Phonological–lexical activation:a lexical component or anoutput buffer? Evidence from aphasic errors

Single word production requires that phoneme activation is maintained while articulatory conversion is taking place. Word serial recall, connected speech and non-word production (repetition and spelling) are all assumed to involve a phonological output buffer. A crucial question is whether the same memory resources are also involved in single word production. We investigate this question by assessing length and positional effects in the single word repetition and reading of six aphasic patients. We expect a damaged buffer to result in error rates per phoneme which increase with word length and in position effects. Although our patients had trouble with phoneme activation (they made mainly errors of phoneme selection), they did not show the effects expected from a buffer impairment. These results show that phoneme activation cannot be automatically equated with a buffer. We hypothesize that the phonemes of existing words are kept active though permanent links to the word node. Thus, the sustained activation needed for their articulation will come from the lexicon and will have different characteristics from the activation needed for the short-term retention of an unbound set of units. We conclude that there is no need and no evidence for a phonological buffer in single word production

GM 20. Evidence for the existence of a major gene influencing hair Length and heat tolerance in bos taurus cattle

A total of 28 calves from Angus sires and Senepol × Hereford or Hereford × Senepol dams were evaluated for hair length, rectal temperatures, respiration rates, and weights. In addition, ten purebred Angus calves were included in the study as control. Measurements were taken on three consecutive weeks during the hot summer months and also during the cooler late fall. Length of the hair was evaluated using a subjective system of classification (1 - 4). The lowest values describe the typical extremely short hair of pure Senepol cattle and of its crossings F1 with Bos taurus. Twelve of the 28 calves were thus coded as slick-haired and 16 as normal-haired; this ratio does not differ significantly from the 1:1 ratio. Rectal temperature (RT) of the yearling calves of short hair was smaller (P<.02) that the one of the A in two of the dates in the summer and two of the dates in fall sessions. The TR of yearling calves 25 % S of short hair was smaller (P<.04) that of its contemporaries of normal hair in two of the three dates in the summer. TR of yearling calves 25 % Senepol calves of bulls A and with normal coat, was not different (P>.07) of the A in any of the dates. A group of 15 yearling calves of Charolais bulls in cows F1 A × S it was classified by length of hair to the end of September. Seven of these yearling calves were classified as short hair and eight like normal hair. These data suggest a greater gene for length of the hair and tolerance to the heat it could exist in the Senepol breed

Timoshenko Bending and Eshelby Twisting Predicted in Molecular Nanocrystals

Well-formed crystals are polyhedral with flat facets and sharp edges. Nevertheless, a remarkable number of molecular crystals can bend and twist during growth. Many others can be distorted by applying external forces or creating heterogeneities by temperature gradient or photochemical reaction. As part of an effort to identify the forces that so commonly deform molecular crystals and to characterize their consequences, a force field is evaluated for its ability to predict mechanical distortions in nanocrystals. Macroscopic materials provide estimates of the expected responses that were tested here in silico for "molecular bimetallic strips" created from rods of iodoform and bromoform in smooth contact and nanocrystalline rods of iodoform with left and right screw dislocations. It was demonstrated that an optimized force field based largely on AMBER parameters matches expectations for elastic and plastic distortions, despite the fact that these mechanical responses are far removed from the force field parametrization set

Ethnobiology after four years of socioecological violence

Published versio

A Cohort Study of p53 Mutations and Protein Accumulation in Benign Breast Tissue and Subsequent Breast Cancer Risk

Mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene and accumulation of its protein in breast tissue are thought to play a role in breast carcinogenesis. However, few studies have prospectively investigated the association of p53 immunopositivity and/or p53 alterations in women with benign breast disease in relation to the subsequent risk of invasive breast cancer. We carried out a case-control study nested within a large cohort of women biopsied for benign breast disease in order to address this question. After exclusions, 491 breast cancer cases and 471 controls were available for analysis. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Neither p53 immunopositivity nor genetic alterations in p53 (either missense mutations or polymorphisms) was associated with altered risk of subsequent breast cancer. However, the combination of both p53 immunopositivity and any p53 nucleotide change was associated with an approximate 5-fold nonsignificant increase in risk (adjusted OR 4.79, 95% CI 0.28–82.31) but the confidence intervals were extremely wide. Our findings raise the possibility that the combination of p53 protein accumulation and the presence of genetic alterations may identify a group at increased risk of breast cancer

GM 16. Sire effects on postweaning growth and carcass characteristics in pubered Brahman cattle

A progeny test for postweaning growth and carcass characteristics was conducted on five purebred Brahman sires. Data presented here are from the progeny of five sires that were tested the first year of a multiyear study that is planned to evaluate approximately 25 sires. There was no effect of sire on initial body weight, but sire effects on average daily gain and final body weight were significant (P<.01). Hot carcass weight (P<.001) and ribeye area (P<.01). Sire affected dressing percentage (P<.001), but there was no effect of sire on USDA yield grade. There were no differences among sires in tenderness scored by sensory panel on steaks aged for 14 days or measured by Warner-Bratzler shear on steaks aged for 7, 14 or 21 days. This progeny test of five Brahman sires revealed genetic differences in postweaning rate of gain and carcass quality grade. Data from additional sires will be required to demonstrate genetic differences in tenderness

Introduction and evaluation of Romosinuano in the U.S.A.

In the warm regions of the U.S.A., adapted breeds of cattle are primarily limited to Bos indicus (Zebu), mainly American Brahman, and to breeds developed by crossing with Brahman. Some characteristics of purebred Brahman cattle that have been criticized include reproductive and feedlot performance, carcass quality and meat tenderness, temperament, and calf survivability. Therefore, the major niche for Brahman cattle in the U.S.A. has been in crossbreeding systems that combine the heat tolerance of the Brahman with the desirable reproductive and carcass traits of temperate Bos taurus breeds. The Romosinuano is a tropically adapted, criollo beef breed native to Colombia. The breed derived its name from its origin in the Sinu river region (sinuano) of northern Colombia and its polled (romo) character. Romosinuanos are purported to be highly fertile, and are noted for their longevity, docile temperament, and combining ability with Bos indicus. The long term objectives in our evaluation of the Romosinuano are to investigate its growth, reproductive performance, and carcass quality. Short term objectives have been to determine the effect of breed of recipient dam and estrous synchronization treatment on pregnancy and preweaning performance of Romosinuano embryo transfer calves, to evaluate postweaning growth and reproductive development in bulls through 20 months of age, to evaluate postweaning growth, to measure heat tolerance, and to determine age and body weight at puberty in heifers raised in central Florida