RECENT STATE DEVELOPMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL LAW

This article surveys recent legislation and bills in process that deal with agricultural and food law in selected agricultural states in the United States. In addition to categorizing statutory and legislative developments, emerging issues are analyzed in terms of their background and potential for new legislation in the years ahead. Some of the law surveyed is being addressed at both federal and state levels; other legislation reflects local problem situations.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Academic freedom and faculty careers: A case study of four Nobel laureate exiles, 1930-1940

The purpose of this historical study was to evaluate the consequences that the politically-determined conventions of academic freedom in Germany and in the United States had on the careers of four elite scientists before and after their emigration resulting from the threats of Nazism. This problem consisted of three distinct conceptual parts: (1) academic freedom, as a concept, (2) the political conventions of academic freedom within pre-World War II Germany and within pre- and World War II America, and (3) the effect that these definitions had on the careers of Albert Einstein, James Franck, Otto Meyerhof, and Otto Stern. The methodology that best suited this evaluation was the historical case study.;In Germany, I followed academic freedom\u27s evolution beginning with Humboldt\u27s work at the University of Berlin, continuing through to the Weimar Republic, and concluding with the National Socialists. In the United States, I traced academic freedom\u27s development from its classically-based roots, moving through the entrance of the German model, and closing with the impact of the American Association of University Professors.;Incumbent in this discussion was the effects that German nationalism, National Socialism, the Great Depression, communism, and anti-semitism had upon the evolution of academic freedom. I concluded that the nature and development of academic freedom was formed and directed by the constructs of and the constraints upon intellectual liberty. its politically-determined conventions influenced, both positively and negatively, the careers of four particular scientists.;More in-depth study is necessary to further evaluate the relationship between various governing bodies and the academic freedom of the Jewish professoriate. Additionally, insight into the degree and manner of influence of university presidents upon the careers of faculty is also needed

MICROBIAL CONTROLS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL FATE OF CARBON NANOMATERIALS

Since the synthesis of the first carbon nanomaterials (CNM) 30 years ago, researchers and manufacturers have recognized the potential of these materials to transform the world. The unique physical properties and incredible resilience of these materials gives them countless applications and has led to significant increases in their production over the last decade. However, despite their growing prevalence, the properties and processes controlling the degradation of CNM in the environment remain poorly understood. The primary purpose of this dissertation is to examine the role of environmental microorganisms in degrading CNM and to elucidate which CNM properties and environmental processes represent important controls on this degradation. To accomplish this, a series of incubation studies were conducted in which pure fungal cultures and soils were exposed to a CNM

Effect Of Substituents On The Distribution Coefficient Of Benzoic Acids

When an aqueous solution of succinic acid is shaken with ether, the acid distributes itself between the ether and the water in such a way that the ratio between the two concentrations is always constant. It will be seen that the distribution of succinic acid between two solvents is analogous to that of a substance between the liquid and gaseous phases, and therefore, the laws governing the latter equilibrium should apply equally to the former. (1) Nernst has shown that (a). If the molecular weight of the solute is the same in both solvents, the ratio in which it distributes itself between them is constant, at a constant temperature, or, in other words, Henry\u27s law Is applicable; and (b). If there are several solutes in solution, the distribution of each solute Is the same as if it were present alone. This is clearly Dalton\u27s law of partial pressures. The ratio in which the solute distributes itself between the two solvents is termed the coefficient of distribution. When the molecular weight of a solute is not the same in both solvents, the distribution coefficient is not constant, and conversely, if the distribution coefficient is not constant, it is inferred that the solute in the two solvents is not identical

Reservoir seeding for bass management and its effect on sunfish, white crappie, and yellow perch

