Decreased Prostaglandin E2 Production by Inflammatory Cytokine and Lower Expression of EP2 Receptor Result in Increased Collagen Synthesis in Keloid Fibroblasts

We investigated the metabolism of arachidonic acid in normal skin-derived fibroblasts (NF) as well as in keloid-derived fibroblasts (KF) in response to macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a pluripotent cytokine. We found that MIF enhanced cyclooxygenase-2 activity in NF more than in KF. Consistent with this finding, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), an antifibrogenic molecule, was more significantly increased in NF than in KF by MIF treatment. As regarding E prostanoid receptor 2, the level of expression was significantly lower in KF than in NF. On the other hand, Forskolin, a direct activator of adenylcyclase, decreased collagen synthesis in both NF and KF, which indicates that cAMP plays an important role in regulating collagen synthesis. As PGE2 induces cAMP production, it is conceivable that increased collagen synthesis in KF might be owing to decreased PGE2 and cAMP production. These findings may aid in the development of a therapeutic strategy for the regulation of collagen synthesis in keloid fibroblasts

Effect of Rust Inhibitor in Brine on Corrosion Properties of Copper

In this study, the effects of rust inhibitors in brine on corrosion behaviors of copper were investigated by measurement of cathode and anode polarization curves and an immersion test. For rust inhibitors, benzotriazole, sodium benzoate and sodium nitrite were prepared. From measurement results of cathode and anode polarization curves, it was found that the corrosion rate of copper in the benzotriazole solution is low and a stable passive film with excellent corrosion resistance generates on the surface of copper in the solution. In the case of the sodium benzoate solution, the corrosion resistance of the passive film was inferior to that in the benzotriazole solution although the passive film generated on the surface of copper. In contrast, the passive film scarcely generated on the surface of copper in the sodium nitrite solution. The result shows that the rust preventive effect of the solution to copper is weak. Furthermore, the immersion test revealed that the benzotriazole solution has the rust preventive effect to copper. In contrast, the effect of the sodium benzoate solution is weak and that of the sodium nitrite solution is scarcely expected

New Types of Specialists in Higher Education : From the Viewpoint of Policy, Market and Occupational Ability

高等教育改革において新しい役割を担う「専門職」の必要が生じている。本論ではそのうち，ファカルティ・ディベロッパー（FDer），キャリア支援担当者，インスティテューショナル・リサーチ（IR）担当者，リサーチ・アドミニストレーション（URA）担当者，産官学連携コーディネート担当者を取り上げる。これらの「専門職」は養成の制度化がいまだに不十分であって，他の隣接分野からの移動という事例も見られる。また，雇用のための予算が改革を推進するための時限付きの補助金であることが多いため，雇用期限が定められていたり，職位・給与が低位であったりするという特徴がある。The current higher education reforms in Japan have created a demand for new types of specialists who have had important roles in most universities since around 2000. This article focuses on Faculty Developers, Career Consultants, Institutional Researchers, University Research Administrators and Technology Licensing Managers among such new types of university-related jobs. Due to the lack of formal education systems to become one of these professionals, most of the candidates do not have enough knowledge and skills, and tend to come from related academic or business areas. When they are hired by universities, funds for their employment often come from government money budgeted for a time-limited and specific educational reform project. As a result, they tend to be hired for only a limited period of time, and/or their position and wage levels are usually lower than more traditional professions in universities

ヒト ト ミズベ カンキョウ ホタル オ トオシテ カンガエル

Until a mid-twentieth century, most of countries in Japan were full of nature e.g. paddy fields, small streams, ponds and bushes etc.. Genji-firefly (Luciola cruciata) and Heike-firefly (Luciola lateralis) were most popular insects in every wet place in Japan even in urban area of cities,and loved by many people through long historical period until the rapid and large scaled industrialization damaged the environmental conditions for these two species. Rivers and streams were changed into concrete channels and polluted by a great many of chemical substances. As a result, the good conditions for the breeding and growth of firefly larvae were widely lost and fireflies have decreased in watersides in Japan. In June 2001, field observations for the counting of fireflies were carried out at 4 rivers in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Water samples from 4 rivers were taken for water quality analysis, and plant communities beside rivers were studied in all seasons. Based on the present research, the main factors of natural environment needed for the conservation of fireflies were estimated as follows: ①water flow with moderate speed and shallow water zone along water edges, ②gradient banks made of natural soils and natural plant community on the banks, ③regulation of water pollution and maintenance of water level

