124 research outputs found
A Chain of Dark Clouds in Projection Against the Galactic Center
In the J, H, and Ks bands survey of the the Galactic Center region over an
area of 2deg x 5deg, we have found many dark clouds, among which a
distinguished chain of dark clouds can be identified with a quiescent CO cloud.
The distances of the clouds is estimated to be 3.2-4.2 kpc, corresponding to
the Norma arm by our new method to determine distance to dark clouds using the
cumulative number of stars against J-Ks colors. Adopting these estimated
distances, the size is about 70 pc in length and the total mass of the cloud is
6x10^4 M_solar. Three compact HII regions harbor in the cloud, indicating that
star forming activities are going on at the cores of the quiescent CO cloud on
the spiral arm.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in PAS
Donor-specific tolerance induced by simultaneous allogeneic islet transplantation with CD4+CD25+ T-cells into hepatic parenchyma in mice
Background. The allogeneic islets transplantation is an ideal therapeutic strategy for patients with diabetes mellitus. However, it has been difficult to induce immunological tolerance against islets grafts. TheCD4+CD25+ regulatory T-cells (Treg) play a role in suppressing T-cell activation. Thus, we evaluated whether Treg can regulate donor-specific T-cell tolerance that received allogeneic islets into the hepatic parenchyma (ITxHP) along with Treg. Methods. C3H/He mice were used as donors and streptozotocin-induced diabetic BALB/c mice were recipients. The protocol included three groups : Group A recipients received only 300 IE islets Group B was given 300 IE islets and whole splenocytes Group C was given 300 IE islets and Treg purified from peripheral lymph nodes. Results. For all mice in Groups A and B, the fasting blood sugar exceeded 250mg/dl and graft rejection was observed. GVHD was observed earlier in Group B than in Group A. In contrast graft survival exceeded 30 days for two mice in Group C (50%, mean POD 28.5±24.0, Plt0.05). Mixed lymphocyte reaction showed that T-cells from tolerant mice had very weak responses against spleen cells from C3H mice. Conclusions. The simultaneous ITxHP with CD4+CD25+ T-cells administration prolonged islet graft survivals and induced donor-specific hyporesposiveness
シンコウ イガン ニ タイスル フククウキョウ ケンサゴ ニ SIADH オ ハッショウシタ 1レイ
We report here a case of advanced gastric cancer complicated by Syndrome of Inappropriate Secretion of Antidiuretic Hormone(SIADH)following staging laparoscopy. A 55 year-old male developed nausea, and was found with a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of stomach(UE, type4, cT 3, cN2, cM0, cStage ⅢB). He was done with staging laparoscopy. The serum sodium concentration decreased from138mEq/l to114mEq/l after operation. SIADH was diagnosed on the basis of hyponatremia with corresponding serum hypoosmolality and an inappropriate high urinary osmolality due to continued sodium excretion. Fluid restriction and sodium supplement resulted in an appropriate rise in the serum sodium level to128mEq/l in 4 days
The Infrared Counterpart of the X-Ray Nova XTE J1720-318
We report on the discovery of an infrared counterpart to the X-ray transient
XTE J1720-318 on 2003 January 18, nine days after an X-ray outburst, and the
infrared light curve during the first 130 days after the outburst. The infrared
light curve shows a decline of about 1.2 mag from the peak magnitude of Ks
about 15.3 over the observation period, and a secondary maximum, about 40 days
after the outburst. Another small increase in the flux was also recorded about
20 days after the outburst. These increases were also detected in the X-ray
light curve. The J H Ks colors are consistent with an X-ray irradiated
accretion disk suffering an extinction of Av about 8, which is also inferred
from its X-ray spectrum and the extinction map constructed from far-infrared
dust emission of this line of sight. These J, H, and Ks observations
demonstrate that useful data can be obtained even for such an object, which
suffers heavy optical extinction, possibly located beyond the Galactic center.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, to appear in PAS
A Distinct Structure Inside the Galactic Bar
We present the result of a near-infrared (J H Ks) survey along the Galactic
plane, -10.5deg < l < +10.5deg and b=+1.0deg, with the IRSF 1.4m telescope and
the SIRIUS camera. Ks vs. H-Ks color-magnitude diagrams reveal a well-defined
population of red clump (RC) stars whose apparent magnitude peak changes
continuously along the Galactic plane, from Ks=13.4 at l=-10deg to Ks=12.2 at
l=+10deg after dereddening. This variation can be explained by the bar-like
structure found in previous studies, but we find an additional inner structure
at |l| < 4deg, where the longitude - apparent magnitude relation is distinct
from the outer bar, and the apparent magnitude peak changes by only 0.1 mag
over the central 8deg. The exact nature of this inner structure is as yet
uncertain.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. accepted by ApJ
Near Infrared Imaging Survey of Bok Globules: Density Structure
On the basis of near-infrared imaging observations, we derived visual
extinction (Av) distribution toward ten Bok globules through measurements of
