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The Changhsingian (Late Permian) Hambast Formation of sections at Baghuk Mountain (Central Iran) has yielded diverse ammonoid assemblages composed of the genera Pseudogastrioceras, Shevyrevites, Arasella, Dzhulfites, Paratirolites, Clivotirolites gen. nov., Esfahanites gen. nov., Alibashites, Lutites gen. nov., Abichites and Stoyanowites. The succession of ammonoid species allows for a subdivision of the rock unit into biozones, which largely correlate with the occurrences in north-western Iran. Three new genera, Clivotirolites Korn & Hairapetian gen. nov., Esfahanites Korn & Hairapetian gen. nov. and Lutites Korn & Hairapetian gen. nov., as well as 19 new species are described: Shevyrevites corrugatus Korn & Hairapetian sp. nov., Arasella falcata Korn & Hairapetian sp. nov., Dzhulfites brevisellatus Korn & Hairapetian sp. nov., Paratirolites rubens Korn & Hairapetian sp. nov., Paratirolites lanceolobatus Korn & Hairapetian sp. nov., Paratirolites robustus Korn & Hairapetian sp. nov., Paratirolites baghukensis Korn & Hairapetian sp. nov., Paratirolites aduncus Korn & Hairapetian sp. nov., Clivotirolites decoratus Korn & Hairapetian gen. et sp. nov., Clivotirolites petilus Korn & Hairapetian gen. et sp. nov., Esfahanites armatus Korn & Hairapetian gen. et sp. nov., Lutites paucis Korn & Hairapetian gen. et sp. nov., Lutites lyriformis Korn & Hairapetian gen. et sp. nov., Lutites profundus Korn & Hairapetian gen. et sp. nov., Lutites alius Korn & Hairapetian gen. et sp. nov., Lutites plicatus Korn & Hairapetian gen. et sp. nov., Abichites ovalis Korn & Hairapetian sp. nov., Abichites infirmus Korn & Hairapetian sp. nov. and Stoyanowites parallelus Korn & Hairapetian sp. nov. The material described here is, together with the material from NW Iran, the most diverse assemblage known from the interval before the end-Permian mass extinction.
The pharciceratid ammonoids from the Roteisenstein Formation of Dillenburg (Cephalopoda, Ammonoidea)
(2021)
The ammonoids of the suborder Pharciceratina from the Red Ironstone Formation of the area around Dillenburg (eastern Rhenish Mountains) are revised, mainly based on historical collections stored in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin. The genus Evopharciceras gen. nov. and the following species are newly described: Maenioceras ornatum sp. nov., Pharciceras beyrichi sp. nov., Pharciceras kruegeri sp. nov., Pharciceras ferrum sp. nov., Evopharciceras formosum gen. et sp. nov., Extropharciceras metallicum sp. nov., Lunupharciceras kochi sp. nov., Stenopharciceras lotzi sp. nov., Pluripharciceras ahlburgi sp. nov. and Sandbergeroceras archiaci sp. nov. Neotypes are proposed for the species Extropharciceras becheri (von Buch, 1832) and Sandbergeroceras costatum (d’Archiac & de Verneuil, 1842). The stratigraphic distribution of the genera is discussed; they are assigned to three assemblages: (1) Maenioceras terebratum Zone (early Givetian; two species), (2) Pseudoprobeloceras pernai Zone (latest Givetian; fifteen species) and (3) Sandbergeroceras costatum Zone (early Frasnian; three species).
The ammonoids of the suborder Gephuroceratina from the Roteisenstein (Red Ironstone) Formation of the area around Dillenburg (eastern Rhenish Mountains) are revised, mainly based on historical collections stored in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin. The new species Ponticeras materni sp. nov. is described and the species Pseudoprobeloceras pernai (Wedekind, 1918), Pseudoprobeloceras applanatum (Wedekind, 1918), Ponticeras aequabile (Beyrich, 1837), Darkaoceras galeatum (Matern, 1931), Taouzites acutus (Matern, 1931), Koenenites lamellosus (Sandberger & Sandberger, 1851), Acanthoclymenia forcipifera (Sandberger & Sandberger, 1851) and Acanthoclymenia planorbis (Sandberger & Sandberger, 1851) are revised. The stratigraphic distribution of the genera is discussed; they are assigned to three assemblages: (1) Pseudoprobeloceras pernai Zone (latest Givetian; genera Pseudoprobeloceras, Ponticeras, Darkaoceras and Taouzites), (2) Koenenites lamellosus Zone (early Frasnian, containing Koenenites lamellosus and Acanthoclymenia forcipifera) and (3) Mesobeloceras kayseri Zone (middle Frasnian, containing Acanthoclymenia planorbis).
