The Thatcher illusion in humans and monkeys

Primates possess the remarkable ability to differentiate faces of group members and to extract relevant information about the individual directly from the face. Recognition of conspecific faces is achieved by means of holistic processing, i.e. the processing of the face as an unparsed, perceptual whole, rather than as the collection of independent features (part-based processing). The most striking example of holistic processing is the Thatcher illusion. Local changes in facial features are hardly noticeable when the whole face is inverted (rotated 180°), but strikingly grotesque when the face is upright. This effect can be explained by a lack of processing capabilities for locally rotated facial features when the face is turned upside down. Recently, a Thatcher illusion was described in the macaque monkey analogous to that known from human investigations. Using a habituation paradigm combined with eye tracking, we address the critical follow-up questions raised in the aforementioned study to show the Thatcher illusion as a function of the observer''s species (humans and macaques), the stimulus'' species (humans and macaques) and the level of perceptual expertise (novice, expert).     

A study on giant panda recognition based on images of a large proportion of captive pandas

1. As a highly endangered species, the giant panda (panda) has attracted significant attention in the past decades. Considerable efforts have been put on panda conservation and reproduction, offering the promising outcome of maintaining the population size of pandas. To evaluate the effectiveness of conservation and management strategies, recognizing individual pandas is critical. However, it remains a challenging task because the existing methods, such as traditional tracking method, discrimination method based on footprint identification, and molecular biology method, are invasive, inaccurate, expensive, or challenging to perform. The advances of imaging technologies have led to the wide applications of digital images and videos in panda conservation and management, which makes it possible for individual panda recognition in a noninvasive manner by using image‐based panda face recognition method.
2. In recent years, deep learning has achieved great success in the field of computer vision and pattern recognition. For panda face recognition, a fully automatic deep learning algorithm which consists of a sequence of deep neural networks (DNNs) used for panda face detection, segmentation, alignment, and identity prediction is developed in this study. To develop and evaluate the algorithm, the largest panda image dataset containing 6,441 images from 218 different pandas, which is 39.78% of captive pandas in the world, is established.
3. The algorithm achieved 96.27% accuracy in panda recognition and 100% accuracy in detection.
4. This study shows that panda faces can be used for panda recognition. It enables the use of the cameras installed in their habitat for monitoring their population and behavior. This noninvasive approach is much more cost‐effective than the approaches used in the previous panda surveys.

     

Some observations on the swimming and feeding of the nauplius larvae of Lepas pectinata (Girripedia: Crustacea)

Limb movements of restrained stage VI nauplii of Lepas pectinata were studied by cine-photography. Outline drawings were made of successive limb positions in both swimming and grooming activity. The antennae appeared to act as leaky paddles performing both propulsion and food gathering. Free-swimming nauplii averaged 120 limb beats min^-1 and a speed of c. 4 mm s^-1. Grooming occurred every 7–20 beats.
It was concluded that lack of streamlining favours filtration at the expense of propulsion. The grooming sequence differs from that of balanid nauplii and is one method of transferring food to the vicinity of the mouth, where sorting and rejection take place prior to ingestion. Fine- and coarse-mesh filters presumably exploit different plankton types. The overall behaviour pattern is well-designed for exploitation of scarce food in the oligotrophic conditions of the ocean-surface habitat.     

The membrane topology of the amino-terminal domain of the red cell calcium pump.

A systematic study of the membrane-associated regions in the plasma membrane Ca2+ pump of erythrocytes has been performed by hydrophobic photolabeling. Purified Ca2+ pump was labeled with 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(m-[125I]iodophenyl)-diazirine ([125I]TID), a generic photoactivatable hydrophobic probe. These results were compared with the enzyme labeled with a strictly membrane-bound probe, [3H]bis-phosphatidylethanolamine (trifluoromethyl) phenyldiazirine. A significant light-dependent labeling of an M(r) 135,000-140,000 peptide, corresponding to the full Ca2+ pump, was observed with both probes. After proteolysis of the pump labeled with each probe and isolation of fragments by SDS-PAGE, a common pattern of labeled peptides was observed. Similarly, labeling of the Ca2+ pump with [125I]TID, either in isolated red blood cell membranes or after the enzyme was purified, yields a similar pattern of labeled peptides. Taken together, these results validate the use of either probe to study the lipid interface of the membrane-embedded region of this protein, and sustain the notion that the conformation of the pump is maintained throughout the procedures of solubilization, affinity purification, and reconstitution into proteoliposomes. In this work, we put special emphasis on a detailed analysis of the N-terminal domain of the Ca2+ pump. A labeled peptide of M(r) 40,000 belonging to this region was purified and further digested with V8 protease. The specific incorporation of [125I]TID to proteolytic fragments pertaining to the amino-terminal region indicates the existence of two transmembrane stretches in this domain. A theoretical analysis based on the amino acid sequence 1-322 predicts two segments with high probability of membrane insertion, in agreement with the experimental data. Each segment shows a periodicity pattern of hydrophobicity and variability compatible with alpha-helical structure. These results strongly suggest the existence of a transmembrane helical hairpin motif near the N-terminus of the Ca2+ pump.     

