Showing papers by "Florida State University published in 1983"

Soot Carbon and Excess Fine Potassium: Long-Range Transport of Combustion-Derived Aerosols

Abstract: During a cruise from Hamburg to Montevideo, aerosol samples representing air masses from Europe, the Sahara, tropical Africa, South America, and open oceanic regions were collected. They showed significant amounts of soot carbon over large areas of the remote Atlantic, often similar to concentrations in rural continental areas. Back-trajectories and the ratios of soot carbon to total fine (less than 1.7 micrometers in diameter) carbon and of excess fine potassium (the portion not attributable to soil dust or sea salt) to soot carbon indicate that biomass burning in tropical regions is an important source of soot carbon to the world atmosphere. The ratio of excess potassium to soot carbon in the fine fraction of aerosols is proposed as an indicator of the relative contributions of biomass and fossil-fuel burning to soot carbon aerosols. The ratio of soot carbon to fine carbon suggests that most of the particulate organic carbon over the Atlantic is of continental origin.

Dimethyl sulfide in the surface ocean and the marine atmosphere: a global view.

Abstract: Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) has been identified as the major volatile sulfur compound in 628 samples of surface seawater representing most of the major oceanic ecozones. In at least three respects, its vertical distribution, its local patchiness, and its distribution in oceanic ecozones, the concentration of DMS in the sea exhibits a pattern similar to that of primary production. The global weightedaverage concentration of DMS in surface seawater is 102 nanograms of sulfur (DMS) per liter, corresponding to a global sea-to-air flux of 39 x 10(12) grams of sulfur per year. When the biogenic sulfur contributions from the land surface are added, the biogenic sulfur gas flux is approximately equal to the anthropogenic flux of sulfur dioxide. The DMS concentration in air over the equatorial Pacific varies diurnally between 120 and 200 nanograms of sulfur (DMS) per cubic meter, in agreement with the predictions of photochemical models. The estimated source flux of DMS from the oceans to the marine atmosphere is in agreement with independently obtained estimates of the removal fluxes of DMS and its oxidation products from the atmosphere.

Public Agencies and Private Firms: Incentive Structures, Goals, and Individual Roles

Abstract: There is an increasing interest in applying organization theory to public organizations as such, and a need for clarifying the distinction between public and private organizations. This quantitative case study compares questionnaire responses by middle managers in nonprofit public agencies and private profit-making corporations, to test hypotheses concerning differences in incentive structures, organizational goal clarity, and individual role characteristics. The public managers perceive a weaker relationship between performance and extrinsic rewards (weaker "expectancies'") and regard formal personnel procedures (e.g., civil service systems) as constraints on the administration of such rewards. They show higher scores on formalization scales, and are lower on certain dimensions of work satisfaction. There are no differences on scales of organizational goal clarity, role conflict, role ambiguity, and motivational variables.

Enumeration and Characterization of Bacteria Indigenous to a Shallow Water-Table Aquifer

Abstract: Regions of the earth below the root zone of soil have conventionally been considered void of life. However, widespread pollution of ground water in the U.S. by organic compounds has kindled interest in the numbers of microbes that might be found in aquifers and associated regions of the deeper unsaturated zone, and in their ability to degrade organic pollutants. Newly developed techniques in microbial ecology allow the direct enumeration and examination of soil microbes without recourse to their cultivation on growth media. These techniques reduce many uncertainties associated with the use of culture media, such as the growth of contaminants or the failure of indigenous forms to grow on a particular medium. Samples were recovered aseptically from depths of 1·2, 3·0, and 5·0 meters (m) at the margin of a small floodplain near Lula, Oklahoma. Depth to the water table was 3·6 m; depth to bedrock was 6·0 m. Numbers of microbes were surprisingly similar at all three depths (3 to 9 × 106/g dry material). Although both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were encountered, small Gram-positive coccoid forms predominated. No protozoa, yeasts, or other fungi were seen. The indigenous bacteria could rapidly degrade toluene. Chlorobenzene was degraded in material from the vadose zone, while bromodichloromethane was degraded in material from the saturated zone. There was no detectable degradation of 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or tetrachloroethylene.

