Significant enhancement of ferromagnetism in Zn1−x_{1-x}Crx_{x}Te doped with iodine as an n-type dopant

The effect of additional doping of charge impurities was investigated in a ferromagnetic semiconductor Zn$_{1-x}$Cr$_{x}$Te. It was found that the doping of iodine, which is expected to act as an n-type dopant in ZnTe, brought about a drastic enhancement of the ferromagnetism in Zn$_{1-x}$Cr$_{x}$Te while the grown films remained electrically insulating. In particular, at a fixed Cr composition of x = 0.05, the ferromagnetic transition temperature Tc increased up to 300K at maximum due to the iodine doping from Tc = 30K of the undoped counterpart, while the ferromagnetism disappeared due to the doping of nitrogen as a p-type dopant. The observed systematic correlation of ferromagnetism with the doping of charge impurities of both p- and n-type, suggesting a key role of the position of Fermi level within the impurity d-state, is discussed on the basis of the double exchange interaction as a mechanism of ferromagnetism in this material.Comment: 5 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. Let

Paracrine Effect of NRG1 and HGF Drives Resistance to MEK Inhibitors in Metastatic Uveal Melanoma.

Uveal melanoma patients with metastatic disease usually die within one year, emphasizing an urgent need to develop new treatment strategies for this cancer. MEK inhibitors improve survival in cutaneous melanoma patients but show only modest efficacy in metastatic uveal melanoma patients. In this study, we screened for growth factors that elicited resistance in newly characterized metastatic uveal melanoma cell lines to clinical-grade MEK inhibitors, trametinib and selumetinib. We show that neuregulin 1 (NRG1) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) provide resistance to MEK inhibition. Mechanistically, trametinib enhances the responsiveness to NRG1 and sustained HGF-mediated activation of AKT. Individually targeting ERBB3 and cMET, the receptors for NRG1 and HGF, respectively, overcome resistance to trametinib provided by these growth factors and by conditioned medium from fibroblasts that produce NRG1 and HGF. Inhibition of AKT also effectively reverses the protective effect of NRG1 and HGF in trametinib-treated cells. Uveal melanoma xenografts growing in the liver in vivo and a subset of liver metastases of uveal melanoma patients express activated forms of ERBB2 (the coreceptor for ERBB3) and cMET. Together, these results provide preclinical evidence for the use of MEK inhibitors in combination with clinical-grade anti-ERBB3 or anti-cMET monoclonal antibodies in metastatic uveal melanoma

Ni-Catalyzed Multi-Component Coupling Reaction of Aldimine,1,3-Diene, Alkyne, and Organozinc

Aldimines composed of aldehydes and primary amines react with 1,3-diene,alkyne, and Me_2Zn to furnish dienyl homoallylamines in the presence of Ni catalyst.In case of Ph_2Zn, alkyne serves as a spectator ligand to promote the three-component coupling reaction of Ph_2Zn, diene, and aldimine.Nagasaki Symposium on Nano-Dynamics 2008 (NSND2008) 平成20年1月29日(火)於長崎大学 Poster Presentatio

Sclerite formation in the hydrothermal-vent “scaly-foot” gastropod — possible control of iron sulfide biomineralization by the animal

A gastropod from a deep-sea hydrothermal field at the Rodriguez triple junction, Indian Ocean, has scale-shaped structures, called sclerites, mineralized with iron sulfides on its foot. No other organisms are known to produce a skeleton consisting of iron sulfides. To investigate whether iron sulfide mineralization is mediated by the gastropod for the function of the sclerites, we performed a detailed physical and chemical characterization. Nanostructural characterization of the iron sulfide sclerites reveals that the iron sulfide minerals pyrite (FeS2) and greigite (Fe3S4) form with unique crystal habits inside and outside of the organic matrix, respectively. The magnetic properties of the sclerites, which are mostly consistent with those predicted from their nanostructual features, are not optimized for magnetoreception and instead support use of the magnetic minerals as structural elements. The mechanical performance of the sclerites is superior to that of other biominerals used in the vent environment for predation as well as protection from predation. These characteristics, as well as the co-occurrence of brachyuran crabs, support the inference that the mineralization of iron sulfides might be controlled by the gastropod to harden the sclerites for protection from predators. Sulfur and iron isotopic analyses indicate that sulfur and iron in the sclerites originate from hydrothermal fluids rather than from bacterial metabolites, and that iron supply is unlikely to be regulated by the gastropod for iron sulfide mineralization. We propose that the gastropod may control iron sulfide mineralization by modulating the internal concentrations of reduced sulfur compounds

