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Notes: This investigation considers a hypothetical three-phase ordered composite to permit the design of a new material both stiffer and tougher than the matrix phase alone. The required elastic solution is greatly simplified and was based on a single layered inclusion in an otherwise infinite matrix under uniaxial tension. The solution presented is exact and generalized to accommodate any number of concentric layers of different thickness and composition.

Notes: Attempts to use low-cycle fatigue techniques derived from the work of Coffin and Manson to predict the fatigue performance of six diverse structural plastics are discussed. Through an analysis of dynamic property and thermal behavior studies of polymer samples in reversed-tension fatigue, an improved model for the polymer fatigue process has been proposed. Laboratory test data are presented illustrating the relationship between the various models.

Notes: It is postulated that property gradients exist at the interface forming an “interphase” between the insert and the matrix. Such gradients might be caused by partial solubility and diffusivity of the two phases comprising a composite. For simplicity, the “interphase” is replaced by a shell exhibiting averaged properties (Eshell = 1/2 Einsert + 1/2 Ematrix, etc.). An exact linear elastic solution was employed to evaluate stress fields throughout all regions. The possible effect of the “interphase” and its thickness on several physical properties of the composite are evaluated in terms of the particular stress fields.

Notes: An investigation of the dynamic mechanical properties of several molten polymers was performed using the Maxwell Orthogonal Rheometer. Relaxation spectra derived from experimental data for the terminal region of viscoelastic response indicate that as molecular weight distribution broadens, terminal relaxation phenomena associated with molecular disentanglement and translation extend over a corresponding wider frequency range. The same data indicate that a true maximum relaxation time beyond which no elastic response is observed exists for the materials studied. Moreover, the maximum relaxation time corresponds to the reciprocal of the frequency where the dynamic viscosity deviates from its zero-shear value. Thus an estimate of the time necessary for complete elastic recovery in polymer melts is readily obtained experimentally.

Notes: Tensile creep measurements were carried out on a commercial ABS polymer over a temperature range from 40 to 100°C at stress levels from 0.6 to 1.8 × 108 dynes/cm2. Experiments were conducted in a prototype of an apparatus designed to be compatible with digital acquisition systems. Analysis of the data indicated that application of the time-temperature super-position principle was of limited value due to the use of test temperatures near and below the effective glass transition temperature of the acrylonitrile-styrene component of the polymer. A strong stress dependence of the compliance was observed, even at relatively short times after loading. This was analyzed in terms of a model in which the height of the potential energy barrier to motion of the molecular flow unit is lowered by the application of stress. Analysis of the temperature dependence of the compliance at low stress levels indicated that the effective Tg of the acrylonitrile-styrene phase is about 85°C. The temperature dependence of the magnitude of the activation energy is considered as is the stress dependence of the glass transition temperature. Implications of short-time response in creep with regard to response under impact loading are pointed out. Practical application of results to the prediction of dimensional stability of molded parts is discussed as well as the limitations involved in extrapolation of experimental data to long times and high stress levels.

Notes: Fine structures of several plastic/rubber two -phase polymer systems were studied by means of direct observations of ultrathin sections under the electron microscope using osmium tetroxide staining and a hardening procedure developed recently by Kato. Samples used are several types of both ABS polymers and high -impact polystyrenes, and several PVC/rubber blends and the results were discussed in relation to their dynamic viscoelastic properties. It is suggested that these studies may fruitfully be extended to clarify the structure -to property relationships by use of this method.

Notes: The purpose of this paper is to describe a new deformation calorimeter, which is based on differential thermometry and uses a flowing gas stream as a heat transfer medium which allows it to operate under near-isothermal conditions. Also presented are some preliminary test measurements with a crosslinked polyurethane elastomer and crystalline polybutene-1.

Notes: Antiplasticizers are considered to be diluents which when added to polymers result in mechanical property behavior opposite to that of plasticization. The addition of antiplasticizers to certain polymers such as Bisphenol A polycarbonate, polysulfone, and polyvinyl chloride results in the elimination of the secondary loss transitions of these polymers. As a drop in modulus accompanies these transitions, their elimination results in higher tensile strength and tensile modulus. As secondary transitions are commonly associated with ductility and impact strength, their elimination also results in the observed embrittlement characteristics. The addition of anti-plasticizers to polymers also restricts the diffusion of penetrants resulting from the decrease of molecular flexibility in the polymer matrix.

Notes: A useful concept in polymer science is the degree of crystallinity - the fraction of the polymer that exists in a relatively ordered state. Methods of determination of the degree of crystallinity using density, infrared, thermal, N.M.R. and X-ray measurements are examined in light of modern notions of the structure of semi-crystalline polymers.

Notes: The changes occurring when polythene melts are subjected to shear, have been investigated using a rotating bob fitted into a ram extruder. In addition to chain scission, low density polythene exhibits reversible changes in mechanical and viscoelastic properties. The magnitude of the changes is controlled by total shear strain, and is related to molecular weight and long chain branching. The mechanism appears to be one of reversible disentanglement operating mainly on the large highly branched molecules. The work is relevant to various extrusion processes and to other long-branched polymers.

Notes: This investigation deals with the fatigue behavior of a group of thermoplastics fortified with discontinuous glass fibers dispersed by an injection molding process. The thermoplastics included nylon, polystyrene and polyethylene reinforced with short (1/8 in.) and long (1/2 in.) glass fibers.Several aspects of the fatigue behavior are included in the study. First, classical S-N curves were generated under fluctuating tension with R = 0.05 to show the loss of strength due to cyclic load application. Next, the extent of progressive fatigue damage was established by measuring the residual strength after cyclic loading. Finally, hypotheses pertaining to the fatigue mechanisms operative in all four materials were made based on microscopic examinations of sections removed from fatiguedamaged specimens.

Notes: Twelve polymers and copolymers reinforced with random short glass fibers are used for the study of the strength -composition relationship. Six of these reinforced systems are new and have not been reported elsewhere. The effect of fiber volume fraction on tensile and flexural strengths is related to the Kelly and Tyson equation. For each composition the strengthening factor, F, is calculated and discussed with respect to the structure of the polymer. One factor pertaining to the actual performance of fiber glass, fiber efficiency, K, has been extrapolated for the fiber glass used for this study. The effects of fibers on toughness and the Izod notched impact strength are discussed. It is the impact strength ratio and not the toughness which is used to describe the net result of reinforcement.The deviations between the wet and the dry strengths are used to illustrate the effect of the fiber -matrix interfacial bond. A new parameter, Δθ, is introduced to describe the effect of structure on the fiber -matrix interface. The effect of water at the fiber -matrix interface is further demonstrated through the determination of dielectric constant and dissipation factor of the composite before and after water immersion. The rule of mixtures was found to apply to dry electrical properties of composites.

Notes: The effects of shear stress on the crystallization kinetics and morphology of linear polyethylene and polybutene-1 were studied with the aid of a specially designed apparatus. With this equipment, it was possible to heat a thin polymer sample between glass slides to a melt temperature, quench the sample to a crystallization temperature, and then deform the sample in shear by applying a constant load to one of the glass slides. During the deformation, the crystallization process was observed and photographed under a polarizing microscope. Also, the displacement of the glass slide was simultaneously recorded which made possible a determination of the shear strain as a function of time.The results demonstrate that two phenomena may occur in the initially supercooled polymer samples in response to the applied shear stress. In one case, the sample deformed until it fractured, generally exhibiting no evidene of crystallization; in the other, the sample deformed until an inflection point was reached after which the sample became rigid. This latter phenomenon was attributed to crystallization.At low shear stresses, the inflection point was associated with the growth of spherulites which simply became large enough to bridge the glass slides and prevent further deformation of the sample. This generally occurred prior to the completion of the radial growth of the lamellae.At high shear stresses, however, no evidence of crystallization was seen in the microscope until the inflection point was reached. At this point, birefringence was observed in the sample. The resulting structure generally could not be resolved in the microscope, thereby indicating very profuse nucleation.The results obtained clearly demonstrate that the application of a sufficiently high shear stress to an initially supercooled melt has a substantial effect on the rates of crystallization of both polyethylene and polybutene-1. This was shown most dramatically at temperatures close to the melting point, e.g., both polyethylene at 130°C and polybutene-1 at 113°C, which require over 104 sec to crystallize under quiescent conditions, crystallized at approximately 0.05 seconds.The application of a shear stress to a polymer melt is envisaged as resulting in molecular orientation. In accord with the theories of Flory, and Krigbaum and Roe, the associated decrease in entropy of the melt may be considered to increase the supercooling. Under high stresses at which large increases in supercooling result, crystallization occurs more rapidy at the high temperatures and with polymers of lower molecular weight. At low shear stresses, the influence of temperature and molecular weight on the crystallization kinetics is essentially the same as that obseved under quiescent conditions.Observations through the microscope have shown that the application of a shear stress to a polymer melt leads to large increases in the number of crystalline structures formed and to the formation of oriented morphologies. This latter phenomenon arises due to nucleation lines formed by impurities and spherulites in the deforming melt. The impurities and spherulites apparently cause a disturbance which is thought to result in a local increase in stress of the melt and, hence, a local increase in supercooling. Lamellae then nucleate on these lines and grow out radially.

