Saizu: A Very Big Loanword in Japanese

The tradition of student-centered active learning for development of critical thinking at Miyazaki International College provides valuable opportunities for discovery in the classroom. This brief paper outlines the results of one such student project in LL3141, Topics in Linguistics, taught by Debra J Occhi in fall semester of 2013. Students were inspired to undertake this research while reading and discussing Language Contact Meets Cognitive Linguistics: A Case of Getto-suru in Japanese (Horie & Occhi 2001). This paper reviews those findings, presents issues students found especially relevant about loanword behavior discussed in Olah (2007) and about English made in Japan (wasei eigo, discussed in Miller 1997), lists noun loanwords found in Japanese-English dictionaries, presents and analyzes instances of use of the loanword saizu (from English “size”)

Non-Natural Elements for Peptide-Based Molecular Design, Structural Analysis, and Functional Modifications

The present thesis summarizes three research projects addressing fundamental studies aimed on application of non-natural elements to design and synthesis of bioactive peptide mimetics, bioconjugates, and hybrid macromolecules. The study comprised computational and knowledge-based design, total synthesis, and evaluation of biologic activity as well as application to NMR-based structural analysis. Results summarized in the present work were reported in two scientific publications and should be considered as milestones for further investigations aimed on application of the discussed concepts to biomedical studies

Non-Natural Elements for Peptide-Based Molecular Design, Structural Analysis, and Functional Modifications

The present thesis summarizes three research projects addressing fundamental studies aimed on application of non-natural elements to design and synthesis of bioactive peptide mimetics, bioconjugates, and hybrid macromolecules. The study comprised computational and knowledge-based design, total synthesis, and evaluation of biologic activity as well as application to NMR-based structural analysis. Results summarized in the present work were reported in two scientific publications and should be considered as milestones for further investigations aimed on application of the discussed concepts to biomedical studies

Review Chemical Synthesis, Backbone Cyclization and Oxidative Folding of Cystine-knot Peptides — Promising Scaffolds for Applications in Drug Design

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Factors associated with masticatory performance in community-dwelling older adults A cross-sectional study

Background. Decreased masticatory performance leads to deterioration of overall health among older adults. However, maintaining and improving masticatory performance in ways other than maintenance of natural teeth and appropriate prosthodontic treatment remains unclear. If the factors related to the mixing and shearing abilities for masticatory performance are clarified, it may be possible to maintain and improve the masticatory performance of older adults. We aimed to clarify the association among mixing ability, shearing ability, and masticatory performance-related factors. Methods. Of the 707 community-dwelling older adults in Kusatsu Town, Japan, 344 who had been treated for any dental defects were enrolled in this study. Masticatory performance was evaluated on the basis of mixing ability and shearing ability. The number of natural teeth and artificial teeth, occlusal force, tongue pressure, and oral diadochokinesis /ta/ were measured as masticatory performance-related factors. Their relationship with mixing ability, shearing ability, and masticatory performance-related factors was examined by means of Spearman rank correlation coefficient and path analysis. Results. Among masticatory performance-related factors, the number of natural teeth, occlusal force, and tongue pressure were directly associated with both mixing ability and shearing ability. Moreover, mixing ability was also directly associated with shearing ability. Conclusions. Tongue pressure, which can be improved by means of training, is a masticatory performance-related factor associated with both mixing and shearing abilities

Self-Assembled Hybrid Aptamer-Fc Conjugates for Targeted Delivery: A Modular Chemoenzymatic Approach

Over the past decade, DNA and RNA aptamers have attracted keen research interest due to their ability to specifically bind targets of therapeutic relevance. However, their application is often hampered by a short serum half-life and missing effector functions. Conjugation of aptamers to antibody Fc fragments could improve pharmacokinetics, enable immune effector mechanisms, and provide an option for the introduction of desired payloads (e.g., toxins or fluorescent dyes). We developed a modular scaffold-supported system based on human IgG1 Fc fragments, which allows for its dual functionalization with moieties of interest. In our approach, two bioorthogonal, enzyme-mediated reactions were used in combination with oxime ligation and self-assembly based on PNA–DNA base pairing. Thus, an engineered synthetic peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomer was coupled to the <i>C</i>-termini of the Fc dimer upon sequence-specific sortase A-mediated transpeptidation. Hybridization of the resulting Fc-PNA conjugate with a tailored DNA aptamer that binds cancer-related hepatocyte growth factor receptor (c-MET) led to a hybrid construct which showed strong and specific binding to c-MET and was readily internalized by c-MET-overexpressing cells. To install an additional orthogonally addressable site, aldehyde tag technology was applied followed by oxime ligation with an aminooxy-bearing fluorescent dye as model cargo. Delivery of fluorescent probe specifically to c-MET-overexpressing cells was confirmed by flow cytometry. Our approach can provide access to engineered aptamer-Fc conjugates with desired target specificity and cytotoxic payloads