Visual attribute modulates the time course of iconic memory decay

Studies on iconic memory demonstrate that rich information from a visual scene quickly becomes unavailable with the passage of time. The decay rate of iconic memory refers to the dynamics of memory availability. The present study investigated the iconic memory decay of different stimulus attributes that comprised an object. Specifically, in Experiment 1, participants were presented with eight coloured numbers (e.g., red 4) and required to remember only one attribute, either colour or number, over different blocks of trials. The participants then reported the cued attribute in which the cue Stimulus Onset Asynchrony (SOA) from the memory array onset was varied (0, 100, 200, 300, 500, and 1000 ms). We found that numerical information became unavailable more quickly than colour information, despite the fact that the memory accuracies at 0 and 1000 ms SOAs were comparable between the two attributes. In Experiment 2, we replicated the finding that a numerical representation was lost more quickly than a colour representation when visual masks followed the target stimulus. These results suggest that the various visual attributes comprising an object are lost over time at different rates in iconic memory. We discuss this finding in relation to how perceptual representation is transferred to the capacity-limited visual working memory © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Grou

First principles study of the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of U in an electrorefining system using molybdenum cathode and LiCl-KCl eutectic molten salt

Using first principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations we obtain thermodynamic and kinetic properties of U in an electrorefining process for spent nuclear fuels using a LiCl-KCl eutectic molten salt and Mo as a cathode. The thermodynamic stability of electrodeposited U from the molten salt onto the Mo(110) surface electrode is evaluated by activity coefficients as function of surface coverages of U and Cl. Additionally, ab-initio molecular dynamic simulations combined with the Stokes-Einstein-Sutherland relation enables us to calculate the viscosity of the LiCl-KCl eutectic molten salt. Our results well agree with previously reported experimental data endorsing the credibility. Based on our atomic-level mechanical understanding we propose that an accurate computational model system incorporating the electrochemical conditions of the electrorefining process essential for the purpose of establishing thermodynamic and kinetic database of U, otherwise critical deviations are inevitable. More interestingly, the effect of coadsorption of Cl with U on the Mo(110) surface plays a key role in stabilizing electrodeposited U on the cathode. Our approach can be useful for validating published experimental database and for identifying key factors guiding a rational design of highly efficient electrorefining system for spent nuclear fuels, and thus reducing high-level radioactive nuclear wastes. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Switching Chemoselectivity Based on the Ring Size: How to Make Ring-Fused Indoles Using Transition-Metal-Mediated Cross-Coupling

© 2021 American Chemical SocietyPyrroloazocine indole alkaloids consisting of eight-membered azacycle fused to pyrrole and indole units exhibit intriguing pharmacological functions but still pose a synthetic challenge. Here, we report an alternative synthetic strategy for the pyrroloazocine indole core from two key steps: (i) regioselective Fischer indolization and (ii) transition-metal-mediated C-N cross-coupling reaction ofN-Boc aryl hydrazine with azacyclic vinyl triflate. In our investigation, Pd(0)- and Cu(I)-catalysts are found to display distinct and complementary selectivities for the ring size of cyclic vinyl triflates. For rings that are five- and six-membered, a Pd(0)-catalyst afforded the corresponding ene-hydrazines while completely ineffective for seven-membered or larger rings. A Cu(I)-catalyst exhibited the opposite selectivities. Computational studies reveal that their ring size dependency is due to the two bottlenecks of reductive elimination for Pd and oxidative addition for Cu along with bond strengths in products and reactants and degree of stage at transition states. These findings led us to establish a straightforward protocol for accessing a variety of ring-fused indoles highlighted with the formal synthesis of (−)-lundurine A.11Nsciescopu

Microfabrication of In Vitro Model for Alveolar Barrier by Inkjet-based Bioprinting

An alveolar barrier in the gas exchanging region of the lung consists of epithelium, basement membrane, and endothelium with a thickness of less than 2 μm. The thin structure is critical for maintaining pulmonary function such as gas exchange. Efforts have been made to fabricate the biomimetic human alveolar barrier model, one of the essential model systems for pulmonary drug and inhalation particle test in disease studies, drug discovery and toxicology, by using microfluidic devices and bioprinting technology. However, to date no model can precisely mimic the thin structure with the 3 layers that is an crucial feature of for gas exchanging function. Here, we present human alveolar barrier model with about 10 μm-thick, containing multi-type alveolar cells in 3 layers. We fabricate the model with 4 alveolar cell lines, including type 1 - like alveolar cell (NCI-H1703), type 2 alveolar cell (NCI-H441), lung fibroblast (MRC5), and lung microvascular endothelial cell (HULEC-5a). High-resolution drop-on-demand inkjet printing enables the fabrication of the thin alveolar barrier model of 10 μm by controlled deposition of multi-type alveolar cells as a thin layer. In order to demonstrate the level of biomimetics, the structure and function of the 3D-printed model are evaluated by the measurements of thickness, histology, barrier integrity tests, and immunocytochemistry. As a potential application as a disease model we infect the thin alveolar barrier tissue with an influenza virus (H1N1). As a result, the model structurally has all three layers and functions well. It has also been confirmed that it can be used as a virus infection model. We show that inkjet printing is a versatile tool to fabricate very thin tissue models, and our alveolar barrier model show its potential to be used for in vivo studies in pathology, drug discovery, and toxicology.2

