of reduced glutathione (GSH), together with BSO, restored pollen germination and glutathione contents to control values, demonstrating that inhibition of glutathione synthesis is responsible for the decrease of pollen germination in vitro. The addition of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) to media containing BSO restored pollen germination to control values, which demonstrated that glutathione depletion in pollen grains triggered disturbances in auxin metabolism which led to inhibition of pollen germination. Conclusions This study demonstrates that glutathione synthesis is essential for pollen germination in vitro and that glutathione depletion and auxin metabolism are linked in pollen germination and early elongation of the pollen tube, as IAA addition rescues glutathione deficient pollen. PMID:21439079

Allelic interaction of F1 pollen sterility loci and abnormal chromosome behaviour caused pollen sterility in intersubspecific autotetraploid rice hybrids.

PubMed

He, J H; Shahid, M Q; Li, Y J; Guo, H B; Cheng, X A; Liu, X D; Lu, Y G

2011-08-01

The intersubspecific hybrids of autotetraploid rice has many features that increase rice yield, but lower seed set is a major hindrance in its utilization. Pollen sterility is one of the most important factors which cause intersubspecific hybrid sterility. The hybrids with greater variation in seed set were used to study how the F(1) pollen sterile loci (S-a, S-b, and S-c) interact with each other and how abnormal chromosome behaviour and allelic interaction of F(1) sterility loci affect pollen fertility and seed set of intersubspecific autotetraploid rice hybrids. The results showed that interaction between pollen sterility loci have significant effects on the pollen fertility of autotetraploid hybrids, and pollen fertility further decreased with an increase in the allelic interaction of F(1) pollen sterility loci. Abnormal ultra-structure and microtubule distribution patterns during pollen mother cell (PMC) meiosis were found in the hybrids with low pollen fertility in interphase and leptotene, suggesting that the effect-time of pollen sterility loci interaction was very early. There were highly significant differences in the number of quadrivalents and bivalents, and in chromosome configuration among all the hybrids, and quadrivalents decreased with an increase in the seed set of autotetraploid hybrids. Many different kinds of chromosomal abnormalities, such as chromosome straggling, chromosome lagging, asynchrony of chromosome disjunction, and tri-fission were found during the various developmental stages of PMC meiosis. All these abnormalities were significantly higher in sterile hybrids than in fertile hybrids, suggesting that pollen sterility gene interactions tend to increase the chromosomal abnormalities which cause the partial abortion of male gametes and leads to the decline in the seed set of the autotetraploid rice hybrids. © 2011 The Author(s).

Selection on pollen and pistil traits during pollen competition is affected by both sexual conflict and mixed mating in a self-compatible herb.

PubMed

Lankinen, Åsa; Smith, Henrik G; Andersson, Stefan; Madjidian, Josefin A

2016-03-01

Although much attention has focused on the diversity of plant mating systems, only a few studies have considered the joint effects of mating system and sexual conflict in plant evolution. In mixed-mating Collinsia heterophylla, a sexual conflict over timing of stigma receptivity is proposed: pollen with a capacity to induce early onset of stigma receptivity secures paternity for early-arriving pollen (at the expense of reduced maternal seed set), whereas late onset of stigma receptivity mitigates the negative effects of early-arriving pollen. Here we investigated whether selection on pollen and pistil traits involved in sexual conflict is affected by the presence of both outcross- and self-pollen (mixed mating) during pollen competition. We conducted two-donor crosses at different floral developmental stages to explore male fitness (siring ability) and female fitness (seed set) in relation to male and female identity, pollen and pistil traits, and type of competitor pollen (outcross vs. self). Late-fertilizing pollen rather than rapidly growing pollen tubes was most successful in terms of siring success, especially in competition with self-pollen after pollination at early floral stages. Late stigma receptivity increased seed set after early-stage pollinations, in agreement with selection against antagonistic pollen. Selection on pollen and pistil traits in C. heterophylla is affected by both sexual conflict and mixed mating, suggesting the importance of jointly considering these factors in plant evolution. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

A Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channel (CNGC16) in Pollen Is Critical for Stress Tolerance in Pollen Reproductive Development1[W][OA

PubMed Central

Tunc-Ozdemir, Meral; Tang, Chong; Ishka, Maryam Rahmati; Brown, Elizabeth; Groves, Norman R.; Myers, Candace T.; Rato, Claudia; Poulsen, Lisbeth R.; McDowell, Stephen; Miller, Gad; Mittler, Ron; Harper, Jeffrey F.

2013-01-01

Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNGCs) have been implicated in diverse aspects of plant growth and development, including responses to biotic and abiotic stress, as well as pollen tube growth and fertility. Here, genetic evidence identifies CNGC16 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) as critical for pollen fertility under conditions of heat stress and drought. Two independent transfer DNA disruptions of cngc16 resulted in a greater than 10-fold stress-dependent reduction in pollen fitness and seed set. This phenotype was fully rescued through pollen expression of a CNGC16 transgene, indicating that cngc16-1 and 16-2 were both loss-of-function null alleles. The most stress-sensitive period for cngc16 pollen was during germination and the initiation of pollen tube tip growth. Pollen viability assays indicate that mutant pollen are also hypersensitive to external calcium chloride, a phenomenon analogous to calcium chloride hypersensitivities observed in other cngc mutants. A heat stress was found to increase concentrations of 3′,5′-cyclic guanyl monophosphate in both pollen and leaves, as detected using an antibody-binding assay. A quantitative PCR analysis indicates that cngc16 mutant pollen have attenuated expression of several heat-stress response genes, including two heat shock transcription factor genes, HsfA2 and HsfB1. Together, these results provide evidence for a heat stress response pathway in pollen that connects a cyclic nucleotide signal, a Ca2+-permeable ion channel, and a signaling network that activates a downstream transcriptional heat shock response. PMID:23370720

Preservation of cycad and Ginkgo pollen

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frederiksen, N.O.

1978-01-01

Pollen grains of Ginkgo, Cycas, and Encephalartos were chemically treated together with pollen of Quercus, Alnus, and Pinus, the latter three genera being used as standards. The experiments showed that: (1) boiling the pollen for 8-10 hours in 10% KOH had little if any effect on any of the grains; (2) lengthy acetolysis treatment produced some degradation or corrosion, particularly in Ginkgo and Cycas, but the grains of even these genera remained easily recognizable; (3) oxidation with KMnO4 followed by H2O2 showed that pollen of Ginkgo, Cycas, and Encephalartos remains better preserved than that of Quercus and Alnus, and although Ginkgo and Encephalartos probably are slightly less resistant to oxidation than Pinus, no great differences exists between these monosulcate types and Pinus. Thus the experiments show that, at least for sediments low in bacteria, cycad and Ginkgo pollen should be well represented in the fossil record as far as their preservational capabilities are concerned. ?? 1978.

Simulation of ground-water flow in the Cedar River alluvium, northwest Black Hawk County and southwest Bremer County, Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schaap, Bryan D.; Savoca, Mark E.; Turco, Michael J.

2003-01-01

In general, once high ground-water levels occur, either because of high Cedar River water Abstract levels or above normal local precipitation or both, ground-water in the central part of the study area along Highway 218 flows toward the south rather than following shorter flow paths to the Cedar River. Intermittent streams in the study area discharge substantial amounts of water from the ground-water flow system.

Pollen Acceptance or Rejection: A Tale of Two Pathways.

PubMed

Doucet, Jennifer; Lee, Hyun Kyung; Goring, Daphne R

2016-12-01

While the molecular and cellular basis of self-incompatibility leading to self-pollen rejection in the Brassicaceae has been extensively studied, relatively little attention has been paid to compatible pollen recognition and the corresponding cellular responses in the stigmatic papillae. This is now changing because research has started to uncover steps in the Brassicaceae 'basal compatible pollen response pathway' in the stigma leading to pollen hydration and germination. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that self-incompatible pollen activates both the basal compatible pathway and the self-incompatibility pathway in the stigma, with the self-incompatibility response ultimately prevailing to reject self-pollen. We review here recent discoveries in both pathways and discuss how compatible pollen is accepted by the stigma versus the rejection of self-incompatible pollen. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Endogenous Gibberellins of Pine Pollen

PubMed Central

Kamienska, Aniela; Pharis, Richard P.

1975-01-01

The endogenous gibberellins (GAs) of pollen of Pinus attenuata, P. coulteri, and P. ponderosa were bioassayed at hour 0, 3, 15, 24, 48 and 72 of germination. Dormant pollen showed relatively high GA activity throughout the elution spectrum (i.e. ranging from relatively nonpolar to highly polar). The maximum GA activity was obtained at hour 15 in more polar regions and especially in the zone corresponding to GA3 (for P. attenuata estimated as 250 micrograms of GA3/kilogram pollen). It is probable that the “nonpolar” GAs present in high quantities in dormant pollen and in early stages of germination were converted to “more polar” GAs as germination progressed. The amount of all GAs decreased after hour 15 of germination and by hour 72 no GAs could be detected. Among the species tested P. attenuata showed the highest over-all GA activity. PMID:16659365

The Quaternary fossil-pollen record and global change

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grimm, E.C.

Fossil pollen provide one of the most valuable records of vegetation and climate change during the recent geological past. Advantages of the fossil-pollen record are that deposits containing fossil pollen are widespread, especially in areas having natural lakes, that fossil pollen occurs in continuous stratigraphic sequences spanning millennia, and that fossil pollen occurs in quantitative assemblages permitting a multivariate approach for reconstructing past vegetation and climates. Because of stratigraphic continuity, fossil pollen records climate cycles on a wide range of scales, from annual to the 100 ka Milankovitch cycles. Receiving particular emphasis recently are decadal to century scale changes, possiblemore » from the sediments of varved lakes, and late Pleistocene events on a 5--10 ka scale possibly correlating with the Heinrich events in the North Atlantic marine record or the Dansgaard-Oeschger events in the Greenland ice-core record. Researchers have long reconstructed vegetation and climate by qualitative interpretation of the fossil-pollen record. Recently quantitative interpretation has developed with the aid of large fossil-pollen databases and sophisticated numerical models. In addition, fossil pollen are important climate proxy data for validating General Circulation Models, which are used for predicting the possible magnitude future climate change. Fossil-pollen data also contribute to an understanding of ecological issues associated with global climate change, including questions of how and how rapidly ecosystems might respond to abrupt climate change.« less

Investigating Pollen and Gene Flow of WYMV-Resistant Transgenic Wheat N12-1 Using a Dwarf Male-Sterile Line as the Pollen Receptor.

