Q & A. [interview

Elaine and Gary Ostrander spent their youth in New Jersey and New York before heading to Nebraska for their teen years and eventually Washington State for High School and college, as their father moved around in library administration. Elaine was an undergraduate at the University of Washington, a graduate student at the Oregon Health Sciences University and a postdoc with James Wang at Harvard, studying DNA supercoiling. She next went to Berkeley, where she began the canine genome project, initiating the meiotic linkage map and working on human chromosome 21 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Labs. In 1993 she moved to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center where she is now a Member of the Divisions of Clinical Research and Human Biology. She is also an Affiliate Professor of Genome Sciences and Biology at the University of Washington, and heads the Program in Genetics at the Hutchinson Center. Gary completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at Seattle University, a M.S. degree at Illinois State University and a Ph.D at the University of Washington in Ocean and Fisheries Science. He went on to be a postdoc in the Department of Pathology at the University of Washington Medical School while being mentored by Senitroh Hakomori of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Eric Holmes of the Pacific Northwest Research Foundation. His work focused on using novel aspects of the biology of fishes to address fundamental questions about cancer. He subsequently held both faculty and administrative positions at Oklahoma State University. Since 1996, he has been at the Johns Hopkins University, where he currently holds academic appointments in the Departments of Biology and Comparative Medicine and is the Associate Provost for Research.     

The interrelationships of disease and culture in a primitive New Guinea community

This article explores links between disease and social standing in a primitive New Guinea community. Social and cultural events have modified the incidence of certain diseases. Furthermore, the changing patterns of disease may have influenced the development and form of social distinctions.This work is based on data collected as a predoctoral fellow in the Department of Anthropology at Columbia University. Fieldwork in New Guinea was done with NIH support under Training Grant 1 T01-MH11775-01 (related to 2 F1 MH301640-02), with Dr. Margaret Mead as the sponsor. Additional funding for analysis of data was obtained from the Harvard School of Public Health, the Department of Preventive Medicine of the Harvard Medical School, and the Institute for Transcultural Studies in New York.     

Increasing the efficiency of digitization workflows for herbarium specimens

The New York Botanical Garden Herbarium has been databasing and imaging its estimated 7.3 million plant specimens for the past 17 years. Due to the size of the collection, we have been selectively digitizing fundable subsets of specimens, making successive passes through the herbarium with each new grant. With this strategy, the average rate for databasing complete records has been 10 specimens per hour. With 1.3 million specimens databased, this effort has taken about 130,000 hours of staff time. At this rate, to complete the herbarium and digitize the remaining 6 million specimens, another 600,000 hours would be needed. Given the current biodiversity and economic crises, there is neither the time nor money to complete the collection at this rate.Through a combination of grants over the last few years, The New York Botanical Garden has been testing new protocols and tactics for increasing the rate of digitization through combinations of data collaboration, field book digitization, partial data entry and imaging, and optical character recognition (OCR) of specimen images. With the launch of the National Science Foundation's new Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections program, we hope to move forward with larger, more efficient digitization projects, capturing data from larger portions of the herbarium at a fraction of the cost and time.     

Q & A. Carl R. Woese. [interview

Carl R. Woese was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. His undergraduate training was at Amherst College (AB 1950) and graduate work at Yale University (PhD 1953). He is currently the Stanley O. Ikenberry University Professor and Center for Advanced Study Professor of Microbiology at the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana), where he has been for the past forty years. He was trained as a biophysicist and molecular biologist. He views himself as a molecular biologist in search of Biology. Consequently, his career has been devoted to using molecular methods to approach evolutionary problems. His most notable accomplishments have been determining the universal phylogenetic tree, through molecular sequence analysis, and the discovery of the Archaea, the so-called ‘third form’ of life. For these he has received numerous awards, including a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Award, the Leeuwenhoek Medal 1990 (Netherlands Royal Academy), the Waksman Award (National Academy of Science USA), and the Crafoord Prize (Swedish Royal Academy). At present he works on the evolution of cellular organization.     

Time and Complexity in Historical Ecology: Studies in the Neotropical Lowlands

Time and Complexity in Historical Ecology: Studies in the Neotropical Lowlands . William Baleé and Clark L. Erickson, eds. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. 417 pp.     

A quarter of a century at The New York Botanical Garden

Personal reflections are given on 25 years at The New York Botanical Garden working on the taxonomy of the Chrysobalanaceae and Lecythidaceae, the flora of the Amazon region, and in latter years being responsible for directing the scientific program.     

