Visual spatial memory is enhanced in female rats (but inhibited in males) by dietary soy phytoestrogens

Background  

In learning and memory tasks, requiring visual spatial memory (VSM), males exhibit superior performance to females (a difference attributed to the hormonal influence of estrogen). This study examined the influence of phytoestrogens (estrogen-like plant compounds) on VSM, utilizing radial arm-maze methods to examine varying aspects of memory. Additionally, brain phytoestrogen, calbindin (CALB), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) levels were determined.     

Aerosol damage to a microchannel plate analysed by X‐ray photoelectron spectromicroscopy

Localised corrosion on a microchannel plate has been studied using X‐ray photoelectron spectromicroscopy. Curve fitting to the spectra at each pixel in the image data set reveals the presence of sodium and carbonate species at the corrosion sites, which optical microscopy suggests originated as droplets. It is proposed that aerosol contamination of the alkali enriched microchannel plate during removal of particulate material using a stream of compressed gas was responsible for the initiation of corrosion. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stereoselective 6π-electron electrocyclic ring closures of 2-halo-amidotrienes via a remote 1,6-asymmetric induction

A diastereoselective 6π-electrocyclic ring closure employing halogen-substituted 3-amidotrienes via a 1,6-remote asymmetric induction is described. This new asymmetric manifold for pericyclic ring closure further underscores the significance of the allenamide chemistry.     

Semisimple Hopf actions on commutative domains

Let H be a semisimple (so, finite dimensional) Hopf algebra over an algebraically closed field k of characteristic zero and let A be a commutative domain over k. We show that if A arises as an H-module algebra via an inner faithful H-action, then H must be a group algebra. This answers a question of E. Kirkman and J. Kuzmanovich and partially answers a question of M. Cohen.     

A note on finding clothoids

The clothoid is a spiral that is used as transition curve in highway and railway route design. Although its defining formulas are transcendental functions, recent work has shown that it can be used fairly easily on small computers. A single nonlinear equation must be solved in each of four common arrangements of the clothoid. The purpose of this work is to give starting intervals for which Newton's root finding method applied to those equations is guaranteed to converge.     

Resource pooling in congested networks: proportional fairness and product form

We review two areas of recent research linking proportional fairness with product form networks. The areas concern, respectively, the heavy traffic and the large deviations limiting regimes for the stationary distribution of a flow model, where the flow model is a stochastic process representing the randomly varying number of document transfers present in a network sharing capacity according to the proportional fairness criterion. In these two regimes we postulate the limiting form of the stationary distribution, by comparison with several variants of the fairness criterion. We outline how product form results can help provide insight into the performance consequences of resource pooling.     

Fusion multiplicities as polytope volumes: -point and higher-genus su(2) fusion

We present the first polytope volume formulas for the multiplicities of affine fusion, the fusion in Wess–Zumino–Witten conformal field theories, for example. Thus, we characterise fusion multiplicities as discretised volumes of certain convex polytopes, and write them explicitly as multiple sums measuring those volumes. We focus on su(2), but discuss higher-point ( ) and higher-genus fusion in a general way. The method follows that of our previous work on tensor product multiplicities, and so is based on the concepts of generalised Berenstein–Zelevinsky diagrams, and virtual couplings. As a by-product, we also determine necessary and sufficient conditions for non-vanishing higher-point fusion multiplicities. In the limit of large level, these inequalities reduce to very simple non-vanishing conditions for the corresponding tensor product multiplicities. Finally, we find the minimum level at which the higher-point fusion and tensor product multiplicities coincide.     

A Statewide Implementation of the Critical Features of Professional Development: Impact on Teacher Outcomes

This study is focused on a statewide implementation of the core conceptual framework for effective professional development in the United States. and associated impact on teacher quality and attitudes. The framework included content focus, active learning, coherence, duration, and collective participation. There were 252 participants in the study, who were involved in one of the five science or six mathematics programs. Findings indicated a significant impact on teacher quality for all participating programs. Teacher attitudes were positive at the baseline, and remained positive with some improvement at the end of the program. However, teacher perceived preparedness increased significantly across the duration of the program. Discussion of the findings and implications for professional development programs internationally are shared.