Is weight gain after smoking cessation inevitable?

Weight gain after smoking cessation was studied in a naturalistic setting where (1) all smokers quit and (2) risk factors for postcessation weight gain were modified. Participants were 332 military recruits (227 men, 105 women), 86 of whom were smokers who quit during 6 weeks of basic training. Results showed no significant weight changes for smokers who quit. Pretest smoking rates and feat of weight gain were unrelated to changes in weight. Results suggest that an intensive program that limits access to alcohol and foods that are high in fat and that increases physical activity can attenuate weight gain after smoking cessation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cyto- and genotoxic potential of the photosensitizer Photosan 3 in the absence of light

In the present investigation, cultures of rat hepatocytes were treated with Photosan 3 (PS 3) and examined for possible mutagenic effects in the absence of light. Hepatocytes are particularly useful in genotoxicity studies because of their capacity to metabolize a large variety of promutagenic/procarcinogenic compounds. The cytogenetic endpoints determined were chromosomal aberrations and the induction of micronuclei. Three hours of incubation with PS 3 (at concentrations of 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 micrograms ml-1) induced significantly elevated levels of chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei already at the lowest concentration of 0.1 micrograms ml-1 compared with the controls. A concentration of 100 micrograms ml-1 PS 3 appeared to be cytotoxic: no mitotic figures could be detected.     

The culture assimilator: An approach to cross-cultural training.

Describes the construction of self-administered programed culture training manuals, called culture assimilators. These programs provide an apparently effective method for assisting members of 1 culture to interact and adjust successfully with members of another culture. Culture assimilators have been constructed for the Arab countries, Iran, Thailand, Central America, and Greece. The steps involved in the development of these programs, and studies validating the culture assimilator programs under laboratory and field conditions are described. (21 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The influence of leader-keyman relations on combat crew effectiveness.

The relation between the leader's interpersonal attitudes and the effectiveness of military combat crews is investigated. Two types of leader attitudes are considered: a generalized attitude toward co-workers, derived by asking the S to predict personality test responses of most and least preferred co-workers; and, the leader's sociometric preference for a particular co-worker. Studies with B-29 bomber crews and Army tank crews indicate that psychological distance between accepted leaders and their keymen is related to effective teamwork. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of Wheel Surface Conditions on the Casting of Amorphous Metal Ribbons

The wetting of the liquid metal on the casting wheel surface is important in the continuous casting of amorphous metal ribbons. The wetting characteristics are substantially revealed by the wetting pattern on the wheel-side surface of the ribbon, which consists of areas of air pockets and areas of direct contact between metal and wheel. Experimental results will be presented regarding the effects of the condition of the casting wheel surface on the wetting pattern and the related interfacial phenomena such as the ribbon surface smoothness, the heat transfer at metal-wheel interface, and the separation of ribbon from the wheel. In particular, the mechanism of formation of the periodic ribbon surface defect known as “fish scale” and the elimination of this defect by changing the condition of the casting wheel surface will be discussed.     

Nutrient Composition of Larval Nectar Secretions from Three Species of Myrmecophilous Butterflies

A comparative chemical analysis of the larval nectar secretions and hemolymph from three unspecifically and facultatively ant-attended lycaenid species (Polyommatus coridon, P. icarus, and Zizeeria knysna) was performed by using high-performance liquid chromatography techniques. Sucrose was the main sugar component in all three species. In half of the samples of P. coridon, it was accompanied by glucose, whereas other sugars occurred only rarely. In P. icarus and Z. knysna, melezitose was the second-most important component, followed by fructose and glucose. Total sugar contents were 43.6 ± 14.8 g/l (mean ± SD) for P. coridon, 74.2 g/l for P. icarus, and 68.3 ± 22.6 g/l for Z. knysna. Up to 14 different identified amino acids were found in P. coridon nectar, with a total content of 9.7 ± 3.4 g/l. Leucine was always the major component (contributing 50% of overall amino acid content). Other important amino acids were tyrosine, proline, arginine, and phenylalanine. P. icarus nectar contained up to six amino acids with a total content of 1.2 g/l, dominated by tyrosine and phenylalanine. Z. knysna nectar contained alanine and proline, with only 0.3 ± 0.17 g/l total content. In the hemolymph of all species, up to 16 different amino acids occurred relatively regularly, with histidine dominating, followed by serine and proline. The amino acid pattern in hemolymph was considerably different from that of the nectar secretions. Larval diet weakly influenced P. coridon nectar sugars, and with a semisynthetic diet, a more homogeneous amino acid pattern was detected. Comparison with reports from other lycaenid species shows that secretions rich in amino acids are related to intimate, often obligate ant associations, whereas facultative, unspecific myrmecophiles rely on carbohydrates.     

Pheromonal Cues Deposited by Mated Females Convey Social Information about Egg-Laying Sites in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila Melanogaster</Emphasis>

Individuals can make choices based on information learned from others, a phenomenon called social learning. How observers differentiate between which individual they should or should not learn from is, however, poorly understood. Here, we showed that Drosophila melanogaster females can influence the choice of egg-laying site of other females through pheromonal marking. Mated females mark territories of high quality food by ejecting surplus male sperm containing the aggregation pheromone cis-11-vaccenyl acetate (cVA) and, in addition, deposit several sex- and species-specific cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) pheromones. These pheromonal cues affect the choices of other females, which respond by preferentially laying eggs on the marked food. This system benefits both senders and responders, as communal egg laying increases offspring survival. Virgin females, however, do not elicit a change in the egg-laying decision of mated females, even when food has been supplemented with ejected sperm from mated females, thus indicating the necessity for additional cues. Genetic ablation of either a female’s CHC pheromones or those of their mate results in loss of ability of mated females to attract other females. We conclude that mated females use a pheromonal marking system, comprising cVA acquired from male ejaculate with sex- and species-specific CHCs produced by both mates, to indicate egg-laying sites. This system ensures information reliability because mated, but not virgin, females have both the ability to generate the pheromone blend that attracts other flies to those sites and a direct interest in egg-laying site quality.     

Pid Regulation Of Robot Manipulators With Elastic Joints

This paper studies the stability of a class of PID controller to stabilize robot manipulators with elastic joints. It is shown that a PD action on the rotor position and an integral control action on the link position suffice to provide semiglobal asymptotic stability of the desired link position.