A fully planar solar pumped laser based on a luminescent solar collector

A solar-pumped laser (SPL) that converts sunlight directly into a coherent and intense laser beam generally requires a large concentrating lens and precise solar tracking, thereby limiting its potential utility. Here, we demonstrate a fully-planar SPL without a lens or solar tracking. A Nd3+-doped silica fiber is coiled into a cylindrical chamber filled with a sensitizer solution, which acts as a luminescent solar collector. The body of the chamber is highly reflective while the top window is a dichroic mirror that transmits incoming sunlight and traps the fluorescence emitted by the sensitizer. The laser-oscillation threshold was reached at a natural sunlight illumination of 60% on the top window. Calculations indicated that a solar-to-laser power-conversion efficiency could eventually reach 8%. Such an SPL has potential applications in long-term renewable-energy storage or decentralised power supplies for electric vehicles and Internet-of-Things devices

Pulmonary Sclerosing Hemangioma Detected by Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis: Report of a Case

We present a 53-year-old female suffering from familial adenomatous polyposis, who was found to have a positive nodus, lateral to the hilus of the left lung, on routine FDG-PET scan. This lesion was found to be a sclerosing hemangioma. We found an aberrant β-catenin expression on immunohistochemical staining, suggesting that sclerosing hemangioma and familial adenomatous polyposis share the same pathophysiology. It is important to be aware of the association of familial adenomatous polyposis and sclerosing hemangioma

Global Regulation by Horizontally Transferred Regulators Establishes the Pathogenicity of Escherichia coli

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli is an emerging pathogen that causes diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Much of the genomic information that affects virulence is acquired by horizontal transfer. Genes necessary for attaching and effacing lesions are located in the locus for enterocyte effacement (LEE) pathogenicity island. LEE gene transcription is positively regulated by Ler, which is also encoded by the LEE, and by Pch regulators, which are encoded at other loci. Here we identified genes whose transcription profiles were similar to those of the LEE genes, by comparing the effects of altering ler and pch transcript levels. We assigned these genes into two classes, according to their transcription profiles. By determining the binding profiles for Ler and Pch, we showed that both were involved in regulating one class of genes, but only Pch was involved in regulating the other class. Binding sites were found in the coding region as well as the promoter region of regulated genes, which include genes common to K12 strains as well as 0157-specific genes, suggesting that both act as a global regulator. These results indicate that Ler and Pch orchestrate the transcription of virulence genes, which are captured by horizontal transfer and scattered throughout the chromosome

Engineering the Controlled Assembly of Filamentous Injectisomes in E. coli K-12 for Protein Translocation into Mammalian Cells.

Bacterial pathogens containing type III protein secretion systems (T3SS) assemble large needle-like protein complexes in the bacterial envelope, called injectisomes, for translocation of protein effectors into host cells. The application of these molecular syringes for the injection of proteins into mammalian cells is hindered by their structural and genomic complexity, requiring multiple polypeptides encoded along with effectors in various transcriptional units (TUs) with intricate regulation. In this work, we have rationally designed the controlled expression of the filamentous injectisomes found in enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) in the nonpathogenic strain E. coli K-12. All structural components of EPEC injectisomes, encoded in a genomic island called the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), were engineered in five TUs (eLEEs) excluding effectors, promoters and transcriptional regulators. These eLEEs were placed under the control of the IPTG-inducible promoter Ptac and integrated into specific chromosomal sites of E. coli K-12 using a marker-less strategy. The resulting strain, named synthetic injector E. coli (SIEC), assembles filamentous injectisomes similar to those in EPEC. SIEC injectisomes form pores in the host plasma membrane and are able to translocate T3-substrate proteins (e.g., translocated intimin receptor, Tir) into the cytoplasm of HeLa cells reproducing the phenotypes of intimate attachment and polymerization of actin-pedestals elicited by EPEC bacteria. Hence, SIEC strain allows the controlled expression of functional filamentous injectisomes for efficient translocation of proteins with T3S-signals into mammalian cells

Second law, entropy production, and reversibility in thermodynamics of information

We present a pedagogical review of the fundamental concepts in thermodynamics of information, by focusing on the second law of thermodynamics and the entropy production. Especially, we discuss the relationship among thermodynamic reversibility, logical reversibility, and heat emission in the context of the Landauer principle and clarify that these three concepts are fundamentally distinct to each other. We also discuss thermodynamics of measurement and feedback control by Maxwell's demon. We clarify that the demon and the second law are indeed consistent in the measurement and the feedback processes individually, by including the mutual information to the entropy production.Comment: 43 pages, 10 figures. As a chapter of: G. Snider et al. (eds.), "Energy Limits in Computation: A Review of Landauer's Principle, Theory and Experiments

Clinicopathological characteristics of resected adenosquamous cell carcinoma of the lung: Risk of coexistent double cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>adenosquamous carcinoma (ADSQ) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a rare disease and the biological behavior and clinicopathological characteristics have not yet been thoroughly described.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>This study reviewed the patient charts of 11 (1.6%) ADSQ cases among 779 patients with primary lung cancer who underwent a lung resection. The characteristics and clinicopathological factors were evaluated retrospectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Six of the 11 patients with ADSQ were male and five were female. The mean age was 67.3 years' olds. Three patients had pathological stage IA, one patient each had stage IB and IIA, five patients had stage IIIA, and one patient stage IIIB. Five patients had coexistent double cancer including 2 gastric, 1 rectal, 1 prostate and 1 bladder cancer. ADSQ was found less frequently in males than squamous cell carcinoma (SQ). ADSQ was found more frequently in older patients, with advanced stage, advanced T status, and lymph node metastases than adenocarcinoma (AD). The proportion with coexistent double cancer of AD, SQ, and ADSQ were 21.1, 17.6, and 45.5%, respectively. ADSQ had a significantly correlation with double cancer (ADSQ vs. non- ADSQ p = 0.03). A multivariate analysis showed no significant prognostic difference between the patients with ADSQ and non- ADSQ.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this study, cases with ADSQ showed no significantly prognostic difference in comparison to AD and SQ. However, surgeons must be cautious of any coexistent double cancer because approximately half of all patients with ADSQ of the lung have double cancer.</p

