Right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and prejudice.

Right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation have been proposed as 2 major individual difference variables underlying prejudice. This study examined the relationships of these variables to 3 forms of prejudice—affective responses, stereotyping, and attitudes toward equality enhancement—directed at 2 social groups—African Americans and homosexuals. Canonical correlation analyses showed that social dominance orientation was related to most forms of prejudice directed toward both groups and that right-wing authoritarianism was related to affective responses to and stereotyping of homosexuals. In addition, it was found that, as predicted by the social dominance model, stereotyping mediated the relationships between social dominance orientation and other forms of prejudice and that social dominance orientation mediated gender differences in expressions of prejudice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Folding and Insertion of Transmembrane Helices at the ER

In eukaryotic cells, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the entry point for newly synthesized proteins that are subsequently distributed to organelles of the endomembrane system. Some of these proteins are completely translocated into the lumen of the ER while others integrate stretches of amino acids into the greasy 30 Å wide interior of the ER membrane bilayer. It is generally accepted that to exist in this non-aqueous environment the majority of membrane integrated amino acids are primarily non-polar/hydrophobic and adopt an α-helical conformation. These stretches are typically around 20 amino acids long and are known as transmembrane (TM) helices. In this review, we will consider how transmembrane helices achieve membrane integration. We will address questions such as: Where do the stretches of amino acids fold into a helical conformation? What is/are the route/routes that these stretches take from synthesis at the ribosome to integration through the ER translocon? How do these stretches ‘know’ to integrate and in which orientation? How do marginally hydrophobic stretches of amino acids integrate and survive as transmembrane helices?     

Spectroscopic detection of hopping induced mixed valence for Ti and Sc in GdSc1-xTixO3 for x > 0.165

Only two of the first row transition metals have elemental oxides that are either ferro- or ferri-magnetic. These are CrO2 and Fe3O4. The electron spin alignment that promotes the ferro(i)magnetism is associated with a double exchange mechanism that requires mixed valence as well as metallic conductivity. This paper describes a novel way to realize these two necessary, but not sufficient conditions for double exchange magnetism. These are mixed valence and a hopping conductivity that promotes at least intra-plane electron spin alignment in a complex oxide perovskite host, A(B,C)O3. A is an ordinary metal, or a rare earth atom, B is a d0 transition metal, and C is a d(n) transition metal in which n > or = 1, as for example in GdSc1-xTi(x)O3. This article combines X-ray absorption spectroscopy, multiplet theory, charge transfer multiplet theory and degeneracy removal by Jahn-Teller effect mechanisms to demonstrate mixed valence for both Sc and Ti above a percolation threshold, x > 0.16, in which hopping transport gives rise to a metal to insulator transition.     

Development and validation of the College Life Alcohol Salience Scale: A measure of beliefs about the role of alcohol in college life.

This article reports the development and validation of the College Life Alcohol Salience Scale (CLASS), which assesses college students’ beliefs about the centrality of alcohol to the college experience. Developed using procedures designed to increase its ecological validity, the CLASS was administered to three samples of college students (total N = 571). Its unidimensional factor structure was first established via exploratory factor analysis and parallel analysis on one sample and then verified via confirmatory factor analysis on a separate sample. Scores on the CLASS were predictably related to a nomological network of drinking and personality variables and it provided incremental validity in accounting for drinking frequency and amount, when added to drinking motive scores. The importance of assessing and developing interventions to target the types of beliefs measured by the CLASS is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Applying Social Return on Investment (SROI) to the built environment

The effective measurement and dissemination of the impact of design on building users requires an evaluative shift away from measuring building performance towards measuring the outcomes experienced by people. This agenda shares considerable overlap with the emerging concept of ‘social value’ and it is proposed that social impact valuation methods could fill the post-occupancy quantification gap. A review of the social impact sector identifies Social Return on Investment (SROI) as the most developed method with a robust framework for implementation. SROI generates monetized results, anticipated to enhance transferability compared with typical post-occupancy evaluation summaries and facilitate the dissemination and usefulness of findings within the design and construction industry. An in-depth account is presented of a study that trials the six stage SROI method in three non-clinical healthcare buildings; interviews, focus groups, user surveys and financial valuation techniques are used. The SROI results are summarized and the discussion provides a critical reflection on the application of SROI to the built environment: the technical challenges faced, the modifications made as a result, and the lessons learnt from this process. The conclusion offers practical recommendations for future applications of SROI to the built environment.     

