Phylogeography of Juniperus Species (Cupressaceae) with a Disjunct Distribution in the Island Areas of Japan

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Giant negative magnetoresistance in Ni(quinoline-8-selenoate) 2

Authors thank the University of St Andrews, the Leverhulme Trust (International Network Grant IN-2012-094) and the JSPS Core-to Core Program, A. Advanced Research Networks for support.The magnetic, structural, conductivity and magnetoresistance properties of [Ni(quinoline-8-selenoate)2] ([Ni(qs)2]) have been studied. Despite the insolubility of the material necessitating its study as a powdered sample, a remarkably high conductivity has been measured. The conductivity is an order of magnitude greater than the thin-film processable thiol analogue previously reported and has been interpreted through the same space-charge limited conduction mechanism with charges injected from the electrodes. The introduction of selenium, results in a material with conductivity approaching metallic due to the enhanced interaction between adjacent molecules. Additionally, under an applied magnetic field, the material displays a negative magnetoresistance effect above 35% at 2 K. The effect can still be observed at 200 K and is interpreted in terms of a double-exchange mechanism.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Multi-band electronic structure of ferromagnetic CeRuPO

We have studied the multi-band electronic structure of ferromagnetic CeRuPO (T-C = 15K) by means of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). The ARPES results show that three hole bands exist around the zone center and two of them cross the Fermi level (E-F). Around the zone corner, two electron bands are observed and cross E-F. These hole and electron bands, which can be assigned to the Ru 4d bands, are basically consistent with the band-structure calculation including their orbital characters. However, one of the electron bands with Ru 4d 3z(2) - r(2) character is strongly renormalized indicating correlation effect due to hybridization with the Ce 4f orbitals. The Ru 4d 3z(2) - r(2) band changes across T-C suggesting that the out-of-plane 3z(2) - r(2) orbital channel plays essential roles in the ferromagnetism

Corticospinal excitability during motor imagery is diminished by continuous repetition-induced fatigue

Application of continuous repetition of motor imagery can improve the performance of exercise tasks. However, there is a lack of more detailed neurophysiological evidence to support the formulation of clear standards for interventions using motor imagery. Moreover, identification of motor imagery intervention time is necessary because it exhibits possible central fatigue. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to elucidate the development of fatigue during continuous repetition of motor imagery through objective and subjective evaluation. The study involved two experiments. In experiment 1, 14 healthy young volunteers were required to imagine grasping and lifting a 1.5-L plastic bottle using the whole hand. Each participant performed the motor imagery task 100 times under each condition with 48 hours interval between two conditions: 500 mL or 1500 mL of water in the bottle during the demonstration phase. Mental fatigue and a decrease in pinch power appeared under the 1500-mL condition. There were changes in concentration ability or corticospinal excitability, as assessed by motor evoked potentials, between each set with continuous repetition of motor imagery also under the 1500-mL condition. Therefore, in experiment 2, 12 healthy volunteers were required to perform the motor imagery task 200 times under the 1500-mL condition. Both concentration ability and corticospinal excitability decreased. This is the first study to show that continuous repetition of motor imagery can decrease corticospinal excitability in addition to producing mental fatigue. This study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee at the Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences (approval No. 18121302) on January 30, 2019

Licochalcones extracted from Glycyrrhiza inflata inhibit platelet aggregation accompanied by inhibition of COX-1 activity.

Licochalcones extracted from Glycyrrhiza inflata are known to have a variety of biological properties such as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-tumor activities, but their action on platelet aggregation has not yet been reported. Therefore, in this study we investigated the effects of licochalcones on platelet aggregation. Collagen and U46619, a thromboxane A2 receptor agonist, caused rabbit platelet aggregation, which was reversed by pretreatment with licochalcones A, C and D in concentration-dependent manners. Among these compounds, licochalcone A caused the most potent inhibitory effect on collagen-induced platelet aggregation. However, the licochalcones showed marginal inhibitory effects on thrombin or ADP-induced platelet aggregation. In addition to rabbit platelets, licochalcone A attenuated collagen-induced aggregation in human platelets. Because licochalcone A also inhibited arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation and production of thromboxane A2 induced by collagen in intact platelets, we further examined the direct interaction of licochalcone A with cyclooxygenase (COX)-1. As expected, licochalcone A caused an inhibitory effect on both COX-1 and COX-2 in vitro. Regarding the effect of licochalcone A on COX-1 enzyme reaction kinetics, although licochalcone A showed a stronger inhibition of prostaglandin E2 synthesis induced by lower concentrations of arachidonic acid, Vmax values in the presence or absence of licochalcone A were comparable, suggesting that it competes with arachidonic acid at the same binding site on COX-1. These results suggest that licochalcones inhibit collagen-induced platelet aggregation accompanied by inhibition of COX-1 activity

Efficacy of the Continuous Resuscitation Training with the Gap Period Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

(1) Objective: This study evaluates the effects of simulation education at our institute on cardiac arrest resuscitation regarding knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) over a five-year period (2016–2020). (2) Subjects: Staff responded to the annual survey questionnaires followed by monthly training in Basic Life Support/Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (BLS/ACLS) and Immediate Cardiac Life Support (ICLS) of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine (JAAM) in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Additionally, in-house training was implemented in 2019 without post-assessment followed by training suspension in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last delivery of the survey questionnaires was in late 2020 for KAP retention measurement. (3) Measurements and Results: The self-efficacy level of BLS/ACLS/ICLS KAP of the survey respondents was analyzed using a five-point Likert scale. The mean self-efficacy level of BLS/ACLS/ICLS KAP increased over time, and that of the trained people was three-fold that of the untrained people. Trainees that had no cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) experience gained the BLS/ACLS/ICLS key-point self-efficacy level, which we call the “Grip 14” in this study, as high as their untrained counterparts who had three-time CPR experience. Training suspension lessened the BLS/ACLS/ICLS KAP in both groups. (4) Conclusions: Continuous training enhances not only the BLS/ACLS/ICLS KAP of trainees but also of their untrained colleagues. The training likely had the same efficacy as the CPR experience