Precipitation induced filament pattern of injected fluid controlled by structured cell

Mixing of two fluids can lead to the formation of precipitation. If one of the fluids is injected into a confined space filled with the other, a created precipitate disrupts the flow locally and intricates complex spatiotemporal patterns. Here, we show that such injection patterns can be controlled consistently by injection rate and obstacles. Our experimental results revealed filament patterns for high injection and low reaction rates, and the injection rate can control the number of active filaments. Furthermore, appropriately spaced obstacles in the cells can straighten the motion of the advancing tip of the filament. A mathematical model based on a moving boundary adopting the effect of precipitation reproduced the phase diagram and the straight motion of filaments in structured cells.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure

Probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment based on the Gutenberg–Richter law in eastern Shikoku, Nankai subduction zone, Japan

Earthquake and tsunami predictions comprise huge uncertainties, thus necessitating probabilistic assessments for the design of defense facilities and urban planning. In recent years, computer development has advanced probabilistic tsunami hazard assessments (PTHAs), where hazard curves show the exceedance probability of the maximum tsunami height. However, owing to the lack of historical and geological tsunami records, this method is generally insufficient for validating the estimated hazard curves. The eastern coast of Shikoku in the Nankai subduction zone, Japan, is suitable for validation because tsunami records from historical Nankai Trough earthquakes are available. This study evaluated PTHAs by comparing the tsunami hazard curves and exceedance frequencies of historical Nankai Trough tsunamis. We considered 3480 earthquake scenarios representing the rupture patterns of past Nankai earthquakes and calculated all tsunamis. The probability of earthquake occurrence was based on the Gutenberg–Richter law. We considered uncertainty in tsunami calculations with astronomical tide variations. The estimated tsunami hazard curves are consistent with the exceedance frequencies obtained from historical tsunamis. In addition, sensitivity tests indicate the significance of the earthquake slip heterogeneity and tsunami defense facilities in PTHAs. We also extended the PTHAs to tsunami inundation maps in high resolution and proposed an effective new method for reducing the tsunami computation load

The use of uniaxial accelerometry for the assessment of physical-activity-related energy expenditure: a validation study against whole-body indirect calorimetry

Assessing the total energy expenditure (TEE) and the levels of physical activity in free-living conditions with non-invasive techniques remains a challenge. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the accuracy of a new uniaxial accelerometer for assessing TEE and physical-activity-related energy expenditure (PAEE) over a 24 h period in a respiratory chamber, and to establish activity levels based on the accelerometry ranges corresponding to the operationally defined metabolic equivalent (MET) categories. In study 1, measurement of the 24 h energy expenditure of seventy-nine Japanese subjects (40 (SD 12) years old) was performed in a large respiratory chamber. During the measurements, the subjects wore a uniaxial accelerometer (Lifecorder; Suzuken Co. Ltd, Nagoya, Japan) on their belt. Two moderate walking exercises of 30 min each were performed on a horizontal treadmill. In study 2, ten male subjects walked at six different speeds and ran at three different speeds on a treadmill for 4 min, with the same accelerometer. O2 consumption was measured during the last minute of each stage and was expressed in MET. The measured TEE was 8447 (SD 1337) kJ/d. The accelerometer significantly underestimated TEE and PAEE (91·9 (SD 5·4) and 92·7 (SD 17·8) % chamber value respectively); however, there was a significant correlation between the two values (r 0·928 and 0·564 respectively; P<0·001). There was a strong correlation between the activity levels and the measured MET while walking (r2 0·93; P<0·001). Although TEE and PAEE were systematically underestimated during the 24 h period, the accelerometer assessed energy expenditure well during both the exercise period and the non-structured activities. Individual calibration factors may help to improve the accuracy of TEE estimation, but the average calibration factor for the group is probably sufficient for epidemiological research. This method is also important for assessing the diurnal profile of physical activit

The genotype-dependent phenotypic landscape of quinoa in salt tolerance and key growth traits

