English read by Japanese phonetic corpus: an interim report

The primary purpose of this paper is to explain the procedure of developing the English Read by Japanese Phonetic Corpus. A series of preliminary studies (Makino 2007, 2008, 2009) made it clear that a phonetically-transcribed computerized corpus of Japanese speakers’ English speech was worth making. Because corpus studies on L2 pronunciation have been very rare, we intend to fill this gap. For the corpus building, the 1,902 sentence files in the English Read by Japanese speech database scored for their individual sounds by American English teachers trained in phonetics in Minematsu, et al. (2002b) have been chosen. The files were pre-processed with the Penn Phonetics Lab Forced Aligner to generate Praat TextGrids where target English words and phonemes were forced-aligned to the speech files. Two additional tiers (actual phones and substitutions) were added to those TextGrids, the actual phones were manually transcribed and the other tiers were aligned to that tier. Then the TextGrids were imported to ELAN, which has a much better searching functionality. So far, fewer than 10% of the files have been completed and the corpus-building is still in its initial stage. The secondary purpose of this paper is to report on some findings from the small part of the corpus that has been completed. Although it is still premature to talk of any tendency in the corpus, it is worth noting that we have found evidence of phenomena which are not readily predicted from L1 phonological transfer, such as the spirantization of voiceless plosives, which is not considered normal in the pronunciation of Japanese

Keratin Subunit Expression in Human Cultured Melanocytes and Mouse Neural Crest Cells Without Formation of Filamentous Structures

The synthesis of keratin is considered to occur in epithelial and epidermal cells. Previous studies have not reported on keratin synthesis within melanocytes that derive from neural crest cells. Epithelial and neural crest cells originally develop from ectodermal tissue. We previously reported that the expression of keratin is a universal phenomenon seen in cultured melanoma cell lines, as demonstrated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, western blot, and electron microscopy analyses. To further investigate the specificity of keratin function in melanocytic cells, we first examined the presence of keratin proteins in cultured human melanocytes, and unexpectedly found keratin subunits in melanocytes by the above-mentioned procedures. The keratin (K) subunits were composed of K1, K5, K8, K10, K14, K16, and K18, together with vimentin. Neural crest cells, which contain immature embryonic melanocytes developing from ectoderm, already expressed keratins; however, under electron microscopy, the expressed keratin did not form filamentous structures. Although the ATP synthase α-chain, which is expressed universally in cultured epidermal tumor cell lines, was also expressed in cultured melanocytes and neural crest cells, a novel malignant melanoma-related protein (MMRP) was absent in melanocytes and neural crest cells. We concluded that keratin subunits are present in both cells, but do not construct keratin filaments

Characteristics of drift pumice clasts along the coast of the Japanese Islands: The AT tephra, representative source of drift pumice clasts

We analyzed the major element composition of volcanic glass shards in drift pumice clasts sampled from the Japanese coast before the 2021 eruption of Fukutoku-Oka-no-Ba (FOB). Consequently, it has been explained that the source volcanoes of some drift pumice clasts are Shikotsu, Toya, Towada, Hakone, Aso, Aira, Ata, Baegdusan volcanoes, and submarine volcanoes FOB and NNE of Iriomotejima (SVI). In particular, drift pumice clasts estimated from the Aira volcano were found in broad areas from the Amami-Oshima to the Shimokita Peninsula, the southern and northern limits of our sampling sites, respectively. Furthermore, the Aira-Tn tephra, erupted from Aira volcano, forming a wide pyroclastic flow plateau in the southern part of Kyushu Island. Therefore, we interpreted that the reworking process of pyroclastic flow deposits is one of the major mechanisms of the continuous supply of pumice clasts into the sea, regardless of whether volcanic activity continues. In addition, the presence of drift pumice clasts from the FOB and SVI suggests that pumice clasts from a single submarine volcanic eruption can remain on the coast for at least several tens to a hundred years

Reconstruction of submarine eruption processes from FTIR volatile analysis of marine tephra: Example of Oomurodashi volcano, Japan