Concentration of iron and manganese in rice plants as influenced by hexachlorocyclohexane applied to soil

Summary Application of a granular formulation of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) to the potted soil at flooding decreased the concentration of iron and. to some extent, manganese in rice plants, especially at concentrations above 3 ppm active ingredient (a.i.) Likewise, HCH, applied to rice fields at transplanting (several days after submergence) caused a significant decrease in the concentration of iron, and not manganese, in the rice plant but only at concentrations above 12.5 kg a.i./ha despite high levels of reduced iron in the soil. Inhibition of iron reduction by HCH was more pronounced when applied at flooding than at several days after flooding.     

Side branch formation and orientation in the caulonema of the moss,Funaria hygrometrica: Normal development and fine structure

Summary The regular branching of theFunaria caulonema filaments is partly related to rhythms in nuclear and cell division. The formation and development of the branches were studied by light and electron microscopy with particular attention directed to the distribution of microtubules and the polar organization of the cytoplasm. The new side branch breaks through the wall of the mother cell. The site of branch development is determined by the position of the nucleus of the mother cell. In protonemata which grow in vertically placed Petri dishes gravity influences the position of nuclei and side branches, and also the direction of oblique cross walls in the caulonema filaments to a certain extent.     

The role of subcellular organelles in hormone secretion : The interactions of calcium, vitamin A, vinblastine, and cytochalasin B in PTH secretion

To determine the role of subcellular organelles in hormone secretion, we studied the interaction of low calcium concentration (low Ca), retinol (vitamin A, vit A), vinblastine (VB), and cytochalasin B (CB) in parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. Bovine parathyroid tissue pieces were incubated in media containing the above agents. Vit A stimulated PTH release to a mean of 170% of control. This effect of vit A was diminished when tissues were simultaneously stimulated with low Ca and, furthermore, absent when tissues were pre-incubated in low Ca.VB had no effect on low Ca-stimulated secretion, but did inhibit vit A-induced secretion in the presence of low Ca.CB stimulated PTH secretion to a mean of 150% of control during the second and third hours of incubation. CB had at least an additive effect with low Ca in stimulating PTH secretion, with a more prompt and greater response than seen in normal calcium. VB did not inhibit the acute effect of CB on secretion in normal calcium media, but did inhibit CB-induced secretion during the third hour of incubation.None of the agents stimulated the release of lysosomal cathepsin D, and vit A and CB did not stimulate the release of LDH.Our results suggest that; (1) vit A and low Ca stimulate PTH secretion through a common pathway involving the cell membrane; (2) CB stimulates PTH secretion through a separate effect on the cell membrane or submembrane microfilaments, which normally retards secretion of PTH; and (3) microtubular proteins may facilitate basal secretion of PTH, but are not involved in low Ca-stimulated secretion of PTH.     

SNAIL- and SLUG-induced side population phenotype of HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells and its regulation by BET inhibitors

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is associated with cancer malignancies such as invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. In this study, HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells were transduced with SLUG or SNAIL retroviruses, and EMT cells with mesenchymal morphology were established. The EMT cells showed a high invasive activity and resistance to several anticancer agents such as methotrexate, SN-38, and cisplatin. Furthermore, they contained about 1–10% side population (SP) cells that were not stained by Hoechst 33342. This SP phenotype was not stable; the isolated SP cells generated both SP and non-SP cells, suggesting a potential for differentiation. Gene expression analysis of SP cells suggested the alteration of genes that are involved in epigenetic changes. Therefore, we examined the effect of 74 epigenetic inhibitors, and found that two inhibitors, namely I-BET151 and bromosporine, targeting the bromodomain and extra-terminal motif (BET) proteins, decreased the ratio of SP cells to <50% compared with the control, without affecting the immediate efflux of Hoechst 33342 by transporters. In addition, compared with the parental cells, the EMT cells showed a higher sensitivity to I-BET151 and bromosporine. This study suggests that EMT development and SP phenotype can be independent events but both are regulated by BET inhibitors in SLUG- or SNAIL-transducted HCT116 cells.