Ecological determinants of Cope's rule and its inverse.

Cope's rule posits that evolution gradually increases the body size in lineages. Over the last decades, two schools of thought have fueled a debate on the applicability of Cope's rule by reporting empirical evidence, respectively, for and against Cope's rule. The apparent contradictions thus documented highlight the need for a comprehensive process-based synthesis through which both positions of this debate can be understood and reconciled.

Changes in the expression of mexB, mexY, and oprD in clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates.

Changes in expression levels of drug efflux pump genes, mexB and mexY, and porin gene oprD in Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated in this study. Fifty-five multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa (MDRP) strains were compared with 26 drug-sensitive strains and 21 strains resistant to a single antibiotic.

Longitudinal trajectories of anterior cingulate glutamate and subclinical psychotic experiences in early adolescence: the impact of bullying victimization.

Previous studies reported decreased glutamate levels in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in non-treatment-resistant schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis. However, ACC glutamatergic changes in subjects at high-risk for psychosis, and the effects of commonly experienced environmental emotional/social stressors on glutamatergic function in adolescents remain unclear. In this study, adolescents recruited from the general population underwent proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of the pregenual ACC using a 3-Tesla scanner.

In-phasic cytosolic-nuclear Ca rhythms in suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus is the master circadian clock in mammals. SCN neurons exhibit circadian Ca rhythms in the cytosol, which is thought to act as a messenger linking the transcriptional/translational feedback loop (TTFL) and physiological activities. Transcriptional regulation occurs in the nucleus in the TTFL model, and Ca-dependent kinase regulates the clock gene transcription.

The Arabidopsis katamari2 Mutant Exhibits a Hypersensitive Seedling Arrest Response at the Phase Transition from Heterotrophic to Autotrophic Growth.

Young seedlings use nutrients stored in the seeds to grow and acquire photosynthetic potential. This process, called seedling establishment, involves a developmental phase transition from heterotrophic to autotrophic growth. Some membrane-trafficking mutants of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), such as the katamari2 (kam2) mutant, exhibit growth arrest during seedling development, with a portion of individuals failing to develop true leaves on sucrose-free solid medium.

Conformational Dynamics in Proteins: Entangled Slow Fluctuations and Nonequilibrium Reaction Events.

Proteins exhibit conformational fluctuations and changes over various time scales, ranging from rapid picosecond-scale local atomic motions to slower microsecond-scale global conformational transformations. In the presence of these intricate fluctuations, chemical reactions occur and functions emerge. These conformational fluctuations of proteins are not merely stochastic random motions but possess distinct spatiotemporal characteristics.

In situ cryo-electron tomography: a new method to elucidate cytoplasmic zoning at the molecular level.

Cryo-electron microscopy was developed as a powerful tool for imaging biological specimens in near-native conditions. Nowadays, advances in technology, equipment and computations make it possible to obtain structures of biomolecules with near-atomic resolution. Furthermore, cryo-electron tomography combined with continuous specimen tilting allows structural analysis of heterogeneous biological specimens.

Behavioral photosensitivity of multi-color-blind medaka: enhanced response under ultraviolet light in the absence of short-wavelength-sensitive opsins.

Background: The behavioral photosensitivity of animals could be quantified via the optomotor response (OMR), for example, and the luminous efficiency function (the range of visible light) should largely rely on the repertoire and expression of light-absorbing proteins in the retina, i.e., the opsins.

Cold-induced suspension and resetting of Ca and transcriptional rhythms in the suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons.

Does the circadian clock keep running under such hypothermic states as daily torpor and hibernation? This fundamental question has been a research subject for decades but has remained unsettled. We addressed this subject by monitoring the circadian rhythm of clock gene transcription and intracellular Ca in the neurons of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), master circadian clock, under a cold environment. We discovered that the transcriptional and Ca rhythms are maintained at 22°C-28°C, but suspended at 15°C, accompanied by a large Ca increase.

Detection of APP gene recombinant in human blood plasma.

The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is believed to involve the accumulation of amyloid-β in the brain, which is produced by the sequential cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by β-secretase and γ-secretase. Recently, analysis of genomic DNA and mRNA from postmortem brain neurons has revealed intra-exonic recombinants of APP (gencDNA), which have been implicated in the accumulation of amyloid-β. In this study, we computationally analyzed publicly available sequence data (SRA) using probe sequences we constructed to screen APP gencDNAs.

Reassigning CI chondrite parent bodies based on reflectance spectroscopy of samples from carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu and meteorites.

The carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu has been explored by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft to elucidate the actual nature of hydrous asteroids. Laboratory analyses revealed that the samples from Ryugu are comparable to unheated CI carbonaceous chondrites; however, reflectance spectra of Ryugu samples and CIs do not coincide. Here, we demonstrate that Ryugu sample spectra are reproduced by heating Orgueil CI chondrite at 300°C under reducing conditions, which caused dehydration of terrestrial weathering products and reduction of iron in phyllosilicates.

Integration of motion information in illusory motion perceived in stationary patterns.

Illusory motion is a phenomenon in which stationary images with repeating luminance gradient patterns appear to be moving. In this study, we conducted experiments focusing on illusory motion to verify the hypothetical rule that velocity information, extracted from local luminance patterns, is integrated by summation in visual information processing. This rule is based on the hypothesis of velocity integration, and could estimate perceived velocity of stimulus.

Outbursts from an ice-marginal lake in Antarctica in 1969-1971 and 2017, revealed by aerial photographs and satellite data.

