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Tissue-engineered skeletal muscle should possess a high cell-dense structure with unidirectional cell alignment. However, limited nutrient and/or oxygen supply within the artificial tissue constructs might restrict cell viability and muscular functions. In this study, we genetically modified myoblast cells with the anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) gene and evaluated their function in artificial skeletal muscle tissue constructs. Magnetite cationic liposomes were used to magnetically label C2C12 myoblast cells for the construction of skeletal muscle bundles by applying a magnetic force. Bcl-2-overexpressing muscle bundles formed highly cell-dense and viable tissue constructs, while muscle bundles without Bcl-2 overexpression exhibited substantial necrosis/apoptosis at the central region of the bundle. Bcl-2-overexpressing muscle bundles contracted in response to electrical pulses and generated a significantly higher physical force. These findings indicate that the incorporation of anti-apoptotic gene-transduced myoblast cells into tissue constructs significantly enhances skeletal muscle formation and function.

We examine scatter and bias in weak lensing selected clusters, employing both an analytic model of dark matter haloes and numerical mock data of weak lensing cluster surveys. We pay special attention to effects of the diversity of dark matter distributions within clusters. We find that peak heights of the lensing convergence map correlates rather poorly with the virial mass of haloes. The correlation is tighter for the spherical overdensity mass with a higher mean interior density. We examine the dependence of the halo shape on the peak heights, and find that the rms scatter caused by the halo diversity scales linearly with the peak heights with the proportionality factor of 0.1-0.2. The noise originated from the halo shape is found to be comparable to the source galaxy shape noise and the cosmic shear noise. We find the significant halo orientation bias, i.e., weak lensing selected clusters on average have their major axes aligned with the line-of-sight direction. We compute the orientation bias using an analytic triaxial halo model and obtain results quite consistent with the ray-tracing results. We develop a prescription to analytically compute the number count of weak lensing peaks taking into account all the main sources of scatters in peak heights. We find that the improved analytic predictions agree well with the simulation results for high S/N peaks. We also compare the expected number count with our weak lensing analysis results for 4 sq deg of Subaru/Suprime-Cam observations and find a good agreement.

This research aims at development of a stable mobile robot (personal mobility robot) that can navigate automatically on sidewalks where ordinary citizens are coming and going. Many studies have investigated automated vehicles that move on public roads. In the case of a road environment, many infrastructures and traffic regulations exist. In contrast, in a sidewalk environment, human and robots cross the same area without clear rules. For these reasons, some paths or landmarks are often blocked by unknown obstacles such as bicycles and passing pedestrians. Therefore, the most important requirements for a mobile robot are robust localization and safe navigation without collisions. We proposed simple and novel algorithms for localization using a grid map and navigation for four-wheeled robots. We also developed an intelligent robotic cart (senior car) that moves autonomously along a given course to help people transfer luggage or themselves. The sensors used in this system are three small laser scan...

We demonstrate a novel rapid direct detection method for immunohistochemistry, using a bioluminescent probe. An anti-CEA antibody-fused far-red bioluminescent protein can monitor the accumulation of this type of probe in tumour tissues. The bimodal spectrum (λmax = 460 and 675 nm) of this bioluminescent probe is extremely stable under different conditions of pH and ion concentration. The sensitivity of our bioluminescent labelling was at the same level of enzymatic labelling, e.g. peroxidase, as an indirect system. Our novel technique is simple and can shorten the pretreatment time of paraffin sections to around 30 min. The utility of our bioluminescent labelling covers all imaging in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo, suggesting that our antibody-fused bioluminescent probe has the potential to detect tumour antigens with a high sensitivity in routine immune histological examinations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is associated with a decrease in postoperative pain, shortened hospital stay, earlier return to normal activity, and decrease in chronic pain. Moreover, laparoscopic surgery performed with needlescopic instruments has more advantages than conventional laparoscopic surgery. However, there are few reports of large-scale laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair using needlescopic instruments (nTAPP). This report reviews our experiences with 352 nTAPP in 317 patients during the 15-year period from April 1996 to April 2011. We performed nTAPP as the method of choice in 88.5% of all patients presenting with inguinal hernia. To perform the nTAPP, 3-mm instruments were used. A 5-mm laparoscope was inserted from the umbilicus, and surgical instruments were inserted through 5- and 3-mm trocars. After reduction of the hernia sac and dissection of the preperitoneal space, we placed polyester mesh or polypropylene soft mesh with staple fixation. The peritoneum was closed with 3–0 silk interrupted sutures. The mean operative time was 102.9 min for unilateral hernias and 155.8 min for bilateral hernias. There was no conversion to open repair. Forty-three patients (13.6%) used postoperative analgesics, and the mean frequency of use was 0.5 times. Regarding intraoperative complications, we observed one bladder injury, but no bowel injuries or major vessel injuries. Postoperative complications occurred in 32 patients (10.1%). One patient with a retained lipoma required reoperation. There was no incidence of chronic pain or mesh infection. The operative time for experienced surgeons (≥20 repairs) was significantly shorter than that of inexperienced surgeons (