A thermodynamically consistent model of a mushy zone

Abstract: Presentation d'une theorie compatible avec la thermodynamique permettant la construction de modele d'une zone de melange de phases solide et liquide pouvant apparaitre lors du refroidissement d'un alliage binaire fondu. Application a un probleme de solidification monodimensionnel

Polymeric Beta-Hydroxyalkanoates from Environmental Samples and Bacillus megaterium.

Abstract: The procaryotic endogenous storage polymer known as poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate is actually a mixed polymer of short-chain beta-hydroxy fatty acids. A method for the quantitative recovery of this mixed polymer, called poly-beta-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA), with analysis by capillary gas-liquid chromatography, showed the presence of at least 11 short-chain beta-hydroxy acids in polymers extracted from marine sediments. Polymers extracted from Bacillus megaterium monocultures were also a complex mixture of beta-hydroxy acids with chain lengths between four and eight carbons. Lyophilized sediments were extracted in a modified Soxhlet extractor, and the polymer was purified with ethanol and diethyl ether washes. The purified polymer was treated with ethanol-chloroform-hydrochloric acid (8.5:2.5:1) for 4 h at 100 degrees C, a treatment which resulted in the formation of the ethyl esters of the constituent beta-hydroxy acids. Subsequent assay of the products by gas-liquid chromatography indicated excellent reproducibility and sensitivity (detection limit, 100 fmol). Disturbing sediments mechanically or adding natural chelators increased all major PHA components relative to the bacterial biomass. Gardening of sedimentary microbes by Clymenella sp., an annelid worm, induced decreases in PHA, with changes in the relative proportion of component beta-hydroxy acids. The concentration of PHA relative to the bacterial biomass can reflect the recent metabolic status of the microbiota.

Environmental component of morphological differentiation in birds.

Abstract: Geographic character variation in birds is usually attributed to natural selection for phenotypes that reflect locally adapted genetic differences. However, experimental transplants of red-winged blackbird eggs between nests in northern and southern Florida, and from Colorado to Minnesota, show that in this species a significant proportion of the regional differences in nestling development is nongenetic. If natural selection is maintaining the clines of character variation that are observed in adult phenotypes, the genetic and nongenetic components of phenotypic variation must covary.

A comparison of the mother‐child interactions of physically abused and non‐abused children during play and task situations

Abstract: Physically abusive and non‐abusive mothers were observed interacting with their preschool aged children in both an unstructured play and a structured task situation. Mothers also completed several checklists describing their children and themselves. Abusive mothers perceived their children as having significantly more behavioral problems than non‐abusive mothers and although their ratings were about two standard deviations above the normative mean, there were no significant differences in the observed behaviors of abused versus non‐abused children. Abusive mothers were observed to be more directive and controlling of their children, but only for the more stressful task situation in which there were increased demands for performance placed on both mother and child. Abusive mothers reported higher levels of stress related to parenting than non‐abusive mothers, and these reports were correlated with their behavior during both the play and task situations. The findings were discussed in terms of the abusive m...

Using Couple Data as a Methodological Tool: The Case of Marital Violence.

Abstract: The paper demonstrates the use of couple data as a methodological tool. Using Straus's Conflict Tactics Scale as an example, it is shown that couple data may be used for the evaluation of scale items and for the assessment of the validity of frequency estimates of violence and its relationship with other variables. The results provide clear evidence that aggregate husband-wife data cannot substitute for couple data.

Histone mRNA concentrations are regulated at the level of transcription and mRNA degradation

Abstract: The levels of histone mRNA are rapidly reduced after treatment of cultured cells with hydroxyurea or cytosine arabinonucleoside. The histone mRNA for the replicative histone variants is destroyed rapidly, with a half-life of 10-15 min. The levels of mRNA coding for the replacement histone variant H3.3 were unchanged after treatment with DNA synthesis inhibitors. In addition to the rapid destruction of histone mRNA, there was a reduction to 1/5th in the rate of transcription of the histone genes. Lymphoma cells (S49) arrested in G1 by cyclic AMP produce and contain significant levels of histone mRNA. Hydroxyurea reduces the rate of transcription and the levels of histone mRNA in the G1-arrested cells.

