Distribution of Si, Fe, and Ni in the Intracluster Medium of the Coma Cluster

We studied the distributions of Si, Fe, and Ni in the intracluster medium (ICM) of the Coma cluster, one of the largest clusters in the nearby universe, using XMM-Newton data up to 0.5 r180 and Suzaku data of the central region up to 0.16 r180. Using the flux ratios of Ly alpha of H-like Si and 7.8 keV blend to K alpha of He-like Fe, the abundance ratios of Si to Fe and Ni to Fe of the ICM were derived using APEC model v2.0.1. The Si/Fe ratio in the ICM of the Coma cluster shows no radial gradient. The emission weighted averages of the Si/Fe ratio in the ICM within 0.0--0.2 r180, 0.2--0.5 r180, and 0.0--0.5 r180 are 0.97 +- 0.11, 1.05 +- 0.36 and 0.99 +- 0.13, respectively, in solar units using the solar abundance of Lodders (2003). These values are close to those of smaller clusters and groups of galaxies. Using the Suzaku data of the central region, the derived Ni/Fe ratio of the ICM is 0.6--1.5 in solar units, according to the same solar abundance table. The systematic difference in the derived abundance ratios by different plasma codes are about 10%. Therefore, for the ICM in the Coma cluster, the abundance pattern of Si, Fe, and Ni is consistent with the same mixture of the yields of SN II and SN Ia in our Galaxy. Within 0.5 r180}, the cumulative iron-mass-to-light ratio increases with radius, and its radial profile is similar to those of relaxed smaller clusters with cD galaxies at their center. Considering the observed Si/Fe ratio, the cumulative metal-mass-to-light ratios at 0.5 r180 are compared with theoretical expectations.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

Suzaku observations of the Hydra A cluster out to the virial radius

We report Suzaku observations of the northern half of the Hydra A cluster out to ~1.4 Mpc, reaching the virial radius. This is the first Suzaku observations of a medium-size (kT ~3 keV) cluster out to the virial radius. Two observations were conducted, north-west and north-east offsets, which continue in a filament direction and a void direction of the large-scale structure of the Universe, respectively. The X-ray emission and distribution of galaxies elongate in the filament direction. The temperature profiles in the two directions are mostly consistent with each other within the error bars and drop to 1.5 keV at 1.5 r_500. As observed by Suzaku in hot clusters, the entropy profile becomes flatter beyond r_500, in disagreement with the r^1.1 relationship that is expected from accretion shock heating models. When scaled with the average intracluster medium (ICM) temperature, the entropy profiles of clusters observed with Suzaku are universal and do not depend on system mass. The hydrostatic mass values in the void and filament directions are in good agreement, and the Navarro, Frenk, and White universal mass profile represents the hydrostatic mass distribution up to ~ 2 r_500. Beyond r_500, the ratio of gas mass to hydrostatic mass exceeds the result of the Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe, and at r_100, these ratios in the filament and void directions reach 0.4 and 0.3, respectively. We discuss possible deviations from hydrostatic equilibrium at cluster outskirts. We derived radial profiles of the gasmass- to-light ratio and iron-mass-to-light ratio out to the virial radius. Within r_500, the iron-mass-to-light ratio of the Hydra A cluster was compared with those in other clusters observed with Suzaku.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures; Accepted for publication in PAS

LAT and NTAL Mediate Immunoglobulin E-Induced Sustained Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Activation Critical for Mast Cell Survival▿

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) induces mast cell survival in the absence of antigen (Ag) through the high-affinity IgE receptor, Fcɛ receptor I (FcɛRI). Although we have shown that protein tyrosine kinase Syk and sustained extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) activation are required for IgE-induced mast cell survival, how Syk couples with sustained Erk activation is still unclear. Here, we report that the transmembrane adaptors LAT and NTAL are phosphorylated slowly upon IgE stimulation and that sustained but not transient Erk activation induced by IgE was inhibited in LAT−/− NTAL−/− bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs). IgE-induced survival requires Ras activation, and both were impaired in LAT−/− NTAL−/− BMMCs. Sos was preferentially required for FcɛRI signals by IgE rather than IgE plus Ag. Survival impaired in LAT−/− NTAL−/− BMMCs was restored to levels comparable to those of the wild type by membrane-targeted Sos, which bypasses the Grb2-mediated membrane recruitment of Sos. The IgE-induced survival of BMMCs lacking Gads, an adaptor critical for the formation of the LAT-SLP-76-phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ) complex, was observed to be normal. IgE stimulation induced the membrane retention of Grb2-green fluorescent protein fusion proteins in wild-type but not LAT−/− NTAL−/− BMMCs. These results suggest that LAT and NTAL contribute to the maintenance of Erk activation and survival through the membrane retention of the Ras-activating complex Grb2-Sos and, further, that the LAT-Gads-SLP-76-PLCγ and LAT/NTAL-Grb2-Sos pathways are differentially required for degranulation and survival, respectively

New insights into the role of microheterogeneity of ZP3 during structural maturation of the avian equivalent of mammalian zona pellucida.

