Foreword

This is the Foreword to a special issue on Japanese Law written by the Ambassador of Japan

A visual feedback system for micromanipulation with stereoscopic microscope

A stereoscopic microscope is widely used in a micromanipulation such as to operate genes and to inspect integration circuits. As in these tasks the micromanipulation is handled and makes too heavy burden to operators, it is desirable to perform the micromanipulation automatically. In this paper, we propose a visual feedback system for micromanipulation with stereoscopic microscope. This system takes less time to control the manipulator by reducing searching area to detect an object </p

Morphogenesis of the Spleen During the Human Embryonic Period

We aimed to observe morphological changes in the spleen from the emergence of the primordium to the end of the embryonic period using histological serial sections of 228 samples. Between Carnegie stages (CSs) 14 and 17, the spleen was usually recognized as a bulge in the dorsal mesogastrium (DM), and after CS 20, the spleen became apparent. Intrasplenic folds were observed later. A high-density area was first recognized in 6 of the 58 cases at CS 16 and in all cases examined after CS 18. The spleen was recognized neither as a bulge nor as a high-density area at CS 13. The mesothelium was pseudostratified until CS 16 and was replaced with high columnar cells and then with low columnar cells. The basement membrane was obvious after CS 17. The mesenchymal cells differentiated from cells in the DM, and sinus formation started at CS 20. Hematopoietic cells were detected after CS 18. The vessels were observed at CS 14 in the DM. Hilus formation was observed after CS 20. The parallel entries of the arteries and veins were observed at CS 23. The rate of increase in spleen length in relation to that of stomach length along the cranial-caudal direction was 0.51±0.11, which remained constant during CSs 19 and 23, indicating that their growths were similar. These data may help to better understand the development of normal human embryos and to detect abnormal embryos in the early stages of development

Influence of amplitude regarding finger force on loudness discrimination acuity of self-generated sound

International audienc

Multiple Digit Formation inXenopusLimb Bud Recombinants

AbstractWe prepared recombinant limb buds ofXenopustadpoles by grafting a mesenchyme mass of the hindlimb bud. TheXenopusrecombinant limb buds with dissociated and reaggregated mesenchyme developed more than 30 digits with cartilage segmentation, while those with undissociated mesenchyme developed a limb with normal cartilage pattern. Before the formation of multiple digits, a patchy expression pattern offgf-8,an AER marker, was observed in the distal region of recombinant limb buds.shh,a ZPA (zone of polarizing activity) marker, was expressed broadly in the distal region of recombinants. Recombinant limb buds with the reaggregated mesenchyme of anterior halves formed anterior digits with claws, and those with the mesenchyme of posterior halves formed posterior digits without claws. The temporal and spatial changes in the potency of multiple digit formation are discussed with reference to the regenerative capacity ofXenopuslimb buds

Self-esteem and responses to ambiguous feedback from others : Are you absolutely sure others dislike you?

本研究の目的は、自尊感情水準による他者からのフィードバックの解釈に及ぼす影響を検討することである。実験参加者は、大学生134名で、受容条件(AC)と拒絶条件(RC)とにランダムに割り当てられた。その後、ノートを貸してもらえるように要請する仮想場面を想起させるビニエットを読ませた。ACのビニエットでは、友人の反応を"うん、後でね"と提示し、RCのビニエットでは、友人の反応を"今もってないから、ごめんね"と提示した。ビニエットを読ませた後、受容期待、自己関連感情、対人方略について評定させた。自尊感情高群はフィードバックのネガティブさに応じて、ネガティブな感情を強く喚起する。しかし、自尊感情低群において、フィードバックのポジティブさと関わりなく、ネガティブな感情を強く喚起する傾向が示唆された。そこで、自尊感情水準による否定的評価の捉え方について考察がなされた。The purpose of the present study was to investigate the interpersonal function of self-esteem on the interpretation of other\u27s feedback to an individual. A hundred and thirty-four university students were randomly assigned to either an acceptance condition (AC) or rejection condition (RC). They then read a vignette which described a hypothetical situation where a person asked to borrow a notebook from a classmate, and were asked to put their feet into the main character\u27s shoes. In the vignette of AC, the classmate replied "OK, later". In the vignette of RC, the classmate answered "Sorry, I don\u27t have it now." After reading vignettes, participants completed questionnaires about expected acceptance, self-relevant feelings and interpersonal strategy in the future. Participants with higher self-esteem tended to have more negative feelings when they had negative feedback from others. However, participants with lower self-esteem tended to find negative information and arouse negative feelings, regardless whether they were in the AC or in the RC. Our discussion focuses on the function of low self-esteem as a negative interpreter of others\u27 ambiguous responses