The mating-induced release of prolactin: a unique neuroendocrine response.

Abstract: I. Introduction IN THE RAT, the corpus luteum is formed on the morning of estrus in response to the surge of luteinizing hormone released on the previous day, proestrus. However, unlike other mammals whose corpora lutea secrete increasing amounts of progesterone for several days (1), the newly formed corpora lutea of the rat secrete progesterone for only 2 days after formation (2, 3). In the absence of all other input, the corpora lutea subsequently fail and progesterone secretion wanes (3). It has long been appreciated that rodent corpora lutea could be maintained by either coital stimulation (4) or injection of pituitary extracts containing prolactin (PRL) activity (5, 6). An overwhelming literature now indicates that the mating stimulus induces the release of PRL which in turn “rescues” the corpora lutea of the cycle and prolongs the ability of these structures to secrete progesterone (3, 7–11). The mating stimulus or copulomimetic stimuli applied to the uterine cervix with a glass rod or appropriately...

The translation of isolated cold eddies on a sloping bottom

Abstract: A two-layer analytical model is considered to examine the dynamics of cold isolated patches on the ocean floor. Such patches have been observed in the North Atlantic Ocean and are characterized by a bounding interface that intersects the bottom along a closed curve. They correspond, therefore, to isolated anticyclonic eddies with a lens-like cross section. The model incorporates steady movements resulting from the swirl velocity within the eddy and a topographically-induced translation. The movements are assumed to be frictionless and nondiffusive but are not restricted to be quasigeostrophic in the sense that the Rossby number is not necessarily small. For steady motions, analytical solutions are obtained using the full equations of motion in a coordinate system moving with the eddy itself. A uniformly sloping bottom causes a steady translation at 90° to the right of the downhill direction. Thus, the model predicts that an anticyclonic eddy on the ocean floor will migrate along lines of constant depth. Suprisingly, the predicted translation speed depends only on the gravitational acceleration, the density difference between the layers, the Coriolis parameter, and the bottom slope. It is independent of the intensity, size, and depth of the eddy. For the range of parameters typical for the deep ocean, the predicted translation speed is 5 to 10 cm s−1. It is estimated that isolated eddies on the ocean floor may be able to carry temperature anomalies for a few thousand kilometers away from their origin.

A quantitative analysis of changes in the olfactory epithelium following bulbectomy in hamster.

Abstract: Continuous replacement of sensory neurons is a normal process in the olfactory system of adult vertebrates. The capacity for replacement following experimentally induced degeneration of sensory neurons makes this system ideal for the study of the dynamics of neural populations. A quantitative analysis was made to determine the time course and degree of cell replacement in the olfactory epithelium following unilateral bulbectomy in adult hamsters. Histological measurements of number of cells and epithelial thickness were made for up to 194 days postoperatively. Results for each experimental animal were expressed as a percentage of the contralateral control side. There was an immediate degeneration of cells, the number decreasing to 39% by day 4. During days 4--15 new growth resulted in an increase in cell number, which was maintained at a level of 60--70% through day 194. Epithelial thickness decreased to 60--70% during the degeneration period, but there was no recovery during subsequent days 4--194. Analysis of epithelial cells by cell type (supporting, receptor, and basal cells) showed that changes in cell numbers were limited to the neural cell populations (receptor and basal). This study confirms that olfactory sensory neurons are capable of replacement following degeneration in spite of the absence of normal target tissue. However, the observed recovery does not reach control levels and the functional capacity of replacement neurons requires further study.

