Gifu University of Medical Science

About: Gifu University of Medical Science is a education organization based out in Gifu City, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Imaging phantom & Motion sickness. The organization has 89 authors who have published 202 publications receiving 1350 citations.

Molecular epidemiological analysis of methicillin-resistant staphylococci in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Abstract: To investigate the contamination by and transmission of MRSA/MRCNS in the old NICU of Hospital A and the relocated NICU (new NICU), we isolated and evaluated staphylococci from nurses' palms, towels under the heads of neonates, infant incubators (including portholes and infant covers), and room air. Detection rates of MRSA/MRCNS isolated from different sample locations were 52.6% in the old NICU and 53.4% in the new NICU, which demonstrates that the nurses' palms in both the old and new NICUs and indoor environment were contaminated with MRSA/MRCNS. In the old NICU, numerous MRSA and MRCNS strains (Log 3.17 ± 0.19 cfu/10 cm2) were identified from towels, and the implementation of improvement plans resulted in a decrease in the number of MRSA/MRCNS isolates (Log 1.95 ± 0.57 cfu/10cm2) from the towels used in the new NICU. A homology study of MRSA/MRCNS strains by PFGE DNA restriction patterns identified genotypes that showed similar patterns in the nurses' palms, towels, infant incubators, and room air.

On a Qualitative Method to Evaluate Motion Sickness Induced by Stereoscopic Images on Liquid Crystal Displays

Abstract: Visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) is known to be caused by sensory conflict, which is the disagreement between vergence and visual accommodation while observing stereoscopic images. The simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ) is a well-known method that is used herein for verifying the occurrence of VIMS. We quantitatively measure the sway of the centre of gravity of the human body before and during exposure to several images. During the measurement, subjects are instructed to maintain the Romberg posture for the first 60 s and a wide stance (midlines of the heels 20 cm apart) for the next 60 s. The stereoscopic images decrease the gradient of the potential function involved in the stochastic differential equations as a mathematical model of the body sway. We have succeeded in estimating the decrease in the gradient by using an index called sparse density.

Expression and characterization of honeybee, Apis mellifera , larva chymotrypsin-like protease

Abstract: Previously, we found three enzyme fractions containing activities for the hydrolysis of royal jelly proteins from honeybee queen larvae. In this study, we identified a honeybee chymotrypsin-like protease (HCLPase) by LC-MS/MS and expressed it as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli. The protease had an estimated molecular weight of around 26 kDa and showed high specificity for succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe p-nitroanilide as a proteolytic substrate. Furthermore, the protease had an optimal pH of 9, and the activity was markedly inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride but not tosyl phenylalanyl chloromethyl ketone, both of which are irreversible inhibitors of chymotrypsin-like serine proteases. These results suggested that this recombinant protease, HCLPase, was a chymotrypsin-like serine protease with different characteristics from mammalian chymotrypsin.