Studying perceptual bias in favor of the from-above Necker cube perspective in a goal-directed behavior

When viewing a completely ambiguous image, different interpretations can switch involuntarily due to internal top-down processing. In the case of the Necker cube, an entirely ambiguous stimulus, observers often display a bias in perceptual switching between two interpretations based on their perspectives: one with a from-above perspective (FA) and the other with a from-below perspective (FB). Typically, observers exhibit a priori top-down bias in favor of the FA interpretation, which may stem from a statistical tendency in everyday life where we more frequently observe objects from above. However, it remains unclear whether this perceptual bias persists when individuals voluntarily decide on the Necker cube's interpretation in goal-directed behavior, and the impact of ambiguity in this context is not well-understood. In our study, we instructed observers to voluntarily identify the orientation of a Necker cube while manipulating its ambiguity from low (LA) to high (HA). Our investigation aimed to test two hypotheses: (i) whether the perspective (FA or FB) would result in a bias in response time, and (ii) whether this bias would depend on the level of stimulus ambiguity. Additionally, we analyzed electroencephalogram (EEG) signals to identify potential biomarkers that could explain the observed perceptual bias. The behavioral results confirmed a perceptual bias in favor of the from-above perspective, as indicated by shorter response times. However, this bias diminished for stimuli with high ambiguity. For the LA stimuli, the occipital theta-band power consistently exceeded the frontal theta-band power throughout most of the decision-making time. In contrast, for the HA stimuli, the frontal theta-band power started to exceed the occipital theta-band power during the 0.3-s period preceding the decision. We propose that occipital theta-band power reflects evidence accumulation, while frontal theta-band power reflects its evaluation and decision-making processes. For the FB perspective, occipital theta-band power exhibited higher values and dominated over a longer duration, leading to an overall increase in response time. These results suggest that more information and more time are needed to encode stimuli with a FB perspective, as this template is less common for the observers compared to the template for a cube with a FA perspective

Activity of immunoproteasome inhibitor ONX-0914 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia expressing MLL–AF4 fusion protein

Proteasome inhibitors bortezomib and carfilzomib are approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma and have demonstrated clinical efficacy for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The t(4;11)(q21;q23) chromosomal translocation that leads to the expression of MLL–AF4 fusion protein and confers a poor prognosis, is the major cause of infant ALL. This translocation sensitizes tumor cells to proteasome inhibitors, but toxicities of bortezomib and carfilzomib may limit their use in pediatric patients. Many of these toxicities are caused by on-target inhibition of proteasomes in non-lymphoid tissues (e.g., heart muscle, gut, testicles). We found that MLL–AF4 cells express high levels of lymphoid tissue-specific immunoproteasomes and are sensitive to pharmacologically relevant concentrations of specific immunoproteasome inhibitor ONX-0914, even in the presence of stromal cells. Inhibition of multiple active sites of the immunoproteasomes was required to achieve cytotoxicity against ALL. ONX-0914, an inhibitor of LMP7 (ß5i) and LMP2 (ß1i) sites of the immunoproteasome, and LU-102, inhibitor of proteasome ß2 sites, exhibited synergistic cytotoxicity. Treatment with ONX-0914 significantly delayed the growth of orthotopic ALL xenograft tumors in mice. T-cell ALL lines were also sensitive to pharmacologically relevant concentrations of ONX-0914. This study provides a strong rationale for testing clinical stage immunoproteasome inhibitors KZ-616 and M3258 in ALL

Effects of radionuclide contamination on leaf litter decomposition in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

The effects of radioactive contamination on ecosystem processes such as litter decomposition remain largely un- known. Because radionuclides accumulated in soil and plant biomass can be harmful for organisms, the function- ing of ecosystems may be altered by radioactive contamination. Here, we tested the hypothesis that decomposition is impaired by increasing levels of radioactivity in the environment by exposing uncontaminated leaf litter from silver birch and black alder at (i) eleven distant forest sites differing in ambient radiation levels (0.22–15 μGy h−1) and (ii) along a short distance gradient of radioactive contamination (1.2–29 μGy h−1) within a single forest in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In addition to measuring ambient external dose rates, we estimat- ed the average total dose rates (ATDRs) absorbed by decomposers for an accurate estimate of dose-induced eco- logical consequences of radioactive pollution. Taking into account potential confounding factors (soil pH, moisture, texture, and organic carbon content), the results from the eleven distant forest sites, and from the single forest, showed increased litter mass loss with increasing ATDRs from 0.3 to 150 μGy h−1. This unexpected result may be due to (i) overcompensation of decomposer organisms exposed to radionuclides leading to a higher decomposer abundance (hormetic effect), and/or (ii) from preferred feeding by decomposers on the un- contaminated leaf litter used for our experiment compared to locally produced, contaminated leaf litter. Our data indicate that radio-contamination of forest ecosystems over more than two decades does not necessarily have detrimental effects on organic matter decay. However, further studies are needed to unravel the underlying mechanisms of the results reported here, in order to draw firmer conclusions on how radio-contamination affects decomposition and associated ecosystem processes

