On the epistemological foundations of the law of the lever

In this paper I challenge Paolo Palmieri’s reading of the Mach—Vailati debate on Archimedes’ proof of the law of the lever. I argue that the actual import of the debate concerns the possible epistemic (as opposed to merely pragmatic) role of mathematical arguments in empirical physics, and that construed in this light Vailati carries the upper hand. This claim is defended by showing that Archimedes’ proof of the law of the lever is not a way of appealing to a non-empirical source of information, but a way of explicating the mathematical structure that can represent the empirical information at our disposal in the most general way.     

Sydney Chapman on the Layering of the Atmosphere: Conceptual Unity and the Modelling of the Ionosphere

Sydney Chapman is unanimously considered to have played a founding role in modern geomagnetism and to have opened up new lines of research in geophysics generally. Nevertheless, Chapman's conviction regarding the synthesis of the explanatory mechanisms of the atmosphere has gone practically unnoticed in the historiography of geophysics. This paper examines Chapman's contribution to ionospheric physics. It aims to understand Chapman's theory of ionospheric layer formation, and particularly its link to his theory of ozone formation. It deals first with the traits which characterized Chapman's personality, as a way of explaining—and even perhaps justifying— his quest for the integration and synthesis of geophysical knowledge. It then analyses Chapman's model of ionospheric layers and his suggestions regarding its use as an operational tool (without ontological connotations), before continuing with his account of the formation of the ozone layer, which seemed to constitute the missing link for understanding ionosphere layer formation. The paper concludes with Chapman's attempt to reconcile geomagnetic and radio evidence.     

Variations in the hydrothermic contraction of the rat skin as a function of the age of the animals]

The tension developed in Rat skin by hydrothermal shrinkage is modified with ageing of the animals: the temperature of maximum tension decreases from birth to 1 month, then very slowly increases with age. At higher temperatures than that of maximum tension a relaxation occurs very rapidly in young Rats and in not yet senescent adult skins. These modifications appeared to be related to those of the nature of the intermolecular collagen cross-links with ageing.     

Misuses of biology in the context of the paranormal

Public suspicion of science stems from science's challenging of perceptions and myths about reality, and a public fear of new technology. The result is a susceptibility to pseudoscience. In claiming that creation 'science' is as valid as evolution the creationists misquote scientists and seek to spread their own 'scientific' myths concerning a young age for the earth, an act of creation based on a particular literalist interpretation of the Christian Bible and a single worldwide flood. They use methods of debate and politics, rather than scientific research. A selection of their arguments is examined and the nature of the evidence for evolution is discussed. Problems with the creation 'science' model are noted. In the myth of the hundredth monkey phenomenon, original research is misquoted to denigrate scientific research and support sentimental ideas of paranormal events. The misuse of science is seen as damaging to society because it reduces the effective gathering and application of scientific information. However, pseudoscience provides a valuable guide to gaps in public scientific education.     

Effect of stress on choline acetyltransferase activity of the brain and the adrenal of the rat

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity was determined in cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, hippocampus, cerebellum, medulla oblongata, midbrain and adrenal gland of rats exposed to acute or chronic stress. The exposure of animals to acute immobilization and cold stress (4°C) for one hour resulted in a significant decline of ChAT activity in all brain regions examined except for the medulla oblongata. Moreover, the exposure to acute stress resulted in significant increase of the same enzyme in the adrenal gland. However, chronic exposure of animals to cold stress (4°C) for 7 days resulted in no significant changes of ChAT activity in all tissues examined except for a decline in the midbrain and an increase in the medulla oblongata. The administration of corticosterone (2.0 mg/kg) 1 h prior to sacrificing caused an effect similar to that of acute stress on ChAT activity in all brain regions except for the hypothalamus and the cerebellum. It was concluded from this experiment that stress-induced changes in the ChAT activity of specific brain regions might be mediated by the adrenal steroids.This work was supported by a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NSG 2183 and NAG 2-411), a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH RR 0811) and a grant from the Division of Research Resources (NIH grant RR 03020).     

