[技術・研究報告] Eclipse上で動作する効率の良いオンラインおよびオフライン動的解析プラットフォーム

ソフトウェア工学のさまざまな分野において動的解析技術が用いられている．動的解析とは，プログラムの実行時の情報を収集し解析を行うプログラム解析技術で，解析対象となるプログラムの実行終了後に解析を行うオフライン解析と，実行の途中でそれまでに収集された情報の解析を行うオンライン解析に分類することができる．本論文では，オンラインおよびオフライン解析ツールの開発を支援するため，Eclipse上で動作する動的解析プラットフォームを開発したので報告する．具体的には，これまで，特にオンライン解析においてツール毎に個別に実装されてきた実行時情報の収集処理を共通化し，さらに収集された実行時情報を解析するための共通基盤をEclipse上で提供することによって開発の効率化を図る．本プラットフォームが提供する収集処理は，幅広い動的解析手法で利用できるよう詳細な実行時情報を効率よく収集できるという特長を持つ．またオンライン解析の共通基盤としては，解析アルゴリズムをオンライン化することによって生じるオーバーヘッドをできる限り抑えるよう設計上の工夫を行っている．本論文ではその設計を採用した場合と採用しない場合の解析速度の比較を行い，設計の妥当性について評価を行ったので報告する

Risk factors of first bite syndrome

Objective : First bite syndrome is a complication of surgical resection of parapharyngeal space tumors and the development of cramping pain in the parotid region with the first bite of a meal. The present study aimed to identify the potential risk factors for the development of first bite syndrome. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed 30 consecutive patients with parapharyngeal space tumors who had been surgically treated between August 2003 and December 2015 at our department. Results : The tumor site (prestyloid or retrostyloid) and surgical approach (transcervical-parotid, transparotid, or transcervical) were not correlated with the development of first bite syndrome. Ligation and mobilization of the external carotid artery was significantly correlated with the development of first bite syndrome. Moreover, patients with complete resection of the parotid gland did not experience first bite syndrome. Discussion : The present findings suggest that concomitant surgical settings of 1) sympathetic denervation of the parotid gland with ligation of the external carotid artery or injury of the sympathetic nerve plexus around the external carotid artery during its mobilization, and 2) residual parotid gland tissue are risk factors for the development of first bite syndrome after surgical resection of parapharyngeal space tumors

Selective electrochemical CO 2 conversion with a hybrid polyoxometalate

A multi-component coordination compound, in which ruthenium antenna complexes are connected to a polyoxotungstate core is presented. This hybrid cluster effectively promotes the electrochemical conversion of CO2 to C1 feedstocks, the selectivity of which can be controlled by the acidity of the media

DEAD-Box Protein Ddx46 Is Required for the Development of the Digestive Organs and Brain in Zebrafish

Spatially and temporally controlled gene expression, including transcription, several mRNA processing steps, and the export of mature mRNA to the cytoplasm, is essential for developmental processes. It is well known that RNA helicases of the DExD/H-box protein family are involved in these gene expression processes, including transcription, pre-mRNA splicing, and rRNA biogenesis. Although one DExD/H-box protein, Prp5, a homologue of vertebrate Ddx46, has been shown to play important roles in pre-mRNA splicing in yeast, the in vivo function of Ddx46 remains to be fully elucidated in metazoans. In this study, we isolated zebrafish morendo (mor), a mutant that shows developmental defects in the digestive organs and brain, and found that it encodes Ddx46. The Ddx46 transcript is maternally supplied, and as development proceeds in zebrafish larvae, its ubiquitous expression gradually becomes restricted to those organs. The results of whole-mount in situ hybridization showed that the expression of various molecular markers in these organs is considerably reduced in the Ddx46 mutant. Furthermore, splicing status analysis with RT-PCR revealed unspliced forms of mRNAs in the digestive organ and brain tissues of the Ddx46 mutant, suggesting that Ddx46 may be required for pre-mRNA splicing during zebrafish development. Therefore, our results suggest a model in which zebrafish Ddx46 is required for the development of the digestive organs and brain, possibly through the control of pre-mRNA splicing

Graphitic carbon nitride prepared from urea as a photocatalyst for visible-light carbon dioxide reduction with the aid of a mononuclear ruthenium(II) complex

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was synthesized by heating urea at different temperatures (773–923 K) in air, and was examined as a photocatalyst for CO2 reduction. With increasing synthesis temperature, the conversion of urea into g-C3N4 was facilitated, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The as-synthesized g-C3N4 samples, further modified with Ag nanoparticles, were capable of reducing CO2 into formate under visible light (λ > 400 nm) in the presence of triethanolamine as an electron donor, with the aid of a molecular Ru(II) cocatalyst (RuP). The CO2 reduction activity was improved by increasing the synthesis temperature of g-C3N4, with the maximum activity obtained at 873–923 K. This trend was also consistent with that observed in photocatalytic H2 evolution using Pt-loaded g-C3N4. The photocatalytic activities of RuP/g-C3N4 for CO2 reduction and H2 evolution were thus shown to be strongly associated with the generation of the crystallized g-C3N4 phase

