An eye-tracking study of letter-sound correspondence in Japanese-speaking 2- to 3-year-old toddlers.

Although the acquisition of letter-sound correspondences is a critical step in reading development, how and when children develop such correspondence remains relatively unexplored. In this study, we focused on Japanese hiragana letters to examine the implicit letter-sound correspondence using an eye-tracking technique for 80 Japanese-speaking toddlers. The results showed that 32- to 48-month-olds (but not 24- to 32-month-olds) directed their gaze at the target letter. An additional experiment on a letter-reading task showed that 32- to 40-month-olds could barely read the presented hiragana letters. These findings suggest that toddlers have already begun to grasp implicit letter-sound correspondences well before actually acquiring the ability to read letters.

High-Performance Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Enabled by Uniquely Designed Acrylate Monomer.

The widespread electro-optical applications of polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) are hampered by their high-driving voltage. Attempts to fabricate PDLC devices with low driving voltage sacrifice other desirable features of PDLCs. There is thus a clear need to develop a method to reduce the driving voltage without diminishing other revolutionary features of PDLCs. Herein, we report a low-voltage driven PDLC system achieved through an elegantly simple and uniquely designed acrylate monomer (A3DA) featuring a benzene moiety with a dodecyl terminal chain. The PDLC films were fabricated by the photopolymerization of mono- and di-functional acrylate monomers (19.2 wt%) mixed in a nematic liquid crystal E7 (80 wt%). The PDLC film with A3DA exhibited an abrupt decline of driving voltage by 75% (0.55 V/µm) with a high contrast ratio (16.82) while maintaining other electro-optical properties almost the same as the reference cell. The response time was adjusted to satisfactory by tuning the monomer concentration while maintaining the voltage significantly low (3 ms for a voltage of 0.98 V/µm). Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed the polyhedral foam texture morphology with an average mesh size of approximately 2.6 µm, which is less in comparison with the mesh size of reference PDLC (3.4 µm), yet the A3DA-PDLC showed low switching voltage. Thus, the promoted electro-optical properties are believed to be originated from the unique polymer networks formed by A3DA and its weak anchoring behavior on LCs. The present system with such a huge reduction in driving voltage and enhanced electro-optical performance opens up an excellent way for abundant perspective applications of PDLCs.

Association Between Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Reading in Two Writing Systems in Japanese Children With and Without Developmental Dyslexia.

Introduction: Japanese is unique, as it features two distinct writing systems that share the same sound and meaning: syllabic Hiragana and logographic Kanji scripts. Acquired reading difficulties in Hiragana and Kanji have been examined in older patients with brain lesions. However, the precise mechanisms underlying deficits in developmental dyslexia (DD) remain unclear. Materials and Methods: The neural signatures of Japanese children with DD were examined by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. We examined 22 dyslexic and 46 typically developing (TD) children, aged 7-14 years. Results: Reading performance in each writing system was correlated with neural connectivity in TD children. In contrast, in children with DD, weak associations between neural connectivity and reading performance were observed. In TD children, Hiragana-reading fluency was positively correlated with the left fusiform gyrus network. No significant correlations between Hiragana fluency and neural connectivity were observed in children with DD. Correspondingly, there were fewer correlations between Kanji accuracy and strength of reading-related connectivity in children with DD, whereas positive correlations with the bilateral fronto-parietal network and negative correlations with the left fusiform network were found in TD children. Discussion: These data suggest that positive and negative coupling with neural connectivity is associated with developing Japanese reading skills. Further, different neural connectivity correlations between Hiragana fluency and Kanji accuracy were detected in TD children but less in children with DD. Conclusion: The two writing systems may exert differential effects and deficits on reading in healthy children and in children with DD, respectively.

Altered visual character and object recognition in Japanese-speaking adolescents with developmental dyslexia.

Many studies have confirmed a brain dysfunction in people with developmental dyslexia (DD) in certain brain regions, including the left superior temporal gyrus and the left fusiform gyrus. However, the neurobiological substrates in Japanese-speaking people with dyslexia are not fully understood, mostly due to the uniqueness of the orthographic systems. Since a substantial part of the written Japanese includes the logographic Kanji as well as the phonographic Kana systems, the reading disability might be caused not only by a dysfunction in the phonological system, but also by a dysfunction in the visual recognition system. Previous studies reported altered hierarchical visual word form processing in the left occipitotemporal cortex; however, it remains unclear whether the altered hierarchical visual processing is language stimuli-specific. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether (a) Japanese-speaking individuals with DD exhibit atypical hierarchical visual processing, and if so, (b) whether the altered hierarchical visual processing is language stimuli-specific or not. The present study investigated the brain activation pattern for the hierarchical component of the Kanji characters and object stimuli in typically developing (TD) adolescents and adolescents with DD using functional magnetic resonance imaging. For the Kanji characters, adolescents with DD showed a greater activation in the left occipital gyrus and right occipital fusiform gyrus, and this hyperactivity was also found for pseudo and artificial Kanji characters. These results imply reliance on an early visual system in Kanji reading in Japanese-speaking adolescents with DD. Additionally, we also investigated the brain activity for object stimuli, and adolescents with DD showed a greater activation in the bilateral occipital gyri compared with the TD adolescents. These results imply an altered hierarchical visual processing characterized by overactivation in the early visual areas, which is a not restricted to language stimulus only.

