The Design of the Pallet Program

This paper describes the procedures underlying the development of the Pallet program which has been produced to design regular pallet racks according to the FEM code. The program determines the buckling load of the equivalent free sway structure and, using stability functions, calculates the axial and shear forces and the bending moments within the structure including the non-linear P - Δ effects. Twelve different combinations of load are analysed and design checks given in the FEM code applied. The paper discusses the different modes of operation of the program. Finally the accuracy of the program is discussed together with future developments

Recent applications of NMR spectroscopy in plant metabolomics

Recent research has established NMR as a key method for high-throughput comparative analysis of plant extracts. We discuss recent examples of the use of NMR to provide metabolomic data for various applications in plant science and look forward to the key role that NMR will play in data provision for plant systems biology

Rotational Stiffnesses of Semi-rigid Baseplates

The paper describes a test procedure to determine the rotational stiffnesses and moment-curvature relationships of semi-rigid baseplates of cold-formed structures. The influence of the modulus of the foundation subgrade on baseplate performance is determined. Increasing the axial load applied to a baseplate is shown to increase the ultimate moment-rotation capacity of a baseplate

Experimental Procedures for Stub Column Tests

In this paper a total of 36 stub columns was tested by two different experimental procedures, namely the FEM and AISI procedures, to investigate the difference in the ultimate load between these procedures. Of these 26 were carried out in the pin-ended condition according to FEM, the rest were in the fixed-end condition according to AlSI specification. It is shown that the failure loads obtained by the two experimental procedures were very close to each other. Both procedures worked well. The AISI procedure is recommended as the standard procedure

Identification of the connections in biologically inspired neural networks

We developed an identification method to find the strength of the connections between neurons from their behavior in small biologically-inspired artificial neural networks. That is, given the network external inputs and the temporal firing pattern of the neurons, we can calculate a solution for the strengths of the connections between neurons and the initial neuron activations if a solution exists. The method determines directly if there is a solution to a particular neural network problem. No training of the network is required. It should be noted that this is a first pass at the solution of a difficult problem. The neuron and network models chosen are related to biology but do not contain all of its complexities, some of which we hope to add to the model in future work. A variety of new results have been obtained. First, the method has been tailored to produce connection weight matrix solutions for networks with important features of biological neural (bioneural) networks. Second, a computationally efficient method of finding a robust central solution has been developed. This later method also enables us to find the most consistent solution in the presence of noisy data. Prospects of applying our method to identify bioneural network connections are exciting because such connections are almost impossible to measure in the laboratory. Knowledge of such connections would facilitate an understanding of bioneural networks and would allow the construction of the electronic counterparts of bioneural networks on very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits

Cross-aisle Stiffness Tests on Rack Upright Frames

The US Rack Manufacturers Institution (RMI) code uses a theoretical formula derived by Timoshenko and the new Eurocode EN15512 requires testing. There is a considerable difference in the stiffn ess values determined by two approaches. This paper describes the experiments conducted on 80 full sized upright frames at Oxford Brookes University varying upright size, number of panels in the frame, aspect ratio of the panel (panel length/depth), restraints at the intermediate nodes of the frame, loading pattern, lacing pattern (channels back to back or front to front) and bolt tightness. The experimental data reported can be used in proposing revised design procedures

Are existing biodiversity conservation strategies appropriate in a changing climate?

Many countries have conservation plans for threatened species, but such plans have generally been developed without taking into account the potential impacts of climate change. Here, we apply a decision framework, specifically developed to identify and prioritise climate change adaptation actions and demonstrate its use for 30 species threatened in the UK. Our aim is to assess whether government conservation recommendations remain appropriate under a changing climate. The species, associated with three different habitats (lowland heath, broadleaved woodland and calcareous grassland), were selected from a range of taxonomic groups (primarily moths and vascular plants, but also including bees, bryophytes, carabid beetles and spiders). We compare the actions identified for these threatened species by the decision framework with those included in existing conservation plans, as developed by the UK Government's statutory adviser on nature conservation. We find that many existing conservation recommendations are also identified by the decision framework. However, there are large differences in the spatial prioritisation of actions when explicitly considering projected climate change impacts. This includes recommendations for actions to be carried out in areas where species do not currently occur, in order to allow them to track movement of suitable conditions for their survival. Uncertainties in climate change projections are not a reason to ignore them. Our results suggest that existing conservation plans, which do not take into account potential changes in suitable climatic conditions for species, may fail to maximise species persistence. Comparisons across species also suggest a more habitat-focused approach could be adopted to enable climate change adaptation for multiple species

Metabolomic analysis of Arabidopsis reveals hemiterpenoid glycosides as products of a nitrate ion-regulated, carbon flux overflow

An understanding of the balance between carbon and nitrogen assimilation in plants is key to future bioengineering for a range of applications. Metabolomic analysis of the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, using combined NMR-MS revealed the presence of two hemiterpenoid glycosides that accumulated in leaf tissue, to ~1% dry weight under repeated nitrate-deficient conditions. The formation of these isoprenoids was correlated with leaf nitrate concentrations that could also be assayed in the metabolomic data using a unique flavonoid–nitrate mass spectral adduct. Analysis of leaf and root tissue from plants grown in hydroponics with a variety of root stressors identified the conditions under which the isoprenoid pathway in leaves was diverted to the hemiterpenoids. These compounds were strongly induced by root wounding or oxidative stress and weakly induced by potassium deficiency. Other stresses such as cold, saline, and osmotic stress did not induce the compounds. Replacement of nitrate with ammonia failed to suppress the formation of the hemiterpenoids, indicating that nitrate sensing was a key factor. Feeding of intermediates was used to study aspects of 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol-4-phosphate pathway regulation leading to hemiterpenoid formation. The formation of the hemiterpenoids in leaves was strongly correlated with the induction of the phenylpropanoids scopolin and coniferin in roots of the same plants. These shunts of photosynthetic carbon flow are discussed in terms of overflow mechanisms that have some parallels with isoprene production in tree species