Der Mathematiker Abraham de Moivre (1667–1754)

Summary Before examining de Moivre's contributions to the science of mathematics, this article reviews the source materials, consisting of the printed works and the correspondence of de Moivre, and constructs his biography from them.The analytical part examines de Moivre's contributions and achievements in the study of equations, series, and the calculus of probability. De Moivre contributed to the continuing development from Viète to Abel and Galois of the theory of solving equations by means of constructing particular equations, the roots of which can be written in the form . He also discovered the reciprocal equations. In the course of this work de Moivre discovered an expression equivalent to (cos +i sin ) ⁿ =cos n +i sin n and, following Cotes, he succeeded in expressing the nth roots of unity in trigonometric form.In the theory of series, de Moivre developed a polynomial theorem encom-passing Newton's binomial theorem and, in particular, a theorem of recurrent series useful in the calculus of probability.The demands of the calculus of probability led de Moivre to an approximation for the binomial coefficients for large values of n. The interaction between de Moivre and James Stirling, particularly in regard to the asymptotic series for log (n!), is treated at length. This work supplied the foundation for de Moivre's limit theorem for the binomial distribution.The calculus of probability, which occupied him from 1708 onward, became in time ever more the center of de Moivre's inquiries. Proceeding from contemporary collections of gambling exercises, de Moivre, by introducing an explicit measure of probability for the so-called Laplace experiments, found the beginnings of a theory of probability. De Moivre expanded the classic application of probability calculus to games of chance by addressing himself to the problem of annuities and by adopting Halley's work with its conception of Probability of life. De Moivre was the first to publish a mathematically formulated law for the decrements of life derived from mortality tables.

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Abkürzungen a.a.O. am angegebenen Ort = Verweis auf das nach Verfassern alphabetisch geordnete Literaturverzeichnis. Eine vor a.a.O. in runden Klammern angegebene Zahl kennzeichnet die entsprechende Nummer der im Literaturverzeichnis aufgeführten Arbeiten eines Autors. - AC Ars conjectandi = Jakob Bernoulli (4) a.a.O. - AE Acta Eruditorum - a.S. alter Stil⁴⁷ - BM Bibliotheca Mathematica - DMV Deutsche Mathematiker-Vereinigung - JL Journal Literaire - MA Miscellanea Analytica, London 1730 - n.S. neuer Stil⁴⁷ - PT Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London - r.F. rekurrente Folge - r.R. rekurrente Reihe - SMA Miscellaneis Analyticis Supplementum, London 1730 - v. veröffentlicht (nur im Briefverzeichnis verwendet) Prof. Dr. Kurt Vogel zum 80. Geburtstag Vorgelegt von J. E. Hofmann     

Muelleromyces,a new member of the sphaeriales (ascomycetes)

Zusammenfassung Ein auf Blättern vonEugenia jambolana Lam. in Indien Blattflecken verursachender Ascomycet gehört zu einer neuen Gattung,Muelleromyces Kamat undAnahosur; Typus istMuelleromyces indicus Kamat undAnahosur. Der Pilz hat dem Blattgewebe eingesenkte, einzelstehende und von einem mächtig entwickelten Klypeus überdeckte Perithecien, verschleimende Asci und ungleich zweizellige, hyaline Ascosporen; Paraphysen fehlen.

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The fungus is named after Dr.E. Müller of The Institute of Special Botany, Zürich (Switzerland), in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Fungi in general and Ascomycetes in particular. The material of this new fungus is deposited at M.A.C.S. Herb. Poona (India), C.M.I., Kew, Surrey (England) and Herb. Orientalis, New Delhi (India).     

Antihypertensive and central nervous system depressant properties of 3-(γ-p-fluorobenzoyl propyl) 2,3,4,4a,5,6-hexahydro-1(H)-pyrazino(1,2-a) quinoline hydrochloride (compound 69-183, centpyraquin)

Zusammenfassung Centpyraquin (3-(-p-fluorobenzyl propyl) 2,3,4,4a,5,6-hexahydro-1(H)-pyrazino (1,2-a) quinoline hydrochloride) zeigte hypotensive Aktivität bei narkotisierten wie auch bei wachen Katzen. Es senkt auch den Blutdruck bei Ratten mit nephrogenem Hochdurck. Die Hypotension scheint auf einem peripheren Mechanismus zu beruhen.

