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The response time scales of anodized-aluminum pressure-sensitive paints (AA-PSPs) are characterized by measuring their luminescent lifetimes and response times to a step-like pressure change. The luminescent lifetime is measured by a picosecond fluorescence measurement system at atmospheric conditions. The results show that the twelve AA-PSPs tested fall into two groups according to their luminescent lifetimes; one group includes AA-PSPs with organic luminophores and the other one includes AA-PSPs with metal complex luminophores. The former possesses the lifetime on the order of one nanosecond and the latter possesses that on the order of hundred nanoseconds. The AA-PSPs are also characterized by the response time to a step change in pressure generated in a shock tube. It is observed that the 90% rise times to a step change in pressure are on the order of 10 μs and range from 30 μs to 50 μs, which lie within the tolerance caused by the thickness uncertainty in fabricating the anodized-aluminum layer. It is also found that the luminescent lifetimes are 2–4 orders of magnitude shorter than the step response times.

Pressure- and temperature-sensitive paint (two-color PSP) using a luminescent polymer of poly[1-(trimethylsilyl)phenyl-2-phenylacetylene] (PTMST) and platinum(II) tetrakis (pentafluorophenyl) porphyrin (PtTFPP) is presented. This polymer uses poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) based polymer, which is known as one of the highest gas permeable polymer. The preparation procedure of the PSP is simply to mix PTMST and PtTFPP. The resultant PSP gives two-color luminescence, and provides the pressure and temperature information. The PTMST-dominant peak lies around 500 nm, which is temperature-sensitive. The PtTFPP-dominant peak lies around 650 nm, which is both pressure- and temperature-sensitive. Spectral analysis as well as the steady- and unsteady-state characterizations is included in this study. Even though a clear spectral separation of the two luminescent peaks is not obtained, the PTMST-dominant peak is only related to the temperature. Due to a high gas permeated polymer, the time response characterized by the time delay of a step change of pressure is roughly said to be on the order of 10 ms.

Glutamate is one of the key molecules involved in signal transduction in the brain, and dysfunction of glutamate signaling could be linked to schizophrenia. The SLC1A1 gene located at 9p24 encodes the glutamate transporter EAAT3/EAAC1. To investigate the association between the SLC1A1 gene and schizophrenia in the Japanese population, we genotyped 19 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) in the SLC1A1 gene in 576 unrelated individuals with schizophrenia and 576 control subjects followed by replication in an independent case–control study of 1,344 individuals with schizophrenia and 1,344 control subjects. In addition, we determined the boundaries of the copy number variation (CNV) region in the first intron (Database of Genomic Variants, chr9:4516796-4520549) and directly genotyped the CNV because of significant deviation from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The CNV was not associated with schizophrenia. Four SNPs showed a possible association with schizophrenia in the screening subjects and the associations were replicated in the same direction (nominal allelic P

A quantum dot (QD)-based anodized-aluminum temperature-sensitive paint (AA-TSP) was developed as a global temperature sensor. By using anodized-aluminum as a QD support, the sensor provides a temperature detection range from 100 to 500 K. By fitting a four-parameter sigmoid to the temperature calibration, it is determined that AA-TSP gives the best temperature sensitivity: −1.3%/K at 245 K. A red-shift of 20 nm is noted while increasing the temperature. A solvent study for applying QD on an anodized-aluminum surface shows that chloroform as a dipping solvent gives the best temperature sensitivity and signal level.

Glucocorticoids are known to cause psychiatric disorders including depression. Prednisolone (PSL) is one of the most widely used synthetic glucocorticoids to treat various medical diseases; however, little is known about PSL-induced behavioral changes and its molecular basis in the brain. Growing evidence has implicated that hippocampal remodeling or damage play a role in the pathogenic effect of glucocorticoids. In this study, mice were administered PSL (50 or 100 mg/kg) or vehicle for 6 or 7 days and subjected to a series of behavioral tests, i.e., open field, elevated plus maze, prepulse inhibition, forced swim, and tail suspension tests. Hippocampal tissues were subject to microarray analysis using the GeneChip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array (Affymetrix) containing 45,101 probes of transcripts. Increased anxiety- and depression-like behaviors assessed with open field, elevated plus maze, and tail suspension tests were observed. Microarray analysis detected 108 transcripts with a fold change of > 2.0 or

Previous studies suggested that genetic variations in the 5' region of Epsin 4, a gene encoding enthoprotin on chromosome 5q33, are associated with schizophrenia. However, conflicting results have also been reported. We examined the possible association in a Japanese sample of 354 patients and 365 controls. Seventeen polymorphisms of Epsin 4 [3 microsatellites and 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)] were selected. A microsatellite marker (D5S1403) demonstrated a significant difference in the allele frequency between patients and controls (uncorrected P = 0.04). However, there was no significant difference in the genotype or allele frequency between the two groups for the other microsatellites or SNPs. Haplotype-based analysis provided no evidence for an association. The positive result at D5S1403 no longer reached statistical significance when multiple testing was taken into consideration. Our results suggest that the examined region of Epsin 4 does not have a major influence on susceptibility to schizophrenia in Japanese.

