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Abstract The Reactor Experiment for Neutrino Oscillation (RENO) experiment has been taking data using two identical liquid scintillator detectors since August 2011. The experiment has observed the disappearance of reactor neutrinos in their interactions with free protons, followed by neutron capture on hydrogen (n-H). Based on 1500 live days of data taken with 16.8 GW th reactors at the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant in Korea, the near (far) detector observes 567690 (90747) electron antineutrino candidate events with the n-H data. This provides an independent measurement of neutrino mixing angle θ 13 and a consistency check on the validity of the result obtained from the data with neutron capture on Gadolinium (n-Gd). Furthermore, it provides an important cross-check on the systematic uncertainties of the n-Gd measurement. Based on a rate-only analysis, we obtain sin2 2θ 13 = 0.086 ± 0.008(stat.) ± 0.014(syst.). The combination of this result with that of n-Gd is also reported.

Chronic nephrotoxicity of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI-nephrotoxicity) is one of the most common causes of kidney graft dysfunction requiring correction of maintenance immunosuppressive therapy.The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy and safety of the two possible approaches to dose adjustment of cyclosporine in patients with dysfunction of the transplanted kidney due to CNI-nephrotoxicity. It was established that the main cause of the abolition of Everolimus was proteinuria of nephrotic levels, developed in 19% of patients.

U-type ferrite typified by Ba4Co2Fe36O60 is used as a RAM (Radar Absorbing Materials) in the X-band (8-12 GHz). Ba4Co2Fe36O60 is known to have a complex crystal structure, which makes it difficult to obtain single phase and have low reproducibility. Previously known U-type ferrites have been fabricated based on a ceramic process that mixing (by a ball mill), calcining, grinding, binder mixing, drying, sieving, pressing and sintering. In contrast, the process of preparing the powder by the sol-gel method and its heat-treating is advantageous in that it can reduce the process steps and the required time. In addition, the precise stoichiometric control by the sol-gel method can effectively evaluate the effect of added or substituted elements. In this study investigates the crystal structure of Ba4Co2Fe36O60 synthesized by the sol-gel method and the morphology of U-type ferrite nano-powders according to various heat treatment conditions. Analysis of the crystal structure is used for XRD. Morphology and size are observed by SEM. In addition, VSM is performed to confirm the change of magnetic properties according to various heat treatment conditions.

Peritoneal macrophages are easily isolated by lavage, suggesting that they are either nonadherent or weakly adherent in situ. Cultured macrophages express class A scavenger receptors (SCR), which mediate Ca2+-independent adhesion in vitro. We examined fresh peritoneal macrophages from mice and from women with endometriosis to determine whether the adherence of these cells was associated with increased expression of class A SCR. Fresh human macrophages were not immunoreactive to SCR antibodies; however, SCR immunoreactivity increased with time in culture. Fresh mouse and human macrophages took up minimal amounts of 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine (DiI)-acetyl-low density lipoproteins (Ac-LDL), a class A SCR ligand. Murine macrophages in culture for 24-72 h internalized four times more Ac-LDL than fresh cells. Cells cultured for 2 days incorporated 3.2 times more [14C] oleate than freshly isolated cells (55.7 +/- 7.9 versus 17.6 +/- 3.0 nmol/mg cell protein). In contrast to SCR activity, mouse macrophage SCR mRNA expression was similar in freshly isolated macrophages and those cultured for 3 days. These results suggest that peritoneal macrophages express only low levels of SCR activity in situ and that posttranscriptional regulation after isolation leads to an increase in SCR activity that correlates with adherence of the macrophages in vitro.

