Evaluation of APSIM-wheat to simulate the response of yield and grain protein content to nitrogen application on an Andosol in Japan

The self-sufficiency ratio and national average yield of wheat are low in Japan. Reducing the yield gap and receiving the government subsidy for grain quality are vital strategies for profitability. Elucidating optimum nitrogen application scheme is awaited to attain both higher yield and appropriate grain protein content (GPC) for wheat cultivation in Japan. Such decision support can be realized by integrating field experimental knowledge to crop growth models, although they have scarcely been utilized for wheat production in Japan. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to apply a widely used crop growth model (APSIM) to wheat growth on an Andosol in the Kanto region in Japan by calibration and validation. Selected model parameters of APSIM-wheat for phenology, leaf growth, and grain formation were readjusted based on the phenology and growth data of soft and hard wheat cultivars. Then the model was validated by using similar variables obtained in an independent experiment. For the simulation of the optimum sowing for winter wheat in the Kanto area (November), the root mean square error for grain yield was 23 and 48 g m−2 for Ayahikari and Yumeshiho varieties, respectively, and that for GPC was 1.9 and 1.4%. Thus, the overall model performance was acceptable for optimum sowing. However, grain yield and dry matter production were significantly overestimated when the data of late sowing groups were included. Therefore, further model improvement was suggested to add an algorithm to reduce the number of emerged plants under cold temperature in late sowing conditions

Morphological and Biochemical Changes During Aging and Photoaging of the Skin of C57BL/6J Mice

The differences between the dorsal skin of 11- and 16-week-old C57BL/6J mice were examined morphologically and biochemically. The dermis of the 16-week-old mice was thinner than that of the 11-week-old mice due to decreases in the amounts of soluble collagen and elastin. Next, the changes in dorsal skin exposed to UVA irradiation for 8 weeks (576 J/cm2) were examined in 3 (younger)- and 8 (older)-week-old C57BL/6J mice. The thickness of the dermis was not significantly different between the UVA-irradiated and control mice in either the younger or older group. The increase in the amount of collagen was related to the increase in the level of soluble collagen in the younger mice. In contrast, it was related to the increase in the level of insoluble collagen in the older mice. In the UVA-irradiated older mice, the activity of the latent form of MMP-13 was significantly higher than that in the control mice. These results suggest that aging and UVA-induced photoaging in the skin are histologically and biochemically different phenomena

The mechanism and control of Jagged1 expression in Sertoli cells

AbstractThe regulation of Sertoli cells by some hormones and signaling factors is important for normal spermatogenesis. Notch signaling is considered to be necessary for normal spermatogenesis in mouse. In this study, we revealed two new facts about Sertoli cells by western blotting experiments on different types of primary cells and microdissected tubules. The first is that Sertoli cells express the Jagged1 ligand in mice testes. The second is that the expression level of Jagged1 oscillates in the seminiferous epithelial cycle. Therefore, we inferred that Jagged1 in Sertoli cells contributes to the Notch signaling involved in spermatogenesis. Furthermore, we examined the regulation of Jagged1 expression and found that Jagged1 expression was suppressed by cAMP signaling and was promoted by TNF-α signaling in Sertoli cells. When cAMP and TNF-α were simultaneously added to Sertoli cells, Jagged1 expression was suppressed. Therefore, cAMP signaling dominates Jagged1 expression over TNF-α signaling. These results suggest that cAMP signaling may cause the periodicity of Jagged1 expression in the seminiferous epithelial cycle, and controlling Jagged1 expression by adding TNF-α or cAMP may contribute to normal spermatogenesis in vitro

S-1 mediated tumor priming enhances intratumor liposomal fate

The efficient delivery of nanocarrier-based cancer therapeutics into tumor tissue is problematic. Structural abnormalities, tumor vasculature heterogeneity, and elevated intratumor pressure impose barriers against the preferential accumulation of nanocarrier-based cancer therapeutics within tumor tissues and, consequently, compromise their therapeutic efficacy. Recently, we have reported that metronomic S-1, orally available tegafur formulation, dosing synergistically augmented the therapeutic efficacy of oxaliplatin (l-OHP)-containing PEGylated liposome without increasing the toxicity in animal model. However, the exact mechanism behind such synergistic effect was not fully elucidated. In this study, therefore, we tried to shed the light on the contributions of metronomic S-1 dosing to the enhanced accumulation and/or spatial distribution of PEGylated liposome within tumor tissue. Tumor priming with metronomic S-1 treatment induced a potent apoptotic response against both angiogenic endothelial cells and tumor cells adjacent to tumor blood vessels, resulting in enhanced tumor blood flow via transient normalization of tumor vasculature, along with alleviation of intratumor pressure. Such a change in the tumor microenvironment imparted by S-1 treatment allows efficient delivery of PEGylated liposome to tumor tissue and permits their deep penetration/distribution into the tumor mass. Such a priming effect of S-1 dosing can be exploited as a promising strategy to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of nanocarrier-based cancer therapeutics suffering from inadequate/heterogeneous delivery to tumor tissues

Study on the rudder characteristics of ultimate rudder by numerical calculation

The authors invented Ultimate Rudder3) as the rudder with bulb. The authors calculated the rudder characteristics of the normal rudder and Ultimate Rudder by CFD at several steering angles and compared these values. The result showed that regardless of the presence or absence of the bulb, signs of separation appear on the control surface with a steering angle of 20 deg. to 30 deg. and regarding the steering torque coefficient, it was found that the steering torque coefficient of Ultimate Rudder is larger than the normal Rudder when the steering angle is less than 20 deg. and also the steering torque coefficient can be decreased by changing the shape of the rudder bulb

Evaluation of water dynamics of contour-levee irrigation system in sloped rice fields in Colombia

Contour-levee irrigation system is commonly used for rice cultivation in Latin American and Caribbean countries, but its water dynamics in commercial farm field settings are yet to be fully determined. This study aimed to investigate the water dynamics of the contour-levee irrigation system by analyzing conventional irrigation practices and by quantifying water balance and additionally to examine potential toposequential effects. Field experiments with different irrigation intervals were conducted on three commercial farms in Ibagué, Colombia for two seasons from 2017 to 2018. Irrigation and runoff water flows were constantly measured during the crop cycle using Parshall flumes with water level sensors. Percolation rate and field water table were measured using percolators and piezometers installed along the toposequence. The results showed that conventional irrigation management was highly flexible depending on soil permeability, rainfall, and agronomic factors, not particularly paying attention to ensure the flooded conditions during flowering period. The water balance resulted in the irrigation accounting for 76% of the total water input, whereas the runoff, ET, and percolation accounted for 40%, 21%, and 31% on overall average with considerable variation among the three farms. Percolation rates and duration with standing water did not show a clear and consistent tendency among the toposequential positions, but the percolation rate was significantly different among the farms corresponding to soil permeability. Consequently, clear toposequential effects on the water dynamics or on grain yield were not observed at the study site. To our knowledge, this study is the first to elucidate detailed water dynamics of contour-levee irrigation system in farm fields including toposequential difference

Two distinct surface terminations of SrVO3 (001) ultrathin films as an influential factor on metallicity

Pulsed laser deposition-grown SrVO3 (001) ultrathin films on SrTiO3 (001) substrates were investigated by in situ low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. SrVO3 (001) ultrathin films showed two distinct surface terminations. One termination was a (√2 ×√2)-R45° reconstruction as was previously observed for SrVO3 (001) thick films, while the other was a (√5 ×√5)-R26.6° reconstruction. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy revealed that the (√2 ×√2)-R45° surface shows a metallic electronic structure, whereas the (√5×√5)-R26.6° surface exhibits a significantly reduced density of states at the Fermi level. These results suggest that the surface reconstruction may be an important factor to influence metallicity in epitaxial ultrathin films of transition metal oxides

Importance of oral food challenge and identification of atopic dermatitis in child with Netherton syndrome: A case report

Children with Netherton syndrome are likely to be sensitized to multiple allergens due to skin barrier dysfunction. Owing to substantial increases in total and food allergen-specific IgE levels, some children with Netherton syndrome are diagnosed with food allergies （FAs） and advised to avoid particular foods. However, it is unclear whether such children actually have FAs. We report a child with Netherton syndrome without atopic dermatitis （AD） who was able to stop avoiding certain foods （hens’ eggs and peanuts） after undergoing oral food challenge （OFC）. A 5-year-old Japanese boy with Netherton syndrome without AD consulted at our hospital to evaluate the possibility of allergies to hens’ eggs and peanuts. Netherton syndrome had been diagnosed at birth. At 1 year old, the levels of specific IgE for egg white and peanuts were ＞100 and 14.6kU/l, respectively. He had not consumed or experienced allergic symptoms to these foods. However, he was instructed to completely avoid these foods in his diet. At 5 years old, he still completely avoided these foods. The levels of specific IgE for egg white, ovomucoid, and peanuts were 34.5, 9.4, and 17.4kU/l, respectively. Since the serum-specific IgE levels and the serum-specific IgE/total IgE ratio decreased, we performed OFCs for hens’ eggs and peanuts. The results of the OFCs using half a baked egg and 10g of peanuts were all negative. The same dosing schedule was repeated at home, again with negative results. Therefore, the avoidance could be stopped. This report suggests that we should identify whether patients have AD or not, and OFCs should be performed before requesting food restriction in patients with Netherton syndrome