N400, the reference electrode, and the semantic activation in prime-task experiments: a reply to Dombrowski and Heil (2006).

In two recent papers, Heil et al. [Heil, M., Rolke, B.

The fate of photosynthetically-fixed carbon in Lolium perenne grassland as modified by elevated CO2 and sward management.

Prediction of the impact of climate change requires the response of carbon (C) flow in plant-soil systems to increased CO(2) to be understood. A mechanism by which grassland C sequestration might be altered was investigated by pulse-labelling Lolium perenne swards, which had been subject to CO(2) enrichment and two levels of nitrogen (N) fertilization for 10 yr, with (14)CO(2). Over a 6-d period 40-80% of the (14)C pulse was exported from mature leaves, 1-2% remained in roots, 2-7% was lost as below-ground respiration, 0.

The orientationally controlled assembly of genetically modified enzymes in an amperometric biosensor.

A novel, nitroreductase (NTR) containing a sequence of six cysteine amino acids, enabling strong thiolate bonds to form on a gold electrode surface without the loss of enzyme activity, was genetically engineered. The enzyme was directly immobilised at a gold electrode without the need for pre-treatment of the surface with a self-assembled monolayer or a conducting polymer. The ensemble was used to develop an amperometric biosensor for the detection of explosives containing nitroaromatic compounds.

Testing the effectiveness of an educational intervention aimed at changing attitudes to self-harm.

Nurses' attitudes toward service users who repeatedly self-harm can be negative and may interfere with the user's willingness to engage with services. The effectiveness of an educational intervention aimed at improving nurses' attitudes in this area was tested in this study. The intervention consisted of attendance on an accredited course on self-harm over a period of 15 weeks and the outcome of interest was attitudes as measured by the Self Harm Antipathy Scale.

Host-symbiont interactions of the primary endosymbiont of human head and body lice.

The first mycetome was discovered more than 340 yr ago in the human louse. Despite the remarkable biology and medical and social importance of human lice, its primary endosymbiont has eluded identification and characterization. Here, we report the host-symbiont interaction of the mycetomic bacterium of the head louse Pediculus humanus capitis and the body louse P.

Social network theory in the behavioural sciences: potential applications.

Social network theory has made major contributions to our understanding of human social organisation but has found relatively little application in the field of animal behaviour. In this review, we identify several broad research areas where the networks approach could greatly enhance our understanding of social patterns and processes in animals. The network theory provides a quantitative framework that can be used to characterise social structure both at the level of the individual and the population.

The perils of public transport.

Section 33 of The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 makes it an offence for a person in England and Wales who is suffering from a notifiable disease, e.g. cholera, to use any bus, tram or train; or use a taxi without notifying the driver or owner of the vehicle, or their carer to allow them to do so.

Paradoxical polyembryony? Embryonic cloning in an ancient order of marine bryozoans.

Prolific polyembryony is reported in few major taxa, but its occurrence has generated theoretical debate on potential conflict between sexual and asexual reproduction. It is, therefore, important to genetically confirm a widely cited inference, based on microscopy, that polyembryony characterizes marine bryozoans of the order Cyclostomata. Microsatellite genotyping of brooded embryos and maternal colonies conclusively demonstrated polyembryony, while genetic variation among broods within colonies indicated outcrossing via water-borne sperm, in the rocky-shore species Crisia denticulata.

Source allocation by least-squares hydrocarbon fingerprint matching.

There has been much controversy regarding the origins of the natural polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and chemical biomarker background in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska, site of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Different authors have attributed the sources to various proportions of coal, natural seep oil, shales, and stream sediments. The different probable bioavailabilities of hydrocarbons from these various sources can affect environmental damage assessments from the spill.

The effect of gibberellic acid on the response of leaf extension to low temperature.

The effect of cooling on leaf extension rate (LER) and on relative elemental growth rate (REGR) was measured in both gibberellic acid (GA)-responsive dwarf barley and in the same barley variety treated with GA. Seedlings were maintained at 20 degrees C while their leaf extension zone (LEZ) temperature was reduced either in steps to -6 degrees C in short-term cooling experiments, or to 10 degrees C for 48 h in long-term cooling experiments. Short-term cooling resulted in a biphasic response in LER, with a clear inflection point identified.

Extensin over-expression in Arabidopsis limits pathogen invasiveness.

SUMMARY The function of the cell wall protein extensin has been the subject of much speculation since it was first isolated over 40 years ago. In order to investigate the role of extensins in plant defence, we used the gain-of-function strategy to generate transgenic Arabidopsis plants over-expressing the EXT1 extensin gene. These were infected with the virulent bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae DC3000 and symptom development was monitored.

Homologous chromosome pairing in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Homologous chromosome pairing is a central feature of meiosis I, contributing to the correct segregation of chromosomes during meiosis. The fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, has been widely used to study meiotic chromosome dynamics, partly because studies in this yeast are simplified due to the lack of post-pairing synaptic structures. Chromosome pairing in Sz.

GFR estimation using cystatin C is not independent of body composition.

Background: Cystatin C (CysC) is an endogenous marker of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) that is claimed to be unaffected by body composition. In this study, we tested this speculation.

Methods: In 77 patients with chronic kidney disease (mean age, 65.

Dielectric studies of water clusters in cyclodextrins: Relevance to the transition between slow and fast forms of thrombin.