Notes: Detailed crazing behavior in several plastic/rubber twophase polymer systems was studied by means of direct observation of ultrathin sections under the electron microscope by employing osmium tetroxide staining and hardening procedure. Samples used are ABS polymer, high -impact polystyrene and several PVC/rubber blends. All of the systems investigated showed evidence of stress -crazing when under flexural stress. Relationships between the dispersed rubber particles and the crazing behaviors were studied, and the role of rubber particles in the toughening mechanism of plastics was discussed based on these observations.

Notes: The effects of temperature and penetrant activity on the sorption kinetics and equilibria of a series of alkanes in glassy, biaxially oriented polystyrene were studied. Normal isomers of pentane, hexane, and heptane cause crazing of polystyrene film samples at high penetrant activities (〉 0.85). Crazing kinetics are identical to the kinetics of Case II transport. Transport of these normal hydrocarbons in glassy polystyrene in the temperature range 25 to 50°C is markedly non-Fickian; limiting Case II transport is observed at activities in exces of 0.6. Sorption appears to be controlled by highly activated relaxation processes including primary bond breakage at these high penetrant activities. Fickian diffusion behavior is approached, however, as penetrant activity is reduced. Sorption of the branched isomers of these compounds does not result in polymer microfailure. The sorption kinetics of the branched isomers, although time dependent, appear to be controlled primarily by thermally activated diffusion rather than large scale polymer relaxations which control Case II transport.

Notes: Some of the thermodynamic and physical properties of crystals of linear polyethylene, formed from dilute solution are discussed. These properties include density, enthalpy of fusion, infrared absorption spectrum, selective oxidation and dynamic mechanical measurements. Despite the fact that electron microscopic examination reveals an apparent geometric regularity to these crystals, all these physical measurements yield a consistent interpretation in that they require about 15-20% of the chain units to be in a non-random conformation, and to form a disordered amorphous overlayer.Detailed studies of the experimentally observed relations between the crystallite thickness, crystallization temperature, and dissolution temperature (melting temperature in a dilute solution) are also presented. A thermodynamic analysis of the dissolution temperature-size relations, based on independently determined equilibrium solubility temperatures, indicates that the interfacial free-energy characteristic of the mature crystallites is significantly different from that involved in nucleation. The interfacial structures of the nucleus and the crystallites must, therefore, also be different. Size control by a nucleation process can be demonstrated from very general theoretical considerations. However, the detailed molecular structure characteristic of the nucleus cannot be specified solely from the fact that this process is size controlling.

Notes: Work at Stanford Research Institute on the deterioration of polymers is based on the assumption that aging in the light is the most serious problem and that it has at least three components that must be separated if we are to understand the overall process. We have started by measuring the production of free radicals on the polymer when pairs of t-butoxy radicals are generated from thermal decomposition of di-t-butylperoxy oxalate (DBPO) in bulk atactic polypropylene at temperatures approximating service conditions, 35-50°C. Our preliminary experiments have brought out experimental difficulties and have raised more theoretical questions than they have answered. Nevertheless, they show that the efficiency of production of polymer radicals is low and sensitive to the mobilities of the polymer chains. They also suggest that two kinetically different oxidation processes, with different dependencies on rates of initiation and with different susceptibilities to inhibitors, are proceeding simultaneously. The implications of these findings for results of some previous work and for design of improved accelerated tests is considered.

Notes: Starting with specific constitutive equations, methods of evaluating material properties from experimental data are outlined and then illustrated for some polymeric materials; these equations have been derived from thermodynamic principles, and are very similar to the Boltzmann superposition integral form of linear theory. The experimental basis for two equations under uniaxial loading and the influence of environmental factors on the properties are first examined. It is then shown that creep and recovery data can be conveiently used to evaluate properties in one equation, while two-step relaxation data serve the same purpose for the second equation. Methods of reducing data to accomplish this characterization and to determine the accuracy of the theory are illustrated using existing data on nitrocellulose film, fiber-reinforced phenolic resin, and polyisobutylene. Finally, a set of three-dimensional constitutive equations is proposed which is consistent with nonlinear behavior of some metals and plastics, and which enables all properties to be evaluated from uniaxial creep and recovery data.

Notes: Equations have been derived to convert Brabender flow curves to Instron flow curves for practical application purposes. The technique involved is simple and has been described and discussed in detail. Nine pairs of Brabender and Instron flow curves of three different high polymers, each at three operating temperatures, have been found to fit each other quite well. The converted Brabender flow curves overlap a part of the Instron curves and extend the shear range toward the Newtonian flow region. An important consequence of this work is that the Brabender Plastograph can now be regarded as a formal viscometer while still functioning as a miniature of the Banbury mixers used in industry. More work is being done to take advantage of this consequence.

Notes: Constant stress creep and recovery experiments were performed in the nonlinear range under combined tension and torsion on a tubular specimen of polycarbonate. Nonlinear viscoelasticity theory was employed to describe the test results. It was found that the first three orders of stress terms and a power function of time adequately described the experimental results. The modified superposition principle satisfactorily predicted the recovery following creep. Recovery was almost complete in several days following two hours of creep.

Notes: The physical optics of iridescent multilayered plastic films are analyzed theoretically relating the layer thickness, layer arrangement, and refractive index difference between layers to the reflection spectra for light at normal incidence. Very vivid iridescent and metallic-appearing films may be made by proper control of layer distribution.

Notes: Salts of polyacrylic acid can be fabricated in heated molds using mixed powders of polyacrylic acid and metal oxides. Because of the strong intermolecular forces in these polyelectrolyte salts, they have elastic moduli several times greater than the moduli of conventional plastics. They also have very low coefficients of expansion and high compression strengths. Composites containing metallic and inorganic fillers have also been made and their mechanical properties measured.

Notes: The dynamic thermal stability of rigid PVC resin compositions as determined from Brabender torque rheometer tests has a linear relationship of stability time and torque from which a practical measure of processability at a fixed torque can be derived. The stability time at 1500 m-g torque, t1500, has been used to characterize differences between PVC homopolymer and copolymer resins in tin, calcium-zinc, lead, and bariumcadmium stabilizer systems. In every case, the vinyl chloride-propylene copolymers are unique in giving substantial process-ability advantages.The logarithm of stability time at a fixed torque, t1500, is a linear function of intrinsic viscosity, [η], for PVC homopolymers, giving a single line function corresponding to the expression log t1500 = A + B [η]. The constants, A and B, vary with each of the four stabilizer systems, and are related to the effectiveness of the particular formulations used.The ratio of t1500 for copolymers to the basic t1500 value for PVC homopolymers at the same intrinsic viscosity (molecular weight) is a practical measure of relative processability, trel, which is characteristic of PVC resin types and independent of stabilizer systems.

Notes: The melt flow behavior of straight emulsion-polymerized PVC in a capillary extrusion rheometer has been found to depend upon both the molecular weight and the particle size of the sample. Observations of flow-rate, post-extrusion swell, and extrudate appearance, as functions of extrusion temperature and pressure, suggest that both molecular deformation and particle slippage are involved in the flow mechanism. The relative importance of these two modes of flow varies with extrusion conditions and with the PVC molecular weight and particle size. Particle slippage is favored by large particle size, high molecular weight, and low temperature and by a shear stress above a critical yield value. Apparent melt viscosity, swelling, and roughness are minimized under conditions corresponding to the maximum contribution of particle slippage. In the proper range of temperature and shear rate, straight emulsion PVC yields smooth, low-swell extrudates of excellent physical properties.

Notes: Re-examination of our work on internal plasticization of polyvinyl chloride leads us to suggest a number of guidelines in the synthesis of internally plasticized PVC with optimum combination of strength and low temperature properties: (1) use of comonomers of solubility parameter around 8.5 or 10.5, (2) use of a high molecular weight (long chain) comonomers in a low molar ratio, and (3) their non-uniform incorporation in the PVC chain.

Notes: A number of polymers have been “cold” extruded (i.e. at temperatures well below their normal melting temperatures) by the application of relatively high pressures. In all cases extrudates of relatively large cross-sectional area have been produced, and non-circular cross-sections have also been extruded. The extruded products has been evaluated and the results discussed. In general it has been found that whilst extrusion gives an oriented product, the increase in tensile modulus is much less than for a comparably drawn fibre. This phenomenon has been discussed in terms of the changes in crystalline structure produced by extrusion.

Notes: Polymer pellets are frequently melted on a melting grid. The melting capacity of the gird depends on the force with which the bed of pellets is pressed against the grid bars and on the difference between the temperature of the grid bars and the melt temperature. In this investigation, this dependence has been examined, theortically as well as experimentally, for the case where the pellets melt on the top of the grid. Agreement with the theory was found.

