Adolescent Problem Gaming and Loot Box Purchasing in Video Games: Cross-sectional Observational Study Using Population-Based Cohort Data.

Background: Video game loot boxes, which can typically be purchased by players or are given as reward, contain random virtual items, or loot, ranging from simple customization options for a player's avatar or character, to game-changing equipment such as weapons and armor. Loot boxes have drawn concern, as purchasing loot boxes might lead to the development of problematic gambling for adolescents. Although parental problem gambling is associated with adolescent problem gambling, no studies have evaluated the prevalence of loot box purchases in adolescents' parents.

Analysis of disease model iPSCs derived from patients with a novel Fanconi anemia-like IBMFS ADH5/ALDH2 deficiency.

We have recently discovered Japanese children with a novel Fanconi anemia-like inherited bone marrow failure syndrome (IBMFS). This disorder is likely caused by the loss of a catabolic system directed toward endogenous formaldehyde due to biallelic variants in ADH5 combined with a heterozygous ALDH2*2 dominant-negative allele (rs671), which is associated with alcohol-induced Asian flushing. Phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes from these patients displayed highly increased numbers of spontaneous sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), reflecting homologous recombination repair of formaldehyde damage.

A discordance of seasonally covarying cues uncovers misregulated phenotypes in the heterophyllous pitcher plant .

Organisms withstand normal ranges of environmental fluctuations by producing a set of phenotypes genetically programmed as a reaction norm; however, extreme conditions can expose a misregulation of phenotypes called a hidden reaction norm. Although an environment consists of multiple factors, how combinations of these factors influence a reaction norm is not well understood. To elucidate the combinatorial effects of environmental factors, we studied the leaf shape plasticity of the carnivorous pitcher plant .

Excess sterol accumulation affects seed morphology and physiology in .

Sterols are essential lipids for plant growth, and the sterol content is tightly regulated by a fail-safe system consisting of two processes: 1) suppression of excess sterol production by a negative regulator of sterol biosynthesis (HIGR STEROL ESTER 1, HISE1), and 2) conversion of excess sterols to sterol esters by PHOSPHOLIPID STEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE 1 (PSAT1) in . The double mutant has a 1.5-fold higher sterol content in leaves than the wild type; this upregulates the expression of stress-responsive genes, leading to disruption of cellular activities in leaves.

A microtubule-LUZP1 association around tight junction promotes epithelial cell apical constriction.

Apical constriction is critical for epithelial morphogenesis, including neural tube formation. Vertebrate apical constriction is induced by di-phosphorylated myosin light chain (ppMLC)-driven contraction of actomyosin-based circumferential rings (CRs), also known as perijunctional actomyosin rings, around apical junctional complexes (AJCs), mainly consisting of tight junctions (TJs) and adherens junctions (AJs). Here, we revealed a ppMLC-triggered system at TJ-associated CRs for vertebrate apical constriction involving microtubules, LUZP1, and myosin phosphatase.

Whole-Genome Transcriptome Analyses of Native Symbionts Reveal Host Coral Genomic Novelties for Establishing Coral-Algae Symbioses.

Reef-building corals and photosynthetic, endosymbiotic algae of the family Symbiodiniaceae establish mutualistic relationships that are fundamental to coral biology, enabling coral reefs to support a vast diversity of marine species. Although numerous types of Symbiodiniaceae occur in coral reef environments, Acropora corals select specific types in early life stages. In order to study molecular mechanisms of coral-algal symbioses occurring in nature, we performed whole-genome transcriptomic analyses of Acropora tenuis larvae inoculated with Symbiodinium microadriaticum strains isolated from an Acropora recruit.

Ethylene signaling mediates host invasion by parasitic plants.

Parasitic plants form a specialized organ, a haustorium, to invade host tissues and acquire water and nutrients. To understand the molecular mechanism of haustorium development, we performed a forward genetics screening to isolate mutants exhibiting haustorial defects in the model parasitic plant We isolated two mutants that show prolonged and sometimes aberrant meristematic activity in the haustorium apex, resulting in severe defects on host invasion. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the two mutants respectively have point mutations in homologs of () and (), signaling components in response to the gaseous phytohormone ethylene.

Evolution of Insect Color Vision: From Spectral Sensitivity to Visual Ecology.

Color vision is widespread among insects but varies among species, depending on the spectral sensitivities and interplay of the participating photoreceptors. The spectral sensitivity of a photoreceptor is principally determined by the absorption spectrum of the expressed visual pigment, but it can be modified by various optical and electrophysiological factors. For example, screening and filtering pigments, rhabdom waveguide properties, retinal structure, and neural processing all influence the perceived color signal.

Implications of RNG140 (caprin2)-mediated translational regulation in eye lens differentiation.

Regulation of gene expression at the translational level is key to determining cell fate and function. An RNA-binding protein, RNG140 (caprin2), plays a role in eye lens differentiation and has been reported to function in translational regulation. However, the mechanism and its role in eyes has remained unclear.

Weakly correlated activity of pallidal neurons in behaving monkeys.

The basal ganglia play a crucial role in the control of voluntary movements. Neurons in both the external and internal segments of the globus pallidus, the connecting and output nuclei of the basal ganglia, respectively, change their firing rates in relation to movements. Firing rate changes of movement-related neurons seem to convey signals for motor control.

Nanoscale crack initiation and propagation in carbon fiber/epoxy composites using synchrotron: 3D image data.

