Numerical Calculation for Discretization of Continuous Quadratic Performance Index

A new procedure of numerical calculation to discretize a quadratic performance index denned for a linear time-invariant continuous system is proposed. The procedure is based on the Padé approximation with scaling and repeated squaring. Theoretical bounds of truncation errors involved in the resulting discretized weighting matrices are provided in terms of the maximum singular value norm for the proposed procedure. It is also shown that the paper by Van Loan which proposed another procedure of numerical calculation for the same problem contains some errors and a certain modification is required for his procedure. Numerical examples show that the new procedure is superior to the old one (of the modified version) from the viewpoint of accuracy, efficiency, and reliability

Regarding university students' experiences of symptoms of depersonalization : From the relationships with interpersonal stressors and mental health <Article>

This study examined the effects that status of interpersonal stressors and frequency of interpersonal stressors have on the experience of symptoms of depersonalization, including the factor of mental health status. A questionnaire survey was administered to 364 university students, and the results demonstrated that the frequency of interpersonal stressors had an effect on the students' experiences of symptoms of depersonalization. It was also demonstrated that a higher frequency of interpersonal conflict as a stressor significantly increases the experience of symptoms of depersonalization called "uncomfortable feeling for body sensation and others" for the group with lower mental health status, when compared to the group with higher mental health status. Because interpersonal conflict has a stronger impact on the individual compared to interpersonal dislocation and interpersonal failure, it can be estimated that people with a lower mental health status perceive it more intensely, and that it can become a strong stressor. Furthermore, it was suggested that the frequency of interpersonal dislocation can become a trigger for an experience of symptoms of depersonalization present with an uncomfortable feeling for self, and the frequency of interpersonal conflict can become a trigger for an experience of symptoms of depersonalization present with an uncomfortable feeling for the external world

Formation of meso, N-diphenylprotoporphyrin IX by an aerobic reaction of phenylhydrazine with oxyhemoglobins.

Administration of phenylhydrazine to rabbits resulted in the denaturation of hemoglobins in erythrocytes, causing the formation of intracellular precipitates known as Heinz bodies, severe hemolytic anemia, and reticulocytosis. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of the destabilization, we allowed human oxyhemoglobins to react aerobically with phenylhydrazine. After treatment with acetic acid/HCl and H2SO4/methanol, the chloroform extract contained blue-green pigments of major products accompanied by different minor products. Each product was isolated by column chromatography. By fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectrometry, dimethyl esters of N-phenylprotoporphyrin IX and meso, N-diphenylprotoporphyrin IX were determined. Other major products also were determined to be dimethyl esters of triphenyl-and tetraphenyl-substituted protoporphyrins by FAB-MS. The formation of meso, N-diphenylprotoporphyrin indicated that the addition of a phenyl radical to the meso-carbon atom of the protoporphyrin ring occurred. Triphenyl and tetraphenyl adducts also indicated the formation of phenyl radicals in the aerobic reaction of phenylhydrazine with oxyhemoglobins. From these results, we suggest that the formation of phenyl radicals and the replacement of heme with phenyl-substituted protoporphyrins cause the destabilization of hemoglobins to induce Heinz bodies and hemolytic anemia with phenylhydrazine.</p

15-keto-PGE2 acts as switched agonist of EP receptors

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is well-known as an endogenous proinflammatory prostanoid synthesized from arachidonic acid by the activation of cyclooxygenase-2. E type prostanoid (EP) receptors are cognates for PGE2 that have four main subtypes: EP1 to EP4. Of these, the EP2 and EP4 prostanoid receptors have been shown to couple to Gαs-protein and can activate adenylyl cyclase to form cAMP. Studies suggest that EP4 receptors are involved in colorectal homeostasis and cancer development, but further work is needed to identify the roles of EP2 receptors in these functions. After sufficient inflammation has been evoked by PGE2, it is metabolized to 15-keto-PGE2. Thus, 15-keto-PGE2 has long been considered an inactive metabolite of PGE2. However, it may have an additional role as a biased and/or partial agonist capable of taking over the actions of PGE2 to gradually terminate reactions. Here, using cell-based experiments and in silico simulations, we show that PGE2-activated EP4 receptor–mediated signaling may evoke the primary initiating reaction of the cells, which would take over the 15-keto-PGE2–activated EP2 receptor–mediated signaling after PGE2 is metabolized to 15-keto-PGE2. The present results shed light on new aspects of 15-keto-PGE2, which may have important roles in passing on activities to EP2 receptors from PGE2-stimulated EP4 receptors as a “switched agonist.” This novel mechanism may be significant for gradually terminating PGE2-evoked inflammation and/or maintaining homeostasis of colorectal tissues/cells functions

Root PRR7 improves the accuracy of the shoot circadian clock through nutrient transport

