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In this paper we propose SecretSign, an interactive system which enables users of shared-mobility services to find their allocated vehicle quickly without notifying other people of the identity of the target vehicle. A light attached to the target vehicle turns on and off in conjunction with the user’s operation of a remote control device, while the lights on other vehicles blink in ‘random’ patterns created by study participants. We tested a passive approach, in which the light on the controller blinks in conjunction with the target, however we found users could identify the target faster with manual operation. We collected typical user-generated ‘random’ patterns in order to better camouflage the distinct patterns likely to be employed by users. We experimentally evaluated SecretSign in a parking lot, and verified that it is also effective in the daytime. Bystanders were rarely able to identify the user’s vehicle.

A fundamental understanding of lithiation dynamics in composite electrodes is essential for the development of all-solid-state batteries with high capacity and rate capability. However, a comprehensive methodology to monitor the time evolution of lithiation in a composite electrode has not been fully established because of the limitations of the characterization techniques currently employed. In this study, we demonstrate the visualization of the transient distribution of Li in composite graphite anodes during cell operation using operando time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. Selective detection of Li in the graphite electrode was successfully achieved by mapping the Li- fragment rather than the conventional mapping of positive Li-containing fragments. The results revealed the formation of a Li concentration gradient during charging, indicating that the reaction of the composite electrode is limited by the diffusion of Li ions inside the graphite. The demonstrated technique is expected to facilitate the investigation of the underlying lithiation mechanisms of composite electrodes in operating cells.

Monitoring DNA–nucleobases and their oxidized forms in living cells is regarded as a biomarker for DNA damage. Adenine (Ad) electrochemical sensor was designed based on phosphorus-doped carbon spherical eye-like structure (P-CES). Spherical electrochemical sensors oriented with abundant multiple directional gates, such as micro-, meso-pores, and open cave-like eyes may lead to design a potential sensor with fast response, low surface charge resistance, high electron diffusion, and functionalized binding active centers to accommodate Ad molecules. The P-CES hierarchically ordered sphere electrode features dense and reactive exposure sites for a variety of additional interactions and flexible mobility surfaces during the detection of Ad. The key role of the circular shape with a rugged surface, multi-hole construction, and open grooves creates an active catalyst of strong binding to the target molecules and facilitate the molecular diffusion inner/outer the electrode surface. Moreover, the doping of P atoms to the hierarchical carbon chain leads to the distortion of sp2-graphitic construction, increases the number of plane edge defects, and induces the functionalization of the abundant active sites. Thus, P-CES provides active transducing element for detection of Ad in its resources (oxidative DNA in living cells) with high sensitivity, good selectivity, excellent stability, and facile reproducibility. The fabricated P-CES shows an ultrasensitive Ad sensor with a limit of detection as low as 0.002 μmolL−1, with a wide linear range of 0.01–0.8 μmolL−1. The Ad liberated from the oxidative-DNA in living cells can be detected with high affinity and sensitivity. The Ad sensor assay can be employed for investigation of DNA damage and deliver information for diagnosis of diseases caused by cell mutation and immune system deficiency.

Advanced reproductive technologies are being applied for the propagation of squirrel monkeys, to ensure their preservation as a genetic resource and the effective use of their gametes in the future. In the present study, oocytes and spermatozoa were collected from live squirrel monkeys, following which piezo intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was performed using these gametes. Follicular development was induced by administering equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) containing inhibin antiserum to an immature squirrel monkey female. The unilateral ovary was excised after the administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), to induce ovulation, following which the larger developed follicular oocytes were collected. Follicular oocytes were prepared for ICSI using sperm from the epididymal tail of a unilateral testis extracted from a mature male. The embryos were continuously incubated in CMRL 1066 medium supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum. Embryo culture was performed with cumulus cells. Two experiments of ICSI carried out with three females resulted in 14 mature oocytes from the 49 cumulus-oocyte complexes collected and five embryos, three of which developed into blastocysts. These blastocysts were vitrified, thawed, and transferred to recipient monkeys, but no pregnancies resulted. In conclusion, the present study is the first to successfully produce ICSI-derived blastocysts from MII oocytes obtained by means of hormone administration (a combination of eCG+inhibin antiserum and hCG) and in vitro maturation in immature squirrel monkeys.

