Abstract Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) data toward QSO J1851+0035 ( l = 33.°498, b = +0.°194) were used to study absorption lines by Galactic molecular gas. We detected 17 ...species (CO, 13 CO, C 18 O, HCO + , H 13 CO + , HCO, H 2 CO, C 2 H, c -C 3 H, c -C 3 H 2 , CN, HCN, HNC, CS, SO, SiO, and C) and set upper limits to 18 species as reference values for chemical models. About 20 independent velocity components at 4.7–10.9 kpc from the Galactic center were identified. Their column density and excitation temperature estimated from the absorption study, as well as the CO intensity distributions obtained from the FUGIN survey, indicate that the components with τ ≲1 correspond to diffuse clouds or cloud outer edges. Simultaneous multiple-Gaussian fitting of CO J = 1–0 and J = 2–1 absorption lines shows that these are composed of narrow- and broad-line components. The kinetic temperature empirically expected from the high HCN/HNC isomer ratio (≳4) reaches ≳40 K and the corresponding thermal width accounts for the line widths of the narrow-line components. CN-bearing molecules and hydrocarbons have tight and linear correlations within the groups. The CO/HCO + abundance ratio showed a dispersion as large as 3 orders of magnitude with a smaller ratio in a smaller N (HCO + ) (or lower A V ) range. Some of the velocity components are detected in single-dish CO emission and ALMA HCO + absorption but without corresponding ALMA CO absorption. This may be explained by the mixture of clumpy CO emitters not resolved with the ∼1 pc single-dish beam surrounded by extended components with a very low CO/HCO + abundance ratio (i.e., CO-poor gas).
A superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) in two dimensions is a prototypical quantum phase transition (QPT) with a clear quantum critical point (QCP) at zero temperature (T = 0). The SIT is ...induced by a field B and observed in disordered thin films. In some of weakly disordered or crystalline thin films, however, an anomalous metallic (AM) ground state emerges over a wide B range between the superconducting and insulating phases. It remains a fundamental open question how the QPT picture of the SIT is modified when the AM state appears. Here we present measurements of the Nernst effect N, which has great sensitivity to the fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter. From a thorough contour map of N in the B-T plane, we found a thermal-to-quantum crossover line of the superconducting fluctuations, a so-called ghost-temperature line associated with the QPT, as well as a ghost-field line associated with a thermal transition. The QCP is identified as a T = 0 intercept of the ghost-temperature line inside the AM state, which verifies that the AM state is a broadened critical state of the SIT.
We report a simple device with an array of 10 000 (100 × 100) microwells for producing vertical pairs of cells in individual microwells with a rapid manipulation based on positive dielectrophoresis ...(p-DEP). The areas encircled with micropoles which fabricated from an electrical insulating photosensitive polymer were used as microwells. The width (14 μm) and depth (25 μm) of the individual microwells restricted the size to two vertically aligned cells. The DEP device for the manipulation of cells consisted of a microfluidic channel with an upper indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode and a lower microwell array electrode fabricated on an ITO substrate. Mouse myeloma cells stained in green were trapped within 1 s in the microwells by p-DEP by applying an alternating current voltage between the upper ITO and the lower microwell array electrode. The cells were retained inside the wells even after switching off the voltage and washing with a fluidic flow. Other myeloma cells stained in blue were then trapped in the microwells occupied by the cells stained in green to form the vertical cell pairing in the microwells. Cells stained in different colors were paired within only 1 min and a pairing efficiency of over 50% was achieved.
Abstract
We analyze HCN and HNC emission in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 to investigate its effectiveness in tracing heating processes associated with star formation. This study uses multiple ...HCN and HNC rotational transitions observed using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array via the ALCHEMI Large Program. To understand the conditions and associated heating mechanisms within NGC 253's dense gas, we employ Bayesian nested sampling techniques applied to chemical and radiative transfer models, which are constrained using our HCN and HNC measurements. We find that the volume density
n
H
2
and cosmic-ray ionization rate (CRIR)
ζ
are enhanced by about an order of magnitude in the galaxy’s central regions as compared to those further from the nucleus. In NGC 253's central giant molecular clouds (GMCs), where observed HCN/HNC abundance ratios are the lowest,
n
∼ 10
5.5
cm
−3
and
ζ
∼ 10
−12
s
−1
(greater than 10
4
times the average Galactic rate). We find a positive correlation in the association of both density and CRIR with the number of star formation-related heating sources (supernova remnants, H
ii
regions, and super hot cores) located in each GMC, as well as a correlation between CRIRs and supernova rates. Additionally, we see an anticorrelation between the HCN/HNC ratio and CRIR, indicating that this ratio will be lower in regions where
ζ
is higher. Though previous studies suggested HCN and HNC may reveal strong mechanical heating processes in NGC 253's CMZ, we find cosmic-ray heating dominates the heating budget, and mechanical heating does not play a significant role in the HCN and HNC chemistry.