PubMed

Dong, Shanshan; Liu, Yan; Yu, Cigang; Zhang, Zhenhua; Chen, Ming; Wang, Changyong

2016-01-01

Pollen-mediated gene flow (PMGF) is the main mode of transgene flow in flowering plants. The study of pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat can help to establish the corresponding strategy for preventing transgene escape and contamination between compatible genotypes in wheat. To investigate the pollen dispersal and gene flow frequency in various directions and distances around the pollen source and detect the association between frequency of transgene flow and pollen density from transgenic wheat, a concentric circle design was adopted to conduct a field experiment using transgenic wheat with resistance to wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) as the pollen donor and dwarf male-sterile wheat as the pollen receptor. The results showed that the pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat varied significantly among the different compass sectors. A higher pollen density and gene flow frequency was observed in the downwind SW and W sectors, with average frequencies of transgene flow of 26.37 and 23.69% respectively. The pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat declined dramatically with increasing distance from its source. Most of the pollen grains concentrated within 5 m and only a few pollen grains were detected beyond 30 m. The percentage of transgene flow was the highest where adjacent to the pollen source, with an average of 48.24% for all eight compass directions at 0 m distance. Transgene flow was reduced to 50% and 95% between 1.61 to 3.15 m, and 10.71 to 20.93 m, respectively. Our results suggest that climate conditions, especially wind direction, may significantly affect pollen dispersal and gene flow of wheat. The isolation-by-distance model is one of the most effective methods for achieving stringent transgene confinement in wheat. The frequency of transgene flow is directly correlated with the relative density of GM pollen grains in air currents, and pollen competition may be a major factor influencing transgene flow.

Investigating Pollen and Gene Flow of WYMV-Resistant Transgenic Wheat N12-1 Using a Dwarf Male-Sterile Line as the Pollen Receptor

PubMed Central

Dong, Shanshan; Liu, Yan; Yu, Cigang; Zhang, Zhenhua; Chen, Ming; Wang, Changyong

2016-01-01

Pollen-mediated gene flow (PMGF) is the main mode of transgene flow in flowering plants. The study of pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat can help to establish the corresponding strategy for preventing transgene escape and contamination between compatible genotypes in wheat. To investigate the pollen dispersal and gene flow frequency in various directions and distances around the pollen source and detect the association between frequency of transgene flow and pollen density from transgenic wheat, a concentric circle design was adopted to conduct a field experiment using transgenic wheat with resistance to wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) as the pollen donor and dwarf male-sterile wheat as the pollen receptor. The results showed that the pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat varied significantly among the different compass sectors. A higher pollen density and gene flow frequency was observed in the downwind SW and W sectors, with average frequencies of transgene flow of 26.37 and 23.69% respectively. The pollen and gene flow of transgenic wheat declined dramatically with increasing distance from its source. Most of the pollen grains concentrated within 5 m and only a few pollen grains were detected beyond 30 m. The percentage of transgene flow was the highest where adjacent to the pollen source, with an average of 48.24% for all eight compass directions at 0 m distance. Transgene flow was reduced to 50% and 95% between 1.61 to 3.15 m, and 10.71 to 20.93 m, respectively. Our results suggest that climate conditions, especially wind direction, may significantly affect pollen dispersal and gene flow of wheat. The isolation-by-distance model is one of the most effective methods for achieving stringent transgene confinement in wheat. The frequency of transgene flow is directly correlated with the relative density of GM pollen grains in air currents, and pollen competition may be a major factor influencing transgene flow. PMID:26975052

Effect of hydrogen fluoride on pollen germination and pollen tube growth in Prunus avium L. cv. Royal Ann

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Facteau, T.J.; Wang, S.Y.; Rowe, K.E.

1973-05-01

Increased fluoride (F) fumigation levels resulted in decrease in percent Royal Ann pollen germination and pollen tube growth. As dose (hour x concentration in ..mu.. gF/m/sup 3/) increased, Van pollen tube growth in vivo decreased. A linear relationship between increased dose and fluoride residue in the flowers was shown. 14 references, 5 figures.

Storage and Viability Assessment of Date Palm Pollen.

PubMed

Maryam; Jaskani, Muhammad J; Naqvi, Summar A

2017-01-01

Pollen storage and viability are very important for pollination, breeding, biodiversity, biotechnology, conservation, and other biological and non-biological studies of the date palm. Optimizing procedures and duration of storage are important for effective and long-term date palm pollen storage and viability. Here we describe pollen storage methods, such as room temperature (25-30 °C), refrigeration (4 °C), storage at 4 °C in desiccators, deep freezer (-20 °C), and cryopreservation (-196 °C). Based on pollen viability by staining and in vitro germination methods, cryopreservation is the best method for long-term storage without any significant effect on pollen viability (75-84%); however, the percentage of pollen viability depends on the storage period.

Class XI Myosins Move Specific Organelles in Pollen Tubes and Are Required for Normal Fertility and Pollen Tube Growth in Arabidopsis1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Madison, Stephanie L.; Buchanan, Matthew L.; Glass, Jeremiah D.; McClain, Tarah F.; Park, Eunsook; Nebenführ, Andreas

2015-01-01

Pollen tube growth is an essential aspect of plant reproduction because it is the mechanism through which nonmotile sperm cells are delivered to ovules, thus allowing fertilization to occur. A pollen tube is a single cell that only grows at the tip, and this tip growth has been shown to depend on actin filaments. It is generally assumed that myosin-driven movements along these actin filaments are required to sustain the high growth rates of pollen tubes. We tested this conjecture by examining seed set, pollen fitness, and pollen tube growth for knockout mutants of five of the six myosin XI genes expressed in pollen of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Single mutants had little or no reduction in overall fertility, whereas double mutants of highly similar pollen myosins had greater defects in pollen tube growth. In particular, myo11c1 myo11c2 pollen tubes grew more slowly than wild-type pollen tubes, which resulted in reduced fitness compared with the wild type and a drastic reduction in seed set. Golgi stack and peroxisome movements were also significantly reduced, and actin filaments were less organized in myo11c1 myo11c2 pollen tubes. Interestingly, the movement of yellow fluorescent protein-RabA4d-labeled vesicles and their accumulation at pollen tube tips were not affected in the myo11c1 myo11c2 double mutant, demonstrating functional specialization among myosin isoforms. We conclude that class XI myosins are required for organelle motility, actin organization, and optimal growth of pollen tubes. PMID:26358416

IRREGULAR POLLEN EXINE1 Is a Novel Factor in Anther Cuticle and Pollen Exine Formation.

PubMed

Chen, Xiaoyang; Zhang, Hua; Sun, Huayue; Luo, Hongbing; Zhao, Li; Dong, Zhaobin; Yan, Shuangshuang; Zhao, Cheng; Liu, Renyi; Xu, Chunyan; Li, Song; Chen, Huabang; Jin, Weiwei

2017-01-01

Anther cuticle and pollen exine are protective barriers for pollen development and fertilization. Despite that several regulators have been identified for anther cuticle and pollen exine development in rice (Oryza sativa) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), few genes have been characterized in maize (Zea mays) and the underlying regulatory mechanism remains elusive. Here, we report a novel male-sterile mutant in maize, irregular pollen exine1 (ipe1), which exhibited a glossy outer anther surface, abnormal Ubisch bodies, and defective pollen exine. Using map-based cloning, the IPE1 gene was isolated as a putative glucose-methanol-choline oxidoreductase targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum. Transcripts of IPE1 were preferentially accumulated in the tapetum during the tetrad and early uninucleate microspore stage. A biochemical assay indicated that ipe1 anthers had altered constituents of wax and a significant reduction of cutin monomers and fatty acids. RNA sequencing data revealed that genes implicated in wax and flavonoid metabolism, fatty acid synthesis, and elongation were differentially expressed in ipe1 mutant anthers. In addition, the analysis of transfer DNA insertional lines of the orthologous gene in Arabidopsis suggested that IPE1 and their orthologs have a partially conserved function in male organ development. Our results showed that IPE1 participates in the putative oxidative pathway of C16/C18 ω-hydroxy fatty acids and controls anther cuticle and pollen exine development together with MALE STERILITY26 and MALE STERILITY45 in maize. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

[Tree pollen dispersion in Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture].

PubMed

Fujii, Mayumi; Okazaki, Kenji; Makiyama, Kiyoshi; Hisamatsu, Kenichi

2013-11-01

The authors investigated the atmospheric tree pollen dispersion in Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture for 12 years for the purpose of the prophylaxis and treatment of pollinosis. We set up a Durham sampler on the rooftop of the three-story building in Ito City, and counted atmospheric pollen grouping first, Taxodiaceae and Cupressaceae; second, Pinaceae and Podocarpaceae; third, Betulaceae and Ulmaceae; last, Fagaceae. The counts of atmospheric tree pollen on season and the weather from January to June were treated statistically and analyzed on the computer program Microsoft Excel. Each average and SD of total pollen count was, in order, 7079±6503 count/cm(2), 502±146 count/cm(2), 891±480 count/cm(2), 906±481 count/cm(2). The last summer weather correlates to the atmospheric pollen count of Taxodiaceae, Cupressaceae, Betulaceace and Ulmaceae. The atmospheric pollen count of Taxodiaceae and Cupressaceae in spring is influenced by the weather; their atmospheric pollen count is reduced by a heavy rain or a heavy snow out of season. The atmospheric pollen count of Pinaceae, Podocarpaceae and Fagaceae does not relate to the weather. As a result of having examined the relations between the count of the atmospheric pollen and the weather in Ito City, I recognized relations in Taxodiaceae, Cupressaceae, Pinaceae and Podocarpaceae, but there were not the relations of intentionality in Betulaceae, Ulmaceae and Fagaceae.

Towards a street-level pollen concentration and exposure forecast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Molen, Michiel; Krol, Maarten; van Vliet, Arnold; Heuvelink, Gerard

2015-04-01

Atmospheric pollen are an increasing source of nuisance for people in industrialised countries and are associated with significant cost of medication and sick leave. Citizen pollen warnings are often based on emission mapping based on local temperature sum approaches or on long-range atmospheric model approaches. In practise, locally observed pollen may originate from both local sources (plants in streets and gardens) and from long-range transport. We argue that making this distinction is relevant because the diurnal and spatial variation in pollen concentrations is much larger for pollen from local sources than for pollen from long-range transport due to boundary layer processes. This may have an important impact on exposure of citizens to pollen and on mitigation strategies. However, little is known about the partitioning of pollen into local and long-range origin categories. Our objective is to study how the concentrations of pollen from different sources vary temporally and spatially, and how the source region influences exposure and mitigation strategies. We built a Hay Fever Forecast system (HFF) based on WRF-chem, Allergieradar.nl, and geo-statistical downscaling techniques. HFF distinguishes between local (individual trees) and regional sources (based on tree distribution maps). We show first results on how the diurnal variation of pollen concentrations depends on source proximity. Ultimately, we will compare the model with local pollen counts, patient nuisance scores and medicine use.