Understanding the electrochemical reactions taking place in composite electrodes during cell cycling is essential for improving the performance of all-solid-state batteries. However, comprehensive in situ monitoring of Li distribution, along with measurement of the evolution of degradation, is challenging because of the limitations of the characterization techniques commonly used. This study demonstrates the observation of Li distribution and degradation in composite cathodes consisting of LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) and 75Li2S·25P2S5 (LPS) during cell operation using operando time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The evolution of the nonuniform reaction of NCA particles during charge and discharge cycles was successfully visualized by mapping fragments containing Li. Furthermore, degradation of the NCA/LPS interface was investigated by mapping POx- and SOx- fragments, which are related to the solid electrolyte interphase. We found that during the charge-discharge cycle and application of a high-voltage stress to the composite electrodes, the PO2- and PO3- fragments increased monotonically, whereas the SO3- fragment exhibited a reversible increase-decrease behavior, implying the existence of a redox-active component at the NCA/LPS interface. The demonstrated technique provides insights into both the optimized structures of composite electrodes and the underlying mechanisms of interfacial degradation at active material/solid electrolyte interfaces.

A fundamental understanding of lithiation dynamics in composite electrodes is essential for the development of all-solid-state batteries with high capacity and rate capability. However, a comprehensive methodology to monitor the time evolution of lithiation in a composite electrode has not been fully established because of the limitations of the characterization techniques currently employed. In this study, we demonstrate the visualization of the transient distribution of Li in composite graphite anodes during cell operation using

We synthesized two Pt/Fe-based metallo-supramolecular polymers with Pt (II) and Fe(II) introduced alternately (polyFePtL1 and polyFePtL2) for anticancer drug application. They have octahedral Fe(II)-centers and square-planar Pt (II)-centers bound with acetylide TPY (4-ethynyl-(2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine) and ‒PEt3 (polyFePtL1) or ‒PPh3 (polyFePtL2). We measured their binding affinity to calf-thymus DNA (ct-DNA) by the UV–vis spectral titration. The binding constant of polyFePtL2 (Kb = 6.0 × 107 M−1) is 15-fold higher than that of polyFePtL1 (Kb = 4.0 × 106 M−1). The high binding affinity of polyFePtL2 indicates the intercalative binding of the ‒PPh3 moieties to DNA in addition to the groove binding of the polymer to DNA. They showed high cytotoxicity against human lung cancer cell line (A549). PolyFePtL2 has almost twice higher cytotoxicity (41% viable cell) than polyFePtL1 in 10 μM concentration. We also inspected the cell apoptosis mechanism by FACS using Annexin-V FITC/PI double staining assay and found that polyFePtL2 induced apoptosis selectively leading to cancer cell death with ∼15% detectable apoptotic cell.

Understanding the electrochemical reactions taking place in composite electrodes during cell cycling is essential for improving the performance of all-solid-state batteries. However, comprehensive

The processing of type I procollagen is essential for fibril formation; however, the steps involved remain controversial. We constructed a live cell imaging system by inserting fluorescent proteins into type I pre-procollagen α1. Based on live imaging and immunostaining, the C-propeptide is intracellularly cleaved at the perinuclear region, including the endoplasmic reticulum, and subsequently accumulates at the upside of the cell. The N-propeptide is also intracellularly cleaved, but is transported with the repeating structure domain of collagen into the extracellular region. This system makes it possible to detect relative increases and decreases in collagen secretion in a high-throughput manner by assaying fluorescence in the culture medium, and revealed that the rate-limiting step for collagen secretion occurs after the synthesis of procollagen. In the present study, we identified a defect in procollagen processing in activated hepatic stellate cells, which secrete aberrant collagen fibrils. The results obtained demonstrated the intracellular processing of type I procollagen, and revealed a link between dysfunctional processing and diseases such as hepatic fibrosis.

Every day we perceive pictures on our mobile phones and scroll through images within a limited space. At present, however, visual perception via image scrolling is not well understood. This study investigated the nature of visual perception within a small window frame. It compared visual search efficiency using three modes: scrolling, moving-window, and free-viewing. The item number and stimulus size varied. Results showed variations in search efficiency depending on search mode. The slowest search occurred under the scrolling condition, followed by the moving-window condition, and the fastest search occurred under the no-window condition. For the scrolling condition, the response time increased the least sharply in proportion to item number but most sharply in proportion to the stimulus size compared to the other two conditions. Analysis of the trace of scan revealed frequent pauses interjected with small and fast stimulus shifts for the scrolling condition, but slow and continuous window movements interjected with a few pauses for the moving-window condition. We concluded that searching via scrolling was less efficient than searching via a moving-window, reflecting differences in dynamic properties of participants’ scan.

