Formation and characterization of phthalocyanine dimer/C60 solar cells

AbstractOrganic solar cells with μ-oxo-bridged gallium phthalocyanine dimer (GaPc dimer) and fullerene were produced by an evaporation method. A device based on the GaPc dimer provided a conversion efficiency of 4.2×10–3%, which is better compared to a device based on phthalocyanine monomer. Dimerization effect was discussed with a molecular orbital calculation, and the crystalline phases of the present solar cells were investigated by X-ray diffraction. Further improvement of the efficiency was discussed on the basis of the experimental results

Detectability of the Warm/Hot Intergalactic Medium Through Emission Lines of OVII and OVIII

Most of cosmic baryons predicted by the big-bang nucleosynthesis has evaded the direct detection. Recent numerical simulations indicate that approximately 30 to 50 percent of the total baryons in the present universe is supposed to take a form of warm/hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) whose X-ray continuum emission is very weak. To identify those missing baryons, we consider in detail the detectability of WHIM directly through emission lines of OVII (561, 568, 574, 665eV) and OVIII (653eV). For this purpose, we create mock spectra of the emission lines of WHIM using a light-cone output of the cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. Since the predicted fluxes are generally below the current detection limit, the unambiguous detection requires a dedicated X-ray satellite mission that we also discuss in detail. We find that our proposed mission is sensitive to the WHIM with gas temperature $T=10^{6-7}$K and overdensity $\delta=10-100$ up to a redshift of 0.3 without being significantly contaminated by the cosmic X-ray background and the Galactic emissions. Thus such a mission provides a unique and important tool to identify a large fraction of otherwise elusive baryons in the universe.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figures. To appear in PASJ, v55, Oct. 25 (2003) issu

Effect of evaporation time on the pervaporation characteristics through homogeneous aromatic polyamide membranes. II. Pervaporation performances for ethanol/water mixture

Pervaporation of ethanol/water mixtures through symmetric dense aromatic polyamide membranes was investigated. The membrane structure was controlled by varying the solvent evaporation time before gelation. The membranes were water-selective and the selectivity increased with an increase in the solvent evaporation time. On the other hand, the water flux as well as the ethanol flux decreased with an increase in the evaporation time. These results were consistent with the morphology change of the membrane which takes place with solvent evaporation: the decrease in the channel size. The effects of the downstream pressure on the pervaporation performances were also studied for membranes with different solvent evaporation times. the ethanol concentration in the permeate side increased with an increase in the downstream pressure to certain point, showed a maximum there, then decreased thereafter. The water flux decreased with an increase in the downstream pressure for all membranes studied; the dependence was expressed by a parabolic curve in the lower pressure range. The ethanol flux also decreased with an increase in the downstream pressure for the membrane with shorter evaporation time, while this flux was slightly affected by the downstream pressure for the membrane with longer evaporation time.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Development of a Combined Real Time Monitoring and Integration Analysis System for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

A combined integration analysis and real time monitoring (Peak Capture System) system was developed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Individual integration analysis and real time monitoring can be used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze VOCs in the atmosphere and in indoor environments and determine the variation in total VOC (TVOC) concentration with time, respectively. In the Peak Capture System, real time monitoring was used to predict future elevations in the TVOC concentration (peak), and this was used an indicator of when to collect (capture) ambient air samples for integration analysis. This enabled qualitative and quantitative analysis of VOCs when the TVOC concentration was high. We developed an algorithm to predict variation in the TVOC concentration, and constructed an automatic system to initiate air sampling for integration analysis. With the system, auto-sampling and analysis of VOCs in a conventional house were conducted. In comparison with background concentrations, the results of peak analysis enabled identification of compounds whose concentration rose. This also enabled an evaluation of possible VOC emission sources

SNARE Proteins LjVAMP72a and LjVAMP72b Are Required for Root Symbiosis and Root Hair Formation in Lotus japonicus

SNARE (soluble N-ethyl maleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) proteins mediate membrane trafficking in eukaryotic cells. Both LjVAMP72a and LjVAMP72b are members of R-SNARE and belong to a symbiotic subgroup of VAMP72 in Lotus japonicus. Their sequences are closely related and both were induced in the root upon rhizobial inoculation. The expression level of LjVAMP72a in the nodules was higher than in the leaves or roots; however, LjVMAP72b was expressed constitutively in the leaves, roots, and nodules. Immunoblot analysis showed that not only LjVAMP72a but also LjVAMP72b were accumulated in a symbiosome-enriched fraction, suggesting its localization in the symbiosome membrane during nodulation. Since there was 89% similarity between LjVAMP72a and LjVAMP72b, knockdown mutant by RNAi suppressed both genes. The suppression of both genes impaired root nodule symbiosis (RNS). The number of bacteroids and the nitrogen fixation activity were severely curtailed in the nodules formed on knockdown roots (RNAi-LjVAMP72a/72b). Arbuscular mycorrhization (AM) was also attenuated in knockdown roots, indicating that LjVAMP72a and LjVAMP72b were required to establish not only RNS but also AM. In addition, transgenic hairy roots of RNAi-LjVAMP72a/72b suppressed the elongation of root hairs without infections by rhizobia or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Amino acid alignment showed the symbiotic subclade of VAMP72s containing LjVAMP72a and LjVAMP72b were a conserved six amino acid region (HHQAQD) within the SNARE motif. Taken together, our data suggested that LjVAMP72a and LjVAMP72b positively controlled both symbioses and root hair formation by affecting the secretory pathway