スーパー作物キヌアの多様性を解明 --高い環境適応性と優れた栄養特性をもつキヌアの品種改良に期待--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2020-10-15.Cultivation of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), an annual pseudocereal crop that originated in the Andes, is spreading globally. Because quinoa is highly nutritious and resistant to multiple abiotic stresses, it is emerging as a valuable crop to provide food and nutrition security worldwide. However, molecular analyses have been hindered by the genetic heterogeneity resulting from partial outcrossing. In this study, we generated 136 inbred quinoa lines as a basis for the molecular identification and characterization of gene functions in quinoa through genotyping and phenotyping. Following genotyping-by-sequencing analysis of the inbred lines, we selected 5, 753 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the quinoa genome. Based on these SNPs, we show that our quinoa inbred lines fall into three genetic sub-populations. Moreover, we measured phenotypes, such as salt tolerance and key growth traits in the inbred quinoa lines and generated a heatmap that provides a succinct overview of the genotype–phenotype relationship between inbred quinoa lines. We also demonstrate that, in contrast to northern highland lines, most lowland and southern highland lines can germinate even under high salinity conditions. These findings provide a basis for the molecular elucidation and genetic improvement of quinoa and improve our understanding of the evolutionary process underlying quinoa domestication

Virus-Mediated Transient Expression Techniques Enable Functional Genomics Studies and Modulations of Betalain Biosynthesis and Plant Height in Quinoa

スーパー作物キヌアにおける遺伝子機能の解析技術を開発 --優れた環境適応性や栄養特性の謎を解き、作物開発を加速化--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-03-19.Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), native to the Andean region of South America, has been recognized as a potentially important crop in terms of global food and nutrition security since it can thrive in harsh environments and has an excellent nutritional profile. Even though challenges of analyzing the complex and heterogeneous allotetraploid genome of quinoa have recently been overcome, with the whole genome-sequencing of quinoa and the creation of genotyped inbred lines, the lack of technology to analyze gene function in planta is a major limiting factor in quinoa research. Here, we demonstrate that two virus-mediated transient expression techniques, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and virus-mediated overexpression (VOX), can be used in quinoa. We show that apple latent spherical virus (ALSV) can induce gene silencing of quinoa phytoene desaturase (CqPDS1) in a broad range of quinoa inbred lines derived from the northern and southern highland and lowland sub-populations. In addition, we show that ALSV can be used as a VOX vector in roots. Our data also indicate that silencing a quinoa 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine 4, 5-dioxygenase gene (CqDODA1) or a cytochrome P450 enzyme gene (CqCYP76AD1) inhibits betalain production and that knockdown of a reduced-height gene homolog (CqRHT1) causes an overgrowth phenotype in quinoa. Moreover, we show that ALSV can be transmitted to the progeny of quinoa plants. Thus, our findings enable functional genomics in quinoa, ushering in a new era of quinoa research

Inactivation of tumor suppressor Dlg1 augments transformation of a T-cell line induced by human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 Tax protein

BACKGROUND: The interaction of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax1 protein with the tumor suppressor Dlg1 is correlated with cellular transformation. RESULTS: Here, we show that Dlg1 knockdown by RNA interference increases the ability of Tax1 to transform a mouse T-cell line (CTLL-2), as measured interleukin (IL)-2-independent growth. A Tax1 mutant defective for the Dlg1 interaction showed reduced transformation of CTLL-2 compared to wild type Tax1, but the transformation was minimally affected by Dlg1 reduction. The few Tax1ΔC-transduced CTLL-2 cells that became transformed expressed less Dlg1 than parental cells, suggesting that Dlg1-low cells were selectively transformed by Tax1ΔC. Moreover, all human T-cell lines immortalized by HTLV-1, including the recombinant HTLV-1-containing Tax1ΔC, expressed less Dlg1 than control T-cell lines. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that inactivation of Dlg1 augments Tax1-mediated transformation of CTLL-2, and PDZ protein(s) other than Dlg1 are critically involved in the transformation