An Introduction to the Special Volume on "Political Methodology"

This special volume of the Journal of Statistical Software on political methodology includes 14 papers, with wide-ranging software contributions of political scientists to their own field, and more generally to statistical data analysis in the the social sciences and beyond. Special emphasis is given to software that is written in or can cooperate with the R system for statistical computing.

Expression of catalytic antibody C3 esterase scFv in Escherichia coli

This thesis describes the construction of a vector for the expression of an antibody light chain variable region gene, (V1), from the monoclonal catalytic antibody C3 in Escherichia coli. The antibody C3 was developed by Khalaf, Suckling, Stimson et al (1992) at the University of Strathclyde, and catalysed the hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl 5-(3-methoxyphenyl)-pentanoate. The binding site of the C3 abzyme was cloned as an scFv by the University of Leicester into an expression vector pPANG1 developed at Leicester. The VH sequence in the C3scFv construct was found to be an aberrantly rearranged myeloma VH sequence, and not the genuine C3 VH sequence. Expression of the C3 scFv sequence from pPANG1 failed to produce any protein. The genuine C3 V1 sequence was cloned into a novel expression vector, pQR627, based on pBluescript II. The novel expression vector carried the C3V1 gene as a fusion to a antibody binding domain of Staphylococcus aureus protein A. The C3V1 gene was expressed in E.coli from vector pQR627. The results of the expression experiments with vector pQR627 indicated that the C3V1 gene product was cytotoxic to the host E.coli cells. This cytotoxicity was the probable cause of the low expression titre of the C3V1 gene product in pQR627 cultures. The SpA- C3V1 protein was probed for determination of its binding properties and its catalytic properties. The SpA- C3V1 failed to exhibit the binding properties of the parent monoclonal antibody C3, it did however exhibit a catalytic function. The SpA- C3V1 protein was found to have 5.9% of the specific activity of the whole C3 IgG as determined by Khalaf, Suckling, Stimson et al (1992)

Clustering and Micro-immiscibility in Alcohol-Water Mixtures: Evidence from Molecular Dynamics Simulations

We have investigated the hydrogen-bonded structures in liquid methanol and a 7:3 mole fraction aqueous solution using classical Molecular Dynamics simulations at 298K and ambient pressure. We find that, in contrast to recent predictions from X-ray emission studies, the hydrogen-bonded structure in liquid methanol is dominated by chain and small ring structures. In the methanol-rich solution, we find evidence of micro-immiscibility, supporting recent conclusions derived from neutron diffraction data.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Zinc modifies the effect of phyto-oestrogens on osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation<i>in vitro</i>

Osteoblast and osteoclast activity is disrupted in post-menopausal osteoporosis. Thus, to fully address this imbalance, therapies should reduce bone resorption and promote bone formation. Dietary factors such as phyto-oestrogens and Zn have beneficial effects on osteoblast and osteoclast activity. However, the effect of combinations of these factors has not been widely studied. We therefore examined the effect of coumestrol, daidzein and genistein in the presence or absence of zinc sulphate (Zn) on osteoclast and osteoblast activity. Osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption were significantly reduced by coumestrol (10− 7 m), daidzein (10− 5 m) and genistein (10− 7 m); and this direct anti-osteoclastic action was unaffected by Zn (10− 5 m). In addition, Zn augmented the inhibitory effect of phyto-oestrogens on the osteoblast-derived stimulus for osteoclast formation, significantly reducing the ratio of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-to-osteoprotegerin mRNA expression in human osteoblast. We then examined the effect of these compounds on osteoblast activity. Mineralisation was enhanced by coumestrol (10− 5to 10− 7 m), daidzein (10− 5to 10− 6 m) and genistein (10− 5 m); and Zn significantly augmented this response. Zn and phyto-oestrogens also significantly enhanced alkaline phosphatase activity and Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) mRNA expression. On the other hand, Zn blunted phyto-oestrogen-induced type I collagen and osteocalcin expression and suppressed coumestrol and daidzein-stimulated osterix expression. Zn may therefore modify the anabolic action of phyto-oestrogens, promoting characteristics associated with early rather than late stages of osteoblast differentiation. Our data suggest that while Zn enhances the anti-osteoclastic effect of phyto-oestrogens, it may limit aspects of their anabolic action on bone matrix formation.</jats:p

Making gains: the impact of outdoor residential experiences on students’ examination grades and self-efficacy

In this paper we explore the role of outdoor residential experiences on the sense of efficacy and examination attainment of a group of under achieving students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. The paper reports on a three year project which focuses on two groups of year nine (age 14) to year eleven (age 16) students. The results reported here strongly suggest that the impact of these visits has been significant in terms of students’ sense of confidence and efficacy and had a statistically significant impact on formal examination results in school. We conclude by suggesting that outdoor residential experiences have real educational value for those that take part and, given the evidence provided, believe this poses an interesting question as to whether the classroom should remain the primary site of learning because of the ways it develops positive outcomes within school

Can you trust what you hear? Concurrent misinformation affects recall memory and judgments of guilt.

n most misinformation studies, participants are exposed to a to-be-remembered event, and then subsequently given misinformation in textual form. This misinformation impacts on people’s ability to accurately report the initial event. In this paper, we present two experiments that explored a different approach to presenting misinformation. In the context of a murder suspect, the to-be-remembered event was audio of a police interview, whilst the misinformation was co-presented as subtitles with some words being different to, and more incriminating than, those that were actually said. We refer to this as concurrent misinformation. In Experiment 1, concurrent misinformation was inappropriately reported in a cued-recall test, and inflated participants’ ratings of how incriminating the audio was. Experiment 2 attempted to employ warnings to mitigate the influence of concurrent misinformation. Warnings after the to-be-remembered event had no effect, whilst warnings before the event reduced the effect of concurrent misinformation for a sub-set of participants. Participants that noticed the discrepancy between the audio and the sub-titles were also less likely to judge the audio as incriminating. These results were considered in relation to existing theories underlying the misinformation effect, as well as the implication for the use of audio and text in applied contexts

Humour styles as moderators and mediators of the relationship between peer-victimisation and internalising

Peer-victimisation is associated with numerous, negative psycho-social outcomes and meta-analyses indicate that internalising difficulties are particularly salient. Given the inherently social nature of humour, and previous work supporting the association of humour with wellbeing, we investigated whether specific humour styles mediated or moderated the relationship between peer-victimisation and depressive symptomatology. Peer-reports of physical, verbal, and indirect peer-victimisation were collected for 1,241 English adolescents aged 11-13 years old. Self-reports of humour style and depression were also collected. Analyses using Structural Equation Modeling revealed no moderation by humour was evident. Verbal victimisation had the largest association with depressive symptomatology and a positive association between verbal victimisation combined with large, positive association between self-defeating humour and depressive symptomatology provides evidence for an indirect pathways via self-defeating humour use. The implications of these results for our understanding of peer-victimisation, adjustment, and humour are considered

An Introduction to the Special Volume on

This special volume of the Journal of Statistical Software on political methodology includes 14 papers, with wide-ranging software contributions of political scientists to their own field, and more generally to statistical data analysis in the the social sciences and beyond. Special emphasis is given to software that is written in or can cooperate with the R system for statistical computing

An Introduction to the Special Volume on "Political Methodology"

This special volume of the Journal of Statistical Software on political methodology includes 14 papers, with wide-ranging software contributions of political scientists to their own field, and more generally to statistical data analysis in the the social sciences and beyond. Special emphasis is given to software that is written in or can cooperate with the R system for statistical computing