Sleep-dependent memory consolidation is related to perceived value of learned material

Although many types of newly encoded information can be consolidated during sleep, an enhanced effect has been found for memories tagged as relevant to the future, such as through knowledge of future testing or payment for successful recall. In the current study, participants (n = 80) learned Welsh and Breton translations of English words, and intrinsic relevance of learned material was operationalized as perceived value of the Welsh and Breton languages. Participants were non-Welsh native English speakers who had recently arrived in Wales. Memory for the words was tested immediately and 12 h later, after either a period of wake or a period of sleep. An increase in recall for both languages was found after sleep, but not after wake. Importantly, for the sleep condition, overnight improvement in Welsh word recall was associated with participants’ level of valuing the Welsh language. This association was not found for the wake period condition. These findings support previous indications of an active role of sleep in the consolidation of memories relevant for the future, and demonstrate that this effect may be modulated by individual differences in perceived value of the learned material. It remains to be established whether this association is mediated by an emotional attachment to the language or a cognitive facility with it, or both

Developing a Laser Induced Liquid Beam Ion Desorption Spectral Database as Reference for Spaceborne Mass Spectrometers

Spaceborne impact ionization mass spectrometers, such as the Cosmic Dust Analyzer on board the past Cassini spacecraft or the SUrface Dust Analyzer being built for NASA's upcoming Europa Clipper mission, are of crucial importance for the exploration of icy moons in the Solar System, such as Saturn's moon Enceladus or Jupiter's moon Europa. For the interpretation of data produced by these instruments, analogue experiments on Earth are essential. To date, thousands of laboratory mass spectra have been recorded with an analogue experiment for impact ionization mass spectrometers. Simulation of mass spectra of ice grains in space is achieved by a Laser Induced Liquid Beam Ion Desorption (LILBID) approach. The desorbed cations or anions are analyzed in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The amount of unstructured raw data is increasingly challenging to sort, process, interpret and compare with data from space. Thus far this has been achieved manually for individual mass spectra because no database containing the recorded reference spectra was available. Here we describe the development of a comprehensive, extendable database containing cation and anion mass spectra from the laboratory LILBID facility. The database is based on a Relational Database Management System with a web server interface and enables filtering of the laboratory data using a wide range of parameters. The mass spectra can be compared not only with data from past and future space missions but also mass spectral data generated by other, terrestrial, techniques. The validated and approved subset of the database is available for general public (https://lilbid-db.planet.fu-berlin.de)

Que o Ser Perfeitíssimo existe

"Que o Ser Perfeitíssimo existe” de Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, com introdução e notas de Abel Lassalle Casanave (UFBA/CNPq), Griselda Gaiada (IEA Nantes), Marco Aurélio Oliveira da Silva (UFBA)

Developing a Laser Induced Liquid Beam Ion Desorption Spectral Database as Reference for Spaceborne Mass Spectrometers

Spaceborne impact ionization mass spectrometers, such as the Cosmic Dust Analyzer on board the past Cassini spacecraft or the SUrface Dust Analyzer being built for NASA's upcoming Europa Clipper mission, are of crucial importance for the exploration of icy moons in the Solar System, such as Saturn's moon Enceladus or Jupiter's moon Europa. For the interpretation of data produced by these instruments, analogue experiments on Earth are essential. To date, thousands of laboratory mass spectra have been recorded with an analogue experiment for impact ionization mass spectrometers. Simulation of mass spectra of ice grains in space is achieved by a Laser Induced Liquid Beam Ion Desorption (LILBID) approach. The desorbed cations or anions are analyzed in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The amount of unstructured raw data is increasingly challenging to sort, process, interpret and compare with data from space. Thus far this has been achieved manually for individual mass spectra because no database containing the recorded reference spectra was available. Here we describe the development of a comprehensive, extendable database containing cation and anion mass spectra from the laboratory LILBID facility. The database is based on a Relational Database Management System with a web server interface and enables filtering of the laboratory data using a wide range of parameters. The mass spectra can be compared not only with data from past and future space missions but also mass spectral data generated by other, terrestrial, techniques. The validated and approved subset of the database is available for general public (https://lilbid-db.planet.fu-berlin.de)

Bacterial rotary export ATPases are allosterically regulated by the nucleotide second messenger cyclic-di-GMP

The widespread second messenger molecule cyclic di-GMP (cdG) regulates the transition from motile and virulent lifestyles to sessile, biofilm-forming ones in a wide range of bacteria. Many pathogenic and commensal bacterial-host interactions are known to be controlled by cdG signaling. Although the biochemistry of cyclic dinucleotide metabolism is well understood, much remains to be discovered about the downstream signaling pathways that induce bacterial responses upon cdG binding. As part of our ongoing research into the role of cdG signaling in plant-associated Pseudomonas species, we carried out an affinity capture screen for cdG binding proteins in the model organism Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25. The flagella export AAA+ ATPase FliI was identified as a result of this screen and subsequently shown to bind specifically to the cdG molecule, with a KD in the low micromolar range. The interaction between FliI and cdG appears to be very widespread. In addition to FliI homologs from diverse bacterial species, high affinity binding was also observed for the type III secretion system homolog HrcN and the type VI ATPase ClpB2. The addition of cdG was shown to inhibit FliI and HrcN ATPase activity in vitro. Finally, a combination of site-specific mutagenesis, mass spectrometry, and in silico analysis was used to predict that cdG binds to FliI in a pocket of highly conserved residues at the interface between two FliI subunits. Our results suggest a novel, fundamental role for cdG in controlling the function of multiple important bacterial export pathways, through direct allosteric control of export ATPase proteins

