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This paper provides a choreographical-musical analysis of the function of the Odaidai, an annual Shinto ceremony held at Kawaguchi Asama Jinja (shrine) in Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Yamanashi Prefecture. The Odaidai is one example of kagura, dance performances preceded by music during Shinto events (note that in the Odaidai there is no theater). Research on this particular dance performance is of interest because it has repetitious sections that facilitate an analysis of the music and gestures and because, as an important part of the ceremony to prevent the eruption of Mt. Fuji, it has been transmitted locally at this shrine for generations—an unusual circumstance for such dances. In general terms, the research addresses the religious connotations of the kagura performed in the Odaidai and explores the conditions that make the dance effective. A comparative analysis of the function of sounds in kagura has enabled a reevaluation of existing definitions. The choreographic movements in the Odaidai ceremony can be connected with religio-ritualistic meaning in the choreography. Although the Odaidai kagura today functions primarily as entertainment during a local Shinto ceremony it is, in fact, performed for ritual purification. I argue that although the ritual meaning has been lost in the oral transmission of the dance, as long as the dance is performed correctly, its ritual connotations remain embedded in the practice.

We determined the physiological effects of glucotropaeolin-rich lyophilized garden cress sprout powder (GC) administered to fasting and nonfasting mice. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed glucotropaeolin (57.4±1.1 mg/g dry weight) as a major phytochemical constituent of GC. Decreasing tendency in body weight and feeding efficiency ratio were detected in the group of mice fed 0.05% (w/w) GC (GC0.05). Nonfasting mice exhibited significantly lower liver weights that were unchanged after fasting. Decreased total lipid (TL) and triglyceride (TG) levels in the liver were detected in the nonfasted GC0.01 and GC0.05 groups, but only in TLs of the fasted groups. The levels of plasma TGs and nonesterified fatty acids of the GC0.05 group, which remained unchanged during nonfasting, decreased after fasting. To determine its effects on the accumulation of lipids in the liver, the glucotropaeolin aglycone, benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), was added to the liver-derived HepG2 human cell line cultured in a medium containing a high concentration of D-glucose (4,500 mg/L D-glucose) (HG group) or 1 mM oleic acid (SO group). Toxicity was not detected when cells were treated with as much as 5 μM BITC; however, lipid accumulation was inhibited by BITC in a concentration-dependent manner in the HG groups. The same effect was observed when 2 μM BITC was added to the diet of the SO groups. These results suggest that moderate levels of GC or BITC are useful for reducing liver and plasma TGs.

We examined the prevention effect of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) sprout on metabolic syndrome using a high-carbohydrate and high-fat diet (Western diet; WD)-induced male C57BL/6J obese model mouse. Red clover sprout-lyophilized powder (RC) contained 3.5 mg/g dry-weight of formononetin as a major phenolic compound, as analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. Supplementation of 0.3% (w/w) RC in a WD (WD+RC) showed an anti-obesity effect and ameliorated lipid metabolism in the obese model mice. Additionally, fasting plasma glucose levels were significantly reduced in the WD+RC group. Administration of 0.1 mg/kg formononetin reduced the postprandial blood glucose level, as assessed using the oral maltose tolerance test. However, no significant formononetin intake effect was observed on the plasma insulin level. These results suggest that the formononetin contained in red clover sprout inhibits α-glucosidase and thereby contributes to reducing the postprandial blood glucose response in mice.

A key issue associated with advanced lithography techniques for semiconductor-device manufacturing is the reduction in the sidewall roughness of photoresist line patterns, known as line-edge roughness (LER). We have developed a technique for measuring the sidewall of the resist pattern using atomic force microscopy (AFM) that enables three-dimensional (3D), high-resolution, low-noise, and nondestructive measurements. Conventional LER measurement technology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) causes shrinkage of the resist pattern due to electron-beam (EB) exposure, whereas our new AFM technique can in principle avoid EB-induced shrinkage. This AFM technology is capable of 3D measurements because it employs a tip-tilting mechanism that enables the sharp AFM tip to scan the vertical sidewalls, which is difficult for a conventional AFM technique. In addition, laser interferometers are equipped for the measurement of the AFM tip displacement, which yields high-resolution, high-accuracy, and low-noise results. This technology overcomes issues such as low resolution, noise, and destructive measurements that afflict conventional SEM measurements. In addition, it enables observations and quantitative analyses of the 3D sidewall roughness. For example, in the present experiment, we observed that grain shapes (several tens of nm in size) were formed randomly on the resist sidewall and that there were almost no footing shapes. By analyzing the sidewall profiles with a height resolution of 1 nm, we obtain the roughness (self-affine fractal) parameters at each height. This AFM-based resist sidewall measurement technique can, thus, provide important insights into resist patterning and related process technologies for next-generation semiconductor-device manufacturing.

