Members of Da’ Hawaii Seniors Club were surprised again at their May 23 meeting at the Cerritos Senior Center when Program VP Rosaria “Loke” Minetta asked everyone to bring cuttings of plumeria plants for a raffle at the meeting President Carmelita Tiongson opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Larry Anduha and the singing of Hawai’I Pono’i led by Edna Ethington and sung by all members This was followed by Hedy Anduha leading the singing of Happy Birthday in Hawaiian and in English for six May birthday celebrants who were present President Carmelita Tiongson conducted the business portion of the meeting and then turned the meeting over to Program VP Rosaria “Loke” Minetta Loke then introduced the first of the entertainment groups for the day Director Ann Kho and the Angklung Indonesian bamboo players performed two songs with their instruments Ann later performed a solo hula to the song The second group that performed were the women of Na’ Kupunawahine O’ Cerritos led by Hedy Anduha as they danced to the music of Ka’ Uluwehi O’ Ke Kai and invited people to join in the dancing started drawing prizes for the unusual raffle that she had prepared She was assisted by Lucio Fonte as she drew the red tickets with the winning members’ numbers Loke surprised members by giving some items that she baked as prizes Loke also gave many cuttings of plants that she and other members had brought for the raffle She then started giving away all the plumeria cuttings that many members had donated for the raffle Members must have enjoyed the entertainment that was provided and the winning of the raffle prizes and plumeria cuttings because most members stayed until the end of the raffles They gathered in a circle to sing their closing songs of Hawaii Aloha and Aloha O’e Members are looking forward to what new experiences and surprises they might experience at their next club meeting when they are gathering for at Picnic a Liberty Park on June 8 Persons interested in learning more about cultural traditions and joining Da’ Hawaii Seniors Club can contact Membership VP Myrna Matsuno for more information at 310-538-2148 GUAM REPRESENTS IN HONG KONG: Two of Guam's top-ranked junior golfers competed in the APGC Junior Championship Mitsubishi Corporation Cup 2017 TWO OF GUAM'S BEST: Two of Guam's top-ranked junior golfers arrived in Hong Kong to compete in the APGC Junior Championship Mitsubishi Corporation Cup 2017 from Aug The tournament was held by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation and consisted of mixed pairs from different federations the two were able to challenge the finest junior golfers in the Asia-Pacific region Team Guam has been invited to many competitions in the Asia-Pacific region We are thankful for every opportunity our golfers receive to play in high-level tournaments Team Guam is strengthened by every international competition Attaining these invitations from our neighboring countries give our top-notch golfers the experience they are unable to get on Guam It was a pleasure for our junior golfers to partake in this respected event,” explained Mark Nanpei It was a pleasure for our junior golfers to partake in this respected event.” On the first 2 days of the 3-day tournament Team Guam participated in team play with two female golfers from Hong Kong which rounded out his tournament in 24th place He finished individual play with an 81 and finished in 33rd place GNGF is a nonprofit organization promoting Guam's amateur and junior golfers in highly competitive international golf tournaments represent Guam in off-island tournaments and compete with the best in the world It was indicated in a press release that the development and support of Guam golfers are high priorities of the GNGF 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: NPR's Morning Edition takes listeners around the country and the world with two hours of multi-faceted stories and commentaries that inform Morning Edition is the most listened-to news radio program in the country Artist Heather Ujiie has created a morbid Victorian tableau “Dark Forest” inside the 19th-century home of the father of modern surgery Heather Ujiie stands beside a denizen of her "Dark Forest" installation at the historic Physick house with its hoop skirt and corset giving it a Victorian vibe The housewares and sculpture in Stephen Burks’ “Shelter in Place” design exhibition takes cues from the early pandemic shutdown The room “Dark Forest” occupies was originally a bedroom, now used as a convening space for the Society of the Cincinnati America’s oldest heritage society whose members are descended from officers of the Revolutionary War Anthony hasn’t told the Society what she did to their room “Most of them don’t live in town so they haven’t come by,” she said Ujiie’s installation inside the historic Federal house is anachronistic: it draws from a gothic Victorian sensibility with a contemporary interpretation – the hoop dresses over mannequins are made with aquarium pump tubing wrapped with hundreds of black zip ties Ujiie was inspired by Victorian funereal art and memento mori or keepsakes to remember the dead such as jewelry fashioned from the hair of a loved one “This notion of something being deathly or grotesque, it can be celebratory and beautiful if you find a way to embrace that so it doesn’t repulse you,” she said. “It actually draws you in. I think a lot of people are afraid of what that is.” This weekend will be the end-times for “Dark Forest.” After Sunday it will be taken down and the Society of the Cincinnati will get their room back Ujiie will keep it intact with the intention of someday re-staging it The free WHYY News Daily newsletter delivers the most important local stories to your inbox WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today. The original “Cato” was a favorite play of George Washington Philadelphia Artists’ Collective reimagines it with a critical lens UArts was home to a handful of organizations with various levels of independence many of the region’s arts and culture organizations have not returned to pre-pandemic levels Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal local news and information and world-class entertainment to everyone in our community WHYY offers a voice to those not heard, a platform to share everyone’s stories, a foundation to empower early and lifelong learners and a trusted space for unbiased news. Learn more about Social Responsibility at WHYY Lost in Paradise (June 17th- August 12th) is a journey The viewer must first endure the stairway that surely leads to heaven, but also to the 4th floor and James Oliver Gallery you enter Heather Ujiie’s strange and beautiful world It is a wild mix of the refined and the childlike We have both gilded peacocks and imagined birds with running shoes “War and Peace in the Time of Covid” stretches an ambitious 36 feet across the gallery This sexy and violent narrative scene alludes to an operatic affair between star-crossed lovers The imagery is composed of hand-painted pictures of Ujiie’s own hybrid creatures and characters inspired by her study of Persian miniature paintings Chinese erotic paintings of the Qing Dynastic era Some of these original paintings are on view in the gallery Ujiie comes from a textile print design background in New York City where she grew up with a family of artist educators She spent 15 years designing for fashion and home furnishings and also spent time designing costumes for avant-garde theater productions After moving to Philadelphia more than 20 years ago and eventually began teaching full-time at Moore College of Art & Design Her past professional work is evident in her new pieces but her personal journey as a multidisciplinary artist has sent her on a foray into sculpture construction using diverse and unexpected materials Press deeper into the gallery as if on a jungle expedition; there we are confronted by a great horned goddess and its whimsical 3 legged counterpart The two figures make an excellent team; a sorceress and its familiar casting the magic that activates Ujiie’s work Ujiie has expanded her practice to include fiber art based figurative works These creatures have become her friends and confidants Just behind this duo of characters is a textile installation entitled “Zual & The Simborgh.” This new work is inspired by one of the many tales in the Persian 10th-century epic poem of the story of Shahnameh This dynamic piece marries two and three dimensions “Zual and the Simborgh” is a hand-quilted wall hanging with an ocular window into Ujiie’s paradisiacal world The scene is obscured by a waterfall of blue paracord which spills into a black pool of floating islands that seem to be flowing out of the scene into a body of silent water and step through the opening in the waterfall into the scene and join Ujiie’s paradise The work Ujiie is most excited about is her piece “Tree of Life,” a triptych textile digitally printed on poly velvet This work had to be printed several times to correctly capture the complexity and luminosity of her hand-painted motifs against a black background Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the difficulty of printing on velvet If this is your first experience with Ujiie’s work you may be standing with a finger on your chin in the gallery questioning just how her textile works are made It is a complex process; She begins by painting the details of her work with gouache Her paintings are so tightly rendered that they can easily be mistaken for prints These hand-painted images are scanned at a high resolution and integrated digitally into panoramic landscapes The printed textiles may look to viewers like a purely digital fabrication but the works are actually a combination of hand and digital techniques and are quite unique in that way Influenced by the digital surface imaging expertise of her husband she has gone on to expand her practice to push the boundaries of surface design and artmaking Ujiie’s work deserves to be viewed in a cavernous white painted space let’s also take a moment to appreciate James Oliver Gallery for what it is It must surely be a Philadelphia art institution by now has amassed a serious collection of royal looking chairs and small pieces of art and ephemera that decorate the kitchen and lounge area a reproduction of Michelangelo’s David atop a bright orange shelf full of sales items which is clad in a collection of watches and rings and fake pearl necklaces- one of which has a large charm that says “Elvis” Ujiie’s will be giving an artist talk in the gallery on July 21st I’ve been privileged to install Ujiie’s work on two occasions I wanted to write this review because I believe Heather Ujiie’s journey is one to watch William Edmondson’s ‘Monumental Vision’ at the Barnes Foundation new video series from The National Gallery of Art The People’s Paper Co-op at Haverford College KeyStone Jazz Collective at the Barnes Foundation Jesse Harrod’s road to macramé through the American South Try a different filter or a new search keyword Keitaro Ujiie catches up with me a couple of hours before he has to go to a club in the backstreets of Shibuya for a late-night DJ set. The 22-year-old artist behind electronic projects such as the whimsical Snail’s House and the more uptempo Ujico stresses this isn’t his preferred evening activity My parents once thought I was dying or something It’s a surprising revelation, given his prolific output as Snail’s House so far in 2019. In January, Ujiie released Alien Pop II a four-song set of Technicolor dance-pop cuts powered by zooming synthesizer melodies and topped off by digitally manipulated vocals with the end result sounding apt for filling a dancefloor—well after the last train has departed with one of the strongest Internet-centric followings going as evidenced by this year’s twin full-lengths “I haven’t met anyone as passionate about composition and sound design than Ujico,” Tokyo-based electronic artist Moe Shop says of his peer. “He has a wide range of taste in music which drives his creativity anywhere he wants, from the more upbeat tracks in Alien Pop, to darker singles like ‘Ayakashi.’ I think he simply loves music and the creative process and it shines through his works like no other artists.” “My dad had so many CDs and records,” he remembers Classical composers like Frédéric Chopin shared space with Sly & The Family Stone; Ujiie says one of his biggest influences ended up being jazz guitarist Joe Pass “I’ve been listening to him since I was zero It was almost like a lullaby.” Many of his favorite childhood memories center around songs he heard while dozing off But it was encountering something a bit livelier that helped inspire Ujiie to make his own songs. He encountered Hiromi Uehara’s “Return Of The Kung-Fu World Champion,” which found the Japanese jazz artist rocking a Nord Lead 2 I hadn’t heard anything very acid-y in music so I was surprised to hear her doing that in jazz,” he says I was kind of surprised.” Given his father’s immense collection of physical media Ujiie never had any need to buy music—that is until he snapped up Uehara’s 2012 album Move Uehara’s music pushed Ujiie to explore the catalogs of Japanese fusion acts such as T-Square and Casiopea (all and more importantly got motivated to create his own tunes His earliest releases as Snail’s House leaned heavily on his classical exposure to Chopin That’s how I kind of studied my own music theories,” he says It also helped him capture a feeling he associates with his childhood a melancholy vibe that has connected many of his albums—perhaps the main reason so many people describe his sound as “nostalgic.” “When I see images, my song pops up in my head,” he says, noting that specific images and the scenery around him help spark music. He’s made albums devoted to small details found in daily life and seasons has marked a slight departure from that approach Late February’s scenery resembles the melodic charmers of previous Snail’s House creations but came together in very different circumstances “I was the type of person who sits in my basement all day I’ve started going out of my house more and explored a lot of things,” Ujiie says laughing The songs on scenery reflect his joy of simply wandering around the city whether skipping down familiar paths on “Itsumo No Michi” (translated: “The Usual Path”) or marching somewhere new on “détour.” There’s more to it than just taking new routes Things like that—nature and stuff—kind of healed me,” Ujiie says The scenery track “Medicine” alludes to this its slowly unfolding melody and muffled vocals are so soothing it never feels like an ode to pain “I was interested in the indie kind of French electro, [like] Justice,” he says. His knowledge of French dance music was pretty slim, but he happened to be friends with Parisian producer Rhodz, who introduced him to many artists that also influenced Alien Pop II. After three months of working on it, he released the brief set. The bubbliness of the initial installment remains, but is now joined by slinkier rhythms and a slightly more aggro energy. It’s bloghouse rendered through CrunchyRoll. Ujiie isn’t slowing down. He says he’s already working on multiple other albums, several tied to upcoming seasons. “I’m always working on separate albums at the same time. I do about three at the same time now,” he says. It’s a lot to juggle, to say the least. At least he’ll be well-rested. Volume 10 - 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.01410 This article is part of the Research TopicAutoimmune Blistering DiseasesView all 15 articles the most common autoimmune blistering disease is induced by autoantibodies to type XVII collagen (COL17) Previous studies demonstrated that COL17 harbors several epitopes targeted by autoreactive T and B cells and that the target epitopes change sequentially during the disease course To elucidate the details of the humoral immune response to COL17 we used an active BP mouse model in which BP is induced by the adoptive transfer of spleen cells from wild-type mice immunized with human COL17-expressing skin grafting to immunodeficient COL17-humanized (Rag-2−/− antibodies to the NC16A domain and other extracellular domains (ECDs) of COL17 were detected earlier than antibodies to intracellular domains (ICDs) in the active BP model Time course analysis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay demonstrated a delayed peak of antibodies to ICD epitopes in active BP model The blockade of CD40–CD40 ligand interaction soon after the adoptive transfer suppressed the production of antibodies to the non-collagenous 16A (NC16A) domain but not to an ICD epitope suggesting the sequential activation from T and B cells against the ECD epitopes including the NC16A domain to those against ICD epitopes in vivo Both wild-type mice immunized with a fragment of the NC16A domain and the recipients of those spleen cells produced IgG antibodies to ICD and ECD epitopes showing intramolecular epitope spreading from the NC16A domain to other epitopes of COL17 we found that a portion of the active BP model mice show intermolecular epitope spreading from human COL17 to murine BP230 The appearance of antibodies to ICD epitopes of COL17 or of antibodies to murine BP230 did not correlate with the skin changes in the mice suggesting that those antibodies have low pathogenicity These results suggest that the immune response to the ECD epitopes of COL17 and intermolecular epitope spreading to ICD epitopes of COL17 and to murine BP230 These novel findings provide insight into the mechanism of epitope spreading in organ-specific epitope spreading has been shown in both experimental murine BP and human BP such as whether the T- and B-cell interactions for different epitopes of COL17 occur at different times and whether an immune response to the NC16A domain of COL17 actually triggers intramolecular epitope spreading to other epitopes of COL17 and/or intermolecular epitope spreading to other hemidesmosomal antigens To address these issues, we utilized an active disease model for BP that we previously established (35) It is generated by the adoptive transfer of human COL17-immunized spleen cells into adult immunodeficient Rag-2−/−/COL17-humanized (COL17m−/− This model continuously produces IgG antibodies to human COL17 in a CD4+ T-cell-dependent manner and reproduces the BP disease phenotype the current study demonstrates that the production of antibodies to the ECD epitopes of COL17 precedes that to the ICD epitopes especially to the inner portion of the ICD The interference of T- and B-cell interaction by monoclonal antibody to the CD40 ligand (CD40L) shows that T- and B-cell interactions for ECD epitopes precede those to ICD epitopes of COL17 in an active BP model Wild-type mice that were immunized with a fragment of the NC16A domain produced antibodies to ICD epitopes of COL17 the active BP model generates antibodies to murine BP230 as a result of intermolecular epitope spreading These findings clarify the details of epitope spreading in BP C57BL/6-background Rag-2−/− mice were received as a gift from the Central Institute for Experimental Animals (Kawasaki, Japan). We crossed COL17m−/−, h+ (COL17-humanized) mice that we had previously generated (16) with Rag-2−/− mice to produce Rag-2−/−/COL17m−/− h+ (Rag-2−/−/COL17-humanized) mice These cDNAs were inserted into the pSeq Tag2/Hygro B vector (Thermo Fisher Scientific) Vectors were transfected into HEK293 cells with Lipofectamine 2000 (Thermo Fisher Scientific) for transient expression of BP230 Supernatants were collected and centrifuged for purification by using Amicon Ultra Centrifugal Filters (Merck Millipore Rag-2−/−/COL17-humanized recipients that were adoptively transferred with immunized spleen cells were intraperitoneally injected with 1,000 μg hamster monoclonal antibody MR1 specific to mouse CD40L (Taconic Farms, Hudson, NY) at day 0 soon after the adoptive transfer of immunized splenocytes as previously reported (41) All of the treated mice were carefully observed for at least 10 weeks after adoptive transfer the recipient mice were examined for general condition and for percentage of body surface area affected by cutaneous lesions (i.e. Serum samples were also obtained from recipient mice weekly and assayed by indirect IF microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) Indirect IF using mice sera was performed on normal human skin (NHS) and wild-type mouse skin using standard protocols We used 1:20 diluted mouse sera as the primary antibodies and 1:100 diluted FITC-conjugated antibodies to murine IgG (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories Immunoblotting of recombinant proteins covering human COL17 was performed as described previously (36) each sample was solubilized in Laemmli's sample buffer and applied to SDS-polyacrylamide gels and then transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane The membrane was blocked for 1 h at room temperature in 3% skimmed milk in TBS and then incubated with 1:20 diluted mouse serum samples overnight at 4°C Bound antibodies were visualized using 1:500 diluted HRP-conjugated goat anti-rat IgG (Jackson ImmunoResearch) Color was developed with 4-chloro-1-naphthol in the presence of H2O2 For the detection of antibodies to murine BP230 recombinant murine BP230 proteins were used as a substrate The membranes were incubated with 1:20 diluted mouse serum samples overnight at 4°C Bound antibodies were visualized using 1:5,000 diluted HRP-conjugated goat anti-rat IgG (Jackson ImmunoResearch) 1:5,000 HRP-conjugated mouse anti-His-tag mAb-HRP-DirecT (MBL The blots were detected using the ECL Plus Detection Kit (GE Healthcare To examine the titers of antibodies to various regions of human COL17 synthesized peptides in 0.1 M sodium carbonate buffer (pH 9.5) were coated on F96 Maxisorp Nunc-Immuno plates (Thermo Scientific Denmark) at 5 μg/ml and left overnight at 4°C The plates were washed three times with PBS containing 0.05% Tween 20 and were blocked for 1 h at room temperature with ELISA assay diluent (BD Biosciences) They were incubated for 2 h at room temperature with 1:100-diluted mouse sera for NC16A-R7 or 1:25 for other peptides in assay diluent The plates were washed four times and were incubated for 30 min at room temperature with 1:20,000-diluted HRP-conjugated antibodies to mouse IgG for NC16A-R7 or 1:10,000 for other peptides in an assay diluent the plates were displayed in a 1:1 mixture of substrate reagent A containing hydrogen peroxide and substrate reagent B containing tetramethylbenzidine (BD Biosciences) and were then stopped with 1 M phosphoric acid (BD Biosciences) binding activities were calculated by the following formula: index value = (OD450 of tested serum—OD450 of negative control)/(OD450 of positive control—OD450 of negative control) × 100 Statistical analyses were performed using GraphPad Prism (GraphPad Software The unpaired t-test with Welch's correction was used for comparisons of ELISA index in wild-type mice grafted with human COL17-expressing skin (skin-grafted wild-type mice) P-values of <0.05 were considered significant compared with the control Antibodies to the NC16A domain of COL17 decrease more rapidly than those to the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ) in an active BP mouse model (A) Schematic of the generation of an active BP mouse model (B) Representative clinical presentations of the active BP model at 2 and 5 weeks after the adoptive transfer of immunized spleen cells and hematoxylin and eosin staining of the ear at 5 weeks (original magnification × 20) (C) Time course of disease severities for the Rag−/−/COL17-humanized recipients (n = 4) (D) Time course of titers of circulating IgG antibodies to the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ) of the skin as determined by indirect IF using sera of an active BP model and normal human skin (n = 4) (E) Time course of the titers of circulating IgG antibodies to the NC16A domain as determined by ELISA (n = 4) These results demonstrate that the titers of total antibodies to human COL17 remained elevated for longer than did those to the NC16A domain suggesting the presence of additional antibodies which are elevated in the late phase of the disease antibodies to ECD epitopes of human COL17 are detectable from the early phase of the disease were elevated in the late phase in the active BP model Antibodies to ICD epitopes of COL17 become detectable later than those to ECD epitopes by immunoblotting in an active BP model (A) Schematic of human COL17 and recombinant proteins (B) Reactivity of sera from active BP model mice (n = 4 days 8 and 56) to fragments of COL17 as measured by immunoblotting (C) Relative intensities of reactivity as measured by immunoblotting It should be noted that the titers of antibodies to NC16A-R7 were far higher than those to other epitopes of COL17 because 1:100 and 1:25 diluted sera were used to check the reactivity to NC16A-R7 and to other peptides These results suggest that humoral immune response occurs preferentially to the NC16A domain in skin-grafted wild-type mice and then spreads to other epitopes of COL17 in the active BP model in which the response to ECD epitopes precedes that to ICD epitopes The peak of antibodies to ICD-149 lags that of antibodies to the NC16A domain and ECD epitopes by ELISA in an active BP model (A) Schematic of human COL17 and synthesized peptides (B) ELISA index of skin-grafted wild-type sera (day 35 n = 16) and untreated wild-type sera (n = 8) measured by ELISA Sera were diluted to 1:100 for NC16A-R7 and 1:25 for ICD-149 and ECD-1330 (C) Time course of titers of circulating IgG antibodies to NC16A-R7 as determined by ELISA (n = 6) (D) Time course of titers of circulating IgG antibodies to ICD-149 ECD-1084 and ECD-1330 as determined by ELISA (n = 6 These results suggest that T- and B-cell interaction for the ECD epitopes occurs very soon after adoptive transfer whereas the interaction regarding ICD epitopes occurs late so it is unaffected by the early treatment of antibodies to CD40L Blockade of CD40–CD40 ligand interaction preferentially decreases antibodies to the NC16A domain but not to other epitopes of COL17 (A) Schematic of treatment of the active BP model with antibodies to murine CD40 ligand (CD40L) (B–E) Time course of titers of circulating IgG antibodies to NC16A-R7 (B) and ECD-1330 (E) in an anti-CD40L antibody-treated active BP model (n = 4) and in an untreated active BP model (n = 9) as determined by ELISA suggesting that a small number of naïve T and B cells from untreated wild-type mice can weakly react to ICD and ECD epitopes of human COL17 in the recipients The immune response to the NC16A domain spreads to ICD and ECD epitopes of COL17 in vivo (A) Schematic of the immunization of wild-type mice with NC16A-R7 and the adoptive transfer of spleen cells to make the active BP model (B) Time course of titers of circulating IgG antibodies to NC16A-R7 and ECD-1330 in NC16A-R7-immunized wild-type mice (n = 5) as determined by ELISA (C) Representative images of IgG deposition in indirect IF study using normal human skin (NHS) and wild-type mouse skin as substrates and 1:20 diluted sera from NC16A-R7-immunized wild-type mice at day 35 as primary antibodies Arrowheads indicate IgG deposition around the basal keratinocytes (D,E) Time course of titers of circulating IgG antibodies to NC16A-R7 and ECD-1330 in Rag−/−/COL17-humanized mice that received spleen cells from NC16A-R7-immunized mice (n = 8) (D) and in those that received spleen cells from untreated wild-type mice (n = 8) (E) as determined by ELISA No reactivity was observed on BP230-2 or BP230-3 fragments There was no correlation between the appearance of antibodies to BP230-1 and disease severity (data not shown) the humoral immune response that started from COL17 extended to BP230 in vivo Antibodies to murine BP230 are detected in a portion of the active BP model mice (A) Representative images of IgG deposition in indirect IF study using normal human skin (NHS) and murine COL17−/− mouse skin as substrates and 1:20 diluted sera from an active BP model at day 35 and from wild-type mice as primary antibodies (B) Schematic of murine BP230 and recombinant proteins (C) The sizes of recombinant proteins were confirmed by immunoblotting using anti-His-tag antibody (D) Reactivity of sera from the active BP model (n = 8 days 21 and 84) to fragments of murine BP230 was measured by immunoblotting As reasons for the delayed increase of antibodies to ICD epitopes in the active BP model intramolecular epitope spreading from the NC16A domain to ICD epitopes occurs shortly after adoptive transfer ICD epitope-reactive T and B cells were already activated in skin-grafted wild-type mice as a result of intramolecular epitope spreading and when these cells were transferred into Rag−/−/COL17-humanized recipients they encountered ICD antigens probably a little bit later than ECD antigens in vivo resulting in the delayed peak of antibodies to ICD epitopes Epitope spreading in the skin-grafted mouse model and in the active BP model antibodies mainly react to the NC16A domain and weakly react to ECD epitopes of COL17 After the adoptive transfer of immunized spleen cells intramolecular epitope spreading to ECD epitopes and to the outer portion of the ICD as well as intermolecular epitope spreading to BP230 occur followed by intramolecular epitope spreading to the inner portion of the ICD intramolecular epitope spreading from the NC16A domain to ICD epitopes occurs in NC16A-immunized wild-type mice we demonstrated epitope spreading from the NC16A domain to other epitopes of COL17 in NC16A-R7-immunized wild-type mice even though the mice developed no skin changes This suggests that intramolecular epitope spreading within COL17 can occur under a mechanism that is “dependent” on a physical association of antigens we consider that a treatment of CD40L-blocking antibody preferentially affects the highly activated T cells reacting to the NC16A domain rather than those reacting to the other ECD epitopes Further investigations are required to confirm this although those molecules become targets of autoantibodies less frequently than COL17 and BP230 do We should also confirm whether the interaction between human COL17 and murine hemidesmosomal proteins in COL17-humanized mice is normal the immune reaction to human COL17 that starts from ECD epitopes was found to spread over time to ICD epitopes and to murine BP230 in an experimental BP model The timing of the interaction between COL17-reactive T and B cells differs in vivo These novel findings elucidate certain details of epitope spreading in BP and give us a hint for new therapeutic strategies for BP that involve the regulation of this phenomenon This study was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of the local ethics committee and the Institutional Review Board of Hokkaido University with written informed consent obtained from all subjects in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki All animal procedures were conducted according to guidelines provided by the Hokkaido University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee under an approved protocol and all the coauthors reviewed the manuscript and gave final approval of the submission This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) Grant Number 17H04238 to HU and The Akiyama Life Science Foundation to HU 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 University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center TX) for providing human COL17 cDNA transgenic mice and Ms The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2019.01410/full#supplementary-material normal human skin; skin-grafted wild-type mice wild-type mice grafted with human COL17-expressing skin The growing incidence of bullous pemphigoid: overview and potential explanations Comorbidities and treatment strategies in bullous pemphigoid: an appraisal of the existing litterature Isolation of a human epidermal cDNA corresponding to the 180-kD autoantigen recognized by bullous pemphigoid and herpes gestationis sera Immunolocalization of this protein to the hemidesmosome Cloning and primary structural analysis of the bullous pemphigoid autoantigen BP180 Cytoplasmic domain of the 180-kD bullous pemphigoid antigen a hemidesmosomal component: molecular and cell biologic characterization Human autoantibodies against the 230-kD bullous pemphigoid antigen (BPAG1) bind only to the intracellular domain of the hemidesmosome whereas those against the 180-kD bullous pemphigoid antigen (BPAG2) bind along the plasma membrane of the hemidesmosome Bullous pemphigoid and cicatricial pemphigoid autoantibodies react with ultrastructurally separable epitopes on the BP180 ectodomain: evidence