This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Today's print edition Home Delivery Ichiro was voted into the Hall in his first year of eligibility and will be inducted alongside former players Hitoki Iwase and Masayuki Kakefu and former Central League umpire Hiroya Tomizawa Ichiro is widely expected to hear his name again when the results of the voting for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the United States are revealed next week He amassed 3,089 hits during his MLB career.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); While many have wondered if Ichiro will be a unanimous selection in the U.S Ichiro garnered 92.6% of the vote to easily clear the 75% threshold In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division She was a retired State of Hawaii Janitor at Kapaa Elementary School Kathleen was preceded in death by husband Alfredo Asuncion (function(d,s,n){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];js=d.createElement(s);js.className=n;js.src="//player.ex.co/player/bdc806f4-0fc1-40a1-aff0-a3d5239c169c";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}(document,"script","exco-player")); Danette Madeira and son Stanford (Chantel) Aban Kathleen was blessed by 7 grandchildren Randy Teves-Aban Alfredo Kimo Escalante and Raymond Asuncion Her favorite pass time during the weekends was finding treasures at garage sales that whosoever beliveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 She was the Best Mom — She will be truly missed Celebration of her life will be held at the St Catherine Catholic Church in Kapaa on Saturday Borthwick Kauai Mortuary assisted the family with arrangements at Straub Clinic & Hospital at the age of 52 He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents Walter and Diane Chang and paternal grandparents Jack and Toyoko Iwase He is survived by his girlfriend Dejarene Chang Wo father Vernon Iwase and brother Dayton (Kylie Hookano) Nagao of Hanapepe A celebration of life will be held on Sunday Wear a Lei was the theme of this year’s annual Kauai Museum Lei.. Members of the Waimea High School girls football team arrived home on Sunday from the 2025.. Metrics details an assay that combines the ease and simplicity of the qualitative approach for measuring catalase activity was developed The assay reagents comprised only hydrogen peroxide and Triton X-100 The enzyme-generated oxygen bubbles trapped by Triton X-100 were visualized as foam A calibration plot using the defined unit of catalase activity yielded the best linear fit over a range of 20–300 units (U) (y = 0.3794x − 2.0909 The assay precision and reproducibility at 100 U were 4.6% and 4.8% The applicability of the assay for measuring the catalase activity of various samples was assessed using laboratory strains of Escherichia coli clinically isolated Shiga toxin-producing E this new assay can be used to measure the catalase activity of bacterial isolates and human cells It is thus useful to measure the catalase activity of pathogens in order to gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of their pathogenicity including their resistance towards oxidative stress Because HPII activity varies among clinical isolates it is necessary to distinguish between the activities of HPI and HPII in order to investigate the activity of the RpoS-encoded stress response gene rpoS There are several limitations inherent in these methods including cumbersome procedures and high cost despite the availability of convenient kits although the reaction occurs spontaneously the enzyme increases the reaction rate considerably while processing a large number of samples the initial and final reaction rates differ among different samples This necessitates the development of a simple and cost-effective method for measuring catalase activity we developed an assay that combines the ease and simplicity of the qualitative approach for measuring catalase activity The assay uses simple and readily available reagents We applied this assay to clinical isolates and laboratory strains of E coli and its derivatives carrying mutations in the catalase genes or in their regulatory factors The underlying principle of this approach is that the oxygen bubbles generated from the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by catalase are trapped by the surfactant Triton X-100 The trapped oxygen bubbles are then visualized as foam the test-tube height of which is measured to quantify the catalase activity (A) Image of test tubes showing foam developed as a result of catalase activity Each solution of concentration of catalase (100-μL) was added in a Pyrex tube (13 mm diameter × 100 mm height 100 μL of 1% Triton X-100 and 100 μL of undiluted hydrogen peroxide (30%) were added to the solutions and mixed thoroughly and were then incubated at room temperature the height of O2-forming foam in the test tube was measured using a ruler (B) The best linear fit between the foam heights and catalase activity was observed over a range of 20–200 U (y = 0.3794x − 2.0909 Error bars represent the standard deviation (C) The height of foam generated after mixing catalase No reagents were used to stop the reaction as the generation of oxygen stops naturally within 5 min the generation of bubbles ceased completely despite an additional 100 μL of hydrogen peroxide being added to all the test tubes To verify the specificity of the assay for measuring catalase activity Catalase activities of (A) laboratory strains of E Furthermore, different clinical isolates were analysed for their catalase activity (Fig. 2B) HPI activity was detected in all the isolates tested in the study the activity of HPII varied among the isolates (A) Image of test tubes showing foam developed as a result of the catalase activity of LNCaP and PC-3 cells the method was simpler than other quantitative methods Our method will be useful for easy measurement of catalase activity in various samples the choice of surfactant was a key point for measuring the catalase activity in this assay Three surfactants produced similar results we confirmed that the use of clean (unstained) new test tubes ensured reproducible results in that it involves only the mixing of the bacterial suspension without any other procedures such as the preparation of bacterial extract the cost per test of reagents used in this method is close to being gratis and no machinery or equipment is required for the assay we have developed a simple and cost-effective assay and demonstrated its feasibility in determining the catalase status of bacterial and human cells Various pathogenic Escherichia coli strains20 were employed: 96-7 (STEC) deletion mutants of katE (which encodes heat-stable HPII) and rpoS (which positively regulates the expression of katE catalase) and the wild-type (BW25113) strain were also studied All strains were obtained from the National Institute of Genetics (NIG The bacteria were propagated in Luria-Bertani (LB; BD Biosciences The bacterial culture was inoculated into 10 mL of LB medium and cultured for 16 h at 37°C with shaking The LNCaP and PC-3 cell lines used in this study were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (Manassas USA) and cultured in RPMI 1640 containing 10% foetal bovine serum and Antibio-Antimyco (Life Technologies was solved in 100-μL distilled pure water for preparing each concentration of catalase standards Bacteria samples were prepared using overnight-cultured bacteria Bacterial cells (10 mg) were suspended in 100-μL of physiological saline (diluted Human cells (105–107 cells) were suspended in 100-μL of phosphate buffered saline a calibration curve was plotted with the defined unit of catalase activity Each catalase solution (100-μL) or bacterial suspension (100-μL) was added in a Pyrex tube (13 mm diameter × 100 mm height the height of O2-forming foam that remained constant for 15 min in the test tube was finally measured using a ruler In order to accurately distinguish between the activities of the heat-labile catalase HPI and heat-stable catalase HPII in E the bacterial suspension was divided into 2 identical aliquots One aliquot of the bacterial suspension was subjected to heat treatment (55°C the residual catalase activity following heat treatment was subtracted from the total catalase activity to determine the activity of the heat-labile catalase Catalases HPI and HPII in Escherichia coli are induced independently Role of catalase in Campylobacter jejuni intracellular survival Purification and characterization of catalase HPII from Escherichia coli K12 Regulation of hydroperoxidase (catalase) expression in Escherichia coli Oxidative stress responses in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium A comparative study of variation in codon 33 of the rpoS gene in Escherichia coli K12 stocks: implications for the synthesis of sigma(s) Regulation of katF and katE in Escherichia coli K-12 by weak acids Photometric determination of catalase activity Reaction between catalase and hydrogen peroxide The reactions of catalase in the presence of the notatin system A spectrophotometric method for measuring the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide by catalase Rapid kinetic microassay for catalase activity Variation in RNA polymerase sigma subunit composition within different stocks of Escherichia coli W3110 RpoS- and OxyR-independent induction of HPI catalase at stationary phase in Escherichia coli and identification of rpoS mutations in common laboratory strains The spread of a beneficial mutation in experimental bacterial populations: the influence of the environment and genotype on the fixation of rpoS mutations Phenotypic diversity caused by differential RpoS activity among environmental Escherichia coli isolates Antioxidant enzymes in malignant prostate cell lines and in primary cultured prostatic cells Type 1 fimbriation and its phase switching in diarrheagenic Escherichia coli strains characterization and phenotypic expression in Escherichia coli of catF which encodes the catalytic subunit of catalase isozyme CatF of Pseudomonas syringae Download references We thank our laboratory colleagues for their comments and help regarding our study A part of the study was supported by The Jikei University Research Fund The Jikei University Graduate Research Fund The MEXT-supported Program for the Strategic Research Foundation at Private Universities Science Research Promotion Fund of The Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan (non-profit organization) carried out experiments and discussed in detail about the obtained results The authors declare no competing financial interests This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Download citation Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Hitomi Iwase is a partner at Nishimura & Asahi trademarks and trade secrets in multiple business sectors Ms Iwase’s expertise encompasses all forms of transactional work financing and advising on the development of IP portfolios and prosecution strategies She obtained an LLM from Stanford Law School and an LLB from Waseda University and she is admitted to practise in Japan and New York Unlock unlimited access to all WTR content Three men were arrested on Thursday for allegedly hiding a body inside a home freezer in the city of Nagahama a court clerk at the Nagahama Summary Court a 62 year-old part-time cleaner in the city of Sakai Osaka Prefecture.