bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transvaginal Three-dimensional Sonographic Assessment of the Embryonic Brain: A Pilot Study
Authors: Boitor-Borza Dan , Kovacs Tunde , Stamatian Florin
Published: April 2015

Aims. A very good knowledge of human embryology is mandatory not only for the correct sonographic assessment of the developing brain, but also for better understanding the origins of congenital anomalies involving the central nervous system. 3D transvaginal sonography may be an effective technique for imaging the developing brain. The aims of this explorative study are to demonstrate the feasibility of imaging the embryonic brain between 7 and 10 weeks of gestation for clinical studies by using a 3D high-frequency vaginal ultrasound transducer and to provide a reference for the morphology of the brain in the embryonic period.Materials and methods. Four embryos of 9 mm, 17 mm, 23 mm and 31 mm crown-rump length respectively were assessed in vivo by transvaginal sonography. We gave a special attention to the embryonic brain. All patients were examined with a Voluson E10, BT 15 ultrasound scanner (GE Healthcare, Zipf, Austria), using a high-frequency 6-12 MHz/ 256-element 3D/4D transvaginal transducer. Three-dimensional sonography was performed routinely as the patients were scanned. The multiplanar display was used after selecting the best volume. The Omni view® software was used for digitally slicing the selected volumes. Results. We describe the morphological details of the developing brains of four embryos ranging from 7 to 10 gestational weeks. In the human embryo 9 mm CRL the hypoechogenic cavities of the three primary vesicles (prosencephalon, mesencephalon, rhombencephalon) could be observed on a sagittal section. In the human embryo 17 mm CRL the prosencephalon was divided into the median diencephalon and two telencephalic vesicles, which were partially separated by the falx cerebri. In the human embryo 23 mm CRL the cerebral hemispheres developed and they were completely separated by the falx cerebri. The choroid plexus was evident inside the lateral ventricles and the fourth ventricle. In the human embryo 31 mm CRL the ventral thalamus was evident, and the ganglionic eminence, as the precursor of the basal ganglia, was well seen on the floor of the cerebral hemispheres. Conclusions. Studies of embryology are still needed for a complete understanding of the developing brain. 3D sonography using a high-frequency vaginal ultrasound transducer is feasible for imaging the embryonic brain with an acceptable quality for clinical studies.
NITRO-OXIDATIVE STRESS, VEGF AND MMP-9 IN PATIENTS WITH CIRRHOTIC AND NON-CIRRHOTIC PORTAL HYPERTENSION
Authors: Muti Leon Adrian , Pârvu Alina Elena , Crăciun Alexandra M , Miron Nicolae , Acalovschi Monica
Published: April 2015

Background and aims. Nitro-oxidative stress may have pathophysiologicalconsequences. The study aimed to assess the nitro-oxidative stress, the vascular growthfactor, and metalloproteinase-9 levels in patients with noncirrohic and cirrhotic portalhypertension.Methods. Patients with noncirrhotic portal hypertension (n=50) and cirrhoticportal hypertension (n=50) from the 3rd Medical Clinic in Cluj-Napoca Romania wereprospectively enrolled between October 2004 and October 2006. A control group ofhealthy volunteers (n=50) was also evaluated. Nitro-oxidative stress was assessed bymeasuring serum concentration of nitrites and nitrate, 3-nitrotyrosine, total oxidativestatus, total antioxidant reactivity, and oxidative stress index. Serum vascular growthfactor and matrix metalloproteinase-9 were also determined.Results. Serum nitrites and nitrate levels significantly increased in bothnoncirrhotic (p<0.001) and cirrhotic portal hypertension (p=0.057). 3-nitrotyrosinealso increased in noncirrhotic (p=0.001) and cirrhotic portal hypertension patients(p=0.014). Total oxidative status showed a significant increase in noncirrhotic (p<0.001)and in cirrhotic portal hypertension (p<0.001), but total antioxidant reactivity did not changesignificantly. The oxidative stress index increased in both noncirrhotic (p <0.001) and cirrhoticportal hypertension (p<0.001), as well as the serum vascular growth factor (p=0.005 andp=0.01, respectively). In NCPHT patients serum MMP-9 was significantly lower than inthe healthy controls (p=0.03) and CPHT patients (p=0.05).Conclusion. In patients with noncirrhotic and cirrhotic portal hypertension asignificant systemic nitro-oxidative stress was found, correlated with an increase ofVEGF. MMP-9 decreased in noncirrhotic portal hypertension.
A coastal population of Large-blotched Ensatina Ensatina klauberi (Caudata: Plethodontidae) in Baja California, México
Authors: Valdez-Villavicencio Jorge Heriberto , Peralta-Garcia Anny , Hollingsworth Bradford Damion
Published: April 2015

We found a new population of Ensatina klauberi in San Quintín volcanic field, Baja California. It represents the first coastal population of this species. This record extends the species range ca. 71 km southwest of the southernmost record of E. klauberi in the Sierra San Pedro Mártir and represents the first population discovered outside of coniferous and pine-oak woodlands.
Nepheline Crystallization in High-Alumina High-Level Waste Glass
Authors: Marcial José , McCloy John , Neill Owen
Published: April 2015