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Thanks are due to Drs.M. L. Dhar andN. Anand for their interest in the work.

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Communication No. 1600 from the Central Drug Research Institute; Lucknow.     

Establishment of a cell line (XTC-2) from the South African clawed toad,Xenopus laevis

Résumé On décrit une méthode pour l'établissement d'une culture de cellules du crapaud a griffes sudafricain,Xenopus laevis, afin de l'infecter avec des arbovirus. Les cellules (XTC-2) ont subi une culture continue pendant 3 ans. Elles ont un nombre diploïde de chromosomes. Elles furent cultivées aux températures de 22°C et de 28°C dans un milieu de culture dilué de NCTC 109 avec 10% de sérum de veau foetal.

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We thank ProfessorD. S. Bertram, Director of the Department of Entomology at the School, for his continued interest; Mr.A. O. Langi for technical assistance and Dr.L. Hamilton, Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London, for supplying theXenopus tadpoles. We are especially grateful to the Wellcome Research Laboratories, Beckenham, for supplying medium NCTC 109, and to Mr.D. J. Richmond of the Laboratories for responding to our request for medium promptly and willingly. The work is supported in part by a grant from the Medical Research Council of Great Britain.     

LysogenicKlebsiella pneumoniae strains of capsular serotype 2(B)

Résumé L'auteur décrit quatre souches deKlebsiella pneumoniae du type capsulaire B lysogènes pour les bactériophages actifs pour une autre souche du même type.

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I am grateful to ProfessorsD. G. Catcheside andJ. P. Duguid, Drs.B. H. Park, I. Ørskov, J. Papavassiliou andY. Hamon for encouragement, information and bacterial strains. This work was begun at the Microbiology Department, University of Birmingham, while the author held an award from the Agricultural Research Council.     

Antischistosomal and some toxicological properties of a nitrodiphenylaminoisothiocyanate (C 9333-Go/CGP 4540)

Summary A procedure to enhance the schistosomicidal effectiveness in vivo of an isothiocyanate derivative and some of its antischistosomal properties are reported. Determinations of the effects of this compound on tissue thiol levels and on highly sensitive bacterial tester strains have indicated that its mutagenic potential is of a low order and that the latter is decreased further after reduction of the host's intestinal bacterial flora.Acknowledgments. Supported, in part, by grants No. AI-08022 and No. GM-16492 from the National Institutes of Health, and No. 274-0063 (JHU No. 1) from The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. We wish to express our sincere appreciation to Dr.H. Striebel and Dr.F. Kradolfer of Ciba-Geigy for providing us with the isothiocyanate derivative and with information about its biological activities, and to Dr.H. van der Schalie and to Dr.H. Blankespoor of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, for supplying us with mice infected with 3 strains ofS. japonicum (under contract No. N01-AI-42504, NIH).     

Chiasmate type of meiosis in the roachNauphoeta cinerea (Oliver) (Fam: Blattidae)

Résumé Nauphoeta cinerea est un des Cafards chez lesquels le chiasma de la méiose a été nettement observé. Ce cas vient à l'appui de l'assertion deSuomalainen selon laquelle des chiasmas se présenteraient sous une forme soit «cachée» soit «visible» chez tous les Cafards. La «méiose sans chiasma» queJohn etLewis supposent existes au moins chezP. americana n'est pas non plus confirmée par nos recherches.

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I wish to thank one of the research scholars of the Department, Mr. V. L.Kallapur, for sparing readily some specimens of the roach for my work. Constructive criticisms by my colleague Dr. R. M.Patil are also acknowledged.     

In situ accumulation of marine algal exudate by a polychaete worm (Schizobranchia insignis)

Summary For the first time, heterotrophic accumulation of dissolved carbon by a soft-bodied marine invertebrate under in situ conditions has been demonstrated. The polychaete wormSchizobranchia insignis Bush concentrated¹⁴C-labelled dissolved carbon (DC) exudated by the large brown alga,Macrocystis integrifolia Bory, 14 times over the killed controls. Our evidence suggests that algal exudate may be a significant nutritional supplement to some invertebrates cohabitating withM. integrifolia.This study was supported by Operating Grant No. A6966 to PVF from the National Research Council of Canada.We are grateful to MrG. F. Cota, Dalhousie University, Halifax, for his contributions to the field experiments.     

