Dynamics of Limit Cycle Oscillator Subject to General Noise

The phase description is a powerful tool for analyzing noisy limit cycle oscillators. The method, however, has found only limited applications so far, because the present theory is applicable only to the Gaussian noise while noise in the real world often has non-Gaussian statistics. Here, we provide the phase reduction for limit cycle oscillators subject to general, colored and non-Gaussian, noise including heavy-tailed noise. We derive quantifiers like mean frequency, diffusion constant, and the Lyapunov exponent to confirm consistency of the result. Applying our results, we additionally study a resonance between the phase and noise.Comment: main paper: 4 pages, 2 figure; auxiliary material: 5-7 pages of the document, 1 figur

Co-integration of Silicon Nanodevices and NEMS for Advanced Information Processing (Invited Talk)

In this paper we present our recent attempts at developing the advanced information processing devices by integrating nano-electro-mechanical (NEM)structures into conventional silicon nanodevices. Firstly, we show high-speed and nonvolatile NEM memory which features a mechanically-bistable floating gate is integrated onto MOSFETs. Secondly we discuss hybrid systems of single-electron transistors and NEM structures for exploring new switching principles

Relationships between brain-derived neurotrophic factor, clinical symptoms, and decision-making in chronic schizophrenia: data from the Iowa Gambling Task

The levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are significantly decreased in patients with schizophrenia and correlate with impairments in cognitive function. However, no study has investigated the relationship between the serum BDNF levels and decision-making. We compared patients with schizophrenia to healthy controls with respect to their decision-making ability and serum BDNF levels. Eighty-six chronic schizophrenia patients and 51 healthy controls participated in this study. We controlled for gender, age, and estimated intelligence quotient (IQ), and we investigated the differences in decision-making performance on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) between the schizophrenia patient and control groups. We also compared the IGT scores, the serum BDNF levels, and the clinical symptoms between the groups. The IGT scores of the schizophrenia patients were lower than those of the controls. A negative correlation was detected between the mean net scores on the trials in the final two blocks and the serum BDNF levels（p<0.05）. Multiple regression analysis revealed that depressive symptoms and the serum BDNF levels were significantly associated with the mean net scores on the trials in the final two blocks. Based on these results, impaired sensitivity to both reward and punishment is associated with depressive symptoms and reduced serum BDNF levels in chronic schizophrenia patients and may be related to their poor performance on the IGT

Detrusor overactivity induced by intravesical application of adenosine 5 '-triphosphate under different delivery conditions in rats

Objectives. We investigate the effects of intravesical application of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) on bladder activity to elucidate the role of urothelial barrier function and ecto-ATPase activity in the ATP-mediated mechanism inducing detrusor overactivity. Methods. Continuous cystometry by an intravesical catheter inserted from the bladder dome was performed in conscious female rats. Results. ATP solutions adjusted to pH 6.0 did not elicit significant detrusor overactivity at a concentration of 60 mM. However, in bladders pretreated with protamine sulfate (10 mg/mL) to increase urothelial permeability, ATP solution (pH 6.0) induced detrusor overactivity by decreasing the intercontraction intervals. These irritant effects of ATIP after protamine treatment were antagonized by P2X receptor antagonists, such as pyridoxal-5-phosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4-disulfonic acid (70 mu mol/kg) and 2',3'-O-(2,4,6, trinitrophenyl) ATP (30 mu mol/kg). These were also suppressed in rats pretreated with systemic capsaicin (125 mg/kg subcutaneously). Alpha,beta-methylene ATP (5 mM, pH 6.0) or ATP (60 mM, pH6) after intravesical infusion of 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (5 mM, pH 6.0), an ecto-ATPase inhibitor, induced detrusor overactivity without protamine pretreatment, but the reduction in intercontraction intervals was smaller compared with that with ATP after protamine treatment. Conclusions. Low permeability of bladder epithelium and ecto-ATPase activity can prevent ATP activation of subepithelial P2X receptors to induce bladder overactivity. Thus, enhanced penetration of endogenous ATIP owing to urothelial damage may contribute to urinary frequency and bladder pain in hypersensitive bladder disorders such as interstitial cystitis.</p

Direct arylation polycondensation for the synthesis of bithiophene-based alternating copolymers

Direct arylation polycondensation reactions using a simple catalytic system gave eight kinds of bithiophene-based alternating copolymers. The conditions for the reactions of 3,3′,4,4′-tetramethylbithiophene with dibromoarylenes were optimized to obtain high-molecular-weight polymers without formation of cross-linked structures. In the reaction of a dibromoarylene containing a reactive C–H bond, a short reaction time (1.5 h) was suitable for preventing side reactions. In contrast, a long reaction time (6 h) gave high-molecular-weight polymers from dibromoarylene monomers without a reactive C–H bond. This polycondensation reaction enables the synthesis of polymers containing dye structures such as diketopyrrolopyrrole and isoindigo, which are applicable as materials for polymer solar cells

ATF6α/β-mediated adjustment of ER chaperone levels is essential for development of the notochord in medaka fish.

