Why TVES have contributed to interregional imbalances in China:

The major objectives of this paper are to shed some light on the mechanism that generates interregional economic imbalances among communities in rural China. Central to this issue is the development of township and village enterprises (TVEs) because the presence of secondary industry is closely associated with the economic welfare of the people residing in rural communities. In rural Jiangsu, for example, spatial disparities have become more pronounced over the past two decades. This fact suggests that the influence of initial conditions—historical and geographical advantages of industrial frontrunners—has not been erased but rather continues to persist. This is attributed to a variety of factors, including the less efficient use of TVE resources in poor areas, the decentralized fiscal system, and agglomeration economies. In short, the socialist regime of self-reliance that still lingers in China's rural society traps less advanced areas in poverty.Economic situation China., Rural China Public investment Regional inequality., Poverty.,

The potential usefulness of taurine on diabetes mellitus and its complications

Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a free amino acid found ubiquitously in millimolar concentrations in all mammalian tissues. Taurine exerts a variety of biological actions, including antioxidation, modulation of ion movement, osmoregulation, modulation of neurotransmitters, and conjugation of bile acids, which may maintain physiological homeostasis. Recently, data is accumulating that show the effectiveness of taurine against diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance and its complications, including retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, atherosclerosis and cardiomyopathy, independent of hypoglycemic effect in several animal models. The useful effects appear due to the multiple actions of taurine on cellular functions. This review summarizes the beneficial effects of taurine supplementation on diabetes mellitus and the molecular mechanisms underlying its effectiveness

Unveiling the roles of the glutathione redox system in vivo by analyzing genetically modified mice

Redox status affects various cellular activities, such as proliferation, differentiation, and death. Recent studies suggest pivotal roles of reactive oxygen species not only in pathogenesis under oxidative insult but also in intracellular signal transduction. Glutathione is present in several millimolar concentrations in the cytoplasm and has multiple roles in the regulation of cellular homeostasis. Two enzymes, γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase, constitute the de novo synthesis machinery, while glutathione reductase is involved in the recycling of oxidized glutathione. Multidrug resistant proteins and some other transporters are responsible for exporting oxidized glutathione, glutathione conjugates, and S-nitrosoglutathione. In addition to antioxidation, glutathione is more positively involved in cellular activity via its sulfhydryl moiety of a molecule. Animals in which genes responsible for glutathione metabolism are genetically modified can be used as beneficial and reliable models to elucidate roles of glutathione in vivo. This review article overviews recent progress in works related to genetically modified rodents and advances in the elucidation of glutathione-mediated reactions

Effect of β-alanine treatment on mitochondrial taurine level and 5-taurinomethyluridine content

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The β-amino acid, taurine, is a nutritional requirement in some species. In these species, the depletion of intracellular stores of taurine leads to the development of severe organ dysfunction. The basis underlying these defects is poorly understood, although there is some suggestion that oxidative stress may contribute to the abnormalities. Recent studies indicate that taurine is required for normal mitochondrial protein synthesis and normal electron transport chain activity; it is known that defects in these events can lead to severe mitochondrial oxidative stress. The present study examines the effect of taurine deficiency on the first step of mitochondrial protein synthesis regulation by taurine, namely, the formation of taurinomethyluridine containing tRNA.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Isolated rat cardiomyocytes were rendered taurine deficient by incubation with medium containing the taurine transport inhibitor, β-alanine. The time course of cellular and mitochondrial taurine depletion was measured. The primer extension method was employed to evaluate the effect of β-alanine treatment on taurinomethyluridine content of tRNA^Leu. The protein levels of ND6 were also determined by Western blot analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>β-alanine caused a time-dependent decrease in cellular taurine content, which were reduced in half after 48 hrs of incubation. The amount of taurine in the mitochondria was considerably less than that in the cytosol and was unaffected by β-alanine treatment. Approximately 70% of the tRNA^Leu in the untreated cell lacked taurinomethyluridine and these levels were unchanged following β-alanine treatment. Protein content of ND6, however, was significantly reduced after 48 hours incubation with β-alanine.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The taurine levels of the cytosol and the mitochondria are not directly coupled. The β-alanine-mediated reduction in taurine levels is too small to affect taurinomethyluridine levels. Nonetheless, it interferes with mitochondrial protein synthesis, as exemplified by a decrease in ND6 protein content. Thus, β-alanine does not cause alterations in mitochondrial protein synthesis through the lowering of taurine levels.</p

Universal partitioning of the hierarchical fold network of 50-residue segments in proteins

