Showing papers by "University of Birmingham published in 1980"
TL;DR: A 1-step silver-staining technique, requiring only 2 min to perform, is described for the differential staining of nucleolus organizer regions.
Abstract: A 1-step silver-staining technique, requiring only 2 min to perform, is described for the differential staining of nucleolus organizer regions. A protective colloidal developer is used to control the reduction of the silver.
2,812 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of different types of bulk lower and upper crustal contamination of a within-plate alkali basalt on the Th, Hf, Ta and radiogenic isotope concentrations of the residual liquids are calculated in detail.
1,904 citations
TL;DR: A critical evaluation of the kinetics and photochemistry of gas phase chemical reactions of neutral species involved in middle atmosphere chemistry (10-55 km altitude) was carried out by the authors under the auspices of the CODATA Task Group on Chemical Kinetics.
Abstract: This paper contains a critical evaluation of the kinetics and photochemistry of gas phase chemical reactions of neutral species involved in middle atmosphere chemistry (10–55 km altitude). The work has been carried out by the authors under the auspices of the CODATA Task Group on Chemical Kinetics. Data sheets have been prepared for 148 thermal and photochemical reactions, containing summaries of the available experimental data with notes giving details of the experimental procedures. For each reaction a preferred value of the rate coefficient at 298 K is given together with a temperature dependency where possible. The selection of the preferred value is discussed, and estimates of the accuracies of the rate coefficients and temperature coefficients have been made for each reaction. The data sheets are intended to provide the basic physical chemical data needed as input for calculations which model atmospheric chemistry. A table summarizing the preferred rate data is provided, together with an Appendix listing the available data on enthalpies of formation of the reactant and product species.
1,661 citations
01 Feb 1980
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed that an enriched subcontinental mantle provides a viable alternative source for the observed K-h variations and for the increased LIL-element contents found in continental margin calc-alkaline magmas.
Abstract: Magnetic activity throughout the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands has been dominantly of a calc-alkaline nature for the last 200 Ma. Chemically, the plutonic and volcanic products are typical of a continental margin magmatic arc, similar to those from western South America. Within any one area, volcanic and plutonic rocks are compositionally indistinguishable, and all magmatic products show increasing SiO2, and increasing K/Si, Rb/Si, Th/Si and to a lesser extent Ce/Si and La/Si ratios away from the proposed trench axis. The calc-alkaline basaltic compositions also have high large ion lithophile (LIL; e.g. K, Rb, Th)/high field strength (HFS; e.g. Zr, Nb, Ti) ratios relative to non-orogenic counterparts, and increasing LIL/HFS element ratios with increasing fractionation. It is proposed that the high LIL/HFS element ratios in basaltic and andesitic melts are primary features due to dehydration processes with the subducted slab and to fractionation of minor mineral phases from the melt. The increasing LIL/HFS element ratios in more acid rocks are probably due to removal of minor mineral phases from the melt. Although zone refining may contribute to the spatial variations across the peninsula, we have proposed that an enriched subcontinental mantle provides a viable alternative source for the observed K-h variations and for the increased LIL-element contents found in continental margin calc-alkaline magmas.
461 citations
01 Jan 1980
TL;DR: In the last few years, the study of phase transitions in two-dimensional systems has absorbed a great deal of effort by both theorists and experimentalists as discussed by the authors, with the increase of the sensitivity of experiments, which can now be checked by the experimentalists.
Abstract: During the last few years, the study of phase transitions in two dimensional systems has absorbed a great deal of effort by both theorists and experimentalists. Although such an activity is rather esoteric in the sense that these systems are rather special and do not occur in every day life, they are a theorist’s paradise because they form a very special class of systems for which theory is capable of yielding quantitative predictions. With the increase of the sensitivity of experiments, these predictions can now be checked by the experimentalists.
336 citations
01 Jan 1980
TL;DR: The gait of the hospitalized fallers differed from all other groups, and had the following characteristics: slow speed, short step length, narrow stride width, wide range of stepping frequency, large variability of step length and increasing variability with increasing frequency.
Abstract: Observations were made of the gait of 30 people aged 65 and over who were admitted to hospital shortly after suffering a fall without bone injury. These were compared with 22 patients of similar age admitted to the same hospital who had not suffered a recent fall; with 23 normal active old people of whom 7 had fallen recently; and with 24 normal young subjects. The gait of the hospitalized fallers differed from all other groups, and had the following characteristics: slow speed, short step length, narrow stride width, wide range of stepping frequency, large variability of step length, and increasing variability with increasing frequency. These characteristics may reflect loss of automaticity of gait, and this finding may have implications for pathogenesis and rehabilitation.
