A submission to the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services consultation “Healthy Tasmania Five Year Strategic Plan”

This submission will address a number of questions raised in section 5.2, “Potential Future Initiatives to target smoking”, of the Healthy Tasmania Five Year Strategic Plan – Community Consultation Draft. Each question has been answered within this submission. This submission will also address the possibility of legal challenges to these proposed changes, a pivotal consideration when implementing any tobacco control laws. This is due to the aggressive nature of the tobacco industry, as illustrated by their attempts to challenge plain packaging laws in the country and through international treaties. The evidence provided in my submission illustrates that prevention of initiation of smoking during adolescence has various benefits in terms of reduction of negative smoking behaviors in later life. I argue that increasing the minimum legal age of purchasing for tobacco to 21 will benefit both the levels of underage smoking as well as the age of onset of initiation of smoking, due to the greater difficulties that those who are underage would experience in accessing tobacco products. I will also address the question of whether the minimum smoking age should be increased to 25.

Drug cultures in Estonia : contexts, meanings and patterns of illicit drug use.

In Estonia, illicit drug use hardly existed before the social changes of the 1990s when, as a result of economic and cultural transformations, the country became part of a world order centred in the West. On the one hand, this development is due to the spread of international youth culture, which many young people have perceived as being associated with drugs; on the other hand, it results from the marginalisation of a part of the population. The empirical part of the study is based mostly on in-depth interviews with different drug users conducted during between 1998 and 2002. Complementary material includes the results of participant observations, interviews with key experts, and the results of previous quantitative studies and statistics. The young people who started experimenting with illicit drugs from the 1990s and onwards perceived them as a part of an attractive lifestyle - a Western lifestyle, a point which is worth stressing in the case of Estonia. Although the reasons for initiation into drug use were similar for the majority of young people, their drug use habits and the impact of the drug use on their lives began to differ. I argue that the potential pleasure and harm which might accompany drug use is offset by the meanings attached to drugs and the sanctions and rituals regulating drug use. In the study both recreational and problem use have been analysed from different aspects in seven articles. I have investigated different types of drug users: new bohemians, cannabis users, in whose case partying and restrictive drug use is positively connected to their lives and goals within established society; stimulant-using party people for whom drugs are a means of having fun but who do not have the same restrictive norms regulating their drug use as the former and who may get into trouble under certain conditions; and heroin users for whom the drug rapidly progressed from a means of having fun to an obligation due to addiction. The research results point at the importance not only of the drug itself and the socio-economic situation of the user, but also of the cultural and social context within which the drug is used. The latter may on occasions be a crucial factor in whether or not initial drug use eventually leads to addiction.

How Kings are Made, How Kingship Changes : A Study of Ritual and Ritual Change in Pre-Colonial Owamboland, Namibia

This study discusses the legitimacy basis of political power and its changes in historical African societies. It starts from Luc de Heusch s tenet that political power required a legitimacy basis of a spiritual kind, often formulated as sacred kingship. In ancient and pre-literate societies such kings were held to be responsible for the fertility of man, land and cattle. The king was a paradoxical figure, symbolising society, but standing above it, while simultaneously being its victim by being ritually killed at old age. This was also how Owambo sacred kings were conceived. De Heusch suggested that African kings derived their power over fertility from having been made sacred monsters in the rituals of installation. With the example of Owambo kingship, this study argues that the transgressive and monstrous aspect is only one of several dimension of a king s sacredness and brings out the nurturing and symbolically female aspect, identified but not analysed further by de Heusch. In the Owambo kingly installation a king-elect was made sacred, and part of it was that a link was ritually created to the early owners of the land. Their consent made it possible for the king to promote fertility and to appropriate power emblems needed for ruling. In the kingdom of Ondonga the early owners of the land were the spirits of early Bushman inhabitants and those of an early kingly clan, both neglected in public memory. The sacred dimension of kingship was further augmented when kings manipulated and appropriated rain rituals and initiation rituals, both of which were related to fertility. The study argues that even though there were aspects of the sacred monster in Owambo kingship, its manifestation was, in part, a distortion of the reciprocal aspect of kingship that was expressed in the homage paid to various ancestor spirits. A change in succession practices from ritual regicide to political assassination took place concomitant with the introduction of firearms, and this broke the sacrificial aspect of sacred kingship paving the way for a more predatory form of kingship while the sacred status of the king was retained.

