The use of language to express thermal sensation suggests heat acclimatization by Indonesian people

The purpose of this study was to explore whether there is evidence of heat acclimatization in the words used to express thermal sensation. A total of 458 urban Japanese and 601 Indonesians participated in a questionnaire. In addition, in a preliminary survey, 39 native English speakers in the UK participated. Our results showed that (1) for Indonesians, the closest thermal descriptor of a feeling of thermal comfort was ‘cool’ (75%) followed by ‘slightly cool’ (7%), ‘slightly cold’ (5%) and ‘cold’ (5%), while Japanese responses were distributed uniformly among descriptors ‘cool’, ‘slightly cool’, ‘neither’, ‘slightly warm’, and ‘warm’; (2) the closest thermal descriptors of a feeling of discomfort for Indonesians were less affected by individual thermal susceptibility (vulnerability) than those for Japanese; (3) in the cases where ‘cool’ and ‘slightly cold’ were imagined in the mind, the descriptors were cognized as a thermal comfortable feeling by 97% and 57% of Indonesians, respectively; (4) the most frequently voted choice endorsing hot weather was ‘higher than 32°C’ for Indonesians and ‘higher than 29°C’ for Japanese respondents; for cold weather, ‘lower than 15°C’ for Japanese and ‘lower than 20°C’ for Indonesians. In summary, the descriptor ‘cool’ in Indonesians connotes a thermally comfortable feeling, but the inter-zone between hot and cold weather that was judged in the mind showed a upward shift when compared to that of Japanese. It is suggested that linguistic heat acclimatization exists on a cognitive level for Indonesians and is preserved in the words of thermal descriptors

Novel role of neuronal Ca2+ sensor-1 as a survival factor up-regulated in injured neurons

A molecular basis of survival from neuronal injury is essential for the development of therapeutic strategy to remedy neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we demonstrate that an EF-hand Ca2+-binding protein neuronal Ca2+ sensor-1 (NCS-1), one of the key proteins for various neuronal functions, also acts as an important survival factor. Overexpression of NCS-1 rendered cultured neurons more tolerant to cell death caused by several kinds of stressors, whereas the dominant-negative mutant (E120Q) accelerated it. In addition, NCS-1 proteins increased upon treatment with glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and mediated GDNF survival signal in an Akt (but not MAPK)-dependent manner. Furthermore, NCS-1 is significantly up-regulated in response to axotomy-induced injury in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus neurons of adult rats in vivo, and adenoviral overexpression of E120Q resulted in a significant loss of surviving neurons, suggesting that NCS-1 is involved in an antiapoptotic mechanism in adult motor neurons. We propose that NCS-1 is a novel survival-promoting factor up-regulated in injured neurons that mediates the GDNF survival signal via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase–Akt pathway

Truss structure tele-manipulation experiment using ETS-7

A robot experiment concept of space truss telemanipulation by National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) is described in its flight model development. The experiment will be carried out on the Engineering Test Satellite No. 7 (ETS-7) using its robot arm. The satellite is scheduled to be launched in 1997 by National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). The truss flight model is composed of deployable truss system and assemble truss joint. Those truss components will be manipulated by the ETS-7 robot arm using its small grapple fixture type-N (GPF-N), and the experimental task operation will be executed from the ground control station

On-Orbit Construction Experiment by Tele-Operated Robot Arm

On-orbit assembly technology is a key for future large-scale structure construction. For several decades, many concepts of space structures have been proposed and some of them have the idea of robotic construction systems. Authors have developed a concept of a truss joint system for large-scale orbital structures and worked for space robotics research. Participating aJapanese space robotics experiment project on Engineering Test Satellite No. 7 scheduled to be launched by NASDA in 1997, the authors will conduct spare truss construction experiments. The experiments have objectives to establish basic technologies of on-orbit assembly work and robotic construction by using NA SDA's manipulator on the satellite. Our experiment system consists of the experiment unit including a truss joint anda deployable truss on the satellite, and our teleoperation facility on the ground The on-board truss unit has been tested in both vibration and thermal vacuum conahtions simulating orbit environment, and the ground teleoperation facility has been developed The actual experiments will start in late 1997. 1

How humans adapt to hot climates learned from the recent research on tropical indigenes

