Formaldehyde fixation of cells does not greatly reduce the ability to amplify cellular DNA

Formaldehyde fixation of cells is routinely used to study DNA-protein interactions in vivo. In these studies, DNA is often analyzed using a polymerase chain reaction technique. Although it is known that formaldehyde can damage DNA, no studies have been performed so far to compare the efficiency of DNA amplification between normal and fixed cells. Here we show that formaldehyde fixation results in a 15% to 20% reduction in the ability to amplify cellular DNA. The loss of amplifiability is independent of the length of the amplification region and the degree to which DNA is compacted on packaging into chromatin.     

Using Principal Components and Factor Analysis in Animal Behaviour Research: Caveats and Guidelines

Principal component (PCA) and factor analysis (FA) are widely used in animal behaviour research. However, many authors automatically follow questionable practices implemented by default in general‐purpose statistical software. Worse still, the results of such analyses in research reports typically omit many crucial details which may hamper their evaluation. This article provides simple non‐technical guidelines for PCA and FA. A standard for reporting the results of these analyses is suggested. Studies using PCA and FA must report: (1) whether the correlation or covariance matrix was used; (2) sample size, preferably as a footnote to the table of factor loadings; (3) indices of sampling adequacy; (4) how the number of factors was assessed; (5) communalities when sample size is small; (6) details of factor rotation; (7) if factor scores are computed, present determinacy indices; (8) preferably they should publish the original correlation matrix.     

The Influence of Texting Language on Grammar and Executive Functions in Primary School Children

When sending text messages on their mobile phone to friends, children often use a special type of register, which is called textese. This register allows the omission of words and the use of textisms: instances of non-standard written language such as 4ever (forever). Previous studies have shown that textese has a positive effect on children’s literacy abilities. In addition, it is possible that children’s grammar system is affected by textese as well, as grammar rules are often transgressed in this register. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to investigate whether the use of textese influences children’s grammar performance, and whether this effect is specific to grammar or language in general. Additionally, studies have not yet investigated the influence of textese on children’s cognitive abilities. Consequently, the secondary aim of this study was to find out whether textese affects children’s executive functions. To investigate this, 55 children between 10 and 13 years old were tested on a receptive vocabulary and grammar performance (sentence repetition) task and various tasks measuring executive functioning. In addition, text messages were elicited and the number of omissions and textisms in children’s messages were calculated. Regression analyses showed that omissions were a significant predictor of children’s grammar performance after various other variables were controlled for: the more words children omitted in their text messages, the better their performance on the grammar task. Although textisms correlated (marginally) significantly with vocabulary, grammar and selective attention scores and omissions marginally significantly with vocabulary scores, no other significant effects were obtained for measures of textese in the regression analyses: neither for the language outcomes, nor for the executive function tasks. Hence, our results show that textese is positively related to children’s grammar performance. On the other hand, use of textese does not affect—positively nor negatively—children’s executive functions.     

Pr-SNTX,a short-chain three-finger toxin from Papuan pigmy mulga snake,is an antagonist of muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α2βδε)

Three-finger toxins (3FTxs) are one of the major components in snake venoms. In this study, we isolated a cDNA encoding a short-chain 3FTx, Pr-SNTX, from Pseudechis rossignolii. The amino acid sequence of Pr-SNTX is nearly identical to that of its ortholog in Pseudechis australis. Pr-SNTX protein inhibited muscle-type (α₂βδε), but not neuronal α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) activity.     

Frequency, time and type of metastasis of different transplantable tumors in mice

The character of metastasis of 9 strains of transplantable mouse tumours in conventional subcutaneous inoculation was studied. There were differences in the frequency, intensity, and types of metastasis of different tumours. Periods of onset of metastases of Lewis lung carcinoma and RL-67, and also of sarcoma-37 were established. Sarcoma, Lewis and RL-67 lung carcinomas, adenocarcinoma of the colon AKATOL, Cloudman's melanoma and B-16 metastasized most intensively. Sarcoma-37 metastasizing into the regional and remote lymph nodes, Lewis lung carcinoma and melanomas metastasizing into the lungs, RL-67 lung carcinoma metastasizing into the lungs, kidneys, adrenal glands, ovaries, the heart, and also adenocarcinoma of the colon AKATOL metastasizing into the lymph nodes and the liver can be used as models for the research in the field of drug action upon metastases and the metastasis process.     

The primary structure of the operons coding for Shigella dysenteriae toxin and temperature phage H30 shiga-like toxin

Nucleotide(nt) sequences were determined for the toxin (SHT) operon present in the chromosome of Shigella dysenteriae 1 and for the shiga-like toxin (SLT) operon found in the lambdoid phage H30 genome. The coding sequences of the sht and slt genes differ in 4 nt with 1 nt change responsible for an amino acid replacement. The deduced amino acid sequence in the A chain of the toxins is highly homologous to that of the A chain of ricin, a plant toxin. SHT-coding mRNAs were detected by mapping the 5' termini and using blot-hybridisation; one of them was more abundant and coded only for the B subunit of SHT while the other (bi-cistronic mRNA) encoded both subunits. An IS element related to the IS3 element of Escherichia coli was found in the chromosome of S. dysenteriae near the sht operon.     

High-frequency components of cortical potentials and their phase-coherent characteristics during the acquisition of motor-food conditioned reflexes in dogs

Phase-coherent characteristics of neocortex background electrical activity were studied in a wide frequency range (1-100 Hz) during interstimulus periods in the process of elaboration of motor alimentary conditioned reflexes in dogs. It was shown that the process of learning led to a considerable increase of the part of high (greater than 0.75) and significant (0.5-0.75) coherences, and also of small (0 +/- 15 degrees) and accounted (+/- 16 - +/- 30 degrees) phasic shifts as compared with the state of calm wakefulness. This increase lay mainly in the high-frequency range (40-100 Hz). The analysis of the interregional relations showed that they differed not only by values of phase-coherent characteristics, but also by distributions of the latter. The obtained data testify that the state of activation is manifested both in the rise of frequency of potentials oscillations and in the increase of their synchronization.     

Conjugation transfer of the plasmid pAMbeta1 into various Bacillus species

Streptococcal broad host range plasmid pAM beta 1 was transferred by a conjugation-like process from Streptococcus faecalis to 13 strains of different Bacilli species. In intraspecies matings the frequencies of transfer of pAM beta 1 varied from 2.10(-5) to 1.10(-8). As it was shown by comparative analysis the frequency of transfer and stability of the maintainance of plasmid pAM beta 1 in Bacilli were not connected. Molecular weight and restriction pattern of pAM beta 1 DNA isolated from Bacilli were the same as those of pAM beta 1 DNA from Streptococcal donor strain.