Effects of terrestrial weathering on the matrix mineralogy of Colony CO3 chondrite

Colony is the least metamorphosed CO chondrite (CO3.0). However, it is badly weathered. In order to show both primary and secondary features of the matrix and discuss the effects of terrestrial weathering on the matrix mineralogy of Colony, we performed combined SEM, EPMA, CL, and TEM studies on this meteorite. EPMA data of the matrix of Colony show that matrix composition was changed by terrestrial weathering. The matrix composition can be represented by three hypothetical components : an Fe-rich component (Fe hydroxide-rich weathering products), a component with olivine-like composition, and an Fe-poor, Si-rich component. TEM observation reveals that the matrix contains abundant Fe-rich poorly crystalline interstitial materials, abundant ferroan olivine (Fa_-Fa_), less abundant magnesian low-Ca pyroxene (En_), magnetite, and minor amounts of spinel group minerals, troilite, and rare Ca-rich pyroxene. Among these phases, anhydrous minerals are primary minerals. The Fe-rich component estimated from EPMA data is composed of abundant Fe-enriched, nearly amorphous material, minute phyllosilicates (mainly saponite, serpentine, and minor amounts of chlorite and montomorillonite), and goethite. The Fe-poor, Si-rich component estimated from EPMA data is also composed of basically the same but seems to contain more phyllosilicates than the Fe-rich one. Matrix olivine crystals often contain planar defects parallel to (001). Such planar defects were probably formed in the initial stage of iddingsite formation by terrestrial weathering

Concept and development of solid state ionic capacitors

Development of a new energy storage device that can replace lithium ion batteries is one of the most important subjects for the future of human. Capacitors have an advantage over batteries with respect to the endurance for charge - discharge recycling. Electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) has been used for some applications but they are still restricted because of relatively low energy density of EDLC in comparison with lithium ion battery and the leakage of liquid electrolyte from packages. Another issue on capacitors is the limit of capacitance density of multi-layered ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). MLCCs are currently used for many electronic devices. The capacitance density of MLCC has been increased one million times by reducing thickness of dielectric layer down to 1 micron in 40 years. However, very serious problem that restricts the capacitance density of MLCC has come up in these 5 years. The problem is known as the size effect barium titanate where dielectric constant of barium titanate somehow decreases with the size of grains sin ceramics. Those problems can be solved if we can make new solid state capacitors with very high capacitance and energy density. We have been studying new concept of solid state ionic capacitors where long-range ionic motion is use for interfacial polarization. Solid state lithium ion conductors are used for dielectrics. Accumulation of huge amount of charge was observed in charge-discharge cycle of capacitors. A composite of strontium titanate and solid state lithium ion conductor was prepared to confirm a new concept of MLCC material using interfacial polarization

Measurement of impact pressure and bruising of apple fruit using pressure-sensitive film technique

Impact pressure and bruising of apple fruit were measured by means of a pressure-sensitive film technique, in order to develop methods for assessing and predicting bruising of apples resulting from impact loads during the course of transport and handling. Results of impact tests with apples indicate that when the fruits are dropped from different heights onto different impacting surfaces, the bruise area and volume could be assessed and predicted by regression models based on the impact force obtained from the pressure-sensitive film (FPSF). The coefficients of determination (R2) for bruise area and bruise volume were found to be 0.91 and 0.95, respectively

Interleukin 18 Acts on Memory T Helper Cells Type 1 to Induce Airway Inflammation and Hyperresponsiveness in a Naive Host Mouse

Interleukin (IL)-18 was originally regarded to induce T helper cell (Th)1-related cytokines. In general, factors favoring interferon (IFN)-γ production are believed to abolish allergic diseases. Thus, we tested the role of IL-18 in regulation of bronchial asthma. To avoid a background response of host-derived T cells, we administered memory type Th1 or Th2 cells into unsensitized mice and examined their role in induction of bronchial asthma. Administration of antigen (Ag) induced both airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in mice receiving memory Th2 cells. In contrast, the same treatment induced only airway inflammation but not AHR in mice receiving memory Th1 cells. However, these mice developed striking AHR when they were coadministered with IL-18. Furthermore, mice having received IFN-γ–expressing Th1 cells sorted from polarized Th1 cells developed severe airway inflammation and AHR after intranasal administration of Ag and IL-18. Thus, Th1 cells become harmful when they are stimulated with Ag and IL-18. Newly polarized Th1 cells and IFN-γ–expressing Th1 cells, both of which express IL-18 receptor α chain strongly, produce IFN-γ, IL-9, IL-13, granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor, tumor necrosis factor α, regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted, and macrophage inflammatory protein 1α upon stimulation with Ag, IL-2, and IL-18 in vitro. Thus, Ag and IL-18 stimulate memory Th1 cells to induce severe airway inflammation and AHR in the naive host

JPEG privacy and security framework for social networking and GLAM services

Current image coding standards provide limited support for privacy and security features. An exception is the JPSEC standard, which defines security extensions in JPEG 2000 specifications (part 8). Notwithstanding this shortcoming, the JPEG committee is currently defining a new JPEG Systems standard, which envisages privacy and security support across JPEG family of standards. In this manuscript, the main philosophy of this emerging specification is outlined along with typical use cases, main requirements as well as examples of potential technological solutions. The upcoming specification guarantees backward and forward compatibility with earlier standards and legacy implementations. Finally, we illustrate the introduced framework by two applications targeting secure photo sharing on social networks and IPR management in the GLAM sector.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Huge Greater Superficial Petrosal Nerve Schwannoma with Intradural Peritumoral Cyst