that BP180 spans the lamina lucida BP180 is critical in the autoimmunity of bullous pemphigoid Structural proteins of the dermal-epidermal junction targeted by autoantibodies in pemphigoid diseases Mechanisms of autoantibody-induced pathology The majority of bullous pemphigoid and herpes gestationis serum samples react with the NC16a domain of the 180-kDa bullous pemphigoid antigen Tight clustering of extracellular BP180 epitopes recognized by bullous pemphigoid autoantibodies Correlation of clinical severity and ELISA indices for the NC16A domain of BP180 measured using BP180 ELISA kit in bullous pemphigoid IgG4 and IgE are the major immunoglobulins targeting the NC16A domain of BP180 in bullous pemphigoid: Serum levels of these immunoglobulins reflect disease activity A passive transfer model of the organ-specific autoimmune disease using antibodies generated against the hemidesmosomal antigen IgA antibodies of cicatricial pemphigoid sera specifically react with C- terminus of BP180 Characterization of the anti-BP180 autoantibody reactivity profile and epitope mapping in bullous pemphigoid patients Severity and phenotype of bullous pemphigoid relate to autoantibody profile against the NH2- and COOH-terminal regions of the BP180 ectodomain Autoantibody profile differentiates between inflammatory and noninflammatory bullous pemphigoid Characterization of bullous pemphigoid antigen: a unique basement membrane protein of stratified squamous epithelia Isolation of complementary DNA for bullous pemphigoid antigen by use of patients' autoantibodies Gene targeting of BPAG1: abnormalities in mechanical strength and cell migration in stratified epithelia and neurologic degeneration IgG autoantibodies from bullous pemphigoid patients recognize multiple antigenic reactive sites located predominantly within the B and C subdomains of the COOH-terminus of BP230 BP230- and BP180-specific auto-antibodies in bullous pemphigoid Rabbits immunized with a peptide encoded for by the 230-kD bullous pemphigoid antigen cDNA develop an enhanced inflammatory response to UVB irradiation: a potential animal model for bullous pemphigoid Experimental bullous pemphigoid generated in mice with an antigenic epitope of the human hemidesmosomal protein BP230 Regulatory T-cell deficiency leads to pathogenic bullous pemphigoid antigen 230 autoantibody and autoimmune bullous disease Epitope spreading: lessons from autoimmune skin diseases Humoral epitope spreading in autoimmune bullous diseases Spontaneous regression of primary autoreactivity during chronic progression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis Longitudinal epitope mapping in MuSK myasthenia gravis: implications for disease severity Sequential intramolecular epitope spreading of humoral responses to human BPAG2 in a transgenic model Demonstration of epitope-spreading phenomena in bullous pemphigoid: Results of a prospective multicenter study A novel active mouse model for bullous pemphigoid targeting humanized pathogenic antigen Antibodies to pathogenic epitopes on type XVII collagen cause skin fragility in a complement-dependent and -independent manner Regulatory T-cell dysfunction induces autoantibodies to bullous pemphigoid antigens in mice and human subjects The BPAG1 locus: Alternative splicing produces multiple isoforms with distinct cytoskeletal linker domains including predominant isoforms in neurons and muscles Human bullous pemphigoid antigen 2 transgenic skin elicits specific IgG in wild-type mice γδ T Cells Protect the liver and lungs of mice from autoimmunity induced by scurfy lymphocytes Noncollagenous 16A domain of type XVII collagen-reactive CD4 + T cells play a pivotal role in the development of active disease in experimental bullous pemphigoid model Development of a novel ELISA system for detection of anti-BP180 IgG and characterization of autoantibody profile in bullous pemphigoid patients Intravenous IgG reduces pathogenic autoantibodies and disease severity in experimental bullous pemphigoid models Determinant spreading: lessons from animal models and human disease B cell epitope spreading: mechanisms and contribution to autoimmune diseases Bullous pemphigoid and herpes gestationis autoantibodies recognize a common non-collagenous site on the BP180 ectodomain Immune regulation by CD40 and its ligand GP39 The N terminus of the transmembrane protein BP180 interacts with the N-terminal domain of BP230 thereby mediating keratin cytoskeleton anchorage to the cell surface at the site of the hemidesmosome Detection of anti-BP180 NC16A autoantibodies after the onset of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor-associated bullous pemphigoid: a report of three patients Loss of interaction between plectin and type XVII collagen results in epidermolysis bullosa simplex Interaction of BP180 (type XVII collagen) and alpha6 integrin is necessary for stabilization of hemidesmosome structure Analysis of the interactions between BP180 plectin and the integrin alpha6beta4 important for hemidesmosome assembly Hemidesmosome formation is initiated by the beta4 integrin subunit requires complex formation of beta4 and HD1/plectin and involves a direct interaction between beta4 and the bullous pemphigoid antigen 180 Extracellular cleavage of collagen XVII is essential for correct cutaneous basement membrane formation Nishie W and Shimizu H (2019) Immune Reaction to Type XVII Collagen Induces Intramolecular and Intermolecular Epitope Spreading in Experimental Bullous Pemphigoid Models Received: 01 February 2019; Accepted: 04 June 2019; Published: 19 June 2019 Copyright © 2019 Ujiie, Yoshimoto, Natsuga, Muramatsu, Iwata, Nishie and Shimizu. 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(s) 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: Hideyuki Ujiie, aC11amlpZUBtZWQuaG9rdWRhaS5hYy5qcA== 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 Release date: February 3, 2023 | StudioSnail / CachetteNotes | Website | Bandcamp | Instagram Snail’s House arose by 2014 out of Japanese electronic producer Keitaro Ujiie’s need to separate himself from his EDM project Ujico* and establish a moniker whose sonic palette favored the kawaii aesthetics Ujiie has brought forth an impressive and consistent collection of releases under such name leading up to the album this review will be focusing on: Lumi Snail’s House is a name that has always been on the backburner for me having only listened to a couple of songs from previous efforts thanks to my bandmates recommending them to me that Lumi is my proper introduction to Snail’s House and let me just say Lumi‘s overall sound is tender yet vibrant immediately encapsulating you with whooshes of its sharp yet lively production whose conversely organic instrumentation makes these tracks ever more so gravitating Its melodies wander by as wistful spectres that never quite transform into melancholic reveries as the overarching tone leans more towards a hazy nostalgia that glistens with presence much like a Saturday morning from treasured childhood memories “gemini” in particular is indicative of this with its low-key drum beat and heart-thumping bass serving as a foundation to the free-flowing nature of the colorful arrangements found throughout This record also has a peculiar variety of musical stylings that make it pop out with all its dreamlike splendor One such instance that caught my attention was “snowcloud – interlude” and atmospheric synths placed in the background is very reminiscent of electronica-infused post-rock outfits such as The American Dollar The playful synth leads in “lumiukko” showcase an upbeat demeanor characteristic of ’90s r’n’b that pairs nicely with the otherwise icy production Both tracks attest to the fact that no moment on Lumi is lost at any point – the craftsmanship is evident through its cohesion The sheer mellowness in tandem with the kaleidoscopic sound design on this album forms a sensory adventure that is nothing short of gratifying There’s always something to shift your focus on – whether it is the intricate beats giving way the bright orchestrations on the future garage cut “frostbite” or the glitchy vocal samples swaying with the lively bass synths and a cheerful keys lead that might as well be a congratulations soundbite for a video game on “wintersleep” Ujiie clearly has a vision when it comes to his music for there is a knack for worldbuilding and mood-enhancing here that not only shows care to the details but also a solid knowledge of making each track catchy and accessible All these descriptors I’ve laid out throughout this review eventually band together to create the perfect winter jam that is “valentine night” Encompassing the comfort that warmth brings on an otherwise chilly night “valentine night” stands out due to its use of beaming percussion weaving through these layered melodies that are surprisingly stirring in its effervescence sort of like the reassurance from a friend or like a dear pet cuddling besides you It’s in no way track for you to ponder on but more so a treat you give to yourself to leave you in high spirits and ready for the next day packed into a collection of tracks that shines in its soulfulness and dedication to place you in a truly fulfilled mindset it’s easy to note that Ujiie has refined his wholesome approach to songwriting with excellence and I’m sure it’ll be prevalent on Snail’s House‘s future releases If you seek a genuine feel-good record to get you through the week and website in this browser for the next time I comment Everything Is Noise is here to bring you music that you connect with accessible space to discuss this music in a open-minded community of fans and creators The Everything Is Noise-Newsletter is currently in maintenance In his quest to give a voice to the natural world sculptor Keiji Ujiie’s decades-long career has taken him from his native Gunma Prefecture to places as far-flung as the pyramids of Mexico and the Indonesian island of Bali – the last of which he now calls home Long fascinated with the interplay between human beings and our natural environment Ujiie does not create art for the sake of art so much as he acts as a sort of medium between worlds Ujiie’s career took off during Japan’s decadent bubble era of the 1980s and continued to flourish during the 1990s when cash was flush for public art projects such as Faret Tachikawa which merged the concepts of urban development and art Ujiie found himself gradually disillusioned by Japan’s loss of connection with nature A turning point in his life occurred when he was commissioned in 2007 for work by a Japanese company in Bali where he felt that his instinct to create fusions of nature and culture through art had finally found a home In Japan for several weeks this past summer Ujiie sat down with us in the lush rooftop garden of Ginza Six for an in-depth chat about everything from Balinese spirituality to what finally prompted him to leave his homeland I used to go often to a Catholic Franciscan monastery located near my house in Kiryu I knew immediately that I wanted to sculpt rocks “The Japanese concept of nature does have some similarities but I feel this connection much more strongly in Bali” but I have always felt rock to be the most responsive I always started with a square chunk of rock – but I’ve now come to a point in my journey as an artist where I only begin a piece after feeling the energy of each individual stone and how it relates to its natural surroundings the energetic and spiritual relationship between humans and nature is part of everyday life – particularly for Hindus The Japanese concept of nature does have some similarities but I feel this connection much more strongly in Bali and some you cannot – and I have come to understand that the latter is most important Each of us also carries a piece of nature inside ourselves which is a concept I am now trying to understand more deeply Light is the same: metaphorically speaking There are things we have lost in Japan that I feel in Bali landscapes and spaces where people could relax and enjoy themselves but I’ve come to realize that no matter how much money or technology you have there are certain things you just cannot do – particularly vis-à-vis urban design The first of these was at a community center in Shinjuku I first wanted to understand the context and energy of the space so I did research and found that there used to be a water purification plant nearby I wanted to craft something with a mysterious power connected to water which the Mayans sometimes used for ritual purification sacrifices but I had always felt a spiritual energy when I visited the old civilizations of Mexico This represents the concept of an empty center or the black hole that birthed the universe but I don’t understand why the local government allocated ¥10 million for it “Art is being turned into something fashionable but I feel that there’s also a deeper spiritual meaning that is being missed” I’ve been curious about how people are interacting with my sculptures in Japan and also checking on them from Bali using Google Earth Some of the works are not being taken care of very well I am grateful that I was hired for these projects but if people are not enjoying the sculptures or spaces in a direct or tactile way I don’t feel it’s necessary to put them there in the first place I visited the “Cenote” sculpture in Shinjuku and saw that a chain had been placed around it I visited the mayor and asked her to remove it but this is another example of what bothers me about doing work in Japan: too much caution My statues are for people to touch and enjoy that’s the parents’ responsibility – it’s not the government’s job to regulate I’ve also noticed that there are fewer sculptures in general today Art is being turned into something fashionable but I feel that there’s also a deeper spiritual meaning that is being missed I wanted to create something to honor the Ainu people who are indigenous to Hokkaido and have a strong sense of spirituality This is a spot for people to sit quietly or gather with others and I wanted them to be able to leave the busy train station and enter a portal to a completely different space where they can convene with spirits and fairies and where people are appreciating the unique qualities of the space around it A perfect example is the “Three Doors” sculpture in Osaka Amenity Park this is an example of a successful public art project I spent a lot of time thinking while staring out at the same urban scenery every day from my hospital window in Tokyo I think that cities are starting to look alike all around the world This might be great in terms of showing affluence but it has led us into a very dangerous situation vis-à-vis our planet No matter how technologically advanced we may be here in Japan nothing is more important than the relationship between humans and nature I’ve also realized that we should not wait to realize the preciousness of good health We can live longer now because of medicine and technology but we need to consider the deeper meaning of life In terms of approaching these deeper life questions I feel that sculpture does have something to say Tadano has appointed Toshiaki Ujiie as its president and ceo From left to right: Toshiaki Ujiie and Koichi Tadano who moves to the position of chairman of the board and representative director Koichi Tadano said that Ujiie’s “abundant global business experience combined with his formidable ability to conceptualize and execute make him the right person for the job.” He added: “I will do everything in my powers to support president Ujiie and contribute to the growth of the Tadano Group.” www.tadano.com Robin Watson will succeed Forth Ports’ chair Lord Smith of Kelvin as he retires after 10 years in the role Italian lifting and transport company Autotrasporti Porro has added two all-terrain cranes to its fleet by purchasing an AC 7.450-1 and AC 4.080-1 from Tadano Fracht North America has made three appointments to key executive positions designed to reaffirm the company’s standing in the logistics and freight forwarding industry Portugal’s Laso Transportes and Tagar Group have formed a strategic partnership aimed at expanding and consolidating their presence in the lifting and transport sector UK-headquartered winch specialist Rotrex Winches has rebranded as LGH Winches across the UK In a deal worth approximately DKK106.7 billion (USD16.27 billion) DSV has