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The presence of flowers is felt in Catholic architecture, literature, artwork, personal histories and devotional practices. This, however, has not always been the case. The Catholic Church has had a long and tumultuous relationship with flowers, the focus of which has been the subject of considerable scholarship (e.g. Fisher (2011, 2007), Ward (1999), Winston-Allen (1997), Goody (1993), Coats (1970)). What has not been much considered is a phenomenological treatment of Catholic floral experience, and how such experiences have shaped individual and shared understandings of the Catholic faith. This thesis seeks to redress this omission through an exploration of the life of the Polish Catholic mystic, St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), whose mystical experiences with the divine were explicitly mediated and narrated through flowers. Through Faustina’s diary, Divine Mercy in my Soul, we gain access to powerful, and unequivocally Catholic, experiences with flowers which comprise the very centre of her religious convictions. This thesis queries the ways in which flowers have dynamically shaped, and have been shaped by, St. Faustina's relationship with God and Catholic holy figures. To address this question I use the semiotic, phenomenological and hermeneutic approach of Max van Manen. Van Manen uses four elements of lived experience he calls lifeworld existentials, these are: lived space, lived time, lived body and lived relationality. These four categories are applied to St. Faustina’s life as she engages with God spatially, temporally, corporeally and relationally; each reveals the centrality of flowers in her religious experiences. While this thesis focuses on the religio-floral experiences of a particular mystic-saint, its significance lies also in the broader Catholic narrative of which it is a part. Writing about flowers was a transformative medium in Faustina's life and has been historically significant in the lives of many other Catholic saints and mystics who recorded similar experiences. This thesis, in describing the details of St. Faustina’s floral-saturated experiences from her diary, reveals a particularized instance of a paradigmatic Catholic phenomenon whereby flowers provide access to the sacred.

Riche de sources d’inspiration multiples, parfois lointaines, islamiques, chinoises et japonaises, le décor floral de Sèvres présente des formes originales que ces influences ne suffisent pas à expliquer. Sèvres n’avait pas oublié sa propre tradition du XVIIIème siècle. Ses artistes n’étaient pas tous de simples copieurs de motifs.Nous avons découvert qu’il a existé dans la deuxième moitié du XIXème siècle une transformation radicale du décor floral, décidée alors que l’intérêt pour la botanique atteignait son apogée : certains décors créés alors à Sèvres échappèrent à toute classification. Nous avons voulu analyser l’évolution de ces fleurs et savoir d’où provenaient ces formes originales nées à côté de décors plus conformes aux courants artistiques de l’époque.Le bouquet magnifiquement arrangé de fleurs multiples, peint en couleurs de moufle « au naturel », disparaît dès 1857-1858, cédant la place à un simple bouquet d’une seule ou de deux espèces. Lui succède par exemple une organisation en un réseau construit de tiges ou de branches, celles-ci traçant parfois une spirale épousant le galbe d’un vase et encadrant des oiseaux.Ces fleurs dessinées d’après nature seront délibérément proscrites à partir de 1880, l’introduction des émaux incitant à la recherche d’une forme « décorative » au lieu d’être naturelle ou « illusionniste ». A partir de l’examen de plus de trois cents œuvres, et de dessins conservés à la manufacture nationale de Sèvres, nous avons retracé l’itinéraire commun, dépendant des variations de la politique artistique, suivi par ces peintres, et mis en lumière le caractère de chacun. / The Sevres porcelain’s flower design presents an original shape depending on many various inspiration sources so it is difficult to understand it. Sevres doesn’t forget its tradition of the 18th century. Its painters are not simple model copists.We discovered a deliberate transformation of the flower design in the second half of the 19th century when the botanical interest was at its top, and so we understood that the artists of Sevres had created unclassifiable forms, therefore an analysis of these flowers became necessary.The magnificent bouquet of various flowers painted in « petit feu » colours, in the « natural » style disappeared in 1857-1858. The bouquet was made of only one or two species. Stalks or branches were used for example in a spiral with birds in the middle on the vase curve.But after 1880 those natural flowers, with the introduction of the coloured enamels, were banished. The painters were in search of a decorative style, instead of a natural or illusionist one.With more than three hundred pieces, many models and designs, we have drawn the itinerary of those flower painters, depending on the variations of the same art trend, while keeping their own personalities.

