Constructing a scale of timidity to use artifacts for healthy older adults

It is commonly observed that older adults exhibit more problems in using new artifacts, especially devices related to information-and-communication technology. Although such difficulties are mainly attributed to cognitive and/or perceptual-motor aging, older adults also experience emotional and motivational changes. In this study，we focus on the characteristic behaviors of older adults who are attempting to use some new device，namely "timidity to use"，including avoidance of using the device, hesitation or reluctance to press any buttons，a nd excessively confirming the right button to press. Seven items were selected for the scale of timidity to use artifacts，as confirmed by the results of principal component analysis. Analyses of the responses from 196 healthy older adults for the timidity scale indicate that it has sufficient reliability and criterion-related validities. In addition，the scale indicates some relationships between the frequencies of using artifacts and difficulties with using them, which implies that the scale also has validity for daily-life activities

Cyclic Stretch Negatively Regulates IL-1β Secretion Through the Inhibition of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation by Attenuating the AMP Kinase Pathway

Macrophages are immune cells of hematopoietic origin that play diverse roles in host defenses and tissue homeostasis. In mechanical microenvironments, macrophages receive mechanical signals that regulate various cellular functions. However, the mechanisms by which mechanical signals influence the phenotype and function of macrophages in the process of inflammation have not yet been elucidated in detail. We herein examined the effects of cyclic stretch (CS) on NLR family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation in J774.1, a murine macrophage cell line, and mouse primary bone marrow-derived macrophages. We showed that cyclic stretch inhibited adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-stimulated interleukin (IL)-1β secretion in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-primed macrophages using ELISA and Western blot analyses. Cyclic stretch did not affect the degradation of the Inhibitor of κB or the nuclear translocation/transcriptional activity of nuclear factor (NF)-κB, suggesting that cyclic stretch-mediated inhibition was independent of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Consistent with these results, cyclic stretch did not affect the LPS-induced expression of inflammasome components, such as pro-IL-1β and NLRP3, which is known to require the activation of NF-κB signaling. We showed that the cyclic stretch-mediated inhibition of IL-1β secretion was caused by the suppression of caspase-1 activity. The addition of compound C, a specific inhibitor of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), to LPS-primed macrophages inhibited IL-1β secretion as well as caspase-1 activation, suggesting that AMPK signaling is involved in ATP-triggered IL-1β secretion. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of AMPK induced by ATP in LPS-primed macrophages was significantly suppressed by cyclic stretch, indicating that cyclic stretch negatively regulates IL-1β secretion through the inhibition of caspase-1 activity by attenuating the AMPK pathway. Our results suggest that mechanical stress functions to maintain homeostasis through the prevention of excessive inflammasome activation in macrophages in mechanical microenvironments

認知的熟慮性検査（CRT）における項目間等価性および呈示順序・教示効果の検証 : 大学生集団実験による検討

The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT: Frederick, 2005) is a test designed to measure individual differences in intuitive-reflective thinking styles, and consists of three questions in a fixed order. Although Toplak, West, & Stanovich (2014) have proposed four additional questions, their validity as substitutes was not fully examined. This study investigated (1) the equivalences of the original and new questions, (2) order effects for the three original questions, and (3) the dependency of the CRT across instruction conditions (i.e., standard, under time pressures or stressing accuracy). More specifically, we administered a paper-and-pencil version of the CRT to 128 undergraduate students and analyzed both task performances and confirmation ratings. The results indicated (a) that three of the new questions are not suitable substitutes for the original CRT questions, (b) that order effects in terms of independent item-specific characteristics were observed only for the confirmation ratings, and (c) that the instructions had no effect on either performance or confirmation ratings. Finally, we discussed the importance of investigating both the CRT’s methodology and the cognitive processes underlying the CRT

Colors of a Second Earth II: Effects of Clouds on Photometric Characterization of Earth-like Exoplanets

As a test-bed for future investigations of directly imaged terrestrial exoplanets, we present the recovery of the surface components of the Earth from multi-band diurnal light curves obtained with the EPOXI spacecraft. We find that the presence and longitudinal distribution of ocean, soil and vegetation are reasonably well reproduced by fitting the observed color variations with a simplified model composed of a priori known albedo spectra of ocean, soil, vegetation, snow and clouds. The effect of atmosphere, including clouds, on light scattered from surface components is modeled using a radiative transfer code. The required noise levels for future observations of exoplanets are also determined. Our model-dependent approach allows us to infer the presence of major elements of the planet (in the case of the Earth, clouds and ocean) with observations having S/N $\gtrsim 10$ in most cases and with high confidence if S/N $\gtrsim 20$. In addition, S/N $\gtrsim 100$ enables us to detect the presence of components other than ocean and clouds in a fairly model-independent way. Degradation of our inversion procedure produced by cloud cover is also quantified. While cloud cover significantly dilutes the magnitude of color variations compared to the cloudless case, the pattern of color changes remains. Therefore, the possibility of investigating surface features through light curve fitting remains even for exoplanets with cloud cover similar to the Earth's.Comment: 33 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ (discussion, references, and description of data reduction added, typo fixed

A Novel Role of the L-Type Calcium Channel α1D Subunit as a Gatekeeper for Intracellular Zinc Signaling: Zinc Wave

Recent studies have shown that zinc ion (Zn) can behave as an intracellular signaling molecule. We previously demonstrated that mast cells stimulated through the high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI) rapidly release intracellular Zn from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and we named this phenomenon the “Zn wave”. However, the molecules responsible for releasing Zn and the roles of the Zn wave were elusive. Here we identified the pore-forming α1 subunit of the Cav1.3 (α1D) L-type calcium channel (LTCC) as the gatekeeper for the Zn wave. LTCC antagonists inhibited the Zn wave, and an agonist was sufficient to induce it. Notably, α1D was mainly localized to the ER rather than the plasma membrane in mast cells, and the Zn wave was impaired by α1D knockdown. We further found that the LTCC-mediated Zn wave positively controlled cytokine gene induction by enhancing the DNA-binding activity of NF- κB. Consistent with this finding, LTCC antagonists inhibited the cytokine-mediated delayed-type allergic reaction in mice without affecting the immediate-type allergic reaction. These findings indicated that the LTCC α1D subunit located on the ER membrane has a novel function as a gatekeeper for the Zn wave, which is involved in regulating NF-κB signaling and the delayed-type allergic reaction

Choroidal Detachment after Uncomplicated Small Incision Cataract Surgery

Background and Purpose: Angioedema is a well-recognized side effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, but is rarely associated with angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB). Here, we report the first case of a patient on ARB therapy (telmisartan) for hypertension who developed serous choroidal detachment localized to the posterior pole after sub-Tenon anesthesia for small incision cataract surgery. Methods and Results: An 82-year-old Japanese woman who received oral medications for hypertension underwent cataract surgery with sub-Tenon anesthesia using 2% Xylocaine® on her left eye. Her corrected distance visual acuity improved to 20/25 on the first day after the surgery. On the fifth day, however, it decreased to 20/40 and choroidal detachment was detected at the posterior pole. We suspected an increase of choroidal vascular permeability and started oral steroid therapy. After 1 week, the area of detachment was smaller and her acuity improved to 20/20. Subsequently, she underwent cataract surgery without sub-Tenon anesthesia on her right eye, and no choroidal detachment occurred. Conclusion: This is the first published case of ARB-induced choroidal detachment after uncomplicated small incision cataract surgery. Sub-Tenon anesthesia may aggravate angioedema associated with ARB therapy, so ophthalmologists should be aware of this rare complication

Student Surveys from the PE Course of the General Education English Program at Shizuoka University

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