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Study question Abnormal cleavage (AC) has been confirmed at early development. We performed an NGS analysis on AC-derived blastocysts to investigate ploidy of the resulting embryos. Summary answer Group in which AC occurred during second division showed significantly higher rates for embryos appropriate for transfer than group where AC occurred during first division. What is known already Early division is important in embryogenesis and serves as an indicator of subsequent embryonic development. The occurrence of AC during early development can be identified with the advent of the time-lapse incubator, which in turn has led to difficulties in determining whether such AC-derived blastocysts can be used embryo transfer. In this study, we performed NGS analysis on AC-derived blastocysts to investigate the ploidy of the resulting embryos. Study design, size, duration The subjects comprised women from whom oocytes were collected for NGS analysis from January 2019 to November 2021. Retrospective analysis was performed using a time-lapse system (EmbryoScope+). Embryos were categorized into two groups: those with abnormal divisions observed during the first and second divisions and those in which normal divisions were observed in the same cycle. Participants/materials, setting, methods The group with AC observed was designated the AC group and the other with normal divisions as the Normal Cleavage (NC) group. Within the AC group, the subgroup with AC observed during first division was designated as the First (AC-F) group and the subgroup with AC observed during second division as the Second (AC-S) group for comparing the acquisition rates for euploidy embryos and embryos appropriate for transfer. Main results and the role of chance The AC group (17.3%) showed a significantly lower rate of good blastocyst formation than did the NC group (53.4%) (P < 0.01). The cutoff point for mosaicism was defined as > 20% of abnormal cells. Percentage 80, abnormal (aneuploidy); and 20-80, mosaic. Using a cutoff of 50% to differentiate ‘‘low’’ mosaics from ‘‘high’’ mosaics. There was no difference between the two groups in the acquisition rates for euploidy embryos (30.8-35.1%) and the embryos appropriate for transfer, including low-mosaic ones (44.3-46.1%). There also was no difference in the acquisition rates for euploidy embryos (24.0-37.0%) between the AC-F and AC-S groups. However, the AC-S group (59.3%) showed significantly higher acquisition rates than the AC-F group (32.0%) for the embryos appropriate for transfer, including low-mosaic ones (P < 0.05). Limitations, reasons for caution PGT-A is still under clinical research in Japan. Wider implications of the findings The group in which AC occurred during second division showed significantly higher acquisition rates for the embryos appropriate for transfer than the group in which AC occurred during first division. This indicates that the most important factor for identifying euploidy embryos is going through the two-cell phase during first division. Trial registration number not applicable

This study uses first-principles calculations to investigate the effect of hydrogen on the chemical driving force of the transformation of iron from the face centered cubic (FCC) to hexagonal close packed (HCP) phase. The minimum energy path from FCC to HCP phases shows that FCC becomes stable with increasing hydrogen content. Furthermore, the energy difference between the FCC and HCP phases is observed to be smaller in Fe2H than in Fe throughout the temperature region. These results clearly explain the observed anomalous suppression of the martensitic transformation in the hydrogen-charged steel.

