Experimental and numerical identification of the spiral wave in a wide-gap spherical Couette flow

Spherical Couette flow experiments were conducted according to the work of Egbers and Rath [Acta Mech. 111 pp.125--140 (1995)]. The flow was visualized using aluminum flakes drifted on a horizontal plane illuminated by a laser sheet. A comparison between the numerically calculated phase velocity and that calculated from the visualized flow images indicates the robust formation of a spiral wave with azimuthal wavenumber m=3. By solving the equation of motion for the infinitesimal surface elements advecting in the flow field obtained numerically, this study obtained a visual distribution of reflected light, which is in good agreement with the picture obtained experimentally

Variation of the subhalo abundance in dark matter halos

We analyzed the statistics of subhalo abundance of galaxy-sized and giant-galaxy-sized halos formed in a high-resolution cosmological simulation of a 46.5Mpc cube with the uniform mass resolution of $10^6 M_{\odot}$. We analyzed all halos with mass more than $1.5 \times 10^{12}M_{\odot}$ formed in this simulation box. The total number of halos was 125. We found that the subhalo abundance, measured by the number of subhalos with maximum rotation velocity larger than 10% of that of the parent halo, shows large halo-to-halo variations. The results of recent ultra-high-resolution runs fall within the variation of our samples. We found that the concentration parameter and the radius at the moment of the maximum expansion shows fairly tight correlation with the subhalo abundance. This correlation suggests that the variation of the subhalo abundance is at least partly due to the difference in the formation history. Halos formed earlier have smaller number of subhalos at present.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, accepted by Ap

The efficacy of Link N as a mediator of repair in a rabbit model of intervertebral disc degeneration

Abstract Introduction Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is associated with proteolytic degradation of the extracellular matrix, and its repair requires both the production of extracellular matrix and the downregulation of proteinase activity. These properties are associated with several growth factors. However, the use of growth factors in clinical practice is limited by their high cost. This cost can be circumvented using synthetic peptides, such as Link N, which can stimulate the synthesis of proteoglycan and collagen by IVD cells in vitro. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Link N in vivo in a rabbit model of IVD degeneration. Methods New Zealand white rabbits received annular puncture in two lumbar discs. Two weeks after puncture, both punctured discs of each rabbit were injected with either Link N or saline. After 2 weeks, nine rabbits were euthanized and the annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) of Link N-injected and saline-injected IVDs were removed and used to prepare total RNA. Following reverse transcription, quantitative PCR was performed for aggrecan, COL2A1, COL1A1, ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5 and MMP-3. After 12 weeks, 19 rabbits were euthanized and the injected IVDs were removed for biochemical and histological analysis. Proteinase K digests were analyzed for DNA and sulfated glycosaminoglycan content. Disc height was monitored radiographically biweekly. Results Following needle puncture, disc height decreased by about 25% over 2 weeks, and was partially restored by Link N injection. Puncture of the IVD resulted in a trend towards decreased proteoglycan content in both the NP and AF, and a trend towards partial restoration following Link N injection, although under the time course used this did not achieve statistical significance. Link N did not alter the DNA content of the discs. Link N injection led to a significant increase in aggrecan gene expression and a significant decrease in proteinase gene expression in both the NP and AF, when compared with saline alone. Conclusions When administered to the degenerate disc in vivo, Link N stimulated aggrecan gene expression and downregulated metalloproteinase expression, and there was a trend towards increased proteoglycan content of the disc, in both the NP and AF. These are features needed for any agent designed to stimulate disc repair. In principle, therefore, Link N supplementation could be an option for treating disc degeneration

Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Basel Assessment of Adherence to Immunosuppressive Medications Scale in Kidney Transplant Recipients

