Recent progress in precision polymerization has made it possible to design a variety of macromolecules of controlled structure. This review article is concerned with recent topics in the molecular ...design and syntheses of glycopolymers, particularly focusing on those of well-defined structure. First, linear glycopolymers with controlled molecular weights and molecular weight distributions are described that are produced by various living polymerization techniques developed recently. Secondly, the syntheses of some glycodendrimers and glycoclusters as multivalent ligands are dealt with. Finally, some properties and functions of glycopolymers, such as biological functions, surface-modifier properties, self-assembling properties, etc. are discussed in relation to their structures.
Calibration of global hydrological models (GHMs) has been attempted for over two decades; however, an effective and generic calibration method has not been explored. We present a novel framework for ...calibrating GHMs assuming that parameters can be regionalized by climate similarities. We calibrated four sensitive parameters of the H08 global hydrological model by aggregating the results of 5,000 simulations with randomly generated parameters into 11 Köppen climate classes and using an objective function Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) with random sampling from the proposed parameter distribution. From a 100‐fold split‐sampling test, we found that both the representativeness and robustness of the transferred parameter sets were guaranteed when the upper 5% of the samples were accepted and assign the median of each accepted parameter distribution for the climate class. The simulation with the climate‐based parameters yielded satisfactory (NSE > 0.0) and good (NSE > 0.5) performances at 480 and 234 stations (61.7% and 30.1% of 777 stations), respectively. The storage capacity (SD) and the conductive coefficient (CD) were sensitive to the climate classes and exhibited well‐constrained distributions of the accepted samples, whereas the recession parameters for the subsurface storage (γ and τ) showed little or no explanatory power to climate. The identified parameters for climate classes exhibited consistency with the physical interpretation of soil formation and efficiencies in vapor transfer. The consistency of the identified parameter values with physical underpinnings indicates that the appropriate parameters were determined, which ensured the robustness of parameters, especially when they are transferred to ungauged watersheds.
Key Points
We tested the hypothesis that the climate properties exert a dominant influence on parameter similarities at the global scale
The simulation with the climate‐based parameters yielded improvement from default parameters
Appropriate parameter values were determined, and results demonstrate their robustness, especially when applied to ungauged watersheds
Previous models of strike‐slip basins do not consider the rotation of the basin itself; however, we show that the Tanakura transtensional basin in Japan was rotated and propose that this basin ...rotation was related to rifting caused by back‐arc spreading. The Tanakura Basin was formed by displacement along the Tanakura Fault Zone, one of the major active transform faults during the opening of the Sea of Japan. We carried out paleomagnetic analyses and U–Pb dating of the Neogene Tanakura Basin fill rocks. We present a revised, high‐precision stratigraphic record for the Neogene Tanakura Basin fill sequence shows that vertical‐axis counter‐clockwise rotation occurred between ∼17.2 and ∼16.6 Ma. Comparison with paleomagnetic data from adjacent areas shows that rotation was restricted to the basin. In addition, the timing of basin rotation corresponds to the rifting phase of the Tanakura Basin, suggesting that rapid basin subsidence owing to rifting and rapid basin rotation owing to strike‐slip faulting occurred simultaneously. The Tanakura Basin has the characteristics of both rift and transtensional basins that have experienced rotation. This study reveals the detailed relationships between the development and rotation of the Tanakura Basin: rifting‐related subsidence accompanied by basin rotation. Rifting owing to back‐arc spreading may have been accompanied by tectonic basin rotation in Northeast Japan, leading to variations in the magnitude and age of rotation, as the rifting occurred at different times in different locations.
Key Points
We demonstrate the vertical‐axis rotation of blocks in the strike‐slip Tanakura transtensional basin, Japan
Basin rotation coincided with basin rifting
Rifting owing to back‐arc spreading may have been accompanied by tectonic basin rotation in Northeast Japan
The relationship between structural processing in music and language has received increasing interest in the past several years, spurred by the influential
Shared Syntactic Integration Resource ...Hypothesis
(SSIRH; Patel,
Nature Neuroscience,
6, 674–681,
2003
). According to this resource-sharing framework, music and language rely on separable syntactic representations but recruit shared cognitive resources to integrate these representations into evolving structures. The SSIRH is supported by findings of interactions between structural manipulations in music and language. However, other recent evidence suggests that such interactions also can arise with nonstructural manipulations, and some recent neuroimaging studies report largely nonoverlapping neural regions involved in processing musical and linguistic structure. These conflicting results raise the question of exactly what shared (and distinct) resources underlie musical and linguistic structural processing. This paper suggests that one shared resource is prefrontal cortical mechanisms of
cognitive control
, which are recruited to detect and resolve conflict that occurs when expectations are violated and interpretations must be revised. By this account, musical processing involves not just the incremental processing and integration of musical elements as they occur, but also the incremental generation of musical predictions and expectations, which must sometimes be overridden and revised in light of evolving musical input.
