National Flower Research Articles

The chemical compositions of Rhododendron arboreum, “Laligunras”

Rhododendron arboreum, family Ericaceae, is a medium size tree 7-14m height or shrub, Widely distributed in Nepal all along sub-tropical and temperate regions from 1200-3300m, the Rhododendron arboreum is known as ‘Gunras’ in Nepali. R. arboreum was declared of Nepal’s national flower in 1962 by government of Nepal. The chemical compositions of the wood (stem) Of Rhododendron arboreum has been investigated on the basis of useful methods of Tappi & ASTM. The main chemical compositions were:-Ash content (0.75%), Extractives (4.39%), Hollocelluloses (69.82%), Hemicelluloses (22%), alpha-celluloses (47.98%), Pentosans (16.84%), & Lignins (24.88%). The Lignins were analyzed by UV &IR. Similarly, the fatty acid compositions of extractives were analyzed by GC/MS. The main fatty acid compositions were: Butanoic acid, Pentanoic acid, 4-Heptenoic acid, & 8-Nonynoic acid in extractives. The solubility of wood in various solvents is a measure of extraneous components content. The solubility of different solvents were: - in cold water (7.02%), Hot water (8.47%), & 1% NaOH (19%). The high percentage of alpha celluloses in chemical compositions shows prospective use as a raw material for paper production along with Danphebholua (Lokta) in cottage industries of Nepal.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jncs.v30i0.9376Journal of Nepal Chemical Society Vol. 30, 2012 Page: 97-106 Uploaded date: 12/19/2013

Commonwealth Games and Their Impact on Scotland’s Future in or outside the United Kingdom

It is more than probable that the Commonwealth Games in 2014 will be used by the Scottish government as a tool in the battle for independence. For the Scottish National Party (SNP), sport events constitute another opportunity to underline Scottish autonomy. During the last Olympic Games, SNP ministers refused to use the name “Team GB” in their message to the Scottish athletes. Nurturing Scottish pride during the Games has already begun, with the official mascot—the Clyde Thistle, which is Scotland’s national flower and emblem. The mascot of the Commonwealth Games has never waved the patriotic flag as it does now.

Why the Eschscholtzia?

Doubtless our sunny plains, shady canons and mountain forests yield types of floral beauty more delicate than the Eschscholtzia and some of them equally characteristic of California; why then should this poppy-like flower have been selected as the State's floral emblem?1 The snow plant of the Sierra stem, leaves, flowers and all of the richest crimson is peculiar to California and the subject of universal and unbounded admiration. The lily family, an alliance of plants abounding in flowers of signal beauty and elegance, has plenty of distinctly Calif ornian types not excelled by their relatives of other parts of the world. The lilies themselves, as they adorn our mountain woods and stream banks, might have furnished a State flower; or, even more appropriately, their near ally, the Calochortus, or butterfly tulip, or Mariposa lily, as it is popularly called. These, with our Brodiaeas and other lily-like flowers, are coveted throughout the world by flower growers as among the most surpassingly beautiful of all the plants indigenous to California. Even the blue and white and purple-flecked Nemophilas, or their kindred, the Phacelias, whose masses of bloom impart to our wheat fields in March the hues of the sky overhead, might have furnished a good floral emblem. But the State flower must be that of a plant more generally disseminated throughout our commonwealth, more conspicuous in a word, more popular than any of these. The Sarcodes, or snow plant, gorgeously beautiful though it be, is limited to the woods of the upper Sierras, where in its native vigor and freshness, perhaps not more than one in a thousand among us will ever behold it. And it steadily refuses to be cultivated; moreover, it is after all only a splendid parasite, and California is not a parasite State. The delicate yet brilliant Mariposas put forth their white, or red or yellow pendants in the shade of thickets, or among the more inaccessible places of the mountains. They are matchless among our wild flowers, in both form and coloring, but they are too select and retiring for popularity. The grain field flowers of spring, painting whole landscapes, are both short lived and local. They are of the great interior valleys but not of the whole State. All the prerequisites of an acceptable floral emblem for California meet in the Eschscholtzia. It is a plant of singular beauty. The delicately-cut foliage, the graceful stem, the satin-like luster of the golden petals all these combine to make such a plant as flower lovers in all parts of the world have prized highly ever since the