BackgroundEnpatoran, a novel, highly selective and potent dual toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 and TLR8 inhibitor, is in development for the treatment of autoimmune disorders including systemic and cutaneous lupus erythematosus. A first-in-human study in healthy participants has shown that enpatoran is well-tolerated and has a linear pharmacokinetic (PK) profile.ObjectivesTo compare the PK parameters, safety, and tolerability of single ascending oral doses of enpatoran in a Phase I study in Japanese and Caucasian participants, and to explore a potential PK/pharmacodynamic (PD) relationship.MethodsA single-centre, open-label, sequential dose group study enrolled healthy Japanese and Caucasian participants into three dose cohorts. Each Caucasian participant was matched by body weight (± 20%), height (± 15%) and sex to a Japanese participant. Participants received a single orally administered enpatoran dose of 100 mg, 200 mg, or 300 mg as a film-coated tablet under fasting conditions. PK parameters, (maximum plasma concentration [Cmax]; area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) from time 0 to infinity [AUC0-inf]; AUC from time 0 to the last sampling time [AUC0-tlast]) determined using noncompartmental analysis, were estimated post-dose from Day 1–3. Safety was assessed from Day -1 to 8. PK (exposure) between the two ethnic groups was compared using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model including ethnic group, natural log-transformed dose, and ethnic group by natural log dose interaction. Ex vivo secretion of cytokines (PD) under stimulated (using the TLR7/8 agonist, R848) and unstimulated conditions, was assessed pre- and post-dose. A panel of cytokines was analysed by multiplex immunoassay; IL-6 was considered the primary PD biomarker.ResultsThe study included 36 male participants (18 Japanese and 18 Caucasian) with a mean (± SD) age of 35.1 (± 10.8) years and mean (± SD) body mass index of 23.1 (± 2.1) kg/m2. Each dose group included six Japanese and six Caucasian participants. The geometric mean enpatoran plasma exposure parameters (Cmax, AUC0-inf, and AUC0-tlast) were consistent between the two ethnic groups for each dose level (Table 1) and indicated dose proportionality. ANCOVA modeling demonstrated comparable exposure between the two groups (geometric least square mean ratio [Japanese/Caucasian;90% CI] of Cmax: 0.9409 [0.7855–1.1270]; AUC0-inf: 0.8959 [0.7497–1.0704] and AUC0-tlast: 0.8963 [0.7511–1.0695]). Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were observed in six Japanese (n = 0, 100 mg; n = 3, 200 mg; n = 3, 300 mg) and four Caucasian (n = 1, 100 mg; n = 0, 200 mg; n = 3, 300 mg) participants. There we no serious TEAEs; most were mild and not dose dependent. Treatment-related TEAEs were mild diarrhoea, mild flatulence, and moderate headache. There were no deaths, withdrawals, or early terminations due to TEAEs. Administering enpatoran effectively reduced ex vivo stimulated cytokine release, with maximal inhibition observed at 2 hours post-dose (IL-6: mean ≥99%). High inhibition levels were sustained through 24 hours in a dose-dependent manner (IL-6: mean ~76–97%). The pattern of cytokine release inhibition was consistent across doses and ethnic groups.Table 1.PK parameters in Japanese and Caucasian participants at the three enpatoran dose levelsParameter100 mg200 mg300 mgJapaneseCaucasianJapaneseCaucasianJapaneseCaucasianN = 6N = 6N = 6N = 6N = 6N = 6Cmax139175260245486490(ng/mL)AUC0-inf7749481910185028403330(h*ng/mL)AUC0-tlast7589311880183028103270(h*ng/mL)All values are Geometric mean.Cmax, maximum plasma concentration AUC0-inf, area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) from time 0 to infinity; AUC0-tlast, AUC from time 0 to the last sampling time.ConclusionThere were no relevant ethnic differences in PK, PD, and safety between healthy Japanese and Caucasian participants across a range of single oral enpatoran doses, thus supporting the inclusion of Asian participants in future global Phase II studies.AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank those who took part in the study. This study was sponsored by the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (CrossRef Funder ID: 10.13039/100009945), who funded medical writing support by Bioscript Stirling Ltd.Disclosure of InterestsSathej Gopalakrishnan Shareholder of: Merck Healthcare KGaA, Employee of: Merck Healthcare KGaA, Axel Krebs-Brown Employee of: Merck Healthcare KGaA, Marco Nogueira Filho Employee of: Merck Healthcare KGaA, Yoshihiro Kuroki Employee of: Merck Biopharma Co., Ltd., Angelika Bachmann Employee of: Merck Healthcare KGaA, Andreas Becker Shareholder of: Merck Healthcare KGaA, Employee of: Merck Healthcare KGaA, Frank Schippers Employee of: Merck Healthcare KGaA, Markus Fluck Shareholder of: Merck Healthcare KGaA, Employee of: Merck Healthcare KGaA, Özkan Yalkinoglu Employee of: Merck Healthcare KGaA, Lena Klopp-Schulze Employee of: Merck Healthcare KGaA

We report on the synthesis of CoWO4 nanoparticles by co-precipitation technique. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of phase pure wolframite type CoWO4. The characteristic vibrational information of CoWO4 was obtained through FT-IR measurement. The annealing temperature induced increase in optical energy band gap (2.33- 2.67 eV) of CoWO4 nanoparticles was observed. The photoluminescence bands at 438 and 490 nm realized the radiative transition of [WO4]2- tetrahedral group.

We present the first measurement of the Michel parameters η ‾ and ξκ in the radiative leptonic decay of the τ lepton using 703 fb-1 of data collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB e + e − collider. The Michel parameters are measured by an unbinned maximum likelihood fit to the kinematic information of e + e − → τ + τ − → ( π + π 0 ν ‾ ) ( l − ν ν ‾ γ ) ( l = e or μ ) . The preliminary values of the measured Michel parameters are η ‾ = − 2.0 ± 1.5 ± 0.8 and ξ κ = 0.6 ± 0.4 ± 0.2 , where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic.

Nb2O5:MoO3 (95:5 and 85:15) thin films were deposited onto glass and fluorine doped tin oxide coated glass substrates at 100 and 300 °C by RF magnetron sputtering technique. The physical and electrochromic properties of the films were studied. XRD result reveals that deposited films were amorphous. The XPS study confirms the compositional purity and the presence of Nb5+ and Mo6+ in the deposited film. Surface morphological study shows platelet like features of deposited film. The average transmittance of the film is varied between 91 and 85 %. Photoluminescence study exhibits three characteristic emission peaks and confirms the better optical quality of deposited film. Raman spectra show the LO–TO splitting of Nb–O stretching of the deposited film. Electrochromic behavior of the deposited films characterized by cyclic voltammetry using 0.5 M LiClO4·PC and 0.5 M H2SO4 electrolyte solutions show all the films are having better reversibility and reproducibility in their electrochemical analysis.

