42 research outputs found
Imaginary agents exist perceptually for children but not for adults
Mental imagery refers to representations and the accompanying experience of sensory information in the absence of appropriate sensory input. Little is known about children’s social imagery, imagery about an agent. It is possible that children’s social imagery may qualitatively differ from that of adults by involving more perceptual characteristics. We conducted three experiments to investigate the perceptual existence of social imagery when induced by verbal cues. Experiment 1 was a precondition for Experiments 2 and 3, and we examined whether children’s and adults’ predictive eye movements were disrupted by the presence of a real person’s face. Preschool children (n = 20) and adults (n = 20) watched a video where a woman, with/without her face shown, placed balls into a bucket. Participants’ gazes were less predictive of the woman’s actions in ‘Face’ versus ‘No-Face’ videos, indirectly indicating the perceptual presence of agents. Next, we examined whether adults’ and children’s predictive eye movements were affected by imagining a person. In Experiment 2, adult participants were presented with a video where the balls moved automatically and were asked to either watch the video (Ball condition, n = 20) or imagine that an invisible person moved the balls (Imagination condition, n = 20). Adult gazes did not differ between conditions. However, in Experiment 3, preschool children’s gazes were less predictive when imagining an invisible person’s actions (Invisible condition, n = 20) than when not imagining anything (Ball condition, n = 20) or when imagining an object (Fan condition, n = 20). The results suggest that children experience realistic social imagery induced by verbal cues
Sucrose starvation induces microautophagy in plant root cells
Abstract
Autophagy is an essential system for degrading and recycling cellular components for survival during starvation conditions. Under sucrose starvation, application of a papain protease inhibitor E-64d to the Arabidopsis root and tobacco BY-2 cells induced the accumulation of vesicles, labeled with a fluorescent membrane marker FM4-64. The E-64d-induced vesicle accumulation was reduced in the mutant defective in autophagy-related genes ATG2, ATG5, and ATG7, suggesting autophagy is involved in the formation of these vesicles. To clarify the formation of these vesicles in detail, we monitored time-dependent changes of tonoplast, and vesicle accumulation in sucrose-starved cells. We found that these vesicles were derived from the tonoplast and produced by microautophagic process. The tonoplast proteins were excluded from the vesicles, suggesting that the vesicles are generated from specific membrane domains. Concanamycin A treatment in GFP-ATG8a transgenic plants showed that not all FM4-64-labeled vesicles, which were derived from the tonoplast, contained the ATG8a-containing structure. These results suggest that ATG8a may not always be necessary for microautophagy.This study was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland [UMO-2016/21/P/NZ9/01089 to SG-Y (the project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 665778) and UMO-2016/23/B/NZ1/01847 to KeY]; the Foundation for Polish Science (TEAM/2017-4/41 to KeY); KAKENHI from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan (JP15J40032 to SG-Y, JP17K07457 to SM, and JP15H05776 to IH-N); and KAKENHI from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (JP26111523 to SG-Y); as well as the institutional support provided from the National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB), Kyoto University, and Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University. Next-generation sequencing was supported by NIBB Collaborative Research Programs 11-711
Cytokine expression in rat molar gingival periodontal tissues after topical application of lipopolysaccharide
It is well known that proinflammatory cytokines produced by host cells play an important role in periodontal tissue destruction. However, the localization of the cytokines in in vivo periodontal tissues during development of periodontal disease has not been determined. Immunohistochemical expression of proinflammatory cytokines including IL-1α, IL-1β, and TNF-α was examined at 1 and 3 h, and 1, 2, 3, and 7 days after topical application of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 5 mg/ml in physiological saline) from E. coli into the rat molar gingival sulcus. In the normal periodontal tissues, a small number of cytokine-positive epithelial cells were seen in the junctional epithelium (JE), oral sulcular and oral gingival epithelium, in addition to macrophages infiltrating in the subjunctional epithelial area and osteoblasts lining the alveolar bone surface. Epithelial remnants of Malassez existing throughout periodontal ligament were intensely positive for IL-1β but negative for the other two cytokines. At 3 h after the LPS