The scientific identification of excavated bast fibers (mainly hemp and ramie) is one of the important procedures for the conservation of textile cultural properties. In this paper, the new procedure to distinguish the kind of excavated bast fibers was proposed. Though excavated bast fibers are usually degraded by the long-term preservative environment, it was confirmed that they show still dichroism in infrared spectroscopy.Since the allowed amount of sampling for scientific analysis is severely limited in archaeology or in cultural properties, the authors used polarized synchrotron FT-IR Micro-spectroscopy. All of the bast fibers showed peaks at 1160, 1110, 1060, 670, 620 and 560cm-1 . The corresponding modern reference bast fibers also show similar dichroism in polarized FT-IR Micro-spectroscopy. Though SEM images of excavated bast fibers indicate the degraded appearance, the results of polarized FT-IR spectrum show that a part of the molecular orientation of cellulose and hemicelluloses are still remained in fiber structure. The authors are continuing the research for the identification of excavated bast fibers using polarized FT-IR Micro-spectroscopy.

Secondary graft-oesophageal fistula is a fatal complication of aortic arch replacement. We report a successful two-stage surgical management of a graft-oesophageal fistula seen in a 68-year-old woman 3 years after total aortic arch replacement. She presented with a prolonged intractable fever without haematemesis. The fistula occurred between the distal aortic anastomosis and oesophagus; the entire graft was surrounded by air. In the first-stage operation, we performed re-replacement of the entire infected graft, oesophagectomy with cervical oesophagostomy, omental transfer and cervical routing of the stomach roll, through an extended left thoracotomy incision with sternal transection. Intravenous antibiotics were administered for 6 weeks; the second-stage cervico-oesophageal anastomosis was performed 57 days later. She was discharged without complications and is doing well 6 months postoperatively.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I gene delivery to myoblast cells promotes the contractile force generated by hydrogel-based tissue-engineered skeletal muscles in vitro. Two retroviral vectors allowing doxycycline (Dox)-inducible expression of the IGF-I gene were transduced into mouse myoblast C2C12 cells to evaluate the effects of IGF-I gene expression on these cells. IGF-I gene expression stimulated the proliferation of C2C12 cells, and a significant increase in the growth rate was observed for IGF-I-transduced C2C12 cells with Dox addition, designated C2C12/IGF (Dox+) cells. Quantitative morphometric analyses showed that the myotubes induced from C2C12/IGF (Dox+) cells had a larger area and a greater width than control myotubes induced from normal C2C12 cells. Artificial skeletal muscle tissues were prepared from the respective cells using hydrogels composed of type I collagen and Matrigel. Western blot analyses revealed that the C2C12/IGF (Dox+) tissue constructs showed activation of a skeletal muscle hypertrophy marker (Akt) and enhanced expression of muscle-specific markers (myogenin, myosin heavy chain and tropomyosin). Moreover, the creatine kinase activity was increased in the C2C12/IGF (Dox+) tissue constructs. The C2C12/IGF (Dox+) tissue constructs contracted in response to electrical pulses, and generated a significantly higher physical force than the control C2C12 tissue constructs. These findings indicate that IGF-I gene transfer has the potential to yield functional skeletal muscle substitutes that are capable of in vivo restoration of the load-bearing function of injured muscle or acting as in vitro electrically-controlled bio-actuators.