Orientador: Odair José Garcia de Almeida / Resumo: Cactaceae constitui um grupo endêmico de plantas do Novo Mundo com exceção de Rhipsalis baccifera. No Brasil, a Mata Atlântica, presente nas regiões Sul, Sudeste e Nordeste, compreende um importante ecossistema para o grupo. Incluído na tribo Cereeae, subfamília Cactoideae, o gênero Cereus Mill. apresenta 48 espécies, na qual, duas têm ocorrência para o estado de São Paulo: Cereus fernambucensis Lem. e Cereus hildmannianus K.Schum. Tendo em vista a importância dos estudos anatômicos e morfológicos para solucionar questões de ordem taxonômica, este estudo analisou de modo comparativo a morfo-anatomia floral de C. fernambucensis e C. hildmannianus. Foram realizados estudos macromorfológicos e histológicos incluindo microscopia de luz e eletrônica de varredura. Os resultados revelaram 67 caracteres morfo-anatômicos, na qual 55 foram semelhantes e 12 diferentes. Foram encontrados 17 caracteres morfológicos (14 semelhantes e 3 diferentes) e 50 caracteres anatômicos (41 semelhanças e 9 diferenças). As duas espécies compartilham a maioria das características estruturais florais. Entretanto, as análises anatômicas revelaram alguns caracteres, que podem ser diagnósticos importantes para separar as duas espécies, sendo eles: o número de estratos do mesofilo no perianto tepaloide, no tubo floral, no filete; a organização do tecido transmissor no estigma e no estilete (canal estilar), o número de estratos celulares do tecido receptacular (pericarpelo) que envolve o ovário, e o número de ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Cactaceae is an endemic group of plants of the Americas, except for Rhipsalis baccifera. In Brazil, the Atlantic Forest, present in the South, Southeast and Northeast regions, comprises an important ecosystem for the group. Included in the tribe Cereeae, subfamily Cactoideae, the genus Cereus Mill. has 48 species, in which two have occur in the São Paulo state: Cereus fernambucensis Lem. and Cereus hildmannianus K.Schum. In view of the importance of anatomical and morphological studies to solve taxonomic issues, this study compared the floral morpho-anatomy of C. fernambucensis and C. hildmannianus. Macromorphological and histological studies were performed including light and scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed 67 morpho-anatomical characters, of which 55 were similar and 12 different. There were found 17 morphological characters (14 similar and 3 different) and 50 anatomical characters (41 similarities and 9 differences). The two species share most of the structural floral characteristics. However, anatomical analyzes revealed some characters, that may be of interesting to separate the two species, namely: the number of mesophyll strata in the tepaloid perianth, in the floral tube, and in the fillet; the organization of the transmitting tissue in the stigma and the style (stylar canal), the number of cell layers in the receptacle tissue (pericarpel) that surrounds the ovary, and the number of layers in the internal integument of the eggs. The data compiled in... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

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京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第22630号 / 理博第4619号 / 新制||理||1664(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 中野 伸一, 教授 酒井 章子, 教授 曽田 貞滋 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

Insect pollinators serve a critical role in maintaining plant biodiversity and are especially susceptible to changes within their environment. To study the possible effects of seasonal variation in temperature, as well as climatic temperature increase on the plant-pollinator community, the relationship between bumblebee and flowering plant traits along an elevational gradient, representing warming-induced changes in plant community, were examined. Two hypotheses were tested; 1) if plant traits can predict visiting bumblebee proboscis length, and 2) if the relationship between plant traits and proboscis length is influenced by elevation, and the progression of the growing season. The study took place along an elevational gradient on Mt. Nuolja in Abisko National Park, Sweden. During surveys bumblebees were caught and measured. Flowers visited by captured bumblebees were collected, categorized by restrictiveness (i.e., whether or not the flower require a certain proboscis length, in order to access the nectar and pollen rewards) and floral traits measured (e.g., petal length). The results revealed that petal length was a significant predictor of bumblebee proboscis length, when taking restrictiveness into account. Furthermore, the relationship became weaker with increasing elevation for restrictive flowers but stronger for unrestrictive flowers. These findings show that trait-matching between bumblebees and flowers is an influential factor for flower selection and is affected by climatic temperature. This highlights the importance of considering individual-level traits when studying plant preference and creates a framework for assessing plant-pollinator networks. Future studies should examine additional traits that could explain the apparent size matching between unrestrictive flowers and proboscis.

Honey bee foragers form time memories that enable them to match their foraging activity to the time of day when a particular food source is most productive. Persistent foragers show food-anticipatory activity by making reconnaissance flights to the previously productive food source and may continue to inspect it for several days. In contrast, reticent foragers do not investigate the source but wait for confirmation from returning persistent foragers. To determine how persistent and reticent foragers might contribute to the colony's ability to rapidly reallocate foragers among sources, we trained foragers to collect sucrose from a feeder at a restricted time of day for several days and then observed their behavior for three consecutive days during which the feeder was empty. In two separate trials, video monitoring of the hive entrance during unrewarded test days in parallel with observing reconnaissance visits to the feeder revealed a high level of activity, in both persistent and reticent foragers, thought to be directed at other food sources. This 'extracurricular' activity showed a high degree of temporal overlap with reconnaissance visits to the feeder. In some cases, inspection flights to the unrewarded feeder were made within the same trip to an extracurricular source, indicating that honey bees have the ability to manage at least two different time memories despite coincidence with respect to time of day. The results have major implications for understanding flower fidelity throughout the day, flower constancy within individual foraging excursions, and the sophisticated cognitive management of spatiotemporal memories in honey bees.

