The reaction of forsterite with hydrogen-its apparent and real temperature dependences

We have studied experimentally the reaction rate between solid forsterite and hydrogen gas, one of the most fundamental reactions in the solar nebula. It was found that the rate-controlling gas species was atomic hydrogen rather than molecular hydrogen, from the linear dependence of the reaction rate on P_H. The temperature dependence of the reaction rate was determined both under constant P_ and under constant P_H conditions. The former, "apparent" activation energy of the reaction was estimated to be 86.5±4.8 (2σ)kcal/mol. The latter, "real" activation energy was estimated to be 32.6±4.8 (2σ)kcal/mol. From this, a general formula that gives the true reaction rate of forsterite with hydrogen was obtained : log_(J_F/g cm^s^)=-32.6(±4.8)×10^3/2.303 RT+log_(P_H/atm)+4.00(±0.07)

Synthesis, Structures, and Luminescence Properties of Interconvertible Au^I_2Zn^II and Au^I_3Zn^II Complexes with Mixed Bis(diphenylphosphino)methane and D-Penicillaminate

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Inorganic Chemistry, © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see　http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ic402462

Strategies to enhance the excitation energy-transfer efficiency in a light-harvesting system using the intra-molecular charge transfer character of carotenoids

Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid that is mainly found in light-harvesting complexes from brown algae and diatoms. Due to the presence of a carbonyl group attached to polyene chains in polar environments, excitation produces an excited intra-molecular charge transfer. This intra-molecular charge transfer state plays a key role in the highly efficient (∼95%) energy-transfer from fucoxanthin to chlorophyll a in the light-harvesting complexes from brown algae. In purple bacterial light-harvesting systems the efficiency of excitation energy-transfer from carotenoids to bacteriochlorophylls depends on the extent of conjugation of the carotenoids. In this study we were successful, for the first time, in incorporating fucoxanthin into a light-harvesting complex 1 from the purple photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodospirillum rubrum G9+ (a carotenoidless strain). Femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy was applied to this reconstituted light-harvesting complex in order to determine the efficiency of excitation energy-transfer from fucoxanthin to bacteriochlorophyll a when they are bound to the light-harvesting 1 apo-proteins

Near-Infrared Imaging Polarimetry of S106 Cluster-Forming Region with SIRPOL

We present the results of wide-field JHKs polarimetry toward the HII region S106 using the IRSF (Infrared Survey Facility) telescope. Our polarimetry data revealed an extended (up to ~ 5') polarized nebula over S106. We confirmed the position of the illuminating source of most of the nebula as consistent with S106 IRS4 through an analysis of polarization vectors. The bright portion of the polarized intensity is consistent with the red wing component of the molecular gas. Diffuse polarized intensity emission is distributed along the north--south molecular gas lanes. We found the interaction region between the radiation from S106 IRS4 and the dense gas. In addition, we also discovered two small polarization nebulae, SIRN1 and SIRN2, associated with a young stellar objects (YSO). Aperture polarimetry of point-like sources in this region was carried out for the first time. The regional magnetic field structures were derived using point-like source aperture polarimetry, and the magnetic field structure position angle around the cluster region in S106 was found to be ~ 120\arcdeg. The magnetic fields in the cluster region, however, have three type position angles: ~ 20\arcdeg, ~ 80\arcdeg, and ~ 120\arcdeg. The present magnetic field structures are consistent with results obtained by submillimeter continuum observations. We found that the magnetic field direction in the dense gas region is not consistent with that of the low density gas region.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A

Novel method to rescue a lethal phenotype through integration of target gene onto the X-chromosome.

