38 research outputs found

    Gravity sensing in plant and animal cells

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    Gravity determines shape of body tissue and affects the functions of life, both in plants and animals. The cellular response to gravity is an active process of mechanotransduction. Although plants and animals share some common mechanisms of gravity sensing in spite of their distant phylogenetic origin, each species has its own mechanism to sense and respond to gravity. In this review, we discuss current understanding regarding the mechanisms of cellular gravity sensing in plants and animals. Understanding gravisensing also contributes to life on Earth, e.g., understanding osteoporosis and muscle atrophy. Furthermore, in the current age of Mars exploration, understanding cellular responses to gravity will form the foundation of living in space

    On the mechanism of the peroxide epoxidation of olefins: A bond interaction perspective

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    A new picture of the reaction mechanism of peracid epoxidation of olefins is proposed from the perspective of bond interaction. In contrast to the mechanism from the perspective of electronic theory, which includes the movement of an electron from the -bond to the negatively charged oxygen atom, the olefin is initially protonated and then migrates to the oxygen atom

    Prevention of redox shuttle using electropolymerized polypyrrole film in a lithiumā€“oxygen battery

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    Among the recent advancements in lithiumā€“oxygen (Liā€“O2) chemistries, redox mediators (RMs) have been revealed to play a significant role in decreasing overpotential on charging and in improving cycling performance. However, an intrinsic problem is redox shuttle of RMs, which leads to degraded RM utilization and induces the accumulation of discharge products on the cathode surface; this remains a significant issue in the current battery cell configuration (Li anode/separator/cathode). To address this detrimental problem, herein we propose a novel Liā€“O2 cell incorporating a freestanding electropolymerized polypyrrole (PPy) film for the restriction of the redox-shuttle phenomenon of lithium iodide (Li anode/separator/PPy film/cathode). In this study, a PPy film, which is prepared through oxidative electropolymerization using an ionic liquid of 1-methyl-1-butylpyrrolidinium mixed with pyrrole and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, is introduced between the cathode and the separator. From the chargeā€“discharge voltage profile, it is confirmed that the PPy film suppresses the diffusion of the oxidized I3āˆ’ to the Li anode, while allowing Li ion transport. Secondary scanning electron microscope measurements confirm that the chemical reactions between I3āˆ’ and Li2O2 are facilitated by the presence of the PPy film because I3āˆ’ remains near the cathode surface during the charging process. As a result, the cycling performance in the Liā€“O2 cells with PPy film exhibits a cycling life four times as long as that of the Liā€“O2 cells without PPy film

    Intensity control in RF-knockout extraction for scanning irradiation

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    In cancer therapy using an ion beam, a scanning irradiation method has been developed in order to realize 3-D conformal irradiation. From studies of the scanning method, it has been required for a medical synchrotron to be capable of controlling the beam intensity during the duration of extraction. For this purpose, a beam-intensity control technique with RF-knockout slow-extraction has been studied and developed at the HIMAC synchrotron. Based on a simple one-dimensional model of extraction, the function of amplitude modulation (AM) for a transverse RF-field was analytically calculated to control the beam current. By cooperating with the feedback system, finally, we could control the beam intensity within a range of one order during a single flattop. We report on a simulation and the experiment result of intensity control for scanning irradiation

    S1 Dataset -

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    Saunas are becoming increasingly popular worldwide, being an activity that promotes relaxation and health. Intense feelings of happiness have been reported shortly after enjoying a hot sauna and cold water, what is known in Japan as the ā€œtotonouā€ state. However, no research has investigated what occurs in the brain during the ā€œtotonouā€ state. In the present study, participants underwent a sauna phase, consisting of three sets of alternating hot sauna, cold water, and rest. We elucidated changes in brain activity and mood in the ā€œtotonouā€ state by measuring and comparing brain activity and emotional scales before and after the sauna phase and during the rest phase in each set. We found significant increases in theta and alpha power during rest and after the sauna phase compared to before the sauna phase. Moreover, in an auditory oddball task, the p300 amplitude decreased significantly and MMN amplitude increased significantly after the sauna phase. The increase in MMN indicates higher activation of the pre-attentional auditory process, leading to a decrease in attention-related brain activity P300. Hence, the brain reaches in a more efficient state. Further, the response time in behavioral tasks decreased significantly. In addition, the participantsā€™ subjective responses to the questionnaire showed significant changes in physical relaxation and other indicators after being in the sauna. Finally, we developed an artificial intelligence classifier, obtaining an average accuracy of brain state classification of 88.34%. The results have potential for future application.</div

    Average scores of questions in ā€œAltered states of consciousness rating scaleā€ before sauna (pre) and at each rest during the sauna set (post1, post2, post3) in the sauna and control groups.

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    Average scores of questions in ā€œAltered states of consciousness rating scaleā€ before sauna (pre) and at each rest during the sauna set (post1, post2, post3) in the sauna and control groups.</p

    Classification accuracy of decoding ā€œtotonouā€ for each participant in, and the average accuracy of the sauna group.

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    Classification accuracy of decoding ā€œtotonouā€ for each participant in, and the average accuracy of the sauna group.</p
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