Perceptual decision making (PDM) involves choosing one option among several on the basis of sensory evidence and is a highly adaptive mechanism for organisms to successfully interact with their environments. Such a choice requires integrating and interpreting sensory information for the purpose of guiding subsequent behavior (e.g., seeing a ball move rightward and veering accordingly to catch it). Typical single-unit recording studies examining PDM utilize simple sensorimotor tasks (e.g., a macaque views a noisy array of dots moving in one of two possible directions and deploys a saccade in the chosen - and presumably, perceived - direction) in order to parse various aspects of PDM. With the aid of mathematical models, these experiments have found that the activity of individual neurons involved in motor response generation comprises perceptual decisions, and that PDM can be formalized as an accumulation of sensory evidence towards a particular choice (as represented by an increase in neuronal firing rate) until some threshold is reached. Explaining the mechanisms of PDM at the level of neural populations and linking ensemble patterns of neural activity to perception, however, still remains unclear. With a combination of visual psychophysics, neuroimaging, and modeling, I present a set of studies that examines the neural correlates subserving PDM in human cortex (Experiment 1), clarifies the relationship between sensory representations in visual cortex and perceptual performance (Experiment 2), and tests the behavioral predictions derived from single-cell recordings (Experiment 3). These findings both challenge and confirm some of the previous neurophysiological work: Experiment 1 provides evidence of a neural mechanism of PDM not based purely on oculomotor regions, Experiment 2 shows that the optimality of activation patterns in visual cortex predicts task performance, and Experiment 3 illustrates that attentional manipulations influence perception in a manner consistent with the enhancement and suppression of distinct neural populations predicted from single-unit recordings. Furthermore, these studies demonstrate the utility of model-based cognitive neuroscience in quantifying psychological processes of interest for each individual and relating between-subject differences with corresponding brain measurements

Temporarily implanted devices, such as drug-loaded contact lenses, are emerging as the preferred treatment method for ocular diseases like glaucoma. Localizing the delivery of glaucoma drugs, such as timolol maleate (TM), can minimize adverse effects caused by systemic administration. Although eye drops and drug-soaked lenses allow for local treatment, their utility is limited by burst release and a lack of sustained therapeutic delivery. Additionally, wet transportation and storage of drug-soaked lenses result in drug loss due to elution from the lenses. Here we present a nanodiamond (ND)-embedded contact lens capable of lysozyme-triggered release of TM for sustained therapy. We find that ND-embedded lenses composed of enzyme-cleavable polymers allow for controlled and sustained release of TM in the presence of lysozyme. Retention of drug activity is verified in primary human trabecular meshwork cells. These results demonstrate the translational potential of an ND-embedded lens capable of drug sequestration and enzyme activation.

[No abstract]

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library.

The trends we see in today’s philanthropy will have significant effects on the philanthropy of 2040, especially for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. As the blended, multiracial Asian American population continues to increase, the very definition of Asian American philanthropy is up for grabs. Add in the trend of giving while living, the increase in the blurring of philanthropic forms and structures, and the ubiquity of technology, social media, and connectedness, and you have a future of philanthropy in 2040 that is more diverse, global, and participatory than the present day.

Lily On The Hill tells the story of a person who mysteriously wakes up on a hill after witnessing an attack on their hometown. They have lost all their memories except one - they have a daughter and they had to do something for her. Maybe a little adventure will jog their memory...