Cloning of flowering genes (WJFLC and WJFT) in wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and monitoring of flowering response with their expression

ArticleInternational Journal of Bioscience and Biotechnology. 1(2):67-71 (2013)journal articl

シガケン ナガハマシ ホウゲン ノ ソザイ タイグウ ケイシキ ニ カンスル キジュツテキ ケンキュウ

The isomerization of n-hexadecane over Pt–WO3 catalysts supported on TiO2–SiO2 synthesized by glycothermal reaction with various Si/Ti molar ratios was examined. The catalyst performance depended on Si/Ti molar ratio and WO3 loading. The characterization of the catalysts by XRD, XAFS, UV-vis and so on revealed that with increasing the WO3 loading, the structure of surface W species changed from monomeric species to polytungstate species, which is considered to significantly affect the isomerization selectivity of the catalysts

Temporal subtraction CT with nonrigid image registration improves detection of bone metastases by radiologists: results of a large-scale observer study

To determine whether temporal subtraction (TS) CT obtained with non-rigid image registration improves detection of various bone metastases during serial clinical follow-up examinations by numerous radiologists. Six board-certified radiologists retrospectively scrutinized CT images for patients with history of malignancy sequentially. These radiologists selected 50 positive and 50 negative subjects with and without bone metastases, respectively. Furthermore, for each subject, they selected a pair of previous and current CT images satisfying predefined criteria by consensus. Previous images were non-rigidly transformed to match current images and subtracted from current images to automatically generate TS images. Subsequently, 18 radiologists independently interpreted the 100 CT image pairs to identify bone metastases, both without and with TS images, with each interpretation separated from the other by an interval of at least 30 days. Jackknife free-response receiver operating characteristics (JAFROC) analysis was conducted to assess observer performance. Compared with interpretation without TS images, interpretation with TS images was associated with a significantly higher mean figure of merit (0.710 vs. 0.658; JAFROC analysis, P = 0.0027). Mean sensitivity at lesion-based was significantly higher for interpretation with TS compared with that without TS (46.1% vs. 33.9%; P = 0.003). Mean false positive count per subject was also significantly higher for interpretation with TS than for that without TS (0.28 vs. 0.15; P < 0.001). At the subject-based, mean sensitivity was significantly higher for interpretation with TS images than that without TS images (73.2% vs. 65.4%; P = 0.003). There was no significant difference in mean specificity (0.93 vs. 0.95; P = 0.083). TS significantly improved overall performance in the detection of various bone metastases

Optimizing the timing of 3.6 mg Pegfilgrastim Administration for Dose-Dense Chemotherapy in Japanese Patients with Breast Cancer

Perioperative dose-dense chemotherapy (DDCT) with pegfilgrastim (Peg) prophylaxis is a standard treatment for high-risk breast cancer. We explored the optimal timing of administration of 3.6 mg Peg, the dose approved in Japan. In the phase II feasibility study of DDCT (adriamycin+cyclophosphamide or epirubicin+cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel) for breast cancer, we investigated the feasibility, safety, neutrophil transition, and optimal timing of Peg treatment by administering Peg at days 2, 3, and 4 post-chemotherapy (P2, P3, and P4 groups, respectively). Among the 52 women enrolled, 13 were aged > 60 years. The anthracycline sequence was administered to P2 (n=33), P3 (n=5), and P4 (n=14) patients, and the taxane sequence to P2 (n=38) and P3 (n=6) patients. Both sequences showed no interaction between Peg administration timing and treatment discontinuation, treatment delay, or dose reduction. However, the relative dose intensity (RDI) was significantly different among the groups. The neutrophil count transition differed significantly among the groups receiving the anthracycline sequence. However, the neutrophil count remained in the appropriate range for both sequences in the P2 group. The timing of Peg administration did not substantially affect the feasibility or safety of DDCT. Postoperative day 2 might be the optimal timing for DDCT

Comparison with Magnetic Resonance Three-Dimensional Sequence for Lumbar Nerve Root with Intervertebral Foramen

Study DesignProspective study based on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the lumbar spinal root of the intervertebral foramen.PurposeThis study was to compare MR three-dimensional (3D) sequences for the evaluation of the lumbar spinal root of the intervertebral foramen.Overview of LiteratureThe diagnosis of spinal disorders by MR imaging is commonly performed using two-dimensional T1- and T2-weighted images, whereas 3D MR images can be used for acquiring further detailed data using thin slices with multi-planar reconstruction.MethodsOn twenty healthy volunteers, we investigated the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the lumbar spinal root of the intervertebral foramen with a 3D balanced sequence. The sequences used were the fast imaging employing steady state acquisition and the coherent oscillatory state acquisition for the manipulation of image contrast (COSMIC). COSMIC can be used with or without fat suppression (FS). We compared these sequence to determine the optimized visualization sequence for the lumbar spinal root of the intervertebral foramen.ResultsFor the CNR between the nerve root and the peripheral tissue, these were no significant differences between the sequences at the entry of foramen. There was a significant difference and the highest CNR was seen with COSMIC-FS for the intra- and extra-foramen.ConclusionsIn this study, the findings suggest that the COSMIC-FS sequences should be used for the internal or external foramen for spinal root disorders

