Search

The latest version of the SONIC code with the extended thermal force model that is capable to treat collisionality dependence of the force has been applied to the interpretative simulation of L‐mode discharge of JT‐60 U to investigate the impact of kinetic correction of the thermal force on the scrape‐off layer (SOL) plasma properties. As a first attempt, we have selected an L‐mode attached discharge #39090 (Ip = 1.6 MA, Bt = 3.1 T, and PNBI = 4.5 MW), where n‾e$$ {\overline{n}}_e $$ = 2.08 × 1019 m−3, n‾e/nGr$$ {\overline{n}}_e/{n}_{Gr} $$ = 0.392 with deuterium plasmas. It has been found that the peak values of SOL impurity density are reduced by a factor of 2, with the kinetic correction, because the thermal force is reduced by the low collisionality of SOL plasma between the X‐point and the (inner and outer) midplane. On the other hand, the profiles near the divertor plates are unaffected by the kinetic correction due to the highly collisional condition. The kinetic correction is found more pronounced for the higher charge states impurity due to the charge dependence of the parallel impurity force balance. Overall effects due to the kinetic correction on the total impurity radiation and the divertor heat load are confirmed to be a few % in the present discharge condition of JT‐60U. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have different presentations and prognoses. Cluster analysis based on proteomic signatures creates independent phenogroups of patients with different pathophysiological backgrounds. We aimed to identify distinct pathophysiological clusters of RA patients based on circulating proteomic biomarkers. This was a cohort study including 399 RA patients. Clustering was performed on 94 circulating proteins (92 CVDII Olink®, high-sensitivity troponin T, and C-reactive protein). Unsupervised clustering was performed using a partitioning cluster algorithm. The clustering algorithm identified two distinct clusters: cluster 1 (n = 223) and cluster 2 (n = 176). Compared with cluster 1, cluster 2 included older patients with a higher burden of comorbidities (cardiovascular and RA related), more erosive and longer RA duration, more dyspnoea and fatigue, walking a shorter distance in the Six-Minute Walk Test, with more severe diastolic dysfunction, and a 4.5-fold higher risk of death or hospitalization for cardiovascular reasons. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily-related pathways were mainly responsible for the model's discriminative ability. Using unsupervised cluster analysis based on proteomic phenotypes, we identified two clusters of RA patients with distinct biomarkers profiles, clinical characteristics, and different outcomes that could reflect different pathophysiological backgrounds. TNF receptor superfamily-related proteins may be used to distinguish subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a rare case of rupture of a pancreaticoduodenal artery aneurysm after endoscopic sphincterotomy in a patient with median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS). The patient, a 70-year-old woman, underwent the procedure due to acute cholangitis caused by bile duct stones. Although no aneurysm was found before the procedure, a post-procedural CT scan revealed the appearance of a suspected aneurysm, which later ruptured. The article highlights the importance of checking for the presence of MALS before performing endoscopic sphincterotomy and emphasizes the need for diligent post-procedural monitoring. [Extracted from the article]

The toluene solvate crystal of the titled highly congested aromatic ketone-ester compound has been subjected to crystal structural analysis from the viewpoints of the clarification of distribution feature of effective non-classical hydrogen bonds and the retention and perturbation of the symmetric nature. The two independent molecules of the title naphthalene derivative, which bears two aroyl groups at the adjacent inner positions and two benzoyloxy groups at the neighboring β-positions, and one disordered solvent toluene molecule are incorporated in the asymmetric unit of P21/c (Z′= 2). In the packing of the solvate crystal, the solvent toluene molecule plays the multi roles of hydrogen donor/acceptor for C–H...π non-classical hydrogen bonds and hydrogen donor for C–H...O = C ones. On the other hand, the role of other benzene rings of the parts of the title compound molecules is confined. The 4-methylbenzoyl groups situated at the molecular inner positions mainly play the role of the hydrogen donor of C–H...π non-classical hydrogen bond. The benzoyloxy groups that extend outward from the molecular body mainly act as the hydrogen acceptors of C–H...O and C–H...π non-classical hydrogen bonds. The naphthalene ring moderately contributes as the hydrogen acceptor for C–H...