Probing the Limits of Supramolecular G-Quadruplexes Using Atomistic Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Guanosine and related derivatives self-assemble in the presence of cations like potassium into supramolecular G-quadruplexes (SGQs), where four guanine moieties form planar tetrads (T) that coaxially stack into columnar aggregates with broad size distributions. However, SGQs made from 8-aryl-2'-deoxyguanosine derivatives (8ArGs), form mostly octamers, or two-tetrad (T)-SGQs, while some form dodecamers (T-SGQs), or hexadecamers (T-SGQs), and none reported to date form higher assemblies. A theoretical model that addresses the configurational space available for the multiple pathways available for 8ArGs to self-assemble into SGQs is used to frame a series of molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) with selected SGQs.

Effects of visitor numbers on captive European red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) and impacts on visitor experience.

Visitors to zoological collections can have substantial effects on captive animals that vary according to species, enclosure design, visitor proximity, and husbandry methods. One particularly intense form of visitor interaction occurs in immersive exhibits such as walk-through enclosures. Such enclosures are increasingly common but effects on animal behavior are currently understudied.

Microwave Spectra, Structure, and Ring-Puckering Vibration of Octafluorocyclopentene.

The rotational spectra of octafluorocyclopentene (CF) has been measured for the first time using pulsed jet Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy in a frequency range of 6 to 16 GHz. As in the molecule cyclopentene, the carbon ring is nonplanar, and inversion through the plane results in an inversion pair of ground state vibrational energy levels with an inversion splitting of 18.4 MHz.

Profuse evolutionary diversification and speciation on volcanic islands: transposon instability and amplification bursts explain the genetic paradox.

Background: Species-rich adaptive radiations arising from rare plant and animal colonizers are common on remote volcanic archipelagoes. However, they present a paradox. The severe genetic bottleneck of founder events and effects of inbreeding depression, coupled with the inherently stressful volcanic environment, would seem to predict reduced evolutionary potential and increased risk of extinction, rather than rapid adaptive divergence and speciation.

A Study of 2-Iodobutane by Rotational Spectroscopy.

Rotational transitions belonging to 2-iodobutane (sec-butyl-iodide, CH3CHICH2CH3) were measured over the frequency range 5.5-16.5 GHz via jet-pulsed Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy.

A Study of the Monohydrate and Dihydrate Complexes of Perfluoropropionic Acid Using Chirped-Pulse Fourier Transform Microwave (CP-FTMW) Spectroscopy.

This work reports the first known spectroscopic observation of the monohydrate and dihydrate complexes of perfluoropropionic acid (PFPA). The spectra have been observed using a chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometer in the 7750 to 14,250 MHz region. The structures of the species have been confirmed with the aid of ab initio quantum chemical calculations.

Can Handheld Thermal Imaging Technology Improve Detection of Poachers in African Bushveldt?

Illegal hunting (poaching) is a global threat to wildlife. Anti-poaching initiatives are making increasing use of technology, such as infrared thermography (IRT), to support traditional foot and vehicle patrols. To date, the effectiveness of IRT for poacher location has not been tested under field conditions, where thermal signatures are often complex.

Using Long-Term Volunteer Records to Examine Dormouse (Muscardinusavellanarius) Nestbox Selection.

Within ecology, there are unanswered questions about species-habitat interactions, which could potentially be resolved by a pragmatic analysis of a long-term volunteer-collected dataset. Here, we analysed 18 years of volunteer-collected data from a UK dormouse nestbox monitoring programme to determine the influence of habitat variables on nestbox choice by common dormice (Muscardinusavellanarius). We measured a range of habitat variables in a coppiced woodland in Gloucestershire, UK, and analysed these in relation to dormouse nestbox occupancy records (by dormice, other small mammals, and birds) collected by volunteers.

Physical activity and mental health in a student population.

Background: A growing body of literature indicates that physical activity can have beneficial effects on mental health. However, previous research has mainly focussed on clinical populations, and little is known about the psychological effects of physical activity in those without clinically defined disorders.

Aims: The present study investigates the association between physical activity and mental health in an undergraduate university population based in the United Kingdom.

Male-specific cuticular compounds of the six Drosophila paulistorum semispecies: structural identification and mating effect.

We have identified cuticular pheromones that sustain the integrity of the six Drosophila paulistorum semispecies. Hexane extracts of male and female cuticles were separated on a silica gel column and analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Both sexes of each of the six semispecies have the same fifteen major cuticular components, all hydrocarbons ranging from C31 to C37.

Affective scripts: a systematic case study of change in psychotherapy.

This article presents a systematic case study of maladaptive interpersonal schemas. These schemas are conceived of as affective scripts, or sequences of behaviors that regulate emotion in interpersonal relationships. Part I presents a test of the method for identifying affective scripts.

A music-based HIV prevention intervention for urban adolescents.

Objective: This research examines the process of conducting and evaluating a music-based HIV prevention intervention among urban adolescents, and is informed by the information, motivation, behavioral skills (IMB) model.

Design: Musically talented opinion leaders were recruited to write, record, and distribute HIV prevention themed music to their peers to increase HIV prevention motivation, behavioral skills, and behaviors. In this 3-month field experiment, participants were 306 students enrolled in health classes at each of three large multiracial urban high schools (one treatment school; two control schools).

Attention and executive function in people with schizophrenia: Relationship with social skills and quality of life.

Objective. Executive function and attention are highly complex cognitive constructs that typically reveal evidence of impairment in people with schizophrenia. Studies in this area have traditionally utilised abstract tests of cognitive function and the importance of using more ecologically valid tests has not been extensively recognised.

Cognitive function and social abilities in patients with schizophrenia: relationship with atypical antipsychotics.

Although atypical antipsychotics have been associated with improvements in cognitive function in schizophrenia, the neurochemical basis for such effects is not well understood. Candidate neurotransmitter systems primarily involve dopamine and serotonin. The current study explored this issue by examining the cognitive abilities, social function and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia who were medicated with atypical antipsychotics.

Abuse of dextromethorphan-based cough syrup as a substitute for licit and illicit drugs: a theoretical framework.

Drug abuse has been a national social problem in the United States for decades and is often complicated by the emergence of new types of abused drugs or new forms of abuse. The forms of abuse, particularly by young persons, include the search for substitutes for better-known substances. It is unclear, however, what factors determine the choice of drug or substance for experimentation, considering the wide range of choices.

Laboratory aggression research and real-life aggression.

Research on Toch's 10 categories of aggressive personalities is documented. Active research on strategies which will reduce the aggressors' violence is needed.