It is widely known that Emily Berry (1981-), acclaimed London poet, describes some fixation of oral sensitivity in her work, especially in a particular poem “Our Love Could Spoil Dinner”. Similarly, another much younger poet Clake (1992-), while showing her deep concern with Berry in “HNY” (the poem actually begins ‘after Emily Berry’), writes “Pink Grapefruit” in which the oral sensitivity is foregrounded. Through a close reading of those poems, the present article will attempt to illustrate how Clake infuses the depths of oral sensitivity for her descriptions. Interestingly, Heather McAlpine’s re-reading of the imagery of “lips”, in part, through Mikhail Bakhtin can encourage us to investigate the meaning of Clake’s such infusion, by discussing the issue of the significant representation of the human mouth as a corporeal embodiment. Indeed, compared with other body functions, oral parts organize as the points at which the self and the world most peculiarly interpenetrate. Additionally, as my ultimate aim, I will demonstrate that physical manifestations of oral sensitivity can be significantly related with possible creative writings by which we can depict oral sensitivity in the world of fiction.

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Engineering education globally is facing numerous challenges as the world emerges from the pandemic and adapt to changes in demographics, workforce needs, and technology. In response, ASEE is leading efforts focused on diversity, curricula, and workforce needs. One initiative is focused on helping institutions change the way they recruit, admit, and educate engineering students. The goals of this initiative, entitled “Weaving Students into Engineering versus Weeding Them Out” is two-fold: first, to help institutions attract and educate a more diverse engineering workforce; second, to produce sufficient engineering graduates to support workforce needs in the face of declining birthrates and the diversification of the US population. This program is co-hosting a listening session with the National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Visioning Alliance to hear from to student voices, as well as a National Science Foundation-funded workshop, co-hosted with the National Academy of Engineering, to develop a framework of research-based strategies to for recruiting and retaining a more diverse spectrum of students in terms of pre-college preparation and opportunity. ASEE is also focusing on curriculum changes to keep pace with rapid technological change in the engineering workplace. The first effort, the Industry 4.0 Initiative, hosted a series of webinars and a summit on Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to reach a consensus on improvements to curricula, work-based experiences, policies, and practices that students need to compete in today’s workforce. The second effort is a National Science Foundation-funded task force studying the undergraduate engineering curriculum in the US to provide recommendations for updating how students are educated today. The final report of this initiative will be similar to the 1955 Grinter Report, which has heavily influenced engineering education in the US for the last seventy years. ASEE is engaged in additional efforts focused on diversity. ASEE’s Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion held a Year of Impact on Racial Equity in 2021-2022, focused on organizational change around increased awareness and action to dismantle racism. The ASEE Engineering Dean’s Council oversees the ASEE Diversity Recognition Program, created to publicly recognize those engineering and engineering technology colleges that make significant, measurable progress in increasing the diversity, inclusion, and degree attainment outcomes of their programs. Recognition occurs at three levels: bronze, silver, and gold. ASEE has multiple programs to help engineering faculty stay current in the face of rapid change and to improve the quality of their teaching. The first is the Delta Workshop series which provides online training for future faculty, new faculty, junior faculty, department heads, and aspiring deans. ASEE’s National Science Foundation-funded Faculty Teaching Excellence Program is developing a framework to promote and recognize continuous improvement in the quality of engineering and engineering technology instruction. This initiative, currently in the planning stage, will provide faculty with personalized pathways for ongoing professional development training in topics of relevance to them, with levels of recognition for acquiring knowledge, demonstrating expertise, and engaging leadership in engineering education. ASEE’s efforts in each of these areas are designed to help its members and programs innovate and keep pace with the rapid changes impacting engineering and engineering education, as well as realize notable change in educating a more diverse engineering workforce.

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　最近，マイクロプラスチックの海底への堆積フラックスの解明が，マイクロプラスチックの環境影響を考える上で非常に重要であることが明らかになりつつある．我々は，別府湾湾奥におけるマイクロプラスチックの堆積フラックスを1998年から5年毎に見積もった．具体的には，グラビティーコアラーで採取した底質コアサンプルを使ってマイクロプラスチック数密度の鉛直分布と堆積層の年代測定を行ない，マイクロプラスチックの堆積フラックスを求めた．年代は²¹⁰Pb法で求め，マイクロプラスチックの数密度は，鉛直方向に厚さ1 cmに分割した底質コアサンプルからマイクロプラスチックを抽出し求めた．分析の結果，1998年以降，5年毎のマイクロプラスチックの堆積フラックスに有意な差はなく，20年平均の堆積フラックスは223[pieces/(m²・y)]であった．

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Background

The pathogenesis of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is associated with both the non-malignant growth of the prostate (static component), and increased smooth muscle tone (dynamic component) which can lead to irritative and obstructive lower urinary tract symptoms, affecting the quality of life of patients. A recent study has shown that the levels of circulating oxytocin is significantly upregulated in men with (BPH), and exogenous oxytocin significantly increased the proliferation of prostatic fibroblasts [1]. In this study, we investigated whether oxytocin regulates the smooth muscle tone of the human prostate gland.

Methods

Samples of human prostate were collected from the transition (TZ) and peripheral zone (PZ) of men undergoing radical prostatectomy. Immunohistochemistry was used to confirm the presence and localization of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR). Tension recordings were obtained using organ bath techniques, with specimens incubated with increasing concentrations of oxytocin (0.1nM to 10μM). The basal tension (mN), amplitude (N/g) and frequency of spontaneous contractions were quantified.

Results

Using Immunohistochemistry, OXTR was found to be widely expressed in both the epithelial and stromal compartment of TZ and PZ specimens of human prostate (n =10). Application of exogenous oxytocin to TZ specimens significantly augmented the frequency of spontaneous contractions at 10μM by 70 ± 21% when normalized to baseline frequency (p < 0.05, n = 8). The half-maximal increase in frequency (EC50) occurred at 300nM. A similar efficacy was observed in patient matched PZ specimens (n=4).

Conclusion

We have established that oxytocin is able to induce contractility of the human prostate in both the TZ and PZ of the human prostate. Given that patients with BPH have elevated levels of oxytocin and that oxytocin has previously been shown to induce proliferation of prostate fibroblasts, is widely expressed in both the prostate stroma and epithelium, and is able to induce muscle contractility, targeting of the OXTR and associated downstream signalling is an attractive prospect in designing new and novel BPH pharmacotherapies.

1. Xu, H., et al., Oxytocin: its role in benign prostatic hyperplasia via the ERK pathway. Clin Sci (Lond), 2017. 131(7): p. 595-607.

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Kernel shell cellulose, kernel shell nanocellulose, and kernel shell nanocellulose residue synthesized from palm kernel shell were utilized as fuel for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with Cellulomonas fimi. Commercially available cellulose (cellulose powder) was also tested to compare the performances of the MFCs. Kernel shell nanocellulose yielded the highest current generation, with a maximum current density of approximately 26.4±1.1 mA/m², followed by cellulose powder, kernel shell cellulose, and kernel shell nanocellulose residue, with current densities of 16.8±1.0, 15.0±1.7, and 11.9±1.5 mA/m², respectively. The current generation ability of the palm kernel shell was similar to the electrical performance of commercially available cellulose.

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海洋プラスチックごみ問題はもはや一国一地域だけでは解決できない孤掌難鳴な課題であり，多くの関係者と叡智を結集し，協働して解決策を講じて実践していく必要がある。企業アライアンスである「クリーン・オーシャン・マテリアル・アライアンス」（CLOMA）は，2019年1月に設立された。商品のバリューチェーンを担う企業が集まるCLOMAでは様々な知識や技術，ノウハウなどの叡智を結集し，社会システム全体を捉えた実践的な挑戦が可能となる。本稿ではCLOMAの取組み内容とこれまでの活動成果，そして今後の挑戦について紹介する。

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The technique of Mos1-mediated Single Copy Insertion (MosSCI) now has become the essential technique which facilitates transgenic experiments for Caenohabditis elegans (C. elegans). Gateway system which is adopted to MosSCI-compatible vectors offers an advantage of simultaneous cloning with entry vectors cloned in the Gateway system format. On the other hand, the format for MosSCI-compatible vectors restricts flexibility in designing the vectors to only 3-fragment integration. Thus, construct of complex transgene such as the expression vector for translational gene fusion is tedious work even with Gateway system. We have developed the new recombination format called LeGaSCI (Library-enhanced Gateway for MosSCI) to expand the conventional 3-fragment to 4-fragment format which still retains the capacity to accept Promoterome and 3'UTRome libraries of C. elegans. In the new recombination format, 2 different Gateway format were combined. Cloning reaction for the tissue-specific expression vector of GFP-tagged protein with 3'UTR successfully occurred without any expected insertion, deletion or frame-shift mutation. Moreover, The MosSCI transgenic line was successfully generated with the construct. Collectively, we established the new Gateway system format which allows us to assemble 4-fragment insertion with the widest variety of entry clone vectors from C. elegans libraries. J. Med. Invest. 62: 161-166, August, 2015

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Breast cancer (BC) is a commonly diagnosed cancer amongst women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the world. BC has created huge challenges to healthcare providers regarding the identification of main risk factors and how they contribute to the development of the disease. Several studies suggest that biological risk factors such as duration of breast feeding, age at menarche, menopausal status and the use of contraceptive pills have contributed to the increase of BC diagnoses. Moreover, psychological factors such as depression, stress and negative lifestyles are gaining more attention as a major contributor to this type of cancer. The role of psychological stress regarding BC has been widely demonstrated in the literature across several fields including but not exclusive to epidemiology, physiology, and molecular biology which all show a clear relationship between intracellular stress signaling and protumorigenic pathways within breast cells. Cortisol is primary stress hormone of the human body and a growing body of research both clinically and molecularly are revealing a positive correlation of high cortisol levels and the progression of BC. This review attempts to establish and highlight how cortisol levels impact breast cancer development and progression.

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Previously, a “surface fine crevice structure” on a copper plate was created by laser irradiation and was found by the authors to be suitable for “unusual wetting”. Copper plates with “surface fine crevice structure” were joined by an unusual wetting phenomenon using liquid bismuth as joining material. In this study, we examined the viability of using tin and a tin–37 mass% lead solder as joining materials by focusing on intermetallic compound formation with copper. The wettability of the “surface fine crevice structure” on a copper plate by liquid tin and tin–lead solder was investigated and joint experiments were performed using two copper plates. The successful wetting of tin and solder material on the “surface fine crevice structure” of copper and the joining of copper plates was confirmed despite the formation of intermetallic compounds.

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In recent years, haptic devices have been studied for motor learning such as for sports. Learners ordinarily recognize target movements forcibly moved by haptic devices and reproduce the target movements. The kind of learning framework is called “passive learning”. It is an important ability to reproduce the target movements as same as is instructed. In sports, it is also important to perform movements as is adaptively planned by learners themselves. In this paper, we carry out a preliminary study of an effect of haptic guidance on hand-moving speed learning task. As a result, in the hand-moving speed learning, the haptic teaching was as good as visual teaching that is generally said to be dominantly powerful in motor learning.

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The distribution of small plastic marine debris, called microplasctics, of Yoshizaki coast of Kusu-chou, Yokkaichi city was investigated in the spring of 2018. The number density of all the plastic fragments was 886 pieces/m². The abundant species were the plastic capsule of the chemical fertilizer, the fragment of the formed plastics, the fragment of the hard plastics and the resin pellets, in descending order. The total number of these four species accounts for the 95% of all the plastic fragments. The distribution of the microplastics was strongly concentrated at the center of the coastline, and the scatter of the number density among the measuring stations was also rather high. These suggest the necessity of measurement with substantial number of stations to assess the representative number density of the microplastics for a coast.

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Edgar Allan Poe’s “Never Bet the Devil Your Head: A Tale with a Moral” was first published in Graham’s Magazine in September 1841 under the name “Never Bet Your Head: A Moral Tale.” This short story has been regarded as a literary satire that clearly attacked on the prevalence of transcendentalism and didacticism at the time. From the mid-thirties to the early forties, when Poe worked as a magazine editor and writer, the Transcendental Club held meetings for the northern intellectuals and writers, and the transcendentalist magazine The Dial began publication in 1840. Transcendentalism had much influence then, and the American literature of the time was guided by didacticism. Critics had a tendency to evaluate a literary work based on its moral, and readers demanded to read moral tales. Poe criticized the two currents of literature several times in his career; this short story can be thought as one of them.

This view is supported by some references in the work to the transcendentalist magazine The Dial and by Poe ostensibly mentioning the transcendentalist Emerson by name. However, this is not enough to claim the work to be a literary satire with the singular purpose of criticizing prominent figures and schools of thought; the short story also contains some strange descriptions that are not explicable in terms of any satirical aims, and Poe himself claimed in a letter that it was not his design to ridicule any targets in particular. What, then, is the chief aim of this work? The fact that Poe called this short story an “Extravaganza” gives us a hint; an extravaganza is a large, extravagant show or spectacle in general, but in the U. S. in the early 19th century, it denoted a short skit particularly in the form of the minstrel show.

The minstrel show was a popular American form of entertainment with performers in blackface who would dance, sing, and play the fool. It is possible that Poe made use of this piece of contemporary popular culture in his writing; in fact, this short story and the minstrel show have some characteristics in common, for example, the protagonist’s blackened face, his funny foolish gestures, and his habit of talking about bets. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze “Never Bet the Devil Your Head” by examining several commonalities between it and the minstrel show, and to make it clear how Poe adapted this form of contemporary popular theater for his original short story.

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