The understanding of the crystallization of aluminosilicate phases in nuclear waste glasses is a major challenge for nuclear waste vitrification. Robust studies on the compositional dependence of nepheline formation have focused on large compositional spaces with hundreds of glass compositions. However, there are clear benefits to obtaining complete descriptions of the conditions under which crystallization occurs for specific glasses, adding to the understanding of nucleation and growth kinetics and interfacial conditions. The focus of this work was the investigation of the microstructure and composition of one simulant high-level nuclear waste glass crystallized under isothermal and continuous cooling schedules. It was observed that conditions of low undercooling, nepheline was the most abundant aluminosilicate phase. Further undercooling led to the formation of additional phases such as calcium phosphate. Nepheline composition was independent of thermal history.
Structural Evolution of AuPt and AuPd Nanoparticles Fabricated by Microwave Assisted Synthesis: A Comparative Study
Authors: Som Tirtha , Wendt Robert , Raoux Simone , Jordan-Sweet Jean L. , Wollgarten Markus , Rademann Klaus
Published: April 2015

Bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs), particularly Au/Pd and Au/Pt, have attracted extensive attention due to their wide-spread application in catalysis, optoelectronics and energy recuperation.[1] Here we have attempted the fabrication of Au/Pt and Au/Pd bimetallic NPs by an energy-efficient eco-friendly microwave methodology. The microwave-assisted reactions enable considerably large product yields over conventional colloidal methods due to (a) almost two-fold increased reaction kinetics, (b) localized superheating at reaction sites and rapid rise of initial temperature.[2] Au NPs (sizes 20 ± 3 nm) are fabricated in the first step followed by the reduction of [PdCl2(NH3)2] or [K2PtCl6]in tetraethylene glycol at 180 ºC for 2 min. Controlling and understanding the atomic structure and elemental distributions of these NPs are crucial for their optimized performances. So, we address the fundamental question of the most likely arrangement of Au and Pd or Pt atoms in these bimetallic NPs prepared under similar conditions by complementary characterizations using UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The UV-Vis spectroscopy reveals the formation of an alloy shell. The extent of depression of the plasmon peak of Au and its blue-shift reveals substantial deposition of Pd atoms on an Au core and significant alloying in comparison to Au/Pt NPs. XRD reveals the gradual shift of the diffraction peak from the position of Au to the position of Pd or Pt with change in composition. XRD supports the formation of a thick alloy shell in these NPs. However, the TEM images reveal a very interesting result. With increase in Pt concentration, the size of the dispersed NPs decreases from 20 ± 3 nm to about 16 nm (± 1 nm) and there is evolution of a bimodal particle size distribution with small particles about 1-2 nm diameters. On the contrary, with increasing Pd concentration, the particle size of the dispersed particles increases to about 32 nm (± 1 nm). This discrepancy of particle size evolution for the two systems arises due to the differences in surface energies (Pt > Pd > Au atoms). Pt atoms tend to diffuse towards the core with the formation of Au nano-islands which eventually segregates leading to a reduction in particle size and bimodal distribution. At higher concentration of Pt, Pt and Au atoms tend to nucleate separately also contribute to the bimodal distribution. While for Au/Pd NPs, we have an Au core with an alloyed shell having higher Pd concentration. This is further supported by experimental evidence by selective etching and dissolution of Au by potassium-iodide solution. Furthermore, the Au/Pd bimetallic NPs are found to possess better catalytic activities in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol than Au/Pt and monometallic NPs.
Do Not Judge a Book (Solely) by Its Cover
Authors: Ambasciano Leonardo
Published: April 2015

When dealing with the “origins” of all things religious the major risk to avoid is the naïve building of a just-so storytelling similar to the dismantled passe-partout once labelled homo religiosus (Smith 1982). Historically, religious studies and classical anthropology have been most vulnerable to a twofold fallacy, i.e. the narrative form of explanation and the (originally theological) ambition to know the ultimate point of departure of things, as if it were the epicentre of absolute (transcendent) meaning (Stoczkowski 2002). Even after Darwin’s watershed work, these two themes have thriven. Do cognitive scholars successfully escape these old traps today and make treasure of Darwin’s lesson when treating the “origins” of culture and religion? The aim of this paper is to critically review the cover and contents of a new book devoted to the Origins of Religion, Cognition and Culture (Geertz 2013), in order to briefly assess the question at stake.
Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion (New York: Pantheon Books, 2012), xvii + 419. ISBN: 978- 0-307-37790-6. $28.95 (hbk).
Authors: Wiebe Donald
Published: April 2015

Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion (New York: Pantheon Books, 2012), xvii + 419. ISBN: 978- 0-307-37790-6. $28.95 (hbk).
Prevalência de distúrbios psíquicos menores em agentes socioeducadores do Rio Grande do Sul
Authors: Greco Patrícia Bitencourt Toscani , Magnago Tânia Solange Bosi de Souza , Urbanetto Janete de Souza , Luz Emanuelli Mancio Ferreira da , Prochnow Andrea
Published: April 2015

