PINPOINT SOURCE LOCALIZATION FOR OCULAR NONSELECTIVE ATTENTION WITH COMBINATION OF ERP AND fNIRI MEASUREMENTS

Compared with event-related potential(ERP)which is widely used in psychology research,functional near-infrared imaging(fNIRI)is a new technique providing hemodynamic information related to brain activity,except for electrophysiological signals.Here,we use both these techniques to study ocular attention.We conducted a series of experiments with a classic paradigm of ocular nonselective attention,and monitored responses with fNIRI and ERP respectively.The results showed that fNIRI measured brain activations in the left prefrontal lobe,while ERPs showed activation in frontal lobe.More importantly,only with the combination measurements of fNIRI and ERP,we were then able to find the pinpoint source of ocular nonselective attention,which is in the left and upper corner in Brodmann area 10.These results demonstrated that fNIRI is a reliable technique in psychology,and the combination of fNIRI and ERP can be promising to reveal more information in the research of brain mechanism.

Nonselective etching of GaN/AlGaN heterostructures by Cl2/Ar/BCl3 inductively coupled plasmas

A systematic study of the nonselective and smooth etching of GaN/AIGaN het-erostructures was performed using C12/Ar/BCI3 inductively coupled plasmas (ICR).Nonselective etching can be realized by adjusting the BCI3 ratio in the Cl2/Ar/BCI3 mixture (20%—60%), increasing the ICR power and dc bias, and decreasing the chamber pressure. Surface morphology of the etched heterostructures strongly depends on the gas chemistry and the chamber pressure. Specifically, with the addition of 20% BCI3 to Cl2/Ar (4:1) gas mixture, nonselective etching of GaN/Al0.28Ga0.72N heterostructures at high etch rate is maintained and the surface root-mean-square (rms) roughness is reduced from 10.622 to 0.495 nm, which is smoother than the as-grown sample. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) analysis shows that the effective removal of residual oxygen from the surface of AIGaN during the etching process is crucial to the nonselective and smooth etching of GaN/AIGaN herterostructures at high etch rate.

Amphiphilic miktoarm star copolymers can self-assemble into micelle-like aggregates in nonselective solvents: a case study of polyoxometalate based miktoarm stars

It is well-known that amphiphilic star-shaped copolymers can self-assemble in selective solvents to form complicated micellar constructs as a synergistic result of both the topological constraints and relative volume fractions of the arms.Although the association phenomena of amphiphilic stars have been observed in nonselective solvents,both the structural detail and formation mechanism of these associates are not clear yet.Moreover,these experimental observations are controversial with respect to molecularly dispersed starlike copolymers in nonselective solvents as is popularly believed.To clarify these issues,we have synthesized a series of polyoxometalate-based polystyrene-poly(ethylene glycol)(PS-PEG)miktoarm star supramolecular copolymers(SEW-1–5)by coupling a Keggin-type polyoxometalate of K4[α-SiW12O40]with 1,2,3-triazolium bridged block copolymers of-PSn-b+-PEGmI-(n=17,26,39,57,81;m=45)through ionic exchange reactions,respectively.TEM imaging,contact angle and 1H NMR studies reveal that SEW-2–5 self-assemble in chloroform,THF,and toluene to create micellelike aggregates ranging from cylinder to sphere with a PS corona and a PEG core,while for SEW-1,reverse bilayers are captured with a PEG corona and a PS core.Among these aggregates,the Keggin clusters of[α-SiW12O40]4-localize at the core-corona interfaces between PS and PEG.In terms of solvent quality,chloroform,THF,and toluene are only slightly poorer for PEG than that for PS with a relative order of chloroform<THF<toluene.These unexpected aggregates originate from the topological constraints of the chemically different arms of PS and PEG in the miktoarm stars,where the weak incompatibility between the PS and PEG arms is intensified appropriately.The presence of the reverse bilayered structures of SEW-1 is due to the magnified steric hindrance of the PEG45 arm with decreasing the molecular weight of the PS17 arm.However,to the best of our knowledge,these are the first examples clearly indicating that miktoarm star copolymers can self-assemble in common good solvents or slightly selective solvents to generate micellelike aggregates.This scenario is not only in sharp contrast to the intuitively considered behavior of unimolecular miktoarm stars in nonselective solvents,but also rather different from the conventional selfassembly behavior of amphiphilic star copolymers in selective solvents.

