Prognostic impact of MRI-derived feature tracking myocardial strain in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM

To evaluate the clinical utility of feature tracking (FT)-derived myocardial strain in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Electronic database searches of PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane advanced search, and EMBASE were performed. Studies on NIDCM were divided into categories according to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; <30%, 30-40%, >40%), and correlations between strains and prevalence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) were evaluated by weighted correlation coefficients. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) hazard ratios were also integrated for prediction of future adverse events.

RESULTS

The present meta-analysis analysed data from 5,767 patients with NIDCM from 30 eligible studies. GLS and global circumferential strain significantly differed across the three LVEF categories (all p<0.05); however, global radial strain did not. Only GLS showed a strong correlation with the prevalence of LGE (Spearman's correlation coefficient = 0.61). The pooled HR of GLS for predicting adverse events was 1.15 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-1.23, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

In this meta-analysis, FT-derived GLS was strongly correlated with myocardial fibrosis and was an important predictor of future adverse events. These results suggest that FT-derived GLS may be useful in the pathological evaluation and risk stratification of NIDCM.

Profiles of central nervous system surgical site infections in endoscopic transnasal surgery exposing the intradural space

OBJECTIVE

Despite its efficacy and minimal invasiveness, the clean-contaminated nature of endoscopic transnasal surgery (ETS) may be susceptible to central nervous system surgical site infections (CNS-SSIs), especially when involving intradural exposure. However, the profiles of ETS-associated CNS-SSIs are not fully elucidated.

METHODS

The institutional ETS cases performed between May 2017 and March 2023 were retrospectively analysed. The incidences of CNS-SSIs were calculated, and their risk factors examined.

RESULTS

The incidence of CNS-SSIs was 2.3% (7/305) in the entire cohort and 5.0% (7/140) in ETSs with intradural exposure. All the CNS-SSIs were meningitis and developed following ETS with intradural exposure. The incidences were 0%, 5.6% and 5.8% in ETSs with Esposito grade 1, 2 and 3 intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage, respectively. Among the pre- and intra-operative factors, body mass index (unit odds ratio (OR), 0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.44-0.89; P<0.01), serum albumin (unit OR, 0.03; 95% CI, 0.0007-0.92; P=0.02), and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status score (unit OR, 20.7; 95% CI, 1.65-259; P<0.01) were significantly associated with CNS-SSIs. Moreover, postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage was also significantly associated with CNS-SSIs (OR, 18.4; 95% CI, 3.55-95.0; P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of ETS-associated CNS-SSIs is acceptably low. Intradural exposure was a prerequisite for CNS-SSIs. Malnutrition and poor comorbidity status should be recognized as important risks for CNS-SSIs in ETS.

Phylogenetic analysis of endogenous viral elements in the rice genome reveals local chromosomal evolution in Oryza AA-genome species

Introduction

Rice genomes contain endogenous viral elements homologous to rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) from the pararetrovirus family Caulimoviridae. These viral elements, known as endogenous RTBV-like sequences (eRTBVLs), comprise five subfamilies, eRTBVL-A, -B, -C, -D, and -X. Four subfamilies (A, B, C, and X) are present to a limited degree in the genomes of the Asian cultivated rice Oryza sativa (spp. japonica and indica) and the closely related wild species Oryza rufipogon.

Methods

The eRTBVL-D sequences are widely distributed within these and other Oryza AA-genome species. Fifteen eRTBVL-D segments identified in the japonica (Nipponbare) genome occur mostly at orthologous chromosomal positions in other AA-genome species. The eRTBVL-D sequences were inserted into the genomes just before speciation of the AA-genome species.

Results and discussion

Ten eRTBVL-D segments are located at six loci, which were used for our evolutionary analyses during the speciation of the AA-genome species. The degree of genetic differentiation varied among the eRTBVL-D segments. Of the six loci, three showed phylogenetic trees consistent with the standard speciation pattern (SSP) of the AA-genome species (Type A), and the other three represented phylogenies different from the SSP (Type B). The atypical phylogenetic trees for the Type B loci revealed chromosome region-specific evolution among the AA-genome species that is associated with phylogenetic incongruences: complex genome rearrangements between eRTBVL-D segments, an introgression between the distant species, and low genetic diversity of a shared eRTBVL-D segment. Using eRTBVL-D as an indicator, this study revealed the phylogenetic incongruence of local chromosomal regions with different topologies that developed during speciation.

