•Optical excitation of rubrene molecular islands on HOPG visualized by microspot 2PPE•At the boundaries of islands, optical excitations are enhanced via hybridized orbital•Electronic structures of ...nanoscale molecular distributions cause the enhancement•Microspot 2PPE is a powerful tool to boundaries that are not accessible by PEEM/STM
The lateral distribution of optical excitation occurring at the edge part of rubrene (5,6,11,12-tetraphenyltetracene) molecular islands formed on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrate has been visualized with microspot two-photon photoemission (2PPE) spectroscopy of 0.4 µm resolution. As we reported previously T. Ueba, et al., J. Phys. Chem. C 117 (2013) 20098–20103, an unoccupied peak labeled Ln is strongly enhanced in 2PPE spectroscopy by a resonant optical excitation between a diffuse unoccupied Ln molecular orbital and the HOMO. The strong enhancement is due to the hybridization of Ln with the image potential state (IPS) on the HOPG substrate. In this study, using the spatially-resolved microspot 2PPE method, we obtained the real space image of the area where the optical excitation occurs. One-photon photoelectron emission microscope (1PPE-PEEM) with 50 nm resolution is used to compare with the microspot 2PPE. The 1PPE-PEEM images are homogeneous for films below and above 1 monolayer (ML) coverage, indicating that the molecular density of rubrene is homogeneous within the lateral resolution. On the other hand, microspot 2PPE images for sub-ML films show inhomogeneous areas of several µm sizes. The images depend on the detected unoccupied levels of interest. The inhomogeneity is very significant when the image is recorded at the energy of Ln peak. The different appearance between 1PPE-PEEM and microspot 2PPE images is explained on the basis that the Ln excitation occurs at the edges of islands smaller than the resolution of the PEEM. Though the microspot 2PPE achieves only moderate lateral resolution, it is sensitive to the resonant excitation occurring at nm-scale boundaries of the molecular islands. The distribution of the nm-scale islands is the origin of the µm-scale lateral inhomogeneity. The microspot 2PPE images become homogeneous for films thicker than 1 ML, reflecting the quenching of the resonant excitation. These results demonstrate a possibility that spatially- and energy-resolved microspot 2PPE can be a powerful tool to clarify nanoscale geometric and electronic structures at the molecule/substrate interfaces.
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Blockade of the CD40–CD154 costimulatory signal is an attractive strategy for immunosuppression and tolerance induction in organ transplantation. Treatment with anti‐CD154 monoclonal antibodies ...(mAbs) results in potent immunosuppression in nonhuman primates (NHPs). Despite plans for future clinical use, further development of these treatments was halted by complications. As an alternative approach, we have been focusing on the inhibition of the counter receptor, CD40 and have shown that a novel human anti‐CD40 mAb, ASKP1240, markedly prolongs renal allograft survival in NHPs, although allografts eventually underwent chronic allograft nephropathy. On the basis of our previous findings that a CD40–CD154 costimulation blockade induces tolerance to hepatic, but not cardiac, allografts in rodents, we tested here our hypothesis that a blockade of CD40 by ASKP1240 allows acceptance of hepatic allografts in NHPs. A 2‐week ASKP1240 induction treatment prolonged liver allograft survival in NHPs; however, the graft function deteriorated due to chronic rejection. In contrast, a 6‐month ASKP1240 maintenance monotherapy efficiently suppressed both cellular and humoral alloimmune responses and prevented rejection on the hepatic allograft. No serious side effects, including thromboembolic complications, were noted in the ASKP1240‐treated monkeys. We conclude that CD40 blockade by ASKP1240 would be a desirable immunosuppressant for clinical liver transplantation.
The authors find that the blockade of CD40 by ASKP1240 ameliorated cellular and humoral alloimmune responses and prevented rejection on hepatic allograft in nonhuman primates, and conclude that ASKP1240 would be a desirable immunosuppressant for clinical liver transplantation.
