The effects of uncertainty and sex in a crisis simulation game

We conducted an experimental test of spiraling behavior, sex differences, and uncertainty in a simulated crisis situation. We investigated the relationship between weapons acquisition and the likelihood of engaging in aggressive behavior, such as going to war. The sample included 100 male and female subjects who participated in a crisis simulation in same‐sex dyads; each student was instructed to role play the leader of a country in conflict with another leader over a nearby island replete with newly discovered oil resources. Participants were randomly assigned to stimulus materials that manipulated the certainty of the information they received about their partner's force structure. In four cycles of decision‐making, each participant made procurement decisions, took an action related to the conflict, including decisions about going to war, completed questionnaires on characteristics such as the hostility and trustworthiness of themselves and their opponents, and wrote messages to the other member of the pair. The results of the study demonstrate a strong relationship between weapons acquisition and hostility. In addition, we found large and robust sex differences, showing that men are much more likely than women to acquire weapons and engage in aggressive behavior at every stage. There was no effect of uncertainty on either arms procurement or aggression.     

展呈H5N1亚型禽流感病毒M2e表位鞭毛蛋白的构建及其免疫原性

以重组质粒pET-fliC和pUC57-M2e2为模板,通过重叠PCR将M2e2基因插入fliC的高变区域,构建嵌合鞭毛基因片段fliC/M2e2。将fliC/M2e2片段插入原核表达载体pET30a+,获得重组质粒pET-fliC/M2e2,将其转化鼠伤寒沙门氏菌LB5000,获得重组菌LB5000(fliC/M2e2)。应用P22噬菌体转导技术,将fliC/M2e2基因导入都柏林沙门氏菌SL5928的基因组中,经生化血清学鉴定、动力学测定、透射电镜观察、Western-blot分析,将阳性转导菌命名为SL5928(fliC/M2e2)。提取重组菌鞭毛蛋白fliC/M2e2作用HEK293-mTLR5细胞,能刺激细胞分泌IL-8。将fliC/M2e2通过皮下注射途径免疫C3H/HeJ小鼠,50μg/只。结果显示,二免后第14天,fliC/M2e2鞭毛蛋白免疫组的血清抗体效价与对照组之间呈现显著性差异(P<0.05)。ELISPOT结果表明,在脾细胞中,fliC/M2e2鞭毛蛋白免疫组检测到较高水平的IFN-γ和IL-4分泌细胞,且免疫应答以Th1型为主。结果表明,构建的fliC/M2e2嵌合基因能够在沙门氏菌中表达,重组嵌合鞭毛蛋白fliC/M2e2能激发机体针对M2e表位的体液免疫应答和Th1型细胞免疫应答。     

旋毛虫ES抗原对小鼠巨噬细胞TLR2/4mRNA表达的影响

为探讨旋毛虫ES抗原对RAW264.7细胞TLR2/4mRNA表达的影响,分别取经0、2、5、15、30、45μg/mL ES抗原作用24h的RAW264.7细胞和用15μg/mL ES抗原作用0、3、6、12、18、24h后的RAW264.7细胞,采用半定量PCR方法检测TLR2和TLR4mRNA的表达水平变化。结果显示,随着ES抗原浓度的升高,TLR2/4mRNA的表达量逐渐上升,15μg/mL ES抗原组与空白对照组相比差异显著(P<0.05)。在15μg/mL ES抗原作用24h内,随着作用时间的延长,TLR2/4mRNA的表达量逐渐上升,作用18h后的表达水平升高,且与空白对照组差异显著(P<0.05)。证实,ES抗原可刺激RAW264.7细胞表面受体TLR2/4表达升高,且存在一定的剂量和时间效应。     

MWB Business Exchange Centres Ltd: The Practical Benefit Doctrine Marches On

In MWB Business Exchange Centres Ltd v Rock Advertising Ltd the Court of Appeal held that when an ongoing contract is varied so that one party's obligation to pay money is reduced, the variation is binding as long as the other party receives a practical benefit. In doing so, the Court of Appeal effectively confined the rule in Foakes v Beer to one‐off payments. This raises serious questions about the continued survival of Foakes v Beer. On the other hand, the Court of Appeal ensured that Foakes v Beer would not be killed off via equity by moving away from the suggestion in Collier v P & M J Wright (Holdings) Ltd that an agreed part‐payment of a debt by a debtor will always raise an estoppel preventing the creditor from demanding the remainder of the debt.     

大鼠骨骼肌挫伤后Fzd2表达与损伤时间的关系

目的检测大鼠骨骼肌挫伤后卷曲受体蛋白2(frizzled-2,Fzd2)mRNA及其蛋白表达量与损伤时间的关系,探讨其是否可以作为损伤时间推断的指标。方法利用RT-qPCR和Western印迹法检测正常对照组及损伤后4~48 h每4 h大鼠骨骼肌中Fzd2 mRNA和蛋白水平的表达量。结果 Fzd2 mRNA在损伤后24 h、36 h、40 h相对表达量增高,24 h组表达量达正常对照组的两倍(P0.05);而Fzd2蛋白在损伤后相对表达量变化不明显(P0.05)。结论大鼠骨骼肌损伤后Fzd2 mRNA在一定时间内的表达变化情况可以作为多指标联合推断损伤时间的依据。     

Analysis of condom lubricants for forensic casework

The detection of DNA is inhibited in cases of sexual assault involving condom use. Trace evidence, including condom lubricant residues, provides crucial associative evidence in such cases. The existing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) methods for lubricant analysis and detection are limited with regard to sensitivity and discrimination. The aim of this research was to establish a new method as an alternative to FTIR for the analysis of condom lubricant residues. Pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (PyGC-MS) and GC-MS are highly sensitive methods of analysis for a wide range of chemical substances. PyGC-MS and GC-MS were used to analyze condom lubricants in standard solution, from clean swabs and from postcoital swabs. Pyrolysis of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) lubricant forms cyclic products known as cyclic dimethyl siloxanes (DMS), which are separated and detected by the GC-MS. The polyethylene glycol (PEG) lubricant can be analyzed by GC-MS directly from solution. The methods of extraction and analysis presented in this paper were shown to be significantly more sensitive than FTIR for the analysis of PDMS and PEG condom lubricants. PDMS was detected as low as 1 mug in standard solution and from clean swabs using the PyGC-MS method. PEG was detected as low as 0.5 microg from standard solution and 50 mug from clean swabs using the GC-MS method. Unfortunately, we were unable to provide further discrimination between condom brands and subbrands. The methods established throughout the research were used successfully to detect condom lubricants from donated postcoital swabs. Lubricants were detected in abundance on swabs 12 h postcoitus. Recommendations are made regarding implementation of new methods for routine analysis of casework samples along with strict pyrolysis interpretation criteria to minimize the possibility of misinterpretation of false positives.     

Genotype profile for fifteen tetranucleotide repeat loci in two Tibeto-Burman speaking tribal populations of Arunachal Pradesh, India

POPULATION: Two Tibeto-Burman-speaking Adi tribal populations of Arunachal Pradesh, India, Adi Pasi ( n =121) from Upper Siang district, and Adi Minyong ( n =33) from East Siang district were analyzed for polymorphisms at 15 microsatellite loci. The populations belong to Mongoloid ethnicity and are of special significance in genetic studies due to their small population size, relative isolation in remote hilly areas, and traditional subsistence patterns.