Inorganic polyphosphate [poly(P)] is a biopolymer existing in almost all cells and tissues, although its biological functions in higher eukaryotes have not been completely elucidated. We previously demonstrated that poly(P) enhances the function of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) by stabilizing them and strengthening the affinity between FGFs and their cell surface receptors. Since FGFs play crucial roles in bone regeneration, we further investigated the effect of poly(P) on the cell differentiation of human stem cells via FGF signaling systems. Human dental pulp cells (HDPCs) isolated from human dental pulp show the characteristics of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). HDPCs secreted FGFs and the proliferation of HDPCs was shown to be enhanced by treatment with poly(P). Cell surface receptor-bound FGF-2 was stably maintained for more than 40 hours in the presence of poly(P). The phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was also enhanced by poly(P). The effect of poly(P) on the osteogenic differentiation of HDPCs and human MSCs (hMSCs) were also investigated. After 5 days of treatment with poly(P), type-I collagen expression of both cell types was enhanced. The C-terminal peptide of type-I collagen was also released at higher levels in poly(P)-treated HDPCs. Microarray analysis showed that expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1), osteopontin (OPN), osteocalcin (OC) and osteoprotegerin was induced in both cell types by poly(P). Furthermore, induced expression of MMP1, OPN and OC genes in both cells was confirmed by real-time PCR. Calcification of both cell types was clearly observed by alizarin red staining following treatment with poly(P). The results suggest that the activation of the FGF signaling pathway by poly(P) induces both proliferation and mineralization of stem cells.

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(R)-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro[1]benzothieno[2,3-c]pyridine derivatives (60-114) were synthesized. The (R)-isomers have affinity for the 5-HT1A receptor while the (S)-isomers have no such ability. The affinity of the (R)-isomers was discussed on the basis of structure-activity relationships between the affinity and hydrophobicity of the (R)-isomers. Compounds 71 and 107, which are representative derivative compounds, have anticonflict activity and lessening of memory impairment. In particular, compound 107 cannot bind to receptors other than the 5-HT1A receptor, demonstrating that it is a unique compound with a different mechanism of action from that of conventional anxiolytics.

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a) (b) (c) (d) Figure 1: (a) Device-independent imaging system working at real-time. Multi-Primary Color (MPC) display system (right) and a comparable RGB-based display (left) are located with our capturing system (center). (b) Capturing system to take the whole visible spectrum. (c) Representation on an MPC display system. (d) Representation on a comparable conventional display. Note that the cyan parts of Morpho are accurately captured and faithfully reproduced by our imaging system. Problem StatementAn imaging system, in general, consists of a capturing system (i.e., a camera), a signal transmission process, and an output device (display and/or printing systems). When capturing a picture, colors are captured by an imaging sensor on a camera, whose spectral responses are, in general, highly different from the color matching functions of CIE 1931. Such cameras show non-colorimetric response and provides inaccurate color information of a captured object. Additionally, when storing data, different digital cameras generate different signals in red, green, and blue (RGB), whose reproduction is highly dependent each device. Then, a display device applies its own color conversion based on RGB format. As a result, no colors are correctly captured and reproduced. A severe miscommunication happens between capturing and displaying systems as far as using device-dependent imaging systems. In order to really reproduce images of high-fidelity colors on a display, it is essential for the imaging system to adopt colorimetric method not only in displaying and but also in capturing images. Therefore, we propose a device-independent imaging system which can accurately capture colors and faithfully reproduce colors. Capturing SystemThere are two major ways to capture colors accurately: employing a camera with a single sensor whose sensitivities satisfy LutherIves conditionor using a multi-spectral camera. We chose to develop a camera with three sensors and three filters which captures all signals from different bands of spectral distribution simultaneously like conventional digital cameras.This camera has the equivalent spectral distribution to the color matching functions and is in a handheld size. Monochrome CMOS image sensors are mounted with the resolution of 3.2 mega-pixels at 12 bits/pixel. The camera is adopted color spectral sensitivities of three filters which satisfy the Luther-Ives condition.In the end, matrix calculation is applied to convert the spectral sensitivity functions to the tristimulus values of an object. The least square error method is used to obtain the matrix in order to closely fit the spectral sensitivity curves of the CIE color matching functions. As a result, our capturing system can take the whole range of the visible spectrum. Accuracy of capturing colors of the camera is examined by comparing the data taken by our camera and by a spectral colorimeter for MacBeth Color Checker (24 colors). The color difference between measured and captured data is quite small at the average of ∆E = 0.27 in CIE L*a*...