The tornoceratid ammonoids from the Roteisenstein Formation of Dillenburg (Cephalopoda, Ammonoidea)
(2022)
The ammonoids of the suborder Tornoceratina from the Middle to Late Devonian Red Ironstone Formation of the area around Dillenburg (eastern Rhenish Mountains) are revised, mainly based on historical collections stored in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin. The species Tornoceras typus (Sandberger & Sandberger, 1851), Tornoceras frechi Wedekind, 1918 and Epitornoceras mithracoides (Frech, 1888) are re-described based on the original material from the Red Ironstone. The new genus Lentitornoceras gen. nov. is proposed for the new species L. materni gen. et sp. nov.; the new genus Paucitornoceras gen. nov. is proposed with the type species Goniatites paucistriatus. Epitornoceras transmediterraneum sp. nov. is described from the Anti-Atlas of Morocco and compared with E. mithracoides.
Coiled nautiloids of the Tournaisian and early to middle Viséan (Early Carboniferous) have so far only become known from a few regions. Here we describe material from five localities in southern Algeria; these belong to four stratigraphic horizons (two horizons in the late Tournaisian, one horizon near the Tournaisian–Viséan boundary, one horizon in the early to middle Viséan). From these, the new genera Stroborineceras gen. nov. and Trilobitoceras gen. nov. and the following new species are described: Rineceras tenerum sp. nov., Stroborineceras insalahensis gen. et sp. nov., Stroborineceras felis gen. et sp. nov., Stroboceras mane sp. nov., Stroboceras ancilis sp. nov., Vestinautilus angulatus sp. nov., Vestinautilus papilio sp. nov., Vestinautilus inflexus sp. nov., Vestinautilus bicristatus sp. nov., Trilobitoceras peculiaris gen. et sp. nov., Aphelaeceras azzelmattiense sp. nov., Maccoyoceras saharensis sp. nov., Maccoyoceras habadraense sp. nov. and Maccoyoceras concavum sp. nov.
This synonymic list of the flat bugs (Aradidae) ofthe world enumerates 1,798 species in 211 genera. Names of eight fossil species are given in their original combination in modern genera. The list is introduced by brief discussions of habits, food, ecology and distribution. Many taxonomic innovations are included, as follows: Subfamily Chinamyersiinae is divided into two new tribes, Chinamyersiini and Tretocorini; the subfamily Prosympiestinae is divided into two new tribes, Llaimacorini and Prosympiestini. All currently recognized subgenera are raised to generic rank: Aneurillus, Breviscutaneurus, lralunelus, and Paraneurus from Aneurus; Miraradus and Quilnus from Aradus; Lissaptera and Nesiaptera from Acaraptera; Neoproxius and Nesoproxius from Proxius (see list below for new combinations resulting). Three genus-group names are raised from synonymy: Aneurosoma; Burgeonia and Brachyrhynchus. One genus-group name is reduced to synonymy; Zimera as a junior synonym of Brachyrhynchus. The following new species-genus combinations are made, these mostly resulting from elevation of subgenera to generic status or species transfers. In Aneurillus - borneensis, cetratus, cheesmanae, consimilis, doesbergi, foliaceus, glaberrimus, gracilis, jacobsoni, longicollis, papuasicus, pumilus, superbus; in Aneurosoma - dissimile; in Aneurus - septentrionalis; in Aradus - dignatus; in Arbanatus - asiaticus, loriae; in Brachyrhynchus - affinis, amplicollis, andamanensis, angolensis, armigerus, australis, bergrothi, bergrothianus, bhoutanensis, breuiceps, burmensis, confectus, confusus, consimilis, crenatus, dentipes, discrepans, dispar, duboisi, elegans, exarmatus, funebrus, furcatulus, furcatus, germari, gracilicornis, granos us, hospidus, hoberlandti, horridus, hsiaoi, incisus, incognitus, insignis, intermedius, javanensis, kachenensis, kerzhneri, lindemannae, longicornis, longirostris, luberoensis, luzonicus, machadoi, madagascariensis, mauricii, membranaceus, micronesicus, monedulus, mario, ouerlaeti, parallelus, pauper, philippinensis, piliferus, poriaicolus, projectus, quadridentatus, quadrispinosus, rossi, rugosus, scrupulosus, serratus, similis, solomonensis, spinipes, stolidus, subinermis, subtriangulus, sulcatus, sulcicornis, sumatrensis, taiwanicus, teter, thailandicus, triangulus, tristis, urijdaghi; in