Journal of the Alabama Academy of Science articles from April 2003

Journal of the Alabama Academy of Science archives from April 2003

Epigenetic mechanisms of hTERT regulation in aging human cells.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The enzyme telomerase is a critical component in the processes that control chromosomal stability, cellular senescence, and neoplastic transformation. While absent in most somatic cell lines, expression of telomeraseis catalytic subunit, hTERT,...

Evaluation of a PCR method for identifying sources of fecal pollution in environmental waters.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Fecal contamination of consumable and environmental waters is measured by the presence of indicator bacteria. There is now considerable interest in determining the animal source of the fecal contamination. Identification of these sources would...

Training red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) in egg discrimination.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... In many organisms, egg recognition is an important aspect of parental care. Prior studies have shown that under laboratory conditions, female red backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) do not preferentially associate with their own eggs over...

Effects of water and sediment extracts from watersheds near the Monsanto plant (Anniston, AL) on early embryonic development of the frog, xenopus laevis.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Monsanto/Solutia plant in Anniston, AL, is of environmental and public health concern due to soil and watershed contamination by PCB-laden runoff from on-site landfills. We analyzed water samples and aqueous sediment extracts from three...

Discovery of a new population of the endangered watercress darter, Etheostoma nuchale (pisces: percidae).(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... On 18 October 2002, a Birmingham geologist, Mr. Randy Tipton, apprised us of his discovery of a spring ("Seven Springs") not labeled as such on U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps. The spring is located within the city limits of Birmingham...

The role of organic acid dehydrogenases in aluminum tolerance in arabidopsis thaliana.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Aluminum toxicity is a major factor limiting plant growth and development and contributes to the acidification of aquatic environment. It is among the most widespread stresses in plants. Aluminum can have an adverse effect on plants and animals...

Effect of probiotics on Macrobrachium rosenbergii larvae.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Probiotics is defined as the use of living microorganisms to enhance growth or survival of other organisms. In fish and shrimp hatcheries larvae are reared in overcrowded and stressful growth conditions. This can result in loss of larvae or...

Detection of Vibrio vulnificus in Gulf of Mexico water and shellfish using molecular methods.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... V. vulnificus is a Gram-negative, halophilic bacterium that causes septicemia and at times death in susceptible individuals through the consumption of raw oysters. In this study, two experimental approaches involved in rapid and reliable...

Assessment of ichthyofaunal assemblages as indicators of siltation in the upper Cahaba River and its tributaries.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Cahaba river system has historically supported a very diverse ichthyofaunal assemblage. The composition of ichthyofaunal communities is being altered in the upper part of the Cahaba River. These changes in fish populations have occurred in...

Retinoic Acid inhibition of Dnmt expression and activity in HL-60 cells.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... There are three principle DNA methyltransferases, Dnmt 1, Dnmt 3a, and Dnmt 3b that catalyze the transfer of a methyl moiety from the cofactor S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM). Dnmt 1, found to be the most abundant methyltransferase in mammalian...

hTERT inhibition by Retinoic Acid derivatives in MCF-7 and T47D breast cancer cells.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Breast cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in women, has presented limited treatment options due to several factors including associated toxicity and a lack of sustained drug potency. Retinoid-induced inhibition of the...

Rapid detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Gulf of Mexico water using real-time PCR.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram-negative bacterium and a natural inhabitant of warm costal waters. It is commonly found in shellfish and other crustaceans, and is responsible for causing gastroenteritis when consumed in raw or poorly cooked...

Population dynamics for a population of Ambystoma maculatum in Alabama.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Abystomatid salamanders migrate from their terrestrial habitats to nearby ponds to breed. In northeast Alabama the migration of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) is a conspicuous event that occurs during late winter and early spring....

What is the next step in the biological monitoring of rivers and streams?(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Water quality monitoring for nonpoint source pollutants has progressed beyond its simple beginning of water chemistry sampling. The use of biological organisms as indicators of past and present pollutant exposure evolved to reflect the effects...

