Tracking the mind during reading: The influence of past, present, and future words on fixation durations.

Reading requires the orchestration of visual, attentional, language-related, and oculomotor processing constraints. This study replicates previous effects of frequency, predictability, and length of fixated words on fixation durations in natural reading and demonstrates new effects of these variables related to 144 sentences. Such evidence for distributed processing of words across fixation durations challenges psycholinguistic immediacy-of-processing and eye-mind assumptions. Most of the time the mind processes several words in parallel at different perceptual and cognitive levels. Eye movements can help to unravel these processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative studies on the enzymatic absorption of protein hydrolysates in the small intestine of the rat. 3. The absorption trypsins thermatatic and trypsin-thermatatic hydrolysates of a fava bean protein isolate compared to an equimolar mixture of free amino acids

Tryptic, thermitatic, and tryptic-thermitatic Faba bean protein hydrolyzates as well as their equimolar mixture of amino acids were perfused through proximal and distal parts of the intestine (10 cm length) of non-narcotized rats. The total amino-acid concentration of the perfused solution was 50 mM. The absorption of nitrogen and total amino acids from the tryptic and tryptic-thermitatic hydrolyzates was lower than that from the amino-acid mixture, the absorption from the thermitatic hydrolyzate was in accordance with that from the amino-acid mixture. The absorption pattern of the amino acids which preferably undergo a peptidic absorption is similar with the three hydrolyzates: in the proximal intestinal part this concerns glutamic acid and serine, in the distal intestinal part--methionine, alanine, glycin, and serine. The absorption pattern of the amino acids is different between the three hydrolyzates and the amino-acid mixture. Between the absorption pattern of the amino acids from the three hydrolyzates little differences were evident only in the proximal intestinal part. The coefficients of variation of the tryptic-thermitatic hydrolyzates are in accordance with those of the amino-acid mixture, whereas that of the thermitatic hydrolyzates is significantly lower. In the distal intestinal part all supplied forms are more rapidly absorbed than in the proximal part of the intestine.     

PH3 residues in hazelnuts, soybeans and wheat following phosphine fumigation with non-constant concentrations

In model tests hazelnuts, soy beans and wheat were fumigated with phosphine (PH3) at non constant concentrations. The influence of different concentration characteristics on the fumigation and the decomposition of phosphine residues was investigated in accordance with the fumigation technique. At the beginning the concentration increases, and after attaining the maximum gradually decreases to zero. The level of residues during the fumigation as well as the behaviour of residues during the storage of the fumigated products was monitored with a gas chromatographic method. The residues correlate with the concentration of phosphine, they also pass through a peak. The rate of decomposition of residues which had been formed in the phase of increasing concentration is greater than the rate of residues of equal magnitude which had been formed during the decreasing phase. When the concentration is even the maximum residue occurs later than the maximum concentration; when there is a steep trend both maximums coincide. This behaviour can be explained by the sorption and diffusion of phosphine. A comparison is made with the phosphine concentration which occurs during fumigation in practice. The parameters which produce a constant concentration trend with only one maximum and a non constant trend with an often increasing and decreasing concentration are discussed. The different behaviour of residues in these cases is described. Conclusions are drawn for the practice of fumigation.     

Comparative studies on the enzymatic absorption of protein hydrolysates in the small intestines of the rat. 3. The absorption of trypsin, thermitatic and trypsin thermitatic wheat gluten hydrolysates in comparison with equimolar mixtures of free amino acids

Tryptic, thermitatic, and tryptic-thermitatic wheat-gluten hydrolyzates as well as their equimolar amino-acid mixture were perfused through proximal and distal parts of the intestine (10 cm length) of non-narcotized rats. The total amino-acid concentration of the perfused solution was 50 mM. The tryptic hydrolyzate showed a significantly lower absorption of nitrogen and total amino acids than the amino-acid mixture. Both the supplied forms were very different as to their absorption pattern of the amino acids. The high variability of the percental absorption of the individual amino acids of the tryptic hydrolyzate results in a high coefficient of variation. The absorption of nitrogen and total amino acids from thermitatic and tryptic-thermitatic hydrolyzates is equal to that from the amino-acid mixture. In a peptidic form glutamic acid is more rapidly absorbed from the two hydrolyzates, and methionine from the tryptic-thermitatic hydrolyzate in both the intestinal parts. As to alanine and glycine this concerns only the distal intestinal part for both the hydrolyzates. There are no differences between the absorption patterns of the two hydrolyzates but in comparison with the amino-acid mixture and the tryptic hydrolyzate differences were evident. The coefficients of variation of both the hydrolyzates are significantly lower as compared to those of the tryptic hydrolyzate and the amino-acid mixture. All forms of supply are more rapidly absorbed in the distal than in the proximal part of the intestine.     

