1,082 results match your criteria: "SOKENDAI: the Graduate University for Advanced Studies.[Affiliation]"

A complete classification of evolutionary games with environmental feedback.

PNAS Nexus

November 2024

Center for Frontier Research, National Institute of Genetics, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan.

A tragedy of the commons, in which rational behavior of individuals to maximize their own payoffs depletes common resources, is one of the most important research topics in game theory. To better understand the social dilemma problem, recent studies have developed a theoretical framework of feedback-evolving game where individual behavior affects an environmental (renewable) resource and the environmental resource changes individual payoffs. While previous studies assumed that the frequency of defectors increases (prisoner's dilemma [PD] game) when the environmental resource is abundant to investigate an oscillating tragedy of the commons, it is also possible for other types of game to produce the social dilemma.

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Rising trends of inbreeding in Japanese Thoroughbred horses.

J Equine Sci

December 2024

Research Center for Integrative Evolutionary Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan.

We investigated the changes in inbreeding levels in Japanese Thoroughbred horses over the past 46 years. Our results show a significant increase in inbreeding over the past 30 years, primarily due to the influence of two sires, Northern Dancer and Sunday Silence. Northern Dancer's bloodline spread gradually through descendants like Northern Taste, leading to a slower increase in the inbreeding coefficient.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study used fMRI to explore how our brains control bimanual movements, focusing on the importance of practicing both chord formation and sequence control.
  • Thirty-five right-handed volunteers performed tasks to assess their ability to coordinate movements, with results showing that both types of practice led to improved reaction times, indicating learning.
  • Key brain areas involved in this process were identified as the left primary motor area (M1), anterior cingulate cortex, and cerebellar vermis, highlighting their roles in learning to coordinate complex bimanual movements.
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Ribosome biogenesis is vital for sustaining stem cell properties, yet its regulatory mechanisms are obscure. Herein, we show unique properties of zebrafish mutants in which spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) do not differentiate or upregulate rRNAs. Meioc colocalized with Piwil1 in perinuclear germ granules, but Meioc depletion resulted in Piwil1 accumulation in nucleoli.

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Anhydrobiosis, a phenomenon in which organisms survive extreme dehydration by entering a reversible ametabolic state, is a remarkable example of survival strategies. This study focuses on anhydrobiosis in tardigrades, which are known for their resilience to severe environmental conditions. Tardigrades utilize several protective mechanisms against desiccation, notably the constitutive expression of cytoplasmic abundant heat soluble (CAHS) proteins in Ramazzottius varieornatus.

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LiNbHO: a new transition-metal oxyhydride with rock-salt-type structure.

Chem Commun (Camb)

December 2024

Solid State Chemistry Laboratory, Cluster for Pioneering Research (CPR), RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.

Transition-metal oxyhydrides are an emerging class of functional materials; however, the known compounds have mostly been limited to perovskite-type sturctures. Here, we successfully synthesized LiNbHO, the first example of a rock-salt-type transition-metal oxyhydride, using mechanochemical methods. Galvanostatic charge/discharge tests revealed that LiNbHO functions as an electrode for lithium secondary batteries.

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Structural determinants of M2R involved in inhibition by Sigma-1R.

J Biol Chem

November 2024

Division of Biophysics and Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Japan; Program of Physiological Sciences, Field of Life Science, Department of Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Japan. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • The Sigma-1 receptor (S1R) is a versatile chaperone protein linked to various health issues like drug addiction, Alzheimer's, and ALS, and is known to interact with receptors and channels in cells.
  • Research showed that S1R inhibits the signaling of the M2-muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M2R) specifically, while a mutant variant of S1R associated with ALS did not have this inhibitory effect.
  • The study identified key regions in the M2R structure that are crucial for S1R's inhibitory action and confirmed that S1R reduces the presence and function of M2R on the cell membrane, indicating a direct interaction between the two proteins
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Neural substrates of choking under pressure: A 7T-fMRI study.

