Heat stress diminishes gonadotropin receptor expression and enhances susceptibility to apoptosis of rat granulosa cells

Heat stress inhibits ovarian follicular development in mammalian species. We hypothesized that heat stress inhibits the function of follicular granulosa cells and suppresses follicular development. To test this, immature female rats were injected with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) at 48 h after the start of temperature treatment (control: 25 degrees C, 50% RH; heat stress: 35 degrees C, 70% Relative Humidity). The ovaries and granulosa cells of follicles at different developmental stages were analyzed for gonadotropin receptor levels and aromatase activity; estradiol levels were measured in follicular fluid. Before injection, heat stress diminished only the amount of FSH receptor on granulosa cells of antral follicles. During PMSG-stimulated follicular development, heat stress strongly inhibited gonadotropin receptor levels and aromatase activity in granulosa cells, and estradiol levels in the follicular fluid of early antral, antral and preovulatory follicles. To examine apoptosis and mRNA levels of bcl-2 and bax in granulosa cells, follicles harvested 48 h after PMSG injection were cultured in serum-free conditions. Heat-stressed granulosa cells showed a time-dependent increase in apoptosis. The bcl-2 mRNA levels were similar in control and heat-stressed granulosa cells; bax mRNA levels were increased in heat-stressed granulosa cells. According to these results, heat stress inhibits expression of gonadotropin receptors in granulosa cells and attenuates estrogenic activity of growing follicles, granulosa cells of heat-stressed follicles are susceptible to apoptosis, and the bcl2/bax system is not associated with heat-stress-induced apoptosis of granulosa cells. Our study suggests that decreased numbers and function of granulosa cells may cause ovarian dysfunction in domestic animals in summer.     

Gingival and dermal fibroblasts: their similarities and differences revealed from gene expression

Gene expression profiles in normal human gingival and dermal fibroblasts were investigated using DNA microarrays. Their fundamental characteristics were almost identical, but 5% of their genes were uniquely expressed. These results help us to choose an optimal cell source for effective fibroblast-based cell therapy that is dependent on differential gene expression profiles.     

Intelligent speed-increasing spindle using traction drive

An intelligent speed-increasing spindle using a wedge-roller-traction drive (WTD) is developed to realize high-accuracy milling. The WTD is a type of planetary roller variator, whose ring and sun rollers are nonconcentric. The generation of little heat is a feature of the WTD. Some cutting tests were carried out, and the measured surface roughness of the WTD spindle was found to be better than that of a commercially available speed-increasing spindle using planetary gears. Moreover, the function of measuring cutting torque during end milling was added to make the spindle intelligent. The countertorque at the carrier is measured using a piezofilm. Measurement and calibration procedures were proposed and their effectiveness was confirmed by experiments.     

A VHF interferometry system for detecting anomalous propagation of FM radio broadcasting waves related to earthquakes and some preliminary results

Earthquake‐related anomalous electromagnetic phenomena have been reported in various frequency ranges over the past few decades. Investigation of the anomalous propagation of VHF transmitter waves is a promising approach to short‐term prediction and crustal activity monitoring. Anomalous propagation is believed to be generated by disturbances of the atmosphere above the epicenter or along the propagation path prior to large earthquakes. Consequently, over‐the‐horizon propagation has been received. A recent study shows that the appearance of anomalies was signi?cantly enhanced within 5 days of earthquakes with M ≥4.8. However, there is no information on the scattering location, that is, on the direction of wave arrival. Therefore, a simple interferometer system for VHF radio waves to identify the space‐time position of earthquake‐related atmospheric disturbances has been developed and installed at Chiba University. This paper describes the newly developed interferometer system and presents the results of fundamental tests to evaluate the performance of the new interferometer at Chiba. Data on over‐the‐horizon propagation of VHF radio waves obtained from 1‐year continuous measurement at Chiba are described. These are possible radio duct propagations and possible earthquake‐related anomalous propagations. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 183(1): 16–24, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.22303     

Global variation of ULF geomagnetic fields and detection of anomalous changes at a certain observatory using reference data

