Domestication effects on aggressiveness: Comparison of biting motivation and bite force between wild and domesticated finches.

Domesticated animals evolve unique traits, known as the domestication phenotypes or the domestication syndrome, due to their adaptation to a captive environment and changes in selection pressures. After being tamed, the Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata var. domestica) has undergone behavioural and physiological trait changes that differ from those of its wild ancestor, the white-rumped munia (Lonchura striata).

Effects of domestication on neophobia: A comparison between the domesticated Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata var. domestica) and its wild ancestor, the white-rumped munia (Lonchura striata).

Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata var. domestica) have more complex song traits than their wild ancestors, white-rumped munias (Lonchura striata). Domesticated finches are likely able to allocate more resources to reproduction (e.

Characterization of Class V DyP-Type Peroxidase SaDyP1 from and Evaluation of SaDyPs Expression in Mycelium.

DyP-type peroxidases are a family of heme peroxidases named for their ability to degrade persistent anthraquinone dyes. DyP-type peroxidases are subclassified into three classes: classes P, I and V. Based on its genome sequence, , eubacteria, has two genes presumed to encode class V DyP-type peroxidases and two class I genes.

Noradrenergic alpha-2A receptor activation suppresses courtship vocalization in male Japanese quail.

Male Japanese quail produce high-frequency crow vocalizations to attract females during the breeding season. The nucleus of intercollicularis (ICo) is the midbrain vocal center in birds and electrical stimulation of the ICo produces calls that include crowing. Noradrenaline plays a significant role in sexual behavior but the contribution of noradrenaline in the control of courtship vocalizations in quail has not been well established.

Variation in auditory neural activation in response to strain-specific songs in wild and domesticated female Bengalese finches.

Female songbirds identify and prefer conspecific male songs. Songs are an important cue for species discrimination. Bengalese finches are domesticated species and their male songs seem to have evolved as they comprise more complex sequences and tonal sounds than the songs of their wild ancestors, white-rumped munias.

Biological Properties of the Aggregated Form of Chitosan Magnetic Nanoparticle.

Background/aim: Chitosan-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (Chi-NP) have gained attention because of their biocompatibility, biodegradability, low toxicity and targetability under magnetic field. In this study, we investigated various biological properties of Chi-NP.

Materials And Methods: Chi-NP was prepared by mixing magnetic NP with chitosan FL-80.

Effects of nutritional status on prognosis in patients with severe hemiplegia who were recently admitted to a rehabilitation hospital.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of nutritional status on the prognosis of patients with severe hemiplegia who were recently admitted to a convalescent rehabilitation hospital. [Participants and Methods] Eighty patients with stroke and severe hemiplegia were divided into two groups based on their serum albumin levels: normal (serum albumin 3.5 g/dL or more) and undernourished group (serum albumin 3.

Augmentation of Neurotoxicity of Anticancer Drugs by X-Ray Irradiation.

Background: In order to investigate the combination effect of anticancer drugs and X-ray irradiation on neurotoxic side-effects (neurotoxicity), a method that provides homogeneously X-ray-irradiated cells was newly established.

Materials And Methods: PC12 cell suspension was irradiated by X-ray (0.5 Gy) in serum-supplemented medium, immediately inoculated into 96-microwell plates and incubated overnight.

Lowered Rhythm Tapping Ability in Patients With Constructional Apraxia After Stroke.

Rhythm tapping tasks are often used to explore temporal reproduction abilities. Many studies utilizing rhythm tapping tasks are conducted to evaluate temporal processing abilities with neurological impairments and neurodegenerative disorders. Among sensorimotor and cognitive disorders, rhythm processing abilities in constructional apraxia, a deficit in achieving visuospatial constructional activities, has not been evaluated.

Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound promotes the expression of immediate-early genes in mouse ST2 bone marrow stromal cells.

Purpose: The effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on the expression of immediate-early genes (IEGs) in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) were evaluated to elucidate the early cellular response to LIPUS.

