Photoemission Orbital Tomography Using Robust Sparse PhaseLift

Photoemission orbital tomography (POT) from photoelectron momentum maps (PMMs) has enabled detailed analysis of the shape and energy of molecular orbitals in the adsorbed state. This study proposes a new POT method based on the PhaseLift. Molecular orbitals, including three-dimensional phases, can be identified from a single PMM by actively providing atomic positions and basis. Moreover, our method is robust to noise and can perfectly discriminate adsorption-induced molecular deformations with an accuracy of 0.05 [angstrom]. Our new method enables simultaneous analysis of the three-dimensional shapes of molecules and molecular orbitals and thus paves the way for advanced quantum-mechanical interpretation of adsorption-induced electronic state changes and photo-excited inter-molecular interactions.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Two-dimensional distribution of Gi2α in the plasma membrane: a critical evaluation by immunocytochemistry

AbstractCaveolae have been postulated as a center for signal transduction, because many signaling molecules are concentrated in caveolin-rich fractions. We took Gi2α as an example and examined whether it is constitutively concentrated in caveolae. First, the behavior of caveolin and Gi2α in density-equilibrium ultracentrifugation was reexamined. By collecting fractions efficiently, caveolin and Gi2α were found to distribute differently. Secondly, by novel immunocytochemical methods it was found that the labeling density of Gi2α was 2.29 times higher in caveolae than in the non-caveolar plasma membrane. The results indicate that the concentration of Gi2α in caveolae is lower than deduced from most biochemical studies

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ as a molecular target to regulate lung cancer cell growth

AbstractIt has been assumed that prostaglandin (PG)I2 signaling contributes to the negative growth control of lung cancer cells; however, the mechanism remains unresolved. PGI2 functions through a cell surface G protein-coupled receptor (prostaglandin I2-binding receptor, IP) and also exerts an effect by interacting with a nuclear hormone receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ (PPARδ). We found that PPARδ was a key molecule of PGI2 signaling to give negative growth control of lung cancer cells (A549), using carbarprostacyclin, a PGI2 agonist for IP and PPARδ, and L-165041, a PPARδ agonist. Furthermore, PPARδ-induced cell growth control was reinforced by the inhibition of cyclooxygenase. These results suggest that PPARδ activation under the suppression of PG synthesis is important to regulate lung cancer cell growth

Broader autism phenotype as a risk factor for postpartum depression: Hamamatsu Birth Cohort (HBC) Study

AbstractThe broader autism phenotype (BAP), which refers to the expression of behavioral and cognitive propensities that are milder but qualitatively similar to those defining autism spectrum disorder, can play a crucial role in postpartum depression (PPD). We investigated whether pregnant women's BAP would increase the risk for PPD, using a representative birth cohort in Japan. Pregnant women were enrolled in the Hamamatsu Birth Cohort (HBC) Study during their mid-gestation (N=841) and were followed up until 3 months after delivery. BAP was measured mainly during the 2nd trimester of the pregnancy by using the Broader Phenotype Autism Symptoms Scale. Participants scoring 9 points or higher on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at least once during the first 3 months after childbirth were diagnosed with PPD. Among participants, 128 (15.2%) women were found to have PPD. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that BAP were associated with PPD (OR=1.19, 95% CI [1.07–1.31]), even after controlling for other potential confounders. In addition, the association was not moderated by history of depression and/or anxiety disorders, including concurrent depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy. The findings suggest that pregnant women with BAP have an elevated risk for PPD

Molar absorption coefficient and radiolytic yield of solvated electrons in diethylmethyl(2-methoxy)ammonium bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ionic liquid

金沢大学理工研究域自然システム学系The molar absorption coefficient and the radiolytic yield of solvated electron in ionic liquid of DEMMA-TFSI were estimated respectively to be 2.3×104 L mol-1 cm-1 and 0.8×10-7 mol J-1 by observing the reaction and kinetics of solvated electron and dry electron in the ionic liquid. The solvated electron in DEMMA-TFSI has a very broad absorption spectrum peaking at 1100 nm and reacts slowly with pyrene with a rate constant of 3.5×108 L mol-1 s-1, while the dry electron is captured rapidly by pyrene with C37 value of 0.065 mol L-1. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

Joint Observation of the Galactic Center with MAGIC and CTA-LST-1

MAGIC is a system of two Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs), designed to detect very-high-energy gamma rays, and is operating in stereoscopic mode since 2009 at the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos in La Palma, Spain. In 2018, the prototype IACT of the Large-Sized Telescope (LST-1) for the Cherenkov Telescope Array, a next-generation ground-based gamma-ray observatory, was inaugurated at the same site, at a distance of approximately 100 meters from the MAGIC telescopes. Using joint observations between MAGIC and LST-1, we developed a dedicated analysis pipeline and established the threefold telescope system via software, achieving the highest sensitivity in the northern hemisphere. Based on this enhanced performance, MAGIC and LST-1 have been jointly and regularly observing the Galactic Center, a region of paramount importance and complexity for IACTs. In particular, the gamma-ray emission from the dynamical center of the Milky Way is under debate. Although previous measurements suggested that a supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* plays a primary role, its radiation mechanism remains unclear, mainly due to limited angular resolution and sensitivity. The enhanced sensitivity in our novel approach is thus expected to provide new insights into the question. We here present the current status of the data analysis for the Galactic Center joint MAGIC and LST-1 observations