Scientific naturalists and the government of the Royal Society 1850-1900

The everyday life of the Royal Society in the second half of the nineteenth century is a largely unworked field within the history of Victorian science. As the principal forum for English science, the Royal Society was a crucial context for' the working out of the major changes in science over the period. The Society made its own singular responses to the developing needs of science for funds to support increasingly expensive researches, and for a more efficient means of publication for the growing number of active workers. These aspects are dealt with at length in the first section. The image of science which was held to by some of its leading practitioners and organisers is very significant in tracing the developing tensions within Victorian science. This led to a widespread sensitivity to any commercial or political involvements on the part of prominent men of science, which might have seemed to compromise their disinterestedness. An area which is very revealing of many characteristic modes of thought entertained by Victorian men of' science, is the evaluation of' scientific performance. Enshrined in the refereeing procedures of the Royal Society, this process provides many insights into the contemporary meaning of the issues of the day. For a long period following 1870 the government of the Royal Society was in the hand of the group of scientific naturalists who surrounded Thomas Huxley. Their personal ambitions and energetic support of the cause of' scientific naturalism contributed to an extremely vigourous phase of the Royal Society's history. A detailed coverage is provided of the spectacular rise and surprisingly rapid decline of the power and influence of this group in this focal point of Victorian science

Basal rot of narcissus : understanding pathogenicity in fusarium oxysporum f. sp. narcissi

Fusarium oxysporum is a globally distributed soilborne fungal pathogen causing root rots, bulb rots, crown rots and vascular wilts on a range of horticultural plants. Pathogenic F. oxysporum isolates are highly host specific and are classified as formae speciales. Narcissus is an important ornamental crop and both the quality and yield of flowers and bulbs can be severely affected by a basal rot caused by F. oxysporum f. sp. narcissi (FON); 154 Fusarium isolates were obtained from different locations and Narcissus cultivars in the United Kingdom, representing a valuable resource. A subset of 30 F. oxysporum isolates were all found to be pathogenic and were therefore identified as FON. Molecular characterisation of isolates through sequencing of three housekeeping genes, suggested a monophyletic origin with little divergence. PCR detection of 14 Secreted in Xylem (SIX) genes, previously shown to be associated with pathogenicity in other F. oxysporum f. spp., revealed different complements of SIX7, SIX9, SIX10, SIX12 and SIX13 within FON isolates which may suggest a race structure. SIX gene sequences were unique to FON and SIX10 was present in all isolates, allowing for molecular identification of FON for the first time. The genome of a highly pathogenic isolate was sequenced and lineage specific (LS) regions identified which harboured putative effectors including the SIX genes. Real-time RT-PCR, showed that SIX genes and selected putative effectors were expressed in planta with many significantly upregulated during infection. This is the first study to characterise molecular variation in FON and provide an analysis of the FON genome. Identification of expressed genes potentially associated with virulence provides the basis for future functional studies and new targets for molecular diagnostics

Further letters of D.H. Lawrence

[Letters by D.H. Lawrence, edited and translated by John Worthen and Andrew Harrison.

Grazing winter wheat relieves plant water stress and transiently enhances photosynthesis

In order to model the impact of grazing on wheat growth, we measured photosynthesis in the field. Grazing may affect photosynthesis as a consequence of changes to leaf water status, nitrogen content per unit leaf area (Na) or photosynthetic enzyme activity. While light-saturated CO2 assimilation rates (Asat) of field-grown wheat were unchanged during grazing, Asat transiently increased by 33-68% compared to ungrazed leaves over a two-four week period after grazing ended. Grazing reduced leaf mass per unit area, increased stomatal conductance and increased intercellular CO2 concentrations (Ci) by 36-38%, 88-169% and 17-20%, respectively. Grazing did not alter Na. Using a photosynthesis model, we demonstrated that the increase in Asat after grazing required an increase in Rubisco activity of up to 53%, whereas the increase in Ci could only increase Asat by up to 13%. Increased Rubisco activity was associated with a partial alleviation of leaf water stress. We observed a 68% increase in leaf water potential of grazed plants which could be attributed to reduced leaf area index and canopy evaporative demand, as well as increased rainfall infiltration into soil. The grazing of rain-fed grain cereals may be tailored to relieve plant water stress and enhance leaf photosynthesis

Further letters of D.H. Lawrence

[Letters by D.H. Lawrence, edited and translated by John Worthen and Andrew Harrison.

