DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW FATIGUE TESTING MACHINE FOR HIGH FREQUENCY FATIGUE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

ABSTRACT A new simple fatigue testing machine, which can carry out fast and low-cost fatigue tests of welded joints subject to wave with high frequency vibration, has been developed. This machine is designed for plate bending type fatigue tests, and wave load is applied by using motors with eccentric mass. Springing vibration is superimposed by attaching an additional vibrator to the test specimen, and whipping vibration is superimposed by an intermittent hammering. Fatigue tests which simulate springing and whipping by a conventional servo-type fatigue testing machines are very expensive and use a large amount of electricity. If one uses these conventional machines, it is difficult to simulate superimposed stress wave forms at high speed, and it takes long hours of testing to examine the high frequency effect. In contrast, it is found that fatigue tests can be carried out in fast, i.e. waves with 10Hz or higher frequency for out-of-plane gusset welded joint specimens with 12mm plate thickness by using the developed machine. The electricity to be used for fatigue tests could be minimal, for example one thousandth of that needed for conventional machines. These results demonstrate the superiority of the developed machine

Constraining SuperWIMPy and Warm Subhalos with Future Submillilensing

We propose to observe QSO-galaxy strong lens systems to give a new constraint on the damping scale of the initial fluctuations. We find that the future observation of submilliarc scale astrometric shifts of the multiple lensed images of QSOs would find \sim 10^{(3-9)} M_{\odot} subhalos inside the macrolens halo. The superweakly interacting massive particles (superWIMPs) produced from a WIMP decay and the warm dark matter (WDM) particles that predict a comoving damping scale larger than \sim 2 kpc can be constrained if \sim 10^3 M_{\odot} subhalos are detected.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, revised version accepted for publication in PL

Impairment of starvation-induced and constitutive autophagy in Atg7-deficient mice

Autophagy is a membrane-trafficking mechanism that delivers cytoplasmic constituents into the lysosome/vacuole for bulk protein degradation. This mechanism is involved in the preservation of nutrients under starvation condition as well as the normal turnover of cytoplasmic component. Aberrant autophagy has been reported in several neurodegenerative disorders, hepatitis, and myopathies. Here, we generated conditional knockout mice of Atg7, an essential gene for autophagy in yeast. Atg7 was essential for ATG conjugation systems and autophagosome formation, amino acid supply in neonates, and starvation-induced bulk degradation of proteins and organelles in mice. Furthermore, Atg7 deficiency led to multiple cellular abnormalities, such as appearance of concentric membranous structure and deformed mitochondria, and accumulation of ubiquitin-positive aggregates. Our results indicate the important role of autophagy in starvation response and the quality control of proteins and organelles in quiescent cells

Breeding for Disease Resistance in Brassica Vegetables Using DNA Marker Selection

The Brassica genus comprises of agro-economically important vegetables. Disease causes great yield loss of Brassica vegetables worldwide. Different traditional methods such as crop rotation and chemical control have limited effect on different diseases of Brassica vegetables and cannot completely eradicate the pathogens by these methods. Development of disease resistant cultivars is one of the most effective, ecofriendly, and cheapest measure to control Brassica diseases. With the development of genomics, molecular biology techniques, and biological methods, it is possible to discover and introduce resistance (R) genes to efficiently control the plant diseases caused by pathogens. Some R genes of major diseases such as Fusarium wilt and clubroot in Brassica vegetables have been already identified. Therefore, we will focus to review the Fusarium wilt and clubroot resistance in Brassica vegetables and the methodologies for identification, mapping, and pyramiding of R genes/quantitative trait loci (QTLs) to develop disease resistant cultivars. These techniques will be helpful for sustainable crop production and to maintain global food security and contribute to ensure protection of food supply in the Asian country as well as throughout the world

Data from: Quantitative genetic analysis of subspecific differences in body shape in the snail-feeding carabid beetle Damaster blaptoides

A dimorphic pattern of macrocephalic (wide, short) and stenocephalic (narrow, long) body shapes is observed in snail-feeding carabid beetles globally. The former exhibits high performance in crushing snail shells with powerful jaws, whereas the latter specializes in eating snails' soft body directly by inserting the head into the shell. In the snail-feeding species Damaster blaptoides, the subspecies D. b. capito has a wide short forebody, and D. b. fortunei has a narrow, long forebody. They exhibit distinct morphologies despite their geographic and phylogenetic proximity. To examine the genetic basis of the morphological differences between these two subspecies, we conducted quantitative genetic analyses by crossing these subspecies and producing F_1 and backcross hybrids. The hybrids had body shapes intermediate between the parental subspecies. The variation between wide, short and narrow, long forebodies was based on negative geneti c correlations between width and length of the head and thorax. Between one and eight genetic factors were involved in the morphological differences between subspecies. We suggest that the morphological integration of forebody parts in a small number of loci has facilitated the marked morphological diversification between subspecies of D. blaptoides

