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Expression of alpha-synuclein (Syn), a presynaptic neuronal protein, was immunohistochemically examined in intact rat submandibular, sublingual, and lingual glands. The submandibular gland contained abundant periductal Syn-immunoreactive (-ir) nerve fibers. Abundant Syn-ir varicosities were present in acini of the sublingual and serous lingual glands. By confocal laser scanning microscopy, Syn-ir nerve fibers around smooth muscle actin (SMA)-ir cells alone were infrequent; however, those around aquaporin-5 (AQP5)-ir cells alone and both SMA- and AQP5-ir cells were abundant in the sublingual and serous lingual glands. SMA-ir cells were occasionally immunoreactive for toll-like receptor 4, a Syn receptor. Syn-ir nerve fibers contained tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the submandibular gland and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in all examined salivary glands. In the superior cervical (SCG), submandibular, and intralingual ganglia, sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons co-expressed Syn with TH and ChAT, respectively. SCG neurons innervating the submandibular gland contained mostly Syn. In the thoracic spinal cord, 14.7% of ChAT-ir preganglionic sympathetic neurons co-expressed Syn. In the superior salivatory nucleus, preganglionic parasympathetic neurons projecting to the lingual nerve co-expressed Syn and ChAT. The present findings indicate that released Syn acts on myoepithelial cells. Syn in pre- and post-ganglionic neurons may regulate neurotransmitter release and salivary volume and composition., (© 2024 American Association for Anatomy.)

Fine-particle bombardment (FPB) is typically used to modify metal surfaces by bombarding them with fine particles at high speed. FPB is not a coating technique but is used for forming microscale concavities and convexities on a surface. Previously, we reported that an FPB-treated surface showed antibacterial effects; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesized that the pitch size of concavity and convexity, and irregular microscale pattern of FPB-treated surfaces might contribute to the antibacterial performance. In this study, we applied FPB to stainless-steel surfaces and evaluated the antibacterial effects of the FPB-treated surfaces based on ISO 22,196:2007. The FPB-treated surfaces exhibited antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli , with an antibacterial activity value (R) of two or more. Furthermore, our experiments suggest that the antibacterial mechanism of the FPB-treated surface can be attributed to increased oxidative stress in bacteria owing to physical stress from the rough surface. The antibacterial effect of FPB-treated surfaces offers an effective measure against drug-resistant bacteria., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by National Institute for Materials Science in partnership with Taylor & Francis Group.)

Long-term monitoring and treatment of landfill leachate (LFL) and landfill gas (LFG) is required until landfilled municipal solid waste (MSW) is sufficiently stabilized and post-closure care can be terminated. Monitoring data of methane (CH 4 ) emissions in LFG from a marine landfill over 30 years were compared with the IPCC first order decay (FOD) model estimates. The observed changes in CH 4 showed a similar attenuation trend to the estimates, but the observed CH 4 emissions were only about 30% of the estimate over 30 years; LFL is considered to be another pathway for organic carbon to be released to the environment, but the total organic carbon in discharged LFL was only about 0.2% of CH 4 carbon in LFG emission over the same period. The increase in the CO 2 /CH 4 ratio in LFG over time suggests that the discrepancy between estimated and observed emissions is due to methane oxidation in the overlying soil, in addition to the high coefficient values used in the FOD model. Total organic carbon (TOC) in LFL discharged as effluent reached a maximum value in the early stages of the landfill and gradually decreased, but only to about one-third of the maximum value after more than 30 years and a decrease in the amount of effluent. As incineration of MSW is expected to reduce organic carbon and nitrogen, the CH 4 reduction effect of incineration of business and household waste and sewage sludge was investigated using FOD model estimates.

Fast ions play a crucial role in plasma heating, and their behavior in the plasma must be accurately understood. A diagnostics method based on charge exchange emission from the n = 4 - 3 transition (λ0 = 468.6 nm) of energetic 3He produced by the deuteron-deuteron reaction has been proposed as a for fast deuterons with energies in the order of MeV. The proposed method has the following advantages: No beam emission interferes with the spectra, the direction of the measuring line of sight, and the injection angle of the diagnostic beam can be freely determined. In previous studies, due to competing bremsstrahlung, it was expected that the proposed method will not be practical in the case of high electron density operation. This paper makes the proposed method available for measurement even at high electron densities by optimizing the measurement line of sight direction and the diagnostic beam incidence angle. This allows an electron density five times larger than the range of applications shown in previous studies. This result will contribute to measure of DT alpha in ITER., (© 2023 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

