What factors determine student performance in East Asia? New evidence from TIMSS 2007

This study investigates what factors determine students’ academic performance in five major economies in East Asia, using the dataset from the 2007 survey of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). We explicitly consider initial maturity differences, endogeneity of class size, and peer effects in regression analysis. We find that a student’s individual and family background is a key determinant of educational performance, while institutional and resource variables have a more limited effect. Peer effects are significant in general, but ability sorting at the school and/or class levels makes it difficult to interpret them in Hong Kong and Singapore.Educational production function, Initial maturity differences, Peer effects, Class size, Asia

Uniquely folded shapes, photophysical properties, and recognition abilities of macrocyclic BODIPY oligomers

Macrocyclic BODIPY/dipyrrin tetramers and pentamers connected by m‐phenylene linkers were synthesized. Their uniquely folded shapes were revealed by a single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis, and their dynamic structural behaviors in solution were investigated by variable‐temperature NMR measurements. The BODIPY oligomers exhibited strong emission properties without quenching. Furthermore, the BODIPY pentamer interacted with an ammonium cation utilizing the negatively charged binding pockets in which the polarized Bδ+–Fδ− bonds are present

p53 Expression in Pretreatment Specimen Predicts Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Including Anthracycline and Taxane in Patients with Primary Breast Cancer.

While clinical and pathologic responses are important prognostic parameters, biological markers from core needle biopsy (CNB) are needed to predict neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) response, to individualize treatment, and to achieve maximal efficacy. We retrospectively evaluated the cases of 183 patients with primary breast cancer who underwent surgery after NAC (anthracycline and taxane) at the National Cancer Center Hospital (NCCH). We analyzed EGFR, HER2, and p53 expression and common clinicopathological features from the CNB and surgical specimens of these patients. These biological markers were compared between sensitive patients (pathological complete response;pCR) and insensitive patients (clinical no change;cNC and clinical progressinve disease;cPD). In a comparison between the 9 (5%) sensitive patients and 30 (16%) insensitive patients, overexpression of p53 but not overexpression of either HER2 or EGFR was associated with a good response to NAC. p53 (p＝0.045) and histological grade 3 (p＝0.011) were important and significant predictors of the response to NAC. The correspondence rates for histological type, histological grade 3, ER, PgR, HER2, p53, and EGFR in insensitive patients between CNB and surgical specimens were 70%, 73%, 67%, 70%, 80%, 93%, and 73%. The pathologic response was significantly associated with p53 expression and histological grade 3. The correspondence rate of p53 expression between CNB and surgical specimens was higher than that of other factors. We conclude that the level of p53 expression in the CNB was an effective and reliable predictor of treatment response to NAC

Percolation induced gel-gel phase separation in a dilute polymer network

Cosmic large-scale structures, animal flocks, and living tissues are non-equilibrium organized systems created by dissipative processes. Despite the uniqueness, the realization of dissipative structures is still difficult. Herein, we report that a network formation process in a dilute system is a dissipative process, leading to percolation induced gel-gel phase separation (GGPS) in a prominent miscible polymer-water system. The dilute system, which forms a monophase structure at the percolation threshold, eventually separates into two gel phases in a longer time scale as the network formation progresses. The dilute hydrogel with GGPS exhibits an unexpected mesoscale co-continuous structure and induces adipose growth in subcutaneous. The formation mechanism of GGPS and a cosmic large-scale structure is analogous, in terms of attractive interactions in a diluted system driving phase separation. This unique phenomenon unveils the possibility of dissipative structures enabling advanced functionalities and will stimulate research fields related to dissipative structures.Comment: 23+5 pages, 4+4 figure

The Relationship between H. pylori

Background and Objective. H. pylori infection causes a chronic inflammation in the gastric mucosa. However, this local inflammation may result in extra-digestive conditions. Our aim is to investigate the relationship between H. pylori infection and osteoporosis in Japan. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted among outpatients at the Juntendo University Hospital between 2008 and 2014. Participants for patient profile, H. pylori infection status, comorbidity, internal medical therapies, lumbar dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and bone turnover marker were collected and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for reflux esophagitis, hiatal hernia, peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and endoscopic gastric mucosal atrophy (EGA) was performed. The diagnosis of osteoporosis was performed in accordance with the Japanese criteria. We investigated risk factors of osteoporosis. Results. Of the eligible 200 study subjects, 41 cases were of osteoporosis. Bivariate analysis showed that age, being female, BMI, alcohol, smoking, H. pylori, bone-specific ALP, PUD, and EGA were related to osteoporosis. Multivariate analysis showed that age (OR 1.13; 95%CI 1.07–1.20), being female (OR 4.77; 95%CI 1.78–12.77), BMI (OR 0.79; 95%CI 0.68–0.92), H. pylori (OR 5.33; 95%CI 1.73–16.42), and PUD (OR 4.98; 95%CI 1.51–16.45) were related to osteoporosis. Conclusions. H. pylori infection may be a risk factor of osteoporosis in Japan