The egg coat including mammalian zona pellucida (ZP) and the avian equivalent, i.e., inner-perivitelline layer (IPVL), is a specialized extracellular matrix being composed of the ZP glycoproteins and surrounds both pre-ovulatory oocytes and ovulated egg cells in vertebrates. The egg coat is well known for its potential importance in both the reproduction and early development, although the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. Interestingly, ZP3, one of the ZP-glycoprotein family members forming scaffolds of the egg-coat matrices with other ZP glycoproteins, exhibits extreme but distinctive microheterogeneity to form a large number of isoelectric-point isoforms at least in the chicken IPVL. In the present study, we performed three-dimensional confocal imaging and two-dimensional polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) of chicken IPVLs that were isolated from the ovarian follicles at different growth stages before ovulation. The results suggest that the relative proportions of the ZP3 isoforms are differentially altered during the structural maturation of the egg-coat matrices. Furthermore, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analyses and ZP1 binding assays against separated ZP3 isoforms demonstrated that each ZP3 isoform contains characteristic modifications, and there are large differences among ZP3 isoforms in the ZP1 binding affinities. These results suggest that the microheterogeneity of chicken ZP3 might be regulated to be associated with the formation of egg-coat matrices during the structural maturation of chicken IPVL. Our findings may provide new insights into molecular mechanisms of egg-coat assembly processes

Association of Oral Function and Dysphagia with Frailty and Sarcopenia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Studies investigating the associations of oral function and dysphagia with frailty and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults are increasing; however, they have not been systematically summarized. We conducted a systematic review to investigate these associations. We searched electronic databases and synthesized relevant data using conventional (frequentist-style) and Bayesian meta-analyses. Twenty-four studies were found to be eligible for our review, including 20 cross-sectional and four prospective cohort studies. Older adults with frailty or sarcopenia had lower tongue pressure, according to the results of conventional meta-analysis (mean difference [95% confidence interval or credible interval]: −6.80 kPa [−10.22 to −3.38] for frailty and −5.40 kPa [−6.62 to −4.17] for sarcopenia) and Bayesian meta-analysis (−6.90 kPa [−9.0 to −4.8] for frailty, −5.35 kPa [−6.78 to −3.89] for sarcopenia). People with frailty had a higher odds ratio (OR) for dysphagia according to the results of conventional meta-analysis (3.99 [2.17 to 7.32]) and Bayesian meta-analysis (1.38 [0.77 to 1.98]). However, the results were inconclusive for people with sarcopenia. A prospective association could not be determined because of the lack of information and the limited number of studies. Decreased oral function and dysphagia can be important characteristics of frailty and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults

Application of Deep Learning in the Identification of Cerebral Hemodynamics Data Obtained from Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy: A Preliminary Study of Pre- and Post-Tooth Clenching Assessment

In fields using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), there is a need for an easy-to-understand method that allows visual presentation and rapid analysis of data and test results. This preliminary study examined whether deep learning (DL) could be applied to the analysis of fNIRS-derived brain activity data. To create a visual presentation of the data, an imaging program was developed for the analysis of hemoglobin (Hb) data from the prefrontal cortex in healthy volunteers, obtained by fNIRS before and after tooth clenching. Three types of imaging data were prepared: oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) data, deoxygenated hemoglobin (deoxy-Hb) data, and mixed data (using both oxy-Hb and deoxy-Hb data). To differentiate between rest and tooth clenching, a cross-validation test using the image data for DL and a convolutional neural network was performed. The network identification rate using Hb imaging data was relatively high (80‒90%). These results demonstrated that a method using DL for the assessment of fNIRS imaging data may provide a useful analysis system

3D-surface morphologies of egg-coat matrices in IPVLs isolated from different growing stages of ovarian follicles.

Other images for 3D-surface morphologies of egg-coat matrices in the F3 (A), F2 (B, C and E), and F1 (G) IPVLs are shown in the same format as Fig 1, except that the look-down angles of panels 10 and 11 in both B and C are 0° and 30° (indicated by white elliptic arrows), respectively, and that panels 9–11 that were shown in Fig 1B are not contained in E. In addition, Differential-interference-contrast (DIC) microscopy images of the 30-μm square areas for the F2 IPVLs (D and F) were obtained as the controls in focus on near the smooth surfaces (panels 1) and on the fibrous surfaces (panels 2), respectively. Bar: 10 μm. (TIF)</p

3D-surface morphologies of egg-coat matrices in IPVLs isolated from different growing stages of ovarian follicles.

IPVLs of the commercial White-Leghorn hens were isolated from the yellow follicles F3 (A), F2 (B), and F1 (C), and 3D images of them were obtained by the indirect immunofluorescence staining with the primary antibody against the repeat (avian Pro/Thr/Leu-rich) region of chicken ZP1 and the Alexa Fluor® 488-labeled secondary antibody, followed by a confocal laser scanning microscopy. Thirty-micrometer squares of the IPVLs were rendered as the 3D-volume images with rotational angles of 0°, 30°, 150°, and 180° indicated by white elliptic arrows from one surface displaying smooth or homogeneous microstructures to the other surface displaying fibrous microstructures along the vertical white dashed lines (panels 1–4, respectively). Ten-micrometer squares shown by gray dotted lines inside the 30-μm square images (panels 1) were rendered as the magnified 3D-surface images with similar rotational angles (panels 5–8, respectively). For the F2 IPVL (B), the cross-section along the white dotted lines in the panel 9 was also rendered as 3D-surface images from the viewpoints shown by white arrows a and b in it with look-down angles of 15° indicated by white elliptic arrows (panels 10 and 11, respectively; white arrowheads indicate the traversing tunnel). Thicker bars (panels 4): 10 μm. Thinner bars (panels 6 and 8): 2 μm.</p

Results of MS/MS analyses for ZP3 isoforms 3 to 7 isolated from IPVLs.

The peptide sequences identified with significance levels of Pblack letters, whereas the sequences of other possible peptides are indicated by gray letters. Peptides containing modifications with significance levels of Pshadowed. (XLSX)</p