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Electron tomography is an observation technique for nanometer-scale three-dimensional structures, using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM tomography has been used to examine the 3D structures of various materials, such as biological samples and catalysts. In this study, we applied TEM tomography to battery materials. All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries have recently received much attention owing to their thermal safety. In all-solid-state cells, the electrode layer is composed of nonflammable solid electrolytes and electrode active materials. In order to improve the charge–discharge cycle performance, it is necessary that the electrolyte–electrode interface has no void spaces or defects. We used TEM tomography to investigate the solid interfaces of Sn–Li3PS4 (LPS) negative electrode composites of all-solid-state cells. We observed that Sn, Li-Sn alloy nanoparticles, and LPS glass electrolytes formed a solid interfacial contact with no void spaces during initial charge–discharge cycles. We suggest that as a new cycle deterioration analysis method, TEM tomography is useful in evaluating solid interfaces in all-solid-state cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspiration pneumonia is the leading cause of death in patients with Parkinson's disease. The incidence of silent aspiration is high in such patients owing to decreased pharyngeal and laryngeal sensation; thus, interventions for this condition may help prevent pneumonia. In this single-arm, open-label study, we used a cervical percutaneous interferential current stimulation device to activate pharyngeal and laryngeal sensory nerves. We evaluated its effectiveness in patients with Hoehn–Yahr stages 2–4 Parkinson's disease. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with a normal cough reflex after consuming 1% citric acid at the end of the intervention compared with baseline measurements. In total, 25 patients received neck percutaneous interferential current stimulation for 20 min twice weekly for 8 weeks. Afterward, the proportion of patients with a normal cough reflex after 1% citric acid consumption increased significantly (p = 0.001), whereas other indicators, such as tongue pressure, peak expiratory flow, and penetration or aspiration during videofluoroscopic examination, remained unchanged. A longer duration of illness, higher Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale total scores, and higher levodopa equivalent daily doses were significantly associated with improved cough test outcomes. Hence, cervical percutaneous interferential current stimulation significantly improved cough reflexes and may improve silent aspiration. Trial Registration: Japan Registry of Clinical Trials, jRCTs062220013, first registered 09/05/2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) presents with motor symptoms that hinder physical activity. This study aimed to thoroughly investigate swallowing dysfunction in patients with PD using videofluoroscopy (VF) and the Movement Disorder Society (MDS)-Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) sub-scores. Methods: This study was part of an intervention project to evaluate the effectiveness of cervical percutaneous interferential current stimulation in patients with Hoehn and Yahr stages 2–4 PD. Baseline data, including swallowing-related indicators such as VF, were obtained and compared to the MDS-UPDRS sub-scores including rigidity, tremor, postural instability/gait difficulty, and limb scores. Results: Twenty-seven patients were included in this study. In the VF analysis, laryngeal penetration/aspiration, oral cavity residue, epiglottic vallecular residue, and pharyngeal residue were observed with remarkable frequency. The multivariate analysis revealed that the mean rigidity score of UPDRS was an independent and significantly correlated factor with laryngeal penetration/aspiration during the ingestion of 10 mL of water (odds ratio 1.294, 95% confidence interval 1.035–1.617; p = 0.024). Conclusion: This study revealed a correlation between muscle rigidity and laryngeal penetration or aspiration risk. The detailed comparative analysis of various individual PD symptoms and swallowing disorders was substantial, which enabled early detection of the risk of swallowing disorder and the implementation of appropriate measures. Trial registration number: jRCTs062220013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma membrane (PM) H+-ATPase is crucial for light-induced stomatal opening and phosphorylation of a penultimate residue, Thr948 (pen-Thr, numbering according to Arabidopsis AHA1) is required for enzyme activation. In this study, a comprehensive phosphoproteomic analysis using guard cell protoplasts from Vicia faba shows that both red and blue light increase the phosphorylation of Thr881, of PM H+-ATPase. Light-induced stomatal opening and the blue light-induced increase in stomatal conductance are reduced in transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing mutant AHA1-T881A in aha1–9, whereas the blue light-induced phosphorylation of pen-Thr is unaffected. Auxin and photosynthetically active radiation induce the phosphorylation of both Thr881 and pen-Thr in etiolated seedlings and leaves, respectively. The dephosphorylation of phosphorylated Thr881 and pen-Thr are mediated by type 2 C protein phosphatase clade D isoforms. Taken together, Thr881 phosphorylation, in addition of the pen-Thr phosphorylation, are important for PM H+-ATPase function during physiological responses, such as light-induced stomatal opening in Arabidopsis thaliana. Comprehensive phosphoproteomic analysis using guard cell