Hemispheric contributions to nonverbal abstract reasoning and problem solving.

Hemispheric involvement in reasoning abilities has been debated for some time, and it remains unclear whether the right hemisphere's involvement in problem solving is modality specific or dependent on the type of spatial reasoning required. In the current study, 2 types of nonverbal reasoning abilities were examined, spatial reasoning and proportional reasoning, in 109 patients with cerebrovascular disease that was confined to either the right or the left hemisphere or was diffuse in nature. Results indicated that no lateralizing effects were present based on type of spatial reasoning. Findings are consistent with the suggestion that higher order cognitive processes involved in nonverbal abstraction and problem solving are not strongly lateralized to the right hemisphere but rather are more generally distributed throughout the cortex. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methods used in dentin bonding tests: an analysis of 50 investigations on bond strength

Researchers have carried out a variety of investigations to determine the properties of available dentin bonding systems. The test methods and variables used in 50 published investigations of bond strength were analyzed. Among the studies analyzed, shear tests predominated, being used in 80% of the studies; dentin from human molar teeth was used most often (in 88% of investigations); and the most prevalent time of testing was 24 hours postcuring. However, a number of potential variables were not recorded in a high proportion of articles, among these the film thickness, the type of dentin tested, and the surface condition (moist or dry). The mode of failure was recorded in only 42% of the investigations assessed. It was found that there is little standardization of test methods in studies of dentin bond strength and that a number of variables are often either not recorded or reported.     

Electronic properties of CuO2 planes

We study a 3-band model of CuO₂ with “bare bones” interactions: hopping from copper ions to nearest-neighbor oxygenst _pd only, a two-body interaction on the copper ionsU _dd only, and an overlap copper-oxygen parameter λ_pd. In the limitt _pd ∝U _dd ^1/2→∞, t^*=t _pd ²/2U _dd is the unit of energy with 8λ_pd ² as the only parameter of significance. If the two-body interaction is invariant under particle-hole interchange, the low-lying states (energy O(t^*)) can be described by conserved particles and can all be classified. They are quite distinct from the high-lying states (energies O(U _dd)). The dynamics of the conserved fermion-like elementary particles are well described by a modifiedt-J model with extended hopping and nearest-neighbor superexchange attraction. This is a scenario known to be favorable to high-temperature superconductivity, but it must be noted that both the hopping range and the exchange are functions of 8λ_pd ². Moreover, if the Hamiltonian isnot invariant under particle-hole interchange the dynamics becomes much more complex and possibly more inimical to high-temperature superconductivity. This may provide an explanation for the deleterious effect on superconductivity of very small concentrations of certain impurities.     

Analysis of aperture-coupled microstrip antenna using thesegmentation method

The authors present an original analysis of an aperture-coupled microstrip antenna. The theory is based on the segmentation method, which considers the patch as a multiport network whose impedance matrix is deduced from a hybrid matrix, and the use of analytical expressions of the cavity admittance at the slot centre. The theory is presented for the first time, and the theoretical results are in good agreement with previous published measurements     

Overcharging: keeping both feet on the ground and going a step forward

The intrinsic value of animals and their place in human society influence veterinary practice. The role-responsibility of the veterinarian is under pressure of practical circumstances, client requests and constraints of breeding and management systems. A reflection on human needs as related to the intrinsic value and welfare of animals, is required inside and outside the profession. It is in the interest of life to think and act out of total ecological concepts. In order to be better prepared to deal with ethical problems in practice, students should receive adequate training. The assumed value-free research and the need for outside financial support are a hindrance for research projects that aim at sustainability of human and animal life. It is concluded that the profession needs a philosophy about her objectives.     

Retroviral display of antibody fragments; interdomain spacing strongly influences vector infectivity

Five different single-chain antibody fragments (scFv) against human cell-surface antigens were displayed on murine ecotropic retroviral vectors by fusing them to the Moloney SU envelope glycoprotein. The spacing between the scFv and the SU glycoprotein was varied by fusing the scFv to residue +7 or to residue +1 of Moloney SU and by inserting linker sequences of different lengths between the domains. All of the chimeric envelopes were efficiently incorporated into vector particles and could bind to human cells through their displayed antibody fragments, but did not infect them. The spacing between the scFvs and the SU glycoproteins had no significant effect on the efficiency of envelope expression or viral incorporation and did not affect the binding properties of the chimeric envelopes, nor did it influence the efficiency of targeted gene delivery to human cells by scFv-displaying vectors. However, on murine fibroblasts the infectivity of vectors incorporating the chimeric envelopes was strongly influenced by the length of the interdomain spacer. The titers were very low when the single-chain antibodies were fused through a tripeptide linker to SU residue +7 and were greatly enhanced (up to 10(5)-fold) when they were fused to SU residue +1 through a heptapeptide linker. These results point to the importance of steric interactions between the domains of chimeric envelope glycoproteins and may have implications for retroviral vector design for human gene therapy.     

Independent modulation of horse airway smooth muscle by epithelium and prostanoids

The effects of epithelial removal and cyclooxygenase inhibition on contractions induced by exogenous acetylcholine (ACh) and electrical field stimulation (EFS) were evaluated in horse tracheal strips and bronchial rings. Epithelial removal potentiated the response to ACh but had no influence on the response to EFS. The effect of epithelial removal was not altered by pretreating the tissues with meclofenamate, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor. In trachealis strips, meclofenamate augmented contractions induced by EFS but not by ACh. In bronchial rings, meclofenamate augmented EFS-induced contraction to a greater extent than ACh-induced contraction. These effects of meclofenamate were epithelium-independent. We conclude that horse airway epithelium produces a relaxant factor that is not a prostanoid. Endogenous prostanoids originating from non-epithelial sites inhibit only cholinergic nerves in the trachea but both parasympathetic nerves and smooth muscle in the bronchi.