The time course of plausibility effects on eye movements in reading: Evidence from noun-noun compounds.

Readers' eye movements were monitored as they read sentences containing noun-noun compounds that varied in frequency (e.g., elevator mechanic, mountain lion). The left constituent of the compound was either plausible or implausible as a head noun at the point at which it appeared, whereas the compound as a whole was always plausible. When the head noun analysis of the left constituent was implausible, reading times on this word were inflated, beginning with the first fixation. This finding is consistent with previous demonstrations of very rapid effects of plausibility on eye movements. Compound frequency did not modulate the plausibility effect, and all disruption was resolved by the time readers' eyes moved to the next word. These findings suggest (contra Kennison, 2005) that the parser initially analyzes a singular noun as a head instead of a modifier. In addition, the findings confirm that the very rapid effect of plausibility on eye movements is not due to strategic factors, because in the present experiment, unlike in previous demonstrations, this effect appeared in sentences that were globally plausible. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Isolation of two nitrogen-free toxins from tung kernels

Summary A procedure is described for isolating two nitrogen-free toxins from tung kernels and from press cake. Chick-feeding tests were used to determine which fraction was toxic at every separation. Both substances were highly toxic as 10-mg. doses killed 4-day old chicks. These substances were shown by chromatography on glass paper to be different and chromatography homogeneous, but also unstable. The elementary composition, hydroxyl content, saponification value, and specific rotation for the two toxins are given. One of the laboratories of the Southern Utilization Research and Development Division, Agricultural Research Service, U, S. Department of Agriculture.     

Elimination of the halphen response of cottonseed oils in conjunction with deodorization

Two simple but effective pilot-plant processes were developed to produce Halphen-negative cottonseed oil. Both involve treatment of the oil with cottonseed fatty acids in a conventional batch type of deodorizer in conjunction with deodorization. In one process, in which the acids were added to the oil, the cyclopropenoids were inactivated in as short a time as 5 min after the oil reached the maximum temperature of 450–455 F. In the other, in which the acids were generated in situ, the oil did not become Halphennegative until about an hour and 45 min after it reached maximum temperature. The excess acids produced by both methods were readily removed during conventional deodorization. In contrast, deodorization alone reduced the cyclopropenoid content of the oil to a low level (0.02%) but did not render it Halphen-negative even after 3 hr at maximum temperature. These new processes are directly applicable for use by refineries that have the batch type of deodorizers. For refineries that operate continuous or semicontinuous deodorizers, it should be relatively simple to design preheating vessels or heat exchangers to inactivate partially or completely the cyclopropenoids before deodorization. Presented at the AOCS Meeting, New Orleans, May 1967. So. Utiliz. Res. Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.     

Pan-Lysyl Oxidase Inhibitor PXS-5505 Ameliorates Multiple-Organ Fibrosis by Inhibiting Collagen Crosslinks in Rodent Models of Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterised by progressive multiple organ fibrosis leading to morbidity and mortality. Lysyl oxidases play a vital role in the cross-linking of collagens and subsequent build-up of fibrosis in the extracellular matrix. As such, their inhibition provides a novel treatment paradigm for SSc. A novel small molecule pan-lysyl oxidase inhibitor, PXS-5505, currently in clinical development for myelofibrosis treatment was evaluated using in vivo rodent models resembling the fibrotic conditions in SSc. Both lysyl oxidase and lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) expression were elevated in the skin and lung of SSc patients. The oral application of PXS-5505 inhibited lysyl oxidase activity in the skin and LOXL2 activity in the lung. PXS-5505 exhibited anti-fibrotic effects in the SSc skin mouse model, reducing dermal thickness and α-smooth muscle actin. Similarly, in the bleomycin-induced mouse lung model, PXS-5505 reduced pulmonary fibrosis toward normal levels, mediated by its ability to normalise collagen/elastin crosslink formation. PXS-5505 also reduced fibrotic extent in models of the ischaemia-reperfusion heart, the unilateral ureteral obstruction kidney, and the CCl4-induced fibrotic liver. PXS-5505 consistently demonstrates potent anti-fibrotic efficacy in multiple models of organ fibrosis relevant to the pathogenesis of SSc, suggesting that it may be efficacious as a novel approach for treating SSc.     

Prevalence of microbial biofilms on selected fresh produce and household surfaces

Investigations of biofilms in domestic environments are sparsely represented in the literature. In this study, samples of various household surfaces, including food, laundry and kitchen items, were analyzed for evidence of biofilm presence. Visualization of the surfaces was carried out using cryostage scanning electron microscopy (CSEM) and light microscopy. Qualitative evidence of the presence of biofilm formation was obtained from all of the sample groups analyzed, suggesting the widespread existence of microorganisms in biofilms on domestic surfaces. This suggests that biofilms may be important in household hygiene, and highlights the need for standardized, approved biofilm methods suitable for consumer products testing.     

