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A controversial bill aimed to stimulate investment and boost the economy in Indonesia, called the Omnibus Law Bill, is followed by both protest and support expressed in social media prior to its signatories in October 2020. During that time, the Twittersphere is packed with both the Opposition and Support movement of the bill, who both benefit from the use of hashtags. To distinguish an organic grass-roots movement from a propaganda that fits the agenda of the government and elite, a comparison study is conducted with a framework of top-down and bottom-up- mechanism of information virality (Nahon & Hemsley, 2013). The top-down mechanism combined with participatory propaganda theory is designated to explain the Support movement. Vice versa the bottom-up mechanism is combined with connective action theory designed to explain the Opposition movement as its character in line with a contemporary and digital protest movement (Bennett & Segerberg, 2012). As existing research only often studies both networks alone, this unique case provides an opportunity to compare both networks. A mixed-method of Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Topic Modelling used to differentiate the characteristics of both groups, based on both network structure and topics discussed. The finding in regards to the SNA is corresponding to the theoretical framework and previous studies. The loosely organized nature of connective action is reflected in several characteristics of the Opposition Network, in contrast to the element of coordination found in the Support Network. Findings from bi-term topic modeling, however, both contradict and support the hypothesis that suggests more variations in the topics within the Opposition Network as a result of the self-motivated participant and personalized messages (Leong et al., 2019).

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第23773号 / 医博第4819号 / 新制||医||1057(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 金子 新, 教授 杉田 昌彦, 教授 松田 秀一 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

We examined the relationship between grip strength declines and muscle-tendon responses induced by long-term performance of a high-repetition, low-force (HRLF) reaching task in rats. We hypothesized that grip strength declines would correlate with inflammation, fibrosis and degradation in flexor digitorum muscles and tendons. Grip strength declined after training, and further in weeks 18 and 24, in reach limbs of HRLF rats. Flexor digitorum tissues of reach limbs showed low-grade increases in inflammatory cytokines: IL-1beta after training and in week 18, IL-1alpha in week 18, TNF-alpha and IL-6 after training and in week 24, and IL-10 in week 24, with greater increases in tendons than muscles. Similar cytokine increases were detected in serum with HRLF: IL-1alpha and IL-10 in week 18, and TNF-alpha and IL-6 in week 24. Grip strength correlated inversely with IL-6 in muscles, tendons and serum, and TNF-alpha in muscles and serum. Four fibrogenic proteins, TGFB1, CTGF, PDGFab and PDGFbb, and hydroxyproline, a marker of collagen synthesis, increased in serum in HRLF weeks 18 or 24, concomitant with epitendon thickening, increased muscle and tendon TGFB1 and CTGF. A collagenolytic gelatinase, MMP2, increased by week 18 in serum, tendons and muscles of HRLF rats. Grip strength correlated inversely with TGFB1 in muscles, tendons and serum; with CTGF-immunoreactive fibroblasts in tendons; and with MMP2 in tendons and serum. Thus, motor declines correlated with low-grade systemic and musculotendinous inflammation throughout task performance, and increased fibrogenic and degradative proteins with prolonged task performance. Serum TNF-alpha, IL-6, TGFB1, CTGF and MMP2 may serve as serum biomarkers of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, although further studies in humans are needed. / Biomedical Sciences

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 are both produced and secreted by osteoblasts. Both proteins have been shown to have independent effects in regulating osteoblast proliferation, maturation and mineralization. However, how these two proteins interact during osteoblast differentiation remains unknown. In Chapters 2 and 3, we utilized two cell culture model systems, osteoblasts derived from CTGF knockout (KO) mice and osteoblasts infected with an adenovirus, which over-expresses CTGF (Ad-CTGF), to investigate the effects of CTGF and BMP-2 on osteoblast development and function in vitro. To observe differences in osteoblast maturation and mineralization, we performed alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and activity and alizarin red staining, respectively. Contrary to a previously published report, osteoblast maturation and mineralization were similar in osteogenic cultures derived from KO and wild type (WT) calvaria in the absence of BMP-2 stimulation. Interestingly, in KO and WT osteoblast cultures stimulated with BMP-2, the KO osteoblast cultures exhibited increased alkaline phosphatase staining and activity and had larger, fused nodules stained with alizarin red than WT osteoblast cultures. This increase in osteoblast differentiation was accompanied by increased protein levels of phosphorylated Smad 1/5/8 and mRNA expression levels of bone morphogenetic protein receptor Ib. These data confirm enhanced osteoblast maturation and mineralization in BMP-2 induced KO osteoblast cultures. We also examined osteoblast differentiation in cultures that were infected with Ad-CTGF and in control cultures. Continuous over-expression of CTGF resulted in decreased ALP staining and activity, alizarin red staining, and mRNA expression of osteoblast markers in both unstimulated and BMP-2 stimulated cultures. Impaired osteoblast differentiation in cultures over-expressing CTGF was accompanied by decreased protein levels of phosphorylated Smad 1/5/8. In addition to the functional assays that we performed on WT and KO osteoblast cultures, we performed ChIP assays to investigate differences in binding occupancy of transcription factors on the Runx2 and Osteocalcin promoters in BMP-2 induced WT and KO osteoblast cultures. We demonstrate that in BMP-2 induced WT and KO osteoblast cultures, there was greater Smad 1 and JunB occupancy on the Runx2 promoter and Runx2 occupancy on the Osteocalcin promoter in BMP-2 induced KO osteoblast cultures compared to WT cultures. Collectively, the data demonstrate that CTGF acts to negatively regulate BMP-2 induced signaling and osteoblast differentiation. In Chapter 4, we synthesized an active His-tagged BMP-2 recombinant protein to track surface binding of BMP-2 in CTGF WT and KO osteoblasts. We amplified mature BMP-2 in genomic DNA, which was inserted correctly into a pET-28b(+) vector. We ran a SDS-PAGE gel and stained with Coomassie blue to show that we successfully induced BMP-2 in bacteria cells, extracted the protein using urea, and purified and eluted the protein using Nickel charged agarose beads and imidazole elution buffer. Furthermore, by Western blot analysis using anti-His antibody, we confirmed the presence of the His-tag on the BMP-2 protein. Lastly, ALP staining on osteoblast cultures stimulated with our synthesized BMP-2 exhibited increased staining compared to the unstimulated osteoblast cultures, which confirmed the activity of our His-tagged BMP-2 protein. Future studies utilizing this protein will demonstrate that CTGF acts as an extracellular antagonist by limiting the amount of BMP-2 available for receptor binding. / Cell Biology