Gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analyses of unknown analytical response in imported Fava beans: 4-chloro-6-methoxyindole

A halogenated unidentified analytical response (UAR) was encountered in a number of imported Fava bean samples during the Food and Drug Administration's routine pesticide-monitoring program. Gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) analyses identified the halogenated component as 4-chloro-6-methoxyindole, a naturally occurring promutagen in Fava beans that has been linked to incidents of gastric cancer. Data from electron impact, positive and negative chemical ionization, collision-induced dissociation, and deuteration studies of this compound are presented, along with GC retention time data.     

Production of flat top beam profiles for high energy lasers

Production of uniform (flat top) high energy laser beam profiles with relatively little beam energy loss is possible through the use of a modified kaleidoscope, multiple reflection beam scrambler.     

Psychiatric disorder and disability in New Zealand long-stay psychiatric patients

A study was undertaken of the prevalence of physical disease, psychiatric disorder and deviant behaviour in a sample of 137 long stay psychiatric patients at Porirua Hospital near Wellington, New Zealand. Patients were in the main male, single, middle-aged to elderly and of European descent. Schizophrenia was the most common diagnosis. Psychiatric symptoms were moderately severe, the most common being unusual mannerisms and posturing, anxiety, blunted affect, tension, unusual thought content and somatic concerns. Known physical disorders were present in 66 patients. Levels of neuroleptic medication were high and tardive dyskinesia was observed in almost 60% of patients. Frequency of deviant behaviour was low in absolute terms but nonetheless problematic. The frequency of deviant behaviour was similar to those reported for British patients.     

Improved Visual Design for Graphics Display

The principles of good visual design used in advertising can help programmers design effective computer displays that will substantially improve the man-machine interface.     

Sound propagation,density, and viscosity in liquid3He

We have measured the temperature dependence of the velocity and the attenuation of sound in the range 60–700 mK. The maximum in the sound velocity observed by Abraham and Osborne is confirmed. The viscosity deduced from the attenuation measurements is in good agreement with that of Abel, Anderson, and Wheatley but differs from that of Betts, Keen, and Wilks. The sound velocity as a function of pressure at 150 mK was also measured and from this the low-temperature pressure dependence of the density was determined.Based on work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.     

Relationship between job attitudes and two forms of withdrawal from the work situation.

Correlated attitudes concerning the job in general and specific aspects of the work situation with termination decisions and recorded frequency of absences during the year following administration of job attitude questionnaire to 160 nonsupervisory female employees. Overall satisfaction and satisfaction with several intrinsic aspects of the work situation were significantly related to the termination criterion. None of the extrinsic variables were related. For the frequency of absence criterion, attitudes toward specific aspects of the work situation showed no consistent relationships when nonattitudinal variables were partialed out, but overall satisfaction was significantly related. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Target reconstruction from scattered far field data

The problem of finding the shape of a perfectly conducting cylinder when illuminated by an E-polarized incident electromagnetic wave is considered. The given problem is cast in the form of a penalized optimization problem in which we seek a surface in some suitably constrained class which minimizes a functional involving two terms. The first term measures the mean square deviation of the far field of the solution to the direct scattering problem for a surface in the admissible class from given, measured, far field data whilst the second term, penalty, measures the error in satisfying the imposed boundary conditions. An optimisation algorithm is used which does not require that a direct problem be solved in the updating process. Explicit reconstructions are presented which illustrate the effectiveness of the method. Some results indicating the sensitivity of the algorithm to the choice of penalty parameter and the number of incident waves are also given.     

Defensive steroids from a carrion beetle (Silpha novaboracensis)

Two novel steroids, 3,7-dihydroxy-14-pregn-4-en-15,20-dione (1) and 3,7, 20-trihydroxy-14-pregn-4-en-15-one (4), have been characterized from the rectal gland ofSilpha novaboracensis (Coleoptera: Silphidae). Judging from the function of comparable pregnanes in another species ofSilpha, the compounds may play an antipredator role.Paper No. 81 of the seriesDefense Mechanisms of Arthropods. Paper No. 80 is Eisner, T., Deyrup, M., Jacobs, R., and Meinwald, J.,J. Chem. Ecol. 12:1407–1415.     

Computer tracking of objects moving in space

A method is developed to represent movement of convex blocks in three-dimensional space from a sequence of two-dimensional camera images. The goals are to determine the objects' movement toward or away from the camera as well as left/right and up/down movement in the image plane and to build models of the blocks. The movement information is used as part of a hierarchical matching process that determines the correspondence of blocks between scenes.