Element Material Exposure Experiment by EFFU

The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) is planning to perform an 'Element Material Exposure Experiment' using the Exposed Facility Flyer Unit (EFFU). This paper presents an initial design of experiments proposed for this project by our company. The EFFU is installed on the Space Flyer Unit (SFU) as a partial model of the Space Station JEM exposed facility. The SFU is scheduled to be launched by H-2 rocket in January or February of 1994, then various tests will be performed for three months, on orbit of 500 km altitude, and it will be retrieved by the U.S. Space Shuttle and returned to the ground. The mission sequence is shown

Green Process of Three-Component Prostaglandin Synthesis and Rapid ¹¹C Labelings for Short-Lived PET Tracers: Highly Polished C-Couplings Revolutionizing Advances in Bio- and Medical Sciences

General synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs) has been accomplished based on a one-pot three-component coupling using a combination of organocopper or organozincate conjugate addition to 4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenone followed by trapping of resulting enolate with an organic halide. Based on the use of this synthetic methodology, biologically significant PG derivatives including ent-Δ7-PGA1, 15SAPNIC ([3H]APNIC), and 15R–TIC have also been synthesized. Ultimately, organozincate conjugate addition combined with the enolate trapping by an organic triflate results in practical green three-component coupling comprising the use of stoichiometric amounts of three components (enone, α- and ω-side chains in a nearly 1:1:1 ratio) without using HMPA and heavy metals. General methodology for introducing short-lived 11C and 18F radionuclides into carbon frameworks has been established by developing rapid C-[11C]methylation and C-[18F]fluoromethylation using Pd0-mediated rapid cross-coupling between [11C]methyl iodide and an organotributylstannane or organoboronate; or [18F]fluoromethyl bromide and organoboronate, respectively, allowing the synthesis of a wide variety of biologically significant and disease-oriented PET probes such as 15R-[11C]TIC. Moreover, PdII-mediated rapid C-[11C]carbonylation using [11C]CO and organoboronate at ambient temperature under atmospheric pressure using conventional helium carrier gas has been explored. Further, C-[11C]carboxylation has been promoted using [11C]CO2 and organoboronate with RhI catalyst under atmospheric pressure

Structure of RadB recombinase from a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1: an implication for the formation of a near-7-fold helical assembly

The X-ray crystal structure of RadB from Thermococcus kodakaraensis KOD1, an archaeal homologue of the RecA/Rad51 family proteins, have been determined in two crystal forms. The structure represents the core ATPase domain of the RecA/Rad51 proteins. Two independent molecules in the type 1 crystal were roughly related by 7-fold screw symmetry whereas non-crystallographic 2-fold symmetry was observed in the type 2 crystal. The dimer structure in the type 1 crystal is extended to construct a helical assembly, which resembles the filamentous structures reported for other RecA/Rad51 proteins. The molecular interface in the type 1 dimer is formed by facing a basic surface patch of one monomer to an acidic one of the other. The empty ATP binding pocket is located at the interface and barely concealed from the outside similarly to that in the active form of the RecA filament. The model assembly has a positively charged belt on one surface bordering the helical groove suitable for facile binding of DNA. Electron microscopy has revealed that, in the absence of ATP and DNA, RadB forms a filament with a similar diameter to that of the hypothetical assembly, although its helical properties were not confirmed

Beat-frequency-resolved two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy: disentangling vibrational coherences in artificial fluorescent proteins with sub-10-fs visible laser pulses

We perform a beat-frequency-resolved analysis for two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy using a high-speed and stable 2D electronic spectrometer and few-cycle visible laser pulses to disentangle the vibrational coherences in an artificial fluorescent protein. We develop a highly stable ultrashort light source that generates 5.3-fs visible pulses with a pulse energy of 4.7 uJ at a repetition rate of 10 kHz using multi-plate pulse compression and laser filamentation in a gas cell. The above-5.3-fs laser pulses together with a high-speed multichannel detector enable us to measure a series of 2D electronic spectra, which are resolved in terms of beat frequency related to vibrational coherence. We successfully extract the discrete vibrational peaks behind the inhomogeneous broadening in the absorption spectra and the vibrational quantum beats of the excited electronic state behind the strong stationary signal in the typical 2D electronic spectra

A novel Rac1-GSPT1 signaling pathway controls astrogliosis following central nervous system injury