Contribuciones del Laboratorio de Cultivo de Tejidos Vegetales de Zamorano a la Micropropagación y Propagación de Plantas Libres de Patógenos

Zamorano inauguró el Laboratorio de Cultivo de Tejidos Vegetales en 1985, durante 27 años se ha investigado sobre propagación in vitro de cultivos ornamentales, agronómicos y maderables. Entre los ornamentales más investigados está la orquídea Rhyncholaelia digbyana, flor nacional de Honduras, y varias especies nativas de la región. También se ha trabajado en violeta africana (Saintpaulia ionantha), zamias (Zamioculcas zamiifolia), helechos (Nephrolepis cordifolia) y anturios (Anthurium andreanum), cultivos apreciados en el mercado local de ornamentales y que son producto de las prácticas del aprender haciendo de nuestros estudiantes. Los últimos cuatro años se ha investigado y producido plántulas de especies económicamente importantes para la industria y la producción de energía como la caña de azúcar y el Arundo donax; para procesos de extracción de compuestos como la Stevia rebaudiana; para la exportación como malanga (Colocasia esculenta), y camote (Ipomea batatas). Se ha contribuido con los pequeños y medianos productores y exportadores de camote con aproximadamente 3000 plantas por año de camote libres de virus. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/ceiba.v52i1.1130

First Report of Leaf Spot Caused by Corynespora cassiicola on Rose of Sharon in Korea.

Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus L., is a flowering shrub in the family Malvaceae planted as the national flower of South Korea. In September 2012, previously unknown leaf spots with premature defoliation were observed on dozens of Rose of Sharon plants growing in the shaded area in a park of Dongducheon, Korea. The same symptoms were found on Rose of Sharon in several localities of Korea in 2012. The symptoms usually started as small, dark brown to grayish leaf spots, eventually causing leaf yellowing with significant premature defoliation. The diseased leaves retained for a while green color at the margin of the spots. Representative samples (n = 5) were deposited in the Korea University Herbarium (KUS). Conidiophores of the fungus observed microscopically on the leaf spots were erect, brown to dark brown, single or in clusters, amphigenous but mostly hypophyllous, and measured 80 to 400 × 5 to 10 μm. Conidia were borne singly or in short chains, ranging from cylindrical to broadest at the base and tapering apically, straight to slightly curved, pale olivaceous brown, 2 to 16 pseudoseptate, 50 to 260 × 9 to 20 μm, each with a conspicuous thickened hilum. On potato dextrose agar, single-spore cultures of two isolates were identified as Corynespora cassiicola (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) C.T. Wei on the basis of morphological and cultural characteristics (1,2). Two monoconidial isolates were preserved at the Korean Agricultural Culture Collection (KACC46956 and KACC46957). Genomic DNA was extracted using the DNeasy Plant Mini DNA Extraction Kit (Qiagen Inc., Valencia, CA). The complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA was amplified with the primers ITS1/ITS4 and sequenced. The resulting sequences of 520 bp were deposited in GenBank (Accession Nos. KC193256, KC193257). A BLAST search in GenBank revealed that the sequences showed 100% identity with those of numerous C. cassiicola isolates from diverse substrates. To conduct a pathogenicity test, a conidial suspension (ca. 2 × 104 conidia/ml) was prepared in sterile water by harvesting conidia from 2-week-old cultures of KACC46956, and the suspension was sprayed onto the leaves of three healthy 2-year-old plants. Inoculated plants were kept in humid chambers for the first 48 h and thereafter placed in the glasshouse. After 10 days, typical leaf spot symptoms developed on the leaves of all three inoculated plants. C. cassiicola was reisolated from the lesions, confirming Koch's postulates. Control plants treated with sterile water remained symptomless. C. cassiicola is cosmopolitan with a very wide host range (1,2). Though Corynespora hibisci Goto was recorded to be associated with brown spot disease of H. syriacus in Japan (4), there is no previous record of C. cassiicola on H. syriacus (3). To our knowledge, this is the first report of Corynespora leaf spot on Rose of Sharon in Korea. According to our field observations in Korea, this disease was found in August and September, following a prolonged period of moist weather. Severe infection resulted in leaf yellowing and premature defoliation, reducing tree vigor and detracting the beauty of green leaves.