Breviscutaneurus - breviscutatus, helenae, madagascariensis, medioscutatus; in Burgeonia - burgeon, dilatatus, froidebisei, intermedius, kormileui, madagascariensis, maynei, paruus, schoutedeni, usingeri; in Chiastoplonia - pusio; in lralunellus - aibonitensis, bergi, bispinosus, boliuianus, carioca, costariquensis, flavomaculatus, ftitzi, gallicus, leptocerus, longicornis, marginalis, monrosi, plaumanni, politus, sahlbergi, simulans, subdipterous, tenuis, westwoodi, wygodzinsky; in Miraradus - foliaceus, himalayensis, mirabilis, oeruendetes; in Neoproxius - amazonicus, carioca, costariquensis, gypsatus, incaicus, lindemannae, magdalenae, nicaraguensis, palliatus, panamensis, personatus, peruuianus, schwarzii; in Nesiaptera - denticulata, gibbosa, ouata, rotundata, tuberculata, zimmermani; in Nesoproxius - angulatus, constrictus, gracilis, hexagonalis, malayensis, minutus, punctulatus, vietnamensis, yoshimotoi; in Neuroctenus - ghesqueri; in Oreossa - insignis; in Quilnus - amurensis, breuirostris, discedens, heidemanni, niger, nigrinus, oregonicus, paruicollis, subsimilis, usingeri. Three new species names are proposed: Brachyrhynchus pauper for the preoccupied Mezira modesta Kormilev, 1972; Mezira uicina for the preoccupied Mezira proxima Kormilev, 1982; and Mezira doesburgi for the preoccupied Mezira surinamensis Kormilev, 1974. Five new species-synonymys are made: Aradus centriguttatus as a junior synonym of Aradus similis; Mezira jacobsoni as a junior synonym of Daulocoris cornigerus; Mezira modesta as a junior synonym of Brachyrhynchus membranaceus; Neuroctenus breuicornis as a junior synonym of Neuroctenus ater; Notoplocaptera malaisei as a junior synonym of Zoroaptera malaisei. Four new emendations of gender endings are proposed for the species name "halaszfyi": Artabanus halaszfyae, Chelysosoma halaszfyae, Ctenoneurus halaszfyae, Mezira halaszfyae.
Previous studies document a relationship between gambling activity at the aggregate level and investments in securities with lottery-like features. We combine data on individual gambling consumption with portfolio holdings and trading records to examine whether gambling and trading act as substitutes or complements. We find that gamblers are more likely than the average investor to hold lottery stocks, but significantly less likely than active traders who do not gamble. Our results suggest that gambling behavior across domains is less relevant compared to other portfolio characteristics that predict investing in high-risk and high-skew securities, and that gambling on and off the stock market act as substitutes to satisfy the same need, e.g., sensation seeking.
Background: High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) allows to inflict intracorporal thermal lesions without penetrating the skin or damaging the surrounding tissue. This analysis intends to assess the magnitude of HIFU-induced ablations within benign thyroid nodules using scintigraphic imaging with 99mTc.
Methods: Ten cold, hot, or indifferent nodules were treated using multiple pulses of HIFU to induce temperatures of around 85°C within the ablation zone. Pre- and posttreatment, uptake values of 99mTc pertechnetate or 99mTc-MIBI were recorded. The pre-post reduction of nodular uptake was evaluated to assess ablation magnitude.
Results: Relative nodular uptake in relation to total thyroidal uptake decreased after one session of HIFU in all cases. Median 99mTc-MIBI uptake reduction was 35.5% (ranging from 11% to 57%; p < 0.1), while 99mTc-pertechnetate scintigraphy showed a median uptake reduction of 27% (range 10% to 44%; p < 0.1). No major complications were observed.
Conclusions: HIFU appears to be safe and is an easy to perform means of thermal ablation. This study shows that HIFU treatment in thyroidal nodules can be evaluated by scintigraphic means shortly after the intervention. Due to small sample size, the exact magnitude of HIFU ablation efficiency in thyroidal nodules remains a value to beassessed in a larger study.