By using multiple reference stations, we have developed a method to get reliable ULF global geomagnetic variations. This background is extremely useful for detecting local anomalous behaviors. In this paper we report on variable tools developed to identify the anomalies in two frequency ranges: daily variations and variations of 10‐ to 1000‐second span. For estimating background daily variations, the periodical model has been applied for data observed at three reference stations and a study station. Comparison between the first principal component of the periodical data from the reference stations and the periodical data derived from the target station generally provides high correlation. For data with 100‐second periods after wavelet filtering, the nighttime energy variations have been investigated among three reference stations and a study station. Similar principal component analysis as the diurnal variation has been performed and results also show high correlation between the variation at the target and the global background. These tendencies suggest that the two proposed methods are effective in automatically identifying the anomalous patterns. Examining the original data, we can obtain details of waveforms and distinguish whether the anomalies are related to underground activities or simply to some artificial noises. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 182(3): 9–18, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22299     

Efficacy of silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) chrysalis oil as a lipid source in adult Wistar rats

The effects of silkworm chrysalis oil, rich in n-3 α-linolenic acid (ALA), on lipid metabolism in Wistar rats were investigated. The rats were fed diets containing 7% soybean oil (control), silkworm chrysalis oil (SWO), or fish oil (FO) for 8 weeks. Plasma triglyceride and glucose levels were significantly lower in the SWO group after 8 weeks compared to the control and FO groups. The total cholesterol and blood urea nitrogen levels were higher in the control group than in the SWO and FO groups at 8 weeks post-consumption. However, aspartate amino transferase and alanine amino transferase levels were not significantly different among all groups. A higher arachidonic acid (AA) content was detected in the control group, while lower AA levels were observed with the increase in EPA and DHA in the SWO and FO groups. These results suggest that n-3 α-linolenic acid-rich silkworm chrysalis oil can improve hyperlipidaemia and hyperglycaemia.     

Development and evaluation of a long‐range 300‐m leaky coaxial cable in the 2.4‐GHz band for IEEE 802.11 b/g wireless network access

In installing wireless access systems for indoor use using IEEE 802.11b/g‐complied 2.4‐GHz band wireless local area network (LAN) units, problems that arise include blind zones and interferences caused by radio waves transmitted by neighboring access point units. To solve these problems, the use of leaky coaxial cables (LCXs) is a promising method. However, commercially available flexible LCXs with small diameters for 2.4‐GHz wireless LAN were not long enough for use in tunnels, underground facilities, and so on, and the communication characteristics of LCXs long enough for these places using wireless LAN units have not been reported. We have developed a flexible 300‐m long LCX for the 2.4‐GHz band and IEEE 802.11b/g‐complied wireless LAN units with high sensitivity. We evaluated its performance with four cable configurations and confirmed that this LCX provides wireless connections over 300 m along the cable and over 20 m lateral to the cable in an open‐air environment. We also found the coverage could be extended by a method of cable‐to‐cable links. IEEJ Trans 2010 DOI: 10.1002/tee.20604     

Influence of 0.03?wt.% Carbon Black Addition on the Performance of Sn-3.5Ag Lead-Free Solder

In an effort to improve the performance of lead-free solder, Sn-3.5?wt.%Ag (Sn-3.5Ag) solder alloy with 0.03?wt.% carbon black was prepared under high pressure (5.5?GPa) and high temperature (1200°C). We have investigated the microstructure, melting behavior, and mechanical properties of the alloy using x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Vickers hardness testing, tensile testing, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The melting point was found to be unchanged, while the hardness and the tensile strength increased with the addition of carbon black. SEM images showed that the average thickness of the intermetallic compound (IMC) layer decreased with the addition of carbon black, indicating improvement in solder joint reliability.     

Sugar consumption and ethanol fermentation by transporter-overexpressed xylose-metabolizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae harboring a xyloseisomerase pathway

Four kinds of transporters, HXT1 and HXY7 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and GXF1 and GXS1 from Candida intermedia, were overexpressed in xylose-metabolizing S. cerevisiae harboring a xyloseisomerase-based pathway. Overexpression of transporter enhanced sugar consumption and ethanol production, and GXF1 was efficient for ethanol fermentation from both glucose and xylose.     

Focusing multiple high-order harmonics in the extreme-ultraviolet and soft-x-ray regions by a platinum-coated ellipsoidal mirror

The focusability of multiple high-order harmonics in the extreme-ultraviolet and soft-x-ray regions is described, together with the design and performance of the ellipsoidal mirror used for this purpose. The mirror focuses intense coherent light in the spectral-region from 25 to 40 nm into a 2.4 microm spot size with a focused peak intensity of 6 x 10(13) W/cm2. The focal images indicate that a good beam profile is obtained with a near-Gaussian distribution and a beam quality factor (M2 value) as low as 2.4.