Diseases and deaths; a summary of data from the Los Angeles County General Hospital, 1918 to 1948

Classification of the 2,557,035 diagnoses made in 1,168,139 different patients at the Los Angeles County General Hospital in the period 1918-48 has been compiled according to the new International List of Causes of Diseases and Death. Similar tabulation of the 377,776 diagnoses made in the 112,409 patients who died while in the hospital reflects the fatality rates associated with these diagnoses. Striking differences are shown in the incidence and fatality rates in the various conditions and great changes have occurred in both during this time. Defects and sources of error in these data are recognized, but they offer a wealth of valuable material for further study and interpretation.     

Inorganic ions and the hatching of Heterodera spp

Of various inorganic ions tested for their ability to stimulate hatching of eggs of the cyst nematodes of cereals (Heterodera avenae Woll), carrot (H. carotae Jones), cabbage (H. cruciferae Franklin), soybean (H. glycines Ichinohe), pea (H. goettingiana Liebs.), potato (H. rostochiensis Woll.), beet (H. schachtii Schm.), tobacco (H. tabacum Lownsbery & Lownsbery) and clover (H. trifolii Goffart), some were active. Zn²⁺ hatched many eggs of seven species and some of H. goettingiana, but inhibited hatch of H. avenae to below that in water. Zinc salts are the first recorded very active hatching stimulants for H. glycines in vitro. Many other metal ions stimulated hatching of H. schachtii eggs to varying extents; these also hatched some but not all of the other species. Vanadate ions were particularly effective for H. rostochiensis, more so than Zn²⁺. No ion increased the hatch of H. avenae to above that in water. The most active ions were not those most abundant in soil. The behaviour of different ions with different species did not suggest any obvious affinities between species, but the differences between the hatching of H. tabacum and H. rostochiensis add weight to the view that, despite morphological similarities and overlapping host ranges, they are distinct species rather than pathotypes of a single species. Ions and other hatching agents may be absorbed by materials within the egg or larva and alter the structure and function of these materials. The lack of correlation between the hatching of H. schachtii by ions and the known stability sequences of various biological metal-binding systems suggests that there may be several sites of action that differ in their response.     

Pathogenicity of the Hyphomycete Fungi Verticillium lecanii and Metarhizium anisopliae to the Western Flower Thrips,Frankliniella occidentalis

The pathogenicity of several isolates of the hyphomycete fungi Verticillium lecanii and Metarhizium anisopliae to Frankliniella occidentalis was investigated. Treatment of adult thrips with M. anisopliae resulted in at least 94% mortality at 7 days post-inoculation. In contrast, V. lecanii isolates only gave mortalities of between 20 and 70%. Detailed studies were made on the most virulent isolate of M. anisopliae (275) to determine its efficacy at different doses and temperatures. At 23 C the LC was ca. 3 105 conidia ml-1 after 5 days and the LTs were 50 50 3 and 4.5 days at 10 7 and 106 conidia ml-1 respectively. Temperature influenced fungal virulence to adult thrips; the LT at 18 and 20 C was ca. 4 days and at 23 or 26 C it was ca. 3 days. 50 Larvae were less susceptible to infection than adult thrips (27% versus 100% mortality), presumably due to the inoculum being shed with the exuvium during ecdysis. Conidia of M. anisopliae isolate 275 germinated rapidly on the surfaces of larvae, pupae and adults, with most germlings producing appressoria within 24 h post-inoculation. Fungal elements were present in significant amounts in the body 3 days after treatment.     

Overwintering of Venturia inaequalis, the causal agent of apple scab, on different cultivars

A maturation index summarising pseudothecial development of Venturia inaequalis was devised. The index demonstrated differences in overwintering on 10 apple cultivars and the crab apple Malus toringo in experiments over two winters. At about the green cluster stage, when there is a high proportion of susceptible foliage, there were 50–100 fold differences in the yield of ascospores from these hosts, due mainly to different rates of pseudothecial maturation. These rates were shown to be independent of cultivar differences in colony numbers on leaves in the previous autumn.
Cultivar differences in the timing of fruit bud development were independent of differences in the overwintering of V. inaequalis . These findings confirm the importance of considering cultivar identity in apple scab management.     

Modeling Wolverine Occurrence Using Aerial Surveys of Tracks in Snow

ABSTRACT We designed a novel approach to determining extent of distribution and area of occupancy for wolverines (Gulo gulo) by using aerial surveys of tracks in snow and hierarchical spatial modeling. In 2005 we used a small, fixed-wing aircraft with pilot and one observer to search 575 of 588 survey units for wolverine tracks in approximately 60,000 km² of boreal forest in northwestern Ontario, Canada. We used sinuous flight paths to scan open areas in the forest in the 100-km² survey units. We detected tracks in 138 (24%) of the 575 sampled units. There was strong evidence of occurrence (probability of occurrence >0.80) in 30% of the 588 survey units, weak evidence of occurrence (0.50–0.80) in 12%, weak evidence of absence (0.20–0.50) in 15%, and strong evidence of absence (< 0.20) in 43%. Wolverine range comprised 59% of the study area and area of occupancy was 33,400 km². With information on probability of occurrence and core areas of occupation for wolverines in our study area, resource managers and others can examine factors that influence wolverine distribution patterns and use this information to formulate best management practices that will maintain wolverines on the landscape in the face of increasing resource development. Comparing future survey results with those of our 2005 survey will provide an objective way to assess the efficacy of management practices.     

The Activation of Cinnamate by an Enzyme from Leaves of Spinach Beet (Beta vulgaris L. ssp. vulgaris)

The preparation of an extract from leaves of spinach beet (Betavulgaris L. ssp. vulgaris), which catalysed, the activationof cinnamate, is described. The reaction required CoA and wasmost rapid under nitrogen in the presence of thiol reagents.An enzyme which activated acetate was also present but was distinguishableby its indifference to thiol reagents and air during the reactionand its greater stability during storage under air. Extractscatalysing cinnamate activation could be prepared only fromrapidly growing leaves at the height of the growth season.     

The Relation between the Synthesis of Inorganic Polyphosphate and Phosphate Uptake by Chlorella vulgaris

During a period of phosphate starvation, the phosphate contentof cells of Chlorella vulgaris which had been grown in phosphate-richsolution, decreased. The levels of most phosphate fractionsdeclined, especially those of inorganic polyphosphates, whichat first accounted for about 5 per cent of the total phosphateand virtually disappeared after 36 h starvation. On return toa phosphate medium, phosphate was taken up at a much fasterrate than before starvation, with a striking increase in acid-solublepolyphosphate. The stimulated phosphate uptake and polyphosphateincrease have been shown to be specific effects of phosphatestarvation, occurred only when excess phosphate was suppliedand required light or air for the provision of energy. Therewas relatively little change in the concentrations of otherphosphate fractions, including orthophosphate. Inorganic polyphosphatewas found to be synthesized solely from phosphate absorbed fromthe medium. It is argued that polyphosphate synthesis is a consequenceof the stimulation of phosphate uptake, induced by the starvationperiod.