Background: Because Endomyocardial Biopsy has low sensitivity of about 20%, it can be performed near to myocardium that presented as Late Gadolinium Enhancement (LGE) in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). However the important issue of comparing topography of CMR and histological findings has not yet been investigated. Thus the current study was performed using an animal model of myocarditis. Results: In 10 male Lewis rats Experimental Autoimmune myocarditis was induced, 10 rats served as control. On day 21 animals were examined by CMR to compare topographic distribution of LGE to histological inflammation. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for LGE in diagnosing myocarditis were determined for each segment of myocardium. Latter diagnostic values varied widely depending on topographic distribution of LGE and inflammation as well as on the used CMR sequence. Sensitivity of LGE was up to 76% (left lateral myocardium) and positive predictive values were up to 85% (left lateral myocardium), whereas sensitivity and positive predictive value dropped to 0 - 33% (left inferior myocardium). Conclusions: Topographic distribution of LGE and histological inflammation seem to influence sensitivity, specifity, positive and negative predictive values. Nevertheless, positive predictive value for LGE of up to 85% indicates that Endomyocardial Biopsy should be performed "MR-guided". LGE seems to have greater sensitivity than Endomyocardial Biopsy for the diagnosis of myocarditis.
This study addresses the structure-function relationships of three essential membrane proteins: Porin from Paracoccus denitrificans, Porin OmpG from Eschericia coli and BetP from Corynobacterium glutamicum using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) techniques. The structure of porin from P. denitrificans is known for more than a decade; however, the mechanism for loss of functionality together with the monomerization was not clear. In this study we have addressed the role of lipids for the functionality of porin using FT-IR. OmpF porin was found to interact with the lipid molecules via the aromatic girdles surrounding the protein for functionality. In this study, molecular bonds and groups of the lipids were established as reporter groups probing at different depths of the bilayer in order to understand the interaction partner of the aromatic girdles of porins. Monomerization of the trimeric assembly of OmpF porin reconstituted in lipids is induced by increasing the temperature. Porin (OmpF) was found to be extremely stable: The secondary structure of the protein was unaltered up to the temperature-induced main transition, around 80-90 °C, above which it is denatured. However, the interaction of the aromatic girdle with the lipid molecules exhibited distinct changes at much lower temperature values (40 - 50°) where, according to the previous functional studies, monomerization and the loss of function occurs. The results are compared with OmpG porin from E.coli, for which the functional unit is a monomer. The aromatic girdle-lipid interaction was monitored by the tyrosine aromatic ring C=C vibrational mode, a universal marker for the protein stability and interaction. We have also found that the aromatic girdles of porins are interacting with the interfacial region of the lipid bilayer instead of lipid headgroups. Lipid-protein interaction was found to be not only essential for the structural stability, but also for the functionality of OmpF porin. We have also studied the structural properties of OmpG from E.coli. The structure of OmpG at two pH values has been resolved using X-ray crystallography and the channel has been proposed to attain different states at different pH values as closed (pH < 5.5) and open (pH >7.5). This study, using IR spectroscopy, revealed that the pH-induced opening and closing of the channel is reflected by the frequency shifts of the ? sheet structure. OmpG has more rigid ? barrel properties upon opening of the channel. IR spectral analysis revealed multiple ? sheet signals with different hydrogen bond strengths. This enabled us to monitor the formation of hydrogen bridges between the extracellular loops upon opening of the channel. The conclusion that OmpG porin having two states at different pH values was also confirmed by the three mutants where the role of the histidine pair (H231 & H261) and loop 6 has been addressed. Temperature-profiling of the wild type (WT) protein and the mutants did not show pH dependent structural stability differences in detergent solution. However, the WT protein was found to be more stable in the open form in 2D crystals than the closed form. Reconstitution into lipids has increased the transition temperature value by ~20 °C in the closed state and ~25 °C in the open state. Therefore we conclude that the open and closed state of OmpG has structural stability differences that are only revealed in the lipid environment. A comparison of the transition temperature values of OmpG WT and the mutants suggested that the hydrogen bond network among S218-H231-H261-D267, together with the formation of 12 residue-long ?