Coding of shape from shading in area V4 of the macaque monkey

Background  

The shading of an object provides an important cue for recognition, especially for determining its 3D shape. However, neuronal mechanisms that allow the recovery of 3D shape from shading are poorly understood. The aim of our study was to determine the neuronal basis of 3D shape from shading coding in area V4 of the awake macaque monkey.     

CHO Cells Adhering to Nitrogen‐Rich Plasma‐Polymerised Ethylene Exhibit High Production of a Specific Recombinant Protein

In many industrial applications, inadequate cell attachment can be a limitation, especially when serum‐free media are used. Nitrogen‐rich plasma‐polymerised ethylene (PPE:N) exhibits high concentrations of polar groups that can help to promote the attachment of weakly adherent cell types. Tissue plasminogen activator‐producing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, adapted to suspension, were grown in the presence PPE:N flakes and were found to adhere to them. The growth rate was reduced, but cell viability was enhanced and their metabolism was more efficient, with generally higher recombinant protein productivity. Finally, cell adhesion on PPE:N surfaces was found to be independent of integrins, and was probably mediated by certain non‐specific interactions with the PPE:N surface.

     

The photodegradation of cadmium yellow paints in Henri Matisse’s Le Bonheur de vivre (1905–1906)

Evidence for the alteration of the yellow paints in Henri Matisse’s Le Bonheur de vivre (1905–1906, The Barnes Foundation) has been observed since the 1990s. The changes in this iconic work of Matisse’s Fauvist period include lightening, darkening, and flaking of the yellow paints. Handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and multispectral imaging surveys reveal that the degradation is confined to cadmium yellow (CdS) paints. The discoloration of cadmium yellow paints in Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early modernist work from the 1880s through the 1920s has been ascribed to the photo-oxidative degradation of CdS. Preliminary investigations of the degraded yellow paints in this work involved Cd L_III-edge X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source (SSRL Menlo Park, California) and Scanning Electron Microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDS) at the Winterthur Museum Scientific Research and Analysis Laboratory. To determine if the visual changes in the paints did in fact indicate photo-oxidative degradation and if different chemistries could be observed for the lightened versus darkened regions, synchrotron radiation-micro Fourier Transform InfraRed (SR-μFTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray Fluorescence (SR-μXRF) mapping and micro X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (μXANES) mapping at the Cd L_III-edge of the altered paint cross-sections were carried out at the European synchrotron radiation facility (ESRF, Grenoble, France) beamline ID-21. The goal is to elucidate the discoloration mechanisms observed in the paint using elemental and speciation mapping. The μXANES mapping and SR-FTIR imaging showed a substantial enrichment of CdCO₃ in the off-white surface crust of the faded/discolored CdS paint. This suggests that the CdCO₃ is present as an insoluble photodegradation product rather than solely a paint filler or starting reagent. Additionally, oxalates and sulfates were found to be concentrated at the alteration surface.     

A New Furostanol Saponin from the Water-extract of Dioscorea nipponica Mak., the Raw Material of the Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Wei Ao Xin

26-O-β-D-Glucopyranosyl-furost-5(6),20(22)-dien-3β,26-diol 1, a new furostanol saponin, was isolated from the water-extract of Dioscorea nipponica Mak., the raw material of a traditional Chinese herbal medicine Wei Ao Xin. The structure of 1 was determined on the basis of its spectral data especially by NMR spectroscopy. The result provides the first example of naturally occurring furostanol saponins with a single saccharide chain at the C-26 position.     

The second-order polarizability of a spherical system near a metal surface

The long range electromagnetic interactions between a spherical atom and a metal surface affects the non-linear response properties of the spherical system. As an example it is shown that, even in the absence of any electron overlap, a physisorbed atom acquires a non-zero second order non-linear polarizability tensor. Numerical estimations of this effect are performed for various atom-metal systems.     

Quantitative analysis of selected PCB congeners in marine matrix reference materials using a novel cyanobiphenyl stationary phase

A novel p,p-cyanobiphenyl stationary phase (p-cyanobiphenyl, p-allyloxy methylpolysiloxane) has been evaluated for the GC investigation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Several PCB congeners which coelute on the phases typically used for PCB analysis (e.g. 5% phenyl methylpolysiloxane) are separated on the p,p-cyanobiphenyl phase, including the hexachlorobiphenyl congeners PCB 163, PCB 164, and PCB 138. In this work, a p,p-cyanobiphenyl stationary phase was used to measure selected PCB congeners in two Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and two Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) available from the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR). The materials analyzed were SRM 1588, Organics in Cod Liver Oil; SRM 1945, Organics in Whale Blubber; CRM 349, Chlorobiphenyls in Cod Liver Oil; and CRM 350, Chlorobiphenyls in Mackerel Oil. Concentrations are reported for several PCB congeners which coelute on the 5% phenyl methylpolysiloxane, including PCB 163 and PCB 164.     

Phosphorus cluster production by laser ablation

Neutral and charged phosphorus clusters of a wide size range have been produced by pulsed laser ablation (PLA) in vacuum at 532, 337, and 193 nm ablating wavelengths and investigated by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The neutral P_n clusters are even-numbered with local abundance maxima at n=10 and 14, while the cationic and anionic clusters are preferentially odd-numbered with P₇⁺, P₂₁⁺, and P₁₇^- being the most abundant ions. The dominance of the magic clusters is more pronounced at 337-nm ablation that is explained by efficient direct ejection of their building blocks under these conditions. Nanocrystalline phosphorus films have been produced by PLA in ambient helium gas. PACS 52.38.MF; 61.46.+w; 79.20.Ds; 81.07.B; 81.16.Mk