Regulation of tumor suppressor PDCD4 by novel protein kinase C isoforms

AbstractTransforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) induces apoptosis in normal hepatocytes and hepatoma cells. PDCD4 is involved in TGF-β1-induced apoptosis via the Smad pathway. The tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbor-13-acetate (TPA), a protein kinase C stimulator, inhibits TGF-β1-induced apoptosis. However, the mechanisms of TPA action on PDCD4 expression remain to be elucidated. Therefore. the regulatory mechanism of PDCD4 expression by PKC was investigated. The treatment of the human hepatoma cell line, Huh7 with TPA suppressed PDCD4 protein expression and TGF-β1 failed to increase the PDCD4 protein expression. PKC inhibitors Ro-31-8425 or bisindolylmaleimide-1-hydrocholoride (pan-PKC inhibitors) and rottlerin (PKCδ inhibitor), but not Go6976 (PKCα inhibitor), enhanced the induction of PDCD4 protein by TGF-β1. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated knockdown of PKCδ and ε, but not PKCα, augmented the TGF-β1-stimulated PDCD4 protein expression. However, TPA or pan-PKC inhibitor did not alter the PDCD4 mRNA expression either under basal- and TGF-β1-treated conditions. The down-regulation of PDCD4 by TPA was restored by treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG132. These data suggest that two isoforms of PKCs are involved in the regulation of the PDCD4 protein expression related to the proteasomal degradation pathway

Psychosocial twin cohort studies in Japan: the Keio Twin Research Center (KoTReC)

The Keio Twin Research Center (KoTReC) was established in 2009 at Keio University to combine two longitudinal cohort projects — the Keio Twin Study (KTS) for adolescence and adulthood and the Tokyo Twin Cohort Project (ToTCoP) for infancy and childhood. KoTReC also conducted a two-time panel study of self-control and psychopathology in twin adolescence in 2012 and 2013 and three independent anonymous cross-sectional twin surveys (ToTcross) before 2012 — the ToTCross, the Junior and Senior High School Survey and the High School Survey. This article introduces the recent research designs of KoTReC and its publications

Receptor Autoradiographic Analysis of Muscarinic Receptors in the Rat Atrioventricular Node

We carried out investigations on muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (m-AChR) in the rat heart, including the atrioventricular (AV) node. The related tissue sections were incubated with 3H-quinuclidinyl benzilate (3H-QNB), then autoradiography and an image analysis coupled with computer-assisted microdensitometry were done. A single type of specific and high affinity binding sites of 3H-QNB was found to be highly concentrated in the AV node, the maximum binding capacity (Bmax) being 1.4 pmol/mg protein and with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 0.5 nM. The density and affinity of the binding to the AV node were the highest, when compared with findings in the atrium (interatrial septum) and ventricle (interventricular septum). The binding was competitively displaced by AF-DX 116, a selective antagonist for the M2 AChR subtype, with a high affinity, whereas pirenzepine, an antagonist for the M1 AChR subtype was much less potent in displacing the binding. Therefore, vagal-cholinergic stimulation presumably plays a significant role in functions of the rat AV node, probably by interacting with the specific, high affinity M2 AChR subtype

Кривичните аспекти на азил во меѓународното и македонското кривично право“

Краток извадок Меѓународниот институт азил, како и неговата меѓународна кривичноправна рамка, е област на постојано надополнување и акумулација на материјални и формално - правни факти, со цел за изградба на универзален кривичноправен систем на азил кој би имал широкоопфатна примена. Теоретската рамка на поставениот проблем, низ годините на историјата, постојано била надополнувана во егзактните моменти на проблеми со именуваниот институт. Целта на мојот труд е искористување на изворите на правото и политиките на азил, нивна структурна анализа и дефиниција на имплементација. Миграцијата е поим тесно поврзан со азилот. Токму затоа, не може а да не се спомене нејзиното влијание врз правната форма на азилот како институт. Човештвото, во својата еволуција, тенденциозно дејствува кон создавање на универзални, регионални и национални правни лица кои ја претставуваат унилатералната желба за солидарност и сплотеност. Ваквите организации неопходно бараат консолидирано законодавство, во сите сегменти на општествениот живот. Токму затоа, анализата на ваквите организации во мојот труд е со цел да покаже во колкава мера и каква форма се конструираат и имплементираат правните норми на азилот. Исто така, ќе покаже во колкав капацитет е легислативата на азилот и од каде треба да се продолжи надградбата на правниот систем. Надградбата на системот на азил е сеопфатна и ги засега сите. Како европска држава со мултилатерални односи и желба за членство во евроатланската и европската заедница, Република Македонија настојува да го надградува својот правен систем секогаш кога ќе ѝ се овозможи терен за такво нешто. Мојата анализа го води трудот и до разградба на македонскиот правен систем, воочување на фактичката состојба во однос на азилот и привремената заштита, и критички анализирајќи ја поврзаноста на материјално - правните и формално - правните аспекти на азилните норми. Заклучокот на сето ова мора да биде објективен и во согласност со позитивното право, без остапување од начелата на непристрасност, јасност, еквивалентност, совестност и чесност. Клучни зборови: миграција, азил, кривично право, бегалци, бегалска криза, меѓународни организации