Bottlenose dolphins' use of Perdido Bay.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A survey of the free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Perdido Bay, AL was made between May and September 2002. The purpose was to determine general estimates of population size and distribution and whether the dolphins...

Evaluation of the Alabama Water Watch citizen level macroinvertebrate protocol for Alabama coastal plain streams.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Alabama Water Watch (AWW) macroinvertebrate bioassessment protocol is a citizen-level tool capable of providing a "first alert" regarding changes in stream health. The number of taxa in each indicator group is multiplied by an Index Value...

The status of the flattened musk turtle (Sternotherus depressus) in selected areas of the Bankhead National Forest and Smith Lake: preliminary results.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Previous studies on the population status of S. depressus indicated that its numbers were declining. It is currently listed as threatened under the endangered species act. After one season of trapping efforts in the Bankhead National Forest and...

The effects of acute exposure to nitrate and nitrite on the metabolic physiology of Nile Tilapia, oreochromis nilotica.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Nitrogenous waste products such as ammonia and nitrite are well known toxicants to aquatic organisms. Nitrate, however, is considered relatively non-toxic to most aquatic organisms. Research has recently begun to re-evaluate the effects of...

Effects of chronic exposure to nitrite on the respiratory physiology of post-larval prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Malaysian freshwater shrimp, Macrobrachum rosenbergii, plays an important role in worldwide aquaculture. Large-scale indoor production relies on efficient filtration to reduce nitrogenous waste buildup. The detrimental effects of...

The effects of low dose ionizing radiation on Giardia lamblia trophozoites.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Low dose ionizing radiation causes damage in many bacterial and several protozoal species and therefore is potentially useful for treatment of contaminated food. The purpose of this study was to determine what types of damage result from...

Plant stress identification by remote sensing.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... This project was designed to evaluate the potential use of aerial remote sensing data to identify stress areas in agricultural fields. The project was carried out for two years evaluating cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and corn (Zea mays) crops in...

Molecular analyses of plant defense factors (PDF) of arabidopsis thaliana in response to simulated insect feeding.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Throughout their life cycle, plants must respond to challenges from the environment and to changes in the seasons. Like any organism, plants are constantly subjected to attack by a wide variety of predators such as insects, bacteria, fungi, and...

Induction of callose biosynthesis in arabidopsis, an activation of the--plant defense mechanism.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... When plant cells are wounded, they block the damaged sites and their plasmadesmata with a polysaccharide cement known as callose. This helps prevent the loss of cytoplasmic contents from adjacent cells. Callose is a beta--1, 3-glucan polymer of...

Exposure temperature affects ovarian development in the regular sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Lytechinus variegatus (ca. 40mm diameter) were collected (n=88) in October 2001 from Saint Joseph Bay, Florida, and returned to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The sea urchins were divided into nine 80-L aquaria maintained in...

Cryopreservation of Tetrahymena pyriformis.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The cryopreservation of Tetrahymena pyriformis is essential for long-term storage. Presented here is a laboratory procedure for freezing this freshwater protozoan. The cells were grown in a standard growth medium on a rotary shaker at...

Effect of 4-ethyl-4-aza-5[alpha]-cholestane (ND-497) on the carbohydrate metabolism of Staphylococcus aureus.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Certain azasteroids, possessing the properties of cationic surface active agents, have been shown to inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, yeasts and molds. It had been demonstrated that the antimicrobial activity of azasteroids is due,...

A paleocene plant fossil from the Sentinel Butte Formation.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A stem fossil from the Sentinel Butte Formation (North Dakota) was investigated using brightfield and scanning electron microscopy. Within the surface periderm are vertically oriented fiber masses whose individual cells overlap. Centripetal to...

