Plasticizers are chemical additives that enhance plastic flexibility. They are ubiquitous environmental contaminants and are commonly found in river and lake waters (Fromme et al 2002). The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a water-soluble plasticizer, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) on developing Medaka ("Oryzias latipes") embryos. Three…

Full-day center-based child care has been repeatedly associated with rising cortisol across the child care day. This study addressed the potential buffering role of attachment to mothers and lead teachers in 110 preschoolers while at child care. Using multi-level modeling and controlling for a number of child, family, and child care factors,…

Blended learning combines face-to-face class based and online teaching and learning delivery in order to increase flexibility in how, when, and where students study and learn. The development, integration, and promotion of blended learning in frameworks of curriculum design can optimize the opportunities afforded by information and communication…

This article highlights aspects of an interdisciplinary (chemistry-applied linguistics) English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course- and materials-development project. The project was aimed at raising genre awareness among chemistry students and faculty, in addition to improving students' disciplinary reading and writing. As part of the project,…

Psychologists have long been interested in the integrated specificity hypothesis, which maintains that stressors elicit fairly distinct behavioral, emotional, and biological responses that are molded by selective pressures to meet specific demands from the environment. This issue of "Psychological Bulletin" features a meta-analytic review of the…

Purpose: Ion-driven transepithelial water fluxes participate in maintaining superficial vocal fold hydration, which is necessary for normal voice production. The authors hypothesized that Cl[superscript -] channels are present in vocal fold epithelial cells and that transepithelial Cl[superscript -] fluxes can be manipulated pharmacologically.…

The reconstruction of ancient atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations is essential to understanding the history of the Earth and life. It is also an important guide to identifying the sensitivity of the Earth system to this greenhouse gas and, therefore, constraining its future impact on climate. However, determining the concentration of…

The kinetic parameters for the conversion of alpha-D-glucose to beta-D-glucose were measured using a blood glucometer. The reaction order, rate constant, and Arrhenius activation energy are reported for the noncatalyzed reaction and turnover number and Michaelis constant are reported for the reaction catalyzed by porcine kidney mutarotase. The…

There is a long-standing assumption that low noradrenergic activity during sleep reflects mainly the low arousal during this brain state. Nevertheless, recent research has demonstrated that the locus coeruleus, which is the main source of cortical noradrenaline, displays discrete periods of intense firing during non-REM sleep, without any signs of…

It was deeply ingrained in the author from his undergraduate studies of psychology and courses in learning theory that people have a rational left brain and a creative right brain. Learning theory suggested that activities needed to be tailored to develop both hemispheres. Handedness in relation to abilities has been commented on from the 1800s by…

This laboratory exercise is an inquiry-based investigation developed around the core experiment where students, working alone or in groups, each purify and analyze their own prescreened colored proteins using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). Here, we present reagents and protocols that allow 12 different proteins to be purified in…

A low-cost biochemistry experiment is described that demonstrates current techniques in the use of catalytic DNA molecules and introduces a nonradioactive, nonfluorescent, inexpensive, fast, and safe method for monitoring these nucleic acid reactions. The laboratory involves the exploration of the 10-23 DNA enzyme as it cleaves a specific RNA…

The enzymatic resolution of "rac"-1-phenylethanol using ethyl myristate as acylating agent and solvent and "Candida antarctica" lipase B (CAL-B) as biocatalyst was demonstrated with catalyst and medium reuse. Both enantiomers of 1-phenylethanol were isolated by sequential enzymatic reactions and product distillations. From the first enzymatic…

One of the striking characteristics of fundamental biological processes, such as genetic inheritance, development and primary metabolism, is the limited amount of variation in the molecules involved. Natural selective pressures act strongly on these core processes and individuals carrying mutations and producing slightly sub-optimal versions of…

Maternal smoking during pregnancy retards fetal growth and depresses infant birth weight. The magnitude of these effects may be moderated by fetal genotype. The current study investigated maternal smoking, fetal genotype, and fetal growth in a large population sample of dizygotic twins. Maternal smoking retarded fetal growth in a dose-dependent…