Concreteness and levels of processing: a test of the dual-coding hypothesis using dynamic visual noise.

Concreteness and levels of processing (LOP) effects have been attributed to the differential availability of visual images for concrete words, and at deeper levels of processing, respectively. Interestingly, the concreteness effect has been shown to disappear under conditions involving dynamic visual noise (DVN), which is thought to suppress the generation of visual images from long-term memory. The present study further investigated the role of visual imagery in concreteness and LOP effects. Across four experiments, DVN was manipulated during study, and participants' memory for concrete and abstract words was measured using recall and recognition tests. Although some support for dual-coding was found, concreteness and LOP effects were not fully explained by visual imagery because they were present under DVN conditions. We conclude that concreteness and LOP effects may be better explained by an "extended dual-coding theory" that incorporates the role of context availability in accounting for this pattern of results.

Temperature dependence of C-terminal carboxylic group IR absorptions in the amide I' region.

Studies of structural changes in peptides and proteins using IR spectroscopy often rely on subtle changes in the amide I' band as a function of temperature. However, these changes can be obscured by the overlap with other absorptions, namely the side-chain and terminal carboxylic groups. The former were the subject of our previous report (Anderson et al., 2014). In this paper we investigate the IR spectra of the asymmetric stretch of α-carboxylic groups for amino acids representing all major types (Gly, Ala, Val, Leu, Ser, Thr, Asp, Glu, Lys, Asn, His, Trp, Pro) as well as the C-terminal groups of three dipeptides (Gly-Gly, Gly-Ala, Ala-Gly) in D2O at neutral pH. Experimental temperature dependent IR spectra were analyzed by fitting of both symmetric and asymmetric pseudo-Voigt functions. Qualitatively the spectra exhibit shifts to higher frequency, loss in intensity and narrowing with increased temperature, similar to that observed previously for the side-chain carboxylic groups of Asp. The observed dependence of the band parameters (frequency, intensity, width and shape) on temperature is in all cases linear: simple linear regression is therefore used to describe the spectral changes. The spectral parameters vary between individual amino acids and show systematic differences between the free amino acids and dipeptides, particularly in the absolute peak frequencies, but the temperature variations are comparable. The relative variations between the dipeptide spectral parameters are most sensitive to the C-terminal amino acid, and follow the trends observed in the free amino acid spectra. General rules for modeling the α-carboxylic IR absorption bands in peptides and proteins as the function of temperature are proposed.

Temperature dependence of amino acid side chain IR absorptions in the amide I' region.

Amide I' IR spectra are widely used for studies of structural changes in peptides and proteins as a function of temperature. Temperature dependent absorptions of amino acid side-chains that overlap the amide I' may significantly complicate the structural analyses. While the side-chain IR spectra have been investigated previously, thus far their dependence on temperature has not been reported. Here we present the study of the changes in the IR spectra with temperature for side-chain groups of aspartate, glutamate, asparagine, glutamine, arginine, and tyrosine in the amide I' region (in D2O). Band fitting analysis was employed to extract the temperature dependence of the individual spectral parameters, such as peak frequency, integrated intensity, band width, and shape. As expected, the side-chain IR bands exhibit significant changes with temperature. The majority of the spectral parameters, particularly the frequency and intensity, show linear dependence on temperature, but the direction and magnitude vary depending on the particular side-chain group. The exception is arginine, which exhibits a distinctly nonlinear frequency shift with temperature for its asymmetric CN3H5(+) bending signal, although a linear fit can account for this change to within ~1/3 cm(-1). The applicability of the determined spectral parameters for estimations of temperature-dependent side-chain absorptions in peptides and proteins are discussed.

Cognitive training-related changes in hippocampal activity associated with recollection in older adults.

Impairments in the ability to recollect specific details of personally experienced events are one of the main cognitive changes associated with aging. Cognitive training can improve older adults' recollection. However, little is currently known regarding the neural correlates of these training-related changes in recollection. Prior research suggests that the hippocampus plays a central role in supporting recollection in young and older adults, and that age-related changes in hippocampal function may lead to age-related changes in recollection. The present study investigated whether cognitive training-related increases in older adults' recollection are associated with changes in their hippocampal activity during memory retrieval. Older adults' hippocampal activity during retrieval was examined before and after they were trained to use semantic encoding strategies to intentionally encode words. Training-related changes in recollection were positively correlated with training-related changes in activity for old words in the hippocampus bilaterally. Positive correlations were also found between training-related changes in activity in prefrontal and left lateral temporal regions associated with self-initiated semantic strategy use during encoding and training-related changes in right hippocampal activity associated with recollection during retrieval. These results suggest that cognitive training-related improvements in older adults' recollection can be supported by changes in their hippocampal activity during retrieval. They also suggest that age differences in cognitive processes engaged during encoding are a significant contributor to age differences in recollection during retrieval.

