Brane Transitions from Exceptional Groups

It is a well-known result by Hanany and Witten that, when two five-branes move across each other, D3-branes stretching between them are generated. Later the same brane configurations played a crucial role in understanding the worldvolume theory of multiple M2-branes. Recently the partition function of multiple M2-branes was transformed to the Fredholm determinant for quantum algebraic curves, where the characteristic 3/2 power law of degrees of freedom is reproduced and the determinant enjoys a large symmetry given by exceptional Weyl groups. The large exceptional Weyl group reproduces the Hanany-Witten brane transitions and, besides, contains brane transitions unknown previously. Aiming at understanding the new brane transitions better, we generalize our previous study on the D5 quantum curve to the E7 case, which requires delicate handling of degeneracies. By combining the results of these two cases, we propose a "local" rule for the brane transitions.Comment: 33 pages, 8 eps figures; clarifications adde

Characteristics of Ozone Jet Generated by Dielectric-Barrier Discharge

科研費報告書収録論文(課題番号:17206016/研究代表者:西山秀哉/プラズマ流動システムのマルチスケール統合化による最適制御)77

Statistical distribution of binary ligands within rhodium-organic octahedra tunes microporosity in their assemblies

Structure-porosity relationships for metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) are hardly investigated because they tend to be amorphized after activation, which inhibits crystallographic characterization. Here, we show a mixed-ligand strategy to statistically distribute two distinct carbazole-type ligands within rhodium-based octahedral MOPs, leading to systematic tuning of the microporosity in the resulting amorphous solids

Methotrexate Alters the Expression of microRNA in Fibroblast-like Synovial Cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis

We aimed to investigate the effect of methotrexate (MTX) on microRNA modulation in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synovial cells (RA-FLS). RA-FLS were treated with MTX for 48 h. We then performed miRNA array analysis to investigate differentially expressed miRNAs. Transfection with miR-877-3p precursor and inhibitor were used to investigate the functional role of miR-877-3p in RA-FLS. Gene ontology analysis was used to investigate the cellular processes involving miR-877-3p. The production of cytokines/chemokines was screened by multiplex cytokine/chemokine bead assay and confirmed by ELISA and quantitative real-time PCR. The migratory and proliferative activities of RA-FLS were analyzed by wound healing assay and MKI-67 expression. MTX treatment altered the expression of 13 miRNAs (seven were upregulated and six were downregulated). Among them, quantitative real-time PCR confirmed that miR-877-3p was upregulated in response to MTX (1.79 ± 0.46-fold, p < 0.05). The possible target genes of miR-877-3p in RA-FLS revealed by the microarray analysis were correlated with biological processes. The overexpression of miR-877-3p decreased the production of GM-CSF and CCL3, and the overexpression of miR-877-3p inhibited migratory and proliferative activity. MTX altered the miR-877-3p expression on RA-FLS, and this alteration of miR-877-3p attenuated the abundant production of cytokines/chemokines and proliferative property of RA-FLS

Strong anti-tumor effect of NVP-AUY922, a novel Hsp90 inhibitor, on non-small cell lung cancer

The anti-tumor activity of a newly developed Hsp90 inhibitor, NVP-AUY922 (AUY922), against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was examined. Twenty-one NSCLC cell lines were used, the somatic alterations of which were characterized. Cell proliferation was analyzed using a modified MTS assay. Expression of the client proteins was assessed using Western blotting. The cell cycle was analyzed using flow cytometry. The IC50 value of AUY922 for the NSCLC cell lines ranged from 5.2 to 860 nM (median, 20.4 nM). Based on previous data, cells with an IC50 of less than 50 nM were classified as sensitive cells and 19 of the 21 NSCLC cell lines were judged to be sensitive. The IC50 of five malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) cell lines revealed that the MPM cells had a significantly higher IC50 value (median, 89.2 nM; range, 22.2-24, 100 nM) than the NSCLC cells (p = 0.015). There was significant depletion of both the total and phosphorylated client proteins - EGFR, MET, HERZ and ART - at low drug concentrations (50-100 nM) in drug-sensitive cell lines. Cell-cycle analysis was performed for two sensitive cell lines, H1975 and H838. Following AUY922 treatment, an increase in the sub-G(0)-G(1) cell population, as well as appearance of cleaved PARP expression, indicated the induction of apoptosis. In conclusion, AUY922 was effective against most NSCLC cell lines, independent of the type of known molecular alteration, and appears to be a promising new drug for the treatment of NSCLC. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Thymus and Activation-regulated Chemokine as a Biomarker for IgG4-related Disease

High serum concentrations of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) are observed in allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and bronchial asthma. Frequent allergic symptoms have been reported in patients with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). We investigated the pathogenic role of TARC as a biomarker in IgG4-RD patients. We evaluated the serum concentrations of TARC from 29 IgG4-RD patients, 28 primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS) patients, and 23 healthy controls (HCs) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We analyzed the correlations between the TARC concentrations and the subjects’ clinical parameters. To investigate the biological effect of TARC on the pathogenesis of IgG4-RD, we evaluated the in vitro induction of plasmablasts from IgG4-RD patients by TARC. The serum concentrations of TARC in the IgG4-RD patients were significantly higher than those of the pSS patients and HCs. The serum TARC concentration of the IgG4-RD group was positively correlated with the IgG4-RD responder index (IgG4-RD RI) score and with the number of organs involved, but it was not correlated with the serum IgG4 level or eosinophil number in the IgG4-RD patients’ peripheral blood. The patients who had lung involvement had higher serum TARC concentrations. In vitro, TARC clearly induced the formation of plasmablasts from the IgG4-RD patients’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Collectively, our data suggest that a systemic increment of TARC may contribute to the development of IgG4-RD through an aberrant induction of plasmablasts