Objetivo: verificar a prevalência e os fatores associados aos distúrbios psíquicos menores (DPM) em agentes socioeducadores. Método: trata-se de um estudo transversal, com 381 agentes socioeducadores dos Centros de Atendimento Socioeducativo do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Utilizaram-se as versões brasileiras da Job Stress Scale e do Self Reporting Questionnaire-20. Resultados: a prevalência de suspeição para DPM foi de 50,1%. Mostraram-se associadas à DPM: ser do sexo feminino (55,7%), ter idade até 44 anos (58,5%), não realizar atividade física (57,4%), não possuir tempo para lazer (75%), fazer uso de medicação (61,4%), necessitar de atendimento médico (56,9%) e de acompanhamento psicológico (72,7%), não estar satisfeito com o local de trabalho (61,7%) e necessitar de afastamento do trabalho (65,6%). Conclusão: o estudo traz dados importantes sobre a saúde mental dos agentes, demonstrando a necessidade do envolvimento dos gestores e do serviço de saúde do trabalhador no planejamento de ações de promoção à saúde desses trabalhadores.
Pacientes com desordem de consciência: respostas vitais, faciais e musculares frente música ou mensagem
Authors: Puggina Ana Claudia Giesbrecht , Silva Maria Julia Paes da
Published: April 2015

Objetivos: comparar sinais vitais, expressão facial e sinais eletroneurográfi cos basais com medidas durante os estímulos música, mensagem ou “silêncio” em pacientes em coma, estado vegetativo ou sedado e relacionar a pontuação da Escala de Resultado de Glasgow com a intervenção realizada. Método: ensaio Clínico Controlado Transversal Unicego para o pesquisador. A alocação foi aleatória nos três grupos (experimental música, experimental mensagem ou controle). Foram realizadas duas avaliações (sessões) com intervalo de 40 minutos no mesmo dia. Resultados: a maioria dos 76 pacientes eram homens, entre 18 e 36 anos e internados por trauma. Encontraram-se alterações estatisticamente signifi cantes nas variáveis temperatura, expressão facial, eletroneurografi a e Escala de Resultado de Glasgow; alterações mais frequentes na sessão 2, nos pacientes em coma e estado vegetativo, no músculo frontal e no grupo experimental. Conclusões: a expressão facial e a eletroneurografi a parecem ser variáveis mais confi áveis do que os sinais vitais para mensurar consciência.
Staphylococcus aureus meticilino resistente adquirido na comunidade: um problema mundial
Authors: Evangelista Síntia de Souza , Oliveira Adriana Cristina de
Published: April 2015

Objetivo: descrever a epidemiologia dos casos de CA-MRSA no Brasil de forma a compreender sua ocorrência, fatores de risco associados e formas de manejo em relação à situação mundial. Método: revisão integrativa e para seleção dos estudos utilizou-se as bases de dados: Scopus, Science direct, Isi Web of Knowledge, PUBMED e BVS. Resultados: foram identificados dez artigos nacionais que descreveram 21 casos de CA-MRSA principalmente em crianças, adolescentes e adultos com quadro de infecção de pele e tecidos moles evoluindo para infecções graves relacionados ao clone Oceania Southwest Pacific Clone (OSPC) que resultaram em hospitalização. Conclusão: apesar do CA-MRSA ser considerado um micro-organismo de relevância mundial verificou-se a escassez de dados publicados sobre sua epidemiologia no Brasil, o que dificultam o delineamento da realidade do país frente ao CA-MRSA.
(Bio)ética e Estratégia Saúde da Família: mapeando problemas
Authors: Siqueira-Batista Rodrigo , Gomes Andréia Patrícia , Motta Luís Claudio de Souza , Rennó Lucas , Lopes Tulio Correia , Miyadahira Renato , Vidal Selma Vaz , Cotta Rosângela Minardi Mitre
Published: April 2015

Este artigo apresenta os resultados de uma investigação dirigida ao delineamento dos principais problemas (bio)éticos identificados pelos membros das equipes da Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) do município de Viçosa (MG). Trata-se de estudo com abordagem qualitativa, situando-se no campo da pesquisa social. A investigação foi realizada por meio da aplicação de questionário semiestruturado com perguntas abertas e fechadas aos profissionais - médicos, profissionais de enfermagem e agentes comunitários de saúde - que atuam na ESF. Realizouse a apreciação das respostas pela técnica de análise de conteúdo - mais especificamente, sua modalidade temática -, em razão de sua adequação à investigação qualitativa na área da saúde. Participaram da investigação 73 profissionais de 15 equipes da ESF. Observou-se que grande parte dos entrevistados tinha dificuldade para identificar problemas de cunho (bio)ético em seu processo de trabalho. Ainda assim, foi possível categorizar cinco grandes grupos de problemas (bio)éticos vivenciados pelas equipes: os relacionados à desigualdade de acesso aos serviços de saúde; os relacionados à relação ensino-trabalho-comunidade; os relacionados ao sigilo e à confidencialidade; os relacionados aos conflitos entre equipe e usuários; e os relacionados aos conflitos entre membros da equipe. Conclui-se que, mesmo que aparentemente mais sutis - se comparados às questões (bio)éticas que se passam nas instituições hospitalares -, existem situações de conflitos morais atinentes ao âmbito da atenção primária à saúde que corroem o processo de trabalho e o alcance da promoção da integralidade do cuidado.
Experiências dos cuidadores de pessoas com adoecimento psíquico em face à reforma psiquiátrica: produção do cuidado, autonomia, empoderamento e resolubilidade
Authors: Firmo Andréa Acioly Maia , Jorge Maria Salete Bessa
Published: April 2015