This study evaluated the diagnostic value of a rapid whole-body fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approach, combining Bayesian penalised likelihood (BPL) PET with an optimised β value and abbreviated MRI (abb-MRI). The study compares the diagnostic performance of this approach with the standard PET/MRI that utilises ordered subsets expectation maximisation (OSEM) PET and standard MRI (std-MRI). The optimal β value was determined by evaluating the noise-equivalent count (NEC) phantom, background variability, contrast recovery, recovery coefficient, and visual scores (VS) for OSEM and BPL with β100-1000 at 2.5-, 1.5-, and 1.0-min scans, respectively. Clinical evaluations were conducted for NEC patient , NEC density , liver signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), lesion maximum standardised uptake value, lesion signal-to-background ratio, lesion SNR, and VS in 49 patients. The diagnostic performance of BPL/abb-MRI was retrospectively assessed for lesion detection and differentiation in 156 patients using VS. The optimal β values were β600 for a 1.5-min scan and β700 for a 1.0-min scan. BPL/abb-MRI at these β values was equivalent to OSEM/std-MRI for a 2.5-min scan. By combining BPL with optimal β and abb-MRI, rapid whole-body PET/MRI could be achieved in ≤1.5 min per bed position, while maintaining comparable diagnostic performance to standard PET/MRI., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Fine particle bombarding (FPB) is typically utilized to modify metal surfaces by bombarding them with fine particles at high-speed. The diameters of the particles range from several to tens of micrometers. FPB forms fine microscale concavities and convexities on a surface. As FPB-treated surfaces are widely used in the food industry, the influence of bacteria on their surface must be considered. In this study, we examined the antibacterial activity of microscale rough surfaces formed by FPB. We applied FPB to a stainless-steel surface and evaluated the antibacterial effect of FPB-treated surfaces based on JIS Z 2801 (a modified test method from ISO 22196:2007). Our results indicated that the FPB-treated surfaces (FPB-1 (avg. pitch: 0.72 µm) and FPB-2 (avg. pitch: 3.56 µm)) exhibited antibacterial activity both against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Alpha-synuclein (Syn), an unfolded soluble cytosolic protein, is known as a disease-associated protein in the brain. However, little is known about distribution of this protein in the peripheral nervous system. In this study, expression of Syn was investigated in the sensory ganglia of the cranial nerves V, IX and X., Methods: To analyze distribution of Syn and its co-expression with calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) or the transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1), immunohistochemical techniques were used in the rat cranial sensory ganglia and their peripheral tissues., Results: Syn-immunoreactive (-ir) neurons were abundant in the sensory ganglia of the petrosal (56.7%), jugular (28.3%) and nodose ganglia (82.5%). These neurons had small to medium-sized cell bodies (petrosal, mean ± S.D. = 667.4 ± 310.8 μ m 2 ; jugular, 625.1 ± 318.4 μ m 2 ; nodose, 708.3 ± 248.3 μ m 2 ), and were distributed throughout the ganglia. However, the trigeminal ganglion was mostly free of Syn-ir neurons. By double and triple immunofluorescence staining, Syn-ir neurons co-expressed CGRP and TRPV1 in the petrosal and jugular ganglia. Syn-immunoreactivity was expressed by nerve fibers in the epithelium and taste bud of oral and cervical viscerae. These nerve fibers were abundant in the naso-pharynx, epiglottis and laryngeal vestibule. Some taste bud cells were also immunoreactive for Syn. In addition, Syn-ir nerve fibers were detected in the vicinity of macrophages, dendritic cells and Langerhans cells., Conclusions: Syn was abundant in the visceral sensory neurons but not in somatic sensory neurons. This protein may play a role in nociceptive and chemosensory transduction in the glossopharyngeal and vagal sensory ganglia. It is possible that Syn has a function about the immune mechanism of the upper air way., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The fast deuteron (non-Maxwellian component) diagnostic method, which is based on the higher resolution optical spectroscopic measurement, has been developed as a powerful tool. Owing to a decrease in the D-H charge-exchange cross section, the diagnostic ability of conventional optical diagnostic methods should be improved for ∼MeV energy deuterons. Because the 3 He-H charge-exchange cross section is much larger than that of D-H in the ∼MeV energy range, the visible light (VIS) spectrum of 3 He produced by the dueteron-dueteron (DD) reaction may be a useful tool. Although the density of 3 He is small because it is produced via the DD reaction, improvement of the emissivity of the VIS spectrum of 3 He can be expected by using a high-energy beam. We evaluate the VIS spectrum of 3 He for the cases when a fast deuteron tail is formed and not formed in the ITER-like beam injected deuterium plasma. Even when the beam energy is in the MeV energy range, a large change appears in the half width at half maximum of the VIS spectrum. The emissivity of the VIS spectrum of 3 He and the emissivity of bremsstrahlung are compared, and the measurable VIS spectrum is obtained. It is shown that the VIS spectrum of 3 He is a useful tool for the MeV beam deuteron tail diagnostics.

Purpose: For whole-breast irradiation after breast-conserving surgery, computed tomography simulation (CTS) and irradiation are generally performed during free breathing. In treatment planning, there are three techniques: field-in-field (FIF), physical wedge (PW), and enhanced dynamic wedge (EDW). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of respiratory motion on doses for these three irradiation techniques., Methods: All doses were measured using an ionization chamber in a cylindrical phantom on a respiratory motion platform. Doses for each technique were measured with and without phantom motion. The dose without phantom motion was defined as the reference. The reference was compared to the dose with the phantom motion. The positions of the isocenter with respect to the ranges of phantom motion were set as exhale and intermediate. The phantom motion amplitude was set to 5 mm or 10 mm. The respiratory phase to initiate irradiation was varied as inhale, intermediate-inhale, exhale and intermediate-exhale., Results: When the motion amplitude was 10 mm, the dose differences for the FIF, PW, and EDW techniques were 4.2%, 0.5%, and 0.8%, respectively, at the maximum. However, the dose difference for the FIF technique was -0.5% when the isocenter position was set to the intermediate phase of phantom motion., Conclusion: We found that the dose difference per fraction was reduced when the respiratory phase during CTS image acquisition was set to the intermediate phase. Meanwhile, the dose differences per fraction for the PW and EDW techniques were less affected by the respiratory motion.

Materials and structures of a collimator for a new neutron emission profile monitor in JT-60SA are examined through Monte Carlo simulations using the Monte Carlo N-Particle transport code. First, the shielding properties of various material combinations are compared in order to determine a combination with high shielding performances against both neutrons and gamma-rays. It is found that a collimator consisting of borated polyethylene and lead has a high shielding performance against neutrons. Moreover, a high shielding performance against gamma-rays is obtained when a lead pipe with a radial thickness of 0.01 m is inserted into a collimation tube. Second, we demonstrate that it is possible to improve the spatial resolution to a desired level by installing a thin tubular extension structure that fits into the limited space available between the main collimator block and the tokamak device. Finally, the collimator structures that meet both the targeted spatial resolutions (<10% of the plasma minor radius) and the targeted counting rate (10 5 cps order) are discussed.

Time-resolved triton burnup studies have been carried out to estimate the behavior of alpha particles in DD fusion experimental devices. In those studies, 14 MeV neutrons emitted through DT reactions in DD plasmas should be measured selectively in the backgrounds of DD neutrons and gamma rays. For this purpose, a scintillating-fiber (Sci-Fi) based fast-neutron detector has been adapted because of its advantages such as fast response, design flexibility in detection efficiency by changing the number of Sci-Fi, and discrimination property against 2.4 MeV neutrons produced through DD reactions and gamma rays. However, its length had conventionally been set to around 10 cm without an optimization study of its design parameters to meet the requirements as 14 MeV neutron detector. In the present study, we tested three types of Sci-Fi detectors with three different lengths and compared with the simulated results of energy deposition, through which we tried to understand the phenomena in the detection process of fast neutrons. From the results, it has been shown that, due to the self-shielding of neutrons by Sci-Fi and the attenuation of scintillation photons during the transmission process to the photomultiplier tube, the optimal length of Sci-Fi is concluded to be about 6 cm.