protoplasts revealed that Thr881 phosphorylation in addition of a penultimate residue, Thr948 of plasma membrane H+-ATPase are important for its function and light-induced stomatal opening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perception of pathogen-derived ligands by corresponding host receptors is a pivotal strategy in eukaryotic innate immunity. In plants, this is complemented by circadian anticipation of infection timing, promoting basal resistance even in the absence of pathogen threat. Here, we report that trichomes, hair-like structures on the epidermis, directly sense external mechanical forces, including raindrops, to anticipate pathogen infections in Arabidopsis thaliana. Exposure of leaf surfaces to mechanical stimuli initiates the concentric propagation of intercellular calcium waves away from trichomes to induce defence-related genes. Propagating calcium waves enable effective immunity against pathogenic microbes through the CALMODULIN-BINDING TRANSCRIPTION ACTIVATOR 3 (CAMTA3) and mitogen-activated protein kinases. We propose an early layer of plant immunity in which trichomes function as mechanosensory cells that detect potential risks. Plant immunity can be induced by pathogen signals or environmental cues. Here, the authors show that plant leaves use trichomes to sense incoming raindrops and trigger basal defence responses to protect against subsequent microbial infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had a major impact on the health of people worldwide. The clinical background and clinical course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) among Japanese patients with COVID-19 remains unclear. Methods: This study is an observational cohort of Japanese IBD patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Data on age, sex, IBD (classification, treatment, and activity), COVID-19 symptoms and severity, and treatment of COVID-19 were analyzed. Results: From 72 participating facilities in Japan, 187 patients were registered from June 2020 to October 2021. The estimated incidence of COVID19 in Japanese IBD patients was 0.61%. The majority of IBD patients with COVID-19 (73%) were in clinical remission. According to the WHO classification regarding COVID-19 severity, 93% (172/184) of IBD patients had non-severe episodes, while 7% (12/184) were severe cases including serious conditions. 90.9% (165/187) of IBD patients with COVID-19 had no change in IBD disease activity. A logistic regression analysis stepwise method revealed that older age, higher body mass index (BMI), and steroid use were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity. Six of nine patients who had COVID-19 after vaccination were receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antibodies. Conclusion: Age, BMI and steroid use were associated with COVID-19 severity in Japanese IBD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although primarily a respiratory illness, several studies have shown that COVID-19 causes elevation of liver enzymes and various gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. The aim of this study was to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine whether the presence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms contributed toward COVID-19 severity, and identify the GI symptoms characteristic of severe COVID-19. We conducted a literature search of PubMed from December 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, and identified all reports with GI symptoms reported. A meta-analysis comparing the severity of COVID-19 with the presence of liver enzyme elevation and GI symptoms was performed using RevMan version 5.4. Pooled data from 15,305 unique reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction positive COVID-19 patients from 44 studies were analyzed. We found that the severe COVID-19 patients significantly had abdominal pain compared to the non-severe COVID-19 patients (OR = 2.70, 95% CI 1.17-6.27, Z = 2.32, p = 0.02, I2 = 0%) by analyzed 609 patients of 4 studies who reported both abdominal pain and COVID-19 severity. However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting between the two groups. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that abdominal pain could be characteristic of severe COVID-19 infections. Compared with other viral infections that primarily infect the respiratory system, patients with COVID-19 have a slightly lower frequency of diarrheal symptoms with abdominal pain. However, to confirm this, further studies with COVID-19 patients across various countries and ethnicities are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological defects in liquid crystals (LCs) dominate molecular alignment/motion in many cases. Here, the neural network (NN) function has been introduced to predict the LC orientation condition (orientation angle and order parameter) at local positions around topological defects from the phase/polarization microscopic color images. The NN function was trained in advance by using the color information of an LC in a planar alignment cell for different orientation angles and temperatures. The photo-induced changes of LC molecules around topological defects observed by the time-resolved measurement was converted into the image sequences of the orientation angle and the order parameter change. We found that each pair of brushes with different colors around topological defects showed different orientation angle and ordering changes. The photo-induced change was triggered by the photoisomerization reaction of molecules, and one pair of brushes increased in its order parameter just after light irradiation, causing gradual rotation in the brush. The molecules in the other pair of brushes were disordered and rotated by the effect of the initially affected region. This combination approach of the time-resolved phase/polarization microscopy and the NN function can provide detailed information on the molecular alignment dynamics around the topological defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) are essential elements for plant growth and crop yield. Thus, improved N and C utilisation contributes to agricultural productivity and reduces the need for fertilisation. In the present study, we find that overexpression of a single rice gene, Oryza sativa plasma membrane (PM) H+-ATPase 1 (OSA1), facilitates ammonium absorption and assimilation in roots and enhanced light-induced stomatal opening with higher photosynthesis rate in leaves. As a result, OSA1 overexpression in rice plants causes a 33% increase in grain yield and a 46% increase in N use efficiency overall. As PM H+-ATPase is highly conserved in plants, these findings indicate that the manipulation of PM H+-ATPase could cooperatively improve N and C utilisation, potentially providing a vital tool for food security and sustainable agriculture. Improved utilisation of nitrogen and carbon could boost agricultural productivity. Here Zhang et al. show that overexpression of a single gene, encoding the plasma membrane H+ -ATPase 1 OSA1, is able to increase both carbon fixation via photosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation via ammonium uptake in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymers with two-dimensional (2D) network topologies are currently gaining significant attention due to their unique properties that originate from their regulated conformations. However, in contrast to conventional 1D- and 3D-networked macromolecules, the synthesis of such 2D networks provides challenges for polymer chemists because of the nature of the networking polymerisation reaction, which occurs in a spatially random fashion when conventional solution-phase synthesis is performed. Here we report a versatile synthesis of polymeric monosheets with unimolecularly thick networking architectures by exploiting the 2D nanospaces of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as reaction templates. Crosslinking radical polymerisation in the 2D nanospaces of pillared-layer-type MOFs affords monosheets of typical vinyl polymers and can be carried out on the gram scale. Remarkably, the prepared polymer monosheets are highly soluble in organic solvents and show atypical thermal and rheological properties that result from their 2D-regulated conformations that cannot be adopted by their 1D or 3D analogues. Unlike 1D and 3D-networked macromolecules, the synthesis of 2D molecular networks is challenging because of the nature of the polymerisation reaction. Here the authors report the synthesis of polymeric monosheets with unimolecularly thick networks by exploiting the 2D nanospaces of metal–organic frameworks as reaction templates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitatively evaluating the psychological and perceptual effects of objects is an important issue, but is difficult. In cognitive studies, the psychological potential field (PPF), which represents psychological intensities in vision and can be calculated by applying computational algorithms to digital images, may help with this issue. Although studies have reported using the PPF to evaluate psychological effects, such as impressions, detailed investigations on how the PPF represents psychological perception and its limitations have not yet been performed. Another relevant tool is the fixation map, which visualizes human eye fixations; this map is generated from actual measurements acquired by eye-tracking and does not represent psychological effects directly. Although the PPF and the fixation map are based on visual imaging, they have never been compared. In this paper, we do so for the first time, using psychological and perceptual properties of line-drawing images. The results demonstrate the difference between these methods, including their representation of different properties with respect to visual perception. Moreover, the similarity between the two methods highlights the possibility of assessing perceptual phenomena such as categorization and cognition of objects based on human vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main sequelae of stroke is dificulty walking, which is characterized by a decreased gait velocity and asymmetrical walking patterns. The purpose of this research was initially focused on developing a vibro-tactile cueing device that recognizes an implicit increase in cadence frequency. Subsequently, a proof-of-concept study with patients who had experienced stroke was conducted to examine the applicability of the system that had been developed. We applied Weber's law to provide an implicit method for increasing cueing frequency. This law involves the calculation of just-noticeable difference (JND) relative to a previous state. Throughout training with the proposed cueing device, patients marginally increased cadence, and their cadence and gait speeds were significantly increased post-test. Hip circumduction gait (i.e., abnormal gait patterns) did not change significantly throughout training. Notably, patients reported that they were unaware of any changes associated with the vibration stimulus. Our result demonstrates the immediate changes to cadence and gait speed that occurred through training with the proposed implicit cueing device. However, the result of this study is confined to immediate gait changes after training and utilized only a small sample of stroke patients. Thus, the limited volume of data obtained prevents rigorous