Evaluation of overwintering risk of tropical and subtropical insect pests in temperate regions.

Recent changes in climate and environments have promoted the range expansion of insect pests of tropical and subtropical origins into temperate regions. For more accurate and faster risk assessment of this expansion, we developed a novel indicator to link a physiologically derived parameter of chilling injury with the survival of insect populations in nature by using two insects, Spodoptera frugiperda and Cicadulina bipunctata with tropical and subtropical origins, and one cool-adapted insect, Laodelphax striatellus. The parameter derived from a proportional increment in the time to 99.

On the Present Guideline-Focusing Points on FSCJ's Revised Guideline for the Risk Assessment of the Effects of Food on Health for Foodborne Microorganisms and Others (Viruses, Parasites) and Its Supplemental Technical Guidance.

Food Safety Commission of Japan (FSCJ) has recently revised the Guideline for the Risk Assessment of the Effects of Food on Health for Foodborne Microorganisms and Others (Viruses, Parasites) and newly issued its supplemental manual as the "Technical Guide for the Risk Assessment of the Effects of Food on Health for Foodborne Microorganisms and Others (Viruses, Parasites)". These documents are based recent evidence and according to the Microbiological Risk Assessment Guidance for Food, Microbiological Risk Assessment Series 36 published by FAO/WHO. This short review describes the main structures and characteristics of these documents.

Detecting single-point isomeric differences in polymer chains by MOF column chromatography.

Liquid chromatography with a metal-organic framework (MOF) as the stationary phase enables nanopore threading-based recognition of polymers and identification of single-point isomeric structural differences in the polymer main chain. The polymer adsorption affinity to the MOF and transient kinetics of polymer insertion into the nanopores play crucial roles in the recognition process.

Voltage- and Ca-inducible PLC activity for analyzing PI(4,5)P sensitivity of ion channels in Xenopus oocytes.

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP) is a key membrane lipid regulating various ion channel activities. Currently, several molecular tools are used to modulate PIP levels, each of which has distinct advantages and drawbacks. In this study, we proposed a novel methodology using heterologous Xenopus oocytes to precisely manipulate PIP levels using phospholipase C (PLC)-ζ, which hydrolyzes PIP.