Informa UK Limited Acta Medica Okayama 0020-739X 2026 Triangulation in teaching probability: teaching materials for the theoretical foundations of probability in real-world applications EN Yusuke Uegatani Hiroshima University High School Ippo Ishibashi Faculty of Education, Okayama University Aya Sakota Hiroshima University High School This paper proposes using the concept of triangulation with probabilistic models as a means to enhance theoretical inversion for deepening students’ understanding of the nature of probability in real-world contexts. Triangulation refers to the combined application of multiple methodologies to investigate the same phenomenon, particularly in the social sciences. Theoretical inversion refers to a shift in focus from surprising outcomes to the theoretical foundations of probability. The paper introduces three types of problem-solving tasks designed to enhance one of four types of triangulations: theory triangulation. Theoretical inversion is expected to emerge through engaging in these tasks. The characteristics of the problems are as follows. Problem 1 promotes students to compare different probabilistic models of events under similar procedures. Problem 2 provides students with an opportunity to simplify an experiment by omitting steps that add no new information. Problem 3 enhances students’ ability to recognise how subtle differences in the experimental setup can affect the resulting probability. These tasks are designed to encourage students to view probabilistic reasoning as a form of modelling and to appreciate the importance of assumptions, definitions of elementary events, and clarity in procedural descriptions. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2211-7156 25 2026 Peptide nanomicelles for NIR light-dependent siRNA delivery 103265 EN Taufik Fatwa Nur Hakim Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Mizuki Kitamatsu Department of Applied Chemistry, Kindai University Shoumu Fujimoto Department of Applied Chemistry, Kindai University Kazunori Watanabe Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Takashi Ohtsuki Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University The peptide amphiphile PA8, derived from the GAVILRR peptide, was developed as a carrier for small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery; however, its RNA interference (RNAi) efficacy was limited owing to predominant endocytotic uptake. In this study, the RNAi efficiency of PA8 nanomicelle/siRNA complexes was enhanced by modifying the nanomicelles with the photosensitizer DY750 and the tumor-homing peptide iRGD. The conjugation of DY750 to the nanomicelles facilitated endosomal escape of the nanomicelle/siRNA complexes, enabling the cytosolic release of siRNA. Additionally, the incorporation of iRGD improved RNAi delivery efficiency in the AsPC-1 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell line. PA8-DY750-iRGD nanomicelle complexes loaded with siRNA against polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) achieved an 80% reduction in PLK1 mRNA levels in AsPC-1 cells and a moderate 28% knockdown in NCI-N87 gastric cancer cells. Notably, no RNAi effect was observed in noncancerous 1C3D3 pancreatic cells or HEK293T kidney cells, underscoring the selectivity of this system for AsPC-1 cells. These findings highlight the potential of PA8-DY750-iRGD nanomicelle complexes as a targeted therapeutic platform for specific cancers, particularly pancreatic cancer. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2045-2322 16 1 2026 Liquid–liquid phase separation by caged coacervating peptides 10464 EN Akinari Bando Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Mizuki Kitamatsu Department of Applied Chemistry, Kindai University Yuuki Kanazaki Department of Applied Chemistry, Kindai University Rika Tojo Department of Applied Chemistry, Kindai University Kazunori Watanabe Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Takashi Ohtsuki Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Liquid–liquid phase separation is an important biomolecular process in the formation of membraneless intracellular organelles that has inspired the development of artificial droplet systems. We developed caged coacervating peptides (CCPs) based on a histidine-rich squid beak protein sequence. The peptides were caged with a photodeprotectable (7-diethylaminocoumarin-4-yl)methoxycarbonyl group. The CCPs formed coacervates in the caged state and were partially dispersed upon blue-light irradiation. Photo-uncaging occurred rapidly, inducing coacervate dispersion. A mutant CCP with reduced π–π interactions exhibited efficient photo-dependent disassembly and enabled the encapsulation and release of a fluorescently labeled adenosine 5′-triphosphate (Bodipy-ATP) upon irradiation. These CCPs offer an efficient light-controlled approach for biomolecular encapsulation within coacervates and targeted drug delivery. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1472-6831 26 1 2026 Evaluation of contact-active antibacterial properties of cetylpyridinium chloride–graphene oxide coatings on dental restorative and titanium surfaces: an in vitro study 558 EN Keisuke Okubo Department of Periodontics and Endodontics, Field of Medical Development, Okayama University Gen Kano Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Masato Komoda Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Hideyuki Kamata Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Shin Nakamura Department of Pathophysiology - Periodontal Science, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Yuki Shinoda-Ito Department of Pathophysiology - Periodontal Science, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Kazuhiro Omori Department of Pathophysiology - Periodontal Science, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Yuta Nishina Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Shogo Takashiba Department of Pathophysiology - Periodontal Science, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Objective Biofilm formation on dental restorative materials and implant surfaces plays a central role in the development of dental caries, periodontal disease, and peri-implantitis. Durable antimicrobial surface treatments that inhibit bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation remain a significant unmet need in restorative and implant dentistry. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a composite coating combining cetylpyridinium chloride and graphene oxide, and to evaluate its durable antibacterial surface modification under in vitro conditions.<br> Methods A composite coating consisting of cetylpyridinium chloride and graphene oxide was prepared and applied to composite resin and titanium surfaces. Antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis was evaluated using adenosine triphosphate assays and fluorescence-based live/dead staining. Coating retention after washing and air-drying was assessed by optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.<br> Results Cetylpyridinium chloride-graphene oxide-coated surfaces showed a significant reduction in bacterial viability compared with phosphate-buffered saline, ethanol, and cetylpyridinium chloride-only controls. Antibacterial effects were maintained after rinsing and air-drying on both composite resin and titanium surfaces. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the persistence of characteristic graphene oxide bands after washing, indicating stable retention of the coating on the material surfaces.<br> Conclusions Cetylpyridinium chloride–graphene oxide coatings demonstrate sustained surface-associated antibacterial activity against key cariogenic and periodontal pathogens and remain stably adhered to common dental restorative and implant materials after washing. These findings suggest that cetylpyridinium chloride–graphene oxide coatings may serve as a durable contact-active surface modification strategy to reduce biofilm formation associated with dental caries and peri-implantitis. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Oxford University Press (OUP) Acta Medica Okayama 1470-1626 171 2 2026 Rho kinase and RND3 regulate the direct effect of estradiol-17β on oviductal tonus xaag004 EN Sayaka Kubota Laboratory of Reproductive Physiology, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Risa Okawara School of Agriculture, Okayama University Kohei Kawano Laboratory of Reproductive Physiology, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Koji Kimura Laboratory of Reproductive Physiology, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ensuring the timely transport of gametes and embryos within the oviduct is essential for the successful establishment of pregnancy. This study investigated the direct effect of estradiol-17β (E2) on bovine oviductal contractility and the differences in responsiveness to E2 during the estrous cycle. Bovine isthmic tissues from four estrous stages were analyzed using the Magnus method to assess contractile responses to E2 and related reagents. Protein expression of G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1) and components of the RhoA/Rho kinase (ROCK) signaling pathway were also evaluated. E2 and a GPER1 agonist significantly increased oviductal tonus at 1–4 days after ovulation. This effect was significantly suppressed by treatment with a GPER1 antagonist and a ROCK inhibitor. At 1–4 days after ovulation, both ROCK II expression and ROCK activity were elevated. E2 also enhanced phosphorylation of myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1 (MYPT1) and myosin light chain (MLC), key downstream targets of ROCK. Before ovulation, when endogenous E2 levels peak, the expression of RND3―a ROCK inhibitor―was upregulated. The application of an RND inhibitor restored E2 responsiveness in oviductal tonus, ROCK activity, and the phosphorylation of MYPT1 and MLC in oviductal tissues before ovulation. These findings suggest that E2 directly increases oviductal tonus via GPER1 and ROCK/MYPT1/MLC activation at 1–4 days after ovulation. Differences in oviductal responsiveness to E2 during the estrous cycle appear to be mediated by the expression of ROCK and RND3. This mechanism can enable sperm transport within the oviduct at an appropriate time. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 2169-3536 14 2026 A Self-Adaptive Framework for Deploying Machine Learning Systems Without Ground-Truth Data at Runtime 30309 30326 EN Kento Furukawa Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University Hiroyuki Nakagawa Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsuhiro Tsuchiya Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University In recent years, the practical application of machine learning technology has rapidly progressed, accelerating its adoption across various fields. In this context, studies into the effective operation of machine learning systems in real-world environments have become essential. In actual operational settings, the distribution of input data often changes over time, leading to a significant decline in the predictive performance of models. Additionally, the lack of ground-truth data for test data during operation can sometimes make adaptation through retraining difficult. This study proposes a framework that autonomously adapts to changes in input data distribution, even in environments where ground-truth data for test data is unavailable during operation. This framework analyzes the distribution of input data and selects the appropriate predictive model based on the state of the distribution. To ensure optimal model selection, the framework employs two complementary approaches: 1) dynamically switching between multiple pre-trained models with different feature sets according to environmental changes and 2) building ensemble models based on the distribution of the test data. These approaches enable the framework to autonomously adapt to shifts in data distribution, even in operational settings where ground-truth data is unavailable. Evaluation experiments using both simulated and real-world data assessed the predictive performance of the proposed method through metrics such as R2, RMSE, and MAE. Compared to conventional single model predictions, the proposed method consistently demonstrated higher accuracy. These results indicate that the proposed approach effectively adapts to data distribution shifts in operational environments where ground-truth data is unavailable. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2238-7854 42 2026 An electric field temporarily strengthens zirconia ceramics 1806 1810 EN Akira Kishimoto Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takahiro Shimizu Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mitsuru Nishiyama Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Shinya Kondo Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takashi Teranishi Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University By applying an electric field to yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) equipped with an inert electrode, oxide ions are localized near the positive electrode, causing it to expand. When polarization was performed under different conditions, it was possible to strengthen the material to 1.5 times that of an untreated sample. The lattice constant of the positive electrode surface after polarization was larger than before polarization. When the Vickers hardness of the positive electrode surface was measured by changing the test load, the smaller the load, the higher the hardness value. Polarization caused oxide ions to move near the positive electrode, filling in the defects and generating an expanded layer with a large lattice constant. It is believed that this was subjected to compressive stress from the bulk layer, which had not changed in volume, resulting in an increase in strength. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学教育推進機構 教師教育開発センター Acta Medica Okayama 2186-1323 16 2026 大学院共通科目『リーダーシップとSDGs』の教育モデル構築と成果分析 理論学習・ピアレビュー・省察活動によるリーダーシップ教育の新展開 221 235 EN Mamoru ISHIDA Faculty of General Education and Global Studies, Okayama University Shinichi OTSUNE Graduate student, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takuya NAKAZAWA Graduate student, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University 10.18926/CTED/70371 　岡山大学大学院では、博士課程人材のリーダーシップ育成に向け、共通科目『リーダーシップとSDGs』を設計・実践している。本科目はSDGsに貢献するリーダー育成に主眼を置き、理論学習・ピアレビュー・省察・グループディスカッション等の手法を組み合わせ、学生同士の学び合い・自己成長の促進を目的としている。本稿では、学部・研究科ごとに学習成果を分析し、理論に基づく省察的学びと協働的な批評活動がリーダーシップ理解や成長に有用であることを明らかにした。本研究は、学術的理論と実践的活動を織り交ぜたモデル構築と、その継続的改善の意義を示している。 No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学教育推進機構 教師教育開発センター Acta Medica Okayama 2186-1323 16 2026 町づくりを考える実践事例の検討 ―総合的な学習の時間を通じた中学生の意識変化に着目して― 191 203 EN Akemi KAMADA Anan City Anan First Junior High School Kazuaki KAJII Faculty of Education, Okayama University 10.18926/CTED/70369 　本研究は，中学校総合的な学習の時間における町づくりにおいて，他者との協働や相互作用を通じて町づくりを構想し，実践の結果生じた学習者の変化からその効果を明らかにすることを目的としている。また，対話的な学びで重視される他者との相互作用を，中学校の実践に落とし込み，そのあり方についても検討する。本実践のねらいは，多様な視点から町の将来の姿やあり方を人との関わりについて読み解き，持続可能な町のあり方について自分事に引き寄せて考えることで，町に対する意識の変化を促すことにある。実践の結果，学習者の町に対する見方や考え方の意識変化が引き起こされ，町づくりの持つ地域課題について自分事に引き寄せて思考することができた。 No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学教育推進機構 教師教育開発センター Acta Medica Okayama 2186-1323 16 2026 凸レンズの像の左右理解に関する混乱の要因分析 教科書分析と教員アンケートによる探究的な学びへの提案 31 44 EN Kunihiko TANIMOTO Faculty of Education, Okayama University Yoshihiko INADA Faculty of Education, Okayama University 10.18926/CTED/70358 　本研究は、中学校理科の凸レンズ学習で生徒が像の向きに抱く混乱に着目した。その要因を、光源・スクリーン・観察場所といった実験条件が十分に意識されてこなかった点にあると考察し、学習指導要領と教科書の変遷分析、および現職教員へのアンケート調査を実施した。その結果、教科書の記述は観察場所を指定する方向へ変化しているものの、現場教員の指導法にはばらつきがあり、生徒の混乱を招く一因となっていることを明らかにした。これらの課題解決のため、観察視点を自然に固定できる3D プリンタ製教材を開発し、教員研修でその有効性を検討した。本教材は生徒の直感的理解を促し、探究的な学びを引き出す上で有効であることが示唆された。 No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

一般社団法人粉体粉末冶金協会 Acta Medica Okayama 0532-8799 73 3 2026 熱間静水圧加圧法を用いたイットリア安定化ジルコニア緻密層の低温形成 55 59 EN Kyohei MANABE Osaka Gas Co. Ltd. Mitsuaki ECHIGO Osaka Gas Co. Ltd. Akira KISHIMOTO Institute of Academic and Research, Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The sintering conditions using hot isostatic press (HIP) of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) were investigated to obtain a dense YSZ layer at low sintering temperature such as 1000°C for an electrolyte of metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell. It was found that a dense YSZ pellet with relative density of 93% could be obtained under a sintering condition of 1000°C-10 hours with HIP in 195 MPa. On the other hand, in X-ray diffraction analysis of the dense YSZ pellet, peaks of the monoclinic phase were slightly detected in addition to peaks of the cubic phase. From energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis, a small amount of boron was detected in the dense YSZ pellet. It is considered that the YSZ crystalline phase transformation of cubic to monoclinic phase was occurred by the boron diffusion from the diffusion barrier coating of metal foil capsule used for the HIP. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Acta Medica Okayama 1043-1802 37 3 2026 A Cysteine-Specific Cationization Strategy for Versatile Antibody Production against Intrinsically Disordered Proteins 580 589 EN Ryui Sakaguchi Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Ai Miyamoto Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Rikako Kutsuma Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Takeru Mori Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Daichi Nakashima Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Mirei Masui Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Tomoko Honjo Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Midori Futami Department of Bioscience, Faculty of Life Science, Okayama University of Science Mariko Morii Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Toshiyuki Oshiki Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Junichiro Futami Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Several autoantigens relevant to the immune system, especially those targeted by autoantibodies induced by antitumor responses, tend to be rich in disordered regions and are prone to aggregation. This inherent instability presents significant challenges for the production, purification, and analysis of autoantigens in laboratory settings. Cysteine-specific cationization can effectively solubilize and purify these challenging proteins, allowing the isolation of full-length water-soluble antigens in their denatured state. The purified antigens enable accurate multiplex autoantibody assays using a suspension Luminex bead array platform. However, well-validated positive control antibodies are essential to ensuring precise clinical diagnosis. In this study, we prepared and characterized a panel of control antibodies by immunizing rabbits with cysteine-specific S-cationized antigens. The resulting antibodies predominantly recognized linear epitopes and were highly effective as quality control reagents in autoantibody array assays. Additionally, these antibodies maintained their ability to bind to their native, unmodified intracellular counterparts, highlighting the usefulness of this approach for producing antibodies against intrinsically disordered proteins. Although a modest immune response against the S-cationized modification site was observed, it remained minimal and did not affect the usefulness of the antibodies for assay validation. We propose this versatile cysteine-specific cationization platform for managing unstable proteins rich in disordered regions, supporting antigen production for diagnostics, and antibody development for research and validation purposes. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2410-387X 9 4 2025 Role-Based Efficient Proactive Secret Sharing with User Revocation 80 EN Yixuan He Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuta Kodera Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yasuyuki Nogami Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Samsul Huda Interdisciplinary Education and Research Field, Okayama University Proactive secret sharing (PSS), an extension of secret-sharing schemes, safeguards sensitive data in dynamic distributed networks by periodically refreshing shares to counter adversarial attacks. In our previous work, we constructed a non-interactive proactive secret scheme by integrating threshold homomorphic encryption (ThHE) while reducing the communication complexity to 𝑂(𝑛). Not only is refreshing shares important but revoking the shares of users who have left the system is also essential in practical dynamic membership scenarios. However, the previous work was insufficient for supporting explicit user revocation. This study strengthens the description of roles for authorized users and proposes a scheme to achieve non-interactive share refresh and dynamic user management. In each epoch, authorized users are classified into three roles: retain, newly join, and rejoin, and they receive a broadcast of the compact ciphertext encoding both the refresh information and the revocation instructions from the trusted center (dealer). Authorized users independently derive new shares through homomorphic computations, whereas revoked users are unable to generate new shares. Hash functions are used to bind revocation parameters to the cryptographic hashes of valid users in order to guarantee integrity during revocation, allowing for effective verification without compromising non-interactivity. Our new scheme not only extends the revocation structure but also preserves the 𝑂(𝑛) communication complexity. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 1424-8220 25 21 2025 Integrated Authentication Server Design for Efficient Kerberos–Blockchain VANET Authentication 6651 EN Maya Rahayu Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Md. Biplob Hossain Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Samsul Huda Interdisciplinary Education and Research Field, Okayama University Yasuyuki Nogami Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET) is a fundamental component of the intelligent transportation systems (ITS), providing critical road information to users. However, the volatility of VANETs creates significant vulnerabilities from malicious actors. Thus, verifying joining entities is crucial to maintaining the VANET’s communication security. Authentication delays must stay below 100 ms to meet VANET requirements, posing a major challenge for security. Our previous research introduced a Kerberos–Blockchain (KBC) authentication system that contains two main components separately: Authentication Server (AS) and Ticket Granting Server (TGS). However, this KBC architecture required an additional server to accommodate increasing vehicle volumes in urban environments, leading to higher infrastructure costs. This paper presents an integrated authentication server that merges AS and TGS into a Combined Server (CBS) while retaining blockchain security. We evaluate it using OMNeT++ with SUMO for traffic simulation and Ganache for blockchain implementation. Results show that CBS removes the need for an extra server while keeping authentication delays under 100 ms. It also improves throughput by 104% and reduces signaling overhead by 45% compared to KBC. By optimizing authentication without compromising security, the integrated server greatly enhances the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of VANET systems. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

BON VIEW PUBLISHING PTE Acta Medica Okayama 2810-9503 5 1 2025 A Study on Zeek IDS Effectiveness for Cybersecurity in Agricultural IoT Networks 133 142 EN Samsul Huda Interdisciplinary Education and Research Field, Okayama University Muhammad Bisri Musthafa Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University S. M. Shamim Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yasuyuki Nogami Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University As agriculture moves toward Agriculture 4.0, which uses Internet of Things (IoT) devices to collect data in real time and monitor things from a distance, these networks are becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. A common method used to protect against these kinds of threats is the use of intrusion detection systems (IDS). However, the agricultural environment is often changing and has limited resources, which makes cybersecurity challenging. Several available IDS tools are not designed to work properly in places with few resources, intermittent access, and unpredictable network conditions. This paper investigates the performance of Zeek, an open-source IDS, in identifying potential threats in agricultural IoT networks. We performed both offline and real-time experiments: offline analysis used pcap files from the Stratosphere Laboratory dataset, and real-time evaluation involved simulated live attack scenarios, focusing on unauthorized access attempts and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Zeek's performance was assessed based on CPU and memory utilization, as well as quality of service (QoS) metrics. From the experimental results, we found that Zeek was quite effective in protecting agricultural IoT networks against typical threats. Memory usage remained stable around 5% during offline analysis and under 20% during active attacks. However, CPU usage was more volatile, peaking at 120% during DDoS events. In terms of QoS, the system maintained a good throughput (1,375 kbits/s) with minimal packet loss (0.000186%). Among the attack types that we tested, brute force attacks, which represent attempts at unauthorized access, had the strongest effect on network performance, increasing delay to 2.159 ms and jitter to 0.793 ms. It seems clear that a heavier traffic load during such attacks can interfere with QoS. On the basis of our observation, we recommend practical deployment strategies for agricultural IoT systems that take these limitations into consideration, aiming to keep networks both secure and efficient under pressure. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2045-2322 16 1 2026 Tribolium castaneum with longer duration of tonic immobility have more variations corresponding to the human Parkinson’s disease genomic region 8840 EN Keisuke Tanaka NODAI Genome Research Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture Ken Sasaki Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University Shunsuke Yajima NODAI Genome Research Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture Takahisa Miyatake Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative syndrome characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons and is also a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by dopamine deficiency. We established strains artificially selected for longer and shorter durations of tonic immobility, an antipredator behavior that has received much attention recently, in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, a model insect species for molecular analyses different from Drosophila melanogaster. Previous studies have shown that the long strains (L-strain) have significantly lower levels of dopamine expression in the brain than the short strains (S-strain) and that they have an abnormal pattern of locomotor activity. Furthermore, previous studies have shown that administering dopamine to L-strain beetles reduces the duration of tonic immobility. Transcriptome analysis of brain and thorax of the L- and S-strains also showed differences in mRNA expression of genes involved in dopamine synthesis and tyrosine metabolism. These results indicate that the phenotype and molecular basis of the L-strain are similar to those of Parkinson’s syndrome symptoms. In order to establish a link between T. castaneum and PD, we compared the DNA sequences of the L- and S-strains to human genes affecting dopaminergic pathways. The DNA comparison revealed many mutated regions in these genes in the L-strain. We discuss the relationship between dopaminergic pathway genes and PD-like phenotypes across humans, Drosophila, and the red flour beetle. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Asian Agricultural and Biological Engineering Association Acta Medica Okayama 1881-8366 19 1 2026 Biosensing method of growth diagnosis in the forced culture of strawberries ―Development of crop-identification algorithms― 42 50 EN Shogo TSUBOTA Institute of Agricultural Machinery, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization Kazuhiko NAMBA Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Shota KASEI Institute of Agricultural Machinery, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization Tokihiro FUKATSU Institute of Agricultural Machinery, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization An image-processing algorithm for identifying individual crops is developed for labor-savings and time-series biological information collection. Information including the leaf development frequency are diagnostic indicators of strawberry growth. The algorithm is designed for drones in greenhouses that cannot acquire location information using the global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Drones fly over crop rows and sequentially assign identification numbers (IDs) to crops. Object-detection artificial intelligence (AI) is used to estimate the crop zone, and the ID is based on the crops number difference between frames. The previous misdetection rate was 1.06 %, failing to identify crops, which decreases to 0.31 % using the proposed algorithm. Furthermore, because there are no failures in consecutive frames, IDs are assigned to all crops correctly. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers Acta Medica Okayama 1880-5558 20 1 2025 Numerical analysis validating the standard k-epsilon model for the kinetic energy of turbulence subjected to weak but long-lasting wind tunnel blockage acceleration JFST0004 EN Akira ONO Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroki SUZUKI Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Toshinori KOUCHI Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kento TANAKA Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of weak but prolonged mean flow accelerations, such as those observed in wind tunnel blockage acceleration, on free-stream turbulence. Specifically, this research aims to validate a model previously developed based on the k-epsilon model. To test this model, the study focuses on scenarios where the turbulence under acceleration is steady and isotropic, since the model suggests that this type of acceleration has no effect on the turbulent kinetic energy. To examine this suggestion, the turbulence within a periodic box was analyzed using large-eddy simulation (LES) based on the conventional Smagorinsky model framework. The numerical analysis is based on a method that conserves velocity fluctuation intensities. The results show that while high rate of acceleration deviates turbulent kinetic energy, low rate acceleration has hardly any effect on turbulent kinetic energy, enstrophy, pressure fluctuation, relative pressure fluctuation intensity, and higher-order statistics of a velocity fluctuation. These results validate the accuracy of the model proposed in the previous studies. These results were obtained by focusing on differences in Reynolds numbers and the spatial scale of the forcing. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2211-7156 18 2025 Development of FTase inhibitors inspired by the structures of andrastins 102828 EN Fumino Kitamura Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama Masaru Tanioka Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama Ayano Kosaka Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama Nao Matsuzawa Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama Takayuki Obita Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama Yuko Sakajiri Tomokazu Shibata Department of Complex Systems Science, Graduate School of Informatics, Nagoya University Ryusuke Sawada Department of Pharmacology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Takeshi Yokoyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama Aki Kohyama Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama Tsuyoshi Yamada Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama Yoshihiro Yamanishi Department of Complex Systems Science, Graduate School of Informatics, Nagoya University Mineyuki Mizuguchi Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama Yuji Matsuya Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama We designed and synthesized structurally simple farnesyl transferase (FTase) inhibitors (1a–1d) by leveraging andrastin, a natural product with FTase inhibitory activity. 1a–1d possess a cyclopentane-1,3-dione core, which is critical for FTase recognition; a farnesyl moiety, which is a simplified motif of A to C rings of andrastin; and a carboxylic acid or methoxycarbonyl group, which enables multipoint hydrogen bonding interactions with FTase. Competitive inhibition experiments revealed that 1d has the most potent FTase inhibitory activity. Docking simulation analysis of 1a–1d with FTase suggested that the multipoint hydrogen bonding interactions between the cyclopentane-1,3-dione moiety and the carboxyl group play an important role in FTase recognition. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 1424-8220 26 5 2026 A Proposal of Secure and Automated Over-the-Air Firmware Update Mechanism for IoT Devices Using Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery 1535 EN Noprianto Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Htoo Htoo Sandi Kyaw Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Komang Candra Brata Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University I Nyoman Darma Kotama Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University The Internet of Things (IoT) technology has grown rapidly over the past decade, resulting in deployments of thousands of IoT devices around the world. Then, managing firmware updates for these numerous devices poses significant challenges. Firmware updates face issues such as version rollback, modified firmware files, and potential man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, highlighting the need for a secure over-the-air (OTA) firmware update mechanism. In this paper, we propose an automated OTA firmware update mechanism, integrated with continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) to ensure trusted sources for firmware origins. It offers security, error handling during firmware updates, and monitoring of the update process. For evaluations, we implemented the proposal with the SEMAR IoT application server that has been implemented in our previous studies. Then, we verified the integrity and authentication, measured the performance and resource utilization, and performed benchmarking tests to assess the efficiency. The results demonstrate that the proposal is sufficiently reliable and efficient. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 0012-1592 68 3 2026 A Simple Method for RNA-Seq of Manually Isolated Chromatophores in Oryzias Fishes e70044 EN Makoto Goda Institute of Photonics Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine Asuka Miyagi Institute of Photonics Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine Keisuke Sugiwaka Department of Biological Science, Division of Natural Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University Masakatsu Watanabe Cellular and Structural Physiology Institute (CeSPI) and Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University Manabu Bessho‐Uehara Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Tohoku University Masahiko Hibi Department of Biological Science, Division of Natural Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University Atsushi Toyoda Comparative Genomics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics Rieko Tanaka World Medaka Aquarium, Nagoya Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens Kawilarang W. A. Masengi Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Sam Ratulangi University Kazunori Yamahira Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus Satoshi Ansai Ushimado Marine Institute, Okayama University Hisashi Hashimoto Department of Biological Science, Division of Natural Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has become an essential tool for analyzing gene expression and exploring cell type–specific transcriptomes. However, sample preparation and quality control remain challenging, as current approaches typically rely on dissecting tissues containing mixed cell populations or using flow cytometry to isolate fluorescently labeled cells. Here we present a simple and reliable method for RNA-seq of chromatophores (pigment cells) by manually isolating cells based on their natural pigmentation. We analyzed four chromatophore types―melanophores, xanthophores, iridophores, and leucophores―in medaka (Oryzias latipes). Remarkably, as few as 100 cells per type yielded reasonably high-quality transcriptomes sufficient to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Furthermore, this method was successfully applied to a non-model medaka species, O. woworae, which shares the same four chromatophore types. Our approach enables efficient, low-cost, and cross-species transcriptome analysis of chromatophores without requiring transgenic markers or flow cytometry. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学理学部地球科学科 Acta Medica Okayama 1340-7414 32 1 2026 岡山平野児島湾岸部での微動アレイ探査 1 7 EN Nobuyuki YAMADA Faculty of Science and Technology, Kochi University Hiroshi TAKENAKA Department of Earth Sciences, Okayama University 10.18926/ESR/70294 　This report describes microtremor array observations conducted at two sites for deep exploration and three sites for shallow exploration around Kojima Bay area in the southern Okayama Plain. Based on these records, the ground velocity structures were estimated. The results yielded solutions indicating the depth of the top of the seismic base layer (equivalent to 3 km/s layer) ranges from 140 to 300 m, while the depth of the top of the engineering basement layer (equivalent to 0.6 km/s layer) is approximately about 13–14 m. The shallow exploration results also suggested the possible presence of an inversion layer. These estimated velocity structure models provided a reasonable explanation for the observed phase velocities. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Acta Medica Okayama 0022-2623 69 5 2026 Discovery of Thermal Sensitizers That Inhibit Heat-Induced SAFB Granule Formation 5944 5955 EN Yuji Furutani Faculty of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Natsuki Shimasaki Faculty of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Riko Yamada Faculty of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Takashi Ohtsuki Faculty of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Kazunori Watanabe Faculty of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Hyperthermia is a minimally invasive cancer treatment based on heat stress-induced apoptosis. Its therapeutic efficacy, however, is often limited by tumor heterogeneity and acquired thermotolerance. Therefore, combination strategies involving hyperthermia and chemotherapy have been developed to enhance the therapeutic efficacy. Previously, we showed that SB366791 enhanced heat-induced apoptosis by inhibiting heat stress-induced scaffold attachment factor B (SAFB) granule formation, although its proapoptotic activity was insufficient. Therefore, we screened to identify novel compounds that enhance heat-induced apoptosis by suppressing SAFB granule formation. We identified four hit compounds that inhibited SAFB granule formation, all exhibiting thermal enhancement ratios > 1.0─that significantly enhanced heat-induced apoptosis efficiency. Additionally, the tumor volume in mice treated with a combination of Z19024498 and hyperthermia was significantly smaller than that in mice treated with hyperthermia or Z19024498. These results indicate that the identified compounds, specifically Z19024498, have potential as thermal sensitizers for hyperthermia therapy. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers Acta Medica Okayama 2187-9745 12 5 2025 Examining OpenFOAM-based LES analysis in terms of inviscid energy conservation and viscous turbulence decay 25-00095 EN Hiroki SUZUKI Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kento TANAKA Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Toshinori KOUCHI Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The present study examines an OpenFOAM-based LES analysis from the viewpoints of inviscid energy conservation and viscous turbulence decay. The Smagorinsky model is employed as the sub-grid scale (SGS) model, and a two-dimensional periodic analytical solution and a three-dimensional periodic Taylor-Green vortex (TGV) are employed to represent inviscid flows. The analytical relationship for the kinetic energy K, dK/dt = 0, with t as the dimensionless time, is utilized to validate the OpenFOAM results. For the viscous flow case, the TGV flow in a three-dimensional periodic cubic domain is adopted, and its turbulence kinetic energy distribution is compared with that obtained by a spectral method to examine the analysis. The OpenFOAM-based analysis exhibits energy conservation error in flows that should ideally conserve energy. For the two-dimensional flow, this error decreases with increasing grid resolution N. However, in the three-dimensional flow, the error does not improve even with higher N. In the three-dimensional TGV flow, the turbulence kinetic energy predicted by OpenFOAM exhibits a strong agreement with that from the spectral method when a standard constant value of the Smagorinsky model is employed and the mesh is sufficiently refined. Conversely, for a condition of relatively coarse mesh, the decay characteristics of turbulent kinetic energy deviate from those of the spectral method, and a higher constant value of the Smagorinsky model than the default value becomes necessary to reproduce comparable results. These results suggests that even in LES simulations where highly accurate conservation laws are not satisfied, adjusting the model constants so that the predicted values match experimental or numerical reference data can improve the apparent reliability of the turbulent kinetic energy in the decaying turbulence. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