Este estudo objetiva compreender o lugar da família nos processos de cuidado e desinstitucionalização, e a maneira como os arranjos familiares têm experienciado a proposta reformista e antimanicomial de oferta dos serviços substitutivos como política pública. Trata-se de um estudo de natureza qualitativa e de cunho crítico hermenêutico, realizado em dois Centros de Atenção Psicossocial (CAPS), cada um em um município distinto do estado do Ceará, nordeste brasileiro. O trabalho contou com 29 colaboradores, sendo 13 usuários e 16 cuidadores, que participavam dos grupos voltados aos familiares e usuários dos CAPS. A pesquisa foi aprovada no Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da Universidade Estadual do Ceará e respeitou os princípios éticos dispostos na Resolução Conselho Nacional de Saúde 196/96. Para a coleta dos dados, foram utilizados os métodos de entrevista semiestruturada e grupo focal temático. Os resultados apontam que os cuidadores relacionam sua prática às ações de zelo, envolvimento, preocupação e responsabilização. A participação e o empoderamento dos cuidadores na interlocução com os usuários versam sobre a busca por autonomia, por projetos emancipatórios, por uma efetiva melhoria relacional e visão crítica do usuário quanto à organização dos serviços de saúde e da realidade social. A resolubilidade da atenção é apresentada como pouco eficiente e discriminatória, comprometendo a gestão do cuidado e, até mesmo, a aposta dos cuidadores nos pressupostos da Reforma Psiquiátrica. Concluiu-se que uma proposta ampliada e resolutiva requer novas possibilidades políticas e organizacionais, ancoradas em práticas assistenciais que priorizem o fortalecimento da autonomia e o empoderamento dos sujeitos.
Propaganda de inseticidas: estratégias para minimização e ocultamento dos riscos no ambiente doméstico
Authors: Castro Jane Silva Maia , Rozemberg Brani
Published: April 2015

Este trabalho tem como objetivo fazer uma análise e propor uma discussão sobre as estratégias adotadas pelas propagandas de inseticidas para uso no ambiente doméstico, e suas implicações para a saúde pública. Foram analisadas peças publicitárias de inseticidas veiculadas na mídia televisiva no período de 2008 a 2010. Como critério de seleção das peças, foram escolhidas quatro peças publicitárias de inseticidas que foram ao ar em dois canais de TV aberta, nos horários da manhã e da noite, ao longo do período citado. Para a análise dessas peças, utilizou-se a observação da propaganda na TV. O método utilizado foi a análise de conteúdo. As categorias geradas pela análise foram: apelo ao status do usuário; ocultação e minimização dos riscos; símbolos de modernidade e cientificidade; representações de um mundo asséptico; e representações de força, poder e controle. Concluímos, então, que todas as propagandas analisadas utilizaram estratégias que ocultam os riscos toxicológicos dos inseticidas no ambiente doméstico e não cumprem a legislação brasileira.
Investigación etnográfica sobre infestaciones por geohelmintiasis en el Chaco-Salteño, Argentina
Authors: Leavy Pía
Published: April 2015

Introducción: Se trata de una investigación antropológica que analiza los contextos socioambientales en una localidad del Chaco-Salteno argentino con altos niveles de prevalencia en geohelmintiasis. Objetivos: Describir y analizar los contextos socioambientales, las condiciones sanitarias y habitacionales y las percepciones de riesgo de la población afectada. Método: Se disenó a partir de un análisis crítico no exhaustivo de literatura epidemiológica sobre infestaciones parasitarias en territorio argentino. Se integraron técnicas cuantitativas (cuestionario semiestructurado sobre cuestiones habitacionales en una muestra no probabilística) y cualitativas (entrevistas en profundidad a informantes claves y observación participante en actividades laborales, domésticas y espacios de atención a la salud). Resultados: la distribución de la tierra, los espacios a habitar, el acceso a agua potable y a las instalaciones sanitarias están vinculadas a las condiciones laborales. La población paciente realiza estrategias para el abastecimiento de agua y negocia la exposición a riesgos sanitarios. Conclusiones: El enfoque etnográfico provee información detallada sobre las prácticas sanitarias y la construcción local de los riesgos, asociada al género y la edad de la población afectada. El abordaje de las dimensiones sociales, económicas y físicas de los suelos, permite problematizar las concepciones de salud y ambiente que se utilizan para explicar los procesos de infestaciones por geohelmintiasis.
A participação social na perspectiva dos atores de uma rede social comunitária: um estudo de caso
Authors: Rodrigues Elisane Adriana Santos , Brasil Flávia de Paula Duque
Published: April 2015

