Andrew Adamatzky: Simulating strange attraction of acellular slime mould Physarum polycephalum to herbal tablets.

Environmental factors can lead individuals down different developmental pathways giving rise to distinct phenotypes (phenotypic plasticity). The production of winged or unwinged morphs in aphids is an example of two alternative developmental pathways. Dispersal is paramount in aphids that often have a metapopulation structure, where local subpopulations frequently go extinct, such as the specia...

Most models of animal foraging and consumer choice assume that individuals make choices based on the absolute value of items and are therefore 'economically rational'. However, frequent violations of rationality by animals, including humans, suggest that animals use comparative valuation rules. Are comparative valuation strategies a consequence of the way brains process information, or are they...

OBJECTIVE Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L.) is a popular herbal remedy often advocated for the prevention of migraine. The aims of this systematic review are to update the evidence from rigorous clinical trials for or against the efficacy of feverfew for migraine prevention and to provide a safety profile of this herbal remedy. DESIGN Literature searches were performed using the following da...

Introduction: Tanacetum sonbolii (Asteraceae) is an endemic species in Iran. In the present study, we examined the effects of Tanacetum sonbolii hydroalcoholic extract on the formalin test in mice. Methods: 126 Swiss albino mice weighing 230-280g were used as subjects. The formalin test was performed on two control groups (marked as intact and saline groups n = 6 in each group) and an experimen...

The stereospecificity of the oxidation of trans-hex-2-en-l-01 and ethanol was determined for alcohol oxidases from Tanacetum vulgare leaves and from the yeast Candida boidinii. It was found that both enzymes remove the pro-1R hydrogen. The enzyme from Candida boidinii also removes the pro-1S hydrogen but t!o a much lesser degree.

The natural pyrethrins from the daisy-like flower, Tanacetum or Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium, are nonpersistent insecticides of low toxicity to mammals. Synthetic analogs or pyrethroids, evolved from the natural compounds by successive isosteric modifications, are more potent and stable and are the newest important class of crop protection chemicals. They retain many of the favorable propertie...

In the paper, we show that biological substrate in the form of Physarum polycephalum can be used to simulate simple rule-based systems. To extort a proper behavior from the substrate, appropriate distribution of stimuli (attractants and/or repellents) is required. To model behavior of the substrate and then program Physarum machine (a biological computing device experimentally implemented in th...

Slime mould Physarum polycephalum builds up sophisticated networks to transport nutrients between distant part of its extended body. The slime mould’s protoplasmic network is optimised for maximum coverage of nutrients yet minimum energy spent on transportation of the intra-cellular material. In laboratory experiments with P. polycephalum we represent Canadian major urban areas with rolled oats...