scholarly journals The Unique Australian Flora, A Veritable Pandora’s Pharmacopeia of Compounds with Therapeutic Biomedical Potential: Are the Chalcones the Geni in The Box?

2021 ◽  
pp. 77-97
Author(s):  
James Melrose
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Chemistry ◽  
Chemical Compounds ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Polycyclic Compounds ◽  
Australian Continent ◽  
Australian Flora ◽  
Biomedical Potential ◽  
Large Repertoire

The aim of this review was to highlight the unique biodiversity of the flowering plants and shrubs of Australia and their component chemicals that evolved during the separation of the Australian continent from Gondwanaland. The chemicals produced by these flowering plants provided protection ensuring the survival of the Australian flora which had to contend with often harsh Australian climatic conditions. The diversity of plant phytochemicals produced by these flowering plants reflects the unique diversity of the Australian Flora and these represent a Pharmacological goldmine. It was beyond the scope of this review to cover the full spectrum of these chemical compounds present in Australian plants instead we focused on the chalcones in this review. This compound has a special status in medicinal chemistry as a base intermediate for the synthesis of a large repertoire of polycyclic compounds that display anti-bacterial, antifungal, anti-viral and anti-tumour properties and these are thus of considerable interest in Biomedicine.

Evolution and Expansion of Flowering Plants

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 209-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott L. Wing
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Terrestrial Vegetation ◽  
Earth History ◽  
Very High ◽  
High Diversity ◽  
Environmental Disruption

Flowering plants are a classic example of a group arising late in Earth history and yet achieving very high diversity, abundance, and ecological and morphological variety in a great array of environments and climatic conditions on all continents. Thus, the success of flowering plants raises basic questions about how new lineages become inserted into existing terrestrial ecosystems. To what degree did flowering plants replace older lineages competitively, and to what extent did their expansion depend on large-scale environmental disruption or extinction of older groups? Is the higher taxonomic diversity of flowering plants a consequence of higher rates of speciation, lower rates of extinction, or both? Have flowering plants expanded the total area and range of habitats occupied by terrestrial vegetation? What were the effects of the diversification and spread of flowering plants on the structure of habitats and the types of resources available to terrestrial heterotrophs?

scholarly journals Composition, biological properties and therapeutic effects of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia L). A review

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Prusinowska ◽  
Krzysztof B. Śmigielski
Keyword(s):  
Essential Oil ◽  
Chemical Compounds ◽  
Antimicrobial Activities ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Quantitative Composition ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Lavandula Angustifolia ◽  
The Family ◽  
Positive Effect

Abstract Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a shrub of the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean region. The material used for herbal purposes includes lavender flowers (Lavandula flores) containing essential oil (3%), anthocyanins, phytosterols, sugars, minerals, and tannins. The qualitative and quantitative composition of the essential oil of lavender is variable and depends on genotype, growing location, climatic conditions, propagation, and morphological features. The essential oil contains over 300 chemical compounds. The dominant components are linalool, linalyl acetate, terpinen-4-ol, acetate lavandulol, oci-mene, and cineole. Lavender essential oil has good antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and a significant positive effect on the digestive and nervous systems. Lavender extract prevents dementia and may inhibit the growth of cancer cells, while lavender hydrolate is recommended for the treatment of skin problems and burns.

scholarly journals On the Horizontal Scale of Elevation Dependence of Australian Monthly Precipitation

2005 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 1850-1865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason J. Sharples ◽  
Michael F. Hutchinson ◽  
Damian R. Jellett
Keyword(s):  
Smoothing Splines ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Australian Continent ◽  
Version 2.0 ◽  
Thin Plate Smoothing Splines ◽  
Local Averages ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Determination of the scale of the interaction between precipitation and topography is important for the accurate interpolation of rainfall in mountainous areas and also provides insight into the physical processes involved. In this paper, trivariate thin-plate smoothing splines are used to investigate the scale of interaction between monthly precipitation and topography by interpolating monthly rainfall over three subregions of the Australian continent, incorporating different climatic conditions and rainfall types. The interpolations are based upon elevations derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) of various resolutions. All of the DEMs are local averages of version 2.0 of the 9-s-resolution DEM of Australia. The results suggest that the optimal scale of the interaction between precipitation and topography, as it pertains to the elevation-dependent interpolation of monthly precipitation in Australia, is between 5 and 10 km. This is in agreement with results of similar studies that addressed daily precipitation over Switzerland.

scholarly journals The impact of extraction protocol on the chemical profile of cannabis extracts from a single cultivar

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janina K. Bowen ◽  
Jacqueline M. Chaparro ◽  
Alexander M. McCorkle ◽  
Edward Palumbo ◽  
Jessica E. Prenni
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Efficacy ◽  
Chemical Compounds ◽  
Commercial Production ◽  
Chemical Profile ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Processing Methods ◽  
The World ◽  
Dramatic Shift ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Analytical Approaches

