Variations of plant life form diversity along the Northeast China Transect and its direct gradient analysis

Plant life form diversity and its direct gradient analysis on a larger scale climate change gradient were tested, based on the data from Northeast China Transect platform. The results showed that the species numbers, life form richness and life form diversity were relative higher at the eastern forests and the ecotone between typical vegetation, while those on the meadow grasslands and typical steppes were lower. Although plant life forms can reflect the climate variations, life form diversity is not consistent with the major global gradient along the NECT.

Host plant traits play a crucial role in shaping the composition of epiphytic microbiota in the arid desert,Northwest China

Phyllosphere microorganisms are a crucial component of environmental microorganisms,highly influenced by host characteristics,and play a significant role in plant health and productivity.Nonetheless,the impact of host characteristics on shaping phyllosphere microbial communities of plants with different life forms remains ambiguous.Utilizing high-throughput sequencing technology,this study analyzed the diversity and community composition of phyllosphere epiphytic microorganisms(e.g.,bacteria and fungi)of various plant life forms in the hinterland of the Gurbantunggut Desert,Northwest China.Functional annotation of prokaryotic taxa(FAPROTAX)and fungi function guild(FUNGuild)were employed to assess the ecological functions of microorganisms and to investigate the role of stochastic and deterministic processes in shaping phyllosphere microbial communities.Result showed a diverse array of phyllosphere epiphytic microorganisms in the desert plants,with Proteobacteria,Cyanobacteria,and Actinobacteriota dominating bacterial community,while Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were prevalent in fungal community.Comparison across different plant life forms highlighted distinct microbial communities,indicating strong filtering effects by plant characteristics.FAPROTAX prediction identified intracellular parasites(accounting for 27.44%of bacterial community abundance),chemoheterotrophy(10.12%),and phototrophy(17.41%)as the main functions of epiphytic bacteria on leaves of different life form plants.FUNGuild prediction indicated that phyllosphere epiphytic fungi primarily served as Saprotrophs(81.77%),Pathotrophs(17.41%),and Symbiotrophs(0.82%).Co-occurrence network analysis demonstrated a predominance of positive correlations among different microbial taxa.Raup-Crick dissimilarity index analysis revealed that deterministic processes predominantly influenced phyllosphere bacterial and fungal community assembly.Variance partitioning analysis and random forest modeling suggested that plant leaf functional traits significantly impacted both bacterial and fungal community composition,with fungal community composition showing a closer association with leaf nutrients and physiology compared with bacterial community composition.The distinct responses of bacterial and fungal communities to plant traits were attributed to the differing properties of bacteria and fungi,such as bacteria having higher potential dispersal rates and broader ecological niches than fungi.Overall,the results indicate that phyllosphere bacterial and fungal communities undergo similar community assembly processes,with fungi being more influenced by plant characteristics than bacteria.These findings offer novel insights into the ecology of phyllosphere microbial communities of desert plants.

Characteristics of life-form and growth-form of plant species in an alpine ecosystem of North-West Himalaya

The present study was conducted in the alpine pastures of Tungnath （30° 14＇ N and 79° 13＇ E） to observe life-form and growth-form patterns of alpine plant species under grazed and ungrazed conditions and to work out the plant life form spectrum. Species were categorized as plant habit, height and length of growth-cycle and life-form classes according to Raunkiaer＇s system. The results show that in total of 68 species at grazed site, hemicryptophytes （He） accounted for 50.00% species, followed by cryptophytes （26.47%）, chamaephytes （16.18%）, phanemphytes （4.41%） and therophytes （2.94%）. At the ungrazed site in 65 plant species, hemicryptophytes （He） accounted fo＇r 49.23% species, cryptophytes （26.15%）, chamaephytes （15.38%）, phanerophytes （6.15%） and ther6phytes （3.08 % species）. In general, hemicrptophyte are dominant^in both sites i.e. graged and ungrazed. Growth form categories were classified as forbs, shrubs, grasses and sedges＇and undershrubs, according to plant habit and height. On the basis of length of the growth cycle, species were categorized as plant species of short growth cycle, intermediate growth cycle and long growth cycle. The short forbs of plant habit and height, had the highest emergence, and grasses and sedges had the lowest emergence in representative species. Percentage of species with long growth cycle was highest in both sites.