Neurosci Res

November 2024

Department of System Neuroscience, Division of Cerebral Integration, National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS), 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan; Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan; Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577, Japan. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Choking occurs when performance declines under high psychological pressure, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood; this study investigates how changes in internal models could lead to choking.* -
  • In a functional MRI study with 29 participants, a visual reaching task was used to simulate excessive pressure through a "Jackpot" condition, revealing that success rates significantly dropped in this scenario, indicating choking.* -
  • The results show that during preparation for this high-pressure situation, specific brain areas (cerebellum and hMT+) were activated differently, suggesting that psychological pressure disrupts the internal model's sensory predictions, leading to choking.*
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There are various flows inside and outside cells in vivo. Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulation is a useful tool for understanding the effects of these flows on the dynamics of biomolecules. We propose an NEMD method to generate a Poiseuille-like flow between lipid bilayers.

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Characterization and application of Lachancea thermotolerans isolates for sake brewing.

J Biosci Bioeng

January 2025

Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Kindai University, 3327-204 Nakamachi, Nara 631-8505, Japan; Agricultural Technology and Innovation Research Institute, Kindai University, 3327-204 Nakamachi, Nara 631-8505, Japan. Electronic address:

Non-conventional yeasts are increasingly being used in the production of fermented beverages owing to their ability to create unique and high-quality products. The yeast Lachancea thermotolerans is of great industrial significance, particularly in the production of l(+)-lactic acid, which is beneficial for acidifying wine, beer, and potentially sake. To explore its potential in sake brewing, three L.

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Distinct functions of three Wnt proteins control mirror-symmetric organogenesis in the gonad.

Elife

November 2024

Multicellular Organization Laboratory, Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS), Mishima, Japan.

Organogenesis requires the proper production of diverse cell types and their positioning/migration. However, the coordination of these processes during development remains poorly understood. The gonad in exhibits a mirror-symmetric structure guided by the migration of distal tip cells (DTCs), which result from asymmetric divisions of somatic gonadal precursors (SGPs; Z1 and Z4).

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The trans-Golgi network (TGN), a key compartment in endomembrane trafficking, participates in both secretion to and endocytosis from the plasma membrane. Consequently, the TGN plays a key role in plant growth and development. Understanding how proteins are sorted for secretion or endocytic recycling at the TGN is critical for elucidating mechanisms of plant development.

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Mosses are distributed all over the world including Antarctica. Although Antarctic mosses show active growth in a short summer season under harsh environments such as low temperature, drought and high levels of UV radiation, survival mechanisms for such multiple environmental stresses of Antarctic mosses have not yet been clarified. In the present study, transcriptome analyses were performed using one of the common mosses grown under an Antarctic field and artificial cultivation conditions.

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Rydberg atoms in optical lattices and tweezers is now a well-established platform for simulating quantum spin systems. However, the role of the atoms' spatial wave function has not been examined in detail experimentally. Here, we show a strong spin-motion coupling emerging from the large variation of the interaction potential over the wave function spread.

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Gene expression patterns differ in different tissues, and the expression pattern of genes in the mammalian testis is known to be extremely variable in different species. To clarify how the testis transcriptomic pattern has evolved in particular species, we examined the evolution of the adult testis transcriptome in Theria using 10 species: two marsupials (opossum and Tasmanian devil), six eutherian (placental) mammals (human, chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, rhesus macaque, and mouse), and two outgroup species (platypus and chicken). We show that 22 testis-expressed genes are marsupial-specific, suggesting their acquisition in the stem lineage of marsupials after the divergence from eutherians.

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Inorganic sulfides prevent osimertinib-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in human iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes.

