Position-dependent roles of somatic cells in phototaxis of .

A spherical green alga, , achieves phototaxis via a simple on/off switch of flagellar beating in response to changes in light intensity, without the need for complex signal transduction between cells. Moreover, the alga can change its susceptibility to light in order to adapt to its environment. To identify the mechanisms of susceptibility regulation, experiments were conducted at three different levels: population, individual, and cellular.

Expression and purification of cell-penetrating Cas9 and Cas12a enzymes for peptide-assisted genome editing.

Recent advances in CRISPR-Cas genomic editors have shifted us ever closer to achieving the ultimate therapeutic goal of accomplishing any edit in any cell. However, delivery of this editing machinery to primary cells with high efficiency while avoiding cellular toxicity remains a formidable challenge. Peptide-Assisted Genome Editing (PAGE) provides a simple, modular, and rapid approach for the protein-based delivery of CRISPR-Cas proteins or ribonucleoprotein complexes into primary cells with high efficiency and minimal cytotoxicity.

Usefulness and Safety of a Wearable Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Device for Promoting Exercise Therapy in Patients With Chronic Knee Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To investigate the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in reducing barriers to the implementation of exercise therapy and promoting exercise therapy, focusing on physical activity (PA).

Design: A single-center, participant-blinded, randomized controlled trial with a pre-post design.

Setting: Orthopedic clinic at a single institution,.

Identification of sulfonylpyrimidines as novel selective aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) inhibitors.

4-[(5-[2-Methyl-5-(methylsulfonyl)pentan-2-yl]sulfonylpyrimidin-4-yl)amino]benzonitrile 2 was identified as a novel potent aldosterone synthase inhibitor. Compound 2 was found to inhibit human CYP11B2 in the nanomolar range, and showed an aldosterone-lowering effect in a furosemide-treated cynomolgus monkey model. Although human CYP11B2 has the high homology sequence with human CYP11B1, compound 2 showed more than 80 times higher selectivity over human CYP11B1 in vitro.

Emerging Roles and Mechanisms of RNA Modifications in Neurodegenerative Diseases and Glioma.

Despite a long history of research, neurodegenerative diseases and malignant brain tumor gliomas are both considered incurable, facing challenges in the development of treatments. Recent evidence suggests that RNA modifications, previously considered as static components of intracellular RNAs, are in fact dynamically regulated across various RNA species in cells and play a critical role in major biological processes in the nervous system. Innovations in next-generation sequencing have enabled the accurate detection of modifications on bases and sugars within various RNA molecules.

Spin-State Control of Shallow Single NV Centers in Hydrogen-Terminated Diamond.

The ability to control the charge and spin states of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers near the diamond surface is of pivotal importance for quantum applications. Hydrogen-terminated diamond is promising for long spin coherence times and ease of controlling the charge states due to the low density of surface defects. However, it has so far been challenging to create negatively charged single NV centers with controllable spin states beneath a hydrogen-terminated surface because atmospheric adsorbates that act as acceptors induce surface holes.

Oral 5-aminolevulinic acid administration before transurethral resection of bladder tumor induces perioperative nausea and vomiting.

Background: The efficacy of photodynamic diagnosis using 5-aminolevulinic acid during transurethral resection of bladder tumors has been demonstrated, albeit with limited information regarding its side effects. This study aimed to clarify the impact of oral 5-aminolevulinic acid on perioperative nausea and vomiting (NV) for the first time in a real-world clinical practice setting.

Methods: Patients who underwent transurethral surgery at Kagawa University between April 2017 and March 2020 were included.

Recurrent glioblastoma metastatic to the lumbar vertebra: A case report and literature review: Surgical oncology.

Background: Glioblastoma is a malignant tumor, and its prognosis is as poor as 1.5 to 2 years. Most cases recur within one year even under the standard treatment.

Prediction of RNA-protein interactions using a nucleotide language model.

Motivation: The accumulation of sequencing data has enabled researchers to predict the interactions between RNA sequences and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) using novel machine learning techniques. However, existing models are often difficult to interpret and require additional information to sequences. Bidirectional encoder representations from transformer (BERT) is a language-based deep learning model that is highly interpretable.

Mobilizing Citizens' Ears: Aural Training as Civil Defense, 1941-45.

In the mid-twentieth century, the Japanese state trained its citizens to identify the sound of a falling bomb. This article explores the little-studied impact of audio-based military technology on wider society, beyond the military sector and beyond Western contexts. In 1941, Japan's elementary schools-renamed National People's Schools-provided new musical training in perfect pitch to strengthen Japan's national defense efforts in wartime.

Cover Essay: Visual Images in Sound Studies.

This essay discusses the significance of visual images in sound studies. The field of sound studies allows us to focus on hearing and soundscapes in cultural experiences and has challenged the primacy of vision as a framework for social analysis. This issue's cover shows Japanese Emperor Hirohito examining Type 90 Air Sound Detectors (also known as "war tubas") in 1936.

Incidental Sacral Meningocele in an Elderly Patient Diagnosed After Epidermal Inclusion Cyst Removal: A Case Report.