Tephra layers in marine sediments are widely used to correlate and date paleoclimate and paleoceanography records, and to determine spatiotemporal changes in magmatic evolution and eruption frequency. Dissolved matrix glass H2O contents of marine tephra could potentially inform understanding of eruption processes but are rarely used due to the issue of secondary hydration after deposition. Recent advancements in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) volatile analysis have enabled reconstruction of original water contents of hydrated volcanic glasses. These new Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis methods offer a new way to investigate tephra stored in marine sedimentary archives. We present a case study of the Od-1 tephra layer in marine sedimentary core C9010E, drilled ∼40 km south of the Boso peninsula in Japan. This tephra was erupted by the shallow silicic submarine Oomurodashi volcano in the northern Izu-Bonin arc at ∼13.5 ka. Our Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy volatile data show it has been affected by secondary hydration, with the extent of hydration controlled by grain size and porosity characteristics. Numerical modelling of low temperature hydration suggests Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy data offer an additional method for estimating eruption ages of marine tephra. OH contents, unaltered by low temperature secondary hydration, record low ambient eruptive pressures for all grain sizes and tephra types i.e., blocky and dense or pumiceous. Consideration of hydrostatic pressure gradients and past sea level at Oomurodashi shows that the majority of tephra volatile data cannot be explained by quench within a submarine eruption plume. Instead, OH contents record quench fragmentation within the shallow submarine edifice. Physical characteristics of the tephra are consistent with the formation of these tephra by explosive phreatomagmatic eruption processes. Together these OH data and tephra characteristics support the interpretation that the Od-1 tephra layer was formed by the same shallow phreatomagmatic eruption that formed the existing Oomuro Hole crater and that produced subaerial tephra deposits on nearby Izu-Oshima and Toshima islands. This study demonstrates the crucial contribution that imaging Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis can make to the interpretation of degassing and eruption processes of volcanic glasses, particularly vesicular pyroclasts and/or glasses affected by secondary hydration, adding an important new dimension to marine tephra research

Atg9a deficiency causes axon-specific lesions including neuronal circuit dysgenesis

Conditional knockout mice for Atg9a, specifically in brain tissue, were generated to understand the roles of ATG9A in the neural tissue cells. The mice were born normally, but half of them died within one wk, and none lived beyond 4 wk of age. SQSTM1/p62 and NBR1, receptor proteins for selective autophagy, together with ubiquitin, accumulated in Atg9a-deficient neurosoma at postnatal d 15 (P15), indicating an inhibition of autophagy, whereas these proteins were significantly decreased at P28, as evidenced by immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and western blot. Conversely, degenerative changes such as spongiosis of nerve fiber tracts proceeded in axons and their terminals that were occupied with aberrant membrane structures and amorphous materials at P28, although no clear-cut degenerative change was detected in neuronal cell bodies. Different from autophagy, diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging and histological observations revealed Atg9a-deficiency-induced dysgenesis of the corpus callosum and anterior commissure. As for the neurite extensions of primary cultured neurons, the neurite outgrowth after 3 d culturing was significantly impaired in primary neurons from atg9a-KO mouse brains, but not in those from atg7-KO and atg16l1-KO brains. Moreover, this tendency was also confirmed in Atg9a-knockdown neurons under an atg7-KO background, indicating the role of ATG9A in the regulation of neurite outgrowth that is independent of autophagy. These results suggest that Atg9a deficiency causes progressive degeneration in the axons and their terminals, but not in neuronal cell bodies, where the degradations of SQSTM1/p62 and NBR1 were insufficiently suppressed. Moreover, the deletion of Atg9a impaired nerve fiber tract formation

Lightest sterile neutrino abundance within the nuMSM

We determine the abundance of the lightest (dark matter) sterile neutrinos created in the Early Universe due to active-sterile neutrino transitions from the thermal plasma. Our starting point is the field-theoretic formula for the sterile neutrino production rate, derived in our previous work [JHEP 06(2006)053], which allows to systematically incorporate all relevant effects, and also to analyse various hadronic uncertainties. Our numerical results differ moderately from previous computations in the literature, and lead to an absolute upper bound on the mixing angles of the dark matter sterile neutrino. Comparing this bound with existing astrophysical X-ray constraints, we find that the Dodelson-Widrow scenario, which proposes sterile neutrinos generated by active-sterile neutrino transitions to be the sole source of dark matter, is only possible for sterile neutrino masses lighter than 3.5 keV (6 keV if all hadronic uncertainties are pushed in one direction and the most stringent X-ray bounds are relaxed by a factor of two). This upper bound may conflict with a lower bound from structure formation, but a definitive conclusion necessitates numerical simulations with the non-equilibrium momentum distribution function that we derive. If other production mechanisms are also operative, no upper bound on the sterile neutrino mass can be established.Comment: 34 pages. v2: clarifications and a reference added; published version. v3: erratum appende

A Study of Correlation between Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI Using the 3T MRI System and Tc-99m-GSA Hepatic Scintigraphy / Hepatic Function Tests in Prehepatectomy Cases

This study compared results from Gd-EOB-DTPA on two different phases of 3T MRI with those from Tc-99m-GSA hepatic scintigraphy and hepatic function tests. Twenty-four patients with liver tumor were included in this study. All patients underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced-MRI and Tc-99m-GSA hepatic scintigraphy. Clearance index (HH15) and receptor index (LHL15) were calculated for the Tc-99m-GSA, while signal intensities (SI) of liver at pre-injection and at 4/20min post-injection, and of spleen at 4 min/20min were measured (SIpre, SI4min, SI20min, SIsp4min, SIsp20min, respectively) for the Gd-EOB-DTPA-MRI. Liver activity at 15min by Tc-99m-GSA scintigraphy or biochemical liver function values were compared with liver spleen contrast at 4min (LSC4min = SI4min/SIsp4min) or 20min post-injection (LSC20min = SI4min/SIsp20min), and the increase in ratio at 4min (IR4min=SI4min/SIsp4min) or 20min (IR20min= SI20min/SIpre). Total bilirubin levels (T-bil), serum albumin levels (Alb), prothrombin activity, and the indocyanine green clearance test (ICG) results were also analyzed. There were statistically significant correlations in all comparisons between Gd-EOB-DTPA and Tc-99m-GSA. The highest coefficient of correlation was obtained in IR4min (LHL15: r = 0.795, P<0.001; HH15: r = -0.782, P<0.001), with IR20min (LHL15: r = 0.690, P<0.01; HH15: r = -0.528, P<0.05), LSC4min (LHL15: r = 0.458, P<0.05; HH15: r = -0.626, P<0.05), and LSC20min (LHL15: r = 0.443, P<0.05, HH15: r = -0.609, P<0.05) also significantly correlated. Correlations in hepatic function data were observed between IR4min and T-bil/Alb, and IR20min and Alb. In 3T-MRI using Gd-EOB-DTPA, the SI of liver at pre- to post-injection (especially at 4 min) significantly correlated with the corresponding Tc-99m-DTPA scintigraphy results, and with some biochemical liver function data

Immunohistochemical Analysis of Connexin43 Expression in Infertile Human Testes

Connexin43 (Cx43) is abundantly expressed in mammalian testes and implicated in the regulation of cell-to-cell interaction between germ cells and Sertoli cells, which is essential to the normal process of spermatogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the relation between Cx43 expression and the degree of spermatogenesis in infertile human testes. Immunohistochemical analysis of Cx43 was performed on testicular biopsies from 29 patients with azoospermia (n=23) and severe oligospermia (n=6), who gave informed consent to this experiment. The degree of testicular spermatogenesis was evaluated by Johnsen score. In the interstitium, immunostaining for Cx43 was localized to some focal parts of plasma membrane between neighboring Leydig cells. In seminiferous tubules with normal spermatogenesis, Cx43 expression was found between Sertoli cells and germ cells. However, Cx43 expression in maturation arrest was decreased and located mainly in the basal compartment of seminiferous tubules. Finally, there was a significant positive correlation between histological score of spermatogenesis and intensity of Cx43 (p=0.0294). These data suggest that the alteration of Cx43 expression may be involved in spermatogenic impairment, and that the communication between Sertoli cells and germ cells through Cx43 may be important for maturation of spermatogenesis

Minimal upstream open reading frame of Per2 mediates phase fitness of the circadian clock to day/night physiological body temperature rhythm

全身の体内リズムを調和させるRNA配列の発見 --体温の日内変化に合わせてしなやかに調和させる--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-03-07.Body temperature in homeothermic animals does not remain constant but displays a regular circadian fluctuation within a physiological range (e.g., 35°C–38.5°C in mice), constituting a fundamental systemic signal to harmonize circadian clock-regulated physiology. Here, we find the minimal upstream open reading frame (uORF) encoded by the 5′ UTR of the mammalian core clock gene Per2 and reveal its role as a regulatory module for temperature-dependent circadian clock entrainment. A temperature shift within the physiological range does not affect transcription but instead increases translation of Per2 through its minimal uORF. Genetic ablation of the Per2 minimal uORF and inhibition of phosphoinositide-3-kinase, lying upstream of temperature-dependent Per2 protein synthesis, perturb the entrainment of cells to simulated body temperature cycles. At the organismal level, Per2 minimal uORF mutant skin shows delayed wound healing, indicating that uORF-mediated Per2 modulation is crucial for optimal tissue homeostasis. Combined with transcriptional regulation, Per2 minimal uORF-mediated translation may enhance the fitness of circadian physiology

Sphingosine 1-Phosphate (S1P) in the Peritoneal Fluid Skews M2 Macrophage and Contributes to the Development of Endometriosis

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), an inflammatory mediator, is abundantly contained in red blood cells and platelets. We hypothesized that the S1P concentration in the peritoneal cavity would increase especially during the menstrual phase due to the reflux of menstrual blood, and investigated the S1P concentration in the human peritoneal fluid (PF) from 14 non-endometriosis and 19 endometriosis patients. Although the relatively small number of samples requires caution in interpreting the results, S1P concentration in the PF during the menstrual phase was predominantly increased compared to the non-menstrual phase, regardless of the presence or absence of endometriosis. During the non-menstrual phase, patients with endometriosis showed a significant increase in S1P concentration compared to controls. In vitro experiments using human intra-peritoneal macrophages (MΦ) showed that S1P stimulation biased them toward an M2MΦ-dominant condition and increased the expression of IL-6 and COX-2. An in vivo study showed that administration of S1P increased the size of the endometriotic-like lesion in a mouse model of endometriosis