The existence in Europe of four groups of mice (genus Mus L.) of species and subspecies rank, demonstrated by biochemical genetics]

Analysis at 20 genetic loci by starch gel electrophoresis of a population from Greece shows that contrary to most accepted views, the outdoor Eastern Mediterranean Short-tailed Mouse (i) does not belong to the same species as the House Mouse (Mus musculus), (ii) is not less distant from the Eastern European semi-species of House Mouse (biochemical group 2) than from the Western and Mediterranean European semi-species (group 1), and (iii) is not more closely related to the outdoor Western Mediterranean Short-tailed Mouse Mus spretus (group 3), than to M. musculus. It represents a new biochemical group (group 4) and deserves a species rank (Mus spicilegus).     

Establishment of a colony of the mosquitoCuliseta longiareolata under laboratory conditions

Summary A colony ofCuliseta longiareolata was set up in the laboratory starting with more than 700 larvae and pupae collected from an old well. Procedures for successful establishment of a colony and laboratory maintenance of this mosquito are described.     

A myth revealed: The case of the ‘Beeldsnyder achromatic objective’

This paper examines the efforts of two young Russian chemists during the late 1850s and early 1860s to establish a professional chemistry journal and a public laboratory for chemistry research in Russia. These two, N. N. Sokolov and A. N. Engel' gardt, were important participants in the early efforts to institutionalize and professionalize chemistry in Russia. However, both the chemistry laboratory and the chemistry journal ended after only a few years. The chemistry journal was curtailed not because of Government interference, as is sometimes asserted, but because of a conflict over editorial policy and independence. The chemistry laboratory was closed and the equipment donated to St Petersburg University when Sokolov was appointed to the position of adjunct there.     

Vitellogenesis in the air breathing fish,Channa punctatus (Bloch)

Summary Two types of yolk develop in the oocyte ofChanna punctatus. The carbohydrate yolk, which develops from the material present in the ooplasm, breaks up for the use of the growing oocyte before ovulation takes place. The proteid yolk, developing from the extraoocytic material, finally crams the fully mature oocyte, perhaps to participate in the process of embryogenesis.Acknowledgments. The authors are grateful to Professor C.C. Das, for his encouragement and the laboratory facilities. The award of a U.G.C. junior fellowship to one of us (U.R.A.) by the Berhampur University is thankfully acknowledged.     

Chemistry laboratories,and how they might be studied

Chemistry laboratories, as buildings, have been surprisingly little studied by historians of science; interest has been focused on them more as sites of specific scientific activity, with particular emphasis on the personalities who worked within them. This has overshadowed aspects of laboratories such as their specification, design, construction, fitting-out, adaptation, replacement, status as civic and academic structures, and so on. Systematic study of them would be aided by an agreed taxonomy of laboratory types, according to their purpose, and a scheme is proposed here. Practically no pre-1800 chemical laboratories survive, and there are very few dating from earlier than 1900, at least in their original state. Encouragingly, there have been several recent archaeological excavations which have turned up interesting evidence of early examples from various cultures. Little interest has been shown in the preservation of laboratories as significant architectural or historical structures, certainly when compared with other building types. The paper closes by considering those English laboratories which enjoy some level of legal protection but questioning the criteria adopted in deciding the programme of preservation.     

中国农业的未来发展方向

中国农业的发展是世界关注的问题，是我国近代社会发展的研究主题。随着社会和科技的进步，我国农业未来的发展方向：一是从个体农业到集团农业到产业化农业的发展，二是从种粮农业到经济作物农业和特色农业的发展；三是从农业到商业和工业的发展；四是从传统农业到信息农业和科学农业；五是政府和和农业科研院所联合体发展；六是政府 公司 定单 农户的经济一体化发展；七是生态农业和可持续农业发展。     

Karyotypes of shrews of the generaCryptotis andBlarina (mammalia: Soricidae)

Summary Cryptotis parva has a diploid number of 52 and a fundamental number of 50. Blarina brevicauda in Nebraska and Pennsylvania has a diploid number of 49 or 50 and a fundamental number of 48. Blarina carolinensis in Nebraska and Kansas has a diploid number of 52 and a fundamental number of 62. The X-chromosome in all 3 species is a large metacentric chromosome. The Y-chromosome is a small acrocentric in Blarina, whereas in Cryptotis it is a small subtelocentric.Funds for field work were provided by the American Philosophical Society from the Johnson Fund. We thank Dr Robert J. Baker, Texas Tech University, for use of his karyological equipment and laboratory facilities.     

全球变化研究中的"科学政治化"倾向--以美国气候政策为例

在国际社会为防止、适应全球变化的努力中,会涉及到国家、地方和民族的诸多利益。全球变化研究成为与国家安全、食物供应、水资源、温室气体排放、人类健康等问题密切相关的社会问题。美国为国际全球变化研究做出了突出的贡献,但当国际气候框架与其国内经济发展出现冲突时,美国的气候政策也开始了以保障国内经济发展和企业利益的调整,作为国家支持的全球变化研究也需要针对这些调整而不断修正研究方向和关注重点,为有利于美国的政治和政策服务,表现出了明显的“科学政治化”倾向。本文分析了美国自2001年3月退出《京都议定书》以来的一系列的政策和研究支持的调整,尤其对美国的《京都议定书》替代方案《晴朗天空与全球气候变化行动》进行了深入的分析。根据这些分析,可以对国际全球变化研究与国家政治和利益的关系有一个总体的了解,为我国科研工作者和生产企业提供有益借鉴。     

A computer-based system for collection and analysis of circadian rest-activity data

Summary A computer-based system for collection and analysis of circadian rest-activity data was developed. The system has the advantage of a minimal amount of interface hardware and uses standard laboratory computer equipment permitting easy collection and automatic visualization and analysis of the data. The flexibility of the programs allows manipulation of the presentation format as needed and further refinements of the data analyses are possible.     

