Price and Wage Setting in Japan: An Empirical Investigation

This paper empirically analyzes whether a hypothesis from Aukrust (1977) applies to two phenomena in Japan: wage spillover between internationally competitive industries (exposed sectors) and domestically protected industries (sheltered sectors), and wage- and price- setting in those industries. We find that Aukrust's assumptions hold in the case of Japan, as all three of the cointegrating relations assumed by the Aukrust model are confirmed to exist. We also find the causal relations in Japan are more complex than the relations assumed by Aukrust.

Image-based evaluation of contraction–relaxation kinetics of human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes: Correlation and complementarity with extracellular electrophysiology

AbstractIn this study, we used high-speed video microscopy with motion vector analysis to investigate the contractile characteristics of hiPS-CM monolayer, in addition to further characterizing the motion with extracellular field potential (FP), traction force and the Ca2+ transient. Results of our traction force microscopy demonstrated that the force development of hiPS-CMs correlated well with the cellular deformation detected by the video microscopy with motion vector analysis. In the presence of verapamil and isoproterenol, contractile motion of hiPS-CMs showed alteration in accordance with the changes in fluorescence peak of the Ca2+ transient, i.e., upstroke, decay, amplitude and full-width at half-maximum. Simultaneously recorded hiPS-CM motion and FP showed that there was a linear correlation between changes in the motion and field potential duration in response to verapamil (30–150nM), isoproterenol (0.1–10μM) and E-4031 (10–50nM). In addition, tetrodotoxin (3–30μM)-induced delay of sodium current was corresponded with the delay of the contraction onset of hiPS-CMs. These results indicate that the electrophysiological and functional behaviors of hiPS-CMs are quantitatively reflected in the contractile motion detected by this image-based technique. In the presence of 100nM E-4031, the occurrence of early after-depolarization-like negative deflection in FP was also detected in the hiPS-CM motion as a characteristic two-step relaxation pattern. These findings offer insights into the interpretation of the motion kinetics of the hiPS-CMs, and are relevant for understanding electrical and mechanical relationship in hiPS-CMs

Comparisons in temperature and photoperiodic-dependent diapause induction between domestic and wild mulberry silkworms

The bivoltine strain of the domestic silkworm, Bombyx mori, has two generations per year. It shows a facultative diapause phenotype determined by environmental conditions, including photoperiod and temperature, and nutrient conditions during embryonic and larval development of the mother. However, it remains unclear how the environmental signals received during development are selectively utilized as cues to determine alternative diapause phenotypes. We performed a comparative analysis between the Kosetsu strain of B. mori and a Japanese population of the wild mulberry silkworm B. mandarina concerning the hierarchical molecular mechanisms in diapause induction. Our results showed that for the Kosetsu, temperature signals during the mother's embryonic development predominantly affected diapause determination through the thermosensitive transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) and diapause hormone (DH) signaling pathways. However, embryonic diapause in B. mandarina was photoperiod-dependent, although the DH signaling pathway and thermal sensitivity of TRPA1 were conserved within both species. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that TRPA1-activated signals are strongly linked to the signaling pathway participating in diapause induction in Kosetsu to selectively utilize the temperature information as the cue because temperature-dependent induction was replaced by photoperiodic induction in the TRPA1 knockout mutant.ArticleScientific Report 11(1) : 8052-(2021)journal articl

Message Modification for Step 21-23 on SHA-0

In CRYPTO 2005, Xiaoyun Wang, Hongbo Yu and Yiqun Lisa Yin proposed an efficient collision attack on SHA-0. Collision messages are found with complexity $2^{39}$ SHA-0 operations by using their method. Collision messages can be obtained when a message satisfying all sufficient conditions is found. In their paper, they proposed message modifications that can satisfy all sufficient conditions of step 1-20. However, they didn\u27t propose message modifications for sufficient conditions after step 21. In this paper, we propose message modifications for sufficient conditions of step 21-23. By using our message modifications, collision messages are found with complexity $2^{36}$ SHA-0 operations

The combination of polymorphisms within interferon-γ receptor 1 and receptor 2 associated with the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus

AbstractGenetic factors seem to play a significant role in susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We previously described the amino acid polymorphism (Val14Met) within the IFN-γ receptor 1 (IFN-γR1), and that the frequency of the Met14 allele in SLE patients was significantly higher than that of the healthy control population [Tanaka et al. (1999) Immunogenetics 49, 266–271]. We also found an amino acid polymorphism (Gln64Arg) within IFN-γ receptor 2 (IFN-γR2). Since the IFN-γ receptor is a complex consisting of IFN-γR1 and IFN-γR2, we searched for the particular combination of two kinds of amino acid polymorphisms found within the IFN-γ receptor which plays a prominent role in susceptibility to SLE. The greatest risk of the development of SLE was detected in the individuals who had the combination of IFNGR1 Met14/Val14 genotype and IFNGR2 Gln64/Gln64 genotype

Ultrasensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein using large gold nanoparticle-enhanced surface plasmon resonance

The COVID-19 pandemic has created urgent demand for rapid detection of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Herein, we report highly sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (N protein) using nanoparticle-enhanced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) techniques. A crucial plasmonic role in significantly enhancing the limit of detection (LOD) is revealed for exceptionally large gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with diameters of hundreds of nm. SPR enhanced by these large nanoparticles lowered the LOD of SARS-CoV-2 N protein to 85 fM, resulting in the highest SPR detection sensitivity ever obtained for SARS-CoV-2 N protein

Severity and Progression Rate of Cerebellar Ataxia in 16q-linked Autosomal Dominant Cerebellar Ataxia (16q-ADCA) in the Endemic Nagano Area of Japan

16q22.1-linked autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia (16q-ADCA) is a recently defined subtype of ADCA identified by a disease-specific C/T substitution in the 5' untranslated region of the puratrophin-1 gene. In Nagano, the central mountainous district of the main island of Japan, 16q-ADCA and spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) are the most and second most prevalent subtypes of ADCA, respectively. Both subtypes are classified into Harding's ADCA III, but little attention has been given to the differences in the severity and progression rate of cerebellar ataxia between 16q-ADCA and SCA6. We investigated the clinical severity and progression rate of cerebellar ataxia of 16q-ADCA patients using international cooperative ataxia rating scale and scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia and compared them with those of SCA6 patients. The age at onset was much higher in 16q-ADCA patients (60.1 +/- 9.8 years, n = 66) than in SCA6 patients (41.1 +/- 8.7 years, n = 35). Clinical features of 16q-ADCA were basically consistent with pure cerebellar ataxia, as well as in SCA6, but gaze-evoked nystagmus was observed less frequently in 16q-ADCA patients than in SCA6 patients. When compared at almost the same disease duration after onset, the severity of cerebellar ataxia was a little higher, and the progression rate seemed more rapid in 16q-ADCA patients than in SCA6 patients, but the differences were not significant.ArticleCEREBELLUM. 8(1):46-51 (2009)journal articl

Enteropathy-Type Intestinal T-Cell Lymphoma Showing Jejunoileal Fistula: Report of a Case

Jejunoileal fistula is an extremely rare complication in patients with intestinal lymphoma. Here, we report a Japanese male patient with enteropathy-type intestinal T-cell lymphoma presenting abdominal pain and weight loss. A jejunoileal fistula was discovered during colonoscopy and pathological diagnosis was performed preoperatively by forceps biopsy. After elective surgery for partial resections of jejunum, ileum, and sigmoid colon, eight cycles of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone chemotherapy led complete remission of the disease