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); The three are accused of conspiring to store the body in the freezer at Iwase’s home The frozen body was found in a crouched position and is thought to have been kept in the freezer for a long time The broadcaster also reported that an examination is likely to take time due to the body's condition The suspects' responses to the allegations have not been disclosed the case came to light on Tuesday through another incident in Osaka Prefecture in which a suicide note was found at the scene The note reportedly contained information indicating the involvement of Iwase and the others in the case of the body in the freezer Police in Shiga conducted an investigation based on information provided by the Osaka Prefectural Police Shiga police are working to identify the body and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death in detail Whether you agree that the ’60s through to the ’90s was the golden age of rallying or not it’s hard to deny that this era produced some stupendously awesome machinery From a time when top-level motorsport wasn’t quite so stage-managed underdogs like the Renault 8 Gordini could take on the then all-conquering Porsche 911s on now-classic rallies like the Tour De Corse and San Remo this was in the years leading up to Ford introducing the mighty Escort which in Mk1 RS1600 and Mk2 RS1800 form started wiping the floor with its rivals and winning pretty much everything — until four-wheel drive and the Audi Quattro came along One person who would undoubtedly agree with all of the above is Yasuhiro Iwase of famed Tokyo-based shop the workshop is a tightly-packed tribute to the awesome cars that the world rally stage gave us But Iwase-san isn’t just a rallying enthusiast who turned his passion into a living though having competed in the brutal Safari Rally some 13 times in the 1980s and 1990s – and latterly as part of Toyota Team Europe (TTE) Iwase-san enjoyed a good degree of success with a particular highlight being fourth overall on the 1993 Safari behind the wheel of a TTE Group A Celica GT4 He also still holds the honour of being the highest-placed Japanese driver at a World Rally Championship event it’s not surprising that although Autosport Iwase can cater for all performance vehicles the workshop is always crowded with classic and modern classic rally-bred homologation specials European specials like the Ford Escort Cosworth were never officially sold in Japan but that didn’t stop Autosport Iwase from importing the model that car has a small but strong following in Japan with the shop right at the centre Perhaps Autosport Iwase are best known for championing of the Lancia Delta Integrale line though and over the years the company has probably worked on the majority of the examples that reside in Japan Maintaining and improving these cars can be a challenge thanks to the scarcity of available parts but Autosport Iwase have actively been reproducing a large number of parts for some years now to help keep surviving examples in top shape but perhaps the ultimate incarnation was the S4 — a car which took full advantage of world rallying’s Group B regulations twin-charged (turbo and supercharged) engine Surviving road-going examples (just 200 needed to be built to satisfy homologation regulations) are few and far between but naturally Autosport Iwase had one in their workshop for a check-over on the day of Mark’s visit That’s not to say that Autosport Iwase ignore their homegrown metal though On top of producing a whole series of works-reproduction parts for the Celica GT4 owners of Japanese classics are also well catered for — even the TE27 Corolla Iwase-san refers to Autosport’s Iwase’s ethos as ‘cultivating knowledge and technology’ and we can’t think of a better approach to looking after these rallying icons More stories from Japan on Speedhunters Kitties - akshully I spot at least 2 <3 Wait, shouldn't Iwase-san's first name be "Yasuhiro"? Yes, yes it should. Apologies for the confusion Also worth checking out Streetlife in Kawasaki who specialise in Lancia Deltas and even have their own rally team Speedhunters is an international collective of photographers, writers and drivers with a shared passion for uncovering the world's most exciting car culture stories. a local artisanal producer is introducing the intense flavour and nutritional benefits of this beloved staple to Sydney Public Utilities Commission Chairman Randall Iwase shown here at a 2016 public hearing on the proposed purchase of Hawaiian Electric Co will retire from the PUC at the end of next month chairman of the state Public Utilities Commission Ige said he accepted Iwase’s letter of resignation in which he wrote that he wants to spend more time with his family “Randy Iwase has played a key role at the Public Utilities Commission during a time of transition,” Ige said in a news release “I thank him for his unwavering commitment to the state’s energy efficiency goals and to Hawaii’s 100 percent renewable energy future.” certificated and registered public utility companies operating in Hawaii is a former state senator and was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2006 when Republican Gov The Punahou girls team cheered together after the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championships at Patsy T Mink Central Oahu Regional Park in April 2017 The tennis complex will be renamed the Jarand M.Y Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading Mink Central Oahu Regional Park will be renamed the Jarand M.Y Iwase Tennis Complex in honor of the late tennis player and coach under a resolution approved Wednesday by the Honolulu City Council He was a highly ranked tennis player at ‘Iolani School and then at the University of Hawaii at Manoa Tennis Association and coached a number of tennis and soccer teams on Oahu including at the high school level and at the Central Oahu park He was the son of state Public Utilities Commission Chairman Randall Iwase. Resolution 18-134 states Randall Iwase was instrumental in the development of the Central Oahu park when he was a Council member representing the Mililani area Last year the Council renamed the swimming facilities at CORP the K Mark Takai Veterans Memorial Aquatics Center in honor of the late congressman Also Wednesday the Council approved Resolution 18-100 renaming the visitor center at Ho‘oma­luhia Botanical Garden the Paul R Weissich Education Center in honor of the man who led the Honolulu Botanical Garden from 1957 to 1989 Weissich was instrumental in the development of the Ho‘omaluhia facility in Kaneohe A woman's body found in a home freezer in the city of Nagahama last week has been identified as the wife of one of the three suspects arrested in connection with the case Shiga Prefectural Police said on Wednesday The body has been identified as Mariko Nonaka who has been arrested on suspicion of abandoning a corpse.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Shiga police have also arrested two other suspects: Tatsuhiko Iwase Nonaka is believed to be Tatsuhiko’s uncle The Nagahama Police Station reported that an autopsy revealed no life-threatening external injuries The exact cause of death is still under investigation.​ Mariko Nonaka's body was discovered on April 2 when investigators visited Iwase’s residence following information provided by the Osaka Prefectural Police The tip-off came from a suicide note found in connection with a separate incident in Osaka Prefecture The note reportedly contained information indicating the involvement of Iwase and the others in the body abandonment case The body was found frozen in a crouched position But for those serving traditional Japanese cuisine the setting and surroundings are every bit as important chef Hironori Fujii has his bases covered.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); His restaurant in the city of Toyama, Oryouri Fujii sits close to one of Japan’s most fertile fishing grounds: Toyama Bay Thanks to its unique geology — it is one of the deepest bays in Japan and is fed with snowmelt flowing directly from some of the country’s highest peaks — it is home to an abundance of marine life forms Metrics details Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that the presence of Esp-secreting S epidermidis in the nasal cavities of human volunteers correlates with the absence of S Purified Esp inhibits biofilm formation and destroys pre-existing S aureus in biofilms to immune system components In vivo studies have shown that Esp-secreting S These findings indicate that Esp hinders S aureus colonization in vivo through a novel mechanism of bacterial interference which could lead to the development of novel therapeutics to prevent S Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout The role of nasal carriage in Staphylococcus aureus infections Isolation and characterization of a highly specific serine endopeptidase from an oral strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis Molecular cloning and biochemical characterisation of proteases from Staphylococcus epidermidis Hospitalizations and deaths caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus: epidemiology What determines nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus population-based survey of Staphylococcus aureus colonization Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in the United States Prevalence of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in the community Intranasal mupirocin to prevent postoperative Staphylococcus aureus infections Nasal carriage as a source of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis peptide pheromones produced by the accessory gene regulator agr system Bacterial interference for the prevention and treatment of infections H2O2 produced by viridans group streptococci may contribute to inhibition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization of oral cavities in newborns Effect of bacterial flora on staphylococcal colonisation of the newborn Protective effect in the lactating bovine mammary gland induced by coagulase-negative staphylococci against experimental Staphylococcus aureus infections Bacterial competition for human nasal cavity colonization: role of staphylococcal agr alleles Determinants of acquisition and carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in infancy Preliminary studies on bacterial interference of staphylococcosis of chickens Metagenomic analysis of the human distal gut microbiome Molecular analysis of human forearm superficial skin bacterial biota Molecular analysis of commensal host-microbial relationships in the intestine Diversity of the human intestinal microbial flora Molecular analysis of the bacterial microbiota in the human stomach Rapid detection of the staphylococcal mecA gene from BACTEC blood culture bottles by the polymerase chain reaction Development of a real-time PCR assay for the detection and identification of Staphylococcus capitis Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus warneri Rapid identification and specific quantification of Staphylococcus epidermidis by 5′ nuclease real-time polymerase chain reaction with a minor groove binder probe Dissemination in Japanese hospitals of strains of Staphylococcus aureus heterogeneously resistant to vancomycin Characterization and molecular cloning of a glutamyl endopeptidase from Staphylococcus epidermidis DNA microarray-based identification of genes associated with glycopeptide resistance in Staphylococcus aureus Allelic replacement in Staphylococcus aureus with inducible counter-selection Transformation of Staphylococcus epidermidis and other staphylococcal species with plasmid DNA by electroporation Activated cell-wall synthesis is associated with vancomycin resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clinical strains Mu3 and Mu50 Mutated response regulator graR is responsible for phenotypic conversion of Staphylococcus aureus from heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate resistance to vancomycin-intermediate resistance Lipopolysaccharide-induced biphasic inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate response and tyrosine phosphorylation of 140-kilodalton protein in mouse peritoneal macrophages Polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) protects Staphylococcus epidermidis against major components of the human innate immune system Staphylococcus aureus susceptibility to innate antimicrobial peptides In Sample Size Tables