Inotropic effects of glyceryl trinitrate and spontaneous NO donors in the dog heart

Facial fractures may portend intracranial and skullbase injury and may lead to rapid compromise of the airway. Primary care physicians may provide emergency care for patients who have sustained facial trauma. After immediate resuscitation and stabilization, management of facial fractures requires knowledge of the anatomy, rapid treatment methods and identification of potential associated injuries for each type of facial fracture. Differentiation between the life-threatening aspects of these injuries and the less urgent, but more apparent, facial injuries will lessen the risk of complications such as bleeding, meningitis and asphyxia. Knowledge of the anatomy of the facial skeleton and of the potential injuries associated with each of the various types of facial fractures will facilitate effective management decisions. Consultation should be sought when functional features are involved or when the injury threatens to produce future cosmetic anomalies.     

Synthesis and Pharmacological In Vitro Investigations of Novel Shikonin Derivatives with a Special Focus on Cyclopropane Bearing Derivatives

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and accounts for about three quarters of all skin cancer deaths. Especially at an advanced stage, its treatment is challenging, and survival rates are very low. In previous studies, we showed that the constituents of the roots of Onosma paniculata as well as a synthetic derivative of the most active constituent showed promising results in metastatic melanoma cell lines. In the current study, we address the question whether we can generate further derivatives with optimized activity by synthesis. Therefore, we prepared 31, mainly novel shikonin derivatives and screened them in different melanoma cell lines (WM9, WM164, and MUG-Mel2 cells) using the XTT viability assay. We identified (R)-1-(1,4-dihydro-5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-dioxonaphthalen-2-yl)-4-methylpent-3-enyl 2-cyclopropyl-2-oxoacetate as a novel derivative with even higher activity. Furthermore, pharmacological investigations including the ApoToxGlo^TM Triplex assay, LDH assay, and cell cycle measurements revealed that this compound induced apoptosis and reduced cells in the G1 phase accompanied by an increase of cells in the G2/M phase. Moreover, it showed hardly any effects on the cell membrane integrity. However, it also exhibited cytotoxicity against non-tumorigenic cells. Nevertheless, in summary, we could show that shikonin derivatives might be promising drug leads in the treatment of melanoma.     

Identification of the state of palladium in various hydrogenation catalysts by XPS

Various commercial supported palladium hydrogenation catalysts were studied by XPS and treated at ambient pressure with hydrogen and air. Unused catalysts exhibit a significant fraction of divalent Pd (oxide) which is reduced by hydrogen treatment at room temperature. Exposure to air in systems with carbonate, alumina, silica or active carbon as support causes the formation of a solid solution of oxygen in Pd characterized by a Pd 3d chemical shift of ca. + 0.4 eV. The absolute binding energy of Pd depends strongly on the matrix, indicating a significant contribution of extra-atomic screening, which prevents a direct comparison of reference samples and supported catalysts. Using the oxidation of CO to CO₂ at 300 K as in situ chemical probe it was confirmed that Pd supported on carbonate, silica and alumina exists in the same metallic state which could be activated for the test reaction irrespective of the variation in XPS binding energies.     

Chemical inhibitors when timing is critical: a pharmacological concept for the maturation of T cell contacts

Cellular signal transduction proceeds through a complex network of molecular interactions and enzymatic activities. The timing of these molecular events is critical for the propagation of a signal and the generation of a specific cellular response. To define the timing of signalling events, we introduce the combination of high-resolution confocal microscopy with the application of small-molecule inhibitors at various stages of signal transduction in T cells. Inhibitors of Src-family tyrosine kinases and actin dynamics were employed to dissect the role of the lymphocyte-specific tyrosine kinase Lck in the formation and maintenance of T cell receptor/CD3-dependent contacts. Anti-CD3epsilon-coated coverslips served as a highly defined stimulus. The kinetics of the recruitment of the yellow fluorescent protein-tagged signalling protein ZAP-70 were detected by high-resolution confocal microscopy. The analysis revealed that at 5 min after receptor engagement, Lck activity was required for maintenance of contacts. In contrast, after 20 min of receptor engagement, the contacts were Lck-independent. The relevance of the timing of inhibitor application provides a pharmacological concept for the maturation of T cell-substrate contacts.