THE LILY AND THE ROSE: A Review of Some Hasmonean Coin Types

Following the fall of Babylon to Cyrus the Great in 539 b.c.e., Judah was reconstituted as an administrative unit of the Persian Empire. It maintained its semi-autonomous status under the leadership of the high priests of Jerusalem until Alexander the Great's conquest of the southern Levant in 333/332 b.c.e., when Judah passed to Macedonian control. It was relatively late during the period of Persian dominion, sometime between 375 and 333 b.c.e., that Yehud began to issue its own coinage in the form of minute silver pieces. One coin type features a stylized lily. Flowers reappear on later Judean issues, and scholars have generally taken it more or less for granted that these, too, are lilies. This article will demonstrate that the flower on several of the coins struck by Hasmonaean rulers of Judea in the latter part of the second—first century b.c.e. is, in fact, a rose modeled on the floral emblem of the island state of Rhodes. Possible reasons for this particular choice will be presented and explained.

국가 상징 이미지로 무궁화를 모티브로 활용한 패션문화상품 개발에 관한 연구

Using the official marker of the Korea`s national symbol to inform the world of the country`s existence to the global community in the century enhances the autonomy and the competitiveness of Korea. It is thought that selecting a motif for promoting the national identity through cultural products or costumes can prepare an opportunity for gaining competitiveness internationally. The purpose of this study is to enhance understanding on the use of a traditional Korean symbol, Mugunghwa, and how it increases the cultural value of Korea, and develops the modern Korean image. The specific contents of this study are as follow. First, searching for the scope of usage of the national flower Mugunghwa from various angles for enhancing the Korean image. Second, developing a national symbol image of modern sense that reflects trend by using Mugunghwa. Third, clarifying the application scope and role of the national symbol image using Mugunghwa, and present a specific usage plan for creating more value. As for the study method, the study is conducted through theoretical and empirical research and six pieces of work of modern Mugunghwa image are presented as the result. Based on the development of the image of Mugunghwa as a national symbol, this study proposed a role of a cultural ambassador by applying Mugunghwa to fashion products or costumes. As for the expected effect, it can provide an opportunity for developing another national symbol and a new perspective on national symbol will appear. It is thought that the cultural value of a national symbol can be understood through this study and it can provide an opportunity for developing various national symbols for enhancing the national image.

First Report of Fusicoccum aesculi Causing Leaf Spots of Paeonia suffruticosa in Henan Province, China.

Tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) is regarded as the national flower of China and is cultivated throughout the country. In early August 2010, a moderately severe leaf spot was observed on tree peony cultivated in a garden of Zhengzhou, Henan Province, where approximately 15% of trees were diseased. In 2011, a less damaging leaf spot was also observed in another area of the city with approximately 10% of trees diseased. Early symptoms appeared as small, round, pale-brown lesions on the leaves. Lesions expanded into 5- to 20-mm-diameter spots that were elliptical or irregular, brown to dark brown. A fungus was consistently isolated from the leaf spots on potato dextrose agar (PDA) in grey-black colonies, but produced few pycnidia. Black pycnidia were ostiolate, globose, papillate, formed in uniloculate or multiloculate stromata that were immersed in the leaf, and became erumpent at maturity. Conidiophores or conidiogenous cells were hyaline and cylindrical. Conidia were hyaline, granular, fusoid to ellipsoid, aseptate, with a sub-truncate base, and 20 to 28 × 4.5 to 7.5 μm (mean dimensions of 50 conidia: 24.5 × 5.2 μm). The pathogen was identified as Fusicoccum aesculi, anamorphic stage of Botryosphaeria dothidea, on the basis of morphology (2). The identity of the fungus was confirmed to be F. aesculi by DNA sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region (GenBank Accession No. JQ323001), which was 100% identical to those of other F. aesculi isolates (GenBank Accession Nos. GU997686.1 and GU723469.1) (1). Pathogenicity tests were done by inoculating each of 10 leaves on one 7-year-old tree with a mycelial plug (0.5 cm diameter) harvested from the periphery of a 7-day-old colony. An equal number of leaves on the same tree, serving as controls, were mock-inoculated with plugs of PDA medium. Inoculated leaves were covered with plastic for 24 h to maintain high relative humidity and incubated at about 25°C. The plugs were removed after 48 h. After 7 days, 80% of the inoculated leaves showed symptoms identical to those observed in the field under natural conditions, whereas controls remained symptom-free. Reisolation of the fungus from lesions on inoculated leaves confirmed that the causal agent was F. aesculi. Pathogenicity tests were repeated on the other two trees by the same methods with the same results. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. aesculi infecting P. suffruticosa in China.

The chemical composition of some garden Dahlia tubers

PurposeDahlia is an ornamental plant originating from Mexico where it is considered as the National flower. The purpose of this paper is to investigate tubers from yellow, white and red‐flowered cultivars of the common garden Dahlia (D. pinnata) for their chemical composition.Design/methodology/approachThe composition of minerals was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS), whereas vitamins were analyzed by High‐Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).FindingsCarbohydrates represented the major constituent in Dahlia tubers, followed by fibre and protein. Tubers of the yellow‐flowered cultivar “HGH” contained the highest amount of carbohydrates, while tubers of the white‐flowered cultivar “BJ” and those of the red‐flowered cultivar “XM” abounded in fibre and protein, respectively. In addition, Dahlia tubers exhibited varying concentrations of minerals, among which potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and chromium were predominant. Tubers of the white‐flowered cultivar “LB” contained the highest amounts of magnesium and phosphorus. Moreover, tubers of the red‐flowered cultivar “MLH” showed the highest contents of potassium and chromium, whereas those of the red‐flowered cultivar “XM” were rich in calcium and zinc. Furthermore, Dahlia tubers were found to contain water and fat soluble vitamins, among which vitamins B2, B6, B7 and E were the most abundant. Tubers of the white‐flowered cultivar “BJ” exhibited the highest contents of water soluble vitamins, whereas those of the white‐flowered cultivar “LB” abounded in fat soluble vitamins.Originality/valueDespite the considerable variability observed among cultivars, Dahlia might be utilized as an alternative food resource for human nutrition.

Hybridization between native and invasive alien plants: an overlooked threat to the biodiversity of Sri Lanka

Conservation of native biological diversity is one of the major challenges of this century. Invasive alien species (IAS) are a part of this challenge because a small but a significant fraction of IAS contribute to the demise of native species. The present paper reviews current literature on the phenomenon of hybridization in plants supporting the evolution of invasiveness, which is identified as a major threat to the extinction of native species. Further, the phenomenon of hybridization is been reviewed on a Sri Lankan context by citing evidence from a preliminary study between the native Nymphaea nouchali and an introduced violet flowered water-lily that has got established in water-bodies of Sri Lanka. This violet flowered water-lily has been incorrectly identified as the native Nymphaea nouchali, the National flower of Sri Lanka (‘Nil Manel’). Revealing the flawed identity of the violet flowered Nymphaea, its hybrid origin and the hybridization with the native N. nouchali, provides an excellent opportunity for initiating studies on a novel area in hybridization between natives and invasive alien species of plants in Sri Lanka. Key words: biodiversity conservation, Nymphaea, evolution, ‘Nil Manel’, Invasive Alien Species (IAS) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/cjsbs.v40i1.3403 CJSBS 2011; 40(1): 13-23

