1,435 research outputs found
Effects of strobe light stimulation on postnatal developing rat retina
The nature and intensity of visual stimuli have changed in recent years because of television and other dynamic light sources. Although light stimuli accompanied by contrast and strength changes are thought to have an influence on visual system development, little information is available on the effects of dynamic light stimuli such as a strobe light on visual system development. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate changes caused by dynamic light stimuli during retinal development. This study used 80 Sprague-Dawley rats. From eye opening (postnatal day 14), half of the rats were maintained on a daily 12-h light/dark cycle (control group) and the remaining animals were raised under a 12-h strobe light (2Â Hz)/dark cycle (strobe light-reared group). Morphological analyses and electroretinogram (ERG) were performed at postnatal weeks 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Among retinal neurons, tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TH-IR, dopaminergic amacrine cells) cells showed marked plastic changes, such as variations in numbers and soma sizes. In whole-mount preparations at 6, 8, and 10Â weeks, type I TH-IR cells showed a decreased number and larger somata, while type II TH-IR cells showed an increased number in strobe-reared animals. Functional assessment by scotopic ERG showed that a-wave and b-wave amplitudes increased at 6 and 8Â weeks in strobe-reared animals. These results show that exposure to a strobe light during development causes changes in TH-IR cell number and morphology, leading to a disturbance in normal visual functions
Experimental observation of hidden Berry curvature in inversion-symmetric bulk 2H-WSe2
We investigate the hidden Berry curvature in bulk 2H-WSe2 by utilizing the
surface sensitivity of angle resolved photoemission (ARPES). The symmetry in
the electronic structure of transition metal dichalcogenides is used to
uniquely determine the local orbital angular momentum (OAM) contribution to the
circular dichroism (CD) in ARPES. The extracted CD signals for the K and K'
valleys are almost identical but their signs, which should be determined by the
valley index, are opposite. In addition, the sign is found to be the same for
the two spin-split bands, indicating that it is independent of spin state.
These observed CD behaviors are what are expected from Berry curvature of a
monolayer of WSe2. In order to see if CD-ARPES is indeed representative of
hidden Berry curvature within a layer, we use tight binding analysis as well as
density functional calculation to calculate the Berry curvature and local OAM
of a monolayer WSe2. We find that measured CD-ARPES is approximately
proportional to the calculated Berry curvature as well as local OAM, further
supporting our interpretation.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
3-Carbamoyl-1-(2-nitrobenzyl)pyridinÂium bromide
In the title compound, C13H12N3O3
+·Br−, the benzene and pyridinium rings form a dihedral angle of 82.0 (1)°. In the crystal, N—H⋯Br and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the components into chains along [001]. In addition, weak C—H⋯O and C—H⋯Br hydrogen bonds are observed
Toll-Like Receptor 4 Decoy, TOY, Attenuates Gram-Negative Bacterial Sepsis
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the Gram-negative bacterial outer membrane glycolipid, induces sepsis through its interaction with myeloid differentiation protein-2 (MD-2) and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). To block interaction between LPS/MD-2 complex and TLR4, we designed and generated soluble fusion proteins capable of binding MD-2, dubbed TLR4 decoy receptor (TOY) using ‘the Hybrid leucine-rich repeats (LRR) technique’. TOY contains the MD-2 binding ectodomain of TLR4, the LRR motif of hagfish variable lymphocyte receptor (VLR), and the Fc domain of IgG1 to make it soluble, productive, and functional. TOY exhibited strong binding to MD-2, but not to the extracellular matrix (ECM), resulting in a favorable pharmacokinetic profile in vivo. TOY significantly extended the lifespan, when administered in either preventive or therapeutic manners, in both the LPS- and cecal ligation/puncture-induced sepsis models in mice. TOY markedly attenuated LPS-triggered NF-κB activation, secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, and thrombus formation in multiple organs. Taken together, the targeting strategy for sequestration of LPS/MD-2 complex using the decoy receptor TOY is effective in treating LPS- and bacteria-induced sepsis; furthermore, the strategy used in TOY development can be applied to the generation of other novel decoy receptor proteins
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