π non-classical hydrogen bonds and as the hydrogen donor for C–H...O non-classical hydrogen bonds. The roles of the toluene molecule are not limited to a simple filler for the void among the major constituent molecules but proved to position at the pseudo-centrosymmetric center of the counter-configurated pair of molecules of the independent major component compounds to concentrate the effective non-classical hydrogen bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mapping of available water–ice is a crucial step in the lunar exploration missions. Ground penetrating radars have the potential to map the subsurface structure and the existence of water–ice in terms of the electromagnetic properties, specifically, the permittivity. Slight differences in permittivity can be significantly important when applied in a dry environment, such as on the Moon and Mars. The capability of detecting a small fraction of putative water–ice depends on the permittivity changes in terms of its dependent parameters, such as the frequency, the temperature, the porosity, and the chemical composition. Our work aims at mitigating false detection or overlooking of water–ce by considering their conditions that previous researches did not cover. We measured the permittivity of different lunar regolith relevant analogue samples with a fixed 40 % porosity in the ultra-high-frequency–super-high-frequency band. We used the coaxial probe method to measure anorthosite, basalt, dunite and ilmenite at 20 ∘ C , - 20 ∘ C and - 60 ∘ C , and we find that, at - 60 ∘ C , the permittivity decreases about 6–18 % compared with the values at 20 ∘ C . Within this temperature range, the permittivity is quite similar to the permittivity of water–ice. We find that the conventional calculation would overestimate the permittivity in the low temperature areas, such as the permanently shadowed regions. We also find that each component in the lunar regolith has different temperature-dependent permittivity, which might be important for radar data analysis to detect lunar polar water–ice. Our results also suggest that it should be possible to estimate the water–ice content from radar measurements at different temperatures given an appropriate method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A gas puff imaging system has been developed to measure edge fluctuations in large helical device. The optical system splits the image of the plasma into four wavelengths, Hα/Dα (656 nm), HeI (1s2p–1s3d; 587.6; 1s2p–1s3d, 667.8; and 1s2p–1s3s, 706.5 nm), enabling simultaneous measurement of the spatial distribution of line ratios of He I. The image of the plasma is amplified with an image intensifier and recorded with a fast-framing camera. The measurement area has a diameter of 20 cm just outside of the last closed flux surface. The spatial resolution of the optical system is about 3 mm, and the frame rate is 100 kHz for acquisition of the four wavelength images. Signal-to-noise ratio is evaluated for the system, and further improvement is discussed. Clear images are obtained for all wavelengths and a slightly different pattern is recognized, depending on the wavelength. A singular value decomposition analysis can decompose the image clearly to one perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic field lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An approach to implement a heat flux limit (HFL) in a plasma model is proposed. The HFL arises if the mean free path length of the heat carrying electrons, λh, significantly exceeds the characteristic length of the temperature variation, LT. For λ h ≫ L T , the heat flux becomes nearly independent of the temperature gradient, in contrast to the case of λ h ≪ L T where it is gradient dependent. As a result, by going from λ h ≪ L T to λ h ≫ L T , the order of the heat balance equation changes and the method proposed allows a reliable integration of this equation in these limits, as well as for λ h ∼ L T . By solving a set of one-dimensional fluid equations for particle, momentum, and heat balance numerically, the importance of the HFL for fusion relevant conditions is demonstrated for plasma parameter profiles at the edge of the heliotron Large Helical Device and detachment conditions in helium plasmas of the linear device NAGDIS-II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The internal strain distribution developing during plastic deformation is important for understanding the mechanical properties of polycrystalline materials. Such distributions may be determined by the microstructural feature tracking method. However, the strain accuracy and the sources of uncertainty of this method are not well quantified yet. Objective: Evaluate the accuracy of local strain determination based on laboratory-based multimodal X-ray tomography measurements. Methods: The plastic deformation behavior of a particle-contained fully recrystallized Al-4mass%Cu alloy was characterized during in-situ tensile testing using absorption contrast tomography to reveal marker particles and diffraction contrast tomography to reveal the grain structure. Results: It was found that the accuracy in strain measurement is inversely proportional to the particle distance, whereas it is independent of the particle size, and the accuracy is not biased by grain boundaries. As an illustrative example, the preliminary analysis of the microstructure-strain relationships reveals significant strain differences both between and within individual grains. Conclusions: The results document the validity and limitations of the microstructural feature tracking method for local strain measurements using a laboratory X-ray source, are of importance for local strain analysis in general and may be considered as an alternative to other methods, e.g. digital image correlation. The measurements allow evaluation of effects of the grain microstructure on the local strain development during plastic deformation. By a preliminary analysis of the strain difference between two selected grains, it is suggested that the grain shape and crystallographic relationships between neighboring grains are of importance for the