Differential Conductance Fluctuation of Curved Nanographite Sheets in the Mesoscopic Regime

Excess conductance fluctuations with peculiar temperature-dependence from 1.4 to 250 K were observed in curved nano-graphite sheets with an electrode gap length of 300 and 450 nm, whereas the conductance fluctuation is greatly suppressed above 4.2 K when the electrode gap length increases to 800 and 1000 nm. The former is discussed in the context of the presence of a small energy bandgap in the nano-graphite sheets, while the latter is attributed to the crossover from coherent transport to diffusive transport regime.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Alternative to Rituximab Therapy for a Patient with Ankylosing Spondylitis Who Was Unable to Continue Anti-TNF Therapy

We herein present a case of a 38-year-old man who had bamboo spine and severe sacroiliitis and who was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Infliximab (IFX) markedly improved the axial symptom but was discontinued due to the side effect of peripheral neuropathy. Switching from IFX to etanercept worsened the side effect. Rituximab (RTX) administration elicited a good response without side effects. RTX might be a suitable option for AS therapy when TNF inhibitors are difficult to use

Fine tuning of CD8+ T-cell effector functions by targeting the 2B4-CD48:Role of the 2B4-CD48 axis in CD8+ T-cell function

Polyfunctionality and cytotoxic activity dictate CD8+ T-cell efficacy in the eradication of infected and malignant cells. The induction of these effector functions depends on the specific interaction between the TCR and its cognate peptide-MHC class I complex, in addition to signals provided by co-stimulatory or co-inhibitory receptors, which can further regulate these functions. Among these receptors, the role of 2B4 is contested, as it has been described as either co-stimulatory or co-inhibitory in modulating T-cell functions. We therefore combined functional, transcriptional and epigenetic approaches to further characterize the impact of disrupting the interaction of 2B4 with its ligand CD48, on the activity of human effector CD8+ T-cell clones. In this setting, we show that the 2B4-CD48 axis is involved in the fine-tuning of CD8+ T-cell effector function upon antigenic stimulation. Blocking this interaction resulted in reduced CD8+ T-cell clone-mediated cytolytic activity, together with a subtle drop in the expression of genes involved in effector function regulation. Our results also imply a variable contribution of the 2B4-CD48 interaction to the modulation of CD8+ T-cell functional properties, potentially linked to intrinsic levels of T-bet expression and TCR avidity. The present study thus provides further insights into the role of the 2B4-CD48 interaction in the fine regulation of CD8+ T-cell effector function upon antigenic stimulation

Reconstruction of primary vertices at the ATLAS experiment in Run 1 proton–proton collisions at the LHC

This paper presents the method and performance of primary vertex reconstruction in proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment during Run 1 of the LHC. The studies presented focus on data taken during 2012 at a centre-of-mass energy of √s=8 TeV. The performance has been measured as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing over a wide range, from one to seventy. The measurement of the position and size of the luminous region and its use as a constraint to improve the primary vertex resolution are discussed. A longitudinal vertex position resolution of about 30μm is achieved for events with high multiplicity of reconstructed tracks. The transverse position resolution is better than 20μm and is dominated by the precision on the size of the luminous region. An analytical model is proposed to describe the primary vertex reconstruction efficiency as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing and of the longitudinal size of the luminous region. Agreement between the data and the predictions of this model is better than 3% up to seventy interactions per bunch crossing

ADVANCED NEW NEUROSURGICAL PROCEDURE USING INTEGRATED SYSTEM OF INTRAOPERATIVE MRI AND NEURONAVIGATION WITH MULTIMODAL NEURORADIOLOGICAL IMAGES

2009-09The purpose of this paper is to describe the newly-established technique in the field of neurological surgery for fusion imaging of three-dimensional magnetic resonance image (3D-MRI) and/or three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) for brain tumor surgery. Combining neuronavigation technology and intraoperative MRI, this method remarkably demonstrates spatial relationships of neurovascular structures and/or skull base landmarks and is very useful for intraoperative evaluation of completed neurosurgical operations. Using the navigation system and intraoperative MRI during surgery, it is possible to resect the brain tumor maximally and preserve essential neurological functions. Furthermore, advanced multimodal neuroradiological images such as functional MRI (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), MR spectroscopy (MRS), and positron emission tomography (PET) clearly demonstrate the dominant cortex including the speech center, primary motor gyrus, primary sensory gyrus, and support high-quality operation with less invasive surgery. In conclusion, multimodal neuroradiological images are very useful for invasive noncircumscribed brain tumors such as glioma and, in combination with such highly technological analyses, advanced neurosurgical procedures are possible.departmental bulletin pape

Fluorescence and chemiluminescence behavior of distyrylbenzene bearing two arms of dipicolylaminomethyl groups: Interactions with zinc ion and ATP

Available online 31 January 2018.The absorption and fluorescence spectral study of the distyrylbenzene bearing two arms of the dipicolylaminomethyl groups, the effective ligands for Zn2+, was studied in the presence of Zn2+ and ATP. Upon complexation of the distyrylbenzene with zinc ions in acetonitrile, enhancement of the fluorescence intensity was observed due to inhibition of intramolecular PET (photo-induced electron transfer) quenching, but no effect was found in aqueous media because the equilibrium laid to the free form of the ligands. In contrast, the addition of ATP disodium salt was effective to enhance the fluorescence intensity of the combination of the distyrylbenzne and Zn2+ in aqueous media. This assembly was applied to the peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence system and a significant increase in the intensity was observed, which provides a potential detection for ATP by chemiluminescence. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.ArticleSPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY. 195:223-229 (2018)journal articl

Ultrafast nanoscale exciton dynamics via laser-combined scanning tunneling microscopy in atomically thin materials

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Vascularized peripheral nerve grafting promotes myelination of regrowing optic nerve

We investigated whether the use of vascularized peripheral nerve grafts on the optic nerve stump enhances axonal regeneration of retinal ganglion cells compared with isolated nonvascularized grafts. The rat median nerve was microsurgically sutured with its supplying artery and vein to the optic nerve stump. The number of retinal ganglion cells with regenerating axons was evaluated by retrograde labeling into the grafted peripheral nerve, and the myelination of the regenerating axon fibers was examined by electron microscopy. The number of retinal ganglion cells with regenerating axons was significantly higher in the vascularized graft than in the nonvascularized graft. The ratio of myelinated axon fibers was also increased in vascularized grafts. Thus, grafting with their supplying arteries and veins to an injured nerve stump represents a promising strategy to accelerate axonal regeneration from neurons of the central nervous system

SMILE Project: Fostering Intercultural Understanding and Transformative Learning through International Collaborative Language Education

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