Low temperature modulates natural peel degreening in lemon fruit independently of endogenous ethylene

Peel degreening is an important aspect of fruit ripening in many citrus fruit, and previous studies have shown that it can be advanced by ethylene treatment or by low-temperature storage. However, the important regulators and pathways involved in natural peel degreening remain largely unknown. To determine how natural peel degreening is regulated in lemon fruit (Citrus limon), we studied transcriptome and physiochemical changes in the flavedo in response to ethylene treatment and low temperatures. Treatment with ethylene induced rapid peel degreening, which was strongly inhibited by the ethylene antagonist, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). Compared with 25 degrees C, moderately low storage temperatures of 5-20 degrees C also triggered peel degreening. Surprisingly, repeated 1-MCP treatments failed to inhibit the peel degreening induced by low temperature. Transcriptome analysis revealed that low temperature and ethylene independently regulated genes associated with chlorophyll degradation, carotenoid metabolism, photosystem proteins, phytohormone biosynthesis and signalling, and transcription factors. Peel degreening of fruit on trees occurred in association with drops in ambient temperature, and it coincided with the differential expression of low temperature-regulated genes. In contrast, genes that were uniquely regulated by ethylene showed no significant expression changes during on-tree peel degreening. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that low temperature plays a prominent role in regulating natural peel degreening independently of ethylene in citrus fruit

B cell-derived GABA elicits IL-10⁺ macrophages to limit anti-tumour immunity

GABAを標的とする抗腫瘍免疫機構 --代謝産物を介した免疫細胞間制御の一端を解明--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-11-10.Small, soluble metabolites not only are essential intermediates in intracellular biochemical processes, but can also influence neighbouring cells when released into the extracellular milieu1-3. Here we identify the metabolite and neurotransmitter GABA as a candidate signalling molecule synthesized and secreted by activated B cells and plasma cells. We show that B cell-derived GABA promotes monocyte differentiation into anti-inflammatory macrophages that secrete interleukin-10 and inhibit CD8⁺ T cell killer function. In mice, B cell deficiency or B cell-specific inactivation of the GABA-generating enzyme GAD67 enhances anti-tumour responses. Our study reveals that, in addition to cytokines and membrane proteins, small metabolites derived from B-lineage cells have immunoregulatory functions, which may be pharmaceutical targets allowing fine-tuning of immune responses

Rapid Accumulation of Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils in the Corpus luteum during Prostaglandin F2α-Induced Luteolysis in the Cow

Prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) induces luteolysis within a few days in cows, and immune cells increase in number in the regressing corpus luteum (CL), implying that luteolysis is an inflammatory-like immune response. We investigated the rapid change in polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) numbers in response to PGF2α administration as the first cells recruited to inflammatory sites, together with mRNA of interleukin-8 (IL-8: neutrophil chemoattractant) and P-selectin (leukocyte adhesion molecule) in the bovine CL. CLs were collected by ovariectomy at various times after PGF2α injection. The number of PMNs was increased at 5 min after PGF2α administration, whereas IL-8 and P-selectin mRNA increased at 30 min and 2 h, respectively. PGF2α directly stimulated P-selectin protein expression at 5–30 min in luteal endothelial cells (LECs). Moreover, PGF2α enhanced PMN adhesion to LECs, and this enhancement by PGF2α was inhibited by anti-P-selectin antibody, suggesting that P-selectin expression by PGF2α is crucial in PMN migration. In conclusion, PGF2α rapidly induces the accumulation of PMNs into the bovine CL at 5 min and enhances PMN adhesion via P-selectin expression in LECs. It is suggested that luteolytic cascade by PGF2α may involve an acute inflammatory-like response due to rapidly infiltrated PMNs