BIOMECHANICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF TAKEUMA-WALKING IN WATER

"TAKEUMA" is one of Japanese classic style of playing. Usually it is played on land, but in water, one can easier ambulate with TAKEUMA in water, for buoyancy and resistance force. The purposes of this study were to clarify biomechanical features of TAKEUMA-walking in water and to compare the motion characteristics of skilled TAKEUMA players with those of unskilled. The TAKEUMA-walking motions were recorded both in a water tank and on land. It was revealed that the body inclination to the forward direction would be a key feature of the well-trained TAKEUMA-walking, and even in unskilled subjects the relatively greater forward-inclined posture was preserved in water. It is important to handle and hold a TAKEUMA by using upper limbs, especially forearms, when walking with TAKEUMA in water

ジアシルグリセロールの乳化特性 : O/W型エマルションの油水界面における吸着タンパク質量の測定

In an earlier study, mayonnaise-like o/w emulsions prepared with diacylglycerol(DAG)showed higher viscosity than those prepared with triacylglycerol(TAG)under the same conditions. A similar tendency was observed even for preparations of oil droplets with approximately the same interface area, indicating that the amount of adsorbed proteins of DAG emulsions was higher than that of TAG emulsions. Thus, this study attempted to clarify the amount of adsorbed proteins on the emulsion prepared with DAG. The viscosity and oil droplet size of DAG and TAG emulsions with varying oil-volume fractions were measured, and the amount of adsorbed proteins on the interface of DAG and TAG emulsions were measured. DAG emulsions were found to contain less adsorbed proteins on the oil-water interface than TAG emulsions, suggesting that DAG and TAG differ with respect to their intermolecular interactions and structural changes following protein adsorption on the oil-water interface

Brain MRI with Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping: Relationship to CT Attenuation Values

[Background]: Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is used to differentiate between calcification and iron deposits. Few studies have examined the relationship between CT attenuation values and magnetic susceptibility in such materials. Purpose: To assess the relationship among metal concentration, CT attenuation values, and magnetic susceptibility in paramagnetic and diamagnetic phantoms, and the relationship between CT attenuation values and susceptibility in brain structures that have paramagnetic or diamagnetic properties. [Materials and Methods]: In this retrospective study, CT and MRI with QSM were performed in gadolinium and calcium phantoms, patients, and healthy volunteers between June 2016 and September 2017. In the phantom study, we evaluated correlations among metal concentration, CT attenuation values, and susceptibility. In the human study, Pearson and Spearman correlations were performed to assess the relationship between CT attenuation values and susceptibility in regions of interest placed in the globus pallidus (GP), putamen, caudate nucleus, substantia nigra, red nucleus, dentate nucleus, choroid plexus, and hemorrhagic and calcified lesions. [Results]: Eighty-four patients (mean age, 64.8 years 6 19.6; 49 women) and 20 healthy volunteers (mean age, 72.0 years 6 7.6; 11 men) were evaluated. In the phantoms, strong linear correlations were identified between gadolinium concentration and CT and MRI QSM values (R2 = 0.95 and 0.99, respectively; P , .001 for both) and between calcium concentration and CT and MRI QSM values (R2 = 0.89 [P = .005] and R2 = 0.98 [P , .001], respectively). In human studies, positive correlations between CT attenuation values and susceptibility were observed in the GP (R2 = 0.52, P , .001) and in hemorrhagic lesions (R2 = 0.38, P , .001), and negative correlations were found in the choroid plexus (R2 = 0.53, P , .001) and in calcified lesions (R2 = 0.38, P = .009). [Conclusion]: CT attenuation values showed a positive correlation with susceptibility in the globus pallidus and hemorrhagic lesions and negative correlation in the choroid plexus and calcified lesions

Electronic Structure of Two-Dimensional Hydrocarbon Networks of sp2 and sp3 C Atoms

Based on density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation, we have investigated the geometric and electronic structures of two-dimensional hexagonal covalent networks consisting of oligoacenes and fourfold coordinated hydrocarbon atoms, which are alternately arranged in a hexagonal manner. All networks were semiconductors with a finite energy gap at the Γ point, which monotonically decreased with the increase of the oligoacene length. As a result of a Kagome network of oligoacene connected through sp3 C atoms, the networks possess peculiar electron states in their valence and conduction bands, which consist of a flat dispersion band and a Dirac cone. The total energy of the networks depends on the oligoacene length and has a minimum for the network comprising naphthalene

Build-up functionalization of anti-EGFR × anti-CD3 bispecific diabodies by integrating high-affinity mutants and functional molecular formats

Designing non-natural antibody formats is a practical method for developing highly functional next-generation antibody drugs, particularly for improving the therapeutic efficacy of cancer treatments. One approach is constructing bispecific antibodies (bsAbs). We previously reported a functional humanized bispecific diabody (bsDb) that targeted epidermal growth factor receptor and CD3 (hEx3-Db). We enhanced its cytotoxicity by constructing an Fc fusion protein and rearranging order of the V domain. In this study, we created an additional functional bsAb, by integrating the molecular formats of bsAb and high-affinity mutants previously isolated by phage display in the form of Fv. Introducing the high-affinity mutations into bsDbs successfully increased their affinities and enhanced their cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. However, there were some limitations to affinity maturation of bsDb by integrating high-affinity Fv mutants, particularly in Fc-fused bsDb with intrinsic high affinity, because of their bivalency. The tetramers fractionated from the bsDb mutant exhibited the highest in vitro growth inhibition among the small bsAbs and was comparable to the in vivo anti-tumor effects of Fc-fused bsDbs. This molecule shows cost-efficient bacterial production and high therapeutic potential