Aim
Vaspin (visceral adipose tissue‐derived serine protease inhibitor) is a novel adipocytokine found in visceral white adipose tissues of obese type 2 diabetic rats. We have previously shown that ...vaspin has anti‐inflammatory and antimigratory effects in vascular smooth muscle cells. Methylglyoxal (MGO) is an active metabolite of glucose and mediates diabetic vascular complications including endothelial cell (EC) apoptosis. Nonetheless, effects of vaspin on MGO‐induced apoptosis of vascular EC remain to be determined. We investigated the effects of vaspin on MGO‐induced apoptosis of human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs).
Methods
Human umbilical vein ECs were treated with MGO (560 μm, 12 h) in the absence or presence of vaspin (1 ng mL−1, pre‐treatment for 2 h). Cell death was evaluated by a cell counting assay. Apoptosis was determined by a terminal deoxyribonucleotide transferase‐mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick‐end labelling (TUNEL) assay. Cleaved caspase‐3 expression was determined by Western blotting. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was fluorometrically measured using 2′, 7′‐dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. NADPH oxidase (NOX) activity was determined by a lucigenin assay.
Results
Vaspin significantly inhibited MGO‐induced HUVEC death. Vaspin significantly attenuated MGO‐increased TUNEL‐positive ECs. Moreover, vaspin significantly inhibited MGO‐induced caspase‐3 cleavage. Vaspin significantly inhibited MGO‐induced ROS generation as well as NOX activation.
Conclusions
The present results for the first time demonstrate that vaspin inhibits MGO‐induced EC apoptosis by preventing caspase‐3 activation via the inhibition of NOX‐derived ROS generation.
A Phase III study was started in Japan to evaluate the non-inferiority in overall survival of segmentectomy compared with lobectomy in patients with small-sized (diameter ≤2 cm) peripheral non-small ...cell lung cancer, excluding radiologically determined non-invasive cancer. This study began in August 2009, and a total of 1100 patients will be accrued from 71 institutions within 3 years. The primary endpoint is overall survival. The secondary endpoints are post-operative respiratory function, relapse-free survival, proportion of local recurrence, adverse events, proportion of patients who complete segmentectomy, duration of hospitalization, duration of chest tube placement, operation time, blood loss and number of auto-sutures used. This study is one of the first intergroup studies in Japan between the Japan Clinical Oncology Group and the West Japan Oncology Group.
Despite advances in molecular imaging, preoperative diagnosis of astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas can be challenging. In the present study, we assessed whether 7T SWI can be used to distinguish ...astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas and whether malignant grading of gliomas is possible.
7T SWI was performed on 21 patients with gliomas before surgery with optimization for sharp visualization of the corticomedullary junction. Scoring for cortical thickening and displacement of medullary vessels, characteristic of oligodendroglial tumors, and cortical tapering, characteristic of astrocytic tumors, was performed. Additionally, characteristics of malignancy, including thickening of the medullary veins, the presence of microbleeds, and/or necrosis were scored.
Scoring for oligodendroglial (highest possible score, +3) and astrocytic (lowest score possible, -3) characteristics yielded a significant difference between astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas (mean, -1.93 versus +1.71,
< .01). Scoring for malignancy was significantly different among the World Health Organization grade II (
= 10), grade III (
= 4), and grade IV (
= 7) tumors (mean, 0.20 versus 1.38 versus 2.79). Cortical thickening was observed significantly more frequently in oligodendrogliomas (
< .02), with a sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 85.7%; observation of tapering of the cortex was higher in astrocytomas (
< .01) with a sensitivity of 85.7% and specificity of 100%.
Visualization of the corticomedullary junction by 7T SWI was useful in distinguishing astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. Observation of tapering of the cortex was most sensitive and specific for diagnosing astrocytomas. Reliably predicting malignant grade was also possible by 7T SWI.
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