development of local strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the analysis of the UHF (401 MHz) plasma-induced communications blackout (and brownout) experienced by the Mars InSight spacecraft during its entry, descent, and landing (EDL) phase into the Martian atmosphere on 26 November 2018. The UHF relay links from InSight to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and to the Mars Cube One A and Mars Cube One B CubeSats suffered a period of about 52 s of degradation, consisting of a combination of brownout (signal fades) and blackout (complete loss of signal). The observed signal fades and outages on these proximity links spanned the interval from about 48 to 100 s after entry started at the atmospheric interface. In addition, the degradation of the weaker signal received at the Green Bank, West Virginia 100 m radio telescope is also discussed, which occurred from about 40 to 120 s after atmospheric entry. The observations were in agreement with existing models of signal degradation given the entry trajectory of the vehicle. This paper discusses model estimates and measurements of signal degradation during the peak heating phase of the InSight EDL, as well as the results of high-fidelity analysis performed using computational fluid dynamics tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SnTe (1 0 0) single-domain thin films have been previously grown on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy but obtaining excellent crystallinity can be difficult. In this paper, ZnTe buffer layers are introduced to improve the crystallinity of SnTe films. The effects of the molecular beam flux ratio (J Te / J Sn) and growth temperature (T g) on the crystallinity are investigated to achieve high-quality layers. The surface morphology and electrical properties of the SnTe thin films are also evaluated in addition to the conventional X-ray diffraction (XRD)measurements. The crystallographic properties of the grown samples are shown to be significantly improved by introducing a ZnTe buffer layer. XRD (θ –2 θ) full width at half maximum of the lowest value obtained so far is about 0.14°. It is also found that lowering J Te / J Sn to 0.6 results in a reduced growth rate, and an increased growth temperature (T g = 220 °C) promotes the migration of atoms at the growth front. Both effects contribute to improvement in the crystallographic quality, including the layer surface smoothness. The cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy observation of the sample indicates the abrupt interface formation with different lattice structures. It is also found that low growth temperatures (below 200 °C) are not favorable for the SnTe layer growth, which is confirmed by the surface morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the electronic structure of Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticles, which have been reported to show ferromagnetism at room temperature, by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, resonant photoemission spectroscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). From the experimental and cluster-model calculation results, we find that Fe atoms are predominantly in the Fe3+ ionic state with mixture of a small amount of Fe2+ and that Fe3+ ions are dominant in the surface region of the nanoparticles. It is shown that the room temperature ferromagnetism in the Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticles primarily originated from the antiferromagnetic coupling between unequal amounts of Fe3+ ions occupying two sets of nonequivalent positions in the region of the XMCD probing depth of ∼2–3 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic structure of the oxide semiconductor ZnO has been investigated using soft x-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). The obtained band dispersions within the kx-ky planes reflect the symmetry of the Brillouin zone and show no surface-state-derived flat bands. Band dispersions along the kz direction have also been observed. The obtained band dispersions qualitatively agree with band-structure calculations except for the bandwidth. The observations provide experimental evidence that soft x-ray ARPES enables us to study the bulk band structure of semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internal structure of heat insulator materials, which were built by mixing micrometer-size α-alumina with nanometer-size fumed alumina though changing their mixture ratios, was inspected using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) tomography and synchrotron radiation nano-tomography. The heat insulator samples formed by two kinds of alumina phase have high porosity that consist of hierarchical structures of nanometer and micrometer size. From TEM observation, it is found that the porosity was 90.7% in the aggregate of fumed alumina with an average particle diameter of 35 nm whilst the average pore size was 70–80 nm. From observation of synchrotron radiation nano-tomography, it is found that α-alumina particles distribute homogeneously in samples that have fumed alumina phase of more than 50 mass%. The effect of internal microstructure on heat insulator properties were considered by performing a simple heat transfer simulation using image based models prepared from synchrotron radiation nano-tomography images. Similar changes in heat transfer with the experiment were obtained by the simulation. Therefore, it is suggested that the change of heat