The value of Web-based library services at Cedars-Sinai Health System.

PubMed

Halub, L P

1999-07-01

Cedars-Sinai Medical Library/Information Center has maintained Web-based services since 1995 on the Cedars-Sinai Health System network. In that time, the librarians have found the provision of Web-based services to be a very worthwhile endeavor. Library users value the services that they access from their desktops because the services save time. They also appreciate being able to access services at their convenience, without restriction by the library's hours of operation. The library values its Web site because it brings increased visibility within the health system, and it enables library staff to expand services when budget restrictions have forced reduced hours of operation. In creating and maintaining the information center Web site, the librarians have learned the following lessons: consider the design carefully; offer what services you can, but weigh the advantages of providing the services against the time required to maintain them; make the content as accessible as possible; promote your Web site; and make friends in other departments, especially information services.

Pollen limitation of reproductive effort in willows.

PubMed

Fox, John F

1992-05-01

Pollen limitation of seed set differs from resource limitation in its implications for the evolution of floral traits. Willow flowers attract insects, but also abundantly produce wind-dispersed pollen. I demonstrated pollen limitation in single branches bearing 2-4 inflorescences (catkins) in a field experiment with five species by artificially increasing or decreasing the pollen load. Because the responses by single branches might be explained by diversion of resources to better-pollinated branches within a plant, a second experiment with one species tested both pollen limitation of whole plants and the autonomy of catkins. Seed set of single willow catkins is unaffected by experimental alterations of seed set in other catkins on the same plant. Hand-pollination of single catkins and of whole plants increased seed set to the same degree, suggesting there is little or no competition for resources between catkins only 5-10 cm apart. Thus, seed set in willows appears to be pollen limited, favoring insect pollination and the evolution of entomophilous traits. The data support previous views that willows have a dual pollination system utilizing wind and insects.

Evaluation and process development of salt cedar and juniper biocomposites as tools to utilize exotic and invasive species and restore native ecosystems

Treesearch

Jerrold E. Winandy; Craig M. Clemons; Nicole M. Stark; James H. Muehl; R. Sam Williams

2005-01-01

This research program is developing and evaluating potential value-added uses for a variety of exotic invasive woody species, such as salt cedar (Tamarisk spp.), one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma), and eastern red- cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Because each of these species is encroaching into America's natural indigenous ecosystems, land managers need tools...

Horizontal pollen transmission of Gentian ovary ring-spot virus is initiated during penetration of the stigma and style by infected pollen tubes.

PubMed

Isogai, Masamichi; Kamata, Yukie; Ando, Syunpei; Kamata, Misaki; Shirakawa, Asuka; Sekine, Ken-Taro; Yoshikawa, Nobuyuki

2017-03-01

Gentian ovary ring-spot virus (GORV) infected gentian plants by pollination with GORV-infected gentian pollen grains, but the virus was not horizontally transmitted to gentian plants by transfer of pollen from GORV-infected Nicotiana benthamiana plants. However, N. benthamiana plants were infected with the virus by pollination with infected gentian pollen as well as by pollination with infected N. benthamiana pollen. When infected gentian pollen grains were placed on N. benthamiana stigmas, germinating pollen tubes penetrated into the stigmas and the styles (stigma-style). Virus infection occurred during penetration of the stigma-style, and the virus subsequently spread systemically to the mother plant. On the other hand, most infected N. benthamiana pollen grains failed to germinate on gentian stigmas, and virus infections were not detected in the stigma-style. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Arabidopsis adaptor protein 1G is critical for pollen development.

PubMed

Feng, Chong; Wang, Jia-Gang; Liu, Hai-Hong; Li, Sha; Zhang, Yan

2017-09-01

Pollen development is a pre-requisite for sexual reproduction of angiosperms, during which various cellular activities are involved. Pollen development accompanies dynamic remodeling of vacuoles through fission and fusion, disruption of which often compromises pollen viability. We previously reported that the Y subunit of adaptor protein 1 (AP1G) mediates synergid degeneration during pollen tube reception. Here, we demonstrate that AP1G is essential for pollen development. AP1G loss-of-function resulted in male gametophytic lethality due to defective pollen development. By ultrastructural analysis and fluorescence labeling, we demonstrate that AP1G loss-of-function compromised dynamic vacuolar remodeling during pollen development and impaired vacuolar acidification of pollen. Results presented here support a key role of vacuoles in gametophytic pollen development. © 2017 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Pollen Contaminated With Field-Relevant Levels of Cyhalothrin Affects Honey Bee Survival, Nutritional Physiology, and Pollen Consumption Behavior.

PubMed

Dolezal, Adam G; Carrillo-Tripp, Jimena; Miller, W Allen; Bonning, Bryony C; Toth, Amy L

2016-02-01

Honey bees are exposed to a variety of environmental factors that impact their health, including nutritional stress, pathogens, and pesticides. In particular, there has been increasing evidence that sublethal exposure to pesticides can cause subtle, yet important effects on honey bee health and behavior. Here, we add to this body of knowledge by presenting data on bee-collected pollen containing sublethal levels of cyhalothrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, which, when fed to young honey bees, resulted in significant changes in lifespan, nutritional physiology,and behavior. For the first time, we show that when young, nest-aged bees are presented with pollen containing field-relevant levels of cyhalothrin, they reduce their consumption of contaminated pollen. This indicates that, at least for some chemicals, young bees are able to detect contamination in pollen and change their behavioral response, even if the contamination levels do not prevent foraging honey bees from collecting the contaminated pollen.

Role of Lipid Metabolism in Plant Pollen Exine Development.

PubMed

Zhang, Dabing; Shi, Jianxin; Yang, Xijia

2016-01-01

Pollen plays important roles in the life cycle of angiosperms plants. It acts as not only a biological protector of male sperms but also a communicator between the male and the female reproductive organs, facilitating pollination and fertilization. Pollen is produced within the anther, and covered by the specialized outer envelope, pollen wall. Although the morphology of pollen varies among different plant species, the pollen wall is mainly comprised of three layers: the pollen coat, the outer exine layer, and the inner intine layer. Except the intine layer, the other two layers are basically of lipidic nature. Particularly, the outer pollen wall layer, the exine, is a highly resistant biopolymer of phenylpropanoid and lipidic monomers covalently coupled by ether and ester linkages. The precise molecular mechanisms underlying pollen coat formation and exine patterning remain largely elusive. Herein, we summarize the current genetic, phenotypic and biochemical studies regarding to the pollen exine development and underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms mainly obtained from monocot rice (Oryza sativa) and dicot Arabidopsis thaliana, aiming to extend our understandings of plant male reproductive biology. Genes, enzymes/proteins and regulatory factors that appear to play conserved and diversified roles in lipid biosynthesis, transportation and modification during pollen exine formation, were highlighted.

Origin and Functional Prediction of Pollen Allergens in Plants.

PubMed

Chen, Miaolin; Xu, Jie; Devis, Deborah; Shi, Jianxin; Ren, Kang; Searle, Iain; Zhang, Dabing

2016-09-01

Pollen allergies have long been a major pandemic health problem for human. However, the evolutionary events and biological function of pollen allergens in plants remain largely unknown. Here, we report the genome-wide prediction of pollen allergens and their biological function in the dicotyledonous model plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and the monocotyledonous model plant rice (Oryza sativa). In total, 145 and 107 pollen allergens were predicted from rice and Arabidopsis, respectively. These pollen allergens are putatively involved in stress responses and metabolic processes such as cell wall metabolism during pollen development. Interestingly, these putative pollen allergen genes were derived from large gene families and became diversified during evolution. Sequence analysis across 25 plant species from green alga to angiosperms suggest that about 40% of putative pollen allergenic proteins existed in both lower and higher plants, while other allergens emerged during evolution. Although a high proportion of gene duplication has been observed among allergen-coding genes, our data show that these genes might have undergone purifying selection during evolution. We also observed that epitopes of an allergen might have a biological function, as revealed by comprehensive analysis of two known allergens, expansin and profilin. This implies a crucial role of conserved amino acid residues in both in planta biological function and allergenicity. Finally, a model explaining how pollen allergens were generated and maintained in plants is proposed. Prediction and systematic analysis of pollen allergens in model plants suggest that pollen allergens were evolved by gene duplication and then functional specification. This study provides insight into the phylogenetic and evolutionary scenario of pollen allergens that will be helpful to future characterization and epitope screening of pollen allergens. © 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

Honey loading for pollen collection: regulation of crop content in honeybee pollen foragers on leaving hive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harano, Ken-ichi; Mitsuhata-Asai, Akiko; Sasaki, Masami

2014-07-01

Before foraging honeybees leave the hive, each bee loads its crop with some amount of honey "fuel" depending on the distance to the food source and foraging experience. For pollen collection, there is evidence that foragers carry additional honey as "glue" to build pollen loads. This study examines whether pollen foragers of the European honeybee Apis mellifera regulate the size of the crop load according to food-source distances upon leaving the hive and how foraging experience affects load regulation. The crop contents of bees foraging on crape myrtle Lagerstroemia indica, which has no nectary, were larger than those foraging on nectar from other sources, confirming a previous finding that pollen foragers carry glue in addition to fuel honey from the hive. Crop contents of both waggle dancers and dance followers showed a significant positive correlation with waggle-run durations. These results suggest that bees carry a distance-dependent amount of fuel honey in addition to a fixed amount of glue honey. Crop contents on leaving the hive were statistically larger in dancers than followers. Based on these results, we suggest that pollen foragers use information obtained through foraging experience to adjust crop contents on leaving the hive.

Honey loading for pollen collection: regulation of crop content in honeybee pollen foragers on leaving hive.