The effects of W (0.05 wt% W), Mo (0.05 wt% Mo), and Ti (0.05 wt% Ti) addition on the corrosion resistance of low-alloy steel used in flue gas desulfurization systems were examined using electrochemical measurements in a 10 wt% sulfuric acid (H2S04) solution. The corrosion rate increased in the following order: W steel < Mo steel << Ti steel. The surface analysis indicated that the type and quantity of inclusions by steel are as follows: W steel (manganese sulfide [MnS]) < Mo steel (MnS, molybdenum disulfide [MoS2) << Ti steel (MoS2 titanium sulfide [TiS]). The corrosion rate was influenced by sulfide inclusions in the steels. In particular, the corrosion rate of Ti-containing steel was the highest due to a large number of TiS inclusions formed during the steel manufacturing or corrosion processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we hypothesized that non-invasive continuous wave near-infrared spectroscopy (CWNIRS) can determine the severity or reversibility of muscle damage due to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), and the results will be highly correlated with those from physical examination and histological analysis. To test this hypothesis, we performed CWNIRS measurements on two groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats ([?]400 g) that underwent 2 h (n = 6) or 3 h (n = 7) of pneumatic tourniquet application (TKA). Tissue oxyhemoglobin [HbO2] and deoxyhemoglobin [Hb] concentration changes were monitored during the 2 h or 3 h of 250 mmHg TKA and for an additional 2 h post-TKA. Rats were euthanized 24 h post-TKA and examined for injury, edema and viability of muscles. Contralateral muscles served as controls for each animal. In both groups, [HbO2] dropped immediately, then gradually decreased further after TKA and then recovered once the tourniquet was released. However, releasing after 2 h of TKA caused [HbO2] to overshoot above the baseline during reperfusion while the 3 h group continued to have lower [HbO2] than baseline. We found a significant correlation between the elapsed time from tourniquet release to the first recovery peak of [HbO2] and the muscle weight ratio between tourniquet and contralateral limb muscles (R = 0.86). Hemodynamic patterns from non-invasive CWNIRS demonstrated significant differences between 2 h and 3 h I/R. The results demonstrate that CWNIRS may be useful as a non-invasive prognostic tool for conditions involving vascular compromise such as extremity compartment syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near-infrared spectroscopy or imaging has been extensively applied to various biomedical applications since it can detect the concentrations of oxyhaemoglobin (HbO2), deoxyhaemoglobin (Hb) and total haemoglobin (Hbtotal) from deep tissues. To quantify concentrations of these haemoglobin derivatives, the extinction coefficient values of HbO2 and Hb have to be employed. However, it was not well recognized among researchers that small differences in extinction coefficients could cause significant errors in quantifying the concentrations of haemoglobin derivatives. In this study, we derived equations to estimate errors of haemoglobin derivatives caused by the variation of haemoglobin extinction coefficients. To prove our error analysis, we performed experiments using liquid-tissue phantoms containing 1% Intralipid in a phosphate-buffered saline solution. The gas intervention of pure oxygen was given in the solution to examine the oxygenation changes in the phantom, and 3 mL of human blood was added twice to show the changes in [Hbtotal]. The error calculation has shown that even a small variation (0.01 cm[?]1 mM[?]1) in extinction coefficients can produce appreciable relative errors in quantification of D[HbO2], D[Hb] and D[Hbtotal]. We have also observed that the error of D[Hbtotal] is not always larger than those of D[HbO2] and D[Hb]. This study concludes that we need to be aware of any variation in haemoglobin extinction coefficients, which could result from changes in temperature, and to utilize corresponding animal's haemoglobin extinction coefficients for the animal experiments, in order to obtain more accurate values of D[HbO2], D[Hb] and D[Hbtotal] from in vivo tissue measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the present study, metal-ion-doped TiO2 powders were prepared by a sol-gel process using titanium isopropoxide as a Ti precursor