transfer depending on a mixture ratio of α-alumina and fumed alumina is mainly caused by the internal microstructure, that is, the distribution and connectivity of α-alumina phase within fumed alumina phase. Unlabelled Image • 3D structure of a heat insulator produced with micro and nano particle alumina was characterized by TEM-CT and nano-CT. • Image-based simulation built from CT images was performed to reveal the effect of microstructures on thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being the simplest case in the three-body problem, the motion of a test particle in the field of two fixed bodies was first considered by Euler in 1760. In celestial mechanics, it represents the motion of a spacecraft that is attracted by two celestial bodies fixed in space and do not influence each other. The motion of the spacecraft is influenced by the gravitational forces of these two fixed bodies. Although the scenario of having two centers fixed in inertial space is not practical, some orbits could be applied in actual missions. This paper considers the above situation with a focus on closed orbits around a body such as a dumbbell-shaped asteroid or a binary body. The aim of this study is to demonstrate a robust method to obtain these orbits. Two types of conceivable motion around two fixed bodies are considered: an elliptic orbital motion and an 8-shaped motion. This paper analyzes the characteristics of these motions, where the mass ratio of the celestial bodies and the distance between them are taken as parameters. • The motion of the spacecraft around two inertially-fixed bodies is considered. • A closed orbit of the spacecraft with a rotation number of one is focused. • The conditions required for the lemniscate and planetary motion are elucidated. • Various orbits are systematically obtained by determining a certain parameter. • The analytically obtained orbits are validated by numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a description and analyses of NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) high-rate Ka-band downlink system for the upcoming NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NISAR is a collaborative Earth-Science mission between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which features an L-band SAR instrument and an S-band SAR instrument. The simultaneous dual-frequency radar system at peak rates will produce data at gigabit-per-second speeds, which drives the data-volume requirements. The key driving requirement for the Payload Communication Subsystem is to provide a minimum of 35 Terabits per day of radar science data to the ground. NASA's high-rate transmitter on the flight system is a software-defined radio based on the Universal Space Transponder platform, providing an offset quadrature phase shift key modulated waveform with Low-Density Parity Check encoding of the data transfer frames. Two transmitters used in a dual-polarization configuration with each transmitter providing two giga-symbols per second (Gsps) of coded data provides an aggregate rate of four Gsps. In this system, using the ISRO-provided 70-cm high-gain antenna, only 1 W of signal power is necessary on each polarization to overcome propagation losses and achieve a successful RF link. Several Near Earth Network (NEN) ground station sites (Alaska in the United States, Svalbard in Norway, and Punta Arenas in Chile) are baselined for the space-to-Earth communications link. Each ground station will also feature multiple upgrades to support NISAR's transmission starting with new Ka-band antennas, and new electronic units such as wideband downconverters and high-rate receivers. In addition, a baseband data processor called Data Acquisition Processor and Handling Network Environment (DAPHNE), newly developed by the NEN, provides data storage and connectivity to backhaul networks. With NISAR's unprecedented large volume of data (nearly 5 Petabytes over the mission duration), a cloud system enables science data processing cost reduction to the mission. The NASA downlink system described herein will be the first operational use of Gsps-class downlink rates on an Earth-Science mission. • Description of Ka-band downlink system to support 35 Terabits per day of data • Discussion of ground infrastructure updates to support high-rate/volume downlinks • Link degradation contributors from Ka-band atmospheric propagation effects • Demonstrate large link margin to proposed ground stations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We have developed a gating foil for the time projection chamber envisaged as a central tracker for the international linear collider experiment. It has a structure similar to the Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) with a higher optical aperture ratio and functions as an ion gate without gas amplification. The transmission rate for electrons was measured in a counting mode for a wide range of the voltages applied across the foil using an 55Fe source and a laser in the absence of a magnetic field. The blocking power of the foil against positive ions was estimated from the electron transmissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on a study which examined the nonalloyed ohmic contact to p-type gallium arsenide from the 2DEG-heterojunction bipolar transistor emitter electrode application point of view. Epitaxial layer structures of gallium arsenide; Description of the transmission line method device; Thermal stability of gallium arsenide.

