Mechanism of stabilization and magnetization of impurity-doped zigzag graphene nanoribbons

Doping is an efficient way to modify the electronic structure of graphene. Although there have been a considerable number of studies on the electronic structure of impurity-doped graphene, every study has suggested a different interpretation of the appearance of impurity levels of dopants located near the so-called zigzag edge of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). Here, we propose a charge transfer model that satisfactorily explains the change in electronic structure upon N(B) doping of zigzag GNR (ZGNR). The structural stability and electronic structure of the doped ZGNR have been investigated using first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory. The formation energy of doping increases as a function of the distance between the N(B) atom and the zigzag edge, and two tendencies are observed depending on whether the dopant is an odd or even number of sites away from the zigzag edge. Such peculiar behavior of the formation energy can be successfully explained by charge transfer between the so-called edge state localized at the edge and the 2p-state of the dopant. Such an electron (hole) transfer leads to the compensation (disappearance) of the local spin-magnetic moment at one side of the ZGNR, manifesting in the ferromagnetic ground state of ZGNR

Two separate tyrosine protein kinases in human platelets

AbstractTyrosine protein kinase activities were detected in the cytosolic fraction (PC-TPK) and the particulate fraction (PM-TPK) in human platelets using the synthetic peptide, E11G1, (Glu-Asp-Ala-Glu-Tyr-Ala-Ala-Arg-Arg-Arg-Gly) as a substrate. PC-TPK and PM-TPK were different in substrate specificities, divalent cation requirements and apparent Mr values. These results strongly suggest that in platelets there exist at least two separate tyrosine protein kinases; one is present in cytosol and the other might be associated with membranes

Three topics of monopole dynamics in abelian projected QCD

Three topics about monopole dynamics after abelian projection are reported. The first is the new and detailed analyses of $SU(2)$ monopole action obtained after the block-spin transformation on the dual lattice. The $b=na(\beta)$ dependence for all couplings are well fitted with a universal curve. The distance dependence of the couplings is well reproduced by a massive propagator with the mass $m=0.8$ in unit of $b$. The second is the $SU(3)$ monopole action recently obtained. The third is new interesting gauges showing abelian and monopole dominances as in the maximally abelian gauge.Comment: Talk presented at LATTICE96(topology), 4 Pages, 7 eps figure

Recent topics of infrared effective lattice QCD

Three topics concerning infrared effective lattice QCD are discussed. (1)Perfect lattice action of infrared SU(3) QCD and perfect operators for the static potential are analytically given when we assume two-point monopole interactions alone. The assumption seems to be justified from numerical analyses of pure SU(3) QCD in maximally abelian gauge. (2)Gauge invariance of monopole dominance can be proved theoretically if the gauge invariance of abelian dominance is proved. The gauge invariance of monopole condensation leads us to confinement of abelian neutral but color octet states after abelian projection. (3)A stochastic gauge fixing method is developed to study the gauge dependence of the Abelian projection, which interpolates between the maximally abelian (MA) gauge and no gauge fixing. Abelian dominance for the heavy quark potential holds even in the gauge which is far from Maximally Abelian one.Comment: LATTICE99(Poster),3 pages, LaTeX with 4 eps figure

CtBP1/BARS is an activator of phospholipase D1 necessary for agonist-induced macropinocytosis

Vesicular trafficking such as macropinocytosis is a dynamic process that requires coordinated interactions between specialized proteins and lipids. A recent report suggests the involvement of CtBP1/BARS in epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced macropinocytosis. Detailed mechanisms as to how lipid remodelling is regulated during macropinocytosis are still undefined. Here, we show that CtBP1/BARS is a physiological activator of PLD1 required in agonist-induced macropinocytosis. EGF-induced macropinocytosis was specifically blocked by 1-butanol but not by 2-butanol. In addition, stimulation of cells by serum or EGF resulted in the association of CtBP1/BARS with PLD1. Finally, CtBP1/BARS activated PLD1 in a synergistic manner with other PLD activators, including ADP-ribosylation factors as demonstrated by in vitro and intact cell systems. The present results shed light on the molecular basis of how the ‘fission protein' CtBP1/BARS controls vesicular trafficking events including macropinocytosis

Efficacy and safety of micafungin in empiric and D-index-guided early antifungal therapy for febrile neutropenia ; A subgroup analysis of the CEDMIC trial