Evaluation of in situ incubation temperatures within Kemp's ridley nests at the primary nesting beach.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Like all species of sea turtle, the Kemp's ridley, Lepidochelys kempi, possesses temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). Under TSD, the incubation temperature of the egg during the approximate middle third of incubation determines the...

Anuran calling communities in northeastern Alabama.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... My students and I have been studying local anuran calling communities for the past eleven years. Several characteristics influence community structure in calling frog communities. Duration of the hydroperiod has a significant influence on the...

Preliminary evaluation of incubation temperatures and sex ratios of green turtles in Hawaii.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, possesses temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in which the incubation temperature of the egg (during the approximate middle third of incubation) determines the sex of the hatchling. This form of...

The toxicity effects of Rose Bengal on Tetrahymena pyriformis.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Rose Bengal is a red, xanthene dye (including other members like phloxine b, erythrosine, and eosin yellow) that produces reactive, singlet oxygen when exposed to light. Oxygen in this state has been known to degrade membrane integrity as well...

A bottlenose dolphin in fresh water.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A 203 cm long male bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), SHCM322, did not swim away from a widened segment of the extreme upper Magnolia River in Baldwin County, Alabama, from February 1, 2000 through the 87 days until its death on April 29....

Expression patterns for aromatase and steroidogenic factor-1 in the developing gonads of the red-eared pond slider turtle.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Numerous studies have indicated that exogenous estrogens can initiate the sex reversal of males to females (at male-producing temperatures) during embryonic development in reptiles with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). These...

Proposed relationships between the surfactant properties and the developmental toxicity induced in frog embryos of Humic acid.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Humic acid (HA) is as an anionic surfactant that promotes the mobilization of a non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) in a porous medium. HA is extracted from peat by a simple series of acid/base extractions. The critical micelle concentration (CMC)...

Temporal and spacial patterns of fecal coliform sources.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Existing methods for monitoring water-born fecal coliforms fail to address the origin of fecal contamination. We have tracked the sources of fecal coliform contamination in surface waters near Marion, Alabama by developing a database of...

New records of Alabama fishes.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... New distribution records are reported for five species of fishes in the upper Mobile River Basin. The dusky darter, Percina sciera (Swain, 1883) and the banded pygmy sunfish, Elassoma zonatum Jordan, 1877, were collected from Ebenezer Swamp...

hTERT promoter methylation in human primary epithelial cells.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Telomerase is an enzyme known to be important in chromosomal stability and cellular senescence. By maintaining sequences of 5'-TTAGGG-3' on the ends of chromosomes telomerase keeps cells resistant to aging and unaffected by the restrictions...

Verongid sponge phylogenetics and specificity of associated cyanobacteria.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The evolutionary relationships of 24 Verongid sponges representing 7 species, 3 genera, and 2 families were examined using nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence data. A 700bp rDNA sequence corresponding to the entire ITS-2 region and partial...

Biostability of wheat straw as a sulfide-enhanced biofilter.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Heavy metals found in urban runoff pose a treat to aquatic ecosystems thereby making it desirable to filter such runoff. Wheat straw is an ideal biofilter as it is readily available at low costs. Current studies focus on the biostability of...

High levels of androstenedione and progesterone in the sediment of a river receiving paper mill effluent.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Fenholloway River near Perry, FL, USA receives effluent from a paper mill and contains populations of eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, with masculinized females. A previous study identified the androgen precursor androstenedione in...

Freshwater cyanobacterial resistance to herbivory by a generalist grazer: chemical versus structural defense.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The freshwater cyanobacterium Lyngbya wollei forms dense mats in culturally impacted aquatic systems in Alabama and produces saxitoxin, a carbamate alkaloid neurotoxin. We explored the palatability of L. wollei compared to a filamentous green...

Microscopic examination of larval shrimp, Macrobrachium rosenbergii.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Malaysian freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii is a popular commercial food source and has a very high reproduction rate in artificial environments. Previous studies of the freshwater prawn have mainly focused on hatchery techniques....

