Height cycles in the 18th and 19th centuries

Spectral analysis of the physical stature of Americans and Europeans in the 18th and 19th centuries reveals a cyclical structure similar to the traditional view of the business cycle: a longer cycle with a length of 7-10 years, and a shorter cycle with a length of 3-5 years. The correlation between height cycles and cycles of economic variables such as grain prices indicates an influence of economic cycles on physical stature. The phase shift between the cycles indicates that economic conditions are especially important for growth in infancy. In part, this result is due to a cumulative effect: born into a recessionary period, a child is likely to face several cyclical downturns during the growing years.     

Captive animal liability: 19th century foundations and 20th century modifications

Two important legal milestones concerning liability for keeping animals in captivity occurred in the years 1879–1881. These were the publication of The Common Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes, and the United States Supreme Court's decision in The Congress and Empire Spring Company v. Ann P. Edgar. Holmes declared that the liability one incurs for maintaining potentially dangerous animals is absolute. The Court's decision noted that wild animals not normally considered ferocious, such as deer, can be considered “domestic” under the law if they are tame, with a corresponding reduction in liability. A brief examination is presented of how the doctrine of captive animal liability was modified in the 20th century to reflect the difference between wild animals kept by a private individual and those maintained by a reputable zoological park. Zoo Biol 22:489–496, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

第20届国际生物化学与分子生物学联盟代表大会暨学术大会和第11届亚洲大洋州生物化学家与分子生物学家学术大会信息

第20届国际生物化学与分子生物学联盟代表大会暨学术大会和第11届亚洲大洋州生物化学家与分子生物学家学术大会定于2006年6月18-23日在日本京都召开（6月16—17日召开青年科学家论坛）,学会希望各位会员和从事生物化学和分子生物学及相关学科的科学家积极投稿和参加会议。可在网上直接投稿,网址：http：///www．conger．co．jp／iubmb／,投稿日期2005年12月5日开始,2006年1月31日截止。     

Natural disturbances in the European forests in the 19th and 20th centuries

This paper, based on a literature review, presents a quantitative overview of the role of natural disturbances in European forests from 1850 to 2000. Such an overview provides a basis for modelling the possible impacts of climate change and enables one to assess trends in disturbance regimes in different countries and/or periods. Over the period 1950–2000, an annual average of 35 million m³ wood was damaged by disturbances; there was much variation between years. Storms were responsible for 53% of the total damage, fire for 16%, snow for 3% and other abiotic causes for 5%. Biotic factors caused 16% of the damage, and half of this was caused by bark beetles. For 7% of the damage, no cause was given or there was a combination of causes. The 35 million m³ of damage is about 8.1% of the total fellings in Europe and about 0.15% of the total volume of growing stock. Over the period 1961–2000, the average annual area of forest fires was 213 000 ha, which is 0.15% of the total forest area in Europe. Most types of damage seem to be increasing. This is partly an artefact of the improved availability of information. The most likely explanations for an increase in damage from disturbances are changes in forest management and resulting changes in the condition of the forest. Forest area, average volume of growing stock and average stand age have increased considerably, making the forest more vulnerable and increasing the resources that can be damaged. Since forest resources are expected to continue to increase, it is likely that damage from disturbances will also increase in future.     

Iatrogenic molar borings in 18th and early 19th century Native American dentitions

Six iatrogenic dental borings were identified in four individuals of a Native American skeletal collection from an 18th and early 19th century Middle Columbia River burial site. The borings, all in maxillary first molars with severe dental attrition and secondary dentin, demonstrate striated walls and associated periapical alveolar lesions. An ethnographic review of the subsistence pattern during the burial period indicates a diet that is consistent in dental attrition with other riverine fisher-hunter-gathers. Histological changes of dental pulp tissue during the process of attrition may result in dental necrosis. Access into the pulp chamber is a technique used to drain necrotic fluid. A common Euro-American therapeutic dental practice of the 18th and 19th centuries for diseases of the pulp was dental extraction. Multiple dental borings indicate that the practice of molar drilling into the pulp chamber was an effective and independent technique used by the Wishram and Wasco people.