Human neuropsin (NP) (hNP) has been implicated in the progressive change of cognitive abilities during primate evolution. The hNP gene maps to chromosome 19q13, a region reportedly linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Therefore, hNP is a functional and positional candidate gene for association with schizophrenia, mood disorders, and cognitive ability. Polymorphism screening was performed for the entire hNP gene. The core promoter region was determined and whether or not transcriptional activity alters in an allele-dependent manner was examined by using the dual-luciferase system. Allelic and genotypic distributions of five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were compared between patients with schizophrenia (n=439), major depression (n=409), bipolar disorder (n=207), and controls (n=727). A possible association of the hNP genotype with memory index (assessed with Wechsler Memory Scale, revised, WMS-R) and intelligence quotient (IQ assessed with Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, revised; WAIS-R) was examined in healthy controls (n=166). A total of 28 SNPs, including nine novel SNPs, were identified. No significant effects on transcriptional activity were observed for SNPs in the promoter region. A significant allelic association was found between several SNPs and bipolar disorder (for SNP23 at the 3′ regulatory region; odds ratio 1.48, 95% confidential interval 1.16–1.88, P=0.0015). However, such an association was not detected for schizophrenia or depression. Significant differences were observed between SNP23 and attention/concentration sub-scale score of WMS-R (P=0.016) and verbal IQ (P

Lithium is an effective mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder patients and its therapeutic effect may involve inhibition of inositol monophosphatase activity. In humans, the enzyme is encoded by two genes, IMPA1 and IMPA2. IMPA2 maps to 18p11.2, a genomic interval for which evidence of linkage to bipolar disorder has been supported by several reports. We performed a genetic association study in Japanese cohorts (496 patients with bipolar disorder and 543 control subjects). Interestingly, we observed association of IMPA2 promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (-461C and -207T) with bipolar disorder, the identical SNPs reported previously in a different population. In vitro promoter assay and genetic haplotype analysis showed that the combination of (-461C)-(-207T)-(-185A) drove enhanced transcription and the haplotypes containing (-461C)-(-207T)-(-185A) contributed to risk for bipolar disorder. Expression study on post-mortem brains revealed increased transcription from the IMPA2 allele that harbored (-461C)-(-207T)-(-185A) in the frontal cortex of bipolar disorder patients. The examination of allele-specific expressions in post-mortem brains did not support genomic imprinting of IMPA2, which was suggested nearby genomic locus. Contrasting to a prior report, therapeutic concentrations of lithium could not suppress the transcription of IMPA2 mRNA, and the mood-stabilizing effect of lithium is, if IMPA2 was one of the targets of lithium, deemed to be generated via inhibition of enzymatic reaction rather than transcriptional suppression. In conclusion, the present study suggests that a promoter haplotype of IMPA2 possibly contributes to risk for bipolar disorder by elevating IMPA2 levels in the brain, albeit the genetic effect varies among populations.

Mitochondrial dysfunction associated with mutant mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been suggested in bipolar disorder, and comorbidity with neurodegenerative diseases was often noted. We examined the entire sequence of mtDNA in six subjects with bipolar disorder having comorbid somatic symptoms suggestive of mitochondrial disorders and found several uncharacterized homoplasmic nonsynonymous nucleotide substitutions of mtDNA. Of these, 3644C was found in 5 of 199 patients with bipolar disorder but in none of 258 controls (p = 0.015). The association was significant in the extended samples [bipolar disorder, 9/630 (1.43%); controls, 1/734 (0.14%); p = 0.007]. On the other hand, only 5 of 25 family members with this mutation developed bipolar disorder, of which 4 patients with 3644C had comorbid physical symptoms. The 3644T-->C mutation converts amino acid 113, valine, to alanine in the NADH-ubiquinone dehydrogenase subunit I, a subunit of complex I, and 113 valine is well conserved from Drosophila to 61 mammalian species. Using transmitochondrial cybrids, 3644T-->C was shown to decrease mitochondrial membrane potential and complex I activity compared with haplogroup-matched controls. According to human mitochondrial genome polymorphism databases, 3644C was not found in centenarians but was found in 3% of patients with Alzheimer disease and 2% with Parkinson disease. The result of modest functional impairment caused by 3644T-->C suggests that this mutation could increase the risk for bipolar disorder.