Kirjallisuuskatsaus: Eturauhassyövän androgeeniresponsiiviset in vivo -mallit; Kokeellinen osa: Bioluminesenssiin perustuvan ortotooppisen eturauhassyöpämallin optimointi

Eturauhassyöpä on yksi yleisimmistä syövistä länsimaissa. Eturauhassyöpä on yleensä hitaasti kehittyvä tauti. Edetessään se voi kuitenkin muuntua aggressiivisemmaksi ja aiheuttaa metastaaseja, jotka ovat pääasiallisena syynä taudin kuolleisuuteen. Androgeenit ovat merkittäviä tekijöitä eturauhassyövän patogeneesissä ja eturauhassyöpäkudos on useimmiten riippuvainen androgeeneista. Tämän vuoksi hoidon tavoitteena on estää niiden eritys kirurgisella tai kemiallisella kastraatiolla ja/tai estää androgeenien vaikutus antiandrogeeneilla. Eturauhassyöpää sekä sen hoitoon tarkoitettuja uusia lääkehoitomahdollisuuksia tutkitaan kiivaasti. Eturauhassyövän tutkimiseen on kehitetty lukematon määrä erilaisia in vivo -malleja. Koska eturauhassyöpä on yleensä androgeeneille herkkä, kuvaavat androgeeniresponsiiviset eläinmallit ihmisen tautia parhaiten. Eturauhassyövän mallintamiseen in vivo voidaan käyttää eri eläinlajeja, mutta hiiri on ylivoimaisesti käytetyin mallieläin. Immuunipuutteisiin hiiriin voidaan aiheuttaa kasvaimia inokuloimalla ihmisen kasvainsoluja tai osia ihmisen kasvaimista. Ortotooppisesti eturauhaseen inokuloitavat kasvainmallit mallintavat eturauhassyövässä esiintyvää syöpäsolujen ja stroomasolujen välistä epänormaalia vuorovaikutusta. Muuntogeeniset hiirimallit ovat yhä yleisempiä eturauhassyövän tutkimuksessa. Muuntogeenisilla malleilla voidaan mallintaa taudin kehittymistä ja sen etenemistä kokonaisuudessaan parhaiten. Eturauhasessa olevaa kasvainta ja sen kasvua on vaikea seurata ilman prostataspesifisen antigeenin (PSA) pitoisuuden mittausta tai erityisiä kuvantamistekniikoita. Tällaisia menetelmiä, kuten optista kuvantamista, käytetään yhä enemmän hyödyksi erilaisissa eturauhassyövän in vivo -malleissa. Tutkielman kokeellisen osan tavoitteena oli optimoida bioluminesenssiin perustuva optinen kuvantamismenetelmä androgeeniresponsiivisessa LNCaP-luc2-solulinjassa ortotooppisessa eturauhassyöpämallissa. Bioluminesenssikuvantaminen perustuu kasvainsolujen ilmentämän lusiferaasin katalysoimaan reaktioon, jossa entsyymin substraatti, lusiferiini, hapettuu ja tuottaa näkyvää valoa. Lisäksi tavoitteena oli tutkia lääkehoitojen ja kastraation vasteita mallissa. Bioluminesenssiin perustuvalla kuvantamisella oli mahdollista seurata eturauhaskasvainten kasvua noninvasiivisesti, reaaliaikaisesti ja toistuvasti. Bioluminesenssikuvantamisen avulla kasvainten kvantitointi oli nopeampaa kuin ultraäänikuvantamisen avulla, ja kasvainten kasvua oli myös mahdollista seurata useammin kuin seerumin PSA-mittausten avulla. Bioluminesenssikuvantamisen todettiin korreloivan paremmin PSA-pitoisuuden kanssa kuin kasvaimen todelliseen kokoon lopetushetkellä. Seerumin PSA-pitoisuus korreloi kuitenkin bioluminesenssimittausta paremmin eturauhaskasvaimen kokoon tässä kokeessa. Kasvainten oletettua suurempaa kokoa voidaan pitää todennäköisimpänä syynä sille, ettei lääkehoitojen tai kastraation todettu vaikuttavan kasvainten kasvuun bioluminesenssikuvantamisella mitattuna. Bioluminesenssikuvantaminen ei sovellu suurille eikä nekroottisille kasvaimille, sillä kuvantamismenetelmä toimii vain elävillä soluilla. Bioluminesenssikuvantamisen hyödyntämisen kannalta oleellista tässä mallissa on myös lusiferiini-injektion onnistuminen. Jatkotutkimuksia tarvitaan edelleen mallin validoimiseksi mm. lääkehoitojen vasteiden osoittamiseksi.