240 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a method for estimating the number and position of individual thermoluminescence (TL) peaks within a complex glow-curve is described, which involves partially heating the sample to a temperature TStop cooling to room temperature and re-heating to record all of the remaining glowcurve.
Abstract: A method for estimating the number and position of individual thermoluminescence (TL) peaks within a complex glow-curve is described. The method involves partially heating the sample to a temperature TStop cooling to room temperature and re-heating to record all of the remaining glowcurve. The position of the first maximum TM in the glow-curve is recorded. A plot is then made of TM versus TStop from which the approximate positions of the most prominent TL peaks can be estimated. The TM–TStop curve exhibits a characteristic „staircase” shape in which each flat region corresponds to an individual peak. The trapping parameters for the individual peaks may be estimated by combining the TM–TStop procedure with computerised curve-fitting of the glowcurve. The method is illustrated by experimental examples on glow-curves from LiF (TLD-100) and from meteorites.
225 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors model a household's choice of tenure and demand for housing services as a joint decision imposing the restriction that both discrete and continuous decisions are derived from a single preference ordering.
213 citations
207 citations
TL;DR: Evidence is presented which shows thatSelf-incompatibility in diploid Lolium perenne is determined, as in other self-incompatible grasses that have been investigated, by two multi-allelic genes and that control of the pollen phenotype is gametophytic.
Abstract: An analysis of the data from six families of full-sibs shows that one of the incompatibility genes in perennial ryegrass is linked in its inheritance to the gene, PGI-2, which codes for the enzyme phosphoglucoisomerase. In the light of this evidence, we define S as the gene that is linked to PGI-2. The best estimate of the frequency of recombination between PGI-2 and S is p = 0·1538 ± 0·0252.
186 citations
TL;DR: Behavioural studies indicate that appetitive effects of benzodiazepines are distinguishable from their anxiolytic effects, which may point to an effective use of Benzodiazepine in the treatment of feeding disorders.
TL;DR: Evidence is presented that it is the d -isomer of octopamine which is present in haemolymph and it is suggested thatOctopamine could have a physiological role in stimulating oxidation of substrates in the flight muscle during the early period of flight.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that γ-ray irradiation of lymphoblastoid cells from normal subjects results in depressed DNA synthesis and increased (ADP-ribose)n synthesis and it is proposed that this polymer may function in the recovery from DNA damage by suppressing DNA synthesis.
Abstract: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase is a eukaryotic chromosomal enzyme which utilizes the ADP-ribose moiety of NAD to synthesize the nucleic acid homopolymer (ADP-ribose)n (ref. 1). The precise function of (ADP-ribose)n has not been fully established although it does covalently modify chromosomal proteins by ADP-ribosylation. Here we demonstrate that gamma-ray irradiation of lymphoblastoid cells from normal subjects results in depressed DNA synthesis and increased (ADP-ribose)n synthesis. Irradiation of lymphoblastoid cells from patients with the autosomal recessive disease ataxia telangiectasia (AT), however, failed to depress DNA synthesis and did not elevate (ADP-ribose)n levels. We have confirmed that (ADP-ribose)n is synthesized in response to DNA damage and we propose that this polymer may function in the recovery from DNA damage by suppressing DNA synthesis.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss how children develop friendships with how children reason about friends and how these two phenomena are forced into by-now-familiar, but arid Piagetian stages.
Abstract: This book raises many pertinent questions in the area. However, in its early discussion, it totally confuses how children develop friendships with how children reason about friends. The latter phenomena are forced into by-now-familiar, but arid Piagetian stages. The former questions are, unfortunately, not tackled directly. Surprisingly, the author largely ignores the many studies of the effects of social skills training with young children. Despite this, the book provides many useful ideas for psychologists wishing to foster friendships among unsocialized children.
TL;DR: In this article, the Rayleigh-Ritz method is applied to the prediction of the natural frequencies of flexural vibration of square plates having general boundary conditions, based on the use of Mindlin plate theory so that the effects of shear deformation and rotary inertia are included.
TL;DR: In this paper, rate constants and product formation for hydroxyl (OH) radicals with several sulphur compounds, including OCS and carbon disulphide (CS2), were investigated.
Abstract: Several recent papers1–3 have discussed the origin of the sulphate aerosol in the stratosphere in terms of atmospheric carbonyl sulphide (OCS) and carbon disulphide (CS2). There is, however, considerable uncertainty in the life cycles and budgets of these compounds. This arises from a lack of knowledge of the various possible sources and also from the differences in the reported rate constants for the reactions of OCS and CS2 with hydroxyl (OH) radicals4,5, which provide a potentially large sink for these molecules in the troposphere. We report here measurements of rate constants and product formation for OH reaction with several sulphur compounds, including OCS and CS2. The results support the suggestion that oxidation of CS2 is a significant source of atmospheric OCS, but do not give conclusive evidence for a large sink for OCS in the troposphere.
