Taste Your Emotions:An Exploration of the Relationship between Taste and Emotional Experience for HCI

Taste offers unexplored opportunities for novel user experiences in HCI, however it is difficult to design for. While most lab research has shown basic tastes are consistently associated with positive or negative emotional experiences, the value of these mappings in real-life scenarios is less explored. In this paper we leverage 3D food printing technologies to report an experimental study investigating the relationship between taste and emotional experience for use in HCI. We present four real-life scenarios: product rating, sports match results, experiential vignettes, and website usability, to explore the understanding of emotional meaning through tastes, as well as the use of tastes to express emotions. Our findings extend previous emotion mappings for sweet and bitter tastes to real-life scenarios. We also draw out fresh insights into the role of taste, flavor, and embodiment in experience design, reflecting on the role of 3D food printing in supporting taste interfaces

Cyclic AMP activates B-Raf and ERK in cyst epithelial cells from autosomal-dominant polycystic kidneys

Cyclic AMP activates B-Raf and ERK in cyst epithelial cells from autosomal-dominant polycystic kidneys.BackgroundThe proliferation of mural epithelial cells is a major cause of progressive cyst enlargement in autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Adenosine 3′, 5′ cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) stimulates the proliferation of cells from ADPKD cysts, but not cells from normal human kidney cortex (HKC), through the activation of protein kinase A (PKA), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK/MAPK). In the current study, we examined the signaling pathway between PKA and MEK in ADPKD and HKC cells.MethodsPrimary cultures of human ADPKD and HKC cells were prepared from nephrectomy specimens. We determined the effects of cAMP and epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the activation of ERK, B-Raf and Raf-1 in ADPKD and HKC cells by immune kinase assay and Western blot.Results8-Br-cAMP increased phosphorylated ERK (2.7- ± 0.6-fold, N = 7), and B-Raf kinase activity (3.6- ± 1.1-fold, N = 5) in cells from ADPKD kidneys; levels of phosphorylated Raf-1 were not changed. Inhibition of PKA by H89 strikingly decreased cAMP-stimulated phosphorylation of ERK and B-Raf, and MAPK inhibition by PD98059 blocked the effect of the nucleotide to activate ERK. By contrast, in HKC cells 8-Br-cAMP did not activate B-Raf and ERK. EGF stimulated the phosphorylation of ERK and Raf-1 in both ADPKD and HKC cells, but had no effect on B-Raf. 8-Br-cAMP and EGF conjointly increased ERK activation above that of either agonist alone in ADPKD cells, and this combined effect was abolished by PD98059, indicating that ERK was activated by EGF- and cAMP-responsive cascades that converge at MAPK.ConclusioncAMP activates ERK and increases proliferation of ADPKD epithelial cells, but not cells from normal human kidney cortex, through the sequential phosphorylation of PKA, B-Raf and MAPK in a pathway separate from, but complementary to, the classical receptor tyrosine kinase cascade. Consequently, cAMP and EGF have great potential to accelerate the progressive enlargement of renal cysts

An Exploration of Taste–Emotion Mappings from the Perspective of Food Design Practitioners

This paper explores taste-emotion mappings and how they may inform the design of user experience in HCI. We report interviews with 7 food industry professionals and discuss the findings against laboratory-based psychology studies. While the sweet-positive affect and bitter-negative affect mappings were confirmed, those for sour, salty and umami tastes were challenged. Our outcomes highlight a more nuanced understanding of taste-emotion mappings, the influence of taste intensity and the importance of narrative and temporality when designing taste experience in naturalistic settings

Global Gene Expression Profiling in PPAR-γ Agonist-Treated Kidneys in an Orthologous Rat Model of Human Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease

Kidneys are enlarged by aberrant proliferation of tubule epithelial cells leading to the formation of numerous cysts, nephron loss, and interstitial fibrosis in polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Pioglitazone (PIO), a PPAR-γ agonist, decreased cell proliferation, interstitial fibrosis, and inflammation, and ameliorated PKD progression in PCK rats (Am. J. Physiol.-Renal, 2011). To explore genetic mechanisms involved, changes in global gene expression were analyzed. By Gene Set Enrichment Analysis of 30655 genes, 13 of the top 20 downregulated gene ontology biological process gene sets and six of the top 20 curated gene set canonical pathways identified to be downregulated by PIOtreatment were related to cell cycle and proliferation, including EGF, PDGF and JNK pathways. Their relevant pathways were identified using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes database. Stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 is a key enzyme in fatty acid metabolism found in the top 5 genes downregulated by PIO treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the gene product of this enzyme was highly expressed in PCK kidneys and decreased by PIO. These data show that PIO alters the expression of genes involved in cell cycle progression, cell proliferation, and fatty acid metabolism