Antioxidant systems of aquatic macrophytes in three life forms:a case study in Lake Erhai,China

Antioxidant systems are vital in life activities of macrophytes. Species with diff erent life forms need to cope with distinct environments by modifying physiological characters, especially antioxidant systems. In order to find diff erences among life forms and consequence of lake eutrophication, we studied three antioxidant enzymes activity (superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate oxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT)) and total soluble phenolics (TP) content in leaves of 26 macrophyte species in September 2013 in Lake Erhai, China. We found that antioxidation varied accordingly with life forms. The activities of SOD and APX in emergent macrophytes (EM) and floating-leaved macrophytes (FM) were much lower than those of submerged macrophytes (SM). On the contrary, TP content was much higher in EM and FM species. There was a negative correlation between TP and antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT and APX). The results suggested that EM and FM species rely on phenolics might to adapt to adverse environments (higher herbivores predation pressure and UV radiation intensity), while SM species more rely on antioxidant enzymes possibly due to lower demand for antioxidation and/or lack of light and inorganic C availability for phenolics synthesis. We also found FM species represent highest fitness in term of antioxidant system, which would lead to overgrowth of FM species and littoral zone bogginess during lake eutrophication. Finally, it is necessary to carry out the verification experiment under the control condition in the later stage, especially for the dominant ones in eutrophic lakes, to understand the exact adaptive mechanisms of them.

Life form and geographical distribution of plants in Posthband region,Khonj,Fars Province,Iran

A study was conducted to identify plant species,diversity,life form and relevant species to Mediterranean climate,Irano-Torunian and Sahara-Sindian in Postband region（N 27°58＇4＂-28°2＇16＂,E 53°17＇34＂-53°22＇30＂）.In total,95 species belonging to 29 families and 69 genera of flora were surveyed and identified from December 2006 to June 2008.Composite and Gramineae were important families in terms of species frequency.According to Raunkiaer＇s system and using X^2 tests,the life-form spectrum showed that therophytes accounted for 47% of all species,and hemicryptophytes for 31%,phanerophytes for 12%,chamaeophyte for 7%,and cryptophytes for 3%.In geographical distribution,29% species with the most frequency belonged to Irano-Torunian region.Results show that therophytes were more than normal spectrum and phaneropytes were less than normal spectrum,which was in agreement with data obtained in arid climate.

RESIDENTIAL LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT MODELING: COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF INSULATING CONCRETE FORMS AND TRADITIONAL BUILDING MATERIALS

Innovative,sustainable construction products are emerging in response to market demands.One potential product,insulating concrete forms(ICFs),offers possible advantages in energy and environmental performance when compared with traditional construction materials.Even though ICFs are in part derived from a petroleum-based product,the benefits in the use phase outweigh the impacts of the raw material extraction and manufacturing phase.This paper quantitatively measures ICFs’performance through a comparative life cycle assessment of wall sections comprised of ICF and traditional wood-frame.The life cycle stages included raw materials extraction and manufacturing,construction,use and end of life for a 2,450 square foot house in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania.Results showed that even though building products such as ICFs are energy intensive to produce and thus have higher environmental impacts in the raw materials extraction and manufacturing phase,the use phase dominated in the life cycle.For the use phase,the home constructed of ICFs consumed 20 percent less energy when compared to a traditional wood-frame structure.The results of the impact assessment show that ICFs have higher impacts over wood homes in most impact categories.The high impacts arise from the raw materials extraction and manufacturing phase of ICFs.But there are a number of embedded unit processes such as disposal of solid waste and transport of natural gas that contribute to this high impact and identifying the top unit process and substance contributors to the impact category is not intuitive.Selecting different unit processes or impact assessment methods will yield dissimilar results and the tradeoffs associated with every building product should be considered after studying the entire life cycle in detail.

