Rotation Curves of Spiral Galaxies and Large Scale Structure of Universe under Generalized Einstein Action

We consider an addition of the term which is a square of the scalar curvature to the Einstein-Hilbert action. Under this generalized action, we attempt to explain i) the flat rotation curves observed in spiral galaxies, which is usually attributed to the existence of dark matter, and ii) the contradicting observations of uniform cosmic microwave background and non-uniform galaxy distributions against redshift. For the former, we attain the flatness of velocities, although the magnitudes remain about half of the observations. For the latter, we obtain a solution with oscillating Hubble parameter under uniform mass distributions. This solution leads to several peaks of galaxy number counts as a function of redshift with the first peak corresponding to the Great Wall.Comment: 16 page

Web API for biology with a workflow navigation system

DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ) provides Web-based systems for biological analysis, called Web APIs for biology (WABI). So far, we have developed over 20 SOAP services and several workflows that consist of a series of method invocations. In this article, we present newly developed services of WABI, that is, REST-based Web services, additional workflows and a workflow navigation system. Each Web service and workflow can be used as a complete service or a building block for programmers to construct more complex information processing systems. The workflow navigation system aims to help non-programming biologists perform analysis tasks by providing next applicable services on Web browsers according to the output of a previously selected service. With this function, users can apply multiple services consecutively only by following links without any programming or manual copy-and-paste operations on Web browsers. The listed services are determined automatically by the system referring to the dictionaries of service categories, the input/output types of services and HTML tags. WABI and the workflow navigation system are freely accessible at http://www.xml.nig.ac.jp/index.html and http://cyclamen.ddbj.nig.ac.jp/, respectively

Photoemission study of TiO2/VO2 interfaces

We have measured photoemission spectra of two kinds of TiO$_2$-capped VO$_2$ thin films, namely, that with rutile-type TiO$_2$ (r-TiO$_2$/VO$_2$) and that with amorphous TiO$_2$ (a-TiO$_2$/VO$_2$) capping layers. Below the Metal-insulator transition temperature of the VO$_2$ thin films, $\sim 300$ K, metallic states were not observed for the interfaces with TiO$_2$, in contrast with the interfaces between the band insulator SrTiO$_3$ and the Mott insulator LaTiO$_3$ in spite of the fact that both TiO$_2$ and SrTiO$_3$ are band insulators with $d^0$ electronic configurations and both VO$_2$ and LaTiO$_3$ are Mott insulators with $d^1$ electronic configurations. We discuss possible origins of this difference and suggest the importance of the polarity discontinuity of the interfaces. Stronger incoherent part was observed in r-TiO$_2$/VO$_2$ than in a-TiO$_2$/VO$_2$, suggesting Ti-V atomic diffusion due to the higher deposition temperature for r-TiO$_2$/VO$_2$.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Disrupted White Matter Integrity and Structural Brain Networks in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy With and Without Interictal Psychosis

Background: Despite the importance of psychosis as a comorbidity of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), the underlying neural mechanisms are still unclear. We aimed to investigate abnormalities specific to psychosis in TLE, using diffusion MRI parameters and graph-theoretical network analysis. Material and Methods: We recruited 49 patients with TLE (20 with and 29 without interictal schizophrenia-like psychosis) and 42 age-/gender-matched healthy controls. We performed 3-tesla MRI scans including 3D T1-weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging in all participants. Among the three groups, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and global network metrics were compared by analyses of covariance. Regional connectivity strength was compared by network-based statistics. Results: Compared to controls, TLE patients showed significant temporal and extra-temporal changes in FA, and MD, which were more severe and widespread in patients with than without psychosis. We observed distinct differences between TLE patients with and without psychosis in the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). Similarly, for network metrics, global, and local efficiency and increased path length were significantly reduced in TLE patients compared to controls, but with more severe changes in TLE with psychosis than without psychosis. Network-based statistics detected significant differences between TLE with and without psychosis mainly involving the left limbic and prefrontal areas. Conclusion: TLE patients with interictal schizophrenia-like psychosis showed more widespread and severe white matter impairment, involving the ATR, IFOF and ILF, as well as disrupted network connectivity, particularly in the left limbic and prefrontal cortex, than patients without psychosis

Distinct subsynaptic localization of type 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors at glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses in the rodent cerebellar cortex

Type 1 metabotropic glutamate (mGlu1) receptors play a pivotal role in different forms of synaptic plasticity in the cerebellar cortex, e.g. long-term depression at glutamatergic synapses and rebound potentiation at GABAergic synapses. These various forms of plasticity might depend on the subsynaptic arrangement of the receptor in Purkinje cells that can be regulated by protein-protein interactions. This study investigated, by means of the freeze-fracture replica immunogold labelling method, the subcellular localization of mGlu1 receptors in the rodent cerebellum and whether Homer proteins regulate their subsynaptic distribution. We observed a widespread extrasynaptic localization of mGlu1 receptors and confirmed their peri-synaptic enrichment at glutamatergic synapses. Conversely, we detected mGlu1 receptors within the main body of GABAergic synapses onto Purkinje cell dendrites. Although Homer proteins are known to interact with the mGlu1 receptor C-terminus, we could not detect Homer3, the most abundant Homer protein in the cerebellar cortex, at GABAergic synapses by pre-embedding and post-embedding immunoelectron microscopy. We then hypothesized a critical role for Homer proteins in the peri-junctional localization of mGlu1 receptors at glutamatergic synapses. To disrupt Homer-associated protein complexes, mice were tail-vein injected with the membrane-permeable dominant-negative TAT-Homer1a. Freeze-fracture replica immunogold labelling analysis showed no significant alteration in the mGlu1 receptor distribution pattern at parallel fibre-Purkinje cell synapses, suggesting that other scaffolding proteins are involved in the peri-synaptic confinement. The identification of interactors that regulate the subsynaptic localization of the mGlu1 receptor at neurochemically distinct synapses may offer new insight into its trafficking and intracellular signalling