J Pharmacol Sci

October 2024

Department of Physiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan; National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS), Okazaki, 444-8787, Japan; Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems, NINS, Okazaki, 444-8787, Japan; SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, 444-8787, Japan. Electronic address:

Despite the widespread recognition of the global concern regarding the onset of cardiovascular diseases in a significant number of patients following cancer treatment, definitive strategies for prevention and treatment remain elusive. In this study, we established systems to evaluate the influence of anti-cancer drugs on the quality control of mitochondria, pivotal for energy metabolism, using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs). Osimertinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor used for treatment in lung cancer, reportedly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

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Biomolecular condensates are broadly implicated in both normal cellular regulation and disease. Consequently, several chemical biology and optogenetic approaches have been developed to induce phase separation of a protein of interest. However, few tools are available to perform the converse function - dissolving a condensate of interest on demand.

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Article Synopsis
  • Measuring mechanical forces of cell-cell interactions is key for understanding how multicellular organisms develop, but applying existing methods to tissues with cavities was uncertain.
  • The study tested a previous image-based method using simulated data and found expanding cavities introduced additional repulsive forces in cell interactions, which correctly simulated cavity structures.
  • Finally, the method was successfully applied to mouse blastocysts and two-dimensional cell sheets, demonstrating its effectiveness in modeling tissue morphologies with cavities.
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Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent stem cells that can produce all cell types of an organism. ES cells proliferate rapidly and are thought to experience high levels of intrinsic replication stress. Here, by investigating replication fork dynamics in substages of S phase, we show that mammalian pluripotent stem cells maintain a slow fork speed and high active origin density throughout the S phase, with little sign of fork pausing.

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Background And Purpose: Maintaining mitochondrial quality is attracting attention as a new strategy to treat diabetes and diabetic complications. We previously reported that mitochondrial hyperfission by forming a protein complex between dynamin-related protein (Drp) 1 and filamin, mediates chronic heart failure and cilnidipine, initially developed as an L/N-type Ca channel blocker, improves heart failure by inhibiting Drp1-filamin protein complex. We investigated whether cilnidipine improves hyperglycaemia of various diabetic mice models.

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Aims/hypothesis: Diabetic retinopathy is characterised by neuroinflammation that drives neuronal and vascular degenerative pathology, which in many individuals can lead to retinal ischaemia and neovascularisation. Infiltrating macrophages and activated retina-resident microglia have been implicated in the progression of diabetic retinopathy, although the distinct roles of these immune cells remain ill-defined. Our aim was to clarify the distinct roles of macrophages/microglia in the pathogenesis of proliferative ischaemic retinopathies.

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Precise Manipulation of Electron Transfers in Clustered Five Redox Sites.

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl

November 2024

Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.

Electron transfers in multinuclear metal complexes are the origin of their unique functionalities both in natural and artificial systems. However, electron transfers in multinuclear metal complexes are generally complicated, and predicting and controlling these electron transfers is extremely difficult. Herein, we report the precise manipulation of the electron transfers in multinuclear metal complexes.

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Revisiting the evolution of bow-tie architecture in signaling networks.

NPJ Syst Biol Appl

June 2024

Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.

Bow-tie architecture is a layered network structure that has a narrow middle layer with multiple inputs and outputs. Such structures are widely seen in the molecular networks in cells, suggesting that a universal evolutionary mechanism underlies the emergence of bow-tie architecture. The previous theoretical studies have implemented evolutionary simulations of the feedforward network to satisfy a given input-output goal and proposed that the bow-tie architecture emerges when the ideal input-output relation is given as a rank-deficient matrix with mutations in network link intensities in a multiplicative manner.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A study on a specially designed carbazole-containing diradical showed that its luminescence properties are greatly influenced by its spin statistics, whereas its corresponding monoradical did not display these features.
  • * This research provides the first experimental evidence of how external heavy-atom effects impact luminescence in polyradical emitters, suggesting the potential for designing new materials based on their spin properties.
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Cytoplasmic fluidization contributes to breaking spore dormancy in fission yeast.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

June 2024

Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan.

The cytoplasm is a complex, crowded environment that influences myriad cellular processes including protein folding and metabolic reactions. Recent studies have suggested that changes in the biophysical properties of the cytoplasm play a key role in cellular homeostasis and adaptation. However, it still remains unclear how cells control their cytoplasmic properties in response to environmental cues.

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