Publications by authors named "Toru Miura"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how different types of air-breathing organs evolved in terrestrial isopods, which are crustaceans that adapted to land environments.
  • Researchers compared the developmental processes of respiratory structures in three isopod species, revealing distinct developmental stages for each type of structure.
  • Findings indicate that the formation of respiratory organs primarily involves changes in epithelial tissue after embryonic development, with significant differences in how these structures develop between species with 'uncovered lungs' and 'dorsal respiratory fields.'
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Quantum mechanics (QM)-driven terative unctionalized pin nalysis produces HifSA profiles, which encode the complete H spin parameters ("nuclear genotype") of analytes of interest. HifSA profiles enable the establishment of digital reference standards (dRS) that are portable, FAIR (findable - accessible - interoperable - reusable), and fit for the purpose of quantitative H NMR (qHNMR) analysis at any magnetic field. This approach enhances the sustainability of analytical standards.

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Background: Various morphological adaptations are associated with symbiotic relationships between organisms. One such adaptation is seen in the nemertean genus Malacobdella. All species in the genus are commensals of molluscan hosts, attaching to the surface of host mantles with a terminal sucker.

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Article Synopsis
  • * In the species Megasyllis nipponica, the study explores how posterior regeneration differs from secondary tail formation during stolonization, highlighting that regeneration occurs at a wound site while a stolon forms a unique tail structure before detachment.
  • * Research findings indicate that posterior regeneration lacks certain processes present in secondary-tail formation, suggesting that these adaptations help the organisms quickly recover their posterior end to continue the stolonization process.
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Article Synopsis
  • Quantitative NMR (qNMR) has gained acceptance within key standards like JP, USP, and ISO due to its reliability in quantifying components using signal integration ratios against references.
  • The accuracy of qNMR can be influenced by the quality of solvents, particularly focusing on organic impurities, water content, and the deuteration ratio.
  • Overlapping signals can distort results, making it crucial to assess solvent purity and conditions like high water content and low deuteration to improve detection sensitivity and achieve accurate qNMR findings.
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Article Synopsis
  • In social insects like termites, interactions among colony members cause differences in body structure and function known as caste differentiation, influenced by hormones like juvenile hormone and ecdysone.
  • Developmental genes, particularly Hox and appendage-patterning genes, play a crucial role in shaping these caste-specific morphologies by providing spatial cues during development.
  • The article examines recent research on these physiological and developmental mechanisms driving caste differentiation, highlighting their importance in the evolution of termite social structures.
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Animals must sense and acclimatize to environmental temperatures for survival, yet their thermosensing mechanisms other than transient receptor potential (TRP) channels remain poorly understood. We identify a trimeric G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), SRH-40, which confers thermosensitivity in sensory neurons regulating temperature acclimatization in Caenorhabditis elegans. Systematic knockdown of 1000 GPCRs by RNAi reveals GPCRs involved in temperature acclimatization, among which srh-40 is highly expressed in the ADL sensory neuron, a temperature-responsive chemosensory neuron, where TRP channels act as accessorial thermoreceptors.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The harlequin sandsmelt (Parapercis pulchella) is a unique fish that can change sex from female to male, making it a great candidate for researching sex differentiation in vertebrates.
  • - This study generated a reference transcriptome by sequencing RNA from various tissues and sexual stages of the fish, resulting in 91,884 transcripts and 32,627 protein-coding sequences, with a significant portion being functionally annotated.
  • - The superTranscripts method used in the analysis effectively eliminated redundant sequences, creating a valuable dataset for future research on molecular development and sex change in this species.
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Benthic annelids belonging to the family Syllidae (Annelida, Errantia, Phyllodocida) exhibit a unique reproduction mode called "schizogamy" or "stolonization", in which the posterior body part filled with gametes detaches from the original body, as a reproductive unit (stolon) that autonomously swims and spawns. In this study, morphological and histological observations on the developmental processes during stolonization were carried out in Megasyllis nipponica. Results suggest that the stolon formation started with maturation of gonads, followed by the formation of a head ganglion in the anteriormost segment of the developing stolon.

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Article Synopsis
  • P-NMR is easier to analyze than H-NMR, making it simpler to identify target signals for quantitation.
  • The study presents a method for determining the purity of brigatinib (BR), an organophosphorus compound, using quantitative P-NMR (P-qNMR) across multiple labs.
  • Results showed that the purity of BR was 97.94 ± 0.69% with P-qNMR, closely matching the 97.26 ± 0.71% found using H-qNMR, suggesting P-qNMR is a viable alternative for measuring organophosphorus compounds.
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AbstractMorphologies of animal appendages are highly diversified depending on animal lifestyles. In cephalopods (Mollusca, Cephalopoda), an individual possesses multiple arms that contribute to elaborate behaviors, and suckers on them enable various arm functions. In octopus hatchlings, arm and sucker morphologies can be divided into two different types due to alternative posthatching lifestyles, that is, pelagic or benthic lifestyles, although the underlying developmental differences have yet to be elucidated.