Astrogliosis (i.e. glial scar), which is comprised primarily of proliferated astrocytes at the lesion site and migrated astrocytes from neighboring regions, is one of the key reactions in determining outcomes after CNS injury. In an effort to identify potential molecules/pathways that regulate astrogliosis, we sought to determine whether Rac/Rac-mediated signaling in astrocytes represents a novel candidate for therapeutic intervention following CNS injury. For these studies, we generated mice with Rac1 deletion under the control of the GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein) promoter (GFAP-Cre;Rac1(flox/flox)). GFAP-Cre;Rac1(flox/flox) (Rac1-KO) mice exhibited better recovery after spinal cord injury and exhibited reduced astrogliosis at the lesion site relative to control. Reduced astrogliosis was also observed in Rac1-KO mice following microbeam irradiation-induced injury. Moreover, knockdown (KD) or KO of Rac1 in astrocytes (LN229 cells, primary astrocytes, or primary astrocytes from Rac1-KO mice) led to delayed cell cycle progression and reduced cell migration. Rac1-KD or Rac1-KO astrocytes additionally had decreased levels of GSPT1 (G(1) to S phase transition 1) expression and reduced responses of IL-1β and GSPT1 to LPS treatment, indicating that IL-1β and GSPT1 are downstream molecules of Rac1 associated with inflammatory condition. Furthermore, GSPT1-KD astrocytes had cell cycle delay, with no effect on cell migration. The cell cycle delay induced by Rac1-KD was rescued by overexpression of GSPT1. Based on these results, we propose that Rac1-GSPT1 represents a novel signaling axis in astrocytes that accelerates proliferation in response to inflammation, which is one important factor in the development of astrogliosis/glial scar following CNS injury

Evolution of Nonlinear Acoustics during Creep in ASME Grade 91 Steel Welded Joint

ASME Grade 91 (9Cr-1Mo-MnVNb) has been used for boiler components in ultra-supercritical (USC) thermal power plants at approximately 873 K. The creep life of the welded joints in this steel decreased as a result of Type IV creep damage that forms in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) under long-term use at high temperatures [1]. In this study, we investigated the relationship between microstructural change and the evolutions of two nonlinear acoustic characterizations with electromagnetic acoustic resonance (EMAR) [2] throughout the creep life in the welded joints and the correlation between two nonlinear acoustic characterizations. One was resonant frequency shift [3] and other three-wave mixing [4, 5]. EMAR was a combination of the resonant acoustic technique with a non-contact electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) [2]. We used a bulk-wave EMAT, which transmits and receives shear wave propagating in thickness direction of a plate specimen. Creep tests of thick welded joints specimens were interrupted at several time steps at 873 K and 90 MPa. Two nonlinear acoustic parameters and ultrasonic attenuation decreased from the start to 20% of creep life. They gradually increased from 50% of creep life to rupture. We interpreted these phenomena in terms of dislocation recovery, recrystallization, and restructuring related to the initiation and growth of creep void, with support from the SEM and TEM observation. This noncontact resonance-EMAT measurement can monitor the evolution of nonlinear acoustics throughout the creep life and has a potential to assess the Type IV creep damage advance and to predict the creep life of high Cr ferritic heat resisting steels

A Boy with Non-Herpes Simplex Acute Limbic Encephalitis and Antiglutamate Receptor Antibodies

This report concerns a 12-year-old male with intractable seizures over a long period. The case fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for nonherpetic acute limbic encephalitis. He had frequent convulsions starting with a partial seizure at the left angle of the mouth and progressing to secondary generalized seizures. He was treated with several anticonvulsants, combined with methylprednisolone and γ-globulin under mechanical ventilation. However, his convulsions reappeared after tapering of the barbiturate. His magnetic resonance imaging showed a high intensity area in the hippocampus by FLAIR and diffusion. After five months he recovered without serious sequelae. Virological studies, including for herpes simplex virus, were all negative. He was transiently positive for antiglutamate receptor antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid and serum

Acute myocardial infarction caused by an anomalous left main coronary artery in a 16-year-old boy

SummaryA variety of structural cardiovascular abnormalities have been implicated in deaths of athletes, particularly congenital coronary arteries of anomalous origin, which are rare but major causes of myocardial ischemia and sudden death in young people. We present here the case of a rare congenital coronary artery anomaly in a 16-year-old boy who suffered from acute myocardial infarction due to occlusion of the left main trunk coronary artery, providing specific intravascular ultrasound findings for this anomaly

Subcutaneous Single Injection Digital Block with Epinephrine

The aim of this study was to investigate the anesthetic effect and risk of epinephrine for subcutaneous single injection digital block. Either 3.0 mL 1.0% Lidocaine or a 3.0 mL 1.0% Lidocaine with (1 : 100,000) epinephrine was injected into the subcutaneous space at the middle point of the palmar digital crease of the 18 middle fingers of 9 healthy volunteers. The SpO2 of the fingers decreased to a maximum of 97. No subjects showed any symptoms of ischemic injury. The time to anesthesia for the fingers was significantly shorter (P < 0.05), and the duration of anesthesia was significantly longer (P < 0.01) for the fingers in the epinephrine group. In conclusion, a subcutaneous single injection digital blocks with 3.0 mL of 1.0% Lidocaine and (1 : 100,000) epinephrine were safe, reducing the time to the onset of anesthesia, while also markedly prolonging the anesthesia