Search

We have performed scanning angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with a nanometer-sized beam spot (nano-ARPES) on the cleaved surface of Pb

Topological semimetals materialize a new state of quantum matter where massless fermions protected by a specific crystal symmetry host exotic quantum phenomena. Distinct from well-known Dirac and Weyl fermions, structurally-chiral topological semimetals are predicted to host new types of massless fermions characterized by a large topological charge, whereas such exotic fermions are yet to be experimentally established. Here, by using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we experimentally demonstrate that a transition-metal silicide CoSi hosts two types of chiral topological fermions, spin-1 chiral fermion and double Weyl fermion, in the center and corner of the bulk Brillouin zone, respectively. Intriguingly, we found that the bulk Fermi surfaces are purely composed of the energy bands related to these fermions. We also find the surface states connecting the Fermi surfaces associated with these fermions, suggesting the existence of the predicted Fermi-arc surface states. Our result provides the first experimental evidence for the chiral topological fermions beyond Dirac and Weyl fermions in condensed-matter systems, and paves the pathway toward realizing exotic electronic properties associated with unconventional chiral fermions., 6 pages, 4 figures (paper proper) + 4 pages, 4 figures (supplemental material)

This study investigated hydrothermal fixation of CO2 in serpentine or magnesium hydroxide as one of the compounds containing Mg at an initial CO2 pressure of 7.1 MPa. The carbonation of magnesium hydroxide gave primarily magnesite and the yield increased with increasing initial pH and increasing temperature, reaching 97.9 % at 473 K. Carbonation of serpentine also gave magnesite, and the yield initially increased and then slightly decreased with increasing temperature. Both low and high initial pH enhanced serpentine carbonation at 573 K and the yield of magnesite reached 12.7 % at an initial pH of 1.0. Estimation of chemical species indicated that both the dissolution of serpentine via the action of H+ and the formation of magnesite from MgHCO3+ and Mg2+ via the release of H+ were important reactions. Hydrothermal serpentine carbonation is a promising CO2 fixation method for naturally abundant mineral rocks without expensive additives.

The discovery of high-temperature (high-Tc) superconductivity in one-monolayer FeSe on SrTiO3 has attracted tremendous attention. Subsequent studies suggested the importance of cooperation between intra-FeSe-layer and interfacial interactions to enhance Tc. However, the nature of intra-FeSe-layer interactions, which would play a primary role in determining the pairing symmetry, remains unclear. Here we have performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of one-monolayer and alkaline-metal-deposited multilayer FeSe films on SrTiO3, and determined the evolution of quasiparticle band dispersion across Tc. We found that the band dispersion in the superconducting state deviates from the Bogoliubov-quasiparticle dispersion expected from the normal-state band dispersion with a constant gap size. This suggests highly anisotropic pairing originating from small momentum transfer and/or mass renormalization due to electron&ndash, boson coupling. This band anomaly is interpreted in terms of the electronic interactions within the FeSe layers that may be related to the high-Tc superconductivity in electron-doped FeSe.

ZrO2-supported Ru catalysts were prepared by an impregnation method and by NaBH4 reduction from RuCl3·3H2O and a commercial ZrO2 support. The catalyst prepared by NaBH4 reduction showed high activity (around 60%) at 673 K for NH3 decomposition, whereas the catalyst prepared by the impregnation method exhibited low activity (10%) under the same reaction conditions. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry indicated that the catalyst prepared by NaBH4 reduction was free of Cl, whereas the catalyst prepared by the impregnation method contained more than 5 wt % Cl from the Ru precursor. This was main factor that caused the differences in catalytic activity. In addition, the Ru/ZrO2 catalyst prepared by NaBH4 reduction was active for NH3 decomposition without H2 pretreatment, and its activity was slightly higher than that of the catalyst pretreated with H2. The transmission electron microscopy and H2 pulse chemical adsorption results demonstrated that the Ru metal particle size also affected the activity.

Cefiderocol (S-649266) is a novel parenteral siderophore cephalosporin conjugated with a catechol moiety at the third-position side chain. The in vitro activity of cefiderocol against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was enhanced under iron-depleted conditions, whereas that of ceftazidime was not affected. The monitoring of [thiazole- 14 C]cefiderocol revealed the increased intracellular accumulation of cefiderocol in P. aeruginosa cells incubated under iron-depleted conditions compared with those incubated under iron-sufficient conditions. Cefiderocol was shown to have potent chelating activity with ferric iron, and extracellular iron was efficiently transported into P. aeruginosa cells in the presence of cefiderocol as well as siderophores, while enhanced transport of extracellular ferric iron was not observed when one of the hydroxyl groups of the catechol moiety of cefiderocol was replaced with a methoxy group. We conclude that cefiderocol forms a chelating complex with iron, which is actively transported into P. aeruginosa cells via iron transporters, resulting in potent antibacterial activity of cefiderocol against P. aeruginosa .