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and tumor necrosis factor-α in combination is a useful diagnostic biomarker to distinguish familial Mediterranean fever from sepsis

Objective: To identify potential biomarkers to distinguish familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) from sepsis.Method: We recruited 28 patients diagnosed with typical FMF (according to the Tel Hashomer criteria), 22 patients with sepsis, and 118 age-matched controls. Serum levels of 40 cytokines were analyzed using multi-suspension cytokine array. We performed a cluster analysis of each cytokine in the FMF and sepsis groups in order to identify specific molecular networks. Multivariate classification (random forest analysis) and logistic regression analysis were used to rank the cytokines by importance and determine specific biomarkers for distinguishing FMF from sepsis.Results: Fifteen of the 40 cytokines were found to be suitable for further analysis. Levels of serum granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), fibroblast growth factor 2, vascular endothelial growth factor, macrophage inflammatory protein-1b, and interleukin-17 were significantly elevated, whereas tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was significantly lower in patients with FMF compared with those with sepsis. Cytokine clustering patterns differed between the two groups. Multivariate classification followed by logistic regression analysis revealed that measurement of both GM-CSF and TNF-α could distinguish FMF from sepsis with high accuracy (cut-off values for GM-CSF = 8.3 pg/mL; TNF-α = 16.3 pg/mL; sensitivity, 92.9%; specificity, 94.4%; accuracy, 93.4%).Conclusion: Determination of GM-CSF and TNF-α levels in combination may represent a biomarker for the differential diagnosis of FMF from sepsis, based on measurement of multiple cytokines

Structural and thermodynamic analyses reveal critical features of glycopeptide recognition by the human PILRα immune cell receptor

金沢大学医薬保健研究域薬学系Before entering host cells, herpes simplex virus-1 uses its envelope glycoprotein B to bind paired immunoglobulin-like type 2 receptor α (PILRα) on immune cells. PILRα belongs to the Siglec (sialic acid (SA)-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin)- like family, members of which bind SA. PILRα is the only Siglec member to recognize not only the sialylated O-linked sugar T antigen (sTn) but also its attached peptide region. We previously determined the crystal structure of PILRα complexed with the sTn-linked glycopeptide of glycoprotein B, revealing the simultaneous recognition of sTn and peptide by the receptor. However, the contribution of each glycopeptide component to PILRα binding was largely unclear. Here, we chemically synthesized glycopeptide derivatives and determined the thermodynamic parameters of their interaction with PILRα. We show that glycopeptides with different sugar units linking SA and peptides (i.e. "GlcNAc-Type" and "deoxy- GlcNAc-Type" glycopeptides) have lower affinity and more enthalpy-driven binding than the wild type (i.e. GalNAc-Type glycopeptide). The crystal structures of PILRα complexed with these glycopeptides highlighted the importance of stereochemical positioning of the O4 atom of the sugar moiety. These results provide insights both for understanding the unique O-glycosylated peptide recognition by the PILRα and for the rational design of herpes simplex virus-1 entry inhibitors. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc

The Learning and Change of Teacher Trainees during Japanese Language Education Training : Toward Improving the Teacher Training Program

In this report we discuss the Japanese language education training which was offered as a new course for undergraduates of the Faculty of Letters and explore what the Japanese teacher trainees learned and how they changed through taking this course. The results of our research showed that trainees learned a wide range of knowledge necessary for the teaching of Japanese and that they became more deeply interested in Japanese language teaching through their participation in the course. It was also shown that they became more cooperative, more communicative, and showed more initiative through taking the course. On the other hand, it was revealed that at the beginning of the course, trainees lacked sufficient knowledge to prepare for the teaching of Japanese, which appears to indicate a potential problem existing in the present curriculum of the teacher training program.2019～2020 年度関西大学教育研究高度化促進費研究課題「日本語教師養成講座の教育実習プログラムの構築 : 全学連携を目指した取組

The Design of Learning Support Environment for Nurturing Academic Writing Skills in Higher Education

本研究ではライティングセンターによる個別チュータリング、eラーニング教材の開発、オンラインチュータリングを実施することで、アカデミック・ライティング力を育むための教育システムの開発とそのデザイン原則の導出を目指した。個別チュータリングに関しては授業連携による利用が約65％を占め、なかでも初年次教育の利用が多く、教員による利用指示の背景にはライティングセンター教職員との意見交換の機会が影響していることを示した。eラーニング教材に関しては、アカデミック・ライティング力を育むための一定の効果が見受けられた。またオンラインチュータリングに関しては、対面と同様であると感じている学生がいる一方で、構成を考える際に図式化することで理解が深まると考える学生もおり、相談内容に応じて対面が望ましい傾向が指摘された。加えて、学生のコミュニケーションスタイルにより対面とオンラインチュータリングに対する心理的距離が異なるため、両方の環境を整備する必要性が示された。平成28年度関西大学教育研究高度化促進費「アカデミック・ライティング力を育むための教育システム開発とデザイン原則の導出」の一部である