Applying Software Defined Network (SDN) technology to wireless networks are attracting much attention. Our previous study proposed a channel utilization method based on SDN/OpenFlow technology to improve the channel utilization efficiency of the multi-channel wireless backhaul network (WBN). However, since control messages are inherently transmitted with data traffic on a same channel in WBN, it inevitably degrades the network capacity. Specifically, the amount of control messages for collecting statistical information of each flow (FlowStats) linearly increases with the number of ongoing flows, thereby being the dominant overhead for backhaul networks. In this paper, we propose a new method that prevents the increase of control traffic while retaining the network performance of the previous method. Our proposed method uses statistical information of each interface (PortStats) instead of per-flow information (FlowStats), and handles multiple flows on the interface together if possible. Otherwise, to handle individual flow, we propose a way to estimate per-flow information without introducing extra control messages. Finally, we show that the proposed method offers the same performance with the previous method, while greatly reducing the amount of control traffic.

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Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) is frequently found in cattle worldwide. The etiology of BRDC is complicated by infections with multiple pathogens, making identification of the causal pathogen difficult. Here, we developed a detection system by applying TaqMan real-time PCR (Dembo respiratory-PCR) to screen a broad range of microbes associated with BRDC in a single run. We selected 16 bovine respiratory pathogens (bovine viral diarrhea virus, bovine coronavirus, bovine parainfluenza virus 3, bovine respiratory syncytial virus, influenza D virus, bovine rhinitis A virus, bovine rhinitis B virus, bovine herpesvirus 1, bovine adenovirus 3, bovine adenovirus 7, Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Histophilus somni, Trueperella pyogenes, Mycoplasma bovis and Ureaplasma diversum) as detection targets and designed novel specific primer-probe sets for nine of them. The assay performance was assessed using standard curves from synthesized DNA. In addition, the sensitivity of the assay was evaluated by spiking solutions extracted from nasal swabs that were negative by Dembo respiratory-PCR for nucleic acids of pathogens or synthesized DNA. All primer-probe sets showed high sensitivity. In this study, a total of 40 nasal swab samples from cattle on six farms were tested by Dembo respiratory-PCR. Dembo respiratory-PCR can be applied as a screening system with wide detection targets.

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A standard plasmid was constructed as a novel reference molecule for use in real-time quantitative PCR assays to verify the identity of beef, pork, chicken, mutton, and horseflesh. The plasmid contained a target domain of the cytochrome b (cyt b) gene and an artificial DNA sequence. Primers CO-F and CO-R, and probe CO-P were specifically designed to detect the artificial sequence. The calculated R² values of the standard curves (10³–10⁷ copies per reaction) for the five species ranged between 0.998 and 0.999 in the quantification analysis. The constructed plasmid provides a universal method for measuring the copy number of cyt b DNA in minced meat. This method would be a useful procedure for verifying food labels.

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Avian influenza A (H7N9) virus has caused several epidemics and infection in both human and poultry. With mutation, the H7N9 virus gained its fifth endemic in China. Early diagnosis is crucial for the control of viral spread in poultry and prognosis of infected patients. In this study, we developed and evaluated a lateral flow dipstick recombinase polymerase amplification (LFD-RPA) assay for rapid detection of both hemagglutinin and neuraminidase gene of H7N9. Our H7-LFD-RPA and N9-LFD-RPA assay were able to detect 32 fg H7N9 nucleic acid which is more convenient and rapid than previous methods. Through detecting 50 influenza positive samples, cross-reaction was not found with other subtypes of influenza virus. The 100% analytical specificity and sufficient analytical sensitivity results agreed the real time RT-PCR assay. The results data demonstrated that our method performed well and could be applied to the detection of H7N9 virus. This LFD-RPA assay provides a candidate method for rapid point-of-care diagnosis of H7N9.

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This paper reports on a study that compared electronic and printed dictionaries in terms of empirical and perceived efficiency of meaning and example retrieval. Seventy-seven university students took a speed test that measured efficiency with which word meanings (Part 1) and examples (Part 2) were accessed. The participants used electronic or printed versions of the same English-Japanese dictionary. A post-experiment survey explored participants' perception of the two dictionary types. Participants' pre-experiment familiarity with electronic and printed dictionaries was also examined. Multiple regression models were fit in search of meaningful relationships between the variables. The results indicated that (1) in identifying word meanings. e-dictionaries were markedly more efficient; (2) this advantage was multiplied by the users'familiarity with e-dictionaries: (3) in accessing examples, there was no significant difference between the two dictionary types; and (4) participants overwhelmingly preferred e-dictionaries. The paper concludes with an argument that in light of much less degree of reluctance to use e-dictionaries, the electronic-printed gap in real-life use frequency is expected to be larger than was observed by the speed test in this study.

