Early cortical facilitation for emotionally arousing targets during the attentional blink

Background  

The present study aimed to investigate the time course of electrocortical facilitation for affectively arousing written words during the so-called 'attentional blink' (AB) period in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task. The AB refers to a period of reduced awareness for second-target stimuli following a first target by an interval of about 200–500 ms. Pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant written verbs were used as second targets in an 8.6-Hz RSVP paradigm that contained affectively neutral words as distractors. Replicating and extending behavioral studies, we expected that emotional second targets would be associated with better identification accuracy and greater electrocortical activity, compared with neutral targets.     

The last population of the Woodland Brown butterfly (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lopinga achine</Emphasis>) in the Czech Republic: habitat use,demography and site management

The distribution of Lopinga achine (Lepidoptera Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) in the Czech Republic has declined from thirty grid squares before 1950 to just one extant population, restricted to a single area of deciduous woodland. A review of historical sites shows that this species used to occur in various types of deciduous woodland with a relatively sparse canopy maintained by coppicing and/or grazing. The extant population inhabits mature woodland with a mean canopy cover of 60% (quartiles 50% and 65%), sparse shrubs and a species-rich herb layer containing plant species requiring dry, warm and nutrient-poor conditions. The larval host plants are the fine-leafed sedges, Carex fritschii and C. michelii. In 2006, the total population contained about 10,000 adults but this may be an over-estimate, biased by male behaviour. Measurements of adult mobility, well approximated by an inverse-power function, suggested that all existing colonies are interconnected by dispersal. Continuing existence of the population depends on two conditions; nutrient-poor conditions for a diverse ground flora and a sparse tree canopy. While canopy closure is gradually increasing, the herb layer is threatened by soil enrichment due to the demise of traditional grazing, litter raking and grass mowing in woodlands. Any future management to favour Lopinga achine should include both measures to maintain a sparse canopy and measures to export biomass, such as raking or mowing of ground flora or, preferably, re-establishment of grazing. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Bacterial Hydrolysis of Protein and Methylated Protein and Its Implications for Studies of Protein Degradation in Aquatic Systems

Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase was radiolabelled by in vitro translation, resulting in uniformly labelled ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase, and also by reductive methylation. We investigated the degradation of the two forms of radiolabelled protein by natural bacterial populations. Although total hydrolysis of uniformly labelled protein and methylated protein was nearly equal, percent assimilation, respiration, and release as low-molecular-weight material were different. Radioactivity from uniformly labelled protein was approximately equally assimilated into cells, respired as ³H₂O, and released as low-molecular-weight material, but radioactivity from the methylated protein was nearly all released as low-molecular-weight material, and little was assimilated or respired.     

Circadian changes in salivary constituents and conductivity in women and men.

Circadian rhythms in salivary [glucose], [Na+], [K+] and conductivity were measured in 2 age groups of men (men A, 20-45 years and men B, 46-60 years) and 8 different states of fertility in women (normally menstruating, taking oral contraceptives, pregnant, lactational amenorrhea, lactational amenorrhea and taking oral contraceptives, lactating and menstruating, menopausal, and post-menopausal). Unstimulated whole saliva (2-3 ml) was collected every 3 h over a 48 h span. Analysis of Spearman Rank Correlations indicated significant circadian rhythms (significant positive coefficients) for all groups of [Na+] (mean = 0.577 +/- 0.040) and conductivity (mean = 0.410 +/- 0.050). There was no evidence of differences in prominence of rhythm across groups for [Na+] and conductivity. [K+] showed less evidence of rhythms and much greater variability between groups (mean correlation coefficient = 0.198 +/- 0.055). Rhythms in [glucose] (mean correlation coefficient = 0.409 +/- 0.051) were evident in all groups except men B (0.016), menopausal women (0.151) and post-menopausal women (0.310). Model analysis of the data showed no discernible rhythmic trend with age for either conductivity, [Na+] or [K+], where any differences were explainable by the group characteristics. The rhythm in [glucose] showed a significant weakening with age over all groups (F-ratio = 7.46**), and was different between men A and men B (F-ratio = 6.95**). It was concluded that circadian rhythms were present in whole unstimulated saliva for conductivity and [Na+] and that these rhythms were independent of reproductive state, whereas circadian rhythms in [K+] were dependent on reproductive state. Circadian rhythms for [glucose] were dependent on age. The loss of a rhythm in [glucose] with age indicates that glucose, Na+ and K+ are not linked in their entry into saliva. The influence of entry and reabsorption on the final concentrations of glucose, Na+ and K+ in saliva is discussed.