and cobalt, gallium, or neodymium as a dopant. For the prepared doped TiO2 nanopowders, the photocatalytic behaviors in the decomposition of aqueous 1,4-dichlorobenzene (DCB) were investigated as a function of doping level and preparation conditions. We found that all of the metal ion doping improved the photocatalytic activity of TiO2, though Nd doping was the most effective and Co doping was least effective. XRD analyses showed that doping with Ga and Nd ions suppresses the anatase-to-rutile phase transition for TiO2, whereas doping with Co did not influence the phase transition. The UV-visible absorption spectra for these metal-ion-doped samples were red-shifted by ∼ 20–40 nm depending upon the doping level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Porous n -BaTiO 3 ceramics are synthesized by the addition of pore-forming agent into the (Ba,Sr)TiO 3 powder. From the DTA-TGA analysis for samples containing the PEG and corn-starch, it was found that an exotherm occurred at 262 and 315°C, respectively, weight loss commenced at 165 and 252°C, and was virtually complete by 265 and 472°C, respectively. The porosity of n -BaTiO 3 ceramics increased and the grain size decreased with increasing the pore-forming agent. From the XRD analysis at high angles, all the samples with and without the pore-forming agent at room-temperature exhibit the tetragonal structure. PTCR jump of the samples containing pore-forming agent is 1-2 orders higher than that of sample without the pore-forming agent. It is also found that the development of PTCR characteristic in the porous n -BaTiO 3 ceramics containing pore-forming agent is related to grain boundaries, which basically equals that in ordinary BaTiO 3 without pore-forming agent, from the complex impedance results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Donor doped BaTiO3 (n-BaTiO3) ceramics were fabricated by adding polyethylene glycol (PEG) at 20 wt %. The effects of reducing and oxidizing atmospheres on the PTCR characteristics of the porous n-BaTiO3 ceramics were investigated. The PTCR characteristics of the porous n-BaTiO3 ceramics is strongly affected by chemisorbed oxygen at the grain boundaries and are recovered as the atmosphere is changed from the reducing gas to oxidizing gas. The low room-temperature resistivity of the porous n-BaTiO3 ceramics in reducing atmospheres may be caused by the decrease in potential barrier height, which originates from an increase in the number of electrons owing to the desorption of chemisorbed oxygen atoms at the grain boundaries. In addition, the high room-temperature resistivity of the porous n-BaTiO3 ceramics in oxidizing atmospheres may be caused by the increase in potential barrier height, which results from the adsorption of chemisorbed oxygen atoms at the grain boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conducting drop tests to investigate impact behavior and identify failure mechanisms of small-size electronic products is generally expensive and time-consuming. Nevertheless, strict drop/impact performance criteria for hand-held electronic products such as cellular phones play a decisive role in the design because they must withstand unexpected shocks. The design of product durability on impact has heavily relied on the designer's intuition and experience. In this study, a reliable drop/impact simulation for a cellular phone is carried out using the explicit code LS-DYNA. Subsequently global-local experimental verification is accomplished by means of high-speed photography and impact response measurement. Using this methodology, we predict potential damage locations in a cellular phone and compare them with real statistical data. It is envisaged that development of a reliable methodology of drop/impact simulation will provide us with a powerful and efficient vehicle for improvement of the design quality and reduction of the product development cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cDNA encoding a cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase (APX), swAPX1 , was isolated from cell cultures of sweetpotato ( Ipomoea batatas) by cDNA library screening, and its expression in the context of various environmental stresses was investigated. swAPX1 contains an ORF of 250 amino acids (27.5 kDa) encoding a protein with a pI value of 5.32. The swAPX1 ORF does not code for a transit peptide, suggesting that the product is a