Functional Enrichment of Utopian Distribution of Plant Life-Forms

Adaptive fuzzy neural inference systems are used to illustrate the primary nodal number of plant life-forms. Categorization of two candidate areas is carried out using the water-energy dynamic (for Ecuador, South America) and Macedonia, Southern Europe), within which the life-form spectra are distributed. Genetic optimization methods are used to expand the primary nodal number to the complete number of life-form categories. The distribution of the elements exhibits a stochastic, binomial distribution and the utopia line and curve are summarized which enhance accuracy of the climatic data and of the consequent numbers of plant species occurrences. Expansion of the distribution of each life-form category is approximated within the Z utopia hyperplane with use of the functional approximation algorithm. This process gives additional structure and informative value to the Z plane, enhancing our ability to make informed policy decisions concerning species and ecosystem conservation.

Health Related Quality of Life among Osteoarthritis Patients: A Comparison of Traditional Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Selective COX-2 Inhibitors in the United Arab Emirates Using the SF-36

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) has a dramatic impact on patients’ health related quality of life (HRQoL). Chronic use of analgesics and anti-inflammatory medications for pain management may improve symptoms but on long term may affect HRQoL negatively. The objective of the present study was to compare the impact of two different classes of analgesics, traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors on HRQoL among osteoarthritis patients using the SF-36 questionnaire. Methods: Clinic based cross-sectional study conducted at Al-Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), over a period of six months. Ethical Approval was obtained from the ethics committee at Al-Qassimi Clinical Research Center. Total of 200 osteoarthritis patients fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were involved in the study. Patients’ demographics were collected from their medical records. The Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire was used to measure patients’ HRQoL. SF-36 data were scored using health outcomes scoring software 4.5. Results: Mean age of the subjects was 62.19 ± 9.81 years with females constituting 151 (75.5%) of the patients. In general, females scored lower in most of the HRQoL domains compared to males and there was significant difference between the two groups in the mental health (p = 0.005) & mental component (p = 0.042) domains. Compared to selective COX-2 inhibitors, patients on NSAIDs scored higher on all domains of SF-36 except physical functioning. There was significant difference in mental health domain for patients treated with NSAIDs (p = 0.02). Celecoxib was only better than NSAIDs in osteoarthritis patients with more than one musculoskeletal disorders in the domain of bodily pain (p = 0.009). Conclusion: NSAIDs-treated patients did not differ significantly from celecoxib-treated patients in all domains of the SF-36 except for the mental health domain.

Ecological biomass allocation strategies in plant species with different life forms in a cold desert, China

