Model Analysis on the Improvement of Intrinsic Motivation at Japanese Companies

This study expands on the agency model to analyze how Japanese companies intrinsically motivate their workers. Some previous studies have considered the intrinsic motivation of agents. However, they analyze monetary motivation methods that take into account workers’ intrinsic motivation or a simultaneous analysis of monetary motivation methods and the cost of raising intrinsic motivation that also takes into account workers’ intrinsic motivation. However, while it is not always easy to change a monetary incentive system, the cost of raising intrinsic motivation is easier to change. Therefore, this study models the cost of raising intrinsic motivation as the only decision-making variable. The performance-based wage system (process-oriented pay) is regarded as a given (i.e., it is not regarded as a decision-making variable). We obtained the following results: 1. When productivity is high, it is effective to spend money to increase intrinsic motivation. 2. When the weight of process-oriented performance-based pay is small, it is effective to spend money to raise intrinsic motivation (conditionally). 3. When cost sensitivity is low, it is effective to spend money to raise intrinsic motivation

Analyzing the Development of a Remote Debate Program Using Video Annotation through a Systems Approach

This study aims to apply a systems approach to analyze the development of an education system for remote asynchronous debates. Although several studies have applied a systems approach to various objects, they attempted to improve projects using the approach by intention. However, in our study, the use of a systems approach was an unintentional part of the process, with stakeholders not being explicitly aware of the concepts behind systems thinking. In the midst of the process, a variety of systems thinking methods were partially adopted, making the project more systemic; however, the project was not oriented to follow specific problem-solving techniques. An educational program and information system for education support with sufficient systemic properties was created with such a systems approach. We propose that working on a problem with significant underlying systemic properties may help one to naturally adopt a systems approach

Gill transcriptome response to changes in environmental calcium in the green spotted puffer fish

Abstract Background Calcium ion is tightly regulated in body fluids and for euryhaline fish, which are exposed to rapid changes in environmental [Ca2+], homeostasis is especially challenging. The gill is the main organ of active calcium uptake and therefore plays a crucial role in the maintenance of calcium ion homeostasis. To study the molecular basis of the short-term responses to changing calcium availability, the whole gill transcriptome obtained by Super Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SuperSAGE) of the euryhaline teleost green spotted puffer fish, Tetraodon nigroviridis, exposed to water with altered [Ca2+] was analysed. Results Transfer of T. nigroviridis from 10 ppt water salinity containing 2.9 mM Ca2+ to high (10 mM Ca2+ ) and low (0.01 mM Ca2+) calcium water of similar salinity for 2-12 h resulted in 1,339 differentially expressed SuperSAGE tags (26-bp transcript identifiers) in gills. Of these 869 tags (65%) were mapped to T. nigroviridis cDNAs or genomic DNA and 497 (57%) were assigned to known proteins. Thirteen percent of the genes matched multiple tags indicating alternative RNA transcripts. The main enriched gene ontology groups belong to Ca2+ signaling/homeostasis but also muscle contraction, cytoskeleton, energy production/homeostasis and tissue remodeling. K-means clustering identified co-expressed transcripts with distinct patterns in response to water [Ca2+] and exposure time. Conclusions The generated transcript expression patterns provide a framework of novel water calcium-responsive genes in the gill during the initial response after transfer to different [Ca2+]. This molecular response entails initial perception of alterations, activation of signaling networks and effectors and suggests active remodeling of cytoskeletal proteins during the initial acclimation process. Genes related to energy production and energy homeostasis are also up-regulated, probably reflecting the increased energetic needs of the acclimation response. This study is the first genome-wide transcriptome analysis of fish gills and is an important resource for future research on the short-term mechanisms involved in the gill acclimation responses to environmental Ca2+ changes and osmoregulation.Peer Reviewe

Effects of gait training using the Hybrid Assistive Limb® in recovery-phase stroke patients: A 2-month follow-up, randomized, controlled study

BACKGROUND: Gait training using the Hybrid Assistive Limb® (HAL®) may have beneficial effects on post-stroke gait function and independent walking. However, the long-term and medium-term efficacies of gait training using HAL® in stroke patients remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To compare the medium-term efficacy of gait training using a single-leg version of the Hybrid Assistive Limb® (HAL®) on the paretic side with conventional gait training (CGT) in recovery-phase stroke patients. METHODS: Twenty-four post-stroke participants (HAL® group: n = 12, CGT group: n = 12) completed the trial. Over 4 weeks, all participants received twelve 20-min sessions of either HAL® (using the single-leg version of HAL® on the paretic side) or conventional (performed by skilled and experienced physical therapists) gait training. Outcome measures were evaluated prior to training, after 12 sessions, and at 8 and 12 weeks after intervention initiation. Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) was the primary outcome measure. RESULTS: The HAL® group showed significant improvement in FAC after 12 sessions, and at 8 and 12 weeks compared to the conventional group (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that a gait training program based on HAL® may improve independent walking more efficiently than CGT at 1 and 2 months after intervention

