Confidence in emotion perception in point-light displays varies with the ability to perceive own emotions

One central issue in social cognitive neuroscience is that perceiving emotions in others relates to activating the same emotion in oneself. In this study we sought to examine how the ability to perceive own emotions assessed with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale related to both the ability to perceive emotions depicted in point-light displays and the confidence in these perceptions. Participants observed video scenes of human interactions, rated the depicted valence, and judged their confidence in this rating. Results showed that people with higher alexithymia scores were significantly less confident about their decisions, but did not differ from people with lower alexithymia scores in the valence of their ratings. Furthermore, no modulating effect of social context on the effect of higher alexithymia scores was found. It is concluded that the used stimuli are fit to investigate the kinematic aspect of emotion perception and possibly separate people with high and low alexithymia scores via confidence differences. However, a general difference in emotion perception was not detected in the present setting.     

Characterization of bovine keratin genes: similarities of exon patterns in genes coding for different keratins.

Four different genomic clones which contain the genes coding for epidermal keratins Ia (mol. wt. approximately 68 000), Ib (68 000), III (60 000) and VIb (54 500) have been selected using cDNA probes and identified by hybrid-selection translation. The genes vary considerably in length, primarily due to differences in intron sizes: keratin Ia, 9.3 kb (approximately 2.55 kb total exons); keratin Ib, 6.0 kb (2.25 kb exons); keratin III, 6.0 kb (2.2 kb exons); keratin VIb, 4.4 kb (1.85 kb exons). The genes for all three representatives of the basic (type II) cytokeratin subfamily, i.e., keratins Ia, Ib and III, contain eight introns of variable sizes (0.1-1.8 kb) and their exon patterns are very similar. The gene coding for keratin VIb, a representative of the acidic (type I) subfamily, contains seven introns, and the size pattern of its five innermost exons closely resembles that of the genes of the type II keratins. Most of the introns are located in regions coding for the alpha-helical cores of these proteins. Mapping of the intron positions by the S1 nuclease technique and sequencing of some exon-intron boundaries has revealed that some of the introns of all four keratin genes have similar positions to each other and to those of the hamster vimentin gene.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Fixation of thermostable β galactosidase on zeolithes with controlled hydrophobicity

Thermostable and hydrophobic β galactosidase of Bacillus sp. TP32 is fixed on zeolithes of controlled hydrophobicity. Thereby, the Si/Al ratio of the zeolithe is an important quantity for controlling the zeolithe hydrophobicity and with it the rate and efficiency of enzyme fixation. The fixation properties improve from NaY via Us_(w) to mordenite and Us-Ex. Mordenite β galactosidase is highly active in SOERENSEN phosphate buffer, dodecanole, and ethylene glycole at 70°C using ortho nitrophenyl β D-galactopyranoside (ONPG) as substrate. Further preparations of zeolithe β galactosidase have more or less disadvantages in regard to hydrolysis of ONPG at elevated temperature, as well as rate and efficiency of enzyme fixation exept of Us-Ex β galactosidase in ONPG-containing dodecanole.     

Isolation of thermophilic bacteria similar to Thermus sp.

Several thermophilic strains similar to Thermus sp. were isolated from a hot spring in Nha Trang (Vietnam), and a domestic hot water reservoir, respectively. They grow aerobically on a complex medium at a temperature of 55 to 70°C and a pH value of 7 to 8. The cells are gram-negative, non-motile and non-sporulating. They possess yellow or red pigments. The isolated strains are similar to Thermus sp. in regard to the composition of the intracellular fatty-acid fraction as well as the absorption spectra of the extracted cellular pigments.     

Dynamic process control versus steady-;state fermentation

Process control strategies, e.g. the steady-;state fermation, which do not consider the cell-;state distribution of cell populations, cause a decrease of yield coefficient connected to an increase of heat-;production coefficient. Contrary to this, the dynamic process control adapts the carbon-;substrate supply to the different repetitive cell-;population states during fermentation. In order to recognize the different states, the cell population is synchronized. The optimum period ofchanging carbon-;substrate supply was found to be dependent on the cell-;doubling time. Dynamic process control causes a higher yield coefficient as well as a lower heat-;production coefficient compared to the steady-;state fermentation.     

A thermoacidophilic bacterium similar to Bacillus acidocaldarius

The thermoacidophilic strain TAC1 was isolated from a sulphatara field. It grows heterotrophically on a synthetic medium, containing yeast extract and carbohydrates at 50 to 70°C and pH 2 to 5. The cells are motile spore-forming rods utilizing, for instance, glucose, lactose, or sucrose as carbon substrate. They also used concentrated whey as nutrient medium. The maximum specific growth rate calculated from batch culture data of the strain TAC1 on glucose is 0.9 h^?1 at 65°C and pH 3. The yield coefficient determined in a chemostat culture of the strain TAC1 on glucose, is 0.15 to 0.31 grams of cells produced per gram of glucose consumed (63 to 70°C, pH 2.2 to 4.0, dilution rate 0.2 to 0.4 h^?1). The lipid fraction extracted from the cells consists of 72 to 93% of ω-cyclohexyl C₁₇ and C₁₉ fatty acids. The composition of lipid fraction varied with the pH value and the dilution rate but not with the temperature. In regard to the morphology and physiology of the isolated strain as well as the high percentage of ω-cyclohexyl fatty acids of the cell material, the strain TAC1 is similar to Bacillus acidocaldarius.