Background We found in previous work a significant association between schizophrenia and D20S95 on chromosome 20p12.3. In this study, we analyzed 10 microsatellite markers and found an association of schizophrenia with D20S882 and D20S905 that flank D20S95. The chromogranin B gene ( CHGB ) is 30 kb from D20S905. The chromogranin B (secretogranin I) belongs to a series of acidic secretory proteins that are widely expressed in endocrine and neuronal cells, and its cerebrospinal fluid levels have been reported to decrease in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Methods We screened for polymorphisms in CHGB with polymerase chain reaction direct sequencing methods in 24 Japanese schizophrenic patients and identified a total of 22 polymorphisms. Allelic and genotypic distributions of detected polymorphisms were compared between unrelated Japanese schizophrenic patients ( n = 192) and healthy control subjects ( n = 192). Results Statistically significant differences in the allelic distributions were found between schizophrenic patients and control subjects for 1058C/G (A353G) (corrected p = 7.7 × 10 −5 ) and 1104A/G (E368E) (corrected p = 8.1 × 10 −6 ). The 1058C/G and 1104A/G alleles were in almost complete linkage disequilibrium and were in linkage disequilibrium with D20S95. Conclusions Results suggest that the CHGB variations are involved in the susceptibility to schizophrenia in our study population.

We have applied PSP to low-speed wind tunnel tests of an automobile model. PSP measurements at low speeds are difficult because of small changes of pressure on a model. To evaluate the accuracy of current PSP system, we made low-speed PSP experiments using an automobile model in the range of 10-50m/s (36-180 km/h). Effects of averaging, image registration, flat-field correction and calibration were investigated. It was found that, using an in situ calibration, quantitative pressure distributions of the automobile model could be obtained down to 25m/s. A comparison of the PSP data with conventional pressure tap measurements revealed that the largest source of an error was derived from the temperature dependence of PSP.

ETV6/ARG, a novel fusion gene composed of the ETV6 HLH oligomerization domain and most of sequences of the ARG protein tyrosine, was recently identified in human leukemia cells. The presence of the ETV6/ARG translocation raises the possibility that the resulting fusion protein functions as an oncogene. However, the transforming activity of the ETV6/ARG protein has not been determined and its contribution to leukemogenesis is therefore unknown. Here we address this question by analysing the oncogenic activity of ETV6/ARG in hematopoietic and fibroblast cells. It is demonstrated that expression of ETV6/ARG confers IL3-independent growth to Ba/F3 cells and anchorage independent growth to Rat-1 fibroblasts. It is also shown that multiple signaling molecules, including PI3K, SHC, ras-GAP and CRK-L, are tyrosine phosphorylated in Ba/F3 cells that express ETV6/ARG. Analysis of four different types of ETV6/ARG transcripts previously identified in the AML-M3 leukemia cell line HT93A suggest that ETV6 HLH domain is required for oncogenic activity. Based upon these results it is concluded that ARG can be activated as an oncogene in human malignancy and that the ETV6/ARG oncoprotein triggers some of the same signaling pathways associated with activated ABL oncogenes.

A novel pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) formulation suitable for use in cryogenic and unsteady wind-tunnel testing has been developed. This new PSP uses poly [1-(trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne] [poly(TMSP)] as a binder. Poly(TMSP) is a glassy polymer having extremely high gas permeability. Unlike the conventional polymer-based paints, PSP based on poly(TMSP) maintains oxygen sensitivity even at cryogenic temperatures and exhibits fast response time. This paint is sprayable on any model surface including stainless steel and ceramics. These capabilities allow us to apply this PSP to a cryogenic wind tunnel and a short-duration shock tunnel. To demonstrate the capability of poly(TMSP)-PSP for pressure measurements in a cryogenic wind tunnel, a circular-arc bump model and a delta wing model were tested in the National Aerospace Laboratory 0.1-m Cryogenic Wind Tunnel at 100 K. It has been verified that poly(TMSP)-PSP can provide high SIN pressure distribution data at high O 2 concentration. A comparison of the measured intensity data with the pressure tap measurements has suggested that the in situ calibration can be used to obtain quantitative pressure data

Temperature-sensitive paint (TSP) has been applied to boundary-layer transition detection in a cryogenic wind tunnel. Three TSP dyes, Ru (bpy), Ru (trpy) and Ru (VH127), were evaluated for a temperature range from 100 to 298 Kelvin using a LN2-cooled cryostat and a spectrofluorometer. It was found that TSP based on Ru (trpy) has the highest sensitivity among these three. We used epoxy-based sprayable paint as insulating material for a test model. No cracks appeared at cryogenic temperatures as long as the total thickness is kept less than 80 microns. To demonstrate the capability of this TSP/insulating-layer combination, we conducted a 2-D airfoil model test in NAL 0.1-m Cryogenic Transonic Wind Tunnel. Natural and forced transition patterns were successfully visualized using TSP at temperatures from 100 to 150 Kelvin.

