CP violation in modified bipair neutrino mixing and leptogenesis

We study effects of CP violation in a modified bipair neutrino mixing scheme predicting $\sin^2\theta_{23}$ near both 0.4 and 0.6 currently consistent with experimentally allowed values. The source of CP violation is supplied by charged lepton mixing accompanied by a single phase, whose mixing size is assumed to be less than that of the Wolfenstein parameter for the quark mixing. Including results of leptogenesis, which is based on the minimal seesaw model, we obtain the allowed region of CP-violating Dirac and Majorana phases, which provides the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe in the case of the Dirac neutrino mass matrix subject to one zero texture.Comment: 5 pages, 30 figures, accepted for publication in Physics Letters

Size-selective encapsulation property of unimolecular reverse micelle consisting of hyperbranched D-glucan core and L-leucine ethyl ether shell

金沢大学理工研究域自然システム学系The synthesis of a unimolecular reverse micelle (3) consisting of hyper-branched D-glucan as the core and L-leucine ethyl ester as the shell was accomplished through the carbamation reaction of the hyperbranched D-glucan (1) with the N-carbonyl L-leucine ethyl ester (2) in pyridine at 100 °C. The polymer 3 was soluble in a large variety of organic solvents, such as methanol, acetone, chloroform, and ethyl acetate, and insoluble in water, which remarkably differed from the solubility of 1. The solubilities of 3 were also changed by the substitution degrees of the L-leucine moiety. The encapsulation ability of 3 toward water-soluble dyes has been investigated. These results indicated that 3 was a unimolecular reverse micelle with an encapsulation ability toward hydrophilic dye molecules. In addition, 3 showed an molecular size-selective encapsulation ability. Copyright © 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

A Large-scale Protein–protein Interaction Analysis in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803

Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) play crucial roles in protein function for a variety of biological processes. Data from large-scale PPI screening has contributed to understanding the function of a large number of predicted genes from fully sequenced genomes. Here, we report the systematic identification of protein interactions for the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803. Using a modified high-throughput yeast two-hybrid assay, we screened 1825 genes selected primarily from (i) genes of two-component signal transducers of Synechocystis, (ii) Synechocystis genes whose homologues are conserved in the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana, and (iii) genes of unknown function on the Synechocystis chromosome. A total of 3236 independent two-hybrid interactions involving 1920 proteins (52% of the total protein coding genes) were identified and each interaction was evaluated using an interaction generality (IG) measure, as well as the general features of interacting partners. The interaction data obtained in this study should provide new insights and novel strategies for functional analyses of genes in Synechocystis, and, additionally, genes in other cyanobacteria and plant genes of cyanobacterial origin

Clinical Characteristics of Subependymal Giant Cell Astrocytoma in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.

Background: This study evaluated the characteristics of subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) entered into the TuberOus SClerosis registry to increase disease Awareness (TOSCA). Methods: The study was conducted at 170 sites across 31 countries. Data from patients of any age with a documented clinical visit for TSC in the 12 months preceding enrollment or those newly diagnosed with TSC were entered. Results: SEGA were reported in 554 of 2,216 patients (25%). Median age at diagnosis of SEGA was 8 years (range, 18 years. SEGA were symptomatic in 42.1% of patients. Symptoms included increased seizure frequency (15.8%), behavioural disturbance (11.9%), and regression/loss of cognitive skills (9.9%), in addition to those typically associated with increased intracranial pressure. SEGA were significantly more frequent in patients with TSC2 compared to TSC1 variants (33.7 vs. 13.2 %, p < 0.0001). Main treatment modalities included surgery (59.6%) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors (49%). Conclusions: Although SEGA diagnosis and growth typically occurs during childhood, SEGA can occur and grow in both infants and adults

Genome-Wide Association Study Confirming Association of HLA-DP with Protection against Chronic Hepatitis B and Viral Clearance in Japanese and Korean

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can lead to serious liver diseases, including liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, about 85–90% of infected individuals become inactive carriers with sustained biochemical remission and very low risk of LC or HCC. To identify host genetic factors contributing to HBV clearance, we conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and replication analysis using samples from HBV carriers and spontaneously HBV-resolved Japanese and Korean individuals. Association analysis in the Japanese and Korean data identified the HLA-DPA1 and HLA-DPB1 genes with Pmeta = 1.89×10−12 for rs3077 and Pmeta = 9.69×10−10 for rs9277542. We also found that the HLA-DPA1 and HLA-DPB1 genes were significantly associated with protective effects against chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Japanese, Korean and other Asian populations, including Chinese and Thai individuals (Pmeta = 4.40×10−19 for rs3077 and Pmeta = 1.28×10−15 for rs9277542). These results suggest that the associations between the HLA-DP locus and the protective effects against persistent HBV infection and with clearance of HBV were replicated widely in East Asian populations; however, there are no reports of GWAS in Caucasian or African populations. Based on the GWAS in this study, there were no significant SNPs associated with HCC development. To clarify the pathogenesis of CHB and the mechanisms of HBV clearance, further studies are necessary, including functional analyses of the HLA-DP molecule