Pure-Nickel-Coated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Prepared by Electroless Deposition

Pure-nickel-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been prepared by electroless deposition. Gluconic acid and hydrazine were respectively used as the complexing and reducing agents for nickel ions. The deposits were heat-treated. The microstructures and magnetic properties of the deposits were examined. The MWCNTs were homogeneously coated with pure nickel and their surfaces were relatively bumpy. These pure-nickel-coated MWCNTs exhibited ferromagnetism and had higher magnetizations and coercivities than electroless Ni-P alloy-coated MWCNTs. The bumpy morphology of the pure-nickel coating became relatively smooth on heat-treatment.ArticleELECTROCHEMICAL AND SOLID STATE LETTERS 13: D94-D96(2010)journal articl

Fabrication of metal coated carbon nanotubes by electroless deposition for improved wettability with molten aluminum

Ni-P alloy coated and Au/Ni-P alloy double-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were fabricated using electroless plating. Three types of electroless Ni-P alloy plating baths were prepared to coat the MWCNTs with Ni-P alloy films of varying phosphorus content. Electroless gold coating of the Ni-P alloy coated MWCNTs was also carried out using a non-cyanide bath. The microstructures of the coatings on the MWCNTs were examined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The wettability of the metal-coated MWCNTs with molten aluminum was also evaluated. MWCNTs coated with Ni-P alloy films containing 9-25 at.% phosphorus content were fabricated by electroless deposition. Electroless gold deposition on the Ni-P alloy coated MWCNTs to form Au/Ni-P alloy double-coated MWCNTs was also possible. The wettability of the metal-coated MWCNTs with molten aluminum was significantly improved compared to that of non-coated MWCNTs. The coating metals of the MWCNTs dissolved into the molten aluminum, resulting in good wettability between the MWCNTs and molten aluminum and dispersion of the resulting bare MWCNTs in the aluminum matrix. The dissolved coating metals formed stable compounds with molten aluminum.ArticleSURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY. 212:207-213 (2012)journal articl

Pure-Nickel-Coated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Prepared by Electroless Deposition

Pure-nickel-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been prepared by electroless deposition. Gluconic acid and hydrazine were respectively used as the complexing and reducing agents for nickel ions. The deposits were heat-treated. The microstructures and magnetic properties of the deposits were examined. The MWCNTs were homogeneously coated with pure nickel and their surfaces were relatively bumpy. These pure-nickel-coated MWCNTs exhibited ferromagnetism and had higher magnetizations and coercivities than electroless Ni-P alloy-coated MWCNTs. The bumpy morphology of the pure-nickel coating became relatively smooth on heat-treatment.ArticleELECTROCHEMICAL AND SOLID STATE LETTERS 13: D94-D96(2010)journal articl

Genetic Association between Akt1 Polymorphisms and Alzheimer's Disease in a Japanese Population

A recent paper reported that Aβ oligomer causes neuronal cell death through the phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI3K)-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway. Intraneuronal Aβ, a main pathological finding of Alzheimer's disease (AD), is also known as inhibiting activation of Akt. This study aims to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Akt1 gene are associated with AD. SNPs genotyped using TaqMan technology was analyzed using a case-control study design. Our case-control dataset consisted of 180 AD patients and 130 age-matched controls. Although two SNPs showed superficial positive, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) tests, and linkage disequilibrium (LD) analyses suggested that genetic regions of the gene are highly polymorphic. We failed to detect any synergetic association among Akt1 polymorphisms, Apolipoprotein E (APO E), and AD. Further genetic studies are needed to clarify the relationship between the Akt1 and AD

Differences in Velopharyngeal Structure during Speech among Asians Revealed by 3-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging Movie Mode

Objective. Different bony structures can affect the function of the velopharyngeal muscles. Asian populations differ morphologically, including the morphologies of their bony structures. The purpose of this study was to compare the velopharyngeal structures during speech in two Asian populations: Japanese and Thai. Methods. Ten healthy Japanese and Thai females (five each) were evaluated with a 3-Tesla (3 T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner while they produced vowel-consonant-vowel syllable (/asa/). A gradient-echo sequence, fast low-angle shot with segmented cine and parallel imaging technique was used to obtain sagittal images of the velopharyngeal structures. Results. MRI was carried out in real time during speech production, allowing investigations of the time-to-time changes in the velopharyngeal structures. Thai subjects had a significantly longer hard palate and produced shorter consonant than Japanese subjects. The velum of the Thai participants showed significant thickening during consonant production and their retroglossal space was significantly wider at rest, whereas the dimensional change during task performance was similar in the two populations. Conclusions. The 3 T MRI movie method can be used to investigate velopharyngeal function and diagnose velopharyngeal insufficiency. The racial differences may include differences in skeletal patterns and soft-tissue morphology that result in functional differences for the affected structures

