Old Age in Transition: The Geriatric Ward Revisited

Old Age in Transition: The Geriatric Ward Revisited. Peter Woolfson. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 1997.133 pp.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
Age, Generation and Time: Some Features of East African Age Organizations . P. T. W. Baxter and U. Almagor
Sex and Age as Principles of Social Differentiation . J. S. La Fontaine     

Repatriating an Interpretive Anthropology: The American Studies/Cultural Criticism Connection

The Organization of American Culture, 1700–1900: Private Institutions, Elites and the Origins of American Nationality . Peter Dobkin Hall.
No Place of Grace: Antimodernism and the Transformation of American Culture 1880–1920 . T. J. Jackson Lears.
The Incorporation of America: Culture and Society in the Gilded Age . Alan Trachtenberg.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviews in this Article:
Life's Dominion: An Argument About Abortion, Euthanasia, and Individual Freedom , by, Ronald Dworkin
Birth Suffering, and Death: Catholic Perspectives at the Edges of Life , Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J. Francesco Abel, S.J., and John C. Harvey eds.
Euthanasia is not the Answer. A hospice Physician's View by David Cundiff
Last Rights: Death Control and the Elderly in America , Barbara Logue, Mississippi
Confrontations With The Reaper by Fred Feldman.
Slippery Slope Arguments , Douglas Walton
Biomedical Politics , Institute of Medicine
Bioscience Society , Roy, D.J., Wynne, B.E., Old, R.W., eds.     

China's Century: Fast Forward with Historical Baggage

Private Life under Socialism: Love, Intimacy, and Family Change in. Chinese Village 1949–1999 . Yan Yunxiang. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2003. 289 pp.
Only Hope: Coming of Age under China's One-Child Policy . Vanessa Fong. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2004. 242 pp.
On the Move: Women in Rural-to-Urban Migration in Contemporary China . Arianne M. Gaetano and Tamara Jacka, eds. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004. 355 pp.     

Reviews of publications

Book reviewed in this article:
Evolutionary Trends in Plants
A Preliminary, Verafied List of Plant Collectors in Mexico by Irving W. Knobloch. Phytologia Memoirs
An Evolutionary Basis for Pollination Ecology by S. C. Willemstein.
Flora of Lough Neagh , by John Harron with the assistance of Brian S. Rushton
Biologically Active Natural Products , edited by K. Hostettmann & P. J. Lea.
La vegetacion en el Pais Valenciana , by Manuel Costa
W. J. Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles: Supplement , by D. L. Clarke
Domestication of Plants in the Old World , by Daniel Zohary & Maria Hopf     

Poverty and Downward Mobility in the Land of Opportunity

Falling from Grace: Downward Mobility in the Age of Affluence. Katherine S. Newman. Berkeley; University of California Press, 1999. 328 pp.
"So You Think. Drive. Cadillac?": Welfare Recipients' Perspectives on the System and Its Reform. Karen Seccombe. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999. 246 PP.
Braving the Street: The Anthropology of Homelessness. Irene Glasser and Rae Bridgman. New York: Berghahn Books, 1999. 132 pp.     

Old Age Assistance: A Report by the Bureau of Research and Planning

What are some of the reasons why older persons become eligible for Old Age Assistance in California?How many become eligible because of medical care needs?This Report of the Bureau of Research and Planning draws upon recently published data of the State Department of Social Welfare and presents statistics covering a recent one-year period.     

The inheritance and maintenance of the melanic form nigrescens of Pachycnemia hippocastanaria (Lepidoptera: Ennominae)

Abstract. 1. A New Forest population of P.hippocastanaria with both typical and nigrescens forms was studied over 6 years. The nigrescens form constituted between 10% and 17% of the population.
2. Breeding experiments showed that the nigrescens form is inherited as a unifactorial recessive; however, rearing at low temperatures induces a phenotype similar to nigrescens to result from insects with a genotype which normally produces typical imagines.
3. Old collections of P.hippocastanaria suggest that the frequency of the nigrescens form in the New Forest area has increased over the last 100 years.
4. Samples collected from other areas, within and outside the New Forest, indicated that the distribution of nigrescens is limited to heaths within the New Forest and on the extreme eastern border of Dorset.
5. A number of speculative reasons for the increase in the frequency of the nigrescens form in this area are suggested.     

