Floral Patterns Research Articles

Panagiotis P. Iossif, Catharine C. Lorber. The Cult of Helios in the Seleucid East

Amongst the many representations of Seleucid sovereigns on their coins or on official and unofficial seals are the portrayals of kings that clearly link them to Helios or a solar god. In these representations, which do not seem to go back prior to the accession of Seleucus IV, the king’s head “radiates”, sometimes floral patterns. This should probably be interpreted as a symbol of prosperity. The iconography of the king should, of course, be related to the political situation, as many studies...

A Modified ABCDE Model of Flowering in Orchids Based on Gene Expression Profiling Studies of the Moth Orchid Phalaenopsis aphrodite

Previously we developed genomic resources for orchids, including transcriptomic analyses using next-generation sequencing techniques and construction of a web-based orchid genomic database. Here, we report a modified molecular model of flower development in the Orchidaceae based on functional analysis of gene expression profiles in Phalaenopsis aphrodite (a moth orchid) that revealed novel roles for the transcription factors involved in floral organ pattern formation. Phalaenopsis orchid floral organ-specific genes were identified by microarray analysis. Several critical transcription factors including AP3, PI, AP1 and AGL6, displayed distinct spatial distribution patterns. Phylogenetic analysis of orchid MADS box genes was conducted to infer the evolutionary relationship among floral organ-specific genes. The results suggest that gene duplication MADS box genes in orchid may have resulted in their gaining novel functions during evolution. Based on these analyses, a modified model of orchid flowering was proposed. Comparison of the expression profiles of flowers of a peloric mutant and wild-type Phalaenopsis orchid further identified genes associated with lip morphology and peloric effects. Large scale investigation of gene expression profiles revealed that homeotic genes from the ABCDE model of flower development classes A and B in the Phalaenopsis orchid have novel functions due to evolutionary diversification, and display differential expression patterns.

Faba bean gene-pools development for low-input agriculture: understanding early stages of natural selection

Six faba bean gene-pools were cultivated to develop locally adapted genetic material for low-input (LI) systems that take advantage of the observed benefit of LI agriculture in pollinator density and diversity. Bee pollinators intensify selection on floral traits important in attraction and mechanical-fit but may also select for traits that increase seed set through outcrossing and aided selfing. Our research is focused on examining the impact of natural selection in crop performance under different pollination management strategies, taking into account traits relevant for the inter-phase plant and pollinator. Architectural and floral patterns are the result of natural selection and they reflect local adaptation to factors of the environment and adaptations to differences in pollination management strategy. However, seed production patterns seem to be affected by natural selection in an inconsistent way. Principal Component models showed a large proportion of the temporal variation accounted by plant height and number of open flowers and by floral shape and sexual dimensions. Discriminant Analysis indicated that plant architecture and floral traits related to pollinators are also the result of selection for particular patterns in each pollination management strategy. Flowers with an increase in the zygomorphy were favored under the open-pollination. Our work confirms the need for careful management of plant-pollinator inter-phase in faba bean breeding for LI systems.

A Study on Striped and Checked Patterns in Silk Fabric of the Republic of China (1912-1949)

Based on the analysis and investigation on a large number of striped and checked patterns in silk fabric of the Republic of China (1912-1949) and some relevant historical records, this paper mainly reviews the types of striped and checked patterns in silk fabric of the Republic of China. It also discusses the use of weave design in striped and checked patterns, and points out that striped and checked patterns turned to be one of the most popular patterns in silk fabric during this period, only ranking second to floral pattern. The influence of western design, changes in fashion and technological innovations are main reasons for this transition.

