Electrodeposited Fe?Ni Films Prepared in a Citric-Acid-Based Bath with Different pH Values

We plated Fe-Ni films froma citric-acid-based plating bath and evaluated the effect of pH value in the bath on the magnetic properties and the productivities of the films. In this study, the pH value of the bath was controlled from 0.5 to 3.6 by the addition of hydrochloric acid or sodium citrate. The electrodeposited Fe-Ni film with the Fe content of approximately 22 at.% prepared at high pH (>3) tends to show large coercivity (> 100 A/m), rough surface and relatively high cathode efficiency (> 70%) whereas the films prepared at low pH (< 1) tend to show low coercivities (< 50 A/m), smooth surfaces and low cathode efficiencies (< 60%). The Fe 22Ni78 film prepared from the bath without the pH adjuster of a hydrochloric acid or a sodium citrate shows low coercivity of 25 A/m, smooth surface and relatively high cathode efficiency of 65%. Since low coercivity, smooth surface and high cathode efficiency are important factors for mass-producing Fe-Ni films, we concluded that a citric-acid-based bath with pH range from 1 to 3 is suitable for electrodeposition of soft magnetic Fe-Ni films

Comparative Study on the Inhibitory Effects of α-Tocopherol and Radon on Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Renal Damage

Since the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima, the effects of low-dose irradiation, especially internal exposure, are at the forefront of everyone’s attention. However, low-dose radiation induced various stimulating effects such as activation of antioxidative and immune functions. In this study, we attempted to evaluate the quantitative effects of the activation of antioxidative activities in kidney induced by radon inhalation on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced renal damage. Mice were subjected to intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of CCl4 after inhaling approximately 1000 or 2000 Bq/m3 radon for 24 h, or immediately after i.p. injection of α-tocopherol (100, 300, or 500 mg/kg bodyweight). In case of renal function, radon inhalation at a concentration of 2000 Bq/m3 has the inhibitory effects similar to α-tocopherol treatment at a dose of 300–500 mg/kg bodyweight. The activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in kidneys were significantly higher in mice exposed to radon as compared to mice treated with CCl4 alone. These findings suggest that radon inhalation has an antioxidative effect against CCl4-induced renal damage similar to the antioxidative effects of α-tocopherol due to induction of antioxidative functions

Differential Encoding of Factors Influencing Predicted Reward Value in Monkey Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex

Background: The value of a predicted reward can be estimated based on the conjunction of both the intrinsic reward value and the length of time to obtain it. The question we addressed is how the two aspects, reward size and proximity to reward, influence the responses of neurons in rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), a brain region thought to play an important role in reward processing. Methods and Findings: We recorded from single neurons while two monkeys performed a multi-trial reward schedule task. The monkeys performed 1–4 sequential color discrimination trials to obtain a reward of 1–3 liquid drops. There were two task conditions, a valid cue condition, where the number of trials and reward amount were associated with visual cues, and a random cue condition, where the cue was picked from the cue set at random. In the valid cue condition, the neuronal firing is strongly modulated by the predicted reward proximity during the trials. Information about the predicted reward amount is almost absent at those times. In substantial subpopulations, the neuronal responses decreased or increased gradually through schedule progress to the predicted outcome. These two gradually modulating signals could be used to calculate the effect of time on the perception of reward value. In the random cue condition, little information about the reward proximity or reward amount is encoded during the course of the trial before reward delivery, but when the reward is actually delivered the responses reflect both the reward proximity and reward amount

Inhibitory Effects of Prior Low-dose X-irradiation on Ischemia-reperfusion Injury in Mouse Paw

We have reported that low-dose, unlike high-dose, irradiation enhanced antioxidation function and reduced oxidative damage. On the other hand, ischemia-reperfusion injury is induced by reactive oxygen species. In this study, we examined the inhibitory effects of prior low-dose X-irradiation on ischemia-reperfusion injury in mouse paw. BALB/c mice were irradiated by sham or 0.5 Gy of X-ray. At 4 hrs after irradiation, the left hind leg was bound 10 times with a rubber ring for 0.5, 1, or 2 hrs and the paw thickness was measured. Results show that the paw swelling thickness by ischemia for 0.5 hr was lower than that for 2 hrs. At 1 hr after reperfusion from ischemia for 1 hr, superoxide dismutase activity in serum was increased in those mice which received 0.5 Gy irradiation and in the case of the ischemia for 0.5 or 1 hr, the paw swelling thicknesses were inhibited by 0.5 Gy irradiation. In addition, interstitial edema in those mice which received 0.5 Gy irradiation was less than that in the mice which underwent by sham irradiation. These findings suggest that the ischemia-reperfusion injury is inhibited by the enhancement of antioxidation function by 0.5 Gy irradiation

Lucifer Yellow slows voltage-gated Na+ current inactivation in a light-dependent manner in mice

Lucifer Yellow CH (LY), a membrane-impermeant fluorescent dye, has been used in electrophysiological studies to visualize cell morphology, with little concern about its pharmacological effects. We investigated its effects on TTX-sensitive voltage-gated Na+ channels in mouse taste bud cells and hippocampal neurons under voltage-clamp conditions. LY applied inside cells irreversibly slowed the inactivation of Na+ currents upon exposure to light of usual intensities. The inactivation time constant of Na+ currents elicited by a depolarization to −15 mV was increased by fourfold after a 5 min exposure to halogen light of 3200 lx at source (3200 lx light), and sevenfold after a 1-min exposure to 12 000 lx light. A fraction of the Na+ current became non-inactivating following the exposure. The non-inactivating current was ≈ 20 % of the peak total Na+ current after a 5 min exposure to 3200 lx light, and ≈ 30 % after a 1 min exposure to 12 000 lx light. Light-exposed LY shifted slightly the current-voltage relationship of the peak Na+ current and of the steady-state inactivation curve, in the depolarizing direction. A similar light-dependent decrease in kinetics occurred in whole-cell Na+ currents of cultured mouse hippocampal neurones. Single-channel recordings showed that exposure to 6500 lx light for 3 min increased the mean open time of Na+ channels from 1.4 ms to 2.4 ms without changing the elementary conductance. The pre-incubation of taste bud cells with 1 mM dithiothreitol, a scavenger of radical species, blocked these LY effects. These results suggest that light-exposed LY yields radical species that modify Na+ channels