How alphabetic is Japanese rōmaji? Implications for the description and classification of writing systems

The current Japanese writing system is characterised by its mixed and complementary use of four main scripts called kanji, hiragana, katakana and rōmaji. Regarding rōmaji, or ‘Roman script’, it is commonly described as ‘alphabetic’, ‘phonemic’ or ‘segmental’. All these descriptors imply that the script operates primarily on a systematic mapping between graphs and individual phonemic segments. However, while rōmaji actually implements monosegmental mappings in romanisation (e.g. : → /s/, → /ɯ/, → /ɕ/, → /i/), it has many other uses that are often overlooked. This study distinguishes six categories (Coulmas 1996; López Rúa 2004; Irwin 2011): 1. Acronym: suika ‘Super Urban Intelligent Card’ (prepaid travel card) 2. Alphabetism: enueichikē ‘Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai’ (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) 3. Letter-name word: in erujigata ‘L-shape’ 4. Abbreviation: gōrudenwīku ‘Golden Week holidays’ 5. Xenography: toire ‘toilet’ (< Eng. water closet) 6. Loan orthography: tikkutokku ‘TikTok’ Of these, only Type 1 is monosegmental in the strict sense (e.g. → /s/). Types 2 and 3 are polysegmental because all rōmaji letter names comprise multiple phonemes in Japanese (e.g. → /enɯ/). Types 4 and 5 are morphographic because the graphs map to individual morphemes (e.g. → {gōruden}). Type 6 is in a grey zone, where some mappings are monosegmental (e.g. → /t/) but others are polysegmental due to phonotactic restrictions in Japanese (e.g. → /kɯ/). Unlike in writing systems based principally on the Roman script (e.g. English), polysegmental and morphographic mappings are not exceptional for rōmaji usage within the multi-script Japanese writing system. The present paper demonstrates this point based on a survey of the Balanced Corpus of Contemporary Written Japanese. It further discusses the significance of non-segmental adaptations of segmental scripts for the description and classification of writing systems. Coulmas, Florian. 1996. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems. Oxford & Malden: Blackwell Publishers. Irwin, Mark. 2011. Loanwords in Japanese. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. López Rúa, Paula. 2004. Acronyms & Co.: A typology of typologies. Estudios Ingleses de la Universidad Complutense 12. 109-129

The biogenesis pathway of tRNA-derived piRNAs in Bombyx germ cells.

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) function in translational machinery and further serves as a source of short non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). tRNA-derived ncRNAs show differential expression profiles and play roles in many biological processes beyond translation. Molecular mechanisms that shape and regulate their expression profiles are largely unknown. Here, we report the mechanism of biogenesis for tRNA-derived Piwi-interacting RNAs (td-piRNAs) expressed in Bombyx BmN4 cells. In the cells, two cytoplasmic tRNA species, tRNAAspGUC and tRNAHisGUG, served as major sources for td-piRNAs, which were derived from the 5\u27-part of the respective tRNAs. cP-RNA-seq identified the two tRNAs as major substrates for the 5\u27-tRNA halves as well, suggesting a previously uncharacterized link between 5\u27-tRNA halves and td-piRNAs. An increase in levels of the 5\u27-tRNA halves, induced by BmNSun2 knockdown, enhanced the td-piRNA expression levels without quantitative change in mature tRNAs, indicating that 5\u27-tRNA halves, not mature tRNAs, are the direct precursors for td-piRNAs. For the generation of tRNAHisGUG-derived piRNAs, BmThg1l-mediated nucleotide addition to -1 position of tRNAHisGUG was required, revealing an important function of BmThg1l in piRNA biogenesis. Our study advances the understanding of biogenesis mechanisms and the genesis of specific expression profiles for tRNA-derived ncRNAs

Increasing cell density globally enhances the biogenesis of Piwi-interacting RNAs in Bombyx mori germ cells.

