Introducing Nonuniform Strain to Graphene Using Dielectric Nanopillars

A method for inducing nonuniform strain in graphene films is developed. Pillars made of a dielectric material (electron beam resist) are placed between graphene and the substrate, and graphene sections between pillars are attached to the substrate. The strength and spatial pattern of the strain can be controlled by the size and separation of the pillars. Application of strain is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy as well as from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. From SEM images, the maximum stretch of the graphene film reaches about 20%. This technique can be applied to the formation of band gaps in graphene.Comment: Appl. Phys. Express, in pres

ASK1-dependent recruitment and activation of macrophages induce hair growth in skin wounds

Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is a member of the mitogen-activated protein 3-kinase family that activates both c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase and p38 pathways in response to inflammatory cytokines and physicochemical stress. We report that ASK1 deficiency in mice results in dramatic retardation of wounding-induced hair regrowth in skin. Oligonucleotide microarray analysis revealed that expression of several chemotactic and activating factors for macrophages, as well as several macrophage-specific marker genes, was reduced in the skin wound area of ASK1-deficient mice. Intracutaneous transplantation of cytokine-activated bone marrow-derived macrophages strongly induced hair growth in both wild-type and ASK1-deficient mice. These findings indicate that ASK1 is required for wounding-induced infiltration and activation of macrophages, which play central roles in inflammation-dependent hair regrowth in skin

Two-Dimensional Dynamic Fusion for Continuous Authentication

Continuous authentication has been widely studied to provide high security and usability for mobile devices by continuously monitoring and authenticating users. Recent studies adopt multibiometric fusion for continuous authentication to provide high accuracy even when some of captured biometric data are of a low quality. However, existing continuous fusion approaches are resource-heavy as they rely on all classifiers being activated all the time and may not be suitable for mobile devices. In this paper, we propose a new approach to multibiometric continuous authentication: two-dimensional dynamic fusion. Our key insight is that multibiometric continuous authentication calculates two-dimensional matching scores over classifiers and over time. Based on this, we dynamically select a set of classifiers based on the context in which authentication is taking place, and fuse matching scores by multi-classifier fusion and multi-sample fusion. Through experimental evaluation, we show that our approach provides a better balance between resource usage and accuracy than the existing fusion methods. In particular, we show that our approach provides higher accuracy than the existing methods with the same number of score calculations by adopting multi-sample fusion.Comment: Accepted to IJCB'2

Pathophysiological Involvement of Mast Cells and the Lipid Mediators in Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling

Mast cells are responsible for IgE-dependent allergic responses, but they also produce various bioactive mediators and contribute to the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular diseases, including pulmonary hypertension (PH). The importance of lipid mediators in the pathogenesis of PH has become evident in recent years, as exemplified by prostaglandin I2, the most central therapeutic target in pulmonary arterial hypertension. New bioactive lipids other than eicosanoids have also been identified that are associated with the pathogenesis of PH. However, it remains largely unknown how mast cell-derived lipid mediators are involved in pulmonary vascular remodeling. Recently, it has been demonstrated that mast cells produce epoxidized n-3 fatty acid (n-3 epoxides) in a degranulation-independent manner, and that n-3 epoxides produced by mast cells regulate the abnormal activation of pulmonary fibroblasts and suppress the progression of pulmonary vascular remodeling. This review summarizes the role of mast cells and bioactive lipids in the pathogenesis of PH. In addition, we introduce the pathophysiological role and therapeutic potential of n-3 epoxides, a mast cell-derived novel lipid mediator, in the pulmonary vascular remodeling in PH. Further knowledge of mast cells and lipid mediators is expected to lead to the development of innovative therapies targeting pulmonary vascular remodeling

Molecular Mechanism of Pathogenesis and Treatment Strategies for AL Amyloidosis

In amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, small B-cell clones (mostly plasma cell clones) present in the bone marrow proliferate and secrete unstable monoclonal free light chains (FLCs), which form amyloid fibrils that deposit in the interstitial tissue, resulting in organ injury and dysfunction. AL amyloidosis progresses much faster than other types of amyloidosis, with a slight delay in diagnosis leading to a marked exacerbation of cardiomyopathy. In some cases, the resulting heart failure is so severe that chemotherapy cannot be administered, and death sometimes occurs within a few months. To date, many clinical studies have focused on therapeutics, especially chemotherapy, to treat this disease. Because it is necessary to promptly lower FLC, the causative protein of amyloid, to achieve a hematological response, various anticancer agents targeting neoplastic plasma cells are used for the treatment of this disease. In addition, many basic studies using human specimens to elucidate the pathophysiology of AL have been conducted. Gene mutations associated with AL, the characteristics of amyloidogenic LC, and the structural specificity of amyloid fibrils have been clarified. Regarding the mechanism of cellular and tissue damage, the mass effect due to amyloid deposition, as well as the toxicity of pre-fibrillar LC, is gradually being elucidated. This review outlines the pathogenesis and treatment strategies for AL amyloidosis with respect to its molecular mechanisms

