For a long time, from the nineteenth century to most of the twentieth century, the cerebellum was thought to be an organ that regulates movement. Towards the end of the twentieth century, the brain functions associated with the cerebellum began to extend beyond motor control. Now, there is a consensus that the cerebellum is involved not only in motor functions but also in the most basic autonomic functions and the most complex cognitive and emotional functions, with a focus on predictions and internal models. A new functional model of the cerebellum is needed to explain all layers of brain functions by extending predictive computations in the cerebellum. On the other hand, the cerebellum and the basal ganglia were believed to be independent and complementary motor centers that lacked direct neural connections. For example, in neurophysiology classes in the 1980s, the characteristics of cerebellar ataxia were summarized as hyperkinetic and hypotonia, while the characteristics of Parkinson's disease (traditionally classified as "basal ganglia disorder") were summarized as hypokinetic and hypertonia, and therefore their functions were assumed at opposite poles, without interactions between the two main subcortical systems. The cerebellum and the basal ganglia were also assigned contrasting models regarding their learning mechanisms. Namely, the cerebellum was assumed to employ supervised learning with error signals, while the basal ganglia were assumed to employ reinforcement learning with reward prediction errors. However, recent neuroanatomical studies have demonstrated a number of novel connections between them, questioning their independence. Moreover, recent single-neuron recording and inactivation studies provided evidence that the cerebellum may also be involved in reinforcement learning. The cerebellum is neither independent of the basal ganglia nor exclusively specialized for supervised learning. We now need a new, general model to explain the contradiction between the known uniformity of the cerebellar cortex's structure and the newly added diversity of brain functions to which the cerebellum contributes. This consensus paper summarizes many of the seeds of such a new theory. The panel of experts (1) highlights the importance of the anatomical connectivity between cerebellar circuitry and basal ganglia, (2) points out that the anatomy of the cerebellum is unique and allows predictive computations in motor and extra-motor domains such as cognition, affect, social interactions and reward processes, (3) underlines the need to further elucidate the nature of interactions between cerebellar cortex and cerebellar nuclei to better understand cerebellar and psychiatric disorders and (4) suggests that common operations may underlie the motor and non-motor functions of the cerebellar circuitry. Cerebellar models remain a major topic of research to improve our understanding of the numerous cerebellar activities and to better understand the complexity of cerebellar disorders.
Recently, natural fiber is used as reinforcement such as building, bridge and architecture. And some companies are announced about unidirectional natural fiber tape for product of sustainable development of goals. But strain rate dependence of biocomposite material using natural fiber yarn should be considered for safety of structure. In this study, effect of loading speed on tensile property of biocomposite material using single natural yarn was investigated for new products. Matrices were poly(lactic acid) and shellac resins. Tensile tests of biocomposite materials were conducted under constant room temperature and humility room. The crosshead speed was 10-100 mm/min. The environmental temperature was 20 °C. The humility was 65 %RH. The following result was obtained. Tensile strengths of all biocomposite materials increased with an increase of loading speed. Tensile properties of all biocomposite materials at 100 mm/min was higher those of all biocomposite materials. But the large fiber-pullout on the fracture surface of biocomposite material using shellac resins was noticeably found after tensile test at 100 mm/min. Their results implied that tensile property of biocomposite material was affected by adhesion and tensile properties of matrices under loading speed.
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus are the commonly found dominant species in post-fermented Japanese tea. The dominant species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) depends on the production area, regardless of the production method. However, the selection mechanism of these bacteria remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the mechanism by which these LAB species are selected. We investigated the effects of pH and catechins on the growth of L. plantarum and L. pentosus isolated from two types of post-fermented Japanese teas. When the pH of the medium was adjusted with hydrochloric acid, the strains derived from Ishizuchi-kurocha grew at pH 4 to 10, whereas the strains derived from Awa-bancha grew at pH 3 to 10. In contrast, when the pH was adjusted using lactic acid, no growth was observed at pH 4. The pH of the fermented fluid of Ishizuchi-kurocha was approximately 4, suggesting that the growth of the LAB in Ishizuchi-kurocha was inhibited by the accumulation of lactic acid. Furthermore, when a mixture of green tea-derived catechins containing epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epigallocatechin gallate was added to the culture medium at a concentration of 1.0 mg/mL, Staphylococcus aureus growth was inhibited. However, the effect on L. plantarum or L. pentosus growth was negligible. Furthermore, when the catechins in the medium were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography after 24 hr incubation with LAB, the peak intensities of catechins, particularly catechin gallate, were decreased, and an unknown peak was observed. These results suggest that L. plantarum and L. pentosus metabolize catechins during tea leaf fermentation. During the fermentation of Ishizuchi-kurocha and Awa-bancha, at least, the catechins in them and decrease in pH due to mainly lactic acid accumulation are factors involved in LAB selection.
Self-focused attention is a well-established factor in social anxiety disorder. Our previous study found that perceiving oneself as being watched or evaluated in social contexts exacerbates this tendency, but it remains unclear whether the perception of gaze or evaluation serves as the initial trigger for these cognitive processes. This study used ecological momentary assessment to investigate the temporal sequence of these perceptions and their impact on self-focused attention and social anxiety symptoms. Thirty-eight participants (17 male, 21 female) completed self-reported web assessments three times daily for 10 days. Measures included perceived evaluation, gaze perception, self-focused attention, and anxiety experienced in social situations. A total of 569 data points were collected and analyzed with multilevel structural equation modeling to compare two competing theoretical models. One model posited that perceived evaluation preceded gaze perception, and the other that gaze perception preceded perceived evaluation. The latter received stronger empirical support, indicating that gaze perception elicits the perceived evaluation, which subsequently increases self-focused attention and social anxiety symptoms. However, model fit differences were small, leaving the alternative model where perceived evaluation precedes gaze perception as a plausible explanation. Gaze perception plays a pivotal role in triggering social anxiety symptoms by fostering the perceived evaluation and amplifying self-focused attention. Interventions targeting gaze perception and sensitivity to evaluation may help reduce social anxiety symptoms.
Repair processing and weatherability enhancement of leather using petroleum-based polymer have been specifically examined for the long-term use of many products. Damage to the leather surface will occur during exposure to an outdoor environment. This study examined the repair processing and weatherability enhancement of pre-crack-initiated leather for many products to achieve sustainable development goals. The constituent materials of leather were polyurethane and polyester. The outdoor exposure test duration was 60 days. The crack length was 4 mm. Before and after outdoor exposure tests, tensile testing of pre-crack-initiated leather was done under constant room temperature and humidity. The environmental temperature was 20 degrees C. The humidity was 65 %RH. The crosshead speed was 100 mm/min. Differential scanning calorimetry of leather was done in a nitrogen environment before repair processing. The repair processing was a hot-press molding method. Results indicate that the maximum load and displacement at the breaking point of pre-crack-initiated leather were affected by exposure to the outdoor environment. The toughness of pre-crack-initiated leather was decreased by optical degradation during outdoor exposure. The leather melting point was approximately 260 degrees C when differential scanning calorimetry of leather was applied before repair processing. Generally, the melting point of polyester is approx. 260 degrees C. The toughness of pre-crack-initiated leather was improved because the polyester as a leather constituent material probably impregnated pre-crack areas at the molding temperature of 260 degrees C.