A participação social tem sido um tema bastante explorado na atualidade pelo desafio da sua consolidação. O presente trabalho consiste em um estudo de caso, desenvolvido na Rede Social Comunitária da Regional Norte de Belo Horizonte, com o objetivo de elucidar como ocorre a participação neste espaço segundo a visão de seus integrantes. Como base teórica para seu desenvolvimento, discutiu-se deliberação, participação social, desenho de redes e evolução da participação no âmbito da saúde. Para a compreensão do objeto de estudo, utilizou-se da análise documental, da observação participante e da realização de entrevistas semiestruturadas envolvendo dez membros da Rede Social Comunitária. Para o exame do material obtido, foram construídas quatro categorias de análise acerca dos aspectos que interferem na qualidade da participação, sendo elas: contexto; atores envolvidos; desenho; participação e deliberação. Verifica-se que a Rede Social Comunitária compreende um espaço de deliberação informal da sociedade, construído sob a perspectiva da promoção da saúde e da concretude da intersetorialidade. A Rede possui uma composição híbrida e enfrenta desafios quanto à sua dinâmica interna e de mobilização social. Foram identificados, contudo, diversos fatores que contribuem para uma participação efetiva, além dos avanços promovidos pela experiência em rede com repercussão nos seus membros e em aspectos do território.
Renal hemangiopericytoma: case report and literature review
Authors: Vetorazzo Filho José Eduardo , Bahia Leandro Augusto Costa , Esteves Paulo Ebert , Maron Paulo Eduardo Goulart , Vedovato Bruno César , Fernandes Roni de Carvalho , Perez Marjo Deninson Cardenuto
Published: April 2015

Hemangioperycytoma is a rare perivascular tumor that seldom involves the urogenital system. This tumor often appears with an unspecific clinical picture, and sometimes is associated with hematuria or hypertension. Diagnosis is based on a combination of histological and immunohistological findings. We report a case of a 52-year-old patient with renal hemangiopericytoma who underwent surgical treatment at our service. This report also includes a literature review on the subject.
Compreensão de diálogo em um processo de construção coletiva do projeto político-pedagógico
Authors: Xavier Rosineide Barbosa ,   Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, Brazil, Szymanski Heloisa
Published: April 2015

Sintetiza uma pesquisa que investigou como gestores, educadores e representantes de uma comunidade da zona norte de São Paulo compreenderam diálogo a partir da experiência de construção coletiva de um projeto político-pedagógico de duas organizações educativas. Fundamentando-se em Martin Buber e Paulo Freire, realizou-se um estudo qualitativo, utilizando-se de entrevista reflexiva coletiva. Os resultados apontaram para a compreensão de diálogo como conversa, participação, silêncio, integração e construção de conhecimento. A construção coletiva do projeto político-pedagógico mostrou a vontade de dialogar e a necessidade de maior disposição para ouvir o outro, desvelando diálogo como caminho de transformação social e busca por reconhecer o valor das relações interpessoais
Tensions in the Concept of Geology: Natural History or Natural Philosophy?
Authors: Laudan Rachel
Published: April 2015

Under the general term "geology" there exist two very distinct concepts of the aim and subject matter of the discipline. One concept is that geology is part of natural history and thus is primarily concerned with the reconstruction of the history of the earth. The other concept is that geology is part of natural philosophy and thus is primarily concerned with understanding the processes of change on the earth. Although both concepts can be found at most periods in the development of geology, the relative emphasis has swung decisively back and forth at different times, for example, in the Lyellian period in the early 19th century, and in the plate tectonic revolution. This is at odds with our common sense picture of disciplinary development. Two important mechanisms that trigger these swings are the discovery of new techniques and the adoption of new methodological positions.
Lyell on the Geological Similarity of North America and Europe
Authors: Wilson Leonard
Published: April 2015

During his travels in America in 1841-1842 and 1845-1846, Charles Lyell was impressed by the difference of the living flora and fauna of North America from those of Europe. The fossil shells of the Cretaceous strata of New Jersey and of the Tertiary formations of the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States showed that North America had also constituted a separate biological region during the Cretaceous and throughout the Tertiary. By contrast, the fossil plants of North American coal formations were so closely similar to those of Europe that Lyell concluded that during the Carboniferous, Europe and North America must have formed a continuous land area. As evidence of a former land connection between North America and Europe, Lyell observed that the distribution of sediments among the strata of the Appalachians indicated that the Carboniferous strata of North America had been derived from land lying to the East — where the Atlantic Ocean now is. Similarly, the North American Silurian and other Paleozoic systems contained fossils similar to those of Europe, and their sediments were so distributed as to suggest that they had been derived from land lying to the East. Lyell pointed out the ancient uniformity of European and American fossil life, without being able to explain it.
Paleontology in the United States Federal Service, 1804-1904
Authors: Nelson Clifford
Published: April 2015

During the century between Lewis and Clark's exploration (1804-1806) of the Louisiana Territory and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904, federally sponsored work in paleontology in the United States passed through three general stages in its organizational and institutional history. Before the Civil War, naturalists and geologist-paleontologists actively contributed to federally sponsored geology, mostly as part of topographic exploration in the West. They worked only under discontinuous contracts, using specimens and stratigraphic data mostly collected by others, to date and correlate strata and describe fossil biotas. In the decade and a half after 1865, a proportionally larger number of paleontologists served in the field with the geological and geographical surveys of the territories. A few of these paleontologists gained continuing Federal contracts with the territorial surveys toward the end of the 1870's, although their work was still restricted by the rapid geological reconnaissances of these organizations. Beginning in 1879, however, paleontologists were hired as full-time, permanent staff members of the new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), whose organic act merged some of the functions of the territorial surveys and required the new agency, at the conclusion of its investigations, to deposit all its specimens in the U.S. National Museum. USGS paleontologists contributed detailed, field-based stratigraphic paleontology to support the agency's programs in economic and general geology, for immediate practical results and the longer term expansion of knowledge, as deftly merged by Directors King and Charles D. Walcott, but not by Director John Wesley Powell.
The Richmond Boulder Trains: Verae Causae in 19th-Century American Geology
Authors: Silliman Robert
Published: April 2015