The Carbon Society of Japan Acta Medica Okayama 2436-5831 4 3 2025 Synthesis and applications of porous carbonaceous materials with inherited molecular structural features from the precursor molecules 179 187 EN Koki Chida Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University Takeharu Yoshi Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University Yuta Nishina Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Kazuhide Kamiya Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka Ryota Sakamoto Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University Fumito Tani Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University Tomoki Ogoshi Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University Hirotomo Nishihara Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University The carbonization of organic crystalline materials, such as metal organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks, has emerged as a promising approach for producing functional porous carbonaceous materials. However, both the chemically defined long-term ordered structures and the local chemical structures derived from these precursor materials are generally lost, resulting in amorphous carbons. As a result, controlling the molecular-level structure of nanoporous carbons remains a significant challenge. We report a new bottom-up synthesis approach for porous carbons with a molecular-level design, involving the carbonization of well-designed precursor molecules by thermal polymerization. Among the resulting carbons, ordered carbonaceous frameworks, which contain a high-density of regularly aligned single-atomic metal species, have been identified as promising platforms for single-atom catalysts. This approach also enables the synthesis of various three-dimensional porous carbons that reflect the structural features of their precursor molecules. Recent progress in the synthesis and applications of porous carbons derived from molecular precursors is summarized, highlighting their potential for the development of functional materials. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1345-2630 2026 Tabtoxin biosynthetic gene cluster in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 genomic island 1 (GI-1Pta6605) is required for severe disease symptoms EN Kotomi Kunishi The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Norika Fujisawa The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hidenori Matsui The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nanami Sakata The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yoshiteru Noutoshi The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kazuhiro Toyoda The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuki Ichinose The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University One of the genomic islands in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 (GI-1Pta6605) has been identified as a pathogenicity island required for virulence because the deletion almost completely eliminated disease symptoms in inoculation tests at 4 × 105 CFU/ml. GI-1Pta6605 contains four cargo regions (CRs) named CR-1 to CR-4. The ∆CR-4 mutant did not produce tabtoxin like ∆GI-1 and disease symptoms did not develop in tobacco. However, it grew, although to a lesser extent than the wild-type strain. These results indicate that the tabtoxin biosynthetic gene cluster in GI-1 is required for virulence but not for establishment of compatibility. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0956-7135 183 2026 Monitoring postharvest water loss in eggplants (Solanum melongena L.) using UV-induced fluorescence imaging and multivariate analysis 111902 EN Vincent Rotich Laboratory of Biosensing Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Tianqi Gao Laboratory of Biosensing Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Panintorn Prempree Laboratory of Biosensing Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Takahiro Hayashi Laboratory of Biosensing Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Kazuhiko Namba Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mitsuji Monta Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Motomi Nishimoto Technology and Innovation Center, Daikin Industries, Ltd. Naoshi Kondo Laboratory of Biosensing Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is susceptible to significant postharvest losses primarily due to water loss during storage, which affects market quality by causing texture and glossiness degradation. We investigated whether UV-induced fluorescence imaging and EEM (Excitation-Emission Matrix) fluorescence spectroscopy can non-destructively monitor WL under four storage regimes (10 °C/95 % RH, 20 °C/95 % RH, 20 °C/75 % RH, 10 °C/75 % RH). EEMs exhibited three regions; a 365/420 nm blue emission increased most under warm, low-humidity storage and is consistent with phenolic/lignin-related fluorescence. Side-view fluorescence (FL) images showed progressive blue-white emission and surface textural changes that tracked gravimetric water loss (WL). A PLSR model using combined color and texture features from FL and reflectance (CL) images achieved R2CV = 0.88 (RMSECV = 3.47 %) with only six features. To test a minimal predictor, we fit an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) using Day-1 FL MeanBlue as a covariate and storage category as a factor with Leave One Out Cross-validation (LOOCV); this forecasted cumulative WL with R2LOOCV = 0.92 and MAE = 1.88 %. Importantly, this ANCOVA model using Day-1 blue-band fluorescence as a covariate was predictive only under 20 °C/75 % RH; under the other conditions, its contribution was weak. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) models achieved accuracies of 94.4 % and 85.2 %, respectively, in differentiating storage conditions. These results support low-cost FL imaging as a practical tool to monitor WL and storage stress. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0969-0239 32 16 2025 Development of sulfation for cellulose pulp to change its fiber morphology and appearance to transparent in water 9663 9677 EN Ayato Nishimura Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tetsuya Uchida Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Cellulose pulp (CP) is composed mainly of cellulose which is one of the most useful and sustainable natural polymers. Cellulose-based materials, such as completely dispersed nanofibers and water-soluble cellulose, are transparent in water. Additionally, chemical modification of CP has been employed as a pretreatment for the preparation of nanofibers and to impart absorption properties derived from anionic functional groups. However, little is known about chemically modified CPs comprising micron-scale fibers that are transparent in water.In this study, we synthesized transparent sulfated cellulose pulp (TSCP) that exhibits good dispersion stability, high transparency in water, and highly swollen fiber structures. The sulfation method involved heating sulfamic acid and urea supported on CP. TSCP synthesized using a sulfamic acid amount relative to CP (Q) of 18.5, a molar ratio of urea to sulfamic acid (R) of 0.80, and a reaction temperature of 140 °C exhibited the highest total light transmittance (94.7%) in water, a degree of polymerization (535), and amount of sulfate groups (1.73 mmol/g). Polarization microscopy confirmed that most TSCP fibers swelled in water along the fiber width direction. The structure of hydrous-state TSCP was further confirmed using low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy. The maximum fiber width of the swollen TSCP reached 122 μm, which was approximately six times than that of CP. The crystallinity was equivalent to that of the original CP with a Cellulose I-type crystalline structure. This transparent, hydrous-state TSCP, comprising predominantly swollen CP fibers, demonstrates potential for applications as a transparent material. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japanese Society for Horticultural Science Acta Medica Okayama 2189-0102 94 4 2025 Effects of Intermittent Low-temperature Storage Duration and Cycle on the Bolting and Flowering of Delphinium elatum in Summer 522 529 EN Mika Kawai Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Miwa Fukuyasu Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yoshiyuki Tanaka Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Yoshikuni Kitamura Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ken-ichiro Yasuba Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuichi Yoshida Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tanjuro Goto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Early-bolting in summer is a major problem when growing delphinium seedlings in summer to produce cut flowers that will be shipped in autumn and winter. In this study, an intermittent low-temperature storage (ILTS) treatment that induces flower bud differentiation in strawberry and prevents rosette formation in Eustoma significantly increased the Delphinium elatum cut flower length. Moreover, ILTS was as effective as growing seedlings under cool conditions at preventing early-bolting. We analyzed the effects of six ILTS treatments that differed regarding the treatment temperature (5 and 10°C) and treatment cycle (3 days/3 days, 6 days/6 days, and 12 days/12 days; ambient conditions/cool and dark). Cut flowers were significantly longer with the 6 days/6 days treatment at 10°C than for the control treatment. Furthermore, repeating the ILTS treatment cycle (6 days ambient conditions/6 days at 10°C) a total of four times produced high-quality cut flowers regardless of the cultivar. Therefore, this ILTS treatment may be ideal for preventing early-bolting in D. elatum. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 1422-0067 27 5 2026 Fgf10 Gene Dosage from a Single Allele Is Insufficient for Forming Multilayered Epithelial Cells in the Murine Lacrimal Gland 2113 EN Shiori Ikeda Department of Cytology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Keita Sato Department of Cytology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Yuki Tajika Department of Radiological Technology, Gumma Prefectural College of Health Sciences Hirofumi Fujita Department of Cytology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Tetsuya Bando Department of Cytology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Tsutomu Nohno Department of Cytology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Satoru Miyaishi Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Hideyo Ohuchi Department of Cytology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Mutations in the fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) gene in humans cause aplasia of the lacrimal and salivary glands (ALSG). In patients with ALSG, heterozygous loss-of-function mutations are found, and FGF10 haploinsufficiency results in the absence of these secretory organs. Lacrimal glands (LGs) are formed through epithelial thickening, budding, and branching morphogenesis. To compare the variable phenotypes of the Fgf10+/− Harderian glands (HGs) previously reported, we examined the development of LGs in wild-type (WT), Fgf10+/−, and Fgf10-null mice. Pax6 immunostaining was performed to visualize the LG primordia from embryonic day 15.5 (E15.5) onwards. In situ hybridization of the genes encoding the epithelial receptor of FGF10, FGFR2b, and its other ligands was performed to determine their potential involvement in LG development. LG primordia were not observed in Fgf10+/− mice bilaterally at E16.5 or later stages. At E15.5, budding from the developing conjunctival epithelium (CE) was observed in a small fraction of the Fgf10+/− LG primordia. In contrast, the Fgf10-null CE failed to promote budding. Among Fgf1, Fgf3, Fgf7, Fgf10, and Fgf22, Fgf10 was expressed in the mesenchyme surrounding developing LG epithelial cells, whereas Fgf1 was expressed in the LG epithelium of WT mice. Fgf7 was initially expressed in the mesenchyme surrounding the nascent LG epithelium, but its expression subsequently became diffused. Thus, we conclude that among the FGFR2b ligands, initial LG formation is dependent on the mesenchymal factors FGF10 and FGF7, and FGF1 is likely to function as an epithelial factor in the LG primordia. A single allele of Fgf10 was found to be insufficient to support the budding process during LG morphogenesis. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 2169-3536 14 2026 FEM-Based Design and Characterization of a Millimeter-Scale Piezoelectric Resonance Force Sensor 17960 17970 EN Aoto Yamazaki Department of Mechanical Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology Takuma Akiduki Department of Mechanical Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology Atsuo Honna Riccoh Company Ltd. Michiteru Kitazaki Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology Tomoaki Mashimo Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This paper presents a millimeter-scale piezoelectric effect-based force sensor that uses the change in its resonant frequency as the detection principle for high sensitivity and a wide measurement range. Such characteristics are suited for robot hand applications that not only detect small forces but also handle large payloads. We develop a methodology to estimate the relationship between applied force and resonant frequency shift by combining classical contact theory and finite element method (FEM) analysis. Although this relationship is non-linear, the designability of sensitivity and measurement range is demonstrated by the simulation. The simulation results based on the method are verified, showing good agreement with the experimental results. The static characteristics, including sensitivity, standard deviation, and resolution, are evaluated using prototype sensors with characteristic lengths ranging from 1 mm to 4 mm. The 4-mm model has a measurement range of 77 mN to 300 N, and the smallest model, which is one of the smallest force sensors suitable for practical implementation, has a measurement range of 9 mN to 20 N. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Frontiers Media SA Acta Medica Okayama 1664-462X 16 2025 Structural analysis of PSI-ACPI and PSII-ACPII supercomplexes from a cryptophyte alga Rhodomonas sp. NIES-2332 1716939 EN Wenyue Zhang Advanced Research Field, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nozomi Yonehara Advanced Research Field, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mizuki Ishii Advanced Research Field, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Haowei Jiang Advanced Research Field, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Romain La Rocca Advanced Research Field, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Pi-Cheng Tsai Advanced Research Field, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hongjie Li Advanced Research Field, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Koji Kato Advanced Research Field, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Fusamichi Akita Advanced Research Field, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Jian-Ren Shen Advanced Research Field, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Light energy is converted to chemical energy by two photosystems (PSI and PSII) in complex with their light-harvesting complex proteins (LHCI and LHCII) in photosynthesis. Rhodomonas is a member of cryptophyte alga whose LHCs contain unique chlorophyll a/c proteins (ACPs) and phycobiliproteins. We purified PSI-ACPI and PSII-ACPII supercomplexes from a cryptophyte Rhodomonas sp. NIES-2332 and analyzed their structures at high resolutions of 2.08 Å and 2.17 Å, respectively, using cryo-electron microscopy. These structures are largely similar to those reported previously from two other species of cryptophytes, but exhibited some differences in both the pigment locations and subunit structures. A part of the antenna subunits of both photosystems is shifted compared with the previously reported structures from other species of cryptophytes, suggesting some differences in the energy transfer rates from the antenna to the PSI and PSII cores. Newly identified lipids are found to occupy the interfaces between the antennae and cores, which may be important for assembly and stabilization of the supercomplexes. Water molecules surrounding three iron-sulfur clusters of the PSI core are found in our high-resolution structure, some of which are conserved from cyanobacteria to higher plants but some are different. In addition, our structure of PSII-ACPII lacks the subunits of oxygen-evolving complex as well as the Mn4CaO5 cluster, suggesting that the cells are in the S-growth phase, yet the PSI-ACPI structure showed the binding of PsaQ, suggesting that it is in an L-phase. These results suggest that the S-phase and L-phase can co-exist in the cryptophytic cells. The high-resolution structures of both PSI-ACPIs and PSII-ACPIIs solved in this study provide a more solid structural basis for elucidating the energy transfer and quenching mechanisms in this group of the organisms. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Acta Medica Okayama 2041-6520 17 9 2026 Gaseous CO2 electrolysis: latest advances in electrode and electrolyzer technologies toward abating CO2 emissions 4363 EN Kazuhide Kamiya Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka Sora Nakasone Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka Ryo Kurihara Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka Asato Inoue Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka Hazuki Irie Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka Shoko Nakahata Research Center for Solar Energy Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka Yuta Nishina Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Satoshi Taniguchi Research Institute for Chemical Process Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 5 Thuy T. H. Nguyen Research Institute for Chemical Process Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 5 Sho Kataoka Research Institute for Chemical Process Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 5 The conversion of CO2 into multicarbon (C2+) products via electrochemical reduction is considered a key technology for the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. The performance of high-rate gaseous CO2 electrolysis is governed by interrelated factors such as the electrocatalysts, electrodes, electrolytes, and cell architectures. Despite the intensive focus on catalyst research, systematic studies addressing the other components remain scarce, leaving critical gaps in our understanding toward achieving higher performance in CO2 electrolysis systems. The nanoscale design of catalyst surface electronic structures and the macroscale design of electrodes and electrolyzer architectures both influence the overall activity of the electrochemical system. In designing macroscale components, it is necessary to establish benchmarks based on a comprehensive evaluation of CO2 emissions for the entire electrolysis process, because these parameters are directly linked to output metrics such as current density and cell voltage under practical operating conditions. This review summarizes recent advances in electrodes and electrolyzers, and through life-cycle assessment (LCA), evaluates key performance indicators (KPIs) for achieving negative emissions and assesses the current technology readiness of CO2 electrolysis. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2589-0042 28 9 2025 Extensive urine production in euryhaline red stingray for adaptation to hypoosmotic environments 113274 EN Naotaka Aburatani Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo Wataru Takagi Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo Marty Kwok-Shing Wong Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo Nobuhiro Ogawa Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo Shigehiro Kuraku Department of Genomics and Evolutionary Biology, National Institute of Genetics Mana Sato Department of Genomics and Evolutionary Biology, National Institute of Genetics Kazuhiro Saito Ushimado Marine Institute, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Waichiro Godo Ushimado Marine Institute, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Tatsuya Sakamoto Ushimado Marine Institute, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Susumu Hyodo Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo Maintaining water balance is a prerequisite for all organisms. Euryhaline elasmobranchs face the severest water-influx potential in fresh water (FW), as they retain high concentrations of urea even in hypotonic environments. To elucidate how they overcome this osmotic challenge, we assessed urine output in conscious euryhaline red stingrays (Hemitrygon akajei). Following acclimation to 5% diluted seawater, the stingrays increased urinary output by 87-fold―the greatest change observed in vertebrates―partly due to 6.8-fold increase in glomerular filtration rate (GFR). In the nephron, expressions of Aquaporin-1 (Aqp1), Aqp3, and Aqp15 were strongly downregulated in FW, indicating that tubular diuresis bridges the gap between GFR and final urine volume. Meanwhile, FW-acclimation upregulated Aqp1 and Aqp4 in the distinct bundle structure, which promotes urea reabsorption. Euryhaline elasmobranchs resolve the huge osmotic challenge of FW by excreting massive amounts of water and retaining osmolytes including urea through coordinated regulation of GFR and Aqp expressions. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 2644-1349 6 2026 Ultrafast Time-Compressive CMOS Image Sensors Based on Multitap Charge Modulators for Filming Light-In Flight 47 60 EN Keiichiro Kagawa Research Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University Daisuke Hayashi Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University Arashi Takakura Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University Yuto Umeki Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University Michitaka Yoshida Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Keita Yasutomi Research Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University Shoji Kawahito Research Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University Youngcheol Chae Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University Hajime Nagahara D3 Center, The University of Osaka Ultrafast time-compressive CMOS image sensors based on multitap charge modulators can capture light-in flight using coded exposure masks on the focal plane. Transient images can then be reconstructed using iterative methods or deep learning models. Although the image sensor is based on indirect time-of-flight (ToF) image sensors, the reconstructed images are equivalent to those captured by direct ToF (D-ToF) image sensors. Important design parameters of the image sensor include the pixel block size and the number of taps of the charge modulator. Several constraints regarding the charge transfer of the multitap charge modulator, the hamming distance between exposure codes at adjacent timings, and the minimal time window duration must be considered when designing exposure codes. The influence of these factors on the fidelity of the reconstructed images is analyzed numerically. The results show that a pixel block size of 4×4 is optimal and that four or more taps are required for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) applications when 32 transient images of light-in flight are reconstructed. To demonstrate LiDAR in a scene with multipath interference, two objects were observed through a weakly diffusive sheet. The temporal resolution, as defined by the clock period of the exposure codes, was 1.65 ns. Multiple reflections were reconstructed using an iterative method (TVAL3) and a deep learning model (ADMM-Net). Although the waveforms of optical pulses reconstructed by TVAL3 are distorted, the amplitudes are more accurate. Conversely, although ADMM-Net reconstructs sharper optical pulses, the amplitudes are inaccurate. To achieve the shorter temporal resolution required for time-resolved diffuse optical tomography (DOT) and fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm), the feasibility of heterodyne compression was demonstrated through simulation. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IOP Publishing Acta Medica Okayama 1742-6588 3027 1 2025 LES analysis to investigate a random-phase forcing scheme for steadying anisotropic turbulence fields 012009 EN Koki Minami Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroki Suzuki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Toshinori Kouchi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kento Tanaka Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of phase randomization on forcing mechanisms that stabilize localized turbulence. A trigonometric forcing based on vector potential is combined with uniform random numbers to create a spatially homogeneous forcing field. The analysis is performed using large-eddy simulation (LES) with the Smagorinsky model as the subgrid scale model. The results demonstrate that steady flows are generated regardless of the presence of phase randomization, successfully forming isotropic turbulence. In contrast, for anisotropic turbulent fields, the addition of phase randomization reduces the degree of anisotropy, indicating a smoothing effect on the anisotropy of the flow. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IOP Publishing Acta Medica Okayama 1742-6588 3027 1 2025 Fundamental examination of coherent structure model prediction using vortex cores in a two-dimensional Taylor’s analytical solution 012008 EN Xuanyou Gong Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroki Suzuki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Toshinori Kouchi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kento Tanaka Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This study focuses on the possibility that flow around vortex tubes in turbulence may resemble laminar flow, and aims to describe the characteristics of turbulent fields using analytical solutions to the governing equations. In the two-dimensional analytical Taylor solution, the velocity and pressure fields are expressed by trigonometric functions, and a structure in which counter-rotating vortices are arranged in a grid pattern is demonstrated. This solution is used to verify the accuracy of numerical analyses and is expected to contribute to a simple yet unambiguous description of turbulent fields based on vortex structures. Predictions of sub-grid scale components and validation of a coherent structure model using invariants of the velocity gradient tensor are also performed. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2950-2217 3 2 2025 Erythromelalgia presenting with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome: A pediatric case report 100078 EN Kengo Suzuki Department of Pediatrics, Okayama University Hospital Kazuhiro Uda Department of Pediatrics, Okayama University Hospital Mitsuru Tsuge Department of Pediatric Acute Diseases, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kyosuke Arakawa Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kenji Shigehara Department of Pediatrics, Okayama University Hospital Takafumi Obara Department of Emergency, Critical Care, and Disaster Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kosei Hasegawa Department of Pediatrics, Okayama University Hospital Hirokazu Tsukahara Department of Pediatrics, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Background: Erythromelalgia is a rare disorder characterized by erythema, warmth, and burning pain in the extremities. We report a pediatric case of erythromelalgia in a patient who developed posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), without any cutaneous signs.<br> Case presentation: A previously healthy 12-year-old girl presented to our pediatric clinic with burning extremity pain that had persisted for 6 weeks. The patient was treated with analgesics; however, the pain was refractory to these agents. Seven days after the first visit, she developed afebrile seizures and was transferred to our hospital. Her initial blood pressure was 139/105 mmHg (+2.0 SD), and brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed high intensity areas in the bilateral parietal and occipital lobes, leading to a diagnosis of PRES. Her blood pressure was difficult to control with anti-hypertensive agents. Burning pain in her extremities was relieved by cooling and worsened by warming. Although erythema was not observed in her hands or legs, erythromelalgia was suspected based on the characteristic nature of her pain. Intravenous lidocaine was administered for diagnosis, which was dramatically effective. After initiating mexiletine, the burning pain in her extremities disappeared, and hypertension improved. A final diagnosis of erythromelalgia with PRES was made.<br> Conclusion: A history of temperature-dependent pain relief and deterioration are important indicators of disease diagnosis, even if patients indicate a lack of erythema or warmth. Physicians should be aware that persistent pain due to erythromelalgia can lead to refractory hypertension and development of PRES. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学教育推進機構 Acta Medica Okayama 1881-5952 3 2026 世界観光倫理憲章を踏まえたアクセシブルアウトドアツーリズムの検討 ―世界自然遺産地域でのアウトドア型車椅子を用いた実践を通じて― 195 208 EN Kosuke IKETANI General Education and Global Studies Field, Okayama University Shin HARADA General Education and Global Studies Field, Okayama University Keita KUSUNOKI Institute of Student Support, Bukkyo University 10.18926/70121 アクセシブルアウトドアツーリズムを進めていくためには，「保全・保護」と「開発」の両立が非常に重要な観点となる。そこで本実践では，一人でも多くの人がアウトドア活動に参加できることを目指し，世界自然遺産地域においてアウトドア型車椅子を用いたツアーが実現できるかどうかを検討することとした。「誰ひとり取り残さない観光」とは，世界観光倫理憲章でも標榜された目標であるが，このことを実現するためには，今回検討を行ったような一つ一つの実践を積み重ねることによって，少しずつであってもアクセシブルアウトドアツーリズムの可能範囲を広げていくことが，最も確実な取り組みなのではないかと考えている。 No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学教育推進機構 Acta Medica Okayama 1881-5952 3 2026 Developing a Short-form Scale to Assess Learner Beliefs Regarding English Learning Strategies 100 119 EN Hiroshi MORITANI Institute for Promotion of Education and Campus Life, Okayama University Alexis PUSINA Institute for Promotion of Education and Campus Life, Okayama University 10.18926/70115 Questionnaire surveys are a prevalent method in applied linguistics for investigating complex constructs, such as learner beliefs. However, their complex nature often creates overly lengthy instruments, making them impractical for classroom use or for obtaining timely educational insights. This study aimed to develop a simplified, yet robust version of an existing learner belief scale to address these challenges. The authors carefully selected 24 belief-specific items from an initial pool of 78 items from a previous study for use in an online survey, which was completed by 246 participants. The data were subject to exploratory factor analysis. This process resulted in a concise 12-item scale, could offer a more practical tool for language educators. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2590-1230 27 2025 Inscribed-type spherical speed reducer with uniform reduction ratio in all directions 106742 EN Seiya Naramura Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Koichi Tonegawa Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University So Shimooka Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomoaki Yano Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Akio Gofuku Okayama Prefectural University Nagayoshi Kasashima National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Tetsushi Kamegawa Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University A spherical motor is an actuator that can generate rotational motion about all three orthogonal axes. However, it is difficult to obtain high output torque from most electromagnetic spherical motors, primarily due to limitations inherent in electromagnetic actuators, such as restricted magnetic force and thermal constraints. Since its torque cannot be increased using planar gears, spherical speed reducers that transmit rotational torque along three orthogonal axes through sphere-to-sphere contact are required. One major limitation of conventional spherical speed reducers is that their size increases significantly as the reduction ratio becomes higher. To address this issue, we propose a novel inscribed-type spherical speed reducer, in which the deceleration mechanism is integrated within the output sphere. This configuration enables a more compact design, reducing the overall size to approximately half that of conventional designs. To predict the angular velocity and transmitted torque, theoretical models for the rotation and torque transmission of the speed reducer were developed. According to the proposed model, the reduction ratio of the spherical speed reducer is 1/3. To verify the validity of these models, experiments were conducted to measure angular velocity and torque. The theoretical results agreed well with the experimental results. In addition, the theoretical torque exhibited an average relative error of 1.63 % compared to the experimental result. Therefore, it was confirmed that the rotation and torque transmission models were valid. These results demonstrate that a reduction ratio can be obtained in all directions of the 3-DOF of the spherical speed reducer, unlike conventional 1-DOF reducers. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Oxford University Press (OUP) Acta Medica Okayama 2050-3911 2026 2 2026 Feedback-Controlled Beam Pattern Measurement Method Using a Power-Variable Calibration Source for Cosmic Microwave Background Telescopes 023F01 EN Haruaki Hirose Department of Physics, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Yokohama National University Masaya Hasegawa Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies (IPNS), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) Daisuke Kaneko International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles (WPI-QUP), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) Taketo Nagasaki Accelerator Laboratory (ACCL), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) Ryota Takaku Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tijmen de Haan Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies (IPNS), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) Satoru Takakura Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, The University of Tokyo Takuro Fujino International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles (WPI-QUP), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) We demonstrate a novel beam pattern measurement method for the side lobe characterization of cosmic microwave background telescopes. The method employs a power-variable artificial microwave source under feedback control from the detector under test on the telescope. It enables us to extend the dynamic range of the beam pattern measurement without introducing nonlinearity effects from the detector. We conducted a laboratory-based proof-of-concept experiment, measuring the H-plane beam pattern of a horn antenna coupled to a diode detector at 81 GHz. We gained an additional dynamic range of 60.3 dB attributed to the feedback control. In addition, we verified the measurement by comparing it with other reference measurements obtained using conventional methods. The method is also applicable to general optical measurements requiring a high dynamic range to detect subtle nonidealities in the characteristics of optical devices. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2079-7737 15 5 2026 Alpha-Ketoglutarate Drives an Osteogenic and Extracellular Matrix Gene Program in Periodontal Ligament Fibroblasts via Selective Reduction of H3K27me3 372 EN Ryu Hasegawa Department of Periodontology and Endodontology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry Shigeki Suzuki Department of Operative Dentistry, Okayama University Graduate School, Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Rahmad Rifqi Fahreza Department of Periodontology and Endodontology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry Shin-Ho Tsai Department of Operative Dentistry, Okayama University Graduate School, Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Yoshino Daidouji Department of Periodontology and Endodontology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry Masato Omori Department of Periodontology and Endodontology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry Tetsuhiro Kajikawa Department of Periodontology and Endodontology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry Satoru Yamada Department of Periodontology and Endodontology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry Periodontal disease damages the tissues that support teeth and can ultimately lead to tooth loss, yet effective treatments to regenerate these tissues are still limited. Recent studies have shown that substances produced during normal cellular metabolism can influence how genes are regulated, but their role in periodontal regeneration has not been fully clarified. In this study, we investigated whether alpha-ketoglutarate, a naturally occurring metabolite involved in energy production, could promote periodontal tissue regeneration. We found that alpha-ketoglutarate enhanced bone-related and extracellular matrix-related gene expression in human periodontal ligament cells by reducing a repressive gene-regulatory signal that normally suppresses these genes. Importantly, alpha-ketoglutarate did not broadly alter chromatin accessibility, indicating that its effects were mediated through selective gene regulation. Furthermore, oral administration of alpha-ketoglutarate promoted alveolar bone regeneration and collagen-rich tissue formation in a mouse model of periodontal disease. Because alpha-ketoglutarate is a naturally occurring molecule in the body, these findings suggest that metabolite-based regulation of gene activity may represent a promising and safe approach for periodontal tissue regeneration. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2073-445X 15 2 2026 A Study on the Development of an Image Classification System for Urban Sprawl Areas in Japan 275 EN Ryota Hemmi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takehito Ujihara Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ryosuke Ando National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure Transport and Tourism Seiji Hashimoto Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University In Japan, unlike in many other countries, urbanization has progressed while original rural road structures have been retained, leading to distinctive urban sprawl areas with intermingling residential lots and farmland. Currently, much of Japan’s urban areas consist of urban sprawl areas, posing considerable challenges for infrastructure development. However, for such urban sprawl areas in Japan, it is difficult to say that methods have been established to identify their spatial distribution based on quantitative evaluation. Therefore, for this study, we used machine learning to investigate a system that extracts sprawling urban areas from aerial photographs divided into meshes. In the system’s design, we prioritized precision to ensure the reliable detection of urban sprawl areas. Consequently, the accuracy of identifying sprawl areas achieved precision of 0.81, recall of 0.63, and an F-score of 0.71. Examination of the classification results of sprawl areas revealed that most misclassifications occurred near class boundaries. By contrast, areas with particularly high levels of urban sprawl showed few misclassifications. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 1424-8220 26 4 2026 A Generative AI–Based Technical Data Extraction Tool for IoT Application Systems 1081 EN Dezheng Kong Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Htoo Htoo Sandi Kyaw Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University I Nyoman Darma Kotama Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Zihao Zhu Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Alfiandi Aulia Rahmadani Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nowadays, Internet of Things (IoT) application systems play an essential role in smart cities, industry, healthcare, agriculture, and smart homes. For non-expert users, designing and implementing IoT application systems remains challenging, especially when configuring sensors, edge devices, and server platforms. To support configuration tasks of IoT application systems, we have developed an AI-based setup assistance tool. However, AI models still fail to reliably support newly released or previously unseen devices, sometimes producing incomplete or erroneous outputs that may lead to configuration failures. Incorporating their technical-document information into Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is an effective way to supplement AI knowledge and improve reliability. In this paper, we propose a generative AI-based technical data extraction tool to address the challenges. It extracts essential technical information using the schema-based extraction from given PDF or HTML datasheets and converts it into a structured format suitable for AI-supported configurations. A local vector database is used to enable semantic similarity retrieval and provide document-grounded evidence for RAG-based answering, ensuring consistent support for previously unseen IoT devices. For evaluations, we applied the proposal to several sensor and device datasheets and compared extracted specifications with ground-truth values to measure accuracy and completeness. Then, we compared end-to-end configuration QA reliability against a commercial baseline (ChatPDF) using the golden benchmark. The results show that the proposed tool reliably acquires key specifications and significantly improves end-to-end configuration QA reliability. Across 960 golden QA pairs, the proposed method improves Recall from 0.636 to 0.926 and Accuracy from 0.595 to 0.807 compared with ChatPDF. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 1999-4893 19 2 2026 A Slide Annotation System with Multimodal Analysis for Video Presentation Review 110 EN Amma Liesvarastranta Haz Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Komang Candra Brata Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Htoo Htoo Sandi Kyaw Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Evianita Dewi Fajrianti Human Centric Multimedia Research Laboratory, Department of Informatic and Computer Engineering, Politeknik Elektronika Negeri Surabaya Sritrusta Sukaridhoto Human Centric Multimedia Research Laboratory, Department of Informatic and Computer Engineering, Politeknik Elektronika Negeri Surabaya With the rapid growth of online presentations, there has been an increasing need for efficient review of recorded materials. In typical presentations, speakers verbally elaborate on each slide, providing details not captured in the slides themselves. Automatically extracting and embedding these verbal explanations at their corresponding slide locations can greatly enhance the review process for audiences. This paper presents a Slide Annotation System that employs a robust hybrid two-stage detector to identify slide boundaries, extracts slide text through Optical Character Recognition (OCR), transcribes narration, and employs a multimodal Large Language Model (LLM) to generate concise, context-aware annotations that are added to their corresponding slide locations. For evaluations, the technical performance was validated on five recorded presentations, while the user experience was assessed by 37 participants. The results showed that the system achieved a macro-average 𝐹1 score of 0.879 (𝑆𝐷=0.024, 95% 𝐶𝐼[0.849,0.909]) for slide segmentation and 90.0% accuracy (95% 𝐶𝐼[74.4%,96.5%]) for annotation alignment. Subjective evaluations revealed high annotation validity and usefulness as rated by presenters, and a high System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 80.5 (𝑆𝐷=6.7, 95% 𝐶𝐼[78.3,82.7]). Qualitative feedback further confirmed that the system effectively streamlined the review process, enabling users to locate key information more efficiently than standard video playback. These findings demonstrate the strong potential of the proposed system as an effective automated annotation system. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2078-2489 17 1 2026 An SQL Query Description Problem with AI Assistance for an SQL Programming Learning Assistant System 65 EN Ni Wayan Wardani Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Htoo Htoo Sandi Kyaw Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Zihao Zhu Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University I Nyoman Darma Kotama Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Putu Sugiartawan Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University I Nyoman Agus Suarya Putra Faculty of Business and Creative Design, Indonesian Institute of Business and Technology Today, relational databases are widely used in information systems. SQL (structured query language) is taught extensively in universities and professional schools across the globe as a programming language for its data management and accesses. Previously, we have studied a web-based programming learning assistant system (PLAS) to help novice students learn popular programming languages by themselves through solving various types of exercises. For SQL programming, we have implemented the grammar-concept understanding problem (GUP) and the comment insertion problem (CIP) for its initial studies. In this paper, we propose an SQL Query Description Problem (SDP) as a new exercise type for describing the SQL query to a specified request in a MySQL database system. To reduce teachers’ preparation workloads, we integrate a generative AI-assisted SQL query generator to automatically generate a new SDP instance with a given dataset. An SDP instance consists of a table, a set of questions and corresponding queries. Answer correctness is determined by enhanced string matching against an answer module that includes multiple semantically equivalent canonical queries. For evaluation, we generated 11 SDP instances on basic topics using the generator, where we found that Gemini 3.0 Pro exhibited higher pedagogical consistency compared to ChatGPT-5.0, achieving perfect scores in Sensibleness, Topicality, and Readiness metrics. Then, we assigned the generated instances to 32 undergraduate students at the Indonesian Institute of Business and Technology (INSTIKI). The results showed an average correct answer rate of 95.2% and a mean SUS score of 78, which demonstrates strong initial student performance and system acceptance. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2813-2203 5 1 2025 A Threshold Selection Method in Code Plagiarism Checking Function for Code Writing Problem in Java Programming Learning Assistant System Considering AI-Generated Codes 2 EN Perwira Annissa Dyah Permatasari Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mustika Mentari Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Safira Adine Kinari Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Soe Thandar Aung Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Htoo Htoo Sandi Kyaw Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Khaing Hsu Wai Graduate School of Engineering Science, Akita University To support novice learners, the Java programming learning assistant system (JPLAS) has been developed with various features. Among them, code writing problem (CWP) assigns writing an answer code that passes a given test code. The correctness of an answer code is validated by running it on JUnit. In previous works, we implemented a code plagiarism checking function that calculates the similarity score for each pair of answer codes based on the Levenshtein distance. When the score is higher than a given threshold, this pair is regarded as plagiarism. However, a method for finding the proper threshold has not been studied. In addition, AI-generated codes have become threats in plagiarism, as AI has grown in popularity, which should be investigated. In this paper, we propose a threshold selection method based on Tukey’s IQR fences. It uses a custom upper threshold derived from the statistical distribution of similarity scores for each assignment. To better accommodate skewed similarity distributions, the method introduces a simple percentile-based adjustment for determining the upper threshold. We also design prompts to generate answer codes using generative AI and apply them to four AI models. For evaluation, we used a total of 745 source codes of two datasets. The first dataset consists of 420 answer codes across 12 CWP instances from 35 first-year undergraduate students in the State Polytechnic of Malang, Indonesia (POLINEMA). The second dataset includes 325 answer codes across five CWP assignments from 65 third-year undergraduate students at Okayama University, Japan. The applications of our proposals found the following: (1) any pair of student codes whose score is higher than the selected threshold has some evidence of plagiarism, (2) some student codes have a higher similarity than the threshold with AI-generated codes, indicating the use of generative AI, and (3) multiple AI models can generate code that resembles student-written code, despite adopting different implementations. The validity of our proposal is confirmed. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2079-9292 14 24 2025 An AI-Driven System for Learning MQTT Communication Protocols with Python Programming 4967 EN Zihao Zhu Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Htoo Htoo Sandi Kyaw Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University I Nyoman Darma Kotama Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Anak Agung Surya Pradhana Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Alfiandi Aulia Rahmadani Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Noprianto Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University With rapid developments of wireless communication and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, an increasing number of devices and sensors are interconnected, generating massive amounts of data in real time. Among the underlying protocols, Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) has become a widely adopted lightweight publish–subscribe standard due to its simplicity, minimal overhead, and scalability. Then, understanding such protocols is essential for students and engineers engaging in IoT application system designs. However, teaching and learning MQTT remains challenging for them. Its asynchronous architecture, hierarchical topic structure, and constituting concepts such as retained messages, Quality of Service (QoS) levels, and wildcard subscriptions are often difficult for beginners. Moreover, traditional learning resources emphasize theory and provide limited hands-on guidance, leading to a steep learning curve. To address these challenges, we propose an AI-assisted, exercise-based learning platform for MQTT. This platform provides interactive exercises with intelligent feedback to bridge the gap between theory and practice. To lower the barrier for learners, all code examples for executing MQTT communication are implemented in Python for readability, and Docker is used to ensure portable deployments of the MQTT broker and AI assistant. For evaluations, we conducted a usability study using two groups. The first group, who has no prior experience, focused on fundamental concepts with AI-guided exercises. The second group, who has relevant background, engaged in advanced projects to apply and reinforce their knowledge. The results show that the proposed platform supports learners at different levels, reduces frustrations, and improves both engagement and efficiency. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 80 1 2026 Time Course of the Development and Loss of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol Tolerance: Effects on Hypothermia and Spontaneous Locomotor Activity in Mice 47 54 EN Yukiomi Eguchi Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University Soichiro Ushio Department of Emergency and Disaster Medical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University Keiichi Irie Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University Yuta Yamashita Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University Miyu Eguchi Department of Emergency and Disaster Medical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University Takafumi Nakano Department of Oncology and Infectious Disease Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University Kenichi Mishima Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuoka University Original Article 10.18926/AMO/70072 Deregulation of cannabis use is gradually expanding in Europe and the United States. However, the biological processes driving tolerance to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the main psychoactive component of cannabis, remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the mechanisms and time course of tolerance development and loss to Δ9-THC in mice. Male ICR mice (7 weeks old) were administered Δ9-THC once daily for 3 days and then divided into three groups according to the washout period (3-, 10-, and 17-day washout groups). After each washout, changes in body temperature and locomotor activity were measured following re-exposure to Δ9-THC. Furthermore, the mRNA expression levels of CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain were evaluated using real-time PCR. On day 1, significant hypothermia and reduced spontaneous locomotor activity were observed in the Δ9-THC-treated mice compared with the vehicle-treated mice. Tolerance to the hypothermic and locomotor-suppressing effects of Δ9-THC developed on days 2 and 3, respectively, and dissipated after 3 and 11 days of washout, respectively. These differences in the rates of tolerance development and recovery may reflect distinct underlying mechanisms. No significant changes in receptor mRNA expression were observed. These findings highlight the complexity of Δ9-THC tolerance and its potential implications for long-term cannabis use. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学文明動態学研究所 Acta Medica Okayama 2436-8326 5 2026 “God” is Coming to My Home : Catholic Images and the Sacred in the Case of a Rural Village in Western Mexico 115 133 EN Naomi KAWAMOTO Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY 特集：Sacred Objects in Religions (Special Issue: Sacred Objects in Religions) 10.18926/70058 This paper aims to clarify the dynamic aspect of the sacred that the religious image is imbued with, focusing on a Catholic practice in a current rural village of western Mexico. In classical studies of the sacred, it has generally been considered disconnected from the profane and ambivalent. Other research has revealed the multi-layered nature of the sacred and its constructive aspect. In contrast, this paper will discuss a sacredness that arises from the interaction between human beings and objects, a sacredness that is both performative and intimate. Thus, this article will analyze practitioners’ everyday, contingent acts, free from formality. In conclusion, “the sacred” contains a part of the profane caused by the Catholic image going back and forth between the realms of “the sacred” and “the profane”. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学文明動態学研究所 Acta Medica Okayama 2436-8326 5 2026 島根県猪目洞窟遺跡出土人骨の年代・食性・遺伝的特徴 20 39 EN Hideaki KANZAWA-KIRIYAMA Division of Human Evolution, Paleontology and Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture Mai TAKIGAMI Division of Human Evolution, Paleontology and Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture Tsuneo KAKUDA Department of Legal Medicine, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi Leo SPEIDEL Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences, RIKEN Garrett HELLENTHAL Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London Genetics Institute (UGI), University College London Nancy BIRD Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London Genetics Institute (UGI), University College London Yousuke KAWAI Genome Medical Science Project, National Institute of Global Health and Medicine, National Institute for Health Security NCBN Controls WGS Consortium Minoru SAKAMOTO National Museum of Japanese History Yuichi KAMEDA Division of Human Evolution, Paleontology and Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture Noboru ADACHI Department of Legal Medicine, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi Ken-ichi SHINODA National Museum of Nature and Science Naruya SAITOU National Institute of Genetics Tatsuhiko HAMADA Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama University 論文 (Research article) 10.18926/70052 This paper reports on the integrative research findings of the human bones excavated from the Inome Cave Site in Shimane Prefecture, based on dietary estimation using carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis, radiocarbon dating, and whole genome analysis. The dates of the analyzed human bones span a wide range, from the Middle to Late Kofun period, the Nara period to the Early Heian period, and the Middle to Late Heian period, indicating that the Inome Cave Site was continuously used as a burial place. Dietary habits were a mixture of C3 resources (C3 plants and terrestrial animals that consumed C3 plants) and marine resources, with individual variations in the intake of marine and terrestrial resources. A correlation was observed between differences in dietary habits and individual variations in the Jomon ratio in the nuclear genome, with individuals who consumed higher amounts of marine resources tending to have a higher Jomon ratio. This suggests that individuals with different backgrounds were buried in the same site due to interactions with surrounding settlements. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd Acta Medica Okayama 2050-084X 14 2026 Dorsoventral-mediated Shh induction is required for axolotl limb regeneration RP106917 EN Sakiya Yamamoto Okayama University, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology Saya Furukawa Okayama University, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology Ayaka Ohashi Okayama University, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology Mayuko Hamada Okayama University, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology Akira Satoh Okayama University, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) exhibit a remarkable ability to regenerate limbs. Classical experiments have suggested that contact between cells derived from distinct orientations―dorsal, ventral, anterior, and posterior―within the regenerating blastema is necessary for accurate limb pattern formation. However, the molecular basis for this requirement has remained largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that both dorsal and ventral tissues are required for limb formation via induction of Shh expression, which plays a crucial role in limb patterning. Using the accessory limb model, we induced position-specific blastemas lacking cells derived from a single orientation (anterior, posterior, dorsal, or ventral). Limb patterning occurred only in blastemas containing both dorsal- and ventral-derived cells. We further observed that Shh expression requires dorsoventral contact within a blastema, highlighting the necessity of dorsoventral contact for inducing Shh expression. Additionally, we identified WNT10B and FGF2 as dorsal- and ventral-mediated signals, respectively, that create the inductive environment for Shh expression. Our findings clarify the role of dorsal and ventral cells in inducing Shh, a mechanism that has rarely been studied in the context of limb regeneration and pattern formation. This model provides new insights into how cells with different positional identities drive the regeneration process. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 1422-0067 26 12 2025 Specific Heat-Killed Lactic Acid Bacteria Enhance Mucosal Aminopeptidase N Activity in the Small Intestine of Aged Mice 5742 EN Takeshi Tsuruta Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mami Wakisaka Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takumi Watanabe Bio-Lab Co., Ltd. Aoi Nishijima Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Akihito Ikeda Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mao Teraoka Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tianyang Wang Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kuiyi Chen Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Naoki Nishino Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Aminopeptidase N (APN), an enzyme expressed in the small intestinal mucosa, is involved in dietary protein digestion. Previous studies have shown that oral administration of fermented milk containing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) enhances mucosal APN activity in young mice. This study aimed to investigate whether LAB strains stimulate mucosal APN activity in aged mice and to evaluate its relevance to age-related changes in body composition. The underlying molecular mechanisms were also explored in vitro. Experiment 1: Aged C57BL/6J mice were fed diets supplemented with heat-killed LAB strains―Enterococcus faecalis OU-23 (EF), Leuconostoc mesenteroides OU-03 (LM), or Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SNK12 (LP). Compared to the aged Control group, the ileal APN activity was significantly higher in the LP group. LP administration also elevated serum Gla-osteocalcin levels and decreased serum CTX-1 levels. Experiment 2: IEC-6 cells were co-cultured with LP that had been treated with RNase, DNase, or lysozyme. APN activity was significantly lower in cells co-cultured with DNase- or lysozyme-treated LP compared to those co-cultured with untreated LP. A specific LAB strain may enhance mucosal APN activity in the aged intestine, potentially contributing to improved bone metabolism. This effect may be mediated by bacterial DNA and peptidoglycan. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1521-6543 65 4 2013 Synthesis of biopterin and related pterin glycosides 300 309 EN Tadashi Hanaya Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Hiroshi Yamamoto School of Pharmacy, Shujitsu University Certain pterins having a hydroxyalkyl side chain at C-6 have been found as glycosidic forms in certain prokaryotes, such as 2′-O-(α-D-glucopyranosyl)biopterin from various kinds of cyanobacteria, and limipterin from a green sulfur photosynthetic bacterium. Synthetic studies on glycosides of biopterin and related pterins have been made in view of the structural proof as well as for closer examination of their biological activities and functions. The syntheses of these natural pterin glycosides have effectively been achieved, mostly through appropriately protected N2-(N,N-dimethylaminomethylene)-3-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethyl]pterin derivatives as glycosyl acceptors, and are reviewed here. © 2013 IUBMB Life 65(4):300–309, 2013. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

The Japan Institute of Heterocyclic Chemistry Acta Medica Okayama 0385-5414 85 10 2012 Synthetic Studies on Natural Pterin Glycosides 2375 2390 EN Tadashi Hanaya Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Hiroshi Yamamoto School of Pharmacy, Shujitsu University Some pterins having various kind of sugars attached to the hydroxyalkyl side-chain at C-6 are known to occur in certain prokaryotes as exemplified by 2'-O-(α-D-glucopyranosyl)biopterin isolated from various kinds of cyanobacteria. A synthetic exploration of various types of glycosides of biopterin and related pterins has been undertaken owing to a marked interest in their physiological functions and biological activities as well as the structural proof of those natural products. This review summarizes our synthetic studies on natural pterin glycosides by employing the appropriately protected N2-(N,N-dimethylaminomethylene)-3-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethyl]pterin derivatives as glycosyl accepters. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0008-6215 558 2025 First total synthesis of cyanopterin, a pterin glycoside isolated from a cyanobacterium 109710 EN Tadashi Hanaya Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Yuta Maeda Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Kazumasa Ejiri Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University The first total synthesis and structural identification of cyanopterin, a pterin glycoside isolated from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, has been accomplished. The synthesis was achieved by convergent coupling of three key derivatives: d-glucuronate, d-galactose, and 6-hydroxymethylpterin. An α-selective glycosylation enabled efficient construction of the glucuronate–galactose disaccharide, while subsequent β-exclusive glycosylation with the 6-hydroxymethylpterin derivative furnished the desired pterin–disaccharide glycoside. Final deprotection provided cyanopterin in its natural form, allowing confirmation of its precise structure. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japanese Society of Tribologists Acta Medica Okayama 1881-2198 20 4 2025 Tribological Properties of Amorphous-SiC-Based Coatings on Al2O3 Substrates in Normal Saline 212 219 EN Tadashi Shiota Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Daiki Taniya Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kazuma Shimazaki Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Chiyu Nakano Department of Comprehensive Technical Solutions, Okayama University Yuya Omiya Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Masahiro Fujii Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Amorphous SiC (a-SiC)-based coatings containing not only Si–C bonds but also C–Si–O, C–C, and Si–O2 bonds were deposited on Al2O3 substrates via pulsed laser deposition. Sliding tests using SiC ceramic balls in normal saline revealed that the coating exhibited a low friction coefficient of 0.05-0.06 at a shorter running-in process than SiC bulk ceramic plates. The specific wear rate of the coating was also lower than that of the SiC plate. Reactive molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the C–Si–O bonds in the coating facilitated the generation of Si–O units, which contained Si–O bonds but no Si-C bonds, through tribochemical reactions with water, resulting in superior tribological properties in normal saline compared to those of SiC plates. These findings demonstrate that a-SiC-based coatings containing C–Si–O bonds are promising as low-friction and low-wear coatings for biomedical implants such as ceramic joint prostheses. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2076-2615 16 3 2026 Impact of the July 2018 Heavy Rain Disaster on the Endangered Nagoya Daruma Pond Frog (Pelophylax porosus brevipodus) in Rice Fields of Mabi Town, Kurashiki City, Western Japan: Changes in Population Structure over Five Years 369 EN Ryo Nakajima Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Daisuke Azumi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Masakazu Tada Okayama Prefectural Public Interest Incorporated Foundation for Environmental Conservation Junya Nakaichi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Koki R. Katsuhara Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kazuyoshi Nakata Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Rice paddy fields (referred to below as rice fields) are important not only for food production, but also as habitats for various species. The Nagoya Daruma Pond Frog (Pelophylax porosus brevipodus) is an endangered frog species endemic to Japan, mainly living in and around rice field areas. In July 2018, heavy rainfall caused severe flooding in Mabi Town of Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, submerging numerous rice fields and affecting local frog populations, including P. porosus brevipodus. To clarify whether the population structure of P. porosus brevipodus changed following the flood disaster in the rice fields of Mabi Town, we conducted quantitative field surveys in a rice fallow field in mid-October before (2017) and after (2018, 2020–2022, excluding 2019) the flood. The number of frogs declined sharply after the 2018 flood, reaching only a few individuals by 2020, but showed a substantial recovery in 2021 following the resumption of rice cultivation, although numbers decreased again in 2022. This recovery, despite fluctuations, indicates that habitat restoration through rice farming played a key role in enabling the population to rebound. Our findings underscore the importance of maintaining and restoring rice field environments after natural disasters for the survival and long-term recovery of P. porosus brevipodus. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2590-1230 29 2026 Unified 2D polygon-based CAM framework integrating tool path generation, machinability evaluation, and cutting-force simulation 108948 EN Kazuki Kaneko Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroto Takayasu Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ibaraki University Atsuya Suzuki Mechanical Systems Engineering Program, Okayama University Hiroyuki Kodama Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This study proposes a unified two-dimensional (2D) polygon-based computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) framework that enables tool path generation, machinability evaluation, material removal simulation, and cutting-force prediction within a single computational environment. The proposed method represents three-dimensional geometries as aggregates of orthogonal 2D polygon sets, obtained by slicing the model in the xy-, yz-, and zx-parallel planes and superposing the three polygonal datasets. A novel convolutional offsetting algorithm is developed to perform three-dimensional inflation and shrinkage by incorporating adjacent cross-sectional relationships, thereby achieving accurate 3D offsets independent of the slicing orientation. The inflated 2D polygons are directly utilized to generate contour and scanning tool paths, and sequential inflation–shrinkage analysis enables visualization of unmachinable regions for tool accessibility evaluation. Furthermore, the framework integrates an instantaneous cutting force model that accurately predicts the cutting force waveform by detecting intersections between the cutting edge points and 2D polygon aggregations. The system is experimentally validated via ball-end milling. The results demonstrate that tool paths can be generated in under one minute using only a CPU. Furthermore, the simulated cutting forces closely align with experimental measurements. These findings demonstrate that the proposed 2D polygon-based framework provides an efficient and extensible foundation for integrating mechanical simulation and tool-path generation. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Acta Medica Okayama 1759-9954 16 47 2025 Synthesis of sterically unhindered Lewis acidic boron-doped π-conjugated polymers 5035 5039 EN Naoki Takahashi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuta Nishina Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University We report the synthesis of sterically unhindered boron-doped π-conjugated polymers via polymerization of organo-dilithium reagents with boron trichloride. The resulting polymer exhibits Lewis acidity and catalyzes the transesterification of methyl benzoate. This performance is attributed to the electron-accepting ability, and thermally labile Lewis acid–base interactions, facilitating catalytic turnover. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) Acta Medica Okayama 2056-9890 82 2 2026 Crystal structure of tris[4-(3,4-dimethoxythiophen-2-yl)phenyl]amine E82 EN Masafumi Yano Kansai University Yukiyasu Kashiwagi Osaka Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology Koki Oishi Kansai University Minori Yano Kansai University Koichi Mitsudo Okayama University In the title compound tris­[4-(3,4-di­meth­oxy­thio­phen-2-yl)phen­yl]amine (DMOT-TPA), C36H33NO6S3, the central nitro­gen atom shows no pyramidalization, with the three para-phenyl­ene rings arranged in a propeller-like geometry. Each thio­phene ring is twisted by about 25–29° relative to the adjacent phenyl­ene ring, giving a distorted π-conjugated framework. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked through multiple C―H⋯π inter­actions into two-dimensional sheets, which extend into a three-dimensional network. A Cambridge Structural Database survey revealed no prior examples of tri­phenyl­amines bearing 3,4-di­meth­oxy­thio­phen units at the para positions. This unique structure provides new insights into the design of redox-active organic materials. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Acta Medica Okayama 2375-2548 11 44 2025 Structural insights into the divergent evolution of a photosystem I supercomplex in Euglena gracilis eaea6241 EN Koji Kato Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Advanced Research Field, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yoshiki Nakajima Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Advanced Research Field, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Runa Sakamoto Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Advanced Research Field, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Minoru Kumazawa Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University Kentaro Ifuku Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Takahiro Ishikawa Institute of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Academic Assembly, Shimane University Jian-Ren Shen Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Advanced Research Field, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Atsushi Takabayashi Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University Ryo Nagao Faculty of Agriculture, Shizuoka University Photosystem I (PSI) forms supercomplexes with light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) to perform oxygenic photosynthesis. Here, we report a 2.82-angstrom cryo–electron microscopy structure of the PSI-LHCI supercomplex from Euglena gracilis, a eukaryotic alga with secondary green alga-derived plastids. The structure reveals a PSI monomer core with eight subunits and 13 asymmetrically arranged LHCI proteins. Euglena LHCIs bind diadinoxanthin, which is one of the carotenoids typically associated with red-lineage LHCs and is not present in the canonical LHCI belt found in green-lineage PSI-LHCI structures. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the Euglena LHCIs originated from LHCII-related clades rather than from the green-lineage LHCI group and that the nuclear-encoded PSI subunit PsaD likely originated from cyanobacteria via horizontal gene transfer. These observations indicate a mosaic origin of the Euglena PSI-LHCI. Our findings uncover a noncanonical light-harvesting architecture and highlight the structural and evolutionary plasticity of photosynthetic systems, illustrating how endosymbiotic acquisition and lineage-specific adaptation shape divergent light-harvesting strategies. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Acta Medica Okayama 2694-2445 5 6 2025 Electronic Structure of the S1 State Manganese Cluster in Photosystem II Investigated Using Q-Band Selective Hole-Burning 660 671 EN Shinya Kosaki Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University Naohiko Nakamura Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University Yoshiki Nakajima Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Advanced Research Field, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Jian-Ren Shen Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Advanced Research Field, and Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroyuki Mino Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University The electronic structure of the S1 state of photosystem II (PSII) was investigated using selective hole burning of Q-band pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance. The free induction decay and spin–echo signals of the tyrosine radical YD• in the plant PSII oscillated because of the magnetic dipole–dipole interaction with the S1 state Mn cluster. The initial period was 410 ns (2.44 MHz) and was assigned to the S = 1 spin state. Based on the oscillation analysis, both Mn1 and Mn4 and both Mn2 and Mn3 were assigned as Mn(III) and Mn(IV), respectively, which is consistent with the quantum chemical calculations. The 410 ns period was accounted for in the simplified model using the isotropic spin density distribution ratio [1.6:–1.1:–1.1:1.6] for Mn1–4 ions. This oscillation was identical with that observed in the presence of methanol. The oscillation decreased in PsbP/Q- and PsbO/P/Q-depleted PSII. In Thermosynechococcus vulcanus, two periods, 390 ns (2.56 MHz) and 630 ns (1.59 MHz), were detected, indicating that the cyanobacterial S1 state includes two isomers, S = 1 and S ≥ 2 spins. The S ≥ 2 spin was not detected in PsbO/U/V-depleted PSII without polyethylene glycol. The S ≥ 2 state was consistent with the reported quantum chemical calculation using S = 3. A simplified model accounted for the S = 1 state as the spin density distribution [1.8:–1.3:–1.3:1.8] and for the S ≥ 2 state as the isotropic spin density distribution [−0.5:0.5:0.5:0.5] for Mn1–4 ions. In combination with quantum chemical calculations, the most probable protonated structure is W1 = H2O, W2 = H2O, O4 = O2–, and O5 = O2– for the S1 state. These results demonstrate that the selective hole burning method is a powerful tool to complement X-ray studies to determine the valence and protonation structure of manganese clusters, not only in the S1 state but also in higher S-states and general metal clusters, which would provide important insights into the water oxidation mechanism. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2079-6374 16 1 2026 Magnetic Detection of Cancer Cells Using Tumor-Homing Peptide-Modified Magnetic Nanoparticles 45 EN Shengli Zhou Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Yuji Furutani Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Kei Yamashita Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Sakuya Kako Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Kazunori Watanabe Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Toshihiko Kiwa Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Takashi Ohtsuki Department of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) provide a platform for target detection because of their magnetic responsiveness to alternating magnetic fields (AMFs). We developed a detection method using MNPs modified with tumor-homing peptides (THPs), PL1 and PL3, which selectively bind to protein components enriched in malignant tissues. THP-MNPs were synthesized using maleimide-PEG-NHS linkers and characterized using transmission electron microscopy. Human glioblastoma cancer U87MG and normal tissue-derived HEK293 cells were incubated with THP-MNPs, and the magnetic signals were measured using a high-temperature superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer under an AMF (1.06 kHz). Dark-field microscopy confirmed the preferential binding of THP-MNPs to U87MG cells. In the absence of cells, THP-MNPs exhibited AMF-dependent signal enhancement, which correlated with particle size reduction due to THP release. This increase was completely suppressed in the presence of U87MG cells, indicating a strong THP-mediated interaction. PL3-MNPs exhibited superior discrimination between malignant and non-malignant cells. These results demonstrate that SQUID-based magnetic measurements using THP-MNPs enable rapid and label-free cancer cell detection. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 2575-6265 6 5 2025 Seaweed Extracts Improve Salinity Tolerance in Cereal Crops―A Meta‐Analysis e70094 EN Md. Nuruzzaman Department of Plant Resources, College of Industrial Sciences, Kongju National University Md. Tahjib‐Ul‐Arif Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangladesh Agricultural University Md. Abdul Hannan Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangladesh Agricultural University Yoshiyuki Murata Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University M. Afzal Hossain Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangladesh Agricultural University Seaweeds are considered an essential component of the blue economy. Because seaweed extracts are rich in bioactive compounds that enhance plant stress resilience, exploiting this resource could offer a sustainable solution for crop production. Salinity is a major abiotic challenge that significantly impacts crop yield and food security. Through meta-analysis, we explored whether the exogenous application of seaweed extracts improves the salt tolerance of cereal crops. All the studies chosen for this study utilized aqueous seaweed extracts as foliar sprays. A multi-level meta-analysis with a mixed effects model was performed to determine the effect size. This meta-analysis demonstrated that applying aqueous seaweed extracts enhanced the shoot and root biomass under normal and salinity stress conditions, suggesting that seaweed extract can help improve crop stress tolerance. The seaweeds studied belonged to three classes: Phaeophyceae, Rhodophyta, and Chlorophyta, with extracts from Chlorophyta and Phaeophyceae significantly enhancing biomass production under salinity conditions. Applying aqueous seaweed extracts effectively improved salinity tolerance at both 34.2–100 mM and 101–400 mM NaCl equivalent salinity stress. Moreover, exogenous foliar application of ≤ 25% aqueous seaweed extracts was most effective for improving salinity tolerance in cereals. The impact of seaweed extracts on cereal crop yields has not been extensively reported; therefore, further studies should focus on this aspect. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 0018-9456 74 2025 Small Distance Increment Method for Measuring Complex Permittivity With mmWave Radar 6009610 EN Hang Song Research Institute for Semiconductor Engineering, Hiroshima University Hyun Joon Kim Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Institute of Science Tokyo Mingxia Wan Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Institute of Science Tokyo Bo Wei Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takamaro Kikkawa Research Institute for Semiconductor Engineering, Hiroshima University Jun-Ichi Takada Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Institute of Science Tokyo Measuring the complex permittivity of material is essential in many scenarios, such as quality checks in material manufacturing. Generally, measurement methods for characterizing the material are based on the use of a vector network analyzer (VNA), which is large and not easy for on-site measurement, especially in high-frequency range such as millimeter wave (mmWave). In addition, some measurement methods require the destruction of samples, which is not suitable for nondestructive inspection. In this work, a small distance increment (SDI) method is proposed to nondestructively measure the complex permittivity of a material. In SDI, the transmitter and receiver are formed as a monostatic radar, which is facing toward the material under test (MUT). During the measurement, the distance between the radar and the MUT changes with small increments, and the signals are recorded at each position. A mathematical model is formulated to depict the relationship among the complex permittivity, distance increment, and measured signals. By fitting the model, the complex permittivity of MUT is estimated. To implement and evaluate the proposed SDI method, a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) mmWave radar is utilized, and the measurement system is developed. Then, the evaluation was carried out on the acrylic plate. With the proposed method, the estimated complex permittivity of the acrylic plate shows good agreement with the literature values, demonstrating the efficacy of the SDI method for characterizing the complex permittivity of the material. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0040-8166 93 2025 Detection of the nuclear translocation of androgen receptor using quantitative and automatic cell imaging analysis 102631 EN Lanlan Bai Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Iwate University Tao Wu Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Iwate University Mizuki Fukasawa Neuro-AI Integration Science Laboratory, Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Sayo Kashiwagi Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Basic Research Development Division Haruka Tate Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Iwate University Taku Ozaki Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Iwate University Eriko Sugano Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Iwate University Hiroshi Tomita Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Iwate University Tsuyoshi Ishii Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Basic Research Development Division Takuya Akashi Neuro-AI Integration Science Laboratory, Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomokazu Fukuda Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Iwate University Testosterone signaling mediates diseases such as androgenetic alopecia and prostate cancer and is controlled by the activation of the androgen receptor (AR) and nuclear translocation of the ligand-receptor complex. This study established an immortalized dermal papilla cell line that stably expresses the AR labeled with a monomeric green fluorescence marker. The cells expressed the histone H2B protein as visualized using a red fluorescence marker, enabling the Detection of nuclear translocation under live cell conditions using image analysis. The AR was observed to be translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of cells after stimulation with dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The signal intensity of the nuclear/cytoplasm ratio was analyzed using automatic image analysis and a newly developed algorithm. The quantitation method to detect nuclear translocation revealed that the AR nuclear signal plateaued approximately 20 min after DHT exposure. Our developed method has the potential to save human labor by the automatic process of the image. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Ceramic Society of Japan Acta Medica Okayama 1348-6535 134 1 2026 Structural and spectroscopic characterization of keatite (SiO2) 1 4 EN Masami Kanzaki Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University Xianyu Xue Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University Keatite, a polymorph of silica rare in nature, was synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of silicon and water at 100 MPa and 600 °C. The crystal structure of keatite at 24 °C was refined by the Rietveld method using synchrotron X-ray diffraction data. The obtained structure is consistent with the results of previous studies in which some constraints were imposed during refinements. The 29Si MAS NMR spectrum of keatite shows two peaks at −113.9 and −114.3 ppm, which can be assigned to Si at the Si1 and Si2 sites, respectively. The Raman spectrum of keatite shows a prominent peak at 473 cm−1, which is attributable to the Si–O–Si bending mode of the 5-membered ring. These spectra, reported for the first time, are expected to be valuable for the identification of keatite in synthetic and natural samples. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Tech Science Press Acta Medica Okayama 1546-2226 85 2 2025 A Spectrum Allocation and Security-Sensitive Task Offloading Algorithm in MEC Using DVS 3437 3455 EN Xianwei Li School of Computer and Information Engineering, Bengbu University Bo Wei Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Xiaoying Yang School of Information Engineering, Suzhou University Amr Tolba Computer Science and Engineering Department, College of Applied Studies, King Saud University Zijian Zeng Institute of Computer Science and Digital Innovation, UCSI University Osama Alfarraj Computer Science and Engineering Department, College of Applied Studies, King Saud University With the advancements of the next-generation communication networking and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, a variety of computation-intensive applications (e.g., autonomous driving and face recognition) have emerged. The execution of these IoT applications demands a lot of computing resources. Nevertheless, terminal devices (TDs) usually do not have sufficient computing resources to process these applications. Offloading IoT applications to be processed by mobile edge computing (MEC) servers with more computing resources provides a promising way to address this issue. While a significant number of works have studied task offloading, only a few of them have considered the security issue. This study investigates the problem of spectrum allocation and security-sensitive task offloading in an MEC system. Dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) technology is applied by TDs to reduce energy consumption and computing time. To guarantee data security during task offloading, we use AES cryptographic technique. The studied problem is formulated as an optimization problem and solved by our proposed efficient offloading scheme. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme can reduce system cost while guaranteeing data security. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Laser Institute of America Acta Medica Okayama 1042-346X 37 1 2025 High-quality welding of copper and aluminum by angled laser irradiation and insert metals 012041 EN Yasuhiro Okamoto Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuki Yamada Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Akira Okada Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Masaki Miyake Kataoka Corporation Takeshi Yamamura Kataoka Corporation Katsutoshi Nagasaki Kataoka Corporation Norio Nishi Kataoka Corporation Copper is an important material in order to use electricity effectively, and aluminum is also an attractive material to perform lightweight construction. Laser welding of copper and aluminum is required, and there are some reports to weld copper and aluminum firmly by laser irradiation from the aluminum side. On the other hand, laser irradiation from the copper side requires high power density to generate a keyhole, which causes the strong convection of molten aluminum into copper. Thus, brittle intermetallic compounds with rich aluminum result in the deterioration of joining strength. Angled laser irradiation enables mild heat input to the aluminum side, and the combination of angled and superposed irradiation of blue and near-infrared (NIR) lasers achieved a remarkable increase of breaking strength. However, the breaking strength is still lower than the base materials. Therefore, insert materials between copper and aluminum plates were investigated by the angled irradiation of blue and NIR lasers from the copper side. The breaking strength with insert materials showed higher values in the order of titanium mesh, nickel foil, and nickel mesh, and its value with the nickel mesh was close to the tensile strength of aluminum in a cross tensile test. Further improvement of breaking strength is possible by inserting the nickel mesh between copper and aluminum plates in the case of angled irradiation of blue and NIR lasers even from the copper side. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japanese Society of Breeding Acta Medica Okayama 1344-7610 75 3 2025 Polyphyletic domestication and inter-lineage hybridization magnified genetic diversity of cultivated melon, Cucumis melo L. 168 178 EN Katsunori Tanaka Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University Gentaro Shigita Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Tran Phuong Dung Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Phan Thi Phuong Nhi University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University Mami Takahashi Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Yuki Monden Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hidetaka Nishida Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ryuji Ishikawa Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University Kenji Kato Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Melon accessions with diverse geographical origins were classified into large and small seed-types by length of seed at the boundary of 9 mm, and into five populations based on polymorphisms in the nuclear genome. They were further divided into three maternal lineages, Ia, Ib, and Ic, by polymorphisms in the chloroplast genome. By combining these three classifications, the Europe/US subsp. melo and the East Asian subsp. agrestis were characterized as [large seed, Ib, PopA1 or A2] and [small seed, Ia, PopB1 or B2], respectively, indicating nearly perfect divergence. In South Asia, in addition to the Europe/US and East Asian types, recombinant types between the two types were detected and accounted for 34.8% of South Asian melon. The finding of such an intermixed structure of genetic variation supported the Indian origin of Ia and Ib types. As to Momordica popular in South Asia, seed length was intermediate between the large and small seed-types, and chloroplast type was a mixture of Ia and Ib, suggesting its origin from the recombinant type. In Africa, three lineages of melon were distributed allopatrically and showed distinct divergence. Subsp. agrestis of the Ic type proved to be endemic to Africa, indicating its African origin. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 1465-3249 27 8 2025 Clinical outcomes of Japanese patients treated with out-of-specification tisagenlecleucel in a phase 3b trial 938 943 EN Koji Kato Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital Jun Kato Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine Hideki Goto Division of Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital Takeshi Kobayashi Hematology Division, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center Komagome Hospital Yoshiyuki Takahashi Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine Emiko Sakaida Department of Hematology, Chiba University Hospital Hidefumi Hiramatsu Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University Masahide Yamamoto Department of Hematology, Institute of Science Tokyo Hospital Satoshi Yoshihara Department of Hematology, Hyogo Medical University Hospital Jun Ando Department of Cell Therapy and Transfusion Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine Katsuyoshi Koh Department of Hematology/Oncology, Saitama Children’s Medical Center Kentaro Fukushima Department of Hematology and Oncology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine Fumiko Iwamoto Medical Affairs, Novartis Pharma K.K. Ranjan Tiwari Development Advance Quantitative Sciences, Novartis Healthcare Private Limited Nobuharu Fujii Department of Hematology and Oncology, Okayama University Hospital Background: The final manufactured tisagenlecleucel product should meet the commercial product release specifications to ensure the quality in terms of safety, purity, identity, and potency. However, it may occasionally fail to meet these specifications due to the nature of patient-derived cells with variable properties as starting material and the complex manufacturing process. The final product that does not meet at least one of the commercial release specifications is referred to as “out-of-specification” (OOS). However, the benefit-risk profile of OOS tisagenlecleucel has not yet been fully elucidated.<br> Aims: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of OOS tisagenlecleucel in Japanese patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).<br> Methods: This is a single-arm, open-label, multicenter phase 3b study (NCT04094311). Patients consistent with label indication were enrolled and followed-up for 3 months.<br> Results: Of the 29 patients enrolled between December 2019 and May 2022 across 13 qualified sites in Japan, 28 received tisagenlecleucel, and of these, 23 had r/r DLBCL and 5 had r/r B-ALL. The primary reasons for OOS were low cell viability (15 of 24 batches) and low dose (8 of 23 batches) tisagenlecleucel in the r/r DLBCL group, and high dose (4 of 5 batches) in the r/r B-ALL group. In patients with r/r DLBCL, the grade 3 or 4 cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome occurred in 3 and 1 patients, respectively. Response assessments were performed for 15 of 23 patients with r/r DLBCL: 6 achieved a complete response, and 1 achieved a partial response as the best response within 3 months.<br> Conclusions: Despite the limited patient sample size, our findings affirm that the infusion of OOS tisagenlecleucel is a viable option, with no observed increase in toxicity and outcomes comparable to those of in-specification products in clinical and real-world studies. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0007-8506 74 1 2025 Improvement of anodic oxide film characteristics of Al-Cu alloy by refinement of IMCs with large-area electron beam irradiation 263 267 EN T. Shinonaga Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science & Technology, Okayama University A. Sebe Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science & Technology, Okayama University M. Taniguchi Shimano Research Laboratories, R&D Strategy Dept., SHIMANO INC. T. Fujii Shimano Research Laboratories, R&D Strategy Dept., SHIMANO INC. A. Okada Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science & Technology, Okayama University Al-Cu alloy has been widely applied to automobile products due to its light weight and high strength, but pitting corrosion easily occurs due to intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in Al-Cu alloy. Anodizing process has been conventionally performed to improve the corrosion resistance of Al-Cu alloy surface. However, IMCs in Al-Cu alloy lead to defects in anodic oxide film. In this study, refinement of IMCs in Al-Cu alloy surface by large-area EB irradiation was proposed. Experimental results show that reflectance and corrosion resistance of anodic oxide film formed on Al-Cu alloy surface are improved by refinement of IMCs with the EB irradiation. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Iron and Steel Institute of Japan Acta Medica Okayama 0915-1559 65 13 2025 Heat Transfer Enhancement by Forming Bridges among Reactive Particles in a Packed Bed Reactor of a Solid-gas Chemical Heat Storage System 2097 2104 EN Koichi Nakaso Faculty of Environmental, Life Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kenji Shimada Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yasushi Mino Faculty of Environmental, Life Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kuniaki Gotoh Faculty of Environmental, Life Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University In this study, the enhancement of the thermal output of solid-gas chemical heat storage systems was investigated. Bridges made of high-thermal conductivity materials were formed among reactive particles by drying a slurry which contained graphite powder as a thermal additive and dispersant in a packed-bed reactor. First, the effect of the volume ratio of the dispersant on effective thermal conductivity was investigated. The optimum volume ratio of dispersant to graphite powder was determined. Furthermore, repetitive bridge formation increased the effective thermal conductivity. Based on these results, we investigated the thermal response of the energy-discharge process. Consequently, the temperature distribution in the radial direction of the reactor decreased owing to the formation of bridges. In addition, the thermal energy generated by the adsorption of water vapor onto the adsorbent was effectively transferred to the reactor wall. The thermal output was estimated based on the experimental results. The thermal output was increased by the formation of bridges. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 2169-3536 13 2025 Adaptive Topological Mapping With Free Area-Based Node Deletion for Autonomous Mobile Robots EN Haruka Ozaki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuichiro Toda Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Naoki Masuyama Graduate School of Informatics, Osaka Metropolitan University Kai Fuji Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takayuki Matsuno Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This paper proposes an adaptive topological map building method, called Adaptive Resonance Theory-based Topological Clustering with Different Topologies (ATC-DT), for autonomous mobile robots using 3D point cloud data. ATC-DT framework integrates a novel node deletion mechanism that detects layout changes through free area detection. This allows the robot to update topological maps dynamically, removing outdated nodes caused by environmental changes. Experiments in real environments validate the ability of the method to perform global path planning, free area estimation, and adaptive navigation. The approach significantly improves navigation performance by improving map relevance and reducing redundancy of paths. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2405-8440 11 11 2025 Suppression of defect in plated film on AMed metal products by electron beam polishing e43440 EN Togo Shinonaga Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuki Matsuda Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Akira Okada Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Additively manufactured (AMed) metal products with high shape accuracy can be produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). However, the AMed metal products have large surface roughness due to the arrangement of bead shape. Surface irregularities such as spatter and small cavity are also generated on the surface. Furthermore, elemental composition of AMed metal products may be changed from that of original metal powder due to oxidation of surface. On the other hand, electroless plating has been applied to improvement of surface functions. However, defect is often generated in the plated film due to surface irregularities and oxidation of base material. Therefore, surface smoothing methods are required for suppression of defect in plated film.<br> In this study, surface smoothing and surface repairing of AMed aluminum (Al) alloy were performed by electron beam (EB) polishing with large-area EB. After the EB polishing, electroless plating was conducted on the AMed Al alloy, and suppression of defect in plated film was proposed. Experimental results show that surface smoothing, surface repairing and removal of oxidization layer of AMed Al alloy can be done simultaneously by the EB polishing. Furthermore, the plated film without defect can be successfully formed on the EB polished Al alloy. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Oxford University Press (OUP) Acta Medica Okayama 0305-1048 53 22 2025 eIF2D promotes 40S ribosomal subunit recycling during intrinsic ribosome destabilization gkaf1322 EN Kazuya Ichihara Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University Taichi Shiraishi Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University Yuhei Chadani Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuki Kito Division of Cell Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University Chisa Shiraishi Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University Mina Hirata Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University Yuta Takahashi Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University Akinao Kobo School of Life Science and Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo Atsushi Hatano Department of Omics and Systems Biology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University Masaki Matsumoto Department of Omics and Systems Biology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University Kodai Machida Graduate School of Engineering, University of Hyogo Hiroaki Imataka Graduate School of Engineering, University of Hyogo Atsushi Toyoda Advanced Genomics Center, National Institute of Genetics Emi Mishiro-Sato Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University Takayuki Nojima Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University Takuhiro Ito Laboratory for Translation Structural Biology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences Hideki Taguchi School of Life Science and Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo Keiichi I Nakayama Division of Cell Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University Akinobu Matsumoto Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University Although eukaryotic initiation factor 2D (eIF2D) is implicated in translation initiation, reinitiation, and ribosome recycling, its precise role remains unclear. Here, we show that eIF2D promotes 40S ribosome recycling during intrinsic ribosome destabilization (IRD), a process in which ribosomes stochastically destabilize while translating proteins with consecutive acidic amino acids at their NH2-terminus. Unrecycled 40S ribosomes accumulate in eIF2D-deficient cells, leading to 80S ribosome stalling. Selective translation complex profiling (TCP-seq) reveals that eIF2D preferentially associates with IRD-prone regions. The winged helix domain, unique to eIF2D but absent in MCTS1–DENR, enhances its binding to 40S subunits, but likely clashes with ABCE1 during stop-codon-associated recycling. Loss of eIF2D reduces the expression of IRD-inducing proteins, including splicing factors. Together, these findings define a previously unappreciated role for eIF2D in 40S recycling and clarify its mechanistic divergence from the MCTS1–DENR complex. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Oxford University Press (OUP) Acta Medica Okayama 1347-6947 89 6 2025 PNGase activity and free N-glycans in phloem fluid prepared from Nerium oleander (oleander tree) 872 875 EN Fuki Otaguro Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yoshinobu Kimura Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Megumi Maeda Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Free N-glycans (FNGs) occur ubiquitously in growing plants. Recently, it was reported that these FNGs interact with auxin. In this study, we investigated whether PNGase activity responsible for producing the FNGs occurs in the extracellular fluid, where auxin is present during its polar transfer. Here, we report the occurrences of PNGase activity and FNGs in the phloem fluid. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0169-555X 493 2026 Coast uplifted by nearby shore-parallel active submarine faults during the 2024 Mw 7.5 Noto Peninsula earthquake 110069 EN Hideaki Goto Hiroshima University Tomoru Yamanaka Natural History Museum and Institute Chiba Tomohiro Makita Hiroshima University Yoshiya Iwasa University of Teacher Education Fukuoka Takuro Ogura Hyogo University of Teacher Education Kyoko Kagohara Yamaguchi University Yasuhiro Kumahara Hiroshima University Yasuhiro Suzuki Nagoya University Nobuhisa Matta Okayama University Tatsuto Aoki Kanazawa University Wataru Mori Hiroshima University Kenta Haranishi Hiroshima University Takashi Nakata Hiroshima University An Mw 7.5 earthquake occurred at 16:10 JST on January 1, 2024 at a depth of 16 km on the Noto Peninsula, central Japan. This earthquake was the second-largest intraplate earthquake recorded in Japan during 120 years of seismic observation, and it caused approximately 100 km of coastal seafloor emergence along the peninsula's northern coast. Herein, we mapped the emergence of this coastal seafloor and measured the uplift along the coast. The movement of the coastline led to the emergence of approximately 4.4 km2 of seafloor, which is continuous and probably the longest in the world. We determined the uplift distribution along the coast using the white remains of a reddish seaweed called Corallina pilulifera. Its upper limit exhibited a distinct horizontal line, effectively representing the uplift amount throughout the peninsula. Two large, uplifted regions were identified, around Cape Saruyama (5.21 m) in the west and Cape Kurasaki (2.70 m) in the north. Although active offshore submarine faults have been extensively researched, the fault traces remain poorly defined because they are primarily interpreted from seismic reflection profiles. We identified the distribution of active submarine faults using anaglyph-type stereoscopic images, confirming the subsurface deformation structure seen through the seismic reflection profiles. The main fault trace is primarily straight and contiguous with the nearby north coast. The uplift amount is greater near the active fault traces on the north side and diminishes sharply with increasing distance from these faults, indicating a southward tilt of surface uplift related to the active submarine faults. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japanese Society for Horticultural Science Acta Medica Okayama 2189-0102 94 3 2025 Effect of Storage Temperature and a Sugar-ester Edible Coating on Postharvest Quality and Storage Life of ‘Fuyu’ Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) 401 407 EN Maqsood Muqadas Graduate School of Environmental, Life Science, Natural Science and Technology Okayama University Oscar W. Mitalo Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba Kyohei Ohashi Graduate School of Environmental, Life Science, Natural Science and Technology Okayama University Takumi Otsuki Graduate School of Environmental, Life Science, Natural Science and Technology Okayama University Chikara Yano Graduate School of Environmental, Life Science, Natural Science and Technology Okayama University Ziaurrahman Hejazi Graduate School of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki Natsuki Hira Shiga R&amp;D Center, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation Koichiro Ushijima Graduate School of Environmental, Life Science, Natural Science and Technology Okayama University Yasutaka Kubo Graduate School of Environmental, Life Science, Natural Science and Technology Okayama University In ‘Fuyu’ persimmons (Diospyros kaki Thunb.), crunchiness is a preferred postharvest attribute among both distributors and consumers. The present study first examined softening characteristics during storage at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25°C. Fruit stored at 0°C remained firm for 84 d, while that stored at 5°C had a 100% softening rate within 35 d. At 10 and 15°C, over 70% of fruit softened within 49 d and 63 d, respectively. The softening rate was relatively slower at 20 and 25°C, with only 27% softened fruit after 56 d at 25°C. The potential of a newly developed sugar-ester (SE) edible coating to delay fruit softening and maintain postharvest quality was then assessed during storage at 0 and 25°C. Uncoated fruit stored at 0°C for 56 d developed chilling injury (CI) symptoms (rapid fruit softening and peel browning) within 2 d of rewarming at 20°C. These CI symptoms were notably mitigated in SE-coated fruit. At 25°C, SE coating also delayed fruit softening and peel color change in addition to reducing fruit shrinkage. In conclusion, in ‘Fuyu’ persimmons ambient temperature (20–25°C) storage in combination with an edible SE coating is recommended for the high demand Christmas and new year seasons and 0°C storage with an edible SE coating is suitable for longer storage and distribution. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0010-9452 194 2026 Increasing visual uncertainty modulates multisensory decision-making 50 62 EN Xiangfu Yang Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Weiping Yang Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Hubei University Yinghua Yu Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Yoshimichi Ejima Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Jiajia Yang Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University The brain integrates and transforms information from multiple senses to make optimal decisions, a process that is critical for navigating complex environments with perceptual uncertainty. Despite a growing consensus that individuals adapt flexibly to uncertain sensory input, whether increasing visual uncertainty influences the decision process itself or other, non-decision sensory processes during multisensory decision-making are unclear. Here, an audiovisual categorization task was used to examine the responses of human participants (N = 30) to visual and audiovisual stimuli under low-, medium-, and high-uncertainty conditions. Modeling the behavioral data using a drift‒diffusion model indicated that increased visual uncertainty in the audiovisual context decreased the evidence accumulation rate but had no effect on non-decision processes. Electrophysiological recordings confirmed and expanded upon these results: increased visual uncertainty in the audiovisual context reduced the amplitude during the late decision-making stage (300–380 msec) but had no effect on the amplitude during the early sensory encoding stage (140–220 msec). More importantly, electroencephalography analyses revealed that audiovisual integration in the early sensory encoding stage occurred robustly across all visual uncertainty conditions, whereas audiovisual integration in the late stage occurred only under medium and high visual uncertainty conditions. This study demonstrated that increased visual uncertainty modulates the decision process itself rather than early sensory encoding during multisensory decision-making. Moreover, multisensory integration strategies dynamically adapt to increasing visual uncertainty by engaging different mechanisms to maintain effective decision-making. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Fuji Technology Press Ltd. Acta Medica Okayama 1883-8049 37 6 2025 Directed Poisoning Attacks on FRIT in Adaptive Cruise Control 1392 1399 EN Taichi Ikezaki Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kenji Sawada Graduate school of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Osaka Osamu Kaneko Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications Recent advances in connected-vehicle technologies have enabled the large-scale collection of driving data, facilitating the deployment of data-driven control schemes. Although these methods offer advantages by eliminating the need for explicit modeling, they also introduce vulnerabilities due to their reliance on stored data. This study investigates a class of targeted data poisoning attacks on fictitious reference iterative tuning, a widely used data-driven controller tuning approach. We present a method that allows an adversary to influence closed-loop dynamics by manipulating the training data so that the resulting controller behavior matches a maliciously defined reference response. This strategy differs from conventional poisoning attacks, which aim only to the degrade control performance. Instead, it enables deliberate alteration of control characteristics such as overshoot and convergence time. The proposed attack is formulated as a constrained optimization problem under bounded tampering signals. Through a numerical study involving adaptive cruise control with stop functionality, we show that minor data modifications, indistinguishable from sensor noise, can cause significant degradation in control behavior. These findings highlight the need for robust security mechanisms in data-driven control implementation. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

SAGE Publications Acta Medica Okayama 1468-0874 2025 Effects of size factors and velocity of impinging diesel spray flames on wall heat transfer EN Yoshimitsu Kobashi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ryoga Hirai Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University Gen Shibata Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University Hideyuki Ogawa Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University To examine the effects of size and velocity of impinging diesel spray flames on wall heat transfer, this study conducted visualization of the spray flame and measurements of wall heat flux in a constant volume vessel. The impinging flame velocity was varied by adjusting the injection velocity. To vary the flame size independently of the flame velocity, the nozzle orifice diameter and the nozzle-to-wall distance were varied under similarity conditions, while maintaining a constant ratio of nozzle-to-wall distance to orifice diameter. Care was taken to minimize wall interference from the liquid phase and unburned regions of the spray flame by employing a high cetane number fuel and increasing the nozzle-to-wall distance. The experimental results showed that the wall heat flux increased as the impinging velocity increased, and the flame width decreased. The power-law correlations between the Nusselt and Reynolds numbers were determined based on the experimental results, revealing that the exponent of the Reynolds number reaches a local minimum at the impingement point. As the radial displacement from the impingement point increases, the exponent of the Reynolds number approaches approximately 0.8, which is a typical value for turbulent wall flow. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers Acta Medica Okayama 1880-5566 20 2 2025 DNS analysis on the correlation between local burning velocity and flame displacement speed of turbulent premixed flames 25-00212 EN Kazuya TSUBOI Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The local burning velocity and flame displacement speed are the major properties of premixed flames. The local burning velocity, which is the instantaneous quantity based on the local consumption rate of the unburnt mixture, is considered to be the most appropriate burning velocity in terms of the definition. The local burning velocity can be evaluated theoretically and numerically; however, it is almost impossible to obtain it experimentally using the current technology of measurement. The flame displacement speed can be evaluated more easily than the local burning velocity and compared with the flame displacement speed obtained from experiments. However, the local burning velocity and flame displacement speed have been discussed separately in turbulent premixed flames. In this study, to clarify the relation between the local burning velocity and the flame displacement speed, numerical analyses were performed using the DNS database of statistically steady and fully developed turbulent premixed flames with different density ratios of the unburnt mixture to the burnt product and with different Lewis numbers. It was found that for different density ratios, the local burning velocity was little sensitive to the flame displacement speed in any case under the unity Lewis number. This means the correlation between the local burning velocity and the flame displacement speed is little affected by the dilation of a flame. For different Lewis numbers, the correlation between the local burning velocity and the flame displacement speed was negative in Le = 0.8, and positive in Le = 1.2. This can be explained by the effect of the Lewis number on the local burning velocity, and the flame displacement speed was little affected by the Lewis number in the correlation between the local burning velocity and the flame displacement speed. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Astronomical Society Acta Medica Okayama 0004-637X 992 1 2025 Observing Supernova Neutrino Light Curves with Super-Kamiokande. VI. A Practical Data Analysis Technique Considering Realistic Experimental Backgrounds 27 EN Fumi Nakanishi Department of Physics, Okayama University Ken’ichiro Nakazato Faculty of Arts and Science, Kyushu University Masayuki Harada Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University of Tokyo Yusuke Koshio Department of Physics, Okayama University Ryuichiro Akaho Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University Yosuke Ashida Department of Physics, Tohoku University Akira Harada National Institute of Technology, Ibaraki College Masamitsu Mori Division of Science, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan Kohsuke Sumiyoshi National Institute of Technology, Numazu College Yudai Suwa Department of Earth Science and Astronomy, The University of Tokyo Roger A. Wendell Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), Todai Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo Masamichi Zaizen Department of Earth Science and Astronomy, The University of Tokyo Neutrinos from supernovae, especially those emitted during the late phase of core collapse, are essential for understanding the final stages of massive star evolution. We have been dedicated to developing methods for the analysis of neutrinos emitted during the late phase and observed at Super-Kamiokande (SK). Our previous studies have successfully demonstrated the potential of various analysis methods in extracting essential physical properties; however, the lack of background consideration has limited their practical application. In this study, we address this issue by incorporating a realistic treatment of the experimental signal and background events with the on-going SK experiment. We therefore optimize our analysis framework to reflect realistic observational conditions, including both signal and background events. Using this framework we study several long-time supernova models, simulating the late phase neutrino observation in SK and focusing in particular on the identification of the last observed event. We discuss the possibility of model discrimination methods using timing information from this last observed event. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2772-3755 11 2025 Robustness of the RGB image-based estimation for rice above-ground biomass by utilizing the dataset collected across multiple locations 100998 EN Kota Nakajima Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Kazuki Saito International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Yasuhiro Tsujimoto Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Toshiyuki Takai Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Atsushi Mochizuki CHIBA Prefectural Agriculture and Forestry Research Center Tomoaki Yamaguchi Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University Ali Ibrahim Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), Regional Station for the Sahel Salifou Goube Mairoua Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) Bruce Haja Andrianary Laboratoire des Radioisotopes, Université d′Antananarivo Keisuke Katsura Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Yu Tanaka Graduate School of Environment, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Above-ground biomass (AGB) is a critical phenotype representing crop growth. Non-invasive evaluations of AGB, including deep-learning-based red-green-blue (RGB) image analyses, are often specific to the training data. The robustness of the estimation model across untrained conditions is essential to monitor crop productivity globally, but it has yet to be fully assessed. This study aims to assess the robustness of a convolutional neural network (CNN) model for rice AGB estimation across five locations in three countries, and to demonstrate the feasibility of robust model via a practical approach. From transplanting to heading, 1957 RGB images were captured vertically downward over the rice canopy, covering approximately 1 m2. First, a base model was established using data collected from a single location. Then, its robustness was assessed using test datasets taken from the other four locations. The CNN model showed a significant variation in estimation accuracy across the untrained four locations, indicating insufficient robustness of the base model. Subsequently, we quantitatively tested the impact of improving training data diversity on model robustness by adding data from each of the four locations to the base model's training data. Adding at most 48 data points from a location achieved practical accuracy for the added location, with R2Ad above 0.8. Interestingly, adding data from one location sometimes improved the accuracy for other untrained locations as well. These findings suggest that collecting diverse training data for RGB-based estimation, combined with evaluation of robustness paves the way for on-site and instant AGB monitoring of rice. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 79 6 2025 COVID-19 and the Risks of Migraine and Headache: A Mendelian Randomization Study 413 419 EN Zhiyun Jiang Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University Ying Xi Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University Original Article 10.18926/AMO/69843 Several observational studies suggested that migraine headache attacks were associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We investigated genetic causal links between COVID-19 phenotypes and the development of headache and migraine, including migraine with aura (MA) and migraine without aura (MO). We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to estimate the genetic association in European populations. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the main approach in the MR analyses, together with weighted median and MR-Egger methods. We also performed a series of sensitivity tests to assess the robustness of the MR results. The MR results demonstrated that COVID-19 severity, hospitalization, and susceptibility had no causal effect on the risks of headache, migraine, MA, or MO. No horizontal pleiotropy was detected, and the results were robust as supported by the sensitivity analysis findings. Our analyses identified no casual effect of COVID-19 severity, hospitalization, or susceptibility on the risks of headache or migraine in European populations. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Frontiers Media SA Acta Medica Okayama 1662-453X 19 2025 Effects of visual spatial frequency on audiovisual interaction: an event-related potential study 1599114 EN Fengxia Wu School of Artificial Intelligence, Changchun University of Science and Technology Yanna Ren Department of Psychology, College of Humanities and Management, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Tengfei Hao School of Artificial Intelligence, Changchun University of Science and Technology Jingjing Yang School of Artificial Intelligence, Changchun University of Science and Technology Qiong Wu Department of Psychology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology Jiajia Yang Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Meng Wang School of Artificial Intelligence, Changchun University of Science and Technology Spatial frequency is a fundamental characteristic of visual signals that modulates the audiovisual integration behavior, but the neural mechanisms underlying spatial frequency are not well established. In the present study, the high temporal resolution of event-related potentials was used to investigate how visual spatial frequency modulates audiovisual integration. A visual orientation discrimination task was used, and the spatial frequency of visual stimuli was manipulated under three conditions. Results showed that the influence of visual spatial frequency on audiovisual integration is a dynamic process. The earliest audiovisual integration occurred over the left temporal-occipital regions in the early sensory stage (60–90 ms) for high spatial frequency conditions but was absent for low and middle spatial frequency conditions. In addition, audiovisual integration over fronto-central regions was delayed as spatial frequency increased (from 230–260 ms to 260–320 ms). The integration effect was also observed over parietal and occipital regions at 350–380 ms, and its strength gradually decreased at higher spatial frequencies. These discrepancies in the temporal and spatial distributions of audiovisual integration imply that the role of spatial frequency varies between early sensory and late cognitive stages. The findings of this study offer the first neural demonstration that spatial frequency modulates audiovisual integration, thus providing a basis for studying complex multisensory integration, especially in semantic and emotional domains. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0264-1275 260 2025 An entangled material made from fiber aerosol deposition method 115195 EN Hongwu Yu Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, University of Okayama Naoshi Ikeda Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, University of Okayama Masakazu Mori Ryukoku University Jun Kano Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, University of Okayama Jae-Hyuk Park School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University Jun Akedo National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology This study demonstrates the successful application of Aerosol Deposition (AD) technology to short carbon fibers (length < 1 mm), enabling the rapid, three-dimensional (3D) fabrication of objects with vertical growth rates up to 0.3 mm/s, a significant improvement over conventional additive manufacturing. Through a series of experiments using this novel Fiber Aerosol Deposition (FAD) technology, three fiber lengths (47, 85, and 111 μm) and four substrate materials (carbon, polypropylene, polyethylene, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)) were investigated. Our findings indicate that both carbon substrate entanglement and fiber length critically influence deposition efficiency. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray computed tomography (CT) analyses reveal that during formation, longer fibers (>100 μm) initially create a cage-like framework, which is subsequently filled by shorter fibers. Density measurements and fiber distribution analysis confirmed that structures predominantly composed of shorter fibers exhibit higher packing densities, consistent with their role as filler material. These results collectively suggest that the FAD method’s formation mechanism relies on frictional entanglement rather than the room-temperature impact consolidation (RTIC) effect characteristic of traditional AD. This breakthrough presents a promising new technique for forming short fibers into functional 3D architectures, with potential applications extending to proteins, polymer fibers, and biomaterial fibers. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

AIP Publishing Acta Medica Okayama 0021-9606 163 22 2025 Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of hydrogen fluoride dimers in solid parahydrogen 224312 EN Yuki Miyamoto Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Hiroki Ooe Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Susumu Kuma Department of Physics, Rikkyo University We investigate the Fourier-transform infrared spectra of hydrogen fluoride dimers in solid parahydrogen, the detailed analysis of which has remained unexplored. We propose a plausible analysis based on concentration dependence, light polarization, annealing, and time evolution. The absorption lines exhibited multiple peaks, with intensity ratios significantly altered by annealing and by time evolution at a constant temperature. The spectral patterns and isotopic effects suggest that the dimers do not rotate freely in solid parahydrogen, while multiple peaks arise from different stable structures, including single and double substitution sites. Unlike in the gas phase and helium droplets, no tunneling splitting was observed. The broad ν1 band suggests that some dimer structures may exhibit axial rotation. Spectral changes due to annealing likely result from site conversion, while observed IR-induced changes indicate preferential dissociation of dimers in double substitution sites. These findings still remain tentative, necessitating further experimental and theoretical studies. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Acta Medica Okayama 1523-7060 27 35 2025 Synthesis of a Pseudocytidine Nucleoside to Form a Stable and Selective Base Pair with Iso-guanosine in RNA 9749 9752 EN Ryo Miyahara Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University Yosuke Taniguchi Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Non-natural base pair formation provides insight into new functions of nucleic acids. Therefore, various artificial base pairs have been developed in both DNA and RNA. In this work, we successfully synthesized pseudocytidine from commercially available pseudouridine to form base pairs with isoguanine, also known as 2-OH-adenine, in RNA. Measurement of the melting temperature with the base pair incorporated at the center of a 13-mer RNA showed the highest value for the ψ-rC and iso-rG (2-OH-rA) base pair. This base pair formation exhibited a high melting temperature regardless of whether it was incorporated into the pyrimidine or purine strand, indicating that it can form a stable and selective duplex RNA. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Acta Medica Okayama 2155-5435 15 14 2025 Mesoporous Oxyhalide Aggregates Exhibiting Improved Photocatalytic Activity for Visible-Light H2 Evolution and CO2 Reduction 12551 12562 EN Hiroto Ueki Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo Toshiya Tanaka Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo Shuji Anabuki Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ryuichi Nakada Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo Megumi Okazaki Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo Kenta Aihara Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo Masashi Hattori Materials and Structures Laboratory, Institute of Integrated Research, Institute of Science Tokyo Fumitaka Ishiwari Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University Rie Haruki Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization Shunsuke Nozawa Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization Toshiyuki Yokoi Nanospace Catalysis Unit, Institute of Integrated Research, Institute of Science Tokyo Michikazu Hara Materials and Structures Laboratory, Institute of Integrated Research, Institute of Science Tokyo Osamu Ishitani Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University Akinori Saeki Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University Akira Yamakata Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kazuhiko Maeda Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo Oxyhalides are promising visible-light photocatalysts for water splitting and CO2 conversion; however, those exhibiting high activity for these reactions have rarely been reported. Here, we show that using water-soluble Ti complexes as precursors in the microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of the oxyhalide photocatalyst Pb2Ti2O5.4F1.2 (PTOF) resulted in the production of nanoparticulate PTOF. The primary particle size of the synthesized PTOF ranged from several tens of nanometers to several hundreds of nanometers. Using Ti-citric acid or Ti-tartaric acid complexes as precursors, the PTOF was formed as mesoporous aggregates, compared with a bulky analogue (0.5–1 μm) prepared using a TiCl4 precursor. The PTOF prepared from Ti-citric acid complex had a particle size of 50–100 nm and showed a one-order-of-magnitude greater activity for H2 evolution from an aqueous ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid solution with the aid of a Rh cocatalyst. An apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 15.4 ± 1.0% at 420 nm, which is the highest among the reported oxyhalide photocatalysts, was achieved under optimal conditions. Although excess particle size reduction of PTOF lowered the H2 evolution activity, the PTOF with the smallest possible primary particle size of 15–30 nm, prepared from Ti-tartaric acid complex, showed the highest activity toward the selective reduction of CO2 into formate in a nonaqueous environment when combined with a binuclear Ru(II) complex. The CO2 reduction AQY was 10.4 ± 1.8% at 420 nm, a record-high value among metal-complex/semiconductor binary hybrid photocatalysts. This study highlights the importance of morphological control of oxyhalides for realizing their full potential as photocatalysts for artificial photosynthesis. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Acta Medica Okayama 2574-0962 8 6 2025 Effects of Metal-Cation Doping on Photocatalytic H2 Evolution Activity of Layered Perovskite Oxynitride K2LaTa2O6N 3541 3552 EN Hideya Tsuchikado Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo Shuji Anabuki Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ovidiu Cretu Electron Microscopy Group, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) Yuki Kinoshita Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo Masashi Hattori Institute of Integrated Research, Institute of Science Tokyo Yuta Shiroma Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo Dongxiao Fan Institute of Materials Structure Science High Energy Accelerator Research Organization Megumi Okazaki Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo Takuto Soma Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo Fumitaka Ishiwari Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University Shunsuke Nozawa Institute of Materials Structure Science High Energy Accelerator Research Organization Toshiyuki Yokoi Institute of Integrated Research, Institute of Science Tokyo Michikazu Hara Institute of Integrated Research, Institute of Science Tokyo Koji Kimoto Electron Microscopy Group, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) Akira Yamakata Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Akinori Saeki Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University Kazuhiko Maeda Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo Aliovalent cation doping into a heterogeneous photocatalyst affects several of its physicochemical properties, including its morphological characteristics, optical absorption behavior, and charge carrier dynamics, causing a drastic change in its photocatalytic activity. In the present work, we investigated the effects of aliovalent cation doping on the visible-light H2-evolution photocatalytic activity of the Ruddlesden–Popper layered perovskite oxynitride K2LaTa2O6N. The photocatalytic activity toward H2 evolution from an aqueous NaI solution was found to be enhanced by an increase in the specific surface area of the K2LaTa2O6N photocatalyst, which could be realized upon doping with lower-valence cations (e.g., Mg2+, Al3+, and Ga3+). Among the dopants examined at 1 mol % doping, Ga resulted in the highest activity. The activity of the Ga-doped specimen was further improved with increasing Ga concentration, where the maximal activity was obtained at 10 mol %, corresponding to an apparent quantum yield of 2.7 ± 0.4% at 420 nm from aqueous methanol. This number is the highest reported for a layered oxynitride photocatalyst. In the Ga-doped K2LaTa2O6N, a trade-off was observed between the Ga concentration and the photocatalytic activity. Although doping with Ga reduced the particle size of K2LaTa2O6N and suppressed undesirable charge recombination, it led to an enlarged bandgap, unsuitable for visible-light absorption. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 0361-5995 89 3 2025 Autoclaved lightweight aerated concrete suppressed N2O and CO2 emissions from paddy soil e70091 EN Nagoda R. R. W. S. Rathnayake Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna Morihiro Maeda Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Dewpura A. L. Leelamanie Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna Atsushi Yatagai Clion Co. Ltd Autoclaved lightweight aerated concrete (AAC), a construction waste that is utilized as a soil amendment, can influence terrestrial carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Still, no evidence exists regarding its impact on the emission of nitrous oxide (N2O), which has a higher global warming potential. This study examined effects of AAC on CO2 and N2O emissions from paddy soil under compacted and non-compacted conditions, under 60% and 100% water-holding capacity (WHC). Samples were incubated in glass vials (25°C) for 21 days. Emissions of CO2 and N2O were measured on days 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 using gas chromatography. The results revealed that AAC significantly (p < 0.05) lowered N2O emission rate during the whole period of incubation, while it suppressed CO2 emission rate only at the early stages (∼7 days) of incubation. In compacted soil, the emissions of CO2 were significantly lower, while N2O was significantly higher than that in non-compacted soil, showing the influence of soil physical conditions. The emissions of CO2 and N2O were significantly lower at 100% WHC than those at 60% WHC. AAC suppressed both CO2 and N2O emissions under both compaction and WHC levels. The results confirm that AAC supports suppressing terrestrial emission of both CO2 and N2O, indicating that AAC has a potential as a sustainable soil amendment that enhances the climate change resilience. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Biophysical Society of Japan Acta Medica Okayama 2189-4779 22 3 2025 Origin of the unique topology of the triangular water cluster in &lt;i&gt;Rubrobacter xylanophilus&lt;/i&gt; rhodopsin e220018 EN Tomoyasu Noji Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo Masaki Tsujimura Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, The University of Tokyo Keisuke Saito Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo Keiichi Kojima Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Yuki Sudo Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Hiroshi Ishikita Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo The crystal structure of Rubrobacter xylanophilus rhodopsin (RxR) reveals a triangular cluster of three water molecules (W413, W415, and W419) at the extracellular proton-release site, near Glu187 and Glu197. Using a quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical approach, we identified the structural nature of this unique water cluster. The triangular shape is best reproduced when all three water molecules are neutral H2O with protonated Glu187 and deprotonated Glu197. Attempts to place H3O+ at any of these water molecules result in spontaneous proton transfer to one of the acidic residues and significant distortion from the crystal structure. The plane defined by the triangular water cluster extends into the guanidinium plane of Arg71, with both aligned along the W413...W419 axis. This extended plane lies nearly perpendicular to a five-membered, ring-like H-bond network involving two carboxyl oxygen atoms from Glu187 and one from Glu197. The resulting bipartite planar architecture, defined by the water triangle, Arg71, and the Glu187/Glu197 network may reflect the exceptional thermal stability in RxR. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0883-2927 187 2025 Nitrogen distribution and nitrogen isotope fractionation in synthetic 2:1 phyllosilicates under hydrothermal conditions at 200 °C and saturated vapor pressure 106403 EN Jaeguk Jo Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Toshiro Yamanaka Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Youko Miyoshi Research Institute for Geo-Resources and Environment, Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Masaya Suzuki Research Institute for Geo-Resources and Environment, Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Yoshihiro Kuwahara Department of Environmental Changes, Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University Isao Kadota Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hitoshi Chiba Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Bum Han Lee Critical Minerals Research Center, Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources (KIGAM) This study investigates nitrogen distribution and isotope fractionation within synthetic 2:1 phyllosilicates, simulating submarine hydrothermal environments at 200 °C and saturated vapor pressure. XRD and EDS results revealed the potential coexistence of multiple cations in the interlayer of synthetic 2:1 phyllosilicate, concurrently suggesting cation substitution in the tetrahedral and/or octahedral sheets. Meanwhile, the iron-enriched 25-5 sample exhibited restricted interlayer expansibility. NH4+ absorptions were identified in the NH4-stretching (3200–2800 cm−1) and NH4-bending (1450–1400 cm−1) regions, with wavenumber shifts indicating the influence of interlayer water removal. At pH 10.56, over 95% of nitrogen was released into the gas phase, while at pH 8.88, nitrogen proportions in the liquid and gas phases were comparable (average 48–49%). Experiments with iron at pH ∼8.80 showed that the nitrogen proportion in the gas phase (average 28%) was more than twofold lower than that in the liquid phase (average 68%). Equilibrium isotope fractionation factors indicated discernible preference for heavier nitrogen isotopes in the solid phase (αsolid-liquid = 1.009–1.021 and αsolid-gas = 1.011–1.027). The αliquid-gas range for sample 25–2 was 1.001–1.008, while that for the iron-enriched composite 25–5 was 0.997–1.010. Our experimental studies have confirmed that, in the absence of exchange interactions with external substances possessing different nitrogen isotope ratios, nitrogen isotope fractionation between ammonium and ammonia, controlled by variations in temperature and pH during mineralization, plays a crucial role in the variation of nitrogen isotope ratios. Additionally, we confirmed that metal-amines influence nitrogen isotope fractionation by modulating ammonia gas emission. These findings enhance our understanding of nitrogen cycling across the gas, liquid, and solid phases in submarine hydrothermal systems. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1433-7851 64 13 2025 Conduction Band and Defect Engineering for the Prominent Visible‐Light Responsive Photocatalysts e202419624 EN Akira Yamakata Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kosaku Kato Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takafumi Ogawa Nanostructures Research Laboratory, Japan Fine Ceramics Center Kanta Ogawa Department of Energy and Hydrocarbon Chemistry Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University Makoto Ogawa Department of Energy and Hydrocarbon Chemistry Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University Daichi Kato Department of Energy and Hydrocarbon Chemistry Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University Chengchao Zhong Department of Energy and Hydrocarbon Chemistry Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University Akihide Kuwabara Nanostructures Research Laboratory, Japan Fine Ceramics Center Ryu Abe Department of Energy and Hydrocarbon Chemistry Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University Hiroshi Kageyama Department of Energy and Hydrocarbon Chemistry Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University Controlling trap depth is crucial to improve photocatalytic activity, but designing such crystal structures has been challenging. In this study, we discovered that in 2D materials like BiOCl and Bi4NbO8Cl, composed of interleaved [Bi2O2]2+ and Cl- slabs, the trap depth can be controlled by manipulating the slab stacking structure. In BiOCl, oxygen vacancies (VO) create deep electron traps, while chlorine vacancies (VCl) produce shallow traps. The depth is determined by the coordination around anion vacancies: VO forms strong σ bonds with Bi-6p dangling bonds below the conduction band minimum (CBM), while those around Cl are parallel, forming weak π-bonding. The strong re-hybridization makes the trap depth deeper. In Bi4NbO8Cl, VCl also creates shallow traps, but VO does not produce deep traps although Bi-6p orbitals are also forming strong σ bonding. This difference is attributed to the difference of the energy level of CBM. In both cases, the CBM consists of Bi-6p orbitals extending into the Cl layers. However, these orbitals are isolated in BiOCl, but those in Bi4NbO8Cl are bonded with each other between neighboring [Bi2O2]2+ layers. This unique bonding-based CBM prevents the formation of deep electron traps, and significantly enhances H2 evolution activity by prolonging the lifetime of highly reactive free electrons. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Acta Medica Okayama 1463-9262 27 18 2025 Deoxygenative dual CO2 conversions: methylenation and switchable N-formylation/N-methylation of tryptamines 5359 5365 EN Kazuto Takaishi Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hajime Morishita Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kosuke Iwaki Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tadashi Ema Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The unprecedented one-pot synthesis of N-formyl/N-methyltryptolines from tryptamines was achieved via phenylsilane-assisted deoxygenative dual CO2 conversions. Two CO2 molecules acted as different synthons and were converted into methylene and N-formyl/N-methyl groups. The CO2 reduction step was catalyzed by a pentanuclear zinc complex at atmospheric pressure under solvent-free conditions. The N-formyl/N-methyl products could be switched by changing the amount of phenylsilane, and the amounts of in situ generated bis(silyl)acetals and silyl formates were key to the chemoselectivity. Methylenation, N-formylation, and N-methylation proceeded via the Pictet–Spengler reaction, amine–acid condensation, and the Eschweiler–Clarke reaction, respectively. The CO2 reduction with phenylsilane could also be applied to the one-pot three-step synthesis of spiro[oxindole-pyrrolidine]s. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Acta Medica Okayama 2574-0962 2025 Enhanced Charge-Transfer Kinetics Enabled by ZrO2–Based Dielectric Layers in Lithium-Ion Batteries EN Takashi Teranishi Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yusuke Higaki Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomonori Imamura Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Motoki Horibe Department of Advanced Ceramics, Nagoya Institute of Technology Shinya Kondo Department of Energy Engineering, Nagoya University Chinatsu Sasaoka R&D Laboratory, Nippon Denko Co., Ltd. Hikaru Hirabaru R&D Laboratory, Nippon Denko Co., Ltd. Shingo Katayama R&D Laboratory, Nippon Denko Co., Ltd. Masanobu Nakayama Department of Advanced Ceramics, Nagoya Institute of Technology Akira Kishimoto Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The development of high-rate capability lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) requires suppression of charge-transfer resistance (RCT) at electrode–electrolyte interfaces. Here, zirconia-based dielectric oxides (MZ; M = Y, Gd, Sm, Er, etc.) were introduced onto LiCoO2 (LCO) surfaces as electronically and ionically insulating modifiers to accelerate interfacial ion transport. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed that Y2O3 modified ZrO2 (YZ) decoration reduced RCT from 75.8 Ω in reference LCO to 38.3 Ω, accompanied by a 2.3-fold improvement in capacity retention at 20C. Density functional theory molecular dynamics (DFT–MD) simulations showed that solvated Li ions coordinate with surface oxygen atoms in discharging, and that adsorption energies are governed by local charge distributions determined by stabilizing cations. Optimal adsorption activity, and thus the lowest RCT, occurred when the surface charge corrugation was balanced. These findings provide design principles for dielectric interface engineering to enhance rate capability of LIBs. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2504-3129 6 4 2025 Drip Fertigation in Greenhouse Eggplant Cultivation: Reducing N2O Emissions and Nitrate Leaching 116 EN Wataru Shiraishi Kochi Prefectural Agricultural Research Center Shion Nishimura Department of Bioresource Production Science, United Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University Morihiro Maeda Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hideto Ueno Department of Bioresource Production Science, United Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University Drip fertigation (DF) is a sustainable agricultural management technique that optimizes water and nutrient usage, enhances crop productivity, and reduces environmental impact. Herein, we compared the effects of DF and conventional fertilization (CF) with a basal fertilizer on yield, soil inorganic nitrogen dynamics, N2O emissions, and nitrogen leaching during facility-grown eggplant cultivation. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse from September 2023 to May 2024, with treatments arranged in three rows and three replicates. Soil, gas, and water samples were collected and analyzed throughout the growing season. The results revealed that the DF treatment produced yields comparable to those obtained with the CF treatment while significantly reducing nitrogen and phosphorus inputs. DF effectively prevented excessive nitrogen accumulation in the soil and reduced nitrogen loss through leaching and gas emissions. N2O emissions were significantly lower by more than 60% under DF than under CF. Precise nutrient management in DF suppressed nitrification and denitrification processes, mitigating N2O emissions. DF also significantly reduced nitrogen leaching by more than 70% compared with that in CF. These findings demonstrate that DF effectively enhances agricultural sustainability by improving nutrient use efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and minimizing nitrogen leaching during the cultivation of facility-grown eggplant. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Acta Medica Okayama 2771-9316 2025 Photochemical Macrolactonization of Hydroxyaldehydes via C–H Bromination EN Sakura Kodaki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Haru Ando Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroyoshi Takamura Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Isao Kadota Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kenta Tanaka Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2041-1723 16 1 2025 Efficient and stable n-type sulfide overall water splitting with separated hydrogen production 8786 EN Haolin Luo Research Center for Combustion and Environment Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Zhixi Liu Research Center for Combustion and Environment Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Haifeng Lv State Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Material Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), University of Science and Technology of China Junie Jhon M. Vequizo Institute of Aqua Regeneration, Shinshu University Mengting Zheng College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University Feng Han Research Center for Combustion and Environment Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Zhen Ye Research Center for Combustion and Environment Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Akira Yamakata Faculty of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Wenfeng Shangguan Research Center for Combustion and Environment Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Adam F. Lee Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University Xiaojun Wu State Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Material Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), University of Science and Technology of China Domen Kazunari Institute of Aqua Regeneration, Shinshu University Jun Lu College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University Zhi Jiang Research Center for Combustion and Environment Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University N-type sulfide semiconductors are promising photocatalysts due to their broad visible-light absorption, facile synthesis and chemical diversity. However, photocorrosion and limited electron transport in one-step excitation and solid-state Z-scheme systems hinder efficient overall water splitting. Liquid-phase Z-schemes offer a viable alternative, but sluggish mediator kinetics and interfacial side reactions impede their construction. Here we report a stable Z-scheme system integrating n-type CdS and BiVO₄ with a [Fe(CN)₆]³⁻/[Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ mediator, achieving 10.2% apparent quantum yield at 450 nm with stoichiometric H₂/O₂ evolution. High activity reflects synergies between Pt@CrOx and Co3O4 cocatalysts on CdS, and cobalt-directed facet asymmetry in BiVO₄, resulting in matched kinetics for hydrogen and oxygen evolution in a reversible mediator solution. Stability is dramatically improved through coating CdS and BiVO4 with different oxides to inhibit Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3 precipitation and deactivation by a hitherto unrecognized mechanism. Separate hydrogen and oxygen production is also demonstrated in a two-compartment reactor under visible light and ambient conditions. This work unlocks the long-sought potential of n-type sulfides for efficient, durable and safe solar-driven hydrogen production. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Oxford University Press (OUP) Acta Medica Okayama 1340-2838 32 6 2025 MedakaBase as a unified genomic resource platform for medaka fish biology dsaf030 EN Kenji Morikami Molecular Life History Laboratory, Department of Genomics and Evolutionary Biology, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems Yasuhiro Tanizawa Genome Informatics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems Masaru Yagura Molecular Life History Laboratory, Department of Genomics and Evolutionary Biology, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems Mika Sakamoto Genome Informatics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems Shoko Kawamoto Department of Genetics, Sokendai (Graduate University for Advanced Studies) Yasukazu Nakamura Genome Informatics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems Katsushi Yamaguchi Trans-Omics Facility, National Institute for Basic Biology Shuji Shigenobu Trans-Omics Facility, National Institute for Basic Biology Kiyoshi Naruse Laboratory of Bioresources, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences Satoshi Ansai Ushimado Marine Institute, Okayama University Shigehiro Kuraku Molecular Life History Laboratory, Department of Genomics and Evolutionary Biology, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems Medaka, a group of small, mostly freshwater fishes in the teleost order Beloniformes, includes the rice fish Oryzias latipes, a useful model organism studied in diverse biological fields. Chromosome-scale genome sequences of the Hd-rR strain of this species were obtained in 2007, and its improved version has facilitated various genome-wide studies. However, despite its widespread utility, omics data for O. latipes are dispersed across various public databases and lack a unified platform. To address this, the medaka section of the National Bioresource Project (NBRP) of Japan established a genome informatics team in 2022 tasked with providing various in silico solutions for bench biologists. This initiative led to the launch of MedakaBase (https://medakabase.nbrp.jp), a web server that enables gene-oriented analysis including exhaustive sequence similarity searches. MedakaBase also provides on-demand browsing of diverse genome-wide datasets, including tissue-specific transcriptomes and intraspecific genomic variations, integrated with gene models from different sources. Additionally, the platform offers gene models optimized for single-cell transcriptome analysis, which often requires coverage of the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of transcripts. Currently, MedakaBase provides genome-wide data for seven Oryzias species, including original data for O. mekongensis and O. luzonensis produced by the NBRP team. This article outlines technical details behind the data provided by MedakaBase. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1479-5876 23 1 2025 Tumor marker–guided precision BNCT for CA19-9–positive cancers: a new paradigm in molecularly targeted chemoradiation therapy 1387 EN Noriyuki Kanehira Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Fuminori Teraishi Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Tomoyuki Tajima Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsunori Osone Department of Regenerative Science, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kazuyoshi Gotoh Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences Takuya Fujimoto Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Yoshinori Sakurai Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University Natsuko Kondo Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University Narikazu Nagahisa Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kaoru Kamei Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Taiga Fujita Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Akira Morihara Graduate School of Environmental, Life Science, Okayama University Yutaka Takaguchi Faculty of Sustainable Design, Department of Material Design and Engineering, University of Toyama Mizuki Kitamatsu Department of Applied Chemistry, Kindai University Takeshi Takarada Department of Regenerative Science, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kunitoshi Shigeyasu Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Minoru Suzuki Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University Toshiyoshi Fujiwara Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hiroyuki Michiue Neutron Therapy Research Center, Okayama University Background: Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a molecularly targeted chemoradiation modality that relies on boron delivery agents such as p-borophenylalanine (BPA), which require LAT1 (L-type amino acid transporter 1) for tumor uptake. However, the limited efficacy of BPA in LAT1-low tumors restricts its therapeutic scope. To address this limitation, we developed a tumor marker–guided BNCT strategy targeting cancers overexpressing the clinically validated glycan biomarker CA19-9.<br> Methods: We conducted transcriptomic analyses using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets to identify LAT1-low cancers with high CA19-9 expression. These analyses revealed elevated expression of fucosyltransferase 3 (FUT3), which underlies CA19-9 biosynthesis, in pancreatic, biliary, and ovarian malignancies. Based on this, we synthesized a novel boron compound, fucose-BSH, designed to selectively accumulate in CA19-9–positive tumors. We evaluated its physicochemical properties, pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and antitumor efficacy in cell lines and xenograft models, comparing its performance to that of BPA.<br> Results: Fucose-BSH demonstrated significantly greater boron uptake in CA19-9–positive cell lines (AsPC-1, Panc 04.03, HuCCT-1, HSKTC, OVISE) compared to CA19-9–negative PANC-1. In HuCCT-1 xenografts, boron accumulation reached 36.2 ppm with a tumor/normal tissue ratio of 2.1, outperforming BPA. Upon neutron irradiation, fucose-BSH–mediated BNCT achieved > 80% tumor growth inhibition. Notably, fucose-BSH retained therapeutic efficacy in LAT1-deficient models where BPA was ineffective, confirming LAT1-independent targeting.<br> Conclusions: This study establishes a novel precision BNCT approach by leveraging CA19-9 as a tumor-selective glycan marker for boron delivery. Fucose-BSH offers a promising platform for expanding BNCT to previously inaccessible LAT1-low malignancies, including pancreatic, biliary, and ovarian cancers. These findings provide a clinically actionable strategy for tumor marker–driven chemoradiation and lay the foundation for translational application in BNCT. This strategy has the potential to support companion diagnostic development and precision stratification in ongoing and future BNCT clinical trials.<br> Translational Relevance: Malignancies with elevated CA19-9 expression, such as pancreatic, biliary, and ovarian cancers, are associated with poor prognosis and limited response to current therapies. This study presents a tumor marker–guided strategy for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) by leveraging CA19-9 glycan biology to enable selective tumor targeting via fucose-BSH, a novel boron compound. Through transcriptomic data mining and preclinical validation, fucose-BSH demonstrated LAT1-independent boron delivery, potent BNCT-mediated cytotoxicity, and tumor-specific accumulation in CA19-9–positive models. These findings support a precision chemoradiation approach that addresses a critical gap in BNCT applicability, offering a clinically actionable pathway for patient stratification and therapeutic development in CA19-9–expressing cancers. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Ceramic Society of Japan Acta Medica Okayama 1348-6535 133 7 2025 Underwater superoleophobic NaNbO3-based photocatalyst thin films prepared on bare soda-lime glass by sol–gel process 393 399 EN Shunsuke Nishimoto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kazuya Kageyama Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Shusuke Egusa Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yoshikazu Kameshima Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University A self-cleaning flat transparent thin photocatalyst film was prepared on a bare soda-lime glass by a simple method using niobium alkoxide solution, which is a common coating solution for the sol–gel method. The film consisted of crystalline NaNbO3 and Na2Nb2O6·H2O phases. It was suggested that NaNbO3 and Na2Nb2O6·H2O were directly formed between the soda-lime glass and the niobium alkoxide coating solution during the heat treatment. Under UV irradiation, the film surface exhibited low photocatalytic oxidation activity and excellent photo-induced hydrophilicity. The hydrophilic state of the sample was maintained for 1 month in the dark, while the hydrophilicity of TiO2 sample prepared by a sol–gel method was decreased within 5 days in the dark. Additionally, the surface demonstrated excellent underwater oil repellency toward n-hexadecane and oleic acid and the ability to remove the adsorbed oily contaminant in water. These properties were also superior to those of the TiO2 surface. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 1470-160X 177 2025 Long-term effects of forest growth dynamics and climate change on groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration in a steep catchment of western Japan 113652 EN Rendilicha Halake Guyo Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Kunyang Wang Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University Shin-ichi Onodera Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University Mitsuyo Saito Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University Toshitsugu Moroizumi Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Growing water demand for human and environmental needs has led to increased reliance on groundwater resources. However, groundwater is a finite resource, and its sustainability is closely linked to recharge processes, which are influenced by forest growth dynamics as well as climate change. Evapotranspiration, largely driven by vegetation cover and climatic conditions, represents a major component of terrestrial water loss that can reduce groundwater recharge. In this study, forest growth trends, reflecting the complete developmental stages from juvenile to post-maturity of a representative species, were reconstructed using remote sensing data, forest inventories, and field studies, and incorporated into the SWAT model to evaluate their impacts on groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration as indicators of forest hydrological function and ecosystem health. The model’s vegetation growth simulation was enhanced and uncertainty reduced by dynamically updating it with MODIS-derived leaf area index (LAI) at 5-year intervals. Groundwater recharge estimates were further improved through multi-variable calibration using Penman–Monteith–Leuning evapotranspiration (V2) and streamflow data to ensure water budget closure. Results showed that evergreen conifer growth from planting to maturity significantly reduced groundwater recharge (–4.7 mm/year) and increased evapotranspiration (+7.6 mm/year). In contrast, natural and mature deciduous broadleaf forests showed more stable recharge and evapotranspiration trends. Rising temperatures were identified as a key climatic driver of reduced recharge and increased evapotranspiration, reflecting broader global warming impacts. This study demonstrates that forest growth dynamics, especially during the critical transition from planting to maturity, alongside climate change, play a crucial role in shaping the catchment’s water balance and offer valuable insights for sustainable groundwater management, particularly in transitional forest ecosystems. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1613-6810 2025 Atomic-Level Insights into Thermal Carbonization of Ethynyl-Containing Boron Compounds e13537 EN Kentaro Ohkura Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Satoshi Hayakawa Faculty of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Naoki Takahashi Graduate School of Environment Life Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ken Yamazaki Graduate School of Environment Life Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Jun Kano Graduate School of Environment Life Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuta Nishina Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University This study reports the design, synthesis, and characterization of boron-doped carbon (BDC) derived from a triethynylborane-pyridine complex. Triethynylborane is stabilized by coordination with pyridine, facilitating its synthesis and handling in ambient conditions. The complex is subjected to thermal treatment at various temperatures to form BDC. Powder XRD and single-crystal XRD analyses reveal that BDC prepared at 200 °C retains an ordered structure, while higher temperatures induce alkyne structural changes without significant weight or surface area alterations. Coin cells are assembled using BDC as the anode, demonstrating unique Li-ion and Na-ion storage properties distinct from graphite. These results suggest that the BDC reflects the precursor's crystal structure, enabling novel electrochemical behavior. These findings offer insight into the development of advanced BDC materials for energy storage applications. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IEEE Acta Medica Okayama 2158-4001 2025 A Linear Search Algorithm for Resource Allocation in Frequency Domain Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access EN Satoshi Denno Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuto Ohba Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yafei Hou Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This paper proposes a linear search algorithm for resource allocation in frequency domain non-orthogonal multiple access based on the low-density signature (LDS). Although the proposed linear search enables the non-orthogonal multiple access to achieve superior transmission performance, the proposed linear search makes the resource allocation implemented with lower and fixed computational complexity. The performance of the non-orthogonal access based on the proposed linear search is evaluated by computer simulation. The proposed linear search algorithm makes the non-orthogonal multiple access achieve a gain of about 6 dB at the BER of 10–5 when the overloading ratio is set to 2. The complexity of the non-orthogonal access based on the proposed linear search algorithm is approximately half as much as that of the conventional low complexity resource allocation when the overloading ratio is 2, if the complexity is evaluated in terms of the number of additions. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2078-2489 16 10 2025 A Comparative Study of Authoring Performances Between In-Situ Mobile and Desktop Tools for Outdoor Location-Based Augmented Reality 908 EN Komang Candra Brata Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Htoo Htoo Sandi Kyaw Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Prismahardi Aji Riyantoko Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Noprianto Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Mustika Mentari Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University In recent years, Location-Based Augmented Reality (LAR) systems have been increasingly implemented in various applications for tourism, navigation, education, and entertainment. Unfortunately, the LAR content creation using conventional desktop-based authoring tools has become a bottleneck, as it requires time-consuming and skilled work. Previously, we proposed an in-situ mobile authoring tool as an efficient solution to this problem by offering direct authoring interactions in real-world environments using a smartphone. Currently, the evaluation through the comparison between the proposal and conventional ones is not sufficient to show superiority, particularly in terms of interaction, authoring performance, and cognitive workload, where our tool uses 6DoF device movement for spatial input, while desktop ones rely on mouse-pointing. In this paper, we present a comparative study of authoring performances between the tools across three authoring phases: (1) Point of Interest (POI) location acquisition, (2) AR object creation, and (3) AR object registration. For the conventional tool, we adopt Unity and ARCore SDK. As a real-world application, we target the LAR content creation for pedestrian landmark annotation across campus environments at Okayama University, Japan, and Brawijaya University, Indonesia, and identify task-level bottlenecks in both tools. In our experiments, we asked 20 participants aged 22 to 35 with different LAR development experiences to complete equivalent authoring tasks in an outdoor campus environment, creating various LAR contents. We measured task completion time, phase-wise contribution, and cognitive workload using NASA-TLX. The results show that our tool made faster creations with 60% lower cognitive loads, where the desktop tool required higher mental efforts with manual data input and object verifications. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2073-4344 15 2 2025 Palladium-Catalyzed Decarbonylative Nucleophilic Halogenation of Acid Anhydrides 191 EN Tian Tian Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Shuhei Uei Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Weidan Yan Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yasushi Nishihara Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (RIIS), Okayama University In this study, we developed a palladium-catalyzed decarbonylative nucleophilic halogenation reaction using inexpensive and readily available acid anhydrides as substrates. This approach effectively circumvents the instability of acyl chlorides and the low reactivity of acyl fluorides. The Pd/Xantphos catalyst system exhibited excellent compatibility with the thermodynamically and kinetically challenging reductive elimination of C–X bonds (X = I, Br, and Cl) from Pd(II) intermediates. Notably, for electron-donating substrates, adopting an open system significantly improved the reaction efficiency. The positive effect of the open system may be due to the reversible nature of CO insertion and deinsertion, which helps direct the reaction toward the desired pathway by allowing the generated CO to exit the reaction system. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction proceeds through a highly reactive acyl halide intermediate, followed by a unimolecular fragment coupling (UFC) pathway via decarbonylation or an alternative pathway involving the formation of an activated anionic palladate complex in the presence of lithium halide. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1616-301X 2025 A Biologically-Architected Wear and Damage-Resistant Nanoparticle Coating From the Radular Teeth of Cryptochiton stelleri e21664 EN Taifeng Wang Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Yu Chen Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Purdue University Ezra Sarmiento Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Taige Hao Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Program, University of California Atsushi Arakaki Division of Biotechnology and Life Science, Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Michiko Nemoto Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Pablo Zavattieri Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Purdue University David Kisailus Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Nature utilizes simple building blocks to construct mechanically robust materials that demonstrate superior performance under extreme conditions. These exquisite structures result from the controlled synthesis and hierarchical assembly of nanoscale organic and mineral components that have provided critical evolutionary advantages to ensure survival. One such example is the ultrahard radular teeth found in mollusks, which are used to scrape against rock to feed on algae. Here, it is reported that the leading edges of these teeth consist of a wear-resistant coating that is comprised of densely packed ≈65 nm magnetic nanoparticles integrated within an organic matrix of chitin and protein. These mesocrystalline magnetite-based structures are assembled from smaller, highly aligned nanocrystals with inter/intracrystalline organics introduced during the crystallization process. Nanomechanical testing reveals that this multi-scale, nano-architected coating has a combination of increased hardness and a slight decrease in modulus versus geologic magnetite provides the surface of the chiton tooth with superior abrasion resistance. The mesocrystalline structures fracture at primary domain interfaces, corroborated by computational models, providing significant toughening to the tooth under extreme contact stresses. The design features revealed provide insight for the design and fabrication of next-generation advanced wear- and impact-resistant coatings for tooling, machinery, wind turbines, armor, etc. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0167-4889 1873 2 2026 SPRED2 controls the severity of cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury by inhibiting ERK activation and TNFα production in mice 120091 EN Xu Yang Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Jiali He Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Tong Gao Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Masayoshi Fujisawa Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Toshiaki Ohara Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Steven L. Kunkel Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School Teizo Yoshimura Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Akihiro Matsukawa Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Cisplatin is an effective chemotherapeutic agent used to treat solid tumors, but its clinical use is limited by acute kidney injury (AKI), in which ERK signaling plays a crucial role. Here, we investigated whether Sprouty-related EVH1 domain-containing protein 2 (SPRED2), an endogenous inhibitor of the Ras/Raf/ERK pathway, protects against cisplatin-induced AKI. Spred2−/− mice showed more severe renal injury and stronger ERK activation than wild-type (WT) mice, whereas pretreatment with the MEK inhibitor U0126 markedly attenuated the injury. In HK-2 cells (proximal tubular cells), SPRED2 knockdown enhanced cisplatin-induced apoptosis and caspase-3 activation, accompanied by decreased Bcl-2 expression. Spred2−/− kidneys displayed increased macrophage infiltration and elevated Tnfα, Il1b, and Ccl2 expression. Neutralization of TNFα with anti-TNFα antibody ameliorated renal injury and reduced the levels of Il1b and Ccl2 mRNA in Spred2−/− mice. In vitro, TNFα slightly decreased the viability of control and SPRED2 knockdown HK-2 cells without cisplatin treatment, but the decreased viability was augmented in SPRED2 knockdown cells by cisplatin. Immunohistochemistry revealed that macrophages were the predominant TNFα-positive cell population. Bone marrow–derived macrophages from Spred2−/− mice produced higher levels of TNFα in response to cisplatin compared with control cells, and this increase was markedly suppressed by U0126.<br> These findings indicate that endogenous SPRED2 protects kidneys from cisplatin-induced AKI by limiting ERK activation, tubular apoptosis, and TNFα-mediated inflammation. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Development of a synthetic method for terpene scaffolds via stereoselective construction of quaternary carbon centers EN Naochika MATSUMARU Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Structural insights into a citrate transporter that mediates aluminum tolerance EN TRAN NGUYEN THAO Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Geochemical characterization of gaseous reservoirs in the enstatite-chondrite forming-region of the proto-solar nebula: Constraints from Li-isotope, O-isotope, and trace-element compositions in chondrule components EN TORII PHILIP DOUGLAS-SONG Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Development of a micro-organic matter identifier and its application to characterise insoluble organic matter in carbonaceous chondrite and Ryugu samples EN RAHUL KUMAR Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Synthesis of Indole Derivatives via Deoxygenative CO2 Conversions EN Sha LI Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Design and Synthesis of Cholesterol 24-Hydroxylase Inhibitors Using 1,3-Oxazole as a Heme-Iron Binding Group EN Yoshiteru ITO Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Development of a production method for biologically active globular proteins through chemical modification-based solubilization of denatured proteins EN Shuichiro KIMURA Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 サイドプランジ研削における研削温度の実験的検討とクーラント供給の最適化 EN Lingxiao Gao Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Lightweight Deep Learning-Based Intrusion Detection System for Deployment on Raspberry Pi EN MUHAMMAD BISRI MUSTHAFA Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Integrated Kerberos-Blockchain Authentication Framework for Securing Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network EN MAYA RAHAYU Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 A Blockchain-Based PGP Key Sharing Mechanism for Secure Email Communication EN MD. BIPLOB HOSSAIN Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 A Study of Indoor Navigation System Using Unity Game Engine and Smartphone EN EVIANITA DEWI FAJRIANTI Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 A Study of Reference Paper Collection System Using Web Scraping and BERT Model EN INZALI NAING Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 銅による炭素−水素結合活性化を利用したアルケンの二官能基化反応 EN Yuichi YAMAMOTO Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Coherence Generation in Atomic Cesium for Cosmic Dark Matter Detection EN JING WANG Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 The X-ray induced quenching of the thorium-229 isomer states in a CaF2 crystal host EN Ming Guan Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Functional-morphological relationships of vasopressin in the macaque neuroendocrine system EN Akito OTSUBO Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Multimodal analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans lipid molecular profile EN Sara Mandic Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 交代符号行列と数理物理モデルとの関係および組み合わせゲーム理論への応用 EN Toyokazu OMOTO Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2072-6694 17 19 2025 Utility of Same-Modality, Cross-Domain Transfer Learning for Malignant Bone Tumor Detection on Radiographs: A Multi-Faceted Performance Comparison with a Scratch-Trained Model 3144 EN Joe Hasei Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Support Technology Development, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Ryuichi Nakahara Science of Functional Recovery and Reconstruction, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Yujiro Otsuka Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine Koichi Takeuchi Graduate School of Environmental, Life Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yusuke Nakamura Plusman LCC Kunihiro Ikuta Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University Shuhei Osaki Department of Musculoskeletal Oncology and Rehabilitation, National Cancer Center Hospital Hironari Tamiya Department of Musculoskeletal Oncology Service, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Shinji Miwa Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Shusa Ohshika Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine Shunji Nishimura Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kindai University Hospital Naoaki Kahara Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mizushima Central Hospital Aki Yoshida Science of Functional Recovery and Reconstruction, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Hiroya Kondo Science of Functional Recovery and Reconstruction, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Tomohiro Fujiwara Science of Functional Recovery and Reconstruction, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Toshiyuki Kunisada Science of Functional Recovery and Reconstruction, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Toshifumi Ozaki Science of Functional Recovery and Reconstruction, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Background/Objectives: Developing high-performance artificial intelligence (AI) models for rare diseases like malignant bone tumors is limited by scarce annotated data. This study evaluates same-modality cross-domain transfer learning by comparing an AI model pretrained on chest radiographs with a model trained from scratch for detecting malignant bone tumors on knee radiographs. Methods: Two YOLOv5-based detectors differed only in initialization (transfer vs. scratch). Both were trained/validated on institutional data and tested on an independent external set of 743 radiographs (268 malignant, 475 normal). The primary outcome was AUC; prespecified operating points were high-sensitivity (≥0.90), high-specificity (≥0.90), and Youden-optimal. Secondary analyses included PR/F1, calibration (Brier, slope), and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: AUC was similar (YOLO-TL 0.954 [95% CI 0.937–0.970] vs. YOLO-SC 0.961 [0.948–0.973]; DeLong p = 0.53). At the high-sensitivity point (both sensitivity = 0.903), YOLO-TL achieved higher specificity (0.903 vs. 0.867; McNemar p = 0.037) and PPV (0.840 vs. 0.793; bootstrap p = 0.030), reducing ~17 false positives among 475 negatives. At the high-specificity point (~0.902–0.903 for both), YOLO-TL showed higher sensitivity (0.798 vs. 0.764; p = 0.0077). At the Youden-optimal point, sensitivity favored YOLO-TL (0.914 vs. 0.892; p = 0.041) with a non-significant specificity difference. Conclusions: Transfer learning may not improve overall AUC but can enhance practical performance at clinically crucial thresholds. By maintaining high detection rates while reducing false positives, the transfer learning model offers superior clinical utility. Same-modality cross-domain transfer learning is an efficient strategy for developing robust AI systems for rare diseases, supporting tools more readily acceptable in real-world screening workflows. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1085-3278 2025 Enhancing Soil Aggregation and Water Retention by Applying Kaolinite Clay to Post‐Tin‐Mined Land on Belitung Island, Indonesia EN Hirmas F. Putra Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Yasushi Mori Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Post-mining sandy soils have low water retention, which causes soil particle separation and persistent soil erosion. Although organic matter is commonly used for soil restoration, it is lightweight, washes away during heavy rain, and decomposes under strong sunlight. The high potential for extreme rainfall events in tropical regions poses significant challenges to restoration projects. Therefore, we investigated the impact of kaolinite clay particles on enhancing soil stability in post-mining sandy soils. Soil samples were collected from three sites representing different succession stages of post-mined land (0, 1, and 6 years since mining cessation) and an adjacent natural forest as the reference site on Belitung Island, Indonesia. Soil samples were treated with 1% or 5% kaolinite or left untreated (control) and incubated at 34°C to mimic the local conditions of the study area. The samples were then analyzed to determine the soil aggregate distribution, water holding capacity, and soil erodibility, and SEM imaging was performed to examine the soil particle morphology. The results revealed an increasing trend in the silt-sized aggregate content and a 2%–5% increase in water retention in the 6-year soils relative to the untreated soils. The highest water retention was observed in the 6-year post-mining soil sample. Kaolinite amendment significantly reduced soil erodibility by 40%–50% compared to the untreated soils, even in the early restoration period (0–1 year post-mining). Kaolinite improved soil aggregation and water retention in post-mining sandy soils while reducing soil erodibility―highlighting its potential for accelerating land restoration in mining-affected areas. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2072-6694 17 17 2025 Refining the Role of Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma 2770 EN Kiyofumi Takabatake Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Piao Tianyan Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Takuma Arashima Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Anqi Chang Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Hotaka Kawai Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Htoo Shwe Eain Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Yamin Soe Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Zin Zin Min Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Masae Fujii Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Keisuke Nakano Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Hitoshi Nagatsuka Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University In the tumor microenvironment, various immune and stromal cells, such as fibroblasts and vascular endothelial cells, contribute to tumor growth and progression by interacting with cancer cells. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have attracted attention as major players in the tumor microenvironment. The origin of TAMs is believed to be the infiltration of monocytes derived from bone marrow progenitor cells into tumor tissues and their differentiation into macrophages, whereas tissue-resident macrophages derived from yolk sacs have recently been reported. TAMs infiltrating tumor tissues act in a tumor-promoting manner through immunosuppression, angiogenesis, and the promotion of cancer cell invasion. Reflecting the nature of TAMs, increased TAM invasion and TAM-specific gene expression in tumor tissues may be the new biomarkers for cancer. Moreover, new therapeutic strategies targeting TAMs, such as transformation into immunostimulatory macrophages, suppression of TAM infiltration, and promotion of phagocytosis, are being investigated, and many clinical trials are underway. As the origin and function of TAMs are further elucidated, TAM-targeted therapy is expected to become a new option for the immunotherapy of various cancers, including oral cancers. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

