Line Bisection in the Split Brain.

The authors examined line bisection in 4 patients with resection of the corpus callosum and in 22 control participants. The control participants showed a leftward bias, especially with the left hand, implying right-hemispheric dominance in spatial attention. Two patients with anterior callosotomy showed similar biases, suggesting that the anterior callosum plays only a small role. A patient with complete callosotomy showed a strong right bias, regardless of hand use. A patient with posterior callosotomy showed the opposite pattern: a strong left bias, regardless of hand use. These data suggest that the posterior corpus callosum normally plays a role in line bisection and that the resection of the posterior corpus callosum produces consistent bias. The direction of the bias depends on which hemisphere assumes control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Polysulfones and their derivatives: Materials for membranes for different separation operations

Polysulfones, as well as their derivatives obtained by chemical reactions, are versatile materials for membrane preparation. The selection of an optimum material clearly depends on the separation process for which the membranes will be used. Membranes made from these materials may serve diverse functions, ranging from an actual permselective separation barrier to a support for a thin membrane layer in a composite structure. Illustrative examples of polysulfone membranes useful in these various applications are given and compared with respect to their cross-sectional and/or their surface morphology as well as in their surface charge and chemical composition.     

Dislodgement of a Wiktor stent during intracoronary ultrasound examination

We report a case of stent dislodgement complicating adjuvant intracoronary ultrasound (ICUS) imaging that required emergency coronary bypass grafting. This probably very rare complication gains importance since ICUS is increasingly used to confirm adequate stent expansion and full coverage of the lesion.     

Use of immobilised bacteria for the wastewater treatment--examples from the sugar industry.

This work focuses on the implementation of high performance systems to the wastewater treatment of sugar factories. For this purpose, systems with immobilised bacteria were studied. For the hydrolysis of organic matter and denitrification, fluidized bed reactors were used. The nitrification was studied with an airlift reactor system. Both hydrolysis and nitrogen elimination were investigated on laboratory and pilot scales in sugar factories. Although with porous materials higher biomass concentrations are attainable for the hydrolysis (up to 55 kg/m3), for economical reasons sand was used (22.5 kg/m3) for the pilot scale-study. With a pilot-scale reactor (volume 1 m3) the maximum sucrose conversion rate achieved with sand in the first campaign was 52 kg/(m3 d). For the nitrogen elimination on the pilot scale, a system with denitrification and nitrification was combined. The highest performance for the nitrification (reactor volume: 0.68 m3) with pumice as support material was 1.2 kg NH4-N/(m3 d), limiting the whole system. The denitrification rate (reactor volume: 0.12 m3) was four times higher (3.5-5 kg NO3-N/(m3 d). Rules of the modelling of the system are discussed.     

Effect of the full refining process on rice bran oil composition and its heat stability

The effects of the chemical refining process on the minor compounds of rice bran oil and its heat stability were investigated. After 8 h of heating, about 50% and 30% of total tocopherols remained in crude and refined rice bran oil, respectively. The individual tocopherols were differently affected by the refining process. The order of heat stability of tocopherols and tocotrienols in crude oil was found to be different from that in fully refined oil. A similar tendency was observed for sterols. After 8 h of heating, 65% and 72% of total sterols, and 14% and 46% of sterol esters, of crude or fully refined rice bran oil, respectively, disappeared. The heating process led to a 4% and 10.3% increase in polymer contents in crude and refined rice bran oil, respectively. Although refined rice bran oil showed good heat stability, when compared to crude oil its heat stability was decreased to some extent.     

Messung der Auflösung von Graphit in flüssigem Eisen durch Verfolgung des Auftriebs

Theoretische Beschreibung des Meßverfahrens. Experimentelle Durchführung. Ergebnisse: Stoffübergangszahl, Diffusionskoeffizient, Temperaturabhängigkeit, Einfluß des Schwefels auf die Graphitauflösung. Diskussion.     

Virgin hemp seed oil: An interesting niche product

Virgin hemp seed oil is not widespread on the market, although it is characterised by an interesting fatty acid composition with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Linoleic acid is the predominant fatty acid, which comes, together with α‐linolenic acid (18:3n‐3), to approximately 80% of the total fatty acids. From a nutritional point of view, up to 7% γ‐linolenic acid (18:3n‐6) and 2.5% stearidonic acid (18:4n‐3) are very interesting. The total amount of tocopherols is high between 80 and 110 mg/100 g, with γ‐tocopherol as the main tocopherol (85%). Due to the high amount of unsaturated fatty acids, hemp seed oil is very susceptible to oxidative deterioration, which results in a fast impairment of the oil during storage. In addition, the high amounts of chlorophyll in the oil due to harvesting of high amounts of immature seeds require light protection, which is often neglected because of merchandising purposes. The virgin oil is characterised by a nutty taste with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The use of virgin hemp seed oil is recommended during mild processing of food without heat.     

Sensory assessment of virgin rapeseed oils

Virgin rapeseed oil is appreciated for its unique fresh and mild taste that resembles asparagus, cabbage or fresh green vegetables. These flavour properties are directly correlated with the value of the oil for the consumer and determine the success or failure of this product on the market. The sensory assessment of virgin rapeseed oils is presented, the advantages and challenges of a panel group are discussed, and the preparation of test samples with known off‐flavours is explained. Another way to improve the acceptability of virgin rapeseed oil on the market and to strengthen the confidence of the consumer in this product is to award good products with the German Society for Fat Science (DGF) medal.     

Synthesis and properties of a mitochondrial peripheral benzodiazepine receptor conjugate

Peripheral benzodiazepine receptors are potential targets for cancer therapeutics through the use of specific ligands such as the pro-apoptotic benzodiazepine RO5-4864. However, the poor water solubility of this compound has been a limitation to its application in vivo. Herein we describe an efficient synthesis for the conjugation, via a cleavable linker arm, of RO5-4864 to a novel tumour-delivery tool, the B-subunit of Shiga toxin (STxB). The conjugate is water soluble and specifically targets cancer cells that overexpress the glycolipid Gb3, the cellular Shiga toxin receptor that is found on several human tumours. After internalisation via retrograde transport, the prodrug is cleaved inside cells to release the active principle. Delivery by STxB therefore increases the cytotoxic activity of RO5-4864 and its tumour specificity.