-sheet contributes to the structural stability of the open channel. In the process of closing and opening of the channel, the globular structure of the protein remains mainly unchanged, while there are changes in the side chain moieties. In addition to the role of the histidine pair and the loop L6, in situ opening/closing experiments showed that the negatively charged amino acids, i.e. Asp and Glu, and Arg residues also play an active role; possibly by interacting with each other inside the pore lumen. Therefore it could be concluded that the closure of the channel at acidic pH values is not only via closing the channel entrance by loop 6, but also via changing the electric potential inside the lumen due to the different states of charged amino acids in order to effectively block the gateway. BetP from C.glutamicum attains an active and inactive state in order to adjust its glycine betaine uptake rate to the osmotic conditions that the cell encounters. The structure of BetP is not yet available. The WT protein exhibited structural differences in the presence of excess K+, which is one of the activation conditions. In 2D crystals, increasing the ionic strength to 700 mM K+ was shown to induce changes in the ?-helical moiety with contributions from the ester groups and one Tyr residue using ATR-FTIR. An increase in ionic strength to 220 mM K+ was found to be the threshold value of potassium concentration ([K+]) where the protein exhibits structural alterations in detergent solution. The determined [K+] values are in good agreement with the previous functional studies. However, there are differences in the activation profile of BetP in 2D crystals and in detergent solution, which points out that the lipids are involved in the conformational transition from the inactive to the active state and their absence can lead to different structural properties. BetP WT was found to have ~65% alpha-helix, ~25% random coil and ~10% turn structure in detergent solution. In the presence of excess K+, the WT protein is found to adapt more unordered structure. Secondary structure analysis of the mutants revealed that both the N- and C-terminus are in ?-helical conformation. Reconstitution of WT protein in 2D crystals increased the main transition (denaturation) temperature value from ~62 °C to ~85 °C, a clear indication that the protein is more stable in lipid environment. Temperature-profiling of the two forms of the WT protein revealed that the structural breakdown is preceeded by monomerization of the trimeric assembly. Comparing the two forms of the WT protein and the mutant BetA, we conclude that the oligomeric status is stabilized via the interactions among hydrophilic regions involving the N terminus. H/D exchange and activation with excess K+ in D2O-buffer revealed that activation of the protein involves the interaction of Arg and Asp/Glu residues in the cytoplasmic region of the protein. BetP WT and the two mutants tested, i.e. BetA and BetP?C45, showed differences in protein packing upon activation. The WT protein and BetP?C45 mutant also show changes in the hydrogen bonding properties of turns. Since BetA does not show such a property in activation, we conclude that the N-terminus interacts with the loops in the inactive state via the interaction of charged amino acids for the WT protein and that this interaction is altered during the activation. It could be argued that the protein packing is affected via the changes in turns upon activation. We also have found experimental evidence that one Tyr residue has different orientations in the active and inactive state of BetP. Based on the previous functional studies, it could be one of the five Tyr residues in the cytoplasmic region of the protein (in loop 3, 6, 7 or C-terminus). The mutant BetP?C45, on the other hand, showed fewer differences between the active and inactive state conditions and based on the H/D exchange rates, the mutant shows the properties of an active WT protein, proving that the C-terminal truncation impairs the conformational transition between the active and inactive states.
Prison-reformation has been a controversial and politically charged issue in Kenya. In the past it has elicited such legendary and emotional responses as 'What reforms? Prisons are not supposed to be five star hotels!' Recently, however, there has been a greater consensus between the public sector and the civic society in Kenya - than has ever in the past - of the need to revisit the human rights of inmates in various Kenyan prisons. Since 2003 a number of ground breaking reforms have been introduced in Kenyan prisons and more reforms seem to be on the way. Jacqueline Korir in this book takes a serious and despassionate look into a single variable: the quality of catering in Kenyan prisons. Her findings were both shocking and challenging. The food was lacking in both nutritive value as well aesthetic appeal. The site of food samples was only reminiscent of a grotesque meaning of the famous Council in Church History - The Diet of Worms! This book, grounded, in empirical data analysis by hard statistics and backed by rare photographs from inside Kenyan prisons serves as an eye-opener to both the prison-reformists as well as students and teachers of African sociology and institutional catering all over the world.
