Notes On Bison In Val Verde County,Texas: Additions To Dillehay

Abstract

Bison remains from deeply stratified deposits at the Castle Canyon Site, an area of southwestern Texas where bison remains are outstandingly rare, date about 1500 B.C.-A.D. 1000. The last bison known in the area died about 1885. It is suggested that environmental conditions in the area may not have changed, and that presence-absence periods might rather reflect changing conditions on the Central or Northern Plains. These data do not alter Dillehay’s conclusions, but present information not available to him.     

Use of Incinerator Bottom Ash for Frit Production

This article presents the results of an experimental activity aimed at investigating the technical feasibility and the environmental performance of using municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash to produce glass frit for ceramic glaze (glaze frit). The process includes an industrial pretreatment of bottom ash that renders the material suitable for use in glaze frit production and allows recovery of aluminum and iron. The environmental performance of this treatment option is assessed with the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The goal of the LCA study is to assess and compare the environmental impacts of two scenarios of end of life of bottom ash from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI): landfill disposal (conventional scenario) and bottom ash recovery for glaze frit production (innovative scenario). The main results of the laboratory tests, industrial simulations, and LCA study are presented and discussed, and the environmental advantages of recycling versus landfill disposal are highlighted.     

From Band To Tribe On The Plains11

Abstract

Cultural ecologists, such as Steward and Shirnkin, hold that the core features of a culture, namely socio-political systems, are closely related to subsistence activities and economic arrangements which, in turn, are influenced but not ecessarily determined by the natural habitat of the group. A study of the Plains adaptations of the Piegan, Kiowa, Comanche, Plains Cree, and Plains Shoshone throw some doubt on this the sis. The Piegan (and other Blackfoot tribes), Plains Shoshone, and Kiowa share common forms of political organization with other Plains tribes but the Comanche and Plains Cree represent atypical cases in. this regard. The first three tribes developed pan-tribal sodalities while the latter two did not do so. The presence or absence of these pan-tribal sodalities conditioned the extent to which tribal integration occurred in these groups. The subsistence activities of these tribes alone do not account for the weak or strong development of pan-tribal structures. Factors in the total environment of each tribe, or niche, account for these differences. These differences in political organization cannot be attributed solely to differences in subsistence activities nor economic arrangements as they are influenced by the specific natural habitat of each tribe.     

Improvements To The Method Of Fourier Shape Analysis As Applied In Morphometric Studies

Fourier outline shape analysis is a powerful tool for the morphometric study of two-dimensional form in organisms lacking many biologically homologous landmarks. Several improvements to the method are described herein; these modifications are incorporated into the new computer programs H angle , H match and H curve . First, automated tracing of outlines using image capture software, although desirable, results in high frequency pixel 'noise' that can corrupt the Fourier analysis. Program H angle eliminates this noise using optional and variable levels of outline smoothing. Secondly, a widely used Fourier technique, elliptic Fourier analysis (EFA, Kuhl and Giardina 1982), yields coefficients that are not computationally independent of each other, a condition that hampers and compromises statistical analysis. In addition, EFA increasingly downweights successively more detailed features of the outline. Program H angle solves both of these problems. Lastly, Fourier methods in general are sensitive to the placement of the starting position of the digitized trace. This problem is acute when the organisms under study have no unambiguously defined, homologous point on the outline from which to start the trace. Program H angle allows the user to normalize for starting position using various properties of individual outlines. Alternatively, H match takes a new approach and can be used to normalize using properties of the entire population under study. key words : Fourier shape analysis, morphometric studies, new computer programs, foraminiferal outlines.     

云南布朗族地区种植的地方稻种及其分布特点

对云南省4个县选择20个布朗族聚居村的622户布朗族农户,采用参与式问卷调查和实地考察相结合的方法,调查其种植的地方稻种,分析村级和户级水平的地方稻种分布特点.共调查收集到地方稻种资源53个,其中有色稻种和糯稻种各14个(各占26.4%).318户种植地方稻种,占被调查农户总数的51.1%;种植地方稻种的面积占总稻作面积的30.0%;种植地方稻种的村级丰富度平均为5.64,最高达9;而户级丰富度平均为1.29,最高达4.种植地方稻种的村级均匀度平均为0.548,户级均匀度平均为0.172.地方稻种数量在调查县间差异显著,西双版纳州勐海县27个(50.9%)>临沦市双江县17个(32.1%)>普洱市墨江县9个(17.0%)>保山市施甸县0个.在乡镇级水平上,拥有地方稻种资源最丰富的是西双版纳州勐海县西定乡22个,然后依次为临沧市双江县邦丙乡9个、临沧市双江县大文乡和普洱市墨江县景星乡均为8个、勐海县布朗山乡5个、墨江县新抚乡1个.各地区种植地方稻种数量存在较大差异的主要因素是复杂的农业生态环境、丰富的民族文化习俗和多样的饮食习惯.     

In Vitro Susceptibility of Atypical Mycobacteria To Rifampin

Atypical mycobacteria (209 strains) were examined for susceptibility to rifampin by the proportion method by using Middlebrook 7H-10 agar. All strains of Mycobacterium kansasii and tap-water scotochromogens were inhibited by 0.25 to 1 μg of the drug per ml. Seventy-six per cent of M. scrofulaceum and 61% of M. intracellulare strains were susceptible to 4 μg/ml or less; 5% of the former and 8% of the latter were resistant to 16 μg/ml. All strains of M. gastri and M. triviale and most strains of M. terrae were sensitive to 1 to 4 μg/ml. Two strains of M. borstelense were both inhibited by 8 μg/ml. Nearly all strains of M. fortuitum were resistant to the drug. The results of this study suggest that rifampin may be a valuable agent for the treatment of many atypical mycobacterial infections.     

Pyridine Nucleotide Changes In Hepatocytes Exposed To Quinones

Quinones may be toxic by a number of mechanisms. including arylation and oxidative stress caused by redox cycling. Using isolated hepatocytes, we have studied the cytotoxicity of four quinones. with differing abilities to arylate cellular nucleophiles and redox cycle. in relation to their effects on cellular pyridine nucleotides. High concentrations of menadione (redox cycles and arylates). 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (neither arylates nor redox cycles via a one electron reduction) 2.3-dimethoxy-1.4-naphthoquinone (a pure redox cycler) and p-benzoquinone (a pure arylator) caused an initial decrease in NAD⁺ and loss of viability, which was not prevented by 3-aminobenzamide. an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase. In contrast. 3-aminobenzamide inhibited the loss of NAD' and viability caused by dimethyl sulphate so implicating poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase in its toxicity but not that of the quinones. Non-toxic concentrations of menadione. 2.3-dimethoxy-1.4-naphthoquinone and 2-hydroxy-1.4-naphthoquinone all caused markedly similar changes in cellular pyridine nucleotides. An initial decrease in NAD⁺ was accompanied by a small. transient increase in NADP⁺ and followed by a larger. prolonged increase in NADPH and total NADP⁺ + NADPH. Nucleotide changes were not observed with non-toxic concentrations of p-benzoquinone. Our findings suggest that a primary event in the response of the cell to redox cycling quinones is to bring about an interconversion of pyridine nucleotides. in an attempt to combat the effects of oxidative stress