Sorption Characteristics of Honeycomb-Type Sorption Element Composed of Organic Sorbent

This study deals with the sorption characteristics of a honeycomb-type sorption element composed of a new organic sorbent that was composed of the cross-linked polymer of sodium acrylate. Transient experiments in which moist air was passed into the honeycomb-type sorption element were conducted under various conditions of air velocity, temperature, relative humidity and honeycomb length. As a result, the effective mass transfer coefficient of the organic sorbent adsorbing the water vapor was non-dimensionalized as a function of Reynolds number, modified Stefan number and non-dimensional honeycomb length.</p

Starburst amacrine cells form gap junctions in the early postnatal stage of the mouse retina

Although gap junctional coupling in the developing retina is important for the maturation of neuronal networks, its role in the development of individual neurons remains unclear. Therefore, we herein investigated whether gap junctional coupling by starburst amacrine cells (SACs), a key neuron for the formation of direction selectivity, occurs during the developmental stage in the mouse retina. Neurobiotin-injected SACs coupled with many neighboring cells before eye-opening. The majority of tracer-coupled cells were retinal ganglion cells, and tracer coupling was not detected between SACs. The number of tracer-coupled cells significantly decreased after eye-opening and mostly disappeared by postnatal day 28 (P28). Membrane capacitance (Cm), an indicator of the formation of electrical coupling with gap junctions, was larger in SACs before than after eye-opening. The application of meclofenamic acid, a gap junction blocker, reduced the Cm of SACs. Gap junctional coupling by SACs was regulated by dopamine D1 receptors before eye-opening. In contrast, the reduction in gap junctional coupling after eye-opening was not affected by visual experience. At the mRNA level, 4 subtypes of connexins (23, 36, 43, and 45) were detected in SACs before eye-opening. Connexin 43 expression levels significantly decreased after eye-opening. These results indicate that gap junctional coupling by SACs occurs during the developmental period and suggest that the elimination of gap junctions proceeds with the innate system

Suzaku diagnostics of the energetics in the lobes of the giant radio galaxy 3C 35

The Suzaku observation of a giant radio galaxy 3C 35 revealed faint extended X-ray emission, associated with its radio lobes and/or host galaxy. After careful subtraction of the X-ray and non-X-ray background and contaminating X-ray sources, the X-ray spectrum of the faint emission was reproduced by a sum of the power-law (PL) and soft thermal components. The soft component was attributed to the thermal plasma emission from the host galaxy. The photon index of the PL component, $\Gamma = 1.35_{-0.86}^{+0.56}$$_{-0.10}^{+0.11}$ where the first and second errors represent the statistical and systematic ones, was found to agree with the synchrotron radio index from the lobes, $\Gamma_{\rm R} = 1.7$. Thus, the PL component was attributed to the inverse Compton (IC) X-rays from the synchrotron electrons in the lobes. The X-ray flux density at 1 keV was derived as $13.6\pm 5.4_{-3.6}^{+4.0}$ nJy with the photon index fixed at the radio value. The X-ray surface brightness from these lobes ($\sim 0.2$ nJy arcmin$^{-2}$) is lowest among the lobes studied through the IC X-ray emission. In combination with the synchrotron radio flux density, $7.5 \pm 0.2$ Jy at 327.4 MHz, the electron energy density spatially averaged over the lobes was evaluated to be the lowest among those radio galaxies, as $u_{\rm e} = (5.8 \pm 2.3 _{-1.7}^{+1.9}) \times 10^{-14}$ ergs cm$^{-3}$ over the electron Lorentz factor of $10^{3}$ -- $10^{5}$. The magnetic energy density was calculated as $u_{\rm m}=(3.1_{-1.0}^{+2.5}$$_{-0.9}^{+1.4}) \times 10^{-14}$ ergs cm$^{-3}$, corresponding to the magnetic field strength of $0.88_{-0.16}^{+0.31}$$_{-0.14}^{+0.19}$ $\mu$G. These results suggest that the energetics in the 3C 35 lobes are nearly consistent with equipartition between the electrons and magnetic fields.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted for Ap

