The dynamical mass of a classical Cepheid variable star in an eclipsing binary system

Stellar pulsation theory provides a means of determining the masses of pulsating classical Cepheid supergiants-it is the pulsation that causes their luminosity to vary. Such pulsational masses are found to be smaller than the masses derived from stellar evolution theory: this is the Cepheid mass discrepancy problem, for which a solution is missing. An independent, accurate dynamical mass determination for a classical Cepheid variable star (as opposed to type-II Cepheids, low-mass stars with a very different evolutionary history) in a binary system is needed in order to determine which is correct. The accuracy of previous efforts to establish a dynamical Cepheid mass from Galactic single-lined non-eclipsing binaries was typically about 15-30% (refs 6, 7), which is not good enough to resolve the mass discrepancy problem. In spite of many observational efforts, no firm detection of a classical Cepheid in an eclipsing double-lined binary has hitherto been reported. Here we report the discovery of a classical Cepheid in a well detached, double-lined eclipsing binary in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We determine the mass to a precision of 1% and show that it agrees with its pulsation mass, providing strong evidence that pulsation theory correctly and precisely predicts the masses of classical Cepheids.     

Luminescence research and its relation to ultraweak cell radiation

Summary The fundamental laws of photochemistry and the essential results of experimental research on ultraweak cell radiation are presented. By comparing all the facts it can be concluded that the phenomena discussed may arise from a variety of possible reactions and sources. Recombination reactions of certain radicals actually do release sufficient energy to generate UV-photons of the intensity under consideration. On the other hand, stimulated emission cannot be excluded in view of the distinct deviation of the radiation field from thermal equilibrium. There exist, however, various other candidates, such as direct emitters like flavins, indoles, porphyrins, carbonyl derivatives and aromatic compounds, and molecular oxygen and its various species, as well as collective molecular interactions, e.g. dimole or exciplex transitions, triplet-triplet annihilation, collective hydrolysis, electric field effects in membranes, etc.Careful biochemical and biophysical experiments are still necessary to find answers to all the questions that remain; not only individual problems have to be solved, but it is important to keep in mind the interrelationships between certain reactions.     

A pyruvate kinase variant in different mouse transplanted tumors

Mouse transplanted tumors, in contrast to normal tissues, contain a pyruvate kinase (PK) variant sensitive to the inhibitory action of L-cysteine and less sensitive to saturated fatty acids than the normal enzyme. In selected normal and tumor materials two fractions of PK were separated. Fraction A (20-30% (NH4)2SO4 saturation) dominated in normal liver, and fraction B (50-60% (NH4)2SO4 saturation) in skeletal muscles and Ehrlich ascites tumor. Only this fraction B from tumor material was sensitive to L-cysteine, and seems to contain a tumor-specific PK variant which might be considered as a marker of neoplastic transformation in a broad spectrum of mouse experimental tumors.     

Renal regeneration in chloroform-poisoned male mice of strain C3H/He treated with di-sodium versenate

Résumé L'intoxication au chloroforme des souris mâles de la souche C3H/He entraîne la mort due à la nécrose et à la calcification tabulaire rénale. Le traitment par le versenate de sodium prévient la calcification ce qui rend possible la régénération des tubes contournés renaux.     

Granules of langerhans cells in the thymus contain gold

Summary The granules of Langerhans cells in the thymus of the rat were subjected to X-ray microanalysis. It was established that gold is present in these morphological structures.     

Purine nucleotide cycle as a possible anaplerotic process in rat skeletal muscle

Summary The intermediates of the purine nucleotide cycle (PNC) stimulated pyruvate oxidation by isolated skeletal muscle mitochondria in a system containing mitochondria and cytosol from rat skeletal muscle. Thus, in skeletal muscle the PNC might be involved in the anaplerotic supply of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates.Acknowledgment. This work was supported by a grant from the Polish Academy of Science within the project MR II.1.2.4.     

Different methotrexate effects in cultured normal and leukaemic human leukocytes

Summary Evidence is presented that the use of 2 different culture media, with or without methionine, can help to distinguish between normal and leukaemic methotrexate (MTX)-sensitive cells derived from chronic myeloid leukaemia patients. During the blast crisis MTX assays may help directly in the diagnostics of lymphoid involvement.This work was supported by the Polish Academy of Sciences within the project 09.7.4.1.4.Acknowledgments. We are indebted to Prof. Zofia Zieliska, Dept. of Cell Biochemistry, M. Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAN for providing the 5-methyltetrahydrofolate and for advice in these studies.     

Cluster analysis of dyad distributions in networks

Existing statistical models for network data that are easy to estimate and fit are based on the assumption of dyad independence or conditional dyad independence if the individuals are categorized into subgroups. We discuss how such models might be overparameterized and argue that there is a need for subgrouping methods to find appropriate models. We propose clustering of dyad distributions as such a method and illustrate it by analyzing how cooperative learning methods affect friendship data for school children.Work for this report was initiated while Frank and Komaska visited the Department of Statistics at the University of California, Riverside. Partial support was provided by the Swedish Council for Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences.