Periodically Twisted Molecular Wires Based on a Fused Unit for Efficient Intramolecular Hopping Transport.

Realizing efficient long-distance intramolecular charge transport based on a hopping mechanism is a key challenge in molecular electronics. In hopping transport, a smaller reorganization energy (λ) and energy difference between hopping sites (ΔEhs) should lead to a smaller activation energy and faster charge transfer. However, the development of π-extended molecules that meet these requirements is challenging. In this study, we successfully synthesized several nanometer-scale π-extended molecules composed of a fused π-conjugated unit as a hopping site for reducing λ. Conformational twists between fused units effectively localize π-conjugation in each unit, contributing to reducing ΔEhs. The expected electronic structures of the oligomers were confirmed using spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements. Single-molecule conductance measurements exhibited higher conductance and lower activation energy than those of nonfused oligothiophenes. First-principles calculations indicated that smaller λ and ΔEhs values explain the high conductance. These results highlight the efficiency of the proposed molecular design for effective intramolecular hopping transport.

Identification of epistatic SNP combinations in rheumatoid arthritis using LAMPLINK and Japanese cohorts.

Genome-wide association studies have enabled the identification of important genetic factors in many trait studies. However, only a fraction of the heritability can be explained by known genetic factors, even in the most common diseases. Genetic loci combinations, or epistatic contributions expressed by combinations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), have been argued to be one of the critical factors explaining some of the missing heritability, especially in oligogenic/polygenic diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex disease with more than 100 reported SNP associations, as well as various HLA haplotypes and amino acids; however, many associations between RA and inter-chromosomal SNP combinations are unknown. To discover novel associations of epistatic interactions with high odds ratios in RA, we applied the LAMPLINK method, a systematic enumerative procedure for identifying high-order SNP combinations, to a Japanese RA cohort (discovery cohort; 4024 patients with RA and 7731 controls). We validated the identified associations in a different Japanese cohort (validation cohort; 810 RA patients and 6303 controls). In this study, we identified 90 significant genetic associations in the discovery cohort. Among these, 74 (82.2%) associations were replicated in the validation cohort, and eight combinations were inter-chromosomal, all of which comprised rs7765379 or rs35265698 located in the HLA region. These two SNPs exhibited strong correlations with valine at amino acid position 11 in HLA-DRB1 (HLA-DRB1-11-Val). Finally, we discovered that rs9624 showed an association with RA through an epistatic interaction with HLA-DRB1-11-Val. Overall, LAMPLINK showed high reliability for identifying epistatic genetic contributions hidden in complex traits.

[Multiorgan Thromboembolism due to Thrombus in the Remnant Superior Pulmonary Vein After Left Upper Division Segmentectomy:Report of a Case].

A 67 years old male had underwent left upper division segmentectomy. On the sixth day after surgery, he had developed unconsciousness, aphasia and unilateral spatial neglect. Brain MRI revealed a cerebral infarction, and percutaneous cerebral thrombectomy was performed. Enhanced computed tomography revealed thrombus formation in the remnant superior pulmonary vein (SPV), left renal infarction and right acute limb ischemia. After starting anticoagulant therapy with apixaban the thrombus reduced and neurological symptoms improved. A thrombus in the SPV may cause serious whole body organ infarction in the same way as a left atrial thrombus. It was suggested that left upper division segmentectomy was associated with the risk of remnant pulmonary vein thrombosis.

Comprehensive HLA Typing from a Current Allele Database Using Next-Generation Sequencing Data.

HLA allele information is essential for a variety of medical applications, such as genomic studies of multifactorial diseases, including immune system and inflammation-related disorders, and donor selection in organ transplantation and regenerative medicine. To obtain this information, an accurate HLA typing method that is applicable for any allele registered in HLA allele databases is needed. Here we describe a method-called HLA-HD-for determining alleles from a current HLA database using next-generation sequencing (NGS) results.

Optical fiber chemical sensing of anionic surfactants using a microfluidic polymer chip with embedded ion-selective fluorescence optode.

This study introduces a novel microfluidic polymer chip system that employs an embedded anionic surfactant (AS) ion-selective fluorescence optode (AS fluorescence optode) as a detector for measuring AS. The AS fluorescent optode comprises a lactone form of rhodamine B (L-RB) embedded in 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether plasticized poly (vinyl chloride) membrane. The AS fluorescence optode demonstrated a linear correlation between fluorescence intensity peak heights and AS concentrations within the range of less than 20 µM under optimal flow conditions. The limit of detection for AS was approximately 0.06 µM. The microfluidic system was utilized to measure AS levels in environmental samples, such as river water and tap water.

Material Separation from Polyester/Cotton Blended Fabrics Using Hydrothermal Treatment.

The production of textile products is increasing annually, and most of them are disposed of after use without recycling. One of the reasons for the low recycling percentage of discarded textile products is the difficulty of recycling as a single material as these products are produced from a combination of two or more materials. Therefore, a technology to separate materials is necessary to improve the recycling percentage of textile products and to build a sustainable recycling industry. The aim of this study was to separate the most common combination of materials, such as cotton/polyester, in an environmentally friendly technique using hydrothermal treatment with only water. Herein, the optimal treatment conditions for blended fabrics in a high-pressure reactor were studied. Moreover, cotton could be separated by treating the fabrics at 220 to 230 °C for 10 min while maintaining the shape of the fabrics. Additionally, polyester showed a melting point, confirming that polyester could be separated without decomposition into monomers, unlike common chemical recycling. The strength of the separated cotton and the molecular weight of the polyester were evaluated, and a kinetic analysis of the changes due to the treatment was conducted. The activation energy obtained from the Arrhenius plot was 111.8 kJ/mol for PET, which was smaller than 142.6 kJ/mol for cotton. This indicates that the decrease in the molecular weight of PET is more likely to occur than the change in the strength of cotton, suggesting the possibility of separating the materials from the kinetic analysis.