Insights into motor learning from a viewpoint of transcranial magnetic stimulation

Several protocols of non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation have been developed in the past decades. Single-and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation are painless, and noninvasive tools to evaluate cortical and corticospinal excitability in cerebral cortex compared with transcranial electric stimulation. Motor evoked potential induced by paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation can particularly assess changes of the cortical excitability after motor learning, such as motor skill and motor practice in sports and functional recovery in rehabilitation. However, the effect of electric current in transcranial magnetic stimulation on pyramidal neuron and interneuron in gray and white matters is not actually understood well yet in the field of sports and rehabilitation sciences. Here, we show the important basic knowledge of neurophysiology and transcranial magnetic stimulation and introduce some studies of cortical plasticity and motor learning by using transcranial magnetic stimulation

POWER2008-60164 A NEW RE-FUEL SYSTEM TO PROCESS HIGH WATER CONTENT WASTE TO SOLID FUEL USING SUPERHEATED STEAM

ABSTRACT: The increase of waste and the dryness of natural resources including fossil fuels have become serious problems for the sustainable development of industrial activities and our daily living. A great deal of human effort has been put into the careful use of finite resources and environmental impact reduction. The appropriate processing and the effective use of waste are really in demand in light of our social responsibility for manufacturing and energy development. In addition, the construction of a new recycle system for production is also important from the standpoint of the manufacturer's responsibility. A procedure is being developed to process industrial and municipal wet wastes to solid fuel, called Refuse paper & plastic fuel (RPF), using superheated steam. A drying system using superheated steam is drawing much attention for use with drying high water content materials due to its high thermal efficiency. A material recycle system for processing high water content waste to solid fuel will be introduced in the present study using a demonstration system, and the optimum conditions for the system operation will be examined. The temperature and the quantity of superheated steam required for material drying are evaluated, and the energy consumption and emissions from the system are theoretically estimated and compared. The purpose of this paper is to test-operate a practical waste recycle system, and the results of this new system are compared with the results from a waste incinerator. The effectiveness of a drying system using superheated steam is shown from the standpoint of the reduction of CO 2 emissions and energy consumption for the waste processing

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

Relationship between acetaldehyde concentration in mouth air and characteristics of microbiota of tongue dorsum in Japanese healthy adults: a cross-sectional study

Acetaldehyde, associated with consumption of alcoholic beverages, is known to be a carcinogen and to be related to the tongue dorsum. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between acetaldehyde concentration in mouth air and bacterial characteristics on the tongue dorsum. Methodology: Thirty-nine healthy volunteers participated in the study. Acetaldehyde concentrations in mouth air were evaluated by a high-sensitivity semiconductor gas sensor. A 16S rRNA gene sequencing technique was used to compare microbiomes between two groups, focusing on the six samples with the highest acetaldehyde concentrations (HG) and the six samples with lowest acetaldehyde concentrations (LG). Results: Acetaldehyde concentration increased in correlation with the increase in bacterial count (p=0.048). The number of species observed in the oral microbiome of the HG was higher than that in the oral microbiome of the LG (p=0.011). The relative abundances of Gemella sanguinis, Veillonella parvula and Neisseria flavescens in the oral microbiome of the HG were higher than those in the oral microbiome of the LG (p<0.05). Conclusion: Acetaldehyde concentration in mouth air was associated with bacterial count, diversity of microbiome, and relative abundance of G. sanguinis, V. parvula, and N. flavescens

Relationship between Psychological Stress Determined by Voice Analysis and Periodontal Status: A Cohort Study

In modern society, evaluation and management of psychological stress may be important for the prevention of periodontal disease. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological stress (vitality and mental activity) evaluated by Mind Monitoring System (MIMOSYS) and periodontal status. Forty students of Okayama University underwent the oral examination and self-reported questionnaire on the first day (baseline) and the 14th day (follow-up). Voice recording was performed every day with the MIMOSYS app during the whole study period. The participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at baseline and at follow-up. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to determine the significance of correlations among variables. The PHQ-9 and BDI scores were negatively correlated with vitality in the morning. Change in vitality in the morning was significantly correlated with changes in periodontal inflammation. Mental activity was significantly correlated with change in mean probing pocket depth. This result shows that measurement of psychological stress using a voice-based tool to assess mental health may contribute to the early detection of periodontal disease

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

Callose (β-1,3 glucan) is essential for Arabidopsis pollen wall patterning, but not tube growth

BACKGROUND: Callose (β-1,3 glucan) separates developing pollen grains, preventing their underlying walls (exine) from fusing. The pollen tubes that transport sperm to female gametes also contain callose, both in their walls as well as in the plugs that segment growing tubes. Mutations in CalS5, one of several Arabidopsis β-1,3 glucan synthases, were previously shown to disrupt callose formation around developing microspores, causing aberrations in exine patterning, degeneration of developing microspores, and pollen sterility. RESULTS: Here, we describe three additional cals5 alleles that similarly alter exine patterns, but instead produce fertile pollen. Moreover, one of these alleles (cals5-3) resulted in the formation of pollen tubes that lacked callose walls and plugs. In self-pollinated plants, these tubes led to successful fertilization, but they were at a slight disadvantage when competing with wild type. CONCLUSION: Contrary to a previous report, these results demonstrate that a structured exine layer is not required for pollen development, viability or fertility. In addition, despite the presence of callose-enriched walls and callose plugs in pollen tubes, the results presented here indicate that callose is not required for pollen tube functions