A new type of pressure-sensitive paint for pressure measurement in a cryogenic wind tunnel is present. This paint is composed of Pyrene-based luminophores adsorbed onto anodized aluminum surface (AA-PSP). Various derivatives of Pyrene were calibrated by changing the mole fraction of oxygen in the 0.1 m Transonic Cryogenic Wind Tunnel (TCWT) at National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL). It has been verified that Pyrene-based AA-PSPs show high oxygen sensitivity in the 02 concentration range from 4 to 1000ppm. These AA-PSPs were applied to a 14%-thick circular arc-bump model and tested in TCWT at 100 Kelvin. Surface pressure distributions on the model were clearly imaged with high spatial resolution and S/N ratio. A comparison of the measured intensity data with the pressure tap measurements has suggested that the in situ calibration can be used to obtain quantitative pressure data.

Pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) is a measurement technique based on the quenching phenomena of luminescent molecules. Using PSP, pressure field on model surfaces can be evaluated from luminescence intensity of the paint emission. In order to use PSP in production wind tunnel testing, the measurement system called Pressure-Field Imaging Camera System (PICS) has been developed. The hardware of PICS is consists of an excitation light, light delivery system, a filter wheel, a high-resolution CCD camera, computer system, a sample calibration chamber, etc. The whole processes, including data acquisition, image processing, and paint calibration are handled by a set of dedicated software. Simple image processing is made on site in an interactive manner and data is stored for more sophisticated post processing. In this paper, the specification and construction of PICS are described in detail and applications of PICS to transonic wind tunnel testing is presented.

A ballistic-range testing gives great insights into a free-flight aerodynamics. It can be seen in a wide flow regime such as from a high-speed flow (ex. a capsule re-entry test and a debris test) to a low-speed flow (ex. a baseball trajectory test and a soccer-ball trajectory test). The surface pressure and temperature are two important factors to determine the motion of the free-flight object. However, there are limited experimental tools available to capture the surface information. We are developing the pressureand temperature-sensitive paint techniques to capture the surface pressure and temperature of a free-flight object. Two approaches are described in this paper. One is a motion-capturing PSP/TSP system that extracts global pressure or temperature information of a free-flight object. The other is an electro-luminescence PSP/TSP system that combines the illumination source on a free-flight object.

Systematic tests have been performed on samples of pressure-sensitive paints(PSPs) with 49 different formulations. Seven porphyrins, two ruthenium complexes, and three aromatic compounds were selectedas a probe molecule. Each compound was deposited onto aluminum plates using silicon polymer, silicon rubber, polystyrene, and silica gel as a binder. These sample plates were tested in a calibration chamber in the pressure range from 10 to 100 kPa and the temperature range of 273 to 333K. In terms of pressure sensitivity, we found that porphyrins were less dependent on binder type than ruthenium complexes and aromatic compounds. Several PSP formulations have been found, which have higher sensitivity than the baseline paint composed of PtOEP and GP197. The temperature sensitivity of those paints, however, is as good as the baseline. Further study will be neededto develop a PSP having lower temperature sensitivity.

Pressure sensitive luminescent paint based on Platinum Octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP) and oxygen-permeable silicon binder was produced referring to the formulation developed by the University of Washington. Thin coatings of the paint applied on aluminum plates have been tested in a climate chamber to investigate its luminescence characteristics. As a result, we have confirmed the observations previously reported for the same paint. It is also found that nonlinearity of the calibration curves is attributed to the submerged layers which are insensitive to oxygen. Problems concerning repeatability of the paint calibration curves were emerged. Our observation has suggested that the luminescence of the paint is relating not only to PtOEP molecular temperature but also to surrounding gas temperature.

Objective It has been suggested that cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is involved in dopamine metabolism within the brain. The dopamine system is suggested to play a role in determining normal character. The purpose of this study was to examine whether character traits are dependent on cytochrome P450 2D6 activity. Methods We investigated the association between temperament and CYP2D6 gene polymorphism. The subjects were all Japanese and the polymorphism genotyped in the present study was CYP2D6*10. Character traits were assessed using the Temperament and Character Inventory. Results There was no overall or specific association between personality traits and the CYP2D6*10 allele and genotype frequencies. Conclusions The present results do not support the hypothesis that CYP2D6 activity affects temperament and character.

ZnS-capped CdSe semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum-dots, QDs) provide size-tunable optical properties. QDs show shifted luminescent peaks due to crystal size. They exhibit strong and stable luminescence with a 50 % quantum yield at room temperature [1]. Walker et al. used QDs as a global temperature probe [2]. They used a polymer support of poly(lauryl methacrylate) to create a global temperature sensor. This type of sensor, called a temperature-sensitive paint (TSP), has been widely used in aerospace measurements [3]. Conventional TSP uses a phosphorescent molecule as a temperature probe. This type of molecule has a relatively wide FWHM (full width at half maximum), which is roughly 100 nm. When applying a QD as a temperature probe, the FWHM is narrower than that of phosphorescent probes and is roughly 40 nm [1]. A low FWHM will widen the selection of probe molecules to prepare multi-color sensors in the visible wavelength range. In addition, a high quantum yield of QDs can be beneficial as an optical temperature sensing probe to increase the signal-to-noise ratio.

