Constraint on intergalactic dust from thermal history of intergalactic medium

This Letter investigates the amount of dust in the intergalactic medium (IGM). The dust photoelectric heating can be the most efficient heating mechanism in the IGM where the density is very small and there are a lot of hard ultraviolet photons. Comparing the observational thermal history of IGM with a theoretical one taking into account the dust photoelectric heating, we can put an upper limit on the dust-to-gas ratio, ${\cal D}$, in the IGM. Since the rate of the dust photoelectric heating depends on the size of dust, we find the following results: If the grain size is \ga 100 \AA, ${\cal D}$ at $z \sim 3$ is \la 1/100 Galactic value corresponding to \Omega_{\rm dust}^{\rm IGM}\la 10^{-5}. On the other hand, if the grain size is as small as $\sim 10$ \AA, ${\cal D}$ is \la 1/1000 Galactic value corresponding to \Omega_{\rm dust}^{\rm IGM}\la 10^{-6}.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS pink page

The Tsushima leopard cat exhibits extremely low genetic diversity compared with the Korean Amur leopard cat: Implications for conservation

We examined genetic diversity of the wild Tsushima leopard cat—a regional population of the Amur leopard cat—using microsatellite markers. In addition, we compared genetic diversity of the Tsushima leopard cat with that of the Korean population of Amur leopard cat. Although bias should be considered when applying cross-species amplification, the Tsushima leopard cat showed a lower index of molecular genetic diversity than did the Korean population. These results were consistent with those obtained using other genetic markers, such as mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome sequences. This low genetic diversity of the wild Tsushima leopard cat may be derived from the founding population. Furthermore, our results suggest that the captive populations held in Japanese zoos may show extremely low genetic diversity, leading to difficulties in genetic management of the Tsushima leopard cat. Moreover, the two regional populations were clearly separated using these marker sets. In the present study, we demonstrated that the genetic diversity of the Tsushima leopard cat is extremely low compared with that of the continental regional population. Importantly, the Japanese captive population for ex situ conservation was derived from a founding population with extremely low genetic diversity; hence, we assume that both the captive and wild populations showed extremely low genetic diversities. Our findings emphasize the need to develop carefully considered management strategies for genetic conservation

注射に起因する橈骨神経麻痺の2例

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN026196 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

A liquid-helium cooled large-area silicon PIN photodiode x-ray detector

An x-ray detector using a liquid-helium cooled large-area silicon PIN photodiode has been developed along with a tailor-made charge sensitive preamplifier whose first-stage JFET has been cooled. The operating temperature of the JFET has been varied separately and optimized. The x- and $\gamma$-ray energy spectra for an \nuc{241}{Am} source have been measured with the photodiode operated at 13 K. An energy resolution of 1.60 keV (FWHM) has been obtained for 60-keV $\gamma$ rays and 1.30 keV (FWHM) for the pulser. The energy threshold could be set as low as 3 keV. It has been shown that a silicon PIN photodiode serves as a low-cost excellent x-ray detector which covers large area at 13 K.Comment: 6 pages, and 3 figures, Elsevier macros elsart.sty and elsart12.sty are neede

Trypanosoma evansi ima gen sličan genu za oligosaharil-transferazu klona I protozoona Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense.

