Japanese subject-oriented adverbs in a scope-based theory of adverbs

While English exhibits a clausal-manner alternation that is sensitive to where adverbs occur in clausal structure (e.g., Rudely, John left vs. John left rudely), it has not been clear to what extent Japanese behaves the same way. The present study argues, in the spirit of a scope-based theory of adverb licensing, that there is evidence that the Japanese adverbial system is scope-based similarly to its English counterpart. Focusing on mental attitude adverbs, the paper argues that Ernst’s (2002) generalization holds for Japanese: that subject-oriented adverbs lose their otherwise available clausal readings when pure manner adverbs c-command them in the same clause. The paper also claims that clausal mental attitude adverbs must be clause-mates of Tense, which is not reduced to the scope-based theory

Can Reinforcement Learning Be Applied to Surgery?

Background: Remarkable progress has recently been made in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).Objective: We sought to investigate whether reinforcement learning could be used in surgery in the future.Methods: We created simple 2D tasks (Tasks 1–3) that mimicked surgery. We used a neural network library, Keras, for reinforcement learning. In Task 1, a Mac OS X with an 8 GB memory (MacBook Pro, Apple, USA) was used. In Tasks 2 and 3, a Ubuntu 14. 04LTS with a 26 GB memory (Google Compute Engine, Google, USA) was used.Results: In the task with a relatively small task area (Task 1), the simulated knife finally passed through all the target areas, and thus, the expected task was learned by AI. In contrast, in the task with a large task area (Task 2), a drastically increased amount of time was required, suggesting that learning was not achieved. Some improvement was observed when the CPU memory was expanded and inhibitory task areas were added (Task 3).Conclusions: We propose the combination of reinforcement learning and surgery. Application of reinforcement learning to surgery may become possible by setting rules, such as appropriate rewards and playable (operable) areas, in simulated tasks

Hemodynamic Analysis of a Microanastomosis Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

[Background] Technical issues in free flap transfer, such as the selection of recipient vessels and the positioning and method of anastomosis of the vascular pedicle, have been the subject of vigorous debate. Recent developments in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have enabled the analysis of blood flow within microvessels. In this study, CFD was used to analyze hemodynamics in a microanastomosis. [Methods] In the fluid calculation process, the fluid domain modelizes microvessels with anastomosis. The inlet flow conditions were measured as venous waveform, and the fluid is simulated as blood. Streamlines (SL), wall shear stress (WSS), and oscillatory shear index (OSI) at the anastomosis were visualized and analyzed for observing effects from the flow field. [Results] Some flow disruption was evident as the SL passed over the sutures. The maximum recorded WSS was 13.37 Pa where the peak of a suture was exposed in the lumen. The local maximum value of the OSI was 0.182, recorded at the base of the anastomosis on the outflow side. [Conclusion] In the ideal anastomosis, the SL is disrupted as little as possible by the sutures. The WSS indicated that thrombus formation is unlikely to occur at suture peaks, but more likely to occur at the base of sutures, where the OSI is high. Tight suture knots are important in microanastomosis

Affinity-based screening of MDM2/MDMX-p53 interaction inhibitors by chemical array: Identification of novel peptidic inhibitors.

MDM2 and MDMX are oncoproteins that negatively regulate the activity and stability of the tumor suppressor protein p53. The inhibitors of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of MDM2-p53 and MDMX-p53 represent potential anticancer agents. In this study, a novel approach for identifying MDM2-p53 and MDMX-p53 PPI inhibitor candidates by affinity-based screening using a chemical array has been established. A number of compounds from an in-house compound library, which were immobilized onto a chemical array, were screened for interaction with fluorescence-labeled MDM2 and MDMX proteins. The subsequent fluorescent polarization assay identified several compounds that inhibited MDM2-p53 and MDMX-p53 interactions

Restoration of E-cadherin expression by selective Cox-2 inhibition and the clinical relevance of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) accompanied by the downregulation of E-cadherin has been thought to promote metastasis. Cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) is presumed to contribute to cancer progression through its multifaceted function, and recently its inverse relationship with E-cadherin was suggested. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether selective Cox-2 inhibitors restore the expression of E-cadherin in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells, and to examine the possible correlations of the expression levels of EMT-related molecules with clinicopathological factors in HNSCC. METHODS: We used quantitative real-time PCR to examine the effects of three selective Cox-2 inhibitors, i.e., celecoxib, NS-398, and SC-791 on the gene expressions of E-cadherin (CDH-1) and its transcriptional repressors (SIP1, Snail, Twist) in the human HNSCC cell lines HSC-2 and HSC-4. To evaluate the changes in E-cadherin expression on the cell surface, we used a flowcytometer and immunofluorescent staining in addition to Western blotting. We evaluated and statistically analyzed the clinicopathological factors and mRNA expressions of Cox-2, CDH-1 and its repressors in surgical specimens of 40 patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). RESULTS: The selective Cox-2 inhibitors upregulated the E-cadherin expression on the cell surface of the HNSCC cells through the downregulation of its transcriptional repressors. The extent of this effect depended on the baseline expression levels of both E-cadherin and Cox-2 in each cell line. A univariate analysis showed that higher Cox-2 mRNA expression (p = 0.037), lower CDH-1 mRNA expression (p = 0.020), and advanced T-classification (p = 0.036) were significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis in TSCC. A multivariate logistic regression revealed that lower CDH-1 mRNA expression was the independent risk factor affecting lymph node metastasis (p = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the appropriately selective administration of certain Cox-2 inhibitors may have an anti-metastatic effect through suppression of the EMT by restoring E-cadherin expression. In addition, the downregulation of CDH-1 resulting from the EMT may be closely involved in lymph node metastasis in TSCC

