匂いと味が一致しない刺激が与えられた場合の脳波活動に見られるシータ帯域の増加

This study aimed to investigate how odor stimulation affects taste perception. Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals were measured from the frontal region of the head in normal subjects, and frequency analyses were performed. Each odor stimulation was delivered while the subject tasted chocolate, using chocolate paste as the odorant for ‘matched odor stimulation’, and garlic paste for ‘unmatched odor stimulation’. Differences appeared in EEG signals. Comparing frequencies of EEGs under ‘unmatched odor stimulation’ with those under ‘matched odor stimulation’ showed that the occupancy rate of the theta-frequency band under ‘unmatched odor stimulation’ was higher than that under ‘matched odor stimulation’. Interestingly, a negative correlation existed between the occupancy rate of the theta-frequency band and the subjective feeling of chocolate sweetness. The present findings suggest that when we receive unmatched smell against the foods, subjective feelings are disturbed, and theta-band brain activity is increased while cross-checking the unmatched information

Relationships between feeding behaviors and emotions : an electroencephalogram (EEG) frequency analysis study

Feeding behaviors may be easily affected by emotions, both being based on brain activity; however, the relationships between them have not been explicitly defined. In this study, we investigated how emotional environments modulate subjective feelings, brain activity, and feeding behaviors. Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings were obtained from healthy participants in conditions of virtual comfortable space (CS) and uncomfortable space (UCS) while eating chocolate, and the times required for eating it were measured. We found that the more participants tended to feel comfortable under the CS, the more it took time to eat in the UCS. However, the EEG emergence patterns in the two virtual spaces varied across the individuals. Upon focusing on the theta and low-beta bands, the strength of the mental condition and eating times were found to be guided by these frequency bands. The results determined that the theta and low-beta bands are likely important and relevant waves for feeding behaviors under emotional circumstances, following alterations in mental conditions

Nature of collective decision-making by simple yes/no decision units Eisuke Hasegawa

The study of collective decision-making spans various fields such as brain and behavioural sciences, economics, management sciences, and artificial intelligence. Despite these interdisciplinary applications, little is known regarding how a group of simple 'yes/no' units, such as neurons in the brain, can select the best option among multiple options. One prerequisite for achieving such correct choices by the brain is correct evaluation of relative option quality, which enables a collective decision maker to efficiently choose the best option. Here, we applied a sensory discrimination mechanism using yes/no units with differential thresholds to a model for making a collective choice among multiple options. The performance corresponding to the correct choice was shown to be affected by various parameters. High performance can be achieved by tuning the threshold distribution with the options' quality distribution. The number of yes/no units allocated to each option and its variability profoundly affects performance. When this variability is large, a quorum decision becomes superior to a majority decision under some conditions. The general features of this collective decision-making by a group of simple yes/no units revealed in this study suggest that this mechanism may be useful in applications across various fields

Expression of GD2 and GD3 gangliosides in human embryonic neural stem cells

NSCs (neural stem cells) are undifferentiated neural cells endowed with a high potential for proliferation and a capacity for self-renewal with retention of multipotency to differentiate into neurons and glial cells. It has been recently reported that GD3, a b-series ganglioside, is a marker molecule for identifying and isolating mouse NSCs. However, the expression of gangliosides in human NSCs is largely unknown. In the present study, we analysed the expression of gangliosides, GD2 and GD3, in human NSCs that were isolated from human brains at gestational week 17 in the form of neurospheres, which are floating clonal aggregates formed by NSCs in vitro. Employing immunocytochemistry, we found that human NSCs were strongly reactive to anti-GD2 antibody and relatively weakly reactive to anti-GD3 antibody. Treatment of these cells with an organic solvent such as 100% methanol, which selectively removes glycolipids from plasma membrane, abolished the immunoreactivity with those antibodies, indicating that the reactivity was due to GD2 and GD3, but not to GD2-/GD3-like glycoproteins or proteoglycans. The immunoreactivity of human NSCs to antibody against SSEA-1 (stage-specific embryonic antigen-1), a well-known carbohydrate antigen of NSCs, was not decreased by the treatment with 100% methanol, indicating that SSEA-1 is mainly carried by glycoproteins and/or proteoglycans in human NSCs. Our study suggests that GD2 and GD3 can be marker gangliosides for identifying human NSCs

Microscopic polyangiitis presented with biopsy-confirmed pleuritis

We describe a case of microscopic polyangiitis manifested as pleuritis confirmed by thoracoscopic biopsy. An 80-year-old man presented with a three-day history of shortness of breath and cough. Chest radiography revealed patchy opacities in the lower fields of the bilateral lung and right-sided pleural effusion. Thoracentesis revealed lymphocytic pleural exudates. Thoracoscopic biopsy specimens were compatible with fibrotic pleuritis. He developed rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis with elevated myeloperoxidase anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody titer in blood and pleural effusion. Although the patient was resistant to two weekly courses of pulse steroid therapy, he was successfully treated with a five-day course of intravenous immunoglobulin

ATF7IP2/MCAF2 directs H3K9 methylation and meiotic gene regulation in the male germline

H3K9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) plays emerging roles in gene regulation, beyond its accumulation on pericentric constitutive heterochromatin. It remains a mystery why and how H3K9me3 undergoes dynamic regulation in male meiosis. Here, we identify a novel, critical regulator of H3K9 methylation and spermatogenic heterochromatin organization: the germline-specific protein ATF7IP2 (MCAF2). We show that in male meiosis, ATF7IP2 amasses on autosomal and X-pericentric heterochromatin, spreads through the entirety of the sex chromosomes, and accumulates on thousands of autosomal promoters and retrotransposon loci. On the sex chromosomes, which undergo meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI), the DNA damage response pathway recruits ATF7IP2 to X-pericentric heterochromatin, where it facilitates the recruitment of SETDB1, a histone methyltransferase that catalyzes H3K9me3. In the absence of ATF7IP2, male germ cells are arrested in meiotic prophase I. Analyses of ATF7IP2-deficient meiosis reveal the protein's essential roles in the maintenance of MSCI, suppression of retrotransposons, and global up-regulation of autosomal genes. We propose that ATF7IP2 is a downstream effector of the DDR pathway in meiosis that coordinates the organization of heterochromatin and gene regulation through the spatial regulation of SETDB1-mediated H3K9me3 deposition

ファッション カラー コーディネーション ニ カンスル ケンキュウ パーソナル コンピュータ オ モチイタ ハダイロ ノ worm cool カン ノ ケイソク

最近では、肌の色をもとにして似合う色を見つけるというカラーコーディネートの手法が多く見受けられる。そこでは、肌の色をオークル系(O)かピンク系(P)に分け、これらを似合う色を見つけるための手がかりとしている場合が多い。しかし、肌色と呼ばれる色の範囲は、非常に狭く、これらをどのように分類できるのか、また、ウォーム・クールに分類する時に、色相だけで判断してよいのか、など、多くの疑問がある。そこで、本研究では、肌の色のウォーム・クール感について、その決定要因を調査することとした。 実験では、肌色モデルを日本色研の肌色カラーカードに求めた。暗室状態のブースの中に被験者が1人ずつ入り、縦96pixel×横96pixelの正方形に着色した9色の肌の色を一列に並べたコンピューターの画面(17inch、縦768pixel×横1024pixel)を見ながらドラッグ操作し、それぞれをウォーム-クールの順になるように、並べ替えていく。被験者は大学3、4回生の30名である。 肌の色の色相とウォーム-クールの関係では、10Rに最も近いPがウォーム、5Bに近いOがクールとなっている。従来のカラーコーディネーションの手法では、ウォームから順にO、N(ナチュラル)、Pとしている場合が多い。しかし、今回の結果では、P、N、Oの順になった。また、明度の影響は比較的大きく、色相のみに着目すると順序が異なる場合のも認められ、その重要性が明らかとなった