On-Site Bridge Inspection by 950 keV/3.95 MeV Portable X-Band Linac X-Ray Sources

Many bridges around the world face aging problems and degradation of structural strength. Visual and hammering sound inspections are under way, but the status of inner reinforced iron rods and prestressed concrete (PC) wires has not yet been confirmed. Establishing a diagnosis method for bridges based on X-ray visualization is required to evaluate the health of bridges accurately and to help with the rationalization of bridge maintenance. We developed 950 keV/3.95 MeV X-band electron linac-based X-ray sources for on-site bridge inspection and visualized the inner structure of a lower floor slab. The information regarding wire conditions by X-ray results was used for the structural analysis of a bridge to evaluate its residual strength and sustainability. For more precise inspection of wire conditions, we applied three-dimensional image reconstruction methods for bridge mock-up samples. Partial-angle computed tomography (CT) and tomosynthesis provided cross-sectional images of the samples at 1 mm resolutions. Image processing techniques such as the curvelet transform were applied to evaluate diameter of PC wires by suppressing noise. Technical guidelines of bridge maintenance using the 950 keV/3.95 MeV X-ray sources are proposed. We plan to offer our technique and guidelines for safer and more reliable maintenance of bridges around the world

Basolateral Na+/H+ exchange maintains potassium secretion during diminished sodium transport in the rabbit cortical collecting duct

Stimulation of the basolateral Na+/K+-ATPase in the isolated perfused rabbit cortical collecting duct by raising either bath potassium or lumen sodium increases potassium secretion, sodium absorption and their apical conductances. Here we determined the effect of stimulating Na+/K+-ATPase on potassium secretion without luminal sodium transport. Acutely raising bath potassium concentrations from 2.5 to 8.5 mM, without luminal sodium, depolarized the basolateral membrane and transepithelial voltages while increasing the transepithelial, basolateral and apical membrane conductances of principal cells. Fractional apical membrane resistance and cell pH were elevated. Net potassium secretion was maintained albeit diminished and was still enhanced by raising bath potassium, but was reduced by basolateral ethylisopropylamiloride, an inhibitor of Na+/H+ exchange. Luminal iberitoxin, a specific inhibitor of the calcium-activated big-conductance potassium (BK) channel, impaired potassium secretion both in the presence and absence of luminal sodium. In contrast, iberitoxin did not affect luminal sodium transport. We conclude that basolateral Na+/H+ exchange in the cortical collecting duct plays an important role in maintaining potassium secretion during compromised sodium supplies and that BK channels contribute to potassium secretion

A Systems Analysis With “Simplified Source-Sink Model” Reveals Metabolic Reprogramming in a Pair of Source-to-Sink Organs During Early Fruit Development in Tomato by LED Light Treatments

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a model crop for studying development regulation and ripening in flesh fruits and vegetables. Supplementary light to maintain the optimal light environment can lead to the stable growth of tomatoes in greenhouses and areas without sufficient daily light integral. Technological advances in genome-wide molecular phenotyping have dramatically enhanced our understanding of metabolic shifts in the plant metabolism across tomato fruit development. However, comprehensive metabolic and transcriptional behaviors along the developmental process under supplementary light provided by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) remain to be fully elucidated. We present integrative omic approaches to identify the impact on the metabolism of a single tomato plant leaf exposed to monochromatic red LEDs of different intensities during the fruit development stage. Our special light delivery system, the “simplified source-sink model,” involves the exposure of a single leaf below the second truss to red LED light of different intensities. We evaluated fruit-size- and fruit-shape variations elicited by different light intensities. Our findings suggest that more than high-light treatment (500 μmol m-2 s-1) with the red LED light is required to accelerate fruit growth for 2 weeks after anthesis. To investigate transcriptomic and metabolomic changes in leaf- and fruit samples we used microarray-, RNA sequencing-, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques. We found that metabolic shifts in the carbohydrate metabolism and in several key pathways contributed to fruit development, including ripening and cell-wall modification. Our findings suggest that the proposed workflow aids in the identification of key metabolites in the central metabolism that respond to monochromatic red-LED treatment and contribute to increase the fruit size of tomato plants. This study expands our understanding of systems-level responses mediated by low-, appropriate-, and high levels of red light irradiation in the fruit growth of tomato plants

Association between Serum Soluble Klotho Levels and Mortality in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients

Klotho is a single-pass transmembrane protein predominantly expressed in the kidney. The extracellular domain of Klotho is subject to ectodomain shedding and is released into the circulation as a soluble form. Soluble Klotho is also generated from alternative splicing of the Klotho gene. In mice, defects in Klotho expression lead to complex phenotypes resembling those observed in dialysis patients. However, the relationship between the level of serum soluble Klotho and overall survival in hemodialysis patients, who exhibit a state of Klotho deficiency, remains to be delineated. Here we prospectively followed a cohort of 63 patients with a mean duration of chronic hemodialysis of 6.7±5.4 years for a median of 65 months. Serum soluble Klotho was detectable in all patients (median 371 pg/mL, interquartile range 309–449). Patients with serum soluble Klotho levels below the lower quartile (<309 pg/mL) had significantly higher cardiovascular and all-cause mortality rates. Furthermore, the higher all-cause mortality persisted even after adjustment for confounders (hazard ratio 4.14, confidence interval 1.29–13.48). We conclude that there may be a threshold for the serum soluble Klotho level associated with a higher risk of mortality