Classical and Quantum Solutions and the Problem of Time in R2R^2 Cosmology

We have studied various classical solutions in $R^2$ cosmology. Especially we have obtained general classical solutions in pure $R^2$\ cosmology. Even in the quantum theory, we can solve the Wheeler-DeWitt equation in pure $R^2$\ cosmology exactly. Comparing these classical and quantum solutions in $R^2$\ cosmology, we have studied the problem of time in general relativity.Comment: 17 pages, latex, no figure, one reference is correcte

Sisäinen viestintä muutostilanteessa : Case: Suomenselän Osuuspankki

Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoituksen oli selvittää, miten sisäinen viestintä on onnistunut fuusioitumisprosessin aikana Suomenselän Osuuspankissa. Tutkimus toteutettiin kvantitatiivisena kyselytutkimuksena tammikuussa 2016. Kyselyssä oli mukana myös toisen fuusioitumisprosessin osapuolen eli Pyhälaakson Osuuspankin henkilöstö ja hallinto. Opinnäytetyö koostuu toiminnallisesta, empiirisestä ja teoreettisesta osiosta. Työn teoreettinen viitekehys muodostuu muutoksesta, johdon ja esimiehen roolista muutoksessa, muutosvastarinnasta ja muutoksen aikaisesta sisäisestä viestinnästä. Työn empiirisessä osiossa esitellään työssä käytetyt tutkimusmenetelmät ja tutkimuksista saadut tulokset. Työn toiminnallisessa osuudessa Suomenselän Osuuspankkiin on laadittu dokumentti, johon on kirjattu Suomenselän Osuuspankin muutoksen aikaisen sisäisen viestinnän tärkeät asiat. Kyselyn tulokset osoittivat, että sisäinen viestintä on onnistunut molemmissa pankeissa henkilöstölle ja hallinnolle kokonaisuudessaan hyvin. Kuitenkin, kun kyselyiden tuloksia tarkastellaan eri taustamuuttujien avulla, voidaan niiden välillä havaita eroja. Tarkempi tulosten tarkkailu osoitti, että toimihenkilöille suunnatussa viestinnässä oli havaittavissa joitakin puutteita ja tulevaisuudessa sitä olisi hyvä tuoda enemmän henkilöstön tasolle. Suurin osa henkilöstön ja hallinnon jäsenistä kokee muutoksen positiivisena asiana ja heidän keskuudessa ei ollut havaittavissa suurempaa muutosvastarintaa. Toimeksiantaja saa tästä työstä hyödyllistä tietoa miten muutosprosessin viestinnässä onnistuttiin ja mihin tulee kiinnittää huomiota mahdollisissa tulevissa muutoksissa.The aim of this thesis was to look into the success of the internal communication implementation during a merger process in Suomenselän Osuuspankki. The study was carried out as a quantitative questionnaire in January 2016. The questionnaire was also sent to Pyhälaakson Osuuspankki which was the other party in the merger. This thesis consists of action-based, empirical and theoretical sections. The theoretical framework of the project consists of change, the role of management in the change situation, resistance to change and internal communication in change. In the empirical section of this thesis the methods and results of the study are presented. In the action-based section of this research the important points of the internal communication flow during the change in Suomenselän Osuuspankki were compiled into a document. The results of the study show that the internal communication implemented with personnel and administration has succeeded well in both of the banks. However, when the effect of background variables on the results were examined some differences can be observed. Closer investigation of the results shows some defects in the internal communication targeted at personnel. To develop further, in the future internal communication should be brought closer to the level of the personnel in the organisation. The majority of the personnel and administration find the organizational change to be a positive element and amongst them no considerable resistance to change can be discovered. This thesis gives the client useful information about the success of the internal communication flow and the factors worth consideration in the forthcoming changes in the organization

Generalized Einstein Theory on Solar and Galactic Scales

We study a generalized Einstein theory with the following two criteria:{\it i}) on the solar scale, it must be consistent with the classical tests of general relativity, {\it ii}) on the galactic scale, the gravitational potential is a sum of Newtonian and Yukawa potentials so that it may explain the flat rotation curves of spiral galaxies. Under these criteria, we find that such a generalized Einstein action must include at least one scalar field and one vector field as well as the quadratic term of the scalar curvature.Comment: 13 pages, Latex, SLAC-PUB-596

Right Isomerism of the Brain in Inversus Viscerum Mutant Mice

Left-right (L-R) asymmetry is a fundamental feature of higher-order neural function. However, the molecular basis of brain asymmetry remains unclear. We recently reported L-R asymmetry of hippocampal circuitry caused by differential allocation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunit GluRε2 (NR2B) in hippocampal synapses. Using electrophysiology and immunocytochemistry, here we analyzed the hippocampal circuitry of the inversus viscerum (iv) mouse that has a randomized laterality of internal organs. The iv mouse hippocampus lacks L-R asymmetry, it exhibits right isomerism in the synaptic distribution of the ε2 subunit, irrespective of the laterality of visceral organs. This independent right isomerism of the hippocampus is the first evidence that a distinct mechanism downstream of the iv mutation generates brain asymmetry