Examines the volume dependence of the x-ray Debye temperature in aluminum with high-energy synchroton radiation. Way to avoid the intrinsic anharmonic effects and the influence of the energy shift for the Bragg diffraction; Use of chromel-alumel thermocouple; Measurement of the integrated intensity of a powder sample.

The physical and electronic properties of poly(isothianaphthene) PITN, are reported, including initial characterization, electrochemical cyclic voltammetry, spectroscopy, and transport properties. PITN has the smallest energy gap of any known conjugated organic polymer, Eg[bar_over_tilde:_approx._equal_to]1 eV. This novel conjugated polymer exhibits reversible chemical and electrochemical p-type doping with an associated high contrast color change. After doping, thin films of PITN have very low optical density in the visible portion of the spectrum. Thus, PITN is the first example of a transparent highly conducting polymer (σ∼50 Ω-1 cm-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercially pure Ti grade 2 was multi-directionally forged (MDFed) at room temperature. MDFing could be successfully carried out without any cracking to a cumulative strain of ΣΔε = 2.0. Ultrafine-grained (UFGed) structure gradually developed with increasing cumulative strain mainly by mechanical twinning and kinking. An average grain size of approximately 400 nm was attained. The mechanical properties were drastically modified by the grain refinement and a superior balance of tensile strength and ductility, 710 MPa and 21%, was achieved. Additional cold rolling of the UFGed Ti possessed further better mechanical properties of 930 MPa tensile strength and 19% ductility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport properties of edge plasma and carbon impurity in the stochastic layer of the Large Helical Device (LHD) have been studied with the three-dimensional edge transport code EMC3-EIRENE. The recent development of computational meshes, which store the magnetic configurations, has been used to carry out the studies of the impact of the magnetic field structure on the edge plasma and impurity transport in the stochastic layer. The horizontal variation of the magnetic axis position (R ax ) from 3.60 m to 3.90 m leads to more open flux channels connecting to the divertor and thus a stronger particle exhaust on the target, which results in a higher erosion of divertor target. Furthermore, the outboard divertor target plates suffer from the stronger erosion compared to the inboard divertor target plates for R ax = 3.90 m, which is in contrast to the case of R ax = 3.60 m. It is also found that the stronger CIV line emission is obtained at the outboard X-point region when the magnetic axis location moves outwards horizontally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel electronic properties emerging at interfaces between transition metal oxides, and in particular the discovery of conductivity in heterostructures composed of LaAlO 3 (LAO) and SrTiO 3 (STO) band insulators, have generated new challenges and opportunities in condensed matter physics. Although the interface conductivity is stabilized when LAO matches or exceeds a critical thickness of 4 unit cells (uc), other phenomena such as a universal metallic state found on the bare surface of STO single crystals and persistent photon-triggered conductivity in otherwise insulating STO-based interfaces raise important questions about the role of the LAO overlayer and the possible relations between vacuum/STO and LAO/STO interfaces. Here, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) on in situ prepared samples complemented by resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS), we study how the metallic STO surface state evolves during the growth of a crystalline LAO overlayer. In all the studied samples, the character of the conduction bands, their carrier densities, the Ti 3+ crystal field, and the response to photon irradiation bear strong similarities. Nevertheless, we report here that studied LAO/STO interfaces exhibit an instability toward an apparent 2 × 1 folding of the Fermi surface at and above a 4 uc thickness threshold, which distinguishes these heterostructures from bare STO and sub-critical-thickness LAO/STO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The difference of the three-dimensional morphology of eutectic Si particles has been investigated in Al-7mass%Si cast alloys changing trace P and Sr contents by means of synchrotron radiation nano-tomography with Zernike phase plate. Fibrous Si morphology aligning in the same direction is observed in Al-7mass%Si-2ppmP alloy. Si particles in Al-7mass%Si-8ppmP-42ppmSr are not only of a plate-like morphology but also a coral-like and a fibrous morphology. All of the Si particles have either a fibrous morphology or a coral-like morphology in Al-7mass%Si-9ppmP-277ppmSr. It is realized that a solidification sequence affected by trace P and Sr contents changes the three-dimensional morphology of Si particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stainless steels were cold rolled to 92% reduction. The microstructure developed in a stable austenitic stainless steel was complicated heterogeneous nanostructure composed of lamellar-twin domains, shear bands and low-angle lamellar boundaries. Cold-rolled duplex stainless steel, however, exhibited more