The Relative Effect of Time of Reinforcement and Pre-Reinforcement Activity on the Learning of Meaningful Verbal Material

The present study was designed to compare the relative effects on learning and retention of (1) time of reinforcement, (2) pre-reinforcement activity, and (3) the interaction of the temporal interval and activity. The hoped-for criterion was the retention of six principles

Cosmic-ray exposure age and heliocentric distance of the parent body of H chondrites Yamato-75029 and Tsukuba

Many small pieces of the H chondrites Yamato (Y-) 75029 and Tsukuba were investigated to characterize signatures of light noble gases. These meteorites contain large amounts of solar gases as well as cosmogenic ones. A simple regolith exposure model was developed in order to explain the correlations among solar ^Ne and ^Ar and cosmogenic ^Ne concentrations. Based on the regolith model, the parent body exposure ages, heliocentric distances, and space exposure ages of the two meteorites were calculated. The parent body exposure ages were more than 5.5Ma and 11.8Ma for Y-75029 and Tsukuba, respectively. The heliocentric distances were 2.2±^_ AU and 4.2±^_ AU for Y-75029 and Tsukuba, respectively. The space exposure age of Y-75029 was 5.2-5.8Ma, whereas that of Tsukuba was 8.1±0.6Ma. It has been suggested that the parent bodies of H chondrites are S-type asteroids with orbits that range from 2 to 3.5AU in the present solar system. On the other hand, the obtained heliocentric distances of Y-75029 and Tsukuba indicate locations of the parent bodies in the past when some parts of the meteorites were exposed to the sun. The heliocentric distances for Y-75029 is in a good agreement with current S-type asteroid distribution, while that for Tsukuba is at the upper tail of the distribution

Proteinase-mediated drastic morphological change of peptide-amphiphile to induce supramolecular hydrogelation

We report a novel peptide-amphiphile having a simple molecular structure that can gelate an aqueous solution at a remarkably low concentration and can be designed to be responsive to a disease-related enzyme by undergoing a drastic morphological change

Expression of the CCCH-tandem zinc finger protein gene OsTZF5 under a stress-inducible promoter mitigates the effect of drought stress on rice grain yield under field conditions

Increasing drought resistance without sacrificing grain yield remains an ongoing challenge in crop improvement. In this study, we report that Oryza sativa CCCH‐tandem zinc finger protein 5 (OsTZF5) can confer drought resistance and increase grain yield in transgenic rice plants. Expression of OsTZF5 was induced by abscisic acid, dehydration and cold stress. Upon stress, OsTZF5‐GFP localized to the cytoplasm and cytoplasmic foci. Transgenic rice plants overexpressing OsTZF5 under the constitutive maize ubiquitin promoter exhibited improved survival under drought but also growth retardation. By introducing OsTZF5 behind the stress‐responsive OsNAC6 promoter in two commercial upland cultivars, Curinga and NERICA4, we obtained transgenic plants that showed no growth retardation. Moreover, these plants exhibited significantly increased grain yield compared to non‐transgenic cultivars in different confined field drought environments. Physiological analysis indicated that OsTZF5 promoted both drought tolerance and drought avoidance. Collectively, our results provide strong evidence that OsTZF5 is a useful biotechnological tool to minimize yield losses in rice grown under drought conditions

Trends in Self-Rated Oral Health and Its Associations with Oral Health Status and Oral Health Behaviors in Japanese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from 2011 to 2019

Self-rated oral health (SROH) is a valid, comprehensive indicator of oral health status. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to analyze how oral health behaviors and clinical oral status were associated with SROH and how they had changed over the course of nine years in Japanese university students. Data were obtained from 17,996 students who underwent oral examinations and completed self-questionnaires from 2011 to 2019. Oral status was assessed using the decayed and filled teeth scores, bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth, the Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S), oral health behaviors, and related factors. SROH improved from 2011 to 2019. The logistic regression model showed that university students who were female and had a high daily frequency of tooth brushing, no BOP, no decayed teeth, no filled teeth, and a low OHI-S score and were significantly more likely to report very good, good, or fair SROH. An interaction effect was observed between survey year and regular dental check-ups (year x regular dental check-ups). The improvement trend in SROH might be associated with changes in oral health behaviors and oral health status