Review of Annals of theoretical psychology.

Reviews the book, Annals of theoretical psychology by Joseph R. Royce and Leendert P. Mos (1984). Annals of theoretical psychology is another publication of the Centre for Advanced Study in Theoretical Psychology of the University of Alberta. The aim of Annals is to provide an outlet for psychologists and others interested in "substantive theory, metatheory, or a mixture thereof" (p. xv). The book itself has no single unifying theme beyond the interest in theory and metatheory that all contributors profess. In fact, this reviewer was impressed by the importance of a commitment to a general theoretical framework--or even ideology--for most contributors (e.g., Bindra, Henle, Weimer, Rozeboom, Eysenck) and the difficulties of communicating across different viewpoints. Nevertheless, this publication, particularly if it appears on an annual basis, may provide a valuable service to psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pixel-based statistical analysis by a 3D clustering approach: application to autoradiographic images

Statistical analysis of medical images in experimental laboratories plays an important role in confirming scientific findings and in guiding potential clinical applications. In experimental neuroscience studies, autoradiographic images taken under differing physiological or pathological conditions from replicate animals are often compared in order to detect any significant change in glucose utilization or blood flow and to localize these changes. For these comparisons to be valid and informative, proper statistical procedures are in order. Conventional methods include statistic parametric mapping (SPM) analysis, non-parametric analysis and cluster-analysis. Each method of comparison has a specific purpose. This paper describes an approach that combines these conventional methods and presents a non-parametric statistical procedure based on cluster-analysis for localizing significant differences in autoradiographic data sets. By thresholding cluster sizes rather than pixel values to reject false positives, this approach enhances statistical power. By re-shuffling the data sets to produce the null distribution of a cluster size statistic, the test makes few assumptions as to the statistical properties of the SPM, and thus it is valid under a broad range of conditions. The designed method was tested on autoradiographic images of rats subjected to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). Different methods were also performed on the same data sets. Comparison among these methods shows that this method is suitable for the statistical analysis of autoradiographic images.     

Thermal conductivity of solid ortho-para H2 mixtures below 1.6 K

We report thermal conductivity measurements of two hcp H₂ crystals over a temperature range between 0.15 and 1.6 K and an ortho-H₂ concentration range betweenX=0.55 andX=0.01. The orientation of the crystals in the conductivity cell was determined from the anisotropy of the NMR spectrum forX0.01. The conductivity results are analyzed into contributions from (1) phonon scattering by the rotational states of the ortho-H₂ particles and (2) boundary phonon scattering. The results are compared with previous work at higher temperatures. The influence of ortho-H₂ clustering on the thermal conductivity is observed and discussed.     

Polyunsaturated fatty acids increase the sensitivity of 36B10 rat astrocytoma cells to radiation-induced cell kill

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as γ-linolenic acid (GLA, 18:3n-6), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20: 5n-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) have been shown to be cytotoxic to tumor cells. The objective of this work was to study the effect of PUFA on the radiation response of a 36B10 rat astrocytoma cell line. Supplementation of the astrocytoma cells with 15–45 μM GLA, EPA, or DHA produced marked changes in the fatty acid profiles of their phospholipids and neutral lipids. The methylene bridge index of these lipids increased significantly. These PUFA also exerted cytotoxic effects, as determined using the clonogenic cell survival assay. While GLA and DHA produced a moderate cell-killing effect, EPA was extremely cytotoxic, especially at a concentration of 45 μM. The monounsaturated oleic acid (OA, 18:1n-9) did not affect cell survival. Further, all three PUFA, and particularly GLA, increased the radiation-induced cell kill; OA did not enhance the effect of radiation. α-Tocopherol acetate blocked the enhanced radiation sensitivity of GLA- and DHA-supplemented cells. In conclusion, GLA, EPA, and DHA supplementation prior to, during, and after irradiation can enhance the radiation-induced cytotoxicity of rat astrocytoma cells. GLA and DHA supplementation post-irradiation also enhanced the radiation response of the 36B10 cells. Because GLA maximally increases the radioresponsiveness of a rat astrocytoma, this PUFA might prove useful in increasing the therapeutic efficacy of radiation in the treatment of certain gliomas.     