Substituent effects of bridged binaphthyl-type chiral dopants on the helical twisting power in dopant-induced chiral liquid crystals.

A new series of chiral dopants, (R)-6,6'-halogenated (1b-1e, X = F, Cl, Br and I) and -methylated (1f) binaphthyl compounds, were designed and synthesized to create chiral liquid crystals by doping them into an achiral nematic liquid crystal (NLC). The influence of halogen (X = F, Cl, Br and I) and methyl substituent factors, such as steric, polar, and polarizability properties, on the helical twisting power (HTP) and their temperature dependences on the chiral dopants were investigated in two host NLCs with different characteristics, fluorinated JC-1041XX and N-(4-methoxybenzylidene)-4-butylaniline (MBBA). The chiral dopants possessing less steric and larger polarizability factors increased the HTP values. The structural similarity and electrostatic arene-arene interactions between the chiral dopants and the NLC molecules also exerted important influences on these values. The temperature dependence of the HTP (HTPt.d.) values also correlated well with the steric and polarizability substituents factors in the two host NLCs. Their correlation coefficients (R 2) depended on the molecular structural similarity between the chiral dopant and the NLC.

Reversible Broad-Spectrum Control of Selective Reflections of Chiral Nematic Phases by Closed-/Open-Type Axially Chiral Azo Dopants.

Invited for this month's cover picture is the groups of Professor Hirotsugu Kikuchi and Dr. Yasushi Okumura at the Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering at Kyushu University (Japan). External dynamic control of molecular self-organized superstructures with unique features has been researched, as these structures are applicable to chiral molecular devices. The cover picture shows photocontrol of selective reflection color that originated from the self-organized helical structure of chiral nematic liquid crystals (N*LCs) using closed-/open-type dopants. The drastic structure changes of the dopants by light stimuli enable reversible broad-spectrum control of selective reflections of N*LCs with opposite helical sign. Read the full text of the Full Paper at 10.1002/open.201700121.

Reversible Broad-Spectrum Control of Selective Reflections of Chiral Nematic Phases by Closed-/Open-Type Axially Chiral Azo Dopants.

We demonstrate reversible RGB-color photocontrol of a chiral nematic liquid crystal (N*LC) by using newly synthesized closed- and open-type chiral dopants. The photoswitching elements in the dopants are azobenzene units on axially chiral binaphthyl cores. Owing to cis-trans photoisomerization of the azobenzene units, both closed- and open-type compounds showed higher solubility, larger helical twisting power (HTP), and larger changes in HTP than conventional chiral dopants in host LCs. Thus, even at very low dopant concentrations, we successfully controlled the chirality of the induced helical structure of the N*LCs. Consequently, the N*LCs reflected right- and left-handed circularly polarized light (CPL) under a light stimulus. In the N*LCs with closed-type chiral dopants, the RGB-color reflection was reversibly controlled within several seconds. Interestingly, the open-type chiral dopant reversibly inverted CPL with opposite handedness in the near and short-wave IR regions. These novel materials are expected to realize new applications and perspectives in color information and similar technologies.

A Fluid Liquid-Crystal Material with Highly Polar Order.

An anomalously large dielectric permittivity of ≈104 is found in the mesophase temperature range (MP phase) wherein high fluidity is observed for a liquid-crystal compound having a 1,3-dioxane unit in the mesogenic core (DIO). In this temperature range, no sharp X-ray diffraction peak is observed at both small and wide Bragg angles, similar to that for a nematic phase; however, an inhomogeneous sandy texture or broken Schlieren one is observed via polarizing optical microscopy, unlike that for a conventional nematic phase. DIO exhibits polarization switching with a large polarization value, i.e., P = 4.4 µC cm-2 , and a parallelogram-shaped polarization-electric field hysteresis loop in the MP phase. The inhomogeneously aligned DIO in the absence of an electric field adopts a uniform orientation along an applied electric field when field-induced polarization switching occurs. Furthermore, sufficiently larger second-harmonic generation is observed for DIO in the MP phase. Second-harmonic-generation interferometry clearly shows that the sense of polarization is inverted when the +/- sign of the applied electric field in MP is reversed. These results suggest that a unidirectional, ferroelectric-like parallel polar arrangement of the molecules is generated along the director in the MP phase.

