STUDIES ON THE FATE OF PLASMA PROTHROMBIN

The level of the plasma prothrombin in the circulating blood is decreased during its passage through the pulmonary capillaries. In 85 per cent. of samples, plasma prothrombin has been found to be less in the blood of the left ventricle than in that from the right ventricle. This difference averaged 10.6 per cent. and ranged from 4 to 19 per cent. In no instance was the level in the right ventricle lower than that in the left. In samples of blood taken from the arterial and venous supply of the head, liver, spleen, intestine, kidney and hind limbs, no significant difference in plasma prothrombin levels was found. A possible explanation of this role of the lung in the loss of plasma prothrombin is thought to be the production of blood platelets in this organ, as demonstrated by Howell and Donahue. Platelets, as they undergo disintegration, initiate the first stage of the clotting process by releasing thromboplastin, which, in the presence of calcium, changes prothrombin to thrombin.     

Racemization of Amino Acids in Dipeptides Shows COOH > NH2 for Non-Sterically Hindered Residues

The relative rates of racemization for amino acid residues at the NH(2) and COOH ends of 37 different dipeptides were determined. In nine dipeptides containing alanine, leucine, phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methionine, the amino acid residue racemized faster at the COOH-terminal position than at the NH(2)-terminal position (COOH > NH(2)). The sterically hindered amino acids isoleucine and valine showed NH(2) > COOH. Six proline dipeptides showed NH(2) > COOH. Intramolecular effects have been invoked to explain these surprising results.     

Modulation of elicited behavior by a fixed-interval schedule of electric shock presentation

Responding elicited in the squirrel monkey by electric shocks presented every 60 seconds was gradually altered in temporal patterning, especially when the shock was also produced by responses under a 30-second fixed-interval schedule. The initially elicited pattern of maximal responding just after each shock was altered by the recurrent shock and by the added fixed-interval schedule to a pattern of maximal responding just before each shock. Most shocks were produced by responses and the response pattern was maintained for several months, but little responding occurred when shocks were omitted.     

Dorid nudibranch elaborates its own chemical defense

A biosynthetic experiment with mevalonic acid labeled with carbon-14 showed that the nudibranch Dendrodoris limbata elaborates polygodial, a sesquiterpenoid dialdehyde stored in the mantle, which constitutes its chemical defense against predators. Previously described nudibranchs drew defensive chemicals from their preys.     

Distributive Computer Networking: Making It Work on a Regional Basis: Effective sharing through a network requires new management and resource distribution techniques

After 4 years of operation the NERComP network is now a self-supporting success. Some of the reasons for its success are that (i) the network started small and built up utilization; (ii) the members, through monthly trustee meetings, practiced "participatory management" from the outset; (iii) unlike some networks, NERComP appealed to individual academic and research users who were terminal-oriented and who controlled their own budgets; (iv) the compactness of the New England region made it an ideal laboratory for testing networking concepts; and (v) a dedicated staff was willing to work hard in the face of considerable uncertainty. While the major problems were "political, organizational and economic" (1) we have found that they can be solved if the network meets real needs. We have also found that it is difficult to proceed beyond a certain point without investing responsibility and authority in the networking organization. Conversely, there is a need to distribute some responsibilities such as marketing and user services back to the member institutions. By adopting a modest starting point and achieving limited goals the necessary trust and working relationships between institutions can be built. In our case the necessary planning has been facilitated by recognizing three distinct network functions: governance, user services, and technical operations. Separating out the three essential networing tasks and dealing with each individually through advisory committees, each with its own staff coordinator, has overcome a distracting tendency to address all issues at once. It has also provided an element of feedback between the end user and the supplier not usually present in networking activity. The success of NERComP demonstrates that a distributive-type network can work. Our experiences in New England-which, because of its numerous colleges and universities free from domination by any single institution, is a microcosm for academic computing in the United States-indicate that such networks are best structured in a hierarchical form. This suggests that national networking should be based in part on the more than 30 existing state and regional networks (15). With the groundwork now laid, we expect to see links among existing regional networks to complement development efforts now occurring at the national level. With Greenberger and others, we believe that one or more networking organizations devoted to the management issues discussed in this article will be required to facilitate resource sharing on a national scale. Because of their experience with these problems and their ability to provide service in many areas of the country through existing facilities, regional networks have a major role to play.     

Swarm Orientation in Honeybees

A swarm of honeybees will move up to 75 m (250 feet) without its queen but only for 3 to 8 minutes. The swarm is aware of the presence of its queen, but the queen does not lead the swarm from one location to another. Bees return to a queen which cannot follow the swarm in flight and in fact are capable of finding a queen "lost along the way." The source of the odoriferous substance(s) responsible for a swarm's detection of its queen appears to be glands in her head.     

Influence of adrenalectomy and hypophysectomy on cerebral serotonin

Diisopropylfluorophosphate inhibited all the sulfhydryl proteases studied in our tests. This inhibition was most pronounced at pH 6.0. By first blocking the sulfhydryl group with p-chloromercuribenzoate, inhibition could be prevented. Neither cysteine nor choline gave appreciable reactivation of diisopropylfluorophosphate-inhibited bromelain.