Monocular viewing prolongs reversal interval of perceptual rival figure

The authors examined whether the perceptual reversal rate changes under monocular versus binocular viewing conditions. Our results suggest that the perceptual reversal interval increases during monocular viewing. The ratio of the reversal rate (1/interval) for the two viewing conditions (binocular/monocular) was 1.28 over a wide range of pattern luminance levels. The quoted ratio was 1.40 when the luminance was high. Such a ratio parallels the value of a well-known binocular summation index $(\sqrt 2 )$ , which was derived from the signal detection theory. The binocular summation index shows that the strength of an input signal is enhanced by binocular viewing. However, how the binocular summation shortens the perceptual reversal interval is unclear. This issue can be resolved if the perceptual reversal is derived by integrating the strength of an unconscious image signal. Thus, we discussed the mechanism of perceptual switch by associating two classical, well-studied phenomena, binocular summation and perceptual switch.     

ChemInform Abstract: Determination of the Space Group of LaCrO3 by Convergent‐Beam Electron Diffraction.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.     

Deciphering the Biological Activities of Antifungal Agents with Chemical Probes

The growing number of fungal infections caused by pathogens resistant to one or more classes of antifungal drugs emphasizes the threat that these microorganisms pose to animal and human health and global food security. Open questions remain regarding the mechanisms of action of the limited repertoire of antifungal agents, making it challenging to rationally develop more efficacious therapeutics. In recent years, the use of chemical biology approaches has resolved some of these questions and has provided new promising concepts to guide the design of antifungal agents. By focusing on examples from studies carried out in recent years, this minireview describes the key roles that probes based on antifungal agents and their derivatives have played in uncovering details about their activities, in detecting resistance, and in characterizing the interactions between these agents and their targets.     

Dimensionally oriented redox-active π-conjugated systems

Porphyrins bearing the redox-active phenylenediamine pendant groups are synthesized to afford dimensionally oriented π-conjugated systems. The structural and electronic characteristics depend on the atropisomers. In the fluorescence emission spectra, the emission from the porphyrin moiety is almost completely quenched. Zinc complexation of the αααα isomers gives the corresponding zinc porphyrins bearing four phenylenediamine strands. Treatment with a bidentate ligand, DABCO, leads to the sandwich dimer complex, in which the porphyrin moieties are surrounded by π-conjugated pendant groups. p-t-Butylcalix[4]arenes bearing four redox-active phenylenediamine pendant groups on the lower rim are synthesized and characterized both spectroscopically and electrochemically. The interconversion of the oxidation states of the pendant groups is demonstrated both chemically and electrochemically.