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Although it is generally assumed that face recognition relies on holistic processing, whether face recognition deficits observed in Developmental Prosopagnosics (DPs) can be explained by impaired holistic processing is currently under debate. The mixed findings from past studies could be the consequence of DP’s heterogeneous deficit nature and the use of different measures of holistic processing—the inversion, part-whole, and composite tasks—which showed a poor association among each other. The present study aimed to gain further insight into the role of holistic processing in DPs. Groups of DPs and neurotypicals completed three tests measuring holistic face processing and non-face objects (i.e., Navon task). At a group level, DPs showed (1) diminished, but not absent, inversion and part-whole effects, (2) comparable magnitudes of the composite face effect and (3) global precedence effect in the Navon task. However, single-case analyses showed that these holistic processing deficits in DPs are heterogeneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a key issue to assure that the experimental results of scaled-down models of long-span spatial grid structure under inner blasting loads can truly reflect the characteristics of their prototype structure. The existing method to deal with the dynamic scaling laws of structures is not suitable for long-span spatial grid structures subjected to inner explosion. This paper derives and modifies the dynamic scaling laws among scaled-down models and full-size structure under inner explosion on the basis of dimensional analysis, taking long-span cylindrical grid shell structure as research case and considering the strain-rate effect, yield stress and dimension distortions. In this article, the improved scaling laws were verified and proved by comparing the simulation results with the test results of long-span cylindrical grid shell structure and its scaled-down models. The research results revealed that the maximum errors of the peak values of displacement responses and strain responses between the scaled-down model and the prototype were unacceptable without considering material and geometric distortions. Moreover, the empirical formulae to calculate the mass of explosive based on specific impulse were proposed and the corrected method to predict the inner explosion responses of full-size structure according to the results of scaled-down model tests was presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the influence of N-chlorosuccinimide (NCS) pretreatment on the antimicrobial effect of benzalkonium chloride (BZC, representative of QACs) against biofilm bacteria and its mechanisms. Results show that 0.04 − 0.07 mmol/L NCS pretreatment significantly increased the antimicrobial efficacy of 0.03 mmol/L BZC on biofilm cells by 30% − 70%. The main mechanisms involved membrane permeability, oxidative damage, and metabolic disorder. More precisely, NCS pretreatment increased the permeability of bacteria and reduced the activity of the electron transport system (ETS) and dehydrogenase (DHA). At the same time, the oxidative damage of both endogenous and exogenous ROS and the disorder of the antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) further improved their combined antibacterial ability. Moreover, NCS pretreatment greatly reduced the resistance of biofilm Pseudomonas aeruginosa to BZC. The findings of the study provide a new method to effectively enhance the antimicrobial efficiency of quaternary ammonium cationic surfactants (e.g., BZC) and reduce bacterial resistance, as well as a scientific guidance for the development of new antimicrobial products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lycorine is an isoquinoline alkaloid in Amaryllidaceae with antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral, diuretic and cardiovascular effects. This study explored the antitumor mechanism of lycorine in vitro and in vivo by focusing on its effects on tumor cell membrane fraction and tumor cell membrane structure. The results showed that lycorine had antitumor effect on H22 tumor-bearing mice in vivo and could effectively prolong the survival time of H22 tumor-bearing mice. In vitro, lycorine inhibited the proliferation of HepG-2 cells and induced cell death significantly. Lycorine reduced the total protein content, sialic acid content and cholesterol content on the surface of tumor cell membrane, and reduced the content of some main components of tumor cell membranes. Lycorine reduced the membrane fluidity and cell membrane integrity of tumor cells. In addition, the ion channel (Na+, K+-ATPase, Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase) activity on the surface of the tumor cell membrane decreased. This contributed to a significant antitumor effect in vitro and in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The infrared spectrum, ultraviolet spectrum, mass spectrum, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of glipizide, a blood-glucose-lowering drug, were reported and interpreted comprehensively. All the 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts were assigned by means of distoritionless enhancement by polarization transfer-135, 1H-1H and 13C-1H correlation spectroscopy, and correlation spectroscopy via long range coupling. The main characteristic fragmentations, in electron impact and electrospray ionization mass spectra, vibrations of functional groups in infrared spectrum, and electron transition in ultraviolet spectrum of glipizide were also discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]