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To characterize quick contrast sensitivity function (qCSF) in keratoconus and its correlation with corneal topographic parameters.Patients with keratoconus (n = 120) who visited the Fudan Eye and ENT Hospital between April and June 2021 were enrolled in our study. A total of 215 eyes were subdivided into three groups according to maximum keratometry (KSignificant differences in the area under the log CSF (AULCSF) and CSF Acuity among the three groups were found, which decreased with an increase in KThe use of qCSF test can serve as a feasible tool to evaluate visual quality and severity of keratoconus, since changes in CS significantly correlated with keratoconus severity.

Six amphiphiles consisting of macrocyclic polyamine triazole-[12]aneN3 (M) and tetraphenylethenethiophene modified cyanoacrylate (TTC) moiety linked with alkyl chains (L), have been synthesized for synergetic anticancer gene therapy and photodynamic therapy.

Five hybrid tetrapeptides, each consisting a central dipeptide segment of α-amino acid residues flanked by two aromatic γ-amino acid residues, are found to fold into well-defined β-hairpin conformations as shown by NMR, computational study, and X-ray structures. The turn loop of this β-hairpin motif accommodates different two-residue α-amino acid sequences from the highly flexible Gly-Gly, to the more restricted d -Pro-Gly. The presence of α-amino acid side chains enhances the stabilities of the β-hairpins with the exception of d -Pro-Gly-which results in destabilization. Based on this hairpin/turn motif, a variety of different dipeptide sequences of α-amino acids which rarely occur in β-turns can be introduced and presented as two-residue loops.

Purpose This study is to investigate the contrast sensitivity function (CSF) using the quick CSF (qCSF) test in Chinese adults with myopia. Methods This case series study included 320 myopic eyes of 160 patients (mean age 27.75 ± 5.99 years) who underwent a qCSF test for acuity, area under log CSF (AULCSF), and mean contrast sensitivity (CS) at 1.0, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 12.0, and 18.0 cycle per degree (cpd). Spherical equivalent, corrected-distant visual acuity (CDVA), and pupil size were recorded. Results The spherical equivalent, CDVA (LogMAR), spherical refraction, cylindrical refraction, and the scotopic pupil size of the included eyes were − 6.30 ± 2.27 D (− 14.25 to − 0.88 D), 0 ± 0.02, − 5.74 ± 2.18 D, − 1.11 ± 0.86 D, and 6.77 ± 0.73 mm, respectively. The AULCSF and CSF acuity were 1.01 ± 0.21 and 18.45 ± 5.39 cpd, respectively. The mean CS (log units) at six different spatial frequencies were 1.25 ± 0.14, 1.29 ± 0.14, 1.25 ± 0.14, 0.98 ± 0.26, 0.45 ± 0.28, and 0.13 ± 0.17, respectively. A mixed effect model showed significant correlations between age and acuity, AULCSF, and CSF at 1.0, 12.0, and 18.0 cpd. Interocular CSF differences were correlated with the interocular difference of spherical equivalent, spherical refraction (at 1.0 cpd, 1.5 cpd), and cylindrical refraction (at 12.0 cpd, 18.0 cpd). The lower cylindrical refraction eye had higher CSF compared with the higher cylindrical refraction eye (0.48 ± 0.29 vs. 0.42 ± 0.27 at 12.0 cpd and 0.15 ± 0.19 vs. 0.12 ± 0.15 at 18.0 cpd). Conclusions The age-related decrease in contrast sensitivity is at low and high spatial frequencies. Higher-degree myopia may show a decrease in CSF acuity. Low astigmatism was noted to affect the contrast sensitivity significantly.