A Search for Metal-poor Stars Pre-enriched by Pair-instability Supernovae I. A Pilot Study for Target Selection from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)

We report on a pilot study on identifying metal-poor stars pre-enriched by Pair-Instability Supernovae (PISNe). Very massive, first generation (Population III) stars (140M\odot \leq M \leq 260M\odot) end their lives as PISNe, which have been predicted by theories, but no relics of PISNe have been observed yet. Among the distinct characteristics of the yields of PISN, as predicted by theoretical calculations, are a strong odd-even effect, and a strong overabundance of Ca with respect to iron and the Solar ratio. We use the latter characteristic to identify metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo that have been pre-enriched by PISN, by comparing metallicites derived from strong, co-added Fe lines detected in low-resolution (i.e., R \sim 2000) spectra of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), with metallicities determined by the SDSS Stellar Parameters Pipeline (SSPP). The latter are based on the strength of the Ca II K line and assumptions on the Ca/Fe abundance ratio. Stars are selected as candidates if their metallicity derived from Fe lines is significantly lower than the SSPP metallicities. In a sample of 12,300 stars for which SDSS spectroscopy is available, we have identified 18 candidate stars. Higher resolution and signal-to-noise ratio spectra of these candidates are being obtained with the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory and the XSHOOTER spectrograph, to determine their abundance patterns, and to verify our selection method. We plan to apply our method to the data base of several million stellar spectra to be acquired with the LAMOST telescope in the next five years.Comment: Accepted by RA

Psychology as a natural science in the eighteenth century

Psychology considered as a natural science began as Aristotelian "physics" or "natural philosophy" of the soul. C. Wolff placed psychology under metaphysics, coordinate with cosmology. Scottish thinkers placed it within moral philosophy, but distinguished its "physical" laws from properly moral laws (for guiding conduct). Several Germans sought to establish an autonomous empirical psychology as a branch of natural science. British and French visual theorists developed mathematically precise theories of size and distance perception; they created instruments to test these theories and to measure visual phenomena such as the duration of visual impressions. These investigators typically were dualists who included mental phenomena within nature

Polymer-modified sulfonated PEEK ionomer membranes and the use of Ru3Pd6Pt as cathode catalyst for H2/O2 fuel cells

[EN] Nanocomposite membranes incorporating electrospun nanofibers of SPEEK, blended with 30 wt% PVB within a water-based matrix of SPEEK with 35 wt% PVA using water as solvent, were prepared and characterized for their application as Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) in H-2/O-2 operating at low temperatures. Compared with a dense bulk phase, an improvement of proton conductivity in the SPEEK-30PVB nanofiber framework was observed. The incorporation of the SPEEK-30PVB nanofibers provides mechanical improvement while the matrix phase of SPEEK-35PVA emphasizes the proton conductivity at crosslinking temperatures up to 140 degrees C. PEMFC performance tests showed promising results for the use of these novel low cost membranes. The nanocomposite membrane reached a power density which is 25% higher than that of Nafion117 membranes with MEAs constructed with Pt loading in anode and in cathode. However, when the Pt of the cathode is substituted by Ru3Pd6Pt, the power density is lower in Nafion117 MEAs than in the nanocomposite. When used commercial Pt-carbon cloth (Pt-ETEK) for the electrodes, the power density achieved is 1.4 times higher for the Nafion117 MEAs than SPEEK nano-composites. The differences observed in performance is attributed to the large polarization losses found in the composite membranes because of the interfacial phenomena associated with the use of commercial Nafion-based electrodes.This research is in the frame of Support Programme for Research and Development of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and the Ministry of Science and for funding provided through the projects: ENE2015-69203-R. OSF thanks to CONACYT-Mexico for supporting this research with the grant 475920.Martínez-Casillas, D.; Solorza, O.; Mollá Romano, S.; Montero Reguera, ÁE.; Garcia Bernabe, A.; Compañ Moreno, V. (2019). Polymer-modified sulfonated PEEK ionomer membranes and the use of Ru3Pd6Pt as cathode catalyst for H2/O2 fuel cells. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 44(1):295-303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.09.217S29530344

How inheriting affects bequest plans

We present and test the idea that bequest planning is linked with the experience of inheriting. We consider “a family tradition of bequeathing” as a channel through which the intention to bequeath is moulded by and is positively correlated with the experience of inheriting. Using data from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we find that the experience of inheriting enhances the intention to bequeath, independently of the positive impact of wealth. We also find that the expectation of inheriting has a positive impact on the intention to bequeath, controlling for the expected increase in wealth on account of future inheritances

Ethanol and Cognition: Indirect Effects, Neurotoxicity and Neuroprotection: A Review

Ethanol affects cognition in a number of ways. Indirect effects include intoxication, withdrawal, brain trauma, central nervous system infection, hypoglycemia, hepatic failure, and Marchiafava-Bignami disease. Nutritional deficiency can cause pellagra and Wernicke-Korsakoff disorder. Additionally, ethanol is a direct neurotoxin and in sufficient dosage can cause lasting dementia. However, ethanol also has neuroprotectant properties and in low-to-moderate dosage reduces the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer type. In fetuses ethanol is teratogenic, and whether there exists a safe dose during pregnancy is uncertain and controversial