HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Subject: Re: Biological Sex Differences? ("Women only" excusable ?)
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 18:03:41 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.140415.22731@Princeton.EDU> rdnelson@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Roger D Nelson) writes:
>In article <1992Sep9.215226.5884@access.usask.ca> bickis@skmath3 (M. Bickis) writes:

|>A more important issue than gender- or culture-biased questions is that
|>the attitude towards writing multiple-choice tests is a contributing
|>factor in the score obtained, and this is one place that sex differences
|>appear.  Although males outperform females on the math SAT, this sex
|>difference does not carry through in university performance.  So
|>although one can say that men are better (on average) than women on
|>writing SAT math tests, that does not imply that they are better at
|>doing mathematics.  Mathematicians rarely take multiple choice tests as
|>part of their work.

|>It can be much the same way in many measures of alleged sex differences
|>in cognitive abilities. Although such differences can be found, it is an 
|>unresolved question whether the sex difference is in the ability itself,
|>or in the response to the instrument doing the measuring.

>To the extent evidence exists to support your contention above re the
>math SAT and university performance, it would make sense to normalize
>female and male scores to separate standards, thus producing equivalent SAT
>scores for university admissions committees' consideration.  If it is
>really unresolved, in general, whether ability or response to the tests is
>responsible for apparent differences, but the question persists, there
>is likely to be ongoing research.  What do you know about efforts to
>resolve these questions?  

I have never seen any justification for any kind of "norming."  Even giving
percentiles is bad; raw scores only should be given, possibly with some
explanation.

Sometimes one question corresponds to 30 percentiles or more.  In this case
it is obviously misleading.  But others are no better.
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)  
{purdue,pur-ee}!pop.stat!hrubin(UUCP)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.skeptic,soc.men,soc.women,alt.discrimination
From: rdnelson@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Roger D Nelson)
Subject: Re: Biological Sex Differences? ("Women only" excusable ?)
Originator: news@nimaster
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 14:04:15 GMT

In article <1992Sep9.215226.5884@access.usask.ca> bickis@skmath3 (M. Bickis) writes:
>
>A more important issue than gender- or culture-biased questions is that
>the attitude towards writing multiple-choice tests is a contributing
>factor in the score obtained, and this is one place that sex differences
>appear.  Although males outperform females on the math SAT, this sex
>difference does not carry through in university performance.  So
>although one can say that men are better (on average) than women on
>writing SAT math tests, that does not imply that they are better at
>doing mathematics.  Mathematicians rarely take multiple choice tests as
>part of their work.
>
>It can be much the same way in many measures of alleged sex differences
>in cognitive abilities. Although such differences can be found, it is an 
>unresolved question whether the sex difference is in the ability itself,
>or in the response to the instrument doing the measuring.

To the extent evidence exists to support your contention above re the
math SAT and university performance, it would make sense to normalize
female and male scores to separate standards, thus producing equivalent SAT
scores for university admissions committees' consideration.  If it is
really unresolved, in general, whether ability or response to the tests is
responsible for apparent differences, but the question persists, there
is likely to be ongoing research.  What do you know about efforts to
resolve these questions?  

Newsgroups: sci.bio
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 16:51:26 -0400 
From: Lili Velez <lv08+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Aspertame (was Toads and Frogs)
	<1992Sep9.211934.6556@newshub.ccs.yorku.ca>

I like _saccharine_ better than I like the taste of NutraSweet.  I find
aspartame to taste really "fake" just as I'm trying to swallow the
stuff.  Glad to know that I'm not the only one who fails to find it a
tasty sugar substitute.

