A shunt active filter based on voltage detection for harmonic termination of a radial power distribution line

This paper focuses on a shunt active filter based on the detection of harmonic voltages at the point of installation. The objective of the active filter is to attenuate harmonic propagation resulting from series/parallel resonance between capacitors for power factor correction and line inductors in a power distribution line. The active filter acts as a low resistor to the external circuit for harmonic frequencies, and it is installed on the end bus of the power distribution line, just like a 50 &#937; terminator installed on the end terminal of a signal transmission line. Therefore, the function of the active filter is referred to as “harmonic termination” in this paper. Experimental results obtained from a laboratory system rated at 200 V and 20 kW verify that the active filter for the purpose of harmonic termination has the capability of harmonic damping throughout the power distribution line</p

All-peptide-based polyion complex vesicles: Facile preparation and encapsulation of the protein in active form

The polyion complex vesicle (PICsome) is a promising platform for bioactive molecule delivery as well as nanoreactor systems. In addition to anionic and cationic charged blocks, a hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) block is mostly employed for PICsome formation; however, the long-term safety of the PEG component in vivo is yet to be clarified. In this study, we developed novel PEG-free PICsome comprising all peptide components. Instead of the PEG block, we selected the sarcosine (Sar) oligomer as a hydrophilic block and fused it with anionic oligo(l-glutamic acid). Mixing the Sar-containing anionic peptide with cationic oligo(l-lysine) resulted in the formation of stable vesicles. The peptide-based PICsome was able to encapsulate a model protein in its hollow structure. After modification of the surface with a cell-penetrating peptide, the protein-encapsulated PICsome was successfully delivered into plant cells, indicating its promised for application as a biocompatible carrier for protein delivery

Shot Length Distributions in Educational TV Programs

Thirty-two TV programs were drawn from the University of the Air lecture series. For each program the distribution of shot lengths was determined, and the mean and the standard deviation were calculated. The average shot length ranged from 14 to 67 seconds with most samples clustering about 20 seconds. The correlation coefficient between the mean and the standard deviation was 0.966, indicating the larger the mean the flatter the distribution. A compound exponential model with two parameters (McGill, 1963) was applied to fit the distributions. Agreement between the observed and theoretical distributions were fairly good with no significant difference at the 5% level in all programs except two. The reciprocals of the first parameter were linearly correlated both with the means and standard deviations with correlation coefficients of 0.977 and 0.909, respectively. The reciprocals of the second parameter, however, were not so closely related to those statistics. A practical application of this analysis to the structual classification of TV programs is discussed

Refractory precursor components in an Allende ferromagnesian chondrule

Chemical and petrological studies of chondrules revealed that they were formed through melting of pre-existing solid precursor materials, and that one of the refractory lithophile precursors was a high temperature condensate from the nebular gas and related to Ca, Al-rich inclusions (CAIs). Sheng et al. found relict spinel grains with isotopically fractionated Mg in plagioclase-olivine inclusions from CV chondrites and suggested that the major fractionation processes were common to CAIs and chondrules. We have determined the Mg isotopic compositon of five barred olivine chondrules and one coarse-grained rim from the Allende (CV3) meteorite. A reproducibility of instrumental isotope fractionation is plus or minus 2 per thousand per amu. The precision of the Mg-26/Mg-24 data after normalization for mass fractionation can be as good as 0.5 per thousand (2 sigma(mean)). The Mg analytical results are given and indicate that delta Mg-25/Mg-24 and sigma Mg-26 of the chondrules are normal within errors

Attenuation of regulatory T cell function by type I IFN signaling in an MDA5 gain-of-function mutant mouse model

Melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) is an essential viral double-stranded RNA sensor to trigger antiviral immune responses, including type I interferon (IFN) induction. Aberrant activation of this viral sensor is known to cause autoimmune diseases designated as type I interferonopathies. However, the cell types responsible for these diseases and the molecular mechanisms behind their onset and development are still largely unknown. In this study, we revealed the attenuation of regulatory T cell (Treg) function by type I IFN signaling in a mouse model expressing a gain-of-function MDA5 G821S mutant. We found that experimental colitis induced by adoptive transfer of naïve T cells in Rag2⁻/⁻ mice was rescued by simultaneous transfer of Tregs from wild-type but not from the MDA5 mutant mice. Type I IFN receptor deficiency in the MDA5 mutant mice recovered the suppressive function of MDA5 mutant Tregs. These results suggest that constitutive MDA5 and type I IFN signaling in Tregs decreases the suppressive function of Tregs, potentially contributing to the onset and exacerbation of autoimmune disorders in interferonopathies

Plant Mitochondrial-Targeted Gene Delivery by Peptide/DNA Micelles Quantitatively Surface-Modified with Mitochondrial Targeting and Membrane-Penetrating Peptides

Plant mitochondria play essential roles in metabolism and respiration. Recently, there has been growing interest in mitochondrial transformation for developing crops with commercially valuable traits, such as resistance to environmental stress and shorter fallow periods. Mitochondrial targeting and cell membrane penetration functions are crucial for improving the gene delivery efficiency of mitochondrial transformation. Here, we developed a peptide-based carrier, referred to as Cytcox/KAibA-Mic, that contains multifunctional peptides for efficient transfection into plant mitochondria. We quantified the mitochondrial targeting and cell membrane-penetrating peptide modification rates to control their functions. The modification rates were easily determined from high-performance liquid chromatography chromatograms. Additionally, the gene carrier size remained constant even when the mitochondrial targeting peptide modification rate was altered. Using this gene carrier, we can quantitatively investigate the relationships between various peptide modifications and transfection efficiency and optimize the gene carrier conditions for mitochondrial transfection

Improvement of the Efficacy of 5-aminolevulinic Acid-mediated Photodynamic Treatment in Human Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma HSC-4

Ever since protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) was discovered to accumulate preferentially in cancer cells after 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) treatment, photodynamic treatment or therapy (PDT) has been developed as an exciting new treatment option for cancer patients. However, the level of PpIX accumulation in oral cancer is fairly low and insufficient for PDT. Ferrochelatase (FECH) and ATP-binding cassette transporter G2 (ABCG2) are known to regulate PpIX accumulation. In addition, serum enhances PpIX export by ABCG2. We investigated here whether and how inhibitors of FECH and ABCG2 and their combination could improve PpIX accumulation and PDT efficacy in an oral cancer cell line in serum-containing medium. ABCG2 inhibitor and the combination of ABCG2 and FECH inhibitors increased PpIX in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS) in an oral cancer cell line. Analysis of ABCG2 gene silencing also revealed the involvement of ABCG2 in the regulation of PpIX accumulation. Inhibitors of FECH and ABCG2, and their combination increased the efficiency of ALA-PDT even in the presence of FBS. ALA-PDT-induced cell death was accompanied by apoptotic events and lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that accumulation of PpIX is determined by the activities of ABCG2 and FECH and that treatment with a combination of their inhibitors improves the efficacy of PDT for oral cancer, especially in the presence of serum

BioGlue® coronary embolism during open heart surgery

AbstractIn cases of iatrogenic coronary embolism during cardiac surgery or percutaneous coronary intervention, small air bubbles or foreign bodies are directly injected, which usually result in serious adverse events if not treated promptly. We herein describe the case of a patient who developed acute myocardial infarction resulting in shock due to BioGlue® (CryoLife, Atlanta, GA, USA)-induced coronary embolism during the surgical repair of aortic dissection and was treated for retrieval of the material using a thrombectomy catheter.<Learning objective: Coronary embolism caused by surgical adhesives is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. It is important for surgeons to promptly recognize and treat this serious condition in consultation with cardiologists.