Possible genetic consequences of meiosis in pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae) populations

Resumen El analisis de la primera división meiótica des roeder fosorial,Thomomys bottae, muestra una uniformidad notable en la colocación de quiasmas en los bivalentes, a pesar de las diferencias existentes en los cariotipos somáticos. La frecuencia promedio de quiasmas por bivalente es muy baja (1.03), y la mayoria de los bivalentes demuestran que sus quiasmas se localizan en o cerca de un estremo del par.

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Acknowledgment is given to Dr.W. B. Heed and Dr.C. J. Cole for enlightening discussions and to my wife,Carol Patton, for aid in the field. Financial assistance was provided by an institutional biomedical sciences support grant from the National Institutes of Health and from the Committee on Research, University of California, Berkeley.     

Central course of photic input in the ventral nerve cord of scorpion (Heterometrus fulvipes)

Summary The course of the photic input from the metasoma in the ventral nerve cord of scorpion was studied. The input was found to influence the activity in a large number of neurons in the nerve cord. The phenomenon of contralateral stimulation of units at various levels of the nerve cord has heen demonstrated.Acknowledgments. The electronic equipment used for the study was obtained with the help of Prof.T. H. Bullock and the late Prof.K. Pampapathi Rao who initiated me into this field of study, through a research grant from the USAFOSR to them. I am highly grateful to Prof.Bullock for permitting me to use the equipment. I am also grateful to Dr.A. R. Kasturi Bai for her kind encouragement and Dr.S. A. T. Venkatachari for his helpful comments.     

Peroxidase uptake by the fat body of a millipedeSpirostreptus asthenes (diplopoda,myriapoda)

Résumé On a observé chez un mille-pattes (Spirostreptus asthenes) que la péroxidase injectée dans le sang a été trouvée plus tard dans le corps gras, ce qui suggère que celui ci est capable d'isoler la protéine du sang.

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I am thankful to Prof. Dr.G. Krishnan for guidance and helpful criticism. I am greatly indebted to Dr.Locke, Case Western Reserve University, USA, for the gift of horse radish peroxidase and for independent verification of the results.     

Spontaneous occurrence of aneuploidy in somatic cells ofRana tigrina (Ranidae: Anura)

Zusammenfassung Es wurde Aneuploidie bis zu drei Chromosomen in den männlichen Körperzellen vonRana tigrina (Ranidae: Anura: Amphibia) beobachtet. Die Variationen betreffen:2n–3, 2n–2, 2n–1, 2n, 2n+1, 2n+2 und2n+3.

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Acknowledgments. My sincere thanks are due to Dr.S. P. Sharma, Zoology Department, for facilities; to Mr.R. K. Pillai and MissMadhu for technical assistance with preparations and Drs.K. K. Rishi andL. K. Vats for helpful suggestions.     

Studies on Plant extracts with juvenile hormone activity. Effects ofIris ensata Thamb. (Iridaceae) onDysdercus koenigii F. (Pyrrochoridae)

Zusammenfassung Acetonextrakt aus Wurzeln und Rhizomen vonIris ensata hemmen die Metamorphose vonDysdercus koenigii. Adultoide sind schwach fortpflanzungsfähig.

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Acknowledgments: The authors are thankful to Dr.K. Ganapathi, Director, and Dr.A. Husain, Chairman, Discipline of Agricultural Sciences, Regional Research Laboratory, Jammu-Tawi, for the facilities provided for this work. Thanks are also due to Mr.Y. K. Sarin, Incharge, Plant Collection Unit, of the same laboratory for she identification and collection of the plant material.     

Thaligine,a newBisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid fromThalictrum polygamum muhl. (Ranunculaceae)

Résumé Le nouvel alcaloïde thaligine (1) a été tiré duThalictrum polygamum Mulh. (Ranunculaceae).

