690 research outputs found
東日本大震災2年から3年後における主観的経済状況が肩こりの発生および改善に与える影響に関する前向きコホート研究
要約のみTohoku University井樋栄二課
Population changes in residential clusters in Japan
Population dynamics in urban and rural areas are different. Understanding
factors that contribute to local population changes has various socioeconomic
and political implications. In the present study, we use population census data
in Japan to examine contributors to the population growth of residential
clusters between years 2005 and 2010. The data set covers the entirety of Japan
and has a high spatial resolution of 500500, enabling us
to examine population dynamics in various parts of the country (urban and
rural) using statistical analysis. We found that, in addition to the area,
population density, and age, the shape of the cluster and the spatial
distribution of inhabitants within the cluster are significantly related to the
population growth rate of a residential cluster. Specifically, the population
tends to grow if the cluster is "round" shaped (given the area) and the
population is concentrate near the center rather than periphery of the cluster.Comment: 3 figures, 4 table
Multi-state interferometric measurement of nonlinear AC Stark shift
We demonstrate measurement of quadratic AC Stark shifts between Zeeman
sublevels in an Rb Bose--Einstein condensate using a multi-state atomic
interferometer. The interferometer can detect a quadratic shift without being
affected by relatively large state-independent shifts, thereby improving the
measurement precision. We measure quadratic shifts in the total spin
state due to the light being near-resonant to the D line. The agreement
between the measured and theoretical detuning dependences of the quadratic
shifts confirms the validity of the measurement. We also present results on the
suppression of nonlinear spin evolution using near-resonant dual-color light
pulses with opposite quadratic shifts.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 induction: A sensitive and quantitative marker for cardiac allograft rejection
ObjectivesRats with abdominal heterotopic heart transplants were studied to determine whether cardiac allograft rejection could be assessed by immunoscintigraphy targeting intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), which was induced on allografted organ cells in association with rejection.BackgroundIt is important to detect early rejection before development of myocyte necrosis. Although a variety of methods for the detection of cardiac rejection have been investigated, histologic inspection of biopsied samples is still used routinely for clinical diagnosis of rejection.MethodsDA rat (RT-1a) hearts were transplanted into PVG rats (RT-1c). Immunohistologic examination of the allografts demonstrated that ICAM-1 induction on vascular endothelial cells was observed as early as 4 days after transplantation in this combination. Thirty-nine allografted rats and seven isografted rats were studied. One day after injection of 100 μCi of 111Inlabeled anti—ICAM-1 monoclonal antibody (1A29), planar images were obtained.ResultsRejecting allografts showed increased radiotracer uptake and could be identified on the images as early as 5 days after transplantation. In contrast, nonrejecting cardiac allografts and isografts did not show specific uptake. Mildly rejecting allografts, with mononuclear cell infiltration but without significant myocyte necrosis, could be scintigraphically identified, and the level of radiotracer uptake reflected the histologic severity of rejection. Accumulation of 111In-labeled monoclonal antibody of isotypematched irrelevant specificity was not detected in the rejecting allografts.ConclusionsThese data indicate that ICAM-1 induction can be assessed quantitatively by radioimmunoscintigraphy. Radioimmunoscintigraphy is a sensitive method for early detection and assessment of cardiac allograft rejection
Signal amplification in electrochemical detection of buckwheat allergenic protein using field effect transistor biosensor by introduction of anionic surfactant
AbstractFood allergens, especially buckwheat proteins, sometimes induce anaphylactic shock in patients after ingestion. Development of a simple and rapid screening method based on a field effect transistor (FET) biosensor for food allergens in food facilities or products is in demand. In this study, we achieved the FET detection of a buckwheat allergenic protein (BWp16), which is not charged enough to be electrically detected by FET biosensors, by introducing additional negative charges from anionic surfactants to the target proteins. A change in the FET characteristics reflecting surface potential caused by the adsorption of target charged proteins was observed when the target sample was coupled with the anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate; SDS), while no significant response was detected without any surfactant treatment. It was suggested that the surfactant conjugated with the protein could be useful for the charge amplification of the target proteins. The surface plasmon resonance analysis revealed that the SDS-coupled proteins were successfully captured by the receptors immobilized on the sensing surface. Additionally, we obtained the FET responses at various concentrations of BWp16 ranging from 1ng/mL to 10μg/mL. These results suggest that a signal amplification method for FET biosensing is useful for allergen detection in the food industry
Crystal structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial GatFAB reveals a novel subunit assembly in tRNA-dependent amidotransferases
Yeast mitochondrial Gln-mtRNAGln is synthesized by the transamidation of mischarged Glu-mtRNAGln by a non-canonical heterotrimeric tRNA-dependent amidotransferase (AdT). The GatA and GatB subunits of the yeast AdT (GatFAB) are well conserved among bacteria and eukaryota, but the GatF subunit is a fungi-specific ortholog of the GatC subunit found in all other known heterotrimeric AdTs (GatCAB). Here we report the crystal structure of yeast mitochondrial GatFAB at 2.0 Å resolution. The C-terminal region of GatF encircles the GatA-GatB interface in the same manner as GatC, but the N-terminal extension domain (NTD) of GatF forms several additional hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions with GatA. NTD-deletion mutants displayed growth defects, but retained the ability to respire. Truncation of the NTD in purified mutants reduced glutaminase and transamidase activities when glutamine was used as the ammonia donor, but increased transamidase activity relative to the full-length enzyme when the donor was ammonium chloride. Our structure-based functional analyses suggest the NTD is a trans-acting scaffolding peptide for the GatA glutaminase active site. The positive surface charge and novel fold of the GatF-GatA interface, shown in this first crystal structure of an organellar AdT, stand in contrast with the more conventional, negatively charged bacterial AdTs described previousl
Generation of third-harmonic spin oscillation from strong spin precession induced by terahertz magnetic near fields
The ability to drive a spin system to state far from the equilibrium is
indispensable for investigating spin structures of antiferromagnets and their
functional nonlinearities for spintronics. While optical methods have been
considered for spin excitation, terahertz (THz) pulses appear to be a more
convenient means of direct spin excitation without requiring coupling between
spins and orbitals or phonons. However, room-temperature responses are usually
limited to small deviations from the equilibrium state because of the
relatively weak THz magnetic fields in common approaches. Here, we studied the
magnetization dynamics in a HoFeO3 crystal at room temperature. A custom-made
spiral-shaped microstructure was used to locally generate a strong multicycle
THz magnetic near field perpendicular to the crystal surface; the maximum
magnetic field amplitude of about 2 T was achieved. The observed time-resolved
change in the Faraday ellipticity clearly showed second- and third-order
harmonics of the magnetization oscillation and an asymmetric oscillation
behaviour. Not only the ferromagnetic vector M but also the antiferromagnetic
vector L plays an important role in the nonlinear dynamics of spin systems far
from equilibrium
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