The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus is found in the nasal passages, mouth and skin of the human population and stands out among foodborne diseases. Some causes of foodborne illness are related with food, handlers, and utensils contamination in a hospital’s nutrition service. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of S. aureus in food handlers, equipment, counter-tops and utensils of the nutrition service of a teaching hospital. Samples of the environment, hands and nasal mucosa of employees of a nutrition service were collected with two sterile swabs, in 2016, March and June. A total of 134 samples were obtained, which were submitted to characterization tests Biochemistry and morphotinorial (gram staining, catalase and coagulase tests in tube), phenotypic evaluation by drug diffusion technique and D-test approach, and the biofilm phenotype characterization by culture on Congo Red Agar. Results showed high rates of S. aureus colonization, mainly in the kitchen, high frequency of antimicrobial resistance, especially erythromycin and the presence of multi-resistant microorganisms. Large number of positive samples was also found for biofilm production, with totality for the samples of handlers. We highlight the relevance of the data in virtue of the serious consequences and risks that can be triggered in the hospital environment.

We report a pediatric case aged 10 years with Granulicatella adiacens-associated chronic mandibular osteomyelitis. The causative pathogen was uncertain because polymicrobial species were detected from the bacterial culture in bone marrow fluid. In contrast, G. adiacens was predominantly identified in the clone library analysis of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequence. Vancomycin to which G. adiacens was reported to be susceptible was not administrated sufficiently to this patient because of its adverse event, whereas linezolid and ciprofloxacin was alternatively effective for the treatment of chronic mandibular osteomyelitis.

In adults, meningiomas occasionally display aggressive behavior and may occasionally metastasize. By contrast, pediatric meningiomas are rare, and there is limited information regarding their clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis. We herein report the case of a 3-year-old boy with anaplastic meningioma with a history of local recurrence and late pulmonary metastasis. At diagnosis, a 70-mm mass lesion in was identified in the right frontal lobe, with intratumoral hemorrhage. The tumor was attached to the falx cerebri and was completely resected. The histological diagnosis was anaplastic meningioma, World Health Organization grade III. Two months after the surgery, the meningioma recurred at the same site. Although the patient received radiotherapy after a second operation, the tumor metastasized to the lung and pleura 8 months after the initial operation. The metastasis was resistant to treatment, even after gross total resection, and the effectiveness of further radiotherapy was limited. The patient succumbed to the disease 1 year and 4 months after the initial diagnosis. The findings of the present case and a review of the relevant literature suggest that recurrence and metastasis of meningiomas are difficult to predict. Therefore, such patients should be carefully monitored throughout the follow-up period.

In the human visual system, different attributes of an object are processed separately and are thought to be then temporarily bound by attention into an integrated representation to produce a specific response. However, if such representations existed in the brain for arbitrary multi-attribute objects, a combinatorial explosion problem would be unavoidable. Here, we show that attention may bind features of different attributes only in pairs and that bound feature pairs, rather than integrated object representations, are associated with responses for unfamiliar objects. We found that in a mapping task from three-attribute stimuli to responses, presenting three attributes in pairs (two attributes in each window) did not significantly complicate feature integration and response selection when the stimuli were not very familiar. We also found that repeated presentation of the same triple conjunctions significantly improved performance on the stimulus-response task when the correct responses were determined by the combination of three attributes, but this familiarity effect was not observed when the response could be determined by two attributes. These findings indicate that integration of three or more attributes is a distinct process from that of two, requiring long-term learning or some serial process. This suggests that integrated object representations are not formed or are formed only for a limited number of very familiar objects, which resolves the computational difficulty of the binding problem.

In this paper we propose an interactive system that allows only the owner of a target object to secretly find it among other similar or identical objects, which we call SecretSign. Finding a personal object, e.g., an assigned vehicle in a car-sharing parking lot, where there are many cars that look the same or are similar, can be difficult. In addition, we may not want to notify other people which object we are looking for, e.g., a car thief waiting to steal a car when the driver opens the door. Our proposed system allows a user to find an object without notifying others of the target, using a light attached to the target object which turns on and off in conjunction with user's operation of a remote control device, while lights on the other objects turn on and off randomly. We experimentally evaluated the system, in both virtual and real-world environments, and verified that SecretSign enabled users to quickly find their target objects without revealing the target to observers.