The external noise paradigm and perceptual template model (PTM) have successfully been applied to characterize observer properties and mechanisms of observer state changes (e.g. attention and perceptual learning) in several research domains, focusing on individual level analysis. In this study, we developed a new hierarchical Bayesian perceptual template model (HBPTM) to model the trial-by-trial data from all individuals and conditions in a published spatial cuing study within a single structure and compared its performance to that of a Bayesian Inference Procedure (BIP), which separately infers the posterior distributions of the model parameters for each individual subject without the hierarchical structure. The HBPTM allowed us to compute the joint posterior distribution of the hyperparameters and parameters at the population, observer, and experiment levels and make statistical inferences at all these levels. In addition, we ran a large simulation study that varied the number of observers and number of trials in each condition and demonstrated the advantage of the HBPTM over the BIP across all the simulated datasets. Although it is developed in the context of spatial attention, the HBPTM and its extensions can be used to model data from the external noise paradigm in other domains and enable predictions of human performance at both the population and individual levels.

Enzyme-responsive drug delivery systems have drawn much attention in the field of cancer theranostics due to their high sensitivity and substrate specificity under mild conditions. In this study, an amphiphilic polymer

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the long-term safety and efficacy of femtosecond laser-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) in patients with myopia with presbyopia. Methods: This case series study included 30 eyes of 15 patients who underwent monovision designed FS-AISK for myopia correction with presbyopia (male/female, 8/7; age, 49.20±7.05 years; spherical equivalent [SE], –6.97±1.82 D). Parameters including SE; uncorrected distal visual acuity (VA); corrected distal VA; intraocular pressure; presbyopic add power; VA of dominant eyes (D-eye), non-dominant (nD-eye) eyes, and both eyes (Bi) at 0.4 m, 0.8 m, and 5 m; wavefront aberration; and contrast sensitivity (CS) were recorded. Follow-up was performed for 2.5 years. Differences were considered statistically significant at pResults: The safety indicesand efficacy indices were 1.08±0.19 and 0.77±0.29 at 2.5 years postoperatively. The VAs (logMAR) of D-eyes, nD-eyes, and Bi at 5.0 m, 0.8 m, and 0.4 m were –0.02±0.08, 0.26±0.19 (D-eyes vs. nD-eyes, p0.05), and –0.03±0.07; and 0.21±0.17, 0.01±0.07 (D-eyes vs. nD-eyes, p20/25 (Snellen lines) at three distances in 100% of the subjects. Between the D-eyes and nD-eyes in CS, a minor but significant difference was observed at 1.5–12.0 cpd. Conclusions: FS-LASIK is safe and practical for the correction of myopes with presbyopia, with long-term efficacy at near and far distances. Compared with D-eyes, the CS in nD-eyes may be impaired at low and moderate spatial frequencies.

The visual expertise of adult humans is jointly determined by evolution, visual development, and visual perceptual learning. Perceptual learning refers to performance improvements in perceptual tasks after practice or training in the task. It occurs in almost all visual tasks, ranging from simple feature detection to complex scene analysis. In this Review, we focus on key behavioral aspects of visual perceptual learning. We begin by describing visual perceptual learning tasks and manipulations that influence the magnitude of learning, and then discuss specificity of learning. Next, we present theories and computational models of learning and specificity. We then review applications of visual perceptual learning in visual rehabilitation. Finally, we summarize the general principles of visual perceptual learning, discuss the tension between plasticity and stability, and conclude with new research directions.

Objectives. To determine whether scores from the two most widely-used Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) and Standard for Logarithmic Visual Acuity (SLVA) acuity charts are comparable. Methods. Ten normal adults (24.9±1.9 years; 5 females) with normal (0.0 logMAR) or corrected-to-normal visual acuity (VA) participated in this study. The acuity psychometric function, the probability correct response in identifying the orientation of a tumbling E as a function of letter size, was measured using the Psi method. Each participant finished the test under 12 viewing conditions: monocularly (with the left or right eye) and binocularly with refractive errors corrected or uncorrected, and the dominant eye with 6 levels of Bangerter Occlusion Foils (i.e., 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8). Simulated tests with the ETDRS and SLVA charts were repeated 1000 times based on the fitted acuity psychometric functions.Results. The VA scores and probability correct from the ETDRS and SLVA charts were slightly but significantly different (mean difference of 0.018 logMAR and 5%, both P < 0.001). The agreement of the VA scores was excellent (0.997 [95% CI, 0.982-0.999]), while the probability correct was fair (0.453 [95% CI, 0.183-0.636]) between these two charts. The precision of the ETDRS chart (0.04 ± 0.00 logMAR) was significantly better (P < 0.001) than that of the SLVA chart (0.07 ± 0.00 logMAR).Conclusions. In clinical, even with different design principles and scoring rules, the ETDRS and SLVA charts produce comparable VA scores for normal adults with no pathological eye disease.