Therapeutic Targets for DOX-Induced Cardiomyopathy: Role of Apoptosis vs. Ferroptosis

Doxorubicin (DOX) is the most widely used anthracycline anticancer agent; however, its cardiotoxicity limits its clinical efficacy. Numerous studies have elucidated the mechanisms underlying DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, wherein apoptosis has been reported as the most common final step leading to cardiomyocyte death. However, in the past two years, the involvement of ferroptosis, a novel programmed cell death, has been proposed. The purpose of this review is to summarize the historical background that led to each form of cell death, focusing on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and the molecular mechanisms that trigger each form of cell death. Furthermore, based on this understanding, possible therapeutic strategies to prevent DOX cardiotoxicity are outlined. DNA damage, oxidative stress, intracellular signaling, transcription factors, epigenetic regulators, autophagy, and metabolic inflammation are important factors in the molecular mechanisms of DOX-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Conversely, the accumulation of lipid peroxides, iron ion accumulation, and decreased expression of glutathione and glutathione peroxidase 4 are important in ferroptosis. In both cascades, the mitochondria are an important site of DOX cardiotoxicity. The last part of this review focuses on the significance of the disruption of mitochondrial homeostasis in DOX cardiotoxicity

ラット脊髄の圧迫後における神経細胞損失の経過と範囲

Motor deficits after spinal cord injury arise from damages to the descending spinal pathways and ventral motoneurons (VMN). In contrast to data on damages to the white matter or the descending spinal pathways, few quantitative data on damages to VMN after injury are available currently. The purpose of this study was to examine quantitatively the temporal and spatial pattern of VMN loss after spinal cord compression. Two groups of adult female Wistar rats were used in this study: rats which were subjected to spinal cord compression in short duration with an aneurysm clip (experimental group) and rats which were subjected to a sham-operation (control group). Using serial cross-sections of the spinal cord, VMN were counted up to the 7th day after surgical intervention at 0, 1, 2, and 3 mm rostral and caudal to the lesion epicenter (experimental group) or to the median of the serial sections (control group). At 15 minutes after the compression, VMN were lost only at the epicenter section and no VMN were observed there. By 8 hours, VMN loss had spread to next 1 mm rostral and caudal section to the epicenter. Virtually, no further loss was detected between 8 hours and later time points. This study showed that compression to the adult rat spinal cord in short duration led to VMN loss, which progressed acutely and expanded modestly. Our findings could be used to develop effective treatment and provide a better understanding of VMN loss after spinal cord injury

Postural control in persons with unilateral trans-femoral amputation using center of pressure : effect of socket types

片側大腿切断者の立位姿勢制御の特徴を明らかにする目的で,社会的活動レベルにある片側大腿切断者6名を対象に,静止立位と計算課題を同時に行った場合の姿勢制御について足圧中心点の変位を指標に検討した.事前に光刺激による反応時間を測定し計算課題が注意を分散させ得る課題であること確認した.足圧中心点の測定は,静止立位で10秒間行い,総軌跡長,矩形面積,健患位置,前後位置を算出し,健常者との比較,計算課題の有無による比較を行った.その結果,片側大腿切断者は健常者より総軌跡長,矩形面積が有意に大きかったが,両者とも二重課題の影響は受けなかった.また,片側大腿切断者は静止立位時足圧中心点が健側へ偏倚しており,二重課題時はさらに健側へ偏倚させる方略で姿勢制御していた.ソケットの違いによる比較では,坐骨収納型ソケットより四辺形ソケット使用者の方が安定する傾向にあった.The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of postural control in persons with amputation and to examine the influence of two socket types. A group of six men with unilateral trans-femoral amputation (amputation group, AG) participated in this study. A group of twenty healthy men (control group, CG), matched for age, were also tested. The subjects performed two tests as follows: (1)quiet upright standing task (single-task, ST) and (2)upright standing and concurrent attention-demanding task (calculation task) (dual-task, DT). The center of pressure (CP) was measured using a force platform during the two conditions. In addition, the trajectory length (LNG), the rectilinear area (REA), and the lateral and fore-aft direction were calculated. Significant differences were observed between AG and CG concerning LNG and REA in ST (p<.05). But the effect of a cognitive task on the efficiency of postural control was not shown in either group. In contrast with CG, CP in AG showed a movement to the non-amputation side in the lateral direction (p<.05). Further, CP was moved to the non-amputation side as an effect of the cognitive task (p<.05). In regard to the effect by socket type, there was a tendency for LNG and REA in the quadrilateral socket to be smaller than in the ischial-ramal containment socket