Bumblebees occupy: when foragers do and do not use the presence of others to first find food

The aim of this study was to determine whether an unlearned preference by bumblebees for flowers that are occupied by other bees is frequency dependent and whether it depends on the size of the flower. In three experiments, bees leaving their colony for the first time were given 20 unrewarded choices of occupied versus unoccupied floral patterns in a radial arm maze. In Experiment 1, the relative frequency of occupiers was manipulated. In Experiment 2, a variety of large (≥6 cm diameter) artificial flowers was used. In Experiment 3, floral patterns were eliminated in an effort to reduce the similarity between “occupied” and “unoccupied”. A significant unlearned preference was found only under the combination of conditions in which occupied flowers were comparatively rare and the occupier to flower size ratio was relatively high. Otherwise, the preferences were non-significant, though the stimuli were discriminable because control groups given prior discrimination training acquired a preference. Our results narrow down the conditions under which foragers respond to the presence of others when making their first floral choices.

English

The Direct Piercing Carved Wood Panel (DPCWP) installed in Masjid Abidin, Kuala Terengganu, is one example that carries much aesthetic and artistic value. The use of DPCWP in earlier mosques was envisaged to improve the intelligibility of indoor speech because the perforated panels allow some of the sound energy to pass through. In this paper, the normal incidence sound absorption coefficient of DPCWP with Daun Sireh motif, which is a form of floral pattern, is discussed. The Daun Sireh motif was chosen and investigated for 30%, 35%, 40%, and 45% perforation ratios. The simulations were conducted using BEASY Acoustic Software based on the boundary element method. The simulation results were compared with measurements obtained by using the sound intensity technique. An accompanying discussion on both the numerical and the measurement tendencies of the sound absorption characteristics of the DPCWP is provided. The results show that the DPCWP with Daun Sireh motif can act as a good sound absorber. © Universiti Malaysia Pahang.

4-Deoxyaurone Formation in Bidens ferulifolia (Jacq.) DC

The formation of 4-deoxyaurones, which serve as UV nectar guides in Bidens ferulifolia (Jacq.) DC., was established by combination of UV photography, mass spectrometry, and biochemical assays and the key step in aurone formation was studied. The yellow flowering ornamental plant accumulates deoxy type anthochlor pigments (6′-deoxychalcones and the corresponding 4-deoxyaurones) in the basal part of the flower surface whilst the apex contains only yellow carotenoids. For UV sensitive pollinating insects, this appears as a bicoloured floral pattern which can be visualized in situ by specific ammonia staining of the anthochlor pigments. The petal back side, in contrast, shows a faintly UV absorbing centre and UV absorbing rays along the otherwise UV reflecting petal apex. Matrix-free UV laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometric imaging (LDI-MSI) indicated the presence of 9 anthochlors in the UV absorbing areas. The prevalent pigments were derivatives of okanin and maritimetin. Enzyme preparations from flowers, leaves, stems and roots of B. ferulifolia and from plants, which do not accumulate aurones e.g. Arabidopsis thaliana, were able to convert chalcones to aurones. Thus, aurone formation could be catalyzed by a widespread enzyme and seems to depend mainly on a specific biochemical background, which favours the formation of aurones at the expense of flavonoids. In contrast to 4-hydroxyaurone formation, hydroxylation and oxidative cyclization to the 4-deoxyaurones does not occur in one single step but is catalyzed by two separate enzymes, chalcone 3-hydroxylase and aurone synthase (catechol oxidase reaction). Aurone formation shows an optimum at pH 7.5 or above, which is another striking contrast to 4-hydroxyaurone formation in Antirrhinum majus L. This is the first example of a plant catechol oxidase type enzyme being involved in the flavonoid pathway and in an anabolic reaction in general.

The properties of Seljuq and Ottoman era public fountain faucets and some rare faucet samples

Until the late 19th and early 20th century, public fountains (in Turkish, ‘çeşme’) in Anatolia and Ottoman lands had an important place in everyday life. The water that was collected from various water sources and brought to the city centres through waterlines was supplied to people from the architectural stone structures which we call ‘fountains’. These fountains were constructed in squares and streets as needed; to supply water to an area or to pay for the building of a fountain was considered the greatest deed. An inseparable part of the public fountains, many of which are architectural monuments, is the faucets which are generally made of metal and through which the water would run. The faucets were also named as ‘lüles’ (meaning ‘pipes’) which indicated the flow rate of water. Faucets were paid great attention in the construction of public fountains. This work examines the Seljuq and Ottoman era faucets registered in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum as historic artefacts and are a part of the Adell Armature Collection. Within this scope, the alloys and metals of which faucets are made; their size and measurements, their design features, on and off mechanisms, wall-mount features, the patterns and decorations on the faucets were also compared. While Seljuq era faucets have stylised dragon heads and other powerful animals depicted in their metal work, Ottoman era faucets usually have floral patterns and not animal figures. This subject draws much attention.