Overcoming the congenitally disadvantageous mutation through adaptation to environmental UV exposure in land snails

<p>Congenital fitness-disadvantageous mutations are not maintained in the population; they are purged from the population through processes such as purifying selection. However, these mutations could persist in the population as polymorphisms when it is advantageous for the individuals carrying them to adapt to a specific external environment. We tested this hypothesis using the dimorphic land snail <em>Euhadra peliomphala simodae</em> in Japan; these snails have dark or bright-coloured shells. The survival rate of dark snails at hatching was lower than that of the bright ones, as observed in the F1 progenies produced through crossing. Dark snails have a congenital fitness-disadvantageous mutation; however, they also have protection against ultraviolet radiation. They have a higher survival rate than the bright snails in a UV environment, as observed using the UV exposure experiments and UV transmittance measurements. This is a good example of a congenitally disadvantageous mutation that is advantageous for adapting to the external environment. These results explain the maintenance of polymorphism and highlight the genotypic and phenotypic diversity in the wild population.</p><p>Funding provided by: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001691<br>Award Number: 21J14235</p><p>Funding provided by: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001691<br>Award Number: 17K07573</p&gt

measurement_data

The file, measurement_data.csv, includes the measured values of the all individuals we used in our quantitative genetic analyses. The first column heading, "Population", indicates used populations in the quantitative genetics. “P1” is D. b. capito; “P2” is D. b. fortunei; “F1” is hybrids produced by crossing D. b. capito and D. b. fortunei; “B1” is backcross population to D. b. capito and “B2” is a backcross population to D. b. fortunei. The second column heading, “HW”, indicate head width. The third, “HL”, indicate head length. The forth, “TW”, indicate thorax width. The fifth, “TL”, indicate thorax length. The sixth, “EW”, indicate elytron width. The seventh, “EL”, indicate elytron length. These measurement values have the unit of millimeter. The last column heading, “Randomly chosen 48 individuals”, indicate the individuals used to determine the eigenvector for the principle component analysis. To remove bias caused by differences in sample size between parent, F1, and backcross populations and to determine PC axes meaningful for quantitative genetic analysis, we first randomly chose 48 individuals from each population (i.e., 240 individuals in total). “TRUE” indicates the chosen individuals. By using the determined eigenvector, we calculated the principle component scores of the other 268 individuals as well as randomly chosen 240 individuals

関節リウマチに対するエタネルセプト効果減弱例の関節鏡視下滑膜切除術の臨床的効果と関節滑膜の組織学的検討

関節リウマチ(RA)の治療において生物学的製剤であるエタネルセプトが近年使用されているが,その効果減弱例に対して関節鏡視下滑膜切除を施行した7例88関節,男性2例,女性5例,平均年齢62(48～75)歳について術前c-reactive protein(CRP)とdisease activity scores(DAS)28を経時的に48週まで調べ,術中採取した滑膜を組織学的にtumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α),interleukin-6(IL-6)およびreceptor activator of nuclear kappa B ligand(RANKL)の発現について調べた.その結果CRPは術前3.8±0.5mg/dlから術後48週で0.7±0.4mg/dlに有意に低下し,DAS28は術前6.3±0.6から術後48週で2.7±0.9に有意に低下した.エタネルセプト効果減弱例の滑膜はリンパ球浸潤,血管増生を示し,滑膜表層に多核の組織球の発現を認めた.免疫組織化学的検討ではTNF-αの発現は滑膜全体の細胞に見られ,IL-6は滑膜細胞は抑制され血管のみ発現していた.破骨細胞の分化を促進するRANKLは滑膜に発現していなかった.以上よりエタネルセプト効果減弱例のRAでは組織学的にTNF-αの発現が見られる滑膜を切除することにより,局所からのサイトカイン産生を抑制する関節鏡視下滑膜切除は有効であり,エタネルセプトの効果を持続できる一つの手段として考えられる.In order to investigate whether arthroscopic synovectomy is effective for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who exhibit an incomplete response to etanercept treatment, we assessed 7 subjects who underwent 8 arthroscopic synovectomies in the knee joint, shoulder joint and elbow joints. We compared c-reactive protein (CRP) and disease activity scores (DAS) 28 before and at 4, 24 and 48 weeks after surgery. Immunohistochemical examination was performed whether tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and receptor activator of nuclear kappa B ligand (RANKL) expressed in synovial cells besides lymphocytes invasion and vascular proliferation occurred in hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. After arthroscopic synovectomy we continued etanercept treatment with or without methotrexate (MTX) in a routine manner. We detected synovium proliferation with a vascular increase in the patella femoral (PF) joint, around the meniscus and also on the femoral and tibial side of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee joints. We also found synovium proliferation in the rotator interval (RI) in the glenohumeral joint and fatty change in the subacromial bursa (SAB) in the shoulder. In the elbow joint we found synovium proliferation with white fibrous tissue around the radioulner joint which had developed into bone erosion. The average of CRP at preoperation, 3.8 ± 0.5 mg/dl, was improved to 1.3 ± 0.3 mg/dl at 6 weeks, 0.6 ± 0.2 mg/dl at 24 weeks and 0.7±0.4 mg/dl at 48 weeks after surgery. There were no side effects, not even post surgical infection from arthroscopic synovectomy, during etanercept treatment. DAS28 was improved from 6.3±0.6 to 3.5 ± 1.2 at 6 weeks, 2.8±0.7 at 24 weeks and 2.7±0.9 at 48 weeks after surgery. Histological examination revealed that lymphocyte proliferation, multi-nuclear cells and hyper vascularity emerged in etanercept toleration cases. TNF-α and IL-6 were expressed in the synovium, however RANKL was not expressed. Therefore, it is possible that arthroscopic synovectomy, in order to remove the synovium which produces TNF-α and IL-6, can be an effective method for the continuation of etanercept treatment when its efficacy is decreased in or attenuated for RA patients