Unique Solvent Effects on Visible-Light CO₂ Reduction over Ruthenium(II)-Complex/Carbon Nitride Hybrid Photocatalysts

Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction using hybrids of carbon nitride (C₃N₄) and a Ru­(II) complex under visible light was studied with respect to reaction solvent. Three different Ru­(II) complexes, <i>trans</i>(Cl)-[Ru­(X₂bpy) (CO)₂Cl₂] (X₂bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine with substituents X in the 4-positions, X = COOH, PO₃H₂, or CH₂PO₃H₂), were employed as promoters and will be abbreviated as <b>RuC</b> (X = COOH), <b>RuP</b> (X = PO₃H₂), and <b>RuCP</b> (X = CH₂PO₃H₂). When C₃N₄ modified with a larger amount of <b>RuCP</b> (>7.8 μmol g^–1) was employed as a photocatalyst in a solvent having a relatively high donor number (e.g., <i>N,N</i>-dimethylacetamide (DMA), <i>N,N</i>-dimethylformamide (DMF), and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)) with the aid of triethanolamine (TEOA) as an electron donor, the hybrid photocatalyst exhibited high performance for CO₂ reduction, producing CO and HCOOH with relatively high CO selectivity (40–70%). On the other hand, HCOOH was the major product when <b>RuC</b>/C₃N₄ or <b>RuP</b>/C₃N₄ was employed regardless of the loading amount of the Ru­(II) complex and the reaction solvent. Results of photocatalytic reactions and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy indicated that polymeric Ru species, which were formed in situ from <b>RuCP</b> on C₃N₄ under irradiation in a solvent having a high donor number, were active catalysts for CO formation. Nonsacrificial CO₂ reduction using <b>RuP</b>/C₃N₄ was accomplished in a DMA solution containing methanol as an electron donor, which means that visible light energy was stored as chemical energy in the form of CO and formaldehyde (Δ<i>G</i>° = +67.6 kJ mol^–1). This study demonstrated the first successful example of an energy conversion scheme using carbon nitride through photocatalytic CO₂ reduction

A case of thyroid-like low-grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma of the posterior end of the nasal septum

Thyroid-like low grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma（TL-LGNPPA）は上咽頭に発生する稀な低悪性度腫瘍である。甲状腺乳頭癌の組織像に類似し，TTF-1が陽性，Thyroglobulinは陰性を示す。われわれは，鼻中隔後端に発生したTL-LGNPPA例を経験した。症例は30歳女性で，鼻中隔後端の腫瘤を偶然発見された。術前診断は外反性乳頭腫であり，摘出術を行った。術後の病理検査でTL-LGNPPAと診断した。断端は陰性であり追加治療は行わなかった。術後1年以上経過したが再発や転移は認めていない。Thyroid-like low-grade nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma （TL-LGNPPA） is a rare low-grade tumor that predominantly occurs in the nasopharynx. The tumor shows papillary thyroid carcinoma-like histopathology, positive for thyroid transcription factor-1 （TTF-1）, but negative for thyroglobulin. We report a case of TL-LGNPPA at the posterior end of the nasal septum. A 30-year-old woman was found by chance to have a tumor at the posterior end of the nasal septum. We preoperatively diagnosed the tumor as an exophytic papilloma and endoscopically resected the tumor. The tumor was diagnosed by postoperative histopathology as TL-LGNPPA. More than one year after surgery, there is no evidence of recurrence or metastasis

Interfacial manipulation by rutile TiO2 nanoparticles to boost CO2 reduction into CO on a metal-complex/semiconductor hybrid photocatalyst

Metal-complex/semiconductor hybrids have attracted attention as photocatalysts for visible-light CO2 reduction, and electron transfer from the metal complex to the semiconductor is critically important to improve the performance. Here rutile TiO2 nanoparticles having 5-10 nm in size were employed as modifiers to improve interfacial charge transfer between semiconducting carbon nitride nanosheets (NS-C3N4) and a supramolecular Ru(II)-Re(I) binuclear complex (RuRe). The RuRe/TiO2/NS-C3N4 hybrid was capable of photocatalyzing CO2 reduction into CO with high selectivity under visible light (lambda > 400 nm), outperforming an analogue without TiO2 by a factor of 4, in terms of both CO formation rate and turnover number (TON). The enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed primarily to prolonged lifetime of free and/or shallowly trapped electrons generated in TiO2/NS-C3N4 under visible-light irradiation, as revealed by transient absorption spectroscopy. Experimental results also indicated that the TiO2 modifier served as a good adsorption site for RuRe, which resulted in the suppression of undesirable desorption of the complex, thereby contributing to the improved photocatalytic performance. This study presents the first successful example of interfacial manipulation in a metal-complex/semiconductor hybrid photocatalyst for improved visible-light CO2 reduction to produce CO