The effects of abiotic and biotic factors on somatic embryogenesis and seedlings of Pinus sylvestris (L.)

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is an asexual form of plant propagation that occurs in nature and mimics many of the events of sexual reproduction. Pinus sylvestris (L.) is an important source of timber in Northern Eurasia but it is recalcitrant to somatic embryogenesis. Several factors important for the success of the P. sylvestris embryogenic cultures have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we examined the effects of parental genotypes on the SE in P. sylvestris, the involvement of the gaseous plant growth regulator, ethylene in SE, and also biotic effects on somatic embryos as well as on seedlings. We tested parental effects on immature embryo initiation for different media, storage periods, and on the maturation process. Maternal effects were found to be crucial for SE in the absence of paternal effects. No maternal-paternal interaction was observed at any stage of somatic embryo production. Additionally the role of ethylene at different developmental stages of SE was investigated. Two ACC synthase genes, PsACS1 and PsACS2, were isolated and characterized. PsACS1 was expressed during the proliferation stage in all tested genotypes, whereas PsACS2 was only expressed in somatic embryos of each genotype. Ethylene production in embryos at stage 3 was significantly higher than the other stages. In a parallel study, the response of somatic embryos to fungal elicitors was investigated. Three fungi, a mutualistic ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungus (Suillus bovinus), a weak Scots pine pathogen (Heterobasidion parviporum) and a strong pathogen (H. annosum) were used. The gene expression patterns for embryos exposed to the H. parviporum elicitor were found to be similar to that documented for S. bovinus among the tested genes. By contrast somatic embryos exposed to the H. annosum elicitor had a different pattern of regulation which was marked by a delayed response, and in some cases death of the embryos. Furthermore, interaction without direct contact between P. sylvestris seedlings and microbes (mutualistic and pathogenic fungus, cyanobacterium) were investigated. Several novel genes expressed in seedlings treated with ECM fungus were isolated which suggested that physical contact is not necessary for elicitation of host responses. The results suggest that somatic embryos and seedlings of P. sylvestris are genetically well equipped to respond to fungal elicitor/exudates and could serve as a suitable model for reproducible molecular studies in conifer tree patho- and symbiotic systems.

Growth and Convergence: The case of China

Growth and Convergence: The Case of China Since the initiation of economic reforms in 1978, China has become one of the world’s fast-growing economies. The rapid growth, however, has not been shared equally across the different regions in China. The prominent feature of substantial differences in incomes and growth rates across the different Chinese regions has attracted the attention of many researchers. This book focuses on issues related to economic growth and convergence across the Chinese regions over the past three decades. The book has eight chapters. Apart from an introduction chapter and a concluding chapter, all the other chapters each deal with some certain aspects of the central issue of regional growth and convergence across China over the past three decades. The whole book is organized as follows. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the basic issues involved in this book. Chapter 2 tests economic growth and convergence across 31 Chinese provinces during 1981-2005, based on the theoretical framework of the Solow growth model. Chapter 3 investigates the relationship between openness to foreign economic activities, such as foreign trade and foreign direct investment, and the regional economic growth in the case of China during 1981-2005. Chapter 4, based on data of 31 Chinese provinces over the period 1980-2004, presents new evidence on the effects of structural shocks and structural transformation on growth and convergence among the Chinese regions. Chapter 5, by building up an empirical model that takes account of different potential effects of foreign direct investment, focuses on the impacts of foreign direct investment on China’s regional economic performance and growth. Chapter 6 reconsiders the growth and convergence problem of the Chinese regions in an alternative theoretical framework with endogenous saving behavior and capital mobility across regions. Chapter 7, by building up a theoretical model concerning comparative advantage and transaction efficiency, focuses on one of the potential mechanisms through which China achieves its fast economic growth over the past few decades. Chapter 8 concludes the book by summarizing the results from the previous chapters and suggesting directions for further studies.

