Development of the Shinshu University Online System of General Academic Resources (SOAR)

This paper discusses the development of the Shinshu University Online System of General Academic Resources (SOAR). As a participant in the 2006-2007 Cyber Science Infrastructure (CSI) development project of the National Institute of Informatics (NII), Shinshu University is seeking to develop SOAR as an integrated academic resource system. In addition to developing an environment for providing accesstothe latest academic resources within the university, SOAR is intended to promulgate university research results and research activities, both within Japan and around the world, to a broad audience. Specifically, this system achieves mutual coordination by linking e-journals and the Web of Science to the researcher directory and the institutional repository—two system cornerstones. SOAR can be regarded as a potential model for future academic-resource systems. Although the Institutional Repository (SOAR-IR) was developed using existing software, the Researcher Directory (SOARRD) is a new system based on XML technology.ArticleProgress in Informatics. 5:137-151 (2008)journal articl

Left−Right Asymmetry Defect in the Hippocampal Circuitry Impairs Spatial Learning and Working Memory in iv Mice

Although left-right (L−R) asymmetry is a fundamental feature of higher-order brain function, little is known about how asymmetry defects of the brain affect animal behavior. Previously, we identified structural and functional asymmetries in the circuitry of the mouse hippocampus resulting from the asymmetrical distribution of NMDA receptor GluR ε2 (NR2B) subunits. We further examined the ε2 asymmetry in the inversus viscerum (iv) mouse, which has randomized laterality of internal organs, and found that the iv mouse hippocampus exhibits right isomerism (bilateral right-sidedness) in the synaptic distribution of theε2 subunit, irrespective of the laterality of visceral organs. To investigate the effects of hippocampal laterality defects on higher-order brain functions, we examined the capacity of reference and working memories of iv mice using a dry maze and a delayed nonmatching-to-position (DNMTP) task, respectively. The iv mice improved dry maze performance more slowly than control mice during acquisition, whereas the asymptotic level of performance was similar between the two groups. In the DNMTP task, the iv mice showed poorer accuracy than control mice as the retention interval became longer. These results suggest that the L−R asymmetry of hippocampal circuitry is critical for the acquisition of reference memory and the retention of working memory