The non-heme iron that bridges the two plastoquinone electron acceptors, QA and QB, in photosystem II (PSII) is known to have a redox potential (E m) of ∼+400 mV with a pH dependence of ∼−60 mV/pH. ...However, titratable amino acid residues that are coupled to the redox reaction of the non-heme ion and responsible for its pH dependence remain unidentified. In this study, to clarify the mechanism of the pH dependent change of E m(Fe2+/Fe3+), we investigated the protonation structures of amino acid residues correlated with the pH-induced E m(Fe2+/Fe3+) changes using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroelectrochemistry combined with the attenuated total reflection (ATR) and light-induced difference techniques. Flash-induced Fe2+/Fe3+ ATR-FTIR difference spectra obtained at different electrode potentials in the pH range of 5.0–8.5 showed a linear pH dependence of E m(Fe2+/Fe3+) with a slope of −52 mV/pH close to the theoretical value at 10 °C, the measurement temperature. The spectral features revealed that D1-H215, a ligand to the non-heme iron interacting with QB, was deprotonated to an imidazolate anion at higher pH with a pK a of ∼5.6 in the Fe3+ state, while carboxylate groups from Glu/Asp residues present on the stromal side of PSII were protonated at lower pH with a pK a of ∼5.7 in the Fe2+ state. It is thus concluded that the deprotonation/protonation reactions of D1-H215 and Glu/Asp residues located near the non-heme iron cause the pH-dependent changes in E m(Fe2+/Fe3+) at higher and lower pH regions, respectively, realizing a linear pH dependence over a wide pH range.
In many cases of prostate cancer, changes of prostate volume were measured very frequently after castration by means of transrectal ultrasound. For short-term observations, a factor called as ...＂reduction time （tau τ）,＂ which means the time required for the volume of ＂effective portion＂ （volume responded to castration） to be reduced to one-tenth of its original value, correlated very well with patients＇ prognosis. For long-term observations for relapse, changes of prostate volume could be divided clearly into two types, namely, ＂metastatic progressive type＂ with metastasis without volume increase and ＂local progressive type＂ with remarkable volume increase without metastasis. ＂τ＂ in the ＂local progressive type＂ was far shorter than that in the ＂metastatic progressive type.＂ Much longer survival was obtained when the patient belonged to the ＂local progressive type＂ than to the ＂metastatic progressive type.＂ Thus, ＂τ＂ was the most important and the most reliable factor to predict the prognosis. Based upon these observations, a schematic analysis of prostate cancer relapse was shown.
•EEG oscillations during imagined speech synchronize with the overt speech envelope.•This synchronization was observed around the EEG electrodes in the frontal region.•EEG during imagined speech ...classified speech with different envelopes reliably.
Neural oscillations synchronize with the periodicity of external stimuli such as the rhythm of the speech amplitude envelope. This synchronization induces a speech-specific, replicable neural phase pattern across trials and enables perceived speech to be classified. In this study, we hypothesized that neural oscillations during articulatory imagination of speech could also synchronize with the rhythm of speech imagery. To validate the hypothesis, after replacing the imagined speech with overt speech due to the physically unobservable nature of imagined speech, we investigated (1) whether the EEG-based regressed speech envelopes correlate with the overt speech envelope and (2) whether EEG during the imagined speech can classify speech stimuli with different envelopes. The variability of the duration of the imagined speech across trials was corrected using dynamic time warping. The classification was based on the distance between a test data and a template waveform of each class. Results showed a significant correlation between the EEG-based regressed envelope and the overt speech envelope. The average classification accuracy was 38.5%, which is significantly above the rate of chance (33.3%). These results demonstrate the synchronization between EEG during the imagined speech and the envelope of the overt counterpart.
Cellulose is the most abundant biomass on Earth, and many microorganisms depend on it as a source of energy. It consists mainly of crystalline and amorphous regions, and natural degradation of the ...crystalline part is highly dependent on the degree of processivity of the degrading enzymes (i.e., the extent of continuous hydrolysis without detachment from the substrate cellulose). Here, we report high-speed atomic force microscopic (HS-AFM) observations of the movement of four types of cellulases derived from the cellulolytic bacteria Cellulomonas fimi on various insoluble cellulose substrates. The HS-AFM images clearly demonstrated that two of them (CfCel6B and CfCel48A) slide on crystalline cellulose. The direction of processive movement of CfCel6B is from the nonreducing to the reducing end of the substrate, which is opposite that of processive cellulase Cel7A of the fungus Trichoderma reesei (TrCel7A), whose movement was first observed by this technique, while CfCel48A moves in the same direction as TrCel7A. When CfCel6B and TrCel7A were mixed on the same substrate, “traffic accidents” were observed, in which the two cellulases blocked each other’s progress. The processivity of CfCel6B was similar to those of fungal family 7 cellulases but considerably higher than those of fungal family 6 cellulases. The results indicate that bacteria utilize family 6 cellulases as high-processivity enzymes for efficient degradation of crystalline cellulose, whereas family 7 enzymes have the same function in fungi. This is consistent with the idea of convergent evolution of processive cellulases in fungi and bacteria to achieve similar functionality using different protein foldings.
In published paper by Watanabe, the Figure 3 on page 905 is incorrect, because of a mistake on computer processing. The correct Figure 3 is as follows.
To compare the efficacy of gait training using a single-leg version of the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) on the paretic side with conventional gait training in individuals with subacute stroke.
