Engineered-membranes: a novel concept for clustering of native lipid bilayers.

A strategy for clustering of native lipid membranes is presented. It relies on the formation of complexes between hydrophobic chelators embedded within the lipid bilayer and metal cations in the aqueous phase, capable of binding two (or more) chelators simultaneously Fig. 1.

Superhydrophobicity of lotus leaves versus birds wings: different physical mechanisms leading to similar phenomena.

Remarkable water repellency of birds' feathers and lotus leaves is discussed. It is demonstrated that physical mechanisms of superhydrophobicity of birds' feathers and lotus leaves are very different. The topography of lotus leaves is a truly hierarchical one, whereas birds' feathers manifest pseudohierarchical relief, where various scales do not interact.

Remission of positive symptoms according to the "remission in Schizophrenia Working Group" criteria: a longitudinal study of cognitive functioning.

Schizophrenia patients in positive symptomatic remission (PSR; n=39) were assessed using a longitudinal research design. The patients were found to exhibit widespread cognitive impairments that were stable over the three-year follow-up period. The findings support a generalized and stable cognitive impairment profile among schizophrenia patients in partial symptomatic remission.

Differential responses to distinct psychotropic agents of selectively bred dominant and submissive animals.

Dominance and submissiveness are two opposite poles of behavior representing important functional elements in the development of social interactions. We previously demonstrated the inheritability of these traits by selective breeding based upon the dominant-submissive relationships (DSR) food competition paradigm. Continued multigenerational behavioral selection of Sabra mice yielded animal populations with strong and stable features of dominance and submissiveness.

Cytolytic peptide fragments of Cyt1Aa from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis.

Cyt1Aa is the major and most active component of the parasporal crystal of the Gram-positive soil entomopathogenic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. The Cyt1Aa protoxin exhibits some hemolytic and cytolytic activity.

Formation of liquid marbles and wetting transitions.

The formation of liquid marbles was studied in the situation where hydrophobic particles coating the marbles "come from air". Droplets of water/ethanol solutions of various concentrations were coated with three kinds of powders: polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride and polyethylene. We established that there exists a critical concentration of ethanol, and correspondingly a critical surface tension of the water/ethanol solution allowing formation of liquid marbles.

Family cohesion and posttraumatic intrusion and avoidance among war veterans: a 20-year longitudinal study.

Background: The bi-directional relationships between combat-induced posttraumatic symptoms and family relations are yet to be understood. The present study assesses the longitudinal interrelationship of posttraumatic intrusion and avoidance and family cohesion among 208 Israeli combat veterans from the 1982 Lebanon War.

Methods: Two groups of veterans were assessed with self-report questionnaires 1, 3 and 20 years after the war: a combat stress reaction (CSR) group and a matched non-CSR control group.

Plasma treatment allows water suspending of the natural hydrophobic powder (lycopodium).

Lycopodium particles which are spores of the plant Lycopodium clavatum were exposed to cold oxygen and nitrogen plasma irradiation. Wetting properties of the particles changed dramatically from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. Plasma treatment allowed obtaining stable water suspensions of lycopodium.

Multiple spatial mappings in numerical cognition.

A recent cross-cultural comparison (Shaki, Fischer, & Petrusic, 2009) suggested that spatially consistent processing habits for words and numbers are a necessary condition for the spatial representation of numbers (Spatial-Numerical Association of Response Codes; SNARC effect). Here we reexamine the SNARC in Israelis who read text from right to left but numbers from left to right. We show that, despite these spatially inconsistent processing habits, a SNARC effect still emerges when the response dimension is spatially orthogonal to the conflicting processing dimension.

Does psychological adjustment of melanoma survivors differs between genders?

Objective: Survival rates of cancer have significantly increased. However, cancer survivors face physical, psychological and social difficulties, while adjusting to post-illness status. We examined between-gender differences in the psychological adjustment (mental well-being, distress and subjective level of functioning), the putative origin of those differences, and the roles of cognitive appraisal, hardiness and attachment style in the psychological adjustment of melanoma survivors.

Direction counts: a comparative study of spatially directional counting biases in cultures with different reading directions.

Western adults associate small numbers with left space and large numbers with right space. Where does this pervasive spatial-numerical association come from? In this study, we first recorded directional counting preferences in adults with different reading experiences (left to right, right to left, mixed, and illiterate) and observed a clear relationship between reading and counting directions. We then recorded directional counting preferences in preschoolers and elementary school children from three of these reading cultures (left to right, right to left, and mixed).

The relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and paternal parenting of adult children among ex-prisoners of war: a longitudinal study.

The aversive impact of combat and combat-induced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on parenting of young children has been examined in a few studies. Nevertheless, the toll of war captivity on parenting and the long-term relations between posttraumatic symptoms and paternal parenting of adult children remains unknown. This longitudinal study examined paternal parenting of adult children among war veterans, some of whom were held in captivity.

SNARC effects with numerical and non-numerical symbolic comparative judgments: instructional and cultural dependencies.

