Wind Speed Affects Pollination Success in Blackberries

Pollination of wild plants and agricultural crops is a vitally important ecosystem service. Many landscape and environmental factors influence the pollination success of crops, including distance from natural habitat, wind speed, and solar radiation. Although there is a general consensus that increasing distance from forest decreases pollination success, few studies have examined the influence of specific environmental factors. In this study, we examined which environmental factors influence the pollination success of blackberries (Rubus glaucus). We measured the number of fruitlets per berry, a proxy for pollination success, as well as the weight and sweetness of each berry. Our results indicate that number of fruitlets is positively correlated with wind speed, but number of unripe red berries per bush is negatively correlated with wind speed. In addition, sweetness increased with increasing numbers of red berries per bush but was lower when flowers and berries were present, though this result should be considered with caution due to methodological limitations. Our findings suggest that a little studied environmental factor, wind, has a large impact on the number of fruitlets in blackberries. Although our findings should be confirmed in other locations to draw broader conclusions, they suggest that producers should consider the effect of wind on blackberry yield to optimize blackberry production

Anomalomermis ephemerophagis n. g., n. sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae) parasitic in the mayfly Ephemerella maculata Traver (Ephermeroptera: Ephermerellidae) in California, USA

A new nematode, Anomalomermis ephemerophagis n. g., n. sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae) is described from the mayfly Ephemerella maculata Traver, 1934 (Ephermeroptera: Ephermerellidae) in California. The new species is characterized by 6 cephalic papillae and 4 additional disk papillae located on the head between the cephalic papillae and stoma. Additional diagnostic characters are: a mouth opening terminal; absence of X-fibers in the cuticle of both postparasitic juveniles and adults; paired, curved, medium-sized spicules; a straight barrow-shaped vagina and large eggs. Two infectious agents were present in some specimens. This is the first description of an adult nematode from a mayfly

Reactivity of CA19-9 and CA125 in Histological Subtypes of Epithelial Ovarian Tumors and Ovarian Endometriosis

Previous reports have shown that some ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinomas and ovarian clear cell adenocarcinomas derive from ovarian endometriosis (OE), and that endocervical-like mucinous borderline ovarian tumors are associated with OE. We examined the relationship between the staging and histological subtypes of OE or epithelial ovarian tumors (EOT) and the serum levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) to evaluate the potential of these markers for preoperative diagnosis. First, we analyzed the preoperative serum levels of CA19-9 and CA125 in 195 patients who were histopathologically diagnosed with OE or EOT. We then performed a case-control study in which 308 women were enrolled, the 195 women described above and 113 healthy women as control subjects. Serum CA19-9 and CA125 levels were found to be useful in differentiating between OE and serous adenocarcinoma, but not between OE and other EOT. Moreover, serum CA19-9 levels were useful for preoperative assessment between OE and stage I mucinous borderline ovarian tumors, with or without the interstitial infiltration. In addition, considering that the serum CA19-9 levels in stage I mucinous borderline ovarian tumors were elevated via the interstitial infiltration of leukocytes and that precancerous lesions are associated with a cancerous glycosylation disorder in the process of inflammatory carcinogenesis, the CA19-9 level may be considered a suitable biomarker for estimating drug susceptibility

Detection of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae using the MALDI Biotyper Selective Testing of Antibiotic Resistance?β-Lactamase (MBT STAR-BL) assay

The MALDI Biotyper Selective Testing of Antibiotic Resistance?β-Lactamase (MBT STAR-BL) assay, which analyzes bacterial induced hydrolysis of cefotaxime using MALDI-TOF MS, correctly identified 100.0% of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae as positive and 94.7% of non-ESBL producers as negative in 80 strains tested

特別支援学校教育実習指導の提言と展望

私立大学での特別支援学校教育実習について，過去5 年間の実習学生数及び実習校の分布，実習学部等について集計し，過去2 年間の実習報告書による学生の自己評価の記載内容を解析した。本学では，小学校教諭一種の教員免許状を取得又は取得見込みの学生で特別支援学校教諭を志望する学生が4 年次に特別支援学校教育実習を行う。実習学校は全国各地に分散しており，実習校の知的・肢体・病弱等の障害種別も散逸し，実習時期も4 年次の前・後期に散在していること等から，実習指導の講義構成に相当な工夫を要している。実習報告書の集計結果では，実習配属学部は小学部以外が半数以上を占め，配属学部と自己評価には，実習全般および授業内容に関する分散分析において関連がみられた。自由記述による自己評価についてのコレスポンデンス分析の結果を加えて，実習指導の講義カリキュラム構成と内容など実践力養成のための教育実習の在り方について提言する