OsMADS16 Genetically Interacts with OsMADS3 and OsMADS58 in Specifying Floral Patterning in Rice

Rice (Oryza sativa) has unique floral patterns that contribute to grain yield. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the specification of floral organ identities in rice, particularly the interaction among floral homeotic genes, remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the floral homeotic gene OsMADS16 (also called SUPERWOMAN1, SPW1, a B-class gene) acts together with the rice C-class genes OsMADS3 and OsMADS58 in specifying floral organ patterning. OsMADS16 and the two C-class genes have an overlapping expression pattern in the third whorl founder cells. Compared with the single mutants, both spw1-1 osmads3-4 and spw1-1 osmads58 double mutants exhibit additional whorls of glume-like organs within the flower, particularly an extra whorl of six glume-like structures formed at the position of the wild-type stamens. These ectopic glume-like structures were shown to have palea identity through cellular observation and in situ hybridization analysis using marker genes. Our results suggest that B- and C-class genes play a key role in suppressing indeterminate growth within the floral meristem, particularly whorl-3 primordia. We also hypothesize that, in contrast to previous assumptions, the specialized spikelet organ in rice, the palea, is the counterpart of the sepal in eudicots, and the lemma is homologous to the bract.

Studies on the differences of wallpaper appreciations - Focused on the floral patterns -

Studies on the differences of wallpaper appreciations - Focused on the floral patterns -

Study of aerobic bacterial conjunctival flora in patients with diabetes mellitus

Normal bacterial flora may be altered by a variety of factors. To study the aerobic bacterial conjunctival flora in patients with diabetes mellitus and to find its clinical significance by comparing the results to the conjunctival flora of non-diabetic subjects. A total of 75 diabetic patients were included as cases and 25 nondiabetics as controls to compare the results. Specimens for the study of conjunctival flora were taken by rubbing sterile cotton-tipped swabs to the inferior palbebral conjunctiva. The conjunctival culture report of the patients with diabetic mellitus was compared to that of nondiabetic subjects. Positive conjunctival cultures were seen in a higher percentage of patients with diabetes (unilateral and bilateral positive conjunctival cultures 34.66 % and 58.66 % respectively) compared to that in non-diabetic controls (unilateral and bilateral positive conjunctival cultures 24 % and 16 % respectively). Diabetics showed a higher proportion of coagulase negative staphylococci (45.33 %), compared to the non-diabetic group (16 %). Among the diabetic patients, positive conjunctival cultures were detected more frequently in those with diabetic retinopathy compared to those without retinopathy. A higher proportions of bilateral positive conjunctival cultures were seen in cases with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (38.63 %) in comparison to patients with no retinopathy and different stages of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The conjunctival floral pattern with increased bacteria in diabetics is a predominant cause of many diabetes-related ocular infections. The presence of diabetic retinopathy is an indicator for increased colonization of conjunctiva, and its severity correlates with the severity of diabetic retinopathy.

The plant transcriptome—from integrating observations to models

The plant transcriptome—from integrating observations to models

Synthesis of hierarchical CuO microspheres: Photocatalytic and antibacterial activities

In this work, hierarchical CuO micropeony was synthesized by an environmentally benign reflux condensation approach without using any surfactant or templates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the formation of CuO exhibiting monoclinic crystal structure. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) further confirmed the formation of single phase CuO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that the hierarchical CuO architecture is composed of numerous interpenetrating nanosheets that radiated from the center to form floral pattern with a diameter of 1–2μm. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of CuO exhibited both UV and visible emissions. The photocatalytic activity of hierarchical CuO microsphere was evaluated by monitoring the photodegradation of methyl orange dye while the antibacterial activity was studied against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria's. Results demonstrated that CuO hierarchical architecture possesses good photocatalytic as well as antibacterial activity.