Measurement of Direct-Photon Cross Section and Double-Helicity Asymmetry at sqrt[s]=510 GeV in p[over →]+p[over →] Collisions

We present measurements of the cross section and double-helicity asymmetry A_{LL} of direct-photon production in p[over →]+p[over →] collisions at sqrt[s]=510  GeV. The measurements have been performed at midrapidity (|η|<0.25) with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. At relativistic energies, direct photons are dominantly produced from the initial quark-gluon hard scattering and do not interact via the strong force at leading order. Therefore, at sqrt[s]=510  GeV, where leading-order-effects dominate, these measurements provide clean and direct access to the gluon helicity in the polarized proton in the gluon-momentum-fraction range 0.02<x<0.08, with direct sensitivity to the sign of the gluon contribution.

Synthesis of N-(acyloxy)-N-alkynylamides via generation of "C2" from hypervalent alkynyliodane and a weak base

The first synthesis of N-(acyloxy)ynamides was realized through the coupling of N-(acyloxy)amides and hypervalent alkynyliodane under mild conditions. This reaction probably involves biradical species ("C₂") generation and radical processes. Furthermore, we also demonstrated that N-(acyloxy)ynamide could be transformed into a N-sulfonylimidate derivative by a copper catalyst. This study provides new building blocks for synthetic organic chemistry reactions and improves understanding of the chemical reactivity of "C₂".

Mass producible, robust SERS substrates based on metal film on nanosphere (MFON) on an adhesive substrate for detection of surface-adsorbed molecules and their evaluation by helium ion microscopy

We have developed a SERS stamp that can be pressed directly onto a solid surface for characterization of surface-adsorbed target molecules. The stamp was fabricated by transfer of a dense monolayer of SiO₂ nanospheres from a glass surface onto a piece of adhesive tape and subsequent evaporation of silver. The performance of the resulting SERS stamps was evaluated by their exposure to methyl mercaptan vapor, and immersion in rhodamine 6G and ferbam solutions. It was found that beside the nanosphere diameter and metal deposition thickness, the extent of burial of the nanospheres into the adhesive tape, dictated by the pressure during the nanosphere transfer process, had a significant effect. We carried out FDTD calculations of the near field. Models are based on morphological information obtained from helium ion microscopy, which can provide high-resolution images of poor electrical conductors such as our SERS stamp. While one of our main eventual goals is detection of pesticides on agricultural produce, we have begun to take a careful step by testing our SERS stamp on better characterized surfaces such as a porous gel surface, having been immersed in fungicides such as ferbam. We also present our preliminary results with ferbam on oranges. It is expected that our well-characterized SERS stamp will play a role in shedding light on the poorly studied transfer process of target molecules onto a SERS surface as well as serving as a new SERS platform.

Prolonged infective SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant shedding in a patient with diffuse large B cell lymphoma successfully cleared after three courses of remdesivir

We report a case of prolonged shedding of the infective SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant BA.1.1.2 in a 79-year-old male patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, after receiving chemotherapy with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (R-CHOP). The patient was admitted to our hospital in late March 2022 for the sixth course of R-CHOP chemotherapy. Initially, the patient tested negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using an in-hospital loop-mediated amplification assay with a nasopharyngeal swab, both on the day of admission and three days later. However, the patient developed fever and was diagnosed with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) six days after admission and was suspected to have contracted the infection in the ward. Viral shedding continued for more than three months, with confirmed viral infectivity. As compared to the original Wuhan-Hu-1/2019 strain, amino acid substitutions including S36N in non-structural protein (NSP)2, S148P and SL1265I in NSP3, G105D in NSP4, G496S, A831V, or V987F in spike protein, and I45T in open-reading frame (ORF)9b were randomly detected in isolated viruses. Although the patient had received two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine approximately six months earlier and the third dose on day 127 after the infection, both serum anti-spike and anti-nuclear protein IgG and IgM tests were negative at day 92, 114, and 149 after the infection. The patient finally cleared the virus after the third course of remdesivir and did not have further recurrence.

Order-order transitions in poly(N-octadecyl acrylamide-co-hydroxyethyl acrylamide) statistical copolymer films

This study demonstrates that a simple statistical copolymer can form self-assembled lamellae, whose structures depend on both the comonomer composition and the annealing temperature. Statistical copolymers of octadecyl acrylamide and hydroxyethyl acrylamide [p(ODA/HEAm)] were prepared via free-radical copolymerization, and their thermal properties were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. Thin films of p(ODA/HEAm) were prepared via spin-coating, and their structures were analyzed using X-ray diffraction. It was found that copolymers with HEAm contents between 28 and 50% formed self-assembled lamellae upon annealing at a temperature ∼10 °C above the glass-transition temperature. The self-assembled form was found to possess a "side-chain-mixed" lamellar structure, in which the ODA and HEAm side chains are oriented perpendicular to the lamellar plane composed of the polymer main chain. Interestingly, a copolymer with a HEAm content between 36 and 50% transformed from the side-chain-mixed lamellar structure to generate a "side-chain-segregated" lamellar structure upon annealing at a significantly higher temperature (∼50 °C above T_g). In this structure, the ODA and HEAm side chains were found to be oriented in opposite directions but perpendicular to the lamellar plane. The packing of the side chains in the lamellar structures was studied using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. It was concluded that the structures of the self-assembled lamellae are determined by the strain forces generated during self-assembly, and by the segregation forces existing between the comonomers.

A Photoredox/Sulfide Dual Catalysis System That Uses Sulfide Radical Cations to Promote Alkene Chlorotrifluoromethylation

Sulfides and their derivatives are among the most important class of reagent in synthetic chemistry. Despite the importance of such compounds, the use of sulfide radical cations in synthetic chemistry is underdeveloped. To address this issue, herein, we describe alkene chlorotrifluoromethylation reactions promoted by photoredox/sulfide dual catalysis systems, which involves sulfide radical cations generated through the oxidation of sulfides by a photoredox catalyst. The high functional group tolerance of this chemistry was demonstrated using natural products and drug molecules as substrate alkenes.

Hemodynamic Analysis of Cerebral AVMs with 3D Phase-Contrast MR Imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The hemodynamics associated with cerebral AVMs have a significant impact on their clinical presentation. This study aimed to evaluate the hemodynamic features of AVMs using 3D phase-contrast MR imaging with dual velocity-encodings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-two patients with supratentorial AVMs who had not received any previous treatment and had undergone 3D phase-contrast MR imaging were included in this study. The nidus diameter and volume were measured for classification of AVMs (small, medium, or large). Flow parameters measured included apparent AVM inflow, AVM inflow index, apparent AVM outflow, AVM outflow index, and the apparent AVM inflow-to-outflow ratio. Correlation coefficients between the nidus volume and each flow were calculated. The flow parameters between small and other AVMs as well as between nonhemorrhagic and hemorrhagic AVMs were compared.

RESULTS

Patients were divided into hemorrhagic (n = 8) and nonhemorrhagic (n = 24) groups. The correlation coefficient between the nidus volume and the apparent AVM inflow and outflow was .83. The apparent AVM inflow and outflow in small AVMs were significantly smaller than in medium AVMs (P < .001 for both groups). The apparent AVM inflow-to-outflow ratio was significantly larger in the hemorrhagic AVMs than in the nonhemorrhagic AVMs (P = .02).

CONCLUSIONS

The apparent AVM inflow-to-outflow ratio was the only significant parameter that differed between nonhemorrhagic and hemorrhagic AVMs, suggesting that a poor drainage system may increase AVM pressure, potentially causing cerebral hemorrhage.

Hypothermic preservation of rat hearts using antifreeze glycoprotein

Antifreeze proteins are an effective additive for low-temperature preservation of solid organs. Here, we compared static hypothermic preservation with and without antifreeze glycoprotein (AFGP), followed by nonfreezing cryopreservation of rat hearts. The heart was surgically extracted and immersed in one of the cardioplegia solutions after cardiac arrest. Control rat hearts (n=6) were immersed in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution whereas AFGP-treated hearts (AFGP group) (n=6) were immersed in UW solution containing 500 ?g/ml AFGP. After static hypothermic preservation, a Langendorff apparatus was used to reperfuse the coronary arteries with oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution. After 30, 60, 90, and 120 min, the heart rate (HR), coronary flow (CF), cardiac contractile force (max dP/dt), and cardiac diastolic force (min dP/dt) were measured. Tissue water content (TWC) and tissue adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels in the reperfused preserved hearts were also assessed. All the parameters were compared between the control and AFGP groups. Compared with the control group, the AFGP group had significantly (p<0.05) higher values of the following parameters: HR at 60, 90, and 120 min; CF at all four time points; max dP/dt at 90 min; min dP/dt at 90 and 120 min; and tissue ATP levels at 120 min. TWC did not differ significantly between the groups. The higher HR, CF, max dP/dt, min dP/dt, and tissue ATP levels in the AFGP compared with those in control hearts suggested that AFGP conferred superior hemodynamic and metabolic functions. Thus, AFGP might be a useful additive for the static/nonfreezing hypothermic preservation of hearts.

Erratum: Evolution of π^{0} Suppression in Au+Au Collisions from sqrt[s_{NN}]=39 to 200 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 152301 (2012)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.152301.

Bacterial co-infection and early mortality among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Manila, The Philippines

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence of bacterial co-infection and its effect on early mortality among hospitalised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients in Manila, the Philippines.

DESIGN

A prospective observational study was conducted at a national infectious disease hospital. HIV-negative PTB patients aged 13 years hospitalised from November to December 2011 and from December 2012 to May 2013 were enrolled. Sputum samples were tested for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and six respiratory bacterial pathogens using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

RESULTS

Of 466 patients, 228 (48.9%) were TB-PCR-positive. Overall, bacterial pathogens in purulent sputum were detected in 135 (29.0%) patients: Haemophilus influenzae was the most common bacterium (21.2%), followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (7.9%). The prevalence of bacterial co-infection did not differ between TB-PCR-positive and -negative patients. A total of 92 (19.7%) patients died within 2 weeks. Bacterial co-infection was significantly associated with an increased risk of 2-week mortality among TB-PCR-positive patients (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] 1.67, 95%CI 1.03-2.72). This association was also observed but did not reach statistical significance among TB-PCR-negative patients (aRR1.7, 95%CI 0.95-3.02).

CONCLUSION

Bacterial co-infection is common and contributes to an increased risk of early mortality among HIV-negative PTB patients.

Formation and dissociation of synthetic hetero-double-helix complex in aqueous solutions: significant effect of water content on dynamics of structural change

A 1 : 1 mixture of the ethynylhelicene pseudoenantiomers (M)-tetramer and (P)-pentamer, which possess hydrophilic terminal tri(ethyleneglycol) (TEG) groups, changes their structures in the water-THF (10 μM) solvent system between dissociated random-coils and an associated hetero-double-helix upon heating and cooling. A small change in water content between 30 and 33% significantly affects the dynamics of structural changes. At 30% water content, heating to 60 °C causes rapid formation of random-coil and cooling to 10 °C causes the rapid formation of hetero-double-helix, accompanied by repeated changes in Δε at 369 nm between 0 and -2000 cm-1 M-1. Heating and cooling experiments at constant rates between 60 and 10 °C resulted in sigmoidal curves in Δε/temperature profiles, which indicate rapid structural changes. Different phenomena occurred at 33% water content. Heating to 60 °C and cooling to 0 °C initially induced changes in Δε between 0 and -2000 cm-1 M-1, and repeated cycles gradually reduced the range between 0 and -500 cm-1 M-1. Heating and cooling experiments at constant rates between 60 and 10 °C caused small changes in Δε, and repeated cycles at 10 °C gradually increased Δε to -500 cm-1 M-1. These phenomena involved rapid changes in molecular structure and slow structural changes in the water-THF solvent system. The sharp switching of the dynamics of structural changes at water content between 30 and 33% indicated discontinuous structural changes in the hydration of TEG and/or in water clusters in the vicinity of oligomer molecules.

Intratumoural immune cell landscape in germinoma reveals multipotent lineages and exhibits prognostic significance

AIMS

Alterations in microenvironments are a hallmark of cancer, and these alterations in germinomas are of particular significance. Germinoma, the most common subtype of central nervous system germ cell tumours, often exhibits massive immune cell infiltration intermingled with tumour cells. The role of these immune cells in germinoma, however, remains unknown.

METHODS

We investigated the cellular constituents of immune microenvironments and their clinical impacts on prognosis in 100 germinoma cases.

RESULTS

Patients with germinomas lower in tumour cell content (i.e. higher immune cell infiltration) had a significantly longer progression-free survival time than those with higher tumour cell contents (P = 0.03). Transcriptome analyses and RNA in-situ hybridization indicated that infiltrating immune cells comprised a wide variety of cell types, including lymphocytes and myelocyte-lineage cells. High expression of CD4 was significantly associated with good prognosis, whereas elevated nitric oxide synthase 2 was associated with poor prognosis. PD1 (PDCD1) was expressed by immune cells present in most germinomas (93.8%), and PD-L1 (CD274) expression was found in tumour cells in the majority of germinomas examined (73.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

The collective data strongly suggest that infiltrating immune cells play an important role in predicting treatment response. Further investigation should lead to additional categorization of germinoma to safely reduce treatment intensity depending on tumour/immune cell balance and to develop possible future immunotherapies.

Beam Energy and Centrality Dependence of Direct-Photon Emission from Ultrarelativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions

The PHENIX collaboration presents first measurements of low-momentum (0.4<p_{T}<3  GeV/c) direct-photon yields from Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=39 and 62.4 GeV. For both beam energies the direct-photon yields are substantially enhanced with respect to expectations from prompt processes, similar to the yields observed in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200. Analyzing the photon yield as a function of the experimental observable dN_{ch}/dη reveals that the low-momentum (>1  GeV/c) direct-photon yield dN_{γ}^{dir}/dη is a smooth function of dN_{ch}/dη and can be well described as proportional to (dN_{ch}/dη)^{α} with α≈1.25. This scaling behavior holds for a wide range of beam energies at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider, for centrality selected samples, as well as for different A+A collision systems. At a given beam energy, the scaling also holds for high p_{T} (>5  GeV/c), but when results from different collision energies are compared, an additional sqrt[s_{NN}]-dependent multiplicative factor is needed to describe the integrated-direct-photon yield.

Basic evaluation of a novel 4D target and human body phantom

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is usually verified with a dynamic phantom or solid phantom, but there is a demand for phantoms that can accurately simulate tumor dynamics within an individual that would allow customized validation in every patient. We developed a new 4D dynamic target phantom (multi-cell 4D phantom) that allows simulation of tumor movement in patients. The basic quality and dynamic reproducibility of this new phantom was verified in this investigation. The newly developed multi-cell 4D phantom comprises four main components: soft tissue, bones, lungs, and tumor (target). The phantom structure was based on computed tomography (CT) data of a male. In this study, we investigated the basic performance of a multi-cell 4D phantom. All the CT numbers of the phantom were very close to those of human data. The geometric maximum amplitudes were 4.57 mm in the lateral direction, 4.59 mm in the ventrodorsal direction, and 3.68 mm in the cranio-caudal direction. Geometric errors were 0.84, 0.58, and 0.40 mm, respectively. Movements of the abdominal surface were stable for 60 s. Repeated measurements show no actual differences in target movements between multiple measurements and indicated high reproducibility (r  >  0.97). End-to-end tests using Gafchromic film revealed a gamma pass rate of 98% or above (2 mm/3%). Although our phantom performed limited reproducibility in the movement of the patient tumor at present, a satisfactory level of precision was confirmed in general. This is a very promising device for use in the verification of radiation therapy for moving targets.