We conducted a systematic review investigating the efficacy and tolerability of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosteroids in children with epilepsies other than infantile epileptic spasm syndrome (IESS) that are resistant to anti-seizure medication (ASM). We included retrospective and prospective studies reporting on more than five patients and with clear case definitions and descriptions of treatment and outcome measures. We searched multiple databases and registries, and we assessed the risk of bias in the selected studies using a questionnaire based on published templates. Results were summarized with meta-analyses that pooled logit-transformed proportions or rates. Subgroup analyses and univariable and multivariable meta-regressions were performed to examine the influence of covariates. We included 38 studies (2 controlled and 5 uncontrolled prospective; 31 retrospective) involving 1152 patients. Meta-analysis of aggregate data for the primary outcomes of seizure response and reduction of electroencephalography (EEG) spikes at the end of treatment yielded pooled proportions (PPs) of 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52–0.67) and 0.56 (95% CI 0.43–0.68). The relapse rate was high (PP 0.33, 95% CI 0.27–0.40). Group analyses and meta-regression showed a small benefit of ACTH and no difference between all other corticosteroids, a slightly better effect in electric status epilepticus in slow sleep (ESES) and a weaker effect in patients with cognitive impairment and “symptomatic” etiology. Obesity and Cushing's syndrome were the most common adverse effects, occurring more frequently in trials addressing continuous ACTH (PP 0.73, 95% CI 0.48–0.89) or corticosteroids (PP 0.72, 95% CI 0.54–0.85) than intermittent intravenous or oral corticosteroid administration (PP 0.05, 95% CI 0.02–0.10). The validity of these results is limited by the high risk of bias in most included studies and large heterogeneity among study results. This report was registered under International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) number CRD42022313846. We received no financial support.
Key points
* Systematic review resulting in low to moderately solid evidence on the efficacy and tolerability of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosteroid treatment in children with epilepsy other than infantile spasms.
* Meta-analysis based on aggregate data from 2 controlled prospective, 5 uncontrolled prospective, and 31 retrospective studies.
* Pooled data showing a seizure response in 60% and electroencephalography (EEG) response in 56% of patients, with no major differences between drugs. However, 30%–40% of patients relapse after the cessation of treatment.
* The most frequent adverse effects are obesity and Cushing's syndrome, occurring in 70% of patients under continuous treatment for some weeks, but in less than 10% undergoing pulsed, intermittent regimens.
* More prospective, randomized-controlled studies are needed to improve the level of evidence and define the optimal doses and treatment duration.
Higher N170 amplitudes to words and to faces were recently reported for faster readers of German. Since the shallow German orthography allows phonological recoding of single letters, the reported speed advantages might have their origin in especially well-developed visual processing skills of faster readers. In contrast to German, adult readers of Hebrew are forced to process letter chunks up to whole words. This dependence on more complex visual processing might have created ceiling effects for this skill. Therefore, the current study examined whether also in the deep Hebrew orthography visual processing skills as reflected by N170 amplitudes explain reading speed differences. Forty university students, native speakers of Hebrew without reading impairments, accomplished a lexical decision task (i.e., deciding whether a visually presented stimulus represents a real or a pseudo word) and a face decision task (i.e., deciding whether a face was presented complete or with missing facial features) while their electroencephalogram was recorded from 64 scalp positions. In both tasks stronger event related potentials (ERPs) were observed for faster readers in time windows at about 200 ms. Unlike in previous studies, ERP waveforms in relevant time windows did not correspond to N170 scalp topographies. The results support the notion of visual processing ability as an orthography independent marker of reading proficiency, which advances our understanding about regular and impaired reading development.
The reading acceleration phenomenon refers to the effect that experimentally induced time constraints can generate instantaneous improvements of reading rate, accuracy and comprehension among typical and reading impaired readers of different age groups. An overview of studies applying the fading manipulation (i.e., letters are erased in reading direction), which induces the time constraints causing the acceleration phenomenon, is provided in the first part of this review. The second part summarises the outcomes of studies using a training approach called the reading acceleration program (RAP) that integrated core principles of the acceleration phenomenon to generate persistent reading performance improvements. Our review shows ample evidence for the validity of the acceleration phenomenon, since it has been replicated across various languages and populations. However, although there are several explanatory approaches for underlying mechanisms, none of them is well substantiated by empirical evidence so far. Similarly, although generally positive effects of RAP training were reported for several languages and groups of readers, the exact mechanisms causing improved reading rates and comprehension are not well understood. Our critical discussion points out several limitations of RAP that call for further research. However, we also highlight several benefits regarding RAP's potential as an intervention approach for enhancements in reading performance. Video abstract link: https://youtu.be/wO6aEXavk8w
Previous reports of improved oral reading performance for dyslexic children but not for regular readers when between-letter spacing was enlarged led to the proposal of a dyslexia-specific deficit in visual crowding. However, it is in this context also critical to understand how letter spacing affects visual word recognition and reading in unimpaired readers. Adopting an individual differences approach, the present study, accordingly, examined whether wider letter spacing improves reading performance also for non-impaired adults during silent reading and whether there is an association between letter spacing and crowding sensitivity. We report eye movement data of 24 German students who silently read texts presented either with normal or wider letter spacing. Foveal and parafoveal crowding sensitivity were estimated using two independent tests. Wider spacing reduced first fixation durations, gaze durations, and total fixation time for all participants, with slower readers showing stronger effects. However, wider letter spacing also reduced skipping probabilities and elicited more fixations, especially for faster readers. In terms of words read per minute, wider letter spacing did not provide a benefit, and faster readers in particular were slowed down. Neither foveal nor parafoveal crowding sensitivity correlated with the observed letter-spacing effects. In conclusion, wide letter spacing reduces single word processing time in typically developed readers during silent reading, but affects reading rates negatively since more words must be fixated. We tentatively propose that wider letter spacing reinforces serial letter processing in slower readers, but disrupts parallel processing of letter chunks in faster readers. These effects of letter spacing do not seem to be mediated by individual differences in crowding sensitivity.
