Servo-controlled intravital microscope system

A microscope system is described for viewing an area of a living body tissue that is rapidly moving, by maintaining the same area in the field-of-view and in focus. A focus sensing portion of the system includes two video cameras at which the viewed image is projected, one camera being slightly in front of the image plane and the other slightly behind it. A focus sensing circuit for each camera differentiates certain high frequency components of the video signal and then detects them and passes them through a low pass filter, to provide dc focus signal whose magnitudes represent the degree of focus. An error signal equal to the difference between the focus signals, drives a servo that moves the microscope objective so that an in-focus view is delivered to an image viewing/recording camera

Carmack Amendment in the State Courts

Prior to the leading case of Adams Express Co. v. Croninger,\u27- decided January 6th, 1913, there was much diversity in the decisions of the state courts as to the validity of contracts between shippers and carriers limiting the amount of the carrier\u27s liability for injuries to goods shipped. Such limitations were held valid in some states, but invalid in others, and in some were declared invalid by statutes or constitutional provisions.2 State rules were applied to interstate as well as intrastate shipments, it being supposed that Congress had not legislated upon the subject. The CARMACK AmlNDVNT of i9o6s provided that every carier receiving property for interstate shipment should issue a receipt or bill of lading therefor, and be liable for any injury to such property caused by it or by any connecting carrier, and concluded with the words no contract, receipt, rule or regulation shall exempt such common carrier, railroad or transportation company from the liability hereby imposed; Provided, that nothing in this section shall deprive any holder of such receipt or bill of lading of any remedy or right of action which he had under existing law. It had been thought, both by state and by federal courts, that the proviso above quoted was intended to save to the shipper whatever rights he had under existing state law; and accordingly both state and federal courts continued to apply the rules, different in different jurisdictions, which had controlled before the passage of that amendment.\u27 In the Croninger case, however, -it was held by the United States Supreme Court that Congress had evinced, in the CARMACYC AMXNDMrNT, an intention to assume control over the whole field of the liability of common carriers on interstate shipments, and to supersede and abrogate all state laws in relation thereto; and that the proviso saving to the shipper his rights \u27under existing, law meant to save him only such rights as he had under existing federal law. There was no existing federal law forbidding contracts limiting the amount of the carrier\u27s liability (a limitation of amount not being an exemption within the meaning of the amendment), and such contracts were therefore held to be valid, regardless of state rules or laws. Immediately following that decision, and in accordance with the doctrine there laid down, several state decisions holding such contracts invalid were reversed.5 The same rule was held to apply to contracts for the transportation of the baggage of a passenger, in Boston & Maine R. R. v. Hooker, where it was further held that the filed and published tariffs were binding on both carrier and shipper, and that regulations therein (including limitation of liability) were conclusively presumed to be a part of the contract of transportation. A year after the Hooker case, it was decided in Geo. N. Pierce Co. v. Wells Fargo & Co.,7 that under the CARMACK AMI=- MXNT a contract limiting the amount of the carrier\u27s liability for goods shipped between states was valid even though the stipulated amount was purely arbitrary and out of all proportion to the true value of the shipment, and even though the carrier knew that such true value was greatly in excess of the limit of liability. The theory of all these decisions was that Congress intended by its legislation to put all shippers of goods from state to state on precisely the same basis, to do away with discrimination of any kind in interstate transportation, and to make the laws governing shipments between states uniform and equal in their operation throughout the land

Automatically-focusing microscope system for live tissue observation

System includes focus-sensing arrangement which controls servo to keep microscope constantly focused on target. Microscope objective is moved along optical axis. System includes two video cameras that are used as transducers for sensing focus. Incoming visual image is split by beam splitter so that one-half of information is fed to each camera

Combining Citizen Science with Traditional Biotic Surveys to Enhance Knowledge Regarding the Natural History of Secretive Species: Notes on the Geographic Distribution and Status of the Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus) in the Cumberland Mountains of Virginia, USA

The Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus) is a secretive, arboreal cliff specialist distributed discontinuously across the southern and central Appalachian Mountains, USA. While intensively studied in some parts of its range in the Appalachian Plateau  and Blue Ridge Provinces, the distribution of A. aeneus is still poorly understood, particularly in the Cumberland Mountains physiographic province of the Appalachian region. This data deficiency is partly the result of a lack of formal historic surveys across this region, coupled with a high amount of privately owned land that is inaccessible to traditional biotic surveys. We used a combination of citizen science efforts and traditional field surveys to investigate the distribution and status of A. aeneus across the Cumberland Mountains of southwestern Virginia, USA. Local landowners and outdoor recreation enthusiasts reported a relatively high rate of encounters with A. aeneus, verifying the species’ persistence at four historic localities and leading to the discovery of 36 previously unknown populations. Although we are cautious about making inferences about the true conservation status of A. aeneus across this region given the scarcity of current data, these findings suggest that the distribution of A. aeneus in Virginia has been vastly underestimated and that expanded monitoring programs are needed to further ascertain this species’ status. More broadly, our results illustrate the utility of coupling public initiatives with more traditional field surveys to expand the biogeographic knowledge of secretive, difficult-to-study amphibian species. &nbsp

Note and Comment

Safeguarding the Criminal Defendant - Every now and then a new attack is made somewhere in the United States upon the rule prohibiting comment before the jury upon the fact that the defendant in a criminal case has not testified as a witness in his own behalf. At the present time an effort of this kind is being made in the Michigan legislature, and the introduction of the bill drew quite a little storm of protest from the State press as a dangerous inroad upon our ancient guarantees of personal liberty and security. In fact, however, it directly touches nothing more ancient than a statutory privilege which dates from the year i86i. By the Public Acts of that year the disability of parties to actions to testify as witnesses in this State was removed, but it was expressly provided that defendants in criminal cases could not be compelled to testify, but might do so or not at their own pleasure. (Act No. 125, §2). In 1881 an amendment to this statute was passed providing, as to the defendant in a criminal case, that his neglect to testify shall not create any presumption against him, nor shall the court permit any reference or comment to be made to or upon such neglect. (Pub. Acts, 188I, No. 245). And this is the form it retains in the Judicature Act. (Ch. 17, §64)