Research in recent years has supported the hypothesis that many properties of the electroencephalogram (EEG) are specific to an individual. In this study, the intra- and inter-individual variations of sleep EEG signals were investigated. This was carried out by analyzing the stability of the average EEG spectra individually computed for the Rechtschaffen and Kales (RK) sleep stages. Six EEG cha...

A Markov chain model has been proposed as a mechanism that generates human sleep stages. A method for estimating the parameters of the model, i.e., the transition probabilities (rates) between sleep stages, has been introduced and applied to 95 hypnograms taken from 23 subjects. The rates characterize interindividual differences and nightly variations of the sleep mechanism, related to sleep-on...

Leaf removal is known to enhance light exposure of clusters and therefore may affect grape composition. Owing to the risk of decreasing grape quality or sunburn as a consequence of improper sun exposure, it is crucial to determine the optimum leaf removal techniques adequate for the particular climate conditions of a vineyard area. Defoliation experiments on vine cv. Regent were conducted in tw...

Heteroblastic plants produce markedly different leaf morphologies between juvenile and adult stages, while homoblastic plants exhibit little or gradual changes. We tested the hypothesis that the leaf morphology of the seedling stage of New Zealand heteroblastic species is advantageous in dealing with low light levels found in forest understorey. We used four independent contrasts of heteroblast...

Carbon assimilation, translocation, and associated biochemical characteristics of the second trifoliolate leaf (numbered acropetally) of chamber-grown soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., plants were studied at selected stages of leaf development during the period from 10 to 25 days postemergence. Leaves of uniform age were selected on the basis of leaf plastochron index (LPI).The test leaf reached...

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) an important sugar crop, shows high sensitivity to salinity at various growth stages. This study was conducted to determine the comparative response of a salt-tolerant (CP-4333) and a salt-sensitive (CP-71-3002) sugarcane clone to the toxic or osmotic effects of sodium chloride at two growth stages. Clones indicated significant differences in terms of reduct...

1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) supplied via the cut base of detached olive shoots caused a burst of ethylene from leaves, but other cyclopropanes tested did not exhibit this effect. Ethephon (ET) and another ethylene-releasing compound caused a prolonged increase in ethylene evolution. ACC had only a very limited effect on leaf abscission regardless of concentration, whereas shoots...

The ch4 mutant of sweetclover (Melilotus alba) has previously been demonstrated to be temperature- and photoperiod-sensitive for the accumulation of chlorophyll. Pigment content of ch4 mutant leaves was examined as a function of trifoliolate mass, an index of leaf development. Inhibition of chlorophyll accumulation caused by increased growth temperature or decreased photoperiod can be attenuate...