Estimating time to contact during pursuit eye movements: Comparison between geometric model prediction and human performance

While an object is approaching a particular location, we can make an estimate of the time when the object will arrive at that location. A geometric model predicts that the estimate of time-to-contact (TTC) is greatly improved by using the rate of change of visual direction of the object when the object is moving with a slow velocity toward a point of nearest approach at a distance far from the observer. It has been shown that pursuit eye movements provide the rate of change of visual direction of an approaching object. We conducted psychophysical experiments, and compared TTC estimates during pursuit eye movements to those during fixation. We found that the differences in TTC estimates between fixation and pursuit show a qualitatively similar pattern to the geometric model prediction. However, the results also show that the magnitudes of the TTC estimation errors are greater than the theoretical values from the geometric model, indicating that the human visual system has a perceptual bias in estimating TTC. These results suggest that the human visual system estimates TTC during pursuit eye movements in a different way from the geometric model, although the effect of these eye movements on TTC estimates in human performance is qualitatively consistent with the model prediction.     

Ion-exchanger colorimetry-I Micro determination of chromium, iron, copper and cobalt in water

A new sensitive, colorimetric method based on the direct measurement of light-absorption by an ion-exchange resin phase, which has sorbed the sample complex species, has been developed. Determinations ofchromium(VI) with diphenylearbazide, iron(II) with 1,10-phenanthroline, copper with Zincon and cobalt with thiocyanate have more than ten times the sensitivity obtainable with conventional solution colorimetry. The present method can be applied to natural water samples containing very low levels of these metals.     

A kinetics of hydrolysis of ring phosphorus oxoanion in ion exchanger phase

Ring phosphorus oxoanion, hexapotassium dodecaoxohexaphosphate(III), (DOHP), was hydrolyzed in anion exchangers in order to elucidate the physicochemical state in the solid phase. The hydrolysis of DOHP obeys pseudo first order kinetics as is the case in aqueous solution. The hydrolysis rate constants k were determined as a function of the external solution pH or proton concentration in an anion exchanger. It was estimated from the Donnan equation and from the spectral change of an acid base indicator in the anion exchanger. The difference in k in aqueous and in the anion exchanger phase is discussed.     

Interaction analysis of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) with its monoclonal antibody immobilized on a gold surface using Fourier transform infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (FT-IR RAS).

A monoclonal antibody for the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was immobilized on a gold chip surface covered by a self-assembled monolayer of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid. Upon the addition of CEA, a Fourier transform infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (FT-IR RAS) measurement showed an increased absorption at around 1500 - 1700 cm(-1), corresponding to its amide structures. Another addition of CEA polyclonal antibody on this chip caused a further increase of the absorption in this region only after a treatment with CEA. This result shows that an antibody-fixed gold surface coupled with an FT-IR RAS measurement provides a new tool for detecting the antibody-antigen interaction.     

Single-crystalline M-type Sr Hexaferrites studied by <Superscript>57</Superscript>Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy

The ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra of the single crystalline and the finely ground Sr_1?x La _x Fe_12?y Co _y O₁₉ (x = 0 : y = 0, x = 0.192 : y = 0.152 and x = 0.456 : y = 0.225) samples have been measured to investigate the La-Co substitution effects. All observed spectra at 150 K were well fitted using the five subspectra which correspond to the five crystallographical nonequivalent Fe sites in the M-type hexaferrite, indicating that the valence changes to Fe²⁺ ions in the Fe³⁺ ions were not observed in our Sr_1?x La _x Fe_12?y Co _y O₁₉ samples. In SrFe₁₂O₁₉, the relative absorption intensities in the five subspectra show the large anisotropies in the recoilless fractions at the five Fe sites whereas these anisotropies were not observed in Sr_0.544La_0.456Fe_11.775Co_0.225O₁₉. These results indicate the chemical compositional dependence on the anisotropies of the recoilless fractions at the five Fe sites. The substitution of a Co²⁺ ion for the Fe³⁺ ion changes the center shifts of the Fe³⁺ ions near the Co²⁺ ion by the perturbation of the Fe-O-Co hybridizations. Therefore, the Co²⁺ ions occupy the 4f ₁ and the 4f ₂ sites due to the chemical compositional dependences of the refined magnetic hyperfine field and center shifts of the Fe³⁺ ions.     

