Relation between electrokinetic potentials and growth in callus cultures ofTrigonella foenum-graecum

Callus cultures ofTrigonella foenum-graecum were initiated from radicle or cotyledon portions of seedlings and young leaves and maintained on modified 1-B5 medium. The callus mass was disaggregated by mechanical agitation and the discrete cells thus obtained were used to measure their electrokinetic potential. Studies pertaining to the effects of ageing on electrokinetic potential and growth index revealed a relationship between these two parameters. Thus, the rate of change of electrokinotie potential with age could be employed as a parameter to study the growth kinetics of cells in callus cultures.     

The effects of ultraviolet-B radiation on loblolly pine. I. Growth, photosynthesis and pigment production in greenhouse-grown seedlings

One-year old loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) seedlings were grown in an unshaded greenhouse for 7 months under 4 levels of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation simulating stratospheric ozone reductions of 16, 25 and 40% and included a control with no UV-B radiation. Periodic measurements were made of growth and gas exchange characteristics and needle chlorophyll and UV-B-absorbing-compound concentrations. The effectiveness of UV-B radiation on seedling growth and physiology varied with the UV-B irradiance level. Seedlings receiving the lowest supplemental UV-B irradiance showed reductions in growth and photosynthetic capacity after only 1 month of irradiation. These reductions persisted and resulted in lower biomass production, while no increases in UV-B-absorbing compounds in needles were observed. Seedlings receiving UV-B radiation which simulated a 25% stratospheric ozone reduction showed an increase in UV-B-absorbing-compound concentrations after 6 months, which paralleled a recovery in photosynthesis and growth after an initial decrease in these characteristics. The seedlings grown at the highest UV-B irradiance (40% stratospheric ozone reduction) showed a more rapid increase in the concentration of UV-B-absorbing compounds and no effects of UV-B radiation on growth or photosynthetic capacity until after 4 months at this irradiance. Changes in photosynthetic capacity were probably the result of direct effects on light-dependent processes, since no effects were observed on either needle chlorophyll concentrations or stomatal conductance. Further studies are necessary to determine whether these responses persist and accumulate over subsequent years.     

Photoinhibition of white clover seed germination at low water potential

Photosensitivity of germination of white clover ( Trifolium repens L. cv. Podkowa) seeds was studied under water deficit (low water potential) conditions at 25°C. The seeds showed negative photoblastism, which was most pronounced at -0.03 MPa polyethylene glycol solution. Inhibition was observed at two different wavelength bands with maxima at 660 nm (R) and around 730 nm (FR). Red light acted identically to white light (maximum inhibition ca 50%). The effect of far-red illumination was less inhibitory (20–30%). The photoresponse required long illuminations (3 h exposures); saturation level was at 0.1 W m⁻², independently of the light quality. White clover seed germination showed no reversibility of the effects of R and FR light. Prolonged illumination with R and FR increased the inhibition, and intermittent illumination had a higher effect than a continuous one. It was concluded that the photoinhibition of germination of seeds of Trifolium repens involves a reaction dependent on the rate of phytochrome interconversion, a property that is characteristic for the high irradiance reaction.     

The effect of excitation on the rate of respiration in the liverwort Conocephalum conicum

Simultaneous measurements were taken of the electrical activity and the rate of respiration of thalli of Conocephalum conicum L. stimulated electrically and mechanically (by cutting). The measurements of the rate of respiration employed a modified Warburg apparatus for O₂ consumption and an infra-red gas analyzer with computer recording and data processing for CO₂ evolution. The action potential, produced by either a cut (a damaging stimulus) or an electrical stimulus (a non-damaging stimulus), caused a transient rise in the rate of respiration. The course of changes in the rate of respiration depends on the character of the excitation and the area of the thallus covered by it. If stimulation does not produce excitation, the increase in the rate of respiration does not take place, regardless of the magnitude and type of the stimulus applied.     

Seasonal changes in the pigments, carbohydrates and growth of red spruce as affected by ozone

Two-year-old red spruce seedlings were exposed to various levels ot ozone, from 0.4 to 3 times ambient levels, in open-top chambers in Ithaca, NY, USA. Exposures, which varied with changes in day length, commenced on May 30, 1987 and continued until December 14, 1987. Seedling biomass, carbohydrate contents, pigment contents, and rate of electron transport were assessed twice monthly during the fumigation period. Orthogonal quadratic or cubic polynomials were used to model the response through time each variable measured. A one-way analysis of variance model was fitted to every regression coefficient in each polynomial model to test for ozone effects on seasonal physiological patterns. Ozone did not influence growth, foliar pigment content, foliar starch content, root carbohydrate content, or rate of electron transport. The seasonal change of needle raffinose content differed between exposed to low (0.4 ×, 1×) and high (2×, 3×) ozone levels. There was also a trend towards reduced total soluble sugar content foliage during late autumn in higher ozone treatments.     