Biomass allocation patterns among plant species are related to their adaptive ecological strategies. Ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual plant life forms represent three typical growth strategies of plants that grow in autumn and early spring in the cold deserts of China. These plants play an important role in reducing wind velocity in the desert areas. However, despite numerous studies, the strategies of biomass allocation among plant species with these three life forms remain contentious. In this study, we conducted a preliminary quadrat study during 2014–2016 in the southern part of the Gurbantunggut Desert, China, to investigate the allocation patterns of above-ground biomass(AGB) and below-ground biomass(BGB) at the individual level in 17 ephemeral, 3 ephemeroid and 4 annual plant species. Since ephemeral plants can germinate in autumn, we also compared biomass allocation patterns between plants that germinated in autumn 2015 and spring 2016 for 4 common ephemeral species. The healthy mature individual plants of each species were sampled and the AGB, BGB, total biomass(TB), leaf mass ratio(LMR) and root/shoot ratio(R/S) were calculated for 201 sample quadrats in the study area. We also studied the relationships between AGB and BGB of plants with the three different life forms(ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual). The mean AGB values of ephemeral, ephemeroid and annual plants were 0.806, 3.759 and 1.546 g/plant, respectively, and the mean BGB values were 0.106, 4.996 and 0.166 g/plant, respectively. The mean R/S value was significantly higher in ephemeroid plants(1.675) than in ephemeral(0.154) and annual(0.147) plants. The mean LMR was the highest in annual plants, followed by ephemeroid plants and ephemeral plants, reflecting the fact that annual plants allocate more biomass to leaves, associated with their longer life span. Biomass of ephemeral plants that germinated in autumn was significantly higher than those of corresponding plants that germinated in spring in terms of AGB, BGB and TB. However, the R/S value was similar in plants that germinated in autumn and spring. The slope of regression relationship between AGB and BGB differed significantly among the three plant life forms. These results support different biomass allocation hypotheses. Specifically, at the individual level, the AGB and BGB partitioning supports the allometric hypothesis for ephemeroid and annual plants and the isometric hypothesis for ephemeral plants.

Value of quality of life analysis in liver cancer: A clinician's perspective

Health related quality of life(HRQOL) is increasingly recognized as an important clinical parameter and research endpoint in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). HRQOL in HCC patients is multifaceted and affected by medical factor which encompasses HCC and its complications, oncological and palliative treatment for HCC, underlying liver disease, as well as the psychological, social or spiritual reaction to the disease. Many patients presented late with advanced disease and limited survival, plagued with multiple symptoms, rendering QOL a very important aspect in their general well being. Various instruments have been developed and validated to measure and report HRQOL in HCC patients, these included general HRQOL instruments, e.g., Short form(SF)-36, SF-12, Euro Qo L-5D, World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment 100(WHOQOL-100), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment abbreviated version; general cancer HRQOL instruments, e.g., the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer(EORTC) QLQ-C30, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy(FACT)-General, Spitzer Quality of Life Index; and liver-cancer specific HRQOL instruments, e.g., EORTC QLQ-HCC18, FACT-Hepatobiliary(FACT-Hep), FACT-Hep Symptom Index, Trial Outcome Index. Important utilization of HRQOL in HCC patients included description of symptomatology and HRQOL of patients, treatment endpoint in clinical trial, prognostication of survival, benchmarking of palliative care service and health care valuation. In this review, difficulties regarding the use of HRQOL data in research and clinical practice, including choosing a suitable instrument, problems of missing data, data interpretation, analysis and presentation are examined. Potential solutions are also discussed.

Floristic composition and ecological gradient analyses of the Liakot Forests in the Kalam region of District Swat,Pakistan

Kalam Kohistan is a dry,temperate hilly region in the Hindu Raj Series of the Greater Hindu Kush Mountains with diverse forests.As plant distribution and composition is expression of a range of various environmental variables,ecological and floristic attributes of vegetation in the Laikot Forests were therefore evaluated via consecutive explorative trips.These forests have not been evaluated ecologically before due to harsh climatic conditions and issues of accessibility and the study in hand is one of the first in its nature.Quantitative ecological techniques were used to sample forest vegetation and identify species in quadrats of 2 m×2 m for herbs,5 m×5 m for shrubs and 10 m×10 m for trees.All the data of 195 plant species and environmental factors were analyzed via Two-way Cluster Analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis using PCORD and CANOCO software.Among 195 plant species from 63 families were 27 species of Asteraceae,the most-speciose family,followed by Poaceae(20 spp.).The dominant life form was therophyte(86 spp.;44%share),followed by phanerophyte(41 spp.;21%share).For the leaf size spectrum,most prevalent was nanophyll(73 spp.;44%)followed by microphyll(66 spp.,34%)and mesophyll(44 spp.;23%).Calcium carbonate,pH,potassium,sand,silt,organic matter,slope aspect and grazing significantly influenced species composition,distribution and habitat.The floristic variation in the region was diverse due to elevational and aspect gradients and thus devided into three zones.This vegetation zonation can be utilized for forest management,species and habitat conservation.Both in situ and ex situ conservation of threatened plant species may improve their conservation status in future if address properly.