Recently, there have been increasing demands not only for the conventional profile surface roughness measurements using atomic force microscopes (AFM) but also for areal surface roughness measurements. In this study, a technique using Sal, one of the areal surface roughness parameters, instead of RSm, one of the profile roughness parameters, is proposed in order to extend the conventional method of profile roughness measurements specified in ISO 19606:2017 to areal roughness measurements. Areal surface roughness measurements performed using a metrological AFM and evaluation of their expanded uncertainties are also reported.

The calibration service of profile surface roughness by using a metrological atomic force microscope is now available at National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), AIST. The calibration method is designed by referring to ISO 19606: 2017 (JIS R 1683: 2014). The scope of the ISO 19606: 2017, however, is limited to roughness measurements of surfaces with an arithmetical mean roughness, Ra, in the range of about 1 nm–30 nm. Currently there is strong demand for the measurement of surface roughness of more than 30 nm in the precision machining industry and for the measurement of surface roughness of sub-nanometer order in the semiconductor industry. In order to meet such demand, it is necessary to extend the range of surface roughness measurements in the NMIJ's calibration service. In this study, authors performed surface roughness measurements using a metrological AFM and evaluated their uncertainties. As a result of a series of measurements and evaluation of their uncertainties, it has been found that the calibration range can be extended to surfaces with an arithmetical mean roughness, Ra, in the range of about 0.2 nm–100 nm. The measurement results and the future challenges are reported in this paper.

In this study, we developed a methodology to evaluate scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-based line edge roughness (LER) metrology. In particular, we used a metrological tilting atomic force microscopy (tilting-mAFM) as LER reference metrology. We analyzed the height-height correlation function (HHCF) of SEM line-edge profiles combining averaging and unbiased correction methods. The direct comparison of our method with tilting-mAFM enabled a precise evaluation of the SEM-based LER metrology. We demonstrated that a combination of unbiased HHCF and averaging methods with appropriate condition enabled relatively precise measurement of three roughness parameters. We observed that, for precise roughness evaluation, reducing noise in the line-edge profiles is important before performing the HHCF analysis and unbiased correction.

High blood glucose is associated with increased risk of various diseases. Red clover (RC; Trifolium pratense L.) is an edible legume whose sprout is rich in isoflavones such as formononetin and biochanin A. We examined the effects of RC extract on postprandial and fasting blood glucose level, using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 36 participants, aged 25 to 64 years, who were randomly assigned to receive either 1.91 g of RC extract (containing 8 mg formononetin and 1.8 mg biochanin A) or placebo. Each participant ingested the assigned test food daily for 8 weeks, and at the oral maltose tolerance test (OMTT). Initially, the two groups did not significantly differ in OMTT results. However, fasting insulin levels at 8 weeks were significantly lower in the RC group (4.76 μIU/ml at Week 0 to 4.01 μIU/ml at Week 8) with a significant interaction (P = 0.046). Subgroup analysis showed that change in blood glucose level (blood glucose ΔC) tended to decrease late in the trial period during OMTT in the ≤50-year-old RC group, as did fasting blood glucose and insulin levels at 8 weeks; hemoglobin A1c was also significantly reduced in this subgroup (5.36% at Week 0 to 5.28% at Week 8) with a significant interaction (P = 0.040). These results suggest that the daily intake of RC could reduce blood glucose, particularly for those ≤50 years old. Formononetin-an α-glucosidase inhibitor-is considered to be the major functional molecule for these effects. Therefore, intake of RC that contains formononetin might help blood glucose control.

