Refinement of asymptotic behavior of the eigenvalues for the linearized Liouville-Gel'fand Problem

We determine the second term of the asymptotic expansions for the first m eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the linearized Liouville-Gel'fand problem associated to solutions which blow-up at m points. Our problem is the case with an inhomogeneous coefficient in two dimensional domain and we extend the previous studies for the problem with a homogeneous coefficient. We also discuss in detail the required regularity of the coefficient necessary to get the conclusion

The UPS: a promising target for breast cancer treatment

During the past decade, progress in endocrine therapy and the use of trastuzumab has significantly contributed to the decline in breast cancer mortality for hormone receptor-positive and ERBB2 (HER2)-positive cases, respectively. As a result of these advances, a breast cancer cluster with poor prognosis that is negative for the estrogen receptor (ESR1), the progesterone receptor (PRGR) and ERBB2 (triple negative) has come to the forefront of medical therapeutic attention. DNA microarray analyses have revealed that this cluster is phenotypically most like the basal-like breast cancer that is caused by deficiencies in the BRCA1 pathways. To gain further improvements in breast cancer survival, new types of drugs might be required, and small molecules targeting the ubiquitin proteasome system have moved into the spotlight. The success of bortezomib in the treatment of multiple myeloma has sent encouraging signals that proteasome inhibitors could be used to treat other types of cancers. In addition, ubiquitin E3s involved in ESR1, ERBB2 or BRCA1 pathways could be ideal targets for therapeutic intervention. This review summarizes the ubiquitin proteasome pathways related to these proteins and discusses the possibility of new drugs for the treatment of breast cancers

Petrology, Geochemistry and Geodynamic Significance of the Mafic and Ultramafic Rocks of the Akou (Okondja Basin, Gabon)

The Akou section (Okondja in the Francevillian Basins, Gabon) has a set of mafic and ultrmafic magmatic rocks with various deposit patterns; interbedded basaltic flows, sills and small intrusive bodies within the formations FB francevillian series. The succession of these rocks pyroxenites, gabbros and basalts characterizes the oceanic crust. These rocks mainly consists of olivine, pyroxene, amphibole and biotite. This mineralogical continuation shows that these rocks result from process of split crystallization of an ultramafic magma. The geochemical analyses reveal the major elemental composition such as Na2O (0.24-3.47) and K2O (0.04-3.95). These values indicate that these series are originated from the alkaline magma, which is associated with within plate oceanic volcanicity

Application of Hectorite-Coated Silica Gel Particles as a Packing Material for Chromatographic Resolution

A new type of clay column particles was prepared, in which a hectorite layer (similar to 0.1 mu m thickness) covered uniformly the surface of amorphous silica particles with an average radius of 5 mu m (ref. Okada et al., The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 116, 21864-21869 (2012)). The hectorite layer was fully ion-exchanged with Delta-[Ru(phen)(3)](2+) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) ions by being immersed in a methanol solution of Delta-[Ru(phen)(3)](ClO4)(2) (1 mM). The modified silica gel particles thus prepared were packed into a stainless steel tube (4 mm (i.d.) x 25 cm) as a high-performance liquid chromatography column. Optical resolution was achieved when the racemic mixtures of several metal complexes or organic molecules were eluted with methanol. In the case of tris(acetylacetonato) ruthenium(III) ([Ru(acac)(3)]), for example, the Lambda- and Delta-enantiomers gave an elution volume of 2.6 and 3.0 mL, respectively, with the separation factor of 1.2. The total elution volume (5 mL) was nearly one-tenth for the previously reported column of the same size (RU-1 (Shiseido Co., Ltd.)) packed with the spray-dried particles of synthetic hectorite (average radius 5 mu m) ion-exchanged by the same Ru(II) complexes.ArticleJOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHIC SCIENCE. 54(7): 1238-1243 (2016)journal articl

Significantly high polarization degree of the very low-albedo asteroid (152679) 1998 KU2_\mathrm{2}

We present a unique and significant polarimetric result regarding the near-Earth asteroid (152679) 1998 KU$_\mathrm{2}$ , which has a very low geometric albedo. From our observations, we find that the linear polarization degrees of 1998 KU$_\mathrm{2}$ are 44.6 $\pm$ 0.5\% in the R$_\mathrm{C}$ band and 44.0 $\pm$ 0.6\% in the V band at a solar phase angle of 81.0\degr. These values are the highest of any known airless body in the solar system (i.e., high-polarization comets, asteroids, and planetary satellites) at similar phase angles. This polarimetric observation is not only the first for primitive asteroids at large phase angles, but also for low-albedo (< 0.1) airless bodies. Based on spectroscopic similarities and polarimetric measurements of materials that have been sorted by size in previous studies, we conjecture that 1998 KU$_\mathrm{2}$ has a highly microporous regolith structure comprising nano-sized carbon grains on the surface.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, and 3 tables, accepted for publication in A&

Identification and functional characterization of uric acid transporter Urat1 (Slc22a12) in rats

AbstractUric acid transporter URAT1 contributes significantly to reabsorption of uric acid in humans to maintain a constant serum uric acid (SUA) level. Since alteration of SUA level is associated with various diseases, it is important to clarify the mechanism of change in SUA. However, although expression of mRNA of an ortholog of URAT1 (rUrat1) in rats has been reported, functional analysis and localization have not been done. Therefore, rat rUrat1 was functionally analyzed using gene expression systems and isolated brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMVs) prepared from rat kidney, and its localization in kidney was examined immunohistochemically. Uric acid transport by rUrat1 was chloride (Cl−) susceptible with a Km of 1773μM. It was inhibited by benzbromarone and trans-stimulated by lactate and pyrazinecarboxylic acid (PZA). Cl− gradient-susceptible uric acid transport by BBMVs showed similar characteristics to those of uric acid transport by rUrat1. Moreover, rUrat1 was localized at the apical membrane in proximal tubular epithelial cells in rat kidney. Accordingly, rUrat1 is considered to be involved in uric acid reabsorption in rats in the same manner as URAT1 in humans. Therefore, rUrat1 may be a useful model to study issues related to the role of human URAT1