We previously identified conformationally denatured albumin (D2 and D3 albumin) in rats with endotoxicosis (Bito R, Shikano T, and Kawabata H. Biochim Biophys Acta 1646: 100-111, 2003). In the present study, we attempted first to confirm whether the denatured albumins generally increase in conditions of oxidative stress and second to characterize the degradative process of the denatured albumin...

This paper describes about a prototype system for active interaction experiment to a cricket by utilizing an operated micro mobile robot. It also realize to measure/collect behavior data of the cricket on-line. The behavior selection of the cricket (Gyllus bimaculatus) is influenced by the experience or the context in living environment. In our current research, we are trying to investigate neu...

The train came out of the long tunnel into the snow country.-Yasunari Kawabata PRESCRIPT Nothing is more dramatic than running out of time and uncertainty. The fear of drama can be finally overcome by embracing the permanence of death bringing to an end the disease of life. However, the attempt to eliminate all risk has its own risks. Because of Japan's rich literary legacy, its relationship wi...

A. S. Vasenko,1,2,3 S. Kawabata,4 A. A. Golubov,5 M. Yu. Kupriyanov,6 C. Lacroix,7 F. S. Bergeret,3,8 and F. W. J. Hekking2 1Institut Laue-Langevin, 6 rue Jules Horowitz, BP 156, F-38042 Grenoble, France 2LPMMC, Université Joseph Fourier and CNRS, 25 avenue des Martyrs, BP 166, F-38042 Grenoble, France 3Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), Manuel de Lardizabal 4, E-20018 San Sebastián,...

The main purpose of the present study was to test the construct validity of two mechanical tests of glove stiffness using a surface electromyography (SEMG) methodology that would allow estimating the effect of glove stiffness on forearm muscle activation during a standardized grip contraction. The mechanical tests [free-deforming multidirectional test (FDMT) and Kawabata Evaluation System for F...

The regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell tone by the vascular endothelium was initially described by Furchgott and Zawadzki, suggesting the existence of an endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) acting through cGMP, which was later identified as nitric oxide (NO) (see reference [1] for review). Since then, other actions of NO such as control of cell growth, blood cell–endothelial cell ...

Aiming to provide a tentative framework for the study of the neural correlates of aesthetic preference, we review three recent neuroimaging studies carried out with the purpose of locating brain activity associated with decisions about the beauty of visual stimuli (Cela-Conde et al., 2004; Kawabata and Zeki, 2004; Vartanian and Goel, 2004). We find that the results of the three studies are not ...

Thermoplastic towpregs are convenient and scalable raw materials for the fabrication of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic matrix composites. In this paper, the potential to employ epoxy and styrene-acrylic sizing agents was evaluated for the making of carbon fiber thermoplastic towpregs via a powder-coating method. The protective effects and thermal stability of these sizing agents were...

Astrocytes play important roles in brain development and injury response. Transcription factors STAT3 and Smad1, activated by leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), respectively, form a complex with the coactivator p300 to synergistically induce astrocytes from neuroepithelial cells (NECs) (K. Nakashima, M. Yanagisawa, H. Arakawa, N. Kimura, T. Hisatsune, M. K...