PubMed

Harano, Ken-ichi; Mitsuhata-Asai, Akiko; Sasaki, Masami

2014-07-01

Before foraging honeybees leave the hive, each bee loads its crop with some amount of honey "fuel" depending on the distance to the food source and foraging experience. For pollen collection, there is evidence that foragers carry additional honey as "glue" to build pollen loads. This study examines whether pollen foragers of the European honeybee Apis mellifera regulate the size of the crop load according to food-source distances upon leaving the hive and how foraging experience affects load regulation. The crop contents of bees foraging on crape myrtle Lagerstroemia indica, which has no nectary, were larger than those foraging on nectar from other sources, confirming a previous finding that pollen foragers carry glue in addition to fuel honey from the hive. Crop contents of both waggle dancers and dance followers showed a significant positive correlation with waggle-run durations. These results suggest that bees carry a distance-dependent amount of fuel honey in addition to a fixed amount of glue honey. Crop contents on leaving the hive were statistically larger in dancers than followers. Based on these results, we suggest that pollen foragers use information obtained through foraging experience to adjust crop contents on leaving the hive.

It is a matter of timing: asynchrony during pollen development and its consequences on pollen performance in angiosperms-a review.

PubMed

Carrizo García, Carolina; Nepi, Massimo; Pacini, Ettore

2017-01-01

Functional pollen is needed to successfully complete fertilization. Pollen is formed inside the anthers following a specific sequence of developmental stages, from microsporocyte meiosis to pollen release, that concerns microsporocytes/microspores and anther wall tissues. The processes involved may not be synchronous within a flower, an anther, and even a microsporangium. Asynchrony has been barely analyzed, and its biological consequences have not been yet assessed. In this review, different processes of pollen development and lifetime, stressing on the possible consequences of their differential timing on pollen performance, are summarized. Development is usually synchronized until microsporocyte meiosis I (occasionally until meiosis II). Afterwards, a period of mostly asynchronous events extends up to anther opening as regards: (1) meiosis II (sometimes); (2) microspore vacuolization and later reduction of vacuoles; (3) amylogenesis, amylolysis, and carbohydrate inter-conversion; (4) the first haploid mitosis; and (5) intine formation. Asynchrony would promote metabolic differences among developing microspores and therefore physiologically heterogeneous pollen grains within a single microsporangium. Asynchrony would increase the effect of competition for resources during development and pollen tube growth and also for water during (re)hydration on the stigma. The differences generated by developmental asynchronies may have an adaptive role since more efficient pollen grains would be selected with regard to homeostasis, desiccation tolerance, resilience, speed of (re)hydration, and germination. The performance of each pollen grain which landed onto the stigma will be the result of a series of selective steps determined by its development, physiological state at maturity, and successive environmental constrains.

Temporal trends in 137Cs concentrations in the bark, sapwood, heartwood, and whole wood of four tree species in Japanese forests from 2011 to 2016.

PubMed

Ohashi, Shinta; Kuroda, Katsushi; Takano, Tsutomu; Suzuki, Youki; Fujiwara, Takeshi; Abe, Hisashi; Kagawa, Akira; Sugiyama, Masaki; Kubojima, Yoshitaka; Zhang, Chunhua; Yamamoto, Koichi

2017-11-01

To understand the changes in radiocesium ( 137 Cs) concentrations in stem woods after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, we investigated 137 Cs concentrations in the bark, sapwood, heartwood, and whole wood of four major tree species at multiple sites with different levels of radiocesium deposition from the FDNPP accident since 2011 (since 2012 at some sites): Japanese cedar at four sites, hinoki cypress and Japanese konara oak at two sites, and Japanese red pine at one site. Our previous report on 137 Cs concentrations in bark and whole wood samples collected from 2011 to 2015 suggested that temporal variations were different among sites even within the same species. In the present study, we provided data on bark and whole wood samples in 2016 and separately measured 137 Cs concentrations in sapwood and heartwood samples from 2011 to 2016; we further discussed temporal trends in 137 Cs concentrations in each part of tree stems, particularly those in 137 Cs distributions between sapwood and heartwood, in relation to their species and site dependencies. Temporal trends in bark and whole wood samples collected from 2011 to 2016 were consistent with those reported in samples collected from 2011 to 2015. Temporal variations in 137 Cs concentrations in barks showed either a decreasing trend or no clear trend, implying that 137 Cs deposition in barks is inhomogeneous and that decontamination is relatively slow in some cases. Temporal trends in 137 Cs concentrations in sapwood, heartwood, and whole wood were different among species and also among sites within the same species. Relatively common trends within the same species, which were increasing, were observed in cedar heartwood, and in oak sapwood and whole wood. On the other hand, the ratio of 137 Cs concentration in heartwood to that in sapwood (fresh weight basis) was commonly increased to more than 2 in cedar, although distinct temporal trends were not found in the other species, for

Survival and height growth of northern white-cedar from 18 provenances

Treesearch

Richard M. Jeffers

1976-01-01

Northern white-cedar from 18 provenances was evaluated for total height in the nursery and for survival and total height in two field plantings in northern Wisconsin and in western Upper Michigan. There were significant differences among provenances in survival at one location and in height at both field locations 5 years after planting; there were no differences among...

An investigation of airborne allergenic pollen at different heights.

PubMed

Xiao, Xiaojun; Fu, Aixiang; Xie, Xiongjie; Kang, Minxiong; Hu, Dongsheng; Yang, Pingchang; Liu, Zhigang

2013-01-01

Airborne pollen is an important source of allergens in a number of allergic diseases. Data on the concentrations of pollen at different heights in the air are scarce. The aim of the present study was to investigate different types and numbers of airborne pollen and their seasonal variation at different heights in the urban area of Shenzhen (China) and their associations with meteorological factors. The concentration of airborne pollen at different heights was monitored with Burkard traps from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, in Shenzhen; the results were analyzed with SAS 9.13 software. In total, 1,095 films (at 3 heights, 365 films at each height) were exposed throughout the year, and 48 families and 85 genera of pollen taxa were identified. The total pollen count was 55,830 grains (25,204 grains at 1.5 m; 16,218 grains at 35 m, and 14,408 grains at 70 m); pollen grains were present in the atmosphere throughout the year, with two peaks of airborne pollen: one peak in February to April and the other in September to November. On the basis of our local investigations, the pollen concentrations and the pollen types in the air decrease gradually with increasing height. The distribution and concentrations of airborne pollen at different heights in the atmosphere were influenced by composite factors such as the season and meteorological factors. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

New canker disease of Incense-cedar in Oregon caused by Phaeobotryon cupressi.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) is a native tree occurring in Oregon and California. Since the early 2000’s, a new canker disease has been observed with increasing frequency on ornamental and windbreak trees planted in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Symptoms appear as dead, flagging, small-di...

BcMF8, a putative arabinogalactan protein-encoding gene, contributes to pollen wall development, aperture formation and pollen tube growth in Brassica campestris

PubMed Central

Lin, Sue; Dong, Heng; Zhang, Fang; Qiu, Lin; Wang, Fangzhan; Cao, Jiashu; Huang, Li

2014-01-01

Background and Aims The arabinogalactan protein (AGP) gene family is involved in plant reproduction. However, little is known about the function of individual AGP genes in pollen development and pollen tube growth. In this study, Brassica campestris male fertility 8 (BcMF8), a putative AGP-encoding gene previously found to be pollen specific in Chinese cabbage (B. campestris ssp. chinensis), was investigated. Methods Real-time reverse transcription–PCR and in situ hybridization were used to analyse the expression pattern of BcMF8 in pistils. Prokaryotic expression and western blots were used to ensure that BcMF8 could encode a protein. Antisense RNA technology was applied to silence gene expression, and morphological and cytological approaches (e.g. scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy) were used to reveal abnormal phenotypes caused by gene silencing. Key Results The BcMF8 gene encoded a putative AGP protein that was located in the cell wall, and was expressed in pollen grains and pollen tubes. The functional interruption of BcMF8 by antisense RNA technology resulted in slipper-shaped and bilaterally sunken pollen with abnormal intine development and aperture formation. The inhibition of BcMF8 led to a decrease in the percentage of in vitro pollen germination. In pollen that did germinate, the pollen tubes were unstable, abnormally shaped and burst more frequently relative to controls, which corresponded to an in vivo arrest of pollen germination at the stigma surface and retarded pollen tube growth in the stylar transmitting tissues. Conclusions The phenotypic defects of antisense BcMF8 RNA lines (bcmf8) suggest a crucial function of BcMF8 in modulating the physical nature of the pollen wall and in helping in maintaining the integrity of the pollen tube wall matrix. PMID:24489019

Effect of root strength and soil saturation on hillslope stability in forests with natural cedar decline in headwater regions of SE Alaska.

Treesearch

Adelaide C. Johnson; Peter Wilcock

1998-01-01

A natural decline in the population of yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) is occurring in pristine southeast Alaska forests and may be the most significant forest decline in the western United States. The frequency of landslides in cedar decline areas is three times larger than in areas of healthy forest. Three regions are investigated in...

Inflated Sporopollenin Exine Capsules Obtained from Thin-Walled Pollen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jae Hyeon; Seo, Jeongeun; Jackman, Joshua A.; Cho, Nam-Joon

2016-06-01

Sporopollenin is a physically robust and chemically resilient biopolymer that comprises the outermost layer of pollen walls and is the first line of defense against harsh environmental conditions. The unique physicochemical properties of sporopollenin increasingly motivate the extraction of sporopollenin exine capsules (SECs) from pollen walls as a renewable source of organic microcapsules for encapsulation applications. Despite the wide range of different pollen species with varying sizes and wall thicknesses, faithful extraction of pollen-mimetic SECs has been limited to thick-walled pollen capsules with rigid mechanical properties. There is an unmet need to develop methods for producing SECs from thin-walled pollen capsules which constitute a large fraction of all pollen species and have attractive materials properties such as greater aerosol dispersion. Herein, we report the first successful extraction of inflated SEC microcapsules from a thin-walled pollen species (Zea mays), thereby overcoming traditional challenges with mechanical stability and loss of microstructure. Morphological and compositional characterization of the SECs obtained by the newly developed extraction protocol confirms successful protein removal along with preservation of nanoscale architectural features. Looking forward, there is excellent potential to apply similar strategies across a wide range of unexplored thin-walled pollen species.