Contribution of lubricating oil to particulate matter emissions from light-duty gasoline vehicles in Kansas City

The contribution of lubricating oil to particulate matter (PM) emissions representative of the in-use 2004 light-duty gasoline vehicles fleet is estimated from the Kansas City Light-Duty Vehicle Emissions Study (KCVES). PM emissions are apportioned to lubricating oil and gasoline using aerosol-phase chemical markers measured in PM samples obtained from 99 vehicles tested on the California Unified Driving Cycle. The oil contribution to fleet-weighted PM emission rates is estimated to be 25% of PM emission rates. Oil contributes primarily to the organic fraction of PM, with no detectable contribution to elemental carbon emissions. Vehicles are analyzed according to pre-1991 and 1991-2004 groups due to differences in properties of the fitting species between newer and older vehicles, and to account for the sampling design of the study. Pre-1991 vehicles contribute 13.5% of the KC vehicle population, 70% of oil-derived PM for the entire fleet, and 33% of the fuel-derived PM. The uncertainty of the contributions is calculated from a survey analysis resampling method, with 95% confidence intervals for the oil-derived PM fraction ranging from 13% to 37%. The PM is not completely apportioned to the gasoline and oil due to several contributing factors, including varied chemical composition of PM among vehicles, metal emissions, and PM measurement artifacts. Additional uncertainties include potential sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into the oil, contributions of semivolatile organic compounds from the oil to the PM measurements, and representing the in-use fleet with a limited number of vehicles.     

Effects of suspension in emulsified wiener or incubation in wiener packages on the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes Scott A in intragastrically inoculated A/J mice

Several outbreaks of listeriosis have been associated with contamination of wieners and other ready-to-eat meat products. In this study, we addressed the question of whether emulsification in, or growth on, wieners triggers a response in the listerial cells that makes them more virulent or protects them against the harsh environment of the gastrointestinal tract in mice. Our results indicate that Listeria monocytogenes Scott A grows poorly, if at all, in one brand of commercially prepared wieners inoculated with 5 x 10(3) to 5 x 10(6) CFU per package and incubated at 15 degrees C. Neither L. monocytogenes Scott A emulsified in a slurry of homogenized wieners nor recovered from wiener package fluid after a 7-day incubation at 15 degrees C were more virulent when inoculated into the stomachs of A/J mice than L. monocytogenes Scott A grown in brain heart infusion broth. These findings suggest that the ability of L. monocytogenes Scott A to cause systemic infection following introduction into the gastrointestinal tract was not improved by incubation with wieners or suspension in a meat matrix.     

The efficacy of linalool, a major component of freshly-milled Ocimum canum Sims (Lamiaceae), for protection against postharvest damage by certain stored product Coleoptera

Linalool was present at 8.6 ± 0.9 mg/g in the dried leaves of Ocimum canum Sims, an annual mint used in Rwanda to protect against postharvest insect damage. Direct exposure of adults of Zabrotes subfasciatus (Bohem.) to milled, dried O. canum leaves resulted in 100% mortality of males and 50% mortality of females after 48 hr. Dose-response curves for linalool were completed with adult Z. subfasciatus, Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say), Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), and Sitophilus oryzae (L.) using a filter paper bioassay. The LC₅₀ values were: 428 μg/cm² for Z. subfasciatus; 405 μg/cm² for A. obtectus; 428 μg/cm² for R. dominica; 427 μg/cm² for S. oryzae. Knockdown was occasionally followed by recovery at doses less than the LC₅₀ for all species. There are significant differences in the LC₅₀ and LT₅₀ values for male and female Z. subfasciatus. At the lower dosages hyperactivity rarely preceded moribundity and mortality where these occurred, while at higher dosages hyperactivity occurred soon after initial exposure and preceded imminent death. A concentration increase from 250 to 750 μg/cm², representing a tripling of dosage, spanned th 10–100% response mortality for all species at 24 hr. Air-exposure of linalool-treated papers (500 μg/cm²) for up to 24 hr significantly decreased toxicity to both sexes of Z. subfasciatus. Quantitative analysis showed the only significant decrease in the amount of linalool to occur after 0.25 hr, and this did not fully correlate with the resulting decrease in efficacy against both sexes of Z. subfasciatus. The results are discussed in terms of the efficacy of using O. canum for the protection against loss due to insects in the traditional food storage systems of Rwanda.