Continuous hydrothermal synthesis of Pr-doped CaTiO3 nanoparticles from Pr(NO3)3, Ca(NO3)2, a TiO2 sol (crystallite diameter of 5 nm), and various aqueous solutions of KOH was carried out at 673 K and 30 MPa. The synthesis at a very short residence time of 0.02 s could be examined by using a T-type micromixer for rapid heating of the aqueous solutions to 673 K. Pr-doped CaTiO3 nanoparticles having an average particle diameter of 22 nm and a strong red emission peak of about 613 nm were continuously produced at a residence time of 5.0 s. Further, the effects of residence time and KOH molality on the Ca/Ti ratio, particle diameter, crystallite diameter, and crystal structure of the products were carefully studied in order to discuss the formation mechanism of mainly the CaTiO3 structure in Pr-doped CaTiO3 nanoparticles from a system containing a solid oxide (TiO2). With increasing residence time and also KOH molality, the Ca/Ti ratio of the product increased up to a stoichiometric ratio of CaTiO3 (1.0), maj...

Vapor phase esterification in a chabazite (CHA) zeolite membrane reactor was attempted not only to improve the productivity but also to avoid the use of liquid strong acid. CHA zeolite membrane was successfully prepared on a porous alumina tube by hydrothermal synthesis, showing a water permeance of ca. 2 × 10−7mol/(m2·s·Pa) and a selectivity of 2850 for H2O/EtOH at 130° C. As the alternate of the liquid acid, proton exchanged mordenite (H-MOR) was selected as a solid catalyst, where the esterification was found to be explained according to the Eley-Rideal mechanism. When vapor-phase esterification was carried out in a double tube type membrane reactor, some equilibrium shift was observed; this was achieved by continuous and selective water removal along the reactor length. Further, it was demonstrated that a simulation model for the membrane reactor, established on the assumption that the ideal conditions could be applied, described the reactor performance well.

Hydrogen production and toluene hydrogenation were performed with a hydrogen-permeable Pd–Ag membrane as a cathode by using permeated pure hydrogen produced from the electrolysis of aqueous potassium hydroxide. For hydrogen production, the hydrogen flow rate on the permeation side increased with temperature because of the increased hydrogen permeability of the palladium membrane. The increase in pressure applied to the electrolysis side from 0.1 MPa to 0.8 MPa enhanced hydrogen production and hydrogen permeation through the membrane by reducing the effects of bubble formation, and achieved a high hydrogen permeation yield of 93% at 373 K regardless of the amount of hydrogen produced. Hydrogenation of toluene with 5 wt% Pt/Al2O3 and with 0.8 MPa of pressure applied to the electrolysis side yielded methylcyclohexane as a product, and the conversion increased to 95% at 393 K with increasing contact time. This electrolysis system is effective for producing pure hydrogen and for hydrogenating aromatics to synthesize chemical hydrides.

S-649266 is a novel siderophore cephalosporin antibiotic with a catechol moiety on the 3-position side chain. Two sets of clinical isolate collections were used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of S-649266 against Enterobacteriaceae . These sets included 617 global isolates collected between 2009 and 2011 and 233 β-lactamase-identified isolates, including 47 KPC-, 49 NDM-, 12 VIM-, and 8 IMP-producers. The MIC 90 values of S-649266 against the first set of Escherichia coli , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Serratia marcescens , Citrobacter freundii , Enterobacter aerogenes , and Enterobacter cloacae isolates were all ≤1 μg/ml, and there were only 8 isolates (1.3%) among these 617 clinical isolates with MIC values of ≥8 μg/ml. In the second set, the MIC values of S-649266 were ≤4 μg/ml against 109 strains among 116 KPC-producing and class B (metallo) carbapenemase-producing strains. In addition, S-649266 showed MIC values of ≤2 μg/ml against each of the 13 strains that produced other types of carbapenemases such as SME, NMC, and OXA-48. The mechanisms of the decreased susceptibility of 7 class B carbapenemase-producing strains with MIC values of ≥16 μg/ml are uncertain. This is the first report to demonstrate that S-649266, a novel siderophore cephalosporin, has significant antimicrobial activity against Enterobacteriaceae , including strains that produce carbapenemases such as KPC and NDM-1.

We synthesized thin films, consisting of yttrium aluminum garnet doped with Ce3+ (YAG:Ce), using the mist chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, which allows the fabrication of high-quality thin films under atmospheric conditions without the use of vacuum equipment. Under a deposition rate of approximately 1 μm/h, the obtained thin films had a typical thickness of 2 μm. The XRD analysis indicated that the thin films consisted of single-phase YAG:Ce. The Rutherford backscattering confirmed the stoichiometry; the composition of the film was determined to be (Y, Ce)3Al5O12, with a Ce content of Ce/(Y+Ce)=2.5%. The YAG:Ce thin films exhibited fluorescence due to the 5d–4f electronic transitions characteristic of the Ce ions occupying the eight-coordinated dodecahedral sites in the YAG lattice.