A meningocele is a congenital neural tube defect, and the majority of the meningocele cases are identified perinatally. We present the case of a 67-year-old patient with a sacral meningocele undiagnosed until the removal of a symptomatic epidermal inclusion cyst adjacent to it. Cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred due to an incision in an undiagnosed meningocele adjacent to the epidermal inclusion cyst.

Magnetic polarization selective spectroscopy of magnetic thin films probed by wideband crossed microstrip circuit in GHz regime.

We have developed a method to obtain wideband magnetic polarization selective spectra of magnetic thin films by using circularly polarized microwaves. The combination of an over-coupled crossed microstrip resonator and a hybrid coupler enables broadband and accurate control of circularly polarized microwaves. The performance of the present method was demonstrated with an yttrium iron garnet thin film, and we detected the magnetic polarization dependence of a Kittel mode and a perpendicular standing spin wave mode in the range of 3-20 GHz.

Designing Single-Component Optogenetic Membrane Recruitment Systems: The Rho-Family GTPase Signaling Toolbox.

We describe the efficient creation of single-component optogenetic tools for membrane recruitment-based signaling perturbation using BcLOV4 technology. The workflow requires two plasmids to create six different domain arrangements of the dynamic membrane binder BcLOV4, a fluorescent reporter, and the fused signaling protein of interest. Screening of this limited set of genetic constructs for expression characteristics and dynamic translocation in response to one pulse of light is sufficient to identify viable signaling control tools.

Impact of subcallosal artery origin and A1 asymmetry on surgical outcomes of anterior communicating artery aneurysms.

Background: Surgical clipping of anterior communicating artery (ACoA) aneurysms remains challenging due to their complex anatomy. Anatomical risk factors for ACoA aneurysm surgery require further elucidation. The aim of this study is to investigate whether proximity of the midline perforating artery, subcallosal artery (SubCA), and associated anomaly of the ACoA complex affect functional outcomes of ACoA aneurysm surgery.

Single-Component Optogenetic Tools for Inducible RhoA GTPase Signaling.

Optogenetic tools are created to control RhoA GTPase, a central regulator of actin organization and actomyosin contractility. RhoA GTPase, or its upstream activator ARHGEF11, is fused to BcLOV4, a photoreceptor that can be dynamically recruited to the plasma membrane by a light-regulated protein-lipid electrostatic interaction with the inner leaflet. Direct membrane recruitment of these proteins induces potent contractile signaling sufficient to separate adherens junctions with as little as one pulse of blue light.

Representation learning applications in biological sequence analysis.

Although remarkable advances have been reported in high-throughput sequencing, the ability to aptly analyze a substantial amount of rapidly generated biological (DNA/RNA/protein) sequencing data remains a critical hurdle. To tackle this issue, the application of natural language processing (NLP) to biological sequence analysis has received increased attention. In this method, biological sequences are regarded as sentences while the single nucleic acids/amino acids or k-mers in these sequences represent the words.

X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy Study of Uniaxial Magnetic Anisotropy Induced in a Ni Layer Deposited on a LiNbO Substrate.

The competition between magnetic shape anisotropy and the induced uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in the heterojunction between a ferromagnetic layer and a ferroelectric substrate serves to control magnetic domain structures as well as magnetization reversal characteristics. The uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, originating from the symmetry breaking effect in the heterojunction, plays a significant role in modifying the characteristics of magnetization dynamics. Magnetoelastic phenomena are known to generate uniaxial magnetic anisotropy; however, the interfacial electronic states that may contribute to the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy have not yet been adequately investigated.

Discrimination of skyrmion chirality via spin-orbit and -transfer torques for logic operation.

Recently many works on magnetic memories and logic circuits, which use a magnetic skyrmion have been reported. Previously we micromagnetically simulated a method to switch a chirality of a magnetic skyrmion formed in a magnetic thin film by introducing a pulsed heat spot. In this paper, we propose a method to discriminate the chirality of a skyrmion in a branched nanowire by using spin-orbit torque (SOT) and spin-transfer torque (STT), and confirm the validity of the method by using simulation.

Activation of Naturally Occurring Lecithin:Cholesterol Acyltransferase Mutants by a Novel Activator Compound.

Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is a unique plasma enzyme able to esterify cholesterol, and it plays an important role in HDL maturation and promotion of reverse cholesterol transport. Familial LCAT deficiency (FLD; OMIM number 245900) is a rare recessive disease that results from loss-of-function mutations in the gene and has no cure. In this study, we assessed the in vitro efficacy of a novel small-molecule LCAT activator.

Retro-odontoid Pseudotumor: Two Cases of Intradural Ganglion Cysts Arising From the Odontoid Process with Syringobulbia.

Background: Ganglion cysts mostly occur in the knuckles and wrists, but they rarely present in the odontoid process and can cause neurological symptoms by compressing the spinal cord. They are mostly localized in the epidural space, but may very rarely appear in the intradural space. There are no reports of cases of intradural ganglion cyst involving syringobulbia.