Competition between the cyanobacterium Lyngbya wollei and green algae: effects of secondary metabolites and herbivory.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Lyngbya wollei is a filamentous, mat-forming cyanobacterium that has been shown to produce saxitoxin, a paralytic shellfish poison. While the chemical compounds of L. wollei have been well characterized, experimental analyses of the potential...

The annual reproductive cycle of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus from the Florida panhandle.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The reproductive cycle of Lytechinus variegatus was observed over a period of 18 months. The average gonad mass for females and males shows substantial increases from October of 2001 to March of 2002. Additional peaks for males and females...

An undescribed species of Cyclotella (bacillariophyceae) from Clarke County, AL.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... An undescribed Cyclotella species was collected from brackish waters in several locations within Clarke County, AL between October 2001 and September 2002. This novel species is similar to Cyclotella stelligera Cleve and Grunow and Cyclotella...

Activity of Cytochrome P-450 in Xenopus laveis embryos as determined by modified enzyme assay.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Cytochrome-P-450 is an important enzyme involved in detoxification. It is found in the mitochondrial membranes of liver cells. The objective of this experiment is to measure its activity in early stage Xenopus laevis (South-African Clawed frog)...

Jubilees and hypoxic events in Mobile Bay.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Jubilees, the mass shoreward migration of bottom-dwelling fauna, have been reported from Mobile Bay since the 1880's. Organisms are believed to migrate due to low dissolved oxygen levels in the bottom water. The appearance of jubilees (and by...

Torus lignification in hardwoods.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Pit membranes in plants function in water transport from cell to cell, and tori on the surface of the membranes act to inhibit the passage of air embolisms and reduce tearing under conditions of membrane displacement. In the past, it was...

A comparison of the effects of Phloxine B and Eosin Yellow under various light conditions on population growth of Tetrahymena pyriformis.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Phloxine B and Eosin Yellow are halogenated photoactive xanthene dyes, that are FDA approved for use in human cosmetics and drugs. Research examining the effectiveness of photoactive dyes, such as Phloxine B, as pesticides has been conducted...

Vertebrate road-kill survey of the Mobile Bay Causeway.(Biological Sciences)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A systematic, road-kill survey was conducted (by bicycle or automobile) on the Mobile Bay Causeway each week during 2001 and 2002 to assess the numbers of vertebrates killed by vehicular traffic. More than 1000 organisms representing 85 species...

The effect of solvent on the absorption spectra of p-N,N-dimethylaminocinnamonitrile.(Chemistry)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Aromatic compounds containing both electron donor and acceptor substituents are highly polar and their UV spectra can be sensitive to solvent polarity and hydrogen bonding. The UV-visible absorption spectra of p-N,N-dimethylaminocinnamonitrile...

Effect of pH on growth kinetics and hardness of TGS:LAP and KDP:LAP crystals *.(Chemistry)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Triglycine sulfate (TGS), and L-arginine phosphate (LAP) and Potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals have technological importance in infrared detecting and nonlinear optical devices respectively. However, their mixed crystals have not...

Synthesis of some 4-alkyl and 3,4-dialkl-4-azacholestanes and 4-alkyl and 3,4-dialkyl-4-azapregnanes.(Chemistry)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Since 1956 our program has contributed to the discovery of azasteroids with anabolic, antiandrogenic, antiprogestational, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, fertility control, BPH inhibition, hair growth stimulant, hypocholesterolemic, and...

A versatile solution crystal growth system for studying growth kinetics *.(Chemistry)
April 1, 2003... In order to good quality crystals from solution, it is important to study the growth mechanisms and growth kinetics of crystals grown under various growth conditions such as degree of supersaturation, presence of impurities, stirring rate, pH...

Characteristics of pure and doped lithium niobate crystals *.(Chemistry)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Lithium niobate single crystal is an excellent material for various optical applications such as frequency conversion, optical switches, optical modulators and others. An automatic diameter control Czochralski crystals growth system has been...