Ten sections of the fluctuation zone of Lake Nottely, a 1692 ha tributary reservoir in northern Georgia, were seeded with four species of terrestrial grasses by the use of cyclone seeders. Sudan x Sudan, sorghum x sudan, field rye, and fescue were the grasses utilized. Fertilized field rye, a winter species, exhibited the best growth attaining an average height of 79 cm with 43 stems per m2. The failure of the sudan x sudan and sorghum x sudan to survive was attributed to the extremely dry summer. The 10 seeded sections contained 270% more sunfish (Lepomis spp.) ≤ 40 mm when compared to the numbers of sunfish in the control areas. Young-of-the-year white crappie (Pomoxis annularis) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were more abundant in seeded areas by 120 and 240%, respectively. White crappie were the only species that exhibited better growth in the seeded areas at every sampling period. When the total digestive tract of each species was examined, the sunfish ≤ 40 mm consistently exhibited fewer insects and zooplankton per stomach in the seeded areas. This trend was related to the significantly greater numbers of sunfish in the seeded areas. Yellow perch was the only species that had greater numbers of zooplankton and insects per gut in the seeded areas. The significant difference in these items at the first sampling period probably resulted in the better condition of yellow perch in the seeded areas during this time

SOUTHERNMOST OCCURRENCE OF THE SUWANNEE COOTER, PSEUDEMYS CONCINNA SUWANNIENSIS (TESTUDINES: EMYDIDAE)

The Suwannee Cooter, Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis, the largest member of the speciose turtle family Emydidae, inhabits a small number of rivers that drain into the northeastern Gulf of Mexico along the northwest coast of Florida from just west of Tallahassee to just south of Tampa. The status of this state-protected subspecies in the southernmost of these rivers, the Alafia, is unknown and hence of conservation concern. We provide recent evidence confirming that a reproducing population still exists in this river, and review available specimens and both published and unpublished records documenting the southern limit of distribution. At least within the eastern United States, our observations also extend confirmed knowledge of the geographic occurrence of hatchling turtles overwintering in the nest southward by 285 km

Particulate Matter Exposure Impairs Systemic Microvascular Endothelium-Dependent Dilation

Acute exposure to airborne pollutants, such as solid particulate matter (PM), increases the risk of cardiovascular dysfunction, but the mechanisms by which PM evokes systemic effects remain to be identified. The purpose of this study was to determine if pulmonary exposure to a PM surrogate, such as residual oil fly ash (ROFA), affects endothelium-dependent dilation in the systemic microcirculation. Rats were intratracheally instilled with ROFA at 0.1, 0.25, 1 or 2 mg/rat 24 hr before experimental measurements. Rats intratracheally instilled with saline or titanium dioxide (0.25 mg/rat) served as vehicle or particle control groups, respectively. In vivo microscopy of the spinotrapezius muscle was used to study systemic arteriolar dilator responses to the Ca(2+) ionophore A23187, administered by ejection via pressurized micropipette into the arteriolar lumen. We used analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples to monitor identified pulmonary inflammation and damage. To determine if ROFA exposure affected arteriolar nitric oxide sensitivity, sodium nitroprusside was iontophoretically applied to arterioles of rats exposed to ROFA. In saline-treated rats, A23187 dilated arterioles up to 72 ± 7% of maximum. In ROFA- and TiO(2)-exposed rats, A23187-induced dilation was significantly attenuated. BAL fluid analysis revealed measurable pulmonary inflammation and damage after exposure to 1 and 2 mg ROFA (but not TiO(2) or < 1 mg ROFA), as evidenced by significantly higher polymorphonuclear leukocyte cell counts, enhanced BAL albumin levels, and increased lactate dehydrogenase activity in BAL fluid. The sensitivity of arteriolar smooth muscle to NO was similar in saline-treated and ROFA-exposed rats, suggesting that pulmonary exposure to ROFA affected endothelial rather than smooth muscle function. A significant increase in venular leukocyte adhesion and rolling was observed in ROFA-exposed rats, suggesting local inflammation at the systemic microvascular level. These results indicate that pulmonary PM exposure impairs systemic endothelium-dependent arteriolar dilation. Moreover, because rats exposed to < 1 mg ROFA or TiO(2) did not exhibit BAL signs of pulmonary damage or inflammation, it appears that PM exposure can impair systemic microvascular function independently of detectable pulmonary inflammation