Autophagy activity of cranial nerves can decline as a result of aging, resulting in the onset of various neurodegenerative diseases. Defects or disruptions in autophagy are thought to allow aggregation of misfolded proteins leading to neurodegeneration. Acid β-glucosidase (GBA) is a lysosome enzyme that plays an important role in autophagy. Deficiency of GBA causes defects of neuronal autophagy including the accumulation of abnormal proteins. However, direct effects of GBA activation on autophagy are not yet understood. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can differentiate into various living cells and are expected to be applied to regenerative medicine and the treatment of disease-relevant cells, such as neurons. To explore the mechanism of autophagy and identify small molecules that activate autophagy, we screened small molecule regulators of autophagy in iPSCs: coreajaponin, dioscin and diosgenin. This series of screens allowed us to distinguish between compounds that can induce autophagic degradation and compounds that induce autophagosome accumulation as a result of causing cytotoxicity or inhibiting downstream lysosomal function. Our analyses led to the identification of compounds that can induce autophagy and activate GBA. Among the tested compounds, coreajaponin increased cell proliferation and intracellular GBA activity, and maintained the autolysosome formation activity in neural stem cells (NSC). In conclusion, coreajaponin could be suitable for the activation of autophagy and have potential therapeutic implications for common neurodegenerative diseases.

Many plant flavonoids are glycosylated and commonly reported benefits of flavonoid glycosides are anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory activities which find application in disease prevention and management. Flavonoids have a very broad pharmacological spectrum, but their mechanisms of action are only partially understood. We have revealed that plant polyphenols and steroidal saponins activate autophagy and acid β-glucosidase (GBA), a lysosomal enzyme that plays an important role in autophagy. Epidermal GBA converts glucosylceramide to ceramide, which is important for generating optimal barrier function in the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin. In addition, keratinocytes regulate melanosome degradation through autophagy. Thus, compounds that increase the activity of GBA may promote the efficiency of autophagy in melanin metabolism. Several studies have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory activity of flavonoid glycosides but data on the usefulness of flavonoid glycosides for human skin are limited. Here, we investigated the melaninolytic activity of flavonoid glycosides in keratinocytes from human iPS cell. The hesperidin and naringin reduced melanin levels, and hesperidin activated autolysosome formation and GBA. Thus, we propose hesperidin as a potential melanin degrading agent with good safety profile.

When acquiring night scene images, brighter images can be produced by increasing the ISO sensitivity. However, there is an associated problem with this approach, in that noise is also amplified by such brightness adjustment in digital cameras. Two noise components are amplified by this brightness adjustment: the noise bias (i.e., noise with a nonzero mean value) and the noise variance. Our research group is studying noise bias compensation (NBC), which is a new approach to noise reduction corresponding to the noise bias. Compensation values are calculated using pixel value information from the observed image and the clean image. In previous NBC methods, it was assumed that all pixel values in an image that contains no noise (clean image) were included in the overhead information. In this paper, we propose a method for compensation value calculation that does not rely on the overhead information for night scene images acquired with a general-purpose digital camera at high ISO sensitivity. Experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Attempts are being made to create a function that allows users to move through various virtual spaces such as conference rooms, classrooms, and laboratories on the Metaverse. We have been researching the educational application of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) techniques to magnetic fields. We are developing this into using Mixed Reality (MR). We focus on magnetic fields because they are essentially invisible and therefore difficult for beginners. This paper describes a method to achieve interactivity by speeding up computation time. By using the visualization system, we propose that users can transform the model with their own hands and observe the magnetic field between real space and virtual space.

Image noise amplified by brightness adjustment contains two components: the noise bias (NB; where the mean of the noise has a nonzero value) and the noise variance. Current conventional filters deal with the noise variance by using an approach that focuses on the correlation between pixels; however, these filters do not deal with the NB. The noise bias compensation (NBC) method is a new noise reduction approach that focuses on the NB. NBC reduces the image noise by subtracting the image correction from the observed pixel values and thus is faster than the currently existing filters. However, NBC is a noise reduction method for use with still images (2D images) and must therefore be extended for use with video sequences (3D images). In this paper, we propose an approach to extend the NBC method to video processing by selecting a compensation value from several pre-prepared values based on the frame features. These pre-prepared compensation values are modeled using all frames from the video without noise and before brightness adjustment.

Microchannels, which are created using microfabrication, are increasingly being used in cell culture devices, such as organ-on-a-chip. However, because the microchannel has a small structure, the channel surface has a strong effect on fluid resistance. Moreover, if the fabrication result deviated from the design value, the liquid stopped flowing. This study numerically analyzed the robustness of gravity-driven microfluidics assisted by a slow tilting table. The robustness of the system was determined by calculating the change in the flow rate and net flow amount in two cases: a mistake that occurred during fabrication, wherein the fluid resistance did not meet the design requirements, and a mistake that occurred during use, wherein the amount of medium added was different from the intended amount. Even if the flow rate deviated by two or half from the design value due to fabrication or use error, it quickly converged to the theoretical value within a few hours. The net flow was within 20% of the designed value. Therefore, gravity-driven microfluidics assisted by slow-tilting tables are robust in approaching theoretical values, even if they cannot be manufactured and handled as designed.

This study investigated the relation between GHz/MHz burst-mode femtosecond laser pulse envelope shapes and laser-processed shapes of copper sintering. Using burst mode, a single pulse can be replaced by a cluster consisting of multiple pulses (intrapulses) with a time interval of 15.44 ns (MHz burst) or 197 fs (GHz burst). The envelope shape of the intrapulses in GHz/MHz burst mode can be adjusted. For copper sintering, we set the following laser processing conditions: 190 fs pulse width and a 10 kHz –1 MHz repetition rate with constant power of 4 W, or repetition rates of 200 kHz, 590 kHz, and 1 MHz for constant pulse energy of 4 μJ in burst and non-burst mode. The femtosecond laser pulses with and without the burst mode irradiated the copper powder. The envelope shape of the intrapulses in GHz burst mode varied between envelope control (EC) = -1 (increasing pulse energy in the intrapulse with time) and EC = 1 (decreasing pulse energy with time). After copper sintering, the laser processing traces were observed using a digital microscope. Additionally, after copper sintering, the sample was evaluated using Raman spectroscopy for information about the molecular and crystal structure. The Raman spectroscopy measurements showed that Cr precipitates from the copper powder mixture to the surface during processing. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the degree of oxidation of the processed material can be adjusted by changing the envelope shape.

Thermal power generation accounts for approximately 74% of power generation by source in Shikoku. Traditionally, the detection of abnormalities at thermal power plants has been labor-intensive and inaccurate through visual inspection. If an abnormality occurs at a thermal power plant, if the abnormality cannot be accurately detected, it is impossible to guarantee people’s livelihood and normal power generation. Therefore, we developed a new detection system that combines a thermal infrared camera and image analysis technology to examine whether thermal power plants can be monitored with high accuracy. In developing the detection system, we decided to use ResNet50 to determine normality and abnormality. In the proposed system, images of monitored objects in thermal power plants are sent to a PC for verification every minute, and “correct” is displayed if normal, and “dummy”is displayed if abnormal, and a sound is played. As a result of the verification experiment using the proposed system, the F value of HRSG (Heat Recovery Steam Generators) No.1 and No.2 was 0.95 or higher in most cases. In the future, this system can lead to early detection of abnormalities in power generation facilities.