ATF6α and ATF6β are membrane-bound transcription factors activated by regulated intramembrane proteolysis in response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress to induce various ER quality control proteins. ATF6α- and ATF6β single-knockout mice develop normally, but ATF6α/β double knockout causes embryonic lethality, the reason for which is unknown. Here we show in medaka fish that ATF6α is primarily responsible for transcriptional induction of the major ER chaperone BiP and that ATF6α/β double knockout, but not ATF6α- or ATF6β single knockout, causes embryonic lethality, as in mice. Analyses of ER stress reporters reveal that ER stress occurs physiologically during medaka early embryonic development, particularly in the brain, otic vesicle, and notochord, resulting in ATF6α- and ATF6β-mediated induction of BiP, and that knockdown of the α1 chain of type VIII collagen reduces such ER stress. The absence of transcriptional induction of several ER chaperones in ATF6α/β double knockout causes more profound ER stress and impaired notochord development, which is partially rescued by overexpression of BiP. Thus ATF6α/β-mediated adjustment of chaperone levels to increased demands in the ER is essential for development of the notochord, which synthesizes and secretes large amounts of extracellular matrix proteins to serve as the body axis before formation of the vertebra

COMT Val158Met, but not BDNF Val66Met, is associated with white matter abnormalities of the temporal lobe in patients with first-episode, treatment-naïve major depressive disorder: a diffusion tensor imaging study

We investigated the association between the Val158Met polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, the Val66Met polymorphism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene, and white matter changes in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy subjects using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We studied 30 patients with MDD (17 males and 13 females, with mean age ± standard deviation [SD] =44±12 years) and 30 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (17 males and 13 females, aged 44±13 years). Using DTI analysis with a tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) approach, we investigated the differences in fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity distribution among the three groups (patients with the COMT gene Val158Met, those with the BDNF gene Val66Met, and the healthy subjects). In a voxel-wise-based group comparison, we found significant decreases in fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity within the temporal lobe white matter in the Met-carriers with MDD compared with the controls (P<0.05). No correlations in fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivity, or radial diffusivity were observed between the MDD patients and the controls, either among those with the BDNF Val/Val genotype or among the BDNF Met-carriers. These results suggest an association between the COMT gene Val158Met and the white matter abnormalities found in the temporal lobe of patients with MDD

Alloantigen-specific T-cell hyporesponsiveness induced by dnIKK2 gene-transfected recipient immature dendritic cells

AbstractImmature dendritic cells (iDCs) have been shown to be able to induce peripheral T-cell tolerance through distinct pathways. Here, we investigated the tolerogenic property of recipient iDCs whose maturation was arrested by a dominant negative mutant of inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase 2 (dnIKK2) gene. We found that dnIKK2-iDCs presented a typical semi-mature morphology and expressed lower levels of CD80 and CD86, slightly higher MHC-II than untransfected iDCs. The expression of these molecules had no significant change even dnIKK2-iDCs were pulsed by donor antigen. In primary mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR), dnIKK2-iDCs exhibited impaired ability to stimulate allogeneic T-cells, but induced CD4+CD25− T-cell formation. In co-culture MLR, these CD4+CD25− T-cells suppressed T-cell alloreaction in an antigen-specific manner. Besides, CD4+CD25− T-cells inhibited IL-2 and IFN-γ release, whereas promoted IL-10 and TGF-β secretion. These data suggested recipient dnIKK2-iDCs could maintain peripheral tolerance through down-regulating costimulatory molecule expressions and inducing CD4+CD25− T-cell formation

Production and Applications of Synthetic Quartz

Development of quartz industry in these 100 years, in the synthetic production and in application of quartz crystals, is surveyed briefly. Due to the discovery of piezoelectricity in 1880 by J. & P. Curie, the invention of a quartz resonator in 1921 by W. G. Cady, etc., it had been shown that quartz crystal can be used as a superior device material for electric wave telecommunication. After World War II ended, the civil use of quartz devices increased rapidly, in addition to the past military use. The study for large-scale industrial production of synthetic quartz was started first in the United States, and then spread out in other countries. In this development of synthetic quartz, the temperature-difference growth method that is used now was established. Large-sized quartz crystals of good quality (20–25 mm (X-direction) × 30–35 mm (Z-direction)) came to be obtained by around 1970, and now further large and good-quality crystals are produced. As another remarkable development in the quartz industry, the manufacture and spread of high precision quartz watch and clock should also be mentioned. Industry of synthetic quartz is progressing even now, and quartz devices are used in various places of our every-day life and of social activities