Lili

*********************************
Lili Fox Velez
Rhetorician in Residence            "Rhet in the Blue Linen Labcoat"
Department of Biological Sciences
Carnegie Mellon University            lv08@andrew.cmu.edu.BITNET
********************************* 

 This rhet could be _yours_.....if the Price is Right!
Newsgroups: sci.bio
From: minsky@media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky)
Subject: Re: Toads and Frogs
Cc: minsky
Organization: MIT Media Laboratory
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 03:30:57 GMT

In article <Bu9K3r.4wp@ddsw1.mcs.com> arf@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Jack Schmidling) writes:
> 
> Article 7703 (14 more) in sci.bio:
> From: moore@aiag.enet.dec.com ()
> Subject:   Toads...going going gone?
> 
> >I would appreciate any information (references, studies, 
> general knowledge) regarding the habitat of the common toad. 
> I live in Massachusetts and over the last eight years toads 
> in may neighborhood have become very scare.
> 
> That is a more or less nation wide problem.  I participated 
> in a frog and toad survey sponsoed by the Ill Conservation 
> Department for about 5 years and quit because it was so 
> depressing.  
> 
> Every year at least 25% of the sites from the year before 
> were gone.  Subdivisions and shopping centers are just not 
> good habitat.  There was also a constant decline in the 
> populations at the sites that remained intact.
> 
> By the time we made the last run, I think we heard a few 
> frogs at one of the original sites.

I recommend that people read the original (long) message carefully.
As others have noted, this appears to be a planet-wide problem.  No
one can say how serious it will be, but these animals are a huge part
of the insect-control equilibrium mechanism.  I have heard of no
plausible theory of what mysterious factor X is killing off all these
species.

One thing that might help is for everyone to be on the lookout for
segregated micro-environments in which the toad/frog population has
not so drastically decreased.  If any such are found:

  1.  Consider extremely urgent appeals to the community to try to
leave these pockets untouched.  Tell them that their colonies may
someday be worth millions...

  2. Then try to get knowledgeable specialists to try to determine if
these isolated populations happen to be resistant to X.  If the
population is reasonably large, try to transplant some individuals to
other, nearby, depleted sites.  And if the discoverers of these places
can network, perhaps they can find some common clues about the nature
of X. Perhaps there is already some organization doing this sort of thing.
I wouldn't know.

  3.  Of course, some wide variety of specimens should be placed in
liquid N2 vats, for future scientists to revive...

  4. What is X?  Haven't the foggiest.  I wonder in, for exampe,
NutraSweet has been tested on batrachians.  Has any other new
substance been distributed on quite so large a scale?  I mention this
only because it's sometimes hard to find a "classic" soft drink, and
there is a small minority of us who find that particular dipeptide to
have a rather nasty aftertaste.
From: bell@cezanne.cs.unc.edu (Andrew Bell)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Preserving insects/arachnids
Date: 9 Sep 92 00:59:14 GMT
Organization: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Request for ideas:

I would like to take a few live insects and/or spiders and "off" them in
such a way that they maintain natural poses, rather than curling up into
little balls.  Now, if I can kill them in such a way that they stay in
the natural pose, I can just pour liquid resin over them which should
presumably preserve them rigidly until the next ice age.  However, I
figure pouring the liquid resin over them in the first place will probably
result in them squirming until they suffocate, and thus less than optimal
positions.  Anyone know of anyone ever preserving insects in their natural
stance well, and if so how was it done?

Please send flames about cruelty to invertebrates via e-mail rather than
posting.

   -Andrew Bell
bell@cs.unc.edu
Newsgroups: sci.bio
From: zador-anthony@CS.YALE.EDU (Tony Zador)
Subject: Re: cells inside of cells?
Organization: Yale University Computer Science Dept., New Haven, CT 06520-2158
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 19:32:48 GMT

In article <1992Sep15.181239.5679@das.harvard.edu> love@geophysics.harvard.edu writes:
>
>Are there any cells that live inside of other cells? 
>(Not counting viruses!)

Yes, and several species of intracellular parasite cause disease.
Examples include Chlamydia (a genus that inlucdes a common venereal
disease) and Rickettsia (a genus that includes typhus--not typhoid
fever, the causative agents of which are Salmonella typhi and
enteritidis--and the tick-borne Rocky Mountain spotted fever).