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The authors are grateful to the National Institutes of Health for grant No. HL-12971, and to ProfessorJ. L. Beal for alkaloidal samples.     

Sterols of the lobster (Homarus americanus) and the shrimp (Pandalus borealis)

Summary In this study we have analyzed the sterol compositions of two continental shelf species of crustacea, the lobster (Homarus americanus) and the shrimp (Pandalus borealis). Cholesterol was found to be the most abundant sterol in these two species with smaller amounts of desmosterol, 24-methylcholesterol, 24-ethylcholesterol, 24-methylenecholesterol and 22-dehydrocholesterol. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Contribution Number 3494. This work was supported by the Office of Sea Grant of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Special thanks are extended to Ms.R. Beebe-Center, who was responsible for a large part of the isolation work described here.     

Dermatologically active sesquiterpene lactones in trichomes ofParthenium hysterophorus L. (Compositae)

Summary Scanning electron microscopy of the leaf surface, phyllaries and achene-complex ofParthenium hysterophorus L. showed the presence of 4 types of glandular and non-glandular trichomes. Chemical analysis established the presence of sesquiterpene lactones in the trichomes that cause eczematous dermatitis.Acknowledgments. We thank Dr.Garry Cole, University of Texas, for the use of the AMR-1000 Scanning electron microscope andJudy Stevenson for technical assistance. The work at the University of Texas was supported by the National Science Foundation (Grant No. BMS 71-01088) and the Robert A. Welch Foundation (Grant No. F-130).     

Cytogenetic studies with atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethyl-amino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine) on plants

Zusammenfassung Untersuchungen anVicia faba- undHordeum-Wurzelspitzen sowie anSorghum-Pollenmutterzellen ergeben keine Hinweise für eine zytogenetische Wirksamkeit des Triazin-Herbizides Atrazin in Pflanzen.

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The authors are greatly indebted to Dr.U. Leuthold for his help in conducting the experiments. The excellent technical assistance of Mrs.J. Determeyer and MissD. Kempf is gratefully acknowledged.     

Oriented overgrowth (epitaxy) of a polyamide model biopolymer on non-identical polyamides

Zusammenfassung Die orientierte Verwachsung zwischen zwei nicht identischen Polyamiden wird als neuartiger Typ der Epitaxie am Beispiel der Aufwachsung des biopolymeren Polyamids Poly-l-Glutaminsäure--benzylester auf Poly--caprolactam beschrieben. Der Verwachsungstyp bietet einen neuen Weg zur Untersuchung der Voraussetzungen für die Assoziation nicht identischer hochmolekularer Polyamide.

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The author thanks Dr.R. Holm, Farbenfabriken Bayer AG, Leverkusen, for the scanning electron micrograph.     

Seasonal variations in testicular monoamine oxidase in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and uinta ground squirrels (Spermophilus armatus)

Résumé Des moinaux familiers (Passer domesticus) et des écureuils (Spermophilus armatus) des montagnes Uinta ont été capturés à différentes époques de l'année et l'activité de laMao a été mesurée dans leurs testicules. Chez les deux espèces l'activité de la MAO était la plus grande lorsque le poids des testicules était le plus élevé et la plus basse avant et après la saison du rut. Chez le moineau, l'augmentation de l'activité de MAO a précédé le développement des testicules.

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We thank the Atomic Energy Commission Grant No. At(11-1)-1602, Utah State University research project No. U-300 and Ecol. Grant No. 19 for their support of this research.R. L. Urry, present address: Division of Urology, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, 14642.J. L. Frehn was on sabbatical leave from his present position in the Department of Biology, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, 61761. We thankPhyllis Tayler for her technical help in this investigation.     

Cytogenetic studies in the cricetid rodentScapteromys tumidus (Rodentia-Cricetidae)

Resumen Se han realizado estudios citogeneticos en ejemplares de diversas localidades de la planicie Uruguaya de la especiesScapteromys tumidus muy relacionada con la especieS. aquaticus de la planicie Argentina. El complemento cromosomico de la especie que nos ocupa es de 2n=24, diferente de la especie Argentina. Estos datos convalidan a estas especies como plenas.

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I am indebted toA. Ximenes andJ. C. Gonzalez for contributing specimens used in this research.