Methods: Mouse ST2 BMSCs were treated with LIPUS (I, 12-34 mW/cm for 20 min), then cultured at 37 °C. The expression levels of four IEGs (Fos, Egr1, Jun, and Ptgs2) and ERK1/2, a mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK), were assessed using real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analyses, respectively.

IMPACT ON ABSORBED DOSE RATE IN AIR IN KANTO REGION BY FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ACCIDENT.

Absorbed dose rates in air were measured for the whole area of the Kanto region in 2015, 2016 and 2017 (n = 31 147). The mean absorbed dose rates in air for each prefecture measured by car-borne surveys were from 44 to 67 nGy h-1 (13-289 nGy h-1). The absorbed dose rate in air from artificial radionuclides (134Cs + 137Cs) measured by fixed-point observation (n = 507) was from 1 to 14 nGy h-1 (0-105 nGy h-1), and meaning that the contribution ratios of 134Cs and 137Cs were 3-22%.

Clarification of psychosocial factors required for continuance of life of elderly men living alone in heavy snowfall and underpopulated areas.

The aim of this study was to clarify psychosocial factors supporting elderly men who were living alone in a heavy snowfall area where the population aging rate exceeded 40%. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with six elderly men living alone. As the method of analysis, we conducted a hierarchical cluster analysis of the contents of the interviews via text mining.

[Factors leading to consultation at medical institutions based on workplace health checkup results].

Objectives: Despite the need for consultation at a medical institution, some workers currently do not undergo a re-examination or a thorough examination following regular workplace health checkups. This study aimed to clarify the factors leading to the need for a further examination at a medical institution after workplace health checkups and to examine occupational health activities necessary to improve the examination rate.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of workers of companies with over 1,000 employees in the Tokyo and Saitama prefectures, targeting men and women over the age of 20 years.

[Behavioral assessments in infancy/toddlerhood and autism spectrum disorder: Effectiveness of a semi-structured behavioral observation incorporated into a legal health examination].

Objectives　We investigated the relationship between the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on legal health examinations and semi-structured behavioral observations conducted by the Social Attention and Communication Surveillance-Japan (SACS-J), wherein public health nurses evaluated sociality, verbal communication development, and tool employment in infants and toddlers through interactive play.Methods　Public health nurses evaluated the behavioral features of 372 babies. These babies were born in 2011 or 2012 in a town, received a routine of legal health examinations at one and a half year (20 months) and at three years (38 months), and remained traceable until December 2016.

[Survey on the Efficacy of Two Types of Medication Administration-assisting Food for Hospitalized Children].

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of two types of medication administration-assisting food. The subjects were 30 caregivers of children from one to eight years old hospitalized in the pediatrics unit of a university hospital, and 30 nurses caring for them. The caregivers gave medications to their children using two types of administration-assisting food, "chocolate" and "jelly".

Early childhood behavioral features that discriminate autism from other developmental problems in Japan.

Problem: The criteria for early detection of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and its discrimination from other developmental problems (ODP) are not clear. The Social Attention and Communication Study, which identified methods for early identification of ASD in community settings, was modified to the Japanese situation, and we examined its discriminant validity.

Methods: This study followed a cohort of newborns in one town for 4 years.

One-pot enzymatic synthesis of l-[3-C]lactate for pharmacokinetic analysis of lactate metabolism in rat brain.

Introduction: Lactate could serve as an energy source and signaling molecule in the brain, although there is insufficient in vivo evidence to support this possibility. Here we aimed to use a one-pot enzymatic synthetic procedure to synthesize l-[3-C]lactate that can be used to evaluate chemical forms in the blood after intravenous administration, and as a probe for pharmacokinetic analysis of lactate metabolism in in vivo positron emission tomography (PET) scans with normal and fasted rats.

Methods: Racemic [3-C]alanine obtained from C-methylation of a precursor and deprotection was reacted with an enzyme mixture consisting of alanine racemase, d-amino acid oxidase, catalase, and lactate dehydrogenase to yield l-[3-C]lactate via [3-C]pyruvate.