An electrostatic time-of-flight detector named E-MCP has been developed for quick diagnostics of circulating beam and timing measurement in mass spectrometry at the Rare-RI Ring in RIKEN. The E-MCP ...detector consists of a conversion foil, potential grids, and a microchannel plate. Secondary electrons are released from the surface of the foil when a heavy ion hits it. The electrons are accelerated and deflected by 90∘ toward the microchannel plate by electrostatic potentials. A thin carbon foil and a thin aluminum-coated mylar foil were used as conversion foils. We obtained time resolutions of 69(1) ps and 43(1) ps (standard deviation) for a 84Kr beam at an energy of 170 MeV/u when using the carbon and the aluminum-coated mylar foils, respectively. A detection efficiency of approximately 90% was obtained for both foils. The E-MCP detector equipped with the carbon foil was installed inside the Rare-RI Ring to confirm particle circulation within a demonstration experiment on mass measurements of nuclei around 78Ge produced by in-flight fission of uranium beam at the RI Beam Factory in RIKEN. Periodic time signals from circulating ions were clearly observed. Revolution times for 78Ge, 77Ga, and 76Zn were obtained. The results confirmed successful circulation of the short-lived nuclei inside the Rare-RI Ring.
In this study, the mechanisms governing compressive strength in quasi-isotropic carbon-fiber reinforced-plastic laminates were clarified to gain an understanding of the results of non-hole ...compression tests. Synchronized observations of both sides of specimens provided insights into the locations of initial fractures in the width directions of the specimens. We also observed the areas surrounding the initial fractures in detail and found that the innermost 0° plies failed under the action of out-of-plane shear deformation. A finite element model was also used to elucidate the factors governing initial fracture. Analytical and experimental results suggest that the occurrence of initial fracture in quasi-isotropic laminates is dominated by out-of-plane shear stress. Based on the results of our analysis, a reasonable sequence of fractures was inferred.
Abstract Cellular survival and death are at least partially regulated by the phosphorylation of proteins. A chaperon protein, 14-3-3ζ, regulates the activity of many proteins by covering the ...phosphorylation site within a 14-3-3 binding motif. Therefore, regulation of 14-3-3ζ activity may affect the fate of cells subjected to cold preservation and/or hypothermic oxygenated conditions. The present study assessed whether 14-3-3ζ protects cells from hypothermic oxygenation-induced injury and clarified its role in mitochondrial functions. Human renal tubular cell line HK-2 or 14-3-3ζ-overexpressed HK-2 (ζHK-2) cells were subjected to 72 hours of normoxic cold preservation in UW solution with or without antioxidants and hydroperoxides. Cellular death, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, and MTT catabolism were evaluated. Deferoxamine treatment reduced cellular death and augmented ATP content in both cell types. These indices were higher in ζHK-2, regardless of deferoxamine treatment. Exposure to hydroperoxides did not affect cellular death in either cell type, whereas hydroperoxide supplementation significantly reduced ATP content, except for low-dose hydrogen peroxide in HK-2 cells. MTT assay at normal state showed higher values in ζHK-2 cells, whereas it was impaired by hydroperoxides in both cell types. These results suggest that accumulation of hydroperoxides as a byproduct of the augmented oxidative phosphorylation by 14-3-3ζ overexpression causes mitochondrial dysfunction. In conclusion, despite possessing many potentially protective functions, 14-3-3ζ exacerbates cellular injury under hypothermic oxygenated conditions. 14-3-3ζ accelerates mitochondrial functions together with iron-dependent oxidative damage. Although further investigations are necessary, upregulation of 14-3-3ζ could be a method to maintain mitochondrial function under hypothermic oxygenated conditions, as shown in hypothermic machine preservation of renal grafts, when appropriate antioxidant treatment is administered.
Isochronous mass spectrometry based on heavy-ion storage rings is a powerful tool for direct mass measurements of very short-lived nuclei. Owing to the nature of in-flight separation of high-energy ...reaction products, many ion species with different mass-to-charge ratios (m/q) can be transmitted to and stored in the ring in one shot. However, high mass resolving power can be achieved only for a limited range of ion species with velocities well matching the isochronous condition of the ring. The knowledge of velocities of each stored ions is required to overcome this restriction. For this purpose, two time-of-flight (TOF) detectors were installed 18 m apart in one straight section of the cooler-storage ring CSRe in Lanzhou. The time sequences measured by the two TOF detectors for each stored ion were used for the precision determination of its velocity. A relative precision of the velocity is achieved to the level of10−5for individual ions. The betatron oscillations of the ion motion in the ring were clearly identified in the data and were taken into account in the analysis. The presented technique can be used for measurements of machine tunes and their dependence on particle momenta.