The recovery from anaerobic metabolism in invertebrates

Abstract: The duration and completeness of recovery from anaerobic metabolism is of important functional consequence in invertebrates. Two basic processes occur during recovery: (1) recharging of the phosphagen and ATP pools and (2) disposal of end products by excretion, oxidation, or conversion back to anaerobic substrates. The recovery process in invertebrates is largely aerobic, as is evidenced by the near universality of the oxygen debt phenomenon. However, there is often a lack of correlation between end product accumulation and the magnitude of the oxygen debt. Typically, ATP and phosphagen levels are recharged very rapidly during recovery–ATP (0.25 to 1.0 hr) and phosphagens (0.5 to 4 hr). Excretion of propionate, acetate, and, occasionally succinate, is relatively common in annelids and has also been observed in a number of bivalve molluscs. Nitrogen-containing end products do not appear to be excreted. Cephalopods and large arthropods show elevated hemolymph end product levels following anoxia/hypoxia. In arthropods, these end products display a protracted return to control levels during recovery. In cephalopods, some octopine may be rapidly taken up and metabolized by the heart, brain, and gill. The sites of lactate metabolism in arthropods are unclear. In contrast to the situation in cephalopods and arthropods, most end products in the adductor muscles of bivalve molluscs do not appear to be exported, but are metabolized within the tissue itself. End ducts such as octopine, succinate, and alanine thus appear to be metabolized at the site of their production. Octopine and lactate appear to be gluconeogenic substrates in cephalopods and arthropods, respectively. Although many of the enzymes involved in gluconeogenesis are present in bivalve molluscs, this process has not been demonstrated in this group. Recovery from anaerobic metabolism remains a fruitful area for future research. Of special interest is the identification of sites of gluconeogenesis in the larger, more active species.

Comparison of the solution chemistry of the actinides and lanthanides

Abstract: The chemical behavior of the lanthanide and actinide elements in aqueous media is compared for similarities and differences. The stability of oxidation states and the thermodynamic parameters of complexation are evaluated to reflect how the decreased shielding of the 5f orbitals relative to that of the 4f orbitals causes the actinides to have somewhat different properties from those of the lanthanides. Although the interaction of the cations of both series with complexing ligands can be described satisfactorily by an ionic model, the freeenergy and enthalpy values of complexation of the trivalent actinides indicate a slightly greater covalency in bonding than that of the comparable lanthanide complexes. This is seen particularly in the metal-nitrogen-bonded systems.

The ability of prospective jurors to estimate the accuracy of eyewitness identifications

Abstract: This study investigated whether people's “common knowledge” is sufficient to enable them to accurately assess the validity of evidence based upon an eyewitness report. Prospective jurors were provided with descriptions of actual research studies on eyewitness identification and asked to predict the research results. A sample of registered voters, selected to represent the court's lists of prospective jury members, was presented with scenarios derived from the method sections of previously conducted empirical studies of eyewitness identification involving target-present lineups. Respondents' estimates of the hit rates in the three target-present situations were significantly greater than the actual hit rates in each of the three cases. The mean percentage of respondents who overestimated the hit rates, averaged across the three cases, was 83.7%. The results indicate that awareness of the unreliability of eyewitness evidence does not appear to be part of the “common knowledge” of prospective jury members. These data can be seen as refuting the claim made by some courts that expert testimony about eyewitness evidence would not tell the jury members anything they did not already know.

Colony founding by pleometrosis in the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta

Abstract: Newly mated queens of the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, found colonies either alone (haplometrosis) or by joining with other newly mated queens (pleometrosis). Surveys after mating flights showed that nests and queens were usually aggregated in space, that queens were aggregated among occupied nest chambers, and that the occurrence and degree of pleometrosis was related to the mean queen density. Queens and nests were strongly associated with slightly higher ground, away from rainwash areas and puddles.

Some Issues in the Psychology of Mathematics Instruction

Abstract: Given a large proportion of students failing to learn basic skills in mathematics, the problem of improving mathematics learning may be illuminated by an examination of contemporary learning research and theory. Three major phases can be seen in the performance of a mathematical task: translating from a verbal problem statement to a mathematical expression, carrying out an operation on the expression, and validating the solution. Less attention in instruction and research should be given to the classification of tasks as abstract or concrete, and more attention to the deliberate teaching of correct rules and the advantages of making computational operations automatic. Each performance phase has its implications for instruction, and all could be more fully addressed by research.

