Current Performance and On-Going Improvements of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope

An overview of the current status of the 8.2 m Subaru Telescope constructed and operated at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is presented. The basic design concept and the verified performance of the telescope system are described. Also given are the status of the instrument package offered to the astronomical community, the status of operation, and some of the future plans. The status of the telescope reported in a number of SPIE papers as of the summer of 2002 are incorporated with some updates included as of 2004 February. However, readers are encouraged to check the most updated status of the telescope through the home page, http://subarutelescope.org/index.html, and/or the direct contact with the observatory staff.Comment: 18 pages (17 pages in published version), 29 figures (GIF format), This is the version before the galley proo

A Photo-immobilized Allergen Microarray for Screening of Allergen-specific IgE

We developed an in vitro system to diagnose allergy using an allergen microarray and photo-immobilization technique. Photo-immobilization is useful for preparing the allergen microarray because it does not require specific functional groups of the allergen and because any organic material can be immobilized by a radical reaction induced by photo-irradiation. To prepare the plates, allergen solutions were mixed with polymer and a bis- azidophenyl derivative, a photo-reactive cross-linker, the mixtures were micro-spotted on the plate, and the droplets were dried. The plate was irradiated with an ultraviolet lamp for immobilization. For the assay, human serum was added to the microarray plate. Allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) adsorbed on the micro- spotted allergen was detected by peroxidase-conjugated anti-IgE antibody. The chemiluminescence intensities of the substrate decomposed by the peroxidase were detected with a sensitive CCD camera. All allergens were immobilized by this method and used to screen allergen-specific IgE

Particle dispersion in a horizontally vibrating vessel under microgravity

This paper presents a numerical study on the particle dispersion in a horizontally vibrating vessel with round corners under zero gravity. Such a vessel is specifically designed for particle handling in the outer space. The numerical model is validated by good agreement between the simulated and experimental results. The effects of key variables, including overall particle number concentration and vibration amplitude and frequency, are studied by a series of controlled numerical experiments. The particle flow in the vessel is analyzed by the detailed particle scale information obtained from the simulations. The results are used to reveal the mechanisms and clarify some speculations of the particle flow observed in the experiments. In particular, it is found that the conveying velocity generated by the round corner can be correlated to the velocity amplitude, and so is the overall kinetic energy of the particles inside the vessel. The findings are useful for the optimum design of an effective technique for particle transportation under microgravity

Possible Roles of Proinflammatory and Chemoattractive Cytokines Produced by Human Fetal Membrane Cells in the Pathology of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes Associated with Influenza Virus Infection

Pregnant women are at an increased risk of influenza-associated adverse outcomes, such as premature delivery, based on data from the latest pandemic with a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus in 2009-2010. It has been suggested that the transplacental transmission of influenza viruses is rarely detected in humans. A series of our study has demonstrated that influenza virus infection induced apoptosis in primary cultured human fetal membrane chorion cells, from which a factor with monocyte differentiation-inducing (MDI) activity was secreted. Proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interferon (IFN)-β, were identified as a member of the MDI factor. Influenza virus infection induced the mRNA expression of not only the proinflammatory cytokines but also chemoattractive cytokines, such as monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1β, IL-8, growth-regulated oncogene (GRO)-α, GRO-β, epithelial cell-derived neutrophil-activating protein (ENA)-78, and interferon inducible protein (IP)-10 in cultured chorion cells. These cytokines are postulated to associate with human parturition. This paper, therefore, reviews (1) lessons from pandemic H1N1 2009 in pregnancy, (2) production of proinflammatory and chemoattractive cytokines by human fetal membranes and their functions in gestational tissues, and (3) possible roles of cytokines produced by human fetal membranes in the pathology of adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with influenza virus infection