The gravitational component of water potential and frictional resistance during transpiration lead to substantial reductions in leaf water potential (Psi(l)) near the tops of tall trees, which can influence both leaf growth and physiology. We examined the relationships between morphological features and gas exchange in foliage collected near the tops of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb....

Koch et al. (Nature 428: 851-854) measured various parameters that were thought to limit the height of Sequoia sempervirens from northern California and concluded that the maximum height for this species is 122-130 m because within this range: (1) Irreversible embolism formation was proposed to occur when the xylem pressure was less than -1.9 MPa. (2) The leaf mass to area ratio exponentially a...

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to elucidate the natural history of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas with mural nodules (MNs) in branch duct IPMN (BD-IPMN). METHODS Among the 402 registered patients with BD-IPMN on long-term follow-up at 10 institutions in Japan, 53 patients with MNs of less than 10 mm in height detected by endosonography were included in this study. ...

The main purpose of ...

Plant architecture is shaped by endogenous growth processes interacting with the local environment. The current study investigated crown development in young black alder trees, assessing the effects of local light conditions and branch height on individual bud mass and contents. In addition, we examined the characteristics of parent shoots [the cross-sectional area (CSA) of stem and total leaf ...

In order to separate the effects of size and meristem maturation on age-related changes in shoot growth behaviour, a reciprocal grafting experiment was conducted involving juvenile (J), mid-age (MA) and old-growth (OG) red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) trees as both scion donors and rootstock. The effects of rootstock and scion age on vegetative growth, foliar morphology and reproductive developm...

OBJECTIVES To determine the correlation between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pathology and the response to diagnostic facet medial branch block (MBB) and L5 dorsal ramus medial branch block and radiofrequency (RF) denervation of lumbar facet joints. METHODS The medical records of 127 consecutive patients who underwent MBB for suspected zygapophysial joint pain were reviewed. The lumbar sp...

One hundred and seven half-sib families of Pinus pinaster planted at four sites in Galicia (NW Spain) were evaluated at age 8 for growth (height, diameter, volume and mean internode length), stem form (straightness, leaning, forking) and branching characteristics (branch diameter, angle and number and total number of whorls). The analyzed half-sib families were obtained from first-generation pl...

Red horizontal-branch (RHB) stars have been selected from the Hipparcos catalogue to investigate their kinematics and spatial distribution. Hipparcos parallaxes, literature radial velocities and Hipparcos proper motions, together with models for the gravitational potential of the Milky Way allow a calculation of the actual velocity vectors and the orbits of the RHB stars. The velocity character...