Aims. To evaluate the prognostic significance of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) in colorectal cancer (CRC).Patients and Methods. Preoperative serum IL-6 was measured in 233 CRC patients and 13 healthy controls. Relationships between IL-6 and various clinicopathological factors were evaluated, and the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates according to IL-6 status were calculated for all patients and according to disease stage.Results. The mean IL-6 level was 6.6 pg/mL in CRC patients and 2.6 pg/mL in healthy controls. Using a cutoff of 6.3 pg/mL, obtained using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, 57 patients had a high IL-6 level. The mean value was higher for stage II disease than for stage III disease. IL-6 status correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP) and carcinoembryonic antigen levels, obstruction, and pT4 disease. The OS differed according to the IL-6 status for all patients, whereas the DFS differed for all patients and for those with stage II disease. The Cox proportional hazards model showed that pT4 disease was an independent risk factor for recurrence in all CRC patients; IL-6, CRP, and pT4 were significant risk factors in stage II patients.Conclusions. The preoperative IL-6 level influences the risk of CRC recurrence.

Monomer recovery from polyimide hydrolysis in high-temperature water was investigated using batch-type reactors with respect to the effects of reaction time, temperature, and sodium hydroxide concentration. Direct observation of the polyimide decomposition in high-temperature water revealed that gas bubbles were produced above 423 K and polyimide dissolution occurred above 573 K. The monomers 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid (pyromellitic acid, PMA) and 4,4ʹ-diaminodiphenyl ether (4,4ʹ-oxydianiline, ODA) were produced in the early stages of the reaction. The generated PMA decomposed to form carbon dioxide after a reaction time of 10 min at 573 K, while the ODA was relatively stable. Moderate temperature and sodium hydroxide concentration promoted polyimide hydrolysis, whereas overcracking of the polyimide occurred in the presence of excess sodium hydroxide at high temperature. A reaction time of 5 min and alkali concentration of 22 mmol/kg were found to be the optimal conditions for monomer recovery at 573 K.

Two-dimensional (2D) growth of ultra-thin Sn films is a prerequisite for examining exotic quantum phenomena as one of their crystallized forms is a promising candidate for topological materials. In this study, we have investigated the ultra-thin film growth of Sn at room temperature with a Fe buffer layer on an insulating Al2O3 substrate using molecular-beam epitaxy. By the insertion of a 2- or 4-nm-thick Fe layer, the growth mode of Sn thin films varies from a three-dimensional (3D) island-based mode on Al2O3 to a 2D layer-based mode on Fe. However, the 3D growth mode reappeared when the thickness of Sn (dSn) reached the critical value dcSn of about 1.0 nm, corresponding to three atomic layers. A systematic increase in the sheet conductance with increasing dSn on the Fe buffer layer revealed that the sheet conductance of the Sn film can be characterized for a thickness less than dcSn. The saturation of the sheet conductance above dcSn indicates a disconnection of the Sn film grown by the island-based growth mode. In addition, the reduction in anomalous Hall resistance in the Sn/Fe bilayer with increasing dSn is attributed to the shunting and short-circuit effects of the conductive ultra-thin 2D Sn layer. By considering the strong coupling between Sn and Fe providing large anomalous Hall effects in the bilayer, further optimization of the 2D growth of ultra-thin Sn on Fe will pave the way to investigate exotic interfacial physical phenomena through electrical transport measurement.

725 Background: Although pancreatic cancer (PC) is unfavorable clinical entity, the prognosis of resectable PC has been improving due to perioperative chemotherapy. Meanwhile, the prognosis of unresectable (UR) PC remains poor. In highly selected patients, however, conversion surgery (CS) has been performed with good outcome. Indication criteria of CS remain unestablished because the number of patients who underwent CS was very small in each institution. Methods: From 2014 to 2018, 485 consecutive patients with UR-PC who received modified FOLFIRINOX (mFFX) / Gemcitabine Nab-Paclitaxel (GnP) chemotherapy were reviewed. Among them, patients with disease control for more than 8 months were enrolled and divided into two groups; patients who underwent CS (CS group) and patients who did not undergo CS (non-CS group). We compared clinical characteristics and survival outcomes between groups. Our surgical indications were as follows: 1) Decreasing trend in CA19-9, 2) With response for chemotherapy in image, 3) Disease control more than 8 months, 4) Decision in Cancer board as for metastatic cases. Results: In UR-PC patients, 358 patients had distant metastasis (MPC) and 127 patients had locally advanced (LA) PC. The overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS) and conversion rate of LAPC were significantly better than MPC (OS; 21 vs. 13 months, PFS; 12 vs. 7 months, Conversion rate; 16 vs. 5 %, p < 0.001). Chemotherapy regimen (mFFX/GnP) had no significant difference in survival outcome. Between CS group (n = 39) with non-CS group (n = 160), age, sex, body mass index, location of lesion, CEA, CA19-9, regimen of chemotherapy and histology had no significant differences. The median survival time of CS group was significantly better than that of non-CS group (OS; NA vs. 21 months, p < 0.001, PFS; 24 vs. 14 months, p = 0.01). In CS group, median operative duration was 509 minutes, blood loss was 735 ml, hospital stay was 26 days, and there was no 90-days mortality case. Conclusions: In our retrospective study, CS for UR-PC can be safely performed, and among carefully selected patients, reasonable short and long term outcomes can be obtained without acceptable morbidity rate.