Effect of copper addition on the fracture and fatigue crack growth behavior of solution heat-treated SUS 304H austenitic steel

Small additions of Cu to the SUS 304H, a high temperature austenitic stainless steel, enhance its high temperature strength and creep resistance. As Cu is known to cause embrittlement, the effect of Cu on room temperature mechanical properties that include fracture toughness and fatigue crack threshold of as-solutionized SUS 304H steel were investigated in this work. Experimental results show a linear reduction in yield and ultimate strengths with Cu addition of up to 5 wt.% while ductility drops markedly for 5 wt.% Cu alloy. However, the fracture toughness and the threshold stress intensity factor range for fatigue crack initiation were found to be nearly invariant with Cu addition. This is because the fracture in this alloy is controlled by the debonding from the matrix of chromium carbide precipitates, as evident from fractography. Cu, on the other hand, remains either in solution or as nano-precipitates and hence does not influence the fracture characteristics. It is concluded that small additions of Cu to 304H will not have adverse effects on its fracture and fatigue behavior. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Impact of the EMU on International Portfolio Investments

This paper analyses the impact of the launch of the European Monetary Union (EMU) on the allocation of international portfolio investments. The initiation of the EMU provides an opportunity for comparison of competing theoretical explanations for investment behavior. Models stressing the diversification motive would predict that the increased dependence between countries participating in the EMU should reduce the attractiveness of portfolio holdings in other EMU countries. Models based on asymmetric information would instead emphasize the increased intensity in the flow of information resulting from an increase in cross border transactions between the EMU countries. The consequent decline in information asymmetry should increase, rather than reduce portfolio holdings in other EMU countries. Our results based on the allocation of Finnish foreign portfolio investment support the information-based explanation against predictions based on the diversification motive.

The fate of the initiator tRNAs is sensitive to the critical balance between interacting proteins

Formylation of the initiator tRNA is essential for normal growth of Escherichia coil, The initiator tRNA containing the U35A36 mutation (CUA anticodon) initiates from UAG codon, However, an additional mutation at position 72 (72A --> G) renders the tRNA (G72/U35A36) inactive in initiation because it is defective in formylation, In this study, we isolated U1G72/U35A36 tRNA containing a wobble base pair at 1-72 positions as an intragenic suppressor of the G72 mutation. The U1G72/U35A36 tRNA is formylated and participates in initiation. More importantly, we show that the mismatch at 1-72 positions of the initiator tRNA, which was thus far thought to be the hallmark of the resistance of this tRNA against peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase (PTH), is not sufficient, The amino acid attached to the initiator tRNA is also important in conferring protection against PTH. Further, we show that the relative levels of PTH and IF2 influence the path adopted by the initiator tRNAs in protein synthesis. These findings provide an important clue to understand the dual function of the single tRNA(Met) in initiation and elongation, in the mitochondria of various organisms.

Studies on hypomethylation of liver DNA during early stages of chemical carcinogenesis in rat liver

Our finding that the inhibitors of DNA methylation, 5-azacytidine, 5-azadeoxycytidine or adenosine dialdehyde, given after a carcinogen all potentiated initiation suggested that hypomethylation of DNA during repair synthesis of DNA might play a role in the initiation of the carcinogenic process. To examine this aspect further, we have asked the question, do the nodules which develop from initiated cells after promotion with 1% orotic acid exhibit an altered methylation pattern in their DNA? The methylation status of the DNA from nodules has been examined using the restriction endonucleases HpaII/MspI and HhaI which distinguish between methylated and unmethylated cytosines in their nucleotide recognition DNA 5'-CCGG and 5'-GCGC respectively. The proto-oncogenes, c-myc, c-fos and c-Ha-ras, in the DNA were primarily studied in this investigation because of their possible involvement in cell proliferation and/or in cell transformation and tumorigenesis. The results indicate that in the nodule DNA, c-myc and c-fos are hypomethylated in the sequence of CCGG while the c-Ha-ras shows hypomethylation in the alternating GCGC sequence. This methylation pattern seen in the nodule DNA is not found in the DNA of the non-nodular surrounding liver or liver tissue after exposure to promoter or carcinogen alone. It is also not found in the DNA of regenerating liver. It is particularly significant that the methylation patterns in the c-myc and c-Ha-ras regions are similar to those found in several cancer tissues. The results suggest that this methylation pattern is acquired early in the carcinogenic process and raises the question whether it has any bearing on the process.

