Curvaton Scenario with Affleck-Dine Baryogenesis

We discuss the curvaton scenario with the Affleck-Dine baryogenesis. In this scenario, non-vanishing baryonic entropy fluctuation may be generated even without primordial fluctuation of the Affleck-Dine field. Too large entropy fluctuation is inconsistent with the observations and hence constraints on the curvaton scenario with the Affleck-Dine baryogenesis are obtained. We calculate the baryonic entropy fluctuation (as well as other cosmological density fluctuations) in this case and derive constraints. Implications to some of the models of the curvaton are also discussed.Comment: 16 pages,2 figure

Full-Length Transcriptome Analysis of Human Retina-Derived Cell Lines ARPE-19 and Y79 Using the Vector-Capping Method

PURPOSE. To collect an entire set of full-length cDNA clones derived from human retina-derived cell lines and to identify full-length transcripts for retinal preferentially expressed genes. METHODS. The full-length cDNA libraries were constructed from a retinoblastoma cell line, Y79, and a retinal pigment epithelium cell line, ARPE-19, using the vector-capping method, which generates a genuine full-length cDNA. By single-pass sequencing of the 5Ј-end of cDNA clones and subsequent mapping to the human genome, the authors determined their transcriptional start sites and annotated the cDNA clones. RESULTS. Of the 23,616 clones isolated from Y79-derived cDNA libraries, 19,229 full-length cDNA clones were identified and classified into 4808 genes, including genes of Ͼ10 kbp. Of the 7067 genes obtained from the Y79 and ARPE-19 libraries, the authors selected 72 genes that were preferentially expressed in the eye, of which 131 clones corresponding to 57 genes were fully sequenced. As a result, we discovered many variants that were produced by different transcriptional start sites, alternative splicing, and alternative polyadenylation. CONCLUSIONS. The bias-free, full-length cDNA libraries constructed using the vector-capping method were shown to be useful for collecting an entire set of full-length cDNA clones for these retinal cell lines. Full-length transcriptome analysis of these cDNA libraries revealed that there were, unexpectedly, many transcript variants for each gene, indicating that obtaining the full-length cDNA for each variant is indispensable for analyzing its function. The full-length cDNA clones (approximately 80,000 clones each for ARPE-19 and Y79) will be useful as a resource for investigating the human retina. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2011;52:6662-6670

Spatiotemporal relations of primary sensorimotor and secondary motor activation patterns mapped by NIR imaging

Functional near infrared (fNIR) imaging was used to identify spatiotemporal relations between spatially distinct cortical regions activated during various hand and arm motion protocols. Imaging was performed over a field of view (FOV, 12 x 8.4 cm) including the secondary motor, primary sensorimotor, and the posterior parietal cortices over a single brain hemisphere. This is a more extended FOV than typically used in current fNIR studies. Three subjects performed four motor tasks that induced activation over this extended FOV. The tasks included card flipping (pronation and supination) that, to our knowledge, has not been performed in previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or fNIR studies. An earlier rise and a longer duration of the hemodynamic activation response were found in tasks requiring increased physical or mental effort. Additionally, analysis of activation images by cluster component analysis (CCA) demonstrated that cortical regions can be grouped into clusters, which can be adjacent or distant from each other, that have similar temporal activation patterns depending on whether the performed motor task is guided by visual or tactile feedback. These analyses highlight the future potential of fNIR imaging to tackle clinically relevant questions regarding the spatiotemporal relations between different sensorimotor cortex regions, e.g. ones involved in the rehabilitation response to motor impairments

Sound to Language: Different Cortical Processing for First and Second Languages in Elementary School Children as Revealed by a Large-Scale Study Using fNIRS

A large-scale study of 484 elementary school children (6–10 years) performing word repetition tasks in their native language (L1-Japanese) and a second language (L2-English) was conducted using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Three factors presumably associated with cortical activation, language (L1/L2), word frequency (high/low), and hemisphere (left/right), were investigated. L1 words elicited significantly greater brain activation than L2 words, regardless of semantic knowledge, particularly in the superior/middle temporal and inferior parietal regions (angular/supramarginal gyri). The greater L1-elicited activation in these regions suggests that they are phonological loci, reflecting processes tuned to the phonology of the native language, while phonologically unfamiliar L2 words were processed like nonword auditory stimuli. The activation was bilateral in the auditory and superior/middle temporal regions. Hemispheric asymmetry was observed in the inferior frontal region (right dominant), and in the inferior parietal region with interactions: low-frequency words elicited more right-hemispheric activation (particularly in the supramarginal gyrus), while high-frequency words elicited more left-hemispheric activation (particularly in the angular gyrus). The present results reveal the strong involvement of a bilateral language network in children’s brains depending more on right-hemispheric processing while acquiring unfamiliar/low-frequency words. A right-to-left shift in laterality should occur in the inferior parietal region, as lexical knowledge increases irrespective of language

Strategic Options for Campus Sustainability: Cluster Analysis on Higher Education Institutions in Japan

This study evaluates campus sustainability initiatives in Japanese higher education institutions over the 10-year period since a related important political declaration was made. Our findings show that implementation of sustainability actions was still largely lacking. This is one of the first extensive empirical studies on Japanese higher education institutions to examine data related to institutions that conform with the Assessment System for Sustainable Campus (ASSC). Our study aimed to identify key factors that promote robust campus sustainability among Japanese institutions. Our research question was "What are the strategic options of institutions that conform with ASSC?" We aimed to determine which fields best prompt Japanese higher education institutions to initiate campus sustainability initiatives. We applied cluster analysis to 42 cases collected by ASSC toward identifying groups of institutions with different strategic options. The analysis identified four groups: "lagging-behind", "asset-driven", "top-of-the-class", and "networkers" clusters. An important finding of this study was that the asset-driven and networkers clusters showed significant positive scores with respect to asset management and networking. Our survey about institution size revealed two major findings: (1) despite the general dependency of campus sustainability on resources, both large and small institutions were capable of attaining the top-of-the-class cluster by adopting a holistic strategy; (2) small institutions are able to implement campus sustainability initiatives by focusing on asset management or networking

An image-based multi-criteria assessment of sustainable redevelopment plans of a university campus

The concept of sustainability is increasingly applied in urban facilities planning, including a University campus. A campus can essentially be seen as a living laboratory for the development of ecologically-benign practices connected to the social interactions of an academic environment. Sustainable (re)development of a University campus calls for stakeholder-based assessment tools. The present paper offers an operational framework for such an assessment, focused on the possible transformations in the landscape of the Campus and the ecological, social and functional processes of re-development. In this study, a Regime multi-criteria evaluation method complemented with a strategic choice analysis regarding the performance and sustainability of Hokkaido University campus (Sapporo, Japan) is presented. This paper serves to trace whether and how the goals and principles defined in the strategic Plans for the development of this campus fit the needs and concerns of its users. This bottom-up approach is inter alia based on quantitative information collected in various focus group meetings with different stakeholders, followed by the use of a SWOT analysis supported by visual support tools (images). This approach allows us to develop an integral and quantitative assessment of the future performance of the campus, by focusing on its physical appearance, use characteristics and ecological landscape attributes