Based on ethnopharmacological information, four different varieties of seeds were obtained from authentic seed suppliers. Ethanol, methanol, acetone, chloroform and petroleum ether seed extracts were assessed for antibacterial activity against wound isolates of Multi Drug Resistant Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MDR-MRSA). Ethanol, methanol and acetone extracts of Moringa oleifera...

Physical and functional properties of foliage were measured at a variety of microsites in a broad-leaved Nothofagus fusca (Hook. f.) Ørst. canopy. The light climate of the foliage at these sites was monitored for 39 days in the late spring and early summer with in situ sensors. Foliage nitrogen content (N), mean leaf angle, and gas exchange characteristics were all correlated with the amount of...

Three species of aphids attack pecan foliage, Carya illinoensis (Wang.) K. Koch, and cause economic damage. We tested a kaolin-based particle film against one of these aphid species, black pecan aphid, Melanocallis caryaefoliae (Davis). Effect of particle film on host selection, adult mortality, and production of nymphs by M. caryaefoliae was tested on seedling pecans in the laboratory. Fewer M...

Moringa oleifera, or the horseradish tree, is a pan-tropical species that is known by such regional names as benzolive, drumstick tree, kelor, marango, mlonge, mulangay, nébéday, saijhan, and sajna. Over the past two decades, many reports have appeared in mainstream scientific journals describing its nutritional and medicinal properties. Its utility as a non-food product has also been extensive...

Russet-mantled Foliage-gleaner is an extremely poorly known species, the range of which is centered in the Brazilian Cerrado, where it inhabits riparian forests. Two subspecies are recognized, but the limits of their ranges are controversial. Furthermore, it was recently suggested that the species is one of the few in the family Furnariidae to show sexual dichromatism. In this paper we examined...

Stored non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) could play an important role in tree survival in the face of a changing climate and associated stress-related mortality. We explored the effects of the stomata-blocking and defoliating fungal disease called Swiss needle cast on Douglas-fir carbohydrate reserves and growth to evaluate the extent to which NSCs can be mobilized under natural conditions of...

Conifer foliage structures affect branch and bud temperature by altering the development and convective resistance of the thermal boundary layer. This paper examines foliage effects on forced convection in branches and buds of Picea glauca (Moench) Voss and Pinus contorta Dougl. Ex. Loud., two species that represent the range of variation in foliage structure among conifers. Forced convection i...

We are developing an ultra wideband (UWB) radar sensor payload for the man-portable iRobot PackBot UGV. Our goal is to develop a sensor array that will allow the PackBot to navigate autonomously through foliage (such as tall grass) while avoiding obstacles and building a map of the terrain. We plan to use UWB radars in conjunction with other sensors such as LIDAR and vision. We propose an algor...

The objective of this study was to compare physiological and psychological relaxation by assessing heart rate variability (HRV), prefrontal cortex activity, and subjective indexes while subjects performed a task with and without foliage plants. In a crossover experimental design, 24 university students performed a task transferring pots with and without a foliage plant for 3 min. HRV and oxyhem...

Foliage penetrating (FOPEN) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems are capable of producing images of targets concealed under a foliage canopy. The quality and interpretability of these images, however, is generally limited by dense foliage clutter and by fundamental foliage-induced image degradation. Use of a polarimetric SAR to provide multiple polarization channels can mitigate these effects...