H-InvDB in 2009: extended database and data mining resources for human genes and transcripts

We report the extended database and data mining resources newly released in the H-Invitational Database (H-InvDB; http://www.h-invitational.jp/). H-InvDB is a comprehensive annotation resource of human genes and transcripts, and consists of two main views and six sub-databases. The latest release of H-InvDB (release 6.2) provides the annotation for 219 765 human transcripts in 43 159 human gene clusters based on human full-length cDNAs and mRNAs. H-InvDB now provides several new annotation features, such as mapping of microarray probes, new gene models, relation to known ncRNAs and information from the Glycogene database. H-InvDB also provides useful data mining resources—‘Navigation search’, ‘H-InvDB Enrichment Analysis Tool (HEAT)’ and web service APIs. ‘Navigation search’ is an extended search system that enables complicated searches by combining 16 different search options. HEAT is a data mining tool for automatically identifying features specific to a given human gene set. HEAT searches for H-InvDB annotations that are significantly enriched in a user-defined gene set, as compared with the entire H-InvDB representative transcripts. H-InvDB now has web service APIs of SOAP and REST to allow the use of H-InvDB data in programs, providing the users extended data accessibility

Leukocytapheresis for the treatment of acute exacerbation of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias : a pilot study

Objective : Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) are a group of heterogeneous diffuse parenchymal lung disorders of unknown etiology. An acute exacerbation (AE) is an acute respiratory deterioration that occurs in IIPs. The prognosis of AE of IIPs (AE-IIPs) is extremely severe ; however, no established therapies exist. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of leukocytapheresis (LCAP) to treat patients with AE-IIPs. Patients and Methods : Six chronic IIPs patients who developed AE were enrolled in this study. We performed LCAP on days 2, 3, 9 and 10 in all six patients. All patients were also treated with high-dose corticosteroids and a continuous administration of low-molecular-weight heparin. We observed 30-day survival after the diagnosis of AE to evaluate the efficacy of LCAP. We also assessed oxygenation, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings, and certain chemical mediators in the peripheral blood. Results : Five of six patients survived more than 30 days. One patient died of progressive respiratory failure. Oxygenation and HRCT findings tended to improve in all survivors. The serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase, high mobility group box-1, and interleukin-18 were significantly decreased statistically post-LCAP. No severe adverse events occurred. Conclusion :We suggest that LCAP is a safe and effective therapy for treating patients with AE-IIPs

Resolvin E1 Inhibits Osteoclastogenesis and Bone Resorption by Suppressing IL-17-induced RANKL Expression in Osteoblasts and RANKL-induced Osteoclast Differentiation

【Background】 Resolvin E1 (RvE1) derived from the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid is known to be a potent pro-resolving lipid mediator that prevents chronic inflammation and osteoclastogenesis. We investigated the inhibitory effects of RvE1 on osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption to clarify its therapeutic potential for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 【Methods】 Receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation was assessed with tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining. RANKL-induced bone resorption was assessed by the measurement of pit formation using calcium phosphate-labeled fluorescent polyanionic molecules in RAW264.7 cells as osteoclast precursors. The effects of RvE1 on the RANKL-induced mRNA expression of osteoclast-specific genes and transcriptional factors such as c-fos and nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1) in RAW264.7 cells were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The distribution of NFATc1 induced by RANKL was evaluated by immunofluorescence staining in RAW264.7 cells. To analyze the mechanism of the inhibitory effect of RvE1 on osteoclastogenesis, we measured IL-17-induced RANKL mRNA expression in MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells treated with RvE1 using quantitative real-time PCR and determined the level of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. 【Results】 RvE1 significantly suppressed RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption. RvE1 inhibited the RANKL-induced mRNA expression of osteoclast-specific genes along with the transcription factors NFATc1 and c-fos. Moreover, NFATc1 translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of RAW264.7 cells was suppressed following RvE1 treatment. RvE1 also inhibited IL-17-induced RANKL mRNA expression and PGE2 production in MC3T3-E1 cells. 【Conclusion】 RvE1 inhibited osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption by suppressing RANKL-induced NFATc1 and c-fos expression in osteoclasts and IL-17-induced RANKL expression through the autocrine action of PGE2 in osteoblasts. Our data suggest RvE1 as a new therapeutic target of RA