From 1986 to 1994, we collected 3,098 Gulf of Mexico sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus de sotoi) during their spring migration from the Gulf of Mexico to the Suwannee River, Florida. We estimated population size and described migratory and seasonal growth patterns of sturgeon in the Suwannee River, using data from tag returns, movement of ultrasonic‐lagged fish and weight records. Population size estimates for 3.0‐ to 81.0‐kg Gulf of Mexico sturgeon in the Suwannee River ranged from 1,504 to 3,066 fish. Sturgeon migrated from the Gulf of Mexico into the Suwannee River from mid‐February to early May. Fish moved upstream and remained within a 2‐km upstreamdownstream “home” area. These sites were closely associated with undenvater springs that discharge into the river. Sturgeon migrated downstream and into the Gulf of Mexico in October and November. In the Gulf of Mexico, ultrasonic‐tagged fish were located in the Suwannee Sound area just north of Cedar Key, Florida. On an annual basis, fish gained an average of 20% of their body weight while in the Gulf of Mexico and lost about 12% of their weight during their stay in the Suwannee River. We observed movement of tagged sturgeon between the Suwannee and Apalachicola Rivers.

To better understand the effects of untreated maternal depression on the fetus, this study examined fetal heart rate (FHR) and FHR reactivity to vibroacoustic stimulation in pregnant women with untreated depression. The 20 participants were 32- to 36-week pregnant women divided into groups with depression (N = 10) and without depression (N = 10) based on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, 1977; Beck & Steer, 1987). Participants were attached to a fetal heart monitor, and 10 min of baseline FHR were recorded. A vibroacoustic stimulus (VAS) was presented, and an additional 10 min of FHR were recorded. Fetuses of mothers with depression had an elevated baseline FHR and a 3.5-fold delay in return to baseline FHR after VAS presentation. Additionally, mothers with depression had significantly higher anxiety levels and took fewer prenatal vitamins during pregnancy. Delayed habituation of FHR in the fetuses of mothers with depression may be due to alterations in the internal hormonal environment and could have implications for postnatal information processing.

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SynopsisDynamic mechanical properties of cellophane, amylose, and dextran have been obtained over the temperature range 100-520°K and frequency range to Hz on specimens containing various amounts of water. Four mechanical transitions have been characterized. At about 180°K, there is a y transition that has been assigned to rotation of methylol groups; no comparable transition was found to exist in dextran. At about 240°K, there is a (3 transition that has been assigned to rotation of methylol-water complexes, but the (3 transition in dextran appears to be due to some other kind of motion. In cellophane at about 450°K there is an a2 transition which appears to have contributions from motion of chain segments in disordered regions. The a1 transition for cellophane occurs at temperatures too high to measure and may be due to segmental motions in chains within crystalline regions. Dextran and amylose were found to have at these same temperatures a loss processes that probably correspond to glass-rubber transitions in amorphous material. The changes in these mechanical loss mechanisms due to moisture uptake suggest that sorbed water associates with glucose repeat units in ways ranging from those which stiffen molecular structure to those which allow greater freedom for other types of motion to occur.