Recent data has shown that there are strong indications that the putative oligosaccharyl transferase genes from Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense were conserved within the family Trypanosomatidae. Based on these findings, the study endeavored to determine if Trypanosoma evansi also possessed putative oligosaccharyl transferase (OST) clone I previously documented in Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. Using the DNA hybridization method (Southern blot analyses), genomic DNAs of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and Trypanosoma evansi were processed using the same set of restriction enzymes and subsequently hybridized by the same set of DNA probes designed from the reported nucleotide sequence of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense putative oligosaccharyl transferase clone I. The results exhibited that Trypanosoma evansi also contains a gene similar to the reported Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense putative OST gene clone I, as shown by the successful hybridization of the DNA probes to their complementary nucleotide sequences in the genome of the Trypanosoma evansi species. In addition, the data also showed that Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and Trypanosoma evansi genomes shared some common restriction sites and loci within the genome of each individual parasite species.Nedavna istraživanja pokazala su da su geni za oligosaharil transferazu protozoona Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense vrlo dobro sačuvani unutar porodice Trypanosomatidae. Cilj istraživanja bio je otkriti je li ista pojava karakteristična za gen za oligosaharil transferazu klona I protozoona Trypanosoma evansi. Genomske DNA vrste Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense i vrste Trypanosoma evansi bile su pretražene hibridizacijom DNA (Southern Blot analizom) rabeći istu skupinu restrikcijskih enzima kao i iste probe za hibridizaciju DNA pripravljene na temelju objavljenog slijeda nukleotida za oligosaharil-transferazu klona I protozoona Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. Rezultati su pokazali da Trypanosoma evansi također sadrži gen koji je vrlo sličan genu za oligosaharil-transferazu protozoona Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, što je dokazano uspješnom hibridizacijom DNA proba s komplementarnim nukleotidnim slijedovima u genomu vrste Trypanosoma evansi. Istraživanje je pokazalo da Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense i Trypanosoma evansi dijele i zajednička restrikcijska mjesta

Star Formation Efficiency in the Central 1 kpc Region of Early-Type Spiral Galaxies

It has been reported recently that there are some early-type spiral (Sa--Sab) galaxies having evident star-forming regions which concentrate in their own central 1-kpc. In such central region, is the mechanism of the star formation distinct from that in disks of spiral galaxies? To reveal this, we estimate the star formation efficiency (SFE) in this central 1-kpc star-forming region of some early-type spiral galaxies, taking account of the condition for this 1-kpc region to be self-gravitating. Using two indicators of present star formation rate (H$\alpha$ and infrared luminosity), we estimate the SFE to be a few percents. This is equivalent to the observational SFE in the disks of late-type spiral (Sb--) galaxies. This coincidence may support the universality of the mean SFE of spiral galaxies reported in the recent studies. That is, we find no evidence of distinct mechanism of the star formation in the central 1-kpc region of early-type galaxies. Also, we examine the structure of the central star-forming region, and discuss a method for estimating the mass of star-forming regions.Comment: accepted by A

Magnetic spring characteristic of an oscillatory actuator with silicone rubber torsion springs for optical scanner applications

A compact electro-magnetic oscillatory actuator was proposed based on a pair of torsion springs for optical scanners operating at low oscillating frequencies, such as 50 Hz for a portable barcode scanner. Each torsion spring in the actuator is made of silicone rubber and is dually supported at both ends. A yoke is coupled with the driven coil to enhance the driving torque of the actuator. In this study, we analyzed the effect of the yoke on the resonant frequency of the actuator, as well as the torsion moment. We also experimentally determined the relationship between the resonant frequency and the magnetic gap of the yoke. Compared with the mechanical resonant frequency in the experiments, which was designed to be 50 Hz, the frequency was modified to 57.4 Hz, 54.7 Hz and 52.9 Hz when the gap between the yoke and the permanent magnet was 1.5 mm, 1.7 mm and 1.9 mm, respectively. The proposed actuator, which combines a yoke with flexible torsion springs, is potentially useful as a compact optical scanner, taking advantages of both low power consumption and high reliability.ArticleInt. J. Appl. Electromagn. Mech. 46(3):463-470(2014)journal articl

Bach1 gene ablation reduces steatohepatitis in mouse MCD diet model

Bach1 is a transcriptional repressor of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1, a.k.a. HSP-32), which is an inducible enzyme and has anti-oxidation/anti-inflammatory properties shown in various models of organ injuries. Since oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), HO-1 induction would be expected to prevent the development of NASH. In this study, we investigated the influence of Bach1 ablation in mice on the progression of NASH in methionine-choline deficient (MCD) diet model. Bach1 ablation resulted in significant induction of HO-1 mRNA and its activity in the liver. When fed MCD diet, Bach1−/− mice exhibited negligible hepatic steatosis compared to pronounced steatohepatitis in wild type mice with 6-fold increase in hepatic triglyceride content. Whereas feeding of MCD diet decreased mRNA expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) in wild type mice, there were no change in Bach1−/− mice. In addition, hepatic concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), a biomarker for oxidative stress as well as plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was significantly lower in Bach1−/− mice. These findings suggest that Bach1 ablation exerts hepatoprotective effect against steatohepatitis presumably via HO-1 induction and may be a potential therapeutic target

Genomic Cloning and Sequence Analysis of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense gene Encoding Putative N-glycosylation Enzyme

Background:  : : is a haemoflagellate parasite of zoonotic significance. Aside from its public health importance, this parasite subspecies gained notoriety because of their effective system to circumvent the immune response of vertebrate host. The parasite cell surface is covered with millions of VSG dimers, which serve as an almost infinite repertoire of biomolecules needed for evasion of host immune system. Around two decades ago, it was resolved that all trypanosome VSG is associated with one or more N-linked oligosaccharides, with a range of structures including high mannose and complex types. This complex process of protein modification known as N-linked glycosylation is catalyzed by oligosaccharyl transferase (OST). In general, the incorporation of glycan structures can alter protein’s antigenic properties and recently it was established that glycan molecules associated with VSG were found to be important in several aspects of trypanosome-host interaction, especially during parasite evasion of the host defense mechanisms. Therefore, our major interest is to clone and characterize the trypanosome OST. Material, Methods and Results: The template genomic DNA for PCR amplification was extracted as described previously. In an attempt to clone Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense putative oligosaccharyl transferase, an amplicon of ~2000 bp was obtained having an open reading frame of 2057 bp and deduced primary structure composed of 685 amino acid residues (TbrOST II). Comparison of TbrOST II ORF with annotated putative oligosaccharyl transferase in the genome of other organisms revealed sequence identity to other kinetoplastid. TbrOST II had high nucleotide (Ns) and amino acid (As) sequence similarity with the genomes of T. brucei gambiense (Ns:99%; As:78%) and T. brucei (Ns:95-98%; As:77%-98%). There was also significant nucleotide and amino acid sequence identity in the genomes of T. cruzi (Ns:74%; As:63%), Leishmania infantum (Ns:70-83%; As:46-57%), L. braziliensis (Ns:69-81%; As:46-55%) and L. major (Ns:69-80%; As:46-57%). Sequence similarity (71-77%) from other origins was also exhibited. The nucleotide sequence alignments and analysis were performed using the Oxford University Mac Vector 6.5 sequence analysis software and CLC Workbench 5.6 software. Discussion: The nucleotide BLAST results indicate that sequence identity is higher between species of the same genus rather than of the same family. It is known that T. brucei, T. gambiense and T. rhodesiense are members of the Brucei-complex or Brucei group. Although T. brucei brucei has more similarities with T. brucei rhodesiense than T. brucei gambiense, these parasites are morphologically indistinguishable. This is the probable reason why high sequence identity was displayed by other subspecies of the Brucei group. In addition, the high percent identity possessed by TbrOST II with other trypansomatids agrees with the evolutionarily conserved characteristics of the established OST. The DNA sequence data of TbrOST II showing similar sequences in the genome of other organisms further corroborate the previous reports regarding the ubiquitous nature of OST in other life forms. Based on the size of the amplicon and significant percentage of nucleotide and amino acid sequence identity to homologues within the genome of related species and various organisms, the results strongly indicate that TbrOST II is a trypanosome oligosaccharyl transferase gene candidate that should be fully characterized and subjected to functional genomic studies. The study reports the molecular cloning and sequencing of a potential oligosaccharyl transferase gene in T. brucei rhodesiense (TbrOST II). The sequence data has been deposited in the GenBank with accession number GU475126.Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiens