Auto-spermatophore extrusion in male crickets

The reproductive cycle of the male cricket consists of the mating stage and the sexually refractory stage. The latter is further divided into the first refractory stage (RS1) from spermatophore extrusion in copulation to spermatophore preparation after copulation, and the second refractory stage (RS2) from spermatophore preparation to recommencement of a calling song. RS2 is time-fixed and unaffected by the female or by stress, hence RS2 is assumed to be controlled by the reproductive timer. Previously, we suggested that the timer is located in the terminal abdominal ganglion (TAG), because functional inactivation of the TAG by local cooling lengthened RS2 in proportion to cooling time. To obtain further evidence of timer localization and to examine the operation of the timer in dissected animals, we investigated the characteristics of auto-spermatophore extrusion, a phenomenon in which males eject the mature spermatophore themselves without any prior courtship. The occurrence of auto-spermatophore extrusion was 100% in dissected males with the TAG separated, compared to 1.7% in intact males. The time interval (SPaSE) between spermatophore preparation and autospermatophore extrusion was comparable to RS2 measured by the calling song. Spike recording from a genital motor neurone in the separated TAG indicated that burst discharge associated with auto-spermatophore extrusion occurred with a SPaSE comparable to RS2. Other efferent neurones, some of which were identified as dorsal unpaired median (DUM) neurones, showed a timedependent spike frequency increase during SPaSE. These results strengthen our previous conclusion that the reproductive timer is located within the TAG, and demonstrate that the timer functions normally even when the TAG is separated from the central nervous system.</p

Hybrid control system for greater resilience using multiple isolation and building connection

An innovative hybrid control building system of multiple isolation and connection is proposed and investigated using both time history and input energy responses for various types of ground motions together with transfer functions. It is concerned that the seismic displacement response at the base-isolation layer of the existing base-isolated buildings may extremely increase under long-period and long-duration ground motions, which are getting great attention recently. In order to enhance the seismic performance of those base-isolated buildings, a novel hybrid system of multiple isolation and building connection is proposed and compared with other structural systems such as an independent multiple isolation system, a hybrid system of base isolation and building connection. Furthermore, the robustness of seismic responses of the proposed hybrid system for various types of ground motion is discussed through the comparison of various structural systems including non-hybrid systems. Finally, the optimal connection damper location is investigated using a sensitivity-type optimization approach

A Training Method for the Speech Controlled Environmental Control System Based on Candidate Word Discriminations

This paper proposes a concept of a training system for the speech controlled environmental control system: Bio-Remote based on candidate word discriminations. The proposed system can provide three-types of voice signal training: (1) volume, (2) tempo/timing and (3) candidate word which are important for accurate speech recognition based on false recognition results. During the training, such three kinds of features are extracted from measured voice signals and visually and auditory fed back to the user in real time. This allows the user to train speech abilities even if false recognition results are extracted because of slurred speech. The efficacy of the proposed system was demonstrated through training experiments for slurred speech conducted with healthy participants. The results showed that the proposed system was capable for the training of speech abilities.This work was partially supported by JSPS/MEXT KAKENHI Grant Numbers 17K12723 and 26330226

Quantitation of Hepatitis C Virus RNA in Liver Tissue as a Predictive Marker of the Response to Interferon Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis C

Recently, factors predicting the response to interferon (IFN) therapy against hepatitis C virus (HCV) have received much attention. To evaluate the usefulness of the quantitation of intrahepatic HCV RNA as a predictive marker of the response to IFN therapy, we compared the amount of intrahepatic HCV RNA with serum levels in 16 patients. Eleven patients who had 10(10) copies/g or more of intrahepatic HCV RNA had increased level of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) after IFN therapy, while 4 of 5 patients who had less than 10(10) copies/g of intrahepatic HCV RNA achieved sustained normalization of serum ALT level and were designated as complete responders. Four complete responders possessed significantly less HCV RNA in the liver parenchyma than partial and nonresponders (P = 0.010, Mann-Whitney U-test), but the amount of HCV RNA in the serum was not significantly different between those groups. In conclusion, the results suggest that the quantitation of intrahepatic HCV RNA is a better indicator of the response to IFN therapy than serum HCV RNA.</p

Cytoskeletal inhibitors, anti-adhesion molecule antibodies, and lectins inhibit hepatocyte spheroid formation.

We investigated the role of cytoskeletons, adhesion molecules, membrane-glycosylations, and proteoglycans in forming the shape of adult rat hepatocyte spheroids. Isolated hepatocytes were cultured on dishes coated with chondroitin sulfate phosphatidyl ethanolamine (CS-PE). Spheroid-forming ability was observed after adding cytoskeletal inhibitors (cytochalasin D, colchicine, okadaic acid, mycalolide B), anti-adhesion molecule antibodies (anti-E-cadherin, anti-connexin 32, anti-zo-1), a glycosphingolipid synthetic inhibitor (N-butyldeoxynojirimycin), a proteoglycan synthetic inhibitor (p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside), and several lectins. Localization of actin was studied using confocal microscopy after rhodamine-phalloidin staining. Adding cytoskeletal inhibitors on the initial day resulted in weakly clustered cell aggregates rather than smoothly formed spheroids. These effects disappeared at lower reagent concentrations. When reagents were added on day 3, after the formation of spheroids, only mycalolide B was associated with an irregular spheroid surface; the others had no effect. Adding the anti-E-cadherin, anti-connexin 32 on the initial day showed inhibition of spheroid formation, but anti-zo-1 and proteoglycan synthetic inhibitor had no effects. Among the several lectins, only Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA), Ricinus communis Agglutinin I (RCA-I), and Concanavalin A (ConA) showed inhibition. These results suggest that cytoskeletal conformation and some adhesion molecules are necessary to form spheroids. Based on the interactions between lectins and hepatocytes in the present study, hepatocytes appear to contain an N-linked complex or N-linked hybrid glycosylated chains