Neural basis of hierarchical visual form processing of Japanese Kanji characters.

INTRODUCTION: We investigated the neural processing of reading Japanese Kanji characters, which involves unique hierarchical visual processing, including the recognition of visual components specific to Kanji, such as "radicals." METHODS: We performed functional MRI to measure brain activity in response to hierarchical visual stimuli containing (1) real Kanji characters (complete structure with semantic information), (2) pseudo Kanji characters (subcomponents without complete character structure), (3) artificial characters (character fragments), and (4) checkerboard (simple photic stimuli). RESULTS: As we expected, the peaks of the activation in response to different stimulus types were aligned within the left occipitotemporal visual region along the posterior-anterior axis in order of the structural complexity of the stimuli, from fragments (3) to complete characters (1). Moreover, only the real Kanji characters produced functional connectivity between the left inferotemporal area and the language area (left inferior frontal triangularis), while pseudo Kanji characters induced connectivity between the left inferotemporal area and the bilateral cerebellum and left putamen. CONCLUSIONS: Visual processing of Japanese Kanji takes place in the left occipitotemporal cortex, with a clear hierarchy within the region such that the neural activation differentiates the elements in Kanji characters' fragments, subcomponents, and semantics, with different patterns of connectivity to remote regions among the elements.

Low-temperature properties of polymer-stabilised liquid-crystal blue phases.

The temperature dependences of the Kerr coefficient and the response time in the electrooptical effect of polymer-stabilised blue phases (PSBPs) of liquid crystals (LCs) with various polymer concentrations are investigated in a wide temperature range including temperatures lower than room temperature. The Kerr coefficients are found to abruptly decrease at low temperature, and the response time-temperature relation obeys the Arrhenius equation. For comparison of the Kerr effect and molecular rotation at low temperature, various physical properties such as permittivity, rotational relaxation time and dielectric relaxation strength of the PSBPs are investigated. The electrooptical response times and the dielectric relaxation times show different temperature dependences, and rotation of LC molecules in PSBPs was sufficiently active at low temperature and not strongly affected by the polymer.

Butane-1,4-diyl dications stabilized by steric factors: electrochiroptical response systems based on reversible interconversion between dihydro[5]helicene-type electron acceptors and electron-donating 1,1'-binaphthyls.

Incorporation in the dihydro[5]helicene framework prevents deprotonation of the title dications by steric factors, thus allowing their isolation as deeply colored stable salts. Based on the reversible interconversion with the electron-donating binaphthylic diolefins, they constitute a new class of electrochromic systems, in which C-C bond making/breaking is accompanied by two-electron transfer. Optically pure (R)-binaphthylic donors are interconvertible with the 1,4-dications with the R,R-configuration. The very large molar ellipticity makes it possible for them to be used as electrochiroptical response systems, by which the electrochemical input is transduced into two spectral outputs, i.e. UV-Vis and circular dichroism. Structurally related push-pull-type bis(quinonemethide)s also exhibit a similar multi-output electrochemical response.

Tetracyanoanthraquinodimethanes with a chiral amide group: preparation, properties, and charge-transfer photochirogenetic reaction with 1,2-dianisylacenaphthene-1,2-diol.

[reaction: see text] A series of butterfly-shaped tetracyanoanthraquinodimethanes (TCNAQs) with a chiral amide auxiliary 1a-f were prepared from the corresponding anthraquinones. They are stronger acceptors than the unsubstituted derivative and undergo one-wave two-electron reduction. They form weak electron-donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes with the title pinacol 2. Upon charge-transfer excitation of these complexes, dihydro-TCNAQs 3 and 1,8-dianisoylnaphthalene 4 were efficiently formed, the latter of which is the product of a retropinacol reaction via 2+*. Partial enantiodifferentiation of rac-2 was realized during the photoreactions with 2-[(R)-1-phenylethylcarbamoyl]-TCNAQ 1ain CD3CN. Thus, optically active (S,S)-(+)-pinacol 2 (12.3% ee at 54% conversion; 21.5% ee at 70% conversion) was recovered from the photolyzates. This reaction represents a new and rare example of the pseudokinetic resolution of tert-alcohol accompanied by C-C bond fission. Significant differences in the association constants for the diastereomeric EDA complexes are responsible for the observed enantiodifferentiation.

First stable 7,7,8,8-tetraaryl-o-quinodimethane: isolation, X-ray structure, electrochromic response of 9,10-bis(dianisylmethylene)-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene.

Oxidative cyclization of 2,2'-bis(dianisylethenyl)biphenyl yielded the dicationic salt of phenanthrene-9,10-diylbis(dianisylmethylium), which in turn afforded the severely congested title molecule as the first stable tetraaryl-o-quinodimethane derivative upon reduction.

