David Stuart Thompson

Nightline—a student self-help organisation

Abstract With the rapid growth of student self-help organisations in institutions of further and higher education, there is a need to pass on the practical experience of existing services to those interested in setting up such organisations. To this end, an account is given of the origins and growth of the Nightline group at the University of Lancaster. Modelled on Samaritan principles, Nightline functions as an adjunct to the official welfare services provided by the university. Details are given of the selection and preparation of its student volunteers; the organisation of the group; and the nature and incidence of its usage during its first complete academic year.

Target or non-target: Hormonal signal perception and response in the determination of cell performance

Although the production of the endogenous growth regulatory substances of plants is not restricted to green plants (for example, fungi synthesize gibberellins, bacteria can produce ethylene and animals can produce auxin), there is no compelling evidence for an associated growth regulatory role except in the green plant. How these substances elicit their responses in the green (or etiolated) plant and how these responses can be so diverse, yet so specific in temporal and developmental terms, is central to an understanding of plant growth control.