complicated and mixed microstructure where ferritic lamellar and the heterogeneous nanostructure of austenite were alternatively stacked. The heavily cold-rolled stainless steels followed by ageing exhibited marvelous high tensile strength over 2.6 GPa perpendicular to the rolling direction, although around 2 GPa along the rolling direction. Even while such high strength, moderate plastic elongation over 5% was attained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A space-resolved visible spectrometer system has been developed for two-dimensional (2D) distribution measurements of hydrogen and impurity emission spectra and of plasma flow in the edge stochastic layer of Large Helical Device (LHD). Astigmatism of the spectrometer has been suppressed by introducing additional toroidal and spherical mirrors. A good focal image at the exit slit is realized in a wide wavelength range (75 nm) as well as in a wide slit height direction (26 mm) with a 300 grooves/mm grating. The capability of the spectrometer optical system for the 2D measurement and further possible improvements are discussed in detail. An optical fiber array of 130 channels with a lens unit is used to spatially resolve the edge plasma into different magnetic field structure components: divertor strike points, divertor legs, X-point of the legs, the stochastic layer, and the last closed flux surface. With a 300 grooves/mm grating, the 2D distributions of several hydrogen and impurity line emissions are simultaneously obtained with absolute intensities. A clear correlation is obtained between the magnetic field structure and the emission intensity. With a 2400 grooves/mm grating with a good spectral resolution (0.03 nm/pixel), the 2D distributions of impurity flow velocity are obtained from the Doppler shift measurement. The wavelength position is accurately calibrated by investigating the wavelength dispersion as well as by correcting a mechanical error of the optical setting in the spectrometer. The uncertainty in the velocity is reduced to less than 10% of a typical impurity velocity ~104 m/s. A temporal change in the flow directions is observed at different spatial locations in divertor detachment plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a novel technique for the measurement of the avalanche fluctuation of gaseous detectors using a UV laser. The technique is simple and requires a short data-taking time of about ten minutes. Furthermore, it is applicable for relatively low gas gains. Our experimental setup as well as the measurement principle, and the results obtained with a stack of Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) operated in several gas mixtures are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine malignant melanoma ( CMM) is a highly aggressive and fatal neoplasm. To identify potential therapeutic compounds and/or targets, 320 compounds were screened for their growth inhibitory activity in a CMM line ( CMM-1) using a chemical library known to target specific signaling pathways/cell growth-related molecules. Among the compounds screened, the F1Fo ATPase inhibitor oligomycin showed potent growth inhibitory effects in CMM-1 cells, while exhibiting less toxic effects in a non-neoplastic control cell line ( MDCK cells). The growth inhibitory effect of oligomycin A was then examined using six CMM lines and MDCK cells. Three CMM lines were highly sensitive to oligomycin A, with around 3000-20 000 times lower IC50 compared with oligomycin A-resistant CMM lines and MDCK cells. Oligomycin A-sensitive CMM-1 cells exhibited much greater oligomycin A-induced decreases in cellular ATP compared to oligomycin A-resistant cell lines. Although the oligomycins are clinically unsuitable because of its in vivo toxicity, these findings implicate the potential of F1Fo ATPase as a therapeutic target in a subset of CMM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Caco-2 cells and our previously developed high-performance liquid chromatography method for quantification of purine bases, nucleosides, and nucleotides, we evaluated cellular purine transport and uptake. The analytes were separated using YMC-Triart C18 column with gradient elution. We used Caco-2 cells as intestinal model cells and monitored purine transport across a monolayer for 2 h. The degree of change of purine concentrations in the permeate was very slight; however, it was possible to simultaneously determine these parameters for all purines because of our method's high sensitivity. In the present study, the purine bases (adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, and xanthine) showed a relatively high permeability as compared with the nucleosides (adenosine, guanosine, inosine, and xanthosine). Increased concentration of metabolites in the permeate was also observed following the addition of purines. In a cell uptake assay, both the cell culture medium (extracellular) and the cells extracted from Caco-2 with acetonitrile:water (7:3) (intracellular) were measured. The additional nucleoside did not increase significantly within the cells. On the other hand, we observed that nucleotide, such as ATP, increased in the cell in a time-dependent manner following the addition of nucleoside. The additional nucleosides were considered to be rather recycled via the salvage pathway than metabolized to purine bases and/or uric acid in