History and Computerization of the Kent State University Herbarium

Author Institution: Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State UniversityHerbarium specimens are useful resources in documenting the botanical component of the earth's biological diversity. The Kent State University Herbarium (KE) contains 63,000 specimens of vascular plants. Ohio specimens, most collected since I960, constitute 80% of the total. The herbarium is currently being computerized in order to facilitate retrieval of information from the specimens and from their labels and to realize other advantages in herbarium-related work. Specimen data are being stored in a computer information retrieval system using dBASE HI PLUS. The data are assembled in individual family database files, each file record comprising 24 fields of information. A program has been designed so that the printout of the fields resembles an herbarium specimen label. At present, data for all the pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and monocotyledons have been entered into 63 family files. When computerization of the dicotyledons is completed later in the decade, the database will consist of ca. 220 family files. The database provides an itemized inventory of the collection as well as ready, organized data for a variety of research areas, especially those focused on environmental change and on the preservation of biological diversity

Interactions between Word Frequency and Neighborhood Frequency in Lexical Access

In this study, we attempted to determine whether larger NF effects occur for low-WF words than for high-WF words. The experiment employed a lexical-decision task, in which participants were presented with a lists of single items, half of which were words and half were pronounceable nonwords, varied along possible extreme values of high/low WF and NF for 4- and 5-letter words. The primary theoretical implication of the study is that there is no search process involved in lexical access, rather that lexical access is a selection event based on the level of activation of a lexical entry produced by semantic, orthographic, and phonological information as it is processed pre-perceptually. Some practical implications of the study are a better understanding of dyslexia and ways to improve the reading habits of children

Does a Progesterone Receptor Mechanism Maintain Pregnancy?

Progesterone is a gonadal steroid that maintains pregnancy and prevents ripening of the cervix. Previous research has shown that progesterone has a strong binding affinity for both progesterone and glucocorticoid receptors. However, what is not known is the role these receptors play in the parturition process. The purpose of this study was to determine whether progesterone withdrawal promotes the neuroinflammatory processes within the pre-partum cervix through the action of progesterone receptors. To test this, time-dated pregnant mice were subjected to pure agonists or a progestagen that binds to both receptors. Sections of cervix were analyzed to count resident immune cells and determine ripening within each cervix. Immune cell counts did not display any significant differences between the mice treated with the pure progesterone agonist and the mice treated with the mixed progestagen. Cell nuclei counts revealed a significant increase in cell nuclei of the pre-partum cervices treated with the pure progesterone agonist. Serum progesterone levels behaved as expected. Further analysis of cervical tissue will be performed in order to improve the validity of the results found in this study

Ohio's Herbaria and the Ohio Flora Project

Author Institution: Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State UniversityThe Ohio Flora Project, under the direction of the Ohio Flora Committee of The Ohio Academy of Science, was actuated in 1950. The goal of the project is the production of an illustrated Ohio Flora covering all vascular plants, native and naturalized, with keys for their identification and a county dot distribution map for each species. More than 300,000 specimens of Ohio vascular plants are housed in the state's several herbaria. These specimens provide the main source of data for the project. They have also provided the main data source for lists of endangered species in the Ohio flora, compiled recently by the Ohio Biological Survey and the Natural Heritage Program of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Distribution of Pteridophytes in Iowa

In 1954 and the early part of this year, in connection with a general study of the pteridophytes of Iowa (1955), the writer made dot distribution maps of the species. The maps were based upon specimens from the herbaria of Iowa State College, Iowa State Teachers College, Grinnell College and the State University of Iowa. The nomenclature and the treatment of the species followed generally that of the New Britton and Brown Illustrated Flora (Gleason, 1952)

Marcus Plant

A Tribute to Marcus Plan

Farnsworth: Introduction to the Legal System of the United States

A Review of Introduction to the Legal System of the United States By Allan Farnsworth