In the currently performed neutral beam (NB) -heated deuterium plasma experiments, neutrons are mainly produced by a beam-plasma reaction. Therefore, time-resolved measurement of the neutron emission profile can enhance the understanding of the classical and/or anomalous transport of beam ions. To measure radial neutron emission profiles as a function of time, the vertical neutron camera (VNC) capable of operation with a counting rate in the MHz range was newly installed on the Large Helical Device (LHD). This is the world's first neutron camera for stellarator/heliotron devices. The VNC consists of a multichannel collimator, eleven fast-neutron detectors, and the digital-signal-processing-based data acquisition system (DAQ). The multichannel collimator having little cross talk was made from hematite-doped heavy concrete, which has a high shielding performance against both neutrons and gamma-rays. A stilbene crystal coupled with a photomultiplier having high-gain-stability in the high-count rate regime was utilized as a fast-neutron scintillation detector because it has a high neutron-gamma discrimination capability at high count rates. The DAQ system equipped with a field programmable logic controller was developed to obtain the waveform acquired with a 1 GHz sampling rate and the shaping parameter of each pulse simultaneously at up to 10 6 cps (counts per second). Neutron emission profiles were successfully obtained in the first deuterium campaign of LHD in 2017. The neutron emission profile was measured in tangentially co-injected NB-heated plasma with different magnetic axes ( R ax ). The neutron counts became larger in the inward-shifted configuration, which was consistent with the total neutron rate measured by the neutron flux monitor. The radial peak position of the line-integrated neutron profile which changed according to R ax showed that the VNC worked successfully as designed. The VNC demonstrated the expected performance conducive to extending energetic-particle physics studies in LHD.

The behavior of the 1 MeV triton has been studied in order to understand the alpha particle confinement property in the deuterium operation of toroidal fusion devices. To obtain time evolution of the deuterium-tritium (D-T) neutron emission rate where the secondary DT neutron emission rate is approximately 10 12 n/s, we designed two high detection efficiency scintillating fiber (Sci-Fi) detectors: a 1 mm-diameter scintillation fiber-based detector Sci-Fi1 and a 2 mm-diameter scintillation fiber-based detector Sci-Fi2. The test in an accelerator-based neutron generator was performed. The result shows that the directionality of each detector is 15° and 25°, respectively. It is found that detection efficiency for DT neutrons is around 0.23 counts/n cm 2 for the Sci-Fi1 detector and is around 1.0 counts/n cm 2 for the Sci-Fi2 detector.

In time-resolved measurement for triton burnup in Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) deuterium plasmas, an NE213 liquid scintillation detector was installed and operated during the 2017 KSTAR campaign. The detector is composed of an NE213 scintillator (50 mm in diameter and 10 mm in thickness) and a photomultiplier tube (PMT). The PMT anode signal was processed under a data acquisition system which contains a field programmable gate array circuit and pulse processing software that is capable of discriminating gamma-ray and neutron pulse signals. In order to determine an appropriate threshold level for the 14 MeV neutron signal resulting from triton burnup, the NE213 scintillation detector was calibrated by using d-d and d-t neutron generators at the National Fusion Research Institute and Intense 14 MeV Neutron Source Facility, OKTAVIAN, Osaka University, Japan. The detector was installed on KSTAR with a 10 mm thick soft-iron stray magnetic field shield and a radiation shield which consists of 100 mm thick lead blocks and 200 mm thick borated polyethylene blocks. A discrimination range for d-t neutron was determined based on test results from neutron generators and KSTAR. Data points selected from the discrimination range were consistent with the classical triton confinement characteristics. In conclusion, under condition of an input counting rate of 1.9 × 10 5 counts per second (CPS), the detector is able to measure triton burnup signals up to 500 CPS for various plasma parameters.

Two scintillating fiber (Sci-Fi) detectors have been operated in the first deuterium plasma campaign of the Large Helical Device in order to investigate the time evolution of the triton burnup through secondary 14 MeV neutron measurement. Two detectors use scintillating fibers of 1 mm diameter embedded in an aluminum matrix with a length of 10 cm connected to the magnetic field resistant photomultiplier. A detector with 91 fibers was developed in the Los Alamos National Laboratory and has been employed on JT-60U. Another detector with 109 fibers has been developed in the National Institute for Fusion Science. The signals are fed into a discriminator of 300 MHz bandwidth with a pulse counter module for online measurement and a digitizer of 1 GHz sampling with 14 bits to acquire pulse shape information for offline data analysis. The triton burnup ratio has been evaluated shot-by-shot by the 14 MeV neutron measurement of Sci-Fi detectors which are calibrated by using the neutron activation system and the total neutron measurement of the neutron flux monitor using 235 U fission chambers.

In radiotherapy planning, CT images are widely used to delineate the gross tumor volume (GTV) and the organs at risks (OARs), which allows for the calculation of the dose distribution to each structure. The delineated contours of the GTV and OARs may become inaccurate, and subsequently result in the inaccurate derivation of the dose distribution, if there are metal artifacts present in the CT image. The metal artifact reduction technique, single energy metal artifact reduction (SEMAR), installed on the CT system (Aquilion ONE TM Vision Edition, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation) could potentially reduce metal artifacts. Therefore, we investigated whether SEMAR can improve the accuracy of delineation, and subsequently the dosimetric accuracy, in the treatment planning process. Using an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin phantom (RT-3000-New, R-Tech. Inc, Tokyo, Japan), titanium bars were inserted on both the left and right sides, and four types of electron density inserts (rods) were separately inserted in the middle. The electron densities of the rods were 0.90, 0.96, 1.07, and 1.09. After CT images were acquired, SEMAR-ON (when applying the SEMAR correction) images were generated. On both SEMAR-ON and SEMAR-OFF (when not applying the SEMAR correction) images, the rod contours were delineated automatically, using a CT value threshold. This threshold was selected so that the area of the automatically delineated contour was 615.4 mm 2 . The difference in the contour area of SEMAR-ON, SEMAR-OFF, and no metal artifact images were compared using the dice coefficient. When SEMAR was used, the dice coefficient improved by 57.4%. Therefore, SEMAR was considered to be useful in improving the accuracy of GTV and OAR delineation.

In situ calibration of the neutron activation system on the Large Helical Device (LHD) was performed by using an intense 252 Cf neutron source. To simulate a ring-shaped neutron source, we installed a railway inside the LHD vacuum vessel and made a train loaded with the 252 Cf source run along a typical magnetic axis position. Three activation capsules loaded with thirty pieces of indium foils stacked with total mass of approximately 18 g were prepared. Each capsule was irradiated over 15 h while the train was circulating. The activation response coefficient (9.4 ± 1.2) × 10 -8 of 115 In(n, n') 115m In reaction obtained from the experiment is in good agreement with results from three-dimensional neutron transport calculations using the Monte Carlo neutron transport simulation code 6. The activation response coefficients of 2.45 MeV birth neutron and secondary 14.1 MeV neutron from deuterium plasma were evaluated from the activation response coefficient obtained in this calibration experiment with results from three-dimensional neutron calculations using the Monte Carlo neutron transport simulation code 6.

We have developed a compact fast neutron camera based on a stack of nuclear emulsion plates and a pinhole collimator. The camera was installed at J-port of Korea superconducting tokamak advanced research at National Fusion Research Institute, Republic of Korea. Fast neutron images agreed better with calculated ones based on Monte Carlo neutron simulation using the uniform distribution of Deuterium-Deuterium (DD) neutron source in a torus of 40 cm radius.

