Elastic strain energy storage in the feet of running monkeys

Monkeys are 'flat–footed' in comparison to humans, but they are still able to utilize elastic strain energy stores in their feet to reduce the metabolic energy cost of running. During contact with the ground, bending moments act on the foot to produce a 'reversed arch', storing strain energy which is returned in the subsequent elastic recoil. This energy–saving mechanism has been investigated in dynamic bending tests and is discussed in relation to the arched foot of humans.     

Spatial analysis of a subalpine heath woodland

The horizontal spatial patterns of heath species have implications in dynamic community modelling, fire behaviour modelling and ecological interpretation. The distribution pattern of the dominant woody species in a subalpine heath woodland near Kiandra, New South Wales was analysed as spatial point processes. The species analysed were Bossiaea foliosa, Grevillea australis, Hakea lissosperma and Oxylobium ellipticum, and both large (>2m) and small (<2 m) snowgums (Eucalyptus pauciflora) They all exhibited significant aggregation at scales ranging from 1 to 15 m. Bivariate spatial analyses of these species revealed significant negative association between G. australis and H. lissosperma, between G. australis and O. ellipticum, and between O. ellipticum and H. lissosperma, B. foliosa was independently distributed with respect to other shrub species. There was some evidence for negative association between small snowgums and shrub species, though small snowgums were positively associated with large snowgums. The joint spatial distribution of the individuals of all shrub species was also aggregated. A Poisson cluster process was developed and tested to model the joint spatial pattern of the shrub stratum.     

Interactions of Abscisic Acid, Cytokinin and Gibberellin in the Control of Betacyanin Synthesis in Seedlings of Amaranthus caudatus

In de-rooted seedlings of Amaranthus caudatus L., betacyanin synthesis induced by white light or cytokinin was inhibited by abscisic acid (ABA) or a mixture of gibberellins A₄ and A₇ (GA_4/7). The GA_4/7 and ABA effects were additive. Thus ABA inhibited the cytokinin action but had no effect on the gibberellin response.     

Effect of heat on zoospore motility and multiplication of Olpidium radicale and O. brassicae

Whereas zoospores of six cultures of O. brassicae were immobile after treating in glycine solution at 35–40°C for 10 min, those of a cucurbit culture of O. radicale were immobile only after heating at 45°C. Further, O. radicale multiplied in cucumber at 20°, 30° and 35°C, whereas O. brassicae multiplied at 20°, but not 30° or 35°C. Such differences in reaction to temperature might sometimes be useful in separating mixtures of the two species in common hosts such as cucumber.     

Molecular Characterization of a Barley Gene Induced by Cold Treatment

A cDNA library was made from low positive temperature (6 ?C/2?C) grown barley shoot meristems. Several genes which are differentiallyexpressed, as measured by mRNA abundance, were selected fromthe library using a differential screen. This paper reportsan analysis of in vivo expression in several cultivars, theDNA sequence, copy number and chromosomal location of one gene(BLT14). In addition, genomic restriction fragment length polymorphismfor this gene in the 10 most widely UK-grown spring and 9 mostwidely UK-grown winter barley cultivars is analysed. Key words: Hordeum vulgare, low temperature, RFLP, differential expression, cDNA sequence