Optimized Three-Dimensional Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Whole Heart Imaging Utilizing Non-Selective Excitation and Compressed Sensing in Children and Adults with Congenital Heart Disease

Background:In congenital heart disease(CHD)patients,detailed three-dimensional anatomy depiction plays a pivotal role for diagnosis and therapeutical decision making.Hence,the present study investigated the applicability of an advanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance(CMR)whole heart imaging approach utilizing nonselective excitation and compressed sensing for anatomical assessment and interventional guidance of CHD patients in comparison to conventional dynamic CMR angiography.Methods:86 consecutive pediatric patients and adults with congenital heart disease(age,1 to 74 years;mean,35 years)underwent CMR imaging including a freebreathing,ECG-triggered 3D nonselective SSFP whole heart acquisition using compressed SENSE(nsWHcs).Anatomical assessability and signal intensity ratio(SIR)measurements were compared with conventional dynamic 3D-/4D-MR angiography.Results:The most frequent diagnoses were partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage(17/86,20%),transposition of the great arteries(15/86,17%),tetralogy of Fallot(12/86,14%),and a single ventricle(7/86,8%).Image quality of nsWHcs was rated as excellent/good in 98%of patients.nsWHcs resulted in a reliable depiction of all large thoracic vessels(anatomic assessability,99%–100%)and the proximal segments of coronary arteries and coronary sinus(>90%).nsWHcs achieved a homogenously distributed SIR in all cardiac cavities and thoracic vessels without a significant difference between pulmonary and systemic circulation(10.9±3.5 and 10.6±3.4;p=0.15),while 3D angiography showed significantly increased SIR for targeted vs.non-targeted circulation(PA-angiography,15.2±8.1 vs.5.8±3.6,p<0.001;PV-angiography,7.0±3.9 vs.17.3±6.8,p<0.001).Conclusions:The proposed nsWHcs imaging approach provided a consistently high image quality and a homogeneous signal intensity distribution within the pulmonary and systemic circulation in pediatric patients and adults with a wide spectrum of congenital heart diseases.nsWHcs enabled detailed anatomical assessment and three-dimensional reconstruction of all cardiac cavities and large thoracic vessels and can be regarded particularly useful for preprocedural planning and interventional guidance in CHD patients.

Membrane-Potential Alteration During K+ Uptake of Different Salt-Tolerant Wheat Varieties

K＋ is the most abundant cation in plant cells and plays an important role in many ways.K＋ uptake of plant has respect to its salt resistant capacity.There are two categories of channel transportation for plants to uptake K＋,one is through K＋ channels and the other is through nonselective cation channels（NSCCs）.The transmembrane localization of K＋ may change membrane potential（MP）.In this paper,three wheat varieties with different salt tolerance were selected and the MP was measured by microelectrode during K＋ uptake.The results showed that the effects of K＋ uptake on MP through K＋ channels or NSCCs were distinct.K＋ influx through K＋ channels led to MP hyperpolarization,while K＋ influx through NSCCs resulted in depolarization.Diverse MP alteration of wheat varieties with different salt tolerance was mainly due to NSCCs-mediated K＋ uptake.Compared with the salt-tolerant wheat,the MP hyperpolarization during K＋ uptake of saltsensitive wheat was much more evident,probably because of the cation outflux through NSCCs during this process.

Neuronal Fc gamma receptor I as a novel mediator for IgG immune complex-induced peripheral sensitization

Chronic pain often accompanies immune-related diseases with an elevated level of IgG immune complex （IgG-IC） in the serum and/or the affected tissues though the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Fc gamma receptors （FcyRs）, known as the receptors for the Fc domain of immunoglobulin G （IgG）, are typically expressed on immune cells. A general consensus is that the activation of FcyRs by IgG-IC in such immune cells induces the release of proinflammatory cytokines from the immune cells, which may contribute to the IgG-IC-mediated peripheral sensitization. In addition to the immune cells, recent studies have revealed that FcyRI, but not FcyRII and FcyRIII, is also expressed in a subpopulation of primary sensory neurons. Moreover, IgG-IC directly excites the primary sensory neurons through neuronal FcyRI. These findings indicate that neuronal FcyRI provides a novel direct linkage between immunoglobulin and primary sensory neurons, which may be a novel target for the treatment of pain in the immune-related disorders. In this review, we summarize the expression pattern, functions, and the associated cellular signaling of FcyRs in the primary sensory neurons.