Relationship Between Physiological Status and Formation of Extracellular Polysaccharide Glycocalyx in Pseudomonas atlantica.

Abstract: Marine pseudomonads, such as Pseudomonas atlantica, are readily isolated from sediments. These organisms form extracellular polysaccharide polymers (glycocalyx). The factors affecting the composition and amount of glycocalyx in batch culture of these organisms were examined. The formation of glycocalyx was stimulated by the inclusion of galactose as the carbon source and by increased surface area resulting from addition of sand to the medium. The composition of the glycocalyx changed during the growth cycle, with a marked increase in the proportions and absolute amounts of uronic acids as the rate of synthesis increased. In estuarine sediments, the glycocalyx contained a carbon content at least as great as in the microbes themselves. The greatest accumulation of these polymers occurred late in the stationary phase when the physiological status of the cells, as measured by the adenylate energy charge, showed maximal stress. Maximal formation of glycocalyx possibly could be used as an estimate of the nutritional status of these microbes.

Spatial relationships between the terminations of somatic sensory motor pathways in the rostral brainstem of cats and monkeys. II. Cerebellar projections compared with those of the ascending somatic sensory pathways in lateral diencephalon

Abstract: Previous studies have shown that ascending somatic sensory pathways arising from the dorsal column nuclei, lateral cervical nucleus and spinothalamic tract terminate in parts of the thalamus adjacent to those which receive cerebellar terminations. This termination pattern creates a border between the ventroposterolateral nucleus (VPL) and the ventrolateral nucleus (VL) in the cat and between the caudal and oral parts of VPL (VPLc and VPLo, respectively) in the monkey. Since it is not clear how sharp these borders are, a double orthograde labeling strategy was used in the present study to make direct comparisons of the projections to the thalamus from these sources of input. It was found that there was a change in the sources of afferent input to the different target areas that paralleled changes in cytoarchitecture. Moving caudally to rostrally, VPL in the cat and VPLc in the monkey received projections predominantly from the middle, dorsal (clusters) portion of the dorsal column nuclei. These projections were gradually replaced near the VPL-VL border in the cat and VPLc-VPLo border in the monkey first by input from the lateral cervical nucleus (cat only) and the rostral and ventral portions of the dorsal column nuclei and then by spinothalamic projections. Towards VL in the cat and the rostral parts of VPLo in the monkey (referred to as Vim by Hassler, '59 and Mehler, '71), these projections were in turn replaced by those from the cerebellum. This sequence resulted in a complex pattern (summarized in Fig. 10) where some thalamic territories received input predominantly from one source and others received converging input from several sources. The major region receiving converging ascending somatic sensory and cerebellar terminations was located at the border between VPL and VL in the cat and in the caudal parts of Olszewski's ('52) VPLo in the monkey (that is, between VPLc and Vim). In general, the results in the cat were similar to those in the monkey. One notable difference was that the domain containing terminals from the cerebellum and the rostral-ventral parts of the dorsal column nuclei was located medially between VPLc and Vim in the monkey, whereas it extended across the entire mediolateral border between VPL and VL in the cat. In both species, thalamic neurons received input predominantly from one afferent source and only minor input, if any, from other sources.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Seasonal Variability from a Model of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean

Abstract: A numerical model incorporating a single baroclinic mode and realistic coastline geometry is used to analyze the linear, dynamic response to estimates of the seasonal wind field over the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The forced periodic response consists of a spatially dependent combination of a locally forced response, Kelvin waves, Rossby waves and multiple wave reflections. The seasonal displacements of the model pycnocline are compared with observed dynamic height. Annual and semiannual fluctuations dominate the seasonal signal throughout the basin. In general, the distribution of amplitude and phase are similar for annual changes in dynamic height and pycnocline depth. Major features of the seasonal response are reproduced, e.g., east-west changes in pycnocline depth about a nodal point at the equator, the seasonal pycnocline movement along the northern and southern coast of the Guinea Gulf, and a significant changes of phase in the ocean variability north and south of the ITCZ. The relative impo...

