Classification of Haptic Tasks based on Electroencephalogram Frequency Analysis

AbstractIn recent years, it is difficult to inherit high level sensory skill, because the number of experts is not so much or the experts are too busy to teach their skill to the beginners. Therefore, many learners do the experiential learning through visual and haptic digital teaching materials. In such a system, however, it is difficult to evaluate whether the learner could recognize the sensation and obtain the sensory skill. In the paper, we investigate whether the biological signal such as EEG can be used for the evaluation of the haptic task skill level

Parkin‐mediated ubiquitylation redistributes MITOL/March5 from mitochondria to peroxisomes

Ubiquitylation of outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) proteins is closely related to the onset of familial Parkinson's disease. Typically, a reduction in the mitochondrial membrane potential results in Parkin‐mediated ubiquitylation of OMM proteins, which are then targeted for proteasomal and mitophagic degradation. The role of ubiquitylation of OMM proteins with non‐degradative fates, however, remains poorly understood. In this study, we find that the mitochondrial E3 ubiquitin ligase MITOL/March5 translocates from depolarized mitochondria to peroxisomes following mitophagy stimulation. This unusual redistribution is mediated by peroxins (peroxisomal biogenesis factors) Pex3/16 and requires the E3 ligase activity of Parkin, which ubiquitylates K268 in the MITOL C‐terminus, essential for p97/VCP‐dependent mitochondrial extraction of MITOL. These findings imply that ubiquitylation directs peroxisomal translocation of MITOL upon mitophagy stimulation and reveal a novel role for ubiquitin as a sorting signal that allows certain specialized proteins to escape from damaged mitochondria

Effects of interfascial injection of bicarbonated Ringer’s solution, physiological saline and local anesthetic under ultrasonography for myofascial pain syndrome -Two prospective, randomized, double-blinded trials-

Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a common clinical condition of muscle pain. Previous studies indicated that local injection of physiological saline (PS) into a muscle is equal to or more effective than a local anesthetic for MPS. We performed 2 randomized, double-blinded trials of interfascial injection under ultrasonography for outpatients with MPS over 3 months to assess the effects of PS (pH 6.0), 0.5% mepivacaine hydrochloride (MH) (pH 6.0), and bicarbonate Ringer’s solution (BRS) (pH 7.4), and to elucidate their action mechanisms. Maximum pain related to motion, time of pain relief, and pain related to injection (intensity and duration) were measured up to 72 hrs. The first trial showed that PS decreased maximum pain related to motion compared to MH (p < 0.05), although it increased pain related to injection compared to MH (p < 0.05). The second trial showed that BRS exhibited as much efficacy in relieving maximum pain related to motion as PS (p = 0.33), but decreased pain related to injection compared to PS (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the interfascial injection of PS has a greater analgesic effect on MPS but produced stronger pain related to injection compared to MH. BRS is equivalent to PS in analgesic effect and produced less pain related to injection compared to PS. These results indicate that BRS is the appropriate solution for an interfascial injection to treat MPS, and that the action mechanisms are not related to the pain intensity associated with the injections or the pharmacological anesthetic effect

In vivo FRET analyses reveal a role of ATP hydrolysis–associated conformational changes in human P-glycoprotein

P-glycoprotein (P-gp; also known as MDR1 or ABCB1) is an ATP-driven multidrug transporter that extrudes various hydrophobic toxic compounds to the extracellular space. P-gp consists of two transmembrane domains (TMDs) that form the substrate translocation pathway and two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) that bind and hydrolyze ATP. At least two P-gp states are required for transport. In the inward-facing (pre-drug transport) conformation, the two NBDs are separated, and the two TMDs are open to the intracellular side; in the outward-facing (post-drug transport) conformation, the NBDs are dimerized, and the TMDs are slightly open to the extracellular side. ATP binding and hydrolysis cause conformational changes between the inward-facing and the outward-facing conformations, and these changes help translocate substrates across the membrane. However, how ATP hydrolysis is coupled to these conformational changes remains unclear. In this study, we used a new FRET sensor that detects conformational changes in P-gp to investigate the role of ATP binding and hydrolysis during the conformational changes of human P-gp in living HEK293 cells. We show that ATP binding causes the conformational change to the outward-facing state and that ATP hydrolysis and subsequent release of γ-phosphate from both NBDs allow the outward-facing state to return to the original inward-facing state. The findings of our study underscore the utility of using FRET analysis in living cells to elucidate the function of membrane proteins such as multidrug transporters

Emergency power supply using flywheel and doubly fed induction generator

An emergency power supply (EPS) using an induction generator with a fly-wheel energy storage is investigated. Two different exciting system for the wounded rotor winding have been investigated. The principles of the operation and experimental results are shown. The results of start-up and steady state condition indicate that the inverter rating of the doubly fed induction generator is reduced fairly.INTELEC 2009 - 2009 International Telecommunications Energy Conference : Incheon, South Korea, 2009.10.18-2009.10.2