Variations and trends of Fagaceae pollen in Northern Sardinia, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canu, Annalisa; Pellizzaro, Grazia; Arca, Bachisio; Vargiu, Arnoldo

2016-04-01

The aim of this study is to analyze variations in the start and the end dates of pollen season, date of maximum concentration peak, pollen season duration, pollen concentration value and Seasonal Pollen Index of airborne Fagaceae pollen series recorded in Sassari, Northern Italy, and to evaluate their relation to meteorological data. Daily pollen concentration data were measured from 1986 to 2008 in a urban area of northern Sardinia (Italy) using a Burkard seven-day recording volumetric spore trap. The date of the peak occurrence was defined as the day when the cumulated daily pollen values reached the 50 % of the total annual pollen concentration. Meteorological data were recorded during the same period by an automatic weather station. Cumulative Degree days were calculated, for each year, from different starting dates using the daily averaging method. The correlation between meteorological variables and the different characteristics of pollen seasons was analyzed using Spearman's correlation tests. In the city of Sassari the Fagaceae airborne pollen content was mainly due to Quercus. The main pollen season took place from April to June. The longest pollen season appeared in the year 2002. The cumulative counts varied over the years, with a mean value of 5,336 pollen grains, a lowest total of 550 in 1986 and a highest total of 8,678 in 2001. Daily pollen concentrations presented positive correlation with temperature, and negative with relative humidity (p<0,0001) and with rainfall. In addition, Cumulative Degree days were significantly correlated with the dates of maximum concentration peak (p<0,0001).

Pine pollens frozen five years produce seed

Treesearch

R.Z. Callaham; R.J. Steinhoff

1966-01-01

Deep-freezing of pine pollen offers a means of prolonging its storage life. Early work showed that pollen could be frozen without losing its viability. A study was started in 1958 at the Institute of Forest Genetics at Placerville to determine how long frozen pollen of several pines would remain viable. This paper reports in vitro germination and in vivo seed...

Airborne pollen of allergenic herb species in Toledo (Spain).

PubMed

Vaquero, Consolación; Rodríguez-Torres, Alfonso; Rojo, Jesús; Pérez-Badia, Rosa

2013-01-01

This study analysed airborne pollen counts for allergenic herb taxa in Toledo (central Spain), a major tourist city receiving over 2 million visitors per year, located in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. The taxa selected were Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, Plantago, Poaceae and Urticaceae, all of which produce allergenic pollen giving rise to serious symptoms in pollen-allergy sufferers. Aerobiological data were recorded over a 6-year period (2005 to 2010) using the sampling and analysis procedures recommended by the Spanish Aerobiology Network. The abundance and the temporal (annual, daily and intradiurnal) distribution of these pollen types were analysed, and the influence of weather-related factors on airborne pollen counts was assessed. Pollen from herbaceous species accounted for 20.9% of total airborne pollen in Toledo, the largest contributor being Poaceae, with 8.5% of the total pollen count; this family was also the leading cause of respiratory allergies. Examination of intradiurnal variation revealed three distinct distribution patterns: (1) peak daily counts for Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae and Plantago were recorded during the hottest part of the day, i.e. from 1400 to 1600 hours; (2) Urticaceae displayed two peaks (1400-1600 and 2200 hours); and (3) Poaceae counts remained fairly stable throughout the day. Two main risk periods were identified for allergies: spring, with allergies caused by Urticaceae, Plantago and Poaceae pollen, and summer, due to Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae pollen.

Genome duplication and the evolution of conspecific pollen precedence.

PubMed

Baldwin, Sarah J; Husband, Brian C

2011-07-07

Conspecific pollen precedence can be a strong reproductive barrier between polyploid and diploid species, but the role of genome multiplication in the evolution of this barrier has not been investigated. Here, we examine the direct effect of genome duplication on the evolution of pollen siring success in tetraploid Chamerion angustifolium. To separate the effects of genome duplication from selection after duplication, we compared pollen siring success of synthesized tetraploids (neotetraploids) with that of naturally occurring tetraploids by applying 2x, 4x (neo or established) or 2x + 4x pollen to diploid and tetraploid flowers. Seed set increased in diploids and decreased in both types of tetraploids as the proportion of pollen from diploid plants increased. Based on offspring ploidy from mixed-ploidy pollinations, pollen of the maternal ploidy always sired the majority of offspring but was strongest in established tetraploids and weakest in neotetraploids. Pollen from established tetraploids had significantly higher siring rates than neotetraploids when deposited on diploid (4x(est) = 47.2%, 4x(neo) = 27.1%) and on tetraploid recipients (4x(est) = 91.9%, 4x(neo) = 56.0%). Siring success of established tetraploids exceeded that of neotetraploids despite having similar pollen production per anther and pollen diameter. Our results suggest that, while pollen precedence can arise in association with the duplication event, the strength of polyploid siring success evolves after the duplication event.

Flood-inundation maps for Cedar Creek at 18th Street at Auburn, Indiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fowler, Kathleen K.

2018-02-27

Digital flood-inundation maps for a 1.9-mile reach of Cedar Creek at Auburn, Indiana (Ind.), from the First Street bridge, downstream to the streamgage at 18th Street, then ending approximately 1,100 feet (ft) downstream of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Transportation. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science web site at https://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/, depict estimates of the areal extent and depth of flooding corresponding to selected water levels (stages) at the USGS streamgage on Cedar Creek at 18th Street at Auburn, Ind. (station number 04179520). Near-real-time stages at this streamgage may be obtained from the USGS National Water Information System at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ or the National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service at http://water.weather.gov/ahps/, although forecasts of flood hydrographs are not available at this site (ABBI3).Flood profiles were computed for the stream reach by means of a one-dimensional step-backwater model. The hydraulic model was calibrated by using the most current stage-discharge relation at the Cedar Creek at 18th Street at Auburn, Ind. streamgage and the documented high-water marks from the flood of March 11, 2009. The calibrated hydraulic model was then used to compute seven water-surface profiles for flood stages referenced to the streamgage datum and ranging from 7 ft, or near bankfull, to 13 ft, in 1-foot increments. The simulated water-surface profiles were then combined with a geographic information system digital elevation model (derived from light detection and ranging [lidar] data having a 0.98-ft vertical accuracy and 4.9-ft horizontal resolution) to delineate the area flooded at each water level.The availability of these maps, along with internet information regarding current stage from the USGS streamgage at Cedar Creek

Spatial distribution of allergenic pollen through a large metropolitan area.

PubMed

Werchan, Barbora; Werchan, Matthias; Mücke, Hans-Guido; Gauger, Ulrich; Simoleit, Anke; Zuberbier, Torsten; Bergmann, Karl-Christian

2017-04-01

For nearly a decade, the majority of the world's population has been living in cities, including a considerable percentage of people suffering from pollen allergy. The increasing concentration of people in cities results in larger populations being exposed to allergenic pollen at the same time. There is almost no information about spatial distribution of pollen within cities as well as a lack of information about the possible impact to human health. To obtain this increasing need for pollen exposure studies on an intra-urban scale, a novelty screening network of 14 weekly changed pollen traps was established within a large metropolitan area-Berlin, Germany. Gravimetric pollen traps were placed at a uniform street-level height from March until October 2014. Three important allergenic pollen types for Central Europe-birch (Betula), grasses (Poaceae), and mugwort (Artemisia)-were monitored. Remarkable spatial and temporal variations of pollen sedimentation within the city and the influences by urban local sources are shown. The observed differences between the trap with the overall highest and the trap with the overall lowest amount of pollen sedimentation were in the case of birch pollen 245%, grass pollen 306%, and mugwort pollen 1962%. Differences of this magnitude can probably lead to different health impacts on allergy sufferers in one city. Therefore, pollen should be monitored preferably in two or more appropriate locations within large cities and as a part of natural air quality regulations.

THE DISPERSION OF HERBACEOUS PLANT POLLEN IN ITO CITY, SHIZUOKA.

PubMed

Fujii, Mayumi; Makiyama, Kiyoshi; Okazaki, Kenji; Hisamatsu, Kenichi

2016-08-01

Airborne pollen was examined in Ito City, Shizuoka for the purpose of treatment and prophylaxis pollen allergies because the patients with pollen allergy to herbaceous plants have recently increased. Setting up a Durham's sampler, we measured airborne pollen identified and classified: Poaceae, Polygonaceae, Amaranthaceae, Urticaceae, Cannabaceae, Ambrosia and Artemisia indica.We studied whether each airborne pollen count has something to do with weather condition (2004-2015). Average total airborne Poaceae pollen count and standard deviation from January to June was 19.4±5.5 cells/cm(2), average total airborne Polygonaceae pollen count and standard deviation from April to September was 11.6±13.4 cells/cm(2). Airborne Poaceae, Amaranthaceae, Cannabaceae, Uriticaceae. Ambrosia and Artamisia indica pollen count from July to Deccember in order: 34.0±15.5 cells/cm(2), 1.3±1.1 cells/cm(2), 8.7±6.4cells/cm(2), 4.9±6.4 cells/cm(2), 10.5±7.8 cells/cm(2), and 13.6±16.3 cells/cm(2).Cannabaceae admitted that its airborne pollen count has negative correlation to the rainfall.Artemisia indica admitted that its airborne pollen count has negative correlation to the average temperature. Herbaceous plants pollen doesn't cause allergies because it is much less than tree pollen in ItoCity.It is thought that the diversity of the plants keep the people from having a serious allergy to pollen with awarm weather in this area.

Tracking maize pollen development by the Leaf Collar Method.

PubMed

Begcy, Kevin; Dresselhaus, Thomas

2017-12-01

An easy and highly reproducible nondestructive method named the Leaf Collar Method is described to identify and characterize the different stages of pollen development in maize. In plants, many cellular events such as meiosis, asymmetric cell division, cell cycle regulation, cell fate determination, nucleus movement, vacuole formation, chromatin condensation and epigenetic modifications take place during pollen development. In maize, pollen development occurs in tassels that are confined within the internal stalk of the plant. Hence, identification of the different pollen developmental stages as a tool to investigate above biological processes is impossible without dissecting the entire plant. Therefore, an efficient and reproducible method is necessary to isolate homogeneous cell populations at individual stages throughout pollen development without destroying the plant. Here, we describe a method to identify the various stages of pollen development in maize. Using the Leaf Collar Method in the maize inbreed line B73, we have determined the duration of each stage from pollen mother cells before meiosis to mature tricellular pollen. Anther and tassel size as well as percentage of pollen stages were correlated with vegetative stages, which are easily recognized. The identification of stage-specific genes indicates the reproducibility of the method. In summary, we present an easy and highly reproducible nondestructive method to identify and characterize the different stages of pollen development in maize. This method now opens the way for many subsequent physiological, morphological and molecular analyses to study, for instance, transcriptomics, metabolomics, DNA methylation and chromatin patterns during normal and stressful conditions throughout pollen development in one of the economically most important grass species.