The transfer of 137Cs, Pu isotopes and 90Sr to bird, bat and ground-dwelling small mammal species within the Chernobyl exclusion zone

Protected species are the focus of many radiological environmental assessments. However, the lack of radioecological data for many protected species presents a significant international challenge. Furthermore, there are legislative restrictions on destructive sampling of protected species to obtain such data. Where data are not available, extrapolations are often made from ‘similar’ species but there has been little attempt to validate this approach. In this paper we present what, to our knowledge, is the first study purposefully designed to test the hypothesis that radioecological data for unprotected species can be used to estimate conservative radioecolgical parameters for protected species; conservatism being necessary to ensure that there is no significant impact. The study was conducted in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Consequently, we are able to present data for Pu isotopes in terrestrial wildlife. There has been limited research on Pu transfer to terrestrial wildlife which contrasts with the need to assess radiation exposure of wildlife to Pu isotopes around many nuclear facilities internationally. Our results provide overall support for the hypothesis that data for unprotected species can be used to adequately assess the impacts for ionising radiation on protected species. This is demonstrated for a range of mammalian and avian species. However, we identify one case, the shrew, for which data from other ground-dwelling small mammals would not lead to an appropriately conservative assessment of radiation impact. This indicates the need to further test our hypothesis across a range of species and ecosystems, and/or ensure adequate conservatism within assessments. The data presented are of value to those trying to more accurately estimate the radiation dose to wildlife in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, helping to reduce the considerable uncertainty in studies reporting dose-effect relationships for wildlife. A video abstract for this paper is available here

Innovative activity organization in regional conditions of Altai

Innovative activity, Altai development strategy, regional strategy, scientific and research institutes

Genetic analysis of line "Lupinoid" of garden pea (Pisum sativum L.)

В исследовании генетического контроля формирования особого типа соцветия линии гороха посевного «Люпиноид» применен гибридологический метод. Показано, что формирование такого соцветия — обусловлено — комплементарным взаимодействием рецессивных аллелей двух генов, один из которых связан с ограничением размеров побеговой апикальной меристемы, а второй контролирует пролиферацию главной оси. Обсуждается возможность использования данной линии в исследовании фундаментальных и прикладных аспектов генетики растений.The hybridological method was used to analyze the genetic control of inflorescence development in pea line "Lupinoid". It was demonstrated that recessive alleles of two genes take part in formation of the special inflorescence type. One of these genes limits size of stem apical meristem, the another one provides axis proliferation in wild type plants. Some conclusions connected with perspectives of usage of analyzed line in plant breeding were also discussed

A molecular beacon assay for measuring base excision repair activities

The base excision repair (BER) pathway plays a key role in protecting the genome from endogenous DNA damage. Current methods to measure BER activities are indirect and cumbersome. Here, we introduce a direct method to assay DNA excision repair that is suitable for automation and industrial use, based on the fluorescence quenching mechanism of molecular beacons. We designed a single-stranded DNA oligonucleotide labelled with a 5'-fluorescein (F) and a 3'-Dabcyl (D) in which the fluorophore, F, is held in close proximity to the quencher, D, by the stem-loop structure design of the oligonucleotide. Following removal of the modified base or incision of the oligonucleotide, the fluorophore is separated from the quencher and fluorescence can be detected as a function of time. Several modified beacons have been used to validate the assay on both cell-free extracts and purified proteins. We have further developed the method to analyze BER in cultured cells. As described, the molecular beacon-based assay can be applied to all DNA modifications processed by DNA excision/incision repair pathways. Possible applications of the assay are discussed, including high-throughput real-time DNA repair measurements both in vitro and in living cell

Strontium-90 and caesium-137 activity concentrations in bats in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

Bats are a protected species and as such may bean object of protection in radiological assessments of the environment. However, there have previously been only few radioecological studies of species of bats. In this paper, results for [140 measurements of 90Sr and 137Cs in 10 species of bats collected within the Chernobyl zone are presented. There was some indication of a decreasing transfer of 90Sr with increasing deposition, although this was inconsistent across species and explained little of the observed variability. There was no difference between male and female bats in the transfer (expressed as the ratio of whole-body activity concentrations to those in soil) of either radionuclide. There was considerable variability in transfer across all species groups. At two sites where there were sufficient data, Eptesicus serotinus was found to have higher transfer than other species