In this work, the effect of substrate temperature on the structural, optical, vibrational and electrochromic properties of radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputter deposited mixed Nb2O5:MoO3 (90:10) thin films have been studied. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that all the deposited films belong to amorphous nature. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study confirms the compositional purity and the presence of five-valent niobium (Nb5+) and six-valent molybdenum (Mo6+) in the deposited film. The average optical transmittance of the films varied between 88 and 92%. The refractive index and extinction coefficient of films are found to decrease with increasing substrate temperature. Photoluminescence spectra exhibit three characteristic emission peaks and confirm the better optical quality of the deposited film. The longitudinal and transverse optic modes of Nb–O stretching vibrations were observed from the micro-Raman study. The cyclic voltammograms of Li+ and H+ ions clearly show all the films are having better reversibility and reproducibility in their electrochemical analysis. The maximum coloration efficiency of 51.94 cm2/C was obtained for the mixed Nb2O5:MoO3 (90:10) film.

In this paper, first time we report the precursor solution concentration with EDTA induced change in physical properties of MnS thin films deposited by a simple and facile approach called nebulized spray pyrolysis technique. X-ray diffraction results are revealed the presence of both β-MnS (cubic) and γ-MnS (hexagonal) structures in the deposited films. The crack-free, uniform, and homogeneously distributed particles with netted surface was realized from the HRSEM study. It is evident from the XPS data that the existence of Mn 2+ and S 2− in the deposited films. The optical band gap value of MnS films varies from 2.83 eV to 3.25 eV, which attributes the absorption edge shifts toward lower energy region with an increase of carrier density. Photoluminescence study shows the presence of strong band edge emission at 422 nm, which indicates the high optical quality of deposited films. The Raman spectra show two peaks at 367 cm −1 and 647 cm −1 which corresponds to the Mn-S vibrations.

Oral Diseases (2011) 17, 499–507 Objective: Injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) into the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) causes acute swelling around the joint and subsequent morphological alterations in the condyle. We aimed to evaluate changes in the three-dimensional architecture of the condyle induced with CFA. Materials and methods: The CFA was injected into the unilateral TMJ of rats and morphological changes in the condyle were assessed repeatedly for 14 days by in vivo micro-CT. Results: Osseous abnormalities of condyle were first observed at 3–5 days after CFA injection on the tomographic images, and the condylar deformation became more obvious thereafter. Among 12 condyles examined at 14 days postinjection, osteophytosis was observed in all of the specimens and bone erosion coexisted in five condyles. None of the saline-treated condyles showed architectural changes. Significant changes were detected in the mesiolateral and rostrocaudal widths of the CFA-treated condyles at 10–14 days postinjection (P

Our aim was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of in vivo micro-CT for osseous abnormalities of the rat temporomandibular joint (TMJ) condyle, using macroscopic observations as the "gold standard".A 30 TMJ arthritis model was prepared by injecting inflammatory complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into one side of the TMJ cavities of rats. The TMJ condyles were then imaged using micro-CT. The samples were macroscopically evaluated for osseous abnormalities, including erosions, osteophytes, flattening and concavity. The micro-CT images were independently assessed for abnormalities using the same criteria. Images in three planes were produced using the micro-XYZ technique with the micro-CT equipment.According to the macroscopic observations, 26 of the 60 rat condyles showed osseous abnormalities. The micro-XYZ images detected abnormalities in 25 of the condyles. The condyle diagnostic accuracy of micro-CT was 0.98, the sensitivity was 0.96 and the specificity was 1.0.Good diagnostic results were obtained using micro-CT. It is therefore an effective technique for the evaluation of osseous abnormalities in the rat TMJ condyle.

We have searched for neutrinoless τ lepton decays into l and V0, where l stands for an electron or muon, and V0 for a vector meson (φ{symbol}, ω, K* 0, over(K, )* 0 or ρ0), using 543 fb-1 of data collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+ e- collider. No excess of signal events over the expected background has been observed, and we set upper limits on the branching fractions in the range (5.9 - 18) × 10-8 at the 90% confidence level. These upper limits are significantly more restrictive than our previous results for the lφ{symbol}, l K* 0, l over(K, )* 0 and l ρ0 modes. © 2008 Elsevier B.V.