UDP-arabinopyranose mutase 3 is required for pollen wall morphogenesis in rice (Oryza sativa).

PubMed

Sumiyoshi, Minako; Inamura, Takuya; Nakamura, Atsuko; Aohara, Tsutomu; Ishii, Tadashi; Satoh, Shinobu; Iwai, Hiroaki

2015-02-01

l-Arabinose is one of the main constituents of cell wall polysaccharides such as pectic rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I), glucuronoarabinoxylans and other glycoproteins. It is found predominantly in the furanose form rather than in the thermodynamically more stable pyranose form. UDP-L-arabinofuranose (UDP-Araf), rather than UDP-L-arabinopyranose (UDP-Arap), is a sugar donor for the biosynthesis of arabinofuranosyl (Araf) residues. UDP-arabinopyranose mutases (UAMs) have been shown to interconvert UDP-Araf and UDP-Arap and are involved in the biosynthesis of polysaccharides including Araf. The UAM gene family has three members in Oryza sativa. Co-expression network in silico analysis showed that OsUAM3 expression was independent from OsUAM1 and OsUAM2 co-expression networks. OsUAM1 and OsUAM2 were expressed ubiquitously throughout plant development, but OsUAM3 was expressed primarily in reproductive tissue, particularly at the pollen cell wall formation developmental stage. OsUAM3 co-expression networks include pectin catabolic enzymes. To determine the function of OsUAMs in reproductive tissues, we analyzed RNA interference (RNAi)-knockdown transformants (OsUAM3-KD) specific for OsUAM3. OsUAM3-KD plants grew normally and showed abnormal phenotypes in reproductive tissues, especially in terms of the pollen cell wall and exine. In addition, we examined modifications of cell wall polysaccharides at the cellular level using antibodies against polysaccharides including Araf. Immunolocalization of arabinan using the LM6 antibody showed low levels of arabinan in OsUAM3-KD pollen grains. Our results suggest that the function of OsUAM3 is important for synthesis of arabinan side chains of RG-I and is required for reproductive developmental processes, especially the formation of the cell wall in pollen. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Natural regeneration following timber harvest in interior cedar-hemlock-white pine forests

Treesearch

Dennis E. Ferguson

1994-01-01

Natural regeneration of interior cedar-hemlock-white pine forests is usually prompt and abundant. These productive sites support up to 10 commercial timber species. Retrospective examination of cutover forest stands allowed determination of variables that are important predictors of regeneration. This report discusses variables such as habitat type, slope, aspect,...

Ragweed (Ambrosia) pollen source inventory for Austria.

PubMed

Karrer, G; Skjøth, C A; Šikoparija, B; Smith, M; Berger, U; Essl, F

2015-08-01

This study improves the spatial coverage of top-down Ambrosia pollen source inventories for Europe by expanding the methodology to Austria, a country that is challenging in terms of topography and the distribution of ragweed plants. The inventory combines annual ragweed pollen counts from 19 pollen-monitoring stations in Austria (2004-2013), 657 geographical observations of Ambrosia plants, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), local knowledge of ragweed ecology and CORINE land cover information from the source area. The highest mean annual ragweed pollen concentrations were generally recorded in the East of Austria where the highest densities of possible growth habitats for Ambrosia were situated. Approximately 99% of all observations of Ambrosia populations were below 745m. The European infection level varies from 0.1% at Freistadt in Northern Austria to 12.8% at Rosalia in Eastern Austria. More top-down Ambrosia pollen source inventories are required for other parts of Europe. A method for constructing top-down pollen source inventories for invasive ragweed plants in Austria, a country that is challenging in terms of topography and ragweed distribution. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The mature anther-preferentially expressed genes are associated with pollen fertility, pollen germination and anther dehiscence in rice.

PubMed

Ling, Sheng; Chen, Caisheng; Wang, Yang; Sun, Xiaocong; Lu, Zhanhua; Ouyang, Yidan; Yao, Jialing

2015-02-19

The anthers and pollen grains are critical for male fertility and hybrid rice breeding. The development of rice mature anther and pollen consists of multiple continuous stages. However, molecular mechanisms regulating mature anther development were poorly understood. In this study, we have identified 291 mature anther-preferentially expressed genes (OsSTA) in rice based on Affymetrix microarray data. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis indicated that OsSTA genes mainly participated in metabolic and cellular processes that are likely important for rice anther and pollen development. The expression patterns of OsSTA genes were validated using real-time PCR and mRNA in situ hybridizations. Cis-element identification showed that most of the OsSTA genes had the cis-elements responsive to phytohormone regulation. Co-expression analysis of OsSTA genes showed that genes annotated with pectinesterase and calcium ion binding activities were rich in the network, suggesting that OsSTA genes could be involved in pollen germination and anther dehiscence. Furthermore, OsSTA RNAi transgenic lines showed male-sterility and pollen germination defects. The results suggested that OsSTA genes function in rice male fertility, pollen germination and anther dehiscence and established molecular regulating networks that lay the foundation for further functional studies.

Effect of inbreeding on pollen tube growth in diploid and tetraploid Chamerion angustifolium: Do polyploids mask mutational load in pollen?

PubMed

Husband, Brian C

2016-03-01

Deleterious recessive mutations are an important determinant of fitness (mutational load) in the sporophytic phase of plants and a major cause of inbreeding depression; however, their role in gametophyte function is less well documented but may account for variation in pollen tube growth and siring ability, especially between diploid and polyploid plants, which can mask the load. We investigated the role of mutational load in pollen performance using the perennial polyploid Chamerion angustifolium by comparing tube growth of pollen, in styles and in growth medium, from inbred (selfed) and outbred diploids to that of inbred and outbred tetraploids. Pollen from tetraploids is expected to mask deleterious mutations more effectively in the outbred condition but reveal them after inbreeding. In contrast, gametophytes from diploids should express the same genetic load in inbred or outbred plants. Pollen tube growth measured in growth medium was highest in outbred tetraploids and generally lower in inbred than outbred plants. The effect of selfing was significant in pollen from tetraploids but not diploids. The differential effect of selfing was also evident in the proportion of pollen reaching the base of styles, but the ploidy × pollination interaction was not significant. Selfing also had a negative effect on sporophyte fitness but was greater in diploids than tetraploids. Pollen performance is influenced by the expression of mutational load, which is masked in polyploids. This effect may partly explain strong siring success of tetraploids in this species. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Urtica dioica pollen allergy: Clinical, biological, and allergomics analysis.

PubMed

Tiotiu, Angelica; Brazdova, Andrea; Longé, Cyril; Gallet, Patrice; Morisset, Martine; Leduc, Virginie; Hilger, Christiane; Broussard, Cédric; Couderc, Rémy; Sutra, Jean-Pierre; Sénéchal, Hélène; Poncet, Pascal

2016-11-01

The most emblematic members of Urticaceae at allergic risk level are wall pellitories (Parietaria), whereas nettle (Urtica) pollen is considered as poorly allergenic. No allergen from nettle pollen has yet been characterized, whereas 4 are listed for Parietaria pollen by the International Union of Immunological Societies. Clinical and biological profiles of 2 adult men who developed symptoms against nettle pollen and/or leaves were studied. To characterize the allergic reaction and identify the potential nettle pollen sensitizing allergens. IgE-mediated reaction to nettle pollen extract was evaluated by skin prick test, immunoassay, nasal provocation, and basophil activation test. To characterize specific nettle pollen allergens, an allergomic (IgE immunoproteomic) analysis was performed combining 1- and 2-dimensional electrophoresis, IgE immunoblots of nettle pollen extract, identification of allergens by mass spectrometry, and database queries. The results of biological and immunochemical analyses revealed that the allergic rhinitis was due to Urtica dioica pollen in both patients. The allergomic analysis of nettle pollen extract allowed the characterization of 4 basic protein allergens: a thaumatin-like protein (osmotin) with a relative molecular mass of 27 to 29 kDa, a pectinesterase (relative molecular mass, 40 kDa), and 2 other basic proteins with relative molecular masses of 14 to 16 kDa and 43 kDa. There is no or only very weak allergen associations between pellitory and nettle pollen. Exposure to nettle pollen can be responsible of allergic symptoms, and several allergens were characterized. Unravelling the allergens of this underestimated allergy might help to improve diagnosis and care for patients, to predict cross-reactivities and design adapted specific immunotherapy. Copyright © 2016 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modern pollen data from the Canadian Arctic, 1972-1973

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nichols, Harvey; Stolze, Susann

2017-05-01

This data descriptor reports results of a 1972-73 baseline study of modern pollen deposition in the Canadian Arctic to originally aid interpretation of Holocene pollen diagrams from that region, especially focussed on the arctic tree-line. The data set is geographically unique due to its extent, and allows the assessment of the effects of modern climate change on northern ecosystems, including fluctuations of the a arctic tree-line. Repeated sampling was conducted along an interior transect at 29 sites from the Boreal Forest to the High Arctic, with five additional coastal sites covering a total distance of 3,200 km. Static pollen samplers captured both local pollen and long-distance pollen wind-blown from the Boreal Forest. Moss and lichen polsters provided multi-year pollen fallout to assess the effectiveness of the static pollen samplers. The local vegetation was recorded at each site. This descriptor provides information on data archived at the World Data Center PANGAEA, which includes spreadsheets detailing site and sample information as well as raw and processed pollen data obtained on over 500 samples.

Modern pollen data from the Canadian Arctic, 1972-1973.

PubMed

Nichols, Harvey; Stolze, Susann

2017-05-16

This data descriptor reports results of a 1972-73 baseline study of modern pollen deposition in the Canadian Arctic to originally aid interpretation of Holocene pollen diagrams from that region, especially focussed on the arctic tree-line. The data set is geographically unique due to its extent, and allows the assessment of the effects of modern climate change on northern ecosystems, including fluctuations of the a arctic tree-line. Repeated sampling was conducted along an interior transect at 29 sites from the Boreal Forest to the High Arctic, with five additional coastal sites covering a total distance of 3,200 km. Static pollen samplers captured both local pollen and long-distance pollen wind-blown from the Boreal Forest. Moss and lichen polsters provided multi-year pollen fallout to assess the effectiveness of the static pollen samplers. The local vegetation was recorded at each site. This descriptor provides information on data archived at the World Data Center PANGAEA, which includes spreadsheets detailing site and sample information as well as raw and processed pollen data obtained on over 500 samples.

Pollen Processing Behavior of Heliconius Butterflies: A Derived Grooming Behavior

PubMed Central

Hikl, Anna-Laetitia; Krenn, Harald W.