Notes: This study was undertaken in order to understand the effect of low molecular weight additives on the visco-elastic properties of polymers and, in particular, Diamond Shamrock Corporation's PVC-40 resin. The viscous response has been reported in Part I of this series (11). This report describes the elastic properties of these mixtures.A new theoretical analysis of elastic response has been formulated. The direct calculation of stored elastic energy from capillary rheometer measurements is now possible.The conclusion drawn from both the viscous and elastic response study is that a change in viscosity is not a necessary nor sufficient condition for improved processability. Increased flow is obtained by lowering the viscous losses, but the melt fracture phenomena may be unchanged. In order to completely characterize the compound, both viscous and elastic response must be measured.

Notes: A previously proposed but further modified theoretical model for melting in plasticating extruders, in the form of a computer program, which predicts the amount of unmelted polymer at any point in the extruder, was used to simulate the effect of geometrical and operating variables on the melting performance of the extruder. The results indicate in increasing screw length required to complete melting with increasing throughput and a decreasing length of melting with increasing frequency of screw rotation. They further indicate the existence of an optimum barrel temperature for a maximum rate of melting, an optimum number of threads for a maximum melting rate, and a significant decrease in the rate of melting with increasing flight clearance. The effect of other geometrical variables and of operating conditions on the rate of melting and power consumption are also discussed.

Notes: The validity of the Busen-Roscoe reciprocity law in flash exposed dichromate sensitized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films was investigated. It was found that the flashlamp operating conditions were an important parameter in an exposure system, since a spectral distribution shift of the lamp output could be obtained by changing the pulse duration from 0.3 to 2.0 msec. The apparent reciprocity failure obtained by varying the pulse duration while maintaining the energy stored in the capacitor bank fixed was consistent with the spectral distribution shift in the lamp output. When this shift was accounted for there was only a negligible reciprocity failure found over the range of these flash exposures; however, comparison with a steady mercury are lamp showed that the flash exposure cross-linked the PVA about 200 times more efficiently.

Notes: An investigation of the viscous flow properties of mixtures of low molecular weight materials, such as lubricants and plasticizer, with PVC has been carried out. In all examples studied the PVC exhibited a discontinuity in flow with increasing temperature. This was interpreted as a phase change in the melt. A diffusion fractionation of the low molecular weight species was used to rationalize the shear rate dependent viscous behavior of these melts.

Notes: The effect of the room-temperature first-order transition on the plastic yield behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has been investigated. Stress-strain curves were measured at different strain rates and temperatures. Tensile creep under constant dead load was also measured as a function of temperature and stress level. The effect of degree of crystallinity was investigated by using both a rapidly quenched and slow-cooled polymer. Observations were extended to large deformations, so that the phenomenon primarily observed was plastic yield rather than linear viscoelastic behavior.The curve of yield stress vs. temperature in the temperature range from -50 to +68°C was found to be almost identical with the curve of elastic modulus vs. temperature; the yield stress shows a marked local decrease at the first-order transition. The yield elongation was almost constant (at about 5%) over this same range, which is in accord with the above result. The more highly crystalline polymer is always more rigid than the less crystalline polymer at small deformations, but above 19°C its stress-strain curve shows a “cross-over” in stress level with the curve of the less crystalline polymer as extension increases. That is, above 19°C the less crystalline polymer shows a more rapid rate of “strain hardening”, even though the strain-hardening effect is pronounced in both polymers. Attempts to apply time-temperature superposition to creep data at different temperatures were partially successful; the lateral shifts required corresponded to an activation energy of approximately 80 kcal.The experimental observations suggest a model of the solid-state structure of PTFE which could be described as an “elastic-plastic network”, in which crystalline domains are connected by elastic amorphous regions, and in which the crystalline domains can flow plastically at sufficiently high stress or temperature.

Notes: Rheo-optical techniques for the study of crystalline polymers, developed primarily in the United States and Japan, include dynamic birefringence, X-ray diffraction, dichroism, light scattering, and fluorescence. These permit the characterization of the rates of orientation of crystals, amorphous regions, and crystalline superstructures. The application of these methods has permitted the formulation of a model for the deformation of crystalline polymers.

Notes: The fatigue failure of thermoplastics and glass-reinforced thermoplastics is a function of cyclic stress or deflection level, test frequency, viscoelastic polymer parameters and matrix-to-fiber stress transfer. This paper reports an investigation of the modes of high frequency fatigue failure in glass-reinforced and unreinforced thermoplastics. In particular the effects and control of dissipative heating of a working specimen and the role of efficient matrix-to-fiber stress transfer are considered. A test procedure with which the severity of dissipative heating can be continuously followed and controlled during an accelerated fatigue test is described.

Notes: Empirical test data on low-density polyethylenes exposed to the elements for very long times are compared with results on samples of the same materials subjected to artificial “weathering” in a modified carbon arc machine.The test results conform to the expression \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$$ t_a = B + t_n^k $$\end{document} where ta is hours of accelerated weathering, tn years of natural exposure, and the constants B and k have values of 150 and 2.4, respectively, for the materials and test conditions involved.Earlier results are confirmed in that optimum weather resistance is found to depend on good dispersion of a fine-particle black. Protection improves with concentration up to the limit of about 5% by weight imposed by degenerative effects on mechanical properties from higher loadings of the fine channel blacks. Dependence of weatherability on molecular weight (melt index) is noted.

Notes: Existing theory of polymer flow has been applied to a definition of shift factors which reduce the widely different melt viscosity/shear rate diagrams of plasticized PVC compounds to well-defined master curves. The master curves are temperature dependent and also define the flow properties of the unplasticized polymer on which a group of plasticized compounds is based. For given plasticizers, the value of the shift factor was found to depend on melt temperature and plasticizer volume fraction. Explicit relationships have been generated for three plasticizer systems; for these, melt viscosity/shear rate data can be precalculated over several decades of shear, and in the temperature range of 150-200°C. Absolute values of the shift factors depend on the type of plasticizer, and a correlation with polymer/diluent interaction parameters has been attempted. Initial results, valid only at high plasticizer volumes and near the reduced melt temperature of a polymer/plasticizer mixture, support the existence of such a correlation.

Notes: This discussion will illustrate some of the factors which go into the design of experiments required to solve problems in the field of plastics. Two quite diverse problems were considered. In the first case a series of experiments was described which provided a very general technique for predicting polyethylene flow behavior as a function of shear rate over a wide range of temperatures from a minimum of new data. In this case the experimentation concerned only the viscous aspect of flow and was not limited by the availability of special samples. In the second case it was desired to learn what the effect of a specific molecular structural variable was on the general melt rheological properties of polyethylene. This required the polymerization of special samples followed by detailed characterization by both solution property and melt rheological techniques.

Notes: Derivative stress-strain curves at constant strain rate for polyacrylonitrile copolymer fibers have been obtained by simple modification of conventional tensile testing apparatus. These derivative curves, considerably more complex and eventful than stress-strain curves, have been interpreted as direct records of changes undergone by the apparent Young's modulus during experiments which extend from infinitesimal strain to failure. Analysis of the data shows that these changes in the apparent Young's modulus cannot be accounted for to any significant extent by viscoelastic time effects and must therefore be consequences of the deformation process itself. In the light of this analysis, it is concluded that polyacrylonitrile fibers “soften” considerably in the strain range 0.5-3% and that they exhibit moderate “hardening” in the strain range which extends from ca 3% to the breaking strain (10%).

Notes: Some properties of multilayered films are summarized in relation to the properties of the component materials. Polymers may be selected for co-extrusion into layered films to obtain various combinations of properties, such as barrier, stiffness, heat sealability, optics, and toughness. Properly chosen combinations of high and low modulus materials exhibit mutual interlayer reinforcement. Permeabilities of multilayer films can be calculated from layer geometry and individual component properties.

Notes: Spherulitic films of polybutene-1 have been stressed under biaxial tension. Direct microscopic observations indicate that the deformation is localized at the spherulite centers and at the intersections of boundaries in agreement with previous results obtained with linear polyethylene. The results demonstrate an increasing tendency for brittle failure with decreasing molecular weight. Effects of surfactants and solvents are also presented.

Notes: Each statocyst in Apylsia californica contains 13 neurons. The statocyst nerve, which connects each statocyst to the cerebral ganglion, contains only the 13 axons of the statocyst neurons. The size of the statocyst, the number of neurons in the statocyst, and the average axonal diameter does not change even though the statocyst nerve lengthens greatly as the animal enlarges. A description of the statoconia and the supporting cells in this organ has been given. This prepazation may be useful for microelectrode studies designed to test whether the gap and cytoplasmic specializations that are used to identify active synapses, are necessary for all types of chemical synaptic transmission.