TL;DR: The HXIS as mentioned in this paper is a joint instrument of the Space Research Laboratory at Utrecht, The Netherlands, and the Department of Space Research of the University of Birmingham, U.K., which images the Sun in hard X-rays: six energy bands in energy range 3.5-30 keV, spatial resolution 8″ over O 2′40″ and 32″ over o 6′24″ field of view, and time resolution of 0.5−7 s depending on the mode of operation.
Abstract: The HXIS, a joint instrument of the Space Research Laboratory at Utrecht, The Netherlands, and the Department of Space Research of the University of Birmingham, U.K., images the Sun in hard X-rays: Six energy bands in energy range 3.5–30 keV, spatial resolution 8″ over O 2′40″ and 32″ over O 6′24″ field of view, and time resolution of 0.5–7 s depending on the mode of operation. By means of a ‘flare flag’ it alerts all the other SMM instruments when a flare sets in and informs them about the location of the X-ray emission. The experiment should yield information about the position, extension and spectrum of the hard X-ray bursts in flares, their relation to the magnetic field structure and to the quasi-thermal soft X-rays, and about the characteristics and development of ‘type IV’ electron clouds above flare regions.
TL;DR: The results suggested that naloxone may exert a primary antidipsogenic action, that does not depend upon any suppression of feeding, and showed that nAloxone can completely abolish the thirst produced by injection of a hypertonic saline solution.
Abstract: Naloxone (0.5–5 mg/kg) reduced both food and water intake in non-deprived male rats, tested in the dark phase of the light-dark cycles in their home cages. These effects were transient; food and water-intake were restored to control levels by the end of the 8-h test period. The effects were also not dose-related. Naloxone (1 and 5 mg/kg) also reduced water-intake in water-deprived and food-deprived animals, without altering food-intake. These results suggested that naloxone may exert a primary antidipsogenic action, that does not depend upon any suppression of feeding. A final experiment showed that naloxone can completely abolish the thirst produced by injection of a hypertonic saline solution. This experiment also demonstrated that naloxone could suppress feeding, even though food intake was markedly inhibited by the osmotic thirst stimulus. Hence, the activation of feeding responses (e.g. by food deprivation) is not a necessary condition for naloxone to suppress feeding. The implications of these results for the control of feeding and drinking responses are briefly considered.
TL;DR: Research into the relationships between the extent of and holding times for postures and the effects of various recovery times are discussed, as well as the likely outcomes for a worker arising from long held or frequently adopted postures.
TL;DR: Troponin C has been isolated from rabbit slow skeletal and cardiac muscle and the complete amino acid sequence of the slow muscle protein determined and it seems very likely that trop onin C from these two tissues is the product of a single gene, in contrast to troponin I and Troponin T which are the products of different genes.
Abstract: Troponin C has been isolated from rabbit slow skeletal and cardiac muscle and the complete amino acid sequence of the slow muscle protein determined. Amino acid analysis and peptide mapping of the cardiac protein showed it to be very similar to, if not identical with, the slow muscle protein. This identity has been proved by the isolation and characterisation of tryptic peptides from the cardiac protein. It seems very likely that troponin C from these two tissues is the product of a single gene, in contrast to troponin I and troponin T which are the products of different genes. The amino acid sequences shows only one difference from that of bovine cardiac troponin C, the highly conservative replacement of an aspartic for a glutamic acid at position 115. No differences were found in the N-terminal region where these proteins appear to have a lost one of the Ca2+ binding sites found in fast skeletal muscle troponin C. The possible significance of this finding in relation to the binding of troponin C to the different types of troponin I is discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, films made from cellulose nitrate LR-115 (Pathe Kodak) and CR-39 have been used for long-term measurements of the radon-222 emanation from building materials and the resultant activity inside houses.
Abstract: Films made from cellulose nitrate LR-115 (Pathe Kodak) and CR-39 have been used for long-term measurements of the radon-222 emanation from building materials and the resultant activity inside houses. The emanation from crushed granite bricks is found to be produced from within the brick while in the clay bricks it originates in the surface layers only. The airborne radon activity inside houses constructed from clay brick is found on average to be 22 mBq 1-1 (0.57 pCi 1-1) while inside a closed vessel sealed to the brick the average equilibrium activity is 40 mBq 1-1 pCi 1-1).
TL;DR: In this paper, structural and structural studies have been carried out on the equiatomic percent alloy ZrCu using magnetic susceptibility measurements, metallography and X-ray diffraction.