2011-01-01

Pollen feeding behaviors Heliconius and Laparus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) represent a key innovation that has shaped other life history traits of these neotropical butterflies. Although all flower visiting Lepidoptera regularly come in contact with pollen, only Heliconius and Laparus butterflies actively collect pollen with the proboscis and subsequently take up nutrients from the pollen grains. This study focused on the behavior of pollen processing and compared the movement patterns with proboscis grooming behavior in various nymphalid butterflies using video analysis. The proboscis movements of pollen processing behavior consisted of a lengthy series of repeated coiling and uncoiling movements in a loosely coiled proboscis position combined with up and down movements and the release of saliva. The proboscis-grooming behavior was triggered by contamination of the proboscis in both pollen feeding and non-pollen feeding nymphalid butterflies. Proboscis grooming movements included interrupted series of coiling and uncoiling movements, characteristic sideways movements, proboscis lifting, and occasionally full extension of the proboscis. Discharge of saliva was more pronounced in pollen feeding species than in non-pollen feeding butterfly species. We conclude that the pollen processing behavior of Heliconius and Laparus is a modified proboscis grooming behavior that originally served to clean the proboscis after contamination with particles. PMID:22208893

Molecular biomarkers for grass pollen immunotherapy

PubMed Central

Popescu, Florin-Dan

2014-01-01

Grass pollen allergy represents a significant cause of allergic morbidity worldwide. Component-resolved diagnosis biomarkers are increasingly used in allergy practice in order to evaluate the sensitization to grass pollen allergens, allowing the clinician to confirm genuine sensitization to the corresponding allergen plant sources and supporting an accurate prescription of allergy immunotherapy (AIT), an important approach in many regions of the world with great plant biodiversity and/or where pollen seasons may overlap. The search for candidate predictive biomarkers for grass pollen immunotherapy (tolerogenic dendritic cells and regulatory T cells biomarkers, serum blocking antibodies biomarkers, especially functional ones, immune activation and immune tolerance soluble biomarkers and apoptosis biomarkers) opens new opportunities for the early detection of clinical responders for AIT, for the follow-up of these patients and for the development of new allergy vaccines. PMID:25237628

Corn pollen deposition on milkweeds in and near cornfields.

PubMed

Pleasants, J M; Hellmich, R L; Dively, G P; Sears, M K; Stanley-Horn, D E; Mattila, H R; Foster, J E; Clark, P; Jones, G D

2001-10-09

The density of corn pollen on leaves of milkweed plants inside and outside of cornfields was measured in several studies from different localities. The purpose was to obtain a representative picture of naturally occurring pollen densities to provide a perspective for laboratory and field studies of monarch larvae feeding on milkweed leaves with Bt corn pollen. Pollen density was highest (average 170.6 grains per cm(2)) inside the cornfield and was progressively lower from the field edge outward, falling to 14.2 grains per cm(2) at 2 m. Inside the cornfield, and for each distance from the field edge, a frequency distribution is presented showing the proportion of leaf samples with different pollen densities. Inside cornfields, 95% of leaf samples had pollen densities below 600 grains per cm(2) and the highest pollen density observed was 1400 grains per cm(2), which occurred in a study with a rainless anthesis period. All other studies had rainfall events during the anthesis period. A single rain event can remove 54-86% of the pollen on leaves. Leaves on the upper portion of milkweed plants, where young monarch larvae tend to feed, had only 30-50% of the pollen density levels of middle leaves.

Inflated Sporopollenin Exine Capsules Obtained from Thin-Walled Pollen

PubMed Central

Park, Jae Hyeon; Seo, Jeongeun; Jackman, Joshua A.; Cho, Nam-Joon

2016-01-01

Sporopollenin is a physically robust and chemically resilient biopolymer that comprises the outermost layer of pollen walls and is the first line of defense against harsh environmental conditions. The unique physicochemical properties of sporopollenin increasingly motivate the extraction of sporopollenin exine capsules (SECs) from pollen walls as a renewable source of organic microcapsules for encapsulation applications. Despite the wide range of different pollen species with varying sizes and wall thicknesses, faithful extraction of pollen-mimetic SECs has been limited to thick-walled pollen capsules with rigid mechanical properties. There is an unmet need to develop methods for producing SECs from thin-walled pollen capsules which constitute a large fraction of all pollen species and have attractive materials properties such as greater aerosol dispersion. Herein, we report the first successful extraction of inflated SEC microcapsules from a thin-walled pollen species (Zea mays), thereby overcoming traditional challenges with mechanical stability and loss of microstructure. Morphological and compositional characterization of the SECs obtained by the newly developed extraction protocol confirms successful protein removal along with preservation of nanoscale architectural features. Looking forward, there is excellent potential to apply similar strategies across a wide range of unexplored thin-walled pollen species. PMID:27302853

Cloning and characterisation of a putative pollen-specific polygalacturonase gene (CpPG1) differentially regulated during pollen development in zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.).

PubMed

Carvajal, F; Garrido, D; Jamilena, M; Rosales, R

2014-03-01

Studies in zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L. spp. pepo) pollen have been limited to the viability and morphology of the mature pollen grain. The enzyme polygalacturonase (PG) is involved in pollen development and pollination in many species. In this work, we study anther and pollen development of C. pepo and present the cloning and characterisation of a putative PG CpPG1 (Accession no. HQ232488) from pollen cDNA in C. pepo. The predicted protein for CpPG1 has 416 amino acids, with a high homology to other pollen PGs, such as P22 from Oenothera organensis (76%) and PGA3 from Arabidopsis thaliana (73%). CpPG1 belongs to clade C, which comprises PGs expressed in pollen, and presents a 34 amino acid signal peptide for secretion towards the cell wall. DNA-blot analysis revealed that there are at least another two genes that code for PGs in C. pepo. The spatial and temporal accumulation of CpPG1 was studied by semi-quantitative- and qRT-PCR. In addition, mRNA was detected only in anthers, pollen and the rudimentary anthers of bisexual flowers (only present in some zucchini cultivars under certain environmental conditions that trigger anther development in the third whorl of female flowers). However, no expression was detected in cotyledons, stem or fruit. Furthermore, CpPG1 mRNA was accumulated throughout anther development, with the highest expression found in mature pollen. Similarly, exo-PG activity increased from immature anther stages to mature anthers and mature pollen. Overall, these data support the pollen specificity of this gene and suggest an involvement of CpPG1 in pollen development in C. pepo. © 2013 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Variations in pollen counts largely explained by climate and weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Stephan; Damialis, Athanasios; Estrella, Nicole; Jochner, Susanne; Menzel, Annette

2017-04-01

The interaction between climate and vegetation is well studied within phenology. Climatic / weather conditions affect e.g. flowering date, length of vegetation period, start and end of the season and the plant growth. Besides phenological stages also pollen counts can be used to investigate the interaction between climate and vegetation. Pollen emission and distribution is directly influenced by temperature, wind speed, wind direction and humidity/precipitation. The objective of this project is to study daily/sub daily variations in pollen counts of woody and herbaceous plant species along an altitudinal gradient with different climatic conditions during the vegetation period. Measurements of pollen were carried out with three volumetric pollen traps installed at the altitudes 450 m a.s.l (Freising), 700 m a.s.l (Garmisch-Partenkirchen), and 2700 m a.s.l (Schneefernerhaus near Zugspitze) representing gradient from north of Munich towards the highest mountain of Germany. Airborne pollen concentrations were recorded during the years 2014-2015. The altitudinal range of these three stations accompanied by different microclimates ("space for time approach") can be used as proxy for climate change and to assess its impact on pollen counts and thus allergenic risk for human health. For example the pollen season is shortened and pollen amount is reduced at higher sites. For detailed investigations pollen of the species Plantago, Quercus, Poaceae, Cupressaceae, Cyperacea, Betula and Platanus were chosen, because those are found in appropriate quantities. In general, pollen captured in the pollen traps to a certain extent has its origin from the immediate surrounding. Thus, it mirrors local species distribution. But furthermore the distance of pollen transport is also based on (micro-) climatic conditions, land cover and topography. The pollen trap shortly below the summit of Zugspitze (Schneefernerhaus) has an alpine environment without vegetation nearby. Therefore, this

IRREGULAR POLLEN EXINE1 Is a Novel Factor in Anther Cuticle and Pollen Exine Formation1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Chen, Xiaoyang; Zhang, Hua; Luo, Hongbing; Zhao, Li; Dong, Zhaobin; Yan, Shuangshuang; Liu, Renyi; Xu, Chunyan; Li, Song; Chen, Huabang

2017-01-01

Anther cuticle and pollen exine are protective barriers for pollen development and fertilization. Despite that several regulators have been identified for anther cuticle and pollen exine development in rice (Oryza sativa) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), few genes have been characterized in maize (Zea mays) and the underlying regulatory mechanism remains elusive. Here, we report a novel male-sterile mutant in maize, irregular pollen exine1 (ipe1), which exhibited a glossy outer anther surface, abnormal Ubisch bodies, and defective pollen exine. Using map-based cloning, the IPE1 gene was isolated as a putative glucose-methanol-choline oxidoreductase targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum. Transcripts of IPE1 were preferentially accumulated in the tapetum during the tetrad and early uninucleate microspore stage. A biochemical assay indicated that ipe1 anthers had altered constituents of wax and a significant reduction of cutin monomers and fatty acids. RNA sequencing data revealed that genes implicated in wax and flavonoid metabolism, fatty acid synthesis, and elongation were differentially expressed in ipe1 mutant anthers. In addition, the analysis of transfer DNA insertional lines of the orthologous gene in Arabidopsis suggested that IPE1 and their orthologs have a partially conserved function in male organ development. Our results showed that IPE1 participates in the putative oxidative pathway of C16/C18 ω-hydroxy fatty acids and controls anther cuticle and pollen exine development together with MALE STERILITY26 and MALE STERILITY45 in maize. PMID:28049856

Hydrogeology and water quality in the Cedar Rapids area, Iowa, 1992-96

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schulmeyer, P.M.; Schnoebelen, D.J.

1998-01-01

Several areas in the Cedar River alluvial aquifer with large iron and manganese concentrations could be related to the original depositional environment of the sediment. In general, large iron and manganese concentrations in ground water are often associated with abundant organic and argillaceous material in sediment near old meander channels and sloughs.

Composition of the heartwood essential oil of incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens Torr.)