Land Based Classification System applied to an urban mixed use village.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... An urban mixed-use village presents an array of issues to planners responsible for collecting and analyzing land uses as a first step in land use planning. In the field the first issue is to properly understand what uses are actually present...

Factors of restaurant choice in Jacksonville.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The City of Jacksonville, Alabama has many eating establishments from which to choose. It was hypothesized that the main factor influencing restaurant choice for lunch was distance from campus. A study group consisting of Jacksonville State...

Effect of scale issue on measuring job/housing imbalance: a methodological debate by using GIS.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... There has been considerable concern about the geographical scale of analysis for measuring job/housing imbalance, when an area is unable to provide jobs for the local residents or an employment area has insufficient housing for workers....

Soil morphology used as evidence in a PCB--contamination lawsuit.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Polychlorinated biphenyls present a significant risk to human health. In Anniston, Alabama, the Monsanto Corporation released some 600 tons of PCBs into surrounding neighborhoods. A survey conducted by residents indicated unusually high rates...

Monitoring urban growth in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana using satellite imagery.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Increasing population growth and urbanization are among the major problems confronting Accra Metropolitan Area (AMA), the capital of Ghana. These growths have serious economic and environmental impact on the Metropolitan's economy in the form...

Democratic stronghold in Alabama: The Black Belt Region.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... In statewide elections, citizens in Alabama have voted primarily for the Democratic candidate. A shift has occurred over the past twenty years to voting for the Republican candidate. The gubernatorial election of 2002 revealed that although the...

Implemention of GIS in Syria.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... While the development and implementation of GIS began in the United States and Canada with the support and funding of governmental agencies and foundations and the efforts of academia, implementation of GIS in Syria has come about by the...

Hurricane Isidore imapcts at Gulf Shores and Dauphin Island, AL.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... In September 2002, Hurricane Isidore wreaked havoc in the Gulf of Mexico region by hitting Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula (wind speeds >110 mph), then tracking northward where it made landfall along the U.S. Coast just west of Grand Isle,...

Environmental initiatives of Community-Based Development Organization: the case of The Federation of Southern Co-operatives of Alabama.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... One of the major gaps in contemporary community development discourse, despite all its good intent and purposes, is the inadequate coverage of the various environmental initiatives adopted by Community Based Development Organizations (CBDOs)....

Commuting time change as an indicator of urban sprawl: selected MSAs in Alabama 1980-2000.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Urban sprawl is the rapid spread of urban development and urban populations into non-urban areas. Growth is usually thought of as a good thing for cities, but unplanned, unregulated growth with characterized sprawl can become a major problem....

Neighborhoods in transition: profiles of older Huntsville (AL) neighborhoods based on the 2000 U.S. Census.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The second half of the 2[0.sup.th] Century ushered in a period of rapid to steady grown that transformed the economy and the landscape of Huntsville, Alabama. At the benchmark year of 1950, the City's population stood at 16,437, by 1970 it had...

The effects of urbanization on rare species in Muscogee, Harris, and Meriwether counties in Georgia.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Five distinct physiographic provinces are represented in Georgia: the Cumberland Plateau, the Ridge and Valley, the Blue Ridge, the Piedmont, and the Coastal Plain, and each province has associations of plants and animals unique to Georgia or...

Reconstructing the history of railroading in Tuscumbia and Sheffield, Alabama, through relicts on the landscape.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Railroading began in Alabama when on January 16, 1830, the Tuscumbia Railway Company was chartered by the State of Alabama. This was the first railroad chartered west of the Appalachian Uplands. The line eventually connected Tuscumbia Landing...

Evaluation of Calhoun County's outdoor warning system.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... As of 1992 the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided the funds to install 106 outdoor warning sirens in Calhoun County, Alabama. Their main purpose is to warn residents in the event of a chemical spill at the Anniston Army...