関節リウマチに対するエタネルセプト効果減弱例の関節鏡視下滑膜切除術の臨床的効果と関節滑膜の組織学的検討

関節リウマチ(RA)の治療において生物学的製剤であるエタネルセプトが近年使用されているが,その効果減弱例に対して関節鏡視下滑膜切除を施行した7例88関節,男性2例,女性5例,平均年齢62(48～75)歳について術前c-reactive protein(CRP)とdisease activity scores(DAS)28を経時的に48週まで調べ,術中採取した滑膜を組織学的にtumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α),interleukin-6(IL-6)およびreceptor activator of nuclear kappa B ligand(RANKL)の発現について調べた.その結果CRPは術前3.8±0.5mg/dlから術後48週で0.7±0.4mg/dlに有意に低下し,DAS28は術前6.3±0.6から術後48週で2.7±0.9に有意に低下した.エタネルセプト効果減弱例の滑膜はリンパ球浸潤,血管増生を示し,滑膜表層に多核の組織球の発現を認めた.免疫組織化学的検討ではTNF-αの発現は滑膜全体の細胞に見られ,IL-6は滑膜細胞は抑制され血管のみ発現していた.破骨細胞の分化を促進するRANKLは滑膜に発現していなかった.以上よりエタネルセプト効果減弱例のRAでは組織学的にTNF-αの発現が見られる滑膜を切除することにより,局所からのサイトカイン産生を抑制する関節鏡視下滑膜切除は有効であり,エタネルセプトの効果を持続できる一つの手段として考えられる.In order to investigate whether arthroscopic synovectomy is effective for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who exhibit an incomplete response to etanercept treatment, we assessed 7 subjects who underwent 8 arthroscopic synovectomies in the knee joint, shoulder joint and elbow joints. We compared c-reactive protein (CRP) and disease activity scores (DAS) 28 before and at 4, 24 and 48 weeks after surgery. Immunohistochemical examination was performed whether tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and receptor activator of nuclear kappa B ligand (RANKL) expressed in synovial cells besides lymphocytes invasion and vascular proliferation occurred in hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. After arthroscopic synovectomy we continued etanercept treatment with or without methotrexate (MTX) in a routine manner. We detected synovium proliferation with a vascular increase in the patella femoral (PF) joint, around the meniscus and also on the femoral and tibial side of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee joints. We also found synovium proliferation in the rotator interval (RI) in the glenohumeral joint and fatty change in the subacromial bursa (SAB) in the shoulder. In the elbow joint we found synovium proliferation with white fibrous tissue around the radioulner joint which had developed into bone erosion. The average of CRP at preoperation, 3.8 ± 0.5 mg/dl, was improved to 1.3 ± 0.3 mg/dl at 6 weeks, 0.6 ± 0.2 mg/dl at 24 weeks and 0.7±0.4 mg/dl at 48 weeks after surgery. There were no side effects, not even post surgical infection from arthroscopic synovectomy, during etanercept treatment. DAS28 was improved from 6.3±0.6 to 3.5 ± 1.2 at 6 weeks, 2.8±0.7 at 24 weeks and 2.7±0.9 at 48 weeks after surgery. Histological examination revealed that lymphocyte proliferation, multi-nuclear cells and hyper vascularity emerged in etanercept toleration cases. TNF-α and IL-6 were expressed in the synovium, however RANKL was not expressed. Therefore, it is possible that arthroscopic synovectomy, in order to remove the synovium which produces TNF-α and IL-6, can be an effective method for the continuation of etanercept treatment when its efficacy is decreased in or attenuated for RA patients