Energetics and electronic structures of perylene confined in carbon nanotubes

The energetics and geometries of perylene encapsulated in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been investigated employing density functional theory using the generalized gradient approximation combined with the van der Waals correction. Our calculations show that the encapsulated perylene molecules possess two metastable molecular conformations with respect to the CNT wall, which are almost degenerate with each other. A standing conformation, with respect to the CNT wall, is the ground state conformation for a semiconducting (19,0)CNT, while a lying conformation is the ground state for a metallic (11,11)CNT. Cooperation and competition between perylene–perylene and perylene–CNT interactions cause these possible perylene conformations inside CNTs. However, the electronic structure of the CNT encapsulating the perylene molecules is found to be insensitive to the molecular conformation

The HIV-1 Vpr displays strong anti-apoptotic activity

AbstractMutations in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vpr gene only slightly reduce the replication rate of the virus. To study the role of HIV-1 Vpr in biological effects on cells, HEp-2 cells, which express HIV-1 Vpr constitutively but at a low level, were established. While control HEp-2 cells underwent apoptosis when incubated with sorbitol, the morphological and biochemical apoptotic changes were inefficiently induced in the HIV-1 Vpr-expressing cells by the same treatment. These results clearly indicate that HIV-1 Vpr has anti-apoptotic activity, and raise the possibility that Vpr acts as a weak activator of virus replication through anti-apoptosis

Immunohistochemical Detection of Propionibacterium acnes in Granulomas for Differentiating Sarcoidosis from Other Granulomatous Diseases Utilizing an Automated System with a Commercially Available PAB Antibody

Propionibacterium acnes is implicated in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. We investigated the usefulness of immunohistochemistry (IHC) with a commercially available P. acnes-specific monoclonal antibody (PAB antibody) for differentiating sarcoidosis from other granulomatous diseases. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 94 sarcoidosis patients and 30 control patients with other granulomatous diseases were examined by the original manual IHC method. We also compared the detection frequency of P. acnes in sarcoid granulomas between manual and automated IHC methods. P. acnes was detected in sarcoid granulomas of samples obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy (64%), video-associated thoracic surgery (67%), endobronchial-ultrasound-guided transbronchial-needle aspiration (32%), lymph node biopsy (80%), and skin biopsy (80%) from sarcoidosis patients, but not in any non-sarcoid granulomas of the samples obtained from control patients. P. acnes outside granulomas, however, was frequently detected in both groups. The detection status of P. acnes in granulomas did not correlate with the clinical characteristics of sarcoidosis patients. The automated Leica system exhibited the best detection sensitivity (72%) and almost an identical localization for P. acnes in sarcoid granulomas compared with the manual method. IHC with a PAB antibody is useful for differentiating sarcoidosis from other granulomatous diseases by detecting P. acnes in granulomas. An automated method by the Leica system can be used in pathology laboratories for differential diagnosis of granulomas by IHC with the PAB antibody

The Declined Activity in the Nucleus of NGC 1316

NGC 1316 (Fornax A) is a radio galaxy with prototypical double lobes, where the magnetic field intensity is accurately measured via the inverse-Compton technique. The radio-emitting electrons in the lobes are inferred to have a synchrotron life time of 0.1 Gyr. Considering the lobe energetics, we estimate the past nuclear X-ray luminosity of NGC 1316 to be at least 4 times 10^{34} W (4 times 10^{41} erg s^{-1}). Thus, the nucleus was rather active at least 0.1 Gyr ago. In contrast, we confirmed with ASCA and ROSAT that the nucleus of NGC 1316 is very faint in X-rays at present, with the 2--10 keV luminosity of any AGN-like hard component being < 2 times 10^{33} W (2 times 10^{40} erg s^{-1}) even assuming a nuclear obscuration up to 10^{28} m^{-2} (10^{24} cm^{-2}). This is at least an order of magnitude lower than the estimated past activity, indicating that the nucleus is presently very inactive. From these two results, we conclude that the nucleus of NGC 1316 has become dormant during the last 0.1 Gyr. This suggests the possible abundance of ``dormant'' quasars in nearby galaxies.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, to be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letter

Study of developing a teaching program for a voter education from an elementary school to a high school Based on developing a tentative lesson plan of an elementary social studies in order to teach about vote

　本研究は，市民社会に寄与し得る有権者の育成を目指し，児童・生徒の発達段階に応じた有権者教育のあり方 を追究して，小学校から高等学校までの12 年間を一貫する原理にもとづいた有権者教育プログラム開発のため の原理と方法を解明しようとするものである。そのために，第一に，子どもたちの政治に対する認識調査を行い， 子どもたちが政治的な概念についてどのような認識を持っており，それを教育によってどの程度まで変容させる ことができるかを明らかにした。そして，第二に，その調査の結果と従来の政治教育研究の成果をふまえて，有 権者教育のための小中高一貫カリキュラム・フレームワークを提示した。それに基づいて，第三に，具体的な単 元開発を行った。単元は，「選挙」，「議会」，「税金」という政治学の基本的概念をテーマとして取り上げて開発 したが，本稿では「選挙」概念をテーマとして開発した小学校社会科の単元を紹介する