SPADExp: A photoemission angular distribution simulator directly linked to first-principles calculations

We develop a software package SPADExp (simulator of photoemission angular distribution for experiments) to calculate the photoemission angular distribution (PAD), which is the momentum dependence of spectrum intensity in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). The software can directly load the output of the first-principles software package OpenMX, so users do not need to construct tight-binding models as previous studies did for PAD calculations. As a result, we can calculate the PADs of large systems such as quasicrystals and slab systems. We calculate the PADs of sublattice systems (graphene and graphite) to reproduce characteristic intensity distributions, which ARPES has experimentally observed. After that, we investigate twisted bilayer graphene, a quasicrystal showing 12-fold rotational symmetric spectra in ARPES, and the surface states of the topological insulator $\mathrm{Bi}_2\mathrm{Se}_3$. Our calculations show good agreement with previous ARPES measurements, showing the correctness of our calculation software and further potential to investigate the photoemission spectra of novel quantum materials.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, Software has been developed in https://github.com/Hiroaki-Tanaka-0606/SPADEx

Phospholipase C Produced by Clostridium botulinum Types C and D:Comparison of Gene, Enzymatic, and Biological Activities with Those of Clostridium perfringens Alpha-toxin

Clostridium botulinum type C and D strains recently have been found to produce PLC on egg yolk agar plates. To characterize the gene, enzymatic and biological activities of C. botulinum PLCs (Cb-PLCs), the cb-plc genes from 8 strains were sequenced, and 1 representative gene was cloned and expressed as a recombinant protein. The enzymatic and hemolytic activities of the recombinant Cb-PLC were measured and compared with those of the Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin. Each of the eight cb-plc genes encoded a 399 amino acid residue protein preceded by a 27 residue signal peptide. The protein consists of 2 domains, the N- and C-domains, and the overall amino acid sequence identity between Cb-PLC and alpha-toxin was greater than 50%, suggesting that Cb-PLC is homologous to the alpha-toxin. The key residues in the N-domain were conserved, whereas those in the C-domain which are important in membrane interaction were different than in the alpha-toxin. As expected, Cb-PLC could hydrolyze egg yolk phospholipid, p-nitrophenylphosphorylcholine, and sphingomyelin, and also exhibited hemolytic activity;however, its activities were about 4- to over 200-fold lower than those of alpha-toxin. Although Cb-PLC showed weak enzymatic and biological activities, it is speculated that Cb-PLC might play a role in the pathogenicity of botulism or for bacterial survival

スイビブガン ノ ゾウ オ シメシタ スイナイ フクヒ ノ 1レイ

Intrapancreatic accessory spleens exhibit the same computed tomography （CT） findings as the spleen itself. We experienced a case in which an intrapancreatic accessory spleen mimicked pancreatic tail carcinoma. A ５４-year-old female who had a medical history of splenectomy presented with a pancreatic tail tumor, which exhibited low density in the arterial phase and slightly high density in the portal and equilibrium phases on CT. In addition, an accessory spleen was present in the greater omentum. We initially diagnosed the tumor as a pancreatic carcinoma, and scheduled distal pancreatectomy（DP）combined with lymph node dissection（LND）. Intraoperatively, the tumor was found to be elastic-soft, which indicated that it might be benign. We changed the planned procedure from DP combined with LND to DP without LND. The cut surface of the tumor had the appearance of spleen tissue, and the pathological diagnosis was an intrapancreatic accessory spleen. Intrapancreatic accessory spleens can display the same imaging findings as pancreatic carcinomas. Intraoperative palpation and gross pathological examinations were useful for selecting the optimal surgical procedure in the present case. It is important to differentiate pancreatic tail tumors that exhibit low density in the arterial phase on CT from accessory spleens

フククウキョウカ イ ゼンテキジュツゴ ニ 2ド ノ Petersen’s hernia シュウフクジュツ オ ヨウシタ 1レイ

Petersen’s hernia is a type of internal hernia that may occur after Roux-en-Y reconstruction. Some surgeons suture Petersen’s defect for prevention of Petersen’s hernia. We report a case of recurrent Petersen’s hernia. A fifty-something man underwent laparoscopic-assisted total gastrectomy with antecolic Roux-en-Y reconstruction for gastric cancer. Petersen’s hernia occurred ６ months later. We closed Petersen’s defect by absorbable suture. However, he experienced recurrence２months later. The defect had not been successfully closed and there was no adhesion ; thus, we sutured Petersen’s defect again, more tightly than before. Additionally, we investigated different approaches for closing Petersen’s defect due to our experience of recurrent Petersen’s hernia

Persistence of the topological surface states in Bi2Se3 against Ag intercalation at room temperature

The electronic and atomic structures of topological insulator Bi2Se3, upon Ag atom deposition, have been investigated by combined experimental methods of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), photoelectron spectroscopy, and first-principles calculations. We show from the results of STM that the deposited Ag atoms are stabilized beneath the surface instead of being adsorbed on the topmost surface. We further reveal from the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy that the Bi2Se3(0001) topological surface states stay uninterrupted after a large amount of absorption of Ag atoms. Our analysis of the photoelectron intensity of Ag core states excited by soft X-ray suggests that a large amount of deposited Ag atoms diffused into a deeper place, which is beyond the probing depth of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The first-principles calculations identify the octahedral site in the van der Waals gaps between quintuple layers to be the most favorable locations of Ag atoms beneath the surface, which yields good agreement between the simulated and experimental STM images. These findings pave an efficient way to tailor the local lattice structures of topological insulators without disturbing the topologically nontrivial surface states

Trans-omics Impact of Thymoproteasome in Cortical Thymic Epithelial Cells

The thymic function to produce self-protective and self-tolerant T cells is chiefly mediated by cortical thymic epithelial cells (cTECs) and medullary TECs (mTECs). Recent studies including single-cell transcriptomic analyses have highlighted a rich diversity in functional mTEC subpopulations. Because of their limited cellularity, however, the biochemical characterization of TECs, including the proteomic profiling of cTECs and mTECs, has remained unestablished. Utilizing genetically modified mice that carry enlarged but functional thymuses, here we show a combination of proteomic and transcriptomic profiles for cTECs and mTECs, which identified signature molecules that characterize a developmental and functional contrast between cTECs and mTECs. Our results reveal a highly specific impact of the thymoproteasome on proteasome subunit composition in cTECs and provide an integrated trans-omics platform for further exploration of thymus biology

フクブ ドンテキ ガイショウゴ チハツセイ ニ ショウジタ オウコウ ケッチョウ カンマク レッコウ ヘルニア ノ 1レイ

A ７７-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with complains of abdominal pain and frequent vomiting. In the past, she has never been on surgery but she suffered blunt liver injury after motor vehicle accident nine months ago. She was performed trans-catheter arterial embolization to the left hepatic lobe at that time and had been seeing a doctor regularly for post traumatic biloma. The contrast-enhanced abdominal CT scan revealed a closed loop and a dilatation of a small intestine. She was diagnosed a small bowel obstruction due to a internal hernia. She was operated urgently. The surgical exploration showed that the congested jejunum incarcerated into an omental bursa, and an adhesion of the jejunum mesentery and a greater omentum. We found a mesentery hiatus of the transverse colon, through which a higher jejunum had incarcerated into the omental bursa. The jejunum was reduced manually and the hiatus was closed by suture. The patient followed a favorable postoperative course and was discharged on postoperative day６. We report a extremely rare transverse colon hiatal hernia that occurred in the late onset after blunt abdominal injury with the review of the literature

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

子宮内膜症性腸閉塞に対する経肛門的イレウスチューブの有用性

One of the causative diseases of intestinal obstruction in young women is bowel endometriosis. During the course of ectopic endometriosis, it is estimated that about １０％ of patients develop bowel endometriosis. The first step in treatment is drug therapy. In cases of bowel endometriosis of the colon or rectum leading to intestinal obstruction, laparotomy is often required. A ４７-year-old woman with a history of endometriosis was undergoing drug therapy. She developed abdominal pain and nausea, and was diagnosed with septic shock and fecal ileus. A transanal drainage tube was inserted for decompression. The patient’s general condition improved, and a laparoscopic low anterior resection was performed on the ２３rd day. The patient was discharged on the １０th postoperative day without any postoperative problems. This case suggests that even in the case of septic shock caused by rectal stricture due to intestinal endometriosis, initial treatment with transanal decompression may stabilize the general condition, and may be superior in cosmetic change