Effects of Temperature, Precipitation, and Sunshine on Cold-Tolerant Wheat Yield Under Warming Trends: A 20-Year Study in Hokkaido, Japan.

To clarify the adaptation strategies of cold-tolerant wheat against global warming, this study examined the effects of daily temperature, precipitation, and sunshine duration on wheat yield in Hokkaido, Japan, over 13 years (2011-2023). Yield components were also analyzed over 20 years (2004-2023). The number of snow-cover days decreased by about 24 days over the 20-year period.

Platelet activation through CD62P and the formation of platelet-monocyte complexes are associated with the exacerbation of mucosal inflammation in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a refractory, chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. Although platelets are activated in UC, their relevance in pathophysiology remains unclear. We analyzed the correlation of platelet activation and platelet-monocyte complexes (PMCs) with severity of mucosal inflammation using the Mayo endoscopic subscore (MES).

Two distinct enriched housings differentially ameliorate object and place recognition deficits in a rat model of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder characterized by cognitive dysfunctions. These dysfunctions significantly impact the daily lives of schizophrenic patients, yet effective interventions remain scarce. In this study, we explored the effects of two enriched housing types-cognitive and physical-on cognitive dysfunctions in a rat model of schizophrenia.

A Micromanipulation-Actuated Large-Scale Screening to Identify Optimized Microphysiological Model Parameters in Skeletal Muscle Regeneration.

Hydrogel-based 3D cell cultures are extensively utilized to create biomimetic cellular microstructures. However, there is still lack of effective method for both evaluation of the complex interaction of cells with hydrogel and the functionality of the resulting micro-structures. This limitation impedes the further application of these microstructures as microphysiological models (microPMs) for the screening of potential culture condition combinations to enhance the skeletal muscle regeneration.

Uneven changes in air and crown temperatures associated with snowpack changes affect the phenology of overwintering cereals.

Time series analysis of overwintering cereals in snowy areas has revealed several phenological patterns associated with climate changes in winter. Herein, to investigate the recent effect of climatic variations on overwintering cereals, we investigated the phenology over multiple decades at three snowy region sites with an air temperature (T) increase trend of 0.48-1.

Efficacy of lenvatinib and transarterial chemoembolization combination therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma administered an insufficient dose of early lenvatinib.

Recently, the relationship between the relative dose intensity (RDI) and efficacy was demonstrated for lenvatinib therapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a higher RDI of lenvatinib monotherapy indicating a higher efficacy. However, not every patient can tolerate a high RDI during the course of treatment; therefore, add-on combination therapy may be necessary for patients requiring a low RDI. The addition of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) to lenvatinib therapy improves clinical outcomes.

Identification of Genes Associated with Resistance to Persulcatusin, a Tick Defensin from .

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are present in a wide range of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Since AMPs are characterized by their effectiveness against emergent antibiotic-resistant bacteria, they are attracting attention as next-generation antimicrobial compounds that could solve the problem of drug-resistant bacteria. Persulcatusin (IP), an antibacterial peptide derived from the hard tick , shows high antibacterial activity against various Gram- positive bacteria as well as multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Identification of four genes responsible for antimicrobial resistance of MEL-B against S. aureus.

There is increasing interest in the antimicrobial activity of mannosylerythritol lipids-B (MEL-B) against Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). However, the specific molecules involved in MEL-B's antimicrobial action against S.

Validation of the cell culture monitoring using a Raman spectroscopy calibration model developed with artificially mixed samples and investigation of model learning methods using initial batch data.

The development of calibration models using Raman spectra data has long been challenged owing to the substantial time and cost required for robust data acquisition. To reduce the number of experiments involving actual incubation, a calibration model development method was investigated by measuring artificially mixed samples. In this method, calibration datasets were prepared using spectra from artificially mixed samples with adjusted concentrations based on design of experiments.

Pattern Matching for Real-Time Extraction of Fast and Slow Spectral Components From sEMG Signals.

Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of surface electromyography (sEMG) spectral decomposition in evaluating muscle performance, motor learning, and early diagnosis of muscle conditions. However, decomposition techniques require large data sets and are computationally demanding, making their implementation in real-life scenarios challenging. Based on the hypothesis that spectral components will present low inter-subject variability, the present paper proposes the foundational principles for developing a real-time system for their extraction by utilizing a pre-defined library of components derived from an extensive data set to match new measurements.

Enriched sensory feedback delivered during a voluntary action boosts subjective time compression.

Introduction: The subjective experience of time can be influenced by various factors including voluntary actions. In our previous study, we found that the subjective time experience of an action outcome can be compressed when an individual performs a continuous action compared to a single action, suggesting that the sense of agency (SoA), the feeling of control over one's own action outcomes, contributes to the subjective time compression. We hypothesized that enhancing SoA by providing sensory feedback to participants would further compress the subjective time experience.

Synthesis of niobium(iv) carbide nanoparticles an alkali-molten-method at a spatially-limited surface of mesoporous carbon.

One-pot synthesis of niobium carbabide (NbC) nanoparticles with 30-50 nm was achieved a rationally designed novel alkali-molten salt method using niobium oxide (NbO), potassium carbonate (KCO), and mesoporous carbon (MPC). In this reaction, potassium niobate (KNbO) was produced as an intermediate and carbonization of KNbO proceeds at a spatially limited external surface encompassed by the mesopores of MPC due to the repulsive characteristics of ionic KNbO toward hydrophobic MPC, which affords the size-controlled NbC nanoparticles with a narrow particle distribution. The particle sizes tended to become smaller as the pore sizes of MPCs or the temperature on the calcination under the nitrogen stream decreased.

