Control of Oscillation Patterns in a Symmetric Coupled Biological Oscillator System

A chain of three-oscillator system was constructed with living biological oscillators of phasmodial slime mold, Physarum polycehalum and the oscillation patterns were analyzed by the symmetric Hopf bifurcation theory using group theory. Multi-stability of oscillation patterns was observed, even when the coupling strength was fixed. This suggests that the coupling strength is not an effective parameter to obtain a desired oscillation pattern among the multiple patterns. Here we propose a method to control oscillation patterns using resonance to external stimulus and demonstrate pattern switching induced by frequency resonance given to only one of oscillators in the system

Factors Affecting Clinical Nursing Competency: A Cross Sectional Study

[Background] The purpose of this study was to elucidate the factors which affect the achievement of clinical nursing competency. [Methods] A survey was conducted on 717 nurses using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Their clinical nursing competency was assessed using the Clinical Nursing Competence Self-Assessment Scale (CNCSS). This study examined the factors affecting clinical nursing competency using regression analyses. A simple regression analysis was performed with the CNCSS as the objective variable. A multiple regression analysis was performed using the items for which the relationship was clarified as explanatory variables. [Results] The factors affecting the “basic nursing competency” were age, ease of taking time off, workplace with a clear vision, and good interpersonal relationships. The factors affecting the “competency in providing assistance commensurate with the patient’s health status” were total years of experience, workplace with a clear vision, ease of taking time off, and use of acquired certifications. The factors affecting the “coordinating care environment and teamwork” were total years of experience, workplace with a clear vision, use of acquired certifications, and ease of taking time off. The factors affecting the “ability for professional growth in nursing practice” were use of acquired certifications, workplace with a clear vision, total years of experience, and ease of taking time off. [Conclusion] For improvement of clinical nursing competency, the factors elucidated to be necessary were accumulation of experience as a nurse, a clear vision of goals, and a work environment with good interpersonal relationships and ease of getting days off. The way nurses make their nursing practice experience meaningful contributed toward their growth as nurses. It is important to train nurses through basic education and continued education with awareness of achievement and improvement of clinical nursing competency. Basic education should promote the ability to make clinical training experience meaningful and continuing education should enable nurses to continue to grow independently through reflection

Ketogenic diet induces skeletal muscle atrophy via reducing muscle protein synthesis and possibly activating proteolysis in mice

Ketogenic diets (KD) that are very high in fat and low in carbohydrates are thought to simulate the metabolic effects of starvation. We fed mice with a KD for seven days to assess the underlying mechanisms of muscle wasting induced by chronic starvation. This diet decreased the weight of the gastrocnemius (Ga), tibialis anterior (TA) and soleus (Sol) muscles by 23%, 11% and 16%, respectively. The size of Ga, TA, Sol muscle fibers and the grip strength of four limbs also significantly declined by 20%, 28%, 16% and 22%, respectively. The muscle atrophy-related genes Mafbx, Murf1, Foxo3, Lc3b and Klf15 were upregulated in the skeletal muscles of mice fed with the KD. In accordance with the reduced expression of anabolic genes such as Igf1, surface sensing of translation (SUnSET) analyses of fast-twitch Ga, TA and Sol muscles revealed that the KD suppressed muscle protein synthesis. The mRNA expression of oxidative stress-responsive genes such as Sod1 was significantly increased in all muscles examined. In addition to hypercorticosteronemia, hypoinsulinemia and reduced IGF-1, oxidative stress might also be involved in KD-induced muscle atrophy. Feeding mice with a KD is a novel experimental animal model of muscle-wasting induced by chronic starvation

Amino acid residues in the transmembrane domain of the type 1 sigma receptor critical for ligand binding

AbstractThe type 1 sigma receptor expressed in Xenopus oocytes showed binding abilities for the sigma-1 ligands, [3H](+)pentazocine and [3H]NE-100, with similar kinetic properties as observed in native tissue membranes. Amino acid substitutions (Ser99Ala, Tyr103Phe and di-Leu105,106di-Ala) in the transmembrane domain did not alter the expression levels of the type 1 sigma receptor as determined by immunoblot analysis using an anti-type 1 sigma receptor antiserum. By contrast, ligand binding was significantly suppressed by the substitutions. These findings provide evidence that the transmembrane domain of the type 1 sigma receptor plays a critical role in ligand binding of this receptor

CT Assessment of Subtypes of Pulmonary Emphysema in Females

We performed a retrospective study examining the prevalence and subtypes of pulmonary emphysema (PE) identified by computed tomography (CT) in females. We reviewed the records of 1,687 female subjects who had undergone CT. They were divided into the following 2 age groups:group A (＜50 years) and group B (>_50 years). PE was diagnosed by the presence of low-attenuation areas using visual assessment (grades 0-3) on CT images. Two subtypes of PE were observed:centrilobular emphysema (CLE) and paraseptal emphysema (PSE). PE was divided into the following 3 categories:I (CLE or CLE-predominant);II (CLE and PSE of equal extent);and III (PSE or PSE-predominant). PE was found in 64 of 274 smokers (23.3%) and 54 of 1,413 non-smokers (3.8%). In smoking subjects, when grades 1 and 2 were grouped together as mild PE, the mean age for CT grade 3 (severe PE) was significantly higher than that for mild PE. In group A, category III predominated, whereas category I was more prevalent in group B, in both smoking and non-smoking subjects. A high incidence of PE was found in smoking subjects as compared with non-smoking subjects. PSE predominated in younger subjects, whereas CLE predominated in older subjects

Characteristics of communication skills of nursing students - Analysis by ENDCORE model and reviewing process records -

This study investigated the communication ability of university students and aimed to elucidate the characteristics of and issues related to communication skills in order to improve their communication abilities. Our subjects were 18 university students from the Faculty of Nursing, and we conducted an anonymous self-reporting survey. The survey focused on: 1） a sense of difficulty during communication with the subject; 2） evaluation of communication skills using the ENDCOREs （ENCODE DECODE CONTROL REGULATION） scale; and 3） a process report from a nursing setting titled“ Reflecting on the characteristics of my own communication”. The results from university students who experienced a sense of difficulty during communication made the following overall concerns clear: 1） It is difficult to express our thoughts and emotions; 2） We are unable to react with empathy to the subjects’ opinions and point of view or respond to situations with appropriate flexibility; and 3） It is difficult to relate to subjects. In order to improve their communication skills, university nursing students must first acquire competency in verbal and non-verbal expression and interpretation, then gain the relational competency that forms the foundation for approaching subjects appropriately and having smooth social interactions