Redescription and supplementary molecular characteristics of Aspidogaster ijimai Kawamura, 1915 (Trematoda, Aspidogastrea, Aspidogastridae), a parasite of Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758 s. lato (Actinopterygii) and freshwater bivalves in East Asia.

A detailed morphological description and ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence molecular data for Aspidogaster ijimai from Japan are provided. Morphological analysis, including a description of the cirrus-sac, indicate the conspecificity of Japanese and continental East Asian A. ijimai specimens.

Identification of Phosphorus Sources in a Watershed Using a Phosphate Oxygen Isoscape Approach.

Identifying nonpoint phosphorus (P) sources in a watershed is essential for addressing cultural eutrophication and for proposing best-management solutions. The oxygen isotope ratio of phosphate (δO) can shed light on P sources and P cycling in ecosystems. This is the first assessment of the δO distribution in a whole catchment, namely, the Yasu River Watershed in Japan.

Blood concentrations and renal clearance of water-soluble vitamins in outpatients with ulcerative colitis.

Few studies have investigated the association between dietary intake and blood concentrations of water-soluble vitamins in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). In the present study, vitamin concentrations were measured in the blood and urinary excretion of 23 outpatients with UC and compared against a control group of 20 healthy participants. A weighed food record procedure was used to ensure controlled macronutrient and vitamin intakes of the UC cohort.

Recent lake expansion triggered the adaptive radiation of freshwater snails in the ancient Lake Biwa.

Lake expansion that leads to the formation of new habitats has potential to drive intralacustrine diversification. The ancient Lake Biwa in central Japan has historically experienced substantial changes in the lake size, and it provides a useful system for evaluating the role of lake-size fluctuations in the diversification of endemic fauna. Here, we used genome-wide DNA analyses and reconstructed the diversification history of the endemic freshwater snails belonging to the subgenus with respect to the geological history of Lake Biwa.

Electromagnetic wave cloaking and scattering around an antiresonance-resonance symmetrical pair in the frequency domain.

Cloaking and scattering cancellation of electromagnetic waves have attracted much attention since they allow control of rf and light waves and are of scientific interest. The analytical results demonstrated in this paper reveal that plasmonic cloaking, which is one of the schemes for scattering cancellation, occurs in the vicinity of Tonks-Dattner resonances in the frequency domain, where resonances enhance wave scattering. This antiresonance-resonance pair for cloaking and scattering is cross-correlated by the symmetrical locations above and below the electron plasma frequency, respectively.

Biomineralization-inspired fabrication of chitosan/calcium carbonates core-shell type composite microparticles as a drug carrier.

Chitosan/calcium carbonate core-shell type composite microparticles were fabricated via a biomineralization-inspired process with chitosan particles as starting materials. The obtained composite particles were spherical, and the diameter of the composite particles was larger than that of the chitosan particles. XRD measurement indicated that the shell of the composite particle had a crystalline structure.

Magnetic Field Stimuli-Sensitive Drug Release Using a Magnetic Thermal Seed Coated with Thermal-Responsive Molecularly Imprinted Polymer.

A new stimulus-responsive drug delivery system using FeO nanoparticles coated with molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) is reported. Magnetic thermal seeds (MTS) with their size controlled between 10 and 20 nm that could generate heat under an alternate current (AC) magnetic field were modified with a thermal-responsive MIP by grafting polymerization for effective release of an anticancer drug, methotrexate (MTX). The MIP-coated MTS showed the superparamagnetic property as well as the selective adsorption ability toward MTX, and 80% of MXT adsorbed on the MIP-coated MTS was stimulus released at 60 °C by cleaving hydrogen bonding in the recognition sites.

Acute liver failure increases kynurenic acid production in rat brain via changes in tryptophan metabolism in the periphery.

The tryptophan metabolite, kynurenic acid (KYNA), is a preferential antagonist of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptor at endogenous brain concentrations. Recent studies have suggested that increased brain KYNA levels are involved in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and depression. Most of the brain kynurenine (KYN), the KYNA precursor, comes from the periphery, and the liver has a central role in the peripheral tryptophan metabolism.