540 Background: While paraaortic lymph node (PALN) metastasis has been known as poor prognostic indicator for patients with biliary cancer and is regarded as distant metastasis in AJCC staging system. However, preoperative diagnosis of PALN metastasis by current imaging studies is not accurate and the incidence of PALN metastasis among patients with potentially resectable biliary cancer and its impact on their long-term outcomes remain unclear. Methods: The patients who underwent exploratory laparotomy with PALN sampling for potentially resectable biliary cancer at our institution from 2006 through 2018 were included. All patients were appropriately staged preoperatively with CT/MRI and patients with suspected PALN metastasis preoperatively were not considered resectable disease, and thus, such patients were not included. The incidence of PALN metastasis and long-term outcomes (recurrence-free and overall survivals [RFS, OS]) for patients with/without PALN metastasis were compared. Results: Total 383 patients with three types of biliary cancers (164 perihilar cholangiocarcinoma [PHCC], 115 distal cholangiocarcinoma [DCC] and 104 gallbladder cancer [GBCA]) were included. The median age was 71 years and 65% were man. Majority of them (362 patients [95%]) completed planned resection and 9 patients (2%) died of post-operative complications. PALN metastasis was confirmed on 33 patients (9%) among the entire cohort; the yield of positive PALN sampling was the highest in the patients with GBCA (14%), followed by 9% in those with PHCC and 4% in those with DCC. Among 33 patients with positive PALN, 20 underwent tumor resection. Median RFS and OS following resection for the patients with PALN metastasis were 11 months and 22 months, respectively, compared to 46 months and 56 months for those without, respectively ( p< 0.001 for both RFS and OS). There were no survivors beyond 5-years among those with PALN metastasis. Conclusions: The yield of routine intraoperative PALN sampling is not small even among patients with potentially resectable biliary cancer and positive PALN indicates poor long-term outcomes. This procedure can provide the opportunity to avoid morbid operation for patients who unlikely benefits.

715 Background: In the management of pancreatic cancer, para-aortic lymph node (PALN) metastasis is regarded as distant metastasis, and systemic treatment is recommended. However, imaging study is not perfect to detect all PALN metastasis and the management of intraoperatively discovered PALN has been controversial. We hypothesized that sampling of PALNs on exploration could allow us to avoid pancreatic resection for patients who would not benefit. In this study, we evaluated the incidence and the effect on the long-term outcomes for patients with potentially resectable pancreatic cancer. Methods: Three hundred and ninety-two patients who had PALNs sampled upon potentially resectable pancreatic cancer from 2005 through 2014 were included in the study. All patients were appropriately staged preoperatively with CT/MRI and those with suspected PALN metastasis were not considered as candidates for resection. The patients whose resections were aborted because of liver metastasis or peritoneal dissemination discovered on exploration, or those who died within 30-days after the operation were not included. Evaluated outcomes were incidence of PALN metastasis and their recurrence-free and overall survivals (RFS, OS). Results: The patients’ median age was 74 years, and 58.6% was man. 67.8% had tumors at pancreatic head. Preoperative chemotherapy was given only on 16 patients (3.2%). Among 392 patients with PALNs sampled, 53 (13.5%) patients had metastasis; Resection was completed on 40 patients and resection was aborted on the rest. Among patients who underwent pancreatic resection, median RFS and OS were 10 and 12 months for patients with PALN metastasis, compared to 17 and 26 months for those without PALN metastasis (p < 0.001 for RFS and p < 0.001 for OS). The 5-year-OS rates for patients with/without PALN metastasis were 5.9% and 25% (p < 0.001). Among 53 patients with PALN metastasis, OS were not different between the patients who underwent resection and those who did not (median 13 months vs 17 months, p = 0.06), and there were no recurrence-free survivors. Conclusions: PALN sampling and evaluation before committing to resection is useful to identify the patients who can unlikely benefit and to avoid unnecessary morbid operation.