Anaphylactic shock is a severe allergic reaction involving multiple organs including the bronchial and cardiovascular system. Most anaphylactic mediators, like platelet-activating factor (PAF), histamine, and others, act through G protein – coupled receptors, which are linked to the heterotrimeric G proteins Gq /G 11 , G12/G13 , and Gi . The role of downstream signaling pathways activated by anaphylactic mediators in defi ned organs during anaphylactic reactions is largely unknown. Using genetic mouse models that allow for the conditional abrogation of G q /G 11 - and G 12 /G 13 -mediated signaling pathways by inducible Cre/loxP-mediated mutagenesis in endothelial cells (ECs), we show that Gq /G11 -mediated signaling in ECs is required for the opening of the endothelial barrier and the stimulation of nitric oxide formation by various infl ammatory mediators as well as by local anaphylaxis. The systemic effects of anaphylactic mediators like histamine and PAF, but not of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), are blunted in mice with endothelial G alpha q/G alpha 11 deficiency. Mice with endothelium-specific G alpha q /G alpha 11 deficiency, but not with G alpha 12/G alpha 13 deficiency, are protected against the fatal consequences of passive and active systemic anaphylaxis. This identifies endothelial Gq/G11 -mediated signaling as a critical mediator of fatal systemic anaphylaxis and, hence, as a potential new target to prevent or treat anaphylactic reactions.
This article parts from an interdisciplinary point of view. Its main interest lies in the rich and complex interaction between the literary text and the image. These relations are understood as a “reciprocal illumination between the arts”, according to a publication of Oskar Walzel (Berlin, 1917). It will first investigate two historical landmarks in relation to literature and the image: first, the social differentiation around 1800 and its imposition of a purely textual literature and second, the avant-garde with its intense interaction between the various forms of artistic communication. The paper will then approach two contemporary examples of novels which combine visual and textual material.
Este artigo reavalia a fase literária pop do escritor suíço Christian Kracht em relação aos seus últimos dois romances históricos. A superfície, ou até a superficialidade, talvez explique a ênfase da literatura pop dos anos 1990 em labels, servindo apenas como enumeração de elementos concretos, sem jamais entrar no abstrato. Argumentamos, quando nos referimos a Christian Kracht, que ele abandona tais tendências com seus últimos dois romances, "Imperium", de 2012, e "Os mortos", de 2017, sem, entretanto, renunciar à ambivalência entre o superficial e o profundo, pois ele foge habilmente de qualquer posição unívoca, tanto na forma narrativa em seus romances, quanto na forma extraliterária em entrevistas ou informações biográficas. Em virtude disso, há incertezas e ambiguidades quanto a um suposto "núcleo" autêntico ou verdadeiro de sua obra, sendo impossível distinguir claramente entre a teatralidade ficcional e a não-ficcional.
This article conceives the avant-garde as a form of art that emerges out of the experience with technical progress, city life and new patterns of perception and that succeeded in transforming multiple perspective and simultaneity of urban life into a central principle for their production. Analyzed are the European avant-gardes as well as their influences on Brazilian literature and painting in the 20s. Furthermore we take a look at concrete poetry of the 50's as a literary pendant to architectonic concepts of cities like São Paulo and Brasília.