Dermatoglyphic analyses of 12 patients with the newly recognized Kabuki make-up syndrome revealed a combination of unusual dermatoglyphic patterns. They included frequent fingertip ulnar loop patterns (72%), the absence of digital triradius c or d (25%), an interdigital triradius bc or cd (33%), hypothenar loop patterns (67%), and ulnar loop patterns in the fourth interdigital area (17%). Other unusual findings included persistence of fingertip pads (58%), a single flexion crease of the fourth or fifth finger (25%), and an excess of minor flexion creases of the palm (92%).

We report a high-statistics measurement of the relative branching fraction Br(D0 --> pi+pi-pi0)/Br(D0 --> K-pi+pi0). A 357 inverse fb data sample collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider was used for the analysis. The relative branching fraction Br(D0 --> pi+pi-pi0)/Br(D0 --> K-pi+pi0) is determined with an accuracy comparable to the latest world average value.

The purpose of this clinical study was to investigate the minimum thickness of the roof of the glenoid fossa (RGF) of grossly normal temporomandibular joints (TMJ) and to correlate this with patient gender, age and the morphological classification of the mandibular head.The study was performed on 191 TMJs from 109 patients (25 male and 84 female, age range 3-79 years, mean age 28.1 years) who visited Nihon University Dental Hospital, Japan with suspected TMJ disorders. The patients underwent cone beam computed tomography (3DX CT) to enable observation of the morphological features of the mandibular head. The minimum thickness of the RGF was measured using frontal section images acquired by CT. The morphology of the mandibular heads was classified according to the method of Yale and colleagues. Mean linear measurements were used for statistical analyses of patient gender, age and mandibular head morphology.The average minimum thickness of the RGF was 0.79 mm. No significant difference in thickness was found between male and female patients. In addition, no differences were recorded as a result of variation in age or mandibular head morphology.These results indicate that RGF thickness is not significantly correlated with gender, age, or mandibular head morphology, at least in this cohort of patients.

The beacon signals from a geostationary satellite were observed using three-element very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), and the phase fluctuations along the baselines between three sites were obtained. The atmospheric phase fluctuations at each observation site were derived from the baseline phase fluctuation data. The fluctuations were classified into three time-interval regions based on the dependence of the Allan standard deviation of the fluctuations on the time interval. In the region where the interval was less than a few seconds and in the one where it was greater than one hundred seconds, the curve of the Allan standard deviation was steep and showed the property of white phase noise. In the region between these two regions, the dependence of the Allan standard deviation on the time interval was weak. The magnitude of the Allan standard deviations for the three observation sites showed time variations in the region where the time interval was longer than a few seconds. Comparison with the weather conditions suggested that the time variations of the Allan standard deviation reflected atmospheric instability above the sites.

Aim To determine the natural growth pattern of Japanese children with Down's syndrome. Methods Longitudinal height data of 85 patients (43 males, 42 females) from birth to final height were analyzed. Based on these data, semi-longitudinal standard growth curves and height velocity curves for Down's syndrome were drawn. Results The means +/- SD of final height of males and females with Down's syndrome were 153.2 +/- 5.6 and 141.9 +/- 4.2 cm, respectively. They were -3.0 SD and -2.8 SD for Japanese standards. Mean peak height velocities were 8.9 and 7.5 cm y(-1), and the ages at peak height velocity were 11.6 and 10.2 y for males and females, respectively. Conclusion The mean height of patients with Down's syndrome was around -2 SD for normal children before puberty. Their pubertal growth spurt starts about 1 y earlier and their peak height velocity was about 1.3-1.4 cm shorter than for normal children.

Highly spin-polarized ferromagnetic materials have attracted much attention for high-performance spintronic devices. Recently, antiperovskite 3d ferromagnetic nitirides such as Fe 4 N and Co x Fe 4−x N are focused because they do not contain rare earth elements and harmful elements. Recent first-principle calculation suggests that Co 3 FeN has a high negative spin polarization (P = −1), hence Co 3 FeN is most promising material for spintronics [1]. Up to now, epitaxial growth and properties of Co 3 FeN thin films on SrTiO 3 substrates (lattice mismuch = −3.9%) by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) were reported[2]. Recently, we succeeded in epitaxial growth of Co 3 FeN thin films on (La 0.18 Sr 0.82 )(Al 0. 59 Ta 0.41 )O 3 (LSAT) substrates (lattice mismatch = −2.8 %) by reactive magnetron sputtering in Ar+N 2 atmosphere (volume concentration of N 2 gas N 2 % = 8∼15% and substrate temperature T s = 350 °C) [3]. The sign and the absolute value of AMR ratio are considered to be strong related to spin polarization [4]. We obtained the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) ratio of −0.88% [3], so that our Co 3 FeN thin film is expected high spin polarization. In this study, we report a systematical study by changing T s on growth of Co 3 FeN thin films on LSAT substrate and its magnetic properties including AMR ratio. As a result, we obtain larger absolute value of the AMR ratio than our previous report. In addition, we succeeded in measuring the spin polarization of Co 3 FeN by point contact Andreev reflection. Finally, we would like to discuss the relationship between AMR ratio and spin polarization.