Tony Zador
-- 
Tony Zador
zador@cs.yale.edu
Newsgroups: sci.bio
From: winalski@adserv.enet.dec.com (Paul S. Winalski)
Subject: Re: help! gypsy moths invade italy!
Reply-To: winalski@adserv.enet.dec.com (Paul S. Winalski)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation, Nashua NH
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 22:34:40 GMT


In article <robison1.716160014@husc10>,
robison1@husc10.harvard.edu (Keith Robison) writes:
|>
|>ozalp@cs.cornell.edu (Ozalp Babaoglu) writes:
|>
|>>a friend who lives in bologna, italy has asked me if i could help
|>>her out through the marvels of netnews.
|>
|>>as of this summer, all of the trees in her back yard are infested with
|>>a bug that has been identified as "metcalfe pruinosa" (sp?) in italian.
|>>i have seen the animal myself and to my untrained eyes it looks like a
|>>white moth.  she has further found out that it is native to north america
|> ^^^^^
|>
|>>does this creature sound like a gypsy moth?  
|>
|>
|>Can't help you on what it is, but it isn't a gypsy moth.  Gypsy moths
|>have an ugly mottled brown coloration.  You might try the 
|>agricultural extension agent there at Cornell or the entomology 
|>department.

The male gypsy moth is as described above:  a drab mottled brown color.  The
females, however, have white wings with some black spots and very large,
furry, light brown abdomens.  The females are too heavy to fly (although they
do have wings).

Gypsy moths, incidentally, are not originally native to North America.  They
were introduced to New England from somewhere in Europe in the late 1800s.
They since have spread across all of northeastern North America.  This is part
of the reason that they are such devastating pests here--they have few natural
enemies in North America and thus there's little to keep the gypsy moth
population stable.  It oscillates in boom/starvation cycles of about 10
years.  During the overpopulation part of the cycle, there can be devastating
defoliation, especially of oaks, birches, and pines.  New England looks to be
set up for another big defoliation next summer.

--PSW
Newsgroups: sci.bio
From: tony@nexus.yorku.ca (Anthony Wallis)
Subject: Aspertame (was Toads and Frogs)
Organization: York University
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 21:19:34 GMT

(Not really sci.bio but ..)
Marvin Minsky mused:
> [about the unknown factor killing amphibians worldwide]
> .. What is X?  Haven't the foggiest.  I wonder if, for example,
> NutraSweet has been tested on batrachians.  Has any other new substance
> been distributed on quite so large a scale?  I mention this only
> because it's sometimes hard to find a "classic" soft drink, and there
> is a small minority of us who find that particular dipeptide to have a
> rather nasty aftertaste.

And I thought I was alone !  Aspertame tastes so bad and "chemical" (to
me) that I wondered how they ever conned the public into accepting it
as a "sweetener".  Absolutely nothing like sucrose, glucose, fructose, ..

[It may be irrelevant but I have a defective sense of smell.
 Mercaptans and isocyanides are neutral to me.]

--
tony@nexus.yorku.ca = Tony Wallis, York University, Toronto, Canada

Xref: sparky sci.bio:3210 sci.bio.technology:248 sci.engr.biomed:521 sci.med.physics:387
From: rabinr@davinci.concordia.ca
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.bio.technology,sci.engr.biomed,sci.med.physics
Subject: info on electrical model of bio components
Date: 14 Sep 92 00:07:35 GMT
Followup-To: sci.bio
Distribution: na
Organization: Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
Originator: rabinr@davinci

I am interested to learn about any research going on towards modeling
of biological systems and componets (of human/animal/plant) in elctrical
terms. My purpose is to analyse bilogical systems and components using
the principles of electrical science.
I will sincerely appreciate your input re: any research article, any
particular person/university dealing in such subject.
Xref: sparky sci.bio:3137 sci.skeptic:16146 soc.men:16154 soc.women:16336 alt.discrimination:4247
From: hrubin@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Rubin Herman)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.skeptic,soc.men,soc.women,alt.discrimination
Subject: Re: Biological Sex Differences? ("Women only" excusable ?)
Date: 9 Sep 92 13:28:21 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department

In article <wentzell.78.715973345@ace.acadiau.ca> wentzell@ace.acadiau.ca (LEEANN WENTZELL) writes:
>In article <1992Sep6.154026.14965@techbook.com> szabo@techbook.com (Nick Szabo) writes:
>>From: szabo@techbook.com (Nick Szabo)

			........................

