False recognition of objects in visual scenes:findings from a combined direct and indirect memory test

We report an extension of the procedure devised by Weinstein and Shanks (Memory & Cognition 36:1415-1428, 2008) to study false recognition and priming of pictures. Participants viewed scenes with multiple embedded objects (seen items), then studied the names of these objects and the names of other objects (read items). Finally, participants completed a combined direct (recognition) and indirect (identification) memory test that included seen items, read items, and new items. In the direct test, participants recognized pictures of seen and read items more often than new pictures. In the indirect test, participants' speed at identifying those same pictures was improved for pictures that they had actually studied, and also for falsely recognized pictures whose names they had read. These data provide new evidence that a false-memory induction procedure can elicit memory-like representations that are difficult to distinguish from "true" memories of studied pictures. © 2012 Psychonomic Society, Inc.

An extracellular transglutaminase is required for apple pollen tube growth

An extracellular form of the calcium-dependent protein-cross-linking enzyme TGase (transglutaminase) was demonstrated to be involved in the apical growth of Malus domestica pollen tube. Apple pollen TGase and its substrates were co-localized within aggregates on the pollen tube surface, as determined by indirect immunofluorescence staining and the in situ cross-linking of fluorescently labelled substrates. TGase-specific inhibitors and an anti-TGase monoclonal antibody blocked pollen tube growth, whereas incorporation of a recombinant fluorescent mammalian TGase substrate (histidine-tagged green fluorescent protein: His6-Xpr-GFP) into the growing tube wall enhanced tube length and germination, consistent with a role of TGase as a modulator of cell wall building and strengthening. The secreted pollen TGase catalysed the cross-linking of both PAs (polyamines) into proteins (released by the pollen tube) and His6-Xpr-GFP into endogenous or exogenously added substrates. A similar distribution of TGase activity was observed in planta on pollen tubes germinating inside the style, consistent with a possible additional role for TGase in the interaction between the pollen tube and the style during fertilization.

Anisotropic viscoelastic properties of undamaged asphalt mixtures

A test protocol and a data analysis method are developed in this paper on the basis of linear viscoelastic theory to characterize the anisotropic viscoelastic properties of undamaged asphalt mixtures. The test protocol includes three nondestructive tests: (1) uniaxial compressive creep test, (2) indirect tensile creep test, and (3) the uniaxial tensile creep test. All three tests are conducted on asphalt mixture specimens at three temperatures (10, 20, and 30°C) to determine the tensile and compressive properties at each temperature and then to construct the master curve of each property. The determined properties include magnitude and phase angle of the compressive complex modulus in the vertical direction, magnitude and phase angle of the tensile complex modulus, and the magnitude and phase angle of the compressive complex modulus in the horizontal plane. The test results indicate that all tested asphalt mixtures have significantly different tensile properties from compressive properties. The peak value of the master curve of the tensile complex modulus phase angle is within a range from 65 to 85°, whereas the peak value of the compressive moduli phase angle in both directions ranges from 35 to 55°. In addition, the undamaged asphalt mixtures exhibit distinctively anisotropic properties in compression. The magnitude of the compressive modulus in the vertical direction is approximately 1.2 to ̃2 times of the magnitude of the compressive modulus in the horizontal plane. Dynamic modulus tests are performed to verify the results of the proposed test protocol. The test results from the proposed test protocol match well with those from the dynamic tests. © 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Investigating ocular allergy:can we determine a better measurement?

Objective: Ocular allergy is a broad group of allergic conditions involving inflammation of the conjunctiva and the most common forms are seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC; 90% of cases) and perennial allergic conjunctivitis (PAC; 5% of cases). The main symptom is ocular itching caused by mast cell degranulation leading to the release of histamine and other mediators such as tryptase. Tryptase is a neutral protease that is selectively concentrated in the secretory granules of human mast cells and has been shown to be a sensitive and specific marker of type I hypersensitivity reaction. The objective was to ascertain the best assay method for determining the tryptase levels in tear samples and whether this can be used to determine the efficacy of non-pharmacological treatments compared to no treatment or their combined effect with anti-allergic medication for SAC and PAC. Method: Thirty patients with a history of SAC were recruited into a randomised blind study during winter months when all the patients were asymptomatic. Suitability was determined by skin prick and conjunctival provocation tests. Patients were randomly assigned to either a non-pharmacological or a pharmacological Intervention group and received each test condition assigned to their group in a randomly assigned order. Symptoms were provoked by exposure to pollen in an environmental test chamber where the temperature, humidity and grass pollen levels were set to a high pollen count day. Tear samples were taken set intervals during the visit and then processed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of tryptase levels. Preliminary results: Results are still being analysed but the preliminary optimisation experiments tested four different ELISA systems; two indirect assays and two capture ‹sandwich› assays. The results suggest that in both sandwich assay systems non-specific binding occurred which could not be easily overcome. The indirect assay systems both showed specific reactions, and the sensitivity achieved was greater with the monoclonal than the polyclonal antibody. Using these findings the indirect assay system was optimised to provide a standardised system for measuring tryptase. Initial trials using human tear samples displayed tryptase levels between 23.1 and 175.1 ng/ml; levels which fall within the anticipated range for patients with SAC. Further statistical work is needed to determine whether tryptase levels vary between the treatments 75.