Immunoadsorption Therapy for Patients with Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Heart Failure

Several autoantibodies directed against cardiac cellular proteins including G-protein-linked receptors, contractile proteins and mitochondrial proteins, have been identified in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Among these autoantibodies, anti-β1-adrenoreceptor (AR) antibodies have long been discussed in terms of their pathogenetic role in DCM. Anti-β1-AR antibody-positive patients with DCM showed significant deterioration of NYHA functional class as well as reduced cardiac function compared to those in autoantibody-negative patients. Various studies with a limited number of patients indicate that the use of immunoadsorption to eliminate immunoglobulin G (IgG) significantly improves cardiac performance and clinical status in heart failure patients. Since removal of autoantibodies of the IgG3 subclass induces hemodynamic improvement and an increase in the left ventricular ejection fraction, antibodies belonging to IgG3 such as anti-β1-AR antibodies might play an important role in reducing cardiac function in patients with DCM. According to a recent report, however, the effect of hemodynamic improvement by immunoadsorption threapy was similar among patients who were positive and negative for anti-β1-AR antibodies, indicating that the beneficial effects of immunoadsorption might be not directly associated with the selective elimination of the β1-AR autoantibodies. Immunoadsorption therapy is a new therapeutic option for patients with DCM and heart failure, but further investigations are required to elucidate the specific antigens of cardiac autoantibodies responsible for the hemodynamic effects

Professor of Practice in Japan: Policies and Traditions

大学教員のキャリアやアイデンティティに関する研究は教育社会学の分野で続けられてきた。本論で焦点を絞る「実務家教員」政策の嚆矢は専門職大学院の創設であった。専門職大学院では実務への貢献に関する教育が重視されることから、一定割合の「実務家教員」の配置が義務付けられた。そして、「高等教育の負担軽減の具体的方策」政策において学生に対する給付奨学金制度の導入と組み合わせて、実務の経験を有する教員についてシラバスなどで明示することが求められるようになった。他方、それらの政策とはまったく関係なく、実務の経験を持つ教員は以前から存在していた。文部科学省（旧文部省）「学校教員統計調査」によれば学問分野ごとに相違はあるものの、前職が民間企業などの従業員であった大学教員は少なからずいることが確認できる。本研究はJSPS科研費20K02934の助成を受けたものです

Power-Law Inter-Spike Interval Distributions Infer a Conditional Maximization of Entropy in Cortical Neurons

The brain is considered to use a relatively small amount of energy for its efficient information processing. Under a severe restriction on the energy consumption, the maximization of mutual information (MMI), which is adequate for designing artificial processing machines, may not suit for the brain. The MMI attempts to send information as accurate as possible and this usually requires a sufficient energy supply for establishing clearly discretized communication bands. Here, we derive an alternative hypothesis for neural code from the neuronal activities recorded juxtacellularly in the sensorimotor cortex of behaving rats. Our hypothesis states that in vivo cortical neurons maximize the entropy of neuronal firing under two constraints, one limiting the energy consumption (as assumed previously) and one restricting the uncertainty in output spike sequences at given firing rate. Thus, the conditional maximization of firing-rate entropy (CMFE) solves a tradeoff between the energy cost and noise in neuronal response. In short, the CMFE sends a rich variety of information through broader communication bands (i.e., widely distributed firing rates) at the cost of accuracy. We demonstrate that the CMFE is reflected in the long-tailed, typically power law, distributions of inter-spike intervals obtained for the majority of recorded neurons. In other words, the power-law tails are more consistent with the CMFE rather than the MMI. Thus, we propose the mathematical principle by which cortical neurons may represent information about synaptic input into their output spike trains