The accumulation pattern of ingested gossypol in selected organs of the rat.

Bound gossypol levels in the spleen and kidney of rats ingesting dietary gossypol (0.98%) varied directly with the feeding intervals of 6, 14, 28 and 35 days. Free gossypol level in the kidney, spleen and lungs increased for 14 days and then tended to decrease as the feeding period was extended.     

Three new sauropod dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic of Colorado

From 1972 to 1982 three exceptionally large sauropod scapulocoracoids and other equally large sauropod bones were collected from the base of the Brushy Basin Member of the Upper Jurassic, Morrison Formation, in western Colorado. Two of the scapulae are conspecific, but the third represents a second genus and possibly a new family. The two conspecific specimens are described here as: Supersaurus vivianae ; the second genus is described as Ultrasaurus mcintoshi , and a large, robust anterior dorsal vertebra of unique form is described as Dystylosaurus edwini . Various miscellaneous elements are referred to the three genera.         

Some edaphic relations of southeastern Idaho wildlands

Soil samples from the Al horizon and dominant subsoil horizon at 190 sites were analyzed for Ca, Mg, K, P, and organic matter contents in conjunction with a soil resource inventory of the Caribou National Forest. Vegetative composition and production data were compared to the edaphic factors to derive relationships useful to the land manager. Organic matter was effective in distinguishing between soil orders and was positively correlated to vegetative production. Vegetative cycling of the nutrients P and K was most pronounced in soils of the order Mollisols, to a lesser degree in the Alfisols, and not at all in the Entisols. The K/Mg ratio of the soil showed a negative correlation to grass production and a positive correlation with shrub production. An interpretative table is provided to aid determinations of high versus low values for the edaphic factors studied.     

Applicability of the universal soil loss equation for southeastern Idaho wildlands

Soil physical and chemical properties were studied to identify habitat differences among 15 sagebrush dominated plant community types of the Great Basin. The sagebrush taxa studied followed an apparent gradient of increasing soil fertility, with Artemisia nova commonly occupying the lowest fertility sites. Sites of moderate soil fertility tended to support A. arbuscula , A. longiloba , and A. tridentata ssp. Wyomingensis . Artemisia tridentata ssp. Tridentata and A. tridentata ssp. Vaseyana were commonly found on sites with the highest soil fertility levels as indicated by maximum organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus levels within such soils. Mollic epipedon depth, total depth, and water-holding capacity of the soil also increased as the dominant sagebrush taxon of a community type changed from A. nova to A. tridentata ssp. Vaseyana . Data from this study provide information concerning soil relationships within relatively undisturbed rangeland communities. Such data are required if future soil sampling efforts within the Great Basin are to have a basis for comparison.     

What if We were Already in the In-Between? Further Ventures into the Ontologies of Science and Politics

What follows from the suggestion to pay attention to what is in-between science and politics? Karen François’s paper “In-between science and politics” follows Latour in arguing for the need for political theory to get out of the Platonic cave that it still inhabits. Political theory needs to be brought into the wild through empirical studies of how science and politics in fact intermix. And the Latourian proposition needs to be strengthened by focusing on the embodied knowledges that enable situated objectivities to emerge. Though worthwhile, these arguments are weakened by a superficial treatment of political theory and by a lack of attention to the difficulties involved in combining Latourian actor-network theory with the “strong objectivity” of standpoint theory. Most problematically the paper purports to define as an agenda (exploring the in-between of science and politics) what whole fields of inquiry have already been in full swing exploring for quite a while. The ‘turn to ontology’ in STS and social anthropology and the development of ‘empirical philosophy’ suggests what might be at stake in such explorations.     

Praemia

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

The optical afterglow of the short gamma-ray burst GRB 050709

It has long been known that there are two classes of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), mainly distinguished by their durations. The breakthrough in our understanding of long-duration GRBs (those lasting more than approximately 2 s), which ultimately linked them with energetic type Ic supernovae, came from the discovery of their long-lived X-ray and optical 'afterglows', when precise and rapid localizations of the sources could finally be obtained. X-ray localizations have recently become available for short (duration <2 s) GRBs, which have evaded optical detection for more than 30 years. Here we report the first discovery of transient optical emission (R-band magnitude approximately 23) associated with a short burst: GRB 050709. The optical afterglow was localized with subarcsecond accuracy, and lies in the outskirts of a blue dwarf galaxy. The optical and X-ray afterglow properties 34 h after the GRB are reminiscent of the afterglows of long GRBs, which are attributable to synchrotron emission from ultrarelativistic ejecta. We did not, however, detect a supernova, as found in most nearby long GRB afterglows, which suggests a different origin for the short GRBs.