BackgroundSchwannoma originating from the greater superficial petrosal nerve is an extremely rare type of facial nerve schwannoma located in the middle cranial fossa around the midportion of the petrous bone. Here, we provide the first report of greater superficial petrosal nerve schwannoma presenting with contralateral facial palsy and hemiparesis due to compression of the pyramidal tract by associated intradural peritumoral cyst.Case DescriptionA 69-year-old woman presented with a 6-month history of gradually worsening gait unsteadiness. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a well-defined tumor occupying the right middle cranial fossa and extending into the tympanic cavity. Notably, the tumor accompanied a large cyst in the intradural space, resulting in a leftward midline shift. Extradural exploration through thinned periosteal dura mater revealed the tumor within the interdural space. After debulking of most of the tumor in a pull-out, piecemeal fashion, intradural exploration revealed the peritumoral cyst located between the meningeal dura mater and brain parenchyma. Following the disappearance of the mass effect from the tumor, fenestration of the peritumoral cyst, which had been deeper-seated than the tumor, was easily achieved while avoiding excessive retraction of the temporal lobe. Postoperatively, mild left hemiparesis involving the face resolved completely and no new symptoms such as right facial palsy, hearing disturbance, or xerophthalmia developed as postoperative complications.ConclusionThe combination of extradural and intradural approaches in the appropriate order is essential for fenestration of an intradural peritumoral cyst along with removal of an interdural tumor

In vivo functional characterisation of pheromone binding protein-1 in the silkmoth, Bombyx mori

Male moths detect sex pheromones emitted by conspecific females with high sensitivity and specificity by the olfactory sensilla on their antennae. Pheromone binding proteins (PBPs) are highly enriched in the sensillum lymph of pheromone sensitive olfactory sensilla and are supposed to contribute to the sensitivity and selectivity of pheromone detection in moths. However, the functional role of PBPs in moth sex pheromone detection in vivo remains obscure. In the silkmoth, Bombyx mori, female moths emit bombykol as a single attractive sex pheromone component along with a small amount of bombykal that negatively modulates the behavioural responses to bombykol. A pair of olfactory receptor neurons, specifically tuned to bombykol or bombykal, co-localise in the trichodeum sensilla, the sensillum lymph of which contains a single PBP, namely, BmPBP1. We analysed the roles of BmPBP1 using BmPBP1-knockout silkmoth lines generated by transcription activator-like effector nuclease-mediated gene targeting. Electroantennogram analysis revealed that the peak response amplitudes of BmPBP1-knockout male antennae to bombykol and bombykal were significantly reduced by a similar percentage when compared with those of the wild-type males. Our results indicate that BmPBP1 plays a crucial role in enhancing the sensitivity, but not the selectivity, of sex pheromone detection in silkmoths

Genetic Analyses of Elys Mutations in Drosophila Show Maternal-Effect Lethality and Interactions with Nucleoporin Genes

ELYS determines the subcellular localizations of Nucleoporins (Nups) during interphase and mitosis. We made loss-of-function mutations of Elys in Drosophila melanogaster and found that ELYS is dispensable for zygotic viability and male fertility but the maternal supply is necessary for embryonic development. Subsequent to fertilization, mitotic progression of the embryos produced by the mutant females is severely disrupted at the first cleavage division, accompanied by irregular behavior of mitotic centrosomes. The Nup160 introgression from D. simulans shows close resemblance to that of the Elys mutations, suggesting a common role for those proteins in the first cleavage division. Our genetic experiments indicated critical interactions between ELYS and three Nup107–160 subcomplex components; hemizygotes of either Nup37, Nup96 or Nup160 were lethal in the genetic background of the Elys mutation. Not only Nup96 and Nup160 but also Nup37 of D. simulans behave as recessive hybrid incompatibility genes with D. melanogaster. An evolutionary analysis indicated positive natural selection in the ELYS-like domain of ELYS. Here we propose that genetic incompatibility between Elys and Nups may lead to reproductive isolation between D. melanogaster and D. simulans, although direct evidence is necessary

Development of pericardial fat count images using a combination of three different deep-learning models

Rationale and Objectives: Pericardial fat (PF), the thoracic visceral fat surrounding the heart, promotes the development of coronary artery disease by inducing inflammation of the coronary arteries. For evaluating PF, this study aimed to generate pericardial fat count images (PFCIs) from chest radiographs (CXRs) using a dedicated deep-learning model. Materials and Methods: The data of 269 consecutive patients who underwent coronary computed tomography (CT) were reviewed. Patients with metal implants, pleural effusion, history of thoracic surgery, or that of malignancy were excluded. Thus, the data of 191 patients were used. PFCIs were generated from the projection of three-dimensional CT images, where fat accumulation was represented by a high pixel value. Three different deep-learning models, including CycleGAN, were combined in the proposed method to generate PFCIs from CXRs. A single CycleGAN-based model was used to generate PFCIs from CXRs for comparison with the proposed method. To evaluate the image quality of the generated PFCIs, structural similarity index measure (SSIM), mean squared error (MSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) of (i) the PFCI generated using the proposed method and (ii) the PFCI generated using the single model were compared. Results: The mean SSIM, MSE, and MAE were as follows: 0.856, 0.0128, and 0.0357, respectively, for the proposed model; and 0.762, 0.0198, and 0.0504, respectively, for the single CycleGAN-based model. Conclusion: PFCIs generated from CXRs with the proposed model showed better performance than those with the single model. PFCI evaluation without CT may be possible with the proposed method