Fluvoxamine Attenuated Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Leptin Resistance

Increasing evidence indicates that endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) is involved in the development of metabolic syndrome. However, pharmacological treatments targeting ER stress are not well understood. In the present study, we found that fluvoxamine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor used for depression, can attenuate ER stress-induced “leptin resistance,” i.e., insensitivity to the anti-obesity hormone leptin. Treatment with tunicamycin, an ER stress-inducing reagent, caused cell death which was significantly inhibited by fluvoxamine. Leptin activates JAK2–STAT3 signaling. ER stress caused an impairment of leptin-induced STAT3 phosphorylation which was reversed by fluvoxamine. Fluvoxamine would be a novel leptin-sensitizing drug, which targets ER stress

Krafft temperature and enthalpy of solution of N-acyl amino acid surfactants and their racemic modifications: Effect of the amino acid residue

金沢大学工学部The Krafft temperatures and the enthalpies of solution of six kinds of N-hexadecanoyl amino acid surfactant (Gly, Ala, Val, Leu, Ile, and Phe) were obtained from both solubility measurements and differential scanning calorimetry. It was shown that the Krafft temperature of N-hexadecanoyl amino acid surfactant increased with decreasing size of the amino acid residue except for the case of phenylalanine. On the other hand, the enthalpy of solution was endothermic and increased with decreasing size of the amino acid residue except for the cases of glycine and phenylalanine. It was found from these results that the D-L interaction was superior to the L-L interaction in solid state of N-hexadecanoyl amino acid surfactant salt for both the alanine and phenylalanine systems. It was suggested by ab initio calculations that the difference of the magnitude of the peptide-peptide hydrogen bonding was the dominant factor for the chiral effect

Serial MRI Features of Canine GM1 Gangliosidosis: A Possible Imaging Biomarker for Diagnosis and Progression of the Disease

GM1 gangliosidosis is a fatal neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease caused by an autosomal recessively inherited deficiency of β-galactosidase activity. Effective therapies need to be developed to treat the disease. In Shiba Inu dogs, one of the canine GM1 gangliosidosis models, neurological signs of the disease, including ataxia, start at approximately 5 months of age and progress until the terminal stage at 12 to 15 months of age. In the present study, serial MR images were taken of an affected dog from a model colony of GM1 gangliosidosis and 4 sporadic clinical cases demonstrating the same mutation in order to characterize the MRI features of this canine GM1 gangliosidosis. By 2 months of age at the latest and persisting until the terminal stage of the disease, the MR findings consistently displayed diffuse hyperintensity in the white matter of the entire cerebrum on T2-weighted images. In addition, brain atrophy manifested at 9 months of age and progressed thereafter. Although a definitive diagnosis depends on biochemical and genetic analyses, these MR characteristics could serve as a diagnostic marker in suspect animals with or without neurological signs. Furthermore, serial changes in MR images could be used as a biomarker to noninvasively monitor the efficacy of newly developed therapeutic strategies

Development and Initial On-orbit Performance of Multi-Functional Attitude Sensor using Image Recognition

This paper describes a multi-functional attitude sensor mounted on the “Innovative Satellite 1st” led by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency which was launched in January 2019. In order to achieve the high accuracy determination in low cost, we developed a novel attitude sensor utilizing real-time image recognition technology, named “Deep Learning Attitude Sensor (DLAS)”. DLAS has two type of attitude sensors: Star Tracker(STT) and Earth Camera (ECAM). For the low-cost development, we adopted commercial off-the-shelf cameras. DLAS uses real-time image recognition technology and a new attitude determination algorithm. In this paper, we present the missions, methods and system configuration of DLAS and initial results of on-orbit experiment that was conducted after the middle of February 2019, and it is confirmed that attitude determinations using ECAM and STT are performed correctly

ガクシュウ シドウ ノ クフウ オ ミチビク タメ ノ トクシマケン ナルトシ チガク ヤガイ カンサツ マップ ト チソウ タイセキ モデル ノ セイサク

地層とそれを構成する堆積岩などの野外観察が,日本の小・中・高等学校のそれぞれの指導要領に位置づけられている。しかし,地質や岩石分布の地域性や観察に適した露頭など,条件がそろわずに,校区内での観察ができない場合がある。そこで,地層の観察に適した露頭を鳴門市で探し,地層に含まれる岩石に関して生徒の理解を助ける教材を開発した。それが授業に反映されれば,児童・生徒の学習効果が高まると考える。このような状況の中で,私たちは生徒が層序のモデルをつくる実験を開発した。そのモデルは礫・砂・泥などが沈殿する様子の観察がしやすいことから,地層の構造についてのより深い理解が期待できる。今回開発した教材をさらに発展させ,堆積岩やその他の地質学に関係した内容について学ぶ児童・生徒の理解を助けるための教材とすることができる。Fieldwork on strata and formation of sedimentary rocks should be included in the curriculum of Elementary and Junior High School in Japan. However, rocks with such feature are not common in the region and so; outcrop that is fit for observation is not accessible to the school. For this reason, we tried to look for outcrops in Naruto City and developed teaching materials to help students understand rocks composing strata and others. Moreover, students learn more by doing. In this context, we provided an activity where the students will have a first hand experience on how to make a stratigraphic model. In here, the students will observe the several factors that affect the settling of sediments and understand the formation of strata. This activity can be used as a basis to develop more teaching materials that can help the students learn more about the sedimentary rocks and other related geologic processes as well.国立情報学研究所『研究紀要公開支援事業』により電子化