Virginia opossum ( Didelphis virginiana virginiana ) from Yavapai County, Arizona

The Virginia opossum ( Didelphis virginiana ) is the only marsupial native to the United States. In recent times, D. virginiana has expanded its range through natural movements and anthropogenic introductions. Didelphis virginiana has been present in southern Arizona owing to range expansion by the Mexican subspecies ( D. v. californica ) and anthropogenic introductions of the eastern subspecies ( D. v. virginiana ). Here, we document the recent collection of an opossum in central Arizona. We also discuss how it possibly moved there and report on its stomach contents at the time of collection. El tlacuache norteño ( Didelphis virginiana ) es el único marsupial nativo de Estados Unidos. En tiempos recientes, D. virginiana ha expandido su área de distribución tanto por movimientos naturales como por introducciones antropogénicas. Didelphis virginiana se ha encontrado en el sur de Arizona debido a la expansión de la subespecie mexicana ( D. v. californica ) y a introducciones antropogénicas de la subespecie oriental ( D. v. virginiana ). Aquí documentamos la colecta reciente de un tlacuache en el centro de Arizona. También discutimos cómo podría haber llegado hasta allí e informamos sobre los contenidos de su estómago al tiempo de la colecta.     

Geobotany of the Niobrara chalk barrens in Colorado: a study of edaphic endemism

The chalk barrens of the Niobrara Formation in the Arkansas River valley of Colorado exhibit a high degree of plant endemism and rarity. We examined their geochemistry and structure as well as the reproductive ecology of their signature species Mirabilis rotundifolius to assess factors influencing endemism. While no single component consistently identified the barren soils, the natural locations that support Mirablilis can be identified using elemental profiles from a cluster analysis of soil extracts. Because seeds germinate and plants proliferate in transplant gardens with non-calcic soils, bedrock and soil chemistry do not appear to be determinant components of endemism. Mirabilis rotundifoilus utilizes diverse pollinators but is capable of autogamy when insects are excluded; seed predation by harvester ants may be a limiting factor for population spread outside the barrens habitat. Mirabilis rotundifolius is a disturbance-tolerant species, part of a barrens cohort that shares traits of suffrutescence, woody caudices, or multibranched rhizomes penetrating the chalk strata. Its presence may be enhanced when disturbance inhibits the presence of other species that compete for limited water resources. We conclude that endemism is dictated not by unusual soil chemistry requirements but rather by structural components of the barrens. In a water-limited environment, shallow soils and thin chalk strata coupled with a functionally adaptive growth habit allow M. rotundifolius to survive when other species are excluded by disturbance or the physiochemical aspects of the barrens.     

The Role of Geometrical Construction in Theodosius’s <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spherics</Emphasis>

This paper is a contribution to our understanding of the constructive nature of Greek geometry. By studying the role of constructive processes in Theodoius’s Spherics, we uncover a difference in the function of constructions and problems in the deductive framework of Greek mathematics. In particular, we show that geometric problems originated in the practical issues involved in actually making diagrams, whereas constructions are abstractions of these processes that are used to introduce objects not given at the outset, so that their properties can be used in the argument. We conclude by discussing, more generally, ancient Greek interests in the practical methods of producing diagrams.     

Division and subtraction by distinct cortical inhibitory networks in vivo

Brain circuits process information through specialized neuronal subclasses interacting within a network. Revealing their interplay requires activating specific cells while monitoring others in a functioning circuit. Here we use a new platform for two-way light-based circuit interrogation in visual cortex in vivo to show the computational implications of modulating different subclasses of inhibitory neurons during sensory processing. We find that soma-targeting, parvalbumin-expressing (PV) neurons principally divide responses but preserve stimulus selectivity, whereas dendrite-targeting, somatostatin-expressing (SOM) neurons principally subtract from excitatory responses and sharpen selectivity. Visualized in vivo cell-attached recordings show that division by PV neurons alters response gain, whereas subtraction by SOM neurons shifts response levels. Finally, stimulating identified neurons while scanning many target cells reveals that single PV and SOM neurons functionally impact only specific subsets of neurons in their projection fields. These findings provide direct evidence that inhibitory neuronal subclasses have distinct and complementary roles in cortical computations.     