Sibling interactions of hyperactive and normal children and their relationship to reports of maternal stress and self‐esteem 1

Abstract: Forty‐six hyperactive and normal boys were observed while interacting with their siblings in an unstructured play and mother‐supervised task situation. Few behavioral differences were noted between identified hyperactive children and their reportedly non‐problem siblings with both showing equally high rates of negative behavior. Relative to normal siblings, hyperactive sibling dyads showed significantly higher levels of conflict. Negative behavior in the hyperactive‐child/sibling interaction was unrelated to either the sex or ordinal position (younger versus older) of the sibling. However, hyperactive sibling dyads which included a young hyperactive child showed more negative behavior during the supervised‐task situation relative to hyperactive sibling dyads which included an older hyperactive child. Maternal reports of stress and parenting self‐esteem were related to the hyperactive‐child/sibling interaction. The mothers of hyperactive siblings who interacted more during play reported higher levels of pa...

Mechanism of four-level laser action in solution excimer and excited-state proton-transfer cases

Abstract: Four-level laser energy level schemes are compared from the mechanistic spectroscopic viewpoint: (i) noble-gas excimer, (ii) solution molecular excimer, (iii) conventional dye laser, and (iv) intramolecular proton transfer. The lasing action of the chlorophyll special pair is discussed as an example of a solution excimer laser, and the lasing action of 3-hydroxyflavone and other molecules is discussed as an example of an intramolecular proton-transfer laser.

The differentiation of the olfactory placode in Xenopus laevis: a light and electron microscope study.

Abstract: The origin and development of the olfactory neuroepithelium of Xeno-pus laevis has been investigated with light microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The cranial ectoderm of the Xenopus laevis embryo consists of two layers: The inner layer is called the sensory or nervous layer (NL) and the outer layer is called the nonnervous layer of the ectoderm (NNE). Between stages 23 and 26, the presumptive olfactory region consists of two discretely arranged cellular populations: the cells of the olfactory placode proper derived from the NL and the cells of the overlying NNE. After stage 26 the placodal cells begin to move toward the body surface by migrating between the NNE cells. As the placodai cells migrate they sprout an apical process which reaches the body surface at approximately stage 28. The apical process contains free and membrane-bound ribosomes, elongated mitochondria, and microtubules oriented parallel to the process. Centrioles and basal bodies are present in the apical cytoplasm and microvilli and cilia project from the process's surface. The structure and ultrastructure of the apical process identify it as the dendrite of an olfactory neuron. As the apical process reaches the epithelial free surface, a second process sprouts from the base of the cell. This process pierces the basal lamina at stage 29/30 to reach the underlying telencephalon. The basal process is considerably thinner than the apical one and contains only free ribosomes and mitochondria. Between the stages 29/30 and 32+ it elongates and displays at its distal end the characteristics of a growth cone. The structural and ultrastructural morphology of the basal process identifies it as the axon of the olfactory neuron. Thus the placodai cells which migrate superficially differentiate into the olfactory neurons. Many placodai cells do not migrate, however, butremain at the epi-thelial base as basal cells. As the placodal cells migrate to the body surface the NNE cells, originally confined to the surface layer (NNE), elongate and project processes toward the basal lamina. Beginning at stage 27 the apical surface of these cells becomes domed; the dome is filled with dense-core vesicles and is covered with microvilli and globular material. The supranuclear cytoplasm of these cells contains free and membrane-bound ribosomes, microtubules, and bundles of filaments. These cells can be characterized as the supporting cells of the olfactory neuroepithelium. The results indicate that (1) the olfactory neurons and basal cells are derived from the cells of the nervous layer, (2) the supporting cells are derived from the cells of the nonnervous ectoderm, (3) the olfactory nerve emerges from the olfactory neuroepithelium at stage 29/30, and (4) the placodai cells begin to display the morphological features of the mature olfactory neurons before their axons reach their target, the olfactory bulb.