In the 1840's and 1850's some of the leading geologists of the day, including Edward Hitchcock, Henry D. and William B. Rogers, Charles Lyell, and Louis Agassiz, investigated long, distinct trains of erratic boulders discovered in 1842 in western Massachusetts. It was hoped that study of the boulder trains would help solve the vexing problem of the origin of the drift. The theories tested by application to the erratics were various in content but remarkably similar in justification. They all appealed to the Newtonian principle of vera causa. This methodological principle appears to have been more fundamental in treating the boulder trains than conceptions drawn from catastrophism and uniformitarianism. Use of the method did not, however, dispel the mystery of the boulders. A clarification of their origins came only with the general adoption of the glacier theory around 1870.
Edward Hitchcock's Poem, The Sandstone Bird (1836)
Authors: Marché II Jordan
Published: April 2015

Edward Hitchcock's 113-line poetic description of the animals believed responsible for the large, three-toed Lower Jurassic Eubrontes giganteus fossil footprints was obscurely published in 1836. Due to the literary, rather than scientific, nature of the journal (The Knickerbocker) and Hitchcock's incomplete bibliographic reference to its source, the poem has been completely overlooked by today's geological historians. It offers a unique (and ironic) glimpse of the early sciences of geology and paleontology in the era just before Agassiz's glacial hypothesis was introduced. The work is still laced with many lingering notions about Diluvial processes and a persistent belief in the Earth's degenerate, ruined condition. This remarkable poem is offered for republication here (with critical comments).
Some Records About The Arctic in Early Chinese Books
Authors: Di Li
Published: April 2015

A review of early Chinese writings has revealed several references to the Arctic. The oldest of these is Zhou bi suan jing from the second century B.C. The latest reference considered is from the early seventh century A.D. Among the characteristics of the Arctic known to the early Chinese were its high latitude with respect to the pole star, its cold climate and consequent dearth of vegetation, and its lengthy period of winter darkness. The existence of an Arctic Ocean was also recognized.
Fridtjof Nansen and the Geology of the Arctic
Authors: Hestmark Geir
Published: April 2015

Fridtjof Nansen, polar explorer, scientist, and humanitarian, worked on the geology of the Arctic for a period of almost forty years.

On his first major expedition-the first crossing of Greenland in 1888 - questions regarding the nature and causes of ice ages were the central scientific concerns. On Nansen's second major expedition-the Fram-expedition 1893-96 - he studied the formation of the continental margins of the Arctic Ocean, and collected fossil faunas and floras from Franz Josef Land and Siberia. During the drift in the ice, Lt. Scott-Hansen on the Fram made pioneer measurements of gravity at sea.

In his geological works Nansen always addressed the fundamental issues. His main geological interests were in geomorphology (valley and fjord formation, formation of coastal platforms and continental margins), the theory of isostasy and the structure of the earth's crust, ice ages, and climatic changes.

Special attention is given to the intellectual context of Nansen's geological work. It is shown that Scandinavian geologists were the main scientific supporters of Nansen's expeditions, and that contemporary problems of geology featured large in the scientific rationale of his expeditions. Nansen's collaboration with the Scandinavian geologists H. Bäckström, W. Chr. Brøgger, O. Bøggild, A. M. Hansen, A. Helland, J. Kiær, A. G. Nathorst, A. E. Nordenskiöld, H. Rink, A. E. Törnebohm as well as the German J. F. Pompeckj is described in detail.
The Turin Papyrus Map The Oldest Known Map with Geological Significance
Authors: McMahon David
Published: April 2015

The Turin papyrus map is over 3000 years old. More than 100 years of study mainly by egyptologists and by some geologists demonstrate that it shows workings in a known ancient mining and quarrying district of Upper Egypt (the Wadi Hammamat). It seems to have been made in connection with the transportation (and damage?) of a statue from the quarries. The map is significant because of its antiquity and because it shows substantial geological information which underlies the mining and quarrying knowledge which it contains.
Growth and Development of a Woman Scientist and Educator
Authors: Schneiderman Jill
Published: April 2015

Isabel Fothergill Smith (November 15, 1890-September 16, 1990), Professor Emcrita of Geology and History of Science, Scripps College, Claremont California, began her career in geology and education with the tutelage and mentoring of Florence Bascom at Bryn Mawr College. After receiving her Ph.D. from that institution, Smith embarked upon her career in education as a geology professor at Smith College. In 1929, she became the first Dean at Scripps College, a newly founded women's college in southern California. After six years as Dean and a sabbatical studying history of science at Columbia and Harvard Universities, Smith returned to Scripps and taught history of science and geology there, as well as at Pomona College. She retired from teaching in 1954 and later wrote a biographical memoir of her mentor Florence Bascom.
Fishes of the Old Red Sandstone and Systemic Boundaries Blossburg, Pennsylvania 1830-1900
Authors: Leviton Alan , Aldrich Michele
Published: April 2015

