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Neural network dynamics associated with facial and subjective emotional responses
No full textEmotions comprise multiple coordinated responses, including facial expressions and subjective experiences. Although functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have identified brain regions associated with facial or emotional responses, few have simultaneously assessed and statistically dissociated components. Additionally, the functional networks associated with these emotional responses and the dynamic interplay between such networks remain uncertain. To investigate these issues, we measured fMRI while participants viewed emotional films, as well as their facial videos and dynamic valence ratings. Regional activity analysis revealed that facial responses (lip-corner-pulling actions) were associated with activation in the limbic regions and somatosensory motor cortices. Subjective emotional responses (the absolute values of valence ratings) were associated with activity in the medial parietal and lateral temporoparietal cortices. Independent component analysis revealed that the independent components associated with facial and subjective responses included the abovementioned activated regions. Dynamic causal modeling of these independent components supported a model in which the visual/auditory processing component modulated the facial response component, which subsequently influenced the subjective response component. Our findings imply that, during emotional processing, facial responses are initially generated by the limbic and sensorimotor cortical networks; subsequently, these responses give rise to subjective experiences through activity in the medial parietal-lateral temporoparietal networks
Healthcare utilization and satisfaction: a cross-sectional study among Indian immigrants in Japan
No full textBackground: Immigration involves adapting to a new country and culture, which can affect well-being. Japan's Indian immigrant population has grown rapidly, highlighting potential gaps in healthcare access. This study examined how acculturation-related factors such as health literacy and social support are associated with healthcare utilization and satisfaction among Indian immigrants in Japan. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed Indian immigrants in Japan between October and December 2023. Participants were recruited consecutively at Indian community events across multiple prefectures. Healthcare utilization and satisfaction were measured as primary outcomes using a validated questionnaire. Independent variables included social support (Oslo Scale) and health literacy (BRIEF Scale). Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze associations. Results: Of 1,335 individuals approached, 662 responded (50%), and 501 were analyzed (38%; 280 males, 221 females; mean age [SD] 38.9 [7.5] and 36.0 [6.5], respectively). A total of 191 (38%) participants visited outpatient clinics several times a year, 97 (19%) visited dental clinics several times a year, and 415 (83%) received annual health checkups. Long-term immigrants (≥ 11 years) were more likely to utilize maternal services than recent (1-3 years) or mid-term immigrants (4-10 years). Social support showed no significant association with healthcare utilization. Limited health literacy, however, was paradoxically associated with higher satisfaction. Higher satisfaction was also associated with employment/contract status, health insurance coverage, and longer residency in Japan. Conclusion: Employment status, gender, and residency duration were associated with healthcare patterns among Indian immigrants in Japan. While overall satisfaction was high (75-80%), higher health literacy paradoxically correlated with greater dissatisfaction. Future research should explore interventions to improve healthcare accessibility for recent immigrants
Predictors of Bleeding Complications After Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Insights From the SAVE-J II Study
No full text: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR), an emerging resuscitative therapy following refractory cardiac arrests, is associated with hemorrhagic complications that potentially affect patient outcomes. : This study evaluated the risks and predictors of hemorrhagic complications among patients who underwent ECPR for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) from different causes. : Using the SAVE-J II (Study of Advanced Cardiac Life Support for Ventricular Fibrillation with Extracorporeal Circulation in Japan) study, we analyzed multicentric data of patients who underwent ECPR for OHCA from 2013 to 2018 in Japan. Based on the causes of OHCA, the participants were stratified into endogenous cardiac, endogenous noncardiac, and exogenous groups. The primary outcome was any bleeding. : Among 1,935 patients, 1,417, 305, and 213 patients had endogenous cardiac, endogenous noncardiac, and exogenous causes, respectively. For survivors, the median follow-up period was 36 days, and most of the bleeding events occurred within 1 week post-ECPR. The 30-day cumulative incidence of any bleeding significantly differed among the 3 groups (endogenous cardiac: n = 321 [25.9%]; endogenous noncardiac: n = 41 [18.9%]; and exogenous: n = 27 [13.7%]; < 0.001). However, the risks for bleeding complications did not differ between the causes of OHCA after adjustment for confounders. Intra-aortic balloon pumping use was associated with higher risks of bleedings and lower risk for all-cause death. : Underlying causes of OHCA did not significantly impact adjusted bleeding risks. Intra-aortic balloon pumping use was independently associated with higher bleeding risks and lower mortality, although this warrants cautious interpretation because of a potential selection bias. Vigilant monitoring for bleeding complications is crucial in ECPR patients, especially in those with additional circulatory support devices
Low reticulocyte count at infusion is a risk factor for ICANS in CAR-T cell therapy
