Probing the processing of facial expressions in monkeys via time perception and eye tracking.

Accurately recognizing facial expressions is essential for effective social interactions. Non-human primates (NHPs) are widely used in the study of the neural mechanisms underpinning facial expression processing, yet it remains unclear how well monkeys can recognize the facial expressions of other species such as humans. In this study, we systematically investigated how monkeys process the facial expressions of conspecifics and humans using eye-tracking technology and sophisticated behavioral tasks, namely the temporal discrimination task (TDT) and face scan task (FST).

Inhibition of Notch signaling pathway enhanced the radiosensitivity of breast cancer cells.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of inhibiting the Notch signaling pathway on the radiosensitivity of breast cancer cells. Human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and T47D) were selected and treated with radiation of different doses. Cells were treated with Gamma secretase inhibitor (GSI) to analyze the effects of GSI on the Notch signaling, which were detected by Immunofluorescence assay, RT-qPCR, and Western blot analysis.

Akr1 attenuates methylmercury toxicity through the palmitoylation of Meh1 as a subunit of the yeast EGO complex.

Background: We previously reported that palmitoyltransferase activity of Akr1 is required for alleviation of methylmercury toxicity in yeast. In this study, we identified a factor that alleviates methylmercury toxicity among the substrate proteins palmitoylated by Akr1, and investigated the role of this factor in methylmercury toxicity.

Methods: Gene disruption and site-directed mutagenesis were used to examine the relationship of methylmercury toxicity and vacuole function.

[Effects of UV-B radiation on the decomposition of Cunninghamia lanceolata leaf litter].

A litterbag experiment was conducted to study the decomposition of Cunninghamia lanceolata leaf litter under ambient and reduced UV-B radiation (22.1% below ambient). Comparing with ambient treatment, the reduced treatment decreased the decomposition rate of C.

[Characteristics of soil seed banks in logging gaps of forests at different succession stages in Changbai Mountains].

An investigation was made on the soil seed banks in the logging gaps of Populus davidiana--Betula platyphylla secondary forest, secondary broad-leaved forest, and broad-leaved Korean pine mixed forest at their different succession stages in Changbai Mountains. Among the test forests, secondary broad-leaved forest had the highest individual density (652 ind x m(-2)) in its soil seed bank. With the succession of forest community, the diversity and uniformity of soil seed bank increased, but the dominance decreased.