Evaluating a science diversity program at UC Berkeley: more questions than answers

For the past three decades, much attention has been focused on developing diversity programs designed to improve the academic success of underrepresented minorities, primarily in mathematics, science, and engineering. However, ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in science majors and careers. Over the last 10 years, the Biology Scholars Program (BSP), a diversity program at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, has worked to increase the participation and success of students majoring in the biological sciences. A quantitative comparison of students in and out of the program indicates that students in BSP graduate with a degree in biology at significantly higher rates than students not in BSP regardless of race/ethnicity. Furthermore, students who are in BSP have statistically lower high school grade point averages (GPAs) and Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) scores than students not in BSP. African-American and Hispanic students who join BSP graduate with significantly higher UC Berkeley biology GPAs than non-BSP African-American and Hispanic students, respectively. Majority (Asian and White) students in BSP graduate with statistically similar UC GPAs despite having lower SAT scores than non-BSP majority students. Although BSP students are more successful in completing a biology degree than non-program members, the results raise a series of questions about why the program works and for whom.     

Evaluation of transport pathways for Na+ across frog skin epithelium by means of presteady-state flux ratio

Summary A method is described that makes it possible to separate the sodium fluxes through the isolated frog skin into sets characteristic of the cellular and the paracellular pathway, respectively. If there are two significant pathways for the ion, and if they differ with respect to flux ratio as well as mean passage time, the flux ratios for the individual pathways can be obtained from a set of inward and outward tracer fluxes, covering the time from the addition of the tracers until the achievement of constant fluxes in both directions. Deceased, formerly Department of Ophthalmology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032.     

Protection and host cell repair of irradiated lambda phage

Summary Phage , irradiated with ultraviolet light in the presence and absence of the free-radical scavenger and proton donor, cysteamine, have been assayed on normal and DNA-repair deficient bacteria. It has, been concluded that cysteamine protects the phage against lesions of a type which can be repaired by the bacterial DNA-repair systems. Presumably, these are pyrimidine dimers.On leave of absence from Biochemistry Department, College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University, New York City, New York.     

The VietNam war as an exemplar of American culture

Glenn Petersen is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Baruch College and its Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York City.     

Botanical expeditions of The New York Botanical Garden

A list is given of the botanical expeditions undertaken by staff members, graduate students, and close collaborators of The New York Botanical Garden from 1897 to 1994.     

UNDERUTILIZED TOOLS: SEAWEEDS AS BIOREMEDIATION AND DIVERSIFICATION TOOLS AND BIOINDICATORS FOR INTE-GRATED AQUACULTURE AND COASTAL MANAGEMENT

Chopin, T.¹, Yarish, C.², Neefus, C.³, Kraemer, G. P.⁴, Belyea, E.¹, Carmona, R.², Saunders, G. W.⁵, Bates, C.⁵, Page, F.⁶ & Dowd, M.^{6 1}University of New Brunswick, Centre for Coastal Studies and Aquaculture and Centre for Environmental and Molecular Algal Research, P.O. Box 5050, Saint John, New Brunswick, E2L 4L5, Canada; ²University of Connecticut, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 1 University Place, Stamford, Connecticut, 06901-2315, USA; ³University of New Hampshire, Department of Plant Biology, Office of Biometrics, G32 Spaulding Life Science Center, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824, USA; ⁴State University of New York, Purchase College, Division of Natural Sciences, Purchase, New York, 10577, USA; ⁵University of New Brunswick, Centre for Environmental and Molecular Algal Research, P.O. Box 4400, Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3, Canada; ⁶Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Biological Station, 531 Brandy Cove Road, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, E5B 2L9, Canada On a regional scale, finfish aquaculture can be one of the significant contributors to coastal nutrification. Contrary to common belief, even in regions of exceptional tidal and apparent “flushing” regimes like the Bay of Fundy, water mixing and transport may be limited and water residency time can be locally prolonged. Hence, nutrient bio-availability remains significant for a relatively long period of time in some areas. Understanding the assimilative capacity of coastal ecosystems under cumulative pressure, then, becomes critical. To avoid pronounced shifts in coastal processes, conversion, not dilution, is the solution by integrating fed aquaculture (finfish) with organic and inorganic extractive aquaculture (shellfish and seaweed) so that the “ wastes” of one resource user become a resource for the others. Such a bioremediative approach provides mutual benefits to co-cultured organisms, and economic diversification and increased profitability per cultivation unit for the aquaculture industry. These concepts will be discussed and illustrated by the results of our on-going projects and we will demonstrate that seaweeds can also be excellent bio-indicators of nutrification/eutrophication revealing symptoms of environmental stress and measuring the zone of influence of an aquaculture site. The aquaculture industry is here to stay in our “coastal scape”: it has its place in the global seafood supply and demand, and in the economy of coastal communities. To help ensure its sustainability, it needs, however, to responsibly change its too often monotrophic practices by adopting polytrophic ones to become better integrated into a broader coastal management framework.     