completed the acquisition of Schenker after all conditions and requirements from Deutsche Bahn have been met Site powered by Webvision Cloud The official Twitter account for Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine revealed on Thursday that manga creator Tozen Ujiie will launch a new manga titled Yaotome x 2 (Yaotome Times 2) in the magazine's June issue on May 9 The manga centers on a "slightly odd" sixth-grade girl who moves next door to the unnamed protagonist in an apartment complex Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine is giving away reproduction Seitokai Yakuindomo art to a person every week for six weeks until May 9 and HIDIVE began streaming the film in April 2021 (The 16th manga volume bundled a DVD of the first anime film.) Sources: Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine's Twitter account, Comic Natalie Tadano GroupTadano Ltd. announced that current President, CEO, and Representative Director Koichi Tadano will become the new chairman of the board and representative director, effective April 1. As Koichi Tadano transitions into this new seat, Toshiaki Ujiie will be taking on the responsibilities of president, CEO, and representative director of Tadano, the position Koichi Tadano held for the past 18 years. Ujiie joined the company in April 2019 and holds the current position of executive vice president and representative director. "In the midst of the coronavirus disruption, we are experiencing a severe situation in terms of our current business results," Koichi Tadano said. "However, Tadano is a company that overcomes challenges. Every time we do so, we emerge stronger and grow further. "Also, Tadano is fast approaching an era of great change. For this reason, I now hand over the reins of the company to our new leader, Mr. Toshiaki Ujiie, whose abundant global business experience, combined with his formidable ability to conceptualize and execute, make him the right person for the job. In my new role as chairman of the board, I will do everything in my powers to support President Ujiie and contribute to the growth of the Tadano Group." The entirety of the Tadano Group is comprised of approximately 5,000 employees with headquarters in Shikoku, and production in Asia, Europe, and the United States. Ujiie said, "I am honored to receive the call of duty to lead such a company, and I will work steadfastly toward Tadano’s venerable goal of becoming number one worldwide in the lifting equipment industry. In recent times, as the world’s environmental challenges have received intensified focus, automobiles and construction machinery are becoming more and more electrified, automated and sustainable. "Stories of massive transformation are the top news headlines every single day. At our current pace, Tadano faces the threat of being left behind, far from the leader’s position in our industry. As the seventh CEO of this company, I believe it is my calling to unite our diverse, global teams as one Tadano and together rise to the rank of a word-leading innovator." Information provided by Tadano Ltd. and edited by Chantal Zimmermann. EL DORADO 7: The Spartans used a 20-hit attack to capture the championship game of the Loara Tournament Friday night Villa Park (5-0) hosts Cypress in the league opener Monday Dom Gutierrez and Shawn Romero each went 3 for 5 with two RBI to lead the Spartans Gunner Santillo was 3 for 4 with an RBI and Nate Lewis 2 for 4 with an RBI Jake Nobles was named the tournament MVP and Lewis was named the Ray Moore player of the game VALENCIA 0: Adam Valencia went the distance to record the win for the Vaqueros (4-1) It was Irvine’s second win over Segerstrom this season Click here for story and photos: MILLIKAN 4: The Knights wrapped up the Loara Tournament with the victory pitching five innings allowing five hits and three runs pitching two innings and allowing no earned runs with two strikeouts Sean Green was 2 for 4 with a run scored and two RBI Ezekiel Vargas was 1 for 2 with two runs scored and two walks and Gavin Lauridsen was 1 for 2 with an RBI LOS AMIGOS 3 (8 innings): Athan Perez pitched three innings striking out two to earn the victory for Estancia (2-2) Perez was 2 for 5 with a double and the game winning RBI triple Jake Humphries was 1 for 3 with a triple and three RBI Miles Dodge was 1 for 3 with a run scored and a stolen base and Jake Ramirez was 1 for 2 with two runs scored and two walks SUMMERVILLE 4: The Warriors (5-1) won their third game of the week Nolan Stottlemyer had four RBI and a run scored Lucas Render scored two runs and had two hits and Caden Camacho had two runs scored and two RBI VALENCIA 4: The Bolsa Grande Matadors earned a walk-off victory over Valencia Bolsa Grande was down 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning when Geoffrey Guerrero doubled Damien Montes De Oca had three hits to lead the offense earned the win for Bolsa Grande allowing two hits and no runs over three innings striking out one and walking none.  Martin Cobarrubias also had three hits for Bolsa Grande DANA HILLS 3: CdM (3-0) was led by Stevie Jones who threw a complete game improving his record to 2-0 Marc Soloman was 2 for 3 with an RBI and Ganon Overfelt had a double and an RBI for the Sea Kings Send baseball highlights to timburt@ocsportszone.com That's what happened following Hurricane Katrina in the United States and after the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile But that's not the picture you'll see in Japan Instead people wait patiently in lines for hours for limited groceries and gas "We're taught that this world is for the people and the people are what make this world go round," Miho "Mimi" Ujiie founding president of the Utah Asian Chamber of Commerce These are all part of the Japanese culture "What can be more giving than life itself," Ujiie said Some of Ujiie's family is missing after the tsunami and earthquake She just heard from her cousin Wednesday morning Her 70-year-old mother is headed to Canada "When I saw the news and they said 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan," Ujiie said "my first thought was 'Oh they are prepared to deal with this The Japanese culture can described as a "collective" one Ujiie said that people are taught to help each other Amidst the devastation happening there now Ujiie says people are willing to die for strangers "They do value their lives," she said "But that doesn't mean they don't want to live at the same time they think about others." that allows Japanese families not to feel the pressure to take advantage of a situation they have trust that the government will rescue them," she said "The law enforcement agency will rescue them Ujiie says people look out for each other because of the Shinto and Buddhist religious culture It is so peaceful that police officers don't even carry guns police officers often go house to house and have tea with families and find out what's going on in that household "They have the luxury to do so because people do not commit crime," explained Ujiie they have police officer booths in every township "A police officer is there 24/7," Ujiie said they can go in there and talk to the police officer." There are positives and negatives to each culture Ujiie said there is a downside to having a "collective" culture "We are not a country to produce geniuses," Ujiie said we're not equipped to produce the best of the best." That's because part of their culture teaches their people to suppress the desire to be individualistic and rather embrace a nationalistic — collective approach to life e-mail: niyamba@desnews.com Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The first element you experience in Heather Ujiie’s Terra Incognita is not its neon-bright colors or its variety of textures, but rather, the sound of running water. Echoing in the high-ceilinged Art Gallery at Rowan University this steady low hum is part of “The Goddess,” a white sculptural fountain placed in the center of the space as if presiding over the technicolor splendor humans and mythological beings all mingle in digitally-printed compositions that are both relentlessly cheerful and slightly on edge in their sheer dazzling brightness Terra Incognita is a fragmented wonderland that addresses a range of weighty subjects as varied as ecological precarity the nature of intimacy and the divine feminine using imagery synthesized from the visual traditions of numerous world cultures The colors of Mexican folk art meet the sinuously graceful figures of Persian manuscripts; a heightened sense of unreality inspired by Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights” meets the minute detail of classical Indian painting Terra Incognita comes across as ambitious in intent if somewhat scattered in execution The most intriguing works are not the large printed canvases that adorn the walls and even cover the windows like “Fertility Figure,” made of textiles and rubber that draw upon traditional iconography of the sacred feminine The counterpart to “Fertility Figure” is “Demon,” a glittering black female mannequin created out of wire Clothed in intricate lacework and wiry tiered fabric its head is engulfed in a bristling animal mask The handicraft in these sculptural works is simply stunning and marvelously intricate; “Demon” in particular invites closer inspection even as the plastic spines that emerge from the figure like porcupine quills work to repel you from getting too close “Warrior,” a third sculptural work addressing the guises women have taken in myth and legend its trippy-bright hues and plant stalk-like forms reminiscent of something out of a Doctor Seuss story The strands of colorful rope that drip from its form are echoed in “Symbiosis,” a digital print that takes up the rear wall of the space cords spill forth from the flatness of the image and trail onto the floor The most iconographically coherent of the printed murals is “Matrix,” embellished with sequins and fuschia faux fur in which a female figure in profile is continually mirrored and repeated along a horizontal plane more than any of the more explicitly feminine works in Terra Incognita expresses Ujiie’s interest in the “power and complexity of the female Voice.” In “Matrix,” each woman is not only her own self but is a mirror image of the women around her cascading outward from the center of the image in a lineage that reproduces itself throughout the ages The extensive explanatory text accompanying each piece in Terra Incognita does little to clarify the aims of and intentions behind Ujiie’s works ultimately raising more questions than it answers It’s particularly unclear how the artist is attempting to link the earth and the capacities of real and mythic female bodies Are we harkening back to the traditional association of femininity with nature and of the destruction of the earth by artificial means with masculinity Does the destruction of the earth amount to the desecration of women where does the purposeful artificiality of fashion and textiles “Demon” and “Fertility Figure” might have swapped titles for a more unexpected juxtaposition of the double-edged nature of creation and destruction While a black lace-clad “Fertility Figure” might evoke a more occult visioning of female power a white-winged “Demon” would turn the gentle trickle of the fountain into something far more sinister — calling to mind the rising seas and earth’s ability to both give and take “Terra Incognita” to November 17, 2018, Rowan University Art Gallery, 301 High Street West, Glassboro NJ 08028. Ujiie will give a free artist’s talk in the gallery on November 7, 2018 from 3-5pm. Volume 6 - 2015 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00891 This article is part of the Research TopicPerception, Action, and CognitionView all 19 articles The McGurk effect is a well-known illustration that demonstrates the influence of visual information on hearing in the context of speech perception Some studies have reported that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display abnormal processing of audio-visual speech integration while other studies showed contradictory results we administered two analog studies to examine the link between level of autistic traits as assessed by the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the McGurk effect among a sample of university students we found that autistic traits correlated negatively with fused (McGurk) responses we manipulated presentation types of visual stimuli to examine whether the local bias toward visual speech cues modulated individual differences in the McGurk effect The presentation included four types of visual images The results revealed that global facial information facilitates the influence of visual speech cues on McGurk stimuli individual differences between groups with low and high levels of autistic traits appeared when the full-face visual speech cue with an incongruent voice condition was presented These results suggest that individual differences in the McGurk effect might be due to a weak ability to process global facial information in individuals with high levels of autistic traits which indicates a limited ability to integrate visual and auditory information This dysfunction is considered to lead to communication impairment in ASD because speech perception is one of the core functions of face-to-face communication In face-to-face communication with others, we realize what another person is saying through the processing of audio-visual speech information. An early study of audio-visual speech perception provided strong evidence that visual information improves the auditory speech percept (Sumby and Pollack, 1954). A classic example that demonstrates the interaction between hearing and vision in speech perception is the McGurk effect (McGurk and MacDonald, 1976) This effect may be experienced when the visual shape produced during speech of a phoneme (e.g. /ga/) is dubbed with a sound recording of a different phoneme (e.g. for the monosyllabic combination of the visual /ka/ and auditory /pa/ it has often been reported that individuals with ASD exhibit a weak degree of visual influence on perceiving a voice during audio-visual speech perception These studies led us to hypothesize that individuals with ASD (or a high level of autistic traits) might show fewer instances of the McGurk effect due to a weak response in the left STS Mixed results in previous studies might be due to the heterogeneity in the profile of hyper- or hypo-sensitivity which is difficult to control in a clinical group Because an analog design allows for control of the heterogeneity in the profile of hyper- or hypo-sensitivity we adopted this design to examine the relationship between level of autistic traits and McGurk effects among a population with TD who were free from problems with sensory inputs There were three possible responses to the McGurk stimuli which were as follows: audio response (/pa/ response) which was the frequency of the McGurk effect occurring as the degree of visually captured percept when hearing and viewing the McGurk stimuli which was the correct response to the audio-visual-incongruent stimuli as the strength of visual influence on perceiving a voice we hypothesized that the degree of autistic traits would correlate negatively with the rate of fused response and correlate positively with the rate of audio response in the context of the McGurk stimuli we focused on the local bias toward visual speech cues in individuals with ASD and investigated whether this bias underlies the link between level of autistic traits and the McGurk effect we should examine whether face processing influences the occurrence of the McGurk effect They manipulated the location of facial features in visual stimuli using either a natural or scrambled location only an asymmetrically scrambled face disrupted the likelihood of the McGurk effect They concluded that facial configuration information can be used in audio-visual speech perception although this information is not necessary These studies indicate that processing of global (holistic) visual speech cues might influence the occurrence of the McGurk effect we administered two experiments to examine the relationship between level of autistic traits and McGurk effects in university students we investigated the correlation between level of autistic traits and individual differences in audio-visual speech perception We hypothesized that individuals with high levels of autistic traits would show a reduced likelihood of the McGurk effect occurring than would individuals with low levels of autistic traits we examined whether the local bias toward visual speech cues modulates individual differences in the McGurk effect by manipulating presentation types of visual stimuli (parts of the face or the full face) With regard to the likelihood of the McGurk effect occurring we hypothesized that the visual influence on voice perception would be greater in the full-face presentation condition than in the partial-face presentation condition we hypothesized that individual differences in the McGurk effect would appear when the full-face visual speech cue with an incongruent voice condition was presented because of the local bias toward visual speech cues in individuals with high levels of autistic traits The outcomes from these experiments will allow us to understand the effect of face processing on speech perception and how audio-visual speech integration in individuals with ASD functions from an analog perspective we investigated the correlation between AQ scores and level of accuracy for perceiving audio-visual stimuli and auditory stimuli and assessed the likelihood of the McGurk effect (the rate of /ta/ response) occurring among non-ASD university students because of the weak visual influence of perceiving a voice the AQ scores would correlate negatively with the likelihood of the McGurk effect occurring and positively with the rate of the /pa/ response being reported Participants were 46 university students (12 males and 34 females) who were recruited from an introductory psychology class at Chiba University The mean age of the participants was 19.4 years (SD = 3.56) All participants were native speakers of Japanese and reported normal hearing and vision They provided written informed consent in the class and took part voluntarily in this experiment so that total scores on the AQ range from 0 to 50 The audio-visual stimuli were created from simultaneous audio and video recordings of six Japanese speakers' utterances (three female) The visual stimuli were speakers' faces recorded using a digital video camera (GZ-EX370 The audio stimuli were the utterances (/pa/ or /ka/) collected using a dynamic microphone (MD42 29.97 frames/s) and the speech sound (digitized at 48,000 Hz with 16-bit quantization resolution) were combined and synchronized using Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 The mean duration of the audio-visual stimuli was 1.2 s Each condition included 18 trials per block or /ka/) were presented without the visual stimuli all three combinations of the audio and visual stimuli were presented the combination of the auditory /ka/ stimulus dubbed with visual /pa/ was excluded /pka/) caused by this combination stimulus is not a Japanese native syllable the voice (/pa/) and video (/ka/) combined stimuli were presented three times per block to make the same number of audio-visual-congruent trials The experiment was conducted using Hot Soup Processor Version 3.3 (Onion software) The video signals were presented on a 19-inch cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor (E193FPp and the speech sound was presented through a headphone (MDR-Z500 Sony) at approximately a 65 dB sound pressure level Participants were seated at a distance of approximately 50 cm from the CRT monitor Participants were instructed to report what they heard (/pa/ a fixation point was displayed for 1000 ms at the center of the CRT monitor followed by either the congruent or the incongruent stimulus a blank display was presented until participants responded The first block included 18 congruent stimuli and 18 incongruent stimuli The second block included 18 auditory stimuli All participants completed both blocks after undergoing six practice trials each The order of trials was randomized for each block Statistical analysis was conducted using R version 2.15.2 for Windows (R Foundation for Statistical Computing To examine the effect of stimuli conditions we analyzed the mean accuracies for each condition using a One-Way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with conditions as a within-participants factor The likelihood of the McGurk effect occurring was analyzed in the audio-visual-incongruent condition using a chi-square test The relationship between task performance and AQ scores was analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients group differences between a high-AQ group and a low-AQ group were analyzed using independent samples t-tests for each condition Table 1 shows mean accuracies for the audio-visual-congruent condition and the audio-only condition and the mean response rate for the audio-visual-incongruent condition A One-Way ANOVA with conditions as a within-participants factor revealed a main effect of conditions Multiple comparisons (Holm method) showed that accuracies for correctly perceiving the voice in the audio-only condition (M = 97.3%) and the audio-visual-congruent condition (M = 98.1%) were higher than in the audio-visual-incongruent condition (M = 34.9%; p < 0.05) the accuracy in the audio-only condition did not differ from that in the audio-visual-congruent condition the rate of the /ta/ response (M = 61.1%) was higher than the rate of the /pa/ response (M = 34.9%; χ2 = 7.66 p < 0.01) and the /ka/ response (M = 4.0%; χ2 = 20.33 which confirmed the occurrence of the McGurk effect Mean and standard deviations (SD) of response rate in all conditions The AQ scores ranged from 10 to 37 (M = 20.8, SD = 5.42). The distribution of AQ scores in this sample was slightly higher than that reported in the original publication of the AQ (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001b). To examine the relationship between task performances and the AQ scores, we calculated Pearson correlation coefficients (Table 1) No significant correlation was observed for the audio-visual-congruent condition or the audio-only condition For the audio-visual-incongruent condition the AQ was significantly positively correlated with the /pa/ response and significantly negatively correlated with the /ta/ response These correlations suggest that individuals with low AQ scores show a more visually captured response and less audio response than individuals with high AQ scores do the rate of the /ta/ response was higher in the low-AQ group (M = 65.3%) than in the high-AQ group (M = 43.1%) This difference was marginally significant the rate of the /pa/ response was not significantly different These results indicate that individuals with high AQ scores show weaker visually captured responses than individuals with low AQ scores do although accuracies for perceiving voice and audio-visual speech did not differ The response rate for each audio-visual-incongruent stimulus in the low-AQ group and the high-AQ group Possible responses to the stimuli were audio response (/pa/ response) we investigated the relationship between audio-visual speech integration and the level of autistic traits in healthy students We found that the level of autistic traits correlated negatively with the rate of fused response and positively with the rate of audio response in the audio-visual-incongruent condition the results revealed that individuals with high AQ scores showed a weaker fused response than individuals with low AQ scores did although there was no significant difference in the audio response rate neither significant correlations nor group differences were found in the audio-visual-congruent condition and audio-only condition These results indicate that individuals with higher levels of autistic traits tended to show a weaker visual influence on perceiving a voice when processing audio-visual-incongruent speech information if global facial context enhances the influence of visual speech cues on perceiving a voice individual differences in the McGurk effect between individuals with high AQ scores and those with low AQ scores might be due to a weak ability to process global facial information in McGurk stimuli we manipulated presentation types of visual stimuli to examine whether the local bias affected individual differences in the McGurk effect the audio-visual-congruent condition and the audio-visual-incongruent condition we defined the rate of fused responses as the frequency of visually captured percept while we defined the rate of /pa/ responses as the strength of visual influence to perceiving voice we created the following four types of visual stimuli: no image (audio-only) Only the full-face stimuli included global facial information of visual speech cues we hypothesized that audio response would be observed less frequently in the full-face presentation than in the other stimuli conditions if the processing of global visual speech cues is related to the degree of visual influence on perceiving a voice we also hypothesized that the differences between individuals with high AQ scores and those with low AQ scores would diminish (or become small) when a voice and an incongruent visual speech cue without global visual information Another 50 healthy students (12 males and 38 females) who were recruited from an introductory psychology class at Chiba University The mean age of the participants was 19.4 years (SD = 3.41) All participants were native speakers of Japanese and reported normal hearing and normal (or corrected) vision They provided written informed consent in the class and took part in the study voluntarily We used the same stimuli as in Experiment 1 comprising six (3 females) Japanese speakers' utterances of three syllables (/pa/ There were two audio-visual stimulus conditions the audio-visual congruent and audio-visual incongruent The audio-visual stimuli consisted of a congruent auditory /pa/–visual /pa/ a congruent auditory /ta/–visual /ta/ a congruent auditory /ka/–visual /ka/ and an incongruent auditory /pa/–visual /ka/ The four types of presentations of visual stimuli—no image (audio-only), mouth-only, eyes and mouth, and full face—(examples of the visual stimuli are shown in Figure 2) were created for each condition by using Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 to crop eye regions and the mouth region from visual images The eye region included the region from the inner corner of the eyes to the outer corner The mouth region included a range of motion of the upper lip and lower lip This task consisted of 72 congruent stimuli and 24 incongruent stimuli per block Examples of the four types of visual stimuli used in Experiment 2 All of these images were presented with a congruent or incongruent voice in the experiment Following the experimental tasks, we used the Japanese version of the AQ (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001b; Wakabayashi et al., 2006b) to measure the level of autistic traits in the participants The experiment was carried out individually using the same apparatus as in Experiment 1 Participants were seated at a distance of approximately 50 cm from the 19-in CRT monitor They were instructed to report what they heard (/pa/ or /ka/) by pressing buttons on a keyboard either the congruent or the incongruent stimulus was presented followed by a blank display presented until participants responded All participants completed the two blocks of the main session after undergoing the 10-trial practice session In order to examine the effect of visual presentation type and stimulus condition rates of correct (audio) responses were analyzed using a Two-Way ANOVA with visual presentation types and stimulus conditions as within-participant factors the relationship between the AQ scores and task performance was analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients for each stimulus condition group differences between high- and low-AQ groups were analyzed using a mixed ANOVA with visual presentation as a within-participant factor and groups as a between-participants factor for rates of correct responses in the audio-visual-congruent condition and of audio responses in the audio-visual-incongruent condition Figure 3 summarizes mean accuracies for the congruent and incongruent stimuli conditions in all types of visual presentation A Two-Way ANOVA with visual presentation types and stimulus conditions as within-participant factors revealed main effects of stimulus conditions Multiple comparisons (Holm method) showed that the accuracy for no image which presented only the auditory stimulus was lower than for the other types of presentation in the audio-visual-congruent condition (p < 0.05) the rate of audio (correct) responses for no image was higher than for the other types of presentation (p < 0.05) and the audio response for the full-face presentation was lower than that for either the mouth or mouth and eyes presentation (p < 0.05) These results suggested that any type of visual speech cue improved the perception accuracy for audio-visual-congruent stimuli the influence of a visual speech cue on perceiving a voice was strongest for the presentation of full-face speech with the incongruent voice Mean accuracy for each condition across all participants mean accuracy is the mean rate of correct responses for the three syllables mean accuracy is the rate of audio response we examined the relationship between the AQ scores and the effect of visual presentation on speech perception The scores on the AQ ranged from 10 to 43 with a mean of 21.2 (SD = 6.07) In order to examine the relationship between task performance and AQ scores we calculated Pearson correlation coefficients (see Supplementary Material) No significant correlation was observed in the audio-visual-congruent condition AQ scores were significantly positively correlated with the audio (/pa/) response and negatively correlated with the fused (/ta/) response These correlations replicated the results in Experiment 1 which indicates that individuals with high AQ scores showed less of a visually captured response than individuals with low AQ scores did although this only occurred in the full-face incongruent speech condition a mixed ANOVA revealed that the main effect of visual presentation was significant but that the main effect of groups and the one-way interaction were not Mean accuracy for the audio-visual-congruent stimuli in the low-AQ and high–AQ groups Mean accuracy is the mean rate of correct responses for the three syllables For audio (correct) responses in the incongruent condition (see Figure 5) although no significant main effect of groups was found there was a significant main effect of visual presentation This interaction revealed that the simple main effect of groups was significant only in the full-face presentation condition so that the individual differences between the high- and low-AQ groups appeared only in the full-face presentation condition We also found that the effect size of visual presentation was slightly smaller in the high-AQ group Similar results were found for fused responses in the incongruent condition These results indicate that the effect of global facial information was greater in the low-AQ group than in the high-AQ group although this effect was found in both groups Mean audio response to the audio-visual-incongruent stimuli in the low-AQ and high–AQ groups These results suggest that the visual influence on perceiving voice was weaker in individuals with high AQ scores than in those with low AQ scores because of the weakness of processing global facial information in the McGurk effect we examined the link between level of autistic traits and individual differences in audio-visual speech perception The results demonstrated that level of autistic traits did not correlate with the accuracy for perceiving audio-visual-congruent speech regardless of the visual speech presentation condition we did not find a correlation between level of autistic traits and the accuracy for perceiving auditory speech although individual differences in the audio-visual-incongruent condition were related to the degree of autistic traits in the general population individuals with high AQ scores showed fewer occurrences of the McGurk effect than individuals with low AQ scores did These results indicate that autistic traits only correlated with the strength of visual influence on perceiving a voice in the audio-visual-incongruent condition our results also support the dimensional model of ASD