Savings in relearning: II. On the formation of behavior-based trait associations and inferences.

Five experiments based on Carlston and Skowronski's (1994) relearning paradigm suggest that people spontaneously derive trait knowledge about actors from behaviors but that this knowledge may reflect either explicit trait inference processes or implicit actor–trait associations. Experiments 1 and 2 found that inference-instructed and control Ss showed equivalent savings in subsequent efforts to learn actor–trait pairs but not when instructed Ss initially inferred the wrong trait. Experiment 3 showed that savings were equivalent for stimuli from different sources, and Experiment 4 showed that savings effects persisted even when the target was only incidentally associated with a stimulus behavior. Finally, Experiment 5 suggests that after several days, even explicit trait inferences can become inaccessible to intentional retrieval, although the earlier experiments show that they continue to exert an implicit effect on learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In vitro degradation of dermal sheep collagen cross-linked using a water-soluble carbodiimide

Bacterial collagenase was used to study the susceptibility of dermal sheep collagen (DSC) cross-linked with a mixture of the water-soluble carbodiimide 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl)-carbodiimide hydrochloride and N-hydroxysuccinimide (E/N-DSC) towards enzymatic degradation. Contrary to non-cross-linked DSC (N-DSC), which had a rate of weight-loss of 18.1% per hour upon degradation, no weight loss was observed for E/N-DSC during a 24 h degradation period. The tensile strength of the E/N-DSC samples decreased during this time period, resulting in partially degraded samples having 80% of the initial tensile strength remaining. The susceptibility of E/N-DSC samples towards enzymatic degradation could be controlled by varying the degree of cross-linking of the samples. Ethylene oxide sterilization of E/N-DSC samples made the material more resistant against degradation compared with non-sterilized E/N-DSC samples. This may be explained by a decrease of the adsorption of bacterial collagenase onto the collagen owing to reaction of ethylene oxide with remaining free amine groups in the collagen matrix.     

Site and parameters of microstimulation: evidence for independent effects on the properties of saccades evoked from the primate superior colliculus

1. Microstimulation is used to investigate how activity in the superior colliculus (SC) contributes to determining the properties of primate saccadic eye movements. The site of collicular stimulation, the duration of the stimulation train, and the frequency of the stimulation train are each varied to examine the relative contributions of the locus, duration, and level of collicular activity to determining saccade amplitude, direction, duration, and velocity. 2. For any given site of stimulation, a relationship between movement amplitude and train duration can be demonstrated. Movement amplitude is a monotonically increasing, but saturating, function of increasing train duration. The size of the largest movement is dictated by the site of stimulation. Within the range over which amplitude can be modulated, movement offset is linked to the offset of the stimulation train. As a result, each decrement or increment in train duration produces a corresponding decrement or increment in movement duration. 3. The peak velocity of an evoked movement is influenced by the frequency of stimulation; a higher frequency of stimulation produces a movement of higher velocity. 4. The effects of train duration and frequency can be traded to produce movements that have comparable amplitudes but different dynamic characteristics; high-velocity movements of short duration and low-velocity movements of long duration can be produced by stimulating with high-frequency, short-duration, and low-frequency, long-duration trains, respectively. Across stimulation frequencies, the amplitude of an evoked movement is best related to the total number of pulses in the stimulation train. 5. Because it is possible to compensate for reduced velocity by increasing the duration of the stimulation train, the same site-specific maximum amplitude can be attained with different frequencies of stimulation. 6. Small, but significant, changes in movement direction occur as a result of varying train duration or train frequency. 7. The latency to movement onset (i.e., interval from stimulation onset to movement onset) depends upon the frequency of stimulation. A higher frequency of stimulation produces a movement of shorter latency. 8. These data demonstrate that both the site of stimulation and the parameters of stimulation contribute to determining the properties of a movement evoked from the primate SC. In doing so, they contradict the results of early microstimulation studies that suggest that the properties of eye movements evoked from the primate SC are determined solely by the site of stimulation. The findings conflict with the traditional view of collicular function that suggests that the collicular motor representation is purely anatomic. Rather, these data support a revised view whereby the locus, duration, and level of collicular activity contribute to determining the properties of a primate saccadic eye movement. According to this view, independent information relating to desired displacement and saccade velocity are extracted from the spatiotemporal profile of collicular activity.     