Notes: The venom system of Nasonia vitripennis is well-developed and composed of an unbranched acid gland and associated reservoir. Fine-structural, histochemical and electrophoretic studies indicate that the venom is produced by two protein-secreting epithelia. The bulk of the venom is synthesised in the columnar cells of the acid gland and discharged via “vesicular organelles” and the efferent ductular system into the lumen of the reservoir. The acid gland also contains squamous chitogenous cells, situated either around the central lumen or interposed between the bases of the columnar cells. Once within the reservoir, the venom is probably activated by enzymatic secretions from the reservoir secretory cells. Each of these cells has a “vesicular organelle” but, in contrast to the columnar cells of the acid gland, the cytoplasm contains a preponderance of free ribosomes, and protein segregation apparently occurs outside the Golgi complexes.The venom is expelled through the efferent discharge duct by muscular contractions, which open the duct lumen and bring it into contact with the funnel of the ovipositor. Excessive distortion of the duct is prevented by a massive ventral ligament.

Notes: The developmental cytology of the apical tissue of the testis of Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas rugipes was studied with light and electron microscopy. In the early larvae of both species the tisue was found to be a thickened protrusion of nongerminal cells appearing at the apical end of each testis follicle following gonadal differentiation. The cells persist through pupal and adult stages in both species, becoming more prominent at these stages in Z. rugipes, despite tracheal invasion in both species. In older adults the apical tissue regresses and ultimately distintegrates.Ultrastructurally the apical cells are distinguished from adjacent germinal cells by their (1) small, rounded or oval nuclei, (2) highly convoluted plasma membrane, (3) electron-opaque cytoplasm, (4) profuse concentrically-stacked, granular endoplasmic reticulum, (5) large aggregates of glycogen-like granules, (6) numerous small, tubular mitochondria, (7) well-developed Golgi centers and (8) striking arrays of microtubules. These cells have many cytological features in common with the androgenic gland cells of crustaceans, but not with the steroidogenic cells of vertebrates. Evidence for the formation of protein granules is also lacking. As yet, experimental procedures have not indicated an endocrine function for these cells in tenebrionids. However, their cytology is consistent with secretory activity of some kind.

Notes: The rectum of Periplaneta americana L. is lined with cuticle and has six radially arranged cushion-shaped thickenings, the rectal pads, composed of columnar cells. Narrow strips of simple rectal cells lie between the pads. Tall junctional cells form a thin but continuous collar around the pads where they join the rectal cells. The epithelium is surrounded by a layer composed of circular and longitudinal muscles and connective tissue. This layer of muscle and connective tissue is innervated and tracheated, and is separated from the pad surface by a subepithelial sinus. Fluid flowing through the sinus enters the haemolymph through openings in the muscle layer whre large tracheae penetrate. These openings can be sealed by muscle contractions that appress the muscle around the openings against the pad surface. The tracheae pass on into the pads, following basement membrne-lined indentations of the pad surface. Within the pad tracheolar cells send fine branches between the cells. Near the apical and basal surfaces the lateral membranes of pad cells are bridged by septate desmosomes that form a continuous band around the cells. Between apical and basal septate desmosomes is an interconnected labyrinthine system of intercellular spaces. There are three kinds of space, dilations and apical sinuses, both of variable size, and narrow communicating channels about 200 Å wide. The membranes of the latter have mitochondria closely associated with them. Continuity between the system of spaces and the subepithelial sinus is established by the basement membrane-lined invaginations of the basal surface where tracheae penetrate between pad cells. Apical surfaces of the pad cells are highly infolded and are also associated with mitochondria. However, unlike the lateral membranes facing the narrow channels, the apical membranes have a cytoplasmic coating of particles. Both associations of mitochondria with membranes constitute discrete structural entities that are found in many transporting epithelia, and we have termed them “plasmalemma-mitochondrial complexes.” As the rectal pads are organized into systems of spaces that ultimately open in the direction of fluid movement, existing models of solute-coupled water transport can be applied. However, the rectal pads are structurally more complex than fluid-transporting tissues of vertebrates. This complexity may be related to the ability of the rectum to withdraw water from ion-free solutions in the lumen. We present a structural model involving solute recycling to explain the physiological characteristics of rectal reabsorption.

Notes: The ultrastructure of mouse tracheal epithelium was examined. The three cell types, basal cells, ciliated cells and goblet cells, described for other mammalian trachea were found to be present although goblet cells occurred only rarely. A cell type, termed the nonciliated cell, not described in other mammalian trachea was frequently found in mouse tracheal epithelium. These cells contained abundant smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum, free ribosomes, a large Golgi complex, and many mitochondria. There were many vesciles containing an electron dense material near the luminal surface of these cells; these cells were positive for PAS. These features suggested a secretory function for the cells. This, along with the scarcity of goblet cells, suggested that the nonciliated cells of mouse tracheal epithelium fulfill the function of the goblet cells found in other mammalian trachea.

Notes: Cytodifferentiation during spermiogenesis in Hydra littoralis was studied at the fine structural level. Concentration of nuclear material as well as specific orientation of granular and filamentous nuclear elements are apparent in two regions of the early spermatid: where the nuclear envelope is in contact with mitochondrial membranes at one pole of the cell and at an opposite region where the nucleus is closely apposed to the plasma membrane. Ultimately the mass of condensed nuclear material becomes concentrated at the mitochondrial pole of the cell. Additional electron-dense material is extruded from the nucleus into a large vacuole which is in continuity with the nuclear membrane as well as associated with Golgi lamellae and vesicles. Eventually all residual cytoplasm is sloughed, leaving the nucleus, mitochondria, and flagellum. These observations are suggestive of nucleocytoplasmic interactions during development, especially influences of mitochondria and plasma membranes on chromatin condensation.

Notes: The development of the eye in embryos of Rana pipiens raised at two different temperatures was studied in detail from Shumway stage 16 through Shumway stage 25. One clutch of eggs from each of ten different female frogs was divided into two groups, one of which was raised at a temperature of 14°C and the other at 19°C. The 14° to 19° difference falls in the middle of the temperature range for normal development of Rana pipiens as established by Atlas ('35), Moore ('39), and Ryan ('41). Two hundred embryos, one embryo from each of the ten clutches, raised to each of ten stages at 14° or at 19°, were sectioned for microscopic study of the eye region. Descriptions of the morphology and histology of the developing eye are illustrated by photographs and provide a reference to which development of experimental embryos may be compared. A synoptic checklist is provided which specifies the changes occurring at each stage studied.

Notes: The fine structure of the mid-gut epithelium and regenerative cells of larvae of a moth (Ephestia kühniella) is described. Particular attention is paid to the absorptive and goblet cells and their lateral junctions; these features are discussed in terms of the digestive and regulatory functions of the epithelium. One digestive pathway has been investigated with the aid of ingested ferritin; intake of this marker by endocytosis and the evident involvement of Golgi vesicles in the transformation of endocytic vesicles into multivesicular bodies, together with the fate of the latter, are discussed in terms of the digestive function of this part of the alimentary tract and of the lysosome concept.

Notes: A fine structural study of the ventricular muscle of Venus mercenaria has revealed that it is an invertebrate smooth muscle. In the relaxed state induced by acetylcholine, both thick (350 Å) and thin (80 Å) myofilaments are observed. These are loosely distributed in bundles in the periphery of the mononucleated myocytes. The central core of the cell contains an ovoid nucleus, α-glycogen rosettes, round mitochondria and numerous smooth surfaced vesicles of the endoplasmic reticulum. After exposure to serotonin, all myofilaments are compacted in the peripheral cytoplasm and become oriented parallel to the longitudinal cellular axis. This produces contraction bands visible in phase contrast microscopy. Because these myofilaments attach to the cell membrane at sites of attachment plaques, contraction of the cell results in the serial evagination or blebbing of the cell surface. The above features are clearly demonstrable in this invertebrate smooth muscle and strongly suggest a sliding filament model as the contractile mechanism in this tissue. Moreover, the cell surface is thought to play an active and major role in that process.

Notes: Three-dimensional, histological, and x-ray techniques provide a picture of body segment and limb morphogenesis. Cell multiplication begins in the proliferation region (“meristem”) during the molt from the preceding instar. By four days post-molt, the cells that will form the new segments are well under way in their anterior, lateral, and dorsal migration. It is suggested that after the anlagen for all the new segments are estabilshed, a mitotic wave commences in the most anterior anlagen and moves posteriorly during the remainder of the instar. When cell proliferation is complete, final differentiation of the segments takes place.The process of limb formation is one of cell proliferation and perhaps migration. Each limb develops in a membranous pocket during the instar following the one in which its respective body segment was formed.

Notes: Bovine parotid glands exhibit outstanding structural differences when compared with those of non-ruminant mammals. The acini are tortuous, branched and lined with cells of different heights, imparting a scalloped appearance to acinar lumina. Numerous microvilli, ca. 1.5 μ in length, extend into the lumina and intercellular canaliculi. Intercellular canaliculi measure ca. 3 μ in diameter and interweave in close association with intercellular tissue spaces. Intercellular tissue spaces are separated from the extraacinar spaces across a basal lamina only, whereas junctional complexes guard canaliculi from direct continuity with tissue spaces and/or extraacinar spaces. Flattened cytoplasmic lamellae extend from adjacent acinar cells and loosely interdigitate with one another across the tissue spaces. Acinar cells contain more mitochondria and less granular endoplasmic reticulum than parotid glands of non-ruminant mammals. Two types of secretory material, in the form of inclusions which vary in size and electron density, are present in the acinar cells. Intercalated ducts connect acini with striated ducts which in turn, empty into collecting ducts located between gland lobules. In terms of frequency of “basal infoldings” and numbers of mitochondria, striated ducts of calf parotid glands are not as well developed as those of certain other salivary glands. Myoepithelial cells are most often present at junctions of acini and intercalated ducts where they may attach to both acinar and ductal epithelium. Nerve “terminals” were not observed on the epithelial side of basement membranes in relation to the secretory cells.

