Utsunomiya University

About: Utsunomiya University is a education organization based out in Utsunomiya, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Laser & Holography. The organization has 4139 authors who have published 6812 publications receiving 91975 citations. The organization is also known as: Utsunomiya daigaku.

Low strigolactone root exudation: a novel mechanism of broomrape (Orobanche and Phelipanche spp.) resistance available for faba bean breeding.

Abstract: Faba bean yield is severely constrained in the Mediterranean region and Middle East by the parasitic weeds Orobanche crenata, O. foetida, and Phelipanche aegyptiaca. Seed germination of these weeds is triggered upon recognition of host root exudates. Only recently faba bean accessions have been identified with resistance based in low induction of parasitic seed germination, but the underlying mechanism was not identified. Strigolactones are a group of terpenoid lactones involved in the host recognition by parasitic plants. Our LC-MS/MS analysis of root exudates of the susceptible accession Prothabon detected orobanchol, orobanchyl acetate, and a novel germination stimulant. A time course analysis indicated that their concentration increased with plant age. However, low or undetectable amounts of these germination stimulants were detected in root exudates of the resistant lines Quijote and Navio at all plant ages. A time course analysis of seed germination induced by root exudates of each faba bean accession indicated important differences in the ability to stimulate parasitic germination. Results presented here show that resistance to parasitic weeds based on low strigolactone exudation does exist within faba bean germplasm. Therefore, selection for this trait is feasible in a breeding program. The remarkable fact that low induction of germination is similarly operative against O. crenata, O. foetida, and P. aegyptiaca reinforces the value of this resistance.

Radiation from high-intensity ultrashort-laser-pulse and gas-jet magnetized plasma interaction

Abstract: Using a gas-jet flow, via the interaction between an ultrashort high-intensity laser pulse and plasma in the presence of a perpendicular external dc magnetic field, the short pulse radiation from a magnetized plasma wakefield has been observed. Different nozzles are used in order to generate different densities and gas profiles. The neutral density of the gas-jet flow measured with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is found to be proportional to back pressure of the gas jet in the range of 1 to 8 atm. Strength of the applied dc magnetic field varies from 0 to 8 kG at the interaction region. The frequency of the emitted radiation with the pulse width of 200 ps (detection limit) is in the millimeter wave range. Polarization and spatial distributions of the experimental data are measured to be in good agreement with the theory based on the V(p)xB radiation scheme, where V(p) is the phase velocity of the electron plasma wave and B is the steady magnetic field intensity. Characteristics of the radiation are extensively studied as a function of plasma density and magnetic field strength. These experiments should contribute to the development of a new kind of millimeter wavelength radiation source that is tunable in frequency, pulse duration, and intensity.

An fMRI study of musicians with focal dystonia during tapping tasks

Abstract: Musician's dystonia is a type of task specific dystonia for which the pathophysiology is not clear. In this study, we performed functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the motor-related brain activity associated with musician's dystonia. We compared brain activities measured from subjects with focal hand dystonia and normal (control) musicians during right-hand, left-hand, and both-hands tapping tasks. We found activations in the thalamus and the basal ganglia during the tapping tasks in the control group but not in the dystonia group. For both groups, we detected significant activations in the contralateral sensorimotor areas, including the premotor area and cerebellum, during each tapping task. Moreover, direct comparison between the dystonia and control groups showed that the dystonia group had greater activity in the ipsilateral premotor area during the right-hand tapping task and less activity in the left cerebellum during the both-hands tapping task. Thus, the dystonic musicians showed irregular activation patterns in the motor-association system. We suggest that irregular neural activity patterns in dystonic subjects reflect dystonic neural malfunction and consequent compensatory activity to maintain appropriate voluntary movements.

Energy gaps of semiconducting nanotubules.

Abstract: The effect of the mixing between \ensuremath{\pi} and \ensuremath{\sigma} orbitals upon the energy gaps (${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{g}}$'s) of semiconducting carbon nanotubules has been theoretically studied within the tight-binding approximation. The magnitude of a chirality-dependent energy gap (${\mathit{E}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\theta}}}$) has been estimated. This term cannot be neglected for tubules with a small radius. The relation of ${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{g}}$ to R, ${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{g}}$\ensuremath{\propto}${\mathit{R}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, no longer holds for small-radius tubules. An approximate expression for ${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{g}}$, which can be applicable even to small-radius semiconducting tubules, is presented. In addition, it is shown that the ${\mathit{E}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\theta}}}$ is well correlated with a fraction of the \ensuremath{\sigma} component in the wave functions for the conduction-band bottom and valence-band top.