The Influence of Texting Language on Grammar and Executive Functions in Primary School Children

When sending text messages on their mobile phone to friends, children often use a special type of register, which is called textese. This register allows the omission of words and the use of textisms: instances of non-standard written language such as 4ever (forever). Previous studies have shown that textese has a positive effect on children’s literacy abilities. In addition, it is possible that children’s grammar system is affected by textese as well, as grammar rules are often transgressed in this register. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to investigate whether the use of textese influences children’s grammar performance, and whether this effect is specific to grammar or language in general. Additionally, studies have not yet investigated the influence of textese on children’s cognitive abilities. Consequently, the secondary aim of this study was to find out whether textese affects children’s executive functions. To investigate this, 55 children between 10 and 13 years old were tested on a receptive vocabulary and grammar performance (sentence repetition) task and various tasks measuring executive functioning. In addition, text messages were elicited and the number of omissions and textisms in children’s messages were calculated. Regression analyses showed that omissions were a significant predictor of children’s grammar performance after various other variables were controlled for: the more words children omitted in their text messages, the better their performance on the grammar task. Although textisms correlated (marginally) significantly with vocabulary, grammar and selective attention scores and omissions marginally significantly with vocabulary scores, no other significant effects were obtained for measures of textese in the regression analyses: neither for the language outcomes, nor for the executive function tasks. Hence, our results show that textese is positively related to children’s grammar performance. On the other hand, use of textese does not affect—positively nor negatively—children’s executive functions.     

Comparative analysis of multiple protein-sequence alignment methods [published erratum appears in Mol Biol Evol 1994 Sep;11(5):811]

We have analyzed a total of 12 different global and local multiple protein-sequence alignment methods. The purpose of this study is to evaluate each method's ability to correctly identify the ordered series of motifs found among all members of a given protein family. Four phylogenetically distributed sets of sequences from the hemoglobin, kinase, aspartic acid protease, and ribonuclease H protein families were used to test the methods. The performance of all 12 methods was affected by (1) the number of sequences in the test sets, (2) the degree of similarity among the sequences, and (3) the number of indels required to produce a multiple alignment. Global methods generally performed better than local methods in the detection of motif patterns.      

Inhibition of Na+/K+-ATPase and Mg2+-ATPase by metal ions and prevention and recovery of inhibited activities by chelators

Kinetics and inhibition of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and Mg²⁺-ATPase activity from rat synaptic plasma membrane (SPM), by separate and simultaneous exposure to transition (Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Fe²⁺ and.Co²⁺) and heavy metals (Hg²⁺and Pb²⁺) ions were studied. All investigated metals produced a larger maximum inhibition of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase than Mg²⁺-ATPase activity. The free concentrations of the key species (inhibitor, MgATP^{2 ?} , MeATP^{2 ?} ) in the medium assay were calculated and discussed. Simultaneous exposure to the combinations Cu²⁺/Fe²⁺ or Hg²⁺/Pb²⁺caused additive inhibition, while Cu²⁺/Zn²⁺ or Fe²⁺/Zn²⁺ inhibited Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity synergistically (i.e., greater than the sum metal-induced inhibition assayed separately). Simultaneous exposure to Cu²⁺/Fe²⁺ or Cu²⁺/Zn²⁺ inhibited Mg²⁺-ATPase activity synergistically, while Hg²⁺/Pb²⁺ or Fe²⁺/Zn²⁺ induced antagonistic inhibition of this enzyme. Kinetic analysis showed that all investigated metals inhibited Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity by reducing the maximum velocities (V_max) rather than the apparent affinity (K_m) for substrate MgATP^2-, implying the noncompetitive nature of the inhibition. The incomplete inhibition of Mg²⁺-ATPase activity by Zn²⁺, Fe²⁺ and Co²⁺ as well as kinetic analysis indicated two distinct Mg²⁺-ATPase subtypes activated in the presence of low and high MgATP^{2 ?} concentration. EDTA, L-cysteine and gluthathione (GSH) prevented metal ion-induced inhibition of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase with various potencies. Furthermore, these ligands also reversed Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity inhibited by transition metals in a concentration-dependent manner, but a recovery effect by any ligand on Hg²⁺-induced inhibition was not obtained.     