大都市団地居住高齢者の社会関係と生活ニーズ充足のためのソーシャルサポート ─ライフコースとケアリング関係の視点からの分析─

本研究の目的は,ライフコースとケアリング関係の視点から,大都市団地居住高齢者の社会関係と生活ニーズ充足のためのソーシャルサポートとの関連を分析し,地域包括ケアの課題を検討することである。東京都A 市B 団地居住高齢者429 名への訪問調査を2011 年5-6 月に実施した(有効N=196 名,有効回答率:46.0%)。主な結果として,1)生活ニーズのある人(全体の1 割弱)の2-4 割に支援者がおらず,有支援者の2 割弱が家事,買い物,ゴミだし,当番の場合に近所の人を担い手としてあげた(複数回答),2)困りごとの相談相手がいない人は2 割弱で,男性の方が女性よりいない割合が高い,3)ロジスティック回帰分析の結果,独居,男性,近隣ネットワークが小さい方が相談者がいない確率が高いことがわかった。独居や男性など既存の社会ネットワークを活用したソーシャルサポートの活用可能性が乏しいグループには適切な支援策が必要であることが示唆された。小規模調査の限界もあるが,団地居住高齢者の多様な社会関係とソーシャルサポートの現状をふまえての地域包括ケアの課題があきらかになった。The purpose of this study is two-fold: 1) to examine the association between social relationships and support for meeting the daily life needs of elderly people in an urban housing complex from the lifecourse and caring-relations perspectives and 2) to discuss the challenges of community comprehensive care. Structured home-visit interviews were conducted among 429 elderly people at Housing Complex B in City A, in the Tokyo Metropolitan area, from May to June, 2011. Valid responses were obtained from 196 persons, for a response rate of 46.0%. The results are as follows: 1) among the elderly who had daily-life needs (less than ten percent of total respondents), twenty percent relied on neighbors for doing housework, shopping, taking out garbage, and performing duties in the housing complex (multiple answer); 2) less than twenty percent of respondents had no one they could turn to for advice regarding their day-to-day difficulties; and 3) as a result of logistic regression analysis, single people, males, and respondents with small networks of neighbors were found to be less likely than couples, females, and those with large networks of neighbors to have anyone to turn to for advice. Our findings indicate thatit is necessary to have an appropriate support system for those who have limited support available in their existing social network (e.g. single people, males). In spite of the limitation of a small sample, we could clarify some of the challenges for community comprehensive care for elderly people by considering the diverse social relations and social support available to them in a housing complex

Review of the Use of Animal Models of Human Polycystic Kidney Disease for the Evaluation of Experimental Therapeutic Modalities

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, and nephronophthisis are hereditary disorders with the occurrence of numerous cysts in both kidneys, often causing chronic and end-stage renal failure. Animal models have played an important role in recent advances in research not only on disease onset and progressive mechanisms but also on the development of therapeutic interventions. For a long time, spontaneous animal models have been used as the primary focus for human diseases; however, after the identification of the nucleotide sequence of the responsible genes, PKD1, PKD2, PKHD1, and NPHPs, various types of genetically modified models were developed by genetic and reproductive engineering techniques and played the leading role in the research field. In this review, we present murine models of hereditary renal cystic diseases, discussing their potential benefits in the development of therapeutic strategies

Increased salt intake does not worsen the progression of renal cystic disease in high water-loaded PCK rats.

The anti-diuretic hormone arginine vasopressin is thought to be a detrimental factor in polycystic kidney disease (PKD). We previously reported that high water intake (HWI) reduced urine osmolality and urinary arginine vasopressin, improved renal function, and reduced the kidney/body weight ratio in PCK rats, an orthologous model of human PKD. In PKD patients, however, it is reported that HWI increases total kidney volume, urine volume, and urine sodium excretion, which could be a consequence of high salt intake. In the current study, we loaded PCK rats with high salt concurrently with HWI to determine whether this human-imitated condition exacerbates disease progression. PCK rats were assigned into 4 groups: control group (CONT: distilled water), HWI group (HWI: 5% glucose in water), HWI with 0.2% NaCl group (HWI+0.2%NaCl), and HWI with 0.45% NaCl group (HWI+0.45%NaCl). Total water intake during the experimental period was increased by 1.86-, 2.02-, and 2.42-fold in HWI, HWI+0.2%NaCl, and HWI+0.45%NaCl, and sodium intake was increased by 2.55- and 5.83-fold in HWI+0.2%NaCl and HWI+0.45%NaCl, respectively, compared with CONT. Systolic blood pressure was higher in HWI+0.2%NaCl and HWI+0.45%NaCl than in both CONT and HWI. Serum urea nitrogen, kidney/body weight ratio, cAMP, cystic area, and fibrosis index were significantly lower in HWI compared with CONT, and these ameliorative effects were not abrogated in either HWI+0.2%NaCl or HWI+0.45%NaCl. The amount of sodium excreted into the urine was increased by 2.50- and 8.38-fold in HWI+0.2%NaCl and HWI+0.45%NaCl, respectively, compared with HWI. Serum sodium levels were not different between the groups. These findings indicate that the beneficial effect of HWI against the progression of cystic kidney disease was not affected even by high salt-overload in this rodent model of PKD