Effects of vitamin B12 on plasma melatonin rhythm in humans: increased light sensitivity phase-advances the circadian clock?

Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) was administered orally (3 mg/day) to 9 healthy subjects for 4 weeks. Nocturnal melatonin levels after exposure to bright light (ca. 2500 lx) were determined, as well as the levels of plasma melatonin over 24 h. The timing of sleep was also recorded. Vitamin B12 was given blind to the subjects and crossed over with placebo. We found that the 24-h melatonin rhythm was significantly phase-advanced (1.1 h) in the vitamin B12 trial as compared with that in the placebo trial. In addition, the 24-h mean of plasma melatonin level was much lower in the vitamin B12 trial than with the placebo. Furthermore, the nocturnal melatonin levels during bright light exposure were significantly lower in the vitamin B12 trial than with the placebo. On the other hand, vitamin B12 did not affect the timing of sleep. These findings raise the possibility that vitamin B12 phase-advances the human circadian rhythm by increasing the light sensitivity of the circadian clock.     

The harmonic decomposition reconstruction for the exponential radon transform

The exponential Radon transform, a generalization of the Radon transform, is defined and studied as a mapping of function spaces. It is represented in terms of Fourier transform of its domain and range, and this leads to the harmonic decomposition reconstruction. The results are similar results of Tretiak and Metz. Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 19971064), Key Project of Science and Technology of Hubei Province Education Committee. Biography: Wang Jin-ping (1963-), male, Ph.D. candidate, research direction: numberical solution of singular integral equation and integral transformation etc.     

Resource Search in Unstructured Peer-to-Peer System Based on Multiple-Tree Overlay Structure

We propose a multiple-tree overlay structure for resource discovery in unstructured P2P systems. Peers that have similar interests or hold similar type of resources will be grouped into a tree-like cluster. We exploit the heterogeneity of peers in each cluster by connecting peers with more capacities closer to the root of the tree. The capacity of a peer can be defined in different ways （e.g. higher network bandwidth, larger disk space, more data items of a certain type etc.） according to different needs of users or applications.     

On the verge of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Umdeutung</Emphasis> in Minnesota: Van Vleck and the correspondence principle. Part one

In October 1924, The Physical Review, a relatively minor journal at the time, published a remarkable two-part paper by John H. Van Vleck, working in virtual isolation at the University of Minnesota. Using Bohr’s correspondence principle and Einstein’s quantum theory of radiation along with advanced techniques from classical mechanics, Van Vleck showed that quantum formulae for emission, absorption, and dispersion of radiation merge with their classical counterparts in the limit of high quantum numbers. For modern readers Van Vleck’s paper is much easier to follow than the famous paper by Kramers and Heisenberg on dispersion theory, which covers similar terrain and is widely credited to have led directly to Heisenberg’s Umdeutung paper. This makes Van Vleck’s paper extremely valuable for the reconstruction of the genesis of matrix mechanics. It also makes it tempting to ask why Van Vleck did not take the next step and develop matrix mechanics himself. This paper was written as part of a joint project in the history of quantum physics of the Max Planck Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte and the Fritz-Haber-Institut in Berlin.     

The Response of Debris-Flow Events to Solar Proton Flares （Ⅰ）

By analyzing the observation data from Dongchuan Debris Flow Observation and Research Station and historical data from year 1965 to 1990 gotten from National Astronomical Ob-servatories/Yunnan Observatory,the responding of debris flow in Jiangjia Ravine to Solar Proton Flare is studied. The following conclusion can be drawn. Solar Proton Flare,as one of most im-portant astronomical factors,affects the activity of debris flow in Yunnan. Generally,from 1965 to1990,the more active Solar Pro-ton Flare is,the greater the probability of high frequency and large runoff of debris flow is. On the contrary,the less active Solar Pro-ton Flare is,the greater the probability of low frequency,small runoff,and low sediment transport of debris flow is.     

Nanostructured Functional Thermoplastic Polymeric Materials Based on the Molecular Control of the Blending

1 Results The development of the concepts of nanotechnology has given an important impact on the design of new polymer based materials which are in most cases characterized by a multiphase morphology. When at least one phase has nanometric dimension(s) the system can be considered as a nanocomposite where the interface is not only determining for the adhesion but also may play a role in some bulk properties. Indeed in nanostructured multiphase solids the interface is significant as a bulk component. The...     

The Three-component One-pot Synthesis of 4,6-Diarylpyrimidin-2(1h)-ones and 9-Phenyl-8-oxa-10,12-diaza-tricyclo[7.3.1.0~(2,7)]trideca-2(7),3,5-trien-11-one

1 Results Pyrimidinones (PMs) are a class of important heterocycles which have been well documented throughout the literature due to their biological importance. They exhibit a wide range of pharmaceutical and therapeutic properties[1].A rapid and efficient one-pot method for the synthesis of 4,6-diarylpyrimidin-2(1H)- ones and related heterocycles is described.The condensation of acetophenone derivatives,aldehydes and urea in the presence of sulfamic acid was employed to synthesize a variety of pyrimid...     

Notizie preliminari sull'azione fitodinamica dell'acido difenililacetico sulla pianta del tabacco

Summary The application of diphenylilacetic acid has shown favorable effects on the growth of tobacco plants. Solutions containing 10 p.p.m. and 20 p.p.m. produce, in weight, an almost double growth in treated plants in comparison with the controls. Diphenylilacetic acid can be considered as a growth-promoting substance. The data are not definite.     

Heterostructure in ZnO Nano-Tetrapods

1 Introduction 　　Nanoscale science and technology have attracted greatattention since the novel properties become dominant for well-known materials as their sizes reduced to some critical dimension. These properties frequently originate in lattice distortions, structure transformations etc[1]. The variations of size and structure ofnanocrystals lead to the change of their electronic structures. Very recently, nanoscale materials with different electronic structures were utilized in fabricating nanoscale junctions[2]. 　　……