Correspondence from H. N. Ruffner to Cousin - January 24, 1910

Transcript and original of letter from H. N. Ruffner to their cousin, providing information on Immanuel the receivers Uncle, as well as their own family history. Transcript includes some handwritten note

Diurnal and seasonal changes in nitrate reductase activity and nitrogen content of grapevines: Effect of canopy management

Diurnal and seasonal in viva nitrate reductase activity (NRA) and nitrogen (N) contents in leaves, berries, and roots and the effect of canopy management were investigated in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon/99 Richter grapevines. Peak NRA in leaves occurred from mid-morning to mid-day. Young leaves had almost the same NRA as mature leaves before berries reached pea size stage, but subsequent to that displayed higher activity. Leaf NRA increased during the post-harvest period. Differences in NRA patterns between leaves conformed with classic source:sink behaviour. Canopy management stimulated nitrate reduction in basal source leaves, most likely through its favourable effect on canopy Light microclimate and photosynthetic activity. The NRA in the berries generally increased towards ripeness; treatments affected NRA only slightly. Peak root NRA corresponded to seasonal root growth patterns. In contrast to leaves and berries, NRA in roots increased from the morning to the afternoon. Effect of treatment on root NRA was minor. Leaf and berry N contents declined during the season, whereas reasonably stable concentrations were maintained in the roots. An involvement of NR in the N assimilation and in the energy supply pathways of the grapevine was substantiated. NRA proved to be a good indicator of fluctuations in N assimilation during growth, suggesting its determination to be instrumental in defining the N status and fertilization needs of the grapevine

Diurnal and seasonal physiological changes in leaves of Vitis vinifera L.: co2 assimilation rates, sugar levels and sucrolytic enzyme activity

Changes in photosynthetic rates, sugar contents, and sucrolytic activity (invertase and sucrose synthase) in young (apical) and mature (basal) leaves of Vitis vinifera L. were investigated throughout the growth season. Photosynthetic activity of basal leaves was predominant before the berries reached pea size, but declined to low rates during grape ripening and after harvest. Apical leaves, on the other hand, showed a more or less uniform pattern of photosynthesis during the whole season with higher assimilation rates than basal leaves after the onset of ripening (veraison). High photosynthetic rates in young material are likely to be sustained by a continuous demand for assimilates from local or adjacent sinks. Diurnal fluctuations of sucrose, glucose, and fructose were similar in apical and basal leaves. Other than the photosynthetic rates, sucrose levels in young leaves tended to be somewhat higher than in mature leaves early in the season, but this balance was reversed after veraison. Generally, low sucrose concentrations correlated with high hexose values (berry set) and vice versa (post harvest). Increased sucrose levels were observed under conditions where carbon import or export limitation is expected to prevail. In comparison with the presumably normal situation observed before veraison, apical leaves of grapevines after extended predarkening showed substantially lower sucrose levels than basal leaves and very small amounts of hexose were detected in either group. This suggests that considerable sink demand for hexose and also sucrose was imposed on tile system by the dark period. Rapid enzymic conversion of sucrose to hexose is guaranteed by high sucrose synthase and invertase activities at least ingrowing material and early in the season. Persisting, albeit low, photosynthetic rates and stable invertase activities in mature leaves throughout maturation and after harvest are taken as indicative of the latent assimilatory competence of basal leaves to sustain maintenance metabolism and contribute to the perennial carbohydrate storage pool of the vine

Ultrastructure of grape leaf protoplasts in comparison with the source tissue

Based on their histochemical properties, protoplasts from grape leaf mesophyll were found to be viable and devoid of remnants of the cell wall. The results were confirmed by electron microscopy of sectioned and freeze-etched protoplast preparations. The only remarkable difference between cells in the intact tissue and the protoplasts was the occurrence of electron-dense globules in the cytoplasm of some individuals. These "osmiophilic bodies" are believed to be due to inevitable plasmolytic effects during wall removal and seem not to have any influence on protoplast CO2-assimilation, as has been demonstrated earlier. lt therefore appears that the vital structures remain intact and functional, in spite of the stress situation created by the isolation procedure.Ultrastruktur von Rebenblatt-Protoplasten und Ausgangsgewebe - ein VergleichAnhand histochemischer Nachweise, welche das Weiterfunktionieren der Plasmamembran als physiologische Barriere nach dem Isolationsprozeß bestätigen, können Mesophyllprotoplasten von Vitis vinifera L. als lebensfähig betrachtet werden. Dieser Befund, sowie das vollständige Fehlen von Zellwandresten, wurde durch elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen an Ultradünnschnitten bzw. Gefrierätzproben von Protoplastenpräparaten erhärtet. Das vereinzelte Auftreten von elektronendichten, runden Gebilden (sog. osmiophilic bodies) im Cytoplasma ist vermutlich eine der plasmolysierenden Wirkung des Isolationsmediums zuzuschreibende Erscheinung. Wie früher gezeigt, hat aber die verwendete Isolationsmethodik keinen negativen Einfluß auf den photosynthetischen C-Stoffwechsel der Protoplasten. Daraus geht hervor, daß die lebenswichtigen Zellkomponenten, trotz der isolationsbedingten Streßsituation, keinen irreversiblen und damit nachweisbaren, strukturellen oder funktionellen Beeinträchtigungen unterworfen sind

Effects of 3^3He Impurity on Solid 4^4He Studied by Compound Torsional Oscillator