both the color excess (E_{H-K}) and the stellar density at J, H, and Ks (star
count). Radial column density profiles for each globule were analyzed with the
Bonnor-Ebert sphere model. Using the data of our ten globules and four globules
in the literature, we investigated the stability of globules on the basis of
xi_max, which characterizes the Bonnor-Ebert sphere as well as the stability of
the equilibrium state against the gravitational collapse. We found that more
than half of starless globules are located near the critical state (xi_max =
6.5 +/- 2). Thus, we suggest that a nearly critical Bonnor-Ebert sphere
characterizes the typical density structure of starless globules. Remaining
starless globules show clearly unstable states (xi_max > 10). Since unstable
equilibrium states are not long maintained, we expect that these globules are
on the way to gravitational collapse or that they are stabilized by non-thermal
support. It was also found that all the star-forming globules show unstable
solutions of xi_max >10, which is consistent with the fact that they have
started gravitational collapse. We investigated the evolution of a collapsing
gas sphere whose initial condition is a nearly critical Bonnor-Ebert sphere. We
found that the column density profiles of the collapsing sphere mimic those of
the static Bonnor-Ebert spheres in unstable equilibrium. The collapsing gas
sphere resembles marginally unstable Bonnor-Ebert spheres for a long time. We
found that the frequency distribution of xi_max for the observed starless
globules is consistent with that from model calculations of the collapsing
sphere.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. 39 pages in
preprint format, including 10 figures. The version with higher resolution
figures can be obtained at the following site
(http://alma.mtk.nao.ac.jp/~kandori/preprint/
Real-time monitoring of functional interactions between upstream and core promoter sequences in living cells of sea urchin embryos
There are some functional compatibilities between upstream and core promoter sequences for transcriptional activation in yeast, Drosophila and mammalian cells. Here we examined whether similar compatibilities exist in sea urchin embryos, and if so, whether they are dynamically regulated during early development. Two reporter plasmids, each containing a test promoter conjugated to either CFP or YFP, were concurrently introduced into embryos, and their expression patterns were studied by fluorescence microscopy. The upstream sequence of the Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus (Hp) OtxE promoter drives the expression of its own core promoter and that of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Sp) Spec2a in different embryonic regions, especially at the late gastrula stage. Interestingly, when the four putative transcription factor binding sites of this upstream sequence were individually mutated, the resulting sequences directed different spatiotemporal expression from the same set of two core promoters, indicating that combinations of upstream factors may determine core promoter usage in sea urchin embryos. In addition, the insertion or deletion of consensus or nonconsensus TATA sequences changed the expression profile significantly, irrespective of whether the upstream sequence was intact or mutated. Thus, the TATA sequence may serve as a primary determinant for core promoter selection in these cells
Long-term field experiment for detection and study of climate change in East Antarctica
第6回極域科学シンポジウム[OM] 極域気水圏11月16日(月) 統計数理研究所 セミナー室2(D304
Protocol for a multicentre, prospective observational study of elective neck dissection for clinically node-negative oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (END-TC study)
Introduction: In early-stage oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC), elective neck dissection (END) is recommended when occult lymph node metastasis is suspected; however, there is no unanimous consensus on the risks and benefits of END in such cases. The management of clinically node-negative (cN0) OTSCC remains controversial. This study, therefore, aimed to evaluate the efficacy of END and its impact on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with cN0 OTSCC.
Methods and analysis: This is a prospective, multicentre, nonrandomised observational study. The choice of whether to perform END at the same time as resection of the primary tumour is based on institutional policy and patient preference. The primary endpoint of this study is 3-year overall survival. The secondary endpoint are 3-year disease-specific survival, 3-year relapse-free survival and the impact on patient QoL. Propensity score-matching analysis will be performed to reduce selection bias.
Ethics and dissemination: This study was approved by the Clinical Research Review Board of the Nagasaki University. The protocol of this study was registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry. The datasets generated during the current study will be available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. The results will be disseminated internationally, through scientific and professional conferences and in peer-reviewed medical journals
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