Enhanced auditory disembedding in an interleaved melody recognition test is associated with absolute pitch ability.

Absolute pitch (AP) and autism have recently been associated with each other. Neurocognitive theories of autism could perhaps explain this co-occurrence. This study investigates whether AP musicians show an advantage in an interleaved melody recognition task (IMRT), an auditory version of an embedded figures test often investigated in autism with respect to the these theories. A total of N = 59 professional musicians (AP = 27) participated in the study. In each trial a probe melody was followed by an interleaved sequence. Participants had to indicate as to whether the probe melody was present in the interleaved sequence. Sensitivity index d' and response bias c were calculated according to signal detection theory. Additionally, a pitch adjustment test measuring fine-graded differences in absolute pitch proficiency, the Autism-Spectrum-Quotient and a visual embedded figures test were conducted. AP outperformed relative pitch (RP) possessors on the overall IMRT and the fully interleaved condition. AP proficiency, visual disembedding and musicality predicted 39.2% of variance in the IMRT. No correlations were found between IMRT and autistic traits. Results are in line with a detailed-oriented cognitive style and enhanced perceptional functioning of AP musicians similar to that observed in autism.

Facilitated Water Transport through Graphene Oxide Membranes Functionalized with Aquaporin-Mimicking Peptides.

Water purification by membranes is widely investigated to address concerns related to the scarcity of clean water. Achieving high flux and rejection simultaneously is a difficult challenge using such membranes because these properties are mutually exclusive in common artificial membranes. Nature has developed a method for this task involving water-channel membrane proteins known as aquaporins. Here, the design and fabrication of graphene oxide (GO)-based membranes with a surface-tethered peptide motif designed to mimic the water-selective filter of natural aquaporins is reported. The short RF8 (RFRFRFRF, where R and F represent arginine and phenylalanine, respectively) octapeptide is a concentrated form of the core component of the Ar/R (aromatic/arginine) water-selective filter in aquaporin. The resulting GO-RF8 shows superior flux and high rejection similar to natural aquaporins. Molecular dynamics simulation reveal the unique configuration of RF8 peptides and the transport of water in GO-RF8 membranes, supporting that RF8 effectively emulates the core function of aquaporins.