treatment, almost all cells in the JE were strongly positive for the cytokines examined. In addition, several cytokine-positive cells, including neutrophils, macrophages, and fibroblasts, were seen in the subjunctional epithelial connective tissue. At day 2, expression of the cytokines in the JE gradually decreased, while cytokine-positive cells in the connective tissue increased in number. Positive staining of the cytokines was seen in osteoclasts and preosteoclasts which appeared along the alveolar bone margin in this period. The number of cytokine-positive cells decreased by day 7. These findings indicate that, in addition to macrophages, neutrophils, and fibroblasts, the JE cells are a potent source of TNF-α, IL-1α, and IL-1β reacting to LPS application, and suggest that JE cells may play an important role in the first line of defense against LPS challenge, and the proinflammatory cytokines transiently produced by various host cells may be involved in the initiation of inflammation and subsequent periodontal tissue destruction.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42233/1/418-116-1-57_s004180100298.pd
Pexophagy suppresses ROS-induced damage in leaf cells under high-intensity light
Although light is essential for photosynthesis, it has the potential to elevate intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Since high ROS levels are cytotoxic, plants must alleviate such damage. However, the cellular mechanism underlying ROS-induced leaf damage alleviation in peroxisomes was not fully explored. Here, we show that autophagy plays a pivotal role in the selective removal of ROS-generating peroxisomes, which protects plants from oxidative damage during photosynthesis. We present evidence that autophagy-deficient mutants show light intensity-dependent leaf damage and excess aggregation of ROS-accumulating peroxisomes. The peroxisome aggregates are specifically engulfed by pre-autophagosomal structures and vacuolar membranes in both leaf cells and isolated vacuoles, but they are not degraded in mutants. ATG18a-GFP and GFP-2×FYVE, which bind to phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate, preferentially target the peroxisomal membranes and pre-autophagosomal structures near peroxisomes in ROS-accumulating cells under high-intensity light. Our findings provide deeper insights into the plant stress response caused by light irradiation
Efforts to Continue Japanese Language and Cultural Education in Times of Emergency : A Focus on Initiatives in Short-Term International Student Education during the COVID-19 Crisis
研究論文This paper discusses the practical implementation and significance of Japanese language and cultural education for short-term international students at Osaka University’s Center for Japanese Language and Culture (CJLC), from the enactment of the Special Measures Law for the Response to the Novel Coronavirus on March 13, 2020, until May 2023 when COVID-19 transitioned to a Category 5 infectious disease. In response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CJLC implemented various practices in Japanese language and cultural education, including 1) streamlining placement tests and establishing an online course registration system for smoothly operating classes immediately after students’arrival in Japan; 2) conducting pre-departure orientation for advance studyabroad training; 3) establishing a framework for handling teaching materials with a focus on long-term perspectives through copyright arrangements for materials issued by CJLC; 4) building a framework for conducting research activities, presentations, and experiential training even during the pandemic; 5) acquiring expertise in planning and managing intensive courses and short-term study-abroad programs as emergency relief measures for credit unitization; and 6) enhancing understanding and support for international students within the university through relationship-building with other departments. The realization of these initiatives during the pandemic contributed to the qualitative improvement of education under normal circumstances, such as through efficient and effective pre-departure education, diversified options for research activities and experiential training, and reinforcement of support systems for the physical and mental well-being of international students. It also indicated that CJLC had gained the ability to build a new educational framework tailored to the post-COVID era, as well as to plan and operate special courses to make up for lost educational opportunities during emergencies
ニホン ジジョウ テキスト ニ コメタ ニホンゴ キョウイク ノ シテン ジュンビ キョウイク カテイ ニ オケル ニホン ジジョウ カラ
CJLC叢書No.7『日本語と日本文化-言葉から文化を学ぶ-』(2023)は、国費学部留学生の予備教育における「日本事情」科目のために開発されたテキストである。本テキストの作成にあたっては、「日本事情」授業を、固有名詞と事物の名称の提示に特化した語彙教育の場として位置付けたこと、さらに、初級から上級すべての日本語レベルの学習者にも使用できるものを目指したことが特筆に値する。巻末に挙げたおよそ1100語の語彙リストがそのまま「日本事情」における具体的な学習項目の提示にもなっており、この点もこれまでにはなかった試みである。「日本事情」というテキストのあり方の一試案を示すとともに、編纂の過程で検討を要した点や課題などを詳らかにすることにより、さまざまな日本語教育の教材を作成するうえでの参考となるような視点を示した