The construction of non-viral gene delivery faces two major challenges: cytotoxicity caused by high cationic charge units and easy degradation by lysosomes. Herein, highly water-dispersible polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) nanosheets were utilized as the core to construct a light-controlled non-cationic gene delivery system with sufficient lysosomal escape ability. In this system, these nanosheets exhibited efficient DNA condensation, outstanding biocompatibility, transfection tracking, light responsiveness and high transfection efficiency. Once PCN-DNA was taken up by the tumor cells, the accumulated ROS generated by photosensitizers (PSs) under light irradiation would destroy the structure of lysosomes, promote the escape of PCN-DNA and increase the efficiency of gene transfection. Simultaneously, the gene transfection process could be tracked in real time through fluorescence imaging technology, which was conducive to investigate the transfection mechanism.

Precise molecular engineering of AIEgens-based cationic delivery systems for high transfection efficiency (TE) and effective photodynamic therapy (PDT) holds a huge potential for cancer treatment. Herein, three amphiphiles (DT-C

Emerging research has begun investigating the neural underpinnings of the biological and psychological differences that drive political ideology, attitudes, and actions. Here, we explore the neurological roots of politics through conducting a large sample, whole-brain analysis of functional connectivity (FC) across common fMRI tasks. Using convolutional neural networks, we develop predictive models of ideology using FC from fMRI scans for nine standard task-based settings in a novel cohort of healthy adults (n = 174, age range: 18 to 40, mean = 21.43) from the Ohio State University Wellbeing Project. Our analyses suggest that liberals and conservatives have noticeable and discriminative differences in FC that can be identified with high accuracy using contemporary artificial intelligence methods and that such analyses complement contemporary models relying on socio-economic and survey-based responses. FC signatures from retrieval, empathy, and monetary reward tasks are identified as important and powerful predictors of conservatism, and activations of the amygdala, inferior frontal gyrus, and hippocampus are most strongly associated with political affiliation. Although the direction of causality is unclear, this study suggests that the biological and neurological roots of political behavior run much deeper than previously thought.

Practice makes perfect in almost all perceptual tasks, but how perceptual improvements accumulate remains unknown. Here, we developed a multicomponent theoretical framework to model contributions of both long- and short-term processes in perceptual learning. Applications of the framework to the block-by-block learning curves of 49 adult participants in seven perceptual tasks identified ubiquitous long-term general learning and within-session relearning in most tasks. More importantly, we also found between-session forgetting in the vernier-offset discrimination, face-view discrimination, and auditory-frequency discrimination tasks; between-session off-line gain in the visual shape search task; and within-session adaptation and both between-session forgetting and off-line gain in the contrast detection task. The main results of the vernier-offset discrimination and visual shape search tasks were replicated in a new experiment. The multicomponent model provides a theoretical framework to identify component processes in perceptual learning and a potential tool to optimize learning in normal and clinical populations.