Modelling the daily banknotes in circulation in the context of the liquidity management of the European Central Bank

The main focus of this paper is to model the daily series of banknotes in circulation. The series of banknotes in circulation displays very marked seasonal patterns. To the best of our knowledge the empirical performance of two competing approaches to model seasonality in daily time series, namely the ARIMA‐based approach and the Structural Time Series approach, has never been put to the test. The application presented in this paper provides valid intuition on the merits of each approach. The forecasting performance of the models is also assessed in the context of their impact on the liquidity management of the Eurosystem. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A quantitative study of the catecholamine-fluorescence in the ganglion paracervicale uteri of the rat

Summary In the ganglion paracervicale uteri of the rat, there are principle neurons which are able to take up offered catecholamines. Normally there is an inverse relationship between their size and their mean catecholamine-fluorescence. A comparison with the catecholamine-fluorescence of depleted and repleted adrenergic perikarya in the ganglion cervicale superius is made.Acknowledgments. I am very obliged to Dr G. Krinke and to Mrs K. Schnider for their continued interest and practical assistance. The study was supported in part by CIBA-GEIGY, Ltd. Basle.     

Three challenges to the complementarity of the logic and the pragmatics of science

The bipartite metatheory thesis attributes to Rudolf Carnap, Philipp Frank and Otto Neurath a conception of the nature of post-metaphysical philosophy of science that sees the purely formal-logical analyses of the logic of science as complemented by empirical inquiries into the psychology, sociology and history of science. Three challenges to this thesis are considered in this paper: that Carnap did not share this conception of the nature of philosophy of science even on a programmatic level, that Carnap's detailed analysis of the language of science is incompatible with one developed by Neurath for the pursuit of empirical studies of science, and, finally, that Neurath himself was confused about the programme of which the bipartite metatheory thesis makes him a representative. I argue that all three challenges can be met and refuted.     

Effect of stress on choline acetyltransferase activity of the brain and the adrenal of the rat.

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity was determined in cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, hippocampus, cerebellum, medulla oblongata, midbrain and adrenal gland of rats exposed to acute or chronic stress. The exposure of animals to acute immobilization and cold stress (4 degrees C) for one hour resulted in a significant decline of ChAT activity in all brain regions examined except for the medulla oblongata. Moreover, the exposure to acute stress resulted in significant increase of the same enzyme in the adrenal gland. However, chronic exposure of animals to cold stress (4 degrees C) for 7 days resulted in no significant changes of ChAT activity in all tissues examined except for a decline in the midbrain and an increase in the medulla oblongata. The administration of corticosterone (2.0 mg/kg) 1 h prior to sacrificing caused an effect similar to that of acute stress on ChAT activity in all brain regions except for the hypothalamus and the cerebellum. It was concluded from this experiment that stress-induced changes in the ChAT activity of specific brain regions might be mediated by the adrenal steroids.     

Misuses of biology in the context of the paranormal

Summary Public suspicion of science stems from science's challenging of perceptions and myths about reality, and a public fear of new technology. The result is a susceptibility to pseudoscience. In claiming that creation science is as valid as evolution the creationists misquote scientists and seek to spread their own scientific myths concerning a young age for the earth, an act of creation based on a particular literalist interpretation of the Christian Bible and a single worldwide flood. They use methods of debate and politics, rather than scientific research. A selection of their arguments is examined and the nature of the evidence for evolution is discussed. Problems with the creation science model are noted. In the myth of the hundredth monkey phenomenon, original research is misquoted to denigrate scientific research and support sentimental ideas of paranormal events. The misuse of science is seen as damaging to society because it reduces the effective gathering and application of scientific information. However, pseudoscience provides a valuable guide to gaps in public scientific education.     

New data on the precise location of the lacrimo-muconasal nucleus of the rat

Summary Three methods (axonal degeneration, retrograde labelling with HRP and Golgi's silver impregnation) were used in the identification of a group of cells located in the ventrolateral part of the reticular formation of the pons, which are postulated to form the lacrimo-muconasal nucleus of the rat.     

Influence of the pineal gland on the reproductive system of the male house mouse

Summary Procedures designed to express pineal-mediated antigonadotropic activity were performed upon male house mice. Neither blinding nor blinding plus olfactory bulbectomy of house mice resulted in testicular involution within 12 weeks. The pineal gland appears to be of little significance to reproduction in the house mouse.Supported by NICHHD grant No. HDO 7119-092.Supported by NICHHD grant No. 5P5 OHDO 8338.Supported by NSF grant No. SPI 7922 372.     

Melatonin decreases the amplitude of the b-wave of the human electroretinogram

In a double-blind placebo crossover study of 13 healthy volunteers, the pineal hormone melatonin (10 mg) was given at 4 pm, and the electroretinogram measured under conditions of dark and light adaptation. A significant diminution of b-wave amplitude was found under both photopic (=5.4 V, p<0.05) and scotopic conditions (=7.4 V, p<0.01). These data indicate that melatonin may transduce the dark signal at the level of the retina as well as the pineal. Acute administration of melatonin decreases sensitivity to light.     