Recently, current-induced spin transfer torque is attracting interest because it affects not only a FM but also an AFM [1, 2]. Furthermore, the critical current for AFM switching is more than 10−2 times smaller than typical value for a FM [1]. Therefore, FM/AFM bilayers containing half-metallic FMs are desirable for studying current-induced magnetization switching and spin torque in AFM materials. Up to now, we focused on antiperovskite nitride [3, 4] because there are many combinations of elements that form the antiperovskite nitride such a AFM materials and half-metallic FM. Anti-perovskite FM nitride Co 3 FeN is predicted that it has high negative spin polarization [3, 4]. Anti-perovskite AFM nitride Mn 3 GaN exhibits many interesting properties, such as piezomagnetic [5]. For Mn 3 GaN/Co 3 FeN bilayer, we expect application to the new devices controlling magnetic moments of Mn 3 GaN by spin transfer torque. In this study, we investigated current-induced magnetization switching in Mn 3 GaN/Co 3 FeN epitaxial exchange-coupled bilayers by employing AMR effect. We shall discuss spin transfer torque in antiferromagnetic Mn 3 GaN.

To clarify the effects of the applied during sedation with nitrous oxide (hereafter referred to as laughing gas) on the ability of muscles attached to the lower jaw to sense lower-jaw-position and on the sensation of muscle spindles attached to the lower jaw in patients with cerebral palsy (CP) using healthy adult subjects without functional abnormalities of the jaws and oral cavities as control subjects (hereafter referred to as healthy subjects). Experiments were performed under the following conditions: for each subject, before the inhalation of laughing gas (LG) and oxygen (air-inhalation condition: referred to as without LG inhalation) and during the inhalation of LG and oxygen (inhalation condition of LG and oxygen under LG-induced sedation: referred to as during LG inhalation). Subjects in the experiments were eight CP patients and eight healthy people as controls. The ability to discriminate lowerjaw- position was estimated by asking the subjects to determine whether the diameter of a test stick was larger or smaller than that of a reference stick after performing the following tasks: a) holding a reference stick between the central teeth of their upper and lower jaws for 5s, and b) replacing the reference stick with a test stick and holding it at the same position for 5s, and the test stick was then removed. The following findings were obtained. 1)In comparing discrimination ability in the absence of LG-induced sedation and that during LG-induced sedation of healthy control subjects, the rate of mis-estimation (RME) was significantly larger during LG-induced sedation than in the absence of LG-induced sedation for a test stick diameter (10.5mm or 11.0mm) larger than the reference stick diameter (10.0mm) (P 0.05). 2)In comparing discrimination ability in the absence of LG-induced sedation and that during LG-induced sedation of CP patients, RME was significantly smaller during LG-induced sedation than in the absence of LG-induced sedation, when the test stick diameter (9.5mm) was smaller than the reference stick diameter (P 0.05). These results indicate that neural functions are inhibited at the upper level of the central nervous system in CP patients, leading to the attenuation of sustained increase in muscle tonus that is characteristic of CP patients. In summary, it seems that the LG has some inhibitory effect on the activity of γ-motor neurons innervating muscle spindles attached to the lower jaw via the upper level of the central nervous system and that this inhibitory effect contributes to an improvement in the discrimination ability.

In this paper, we discuss unique light localizations in photonic crystal line defect waveguides based on two different concepts. The first concept is an additional defect doping that breaks the symmetry of the line defect. Even though such a defect is open to the line defect, the optical field is well confined around the defect at cutoff frequencies of the line defect. This expands the design flexibility of microcavities, and allows effective mode controls such as the single-mode operation. The lasing action of such cavities in a GaInAsP photonic crystal slab was experimentally observed by photopumping at room temperature. The second concept is a chirping of the waveguide structure. The photonic band of a waveguide mode has a band edge, at which the group velocity becomes zero. The band-edge condition shifts in a chirped line defect waveguide, so guided light reaches a zero group velocity point and is localized. A macroscopic behavior of this phenomenon was experimentally observed in a waveguide fabricated into a silicon-on-insulator substrate. In addition, a microscopic behavior was theoretically investigated, which suggested its applicability to a group delay device.

The Ring-Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) and the Time-of-Flight (ToF) systems provide identification of charged particles for the PHENIX central arm. The RICH is located between the inner and outer tracking units and is one of the primary devices for identifying electrons among the very large number of charged pions. The ToF is used to identify hadrons and is located between the most outer pad chamber (PC3) and the electromagnetic calorimeter. A Time Zero (T0) counter that enhances charged particle measurements in p–p collisions is described. Details of the construction and performance of both the RICH, ToF and T0 are given along with typical results from the first PHENIX data taking run.

A calculation method for fusion product momentum deposition in dense plasma spheres has been developed and applied to laser imploded DT targets. The net radial momentum deposition from αparticles accelerates the expansion of the plasma sphere and thus reduces the rate of thermonuclear reactions. However, this effect is not so significant as previously expected because the rate of momentum deposition by the α particles is much less than the local pressure gradient around the burn front. The momentum deposition from neutrons is negligibly small because of its long mean free path.

The dioecious plant Rumex acetosa has a multiple sex chromosome system: XX in female and XY(1)Y(2) in male. Both types of Y chromosome were isolated from chromosome spreads of males by manual microdissection, and their chromosomal DNA was amplified using degenerate oligonucleotide primed-polymerase chain reaction (DOP-PCR). When the biotin-labeled DOP-PCR product was hybridized with competitor DNA in situ, the fluorescent signal painted the Y chromosomes. A library of Y chromosome DNA was constructed from the DOP-PCR product and screened for DNA sequences specific to the Y chromosome. One Y chromosome-specific DNA sequence was identified and designated RAYSI (R. acetosa Y chromosome-specific sequence I). RAYSI is a tandemly arranged repetitive DNA sequence that maps to the 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole bands of both Y chromosomes.

We have developed the simple method enables Zn 1− x Cr x O crystals to form with variation in Cr composition ratio. Energy-dispersion X-Ray spectroscopy indicated that the pre-deposited Au catalyst promoted the growth of Zn 1− x Cr x O crystals on a sapphire (0 0 0 1) substrate. Whiskers and particles coexisted as the Zn 1− x Cr x O crystals up to 7% of Cr composition, in contrast, those particles grew above 7%. It has been found that the lattice constant of Zn 1− x Cr x O decreased as the Cr composition up to 7%. A Cr content of 7% in the sublimation source corresponds to the Cr composition of 9.2% in Zn 1− x Cr x O crystal. This research has successfully enable Cr doping beyond solubility limit in Zn 1− x Cr x O crystals.

Chromosomal translocations affecting the 6p24 region have been associated with orofacial clefting. Here we present a female patient with cleft palate, severe growth retardation, developmental delay, frontal bossing, hypertelorism, antimongoloid slant, bilateral ptosis, flat nasal bridge, hypoplastic nasal alae, protruding upper lip, microretrognathia, bilateral, low set, and posteriorly rotated ears, bilateral microtia, narrow ear canals, short neck, and a karyotype of 46,XX,t(6;9)(p24;p23). The translocation chromosomes were analysed in detail by FISH and the 6p24 breakpoint was mapped within 50-500 kb of other breakpoints associated with orofacial clefting, in agreement with the assignment of such a locus in 6p24. The chromosome 9 translocation breakpoint was identified to be between D9S156 and D9S157 in 9p23-p22, a region implicated in the 9p deletion syndrome.

The phenotypes of chromosomal 22q11.2 microdeletion are quite variable among individuals and hypoparathyroidism (HP) constitutes a definite portion of the clinical spectrum. For the correct diagnosis and pertinent follow up of the HP children due to del22q11.2, we tried to delineate the clinical characteristics of such patients. By employing fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to all the patients diagnosed as HP in our clinic, ten possessed the 22q11.2 microdeletion. Among them, the incidence of cardiac defect (5/10), recurrent infection (1/10) and cleft palate (1/10) was modest. Additionally, seven of them had been diagnosed as HP during the infantile period, when their facial abnormality and intellectual problem had not become evident. Notably, two patients were complicated by Graves disease, while the association of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura was also observed in two girls.HP due to del22q11.2 may be misdiagnosed as idiopathic, especially in an infant who lacks apparent complications like cardiac anomaly. They should be closely followed up for auto-immune complications.

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells were involved in the development of coxsackievirus B3 (CB3) myocarditis in both the acute viremic (Experiment I) and the subacute aviremic (Experiment II) stages. To induce LAK cells, recombinant human interleukin-2 (IL-2) was administered to CB3-infected mice subcutaneously daily, starting on day 0 in Experiment I and on day 7 in Experiment II for 7 days, respectively. The treated groups were compared to infected controls. Splenic lymphocytes of IL-2 treated mice were further cultured in vitro in IL-2 containing medium for 7 days, and LAK cell activity, i.e., cytotoxic activity of the lymphocytes against EL-4 tumor cells and against cultured fetal myocytes, was assayed by 51Cr-release method. In Experiment I, histologic scores, myocardial virus titers, and LAK cell activity did not differ significantly between IL-2 treated and untreated groups. In contrast, in Experiment II, there were more cellular infiltration associated with severe necrosis and higher LAK cell activity against EL-4 cells and cultured myocytes in IL-2 treated than in untreated groups. The presence of LAK cells was demonstrated in the subacute stage of murine CB3 myocarditis. Thus, the behavior of LAK cell activity may vary with the course of myocarditis, and enhanced LAK cell activity may be involved in the development of the disease.