Several procedures for conservation treatment were comparatively studied for degraded “ Suga- fibres” made of raw silk fibres dyed black. Two traditional methods, (1) neutralization with magnesium bicarbonate, and (2) antioxidant treatment with phytic acid, originally used for paper preservation, were tried for the conservation of Suga -fibres. The influences of a single treatment, or a combination of neutralization and antioxidant treatments, for the model fibres on their tensile strength were investigated under conditions of high humidity at high temperature before and after the accelerated aging test. The effect of the novel antioxidant cysteine on the fibre degradation was also examined. For the single treatments, the neutralization with magnesium bicarbonate retarded the degradation of higher iron-content iron (20%)/tannate-silk fibre, while the antioxidant with phytic acid treatment most effectively prevented the degradation of lower iron-content iron (2%)/tannate-silk fibre. This may be due to the different acidity in iron/tannate-silk fibres, and thus the degradation of iron (2%)/tannate-silk fibre would be caused by iron-catalyzed oxidation rather than acid-catalyzed hydrolysis because of its lower acidity. Among antioxidant treatments, cysteine more effectively retarded the degradation of the iron (20%)/tannate-silk fibre, while in the case of the iron (2%)/tannate-silk fibre, phytic acid more effectively conserved its strength and breaking strain. The result suggests that the thiol group of cysteine coordinates with an excess of ferrous ions in the iron (20%)/tannate-silk fibre and quenches the production of hydrogen peroxide. This study demonstrated that phytic acid, cysteine and magnesium bicarbonate treatments are useful as effective reagents for the conservation treatment of black-dyed textiles.

The ionic liquid is a salt which is usually liquid at room temperature. The vapor pressure of ionic liquid is so low that vaporization during experiment is disregarded. The utility of ionic liquid was revealed for the prevention of charge up phenomenon of fiber samples in the SEM observation. The ionic liquid used in this investigation was 1-ethyl3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMI-BF4). The textile samples were modern hemp, silk and excavated fibers from a tumulus (early Kofun Period) in Nara prefecture. Prior to the SEM observation, fiber samples were soaked in 0.1 M EMI-BF4 /ethanol solution for 5, 10, 30, 60 minutes, respectively. The all of soaked samples showed distinct SEM images compared with that of Au-sputtered procedure irrespective of soaking time. The modern silk fibers showed however clear SEM images only at low magnification. Besides, the SEM images were distorted at high magnification due to the charge up phenomenon. Though excavated samples also gave clear SEM images, they were separately investigated by FT-IR microscopy to find out any changes in chemical composition before and after soaking treatment. Any appreciable changes were not found even after soaking. In summary, EMI-BF4 soaking was superior to prevent the charge up phenomenon of fibers and hence to obtain clearer SEM images compared with that of Au-sputtering procedure. Besides, in connection with the versatility of sample preparation procedure, EMI-BF4 is an appropriate reagent for SEM observation of textile materials.

The simultaneous optimization of a robot structure and control system to realize effective mobility in an outdoor environment is investigated. Recently, various wheeled mechanisms with passive and/or active linkages for outdoor environments have been developed and evaluated. We developed a mobile robot having six active wheels and passive linkage mechanisms, and experimentally verified its maneuverability in an indoor environment. However, there are various obstacles in outdoor environment and the travel ability of a robot thus depends on its mechanical structure and control system. We proposed a method of simultaneously optimizing mobile robot structure and control system using an evolutionary algorithm. Here, a gene expresses the parameters of the structure and control system. A simulated mobile robot and controller are based on these parameters and the behavior of the mobile robot is evaluated for three typical obstacles. From the evaluation results, new genes are created and evaluated repeatedly. The evaluation items are travel distance, travel time, energy consumption, control accuracy, and attitude of the robot. Effective outdoor travel is achieved around the 80th generation, after which, other parameters are optimized until the 300th generation. The optimized gene is able to pass through the three obstacles with low energy consumption, accurate control, and stable attitude.

Here we applied a magnetic force-based tissue engineering technique to cardiac tissue fabrication. A mixture of extracellular matrix precursor and cardiomyocytes labeled with magnetic nanoparticles was added into a well containing a central polycarbonate cylinder. With the use of a magnet, the cells were attracted to the bottom of the well and allowed to form a cell layer. During cultivation, the cell layer shrank towards the cylinder, leading to the formation of a ring-shaped tissue that possessed a multilayered cell structure and contractile properties. These results indicate that magnetic tissue fabrication is a promising approach for cardiac tissue engineering.