Repeated administration of phencyclidine (PCP), a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blocker, produces schizophrenia-like behaviors in humans and rodents. Although impairment of synaptic function has been implicated in the effect of PCP, the molecular mechanisms have not yet been elucidated. Considering that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in synaptic plasticity, we examined whether exposure to PCP leads to impaired BDNF function in cultured cortical neurons. We found that PCP caused a transient increase in the level of intracellular BDNF within 3 h. Despite the increased intracellular amount of BDNF, activation of Trk receptors and downstream signaling cascades, including MAPK/ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt pathways, were decreased. The number of synaptic sites and expression of synaptic proteins were decreased 48 h after PCP application without any impact on cell viability. Both electrophysiological and biochemical analyses revealed that PCP diminished glutamatergic neurotransmission. Furthermore, we found that the secretion of BDNF from cortical neurons was suppressed by PCP. We also confirmed that PCP-caused downregulation of Trk signalings and synaptic proteins were restored by exogenous BDNF application. It is possible that impaired secretion of BDNF and subsequent decreases in Trk signaling are responsible for the loss of synaptic connections caused by PCP.

Pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) relates a static or oxygen pressure in a testing fluid to a luminescent signal. It uses a photophysical process of oxygen quenching [Lakowicz]. A PSP measurement system requires an illumination source to excite the PSP that can be a xenon lamp, an LED array, and a laser. These are a point illumination that creates a distribution of the illumination on a PSP coated surface. This distribution results in a pressure-independent luminescence from the PSP surface. By rationing with a reference image, the pressureindependent luminescence is cancelled [Liu and Sullivan]. The reference image is obtained under a constant pressure. It is only related to the pressure-independent luminescence mainly due to the distribution of the illumination and a movement and/or distortion in a testing article. The rationing method is valid when there is no movement and/or distortion in the article. If there is such a case, a misalignment of the images may occur that causes a substantial error to a PSP measurement. In addition to the illumination problem, a PSP in general has a temperature dependency [Liu and Sullivan]. This also creates an error to a PSP measurement. For example, a platinum-porphyrin based PSP changes about 1% of the luminescent signal by 1 C change in temperature. This is equivalent to the 1 kPa change in the luminescence signal.

Background The synapse-associated protein 97 gene (SAP97) encodes a regulatory scaffold protein for the localization of L-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA), kainate and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) type glutamate receptors. We have recently demonstrated nominally significant associations between SAP97 gene and schizophrenia among Japanese males. The present study aimed to replicate these findings using an independent and larger sample. Methods We investigated seven SAP97 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that displayed a significant association with schizophrenia in our preceding study in an independent Japanese population consisting of a total of 393 unrelated patients with schizophrenia (232 males and 161 females) and 393 unrelated control subjects (211 males and 182 females). Results The SNP rs9843659 showed a significant genotypic association with male patients in a recessive model (p = 0.037). The analysis of the combined data from the current and prior studies also demonstrated a significant association of this SNP (p = 0.0039). The meta-analysis for the allele frequency covering the two studies yielded an odds ratio of 1.38. Conclusions The present study replicated the previously reported male-selective genetic association between the SAP97 polymorphism and schizophrenia. These findings further support the possible involvement of the SAP97 gene variation in the susceptibility to schizophrenia in males and in the genetic basis for sex differences in the disorder.

Background: Several lines of evidence have implicated the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1beta (IL-1 beta) in the etiology of schizophrenia. Although a number of genetic association studies have been reported, very few have systematically examined gene-wide tagging polymorphisms. Methods: A total of 533 patients with schizophrenia (302 males: mean age +/- standard deviation 43.4 +/- 13.0 years; 233 females; mean age 44.8 +/- 15.3 years) and 1136 healthy controls (388 males: mean age 44.6 +/- 17.3 years; 748 females; 46.3 +/- 15.6 years) were recruited for this study. All subjects were biologically unrelated Japanese individuals. Five tagging polymorphisms of IL-1 beta gene (rs2853550, rs1143634, rs1143633, rs1143630, rs16944) were examined for association with schizophrenia. Results: Significant difference in allele distribution was found between patients with schizophrenia and controls for rs1143633 (P = 0.0089). When the analysis was performed separately in each gender, significant difference between patients and controls in allele distribution of rs1143633 was observed in females (P = 0.0073). A trend towards association was also found between rs16944 and female patients with schizophrenia (P = 0.032). Conclusions: The present study shows the first evidence that the IL-1 beta gene polymorphism rs1143633 is associated with schizophrenia susceptibility in a Japanese population. The results suggest the possibility that the influence of IL-1 beta gene variations on susceptibility to schizophrenia may be greater in females than in males. Findings of the present study provide further support for the role of IL-1 beta in the etiology of schizophrenia., Article, BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN FUNCTIONS. 7:35 (2011)