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In many crustacean species, an individual possesses both uniramous and biramous appendages that enable us to compare the two types on the same genetic background. Therefore, among the diverse morphologies of arthropod appendages, crustacean biramous appendages provide interesting subjects for studying the developmental mechanisms underlying appendage modifications. In this study, we report a malformed specimen of the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber, in which one of the pleopods was transformed into a different structure.

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Article Synopsis
  • Some teleost fishes, like the harlequin sandsmelt, can change sex and have gonads called "ovotestes" which contain both ovarian and testicular tissues.
  • In the study, it was found that during female-to-male sex change, male germ cells increase, leading to the disappearance of oocytes, and the gonads ultimately function as testes.
  • The research also highlights that specific cell dynamics and histological changes during sex change are varied across fish species, but the behavior of female germ and somatic cells tends to be similar among protogynous species.
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Article Synopsis
  • A new method called relative molar sensitivity (RMS) has been developed to quantify the ingredients in drugs and foods, which was notably applied to the quantification of perillaldehyde in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP) 18.
  • The study focused on enhancing tester safety and reducing reagent use by quantifying three toxic Aconitum monoester alkaloids (AMAs) using a single reference compound, benzoic acid, instead of multiple standards.
  • The results showed that the RMS method provided reliable quantitative values for the AMAs in commercial reagents and Kampo extracts, indicating it could be a viable alternative to existing methods in JP18.
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Background: In social insects, interactions among colony members trigger caste differentiation with morphological modifications. In termite caste differentiation, caste-specific morphologies (such as mandibles in soldiers, genital organs in reproductives or wings in alates) are well developed during post-embryonic development under endocrine controls (e.g.

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Background: Arthropods gradually change their forms through repeated molting events during postembryonic development. Anamorphosis, i.e.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the effectiveness of phosphorus quantitative NMR (P-qNMR) for measuring the purity of the drug sofosbuvir (SOF), as it offers clearer signals compared to hydrogen quantitative NMR (H-qNMR).
  • Soxfabuvir's purity was found to be 100.63% via P-qNMR and 99.07% via H-qNMR using methanol-d, highlighting numerical discrepancies likely due to overlapping signals in H-qNMR.
  • When switching to dimethyl sulfoxide-d (DMSO-d) as a solvent, P-qNMR yielded a SOF purity of 99.10%, which aligns closely with H
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During evolution, various lineages of arthropods colonized land and independently acquired air-breathing organs. Some taxa of oniscidean isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) are the most successful crustacean lineages on land and possess organs called "lungs" or "pseudotrachea" for air-breathing in their abdominal appendages, i.e.

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Article Synopsis
  • Sexual dimorphism in caprellids (a type of amphipod) is marked by significantly larger males that develop distinct physical traits used for reproduction and competition.
  • Morphometric analysis revealed allometric changes happening at two key body length stages (3.8 mm and 8.8 mm), with males developing specific features like head spines and reproductive structures as they grow.
  • Mature males and females can be identified by certain physical characteristics, with males showing a wider range of body sizes due to ongoing growth after reaching sexual maturity, enhancing their reproductive success.
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Despite being one of the bilaterians, the body plan of echinoderms shifts from bilateral symmetry to five-fold radial, or pentaradial symmetry during embryogenesis or their metamorphosis. While the clarification of the developmental mechanism behind this transition will be a basis for understanding their unique body plan evolution, it is still poorly understood. With this regard, the hydrocoel, a mesodermal coelom formed on the left side of bilateral larva, would be a clue for understanding the mechanism as it is the first pentaradial structure that appears before metamorphosis and develops into the water vascular system of adults.

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Understanding the processes and consequences of the morphological diversity of organisms is one of the major goals of evolutionary biology. Studies on the evolution of developmental mechanisms of morphologies, or evo-devo, have been extensively conducted in many taxa and have revealed many interesting phenomena at the molecular level. However, many other taxa exhibiting intriguing morphological diversity remain unexplored in the field of evo-devo.

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Echinoderms constitute an animal phylum characterized by the pentaradial body plan. During the development from bilateral larvae to pentaradial adults, the formation of the multiple of five hydrocoel lobes, i.e.

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Caste development in social insects requires the coordination of molting and metamorphosis during postembryonic development. In termites, i.e.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study focuses on the genome, transcriptome, and methylome of the Japanese subterranean termite, revealing that gene duplication is crucial for social evolution in these insects.
  • * Specific duplicated genes related to social functions, such as chemical communication and social immunity, show varying expression patterns linked to different termite castes, suggesting that gene duplication aids in developing specialized roles within their social system.
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