The Effects of Descriptions of Personal Experiences on Students’ Learning and Behavioral Intentions Toward Peers with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Through a post-test only design, students’ knowledge and behavioral intentions toward their peers with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) were investigated. Students were shown a video that provided them with factual information about AD/HD. The experimental group viewed a video that contained descriptions of personal experiences (e.g., seductive information) in addition to factual information, while the control group received factual information only. Results show that adding descriptions of personal experiences to facts about AD/HD may be enough to enhance learning, but may not be enough to change behavioral intentions. On the knowledge scale, there is an interaction between the two knowledge-question categories (those addressed with facts only and facts with descriptions of personal experiences) and both experimental and control groups. This effect was such that the experimental group had a higher score on the knowledge-question category that addressed the descriptions of personal experiences than those addressed by facts only. Future researchers should focus on eliminating ceiling effects caused by inadequate measures and exploring the causal mechanisms behind the interaction

Populations of Lepomis auritus (redbreast sunfish) in a thermally influenced section of the James River, Virginia

From October 1971 - September 1973, electrofishing was used to collect 1004 specimens of Lepomis auritus (year classes 0 - V) from a thermally influenced section of the James River near Blemo Bluff, Virginia. Collections of fish from the natural and heated water temperature habitats were analyzed as to year classes, season, length and sex

O ataque do U 38 ao ancoradouro e à cidade do Funchal (1916) no quadro da guerra submarina alemã

The article analyses the U 38 attack on Funchal in the context of Germany's strategy to extend the submarine war to the entire Atlantic. At the time of the attack in December 1916, the emperor as commander-in-chief of the navy and the political leaders had postponed the unrestricted submarine war in order to prevent the entry of the USA into the armed conflict on the allied side. The naval command, however, wanted to permit all means of U-boat warfare assuring an effective trade blockade against the Allies. The case study analyses how and why the captain of U 38, Max Valentiner, followed this line, accepting the breach of international law of warfare

Geometrical correlations in the nucleosomal DNA conformation and the role of the covalent bonds rigidity

We develop a simple elastic model to study the conformation of DNA in the nucleosome core particle. In this model, the changes in the energy of the covalent bonds that connect the base pairs of each strand of the DNA double helix, as well as the lateral displacements and the rotation of adjacent base pairs are considered. We show that because of the rigidity of the covalent bonds in the sugar-phosphate backbones, the base pair parameters are highly correlated, especially, strong twist-roll-slide correlation in the conformation of the nucleosomal DNA is vividly observed in the calculated results. This simple model succeeds to account for the detailed features of the structure of the nucleosomal DNA, particularly, its more important base pair parameters, roll and slide, in good agreement with the experimental results

The actinobacterial transcription factor RbpA binds to the principal sigma subunit of RNA polymerase

RbpA is a small non-DNA-binding transcription factor that associates with RNA polymerase holoenzyme and stimulates transcription in actinobacteria, including Streptomyces coelicolor and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. RbpA seems to show specificity for the vegetative form of RNA polymerase as opposed to alternative forms of the enzyme. Here, we explain the basis of this specificity by showing that RbpA binds directly to the principal σ subunit in these organisms, but not to more diverged alternative σ factors. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that, although differing in their requirement for structural zinc, the RbpA orthologues from S. coelicolor and M. tuberculosis share a common structural core domain, with extensive, apparently disordered, N- and C-terminal regions. The RbpA-σ interaction is mediated by the C-terminal region of RbpA and σ domain 2, and S. coelicolor RbpA mutants that are defective in binding σ are unable to stimulate transcription in vitro and are inactive in vivo. Given that RbpA is essential in M. tuberculosis and critical for growth in S. coelicolor, these data support a model in which RbpA plays a key role in the σ cycle in actinobacteria

Public Library-Based Social Work Field Placements: Guidance for Public Libraries Planning to Become a Social Work Practicum Site

Public libraries are increasingly faced with patron psychosocial needs, including mental health problems, substance use, homelessness, or poverty-related needs. Since library staff are often not trained to address these needs, many are choosing to host on-site social work practicum students to provide information and referrals for patrons presenting with psychosocial needs. However, little existing guidance is available about initiating a social work practicum placement, which can leave libraries unprepared and often “reinventing the wheel”. This manuscript provides guidance on the steps that should be considered by libraries intending to host their first social work practicum student

Effect of heparin and heparan sulphate on open promoter complex formation for a simple tandem gene model using ex situ atomic force microscopy

The influence of heparin and heparan sulphate (HepS) on the appearance and analysis of open promoter complex (RPo) formation by E. coli RNA polymerase (RNAP) holoenzyme (σ70RNAP) on linear DNA using ex situ imaging by atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been investigated. Introducing heparin or HepS into the reaction mix significantly reduces non-specific interactions of the σ70RNAP and RNAP after RPo formation allowing for better interpretation of complexes shown within AFM images, particularly on DNA templates containing more than one promoter. Previous expectation was that negatively charged polysaccharides, often used as competitive inhibitors of σRNAP binding and RPo formation, would also inhibit binding of the DNA template to the mica support surface and thereby lower the imaging yield of active RNAP-DNA complexes. We found that the reverse of this was true, and that the yield of RPo formation detected by AFM, for a simple tandem gene model containing two λPR promoters, increased. Moreover and unexpectedly, HepS was more efficient than heparin, with both of them having a dispersive effect on the sample, minimising unwanted RNAP-RNAP interactions as well as non-specific interactions between the RNAP and DNA template. The success of this method relied on the observation that E. coli RNAP has the highest affinity for the mica surface of all the molecular components. For our system, the affinity of the three constituent biopolymers to muscovite mica was RNAP > Heparin or HepS > DNA. While we observed that heparin and HepS can inhibit DNA binding to the mica, the presence of E. coli RNAP overcomes this effect allowing a greater yield of RPos for AFM analysis. This method can be extended to other DNA binding proteins and enzymes, which have an affinity to mica higher than DNA, to improve sample preparation for AFM studies

DNA melting by RNA polymerase at the T7A1 promoter precedes the rate-limiting step at 37°C and results in the accumulation of an off-pathway intermediate

The formation of a transcriptionally active complex by RNA polymerase involves a series of short-lived structural intermediates where protein conformational changes are coupled to DNA wrapping and melting. We have used time-resolved KMnO4 and hydroxyl-radical X-ray footprinting to directly probe conformational signatures of these complexes at the T7A1 promoter. Here we demonstrate that DNA melting from m12 to m4 precedes the rate-limiting step in the pathway and takes place prior to the formation of full downstream contacts. In addition, on the wild-type promoter, we can detect the accumulation of a stable off-pathway intermediate that results from the absence of sequence-specific contacts with the melted non-consensus –10 region. Finally, the comparison of the results obtained at 37°C with those at 20°C reveals significant differences in the structure of the intermediates resulting in a different pathway for the formation of a transcriptionally active complex