Electrodermal activity of professional pianists -Sympathetic arousal in piano performance-

The purpose of this study is to research sympathetic arousal of professional pianists during musical performance. We measured the electrodermal activities of professional pianists who were performing both an original and an arranged score of the same piece of music by attaching electrodes to their left feet. For the data analysis, normalized skin resistance change per beat was used to analyze the electrodermal activities of the pianists originally. We could show a change in electrodermal activities at the onset of the music and at the motif of the music. Comparing the two performance conditions, we could show significant changes in electrodermal activity in dynamic arranged sections and octave up sections. The sympathetic arousal of the pianists changed dynamically in accordance with musical structure

Isolation of chromosaponin I-specific antibody by affinity chromatography

Abstract Chromosaponin I (CSI), a c-pyronyl-triterpenoid saponin isolated from pea and other leguminous plants, modulates several developmental processes of plant roots and activates the sugar taste receptor cells in blowflies. CSI is a unique saponin for its reducing power and biological activities in both plants and insects. In the present paper, we described the method of preparation for CSI-specific antibody using CSI-affinity and soyasaponin I-affinity columns. The antibodyÕs-specific binding activity to CSI was confirmed by a bioassay using Arabidopsis roots and a ligand-molecule interaction analysis using BIAcore 3000. Because of the lability of CSI, the CSI-affinity column was made only by a moderate reaction condition in which CSI was coupled to EAH Sepharose 4B in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). The special control of the reaction temperature was essential to complete the coupling reaction; the reaction with EDC at 0°C followed by a gradual increase in temperature. Ó 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved. Keywords: Affinity chromatography; Antibody; BIAcore; Chromosaponin I; Coupling reaction; EDC; Saponin Saponins, i.e., sapogenin glycosides, are widely distributed in plants and a great number of saponins have been reported. Chromosaponin I (CSI), a c-pyronyltriterpenoid saponin, was isolated from pea [1] and other leguminous plant