Piwi proteins and their bound Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are predominantly expressed in the germline and play crucial roles in germline development by silencing transposons and other targets. Bombyx mori BmN4 cells are culturable germ cells that equip the piRNA pathway. Because of the scarcity of piRNA-expressing culturable cells, BmN4 cells are being utilized for the analyses of piRNA biogenesis. We here report that the piRNA biogenesis in BmN4 cells is regulated by cell density. As cell density increased, the abundance of Piwi proteins and piRNA biogenesis factors was commonly upregulated, resulting in an increased number of perinuclear nuage-like granules where Piwi proteins localize. Along with these phenomena, the abundance of mature piRNAs also globally increased, whereas levels of long piRNA precursor and transposons decreased, suggesting that increasing cell density promotes piRNA biogenesis pathway and that the resultant accumulation of mature piRNAs is functionally significant for transposon silencing. Our study reveals a previously uncharacterized link between cell density and piRNA biogenesis, designates cell density as a critical variable in piRNA studies using BmN4 cell system, and suggests the alteration of cell density as a useful tool to monitor piRNA biogenesis and function

Leisure-time, occupational, and commuting physical activity and risk of type 2 diabetes in Japanese workers: a cohort study

Table S1. Association between moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity exercise during leisure and risk of type 2 diabetes. Table S2. Risk of type 2 diabetes associated with specific type of leisure-time exercise. (DOCX 47 kb

研究IRプロジェクトの取組み

ISM Online Open House, 2021.6.18統計数理研究所オープンハウス（オンライン開催）、R3.6.18ポスター発

jaw osteonecrosis risk in hip fractures

Purpose : Antiresorptive agents, such as bisphosphonates, are useful for the prevention of the recurrence of hip fractures. However, their administration has a risk of antiresorptive agent-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (ARONJ), and risk factors include poor oral hygiene. It is difficult for an orthopedic surgeon to examine a patient’s oral condition thoroughly. This study evaluated the relationship between risk factors for ARONJ and intraoral findings in hip fracture patients. Materials and Methods : We evaluated 79 patients (average age of 82.2 years) with hip fracture surgery who underwent an oral assessment by dentists. The risk assessments of the intraoral findings were classified into four levels (levels 0-3), with levels 2 and 3 requiring dental treatment intervention. Data that could be extracted as risk factors of ARONJ were also examined. Results : Level 1 was found most frequently (54.4%), followed by level 0 (35.4%), level 2 (8.9%), level 3 (1.3%). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the number of risk factors for the two groups (dental treatment intervention required and unnecessary) and oral findings were 0.732. When the cut-off value was set to two risk factors, the specificity and sensitivity was 53.5% and 87.5%. Conclusions : For hip fracture patients with a more than 2 risk factors, dental visits are recommended to prevent ARONJ. This is a useful evaluation method that can be used to screen for ONJ from data obtained from other risk factors, even if it is difficult to evaluate the oral condition in hospitals where dentists are absent

N-acetyltaurine and Acetylcarnitine Production for the Mitochondrial Acetyl-CoA Regulation in Skeletal Muscles during Endurance Exercises

During endurance exercises, a large amount of mitochondrial acetyl-CoA is produced in skeletal muscles from lipids, and the excess acetyl-CoA suppresses the metabolic flux from glycolysis to the TCA cycle. This study evaluated the hypothesis that taurine and carnitine act as a buffer of the acetyl moiety of mitochondrial acetyl-CoA derived from the short- and long-chain fatty acids of skeletal muscles during endurance exercises. In human subjects, the serum concentrations of acetylated forms of taurine (NAT) and carnitine (ACT), which are the metabolites of acetyl-CoA buffering, significantly increased after a full marathon. In the culture medium of primary human skeletal muscle cells, NAT and ACT concentrations significantly increased when they were cultured with taurine and acetate or with carnitine and palmitic acid, respectively. The increase in the mitochondrial acetyl-CoA/free CoA ratio induced by acetate and palmitic acid was suppressed by taurine and carnitine, respectively. Elevations of NAT and ACT in the blood of humans during endurance exercises might serve the buffering of the acetyl-moiety in mitochondria by taurine and carnitine, respectively. The results suggest that blood levels of NAT and ACT indicate energy production status from fatty acids in the skeletal muscles of humans undergoing endurance exercise