Differences in the motion of typically developing children aged 4–6 years putting on trousers in a standing position

　This study was designed to assess differences in the motion of putting on trousers in a standing position in typically developing children aged 4–6 years, and to find a relation between it and single-leg standing.　Participants in this study were 50 typically developing children (28 boys and 22 girls; 4.5±0.4 years, 5.5±0.3 years, 6.6±0.3 years). They performed two tasks: 10 s single-leg standing and putting on trousers in a standing position.　Based on the motion characteristics, the motions of putting on trousers were classified three types. Compared to types 1 and 2, type 3 showed that participants flexed their trunk, grasped the waistline of the trousers near the support leg knee, and fixed the trousers and extended swing leg to fit the trousers. These motion characteristics decreased the total time, path length, and anterior-posterior（AP）maximum displacement while putting on trousers. Moreover, the age increased as the type changing from 1 to 3. When standing on a single leg, the single-leg standing time increased, as did the path velocity, the AP and medial-lateral direction velocity and maximum displacement decreased as the type changing from 1 to 3.　These results suggested that the three types motion of putting on trousers in a standing position matured by age for typically developing children aged 4–6 years. The types were related with the ability to stand on a single leg

The Rice Annotation Project Database (RAP-DB): hub for Oryza sativa ssp. japonica genome information

With the completion of the rice genome sequencing, a standardized annotation is necessary so that the information from the genome sequence can be fully utilized in understanding the biology of rice and other cereal crops. An annotation jamboree was held in Japan with the aim of annotating and manually curating all the genes in the rice genome. Here we present the Rice Annotation Project Database (RAP-DB), which has been developed to provide access to the annotation data. The RAP-DB has two different types of annotation viewers, BLAST and BLAT search, and other useful features. By connecting the annotations to other rice genomics data, such as full-length cDNAs and Tos17 mutant lines, the RAP-DB serves as a hub for rice genomics. All of the resources can be accessed through

Intake frequency of vegetables or seafoods negatively correlates with disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: To clarify the relationship between dietary habit and disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: This study enrolled RA patients who met the ACR/EULAR 2010 classification criteria from Kyoto University Rheumatoid Arthritis Management Alliance (KURAMA) cohort in 2015. 22-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was taken for the measurement of dietary habit in a single-institution cohort of RA (Kyoto University Rheumatoid Arthritis Management Alliance: KURAMA) in 2015. The disease activities of RA using the Disease Activity Score calculated based on the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) level, the use of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), disease duration, rheumatoid factor, anti-cyclic citrullinated antibody, and body mass index were also examined. All of them were combined and statistically analyzed. Results: 441 RA patients (81% women; mean age 65 years; mean disease duration 15 years) were enrolled from the KURAMA cohort. Average Disease Activity Score-28 using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) was 2.7. Univariate analysis showed that intake frequency of vegetables had a statistically significant negative correlation with disease activity markers, such as DAS28-ESR (ρ = −0.11, p<0.01), Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) (ρ = −0.16, p<0.001), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) (ρ = −0.21, p<0.0001), and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) (ρ = −0.13, p<0.01). Factor analysis with varimax rotation was done to simplify the relevance of disease activity to various food items. 22 foods were categorized into five dietary patterns: “seafoods”, “vegetables/fruits”, “meats/fried foods”, “snacks”, and “processed foods”. The multivariate analysis adjusted for clinically significant confounders showed that “seafoods” had statistically significant negative correlations with DAS28-ESR (β = −0.15, p<0.01), SDAI (β = −0.18, p<0.001), MMP-3 (β = −0.15, p<0.01), and HAQ (β = −0.24, p<0.0001). “Vegetables/fruits” had statistically significant negative correlations with SDAI (β = −0.11 p<0.05), MMP-3 (β = −0.12, p<0.01), and HAQ (β = −0.11, p<0.05) Conclusions: These results suggest that high intake frequency of vegetables/fruits and/or seafoods might correlate with low disease activity