Frequency shifts and dissipations of a compound torsional oscillator induced by solid $^4$He samples containing $^3$He impurity concentrations ($x_3$ = 0.3, 3, 6, 12 and 25 in units of 10$^{-6}$) have been measured at two resonant mode frequencies ($f_1$ = 493 and $f_2$ = 1164 Hz) at temperatures ($T$) between 0.02 and 1.1 K. The fractional frequency shifts of the $f_1$ mode were much smaller than those of the $f_2$ mode. The observed frequency shifts continued to decrease as $T$ was increased above 0.3 K, and the conventional non-classical rotation inertia fraction was not well defined in all samples with $x_3 \geq$ 3 ppm. Temperatures where peaks in dissipation of the $f_2$ mode occurred were higher than those of the $f_1$ mode in all samples. The peak dissipation magnitudes of the $f_1$ mode was greater than those of the $f_2$ mode in all samples. The activation energy and the characteristic time ($\tau_0$) were extracted for each sample from an Arrhenius plot between mode frequencies and inverse peak temperatures. The average activation energy among all samples was 430 mK, and $\tau_0$ ranged from 2$\times 10^{-7}$ s to 5$\times 10^{-5}$ s in samples with $x_3$ = 0.3 to 25 ppm. The characteristic time increased in proportion to $x_3^{2/3}$. Observed temperature dependence of dissipation were consistent with those expected from a simple Debye relaxation model \emph{if} the dissipation peak magnitude was separately adjusted for each mode. Observed frequency shifts were greater than those expected from the model. The discrepancies between the observed and the model frequency shifts increased at the higher frequency mode.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure

Gluconeogenese in reifenden Beeren von Vitis vinifera

Im Verlaufe der Reifeperiode 1973 wurde Traubenbeeren in wöchentlichen Intervallen Fumarsäure-2,3- 14C injiziert und nach einer Stoffwechselzeit von 6 Stunden der Einbau des Tracers in Malat sowie die Neutralfraktion untersucht. Es konnte nachgewiesen werden, daß - mit geringer Randomisierung des C-Skelettes des Präkursors - vorwiegend Äpfelsäure entsteht. Daneben erscheinen aber bis zu 17% der Radioaktivität in den Zuckern (Glucose, Fructose und Saccharose). Aufgrund der 14C-Verteilung im Glucosemolekül, welche ein Schwergewicht der Markierung in den C-Atomen 1, 2, 5 und 6 aufweist, kann auf die Existenz des „klassischen" Gluconeogeneseweges (mit Oxalacetat, Phosphoenolpyruvat und Phosphoglycerat als Intermediärprodukten) in Traubenbeeren geschlossen werden. Die Inkorporationsrate des biogenetisch aus '"C-Fumarat entstandenen  14C-Malats in die Neutralfraktion ist bei c a. 20 °C am höchsten. Dieses relativ tiefe Maximum dürfte auf die in diesem Temperaturbereich optimale Versorgung der Früchte mit stoffwechselaktiver Apfelsäure als Edukt für die Zuckersynthese zu erklären sein. Vergleiche der Zuckergehalte von Trauben mit bzw. ohne direkte Sonnenbestrahlung lassen während des Reifeverlaufes bei den Früchten an beschatteten und damit kühleren Standorten eine deutlich intensivere Zuckerbildung erkennen, so daß dadurch der zum Zeitpunkt der „Veraison" bestehende Unterschied im Zuckergehalt nahezu verschwindet. Es wird die Bedeutung der Gluconeogenese für diesen Ausgleich diskutiert.Gluconeogenesis in the ripening fruit of Vitis viniferaFumaric acid-2,3-14C was applied to grape berries at weekly intervals and the incorporation of radioactivity into other acids and the neutral, watersoluble substances determined. Malic acid, predominantly labelled in the inner C-atoms, proved to be the main metabolic product, and up to 170/o of the 14C-activity of the extract was discovered in the neutral fraction. The t4C-glucose thus synthesized carried more label in the Cl/C2 and the C6/C5 positions than in the two central C-atoms. Based on these results it is concluded that the ripening fruit transforms acids into sugars by reactions involving a formal reversal of the glycolytic pathway.Incorporation of radioactivity of 14C-fumaric and -malic acids into sugars shows a temperature optimum of about 20 °C. Comparisons between the sugar concentrations of grapes growing in the sun or in the shade, indicate that the r a t e of sugar synthesis during the final ripening-stages is greater in the shade. Thus, the marked difference in sugar content at veraison disappears during maturation. The contribution of sugar synthesis from acids to the observed compensation is discussed

High-energy air shock study in steel and grout pipes

Voitenko compressors are used to generate 43 mm/..mu..s air shocks in both a steel and a grout outlet pipe containing ambient atmospheric air. Fiber-optic ports provide diaphragm burst times, time-of-arrival (TOA) data, and velocities for the shock front along the 20-mm-ID exit pipes. Pressure profiles are obtained at higher enthalpy shock propagation than ever before and at many locations along the exit pipes. Numerous other electronic sensors and postshot observations are described, as well as experimental results. The primary objectives of the experiments are as follows: (1) provide a data base for normalization/improvement of existing finite-difference codes that describe high-energy air shocks and gas propagation; (2) obtain quantitative results on the relative attenuation effects of two very different wall materials for high-energy air shocks and gas flows. The extensive experimental results satisfy both objectives