The National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ) has developed a highly accurate two-point diameter measurement method of a sphere using a micro-coordinate measuring machine (µ-CMM) with a low-force two-dimensional touch probe. The measured sphere is used as a reference to calibrate the probe of other µ-CMM in industry. Our strategy for measuring sphere’s diameter is that the probe radius of NMIJ’s µ-CMM is calibrated using a reference gauge block, and the NMIJ’s µ-CMM using the calibrated probe measures the mean two-point diameter of a sphere. To achieve the highly accurate calibration of the reference gauge block, we have adopted a double-sided interferometer (DSI) and an atomic force microscopy (AFM). The DSI measures the length of gauge block without wringing. The phase correction value of the gauge block is evaluated by measuring the surface roughness using the AFM. Using the DSI and AFM, the mechanical length of reference gauge block was obtained with the expanded uncertainty of 13 nm (k = 2). Then, the probe radius of NMIJ’s µ-CMM was also calibrated using the reference gauge block calibrated by the DSI and the AFM. The µ-CMM’s probe radius was obtained with the expanded uncertainty of 10 nm (k = 2). Finally, the µ-CMM measured the mean two-point diameter of a sphere with the expanded uncertainty 21 nm (k = 2) was demonstrated.

Background: Conventional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that is used for 2D top-view metrology, a classical line edge roughness (LER) measurement technique, is incapable of measuring 3D structures of a nanoscale line pattern. For LER measurements, SEM measurement generates a single line-edge profile for the 3D sidewall roughness, although the line-edge profile differs at each height in the 3D sidewall. Aim: To develop an evaluation method of SEM-based LER measurement techniques and to verify how the 3D sidewall shape is reflected in the SEM’s 2D result. Approach: Direct comparison by measuring an identical location of a line pattern by SEM and an atomic force microscopy (AFM) with the tip-tilting technique that is capable of measuring the 3D sidewall. The line pattern has vertical stripes on the sidewall due to its fabrication process. Measured line edge profiles were analyzed using power spectral density, height-height correlation function, and autocorrelation function. Results: Line edge profiles measured by SEM and AFM were well matched except for noise level. Frequency and scaling analyses showed that SEM profile contained high noise and had lost a property of self-affine fractals in contrast to AFM. Conclusions: In the case of the line pattern with vertical stripes on the sidewall, SEM profile is generally consistent with 3D sidewall shape. The AFM-based LER measurement technique is useful as LER reference metrology to evaluate other LER measurement techniques.

Line edge roughness (LER) measurement of a nanoscale line pattern is a metrology challenge in the inspection of semiconductor devices. Conventional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a classical LER measurement technique, is a top-view (2D) metrology and incapable of accurately measuring 3D structures. For LER measurements, SEM measurement generates a single line edge profile for the 3D sidewall roughness, although the line edge profile differs at each height in the 3D sidewall. In this study, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) with the tip-tilting technique to measure the 3D sidewall roughness, as an LER reference metrology. An identical location of a line pattern measured by SEM and AFM was compared to evaluate the SEM’s performance. The line edge profile from the AFM measurement exhibited lower noise than that from SEM. The measured line edge profiles were analyzed using the power spectral density (PSD), height-height correlation function (HHCF), and autocorrelation function. The results demonstrate that the standard deviation (σ) and correlation length (ξ) are overestimated while the roughness exponent (α) is underestimated by SEM, considering the AFM results as reference values.

It is known that the periodic error of heterodyne interferometers limits the accuracy of measurement to nanometre order. It is mainly derived from frequency mixing in the interferometer optics and this can be resolved using the configuration with two spatially separated beams. However, there remains a periodic error associated with parasitic reflections. Recently, we have developed a differential single-path heterodyne interferometer with two spatially separated beams, which was constructed within a single small quasi-cubic optical unit to minimize the parasitic reflections. In this work, the residual periodic error of this interferometer was evaluated with two evaluation methods, ‘the amplitude method’ and ‘the subtraction method’, and their results were compared. By applying uncertainty estimation procedures to the results, these two methods were shown to be highly consistent, confirming the reliability of our evaluation results. The error in λ/2 period of this interferometer was 7.6 pm.