Residential growth in Madison County, Alabama and the effects on major and minor collectors.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Since 1990 the population in Madison County has increased by 16%. As a corollary to this the number of housing units has grown from 97,855 in 1990 to 120,288 units being reported in the 2000 census. This growth has impacted the county and put a...

The Victorian Front Porch Christmas Tour.(Geography, Forestry, Conservation, and Planning)
April 1, 2003... The Victorian Front Porch Christmas Tour, held annually in Opelika, Alabama, is one of the South's premier tourist attractions. This is an example of community tourism, an effort to attract tourists, foster community identity, provide formal...

On realization of inverse Stieltjes functions.(Physics and Mathematics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The major part of realization theory concerns the identification of a given holomorphic function as a transfer (characteristic) function of a system (colligation) or a linear fractional transformation of such a function. Systems whose main...

Cumulative distribution of river lengths, the number of rivers and the total length of all rivers.(Physics and Mathematics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... In some statistical studies, the concept of cumulative distribution is used. This distribution always betrays a smoother profile and requires a smaller sample of data. Further, the cumulative number is nothing but the rank of the quantity whose...

Lambda-fold multidesigns for graph-pairs on 4 and 5 vertices.(Physics and Mathematics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Let G and H be a pair of non-isomorphic graphs on either 4 or 5 vertices. A (G,H)-multidesign of order n is a collection of subgraphs of the complete graph on n vertices, each one of which is either isomorphic to G or to H, such that each edge...

Samford University new telescope and the Internet.(Physics and Mathematics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Department of Physics has recently acquired a 12" Meade LX200 GPS telescope. Its onboard database has more than 145,000 star locations. In addition, the Department has purchased a Santa Barbara Instrument Group CCD Camera, the SBIG ST-8E,...

Women and money in the 21st century: a survey of women in transition.(Industry and Economics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Marriage is no longer a sure bet for securing a woman's financial future. Today, 50% of marriages fail and according to experts 90% of women will become the sole providers of their financial futures. Women are living longer than their male...

The prospect of The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.(Industry and Economics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, COMESA was formed in December 1994 to replace the former Preferential Trade Area (PTA) between Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi,...

The relationship of crime and poverty.(Industry and Economics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... While the country is struggling with a slow recovery and the possibility of a double deep recession, many concerned citizens are pondering over the extent of poverty, child poverty, and poverty among minority communities. Crime and poverty have...

North Alabama Regional analysis: social & economic characteristics, 1980-2000.(Industry and Economics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The North Alabama Region has a very mixed economy evidenced by the presence and production of agricultural, industrial, and high-technological goods and services. Northeastern Mississippi, Southern Tennessee, and Northwestern Georgia...

A regression model of new housing units' construction in the United States.(Industry and Economics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... This paper uses a time series multivariable linear regression model to analyze the relationship between changes in the level of mortgage interest rates and changes in residential investments. More specifically, we try to determine the effects...

Population and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa.(Industry and Economics)
April 1, 2003... The populations of the developing countries are growing at a faster rate than ever before, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, whose socioeconomic development is most likely hindered by a high fertility rate. In most countries in this area the...

Government intervention in a market economy.(Industry and Economics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... In a world of limited resources, every society has faced the fundamental economic problem of deciding what to produce, how to produce them, and for whom to produce. A market economy is by its very nature, decentralized, flexible, practical, and...

A regression model of causes of poverty.(Industry and Economics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The U.S. has one of the highest poverty rates among industrial nations. Also, the southern states have the highest poverty rates in U.S., with Mississippi and Alabama having the highest ranks. This paper uses regression analysis to measure the...

The chracteristic of Korean venture capital.(Industry and Economics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Since 1960's, Korean Economy has grown fast due to low wages and mass production system. However, due to the increase in wages and competition with other low wage and less-developed countries such as China and Thailand, the competitive power of...