The herbarium of Paul A. Fryxell (pf) and U.S. Department of Agriculture, College Station, Texas, integrated into The New York Botanical Garden Herbarium (NY)

The herbarium specimens amassed by Paul A. Fryxell while working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, College Station, Texas, were moved in October 1993 to The New York Botanical Garden and integrated into the Herbarium in 1994. The collection is particularly rich in specimens of the Malvaceae and other families of the Malvales, the areas of Fryxell’s taxonomic specialty. Also included is the cotton reference herbarium of the former Cotton Branch of the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, which consists of voucher specimens of germplasm introductions of cotton (Gossypium) from expeditions and from test plots in the United States and Mexico. A total of 19,918 specimens, including 167 type specimens, have been incorporated into The New York Botanical Garden Herbarium.     

Planet of the Normates

Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical Disability in American Culture and Literature. Rosemarie Garland Thomson. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997. 200 pp.
Freakery: Cultural Spectacles of the Extraordinary Body. Rosemarie Garland Thomson. ed. New York: New York University Press, 1996. 400 pp.
Monster Theory: Reading Culture. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen. ed. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1996.315pp.     

Equipment Reviews

A report of the Royal Society—Institute of Biology Biological Education Committee Working Party on Mathematics for Biologists under the Chairmanship of Professor M. H. Williamson, Department of Biology, University of York.     

The Physiology undergraduate major in the University of Arizona College of Medicine: past, present, and future

The American Physiological Society (APS) and APS Council encourage the teaching of physiology at the undergraduate, graduate, and medical school levels to support the continued prominence of this area of science. One area identified by the APS Council that is of particular importance for the development of future physiologists (the "physiology pipeline") is the teaching of physiology and physiology-related topics at the undergraduate level. In this article, we describe the historical development and implementation of an undergraduate program offered through the Department of Physiology, a basic science department in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona, culminating in a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences degree with a major in Physiology. Moreover, we discuss the current Physiology curriculum offered at our institution and explain how this program prepares our students for successful entry into a variety of postbaccalaureate professional programs, including medical school and numerous other programs in health professions, and in graduate study in the Masters and Doctoral programs in biomedical sciences. Finally, we cover the considerable challenges that we have faced, and continue to face, in developing and sustaining a successful physiology undergraduate major in a college of medicine. We hope that the information provided on the Physiology major offered by the Department of Physiology in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona will be helpful for individuals at other institutions who may be contemplating the development and implementation of an undergraduate program in Physiology.     

Computer News

The Prometheus Project: Mankind's Search for Long Range Goals by Gerald Feinberg, Doubleday and Co., Garden City, New York. 1969. 261 pages. Paperback $1.45.

The Holloman Story by George F. Meeter, The University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106. 1967. 203 pages. $5.95.

Human Biology—A Guide to Field Methods/IBP Handbook #9 by J. S. Weiner and J. A. Lourie, F. A. Davis Co., 1915 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103. 1969. 656 pages. $17.50.

Flowers of Europe/A Field Guide by Oleg Polunin, Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1969. 662 pages. $15.00.

The Changing Classroom: The Role of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study by Arnold Grobman, Doubleday and Co., Inc., 277 Park Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017. 1969. 384 pages. $6.95.

Space Travel by Jeanne Bendick, Franklin Watts, Inc., 575 Lexington Ave., New York, N.Y. 10022. 1969. 96 pages. $2.95.

The Role of Federal Agencies in Technology Transfer by Samuel I. Doctors, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. 1969. 230 pages.

Living in Space/The Astronaut and His Environment by Mitchell R. Sharpe, Doubleday Science Series, Doubleday and Co., Garden City, New York. 1969. 192 pages. $2.45 paperback.

Physical Science/Exploring The New World of Science by William Lemkin, Ph.D., Oxford Book Co., 387 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10016. 1969. 381 pages. $3.85.     

Studies on DNA in leucocytes and related cells of mammals

Summary A statistical model is proposed, for the simultaneous analysis of several of the variables involved in cytophotometric determination of the Feulgen-DNA content of peripheral leucocytes.Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in the Faculty of Pure Science, Columbia University, New York, U.S.A. The work was carried out in the Department of Zoology while the author held a Post Doctoral Research Fellowship from the United States Public Health Service, National Heart Institute, number HF-11,790.Note new address at the end of the paper.     

The system of grasses (Poaceae) and their evolution

Originally published in Russian as number 37 of Komarov Readings, 1987. Translated by Victoria V. Michaelova, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602. Translation edited by Arthur Cronquist, New York Botanical Garden, New York, and approved by the author. A few additions have been made to account for very recent literature.     

The Henry Parker Sartwell herbarium of Hamilton College

H. P. Sartwell's private herbarium was donated to the New York Botanical Garden in 1983 by Hamilton College of Clinton, New York. This herbarium was assembled by Dr. Sartwell (1792–1867) throughout his carcer and was eventually sold to Hamilton College. The collection is particularly rich in type material, western New York plants, and carices. Dr. Sartwell had an active exchange program with his contemporaries and, therefore, his herbarium also has collections from many parts of the world. An index to collectors is presented, as well as a list of verified and probable types.