Water storage and osmotic pressure influences on the water relations of a dicotyledonous desert succulent

Abstract Water storage and nocturnal increases in osmotic pressure affect the water relations of the desert succulent Ferocactus acanthodes, which was studied using an electrical circuit analog based on the anatomy and morphology of a representative individual. Transpiration rates and osmotic pressures over a 24-h period were used as input variables. The model predicted water potential, turgor pressure and water flow for various tissues. Plant capacitances, storage resistances and nocturnal increases in osmotic pressure were varied to determine their role in the water relations of this dicotyledonous succulent. Water coming from storage tissues contributed about one-third of the water transpired at night: the majority of this water came from the nonphotosynthetic, water storage parenchyma of the stem. Time lags of 4 h were predicted between maximum transpiration and maximum water uptake from the soil. Varying the capacitance of the plant caused proportional changes in osmotically driven water movement but changes in storage resistance had only minor effects. Turgor pressure in the chlorenchyma depended on osmotic pressure, but was fairly insensitive to doubling or halving of the capacitance or storage resistance of the plant. Water uptake from the soil was only slightly affected by osmotic pressure changes in the chlorenchyma. For this stem succulent, the movement of water from the chlorenchyma to the xylem and the internal redistribution of water among stem tissues were dominated by nocturnal changes in chlorenchyma osmotic pressure, not by transpiration.     

Periodic electric field as a biopolymer conformation switch: a possible mechanism

A theoretical model is proposed to describe the influence of a periodic electric field (PEF) upon a biopolymer. The biopolymer is treated as a classical mechanical system consisting of subsystems (molecular groups) which interact with each other through potential forces. The PEF is treated as a periodic driving force applied to a molecular group. The energy dissipation is considered using the model of fluid (viscous) friction. Arguments for the non-linear character of the friction-velocity dependence caused by the non-Newtonian rheology of a viscous medium are formulated.A forced molecular-group motion is investigated for the situation of a small driving-force period, with oscillations overdamped and a driving force consisting of more than one harmonic. As a result, it is established that the motion always gets to a terminal stage when only a small-scale vibration about some point, X ^*, takes place. The terminal motion is preceded by a transient characterized by the presence of a directional velocity component and so by a drift along a potential profile. the drift goes on until a barrier is met which has a sufficiently large steepness (the barrier height is not important). As a result, the point X ^* may happen to be remote from the conformation potential local minimum (conformational state). The physical reasons for the drift are described.If we consider the small-scale vibration about X ^* in the framework of the hierarchy of scales for intramolecular mobility, it can be regarded as an equilibrium mobility, whereas the drift can be regarded as a functionally important motion, and X ^* as a new conformational state which is realizable only in the presence of the PEF. It may be concluded, as the result of a consistent treatment and neglecting the small-scale vibration, that the conformational potential is modified by adding a linear term (in the one-dimensional case). In this connection, the set of conformational states can both deform (deviation of the positions of minima and their relative depth) and rearrange qualitatively (some minima can vanish and/or new minima can appear). In particular, the transition from one conformation to another one may happen due to rearrangement.     

A stochastic model for the membrane potential of a stimulated neuron

We present a simple model describing the transition between the prefiring, firing and postfiring phases of a single neuron in a large neural net. Using typical values for the physiological parameters that enter the model, we find average interspike times that are close to those reported in experimental measurements.     

The effect of glycogen depletion and supercompensation on the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of glycogen depletion and supercompensation on the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWCFT). Ten adult males (mean age 23 years, SD 3) volunteered as subjects for this study. During the first laboratory visit the subjects performed a maximal bicycle ergometer test for the determination of maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max). Between 48 and 72 h later, the subjects pedaled to exhaustion at a power output which corresponded to a mean of 76% of VO2max (range, 72-80%) for the purpose of glycogen depletion. For the next 3 days, the subjects were fed a 10.5 MJ.day-1 low carbohydrate diet which consisted of 7.5% carbohydrates, 22.0% protein and 70.5% fat. The subjects then performed an incremental cycle ergometer test to the onset of fatigue or PWCFT, which was estimated from integrated electromyographic voltages of the vastus lateralis muscle. For the next 3 days the subjects were fed a 10.5 MJ high carbohydrate diet which consisted of 72.2% carbohydrates, 12.4% protein and 15.4% fats for the purpose of glycogen supercompensation. The subjects then performed a second PWCFT test. A paired t-test indicated that there was no significant (p greater than 0.05) difference between the means of the PWCFT values (depletion 246 W, SD 30; supercompensation 265 W, SD 28) and they were highly correlated at r = 0.884. The results of this investigation suggested that the methods commonly used to affect glycogen depletion or supercompensation had no effect on PWCFT.     

The singularly perturbed Hodgkin-Huxley equations as a tool for the analysis of repetitive nerve activity

A qualitative analysis of the Hodgkin-Huxley model (Hodgkin and Huxley 1952), which closely mimics the ionic processes at a real nerve membrane, is performed by means of a singular perturbation theory. This was achieved by introducing a perturbation parameter that, if decreased, speeds up the fast variables of the Hodgkin-Huxley equations (membrane potential and sodium activation), whereas it does not affect the slow variables (sodium inactivation and potassium activation). In the most extreme case, if the perturbation parameter is set to zero, the original four-dimensional system degenerates to a system with only two differential equations. This degenerate system is easier to analyze and much more intuitive than the original Hodgkin-Huxley equations. It shows, like the original model, an infinite train of action potentials if stimulated by an input current in a suitable range. Additionally, explanations for the increased sensitivity to depolarizing current steps that precedes an action potential can be found by analysis of the degenerate system. Using the theory of Mishchenko and Rozov (1980) it is shown that the degenerate system does not only represent a simplification of the original Hodgkin-Huxley equations but also gives a valid approximation of the original model at least for stimulating currents that are constant within a suitable range.