Radical antegrade modular pancreatosplenectomy (RAMPS) has been accepted as a standard operation for distal pancreatic cancer. While enbloc retroperitoneal dissection in the “medial to lateral” direction is one of the most important steps in this oncologic procedure, it is technically challenging due to the depth of organs under the left costal margin, and poor exposure of the resecting organs in this area will increase the risk of incomplete oncologic dissection. To improve exposure of the left upper quadrant organs, left kidney was completely mobilized during RAMPS, and all the left upper quadrant organs were elevated and medialized by lap sponges packed in the retro-renal space. The operative and oncologic outcomes for patients who underwent our modified RAMPS with left kidney mobilization were evaluated. One hundred and forty-four patients with distal pancreatic cancer underwent this procedure from 2005 through 2016. The median operation time was 310 min (range, 132–899), and blood loss was 440 ml (25–2430). There was no complication associated to left kidney mobilization. The median number of harvested lymph nodes was 27 (3–87). While 77% of the tumors had microscopic retroperitoneal invasion, 96% of patients achieved negative retroperitoneal margin. Left kidney mobilization is useful for safe and oncologically sound lateral retroperitoneal dissection during RAMPS for distal pancreatic cancer.

We have performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of the quasi-one-dimensional (1D) topological superconductor candidate ${\mathrm{Tl}}_{2}{\mathrm{Mo}}_{6}{\mathrm{Se}}_{6}$ consisting of weakly coupled ${\mathrm{Mo}}_{3}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ chains. We found a quasi-1D Fermi surface arising from a Dirac-like energy band, which is associated with the nonsymmorphic screw symmetry of the chains and predicted to trigger topological superconductivity. We observed a significant spectral-weight reduction over a wide energy range, together with a tiny Fermi-edge structure which exhibits a signature of a superconducting-gap opening below the superconducting-transition temperature. The observed quasi-1D Dirac-like band and its very small density of states point to an unconventional nature of superconductivity in ${\mathrm{Tl}}_{2}{\mathrm{Mo}}_{6}{\mathrm{Se}}_{6}$.

Background Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) with splenic vein (SV) ligation may result in sinistral portal hypertension (SPH). The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of various types of SV reconstruction to prevent SPH and to define the optimal reconstruction method. Methods This study included patients who underwent PD with SV resection and reconstruction for pancreatic cancer between December 2013 and June 2017. The patency of various types of SV anastomosis and SPH was evaluated by follow up computed tomography. Results The type of SV reconstruction was divided into two groups: (i) end-to-side anastomosis (n = 10), in which the SV was anastomosed with either the left renal vein (LRV; n = 8) or portal vein (n = 2); and (ii) end-to-end anastomosis (n = 20), in which the SV was anastomosed with another smaller vein or graft. The patency rate for Group 1 was 90% (9/10), compared with 45% (9/20) for Group 2 (P = 0.024). Half the patients in whom the SV anastomosis was occluded (6/12) developed gastrointestinal varices, whereas only 11% of patients with a patent SV anastomosis (2/9) had varices (P = 0.034). Conclusion SV-LRV reconstruction is widely applicable, effectively reduces the risk of SPH, and should be considered for the case of extended PD.

We have performed angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of the layered ternary telluride ${\mathrm{Ta}}_{3}{\mathrm{SiTe}}_{6}$ which is predicted to host nodal lines associated with nonsymmorphic crystal symmetry. We found that the energy bands in the valence-band region show Dirac-like dispersions which present a band degeneracy at the $R$ point of the bulk orthorhombic Brillouin zone. This band degeneracy extends one dimensionally along the whole $SR$ high-symmetry line, forming nodal lines protected by the glide mirror symmetry of the crystal. We also observed a small band splitting near ${E}_{\mathrm{F}}$ which supports the existence of hourglass-type dispersions predicted by the calculation. The present results provide an excellent opportunity to investigate the interplay between exotic nodal fermions and nonsymmorphic crystal symmetry.

Here, we describe laparoscopic colectomy with spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy for descending colon cancer with pancreatic tail invasion. A 69-year-old man with descending colon cancer staged as clinical state IIIC (cT4b [pancreas] N1M0) underwent definitive laparoscopic surgery that was performed in collaboration with surgeons who specialize in laparoscopic colorectal and hepatobiliary-pancreatic laparoscopy. After the left colon was mobilized, tumor infiltration of the pancreas, but not the splenic vessels, was confirmed, and the spleen was preserved. The procedures were safely completed laparoscopically, without intraoperative and postoperative complications. Laparoscopic multivisceral resection could be a treatment option for similar patients but only when performed by multidisciplinary specialists.

The environmental impacts of the recycling technology which is available for crystalline Si, thin-film Si and CIGS PV modules were evaluated. The recycling of these PV modules results in net environmental benefits according to Global warming potential (GWP); Acidification potential (AP); Human toxicity potential (HTP); and Abiotic resource depletion potential (ADP). On the other hands, although net impacts are small, it is resulted the environmental burdens on Photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP) and Eutrophication potential (EP) outweigh the avoided burdens by recycling efforts. However, technology improvement and efficient transportation will contribute to reducing these impacts.