A fast time response, wide dynamic range neutron flux monitor has been developed toward the LHD deuterium operation by using leading-edge signal processing technologies providing maximum counting rate up to ∼5 × 10(9) counts/s. Because a maximum total neutron emission rate over 1 × 10(16) n/s is predicted in neutral beam-heated LHD plasmas, fast response and wide dynamic range capabilities of the system are essential. Preliminary tests have demonstrated successful performance as a wide dynamic range monitor along the design.

We present a comprehensive study of the synthesis, heat capacity, crystal structures, UV-vis-NIR and mid-IR spectra, DFT calculations, and magnetic and electrical properties of a one-dimensional (1D) rhodium(I)-semiquinonato complex, [Rh(3,6-DBSQ-4,5-(MeO)2)(CO)2]∞ (3), where 3,6-DBSQ-4,5-(MeO)2(•-) represents 3,6-di-tert-butyl-4,5-dimethoxy-1,2-benzosemiquinonato radical anion. The compound 3 comprises neutral 1D chains of complex molecules stacked in a staggered arrangement with short Rh-Rh distances of 3.0796(4) and 3.1045(4) Å at 226 K and exhibits unprecedented bistable multifunctionality with respect to its magnetic and conductive properties in the temperature range of 228-207 K. The observed bistability results from the thermal hysteresis across a first-order phase transition, and the transition accompanies the exchange of the interchain C-H···O hydrogen-bond partners between the semiquinonato ligands. The strong overlaps of the complex molecules lead to unusually strong ferromagnetic interactions in the low-temperature (LT) phase. Furthermore, the magnetic interactions in the 1D chain drastically change from strongly ferromagnetic in the LT phase to antiferromagnetic in the room-temperature (RT) phase with hysteresis. In addition, the compound 3 exhibits long-range antiferromagnetic ordering between the ferromagnetic chains and spontaneous magnetization because of spin canting (canted antiferromagnetism) at a transition temperature T(N) of 14.2 K. The electrical conductivity of 3 at 300 K is 4.8 × 10(-4) S cm(-1), which is relatively high despite Rh not being in a mixed-valence state. The temperature dependence of electrical resistivity also exhibits a clear hysteresis across the first-order phase transition. Furthermore, the ferromagnetic LT phase can be easily stabilized up to RT by the application of a relatively weak applied pressure of 1.4 kbar, which reflects the bistable characteristics and demonstrates the simultaneous control of multifunctionality through external perturbation.

Uranium is one of the most important metal resources, and the technology for the recovery of uranyl ions (UO22+) from aqueous solutions is required to ensure a semi-permanent supply of uranium. The NikR protein is a Ni2+-dependent transcriptional repressor of the nickel-ion uptake system in Escherichia coli, but its mutant protein (NikRm) is able to selectively bind uranyl ions in the interface of the two monomers. In this study, NikRm protein with ability to adsorb uranyl ions was displayed on the cell surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To perform the binding of metal ions in the interface of the two monomers, two metal-binding domains (MBDs) of NikRm were tandemly fused via linker peptides and displayed on the yeast cell surface by fusion with the cell wall-anchoring domain of yeast α-agglutinin. The NikRm-MBD-displaying yeast cells with particular linker lengths showed the enhanced adsorption of uranyl ions in comparison to the control strain. By treating cells with citrate buffer (pH 4.3), the uranyl ions adsorbed on the cell surface were recovered. Our results indicate that the adsorption system by yeast cells displaying tandemly fused MBDs of NikRm is effective for simple and concentrated recovery of uranyl ions, as well as adsorption of uranyl ions.

Anderson's crocodile newt (Echinotriton andersoni) is distributed in the Central Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan, but environmental degradation and illegal collection over the last several decades have devastated the local populations. It has therefore been listed as a class B1 endangered species in the IUCN Red List, indicating that it is at high risk of extinction in the wild. The species is also protected by law in both Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures. An artificial insemination technique using hormonal injections could not be applied to the breeding of this species in the laboratory. In this study we naturally bred the species, and tested a laboratory farming technique using several male and female E. andersoni pairs collected from Okinawa, Amami, and Tokunoshima Islands and subsequently maintained in near-biotopic breeding cages. Among 378 eggs derived from 17 females, 319 (84.4%) became normal tailbud embryos, 274 (72.5%) hatched normally, 213 (56.3%) metamorphosed normally, and 141 (37.3%) became normal two-month-old newts; in addition, 77 one- to three-year-old Tokunoshima newts and 32 Amami larvae are currently still growing normally. Over the last five breeding seasons, eggs were laid in-cage on slopes near the waterfront. Larvae were raised in nets maintained in a temperature-controlled water bath at 20 °C and fed live Tubifex. Metamorphosed newts were transferred to plastic containers containing wet sponges kept in a temperature-controlled incubator at 22.5 °C and fed a cricket diet to promote healthy growth. This is the first published report of successfully propagating an endangered species by using breeding cages in a laboratory setting for captive breeding. Our findings on the natural breeding and raising of larvae and adults are useful in breeding this endangered species and can be applied to the preservation of other similarly wild and endangered species such as E. chinhaiensis.

By cell surface display of ModE protein that is a transcriptional regulator of operons involved in the molybdenum metabolism in Escherichia coli, we have constructed a molybdate-binding yeast (Nishitani et al., Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 86:641-648, 2010). In this study, the binding specificity of the molybdate-binding domain of the ModE protein displayed on yeast cell surface was improved by substituting the amino acids involved in oxyanion binding with other amino acids. Although the displayed S126T, R128E, and T163S mutant proteins adsorbed neither molybdate nor tungstate, the displayed ModE mutant protein (T163Y) abolished only molybdate adsorption, exhibiting the specific adsorption of tungstate. The specificity of the displayed ModE mutant protein (T163Y) for tungstate was increased by approximately 9.31-fold compared to the displayed wild-type ModE protein at pH 5.4. Therefore, the strategy of protein design and its cell surface display is effective for the molecular breeding of bioadsorbents with metal-specific adsorption ability based on a single species of microorganism without isolation from nature.

