Water capture by a desert beetle.

Some beetles in the Namib Desert collect drinking water from fog-laden wind on their backs. We show here that these large droplets form by virtue of the insect's bumpy surface, which consists of alternating hydrophobic, wax-coated and hydrophilic, non-waxy regions. The design of this fog-collecting structure can be reproduced cheaply on a commercial scale and may find application in water-trapping tent and building coverings, for example, or in water condensers and engines.     

Gene polymorphism in Netherton and common atopic disease.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) and asthma are characterized by IgE-mediated atopic (allergic) responses to common proteins (allergens), many of which are proteinases. Loci influencing atopy have been localized to a number of chromosomal regions, including the chromosome 5q31 cytokine cluster. Netherton disease is a rare recessive skin disorder in which atopy is a universal accompaniment. The gene underlying Netherton disease (SPINK5) encodes a 15-domain serine proteinase inhibitor (LEKTI) which is expressed in epithelial and mucosal surfaces and in the thymus. We have identified six coding polymorphisms in SPINK5 (Table 1) and found that a Glu420-->Lys variant shows significant association with atopy and AD in two independent panels of families. Our results implicate a previously unrecognized pathway for the development of common allergic illnesses.     

Incubation periods for paediatric AIDS patients

A recent seroprevalence study of newborns indicates that one in 62 children born in New York City has antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The distribution of incubation periods for paediatric patients is needed to estimate future AIDS case loads from these seroprevalence data. Current estimates of incubation periods for paediatric patients are based on limited data. We use parametric and non-parametric methods to analyse incubation periods for 215 paediatric patients with AIDS whose only known route of infection is maternal. We conclude that incubation periods are longer than previously reported; that there is a distinct knee in the incubation period distribution at seven months which suggests two risk populations; and that there is an increase in incidence which is consistent with exponential growth.     

Combining multiple forecasts given multiple objectives

This paper is concerned with expanding the decision support capabilities of computerized forecasting systems. The expansion allows for the systematic combination of multiple forecasts and the explicit consideration of multiple objectives in the forecast selection process. The methodology used is multiple objective linear programming. Selecting an individual forecast based upon a single objective may not make the best use of available information for a variety of reasons. Combined forecasts may provide a better fit with respect to a single objective than any individual forecast. Even if an individual forecast does provide a good fit with respect to a single objective, a combined forecast may provide a better fit with respect to multiple objectives. An example is used to illustrate the expanded decision support system, its outputs and their properties.     

Antidromic inhibition of presumed fusimotor neurones by repetitive stimulation of the ventral root in the decerebrate cat

Résumé On a enregistré des décharges de 17 fibres fusimotrices dont on suppose l'existence dans les filaments de racines ventrales des chats décérébrés. 8 fibres ont été inhibées par stimulation répétée de la portion centrale isolée du reste de la racine ventrale. Ces résultats montrent qu'il existe une inhibition antidromique dans les neurones fusimoteurs.     

Wet periods in northeastern Brazil over the past 210 kyr linked to distant climate anomalies

The tropics are the main source of the atmosphere's sensible and latent heat, and water vapour, and are therefore important for reconstructions of past climate. But long, accurately dated records of southern tropical palaeoclimate, which would allow the establishment of climatic connections to distant regions, have not been available. Here we present a 210,000-year (210-kyr) record of wet periods in tropical northeastern Brazil--a region that is currently semi-arid. The record is obtained from speleothems and travertine deposits that are accurately dated using the U/Th method. We find wet periods that are synchronous with periods of weak East Asian summer monsoons, cold periods in Greenland, Heinrich events in the North Atlantic and periods of decreased river runoff to the Cariaco basin. We infer that the wet periods may be explained with a southward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. This widespread synchroneity of climate anomalies suggests a relatively rapid global reorganization of the ocean-atmosphere system. We conclude that the wet periods probably affected rainforest distribution, as plant fossils show that forest expansion occurred during these intermittent wet intervals, and opened a forest corridor between the Amazonian and Atlantic rainforests.