No full textCAR-T治療における神経毒性の予測指標を発見 --網赤血球数がICANS発症リスクを事前に評価--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2026-01-23.Introduction: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies targeting CD19 have shown efficacy against B-cell malignancies. However, they frequently cause immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), which can be life-threatening and require intensive care. Even when it is not severe, ICANS can lead to prolonged hospitalization and limit treatment options, especially for elderly patients. Despite its clinical significance, a reliable, early predictive marker for ICANS has not been identified. Methods: To identify risk factors for ICANS, we retrospectively analyzed B-cell lymphoma patients who received tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel), lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel), or axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) at Kyoto University Hospital from 2019 to 2024. Results: Among 106 patients, 76 received tisa-cel, 22 liso-cel, and eight axi-cel. Median age at infusion was 63.5 years (interquartile range, 57–69). Eight patients (8%) had a history of central nervous system (CNS) involvement. ICANS occurred in 17 patients (16%), all with prior cytokine-release syndrome (CRS). Reticulocyte counts at infusion were significantly lower in patients who subsequently developed ICANS (1.57 versus 2.80 × 104/μL, P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis identified a low reticulocyte count at infusion (HR, 3.67; 95% CI, 1.23–11.02; P = 0.02), history of CNS involvement (HR 8.37; 95% CI, 3.04–23.04; P < 0.01), and axi-cel (HR, 4.56; 95% CI, 1.88–11.09; P < 0.01) as independent risk factors. Patients divided by the median reticulocyte count at infusion (2.57 × 104/μL) demonstrated significantly higher 30-day cumulative incidence of ICANS in those with lower counts (25.5% versus 7.8% at 30 days; P = 0.018). Conclusion: Reticulocyte counts at infusion, a simple hematological parameter, may help predict ICANS development and guide optimal risk-based management of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy
When Does Optimization Become Incoherent? Irreversibility, Non-Compensability, and Feasible Choice
No full textOptimization is the central organizing principle of economic analysis. Individual choice, social evaluation, and policy design are routinely formulated as the maximization of an objective function over a feasible set. This paper identifies a class of environments in which optimization itself ceases to be a coherent principle of evaluation. We study decision problems in which the domain of admissible actions includes losses that are irreversible, non-substitutable, and non-compensable. We show that, under minimal regularity conditions, no refinement of the objective function--such as state dependence, option values, or intertemporal trade-offs--can generally sustain coherent maximization on an unrestricted feasible set. In such environments, optimization necessarily leads to inconsistency: actions generating non-compensable losses may be selected as optimal whenever short-run gains dominate, regardless of how the evaluation criterion is specified. The main result is an impossibility theorem establishing that coherence failure is structural and does not stem from informational limitations, computational constraints, or ethical disagreement. We then provide a necessity result showing that coherence can be restored if and only if the feasible set is restricted so as to exclude actions that generate non-compensable losses. On the resulting restricted domain, standard optimization methods apply without contradiction. The analysis reframes irreversibility as a problem of feasibility design rather than objective-function design. It clarifies the limits of optimization-based evaluation and characterizes the minimal conditions under which optimization remains a valid principle of choice. This paper also serves as a foundational contribution to a broader research agenda on the structural limits of evaluation. By isolating the conditions under which optimization-based evaluation becomes incoherent, the analysis provides a unifying framework for understanding feasibility-based constraints across diverse economic domains. The analysis is intended to serve as a conceptual reference point for further work on feasibility, irreversibility, and evaluation, rather than to exhaust their possible applications.Appendix: [10]-[13
Prefrailty and health knowledge in the Oldest-Old: A mixed-methods analysis using IoT-based health quizzes
No full text: Health knowledge is crucial for preventing or delaying frailty, yet the interplay between knowledge and frailty remains unclear in the oldest-old population, where frailty may influence what and how individuals learn about health. : To investigate the relationship between health knowledge and prefrailty among individuals aged 85 and older, using real-world data from IoT-based health quizzes. : Eighty-three community-dwelling adults aged ≥85 participated in tablet-based quizzes on 180 health topics, generating over 24,000 responses between November 2020 and December 2022. Missing data were addressed through multiple imputation. A convergent mixed-methods approach combined ridge regression to identify knowledge areas associated with frailty and topic modeling to extract latent health themes. : Prefrail individuals exhibited greater knowledge of acute and condition-specific topics (e.g., heat stroke, blood pressure), while broader health themes (e.g., disease prevention, long-term nutrition) were similarly distributed across frailty groups. No topics were identified where non-frail individuals consistently outperformed pre-frail counterparts. : Frailty may shape health knowledge by prompting a goal-driven, selective retention of immediately relevant information, rather than indicating a general knowledge decline. IoT-generated, ecologically valid data, analyzed through a mixed methods lens, offers promising insights to inform needs-based health education strategies for both frail and non-frail oldest-old individuals
Applying the derivative source method to flux derivatives in Monte Carlo fixed source problems caused by interface shifts between spontaneous fission materials
