Drebrin Isoforms Critically Regulate NMDAR- and mGluR-Dependent LTD Induction

Drebrin is an actin-binding protein that is preferentially expressed in the brain. It is highly localized in dendritic spines and regulates spine shapes. The embryonic-type (drebrin E) is expressed in the embryonic and early postnatal brain and is replaced by the adult-type (drebrin A) during development. In parallel, NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-dependent long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic transmission, induced by low-frequency stimulation (LFS), is dominant in the immature brain and decreases during development. Here, we report that drebrin regulates NMDAR-dependent and group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-dependent LTD induction in the hippocampus. While LFS induced NMDAR-dependent LTD in the developing hippocampus in wild-type (WT) mice, it did not induce LTD in developing drebrin E and A double knockout (DXKO) mice, indicating that drebrin is required for NMDAR-dependent LTD. On the other hand, LFS induced robust LTD dependent on mGluR5, one of group 1 mGluRs, in both developing and adult brains of drebrin A knockout (DAKO) mice, in which drebrin E is expressed throughout development and adulthood. Agonist-induced mGluR-dependent LTD was normal in WT and DXKO mice; however, it was enhanced in DAKO mice. Also, mGluR1, another group 1 mGluR, was involved in agonist-induced mGluR-dependent LTD in DAKO mice. These data suggest that abnormal drebrin E expression in adults promotes group 1 mGluR-dependent LTD induction. Therefore, while drebrin expression is critical for NMDAR-dependent LTD induction, developmental conversion from drebrin E to drebrin A prevents robust group 1 mGluR-dependent LTD

First Data Release of the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program

The Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) is a three-layered imaging survey aimed at addressing some of the most outstanding questions in astronomy today, including the nature of dark matter and dark energy. The survey has been awarded 300 nights of observing time at the Subaru Telescope and it started in March 2014. This paper presents the first public data release of HSC-SSP. This release includes data taken in the first 1.7 years of observations (61.5 nights) and each of the Wide, Deep, and UltraDeep layers covers about 108, 26, and 4 square degrees down to depths of i~26.4, ~26.5, and ~27.0 mag, respectively (5sigma for point sources). All the layers are observed in five broad bands (grizy), and the Deep and UltraDeep layers are observed in narrow bands as well. We achieve an impressive image quality of 0.6 arcsec in the i-band in the Wide layer. We show that we achieve 1-2 per cent PSF photometry (rms) both internally and externally (against Pan-STARRS1), and ~10 mas and 40 mas internal and external astrometric accuracy, respectively. Both the calibrated images and catalogs are made available to the community through dedicated user interfaces and database servers. In addition to the pipeline products, we also provide value-added products such as photometric redshifts and a collection of public spectroscopic redshifts. Detailed descriptions of all the data can be found online. The data release website is https://hsc-release.mtk.nao.ac.jp/.Comment: 34 pages, 20 figures, 7 tables, moderate revision, accepted for publication in PAS

Characteristic Chain-End Racemization Behavior during Photolysis of Poly(L-lactic acid)

Photolysis of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) has many unclear points, such as the degradation mechanism, kinetics, products, and racemization mechanism. To clarify these features of PLLA photolysis, we examined the relationship between photolysis and racemization. The hexad stereosequential analysis of photodegraded PLLA was investigated to specify the racemized positions within a chain in comparison with hydrolysis and thermal degradation. Results from 13C NMR spectra of UV-irradiated PLLA samples indicated that the samples have racemized D-lactate units at chain ends. From the comparison of racemization behavior among photolysis, hydrolysis, and thermal degradation, it was confirmed that the preferential racemization behavior of each of these three degradation processes is characteristic and distinct, being identified as chain-end racemization, poor racemization, or internal-unit racemization, respectively. The characteristic chain-end racemization behavior of photolysis was first confirmed in this study

Quantitative Evaluation of Photodegradation and Racemization of Poly(L-lactic acid) under UV-C Irradiation