The histological findings of the patellar cartilage were compared between cases of chondromalacia, which occurs predominantly in young persons (22 patients, average age 19.8 years) and cases of osteoarthritis, which is common among the elderly (21 patients, average age 65.4 years). The histological findings of cartilage in the chondromalacia were characterized by increased density and vigorous fibrous metaplasia of chondrocytes. These findings may be considered to represent a reactive change in the chondrocyte. Cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis, by contrast, is regressive and presents a clearly different histological picture from that of chondromalacia patellae. We conclude that chondromalacia does not easily lead to osteoarthritis. On the other hand, the cartilage was characteristically softened, as observed by gross inspection, and showed rarefaction of the cartilage matrix. It should be noted that the change was not observed in aging, but showed a pattern of cartilage degeneration peculiar to young patients with chondromalacia patellae.

We performed X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) photoemission electron microscopy imaging to reveal the magnetic domain structure of anti-perovskite nitride Co3FeN exhibiting a negative spin polarization. In square and disc patterns, we systematically and quantitatively determined the statistics of the stable states as a function of geometry. By direct imaging during the application of a magnetic field, we revealed the magnetic reversal process in a spatially resolved manner. We compared the hysteresis on the continuous area and the square patterns from the magnetic field-dependent XMCD ratio, which can be explained as resulting from the effect of the shape anisotropy, present in nanostructured thin films.

BACKGROUND It has been shown that the development of coxsackievirus B3 (CB3) myocarditis is regulated by T cells and not by B cells. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a T-cell-derived cytokine that stimulates the growth of T cells. This study was carried out to determine the effects of IL-2 on CB3-infected BALB/c mice. METHODS AND RESULTS In two separate experiments, recombinant human IL-2 (5 x 10(4) U) was administered subcutaneously to 30 mice early (days 0 to 7) and 30 mice late (days 7 to 14) after infection with CB3. Each experiment had a control group of infected animals that did not receive IL-2. On days 7 and 10, splenic natural killer (NK) cell activity determined by 51Cr release assay and the distribution of myocardial lymphocyte subsets were compared in the treated and untreated groups. In the early treatment experiment, survival at 7 days was higher in treated compared with control animals, myocardial virus titers were lower, inflammatory cell infiltration was less (as was the severity of necrosis at the time the mice were killed), and NK cell activity was higher. However, in the late treatment experiment, survival at 14 days was lower in treated compared with control animals, and there was more infiltration, more severe necrosis, and more T-cell infiltration, but the NK cell activity did not differ significantly. In a third experiment similar to the late experiment described above but involving infected athymic nude mice, we confirmed the lack of effect of late in vivo administration of IL-2 on outcome. CONCLUSIONS IL-2 has the capacity to limit CB3 myocarditis by enhancing NK cell activity in the acute viremic stage, resulting in a reduction of cardiac pathology. However, in the subacute aviremic stage, in contrast, IL-2 exacerbates the course and severity of the disease by increasing the number of T cells infiltrating the myocardium. That is, IL-2 has differential effects on acute CB3 myocarditis. IL-2 is beneficial if treatment is given early but later in murine CB3 myocarditis.

The ribs and vertebrae are rarely affected by melorheostosis. We present a case of melorheostosis of the ribs and thoracic vertebrae, in which multislice computed tomography (CT) was useful in depicting its extent and defining its sclerotome distribution.

Injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) causes acute swelling around the joint and subsequent morphological alterations in the condyle. We aimed to evaluate changes in the three-dimensional architecture of the condyle induced with CFA.The CFA was injected into the unilateral TMJ of rats and morphological changes in the condyle were assessed repeatedly for 14 days by in vivo micro-CT.Osseous abnormalities of condyle were first observed at 3-5 days after CFA injection on the tomographic images, and the condylar deformation became more obvious thereafter. Among 12 condyles examined at 14 days postinjection, osteophytosis was observed in all of the specimens and bone erosion coexisted in five condyles. None of the saline-treated condyles showed architectural changes. Significant changes were detected in the mesiolateral and rostrocaudal widths of the CFA-treated condyles at 10-14 days postinjection (P0.01). The extent of both condylar bone formation and resorption was greater in the CFA-injected TMJs than in saline-injected TMJs (P0.05).These results indicate that CFA causes dynamic morphological changes in the condyle and that our experimental approach will provide new insights into the subacute inflammatory processes in the TMJ.