cytosolic isoform. RNA blot analysis showed that swAPX1 gene is expressed in cultured cells and mature leaves, but not in stems, non-storage or storage roots of sweetpotato. The level of swAPX1 RNA progressively increased during cell growth in suspension cultures. In leaf tissues, the gene responded differentially to various abiotic stresses, as revealed by RT-PCR analysis. swAPX1 was highly induced in leaves by wounding, and treatment with methyl viologen (50 µM), hydrogen peroxide (440 mM), abscisic acid (ABA; 100 µM) or exposure to high temperature (37°C). In addition, the gene was strongly induced in the leaves following inoculation with a bacterial pathogen ( Pectobacterium chrysanthemi). These results indicate that swAPX1 may be involved in hydrogen peroxide-detoxification and thus help to overcome the oxidative stress induced by abiotic and biotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We fabricated porous (Ba,Sr)(Ti,Sb)O3 ceramics by adding potato-starch (1–20 wt %) and investigated the effects of sintering temperature (1300–1450 °C) and time (0.5–10 h) on the positive temperature coefficient of resistivity characteristics of the porous ceramics. The room-temperature electrical resistivity of the (Ba,Sr)(Ti,Sb)O3 ceramics decreased with increasing sintering temperature, while that of the ceramics increased with increasing sintering time. For example, the room-temperature electrical resistivity of the (Ba,Sr)(Ti,Sb)O3 ceramics for the samples sintered at 1300 °C and 1450 °C for 1 h is 6.8×103 and 5.7×102 Ω cm, respectively, while that of the ceramics is 6.5×102 and 1.3×107 Ω cm, respectively, for the samples sintered at 1350 °C for 0.5 h and 10 h. In order to investigate the reason for the decrease and increase of room-temperature electrical resistivity of the samples with increasing sintering temperature and time, the average grain size, porosity, donor concentration of grains (Nd), and electrical barrier height of grain boundaries (Φ) of the samples are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary:Reharvesting leukocytes from donors for a donor leukocyte infusion (DLI) is inconvenient and occasionally impossible in case of unrelated donors. It is well known that the effect of a growth factor-primed DLI is comparable to that of a nonprimed DLI. In total, 42 patients with hematologic malignancies and a high risk of relapse were allocated, on an intent-to-treat basis, a peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) from HLA-matched sibling donors, and then at the time of harvest, additional peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) were also reserved for a therapeutic primed DLI in case of relapse. In all, 12 patients who relapsed after allogeneic PBSCT were treated with mainly cytarabine-based chemotherapy followed by a cryopreserved PBSC infusion. The median dose of CD3+ and CD34+ cells for the primed DLIs was 1.43 × 108/kg and 4.75 × 106/kg, respectively. Six of the 12 relapsed patients exhibited a complete response after the primed DLI, plus their 1-year survival rate was 33%. The new development or progression of graft-versus-host disease after a primed DLI was observed in 50% of the patients. Overall, the survival at 1 year was 16.7%. Accordingly, the induction of a graft-versus-leukemia effect through a primed DLI, using additional PBSCs reserved at the original time of harvest, would appear to be feasible for patients with relapsed hematologic malignancies. Furthermore, this approach is also more convenient for donors.Bone Marrow Transplantation (2004) 33, 231-236. doi:10.1038/sj.bmt.1704328 Published online 1 December 2003 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six peroxidase (POD) cDNAs were isolated from suspension cultures of sweetpotato ( Ipomoea batatas) by cDNA library screening, and their expression was investigated with a view to understanding the physiological functions of each POD in relation to environmental stress. The gene products encoded by these cDNAs could be divided into two groups, anionic PODs (SWPA4, SWPA5, SWPA6) and basic PODs (SWPB1, SWPB2, SWPB3), on the basis of the predicted pI values of the mature proteins. RT-PCR analysis revealed that the six POD genes showed diverse expression patterns in various tissues of intact plants, a various stages of growth in suspension cultures, and in leaf tissues exposed to different stresses. The six genes from which they