Morphological variation in Ephedra (Gnetales) is limited and confusing from an evolutionary perspective, with parallelisms and intraspecific variation. However, recent analyses of molecular data provide a phylogenetic framework for investigations of morphological traits, albeit with few informative characters in the investigated gene regions. We document morphological, anatomical and histologic...

Title of Thesis: BIOACTIVITY OF EPHEDRA: INTEGRATING CYTOTOXICITY ASSESSMENT WITH REAL-TIME BIOSENSING Kazuko Fukushima, Master of Science, 2004 Thesis Directed By: Dr. Y. Martin Lo, Department of Nutrition and Food Science Ephedrine-type alkaloids (ETA) are major active ingredients of Ephedra, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb used to treat asthma and nasal congestion. Until recently, large...

Most gymnosperms are wind-pollinated, but some are insect-pollinated, and in Ephedra (Gnetales), both wind pollination and insect pollination occur. Little is, however, known about mechanisms and evolution of pollination syndromes in gymnosperms. Based on four seasons of field studies, we show an unexpected correlation between pollination and the phases of the moon in one of our studied species...

Sequences from the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region 1 (nrDNA ITS1) and the plastid rps4 gene from the genus Ephedra (Ephedraceae, Gnetales) were obtained in order to infer phylogenetic relationships, character evolution, and historical biogeography in the genus. Within Ephedra the length of the nrDNA ITS1 varied from 1,081 to 1,143 basepairs (bp), in contrast to dramatically...

With the growing popularity of the Java programming language for both client and server side applications in network-centric computing, there is a rising need for programming libraries that can be easily integrated into Java programs. In a previous paper, we surveyed current strategies for integrating C source code into Java programs, pointed out their weaknesses and presented goals for an impr...

Water is generally considered to be the major limiting factor for perennial shrub growth in the Mojave Desert, USA. However, the responses of active fine roots to soil moisture and microsite differed among Ambrosia dumosa, Ephedra nevadensis, Larrea tridentata, and Lycium pallidum, suggesting differences in root foraging strategies. Ambrosia and Ephedra had a positive linear relationship betwee...

Palynological investigations in the Orce Archaeological Zone (OAZ) (Guadix-Baza Basin, Granada, Spain), Venta Micena 1 (VM1), Barranco León (BL) and Fuente Nueva 3 (FN3) are presented. This archaeological region is connected with first Homo populations Western Eurasia during Early Pleistocene. The VM1 pollen record characterized by Ephedra, to a lesser extent, Pinus, Juniperus evergreen Quercus...

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline antibiotic with broad spectrum anti-tumour activity. Its effectiveness has been limited by the occurrence of dose-related myocardial and bone marrow toxicity. As oxidative stress is the main factor in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, we presumed that agents which enhance endogenous antioxidants can prevent DOX induced cardiotoxicity. Animals received either DOX ...