for Clinical Studies 2nd edn Bacterial interference among nasal inhabitants: eradication of Staphylococcus aureus from nasal cavities by artificial implantation of Corynebacterium sp Real-time PCR can rapidly detect methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus directly from positive blood culture bottles PCR-based identification of Staphylococcus epidermidis targeting gseA encoding the glutamic-acid-specific protease Download references Okazaki for their comments on the manuscript and to our colleagues for their assistance we thank all persons involved in the study A part of the study was supported by The Jikei University Research Fund and by The Jikei University Graduate Research Fund designed the research and wrote the manuscript All authors contributed the experiments; T.I. for in vitro study and epidemiological study All authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript This file contains Supplementary Table 1 and Supplementary Figures 1- 6 with legends Download citation Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Microbiology newsletter — what matters in microbiology research The official Twitter account for the live-action adaptation of Minta Suzumaru's Takara's Treasure (Takara no Vidro) boys-love manga revealed the show's two main cast members on Friday The show will star Yoji Iwase (left in image below) as Takara Shiga and Eito Konishi (right) as Taishin Nakao Yuho Ishibashi, Miki Tomita, and Ryōma Kosasa are directing the show, and Ishibashi, Tomita, and Ayumi Shimo are writing the script Suzumaru published the manga in Dear+ in 2022. Shinchosha published the manga's one compiled book volume in August 2022 SuBLime also released Suzumaru's Golden Sparkle manga in March 2023. Seven Seas Entertainment published Suzumaru's I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love manga in March 2023 Sources: Takara's Treasure live-action show's X/Twitter account, Comic Natalie Retraction Watch Tracking retractions as a window into the scientific process An oral surgeon in Japan falsified images in several papers granted authorship to whomever he saw fit and stored experimental data sloppily according to an investigation by Showa University in Tokyo where the physician was a lecturer at the time of the misconduct.  As a result of the findings, the university has recommended retracting eight papers by the surgeon, Masayasu Iwase, according to a translation commissioned by Retraction Watch of a December report from the committee that investigated the case.  The university also is discussing revoking the graduate degrees of two of Iwase’s former students whose dissertations were based on the “fraudulent” papers Tadashi Hisamitsu, Showa’s president, wrote on the university’s website: I deeply regret that research misconduct was committed and I deeply apologize for the loss of trust in research at the university we will implement measures to prevent recurrence such as thorough research ethics education and the entire university will work to prevent recurrence Iwase left academia in 2010. He served as chief of the Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery at Hakujikai Memorial General Hospital, also in Tokyo, and still appears to be practicing medicine at Grace Dental Medical Clinic Hokuso Branch.    The eight articles, about oral-cancer cell biology, were published between 2003 and 2011. The university did not reveal the identity of the papers when contacted by Retraction Watch, but concerns have been raised on PubPeer and elsewhere about several of Iwase’s publications.  In September 2021, the International Journal of Cancer issued an expression of concern about one of them noting that it had also contacted the university “but no investigation was initiated.” The Showa report states that a preliminary committee was established on July 16 to investigate concerns raised by “a journal editor-in-chief” who had contacted the university the previous day The committee’s investigation focuses on papers based on research by four of Iwase’s then-graduate students The students’ experimental data were stored on a shared computer did not have a clear rule on how to save data he was unsure which data was from which experiment The studies used β-actin as a control for Western blotting: but Iwase did not consider it as important So even though he was unsure about the link between the experiment and the β-actin image the same image has been published in multiple papers as images of different experiments another university instructor strictly emphasized the importance of the β-actin control to students leading the committee to conclude that Iwase lacked “awareness of research integrity.” The committee also asked a company specializing in image matching to check the images in the papers.  The company found that “what was described as different image data in the papers showed an extremely high matching rate,” leading to the conclusion that Iwase was guilty of “data falsification.” “did not understand the authorship criteria at the time,” also appears to have wielded autocratic powers over which research was submitted for publication and who was listed as authors.  when someone gave advice on experimental techniques or the contents of a paper he made them an author; a person responsible for the graduate program was also made an author Iwase does not recall why he chose someone in another research group as an author,” the report states When one student proved unable to write his dissertation in English Iwase himself wrote and submitted papers based on the student’s work without offering further guidance to the student the student “could not complete” his dissertation Masayasu Iwase sometimes showed the manuscript draft to some of the authors but he did not give authors opportunities to check the contents and he submitted [the papers] without their approval Iwase has been notified about the findings and has not contested them which does not identify any of the former students by name The committee doesn’t just point fingers at individuals but also blames systemic issues at Showa University During the period when the misconduct occurred the institution “did not work hard” to promote research ethics and appropriate data management and authorship practices Another Showa researcher, anesthesiologist Hironobu Ueshima, previously was found to have fabricated data and tinkered with authorship in 142 papers extensive ethics education is mandatory for both graduate students and faculty at the university and the school has established an explicit authorship policy Showa University also introduced a set of regulations to prevent research misconduct and random checks are being done to ensure compliance We will update this post if we hear more from Showa University about which papers it recommends for retraction 1430 UTC: Showa University provided this list of papers they recommended for retraction: Hat tip: Lemonstoism, author of World Fluctuation Watch window.dojoRequire(["mojo/signup-forms/Loader"] function(L) { L.start({"baseUrl":"mc.us12.list-manage.com","uuid":"4f35c1f2e9acc58eee0811e78","lid":"a15d7de264","uniqueMethods":true}) }) This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. I started with four shots of Ninety Plus Gesha Estates washed process espresso, which are cooled. After placing rock ice in a mixing glass, you add the espresso along with 1 gram of orange juice and 28 grams of gesha cherry honey syrup, and then stir.  native Jota Iwase has declared his commitment to the University of Chicago and will join the Maroons as a member of the class of 2023 Iwase swims year-round with Carmel Swim Club and owns a pair of Winter Junior qualifying standards  He most recently raced four events at Juniors East earlier this month and was a five-time finalist at the Indiana LCM Senior Championships this past summer He also recorded two lifetime bests at the American Short Course Championships in March Iwase placed 12th in the 100 fly as a junior after placing 13th in the 100 fly and tenth in the 200 IM during his freshman season at the Indiana State Championships “I chose the University of Chicago because of its unparalleled education and exceptional swim program I can’t wait to be a part of such a talented hard-working team with an amazing coaching staff When he arrives in Chicago in the fall of 2019 Iwase will make an immediate impact in the fly and IM events He would’ve scored in the A-final of the 400 IM as well as the B-final of the 100 fly 200 IM and 200 fly at the 2018 UAA Championships where the Maroons finished fourth overall in the team standings If you have a commitment to share, please send a photo and quote via email to hs@swimmingworld.com Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " America's Education News Source Sign up for our free newsletter and start your day with in-depth reporting on the latest topics in education Support The 74’s year-end campaign with a tax-exempt donation and invest in our future the provision will produce that new national data set that could provide educators parents and policymakers with valuable information about how military-connected students are performing in comparison to their peers Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Articles by Mareesa Nicosia We want our stories to be shared as widely as possible — for free Please view The 74's republishing terms. By This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox “Kitazoe and I both went to the same university. We both wanted to do something interesting and exciting, so we didn’t take the conventional path of looking for full-time employment. Instead we worked at cafes and restaurants, saving money. In 2008, we made the leap into making specialty coffee our career.”  Career saves leader Hitoki Iwase stepped into the record books on Sunday when he closed out the Chunichi Dragons' 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Yomiuri Giants the lefty surpassed the Nippon Professional Baseball record held by former Hankyu Braves ace and Hall of Famer Tetsuya Yoneda I did well to get this far," he said after the game The 42-year-old came on in the ninth and overcame a one-out walk and a single with the help of a base-running blunder by the Giants When Hayato Sakamoto's fly to center was caught for the second out pinch runner Shinnosuke Shigenobu failed to retouch second en route back to first "I was more nervous than usual coming to the mound I was less concerned about getting a save than winning and getting it done with," Iwase said "You've got to be kidding about the way this ended But it's better than if it ended by my getting beat." Giants skipper Yoshinobu Takahashi had harsher words for the game's surprise ending it's a problem," he said of Shigenobu's mistake The Dragons opened the scoring in the third on doubles by Yohei Oshima and Nobumasa Fukuda but the Giants came back in a four-run fourth thanks to some poor infield play by Chunichi A Shuichi Murata single and a Hisayoshi Chono double set the table An error by first baseman Dayan Viciedo brought in one run Catcher Seiji Kobayashi squeezed in a run but was safe on a fielder's choice when Atsushi Fujii homered with Alex Guerrero and Fukuda on board and took the lead against star reliever Scott Mathieson in the eighth With two outs and a runner in scoring position Mathieson missed with a high 0-1 fastball and rookie Yota Kyoda lined it just over the right-hander's glove into center for an RBI single Shunsuke Fujikawa went 4-for-4 with two doubles pinch-hit home run overturned a one-run deficit as Hanshin came from behind to complete a three-game sweep of Yakult fell 30 games below .500 for the first time since the end of the 1982 season while allowing three over five innings to earn the win and three Hiroshima home runs made for a one-sided win over DeNA Yuki Nishi (5-5) allowed two runs over seven innings Chris Marrero opened the scoring with his eighth home run Lotte's Kota Futaki (5-5) allowed a run over the distance shutting down Rakuten on four hits and a walk Brian Wolfe (9-2) allowed a run in seven innings against a former team and Hotaka Yamakawa continued to swing a hot bat hitting a three-run homer in Seibu's win over SoftBank Yamakawa has driven in 14 runs in his last five games To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue Around the turn of this century, Ryuichiro Masuda, the fifth-generation head of Japan’s Masuda Sake Brewery returned home from a few months of R&R (the research and relaxation variation) in Burgundy and Bordeaux having experienced something of an awakening How could he expect sake to compete with wine on a global scale when its historic home was best known — if at all — for having the world’s most beautiful Starbucks Ryuichiro MasudaThere was no comparison between Épernay’s prestigious Avenue de Champagne where Masuda’s family has brewed its sake since 1905 “When I returned from Europe I suddenly saw Iwase like a foreigner,” Masuda recalls “The buildings were all shuttered and everyone had left for Tokyo or Osaka Masuda began buying Iwase’s abandoned shops and warehouses and convincing local chefs and craftspeople to move in He was so committed to refurbishing these buildings using traditional techniques that he spent almost £2 million on just one workshop Taizo Yasuda, the first graduate of Toyama’s new Institute for Glass Art, at workWork by YasudaThe space was taken by a graduate of Toyama’s new Institute of Glass Art, Taizo Yasuda, an expert Murano glass craftsman. The wood sculptor Tsutomu Iwasaki soon moved in across the street, shortly followed by the lacquer artist Senki Hashimoto and the ceramicist Gaku Shakunaga And where the artists led the chefs followed Takahiro Gejo has quietly garnered a reputation as one the country’s most exciting young chefs “Nowhere in Japan can compete with the quality of fish we have here,” says Fujii who as part of his 14-course tasting menu proudly serves the bioluminescent firefly squid Boiled firefly squid at Oryouri FujiiALEX MOOREThat each of course is paired with a different sake — or indeed that sake heads up the (not just) wine lists at most of the street’s restaurants — is certainly no coincidence. Many of Masuda Sake Brewery’s 100-plus assemblages play starring roles, as does IWA 5 Masuda’s relationship with Geoffroy has also offered a peek into the inner workings of many of the LVMH brands not to mention counsel from key players at the likes of Chanel and Loro Piana “I would say that 95 per cent of sake brands don’t have an international understanding They simply assume people will like their product,” says Masuda who jokes that years of quaffing wine has westernised his own way of thinking “They lack any sense of storytelling,” he adds A sous chef at Oryouri Fujii presenting one of fourteen courses in the restaurant’s tatami roomWhile Masuda claims the Iwase project is only 5 per cent complete, he isn’t exactly desperate to bring coachloads of tourists to the region. “He’s more interested in making the local people proud of where they come from,” says Shakunaga, whose crockery is used in most of Iwase’s restaurants and the Araki in London for his sake to be respected around the world.” is your best bet short of journeying back into Toyama city centre) Later this year the street will welcome a new furniture shop Yunoki’s brother will open a pizza restaurant and Masuda has grand plans for a new sake hall “Look at how San Sebastian has transformed over the past 30 years,” Masuda says In 30 years’ time Iwase will be unrecognisable too.” It was a record that was bound to fall to the right man in the right circumstances and on Sunday the mark for career games pitched in Nippon Professional Baseball was eclipsed by Chunichi Dragons lefty Hitoki Iwase The previous mark was held by Hankyu Braves ace and Hall of Famer Tetsuya Yoneda who not only pitched in 949 games but started a record 626 times and won 350 games Iwase has been asked to start just once -- a byproduct of specialization that made Yoneda's mark vulnerable to be broken by the most durable of relievers Iwase this season passed another Hall of Famer "The primary feeling I have is whether it's OK or not for me to be No There have long been specialty relievers in Japanese pro ball -- even when Kaneda turned pro in 1950 But their use and prominence have evolved over the years and Iwase is now the benchmark of success by which every closer is measured the days when ace pitchers like Yoneda and Kaneda would appear in late-inning relief between starts was long gone starters were given plenty of rest but in turn were asked to rack up punishing pitch counts as long as they were effective even ace pitchers were no longer expected to complete most of their starts and the role of the closer was being narrowed to one-inning saves built a deep bullpen to get games to South Korean closer Sun Dong Yol "I doubt if I once said I would use him as a starter," Hoshino said I thought he would be effective as a setup man or a closer." Iwase brought a nasty slider that could be nearly untouchable was tough as nails and worked extensively every offseason to increase his strength and flexibility nobody is going to win 30 or 40 games a year," said Hoshino now an executive with the Pacific League's Rakuten Eagles "He has rarely pitched when in a losing effort He was exclusively in there to hold on to the lead In middle relief in his first three seasons The Dragons employed a few solid closers before Iwase closed part of the 2004 season under rookie manager Hiromitsu Ochiai Prior to Iwase and his older contemporaries in the closer role star Japanese relievers tended to flame out after a few seasons of high-volume use But Iwase pushed the bar higher than anyone pitching in 50-plus games in each of his first 15 seasons as a pro when he entered the season as Chunichi's closer he saved 40-plus games five times as the Dragons began rolling through the most successful period in franchise history The high point of that might have been Game 5 of the 2007 Japan Series Iwase entered the ninth inning of a 1-0 game after starter Daisuke Yamai had thrown eight perfect innings A 1-2-3 ninth at home sealed Chunichi's first Japan Series championship since 1954 "Stress has been a constant companion," Iwase said "I don't feel a sense of relief until the season is over." Iwase was finally slowed by an elbow injury in 2014 and failed to pitch in a single first-team game in 2015 Iwase pitched in 15 games last year but was largely ineffective earning 25 holds in middle relief in addition to his two saves He was named the Central League's pitcher of the month for June Toyama Prefecture is a treasure box of impressive unique traditional townscapes Exploring along stone-paved Yokamachi Street of Inami District in Nanto City which is filled with dozens of woodcarving workshops will make you feel as though you stumbled into an open-air museum Let the sights and sounds transport you to a different time The atmosphere of the district and the distinct sound of woodcarving heard here was even recognized for being one of the 100 best soundscapes by the Japanese government in 1996 Take a walk along the uphill street towards Zuisenji often referred to as the San Pietro Cathedral of the Hokuriku region Zuisenji’s breathtaking woodcarvings have been compared to the likes of masterpieces by Rafael and Michaelangelo highly skilled carvers from Kyoto arrived to aid local carvers in the restoration of the beloved place of worship Zuisenji was registered as a Japan Heritage site by the government for its over 200 years of unique woodcarving tradition and history the Kyoto carvers passed on their woodcarving skills and tradition to the local carvers thus establishing Inami as a district dedicated to the craft the award-winning Wakatsuru Saburomaru Distillery produces fine whisky with a rich The distillery has 160 years of history in the region and started producing Sunshine Whiskey in 1952 The spirit was sold to stimulate the local economy as Japan recovered from World War II The whiskey took two awards at the World Whiskies Awards 2023 a global whisky competition organized by Whisky Magazine (UK) Another beautiful townscape to visit in the region is Iwase Town in Toyama City a stunning port town with impressive architecture Throughout the Edo and Meiji Eras (1603-1912) Toyama was a thriving hub for cargo ships running from Osaka to Hokkaido there are no power cables or utility poles to obstruct the views just traditional buildings to transport you back to old Japan Grab a bite to eat in one of the many restaurants housed inside the traditional townhouses or check out the local craft shops and art galleries crafts high-end sake that pairs well with the local produce and fresh seafood Drop by the brewery to sample Masuizumi Junmai-daiginjo (top-quality sake brewed from pure rice grains that are carefully milled to 50 percent or less) mellow yet full-bodied texture sure will knock you out Sign up for our weekly newsletter of articles from Japan A perfect formation finish is nothing new for Toyota on the Safari Rally Words by What Toyota has achieved on Safari Rally Kenya is nothing short of remarkable To claim a 1-2-3 finish in the World Rally Championship is unprecedented to make that a 1-2-3-4 is almost unheard of Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier brought the goods home for Toyota Gazoo Racing and third-placed Takamoto Katsuta scored points for the standalone Toyota Next Generation concern back in 1993 all four of Toyota’s entrants were competing under the Toyota Castrol Team banner Reigning world champion Juha Kankkunen was the only one of Toyota’s regular drivers to make the trip to Africa as Didier Auriol sat it out Safari legend Ian Duncan and Yasuhiro Iwase were all entrusted with factory Celica ST185s When Shinzuoka’s Mitsubishi retired with engine problems it left the fleet of Celicas unchallenged but none of the cars nor drivers put a foot wrong to record a sensational formation finish It was Kankkunen who won what would be his third and final Safari win nine minutes clear of Alén with Duncan beating Iwase to the final podium spot Comparing the achievements of 1993 and 2022 is almost impossible given how different both the Safari But to be able to replicate a dominant top-four lockout and be part of such an historic moment wasn’t lost on ex-driver and current Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala “This is an exceptional result,” he said back in 1993 Toyota did the same in Safari Rally it’s a very rare moment and I can only thank the teams and the drivers for the superb job they have done.” Sign up today and be the first to know about special offers The official website for the Minami-kun ga Koibito!?, the new, role-reversed live-action series based on Shungiku Uchida's Minami's Lover (Minami-kun no Koibito) manga revealed three more cast members and the July 16 premiere for the series on Wednesday As previously announced, Ai Iinuma plays Chiyomi (top row left in visual above), while Yūsei Yagi (top row right) plays Minami. Rena Takeda (bottom row center) plays Chiyomi's love rival Misuzu Sagawa Nao Yamato (bottom row left) plays Chiyomi's close friend and basketball teammate Nami Takamura and Yōji Iwase (bottom row right) plays Minami's basketball teammate and rival Etō The series will premiere on July 16 at 9:00 p.m. (8:00 a.m. EDT) on TV Asahi and 23 affiliated channels The new series will have the roles reversed, with the boyfriend shrinking instead of the girlfriend. Yoshikazu Okada is writing the script, and Tadaaki Horai, Takashi Komatsu The manga has been adapted into a live-action television special in 1990, an 11-episode television series in 1994, another 11-episode live-action television series in 2004, and the fourth and most recent live-action television adaptation in 2015 Sources: TV Asahi, Comic Natalie Volume 11 - 