本研究では，遺跡の発掘調査により出土する考古資料の中で埋蔵環境が異なる3遺跡（3C～6C．AD）から出土した天然繊維（絹，大麻，苧麻）に関する材質分析や，分解・劣化現象について赤外分析法を利用した遺跡間の比較検討結果を報告する．測定装置は高輝度光科学研究センター（JASRI）の大型放射光施設SPring-8に設置されているビームラインBL43IRの放射光顕微赤外分析装置を用いた．出土絹繊維については劣化が進行していることが多いが，その場合，主として絹タンパク質のアミドIとアミドIIの吸収領域のパターンにおいて，共通した変化が生じている．この現象は著者らによる既発表の基礎検討結果を裏付けており，主としてアミドIIを構成する絹フィブロイン分子の2次構造成分の変化に基づく現象である．なお，繊維文化財の埋蔵環境により繊維文化財に金属成分が付着する場合などには赤外スペクトルにその影響がみられ，スペクトルにわずかな差異が生じる場合がある．一般に植物性繊維（大麻，苧麻など）は絹繊維ほどには劣化せず，植物性繊維に共通する赤外吸収パターンがほぼ残っていることが多い．また，植物性繊維の基本構成はセルロース分子であるため，赤外スペクトルは品種によらず酷似したスペクトルを示す．通常植物性繊維の材質を赤外スペクトルだけで同定することは困難なことが多いが，現代の植物性繊維でも品種間にわずかな差異を示すことがあるため，この点が今後の研究課題である．

The phylogeography of local populations of the direct-developing estuarine polychaete Hediste atoka was examined by comparing the partial nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial gene for cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) from 67 individuals collected from 27 sites that cover the majority of the distribution area of this species along the Japanese coasts, and from two sites of the Korean coasts. The phylogenetic trees drawn by four different methods (maximum likelihood, neighbor-joining, minimum evolution and maximum parsimony) showed consistently that populations of H. atoka could be divided into two parapatric forms: form A constituted all Korean and most Japanese populations except for those in southern Japan (southwestern Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands), occupied by form B. No morphological differentiation has been detected between the two forms; the number of paragnath on the proboscis of each group was not significantly different from each other. The geographical distributions of these two forms did not overlap each other. These results suggest that cryptic speciation may occur in H. atoka.

Mudflats are formed in the upper littoral zones in estuaries, especially in the innermost part of macro-tidal embayments (upper reaches of estuaries), providing a habitat for peculiar fauna and flora. The peculiar fauna and flora of estuarine mudflats appear to have been extirpated in many estuaries in Japan, along with the mudflats that have been damaged or destroyed by thoughtless and drastic coastal reclamation. At present, Ariake Bay, which constitutes the largest area of mudflats remaining in Japan, also has the greatest variety of species. The mudflat-specific species are almost or completely restricted to Ariake Bay, while populations of the same (or closely related) species are distributed along Asian continental coasts, which suggests they are continental relicts. Some of the mudflat-specific species now restricted to Ariake Bay (e.g.,the bivalve, Tegillarca granosa, the polychaete, Hediste japonica, the salt marsh plant, Suaeda japonica) previously enjoyed a wide distribution in Japan. Even within Ariake Bay, huge mudflats in Isahaya Bay were recently lost to a reclamation project there. The high productivity of benthic organisms in mudflats seems to benefit carnivores such as birds and fishes (e.g., Japanese eel). Conservation and restoration of mudflats are needed to conserve endangered species and to maintain traditional human fisheries and culture. From this aspect, restoration of the largest mudflats in Isahaya Bay in Ariake Bay is highly desirable.

Fatigue experiments were carried out in laboratory air using an extruded magnesium alloy, AZ31, to investigate the effect of load ratio on the fatigue life and crack propagation behavior. The crack propagation behavior was analyzed using a modified linear elastic fracture mechanics parameter, M. The relation crack propagation rate vs. M parameter was found to be useful in predicting fatigue lives at different R ratios. Good agreement between the estimated and the experimental results at each stress ratio was obtained.

We recorded the nereidid polychaete Leonnates persicus Wesenberg-Lund, 1949 , previously known from coasts of Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, from the coasts of Japan, Korea, and Thailand, based on examination of 27 specimens collected from shallow subtidal or intertidal muddy flats at 16 localities. The morphological characteristics of this material agreed well with those of the holotype from the Persian Gulf. We describe some Important new characteristics of the holotype, which had not been appropriately described in previous literature.