BMJ Acta Medica Okayama 2044-6055 15 6 2025 Protocol for a multicentre, open-label, dose-escalation phase I/II study evaluating the tolerability, safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of repeated continuous intravenous PPMX-T003 in patients with aggressive natural killer cell leukaemia e098532 EN Noriko Fukuhara Hematology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine Makoto Onizuka Department of Hematology and Oncology, Tokai University School of Medicine Graduate School of Medicine Junya Kanda Department of Hematology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University Noboru Asada Department of Hematology and Oncology, Okayama University Hospital Koji Kato Department of Medicine and Biosystemic Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University Kiyoshi Ando Department of Hematology, Hiroshima University Introduction Aggressive natural killer cell leukaemia (ANKL) is a rare form of NK cell lymphoma with a very low incidence and poor prognosis. While multi-agent chemotherapy including L-asparaginase has been used to treat ANKL patients, they often cannot receive adequate chemotherapy at diagnosis due to liver dysfunction. PPMX-T003, a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting the transferrin receptor 1, shows promise in treating ANKL by helping patients recover from fulminant clinical conditions, potentially enabling a transition to chemotherapy. This study aimed to evaluate the tolerability, safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of repeated continuous intravenous PPMX-T003 in patients with ANKL.<br> Methods and analysis This multicentre, open-label, dose-escalation phase I/II study will be conducted at nine hospitals in Japan. Patients diagnosed with ANKL (whether as a primary or recurrent disease) and exhibiting abnormal liver function or hepatomegaly due to the primary disease will be included. The primary endpoint is the tolerability and safety of repeated continuous intravenous administration of PPMX-T003 in the first course, based on adverse events and dose-limiting toxicities. PPMX-T003 will be administered as a continuous intravenous infusion every 24 hours for five consecutive days, followed by a 2-day break. Pretreatment will be provided to minimise the risk of infusion-related reactions. Initial doses of PPMX-T003 will be 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg, with subsequent dose increases determined by the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee. The sample size is set at seven participants, with enrolment increased to up to 12 participants if dose-limiting toxicities occur, based on feasibility due to the rarity of ANKL. Descriptive statistics will summarise data according to initial dose, and pharmacokinetic analysis will be conducted based on administered dose.<br> Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the institutional review boards at participating hospitals. The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals.<br> Trial registration number jRCT2061230008 (jRCT); NCT05863234 (ClinicalTrials.gov). No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0301-679X 214 2026 The influence of lubricant additives and surface roughness and hardness of material on the damage behavior of gears 111341 EN Takuya Ohno Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tadashi Shiota Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Masahiro Fujii Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This study investigates the influence of lubricant additives, surface roughness, and material hardness on gear damage behavior under boundary lubrication conditions. We conducted both the Short-term Test and the Standard Test using an FZG gear test machine to evaluate how lubricant additives and gear surface roughness influence damage progression when the surface roughness exceeds the oil-film thickness. Acid phosphate ester effectively suppressed micropitting through surface smoothing but led to severe damage such as pitting and scuffing during prolonged use. In contrast, sulfurized fatty oil promoted mild wear, delaying catastrophic failures and extending gear life. Higher surface roughness accelerated wear, while increased hardness reduced deformation but it expanded damage areas. The study found that initial surface roughness and its progress during load stages strongly correlate with gear durability. Measurement of arithmetic mean roughness after sufficient running-in under actual load conditions proved useful for predicting long-term performance. These findings highlight the importance of selecting lubricant formulations tailored to specific gear operating environments and damage modes. Understanding the interplay between lubrication chemistry and material properties enables the design of more durable gear systems. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japanese Society of Tribologists Acta Medica Okayama 1881-2198 20 3 2025 Water Lubrication of Polysiloxane-Containing Polyimide Coatings on Stainless Steel Substrates 124 129 EN Yuelin Fan Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tadashi Shiota Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuya Omiya Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Masahiro Fujii Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This study investigated the water-lubricated tribological properties of coatings made of a novel polysiloxane-containing polyimide (si-PI) material that was recently developed for the aerospace industry and can be diluted with the harmless and environmentally friendly ethanol or water. The si-PI coatings were deposited on stainless steel (JIS SUS304) substrates at curing temperatures ranging from 160°C to 275°C. Their water lubrication properties were measured by rubbing the coatings against each other in water at room temperature. The coatings exhibited lower friction than conventional polyimide materials, with a minimum friction coefficient of 0.04, which was lower than that of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) measured under the same sliding conditions. Unlike the conventional polyimide, the coatings did not exhibit any obvious wear or damage. The results demonstrate that the si-PI coating is a promising low-friction and highly durable coating for water lubrication. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2399-3669 8 1 2025 Synthesis of thienoacenes by electrochemical double C–S cyclization using a halogen mediator 366 EN Koichi Mitsudo Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takuya Nagahara Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nozomi Kataura Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuka Okamura Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Toki Yonezawa Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuri Tachibana Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nolan Soulié Faculty of Science and Engineering, Sorbonne Université Keisuke Shigemori Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Eisuke Sato Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroki Mandai Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gifu University of Medical Science Seiji Suga Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Thienoacenes are significant compounds as organic materials. One of the most efficient ways to synthesize thienoacenes is to form multiple C–S bonds in a single step. Because unprotected S–H bonds are easily oxidized to S–S bonds, S-Me protected substrates are commonly used for the purpose. However, their reactivity is insufficient, and one-step construction of multiple C–S bonds is still challenging. We herein report the electrochemical synthesis of thienoacenes from S-methoxymethyl (MOM)-protected diarylacetylenes. In the presence of Bu4NBr as a halogen mediator, electrochemical double C–S cyclization of diarylacetylenes bearing two MOM groups proceeded to afford [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (BTBT) derivatives. While S-Me or S-p-methoxybenzyl (PMB)-protected diarylacetylenes did not afford BTBT, BTBT was selectively obtained when a substrate protected with S-MOM groups was used. The S-MOM protection strategy is also effective for the electrochemical synthesis of a more π-expanded thienoacene such as dibenzo[d,d′]thieno[3,2-b,4,5-b′]dithiophene (DBTDT). No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1464-6722 26 11 2025 Comparative Genomic Analysis Identifies FleQ and GcbB as Virulence-Associated Factors in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci Strains e70168 EN Muhammad Taufiq Hidayat Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kei Yoshioka Faculty of Agriculture, Okayama University Takafumi Nishimura Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Shuta Asai Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Sachiko Masuda Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN-TRIP Ken Shirasu Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN-TRIP Nanami Sakata Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mikihiro Yamamoto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yoshiteru Noutoshi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kazuhiro Toyoda Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuki Ichinose Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hidenori Matsui Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci (Pta) is an important plant pathogen, which causes wildfire disease in Nicotiana species. However, the genetic basis underlying strain-level differences in virulence remains largely unresolved. To address this, we performed a comparative genomic analysis between a highly virulent strain Pta6605 and a less virulent strain Pta7375. Despite high overall genome similarity, we identified key single-nucleotide polymorphisms, including premature stop-codon mutations in seven open reading frames in Pta7375. Notably, point mutations in two regulatory genes, such as fleQ, which encodes a transcription factor essential for flagellar biogenesis and biofilm formation, and gcbB, which encodes a GGDEF domain-containing diguanylate cyclase responsible for cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) synthesis, were implicated in virulence disparity. Functional analyses using deletion and locus replacement mutants in the Pta6605 background revealed that the disruption of fleQ markedly reduced motility, flagellin production, c-di-GMP accumulation, biofilm formation and virulence level mirroring the Pta7375 phenotype. The gcbB replacement mutant showed reduced disease symptom development, although c-di-GMP levels remained comparable to the Pta6605 wild type. Locus replacement between strains confirmed that a point mutation in fleQ was the primary driver of reduced motility and flagellin expression in Pta7375. These findings indicate that the reduced virulence of Pta7375 is associated with impaired regulation of flagella-related genes and disruption of the FleQ-mediated c-di-GMP signalling, underscoring the value of comparative genomics in disentangling the complex regulatory networks that govern virulence in plant pathogens. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 0276-3478 2025 DSOK-0011 Potentially Regulates Circadian Misalignment and Affects Gut Microbiota Composition in Activity-Based Anorexia Model EN Hiroki Kawai Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Nanami Wada Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Shinji Sakamoto Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kenji Miyazaki Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd Taro Kato Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd Yoshihiro Horiuchi Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd Hiroshi Kirii Department of Animal Applied Microbiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology Hoang Duy Nguyen Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kenji Hinotsu Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Hospital Yoshio Ohya Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Takahiro Asada Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Akiyoshi Yokode Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Yuko Okahisa Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Haruko Miyazaki Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Toshitaka Oohashi Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Okayama University Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Manabu Takaki Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Objective: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a metabolic-psychiatric disorder characterized by severe weight loss, hypercortisolemia, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activation. In this study, we investigated the effect of inhibiting cortisol regeneration via the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) on the pathophysiology of AN.<br> Method: Female C57BL/6J mice underwent a 7-day activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm, involving 3 h daily feeding and free access to wheels, until 25% body weight loss or experiment completion. Mice were orally treated once daily with a potent 11β-HSD1 inhibitor, DSOK-0011, or vehicle. Body weight, food intake, and activity transitions were recorded; plasma corticosterone and cholesterol levels were measured using a fluorometric assay; gut microbiota were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing; and hippocampal glial cells were analyzed using immunohistochemistry.<br> Results: DSOK-0011-treated mice exhibited a modest but significant increase in postprandial wheel-running activity compared to baseline (4–5 p.m., p = 0.018; 5–6 p.m., p = 0.043), whereas vehicle-treated mice showed higher preprandial activity (9–10 a.m., p = 0.0229). Gut microbiota analysis revealed increased alpha diversity in ABA mice, with a specific enrichment of the Lachnospiraceae family in the DSOK-0011 group. However, DSOK-0011 did not significantly affect body weight, food intake, corticosterone, and lipid levels, or hippocampal glial cell populations.<br> Conclusion: Inhibition of 11β-HSD1 by DSOK-0011 was associated with microbiota alterations and subtle shifts in activity timing under energy-deficient conditions. These findings suggest that peripheral glucocorticoid metabolism may influence microbial and behavioral responses in the ABA model, although its metabolic impact appears limited in the acute phase. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Microbiology Society Acta Medica Okayama 0022-1317 106 7 2025 Summary of taxonomy changes ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) from the Fungal and Protist Viruses Subcommittee, 2025 002115 EN Sead Sabanadzovic Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology, Mississippi State University Chantal Abergel Information Génomique & Structurale, UMR7256, CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, IMM, IM2B, IOM Marı́a A. Ayllón Departamento de Biotecnología-Biología Vegetal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Leticia Botella Forest Protection and Wildlife Management Mendel University in Brno Marta Canuti Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen Yuto Chiba School of Agriculture, Meiji University Jean-Michel Claverie Information Génomique & Structurale, UMR7256, CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, IMM, IM2B, IOM Robert H.A. Coutts School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hertfordshire Stefania Daghino Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy Livia Donaire Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura-CSIC Marco Forgia Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, CNR Ondřej Hejna Department of Genetics and Biotechnologies, University of South Bohemia Jichun Jia College of Plant Protection, Shanxi Agricultural University Daohong Jiang College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University Ioly Kotta-Loizou School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hertfordshire Mart Krupovic Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Archaeal Virology Unit Andrew S. Lang Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland Matthieu Legendre Information Génomique & Structurale, UMR7256, CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, IMM, IM2B, IOM Shin-Yi Lee Marzano United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Application Technology Research Unit Luca Nerva Council for Agricultural Research and Economics - Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology Judit Pénzes Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University Anna Poimala Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) Sofia Rigou Information Génomique & Structurale, UMR7256, CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, IMM, IM2B, IOM Yukiyo Sato Department of Biology, Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne Wajeeha Shamsi Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University Nobuhiro Suzuki Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University Massimo Turina Department of Plant Protection, School of Agriculture, The University of Jordan Syun-ichi Urayama Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba Eeva J. Vainio Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) Jiatao Xie College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University The Fungal and Protist Viruses Subcommittee (SC) of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) has received a total of eight taxonomic proposals for the 2024 annual cycle. The extent of proposed changes varied, including nomenclatural updates, creation of new taxa and reorganization of established taxa. Following the ICTV procedures, all proposals were reviewed and voted upon by the members of the Executive Committee with ratification in March 2025. As a result, a total of 52 species in the families Botourmiaviridae and Marnaviridae were renamed to comply with the mandated binomial format. A new genus has been added to the dsRNA virus family Amalgaviridae, while two new families, Splipalmiviridae (Wolframvirales) and Mycoalphaviridae (Hepelivirales), were created to classify new groups of positive-sense (+) RNA mycoviruses. The class Arfiviricetes (Cressdnaviricota) was expanded by a new order Lineavirales and a new family Oomyviridae of ssDNA viruses. Additionally, a new class Orpoviricetes was created in the kingdom Orthornavirae to classify a group of bisegmented (+)RNA viruses reported from fungi and oomycetes. Finally, the order Pimascovirales was reorganized to better depict evolutionary relationships of pithoviruses and related viruses with large dsDNA genomes. The summary of updates in the taxonomy of fungal and protist viruses presented here is limited to taxa within the remit of this Subcommittee. For information on taxonomy changes on other fungal viruses closely related to animal and/or plant viruses, please see reports from sister ICTV Subcommittees (i.e. Plant Virus SC and Animal dsRNA and ssRNA(−) Viruses SC). No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 2198-3844 2025 A Viral RNA Silencing Suppressor Modulates Reactive Oxygen Species Levels to Induce the Autophagic Degradation of Dicer‐Like and Argonaute‐Like Proteins e06572 EN Shiyu Zhai State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University Tianxing Pang State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University Shiyu Peng State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University Shenshen Zou Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University Zhiping Deng Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences Nobuhiro Suzuki Institute of Plant Science and Resources (IPSR), Okayama University Zhensheng Kang State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University Ida Bagus Andika State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University Liying Sun State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University Mounting evidence indicates that viruses exploit elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels to promote replication and pathogenesis, yet the mechanistic underpinnings of this viral strategy remain elusive for many viral systems. This study uncovers a sophisticated viral counter-defense mechanism in the Cryphonectria hypovirus 1 (CHV1)-Fusarium graminearum system, where the viral p29 protein subverts host redox homeostasis to overcome antiviral responses. That p29 directly interacts with and inhibits the enzymatic activity of fungal NAD(P)H-dependent FMN reductase 1 (FMR1), leading to increased ROS accumulation and subsequent autophagy activation is demonstrated. Strikingly, this ROS-induced autophagy selectively targets for degradation two core antiviral RNA silencing components against CHV1 in F. graminearum, Dicer-like 2 (DCL2) and Argonaute-like 1 (AGL1), thereby compromising the host's primary antiviral defense system. Genetic analysis confirms this coordinated hijacking of host machineries, as CHV1 shows enhanced accumulation in the FMR1 knockout and reduced accumulation in autophagy-deficient fungal strains. This work reveals a tripartite interplay among oxidative stress, autophagy, and RNA silencing that CHV1 manipulates through p29 multifunctional activity. These findings provide a model for how viruses coordinately regulate distinct host defense systems to optimize infection. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2041-1723 16 1 2025 A node-localized efflux transporter for loading iron to developing tissues in rice 9916 EN Jing Che Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University Sheng Huang Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University Yuting Qu State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Yuma Yoshioka Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Chiyuri Tomita Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Takaaki Miyaji Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Zhenyang Liu State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Renfang Shen State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences Naoki Yamaji Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University Jian Feng Ma Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for plant growth and development. It plays crucial roles in various organs and tissues of plants, but the molecular mechanisms governing its distribution to the above-ground parts after root uptake remain unclear. In this study, we identify OsIET1 (Oryza sativa Iron Efflux Transporter 1), a rice gene highly expressed in the nodes. OsIET1 encodes a plasma membrane-localized protein, which shows efflux transport activity for ferrous iron. It is predominantly expressed in the xylem regions of diffuse vascular bundles, and its expression is upregulated under high Fe conditions. Disruption of OsIET1 impairs Fe allocation, reducing Fe transport to developing tissues (young leaves and grains), while increasing accumulation in nodes and older leaves. This misdistribution causes chlorosis in young leaves and decreases grain yield, especially under Fe-deficient conditions. Furthermore, we detect excessive Fe deposition around the xylem of diffuse vascular bundles in the nodes. Given the pivotal role of nodes in mineral distribution, our results indicate that OsIET1 mediates inter-vascular Fe transfer by facilitating Fe loading into the xylem of diffuse vascular bundles. This process ensures preferential Fe delivery to developing tissues, thereby promoting optimal plant growth and productivity. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Acta Medica Okayama 0163-3864 2025 First Total Synthesis of the Kikai Island Polybrominated C3′–N1 Bisindole Alkaloid by a Directed Metalation Strategy EN Keisuke Tokushige Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Takumi Abe Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University The first total synthesis of one out of four Kikai Island polybrominated C3′–N1 bisindole alkaloids from red alga Laurencia brongniartii is described. The key steps involve both dehydration of trans-hemiaminal and a C2′-methylthiolation of bisindole using dimethyl disulfide through directed metalation, followed by C3-methylthiolation using a N-SMe succinimide reagent. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Acta Medica Okayama 1744-683X 21 43 2025 Effect of the pH value on compression and array structures of highly charged microgels at the air/water interface 8323 8333 EN Takahisa Kawamoto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Haruka Minato Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Daisuke Suzuki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Understanding the interfacial behavior of stimuli-responsive microgels is critical for applications such as foam and emulsion stabilization, as well as for the fabrication of two-dimensional colloidal crystals using the interfaces. In this study, the pH-dependent compression behavior and array structures of micron-sized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) microgels at the air/water interface was investigated. By combining a Langmuir trough with fluorescence microscopy, microgel arrays under compression and acidic (pH = 3) or basic (pH = 9) conditions were directly visualized. At pH = 9, the carboxyl groups within the microgels are deprotonated, resulting in significant swelling and the formation of ordered hexagonal arrays with high crystallinity (Ψ6 > 0.84) upon compression. In contrast, at pH = 3, the carboxyl groups within the microgels are protonated, leading to a suppression of the electrostatic repulsion between neighboring microgels and a reduction in crystallinity (Ψ6 ∼ 0.70) of the microgel arrays before and after compression. Furthermore, the calculated surface-compression modulus using the compression isotherms indicated higher interfacial elasticity for charged microgels, demonstrating that electrostatic repulsion governs both array ordering and mechanical robustness. These findings provide fundamental insights into the role of charge in controlling the microgel structure and mechanics at interfaces, thus offering further guidelines for the design of stimuli-responsive materials and stabilizers for foams and emulsions. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 2169-3536 13 2025 Enhancing Protection Against Code Reuse Attacks on IoT Devices by Randomizing Function Addresses 185111 185124 EN Kazuma Saji Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Toshihiro Yamauchi Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Satoru Kobayashi Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hideo Taniguchi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Most Internet of Things (IoT) devices currently in use are vulnerable to code reuse attacks because manufacturers typically deploy the same firmware across all devices. This uniformity enables attackers to craft a single exploit that can compromise multiple devices. To mitigate this risk, we propose a firmware diversification approach that creates multiple executable files with varying software compositions. Our approach introduces two complementary techniques: Function Address Reordering (FAR), which randomizes the order of functions within object files during compilation, and Object Address Reordering (OAR), which permutes the linking order of object files in the final executable. These techniques collectively diversify firmware instances without altering runtime behavior, making executing code reuse attacks significantly more difficult. By deploying firmware with diverse executable files, it is possible to enhance security without altering device behavior. We evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of the proposed methods when integrated into actual IoT firmware, assessing their resilience to code reuse attacks, impact on runtime behavior, and compilation overhead. Experimental results demonstrate that FAR and OAR significantly reduce the success rate of return-oriented programming attacks while incurring minimal performance overhead. This study offers a scalable, hardware-independent defense against code reuse attacks that increases resilience without a significant performance overhead, rendering it practical for widespread adoption in various IoT applications. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Acta Medica Okayama 1359-7345 61 89 2025 The direct photochemical cross-esterification of alcohols via site-selective C–H bromination site-selective C–H bromination 17364 17367 EN Atsuya Miyamoto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroyoshi Takamura Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Isao Kadota Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kenta Tanaka Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University We have developed a direct photochemical cross-esterification of alcohols that proceeds via the in situ generation of acyl bromides. The C–H bond of a benzyl alcohol is selectively activated by a bromo source under light irradiation, enabling the cross-esterification to afford a variety of functionalized esters. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2352-4928 50 2026 Effects of grain size and crystal orientation on tensile properties of pure titanium thin wires 114240 EN Junji Sakamoto Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Naoya Tada Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takeshi Uemori Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University To clarify the effects of the grain size and crystal orientation on the tensile properties of pure titanium thin wires, tensile and stepwise tensile tests were conducted on pure titanium wires with diameters of approximately 180 μm and different average grain sizes (52, 37, 23, and 3.8 μm). When the grain size was large, the fracture strain was significantly smaller, the variation in tensile strength was larger, and the grain size threshold for such properties was a grain-size ratio to wire diameter of 0.13 or greater. For larger grain sizes, the slip system with the highest modified Schmid factor (MSF), which is the Schmid factor divided by the critical resolved shear stress of each slip system, was activated in all 15 grains whereas for smaller grain sizes, the percentage of slip systems activated with the highest MSF was slightly lower. In addition, the fracture location in a thin wire with larger grain sizes was highly correlated with the average MSF of the grains in the cross-section. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1939-5981 2025 Effect of Repeated Gravity Casting on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 6061 Aluminum Alloy EN Mitsuhiro Okayasu Department of Mechanical Systems and Engineering, Okayama University Shouei Makino Department of Mechanical Systems and Engineering, Okayama University Shota Nakagawa Research & Development Center, Marketing & Technology Division, UACJ Corporation Shuhei Takeuchi Department of Mechanical Systems and Engineering, Okayama University Yoshifumi Shinzato Research & Development Center, Marketing & Technology Division, UACJ Corporation Tadashi Minoda Research & Development Center, Marketing & Technology Division, UACJ Corporation Naotaka Ohtsuka Research & Development Center, Marketing & Technology Division, UACJ Corporation This study systematically investigates the effects of repeated gravity casting on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 6061 aluminum alloy. With an increasing number of casting cycles from one to ten, grain coarsening and a decrease in dislocation density were observed, mainly due to the significant depletion of magnesium from 1.03 to 0.01% and titanium from 0.009 to 0.005%. These microstructural changes led to a decrease in solid-solution strengthening and grain-boundary strengthening, resulting in a 30% reduction in tensile strength, while ductility increased by about three times. Moreover, work hardening decreased with increasing the casting cycle, which can be attributed not only to the microstructural changes but also to the increase in stacking fault energy (SFE) associated with compositional evolution. From the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations, in the 1-cycle sample, Mg2Si precipitates were finely dispersed and a high amount of Mg element in the matrix, resulting in significant dislocation accumulation, whereas the 10-cycle sample exhibited weaker dislocation tangling. These microstructural evolutions provide insight into the degradation of mechanical performance in aluminum alloys subjected to multiple casting processes. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2510-1560 2025 Enhanced electric power generation in PZT ceramics via stress control EN Mitsuhiro Okayasu Department of Mechanical Systems and Engineering, Okayama University Itsuki Shimazu Department of Mechanical Systems and Engineering, Okayama University This study aimed to enhance the electric power generation of lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric (PZT) ceramics by optimizing stress distribution. Specifically, it focused on applying high stress over a broad area of the PZT ceramic to induce shape deformation in the PZT plate. Pre-straining the PZT plate into an arch shape improved voltage generation, reaching its peak at a maximum deflection of 0.04 mm due to the expanded and intensified stress distribution. However, exceeding this deflection threshold led to a decline in voltage output due to material degradation, including crack formation and 90° domain switching. Finite element analysis confirmed that the increased stress distribution in the pre-strained PZT plate contributed to higher voltage output. Additionally, electron backscatter diffraction analysis revealed that at higher pre-strains (deflection of 0.08 mm), 90°domain switching occurred, resulting in increased internal strain and potential crack formation. Experimental investigations using bulk PZT rods further demonstrated that moderate pre-straining effectively enhanced voltage output. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1939-5981 2025 Upgrading Recycle Technology for Iron Removal in ADC12 Alloy Using Gravity and Magnetic Force EN M. Okayasu Department of Mechanical Systems and Engineering, Okayama University S. Takeuchi Department of Mechanical Systems and Engineering, Okayama University M. Syahid Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hasanuddin University T. Ikeda Department of Mechanical Systems and Engineering, Okayama University As there is a technical issue to remove iron elements during aluminum recycling process, an attempt was made to evaluate the effectiveness of magnetic and gravitational separation methods for removing iron from Al-Si-Cu alloy (ADC12). A rare-earth samarium–cobalt (SmCo) magnet was employed during the solidification process to attract Fe-rich eutectic structures. The microstructural analysis revealed that block-like Fe-Cr-Si-based phases formed preferentially near the magnet and at the bottom of the crucible, suggesting that magnetic and gravity attraction contributed to the localized segregation of these phases. However, other Fe-based phases, including Fe-Si-based ones, are not strongly affected by magnet. Additionally, prolonged heating in the solid–liquid coexistence (SLC) region at 577 °C for 10 h led to the settling of a largely grown Fe-Cr-Si-rich crystal at the bottom of the crucible due to gravity. Other structures, such as Si-rich eutectic phases, were not influenced by gravity, which may be caused by the low density of Si compared to Fe one. From this approach, combining magnetic attraction and gravitational settling is a promising method to promote the removal of iron impurities from aluminum alloys. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0361-5235 54 7 2025 Electric Power Generation of PZT Piezoelectric Ceramics Using Both Direct and Inverse Piezoelectric Effects 5143 5150 EN Mitsuhiro Okayasu Department of Mechanical Systems and Engineering, Okayama University Itsuki Shimazu Department of Mechanical Systems and Engineering, Okayama University The power generation characteristics of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric ceramics (E-PZT) were experimentally investigated using a specialized PZT system which utilizes both the direct and inverse piezoelectric effects inherent to PZT materials. Specifically, electric voltage was generated from the vibration of E-PZT through the inverse piezoelectric effect, induced by mechanical energy transferred from the vibration of a PZT piezoelectric ceramic plate, such as a buzzer (B-PZT). In this system, an insulating material was placed between the B-PZT and E-PZT plates to address the electrical conductivity of the PZT ceramic. Various insulating materials with different thicknesses and different hardness were prepared. Additionally, the PZT systems were mounted in several distinct configurations to evaluate their power generation performance: a fully fixed around the PZT plate and a free-hanging setup. The influence of insulation materials and mounting conditions on electrical output was analyzed at various loading conditions, e.g., loading value and frequency. The results demonstrated that the generated electric voltage decreased with increasing insulation thickness and hardness, suggesting that thinner and softer insulating materials enhance output voltage. Conversely, when the PZT system was securely fixed around the PZT plate with an appropriate fixture, a higher and more stable electric voltage was generated. The voltage generated also varied by the loading condition, which is related to the strain value of the E-PZT plate, demonstrating a linear relationship between the strain and the output voltage. Notably, the strain was significantly influenced by resonant frequencies, which played a crucial role in achieving higher voltage outputs. Based on these experimental results, two power generation systems have been proposed. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 1062-9408 81 2026 Does innovation-driven policy optimize urban energy consumption? Evidence from China’s innovation-driven city pilot policies 102548 EN Yingnan Cong Business School, China University of Political Science and Law Yufei Hou School of Economics, Renmin University of China Yuan Ji Business School, China University of Political Science and Law Xiaojing Cai Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Okayama University Restructuring energy consumption is essential for promoting green, low-carbon economic and societal development. Innovation-driven policies, particularly those implemented in pilot cities, play a crucial role in this transformation. This study conducts a theoretical analysis to examine how such policies influence urban energy-consumption structures. Using a multitime-point difference-in-differences model, it treats China’s national innovation-driven city pilot policies as a quasi-natural experiment. The results indicate that these policies significantly improve urban energy structures. Mechanism analyses reveal that the improvements occur mainly through green innovation and industrial upgrading. Heterogeneity analysis further indicates that the effects are more pronounced in cities with lower administrative tiers, more challenging geographical conditions, and stronger environmental priorities. These findings provide valuable policy insights for refining innovation-driven strategies, enhancing urban energy-consumption structures, and promoting sustainable economic development in China. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 1096-4959 281 2026 N-terminal domains and site-specific glycosylation regulate the secretion of avian melanocortin inverse agonists, agouti signaling protein (ASIP) and agouti-related protein (AGRP) 111174 EN Hibiki Fukuchi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ryoya Watanabe Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuna Iida Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Saya Nakano Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Aya Mizutani Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsuhiko Abo Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Sayaka Aizawa Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Sakae Takeuchi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Agouti signaling protein (ASIP) and agouti-related protein (AGRP) are paralogous inverse agonists of melanocortin receptors with distinct physiological roles, but their structural and biochemical properties in birds remain poorly understood. Here, we characterized chicken ASIP and AGRP proteins. Analysis of available sequences revealed that a motif resembling the mammalian proprotein convertase 1/3 (PC1/3, also known as PCSK1) cleavage site is conserved across a broad range of avian orders, but Western blot analysis of transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells and chicken hypothalamus detected no cleavage, suggesting that avian AGRP may not be post-translationally processed at this site. Chicken ASIP mRNA contains an in-frame upstream ATG (uATG) and a putative N-linked glycosylation site at Asn-42, both conserved across multiple avian orders. Overexpression in CHO-K1 cells showed that ASIP translated from either ATG produces a mature protein of the same size that is N-glycosylated at Asn-42 and exhibits markedly lower secretion efficiency than AGRP. Domain-swapping experiments revealed that the N-terminal domain reduces secretion, whereas a naturally occurring ASIP-b variant with an additional N-glycan at Asn-47 shows enhanced secretion. Proteasome inhibition increased intracellular ASIP, and endoglycosidase H (Endo H) sensitivity indicated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention, suggesting that the N-terminal domain limits secretion via ER-associated proteasomal degradation. These findings reveal species-specific post-translational regulation of avian melanocortin inverse agonists, in which N-terminal features and site-specific N-glycosylation determine secretion efficiency, likely contributing to their distinct roles in pigmentation and hypothalamic energy balance. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1532-0626 37 27-28 2025 Algebraic Connectivity Maximizing Regular Graphs: Special Case Analysis and Depth‐First Search e70357 EN Masashi Kurahashi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Najd Salaani Polytech Sorbonne, Sorbonne University Tsuyoshi Migita Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Norikazu Takahashi Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The algebraic connectivity is an indicator of how well connected a graph is. It also characterizes the convergence speed of some dynamic processes over networks. In this paper, taking into account that homogeneous networks are modeled as regular graphs, we tackle the following problem: given a pair (𝑛, 𝑘) of positive integers such that 𝑘 is less than 𝑛 and kn is an even number, find a 𝑘-regular graph with 𝑛 vertices that have the maximum algebraic connectivity. We first consider some special cases and derive solutions through theoretical analysis. We next present depth-first search algorithms for solving the problem, which reduce the search space by making use of some known properties of the regular graph and the algebraic connectivity.We also show the results of execution of the proposed algorithms for the values of 𝑛 up to 12. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1439-0108 2025 Coupling effects of biochar and sediment microbial fuel cells on CH4 and CO2 emissions from straw-amended paddy soil EN Adhena Tesfau Bekele Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Morihiro Maeda Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nozomi Nakahara Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ayumi Hashiguchi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroaki Somura Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Satoshi Akao Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University Chiyu Nakano Department of Comprehensive Technical Solutions, Okayama University Yuta Nishina Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Purpose The independent incorporation of biochar and sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) into paddy soil has been shown to reduce methane (CH4) emissions. However, the application of rice straw into paddy soil enhances the availability of labile carbon that stimulates methanogen growth, counteracting the mitigation effects of both methods. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate the effect of coupling biochar and SMFC on CH4 and CO2 emissions from straw-amended paddy soil.