Oscillation frequency in hybrid stepping motors

Oscillation characteristics under constant drive pulse-rate conditions are measured on the basis of the drive pulse rate f (pps). Relationships between the oscillation frequency under rotating conditions and the single-step response are investigated. It is clarified that the main components of oscillation consist of the integral- and fractional-harmonics of f, and that they are determined from the times at the valley and peak of the single-step response, respectively. The f/4 component oscillation, which is very different from the forementioned oscillations, also is discussed.     

View azimuth and zenith,and solar angle effects on wheat canopy reflectance

Since crop canopies are not lambertian reflectors, their reflectance varies with sun and view positions. It is not always possible or convenient to make reflectance measurements from the nadir position nor at the same time of day. Therefore, ways of estimating nadir reflectance from off-nadir views and for various solar zenith angles are needed. In this study, spectral measurements were made with a Mark II radiometer five times during the day on each of four dates from 15° interval zenith and 45° azimuth positions for wheat canopies during the development interval stem extension to watery ripeness of the grain. The ratio of off-nadir [R(Z_v,A_v)] to nadir [R(0)] radiance in NIR band (0.76–0.90 μm) was described by the regression equation: $\text{R(Z}{}_{\mathrm{v}}\text{,A}{}_{\mathrm{v}}\text{)}\text{R(0)}\text{= 1.0 + [β}{}_0\text{+ β}{}_1\text{sin}\text{(}\text{A}{}_{\mathrm{v}}\text{2}\text{) + β}{}_2\text{(1/}\text{cos}\text{Z}{}_{\mathrm{s}}\text{)]}\text{sin}\text{Z}{}_{\mathrm{v}}$ where A_v is view azimuth angle relative to the sum position, Z_s is solar zenith angle, and Z_v is view zenith angle. The coefficient of determination was 0.70 or higher. The equation describes the observations that 1) the ratio of off-nadir to nadir radiance increases or decreases as view zenith angle increases depending on view azimuth angle; backscattering is stronger than forwardscattering and the pattern is azimuthally symmetric about the principal plane of the sun; and 2) the rate of change in the radiance ratio increases with increasing solar zenith angle. The coefficients, β₀, β₁ and β₂, changed as the canopies grew. Although the equation needs to be more fully tested, it should help summarize and compare various angular observation data taken in crop fields.     

Changes in Endogenous Oxytocin Levels and the Effects of Exogenous Oxytocin Administration on Body Weight Changes and Food Intake in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Model Rats

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is frequently seen in females of reproductive age and is associated with metabolic disorders that are exacerbated by obesity. Although body weight reduction programs via diet and lifestyle changes are recommended for modifying reproductive and metabolic phenotypes, the drop-out rate is high. Thus, an efficacious, safe, and continuable treatment method is needed. Recent studies have shown that oxytocin (OT) reduces body weight gain and food intake, and promotes lipolysis in some mammals, including humans (especially obese individuals), without any adverse effects. In the present study, we evaluated the changes in endogenous OT levels, and the effects of acute and chronic OT administration on body weight changes, food intake, and fat mass using novel dihydrotestosterone-induced PCOS model rats. We found that the serum OT level was lower in PCOS model rats than in control rats, whereas the hypothalamic OT mRNA expression level did not differ between them. Acute intraperitoneal administration of OT during the dark phase reduced the body weight gain and food intake in PCOS model rats, but these effects were not observed in control rats. In contrast, chronic administration of OT decreased the food intake in both the PCOS model rats and control rats. These findings indicate that OT may be a candidate medicine that is efficacious, safe, and continuable for treating obese PCOS patients.     

Inhibition of the Phospholipase Cε–c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Axis Suppresses Glioma Stem Cell Properties

Glioma stem cells (GSCs), the cancer stem cells of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), contribute to the malignancy of GBM due to their resistance to therapy and tumorigenic potential; therefore, the development of GSC-targeted therapies is urgently needed to improve the poor prognosis of GBM patients. The molecular mechanisms maintaining GSCs need to be elucidated in more detail for the development of GSC-targeted therapy. In comparison with patient-derived GSCs and their differentiated counterparts, we herein demonstrated for the first time that phospholipase C (PLC)ε was highly expressed in GSCs, in contrast to other PLC isoforms. A broad-spectrum PLC inhibitor suppressed the viability of GSCs, but not their stemness. Nevertheless, the knockdown of PLCε suppressed the survival of GSCs and induced cell death. The stem cell capacity of residual viable cells was also suppressed. Moreover, the survival of mice that were transplanted with PLCε knockdown-GSCs was longer than the control group. PLCε maintained the stemness of GSCs via the activation of JNK. The present study demonstrated for the first time that PLCε plays a critical role in maintaining the survival, stemness, and tumor initiation capacity of GSCs. Our study suggested that PLCε is a promising anti-GSC therapeutic target.     

Inhibitory Effects of Saururus chinensis Extract on Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-Products-Dependent Inflammation and Diabetes-Induced Dysregulation of Vasodilation

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) are implicated in inflammatory reactions and vascular complications in diabetes. Signaling pathways downstream of RAGE are involved in NF-κB activation. In this study, we examined whether ethanol extracts of Saururus chinensis (Lour.) Baill. (SE) could affect RAGE signaling and vascular relaxation in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Treatment with SE inhibited AGEs-modified bovine serum albumin (AGEs-BSA)-elicited activation of NF-κB and could compete with AGEs-BSA binding to RAGE in a dose-dependent manner. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) secretion induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)—a RAGE ligand—was also reduced by SE treatment in wild-type Ager^+/+ mice as well as in cultured peritoneal macrophages from Ager^+/+ mice but not in Ager^−/− mice. SE administration significantly ameliorated diabetes-related dysregulation of acetylcholine-mediated vascular relaxation in STZ-induced diabetic rats. These results suggest that SE would inhibit RAGE signaling and would be useful for the improvement of vascular endothelial dysfunction in diabetes.     