Background: Recently, hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function assessed with the combined dexamethasone (DEX)/corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) test has been shown to be associated with response to antidepressant treatment. A polymorphism (rs16944) in the interleukin-1beta (IL-1 beta) gene has also been reported to be associated with the medication response in depression. These findings prompted us to examine the possible association between IL-1 beta gene polymorphisms and HPA axis function assessed with the DEX/CRH test. Methods: DEX/CRH test was performed in 179 healthy volunteers (45 males: mean age 40.5 +/- 15.8 years; 134 females: mean age 47.1 +/- 13.2 years). Five tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-1 beta gene (rs2853550, rs1143634, rs1143633, rs1143630, rs16944) were selected at an r(2) threshold of 0.80 with a minor allele frequency > 0.1. Genotyping was performed by the TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. A two-way factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed with the DEX/CRH test results as the dependent variable and genotype and gender as independent variables. To account for multiple testing, P values < 0.01 were considered statistically significant for associations between the genotypes and the cortisol levels. Results: The cortisol levels after DEX administration (DST-Cortisol) showed significant associations with the genotypes of rs16944 (P = 0.00049) and rs1143633 (P = 0.0060), with no significant gender effect or genotype x gender interaction. On the other hand, cortisol levels after CRH administration (DEX/CRH-Cortisol) were affected by gender but were not significantly influenced by the genotype of the examined SNPs, with no significant genotype x gender interaction. Conclusions: Our results suggest that genetic variations in the IL-1 beta gene contribute to the HPA axis alteration assessed by DST-Cortisol in healthy subjects. On the other hand, no significant associations of the IL-1 beta gene polymorphisms with the DEX/CRH-Cortisol were observed. Confirmation of our findings in futures studies may add new insight into the communication between the immune system and the HPA axis., Article, BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN FUNCTIONS. 7:23 (2011)

We introduce a pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) measurement system based on an electroluminescence (EL) as a surface illumination. This consists of an inorganic EL as the illumination, a short-pass filter, and a platinum–porphyrin based PSP. The short-pass filter, which passes below 500 nm, was used to separate an overlay of the EL illumination and the PSP emission. The EL shows an opposite temperature dependency to that of the PSP. It gives a uniform illumination compared to that of a point illumination source such as a xenon lamp. Under atmospheric conditions, the resultant EL–PSP system reduces the temperature dependency by 54% compared to that of a conventional PSP system. An application of the EL–PSP system to a sonic jet impingement shows that the system demonstrated its reduction of the temperature dependency by 75% in a pressure measurement and reduces an image misalignment error.

Recent progress in genotyping technology and the development of public databases has enabled large-scale genome-wide association tests with diseases. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) of bipolar disorder (BD) in Japanese cohorts. First we used Affymetrix 100K GeneChip arrays in the analysis of 107 cases with bipolar I disorder and 107 controls, and selected markers that were nominally significant (P < 0.01) in at least one of the three models (1,577 markers in total). In the follow-up stage, we analyzed these markers using an Illumina platform (1,526 markers; 51 markers were not designable for the platform) and an independent sample set, which consisted of 395 cases (bipolar I + II) and 409 controls. We also assessed the population stratification of current samples using principal components analysis. After the two-stage analysis, 89 markers remained nominally significant (allelic P < 0.05) with the same allele being consistently over-represented in both the first and the follow-up stages. However, none of these were significant after correction for multiple-testing by false discovery rates. Sample stratification was virtually negligible. Collectively, this is the first GWAS of BD in the Japanese population. But given the small sample size and the limited genomic coverage, these results should be taken as preliminary.

In this paper, current status of the development of luminophore-pendant temperature-sensitive paint of poly[l-(trimetylsilyl)phenyl-2-phenylacetylene] (PTMST) is discussed. PTMST uses poly(l-trimethylsilyl-l-propyne) (PTMSP) based polymer, which is known as one of the highest gas permeable polymers. Because of its high gas permeability and single luminescent compound, we can expect fast response of PTMST to the change in temperature and pressure of the test gas. We can also create PTMST-based two-color PSP for temperature-compensated pressure sensor by simply mixing pressure-sensitive luminophore in PTMST. In this paper, we mix platinum tetrakis (pentafluorophenyl) porphyrin (PtTFPP) as a pressure-sensitive luminophore to create PTMST-based two-color PSP (PtTFPP-PTMST). Spectral analysis shows that PtTFPP-PTMST provides temperature sensitive peak of PTMST (around 540 nm) and pressure sensitive peak of PtTFPP (around 650 nm), which can be separated by band-pass filters. We have calibrated PTMST from 100 K to 373 K as well as PtTFPP-PTMST from 120 K to 333 K to study the static characteristics of these sensors. PTMST provides the temperature sensitivity over the calibrated range, giving the maximum value of 2.72%/K at 100 K. PTMST itself is almost pressure independent. Pressure sensitivity of PtTFPP-PTMST is 0.26%/kPa at 293 K. PtTFPP-PTMST shows pressure sensitivity of 0.66%/kPa even at cryogenic temperature of 120 K. The unsteady characteristic of PtTFPP-PTMST is determined using a step response to a pressure change caused by a shock tube. The response time of PtTFPP-PTMST is on the order of milliseconds. A demonstration of PTMST at cryogenic measurement is shown by transition detection of PTMST-coated NACA64A012 model in JAXA 0.1m Transonic Cryogenic Wind Tunnel. PTMST detects a natural transition as well as a forced transition induced by a roughness at the leading edge at Mach 0.4, total temperature 200 K, and total pressure 120 kPa.

Plexins are receptors for multiple classes of semaphorins, either alone or in combination with neuropilins. Plexins participate in many cellular events that include axonal repulsion, axonal attraction, cell migration, axon pruning, and synaptic plasticity. PLXNA2 maps to chromosome 1q32. Several linkage studies reported schizophrenia susceptibility loci in the 1q22–42 region. A recent study reported that intronic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of PLXNA2 were associated with schizophrenia in a European American population. We attempted to replicate this finding in a Japanese sample of 336 patients with schizophrenia and 304 controls. In addition, we examined 3 non-synonymous SNPs (Arg5Gln, GLn57Arg, and Ala267Thr) in PLXNA2. Genotyping was performed by the TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. There was no significant difference in genotype or allele distribution of either the 4 intronic SNPs or the 3 non-synonymous SNPs between patients and controls. Furthermore, haplotype-based analyses did not provide evidence for an association. These results suggest that PLXNA2 may not play a major role in the development of schizophrenia in our Japanese sample.

It has been suggested that genes involved in the central dopaminergic pathway may contribute to personality traits. However, the results of association studies for these genes have not been consistent. The present study investigated the relationship between the specific polymorphisms of MAO-A, COMT, DRD2, DRD3 and personality traits in Japanese women using a novel genotyping method involving electrochemical DNA array (ECA) chip analysis. Single marker association analysis for each mutation revealed no significant association between scores for Neuroticism Extraversion Openness-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) items. Gene–gene interaction analysis showed that a MAO-A 30-bp repeat × COMT (Val158Met) × DRD3 (Ser9Gly) had a marginally significant association with Agreeableness (P = 0.0547). The present results suggest that a combination of polymorphisms of MAO-A, COMT, and DRD3 might affect personality traits in Japanese women.

Previous studies have suggested that genetic variations in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene may be associated with several neuropsychiatric diseases including bipolar disorder. The present study examined a microsatellite polymorphism located approximately 1.0 kb upstream of the translation initiation site of the BDNF gene for novel sequence variations, association with bipolar disorder, and effects on transcriptional activity. Detailed sequencing analysis revealed that this polymorphism is not a simple dinucleotide repeat, but it is highly polymorphic with a complex structure containing three types of dinucleotide repeats, insertion/deletion, and nucleotide substitutions that gives rise to a total of 23 novel allelic variants. We obtained evidence supporting the association between this polymorphic region (designated as BDNF-linked complex polymorphic region (BDNF-LCPR)) and bipolar disorder. One of the major alleles ('A1' allele) was significantly more common in patients than in controls (odds ratio 2.8, 95% confidential interval 1.5-5.3, P=0.001). Furthermore, a luciferase reporter gene assay in rat primary cultured neurons suggests that this risk allele (A1) has a lower-transcription activity, compared to the other alleles. Our results suggest that the BDNF-LCPR is a functional variation that confers susceptibility to bipolar disorder and affects transcriptional activity of the BDNF gene.

In this paper, a new temperature-sensitive paint (TSP) technique for boundary-layer transition detection in a production-type large cryogenic wind tunnel is present. The formulation of Ru(trpy) based TSP system has been optimized in terms of luminescence intensity and robustness. The optimum dye-binder-solvent combination has been determined through systematic sample tests. A new binder has been introduced and the resulting coating was found free from cracking at cryogenic temperatures. This is contrary to the silicone-based pervious cryogenic TSP that are subject to micro cracks at reduced temperatures. The new TSP can meet the root-mean-square roughness requirement less than 0.15 /spl mu/m. Experiments in the NAL 0.1-m transonic cryogenic wind tunnel have shown that transition occurs earlier on the unpolished surface than the polished surface, although the roughness value itself increasing by polishing. This suggests that the waviness of the coating could affect on the growth of instability in boundary layers.