This review mainly aimed to introduce the findings of research projects comparing the responses of tropical and temperate indigenes to heat. From a questionnaire survey on thermal sensation and comfort of Indonesians and Japanese, we found that the thermal descriptor “cool” in tropical indigenes connotes a thermally comfortable feeling, suggesting that linguistic heat acclimatization exists on a cognitive level. Ten male students born and raised in Malaysia were invited to Fukuoka, Japan, and compared their responses with 10 Japanese male students with matched physical fitness and morphological characteristics. Cutaneous thermal sensitivity: The sensitivities were measured at 28 °C. The forehead warm sensitivity was significantly blunted in Malaysians. The less sensitivity to the warmth of tropical indigenes is advantageous in respect to withstanding heat stress with less discomfort and a greater ability to work in hot climates. Passive heat stress: Thermoregulatory responses, especially sweating, were investigated, during the lower leg hot bathing (42 °C for 60 min). The rectal temperature at rest was higher in Malaysians and increased smaller during immersion. There was no significant difference in the total amount of sweating between the two groups, while the local sweating on the forehead and thighs was lesser in Malaysians, suggesting distribution of sweating was different from Japanese. Exercise: Malaysian showed a significantly smaller increase in their rectal temperature during 55% maximal exercise for 60 min in heat (32 °C 70% relative humidity), even with a similar sweating and skin blood flow response in Japanese. The better heat tolerance in Malaysians could be explained by the greater convective heat transfer from the body core to the skin due to the greater core-to-skin temperature gradient. In addition, when they were hydrated, Malaysian participants showed better body fluid regulation with smaller reduction in plasma volume at the end of the exercise compared to the non-hydrated condition, whereas Japanese showed no difference between hydration conditions. We further investigated the de-acclimatization of heat adaptation by longitudinal observation on the heat tolerance of international students who had moved from tropical areas to Fukuoka for several years.These studies were supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientifc Research (S: JP16107006) and Scientifc Research (A: JP21247040) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Successful Endoscopic Injection Sclerotherapy of High-Risk Gastroesophageal Varices in a Cirrhotic Patient with Hemophilia A

A 68-year-old man with hemophilia A and liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C virus was referred to our hospital to receive prophylactic endoscopic treatment for gastroesophageal varices (GOV). He had large, tense, and winding esophageal varices (EV) with cherry red spots extending down to lesser curve, predicting the likelihood of bleeding. Esophageal endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) was performed with a total 15 mL of 5% ethanolamine oleate with iopamidol (EOI). Radiographic imaging during EIS demonstrated that 5% EOI reached the afferent vein of the varices. He was administered sufficient factor VIII concentrate before and after EIS to prevent massive bleeding from the varices. Seven days after EIS, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) showed that the varices were eradicated almost completely. Eighteen months after EIS, the varices continued to diminish. We report a successful case of safe and effective EIS for GOV in a high-risk cirrhotic patient with hemophilia A

The K computer Operations: Experiences and Statistics

AbstractThe K computer, released on September 29, 2012, is a large-scale parallel supercomputer system consisting of 82,944 compute nodes. We have been able to resolve a significant number of operation issues since its release. Some system software components have been fixed and improved to obtain higher stability and utilization. We achieved 94% service availability because of a low hardware failure rate and approximately 80% node utilization by careful adjustment of operation parameters. We found that the K computer is an extremely stable and high utilization system

Effects of muscle cooling on kinetics of pulmonary oxygen uptake and muscle deoxygenation at the onset of exercise

This study investigated effects of skeletal muscle cooling on the metabolic response and kinetics of pulmonary oxygen uptake (urn:x-wiley:2051817X:media:phy213910:phy213910-math-0001O2) and skeletal muscle deoxygenation during submaximal exercise. In the cooling condition (C), after immersion of the lower body into 12°C water for 30 min, eight healthy males performed 30‐min cycling exercise at the lactate threshold while undergoing thigh cooling by a water‐circulating pad. In the normal condition (N) as control, they conducted the same exercise protocol without cooling. Blood lactate concentration was significantly higher in C than N at 10 min after onset of exercise (4.0 ± 1.7 and 2.4 ± 1.2 mmol/L in C and N, P < 0.05). The percent change in the tissue oxygen saturation of the vastus lateralis, measured by a near‐infrared spectroscopy, was significantly lower in C at 2, 8, 10, and 20 min after the exercise onset compared with N (P < 0.05). The percent change in deoxy hemoglobin+myoglobin concentration (Deoxy[Hb+Mb]) showed a transient peak at the onset of exercise and significantly higher value in C at 10, 20, and 30 min after the exercise onset (P < 0.05). Compared to N, slower urn:x-wiley:2051817X:media:phy213910:phy213910-math-0002O2 kinetics (mean response time) was observed in C (45.6 ± 7.8 and 36.1 ± 7.7 sec in C and N, P < 0.05). The mean response time in C relative to N was significantly correlated with the transient peak of Deoxy[Hb+Mb] in C (r = 0.84, P < 0.05). These results suggest that lower oxygen delivery to the hypothermic skeletal muscle might induce greater glycolytic metabolism during exercise and slower urn:x-wiley:2051817X:media:phy213910:phy213910-math-0003O2 kinetics at the onset of exercise

Symposium II: Acquirable qualifications at Departments of Geography

金沢大学人間社会研究域人間科学