The acute effects of antidepressants on the human VEP and EEG

The acute effects of clomipramine hydrochloride (CMI), tricyclic antidepressant, were studied and compared with those of mianserin hydrochloride (MSR), tetracyclic antidepressant, by visual evoked potential (VEP), with each 16 and 12 healthy male subjects, respectively. In the two experimental session on different days, CMI (0.5mg/kg) or MSR (0.3mg/kg) were orally administered for each subject. EEGs containing VEPs evoked by flash stimuli once every 5sec were derived from the two derivations (2ch : O1→ A1 + 2, 5ch : O1→Cz) and recorded into magnetic tape. Reproducing the tape, VEPs before and 120min after the administration of each drug, with 1024msec of analysis time, were obtained by averaging 100 responses, and EEGs were subjected to the frequency analysis. The changes of the waveform of group mean VEP were studied and compared between these drugs. Individual VEPs were subjected to the component analysis, and to the statistical assessment together with EEG. The following, statistically significant, results were obtained. 1. After the administration of CMI, both latencies and peak-to-peak amplitudes of VEP did not significantly change. In EEG, the power% of α1 frequency band increased. These findings indicate that few effect of CMI on the visual system. 2. After the administration of MSR, latencies of short latency components (P3 and N3) significantly increased and peak-to-peak amplitudes of short latency components (P3-N3 and N3-P4) significantly decreased in VEP. In EEG, the power% of δ and θ frequency band increased, and that of α2 and β2 decreased. These findings indicate the inhibitory effect of MSR mainly on the lateral geniculate body and the optic radiation in the visual system. 3. From these results, it was considered that CMI has less effect on depression with anxiety or irritability than MSR

Inhibition of vacuolar-type (H+)-ATPase by the cytostatic macrolide apicularen A and its role in apicularen A-induced apoptosis in RAW 264.7 cells

AbstractApicularen A and the known vacuolar-type (H+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) inhibitor bafilomycin A1 induced apoptosis of RAW 264.7 cells, while apicularen B, an N-acetyl-glucosamine glycoside of apicularen A, was far less effective. Apicularen A inhibited vital staining with acridine orange of the intracellular organelles of RAW 264.7 cells, inhibited the ATP-dependent proton transport into inside-out microsome vesicles, and inhibited the bafilomycin A1-sensitive ATP hydrolysis. The IC50 values of the proton transport were 0.58nM for apicularen A, 13nM for apicularen B, and 0.95nM for bafilomycin A1. Furthermore, apicularen A inhibited the bafilomycin A1-sensitive ATP hydrolysis more potently than apicularen B. F-ATPase and P-ATPase were not inhibited by apicularen A. We concluded that apicularen A inhibits V-ATPase, and thus induces apoptosis in RAW 264.7 cells

Evaluation of Financial and Non-financial Conflicts of Interest and Quality of Evidence underlying Psoriatic Arthritis Clinical Practice Guidelines-Analysis of Personal Payments from Pharmaceutical Companies and Authors' Self-citation Rate in Japan and the United States

OBJECTIVE: To assess financial conflict of interest (FCOI) and non-financial conflicts of interest (NFCOI) among psoriatic arthritis clinical practice guideline (PsACPG) authors in Japan and US, and to evaluate the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations of PsACPG.METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis using payment data from major Japanese pharmaceutical companies and the US Open Payments Database from 2016 to 2018. All authors of PsACPG issued by Japanese Dermatological Association (JDAPsACPG) and American College of Rheumatology (ACRPsACPG) were included.RESULTS: Of 23 CPG authors in Japan, 21 (91.3%) received at least one payment, with the combined total of $3,335,413 between 2016 and 2018. Regarding 25 US authors, 21 (84.0$4,081,629 during the same period. The 3-year combined average payment per author was $145,018 (standard division [SD]:$114,302) in Japan and $162,825 (SD:$259,670) in US. 18 (78.3%) JDAPsACPG and 12 (48.0%) ACRPsACPG authors had undisclosed FCOI worth $474,663 and$218,501, respectively. The percentage of citations with at least one CPG author relative to total citations were 3.4% in Japan and 33.6% in US. 71.4% and 88.8% of recommendations for psoriatic arthritis in JDA and ACR were supported by low or very low quality of evidence.CONCLUSION: More rigorous cross-checking of information disclosed by pharmaceutical companies and self-reported by physicians, and more stringent and transparent COI policies are necessary.</p