A kinetic study of liquid-phase catalytic oxidation of styrene to benzaldehyde with Wilkinson complex

Liquid-phase homogeneous catalytic oxidation of styrene with Wilkinson complex by molecular oxygen in toluene medium gave selectively benzaldehyde and formaldehyde as the primary products. Higher temperatures and styrene conversions eventually led to acid formation due to co-oxidation of aldehyde.A reaction induction period and an initiation period, typical of free-radical reactions, characterized the oxidation process. The effects of temperature and catalyst and styrene concentrations on the conversion of styrene to benzaldehyde and acid formation have been studied. The optimum reaction parameters have been determined as a styrene-to-solvent mole ratio of 0.5, a catalyst-to-styrene mole ratio of 5.0 X lo4, and a reaction temperature of 75 "C. A reaction scheme based upon free-radical mechanism yielded a pseudo-first-order model which agreed well with the observed kinetic data in the absence of co-oxidation of aldehyde. A second-order model was found to fit the experimental data better in the case of aldehyde conversion to acid.

Experimental approach for studying structural changes in axonal membrane upon nerve excitation

The Hodgkin and Huxley (HH) model of action potential has become a central paradigm of neuroscience. Despite its ability to predict action potentials with remarkable accuracy, it fails to explain several biophysical findings related to the initiation and propagation of the nerve impulse. The isentropic heat release and optical phenomena demonstrated by various experiments suggest that action potential is accompanied by a transient phase change in the axonal membrane. In this study a method was developed for preparing a giant axon from the crayfish abdominal cord for studying the molecular mechanisms of action potential simultaneously by electrophysiological and optical methods. Also an alternative setup using a single-cell culture of an Aplysia sensory neuron is presented. In addition to the description of the method, the preliminary results on the effect of phloretin, a dipole potential lowering compound, on the excitability of a crayfish giant axon are presented.

Cognitive Functioning in Alcohol and Other Substance Use Disorders in Young Adulthood : A Genetic Epidemiological Study

Alcohol and other substance use disorders (SUDs) result in great costs and suffering for individuals and families and constitute a notable public health burden. A multitude of factors, ranging from biological to societal, are associated with elevated risk of SUDs, but at the level of individuals, one of the best predictors is a family history of SUDs. Genetically informative twin and family studies have consistently indicated this familial risk to be mainly genetic. In addition, behavioral and temperamental factors such as early initiation of substance use and aggressiveness are associated with the development of SUDs. These familial, behavioral and temperamental risk factors often co-occur, but their relative importance is not well known. People with SUDs have also been found to differ from healthy controls in various domains of cognitive functioning, with poorer verbal ability being among the most consistent findings. However, representative population-based samples have rarely been used in neuropsychological studies of SUDs. In addition, both SUDs and cognitive abilities are influenced by genetic factors, but whether the co-variation of these traits might be partly explained by overlapping genetic influences has not been studied. Problematic substance use also often co-occurs with low educational level, but it is not known whether these outcomes share part of their underlying genetic influences. In addition, educational level may moderate the genetic etiology of alcohol problems, but gene-environment interactions between these phenomena have also not been widely studied. The incidence of SUDs peaks in young adulthood rendering epidemiological studies in this age group informative. This thesis investigated cognitive functioning and other correlates of SUDs in young adulthood in two representative population-based samples of young Finnish adults, one of which consisted of monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs enabling genetically informative analyses. Using data from the population-based Mental Health in Early Adulthood in Finland (MEAF) study (n=605), the lifetime prevalence of DSM-IV any substance dependence or abuse among persons aged 21—35 years was found to be approximately 14%, with a majority of the diagnoses being alcohol use disorders. Several correlates representing the domains of behavioral and affective factors, parental factors, early initiation of substance use, and educational factors were individually associated with SUDs. The associations between behavioral and affective factors (attention or behavior problems at school, aggression, anxiousness) and SUDs were found to be largely independent of factors from other domains, whereas daily smoking and low education were still associated with SUDs after adjustment for behavioral and affective factors. Using a wide array of neuropsychological tests in the MEAF sample and in a subsample (n=602) of the population-based FinnTwin16 (FT16) study, consistent evidence of poorer verbal cognitive ability related to SUDs was found. In addition, participants with SUDs performed worse than those without disorders in a task assessing psychomotor processing speed in the MEAF sample, whereas no evidence of more specific cognitive deficits was found in either sample. Biometrical structural equation models of the twin data suggested that both alcohol problems and verbal ability had moderate heritabilities (0.54—0.72), and that their covariation could be explained by correlated genetic influences (genetic correlations -0.20 to -0.31). The relationship between educational level and alcohol problems, studied in the full epidemiological FT16 sample (n=4,858), was found to reflect both genetic correlation and gene-environment interaction. The co-occurrence of low education and alcohol problems was influenced by overlapping genetic factors. In addition, higher educational level was associated with increased relative importance of genetic influences on alcohol problems, whereas environmental influences played a more important role in young adults with lower education. In conclusion, SUDs, especially alcohol abuse and dependence, are common among young Finnish adults. Behavioral and affective factors are robustly related to SUDs independently of many other factors, and compared to healthy peers, young adults who have had SUDs during their life exhibit significantly poorer verbal cognitive ability, and possibly less efficient psychomotor processing. Genetic differences between individuals explain a notable proportion of individual differences in risk of alcohol dependence, verbal ability, and educational level, and the co-occurrence of alcohol problems with poorer verbal cognition and low education is influenced by shared genetic backgrounds. Finally, various environmental factors related to educational level in young adulthood moderate the relative importance of genetic factors influencing the risk of alcohol problems, possibly reflecting differences in social control mechanisms related to educational level.