The circadian clock allows plants to anticipate and adapt to periodic environmental changes. Organ- and tissue-specific properties of the circadian clock and shoot-to-root circadian signaling have been reported. While this long-distance signaling is thought to coordinate physiological functions across tissues, little is known about the feedback regulation of the root clock on the shoot clock in the hierarchical circadian network. Here, we show that the plant circadian clock conveys circadian information between shoots and roots through sucrose and K⁺. We also demonstrate that K+ transport from roots suppresses the variance of period length in shoots and then improves the accuracy of the shoot circadian clock. Sucrose measurements and qPCR showed that root sucrose accumulation was regulated by the circadian clock. Furthermore, root circadian clock genes, including PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR7 (PRR7), were regulated by sucrose, suggesting the involvement of sucrose from the shoot in the regulation of root clock gene expression. Therefore, we performed time-series measurements of xylem sap and micrografting experiments using prr7 mutants and showed that root PRR7 regulates K⁺ transport and suppresses variance of period length in the shoot. Our modeling analysis supports the idea that root-to-shoot signaling contributes to the precision of the shoot circadian clock. We performed micrografting experiments that illustrated how root PRR7 plays key roles in maintaining the accuracy of shoot circadian rhythms. We thus present a novel directional signaling pathway for circadian information from roots to shoots and propose that plants modulate physiological events in a timely manner through various timekeeping mechanisms

Cellular density‐dependent increases in HIF‐1α compete with c‐Myc to down‐regulate human EP4 receptor promoter activity through Sp‐1‐binding region

The up‐regulated expression of E‐type prostanoid (EP) 4 receptors has been implicated in carcinogenesis; however, the expression of EP4 receptors has also been reported to be weaker in tumor tissues than in normal tissues. Indeed, EP4 receptors have been suggested to play a role in the maintenance of colorectal homeostasis. This study aimed to examine the underlying mechanisms/reasons for why inconsistent findings have been reported regarding EP4 receptor expression levels in homeostasis and carcinogenesis by focusing on cellular densities. Thus, the human colon cancer HCA‐7 cells, which retain some functional features of normal epithelia, and luciferase reporter genes containing wild‐type or mutated EP4 receptor promoters were used for elucidating the cellular density‐dependent mechanisms about the regulation of EP4 receptor expression. In silico analysis was also utilized for confirming the relevance of the findings with respect to colon cancer development. We here demonstrated that the expression of EP4 receptors was up‐regulated by c‐Myc by binding to Sp‐1 under low cellular density conditions, but was down‐regulated under high cellular density conditions via the increase in the expression levels of HIF‐1α protein, which may pull out c‐Myc and Sp‐1 from DNA‐binding. The tightly regulated EP4 receptor expression mechanism may be a critical system for maintaining homeostasis in normal colorectal epithelial cells. Therefore, once the system is altered, possibly due to the transient overexpression of EP4 receptors, it may result in aberrant cellular proliferation and transformation to cancerous phenotypes. However, at the point, EP4 receptors themselves and their mediated homeostasis would be no longer required

あなたの人生,これからどう生きていきますか? : こどもたちの幸せと今後を考えて : 第1報 性教育に対する教員の意識調査の考察

It has passed more than fifity years since Ministry of Education,decided to adopt "Sex Education" as a curriculum in the public schools system. Since then, there have occurred formidable changes in the society as well as school system in this country. In this study we suveyed the changes of the sttitudes and behaviors toward their Sex among the younger genetations through the surveys of teachers\u27 attitudes in their Sex Education Class at primary, junior and high schools. We surveyed in 1995 and 1999, and the numbers of samples were one hundred teachers in 1995 and 1999, respectively, as well as the same in primary, junior and high school, respectively. Resuls are as follows; 1) Compared with the differences of the teachers\u27 attitudes for Sex Education between 1995 and 1999, the theachers\u27 attitudes for the education have been greatly changed. 2) The right knowledge about "Sex" for the younger generations such as primary and junior levels is indispensable through Sex Education in the schools. 3) The teachers in charge of Sex Education should build the appropriate circumstances and opportunities where the younger generation in trouble comes and gets the right informations through mass media such as TV programs, magazinnes, books, etc. 4) We have to have "Networks" betweens the schools and parents for taking care of the younger generations in trouble in their Sex problems

Purified Mesenchymal Stem Cells Are an Efficient Source for iPS Cell Induction

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are generated from mouse and human somatic cells by the forced expression of defined transcription factors. Although most somatic cells are capable of acquiring pluripotency with minimal gene transduction, the poor efficiency of cell reprogramming and the uneven quality of iPS cells are still important problems. In particular, the choice of cell type most suitable for inducing high-quality iPS cells remains unclear.Here, we generated iPS cells from PDGFRα+ Sca-1+ (PαS) adult mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and PDGFRα⁻ Sca-1⁻ osteo-progenitors (OP cells), and compared the induction efficiency and quality of individual iPS clones. MSCs had a higher reprogramming efficiency compared with OP cells and Tail Tip Fibroblasts (TTFs). The iPS cells induced from MSCs by Oct3/4, Sox2, and Klf4 appeared to be the closest equivalent to ES cells by DNA microarray gene profile and germline-transmission efficiency.Our findings suggest that a purified source of undifferentiated cells from adult tissue can produce high-quality iPS cells. In this context, prospectively enriched MSCs are a promising candidate for the efficient generation of high-quality iPS cells