the cell. Such differences might have affected the increase in the serum uric acid levels depending on purine form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the magneto-optical (MO) polar Kerr enhancement of Fabry–Pérot cavities with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for chemical and biological sensing applications. The MO cavities consist of stacked films with a half-mirrored surface layer, a dielectric interference layer, a total-reflection mirror, and a magnetic metal layer. Co80Pt20 and Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films were utilized as the magnetic and interference layers, respectively. The cavities produce two types of MO enhancement depending on the thickness of the magnetic layer. The sample with a thick magnetic layer as a total-reflection mirror generates a single peak in the polar Kerr spectrum. Contrarily, inserting a several-nanometer-thick CoPt layer into the AZO layer produces a resonant-type spectrum. Although both samples generate large MO enhancement factors (>50), the magnetic properties significantly differ. The AZO/CoPt/AZO interference layer controls the crystalline and interface conditions and produces a square-shaped out-of-plane hysteresis loop with a large Kerr rotation angle. Moreover, the use of an ultrathin CoPt film significantly reduces the saturation magnetization field. Thus, Fabry–Pérot cavities with a CoPt/AZO interference layer may serve as high-sensitivity, low-energy-consumption sensor elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignant hyperthermia is a life-threatening condition caused by autosomal dominant mutations in the ryanodine receptor type 1 gene. Identifying patients predisposed to malignant hyperthermia is done through the Ca-induced Ca release test in Japan. We examined the intracellular calcium concentration in human cultured muscle cells and compared the sensitivity of myotubes to ryanodine receptor type 1 activators based on the Ca-induced Ca release rate. We assessed the utility of this method as an identifying test for predisposition to malignant hyperthermia. Muscle specimens were obtained from 34 individuals undergoing the Ca-induced Ca release test. We cultured myotubes from residual material and monitored changes in intracellular calcium concentration after exposure to the ryanodine receptor type 1 activators caffeine, halothane and 4-chloro-m-cresol by measuring fura-2 fluorescence. We determined the half maximal effective concentrations (EC50) for the test compounds in each myotube and calculated cut-off points using receiver operating characteristic curves. Seventeen patients each were classified into the accelerated and non-accelerated groups based on their Ca-induced Ca release rate. The EC50 values for caffeine, halothane and 4-chloro-m-cresol of the accelerated group were significant lower than those of the non-accelerated group (P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). The calculated cut-off points of EC50 values for caffeine, halothane and 4-CmC were 3.62 mM, 2.28 mM and 197 microM, respectively. An increased sensitivity to ryanodine receptor type 1 activators was seen in myotubes in the accelerated group. This functional test on human cultured myotubes indicates that the alteration of their intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis may identify the predisposition to malignant hyperthermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association between fruit and vegetable access in the community and change in fruit and vegetable consumption among participants in community-based health promotion programmes.Design: Fruit and vegetable consumption and perceived access to fresh fruit and vegetables were measured by self-administered questionnaires at programme start, end and 1-year follow-up. Community produce availability was determined by grocery store assessments measuring the display space devoted to fruit and vegetable offerings, as well as price, variety and freshness. A total of nine communities were studied; 130 participants completed the fruit and vegetable portions of the questionnaires and could be linked to grocery store assessments.Results: Participants made modest but significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption from programme start to end: the average increase was 2.88 (95% CI 1.52, 4.25) servings weekly; the average increase from start to follow-up was 2.52 (95% CI 1.09, 3.95) servings weekly. Greater perceived access to fruits and vegetables was significantly associated with higher increases in fruit and vegetable consumption from programme start to programme end. Greater availability of produce was associated with greater increases in fruit and vegetable servings from programme start to programme end as measured by store assessments.Conclusions: Environmental factors, such as access to fruits and vegetables, can modify the effects of community interventions. Interventions with the goal of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption should consider focusing on increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables in target communities. Similarly, researchers may want to study access as an intervention, not just a contextual variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport properties and line emissions of the intrinsic carbon in the stochastic layer of the Large