Abstract: Constitutional and structural studies have been carried out on the equiatomic percent alloy ZrCu, using magnetic susceptibility measurements, metallography and X-ray diffraction. The high-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements and the metallographic studies indicate the presence of two solid state transformations in this alloy, a martensitic transformation with Ms=440±5 K and a eutectoid transformation with TE=985±5 K. Thus, if the high-temperature ZrCu phase is metastably retained to lower temperatures then the martensitic transformation is observed, whereas prolonged annealing just below TE produces a eutectoid mixture; the metallographic studies indicate that this mixture is lamellar in nature. The X-ray diffraction studies indicate that the high-temperature ZrCu phase has the b c c CsCl-type structure.
TL;DR: It is concluded that under optimal conditions of uptake and efficacy the vaccination of pre-school boys and girls will give better results than the vaccinations of 14 year old girls alone, but that where conditions are less than optimal the second policy is preferable.
Abstract: Two separate models are developed for predicting the effectiveness of alternative Rubella vaccination policies. A simple mathematical steady-state model is used to predict long-term consequences and a more complex dynamic computer-simulation model is used in order to predict shorter-term results. The dynamic model takes account of population heterogeneities of the transmission rate, as well as secular changes, together with varying levels of efficacy/uptake, different possibilities of vaccine-immunity decay, and interactions with wild-virus. It is concluded that under optimal conditions of uptake and efficacy the vaccination of pre-school boys and girls will give better results than the vaccination of 14 year old girls alone, but that where conditions are less than optimal the second policy is preferable. For the first policy, low uptake or low efficacy or moderate levels of decaying vaccine-immunity can result in severe rebounds in the incidence of CRS and the medium-term results can be worse than if no vaccination had been provided. If firm reassurance can be obtained regarding the relative permanence of vaccine-immunity, then combined vaccination programmes will give satisfactory safeguards against the risks of low uptake.
TL;DR: After the labelling and resuspension of the platelets in plasma, aggregation responses to both adenosine diphosphate and collagen were similar to those of normal platelet-rich plasma.
Abstract: 1. A detailed laboratory method is described for the labelling of human platelets with [111In]indium oxine. The 45 min method is simple, requires on 26 ml of blood and is suitable for routine clinical use. 2. After the labelling and resuspension of the platelets in plasma, aggregation responses to both adenosine diphosphate and collagen were similar to those of normal platelet-rich plasma. Less than 5% of the [111In]indium oxine was released by secretory function of platelets. 3. Labelling efficiencies of 90.1 +/- 4.29% (n = 28) were achieved in 60 s by normal concentrations of plasma-free platelet suspensions. 4. Platelet survival in vivo in healthy volunteer subjects follows a linear function with a survival time of 8.44 +/- 0.18 days.
TL;DR: Clear evidence of a psychosomatic component in colds was obtained and Introverts developed significantly worse symptoms and infections than Extraverts and life events, when they involved change in the person's general level of activity, were significantly related to magnitude of infection.
TL;DR: A retrospective survey was carried out in all hospital in-patients in whom serum calcium was elevated, and a number of cases were excluded as being spurious measurements leaving 496 cases of genuine hypercalcaemia.
Abstract: In order to provide information about the prevalence of hypercalcaemia and its different causes, a retrospective survey was carried out in all hospital in-patients in whom serum calcium was elevated. Six hundred and forty-four cases were seen in two years and eight months, but a number of these were excluded as being spurious measurements leaving 496 cases of genuine hypercalcaemia. Four hundred and sixty-nine records (95 per cent) were successfully traced and analysed. Two hundred and nineteen cases of hypercalcaemia with malignancy were found together with 68 cases with chronic renal failure and 59 cases of primary hyperparathyroidism. In 102 cases no cause was identified.
TL;DR: Lignified papillae and haloes from Botrytis cinerea inoculated wheat leaves were highly resistant to in vitro degradation by fourteen fungal species, indicating the possible importance of relatively small amounts of lignin in the resistance of wheat to fungi.
Abstract: Lignified papillae and haloes from Botrytis cinerea inoculated wheat leaves were highly resistant to in vitro degradation by fourteen fungal species. Wheat pathogens were generally no more capable of degrading the structures than non-pathogens. Papillae and haloes from leaves taken as early as 12 h after inoculation showed substantial resistance indicating the possible importance of relatively small amounts of lignin. Quantitative measurements of the release of carbohydrate from lignified and non-lignified walls by fungal culture filtrates supported these visual observations. The activities of laccase and p -coumaryl esterase in culture filtrates did not correlate with pathogenicity. The significance of the results is discussed in relation to the proposed role of lignification in the resistance of wheat to fungi.
TL;DR: Studies with pinched-off Golgi membrane vesicles, together with measurements of intracellular chemical concentrations, suggest that beta-glucose and uridine diphosphategalactose do not saturate lactose synthesis and are, therefore potentially regulatory features of this process.