Rotational Symmetry and A Light Mode in Two-Dimensional Staggered Fermions

To obtain a light mode in two-dimensional staggered fermions, we introduce four new local operators keeping the rotational invariance for a staggered Dirac operator. To split masses of tastes, three cases are considered. The mass matrix and the propagator for free theories are analyzed. We find that one of three cases is a good candidate for taking a single mode by the mass splitting. In the case, it is possible that a heavy mode obtains infinite mass on even sites or odd sites.Comment: 17 pages, one reference adde

cDNA cloning and expression of Contractin A, a phospholipase A2-like protein from the globiferous pedicellariae of the venomous sea urchin Toxopneustes pileolus

Venomous sea urchins contain various biologically active proteins that are toxic to predators. Contractin A is one such protein contained within the globiferous pedicellariae of the venomous sea urchin Toxopneustes pileolus. This protein exhibits several biological activities, such as smooth muscle contraction and mitogenic activity. N-terminal amino acid residues of Contractin A have been determined up to 37 residues from the purified protein. In this study, we cloned cDNA for Contractin A by reverse transcription-PCR using degenerate primers designed on the basis of its N-terminal amino acid sequence. Analysis of the cDNA sequence indicated that Contractin A is composed of 166 amino acid residues including 31 residues of a putative signal sequence, and has homology to the sequence of phospholipase A2 from various organisms. In this study, recombinant Contractin A was expressed in Escherichia coli cells, and the protein was subjected to an assay to determine lipid-degrading activity using carboxyfluorescein-containing liposomes. As a result, Contractin A was found to exhibit Ca2+-dependent release of carboxyfluorescein from the liposomes, suggesting that Contractin A has phospholipase A2 activity, which may be closely associated with its biological activities

Optical and radiographical characterization of silica aerogel for Cherenkov radiator

We present optical and X-ray radiographical characterization of silica aerogels with refractive index from 1.05 to 1.07 for a Cherenkov radiator. A novel pin-drying method enables us to produce highly transparent hydrophobic aerogels with high refractive index by shrinking wet-gels. In order to investigate the uniformity in the density (i.e., refractive index) of an individual aerogel monolith, we use the laser Fraunhofer method, an X-ray absorption technique, and Cherenkov imaging by a ring imaging Cherenkov detector in a beam test. We observed an increase in density at the edge of the aerogel tiles, produced by pin-drying.Comment: To be published in IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., 7 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl

Hydrophobic silica aerogel production at KEK

We present herein a characterization of a standard method used at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) to produce hydrophobic silica aerogels and expand this method to obtain a wide range of refractive index (n = 1.006-1.14). We describe in detail the entire production process and explain the methods used to measure the characteristic parameters of aerogels, namely the refractive index, transmittance, and density. We use a small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique to relate the transparency to the fine structure of aerogels.Comment: To be published in Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A, 9 pages, 10 figures, 1 tabl

CENP-A Phosphorylation by Aurora-A in Prophase Is Required for Enrichment of Aurora-B at Inner Centromeres and for Kinetochore Function

AbstractThe Aurora (Ipl1)-related kinases are universal regulators of mitosis. We now show that Aurora-A, in addition to Aurora-B, regulates kinetochore function in human cells. A two-hybrid screen identified the kinetochore component CENP-A as a protein that interacts with Aurora-A. Aurora-A phosphorylated CENP-A in vitro on Ser-7, a residue also known to be targeted by Aurora-B. Depletion of Aurora-A or Aurora-B by RNA interference revealed that CENP-A is initially phosphorylated in prophase in a manner dependent on Aurora-A, and that this reaction appears to be required for the subsequent Aurora-B-dependent phosphorylation of CENP-A as well as for the restriction of Aurora-B to the inner centromere in prometaphase. Prevention of CENP-A phosphorylation also led to chromosome misalignment during mitosis as a result of a defect in kinetochore attachment to microtubules. Our observations suggest that phosphorylation of CENP-A on Ser-7 by Aurora-A in prophase is essential for kinetochore function

ラット凍結肩モデルを用いた経カテーテル的動脈塞栓術の効果に関する検討

Purpose: To assess the angiographic findings and the effects of transcatheter arterial embolization on physical activity and histopathology using a frozen shoulder rat model. Materials and methods: First, the angiographic and histopathologic findings of rats in which the shoulder was immobilized with molding plaster for 6 weeks (n = 4) were compared to control rats with normal non-immobilized shoulders (n = 4). Next, a total of 16 frozen shoulder rats were divided into 2 groups. In the transcatheter arterial embolization group (n = 8), imipenem/cilastatin was injected into the left thoracoacromial artery. The changes of physical activity before and after procedures were evaluated and compared with a saline-injected control group (n = 8). Histopathologic findings were also compared between the 2 groups. Results: Angiography revealed abnormal shoulder staining in all of the rats with a frozen shoulder. On histopathology, the numbers of microvessels and mononuclear inflammatory cells in the synovial membrane of the joint capsule were significantly higher compared with the control rats (both P = .03). In the transcatheter arterial embolization group, the running distance and speed were improved (P = .03 and P = .01, respectively), whereas there were no significant differences in the control group. The number of microvessels and mononuclear inflammatory cells in the transcatheter arterial embolization group were significantly lower than the control group (P = .002 and P = .001, respectively). Conclusions: The rat frozen shoulder model revealed the development of neovascularization. Transcatheter arterial embolization decreased the number of blood vessels and inflammatory changes in the frozen shoulder and increased the moving distance and speed of the rats.博士（医学）・甲第789号・令和3年3月15日Copyright © 2020 SIR(Society of Interventional Radiology). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

cDNA cloning and characterization of a rhamnose-binding lectin SUL-I from the toxopneustid sea urchin Toxopneustes pileolus venom

The globiferous pedicellariae of the venomous sea urchin Toxopneustes pileolus contain several biologically active proteins. Among these, a galactose-binding lectin SUL-I isolated from the venom in the large globiferous pedicellariae shows several activities such as mitogenic, chemotactic, and cytotoxic activities through binding to the carbohydrate chains on the cells. We cloned cDNA encoding SUL-I by reverse transcription-PCR using the degenerate primers designed on the basis of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the protein and expressed the recombinant SUL-I (rSUL-I) in Escherichia coli cells. The SUL-I gene contains an open reading frame of 927 nucleotides corresponding to 308 amino acid residues, including 24 residues of a putative signal sequence. The mature protein with 284 residues is composed of three homologous regions, each showing similarity with the carbohydrate-recognition domains of the rhamnose-binding lectins, which have been mostly found in fish eggs. While rSUL-I exhibited binding activity for several galactose-related sugars, the highest affinity was found for l-rhamnose among carbohydrates tested, confirming that SUL-I is a rhamnose-binding lectin. rSUL-I also showed hemagglutinating activity toward rabbit erythrocytes, indicating the existence of more than one carbohydrate-binding site to cross-link the carbohydrate chains on the cell surface, which may be closely related to its biological activities

Does Metabolism of (S)-N-[1-(3-Morpholin-4-ylphenyl)ethyl]-3-phenylacrylamide Occur at the Morpholine Ring? Quantum Mechanical and Molecular Dynamics Studies

The mechanism of Cytochrome P450 3A4 mediated metabolism of (S)-N- [1-(3-morpholin-4ylphenyl)ethyl]-3-phenylacrylamide and its difluoro analogue have been investigated by density functional QM calculations aided with molecular mechanics/molecular dynamics simulations. In this article, we mainly focus on the metabolism of the morpholine ring of substrates 1 and 2. The reaction proceeds via a hydrogen atom abstraction from the morpholine ring by Compound I on a doublet potential energy surface. A transition state was observed at an O-H distance of 1.46 Å for 1 while 1.38 Å for 2. Transition state for the rebound mechanism was not observed. The energy barrier for the hydrogen atom abstraction from 1 was found to be 7.01 kcal/mol in gas phase while 19.53 kcal/mol when the protein environment was emulated by COSMO. Similarly the energy barrier for substrate 2 was found to be 11.07 kcal/mol in gas phase while it was reduced to 12.99 kcal/mol in protein environment. Our previous study reported energy barriers for phenyl hydroxylation of 7.4 kcal/mol. Large energy barriers for morpholine hydroxylation indicates that hydroxylation at the phenyl ring may be preferred over morpholine. MD simulations in protein environment indicated that hydrogen atom at C4 position of phenyl ring remains in closer proximity to oxyferryl oxygen of the heme moiety as compared to morpholine hydrogen and hence greater chance to metabolize at phenyl ring

Development of a Multifunctional Lightweight Membrane with a High Specific Power Generation Capacity

As a lighter power generation system, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Sakase Adtech Corp. are developing a demonstrator component named “Harvesting Energy with Lightweight Integrated Origami Structure” (HELIOS), which is a deployable lightweight membrane structure. HELIOS has solar arrays on its surface and demonstrates the technology which enables higher specific power generation capacity compared to the conventional solar array panels. The membrane also has communication antennas, showing the potency of lightweight membrane’s multifunctionality such as large data transmitting by 5G antennas and high-resolution observation by interferometer antennas. This paper presents the component’s concept and design, and the expected achievements