Notes: The endoskeletal structure supporting the gill-books of Limulus polyphemus has been investigated by means of light and electron microscopy, chemical analysis and x-ray diffraction. This tissue is a cartilage which has significant correspondences with both vertebrate cartilage and plant tissues. Morphologically, the Limulus cartilage resembles certain cellular vertebrate cartilages with relatively scant matrix, and also certain plant parenchyme, collenchyme and sclerenchyme tissues. Of particular interest, was the observation that during cytoplasmic division, a phragmasome-like structure appears between the daughter cells of the dividing gill cartilage cells. This phragmasome-like structure appears to be a precursor of new matrix (cell-wall) formation between the young chondrocytes, in much the same fashion as its counterpart in plant tissues. Perichondrial cells and underlying chondrocytes contain lipid droplets, abundant glycogen and ribosomes, as do corresponding vertebrate cartilage cells. In some of the Limulus cells, glycogen and ribosomes appear to be admixed with lipid, forming aggregates in which all three materials are in intimate intraparticulate relationship. During molting, the number of ribosomes seen in chondrocytes increases. The tissue contains both hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine, and gives a weak x-ray diffraction pattern.

Notes: A principal component analysis revealed that the two major components of mandibular shape variation among individuals within breeding groups of white-tailed deer in Canada and the United States involve contrasts between the mandible and the dentition and between the premolars and the molars. Size variation appeared to account for 34% of the total variation within the groups, and the two major shape variations accounted for 23% and 8% respectively.A canonical analysis was used to identify the major components of mandibular variation among the breeding groups and to provide measures of the proportion of the total variation accounted for by each component. Among male groups, size variation was associated with latitude, and the major shape variation was closely associated with longitude, so a bivariate plot of the first two canonical variates reflected the general geographic orientation of the populations.The mandibular size in a Tennessee population that descended from Wisconsin and Michigan ancestors appears to have not decreased appreciably in the more southerly habitat after introduction more than 20 years ago. Changes in range conditions in eastern Upper Michigan over the past 30 years have not influenced local mandibular morphology as reflected by the first two canonical variates. Regardless of general smallness of individuals, the mandibular morphology of the deer from the Cross Timbers area in Kansas appears to approximate more closely that of northern populations than that of the more southerly populations from Oklahoma and Texas.Sexual dimorphism on the first two canonical axes was observed.

Notes: Structural and functional changes have been correlated during metamorphic degeneration of a single muscle fiber, the plantar retractor of G. mellonella, its axon, and their junctions to determine which features persist as long as muscle contractility. Changes commence simultaneously in muscle and nerve near cuticular attachments, and spread towards the center. Alterations associated with the muscle, including appearance of collapsed tracheoles and mitochondria with dense bodies, begin late in the last larval instar. Within 12 hours after pupal ecdysis some tracheolar withdrawal occurs, sarcoplasmic reticulum becomes reduced, and many mitochondria have dense bodies, dense membranes, or are enlarged. By 17-19 hours primary myofilaments and striations begin to disappear, microtubules and autophagic vacuole-like bodies appear, and phagocytes invade the muscle. It remains partially contractile upon electrically stimulating its nerve, the ventral nerve, until these changes spread throughout the fiber.Neuromuscular junction changes, including appearance of dense mitochondria and isolation bodies, begin late in the last larval instar. Junctions become fewer, and none remain in those muscle areas where tracheoles, sarcoplasmic reticulum, and primary myofilaments have disappeared.Preliminary studies on nerve discharge activity to the muscle suggest that nerve silence occurs at approximately the time when the muscle loses all contractility. In some axons isolation bodies appear and neurotubules are lost, other axons remain unchanged, and new ones develop later in the pupal state. Phagocytes invade the neural lamella and it disappears in the late pupa, but it reappears in the adult.The adult ventral nerve has over three times more axons and a thinner layer of glial cells than the larval nerve.

Notes: Ampullary receptor organs of the South American weakly electric gymnotid fish Eigenmannia virescens consist of a pore at the surface of the skin, a canal through the epidermis, and the expanded basal end of the canal in the corium. The cavity of the organ contains a jelly that is filled with fine fibers. The canal wall consists of three to six layers of flattened cells that appear to be derived from the adjacent skin. Along the lumen of the organ the cells are joined by tight junctions. Usually there are four spherical receptor cells in the base of the organ. They are innervated by single neural terminals. These organs are compared to tuberous receptor organs found in the same species, and the functional significance of the fine structure observed in these cells is discussed.

Notes: There are eight retinula cells in the ommatidium of the compound eye of the toadbug (Gelastocoris oculatus), two of which are central in position. Along the axial sides of the six peripheral retinula cells expand six cytoplasmic processes from the apical crystalline cone cells. These processes, which contain longitudinally-oriented microtubules, are associated with all eight retinula cells by means of desmosomal junctions. In addition to providing structural support, the possibility is set forth that the interconnecting cone processes might also serve to functionally integrate the retinula cells of an ommatidium. The eight retinula cells possess microvillus surfaces, which are especially prominent in the six peripheral cells, where they extend into the lumen of the ommatidium. There is evidence of pinocytotic activity at the bases of microvilli. Multivesicular bodies are present in the cytoplasm of retinula cells, and the means by which these bodies might be elaborated are discussed.

Notes: Development of the adult fly foot falls into clearly defined phases of cell division, growth, cuticle secretion and cell death. The pulvillus is composed dorsally of two giant cells and ventrally of thousands of minute tenent cells; the former produce the dorsal footpad cuticle and the latter the thousands of tenent hairs. Cell divisions are still occurring in future tenent cells when increase in size of the cells and in polyteny of the chromosomes is already occurring in the two dorsal cells. Also cell death occurs considerably earlier in the tenent cells, yet the sequential secretion of some six cuticular layers takes place at comparable times in dorsal and ventral cuticles. The cuticular layers formed are, in their order of secretion: ecdysial membrane, cuticulin of the epicuticle, dense exocuticle, homogeneous exocuticle, an intermediate layer, wax of the epicuticle, and an extensive mass of endocuticle. The ecdysial membrane seems to perform an important mechanical role in maintaining the shape of the delicate cytoplasmic projections of the tenent cells, before and during cuticle secretion, and in establishing the cuticular pattern of ridges in the dorsal cuticle. Comparisons are made with trichogen cell cuticle development and with tracheal cuticle. Tracheal, trichogen and dorsal footpad cuticle patterns are compared.Details of giant cell activity provide a working basis for studies of nuclear-cytoplasmic interactions, and the whole system raises many unsolved problems in the general field of cell differentiation and pattern formation.

Notes: A detailed description of the innervation of the individual muscles of the antenna of the centipede Scolopendra morsitans is given. There are six nerves supplying the antennal muscles of each side. The nerve N I consists of 26 bundles of which two are motor, 12 sensory and 12 are mixed. It innervates the intrinsic muscles of the antenna and the antennal sense organs. The nerves N II, N III and N IV innervate the dorsal extrinsic muscles and the nerve N V and N VI the ventral extrinsic muscles.

Notes: Dense bodies in the heart muscle of Venus mercenaria exist in two forms, free and attached. Free dense bodies morphologically consist of fascicles of thin filaments in parallel array and bound together by a dense, amorphous proteinaceous material. The binding of dense bodies to the cell membrane is effected via connecting filaments of the amorphous material of the dense body which join a condensation of morphologically similar material attached to the inner osmiophilic layer of the unit membrane. This composite of dense body, connecting filaments, membrane condensation and unit cell membrane has been termed collectively the attachment plaque. The attachment plaque is part of an extensive network on the cell surface which obligates that surface to a role in the contractile process. Moreover, this set of attachment plaques imposes an organization and an orientation to most thin filaments of the cell and preserves the contractile axis of the cell.

Notes: Large quantities of colloidal particles were rapidly transported around the junctional complex into the lateral intercellular spaces by flounder renal epithelial cells. Large invaginations containing particles developed in the apical cytoplasm of cells when tracer particles were injected into the tubular lumens. Some membranebounded profiles containing particles appeared close to the lateral intercellular spaces. Particles were then found in the lateral intercellular spaces, between the basal plasmalemma and the basement membrane, and within the basement membrane. It is suggested that this transport might operate in situ and provide a morphological mechanism to explain a type of protein transport noted in the renal tubules of another flounder species by Maack and Kinter ('67). It is interesting to consider that perhaps a similar mechanism for the transport of intact proteins might also operate in mammalian nephrons as well.