Crack initiation and propagation in carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) was observed under the application of an opening load using nanoscopic synchrotron radiation X-ray computed tomography (nanoscopic SR X-CT) at a high spatial resolution of ∼50 nm. Two datasets of reconstructed and segmented images were produced in typical regions, namely in the thin and thick epoxy regions where the resin thickness between the adjacent carbon fibers was small and large, respectively. This novel study presents the first non-destructive three-dimensional (3D) visualization of resin deformation behavior around crack tips, and provides a valuable and unique insight for the future design of CFRPs.

Structural dynamics and stability of corticocortical and thalamocortical axon terminals during motor learning.

Synaptic plasticity is the cellular basis of learning and memory. When animals learn a novel motor skill, synaptic modifications are induced in the primary motor cortex (M1), and new postsynaptic dendritic spines relevant to motor memory are formed in the early stage of learning. However, it is poorly understood how presynaptic axonal boutons are formed, eliminated, and maintained during motor learning, and whether long-range corticocortical and thalamocortical axonal boutons show distinct structural changes during learning.

Clonal lineage from normal endometrium to ovarian clear cell carcinoma through ovarian endometriosis.

Clear cell carcinoma of the ovary is thought to arise from endometriosis. In addition, retrograde menstruation of shed endometrium is considered the origin of endometriosis. However, little evidence supports cellular continuity from uterine endometrium to clear cell carcinoma through endometriosis at the genomic level.

Mouse Spermatogenesis Reflects the Unity and Diversity of Tissue Stem Cell Niche Systems.

Mouse spermatogenesis is supported by spermatogenic stem cells (SSCs). SSCs maintain their pool while migrating over an open (or facultative) niche microenvironment of testicular seminiferous tubules, where ligands that support self-renewal are likely distributed widely. This contrasts with the classic picture of closed (or definitive) niches in which stem cells are gathered and the ligands are highly localized.

Dog and Cat Ownership Predicts Adolescents' Mental Well-Being: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study.

A potential association between pet ownership and mental well-being is suggested, but there is a shortage of high-quality longitudinal studies that consider probable differences among different species. We aimed to examine whether ownership of the most popular pets (dogs and cats) would predict mental well-being. The Tokyo Teen Cohort (TTC), a prospective population-based birth cohort study, had dog and cat ownership data at age 10 and mental well-being score at ages 10 and 12 from 2584 adolescents.

Parkinsonism Differently Affects the Single Neuronal Activity in the Primary and Supplementary Motor Areas in Monkeys: An Investigation in Linear and Nonlinear Domains.

The changes in neuronal firing activity in the primary motor cortex (M1) and supplementary motor area (SMA) were compared in monkeys rendered parkinsonian by treatment with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine. The neuronal dynamic was characterized using mathematical tools defined in different frameworks (rate, oscillations or complex patterns). Then, and for each cortical area, multivariate and discriminate analyses were further performed on these features to identify those important to differentiate between the normal and the pathological neuronal activity.

Local field potential dynamics in the primate cortex in relation to parkinsonism reveled by machine learning: A comparison between the primary motor cortex and the supplementary area.

The present study compares the cortical local field potentials (LFPs) in the primary motor cortex (M1) and the supplementary motor area (SMA) of non-human primates rendered Parkinsonian with administration of dopaminergic neurotoxin, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine. The dynamic of the LFPs was investigated under several mathematical frameworks and machine learning was used to discriminate the recordings based on these features between healthy, parkinsonian with off-medication and parkinsonian with on-medication states. The importance of each feature in the discrimination process was further investigated.

Nanoscopic origin of cracks in carbon fibre-reinforced plastic composites.

Voids and cracks can fatally degrade structural materials such as metals and ceramics but are tolerated in carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites if monitored to prevent their growth to a critical size. Thus, the use of CFRPs as aeronautical structural materials requires an understanding of microscopic crack formation. However, this crack-formation mechanism remains unclear because experimental difficulties have hindered studies of relevant phenomena that occur before crack formation.

Differential Striatal Axonal Arborizations of the Intratelencephalic and Pyramidal-Tract Neurons: Analysis of the Data in the MouseLight Database.

There exist two major types of striatum-targeting neocortical neurons, specifically, intratelencephalic (IT) neurons and pyramidal-tract (PT) neurons. Regarding their striatal projections, it was once suggested that IT axons are extended whereas PT axons are primarily focal. However, subsequent study with an increased number of well-stained extended axons concluded that such an apparent distinction was spurious due to limited sample size.

Creating a Reliable Mass Spectral-Retention Time Library for All Ion Fragmentation-Based Metabolomics.

Accurate metabolite identification remains one of the primary challenges in a metabolomics study. A reliable chemical spectral library increases the confidence in annotation, and the availability of raw and annotated data in public databases facilitates the transfer of Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods across laboratories. Here, we illustrate how the combination of MS2 spectra, accurate mass, and retention time can improve the confidence of annotation and provide techniques to create a reliable library for all ion fragmentation (AIF) data with a focus on the characterization of the retention time.

HIGH STEROL ESTER 1 is a key factor in plant sterol homeostasis.

Plants strictly regulate the levels of sterol in their cells, as high sterol levels are toxic. However, how plants achieve sterol homeostasis is not fully understood. We isolated an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant that abundantly accumulated sterol esters in structures of about 1 µm in diameter in leaf cells.

Protamines from liverwort are produced by post-translational cleavage and C-terminal di-aminopropanelation of several male germ-specific H1 histones.

Protamines are small, highly-specialized, arginine-rich, and intrinsically-disordered chromosomal proteins that replace histones during spermiogenesis in many organisms. Previous evidence supports the notion that, in the animal kingdom, these proteins have evolved from a primitive replication-independent histone H1 involved in terminal cell differentiation. Nevertheless, a direct connection between the two families of chromatin proteins is missing.