Horizontal spin of ratchet motor by vertical agitation

Abstract The horizontal spin of a ratchet motor by vertical vibration is reported. A macroscopic ratchet gear is placed on a granular bed, where nearly half of the gear is penetrated in the bed. The gear and granular bed are mechanically vibrated. The gear shows a random motion or one-way spin that depend on the diameter of the granules, vibration frequency, and degree of vertical motion allowed for the gear. Even when one-way spin is observed, the spin direction depends on the abovementioned factors. Although the dependency is complicated, it is deterministic because the motion or flows of granular matter determines it. The characteristics observed in the experiments are explained by a simple model that accounts for the statistical variance in the motion of the granular matter. Extraction of systematic motion from small and non-useful motions such as mechanical agitation will be developed into energy harvest technology and may facilitate the science of a spontaneously moving system in a uniform potential field

Self-Organized Micro-Spiral of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are reported to spontaneously align in a rotational pattern by drying a liquid droplet of toluene containing polyfluorene as a dispersant. By situating a droplet of an SWCNT solution around a glass bead, spiral patterns are generated. The parallel alignment of SWCNTs along one stripe of such a pattern is confirmed using scanning electron microscopy and polarized optical microscopy. The orientation order increases toward the outer edge of a stripe. The stripe width in the pattern is proportional to the solute concentration, and the width and position of the stripes follow geometric sequences. The growth of the rotational pattern is also observed in real time. The process of spiral pattern formation is visualized, indicating the role of the annihilation of counter-traveling accompanied by continuous depinning. The geometric sequences for the stripe width and position are explained by the near-constant traveling speed and solute enrichment at the droplet periphery

Effect of Cigarette Smoking on a Marker for Neuroinflammation: A [11C]DAA1106 Positron Emission Tomography Study.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.48

Effect of overnight smoking abstinence on a marker for microglial activation: a [11C]DAA1106 positron emission tomography study.

RationaleMicroglia are the main immune cells in the central nervous system and participate in neuroinflammation. When activated, microglia express increased levels of the translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO), thereby making TSPO availability a marker for neuroinflammation. Using positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, our group recently demonstrated that smokers in the satiated state had 16.8% less binding of the radiotracer [11C]DAA1106 (a radioligand for TSPO) in the brain than nonsmokers.ObjectivesWe sought to determine the effect of overnight smoking abstinence on [11C]DAA1106 binding in the brain.MethodsForty participants (22 smokers and 18 nonsmokers) completed the study (at one of two sites) and had usable data, which included images from a dynamic [11C]DAA1106 PET scanning session (with smokers having been abstinent for 17.9 ± 2.3 h) and a blood sample for TSPO genotyping. Whole brain standardized uptake values (SUVs) were determined, and analysis of variance was performed, with group (overnight abstinent smoker vs. nonsmoker), site, and TSPO genotype as factors, thereby controlling for site and genotype.ResultsOvernight abstinent smokers had lower whole brain SUVs (by 15.5 and 17.0% for the two study sites) than nonsmokers (ANCOVA, P = 0.004). The groups did not significantly differ in injected radiotracer dose or body weight, which were used to calculate SUV.ConclusionsThese results in overnight abstinent smokers are similar to those in satiated smokers, indicating that chronic cigarette smoking leads to global impairment of microglial activation which persists into early abstinence. Other explanations for study results, such as smoking leading to reduced numbers of microglia or smokers having more rapid metabolism of the radiotracer than nonsmokers, are also possible

Fusobacterium nucleatum infection correlates with two types of microsatellite alterations in colorectal cancer and triggers DNA damage

Abstract Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) is frequently found in colorectal cancers (CRCs). High loads of Fn DNA are detected in CRC tissues with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H), or with the CpG island hypermethylation phenotype (CIMP). Fn infection is also associated with the inflammatory tumor microenvironment of CRC. A subtype of CRC exhibits inflammation-associated microsatellite alterations (IAMA), which are characterized by microsatellite instability-low (MSI-L) and/or an elevated level of microsatellite alterations at selected tetra-nucleotide repeats (EMAST). Here we describe two independent CRC cohorts in which heavy or moderate loads of Fn DNA are associated with MSI-H and L/E CRC respectively. We also show evidence that Fn produces factors that induce γ-H2AX, a hallmark of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), in the infected cells.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/173691/1/13099_2020_Article_384.pd