Generic transport coefficients of a confined electrolyte solution

Physical parameters characterising electrokinetic transport in a confined electrolyte solution are reconstructed from the generic transport coefficients obtained within the classical non-equilibrium statistical thermodynamic framework. The electro-osmotic flow, the diffusio-osmotic flow, the osmotic current, as well as the pressure-driven Poiseuille-type flow, the electric conduction, and the ion diffusion, are described by this set of transport coefficients. The reconstruction is demonstrated for an aqueous NaCl solution between two parallel charged surfaces with a nanoscale gap, by using the molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. A Green-Kubo approach is employed to evaluate the transport coefficients in the linear-response regime, and the fluxes induced by the pressure, electric, and chemical potential fields are compared with the results of non-equilibrium MD simulations. Using this numerical scheme, the influence of the salt concentration on the transport coefficients is investigated. Anomalous reversal of diffusio-osmotic current, as well as that of electro-osmotic flow, is observed at high surface charge densities and high added-salt concentrations.Comment: 6 pages with 6 figure

A Detailed Observational Study of Molecular Loops 1 and 2 in the Galactic Center

Fukui et al. (2006) discovered two huge molecular loops in the Galactic center located in (l, b) ~ (355 deg-359 deg, 0 deg-2 deg) in a large velocity range of -180-40 km s^-1. Following the discovery, we present detailed observational properties of the two loops based on NANTEN 12CO(J=1-0) and 13CO(J=1-0) datasets at 10 pc resolution including a complete set of velocity channel distributions and comparisons with HI and dust emissions as well as with the other broad molecular features. We find new features on smaller scales in the loops including helical distributions in the loop tops and vertical spurs. The loops have counterparts of the HI gas indicating that the loops include atomic gas. The IRAS far infrared emission is also associated with the loops and was used to derive an X-factor of 0.7(+/-0.1){\times}10^20 cm^-2 (K km s^-1)^-1 to convert the 12CO intensity into the total molecular hydrogen column density. From the 12CO, 13CO, H I and dust datasets we estimated the total mass of loops 1 and 2 to be ~1.4 {\times} 106 Msun and ~1.9 {\times} 10^6 Msun, respectively, where the H I mass corresponds to ~10-20% of the total mass and the total kinetic energy of the two loops to be ~10^52 ergs. An analysis of the kinematics of the loops yields that the loops are rotating at ~47 km s-1 and expanding at ~141 km s^-1 at a radius of 670 pc from the center. Fukui et al. (2006) presented a model that the loops are created by the magnetic flotation due to the Parker instability with an estimated magnetic field strength of ~150 {\mu}G. We present comparisons with the recent numerical simulations of the magnetized nuclear disk by Machida et al. (2009) and Takahashi et al. (2009) and show that the theoretical results are in good agreements with the observations. The helical distributions also suggest that some magnetic instability plays a role similarly to the solar helical features.Comment: 40 pages, 22 figures, submitted to publication in PAS

Discovery of Molecular Loop 3 in the Galactic Center: Evidence for a Positive-Velocity Magnetically Floated Loop towards L=355∘−359∘L=355^\circ-359^\circ

We have discovered a molecular dome-like feature towards $355^{\circ} \leq l \leq 359^{\circ}$ and $0^{\circ} \leq b \leq 2^{\circ}$. The large velocity dispersions of 50--100 km s$^{-1}$ of this feature are much larger than those in the Galactic disk and indicate that the feature is located in the Galactic center, probably within $\sim1$ kpc of Sgr A$^{*}$. The distribution has a projected length of $\sim600$ pc and height of $\sim300$ pc from the Galactic disk and shows a large-scale monotonic velocity gradient of $\sim130$ km s $^{-1}$ per $\sim600$ pc. The feature is also associated with HI gas having a more continuous spatial and velocity distribution than that of $^{12}$CO. We interpret the feature as a magnetically floated loop similar to loops 1 and 2 and name it "loop 3". Loop 3 is similar to loops 1 and 2 in its height and length but is different from loops 1 and 2 in that the inner part of loop 3 is filled with molecular emission. We have identified two foot points at the both ends of loop 3. HI, $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO datasets were used to estimate the total mass and kinetic energy of loop 3 to be \sim3.0 \times 10^{6} \Mo and $\sim1.7 \times 10^{52}$ ergs. The huge size, velocity dispersions and energy are consistent with the magnetic origin the Parker instability as in case of loops 1 and 2 but is difficult to be explained by multiple stellar explosions. We argue that loop 3 is in an earlier evolutionary phase than loops 1 and 2 based on the inner-filled morphology and the relative weakness of the foot points. This discovery indicates that the western part of the nuclear gas disk of $\sim1$ kpc radius is dominated by the three well-developed magnetically floated loops and suggests that the dynamics of the nuclear gas disk is strongly affected by the magnetic instabilities.Comment: 30 pages, 10 figures. High resolution figures are available at http://www.a.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~motosuji/fujishita09_figs

Reproduction of Analog Record Sound Using Digital Image Captured by a Flatbed Scanner - Comparison of Sound Groove Edge-Extraction Filter for Stereo Records -

We have studied on a non-contact reproduction method of sound signal from phonograph records based on digital image processing. First, we examined whether a groove geometry of stereo-record could be digitized based on a resolution of a flatbed scanner which was commercially available. Next, we investigated three filtering methods to extract the groove edges. As a result, we found that Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG) and Difference of Gaussians (DoG) filter showed relatively superior edge extraction characteristics. From the filtered image, we digitized sound signal. The reproduced sound contained strong high-frequency noise superimposed on the original sinusoidal wave. Among the three filters, the DoG filter showed most preferable time waveform and the LoG filter showed minimum harmonics distortion components. From these results, we have concluded that the extraction accuracy of the groove edges should be improved further in order to reduce the disturbance of the filtered waveform

High Excitation Molecular Gas in the Galactic Center Loops; 12CO(J =2-1 and J =3-2) Observations

We have carried out 12CO(J =2-1) and 12CO(J =3-2) observations at spatial resolutions of 1.0-3.8 pc toward the entirety of loops 1 and 2 and part of loop 3 in the Galactic center with NANTEN2 and ASTE. These new results revealed detailed distributions of the molecular gas and the line intensity ratio of the two transitions, R3-2/2-1. In the three loops, R3-2/2-1 is in a range from 0.1 to 2.5 with a peak at ~ 0.7 while that in the disk molecular gas is in a range from 0.1 to 1.2 with a peak at 0.4. This supports that the loops are more highly excited than the disk molecular gas. An LVG analysis of three transitions, 12CO J =3-2 and 2-1 and 13CO J =2-1, toward six positions in loops 1 and 2 shows density and temperature are in a range 102.2 - 104.7 cm-3 and 15-100 K or higher, respectively. Three regions extended by 50-100 pc in the loops tend to have higher excitation conditions as characterized by R3-2/2-1 greater than 1.2. The highest ratio of 2.5 is found in the most developed foot points between loops 1 and 2. This is interpreted that the foot points indicate strongly shocked conditions as inferred from their large linewidths of 50-100 km s-1, confirming the suggestion by Torii et al. (2010b). The other two regions outside the foot points suggest that the molecular gas is heated up by some additional heating mechanisms possibly including magnetic reconnection. A detailed analysis of four foot points have shown a U shape, an L shape or a mirrored-L shape in the b-v distribution. It is shown that a simple kinematical model which incorporates global rotation and expansion of the loops is able to explain these characteristic shapes.Comment: 59 pages, accepted to PAS

New Single-Molecule Speckle Microscopy Reveals Modification of the Retrograde Actin Flow by Focal Adhesions at Nanometer Scales

Speckle microscopy directly visualizes the retrograde actin flow, which is believed to promote cell-edge protrusion when linked to focal adhesions (FAs). However, it has been argued that, due to rapid actin turnover, the use of green fluorescent protein–actin, the lack of appropriate analysis algorithms, and technical difficulties, speckle microscopy does not necessarily report the flow velocities of entire actin populations. In this study, we developed a new, user-friendly single-molecule speckle (SiMS) microscopy using DyLight dye-labeled actin. Our new SiMS method enables in vivo nanometer-scale displacement analysis with a low localization error of ±8–8.5 nm, allowing accurate flow-velocity measurement for actin speckles with lifetime \u3c5 s. In lamellipodia, both short- and long-lived F-actin molecules flow with the same speed, indicating they are part of a single actin network. These results do not support coexistence of F-actin populations with different flow speeds, which is referred to as the lamella hypothesis. Mature FAs, but not nascent adhesions, locally obstruct the retrograde flow. Interestingly, the actin flow in front of mature FAs is fast and biased toward FAs, suggesting that mature FAs attract the flow in front and actively remodel the local actin network

Gastric Carcinoid with Hypergastrinemia: Report of Three Cases

We report 3 cases of gastric carcinoids with hypergastrinemia. Case 1: A 60-year-old man had a 2 cm carcinoid of the stomach and underwent partial resection. Involvement of the muscularis propria and lymph nodes metastasis were observed microscopically. Follow-up gastroscopy revealed another carcinoid lesion and total gastrectomy was performed. Case 2: A 67-year-old woman with multiple carcinoids of the entire stomach underwent antrectomy. No growth of residual tumors has been detected so far. Case 3: A 61-year-old man had a tumor near the esophagogastric junction and underwent total gastrectomy. Carcinoid component was diffusely intermingled with adenocarcinoma in the tumor and invaded into the subserosa. In all 3 cases, the serum gastrin level was high and atrophic gastritis was microscopically observed. Carcinoid tumor in Case 3 was different from those in Cases 1 and 2 and interestingly, gastric carcinoid with hypergastrinemia showed various types of appearance

Non-B hepatocellular carcinoma: influence of age, sex, alcohol, family clustering, blood transfusion and chronic liver disease.

In 144 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 166 cases of cirrhosis without HCC and 142 cases of chronic hepatitis, we examined HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc in sera and compared the following factors between hepatitis B virus marker-negative and -positive patients: age, sex, alcohol consumption, family clustering of liver diseases, and histories of blood transfusion and post-transfusion hepatitis. Results of this study demonstrated several distinct differences in clinical backgrounds between non-B (negative for HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc) and B (positive for HBsAg) patients with HCC. Non-B patients were significantly older, had a lower frequency of familial tendencies for liver diseases, and more frequently had cancers other than HCC in their families. Some of these differences were also observed between non-B and B patients with cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis. Among patients with chronic hepatitis, the non-B patients had received blood transfusion or had post-transfusion hepatitis more frequently than the B patients. However, this difference was not apparent in patients with liver cirrhosis or HCC, suggesting that progression of non-A, non-B post-transfusion hepatitis to cirrhosis and HCC may not be as frequent as progression to chronic hepatitis.</p