The loss-of-function mutations of serine protease inhibitor, Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) gene are associated with human chronic pancreatitis, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. We previously reported that mice lacking Spink3, the murine homologue of human SPINK1, die perinatally due to massive pancreatic acinar cell death, precluding investigation of the effects of SPINK1 deficiency. To circumvent perinatal lethality, we have developed a novel method to integrate human SPINK1 gene on the X chromosome using Cre-loxP technology and thus generated transgenic mice termed "X-SPINK1". Consistent with the fact that one of the two X chromosomes is randomly inactivated, X-SPINK1 mice exhibit mosaic pattern of SPINK1 expression. Crossing of X-SPINK1 mice with Spink3+/- mice rescued perinatal lethality, but the resulting Spink3-/-;XXSPINK1 mice developed spontaneous pancreatitis characterized by chronic inflammation and fibrosis. The results show that mice lacking a gene essential for cell survival can be rescued by expressing this gene on the X chromosome. The Spink3-/-;XXSPINK1 mice, in which this method has been applied to partially restore SPINK1 function, present a novel genetic model of chronic pancreatitis

N-body simulations of the Magellanic Stream

A suite of high-resolution N-body simulations of the Magellanic Clouds -- Milky Way system are presented and compared directly with newly available data from the HI Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS). We show that the interaction between Small and Large Magellanic Clouds results in both a spatial and kinematical bifurcation of both the Stream and the Leading Arm. The spatial bifurcation of the Stream is readily apparent in the HIPASS data, and the kinematical bifurcation is also tentatively identified. This bifurcation provides strong support for the tidal disruption origin for the Magellanic Stream. A fiducial model for the Magellanic Clouds is presented upon completion of an extensive parameter survey of the potential orbital configurations of the Magellanic Clouds and the viable initial boundary conditions for the disc of the Small Magellanic Cloud. The impact of the choice of these critical parameters upon the final configurations of the Stream and Leading Arm is detailed.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS, 07 Jun 2006. 14 pages, 14 figures, 3 tables. LaTeX (mn2e.sty). File with decent resolution images (strongly recommended) available at http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/~tconnors/publications/ . References added; distance and HI-LOres difference figures added; clearer figures; discussion added to, but conclusions unchange

Resection of Metachronous Lymph Node Metastases from Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Hepatectomy: Report of Four Cases

We report 4 cases of surgical resection of metachronous lymph node (LN) metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following hepatectomy. Clinicopathological features and results of LN dissection were investigated in the 4 patients. One patient was found to have a single metastasis in the mediastinal LNs, another had multiple metastases in the mediastinal and abdominal LNs, and the other 2 had single metastases in the abdominal LN. The locations of the abdominal LN metastases were behind the pancreas head in 2 patients and around the abdominal aorta in 1 patient. They all underwent surgical resection of metastatic LNs and had no postoperative complications. The 3 patients whose LN metastases were solitary have been alive for more than 2 years after LN resection, and one of them is free from recurrence. The patient with multiple LN metastases died 13 months after LN resection due to carcinomatosis. With the expectation of long-term survival, a single metachronous LN metastasis from HCC after hepatectomy should be resected in patients without uncontrollable intrahepatic or extrahepatic tumors

Dihydropyrimidinase-like 3 facilitates malignant behavior of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) remains to have a poor prognosis via diverse process of cancer progression. Dihydropyrimidinase-like 3 (DPYSL3) is a cell adhesion molecule that has been reported to be involved in the metastatic process of tumor cells. The aim of this study was to identify a novel clinically-relevant biomarker of GC. METHODS: Expression analysis of DPYSL3 mRNA and protein levels was conducted using GC cell lines and 238 pairs of surgically resected gastric tissues. Correlations between expression status of DPYSL3 and clinicopathological parameters were investigated. RESULTS: DPYSL3 mRNA expression levels positively correlated with those of potentially interacting genes (VEGF, FAK and EZR) in GC cell lines. GC tissues from tumors with distant metastases (stage IV cancer) showed elevated expression levels of DPYSL3 mRNA. The DPYSL3 staining intensity in immunochemical staining was consistent with the mRNA expression patterns in GC tissues. High DPYSL3 mRNA expression in GCs was significantly associated with more malignant phenotypes and was an independent prognostic factor. Moreover, patients with high DPYSL3 mRNA expression had a significantly shorter recurrence free survival after curative resection. In subgroup analysis based on tumor histology, similar tendency was observed between patients with differentiated and undifferentiated GCs. CONCLUSIONS: Expression status of DPYSL3 in GC tissues may represent a promising biomarker for the malignant behavior of GC