Mitochondrial Citrate Transporters CtpA and YhmA Are Required for Extracellular Citric Acid Accumulation and Contribute to Cytosolic Acetyl Coenzyme A Generation in Aspergillus luchuensis mut. .

mut. () produces a large amount of citric acid during the process of fermenting shochu, a traditional Japanese distilled spirit. In this study, we characterized CtpA and YhmA, which are homologous to the yeast mitochondrial citrate transporters Ctp1 and Yhm2, respectively.

Effect of Monomer Sequence along Network Chains on Thermoresponsive Properties of Polymer Gels.

The effect of monomer sequence along the network chain on the swelling behavior of polymer gels should be clarified for the advanced control of swelling properties of gel materials. To this end, we systematically investigated the swelling properties of poly(acrylamide derivative) gels with the same composition but different monomer sequence by utilizing two gel synthetic methods: copolymerization giving a random network and co-crosslinking giving a blocky network. Both of the copolymerization and the co-crosslinking gels were prepared from the combination of two of the three following monomers: hydrophilic ,-dimethylacrylamide (DMAAm), hydrophobic --butylacrylamide (NBAAm), and thermoresponsive -isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) with various monomer compositions.

Sound velocity of CaSiO perovskite suggests the presence of basaltic crust in the Earth's lower mantle.

Laboratory measurements of sound velocities of high-pressure minerals provide crucial information on the composition and constitution of the deep mantle via comparisons with observed seismic velocities. Calcium silicate (CaSiO) perovskite (CaPv) is a high-pressure phase that occurs at depths greater than about 560 kilometres in the mantle and in the subducting oceanic crust. However, measurements of the sound velocity of CaPv under the pressure and temperature conditions that are present at such depths have not previously been performed, because this phase is unquenchable (that is, it cannot be physically recovered to room conditions) at atmospheric pressure and adequate samples for such measurements are unavailable.

A Suitable Diet for Recovery from Starvation Is a High-Fat Diet, but Not a High-Protein Diet, in Rats.

The present study aims to determine the most suitable dietary balance of energy-producing nutrients for recovery from starvation. Rats were fed their standard high- carbohydrate diet (HCD, carbohydrate energy : protein energy : fat energy=71 : 18 : 11) for 7 d and then deprived of food for 3 d (short-term starvation) or 8 d (long-term starvation). The starved rats were then fed the HCD, a high-protein diet (HPD, 31 : 57 : 12), or a high-fat diet (HFD, 34 : 14 : 52) for 8 d.

Controlling the Emergence and Shift Direction of Mechanochromic Luminescence Color of a Pyridine-Terminated Compound.

In this study, mechanochromic luminescence was induced in a complex of mechano-inactive compounds. Dye/acid complexes containing the same π-conjugated backbones were prepared. While the luminophore showed blue and red shifts in photoluminescence spectra when combined with different acids by grinding, it exhibited slight mechanoresponsiveness itself.

A Quantitative Method to Measure Skin Thickness in Leg Edema in Pregnant Women Using B-Scan Portable Ultrasonography: A Comparison Between Obese and Non-Obese Women.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to use a portable ultrasound method to quantitatively measure skin thickness and to compare leg edema in obese and non-obese pregnant women. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty-six pregnant women (17 primiparas and 19 multiparas) at 27/28 and 37/38 weeks of pregnancy, with and without leg edema, had their lower leg skin thickness measured using a B-scan portable ultrasonography device (72 legs and maximum of 98 measurements). Measurements were compared between women who were obese prior to pregnancy, with a body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m² and non-obese with a BMI <25 kg/m².

Stability Characterization of PbI-Added CHNHPbICl Photovoltaic Devices.

The stability of TiO/CHNHPbICl -based photovoltaic devices in ambient air was evaluated upon adding PbI and/or PbCl. X-ray diffraction (XRD) peak intensities corresponding to the perovskite phase were increased by adding PbI. After 7 weeks, the XRD peak intensities corresponding to the perovskite phase decreased and those corresponding to PbI increased.

2,4,5,7,9,10-Hexaethynylpyrenes: Synthesis, Properties, and Self-Assembly.

