The monoterpenoid 1,8-cineole is obtained from the leaves of Eucalyptus globulus and it has important biological activities. It is a cheap natural substrate because it is a by-product of the Eucalyptus cultivation for wood and pulp production. In this study, it was evaluated the potential of three filamentous fungi in the biotransformation of 1,8-cineole. The study was divided in two steps: fir...

Scientific research on the effects of essential oils on human behavior lags behind the promises made by popular aromatherapy. Nearly all aspects of human behavior are closely linked to processes of attention, the basic level being that of alertness, which ranges from sleep to wakefulness. In our study we measured the influence of essential oils and components of essential oils [peppermint, jasm...

A protocol for the micropropagation of Eucalyptus polybractea R.T. Baker (blue mallee) using axillary bud proliferation from lignotuber-derived explants is described. Three different ages of plants were used as explant sources: glasshouse-grown seedlings, field-grown saplings, and coppice of field-grown mature lignotubers. Explants from each source initiated successfully and no significant diff...

Background: Common sage (Salvia officinalis) is a popular culinary and medicinal herb. A literature survey has revealed that sage oils can vary widely in their chemical compositions. The purpose of this study was to examine sage essential oil from different sources/origins and to define the possible chemotypes of sage oil. Methods: Three different samples of sage leaf essential oil have been ob...

When selecting habitats, herbivores must weigh multiple risks, such as predation, starvation, toxicity, and thermal stress, forcing them to make fitness trade-offs. Here, we applied the method of paired comparisons (PC) to investigate how herbivores make trade-offs between habitat features that influence selection of food patches. The method of PC measures utility and the inverse of utility, re...

The suction pipette technique was used to study simultaneously the odour-induced action potential and receptor current responses in frog olfactory receptor cells, which were exposed to the odour cineole for 1 s by rapidly exchanging the solution bathing their cilia. The frequency of action potential firing increased as the odour concentration was raised and saturated within a 15-fold elevation ...