ALS-Linked P56S-VAPB Mutation Impairs the Formation of Multinuclear Myotube in C2C12 Cells

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects upper and lower motor neurons. Since motor neurons target skeletal muscles, the maintenance system of muscles is disturbed in ALS; however, the mechanism by which this occurs is unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effects of ALS-associated P56S-vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein B (VAPB) (P56S-VAPB) on the IRE1-XBP1 pathway, which is involved in the unfolded protein response (UPR) of the mouse myoblast cell line (C2C12 cells). Experiments with C2C12 cells transfected with wild-type wt-VAPB and P56S-VAPB expression vectors showed reduced myotube formation and aberrant myonuclear position in cells expressing P56S-VAPB. Activity of the IRE1-XBP1 pathway in the cells visualized with the ERAI system revealed that the pathway was disrupted in cells expressing P56S-VAPB, whereas the IRE1-XBP1 pathway activity was enhanced in the differentiation process of normal C2C12 cells. These results suggest that disruption of the IRE1-XBP1 pathway is a cause for the reduced myotube formation in P56S-VAPB-expressing cells. The expression level of the VAPB protein has been reported to be reduced in the neurons of patients with ALS. Therefore, it is expected that the IRE1-XBP1 pathway is also impaired in muscle tissues of patients with ALS, which causes a disturbance in the muscle maintenance system.     

Evaluation of enhanced conduction-corrected modified effective temperature ETFe as the outdoor thermal environment evaluation index

The purpose of this paper is made to clarify that the relationship between the human physiological and psychological responses and the enhanced conduction-corrected modified effective temperature ETFe as the outdoor thermal environment evaluation index upon the human body. Environmental factors and human physiological and psychological responses were measured. It was made clear that the variables by which summer outdoor environmental factors influence the thermal sensation vote are heat conduction, humidity and short-wave solar radiation. The variables that affect the thermal comfort vote are air velocity, heat conduction and humidity. ETFe, into which the environmental factors that are the variables for human response are incorporated, showed good correspondence with the thermal sensation vote. Similarly, ETFe has a good correspondence with thermal comfort vote. The usage of ETFe as a thermal environment evaluation index for summer outdoor spaces is valid. The threshold for the human body with regards to thermal environment stimuli in an outdoor space is higher than the thermal environment stimuli in a summer indoor space.     

Simulation of the pattern evolution of Si-aggregates on the surface of Ag/Si bilayer films

A novel discrete model is proposed for studying the aggregation process on the surface of bilayer films. The present modelling is based on a two-dimensional biased random walk model. Simulation results based on the model exhibit the interesting aggregation dynamics to reproduce the experimental results of scanning electron microscope observation of the pattern evolution of Si aggregates on the free surface of the upper Ag-layer during annealing of Ag/Si bilayer film on the SiO₂ substrate.     

Semiconducting β-FeSi2 towards optoelectronics and photonics

This article explains some recent studies on a mechanism of luminescence from β-FeSi₂ and its applications to optoelectronics and photonics. A luminescence at 0.805 eV (i.e. the A-band) can be understood to be originated from dissolution process of indirect excitons. Photonic crystals using β-FeSi₂ with a high refractive index are one of the promising applications to realize high performance photonic circuits.     

Effects of selegiline hydrochloride on intracellular Ca2+ contents in cultured neuronal cells

The effects of Selegiline hydrochloride (Selegiline HCl) on the intracellular Ca2+ contents of primarily cultured rat striatal, mesencephalic neuronal cells and PC-12 cells were examined by the use of a Ca2+ imaging analyzer. In the former two cell types, Selegiline HCl (10(-5)-10(-6) M) induced a transient inflow of extracellular Ca2+ through the voltage-dependent N-type Ca2+ channel. In addition, all cells indicating an increase in the intracellular Ca2+ content were found to be catecholaminergic neurons which showed a positive reaction with anti-tyrosine hydroxylase antibodies. Furthermore, a transient intracellular influx of Ca2+ was observed in the NGF-pretreated PC-12 cells. From these results, it is suggested that Selegiline HCl elicits various functions, including antioxidation, activation of neurotrophic factor biosynthesis and neuronal protection probably via an unidentified specific proteins of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons.     

Photoluminescence properties of ion beam synthesized β-FeSi2

Effects of structural changes near the interface, the implantation dose and the precipitate morphology on photoluminescence (PL) properties of ion-beam synthesized (IBS) β-FeSi₂ have been investigated. The intrinsic PL spectrum attributed to the interband transition of β-FeSi₂ was found by examining the dependence of the PL peak energy on temperature and the excitation power.     

Structures and Polymorphic Transitions of Triacylglycerols, SOS and POS Thin Films: A Study on Temperature Dependence

X-ray reflectivity (XR) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM) were used to examine the structures, polymorphic transitions, and surface morphologies of triacylglycerol (TAG), 1,3-stearin-2-olein (SOS) and 1-palmitin-2-olein-3-stearin (POS) thin films supported on Si substrates. The structural parameters: thickness, electron density, and surface/interface roughnesses of TAG thin films were determined by the nonlinear least-squares regression of XR profiles to reveal their temperature dependences. In the lower temperature regimes, we observed Bragg peaks without significant interference fringe patterns in the XR profiles. SPM at room temperature displayed isolated islands on TAG thin films with surface undulations. Whereas in the higher temperature regimes in which the Bragg peaks disappeared, the interference fringe patterns became prominent. The analyses of the XR profiles indicated the structural change in thin films from three layers to single layer on Si substrates with increasing temperature. However, the temperatures at which the structural change occurred were obviously different between SOS and POS thin films.     

Film Synthesis of Y3Al5O12 and Y3Fe5O12 by the Spray–Inductively Coupled Plasma Technique

Thin films of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG, Y₃Al₅O₁₂) and yttrium iron garnet (YIG, Y₃Fe₅O₁₂) were synthesized on single-crystal Al₂O₃ substrates by a modification of spray pyrolysis using a high-temperature inductively coupled plasma at atmospheric pressure (spray–ICP technique). Using this technique, films could be grown at faster rates (0.12 μm/min for YAG and 0.10 μm/min for YIG) than using chemical vapor deposition (0.005–0.008 μm/min for YAG) or sputtering (0.003–0.005 μm/min for YIG). The films were dense and revealed a preferred orientation of (211). The growth of YIG was accompanied by coprecipitation of α-Fe₂O₃. The coprecipitation, however, could be largely suppressed by preliminary formation of a Y₂O₃ layer on the substrate.