Long-Range Anisotropic Structural Films and Fibers Formed from Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Gels Containing Hetero-Double-Helices with C16 Terminal Groups

Long-range anisotropic structural materials exhibit notable optical and mechanical properties, and an efficient method for synthesizing such materials involving self-assembly of well-defined monodispersed organic molecules is described here. Hetero-double-helices are formed in toluene using a pseudoenantiomeric mixture of an ethynylhelicene ( M)-tetramer with C₁₆ terminal groups and a ( P)-pentamer. When the concentration of the mixture was increased, the hetero-double-helices self-assembled to form lyotropic liquid crystal gels. On evaporating the solvent by drop casting, a long-range anisotropic structural film with a single domain and a size of up to centimeter order was spontaneously formed. Kinetics analysis of the film formation indicated the generation of perpendicularly aligned liquid crystal domains at the interface of the liquid and solid phases. When the lyotropic liquid crystal gel was extruded into methanol, a long-range anisotropic structural fiber with a single domain was formed. Different shapes of long-range anisotropic structural materials were obtained by different mechanical treatments of lyotropic liquid crystal gels.

Chemical Systems Involving Two Competitive Self-Catalytic Reactions

Self-catalytic reactions are chemical phenomena, in which a product catalyzes the reactions of substrates further to yield products. A significant amplification of product concentration occurs during the reactions in a dilute solution, which exhibit notable properties such as sigmoidal kinetics, seeding effects, and thermal hysteresis. Chemical systems involving two competitive self-catalytic reactions can be considered, in which the competitive formation of two products occurs, which is affected by environmental changes, subtle perturbations, and fluctuations, and notable chemical phenomena appear such as formation of different structures in response to slow/fast temperature changes, chiral symmetry breaking, shortcut in reaction time, homogeneous-heterogeneous transitions, and mechanical responses. Studies on such chemical systems provide understanding on biological systems and can also be extended to the development of novel functional materials.

New precise measurements of muonium hyperfine structure at J-PARC MUSE

High precision measurements of the ground state hyperfine structure (HFS) of muonium is a stringent tool for testing bound-state quantum electrodynamics (QED) theory, determining fundamental constants of the muon magnetic moment and mass, and searches for new physics. Muonium is the most suitable system to test QED because both theoretical and experimental values can be precisely determined. Previous measurements were performed decades ago at LAMPF with uncertainties mostly dominated by statistical errors. At the J-PARC Muon Science Facility (MUSE), the MuSEUM collaboration is planning complementary measurements of muonium HFS both at zero and high magnetic field. The new high-intensity muon beam that will soon be available at H-Line will provide an opportunity to improve the precision of these measurements by one order of magnitude. An overview of the different aspects of these new muonium HFS measurements, the current status of the preparation for high-field measurements, and the latest results at zero field are presented.

Proximate stochastic chiral symmetry breaking is mechanically tunable: formation of enantiomeric hetero-double-helices and aggregates from racemic oxymethylenehelicene oligomers

A mixture of oxymethylenehelicene (P)-hexamer and (M)-hexamer in solution exhibited chiral symmetry breaking, which was induced by mechanical stirring, during the formation of enantiomeric hetero-double-helices and their aggregates.

Pseudorapidity Dependence of Particle Production and Elliptic Flow in Asymmetric Nuclear Collisions of p+Al, p+Au, d+Au, and ^{3}He+Au at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

Asymmetric nuclear collisions of p+Al, p+Au, d+Au, and ^{3}He+Au at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV provide an excellent laboratory for understanding particle production, as well as exploring interactions among these particles after their initial creation in the collision. We present measurements of charged hadron production dN_{ch}/dη in all such collision systems over a broad pseudorapidity range and as a function of collision multiplicity. A simple wounded quark model is remarkably successful at describing the full data set. We also measure the elliptic flow v_{2} over a similarly broad pseudorapidity range. These measurements provide key constraints on models of particle emission and their translation into flow.

Chemical CD oscillation and chemical resonance phenomena in a competitive self-catalytic reaction system: a single temperature oscillation induces CD oscillations twice

Chemical CD oscillation and chemical resonance phenomena appear in a competitive chemical reaction system involving amplification. A pseudoenantiomeric mixture of an aminomethylenehelicene (P)-tetramer and an (M)-hexamer in toluene forms three states, namely hetero-double-helix B, hetero-double-helix C, and dissociated random-coil 2A. When the temperature of the solution is oscillated between -5 and 38 °C at a rate of 2 K min^-1, Δε reaches maxima twice during a single temperature oscillation, which is called a chemical CD oscillation phenomenon. The phenomenon arises from the sharp competition between the two self-catalytic 2A + C-to-2C and 2A + B-to-2B reactions. In addition, the chemical CD oscillation appears, when temperature oscillation occurs at a rate of 2 K min^-1, and higher and lower rates provide a single maximum, a process referred to as the chemical resonance phenomenon. The changes in concentration induced by temperature oscillation repeatedly crossed equilibrium.

Ancient Endogenous Pararetroviruses in Oryza Genomes Provide Insights into the Heterogeneity of Viral Gene Macroevolution

Endogenous viral sequences in eukaryotic genomes, such as those derived from plant pararetroviruses (PRVs), can serve as genomic fossils to study viral macroevolution. Many aspects of viral evolutionary rates are heterogeneous, including substitution rate differences between genes. However, the evolutionary dynamics of this viral gene rate heterogeneity (GRH) have been rarely examined. Characterizing such GRH may help to elucidate viral adaptive evolution. In this study, based on robust phylogenetic analysis, we determined an ancient endogenous PRV group in Oryza genomes in the range of being 2.41-15.00 Myr old. We subsequently used this ancient endogenous PRV group and three younger groups to estimate the GRH of PRVs. Long-term substitution rates for the most conserved gene and a divergent gene were 2.69 × 10-8 to 8.07 × 10-8 and 4.72 × 10-8 to 1.42 × 10-7 substitutions/site/year, respectively. On the basis of a direct comparison, a long-term GRH of 1.83-fold was identified between these two genes, which is unexpectedly low and lower than the short-term GRH (>3.40-fold) of PRVs calculated using published data. The lower long-term GRH of PRVs was due to the slightly faster rate decay of divergent genes than of conserved genes during evolution. To the best of our knowledge, we quantified for the first time the long-term GRH of viral genes using paleovirological analyses, and proposed that the GRH of PRVs might be heterogeneous on time scales (time-dependent GRH). Our findings provide special insights into viral gene macroevolution and should encourage a more detailed examination of the viral GRH.

Integrating 3D Rotational Angiography into Gamma Knife Planning

3D rotational angiography provides remarkable spatial resolution for cerebrovascular disorders; however, it cannot be integrated directly into gamma knife planning due to the discrepancy of DICOM "tag" information, and most physicians still cannot benefit from 3D rotational angiography. Here, we describe a simple and easy technique to enable the integration of 3D rotational angiography.

Development of a highly sensitive in vitro system to detect and discriminate between vitamin D receptor agonists and antagonists based on split-luciferase technique

Split-luciferase techniques are widely used to detect protein-protein interaction and bioactive small molecules including some hormones and vitamins. Previously, we successfully expressed chimeric proteins of luciferase and the ligand binding domain (LBD) of the vitamin D receptor (VDR), LucC-LBD-LucN in COS-7 cells. The LucC-LBD-LucN biosensor was named split-luciferase vitamin D biosensor (SLDB). This biosensor can detect and discriminate between VDR agonists and antagonists in mammalian cells. In this study, we established an in vitro screening system for VDR ligands using the SLDB proteins expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells. Our in vitro screening system using cell lysate of recombinant E. coli cells could be completed within 30min, and its activity was unchanged after 10 freeze-thaw cycles. This highly sensitive and convenient system would be quite useful to screen VDR ligands with therapeutic potential for various bone-related diseases, age-related cognitive disorders, cancer, and immune disorders. In addition, our system might be applicable to diagnostic measurement of serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ and 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃.

Nickel-catalyzed hydrocarboxylation of ynamides with CO2 and H2O: observation of unexpected regioselectivity

We describe the nickel-catalyzed hydrocarboxylation of ynamides with CO₂ and H₂O to afford a variety of α-amino-α,β-unsaturated esters with high regioselectivities. The selective α-carboxylation of ynamides with this catalytic protocol is unexpected in view of the electronic bias of ynamides and is in sharp contrast to our previous study in which a stoichiometric amount of Ni(0) was used to form a β-carboxylated product exclusively. We revealed that this unexpected C-C bond formation was induced by the combination of Zn and MgBr₂.

Enantioselective synthesis of β-amino acid derivatives via nickel-promoted regioselective carboxylation of ynamides and rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation

We succeeded in the development of a new method for enantioselective synthesis of α-substituted-β-amino acid derivatives. Thus, nickel(0)-promoted carboxylation of ynamide gave the α-substituted-β-aminoacrylate derivative in a highly regioselective manner. Then, rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of the α-substituted β-aminoacrylate produced the corresponding α-substituted β-amino acid derivative as an optically active form.

Synthesis and Self-Assembly of Chiral Cylindrical Molecular Complexes: Functional Heterogeneous Liquid-Solid Materials Formed by Helicene Oligomers

Chiral cylindrical molecular complexes of homo- and hetero-double-helices derived from helicene oligomers self-assemble in solution, providing functional heterogeneous liquid-solid materials. Gels and liotropic liquid crystals are formed by fibril self-assembly in solution; molecular monolayers and fibril films are formed by self-assembly on solid surfaces; gels containing gold nanoparticles emit light; silica nanoparticles aggregate and adsorb double-helices. Notable dynamics appears during self-assembly, including multistep self-assembly, solid surface catalyzed double-helix formation, sigmoidal and stairwise kinetics, molecular recognition of nanoparticles, discontinuous self-assembly, materials clocking, chiral symmetry breaking and homogeneous-heterogeneous transitions. These phenomena are derived from strong intercomplex interactions of chiral cylindrical molecular complexes.

COMPARISON OF PERSONAL DOSE EQUIVALENT Hp(10) IN 137CS RADIATION BETWEEN THE PRIMARY STANDARDS LABORATORIES OF JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA USING BeO OSL PERSONAL DOSEMETERS

A comparison of personal dose equivalent Hp(10) for 137Cs radiation was conducted between the primary standards laboratories of Japan and Australia. A set of 120 commercially available passive BeO OSL dosemeters were used (Dosimetrics GmbH, Munich). The aim was to investigate the precision which could be obtained with this technique, and to confirm the personal dose equivalent delivery methods in each standards laboratory. A dose of 5 mSv was delivered to 40 dosemeters in each country, and 40 dosemeters were used as controls. The result of the comparison was a ratio of Hp(10) in Japan to Australia of 1.006 with a combined standard uncertainty of 3.2%. The statistical uncertainty was 0.32% indicating that passive dosemeters can be used for comparisons of high precision.

[Synthesis, Aggregation, Self-assembly, and Dynamic Properties of Helicene Oligomers]

 Biological systems exhibit dynamic phenomena at the macroscopic level as a result of the hierarchical integration of phenomena at the molecular level. For example, a number of amino acids compose actin proteins, which form three-dimensional structures determined by the sequence of amino acids. They form fibers by self-assembly, which then form ordered structures such as meshes, lyotropic liquid crystals (LCs), and bundles. The dynamic and reversible polymorphism between these nano- to centimeter-sized ordered structures is essential for biological functions such as cell division, contraction, and locomotion. To understand biological systems and create new functional materials, it is essential to develop a methodology to integrate phenomena at the molecular level into those at the macroscopic level using synthetic molecules. In this research, synthetic oligomers containing helicenes, which exhibit reversible structural transitions between cylindrical double helices and random coils in response to thermal stimuli, were employed as building blocks for the development of such a methodology. The properties of homo- and hetero-double helices at the molecular level were first controlled by taking advantage of the diversity of their molecular structures. Then, nano- to micrometer-sized structures were constructed by the self-assembly of hetero-double helices, which include fibers/gels, vesicles, and lyotropic LCs, and their dynamic properties were controlled by molecular design.