An Algorithm for On-Line Digital Image Processing for Assisting Automatic Focusing and Astigmatism Correction in Electron Microscopy

An algorithm for processing a diffractogram of an electron image input by an on-line system has been improved, with the aid of projection theory, so as to achieve real time operation. This algorithm can, therefore, automatically focus in scanning electron microscope, and correct for the astigmatic aberration of both transmission and scanning electron microscopes by analyzing the spectrum computed from the diffractogram. Experimental results show that this algorithm is effective for detecting the amount of defocus and astigmatism in both transmission and scanning electron microscopes

Extended morphological processing: a practical method for automatic spot detection of biological markers from microscopic images.

BACKGROUND: A reliable extraction technique for resolving multiple spots in light or electron microscopic images is essential in investigations of the spatial distribution and dynamics of specific proteins inside cells and tissues. Currently, automatic spot extraction and characterization in complex microscopic images poses many challenges to conventional image processing methods. RESULTS: A new method to extract closely located, small target spots from biological images is proposed. This method starts with a simple but practical operation based on the extended morphological top-hat transformation to subtract an uneven background. The core of our novel approach is the following: first, the original image is rotated in an arbitrary direction and each rotated image is opened with a single straight line-segment structuring element. Second, the opened images are unified and then subtracted from the original image. To evaluate these procedures, model images of simulated spots with closely located targets were created and the efficacy of our method was compared to that of conventional morphological filtering methods. The results showed the better performance of our method. The spots of real microscope images can be quantified to confirm that the method is applicable in a given practice. CONCLUSIONS: Our method achieved effective spot extraction under various image conditions, including aggregated target spots, poor signal-to-noise ratio, and large variations in the background intensity. Furthermore, it has no restrictions with respect to the shape of the extracted spots. The features of our method allow its broad application in biological and biomedical image information analysis

Discovery of a Bloch point quadrupole constituting hybrid topological strings

Topological magnetic (anti)skrymions are robust string-like objects heralded as potential components in next-generation topological spintronics devices due to their manipulability via low-energy stimuli such as magnetic fields, heat, and electric/thermal current. While these two-dimensional (2D) topological objects are widely studied, intrinsically three-dimensional (3D) electron-spin real-space topology remains less explored despite its prevalence in bulky magnets. Here, we capture the 3D structure of antiskyrmions in a single-crystal, precision-doped (Fe_{0.63}Ni_{0.3}Pd_{0.07})_{3}P lamellae using holographic vector field electron tomography at room temperature and zero field. Our measurements reveal hybrid string-like solitons composed of skyrmions with topological number W = -1 on the lamellae's surfaces and an antiskyrmion (W = +1) connecting them. High resolution images uncover a Bloch point (BP) quadrupole (four magnetic (anti)monopoles) positioned along the rectangular antiskyrmion's four corners (Bloch lines), which enable the observed lengthwise topological transitions. Furthermore, we calculate and compare the energy densities of hybrid strings with ideal (anti)skyrmion strings using micromagnetic simulations, which suggest that this composite (anti)BP structure stabilizes via the subtle interplay between the magnetostatic interaction and anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. The discovery of these hybrid spin textures enables topological tunabilty, a tunable topological Hall effect, and the suppression of skyrmion Hall motion, disrupting existing paradigms within spintronics.Comment: 11 pages, 4 main figures, 7 extended data figures, 1 extended data tabl

Effects of Metoclopramide Hydrochloride, a D2-Selective Dopamine Receptor Antagonist, on the Fast Oscillation of the Electrooculogram

Fast oscillation (FO) of an electrooculogram (EOG) was recorded in both eyes of 10 healthy volunteers before and after administration of metoclopramide hydrochloride (MTCL), a D2-selective dopamine receptor antagonist, paying particular attention to sex concerning sensitivity to dopamine in young subjects. Healthy volunteers were divided into male and female groups; 5 males (10 eyes) aged 21 to 23 years (average, 21.8 years) and 5 females (10 eyes) aged 19 to 25 years (average, 21.8 years). As an FO parameter, the dfFO (the averaged difference in ?V between maximum amplitude in the dark period and minimum amplitude in the light period during FO measurement) was evaluated. The mean level of dfFO significantly increased between phase A (the initial 10 min before intravenous injection of 10 mg of MTCL) and phase B (10 min after the injection) in the male and female groups (P < 0.01 and P < 0.025) and between phase A and phase C (the additional 10 min after the injection) in both groups (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05). The mean level of dfFO in the female group was significantly higher than that of the male group in phase B (P < 0.05). As a control, the experimental procedure was performed with physiological saline administration, and no changes were observed. The data suggest that there exists some difference between young males and females generation concerning sensitivity to dopamine and that young females may show a higher-than-male sensitivity to dopamine in the occurrence of FO potential

Psychiatric-disorder-related behavioral phenotypes and cortical hyperactivity in a mouse model of 3q29 deletion syndrome