Crocodile newts, which constitute the genera Echinotriton and Tylototriton, are known as living fossils, and these genera comprise many endangered species. To identify mitochondrial (mt) genes suitable for future population genetic analyses for endangered taxa, we determined the complete nucleotide sequences of the mt genomes of the Japanese crocodile newt Echinotriton andersoni and Himalayan crocodile newt Tylototriton verrucosus. Although the control region (CR) is known as the most variable mtDNA region in many animal taxa, the CRs of crocodile newts are highly conservative. Rather, the genes of NADH dehydrogenase subunits and ATPase subunit 6 were found to have high sequence divergences and to be usable for population genetics studies. To estimate the inter-population divergence ages of E. andersoni endemic to the Ryukyu Islands, we performed molecular dating analysis using whole and partial mt genomic data. The estimated divergence ages of the inter-island individuals are older than the paleogeographic segmentation ages of the islands, suggesting that the lineage splits of E. andersoni populations were not caused by vicariant events. Our phylogenetic analysis with partial mt sequence data also suggests the existence of at least two more undescribed species in the genus Tylototriton. We also found unusual repeat sequences containing the 3' region of cytochrome apoenzyme b gene, whole tRNA-Thr gene, and a noncoding region (the T-P noncoding region characteristic in caudate mtDNAs) from T. verrucosus mtDNA. Similar repeat sequences were found in two other Tylototriton species. The Tylototriton taxa with the repeats become a monophyletic group, indicating a single origin of the repeat sequences. The intra-and inter-specific comparisons of the repeat sequences suggest the occurrences of homologous recombination-based concerted evolution among the repeat sequences.

A 55-year-old woman presented with heavy proteinuria (6.2 g/day) in April 2007. Because monoclonal IgG-k was detected in serum and urine samples, bone marrow aspiration and renal biopsy were performed. She was diagnosed with plasma cell dyscrasia because a bone marrow aspiration specimen showed plasma cells at 6.1%. Renal tissues revealed the formation of nodular glomerulosclerosis which was negative for Congo-red staining. Renal immunohistochemistry showed positive staining for kappa light chains in the nodular lesions, proximal tubules and part of Bowman's capsules. Her renal involvement was diagnosed as light chain deposition disease. Proteinuria disappeared and renal function stabilized after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. It appears that an early initiation of active therapy such as high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation may be beneficial for patients with light chain deposition disease.

Background: Fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4/A-FABP/aP2), a lipid chaperone, is expressed in both adipocytes and macrophages. Recent studies have shown that FABP4 is secreted from adipocytes and that FABP4 level is associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis. However, little is known about the impact of FABP4 concentrations on prognosis. We tested the hypothesis that FABP4 level predicts prognosis of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a group at high risk for atherosclerosis-associated morbidity and mortality., Methods and Results: Biochemical markers including FABP4 were determined in 61 ESRD patients on chronic hemodialysis (HD). Serum FABP4 level in females (404.2±30.5 ng/ml) was significantly higher than that in males (315.8±30.0 ng/ml), and the levels in ESRD patients were about 20-times higher than those in age-, gender- and body mass index (BMI)-matched control subjects with normal renal function. FABP4 level was decreased by 57.2% after HD and was positively correlated with blood pressure, BMI, and levels of lipids and insulin. Multiple regression analysis indicated that HD duration, BMI, and triglycerides level were independent determinants for FABP4 level. ESRD patients with high FABP4 levels had higher cardiovascular mortality during the 7-year follow-up period. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that logarithmically transformed FABP4 level was an independent predictor of cardiovascular death adjusted for age, gender, HD duration, BMI, and triglycerides level (hazard ratio, 7.75; 95% CI, 1.05-25.31)., Conclusion: These findings suggest that FABP4 level, being related to adiposity and metabolic disorders, is a novel predictor of cardiovascular mortality in ESRD.

Microfission chambers (MFCs) will measure the total neutron source strength in ITER. The MFCs will be installed behind blanket modules in the vacuum vessel (VV). Triaxial mineral insulated (MI) cables will carry signals from the MFCs. The joint connecting triaxial MI cables in the VV must be considered because the MFCs and the MI cables will be installed separately at different times. Vacuum tight triaxial connector of the MI cable has been designed and a prototype has been constructed. Performance tests indicate that the connector can be applied to the ITER environment. A small bending-radius test of the MI cable indicates no observed damage at a curvature radius of 100 mm.

In modern industrial society, molybdenum is one of the important metals for development of the industry of rare metals. It is important to recycle the rare metals from wastes because they are technically and economically difficult to be dug and be purified, and they exist in only a few regions in the world. In this study, ModE protein derived from Escherichia coli, which is a molybdate-dependent transcriptional regulator with the ability to bind molybdate as a form of soluble molybdenum, was displayed on the yeast cell surface by alpha-agglutinin-based cell surface display system for the adsorption and recovery of molybdate. Displayed ModE, confirmed by immunofluorescence labeling, caught molybdate more preferably at pH 3.0 than at basic pH. Yeast cells displaying C-terminal domain of ModE, which lacks N-terminal DNA binding domain, more effectively adsorbed molybdate than those displaying full-length ModE, suggesting that the deletion of the domain unrelated to metal binding enhanced the binding ability. Our results indicated that the adsorption system on cell surface of yeast cells displaying ModE is effective not only for adsorption of molybdate as a rare metal bioadsorbent but also for the easy recovery of molybdate located on the cell surface.

We have conducted calibrations of a microfission chamber, which was installed between the vacuum vessel and the toroidal field coils, by both a Cf-252 neutron source and real deuterium plasmas in JT-60U. The detector employs both pulse counting and Campbell (mean square voltage) modes in the electronics to cover a wide dynamic range of the neutron source strength. The pulse counting and Campbell modes were calibrated by Cf-252 and deuterium plasmas, respectively. Point efficiencies, counts per neutron from a point at a single angle, were measured for 27 locations of the neutron point source in toroidal scan. The efficiencies were influenced by the various components such as the vacuum vessel, port, and graphite tiles. The point efficiencies can be integrated and averaged with angle to provide toroidal line efficiencies. The line efficiencies of the microfission chamber and the nearest neutron monitor of the U-235 fission chamber were 5.38x10(-9) and 1.77x10(-8), respectively. Then the calibration for the Campbell mode was also performed by using a real deuterium plasma. The detection efficiency in the Campbell mode was about three-tenths of that of the nearest neutron monitor, which is consistent with the calibration result obtained by using a Cf-252 neutron source for pulse counting mode.

Microfission chambers (MFCs) are one of the most important diagnostics for measuring neutron source strength in ITER. Using MFCs for high-power operations (fusion power of 100 kW-1 GW) and for low-power operations (<100 kW) in combination is one way to fulfill the target measurement requirements of ITER. The MFCs for high-power operations will be installed behind blanket modules in both the upper and lower outboard regions of the vacuum vessel so as to be insensitive to changes in the position of the plasma. For low-power operations, one possible location of MFCs is inside the equatorial (EQ) port. The effect of streaming neutrons and of changes in the position of the plasma on the responses of MFCs is estimated based on a neutron Monte Carlo calculation using the MCNP Version 5 code. Results suggest that the effect of streaming neutrons should be taken into account if the MFCs for high-power operations are installed closer than 20 cm to the gap between blanket modules. It has also been found for MFCs of low-power operations that the averaged output of the MFCs installed at the top and bottom of the EQ port is sensitive to horizontal plasma shifts but not to vertical shifts. This finding suggests that corrections based on the position of the plasma center will be needed for the absolute measurement of neutron source strength.