β-arrestin-2 predicts the clinical response to β-blockers in cirrhotic portal hypertension patients: A prospective study

BACKGROUND Portal hypertension,a common complication associated with liver cirrhosis,can result in variceal bleeding,which greatly impacts patient survival.Recently,β-arrestin-2 has been shown to predict the acute hemodynamic response to nonselectiveβ-blocker therapy for cirrhotic portal hypertension.However,more data is needed on the long-term effects of and changes inβ-arrestin-2 following nonselectiveβ-blocker therapy.AIM To investigate the expression and role ofβ-Arrestin-2 in predicting the long-term response to nonselectiveβ-blockers in cirrhotic portal hypertensive patients.METHODS We prospectively enrolled 91 treatment-naïve patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension.Baseline clinical and laboratory data were obtained.Gastroscopy was performed for grading and treating varices and obtaining gastric antral biopsies.We measured the serum and antral expression ofβ-arrestin-2 and obtained Doppler measurement of the portal vein congestion index.Treatment with nonselectiveβ-blockers was then started.The patients were followed up for 18 mo,after which they have undergone a repeat antral biopsy and re-evaluation of the portal vein congestion index.RESULTS A higher serum level and antral expression ofβ-arrestin-2 was associated with longer bleedingfree intervals,greater reduction in the portal vein congestion index,and improved grade of varices.Among patients with a lowβ-arrestin-2 expression,17.6%were nonselectiveβ-blocker responders,whereas,among those with high expression,95.1%were responders(P<0.001).A serumβ-arrestin-2 value≥2.23 ng/mL was associated with a lower likelihood of variceal bleeding(90%sensitivity and 71%specificity).β-arrestin-2 expression significantly decreased after nonselectiveβ-blocker therapy.CONCLUSIONβ-arrestin-2 expression in cirrhotic portal hypertension predicts the clinical response to long-term nonselectiveβ-blocker treatment.Serumβ-arrestin-2 is a potential noninvasive biomarker for selecting the candidate patients for nonselectiveβ-blockers.

Heteromerization of TRP channel subunits: extending functional diversity

Transient receptor potential(TRP)channels are widely found throughout the animal kingdom.By serving as cellular sensors for a wide spectrum of physical and chemical stimuli,they play crucial physiological roles ranging from sensory transduction to cell cycle modulation.TRP channels are tetrameric protein complexes.While most TRP subunits can form functional homomeric channels,heteromerization of TRP channel subunits of either the same subfamily or different subfamilies has been widely observed.Heteromeric TRP channels exhibit many novel properties compared to their homomeric counterparts,indicating that co-assembly of TRP channel subunits has an important contribution to the diversity of TRP channel functions.

The characteristics of action potential and nonselec-tive cation current of cardiomyocytes in rabbit superior vena cava

As a special focus in initiating and maintaining atrial fibrillation (AF), cardiomyocytes in superior vena cava (SVC) have distinctive electrophysiological characters. In this study, we found that comparing with the right atrial (RA) cardiomyoctyes, the SVC cardiomyoctyes had longer APD90 at the different basic cycle lengths; the conduction block could be observed on both RA and SVC cardiomyoctyes. A few of SVC cardiomyoctyes showed slow response action potentials with automatic activity and some others showed early afterdepolarization (EAD) spontaneously. Further more, we found that there are nonselective cation current (INs) in both SVC and RA cardiomyocytes. The peak density of INs in SVC cardiomyocytes was smaller than that in RA cardiomyocytes. Removal of extracellular divalent cation and glucose could increase INs in SVC cardiomyocytes. The agonist or the antagonist of INs may in-crease or decrease APD. To sum up, some SVC cardiomyocytes possess the ability of spontaneous activity; the difference of transmembrane action potentials between SVC and RA cardiomyocytes is partly because of the different density of INs between them; the agonist or the antagonist of INs can in-crease or decrease APD leading to the enhancement or reduction of EAD genesis in SVC cardiomyo-cytes. INs in rabbit myocytes is fairly similar to TRPC3 current in electrophysiological property, which might play an important role in the mechanisms of AF.