Twisted intersection colorings, invariants and double coverings of twisted links

Twisted links are a generalization of classical links and correspond to stably equivalence classes of links in thickened surfaces. In this paper we introduce twisted intersection colorings of a diagram and construct two invariants of a twisted link using such colorings. As an application, we show that there exist infinitely many pairs of twisted links such that for each pair the two twisted links are not equivalent but their double coverings are equivalent. We also introduce a method of constructing a pair of twisted links whose double coverings are equivalent

Wilting Tolerance of the Cut Flowers in Chrysanthemum and Carnation

切花の輸送や貯蔵を考える場合の基礎資料を得る目的で,キクおよびカーネーション切花について,しおれの回復限界および回復後の状態について調査を行なった. その結果,しおれの回復限界は採花後の期間でみると一概にはいえないが,生体重からみるとキクでは採花時の約70%,カーネーションでは約80%であった. その範囲内では,水揚げ後約12時間でほぼ完全に回復してその後の開花も順調に進行した. また,採花後一定期間内にしおれが比較的早く進行した場合の方が,水揚げ後の回復が良好になる傾向がうかがわれた. とくにカーネーションでは回復後の開花が良好で花径も大きくなり,外観も良好で日持期間がやや延長する傾向が認められた. しおれとその後の水揚げに伴う呼吸強度の変化を調査したところ,水揚げ開始とともに一時的に呼吸強度が急増するが,その後はむしろ低い水準でほとんど変化のない状態が保たれた. このようなことが,その後の回復状態が良好であったことと関係があるのかも知れない. 今後,しおれの持つ生理的影響についてさらに検討が必要であろう

Inhibition of motility and invasiveness of renal cell carcinoma induced by short interfering RNA transfection of β1,4GalNAc transferase

AbstractHuman renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has been characterized by remarkable changes in ganglioside composition. TOS1 cells, typical of metastatic RCC, are characterized by predominance of GM2 as monosialoganglioside, and β1,4GalNAc disialyl-Lc4 (RM2 antigen) as disialoganglioside [J. Biol. Chem. 276 (2001) 16695]. In order to observe the functional role of gangliosides in RCC malignancy, TOS1 cells were transfected with short interfering RNA (siRNA) based on open reading frame sequence of β1,4GalNAc transferase (β1,4GalNAc-T), and its disordered sequence of siRNA (dsiRNA) as control. In siRNA transfectant, β1,4GalNAc-T mRNA level and GM2 expression were greatly reduced, whereby GM3 expression appeared. In contrast, RM2 antigen level was unchanged, even though it has the same β1,4GalNAc epitope at the terminus. dsiRNA transfectant showed no change of β1,4GalNAc-T mRNA and did not express GM3. Concomitant with reduction of GM2 and appearance of GM3, siRNA transfectant showed greatly reduced motility and invasiveness, although growth rate was unaltered. Both transfectants with siRNA and dsiRNA expressed the same level of tetraspanin CD9. Since CD9/GM3 complex is known to reduce integrin-dependent motility and invasiveness [Biochemistry 40 (2001) 6414], it is plausible that motility and invasiveness of siRNA transfectant of TOS1 cells may be reduced by enhanced formation of such complex

High levels of soluble C5b-9 complex in dialysis fluid may predict poor prognosis in peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients

Background We searched for indicators to predict the prognosis of infectious peritonitis by measuring levels of complement proteins and activation products in peritoneal dialysis (PD) fluid (PDF) of patients at early stages of peritonitis. We retrospectively analyzed the relationship between the levels of sC5b-9, C3 and C4 in PDF and the subsequent clinical prognosis. Methods We measured levels of sC5b-9, C3 and C4 in PDF on days 1, 2 and 5 post-onset of peritonitis in 104 episodes of infectious peritonitis in PD patients from 2008 and retrospectively compared levels with clinical outcomes. Further analysis for the presence of causative microorganisms or to demonstrate bacterial culture negative peritonitis was performed and correlated with change of levels of sC5b-9 in PDF. Results When PD patients with peritonitis were divided into groups that either failed to recover from peritonitis and were finally withdrawn from PD (group 1; n = 25) or recovered (group 2; n = 79), levels of sC5b-9, C3 and C4 in PDF were significantly higher in group 1 patients compared to those in group 2 on day5. Analysis of microorganisms showed significantly higher sC5b-9 levels in PDF of peritonitis cases caused by culture negative peritonitis in group 1 compared with group 2 when we analyzed for individual microorganisms. Of note, on day5, the sC5b-9 levels in PDF were similarly high in peritonitis caused by fungi or other organisms. Conclusion Our results suggested that levels of complement markers in PDF, especially sC5b-9, have potential as surrogate markers to predict prognosis of PD-related peritonitis

Scanning Electron Microscopic Investigations of the Shape of Toothbrush Filaments with Various Brushing Techniques I. The most effective case of plaque removal

Using 30 second-year students of the Matsumoto Dental College, School of Dental Hygiene as subjects, we performed investigations on toothbrush filament shape changes while using 4 test toothbrushes and 4 different brushing techniques over 2 week periods. Also, observation by scanning electron microscopy was done for the toothbrush which yielded the best plaque removal. The results were as follows: 1. The edge of the brush filament was worn almost rectangularly along the longitudinal axis after 2 weeks of using the Bass and scrub techniques. 2. The filament edge tended to become sharper with the rolling and modified Stillman techniques. The round-cut and moving area of the toothbrush body were worn significantly using the rolling and modified Stillman techniques. 3. The toothbrush filaments with every brushing technique were worn significantly. Deep ditches, scratches and peeling were frequently observed with the rolling and modified Stillman techniques

Design and Synthesis of Binding Growth Factors

Growth factors play important roles in tissue regeneration. However, because of their instability and diffusible nature, improvements in their performance would be desirable for therapeutic applications. Conferring binding affinities would be one way to improve their applicability. Here we review techniques for conjugating growth factors to polypeptides with particular affinities. Conjugation has been designed at the level of gene fusion and of polypeptide ligation. We summarize and discuss the designs and applications of binding growth factors prepared by such conjugation approaches