Bile acids form micelles that are essential for the absorption of dietary lipids. However, excessive bile acid micelles can disrupt the plasma membrane by removing phospholipids, resulting in cell death. We hypothesized that the bent geometrical structure of the steroid scaffold of bile acids decreases the lipid order (similar to unsaturated phospholipids with cis double bonds), disrupting the plasma membrane. Here, lithocholic acid (LCA), a bile acid, was methylated to prevent micellization. Methylated lithocholic acid (Me-LCA) was mixed with a thin phase-separated lipid bilayer comprising 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), and cholesterol (Chol). Me-LCA was not localized in the DPPC-rich rigid phase but localized in the DOPC-rich fluid phase, and excess Me-LCA did not affect the phase separation. Me-LCA is distributed in the plasma and organelle membranes. However, Me-LCA with bent structure did not affect the membrane properties, membrane fluidity, and hydrophobicity of liposomes composed of DOPC, DPPC, and Chol and also did not affect the proliferation of cells.
To understand the visual responses of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula, we investigated the behavioral preference for wavelengths, and also checked the spectral sensitivity of the bug. The compound eyes of N. viridula adults showed a bimodal sensitive pattern to wavelengths (300–740 nm), responding strongly to ultraviolet region (peak at 360 nm), and maximally to green region (peak at 520 nm). In free-flying preference experiments using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of five different peak wavelengths (373, 444, 464, 534 and 583 nm), both male and female adults strongly preferred the ultraviolet light (373 nm) among five LEDs. Among all other four, adults preferred blue region light (444 nm and 464 nm) to 534 nm and 583 nm. In dual choice experiment, N. viridula choose green light (534 nm) more than orange light (583 nm). These results show that N. viridula prefer shorter wavelength light under the same photon flux density, and indicate the potential use of short wavelength light for light trap to monitor N. viridula.
ACD-A solution, anticoagulant for preserved blood, has been used for donor plasmapheresis (DP), howerver it has some undesirable problems for the puropose.This time, we examined usefulness of SCS-4 (4% sodium citrate solution, USP XXI) as an anticoagulant for DP in 85 healthy volunteers, 75 cases by membrane method and 10 cases by centrifugal method.SCS-4 was safely used as an anticoagulant for DP in both methods, in less volume than the conventional ACD-A solution because of the higher citrate concentration. The blood picture, biochemistry, coagulation factors and immunoglobulin of the donors returned normal promptly in both methods. We could obtain plasma with high concentration of total protein, albumin, immunoglobulin and coagulation factors.These results indicate that SCS-4 is useful as an anticoagulant for DP.
We investigated the attractiveness of a synthetic form of the pheromone of the soybean stink bug, Piezodorus hybneri (Gmelin), under field conditions, and compared it with that of (E)-2-hexenyl (E)-2-hexenoate, a pheromone component of a competitor, Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius). Many adult stink bugs were attracted to traps baited with 100 mg of the synthetic pheromone (1: 1: one mixture of β-sesquiphellandrene, (R)-15-hexadecanolide, and methyl (Z)-8-hexadecenoate), but few were attracted to 1 or 10 mg. More than twice as many females as males were attracted to this male-produced pheromone. None of the individual pheromone components (30 mg) attracted conspecifics. In summer (June-July), when field P. hybneri were not in diapause, (E)-2-hexenyl (E)-2-hexenoate was more attractive to P. hybneri than the synthetic pheromone. The sex ratio of the adults attracted to the synthetic pheromone was highly female-biased, yet almost equal numbers of both sexes were attracted to (E)-2-hexenyl (E)-2-hexenoate. Most females attracted to both attractants were mated and had mature ovaries. However, adults attracted to (E)-2-hexenyl (E)-2-hexenoate were likely to have less food in their stomach than those attracted to the synthetic pheromone. In late autumn (October-November), when the bugs were in reproductive diapause, both attractants attracted many sexually immature female and male adults that had well-developed fat body. The synthetic pheromone also attracted a large number of conspecific nymphs. These results suggest that P. hybneri pheromone and R. pedestris pheromone component, respectively, have different functions for P. hybneri. The male-produced pheromone system of P. hybneri seems to be sex-related but to have other roles.
Through the factor analysis in the previous reports concerning the iconology of house facades, seven types of building groups have been found. This report will focus on the mutual relations between these seven types analyzed from two different directions. First, a study was carried out on the mutual relations among the seven types, disposed in a factor-coordinate system in which the axes were composed of seven factors derived from the results of three-mode factor analysis in nine perceptual scales. Moreover, applying a cluster analysis to the factor-loading matrix of buildings obtained from the results of factor analysis, the group formation determined by the mutual relations between individual buildings was clarified in a factor-coordinate system. Next, a study was carried out seeking to clarify the meaning of the extraction of just seven types, an,d also to clarify the differences in group formations in the nine perceptual scales and four categories. Here, for each of the seven types, the number of factors was gradually increased in the three-mode factor analysis of both the nine perceptual scales and the four categories, and the result were compared. This step revealed the structure of group formation in terms of the mutual relations among types, and the meaning of the formation and the differences in formation among the nine scales and the four categories were clarified. In conclusion, this series of reports has attempted to clarify structurally the characteristics and roles of the iconology of form in architecture.
Decoupling and matching feeding networks are considerably interested in small wireless terminals to enhance their abilities for MIMO systems. In various proposals of DMFN's, the feeding networks composed of bridge susceptances and transmission lines are simple. However, this DMFN has only been applied to the limited array with special characteristics. This paper presents general design formulas of the DMFN for the two elements and three elements arrays and fundamental numerical data are presented to assure the validity of the design formulas.
Abstract The southern green stink bug Nezara viridula and its congener N. antennata are important agricultural pests worldwide. These species show positive phototaxis and their compound eyes have high sensitivity to UV and green lights. The attractiveness of monochromatic UV, green lights and combined UV and green light to stink bugs was investigated under field conditions. The number of stink bugs caught increased with the number of UV LEDs, but very few bugs were caught using green light, irrespective of the number of LEDs. However, the most stink bugs were caught when both colors were combined. These results indicate that monochromatic green light is less attractive to Nezara bugs, but when mixed with UV light, it synergistically enhances the attractiveness of UV light. This finding contributes to the construction of reliable and highly specific light traps to monitor Nezara bugs. The addition of green light hardly affected the attractiveness of the UV light to other insects, such as Anomala beetles, which are often caught in light traps. We conclude that the spectral composition of light that is attractive to nocturnal insects depends on the species, hence it is possible to make ecologically friendly light traps that are target specific.
