Homological algebra related to surfaces with boundary

In this article we describe an algebraic framework which can be used in three related but different contexts: string topology, symplectic field theory, and Lagrangian Floer theory of higher genus. It turns out that the relevant algebraic structure for all three contexts is a homotopy version of involutive bi-Lie algebras, which we call IBL$_\infty$-algebras.Comment: 127 pages, 22 figures. Some references added in version 2. Fixed a tex problem in version

Clostridium botulinum Type E Toxins Bind to Caco-2 Cells by a Different Mechanism from That of Type A Toxins

Cultured Clostridium botulinum strains produce progenitor toxins designated as 12S, 16S, and 19S toxins. The 12S toxin consists of a neurotoxin (NTX, 7S) and a non-toxic non-hemagglutinin (NTNH). The 16S and 19S toxins are formed by conjugation of the 12S toxin with hemagglutinin (HA), and the 19S toxin is a dimer of the 16S toxin. Type A cultures produce all 3 of these progenitor toxins, while type E produces only the 12S toxin. The 7S toxin is cleaved into heavy (H) and light (L) chains by a protease(s) in some strains, and the H chain has 2 domains, the N-terminus (Hn) and C-terminus (Hc). It has been reported that type A toxins bind to the intestinal cells or cultured cells via either HA or Hc. In this study, we investigated the binding of type A and E toxins to Caco-2 cells using Western blot analysis. Both the type E 7S and 12S toxins bound to the cells, with the 7S toxin binding more strongly, whereas, in the type A strain, only the 16S/19S toxins showed obvious binding. Pre-incubation of the type E 7S toxin with IgG against recombinant type E Hc significantly inhibited the 7S toxin binding, indicating that Hc might be a main binding domain of the type E toxin

Dataflow programming for the analysis of molecular dynamics with AViS, an analysis and visualization software application

The study of molecular dynamics simulations is largely facilitated by analysis and visualization toolsets. However, these toolsets are often designed for specific use cases and those only, while scripting extensions to such toolsets is often exceedingly complicated. To overcome this problem, we designed a software application called AViS which focuses on the extensibility of analysis. By utilizing the dataflow programming (DFP) paradigm, algorithms can be defined by execution graphs, and arbitrary data can be transferred between nodes using visual connectors. Extension nodes can be implemented in either Python, C++, and Fortran, and combined in the same algorithm. AViS offers a comprehensive collection of nodes for sophisticated visualization state modifications, thus greatly simplifying the rules for writing extensions. Input files can also be read from the server automatically, and data is fetched automatically to improve memory usage. In addition, the visualization system of AViS uses physically-based rendering techniques, improving the 3D perception of molecular structures for interactive visualization. By performing two case studies on complex molecular systems, we show that the DFP workflow offers a much higher level of flexibility and extensibility when compared to legacy workflows. The software source code and binaries for Windows, MacOS, and Linux are freely available at https://avis-md.github.io/.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, additional figures and example code in supplementary material

Effective Dissolution of Biomass in Ionic Liquids by Irradiation of Non-Thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma

Biomass was dissolved in ionic liquids under non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma irradiation. On plasma irradiation, the amount of dissolved biomass in the ionic liquids increased from 15 to 29mg for bagasse and from 26 to 36mg for Japanese cedar. The high solubility was attributed to the deconstruction of the lignin network by active chemical species generated by the plasma. Selective extraction of cellulose from biomass was observed under plasma irradiation. © CSIRO 2017.This study was also partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 日本学術振興

Spindle and Giant Cell Type Undifferentiated Carcinoma of the Proximal Bile Duct

Undifferentiated spindle and giant cell carcinoma is an extremely rare malignant neoplasm arising in the extrahepatic bile duct. We herein present the case of a 67-year-old male who developed an undifferentiated spindle and giant cell carcinoma of the proximal bile duct. A nodular infiltrating tumor was located at the proximal bile duct, resulting in obstructive jaundice. Histologically, the tumor was composed of mainly spindle-shaped and giant cells and showed positive immunoreactivity for both cytokeratin and vimentin. Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered following extrahepatic bile duct resection, and he has been doing well for 16 months since the surgical treatment. The literature on this rare malignancy is also reviewed and discussed

Van der Waals Engineering of Ferromagnetic Semiconductor Heterostructures for Spin and Valleytronics

The integration of magnetic material with semiconductors has been fertile ground for fundamental science as well as of great practical interest toward the seamless integration of information processing and storage. Here we create van der Waals heterostructures formed by an ultrathin ferromagnetic semiconductor CrI3 and a monolayer of WSe2. We observe unprecedented control of the spin and valley pseudospin in WSe2, where we detect a large magnetic exchange field of nearly 13 T and rapid switching of the WSe2 valley splitting and polarization via flipping of the CrI3 magnetization. The WSe2 photoluminescence intensity strongly depends on the relative alignment between photo-excited spins in WSe2 and the CrI3 magnetization, due to ultrafast spin-dependent charge hopping across the heterostructure interface. The photoluminescence detection of valley pseudospin provides a simple and sensitive method to probe the intriguing domain dynamics in the ultrathin magnet, as well as the rich spin interactions within the heterostructure.Comment: Supplementary Materials included. To appear in Science Advance