Helical Device have been investigated with the three-dimensional edge transport code EMC3-EIRENE. The simulations of impurity transport and emissivity have been performed to study the dedicated experiment in which the carbon emission distributions are measured by a space-resolved EUV spectrometer system. A discrepancy of the CIV impurity emission between the measurement and simulation is obtained, which is studied with the variation of the ion thermal force, friction force and the perpendicular diffusivity in the impurity transport model. An enhanced ion thermal force or a reduced friction force in the modelling can increase the CIV impurity emission at the inboard X-point region. Furthermore, the impact of the perpendicular diffusivity Dimp is studied which shows that the CIV impurity emission pattern is very sensitive to Dimp. It is found that the simulation results with the increased Dimp tend to be closer to the experimental observation. (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dualism of the hydration water in seven foods was visualized, focusing on both water diffusivity (De, m2s−1) and apparent molecular mobility (T2, relaxation time, s). On the pre-exponential factor (δDe0) of De, the compensation effects between ln(δDe0) and the activation energy (ED) of De demonstrated the difference in the water diffusion mechanisms among the foods. On the values of T2 at the self-organized temperature (1/T) of hydration water, it yielded a common compensation effect between ln(T2) and the activation energy (ESO) of self-organization, demonstrating a common self-organization mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we review recent progress in angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) studies of the Mott-Hubbard-type correlated electron systems SrVO 3 . It has the d 1 electron configuration and is an ideal model compound to study electron correlation effects in normal metal. ARPES studies of bulk single-crystal SrVO 3 and CaVO 3 have revealed the difference in the mass renormalization of electrons between them. In - situ ARPES studies of thin films fabricated by the pulsed laser deposition method have clarified not only quasi-particle dispersions, which show a kink like high- T c cuprates, but also finite dispersions in the incoherent part. Self-energy in a wide energy range has been deduced from the ARPES spectral weight using Kramers–Kronig transformation. The obtained self-energy has several structures which yield the incoherent feature and a pseudogap-like dip similar to the high- T c cuprates. Quantum-well states in ultrathin films of SrVO 3 have revealed sub-bands with correlated electrons. These findings of electron correlation effects outlined in the present article would provide a starting point not only for fundamental condensed-matter physics but also for the development of new devices with correlated electrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied turbulent coagulation rates of well-characterized carboxyl-terminated latex particles as a function of pH at different KCl concentrations. The negative charge of the studied particles increases and thus develops the electrical double layer repulsion with increasing pH. The pH-dependent coagulation rate was analyzed on the basis of the trajectory analysis with the Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek theory using the solution of non-linear Poisson–Boltzmann (PB) equation under the charge regulation boundary condition, in which the electrostatic boundary conditions such as surface potential depends on surface separation distance. It should be noted that this is the first attempt to compare the calculated results with the experimental data of the effect of surface charge on turbulent coagulation rates. The calculation using the trajectory analysis can well describe the experimental data. However, to obtain the good agreement between the experimental data and the calculation, we need to decrease the Hamaker constant A H with increasing KCl concentration. The dependence of A H on salt concentration is probably ascribed to the fact that the origin of the van der Waals attraction is essentially electrostatic dipole–dipole interaction between molecules. That is, we consider that the van der Waals attraction is increasingly screened by the charge of ions with increasing salt concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a novel technique for the measurement of the size of avalanche fluctuations of gaseous detectors using a gating device (gating foil) prepared for the time projection chamber in the international linear collider experiment (ILD-TPC). In addition to the gating function, the gating foil is capable of controlling the average fraction of drift electrons detected after gas amplification. The signal charge width and shape (skewness) for electron–ion pairs created by a pulsed UV laser as a function of the transmission rate of the gating foil can be used to determine the relative variance of gas gain for single electrons. We present the measurement principle and the result obtained using a stack of gas electron multipliers (GEMs) operated in a gas mixture of Ar-C F 4 (3%)-isobutane (2%) at atmospheric pressure. Also discussed is the influence of the avalanche fluctuations on the spatial resolution of the ILD-TPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]