New application of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging for the assessment of deglutitive tongue movement

Background: Deglutitive motion of the tongue may function to maintain tooth position. However, the causation between abnormal patterns of orofacial muscle function and dental malocclusion remains unclear. To clarify the pathogenic mechanism of malocclusion, it is important to determine the relative positional relationship between the tongue tip and incisor edge or the dorsal tongue and palate during deglutition. Here, we assessed the utility of 3-T segmented cine-magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, combined with static MR images for hard tissue visualization, in assessing the relationship between the tongue and the surrounding tissues during deglutitive tongue movement. Methods: Cine-MR images were acquired from three healthy female volunteers during deglutition who had no history of swallowing disorder or other chronic illness, normal alignment and occlusion, and a skeletal class I relationship. Three cine-MR images were taken during deglutition in accordance with an auditory cue for each volunteer. During static imaging, custom-made, contrast-medium-filled clear retainers were positioned in the mouth to allow visualization of the upper and lower incisors and hard palate boundaries. Static images were superimposed onto images of the three stages in deglutitive tongue movement, which were selected from a series of cine-MR images. These superimpositions were assessed five times by tracing cephalometric parameters to examine the reproducibility of the method. Results: Traces varied little across repeated measurements, and all subjects had a similar pattern of dorsal tongue movement. Tongue-to-palate contact increased slightly during the first to second stage of swallowing and abruptly increased during the second to third stage, while the tongue tip position remained constant. Conclusions: Segmented cine-MR imaging combined with static MR images is useful for assessing soft tissue motion during deglutition. This method is particularly useful in dentistry to evaluate the relationship between tongue function and maxillofacial morphology in terms of orthodontic treatment and orofacial myofunctional therapy, and for improving tongue movement during speech therapy

Mother-to-embryo vitellogenin transport in a viviparous teleost Xenotoca eiseni

魚類がお腹の子供に与える栄養素を解明 --哺乳類が失った遺伝子を利用して胎生機構を獲得--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2019-10-09.Vitellogenin (Vtg), a yolk nutrient protein that is synthesized in the livers of female animals, and subsequently carried into the ovary, contributes to vitellogenesis in oviparous animals. Thus, Vtg levels are elevated during oogenesis. In contrast, Vtg proteins have been genetically lost in viviparous mammals, thus the yolk protein is not involved in their oogenesis and embryonic development. In this study, we identified Vtg protein in the livers of females during the gestation of the viviparous teleost, Xenotoca eiseni. Although vitellogenesis is arrested during gestation, biochemical assays revealed that Vtg protein was present in ovarian tissues and lumen fluid. The Vtg protein was also detected in the trophotaeniae of the intraovarian embryo. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that Vtg protein is absorbed into intracellular vesicles in the epithelial cells of the trophotaeniae. Furthermore, extraneous Vtg protein injected into the abdominal cavity of a pregnant female was subsequently detected in the trophotaeniae of the intraovarian embryo. Our data suggest that the yolk protein is one of the matrotrophic factors supplied from the mother to the intraovarian embryo during gestation in X. eiseni

Mite-antigen Stimulates MAL Expression in Peripheral Blood T Cells of Mite-sensitive Subjects

ABSTRACTBackgroundDifferential gene expression in CD3+ T cells from allergic patients stimulated with allergen will provide important information on the responses of T cells.MethodsAfter stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with mite extracts, levels of gene transcription were examined in CD3+ T cells from allergic patients.ResultsStimulation of PBMCs from mite specific IgE positive subjects resulted in specific upregulation of MAL transcription levels that was mediated by IL-4 secretion. The MAL protein in IL-4 stimulated primary T cells preferentially localized in glycolipid-enriched membrane (GEM) microdomains. When MAL was exogenously expressed in primary T cells, CD3ζ was concomitantly enriched, along with the expression of MAL, in GEM microdomains.ConclusionsGEMs are important for the formation and stabilization of TCR signaling complexes. Therefore, MAL may play a role in the formation of GEMs in activated T cells and the high expression of MAL may contribute to Th2 immune response