In situ photoacoustic analysis of near-infrared absorption of rhodium-doped strontium titanate photocatalyst powder

Near-infrared absorption of strontium titanate (SrTiO3) doped with rhodium (Rh) was investigated by photoacoustic (PA) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In the absence of an electron acceptor and the presence of a hole scavenger, the largest absorption change in the Rh valence state from tetravalent to trivalent was observed in Rh-doped SrTiO3 prepared at 1473 K, which showed the highest activity for hydrogen evolution. PA measurements revealed the effective redox cycle mechanism between tetravalent and trivalent Rh ions in Rh-doped SrTiO3

Successful treatment of metastatic pulmonary tumors by bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy in two patients with locally well controlled uterine cancer.

Pulmonary metastatic tumors in two patients with locally well controlled uterine cancer were treated with bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy. The first patient underwent a radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for stage IIb cervical cancer. Fifteen months after the operation, pulmonary metastasis was identified. Clinical evidence of tumor was negative after bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy, systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The patient continues to be healthy without recurrent signs six years after bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy. The second patient underwent a radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for stage II endometrial cancer. Fifteen months after the operation, pulmonary metastasis was identified. After bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy and systemic chemotherapy, regression of the tumors was observed. This patient has also survived for two years since the lung metastases. These results indicate that bronchial arterial infusion chemotherapy is a potent treatment for pulmonary metastases of uterine cancer.</p

Evidence for Spin–Orbit Alignment in the TRAPPIST-1 System

In an effort to measure the Rossiter–McLaughlin effect for the TRAPPIST-1 system, we performed high-resolution spectroscopy during transits of planets e, f, and b. The spectra were obtained with the InfraRed Doppler spectrograph on the Subaru 8.2 m telescope, and were supplemented with simultaneous photometry obtained with a 1 m telescope of the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope. By analyzing the anomalous radial velocities, we found the projected stellar obliquity to be λ = 1 ± 28° under the assumption that the three planets have coplanar orbits, although we caution that the radial-velocity data show correlated noise of unknown origin. We also sought evidence for the expected deformations of the stellar absorption lines, and thereby detected the "Doppler shadow" of planet b with a false-alarm probability of 1.7%. The joint analysis of the observed residual cross-correlation map including the three transits gave λ = 19_(-15)^(+13)°. These results indicate that the the TRAPPIST-1 star is not strongly misaligned with the common orbital plane of the planets, although further observations are encouraged to verify this conclusion

Spanish Influenza in Japanese Armed Forces, 1918–1920

Medical records of Japanese army hospitals show high death rates during the first influenza pandemic

Subcellular localization of glucocorticoid receptor protein in the human kidney glomerulus

Subcellular localization of glucocorticoid receptor protein in the human kidney glomerulus.BackgroundThe detailed mechanisms of glucocorticoid action in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and progressive glomerulonephritides have not been clearly elucidated. The pharmacological actions of glucocorticoids are mediated by their binding to an intracellular protein, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The determination of GR localization in normal glomerular cells is essential to elucidate the mechanisms of glucocorticoid action in various glomerular diseases.MethodsWe carried out an immunoblot examination using antihuman GR-specific antibody and homogenates of isolated normal human glomeruli and mesangial cells in culture. Immunohistochemical examinations were also performed on normal human kidney specimens at light and electron microscopic levels. The nuclear translocation of GRs elicited by ligand binding was further investigated by confocal laser-scanning microscopic inspection of freshly isolated glomeruli and mesangial cells cultured with dexamethasone.ResultsAn immunoblot examination demonstrated the presence of a 94 kDa protein, a molecular weight consistent with that of GRs, in the homogenates of glomeruli and cultured mesangial cells. By light microscopic examination, GRs were strongly detected in the nucleus and moderately in the cytoplasm of all glomerular cells, parietal and visceral epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and mesangial cells. By electron microscopic examination, the nuclear GRs of all glomerular cells were found to be diffusely distributed in the euchromatin. Additionally, the immunofluorescence intensities of nuclear GRs in isolated glomeruli and mesangial cells in culture became more intense by the addition of dexamethasone.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that all subsets of human glomerular cells definitely express the GR protein, which potentially undergoes translocation by glucocorticoids

Photocatalytic overall water splitting under visible light enabled by a particulate conjugated polymer loaded with iridium

Polymer photocatalysts have received growing attention in recent years for photocatalytic hydrogen production from water. Most studies report hydrogen production with sacrificial electron donors, which is unsuitable for large-scale hydrogen energy production. Here we show that the palladium/iridium oxide-loaded homopolymer of dibenzo[b,d]thiophene sulfone (P10) facilitates overall water splitting to produce stoichiometric amounts of H2 and O2 for an extended period (>60 hours) after the system stabilized. These results demonstrate that conjugated polymers can act as single component photocatalytic systems for overall water splitting when loaded with suitable co-catalysts, albeit currently with low activities. Transient spectroscopy shows that the IrO2 co-catalyst plays an important role in the generation of the charge separated state required for water splitting, with evidence for fast hole transfer to the co-catalyst