Checklist of Wadi Hassan flora, Northeastern Badia, Jordan

In this study, we survey the plant diversity of Wadi Hassan, which is located in the Northeastern Badia of Jordan, about 120 km east of Amman. All plant species were collected and herbarium specimens have been prepared, identified and deposited at the University of Jordan herbarium(Department of Biology,Faculty of Science). The final plant checklist includes 206 species belonging to 138 genera and 35 families.The most diverse families are Compositae(20.5%), Cruciferae(10.2%), Leguminosae(8.3%) and Boraginaceae(6.8%), followed by Caryophyllaceae and Gramineae(5.4%). These six families represent 60% of the total families recognized in the study area, while nine families each are represented by only one species. Most plants recorded are annual plants(61%), some plants are hemicryptophtes(18%) and camaephytes(15%), while the least frequent life form class was the phanerophyte shrub and perennial(0.5%). Chorological characteristics of the recorded flora show that Saharo-Arabian Region elements, IranoTuranian elements and Mediterranean elements constitute(58%) of the total flora. This research shows that even small portion of the Jordan Badia such as the Wadi Hassan plant community has high species diversity. Thus, we recommended further of the unexplored Wadi plants communities of the Jordan Badia.

Species Composition, Richness and Aboveground Biomass of Natural Grassland in Hilly-Gully Regions of the Loess Plateau, China

In order to study the characteristics of species composition, richness and aboveground biomass of natural grasslands, and then ifnd out the relations between species richness and aboveground productivity of the communities and possible mechanisms to form the relations, four typical grassland communities （Artemisia capillaries （AC）, Thymus quinquecostatus （TQ）, Stipa bungeana （SB） and Stipa grandis （SG）） along with a succession sequence in hilly-gully regions of the Loess Plateau, China, were investigated by ifeld survey and laboratory analysis. The results were summarized as follows：Different succession stages had different species compositions as well as different proportions of plant life forms and photosynthetic types, and Asteraceae, Poaceae and Leguminosae were their dominant species as well as their dominant perennial herb species;and different succession stages had signiifcantly different species richness and aboveground biomasses. There were many relation patterns （linear positive correlation, unrelated relations and unimodal relations） between the species richness and aboveground biomass in different succession stages and a signiifcant unimodal relation between the species richness and aboveground biomass in all the grassland communities and the highest species diversity appeared at a moderate level of productivity. The results suggest the unimodal relations in all the grassland communities are accumulative results of the relations in each succession stage.

Plant communities and reproductive phenology in mountainous regions of northern Libya

Within the semi-desert landscape of northern Libya, two sub-humid escarpments occur: Al-Akhdar in the east and Nafusa (Jabal Al-Gharbi) in the west. This study compares plant communities in the two regions, which are along an elevation gradient, in terms of species composition and diversity, frequency of different Raunkiaer life forms, and reproductive phenology. The two regions differed in species composition and life-form frequency between regions and between elevation zones within each region. Patterns were associated with the lower rainfall and lower moisture-holding capacity of soils at Nafusa, resulting in more xeric conditions. Only 13% of species were shared between the two regional landscapes. Species diversity, life-form frequency, and duration of the flowering-fruiting phenophase were all affected by elevation above sea level. The duration of flowering and fruiting in spring and fall was associated with environmental conditions, although there were different thresholds in the two regions. There was both a spring and fall episode of flowering at Nafusa, but only spring flowering at Al-Akhdar. It is anticipated that there will be a gradual shift of plant communities to higher elevations and loss of certain sensitive species in response to ongoing climate change.