With English-language readers in an experiment requiring pairwise comparative judgments of the sizes of animals, the nature of the association between the magnitudes of the animal pairs and the left or right sides of response (i.e., the SNARC effect) was reversed depending on whether the participants had to choose either the smaller or the larger member of the pair.

Protective effects of incensole acetate on cerebral ischemic injury.

The resin of Boswellia species is a major anti-inflammatory agent that has been used for centuries to treat various conditions including injuries and inflammatory conditions. Incensole acetate (IA), a major constituent of this resin, has been shown to inhibit NF-κB activation and concomitant inflammation, as well as the neurological deficit following head trauma. Here, we show that IA protects against ischemic neuronal damage and reperfusion injury in mice, attenuating the inflammatory nature of ischemic damage.

Job stress and coping: self-employed versus organizationally employed professionals.

In order to examine job stress and coping among self-employed and organizationally employed professionals, job-related stressors and coping strategies were assessed among self-employed (n = 149) and organizationally employed (n = 159) professionals working as accountants, lawyers, pharmacists and psychologists. Results indicate that although self-employed workers complained about lack of security and organizationally employed workers complained about lack of autonomy, no differences were found in overall stress levels or overload. Examination of workers' coping strategies provided a partial explanation for these findings.

Dynamics alignment: comparison of protein dynamics in the SCOP database.

A novel methodology for comparison of protein dynamics is presented. Protein dynamics is calculated using the Gaussian network model and the modes of motion are globally aligned using the dynamic programming algorithm of Needleman and Wunsch, commonly used for sequence alignment. The alignment is fast and can be used to analyze large sets of proteins.

Attachment styles, coping strategies, and romantic feelings among battered women in shelters.

The aim of the study was to examine coping strategies, attachment styles, and romantic feelings among a sample of battered women (BWS) in shelters in Israel compared with a sample of women recruited from the community (CS; defined as nonbattered women). Results indicate that BWS were significantly more anxious and avoidant than CS and their romantic feelings for their partners were lower. However, contrary to prediction, BWS used more problem-focused than emotion-focused coping.

The coping experience of parents of a child with retinoblastoma-malignant eye cancer.

The authors explored 12 couples' coping with their children's diagnosis and treatment of retinoblastoma using a semistructured interview, with qualitative, descriptive, narrative-interpretative analysis. Findings showed that the parents' experienced increased distress with the physician's first suspicion that something was seriously wrong. Distress was ameliorated when they arrived at a specialty treatment center but increased as they tackled treatment decisions.

Transgenerational effects of trauma in midlife: Evidence for resilience and vulnerability in offspring of Holocaust survivors.

Despite abundant research on offspring of Holocaust survivors (OHS), it is relatively unknown how they function in middle age. Transgenerational effects of the Holocaust may be stronger among middle-aged OHS as they previously suffered from early inclement natal and postnatal environment and now face age-related decline. However, middle-aged OHS may successfully maintain the resilience they demonstrated at a younger age.

Factors affecting participation in group intervention in patients after adjuvant treatment for early-study breast cancer.

Background And Purpose: According to studies of patients with cancer, support groups can help in three areas: 1) improve mood; 2) introduce new, adaptive ways of handling potentially difficult situations; and 3) impart strategies for managing stress. Nevertheless, the decrease in the quality of life of cancer patients or survivors does not always translate into their utilization of available psychosocial services. The aim of the current study was to explore the factors affecting the decision of patients with breast cancer to participate in group intervention based on an enhancing-resilience approach.

Wetting transitions and depinning of the triple line.

Physical mechanisms of Cassie-Wenzel wetting transitions are discussed. The origin of the potential barrier separating the Cassie and Wenzel wetting states is clarified. It may contain contributions originating from the filling of hydrophobic pores and displacement of the triple line along the smooth portions of the relief.

Maintenance of redox state and pancreatic beta-cell function: role of leptin and adiponectin.

Whereas oxidative stress is linked to cellular damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are also believed to be involved in the propagation of signaling pathways. Studies on the role of ROS in pancreatic beta-cell physiology, in contrast to pathophysiology, have not yet been reported. In this study we investigate the importance of maintaining cellular redox state on pancreatic beta-cell function and viability, and the effects of leptin and adiponectin on this balance.

Plasma treatment induced wetting transitions on biological tissue (pigeon feathers).

We report first the wetting transition from superhydrophobicity to superhydrophilicity observed on nitrogen and air plasma irradiated biological tissue (pigeon feathers). Non-irradiated feathers demonstrate pronounced Cassie-Baxter ("fakir") wetting characterized by high apparent contact angles and low sliding angles. Plasma-irradiated feathers are superhydrophilic.

Four-electron oxygen reduction by brominated cobalt corrole.

The carbon-supported cobalt(III) complex of β-pyrrole-brominated 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole [Co(tpfc)Br(8)/C] is introduced as a nonplatinum alternative for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction in aqueous solutions. Through systematic work, the basic kinetic parameters of this reaction were studied, using rotating ring disk electrode electrochemical methods in the pH range of 0-11. Pronounced catalytic activity was detected in acid solutions along with shifts of the Co(II)/Co(III) and O(2) redox couples to more positive values (onset of 0.