The Nature of Ultra-Luminous Compact X-Ray Sources in Nearby Spiral Galaxies

Studies were made of ASCA spectra of seven ultra-luminous compact X-ray sources (ULXs) in nearby spiral galaxies; M33 X-8 (Takano et al. 1994), M81 X-6 (Fabbiano 1988b; Kohmura et al. 1994; Uno 1997), IC 342 Source 1 (Okada et al. 1998), Dwingeloo 1 X-1 (Reynolds et al. 1997), NGC 1313 Source B (Fabbiano & Trinchieri 1987; Petre et al. 1994), and two sources in NGC 4565 (Mizuno et al. 1999). With the 0.5--10 keV luminosities in the range 10^{39-40} ergs/s, they are thought to represent a class of enigmatic X-ray sources often found in spiral galaxies. For some of them, the ASCA data are newly processed, or the published spectra are reanalyzed. For others, the published results are quoted. The ASCA spectra of all these seven sources have been described successfully with so called multi-color disk blackbody (MCD) emission arising from optically-thick standard accretion disks around black holes. Except the case of M33 X-8, the spectra do not exhibit hard tails. For the source luminosities not to exceed the Eddington limits, the black holes are inferred to have rather high masses, up to ~100 solar masses. However, the observed innermost disk temperatures of these objects, Tin = 1.1--1.8 keV, are too high to be compatible with the required high black-hole masses, as long as the standard accretion disks around Schwarzschild black holes are assumed. Similarly high disk temperatures are also observed from two Galactic transients with superluminal motions, GRO 1655-40 and GRS 1915+105. The issue of unusually high disk temperature may be explained by the black hole rotation, which makes the disk get closer to the black hole, and hence hotter.Comment: submitted to ApJ, December 199

A Case of Nephrotic Syndrome with Nephrotoxicity Induced by Low-Dose Cyclosporin Treatment

We report a 3-year-old girl with steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome (NS) who developed nephrotoxicity by low-dose cyclosporin (CsA) treatment. Initial prednisolone (PSL) treatment and subsequent additional cyclophosphamide treatment were not successful in leading her into remission. The first renal biopsy finding revealed neither a glomerular nor interstitial change. CsA therapy was initiated in addition to ongoing glucocorticoid therapy at 6 months from the time of onset. Proteinuria disappeared 3 weeks later and the patient went into complete remission. After experiencing the first relapse, the patient was gradually weaned from CsA, and treatment continued with 30 to 50 ng/mL of trough concentration. No elevations of the serum creatinine, serum urea, serum potassium, excretion of urinary β2-microglobulin, or urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase were demonstrated in the follow-up. A second renal biopsy specimen obtained 1 year later showed a tubulo-interstitial change, containing tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis, both of which are consistent with the morphological change associated with CsA nephrotoxicity. A follow-up biopsy should be done in order to evaluate the CsA nephrotoxicity, regardless of the treatment dosage

Absence of SCAPER causes male infertility in humans and Drosophila by modulating microtubule dynamics during meiosis

Mutation in S-phase cyclin A-associated protein rin the endoplasmic reticulum (SCAPER) have been found across ethnicities and have been shown to cause variable penetrance of an array of pathological traits, including intellectual disability, retinitis pigmentosa and ciliopathies. Human clinical phenotyping, surgical testicular sperm extraction and testicular tissue staining. Generation and analysis of short spindle 3 (ssp3) (SCAPER orthologue) Drosophila CAS9-knockout lines. In vitro microtubule (MT) binding assayed by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. We show that patients homozygous for a SCAPER mutation lack SCAPER expression in spermatogonia (SPG) and are azoospermic due to early defects in spermatogenesis, leading to the complete absence of meiotic cells. Interestingly, Drosophila null mutants for the ubiquitously expressed ssp3 gene are viable and female fertile but male sterile. We further show that male sterility in ssp3 null mutants is due to failure in both chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. In cells undergoing male meiosis, the MTs emanating from the centrosomes do not appear to interact properly with the chromosomes, which remain dispersed within dividing spermatocytes (SPCs). In addition, mutant SPCs are unable to assemble a normal central spindle and undergo cytokinesis. Consistent with these results, an in vitro assay demonstrated that both SCAPER and Ssp3 directly bind MTs. Our results show that SCAPER null mutations block the entry into meiosis of SPG, causing azoospermia. Null mutations in ssp3 specifically disrupt MT dynamics during male meiosis, leading to sterility. Moreover, both SCAPER and Ssp3 bind MTs in vitro. These results raise the intriguing possibility of a common feature between human and Drosophila meiosis