Notes: Abstract Neutral hydrogen line observations of the extended rotation curves of spiral galaxies imply that there exist significant discrepancies between the luminous and dynamical mass beyond the bright optical discs. This means either that galaxies contain significant quantities of non-luminous matter (matter with a mass-to-light ratio very much higher than that of ordinary stars), or that the law of gravity on the scale of galaxies is not the usual Newtonian inverse square law. Attempts to account for the observed discrepancy in the context of these two explanations are reviewed here with emphasis given to the second and less conventional alternative. It is argued that the standard picture of spiral galaxy halo and disc formation in the context of cold dark matter cannot account for the observed systematics of the discrepancy — notably rotation curves which are seen to be flat and featureless from the bright inner regions where the visible matter dominates the dynamics (in some cases overwhelmingly) to the outer regions where the dark halo dominates. It is demonstrated that in those galaxies with well-observed rotation curves, the discrepancy apparently appears below a critical acceleration. Any dark matter explanation of the discrepancy must account for this fact. Moreover, this would also eliminate empirically motivated modifications of Newton's law in which the deviation from 1/r occurs beyond a fundamental length scale. The suggestion by Milgrom in which the force law becomes essentially 1/r below a critical acceleration (MOND) can account for most of the observed systematics of galaxy rotation curves and, significantly, leads to the observed luminosity-velocity relationship in spiral galaxies (the Tully-Fisher law). Generally covariant theories of gravity which predict this phenomenology in the weak-field limit are described. Although there is not yet a theory which obviously meets all of the requirements for a physically viable alternative to dark matter, a generalized scalar-tensor theory of the form suggested by Bekenstein (phase coupling gravitation) is the currently leading candidate and has the advantage of being testable locally.

Notes: Summary Serum samples collected in 1984 during a malariometric survey of two villages in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea were tested for antibodies to HTLV-I. None of the villagers showed any symptoms suggestive of retrovirus infection. Eighteen of the 186 (9.5%) sera tested at that time were found to be positive. Blood samples were subsequently obtained from fifteen of the eighteen positives and subjected to analysis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), radioimmuno assay (RIA), radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA), and Western blot (WB). Fourteen of the fifteen gave a positive ELISA response, but none were unequivocally positive by p 24 RIA. All sera tested were reactive togag antigens by WB, but gave “indeterminate” results currently accepted criteria. Notably absent from the WB profiles of all of the study subjects was an antibody response to HTLV-I envelope protein gp 46. It is possible that these antibody responses are directed against a variant of HTLV-I or to a novel retrovirus which possesses core antigens similar to those of HTLV-I but has different envelope antigens. Until a virus is isolated, or the viral genome is identified in infected lymphocytes, the possibility remains that the response may be due to factors unrelated to retrovirus infection.

Notes: Abstract The relative importance of autotrophic flagellates, desmids, cyanobacteria, and ciliates as food forDaphnia magna was examined using cohort life tables. Each cohort was fed a single food type at a given concentration, and comparisons among each type were made. Algal feeding treatments included three levels of young (7 to 14 days old)Chlamydomonas reinhardi (Chlorophyta, Chlamydomonadacae), two levels of senescent (〉 14 days old)C. reinhardi, two levels ofCryptomonas sp. (Chlorophyta, Cryptomonadacae), two levels ofStaurastrum sp. (Chlorophyta, Desmidacae), four levels of young (7 to 15 days old) or senescent (〉 15 days old)Microcystis aeruginosa (Cyanophyta, Chlorococcacae), and a no-food treatment. The ciliatesCyclidium sp. andParamecium caudatum were also presented at concentrations of 1 or 102 cells/ml, as well as mixtures ofC. reinhardi (103/ml) andCyclidium (1/ml) orP. caudatum (1/ml).Daphnia growth, reproduction, and survivorship were highest whenC. reinhardi orCryptomonas were the food source, while those starved or fedM. aeruginosa had shorter survivorship and lower growth and reproduction.Daphnia grew and had high survivorship when fedP. caudatum, but even though eggs were produced, most were aborted after 2 or 3 days.Staurastrum andCyclidium produced intermediate growth and survivorship, but reproduction was seen only in the 103 Staurastrum/ml treatment. Carbon and nitrogen content were general indicators of nutritional value. However, growth, reproduction, and survivorship were higher in some cohorts fed treatments containing relatively low levels of carbon and nitrogen. Other cohorts were short-lived and did not reproduce, despite being fed much higher levels of carbon and nitrogen. The results also suggest that green algae are nutritionally valuable forDaphnia, whereas cyanobacteria are not. As measured by life-table parameters, the nutritional value of ciliates was variable, with some being poor food sources. Thus, the potential of ciliates as a trophic link between microbial production and higher trophic levels may vary with the ciliate community structure. Our results suggest that ciliates alone were insufficient as a food source to supportDaphnia population growth.