Notes: A rapid method for examining rat fetuses is presented. The technique consists of fixing the fetuses in Bouin's solution, serially sectioning the head, neck and lower trunk with a razor blade and doing sagittal sections of the heart after opening the thoracic cavity. Examples of sections from normal 20 day rat fetuses are given as well as some with the following abnormalities: cleft palate produced by chlorcyclizine and eye and heart malformations resulting from anti-adult rat kidney serum.

Notes: The serigenous glands of a number of different sawfly larvae have been examined. Silk is secreted by pear-shaped cells which may be fused together in pairs or triplets, or exist simply as free, single cells. The cells are arranged in numerous groups attached to a pair of wide silk reservoirs by means of short canals. Each gland cell contains a large, irregular, ramifying nucleus and an intracellular duct which receives droplets of synthesised silk protein. Two modifications of this basic arrangement are described. It is suggested that the secretory cells are dermal gland cells, and that the intracellular duct is a rudimentary end-apparatus. A comparison is made between these and some other types of dermal gland cell found in insects.

Notes: The structure of human labial salivary gland acini was studied by light and electron microscopy. Contrary to previous reports, these glands were pure mucous in nature; no serous elements were present. The acinar cells were found in all stages of maturation. Immature cells were characterized by an extensive and highly organized rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum. The Golgi complex was extremely prominent, consisting of stacks of flattened cisternae and swarms of small vesicles. Mucous droplets were almost completely absent. As secretory activity progressed, the endoplasmic reticulum involuted, while the Golgi cisternae became distended and formed many vacuoles. In mature mucous cells, the apical cytoplasm was filled with membrane-bounded mucous droplets, and the nucleus was displaced basally. The droplets frequently showed great variation in density from cell to cell, and even within the same cell they sometimes were quite heterogeneous. They were liberated from the acinar cells by an apocrine process, so that droplets with intact limiting membranes were often observed in the acinar lumen. These droplets soon lysed, their contents fusing into streams of mucus. Occasionally during apocrine secretion a mucous cell failed to reconstitute its apical surface, and its entire contents spilled into the acinar lumen.Unusual cytoplasmic inclusions were present in many of the acinar cells. These inclusions, which were surrounded by a single membrane, consisted of lipid droplets closely associated with bundles of fine filaments.

Notes: Submandibular glands of the opossum have been studied by light and electron microscopy and compared with other mammalian salivary glands. The glands have four parenchymal segments which connect in the order named below to convey saliva toward the oral cavity. 1Secretory units are elongated branching tubules exhibiting mucous and special serous cell types. Mucous cells predominate and resemble those in other salivary glands. Special serous cells differ from “typical” serous cells. They contain a preponderance of tubular or vesicular endoplasmic reticulum and secretory granules which vary from electron lucent to electron opaque.2Intercalated ducts are short segments lined by nonsecretory, cuboidal cells.3Striated ducts are numerous and lie in the center of the lobule. The duct epithelium has four cell types, designated light cells, dark cells, Type I basal cells, and Type II basal cells. Light cells possess basal infoldings associated with mitochondria, but the other cell types lack this characteristic.4Excretory ducts are also lined by four cell types which bear the same names as those of striated ducts. Three of the four cell types are virtually identical to those of striated ducts, but light cells differ. They do not always contain basal infoldings and the supranuclear cytoplasm lacks distinct inner and outer zones.The glands resemble salivary glands of higher mammals in many respects while possessing certain unique cytological features which may reflect the secretory needs of the organism.

Notes: Several biological distances based on cranial and mandibular variation among breeding groups of white-tailed deer were calculated and compared with geographic distances among the groups. Distances based on epigenetic variation among ten groups were calculated using 16 non-metric variants of the cranium and mandible. Penrose's size and shape distances and Mahalanobis' D2 distance were calculated for 11 groups; the calculations were based on seven skeletal and seven dental metric variables of the mandible.The biological distances were correlated with geographic distance as follows: the epigenetic distance, 0.74; Penrose's shape distance, 0.71; Penrose's size distance, 0.45; and Mahalanobis' distance, 0.37. All correlations were significant at the 0.01 level. The epigenetic and Penrose shape correlations were significantly higher than the Mahalanobis correlation.Because of the conditions under which the breeding groups were selected, it was assumed that genetic affinites among the groups would be a function of geographic distance. The results suggest that the epigenetic distance and Penrose's shape distance reflect genetic affinities among groups better than do the Penrose size and Mahalanobis distances.

Notes: The mechanism of lung ventilation in chelonians has been much debated. Electromyographic studies show that the basic mechanism in the snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina, is dependent on the activities of four major respiratory muscles that are capable of varying the volume of the visceral cavity. The precise mechanism utilized varies in response to environmental factors, especially the depth to which the animal is submerged. Chelydra tends to reduce muscular activity to a minimum, and hydrostatic pressure or gravity replaces muscular effort whenever possible. The response is subject to hysteresis. Both the mechanics and pattern of ventilation in Chelydra differ from those of Testudo. The differences appear to be attributable in part to Chelydra's markedly reduced plastron and more extensive respiratory musculature and in part to the different habitats occupied by the two species.

Notes: The purported “neoblasts” of the serpulid Spirorbis have been studied in Spirorbis (Paradexiospira) vitreus and Spirorbis (Laeospira) borealis at both the light and electron microscopic levels. These perivasal cells occur in greatest abundance around the ventral blood vessel of the achaetous region. In light microscope preparations, the perivasal cells are intensely basophilic, containing basally situated nuclei, and relatively large nucleoli. The fine structure of the perivasal cells reveals that they contain an abundance of rough endoplasmic reticulum, well-developed Golgi complex, heterogeneous dense bodies, and cytolysomes. The respiratory pigment chlorocruorin, which has a diameter of about 230 Å and is believed to be composed of two superimposed hexagonal components, has been localized within: cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, elements of the Golgi complex, and membrane-bounded vesicles at the base of the perivasal cells. Evidence is advanced which strongly suggests that molecules of chlorocruorin are transported from the perivasal cells into the lumen of the vessel by reverse pinocytosis. It is concluded that whatever other functional role(s) the perivasal cells of Spirorbis may have, a major function is the synthesis and secretion of chlorocruorin. Whether the perivasal cells can be considered to be pluripotent is discussed.

Notes: The concept of functional components was initially proposed by van der Klaauw ('45, '52) to indicate overlap of functional influences particularly in mammalian skulls; his analysis marked a departure from the study of single characters to that of function-modified systems. A very similar set of terms is now coming into vogue to describe the mechanically separable components of highly kinetic fish, amphibian and reptilian skulls. In these cases the term functional unit often pertains only to the musculo-skeletal system and is utilized during the process of description; it is often applied before a complete functional analysis has been carried out.Yet, any structure tends to be affected by the influence of multiple functions, and any function will almost certainly affect multiple characteristics of the animal. Since functional components overlap, the term should not be used to label an essentially topographical dissection of the animal. It cannot be expected that each loosely connected component of a kinetic skull subserves as a single “function,” and that this function does not overlap onto other units.It is suggested that the term mechanical unit be substituted as a label for the mechanical sub-divisions often utilized to organize descriptions. The concept of functional units in the original sense then remains available as an analytical tool.

Notes: The cytology of the vitellogenic stages in the development of the oocyte of Drosophila melanogaster has been studied using whole mounts and sections of plastic-embedded ovaries and single egg chambers for light microscopy and cytochemistry. The migrations, changes in morphology, and synthetic products of the follicle cells are described as a function of developmental stage. The follicle cells synthesize the egg coverings, the vitelline and chorionic membranes, and elaborate the micropyle and dorsal chorionic appendages. The changing structure of the nurse cell nucleus and changes in organelle composition of its cytoplasm are described. The nurse cells synthesize ribosomes, lipid droplets, and mitochondria. These components pass through the ring canal system into the oocyte, which increases in volume some 200,000 times during its 78 hours of development.

Notes: The mechanisms of development of posterior levels of neural tubes of chick embryos were analyzed by study of serial cross-sections of a continuous series of normal embryos between 40 to 72 hours of incubation. Two extirpation experiments were performed in ovo on other embryos of the same stages. Descriptive studies revealed the presence of an overlap zone in which two types of neural tube formation occurred. Open neural tube formation (by fusion of neural folds) occurred dorsally in this region; closed neural tube formation (by canalization of solid medullary cord tissue) occurred ventrally. Extirpation of the posterior end of the neural plate produced defects within the lumbosacral region, indicating that the posterior neural plate participates in the formation of the lumbosacrum, and that the overlap zone is therefore in the lumbosacral region. Extirpation of the prospective neural tissue in the anterior end of the tail bud indicated that only the most posterior levels of the neural tube originate exclusively by cavitation of the tail bud. In both extirpation experiments a neural tube formed independently within the tail bud tissue, indicating that formation of the neural tube in this region is not dependent upon direct continuity with neural tissue anteriorly.

