Suzaku Observation of HCG 62: Temperature, Abundance, and Extended Hard X-ray Emission Profiles

We present results of 120 ks observation of a compact group of galaxies HCG~62 ($z=0.0145$) with Suzaku XIS and HXD-PIN\@. The XIS spectra for four annular regions were fitted with two temperature {\it vapec} model with variable abundance, combined with the foreground Galactic component. The Galactic component was constrained to have a common surface brightness among the four annuli, and two temperature {\it apec} model was preferred to single temperature model. We confirmed the multi-temperature nature of the intra-group medium reported with Chandra and XMM-Newton, with a doughnut-like high temperature ring at radii 3.3--6.5$'$ in a hardness image. We found Mg, Si, S, and Fe abundances to be fairly robust. We examined the possible ``high-abundance arc'' at $\sim 2'$ southwest from the center, however Suzaku data did not confirm it. We suspect that it is a misidentification of an excess hot component in this region as the Fe line. Careful background study showed no positive detection of the extended hard X-rays previously reported with ASCA, in 5--12 keV with XIS and 12--40 keV with HXD-PIN, although our upper limit did not exclude the ASCA result. There is an indication that the X-ray intensity in $r<3.3'$ region is $70\pm 19$% higher than the nominal CXB level (5--12 keV), and Chandra and Suzaku data suggest that most of this excess could be due to concentration of hard X-ray sources with an average photon index of $\Gamma=1.38\pm 0.06$. Cumulative mass of O, Fe and Mg in the group gas and the metal mass-to-light ratio were derived and compared with those in other groups. Possible role of AGN or galaxy mergers in this group is also discussed.Comment: 29 pages with 9 figures, accepted for publication in PASJ Vol 60, second Suzaku special issu

Self-assembling A6K peptide nanotubes as a mercaptoundecahydrododecaborate (BSH) delivery system for boron neutron capture t (BNCT)

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a tumor selective therapy, the effectiveness of which depends on sufficient 10B delivery to and accumulation in tumors. In this study, we used self-assembling A6K peptide nanotubes as boron carriers and prepared new boron agents by simple mixing of A6K and BSH. BSH has been used to treat malignant glioma patients in clinical trials and its drug safety and availability have been confirmed; however, its contribution to BNCT efficacy is low. A6K nanotube delivery improved two major limitations of BSH, including absence of intracellular transduction and non-specific drug delivery to tumor tissue. Varying the A6K peptide and BSH mixture ratio produced materials with different morphologies—determined by electron microscopy—and intracellular transduction efficiencies. We investigated the A6K/BSH 1:10 mixture ratio and found high intracellular boron uptake with no toxicity. Microscopy observation showed intracellular localization of A6K/BSH in the perinuclear region and endosome in human glioma cells. The intracellular boron concentration using A6K/BSH was almost 10 times higher than that of BSH. The systematic administration of A6K/BSH via mouse tail vein showed tumor specific accumulation in a mouse brain tumor model with immunohistochemistry and pharmacokinetic study. Neutron irradiation of glioma cells treated with A6K/BSH showed the inhibition of cell proliferation in a colony formation assay. Boron delivery using A6K peptide provides a unique and simple strategy for next generation BNCT drugs

Removal of broken screws using a hollow rubber tube (Nelaton catheter)

Removing a broken screw tightly buried within the bone is an unenviable task. We report an inventive technique that makes use of rubber tubing placed over the broken screw. This technique is very effective, especially for the removal of screws in which the thread ridge has been worn down by the direct application of pliers to hold and rotate the screw. It is also time-saving and lessens debris contamination