Background We previously reported the usefulness of distal pancreatectomy with celiac axis resection (DP-CAR) with left gastric artery (LGA) reconstruction to prevent ischemic gastropathy. To evaluate the reconstruction quality, we performed intraoperative angiography with indocyanine green (ICG)-fluorescence imaging. Methods 21 consecutive patients planned for DP-CAR with LGA reconstruction were enrolled in this prospective, exploratory single-arm study from 2014 to 2017. After LGA reconstruction, intraoperative angiography revealed continuous arterial flow passing through the anastomotic sites and gradually increasing tissue perfusion in the stomach. Results Three patients were excluded. Among the remaining 18 patients, we obtained good flow in 11 patients and poor flow in 7 patients after initial LGA reconstruction. Among the seven patients with poor flow, five underwent LGA re-anastomosis, three recovered good flow. The incidence of grade B/C DGE was 14% (2/14) in the finally good flow group and 75% (3/4) in the poor flow group (p = 0.019). Ischemic gastropathy occurred in two patients (50%) in the poor flow group (p = 0.039), including one with a gastric perforation. Discussion Our data show that intraoperative angiography with ICG-fluorescence imaging can evaluate the reconstruction quality, thus contributing to improvements in the short-term outcome of DP-CAR with LGA reconstruction.

We have fabricated bismuth (Bi) ultrathin films on a charge-density-wave (CDW) compound 1T-TaS

The structure-activity relationship (SAR) for a novel series of catechol conjugated siderophore cephalosporins is described with their in vitro activities against multi-drug resistant Gram-negative pathogens including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Enterobacteriaceae. Cefiderocol (3) was one of the best molecules which displayed well-balanced and potent activities against multi-drug resistant Gram-negative pathogens including carbapenem resistant bacteria among the prepared compounds with the modified C-7 side chain and the modified C-3 side chain. Cefiderocol (3) is a highly promising parenteral cephalosporin for the treatment of multi-drug resistant Gram-negative infection.

We report on the electronic states and the transport properties of three-dimensional topological insulator (Bi

One of key challenges in current material research is to search for new topological materials with inverted bulk-band structure. In topological insulators, the band inversion caused by strong spin-orbit coupling leads to opening of a band gap in the entire Brillouin zone, whereas an additional crystal symmetry such as point-group and nonsymmorphic symmetries sometimes prohibits the gap opening at/on specific points or line in momentum space, giving rise to topological semimetals. Despite many theoretical predictions of topological insulators/semimetals associated with such crystal symmetries, the experimental realization is still relatively scarce. Here, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with bulk-sensitive soft x-ray photons, we experimentally demonstrate that hexagonal pnictide CaAgAs belongs to a new family of topological insulators characterized by the inverted band structure and the mirror reflection symmetry of crystal. We have established the bulk valence-band structure in three-dimensional Brillouin zone, and observed the Dirac-like energy band and ring-torus Fermi surface associated with the line node, where bulk valence and conducting bands cross on a line in the momentum space under negligible spin-orbit coupling. Intriguingly, we found that no other bands cross the Fermi level and therefore the low-energy excitations are solely characterized by the Dirac-like band. CaAgAs provides an excellent platform to study the interplay among low-energy electron dynamics, crystal symmetry, and exotic topological properties., Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures

During pregnancy, both ischemic reperfusion and bacterial agent LPS are known risk factors for fetal brain damage. However, there is a lack of evidence to explain whether vaginal LPS affects the fetus response to ischemic reperfusion. Here we reported that there was more than 2 folds higher vulnerability of fetal brain hemorrhage response to ischemic reperfusion when mother mouse was treated with vaginal LPS. As our previously reported, ischemic reperfusion induces P53-dependent fetal brain damage was based on a molecular mechanism: the transcriptional pattern was changed from HIF-1alpha-dependent to P53-dependent immediately. In the present work, only with vaginal LPS precondition, phosphorylation of activated transcriptional factor (ATF) 2 at Thr71 appeared in response to ischemic reperfusion. Moreover, this phosphorylation was completely blocked by pre-treatment with a P53 inhibitor, pifithrin-α. We concluded that vaginal LPS precondition trigged the p53-dependent phosphorylation of ATF2 in response to ischemic reperfusion, which played an important role of increasing vulnerability to hemorrhage in fetus.

A new D–π–A dye with a (benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3- c ]pyridiniumyl)propanesulfonate as an electron-withdrawing anchoring group has been designed and developed as a photosensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells. It was found that the new dye is adsorbed onto the TiO 2 electrode through the formation of a bidentate bridging linkage between the sulfonate group of the dye and Lewis acid site on the TiO 2 surface. The short-circuit photocurrent density of the fabricated solar cell based on the new dye is higher than that of a previous D–π–A dye sensitizer which contained a benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3- c ]pyridine moiety as an electron-withdrawing anchoring group, but the open circuit photovoltage of the solar cell based on the new dye is lower than that measured for the previous analogue. On the basis of molecular orbital calculations and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis, the photovoltaic performance of DSSC based on the new D–π–A dye with the (pyridiniumyl)propanesulfonate is discussed by taking account of the adsorption states of the dye adsorbed on TiO 2 electrode.