Honey bee foragers form time memories that enable them to match their foraging activity to the time of day when a particular food source is most productive. Persistent foragers show food-anticipatory activity by making reconnaissance flights to the previously productive food source and may continue to inspect it for several days. In contrast, reticent foragers do not investigate the source but wait for confirmation from returning persistent foragers. To determine how persistent and reticent foragers might contribute to the colony's ability to rapidly reallocate foragers among sources, we trained foragers to collect sucrose from a feeder at a restricted time of day for several days and then observed their behavior for three consecutive days during which the feeder was empty. In two separate trials, video monitoring of the hive entrance during unrewarded test days in parallel with observing reconnaissance visits to the feeder revealed a high level of activity, in both persistent and reticent foragers, thought to be directed at other food sources. This 'extracurricular' activity showed a high degree of temporal overlap with reconnaissance visits to the feeder. In some cases, inspection flights to the unrewarded feeder were made within the same trip to an extracurricular source, indicating that honey bees have the ability to manage at least two different time memories despite coincidence with respect to time of day. The results have major implications for understanding flower fidelity throughout the day, flower constancy within individual foraging excursions, and the sophisticated cognitive management of spatiotemporal memories in honey bees.

Thesis (M. Agric. (Plant Protection)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Plant extracts exhibited broad spectrum of activities against root-knot (Meloidogyne species) nematodes and had long been considered as an attractive alternative due to their being biodegradable and posing limited risk hazards to the environment, animal and human health. Additionally, the materials had been dubbed as being of low-input costs and had been viewed as being easy to apply in agricultural systems. The objective of the current study was to investigate the efficacy of paint-brush flower (Kleinia longiflora) either as fermented or granular formulations on suppression of M. javanica and their related effects on growth of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants under field and greenhouse conditions. Fermented crude extracts were applied at 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64%, whereas granular materials were applied at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 g. Regardless of the product, the treatments were arranged in randomised complete block design (RCBD), with 12 replications. Kleinia longiflora plants were collected from the wild, chopped into pieces, oven-dried at 52⁰C and fermented in effective microorganisms (EM) for 14 days, whereas the remained were retained for use as granular formulation. Tomato seedlings cv. ꞌFloradadeꞌ were used as test plants inoculated with 2500 eggs and second-stage juveniles (J2) of M. javanica. At 56 days after the treatments, nematode and plant variables were collected, prepared using appropriate methodologies and subjected to analysis of variance using Statistix 10.0 software to generate means. Plant variables were subjected to the Curve-fitting Allelochemical Response Data (CARD) computer-based model to generate appropriate biological indices. Nematode and mineral elements variable means were subjected to lines of the best fit. Findings showed second-stage juveniles (J2) in roots, J2 in soil, eggs and Pf under increasing concentration were highly significant and exhibited negative quadratic relationship. The model explained the associations by 82, xvii 81, 74 and 76%, respectively. In granular formulation, the product had no significant effects on nematode population densities. The fermented crude extracts significantly affected and exhibited positive quadratic relations for dry fruit mass, chlorophyll content, dry shoot mass, number of flowers, plant height, number of fruit and stem diameter of tomato plants. The model explained the relationship by 97, 94, 95, 96, 94, 97 and 96%, respectively. In contrast, in granular formulation, the product had significant effects and positive exhibited quadratic relations on Chlorophyll content under field and greenhouse, plant height, dry root mass and dry shoot mass. The model explained the relationships by 52, 45, 56, 47 and 59%, respectively. Plant variables and increasing concentration of the products exhibited density-dependent growth patterns for both formulations, with overall sensitivity (∑k) values of 1 and 11, respectively. In fermented liquid and granular formulations, the Mean Concentration Stimulation Point (MCSP) values were derived at 1.97% and 2.84 g, respectively. The increasing concentration of fermented K. longiflora also had significant effects and exhibited negative quadratic relations on the accumulation of K, Na and Zn in leaf tissues of tomato plants. The model explained the associations with 87, 94 and 94%, respectively. In conclusion, the findings in the current study suggested that the nematicidal chemicals in K. longiflora could not be released through irrigation water but could be released into solution through microbial degradation. Also, at low concentration suitable for use without inducing phytotoxicity, the products in either formulation could improve the accumulation of certain nutrients in leaf tissues of tomato plants.