A malaria parasite of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and its relation with known species of Plasmodium in other ungulates

With the exception of the human malaria parasites, the mammalian species of Plasmodium have a fairly restricted geographical distribution, while the incidence of the infection in the different orders of mammals is patchy. A few species have been described in ungulates in the Old World Tropics, but Plasmodium odocoilei sp.nov. of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) of Texas is the first example to be found in the New World. It was discovered in an adult specimen that had had its spleen removed. Only the blood stages of the parasite are known, but these show various remarkable features: the presence of large vacuoles in the cytoplasm, and the enormous distortion and discoloration of the infected red blood cell. The phylogeny of the parasite is discussed in relation to that of the vertebrate host and it is suggested that Cervid stock crossed the Bering Land Bridge in the Pliocene Age, carrying a plasmodial infection that was the common source of malaria in the Old World Tragulidae and in the New World Odocoileus.     

Age, growth and reproduction of Aphanius iberus (Cuv. & Val., 1846) in the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir river (south-west Spain)

SUMMARY. 1. Age, growth and reproduction in an Atlantic population of the small fish, Aphanius iberus (Cuv. & Val., 1846), from the estuary of the Guadalquivir river were studied.
2. The growth period was from April to September and the annulus on the scales was formed in April.
3. The life-span was short with a winter age-structure of 95.9% 0+ fish, 3.9% 1+ and 0.2% 2+.
4. The fecundity of this stock, before the beginning of reproduction, is represented by the formula: Fec=0.907 TL (cm)^4.099. During the reproductive period 1+ females contained more, smaller eggs g⁻¹ of gonad than 0+ fish.
5. Males matured before females, but females were larger than males. The overall sex ratio did not differ from 1:1 but males dominated significantly during most of the spawning period.
6. Aphanius iberus spawned intermittently during the reproductive period. From April to July, 1+ group specimens (7–12 months old) reproduced. Their offspring (0+ group; 3–4 months old) reproduced from July to September. Very few of the 1+ group specimens survived to spawn the following year.
7. Mean gonadosomatic indices were much higher in the 1+ group than in the 0+ group and in females compared to males.
8. The loss of condition and the disappearance of the 1 + group during spawning, may indicate the cost of a prolonged high level of reproductive effort.
9. In this productive environment, the life history of Aphanius iberus is similar to that of Gambusia affinis (Baird & Girard, 1853) and Fundulus heteroclitus (Linnaeus) found in the same area.     

REVIEWS

Die Typen der Bromus eructus-Wiesen des Schweizer Juras. Ihre Abhángigkeit von den Standortsbedingungen und wirtschaftlichen Einflüssen und ihre Beziehungen zur ursprünglichen Vegetation. By H. Z oller .
Ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis des Arrhenatheretum elatioris in pflanzen-sociologischer und agronomischer Betrachtungsweise. By J. S chneider .
Chromosome Botany. By C. D. D arlington .
Das morphologische System der Kulturtomaten (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller ). By C hr , O. L ehmann . Edited by H. S tubbe .
Biology of Root-infecting Fungi. By S. D. G arrett .
Gesetzmdssigkeiten der Gestaltwandlung im Blütenhereich. Ihre Bedeutung für das Problem der Evolution. By E rich N elson .
Chromosome Atlas of Flowering Plants. By C. D. D arlington and A. P. W ylie .
The Geochemistry of Iodine. Compiled by the Chilean Iodine Educational Bureau.
The Geochemistry of Iodine. Compiled by the Chilean Iodine Educational Bureau.
Life Forms as Age Indicators. By H. M ølhom H ansen . (A. Rasmussens Bogtrykkeri Ringkjøbing.)
A Comparative Study of Chlorococcum meneghini and Other Spherical, Zoospore-Producing Genera of the Chlorococcales. By R ichard C. S tarr .     