Suzaku observation of the giant radio galaxy 3C 326

A Suzaku observation of a giant radio galaxy, 3C 326, which has a physical size of about 2 Mpc, was conducted on 2008 January 19 -- 21. In addition to several X-ray sources, diffuse emission was significantly detected associated with its west lobe, but the east lobe was contaminated by an unidentified X-ray source WARP J1552.4+2007. After careful evaluation of the X-ray and Non X-ray background, the 0.4 -- 7 keV X-ray spectrum of the west lobe is described by a power-law model. The photon index and 1 keV flux density was derived as $1.82_{-0.24}^{+0.26}\pm0.04$ and $19.4_{-3.2}^{+3.3}\pm 3.0$ nJy, respectively, where the first and second errors represent the statistical and systematic ones. The diffuse X-rays were attributed to be inverse Compton radiation by the synchrotron radio electrons scattering off the cosmic microwave background photons. This radio galaxy is the largest among those with lobes detected through inverse Compton X-ray emission. A comparison of the radio to X-ray fluxes yields the energy densities of electron and magnetic field as $u_e = (2.3 \pm 0.3 \pm 0.3) \times 10^{-13}$ ergs/cm3 and $u_m = (1.2_{-0.1}^{+0.2}\pm 0.2) \times 10^{-14}$ ergs/cm3, respectively. The galaxy is suggested to host a low luminosity nucleus with an absorption-corrected 2 -- 10 keV luminosity of $<2 \times 10^{42}$ ergs/s, together with a relatively weak radio core. The energetics in the west lobe of 3C 326 were compared with those of moderate radio galaxies with a size of $\sim 100$ kpc. The west lobe of 3C 326 is confirmed to agree with the correlations for the moderate radio galaxies, $u_e \propto D^{-2.2\pm0.4}$ and $u_m \propto D^{-2.4\pm0.4}$, where $D$ is their total physical size. This implies that the lobes of 3C 326 are still being energized by the jet, despite the current weakness of the nucleus.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, 6 tables, Accepted for ApJ (v706 issue

The Declined Activity in the Nucleus of NGC 1316

NGC 1316 (Fornax A) is a radio galaxy with prototypical double lobes, where the magnetic field intensity is accurately measured via the inverse-Compton technique. The radio-emitting electrons in the lobes are inferred to have a synchrotron life time of 0.1 Gyr. Considering the lobe energetics, we estimate the past nuclear X-ray luminosity of NGC 1316 to be at least 4 times 10^{34} W (4 times 10^{41} erg s^{-1}). Thus, the nucleus was rather active at least 0.1 Gyr ago. In contrast, we confirmed with ASCA and ROSAT that the nucleus of NGC 1316 is very faint in X-rays at present, with the 2--10 keV luminosity of any AGN-like hard component being < 2 times 10^{33} W (2 times 10^{40} erg s^{-1}) even assuming a nuclear obscuration up to 10^{28} m^{-2} (10^{24} cm^{-2}). This is at least an order of magnitude lower than the estimated past activity, indicating that the nucleus is presently very inactive. From these two results, we conclude that the nucleus of NGC 1316 has become dormant during the last 0.1 Gyr. This suggests the possible abundance of ``dormant'' quasars in nearby galaxies.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, to be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letter