Six amphiphiles (TTC-L-M-1/2/3/4/5/6), each consisting of hydrophilic macrocyclic polyamine triazole-[12]aneN

Although a plethora of gene carriers have been developed for potential gene therapy, imageable stimuli-responsive gene vectors with fast access to the nucleus, high biocompatibility, and transfection efficiency are still scarce. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of four dendrite-shaped cationic liposomes

To assess the benefits of the cilioretinal artery on macular function in high myopia using the quantitative contrast sensitivity function (qCSF) method.This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Eye and Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital of Fudan University. In total, 137 highly myopic patients (with axial length [AL] ≥ 26.00 mm) were enrolled and divided into cilioretinal artery absent and present groups based on their fundus photographs. One eye in each patient was randomly selected. Choroid thickness was measured using macular optical coherence tomography. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was evaluated by Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study charts, and the area under the log CSF (AULCSF), CSF acuity, and CS at six spatial frequencies were evaluated with the qCSF method.Although no significant BCVA difference was found between the cilioretinal artery absent (97 patients) and present (40 patients) groups, choroid thickness, AULCSF, CSF acuity, and CSF at low and intermediate spatial frequencies (1-6 cycles per degree) were all significantly higher in the cilioretinal artery present group than in the absent group (all P0.05). In addition, eyes with temporal cilioretinal arteries exhibited significantly higher AULCSF, CSF acuity, and CSFs at 3 and 6 cycles per degree (all P0.05) than those with a nasal one (all P0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that better AULCSF was associated with the presence of cilioretinal artery and the interaction of AL and choroid thickness.The cilioretinal artery may associate with the larger choroid thickness in highly myopic eyes and may play a role in preserving qCSF outcomes, which are more sensitive than chart-based acuity tests.

Gene therapy holds great promise for treatment of gene-associated diseases. However, safe and successful clinical application urgently requires further advancement of constructing efficient delivery systems. Herein, three amphiphilic peptide dendrimers (TTC-L-KRR/KKK/KHH), containing the natural amino acid residues (lysine K, arginine R, and histidine H) and AIE-based photosensitizer (tetraphenylethenethiophene modified cyanoacrylate, TTC) modified with alkyl chain (L), have been designed and prepared for improving therapeutic potency via the combination of gene therapy (GT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). All three compounds possessed typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics and ultralow critical micelle concentrations (CMCs). The liposomes consisting of amphiphilic peptide dendrimers and dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) can effectively bind DNA into nanoparticles with appropriate sizes, regular morphology and good biocompatibility. Among them, liposomes TTC-L-KKK/DOPE exhibited the highest transfection efficiency up to 5.7-fold as compared with Lipo2000 in HeLa cells. Meanwhile, rapid endocytosis, successful endo/lysosomal escape, gene release and rapid nuclear delivery of DNA revealed the superiority of liposomes TTC-L-KKK/DOPE during gene delivery process. More importantly, efficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by TTC-L-KKK/DOPE led to effective PDT, thus improving therapeutic potency via combining with p53 mediated-gene therapy. Our work brought novel insight and direction for the construction of bio-safe and bio-imaging liposome as the multifunctional nonviral gene vectors for the effective combined gene/photodynamic therapies.

Recent development of the quick contrast sensitivity function (qCSF) method has made it possible to obtain accurate, precise, and efficient contrast sensitivity function (CSF) assessment. To improve statistical inference on CSF changes in a within-subject design, we developed a hierarchical Bayesian model (HBM) to compute the joint distribution of CSF parameters and hyperparameters at test, subject, and population levels, utilizing information within- and between-subjects and experimental conditions. We evaluated the performance of the HBM relative to a non-hierarchical Bayesian inference procedure (BIP) on an existing CSF dataset of 112 subjects obtained with the qCSF method in three luminance conditions (Hou, Lesmes, Kim, Gu, Pitt, Myung, & Lu, 2016). We found that the average d's of the area under log CSF (AULCSF) and CSF parameters between pairs of luminance conditions at the test-level from the HBM were 33.5% and 103.3% greater than those from the BIP analysis of AULCSF. The increased d' resulted in greater statistical differences between experimental conditions across subjects. In addition, simulations showed that the HBM generated accurate and precise CSF parameter estimates. These results have strong implications for the application of HBM in clinical trials and patient care.