Electrochiroptical response of 2,2'-(2,2-diarylethenyl)binaphthyl-type electron donors that undergo reversible C-C bond formation/breaking upon two-electron transfer.

2,2'-[2,2-Bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)ethenyl]biphenyl (1) is a strong electron donor that undergoes oxidative C-C bond formation to give a stable dication rac-2(2+), the 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene derivative substituted with two bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)methylium chromophores. This dication salt regenerates the starting diolefin 1 by reductive C-C bond breaking, thus realizing a new electrochromic system with high electrochemical bistability and a vivid change in color from yellow to deep blue. Similarly, the binaphthylic diolefin rac-3 and the helicene-type dication rac-4(2+) are interconvertible upon two-electron transfer. Both the UV-vis and CD spectra changed drastically upon electrochemical transformation between optically pure 3 and 4(2+), which represents a new electrochiroptical system.

Effect of amino acid substitutions in the epitope regions of pyolysin from Arcanobacterium pyogenes.

Pyolysin (PLO), secreted by Arcanobacterium pyogenes, is a novel member of the thiol-activated cytolysin (TACY, cholesterol-dependent cytolysin) family of bacterial toxins. Recently, we demonstrated that the epitopes of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) S, H, C, and G lie in the regions of amino acids regions 55-73, 123-166, 482-506, and 482-506 of PLO, respectively, by the reaction of mAbs with truncated PLOs. In this study, we substituted the amino acids in these epitope regions of PLO by site-directed mutagenesis and examined the effect of these amino acid substitutions. Mutants I70S/R71A/L73S, Y131S/P132S, and L163S/P164S for mAbs H or S completely lost the hemolytic activity of the proteins, but these mutants still bound to erythrocyte membranes. Mutants L495S/W497S and W500S/W501S for mAbs C and G also completely lost their hemolytic activity, but still bound to erythrocyte membranes. In the undecapeptide region of PLO, the cysteine residue required for thiol activation is replaced with alanine. Therefore, we substituted Ala-492 of the undecapeptide region for Cys. The hemolytic activity of this mutant A492C decreased by adding hydrogen peroxide or storing at 4 degrees C, and the decreased hemolytic activity was restored by adding L-cysteine.

Structural gene and strain specificity of a novel cysteine protease produced by Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a diseased chicken.

Recently whole genome sequencing of Staphylococcus aureus has revealed the genes encoding cysteine proteases such as staphopain and SspB. In this study, we cloned and sequenced the structural gene (ScpA) encoding a cysteine (thiol) protease of S. aureus strain CH-91 from a chicken with dermatitis using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and inverse PCR methods. The sequence information revealed a coding sequence (CDS) of 1200 nucleotides encoding the ScpA preproenzyme of 399 amino acids with a molecular mass of 45,071 Da. The deduced amino acid sequence of the ScpA differed at many positions from those of staphopain and SspB with identities of 64 and 42%, respectively. In the Southern blot analysis with a total DNA of S. aureus strain CH-91, the ScpA probe hybridized with a single 7.7 kb XbaI fragment or 2.8 and 0.8 kb EcoRI fragments, whereas the staphopain and SspB probes did not hybridize with these DNA fragments. These results suggest that this ScpA gene is a single-copy gene and is a novel gene, which is not found in the published whole genome sequences of S. aureus. In immunoblot, PCR, and Southern blot assays, the ScpA or its gene was detected in high protease-producing strains from chickens, but was not recognized in bovine and porcine strains or low protease-producing avian strains. These results indicate that the ScpA of CH-91 type may be specific to the high protease-producing strains of S. aureus from chickens, namely, there is a strain specificity of the ScpA.

Genetic and enzymatic analyses of metalloprotease (aureolysin) from Staphylococcus aureus isolated from domestic animals.

The gene (aur) encoding the metalloprotease (aureolysin) of Staphylococcus aureus from domestic animals was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and sequencing. The aur gene was detected in all 74 isolates from cows, pigs and chickens by PCR amplification and was classified into types I and II by PCR-RFLP patterns. The type II aur gene was contained in 36 (94.7%) of 38 protease-positive isolates as judged by skim milk agar plate culture, while type I was contained in 28 (77.8%) of 36 protease-negative isolates. The deduced amino acid sequences of aureolysins from type I and II isolates were almost identical with those of the published data. Subsequently, the two aureolysins were purified from the culture supernatants of type I and II isolates. The molecular weights of purified type I and II aureolysins were both estimated at 34kDa by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These aureolysins had maximum proteolytic activity at 30-50 degrees C and pH 7.0-8.0. Their activity was inhibited by metal- and zinc-specific inhibitors, such as EDTA, EGTA and 1,10-phenanthroline. Specific activity (activity/protein) of type II aureolysin was two times higher than that of type I. These results indicated that the aur gene is highly conserved with two allelic forms (types I and II) among bovine, porcine and avian isolates of S. aureus.