Experimental measurements of load and strip profile in thin strip rolling

Experiments are described in which plasticine strips are rolled using elastomer rolls. Conditions cover the range from “thick strip” behaviour, in which roll elastic deformations are small, to “thin strip rolling”, in which elastic deformations of the rolls are very significant. Results provide the first direct experimental confirmation of the thin strip rolling model proposed by Fleck et al. (Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs B206 (1992) 119–131). Strip profiles clearly show a short region of reduction at the inlet to the bite and a central region which is relatively flat, in accord with the theory. The profiles do not however show a short region of reduction at the exit as predicted. For intermediate strip thicknesses the measured loads are in reasonable agreement with theory. For the thinnest strips, although the form of the dependence of load on reduction and inlet strip thickness is as predicted by theory, the measured loads are almost an order of magnitude lower than predicted. It is suggested that this is caused either by differences between the assumed rigid–perfectly plastic strip and the real constitutive behaviour of the plasticine, or by errors in treating the rolls as elastic half-spaces, an approximation which is accurate for industrial metal rolling, but is not good for the conditions of these experiments.     

The Importance of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 4 (GRK4) in Pathogenesis of Salt Sensitivity,Salt Sensitive Hypertension and Response to Antihypertensive Treatment

Salt sensitivity is probably caused by either a hereditary or acquired defect of salt excretion by the kidney, and it is reasonable to consider that this is the basis for differences in hypertension between black and white people. Dopamine acts in an autocrine/paracrine fashion to promote natriuresis in the proximal tubule and thick ascending loop of Henle. G-protein receptor kinases (or GRKs) are serine and threonine kinases that phosphorylate G protein-coupled receptors in response to agonist stimulation and uncouple the dopamine receptor from its G protein. This results in a desensitisation process that protects the cell from repeated agonist exposure. GRK4 activity is increased in spontaneously hypertensive rats, and infusion of GRK4 antisense oligonucleotides attenuates the increase in blood pressure (BP). This functional defect is replicated in the proximal tubule by expression of GRK4 variants namely p.Arg65Leu, p.Ala142Val and p.Val486Ala, in cell lines, with the p.Ala142Val showing the most activity. In humans, GRK4 polymorphisms were shown to be associated with essential hypertension in Australia, BP regulation in young adults, low renin hypertension in Japan and impaired stress-induced Na excretion in normotensive black men. In South Africa, GRK4 polymorphisms are more common in people of African descent, associated with impaired Na excretion in normotensive African people, and predict blood pressure response to Na restriction in African patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension. The therapeutic importance of the GRK4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was emphasised in the African American Study of Kidney Disease (AASK) where African-Americans with hypertensive nephrosclerosis were randomised to receive amlodipine, ramipril or metoprolol. Men with the p.Ala142Val genotype were less likely to respond to metoprolol, especially if they also had the p.Arg65Leu variant. Furthermore, in the analysis of response to treatment in two major hypertension studies, the 65Leu/142Val heterozygote predicted a significantly decreased response to atenolol treatment, and the 65Leu/142Val heterozygote and 486Val homozygote were associated in an additive fashion with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, independent of BP. In conclusion, there is considerable evidence that GRK4 variants are linked to impaired Na excretion, hypertension in animal models and humans, therapeutic response to dietary Na restriction and response to antihypertensive drugs. It may also underlie the difference in hypertension between different geographically derived population groups, and form a basis for pharmacogenomic approaches to treatment of hypertension.     

Still no phonological typicality effect on word reading time (and no good explanation of one, either): A rejoinder to Farmer, Monaghan, Misyak, and Christiansen.

In this brief rejoinder, we respond to Farmer, Monaghan, Misyak, and Christiansen (2011). We argue that the data still do not support the claim that reading time is affected by the phonological typicality of a word for its part of speech. We also question Farmer et al.'s claim that interleaving syntactic structures in an experiment modifies grammatically based syntactic expectations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Flexibility in the length of convolutions computed using Fourier-like fast transform algorithms

An efficient method of achieving flexibility in the length of discrete convolutions, computed using Fourier and Fourier-like fast transform algorithms, is described. Then this method is extended to discrete multidimensional convolutions computed using polynomial transforms.     

Selection mechanisms in reading lexically ambiguous words.

Readers' eye movements were monitored as they read sentences containing lexically ambiguous words. The ambiguous words were either biased (one strongly dominant interpretation) or nonbiased. Readers' gaze durations were longer on nonbiased than biased words when the disambiguating information followed the target word. In Experiment 1, reading times on the disambiguating word did not differ whether the disambiguation followed the target word immediately or occurred several words later. In Experiment 2, prior disambiguation eliminated the long gaze durations on nonbiased target words but resulted in long gaze durations on biased target words if the context demanded the subordinate meaning. The results indicate that successful integration of one meaning with prior context terminates the search for alternative meanings of that word. This results in selective (single meaning) access when integration of a dominant meaning is fast (due to a biasing context) and identification of a subordinate meaning is slow (a strongly biased ambiguity with low-frequency meaning). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)