Systematic review of health-related quality of life after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer

This study is aimed to assess the long-term healthrelated quality of life （HRQL） of patients after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in comparison with established norms, and to evaluate changes in HRQL during the different stages of follow-up after esophageal resection. A systematic review was performed by searching medical databases （Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library） for potentially relevant studies that appeared between January 1975 and March 2011. Studies were included if they addressed the question of HRQL after esophageal resection for esophageal cancer. Two researchers independently performed the study selection, data extraction and analysis processes. Twenty-one observational studies were included with a total of 1282 （12-355） patients. Five studies were performed with short form-36 （SF-36） and 16 with European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer （EORTC） QLQ c30 （14 of them also utilized the disease-specific OESI8 or its previous version OES24）.The analysis of long-term generic HRQL with SF-36 showed pooled scores for physical, role and social function after esophagectomy similar to United States norms, but lower pooled scores for physical function, vitality and general health perception. The analysis of HRQL conducted using the Global EORTC C30 global scale during a 6-mo follow-up showed that global scale and physical function were better at the baseline. The symptom scales indicated worsened fatigue, dyspnea and diarrhea 6 mo after esophagectomy. In contrast, however, emotional function had significantly improved after 6 mo. In conclusion, short- and long-term HRQL is deeply affected after esophagectomy for cancer. The impairment of physical function may be a long-term consequence of esophagectomy involving either the respiratory system or the alimentary tract. The short- and long-term improvement in the emotional function of patients who have undergone successful operations may be attributed to the impression that they have survived a near-death experience.

Impact of biliary complications on quality of life in live-donor liver transplant recipients

BACKGROUND Despite significant advancements in liver transplantation(LT)surgical procedures and perioperative care,post-LT biliary complications(BCs)remain a significant source of morbidity,mortality,and graft failure.In addition,data are conflicting regarding the health-related quality of life(HRQoL)of LT recipients.Thus,the success of LT should be considered in terms of both the survival and recovery of HRQoL.AIM To assess the impact of BCs on the HRQoL of live-donor LT recipients(LDLT-Rs).METHODS We retrospectively analysed data for 25 LDLT-Rs who developed BCs post-LT between January 2011 and December 2016 at our institution.The Short Form 12 version 2(SF 12v2)health survey was used to assess their HRQoL.We also included 25 LDLT-Rs without any post-LT complications as a control group.RESULTS The scores for HRQoL of LDLT-Rs who developed BCs were significantly higher than the norm-based scores in the domains of physical functioning(P=0.003),role-physical(P<0.001),bodily pain(P=0.003),general health(P=0.004),social functioning(P=0.005),role-emotional(P<0.001),and mental health(P<0.001).No significant difference between the two groups regarding vitality was detected(P=1.000).The LDLT-Rs with BCs had significantly lower scores than LDLT-Rs without BCs in all HRQoL domains(P<0.001)and the mental(P<0.001)and physical(P=0.0002)component summary scores.CONCLUSION The development of BCs in LDLT-Rs causes a lower range of improvement in HRQoL.

A Summary of the Homogeneous 5D Universe Creation Model: Expressed in the Dirac Second-Order Quantization Representation

A summary of the homogeneous 5D universe model is expressed in the Dirac second-order quantized representation for the magnetic monopoles, identified in terms of the Higgs Bosons, and through systematic ordered excitations of the Higgs vacuum obtained the non-homogeneous 4D Lorentz manifolds filled with masses, corresponding to making space dimension reduction projections, and thus realization of Newtonian gravity, followed by the 3D space symmetry breaking into 2D × 1D that produces the Perelmann-entropy and Ricci-Flow mappings, resulting in the realization of Poincare spheres, represented by nucleus such as Carbon 12, all the way to stars, and matter filled discs, such as stars in galaxies and 2D carbon-based molecular structures like nitrogenous bases. Finally, the forming of RNAs and DNAs, then life forms.

