Theileria orientalis is one of the benign species of Theileria that is widely distributed in Japan and is sometimes responsible for serious economic losses in the livestock industry. In the present ...study, we surveyed the current status of T. orientalis infection in grazing cattle in the eastern areas of Hokkaido (Taiki, Otofuke, Shintoku, and Shin-Hidaka districts) using molecular methods, as well as traditional methods, of diagnosis. The genes encoding the major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) and p23 of T. orientalis were identified using highly detectable polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results of the MPSP-PCR assay indicated that grazing cattle in these districts, after about 1.5 months pasturage, showed high rates of infection, ranging from 10.0-64.8%. Although the main MPSP and p23 genotypes detected were the Ikeda- or Chitose-types, an MPSP gene closely relating to that found in Okinawa prefecture, and a p23 gene closely relating to the Australian (Warwick) Buffeli-type gene, were found in the cattle in Shintoku and Shin-Hidaka districts. The present survey indicated that there were at least five types of T. orientalis classified by their MPSP genes in Hokkaido, Japan, and that T. orientalis infection rates are still high in this region.
The Ser/Thr kinase Raf-1 is a protooncogene product that is a central component in many signaling pathways involved in normal cell growth and oncogenic transformation. Upon activation, Raf-1 ...phosphorylates mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), which in turn activates mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinases (MAPK/ERKs), leading to the propagation of signals. Depending on specific stimuli and cellular environment, the Raf-1-MEK-ERK cascade regulates diverse cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Here, we describe a MEK-ERK-independent prosurvival function of Raf-1. We found that Raf-1 interacts with the proapoptotic, stressactivated protein kinase ASK1 (apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1) in vitro and in vivo. Deletion analysis localized the Raf-1 binding site to the N-terminal regulatory fragment of ASK1. This interaction allows Raf-1 to act independently of the MEK-ERK pathway to inhibit apoptosis. Furthermore, catalytically inactive forms of Raf-1 can mimic the wild-type effect, raising the possibility of a kinase-independent function of Raf-1. Thus, Raf-1 may promote cell survival through its protein-protein interactions in addition to its established MEK kinase function.
The 235U neutron-induced cross section is widely used as reference cross section for measuring other fission cross sections, but in the resonance region it is not considered as an IAEA standard ...because of the scarce experimental data covering the full region. In this work, we deal with a new analysis of the experimental data obtained with a detection setup based on parallel plate ionization chambers (PPACs) at the CERN n_TOF facility in the range from 1 eV to 10 keV. The relative cross section has been normalised to the IAEA value in the region between 7.8 and 11 eV, which is claimed as well-known. Comparison with the ENDF/B-VII evaluation and the IAEA reference file from 100 eV to 10 keV are provided.
Recently, the market of the PV power plant is growing up in the Asian market. In the PV power plant, typically, an inverter which has the rated power of few hundreds kVA is applied to feed the power ...to the grid. A 1-MW solar power inverter which employs all SiC Power Modules has been developed. The developed solar power inverter consists of two conversion stages, first stage is a boost converter and second stage is a T-type NPC inverter. A chopper module in the boost converter is configured with SiC-based MOSFETs and Schottky Barrier Diodes, and 48 chopper modules are used in parallel. Each chopper module is controlled individually. The T-type NPC inverter stage is configured with Si-based IGBTs and RB-IGBTs. In this paper, the circuit configurations of the developed solar power inverter, employed SiC-based power devices, and the control scheme are described in detail. In the end, the total efficiencies for the minimum, nominal, and maximum DC voltages are experimentally measured. The measured efficiency at the rated output power varies from 98 to 98.6% depending on the values of DC input voltage. The maximum efficiency of 98.8% is achieved in the case of maximum DC input voltage.
Magneto-optical absorption measurements of Sb-doped germaniums grown under micro-gravity condition were carried out to investigate the influence of the gravity on crystal growth, using far-infrared ...laser and microwave. For comparison, we prepared two germanium crystals grown in the same conditions except the gravity conditions. In spite of the quite short growth period, the germanium grown under micro-gravity has a quite good quality. The lineshape analysis of Zeeman absorption peaks due to donor electrons indicates the existence of residual thermal acceptors.
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