Source-sink plasmid transfer dynamics maintain gene mobility in soil bacterial communities

Horizontal gene transfer is a fundamental process in bacterial evolution that can accelerate adaptation via the sharing of genes between lineages. Conjugative plasmids are the principal genetic elements mediating the horizontal transfer of genes, both within and between bacterial species. In some species, plasmids are unstable and likely to be lost through purifying selection, but when alternative hosts are available, interspecific plasmid transfer could counteract this and maintain access to plasmid-borne genes. To investigate the evolutionary importance of alternative hosts to plasmid population dynamics in an ecologically relevant environment, we established simple soil microcosm communities comprising two species of common soil bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas putida, and a mercury resistance (Hg R) plasmid, pQBR57, both with and without positive selection [i.e., addition of Hg(II)]. In single-species populations, plasmid stability varied between species: although pQBR57 survived both with and without positive selection in P. fluorescens, it was lost or replaced by nontransferable Hg R captured to the chromosome in P. putida. A simple mathematical model suggests these differences were likely due to pQBR57's lower intraspecific conjugation rate in P. putida. By contrast, in two-species communities, both models and experiments show that interspecific conjugation from P. fluorescens allowed pQBR57 to persist in P. putida via source-sink transfer dynamics. Moreover, the replacement of pQBR57 by nontransferable chromosomal Hg R in P. putida was slowed in coculture. Interspecific transfer allows plasmid survival in host species unable to sustain the plasmid in monoculture, promoting community-wide access to the plasmid-borne accessory gene pool and thus potentiating future evolvability

FORCE-ANGLE CHARACTERISTICS AND LEVEL OF COMPETITIVE REPRESENTATION IN ON-WATER ROWING

The graphical presentation of the propulsive form applied by the oar to the pin, plotted against the oar horizontal angle, has been used as a diagnostic tool for rowing skill. How the pattern is related to variables such as level of competitive has not been well identified. Bivariate functional principal components analysis (bfPCA) was used on form-angle data to identify the main modes of variation in curves representing twenty seven female rowers of two different competition levels (Australian Domestic and Australian International level), rowing at 32 strokes per minute in a single scull boat. Discriminant function analysis showed strong classification of rowers using force-angle graphs across both sides of the boat, with increased rate of force development identified as an important characteristic for international rowers. Additionally for the bow-side, spending less time in the first half of the drive phase was also identified as an important feature for international rowers. The results of this demonstrate that there are potentially some common characteristics of the form-angle that are important for selection in international level sculling boats

THE APPLICATION OF FUNCTIONAL DATA ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES FOR CHARACTERIZING DIFFERENCES IN ROWING PROPULSIVE-PIN FORCE CURVES

The pattern of propulsive force (measured at the pin), represented by force-time and forceangle graphs, typically differs among rowers. How the pattern differs according to competition level and gender has not been identified. Functional data analysis (FDA) techniques were used on force-time and force-angle data to identify the main modes of variance in curves representing thirty eight rowers of different competition levels (domestic, underage international and open international) and different gender. Stepwise discriminant function analysis showed strong classification of rowers using force-time and force-angle graphs and strong classification of female rowers. Male rowers, Underage rowers and Open International rowers showed weaker classification. Despite this, FDA provided useful information for the assessment of rowing performance

The creation of culture in middle school

The problem of the creation of culture by the school administrator in the middle school is examined through a series of nineteen case studies. The case studies were compiled over a two year period at a middle school in a small southern city that was undergoing a transition to a true middle school concept. The cases are representative of the experiences of administrators, teachers, and students as the principal attempts to establish a culture which promotes civility. Nine elements critical to the development of culture emerge from the cases and are as follows: Commitment, it is demonstrated, will lead people to places authority cannot (or will not) go. There is a "language" a leader can use to discuss things with people that in the course of normal day to day life would not be discussed. It is important to find common ground to make communication of organizational priorities possible. Enthusiasm-“wanting to be there" really does make a difference in the creation of a culture. It is also important to know what frame of reference one is using when perceiving the world. What one expects to see flavors one's view of reality. Healthy dissent is a good thing in a school. The challenge for the leader is to keep dissent "healthy". The interaction between people as they deal with problems in the institution may be more important than the actual problem itself. Many people wrap the blanket of the institution around them to insulate them from responsibility. The "good" leader knows better than to be comforted or warmed by this insulation. Power is neither bad nor something to be feared, but rather a tool to be judiciously used. Finally, never underestimate the power of a big gesture. Symbols are much more powerful than they are given credit for being