Word: cyclicism
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...concept of an infinitely expanding universe [Dec. 30] is hardly philosophically disturbing. To the contrary, a cyclic universe, mechanistically doomed forever to repeat itself in entropic stroke and counterstroke is disturbing in its implications of the worth of human existence...
...hormones. Militant women, who discount hormonal influence, disagree violently with scientific researchers, who almost unanimously agree that hormones help determine how people feel and act. So far, there have been few studies of male hormones, but scientists think they may eventually discover hormonal cycles in men that produce cyclic changes in mood and behavior. As for females, studies have indicated that 49% of female medical and surgical hospital admissions, most psychiatric hospital admissions and 62% of violent crimes among women prisoners occur on premenstrual and menstrual days. At Worcester State Hospital in Massachusetts, Psychologists Donald and Inge Broverman have found...
...breakdown of carbohydrates stored in the liver. He learned that adrenaline works by activating the enzyme phosphorylase. a chemical catalyst that triggers the release of energy-producing glucose. This explains how the body produces additional energy under stress. Then, in 1958, Sutherland isolated a previously unknown chemical called cyclic adenosine 3'5'-monophosphate, or cyclic AMP, that functions in an intermediary role in many hormonal processes...
...discovery was significant. The newly identified substance proved to be a missing link in a long series of biological control mechanisms. Tests showed that hormones do not act directly on their target organs. Instead, they trigger the production of cyclic AMP, which in turn regulates body functions, increasing the rate at which some take place, slowing down the rate of others. "I like to call it a second messenger," said Sutherland of AMP. Subsequent research showed that his description is apt. Studies have established, for example, that when adrenaline output is increased by fear or anxiety...
...dominant image is the circle. Catch-22 is as cyclic as the Soldier in White, a mummy-like form completely encased in bandages. At one end, a bottle feeds fluid into the region of some upper vein. At the other, a pipe conducts the fluid out of the kidney region and into another bottle. At a given signal, preoccupied nurses exchange the bottles, and the cycle begins anew...