Cancer tissues are composed of cancer cells and the surrounding stromal cells (e.g., fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells, and immune cells), in addition to the extracellular matrix. Most studies investigating carcinogenesis and the progression, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis of cancer have focused on alterations in cancer cells, including genetic and epigenetic changes. Recently, interactions between cancer cells and the stroma have attracted considerable attention, and increasing evidence has accumulated on this. Several researchers have gradually clarified the origins, features, and roles of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a major component of the cancer stroma. CAFs function in a similar manner to myofibroblasts during wound healing. We previously reported the relationship between CAFs and angiogenesis. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a multifunctional cytokine, plays a central role in regulating inflammatory and immune responses, and important roles in the progression, including proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis, of several cancers. We showed that CAFs are an important IL-6 source and that anti-IL-6 receptor antibody suppressed angiogenesis and inhibited tumor-stroma interactions. Furthermore, CAFs contribute to drug-resistance acquisition in cancer cells. The interaction between cancer cells and the stroma could be a potential target for anti-cancer therapy.

Industrially alcohol dehydration is carried out by a distillation process, thereby requiring a large amount of energy. In an IPA/water system, since producing an azeotrope, two more distillation towers should be added. Therefore, a large amount of energy saving will be expected when the IPA concentration by applying vapor permeation (VP) with membrane becomes possible. Recently, zeolite membrane separation has been attracting much interest in terms of lower energy consumption and higher separation performance. In this study, a composite type of NaY (Faujasite) zeolite membrane with high dehydration performance was synthesized, and VP tests were carried out for IPA/water mixtures. Furthermore, a continuous recycled VP (CVP) apparatus was set up and operated to analyze the enriching process of IPA. As a result, a two-step method, where two membranes with different performances are exchanged along the concentrating way, or operation temperature or feed rate was increased stepwise, was proposed. It was shown that such a new operation method could shorten the time of concentrating IPA.

The recent discovery of possible high-temperature (T(c)) superconductivity over 65 K in a monolayer FeSe film on SrTiO3 (refs 1-6) triggered a fierce debate on how superconductivity evolves from bulk to film, because bulk FeSe crystal exhibits a T(c) of no higher than 10 K (ref. 7). However, the difficulty in controlling the carrier density and the number of FeSe layers has hindered elucidation of this problem. Here, we demonstrate that deposition of potassium onto FeSe films markedly expands the accessible doping range towards the heavily electron-doped region. Intriguingly, we have succeeded in converting non-superconducting films with various thicknesses into superconductors with T(c) as high as 48 K. We also found a marked increase in the magnitude of the superconducting gap on decreasing the FeSe film thickness, indicating that the interface plays a crucial role in realizing the high-temperature superconductivity. The results presented provide a new strategy to enhance and optimize T(c) in ultrathin films of iron-based superconductors.

We report high-resolution spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of bismuth thin film on Si(1 1 1) to discuss the spin structure of surface states. We found that, unlike conventional picture of the Rashba splitting, the magnitude of the in-plane spin polarization is asymmetric between two hole pockets across the Brillouin-zone center. In addition, these pockets exhibit a giant out-of-plane spin polarization as large as the in-plane counterpart, which changes the sign across the Γ ¯ M ¯ line. We also revealed that the spin polarization of the Rashba surface states near the Brillouin-zone boundary (the M ¯ point) is gradually reduced on decreasing the film thickness. Our result provides a new pathway to generate and control spin-polarized electrons in the Rashba system.

To compare the risk of acquiring in vitro resistance between doripenem and tazobactam/piperacillin by CTX-M-15-producing Escherichia coli, the in vitro frequency of resistance was determined. Four strains carrying multiple β-lactamases such as blaOXA-1 or blaCTX-M-27 as well as blaCTX-M-15 and blaTEM-1 were used. No resistant colonies appeared on doripenem-containing plates, whereas resistant colonies were obtained from three of four test strains against tazobactam/piperacillin using agar plate containing 8- to 16-fold MIC of each drug. These three acquired tazobactam/piperacillin-resistant strains were not cross-resistant to doripenem, and they showed 1.9- to 3.1-fold higher piperacillin-hydrolysis activity compared to those of each parent strain. The change of each β-lactamase mRNA expression measured by real-time PCR varied among three resistant strains. One of three tazobactam/piperacillin-resistant strains with less susceptibility to ceftazidime overexpressed both blaCTX-M-15 and blaTEM-1, and the other two strains showed higher mRNA expression of either blaTEM-1 or blaOXA-1. These results demonstrate that multiple β-lactamases carried by CTX-M-15-producing E. coli contributed to the resistance to tazobactam/piperacillin. On the other hand, these resistant strains maintained susceptibility to doripenem. The risk of acquiring in vitro resistance to doripenem by CTX-M-15-producing E. coli seems to be lower than that to tazobactam/piperacillin.

The steam reforming reaction of a biogas mixture was conducted with a hydrogen permeable palladium–silver membrane reactor at lower temperatures from 623 to 723 K and from 0.1 to 0.4 MPa of reaction side pressure. The biogas composition was in reference to that of the biogas obtained from the rice husk pyrolysis. In the experiment, the reaction with permeation achieved a higher hydrogen production than the reaction without permeation at the same conditions of temperature and pressure on reaction side, obtaining a maximum hydrogen yield of 80% at 723 K and 0.4 MPa on reaction side. Further, the hydrogen recovery increased with increasing temperature and pressure on reaction side in the case of the reaction with permeation. The mathematical model for the system in this study was proposed and calculated the profile of product and temperature in the reactor. The simulated profiles and the dimensionless groups derived from the mathematical model achieved the analysis of the kinetics in the reactor including that hydrogen and carbon dioxide production from methane and water was the main reaction.

Boron, an essential micronutrient, is transported in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana mainly by two different types of transporters, BORs and NIPs (nodulin26-like intrinsic proteins). Both are plasma membrane localized, but have distinct transport properties and patterns of cell type-specific accumulation with different polar localizations, which are likely to affect boron distribution. Here, we used mathematical modeling and an experimental determination to address boron distributions in the root. A computational model of the root is created at the cellular level, describing the boron transporters as observed experimentally. Boron is allowed to diffuse into roots, in cells and cell walls, and to be transported over plasma membranes, reflecting the properties of the different transporters. The model predicts that a region around the quiescent center has a higher concentration of soluble boron than other portions. To evaluate this prediction experimentally, we determined the boron distribution in roots using laser ablation-inductivity coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The analysis indicated that the boron concentration is highest near the tip and is lower in the more proximal region of the meristem zone, similar to the pattern of soluble boron distribution predicted by the model. Our model also predicts that upward boron flux does not continuously increase from the root tip toward the mature region, indicating that boron taken up in the root tip is not efficiently transported to shoots. This suggests that root tip-absorbed boron is probably used for local root growth, and that instead it is the more mature root regions which have a greater role in transporting boron toward the shoots.

Water gas shift reaction in the presence of heterogeneous catalysts such as Ru/C, Pd/LaCoO3 and Fe3O4 was examined in supercritical water at 673 K from 0.1 to 0.5 g/cm3 of water densities. These catalysts catalyzed water gas shift reaction and the main products were CO2 and H2. CH4 was formed from CO and H2 produced by water gas shift reaction in the presence of Ru/C. CO conversion tended to decrease with increasing water density for all catalysts, which means that water essentially suppressed heterogeneous catalytic water gas shift reaction in supercritical water. The kinetics of water gas shift reaction was analyzed with an elementary-like reaction model using fugacity. The model calculation represented the trend of experimental results and revealed that the suppression of water gas shift reaction in high water density region was probably because water would cover on active sites and stabilize the adsorbed species on catalyst to decrease the ratio of vacancy of active sites on catalyst.

With the goal of better understanding how polymers inhibit crystallization in amorphous solid dispersions, crystal growth rates of the R and S enantiomers of a model chiral compound in the presence of chiral and achiral polymers were evaluated. The crystal growth rates of enantiomers in undercooled melts were inhibited to different extents by the same mass fraction of a chiral polymer, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose acetate succinate. This is most likely due to differences in the ability of each enantiomer to form hydrogen bonding interactions with the polymer, which in turn impacts the crystallization behavior of the low molecular weight organic compound. In contrast, the achiral polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone, and the chiral polymer, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate showed the same inhibitory impact on each enantiomer.

Effective and convenient co-sensitization to enhance dye coverage on TiO2 electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cells have been achieved successfully by employing two kinds of D–π–A dyes with a pyridyl group capable of adsorbing at the Bronsted acid sites and the Lewis acid sites on a TiO2 surface.

We have performed low-energy ultrahigh-resolution photoemission spectroscopy (PES) of A15 compound V3Si with a xenon-plasma discharge lamp to elucidate the bulk superconducting gap. Below the superconducting transition temperature (Tc = 15.9 K), we found a sharp quasiparticle peak at the Fermi level in the PES spectrum. The gap spectrum is well fitted by a single s-wave superconducting-gap function together with a dip structure at ∼30 meV suggestive of a strong electron-phonon coupling. The anomalous in-gap state previously observed in the PES measurement with high-energy photons is absent or negligibly small in the present bulk-sensitive measurement. The present PES result shows that V3Si is a single-gap s-wave superconductor.