Analytical Method of Active Ingredient in Glue-Line-Treated Plywood

A rather efficient method for quantitative analysis of the active ingredient in a glue-line-treated plywood was found by using formic acid and toluene in combination as the extraction solvents. A recovery rate of more than 95% was achieved

Exploring the circumstellar environment of Tycho's supernova remnant--I. The hydrodynamic evolution of the shock

Among Type Ia supernova remnants (SNRs), Tycho's SNR has been considered as a typical object from the viewpoints of its spectroscopic, morphological and environmental properties. A recent reanalysis of Chandra data shows that its forward shock is experiencing a substantial deceleration since around 2007, which suggests recent shock interactions with a dense medium as a consequence of the cavity-wall environment inside a molecular cloud. Such a non-uniform environment can be linked back to the nature and activities of its progenitor. In this study, we perform hydrodynamic simulations to characterize Tycho's cavity-wall environment using the latest multi-epoch proper motion measurements of the forward shock. A range of parameters for the environment is explored in the hydrodynamic models to fit with the observation data for each azimuthal region. Our results show that a wind-like cavity with $\rho(r)\propto r^{-2}$ reconciles with the latest data better than a uniform medium with a constant density. In addition, our best-fit model favors an anisotropic wind with an azimuthally varying wind parameter. The overall result indicates a mass-loss rate which is unusually high for the conventional single-degenerate explosion scenario.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Ap

Exploring the Circumstellar Environment of Tycho's Supernova Remnant. I. The Hydrodynamic Evolution of the Shock

Among Type Ia supernova remnants (SNRs), Tycho's SNR has been considered as a typical object from the viewpoints of its spectroscopic, morphological, and environmental properties. A recent reanalysis of Chandra data showed that its forward shock is experiencing a substantial deceleration since around 2007, which suggests recent shock interactions with a dense medium as a consequence of a cavity-wall environment inside a molecular cloud. Such a nonuniform environment can be linked back to the nature and activities of its progenitor. In this study, we perform hydrodynamic simulations to characterize Tycho's cavity-wall environment using the latest multiepoch proper motion measurements of the forward shock. A range of parameters for the environment is explored in the hydrodynamic models to fit with the observational data for each azimuthal region. Our results show that a wind-like cavity with ρ(r) ∝ r⁻² reconciles with the latest data better than a uniform medium with a constant density. In addition, our best-fit model favors an anisotropic wind with an azimuthally varying wind parameter. The overall result indicates a mass-loss rate which is unusually high for the conventional single-degenerate explosion scenario

Side-chain-dependent helical conformation of amylose alkylcarbamates: Amylose tris(ethylcarbamate) and amylose tris(n-hexylcarbamate)

Eight amylose tris(ethylcarbamate) (ATEC) samples ranging in the weight-average molar mass Mw from 1.0 - 104 to 1.1 - 106 g mol-1 and five amylose tris(n-hexylcarbamate) (ATHC) samples of which Mw varies from 4.9 - 104 to 2.2 - 106 g mol-1 have been prepared from enzymatically synthesized amylose samples having narrow dispersity indices and no branching. Small-angle angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), light scattering, viscometry, and infrared (IR) absorption measurements were carried out for their dilute solutions, that is, ATEC in tetrahydrofuran (THF), 2-methoxyethanol (2ME), methanol (MeOH), and ATHC in THF and 1-propanol (1PrOH) to determine M w, particle scattering functions, intrinsic viscosities, and IR spectra. SAXS and viscosity measurements were also made on ATEC in d- and l-ethyl lactates. The data were analyzed in terms of the wormlike cylinder model to estimate the helix pitch (or contour length) per residue h and the Kuhn segment length λ-1 (stiffness parameter, twice the persistence length). Both ATEC and ATHC have large λ-1 in THF, that is, 33 and 75 nm, respectively, and smaller λ-1 were obtained in alcohols, indicating that they have rigid helical conformation stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonds in THF. On the contrary, the helical structure estimated from the h value significantly depends on the alkyl side groups in a complex fashion, that is, h = 0.36 nm for ATEC, h = 0.29 nm for ATHC, and h = 0.26 nm for amylose tris(n-butylcarbamate) (ATBC). This is likely related to the bulkiness of side groups packed inside the amylosic helices. The solvent dependence of h, λ-1, and the fraction fhyd of intramolecular hydrogen bonds for ATEC can be explained by a current model as is the case with ATBC [ Terao, K.; Macromolecules 2010, 43, 1061 ], in which each contour point along the chain takes loose helical and rigid helical sequences independently. © 2012 American Chemical Society.Terao K., Maeda F., Oyamada K., et al. Side-chain-dependent helical conformation of amylose alkylcarbamates: Amylose tris(ethylcarbamate) and amylose tris(n-hexylcarbamate). Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 116(42), 12714-12720, October 5, 2012. Copyright © 2012, American Chemical Society. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp307998t

Estimation of Melanin and Hemoglobin Using Spectral Reflectance Images Reconstructed from a Digital RGB Image by the Wiener Estimation Method

A multi-spectral diffuse reflectance imaging method based on a single snap shot of Red-Green-Blue images acquired with the exposure time of 65 ms (15 fps) was investigated for estimating melanin concentration, blood concentration, and oxygen saturation in human skin tissue. The technique utilizes the Wiener estimation method to deduce spectral reflectance images instantaneously from an RGB image. Using the resultant absorbance spectrum as a response variable and the extinction coefficients of melanin, oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin as predictor variables, multiple regression analysis provides regression coefficients. Concentrations of melanin and total blood are then determined from the regression coefficients using conversion vectors that are numerically deduced in advance by the Monte Carlo simulations for light transport in skin. Oxygen saturation is obtained directly from the regression coefficients. Experiments with a tissue-like agar gel phantom validated the method. In vivo experiments on fingers during upper limb occlusion demonstrated the ability of the method to evaluate physiological reactions of human skin