To obtain details of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) photodegradation behavior, PLLA films were irradiated by UV-C light (λ = 253.7 nm) to directly excite carbonyl groups, resulting in a rapid decrease in the molecular weight accompanying a gradual decrease in the optical purity of monomeric units in the chains. The racemization during the photodegradation was first detected as a result of the chain scission by irradiation. From quantitative analyses of the molecular weight and the monomeric unit composition, it was found that the chain scission ratio and the D-lactate unit ratio increased in parallel during the irradiation, suggesting that approximately one D-lactate unit formed for every chain scission. From a mechanistic consideration, the racemization equilibrium was proposed to occur at both carboxyl and hydroxyl chain ends

「まじめ」の原型意味論 : 大学生質問紙調査に見られる規範意識

埼玉大学株式会社角産Saitama UniversityKakusan Co., Ltd.原型意味論の立場から「まじめ」が表す意味範疇の原型は「自己基準」「社会基準」を共に満たすような態度であると仮定した。大学生119名を対象に質問紙調査を行い,まず多数の仮想の状況の中で行動する多数の人物について,「まじめ」という形容がどの程度当てはまるか判定させた。その結果,自己基準と社会基準を共に満たす行動パターンの得点が最も高く,自己基準と社会基準のどちらも満たさない行動パターンの得点が最も低かったので,仮説は裏付けられた。また,自己基準だけを満たす行動パターンに比べ社会基準だけを満たす行動パターンの方が得点が高かった。次に回答者自身が「まじめだね/ふまじめだね」と言われた場合,どの程度うれしく感じるか評価させた。概して「まじめ」と言われた場合の方が「ふまじめ」と言われた場合よりも得点が高かったが,それは「どちらとも言えない」にあたる点数を大きく超えてはいなかった。調査全体を通じて「まじめ」に関して大学生が持つ規範意識が観察された。\u27規範的\u27という意味の記述を欠く辞書の改訂が望まれる。The Japanese word majime may mean either \u27earnest\u27 or \u27normative\u27 depending on the context. In a previous paper Yamanaka (1997) argued that these two meanings could be derived from one sememe \u27ready to behave in accordance with an accepted standard, based on a full knowledge of that standard\u27. Based on this, we formulated a prototype for majime, consisting of two elements: the fulfillment of a self standard and that of a social standard. In this paper, we examine actual uses of majime based on a survey of 119 university students. First, hypothetical situations which described acts embodying four combinations of these two elements were presented to subjects, to be judged on the degree to which the character in the situation could be said to be majime. The situations containing and lacking both elements received the highest and lowest scores respectively. Also, the situations only fulfilling a social standard received higher scores than those only fulfilling a self standard. Next, subjects were asked how pleasant they felt if they were told that they were majime/fumajime. On the whole, the responses to majime showed higher scores than the responses to fumajime, but only slightly higher than the score corresponding to the response "I can\u27t say". We conclude not only that the prototype theory of majime is confirmed but also that university students are sensitive to social standards included in the meaning of the word majime, which should be mentioned in its semantic description in dictionaries

Surgical Resection of Hepatic Cystic Echinococcosis Impaired by Preoperative Diagnosis

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a rare afferent infectious disease in Japan. This paper reports a case of a hepatic cyst being diagnosed after surgical resection. A 40-year-old Syrian male was admitted for evaluation of a hepatic cyst. Serum antibodies of echinococcosis were negative. Enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a large cystic lesion, 9 cm in diameter, in the left lateral sector of the liver, which had many honeycomb-like septa and calcified lesions. Magnetic resonance imaging of this lesion revealed high intensity in the T2 weighted image. We preoperatively diagnosed this lesion as cystadenocarcinoma or CE and performed a left hepatectomy. Pathological examination revealed the presence of protoscolices in the fluid of the cysts and led to a diagnosis of this lesion as CE. In conclusion, on seeing patients with huge hepatic cysts who come from an epidemic area, we should consider hepatic CE

EUS-guided fine-needle biopsy sampling of solid pancreatic tumors with 3 versus 12 to-and-fro movements: a multicenter prospective randomized controlled study