SuperSAGE: the drought stress-responsive transcriptome of chickpea roots

Background Drought is the major constraint to increase yield in chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Improving drought tolerance is therefore of outmost importance for breeding. However, the complexity of the trait allowed only marginal progress. A solution to the current stagnation is expected from innovative molecular tools such as transcriptome analyses providing insight into stress-related gene activity, which combined with molecular markers and expression (e)QTL mapping, may accelerate knowledge-based breeding. SuperSAGE, an improved version of the serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) technique, generating genome-wide, high-quality transcription profiles from any eukaryote, has been employed in the present study. The method produces 26 bp long fragments (26 bp tags) from defined positions in cDNAs, providing sufficient sequence information to unambiguously characterize the mRNAs. Further, SuperSAGE tags may be immediately used to produce microarrays and probes for real-time-PCR, thereby overcoming the lack of genomic tools in non-model organisms. Results We applied SuperSAGE to the analysis of gene expression in chickpea roots in response to drought. To this end, we sequenced 80,238 26 bp tags representing 17,493 unique transcripts (UniTags) from drought-stressed and non-stressed control roots. A total of 7,532 (43%) UniTags were more than 2.7-fold differentially expressed, and 880 (5.0%) were regulated more than 8-fold upon stress. Their large size enabled the unambiguous annotation of 3,858 (22%) UniTags to genes or proteins in public data bases and thus to stress-response processes. We designed a microarray carrying 3,000 of these 26 bp tags. The chip data confirmed 79% of the tag-based results, whereas RT-PCR confirmed the SuperSAGE data in all cases. Conclusion This study represents the most comprehensive analysis of the drought-response transcriptome of chickpea available to date. It demonstrates that – inter alias – signal transduction, transcription regulation, osmolyte accumulation, and ROS scavenging undergo strong transcriptional remodelling in chickpea roots already 6 h after drought stress. Certain transcript isoforms characterizing these processes are potential targets for breeding for drought tolerance. We demonstrate that these can be easily accessed by micro-arrays and RT-PCR assays readily produced downstream of SuperSAGE. Our study proves that SuperSAGE owns potential for molecular breeding also in non-model crops

Identification of candidate flowering and sex genes in white Guinea yam (D. rotundata Poir.) by SuperSAGE transcriptome profiling

Open Access JournalDioecy (distinct male and female individuals) combined with scarce to non-flowering are common features of cultivated yam (Dioscorea spp.). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying flowering and sex determination in Dioscorea are unknown. We conducted SuperSAGE transcriptome profiling of male, female and monoecious individuals to identify flowering and sex-related genes in white Guinea yam (D. rotundata). SuperSAGE analysis generated a total of 20,236 unique tags, of which 13,901 were represented by a minimum of 10 tags. Of these, 88 tags were significantly differentially expressed in male, female and monoecious plants. Of the 88 differentially expressed SuperSAGE tags, 18 corresponded to genes previously implicated in flower development and sex determination in multiple plant species. We validated the SuperSAGE data with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR)-based analysis of the expression of four candidate genes. Our findings suggest that mechanisms of flowering and sex determination are likely conserved in Dioscorea. We further investigated the flowering patterns of 1938 D. rotundata accessions representing diverse geographical origins over two years, revealing that over 85% of the accessions are either male or non-flowering, and that less than 15% are female, while monoecious plants are rare. Intensity of flowering appeared to be a function of sex, with male plants flowering more abundantly than female ones. Candidate genes identified in this study can be targeted with the aim to induce regular flowering in poor to non-flowering cultivars. Findings of the study provide important inputs for further studies aiming to overcome the challenge of flowering in yams and to improve the efficiency of yam breeding

High-Throughput SuperSAGE for Digital Gene Expression Analysis of Multiple Samples Using Next Generation Sequencing

We established a protocol of the SuperSAGE technology combined with next-generation sequencing, coined “High-Throughput (HT-) SuperSAGE”. SuperSAGE is a method of digital gene expression profiling that allows isolation of 26-bp tag fragments from expressed transcripts. In the present protocol, index (barcode) sequences are employed to discriminate tags from different samples. Such barcodes allow researchers to analyze digital tags from transcriptomes of many samples in a single sequencing run by simply pooling the libraries. Here, we demonstrated that HT-SuperSAGE provided highly sensitive, reproducible and accurate digital gene expression data. By increasing throughput for analysis in HT-SuperSAGE, various applications are foreseen and several examples are provided in the present study, including analyses of laser-microdissected cells, biological replicates and tag extraction using different anchoring enzymes

Large-Scale Gene Disruption in Magnaporthe oryzae Identifies MC69, a Secreted Protein Required for Infection by Monocot and Dicot Fungal Pathogens

To search for virulence effector genes of the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, we carried out a large-scale targeted disruption of genes for 78 putative secreted proteins that are expressed during the early stages of infection of M. oryzae. Disruption of the majority of genes did not affect growth, conidiation, or pathogenicity of M. oryzae. One exception was the gene MC69. The mc69 mutant showed a severe reduction in blast symptoms on rice and barley, indicating the importance of MC69 for pathogenicity of M. oryzae. The mc69 mutant did not exhibit changes in saprophytic growth and conidiation. Microscopic analysis of infection behavior in the mc69 mutant revealed that MC69 is dispensable for appressorium formation. However, mc69 mutant failed to develop invasive hyphae after appressorium formation in rice leaf sheath, indicating a critical role of MC69 in interaction with host plants. MC69 encodes a hypothetical 54 amino acids protein with a signal peptide. Live-cell imaging suggested that fluorescently labeled MC69 was not translocated into rice cytoplasm. Site-directed mutagenesis of two conserved cysteine residues (Cys36 and Cys46) in the mature MC69 impaired function of MC69 without affecting its secretion, suggesting the importance of the disulfide bond in MC69 pathogenicity function. Furthermore, deletion of the MC69 orthologous gene reduced pathogenicity of the cucumber anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum orbiculare on both cucumber and Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. We conclude that MC69 is a secreted pathogenicity protein commonly required for infection of two different plant pathogenic fungi, M. oryzae and C. orbiculare pathogenic on monocot and dicot plants, respectively