On the genesis of the soil mantle of the region of Manaus,Central Amazonia,Brazil

Summary The dynamics of the forest to the north of Manaus is tightly linked to that of the soil. The latosol that covers the plateau, which supports a dense forest, consists from top to bottom of: (a) a brown, clayey organic horizon (0.3 m), (b) a yellow horizon, very rich in clay but permeable (from 0.3 to 4 m), (c) a nodular horizon rich in Al and Fe oxides (from 4 to 9 m), and (d) a horizon which still preserves the sedimentary structures of the parent sandstone, where quartz is intensely dissolved and kaolinite crystallizes in pores. In perfectly flat areas, the clay of the organic horizon is destroyed by acidocomplexolysis, and the dissolved Al is transported vertically by the drainage water. A part of this Al is used to make the gibbsite nodules of horizon (c), and the rest is used to make kaolinite in horizon (d). Because aluminum is thus conserved within any vertical prism, the rate of destruction of horizon (a) is equivalent to the rate of advance of the kaolinization zone into the sediment: the latosol is said to be in equilibrium, the surface remains perfectly flat as it slowly sinks, the quantity of kaolinite increases with time, and the silica released by quartz dissolution in the whole profile is exported by drainage water to the water table. In contrast, near drainage axes, however small initially, the drainage becomes inclined toward the axis. Part of the Al released by acidocomplexolysis of horizon (a) is now exported to rivers, and Al is no longer conserved within any given prism. The rate of advance of the kaolinization zone (d) into the sediment now becomes less than the rate of destruction of horizon (a) and the surface sinks faster than that of the surrounding plateau. After this differential podzolization has gone on long enough, it creates a network of geochemical valleys characterized by convex slopes and bounded by sandy soils (campinas). The vegetation becomes sparser and sparser. At the end, only some bushes and lichens survive on the white sand.Acknowledgments. The authors are indebted to Dr E. Merino (Dept. of Geology, Indiana University) for helpful criticisms and suggestions. This research was carried out in I.N.P.A. (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia) and was financially supported by the CNPq-CNRS/ORSTOM conv.     

The possible influence of the components of the soil and the lithosphere on the development and growth of neoplasms

Summary The author reviews the background of the soil-cancer relationship. The study then goes into geocarcinogenic diseases in relation to soil composition, looking first at general factors: soil concentrations of selenium, caesiumrubidium-potassium, trace elements; natural radioactivity risks; cancer risks in connection with recycled waste water. In its final part, the study examines geocarcinogenic diseases linked with soil composition covering gastric cancer, cancer of the esophagus, urinary, breast, and bronchial cancer, pleural mesotheliomae and bone cancer.     

Further characterization of the effects of ultraviolet irradiation of the amphibian egg

UV-irradiation of the vegetal hemisphere of amphibian eggs leads to developmental abnormalities in neural morphogenesis. The possibility that the egg's transient sensitivity to irradiation could be due to pigmentation changes was examined in albino eggs. The tissue specificity of the effects of irradiation was analyzed by exchanging the ectoderm between irradiated and control embryos.     

On the necessary truth of the laws of classical mechanics

The idealization of primitive mechanical experience is shown to lead to four mutually related formulations of classical mechanics based on connections, action at a distance, stresses, and collisions. For a given structure of spacetime and a given characterization of mechanical systems, fundamental laws (including Newton's law of acceleration and d’Alembert's principle) are derived from a few general principles regarding the comprehensibility of motion. Special emphasis is placed on the “secular principle,” according to which the evolution of a system at the relevant time scale should not depend on finer details of the applied forces.     

The effect of Valium® anaesthesia on the radiosensitivity of the skin of the mouse foot

Summary Valium^® anaesthesia significantly reduces the effect of large single doses of X-rays on the mouse foot skin as compared with Nembutal^® anaesthesia. The radioprotective action of Valium may be attributed to a direct effect on the cells of the skin.Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant no. 3.682-0.75).Acknowledgments. The authors wish to thank Miss F.T. Josuran, Miss U. Schärer and Mr P.P. Binz for their excellent technical assistance with the experiments.     

The possible influence of the components of the soil and the lithosphere on the development and growth of neoplasms

The author reviews the background of the soil-cancer relationship. The study then goes into geocarcinogenic diseases in relation to soil composition, looking first at general factors: soil concentrations of selenium, caesium-rubidium-potassium, trace elements; natural radioactivity risks; cancer risks in connection with recycled waste water. In its final part, the study examines geocarcinogenic diseases linked with soil composition covering gastric cancer, cancer of the esophagus, urinary, breast, and bronchial cancer, pleural mesotheliomae and bone cancer.