Reactivity of Metal-Free and Metal-Associated Amyloid-?? with Glycosylated Polyphenols and Their Esterified Derivatives

Both amyloid-?? (A??) and transition metal ions are shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer???s disease (AD), though the importance of their interactions remains unclear. Multifunctional molecules, which can target metal-free and metal-bound A?? and modulate their reactivity (e.g., A?? aggregation), have been developed as chemical tools to investigate their function in AD pathology; however, these compounds generally lack specificity or have undesirable chemical and biological properties, reducing their functionality. We have evaluated whether multiple polyphenolic glycosides and their esterified derivatives can serve as specific, multifunctional probes to better understand AD. The ability of these compounds to interact with metal ions and metal-free/-associated A??, and further control both metal-free and metal-induced A?? aggregation was investigated through gel electrophoresis with Western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and NMR spectroscopy. We also examined the cytotoxicity of the compounds and their ability to mitigate the toxicity induced by both metal-free and metal-bound A??. Of the polyphenols investigated, the natural product (Verbascoside) and its esterified derivative (VPP) regulate the aggregation and cytotoxicity of metal-free and/or metal-associated A?? to different extents. Our studies indicate Verbascoside represents a promising structure for further multifunctional tool development against both metal-free A?? and metal-A??.open0

Finite-Step Algorithms for Single-Controller and Perfect Information Stochastic Games

Abstract. After a brief survey of iterative algorithms for general stochas-tic games, we concentrate on finite-step algorithms for two special classes of stochastic games. They are Single-Controller Stochastic Games and Per-fect Information Stochastic Games. In the case of single-controller games, the transition probabilities depend on the actions of the same player in all states. In perfect information stochastic games, one of the players has exactly one action in each state. Single-controller zero-sum games are effi-ciently solved by linear programming. Non-zero-sum single-controller stochastic games are reducible to linear complementary problems (LCP). In the discounted case they can be modified to fit into the so-called LCPs of Eave’s class L. In the undiscounted case the LCP’s are reducible to Lemke’s copositive plus class. In either case Lemke’s algorithm can be used to find a Nash equilibrium. In the case of discounted zero-sum perfect informa-tion stochastic games, a policy improvement algorithm is presented. Many other classes of stochastic games with orderfield property still await efficient finite-step algorithms. 1

Native diversity buffers against severity of non-native tree invasions.

This is the final version. Available from Nature Research via the DOI in this record. Data availability: Data used in this study can be found in cited references for the Global Naturalized Alien Flora (GloNAF) database6 (non-native status), the KEW Plants of the World database5 (native ranges) and the Global Environmental Composite63,77 (environmental data layers). Plant trait data were extracted from Maynard et al.78. Data from the Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative (GFBI) database57 are not available due to data privacy and sharing restrictions, but can be obtained upon request via Science-I (https://science-i.org/) or GFBI (gfbinitiative.org) and an approval from data contributors.Code availability All code used to complete analyses for the manuscript is available at the following link: https://github.com/thomaslauber/Global-Tree-Invasion. Data analyses were conducted and were visualizations generated in R (v. 4.2.2), Python (v. 3.9.7), Google Earth Engine (earthengine-api 0.1.306), QGIS-LTR (v. 3.16.7) and the ETH Zurich Euler cluster.Determining the drivers of non-native plant invasions is critical for managing native ecosystems and limiting the spread of invasive species1,2. Tree invasions in particular have been relatively overlooked, even though they have the potential to transform ecosystems and economies3,4. Here, leveraging global tree databases5-7, we explore how the phylogenetic and functional diversity of native tree communities, human pressure and the environment influence the establishment of non-native tree species and the subsequent invasion severity. We find that anthropogenic factors are key to predicting whether a location is invaded, but that invasion severity is underpinned by native diversity, with higher diversity predicting lower invasion severity. Temperature and precipitation emerge as strong predictors of invasion strategy, with non-native species invading successfully when they are similar to the native community in cold or dry extremes. Yet, despite the influence of these ecological forces in determining invasion strategy, we find evidence that these patterns can be obscured by human activity, with lower ecological signal in areas with higher proximity to shipping ports. Our global perspective of non-native tree invasion highlights that human drivers influence non-native tree presence, and that native phylogenetic and functional diversity have a critical role in the establishment and spread of subsequent invasions.Swiss National Science FoundationSwiss National Science FoundationBernina FoundationDOB Ecolog

The global biogeography of tree leaf form and habit

This is the final version. Available on open access from Nature Research via the DOI in this recordData availability: Tree occurrence data from the Global Forest Biodiversity initiative (GFBi) is available upon request via Science-I (https://science-i.org) or the GFBi website (https://www.gfbiinitiative.org/). Information on leaf habit (evergreen vs deciduous) and leaf form (broadleaved vs needle-leaved) came from the TRY database (https://www.try-db.org). Additional, leaf-type data came from the Tallo dataset (https://zenodo.org/record/6637599). Plot-level soil information came from the World Soil Information Service (WOSIS) dataset (https://www.isric.org/explore/wosis).Code availability: All code is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7967245.Understanding what controls global leaf type variation in trees is crucial for comprehending their role in terrestrial ecosystems, including carbon, water and nutrient dynamics. Yet our understanding of the factors influencing forest leaf types remains incomplete, leaving us uncertain about the global proportions of needle-leaved, broadleaved, evergreen and deciduous trees. To address these gaps, we conducted a global, ground-sourced assessment of forest leaf-type variation by integrating forest inventory data with comprehensive leaf form (broadleaf vs needle-leaf) and habit (evergreen vs deciduous) records. We found that global variation in leaf habit is primarily driven by isothermality and soil characteristics, while leaf form is predominantly driven by temperature. Given these relationships, we estimate that 38% of global tree individuals are needle-leaved evergreen, 29% are broadleaved evergreen, 27% are broadleaved deciduous and 5% are needle-leaved deciduous. The aboveground biomass distribution among these tree types is approximately 21% (126.4 Gt), 54% (335.7 Gt), 22% (136.2 Gt) and 3% (18.7 Gt), respectively. We further project that, depending on future emissions pathways, 17-34% of forested areas will experience climate conditions by the end of the century that currently support a different forest type, highlighting the intensification of climatic stress on existing forests. By quantifying the distribution of tree leaf types and their corresponding biomass, and identifying regions where climate change will exert greatest pressure on current leaf types, our results can help improve predictions of future terrestrial ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA" lang="EN-US">Identification of molecular markers to study the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Garcinia</i> spp. diversity</span>

400-405<span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:="" en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">The genus Garcinia shows a considerable variation in its morphological characters such as leaf, flower and fruit with taxonomic ambiguity. It is a potential under-exploited multipurpose crop that gained considerable attention for the presence of (<span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;="" mso-bidi-language:ar-sa;mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-US">-) hydroxycitric acid, an anti-obesity compound, in its fruit rind and leaves. Here, we evaluated the genetic relationship through molecular markers among the selected 9 species commonly available in the Western Ghats and the Northeastern Himalayan foot hills of India. The nucleotide sequence data obtained from two prominent monomorphic bands generated in ISSR profiling of the species was utilized for the study. The selected bands were found to be of ITS region (700 bp) and partial region of KNOX-1 gene (600 bp). The evolutionary cluster was formed using MEGA5 software. The study indicated 2 major clusters, influenced by floral morphology of the species and availability of (<span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa;="" mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-US">-) hydroxycitric acid in their fruit rinds. In the subclusters, one species from the Western Ghats were paired with another from Northeastern Himalayas with relatively similar morphological traits.</span