Line edge roughness (LER) measurement is one of the metrology challenges for 3D device structures, and LER reference metrology is important for reliable LER measurements. We developed an LER measurement technique, which is able to analyze LER distribution along height of a line pattern, with high accuracy, resolution, and reproducibility. Highly accurate atomic force microscopy (AFM) image of a vertical sidewall of a line pattern was obtained using a metrological tilting- AFM, which offers SI-traceable dimensional measurements. The tilting-tip was controlled with an inclined servo axis and scans the vertical sidewall along a line pattern with a high sampling density to enable an analysis of the LER height distribution at the sidewall. A horizontal cross-section of the sidewall shows sidewall roughness with sub-nm resolution. Power spectral density (PSD) analysis of the sidewall profile showed that the PSD noise in the high-frequency region was several orders of magnitude lower than the noise of typical scanning electron microscopy methods. AFM measurements were sequentially repeated three times to evaluate the reproducibility of the sidewall measurement and LER analysis; results indicated a high reproducibility of 0.07 nm evaluated as a standard deviation of LER at each height.

Line edge roughness (LER) measurement is one of the metrology challenges for three-dimensional device structures, and LER reference metrology is important for reliable LER measurements. For the purpose of LER reference metrology, we developed an LER measurement technique that can analyze LER distribution along the height of a line pattern, with high resolution and repeatability. A high-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) image of a vertical sidewall of a line pattern was obtained using a metrological tilting-AFM, which offers SI-traceable dimensional measurements. The tilting-tip was controlled with an inclined servo axis, and it scans the vertical sidewall along a line pattern with a high sampling density to enable an analysis of the LER height distribution at the sidewall. A horizontal cross-section of the sidewall shows sidewall roughness with sub-nm resolution. Power spectral density (PSD) analysis of the sidewall profile showed that the PSD noise in the high-frequency region was several orders of magnitude lower than the noise of typical scanning electron microscopy methods. AFM measurements were sequentially repeated three times to evaluate the repeatability of the LER measurement; results indicated a high repeatability of 0.07 nm evaluated as a standard deviation of LER at each height.

Various aryl-substituted purine derivatives were synthesized through the direct arylation of halopurines with aromatic compounds, facilitated by the combination of triflic acid and fluoroalcohol. This metal-free method is complementary to conventional coupling reactions using metal catalysts and reagents for the syntheses of aryl-substituted purine analogues.

A signal-processing method is proposed in the fully interferometric three-dimensional (3D) imaging spectrometry. This processing computes a 3D interferogram, in which recorded fringe patterns do not directly reflect wavefront forms propagated from a polychromatic light source under measurement. This paper presents a procedure for signal processing including a synthesis of the 3D interferogram and retrieval of a set of spectral components of 3D images. We demonstrate retrieving 3D images for spectral components of two planar light sources by means of the proposed method. The procedure to synthesize the 3D interferogram in this method suggests the possibility of direct measurement of the 3D interferogram.

The refractive index of air is accurately measured using a vacuum cell and a tandem low-coherence interferometer with a communication optical fiber of 30 km length with standard uncertainties of 0.20 ppm for the phase refractive index and 0.29 ppm for the group refractive index. Experimental results are compared with the value calculated from the equation for the refractive index of air using data obtained from measurements of the surrounding air, with a standard uncertainty of 0.22 ppm, and the difference between the average values is within 0.1 ppm. This method is applicable to the in situ high-precision measurement of optical length.

The death-associated protein Daxx is a multifunctional factor that regulates a variety of cellular processes, including transcription and apoptosis. Several previous reports have indicated that Daxx is induced upon oxidative stress and is then subjected to phosphorylation-based functional modification. However, the precise molecular events underlying these phosphorylation events remain largely unknown. We report in our current study that the peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1 is highly overexpressed in malignant human gliomas and inhibits Daxx-mediated cellular apoptosis. The targeted inhibition of Pin1 by small interfering RNA in A172 glioblastoma cells significantly enhances the apoptotic response induced by hydrogen peroxide or stimulatory Fas antibodies. This is in turn accompanied by the increased induction of Daxx and the activation of the apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1/c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway. Furthermore, Pin1 binds to the phosphorylated Ser178-Pro motif in the Daxx protein, and Pin1 overexpression results in the rapid degradation of Daxx via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Moreover, a Daxx-S178A mutant, which cannot interact with Pin1, demonstrates higher proapoptotic activity and is refractory to Pin1-mediated antiapoptotic effects. We further found that the expression levels of Pin1 inversely correlate with the degree of Daxx nuclear accumulation in human glioblastoma tissues. These results together indicate that Pin1-mediated prolyl isomerization plays an important role in the negative regulation of Daxx and thereby inhibits the oxidative stress-induced cellular apoptotic response, particularly in malignant tumor cells where Pin1 is often overexpressed.