AbstractThe last two decades have seen a dramatic shift in cannabis legislation around the world. Cannabis products are now widely available and commercial production and use of phytocannabinoid products is rapidly growing. However, this growth is outpacing the research needed to elucidate the therapeutic efficacy of the myriad of chemical compounds found primarily in the flower of the female cannabis plant. This lack of research and corresponding regulation has resulted in processing methods, products, and terminology that are variable and confusing for consumers. Importantly, the impact of processing methods on the resulting chemical profile of full spectrum cannabis extracts is not well understood. As a first step in addressing this knowledge gap we have utilized a combination of analytical approaches to characterize the broad chemical composition of a single cannabis cultivar that was processed using previously optimized and commonly used commercial extraction protocols including alcoholic solvents and super critical carbon dioxide. Significant variation in the bioactive chemical profile was observed in the extracts resulting from the different protocols demonstrating the need for further research regarding the influence of processing on therapeutic efficacy as well as the importance of labeling in the marketing of multi-component cannabis products.

Clear sky solar illuminance using visual band irradiance

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 11-19
Author(s):  
A. Nurick
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Wavelength Range ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosols ◽  
Rayleigh Scattering ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Visible Range ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Clear Sky ◽  
Sky Conditions

Solar illuminance may be quantified by applying relevant efficacy functions to available full spectrum ground irradiance. Alternatively, illuminance may be determined by applying the Photopic function to ground level irradiance spectra obtained from the terrestrial irradiance spectrum adjusted using relevant atmospheric absorption and scattering coefficients. The Photopic function has finite values in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 700 nm and is concentrated around a mean wavelength of 555 nm with irradiance at wavelengths close to 555 nm contributing to the major portion of illuminance. Calculation of ground level direct, diffuse and hence global illuminance is simplified as absorption of irradiance in the atmosphere by water vapour and uniformly mixed gases is negligible and may be ignored. It is shown that due to the small variations in the overall irradiance over wavelengths in the visible bandwidth combined with the concentration effect of the Photopic function in this wavelength range illuminance may be calculated, with good accuracy, using constant extinction functions for both direct and diffuse illuminance. Due to the concentration of illuminance by the Photopic function global illuminance data were also correlated with a simplified description of illuminance attenuation through the atmosphere based on the Beer-Lambert-Bouger Law using a single constant effective extinction coefficient which accounts for all extinction processes under clear sky conditions over the visible range of wavelengths. Constants used in extinction functions for solar irradiance due atmospheric aerosols were obtained by fitting experimental data to analytical descriptions of atmospheric extinction while published constants were used for ozone and Rayleigh scattering. The analytical descriptions of global illuminance with solar elevation were compared with experimental data collected at Johannesburg over both summer and winter clear sky conditions. Correlations of measured and calculated global illuminance data for the method based on extinction of various atmospheric components was 4.47 % and 4.49 % for the method based on the Beer-Lambert-Bouger Law, both normalised using the terrestrial illuminance constant. While measurements were made at a specific site in Gauteng, the methods used to correlate the data are general and location independent but local climatic conditions may need to be taken into account to quantify the extinction coefficients for specific areas.

scholarly journals Past and future potential range changes in one of the last large vertebrates of the Australian continent, the emu Dromaius novaehollandiae

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Ryeland ◽  
Tristan T. Derham ◽  
Ricky J. Spencer
Keyword(s):  
East Coast ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Potential Range ◽  
Indigenous Australian ◽  
North East ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Australian Continent ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality

AbstractIn Australia, significant shifts in species distribution have occurred with the loss of megafauna, changes in indigenous Australian fire regime and land-use changes with European settlement. The emu, one of the last megafaunal species in Australia, has likely undergone substantial distribution changes, particularly near the east coast of Australia where urbanisation is extensive and some populations have declined. We modelled emu distribution across the continental mainland and across the Great Dividing Range region (GDR) of eastern Australia, under historical, present and future climates. We predicted shifts in emu distribution using ensemble modelling, hindcasting and forecasting distribution from current emu occurrence data. Emus have expanded their range northward into central Australia over the 6000 years modelled here. Areas west of the GDR have become more suitable since the mid-Holocene, which was unsuitable then due to high precipitation seasonality. However, the east coast of Australia has become climatically sub-optimal and will remain so for at least 50 years. The north east of NSW encompasses the range of the only listed endangered population, which now occurs at the margins of optimal climatic conditions for emus. Being at the fringe of suitable climatic conditions may put this population at higher risk of further decline from non-climatic anthropogenic disturbances e.g. depredation by introduced foxes and pigs. The limited scientific knowledge about wild emu ecology and biology currently available limits our ability to quantify these risks.

scholarly journals Flowering plants of Hedera helix L. in the Grunwald district of the city of Poznań

