Magnolia sprengeri Pamp. is an ornamentally and ecologically important tree that blooms at cold temperatures in early spring. In this study, thermogenesis and variation in the chemical compounds of floral odours and insect visitation in relation to flowering cycles were studied to increase our understanding of the role of floral thermogenesis in the pollination biology of M. sprengeri. There we...

The antimicrobial killing activity toward methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been a serious emerging global issue. In a continuing search for compounds with antibacterial activity against several microorganisms including S. aureus and MRSA, an n-hexane extract of Magnolia officinalis was found to contain magnolol. This compound exhibited potent activity against S. aureus, st...

David Hume and Adam Smith are considered the founding fathers of anti-mercantilism, economics, and the Scottish Enlightenment. However, scholars have long recognized a similarity between Hume’s contributions and those of Richard Cantillon. Evidence is presented here that suggests that Hume would have known of Cantillon and would have been interested in reading the manuscript, and that he met pe...

1Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Science, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; 2PhD Program in Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Science, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; 3Emerging and Reemerging Zoonoses Research Network, Santiago, Chile; 4Universidad Nacional Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile; 5Center of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Na...

The construction of skyscrapers that qualify as the “World’s Tallest Building” tends to coincide with major downturns in the economy. The Skyscraper Index, created by economist Andrew Lawrence shows a high level of correlation between skyscraper construction and the business cycle. Is this just a coincidence, or perhaps do skyscrapers cause business cycles? A theoretical foundation of “Cantillo...

From the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of twigs of Magnolia denudata (Magnoliaceae), seven new neolignan derivatives, 1-7, were isolated along with eighteen known lignan and neolignan derivatives, 8-25. The structures of the new neolignans were elucidated by means of spectral methods, especially by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectra, and two dimensional NMR methods such as 1H-detected heteronuculear m...

In this study, eight endophytic fungi were isolated from the leaves, stems and roots of Michelia champaca. The isolates were screened and evaluated for their antifungal, anticancer and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities. All of the extracts exhibited potent activity against two evaluated phytopathogenic fungi. Chemical investigation of EtOAc extracts of the endophytic fungus Coll...