Mathematical modeling of maize starch liquefaction catalyzed by α-amylases from Bacillus licheniformis: effect of calcium, pH and temperature

The first step of starch hydrolysis, i.e. liquefaction has been studied in this work. Two commercial α-amylases from Bacilllus licheniformis, known as Termamyl and Liquozyme have been used for this purpose. Using starch as the substrate, kinetics of both enzymes has been determined at optimal pH and temperature (pH 7, T = 80 °C) and at 65 °C and pH 5.5. Michaelis–Menten model with uncompetitive product inhibition was used to describe enzyme kinetics. Mathematical models were developed and validated in the repetitive batch and fed-batch reactor. Enzyme inactivation was described by the two-step inactivation model. All experiments were performed with and without calcium ions. The activities of both tested amylases are approximately one hundred times higher at 80 °C than at 65 °C. Lower inactivation rates of enzymes were noticed in the experiments performed at 65 °C without the addition of calcium than in the experiments at 80 °C. Calcium ions in the reaction medium significantly enhance amylase stability at 80 °C and pH 7. At other process conditions (65 °C and pH 5.5) a weaker calcium stabilizing effect was detected.     

A novel IS-like element frequently inserted in a putative virulence regulator in bovine mastitis isolates of Streptococcus dysgalactiae

Streptococcus dysgalactiae, a Lancefield group C streptococcus, is commonly isolated from bovine mastitis. We recently identified a putative regulon in two S. dysgalactiae strains, 8215 and Epi9, consisting of two consecutive genes, dmg and dem, coding for a possible regulatory protein and an M-like protein with fibrinogen- and IgG-binding-properties, respectively. During these studies a short sequence homologous to an IS element was found to be inserted in the dmg gene of strain 8215. The present investigation describes the complete sequence of this IS-like element, named ISSdy1, which consists of 1218 bp and contains two ORFs, flanked by imperfect repeats. The nucleotide sequence of the IS-like element shows 82% identity to the previously reported sequence of IS199 from Streptococcus mutans V403. The deduced amino acid sequences of the ORFs also revealed high homology to transposases from IS elements in Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, and Shigella dysenteriae, all belonging to the IS3 family. We studied the distribution of ISSdy1 in 57 S. dysgalactiae isolates using PCR analysis with specific primers derived from the IS element. Ninety-eight percent of the isolates contained the ISSdy1 element. Surprisingly, in the majority of studied strains a copy of the IS-like element was found to be inserted in the dmg gene, a putative virulence regulator.     

Evolution of competitive fitness in experimental populations of E. coli: What makes one genotype a better competitor than another?

An important problem in microbial ecology is to identify those phenotypic attributes that are responsible for competitive fitness in a particular environment. Thousands of papers have been published on the physiology, biochemistry, and molecular genetics of Escherichia coli and other bacterial models. Nonetheless, little is known about what makes one genotype a better competitor than another even in such well studied systems. Here, we review experiments to identify the phenotypic bases of improved competitive fitness in twelve E. coli populations that evolved for thousands of generations in a defined environment, in which glucose was the limiting substrate. After 10000 generations, the average fitness of the derived genotypes had increased by 50% relative to the ancestor, based on competition experiments using marked strains in the same environment. The growth kinetics of the ancestral and derived genotypes showed that the latter have a shorter lag phase upon transfer into fresh medium and a higher maximum growth rate. Competition experiments were also performed in environments where other substrates were substituted for glucose. The derived genotypes are generally more fit in competition for those substrates that use the same mechanism of transport as glucose, which suggests that enhanced transport was an important target of natural selection in the evolutionary environment. All of the derived genotypes produce much larger cells than does the ancestor, even when both types are forced to grow at the same rate. Some, but not all, of the derived genotypes also have greatly elevated mutation rates. Efforts are now underway to identify the genetic changes that underlie those phenotypic changes, especially substrate specificity and elevated mutation rate, for which there are good candidate loci. Identification and subsequent manipulation of these genes may provide new insights into the reproducibility of adaptive evolution, the importance of co-adapted gene complexes, and the extent to which distinct phenotypes (e.g., substrate specificity and cell size) are affected by the same mutations.     

Interaction of some Pd(II) complexes with Na+ / K+-ATPase: inhibition, kinetics, prevention and recovery

The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of [PdCl4]2-, [PdCl(dien)]+ and [PdCl(Me4dien)]+ complexes on Na+ / K+-ATPase activity. The dose-dependent inhibition curves were obtained in all cases. IC50 values determined by Hill analysis were 2.25 x 10(-5) M, 1.21 x 10(-4) M and 2.36 x 10(-4) M, respectively. Na+ / K+-ATPase exhibited typical Michelis-Menten kinetics in the presence of Pd(II) complexes. Kinetic parameters (Vmax, Km) derived using Eadie-Hofstee transformation indicated a noncompetitive type of Na+ / K+-ATPase inhibition. The inhibitor constants (Ki) were determined from Dixon plots. The order of complex affinity for binding with Na+ / K+-ATPase, deducted from Ki values, was [PdCl4]2- > [PdCl(dien)]+ > [PdCl(Me4dien)]+. The results indicated that the potency of Pd(II) complexes to inhibit Na+/ K +-ATPase activity depended strongly on ligands of the related compound. Furthermore, the ability of SH-donor ligands, L-cysteine and glutathione, to prevent and recover the Pd(II) complexes-induced inhibition of Na+ / K+-ATPase was examined. The addition of 1 mM L-cysteine or glutathione to the reaction mixture before exposure to Pd(II) complexes prevented the inhibition by increasing the IC50 values by one order of magnitude. Moreover, the inhibited enzymatic activity was recovered by addition of SH-donor ligands in a concentration-dependent manner.     

Blue mould decay of stored onion bulbs caused by Penicillium polonicum,P. glabrum and P. expansum

Onion bulbs (Allium cepa L.) can be stored for up to 12 months to ensure their availability all year, but one of the limiting factors is decay caused by blue mould fungi. Postharvest development of blue mould is not only economically important, but also poses a health hazard due to mycotoxin contamination. Onion bulbs of different yellow and red cultivars with blue mould symptoms were collected from three storage facilities in Serbia. Pathogenic isolates were identified and characterized based on their molecular (partial β‐tubulin gene), morphological (micro‐ and macromorphology, and colony growth) and biochemical properties (analyses of indole metabolites via Ehrlich test). Three Penicillium species were identified: P. polonicum, P. glabrum and P. expansum. Virulence on inoculated onion bulbs varied significantly within isolates of P. glabrum, but the most virulent isolate of P. polonicum and P. glabrum did not differ, nor did they differ from an isolate of P. expansum. Variability in virulence of individual P. glabrum isolates corresponded to differences in their molecular and macromorphological characters. P. glabrum and P. expansum were identified for the first time as causal agents of onion bulb decay in Serbia. Data from this investigation provide insight into diversity of economically important and possibly toxigenic blue mould fungi which brings attention to their presence in storage facilities and therefore the necessity of the application of prevention measures.     

Inhibition of AChE by malathion and some structurally similar compounds

Inhibition of bovine erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (free and immobilized on controlled pore glass) by separate and simultaneous exposure to malathion and malathion transformation products which are generally formed during storage or through natural or photochemical degradation was investigated. Increasing concentrations of malathion, its oxidation product malaoxon, and its isomerisation product isomalathion inhibited free and immobilized AChE in a concentration-dependent manner. KI, the dissociation constant for the initial reversible enzyme inhibitor-complex, and k3, the first order rate constant for the conversion of the reversible complex into the irreversibly inhibited enzyme, were determined from the progressive development of inhibition produced by reaction of native AChE with malathion, malaoxon and isomalathion. KI values of 1.3 x 10(-4) M(-1), 5.6 x 10(-6) M(-1) and 7.2 x 10(-6)M(-1) were obtained for malathion, malaoxon and isomalathion, respectively. The IC50 values for free/immobilized AChE, (3.7 +/- 0.2) x 10(-4) M/(1.6 +/-0.1) x 10(-4), (2.4 +/- 0.3) x 10(-6)/(3.4 +/- 0.1) x 10(-6)M and (3.2 +/- 0.3) x 10(-6) M/(2.7 +/- 0.2) x 10(-6) M, were obtained from the inhibition curves induced by malathion, malaoxon and isomalathion, respectively. However, the products formed due to photoinduced degradation, phosphorodithioic O,O,S-trimethyl ester and O,O-dimethyl thiophosphate, did not noticeably affect enzymatic activity, while diethyl maleate inhibited AChE activity at concentrations > 10mM. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase increased with the time of exposure to malathion and its inhibiting by-products within the interval from 0 to 5 minutes. Through simultaneous exposure of the enzyme to malaoxon and isomalathion, an additive effect was achieved for lower concentrations of the inhibitors (in the presence of malaoxon/isomalathion at concentrations 2 x 10(-7) M/2 x 10(-7) M, 2 x 10(-7) M/3 x 10(-7)M and 2 x 10(-7) M/4.5 x 109-7) M), while an antagonistic effect was obtained for all higher concentrations of inhibitors. The presence of a non-inhibitory degradation product (phosphorodithioic O,O,S-trimethyl ester) did not affect the inhibition efficiencies of the malathion by-products, malaoxon and isomalathion.