Floral Development ofStephania(Menispermaceae): Impact of Organ Reduction on Symmetry

Stephania is the sole genus in the basal eudicot family Menispermaceae that possesses both actinomorphic and zygomorphic flowers. Variation in perianth merism can have an important impact on flower symmetry and thus eminent biological significance in evolution of Menispermaceae. Using SEM, we studied the floral development of four representative species, which present the two predominant floral patterns of the genus, namely, homomorphy of both male and female flowers (actinomorphy) or heteromorphy (actinomorphy/zygomorphy). The sepals of the male flowers are arranged mostly in two alternate whorls of three or four each, whereas in female flowers they are in a single whorl of three or four or there is only a single sepal. Petals of male flowers are in a whorl of three or four organs, whereas female flowers of some species have only two petals. Trimerous and tetramerous perianths can coexist in the same umbellets of some species. Variation in perianth merism and loss of perianth parts of the female flowers may result in flower symmetry switching from actinomorphy to zygomorphy. The two main floral patterns are consistent with a distinction of two subclades within Stephania. The unicarpellate genera of the Menispermaceae share a unique combination of characters, including a synandrium, unitegmic ovules, and absence of vestigial sexual organs. However, Stephania differs from its unicarpellate relatives by two features: a two-whorled arrangement of floral organs of the male flowers and a free perianth. The investigation provides new and valuable developmental information on flowers of the little-known Menispermaceae and provides a background for a discussion of the evolution of merism and unisexual flowers in the basal eudicots.

Floral Phenology of Upper Amazon Cocoa Trees: Implications for Reproduction and Productivity of Cocoa

A study of the floral phenology of cocoa trees was carried out between 2006 and 2008 at Kubease in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, using one hundred cocoa trees from ten farm plots. The objective was to assess the contribution of floral phenology to the productivity of cocoa. Cocoa like all tropical tree species exhibited seasonally-related phenological patterns involving overlapping cycles under both intrinsic and extrinsic controls. However, unlike most tropical plants, flowering was in the rainy season. The production of new pods or cherelles increased during the major rainy season (June, July, and August), but was evenly distributed from the minor to the dry season. Production of small and medium pods peaked in August whereas production of large pods peaked in October. There was a positive correlation between new pod production and pods abortion (r = 0.69; n = 100; P < 0.05). Temperature, light intensity, and rainfall positively affected production of floral buds and production of open flowers. However, rainfall had the greatest influence on the phenological cycle of the cocoa plant. The floral phenological pattern also coincided with the activity of the main pollinators of cocoa which resulted in enhanced reproductive capacity for increased production of cocoa.

A CAD Paradigm for Generating Woodworking Motifs

In objective to preserve the cultural heritage of Saharanpur Art, this work presents an in-house CAD tool for generating Saharanpur’s motifs. A fusion of traditional making methods and CAD technology has been presented which leads to a new methodology for creating Saharanpur’s woodcrafts. With an inspiration to provide traditional emergence in woodcrafts, Saharanpur floral patterns have been used as an essential resource to archive decorative effects.

Estratégias fenológicas de Senna cana (Nees & Mart.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) como mecanismo eficiente para atração de polinizadores

