ALBERT

Notes: Cost/benefit analysis is often an imprecise tool because of assumptions that must be made about matters that are difficult to quantify. The problems become especially acute when lives or serious bodily injuries are at stake because of the serious nature of that which is being risked. Furthermore, the literature on cost/benefit analysis focuses on public decision-making situations and decisions by individuals. This paper examines the distinctiveness of the use of cost/benefit analysis involving putting dollar values on human life by for-profit firms. The argument developed in the paper is that the lack of participation by the affected party (or government representative) in balancing costs and benefits raises special ethical concerns. A formula that was developed by the Ford Motor Company concerning accidents involving fuel leakage and fire with resultant loss of life and serious burn injuries is used as an example of both the imprecision of the method and the distinctive factors of the decision process that raise special ethical considerations. The paper examines why the for-profit-decision is distinct, what the special ethical considerations are, and concludes with a discussion of several alternative procedures to monitor the use of cost/benefit analysis so that it would be an effective business tool while at the same time the individual is provided maximum protection.

Notes: As determined by high performance liquid chromatography, (-)- epicatechin concentrations among freshly harvested beans of verified genetic origin ranged from 21.89–43.27 mg/g of dry defatted samples. Fermented beans showed much lower concentrations (2–10 mg). During fermentation, a trend towards decrease in (-)-epicatechin content was observed. Commercial beans from areas with reputations for shipping well-fermented products contained lower levels of (-)-epicatechin than beans from regions where fermentation is less extensive.

Notes: 14C-glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) uptake by germinating maize (Zea mays L. ‘PAG SX56’) or soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. ‘Williams’) seeds from sterile quartz sand was minimal on a weight basis until the radicle became functional. Uptake in soybean seedlings was ten times greater (on a weight basis) than in maize. Germination of either species was not affected by glyphosate concentrations up to 10−3m, but seedling axis elongation was inhibited in soybeans at 10−4m and in maize at [0−3m When 14C-glyphosate was applied to the fully expanded first trifoliolate soybean leaf (assimilate-exporting), movement into root and shoot assimilate sinks occurred. About 7% of the total 14C-glyphosate applied was absorbed and translocated into other parts of the plant by 48 h. Of the total 14C accumulated by 48 h in the roots and apical meristem, nearly 50% was present by 12 h. Minor phytotoxicity resulted from 10 nmoles of glyphosate in the plant. Absorption et migration du 14 C-glyphosate chez le maïs (Zea mays) en germination et chez les semences et les plantes de soja (Glycine max)L'absorption du 14C-glyphosate (N-(phosphonométhyle) glycine)par du maïs en germination (Zea mays L.,‘PAG SX56′)ou par des semences de soja (Glycine max (L.) Merr.,‘Williams’) a partir de sable de quartz stérile a été minimale (sur la base du poids) jusquà ce que la racine devienne fonctionnelle. L'absorption par des plantules de soja a été, sur la base due poids, 10 fois plus grande que chez le maïs. La germination de ces deux espèn n'a pas été affectée par des concentrations de glyphosate allant jusquà 10−3m, maïs l'élongation des plantules a été inhibée chez le soja á 10−4m et chez le maïs à 10−3m. Lorsque le 14C-glyphosate a été appliqué sur la première feuille trifoliée de soja pleinement dévdoppé (en état d'exporter des métabolites).une diminution du mouvemem des métabolites vers les jeunes pousses et vers les racines s'est manifestée. Eaviron 7% du 14C-glyphosate total appliqué a été absorbé et a migré dans d'autres parties de la plume en 48 heures. Près de 50% du 14C total accumulé dans les racines et le méristème apical y était présent en 12 heures. Une faible toxicité a réulté de b présence de 10 nmoles de glyphosate dans la plante. 14 C-glyphosat-Aufnahme und -Translokation bei keimenden Samen von Mais (Zea mays) und Sojabohnen (Glycine max) und bei SojabohnenpflanzenDie Aufnahme von 14C-Glyphosat (N-(Phosphonomethyl)glycin) aus sterilem Quarszsand durch keimende Samen von Mais (Zea mays L.‘PAG SX56′) und Sojabohnen (glycine max (L.) Merr.‘Williams’) war, bezogen auf das Pflanzengewicht, bis zur Funktionsaufnahme der Keimwurzel, gering. Die Aufnahme war bei den Sojabohnenkeimlingen zehnmal grösser (Gewichts-basis) als bei Mais. Die Keimung wurde bei beiden Arten durch Glyphosat bis zu 10−3m nicht beeinflusst. Das Streckungswachstum des Stengels wurde aber bei der Sojabohne bei 10−4m und beim Mais bei 10−3m gehemmt. Wenn 14C-Glyphosat auf das erste vollstándig entwickelte dreibláttrige Sojabohnenblatt (Assimilate exportierend) appliziert wurde, konnte ein Transport in die Assimilatesinks der Wurzel und des Sprosses beobachtet werden. Nach 48 h waren etwa 7% des applizierten 14C-Glyphosats aufgenommen und in andere Teile der Pflanze transloziert. Vom gesamten nach 48 h in den Wurzeln und im apikalen Meristem akkumulierten 14C waren fast 50% bereits nach 12 h vorhanden. 10 nmol Glyphosat in den Pflanzen waren nur geringfügig phytntoxisch.

Notes: Excised cotyledons of radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don), cultured under shootforming (plus cytokinin) and elongating (minus cytokinin) conditions, were incubated in 14C-glucose, 14C-acetate or 14C-bicarbonate at different stages of growth and differentiation. 14CO2 was produced when the cotyledons were fed 14C-glucose and 14C-acetate (no measurement was made for 14C-bicarbonate feeding). Label from these precursors was incorporated into ethanol-soluble and -insoluble fractions. The largest percentage of radioactivity was associated with the ethanol-soluble portion, which was further fractionated into lipids, amino acids, organic acids and sugars. The amount of label and the pattern of labelling associated with each of the above classes of metabolites varied with time in culture and morphogenetic behaviour of the cotyledons. In general, there was a tendency towards a high rate of incorporation of label in elongating cotyledons during the period of rapid elongation. On the other hand, a high rate of incorporation of label in shoot-forming cotyledons coincided with the period of meristematic tissue formation. The data obtained support the hypothesis that organized development in vitro involves a shift in metabolism, which precedes and is coincident with the initiation of the process.

Notes: The formation and subsequent conversions of 14C-labelled compounds were followed in fruits of Malus domestica cvs. Golden Delicious and Cox's Orange Pippin after labelling proximate leaves with 14CO2 at different times during the growing season. A few hours after labelling of the leaves, the larger share of fruit 14C was detected in sorbitol. This share descreased rapidly except in the late autumn. When labelling about 1 July (c. 1 month after bloom), 40–60% of the fruit 14C was permanently fixed in the methanol and water insoluble fraction. 25% or more was primarily found in organic acids, but this declined during the season to a few per cent. When labelling at the end of July, the dominating feature was the establishment of a peak of temporarily insoluble 14C, returning back to the soluble form through October and November. This was particularly pronounced in‘Cox's Organe Pippin'. Labelling with 14C at the end of August and at the end of September yielded increasing amounts of 14C in sugars. The labelling of fructose predominated, but as the autumn progressed the amount of label in sucrose increased. This was due to a conversion from 14C-compounds of older origin as well as to a larger share of the imported assimilates turning into sucrose at this time of the year. During prolonged storage of harvested fruits at 3°C, 14C in fructose increased at the expense of 14C in sucrose.