Temperature effects on the optical path length of infrared liquid transmission cells.

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is widely used for studies of temperature-dependent properties of liquids and solutions, such as thermal denaturation of proteins and other molecules of biological interest. The variation of the spectroscopic signals with temperature can be affected by the changes in the optical path length due to the thermal expansion of the components of the sample cell. In this report we investigate the temperature dependence of the optical path length for a liquid IR sample cell of a design typical for aqueous solution experiments. The path lengths were measured from the interference fringes, both in dry cells and with cells partially filled with water. We found that the optical path length variations are significant, on the order of several percent within the temperature range used (0-87 °C). Several commercially available spacers (Teflon, mylar, and lead) and gaskets (Teflon, lead, silicone rubber, Viton, and neoprene) were tested to find materials with either the smallest or most reproducible effect. Teflon, due to its phase transition (known as the "knee point") near room temperature, leads to abrupt changes in path length when used as either spacer or gasket component. On the other hand, Teflon is preferred for its inertness, while several of the other tested materials, most notably lead, are not practically usable due to adhesion to the cell windows upon heating and contact with the aqueous sample. The combination that yielded the most reproducible results, with minimal complications due to adhesion, was Teflon spacer with neoprene gaskets. The implications of the optical path length changes for the temperature-dependent IR experiments and their possible corrections are discussed.

The effects of age and divided attention on spontaneous recognition.

Studies of recognition typically involve tests in which the participant's memory for a stimulus is directly questioned. There are occasions however, in which memory occurs more spontaneously (e.g., an acquaintance seeming familiar out of context). Spontaneous recognition was investigated in a novel paradigm involving study of pictures and words followed by recognition judgments on stimuli with an old or new word superimposed over an old or new picture. Participants were instructed to make their recognition decision on either the picture or word and to ignore the distracting stimulus. Spontaneous recognition was measured as the influence of old vs. new distracters on target recognition. Across two experiments, older adults and younger adults placed under divided-attention showed a greater tendency to spontaneously recognize old distracters as compared to full-attention younger adults. The occurrence of spontaneous recognition is discussed in relation to ability to constrain retrieval to goal-relevant information.

Quantitative assay for quality assurance of human cells for clinical transplantation.

Transplantation of human cells after isolation and culture has become an important alternative for treatment of acute or chronic skin wounds. To increase the efficacy and reduce cost for transplantation of skin cells, more efficient and accurate techniques for evaluation of cell proliferation are needed. Hemocytometer counts provide a valid assessment of cell proliferation and viability, but they are very labor intensive and require removal of the cells from their substrate. In this study, hemocytometer counts were compared with a fluorometric assay (n = 21 per condition) that uses the commercially available reagent alamarBlue, which is reduced to a fluorescent substrate by cellular dehydrogenases. Human epidermal keratinocytes were inoculated at 200, 600, 2000, and 6000 cells/cm2 incubated for 6 days in modified MCDB 153 medium. Alamar Blue was incubated with cells for 2 h at 37 degrees C, and fluorescence was measured with a microplate reader at 590 nm. Hemocytometer counts (x10(-4)) from the respective cell inoculation densities were 0.30 +/- 0.04, 1.07 +/- 0.10, 6.37 +/- 0.62, and 16.99 +/- 0.96. Fluorescence values (x10(-3)) for the respective inoculation densities were 0.14 +/- 0.01, 0.34 +/- 0.02, 1.20 +/- 0.09, and 1.79 +/- 0.12. Regression analysis showed a statistical significant (p < 0.0001) correlation (r2 = 0.87) between cell counts and optical density from the alamarBlue assay. These data demonstrate that alamarBlue provides a valid substitute for cell counts to assess cell proliferation before clinical transplantation of engineered skin. AlamarBlue also allows repeated, nondamaging assessment of living cells over time. These advantages are expected to increase the validity and reliability of quality assurance standards for transplanted skin cells, and to increase the efficacy of healing of cutaneous wounds.