Continuity and Change in an Old Industrial Region

Analysts have debated the extent to which recent economic changes represent a continuation of earlier patterns or a fundamental shift to a new industrial order. We trace and extend the spatial implications of this debate for a mature industrial region, the Ohio River Valley, part of the American Manufacturing Belt, for the 1980-90 period. The paper builds on recent research arguing that such regions had a diverse, rather than homogeneous, space-economy. Empirical findings clearly demonstrate diversity of economic structures, sectorally and spatially, emphasizing both continuity and change in an old industrial region, and the totality of economic activity rather than specific sectors identified with the rise or transformation of industrial capitalism. In terms of change, aggregate trends follow national ones, but do not wash evenly over the Ohio River Valley. Nor do they mirror, when considered at a sub-regional scale, patterns indicated by de-industrialization and post-Fordist transition frameworks. Findings provide implications for elaborating or augmenting these perspectives, and types of research needed to accomplish the task.     

Effect of Late-season Top-dressings of N (and K) applied to Conifer Transplants in the Nursery on their Survival and Growth on British Forest Sites

At two English forest nurseries, transplants of five coniferspecies—Picea sitchensis, Picea abies, Tsuga heterophylla,Abies grandis, and Pinus contorta—were grown with fertilizersupplying N, P, K, and Mg in amounts intended to be adequatefor producing healthy green trees with nutrient concentrationsin the ‘sufficiency range’ as determined by earlierexperiments. ‘Luxury uptake’ of nitrogen was obtainedwith top-dressings of ‘Nitro-Chalk’ applied in thenursery during early September, when top growth had nearly ceased.Tests of the effect of this extra N on forest establishmentwere repeated in four successive years under a wide range ofsoil and climatic conditions, keeping the trees in a cold storeduring each winter and planting them on forest sites in England,Scotland, or Wales during the following spring. Except for Grandfir, nitrogen advanced bud-break of all species during the firstsummer after planting and had no deleterious influence on survival.It tended to increase growth of Sitka spruce during the seasonafter planting, but in later years the differences became smallin relation to tree size. The effects on other species weresmall, except for one considerable decrease in the growth responseof Grand fir at a single site. Frost damage of Sitka spruce of Washington origin was severeon a Welsh and a Scottish site where this frost-sensitive provenancewould not normally be grown. At the Welsh, but not the Scottishsite, the nitrogen treatment increased the damage. In the few experiments (confined to Picea sitchensis) whichtested late-season potassium in the nursery, K concentrationswere increased from deficiency to barely sufficiency level;growth in the forest was increased in two of the four experiments.The extra K had no effect on frost damage.     

Multiple squamous cell carcinoma of the digits in two cats

This paper describes the clinical and pathological features of two cats with squamous cell carcinoma affecting several digits. Similar lesions have been described in dogs and humans.     

The effect of training on equine metacarpal bone breaking strength

Right third metacarpal bones (n=24) from Thoroughbreds, 24 to 48 months old and in race training, were tested to failure in 3 point bending. The neutral load axis was estimated and the distance from the axis to the outer dorsal cortical surface measured. Mid-diaphyseal dorsopalmar and lateromedial outer cortical and medullary diameters were measured. Breaking strength, cortical area and area moment of inertia were also calculated. Significant correlations were demonstrated between months in training and dorsopalmar bone diameter, cortical area and area moment of inertia. Significant linear models were illustrated between the same 3 variables and number of months in training. It was concluded that increased duration of training significantly enlarges dorsopalmar bone diameter, cortical area and area moment of inertia. Training did not affect metacarpal bone breaking strength as determined by 3 point bending.     

The effect of dietary lipid and lecithin levels on the growth, survival, feeding efficiency, production and carcass composition of post-larval Penaeus monodon Fabricius

Abstract. Eight semi-purified diets were formulated to investigate the effects of dietary lipid and lecithin levels on the performance and carcass composition of post-larval Penaeus monodon Fabricius.
Supplementary soyabean lecithin levels from 0 to 9% and total dietary lipid (cod liver oil:soyabean oil at a ratio of 3:1) levels from 3·5 to 12·5% at 3% increments were tested in diets that were isonitrogenous and isoenergetic. The diets were fed for 50 days to triplicate groups of post-larval P. monodon held in a laboratory marine recirculated water system.
Despite poor overall performance due to the purified dietary ingredients, the absence of basal lipids and/or lecithin was found to result in the poorest performance. Optimum production was obtained with a diet containing 3% basal lipid and 3% lecithin at a total lipid level of 6·5%. The addition of dietary lecithin (particulariy at 46·63% of the total lipid) at up to 3% in terms of growth, feeding efficiency and production or 6% in terms of survival significantly ( P < 0·05) increased shrimp production. Lecithin was therefore probably acting as a growth, survival and/or phago-stimulant in P. monodon.
The total lipid requirements are consistent with those reported by other workers for penaeid shrimp, and are probably a result of the requirement for essential fatty acids, the stimulant properties of lecithin and the calorigenic effects of high dietary lipid levels.     

The Effect of Trans-Stifle External Skeletal Fixation and Hyaluronic Acid Therapy on Articular Cartilage in the Dog

Transarticular external skeletal (TES) fixators were applied unilaterally to the stifle joints of 10 young adult dogs. After 4 weeks, the fixators were removed from all dogs. Two dogs were not allowed a remobilization period, whereas 8 dogs were provided with 4 additional weeks of weight-bearing activity in a kennel run. Four dogs were given high-molecular weight hyaluronic acid by intra-articular injection weekly during the remobilization period. Clinical gait evaluations and range of motion were determined during the remobilization period. Articular cartilage samples from both stifle joints of all dogs were evaluated histologically and histochemically. No significant differences in gait scores or range of motion were noted between treated and untreated dogs. Articular cartilage proteoglycan content was reduced after 4 weeks of trans-stifle external skeletal fixation as determined by loss of alcian blue (AB) histochemical staining. Improved homogeneity of histochemical staining was observed after remobilization. However, remobilization was associated with histological damage to the surface and tangential layers of articular cartilage. Remobilization combined with hyaluronic acid (HA) therapy improved histochemical staining and reduced structural damage to articular cartilage when compared with remobilization alone.