2012 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-56
Author(s):  
Stanisława Korszun ◽  
Joanna Bykowska
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Trees ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
European Larch ◽  
Hedera Helix ◽  
Apple Trees ◽  
The City ◽  
Trees And Shrubs ◽  
Generative Stage ◽  
Very High

In the period from September 2008 to July 2009 in the Grunwald district in the city of Poznań, Poland, a total of 609 localities of flowering English ivy were recorded, for which 769 plants were described. These plants were found in different localities, most of them euhemerobic. The biggest number of flowering specimens was recorded in home gardens. Support for climbing plants was mainly provided by trees and shrubs, including fruit trees – pear and apple trees. Among the other tree species, the biggest group comprises Scots pine, common birch, European larch and common locust. Other types of supports included fences, buildings and elements of small architecture. A very high number of specimens in the generative stage in the Grunwald district indicates considerable popularity and at the same time very good adaptation of ivy not only to the climatic conditions of the city of Poznań, but also to anthropogenic changes in the habitat.

scholarly journals Alexis Wright’s The Swan Book: Indigenous-Australian Swansong or Songline?

Humanities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Cornelis M. B. Renes
Keyword(s):  
Northern Territory ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Transgenerational Trauma ◽  
Indigenous Australian ◽  
Aboriginal Communities ◽  
Indigenous Australia ◽  
Australian Continent ◽  
Marginal Status ◽  
Environmental Balance ◽  
Australian Flora

The Swan Book (pub. 2013) by the Indigenous-Australian author Alexis Wright is an eco-dystopian epic about the Indigenous people’s tough struggle to regain the environmental balance of the Australian continent and recover their former habitat. The book envisions a dire future in which all Australian flora and fauna—humans included—are under threat, suffering, displaced, and dying out as the result of Western colonization and its exploitative treatment of natural resources. The Swan Book goes beyond the geographical and epistemological scope of Wright’s previous two novels, Plains of Promise (pub. 1997) and Carpentaria (pub. 2006) to imagine what the Australian continent at large will look like under the ongoing pressure of the Western, exploitative production mode in a foreseeable future. The occupation of Aboriginal land in Australia’s Northern Territory since 2007 has allowed the federal government to intervene dramatically in what they term the dysfunctional remote Aboriginal communities; these are afflicted by transgenerational trauma, endemic domestic violence, alcoholism, and child sexual and substance abuse—in themselves the results of the marginal status of Indigeneity in Australian society—and continued control over valuable resources. This essay will discuss how Wright’s dystopian novel exemplifies an Indigenous turn to speculative fiction as a more successful way to address the trials and tribulations of Indigenous Australia and project a better future—an enabling songline rather than a disabling swansong.

scholarly journals  Evaluation of apricot fruit quality and correlations between physical and chemical attributes

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 161-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Mratinić ◽  
B. Popovski ◽  
T. Milošević ◽  
M. Popovska
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Chemical Compounds ◽  
Titratable Acidity ◽  
Prunus Armeniaca ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Soluble Solids ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Prunus Armeniaca L ◽  
Chemical Attributes ◽  
Physical And Chemical

The fruit of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L., Rosaceae) has been used as food in FYR Macedonia since a long time ago. The chemical organic matters from the fruit is a kind material for food processing and has potential nutritional, medical and commercial values. The results based on fruit physical and chemical analyses clearly showed that different apricot genotypes have very important contents of soluble solids, individual sugars, and titratable acidity in limited soil and climatic conditions. In addition, the contents of these chemical compounds in some genotypes were higher than those in the control cultivar Hungarian Best. Using the PC analysis (PC1 = 32.13%, PC2 = 22.86%, and PC3 = 18.32%), apricot genotypes were separated into groups with similar physical and chemical attributes. These relationships may help to select a set of genotypes with better fruit quality performances which, in our study, might be indicated in DL-1/1/04, DL-1/2/03, D-1/04 and K-5/04.

Defining the native and naturalised flora for the Australian continent

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Fensham ◽  
B. Laffineur
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Plant Dispersal ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Australian Continent ◽  
The Status ◽  
Ecological Criteria ◽  
Australian Flora ◽  
Herbarium Collections ◽  
Special Relevance

The value of distinguishing between plant species regarded as ‘native’ and ‘alien’ has special relevance in the island continent of Australia, where European settlement was a springboard for human-assisted plant dispersal. The year of European settlement is proposed here as providing a distinction between a ‘native’ and ‘naturalised’ flora and is applied for the entire Australian flora of vascular plants. Herbarium collections and ecological criteria were employed to determine the status of 168 species of ambiguous origin. The date of 1788 proved to be a relatively straightforward criterion to assign native and naturalised status and the origin of only 27 plant species remains ambiguous. The dispersal of plants between continents is an ongoing process but European settlement of the Australian continent represents a very sharp biogeographic event for the Australian flora and provides a straightforward criterion for determining the ‘naturalised’ species.

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