Experimental estimation of friction force in lubricated cutting of steel

Friction force generated in lubricated cutting of steel is experimentally estimated by recording the tangential force experienced by the spherical face of a pin rubbing against a freshly cut surface. The pin and the cutting tool are both submerged in the lubricant and the pin is situated on the cut-track to record the force. The recording shows an instantaneous achievement of a peak in the force curve followed by a decline in time to a steady state value. The peak and not the steady state friction was found to be sensitive to the structure of the hydrocarbon and addition of additive to the oil. The configuration was designed and tested to demonstrate the influence of a reaction film which develops during cutting, on cutting tool friction. Given the strong correlation between the peak friction and the existence of a tribofilm in the cutting zone, the configuration is used to determine the lower limit of a cutting speed regime, which marks the initiation of lubricant starvation, in cutting of steel using an emulsion as a cutting fluid. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Studies on follicular growth in the immature rat and hamster: Effect of a single injection of gonadotropin or estrogen on the rate of3H-thymidine incorporation into ovarian DNAin vitro

Initiation of follicular growth by specific hormonal stimuli in ovaries of immature rats and hamsters was studied by determining the rate of incorporation of3H-thymidine into ovarian DNAin vitro. Incorporation was considered as an index of DNA synthesis and cell multiplication. A single injection of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin could thus maximally stimulate by 18 hr3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA of the ovary of immature hamsters. Neutralization of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin by an antiserum to ovine follicle stimulating hormone only during the initial 8–10 hr and not later could inhibit the increase in3H-thymidine incorporationin vitro observed at 18 hr, suggesting that the continued presence of gonadotropin stimulus was not necessary for this response. The other indices of follicular growth monitored such as ovarian weight, serum estradiol and uterine weight showed discernible increase at periods only after the above initial event. A single injection of estrogen (diethyl stilbesterol or estradiol-l7β) could similarly cause 18 hr later, a stimulation in the rate of incorporation of3H-thymidine into DNAin vitro in ovaries of immature rats. The presence of endogenous gonadotropins, however, was obligatory for observing this response to estrogen. Evidence in support of the above was two-fold: (i) administration of antiserum to follicle stimulating hormone or luteinizing hormone along with estrogen completely inhibited the increase in3H-thymidine incorporation into ovarian DNAin vitro; (ii) a radioimmunological measurement revealed following estrogen treatment, the presence of a higher concentration of endogenous follicle stimulating hormone in the ovary. Finally, administration of varying doses of ovine follicle stimulating hormone along with a constant dose of estrogen to immature rats produced a dose-dependent increment in the incorporation of3H-thymidine into ovarian DNAin vitro. These observations suggested the potentiality of this system for developing a sensitive bioassay for follicle stimulating hormone.