No full textDerivative source method (DSM) determines neutron flux derivatives by solving the transport equation obtained by differentiating the fixed source Boltzmann neutron transport equation with respect to cross sections or interface positions. This study proposes a method for analyzing neutron flux derivatives using the DSM when the interface between spontaneous fission materials shifts. Since the cross section and source distribution in this case are given by Heaviside functions, the derivative due to the interface shift is obtained using a Dirac delta function at the interface. In the DSM, derivative source particles given by the delta function are emitted from both sides of the interface and undergo a random walk; however, we propose a method, applicable to multi-group Monte Carlo calculations, to integrate these two into a single particle. The DSM is conducted in the course of an ordinary fixed source calculation for cross section changes due to interface shifts. During the calculation, each time a particle crosses a shifting interface, a derivative source particle is emitted from the crossing point and its random walk is subsequently performed. Furthermore, an additional calculation is conducted when the interface of spontaneous fission source material shifts, in which derivative source particles are emitted from the interface due to the spontaneous fission source shift and subjected to a random walk. Test calculations demonstrate the DSM’s effectiveness in terms of computational accuracy and efficiency in comparison to neutron flux derivatives obtained from differences in neutron flux before and after a minute displacement of the interface
Biomass-derived coriander carbon quantum dots for oxidative stress mitigation and nanoscale imaging in plants
No full textBiomass-derived nanomaterials have attracted attention as sustainable, biocompatible platforms for cross-kingdom applications in biology and agriculture. Among them, carbon quantum dots represent a promising class of nanomaterials with low toxicity and the ability to serve as fluorescent probes, biosensors, and theranostic agents. Here, we report a facile one-pot solvothermal method for synthesizing coriander-based carbon quantum dots (CCDs) from the bioactive ethyl acetate fraction of coriander seeds ( L.) without the addition of surface passivating agents. Structural characterization via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed their surface functionalities, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) confirmed the formation of uniform nanoparticles (<5 nm). The resulting biomass-derived CCDs exhibited a quantum yield of ∼25 %, durable fluorescence, high aqueous stability, and negligible cytotoxicity. We first validated the CCDs using cellular models and demonstrated that they are efficiently internalized by senescent human chondrocytes, with selective accumulation in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Confocal imaging and functional assays demonstrated their ability to mitigate oxidative stress, decrease reactive oxygen species, and restore ER network structures disrupted by senescence. Treatment also upregulated collagen type I expression, indicating a rejuvenative effect on stressed cells. Furthermore, we evaluated their potential as nanoscale imaging probes using Japanese brown rice ( L.) grains as a model. Fluorescence imaging verified the absorption and distribution of CCDs within rice tissues, underscoring their utility as in situ probes for monitoring plant physiology. Our proof-of-concept study validates coriander-derived CCDs as versatile nanomaterials with cross-kingdom functionality, offering potential in both cellular rejuvenation and agricultural nanobiotechnology
Larval body buoyancy in diadromous gobies and its potential role in the colonization of freshwater environments
No full textThe low specific gravity (SG) of ambient water may limit the establishment of freshwater resident populations in marine-originated diadromous fishes. To test this unexamined hypothesis, the SG modulation ability of newly hatched larvae was compared among three diadromous goby species in , only one of which has freshwater resident populations in addition to the diadromous ones. We first measured the body SG of larvae reared in freshwater and seawater using solutions with SG values ranging from 1.0010 to 1.0490. Then, their swimming layer was observed under laboratory freshwater and seawater conditions. Results showed that regardless of whether the species has freshwater residents or not, the larval SGs were nearly equal to those of the rearing water, i.e., freshwater (~ 1.00) or seawater (~ 1.03). Consistently, the swimbladder of freshwater-reared larvae was significantly more inflated than that of seawater-reared individuals. Furthermore, rearing salinity did not greatly alter their swimming layer in any species. Thus, contrary to expectations, the ability of early larvae to maintain neutral buoyancy in freshwater may not limit the establishment of freshwater residents. The high ability to modulate body SG may contribute to the regulation of larval dispersion during the planktonic period through the flexible selection of swimming layers
[7]Helicene-Appended -Carboranes: Sign-Changing Circularly Polarized Luminescence Based on Dual-Emissive Properties and Its Temperature Dependency
No full textCircularly polarized luminescence (CPL) attracts tremendous attention owing to their applicability for the next-generation optoelectronics. Precise control over CPL sign as well as its stimuli-responsiveness is one of the next goals, especially for developing solid-state chiroptical materials. Herein, [7]helicene-appended -carborane derivatives are synthesized and temperature-dependent CPL sign-switching behaviors are observed. Similar to the reported aryl--carborane derivatives, the synthesized [7]helicene-appended derivatives show dual-emission properties between locally-excited (LE) and intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) emission, accompanied by excited-state deformation of -carborane units. It should be noted that CPL sign inversion is observed upon emission species changing because of their different spatial orientation of the transition electronic and magnetic dipole moments. Owing to the spherical structure of the -carborane scaffold, the dual-emission can be exhibited even in the condensed solid state, where structural relaxation is usually suppressed by the structural restriction caused by surrounding molecules. Finally, from temperature-dependent CPL measurements in the film state, stimuli-responsive CPL sign-switching properties are observed based on the change in LE/ICT dual-emission intensity ratio. The result is, to the best of the knowledge, the first example to offer stimuli-responsive materials that derive different optical properties by utilizing molecular motion in the excited state