Parentage determination of Vanda Miss Joaquim (Orchidaceae) through two chloroplast genes rbcL and matK

The popular hybrid orchid Vanda Miss Joaquim was made Singapore's national flower in 1981. It was originally described in the Gardeners' Chronicle in 1893, as a cross between Vanda hookeriana and Vanda teres. However, no record had been kept as to which parent contributed the pollen. This study was conducted using DNA barcoding techniques to determine the pod parent of V. Miss Joaquim, thereby inferring the pollen parent of the hybrid by exclusion. Two chloroplast genes, matK and rbcL, from five related taxa, V. hookeriana, V. teres var. alba, V. teres var. andersonii, V. teres var. aurorea and V. Miss Joaquim 'Agnes', were sequenced. The matK gene from herbarium specimens of V. teres and V. Miss Joaquim, both collected in 1893, was also sequenced. No sequence variation was found in the 600-bp region of rbcL sequenced. Sequence variation was found in the matK gene of V. hookeriana, V. teres var. alba, V. teres var. aurorea and V. Miss Joaquim 'Agnes'. Complete sequence identity was established between V. teres var. andersonii and V. Miss Joaquim 'Agnes'. The matK sequences obtained from the herbarium specimens of V. teres and V. Miss Joaquim were completely identical to the sequences obtained from the fresh samples of V. teres var. andersonii and V. Miss Joaquim 'Agnes'. The pod parent of V. Miss Joaquim 'Agnes' is V. teres var. andersonii and, by exclusion, the pollen parent is V. hookeriana. The herbarium and fresh samples of V. teres var. andersonii and V. Miss Joaquim share the same inferred maternity. The matK gene was more informative than rbcL and facilitated differentiation of varieties of V. teres.