Is glucagon involved in cold acclimatization?

Summary Cold acclimatization in rats at 5°C for 2 weeks caused a significant elevation of plasma glucagon concentration, accompanied by increased plasma FFA and glucose levels. Acute cold exposure at 5°C for 5 or 60 min did not affect these parameters in plasma.We are grateful to Drs.H. Ohhara andA. Kihara, Sapporo Medical College, for help in setting up glucagon radioimmunoassay.     

Charles Darwin and the repugnant curators

Recently discovered documents have revealed the background to a letter published in The Darwin Correspondence, dated 21 February 1838 and sent to Charles Darwin and six others from John George Children of the British Museum. It concerned a complaint made by Edward Blyth about George Robert Gray, assistant in charge of birds at the museum. A response by Darwin, and 14 other referees, supported Gray's defence of his character, and the complaint was dismissed. It is concluded that Children investigated this complaint so vigorously because of recent criticism of the natural history collections by witnesses to the Select Committee of the House of Commons on the British Museum (1836–37), who sought to increase the involvement and influence of career scientists in the overseeing of the collections. Children may have also been sensitive to criticism because he was a controversial appointee.     

Benjamin Moore,Science, and Medical Planning in early Twentieth-Century Britain

Benjamin Moore (1867–1922), physiologist and biochemist, was an eminent member of the British scientific and medical community in the early twentieth century. As a founder and president of the State Medical Services Association (SMSA) from its establishment in 1912 until his untimely death in 1922, Moore was a prominent medical services activist and planner in a period of intense debate on health services reform. As a medical scientist, Moore was also a participant in the campaign by laboratory scientists to obtain a larger role in clinical education, research, and medicine in this period. This article examines the medical services activism and ideas of Benjamin Moore. In particular, it seeks to demonstrate how his health services proposals and those he influenced, including SMSA and Labour Party plans, sought to advance the interests of laboratory scientists.     

Correlation between ovarian growth,vitellogenin titer,and yolk polypeptide pattern in the haemolymph ofCalliphora vicina

Summary During the first egg maturation cycle ofCalliphora vicina changes in the vitellogenin titer and yolk polypeptide pattern of the haemolymph are correlated with the intensity of follicular growth, and the rate of yolk deposition.Acknowledgments. Support from The Danish Natural Science Research Council (grant: 11-0423) and access to facilities at the laboratory of Dr Bente L. Hansen (Institute of Medical Microbiology) is gratefully acknowledged.     

Response ofPhloeotribus scarabaeoides (Coleoptera,Scolytidae) to ethylene in an olfactometer

The role of ethylene, pure or in formulation, in the colonization behaviour of the olive bark beetle,Phloeotribus scarabaeoides (Coleoptera, Scolytidae) has been investigated in the laboratory. Ethylene has been found to be attractive in both sexes; the formulation ethrel 48 was active in an olfactometer up to several months. Ethylene, whose concentration varies with the developmental stage or the condition of the tree or its wood, may play an important role in the primary attraction of these scolytids to their host.     

Oral melatonin produces arrhythmia in sparrows

Summary House sparrows,Passer domesticus, exhibit circadian rhythms of perch-hopping behavior. The rhythm was abolished by ad libitum administration of melatonin in the drinking water.Support was provided to S. Binkley by NSF PCM 8314331.     

Rat sternothyroid muscle: Dissection and preparation for electrophysiologic and electronmicrographic studies

Summary The sternothyroid muscle of the rat is described. The ease of dissection and localization of end-plate regions within the sternothyroid muscle by direct visualization of nerve supply provides a convenient mammalian muscle preparation for electrophysiological and ultrastructural research.This research was supported in part by the following grants: PHS 5429-16-20 (to C. M. Poser), NIH grant NS-07740 (to R. L. Parsons).We express our appreciation to Drs C. M. Poser and R. L. Parsons for providing us with laboratory space and equipment to conduct these experiments in addition to much helpful advice and criticism.     

Judgement in learning‐curve forecasting: a laboratory study

This study investigates whether human judgement can be of value to users of industrial learning curves, either alone or in conjunction with statistical models. In a laboratory setting, it compares the forecast accuracy of a statistical model and judgemental forecasts, contingent on three factors: the amount of data available prior to forecasting, the forecasting horizon, and the availability of a decision aid (projections from a fitted learning curve). The results indicate that human judgement was better than the curve forecasts overall. Despite their lack of field experience with learning curve use, 52 of the 79 subjects outperformed the curve on the set of 120 forecasts, based on mean absolute percentage error. Human performance was statistically superior to the model when few data points were available and when forecasting further into the future. These results indicate substantial potential for human judgement to improve predictive accuracy in the industrial learning‐curve context. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

一种基于WL算法的加速方法

本文对WL算法和其加速方法TSVQ进行研究。通过对搜索范围的分析提出了一种通过设置搜索带、减少匹配点搜索范围的方法来确定搜索区间，并进行了实验验证。实验证明与TSVQ加速方法相比，本方法能够使合成速度大大提高，并且算法实现上更简单。