The optimal distribution of the reinforcing fibers for stiffening hollow cylindrical composites is explored using the linear elasticity theory. The spatial distribution of the vascular bundles in wild bamboo, a nature-designed functionally graded material, is the basis for the design. Our results suggest that wild bamboos maximize their flexural rigidity by optimally regulating the radial grada...

In flowering plants, three genomes (nuclear, mitochondrial, and plastid) coexist and intracellular horizontal transfer of DNA is prevalent, especially from the plastid to the mitochondrion genome. However, the plastid genomes are generally conserved in evolution and have long been considered immune to foreign DNA. Recently, the opposite direction of DNA transfer from the mitochondrial to the pl...

Bamboo shoots are considered as one of the useful health foods because of their rich contents of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fibres, and minerals and very low fat. Though bamboo shoots provide lots of health benefits, their consumption is confined mostly to Southeast Asian and East Asian countries. The acceptability of bamboo shoots as popular vegetable crop is very less due to their hig...

DNA barcoding first came to the attention in 2003 when Paul Hebert’s research group at the University of Guelph published a paper titled ‘Biological identifications through DNA barcodes’. The basic principle behind DNA barcoding is based on the fact that small DNA sequences are capable of identifying different species as well as they are able to differentiate them. This technique deals with a n...

season they begin to come out from the roots of mature bamboos and then become available in the vegetable stalls in the bazar. They are taken by all classes of people and have lately become popular even among the European residents in Calcutta. Cattle are also fond of these shoots and the owners of bamboo clumps always try to protect the young shoots by fencing off the clumps during the rains w...

Periodical organisms, such as bamboos and periodical cicadas, are very famous for their synchronous reproduction. In bamboos and other periodical plants, the synchronicity of mass-flowering and withering has been often reported indicating these species are monocarpic (semelparous) species. Therefore, synchronicity and periodicity are often suspected to be fairly tightly coupled traits in these ...

Bamboo is a natural material having a fast reproduction and high mechanical strengths. However, when a bio-based material in general, and bamboo in particular are expected to be a construction material, their sensitivity to moisture and their durability are usually questionable. Indeed, it is well known that these materials do not possess the same performance in the long-term, when compared to ...