[The effect of expiratory muscle strength training on the oral and respiratory functions of community-dwelling older people: An analysis using the swallowing, oral, phonatory, and respiratory muscle function indices].

Purpose: This study was performed to determine the effects of expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) on the oral and respiratory functions of community-dwelling older people.

Methods: Older people using a visiting-rehabilitation center were divided into an intervention group of 31 subjects and a control group of 15 subjects. Those in the intervention group were assigned home training for 8 weeks, which included 5 sets of 5 breaths per day with a 75% load of the maximum expiratory pressure using an EMST device.

Detailed Distribution Map of Absorbed Dose Rate in Air in Tokatsu Area of Chiba Prefecture, Japan, Constructed by Car-Borne Survey 4 Years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident.

A car-borne survey was carried out in the northwestern, or Tokatsu, area of Chiba Prefecture, Japan, to make a detailed distribution map of absorbed dose rate in air four years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. This area was chosen because it was the most heavily radionuclide contaminated part of Chiba Prefecture and it neighbors metropolitan Tokyo. Measurements were performed using a 3-in × 3-in NaI(Tl) scintillation spectrometer in June 2015.

Statistical learning in songbirds: from self-tutoring to song culture.

At the onset of vocal development, both songbirds and humans produce variable vocal babbling with broadly distributed acoustic features. Over development, these vocalizations differentiate into the well-defined, categorical signals that characterize adult vocal behaviour. A broadly distributed signal is ideal for vocal exploration, that is, for matching vocal production to the statistics of the sensory input.

Report of a nationwide survey on actual administered radioactivities of radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic reference levels in Japan.

Objective: The optimization of medical exposure is one of the major issues regarding radiation protection in the world, and The International Committee of Radiological Protection and the International Atomic Energy Agency recommend establishing diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) as tools for dose optimization. Therefore, the development of DRLs based on the latest survey has been required for nuclear medicine-related societies and organizations. This prompted us to conduct a nationwide survey on the actual administered radioactivity to adults for the purpose of developing DRLs in nuclear medicine.

Relations of morale and physical function to advanced activities of daily living in health promotion class participants.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to clarify the relations of morale and physical function to the presence/absence of advanced activities of daily living. [Subjects] The subjects were 86 elderly community residents participating in health promotion classes. [Methods] A questionnaire survey on age, gender, presence/absence of advanced activities of daily living, and Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale score was conducted, in addition to assessment of fitness, consisting of measurement of height, body weight, grip and knee extensor muscle strength, functional reach, one-leg standing time, and Timed Up and Go test.

Impact on ambient dose rate in metropolitan Tokyo from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

A car-borne survey was made in metropolitan Tokyo, Japan, in December 2014 to estimate external dose. This survey was conducted for all municipalities of Tokyo and the results were compared with measurements done in 2003. The ambient dose rate measured in the whole area of Tokyo in December 2014 was 60 nGy h(-1) (23-142 nGy h(-1)), which was 24% higher than the rate in 2003.

A rhythm landscape approach to the developmental dynamics of birdsong.

Unlike simple biological rhythms, the rhythm of the oscine bird song is a learned time series of diverse sounds that change dynamically during vocal ontogeny. How to quantify rhythm development is one of the most important challenges in behavioural biology. Here, we propose a simple method, called 'rhythm landscape', to visualize and quantify how rhythm structure, which is measured as durational patterns of sounds and silences, emerges and changes over development.

Increases in endothelial caveolin-1 and cavins correlate with cirrhosis progression.

Background And Aims: Caveolin-1 is associated with flat caveolar domains, invaginated smooth plasmalemmal vesicles, and caveolae. Polymerase 1 and transcript release factor (PTRF) (cavin 1) and serum deprivation protein response (SDPR) (cavin 2) are required for the invagination of caveolae, and PRKCDBP (protein kinase C, delta-binding protein; cavin 3) is required for caveolae budding to form caveolar vesicles. To investigate whether cavins are involved in hepatic sinusoidal angiogenesis and remodeling during progression to cirrhosis, normal control liver specimens and early and late cirrhotic liver specimens were studied.