All-Inkjet-Printed Alveolar Barrier Model

An alveolar barrier that exists in the gas exchanging area of the lung consists of epithelium, basement membrane, and endothelium with a thickness of 0.6 ‒ 2 μm. There is an urgent need to develop the biomimetic barrier model in vitro for particle exposure test and drug discovery in respiratory medicine. However, current fabrication techniques have limitation to mimic the very thin multiple microsystem that replicates the complex physicological functionality. Among various bioprinting techniques developed to date, inkjet printing is a subtype of bioprinting technique, which can eject inks in picolitre-level droplets in a drop-on-demand manner and with high precision. Here, we demonstrate for the first time an all-inkjet-printed human alveolar barrier model including 4 alveolar cell types with a thickness of ~10 μm.1

Effect of PVP-Capped ZnO Nanoparticles with Enhanced Charge Transport on the Performance of P3HT/PCBM Polymer Solar Cells

We attempted surface modification in ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by the sol–gel process with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) applied to bulk-heterojunction polymer solar cells (PSCs) as an electron transport layer (ETL). In general, ZnO NPs have trap sites due to oxygen vacancies which capture electrons and degrade the performance of the PSCs. Devices with six different PVP:Zn ratios (0.615 g, 1.230 g, 1.846 g, 2.460 g, 3.075 g, and 3.690 g) were fabricated for surface modification, and the optimized PVP:Zn ratio (2.460 g) was found for PSCs based on P3HT/PCBM. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the fabricated PSCs with PVP-capped ZnO exhibited a significant increase of approximately 21% in PCE and excellent air-stability as compared with the uncapped ZnO-based PSCs

The complete plastome of Cynanchum rostellatum (Apocynaceae), an indigenous plant in Korea

The climbing plant Cynanchum rostellatum (Turcz.) Liede & Khanum is widely distributed throughout Korea and Northeast Asia as a member of the Apocynaceae family. Although this plant has a high value in medicinal and industrial purposes, genetic research on this plant is insufficient. This study announces the complete plastid genome (plastome) sequence of C. rostellatum with 663× mean coverage, which was assembled using 763 Mbp short-read data generated by the Illumina HiSeq X platform. The C. rostellatum plastome was 158,018 bp in length and displayed the typical quadripartite structure composed of the large single-copy (LSC) region (89,058 bp), the small single-copy (SSC) region (18,718 bp), and a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions (25,116 bp). A total of 129 genes have been annotated, including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA genes, and eight ribosomal RNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the genus Cynanchum including 12 Cynanchum plastome sequences, was monophyletic and was located within the sub-family Asclepiadoideae. Two C. rostellatum plastomes, including the plastome assembled in this study, formed a subclade and were sister to the C. thesioides plastome, whereas the other C. rostellatum, which was previously reported one, was located within the clade of C. wilfordii and C. bungei

Structural Insights into the Tumor-Promoting Function of the MTDH-SND1 Complex

Metadherin (MTDH) and Staphylococcal nuclease domain containing 1 (SND1) are overexpressed and interact in diverse cancer types. The structural mechanism of their interaction remains unclear. Here, we determined the high-resolution crystal structure of MTDH-SND1 complex, which reveals an 11-residue MTDH peptide motif occupying an extended protein groove between two SN domains (SN1/2), with two MTDH tryptophan residues nestled into two well-defined pockets in SND1. At the opposite side of the MTDH-SND1 binding interface, SND1 possesses long protruding arms and deep surface valleys that are prone to binding with other partners. Despite the simple binding mode, interactions at both tryptophan-binding pockets are important for MTDH and SND1’s roles in breast cancer and for SND1 stability under stress. Our study reveals a unique mode of interaction with SN domains that dictates cancer-promoting activity and provides a structural basis for mechanistic understanding of MTDH-SND1-mediated signaling and for exploring therapeutic targeting of this complex

First Report of Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly for Lance Asiabell (Codonopsis lanceolata), A Medicinal and Vegetable Plant in the Campanulaceae Family

Files for the genome sequence, annotated information, and functional annotation of Codonopsis lanceolata File Description Clanceolata_genome_20200909.zip: - Genome sequence and annotation information (gff, cds, protein) of Codonopsis lanceolata  Clanceolata_functional_annotation_20221106.zip: - Function annotation filesof gene set predicted in genome sequence of Codonopsis lanceolata</p