Notes: The interstitial cells of Pennaria tiarella differentiate exclusively from the central endoderm of the planula. Shortly after their appearance, most of the interstitial cells become cnidoblasts. Subsequently, as the larva transforms into a polyp, both cnidoblasts and interstitial cells migrate from the endoderm, through endoblast and mesoglea, into the ectoderm. It is suggested that some interstitial cells remain in the endoderm and differentiate into the gland and mucous cells of the polyp gastroderm.

Notes: A series of dimensions of the shoulder girdle of primates has previously been chosen as being related to function in that anatomical region. Their examination by canonical analysis suggests that they do indeed reflect aspects of the use of the shoulder in locomotion in the different primates.Further analysis is here performed using the technique of neighborhood limited classification and this confirms the basic picture presented by the previous analysis. The new method also gives more detailed information about the grouping of the specimens; thus it endorses the reality of functional divisions that appear to exist in the data. And in addition the groupings reflect differences in the structure of the shoulder that correlate well with certain taxonomic subdivisions of the order. The method maintains contact with individual specimens throughout the analysis and is capable of placing them within groups, at the boundaries of groups, within the interfaces between groups, or as satellites to groups.The new method appears to have a part to play in the description of the relationships between biological objects that is complementary to that of canonical analysis. As the mathematical concepts upon which the two techniques are based differ totally, the risk that the results might be inherent in statistical assumptions is thus averted.

Notes: In the annelid Enchytraeus albidus the ovary is composed of packets containing eight synchronously developing oocytes. Each oocyte in the packet is connected, via a bridge, to a common cytoplasmic mass. Developmental synchrony of oocytes within individual packets is probably related to the ooplasmic continuity.The young previtellogenic oocyte contains many polysomes, a few cisternae of smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum, small Golgi complexes, and mitochondria. Many of the mitochondria are dumbbell-shaped and may thus represent division stages.Vitellogenesis is marked by the appearance of peripherally located lipid yolk and small, densely staining granules scattered throughout the ooplasm. There is an increase of smooth endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and enlarged Golgi elements. Small multivesicular-like bodies, the early stages of developing yolk, are derived from the Golgi complex. The mature yolk sphere is bipartite and consists of (a) a variable number of dense spheres, the core bodies, which are produced in the ooplasm by the Golgi complex and which become embedded in (b) a dense matrix. The electron opaque tracer, horseradish peroxidase is incorporated into the oocyte and deposited in the matrix suggesting that this component of the yolk sphere is obtained by micropinocytosis. Enzyme digestions and various cytochemical techniques suggest that the core bodies are rich in carbohydrate, probably as glyco- or mucoproteins, and that the matrix is rich in lipid.

Notes: Differentiating oocytes and associated follicle cells of two species of amphineurans (Mollusca) Mopalia muscosa and Chaetopleura apiculata have been studied by techniques of light and electron microscopy. In addition to the regularly occurring organelles, the ooplasm of young oocytes contains large, randomly situated, basophilic regions. These regions are not demonstrable in mature eggs.As oocytes differentiate, lipid, pigment and protein-carbohydrate yolk bodies accumulate within the ooplasm. Concomitant with the appearance of pigment and the protein carbohydrate containing yolk bodies, the saccules of the Golgi complex become filled with a dense material. Associated with the Golgi complex are cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum which are filled with an electron opaque substance which is thought to be composed of protein synthesized by this organelle. That portion of the cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum facing the Golgi complex shows evaginations. These evaginations are thought to finalize into protein containing vesicles that subsequently fuse with the Golgi complex. Thus, the Golgi complex in these oocytes might serve as a center for packaging and concentrating the protein used in the construction of the protein containing pigment or protein-carbohydrate yolk bodies. The suggestion is made that the Golgi complex may also synthesize the carbohydrate portion of the formentioned yolk bodies.In an adnuclear position in young oocytes are some acid mucopolysaccharide containing vacuolar bodies. In mature eggs, these structures are found within the peripheral ooplasm and we have referred to them as cortical granules. There is no alteration of these cortical granules during sperm activation.

Notes: Biochemical assay of acid phosphatase in normal and lens-regenerating eyes of the urodele Diemictylus viridescens, using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate, demonstrates both soluble and lysosomal fractions of the enzyme. While the specific activity of the soluble fraction remains unchanged during lens regeneration, the lysosomal fraction shows four distinct rises in specific activity during the thirty-day regeneration period studied. These peak activities on the second, eighth, fifteenth, and twenty-second days post-lentectomy apparently correspond to lysosomal activity in the processes of wound healing, iris depigmentation, and lens differentiation which occur during urodele lens regeneration. On the basis of biochemical and histochemical studies as well as observations of morphological changes in the urodele eye as lens regeneration proceeds, it is postulated that there is a significant correlation between these morphological changes and the level and localization of the lysosomal acid hydrolases in the tissues in which the changes occur.

Notes: A sensory structure in the anterior region of the food canal of two species of aphid has been examined by light and electron microscopy. The dorsal wall is innervated by a total of 60 neurones which terminate, in groups, at 14 porous papillae on the cuticle. Paired papillae have also been detected in the ventral wall of this region. The fine structure of individual neurones and their grouping around papillae indicates a chemosensory function.The examination of moulting aphids shows that the distal portions of dendrites are shed with the exuviae.

Notes: The mechanism of respiration in the bullfrog has been analyzed by means of pressure recordings from the buccal cavity, the lungs and the abdominal cavity, by cinematography and cinefluorography, and by electromyography of buccal, laryngeal and abdominal muscles. Gas flow was investigated by putting frogs in atmospheres of changing argon and nitrogen content and monitoring the concentration of the nostril efflux.Three kinds of cyclical phenomena were found. (1) Oscillatory cycles consist of rhythmical raising and lowering of the floor of the mouth, with open nares. They have a definite respiratory function in introducing fresh air into the buccal cavity. (2) Ventilatory cycles involve opening and closing of the glottis and nares and renewal of a portion of the pulmonary gas. More muscles are involved and the pattern of muscular activity is more complex than in the oscillatory cycles. (3) Inflation cycles consist of a series of ventilation cycles, interrupted by an apneic pause. The intensity of the ventilatory cycles increases before this pause and decreases immediately thereafter. This results in a stepwise increase in pulmonary pressure, to a plateau (coincident with the pause) followed by a sudden or stepwise decrease.The respiratory mechanism depends on the activity of a buccal force pump, which determines pulmonary pressure whose level is always slightly less than the peak pressure values of the ventilation cycles. The elevated pulmonary pressure is responsible for the expulsion of pulmonary gas during the second phase of the next ventilation cycle. This pressure is maintained by the elastic fibers (and the smooth masculature) of the lungs.

Notes: The complete regeneration of a new oral-disc and tentacles has been observed and described for Aiptasia diaphana. These structures are regenerated quite rapidly: seven to ten days at 20°C. At three days post-amputation, the new primary, secondary, and tertiary tentacle buds begin to develop in direct association with the underlying primary, secondary, and tertiary septae (respectively) of the column, suggesting that the latter organize the form of the regenerating oral-disc. Two days after amputation, the zooxanthellae of the presumptive oral disc arrange themselves into a ring which quite precisely delimits the area from which the tentacle buds will form. In spite of its suggestive proximity, this accumulation of algae plays no role in the induction of tentacle buds as was shown by studying regeneration in anemones which essentially lacked large quantities of these symbiotic algae.Cuts perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the column result in an equal rate of tentacular regeneration around the entire circumference of the presumptive oral disc. Oblique amputations foster an asynchronous regeneration: the tentacle buds of the distal-most area of the severed column are larger and regenerate much sooner than those of the proximal region. Similar results were obtained by studying anemones which were cut perpendicular to their longitudinal axes at different levels along the column. The data suggest that an oral-aboral gradient exists concerning the time required for the initiation of tentacle budding and the rate of tentacle regeneration.

Notes: The ventral lobe of the adenohypophysis of the smooth dogfish, Mustelus canis, a viviparous elasmobranch, has been found to possess distinctive cells identified as basophils on the basis of staining properties. At maximum size, such a cell consists of a distended vesicle containing PAS-positive, AF-negative material surrounded by a thin envelope of cytoplasm and an eccentric nucleus. In earlier stages of these cells, vesicles are small or absent and granules in the more abundant cytoplasms are AF or Alcian-positive.Basophil numbers are high in pre-ovulation and mid-ovulation females, decrease markedly after the end of ovulation until embryos are about 1 cm long then increase greatly during August and September while embryos grow to 8 cm in length. Early high counts, if these basophils are gonadotropes, may be correlated with stimulation of the ovary and ovulation; reduced numbers suggest inhibition, possibly by ovarian hormones for a period, while subsequent increase may indicate indirect involvement in uterine conditions in this viviparous species. Conclusion are, admittedly, tentative as specimens were available during only a fraction of the ten month gestation period.