Theoretical design of an aromatic hydrocarbon rotor driven by a circularly polarized electric field

An aromatic hydrocarbon rotor without functional groups is theoretically designed. Such a molecular rotor is free from long-range electrostatic interactions. Induced dipole interactions are the rotor-driving forces under a nonresonant excitation condition. As an example, a molecular rotor with a condensed aromatic ring, a pentacene moiety mounted on a phenyl-acetylene axle that is driven by a circularly polarized electric field is considered. Results of simulations of the quantum dynamics of a rotor that take into account short-range rotor-bath interactions are presented by numerically solving the density matrix equations of the rotational motions.     

Key role of chemical hardness to compare 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging power of flavone and flavonol O-glycoside and C-glycoside derivatives

The antioxidant activities of flavonoids and their glycosides were measured with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH radical, DPPH(·)) scavenging method. The results show that free hydroxyl flavonoids are not necessarily more active than O-glycoside. Quercetin and kaempferol showed higher activity than apigenin. The C- and O-glycosides of flavonoids generally showed higher radical scavenging activity than aglycones; however, kaempferol C3-O-glycoside (astragalin) showed higher activity than kaempferol. In the radical scavenging activity of flavonoids, it was expected that OH substitutions at C3 and C5 and catechol substitution at C2 of B ring and intramolecular hydrogen bonding between OH at C5 and ketone at C3 would increase the activity; however, the reasons have yet to be clarified. We here show that the radical scavenging activities of flavonoids are controlled by their absolute hardness (η) and absolute electronegativity (χ) as a electronic state. Kaempferol and quercetin provide high radical scavenging activity since (i) OH substitutions at C3 and C5 strikingly decrease η of flavones, (ii) OH substitutions at C3 and C7 decrease χ and η of flavones, and (iii) phenol or o-catechol substitution at C2 of B ring decrease χ of flavones. The coordinate r(χ,?η) as the electron state must be small to increase the radical scavenging activity of flavonoids. The results show that chemically soft kaempferol and quercetin have higher DPPH radical scavenging activity than chemically hard genistein and daidzein.     

Prediction of early response to radiotherapy of uterine carcinoma with dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging using pixel analysis of MR perfusion imaging

Purpose

To assess the predictability of the response to radiotherapy of uterine carcinoma, this study retrospectively analyzed dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance images (DCE-MRI) taken before radiotherapy.

Materials and Methods

Forty-two patients with uterine carcinoma were studied, of whom 22 had adenocarcinoma and 20 had squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In DCE-MRI analysis, two parameters, SIe and R_down, were measured. SIe is a median value for the degree of signal intensity change in all selected pixels in the tumor at 1–2 min after contrast agent injection. R_down is the ratio of the number of down-sloped pixels to that of all selected pixels 3–7 min after injection. The tumor volume reduction rate (TVRR) was measured by MRI-based volumetry in pre- and post-radiotherapy transverse T2-weighted images.

Results

Overall, TVRR was significantly correlated to both SIe (r=0.37, P=.015) and R_down (r=0.73, P<.0001). In the separate patient groups, SIe but not R_down was significantly different between the adenocarcinoma and SCC patients (t=3.64, P<.001). TVRR was not correlated to SIe in any group. TVRR was significantly correlated to R_down in adenocarcinoma patients (r=0.78, P<.001) but not in SCC patients.

Conclusion

SIe may reflect differences in histological characteristics. R_down may be useful for predicting the response to radiotherapy of uterine carcinoma.