Optical absorption and emission in the defect-chalcopyrite semiconductor CdGa2Te4

Optical-absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra have been measured on the defect-chalcopyrite-type semiconductor CdGa2Te4 in the 0.9–1.5-eV photon-energy range at temperatures between 11 and 300 K. The temperature dependence of the direct-gap energy of CdGa2Te4 has been determined from the optical-absorption spectra and fit using the Varshni equation and an analytical four-parameter expression developed for the explanation of the band-gap shrinkage effect in semiconductors. The PL spectra show an asymmetric emission band peaking at ,1.326 eV and a symmetric emission band at ～1.175 eV at T=11 K, which are attributed to donor-acceptor-pair recombination between exponentially tailed or Gaussian-like donor states and acceptor levels, respectively. A multiple-exponential fit analysis of the PL emission suggests acceptor levels of 50 and 86 meV and a deep donor level of 190 meV, together with an unidentified shallow level of 9 meV. An energy-band scheme has been proposed for the explanation of PL emission observed in CdGa2Te4

VPP control cannot stabilize the posture during walking for high VPP location

The 11th International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines. Kobe University, Japan. 2023-06-06/09. Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines Organizing Committee.Poster Session P7

Susceptibilities of medaka (Oryzias latipes) cell lines to a betanodavirus

Background: Betanodaviruses, members of the family Nodaviridae, have bipartite, positive-sense RNA genomes and are the causal agents of viral nervous necrosis in many marine fish species. Recently, the viruses were shown to infect a few freshwater fish species including a model fish medaka (Oryzias latipes). Although virological study using cultured medaka cells would provide a lot of insight into virus-fish interactions in molecular aspects, no such cells have yet been tested for virus susceptibility. Results: We tested ten medaka cell lines for susceptibilities to redspotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV). Although the viral coat protein was detected in all the cell lines inoculated, the levels of cytopathic effect development and viral propagation were quite different among the cell lines. Those levels were especially high in OLHNI-1 and OLHNI-2 cells, but were extremely low in OLME-104 cells. Some cell lines entered into antiviral state after RGNNV infections probably because of inducing an antiviral system. This is the first report to examine the susceptibilities of cultured medaka cells against a virus. Conclusion: OLHNI-1 and OLHNI-2 cells are candidates of new standard cells for betanodavirus study because of their high susceptibilities to the virus and their several advantages as model fish cells

Flow-induced Alignment of Amyloid Protofilaments Revealed by Linear Dichroism

This research was originally published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Rumi Adachi, Kei-ichi Yamaguchi, Hisashi Yagi, Kazumasa Sakurai, Hironobu Naiki and Yuji Goto. Flow-induced Alignment of Amyloid Protofilaments Revealed by Linear Dichroism. J. Biol. Chem. 2007; 282, 8978-8983. © the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biolog

Maneuverable and Efficient Locomotion of a Myriapod Robot with Variable Body-Axis Flexibility via Instability and Bifurcation

Aoi Shinya, Yabuuchi Yuki, Morozumi Daiki, et al. Maneuverable and Efficient Locomotion of a Myriapod Robot with Variable Body-Axis Flexibility via Instability and Bifurcation. Soft Robotics 6, NT64 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1089/soro.2022.0177

PIM kinases facilitate lentiviral evasion from SAMHD1 restriction via Vpx phosphorylation

Lentiviruses have evolved to acquire an auxiliary protein Vpx to counteract the intrinsic host restriction factor SAMHD1. Although Vpx is phosphorylated, it remains unclear whether such phosphorylation indeed regulates its activity toward SAMHD1. Here we identify the PIM family of serine/threonine protein kinases as the factors responsible for the phosphorylation of Vpx and the promotion of Vpx-mediated SAMHD1 counteraction. Integrated proteomics and subsequent functional analysis reveal that PIM family kinases, PIM1 and PIM3, phosphorylate HIV-2 Vpx at Ser13 and stabilize the interaction of Vpx with SAMHD1 thereby promoting ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of SAMHD1. Inhibition of the PIM kinases promotes the antiviral activity of SAMHD1, ultimately reducing viral replication. Our results highlight a new mode of virus–host cell interaction in which host PIM kinases facilitate promotion of viral infectivity by counteracting the host antiviral system, and suggest a novel therapeutic strategy involving restoration of SAMHD1-mediated antiviral response

Alveolar Echinococcosis Mimicking a Hepatic Neoplasm with Lymph Node Metastasis: A Case Report

A 37-year-old man had an asymptomatic 17-mm mass in the liver by health check with ultrasonography. Five years later, he was referred to our hospital because the mass was slightly enlarged with a peripancreatic lymph node. We performed endoscopic ultrasonography fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) to evaluate a lymph node, but it showed amorphous eosinophilic material and eosinophilic infiltrate in necrotic tissue of toothpaste-like white specimen. However, we diagnosed as potentially malignant liver mass with lymph node metastasis because of 2-deoxy-2-(fluorine-18) fluorodeoxyglucose uptake. We then performed hepatectomy and enucleation of the pancreas. DNA polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed Echinococcus multilocularis infection. Retrospectively, we could find a part of Echinococcus in the specimens of EUS-FNA