Background Two previous studies reported a significant association between a missense polymorphism (Val66Met) in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene and bipolar disorder; however, contradictory negative results have also been reported, necessitating further investigation. Methods We organized a multicenter study of a relatively large sample of 519 patients with bipolar disorder (according to DSM-IV criteria) and 588 control subjects matched for gender, age, and ethnicity (Japanese). Genotyping was done by polymerase chain reaction–based restriction fragment length polymorphism or direct sequencing. Results The genotype distributions and allele frequencies were similar among the patients and control subjects. Even if the possible relationships of the polymorphism with several clinical variables (i.e., bipolar I or II, presence of psychotic features, family history, and age of onset) were examined, no variable was related to the polymorphism. Conclusions The Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene is unrelated to the development or clinical features of bipolar disorder, at least in a Japanese population.

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine whether the neuroleptic-induced extrapyramidal symptoms are associated with the CYP2D6 activity. Methods The CYP2D6 gene polymorphisms (CYP2D6*2, CYP2D6*3, CYP2D6*4, CYP2D6*10, and CYP2D6*12) were genotyped in 196 normal controls and 320 schizophrenic patients receiving neuroleptics. The relationships with susceptibility to extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) and tardive dyskinesia, and with steady-state serum haloperidol levels in maintenance therapy, were investigated. Results The allele frequency of CYP2D6*2 was significantly higher, while that of CYP2D6*10 tended to be higher in the schizophrenic patients susceptible to acute EPS. The steady-state serum haloperidol levels per daily dosage were observed to be significantly higher in schizophrenic patients with the mutant-type homozygote of CYP2D6*2, while this difference was trend level in those of CYP2D6*10. However, no significant difference was observed in the distribution of both CYP2D6*2 (C2938T) and CYP2D6*10 (C188T) polymorphisms between schizophrenic patients with or without tardive dyskinesia. Conclusion The present results suggest that the homozygotes of CYP2D6*2 and CYP2D6*10 appear to be a susceptibility factor for developing acute EPS in schizophrenic patients and for impaired neuroleptic metabolism in Japanese schizophrenic patients.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) plays a crucial role in the regulation of central dopaminergic systems. We examined the allelic association of a functional polymorphism of the COMT gene with the clinical manifestations and the response to antipsychotics of 100 schizophrenic patients and 201 healthy controls from the general Japanese population. No statistically significant difference was observed in the allele and genotype frequencies between the schizophrenic patients and the healthy controls. The daily neuroleptic dosage that patients received during their maintenance therapy was significantly higher in patients with the L/L genotype than in the other patients (P < 0.05). The present results suggest that the presence of the COMT genotype does not help in evaluating the susceptibility to the development of schizophrenia, but that it may help in the estimation of treatment-resistant features of schizophrenia.

A temperature-sensitive luminescent paint technique has been used to visualize boundary-layer transition on a 10-degree cone model in the 0.2-m Supersonic Wind Tunnel at National Aerospace Laboratory. A luminescent paint based on EuTTA was applied on the model surface using airbrush. The paint coating was excited by a Xenon light and the luminescence image was acquired using a high resolution cooled-CCD camera. To enhance thermal signature across transition, tunnel flow was heated by a sudden shutdown of cooling water supply to heat exchanger. Two images were taken for each condition, one is transient image taken in heating process and the other is reference image taken in steady condition. By ratioing these two images, global transition patterns on the cone have been visualized as the edges of brightness. From transition images at various model locations in the test section, it was found that transition remains at a fixed spatial location with respect to the tunnel. This indicates that the cone transition is induced by radiated noise propagating from turbulent boundary layers on the tunnel walls. Effects of the stagnation pressure were also studied over the range from 55 to 150 kPa. The extent of quiet test region was found to be strongly sensitive to the pressure or unit Reynolds number. At the NAL 0.2-m SWT, natural transition did not occur on the cone at lower values of unit Reynolds number.

Pyrene-, ruthenium-, and porphyrin-based, anodized aluminum pressure sensitive paint (AA-PSP) is developed for surface pressure measurements in a cryogenic wind tunnel. These AA-PSPs were calibrated to determine the pressure sensitivity by injecting a small amount of oxygen in the test gas. The mole fraction of oxygen was varied from 4 ppm up to 2000 ppm. The calibration tests were conducted in the 0.1 m Transonic Cryogenic Wind Tunnel (TCWT) at National Aerospace Laboratory, Japan. Luminophore choice affected the pressure sensitivity with a pyrene-based AA-PSP having the best sensitivity. These AA-PSPs were applied for surface pressure measurements on a 14% thick circular arc-bump model in the TCWT. The results of pyrene- and ruthenium-based AA-PSPs showed good agreement with pressure taps. Pressure sensitivity, signal level, and uniformity of luminescent coating affected the pressure measurements.