大学女子水泳選手におけるプリ・パフォーマンス・ルーティンとその効果との関連

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between the student-swimmers’ conscious behaviors right before the race（ pre-performance routines） and the effectiveness of these behaviors. In study 1, ninety female college student-athletes answered question items regarding the effectiveness of pre-performance routines（ e.g.,“ I can gain confidence”,“ I can concentrate”,“ I feel I want to perform well”）. Based on exploratory factor analysis, 18 items were chosen to construct the Effectiveness of Pre-Performance Routine Scale（ EPPRS）. In study 2, the behaviors of twenty female college studentswimmers were recorded at swimming championships and each pre-performance routine was specified via behavior analysis. Student-swimmers completed the EPPRS and the checklist of conscious behaviors. The concordance rates between perceived and actual pre-performance routines were calculated. Results indicated that the concordance rate was not correlated with the EPPRS score. We discuss the meaning of preperformance routines for athletes in relation to their years of experience in swimming

小笠原諸島におけるムニンカケザトウムシの形態学的および遺伝学的研究

To clarify the morphological and phylogenetic differentiation of Bandona boninensis Suzuki 1974 in Chichi-jima Island of the Bonin (Ogasawara) group of Islands, we studied the external morphological characters and performed sequencing of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and 28S rRNA of nuclear DNA (nrDNA). The sequences of COI and 28S rRNA were identical among the individuals of B. boninensis. These results suggest that B. boninensis experienced a rapid expansion of its distribution in Chichi-jima Island without undergoing any morphological and molecular differentiation.著者らは小笠原諸島の父島に生息するムニンカケザトウムシBandona boninensis の形態的および系統的分化を明らかにするために、父島の4 地点から採集を行い、体長、触肢腿節の長さ、背甲長および背甲幅、鋏角長、第1～4 脚の腿節長といった形態計測を実施し、ミトコンドリアDNA のCOI 領域および核DNA の28SrRNA 領域に基づく系統樹を作成した。その結果, ムニンカケザトウムシのCOI および28S において塩基置換は見られなかった。この結果は、ムニンカケザトウムシが父島内で系統的分化をほぼ起こしていないことを示す。また、採集を行った個体がすべて雌個体であったことから、これまでの報告の通り、父島においては単為生殖種として生息している可能性が高い

Regulation of NR4A nuclear receptors by p38

In Drosophila, the melanization reaction is an important defense mechanism against injury and invasion of microorganisms. Drosophila tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, also known as Pale) and dopa decarboxylase (Ddc), key enzymes in the dopamine synthesis pathway, underlie the melanin synthesis by providing the melanin precursors dopa and dopamine, respectively. It has been shown that expression of Drosophila TH and Ddc is induced in various physiological and pathological conditions, including bacterial challenge; however, the mechanism involved has not been fully elucidated. Here, we show that ectopic activation of p38 MAPK induces TH and Ddc expression, leading to upregulation of melanization in the Drosophila cuticle. This p38-dependent melanization was attenuated by knockdown of TH and Ddc, as well as by that of Drosophila HR38, a member of the NR4A family of nuclear receptors. In mammalian cells, p38 phosphorylated mammalian NR4As and Drosophila HR38 and potentiated these NR4As to transactivate a promoter containing NR4A-binding elements, with this transactivation being, at least in part, dependent on the phosphorylation. This suggests an evolutionarily conserved role for p38 MAPKs in the regulation of NR4As. Thus, p38-regulated gene induction through NR4As appears to function in the dopamine synthesis pathway and may be involved in immune and stress responses

A series of ENU-induced single-base substitutions in a long-range cis-element altering Sonic hedgehog expression in the developing mouse limb bud

AbstractMammal–fish-conserved-sequence 1 (MFCS1) is a highly conserved sequence that acts as a limb-specific cis-acting regulator of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) expression, residing 1 Mb away from the Shh coding sequence in mouse. Using gene-driven screening of an ENU-mutagenized mouse archive, we obtained mice with three new point mutations in MFCS1: M101116, M101117, and M101192. Phenotype analysis revealed that M101116 mice exhibit preaxial polydactyly and ectopic Shh expression at the anterior margin of the limb buds like a previously identified mutant, M100081. In contrast, M101117 and M101192 show no marked abnormalities in limb morphology. Furthermore, transgenic analysis revealed that the M101116 and M100081 sequences drive ectopic reporter gene expression at the anterior margin of the limb bud, in addition to the normal posterior expression. Such ectopic expression was not observed in the embryos carrying a reporter transgene driven by M101117. These results suggest that M101116 and M100081 affect the negative regulatory activity of MFCS1, which suppresses anterior Shh expression in developing limb buds. Thus, this study shows that gene-driven screening for ENU-induced mutations is an effective approach for exploring the function of conserved, noncoding sequences and potential cis-regulatory elements

Qualitative investigation of the factors that generate ambivalent feelings in women who give birth after receiving negative results from non-invasive prenatal testing

Background: Women who receive negative results from non-invasive prenatal genetic testing (NIPT) may find that they later have mixed or ambivalent feelings, for example, feelings of accepting NIPT and regretting undergoing the test. This study aimed to investigate the factors generating ambivalent feelings among women who gave birth after having received negative results from NIPT. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to women who received a negative NIPT result, and a contents analysis was conducted focusing on ambivalent expressions for those 1562 women who responded the questionnaire. The qualitative data gathered from the questionnaire were analyzed using the N-Vivo software package. Results: Environmental factors, genetic counseling-related factors, and increased anticipatory anxiety, affected the feeling of ambivalence among pregnant women. Furthermore, pregnant women desired more information regarding the detailed prognosis for individuals with Down syndrome and living with them and/or termination, assuming the possibility that they were positive. Conclusions: Three major interrelated factors affected the feeling of ambivalence in women. Highlighting and discussing such factors during genetic counseling may resolve some of these ambivalences, thereby enhancing the quality of decisions made by pregnant women

ダンシ ガクセイ ニ オケル ゲッケイ トノ カカワリ ト ゲッケイカン ノ ケイセイ

特集 : 学際的研究として挑む「月経」論文Research Article本研究では、男性がこれまで経験してきた月経にまつわる体験談に着目し、ナラティブインタビューによって男性のどういった経験が、月経観の形成と関連しているのかを明らかにする。　調査結果では、男子学生たちは学校教育で月経の仕組みを学んだ一方で、パートナーという身近な女性と月経について話したり、実際にパートナーが月経を体験する様子を見聞きしたりするなかで、身体的・精神的な変化や不調の具体的な様子について理解を深めていく様子が分かった。また、自分自身が痛みやしんどさが経験できないからこそ、どういったサポートや声かけが適切なのかが分からないという気持ちが読み取ることができた。　本研究では、男性大学生の「月経を理解したいが、理解しにくい教育カリキュラムとのギャップ」や「サポート、ケアしたい気持ちと苦痛を実体験できない葛藤」といった実態が明らかとなった。先行研究で示されてきた、男性が考える単なる月経への印象やイメージといった一次元ではなく、月経教育を受ける環境、月経期間中の人との関係構築などの多次元で男子学生の月経観を捉えた。本研究によって、新たな男性の月経観を再定義するきっかけとなったといえる。This study aims to explore male students' experiences and attitudes towards menstruation. Through narrative interviews, we pay attention to what they talk about menstruation and try to find how their view of menstruation has formed. In their narratives, male students learned only about the menstrual system and the fact that physical and emotional changes happen during the period in the school curriculum. However, they have forgotten much of what they studied in the school. Beyond the classrooms, male students have learned how female feel during the period and what menstruation causes for them by observing and listening to the struggles and difficulties they have, especially their partners and family members. Some male students indirectly experience menstruation by talking about the pain and trying to care for women. On the other hand, they seem uncertain and concerned about how they care for women because they never experience directly the pain or emotional changes associated with menstruation and they are not sure that what kind of support and encouragement would be appropriate for women they are close to. This study also revealed the gaps between the educational curriculum, which tells only about the biological system of menstruation, and male students' desire to know various aspects of menstruation including experiences of the pain and emotional changes females have. This research result shows male students' have construct their experiences and attitudes towards menstruation not only by school curriculums btu also physical care and affective support for female. This study will provide an opportunity to reconsider a male view of menstruation and menstrual education

Prevention of Apoptosis by Mitochondrial Phosphatase PGAM5 in the Mushroom Body Is Crucial for Heat Shock Resistance in Drosophila melanogaster

The heat shock (HS) response is essential for survival of all organisms. Although the machinery of the HS response has been extensively investigated at the cellular level, it is poorly understood at the level of the organism. Here, we show the crucial role of the mushroom body (MB) in the HS response in Drosophila. Null mutants of the mitochondrial phosphatase Drosophila PGAM5 (dPGAM5) exhibited increased vulnerability to HS, which was reversed by MB-specific expression of the caspase inhibitor p35, and similar vulnerability was induced in wild-type flies by knockdown of MB dPGAM5. Elimination of the MB did not affect the HS response of wild-type flies, but did increase the resistance of dPGAM5-deficient flies to HS. Thus, the MB may possess an apoptosis-dependent toxic function, the suppression of which by dPGAM5 appears to be crucial for HS resistance