>>>Exactly.  It seems like a matter of Common Sense, but people seem to have a
>>>shortage of this commodity.  for example, the chiarperson of a Computer
>>>Science Dept is asked by the administration to `explain' why only 37% of the
>>>CS majors are women.  However, Doreeen Kimura states explicitly that high
>>>mathematical ability (which is involved in many parts of CS) occurs 13
>>>times as often among boys as among girls.  The implication is clear that the
>>>chairperson HAS nothing to `explain'.

			....................

>I recently read an article which pointed out the bias in the college 
>entrance tests (GMAT?? Sorry, I'm not American) towards males. For example, 
>there were many analogies which dealt in sports terms. This is certainly 
>not to say that females know nothing about sports, but I'm about to start my 
>PhD (in biology) and I have never been interested in sports. Would I have 
>been "weeded" out before even entering college in the States? Perhaps a 
>little more fairness in these questions would lead to more women in 
>traditionally male faculties, and, of course, vice versa.

This is the sort of garbage which keeps popping up.  One of the questions
cited was how many consecutive games would a basketball team need to win,
with the won-lost record given, to achieve a 55% proportion of wins.  Now
I would not object to denying credit in high school algebra to students
who have difficulty with questions like that; it does not matter if it
is basketball teams or sewing clubs.  Mathematics is applicable in any
context, and the objects discussed do not matter.

There are more cultural points.  But the Asian refugees, arriving often
in their teens, have little problem with questions really involving 
aspects of American culture.  What do you people think education is?

-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@snap.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)  
{purdue,pur-ee}!snap.stat!hrubin(UUCP)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
From: carlf@panix.com (Carl Fink)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: cells inside of cells?
Date: 16 Sep 92 00:59:08 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

In <1992Sep15.181239.5679@das.harvard.edu> love@geophysics.harvard.edu (Jeff Love) writes:


>Are there any cells that live inside of other cells? 
>(Not counting viruses!)

  Do you mean as symbiotes, or as parasites?  Many animal parasites
(malaria parasites [plasmodia] come to mind) live within other
cells.  

  There is speculation that some of the organelles within all
eucaryotic cells (mitochondria, chloropolasts) may have originated as
independent cells, and thus may be in a sense "cells inside of cells".

-- 
==============================================================================
Carl Fink          carlf@panix.com, C.FINK4(GEnie), or CF427620I@LIUVAX.BITNET
  "Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits"  -  Mark Twain
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.skeptic,soc.men,soc.women,alt.discrimination
From: sheaffer@netcom.com (Robert Sheaffer)
Subject: Re: Biological Sex Differences? ("Women only" excusable ?)
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 92 15:20:47 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)

In article <1992Sep9.215226.5884@access.usask.ca> bickis@skmath3 (M. Bickis) writes:
>A more important issue than gender- or culture-biased questions is that
>the attitude towards writing multiple-choice tests is a contributing
>factor in the score obtained, and this is one place that sex differences
>appear.  Although males outperform females on the math SAT, this sex
>difference does not carry through in university performance. 

From which one can conclude either:
 
A.     The SAT tests are biased in favor of men,
 
                       or

B.    Grades given in college math courses are biased in favor
      of women.

(Hint: you are "supposed" to conclude "A". Concluding "B" is Politically
 Incorrect.)
-- 
  
        Robert Sheaffer - Scepticus Maximus - sheaffer@netcom.com
  
 Past Chairman, The Bay Area Skeptics - for whom I speak only when authorized!