Treesearch

Sheeba Veluthoor; Rick G. Kelsey; M.P. Gonzalez-Hernandez; Nicholas Panella; Marc Dolan; Joe Karchesy

2011-01-01

Incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) is a tree native to Oregon and California, perhaps best known for its aromatic wood and use in the manufacturing of pencils. The wood is also highly valued for its decorative appearance and durability in lumber, related sawmill products, and fence posts. Chemical investigations of heartwood extracts have shown...

Impact and correlation of environmental conditions on pollen counts in Karachi, Pakistan.

PubMed

Perveen, Anjum; Khan, Muneeba; Zeb, Shaista; Imam, Asif Ali

2015-02-01

A quantitative and qualitative survey of airborne pollen was performed in the city of Karachi, and the pollen counts were correlated with different climatic conditions. The aim of the study was to determine the possible effect of meteorological factors on airborne pollen distribution in the atmosphere of Karachi city. Pollen sampling was carried out by using Burkard spore Trap for the period of August 2009 to July 2010, and a total of 2,922 pollen grains/m(3) were recorded. In this survey, 22 pollen types were recognized. The highest pollen count was contributed by Poaceae pollen type (1,242 pollen grains/m(3)) followed by Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae (948 pollen grains/m(3)), Cyperus rotundus (195 pollen grains/m(3)) and Prosopis juliflora (169 pollen grains/m(3)). Peak pollen season was in August showing a total of 709 pollen grains/m(3) and lowest pollen count was observed in January-2010. Pearson's chi-square test was performed for the possible correlation of pollen counts and climatic factors. The test revealed significant positive correlation of wind speed with pollen types of Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae; Brassica campestris; Asteraceae; and Thuja orientalis. While the correlation of "average temperature" showed significant positive value with Asteraceae and Tamarix indica pollen types. Negative correlation was observed between humidity/ precipitation and pollen types of Brassica campestris; Daucus carota; Ephedra sp.; and Tamarix indica. In the light of above updated data one could identify various aeroallergens present in the air of Karachi city.

Aerodynamics of saccate pollen and its implications for wind pollination.

PubMed

Schwendemann, Andrew B; Wang, George; Mertz, Meredith L; McWilliams, Ryan T; Thatcher, Scott L; Osborn, Jeffrey M

2007-08-01

Pollen grains of many wind-pollinated plants contain 1-3 air-filled bladders, or sacci. Sacci are thought to help orient the pollen grain in the pollination droplet. Sacci also increase surface area of the pollen grain, yet add minimal mass, thereby increasing dispersal distance; however, this aerodynamic hypothesis has not been tested in a published study. Using scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy, mathematical modeling, and the saccate pollen of three extant conifers with structurally different pollen grains (Pinus, Falcatifolium, Dacrydium), we developed a computational model to investigate pollen flight. The model calculates terminal settling velocity based on structural characters of the pollen grain, including lengths, widths, and depths of the main body and sacci; angle of saccus rotation; and thicknesses of the saccus wall, endoreticulations, intine, and exine. The settling speeds predicted by the model were empirically validated by stroboscopic photography. This study is the first to quantitatively demonstrate the adaptive significance of sacci for the aerodynamics of wind pollination. Modeling pollen both with and without sacci indicated that sacci can reduce pollen settling speeds, thereby increasing dispersal distance, with the exception of pollen grains having robust endoreticulations and those with thick saccus walls. Furthermore, because the mathematical model is based on structural characters and error propagation methods show that the model yields valid results when sample sizes are small, the flight dynamics of fossil pollen can be investigated. Several fossils were studied, including bisaccate (Pinus, Pteruchus, Caytonanthus), monosaccate (Gothania), and nonsaccate (Monoletes) pollen types.

Chemical constituents and free radical scavenging activity of corn pollen collected from Apis mellifera hives compared to floral corn pollen at Nan, Thailand

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Bee pollen is composed of floral pollen mixed with nectar and bee secretion that is collected by foraging honey (Apis sp.) and stingless bees. It is rich in nutrients, such as sugars, proteins, lipids, vitamins and flavonoids, and has been ascribed antiproliferative, anti-allergenic, anti-angiogenic and free radical scavenging activities. This research aimed at a preliminary investigation of the chemical constituents and free radical scavenging activity in A. mellifera bee pollen. Methods Bee pollen was directly collected from A. mellifera colonies in Nan province, Thailand, in June, 2010, whilst floral corn (Zea mays L.) pollen was collected from the nearby corn fields. The pollen was then sequentially extracted with methanol, dichloromethane (DCM) and hexane, and each crude extract was tested for free radical scavenging activity using the DPPH assay, evaluating the percentage scavenging activity and the effective concentration at 50% (EC50). The most active crude fraction from the bee pollen was then further enriched for bioactive components by silica gel 60 quick and adsorption or Sephadex LH-20 size exclusion chromatography. The purity of all fractions in each step was observed by thin layer chromatography and the bioactivity assessed by the DPPH assay. The chemical structures of the most active fractions were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance. Results The crude DCM extract of both the bee corn pollen and floral corn pollen provided the highest active free radical scavenging activity of the three solvent extracts, but it was significantly (over 28-fold) higher in the bee corn pollen (EC50 = 7.42 ± 0.12 μg/ml), than the floral corn pollen (EC50 = 212 ± 13.6% μg/ml). After fractionation to homogeneity, the phenolic hydroquinone and the flavone 7-O-R-apigenin were found as the minor and major bioactive compounds, respectively. Bee corn pollen contained a reasonably diverse array of nutritional components, including biotin (56.7 μg/100

Chemical constituents and free radical scavenging activity of corn pollen collected from Apis mellifera hives compared to floral corn pollen at Nan, Thailand.

PubMed

Chantarudee, Atip; Phuwapraisirisan, Preecha; Kimura, Kiyoshi; Okuyama, Masayuki; Mori, Haruhide; Kimura, Atsuo; Chanchao, Chanpen

2012-04-18

Bee pollen is composed of floral pollen mixed with nectar and bee secretion that is collected by foraging honey (Apis sp.) and stingless bees. It is rich in nutrients, such as sugars, proteins, lipids, vitamins and flavonoids, and has been ascribed antiproliferative, anti-allergenic, anti-angiogenic and free radical scavenging activities. This research aimed at a preliminary investigation of the chemical constituents and free radical scavenging activity in A. mellifera bee pollen. Bee pollen was directly collected from A. mellifera colonies in Nan province, Thailand, in June, 2010, whilst floral corn (Zea mays L.) pollen was collected from the nearby corn fields. The pollen was then sequentially extracted with methanol, dichloromethane (DCM) and hexane, and each crude extract was tested for free radical scavenging activity using the DPPH assay, evaluating the percentage scavenging activity and the effective concentration at 50% (EC50). The most active crude fraction from the bee pollen was then further enriched for bioactive components by silica gel 60 quick and adsorption or Sephadex LH-20 size exclusion chromatography. The purity of all fractions in each step was observed by thin layer chromatography and the bioactivity assessed by the DPPH assay. The chemical structures of the most active fractions were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance. The crude DCM extract of both the bee corn pollen and floral corn pollen provided the highest active free radical scavenging activity of the three solvent extracts, but it was significantly (over 28-fold) higher in the bee corn pollen (EC(50) = 7.42 ± 0.12 μg/ml), than the floral corn pollen (EC(50) = 212 ± 13.6% μg/ml). After fractionation to homogeneity, the phenolic hydroquinone and the flavone 7-O-R-apigenin were found as the minor and major bioactive compounds, respectively. Bee corn pollen contained a reasonably diverse array of nutritional components, including biotin (56.7 μg/100 g), invert sugar (19.9 g/100 g

Airborne pollen survey in Bangkok, Thailand: A 35-year update.

PubMed

Songnuan, Wisuwat; Bunnag, Chaweewan; Soontrapa, Kitipong; Pacharn, Punchama; Wangthan, Unchalee; Siriwattanakul, Umaporn; Malainual, Nat

2015-09-01

Pollen allergy is a growing global health issue. While airborne pollen counts are reported daily in several countries, such information is lacking in Thailand. This study aimed to survey airborne pollens at five sites in Bangkok, comparing data with the previous study performed 35 years ago in 1980. Sample collection was done using the ROTOROD® sampler by exposing the rods for one hour each day twice a week from May 2012-April 2013. Overall, we found that the average pollen count was relatively high throughout the year, at an average of 242 grains/m3. The highest peak was found in September (700 grains/m3). Interestingly, we found that the pollen count was noticeably lower in 2012-2013 when compared to the 1980 study. We also observed the approximate shift of pollen peaks about one to two months earlier in the 2012-2013 study. However, the major groups of airborne pollens did not change significantly. Grass, sedge, amaranthus pollens and fern spores still dominated. The unidentified pollen group was the only group with a higher pollen count when compared to the previous study.

Cell Wall Composition, Biosynthesis and Remodeling during Pollen Tube Growth

PubMed Central

Mollet, Jean-Claude; Leroux, Christelle; Dardelle, Flavien; Lehner, Arnaud

2013-01-01

The pollen tube is a fast tip-growing cell carrying the two sperm cells to the ovule allowing the double fertilization process and seed setting. To succeed in this process, the spatial and temporal controls of pollen tube growth within the female organ are critical. It requires a massive cell wall deposition to promote fast pollen tube elongation and a tight control of the cell wall remodeling to modify the mechanical properties. In addition, during its journey, the pollen tube interacts with the pistil, which plays key roles in pollen tube nutrition, guidance and in the rejection of the self-incompatible pollen. This review focuses on our current knowledge in the biochemistry and localization of the main cell wall polymers including pectin, hemicellulose, cellulose and callose from several pollen tube species. Moreover, based on transcriptomic data and functional genomic studies, the possible enzymes involved in the cell wall remodeling during pollen tube growth and their impact on the cell wall mechanics are also described. Finally, mutant analyses have permitted to gain insight in the function of several genes involved in the pollen tube cell wall biosynthesis and their roles in pollen tube growth are further discussed. PMID:27137369

Adaptation to exploit nitrate in surface soils predisposes yellow-cedar to climate-induced decline while enhancing the survival of western redcedar: a new hypothesis

Treesearch

David V. D' Amore; Paul E. Hennon; Paul G. Schaberg; Gary J. Hawley

2009-01-01

Yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach) and western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn), two valuable tree species of Pacific Northwest forests, are competitive in low productivity forests on wet, nearly saturated soils with low nitrogen (N) availability and turnover. We propose a mechanism where cedar trees survive in...