A series of 2,4,5,7,9,10-hexaethynylpyrenes was synthesized using 2,7,9,10-tetrabromopyrene-4,5-dione as the key intermediate. The effects of the position and number of the ethynyl groups on the physicochemical properties of the corresponding pyrenes were clarified by comparison with 4,5,9,10-tetraethynylpyrene and 2,7-diethynylpyrene derivatives. The prepared hexaethynylpyrenes that bear benzene moieties self-assemble via π-π stacking in solution and/or the condensed phase.

Phylogenetic analysis of the superfamily Hemiuroidea (Platyhelminthes, Neodermata: Trematoda) based on partial 28S rDNA sequences.

In the present paper, the phylogenetic relationships between genera, subfamilies and families of the Hemiuroidea are explored. Twelve new sequences of 28 rDNA and data taken from GenBank (NSBI) on 43 species affiliated to 34 genera were included in the analysis. Most of the hemiuroidean trematodes form two highly supported clades (A and B), which are sister groups to each other.

Herbicide discharge from rice paddy fields by surface runoff and percolation flow: A case study in paddy fields in the Lake Biwa basin, Japan.

The transport of three herbicides, pyriminobac-methyl, imazosulfuron and pyraclonil from a watershed that includes 40 ha of paddy fields to a drainage canal was monitored in the Lake Biwa basin, Japan. Based on the intensive monitoring of all paddy plots and in the drainage canal conducted on 3 days during and after the application period, the passage of herbicide discharge from the paddy fields to the drainage canal was separated into surface runoff obtained from field observations and percolation flow calculated from the herbicide mass balance. Surface runoff from paddy plots immediately after herbicide application, discharging a large volume of paddy water, or both processes in conjunction had a significant effect on herbicide discharge.

Low-carbohydrate high-protein diet diminishes the insulin response to glucose load via suppression of SGLT-1 in mice.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a low-carbohydrate high-protein (LCHP) diet on the expression of glucose transporters and their relationships to glucose metabolism. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed a normal control or LCHP diet for 2 weeks. An oral glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test (ITT) were performed, and the expression of glucose transporters was determined in the gastrocnemius muscle, jejunum and pancreas.

Role of partial molar enthalpy of oxides on Soret effect in high-temperature CaO-SiO melts.

The Soret effect or thermodiffusion is the temperature-gradient driven diffusion in a multicomponent system. Two important conclusions have been obtained for the Soret effect in multicomponent silicate melts: first, the SiO component concentrates in the hot region; and second, heavier isotopes concentrate in the cold region more than lighter isotopes. For the second point, the isotope fractionation can be explained by the classical mechanical collisions between pairs of particles.

Establishment of a quantitative in vivo method for estimating adipose tissue volumes and the effects of dietary soy sauce oil on adipogenesis in medaka, Oryzias latipes.

Adipose tissue, which is conserved in higher eukaryotes, plays central roles in controlling the body's energy balance, including excess energy storage and energy expenditure during starvation. In adipogenesis, intranuclear receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a key molecule, and PPARγ agonists can promote adipogenesis. Many studies on the in vitro screening of PPARγ agonists with compounds derived from various materials have been reported; however, in vivo assays for quick examination of these feeding effects have not been established.

Sharing of human milk oligosaccharides degradants within bifidobacterial communities in faecal cultures supplemented with Bifidobacterium bifidum.

Gut microbiota of breast-fed infants are generally rich in bifidobacteria. Recent studies show that infant gut-associated bifidobacteria can assimilate human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) specifically among the gut microbes. Nonetheless, little is known about how bifidobacterial-rich communities are shaped in the gut.

NAD metabolism and the SLC34 family: evidence for a liver-kidney axis regulating inorganic phosphate.

The solute carrier 34 (SLC34) family of membrane transporters is a major contributor to Pi homeostasis. Many factors are involved in regulating the SLC34 family. The roles of the bone mineral metabolism factors parathyroid hormone (PTH) and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) in Pi homeostasis are well studied.

Urinary Excretion of 2-Oxo Acids Is Greater in Rats with Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes.

2-Oxo acids derived from amino acids, glucose, and fatty acids are key intermediates in energy production. During diabetes, energy production is known to be lower than in healthy individuals. However, it was unknown whether the production of 2-oxo acids is impacted by diabetes.