All-optical manipulation of signals carried by lightwaves is attractive because controlling the light directly can be more efficient, allows a multitude of signal formats, and can also prove most cost effective. We implemented a novel scheme for ultrafast optical switching using very small control energy that relies on the use of a saturated fiber-optic parametric amplifier. Approximately 19 aJ (150 photons) of control pulse energy was needed for 50% extinction of the signal which is three to four orders of magnitude smaller than in other all-optical switching demonstrations. This allows the consideration of novel practical approaches to implement all-optical switching devices and all-optical subsystems for telecommunications and other applications.

An all-optical M-ary amplitude shift keying (ASK) signal demultiplexer is proposed and demonstrated. It allowed us to seamlessly demultiplex a high bit-rate optical M-ary ASK signal into on-off keying (OOK) signals without O/E conversion. It is composed of multilevel thresholding using self-frequency shift and OOK signal generation using optical interconnection. A level identification signal is provided as a result of multilevel thresholding and it is fed to an optical interconnection circuit which can generate corresponding OOK signals. We demonstrate the quadrature ASK signal demultiplexing at 100 Gsymbol/s and its error free operation at 10 Gb/s.

Aims: In this study, dose-response of the serum potassium-lowering effect of a calcium polystyrene sulfonate (PS) preparation was investigated. Changes in the serum potassium level were also examined with or without application of a RAAS inhibitor, which is said to increase the serum potassium level., Subjects and Methods: 23 patients diagnosed to have hyperkalemia associated with chronic renal failure were enrolled in this study. The study drug, a PS-Ca jelly preparation (Argamate jelly), was started at a daily dose of 1 preparation (5 g as PS-Ca), and the dose was increased by 1 preparation every month to finally reach 3 preparations per day. Blood samples were collected once a month and serum levels of creatinine and electrolytes were measured., Results: PS-Ca jelly decreased serum potassium levels in a dose-dependent manner. Decreases were 0.67 mEq/l at 5 g of PS-Ca/day, 1.06 mEq/l at 10 g/d, and 1.33 mEq/l at 15 g/d. Irrespective of the use of the RAAS inhibitor, serum potassium levels decreased significantly in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, no major change in serum creatinine levels occurred in subjects in which the RAAS inhibitor was used, although in subjects in which the RAAS inhibitor was not used, serum creatinine level tended to gradually increase., Conclusion: Serum potassium levels were reduced in a dose-dependent manner by administration of 5-15 g/d of PS-Ca, and it appeared that together with control of serum potassium levels, renal function should be maintained by continuous administration of RAAS inhibitor.

We propose and demonstrate an optical coding scheme using optical interconnection for a photonic analog-to-digital conversion. It allows us to convert a multi-power level signal into a multiple-bit binary code so as to detect it in a bit-parallel format by binary photodiode array. The proposed optical coding is executed after optical quantization using self-frequency shift. Optical interconnection based on a binary conversion table generates a multiple-bit binary code by appropriate allocation of a level identification signal which is provided as a result of optical quantization. Experimental results show that 8-levels analog pulses are converted into 3-bit parallel binary codes.

Pseudomonas cichoriiid-tagatose 3-epimerase (P. cichoriid-TE) can efficiently catalyze the epimerization of not only d-tagatose to d-sorbose, but also d-fructose to d-psicose, and is used for the production of d-psicose from d-fructose. The crystal structures of P. cichoriid-TE alone and in complexes with d-tagatose and d-fructose were determined at resolutions of 1.79, 2.28, and 2.06 A, respectively. A subunit of P. cichoriid-TE adopts a (beta/alpha)(8) barrel structure, and a metal ion (Mn(2+)) found in the active site is coordinated by Glu152, Asp185, His211, and Glu246 at the end of the beta-barrel. P. cichoriid-TE forms a stable dimer to give a favorable accessible surface for substrate binding on the front side of the dimer. The simulated omit map indicates that O2 and O3 of d-tagatose and/or d-fructose coordinate Mn(2+), and that C3-O3 is located between carboxyl groups of Glu152 and Glu246, supporting the previously proposed mechanism of deprotonation/protonation at C3 by two Glu residues. Although the electron density is poor at the 4-, 5-, and 6-positions of the substrates, substrate-enzyme interactions can be deduced from the significant electron density at O6. The O6 possibly interacts with Cys66 via hydrogen bonding, whereas O4 and O5 in d-tagatose and O4 in d-fructose do not undergo hydrogen bonding to the enzyme and are in a hydrophobic environment created by Phe7, Trp15, Trp113, and Phe248. Due to the lack of specific interactions between the enzyme and its substrates at the 4- and 5-positions, P. cichoriid-TE loosely recognizes substrates in this region, allowing it to efficiently catalyze the epimerization of d-tagatose and d-fructose (C4 epimer of d-tagatose) as well. Furthermore, a C3-O3 proton-exchange mechanism for P. cichoriid-TE is suggested by X-ray structural analysis, providing a clear explanation for the regulation of the ionization state of Glu152 and Glu246.

D-Tagatose 3-epimerase (D-TE) from Pseudomonas cichorii catalyzes the epimerization of various ketohexoses at the C3 position. The epimerization of D-psicose has not been reported with epimerases other than P. cichorii D-TE and D-psicose 3-epimerase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Recombinant P. cichorii D-TE has been purified and crystallized. Crystals of P. cichorii D-TE were obtained by the sitting-drop method at room temperature. The crystal belongs to the monoclinic space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 76.80, b = 94.92, c = 91.73 A, beta = 102.82 degrees . Diffraction data were collected to 2.5 A resolution. The asymmetric unit is expected to contain four molecules.

The stilbene neutron detector which has been used for neutron emission profile monitoring in JT-60U has been improved, to respond to the requirement to observe the high-frequency phenomena in megahertz region such as toroidicity-induced Alfvén Eigen mode in burning plasma as well as the spatial profile and the energy spectrum. This high-frequency phenomenon is of great interest and one of the key issues in plasma physics in recent years. To achieve a fast response in the stilbene detector, a Flash-ADC is applied and the wave form of the anode signal stored directly, and neutron/gamma discrimination was carried out via software with a new scheme for data acquisition mode to extend the count rate limit to MHz region from 1.3 x 10(5) neutron/s in the past, and confirmed the adequacy of the method.