Remarkable similarities of two pairs of stable and saddle canards in a van der Pol oscillator under extremely weak periodic perturbation

Canards are interesting nonlinear phenomena that have generated intense research interest since their discovery in the late 20th century. We are interested here in how canard-generating dynamics are influenced by extremely weak periodic perturbations that cause the formation of saddle-node bifurcations in the fundamental harmonic entrainment region. In a previous study, we discovered that another entrainment region exists within the fundamental harmonic entrainment region surrounded by the second saddle-node bifurcation curves. We found that two pairs of stable and saddle canards coexist in this second entrainment region under such weak periodic perturbation. Moreover, the stable and saddle canards are matched pairwise; i.e., each stable canard quite closely resembles a corresponding saddle canard. Calculation of the correlation coefficients of the four canards revealed two similar solutions on the order of 0.9999⋯ between the two pairs of similar canards. In contrast, the correlation coefficients of the dissimilar canards differ from unity in proportion to the difference between the given bifurcation parameter value and the parameter values at the saddle-node bifurcation points. Approximately, they take values from 0.998 to 0.975. These contrasts are noteworthy. Similar bifurcation phenomena were observed in the 1/2-subharmonic entrainment region. We hypothesize that the two pairs of stable and saddle canards are invariant with respect to a slight shift of time at the saddle-node bifurcation points, and we numerically prove that such a property approximately holds at the bifurcation points

FGF7 and FGF10 Directly Induce the Apical Ectodermal Ridge in Chick Embryos

AbstractDuring vertebrate limb development, the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) plays a vital role in both limb initiation and distal outgrowth of the limb bud. In the early chick embryo the prelimb bud mesoderm induces the AER in the overlying ectoderm. However, the direct inducer of the AER remains unknown. Here we report that FGF7 and FGF10, members of the fibroblast growth factor family, are the best candidates for the direct inducer of the AER. FGF7 induces an ectopic AER in the flank ectoderm of the chick embryo in a different manner from FGF1, -2, and -4 and activates the expression of Fgf8, an AER marker gene, in a cultured flank ectoderm without the mesoderm. Remarkably, FGF7 and FGF10 applied in the back induced an ectopic AER in the dorsal median ectoderm. Our results suggest that FGF7 and FGF10 directly induce the AER in the ectoderm both of the flank and of the dorsal midline and that these two regions have the competence for AER induction. Formation of the AER of the dorsal median ectoderm in the chick embryo is likely to appear as a vestige of the dorsal fin of the ancestors

Bifurcation scenarios for a 3D torus and torus-doubling

Bifurcation transitions between a 1D invariant closed curve (ICC), corresponding to a 2D torus in vector fields, and a 2D invariant torus (IT), corresponding to a 3D torus in vector fields, have been the subjects of intensive research in recent years. An existing hypothesis involves the bifurcation boundary between a region generating an ICC and a region generating an IT. It asserts that an IT would be generated from a stable fixed point as a consequence of two Hopf (or two Neimark–Sacker) bifurcations. We assume that this hypothesis may puzzle many researchers because it is difficult to assess its validity, although it seems to be a reasonable bifurcation scenario at first glance. To verify this hypothesis, we conduct a detailed Lyapunov analysis for a coupled delayed logistic map that can generate an IT, and indicate that this hypothesis does not hold according to numerical results. Furthermore, we show that a saddle-node bifurcation of unstable periodic points does not coincide with the bifurcation boundary between an ICC and an IT. In addition, the bifurcation boundaries of torus doubling do not coincide with a period-doubling bifurcation of unstable periodic points. To conclude, torus bifurcations have no relation with the bifurcations of unstable periodic points. Additionally, we exactly derive a quasi-periodic Hopf bifurcation boundary introducing a double Poincaré map