This paper describes the development of an adaptive control system for an outdoor mobile robot. The adaptive control system is composed of an environment recognition system using a self-organizing map and hybrid-neural network controllers based on neural networks. The environment recognition system can recognize the environment in which the robot travels and can switch the hybrid-neural network controller. The hybrid-neural network controllers are tuned by experimental results for each environment. To evaluate the performance of target tracking and vibration suppression, an experiment using the wheeled mobile robot, “Zaurus”, was conducted in rough terrain. As a result, our proposed method could show less oscillatory motion in rough terrain and performed better than a well tuned PID controller.

The almost archaeological silk fibers are heavily degraded due to the long-term preservation at underground. The authors have been continuing the scientific research on the degraded state of silk fibers using infrared microspectroscopy. Though we have previously reported results about the characteristics of deformed infrared spectra by curve fitting procedure of the secondary components of fibroin molecules, obtained results were not completed. In the present report, we used the modified procedure to get more reasonable peak top wavenumbers for curve fitting using the second and fourth derivative spectrum of sample infrared spectrum. The refined silk fiber (Bombyx mori) was used as a modern reference material. The samples of degraded silk fibers were excavated from Fujinoki tumulus (6th C. AD) and Shimoikeyama tumulus (3rd C AD) in Nara Pref. in Japan. As a result of curve fitting analysis, it was found that the Amide I peak of the reference silk fiber is consisted of eleven component peaks. The strong component peaks are at 1659 cm-1 (amorphous) and 1650 cm-1(beta-sheet). The infrared spectrum of Fujinoki sample showed thirteen component peaks in Amide I peak. Among them, peak at 1672 cm-1 (beta-sheet) showed strong intensity compared with that of corresponding reference spectrum. On the other hand, the component peak intensity at 1667-1655 cm-1 (amorphous) is evidently decreased compared with that of corresponding reference spectrum. Namely it was shown that the crystallinity of fibroin molecules increases in the degraded state.

Excavated organic materials such as textile fabrics are usually heavily degraded and hence their scientific identification is rather difficult. The authors are continuing the analysis of degraded natural textile fibers using FT-IR microscopy to clarify their general characteristics at molecular level. In this report, the infrared spectra of silk fibers found at the Fujinoki tumulus were analyzed in detail. The most remarkable change of spectral patterns in degraded silk fibers compared with those of modern silk fibers was the broad superposed appearance of amide I and II absorption peaks. As a result of the investigation of the secondary structure of fibroin molecules, the main reason for the spectral deformation was found to be the increase in crystallinity associated with degradations.In this research, the FT-IR microscope at JASRI was used. It requires only very minute samples due to the bright IR light source using synchrotron radiation. This makes it convenient for the study of cultural properties.The identification of silk fibers in degraded state undoubtedly contributes to the understanding of historical features of the remains at a particular tumulus.

Compact tension (CT) specimens, 6 mm thick, of the aluminum alloy 6061-T6 were subjected to 100–300% overloads at R values ranging from 0.1 to 0.9. Both experimental and analytical results show that the delay phenomenon is found at all R values. For a given overload ratio, the number of delay cycles, Nd, at high R values was found to be specimen-type dependent. In tests using compact specimens, Nd increased with R, whereas in tests using center-cracked specimens Nd decreased with R. Over the complete range of R values, the delay phenomenon is shown to be caused by overload-induced crack closure.

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) is a major genetic event causing inactivation of tumor suppressor genes in human carcinogenesis. To elucidate chromosomal mechanisms causing LOH, 201 LOHs in 10 cases of human lung cancer, which were detected by a genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism array analysis, were investigated for responsible chromosome alterations by integrating information on breakpoints for DNA copy number changes obtained by array-comparative genome hybridization and on numerical and structural chromosomal alterations obtained by spectral karyotyping. The majority (80%) of LOHs were partial chromosome LOHs caused by structural chromosomal alterations, while the remaining (20%) were whole chromosome LOHs caused by whole chromosome deletions. Unbalanced translocation was defined as the most frequent alteration, and it accounted for 30% of all LOHs. Three other structural alterations-interstitial deletion (19%), mitotic recombination (9%) and gene conversion (6%)-also contributed to the occurrence of LOH, while terminal deletion contributed to only a small subset (1%). Since unbalanced translocation is a common chromosomal alteration in lung cancer cells, the results in the present study strongly indicate that a considerable fraction of LOHs detected in lung cancer cells are caused by unbalanced translocation.