Heterogeneous polymer coatings, such as those used in organic electronics and medical devices, are of increasing industrial importance. In order to advance the development of these types of systems, analytical techniques are required which are able to determine the elemental and molecular spatial distributions, on a nanometer scale, with very high detection efficiency and sensitivity. The goal of this study was to investigate the suitability of laser postionization secondary neutral mass spectrometry (Laser-SNMS) with a 157 nm postionization laser beam to image structured polymer mixtures and compare the results with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) measurements using Bi3+ primary ions. The results showed that Laser-SNMS is better suited than ToF-SIMS for unambiguous detection and submicrometer imaging of the wide range of polymers investigated. The data also showed that Laser-SNMS has the advantage of being much more sensitive (in general higher by more than an order of magnitude...

The damage of polymer surfaces caused by the high energy primary ion beams of TOF-SIMS was examined using Ar cluster ions. Polymer damage, the damage of secondary ions detected from the polystyrene surface and the damage layer formed by the Bi3 primary ion beam have previously been studied. In this study, the damage observed in the secondary ions was studied by using Ar cluster primary ions. The secondary ions were mainly classified into two types, ions reflecting the polystyrene structure and cyclized ions, generated by excessive energy, which are not useful for qualitative analysis. The layer damaged by irradiation of the Bi3 primary ion regarding PS samples was confirmed using Ar cluster sputtering beams. The depth of the layer that has chemical damage in the PS main chain caused by 30 kV Bi3++ (ion dose: 5 × 1012 ions/cm2) irradiation was approximately 50–60 nm. The Ar cluster ion sputter rate in PS decreases with the Bi3 ion irradiation. Micro PS particles that are not able to be detected by a conventional TOF-SIMS measurement can be effectively analyzed by accumulating the secondary ions over the static limit using Ar cluster sputtering. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Purpose Osteonecrosis (ON) is a serious complication of the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); however, data relating to ON in Asian pediatric patients with ALL are scarce. Therefore, we performed a retrospective analysis of cohorts of Japanese patients with ALL to clarify the incidence, clinical characteristics, and risk factors of ON. Patients and Methods The incidence and characteristics of ON were determined in patients with ALL (n = 1,662) enrolled in two studies from the Japan Association of Childhood Leukemia Study (JACLS) group (n = 635 and n = 1,027 patients treated with the ALL-97 and ALL-02 protocols, respectively). Results In total, 24 of 1,662 patients suffered from ON, of which 12 of 635 and 12 of 1,027 patients were treated with the ALL-97 and the ALL-02 protocol, respectively. Of the 24 patients, 23 were older than 10 years. In multivariate analysis, age (≥ 10 years) was the sole significant risk factor for ON ( P < .001). Separate evaluation of patients ≥ 10 years of age indicated a 5-year cumulative incidence of ON of 7.2% (95% CI, 4.0% to 12.6%) and 5.9% (95% CI, 3.3% to 10.4%) in the ALL-97 and the ALL-02 protocol, respectively, which was lower than reported previously, despite an administration of dexamethasone (DEX) similar to that in comparable studies; however, concomitant administration of DEX and l-asparaginase was reduced in the JACLS protocols. Conclusion We identified a low frequency of ON in the JACLS ALL-97 and ALL-02 studies. Although the sole risk factor for ON was age (≥ 10 years), even among high-risk patients, ON incidence was significantly lower than that reported in previous studies. These results suggest that, not only the total amount of DEX, but also how DEX and l-asparaginase are administered, which affects the clearance of DEX, may be associated with ON incidence in patients with ALL.

