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Biomedical subjects

W L Gardner

Publications and source records attributed to W L Gardner.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Heterologous expression of archaeal selenoprotein genes directed by the SECIS element located in the 3' non-translated region.

Previous in silico analysis of selenoprotein genes in Archaea revealed that the selenocysteine insertion (SECIS) motif necessary to recode UGA with selenocysteine was not adjacent to the UGA codon as is found in Bacteria. Rather, paralogous stem-loop structures are located in the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR), reminiscent of the situation in Eukarya. To assess the function of such putative SECIS elements, the Methanococcus jannaschii MJ0029 (fruA, which encodes the A subunit of the coenzyme F420-reducing hydrogenase) mRNA was mapped in vivo and probed enzymatically in vitro. It was shown that the SECIS element is indeed transcribed as part of the respective mRNA and that its secondary structure corresponds to that predicted by RNA folding programs. Its ability to direct selenocysteine insertion in vivo was demonstrated by the heterologous expression of MJ0029 in Methanococcus maripaludis, resulting in the synthesis of an additional selenoprotein, as analysed by 75Se labelling. The selective advantage of moving the SECIS element in the untranslated region may confer the ability to insert more than one selenocysteine into a single polypeptide. Evidence for this assumption was provided by the finding that the M. maripaludis genome contains an open reading frame with two in frame TGA codons, followed by a stem-loop structure in the 3' UTR of the mRNA that corresponds to the archaeal SECIS element.

3' Untranslated Regions↗
PubMed2000

The pleasures and pains of distinct self-construals: the role of interdependence in regulatory focus.

Regulatory focus theory distinguishes between self-regulatory processes that focus on promotion and prevention strategies for goal pursuit. Five studies provide support for the hypothesis that these strategies differ for individuals with distinct self-construals. Specifically, individuals with a dominant independent self-construal were predicted to place more emphasis on promotion-focused information, and those with a dominant interdependent self-construal on prevention-focused information. Support for this hypothesis was obtained for participants who scored high versus low on the Self-Construal Scale, participants who were presented with an independent versus interdependent situation, and participants from a Western versus Eastern culture. The influence of interdependence on regulatory focus was observed in both importance ratings of information and affective responses consistent with promotion or prevention focus.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Work values among Lebanese workers.

On the basis of a review of the existing literature, the authors tested 4 hypotheses to determine the applicability of work values in Arab societies to employees in Lebanese organizations. Only 1 hypothesis was supported: Organizational policies that ran counter to the worker's religious values had an adverse effect on job satisfaction. There was no support for the hypotheses (a) that workers' religiosity in inversely related to positive attitudes toward women's involvement at work, (b) that employee satisfaction is related to a mechanistic organizational design, or (c) that workers with an internal locus of control experience higher job satisfaction. The Lebanese workers, thus, did not appear to share some of the attributes claimed to exist in Arab societies.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Are there "his" and "hers" types of interdependence? The implications of gender differences in collective versus relational interdependence for affect, behavior, and cognition.

In a recent review, S. E. Cross and L. Madson (1997) forwarded that many gender differences in social experience and behavior may be better understood through consideration of gender differences in independence and interdependence. In the current studies an expansion of the model to include both relational and collective aspects of interdependence was investigated (see R. F. Baumeister & K. L. Sommer, 1997). On the basis of the literature regarding gender differences in affect, behavior, and cognition, it was hypothesized that women would focus more on the relational aspects of interdependence, whereas men would focus more on the collective aspects of interdependence. Five studies in which gender differences in self-construals, emotional experience, selective memory, and behavioral intentions were examined supported the expansion of the model to include both relational and collective aspects of interdependence.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Expression vectors for Methanococcus maripaludis: overexpression of acetohydroxyacid synthase and beta-galactosidase.

A series of integrative and shuttle expression vectors was developed for use in Methanococcus maripaludis. The integrative expression vectors contained the Methanococcus voltae histone promoter and multiple cloning sites designed for efficient cloning of DNA. Upon transformation, they can be used to overexpress specific homologous genes in M. maripaludis. When tested with ilvBN, which encodes the large and small subunits of acetohydroxyacid synthase, transformants possessed specific activity 13-fold higher than that of the wild type. An expression shuttle vector, based on the cryptic plasmid pURB500 and the components of the integrative vector, was also developed for the expression of heterologous genes in M. maripaludis. The beta-galactosidase gene from Escherichia coli was expressed to approximately 1% of the total cellular protein using this vector. During this work, the genes for the acetohydroxyacid synthase (ilvBN) and phosphoenolpyruvate synthase (ppsA) were sequenced from a M. maripaludis genomic library.

Acetolactate Synthase↗
PubMed1999

Emotion.

We review recent trends and methodological issues in assessing and testing theories of emotion, and we review evidence that form follows function in the affect system. Physical limitations constrain behavioral expressions and incline behavioral predispositions toward a bipolar organization, but these limiting conditions appear to lose their power at the level of underlying mechanisms, where a bivalent approach may provide a more comprehensive account of the affect system.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Bioelectrical echoes from evaluative categorization: II. A late positive brain potential that varies as a function of attitude registration rather than attitude report.

We report evidence of both correspondence and independence between participants' attitude report and a late positive potential (LPP) of the event-related potential. Attitude reports and LPPs to positive, neutral, and negative stimuli that were preceded by positive stimuli were recorded while participants either reported accurately their attitudes or misreported neutral or negative attitudes. Evaluatively inconsistent, in contrast to consistent, stimuli evoked a larger LPP regardless of whether participants reported accurately or misreported their attitudes. These results were replicated in a second study in which attitude reports and LPPs to negative, neutral, and positive stimuli that were preceded by negative stimuli were recorded. Findings suggest that the LPP evoked during evaluative judgments reflects attitude categorization rather than attitude report processes and can potentially assess attitudes that people are unwilling to report.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Bioelectrical echoes from evaluative categorizations: I. A late positive brain potential that varies as a function of trait negativity and extremity.

Attitudes can be conceptualized in terms of the elementary operations of evaluative categorization and response selection-execution. This article describes a component of the event-related potential that is associated with the first of these operations. Ss were exposed to sequences of 6 traits and performed a dichotomous evaluative categorization task. Evaluative inconsistency was varied by embedding very positive, moderately positive, moderately negative, and very negative traits in sequences containing predominantly very positive traits. Highly and moderately evaluatively inconsistent traits, compared with mildly inconsistent or consistent traits, evoked a larger amplitude late positive potential (LPP) that was maximal over centroparietal regions. Furthermore, extremely evaluatively inconsistent traits evoked a larger amplitude LPP than moderately evaluatively inconsistent traits even though both sets of traits were judged to be negative.

Affect↗
PubMed1993

What underlies medical donor attitudes and behavior?

Donor attitudes, intentions, and behaviors have typically been conceptualized as organized along a bipolar continuum. This conceptualization is evident in I. G. Sarason et al.'s study of increasing participation in a bone-marrow registry in this issue. When the cumulative research on blood, bone-marrow, and organ donor behavior is considered, however, evidence suggests that a single, bipolar continuum may be insufficient and that a 2-dimensional (Positivity x Negativity) evaluative space may be minimally required to effectively represent and target the underlying substrates of donor behaviors. Negative beliefs and fears may constitute a particularly difficult obstacle to inducing donor behaviors and, thus, to promoting self-perceptions by people as donors. Understanding and changing these negative substrates, therefore, may be important if public health campaigns to increase donor behavior are to be cost-effective.

Attitude to Health↗