3q29 microdeletion, a rare recurrent copy number variant (CNV), greatly confers an increased risk of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as intellectual disability. However, disease-relevant cellular phenotypes of 3q29 deletion syndrome remain to be identified. To reveal the molecular and cellular etiology of 3q29 deletion syndrome, we generated a mouse model of human 3q29 deletion syndrome by chromosome engineering, which achieved construct validity. 3q29 deletion (Df/+) mice showed reduced body weight and brain volume and, more importantly, impaired social interaction and prepulse inhibition. Importantly, the schizophrenia-related impaired prepulse inhibition was reversed by administration of antipsychotics. These findings are reminiscent of the growth defects and neuropsychiatric behavioral phenotypes in patients with 3q29 deletion syndrome and exemplify that the mouse model achieves some part of face validity and predictive validity. Unbiased whole-brain imaging revealed that neuronal hyperactivation after a behavioral task was strikingly exaggerated in a restricted region of the cortex of Df/+ mice. We further elucidated the cellular phenotypes of neuronal hyperactivation and the reduction of parvalbumin expression in the cortex of Df/+ mice. Thus, the 3q29 mouse model provides invaluable insight into the disease-causative molecular and cellular pathology of psychiatric disorders

透過電子顕微鏡における斜め照射超高分解能化手法の像シミュレーションによる検討

1) 斜め照射法の分解能には限界があり、ビームの傾斜角の最適値が存在することが確認された。(本報告では、10.0mrad) 2) 本手法によるコンピュータシミュレーションの結果から、理論的に分解能が向上し、位相の揃った原子像を得られることが確認された。また、原子座標の回転による連続像を用いて、3次元再構築の可能性を提案した。しかし、これらの結果は全て理想状態下であり、なおかつ線形の結像系が保たれている場合に限ったシミュレーション像である。よって、今後は、実際の装置を使った実験と非線形の結像系に対するシミュレーション等の検討が必要となる

What Factors Are Associated with Good Performance in Children with Cochlear Implants? From the Outcome of Various Language Development Tests, Research on Sensory and Communicative Disorders Project in Japan: Nagasaki Experience

ObjectivesWe conducted multi-directional language development tests as a part of the Research on Sensory and Communicative Disorders (RSVD) in Japan. This report discusses findings as well as factors that led to better results in children with severe-profound hearing loss.MethodsWe evaluated multiple language development tests in 33 Japanese children with cochlear implants (32 patients) and hearing aid (1 patient), including 1) Test for question and answer interaction development, 2) Word fluency test, 3) Japanese version of the Peabody picture vocabulary test-revised, 4) The standardized comprehension test of abstract words, 5) The screening test of reading and writing for Japanese primary school children, 6) The syntactic processing test of aphasia, 7) Criterion-referenced testing (CRT) for Japanese language and mathematics, 8) Pervasive development disorders ASJ rating scales, and 9) Raven's colored progressive matrices. Furthermore, we investigated the factors believed to account for the better performances in these tests. The first group, group A, consisted of 14 children with higher scores in all tests than the national average for children with hearing difficulty. The second group, group B, included 19 children that scored below the national average in any of the tests.ResultsOverall, the results show that 76.2% of the scores obtained by the children in these tests exceeded the national average scores of children with hearing difficulty. The children who finished above average on all tests had undergone a longer period of regular habilitation in our rehabilitation center, had their implants earlier in life, were exposed to more auditory verbal/oral communication in their education at affiliated institutions, and were more likely to have been integrated in a regular kindergarten before moving on to elementary school.ConclusionIn this study, we suggest that taking the above four factors into consideration will have an affect on the language development of children with severe-profound hearing loss

Antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 decline, but do not disappear for several months

Background: To develop an effective vaccine against a novel viral pathogen, it is important to understand the longitudinal antibody responses against its first infection. Here we performed a longitudinal study of antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic patients. Methods: Sequential blood samples were collected from 39 individuals at various timepoints between 0 and 154 days after onset. IgG or IgM titers to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the S protein, the ectodomain of the S protein, and the N protein were determined by using an ELISA. Neutralizing antibody titers were measured by using a plaque reduction assay. Findings: The IgG titers to the RBD of the S protein, the ectodomain of the S protein, and the N protein peaked at about 20 days after onset, gradually decreased thereafter, and were maintained for several months after onset. Extrapolation modeling analysis suggested that the IgG antibodies were maintained for this amount of time because the rate of reduction slowed after 30 days post-onset. IgM titers to the RBD decreased rapidly and disappeared in some individuals after 90 days post-onset. All patients, except one, possessed neutralizing antibodies against authentic SARS-CoV-2, which they retained at 90 days after onset. The highest antibody titers in patients with severe infections were higher than those in patients with mild or moderate infections, but the decrease in antibody titer in the severe infection cohort was more remarkable than that in the mild or moderate infection cohort. Interpretation: Although the number of patients is limited, our results show that the antibody response against the first SARS-CoV-2 infection in symptomatic patients is typical of that observed in an acute viral infection