...Randomized open controlled pilot trial.
Hospitalized care.
Convenience sample of 44 patients who met the criteria; 12 patients refused. After randomization (N=32), 10 patients withdrew and a total of 22 poststroke participants (HAL group: n=11; conventional group: n=11) completed the randomized controlled trial.
All participants received twelve 20-minute sessions in 4 weeks of either HAL (wearing the single-leg version of the HAL on their paretic side) or conventional (performed by skilled and experienced physical therapists) gait training.
Outcome measures were evaluated prior to training and after 12 sessions. Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) was the primary outcome measure, whereas secondary outcome measures included maximum walking speed, timed Up and Go test, 6-minute walk distance, Short Physical Performance Battery, Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity, and isometric muscle strength (hip flexion and extension, knee flexion and extension).
No participants withdrew because of adverse effects. Participants who received gait training with the HAL showed significantly more improvement in the FAC than those who received conventional gait training (95% confidence interval, .02-.88; P=.04). Secondary measures did not differ between the 2 groups.
The results obtained in this randomized controlled trial suggest that a gait training program with the HAL could improve independent walking more efficiently than conventional gait training.
High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) has been established and used, which can visualize biomolecules in dynamic action at high spatiotemporal resolution without disturbing their function. ...Various studies conducted in the past few years have demonstrated that the dynamic structure and action of biomolecules revealed with HS-AFM can provide greater insights than ever before into how the molecules function. However, this microscopy has still limitations in some regards. Recently, efforts have been carried out to overcome some of the limitations. As a result, it has now become possible to visualize dynamic processes occurring even on live cells and perform simultaneous observations of topographic and fluorescent images at a high rate. In this review, we focus on technical developments for expanding the range of objects and phenomena observable by HS-AFM as well as for granting multiple functionalities to HS-AFM.
•We review the techniques that have materialized tip-scanning high-speed AFM.•We review high-speed AFM combined with fluorescence microscopy.•We review the techniques that have materialized wide-are HS-AFM imaging.•We show HS-AFM images showing dynamic events occurring in live cells.
Authoritarian environmentalism has come under the spotlight. It has often been criticized as accompanying social oppression. However, as some studies have reported an ambiguity in its governance on ...the ground, which is neither democratic nor authoritarian, its governance process needs further analysis. In particular, little is known about how the authoritarian state compromises with society. Therefore, by unraveling the historical background behind the development of shrimp farming in the mangroves of southern Vietnam, this paper examines the process of establishment of authoritarian environmentalism and considers how the authoritarian state exerts its power in interactions with society. To distinguish features of governance and understand various aspects of interactions among actors, we developed the concept of “ostensible” and “actual” authoritarianism. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews with provincial government officials, forest officers, and shrimp farmers in Ca Mau Province and also used secondary materials. The results revealed that mangroves that were previously the frontier until the 1970s had been enclosed by the state, applying modern governing technologies. However, the state failed to optimally utilize its governing power due to an accidental confluence of interests with society and to avoid political instability. Locals also tenaciously coped with top-down governance by adopting unique strategies. These interactions created an informal social order, which ironically created temporal social stability. We conclude that more research is needed to address how the political equilibrium is disturbed or maintained under authoritarian environmentalism.
Despite recent advances in mechanistic understanding and controlled‐synthesis methodologies regarding synthetic supramolecular assemblies, it has remained challenging to capture the molecular‐level ...phenomena in real time, thus hindering further progress in this research field. In this study, we applied high‐speed atomic‐force microscopy (AFM), which has extraordinary spatiotemporal resolution (1 nm and sub‐100 ms), to capture dynamic events occurring during synthetic molecular self‐assembly. High‐speed AFM permitted the visualization of unique dynamic behavior, such as seeded growth and self‐repair in real time. Furthermore, scanning‐probe AFM permitted the site‐specific manipulation and functionalization of a molecular self‐assembly. This powerful combination of bottom‐up and top‐down approaches at the molecular level should enable targeted syntheses of unprecedented functional nanoarchitectures.
Up to speed: The extraordinary spatiotemporal resolution of high‐speed AFM permitted visualization of the seeded growth and self‐repair of supramolecular polymers in real time, and scanning‐probe AFM permitted the site‐specific manipulation and functionalization of a molecular self‐assembly (see picture). This combination of bottom‐up and top‐down approaches at the molecular level should enable the targeted synthesis of functional nanoarchitectures.
Many earphone-type wearable devices (hearables) with noise-canceling features can capture external sound and present it to the user (transparency mode). This function helps the user avoid being cut ...off from the outside while wearing the earphones. However, because the built-in microphone/speaker has a frequency response, the presented sound differs from the sound acquired by the user's original auditory system. Since humans use a head-related transfer function (HRTF) to identify the direction of sound sources, changes in the user's HRTF caused by transparency mode may adversely affect their sound localization ability. Therefore, this study investigated the changes in sound localization ability when using the transparency mode of commercially available hearables. A sound localization experiment was conducted on 10 participants using three hearables to identify 12 sound sources separated by 30° around each participant. The results show that the accuracy of sound localization decreases from 91.5% to 68.9% when using transparency mode. Moreover, a method was proposed to cancel the device's microphone/speaker frequency characteristics. Evaluation results confirmed that the proposed method increased the accuracy of sound localization from 62.7% to 72.0%.
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