Formation of Zwitterionic Fullerodendron Using a New DBN-Focal Dendron

A new poly(amidoamine) dendron having 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-ene (DBN) at the focal point was synthesized. Interestingly, formation of zwitterionic fullerodendrons (λmax = 930 nm for C60 and 795 nm for C70) were observed by Vis-NIR spectroscopy upon the reaction of C60 or C70 with the DBN-focal dendron. In particular, the C70 anion was effectively stabilized by the site isolation effect of the dendritic wedge. The half-life of fullerodendron 12b having C70 anion at the focal point reaches 7,345 min, which is 20 times longer than that of complex between C60 and pristine DBN. Furthermore, in order to confirm the structure of the zwitterionic complex, fullerodendron 12a was reprecipitated from benzonitrile/1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, and was observed using IR spectroscopy and APPI-MS

Orbital Physics in the Perovskite Ti Oxides

In the perovskite Ti oxide RTiO3 (R=rare-earth ions), the Ti t2g orbitals and spins in the 3d^1 state couple each other through the strong electron correlations, resulting in a rich variety of orbital-spin phases. The origin and nature of orbital-spin states of these Mott insulators have been intensively studied. In this article, we review the studies on orbital physics in the perovskite titanates. We focus on the following three topics: (1) the origin and nature of the ferromagnetism as well as the orbital ordering in the compounds with relatively small R ions such as GdTiO3 and YTiO3, (2) the origin of the G-type antiferromagnetism and the orbital state in LaTiO3, and (3) the orbital-spin structures in other AFM(G) compounds with relatively large R ions (R=Ce, Pr, Nd and Sm). On the basis of these discussions, we discuss the whole phase diagram together with mechanisms of the magnetic phase transition. We also show that the Ti t2g degeneracy is inherently lifted in the titanates, which allows the single-band descriptions of the ground-state and low-energy electronic structures as a good starting point. Our analyses indicate that these compounds offer touchstone materials described by the single-band Hubbard model on the cubic lattice. From this insight, we also reanalyze the hole-doped titanates. Experimentally revealed filling-dependent and bandwidth-dependent properties and the critical behavior of the metal-insulator transitions are discussed in the light of theories based on the single-band Hubbard models.Comment: Review article, 26 pages, to appear in New Journal of Physic

Artificial placenta support of extremely preterm ovine fetuses at the border of viability for up to 336 hours with maintenance of systemic circulation but reduced somatic and organ growth

Introduction: Artificial placenta therapy (APT) is an experimental life support system to improve outcomes for extremely preterm infants (EPI) less than 1,000 g by obviating the need for pulmonary gas exchange. There are presently no long-term survival data for EPI supported with APT. To address this, we aimed to maintain 95d-GA (GA; term-150d) sheep fetuses for up to 2 weeks using our APT system.Methods: Pregnant ewes (n = 6) carrying singleton fetuses underwent surgical delivery at 95d GA. Fetuses were adapted to APT and maintained for up to 2 weeks with constant monitoring of key physiological parameters and extensive time-course blood and urine sampling, and ultrasound assessments. Six age-matched in-utero fetuses served as controls. Data were tested for group differences with ANOVA.Results: Six APT Group fetuses (100%) were adapted to APT successfully. The mean BW at the initiation of APT was 656 ± 42 g. Mean survival was 250 ± 72 h (Max 336 h) with systemic circulation and key physiological parameters maintained mostly within normal ranges. APT fetuses had active movements and urine output constantly exceeded infusion volume over the experiment. At delivery, there were no differences in BW (with edema in three APT group animals), brain weight, or femur length between APT and in-utero Control animals. Organ weights and humerus lengths were significantly reduced in the APT group (p < 0.05). Albumin, IGF-1, and phosphorus were significantly decreased in the APT group (p < 0.05). No cases of positive blood culture were detected.Conclusion: We report the longest use of APT to maintain extremely preterm fetuses to date. Fetal systemic circulation was maintained without infection, but growth was abnormal. This achievement suggests a need to focus not only on cardiovascular stability and health but also on the optimization of fetal growth and organ development. This new challenge will need to be overcome prior to the clinical translation of this technology

Dedifferentiation of Human Primary Thyrocytes into Multilineage Progenitor Cells without Gene Introduction

While identification and isolation of adult stem cells have potentially important implications, recent reports regarding dedifferentiation/reprogramming from differentiated cells have provided another clue to gain insight into source of tissue stem/progenitor cells. In this study, we developed a novel culture system to obtain dedifferentiated progenitor cells from normal human thyroid tissues. After enzymatic digestion, primary thyrocytes, expressing thyroglobulin, vimentin and cytokeratin-18, were cultured in a serum-free medium called SAGM. Although the vast majority of cells died, a small proportion (∼0.5%) survived and proliferated. During initial cell expansion, thyroglobulin/cytokeratin-18 expression was gradually declined in the proliferating cells. Moreover, sorted cells expressing thyroid peroxidase gave rise to proliferating clones in SAGM. These data suggest that those cells are derived from thyroid follicular cells or at least thyroid-committed cells. The SAGM-grown cells did not express any thyroid-specific genes. However, after four-week incubation with FBS and TSH, cytokeratin-18, thyroglobulin, TSH receptor, PAX8 and TTF1 expressions re-emerged. Moreover, surprisingly, the cells were capable of differentiating into neuronal or adipogenic lineage depending on differentiating conditions. In summary, we have developed a novel system to generate multilineage progenitor cells from normal human thyroid tissues. This seems to be achieved by dedifferentiation of thyroid follicular cells. The presently described culture system may be useful for regenerative medicine, but the primary importance will be as a tool to elucidate the mechanisms of thyroid diseases

Composition and Structure Changes in Al3Ni2 Microchannel Lining Layers by Alkali Leaching

Effects of alkali leaching time on the composition and structure changes in the Al3Ni2 microchannel lining layer produced by a sacrificial-core method have been investigated. The composition was measured both on the specimen surface directly exposed to the leachant and on the new surface cut after alkali leaching. In each surface, the decrease in Al concentration became sluggish after formation of Ni3Al. On the other hand, nano structure consisted of almost pure Ni was detected on the inner wall of the microchannel leached for 864 ks

Structure Control of Cu-Zn Microchannel Lining Layers with Electrochemical Dissolution

The effect of potentiostatic dissolution on the structure of a Cu-Zn alloy microchannel lining layer was investigated. The microchannel lining layer was fabricated by a powder-metallurgical process using copper powder and zinc wire. The lining layer became more porous after potentiostatic dissolution at a constant potential of −0.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The lining layer was remarkably dezinced and it contained many open pores under the dissolution condition at +0.5 V. These results indicate the possibility of precise structure control of the microchannel lining layer

SUPER DECENTRALIZED CONTROL FOR DISTRIBUTION VOLTAGE REGULATION ROBUST AGAINST IMPERFECT POWER FLOW DATA COLLECTION

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C I R E D 22 nd International Conference on Electricity Distribution SUPER DECENTRALIZED CONTROL ON THE BASIS OF CENTRALLY OPTIMIZED CONTROL MODEL FOR DISTRIBUTION VOLTAGE REGULATION

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