A metal-free electrode using heteroatom-doped microporous carbon was fabricated for the ultrasensitive monitoring of mono-bioactive molecules and the selective signaling of dopamine (DA) secreted by living cells. The constructed electrode based on sulfur-doped microporous carbon (S-MC) shows a high surface area, a spherical construction, numerous carbon chain defects, and microporous structures, which are the key factors of the interactive signaling transducer, fast response, and active interfacial surfaces. The intrinsic features of S-MC with different %S-doping (S-MC-1, and S-MC-2) through the sp2-carbon chain create abundant catalytic active sites, facilitate molecular diffusion through the microporous structure, promote strong binding with the targeted molecules, and induce interactions at electrolyte-electrode interfaces. The S-MC-1 provides selective signaling in a tertiary mixture of DA, ascorbic acid (AA), and uric acid (UA) with a high sensitivity and a wide linear range of 0.01-5, 10-4000, and 1-2000 µM, respectively. The detection limits were set at 3 nM, 1.26 µM, and 0.23 µM for DA, AA, and UA respectively. The S-MC-1 demonstrated a selective screening of DA released from PC12 cells under a K+ ion- stimulator with high sensitivity and promoted high biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, high stability, and reliable reproducibility (%RSD ranged from 1 to 2.7). Our findings indicated that the S-MC-1 can be utilized as an in-vitro model for simultaneously monitoring extracellular-DA secreted from living cells and sensing mono-bioactive molecules in biological samples.

3D-ridge nanosheets of N-doped mesoporous carbon (NMCS)-based electrodes are fabricated as ultrasensitive biosensors for in vitro monitoring of dopamine (DA) released from living cells. The large-scale ranges of dense-layered sheets are arranged linearly with a thickness of

Contradictory results have been reported for in vitro evaluations of whether zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are cytotoxic. Though there have been reports of ZnO NPs cytotoxicity due to Zn ions released from the nanoparticles, there have also been reports concluding that Zn ions are not cytotoxic. This inconsistency is mostly attributed to the types of cells used. In this research, we investigated the difference in the level of ZnO NPs cytotoxicity due to culturing conditions. The sensitivity of human lung epithelial cells to ZnO NPs cytotoxicity differed depending on the dispersing medium, physiological state of the cells resulting from their growth stage, and composition of the medium. Further, with regard to the toxicity of ZnO NPs, NPs internalized into cells had a greater cytotoxic effect than Zn ions released from ZnO NPs. Instead of inducing cell death, ZnO NPs internalized into cells slowed the rate of cell proliferation. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of ZnO NPs depended greatly on the concentration of calcium ions (Ca2+) in the medium. When the concentration of Ca2+ was low, the cytotoxicity of ZnO NPs increased markedly. However, the toxicity of ZnO NPs was mitigated by the addition of CaCl2 to the medium. Global gene expression analysis revealed that Ca2+ -induced upregulation of cell cycle functions could be attributable to the mitigation of ZnO NP toxicity by Ca2+.

Water-soluble helical Fe(II)-based metallosupramolecular polymers ((P)- and (M)-polyFe) were synthesized by 1:1 complexation of Fe(II) ions and bis(terpyridine)s bearing a (R)- and (S)-BINOL spacer, respectively. The binding affinity to calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) was investigated by titration measurements. (P)-PolyFe with the same helicity as B-DNA showed 40-fold higher binding activity (Kb = 13.08 × 107 M–1) to ct-DNA than (M)-polyFe. The differences in binding affinity were supported by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis. The charge-transfer resistance (Rct) of (P)-polyFe increased from 2.5 to 3.9 kΩ upon DNA binding, while that of (M)-polyFe was nearly unchanged. These results indicate that ionically strong binding of (P)-polyFe to DNA chains decreased the mobility of ions in the conjugate. Unique rod-like images were obtained by atomic force microscopy measurement of the DNA conjugate with (P)-polyFe, likely because of the rigid binding between DNA chains and the polymer. Differences in pol...

An effect of measurement conditions on the depth resolution was investigated for dual-beam time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry depth profiling of delta-doped-boron multi-layers in silicon with a low-energy sputter ion (200 eV – 2 keV O2+) and with a high-energy primary ion (30 keV Bi+). The depth resolution was evaluated by the intensity ratio of the first peak and the subsequent valley in B+ depth profile for each measurement condition. In the case of sputtering with the low energy of 250 eV, the depth resolution was found to be affected by the damage with the high-energy primary ion (Bi+) and was found to be correlated to the ratio of current density of sputter ion to primary ion. From the depth profiles of implanted Bi+ primary ion remaining at the analysis area, it was proposed that the influence of high-energy primary ion to the depth resolution can be explained with a damage accumulation model. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.