Antimicrobial effect of combinations of EDTA-Tris and amikacin or neomycin on the microorganisms associated with otitis externa in dogs

Combinations of EDTA-Tris and two aminoglycoside antibiotics (amikacin and neomycin) were tested for synergistic activities against the microorganisms associated with otitis externa in dogs and for the solutions' stability over time. Synergistic activity was observed when EDTA-Tris plus amikacin and EDTA-Tris plus neomycin were tested against Staphylococcus intermedius, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli, but not against Candida albicans. Stability studies over a 3-month period indicated that the test solutions were stable at room temperature and that their antimicrobial activity was maintained.     

The Danish Twin Apartment Study – Part II: Mathematical modeling of the relative strength of sources of indoor air pollution

Abstract This study deals with the modeling of air pollution in apartments from laboratory measurements of source strengths, using formaldehyde and Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs) as model pollutants. The sources in two test apartments were grouped into two: building-related sources and occupant-related sources. The measured source strengths and ventilation rates were used for the prediction of concentrations expected in the apartments. These predictions were compared to measurements in the apartment over 12 months. The conclusions were that the model predictions based on emission rates measured in the laboratory can be used to predict the long-term concentration of the two model pollutants in the apartments. Considering the measured differences in ventilation between the apartments, an occupant emission rate of between 0.2 and 0.3 mg/h/kg body weight could be estimated. Based on previous suggested limits of acceptable exposures of humans to VOCs, an acceptable average emission rate of VOCs from building materials in general was estimated to be about 30 (μ/m²/h. The modeling showed that during the first 200 days, building materials dominated the emissions. After this, sources relating to the occupants dominated. On average about half of the VOC pollution originated from the building materials.     

Calcium-activated neutral protease activity is decreased in PC12 cells after ethanol exposure

Calcium-activated neutral protease activity was determined in PC12 cells exposed to ethanol for 96 h using a fluorescence-based assay with N-succinyl-Leu-Tyr 7-amido-4-methylcoumarin as the substrate. Stimulated activity was measured at high (1,400 microM) or low (140 microM) Ca2+ concentrations in the presence of 20 microM ionomycin. Kinetic parameters were derived by fitting a model relating fluorescence intensity to time: F(t) = F(final)*(1 - e(-k(obs)t). Cell extracts were subjected to nondenaturing gel electrophoresis and casein zymography with quantification of the activity of the two calpain isoforms. Exposure to ethanol significantly decreased whole cell calpain activity measured by k(obs) beginning at 20 mM, to 27.8% of control at 1,400 microM Ca2+ and 29.2% of control at 140 microM Ca2+ in the presence of 20 microM ionomycin. No changes in mu-calpain or m-calpain activities were found in cell extracts from cells exposed to 20 mM ethanol, whereas at 40 and 80 mM ethanol, significant decreases in both mu-calpain and m-calpain activities were discovered.     

Aorto-left atrial fistula in prosthetic aortic endocarditis

Aortic valve endocarditis commonly leads to the formation of a root abscess, but fistulae are uncommon. The echocardiographic findings in a patient with Streptococcus viridans endocarditis of a prosthetic aortic valve associated with a fistula between the aorta and the left atrium are presented. The diagnosis was made by transthoracic echocardiography, although the transesophageal study gave higher resolution views and allowed a more confident exclusion of mitral valve involvement.     

Peak expiratory flow rate control chart in asthma care: chart construction and use in asthma care

We have analyzed X-chromosome inactivation patterns in lymphocytes of 264 females from 38 families not known to have any genetic disease. Quantitative measures of X-inactivation showed strong sister-sister correlation in the degree of departure from equal numbers of cells having each X chromosome active, suggesting heritability of this phenotype. Strong sister-sister correlation was also observed for the fraction of cells having the same parent's X chromosome active, consistent with the possibility that this trait might be controlled by a cis-acting, X-linked gene. We used a sib-pair approach to determine whether X-inactivation phenotype was linked to loci in any region of the X chromosome. Both quantitative and discrete measures of X-inactivation phenotype showed evidence of linkage to markers in the region of the X inactivation center (XIC). The quantitative measure of X-inactivation phenotype used in our study also showed linkage to loci at Xq25-q26. This study provides the first evidence for X-linked inheritance of X chromosome inactivation phenotype derived from linkage analysis in phenotypically normal human families.