Effects of sleep restriction on food intake and appetite under free-living conditions: A randomized crossover trial.

To investigate changes in subjective psychological factors and dietary intake during sleep restriction, we carried out a randomized crossover trial with a 3-day sleep restriction condition (SR; 5 h of sleep) and control sleep condition (CS; 8 h of sleep). Days 3 and 4 involved free-living and laboratory (in the morning) conditions, respectively. Subjective psychological factors (hunger, appetite, desire for sweets and fatty foods, sleepiness, and fatigue) were assessed using a 0.

Learning Rat-Like Behavioral Interaction Using a Small-Scale Robotic Rat.

In this paper, we propose a novel method for emulating rat-like behavioral interactions in robots using reinforcement learning. Specifically, we develop a state decision method to optimize the interaction process among 6 known behavior types that have been identified in previous research on rat interactions. The novelty of our method lies in using the temporal difference (TD) algorithm to optimize the state decision process, which enables the robots to make informed decisions about their behavior choices.

Amplified Chirality Transfer to Aromatic Molecules through Non-specific Inclusion by Amorphous, Hyperbranched Poly(fluorenevinylene) Derivatives.

Optically active, hyperbranched, poly(fluorene-2,4,7-triylethene-1,2-diyl) [poly(fluorenevinylene)] derivatives bearing a neomenthyl group and a pentyl group at the 9-position of the fluorene backbone at various ratios acted as a chirality donor (host polymers) efficiently included naphthalene, anthracene, pyrene, 9-phenylanthracene, and 9,10-diphenyanthracene as a chirality acceptor (guest molecules) in their interior space in film as well as in solution, with the guest molecules exhibiting intense circular dichroism through chirality transfer with chirality amplification. The efficiency of the chirality transfer was much higher with higher-molar-mass polymers than lower-molar-mass ones as well as with hyperbranched polymers compared to the analogous linear ones. The hyperbranched polymers include the small molecules in their complex structure without any specific interactions at various stoichiometries.

Synergy-Space Recurrent Neural Network for Transferable Forearm Motion Prediction from Residual Limb Motion.

Transhumeral amputees experience considerable difficulties with controlling a multifunctional prosthesis (powered hand, wrist, and elbow) due to the lack of available muscles to provide electromyographic (EMG) signals. The residual limb motion strategy has become a popular alternative for transhumeral prosthesis control. It provides an intuitive way to estimate the motion of the prosthesis based on the residual shoulder motion, especially for target reaching tasks.

Artifact removal from sEMG signals recorded during fully unsupervised daily activities.

Objective: In this study, we propose a method for removing artifacts from superficial electromyography (sEMG) data, which have been widely proposed for health monitoring because they encompass the basic neuromuscular processes underlying human motion.

Methods: Our method is based on a spectral source decomposition from single-channel data using a non-negative matrix factorization. The algorithm is validated with two data sets: the first contained muscle activity coupled to artificially generated noises and the second comprised signals recorded under fully unsupervised conditions.

A novel pathologic marker, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1, for the cholangiopathy of immune checkpoint inhibitors-induced immune mediated hepatotoxicity as adverse events and the prediction of additional ursodeoxycholic acid treatment.

Immune-related adverse events (irAE) has been clarified according the usage of immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICI). We primarily found indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1(IDO-1) as a histologic biomarker for the cholangiopathy of primary biliary cholangitis(PBC). In this study, we evaluated the utility of IDO-1 in identifying ICI-induced immune-mediated hepatotoxicity(IMH).

Relationship between intra-individual variability in nutrition-related lifestyle behaviors and blood glucose outcomes under free-living conditions in adults without type 2 diabetes.

Aims: This study determined the relationship between intra-individual variability in day-to-day nutrition-related lifestyle behaviors (meal timing, eating window, food intake, movement behaviors, sleep conditions, and body weight) and glycemic outcomes under free-living conditions in adults without type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We analyzed 104 adults without type 2 diabetes. During the 7-day measurement period, dietary intake, movement behaviors, sleep conditions, and glucose outcomes were assessed.

Characterization of Isolates from Bovine Mastitis and Bulk Tank Milk: First Isolation of Methicillin-Susceptible in Japan.

is one of the most important pathogens in humans as well as in livestock. Particularly, bovine mastitis caused by is a serious issue in dairy farms due to disease recurrence. Here, cases of -mediated intramammary infection occurring in the Miyagi Prefecture in Japan were monitored from May 2015 to August 2019; a total of 59 strains (49 from bovine milk and 10 from bulk milk) were obtained from 15 dairy farms and analyzed via sequence-based typing methods and antibiotic susceptibility tests.

Demonstration experiment of telemedicine using ultrasonography and telerehabilitation with 5G communication system in aging and depopulated mountainous area.

Objective: The challenges of an aging population worldwide are the increased number of people needing medical and nursing care and inadequate medical resources. Information and communication technologies have progressed remarkably, leading to innovations in various areas. 5G communication systems are capable of high-capacity, high-speed communication with low latency and are expected to transform medicine.