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We designed new PCR primers targeting the hopZ3 sequence for the highly specific and quantitative detection of Pseudomonas syringae pv. theae (Hori 1915) Young, Dye & Wilkie 1978 (Pst), which is the causal agent of bacterial shoot blight of tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze). Conventional and real-time PCR assays (intercalating dye-based analysis and probe-based analysis) using these primers detected the target sequence in all six Pst strains. However, this was not so in eight other P. syringae pathovars or in 11 other bacterial species, including P. syringae pv. actinidiae Takikawa, Serizawa, Ichikawa, Tsuyumu & Goto 1989, which causes bacterial canker of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa (A. Chev.) C. F. Liang & A. R. Ferguson and A. chinensis Planch.) and is indistinguishable from Pst in PCR assays using the existing primers. These new primers will be useful for studying diseases in tea and kiwifruit.

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Various waterborne pathogens originate from human or animal feces and may cause severe gastroenteric outbreaks. Bacteroides spp. that exhibit strong host- or group-specificities are promising markers for identifying fecal sources and their origins. In the present study, 240 water samples were collected from two major aquaculture areas in Republic of Korea over a period of approximately 1 year, and the concentrations and occurrences of four host-specific Bacteroides markers (human, poultry, pig, and ruminant) were evaluated in the study areas. Host-specific Bacteroides markers were detected widely in the study areas, among which the poultry-specific Bacteroides marker was detected at the highest concentration (1.0–1.2 log₁₀ copies L⁻¹). During the sampling period, high concentrations of host-specific Bacteroides markers were detected between September and December 2015. The host-specific Bacteroides marker-combined geospatial map revealed the up-to-downstream gradient of fecal contamination, as well as the effects of land-use patterns on host-specific Bacteroides marker concentrations. In contrast to traditional bacterial indicators, the human-specific Bacteroides marker correlated with human specific pathogens, such as noroviruses (r=0.337; P<0.001). The present results indicate that host-specific Bacteroides genetic markers with an advanced geospatial analysis are useful for tracking fecal sources and associated pathogens in aquaculture areas.

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by resting tremor, slow and decreased movement (hypokinesia and akinesia), rigidity, postural instability, problems with gait, and coordination. The prevalence of PD is between 0.1% and 0.3% in the general population and between 1% and 2% in persons 65 years of age or older. Patients with PD are more likely to suffer from pain. Indeed, the chief complaint of patients with severe motor disturbance and severe pain is pain rather than motor disturbance. Fibromyalgia (FM) is defined by widespread pain (pain in the left and right sides of the body, pain above the waist, pain below the waist, and axial skeletal pain) for more than 3 months and the presence of at least 11 of the 18 specified tender points. FM and chronic widespread pain (CWP), which is usually an incomplete form of FM, cause pain in the musculoskeletal region, but their etiologies are unknown. Therefore, it is almost impossible to determine whether or not pain in the musculoskeletal region is in the musculoskeletal origin. We suspect that dysfunction or degeneration of the nerves that control pain, mind, and movement in the brain causes FM, depression, and PD, respectively. When pain in PD is discussed, FM and CWP should be considered because their prevalence is high. Patients with PD may be likely to suffer from FM and CWP; however, the prevalence of FM and CWP in patients with PD has not been reported. Here, we discuss the relationship between PD and FM or CWP.

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Viral endothelial cell necrosis of eel (VECNE) is a disease caused by the Japanese eel endothelial cells-infecting virus (JEECV) and significantly impacts the eel aquaculture in Japan. ​Although Japanese eel Anguilla japonica are often exposed to virus-contaminated water during aquaculture operations, the risk of infection via rearing water has not been well-studied. ​Using a waterborne challenge test, we showed JEECV could be transmitted via rearing water. ​Additionally, we examined the effects of water temperature on JEECV infection. ​The challenged eels started to die on day 18, and the cumulative mortality during the experiment was 32%, 15%, and 0% at 30°C, 32.5°C, and 35°C, respectively. ​Eels that died on day 18–20 showed high viral loads and typical symptoms of VECNE. ​Eels that survived the challenge test at 30°C and 32.5°C were also positive for JEECV, whereas no viral DNA was detected in eels at 35°C. ​The serum antibody titers against JEECV were high and moderate in the surviving eels at 30°C and 32.5°C, respectively. ​The titers in those at 35°C were low and not significantly different from those in the uninfected control. ​These imply that JEECV remains infectious outside of a host and that high water temperatures of approximately 35°C prevent its transmission.

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The "GUSTAV VOIGT" factory, that existed in a narrow corner in Berlin, manufactured and exported the educational machine mechanism models to Kyoto University in Meiji Era, appears in the address book "Germany precise machine and optical equipment factories", which indicates that the factory was small but famous. The factory was managed by Voigt families from 1879 to 1933, though the factory'name varied slightly. The educational models are devised for the students to understand easily the basic mechanical mechanisms, that are still useful even today. The models must have played an important role in the education of the mechanical engineering during the early phase of Japanese industrialization.

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Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) is an important floricultural crop cultivated worldwide. Despite its commercial importance, few DNA markers are available for molecular genetic research. In this study, we constructed a genetic linkage map and to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for important agronomic traits of lisianthus. To develop simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, we used 454-pyrosequencing technology to obtain genomic shotgun sequences and subsequently identified 8263 putative SSRs. A total of 3990 primer pairs were designed in silico and 1189 unique primer pairs were extracted through a BLAST search. Amplification was successful for more than 1000 primer pairs, and ultimately 278 SSR markers exhibited polymorphism between the two lisianthus accessions evaluated. Based on these markers, a genetic linkage map was constructed using a breeding population derived from crosses between the two accessions, for which flowering time differed (>140 days when grown under 20°C). We detected one QTL associated with flowering time (phenotypic variance, 27%; LOD value, 3.7). The SSR marker located at this QTL may account for variation in flowering time among accessions (i.e., three accessions whose nodes of the first flower were over 30 had late-flowering alleles of this QTL).

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In a cluster of hepatitis A infections that occurred in Nagano Prefecture in 2017, hepatitis A virus (HAV) was detected in asari clams (reference food) and the patients’ fecal samples. Initially, the asari clams were suspected to be the infection source. However, the exact infection route remained unknown because a patient who had not consumed an asari clam dish also developed the disease. Suspecting a secondary infection originating from the asari clams, we investigated the presence of HAV genomes in water used for washing and soaking the frozen asari clams and detected HAV in the soaking water. These results suggest that soaking water is a risk factor for secondary contamination because of the leakage of HAV accumulated in midgut gland of the asari clam. During the asari clam sand removal process, the water used to clean asari clams spread across a wide area in a concentric fashion, raising concerns that this process may aggravate contamination. In addition to HAV, diarrhea viruses, such as norovirus, have often been detected in bivalves, including asari clams. Thus, handling these foodstuffs requires adequate care.

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Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a neglected rodent-borne zoonotic virus in the genus Mammarenavirus and family Arenaviridae, that can cause aseptic meningitis in humans. A recent study identified infectious LCMV in ticks in northeastern (NE) China. To explore the distribution of LCMV, we determined the prevalence and genetically characterized LCMV in ticks in Jilin Province, NE China. Ticks collected in Huadian, Dunhua, and Jiaohe were pooled and LCMV was detected using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The complete genomes of the LCMV-positive pools were amplified and used for phylogenetic analysis. A total of 1679 questing and engorged ticks were collected and divided into 170 pools, including Ixodes persulcatus (5%), Dermacentor silvarum (89%), and Haemaphysalis japonica (6%). Twenty-four pools of D. silvarum (14.9%, 95% CI:9.5–22.3) and three pools of H. japonica (36.3%, 95% CI:9.8–99.5) collected from cattle were LCMV-positive. No I. persulcatus pools were identified as LCMV-positive. Two complete genome sequences (strains JL-DH01 and JL-DH02) were successfully amplified. They had nucleotide identities of 96.4–99.8% with strains JX31, JX14, DH46, and JX4 identified in ticks from Jilin Province. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that JL-DH01 and JL-DH02 clustered with Jilin strains in the same branch and belonged to genotype I. The findings add to the knowledge of the genetic diversity and geographical distribution of LCMV in ticks in NE China.

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Frost adhesion to a cooling surface causes many serious accidents accompanying economic losses. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the mechanism of frost adhesion to the cooling surface both scientifically and technologically. Considering the size of frost, investigation in micro scale field is essential. However, there has been no the investigation. Thus, in this paper, a scanning probe microscope (SPM) with different radii of the probe attached to the cantilever was used, and the methods to measure frost shape such as the diameter and height and adhesion force of forest to the cooling surface and their effectiveness were investigated, varying humidity and cooling time.

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