Identification of 45 New Neutron-Rich Isotopes Produced by In-Flight Fission of a 238U Beam at 345 MeV/nucleon

A search for new isotopes using in-flight fission of a 345 MeV/nucleon 238U beam has been carried out at the RI Beam Factory at the RIKEN Nishina Center. Fission fragments were analyzed and identified by using the superconducting in-flight separator BigRIPS. We observed 45 new neutron-rich isotopes: 71Mn, 73,74Fe, 76Co, 79Ni, 81,82Cu, 84,85Zn, 87Ga, 90Ge, 95Se, 98Br, 101Kr, 103Rb, 106,107Sr, 108,109Y, 111,112Zr, 114,115Nb, 115,116,117Mo, 119,120Tc, 121,122,123,124Ru, 123,124,125,126Rh, 127,128Pd, 133Cd, 138Sn, 140Sb, 143Te, 145I, 148Xe, and 152Ba

Isotope production in proton-, deuteron-, and carbon-induced reactions on Nb 93 at 113 MeV/nucleon

Isotope-production cross sections for p-, d-, and C-induced spallation reactions on Nb93 at 113 MeV/nucleon were measured using the inverse-kinematics method employing secondary targets of CH2, CD2, and C. The measured cross sections for Mo90, Nb90, Y86,88 produced by p-induced reactions were found to be consistent with those measured by the conventional activation method. We performed benchmark tests of the reaction models INCL-4.6, JQMD, and JQMD-2.0 implemented in the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS) and of the nuclear data libraries JENDL-4.0/HE, TENDL-2017, and ENDF/B-VIII.0. The model calculations also showed generally good agreement with the measured isotope-production cross sections for p-, d-, and C-induced reactions. It also turns out that, among the three nuclear data libraries, JENDL-4.0/HE provides the best agreement with the measured data for the p-induced reactions. We compared the present Nb93 data with the Zr93 data, that were measured previously by the same inverse kinematics method (Kawase et al., Prog. Theor. Exp. Phys. 2017, 093D03 (2017)2050-391110.1093/ptep/ptx110), with particular attention to the effect of neutron-shell closure on isotope production in p- and d-induced spallation reactions. The isotopic distributions of the measured production cross sections in the Zr93 data showed noticeable jumps at neutron number N=50 in the isotopic chains of ΔZ=0 and -1, whereas no such jump appeared in isotopic chain of ΔZ=0 in the Nb93 data. From INCL-4.6 + GEM calculations, we found that the jump formed in the evaporation process is smeared out by the intranuclear cascade component in Nb91 produced by the Nb93(p,p2n) and (d,d2n) reactions on Nb93. Moreover, for Nb93, the distribution of the element-production cross sections as a function of the change in proton number ΔZ is shifted to smaller ΔZ than for Zr93, because the excited Nb prefragments generated by the cascade process are more likely to emit protons than the excited Zr prefragments, due to the smaller proton-separation energies of the Nb isotopes

Cross sections for nuclide production in proton- and deuteron-induced reactions on 93

Isotopic production cross sections were measured for proton- and deuteron-induced reactions on 93Nb by means of the inverse kinematics method at RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory. The measured production cross sections of residual nuclei in the reaction 93Nb + p at 113 MeV/u were compared with previous data measured by the conventional activation method in the proton energy range between 46 and 249 MeV. The present inverse kinematics data of four reaction products (90Mo, 90Nb, 88Y, and 86Y) were in good agreement with the data of activation measurement. Also, the model calculations with PHITS describing the intra-nuclear cascade and evaporation processes generally well reproduced the measured isotopic production cross sections

Spallation reaction study for fission products in nuclear waste: Cross section measurements for 137

Spallation reactions for the long-lived fission products 137Cs, 90Sr and 107Pd have been studied for the purpose of nuclear waste transmutation. The cross sections on the proton- and deuteron-induced spallation were obtained in inverse kinematics at the RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory. Both the target and energy dependences of cross sections have been investigated systematically. and the cross-section differences between the proton and deuteron are found to be larger for lighter fragments. The experimental data are compared with the SPACS semi-empirical parameterization and the PHITS calculations including both the intra-nuclear cascade and evaporation processes