Background and Aims: A novel EUS-guided fine-needle biopsy sampling (EUS-FNB) needle enabled physicians to obtain sufficient pathologic samples with fewer to-and-fro movements (TAFs) within the lesion. We compared the diagnostic yields of EUS-FNB with 3 and 12 TAFs at each puncture pass. Methods: The primary endpoint of this multicenter, noninferiority, crossover, randomized controlled trial involving 6 centers was diagnostic sensitivity. Secondary endpoints were diagnostic accuracy and quantity and quality evaluation of EUS-FNB specimens. Length of the macroscopically visible core (MVC) and microscopic histologic quantity were used for quantitative evaluation. Macroscopic visual and microscopic histologic evaluations were performed for qualitative evaluation. Results: Among 110 patients (220 punctures, 110 for 3 TAFs and 12 TAFs each), 105 (210 punctures) had malignant histology. Diagnostic sensitivity for malignancy of 3 TAFs (88.6%) was not inferior to that of 12 TAFs (89.5%; difference, –.9%; 95% confidence interval, –9.81 to 7.86). Diagnostic accuracy for malignancy was 92.7% for 3 TAFs and 94.6% for 12 TAFs. Overall median MVC length was 13.5 mm in both groups. The 3-TAF group had a significantly higher rate of score ≥3 on macroscopic visual quality evaluation than the 12-TAF group (71.8% vs 52.7%, P = .009). No significant intergroup differences existed in microscopic histologic quantity and quality evaluations (quantity evaluation, 88.2% for 3 TAFs vs 83.6% for 12 TAFs; quality evaluation, 90.0% for 3 TAFs vs 89.1% for 12 TAFs). Conclusions: Diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy of EUS-FNB with 3 TAFs were not inferior to those with 12 TAFs for solid pancreatic lesions. The 3-TAF group showed significantly less blood contamination in sampled tissues than the 12-TAF group. (Clinical trial registration number: UMIN000037309.)Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 97(6), pp.1092-1099; 2023journal articl

Successful scaling-up of self-sustained pyrolysis of oil palm biomass under pool-type reactor

An appropriate technology for waste utilisation, especially for a large amount of abundant pressed-shredded oil palm empty fruit bunch (OFEFB), is important for the oil palm industry. Self-sustained pyrolysis, whereby oil palm biomass was combusted by itself to provide the heat for pyrolysis without an electrical heater, is more preferable owing to its simplicity, ease of operation and low energy requirement. In this study, biochar production under self-sustained pyrolysis of oil palm biomass in the form of oil palm empty fruit bunch was tested in a 3-t large-scale pool-type reactor. During the pyrolysis process, the biomass was loaded layer by layer when the smoke appeared on the top, to minimise the entrance of oxygen. This method had significantly increased the yield of biochar. In our previous report, we have tested on a 30-kg pilot-scale capacity under self-sustained pyrolysis and found that the higher heating value (HHV) obtained was 22.6–24.7 MJ kg−1 with a 23.5%−25.0% yield. In this scaled-up study, a 3-t large-scale procedure produced HHV of 22.0–24.3 MJ kg−1 with a 30%−34% yield based on a wet-weight basis. The maximum self-sustained pyrolysis temperature for the large-scale procedure can reach between 600 °C and 700 °C. We concluded that large-scale biochar production under self-sustained pyrolysis was successfully conducted owing to the comparable biochar produced, compared with medium-scale and other studies with an electrical heating element, making it an appropriate technology for waste utilisation, particularly for the oil palm industry

Integration of Emission-wavelength-controlled InAs Quantum Dots for Ultrabroadband Near-infrared Light Source

Near-infrared (NIR) light sources are widely utilized in biological and medical imaging systems owing to their long penetration depth in living tissues. In a recently developed biomedical non-invasive cross-sectional imaging system, called optical coherence tomography (OCT), a broadband spectrum is also required, because OCT is based on low coherence interferometry. To meet these operational requirements, we have developed a NIR broadband light source by integrating self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown on a GaAs substrate (InAs/GaAs QDs) with different emission wavelengths. In this review, we introduce the developed light sources and QD growth techniques that are used to control the emission wavelength for broadband emission spectra with center wavelengths of 1.05 and 1.3 μm. Although the strain-induced Stranski-Krastanov (S-K) mode-grown InAs/GaAs QDs normally emit light at a wavelength of around 1.2 μm, the central emission wavelength can be controlled to be between 0.9–1.4 μm by the use of an In-flush technique, the insertion of a strain-reducing layer (SRL) and bi-layer QD growth techniques. These techniques are useful for applying InAs/GaAs QDs as NIR broadband light sources and are especially suitable for our proposed spectral-shape-controllable broadband NIR light source. The potential of this light source for improving the performance of OCT systems is discussed