Absence of CC chemokine receptor 8 enhances innate immunity during septic peritonitis

An effective clearance of microbes is crucial in host defense during infection. In the present study, we demonstrate that CC chemokine receptor 8 (CCR8) skews innate immune response during septic peritonitis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). CCR8 was expressed in resident peritoneal macrophages and elicited leukocytes during CLP in the wildâ type CCR8+/+ mice. CCR8â /â mice were resistant to CLPâ induced lethality relative to CCR8+/+ mice, and this resistance was associated with an augmented bacterial clearance in CCR8â /â mice. In vitro, peritoneal macrophages from CCR8â /â mice, but not neutrophils, exhibited enhanced bactericidal activities relative to those from CCR8+/+ mice. Upon stimulation with the bacterial component LPS, elevated levels of superoxide generation, lysosomal enzyme release, and nitric oxide generation, effector molecules for bacterial killing were detected in CCR8â /â macrophages relative to CCR8+/+ macrophages. In addition, CCR8â /â macrophages produced significantly higher levels than CCR8+/+ macrophages of several cytokines and chemokines known to augment bactericidal activities of leukocytes that include TNFâ α, ILâ 12, macrophageâ derived chemokine (MDC/CCL22), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)â 2, and KC. Altogether, these results indicate that CCR8 may have a negative impact on host defense during septic peritonitis, providing a new paradigm for the role of CCR8 in innate immunity.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154456/1/fsb2fj041728fje.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154456/2/fsb2fj041728fje-sup-0001.pd

TIMP3 promotes the maintenance of neural stem-progenitor cells in the mouse subventricular zone

Adult neural stem cells (NSCs) in the mouse subventricular zone (SVZ) serve as a lifelong reservoir for newborn olfactory bulb neurons. Recent studies have identified a slowly dividing subpopulation of embryonic neural stem-progenitor cells (NPCs) as the embryonic origin of adult NSCs. Yet, little is known about how these slowly dividing embryonic NPCs are maintained until adulthood while other NPCs are extinguished by the completion of brain development. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an essential component of stem cell niches and thus a key determinant of stem cell fate. Here we investigated tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs)—regulators of ECM remodeling—for their potential roles in the establishment of adult NSCs. We found that Timp2, Timp3, and Timp4 were expressed at high levels in slowly dividing NPCs compared to rapidly dividing NPCs. Deletion of TIMP3 reduced the number of adult NSCs and neuroblasts in the lateral SVZ. In addition, overexpression of TIMP3 in the embryonic NPCs suppressed neuronal differentiation and upregulated the expression levels of Notch signaling relating genes. These results thus suggest that TIMP3 keeps the undifferentiated state of embryonic NPCs, leading to the establishment and maintenance of adult NSCs

Periostin Promotes Tumor Lymphangiogenesis

Background: Metastasis to regional lymph nodes via lymphatic vessels plays a key role in cancer progression. Tumor lymphangiogenesis is known to promote lymphatic metastasis, and vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) is a critical activator of tumor lymphangiogenesis during the process of metastasis. We previously identified periostin as an invasion- and angiogenesis-promoting factor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In this study, we discovered a novel role for periostin in tumor lymphangiogenesis. Methods and Findings: Periostin overexpression upregulated VEGF-C mRNA expression in HNSCC cells. By using conditioned media from periostin-overexpressing HNSCC cells, we examined tube formation of lymphatic endothelial cells. Conditioned media from periostin-overexpressing cells promoted tube formation. To know the correlation between periostin and VEGF-C, we compared Periostin expression with VEGF-C expression in 54 HNSCC cases by immunohistochemistry. Periostin expression was correlated well with VEGF-C expression in HNSCC cases. Moreover, correlation between periostin and VEGF-C secretion was observed in serum from HNSCC patients. Interestingly, periostin itself promoted tube formation of lymphatic endothelial cells independently of VEGF-C. Periostin-promoted lymphangiogenesis was mediated by Src and Akt activity. Indeed possible correlation between periostin and lymphatic status in periostin-overexpressing xenograft tumors and HNSCC cases was observed. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that periostin itself as well as periostin-induced upregulation of VEGF-C may promote lymphangiogenesis. We suggest that periostin may be a marker for prediction of malignant behaviors in HNSCC and a potential target for future therapeutic intervention to obstruct tumoral lymphatic invasion and lymphangiogenesis in HNSCC patients

VLBI Astrometry of AGB Variables with VERA -- A Semiregular Variable S Crateris --

We present a distance measurement for the semiregular variable S Crateris (S Crt) based on its annual parallax. With the unique dual beam system of the VLBI Exploration for Radio Astrometry (VERA) telescopes, we measured the absolute proper motion of a water maser spot associated with S Crt, referred to the quasar J1147-0724 located at an angular separation of 1.23$^{\circ}$. In observations spanning nearly two years, we have detected the maser spot at the LSR velocity of 34.7 km s$^{-1}$, for which we measured the annual parallax of 2.33$\pm$0.13 mas corresponding to a distance of 430$^{+25}_{-23}$ pc. This measurement has an accuracy one order of magnitude better than the parallax measurements of HIPPARCOS. The angular distribution and three-dimensional velocity field of maser spots indicate a bipolar outflow with the flow axis along northeast-southwest direction. Using the distance and photospheric temperature, we estimate the stellar radius of S Crt and compare it with those of Mira variables.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in PASJ (Vol.60, No.5, October 25, VERA special issue