Eiken Chemical (Japan)

Bost urterik behin egiten den inkesta soziolinguistikoa da gaur egun erabiltzen den tresna nagusia, Ipar Euskal Herrian euskararen bizitasuna nolakoa den jakiteko. 2021eko inkesta zazpigarrena dela eta, gaur egun euskalgintzako eragileek eta erabakitzaile politikoek dute lurraldean euskararen egoeraren bilakaerari buruzko datu-iturri sendo bat, azken 30 urteetan hizkuntza-politika plangintzaren arloan egin diren pausoekin korrelazioan jar daitekeena. Alabaina, gaur egun arte Ipar Euskal Herrian datu soziolinguistikoak ez dira erabiliak izan etorkizuneko hizkuntza-politikaren planifikazioan. Bestalde, prozesu eta dinamika anitzek euskararen biziberritze-prozesuan eragina badute ere, gutxik ematen dizkigute aurreikuspenak, batez ere epe luzean. Demografia da horietako bat. Azterketa-lan honetan, soziolinguistika- eta demografia-datuen uztartze-metodologia proposamen bat egin dugu, hurrengo 25 urteetan Ipar Euskal Herriko euskaldun-kopuru eta -proportzioen bilakaeraren 3 hipotesi eraikitzeko. Hipotesi horiek dituzten muga metodologiko, teoriko eta filosofikoak kontuan hartuz, tresna hori proposatu duen lan-taldearen helburu nagusia izan da, hizkuntza-plangintzaren erabakitzaile eta eragileei tresna gehigarri bat eskura ematea, euskararen etorkizunaren norabideak Ipar Euskal Herrian eztabaidatzeko.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, a highly contagious respiratory disease. It is classified into two biovars on the basis of NAD requirement for growth: biovar 1 (NAD-dependent) and biovar 2 (NAD-independent). Biovar 1 consists of 17 serovars (1-12 and 15-19) and biovar 2 has 8 serovars (2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, and 17). Several virulence factors are responsible for the pathogenesis of A. pleuropneumoniae, particularly Apx toxins, capsular polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides, and membrane proteins. In this review, the current knowledge of biovars, serovars, epidemiology, virulence factors of A. pleuropneumoniae as well as laboratory diagnosis and vaccines are summarized.

<title>Abstract</title> Terrestrial aquaculture of the economically important green seaweed Ulva prolifera offers potential for stable production but requires optimization due to high operational costs. While CO2 enrichment can enhance growth, its interaction with temperature is not fully quantified for the germling cluster cultivation method. The interactive effects of dissolved CO2 concentration (0.07 to 12 µatm) and temperature (10, 20, and 30 °C) on the net photosynthetic rate (NPR) and relative growth rate (RGR) of cultivated U. prolifera germling clusters under controlled laboratory conditions (150 to 200 µmol photons m-2 s-1) were investigated. NPR was measured via oxygen evolution in short-term incubations, and RGR was determined from wet weight changes over 6-day batch cultures with daily medium exchange. A generalized additive model was used in the analysis. RGR peaked under different CO2 concentrations that varied with temperature, reaching a maximum value of 0.40 at 0.40 µatm for the 10 °C treatment, 0.69 at 1.41 µatm for the 20 °C treatment, and 0.67 at 1.77 µatm for the 30 °C treatment. In contrast, NPR showed complex responses, generally reaching a plateau above 5 µatm at 10 °C and 20 °C, but remaining relatively high across all CO2 levels at 30 °C. The discrepancies observed regarding the response of photosynthesis and growth to CO2 concentrations indicates that factors beyond immediate carbon fixation (e.g., the importance of time-scales) influence overall biomass accumulation under varying CO2 (i.e., pH) conditions.

A high mortality event occurred among Malabar groupers (Epinephelus malabaricus) reared for research. The affected fish had scattered reddish patches and ulcers on the skin, accompanied by parasite infestations on the skin surface. Histologic findings included ulcerative dermatitis and keratoconjunctivitis with gram-negative bacilli, and the parasites were often observed on the skin surface. Bacterial examinations and in situ hybridization revealed the presence of Vibrio harveyi in the affected tissues. The parasites were morphologically identified as the subfamily Benedeniinae (Monogenea: Capsalidae), likely Neobenedenia girellae. The monogeneans may have come into contact with the fish at a farm in Okinawa, Japan, and potentially facilitated the opportunistic infection with V. harveyi. This is the first report of vibriosis caused by V. harveyi in Malabar groupers.

We previously established the selection-marker-free rice-based oral cholera vaccine (MucoRice-CTB) line 51A for human use by Agrobacterium-mediated co-transformation and conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase I trial in Japan and the United States. Although MucoRice-CTB 51A was acceptably safe and well tolerated by healthy Japanese and U.S. subjects and induced CTB-specific antibodies neutralizing cholera toxin secreted by Vibrio cholerae, we were limited to a 6-g cohort in the U.S. trial because of insufficient production of MucoRice-CTB. Since MucoRice-CTB 51A did not grow in sunlight, we re-examined the previously established marker-free lines and selected MucoRice-CTB line 19A. Southern blot analysis of line 19A showed a single copy of the CTB gene. We resequenced the whole genome and detected the transgene in an intergenic region in chromosome 1. After establishing a master seed bank of MucoRice-CTB line 19A, we established a hydroponic production facility with LED lighting to reduce electricity consumption and to increase production capacity for clinical trials. Shotgun MS/MS proteomics analysis of MucoRice-CTB 19A showed low levels of α-amylase/trypsin inhibitor-like proteins (major rice allergens), which was consistent with the data for line 51A. We also demonstrated that MucoRice-CTB 19A had high oral immunogenicity and induced protective immunity against cholera toxin challenge in mice. These results indicate that MucoRice-CTB 19A is a suitable oral cholera vaccine candidate for Phase I and II clinical trials in humans, including a V. cholerae challenge study.

This study is to clarify the transition of the vicinity of Fukuyama castle focused on the historical remains related to the castle. By clarifying the transition, we aim to utilize the historical remains for revitalizing local cities as their characteristics. It is not only for visitors but also for their citizens to arouse a feeling of “Civic Pride”. Our final goal is to make the findings of this study as a basic information for formulation of City Planning of Fukuyama and of other local cities which have the similar issues of losing its attractiveness and of population decline.

Personalized peptide vaccination, which involves activation of the host immune system against cancer cells using personalized peptide vaccines (PPVs), can improve overall survival in multiple cancer types. However, the clinical efficacies of PPVs vary for unknown reasons. Recently, a single nucleotide polymorphism (NG_012651.1:g.4461_5460[4960A>G]) in the haptoglobin promoter region, rs5472, was significantly associated with clinical response of PPV. Therefore, rs5472 is expected to be a predictive biomarker for PPV therapy. Here, we described a single nucleotide discrimination method for rs5472 analysis by combining the loop-mediated isothermal amplification and quenching probe methods. In evaluation of saliva samples, this method showed high concordance with the results of Sanger sequencing (100%, n=36). Importantly, this method did not require calculation of melting temperature for single nucleotide discrimination and could therefore be carried out on a simple instrument. Accordingly, this method may be more robust and applicable to near-patient testing.