Ecophysiological aspects and photosynthetic pathways in 105 plants species in saline and arid environments of Tunisia

In Tunisian arid regions, plant life forms, ecotypes, physiological types and photosynthetic pathways （03, 04 or CAM） remain unclear. Understanding the characters of these plant species could be important for land restoration. A literature survey was conducted for 105 plants species in arid regions of Tunisia. These plant species belong to several ecotypes： halophytes, xerophytes, gypsophytes, psamophytes, xero-halophytes, gypso-halophytes, psamo-halophytes, psamo-xerophytes, xero-gypsophytes and hygro-halophytes. The variation of photosynthetic pathway types in the 105 studied species shows that 56.2% were C3, 41.0% were C4, 1.9% were CAM and 1.0% were C3-CAM. The C3 pathway was more abundant in the halophytes, whereas the C4 one was more common in the xerophytes, gypsophytes, gyp- so-halophytes and psamo-halophytes. The ratio of C3 to C4 species （C3/C4 ratio） was 0.2 in the psamo-halophytes, 0.8 in the gypso-halophytes, 1.1 in the xerophytes, 1.6 in the xero-halophytes, 1.8 in the hygrohalophytes, 2.0 in the psamo- phytes and 3.8 in the halophytes. The annuals were mainly C3 plants whereas most of perennials were C4 ones. The C3/C4 ratio was 1.3 in succulent species and 1.4 in non-succulent species. Thus, succulence seems not to affect the distribution of C3 and C4 pathways within the studied plants. This investigation shows high percentages of C4 plants occurred in Tuni- sian arid regions. However, there were significant differences in their abundance among ecotypes. Basing on C3/C4 ratio, we can find that the abundance of the C4 pathway was in the following order： psamo-halophytes, gypso-halophytes, xe- rophytes, xero-halophytes, hygro-halophytes, psamophytes and halophytes. In Tunisian arid regions, C4 species were most abundant in xerophytes and less abundant in halophytes. In the Chenopodiaceae the number of C3 plants was 13 and the number of C4 species was 20 and in the Poaceae the number of C3 was 23 and the number of C4 was 19 species. Thus, the most C4 proportion was in the Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae species. This confirms the fact that the Cheno- podiaceae and the Poaceae were the leading families that tolerate salinity and aridity.

Floristic Composition of the Plants of the Cholistan Desert, Pakistan

A floristic survey of Cholistan desert was carried out during 2009-2011 and total of 38 families, 106 genera and 154 species were documented from the area. Among families, 33 families belong to Dicotyledons of 79 genera and 115 species, while the 38 species of 26 genera belong to 4 families of Monocotyledons and 1 family of gymnosperms with 1 genus and 1 species. The largest family was Poaceae with 34 species followed by Papilionaceae and Zygophyllaceae with 10 species while Asteraceae with 9 species respectively. The life form of plant species was determined by following the Raunkier’s method. Therophytes comprised of 74 species (48%), Chamaephyte 40 species (26%), Hemicryptophyte 18 species (12%), Phanerophyte 19 species (12%) and Cryptophyte 3 species (2%) of the flroa of the area. It will be helpful and serve for the conservation and sustainable utilization of plant resources of the study area.

New Approach for Isolation of Individual Caseins from Cow Milk by the Preparative Electrophoresis

This paper carried out a comparative analysis of different types of electrophoretic systems which were used for the analysis of casein complex from cow milk (polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis: for the neutral and acidic native conditions, in gradient variant, the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate or with including urea). Taking into attention the separation efficiency, complexity of electrophoretic system, the impact of system components, we have selected the anode system of the homogeneous gel in the presence of urea as the basis for the preparation of casein fractions. It also changed the composition and the structure of the electrophoretic apparatus. The changes allow purification of casein fractions up to several grams during one stage of treatment (for 5 hours). The purified casein fractions were tested for the homogeneity and have been recommended for using in the biomedical researches, including the processes of the formation of the bioactive peptides.