New substrates of papain, based on the conserved sequence of natural inhibitors of the cystatin family

A discontinuous borate/formate buffer system is presented for horizontal polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of DNA fragments. The resolution potential of the system could be altered by changing the total monomer concentration (5-9%T), the concentration of the crosslinker piperazine diacrylamide (2-5%CPDA), as well as the concentration of formate in the gel (40-120 mM), the leading ion of the buffer system. The separation of DNA fragments would be improved by increasing the migration distance from 22 to 28 cm. This discontinuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system proved highly reproducible.     

Perceived self-efficacy and pain control: Opioid and nonopioid mechanisms.

In this experiment, we tested for opioid and nonopioid mechanisms of pain control through cognitive means and the relation of opioid involvement to perceived coping efficacy. Subjects were taught cognitive methods of pain control, were administered a placebo, or received no intervention. Their pain tolerance was then measured at periodic intervals after they were administered either a saline solution or naloxone, an opiate antagonist that blocks the effects of endogenous opiates. Training in cognitive control strengthened perceived self-efficacy both to withstand and to reduce pain; placebo medication enhanced perceived efficacy to withstand pain but not reductive efficacy; and neither form of perceived self-efficacy changed without any intervention. Regardless of condition, the stronger the perceived self-efficacy to withstand pain, the longer subjects endured mounting pain stimulation. The findings provide evidence that attenuation of the impact of pain stimulation through cognitive control is mediated by both opioid and nonopioid mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence and adjustment goals: Sources of cultural differences in ideal affect.

Previous studies have found that in American culture high-arousal positive states (HAP) such as excitement are valued more and low-arousal positive states (LAP) such as calm are valued less than they are in Chinese culture. What specific factors account for these differences? The authors predicted that when people and cultures aimed to influence others (i.e., assert personal needs and change others' behaviors to meet those needs), they would value HAP more and LAP less than when they aimed to adjust to others (i.e., suppress personal needs and change their own behaviors to meet others' needs). They test these predictions in 1 survey and 3 experimental studies. The findings suggest that within and across American and Chinese contexts, differences in ideal affect are due to specific interpersonal goals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Catalytic steam reforming of methane over La0.8Sr0.2CrO3 based Ru catalysts

La_0.8Sr_0.2CrO₃ based Ru catalysts were studied as potential new anodic materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells directly fed with methane and operating at intermediate temperature under water deficient conditions. Two kinds of materials very close in composition were obtained following two different preparation procedures. Catalyst samples were characterized by physicochemical methods (XRD, SEM, BET and Chemical Analysis) and studied in methane steam reforming under water deficient conditions. Carbon formation during catalytic testing was studied by temperature programmed oxidation (TPO). Both types of catalysts were found very active and resistant to carbon formation. The unusual oscillatory behavior of the catalytic activity observed for one type of catalyst was discussed.     

TLP systems with combined 50- and 500-/spl Omega/ impedance probes and Kelvin probes

Transmission line pulse (TLP) systems are mainly classified by their impedance, such as a 50- or 500-/spl Omega/ current source. A new TLP configuration allows switching between 50 and 500 /spl Omega/ by computer control to characterize a given part using both impedances. In addition, a four-needle Kelvin technique is introduced to TLP, which overcomes the measurement error from variations in contact resistance where the probe needles contact the wafer surface.     

Iron Particles Coated with Alumina: Synthesis by a Mechanofusion Process and Study of the High-Temperature Oxidation Resistance

The mechanofusion process, a dry particle coating route, has been successfully applied to coat iron particles with alumina. The high-temperature oxidation resistance of Fe and coated Fe particles has been comparatively investigated in air in the temperature range 350°–900°C. The activation energy calculations demonstrate that, in the temperature range 350°–420°C, the oxidation mechanisms are the same for both particles. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy analyses show that oxidation products are mainly formed at the iron/alumina interface at low temperatures or at the alumina/gas interface at high temperatures. It is shown that, depending on the temperature range, two different oxidation mechanisms are predominant.     

In Google We Trust: Users' Decisions on Rank, Position, and Relevance

An eye tracking experiment revealed that college student users have substantial trust in Google's ability to rank results by their true relevance to the query. When the participants selected a link to follow from Google's result pages, their decisions were strongly biased towards links higher in position even if the abstracts themselves were less relevant. While the participants reacted to artificially reduced retrieval quality by greater scrutiny, they failed to achieve the same success rate. This demonstrated trust in Google has implications for the search engine's tremendous potential influence on culture, society, and user traffic on the Web.