Resveratrol improves health and survival of mice on a high-calorie diet

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene) extends the lifespan of diverse species including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. In these organisms, lifespan extension is dependent on Sir2, a conserved deacetylase proposed to underlie the beneficial effects of caloric restriction. Here we show that resveratrol shifts the physiology of middle-aged mice on a high-calorie diet towards that of mice on a standard diet and significantly increases their survival. Resveratrol produces changes associated with longer lifespan, including increased insulin sensitivity, reduced insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) levels, increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC-1alpha) activity, increased mitochondrial number, and improved motor function. Parametric analysis of gene set enrichment revealed that resveratrol opposed the effects of the high-calorie diet in 144 out of 153 significantly altered pathways. These data show that improving general health in mammals using small molecules is an attainable goal, and point to new approaches for treating obesity-related disorders and diseases of ageing.     

Mechanoluminescence: light from sonication of crystal slurries

Mechanoluminescence, also known as triboluminescence or fractoluminescence, is light emission induced as a result of mechanical action on a solid--for example, Francis Bacon noted as long ago as 1605 that lumps of sugar emitted light when scraped. Here we elicit mechanoluminescence by a new means, acoustic cavitation, and find intense luminescence and emission lines that are not generated by other mechanisms such as grinding, cleaving, rubbing, scratching, biting or thermal shock.     

Compartmentalization of S-RNase and HT-B degradation in self-incompatible Nicotiana

Pollen-pistil interactions are crucial for controlling plant mating. For example, S-RNase-based self-incompatibility prevents inbreeding in diverse angiosperm species. S-RNases are thought to function as specific cytotoxins that inhibit pollen that has an S-haplotype that matches one of those in the pistil. Thus, pollen and pistil factors interact to prevent mating between closely related individuals. Other pistil factors, such as HT-B, 4936-factor and the 120 kDa glycoprotein, are also required for pollen rejection but do not contribute to S-haplotype-specificity per se. Here we show that S-RNase is taken up and sorted to a vacuolar compartment in the pollen tubes. Antibodies to the 120 kDa glycoprotein label the compartment membrane. When the pistil does not express HT-B or 4936-factor, S-RNase remains sequestered, unable to cause rejection. Similarly, in wild-type pistils, compatible pollen tubes degrade HT-B and sequester S-RNase. We suggest that S-RNase trafficking and the stability of HT-B are central to S-specific pollen rejection.     

Stimulation of haematopoiesis in primates by continuous infusion of recombinant human GM-CSF

Certain proteins are known to play an important part in the proliferation, differentiation and functional activation of haematopoietic progenitor cells in vitro. These proteins include erythropoietin and various colony-stimulating factors (CSFs), one of which is granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Recently, both murine and human GM-CSF have been purified to homogeneity and complementary DNAs encoding them have been cloned. Although the in vitro activity of recombinant human GM-CSF has been investigated intensively, little is known about the functional activity of this protein in vivo. There is strong evidence that colony-stimulating activities produced by various human and murine tumour tissues and cell lines can stimulate granulopoiesis in mice, as can human urinary extracts. A partially purified preparation of human urinary colony-stimulating factor, however, proved only marginally effective in stimulating granulopoiesis in humans. All these studies suffer from the lack of a homogeneous preparation of colony-stimulating factor. It has recently been shown that recombinant murine multi-CSF or interleukin-3 can stimulate haematopoiesis in mice in vivo. Large-scale production of recombinant human GM-CSF now permits us to examine its effects in vivo using a primate model. We find that the continuous infusion of GM-CSF in healthy monkeys rapidly elicits a dramatic leukocytosis and a substantial reticulocytosis. A similar effect has been observed in one pancytopenic, immunodeficient rhesus macaque. These results suggest that GM-CSF could prove useful in several clinical situations.     

Unclassed matrix shading and optimal ordering in hierarchical cluster analysis

A method is presented for the graphic display of proximity matrices as a complement to the common data analysis techniques of hierarchical clustering. The procedure involves the use of computer generated shaded matrices based on unclassed choropleth mapping in conjunction with a strategy for matrix reorganization. The latter incorporates a combination of techniques for seriation and the ordering of binary trees.Partial support for this research was provided by NIJ Grant #82-IJ-CX-0019 and NSF Grant #SES82-06067. The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Professors L.J. Hubert, R.G. Golledge, and W.R. Tobler.     

历法改革与政治统治

Historians of science who have read The Way and the Word will be aware that, although its theme was comparative, its largest point had to do with method. It demonstrated a general approach to historical study that makes sense of the past in ways that narrower approaches have failed to do.