A wheeled mobile mechanism with a passive and/or active linkage mechanism for travel in rough terrain is developed and evaluated. In our previous research, we developed a switching controller system for wheeled mobile robots in rough terrain. This system consists of two sub-systems: an environment recognition system using a self-organizing map and an adjusted control system using a neural network. In this paper, we propose a new controller design method based on a neural network. The proposed method involves three kinds of controllers: an elementary controller, adjusted controllers, and simplified controllers. In the experiments, our proposed method results in less oscillatory motion in rough terrain and performs better than a well tuned PID controller does.

Various mechanisms have recently been developed that combine linkage mechanisms and wheels. In particular, the combination of passive linkage mechanisms and small wheels is a main research trend because standard wheeled mobile mechanisms find it difficult to move on rough terrain. In our previous research, a six-wheel mobile robot employing a passive linkage mechanism has been developed to enhance maneuverability and was able to climb over a 0.20 m bump and stairs. We designed a hybrid velocity and torque controller using a neural network since simple velocity controllers fail to climb up. In this paper, we propose an environment recognition system for a wheeled mobile robot that consists of multiple classification analyses to make the robot more adaptive to various environments by selecting a suitable system such as decision making, navigation and controller using the result of the environment recognition system. We evaluate the recognition performance in operation environments; slopes, bumps and stairs by comparing principle component, k-means and self-organizing map analyses.

The fatigue properties of extruded magnesium alloy AZ31 were evaluated using material processed under two different extrusion ratios and two different extrusion temperatures. The effect of the extrusion ratios and extrusion temperatures on the fatigue lives and crack propagation behavior is discussed. The fatigue crack initiation and propagation processes were observed by the replica method. It was found that cracks initiated early in the fatigue process, and therefore the total fatigue life can be approximated as the crack propagation life. The crack propagation behavior observed in those materials was analyzed using a modified linear elastic fracture mechanics parameter, M. The relation crack propagation rate vs. M parameter was found to be useful in predicting fatigue lives and crack propagation curves.

A wheeled mobile mechanism with a passive and/or active linkage mechanism for rough terrain environment is developed and evaluated. The wheeled mobile mechanism which has high mobility in rough terrain needs sophisticated system to adapt various environments. We focus on the development of a switching controller system for wheeled mobile robots in rough terrain. This system consists of two sub-systems: an environment recognition system using link angles and an adaptive control system. In the environment recognition system, we introduce a Self-Organizing Map (SOM) for clustering link angles. In the adaptive controllers, we introduce neural networks to calculate the inverse model of the wheeled mobile robot. The environment recognition system can recognize the environment in which the robot travels, and the adjustable controllers are tuned by experimental results for each environment. The dual sub-system switching controller system is experimentally evaluated. The system recognizes its environment and adapts by switching the adjustable controllers. This system demonstrates superior performance to a well-tuned single PID controller.

Polystyrene-bound diethanolamine (PS-DEAM) work-up for a newly developed Pd(PPh3)4-catalyzed cleavage of allylic alkyl ethers using phenylboronic acid can effectively release Pd-free parent alcohols. Furthermore, chromatography-free deallylation can be conducted by using vinylboronic anhydride pyridine complex as an allyl scavenger with a catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)2 and 4-(diphenylphosphino)benzoic acid instead of Pd(PPh3)4 to yield the desired products in high purities and yields after removal of volatile byproducts and the phosphine-derived contaminants by evaporation and sequestration through acid–base interaction with PS-DEAM, respectively.

Wheel type mobile systems are the most popular transportation mechanisms because the energy efficiency is high, the mechanism is simple and the control system is well investigated. On the other hand, the wheel type mobile robots have difficulties in rough terrain movement. In previous research, a six-wheeled mobile robot employing a linkage mechanism, “Zaurus”, was developed to extend maneuverability. In this paper, a neural network controller and PID-controller are applied to Zaurus, and the performances of the two controllers are evaluated.

Mammalian cells have an activity of mutagenic repair for DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ), in which DNA ends are joined via microhomologous sequences flanking the breakpoint. MMEJ has been indicated to be undertaken without Ku proteins, which are essential factors for non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). On the other hand, recent studies with cell-free (in vitro) systems indicated the involvement of Ku proteins in MMEJ, suggesting that MMEJ could be also undertaken by a Ku-dependent pathway. To clarify whether Ku proteins are essential in MMEJ in vivo, linearized plasmid DNAs with microhomologous sequences of 10 bp at both ends were introduced as repair substrates into Ku80-proficient and Ku80-deficient CHO cells, and were subjected to MMEJ and NHEJ. Activities of MMEJ and NHEJ, respectively, of the cells were evaluated by mathematical modeling for the increase in fluorescence of GFP proteins produced from repaired products. The Ku80 deficiency caused approximately 75% reduction of the MMEJ activity in CHO cells, while it caused is ≥90% reduction of the NHEJ activity. Therefore, it was indicated that there is a Ku-dependent pathway for MMEJ; however, MMEJ is less dependent on Ku80 protein than NHEJ. The fraction of MMEJ products increased in proportion to the increase in the amounts of substrates. The results suggest that the increase in DSBs makes the cell more predominant for MMEJ. MMEJ might function as a salvage pathway for DSBs that cannot be repaired by NHEJ.

The silk fibroin/nylon 66 blended nanofiber webs were made by the electrospinning process and investigate the effect of blend ratio on the structure and surface properties of electrospun nanofiber assemblies. Tg of silk fibroin and nylon 66 blends in DSC curves shifted to that of nylon when the nylon content increased. With the increase of silk blend ratio, the decrease of the fiber diameter was observed. The mean coefficient of friction (MIU) was measured by KES surface tester. The obvious effect of fiber diameter on MIU was not found in the fiber diameter range of 50 to 270nm. Maximum values of MIU were observed for the silk/nylon blend ratio of 50/50%.

Benthic adult individuals and planktonic larvae of the barnacle Balanus rostratus were collected monthly from April, 2003, to March, 2005, in Shizugawa Bay, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The adult barnacles, with a maximum base diameter of 20-60mm, exhibited an increase in gonad somatic index from October to December, and breeding individuals appeared in December and January. The occurrence of nauplius larvae of B. rostratus was restricted to winter months, from January to March, and this was followed by the recruitment of small juveniles of 1-4mm in maximum base diameter to the rocks. Under natural conditions, slow growth was observed in newly settled individuals in spring, with the mean base diameter only increasing to 7mm by December-January; however, relatively high growth rates were observed in young barnacles transplanted to plastic plates and further cultured in Shizugawa Bay. The mean maximum base diameter of these cultured barnacles increased from 6.7±1.0mm in June, 2004, to 17.7±2.6mm in December, 2004, and to 26.2±2.7mm in April, 2005. The variation in growth rates between wild and cultured specimens of B. rostratus may be attributable to differences in environmental conditions or size-dependent mortality. Under natural conditions, the number of newly settled barnacles decreased drastically after May and they almost disappeared until January during the experimental period. The cause of this decrease may be due to post-settlement mortality biased towards larger individuals (e.g., size-selective predation), which may result in underestimation of the growth rate of young barnacles in the natural population. During the two-year investigation, few individuals recruited into size classes over of 10mm in maximum base diameter because of the low survival rate. Although B. rostratus is regarded as a long-lived species with a high survival rate among its large individuals (>20mm in maximum base diameter), the high mortality of young barnacles has the potential to lead the population to extinction. Thus, the intermittent occurrence of a dominant year class may be a strategy for sustaining the population.

Background Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase is involved in myocardial function, including contractility. To date, myocardial regulation by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase after brain death has not been investigated. The present study using a brain death model was designed to examine the role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in myocardial function after brain death. Methods After anesthesia with sevoflurane, a Fogarty catheter was placed intracranially for induction of brain death. A conductance catheter was inserted into the left ventricle for measurement of myocardial function. Rats were assigned to the following groups: one group undergoing sham operation (with catheter placement but no brain death introduction); one group receiving saline before brain death; and one group receiving wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, before brain death. Various measurements, including mean blood pressure, heart rate, maximal rate of rise of left ventricular pressure, and ejection fraction, were obtained every 30 minutes for 6 hours after brain death. The phosphorylation status of Akt and phospholamban was determined 360 minutes after brain death. Results After induction of brain death, rats showed significant decreases in blood pressure, maximal rate of rise of left ventricular pressure, and ejection fraction. Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase using wortmannin significantly improved these measurements, resulting in increased survival. Western blot analysis demonstrated that brain death increased Akt phosphorylation and decreased phospholamban phosphorylation; these effects were abolished by wortmannin. Conclusions Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase prevented myocardial dysfunction after brain death in association with inhibition of the decrease in phosphorylation of myocardial phospholamban, characteristic of brain death.