A valid and reliable instrument that can measure adherence is needed to identify nonadherent patients and to improve adherence. However, there is no validated Japanese self-report instrument to evaluate adherence to immunosuppressive medications for transplant patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Basel Assessment of Adherence to Immunosuppressive Medications Scale (BAASIS).; We translated the BAASIS into Japanese and developed the Japanese version of the BAASIS (J-BAASIS) according to the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research task force guidelines. We analyzed the reliability (test-retest reliability and measurement error) and validity of the J-BAASIS (concurrent validity with the medication event monitoring system and the 12-item Medication Adherence Scale) referring to the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist.; A total of 106 kidney transplant recipients were included in this study. In the analysis of test-retest reliability, Cohen's kappa coefficient was found to be 0.62. In the analysis of measurement error, the positive and negative agreement were 0.78 and 0.84, respectively. In the analysis of concurrent validity with the medication event monitoring system, sensitivity and specificity were 0.84 and 0.90, respectively. In the analysis of concurrent validity with the 12-item Medication Adherence Scale, the point-biserial correlation coefficient for the "medication compliance" subscale was 0.38 (; P; < 0.001).; The J-BAASIS was determined to have good reliability and validity. Using the J-BAASIS to evaluate adherence can help clinicians to identify medication nonadherence and institute appropriate corrective measures to improve transplant outcomes

Straightforward synthesis of silicon vacancy (SiV) center-containing single-digit nanometer nanodiamonds via detonation process

Silicon vacancy (SiV) color centers in diamond have attracted widespread attention owing to their stable photoluminescence (PL) with a sharp emission band in the near-infrared region (ZPL 738 nm). Especially, SiV center containing single-digit nanometer-sized nanodiamonds (single-digit SiV-NDs) are desirable for various applications such as bioimaging and biosensing because of their extremely small size, comparable to many biomaterials. Therefore, several attempts have been made to fabricate the single-digit SiV-NDs. However, there are no reports on the successful fabrication of such materials in reasonable scale of production. Here, we report the successful synthesis of single-digit SiV-NDs via straightforward detonation process, which is known to have the high productivity in fabrication of single-digit NDs. Triphenylsilanol (TPS), as a silicon source, was mixed with explosives (TPS/TNT/RDX = 1/59/40 wt%) and the detonation process was carried out. The obtained single-digit NDs exhibit PL at approximately 738 nm, indicating that single-digit SiV-NDs were successfully synthesized. Moreover, we conjectured that the physics behind this achievement may be attributed to the aromatic ring of TPS under the consideration of ND formation mechanism newly built up based on the results of time-resolved optical emission measurements for the detonation reaction

Her yol Roma'ya varmaz!

Taha Toros Arşivi, Dosya Adı: Taha Torosİstanbul Kalkınma Ajansı (TR10/14/YEN/0033) İstanbul Development Agency (TR10/14/YEN/0033

Promotion of allergic immune responses by intranasally-administrated nanosilica particles in mice

With the increase in use of nanomaterials, there is growing concern regarding their potential health risks. However, few studies have assessed the role of the different physical characteristics of nanomaterials in allergic responses. Here, we examined whether intranasally administered silica particles of various sizes have the capacity to promote allergic immune responses in mice. We used nanosilica particles with diameters of 30 or 70 nm (nSP30 or nSP70, respectively), and conventional micro-sized silica particles with diameters of 300 or 1000 nm (nSP300 or mSP1000, respectively). Mice were intranasally exposed to ovalbumin (OVA) plus each silica particle, and the levels of OVA-specific antibodies (Abs) in the plasma were determined. Intranasal exposure to OVA plus smaller nanosilica particles tended to induce a higher level of OVA-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E, IgG and IgG1 Abs than did exposure to OVA plus larger silica particles. Splenocytes from mice exposed to OVA plus nSP30 secreted higher levels of Th2-type cytokines than mice exposed to OVA alone. Taken together, these results indicate that nanosilica particles can induce allergen-specific Th2-type allergic immune responses in vivo. This study provides the foundations for the establishment of safe and effective forms of nanosilica particles