The visual mismatch negativity (vMMN): toward the optimal paradigm.

In the present article, we tested an optimal vMMN paradigm allowing one to obtain vMMNs for several visual attributes in a short time. vMMN responses to changes in color, duration, orientation, shape, and size were compared between the traditional 'oddball' paradigm (a single type of visual change in each sequence) and the optimal paradigm in which all the 5 types of changes appeared within the same sequence. The vMMNs obtained in the optimal paradigm were equal or larger in amplitude to those in the traditional vMMN paradigm.

Visual mismatch negativity in the "optimal" multi-feature paradigm.

To assess visual mismatch negativity (vMMN) elicited by several deviants in the optimal visual oddball paradigm with a short time, we developed a novel multi-feature vMMN paradigm with five types of deviants integrated in a complex visual context of no more than 20 min. From time to time, the cross in the center of screen throughout the stimulus blocks became bigger or smaller unpredictably. Participants were instructed to ignore the peripheral standard and deviant stimuli on the left and right of the cross and press the left or the right button as quickly and accurately as possible when the size of the cross was changed.

PL1 fusion gene: a novel visual selectable marker gene that confers tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses in transgenic tomato.

Visual selectable markers, including the purple color caused by the accumulation of anthocyanins, have been proposed for use as antibiotic-free alternatives. However, the excessive accumulation of anthocyanins seriously inhibits the growth and development of transgenic plants. In our study, the AtDWF4 promoter from Arabidopsis and the tomato LeANT1 gene, encoding a MYB transcription factor, were used to construct the PL1 fusion gene to test whether it could be used as a visual selectable marker gene for tomato transformation.