Preface: Phys. Status Solidi C 8/1

AbstractThe 9th International Conference on Excitonic and Photonic Processes in Condensed and Nano Materials (EXCON'10) was held at the Novotel Hotel, 11–15 July 2010, Brisbane, Australia. The series of EXCON conference, started from Darwin (Australia) in 1994 with an objective of providing an international interdisciplinary forum for mutual research communications among solid state physicists, photo‐physicists, photo‐chemists and photo‐biologists, as well as material scientists. The EXCON conferences are held at a two years interval in every even year since 1994 and venue has been rotating among Australia, Europe, America and Asia. The past conferences were held in Darwin (Australia, 1994), Kurort Gohrisch (Germany, 1996), Boston (USA, 1998), Osaka (Japan, 2000), Darwin (Australia, 2002), Cracow (Poland, 2004), Winston‐Salem (USA, 2006) and Kyoto (Japan, 2008). At the advice of the EXCON'10 International Advisory Committee, however, future EXCON conferences will be held at a cycle of three years after the EXCON'12 to be held in Groningen, the Netherlands and the venue will rotate only within Europe, North America and Japan if no other bids are available.EXCON'10 had attracted about 140 researchers from 23 countries. It was therefore necessary to hold two parallel sessions in two afternoons of the conference to cover 30 invited papers and all contributed papers.All presented papers were refereed according to the policy of physica status solidi. I would like to thank the International Advisory Committee, invited speakers, participants and external referees who took part in the review process and devoted their time with promptness. It is also my pleasure to thank the Editorial Staff of Physica Status Solidi for their cooperating efforts in publishing the proceedings in this special issue.The conference was sponsored by the Charles Darwin University, Australian Research Council's Nanotechnology Network, Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) and Brisbane City Council. I would like to thank the International Advisory Committee members for their continuous support throughout the time of preparation and planning of the conference, in particular would like to mention Professor Tadashi Itoh, Chair of EXCON'08, for providing seeding money and Professor Richard Williams for chairing the prize awarding committee. I would also like to thank Dr Subhash Chandra, Howard Pullen, Elodie Amann, Paul Berthomieu and Alexander Fichet, members of the local organizing committee, without their help the day‐to‐day activities would not have run as smoothly as they did. Finally, I would like to thank Ling Yu, Web Designer, Charles Darwin University for designing the EXCON'10 logo with a pair of purple flowers representing an exciton.The big flower is called Sturt's desert rose which is a floral emblem of the Northern Territory (Darwin) and small purple is known as Cooktown orchid, which is a floral emblem of the Queensland (Brisbane). The flower of a plant represents its excited state and two types of flowers coupled together symbolise a pair of an excited electron and a hole in an exciton formed between Darwin and Brisbane.The publisher, Wiley‐VCH had sponsored two physica status solidi young researcher awards for outstanding contributed papers presented either as an oral or poster presentation by students and/or early career researchers (ECR) less than 35 years old. These two prizes were awarded to Masayoshi Ichimiya, Osaka Dental University, Japan for his paper entitled, “Room‐temperature degenerate four‐wave mixing in CuCl thin films” and Akifumi Asahara, University of Tokyo, Japan, for his paper entitled, “Photo‐induced phase switching dynamics in RbMn[Fe(CN)6] probed by accumulation free mid‐infrared spectroscopy”. The Australian Solar Energy Society had sponsored an award for the best paper oral/poster presented by a student/early career researcher in the field of solar cells/photovoltaic and it was awarded to Dr Supriya Pillai, University of New South Wales, Australia, for her paper entitled, “Surface plasmons for improving the performance of silicon quantum dot structures for third generation solar cell applications”.As stated above, EXCON'12 will be held at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands in 2012 and I would like to wish a very successful event to the Chairs, Professors Jasper Knoester and Paul van Loosdrecht, and the local organizing committee of EXCON'12.

Tuberous root yield of Dahlia variabilis Wild (Desf.) under different agronomic management practices

The Dahlia variabilis Wild (Desf.) is considered the Mexican national flower and their exploitation is mainly for ornamental purposes. Recent studies have shown that the tuberous roots dry weight of this species contains from 38 to 53% of a polysaccharide of fructose called inulin. The consumption of this compound does not elevate the levels of glucose in the blood of human beings, making this polysaccharide an attractive product for the food industry. This fact has helped to diversify (1) the production of Dahlia variabilis and (2) research towards the production of their roots. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of phosphorus fertilization, planting density and leaf removal on dry matter production of roots of Dahlia variabilis. In spring-summer 2009, two experiments were established. In the first study, we evaluated four phosphorus levels (0, 60, 100 and 120 kg P2O5/ha) and four planting densities (2.5, 3.12, 4.16 and 6.25 plants/m2) under a factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design with four replications. In the second study, the source-sink relationship was evaluated defoliating different plant strata. The treatments were: undefoliated (t1), defoliated the lower stratum (t2), the intermediate stratum defoliated (t3), defoliated the upper stratum (t4), defoliated the lower and middle strata (t5), defoliated the lower and upper strata (t6), defoliated the middle and upper strata (t7), and completely defoliated (t8). These treatments were distributed in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The results showed significant differences in the factors phosphorus and planting density. The highest production of root dry matter (345 g/m2) was achieved with 120 kg/ha of phosphorus and 6.25 plants/m2. Leaf removal revealed that the middle and lower strata (66%) satisfied the “sink” from the root.

Germination Ecology of <i>Rhanterium epapposum</i> Olive

Problem statement: Rhanterium epapposum, locally called Arfaj is the national flower of Kuwait. The current situation of Rhanterium epapposum is quite critical in most areas of Kuwait. In fact it has completely disappeared from most parts of the country due to a combination of overgrazing, collecting for firewood and off road driving. Approach: Rhanterium epapposum is an excellent species for rangeland restoration and information on its germination ecology is meager. The considerable variations in germination between years lead us to study the variation in the size, mass and number of filled achenes in the capitulum. The variation in capitulum size, mass, number of achenes per capitulum and also the effect of dry heat (1-5 months), Moist chilling (1-5 months) and hydration dehydration cycles (1-5 cycles) on germination of the 6 different year collected Rhanterium epapposum (2002-2007) seeds were studied under laboratory condition. Results: The seed size, weight, the number of achenes per capitulum of Rhanterium epapposum varied considerably from one year to another. Climatic condition significantly decreased seed quality and germination when the precipitation is lower. Heat and moist stratification substantially improved the germination of 2003, 2004 and 2005 seeds. However hydration and dehydration treatment had very little effect on germination. Conclusion: It is concluded that results of germination tests differed depending on the presence of filled achenes in the capitulum. There was a strong correlation between the presence of filled achenes in capitulum and the precipitation during the growing season. This suggested that under natural condition precipitation plays key role in the formation of achenes in capitulum of the Rhanterium epapposum seeds.

Memory and Democratic Pluralism in the Baltic States – Rethinking the Relationship

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image sizeKeywords: social memorypolitical memoryrecognitionrepresentationparticipationEstoniaLatviaLithuania Acknowledgements Financial support for this research came from a Targeted Financing Grant, no. SF0180128s08, from the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. I would like to thank Vello Pettai, Siobhan Kattago and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on an earlier draft of this article. Notes Notes 1 In Latvia, the annual commemoration day on March 16, at which the veterans of the former ‘Latvian Waffen-SS Legion’ commemorate their fallen comrades, has increasingly become a site for young people, radical Latvian nationalists and Russian-speakers, to protest. The demonstrations prior to and the riots surrounding the Estonian government decision to remove a Soviet-time war monument from downtown Tallinn are another example of a discord over issues of history and memory that is radicalizing. 2 In a study on Latvian memory politics after 1991, I have referred to this understanding of historical debates and controversies as a process of pluralization and diversification of opinions and interpretations of the past as a process of ‘democratizing history’ (Onken 2003 Onken, E-C. 2003. Demokratisierung der Geschichte in Lettland. Geschichtspolitik und staatsbürgerliches Bewusstsein im ersten Jahrzehnt der Unabhängigkeit, Hamburg: Krämer. [Google Scholar]). 3 A good example of such a mostly symbolic act of recognition was the campaign of the Broken Cornflower initiated by Estonian president Lennart Meri. In summer 2001 Meri conducted a two-week tour of Estonia, where he met personally with former victims of Soviet suppression and handed out symbolic mourning tokens bearing the insignia of a broken cornflower (the Estonian national flower) (Anepaio 2002 Anepaio, T. 2002. Reception of the Topic of Repression in Estonian Society. Pro EthnologiaI, 14: 47–65. [Google Scholar], p. 62). 4 Both in Estonia and Latvia the History Teachers’ Associations are quite actively involved in history teaching and school textbook projects. Most of these projects are supported by the ‘European Association of History Educators’, EUROCLIO of which they are full members. See http://www.euroclio.eu, accessed 11 August 2009. 5 Reinhart Koselleck speaks in this context quite memorably of the ‘six P's’, the priests, professors, PR specialists, politicians, poets and publicists (in Tamm 2007 Tamm, M. 2007. Kuidas kirjutatakse ajalugu? Intervjuuraamat, Tallinn: Varak. [Google Scholar], p. 115).

Designing exons for human olfactory receptor gene subfamilies using a mathematical paradigm

Ligands for only two human olfactory receptors are known. One of them, OR1D2, binds to Bourgeonal, a volatile chemical constituent of the fragrance of the mythical flower, Lily of the valley or Our Lady's tears, Convallaria majalis (also the national flower of Finland). OR1D2, OR1D4 and OR1D5 are three full-length olfactory receptors present in an olfactory locus in the human genome. These receptors are more than 80% identical in DNA sequences and have 108 base pair mismatches among them. Apparently, these mismatch positions show no striking pattern using computer pattern recognition tools. In an attempt to find a mathematical rule in those mismatches, we find that an L-system generated sequence can be inserted into the OR1D2 subfamily-specific star model and novel full-length olfactory receptors can be generated. This remarkable mathematical principle could be utilized for making new subfamily olfactory receptor members from any olfactory receptor subfamily. The aroma and electronic nose industry might utilize this rule in future.

Problem Solvers: December 2009

Nicknamed Wake Robin because it blooms around the same time as robins return from winter migration grounds, white trillium has been Ontario's provincial floral emblem since 1937. This perennial herb's white blossom is associated with peace and hope. The distinctive arrangement of the foliage makes white trillium the perfect object of study when exploring growing patterns.

ANTHOCYANINS THAT CONFER CHARACTERISTIC COLOR TO RED COPIHUE FLOWERS (LAPAGERIA ROSEA)

ABSTRACT The Copihue ( Lapageria rosea ), also known as the Chilean bellflower, is the national flower of Chile and is the only species in the genus Lapageria . The copihue’s tepals are commonly red, with white or pink being less common. The red color of the copihue has been glorified in legends, poems and popular songs. The present work studies the pigments that confer red copihues their characteristic color. The principal types of cyanidin present in red copihue’s tepals are cyanidin-3- O- rhamnosylglucoside, followed by cyanidin-3- O- glucoside, and while only the latter is detected in pink tepals and neither one are detected in white flowers. Based on the obtained results by HPLC-ESI-MS n and HPLC-DAD, it is concluded that rhamnosyl- and glucosyl-derivatives of cyanidin, which present respectively an absorption maximum at 518 and 516 nm, confer the characteristic red color to red copihues. Furthermore, glycosilated cyanidin derivatives, pigments derived from other anthocyanidins, were not detected in red copihue flowers even when they are present in other red flowering plants.

Potent inhibition of Prostaglandin D2 induced inflammation by Hibiscus rosa-sinensis crude extract

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis or „bunga raya“ is the national flower of Malaysia. This flower is found in abundance throughout the country. The aim of this study was to assess the anti-inflammatory properties of leaves from Hibiscus.

From dietary guidelines to daily food guide: the Taiwanese experience.

In early 1980's, the first edition of dietary guidelines for Taiwanese was established by the Department of Health (DOH), Executive Yuan. The main purposes of the guidelines were to guide nutritional professionals and dieticians to plan diet for preventing general population from diseases. Besides the amount of daily cholesterol intake, the percentages of calories from carbohydrate, protein, and fat was recommended. Dietary guidelines were revised concurrently as the results of national nutrition survey showed dietary or nutrient deficits of Taiwanese population. The recent dietary guidelines were then revised for general public and consist of 8 items, including: maintain ideal body weight, eat well-balanced meals from all food groups, eat whole grains as staples for main meals, eat more high-fiber foods, eat less fat, less salt, and less sugar, consume plenty of high calcium content foods, drink plenty of water, if you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. In addition to these qualitative guidelines, a daily food guide was also established to instruct the general public to consume portions from six food groups. The suggested portions for food groups were calculated and based on basic balanced meal principles and the recommended energy, protein for different age groups from DRIs. The pictorial representation of the daily food guide was plum blossom which is the national flower. Leaflets, posters, and slides were developed for nutrition education. As the eating behavior and disease patterns may change, the governments and nutrition societies should keep revising dietary guidelines and daily food guides to encourage population health.