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2018.00104 This article is part of the Research TopicChromatin Remodeling in Neurodevelopmental DisordersView all 7 articles Intellectual disability (ID) affects up to 2% of the population world-wide and often coincides with other neurological conditions such as autism spectrum disorders Mutations in KDM5C cause Mental Retardation OMIM #300534) and are one of the most common causes of X-linked ID KDM5C encodes a histone demethylase for di- and tri-methylated histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me2/3) which are enriched in transcriptionally engaged promoter regions KDM5C regulates gene transcription; however it remains unknown whether removal of H3K4me is fully responsible for KDM5C-mediated gene regulation Most mutations functionally tested to date result in reduced enzymatic activity of KDM5C indicating loss of demethylase function as the primary mechanism underlying MRXSCJ identified in an individual displaying MRXSCJ-like symptoms The carrier mother’s cells exhibited a highly skewed X-inactivation pattern The KDM5C-R1115H substitution does not have an impact on enzymatic activity nor protein stability when overexpressed in post-mitotic neurons KDM5C-R1115H failed to fully suppress expression of target genes while the mutant also affected expression of a distinct set of genes compared to KDM5C-wildtype These results suggest that KDM5C may have non-enzymatic roles in gene regulation and alteration of these roles contributes to MRXSCJ in this patient which are often observed in human individuals with ID/ASD Kdm5c-deficient mice displayed impaired fear memory both human genetics and mouse models have highlighted important roles of KDM5C in cognitive development H3K4me2/3 levels were increased at the promoters of genes that encode key synapse-related genes and some KDM5C-target genes were aberrantly expressed in these mutant mice it still remains elusive whether or not H3K4me2/3 demethylase activity is the sole mechanism of KDM5C-mediated gene regulation Both truncation and missense mutations of KDM5C have been found in MRXSCJ patients. The majority of missense mutations functionally tested to date result in reduced demethylation activity of KDM5C (Iwase et al., 2007; Tahiliani et al., 2007; Rujirabanjerd et al., 2010; Brookes et al., 2015) the predominant molecular mechanism underlying MRXSCJ appears to be loss of function of histone H3K4 demethylation we report a novel ID/ASD-associated KDM5C mutation which compromises KDM5C’s gene-regulatory function but not enzymatic activity or stability Our results suggest non-enzymatic roles of KDM5C and a novel pathogenic mechanism contributing to MRXSCJ Written informed consent was obtained from all study participants in accordance with approved protocols from the Institutional Review Board at the University of Michigan Clinical trio whole exome sequencing was performed through GeneDx (XomeDx) on genomic DNA from the proband and both parents The Agilent SureSelect XT2 All Exon V4 kit was used to target the exon regions of the genomes The targeted regions were sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencing system with 100 bp paired-end reads The DNA sequence was mapped to and analyzed in comparison with the published human genome build UCSC hg19 reference sequence The targeted coding exons and splice junctions of the known protein-coding RefSeq genes were assessed for the average depth of coverage of 64X and data quality threshold of 95.9% The XomeAnalyzer was used to evaluate sequence changes in the proband compared to other sequenced family members All sequence variants in the proband and parental samples were confirmed by Sanger sequencing analysis Multiple species sequence alignments were made using Clustal Omega X-inactivation (XI) analysis using the well-characterized CpG methylation site and polymorphic CAG repeats within the Androgen Receptor (AR) locus was performed using standard protocol (Allen et al., 1992) digestion with the methylation-sensitive HpaII restriction enzyme followed by PCR amplification was used to determine the ratio of methylation status between the maternal and paternal X chromosome Parental samples were utilized to delineate allele status The R1115H substitution was introduced into pENTR-KDM5C (human) (Iwase et al., 2007) using a PCR-based targeted mutagenesis. WT- and mutant KDM5C cDNA were then moved by LR recombination to a modified pHAGE, a lentivirus compatible mammalian expression plasmid (Murphy et al., 2006) cDNA of interest is linked to a puromycin-resistant gene via the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) thereby allowing the selection of transduced cells via puromycin The modifications of pHAGE are insertion of Gateway cassette (Invitrogen) and Strep-tag and replacement of the CMV promoter with the PGK promoter The entire KDM5C cDNAs were Sanger-sequenced to validate the single targeted mutagenesis Wild-type and mutant KDM5C cDNAs were cloned into a baculovirus expression vector and expressed in Sf9 (for H3K4me3 assay) or Hi5 (for H3K4me3 K9me3 assay) insect cells using the Bac-to-bac baculoviral expression system (Life Technologies) Cells were lysed in Buffer A (50 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.5 0.05% NP-40) with 0.2 mM PMSF and protease inhibitor cocktail (Sigma) Recombinant proteins were immobilized on Strep-Tactin affinity resin (Qiagen) and eluted in Buffer A containing 2.5–25 mM desthiobiotin Enzymatic activity was assessed using the Histone Demethylase Fluorescent Activity Kit (Arbor Assays 4–5 mM (for H3K4me3 assay) or 1 mM (for H3K4me3 K9me3 assay) purified KDM5C protein and 4 mM peptides were incubated at 30°C with freshly prepared 4 mM alpha ketoglutarate The following synthetic histone N-terminal peptides were purchased from Anaspec: H3K4 me3: H2N-ART(Kme3)QTARKSTGGKAPRKQL-amide and H3K4me3/K9me3: H2N-ART(Kme3)QTAR(Kme3)STGGKAPRKQL-amide Reactions were quenched with 4 mM deferoxamine mesylate at 10 and detected with formaldehyde detection reagent according to the kit instructions Fluorescence end point measurement was performed using the Tecan Safire 2 plate reader and XFluro4 V4.62 software Lymphoblastoid cell lines from the proband and his father were isolated and cultured under identical conditions as described previously (Doyle, 1990; Burns et al., 2014) buffy coat was isolated from citrate (yellow) blood by Ficoll density centrifugation and transformed with Epstein Barr Virus Lines were maintained in RPMI-1640 media (Gibco) supplemented with 10% FBS in an incubator set at 37°C with 5% constant CO2 U2OS cells were cultured with DMEM media (Gibco) supplemented with 5% FBS Cycloheximide (Sigma) was resuspended in DMSO and used at a final concentration of 100 μg/ml For in situ demethylation assays in U2OS cells Strep-tagged KDM5C expression plasmids (pHAGE) were transfected into U2OS cells with Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen) according to manufacturer’s instructions For in situ demethylation assays in neurons cells were transduced after 1 day in vitro (DIV1) cells with lentivirus of equal titer containing either human KDM5C cDNA (WT U2OS cells were plated on PDL-coated coverslips in 24-well dishes at 1 × 105 cells/well, and transfected as described above for 48 h. Mouse forebrain tissue was dissected from embryonic day 16 (E16) CD1 mouse embryos. Cells were dissociated, plated, and cultured as described previously (Iwase et al., 2016) transduced on day in vitro 1 (DIV1) as described above Coverslips were incubated with appropriate primary antibodies overnight at 4°C and incubated with the corresponding secondary antibodies and DAPI stain for 1 h at room temperature mounted with ProLong Gold Antifade Mountant (Invitrogen) U2OS cells were analyzed on an Olympus BX61 microscope using a 60x oil objective and images were acquired with cellSens Dimension (1.14) software and processed with ImageJ (1.48) and Adobe Photoshop (CS6) Neurons were analyzed on a Nikon A-1 confocal microscope using a 60x oil objective and images were acquired with Nikon’s Elements software Primary antibodies were used at the following concentrations: 1:1,000 anti-H3K4me1 (Abcam ab8895) 1:500 (for U2OS) or 1:1,000 (for neurons) anti-Strep (Genscript A01732) 594-donkey-anti-rabbit (for U2OS) or -anti-chicken (for neurons) and 488-donkey-anti-mouse (for U2OS) or -anti-rabbit (for neurons) secondary antibodies were all used at 1:1,000 DAPI was used to stain the nucleus at a 1:1,000 dilution Multiplexed libraries were pooled in approximately equimolar ratios and purified from a 1.8% TBE-agarose gel Libraries were sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform Reads were trimmed to 60 bp using BBDuk (35.51) and mapped to the mm9 mouse genome using STAR (2.5.3a) allowing zero mismatches and only uniquely mapped reads were analyzed further BAM files were indexed and converted to BigWig files in a strand specific manner BigWigs were normalized to 10 million non-rRNA and non-mitochondrial reads DESeq2 (1.14.1.) was used to call differential gene expression between conditions Cuffdiff (Cufflinks 2.2.1) was used to calculate FPKM Differentially expressed genes were examined for functional annotation clustering using DAVID (6.8) reads were mapped to a custom genome using STAR The custom genome contained human KDM5C cDNA (NM_001146702.1) where bases were masked with “N” at the H514 (c.1540-1541CA > NN) and R1115 (c.3344G > N) loci to allow for specific mapping under strict no-mismatch conditions RNA-seq files can be found at Gene Expression Omnibus GEO:GSE104319 error bars represent SEM of three biological replicates (B) Sanger sequencing of genomic DNA from lymphoblastoid cell lines generated from proband (UM1 III-3) and father (UM1 II-1) (C) Multi-species conservation alignment of KDM5C homologs The following RefSeq sequences were used for alignment: human NP_001140174.1 (D) Conservation alignment of human KDM5 family proteins The following RefSeq sequences were used for alignment: KDM5A NP_001036068.1 (E) Schematic of human KDM5C protein and 26 reported mutations associated with KDM5C-XLID Missense mutations are depicted above the protein while nonsense and frame-shift mutations are depicted beneath the molecule The R1115H variant lies within the C-terminal segment of the KDM5C protein making it the most distal missense mutation in KDM5C reported to date KDM5C is very likely mutated on the inactive X-chromosome of the carrier mother These results indicate that the KDM5C-R1115H mutation might have an impact on cell proliferation/survival during development (also see Discussion) Status of X chromosome inactivation in carrier females These data indicate intrinsic demethylation ability of the KDM5C R1115H protein is largely retained KDM5C R1115H has largely intact enzymatic activity Full-length KDM5C wildtype (WT) or mutant (R1115H) were affinity-purified from Sf9 or Hi5 insect cells infected with baculoviruses and subjected to demethylation assay using synthetic histone peptide carrying (A) H3K4me3 or (B) H3K4me3 + K9me3 Relative fluorescence values of formaldehyde are normalized by the amount of purified proteins in the reaction and plotted Error bars represent SEM of a technical triplicate or catalytically inactive H514A were transiently transfected into U2OS cells and stained with antibodies for Strep (red) and H3K4me3 (green) significant decrease of K4me3 was found in WT- and R1115H over-expressing cells Demethylation activity was completely abrogated by the H514A mutation (D) H3K4me levels in lymphoblastoid cell lines from proband (UM1-III-3 KDM5C WT) were measured by quantitative Western blot analysis H3K4me signals were normalized to pan-H3 signal (n = 3 No noticeable change was found between the two cell lines these data strongly suggest that KDM5C R1115H substitution does not lead to substantial reduction in histone demethylation activity Lymphoblastoid cell lines from father (UM1-II-1 KDM5C R1115H) were treated with a cycloheximide (CHX) time course from 0 to 28 h The KDM5C levels upon treatment of the cell lines were measured by quantitative Western blot Relative fluorescence unit normalized by GAPDH signals were plotted (n = 3 RNA-sequencing of primary cultured neurons expressing WT- and mutant KDM5C (B) Normalized expression values of all genes in Vector-WT (C) Fold change of down-regulated genes by WT- and H514A-overexpression plotted against significance WT up (green) and down (purple) DE genes were plotted for each mutant condition Horizontal line indicated significance cutoff of p < 0.01 (D) Overlap of significantly down- and up-regulated genes (p < 0.01) The partial deficiency of H514A mutant despite the higher level of KDM5C-H514A mRNA implicates that demethylation activity is not the sole mechanism for KDM5C-mediated gene control It is noteworthy that KDM5C R1115H mutant showed a similar level of deficiency compared to H514A mutant in regulating the 42 genes keratin filament binding (Tchp); (3) genes strongly repressed by KDM5C-R1115H include TATA-box binding protein associated factor 5 like (Taf5l) and coordinator of PRMT5 differentiation stimulator (Coprs); and finally (4) genes uniquely up-regulated by KDM5C-R1115H including Transmembrane protein 251 (Tmem251) and Keratin associated protein 4-8 (Krtap4-8) these data suggest that KDM5C R1115H is less potent in suppressing WT-regulated genes yet the mutant gains unique gene regulatory roles which may lead to deleterious and distinct consequences in neuronal development and functions FIGURE 5. Ontology analysis of KDM5C-regulated genes. Down-regulated genes by KDM5C-WT (A), KDM5C-R1115H (B), and KDM5C-H514A (C) were subjected to GO analysis using DAVID (Functional Annotation Bioinformatics Microarray Analysis). Representative two GO terms each from the top four most enriched annotation clusters were presented with p-values and cluster enrichment score. See Supplementary Table S2 for full list of GO-terms the functional consequence of the D87G substitution remains elusive our study implicates a novel mechanism underlying MRXSCJ We recently reported that KDM5C is necessary and sufficient for initiating X-chromosome inactivation by inducing expression of the Xist non-coding RNA (Gayen et al. In KDM5C heterozygous knockout female embryos cells that chose the KDM5C mutant-carrying X as the active X chromosome failed to inactivate one of the two Xs and these cells were quickly lost during development (Gayen et al. We speculate that a similar cell selection process took place in the carrier mother as we determined that KDM5C is very likely mutated on her inactive X-chromosome together with the observations in mouse models support the deleterious impact of the R1115H substitution on the function of KDM5C The moderate bias of X-inactivation in the carrier grandmother may imply that additional genetic event(s) in the carrier mother might have contributed to the MRXSCJ-like symptoms in her son our RNA-seq data indicate that R1115H alters KDM5C’s gene-regulatory function in neurons Generation and characterization of knock-in mice carrying KDM5C-R1115H will allow us to understand the causal roles of this mutation in cognitive development in the future Given the intact H3K4 demethylation activity of KDM5C-R1115H and low frequency of its cytoplasmic presence the mislocalized protein may not have a major impact we cannot rule out the possibility that KMD5C-R1115H could demethylate ectopic target(s) at the cytoplasm Future studies are needed to determine the roles of the C-terminus in KDM5C-mediated transcriptional regulation impact of disease mutations in this segment and the roles of enzymatically active mutants that can be present outside nuclei Our RNA-seq data suggest that the R1115H mutation may not only lead to loss of function of KDM5C but also acquisition of a new gene-regulatory function It is tempting to speculate that KDM5C neofunctionalization might be involved in the pathophysiology of this specific MRXSCJ-like patient limitations of interpreting the RNA-seq results should be noted The RNA-seq was carried out upon overexpression of WT- and mutant-KDM5C 10 days after introducing KDM5C transgenes into neurons Gene expression changes may therefore involve both direct impact of on KDM5C’s target genes as well as indirect consequences such as alteration in neuronal maturation processes gene expression changes upon KDM5C overexpression may not simply reflect the dysregulation of bona fide KDM5C target-genes KDM5C-R1115H illuminates a novel gene regulatory function of KDM5C which is independent of its enzymatic activity and potentially represents a novel molecular etiology contributing to MRXSCJ and SI conceived the study and designed the experiments CEK performed the clinical evaluation of the proband and coordinated genetic testing of the proband and family members MJF oversaw the X-chromosome inactivation analysis MB oversaw the generation of lymphoblastoid cell lines CNV performed all experiments and analysis All authors contributed to the writing and editing of the manuscript This work was funded by an NIH National Research Service Award T32-GM07544 (University of Michigan Predoctoral Genetics Training Program) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (to CNV) an NIH National Research Service Award T32-HD079342 (University of Michigan Predoctoral Career Training in the Reproductive Sciences Program) from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (to CNV) University of Michigan Rackham Predoctoral Research Grants (to CNV) a Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research Fellowship (Translational Research Education Certificate supported by UL1TR000433 and UL1TR002240) (to CNV) a University of Michigan Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship award (to CNV) an Autism Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship award (to CNV) Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Awards from March of Dimes Foundation (to SI) and a Farrehi Family Foundation Grant (to SI) The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest The reviewer YB and handling Editor declared their shared affiliation We would like to thank the family for allowing us to share their story and for their support of our research Linda Harper Gates for the generation of lymphoblastoid cell lines Raymond Trieval and Robert Fick for their assistance and expertise with the histone demethylase assay John Moran and Trenton Frisbie for their assistance with the fluorescent western blots Jacob Mueller for the use of his microscope Saurabh Agarwal for his assistance and expertise with RNA-sequencing analysis as well as the members of the Iwase and Bielas labs for helpful discussions and critical review of the data We acknowledge the services of the University of Michigan Sequencing Core Facility the University of Michigan Microscope and Image Laboratory The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2018.00104/full#supplementary-material FIGURE S1 | Enzymatic activity of KDM5C R1115H is largely retained (A) Full-length Strep-tagged KDM5C wildtype (WT) and mutant (R1115H) proteins were expressed in Sf9 cells and purified with Strep-tactin affinity resin Solubility and equivalence of protein amount was confirmed by SDS-PAGE followed by Coomassie blue staining (B) In situ demethylation assay using primary mouse cortical neuron culture were transduced into mouse primary neuron cultures and with antibodies for Strep (fuchsia) Compared to cells transduced with vector alone significant decrease of K4me2/3 was found in WT- and R1115H over-expressing cells (C) H3K4me levels in lymphoblastoid cell lines from proband (UM1-III-3 which remain constant between WT and R1115H conditions FIGURE S2 | Original blots for Figure 3 (A) Reads were mapped to human KDM5C cDNA the mapped reads for each condition were visualized in IGV Nucleotide sequences of reads mapped to the regions corresponding H514 and R1115 confirm identity of KDM5C cDNAs overexpressed (B) Comparison of human KDM5C expression levels across conditions represented as mean normalized read counts Reads were mapped to human KDM5C cDNA sequence (C) Comparison of mouse Kdm5c expression levels across conditions (D–G) Expression patterns of genes that are altered by KDM5C-WT (D) TABLE S1 | KDM5C p.Arg1115His is predicted to be damaging TABLE S2 | DAVID GO term analysis of WT Mutations in JARID1C are associated with X-linked mental retardation A novel mutation in JARID1C/SMCX in a patient with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) Sequencing of first-strand cDNA library reveals full-length transcriptomes Methylation of HpaII and HhaI sites near the polymorphic CAG repeat in the human androgen-receptor gene correlates with X chromosome inactivation American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders : DSM-IV Google Scholar Regulation of X-chromosome inactivation by the X-inactivation centre High-resolution profiling of histone methylations in the human genome Mutations in the intellectual disability gene KDM5C reduce protein stability and demethylase activity Skewed X-chromosome inactivation: cause or consequence CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Homozygous splice mutation in CWF19L1 in a Turkish family with recessive ataxia syndrome Establishment of lymphoblastoid cell lines CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Bioinformatics enrichment tools: paths toward the comprehensive functional analysis of large gene lists Systematic and integrative analysis of large gene lists using DAVID bioinformatics resources A mouse model of X-linked intellectual disability associated with impaired removal of histone methylation The X-linked mental retardation gene SMCX/JARID1C defines a family of histone H3 lysine 4 demethylases which is involved in transcriptional regulation and chromatin remodeling Structural analysis of human KDM5B guides histone demethylase inhibitor development A high-resolution recombination map of the human genome Chromatin modifications and their function The epidemiology of mental retardation: challenges and opportunities in the new millennium Exogenous control of mammalian gene expression via modulation of translational termination A novel c.2T > C mutation of the KDM5C/JARID1C gene in one large family with X-linked intellectual disability Balancing of histone H3K4 methylation states by the Kdm5c/SMCX histone demethylase modulates promoter and enhancer function Identification and characterization of two novel JARID1C mutations: suggestion of an emerging genotype-phenotype correlation A novel mutation in JARID1C gene associated with mental retardation Santos-Reboucas A novel nonsense mutation in KDM5C/JARID1C gene causing intellectual disability Suppression of enhancer overactivation by a RACK7-Histone demethylase complex The histone H3K4 demethylase SMCX links REST target genes to X-linked mental retardation Novel JARID1C/SMCX mutations in patients with X-linked mental retardation Disrupted intricacy of histone H3K4 methylation in neurodevelopmental disorders An inhibitor of KDM5 demethylases reduces survival of drug-tolerant cancer cells a novel human gene that escapes X-inactivation The murine Xe169 gene escapes X-inactivation like its human homologue Sex-specific expression of the X-linked histone demethylase gene Jarid1c in brain Keegan CE and Iwase S (2018) Altered Gene-Regulatory Function of KDM5C by a Novel Mutation Associated With Autism and Intellectual Disability Copyright © 2018 Vallianatos, Farrehi, Friez, Burmeister, Keegan and Iwase. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Shigeki Iwase, c2l3YXNlQHVtaWNoLmVkdQ== Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish Investigative stories and local news updates Coverage of the Hawaiʻi State legislature in 2025 Award winning in-depth reports and featured on-going series Get the week’s news delivered straight to your inbox Lead regulator Randy Iwase completes the questioning of the Florida company’s top Hawaii representative in dramatic fashion When it comes to something as crucial in our lives as electricity can Hawaii trust outsiders to do the right thing That was the fundamental question emerging Monday from the high-stakes hearing at the Neal S Blaisdell Center to decide if NextEra Energy’s proposed $4.3 billion purchase of Hawaiian Electric Industries will be approved The Public Utilities Commission decision will shape the path that the islands pursue in modernizing the electrical system for decades to come On the fifth day of what are scheduled to be 12 days of hearings to assess whether the deal is in the public interest, NextEra Energy Hawaii President Eric Gleason faced a third barrage of questions from various intervening parties and in a brief pair of sessions closed to the public and the media because they touched on confidential documents but the question of why Hawaii should trust mainland interlopers — with all of the historical weight that carries — became a dramatic focal point Why should I trust NextEra.” — PUC Chair Randy Iwase The last person to question Gleason was PUC Chairman Randy Iwase who asked the top representative of NextEra about trust “From the kingdom to the territory to the state we have heard many promises (from) big companies coming in taking over companies in Hawaii,” Iwase said Iwase said that his historic prism applies to the list of 85 commitments that NextEra has put forward to facilitate acceptance of this merger He described the commitments as “nice words.” The PUC chairman highlighted the almost inherent skepticism that locals sometimes direct toward large outside forces in the islands it takes a while for people who come from the outside to be trusted in this small state of ours,” said Iwase who has spent much of the last five years in the islands working for NextEra acknowledged the challenges facing mainland companies “People here in Hawaii are used to knowing the people they come into contact with or they’ve met before or they know someone who knows them,” said Gleason “fewer degrees of separation” between people in the islands than on the mainland “We understand that if you come from outside … We expect that we aren’t going to totally get over that hurdle before this merger closes,” he said “We hope we’ll get far enough over the hurdle that you’ll say The trust-building process will likely take years largely because “it is going to take time for us to demonstrate that we will deliver on all the things we say we’ll deliver on,” Gleason said is not to totally suspend your disbelief and ‘you can totally trust us like you’ve known us your whole life.’ We know that’s just not realistic.” But Gleason pointed to the thousands of questions that he and his company have answered — or at least responded to — in court documents resulting in what NextEra calculates as tens of thousands of pages of filings While several of the original intervening parties have come to agreements in which they have abandoned their opposition to the merger about two dozen continue to express varying degrees of opposition Some of their most frequent criticisms are that NextEra hasn’t offered enough guaranteed cost-relief for customers who pay the highest rates in the nation and that the company isn’t dedicated enough to the state’s ambitious renewable energy goals There are also critics who argue that NextEra’s culture involves dominating the means of energy generation which goes against a thriving culture of rooftop solar in the islands who has repeatedly rebutted those and other criticisms in recent months testified that he hopes “we will have earned enough of your trust” for the deal to go through Iwase asked what guarantee Gleason could give him that NextEra’s 85 commitments will be fulfilled Gleason insisted that his company has a track record of delivering on its commitments in other places especially in the company’s base in Florida unlike the off-island companies that have come in “and screwed things up,” a NextEra-owned Hawaiian Electric would still be restrained by regulators if the power company fails to deliver on its commitments “it is in your power to deliver consequences.” But Iwase pursued the issue of confidence more deeply “Let me give you an example on trust,” he said suggesting that it has become clear that NextEra Energy and Florida Power & Light “have no expertise” in rooftop solar Iwase asked for a guarantee from Gleason that NextEra’s professional culture will change to suit a state with a more inclusive take on the alternative power source Hawaii has more rooftop solar per capita than any other state while NextEra’s parent company in Florida has fairly negligible rooftop solar penetration among its customers NextEra argues this is because its prices are so low that rooftop solar doesn’t make sense for customers Iwase also asked what expertise NextEra could bring to bear on Hawaii’s rooftop solar challenges Gleason pointed to his company’s modern grid in that state “Now the modern grid in Florida will not look exactly like the modern grid in Hawaii but you don’t have a modern one in Hawaii and you want (one).” Beyond the grid he pointed to NextEra’s technical expertise specifically citing its experience installing and managing widespread smart metering Iwase tried to nail down who would be the most significant decision-makers in a NextEra-owned Hawaiian Electric and who the PUC would really be dealing with if the acquisition goes through … We expect that we aren’t going to totally get over that hurdle before this merger closes.” — NextEra Hawaii President Eric Gleason Gleason used a sports analogy to convey how things work for NextEra in Hawaii he is like “the quarterback,” NextEra Energy CEO Jim Robo in Florida “is like the coach” and the board of directors is akin to the owners of the team He noted that there is an array of other people with various forms of expertise who share it as necessary Iwase was particularly interested in Robo’s role in the 85 commitments that the PUC would Gleason said that Robo signed off on the commitments that NextEra came to the commission with He said that if there were changes to NextEra’s promise to save customers $60 million over four years — like if NextEra were to argue that “financial duress” required it to ask the commission to allow a rate increase — Robo would be the final decision-maker on his company’s side Commissioner Michael Champley also brought up trust — and whether it has eroded or been entirely lost for HECO’s customers “It has eroded significantly,” Gleason replied Gleason said the key would be to drive rates down shift toward cost-effective renewable energy demonstrate that a NextEra-owned company remains a locally managed company and provide reliable service Gleason suggested that modernizing the grid and using liquefied natural gas could help to improve service and reliability and eventually bring down prices — although with remarkably low oil prices it isn’t entirely clear how much of a money saver LNG might be He and other experts have said that it is very difficult to bring down prices as long as the vast majority of electricity in the islands is produced by burning fuel oil Gleason confirmed that bringing electricity prices down would be a “strategic imperative” for NextEra in Hawaii A decision on the merger deal is expected around the middle of 2016 Unfortunately, being named a finalist for a Pulitzer prize doesn’t make us immune to financial pressures. The fact is, our revenue hasn’t kept pace with our need to grow, and we need your help Civil Beat is a nonprofit, reader-supported newsroom based in Hawaiʻi. We’re looking to build a more resilient, diverse and deeply impactful media landscape, and we hope you’ll help by supporting our essential journalism Civil Beat has been named the best overall news site in Hawaii for the 14th year in a row by the Society of Professional Journalists Hawaii Chapter Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInGubernatorial Candidate Randy Iwase (D) (KHNL)  Six years ago Randy Iwase closed his campaign fund and gave Kaimuki High School $1,000 to repair damage left by thieves the former state senator returned to his alma mater to announce his plan to resume a political career Iwase said he wants to build more affordable housing support public education and improve Hawaii's economy He is the first Democrat to publicly announce a candidacy for governor I believe that government is a force for justice," Iwase said He accused Governor Linda Lingle of being more concerned with public relations than public policy "As the gap between the cost to buy even a modest home and the salaries paid to us to buy that home grows all we've gotten from the republican incumbent is flavor of the month issues and slick public relation announcements," Iwase said Lingle said she plans to raise $6 million to support her campaign She declined to comment on Iwase's announcement but said she's ready to defend her seat "We've made tremendous progress in certain areas," Lingle said "You never achieve everything you like to and there's always areas you could do better So I'm looking forward to the campaign and I would like to serve another term." Iwase said he can't match Lingle's campaign fund but he believe he can still reach voters "But we've got to understand politics is not about money I believe that government is a force for justice,\" Iwase said \"As the gap between the cost to buy even a modest home and the salaries paid to us to buy that home grows all we've gotten from the republican incumbent is flavor of the month issues and slick public relation announcements,\" Iwase said \"We've made tremendous progress in certain areas,\" Lingle said \"You never achieve everything you like to and there's always areas you could do better So I'm looking forward to the campaign and I would like to serve another term.\" \"But we've got to understand politics is not about money that it has entered into a definitive transaction to expand its presence in Japan As a result of the transaction, Henry Schein will own a 50% interest in One Piece Corp., a subsidiary of J. Morita One Piece is composed of eight dental dealers throughout Japan which serve approximately 6,000 dental clinics and had aggregate sales of approximately $125 million in the 2015 fiscal year Henry Schein expects the transaction to be neutral to financial results Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed This transaction builds on Henry Schein's presence in Japan, which commenced in October 2014 with an investment in Iwase Dental Supply Inc., a provider of dental consumables, implants, and equipment the managing director of Iwase Dental Supply will assume the leadership of Henry Schein's expanded presence in Japan "Japan represents an exciting strategic opportunity for Henry Schein," said Stanley M chairman of the board and CEO of Henry Schein Inc "While Iwase Dental serves customers in the greater Tokyo area the One Piece dealers are located throughout the country giving Henry Schein Japan a wide presence in the marketplace We look forward to other Japanese dealers joining our partnership in the near future as well as representing the products of all our dental suppliers with the goal of providing the highest quality in service to all Japanese dentists." "We are especially excited to partner with J a company we have known for many years [that] we hold in the highest regard," said Mr "We look forward to working together to bring new services and solutions to the Japanese dental community and we welcome our new colleagues at One Piece to Team Schein." Japan has approximately 90,000 dentists and an estimated 64,000 dental clinics Henry Schein Japan will serve approximately 20% of Japan's dentists "We are very pleased to be working with Henry Schein a global leader in oral health and a company whose values and business approach we share," said Haruo Morita "Morita is dedicated to offering the best possible experience to patients and dental practitioners This new partnership with Henry Schein will expand our mutual efforts to advance the dental profession in Japan for the benefit of the patient." with 2015 fiscal year revenue of $672 million distributes and retails dental products globally The eight dealers that comprise Morita's One Piece subsidiary are Asuka Dental Supply based in Nigata; Oriental Dental Equipment "We are pleased to be joining with such highly respected partners as Morita and One Piece," said Henry Schein Japan Managing Director Ken Iwase "Morita and One Piece share with Henry Schein a heritage of service to dental practitioners and we look forward to working together to bring the best products and services to the Japanese dental community." Source: Henry Schein press release 23 March 2016 12" x 20.5" x 6.5" (photo by Junichiro Iwase) Junichiro Iwase became fascinated by the Zen Buddhist idea of nothingness – the point of transcendence – and wondered how to represent it in art He settled on the idea of creating an air bubble within a plastic cylinder filled with coloured water is on view at Art Beatus in Vancouver until Nov mu reflects the artificiality inherent in the binary opposites we use to understand our world and recognizes there is no absolute right or wrong acrylic plastic and coloured water 24" x 24" x 1.8" (photo by Junichiro Iwase) Some of Iwase’s works are built using a plastic frame that resembles a wall-mounted clock of course – they always reflect the present moment He often suspends these with fishing line so they appear to float in mid-air Iwase tries to centre the air bubble in the middle of each tube as it represents the place of greatest stability It looks almost futuristic but also bring to mind ideas of telescopes carpenter’s levels and martial arts weaponry “Sora” (Sky) and “Shi-nai 2” (Not death) photo by Junichiro Iwase who was born in Japan but came to Canada with his family as an infant “I wasn’t really interested in things that were useful “ I was more interested in useless things.” He has spent time in the United States where he studied metal casting and hung out with sculptors where he was exposed to that country’s avant-garde artists using them to explore notions of vulnerability and fragility He begins by donating eggs to food shelters and then collects and cleans the shells including encrusting them on tree branches and even fashioning them into women’s dresses WebsiteVisit Website is based in Victoria on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples A former national news reporter with the The Canadian Press You are supporting the arts and making a lasting impact by donating to Galleries West Whether you choose a monthly contribution or a one-time gift your support helps us spotlight emerging talent and sustain the vibrant creative community across Western Canada we can ensure that our open-access site continues to thrive and inspire for generations to come Visual Arts Reviews Jeremy Isao Speier and Junichiro IwaseAt the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre until September 1 I came across a resonant line in the John Banville novel I was reading It appears toward the end of Ancient Light as the aging narrator recalls his childhood expectations of the future “[N]ow the future is arrived,” Banville writes “…steadily pouring through the pinhole of the present into the past.” The exhibition I was heading toward counterposes the mixed-media works of Jeremy Isao Speier and those of Junichiro Iwase hints at the way the present can never be a separate and distinct condition floating as it is in the circular river of time Speier’s series of wall-mounted pieces is titled “Made in Japan” they’re what I would describe as assemblages with kinetic elements in an interview with the Straight at the museum Iwase’s series “Moonwalker” consists of eight freestanding headless mannequins painted white and covered to various degrees with jagged white pieces of broken eggshell The title speaks to the realms of computers while the subtitle alludes to metaphysical conundrums “It is kind of like a chicken and egg question—which came first Speier is an interdisciplinary artist whose works include film Two of his small photos and a film are also on view here but the most immediately compelling presence is established by the 16 “Made in Japan” works most of these works are divided into quadrangles by vertical bands of paint (red or white) and horizontal bars of natural cedar with antique postcards or snapshots mounted at the centre attendant bits of old neon lighting and kinetic elements Speier described the compositions as referencing Japanese design The kinetic components are provided by little rotors removed from old flip-style clocks and mounted within the frame Objects attached to the rotors include a vintage toy airplane turning round and round in mesmerizing fashion A kind of steam-punk aesthetic operates here: nostalgia is not used as a sentimental ploy but as a strategy of location in the time-space continuum It also invokes the way the past imagines the future a couple of black bears in a national-park setting Most of these strangers smile at us from some long-ago moment The title of the series asks us to consider Japan in its predigital heyday of consumer-electronics production “Japan was a leader in technology,” Speier said “and now it’s struggling to find its place in the digital age.” In the 1950s and ’60s and references casts us into a continuous renegotiation with time and matter with the future-past place of the show’s subtitle Iwase started working with eggshells as a consequence of his social philanthropy which includes donating eggs to soup kitchens in the Downtown Eastside he has glued a second skin of discarded and cleaned eggshells—a fierce scalelike skin that suggests sci-fi aliens or aquatic monsters—onto store mannequins Eggs are an ancient and enduring symbol of fertility and new life and they also pose the chicken-or-egg conundrum Iwase mentions in the catalogue and in his statement Iwase poetically declares with their connotations of retail display and fashion consumption the mannequins overwhelm the organic matter attached to them The eggshells fail to fully transform the banality of the figures to which they are stuck I'm struck by you're interpretation of Junichiro Iwase's work It seems to fall short in accounting for the profoundly powerful (i.e affective/emotional) dimension of his work entirely missing the mark on something that speaks broadly about human fragility and strength of vulnerability I'm concerned that your last paragraph reveals more about the limits of your interpretation and conceals the intention and imagination of the artist You might want to reflect upon the venue of this exhibition situating the work within the historical context of Japanese Canadians The will to create never "fails" Your hair was short-cropped and dyed orange SPECIALTY LATTE: World-renowned barista Yoshikazu Iwase pours milk into a specialty latte at the Infusion Coffee and Tea shop in upper Tumon yesterday Iwase has won national competitions to hold the title of Japan's best barista for the last two years and placed second in the World Barista Championships held in Dublin He came to Guam to train Infusion baristas on the art and history of coffee World-renowned barista Yoshikazu Iwase poses with a fan holding a specialty latte he made at the Infusion Coffee and Tea shop in upper Tumon yesterday Specialty lattes with creative designs made by world renowned barista Yoshikazu Iwase at the Infusion Coffee and Tea shop in upper Tumon yesterday A specialty latte with creative designs made by world renowned barista Yoshikazu Iwase at the Infusion Coffee and Tea shop in upper Tumon on Jan According to scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine drinking coffee may help protect older people against inflammation which is what ultimately causes many age-related diseases World-class coffee came to Guam via two-year Japan barista champion Yoshikazu Iwase who has been training Infusion employees and serving up specialty coffees at Infusion’s Upper Tumon location for the past two days The renowned coffee-wiz also placed second in last year’s World Barista Championship held in Dublin and is the proud owner of the Rec Coffee shop franchise in Fukuoka Iwase first came to Guam three years ago to train Infusion employees only without the esteemed titles he now holds said he invited Iwase three years ago as a friend in the coffee industry but invited him for this past week's session as a coffee connoisseur and world champion Chan praised the precision of Iwase’s skillset a notable characteristic of the champion coffee maker He touted that Iwase would be able to know how much of a certain ingredient to use with his eyes alone and only used the most state-of-the-art coffee shop tools and technology I think we only had a handful of employees at the time,” Chan said about three years later and told our newer employees of his own growth and about the history of coffee and its relationship with customers Establishing a relationship with Iwase over the years Infusion decided to host the coffee champion for a second time in order to provide a different perspective for the growing establishment as well as to provide input on ways to improve the quality of coffee at Infusion’s locations “We want to make sure that we're providing world class coffee here,” Gibson said everyone needs to continue to improve and we always want to make sure that were providing the highest quality of coffee to our guests.” Gibson said that Iwase brings a unique experience to Guam baristas Aside from being a national and world champion he owns and operates an up and coming coffee franchise in Japan and comes to Guam with a genuine knowledge and love for coffee He's even been on trips to handpick coffee beans at Panama and Ethiopian plantations “Up until now it was about making the coffee and giving it to the customer,” Gibson said “But we want to make sure that our employees have a passion for what they do and I think that in order for you to love something you have to understand it from the beginning to the end and Yoshikazu knows that.” he had a part-time business making specialty coffees while he was simultaneously working at other cafes and restaurants hoping to one day save up enough money to be able to fully commit to making specialty coffee as his career Iwase quit his job at a restaurant in Japan and started the Rec Coffee Truck business where he and his college friend/co-owner Osamu Kitazoe spent their first venture traveling around Japan selling specialty coffees out of a truck The two coffee companions soon saw success with their traveling barista business and eventually established two standalone cafes in Yakuin-Ekimae and Kencho-Higashi Iwase has come back to Guam to share his newfound experience after capturing the title of Japan’s best barista in 2015 and 2016 and after placing second in the World Barista Championships last year Chan has solicited Iwase’s services and experience for the benefit of Infusion’s baristas After Iwase last visited Guam for training in 2014 I mean how many cafes in the world are going to have one of the best baristas with them?” Chan said but I know that I can only train my baristas to a certain point and I want them to see one of the best baristas in the world.” Aiming to improve all facets of their local business Chan said that the overall goal of bringing Iwase to train on Guam was for Infusion to see how they can improve their coffee and service under the direction and guidance of one of the world’s best baristas “We’re really trying to bring Guam the best coffee that we can,” Chan said “We’re trying our best to make a difference in people’s daily lives here.” Poll results are published every Monday in The Guam Daily Post Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: