High-spectral resolution observations of the 3.29 micron emission feature: Comparison to QCC and PAHs

Two of the most promising explanations for the origin of the interstellar emission features observed at 3.29, 3.4, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, and 11.3 microns are: quenched carbonaceous composite (QCC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). High resolution spectra are given of the 3.29 micron emission feature which were taken with the Cooled Grating Array Spectrometer at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility and previously published. These spectra show that the peak wavelength of the 3.29 micron feature is located at 3.295 + or - 0.005 micron and that it is coincident with the peak absorbance of QCC. The peak wavelength of the 3.29 micron feature appears to be the same in all of the sources observed thus far. However, the width of the feature in HD 44179 and Elias 1 is only 0.023 micron, which is smaller than the 0.043 micron width in NGC 7027, IRAS 21282+5050, the Orion nebula, and BD+30 deg 3639. Spectra of NGC 7027, QCC, and PAHs is shown. QCC matches the 3.29 micron interstellar emission feature very closely in the wavelength of the peak, and it produces a single feature. On the other hand, PAHs rarely match the peak of the interstellar emission feature, and characteristically produce multiple features

Takifugu obscurus is a euryhaline fugu species very close to Takifugu rubripes and suitable for studying osmoregulation

BACKGROUND: The genome sequence of the pufferfish Takifugu rubripes is an enormously useful tool in the molecular physiology of fish. Euryhaline fish that can survive both in freshwater (FW) and seawater (SW) are also very useful for studying fish physiology, especially osmoregulation. Recently we learned that there is a pufferfish, Takifugu obscurus, common name "mefugu" that migrates into FW to spawn. If T. obscurus is indeed a euryhaline fish and shares a high sequence homology with T. rubripes, it will become a superior animal model for studying the mechanism of osmoregulation. We have therefore determined its euryhalinity and phylogenetic relationship to the members of the Takifugu family. RESULTS: The following six Takifugu species were used for the analyses: T. obscurus, T. rubripes, T. niphobles, T. pardalis, T. poecilonotus, and T. porphyreus. When transferred to FW, only T. obscurus could survive while the others could not survive more than ten days in FW. During this course of FW adaptation, serum Na(+ )concentration of T. obscurus decreased only slightly, but a rapid and large decrease occurred even in the case of T. niphobles, a peripheral fresh water species that is often seen in brackish river mouths. Phylogenetic analysis using nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene of each species indicated that the six Takifugu species are very closely related with each other. CONCLUSION: T. obscurus is capable of adapting to both FW and SW. Its genomic sequence shares a very high homology with those of the other Takifugu species such that the existing Takifugu genomic information resources can be utilized. These properties make "mefugu", which has drawn little attention from animal physiologists until this study, a useful model animal for studying the molecular mechanism of maintaining body fluid homeostasis

Salvage Photodynamic Therapy Using Talaporfin Sodium for Local Failure of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

[Background] Talaporfin sodium photodynamic therapy (TS-PDT) for local failure after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma has recently been reported to be highly effective and less invasive, compared to other treatment modalities. TS-PDT was recently introduced at the Tottori University Hospital, Japan. The aim of this study is to clarify the efficacy and safety of PDT in our hospital. [Methods] This was a single-center observational study. We examined eight cases of TS-PDT performed between January 2016 and December 2019. The main endpoints were local complete remission (L-CR) rate and the adverse events. In addition, age, gender, histology, tumor location, TNM stage, tumor depth, irradiation dose, and overall survival (OS) were examined. [Results] The patients included 7 men and a woman, with an average age of 72.1 years (range 63–82 years). The baseline clinical stages before CRT or radiotherapy were stage I in 1, stage II in 3, stage III in 3, and stage IVA in 1 patient. The T stage on endoscopic assessment before TS-PDT was T1 in 6 patients and T2 in 2 patients. Treatment outcomes and adverse events were evaluated. There were no treatment-related deaths, and no significant adverse events occurred intraoperatively or postoperatively. The L-CR rate was 7/8 (87.5%); T1 cases had 100% (6/6) L-CR, while T2 cases had 50% (1/2). The 2-year OS rates were 87%. [Conclusion] TS-PDT was observed to be safe and effective in the first eight cases of its application following its introduction in our hospital

Influence of mechanical grinding on lithium insertion and extraction properties of iron silicide/silicon composites

We prepared composite electrodes of iron silicide/Si by using mechanical grinding for mixtures of ferrosilicon and Si followed by gas-deposition, and investigated their electrochemical properties as Li-ion battery anode. With increasing the mechanical grinding time, the phase transformation from FeSi to FeSi2 took place more significantly, and the composite electrode showed better cycle stabilities. There was no remarkable difference in mechanical properties and electronic conductivity between FeSi and FeSi2. On the other hand, the FeSi2 exhibited about three times larger capacities in comparison with the FeSi electrode. In addition, a result of our first principle calculation indicates that Li ion can diffuse more easily in FeSi2 lattice than in FeSi lattice. It is suggested that the better cyclability of the composite electrodes was attributed to the moderate reactivity of FeSi2 with Li and the smooth Li-ion diffusion in it