Suppression of ovulation by a synthetic progestin in the capuchin monkey

Background  From the limited research in New World monkeys it is not clear whether they are as sensitive to the antiovulatory effects of synthetic progestins as noted in human beings. We examined whether levonorgestrel prevented ovulation in the capuchin monkey.
Methods  Cebus apella monkeys were treated orally with two doses of 2 mg of levonorgestrel, 8–9 hours apart, in four periovulatory stages assessed by laparoscopy.
Results  Levonorgestrel-induced luteinization of the follicle prevented oocyte release up to 8 hours before ovulation. Unhealthy oocytes were recovered from 46% of unruptured follicles. Luteal progesterone was reduced by 55%, 35%, and 25% according to when levonorgestrel was given −2, −1, and 0 day from estradiol peak respectively.
Conclusion  The capuchin monkey, a neotropical primate in which progesterone circulates at levels much higher than in Old World primates and human beings, is sensitive to the antiovulatory effects of synthetic progestins.     

旧石器时代早期石制品分析方案

本文提出一种应用于旧石器时代早期石制品研究的分析方案。本方案以宏观分析方法为主,不包括同样重要的微观分析方法,主要应用于旧石器时代早期石制品的技术-类型学分析,不涉及特定地区和特殊石制品的讨论。在旧大陆旧石器时代早期石器研究中,鉴于学者们使用的技术学与类型学分析方案总体相似,我们认为在研究中使用标准化的分析方案会提高地区间石器面貌的可比性,并有助于理解旧石器时代早期旧大陆古人类的技术行为模式。从这个角度出发,本文将回顾旧石器时代早期石器研究的主要理论和方法,并提出分析视角和术语建议,希望有助于研究中对描述剥片类、废片类、锤击工具、拼合工具和传统石制品的测量与绘图惯例。     

Functional heterogeneity of dry-season fish refugia across a Mediterranean catchment: the role of habitat and predation

SUMMARY 1. Fish in Mediterranean streams survive through the summer in residual surface waters, encompassing a broad range of abiotic and biotic conditions. Yet, the extent to which fish assemblages may be shaped by functional heterogeneity in dry-season refugia is largely unknown. This study addresses this issue, by examining fish assemblage and population attributes, and predation patterns in residual summer habitats (12 pools and six runs) across a Mediterranean catchment in south-west Portugal.
2. Species richness was fairly constant among runs but increased with pool size, with the addition of exotics and rare natives to large pools resulting in nested subsets. The four most common species (chub, nase, loach and eel) were considered generalists in terms of their use of dry-season refugia. Conversely, rare species presented more specialised habitats, with barbel and exotics favouring pools and stickleback favouring runs.
3. Age and size of the two most common species varied among dry-season habitats. Age 0 chub were restricted to runs, where spawning stages (age 2 and older fish) were also more represented. Age 0 nase also concentrated in runs, but the individuals collected in pools exhibited greater growth. Conversely, age 2 and older nase were proportionally more abundant in pools, but with greater growth and better condition in runs.
4. The otter was the main fish predator, consuming fish of all species and size classes, irrespective of habitat. Otter activity concentrated in pools, where predation risk for cyprinids seemed to be much higher than in runs.
5. Dry-season refugia apparently vary in functional importance for different fish species and life stages, acting as complementary units in the landscape. Therefore, the presence of both pool and run refugia trough the summer dry season may play a critical role in promoting the persistence of native species in Mediterranean streams.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Man the Hunter. Edited by Richard B. Lee and Irven DeVore Primates: Studies in Adaptation and Variability. Edited by Phyllis C. Jay The Unlucky Australians. By Frank Hardy. Nelson Megalithic Sites in Britain. By Alexander Thom The Development of Omaha Kinship Terminologies in Three Australian Aboriginal Tribes of the Kimberley Division, Western Australia. By Peter Lucich Kimberley Region: an annotated bibliography. Compiled by Beryl F. Craig San Bernadino Contla. By Hugo G. Nutini The Old Stone Age. By François Bordes. Translated by J. E. Anderson The Origins and Growth of Archaeology. By Glyn Daniel Conceptions of Kentucky Prehistory. By Douglas W. Schwartz The Judicial Process among the Barotse of Northern Rhodesia. By Max Gluckman The Life History in Anthropological Science. By L. L. Langness. Holt     

Reproductive traits of stream-dwelling brown trout Salmo trutta in contrasting neighbouring rivers of central Spain

1. Reproductive traits were studied in seven wild populations of resident brown trout in Spain. We examined whether growth, and certain environmental conditions such as water temperature or food abundance, could explain interpopulation variation in the reproductive characters.
2. The results indicated that nearby populations subjected to a wide variation in environmental conditions exhibited a similar reproductive performance.
3. Age distributions and sex ratios were not significantly different among populations. Age ranged from 0+ to 4+ years but the populations were dominated by the 0+ to 2+ groups. In all rivers females matured at age 2+ as opposed to age 1+ and 2+ for males. Mean length at the end of the growth period differed significantly among populations. However, annual growth rate was similar among rivers and was not significantly correlated with either biomass of the benthos or water temperature during the growth season.
4. Reproductive effort, body condition, fecundity and egg size did not correlate significantly with either the abundance of benthic invertebrates or water temperature. Once the effect of body length on both egg size and number was removed, a significant negative correlation was found between these two traits among populations.     

Possible paleopathological evidence of treponematosis from a megalithic site at Agripalle,India

An Iron Age (megalithic) skull recovered from a cist burial complex at Agripalle, Andhra Pradesh, India, exhibits extensive erosion of the calvarium, areas of sclerotic diploe, irregular osteitic and periosteitic lesions, and deep ulcerations with a granulomatous appearance of nodular foci due to bone remodeling. These lesions are found over the entire surface, but are less severe in the temporal region and in the occipital region below lambda. There is extensive ulceration and destruction of the orbital roof and the nasopalatine region. A thick bony mass representing a healed lesion is present on the nasal margin. Comparison with the pathologic skeletal series of Ortner and Putschar ([1981] Smithson. Contrib. Anthropol. 28:180–218), Steinbock ([1976] Paleopathology: Diagnosis and Interpretation, pp. 86–169), and Calvin ([1964] Bones and Disease: Evidence of Disease and Abnormality in Early Man) indicates that these findings warrant a diagnosis of an advanced stage of treponematosis. The material from Agripalle, together with similar specimens recovered from the sites of Bhimbetka (Iron Age) and Inamgaon (Chalcolithic), furnish additional evidence supporting the hypothesis of the prehistoric antiquity of treponemal disease in both the New and Old Worlds. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Population dynamics of the gastropod Theodoxus jordani (Sowerby) in the Shatt Al-Arab river

SUMMARY. 1. Measurements of the population density of Theodoxus jordani were made for the period July 1980 until June 1981. Numbers showed a well-defined pattern of fluctuation and varied between 390 in February and 1804 snails m⁻² in May after recruitment.
2. The population age structure revealed that the snail was semelparous, and that one generation dominated the population for most of the year.
3. The breeding season was long. Snails laid eggs from early December to the end of April. Eggs were laid in protective capsules and one snail developed per capsule. Total population natality estimated from field samples was 9813 snails m⁻².
4. Age specific mortality was high immediately after recruitment, low during the juvenile stages, and increased sharply at the adult stage with the onset of reproduction.     

Factors which affect the abundance of an invasive cladoceran, Daphnia lumholtzi, in U.S. reservoirs

1.  Daphnia lumholtzi is a subtropical, Old World species which is rapidly spreading throughout reservoirs in the southern U.S.A. It was first recorded in Lake Texoma (Oklahoma–Texas) in September 1991.
2. Southern U.S. reservoirs typically have strong spatial and temporal gradients in temperature, conductivity, turbidity and in the distribution of organisms. Therefore, the present experiments examined the reproductive and moulting rates, and survival of D . lumholtzi in relation to extremes of food concentration, temperature, conductivity and turbidity.
3. Increases in temperature (range = 15–29 °C) and decreases in turbidity (range = 0.6–470 NTU) increased reproductive and moulting rates, whereas food concentration only affected the rate of reproduction, while conductivity had no effects. Survival was affected only by temperature.
4.  Daphnia lumholtzi tolerates high temperatures (27–30 °C) at which other cladocerans in Lake Texoma disappear. Therefore, D . lumholtzi may exploit resources in midsummer, when there are few potential competitors.