Notes: The secretory processes in the shell gland of laying chickens were the subject of this study. Three cell types contribute secretory material to the forming egg: ciliated and non-ciliated columnar cells of the uterine surface epithelium, and cells of tubular glands in the mucosa. The ciliated cells as well as the non-ciliated cells have microvilli, which undergo changes in form and extent during the secretory cycle. At the final stages of shell formation they resemble stereocilia. It is postulated that the microvilli of both cells are active in the production of the cuticle of the shell.The ciliated cell which has both cilia and microvilli manufactures secretory granules which arise from the Golgi complex in varying amounts throughout the egg laying cycle. Granule production reaches its greatest intensity during the early stages of shell deposition. The ciliated cell probably supplies proteinaceous material to the matrix of the forming egg shell.The non-ciliated cell has only microvilli. Secretory granules, containing an acid mucopolysaccharide, arise from the Golgi complex. Some granules are extruded into the uterine lumen where they supply the egg shell with organic matrix. Others migrate towards the supranuclear zone. Here a number of them disintegrate. This is accompanied by the formation of a large membraneless space, which is termed “vacuoloid.” Subsequently the vacuoloid regresses and during regression an extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum with numerous polyribosomes of spiral configuration appears. It is suggested that material in the vacuoloid originating from the disintegrating granules is resynthesized and utilized for the formation of secretory product.The uterine tubular gland cells have irregular, frondlike microvilli. During egg shell deposition, these microvilli form large blebs and are probably related to the elaboration of a watery, calcium-containing fluid.

Notes: Hearts of the Atlantic hagfish, Myxine glutinosa were studied with the electron microscope after prefixation in phosphate buffered glutaraldehyde or buffered formalin and subsequent postifxation in phosphate buffered osmium tetroxide. Epicardial, myocardial and endocardial layers are identified; however the hearts of Myxine lack an extensive capillary system comparable to the coronary vessels of other vertebrate heart tissues. Instead, blood is supplied to cells via an elaborate system of channels which extend between numerous trabeculae that make up the cardiac wall of this organism. Fine structural features of special interest include the presence of numerous dense granules (chromaffin granules) within myofibers and also specific granular cells which lack the contractile elements that are characteristic of both skeletal and cardiac myofibers. Another prominent feature noted includes an elaborate system of tubular invaginations within the subjacent sarcoplasm. These elements appear to be specific for the myofibers. They are continuous with the plasma membrane and project into the peripheral sarcoplasmic matrix. Crystalline inclusions are also observed in the sarcoplasm of the myofibers. These are compared with similar inclusions in other cellular components. The Golgi complex is very extensive in the myofibers of Myxine, and granules of varying sizes and densities often appear in the vicinity of the Golgi saccules. The observations suggest that the numerous vesicles around the Golgi Complex represent intermediate stages in the formation of the chromaffin granules. The structure and function of the extensive tubular invaginations are compared with the transverse tubules reported in several mammalian heart tissues.

Notes: Communication organs (septulae) of cheilostome Bryozoa are more complex than perviously believed. Annuli, present only in lateral septulae, are thickenings of the intercalary cuticle. Each communication pore is filled with a ring-like “pore cincture,” through which project a pair of “special cells.” Septulae of all species examined (10 species from 6 families) can be considered modifications of the same structure, varying only in degree of calcification and number of communication pores.External walls, including basal and lateral walls, are best defined as reinforcements of the ectocyst, which is derived by intussusception from the primary cuticle of the ancestrula. The lateral ectocyst must be considered a double layer formed by invagination of the distal ectocyst. Internal walls are developed by apposition from inner parts of the ectocyst; they include pore plates and transverse walls.External walls are laid down first. Lenticular masses develop unilaterally on the uncalcified lateral ectocyst; the pore plate develops by apposition from the interior part of the ectocyst. Depending on the species, the pore plate may or may not be calcified at the time of its formation. Communication pores are formed when the developing pore plate abuts against embryonic special cells. The septular ectocyst never calcifies; it breaks down when the pore plate is complete.Some ascophorans undergo “reparative budding,” in which new zoids are formed within dead zoecia. Hollow, ectocyst-covered buds lined with blastemic epithelia are produced from septulae of live zoids; adjacent buds may fuse.These findings are consistent with the view that lateral septulae are aborted zoids and that pore plates represent transverse walls.

Notes: The development of the motor horn of the foetal mouse was investigated. A sampling technique was evolved using cresyl violet stained material.A decline in the number of motor neuroblasts occurred during the development, on each side, of four definitive motor regions from a single longitudinal column. The total number of motor horn cells fell from about 100,000 on the eleventh day after mating to about 25,000 on the fourteenth day. The early stages of this decline (between 11 and 12 days) are probably explained by the fact that not all neuroblasts in the region differentiate into motor cells; he later decrease can be entirely accounted for by the number of degenerations.Irradiation of the foetal mouse with a dose of 50 rads of cobalt-60 gamma-radiation resulted in an excess of about 20,000 differentiating motor cells on the thirteenth and fourteenth days. Irradiation increased the actual number, but not the percentage, of degenerations. This suggests that differentiation is a phase in the growth process which proceeds degeneation.

Notes: Histochemical procedures for acid phosphatase in normal and lens-regenerating eyes of the urodele Diemictylus viridescens demonstrate activity in a variety of structures. In the normal urodele eye, acid phosphatase is present in conjunctival and corneal epithelial cells and associated glands, in blood vessel endothelium and posterior epithelial cells of the iris, in the anterior lens epithelium, and in the cytoplasm of the optic nerve. Acid phosphatase in the lens-regenerating eye is localized in the same structures as in the normal eye as well as in increased amounts in the corneal epithelial cells and stromal macrophages at the lentectomy wound site and in the posterior portion of the developing lens during completion of differentiation of primary into mature lens fibers characterized by loss of many intracellular organelles. On the basis of these histochemical findings, it is proposed that hydrolytic lysosomal enzymes play an important role in the processes of cellular and intracellular destruction and synthesis which occur during Wolffian lens regeneration in the urodele.

Notes: Median cord development is uniform in six families of Hemiptera and five non-hemipterans. The median cord arises independently from the lateral cords and is histologically distinguishable from the latter throughout development. Intrasegmentally, median cord nuclei possess prominent nucleoli and many small chromatin granules surrounded by clear nuclear sap. This region forms what appear to be glial elements at the midline of the neuropile. Intersegmentally, a spherical clump of eight to twelve large nuclei develops surrounded by dark-staining granular cytoplasm. Each intersegmental clump migrates anteriorly into the preceding ganglionic region but degenerates soon after katatrepsis.

Notes: The order of ossification of bones in the skeleton of Rana pipiens during larval growth and metamorphosis has been determined from observations on specimens fixed in 70% alcohol and stained with alizarin red S. The axial skeleton ossifies in a generally cephalo-caudal sequence, beginning with the parasphenoid bone at Taylor-Kollros stages IV-IX, followed by vertebrae (V-IX) and then the urostyle (IX-XIV). Exoccipitals (VII-IX), frontoparietals (XI-XII) and prootics (XIII-XVII) are additional cranial bones which successively ossify before metamorphosis. With the onset of metamorphosis at stage XVIII jawbones and rostral bones of the skull ossify in the following succession: premaxilla, maxilla, septomaxilla, nasal, dentary, angular, squamosal, pterygoid, prevomer, mentomeckelian, quadratojugal, palatine, columella, posteromedial process of “hyoid.” The sphenethmoid does not ossify until after metamorphosis.Ossification of limbbones begins with the femur or humerus at stages X-XII and progresses proximo-distally to the phalanges by stages XIII-XV. Carpals, however, do not ossify until stage XXV or after metamorphosis. The ilium of the pelvic girdle begins to ossify at stages X-XII, but the ischium is delayed until stages XX-XXIII. Scapula and coracoid of the pectoral girdle undergo initial ossification at stages XII-XIV, suprascapula and clavicle at stages XIII-XV. The sternum does not begin to ossify until stage XXIV. The possible role of thyroid hormones in stimulating osteogenesis is discussed.

Notes: The campaniform sensilla on halteres of Drosophila were studied by electron microscopy in order to establish the relationships of functional elements in the sensory system. The surface of the sensillum consists of an oval cuticular cap membrane which may contain resilin, the rubberlike protein. A border of denser cuticle rings the cap membrane, and extending down around the neural process is a third type of cuticle filled with a fourth light fibrous type. The four cuticular components form a system for displacement of the neural process. The neural process is differentiated into a terminal fan-shaped structure projecting from a bulbous dilatation which tapers to a neck region ending proximally with two basal bodies. The neural process is packed with microtubules. Surrounding the dendrite is an inner enveloping cell, attached to the basal body region by septate desmosomes and by desmosomes to which microtubules of the enveloping cell are applied. An outer enveloping cell surrounds the inner one. The tip of the neural process is covered with a dense secretion which is tightly bound to the cap membrane. The dense secretion is surrounded by an extracellular fluid which might be compressed hydraulically by the cuticular system. The stimulus of cuticular distortion could thus be transmitted to the neural process which may be displaced between its fixed ends.