These indicate that an analog design might be an effective approach in the investigation of ASD symptoms to control factors other than the degree of autistic traits which is something we also found in this study although the extraoral region could also be used global facial information did not have a strong effect on audio-visual-congruent speech perception This means that the accuracy when hearing a voice increased when any type of visual speech cue was presented with a congruent voice compared to when only a voice was presented the influence of a visual speech sound appeared even when a voice with an incongruent visual speech cue of only a mouth was exhibited These findings indicate that information provided by the mouth region is more critical for audio-visual speech perception which meant that gaze was fixed on the talker's mouth or on the talker's eyes did not influence the likelihood of the McGurk effect occurring in adults with TD even if gaze behavior during trials differed between the high-AQ and low-AQ groups in Experiment 2 such differences would not have substantially influenced the results of this study As another limitation in this study, it was unclear whether the individual differences in lip-reading were related to individual differences in the McGurk effect, because we did not use visual-only stimuli in this experiment. Some studies have reported that individuals with ASD experience a deficit in perceiving audio-visual speech because of their poor ability to lip-read (Williams et al., 2004; Woynaroski et al., 2013) if individuals with high AQ scores have difficulties in lip-reading individual differences in the McGurk effect might be caused by poor lip-reading ability rather than by a local bias toward a visual speech cue the results of Experiment 2 showed a significant main effect of visual presentation in the congruent condition for both the high-AQ and low-AQ groups when any type of congruent visual speech cue was exhibited improved accuracy for perceiving a voice was found regardless of level of AQ If the high-AQ group in this study had difficulties in lip-reading such improvement would not have been found in that group In order to clarify the role of a local bias toward a visual speech cue during audio-visual speech perception these factors should be investigated directly in further studies level 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited *Correspondence: Yuta Ujiie, Information Processing and Computer Sciences, Graduate School of Advanced Integration Science, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage, Chiba 263-8522, Japan,Y2hpYmFfcHN5Y19pbmRpdmlkdWFsQHlhaG9vLmNvLmpw Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. 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. Volume 5 - 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2018.00020 This article is part of the Research TopicSkin Blistering DiseasesView all 19 articles Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a rare organ-specific autoimmune subepithelial blistering disease with predominantly mucosal erosions Erosions in the oral cavity usually result in markedly decreased quality of life The major autoantigens are BP180 and laminin332 which are components of basement membrane proteins in the skin and mucosa Diagnosis is usually difficult due to histological destruction of the tissue and low autoantibody titers we evaluated the diagnostic value of direct immunofluorescence (DIF) using non-lesional buccal mucosa in seven cases of MMP buccal lesions were also clinically observed we performed DIF to detect tissue-bound autoantibodies and complement DIF from non-lesional buccal mucosa revealed linear deposits of IgG and C3 at the basement membrane zone in all cases BP180-NC16A ELISA and immunoblotting were performed circulating autoantibodies were unable to be detected in any of the cases by ELISA histological separation was observed in one patient DIF using non-lesional buccal mucosa was found to be superior to histological and serological tests for diagnosing mucous membrane pemphigoid The procedure is technically easy and has high diagnostic value histological study fails to show junctional separation because of tissue destruction in the fragile oral mucosa it frequently takes time to make diagnose MMP and start treatment In cases that are difficult to diagnose, direct immunofluorescence (DIF) using the patient’s tissue is a valuable test for diagnosing MMP. Although histological analyses generally should be performed on the affected lesions, DIF samples can be taken from perilesional areas in autoimmune blistering diseases (13) we can get specimens in which the structure is maintained so that we can evaluate the tissue-bound autoantibodies report the usefulness of DIF on non-lesional buccal mucosa for diagnosing MMP All the patients were referred to the dermatology department or to the oral medicine and diagnosis department of Hokkaido University Hospital The patients demonstrated multiple erosions around the gingiva DIF tests were performed on non-lesional buccal mucosa Patients were selected according to the following criteria: (1) clinically MMP was suspected and (2) DIF was performed on non-lesional buccal mucosa The diagnostic criteria for MMP are as follows: (1) clinical findings of blisters and/or erosions (2) linear deposits of IgG and/or C3 at the BMZ by DIF. and/or (3) circulating autoantibodies detected by IIF using normal human skin as a substrate BP180-NC16A ELISA or immunoblotting using normal human epidermal extract Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed using paraffin embedded sections specimens were stained with Mayer’s hematoxylin (Muto the specimens were stained with 1% eosin Y (Wako followed by dehydration with 99.5% ethanol The specimens were taken from non-lesional buccal mucosa using a 4-mm punch biopsy tool under local anesthesia (Figures 1A,B) and 5-μm-thick sections were prepared by cryostat (Leicabiosystems The sections were stained with FITC-conjugated goat anti-human IgG (A) Non-lesional buccal mucosa marked by crystal violet was biopsied under the local anesthesia (B) The samples were taken using a 4-mm punch biopsy tool (C) A healthy individual shows no evidence of IgG Indirect immunofluorescence was performed on normal human skin. The sections were incubated with sera from dilutions of 1:10 to 1:320 for 45 min at 37°C, followed by incubation with 1:100 diluted FITC-conjugated anti-human IgG. Immunoblotting was performed to identify the autoantigens. Normal human epidermal extract was derived as described previously (14) The extracts were applied to 6% SDS-polyacrylamide gel and were then transferred to nitrocellulose membrane The membrane was blocked for 1 h at room temperature After incubation with 1:200 diluted sera overnight at 4°C HRP-conjugated goat anti-human IgG (1:5,000 dilution USA) was reacted for 1 h at room temperature The BP180-NC16A ELISA was performed using 1:100 diluted sera according to the manufacturer’s instruction (MBL The sensitivities of the diagnostic procedures were determined including 95% confidence interval (CI) Graph Pad PRISM software Version 7.0 was used to analyze the data and direct immunofluorescence (DIF) findings All the patients have gingival lesions (yellow arrows) The biopsy samples for DIF were taken from non-lesional buccal mucosa and all samples shows the linear deposition of IgG or IgA and C3 at the basement membrane zone (BMZ) in all cases (white arrow heads) Histological analysis shows the junctional separation at the BMZ (#3) (black arrow) The epidermal and dermal tissue are completely separated because of tissue destruction (#1,7) There is no evident separation at the BMZ (#5) they did not describe the biopsy regions on the oral mucosa We selected non-lesional buccal mucosa due to easy access Biopsying the gingiva is technically more difficult than biopsying the buccal mucosa tissue-bound autoantibodies and complements were clearly detected by DIF using non-lesional mucosa (sensitivity: 100% The average time between initial symptom and diagnosis was more than 2 years in our study we highly recommend DIF using non-lesional buccal mucosa All studies conformed to the guidelines of the medical ethics committee of Hokkaido University and the Declaration of Helsinki Principles Written informed consent was obtained before any samples were collected A full review and approval by an ethics committee of Hokkaido University were not required MK and JS participated in data generation and analysis and YK contributed samples and clinical data All the authors had final approval of the submission The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that would pose potential conflicts of interest Definitions and outcome measures for bullous pemphigoid: recommendations by an international panel of experts J Am Acad Dermatol (2015) 72:168–74 Bullous pemphigoid: a review of its diagnosis Am J Clin Dermatol (2017) 18:513–28 Clinical features and diagnosis of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita Expert Rev Clin Immunol (2017) 13:157–69 CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Diagnosis of oral mucous membrane pemphigoid by means of combined serologic testing Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol (2014) 117:483–96 Oral mucosal diseases: mucous membrane pemphigoid Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg (2008) 46:358–66 The first international consensus on mucous membrane pemphigoid: definition Analysis of antigens targeted by circulating IgG and IgA autoantibodies in 50 patients with cicatricial pemphigoid BP180 ELISA using bacterial recombinant NC16a protein as a diagnostic and monitoring tool for bullous pemphigoid Serum levels of autoantibodies to BP180 correlate with disease activity in patients with bullous pemphigoid Oral mucosa is a useful substrate for detecting autoantibodies of mucous membrane pemphigoid Direct immunofluorescence microscopy in the diagnosis of autoimmune bullous dermatoses CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Immunoblot analysis using recombinant protein of the 180 kD bullous pemphigoid antigen NC 16a domain as an aid to the diagnosis of atypical subepidermal autoimmune bullous skin diseases IgG subclass staining in routine renal biopsy material The immunofluorescence techniques in the diagnosis of endocrine autoimmune diseases Auto Immun Highlights (2012) 3:67–78 Multiple and repeated sampling increases the sensitivity of direct immunofluorescence testing for the diagnosis of mucous membrane pemphigoid J Am Acad Dermatol (2017) 77:700–5.e3 Detection of mucous membrane pemphigoid autoantibodies by full-length BP180 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay Clinical presentation and diagnostic delay in bullous pemphigoid: a prospective nationwide cohort Kitagawa Y and Shimizu H (2018) Direct Immunofluorescence Using Non-Lesional Buccal Mucosa in Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid Received: 05 December 2017; Accepted: 22 January 2018; Published: 08 February 2018 Copyright: © 2018 Kamaguchi, Iwata, Ujiie, Ujiie, Sato, Kitagawa and Shimizu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited *Correspondence: Hiroaki Iwata, aGlyb2FraS5pd2F0YUBtZWQuaG9rdWRhaS5hYy5qcA== John's School Knights' Masaki Ujiie won the 2018 Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam All-Island Golf Championship Ujiie is a student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and will debut for the NCAA D1 Rainbow Warriors Men's Golf Team in spring 2021 when the season is expected to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic he began playing golf competitively and quickly became one of the best athletes ever to call the island home Guam National Golf Federation director of junior golf he had been playing against some of the higher-ranked golfers on island Ujiie won the Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam All-Island Golf Championship Masaki is very strong," said Abner Manalang Manalang said that his past protege is mentally confident John’s School Knight continued to level up eventually earning a spot on the University of Hawaii at Manoa Men’s Golf Team said that "with the right PGA Golf Professional on his side there shouldn’t be a reason for him not to do well in D1." has witnessed Ujiie grow into an outstanding athlete “I watched Masaki since he was young and he has always worked very hard on his game,” Sablan said He was also a dedicated student and worked hard on his academics so his success at securing a D1 offer is not surprising.” With the novel coronavirus pandemic leading to the cancellation of his fall season Ujiie will have to wait just a little bit longer to join the Rainbow Warriors Ujiie had arrived on campus but was instructed by his coach to return home as the island became locked down and the season was scrubbed Ujiie is determined to not let the roadblock get in his way as he anticipates a return to UH in the spring “My training schedule is quite similar to what it used to be in high school where I would practice daily after my classes and play as much as possible with a group of my old teammates and friends,” said Ujiie because of the time difference between Guam and Hawaii Like so many student-athletes caught in the middle of the pandemic Ujiie has had so many challenges thrust upon him but he is making the best out of an unfortunate situation one of more than 100 students in a calculus class nearly 4,000 miles away from the instructor told the Guam Daily Post that the course has been especially challenging Ujiie shared that direct communication with the professor has been difficult and asking questions has been a struggle is eager to conquer all the obstacles that stand between he and a career in the computer science industry He said that his interest in technology began when he was younger explaining that he had once built a computer from scratch for his brother Ujiie is also curious to see where golf can take him I saw undergraduate school to be my place to test my limits and see where golf can bring me within the 4 years and see if this could be something I can potentially bring to the bigger stages,” he said I just hope to create ties and experiences to become a better athlete overall as well as find my worth within a community I am surrounded in,” he said so his success at securing a D1 offer is not surprising.” Richard Sablan finished in fifth place at the FCG Callaway World Championship at the Westin Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage is one of Guam's outstanding junior golfers and has spent his summer competing in tournaments throughout California and coach Abner Manalang prepare for international competition Ujiie was recently ranked number three by the Junior Golf Tour of Asia in its regional rankings released Dec 3 after the 2018 JGTA Bintan Lagoon Junior Championship “My driver was definitely on point throughout the entire tournament and my putting was the thing I relied on when I had a tough time on a hole." Masaki Ujiie may not be a household name on Guam just yet John’s School Knights junior is having a summer to remember as he makes a name for himself among the best young golfers in the world Ujiie’s summer began with a first-place finish at the FCG KBS Tour-1 Day Series on June 1 at the Sycuan Golf Resort's Oak Glen course in En Cajon the Guamanian won the 1-Day event at 3-over-par He bested seven other competitors in the boys college prep division Ujiie entered the FCG Callaway World Championship at the Westin Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage where he finished in fifth place among the sport's best I expected him to win,” said Abner Manalang “I expected him to do well because he has all the tools I’ve been training him since he was 12 years old.” He thought he was going to stay on island for only a short time “I’ve been here since 2012,” Manalang said “I came over here for my wife’s citizenship and I expected to stay here for about a week.” “It was almost 110 degrees out and it really felt like I was melting when I was playing The heat made everyone playing not only tired but dehydrated and created a tough playing field.” Ujiie was in third place on the leaderboard and he was ready for more “I felt very confident in my skills and abilities to win the tournament,” Ujiie said with action switching from the The Classic Club Course to the par-70 Pete Dye Course but I still had that feeling that I (could) keep up and still be able to kill this tournament,” Ujiie said Ujiie remained consistent all day long and drained a 2-over-par 74 on The Classic Club Course His 3-Day 218 total was his best result at a world-class event playing against older competition “I have finished multiple times in first place this is my first time in the top 5 for the 15- to -18-year division,” Ujiie said “My driver was definitely on point throughout the entire tournament and my putting was the thing I relied on when I had a tough time on a hole and thankfully my driver kept me safe for almost all (of the) holes.” He and his coach are looking into NCAA Division I programs in California “This kid will make you look good,” said Manalang recalling conversations he had with college coaches Email notifications are only sent once a day winning the 2018 Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam boys All-Island golf championship on Tuesday 23 on the Palm Ridge golf course at Andersen Air Force Base in Yigo John's School Knights' Masaki Ujiie is shown after winning the 2018 Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam Golf All Island Championships John’s School Knights’ Masaki Ujiie closed out the 2018 Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam boys golf season on Tuesday 23 by winning the All-Island individual title the Knight battled the Father Duenas Memorial School Friars’ Ivan Sablan during one playoff hole Both entered the sudden-death playoff having shot 4-over-par 76 at the Palm Ridge golf course at Andersen Air Force Base in Yigo “I couldn’t have won without the support of my teammates (have) supported me from Day One and I feel that without them The Harvest Christian Academy Eagles’ Gye Baek Kim finished in third place the Knights’ Eric Yee and Halen Carbonel placed fourth and fifth the two clubbers raised their games and battled the extreme elements Ujiie described the conditions as windy but said that the gusts were nothing compared to the intense heat “It was the hottest I’ve seen on Guam,” Ujiie said “Every player was hoping for some shade to keep them from boiling up outside Thankfully no one passed out from the heat.” Ujiie didn’t know how many strokes separated first and second places “I did not realize how close he (Sablan) was to my score,” Ujiie said “He was able to catch up to me during play.” but then I started to grab some confidence to beat him,” Ujiie said he was not able to have that same confidence to beat me.” having trained 17-year-old Ujiie since he was 12 years old felt that his protege was ready to win the title but I wasn’t surprised that it came down to a playoff,” Manalang said “A lot of these kids are elevating their game to next level I see them work(ing) hard (on) their game(s) the winner of the four previous All-Island titles plays golf for the NCAA DI Gonzaga University Bulldogs in Spokane I feel that winning All-Island for my school makes us No At the 2018 JGTA Bintan Lagoon Junior Championship held last week in Bintan Masaki Ujiie took home the third-place trophy with a tournament total of 231 the Junior Golf Tour of Asia updated its Junior Order of Merit rankings John's junior to number three in the Asia-Pacific region among all junior golfers the boys winner during the island's interscholastic high school season came out of the gate hot firing 35-37 for an even-par score of 72 This is his third JGTA event and his first-round performance gave him a four-stroke lead heading into Round 2 He was just edged out in the final day by Justin Sun of China and Markus Lam of Hong Kong The Guam Daily Post was able to get in touch with him for a quick Q&A where he shared his thoughts on the tournament and the pressures of playing against the region's best Q: Were you happy with your golf game over the three-day tournament A: I feel that there were some minor issues in my golf swing and flaws that could have been fixed but overall what I did was the best I could have done at that moment The pressure in a tournament could change the way you perform and after leading the first day the pressure was something that I felt the most during play A: Day 1 was very relaxing and everything felt very smooth and natural during play I felt that the first day was the time to show off what you can do as a player and I was able to grab the first-place title on that day The course is very beautiful and although the distance overall was very short the setup of the course made it a 76 average course Q: Placed atop the leaderboard after Day 1 The pressure is something that just adds to any sport competition and it may or may not affect you I have been at the top several times and feel that the pressure would slowly deteriorate as you become more experienced I told myself to keep calm and to play my game I didn’t want to risk losing my spot early and was going to play safe and weirdly twitchy from the excitement I had My body was getting slowly tired from the long 6-hour play Q: Describe your golf game during Days Two and Three A: My mentality was there for both of the days I was not able to make the important putts that could have kept me on the top and the feel was just not there for me at that moment in time Consistency is very important in this sport and without it I am going to keep working on my consistency overall to stay in check for the next coming tournaments Q: Did your slight sore throat affect your play A: Not being in the greatest shape during play could affect a small part of your golf game but I feel that it did not affect me mostly during Day 3 I was now in third place and my main focus was to catch up to where I was in Day 1 I let my emotions get to me in the first nine and wasn’t able to recover in the back The JGTA Bintan Lagoon Junior Championships kicks off the 2018-2019 season The Junior Golf Tour of Asia is the governing body for junior tournaments in the Asia-Pacific region Its mission is to assist junior golfers in pursuing golf at higher competitive levels whether it be collegiate or professionally Check out their website and learn more about the regional tournaments coming up this season at www.jgta.org Seitokai Yakuindomo manga ends this November in Weekly Shonen Magazine #51 It reveals that the next volume will put an end to the 15-year-old manga series The final volume is slated for January 2022 Oricon News reported that the decision reflected the author’s desire quoting comments compiled in the volume.21st volume is out Since the work has brought me a lot of fun such as the film tickets with goods I’ll miss the Seitokai members once they leave Seitokai Yakuindomo is an ongoing gag manga series by Ujiie Tozen It began its serialization in Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2008 It originally launched in Magazine Special in 2007 and after that transferred into the current magazine The number of circulating copies has reached 4.7 million It has received a number of anime adaptations since 2010: two TV anime seasons Sentai Filmworks has licensed the two seasons and the films in English Source: oricon news© 氏家ト全・講談社／桜才学園生徒会分室 Two Japanese companies have teamed up to achieve one big goal: producing hydrogen on the moon Takasago Thermal Engineering has designed a mini electrolyzer that can adapt to low gravity and endure a rocket’s intense vibrations during liftoff the hydrogen-making machine will be operated remotely from ispace’s Mission Control Centre in Tokyo “We started to study hydrogen almost 20 years ago we are developing a large-scale electrolyzer What we do in space would give us definite technology and skills to… differentiate from the competitors,” said Hiroyuki Muraoka Takasago Thermal Engineering’s executive officer in an interview with “CNBC Tech: The Edge.” For the mission scheduled to launch by the end of 2024 Takasago is bringing a small amount of Earth water for the electrolysis the company will scale up and eventually make hydrogen from lunar water on upcoming missions “The most difficult point is adaptation for the low gravity gravity is one-sixth compared to that of Earth,” said Atsushi Kato then we start thinking not only by ourselves with companies who have interest in doing business with us,” Muraoka said The electrolyzer will be travelling in Ispace’s lander an improved version of the company’s first model which took off in 2022 but failed to land on the … Get the best of CNBC Africa sent straight to your inbox with breaking business news insights and updates from experts across the continent Get this delivered to your inbox, and more 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Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes bananas and dragon fruit are just some of the fruit and vegetables that Magalahi Salas and Vincent Salas help to sort at the Sagan Kotturan CHamoru in Tumon on Thursday FOOD SECURITY: Guåhan Sustainable Culture board president Raphael Unpingco prepares vegetables for donation at the Sagan Kotturan CHamoru in Tumon on Thursday executive officers and founders of Guåhan Sustainable Culture sort through vegetables at the Sagan Kotturan Chamoru in Tumon on Thursday and Mali Ujiie bag vegetables at the Sagan Kotturan CHamoru in Tumon on Thursday On Thursday afternoons at the Sagan Kotturan CHamoru Center at Ypao Point Michelle Crisostomo can be found sorting and packing a roomful of produce alongside other members and volunteers of the nonprofit Guåhan Sustainable Culture “Our mission is to promote food security on the island," said Crisostomo "We do that through partnering with other organizations that have a similar mission teaching people how to farm and grow their own food.”  the group has stepped up to help prop up those in need during economic hardship brought by the pandemic through the Sustaining Farmers we have focused a lot of our efforts on supporting the farmers who couldn’t sell their produce and getting that fresh produce out to the local community to families and individuals who might be in need of free produce So we are able to donate to them,” Crisostomo said Each week GSC partners with a different organization to distribute the food to those who need it most One of those organizations is Inadahen I Lina’la'/Kotturan CHamoru which also manages the 9 acres of SKC center Chamorro Land Trust property overlooking Tumon Bay “Agriculture is one of the arts that we would like to capitalize on Farming is very difficult to do if you don’t have a green thumb,” said Raphael Unpingco president of the group whose name translates in English to “Guardians of the life and culture of CHamoru.” With funding from a National Farm to School grant and a Humanities Guåhan CARES Act grant the organization was able donate 900 bags of produce and expand and continue the program into the year A lot of the produce when we first started was going to go to waste," she said "So they were thankful to able to sell that because the restaurants had stopped purchasing from them They feel blessed that we are able to do this so it’s nice to help the farmers and then to also help the community in need.” And for those who would like to buy the produce GSC also offers a Fresh Farm Bags program on Thursdays at SKC Fruits and vegetables can also be purchased separately or by the bundle on their website The organization promotes food sovereignty and greater food security. It also works to educate residents on cultivating their own food, and sustain the island's land, air and seas for future generations. To learn more about how to volunteer with or donate to Guåhan Sustainable Culture, visit: https://gusustainable.org TEAM LEADER: Kana Bangs will lead a talented Guam team competing in the girls 15 to 18 division at the 2019 IMG Academy Junior World Championships in San Diego competes in the 2019 PAL-JGFP Junior Inter-club Golf Championships in Cavite Gutierrez will represent Guam in the 6-and-under division at the 2019 IMG Academy Junior World Championships in San Diego Ujiie is expected to compete at the 2019 Nissan Guam Amateur Golf Championship Sept 1-2 at the Guam International Country Club Sixteen of the top 14 junior golfers from the Guam National Golf Federation will compete in the 2019 IMG Academy Junior World Championships from July 8 to 12 The tournament will be held at courses around San Diego including the beautiful Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla the IMG championships features about 1,500 of the top players nationally and internationally The tournament attracted participants from 56 countries in 2018 said GNGF director of junior golf Mark Nanpei who added that the island’s athletes practice five to six days a week The competition will be pretty intense,” Nanpei told The Guam Daily Post Guam has consistently participated in the IMG Junior World Championships for nearly 20 years affording the island’s junior golfers an opportunity to see how they stack up against the world’s best in their age group This year is no exception with Guam sending boys and girls teams deep in talent and experience to this year’s competition John’s School standout and the 2018 Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam high school golf individual boys top finisher Masaki Ujiie will be joined by Father Duenas Memorial School's Ivan Sablan in the boys 15 to 18 division In addition to honing their respective games the two also serve as mentors and provide leadership for the younger players “These guys are working hard to get better and to compete,” Nanpei said Markus Nanpei and Makenzie Ujiie will compete in the 13 to 14 division this will be Markus Nanpei’s sixth trip to the IMG Junior World Championships “I’m thankful that Guam has the slots available for junior golfers like me to such a prestigious event,” Markus Nanpei said it gives me an opportunity to test myself against the best the world has to offer.” Danny Zheng and Aiden Kang will be teeing up in the 11 to 12 division and Edwin Fenton and Trey Jacot will battle in the boys 9 to 10 division Jacob Ujiie will compete in the boys 7 to 8 division The darling of the tournament might be Alan Gutierrez who will be making his IMG debut in the boys 6-and-under division Mark Nanpei said to keep your eyes on the youngster The girls will be led by rising star Kana Bangs who joins IIAAG’s top finisher Hannah Therrell in the girls 15 to 18 division “Kana obviously knows how to compete at this level and Hannah can shoot low,” Mark Nanpei said Kayley Kang will play in the 13 to 14 division and Tyanna Jacot will participate in the 11 to 12 division Elsa Paulinho will represent Guam in the 10 to 11 division “This is the absolute best tournament for our players to get exposure .. real chance to get scholarships for college,” Mark Nanpei said “This is true competition; these are the best of the best Not many kids have the chance to play against the best competition in the world Photo illustration courtesy of Nate Torres Guam will be sending 11 of its best junior golfers to the 2016 IMG Junior World Golf Championship which will be held in July at various challenging golf courses in San Diego Golfers from 7 to 17 years of age will be competing Brentt Salas and Philip Suhr will represent Guam in the age 15-17 boys division at Torrey Pines South Course and Kalina Sunga will play in the age 15-17 girls division at La Costa Resort Masaki Ujiie and Eduardo Terlaje will play for Guam in the 13-14 boys division All are ranked very high on Guam’s national amateur golf teams and have competed at Junior World many times over the years Ivan Sablan and Yuuki Kubo will be representing Guam in the 11-12 boys division Makenzie Ujiie and Taiyo Tagami will compete for the boys in the 9-10 age bracket and Ray Blas will represent Guam in the 7-8 boy’s division Tyanna Jacot will play in the 7-8 girls division All the players qualified for the championships based on their high rankings and because they won in the qualifying rounds held from Nov Information was provided in a press release SALAS READY FOR ROUND THREE: Brentt Salas gets in some practice time at the Torrey Pines driving range after finishing the first round of the 2017 IMG Academy Junior World Championships Salas shot an 8-over-par 80 during round two IN CHARGE: Brentt Salas putts the ball during a three-day tryout for the Guam National Golf Team held this past weekend at LeoPalace Resort Guam Photo courtesy of the Guam National Golf Federation SALAS GETTING IN SOME PRACTICE TIME: Brentt Salas getting in some practice time at the Torrey Pines driving range after finishing the first round of the 2017 IMG Academy Junior World Championships tied for 14th place at +1 File photo contributed by Guam National Golf Federation Heading into yesterday’s second round of the 2017 IMG Academy Junior World Championships 15-18-year-old division at one stroke over par Guam’s Brentt Salas hoped he would be able to bring back the magic that blessed the teen during day one on the Torrey Pines South Course Salas’ game deserted him a bit but was still able to finish the day with a respectable 8-over-par 80 “Today my game was off in terms of chipping and putting which was surprisingly more difficult compared to yesterday,” Salas wrote through social media Fair and favorable conditions allowed the youngster to play the attacking-style game he had hoped for but consistent play avoided Salas as the sharpshooter finished the day birdie-free which allowed me to play more aggressively,” Salas wrote Salas remained in an 18-way tie for 119th place “Tomorrow’s round will definitely have some pressure now that I know I should improve from today’s play but I’m going to stay positive about it,” wrote Salas who will head into today’s third round with a two-day combined score of 153 the leader after the tournament’s opening round shot an even-par 72 yesterday and dropped one place in a three-way tie for second place with Thailand’s Parathakorn and Sam Choi from Anaheim is the current leader with a two-day 139 total Masaki Ujiie shaved off five strokes from his opening day 15-over 87 to finish round two tied for 200th place with Joshua Pehrson from Kaysville Ujiie did something he was unable to do on Tuesday and that was drop a shot in for a birdie one that he double-bogied just the day before Ujiie carries with him the weight of a 169 two-day total heading into round three Guam’s Krisana Fenton showed the best improvement over her opening day by pitching and putting her way to a 12-over-par 66 on the par-54 Colina Park Golf Course Tuesday’s opening day stymied the youngster but shaved off 20 strokes yesterday and ended round two with seven pars including level pegs on her last four holes Fenton moved up two paces on the leader board to 14th position Having shot a 6-over 78 on day one at The Country Club of Rancho Bernardo Guam’s Kara Bangs continued her consistent ways with a day-two 9-over 81 placed her into a seven-way tie for 91st place Ivan Sablan finished day two with an identical 8-over-par score of 80 which he hit during the tournament’s opening round on the La Costa Resort & Spa - Legends Course Sablan’s two-day 160 total is good enough to place him tied for 123rd with four others Guam’s Yuuki Kubo finished the day on the La Costa Resort & Spa - Legends Course at 24 over par which settled the youngster into sole possession of 155th place Kubo managed to club his way to six pars on the day After her second round at the Bernardo Heights Country Club Kayley Kang hung onto her 94th-place finish with a 114 Kang was able to find some momentum as she shaved off 14 strokes from her first-round 128 total Looking to tackle the Morgan Run Resort and Club - North/South course Markus Nanpei and Makenzie Ujiie looked to shave strokes off their first-day totals and make their way up the leader board Nanpei was able to better his day-one total by a pair of strokes His shot of the day was a birdie on the par-four 9th hole Nanpei’s two-day 168 total placed him in sole possession of 121st place Ujiie struggled to find his rhythm on day two as it took him 10 more shots than round one to complete the course Ujiie’s two-day 186 set him in 135th place On the Sycuan Resort - Oak Glen golf course Guam’s Tyanna Jacot dropped a few places into a two-way tie for 67th place Jacot finished the day with four pars for her 20-over-par 92 She carries a two-day 177 total heading into the third round Guam’s Raymond Blas and Danny Zheng remained consistent with near identical scores from opening day at the Carlton Oaks Country Club notched five pars and will head into today’s third round with a score of 177 Zheng matched his day-one total with another 15-over 89 and brings a 178 score into round three For Zheng’s day’s efforts he moved into a 113th place tie Guam’s Edwin Fenton shot a 24-over 98 on the Sycuan Resort - Oak Glen golf course trimming four strokes from his first-day 102 total For his efforts Fenton moved up one slot to 60th position He doubled his number of pars from the first day with four Brentt Salas competed in the  Boys Division at the 9th Singha Thailand Junior World Golf Championships from Nov extending into the early evening hours in San Diego 13 of Guam’s best and brightest junior golfers competed in the 2017 IMG Academy Junior World Championships “We have a solid Guam National Junior Golf Team this year with lots of experience under their belt We have eight junior players in our team who in the past few years have competed in this highly competitive and prestigious international junior golf tournament constantly working on their golf game and have great winning attitude,” said George Benoit Guam National Golf Federation board member represented the island proudly as he finished the Torrey Pines Golf Course - South Course in a seven-player tie for 14th place Salas drained five birdies and sits just four strokes back of the leader my performance was solid for the most part I'm definitely satisfied with my performance considering the length of the course,” Salas wrote through social media The teen shared his strong mental game helped him power through the tricky situations he encountered during his first round “My main challenges today had to do with my ability to save par in in tough situations from the bunkers and tall rough,” wrote Salas Recognizing that he is going to have to step up his game in round two if he has a chance of catching the leaders “In order for me to reach the top of the leaderboard I really need to put every aspect of my game together and score since the golf course is so demanding I definitely have to improve tomorrow by hitting more greens,” said Salas Salas’s division mate Masaki Ujiie didn’t have as much success as Salas but managed an 87 during his first round on the Torrey Pines course Ujiie managed eight pars on the day including closing out the final three holes with level pegging Salas and Ujiie finished tied with one other team in 11th place Guam kids got the chance to swing away and share the turf with the best junior golfers in the world and after round one the results were mixed In the girls 13-to-14-year-old division Kana Bangs shot an impressive 78 at The Country Club of Rancho Bernardo Out of the 124 other golfers in her division but then faltered a little bit throughout the rest of the day with five bogies and a double bogey Bangs regained her composure on the final hole with her first tournament birdie on a tricky par-5 hole Bangs was one of only 13 players to birdie this last hole the average stroke total on the 18th was 5.40 Bangs said she hopes that this small momentum swing can carry her along and raise her score in today’s second round Ivan Sablan started out his championship run at the La Costa Resort & Spa - Legends Course with an opening hole par but soon ran into trouble with the triple bogey on hole No Sablan struggled throughout the day with a double bogey and four bogies but managed his best effort on the fourth hole with his lone birdie of the day At the end of day one Sablan was placed in a six-way tie for 127th overall but righted the ship with a strong late-round finish Kubo walked off with a birdie on the 17th and an even par on the 18th three strokes ahead of New Mexico’s Peyton Jones Kayley Kang finished round one on the Bernardo Heights Country Club with a 128 for 94th place but managed to slip in a par on the par-3 third hole Playing on the Morgan Run Resort and Club - North/South Markus Nanpei and Makenzie Ujiie shot 85 and 88 Nanpei struggled from his opening swing and finished with 11 holes over par on the day He found his rhythm on the 16th with his first and only birdie on the day Nanpei’s division mate Ujiie also had a rough day on the links with having shot 13 holes over par but Ujiie rifled his tee shot close enough to the pin to claim the hole with two strokes His efforts on the day put him into a tie for 126th place with three others Nanpei finished a few slots better in a five-way tie for 118th place On the Sycuan Resort - Oak Glen golf course Tyanna Jacot showed some true golfing poise with eight pars on the day Jacot’s efforts cement her into a three-way tie for 50th Guam’s Raymond Blas and Danny Zheng finished on the leaderboard right next to each other with Blas hitting an 88 and Zheng an 89 at the Carlton Oaks Country Club Blas finished the day with 11 over-par holes but managed to swing the momentum back into his favor by finishing par on the final three holes he feels the confidence boost as heads into today’s second round Zheng finished the day with having shot 13 holes over par and a handful of even pars Edwin Fenton shot a 102 on the Sycuan Resort - Oak Glen golf course to place the youngster into sole possession of 61st place Krisana Fenton shot an 86 for 16th place at the Colina Park Golf Course Fenton managed two pars on the day when she level pegged on the 11th and 18 holes The youngster finished ahead of Mexico’s Valentina Giles Philippine players Precious Elizabeth Zaragosa and Camilla Isabel Arbatin and Seattle From information gleaned from juniorworldgolf.com website “IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships is the largest international event in the world and is unique for its international representation and cultural diversity The Junior World has enjoyed representation from many countries and territories since 1968 including Japan I definitely have to improve tomorrow by hitting more greens.” Researchers will survey the mechanism behind what caused the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake in a new deep-sea drilling project They hope to shed light on what happened underground as scientists have not been able to answer questions like why the magnitude 9.0 temblor occurred in a different location than expected Deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu will drill about a kilometer into the ocean floor off the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan at a depth of about 7,000 meters to collect stratum samples Researchers are aiming to find out what happened at the fault zone in March 2011 and what is happening there now Project co-chief / I think we will be able to tell whether the plate is starting to accumulate strain toward the next earthquake or whether it is still in a state of having released the strain Chikyu was set to depart Shimizu port in Shizuoka for Pacific waters off northeastern Japan on September 6 for the survey scheduled through December The expedition is a project of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology About Nippon Television Masaki Ujiie will compete in the  Boys 15-17 Age Division at the 9th Singha Thailand Junior World Golf Championships from Nov Kana Bangs will compete in the Girls 13-14 Age Division at the 9th Singha Thailand Junior World Golf Championships from Nov Three of Guam's top junior golfers are facing off with some of Asia's best young golfers this week at the 9th Singha Thailand Junior World Golf Championships Masaki Ujiie and Brentt Salas will compete in the Boys 15-17 Age Division and Kana Bangs will compete in the Girls 13-14 Age Division from Nov “We’ve been very fortunate every year so far that Thailand Golf Association (GTA) has extended an invitation to Team Guam to compete in this prestigious international junior golf championship,” GNGF President George Benoit said “Our three top junior golfers … have a unique opportunity to play against the best junior golfers in Asia We are confident they will do well and GNGF is very proud of our young golfers.” All three golfers earned their top spots in tough weather conditions at two local qualifying rounds at Starts Golf Course They have earned rankings in the IMG Junior World tournaments in San Diego the British Junior World and APGC in Taiwan PARKING LOT: The line at the Department of Revenue and Taxation on Saturday morning snakes through several tents before winding out across the parking lot and back again DRT opened walk-in hours on Saturdays to help accommodate residents some of whom said they can't get an appointment for months HUNDREDS: Some people estimated the line at the Department of Revenue and Taxation on Saturday had nearly 500 people who were hoping to get their driver's licenses DRT opened walk-in hours on June 20 to help accommodate residents who said they can't get an appointment for months people had started lining up at the Department of Revenue and Taxation in hopes of getting their driver's licenses and then bent in a U-shape so that the end of the line was nearly back at the building Rev and Tax employees went down the tail end of the line letting people know that they might not be seen that day and reminding them of the regular hours and the online appointment option and that the office will be open again next Saturday that at one point reminded people to wear their masks and practice social distancing said Rev and Tax would no longer be accepting any more people and his brother were walking out of the line shortly after 8 a.m Lanata was hoping to get a replacement Guam ID for one that was lost For about 30 minutes they waited in a line that barely moved before deciding to try their luck during the week with her son who just recently passed his road test "We're trying to help him get his license so that he can be of more help to our family and be another driver," she said "We just found out that Saturdays was open for walk-ins we just started (moving) five minutes ago." servicing the "senior line" before accommodating the general public from 8 a.m.-4 p.m Walk-in services will be available for the next six Saturdays: June 27 The Saturday hours aim to help residents who need their licenses and IDs but can't book an appointment for months De Luna Ganeb said she understands the whole situation is due to the COVID-19 pandemic but she is hoping officials consider other solutions such as opening the satellite office to help accommodate more people who need their licenses or IDs sooner rather than later A couple of people were already exchanging words getting upset with each other over where the line should be and what direction it should be going Among those under a time crunch were college-bound friends Marc Rajesh and Masaki Ujiie who need to get their full licenses upgraded from intermediate "We just started moving around 8:10 a.m.," Ujiie said but Ujiie said he couldn't get an appointment until late August Rajesh said he couldn't get an appointment until September "That's not an option for me," Rajesh said noting that leaving Guam without a license will likely mean he has to start all over again in New York Ujiie said he doesn't have a car or family in Hawaii to drive him around and help him get his license there if he had to start all over "I was happy when they said they'd open on a Saturday," Ujiie said acknowledging that maybe if he'd tried sooner he would have gotten an earlier appointment I'm just glad we were able to come here today." THE FUN AND COMPETITION: GNGF golfing contingent Masaki Ujiie Trey Jacot and Edwin Fenton pose for a team photo at the 2017 PAL-JGFP Golf Interclub Tournament at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club Late last month the Guam National Golf Federation sent a 10-player contingent of junior link lads and lasses to the Philippines to compete in the 2017 PAL-JGFP Golf Interclub Tournament at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club Having been divided into four different age categories two of the youngsters managed to capture first runner-up in their respective divisions and another two also finished on the podium as second runner-up the first runner-up prizes went to Krisana Fenton (49 124) in the U6 Division 3 and Danny Zheng (38 111) in the Montecillo Players Division for 9- to 10-year old boys Getting the nod for second runner up were Ray Blas (40 109) also in the Montecillo Players Division for 9- to 10-year old boys 126) in the Open Players Division 3 for 7- to 8-year-old girls