Aliphatic glucosinolates (AGSLs) constitute an important part of sulfur-containing secondary metabolites in Arabidopsis. Biosynthesis of AGSLs is positively regulated by transcription factors MYB28, MYB29, and MYB76. Compared to plants grown under full S conditions (1,500 μM sulfate), in wild type Arabidopsis, the AGSL content was reduced to nearly 70 % when grown under 1/10 S conditions (150 μM sulfate) and nearly disappeared in plants grown under 0 S conditions. The expression of MYB29 and MYB76 was positively correlated with sulfur concentration, whereas the expression of MYB28 was slightly elevated in lines grown under 1/10 S conditions, and maintained at basal levels under 0 S conditions. To eliminate the effects of MYB interaction, transgenic lines in which one of these three MYB genes was expressed in the myb28myb29 background, were subjected to sulfur deficiency. In the absence of MYB29 and MYB76, an apparent increase of MYB28 expression level in Pro MYB28 :MYB28 lines was detected when grown under 1/10 S conditions. Altering the regulation of MYB genes allows the plants to allocate the limited sulfur resources between primary and secondary metabolism under sulfur deficiency.

The group refractive index of BK-7 glass material is accurately measured using a tandem low-coherence interferometer, which is composed of a Mychelson interferometer and a Fizeau interferometer, within a combined standard uncertainty of 8.4 ppm. The experimental results are compared with the value calculated from the conventional data base on the phase refractive index, within a difference of about 4.7 ppm. This new method is applicable to in situ measurement due to the principle of its common optical path.

A new remote-measurement technique of length is developed, in which a low-coherence tandem interferometer and a single-mode optical fiber are used. The optical path difference provided in the first low-coherence interferometer, which corresponds to the length being measured, is transmitted through the optical fiber to the second low-coherence interferometer. Interference fringes are generated when the optical path difference in the second interferometer compensates that of the first interferometer. End standards up to 10 mm have been calibrated remotely through the single-mode optical fiber of 10 m length with a standard deviation of 0.14 μm.

A new two-color heterodyne interferometer using an optical grating was proposed for measuring the refractive index of air. The heterodyne modulation is realized by moving the diffraction grating. The method allows us to measure the refractive index with high accuracy by using a 1:06 lm YAG laser and its second-harmonic wave because two beams (the fundamental and the second-harmonic wave) are in common path completely. Moreover, good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be obtained by the heterodyne interference. Using the refractive index calculated by Edl e equation as a reference, that measured by present method was experimentally evaluated having an accuracy of about 1 � 10 � 6 within a distance of 100 mm. 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

A prism-pair interferometer for a spectrum lamp was developed for precise measurement of the refractive index of a prism of optical glass. Previously we reported the prism-pair interferometer with a He-Ne laser light source, resulting in a measurement uncertainty of 1.1×10⁻⁶. However, most of the refractive-index values managed by optical glass manufacturers are conventionally measured with spectrum lamps. We have optimized the prism-pair interferometer for spectrum lamps and implemented a signal-processing technique from Fourier-transform spectroscopy. When the refractive index is measured, the wavelength of the spectrum lamp is simultaneously calibrated by part of the interferometer, so that the resulting refractive index is traceable to a national standard of length. The combined standard uncertainty for a refractive index measured with the e-line (546 nm) of a Hg lamp is 6.9×10⁻⁶.

We developed a white-light interferometer that uses pseudo random-modulation for high-sensitivity, high-selectivity measurements of the surface profile of three-dimensional objects. The pseudo random-modulation is achieved by using a multi-segment mirror, where each segment has a different height in a maximum shift-register sequence (M-sequence). Preliminary experiments, where the white-light source was a halogen lamp and the test object was a plane mirror, show that our M-sequence modulated white-light interferometer (MMWI) had a four-time improvement in the signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio compared with that of a conventional interferometer.

A multichannel spectral imaging system consisting of dichroic mirrors is proposed. The system is expected to have the highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) because of the largest optical throughput realized by the multichannel configurations for both imaging and spectrometry. A multichannel spectral imaging system with eight spectral bands was designed by the evolutionary algorithms and then fabricated. The SNR is studied and compared experimentally with those of other fast spectral imaging techniques. A time-sequence of spectral images of a super-continuum light beam is measured using the present system. The number of spectral channels of the system is limited chiefly by the difficulty in designing the arrangement of dichroic mirrors and the optical performance of those mirrors. These limitations restrict the number of spectral channels to approximately 16 at present.

Arabidopsis transcription factors, MYB28, MYB29 and MYB76, positively regulate aliphatic glucosinolate (AGSL) biosynthesis. Mutual transcriptional regulation among these MYB genes makes it difficult to elucidate their individual function simply by analyzing knock-out mutants or ectopically overexpressing lines of these genes. In this study, we constructed transgenic lines expressing each MYB gene driven by its own promoter in the myb28myb29 background, where the expression of the endogenous MYB28, MYB29 and MYB76 was repressed with no AGSL accumulation. In leaves, transgenic MYB28 expression activated AGSL biosynthetic genes and restored accumulation of AGSLs with short side chains. Transgenic MYB29 expression activated the same biosynthetic pathway, but induction of the genes involved in side chain elongation was weaker than that by MYB28, resulting in a weaker recovery of AGSLs. Neither MYB28 nor MYB29 recovered long-chain AGSL accumulation. MYB76 was considered to require both MYB28 and MYB29 for its normal level of expression in leaves, and could not activate AGSL biosynthesis on its own. Interestingly, the accumulation in seeds of long- and short-chain AGSLs was restored by transgenic expression of MYB28 and MYB76, respectively. A sulfur stress experiment indicated that MYB28 expression was induced by sulfur deficiency, while the expression levels of MYB29 and MYB76 were positively correlated with sulfur concentration. This study illustrated how the individual MYBs work in regulating AGSL biosynthesis when expressed alone under normal transcriptional regulation.

Editors:Prathan Buranasiri,Sarun Sumriddetchkajorn, We have studied a method to obtain both three-dimensional (3-D) spatial information and spectral information of a usual polychromatic object by a fully passive interferometric technique that is strongly coupled with digital signal processing. Our method can be used for a vast range of wavelengths, because no special imaging devices, such as lenses, are required. In addition, coherent light sources are not necessary. A hyperbolic-type volume interferogram is one type of the volume interferogram, which is used for retrieve the object information, and an interferometer to measure directly this volume interferogram has been introduced. This paper introduces a method to measure the hyperbolic-type volume interferogram with high sensitivity in fully interferometric 3-D imaging spectrometry. This is accomplished by coupling of interferometer to measure directly the hyperbolic-type volume interferogram and heterodyne detection system for broadband light. We also report a preliminary experimental result based on the interferometer to measure directly the hyperbolic-type volume interferogram.

A multichannel spectral imaging system consisting of dichroic mirrors is applied to spectral imaging of the ultrafast super-continuum light. The mechanism of ultrafast supercontinuum light has not yet been elucidated completely. The spectral images of the supercontinuum light are expected to give us a deeper insight. The multichannel spectral imaging system can capture a spectral image instantaneously and is expected to have a high signal-to-noise ratio. The spectral image of the single pulse of the super-continuum shows that the spectrum varies according to the distance from the optical axis.

We report a case of SAPHO syndrome accompanying progressive osteoarthritis. In this 43-year-old woman, difficult intubation was expected due to unilateral hyperostosis of the mandible and spinal degeneration. As far as we know, anesthetic management of this disease has not been reported. Therefore we made an anesthetic plan based on spinal degenerative disease which was considered to have similar problems of intubation and the case was managed without problems. As this syndrome is a progressive disorder, careful perioperative management is required each time.

In general anesthesia for a patient with dystrophia myotonica (DM), respiratory depression and muscle weakness by opioid, as well as prolongation of the effect of muscle relaxant are seen postoperatively. Therefore it is desirable to choose agents with short duration of action and to dose these medicines to the minimum. We report a case of a 45-year-old woman with DM who underwent laparotomy for uterine cancer under general anesthesia combined with epidural anesthesia. Epidural catheter was placed from T 11-12, and anesthesia was inducted with propofol and remifentanil (RF). We administered rocuronium bromide (RB) 5 mg while watching TOF ratio with a muscle relaxation monitor (TOF-Watch). T1 became 0 after giving a dose of 10 mg, and intubation was performed. We maintained anesthesia by propofol and RF combined with epidural anesthesia. TOF ratio was restored to around 80% 90 minutes after RB administration, but we did not give supplemental doses because the operation went well smoothly. Recovery was smooth and fast. The respiratory depression and the muscle spasm were not noticed. RB and RE both with short duration of action, are useful in anesthesia management in DM cases.

Amino acid and glucosinolate biosynthesis are two interdependent pathways; amino acid synthesis as a part of primary metabolism provides the precursors for glucosinolate biosynthesis in secondary metabolism. In our previous studies, the combination of coexpression analysis and metabolite profiling led to the identification of genes and key regulators involved in glucosinolate biosynthesis. Moreover, the integration of transcriptome and metabolome data of sulphur-deprived Arabidopsis plants revealed coordinate changes in the expression profiles of genes involved in glucosinolate and amino acid metabolism.This review provides an overview of our recent studies involving Arabidopsis mutant plants that exhibit impairment in the side-chain elongation process occurring during aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis by means of coexpression analysis and a novel metabolite profiling approach based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-TQMS) (Sawada et al. 2009a). Thus, this review highlights the advantages of the omics-based approach in identifying genes involved in glucosinolate biosynthesis.

A Fourier transform spectrometer with heterodyne modulation achieved by a moving diffraction grating has been developed for the near-infrared (NIR) region. The grating simultaneously acts as a beam splitter and a modulator, which realizes the optical frequency shift of incident light for increasing the sensitivity of measurements by the heterodyne detection technique. The differences in diffraction angle among broad spectra are compensated by a collimating mirror and plane mirrors. The proposed spectrometer is used for the measurements of spectra in the NIR region. The signal-to-noise ratio of measurements is improved sevenfold with a heterodyne modulation of 410 Hz. As examples, this spectrometer is applied for quantitative calibration and discrimination of organic solutions. The measurement of transmission spectra of a grape is also demonstrated.

We propose a variable-path interferometric technique for the measurement of the absolute refractive index of optical glasses. We use two interferometers to decide the ratio between changes in the optical path in a prism-shaped sample glass and in air resulting from displacement of the sample. The method allows precise measurements to be made without prior knowledge of the properties of the sample. The combined standard uncertainty of the proposed method is 1.6x10(-6).

Plants synthesize a sulfur-containing lipid, sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol, which is one of three nonphosphorus glycerolipids that provide the bulk of the structural lipids in photosynthetic membranes. Here, the identification of a novel gene, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase3 (UGP3), required for sulfolipid biosynthesis is described. Transcriptome coexpression analysis demonstrated highly correlated expression of UGP3 with known genes for sulfolipid biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of leaf lipids in two Arabidopsis ugp3 mutants revealed that no sulfolipid was accumulated in these mutants, indicating the participation of UGP3 in sulfolipid biosynthesis. From the deduced amino acid sequence, UGP3 was presumed to be a UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) involved in the generation of UDP-glucose, serving as the precursor of the polar head of sulfolipid. Recombinant UGP3 was able to catalyze the formation of UDP-glucose from glucose-1-phosphate and UTP. A transient assay using fluorescence fusion proteins and UGPase activity in isolated chloroplasts indicated chloroplastic localization of UGP3. The transcription level of UGP3 was increased by phosphate starvation. A comparative genomics study on UGP3 homologs across different plant species suggested the structural and functional conservation of the proteins and, thus, a committing role for UGP3 in sulfolipid synthesis.