A nine-year-old girl with short stature was referred to the department of pediatrics at Kyushu University. The clinical diagnosis was Turner syndrome; karyotypic analysis performed on peripheral blood, using GTG techniques, demonstrated a 45,X/47,XYY (17:83) mosaicism. Her twin brother, a phenotypically normal male, had the same karyotype; 45,X/47,XYY (3:97) on peripheral blood. Their skin fibroblast karyotypes showed the same mosaicism, ie. 45,X/47,XYY (41:59 and 31:69 respectively). On eleven biochemical genetic markers the twin pair were concordant, thus the likelihood of monozygosity was 0.99527034. In addition, the analysis of variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) markers revealed the likelihood of monozygosity to be 0.99944386. The most plausible explanation of the X/XYY mosaicism was nondisjunction of the Y in the first cleavage division of the 46,XY zygote. A disproportionate rate of cell populations with 45,X and 47.XYY in the twinning process of the X/XYY embryo, especially in the germ lines, would result in discordant sex in twin pairs.

1. Effects of the molluscan neuropeptide APGW-amide and related compounds (the crustacean hormone RPCH, FAPGW-amide, PGW-amide, GW-amide and W-amide) were examined in several kinds of molluscan muscles. 2. All the compounds, except W-amide, showed qualitatively similar modulatory effects on contraction or relaxation of the muscles. The potency order of the compounds was found to be GW-amide greater than or equal to APGW-amide greater than FAPGW-amide greater than RPCH greater than PGW-amide. W-amide showed little or no effect even at 10(-4) M. 3. In the ABRM of Mytilus and the radula retractor muscle of Rapana, the active peptides were suggested to exhibit their modulatory effects by acting on the presynaptic sites in the muscles. 4. Nineteen GW-amide analogues, such as Gly-Trp-OH, Gly-Phe-NH2, D-Ala-Trp-NH2 and N-Gly-tryptamine, were also tested on some of the muscles, but all of them showed little or no effect.

Reference EPFL-ARTICLE-154413doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.78.071901View record in Web of Science Record created on 2010-11-05, modified on 2017-12-10

Using the previous Belle measurement of the inclusive photon energy in B→Xsγ decays, we determine the first and second moments of this spectrum for minimum photon energies in the B meson rest frame ranging from 1.8 to 2.3 GeV. Combining these measurements with recent Belle data on the lepton energy and hadronic mass moments in B→Xclν decays, we perform fits to theoretical expressions derived in the 1S and kinetic mass schemes and extract the magnitude of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element Vcb, the b-quark mass, and other nonperturbative parameters. In the 1S scheme analysis we find |Vcb|=(41.56±0.68(fit)±0.08(τB))×10-3 and mb1S=(4.723±0.055)GeV. In the kinetic scheme, we obtain |Vcb|=(41.58±0.69(fit)±0.08(τB)±0.58(th))×10-3 and mbkin=(4.543±0.075)GeV. © 2008 The American Physical Society.

We present a measurement of the branching fraction $B(D_s^+\to\mu^+\nu_\mu)$ using a 548 fb$^{-1}$ data sample collected by the Belle experiment at the KEKB $e^+e^-$ collider. The $D_s$ momentum is determined by reconstruction of the system recoiling against $DK\gamma X$ in events of the type $e^+e^-\to D_s^\ast DKX, D_s^\ast \to D_s\gamma$, where $X$ represents additional pions or photons from fragmentation. The full reconstruction method provides high resolution in the neutrino momentum and thus good background separation, equivalent to that reached by experiments at the tau-charm factories. We obtain the branching fraction $B(D_s^+\to\mu^+\nu_\mu) = (6.44 \pm 0.76({\rm stat}) \pm 0.57({\rm syst})) \cdot 10^{-3}$, implying a $D_s$ decay constant of $f_{D_s} = (275 \pm 16({\rm stat}) \pm 12({\rm syst}))$ MeV.

We report improved measurements of time-dependent CP violation parameters for B{sup 0}(B{sup 0}){yields}{psi}(2S)K{sub S}{sup 0}. This analysis is based on a data sample of 657x10{sup 6} BB pairs collected at the {upsilon}(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB energy-asymmetric e{sup +}e{sup -} collider. We fully reconstruct one neutral B meson in the {psi}(2S)K{sub S}{sup 0} CP-eigenstate decay channel, and the flavor of the accompanying B meson is identified to be either B{sup 0} or B{sup 0} from its decay products. CP violation parameters are obtained from the asymmetries in the distributions of the proper-time intervals between the two B decays: S{sub {psi}}{sub (2S)K{sub S{sup 0}}=+0.72{+-}0.09(stat){+-}0.03(syst), A{sub {psi}}{sub (2S)}K{sub S{sup 0}}=+0.04{+-}0.07(stat){+-}0.05(syst). These results are in agreement with results from measurements of B{sup 0}{yields}J/{psi}K{sup 0}.

Reference EPFL-ARTICLE-154429doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.77.091101View record in Web of Science Record created on 2010-11-05, modified on 2017-12-10