Material survey for a millimeter-wave absorber using a 3D-printed mold.

Radio absorptive materials (RAMs) are key elements for receivers in the millimeter-wave range. We previously established a method for production of RAM by using a 3D-printed mold. An advantage of this method is a wide range of choices for absorptive materials to be used. To take advantage of this flexibility, we added a range of absorptive materials to a base epoxy resin, STYCAST-2850FT, and examined the optical performance of the resultant RAM across a wide frequency range under cryogenic conditions. We found that adding a particular type of carbon fiber produced the best performance with a reflectance at 77 K estimated as 0.01%-3% over a frequency range of 20-300 GHz.

Autoimmune Aspects of Kawasaki Disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a vasculitis that is part of systemic vasculitis syndrome. It affects medium-sized vessels and is characterized by hypercytokinemia. Although the etiology of KD remains unidentified, epidemiological features point to the role of infection and genetic predisposition. Recent studies on KD revealed endothelial damage and resultant thrombin generation, as well as B-cell activation during the acute phase. Several antiendothelial cell autoantibodies (AECAs) have been identified in KD patients. Analysis of this phenomenon together with the recently developed concept of immunothrombosis reveals a potential pathogenic mechanism for KD. First, polyclonal antibodies generated against invading microorganisms would exhibit cross-reactivity toward endothelial cell components and become dominant during affinity maturation. Binding of AECAs to endothelial cells would cause endothelial activation or damage, with proinflammatory cytokine release, thus fostering a hypercoagulable state resulting from leukocyte activation by proinflammatory cytokines. This, in turn, would lead to coronary artery lesions. KD vasculitis might be initiated upon binding of AECAs to the vasa vasorum and progress to panvasculitis and a vulnerable vessel wall, resulting in an aneurysm. The aneurysm would cause flow recirculation and alteration of wall shear stress. Consequently, platelets activated by shear stress, along with ultralarge von Willebrand factor (VWF) released by endothelial cells, would cause platelet-driven arterial thrombosis. Autoimmunity-associated thrombosis initiated by binding of AECAs to endothelial cells might play a major role in the pathogenesis of certain subtypes of KD. The notion of KD consisting of subtypes, the major one of which is AECA-associated vasculitis, will help improve our understanding of KD and further promote early and accurate diagnosis, which remains challenging.

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Hematopoietic Embryoid Bodies Improve Mouse Status in Septic Peritonitis.

We examined the efficacy of embryoid bodies from 6-day induced pluripotent stem cells an in vivo sepsis model. Injection of embryoid bodies to septic mice improved the condition of their lungs and significantly increased their survival rate. Although embryoid bodies secretedsphingosine-1-phosphate in vitro, its serum levels in mouse plasma were significantly reduced compared to that in the control (untreated mice receiving PBS). Low concentrations of sphingosine-1-phosphate protected endothelial cells, while high concentrations disrupted endothelial barrier integrity. Therefore, exogenous sphingosine-1-phosphate secreted by embryoid bodies during early stage of sepsis might down regulate endogenous production of sphingosine-1-phosphate. Inhibition of excessive sphingosine-1-phosphate release protects against endothelial injury and suppresses a vicious cycle of inflammatory reactions. The obtained results open new prospects in induced pluripotent stem cells-based therapy for sepsis.

Mechanisms of Filovirus Entry.

Filovirus entry into cells is complex, perhaps as complex as any viral entry mechanism identified to date. However, over the past 10 years, the important events required for filoviruses to enter into the endosomal compartment and fuse with vesicular membranes have been elucidated (Fig. 1). Here, we highlight the important steps that are required for productive entry of filoviruses into mammalian cells.

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Hematopoietic Embryoid Bodies Secrete Sphingosine-1-Phosphate and Revert Endothelial Injury.

The possibility of sphingosine-1-phosphate production by induced pluripotent stem cells is examined to assess their potential in treatment of sepsis. The hematopoietic embryoid bodies were derived from the culture of 6-day-old differentiated induced pluripotent stem cells. These embryoid bodies secreted sphingosine-1-phosphate, an important bioactive lipid that regulates integrity of the pulmonary endothelial barrier, prevents elevation of its permeability, and impedes the formation of stress fibers in human endotheliocytes derived from umbilical vein. The data attest to potentiality of induced pluripotent stem cells in treatment of sepsis.

Dental caries experience, rather than toothbrushing, influences the incidence of dental caries in young Japanese adults.

A dose-response relationship between toothbrushing frequency and the incidence of dental caries has not been confirmed. Furthermore, no longitudinal study about this relationship has considered dental caries experience at baseline, which is an important factor influencing the frequency of future caries. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the association between the incidence of dental caries and toothbrushing frequency after adjusting for dental caries experience at baseline in a Japanese population. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN: The 92 recruits of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in Kure, Japan, in 2011 were followed up for 3 years. They underwent oral examination at the annual checkups and answered questions about toothbrushing frequency. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the incidence of dental caries and to identify independent effects of toothbrushing frequency and dental caries experience at baseline. Furthermore, the relative importance of the incidence of dental caries was investigated among other independent variables using the partial adjusted R² score. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that toothbrushing frequency alone did not influence the increment in decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT). However, DMFT at baseline alone was associated with the increment in DMFT (crude odds ratio, OR, 1.20, 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.08,1.33). In the fully adjusted model, only DMFT at baseline was associated with the increment in DMFT (adjusted OR 1.23, 95%CI 1.09,1.38). CONCLUSION: After three years, the incidence of dental caries in young adult Japanese males was influenced by DMFT at baseline, rather than toothbrushing frequency.

Sensitization of TRPV1 by protein kinase C in rats with mono-iodoacetate-induced joint pain.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the functional changes of Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptor and to clarify its mechanism in a rat mono-iodoacetate (MIA)-induced joint pain model (MIA rats), which has joint degeneration with cartilage loss similar to osteoarthritis. METHODS: Sensitization of TRPV1 in MIA rats was assessed by transient spontaneous pain behavior induced by capsaicin injection in knee joints and electrophysiological changes of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons innervating knee joints in response to capsaicin. Mechanisms of TRPV1 sensitization were analyzed by a newly developed sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay that detects phosphorylated TRPV1, followed by functional and expression analyses of protein kinase C (PKC) in vivo and in vitro, which involves TRPV1 phosphorylation. RESULTS: Pain-related behavior induced by intra-articular injection of capsaicin was significantly increased in MIA rats compared with sham rats. In addition, capsaicin sensitivity, evaluated by capsaicin-induced inward currents, was significantly increased in DRG neurons of MIA rats. Protein levels of TRPV1 remained unchanged, but phosphorylated TRPV1 at Ser800 increased in DRG neurons of MIA rats. Phosphorylated-PKCɛ (p-PKCɛ) increased and co-localized with TRPV1 in DRG neurons of MIA rats. Capsaicin-induced pain-related behavior in MIA rats was inhibited by intra-articular pretreatment of the PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide I. In addition, intra-articular injection of the PKC activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate increased capsaicin-induced pain-related behavior in normal rats. CONCLUSION: TRPV1 was sensitized at the knee joint and at DRG neurons of MIA rats through PKC activation. Thus, TRPV1 sensitization might be involved in chronic pain caused by osteoarthritis.

Anharmonic thermal oscillations of the electron momentum distribution in lithium fluoride.

Anharmonic thermal effects on the electron momentum distribution of a lithium fluoride single crystal are experimentally measured through high-resolution Compton scattering and theoretically modeled with ab initio simulations, beyond the harmonic approximation to the lattice potential, explicitly accounting for thermal expansion. Directional Compton profiles are measured at two different temperatures, 10 and 300 K, with a high momentum space resolution (0.10 a.u. in full width at half maximum), using synchrotron radiation. The effect of temperature on measured directional Compton profiles is clearly revealed by oscillations extending almost up to |p|=4 a.u., which perfectly match those predicted from quantum-mechanical simulations. The wave-function-based Hartree-Fock method and three classes of the Kohn-Sham density functional theory (local-density, generalized-gradient, and hybrid approximations) are adopted. The lattice thermal expansion, as described with the quasiharmonic approach, is found to entirely account for the effect of temperature on the electron momentum density within the experimental accuracy.

Visualizing the mixed bonding properties of liquid boron with high-resolution x-ray Compton scattering.

Bonding characteristics of liquid boron at 2500 K are studied by using high-resolution Compton scattering. An excellent agreement is found between the measurements and the corresponding Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations. Covalent bond pairs are clearly shown to dominate in liquid boron along with the coexistence of diffuse pairs. Our study reveals the complex bonding pattern of liquid boron and gives insight into the unusual properties of this high-temperature liquid.

Extracting the redox orbitals in Li battery materials with high-resolution x-ray compton scattering spectroscopy.

We present an incisive spectroscopic technique for directly probing redox orbitals based on bulk electron momentum density measurements via high-resolution x-ray Compton scattering. Application of our method to spinel Li_{x}Mn_{2}O_{4}, a lithium ion battery cathode material, is discussed. The orbital involved in the lithium insertion and extraction process is shown to mainly be the oxygen 2p orbital. Moreover, the manganese 3d states are shown to experience spatial delocalization involving 0.16±0.05 electrons per Mn site during the battery operation. Our analysis provides a clear understanding of the fundamental redox process involved in the working of a lithium ion battery.

Envelope surface ultrastructure and specific gravity of artificially fertilized Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus eggs.

The envelope surface ultrastructure and specific gravity of artificially fertilized eggs of the Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus were examined. The unfertilized, demersal and slightly adhesive eggs of G. macrocephalus were almost spherical and had no oil globules. Wrinkled envelope surface with elaborated hexagonal reticulated patterns and type I micropyle were observed under a scanning electron microscope. The adhesiveness of the eggs was lost at the blastodermal-cap stage after fertilization. The micropylar canal was sealed by secretion of the perivitelline fluid, and the entire surface became rough. Numerous bacilli were deposited at the micropyle and the outer envelope surface at the late germ-ring stage and at the embryo five-eighths around the yolk stage. The micropyle was completely deformed at the embryo seven-eighths around the yolk stage. The specific gravity of the fertilized G. macrocephalus eggs ranged from c. 1·0316 to 1·0454. These values, however, sharply decreased towards the end stages of egg development to produce pelagic larvae. The ultrastructural changes in the micropyle and envelope surface of the G. macrocephalus eggs protected the embryo from microorganism infections and mechanical stress during the long incubation period. The adhesiveness and specific gravity of the eggs influenced their dispersion potential.

The Simons Observatory: Cryogenic half wave plate rotation mechanism for the small aperture telescopes.

We present the requirements, design, and evaluation of the cryogenic continuously rotating half-wave plate (CHWP) for the Simons Observatory (SO). SO is a cosmic microwave background polarization experiment at Parque Astronómico de Atacama in northern Chile that covers a wide range of angular scales using both small (⌀0.42 m) and large (⌀6 m) aperture telescopes. In particular, the small aperture telescopes (SATs) focus on large angular scales for primordial B-mode polarization. To this end, the SATs employ a CHWP to modulate the polarization of the incident light at 8 Hz, suppressing atmospheric 1/f noise and mitigating systematic uncertainties that would otherwise arise due to the differential response of detectors sensitive to orthogonal polarizations. The CHWP consists of a 505 mm diameter achromatic sapphire HWP and a cryogenic rotation mechanism, both of which are cooled down to ∼50 K to reduce detector thermal loading. Under normal operation, the HWP is suspended by a superconducting magnetic bearing and rotates with a constant 2 Hz frequency, controlled by an electromagnetic synchronous motor. We find that the number of superconductors and the number of magnets that make up the superconducting magnetic bearing are important design parameters, especially for the rotation mechanism's vibration performance. The rotation angle is detected through an angular encoder with a noise level of 0.07 µrad s. During a cooldown process, the rotor is held in place by a grip-and-release mechanism that serves as both an alignment device and a thermal path. In this paper, we provide an overview of the SO SAT CHWP: its requirements, hardware design, and laboratory performance.

Anomalous ground state of the electrons in nanoconfined water.

Water confined on the scale of 20 Å, is known to have different transport and thermodynamic properties from that of bulk water, and the proton momentum distribution has recently been shown to have qualitatively different properties from that exhibited in bulk water. The electronic ground state of nanoconfined water must be responsible for these anomalies but has so far not been investigated. We show here for the first time, using x-ray Compton scattering and a computational model, that the ground state configuration of the valence electrons in a particular nanoconfined water system, Nafion, is so different from that of bulk water that the weakly electrostatically interacting molecule model of water is clearly inapplicable. We argue that this is a generic property of nanoconfinement. The present results demonstrate that the electrons, and hence the protons as well, of nanoconfined water are in a distinctly different quantum state from that of bulk water. Biological cell function must make use of the properties of this state and cannot be expected to be described correctly by empirical models based on the weakly interacting molecules model.

Mechanism of oocyte maturation and ovulation and its application to seed production in the Japanese eel.

Reduction in eel resources and catches of glass eels as seedlings for aquaculture have been a serious concern in recent years in both Europe and East Asia. Thus, technical advancement to produce eel seeds for artificial cultivation is most desired. Fundamental information on oocyte maturation and ovulation and its application to artificial induction of sexual maturation are needed to produce good quality seeds of the Japanese eel. This review introduces hormonal mechanisms of cytoplasmic maturation (such as hydration, lipid coalescence, and clearing of the ooplasm) and the maturational competence (the ability to respond to maturation-inducing steroid) and nuclear maturation (germinal vesicle breakdown). In addition, previous and newly developed methods for induction of spawning have been described.