Cost minimization analysis of different growth hormone pen devices based on time-and-motion simulations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Numerous pen devices are available to administer recombinant Human Growth Hormone (rhGH), and both patients and health plans have varying issues to consider when selecting a particular product and device for daily use. Therefore, the present study utilized multi-dimensional product analysis to assess potential time involvement, required weekly administration steps, and utilization costs relative to daily rhGH administration.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Study objectives were to conduct 1) Time-and-Motion (TM) simulations in a randomized block design that allowed time and steps comparisons related to rhGH preparation, administration and storage, and 2) a Cost Minimization Analysis (CMA) relative to opportunity and supply costs. Nurses naïve to rhGH administration and devices were recruited to evaluate four rhGH pen devices (2 in liquid form, 2 requiring reconstitution) via TM simulations. Five videotaped and timed trials for each product were evaluated based on: 1) Learning (initial use instructions), 2) Preparation (arrange device for use), 3) Administration (actual simulation manikin injection), and 4) Storage (maintain product viability between doses), in addition to assessment of steps required for weekly use. The CMA applied micro-costing techniques related to opportunity costs for caregivers (categorized as wages), non-drug medical supplies, and drug product costs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Norditropin^®NordiFlex and Norditropin^®NordiPen (NNF and NNP, Novo Nordisk, Inc., Bagsværd, Denmark) took less weekly Total Time (p < 0.05) to use than either of the comparator products, Genotropin^®Pen (GTP, Pfizer, Inc, New York, New York) or HumatroPen^®(HTP, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana). Time savings were directly related to differences in new package Preparation times (NNF (1.35 minutes), NNP (2.48 minutes) GTP (4.11 minutes), HTP (8.64 minutes), p < 0.05)). Administration and Storage times were not statistically different. NNF (15.8 minutes) and NNP (16.2 minutes) also took less time to Learn than HTP (24.0 minutes) and GTP (26.0 minutes), p < 0.05). The number of weekly required administration steps was also least with NNF and NNP. Opportunity cost savings were greater in devices that were easier to prepare for use; GTP represented an 11.8% drug product savings over NNF, NNP and HTP at time of study. Overall supply costs represented <1% of drug costs for all devices.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Time-and-motion simulation data used to support a micro-cost analysis demonstrated that the pen device with the greater time demand has highest net costs.</p

Complete Genome Sequence and Comparative Analysis of the Wild-type Commensal Escherichia coli Strain SE11 Isolated from a Healthy Adult

We sequenced and analyzed the genome of a commensal Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain SE11 (O152:H28) recently isolated from feces of a healthy adult and classified into E. coli phylogenetic group B1. SE11 harbored a 4.8 Mb chromosome encoding 4679 protein-coding genes and six plasmids encoding 323 protein-coding genes. None of the SE11 genes had sequence similarity to known genes encoding phage- and plasmid-borne virulence factors found in pathogenic E. coli strains. The comparative genome analysis with the laboratory strain K-12 MG1655 identified 62 poorly conserved genes between these two non-pathogenic strains and 1186 genes absent in MG1655. These genes in SE11 were mostly encoded in large insertion regions on the chromosome or in the plasmids, and were notably abundant in genes of fimbriae and autotransporters, which are cell surface appendages that largely contribute to the adherence ability of bacteria to host cells and bacterial conjugation. These data suggest that SE11 may have evolved to acquire and accumulate the functions advantageous for stable colonization of intestinal cells, and that the adhesion-associated functions are important for the commensality of E. coli in human gut habitat

High-space resolution imaging plate analysis of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light from tin laser-produced plasmas

金沢大学先端科学・社会共創推進機構With the advent of high volume manufacturing capabilities by extreme ultraviolet lithography, constant improvements in light source design and cost-efficiency are required. Currently, light intensity and conversion efficiency (CE) measurments are obtained by charged couple devices, faraday cups etc, but also phoshpor imaging plates (IPs) (BaFBr:Eu). IPs are sensitive to light and high-energy species, which is ideal for studying extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light from laser produced plasmas (LPPs). In this work, we used IPs to observe a large angular distribution (10°-90°). We ablated a tin target by high-energy lasers (1064 nm Nd:YAG, 1010 and 1011 W/cm2) to generate the EUV light. The europium ions in the IP were trapped in a higher energy state from exposure to EUV light and high-energy species. The light intensity was angular dependent; therefore excitation of the IP depends on the angle, and so highly informative about the LPP. We obtained high-space resolution (345 μm, 0.2°) angular distribution and grazing spectrometer (5-20 nm grate) data simultaneously at different target to IP distances (103 mm and 200 mm). Two laser systems and IP types (BAS-TR and BAS-SR) were also compared. The cosine fitting values from the IP data were used to calculate the CE to be 1.6% (SD ± 0.2) at 13.5 nm 2% bandwidth. Finally, a practical assessment of IPs and a damage issue are disclosed. © 2017 Author(s).Embargo Period 12 month