were derived are predominantly expressed in cultured cells of sweetpotato. Thus, transcripts of swpa4 were not detected in any tissues of the intact plant. The genes swpa6 and swpb1 were highly expressed in root tissues, whereas swpa6 and swpb3 were highly expressed in stem tissues. During suspension culture, the expression patterns of the six genes differed from each other. The level of swpa4, swpa5, swpb2 and swpb3 transcripts progressively increased during culture, whereas swpa6 and swpb1 showed high expression levels regardless of the age of the culture. In leaf tissues the six POD genes responded differently to various abiotic stresses. In particular, swpa4 was highly induced by several abiotic stresses, including exposure to hydrogen peroxide (440 mM) or NaCl (100 mM), and wounding of leaf tissues, suggesting that this POD gene is inducible by many stresses. Based on the different expression patterns of these POD genes, we propose that each POD may have different enzymatic properties and physiological functions during cell growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the developmental ability and cellular composition of porcine IVF, parthenote and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos were evaluated following different in vitroculture systems. Group 1, embryos were cultured in NCSU-23 with 5.55 mM D-glucose (NCSU+) until day 6 on 20% O2or 5% O2(Group 2). Group 3, embryos were cultured in D-glucose-free NCSU-23 (NCSU−) with 0.17 mM Na pyruvate2.73 mM Na lactate for 58 h and subsequently cultured in NCSU+ until day 6 (NCSU −+) on 20% O2or 5% O2(Group 4). IVF blastocysts did not differ significantly with O2concentrations, but differed significantly with major energy source (glucose and pyruvatelactate). In Group 3 and 4 IVF blastocysts, the total cell number and apoptosis rates were not significantly different with different O2concentrations. Blastocyst rate, total cell number and apoptosis rate in Groups 3 and 4 parthenote embryos also were not significantly different. Parthenote and SCNT, under the same culture treatment, exhibited significant differences in blastocyst and apoptosis rates (47.5 ± 16.1 vs. 24.0 ± 4.0 and 4.9 ± 9.0 vs. 22.8 ± 23.3). Apoptosis-generating rate increased in the order parthenote, IVF and then SCNT. In conclusion, in vitrodevelopment of porcine embryos was not affected by O2concentrations but was affected by major energy source. Even so, the concentration of each major energy source and the timing of its inclusion in culture could accomplish relatively high embryonic development, the apoptosis rate stressed that more work still needs to be done in developing a better defined culture system that could support SCNT embryos equivalent to in vivopreimplantation porcine embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult stem cells are more desirable than somatic cells for nuclear transfer (NT) because of their easy reprogrammability to resemble the genome of the zygote (Zhu et al. 2004 Biol. Reprod. 70, 1088?1095). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a heterogeneous population of uncommitted and lineage-committed cells and have a more flexible potential as donor cells for NT. The aim of this study was to compare the developmental potential of NT embryos using undifferentiated (MSCs) and differentiated cells in the same lineage (osteocyte, adipocyte, and chondrocyte) by assessing the cleavage and blastocyst rates. Fetal fibroblasts were used as NT control. MSCs obtained from the aspirated bone marrow of a neonatal pig were cultured in advanced-DMEM (ADMEM) supplemented with 5? FCS. The differentiation potential was demonstrated by culture of MSCs at passage 3 under the conditions that were favorable for adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic development (Pittenger et al. 1999 Science 284, 143?147). For NT, cells from passages 3?5 were transferred into the perivitelline space of enucleated MII oocytes that had been in vitro-matured after collection from slaughterhouse-derived ovaries. After fusion with a needle-type electrode, eggs were cultured in 7.5 g mL-1 cytochalasin B for 3 h, and subsequently cultured in PZM-3 medium for 6 days. Statistical significance was tested using ANOVA with Bonferroni and Duncan tests. The results are presented in Table 1. The rates of cleavage and development to blastocyst stage of NT embryos varied among donor cell sources. Most eggs (92.2 2.7?) cloned with MSCs cleaved, and 47.8? of eggs developed to the blastocyst stage. In contrast, NT eggs using differentiated MSCs?osteocytes, adipocytes, chondrocytes, and controls (fetal fibroblasts)?revealed significantly (P < 0.05) lower cleavage (74.5, 63.4, 74.3, and 66.4?, respectively) and blastocyst development (33.7, 30.1, 36.5, and 25.5?, respectively) rates than those using undifferentiated MSCs. The results demonstrate that the genome of donor cells with different differentiated status supports embryonic development to various degrees, and multipotent MSCs might have a greater potential in producing viable cloned porcine embryos. This work was supported by Grant No. R05-2004-000-10702-0 from KOSEF, Republic of Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inhibition of methyl groups in the DNA of donor cells has been hypothesized to improve the potential reprogramming by the enucleated ooplasm after nuclear transfer (NT). Previously, we reported that treatment of porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFF) with an inhibitor of methylation, 5-azacytidine (5-azaC) at 0.5 m, results in the retention of desirable characteristics with a relative reduction in methylation, making cells more conducive for reprogramming (Mohana Kumar et al. 2006 Cell Tissue Res. 325, 445-454). To understand these observations further, the present study investigated the developmental competence and expression pattern of gene transcripts in porcine NT embryos from PFF (control) and 0.5 m 5-azaC-treated PFF (PFF + 5-azaC) at 4-cell, 8-cell, morula, and blastocyst stages, and compared these with those of IVF and in vivo embryos. Cleavage rate was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in IVF than in NT embryos from PFF and PFF + 5-azaC (86.7 5.2% vs. 65.8 5.3% and 69.3 4.4%, respectively). Similarly, significantly (P < 0.05) higher blastocyst rates were observed in IVF embryos (27.2 2.1%). However, NT embryos from PFF + 5-azaC showed enhanced developmental potential with significantly (P < 0.05) higher rates of blastocysts (21.3 2.2%) than NT embryos from PFF (14.8 1.9%). NT embryos from PFF + 5-azaC (33.8 4.1) had significantly (P < 0.05) higher total cell numbers than from PFF (24.6 3.5), but did not differ in the proportion of apoptotic cells (6.9 1.8% and 7.2 2.1%, respectively). However, the high total cell number and lower incidence of apoptosis were observed in IVF and in vivo embryos (45.3 3.8, 2.7 0.8%, and 53.9 3.5, 1.2 0.9%, respectively). Alterations in the expression pattern of genes implicated in transcription and pluripotency (Oct4 and Stat3), DNA methylation (DNA methyltransferases: Dnmt1, Dnmt2, Dnmt3a, and Dnmt3b), histone acetylation (histone acetyltransferase 1-HAT1), and histone deacetylation (histone deacetylases-Hdac1, Hdac2, and Hdac3) were observed in NT embryos from PFF and PFF + 5-azaC compared with that in IVF and in vivo counterparts. However, the expression of genes in PFF + 5-azaC-NT embryos closely followed those of in vivo-derived embryos compared with PFF-NT embryos, and, interestingly, there was lower variability in the expression of genes related to DNA methylation. Our findings demonstrate that remodeling of the epigenetic status by partial reduction of somatic DNA methylation from donor cells is beneficial in improving the developmental competency of porcine NT embryos. Further, hypomethylated donors may be more efficiently reprogrammed to re-activate the expression of early embryonic genes.This work was supported by Grant No. R05-2004-000-10702-0 from KOSEF, Republic of Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a comprehensive study of CaCu_{3}Ru_{4}O_{12} using bulk sensitive hard and soft x-ray spectroscopy combined with local-density approximation+dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) calculations. Correlation effects on both the Cu and Ru ions can be observed. From the Cu 2p core-level spectra, we deduce the presence of magnetic Cu^{2+} ions hybridized with a reservoir of itinerant electrons. The strong photon energy dependence of the valence band allows us to disentangle the Ru, Cu, and O contributions and, thus, to optimize the DMFT calculations. The calculated spin and charge susceptibilities show that the transition metal oxide CaCu_{3}Ru_{4}O_{12} must be classified as a Kondo system and that the Kondo temperature is in the range of 500–1000 K.