Background: Patients on chronic hemodialysis are likely to develop secondary hyperoxalemia. It is, however, difficult to measure plasma oxalate levels. To measure plasma oxalate levels, rapid plasma separation, deproteinization, and acidification are essential in preventing the formation of oxalate and the deposition of calcium oxalate within the test tube. The present study was undertaken to examine whether the oxalate level in dialyzer ultrafiltrate is potentially useful for estimating plasma oxalate levels., Methods: In nine patients on chronic hemodialysis, the plasma, after deproteinization with a filter, and the ultrafiltrate from the dialyzer before hemodialysis were acidified to a pH level of less than 3, followed by the measurement of oxalate levels by ion chromatography. Also, oxalate levels were compared between acidified and non-acidified ultrafiltrates from the dialyzer. In the second part of the study, seven patients on chronic hemodialysis receiving erythropoietin therapy, in whom the ferritin level was more than 300 ng/ml and transferrin saturation was less than 25%, were intravenously administered ascorbic acid, 100 mg, three times a week, after each dialysis session to facilitate the utilization of stored iron. This treatment was continued until the serum ferritin level decreased to a level below 300 ng/ml (for 3 months, at a maximum). The oxalate level in the dialyzer ultrafiltrate after this treatment was compared with that before treatment., Results: The mean +/- SE oxalate level in the dialyzer ultrafiltrate was 45 +/- 6 micromol/l, essentially equal to the plasma oxalate level (46 +/- 7 micromol/l). The plasma oxalate level had a significant positive correlation with the dialyzer ultrafiltrate oxalate level (plasma oxalate level = 0.99 x dialyzer ultrafiltrate oxalate level + 1.5; r = 0.95; P < 0.0001). The oxalate level in the acidified ultrafiltrate (45 +/- 6 micromol/l) did not differ significantly from that in the non-acidified ultrafiltrate (45 +/- 6 micromol/l). The mean +/- SE duration of ascorbic acid administration was 64 +/- 13 days. The hemoglobin level remained unchanged at 9.6 +/- 0.4 g/dl, whereas the serum iron level increased significantly, from 34 +/- 2 microg/dl to 43 +/- 4 microg/dl (P < 0.05), and serum ferritin levels decreased significantly, from 645 +/- 219 ng/ml to 231 +/- 30 ng/ml after the treatment (P < 0.05). The oxalate level in the acidified ultrafiltrate showed no significant change after ascorbic acid administration (31 +/- 8 micromol/l vs 47 +/- 7 micromol/l)., Conclusions: In patients on chronic hemodialysis, the oxalate level in acidified ultrafiltrate from the dialyzer was found to be useful for estimating the plasma level of non-protein-bound oxalate. When administering ascorbic acid to hemodialysis patients, the plasma oxalate level can be monitored using this method.

Background: Upregulation of local monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) production is involved in glomerular damage through macrophage recruitment and activation in diabetic nephropathy. Treatment of db/db mice with soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) prevented recruitment of macrophages to the glomeruli and reduced albuminuria, suggesting that binding of ligands and RAGE may be involved in MCP-1 expression. Therefore, we investigated the role of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in MCP-1 production by podocytes and signalling events after RAGE activation., Methods: MCP-1 gene and protein expression were examined by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in differentiated mouse podocytes. Dichlorofluorescein-sensitive intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was measured by confocal microscopy. RAGE, phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, c-Jun and Sp1 were studied using western blotting and immunocytochemistry., Results: Both differentiated and undifferentiated podocytes expressed RAGE. MCP-1 was induced by AGEs and carboxymethyllysine (CML) in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner in differentiated podocytes. Neutralizing antibody for RAGE suppressed AGE- and CML-induced MCP-1 production. AGEs and CML rapidly generated intracellular ROS in podocytes. Blocking of ROS by using N-acetyl-l-cysteine abolished CML and H(2)O(2)-induced MCP-1 expression. Phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was found in podocytes incubated with CML and was prevented by N-acetyl-l-cysteine or 7'-amino 4 [trifluoromethyl]. PD98059, an inhibitor of ERK, partially prevented CML-induced MCP-1 gene expression. NF-kappaB and Sp1 were translocated into the nucleus after podocytes were incubated with CML for 60 min. Parthenolide and mithramycin A, inhibitors of NF-kappaB and Sp1, respectively, abolished CML-induced MCP-1 gene expression in a dose-dependent manner., Conclusions: These results suggest that AGEs and CML induce MCP-1 expression in podocytes through activation of RAGE and generation of intracellular ROS. NF-kappaB and Sp1 regulate MCP-1 gene transcription.

We propose and demonstrate a novel all-optical digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion using pulse pattern recognition based on optical correlation processing. It is composed of pulse pattern recognition based on correlation processing and intensity adjustment using an optical attenuator. We obtain a single pulse as a result of pulse pattern recognition by using correlation processing between a target digital signal and a prepared correlation filter function. The obtained single pulse can be promptly fed to an output port as a corresponding analog signal through adequate intensity adjustment. Experimental results show that four-bit digital signals with 1.65ps interval can be successfully converted to analog signals corresponding to input digital signals.

A 45-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of high fever and malaise. She also presented abnormal urine findings including macrohematuria and proteinuria with transient renal insufficiency. Salmonella Typhi was isolated from her blood and stool culture, and then she was diagnosed as having typhoid fever. Salmonella enterica serotype typhi infection can be complicated by renal involvement, although rare. In Japan, few cases have been reported about acute nephritic syndrome in typhoid fever. Here, we report a case of endemic acquired typhoid fever associated with acute renal failure probably due to acute nephritic syndrome successfully treated with levofloxacin.

Liddle's syndrome is an autosomal dominant form of salt-sensitive hypertension and has been shown to be caused by missense or frameshift mutations in the amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), which is composed of three subunits: alpha, beta, and gamma. All disease mutations either remove or alter amino acids of the target proline-rich PPPxY sequence (PY motif) of beta- or gamma-ENaC and result in increased channel activity. In this report, we present a family with Liddle's syndrome whose abnormality is caused by a novel missense mutation, P616R, in the PY motif of the betaENaC. Functional studies using the P616R mutant expressed in Xenopus oocytes showed an approximately 6-fold increase in the amiloride-sensitive sodium channel activity compared with that of the wild type. These findings provide additional clinical evidence that a conserved PY motif is critically important for the regulation of ENaC activity.

Three-dimensional Monte Carlo shielding analyses are conducted on the ITER Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) duct for the nuclear and bremsstrahlung radiation. The detailed distribution is evaluated about the nuclear heating rate and surface heat load of the NBI duct wall by the neutron and photon transport calculation. The analytical representations of these nuclear responses are established as a function of the distance from the blanket surface. It is clarified that these representations are different between the duct wall facing the plasma and that hidden from the plasma, and also between the duct wall in the blanket region and that in the vacuum vessel region. These results are very useful for the shielding design of the NBI duct wall in the nuclear fusion reactor.

There are several vacant channels for diagnosis, RF heating and so on through the shielding structure in fusion reactors. Some of them consist of dogleg ducts, through which neutrons stream in a complex manner. An experiment was conducted with the Fusion Neutronics Source (FNS) facility at JAERI to study the behaviour of neutrons in the duct and assess the reliability of calculation methods for the design of fusion reactors such as ITER. The assembly was an iron slab 180 cm in thickness with a doubly bent duct 30 x 30 cm2 in cross section. The experiment was analysed using a simple design code for radiation streaming, DUCT-III, and the Monte Carlo code MCNP. The results indicate that the simple design code is reliable enough to be used for shielding design analyses as well as the Monte Carlo method, which showed excellent agreement between calculated and measured values.

Objective: Adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived protein, has been suggested to enhance insulin sensitivity and prevent atherosclerosis. Circulating adiponecin levels are reduced in states of insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes. We examined transcardiac utilization of adiponectin in patients with and without type 2 diabetes., Research Design and Methods: A total of 17 male type 2 diabetic patients and 17 male nondiabetic patients were investigated. Venous blood samples were taken to measure glucose and lipid variables. Blood samples for the measurement of adiponectin were collected simultaneously from the aortic root and coronary sinus. Angiographic semiquantitative stenosis score of coronary artery was also evaluated., Results: The adiponectin levels in both the aortic root and coronary sinus in the diabetic patients were significantly lower than those in the nondiabetic patients. The adiponectin level was significantly lower in the coronary sinus than in the aortic root in the nondiabetic patients, but there was no significant difference between adiponectin levels in the aortic root and coronary sinus in the diabetic patients. The total stenosis score, as an index of severity of coronary artery stenosis, was significantly higher in the diabetic patients than in the nondiabetic patients. The stenosis score was correlated with the degree of transcardiac utilization of adiponectin from the aortic root to coronary sinus in the nondiabetic patients but not in the diabetic patients., Conclusions: Diabetic patients not only have a decreased adiponectin level in the basal state compared with nondiabetic patients but also have impaired utilization of adiponectin in the coronary artery and/or the heart, which may promote the development of atherosclerosis.

Superheated emulsions being inexpensive, easy to fabricate, and having tissue equivalent composition make them as one of the popular neutron dosemeters. One more advantage is that they can be made insensitive to gamma rays by the choice of the sensitive liquid. It is observed that the response of commercially available bubble detector to neutron decreases above 20 MeV while its response is roughly flat in the 0.1-15 MeV region. This restricts its application as a dosemeter to high-energy neutrons. The response of bubble detector from Bubble Technology Industries, has been observed by using Pb-breeder for high-energy neutrons from different facilities in Japan. It is observed that 2-3 cm Pb-breeder is effective in increasing the response of the detector to the nominal value. Theoretical calculation using MCNPX code indicates an increase in neutrons in the energy range of 0.1-10 MeV with Pb-breeder. The present work indicates the possibility of using the bubble detector as a dosemeter to high-energy neutron using a Pb-breeder of proper thickness.

In this study spatial and time distribution of neutrons leaking from Hokkaido University 45 MeV Electron Linac facility have measured and compared with the Monte Carlo simulations. The neutron transport processes inside and outside the facility building has been simulated using MCNP. The neutrons have measured by BF3 counters and 3He counters with polyethylene moderators up to the distance of 330 m from the facility. The spatial distribution of ambient dose equivalent converted from the counts has been compared with the simulation. The distribution estimated from the counts by the BF3 counter has been shown fairly good agreement with the calculation. The spatial distribution of counts obtained at the 45 MeV Electron Linac facility has been compared with that obtained at the Fusion Neutronics Source (FNS) facility of JAERI. The difference between the propagation characteristics of neutrons leaking from those facilities has been discussed.

Microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) is a unique modifier protein. LC3-I, the cytosolic form, is modified to LC3-II, the membrane-bound form, by a mechanism similar to ubiquitylation by E1- and E2-like enzymes, Apg7p and Apg3p, respectively. In the present study, we found that LC3-I is processed to LC3-II during the differentiation and recovery from puromycin aminonucleoside-induced nephrosis of podocytes. LC3 is especially expressed in the podocytes of rat kidney as the membrane-bound form LC3-II. Biochemical analysis using a conditionally immortalized mouse podocyte clone (MPC) revealed that LC3-I is processed to LC3-II during the differentiation of cells into mature podocytes and accumulates in the membrane-rich fraction of the cell lysate. LC3-II-localized vesicles, which differ from lysosomes and endosomes, in differentiated MPC cells are morphologically similar to autophagic vacuoles during starvation-induced autophagy. During starvation-induced autophagy, autophagosomes fuses with lysosome and LC3-II on autophagosomes is finally degraded by lysosomal proteases. However, in differentiated MPC cells, little LC3-II on the vesicles is degraded by lysosomal proteases, suggesting that little LC3-II-localized vesicles in differentiated MPC cells fuse with lysosome. Furthermore, the LC3-II level in differentiated MPC cells increases with recovery from damage caused by experimental puromycin aminonucleoside-induced nephrosis. These results suggest that LC3-II-localized vesicles play an important role in the physiological function of podocytes.

A dynamic membrane rearrangement occurs in cells during autophagy to form autophagosomes. In this dynamic process, two ubiquitin-like modifications, Apg12p-conjugation and LC3-modification, are essential for the formation of autophagosomes. Apg7p and Apg10p catalyze the conjugation of Apg12p to Apg5p. The same Apg7p and Apg3p catalyze the processing of LC3 to a membrane-bound form, LC3-II. In this paper, we investigated whether Apg12p has an influence on the second LC3-modification system. A cross-linking experiment revealed that Apg3p interacts with the endogenous Apg12p.Apg5p conjugate. However, Apg3p itself interacts with free Apg12p more preferentially than the Apg12p.Apg5p conjugate, when free Apg12p exists. When Apg12p was overexpressed, LC3 processing was significantly enhanced in the presence of Apg7p. In contrast, when the Apg12p.Apg5p conjugate itself was accumulated by the overexpression of Apg12p and Apg5p, LC3 processing was dominantly inhibited, even in the presence of Apg7p. These results indicate that both Apg12p and the Apg12p.Apg5p conjugate are regulatory factors for LC3 processing.