Effects of diffuse and specular reflections on the perceived age of facial skin

Age perception is a better biomarker of skin aging than chronological age. However, the optical cues that determine the perception of human skin age are difficult to assess given the complex interactions between light and the multi layered structure of the skin. The aim of the present study is to clarify the independent contribution of both diffuse and specular reflection components to the skin age perception. First, according to our results, subjects were able to estimate the age of skin only by using the diffuse reflection component. Moreover, we showed that inclusion of the specular reflection component added on average 5 years to their age estimation. Second, by artificially manipulating the specular component, we concluded that the luminance distribution affects the perceived age of the skin.     

Impaired social brain network for processing dynamic facial expressions in autism spectrum disorders

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Impairment of social interaction via facial expressions represents a core clinical feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the neural correlates of this dysfunction remain unidentified. Because this dysfunction is manifested in real-life situations, we hypothesized that the observation of dynamic, compared with static, facial expressions would reveal abnormal brain functioning in individuals with ASD. We presented dynamic and static facial expressions of fear and happiness to individuals with high-functioning ASD and to age- and sex-matched typically developing controls and recorded their brain activities using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Result Regional analysis revealed reduced activation of several brain regions in the ASD group compared with controls in response to dynamic versus static facial expressions, including the middle temporal gyrus (MTG), fusiform gyrus, amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Dynamic causal modeling analyses revealed that bi-directional effective connectivity involving the primary visual cortex-MTG-IFG circuit was enhanced in response to dynamic as compared with static facial expressions in the control group. Group comparisons revealed that all these modulatory effects were weaker in the ASD group than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that weak activity and connectivity of the social brain network underlie the impairment in social interaction involving dynamic facial expressions in individuals with ASD.     

An Air-Stable Low-Bandgap n-Type Organic Polymer Semiconductor Exhibiting Selective Solubility in Perfluorinated Solvents

A thin-film transistor: An n-type polymer semiconductor, poly(2,3-bis(perfluorohexyl)thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine), was synthesized through a Pd-catalyzed polycondensation employing a perfluorinated multiphase solvent system. This is the first example of an n-type polymer semiconductor with exclusive solubility in fluorinated solvents. The fabrication of organic field effect transistors containing this new n-type polymer semiconductor is shown.     

Wide-Range 2D Lattice Correlation Unveiled for Columnarly Assembled Triphenylene Hexacarboxylic Esters

Dipole bridge: Liquid-crystalline (LC) triphenylenes self-assemble columnarly into a hexagonal geometry with a wide-range 2D lattice correlation, for which distal and proximal dipole-dipole interactions are considered responsible. By virtue of the strong intercolumnar interaction, the LC columns of the triphenylene can spontaneously align homeotropically on the 12 different substrates examined (POM=polarized optical microscopy).     

Is the 7/2(1)- isomer state of 43S spherical?

We report on the spectroscopic quadrupole moment measurement of the 7/2(1)(-) isomeric state in (16)(43)S(27) [E*=320.5(5) keV, T(1/2)=415(3) ns], using the time dependent perturbed angular distribution technique at the RIKEN RIBF facility. Our value, |Q(s)|=23(3) efm(2), is larger than that expected for a single-particle state. Shell model calculations using the modern SDPF-U interaction for this mass region reproduce remarkably well the measured |Q(s)|, and show that non-negligible correlations drive the isomeric state away from a purely spherical shape.     

Synthesis of the common FGHI-ring part of ciguatoxins

The common FGHI-ring part (2) of ciguatoxins has been synthesized from the F- and I-ring parts (6 and 5, respectively). The Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi coupling of 6 with 5 followed by regio- and stereoselective epoxidation at C29 and C30 afforded an epoxide (4), which was transformed into a tricyclic compound (3) corresponding to the F-HI-ring part by 6-exo-epoxide opening and the subsequent inversion of the C29 stereocenter. Reductive cyclization of 3 forming the C31-O26 bond of the G-ring successfully produced 2.     