Role of the Transplant Pharmacist

At the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Japan, pharmacists have been involved in drug treatment management and patient care as members of multidisciplinary heart transplant teams that include surgeons, physicians, recipient transplant coordinators, and nurses during the waiting period for heart transplantation (HTx), HTx surgery, and post-HTx. During the waiting period, pharmacists play an important role in adjusting the use of antibiotics, anticoagulants, and antiarrhythmics by patients receiving a ventricular assist device (VAD). During HTx surgery and post-HTx, pharmacists advise physicians regarding the individualized medication protocol for immunosuppression and infection prevention to be used for each patient based on the patient’s pre-HTx characteristics as well as gene polymorphisms. They thus contribute to reducing the burden on the physician through the sharing of tasks. Throughout all three phases of HTx, pharmacists repeatedly provide medication and adherence education to the patients and caregivers. It is hoped that an academic society-led training protocol as well as transplant pharmacists will be established in Japan and other developed countries, and that these specialized transplant pharmacists would then provide individualized pharmacotherapy for the use of various antibiotics, anticoagulants, and immunosuppressive agents that have a narrow range of treatment in VAD and HTx patients

教員養成課程における医療的ケアの教育課程と指導法－教育体制の歴史的背景と課題をふまえて－

　医療的ケアを要する児が増加し，全国で約1.7 万人となった。障害者基本法改正，障害者差別解消法制定，児童福祉法改正等の法整備がなされて以降は特に，医療的ケア児の教育の保障意識が格段に変化している。2012 年からは，介護保険法等の一部改正による社会福祉士及び介護福祉士法の一部改正に伴い，一定の研修を修了し，痰の吸引等の業務の登録認定を受けた介護職員や特別支援学校の教員等が，一定の条件の下に医療的ケアを実施できるようになった。しかし，さらに進歩し続ける医療と，保育や教育の現場での対応の進歩には依然格差が残っており，教員養成課程での医療的ケア等に関する指導は整理されていないのが現状である。肢体不自由や病弱に関する特別支援教育課目を含めた教員養成課程での指導法についての課題を検討するため，学校における医療的ケアの歴史的背景と本学での医療的ケアに関する講義構成等を報告する

Cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine as a novel biomarker for predicting prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a prospective observational study

[Background] Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive fibrotic lung disease that leads to respiratory failure and death. Although there is a greater understanding of the etiology of this disease, accurately predicting the disease course in individual patients is still not possible. This study aimed to evaluate serum cytokines/chemokines as potential biomarkers that can predict outcomes in IPF patients. [Methods] A multi-institutional prospective two-stage discovery and validation design using two independent cohorts was adopted. For the discovery analysis, serum samples from 100 IPF patients and 32 healthy controls were examined using an unbiased, multiplex immunoassay of 48 cytokines/chemokines. The serum cytokine/chemokine values were compared between IPF patients and controls; the association between multiplex measurements and survival time was evaluated in IPF patients. In the validation analysis, the cytokines/chemokines identified in the discovery analysis were examined in serum samples from another 81 IPF patients to verify the ability of these cytokines/chemokines to predict survival. Immunohistochemical assessment of IPF-derived lung samples was also performed to determine where this novel biomarker is expressed. [Results] In the discovery cohort, 18 cytokines/chemokines were significantly elevated in sera from IPF patients compared with those from controls. Interleukin-1 receptor alpha (IL-1Rα), interleukin-8 (IL-8), macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha (MIP-1α), and cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK) were associated with survival: IL-1Rα, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.04 per 10 units, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01–1.07; IL-8, HR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.08; MIP-1α, HR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.00–1.36; and CTACK, HR = 1.12 per 100 units, 95% CI 1.02–1.21. A replication analysis was performed only for CTACK because others were previously reported to be potential biomarkers of interstitial lung diseases. In the validation cohort, CTACK was associated with survival: HR = 1.14 per 100 units, 95% CI 1.01–1.28. Immunohistochemistry revealed the expression of CTACK and CC chemokine receptor 10 (a ligand of CTACK) in airway and type II alveolar epithelial cells of IPF patients but not in those of controls. [Conclusions] CTACK is a novel prognostic biomarker of IPF

免疫組織化学法を用いた一側内耳破壊ラットの前庭代償の新しい評価法の開発

Background: Unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL) causes the disappearance of ipsilateral medial vestibular nuclear (ipsi-MVe) activity and induces spontaneous nystagmus (SN), which disappears during the initial process of vestibular compensation (VC). Ipsi-MVe-activity restores in the late process of VC. Objective: We evaluated the late process of VC after UL in rats and examined the effects of thioperamide (H3 antagonist) on VC. Materials and methods: MK801 (NMDA antagonist)-induced Fos-like immunoreactive (-LIR) neurons in contra-MVe, which had been suppressed by NMDA-mediated cerebellar inhibition in UL-rats was used as an index. Results: The number of MK801-induced Fos-LIR neurons in contra-MVe gradually decreased to the same level as that of sham-operated rats 14 days after UL. Thioperamide moved the disappearance of the MK801-induced Fos-LIR neurons 2 days earlier. The number of MK801-induced Fos-LIR neurons in thioperamide-treated rats was significantly decreased, compared with that of vehicle-rats on days 7 and 12 after UL. But, thioperamide did not influence the decline of SN frequency in UL-rats. Conclusion: There findings suggested that the number of MK801-induced Fos-LIR neurons in contra-MVe was decreased in concordance with the restoration of ipsi-MVe-activity during the late process of VC after UL and that thioperamide accelerated the late, but not the initial process of VC

The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range, from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution, high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-2 keV with high spectral resolution of Delta E < 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12 keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the 40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science themes.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Instrumentation "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray