Recalling Spatial Information as a Component of Recently and Remotely Acquired Episodic or Semantic Memories: An fMRI Study.

Activations produced by the recall of episodic and semantic memories differing in spatial content and age were examined. Recall of recent episodic memories with differing spatial content activated the medial temporal lobes and the retrosplenial-posterior cingulate cortex-precuneus complex more than recall of recent semantic memories with similarly differing spatial content. Some of these differences related to the amount of spatial information recalled because spatially richer recent memories, regardless of whether they were episodic or semantic, activated the right posterior parahippocampal cortex, precuneus, and posterior parietal cortex more. This spatial effect was found to be independent of memory age for semantic memories, although some episodic-semantic memory differences, including one in the left hippocampus, were not age independent. Episodic-semantic memory recall activation differences are therefore probably a function of the amount recalled, memory age, and what is recalled, particularly with respect to spatial information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Minimum required angular resolution of smartphone displays for the human visual system

There has been a rapid increase in the resolution of small‐sized and medium‐sized displays. This study determines an upper discernible limit for display resolution. A range of resolutions varying from 254–1016 PPI were evaluated using simulated display by 49 subjects at 300 mm viewing distance. The results of the study conclusively show that users can discriminate between 339 and 508 PPI and in many cases between 508 and 1016 PPI.     

Pregnancy outcomes are not improved by administering gonadotropin-releasing hormone at initiation of a 5-day CIDR-Cosynch resynchronization protocol for lactating dairy cows

Using a 5-d controlled internal drug-release (CIDR)-Cosynch resynchronization protocol, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of the initial GnRH injection on pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI) to the second artificial insemination in lactating Holstein dairy cows. On 37 ± 3 d (mean ± standard deviation) after the first artificial insemination, and upon nonpregnancy diagnosis (d 0 of the experiment), lactating cows eligible for a second artificial insemination (n = 429) were enrolled in a 5-d CIDR-Cosynch protocol. On d 0, all cows received a CIDR insert and were assigned randomly to receive the initial GnRH injection (GnRH; n = 226) of the protocol or no-GnRH (n = 203). Blood samples were collected from a sub-group of cows (n = 184) on d 0 and analyzed for progesterone (P4) concentration. On d 5, CIDR inserts were removed, and all cows received 1 injection of PGF_2α. On d 6 and 7, cows were observed once daily by employees for tail-chalk removal, and cows detected in estrus on d 6 or 7 received artificial insemination that day (EDAI), and did not receive the final GnRH injection. The remaining cows not detected in estrus by d 8 received GnRH and timed artificial insemination (TAI). Pregnancy status was confirmed by transrectal palpation of uterine contents at 37 ± 3 d (mean ± standard deviation) after the second artificial insemination. Eliminating the initial GnRH injection had no effect on P/AI compared with cows receiving GnRH (27 vs. 21%), respectively. Similarly, method of insemination (EDAI vs. TAI) and its interaction with treatment had no effect on P/AI. Primiparous cows had greater P/AI than multiparous cows (31 vs. 21%). Mean P4 concentrations (n = 184) at the initiation of the protocol did not differ between treatments (4.51 ± 0.35 ng/mL no-GnRH vs. 3.96 ± 0.34 ng/mL of GnRH). When P4 concentrations were categorized as high (≥1 ng/mL) or low (<1 ng/mL), P/AI tended to be greater for high P4 concentrations (n = 136) compared with low (n = 48) P4 concentrations (26 vs. 16%, respectively). No differences were observed in the proportion of cows with high or low P4 between treatments. Collectively, these results provide evidence that eliminating the initial GnRH in a 5-d CIDR-Cosynch resynchronization protocol for lactating dairy cows did not reduce P/AI in this study.     

In Situ Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR/FT-IR) Tribometry: A Powerful Tool for Investigating Tribochemistry at the Lubricant–Substrate Interface

To investigate the chemical changes occurring at metal/lubricant interfaces under tribological conditions in the boundary-lubrication regime, an in situ system for conducting quantitative tribological measurements has been constructed by combining an attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR/FT-IR) spectrometer with a reciprocating tribometer. By periodically acquiring ATR/FT-IR spectra during sliding, spectroscopic changes due to thermal and/or tribochemical reactions occurring at the metal/oil interface can be monitored and correlated with friction measurements. The usefulness of this tribological test system has been demonstrated by performing ATR tribological experiments in the presence of a poly-α-olefin base oil at high temperature (423 K) on iron-coated germanium ATR crystals.     

Inhibition of colon adenocarcinoma cell proliferation by flavonols is linked to a G2/M cell cycle block and reduction in cyclin D1 expression

The moderate consumption of red wine has been proposed to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer. Its anti-cancer action my in part be mediated by the actions of polyphenols on colon cancer epithelial cells. We show that a red wine phenolic (50 μg/ml) extract devoid of anthocyanins (removed to reflect polyphenol bioavailability to the large intestine) and the major red wine flavonols quercetin, myricetin, laricitrin and syringetin (50 μM) are capable of inhibiting the proliferation of colorectal epithelial adenocarcinoma cells. This anti-proliferative activity was partly mediated by the direct cytotoxic actions of flavonols and also their ability to cause a significant cell cycle blockage in G2/M. The anti-proliferative effects induced by flavonols were preceded, in most cases, by a strong and significant reduction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and cyclin D1 expression. These results indicate that the observed inverse correlation between colon cancer and a moderate red wine intake may be partly mediated by the actions of red wine flavonols on the growth of cancer cells.