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several studies have demonstrated that protein fold space is structured hierarchically and that power-law statistics are satisfied in relation between the numbers of protein families and protein folds (or superfamilies). We examined the internal structure and statistics in the fold space of 50 amino-acid residue segments taken from various protein folds. We used inter-residue contact patterns to measure the tertiary structural similarity among segments. Using this similarity measure, the segments were classified into a number (<it>K</it>_c) of clusters. We examined various <it>K</it>_cvalues for the clustering. The special resolution to differentiate the segment tertiary structures increases with increasing <it>K</it>_c. Furthermore, we constructed networks by linking structurally similar clusters.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The network was partitioned persistently into four regions for <it>K</it>_c≥ 1000. This main partitioning is consistent with results of earlier studies, where similar partitioning was reported in classifying protein domain structures. Furthermore, the network was partitioned naturally into several dozens of sub-networks (i.e., communities). Therefore, intra-sub-network clusters were mutually connected with numerous links, although inter-sub-network ones were rarely done with few links. For <it>K</it>_c≥ 1000, the major sub-networks were about 40; the contents of the major sub-networks were conserved. This sub-partitioning is a novel finding, suggesting that the network is structured hierarchically: Segments construct a cluster, clusters form a sub-network, and sub-networks constitute a region. Additionally, the network was characterized by non-power-law statistics, which is also a novel finding.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Main findings are: (1) The universe of 50 residue segments found here was characterized by non-power-law statistics. Therefore, the universe differs from those ever reported for the protein domains. (2) The 50-residue segments were partitioned persistently and universally into some dozens (ca. 40) of major sub-networks, irrespective of the number of clusters. (3) These major sub-networks encompassed 90% of all segments. Consequently, the protein tertiary structure is constructed using the dozens of elements (sub-networks).</p

A clear separation of foraging areas between two neighboring colonies of Adelie Penguins observed in a year of extensive sea ice cover

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions : [OB] Polar Biology, Wed. 4 Dec. / Entrance Hall (1st floor) , National Institute of Polar Researc

デザイン・ディベロップメント図による建築設計プロセス及び都市景観整序のあり方に関する研究 : 三井本館街区再開発計画を事例として

学位の種別: 論文博士審査委員会委員 : （主査）東京大学教授 西村 幸夫, 東京大学教授 千葉 学, 東京大学教授 出口 敦, 東京大学教授 小泉 秀樹, 東京大学特任教授 窪田 亜矢University of Tokyo(東京大学

Culture temperature affects human chondrocyte messenger RNA expression in monolayer and pellet culture systems

Cell-based therapy has been explored for articular cartilage regeneration. Autologous chondrocyte implantation is a promising cell-based technique for repairing articular cartilage defects. However, there are several issues such as chondrocyte de-differentiation. While numerous studies have been designed to overcome some of these issues, only a few have focused on the thermal environment that can affect chondrocyte metabolism and phenotype. In this study, the effects of different culture temperatures on human chondrocyte metabolism- and phenotype-related gene expression were investigated in 2D and 3D environments. Human chondrocytes were cultured in a monolayer or in a pellet culture system at three different culture temperatures (32° C, 37° C, and 41° C) for 3 days. The results showed that the total RNA level, normalized to the threshold cycle value of internal reference genes, was higher at lower temperatures in both culture systems. Glyceraldehyde-3- phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and citrate synthase (CS), which are involved in glycolysis and the citric acid cycle, respectively, were expressed at similar levels at 32° C and 37° C in pellet cultures, but the levels were significantly lower at 41° C. Expression of the chondrogenic markers, collagen type IIA1 (COL2A1) and aggrecan (ACAN), was higher at 37° C than at 32° C and 41° C in both culture systems. However, this phenomenon did not coincide with SRY (sex-determining region Y)-box 9 (SOX9), which is a fundamental transcription factor for chondrogenesis, indicating that a SOX9-independent pathway might be involved in this phenomenon. In conclusion, the expression of chondrocyte metabolism-related genes at 32° C was maintained or enhanced compared to that at 37° C. However, chondrogenesis-related genes were further induced at 37° C in both culture systems. Therefore, manipulating the culture temperature may be an advantageous approach for regulating human chondrocyte metabolic activity and chondrogenesis

Touch at a distance: Simple perception aid device with user\u27s explorer action

Although we obtain a lot of information in our environment via the visual modality, we also obtain rich information via the non-visual modality. In the mechanism how we perceive our environment, we use not only the sensor information, but also "how it changes according to how we act." For example, we obtain the haptic information from the haptic sensor on our finger, and when we move our finger along to the surface of the touching object, the haptic information changes according to the finger motion, and we "perceive" the whole shape of the object by executing the action-and-sensing process. In other words, we have a high ability to "integrate" the relation of our body\u27s action and its related sensing data, so as to improve the accuracy of sensor in our body. Based on this idea, we developed a simple perception aid device with user\u27s explorer action, to perceive the object at a distance, which has a linked range sensor and haptic actuator, which we name "FutureBody-Finger." The distance sensor measures the distance to the object (20-80[cm]), and it is converted to the angle of lever attached at the servo motor (0-60[deg]). The user holds this device in his hand with attaching his index finger on the device\u27s lever. For the long distance to the object, the lever leans to the front, and the user feels nothing. On the other hand, for the short distance to the object, the lever stands vertically, and the user feels the existence of the object. Although the device simply measures the distance to the single point on the object, as the user "explorers" around him, the user can obtain more rich distance information of the surrounding object, and hence, finally perceive the shape of the whole object.SIGGRAPH Asia 2014 Emerging Technologies, SA 2014; Shenzhen; China; 3 December 2014 through 6 December 2014; Code 10945