The liquid water around the Antarctic Ice Sheet plays a key role in modulating both the vulnerability of ice shelves to hydrofracturing and ice discharge from outlet glaciers. Therefore, it needs to be adequately constrained for precise future projections of ice-mass loss and global sea-level rise. Although glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) pose one of the greatest risks in glacierized mountainous regions, any long-term monitoring of Antarctic ice-marginal lakes and their associated potential for GLOFs has been neglected until recently owing to the limited number of such events reported in Antarctica.

The International Virus Bioinformatics Meeting 2023.

The 2023 International Virus Bioinformatics Meeting was held in Valencia, Spain, from 24-26 May 2023, attracting approximately 180 participants worldwide. The primary objective of the conference was to establish a dynamic scientific environment conducive to discussion, collaboration, and the generation of novel research ideas. As the first in-person event following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the meeting facilitated highly interactive exchanges among attendees.

Presynaptic gating of monkey proprioceptive signals for proper motor action.

Our rich behavioural repertoire is supported by complicated synaptic connectivity in the central nervous system, which must be modulated to prevent behavioural control from being overwhelmed. For this modulation, presynaptic inhibition is an efficient mechanism because it can gate specific synaptic input without interfering with main circuit operations. Previously, we reported the task-dependent presynaptic inhibition of the cutaneous afferent input to the spinal cord in behaving monkeys.

Characterization of a half-wave plate for cosmic microwave background circular polarization measurement with POLARBEAR.

A half-wave plate (HWP) is often used as a modulator to suppress systematic error in the measurements of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization. A HWP can also be used to measure circular polarization (CP) through its optical leakage from CP to linear polarization. The CP of the CMB is predicted from various sources, such as interactions in the Universe and extension of the standard model.

Nanoscopic Observation of Chiro-Optical Force.

Nanoscopic observation of chiro-optical phenomena is essential in wide scientific areas but has measurement difficulties; hence, its physics is still unknown. To obtain a full understanding of the physics of chiro-optical systems and derive the full potentials, it is essential to perform an in situ observation of the chiro-optical effect from the individual parts because the macroscopic chiro-optical effect cannot be translated directly into microscopic effects. In the present study, we observed the chiro-optical responses at the nanoscale level by detecting the chiro-optical forces, which were generated by illumination of the material-probe system with circularly polarized light.

Rspo1 and Rspo3 are required for sensory lineage neural crest formation in mouse embryos.

Background: R-spondins (Rspos) are secreted proteins that modulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling. At the early stages of spinal cord development, Wnts (Wnt1, Wnt3a) and Rspos (Rspo1, Rspo3) are co-expressed in the roof plate, suggesting that Rspos are involved in development of dorsal spinal cord and neural crest cells in cooperation with Wnt ligands.

Results: Here, we found that Rspo1 and Rspo3, as well as Wnt1 and Wnt3a, maintained roof-plate-specific expression until late embryonic stages.

Ghost introgression in ricefishes of the genus Adrianichthys in an ancient Wallacean lake.

Because speciation might have been promoted by ancient introgression from an extinct lineage, it is important to detect the existence of 'ghost introgression' in focal taxa and examine its contribution to their diversification. In this study, we examined possible ghost introgression and its contributions to the diversification of ricefishes of the genus Adrianichthys in Lake Poso, an ancient lake on Sulawesi Island, in which some extinctions are known to have occurred. Population-genomic analysis revealed that two extant Adrianichthys species, A.

Recombinase-independent AAV for anterograde transsynaptic tracing.

Viral transsynaptic labeling has become indispensable for investigating the functional connectivity of neural circuits in the mammalian brain. Adeno-associated virus serotype 1 (AAV1) allows for anterograde transneuronal labeling and manipulation of postsynaptic neurons. However, it is limited to delivering an AAV1 expressing a recombinase which relies on using transgenic animals or genetic access to postsynaptic neurons.

Grouping rule in tadpole: is quantity more or size assortment more important?

The ability to perceive group size and discriminate the ontogeny of conspecifics would play a crucial role in the grouping behavior of animals. However, the relative importance of numerical quantity and size-assortative preferences in shaping grouping rules remains poorly understood. In this study, I examined the responses of Miyako toad (Bufo gargarizans miyakonis) tadpoles to number quantity and size discrimination by choice tests at different ontogenetic stages (small, medium, and large).

Genetic Regulation of Mitosis-Meiosis Fate Decision in Plants: Is Callose an Oversighted Polysaccharide in These Processes?

Timely progression of the meiotic cell cycle and synchronized establishment of male meiosis in anthers are key to ascertaining plant fertility. With the discovery of novel regulators of the plant cell cycle, the mechanisms underlying meiosis initiation and progression appear to be more complex than previously thought, requiring the conjunctive action of cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases, transcription factors, protein-protein interactions, and several signaling components. Broadly, cell cycle regulators can be classified into two categories in plants based on the nature of their mutational effects: (1) those that completely arrest cell cycle progression; and (2) those that affect the timing (delay or accelerate) or synchrony of cell cycle progression but somehow complete the division process.

All-synchronized picosecond pulses and time-gated detection improve the spatial resolution of two-photon STED microscopy in brain tissue imaging.

Super-resolution in two-photon excitation (2PE) microscopy offers new approaches for visualizing the deep inside the brain functions at the nanoscale. In this study, we developed a novel 2PE stimulated-emission-depletion (STED) microscope with all-synchronized picosecond pulse light sources and time-gated fluorescence detection, namely, all-pulsed 2PE-gSTED microscopy. The implementation of time-gating is critical to excluding undesirable signals derived from brain tissues.

Establishment of a new method to isolate viable x-ray-sensitive cells from planarian by fluorescence-activated cell sorting.

Planarians show outstanding regenerative ability due to the proliferation of neoblasts. Hence the method to isolate planarian neoblasts is important to understand the regeneration process. In our previous study, we reported a method to isolate planarian neoblasts of Dugesia japonica using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS).