The induction of secondary seed dormancy by oxygen deficiency in a barnyard grassEchinochloa crus-galli

At 25°C, secondary dormancy was induced in seeds ofE. crus-galli exposed for 100 days to oxygen deficiency. By contrast, hypoxia did not induce dormancy at 15°C or prevent dormancy termination at 7°C. Secondary dormancy was terminated after 2 months stratification at 7°C. Oxygen deficiency may increase the proportion of dormant seeds in the soil, and affect the dynamics of the barnyard-grass soil seed bank.We thank Miss Jitka Králová for her excellent technical assistance.     

Internal interactions within the human circadian system: the masking effect

Summary In the realm of human circadian rhythms, the masking effect is defined as the change in the course of deep body temperature induced by changes in the degree of physical activity, or by the alteration between sleep and wake. This effect is particularly obvious during internal desynchronization where the rhythms of deep body temperature, and the sleep-wake sleep-wake sleep cycle — i.e. one of the masking factors — run with different periods.Every sleep onset is accompanied by a rapid drop, and wake onset by a rapid rise in deep body temperature, each one with an overshoot of about 50% of the steady state variations. When rhythms are calculated, with the dominant temperature period as the screening period, exclusively from data obtained during sleep episodes, on the one hand, and from those obtained exclusively during wake, on the other, two average cycles emerge: the sleep temperature curve and the wake temperature curve. Both run in parallel but are separated by the masking effcct. As derived from many experiments, the mean masking effect amounts to 0.28±0.06°C. The masking effect also depends to some extent on the phase of the temperature rhtthm; it is larger than average around the temperature maximum and during the descending phase of the temperature cycle, where the alertness commonly is highest and the probability to sleep, in general, and the REM sleep propensity, in particular, are smaller than average. This also can be interpreted to indicate that the sleep temperature curve is phase advanced relative to the wake temperature curve; this, on the average, by 0.9±0.3 h.If the individually determined amount of masking is added to the temperature data obtained during sleep, or substracted from the temperature data obtained during wake, a temperature curve emerges that can be though of as being purified of the masking effect. Analyses of this artificial curve allow estimation of that part of the internal interactions uninfluenced by the masking effect. On the average, about half of the amount of interaction between the rhythm of sleep-wake and that of deep body temperature is explained by the masking effect, whereas the other half is oscillatory interaction. Both types of interaction are inherent and inseparable parts of the circadian clock mechanism, as can be deduced from model considerations.     

In vitro mutagenicity testing of a potent,new, benzoyl urea insect growth regulator

Summary Bacterial mutagenicity assay to detect potential chronic toxicity of a potent, new, benzoyl urea insect growth regulator (CGA-112913 or IKI-7899, formerly UC-62644) was conducted using 5 histidine auxotrophs ofSalmonella typhimurium. Tests within the concentration range of 0.9–500 g (saturating)/plate of the compound with and without the 5–9 mammalian metabolic activation system showed no mutagenic effects clearing the way for long-term chronic toxicology studies.The authors thank Professor Bruce N. Ames for supplying the tester strains together with all the relevant information for conducting the bioassays and Ms. Norma Charlebois for her meticulous technical assistance.     

Photoperiodic summation is temperature-dependent inPyrrhocoris apterus (L.) (Heteroptera)

Summary InPyrrhocoris apterus, a low temperature, 15°C, prevented the termination of diapause by long days and, unexpectedly, also the induction of diapause by short days. Both responses were enabled at a higher temperature, 26°C. In contrast to current concepts, it was proved that the summation of photoperiodic signals was temperature-dependent, since the morphogenetic development was prevented by starvation.     

An enzyme immunoassay for mouse epidermal growth factor utilizing a liquid phase double-antibody system

Summary An enzyme immunoassay for mouse epidermal growth factor (EGF) involving a liquid phase double-antibody system was developed. The EGF--galactosidase conjugate prepared was stable for at least 8 months. By this method, EGF was detectable at a concentration as low as 20 pg per tube. The concentrations of EGF in various tissues of mice are also presented.This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.     

涂层对热电偶热电性能及大气中寿命的影响

在难熔金属热电偶表而施加涂层的目的,旨在使原仅限和真空、中性及还原气氛中测量的热电偶能在大气中使用.本文讨论涂层对难熔金属热电偶在氧化气氛的"热电势—温度","热电势—时间"的关系及其寿命的影响.具有涂层的W/M.热电偶在氧化气氛(常压下1500℃取得263小时±1%t的最高记录,而W-Re热电偶存1500℃试验的前70小时偏差也在1%t内.而没有涂层的热电偶仅支持数分钟便破坏.     

浅论温室效应及其灾害和对策

本文概略综述了近年来世界争论的“地球危机”问题。由于人类的活动,大气中二氧化碳等增加,气候恶化,地球升温,导致一系列重大自然灾害,严重地威协着人类。本文特对地震灾害进行了分析,温室效应对地球表面的升温,虽不至于直接影响到地震的孕育和发生,但是观测事实表明,环境因子太阳活动和气象与地震之间存在某种联系,对地震的发生常常起有调制和触发的作用,大气变化和太阳活动会影响到地震发生的频度和强度。为配合“国际减灾十年”活动,本文亦讨论了对策问题。     

含铝高速钢中奥氏体非均匀长大的机制

M2AI和M2高速钢经一次和二次淬火后,奥氏体晶粒和未溶碳化物的定量研究表明,在高温r/f比值相同的条件下,由于淬火前原始组织的差别,可发生正常(均匀)和异常(非均匀)两类长大。根据异常粗晶形成初期的组织观察,提出了“连续-非连续”再结晶模式和“合并—推移”式的生长机制。提出了减轻或消除M2AI钢混晶的工艺原则。     

Hypothalamic histamine modulates adaptive behavior of rats at high environmental temperature

Summary Histamine content in the rat hypothalamus was lower at 4°C and higher at 31°C compared to that at 21°C. Pretreatment with -fluoromethylhistidine, a suicide inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase, attenuated both the increased level of hypothalamic histamine and rat adaptive behavior at 31°C. Increase of histamine content in the hypothalamus appears to be an important factor contributing to rat adaptive behavior to high environmental temperature.     

几种巴西橡胶三合树的生长状况和光合强度

不同组合巴西橡胶三合树在福建南部的生态条件下,其生长强度,生理代谢和抗逆能力都存在差异。本文中主要研究比较了几种橡胶三合树的生长强度,光合作用强度及其变化。研究结果表明,三合树的生长强度和光合强度明显比对照树高,不同组合三合树的生长强度和光合强度与它们的抗寒力成正相关。