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An abstract of the paper "The Racemization and Isomerization of the ASP-151 Residue in αA-Crystallin is Induced by Ultraviolet B Irradiation," by N. Fujii and colleagues presented at the triennial meeting of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL) in July 1996 in Orléans, France is provided.

β-FeSi2 bulk single crystals were grown by temperature gradient solution growth using Sb solvent. Basically, rectangular shaped crystals were obtained with facetted crystallographic planes. The structural and electrical properties at room temperature are examined. It is confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurement that the formation of 90° order domains around the a-axis is suppressed. The β-FeSi2 crystal shows a resistivity of 0.1 Ω cm with n-type conductivity. For comparison, the formation of β-FeSi2 crystals was also examined using Fe and Si as starting materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare but serious disease with a grave prognosis. Bone morphogenetic protein type 2 receptor (BMPR2) gene is a strong pathogenic factor for PAH. As a collaborative team from Kyorin University and Keio University in Japan, we have analyzed the BMPR2 gene in 356 probands and more than 50 family members, including secondary patients. Importantly, the study population is a racially, ethnically, and socially homogeneous population. In PAH patients, there is a high incidence of unique mutations in BMPR2, and several mutations are frequently observed in the Japanese population, suggesting that these common and recurring mutations may be highly pathogenic or have high penetrance, explaining why they are found frequently throughout the world. We have also mapped each breakpoint of exonic deletions/duplications and found that most break and rejoining points are in the Alu elements. Reviewing the distribution of the reported mutations on each exon of BMPR2 revealed that the number and frequency of mutations are imbalanced among exons. The penetrance of BMPR2 gene mutations was 3‐fold higher in females than males. Full elucidation of BMPR2‐mediated pathogenic mechanisms in PAH requires persistent efforts to achieve precision or individualized medicine as a therapeutic strategy for PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compositionally homogeneous Sb-doped (5×10 18 and 1×10 19 cm −3 ) Si 0.73 Ge 0.27 bulk crystals were grown by a vertical gradient solution growth method. The sandwich sample Si (seed)/Sb-doped Ge/ Si(feed) was set up inside a furnace under a mild temperature gradient 0.57 °C/mm for homogeneous growth. The Si composition was analyzed by electron probe micro- analysis (EPMA). It revealed that the Si composition was homogeneous and the lengths of the Sb-doped (5×10 18 and 1×10 19 cm −3 ) Si 0.73 Ge 0.27 bulk crystals were 18.3 and 15.1 mm, respectively. Grain distribution was investigated by electron backscattered diffraction spectrum (EBSD). The Seebeck coefficients (−440 and −426 μV/K) of Sb-doped (5×10 18 and 1×10 19 cm −3 ) Si 0.73 Ge 0.27 were higher than the reported value (−211 μV/K) of P-doped (5×10 19 cm −3 ) Si 0.8 Ge 0.2 at room temperature. Thermal conductivity of Ga and Sb-doped SiGe was decreased with temperature due to scattering of phonon at the temperature range between 313 and 913 K. The maximum ZT values of Ga and Sb-doped SiGe were 0.34 and 0.44 at 820 K, respectively. The ZT values of Ga and Sb-doped SiGe were higher (0.07 and 0.13) than the reported value of Ga-doped Si 0.81 Ge 0.19 (0.05) and P-doped (5×10 19 cm −3 ) Si 0.8 Ge 0.2 bulk crystals at room temperature. The improvement in ZT value was caused by a decrease of thermal conductivity which related to a composition of the alloy and doping concentration in the crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In x Ga 1−x Sb crystals were grown from (1 1 0), (1 1 1)A, and (1 1 1)B planes of GaSb under microgravity and their dissolution and growth kinetics were discussed. The dissolution geometry is independent of orientation even when the rate of dissolution is varied. The growth rate of (1 1 0) was lied in-between (1 1 1)B and (1 1 1)A experiments. The growth kinetics are largely affected by the dissolution process through the establishment of a concentration gradient in the melt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si dissolution into Ge melt, solute transport in the Si–Ge solution and crystal growth of SiGe alloys were in situ observed by X-ray penetration method. The rectangular shaped sandwich sample of Si (seed)/Ge/Si (feed) was used for the experiment. X-ray intensities penetrated through the sample, which was heated up to the growth temperature of 1200°C, were recorded by rectangular shaped CdTe line sensor as a function of time and temperature. The experimental results demonstrated that the dissolution of Si seed was larger compared to Si feed crystal although Si feed temperature was relatively higher than that of seed. Crystal growth of SiGe was observed at the feed interface as the growth interface was observed clearly by an abrupt change of penetrated X-ray intensity near the growth interface. Since the crystal grew with Si rich composition (at high temperature 1200°C), solution becomes Ge richer which causes penetrated X-ray intensity variation at the growth interface. The growth mechanism for the observed SiGe growth process was discussed based on the penetrated X-ray intensity profile and a growth model. The composition of the grown sample was measured by FE-EPMA analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Coffee is among the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Numerous epidemiological studies have reported a significant inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, but the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood. Therefore, we conducted an epidemiological study to clarify the relationship between coffee consumption and adiponectin levels in Japanese males. We also evaluated whether green tea consumption affected adiponectin levels. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study. The subjects were 665 male employees in Japan. Coffee consumption was assessed, using a self-administered questionnaire, as the number of times per week and cups per day respondents drank, and subjects were grouped into four levels (non, 1-5 times/week, 1-2 cups/day and ≥3 cups/day). Results: The means of adiponectin levels were positively associated with coffee consumption. A dose-response relationship was found between coffee consumption and circulating adiponectin levels. The relationship remained significant after adjustment for potential confounding factors ( P for trend <0.05). However, green tea consumption was not significantly associated with adiponectin levels ( P for trend = 0.90). Conclusions: We not only revealed that habitual coffee consumption is associated with higher adiponectin levels in Japanese males but also found a dose-dependent association between coffee consumption and adiponectin levels. Therefore, our study suggested that coffee components might play an important role in the elevation of adiponectin level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We investigated the dissolution process of GaSb into InSb melt by numerical simulations using the finite volume method. In addition, the dissolution process was in-situ observed by the X-ray penetration method. Rectangular shaped GaSb (seed)/InSb/GaSb (feed) sandwich structure of sample was considered for the numerical analysis and the same structure of sample was used for the X-ray penetration experiment. The numerical and experimental results were comparatively analysed. From the results, it was found that the quantity of the dissolved GaSb seed (at the low temperature region) was larger than that of the feed (at the high temperature region). The numerical simulation results supported the experimental results well. Both the experiment and the simulation provide deep insight into the dissolution process and composition profile in the solution during the dissolution process of ternary alloy semiconductor crystal growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Compositionally homogeneous Si0.52Ge0.48 bulk crystals were grown under a mild temperature gradient using a Si(seed)/Ge/Si(feed) sandwich structure for thermoelectric (TE) applications. The furnace temperature was kept constant for 300h for the growth of homogeneous Si1−x Ge x bulk crystal with various temperature gradients. The temperature gradient of 0.4°C/mm resulted in homogeneous Si0.52Ge0.48 bulk crystals of 22mm length with a Ge compositional fluctuation of about 0.0023/mm. The compositions of the grown crystals were determined by means of Electron Probe Micro‐Analysis (EPMA). Electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient of the prepared samples were measured using in-house built measurement system. It was found that the compositional fluctuation of Ge was decreased as the temperature gradient of the furnace decreased. The prepared Si0.52Ge0.48 sample showed high Seebeck coefficient compared to that of pure Si and Ge crystals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Dissolution process of GaSb into InSb melt was observed by an X-ray penetration method. The intensity of X-rays penetrated through the rectangular shaped GaSb (seed)/InSb/GaSb (feed) sandwich sample was recorded by the CdTe line sensor detector. The penetrated X-ray intensities and images of the sample were obtained as a function of time and temperature. The gallium (Ga) composition profile of the sample was calculated as a function of time by making the calibration line with the penetrated X-ray intensities of GaSb and InSb standard samples. The calculated Ga composition profile of the grown sample agreed well with the data measured by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis. The result suggested that lower GaSb seed dissolved faster than upper GaSb feed despite of the low temperature at the lower GaSb seed. It clearly indicates that the solutal transport induced by gravity strongly affects the dissolution process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aims: HSP60 plays a protective role against heat, oxidative injury and ultraviolet. Recently, animal and clinical studies have suggested that HSP60 plays a role in various diseases. However, few epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between HSP60 levels and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Therefore, an epidemiological study was conducted to examine the association of HSP60 with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: This study included 83 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 161 controls that were recruited from male employees who received annual health check-ups between 2005 and 2007. The serum HSP60 levels were measured using the ELISA method. Results: Because the HSP60 levels were not detectable (<3.125ng/mL) in 48.0% of the study subjects, HSP60 levels were divided into two categories (detectable or undetectable). A logistic regression analysis showed that the subjects in the undetectable had a 2.03 times higher risk of diabetes mellitus than those in the detectable after adjustment for age, BMI and rate of hypertension medication. Conclusions: This study was the first epidemiological study to demonstrate an association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and HSP60, thus suggesting that HSP60 may play an important role in the type 2 diabetes mellitus pathology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]