       "Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet.
        Then all things are at risk. It is as when a conflagration has
        broken out in a great city, and no man knows what is safe, or
        where it will end."
                               - Emerson: Essay, "Circles"
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.skeptic,soc.men,soc.women,comp.ai.philosophy
From: jlg@cochiti.lanl.gov (Jim Giles)
Subject: Re: missing verbs
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 18:01:52 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.124516.3594@uwm.edu>, markh@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Mark) writes:
|> In article <BILL.92Sep9232609@ca3.nsma.arizona.edu> bill@nsma.arizona.edu (Bill Skaggs) writes:
|> >Anyway, English (and other languages) are full of curious asymmetries.
|> >For example, it's okay to say "The bicycle is next to the house", but
|> >it's not okay to say "The house is next to the bicycle", though
|> >logically they ought to mean the same thing.
|> 
|> Logically, "the bicycle is next to the house" means "the bicycle was put next
|> to the house", and "the house is next to the bicycle" means "the house was put
|> next to the bicycle."

No.  "The bicycle is next to the house" merely specifies the location of
the bicycle.  "The house is next to the bicycle" similarly specifies the
location of the house.  Nothing in either sentence specifies any action
of "putting" anything anywhere.  The latter sounds strange only because 
of the common sense information, that we all share, that houses are 
generally larger and more visible than bicycles, so it's generally 
unproductive to specify the location of a house in terms of a bicycle.  
However, there's nothing ungrammatical about either statement, and their 
semantics are both perfectly reasonable.

In a particular context, it may be quite reasonable to say "the house 
is next to the bicycle."  For example, if the bicycle is in plain view
and the house is obscured by intervening foliage or other objects. In
such a context, the statement would probably be used naturally - with
neither the speaker, nor the listener thinking it the least unusual.

In any case, you began with a discussion about active vs. passive
voice in the concept of "defeated" (a transitive verb), and now
you're arguing over a simple locative.  The concepts involved are
quite different.

-- 
J. Giles
Organization: Middle East Technical University - Computer Center
Date: Thursday, 10 Sep 1992 14:02:49 TUR
From: <E59772@TRMETU.BITNET>
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject:    Wanted:Isolation of B-galactosidase in Bacteria

I am trying to isolate the Beta-Galactosidase enzyme from Loctococcus
(Streptococcus) -Lactis in general. I would appreciate any information related
to the above procedure or any advise about articles in this field.

THANX.
  Vahid.
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.skeptic,soc.men,soc.women,comp.ai.philosophy
From: markh@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Mark)
Subject: Re: missing verbs
Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 12:45:16 GMT

In article <BILL.92Sep9232609@ca3.nsma.arizona.edu> bill@nsma.arizona.edu (Bill Skaggs) writes:
>Anyway, English (and other languages) are full of curious asymmetries.
>For example, it's okay to say "The bicycle is next to the house", but
>it's not okay to say "The house is next to the bicycle", though
>logically they ought to mean the same thing.

Logically, "the bicycle is next to the house" means "the bicycle was put next
to the house", and "the house is next to the bicycle" means "the house was put
next to the bicycle."

"A lost to B" means the same as "B defeated A"
Newsgroups: sci.bio
From: wentzell@ace.acadiau.ca (LEEANN WENTZELL)
Subject: Re: Aspertame (was Toads and Frogs)
Organization: Acadia University
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 12:57:54 GMT

In article <YefvJCi00VBNA0m15J@andrew.cmu.edu> Lili Velez <lv08+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 16:51:26 -0400 
>From: Lili Velez <lv08+@andrew.cmu.edu>
>Subject: Re: Aspertame (was Toads and Frogs)
>I like _saccharine_ better than I like the taste of NutraSweet.  I find
>aspartame to taste really "fake" just as I'm trying to swallow the
>stuff.  Glad to know that I'm not the only one who fails to find it a
>tasty sugar substitute.
>
>Lili
>
>*********************************
>Lili Fox Velez
>Rhetorician in Residence            "Rhet in the Blue Linen Labcoat"
>Department of Biological Sciences
>Carnegie Mellon University            lv08@andrew.cmu.edu.BITNET
>********************************* 
>
> This rhet could be _yours_.....if the Price is Right!

Actually, the ability to taste Aspartame is, I believe, inherited. You have 
to have the gene, so consider yourself unique (just like those who can smell 
asparagine in their urine after eating asparagus!)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.skeptic,soc.men,soc.women,alt.discrimination