<br> Materials and methods Single chamber SMFC setups constructed using acrylic columns (height, 25 cm; inner diameter, 9 cm) with six treatments were established using soil amended with 0% (0BC), 1% (1BC), and 2% (2BC) biochar: with and without SMFC conditions. Stainless steel mesh (15 × 3 cm) and graphite felt (6 × 5 cm) were used as anode and cathode materials, respectively.<br> Results Cumulative emission of CH4 in the 0BC treatment with SMFC was 39% less than in that without SMFC. Biochar addition and SMFC operation together further reduced CH4 emission by 57% and 60% in 1BC and 2BC treatments, respectively, compared to that in the 0BC treatment without SMFC operation. The relative abundance of microbial communities indicated methane-oxidizing bacteria were enriched in the presence of biochar and hydrogenotrophic Methanoregula were suppressed by SMFC operation. This suggested that SMFC mainly inhibited CH4 production by outcompeting hydrogenotrophic archaea.<br> Conclusion The use of biochar made from leftover rice straw has an interactive effect on SMFC operation and both methods can be used to reduce CH4 emission from straw-amended paddy soil. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IOP Publishing Acta Medica Okayama 1882-0778 18 10 2025 Multichannel topological elastic waveguide in a multilayer Kagome phononic crystal 107001 EN Yusuke Hata Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Okayama University Kenji Tsuruta Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Okayama University By examining the geometric characteristics of various boundaries formed within the Kagome phononic lattice and vertically stacking the lattices, we designed an elastic waveguide that enables selective propagation of topologically protected edge modes across layers in a bilayer system. This layer-selective transmission is manifested as polarized boundary modes that appear in phononic dispersions of the systems incorporating the bridge, zigzag, and armchair boundaries. We numerically demonstrated that efficient elastic layer converters and splitters can be designed, thereby paving the way for the practical development of three-dimensional elastic-wave devices. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1086-9379 2025 The effect of pressure on dihedral angle between liquid Fe‐S and orthopyroxene: Implication for percolative core formation in planetesimals and planetary embryos EN Takumi Miura Department of Earth and Space Science, Osaka University Hidenori Terasaki Department of Earth Sciences, Okayama University Hyu Takaki Department of Earth Sciences, Okayama University Kotaro Kobayashi Department of Earth Sciences, Okayama University Geoffrey David Bromiley School of Geosciences, The University of Edinburgh Takashi Yoshino Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University During precursor stages of planet formation, many planetesimals and planetary embryos are considered to have differentiated, forming an iron-alloy core and silicate mantle. Percolation of liquid iron-alloy in solid silicates is one of the major possible differentiation processes in these small bodies. Based on the dihedral angles between Fe-S melts and olivine, a criterion for determining whether melt can percolate through a solid, it has been reported that Fe-S melt can percolate through olivine matrices below 3 GPa in an oxidized environment. However, the dihedral angle between Fe-S melts and orthopyroxene (opx), the second most abundant mineral in the mantles of small bodies, has not yet been determined. In this study, high-pressure and high-temperature experiments were conducted under the conditions of planetesimal and planetary embryo interiors, 0.5–5.0 GPa, to determine the effect of pressure on the dihedral angle between Fe-S melts and opx. Dihedral angles tend to increase with pressure, although the pressure dependence is markedly reduced above 4 GPa. The dihedral angle is below the percolation threshold of 60° at pressures below 1.0–1.5 GPa, indicating that percolative core formation is possible in opx-rich interiors of bodies where internal pressures are lower than 1.0–1.5 GPa. The oxygen content of Fe-S melt decreases with increasing pressure. High oxygen contents in Fe-S melt reduce interfacial tension between Fe-S melt and opx, resulting in reduced dihedral angles at low pressure. Combined with previous results for dihedral angle variation of the olivine/Fe-S system, percolative core formation possibly occurs throughout bodies up to a radius of 1340 km for an olivine-dominated mantle, and up to 770 km for an opx-dominated mantle, in the case of S-rich cores segregating under relatively oxidizing conditions. For mantles of small bodies in which abundant olivine and opx coexist, the mineral with the largest volume fraction and/or smallest grain size will allow formation of interconnected mineral channels, and, therefore, the wetting property of this mineral determines the wettability of the melt, that is, controls core formation. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Nature Singapore Acta Medica Okayama 1865-0929 2025 Evaluation of a Startup Program Identification for Efficient and Accurate IoT Security Investigations 417 431 EN Yuta Shimamoto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Jiratchaya Phinyodom School of Engineering, Okayama University Ryota Yoshimoto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroyuki Uekawa NTT Social Informatics Laboratories Mitsuaki Akiyama NTT Social Informatics Laboratories Toshihiro Yamauchi Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Not all file in firmware are executed while using Internet of Things (IoT) devices and hundreds to approximately a thousand executable and linkable format files exist in one firmware. Therefore, security investigations without prioritization may lead to investigate programs that are not executed while using IoT devices first. This has resulted in inefficient security investigations. To perform efficient security investigations, we proposed a method that can identify programs executed during the startup process. However, only two firmware were used for the evaluation which can only evaluate one of the two startup sequences in the OpenWrt-based firmware. In addition, security investigations to validate whether the proposed method addresses the problem of inefficient security investigations were limited to OpenWrt-based firmware. In this study, we use more firmware data for evaluation and validation. We use nine firmware not used in previous studies including startup methods that have not previously been used for evaluation. In addition, we increase the number of firmware used for validation to 225. The evaluation results demonstrate that the proposed method can identify with only few false positives. The validation demonstrates that efficiency can be improved and prioritizing investigations by considering the proposed method result is worthwhile. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japan Institute of Metals Acta Medica Okayama 0021-4876 89 11 2025 Ti-18Nb-xAl合金の構成相と材料特性に及ぼすAl添加量の影響 337 343 EN Yoshikazu Mantani Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Suzuka College Yoshito Takemoto Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The Ti-18mass%Nb alloy with a quenched α” martensitic structure exhibited a high damping capacity. However, there are issues such as lower strength than annealed α+β structure and decreasing damping capacity due to heating until 400 K. Therefore, in this study, to address these issues, we investigated the effect of Al addition on the constituent phases and material properties of Ti-18Nb-xAl alloys. The crystal structure was determined by examining the lattice constant and unit volume using X-ray diffraction, and optical microscopy was also performed. The material properties were investigated by Vickers hardness, Young’s modulus, internal friction, tensile tests, and DSC measurements. Vickers hardness and tensile strength increased with increasing Al content. This is thought to be due to the combined effects of the refinement of the microstructure and solid-solution strengthening due to Al addition. The Young’s modulus increased slightly from 0Al to 1Al, but increased significantly to 4Al. Internal friction was highest for 0Al and decreased for 4Al, whereas 7Al showed a higher value than 1Al. In the DSC heating curves, there was a decrease in the exothermic peak starting temperature and an increase in the phase-transformation heat with the addition of Al, except for 1Al. It was suggested that these changes in Ti-18Nb-xAl alloys were influenced by the structure of the quenched α” phase, texture, and pseudoelasticity or phase transformation by deformation. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2196-2995 12 1 2025 Natural Effects and Separable Effects: Insights into Mediation Analysis 20 EN Etsuji Suzuki Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Tomohiro Shinozaki Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, the University of Tokyo Eiji Yamamoto Okayama University of Science Purpose of Review We compare natural effects and separable effects under nonparametric structural equation models with independent errors, highlighting their similarities and differences. By examining their required properties and sufficient conditions for identification, we aim to provide deeper insights into mediation analysis.<br> Recent Findings If certain assumptions about confounding, positivity, and consistency are met, we can identify natural direct and indirect effects under nonparametric structural equation models with independent errors. However, these effects have been criticized because they rely on a specific cross-world quantity, and the so-called cross-world independence assumption cannot be empirically verified. Furthermore, interventions on the mediator may sometimes be challenging to even conceive. As an alternative approach, separable effects have recently been proposed and applied in mediation analysis, often under finest fully randomized causally interpretable structured tree graph models. These effects are defined without relying on any cross-world quantities and are claimed to be identifiable under assumptions that are testable in principle, thereby addressing some of the challenges associated with natural direct and indirect effects.<br> Summary To conduct meaningful mediation analysis, it is crucial to clearly define the research question of interest, and the choice of methods should align with the nature of the question and the assumptions researchers are willing to make. Examining the underlying philosophical perspectives on causation and manipulation can provide valuable insights. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 0013-8703 2025 Artificial Selections for Life-History Traits Affect Effective Cumulative Temperature and Developmental Zero Point in Zeugoducus cucurbitae EN Takahisa Miyatake Graduate School of Environment, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kentarou Matsumura Department of General Systems Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo Effective cumulative temperature and developmental zero point are important indicators for estimating the timing of organism development and the area of distribution. These indicators are generally considered to have unique values for different species of organisms and are also important for predicting the distribution range of animals and plants, especially insect pests. These values generally are species-specific, but there is variation within populations in traits having a genetic component. However, there are no studies on what kind of selection pressure affects these indicator values. To address this issue, it would be worthwhile to compare these values using individuals of strains that have been artificially selected for life-history traits by rearing them at various temperatures and calculating these indicators from developmental days and temperatures. In the present study, eggs were taken from adults of strains with many generations of artificial selection on two life-history traits (age at reproduction and developmental period) of the melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, under constant temperature conditions. Eggs were reared at five different temperatures, and the effective cumulative temperatures and developmental zero points of the larval and developmental periods were compared. The results demonstrate that artificial selection on life-history traits in Z. cucurbitae induces evolutionary changes in both the effective cumulative temperature and the developmental zero point across successive generations. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0003-6862 2025 Comparison of flight behaviors among laboratory and field strains in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) using a simple method to measure flight ability EN Sota Sone Faculty of Environment, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takahisa Miyatake Faculty of Environment, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Most insects can fly. The acquisition of flight is a factor that allows insects to prosper on Earth. On the other hand, in the same species and population, individual differences in flight ability may occur. Flight ability can vary due to geographical conditions and cumulative rearing. Investigating these changes in flight performance is important for understanding dispersal polymorphism and the evolution of flight performance. Thus, in the present study, the flight behaviors between cumulative rearing and field strains and changes in flight behaviors between strains of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), which is distributed around the world were compared. Tribolium castaneum is a worldwide pest of stored grains. Its body length is about 3–4 mm. Previous studies have investigated the influence of environmental and physiological factors on the flight of this species, but no studies have examined individual differences or polymorphism in flight behaviors within this species. In this study, we developed a simple apparatus that can quantify the flight behavior of this species. The experimental apparatus was set up as a double structure with two different size containers. This apparatus was able to assess the flight activity of insects by counting individuals in a big container because insects transfer to the big container only by flight. Moreover, upward flight ability was possible to be assessed by the apparatus adding the barrier. Then, the flight behavior was compared between strains of this species that have been bred in the laboratory for more than 45 years and several strains of this species collected in the field. The results showed no variation in flight activity between strains, but flying ability was higher in strains originating from warmer regions. Here, we discussed the variations in flight behavior of T. castaneum. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Nature Switzerland Acta Medica Okayama 0302-9743 2025 Effects of Visual Stimuli on Perceived Sound Volume in Virtual Reality Spaces 286 299 EN Yuki Matsuda Okayama University Toma Kobayashi Nara Institute of Science and Technology Hiroki Watanabe Future University Hakodate Keiichi Yasumoto Nara Institute of Science and Technology With the proliferation of affordable and high-performance virtual reality (VR) devices, VR content such as games and the metaverse is becoming increasingly widespread. In VR environments, users experience various sensory stimuli, primarily through visual and auditory cues. However, subjective perception of these stimuli varies based on user context. Existing studies have shown that auditory perception can be influenced by visual stimuli, however, most of them have focused on congruent audiovisual stimuli, leaving the effects of non-congruent pairings unexplored. This study investigates how visual stimuli, specifically color and crowdedness, influence perceived sound volume in VR. In the experiment that participants experienced VR environments with different room colors while listening to test tones, the results showed that warm colors led to higher perceived volume at low sound levels. Also, in the experiment that participants viewed VR scenes with varying crowd densities while hearing announcements, less crowded environments resulted in higher perceived sound volume. These findings suggest that visual context impacts auditory perception, providing insights for optimizing hearable devices and enhancing VR auditory experiences. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Informa UK Limited Acta Medica Okayama 0960-3409 2025 Creep damage parameters based on the distribution of cavities on grain boundaries EN Naoya Tada Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University When polycrystalline heat-resistant steels are subjected to static or cyclic loading at high temperatures, they can exhibit various fracture modes and processes. This paper begins by outlining representative methods for life assessment under creep-dominated conditions. It then discusses the fracture processes and the underlying mechanisms. Under creep-dominated conditions, the initiation and growth of cavities serve as the primary form of material damage, making their quantitative assessment essential. Several parameters have been proposed to evaluate cavity distributions quantitatively. However, the relationship between these parameters and the actual cavity distribution in materials, as well as their physical significance, has remained unclear. In this study, a simple cavity distribution model was employed to clarify these issues. The results suggest that the area fraction of cavities is an appropriate damage evaluation parameter for transgranular fracture, while the fraction of cavities on grain boundary line is suitable for intergranular fracture. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1345-2630 2025 Comparative analysis of interactions between five strains of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci and Nicotiana benthamiana EN Yuna Nakao Graduate School of Medicine, Science and Technology, Shinshu University Shuta Asai Graduate School of Environmental, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hidenori Matsui Graduate School of Environmental, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuki Ichinose Graduate School of Environmental, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Shinpei Katou Graduate School of Medicine, Science and Technology, Shinshu University Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 (Pta 6605), the agent of wildfire disease in tobacco, has been used as a model strain for elucidating the virulence mechanisms of Pta. However, the host genes involved in resistance or susceptibility to Pta remain largely unknown. Nicotiana benthamiana is a model plant species in the Solanaceae family and is useful in functional analyses of genes. We herein compared five Pta strains (6605, 6823, 7372, 7375, and 7380) in terms of their phenotypes on medium and interactions with N. benthamiana. Pta 6605 and Pta 6823 showed more active proliferation than the other strains in a high cell density culture. Moreover, Pta 6605 exhibited markedly higher swarming motility than the other strains. In inoculated leaves of N. benthamiana, Pta 6605 and Pta 6823 caused more severe disease symptoms and proliferated to a higher cell density than the other strains. However, Pta 6823 as well as Pta 7372 and Pta 7380 induced the high accumulation of salicylic acid (SA). Moreover, the inoculations of Pta 6823 and Pta 7372 resulted in the upregulation of ethylene biosynthesis genes. On the other hand, Pta 6605 induced neither SA accumulation nor the expression of ethylene biosynthesis genes, and suppressed the expression of jasmonate biosynthesis genes. Moreover, chlorosis was clearly induced in the upper uninoculated leaves of Pta 6605-infected plants. These results suggest that Pta 6605 escapes from or suppresses plant immune systems and, thus, is the most virulent on N. benthamiana among the five strains tested. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0952-1976 150 2025 Surrogate-assisted motion planning and layout design of robotic cellular manufacturing systems 110530 EN Tomoya Kawabe Graduate School of Environmental, Life and Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsushi Nishi Graduate School of Environmental, Life and Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ziang Liu Graduate School of Environmental, Life and Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomofumi Fujiwara Graduate School of Environmental, Life and Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University A surrogate-assisted multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is proposed for simultaneous optimization of robot motion planning and layout design in robotic cellular manufacturing systems. A sequence-pair is used to represent the layout of components in a robotic cell to avoid overlapping in the evolutionary computation. The robot motion planning with Rapidly exploring Random Trees Star (RRT*) is applied to compute the total operation time of a robot arm for each layout. Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is used to minimize the total required layout area and the operation time for a robot arm. The proposed surrogate model can estimate the robot’s operation time with 98% of accuracy without explicit computations of the motion planning algorithm. The experimental results with a physical 6 Degree of Freedom (DOF) manipulator show that the total computation time is approximately 1/400, significantly shorter than the conventional methods. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japan Society on Water Environment Acta Medica Okayama 1348-2165 23 5 2025 Biochar-amended Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells for Water Quality Improvement in Intensive and Extensive Pond Drainages in Central Vietnam 234 249 EN Uyen Tu Nguyen Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Morihiro Maeda Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroaki Somura Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nozomi Nakahara Department of Comprehensive Technical Solutions, Okayama University Gamamada Liyanage Erandi Priyangika Perera Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Chiyu Nakano Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Huu Tien Le Department of Education, Science and Technology Quang Tri Branch, Hue University Yuta Nishina Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University The use of nutrient-rich feed in shrimp farming in Central Vietnam has led to high nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents in the pond sediment. The objectives of the study were to assess the effectiveness of biochar-sediment microbial fuel cells (BC-SMFCs) in suppressing P and N release from two types of sediment in intensive (Int) and extensive (Ext) pond drainages in Central Vietnam. Single chamber SMFCs were set up and operated under open or closed-circuit (no SMFC or SMFC) conditions. Coconut shell biochar (BC) was amended to sediments at 1%. For Int-sediment, total phosphorus (TP) release was reduced by no BC-SMFCs through co-precipitation with Fe. On the other hand, BC-SMFCs did not suppress TP release because P was released from BC and organic matter decomposition was enhanced in the sediment. Application of BC enhanced organic N mineralization in the sediment. Nitrification and denitrification occurred in the overlying water, reducing mineral N concentrations. For Ext-sediment, BC addition and SMFC conditions did not affect TP and total nitrogen (TN) release because of low initial organic matter content, and less reductive condition. Our study suggested that the effect of SMFCs was masked by BC which released more P from Int-sediment to the water. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0921-8831 36 10 2025 Evaluating the effects of electrolytes on the interaction forces between alumina surfaces in polyacrylic acid solutions using atomic force microscopy 105028 EN Naoto Kishimoto Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ryota Kaji Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University Katsumi Tsuchiya Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University Koreyoshi Imamura Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Naoyuki Ishida Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University Evaluation and control of ceramic slurry at the microscopic level are critical to ensure consistent quality in manufactured ceramics. Notably, metal ions such as Mg2+ and Al3+ are common in ceramic slurries and significantly influence the stability of particle. This study applied atomic force microscopy to investigate the interaction forces between alumina particle surfaces in the presence of different concentrations of three metal ions and polyacrylic acid (PAA), a widely used dispersant.<br> The attractive forces observed at low PAA concentrations were attributed to polymer bridging between alumina surfaces, whereas the repulsive forces observed at high PAA concentrations were attributed to the domination of steric repulsion between adsorbed PAA molecules. The presence of multivalent metal ions, such as Mg2+ and Al3+, modulated these interactions; an increasing ion valence induced a transition from repulsive to attractive force, primarily owing to electrostatic screening, which caused conformational collapse of the PAA chains and diminished the range of steric repulsion. Similarly, increasing the concentration of these metal ions decreased the range of repulsive forces, eventually resulting in a net attraction driven by the same electrostatic and polymer conformation mechanisms. Notably, the addition of 0.1 M AlCl3 produced an anomalous long-range attraction between surfaces that could not be explained by conventional mechanisms, such as polymer bridging or electrostatic interactions between charge domains. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology Acta Medica Okayama 1342-6311 40 3 2025 Role of Formate Chemoreceptor in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 in Tobacco Infection ME25019 EN Phuoc Quy Thang Nguyen The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuta Watanabe The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hidenori Matsui The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nanami Sakata The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yoshiteru Noutoshi The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kazuhiro Toyoda The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuki Ichinose The Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Chemotaxis is essential for infection by plant pathogenic bacteria. The causal agent of tobacco wildfire disease, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605 (Pta6605), is known to cause severe leaf disease and is highly motile. The requirement of chemotaxis for infection has been demonstrated through the inoculation of mutant strains lacking chemotaxis sensory component proteins. Pta6605 possesses 54 genes that encode chemoreceptors (known as methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins, MCPs). Chemoreceptors are classified into several groups based on the type and localization of ligand-binding domains (LBD). Cache LBD-type chemoreceptors have been reported to recognize formate in several bacterial species. In the present study, we identified Cache_3 Cache_2 LBD-type Mcp26 encoded by Pta6605_RS00335 as a chemoreceptor for formate using a quantitative capillary assay, and named it McpF. Although the deletion mutant of mcpF (ΔmcpF) retained attraction to 1% yeast extract, its chemotactic response to formate was markedly reduced. Swimming and swarming motilities were also impaired in the mutant. To investigate the effects of McpF on bacterial virulence, we conducted inoculations on tobacco plants using several methods. The ΔmcpF mutant exhibited weaker virulence in flood and spray assays than wild-type and complemented strains, highlighting not only the involvement of McpF in formate recognition, but also its critical role in leaf entry during the early stages of infection. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

The Royal Society Acta Medica Okayama 2054-5703 12 9 2025 On weapons allometry and the form of sexual selection 251152 EN Hironori Shinohara Center for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus Manmohan D. Sharma Center for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus Tanya M. Pennell Center for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus Kensuke Okada Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University David J. Hosken Center for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus The study of trait scaling with body size (allometry) has a long history, and it has been argued that positive static allometry is an indicator of directional sexual selection. However, a range of allometries exists for sexually selected traits, and modelling shows this variation can be generated by altering the form of selection (fitness functions) on the trait and/or body size. Interestingly, in all models, positive allometry appears to emerge only when there is directional selection on trait size. Here, we report on a sexually selected trait that shows strong positive static allometry and yet appears to be under stabilizing selection. This surprising finding suggests the evolution of trait scaling is even more nuanced than currently appreciated. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology Acta Medica Okayama 1342-4580 42 3 2025 Root-exuded sugars as drivers of rhizosphere microbiome assembly 215 227 EN Niarsi Merry Hemelda Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia Yoshiteru Noutoshi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Sugars in root exudates play a pivotal role in shaping plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere, serving as carbon sources and signaling molecules that orchestrate microbial behavior, community structure, and plant resilience. Recent research has shed light on the dynamics of sugar levels in root exudates, the factors that influence their secretion, and the mechanisms by which these sugars drive microbial colonization and community assembly in the rhizosphere. Microbial communities, in turn, contribute to plant physiological changes that enhance growth and stress tolerance. While well-studied sugars such as glucose, sucrose, and fructose are known to promote chemotaxis, motility, and biofilm formation, emerging evidence suggests that less-studied sugars like arabinose and trehalose may also play significant roles in microbial interactions and stress resilience. Key challenges remain, including the accurate measurement of labile sugars that are rapidly metabolized by microbes, and the elucidation of genetic mechanisms underlying rhizosphere metabolic interactions in both host plants and microbes. Addressing these challenges will advance our understanding of sugar-mediated interactions and inform the development of sustainable agricultural innovations. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 1876-2018 108 2025 Introduction to the “Japanese and Western approaches to psychotrauma” symposium 104508 EN Masanori Nagamine Division of Behavioral Science, National Defense Medical College Research Institute Tomoyo Nakao Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Okayama University Leo van Bergen Freelance Medical Historian Jun Shigemura Faculty of Health Sciences, Mejiro University Taku Saito Division of Behavioral Science, National Defense Medical College Research Institute Florentine H.S. van der Does Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) Masato Kitano Division of Behavioral Science, National Defense Medical College Research Institute Erik J. Giltay Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) Nic J. van der Wee Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) Eric Vermetten Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) Understandings of psychotrauma have changed throughout medical history, shaped by cultural and social factors. Reviewing transcultural perspectives of psychotrauma helps understand its complexities and contextual impacts. This paper summarizes the Japan–Netherlands symposium on psychotrauma held on March 1, 2024. Despite experiencing psychological trauma from World War II and numerous natural disasters, Japan did not actively research post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for nearly 50 years after the war. The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Tokyo subway Sarin gas attack (1995) popularized the term PTSD in Japan and triggered related research. The absence of psychotrauma research in Japan may reflect a form of state-level PTSD, characterized by avoidance. Japan’s collectivist culture, stigma against seeking psychological help, view of patience as a virtue, survivor guilt, and moral injury were potential related factors. Additionally, sociocultural factors (e.g., insufficient collective grieving and focusing on post-war reconstruction) were discussed as potential hinderances to discussing war experiences. From a European perspective, we examined how “Konzentrationslager” (KZ) syndrome, a trauma-related disorder, evolved independently into diverse conceptual frameworks, ultimately contributing to the acceptance of PTSD following its introduction in 1980. Beyond state compensation for concentration camp survivors, advocacy by feminist movements and veterans' groups increased awareness of psychotrauma across Europe, fostering scholarly research and public discourse. Both PTSD and KZ syndromes are diagnostic categories shaped by specific historical and cultural contexts and should not be regarded as simple, universally applicable medical conditions. They reflect how trauma is interpreted and responded to differently depending on cultural, political, and historical factors. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 79 5 2025 Inhibition of Air-Exposure Stress–Induced Autolysis in Clostridium perfringens by Zn2+ 345 352 EN Nozomu Matsunaga Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Okayama University of Science Seira Egusa Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Okayama University of Science Riyo Aono Department of Medical Technology, Kagawa Prefectural University of Health Sciences Eiji Tamai Department of Infectious Disease, College of Pharmaceutical Science, Matsuyama University Yasuo Hitusmoto Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Okayama University of Science Seiichi Katayama Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Okayama University of Science Original Article 10.18926/AMO/69435 Clostridium perfringens is a pathogenic anaerobe that causes gas gangrene and food poisoning. Although autolysin-mediated reorganization of the bacterial cell wall is crucial for cell division, excessive autolysin activity induced by stressors can lead to cell lysis. In C. perfringens, air exposure is a significant stressor that causes cell lysis, and Acp (N-acetylglucosaminidase) is known to be a major autolysin. To further facilitate C. perfringens research, a technology to prevent air-induced cell lysis must be developed. This study investigated the role of Acp in air-induced autolysis and explored potential inhibitors that would prevent cell lysis during experimental procedures. Morphological analyses confirmed that Acp functions as an autolysin in C. perfringens, as acpdeficient strains exhibited filamentous growth. The mutants exhibited negligible autolysis under air-exposure stress, confirming the involvement of Acp in the autolytic process. We also evaluated the effects of various divalent cations on Acp activity in vitro and identified Zn2+ as a potent inhibitor. Brief treatment with a Zn2+- containing buffer induced dose-dependent cell elongation and autolysis inhibition in C. perfringens. These findings demonstrate that simple Zn2+ treatment before experiments stabilizes C. perfringens cells, reducing autolysis under aerobic conditions and facilitating various biological studies, except morphological analyses. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 1932-4537 22 5 2025 Topology-Driven Configuration of Emulation Networks With Deterministic Templating 3933 3946 EN Satoru Kobayashi Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ryusei Shiiba Department of Informatics, School of Multidisciplinary Sciences, The Graduate University of Advanced Studies, Sokendai Shinsuke Miwa StarBED Technology Center, Testbed Research, Development and Operations Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology Toshiyuki Miyachi Strategic Planning Department, Strategic Planning Office, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology Kensuke Fukuda Department of Informatics, School of Multidisciplinary Sciences, The Graduate University of Advanced Studies, Sokendai Network emulation is an important component of a digital twin for verifying network behavior without impacting on the service systems. Although we need to repeatedly change network topologies and configuration settings as a part of trial and error for verification, it is not easy to reflect the change without failures because the change affects multiple devices, even if it is as simple as adding a device. We present topology-driven configuration, an idea to separate network topology and generalized configuration to make it easy to change them. Based on this idea, we aim to realize a scalable, simple, and effective configuration platform for emulation networks. We design a configuration generation method using simple and deterministic config templates with a new network parameter data model, and implement it as dot2net. We evaluate three perspectives, scalability, simplicity, and efficacy, of the proposed method using dot2net through measurement and user experiments on existing test network scenarios. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2078-2489 16 1 2025 Relay Node Selection Methods for UAV Navigation Route Constructions in Wireless Multi-Hop Network Using Smart Meter Devices 22 EN Shuto Ohkawa Graduate School of Engineering, Nihon University Kiyoshi Ueda Graduate School of Engineering, Nihon University Takumi Miyoshi College of Systems Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology Taku Yamazaki College of Systems Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology Ryo Yamamoto Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications Nobuo Funabiki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer solutions to issues like traffic congestion and labor shortages. We developed a distributed UAV management system inspired by virtual circuit and datagram methods in packet-switching networks. By installing houses with wireless terminals, UAVs navigate routes in a multi-hop network, communicating with ground nodes. UAVs are treated as network packets, ground devices are treated as routers, and their connections are treated as links. Activating all nodes as relays increases control message traffic and node load. To optimize connectivity, we minimize relay nodes, connecting non-relay nodes to the nearest relay. This study proposes four relay node selection methods: random selection, two adjacency-based methods, and our innovative approach using Multipoint Relay (MPR) from the Optimized Link State Routing Protocol (OLSR). We evaluated these methods according to their route construction success rates, relay node counts, route lengths, and so on. The MPR-based method proved most effective for UAV route construction. However, fewer relay nodes increase link collisions, and we identify the minimum relay density needed to balance efficiency and conflict reduction. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2073-431X 14 10 2025 A Guided Self-Study Platform of Integrating Documentation, Code, Visual Output, and Exercise for Flutter Cross-Platform Mobile Programming 417 EN Safira Adine Kinari Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Soe Thandar Aung Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Htoo Htoo Sandi Kyaw Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nowadays, Flutter with the Dart programming language has become widely popular in mobile developments, allowing developers to build multi-platform applications using one codebase. An increasing number of companies are adopting these technologies to create scalable and maintainable mobile applications. Despite this increasing relevance, university curricula often lack structured resources for Flutter/Dart, limiting opportunities for students to learn it in academic environments. To address this gap, we previously developed the Flutter Programming Learning Assistance System (FPLAS), which supports self-learning through interactive problems focused on code comprehension through code-based exercises and visual interfaces. However, it was observed that many students completed the exercises without fully understanding even basic concepts, if they already had some knowledge of object-oriented programming (OOP). As a result, they may not be able to design and implement Flutter/Dart codes independently, highlighting a mismatch between the system’s outcomes and intended learning goals. In this paper, we propose a guided self-study approach of integrating documentation, code, visual output, and exercise in FPLAS. Two existing problem types, namely, Grammar Understanding Problems (GUP) and Element Fill-in-Blank Problems (EFP), are combined together with documentation, code, and output into a new format called Integrated Introductory Problems (INTs). For evaluations, we generated 16 INT instances and conducted two rounds of evaluations. The first round with 23 master students in Okayama University, Japan, showed high correct answer rates but low usability ratings. After revising the documentation and the system design, the second round with 25 fourth-year undergraduate students in the same university demonstrated high usability and consistent performances, which confirms the effectiveness of the proposal. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2624-831X 6 3 2025 An Extension of Input Setup Assistance Service Using Generative AI to Unlearned Sensors for the SEMAR IoT Application Server Platform 52 EN I Nyoman Darma Kotama Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yohanes Yohanie Fridelin Panduman Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Osaka Komang Candra Brata Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Anak Agung Surya Pradhana Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Noprianto Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nowadays, Internet of Things (IoT) application systems are broadly applied to various sectors of society for efficient management by monitoring environments using sensors, analyzing sampled data, and giving proper feedback. For their fast deployment, we have developed Smart Environmental Monitoring and Analysis in Real Time (SEMAR) as an integrated IoT application server platform and implemented the input setup assistance service using prompt engineering and a generative AI model to assist connecting sensors to SEMAR with step-by-step guidance. However, the current service cannot assist in connections of the sensors not learned by the AI model, such as newly released ones. To address this issue, in this paper, we propose an extension to the service for handling unlearned sensors by utilizing datasheets with four steps: (1) users input a PDF datasheet containing information about the sensor, (2) key specifications are extracted from the datasheet and structured into markdown format using a generative AI, (3) this data is saved to a vector database using chunking and embedding methods, and (4) the data is used in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to provide additional context when guiding users through sensor setup. Our evaluation with five generative AI models shows that OpenAI’s GPT-4o achieves the highest accuracy in extracting specifications from PDF datasheets and the best answer relevancy (0.987), while Gemini 2.0 Flash delivers the most balanced results, with the highest overall RAGAs score (0.76). Other models produced competitive but mixed outcomes, averaging 0.74 across metrics. The step-by-step guidance function achieved a task success rate above 80%. In a course evaluation by 48 students, the system improved the student test scores, further confirming the effectiveness of our proposed extension. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2078-2489 16 7 2025 A Fundamental Statistics Self-Learning Method with Python Programming for Data Science Implementations 607 EN Prismahardi Aji Riyantoko Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Komang Candra Brata Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Mustika Mentari Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Aviolla Terza Damaliana Department of Data Science, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jawa Timur Dwi Arman Prasetya Department of Data Science, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jawa Timur The increasing demand for data-driven decision making to maintain the innovations and competitiveness of organizations highlights the need for data science educations across academia and industry. At its core is a solid understanding of statistics, which is necessary for conducting a thorough analysis of data and deriving valuable insights. Unfortunately, conventional statistics learning often lacks practice in real-world applications using computer programs, causing a separation between conceptual knowledge of statistics equations and their hands-on skills. Integrating statistics learning into Python programming can convey an effective solution for this problem, where it has become essential in data science implementations, with extensive and versatile libraries. In this paper, we present a self-learning method for fundamental statistics through Python programming for data science studies. Unlike conventional approaches, our method integrates three types of interactive problems―element fill-in-blank problem (EFP), grammar-concept understanding problem (GUP), and value trace problem (VTP)―in the Programming Learning Assistant System (PLAS). This combination allows students to write code, understand concepts, and trace the output value while obtaining instant feedback so that they can improve retention, knowledge, and practical skills in learning statistics using Python programming. For evaluations, we generated 22 instances using source codes for fundamental statistics topics, and assigned them to 40 first-year undergraduate students at UPN Veteran Jawa Timur, Indonesia. Statistics analytical methods were utilized to analyze the student learning performances. The results show that a significant correlation (𝜌<0.05) exists between the students who solved our proposal and those who did not. The results confirm that it can effectively assist students in learning fundamental statistics self-learning using Python programming for data science implementations. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2078-2489 16 7 2025 A Map Information Collection Tool for a Pedestrian Navigation System Using Smartphone 588 EN Kadek Suarjuna Batubulan Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Komang Candra Brata Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University I Nyoman Darma Kotama Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Htoo Htoo Sandi Kyaw Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Shintami Chusnul Hidayati Department of Informatics, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember Nowadays, a pedestrian navigation system using a smartphone has become popular as a useful tool to reach an unknown destination. When the destination is the office of a person, a detailed map information is necessary on the target area such as the room number and location inside the building. The information can be collected from various sources including Google maps, websites for the building, and images of signs. In this paper, we propose a map information collection tool for a pedestrian navigation system. To improve the accuracy and completeness of information, it works with the four steps: (1) a user captures building and room images manually, (2) an OCR software using Google ML Kit v2 processes them to extract the sign information from images, (3) web scraping using Scrapy (v2.11.0) and crawling with Apache Nutch (v1.19) software collects additional details such as room numbers, facilities, and occupants from relevant websites, and (4) the collected data is stored in the database to be integrated with a pedestrian navigation system. For evaluations of the proposed tool, the map information was collected for 10 buildings at Okayama University, Japan, a representative environment combining complex indoor layouts (e.g., interconnected corridors, multi-floor facilities) and high pedestrian traffic, which are critical for testing real-world navigation challenges. The collected data is assessed in completeness and effectiveness. A university campus was selected as it presents a complex indoor and outdoor environment that can be ideal for testing pedestrian navigations in real-world scenarios. With the obtained map information, 10 users used the navigation system to successfully reach destinations. The System Usability Scale (SUS) results through a questionnaire confirms the high usability. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2079-9292 14 11 2025 An Automatic Code Generation Tool Using Generative Artificial Intelligence for Element Fill-in-the-Blank Problems in a Java Programming Learning Assistant System 2261 EN Zihao Zhu Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Mustika Mentari Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Soe Thandar Aung Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Wen-Chung Kao Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan Normal University Yi-Fang Lee Department of Industrial Education, National Taiwan Normal University Presently, Java is a fundamental object-oriented programming language that can be mastered by any student in information technology or computer science. To assist both teachers and students, we developed the Java Programming Learning Assistant System (JPLAS). It offers several types of practice problems with different levels and learning goals for step-by-step self-study, where any answer is automatically marked in the system. One challenge for teachers that is addressed with JPLAS is the generation of proper exercise problems that meet learning requirements. We implemented programs for generating new problems from given source codes, as collecting and evaluating suitable codes remains time-consuming. In this paper, we present an automatic code generation tool using generative AI to solve this challenge. Prompt engineering is used to help generate an appropriate source code, and the quality is controlled by optimizing the prompt based on the outputs. For applications in JPLAS, we implement a web application system to automatically generate an element fill-in-the-blank problem (EFP) in JPLAS. For evaluation, we select the element fill-in-the-blank problem (EFP) as the target type in JPLAS and generate several instances using this tool. The results confirm the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 1999-5903 17 8 2025 A Verilog Programming Learning Assistant System Focused on Basic Verilog with a Guided Learning Method 333 EN Pin-Chieh Hsieh Department of Electronic Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology Tzu-Lun Fang Department of Electronic Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology Shaobo Jin Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Yuyan Wang Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Yu-Cheng Fan Department of Electronic Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology With continuous advancements in semiconductor technology, mastering efficient designs of high-quality and advanced chips has become an important part of science and technology education. Chip performances will determine the futures of various aspects of societies. However, novice students often encounter difficulties in learning digital chip designs using Verilog programming, a common hardware design language. An efficient self-study system for supporting them that can offer various exercise problems, such that any answer is marked automatically, is in strong demand. In this paper, we design and implement a web-based Verilog programming learning assistant system (VPLAS), based on our previous works on software programming. Using a heuristic and guided learning method, VPLAS leads students to learn the basic circuit syntax step by step, until they acquire high-quality digital integrated circuit design abilities through self-study. For evaluation, we assign the proposal to 50 undergraduate students at the National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan, who are taking the introductory chip-design course, and confirm that their learning outcomes using VPLAS together are far better than those obtained when following a traditional method. In our final statistics, students achieved an average initial accuracy rate of over 70% on their first attempts at answering questions after learning through our website’s tutorials. With the help of the system’s instant automated grading and rapid feedback, their average accuracy rate eventually exceeded 99%. This clearly demonstrates tha No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 1999-5903 17 5 2025 An Improved Reference Paper Collection System Using Web Scraping with Three Enhancements 195 EN Tresna Maulana Fahrudin Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Komang Candra Brata Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Inzali Naing Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Soe Thandar Aung Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Amri Muhaimin Department of Data Science, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jawa Timur Dwi Arman Prasetya Department of Data Science, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jawa Timur Nowadays, accessibility to academic papers has been significantly improved with electric publications on the internet, where open access has become common. At the same time, it has increased workloads in literature surveys for researchers who usually manually download PDF files and check their contents. To solve this drawback, we have proposed a reference paper collection system using a web scraping technology and natural language models. However, our previous system often finds a limited number of relevant reference papers after taking long time, since it relies on one paper search website and runs on a single thread at a multi-core CPU. In this paper, we present an improved reference paper collection system with three enhancements to solve them: (1) integrating the APIs from multiple paper search web sites, namely, the bulk search endpoint in the Semantic Scholar API, the article search endpoint in the DOAJ API, and the search and fetch endpoint in the PubMed API to retrieve article metadata, (2) running the program on multiple threads for multi-core CPU, and (3) implementing Dynamic URL Redirection, Regex-based URL Parsing, and HTML Scraping with URL Extraction for fast checking of PDF file accessibility, along with sentence embedding to assess relevance based on semantic similarity. For evaluations, we compare the number of obtained reference papers and the response time between the proposal, our previous work, and common literature search tools in five reference paper queries. The results show that the proposal increases the number of relevant reference papers by 64.38% and reduces the time by 59.78% on average compared to our previous work, while outperforming common literature search tools in reference papers. Thus, the effectiveness of the proposed system has been demonstrated in our experiments. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Oxford University Press (OUP) Acta Medica Okayama 0305-7364 135 7 2025 Molecular polymorphisms of the nuclear and chloroplast genomes among African melon germplasms reveal abundant and unique genetic diversity, especially in Sudan 1329 1343 EN Odirichi Nnennaya Imoh Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Gentaro Shigita Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Mitsuhiro Sugiyama Institute of Vegetable and Floriculture Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) Tran Phuong Dung Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Katsunori Tanaka Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University Mami Takahashi Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Kazusa Nishimura Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuki Monden Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hidetaka Nishida Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mashaer Goda Plant Genetic Resources Conservation and Research Center, Agricultural Research Corporation Michel Pitrat INRAE, UR1052, Génétique et amélioration des fruits et légumes Kenji Kato Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Background and Aims Africa is rich in wild species of Cucumis and is considered one of the places of origin of melon. However, our knowledge of African melon is limited, and genetic studies using melon germplasms with wide geographical coverage are required. Here, we analysed the genetic structure of African melons, with emphasis on Sudan.<br> Methods Ninety-seven accessions of African melon were examined along with 77 reference accessions representing Asian melon and major horticultural groups. Molecular polymorphisms in the nuclear and chloroplast genomes were investigated using 12 RAPD, 7 SSR and 3 SNP markers. Horticultural traits, including seed size, were measured for 46 accessions, mainly from Sudan.<br> Key Results African melons were divided into large and small seed-types based on seed length: large seed-type from Northern Africa and small seed-type from Western and Southern Africa. Both seed types are common in Sudan. Molecular genetic diversity in these geographical populations was as high as in India, the Asian centre of melon domestication. Large seed-types from Northern Africa were assigned to Pop4 by structure analysis and had Ib cytoplasm in common with Cantalupensis, Inodorus and Flexuosus. Small seed-types were highly diversified and geographically differentiated; specifically, Pop1 with Ia cytoplasm in Southern Africa and South Asia, Pop2 with Ia in East Asia, including Conomon and Makuwa, and Pop3 with Ia or Ic in Africa. Sudanese small seed-types were grouped in Pop3, while their cytoplasm type was a mixture of Ia and Ic. Sudanese Tibish had Ic cytoplasm, which was unique in Africa, common in Western Africa and Sudan, and also found in wild or feral types.<br> Conclusions Melon of Ic lineage, including Tibish, originated from wild melon in the ‘western Sudan region’, and independently of melon with Ia or Ib cytoplasm, which originated in Asia. This clearly indicates the polyphyletic origin of melon. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Frontiers Media SA Acta Medica Okayama 1664-462X 16 2025 The response to thermospermine is fine-tuned by the balance between SAC51 and LHW family proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana EN Yao Xu Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mitsuru Saraumi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomohiko Toyoshima Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroyasu Motose Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Taku Takahashi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Thermospermine negatively regulates xylem formation. In Arabidopsis, SAC51 and SACL3, members of the SAC51 gene family encoding basic loop-helix-loop (bHLH) proteins play a key role in this regulation. These mRNAs contain an upstream open-reading-frame (uORF) that is highly conserved across species, and its inhibitory effect on the main ORF translation is alleviated by thermospermine. A double knockout of SAC51 and SACL3 results in thermospermine insensitivity at high concentrations that normally inhibit xylem formation and shoot growth in the wild type. Conversely, uORF mutants of SAC51, SACL3, and SACL1 suppress the excessive xylem formation and dwarf phenotype of acl5, a mutant defective in thermospermine biosynthesis. In this study, we generated genome-edited uORF mutants of SACL2 and confirmed that they partially recover the acl5 phenotype. All uORF mutants exhibited increased sensitivity to thermospermine. SACL3 represses the function of LHW, a key bHLH transcription factor required for xylem proliferation, through direct interaction. We found that the lhw mutant is also hypersensitive to thermospermine, while this sensitivity was suppressed by the sac51 sacl3 double knockout. Yeast two-hybrid assays demonstrated that all four SAC51 family members interact with LHW and its family members. These findings suggest that overaccumulation of SAC51 family proteins leads to thermospermine hypersensitivity by repressing the function of LHW family proteins, whose activity must be fine-tuned to ensure proper xylem development. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 0960-7412 123 5 2025 RNA processing/modifying enzymes play key roles in the response to thermospermine in Arabidopsis thaliana e70476 EN Mitsuru Saraumi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takahiro Tanaka Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Daiki Koyama Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yoshitaka Nishi Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu Sangyo University Yoshihiro Takahashi Department of Life Science, Faculty of Life Science, Kyushu Sangyo University Hiroyasu Motose Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Taku Takahashi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Thermospermine is involved in negative regulation of xylem differentiation by enhancing the translation of mRNAs of the SAC51 gene family in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). These mRNAs contain conserved upstream open reading frames (uORFs) that interfere with the translation of the main ORF. To investigate the mechanism by which thermospermine acts in this process, we isolated mutants insensitive to thermospermine, named ‘its’. We show that the four genes responsible for these mutants, its1 to its4, encode: (i) a homolog of SPOUT RNA methyltransferase, (ii) an rRNA pseudouridine synthase CBF5/NAP57, (iii) a putative spliceosome disassembly factor STIPL1/NTR1, and (iv) a plant-specific RNA-binding protein PHIP1. These four mutants were found to have much higher levels of thermospermine than the wild-type. While all these mutants except its1 appear almost normal, they enhance the dwarf phenotype of a mutant of ACL5, which encodes thermospermine synthase, resulting in tiny plants resembling a double knockout of ACL5 and SACL3, a member of the SAC51 family. Reporter assays revealed that GUS activity from the CaMV 35S promoter-SAC51 5′-GUS fusion construct was significantly reduced in its1 and its4 or not affected in its2 and its3, while it was slightly increased in its1, its3, and its4, or not changed in its2 by thermospermine. These findings underscore the critical role of RNA processing and modification in the thermospermine-dependent translational regulation of uORF-containing transcripts. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0167-6903 105 4 2025 Effect of environmental conditions on seed germination and seedling growth in Cuscuta campestris 1157 1167 EN Koki Nagao Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Taku Takahashi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ryusuke Yokoyama Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University Dodder (Cuscuta) is an obligate parasitic plant that cannot survive without a host and causes significant damage to crop yields. To understand its growth characteristics before parasitism, we examined the effects of environmental conditions on seed germination and seedling growth in Cuscuta campestris Yunck. Among various factors, we focused on the effects of light, pH, temperature, sugars, salts, hormones, amino acids and polyamines on seeds sown on agar plates. Regarding the effect of light on germination, far-red light was preferable rather than red light and the reversible response of seeds to red and far-red light was confirmed, implicating a phytochrome-mediated signaling pathway opposite to that in many seed plants. Among the amino acids, aspartic acid and alanine had a promotive effect, while histidine had an inhibitory effect on germination. We further found that, in addition to gibberellic acid, methyl jasmonate stimulated both germination and shoot elongation. While 2,4-D extended the viability of trichomes around the root cap, kinetin induced the formation of scale leaves on the shoot and undifferentiated cell clusters at the base of the shoot and root tip. Real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) experiments confirmed that the expression of a putative RbcS gene for photosynthesis showed no response to light, whereas that of a Phytochrome A homolog increased in the dark. Our results indicate that some of the molecular mechanisms involved in responding to light and hormone signals are uniquely modified in dodder seedlings, providing clues for understanding the survival strategy of parasitic plants. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 1674-2052 18 10 2025 The OsATG8–OsATG1–SPIN6 module: Linking nutrient sensing to OsRac1-mediated rice immunity via autophagy-independent mechanisms 1623 1625 EN Yanjun Kou State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, China National Rice Research Institute Yoji Kawano Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2213-1779 13 11 2025 Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Needs in Nonobstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy 102658 EN Milind Y. Desai HCM Center, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Niccolo Maurizi Cardiomyopathy Unit, Careggi University Hospital Elena Biagini Cardiology Unit, Cardiac Thoracic and Vascular Department, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna Philippe Charron European Reference Network for Rare, Low Prevalence and Complex Diseases of the Heart (ERN GUARD-Heart) Fabio Fernandes InCor, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo Esther González-López Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda University Hospital, Health Research Institute of the Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda-Segovia de Arana University Hospital (IDIPHISA) Paul L. van Haelst Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health Kristina Hermann Haugaa Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health Christopher M. Kramer Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health Benjamin Meder Department of Internal Medicine III, Institute for Cardiomyopathies, University of Heidelberg Michelle Michels European Reference Network for Rare, Low Prevalence and Complex Diseases of the Heart (ERN GUARD-Heart) Anjali Owens Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Shinsuke Yuasa Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Academic Field, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Perry Elliott UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science and St Bartholomew’s Hospital Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects individuals worldwide with an estimated prevalence of over 1 in 500 individuals. Nonobstructive HCM accounts for approximately 30% to 70% of cases, is extremely heterogeneous, and is associated with a notable degree of morbidity, including daily life limitations, ventricular tachyarrhythmias, progression to heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. No approved pharmaceutical therapies target the pathophysiology of nonobstructive HCM, although several clinical trials are underway. This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of nonobstructive HCM, focusing on epidemiology, natural history, genetics, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, burden of disease, and current treatments and ongoing clinical trials. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0957-4522 36 1 2024 Optical bandgap tuning in SnO2–MoS2 nanocomposites: manipulating the mass of SnO2 and MoS2 using sonochemical solution mixing 6 EN Chinkhai Ong School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia Weng Nam Lee Heriot-Watt Global College, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia Yee Seng Tan Sunway Biofunctional Molecules Discovery Centre, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University Patrik Ohberg School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Yasuhiko Hayashi Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takeshi Nishikawa Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuenkiat Yap Heriot-Watt Global College, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia This study investigates controlled optical bandgap tuning through precise adjustment of the SnO2 and MoS2 mass in nanocomposites. A sonochemical solution mixing method, coupled with bath sonication, is employed for the preparation of SnO2–MoS2 nanocomposite. This approach allows for comprehensive characterization using UV–Vis FTIR, XRD, EDX, Raman spectroscopies, and FESEM, providing insights into morphology, chemical, and optical properties. Increasing the SnO2 mass leads to a linear decrease in the optical bandgap energy, from 3.0 to 1.7 eV. Similarly, increasing the MoS2 mass also results in a decrease in the optical bandgap energy, with a limitation of around 2.01 eV. This work demonstrates superior control over optical bandgap by manipulating the SnO2 mass compared to MoS2, highlighting the complexities introduced by MoS2 2D nanosheets during sonication. These findings hold significant value for optoelectronic applications, emphasizing enhanced control of optical bandgap through systematic mass manipulation. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Informa UK Limited Acta Medica Okayama 0003-2719 58 2 2024 Influence of Dilution Upon the Ultraviolet-Visible Peak Absorbance and Optical Bandgap Estimation of Tin(IV) Oxide and Tin(IV) Oxide-Molybdenum(IV) Sulfide Solutions 196 212 EN Chin Khai Ong School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia Weng Nam Lee Heriot-Watt Global College, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia Mohammad Khalid Sunway Centre for Electrochemical Energy and Sustainable Technology (SCEEST), School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University Muhammad Amirul Aizat Mohd Abdah Sunway Centre for Electrochemical Energy and Sustainable Technology (SCEEST), School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University Patrik Ohberg Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Ling Hong Lim Heriot-Watt Global College, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia Yasuhiko Hayashi Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Okayama University Takeshi Nishikawa Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Okayama University Yuenkiat Yap Heriot-Watt Global College, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia The study investigated the constraints associated with the dilution technique in determining the optical bandgap of nanoparticle dispersion and modified nanocomposites, utilizing ultraviolet-visible absorbance spectra and Tauc plot analysis. A case study involving SnO2 dispersion and SnO2-MoS2 nanocomposite solutions, prepared through the direct solution mixing method, was conducted to assess the implications of dilution upon the absorbance spectra and bandgap estimation. The results emphasize the considerable impact of the dilution technique on the measured optical bandgap, demonstrating that higher dilution factors lead to shift in bandgap values. Furthermore, the study highlights that dilution can induce variations in the average nanoparticle sizes due to agglomeration, thereby influencing bandgap estimation. In the context of nanocomposites, the interaction between SnO2 nanoparticles and exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets diminishes with increasing dilution, leading to the estimated optical bandgap being primarily attributable to SnO2 nanoparticles alone. These observations underscore the necessity for caution when employing the dilution technique for bandgap estimation in nanoparticles dispersion and nanocomposites, offering valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in the field. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0273-1177 76 9 2025 Spatiotemporal evolution of ecosystem carbon storage under land use/land cover dynamics in the coastal region of Central Vietnam 4815 4837 EN Viet Hoang Ho Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Hidenori Morita Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Thanh Ha Ho University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University Felix Bachofer German Aerospace Center (DLR), Earth Observation Center Ecosystem carbon storage is a cost-effective strategy for global climate change mitigation, and its fluctuation is markedly shaped by land use/land cover (LULC) dynamics. Taking Danang city as an example of Central Coastal Vietnam, this study aims to assess LULC changes and analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of carbon storage from 2023 to 2050 under four LULC change scenarios, including natural trend scenario (NTS), ecological protection scenario (EPS), economic development scenario (EDS), and cropland protection scenario (CPS), by integrating the support vector machine-cellular automata-Markov (SVM-CA-Markov) model and the InVEST model. The Optimal Parameters-based Geographical Detector (OPGD) model was subsequently employed to elucidate the impacts of driving factors on the spatial distribution of carbon storage. The results showed that, from 2007 to 2023, Danang city experienced a dramatic back-and-forth transformation between LULC types, with the predominant transitions being from natural forest to acacia tree-dominated plantation forest (6492.31 ha), and from cropland to settlements, acacia tree-dominated plantation forest, and other land (5483.05 ha, 3763.66 ha, 2762.35 ha, respectively). Between 2023 and 2050, LULC transformations in Danang city are projected to yield varying degrees of carbon storage levels across different scenarios. Specifically, carbon storage is anticipated to dwindle by 0.221 Mt, 0.223 Mt, and 0.298 Mt under NTS, EDS, and CPS, respectively, while enhancing by 0.141 Mt under EPS. Regarding the spatial distribution of carbon storage, high values will be chiefly found in the western high-elevation mountainous region, while low values will be concentrated mostly in the eastern lower-lying areas of the city. Additionally, elevation and temperature acted as the two most significant driving factors influencing the spatial distribution of carbon storage, with Q values of 0.88 and 0.86 (p-value < 0.05), respectively. For interaction detection, the combination of elevation and soil exhibited a synergistic reinforcement effect on the spatial partitioning of carbon storage, with a high Q value of 0.9566 (p-value < 0.05). Our study highlights the necessity of ecological conservation measures in Danang city in the on-track pursuit of national net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Cambridge University Press (CUP) Acta Medica Okayama 0022-1120 1019 2025 Experimental and numerical study on the inertial migration of hydrogel particles suspended in square channel flows A22 EN Yuma Hirohata Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka Kazusa Sai Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Kansai University Yuki Tange Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Kansai University Tomohiro Nishiyama Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Kansai University Haruka Minato Graduate School of Environmental Life Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Daisuke Suzuki Graduate School of Environmental Life Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomoaki Itano Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Kansai University Kazuyasu Sugiyama Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka Masako Sugihara-Seki Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Kansai University The inertial migration of hydrogel particles suspended in a Newtonian fluid flowing through a square channel is studied both experimentally and numerically. Experimental results demonstrate significant differences in the focusing positions of the deformable and rigid particles, highlighting the role of particle deformability in inertial migration. At low Reynolds numbers (Re), hydrogel particles migrate towards the centre of the channel cross-section, whereas the rigid spheres exhibit negligible lateral motion. At finite Re, they focus at four points along the diagonals in the downstream cross-section, in contrast to the rigid particles which focus near the centre of the channel face at similar Re . Numerical simulations using viscous hyperelastic particles as a model for hydrogel particles reproduced the experimental results for the particle distribution with an appropriate Young’s modulus of the hyperelastic particles. Further numerical simulations over a broader range of Re and the capillary number (Ca) reveal various focusing patterns of the particles in the channel cross-section. The phase transitions between them are discussed in terms of the inertial lift and the lift due to particle deformation, which would act in the direction towards lower shear. The stability of the channel centre is analysed using an asymptotic expansion approach to the migration force at low Re and Ca. The theoretical analysis predicts the critical condition for the transition, which is consistent with the direct numerical simulation. These experimental, numerical and theoretical results contribute to a deeper understanding of inertial migration of deformable particles. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Fuji Technology Press Ltd. Acta Medica Okayama 1883-8022 19 5 2025 Study on an Effective Coolant Supply Method in the Side Plunge Grinding Process 939 948 EN Lingxiao Gao Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Taichi Fujimoto Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroyuki Kodama Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kazuhito Ohashi Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Grinding is widely used for finishing components with journal and thrust surfaces, such as crankshafts. Side-plunge grinding enables the simultaneous finishing of thrust and cylindrical surfaces in a single plunge. However, compared to cylindrical grinding, it involves a larger contact area between the grinding wheel and the workpiece, leading to increased heat generation. In particular, poor coolant penetration near internal corners can degrade surface quality, potentially causing stress concentrations and cracks. To enhance coolant effectiveness in side-plunge grinding, this study installs a high-pressure nozzle that supplies coolant from the side of the grinding wheel. The effectiveness of this setup is experimentally verified. Additionally, the distribution of coolant flow within the contact area between the grinding wheel and the workpiece is measured to determine the optimal nozzle position for efficient coolant delivery. The nozzle’s performance is evaluated by measuring the workpiece surface temperature using a wire/workpiece thermocouple, the amount of coolant discharged from the grinding wheel, and the residual stress distribution. The results show that coolant penetrates the grinding wheel and effectively reaches the grinding zone, enhancing the cooling effect. This study clarifies the relationship between effective coolant supply and the position of the side nozzle. Considering physical constraints, such as potential interference during grinding, the optimal nozzle location is as close as possible to both the edge of the grinding wheel and the workpiece. This positioning ensures maximum coolant delivery, reduces grinding temperature, and helps suppress drastic variations in residual stress. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2041-1723 16 1 2025 Persistent homology elucidates hierarchical structures responsible for mechanical properties in covalent amorphous solids 8226 EN Emi Minamitani SANKEN, The University of Osaka Takenobu Nakamura Department of Materials and Chemistry Materials DX Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Ippei Obayashi Center for Artificial Intelligence and Mathematical Data Science, Okayama University Hideyuki Mizuno Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo Understanding how atomic-level structures govern the mechanical properties of amorphous materials remains a fundamental challenge in solid-state physics. Under mechanical loading, amorphous materials exhibit simple affine and spatially inhomogeneous nonaffine displacements that contribute to the elastic modulus through the Born (affine) and nonaffine terms, respectively. The differences between soft local structures characterized by small Born terms or large nonaffine displacements have yet to be elucidated. This challenge is particularly complex in covalent amorphous materials such as silicon, where the medium-range order (MRO) plays a crucial role in the network structure. To address these issues, we combined molecular dynamics simulations with persistent homology analysis. Our results reveal that local structures with small Born terms are governed by short-range characteristics, whereas those with large nonaffine displacements exhibit hierarchical structures in which short-range disorder is embedded within the MRO. These hierarchical structures are also strongly correlated with low-energy localized vibrational excitations. Our findings demonstrate that the mechanical responses and dynamic properties of covalent amorphous materials are intrinsically linked to the MRO, providing a framework for understanding and tailoring their properties. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2045-2322 15 1 2025 Pharmacokinetics and the effectiveness of pyrogen-free bioabsorbable wet adhesives 20056 EN Risa Oshima Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University Kumiko Yoshihara Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Ko Nakanishi Department of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University Tsukasa Akasaka Department of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University Shinji Shimoji Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University Teppei Nakamura Department of Applied Veterinary Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University Takumi Okihara Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mariko Nakamura Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Clinical Psychology, Kyushu University of Medical and Science Akihiro Matsukawa Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Ikkei Tamada Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Children’s Medical Center Bart Van Meerbeek BIOMAT, Department of Oral Health Sciences, & UZ Leuven, Dentistry, KU Leuven Tsutomu Sugaya Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University Yasuhiro Yoshida Department of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University Bioabsorbable materials are essential for advanced therapies, including surgical sealing, cell therapy, and drug delivery. Natural bioabsorbable materials, including collagen and hyaluronic acid, have better biocompatibility than synthetic bioabsorbable polymers; however, they are mainly derived from animals, presenting infection risks. Non-animal origin polymers have a lower molecular weight than those of animal origins. Their viscosity increases with increase in molecular weight, making endotoxin removal difficult. Here, using the phosphoryl chloride disposal method, we present a strategy for synthesizing pyrogen-free bioabsorbable adhesives with controlled molecular weight. Phosphopullulan, a polysaccharide derivative, had less than detectable endotoxin levels and controllable average molecular weight of approximately 300,000 to over 1,400,000. Furthermore, it is important to ensure the safety as well as efficacy of bio-implantable materials. We have evaluated the biosafety of polysaccharide derivatives we are developing, and have examined their cell phagocytosis and pharmacokinetics in vitro and in vivo, and have confirmed that they are safe. We have also evaluated their adhesion to wet tissue adhesions and confirmed that they leak less than existing materials. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2041-1723 16 1 2025 Fully-gapped superconductivity with rotational symmetry breaking in pressurized kagome metal CsV3Sb5 3643 EN X. Y. Feng Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and BeijingNational Laboratory for CondensedMatter Physics Z. Zhao Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and BeijingNational Laboratory for CondensedMatter Physics J. Luo Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and BeijingNational Laboratory for CondensedMatter Physics Y. Z. Zhou Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and BeijingNational Laboratory for CondensedMatter Physics J. Yang Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and BeijingNational Laboratory for CondensedMatter Physics A. F. Fang H. T. Yang Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and BeijingNational Laboratory for CondensedMatter Physics H.-J. Gao Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and BeijingNational Laboratory for CondensedMatter Physics R. Zhou Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and BeijingNational Laboratory for CondensedMatter Physics Guo-qing Zheng Department of Physics, Okayama University The discovery of the kagome metal CsV3Sb5 has generated significant interest in its complex physical properties, particularly its superconducting behavior under different pressures, though its nature remains debated. Here, we performed low-temperature, high-pressure 121/123Sb nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) measurements to explore the superconducting pairing symmetry in CsV3Sb5. At ambient pressure, we found that the spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1 exhibits a kink at T ~ 0.4 Tc within the superconducting state and follows a T3 variation as temperature further decreases. This suggests the presence of two superconducting gaps with line nodes in the smaller one. As pressure increases beyond Pc ~ 1.85 GPa, where the charge-density wave phase is completely suppressed, 1/T1 shows no Hebel-Slichter peak just below Tc, and decreases rapidly, even faster than T5, indicating that the gap is fully opened for pressures above Pc. In this high pressure region, the angular dependence of the in-plane upper critical magnetic field Hc2 breaks the C6 rotational symmetry. We propose the s + id pairing at P > Pc which explains both the 1/T1 and Hc2 behaviors. Our findings indicate that CsV3Sb5 is an unconventional superconductor and its superconducting state is even more exotic at high pressures. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Acta Medica Okayama 2375-2548 11 38 2025 Polymeric microwave rectifiers enabled by monolayer-thick ionized donors eadv9952 EN Nobutaka Osakabe Material Innovation Research Center (MIRC) and Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo Jeongeun Her Material Innovation Research Center (MIRC) and Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo Takahiro Kaneta Material Innovation Research Center (MIRC) and Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo Akiko Tajima Material Innovation Research Center (MIRC) and Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo Elena Longhi School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics, Georgia Institute of Technology Kan Tang Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, University of Colorado Boulder Kazuhiro Fujimori Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Stephen Barlow School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics, Georgia Institute of Technology Seth R. Marder School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics, Georgia Institute of Technology Shun Watanabe Material Innovation Research Center (MIRC) and Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo Jun Takeya Material Innovation Research Center (MIRC) and Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo Yu Yamashita Material Innovation Research Center (MIRC) and Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo Solution processing of polymeric semiconductors provides a facile way to fabricate functional diodes. However, energy barriers at metal-semiconductor interfaces often limit their performance. Here, we report rectifying polymer diodes with markedly modified energy-level alignments. The gold electrode surface was treated with a dimeric metal complex, which resulted in a shallow work function of 3.7 eV by forming a monolayer-thick ionized donor layer. When a polymeric semiconductor was coated on the treated electrode, most of the ionized donors remained at the metal-semiconductor interface. The confined ionized donors with the ideal thickness enabled fabrication of a polymer diode with a forward current density of over 100 A cm−2. Furthermore, a power conversion efficiency of 7.9% was observed for rectification at a microwave frequency of 920 MHz, which is orders of magnitude higher than that reported for organic diodes. Our findings will pave a way to solution-processed high-frequency and high-power devices. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1472-6831 25 1 2025 Phosphorylated pullulan as a local drug delivery matrix for cationic antibacterial chemicals to prevent oral biofilm 1333 EN Naoko Namba-Koide Department of Periodontics and Endodontics, Division of Dentistry, Okayama University Hospital Yasuhiro Yoshida Department of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University Noriyuki Nagaoka Advanced Research Center for Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, Okayama University Dental School Takumi Okihara Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yusuke Kawata Department of Periodontics and Endodontics, Division of Dentistry, Okayama University Hospital Masahiro Ito Department of Periodontics and Endodontics, Division of Dentistry, Okayama University Hospital Takashi Ito Center for Innovative Clinical Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Kazu Takeuchi-Hatanaka Department of Periodontics and Endodontics, Division of Dentistry, Okayama University Hospital Yuki Shinoda-Ito Department of Pathophysiology - Periodontal Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Kazuhiro Omori Department of Pathophysiology - Periodontal Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Tadashi Yamamoto Department of Pathophysiology - Periodontal Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Shogo Takashiba Department of Pathophysiology - Periodontal Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Background Preventing oral infections, such as oral caries and periodontal disease, helps reduce the risks of various systemic diseases. In this study, the polysaccharide pullulan produced by the black yeast Aureobasidium pullulans was modified in combination with the cationic surfactant cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) to create a local drug delivery system, and its antibacterial potential on oral bacteria was examined in vitro.<br> Methods Pullulan was phosphorylated at the CH2OH residue of α6 in the maltotriose structure and mixed with CPC. Bacterial attachment of cariogenic Streptococcus mutans on hydroxyapatite plates (HAPs) treated with the phosphorylated pullulan (PP) and CPC compound (0.01% PP and 0.001– 0.03% CPC, and vice versa) was assessed by observing bacteria using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and quantified through 16 S rRNA amplification via real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Additionally, the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method was employed to evaluate the sustained release of CPC.<br> Results PP-CPC compound maintained significant bactericidal activity even at 0.01%, which is one-fifth of the conventional applicable concentration of CPC. Additionally, a residual mixture was detected by the hydroxyapatite sensor of the crystal oscillator microbalance detector, suggesting an unknown molecular interaction that enables the sustained release of CPC after attachment to hydroxyapatite.<br> Conclusions The combination of PP and CPC may contribute to the low concentration and effective prevention of oral infections, such as dental caries. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.