Objectives: The D-index is defined as the area over the neutrophil curve during neutropenia. The CEDMIC trial confirmed the noninferiority of D-index-guided early antifungal therapy (DET) using micafungin to empirical antifungal therapy (EAT). In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of micafungin in these settings. Methods: From the CEDMIC trial, we extracted 67 and 113 patients who received micafungin in the DET and EAT groups, respectively. Treatment success was defined as the fulfilment of all components of a five-part composite end point. Fever resolution was evaluated at seven days after the completion of therapy. Results: The proportion of high-risk treatments including induction chemotherapy for acute leukemia and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was significantly higher in the DET group than in the EAT group (82.1% vs. 52.2%). The efficacy of micafungin was 68.7% (95%CI: 56.2–79.4) and 79.6% (71.0–86.6) in the DET and EAT groups, respectively. When we focused on high-risk treatments, the efficacy was 69.1% (55.2–80.9%) and 78.0% (65.3–87.7%), respectively (P = 0.30). There was no significant difference in any of the 5 components between the two groups. Conclusions: The efficacy of micafungin in patients undergoing high-risk treatment was not strongly impaired in DET compared to that in EAT

Tree of motility – A proposed history of motility systems in the tree of life

Motility often plays a decisive role in the survival of species. Five systems of motility have been studied in depth: those propelled by bacterial flagella, eukaryotic actin polymerization and the eukaryotic motor proteins myosin, kinesin and dynein. However, many organisms exhibit surprisingly diverse motilities, and advances in genomics, molecular biology and imaging have showed that those motilities have inherently independent mechanisms. This makes defining the breadth of motility nontrivial, because novel motilities may be driven by unknown mechanisms. Here, we classify the known motilities based on the unique classes of movement-producing protein architectures. Based on this criterion, the current total of independent motility systems stands at 18 types. In this perspective, we discuss these modes of motility relative to the latest phylogenetic Tree of Life and propose a history of motility. During the ~4 billion years since the emergence of life, motility arose in Bacteria with flagella and pili, and in Archaea with archaella. Newer modes of motility became possible in Eukarya with changes to the cell envelope. Presence or absence of a peptidoglycan layer, the acquisition of robust membrane dynamics, the enlargement of cells and environmental opportunities likely provided the context for the (co)evolution of novel types of motility

Genomic characterization of biliary tract cancers identifies driver genes and predisposing mutations

Background & Aims Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are clinically and pathologically heterogeneous and respond poorly to treatment. Genomic profiling can offer a clearer understanding of their carcinogenesis, classification and treatment strategy. We performed large-scale genome sequencing analyses on BTCs to investigate their somatic and germline driver events and characterize their genomic landscape. Methods We analyzed 412 BTC samples from Japanese and Italian populations, 107 by whole-exome sequencing (WES), 39 by whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and a further 266 samples by targeted sequencing. The subtypes were 136 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (ICCs), 101 distal cholangiocarcinomas (DCCs), 109 peri-hilar type cholangiocarcinomas (PHCs), and 66 gallbladder or cystic duct cancers (GBCs/CDCs). We identified somatic alterations and searched for driver genes in BTCs, finding pathogenic germline variants of cancer-predisposing genes. We predicted cell-of-origin for BTCs by combining somatic mutation patterns and epigenetic features. Results We identified 32 significantly and commonly mutated genes including TP53 , KRAS , SMAD4 , NF1 , ARID1A , PBRM1 , and ATR , some of which negatively affected patient prognosis. A novel deletion of MUC17 at 7q22.1 affected patient prognosis. Cell-of-origin predictions using WGS and epigenetic features suggest hepatocyte-origin of hepatitis-related ICCs. Deleterious germline mutations of cancer-predisposing genes such as BRCA1 , BRCA2 , RAD51D , MLH1 , or MSH2 were detected in 11% (16/146) of BTC patients. Conclusions BTCs have distinct genetic features including somatic events and germline predisposition. These findings could be useful to establish treatment and diagnostic strategies for BTCs based on genetic information. Lay summary We here analyzed genomic features of 412 BTC samples from Japanese and Italian populations. A total of 32 significantly and commonly mutated genes were identified, some of which negatively affected patient prognosis, including a novel deletion of MUC17 at 7q22.1 . Cell-of-origin predictions using WGS and epigenetic features suggest hepatocyte-origin of hepatitis-related ICCs. Deleterious germline mutations of cancer-predisposing genes were detected in 11% of patients with BTC. BTCs have distinct genetic features including somatic events and germline predisposition