Safety, pharmacokinetics and resistant variants of telaprevir alone for 12 weeks in hepatitis C virus genotype 1b infection.

BACKGROUND: Telaprevir in combination with peginterferon and ribavirin is a promising advancement in chronic hepatitis C treatment. However, the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and antiviral profiles of telaprevir alone beyond 2 weeks have not been studied. METHODS: In a phase 1b study in Japan, 10 treatment-naïve patients infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 1b with high viral load (>5 log(10) IU/mL) received telaprevir 750 mg every 8 h (q8h) for 12 weeks. We examined the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels and resistant variants of telaprevir. RESULTS: Neither serious adverse events nor discontinuations of study drug owing to an adverse event occurred. The most common adverse drug reactions were rash (80%) and anaemia (70%). Telaprevir concentration reached its steady state within 2 days after the first administration without abnormal accumulation. Telaprevir alone provided potent antiviral activity: a median log(10) decrease of 2.325 at 16 h and 5.175 on Day 14. During the treatment, HCV RNA levels at the nadir were below the limit of the quantification in seven patients and undetectable in three of 10 patients. Viral breakthrough associated with mainly Ala(156) -substituted variants occurred in eight patients, and only one patient showed end-of-treatment response. The selected variants reverted to the wild-type during the 24-week follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Telaprevir alone was well tolerated at 750 mg q8h for up to 12 weeks. The safety profile and emergence of resistant variants of genotype 1b under telaprevir monotherapy for 12 weeks will become increasingly important in evaluating an oral combination of telaprevir with other direct-acting antiviral agents.

Mutations in the NOG gene are commonly found in congenital stapes ankylosis with symphalangism, but not in otosclerosis.

Human noggin (NOG) is a responsible gene for multiple synostosis syndrome (SYNS1) and proximal symphalangism (SYM1), two conditions that are recently known to be within a wider range of clinical manifestations of stapes ankylosis with symphalangism. This study was performed to determine the range of phenotype caused by NOG mutations, using Japanese patients with various phenotypes including sporadic inherited SYM1, dominantly inherited SYM1, stapes ankylosis with broad thumb and toes (Teunissen and Cremer syndrome). In addition, 33 patients with typical otosclerosis (without symphalangism) were studied. Direct sequencing analysis disclosed three novel mutations of the NOG gene in three SYM1 families. None of the otosclerosis patients without symphalangism had NOG mutations, indicating that NOG mutations may be restrictively found within patients with various skeletal abnormalities. These results together with the literature review indicated that there are no clear genotype-phenotype correlations for NOG mutations. With regard to surgical outcome, most of the patients in these three families with NOG mutations showed remarkable air-bone gap recovery after stapes surgery. Molecular genetic testing is useful to differentiate syndromic stapes ankylosis from otosclerosis, and even mild skeletal anomalies can be a diagnostic indicator of NOG-associated disease.

Spin-filter tunnel junction with matched fermi surfaces.

Efficient injection of spin-polarized current into a semiconductor is a basic prerequisite for building semiconductor-based spintronic devices. Here, we use inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy to show that the efficiency of spin-filter-type spin injectors is limited by spin scattering of the tunneling electrons. By matching the Fermi-surface shapes of the current injection source and target electrode material, spin injection efficiency can be significantly increased in epitaxial ferromagnetic insulator tunnel junctions. Our results demonstrate that not only structural but also Fermi-surface matching is important to suppress scattering processes in spintronic devices.

Persistence of covalent bonding in liquid silicon probed by inelastic x-ray scattering.

Metallic liquid silicon at 1787 K is investigated using x-ray Compton scattering. An excellent agreement is found between the measurements and the corresponding Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations. Our results show persistence of covalent bonding in liquid silicon and provide support for the occurrence of theoretically predicted liquid-liquid phase transition in supercooled liquid states. The population of covalent bond pairs in liquid silicon is estimated to be 17% via a maximally localized Wannier function analysis. Compton scattering is shown to be a sensitive probe of bonding effects in the liquid state.

f Electron contribution to the change of electronic structure in CeRu2Si2 with temperature: a Compton scattering study.

High resolution Compton profiles have been measured in the single crystal of CeRu(2)Si(2) above and below the Kondo temperature to elucidate the change of the Ce-4f electron from localized to itinerant states. Two-dimensional electron occupation number densities projected on the first Brillouin zone, which are obtained after a series of analyses, clearly specify the difference between itinerant and localized states. The contribution of Ce-4f electrons to the electronic structure is discussed by contrast with a band calculation.