Este trabalho verificou a importância das estratégias fenológicas de Senna cana na atração de visitantes e polinizadores na mata ciliar do rio Lençóis, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia. As observações fenológicas foliares (queda foliar e brotamento) e reprodutivas (botão, flor, fruto imaturo e fruto maduro) foram mensais (18 meses) em 10 indivíduos marcados. Para a biologia floral observou-se: antese, duração das flores, receptividade estigmática, viabilidade polínica, presença de osmóforos e pigmentos que refletem raios ultravioleta. Foram realizados testes de autopolinização manual, espontânea e polinização cruzada. Os visitantes e polinizadores foram determinados observando-se: horário, duração, freqüência das visitas e comportamento de forrageio. Senna cana é uma espécie perenifólia episódica, com eventos reprodutivos sazonais e altamente sincrônicos (floração intermediária no período chuvoso e frutificação longa no período seco). Tais características na floração, somadas à síndrome de melitofilia, configuram importantes estratégias para atração de visitantes florais, dentre os quais Xylocopa frontalis e X. grisescens foram classificadas enquanto potenciais polinizadores. A autoincompatibilidade e o máximo de frutos produzidos após polinização cruzada são mecanismos reprodutivos favorecidos pelas estratégias fenológicas e síndrome de polinização apresentadas pela espécie.

Comparative floral development in Lithospermum (Boraginaceae) and implications for the evolution and development of heterostyly

The evolution and development of floral developmental patterns were investigated in three heterostylous and three homostylous species of Lithospermum to determine whether species that independently acquired the same floral form follow the same pattern of development or different patterns. Using light and scanning electron microscopy, we observed developmental patterns in flowers at different stages of maturity. These patterns were compared within individual species, between heterostylous morphs, and among heterostylous and homostylous species. Although heterostyly has been determined by phylogenetic analysis to have originated independently in each of the heterostylous species, flowers of the long-style morph of each species follow similar patterns of gross development, as do those of the short-style morph. In addition, the flowers of each morph develop in a manner similar to those of their respective homostylous, herkogamous relatives. However, the developmental patterns of the stylar epidermal cells differ among these species and between heterostylous and homostylous species. Floral developmental patterns in homostylous species provide evidence that modification of specific traits, such as patterns of stylar growth, can lead to the evolution of heterostyly. The developmental changes that affect the positions of the stigmas and anthers in each morph likely involve either temporal or spatial modifications of gene function. The floral developmental patterns described here and the occurrence of multiple types of herkogamy within some species of Lithospermum provide evidence that heterostylous species in the genus have originated via distinct evolutionary developmental pathways.

Flowers and floral biology of the holy grasses (Hierochloe and Anthoxanthum: Aveneae, Gramineae)

Trifloreted spikelets in species of Anthoxanthum and of Hierochloe are united by the syndrome of two lower male or neuter florets and a differentiated third floret, perfect, bistaminate, and protogynous. Differences in presentation of the floral organs from the third anthoecium separate the genera. Anthers in Anthoxanthum, longer than the f3 anthoecium, keep it open until they migrate on elongating filaments, following behind the protogynous stigma-styles. Both emerge near the apex of the upper glume which tightly encloses all three florets. In Hierochloe the uppermost anthoecium is closed over the androecium and gynoecium until lodicule-controlled anthesis when stigma-styles are exserted unhindered by glumes, and the anthers are exserted later on long filaments from the chasmogamous lower florets. In Hierochloe triandrous lower florets are constant. In Anthoxanthum the two lower florets are neuter in Eurasian species, but in species in Africa, Asia, and Malesia, sometimes f1 florets are also staminate, and very exceptionally both florets present stamens. These reflect a sexual variability in Anthoxanthum unknown in Hierochloe. Data from flowers of 30 species of Hierochloe and 17 species of Anthoxanthum are tabulated; included are ratios of f3 anthers:anthoecium and stigma-styles:the upper glume, G2, two ratios which most reliably reflect the intergeneric floral patterns. Pathways to those varied floral systems are outlined. A sectional taxonomy is proposed for Hierochloe: Sect. Hierochloe autonymum; Sect. nova Monoecia for species in South America where monoecism occurs in all taxa. Andromonoecism is the predominant sexual system in boreal and austral species of Hierochloe, but is interrupted by apomixis in northern Europe.

The Symbol and Formative Emblem of Denotation and Connotation in Floral Pattern Blue and White porcelains

The Symbol and Formative Emblem of Denotation and Connotation in Floral Pattern Blue and White porcelains