analysis regarding the applicability of this training method. Nonetheless, these results are promising and provide a starting point from which to base larger studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an embodied conversational agent enhanced with specific conversational strategies aiming to foster learners' readiness towards communication in a second language (L2). Willingness to communicate (WTC) in a second language is believed to have a direct and sustained influence on learners' actual usage frequency of the target language. To help overcome the lack of suitable environments for increasing L2 learners' WTC, our approach is to build embodied conversational agents that can help learners surmount their apprehension towards communication in L2. Here, we focus on the dialogue management aspects of our approach and propose a model based on a set of communication strategies (CS) and affective backchannels (AB) to foster such agents' ability to carry on natural and WTC-friendly conversations with learners. We examined learners' expected WTC after interacting with one of the following versions of the system: an agent featuring both CS and AB; an agent featuring only CS; and an agent featuring only AB. The results suggested that combining CS and AB empowers the conversational agent and leads to higher expected WTC among L2 learners. We also found that even the AB-only version of the system had the potential to enhance WTC to some extent. These findings are evidence of the feasibility of enhancing L2 learners' engagement towards communication using a computer-based environment coupled with appropriate conversational strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research is to use current linked open data (LOD) to generate questions automatically to support history learning. This paper tries to clarify the potential of LOD as a learning resource. By linking LOD to natural language documents, we created an open learning space where learners have access to machine understandable natural language information about many topics. The learning environment supports learners with content-dependent questions. In this paper, we describe the question generation method that creates natural language questions using LOD. The integrated data is combined to a history domain ontology and a history dependent question ontology to generate content-dependent questions. To prove whether the generated questions have a potential to support learning, a human expert conducted an evaluation comparing our automatically generated questions with questions generated manually. The results of the evaluation showed that the generated questions could cover more than 80% of the questions supporting knowledge acquisition generated by humans. In addition, we confirmed the automatically generated questions have a potential to reinforce learners' deep historical understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Tension-free mesh repair of adult inguinal hernias has become a standard procedure, but there have been few comparisons of the postoperative outcome after hernia repair using the Prolene Hernia System (PHS) vs. the Mesh Plug (MP) method in a large number of patients from a single institution. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients to investigate the short- and long-term outcomes of the different types of hernia repair. Late symptoms were evaluated by questionnaire. A total of 1,141 repairs performed from 1999 to 2008 (PHS in 957 and MP in 184 repairs) were evaluated. Results: There were 93 early postoperative complications (8.2 %). A subcutaneous hematoma was found more frequently after MP repair compared with after PHS repair (3.8 vs. 1.3 %, P = 0.013). Seven hundred and ten patients (62.2 %) could be followed up for more than 2 years. Recurrence was detected in 14 patients with PHS repair and two patients with MP repair (1.5 vs. 1.1 %, P = 0.956). Wound infections occurred in three patients (0.3 %) with PHS repair vs. none with MP repair ( P > 0.999). Patients with PHS and MP repair showed no significant differences in the long-term wound pain. Conclusions: The recurrence and wound infection rates were similar after hernia repair using the PHS and MP methods. Patients undergoing PHS repair developed fewer subcutaneous hematomas. An older age (≥65 years) was a significant independent risk factor for recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate genetic and pharmacokinetic factors to establish the pharmacotherapeutic effect of paroxetine (PAX) in patients with panic disorder (PD). Method: Subjects were 65 drug-naïve patients who fulfilled the DSM-IV-TR criteria for PD diagnosis. All subjects were administered PAX (10 mg/day) for 4 weeks, and PD severity was assessed using the Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS) at baseline and at 2 and 4 weeks after initiation of treatment. Plasma PAX concentration was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) variants and the -1019C/G promoter polymorphism of the serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT) gene were determined by PCR analysis. Results: Multiple regression analysis revealed that the plasma concentrations of PAX, 5-HTTLPR genotype, and -1019C/G 5-HT gene polymorphism were significant factors affecting clinical response to PAX (reduction ratio of PAS score) at 2 weeks after the initiation of pharmacotherapy. The -1019C/G 5-HT gene promoter polymorphism, PAS score at baseline, and adverse effects were found to be the significant factors affecting clinical response to PAX at 4 weeks after initiation of pharmacotherapy. Conclusion: The present study revealed that plasma concentration of PAX, 5-HTTLPR genotype, -1019C/G 5-HT