Binding of long chain fatty acids to β-lactoglobulin

β-lactoglobulin (BLG), a bovine milk protein that is available commercially in crystalline form, binds long chain free fatty acids (FFA). The binding data were analyzed with a model containing one primary FFA binding site and a large number of weak secondary binding sites. At 37C and pH 7.4, the apparent association constant for binding of FFA to the primary site was of the order of 10⁵ M⁻¹ and that for binding to the secondary sites was approximately 10³ M⁻¹. The strength of binding was: palmitate > stearate > oleate > laurate. The affinity of BLG for palmitate increased as the pH of the incubation medium was raised from 6.5 to 8.7 and decreased as the ionic strength of the medium was raised. Palmitate binding was decreased in the presence of 6 M urea and when the protein either was exposed to elevated temperature or was acetylated prior to incubation. BLG took up methyl palmitate, cetyl alcohol, hexadecane and cholesterol to a lesser extent than FFA. Binding of FFA to BLG was associated with a small increase in the intensity of the fluorescent emission of the protein at 333 mμ. BLG can serve as an FFA acceptor or carrier in biological experiments. FFA released from adipose tissue during in vitro incubation was taken up by BLG. Net transfer of fatty acid to the incubation medium ceased when the molar ratio of FFA to BLG exceeded 1.1.¹⁴C-1-Palmitate bound to BLG was taken up by Ehrlich ascites tumor cells in vitro. At a given palmitate-protein molar ratio, much more labeled fatty acid was taken up by these cells from media containing BLG than from those containing bovine albumin, apparently because FFA is bound less firmly to BLG than to albumin. Special abbreviations used in this text: ν, average molar ratio of bound FFA to total protein; c, molar concentration of FFA in free solution and in equilibrium with that bound to protein; n, number of binding sites in a given class; k’, apparent association constant for binding to a given class of sites.     

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer dimensional stability investigations for use on the laser interferometer space antenna mission telescope

The laser interferometer space antenna (LISA) is a mission designed to detect low frequency gravitational waves. In order for LISA to succeed in its goal of direct measurement of gravitational waves, many subsystems must work together to measure the distance between proof masses on adjacent spacecraft. One such subsystem, the telescope, plays a critical role as it is the laser transmission and reception link between spacecraft. Not only must the material that makes up the telescope support structure be strong, stiff, and light, but it must have a dimensional stability of better than 1 pm Hz(-1/2) at 3 mHz and the distance between the primary and the secondary mirrors must change by less than 2.5 μm over the mission lifetime. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer is the current baseline material; however, it has not been tested to the pico meter level as required by the LISA mission. In this paper, we present dimensional stability results, outgassing effects occurring in the cavity and discuss its feasibility for use as the telescope spacer for the LISA spacecraft.     

Atomic‐Scale Spectroscopic Imaging of the Extreme‐UV Optical Response of B‐ and N‐Doped Graphene

Substitutional doping of graphene by impurity atoms such as boron and nitrogen, followed by atom‐by‐atom manipulation via scanning transmission electron microscopy, can allow for accurate tailoring of its electronic structure, plasmonic response, and even the creation of single atom devices. Beyond the identification of individual dopant atoms by means of “Z contrast” imaging, spectroscopic characterization is needed to understand the modifications induced in the electronic structure and plasmonic response. Here, atomic scale spectroscopic imaging in the extreme UV‐frequency band is demonstrated. Characteristic and energy‐loss‐dependent contrast changes centered on individual dopant atoms are highlighted. These effects are attributed to local dopant‐induced modifications of the electronic structure and are shown to be in excellent agreement with calculations of the associated densities of states.     

The fatty acid composition of human gliomas differs from that found in nonmalignant brain tissue

To compare the fatty acid composition of tumor tissue from glioma patients with that of normal brain tissue, tissue samples were obtained from 13 glioma patients and from 3 nonmalignant patients. Following lipid extraction, total fatty acid composition was measured using gas-liquid chromatography. Samples were further separated into phospholipids and neutral lipids. Representative samples were then separated into phospholipid classes by thin-layer chromatography and the fatty acid composition assayed. Levels of the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were significantly reduced (P=0.029) in the glioma samples compared with normal brain samples; mean values were 4.8±2.9% and 9.2±1.0%, respectively. This reduction in glioma DHA content was also observed in terms of phospholipids (4.6±2.1% vs. 9.6±0.8%,P=0.002). The phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine phospholipid classes were reduced in the glioma samples. Differences were also noted in the n-6 PUFA content between glioma and normal brain samples. The glioma content of the n-6 PUFA linoleic acid was significantly greater (P<0.05) than that observed in the control samples in terms of total lipids. Thus, the fatty acid composition of human gliomas differs from that found in nonmalignant brain tissue.