During the Late Devonian, in what is now northcentral Pennsylvania, slow moving streams meandered across the plain of the "Catskill" Delta. A varied fish fauna lived in these streams, and their remains are entombed in the ancient stream channel and floodplain sediments. In the 1830's, English railroad engineer Richard Cowling Taylor visited the coal mining community of Blossburg and remarked on the analogy between the Old Red Sandstone of England and that found near Blossburg. Not long afterwards, James Hall (1811-1898), best known for his work on Paleozoic invertebrates of New York, also visited Blossburg to clear up vexing boundary problems in the New York formations. He obtained fish scales from the red sandstones, many of which he identified as scales of Holoptychus nobilissimus, a crossopterygian fish described by Louis Agassiz in 1839. In his annual report for 1839 to the New York Legislature, Hall also took note of some large scales, which were unlike any previously described. Under pressure from the Governor, Hall, like the other survey scientists, had to submit timely reports even if studies were incomplete, and he hurriedly described the new scales, referring them to a new genus and species, Sauritolepis taylori. In his final survey report (1843). Hall dealt more fully with the new fish, renaming it Sauripteris taylori based on the fin structure, the significance of which he had not earlier recognized. The Blossburg fishes did not languish in obscurity; James DeKay referred to them in his checklist of fishes of New York, as did Charles Lyell in his 1845 Travels in North America. In 1890 John Strong Newberry placed the fish fossils in the Lower Carboniferous; he also described several new species. Hall's handling of the fossil fish he had before him and, indeed, the reasons for entering Pennsylvania in the first place, are emblematic of the way much science was practiced in the first half of the 19th century. Further, recent field work in the Blossburg area shows Hall's astuteness as a field geologist for he correctly placed the fish in the Upper Devonian, although in this region the Upper Devonian-Lower Carboniferous boundary is not well defined.
Geological Society of America Election of 1921: Attack on Candidacy of Charles Schuchert for the Presidency
Authors: Weiss Malcolm
Published: April 2015

During the spring of 1921 a "rump" ticket for President and Vice-President of the Geological Society of America, for 1922, in opposition to the regular presidential candidate, Charles Schuchert, was put forward by petition of 68 fellows of the Society. The attempt failed, partly because the gentlemen proposed as substitutes for the "regular" ticket refused to stand for election. Several fellows participated in the petition drive, but the energizing force and drafter of the petition was Edward O. Ulrich, who took pains to disguise the centrality of his role in the process. In retrospect the event appears to have expressed Ulrich's jealousy of Schuchert and his anger for Schuchert's refusal to adopt Ulrich's Ozarkian system in his publications. The "rump"' ticket episode destroyed what then remained of the former close personal and professional relations between these two great scientists and former friends.
Johann David Schoepf, Hessian Traveler
Authors: Lloyd Joel
Published: April 2015

Johann David Schoepf, physician, botanist, and geologist, was born in Wunsiedel on March 8, 1752. He was educated by tutors at home until he entered a Gymnasium at Hof, and then entered the University of Erlangen in 1770. Prior to receiving his medical degree he traveled extensively through the mine country of Saxony, studied at Prague and Vienna, and traversed northern Italy and Switzerland. Following his graduation from Erlangen he was appointed Chief Surgeon to the Ansbach (Hessian) troops headed for America. He arrived at New York on June 4th, 1777. Upon the conclusion of the War of Independence, he toured the eastern and southern States, and thence to the Bahamas, and home to Europe in 1784. At the time of his death, on September 10, 1800, he was the President of the United Medical College of Ansbach and Beyreuth.
Oceanography's Double Life
Authors: Greene Mott
Published: April 2015

The history of oceanography is currently divided into periods which are bracketed by famous voyages of discovery and exploration. This division scheme makes oceanography look very much like the history of geography. On the other hand, analysis of the development of oceanographic ideas and theories suggests a quite alternate periodic scheme more compatible with the currently employed divisions of the history of geophysics and meteorology. The origins and implications of this bifurcation are discussed, with suggestions for research which might help oceanography toward a more ample acknowledgement of this "double life."
Historical Dinosaurs: Episodes in Discovery and Restoration
Authors: Debus Allen
Published: April 2015

Inspired by the approaching sesquicentennial year of the Dinosauria, a classification term created by Sir Richard Owen in 1841 originally corresponding to three extinct genera of enormous, terrestrial British Mesozoic reptiles, the author created miniature models of several dinosaur genera. Sculptures commemorating historically significant restorative stages in paleontological understanding for five genera (Iguanodon, Megalosaurus, Had-rosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Chasmosaurus) were constructed to emphasize the theme of ‘evolving’ ideas concerning dinosaur representations. The stories behind the scientific derivation and ‘evolution’ of these forms illustrate several interesting episodes in the history of dinosaur paleontology.
A Spontaneous Flow: The Geological Contributions of Mary Griffith, 1772-1846
Authors: Cox Robt
Published: April 2015

Mary Griffith (1772-1846) was among America's earliest practicing women scientists. Beginning just before her move to an estate, Charlieshope, near New Brunswick, N.J., Mrs. Griffith conducted a wide variety of experiments in horticulture, natural history, economic entomology, the earth sciences, epidemiology, and optics and vision, publishing her results in scientific and literary journals, newspapers, and as chapters in her novels. Her unique approach to science can be seen as a coherent part of a complex fabric of progressivist, strongly feminist beliefs. Griffith's theory for the origin of springs began with observations made on artesian well bored on her estate. She asserted that the then-dominant theory for the origin of springs was inadequate, suggesting as it did that all springs originate from the topographically higher sources. In her lengthiest exposition of her theory, An Essay on the Art of Boring the Earth, 1826, she argued that waters would be raised to the surface independently of atmospheric pressure by the "centrifugal force" acting through the agency of heated gases in the interior of the earth, and she developed a comprehensive system for the flux and reflux of waters in the earth that she analogized to the circulation of blood in the bodies of animals. Eleven years later, she had modified her theory only slightly, expanding it to account for mountain building and other phenomena.
Teaching the History of Geology
Authors: Leveson David
Published: April 2015

