Plant delta(15)N associated with arbuscular mycorrhization, drought and nitrogen deficiency

It has long been evident that plant (15)N chiefly reflects the processes which fractionate (15)N/(14)N rather than the (15)N of plant N source(s). It has emerged recently that one of the most important fractionating processes contributing to the whole plant (15)N is the presence/absence, type or species of mycorrhiza, especially when interacting with nutrient deficiency. Ecto- and ericoid mycorrhizas are frequently associated with (15)N-depleted foliar (15)N, commonly as low as -12 per thousand. As shown by the present study, plants having no mycorrhiza, or those infected with various species of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM)-forming fungi, interact with varying concentrations of soil nitrogen [N] and moisture to enrich plant (15)N by as much as 3.5 per thousand. Hence the lack of a mycorrhiza, or variation in the species of AM-forming fungal associations, can account for about 25% of the usually reported variations of foliar (15)N found in field situations and do so by (15)N enrichment rather than depletion. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Error growth in the numerical integration of periodic orbits by multistep methods, with application to reversible systems

We study the growth with time of (the coefficients of the asymptoticexpansion of) the error in the numerical integration with linearmultistep methods of periodic solutions of systems of ordinarydifferential equations. Particular attention is devoted to reversiblesystems. It turns out that symmetric linear multistep methodscannot be recommended in spite of the fact that they mimic thereversibility of the true flow. For reversible second-ordersystems, linear multistep methods without parasitic double rootsare useful.     

Measuring the top quark mass in the eµ channel: A study

We describe a simple method to measure the top quark mass in the channel that may be useful in Run II of D? detector. The method is validated by applying it to the Run Ib eμ data.     

Level structures of 95,97Mo — A comparative study

High-spin states of ^95,97Mo (Z=42, N=53,55) nuclei have been investigated through ⁸²Se(¹⁸O, xn) reaction at Eb=60 MeV. The level scheme in ⁹⁵Mo has been observed upto ≏ 10 MeV in the present experiment. The level structure shows mainly single particle character. In ⁹⁷Mo, the ground state level sequence has been extended to ≏ 4.5 MeV while the previous information had been up to 2.4 MeV. A negative parity band built on 1437 keV (11/2⁻) excited state has been extended to 5.5 MeV. The structure seems to show a coexistence of single particle and collective modes of excitation. Properties of both the nuclei have been compared with shell model calculations using OXBASH.     

Development of a universal measure of quadrupedal forelimb-hindlimb coordination using digital motion capture and computerised analysis

Background  

Clinical spinal cord injury in domestic dogs provides a model population in which to test the efficacy of putative therapeutic interventions for human spinal cord injury. To achieve this potential a robust method of functional analysis is required so that statistical comparison of numerical data derived from treated and control animals can be achieved.     

Laser ultrasonics detection of an embedded crack in a composite spherical particle

Laser ultrasonics was applied to the manufacturing control of the integrity (no failure) of coated spherical particles designed for High Temperature Reactors (HTR). This control is of major importance, since the coating of the nuclear fuel kernel is designed to prevent from the diffusion of fission products outside the particle during reactor operation. The SiC layer composing the coating is particularly important, since this layer must be an impenetrable barrier for fission products. The integrity of the SiC shell (no crack within the shell) can be assessed by the ultrasonic vibration spectrum of the HTR particle, which is significantly changed, compared to the reference spectrum of a defect-free particle. Spheroidal vibration modes of defect-free dummy particles with a zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂) core were observed in the 2-5 MHz range. A theoretical analysis is presented to account for the observed vibration spectra of defect-free or cracked HTR particles.