genotype, PAS score at baseline, and adverse effects may influence the therapeutic response to PAX in patients with PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-021-01786-z [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Associations between cognitive decline and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) have received increasing attention. An association between CMB distribution (deep or lobar) and cognitive decline has been reported, but these findings are controversial. We investigated the association between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, including CMBs, and cognitive function in patients with first-ever lacunar infarction. We retrospectively included consecutive patients admitted with first-ever lacunar infarction identified by MRI from July 1, 2011, to December 31, 2018. We excluded patients diagnosed with dementia, including strategic single-infarct dementia, before or after the onset of stroke. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was performed within 3 days of admission. We searched the records of 273 patients (age 72.0 ± 11.2 years, 95 females). The median MMSE score was 27 (interquartile range 25.5–29). In a univariate analysis, the MMSE score was associated with age, body mass index (BMI), education, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease (CKD), periventricular hyperintensity, medial temporal atrophy, lobar CMBs, and mixed CMBs (p < 0.20). The lacunar infarction location was not associated with the MMSE score. In a multivariate analysis of these factors, lobar CMBs (p < 0.001) and mixed CMBs (p = 0.008) were independently associated with the MMSE score. Lobar CMBs were associated with cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stomatal movements are regulated by many environmental signals, such as light, CO2, temperature, humidity, and drought. Recently, we showed that photoperiodic flowering components have positive effects on light-induced stomatal opening in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this study, we determined that light-induced stomatal opening and increased stomatal conductance were larger in plants grown under long-day (LD) conditions than in those grown under short-day (SD) conditions. Gene expression analyses using purified guard cell protoplasts revealed that FT and SOC1 expression levels were significantly increased under LD conditions. Interestingly, the enhancement of light-induced stomatal opening and increased SOC1 expression in guard cells due to LD conditions persisted for at least 1 week after plants were transferred to SD conditions. We then investigated histone modification using chromatin immunoprecipitation–PCR, and observed increased trimethylation of lysine 4 on histone 3 (H3K4) around SOC1. We also found that LD-dependent enhancement of light-induced stomatal opening and H3K4 trimethylation in SOC1 were suppressed in the ft-2 mutant. These results indicate that photoperiod is an important environmental cue regulating stomatal opening, and that LD conditions enhance light-induced stomatal opening and epigenetic modification (H3K4 trimethylation) around SOC1, a positive regulator of stomatal opening, in an FT-dependent manner. Thus, this study provides novel insights into stomatal responses to photoperiod. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nucleolus, whose primary function is ribosome biogenesis, plays an essential role in p53 activation. Ribosome biogenesis is inhibited in response to cellular stress and several nucleolar proteins translocate from the nucleolus to the nucleoplasm, where they activate p53. In this study, we analysed precisely how impaired ribosome biogenesis regulates the activation of p53 by depleting nucleolar factors involved in rRNA transcription or rRNA processing. Nucleolar RNA content decreased when rRNA transcription was inhibited. In parallel with the reduced levels of nucleolar RNA content, the nucleolar protein Myb-binding protein 1 A (MYBBP1A) translocated to the nucleoplasm and increased p53 acetylation. The acetylated p53 enhanced p21 and BAX expression and induced apoptosis. In contrast, when rRNA processing was inhibited, MYBBP1A remained in the nucleolus and nonacetylated p53 accumulated, causing cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase by inducing p21 but not BAX. We propose that the nucleolus functions as a stress sensor to modulate p53 protein levels and its acetylation status, determining cell fate between cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by regulating MYBBP1A translocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various cellular stresses activate autophagy, which is involved in lysosomal degradation of cytoplasmic materials for maintaining nutrient homeostasis and eliminating harmful components. Here, we show that RNA polymerase I (Pol I) transcription inhibition induces nucleolar disruption and autophagy. Treatment with autophagy inhibitors or siRNA specific for autophagy-related (ATG) proteins inhibited autophagy but not nucleolar disruption induced by Pol I transcription inhibition, which suggested that nucleolar disruption was upstream of autophagy. Furthermore, treatment with siRNA specific for nucleolar protein nucleophosmin (NPM) inhibited this type of autophagy. This showed that NPM was involved in autophagy when the nucleolus was disrupted by Pol I inhibition. In contrast, NPM was not required for canonical autophagy induced by nutrient starvation, as it was not accompanied by nucleolar disruption. Thus, our results revealed that, in addition to canonical autophagy, there may be NPM-dependent autophagy associated with nucleolar disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]