The content and form of a course in the history of geology are dictated by the nature of the subject matter, the conceived purpose of the course, the background of the instructor and the students who participate, and the availability of appropriate readings. In an undergraduate course just offered by the Brooklyn College Geology Department, half the class were geology majors, half non-science majors. The stated aim of the course was epistemological: a consideration of how one comes to believe something. Investigation was pursued through a comparison of different historiographic accounts of major ideas, episodes and figures in the history of geology: the age of the earth; the meaning of fossils; 17th and 18th C ‘theories of the earth’; the denudation dilemma; the basalt and granite controversies; directionalism; Lyell's ‘uniformitarianism’; fluvialism, diluvialism, and glacialism. Where possible, original writings were consulted; the recent advent of a low cost reprint of Lyell's "Principles" was particularly fortunate. Inevitably, the methods, boundaries, controls, and workings of science were questioned, as was the meaning of ‘truth.’ The history of geology is a particularly useful tool for such an epistemological investigation because, prior to its mid-19th C professionalization, geology was relatively free of arcane jargon or sophisticated technology; thus, it is accessible to students with minimal scientific background. The students came to appreciate the relative character of knowledge and the probable evanescence of current belief. As for myself, trained as a geologist, I came to respect the insights and problems of historians, philosophers and sociologists, and to appreciate the pitfalls and opportunities of teaching in an area beyond one's expertise. Going out on a limb, I suggest that a course in the history of geology could serve well as partially fulfilling undergraduate science requirements.
The Bascom-Goldschmidt-Porter Correspondence 1907 to 1922
Authors: Arnold Lois
Published: April 2015

Florence Bascom (1862-1945) was a USGS field geologist who trained a subsequent generation of earth scientists at Bryn Mawr College. Recent literature on the history of women in science has identified several of them, including Ida Ogilvie, Eleanora Bliss Knopf, Anna Jonas Stose, and Julia Gardner. By contrast, Mary W. Porter (1886-1980), who went on to become a crystallographer at Oxford, is virtually unknown. Both Bascom and Porter studied crystallography in the laboratory of Victor Goldschmidt (1853-1933) at the University of Heidelberg. A fifteen-year segment of the decades-long correspondence among these mutual friends reveals the personal significance of Goldschmidt, his wife, and Porter to Bascom; the enabling roles that Bascom and Goldschmidt played in the education of Porter, who had had little formal schooling; and some effects of the First World War on the science of crystallography in Germany, England, and the United States.
The Question of Primordial and Cambrian/Taconic: Barrande and Logan/Marcou
Authors: Yochelson Ellis
Published: April 2015

Joachim Barrande in 1846 recognised the Primordial Silurian fauna as the oldest of three faunas he identified in stratigraphic order in Bohemia. A key point in development of the early Paleozoic stratigraphic column was Barrande's 1850 identification of elements of his Primordial fauna in Great Britain. The link between rocks comprising the Cambrian System and a distinctive fauna was a factor in the eventual acceptance of the validity of the system that Sedwick had named.

A decade later, Barrande also recognized the Primordial fauna as occurring in the Taconic System of Emmons in eastern New York and western Massachusetts. Despite arguments from the beginning as to the geologic basis of this system, some geologists used it in a more widespread sense in New England and Canada. William Logan eventually realized that structural complexities near Quebec City provided a spurious sequence of faunas in supposed correlatives of the Taconic. With interpretation of a younger age for the Quebec Group, Logan took this group out of the Taconic and effectively removed "Taconic" fossils from much of Canada, thereby helping restrict usage to the type area.

Jules Marcou vigorously defended priority of the Taconic. He repeatedly published that Barrande was essentially ignored or injured by Logan. Correspondence, both published and private, demonstrates that this is not the case; they mutually respected each other's scientific abilities. Marcou, and a small but vocal minority of American geologists, supported the use of Taconic during the 1870's and 1880's, but discovery by Walcott in 1887 of Ordovician fossils in Massachusetts Taconic rocks effectively ended debate as to priority of Cambrian.
Alice Wilson, First Woman Geologist With The Geological Survey of Canada
Authors: Sarjeant William
Published: April 2015

Alice Evelyn Wilson (1881-1964) was the first woman to be employed in a professional capacity by the Geological Survey of Canada. Though from an academically gifted family, prolonged ill-health during youth hampered her studies; yet it brought also the interest in geology that was to determine her career. Her researches into the invertebrate palaeontology and stratigraphy of the Palaeozoic strata of eastern Canada were distinguished. Unfortunately, in a male-dominated environment, their value was slow in gaining recognition and Alice's promotions came tardily; nor did she ever gain the professional status that was her due. Only very belatedly, with post-retirement publicity and the naming after her of Alice Wilson Hall in the Geological Survey of Canada's Ottawa headquarters, was the importance of her work to be properly recognized.