Nature and energies of electrons and holes in a conjugated polymer, polyfluorene

Electrons and holes were injected selectively into poly-2,7-(9,9-dihexylfluorene) (pF) dissolved in a tetrahydrofuran (THF) and a 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) solution, respectively, using pulse radiolysis. Transient absorption spectra of monoions of both signs revealed two bands attributable to formation of polarons, one in the visible region (pF+* at 580 nm, pF-* at 600 nm) and another in the near-IR region. Additional confirmation for the identification of pF+* and pF-* comes from bimolecular charge-transfer reactions, such as bithiophene-* + pF --> pF-* or pF+* + TTA --> +TTA+* (TTA = tri-p-tolylamine), in which known radical ions transfer charge to pF or from pF. Difference absorption spectra of pF chemically reduced by sodium in THF provided a ratio of absorbance of anions formed to bleaching of the neutral band at 380 nm. In conjunction with pulse-radiolysis results, the data show that each polaron occupies 4.5 +/- 0.5 fluorene units, most probably contiguous units. Extensive reduction of pF by sodium also revealed resistance to formation of bipolarons: excess electrons reside as separate polarons when two or more electrons were injected. Redox equilibria with pyrene and terthiophene by pulse radiolysis established reversible one-electron redox potentials of E0(pF+/0) = +0.66 V and E0(pF0/-) = -2.65 V vs Fc+/0. Together with the excited-state energy, these results predict a singlet exciton binding energy of 0.2 eV for pF in the presence of 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate. This binding energy would increase substantially without an electrolyte.     

Formation of hydrotalcite in aqueous solutions and intercalation of ATP by anion exchange

The formation reaction and the intercalation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were studied for hydrotalcite (HT), a layered double hydroxide (LDH) of magnesium and aluminum. Hydrotalcite with nitrate ions in the interlayer (HT-NO(3)) was formed (A) by dropwise addition of a solution of magnesium and aluminum nitrates (pH ca. 3) to a sodium hydroxide solution (pH ca. 14) until the pH decreased from 14 to 10 and (B) by dropwise addition of the NaOH solution to the solution of magnesium and aluminum nitrates with pH increasing from 3 to 10. The precipitate obtained with method B was contaminated with aluminum hydroxide and the crystallinity of the product was low, possibly because aluminum hydroxide precipitates at pH 4 or 5 and remains even after HT-NO(3) forms at pH above 8. With method A, however, the precipitate was pure HT-NO(3) with increased crystallinity, since the solubility of aluminum hydroxide at pH above and around 10 is high as dissolved aluminate anions are stable in this high pH region, and there was no aluminum hydroxide contamination. The formed HT-NO(3) had a composition of [Mg(0.71)Al(0.29)(OH)(2)](NO(3))(0.29).0.58H(2)O. To intercalate ATP anions into the HT-NO(3), HT-NO(3) was dispersed in an ATP solution at pH 7. It was found that the interlayer nitrate ions were completely exchanged with ATP anions by ion exchange, and the interlayer distance expanded almost twice with a free space distance of 1.2 nm. The composition of HT-ATP was established as [Mg(0.68)Al(0.32)(OH)(2)](ATP)(0.080)0.88H(2)O. The increased distance could be explained with a calculated molecular configuration of the ATP as follows: An ATP molecule is bound to an interlayer surface with the triphosphate group, the adenosine group bends owing to its bond angles and projects into the interlayer to a height of 1 nm, and the adenosine groups aligned in the interlayer support the interlayer distance.     

Radical-scavenging activities of new megastigmane glucosides from Macaranga tanarius (L.) MULL.-ARG

Four new megastigmane glucosides, named macarangiosides A-D (2-5), together with mallophenol B, lauroside E, methyl brevifolin carboxylate, and hyperin and isoquercitrin as a mixture were isolated from the leaves of Macaranga tanarius (L.) MULL.-ARG. (Euphorbiaceae). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical analyses. Macarangioside A-C (2-4) and mallophenol B were galloylated on glucose moiety and possessed the potent 2,2-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity.     

Stereoselective preparation of 1-siloxy-1-alkenylcopper species by 1,2-Csp2-to-O silyl migration of acylsilanes

1-Siloxy-1-alkenylcopper species were generated by 1,2-Csp2-to-O silyl migration of the copper enolates of acyltriphenylsilanes. The alkenylcopper species reacted with methyl, benzyl, allylic, and tributylstannyl halides to give geometrically pure (Z)-enol silyl ethers. In the presence of Pd(0) catalyst, the cross-coupling of the alkenyl copper species with aryl and alkenyl iodides also proceeded to give the (Z)-enol silyl ethers with high stereoselectivity.