Synthesis of L-[5-11C]Leucine and L-α-[5-11C]Methylleucine via Pd0-mediated 11C-Methylation and Microfluidic Hydrogenation: Potentiality of Leucine PET Probes for Tumor Imaging

The efficient synthesis of L-[5-¹¹C]leucine and L-α-[5-¹¹C]methylleucine has been investigated using a continuous two-step sequence of rapid reactions consisting of Pd⁰-mediated ¹¹C-methylation and microfluidic hydrogenation. The synthesis of L-[5-¹¹C]leucine and L-α-[5-¹¹C]methylleucine was accomplished within 40 min with a decay-corrected radiochemical yield of 15–38 % based on [¹¹C]CH₃I, radiochemical purity of 95–99 %, and chemical purity of 95–99 %. The Pd impurities in the injectable solution measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry met the international criteria for human use. Positron emission tomography scanning after an intravenous injection of L-[5-¹¹C]leucine or L-α-[5-¹¹C]methyl leucine in A431 tumor-bearing mice was performed. As a result, L-α-[5-¹¹C]methylleucine was found to be a potentially useful probe for visualizing the tumor. Tissue distribution analysis showed that the accumulation value of L-α-[5-¹¹C]methylleucine in tumor tissue was high [12±3% injected dose/g tissue (%ID/g)].     

Morphological changes of calcium hexaboride powder synthesized from condensed boric acid-polyol product

We previously reported a novel low-temperature synthesis method for calcium hexaboride (CaB₆) powder via the transient formation of boron carbide (B₄C) using a condensed boric acid (H₃BO₃)-polyol product. In this study, the effect of the type of polyol on the morphology of the CaB₆ powder was investigated. Three types of polyol, glycerin, mannitol, and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), were used for the preparation of condensed H₃BO₃-polyol products since the B₄C particles prepared from these polyols exhibit different morphologies. CaB₆ powder was successfully synthesized at a low temperature of 1400?°C regardless of the polyol used. The size of the obtained CaB₆ particles varied with the polyol used, which reflected the size of the B₄C particles prepared using the corresponding polyol. These results indicate that the morphology of the obtained CaB₆ powder is derived from that of the transiently formed B₄C particles.     

Combination of AFM with an objective-type total internal reflection fluorescence microscope (TIRFM) for nanomanipulation of single cells

A new instrument was constructed by combining an objective-type total internal reflection fluorescence microscope with an atomic force microscope (AFM). Our purpose of constructing such an instrument is to detect and confirm the result of cellular level manipulations made with the AFM part through the detection system of the highly sensitive fluorescence microscope part. In this combination, manipulations are now possible from the nanometer to the micrometer scales and the fluorescence detection system is sensitive enough even for localizing single molecules. In this paper, we applied the system as a precise intracellular injector (nanoplanter). Fluorescent beads were first chemically immobilized onto a ZnO whisker that was glued to an AFM tip and were injected into a living BALB/3T3 cell together with the whisker. It was demonstrated that the system could clearly show the result of injection, that is, the presence of a small number of fluorescent beads in the cell.     

MOFBOTS: Metal–Organic‐Framework‐Based Biomedical Microrobots

Motile metal?organic frameworks (MOFs) are potential candidates to serve as small‐scale robotic platforms for applications in environmental remediation, targeted drug delivery, or nanosurgery. Here, magnetic helical microstructures coated with a kind of zinc‐based MOF, zeolitic imidazole framework‐8 (ZIF‐8), with biocompatibility characteristics and pH‐responsive features, are successfully fabricated. Moreover, it is shown that this highly integrated multifunctional device can swim along predesigned tracks under the control of weak rotational magnetic fields. The proposed systems can achieve single‐cell targeting in a cell culture media and a controlled delivery of cargo payloads inside a complex microfluidic channel network. This new approach toward the fabrication of integrated multifunctional systems will open new avenues in soft microrobotics beyond current applications.     

Survey report on damage caused by 2019 Typhoon Hagibis in Marumori Town,Miyagi Prefecture,Japan

Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan on October 12–13, 2019. There was substantial damage over a wide area including the Tohoku region. In particular, Marumori Town, an urban area in Miyagi Prefecture that includes a town hall, was flooded due to heavy rain. The maximum cumulative rainfall and hourly rainfall measured in the town were over 600 and 70 mm, respectively. Heavy rain caused river flooding and landslides throughout the town, resulting in 10 deaths and one missing person. There was also substantial damage to the infrastructure, such as roads, railways, and river levees. The authors performed a field survey immediately after the disaster, and analyzed the observed data. Most levee breaches occurred due to overflow. A breached levee that failed in an unusual direction, namely, a failure which took place from the landside toward the waterside, was also observed. Landslides were not only caused by the amount of rainfall, but also by geological and topographical factors. Roads and railways were damaged by both river flooding and landslides. While both river flooding and landslides occurred in the Usudaira community, which is in the middle reaches of the Gofukuya River, there were no deaths or missing persons. This should be an important case for future disaster mitigation.