We examine the coordinated behavior of thousands of genes in cell fate transitions through genome expression as an integrated dynamical system using theconcepts of self-organized criticality and coherent stochastic behavior. To quantify theeffects of thecollective behavior of genes, we adopted the flux balance approach and developed it in a new tool termed expression flux analysis (EFA). Here we describe this tool and demonstrate how its application to specific experimental genome-wide expression data provides new insights into the dynamics of the cell-fate transitions. Particularly, we show that in cell fate change, specific stochastic perturbations can spread over the entire system to guide distinct cell fate transitions through switching cyclic flux flow in the genome engine. Utilization of EFA enables us to elucidate a unified genomic mechanism for when and how cell-fate change occurs through critical transitions.

Microwaves are used for diverse applications such as mobile phones, ovens, and therapy devices. However, there are few reports on the effects of microwaves on diseases other than cancer, and on physiological processes. Here, we focused on CaCO3 mineralization as a model of biomineralization and attempted to elucidate the effect of microwaves on CaCO3 mineralization using peptides. We conducted AFM, ζ potential, HPLC, ICP-AES, and relative permittivity measurements. Our findings show that microwaves alter the nanomorphology of the CaCO3 precipitate, from sphere-like particles to string-like structures. Furthermore, microwaves have little effect on the mineralization when the mineralization ability of a peptide is high, but a large effect when the precipitation ability is low. Our findings may be applicable to not only the treatment of teeth and bones but also the development of organic–inorganic nanobiomaterials. This methodology can be expanded to other molecular/atomic reactions under various microwave conditions to alter reaction activity parameters.

Herein, we provide a brief overview of complex systems theory approaches to investigate the genomic mechanism of cell-fate changes. Cell trajectories across the epigenetic landscape, whether in development, environmental responses, or disease progression, are controlled by extensively coordinated genome-wide gene expression changes. The elucidation of the mechanisms underlying these coherent expression changes is of fundamental importance in cell biology and for paving the road to new therapeutic approaches. In previous studies, we pointed at dynamic criticality as a plausible characteristic of genome-wide transition dynamics guiding cell fate. Whole-genome expression develops an engine-like organization (genome engine) in order to establish an autonomous dynamical system, capable of both homeostasis and transition behaviors. A critical set of genes behaves as a critical point (CP) that serves as the organizing center of cell-fate change. When the system is pushed away from homeostasis, the state change that occurs at the CP makes local perturbation spread over the genome, demonstrating self-organized critical (SOC) control of genome expression. Oscillating-Mode genes (which normally keep genome expression on pace with microenvironment fluctuations), when in the presence of an effective perturbative stimulus, drive the dynamics of synchronization, and thus guide the cell-fate transition.

In this paper, we propose a method of manipulation planning for cable wiring. The method enables to take into account the deformation of cables while connector incorporation process. Using a physical simulation that predicts the shape of a cable based on the pose of both ends of the cable, we generate a connector moving path that avoids intereference between the cable and surrounding structures. We conducted experiments under several different environments and several different lengths of cables, and confirmed that actual cable manipulation can stably be achieved by using the proposed method.

Inkjet printing of ink requires dyes or pigments insoluble in water but uniformly dispersing as fine particles for a long period. In addition, redispersibility after solidification by solvent vaporization around the jetting heads is also important for performance. In this study, thus, a series of amphiphilic copolymers were prepared for a dispersant of inkjet using reversible addition fragmentation chain-transfer copolymerization of styrene (St), benzyl acrylate (BnA), and phenoxyethyl acrylate (PEA) as a hydrophobic monomer with acrylic acid (AA) and itaconic acid (IA) as a hydrophilic monomer. To understand the fundamental properties and potentials as a polymer dispersant, the surface parameters and rheology of the copolymers and their color dispersions in aqueous media were investigated. The aqueous solutions were typical Newtonian fluids, whereas the color dispersions were non-Newtonian fluids with shear-thinning properties and yield values ranging from 0.57 to 1.04 Pa. Although the surface parameters, such as surface tension (γ), molecular occupied area (Amin), and zeta potential (ζ), did not show clear correlation with polymer structures, their behaviors as a dispersant were significantly different. The color dispersants containing the copolymer of St or BnA as a hydrophobic monomer and IA and AMPS as hydrophilic monomers exhibited sufficient redispersion both for yellow and cyan inks, even after the aging test at 60 °C for 5 days, whereas other copolymers did not exhibit such superior performances. In addition, the color dispersions of the copolymer of St, IA, and AMPS (St-IA-AMPS) showed lower viscosity and yield value and became closer to Newtonian fluid compared with that of St, AA, and AMPS (St-AA-AMPS). Thus, St-IA-AMPS provided good redispersibility and avoided sedimentation. These results suggest that the most suitable dispersant for inkjet inks among the polymers investigated was the copolymer of St, IA, and AMPS.

Background: The global outbreak of COVID-19 has affected the operations of healthcare field and various infection control measures are being carried out at each hospital and clinic.
 Aim: We have administered infection control measures using air catalysts which is a new antiviral and antibacterial technology being employed at our healthcare center.
 Methodology: We used a product called Health Bright® and this liquid substance was sprayed to coat every part of the facility. After that, we measured the amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in coated places, including the waiting room, examination room and endoscopy room.
 Results: The amount of ATP decreased the day after the treatment in each room, and of note is that the amount of ATP was still low after 6 months and 12 months.
 Conclusion: Our current data showed the possible efficacy of air catalysts against bacteria and virus in the healthcare facility.

This paper presents a 3-D analytical model of an axial-flux permanent magnet (AFPM) machine with a segmented multipole-Halbach PM array. Closed-form solutions are self-consistently derived in terms of modified Bessel functions of the first- and the second-kind by solving analytically Laplace and Poisson equations by the method of magnetic scalar potential subject to the appropriate boundary conditions. In the preceding studies, their formulations are based on a 2-D or quasi 3-D geometry, and their discussions are often limited to the magnetic fields with low-poles of the regular PM. The proposed model successfully provides more rigorous and widely applicable expressions for magnetic fields, back-electromotive force, Lorentz torque and torque constant without limitations on the number of poles and the arrangements of the PM. Behavior of the torque constant is then shown against the number of poles ranging widely from low-poles to high-poles of the regular PM, the standard-Halbach PM and the multipole-Halbach PM for changeable geometrical parameters. The obtained results are of much use in understanding intrinsically the performance characteristics of the AFPM.