Cyclodextrins are useful models in the study of hydrogen bonded water clusters. In alpha-cyclodextrin hexahydrate (alpha-CD.6H2O), water molecules are ordered and occupy well-defined positions whereas in the larger beta-cyclodextrin dodecahydrate (beta-CD.

Comparative proteomic analysis reveals differential expression of Hsp25 following the directed differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells.

Murine embryonic stem (ES) cells can be committed to neural differentiation with high efficiency in culture through the use of feeder- and serum-free media. This system is proving to be an excellent model to study processes involved in ES cell commitment to neural cell fate. We used this approach to generate neurogenic embryoid bodies (NEBs) in a serum-free culture system to perform proteomic analysis of soluble fractions and identify early changes in protein expression as ES cells differentiate.

Facilitation and practice in verb acquisition.

This paper presents a model of syntax acquisition, whose main points are as follows: Syntax is acquired in an item-based manner; early learning facilitates subsequent learning--as evidenced by the accelerating rate of new verbs entering a given structure; and mastery of syntactic knowledge is typically achieved through practice--as evidenced by intensive use and common word order errors--and this slows down learning during the early stages of acquiring a structure. The facilitation and practice hypotheses were tested on naturalistic production samples of six Hebrew-acquiring children ranging from ages 1;1 to 2;7 (average ages 1;6 to 2;4 months). Results show that most structures did in fact accelerate; the notion of 'practice' is supported by the inverse correlation found between number of verbs and number of errors in the earliest productions in a given structure; and the absence of acceleration in a minority of the structures is due to the fact that they involve relatively less practice.

Rickettsia as obligate and mycetomic bacteria.

Rickettsiae are well known as intracellular pathogens of animals, humans, and plants and facultative and unorganized symbionts of invertebrates. No close relative of mitochondria has yet been associated with nutritional or developmental dependency of its host cell or organism. We have found a mycetomic Rickettsia that is a strict obligatory symbiont of the parthenogenetic booklouse Liposcelis bostrychophila (Psocoptera).

Longitudinal relationships between sibling behavioral adjustment and behavior problems of children with developmental disabilities.

Siblings of children with developmental disabilities were assessed twice, 2 years apart (N = 75 at Time 1, N = 56 at Time 2). Behavioral adjustment of the siblings and their brother or sister with developmental disability was assessed. Comparisons of adjustment for siblings of children with autism, Down syndrome, and mixed etiology mental retardation failed to identify group differences.

Bioelectrical impedance can be used to predict muscle mass and hence improve estimation of glomerular filtration rate in non-diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: In this article (the second of two companion studies), we report whether bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) can be used to predict muscle mass in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and whether using this predicted muscle mass can improve the estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Methods: Seventy five non-diabetic patients with CKD (mean age +/- SD, 65.1 +/- 12.

Traumatic brain injury and substance misuse: a systematic review of prevalence and outcomes research (1994-2004).

A systematic review of the evidence on substance misuse prevalence in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and outcomes associated with this population is presented. Building upon an earlier review of the area by Corigan (1995), this review is limited to research published between 1994 and 2004. Psycinfo and Medline abstract databases were searched for English-language publications citing research from Western countries on the epidemiology and outcomes of adult TBI patients (aged 15 years or older).

Encouraging fruit consumption in primary schoolchildren: a pilot study in North Wales, UK.

Objective: To explore the feasibility and cost of promoting fruit consumption among primary schoolchildren across Anglesey, a region in North Wales, UK.

Design, Setting And Subjects: A postal survey of the head teachers of all 51 primary schools across Anglesey to ascertain their attitudes to promoting fruit consumption and current initiatives in place was conducted. This was followed by a 1-week pilot study in a single primary school to assess parents' support and willingness to bear or share costs, to determine children's fruit preferences, and to calculate fruit waste.

Conservation benefits of temperate marine protected areas: variation among fish species.

Marine protected areas, and other fishery management systems that impart partial or total protection from fishing, are increasingly advocated as an essential management tool to ensure the sustainable use of marine resources. Beneficial effects for fish species are well documented for tropical and reef systems, but the effects of marine protected areas remain largely untested in temperate waters. We compared trends in sport-fishing catches of nine fish species in an area influenced by a large (500-km2) towed-fishing-gear restriction zone and in adjacent areas under conventional fishery management controls.

Illness representations in early-stage dementia: a preliminary investigation.

Background: The self-regulation model of adjustment to illness suggests that individual differences in coping and responding are related to the illness representations people hold. The present study explored the feasibility of applying this concept with people with early-stage dementia.

Method: Understanding of the illness was explored in semi-structured interviews with 22 people who had a diagnosis of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease or mixed dementia, and a measure of mood was administered.

Spatial negative priming in early Alzheimer's disease: evidence for reduced cognitive inhibition.

Some studies of negative priming and other tasks assumed to reflect inhibitory functions suggest a decline in inhibitory processes in Alzheimer's disease. However, none of the measures used in previous studies can be interpreted as an unambiguous reflection of distractor inhibition. The present study investigates whether reductions in negative priming associated with Alzheimer's disease reflect reduced distractor inhibition, rather than perceptual review processes.

The role of ecolabeling in fisheries management and conservation.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) regulates the ecolabeling of products from fisheries with the aim of promoting sustainable fishery practices. To date 11 fisheries have attained full certification and a further 7 are under review. Together these fisheries offer 220 ecolabeled marine products to consumers.