In this study, we designed and experimentally verified the placement of odor sensors and an algorithm using the aero-olfactory effect of a palm-sized quadcopter to solve the three-dimensional ...chemical plume tracking (3D-CPT) problem. Solving 3D-CPT is important in engineering as it helps perform rescue operations during disasters and identify sources of harmful substances. Moreover, the odor sensors must be properly located and a CPT algorithm be applied to improve the tracking performance of a chemical. However, studies regarding the use of quadcopters for solving the 3D-CPT problem are scarce, and the relationship between the odor sensor location and algorithm is debatable. Hence, we utilized particle image velocimetry, an airflow visualization technology, to evaluate the arrival direction of chemicals at different heights. The results showed that odor sensors must be placed on the upper and front surfaces of a quadcopter to monitor the chemicals three-dimensionally. Additionally, we designed a 3D surge-casting algorithm, which is an extension of the CPT strategy of a flying moth, that is, surge casting, to accommodate the proposed odor sensor placement. By conducting 3D-CPT experiments based on different heights of odor sources using the proposed system, we discovered that even in an environment with significant changes in the wind direction the CPT performance is better than that of the conventional 3D-CPT algorithm. Thus, 3D-CPT should be further improved to enable its application in unknown and cluttered environments. In this study, we improved the 3D-CPT performance of a palm-sized quadcopter by designing an appropriate sensor arrangement and algorithm balance.
c-Fos is a useful marker gene of neuron activation for neuroscience and physiology research. The mechanism and function of neural networks have been elucidated using c-Fos reporter knock-in (KI) ...mice, but the small size of the mice makes it difficult to perform surgical procedures on specific brain regions. On the other hand, there is a large amount of accumulated data on behavioral studies using rats. Thus, the generation of c-Fos reporter rat is expected, but it is difficult to generate gene-modified rats. Furthermore, c-Fos gene abnormality is expected to be severe in rats, as shown in homozygous of c-Fos knockout (KO) mouse, but such analysis has rarely been performed and is not certain. This study generated c-Fos-deficient rats using CRISPR/Cas, with 1067 bp deletion including exon 1 of the c-Fos gene. Homozygous c-Fos KO rats had growth latency and the same tooth and bone abnormality as homozygous c-Fos KO mice but not heterozygous c-Fos KO rats. Therefore, the c-Fos gene in rats is expected to have the same function as that in mice, and the generation of c-Fos reporter KI rats is further anticipated.
Abstract
The centers of starburst galaxies may be characterized by a specific gas and ice chemistry due to their gas dynamics and the presence of various ice desorption mechanisms. This may result in ...a peculiar observable composition. We analyse the abundances of CO
2
, a reliable tracer of ice chemistry, from data collected as part of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array large program ALCHEMI, a wide-frequency spectral scan toward the starburst galaxy NGC 253 with an angular resolution of 1.″6. We constrain the CO
2
abundances in the gas phase using its protonated form HOCO
+
. The distribution of HOCO
+
is similar to that of methanol, which suggests that HOCO
+
is indeed produced from the protonation of CO
2
sublimated from ice. The HOCO
+
fractional abundances are found to be (1–2) × 10
−9
at the outer part of the central molecular zone (CMZ), while they are lower (∼10
−10
) near the kinematic center. This peak fractional abundance at the outer CMZ is comparable to that in the Milky Way CMZ, and orders of magnitude higher than that in Galactic disk, star-forming regions. From the range of HOCO
+
/CO
2
ratios suggested from chemical models, the gas-phase CO
2
fractional abundance is estimated to be (1–20) × 10
−7
at the outer CMZ, and orders of magnitude lower near the center. We estimate the CO
2
ice fractional abundances at the outer CMZ to be (2–5) × 10
−6
from the literature. A comparison between the ice and gas CO
2
abundances suggests an efficient sublimation mechanism. This sublimation is attributed to large-scale shocks at the orbital intersections of the bar and CMZ.
At normal oxygen concentration, glycolytic enzymes are scattered in the cytoplasm of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Under hypoxia, however, most of these enzymes, including enolase, pyruvate kinase, and ...phosphoglycerate mutase, spatially reorganize to form cytoplasmic foci. We tested various small‐scale hypoxic culture systems and showed that enolase foci formation occurs in all the systems tested, including in liquid and on solid media. Notably, a small‐scale hypoxic culture in a bench‐top multi‐gas incubator enabled the regulation of oxygen concentration in the media and faster foci formation. Here, we demonstrate that the foci formation of enolase starts within few hours after changing the oxygen concentration to 1% in a small‐scale cultivation system. The order of foci formation by each enzyme is tightly regulated, and of the three enzymes, enolase was the fastest to respond to hypoxia. We further tested the use of the small‐scale cultivation method to screen reagents that can control the spatial reorganization of enzymes under hypoxia. An AMPK inhibitor, dorsomorphin, was found to delay formation of the foci in all three glycolytic enzymes tested. These methods and results provide efficient ways to investigate the spatial reorganization of proteins under hypoxia to form a multienzyme assembly, the META body, thereby contributing to understanding and utilizing natural systems to control cellular metabolism via the spatial reorganization of enzymes.
The cosmic-ray ionization rate (CRIR) is a key parameter in understanding the physical and chemical processes in the interstellar medium. Cosmic rays are a significant source of energy in star ...formation regions, impacting the physical and chemical processes that drive the formation of stars. Previous studies of the circum-molecular zone of the starburst galaxy NGC 253 have found evidence for a high CRIR value: 103–106 times the average CRIR within the Milky Way. This is a broad constraint, and one goal of this study is to determine this value with much higher precision. We exploit ALMA observations toward the central molecular zone of NGC 253 to measure the CRIR. We first demonstrate that the abundance ratio of H3O+ and SO is strongly sensitive to the CRIR. We then combine chemical and radiative transfer models with nested sampling to infer the gas properties and CRIR of several star-forming regions in NGC 253 from emission from their transitions. We find that each of the four regions modeled has a CRIR in the range (1–80) × 10−14 s−1 and that this result adequately fits the abundances of other species that are believed to be sensitive to cosmic rays, including C2H, HCO+, HOC+, and CO. From shock and photon-dominated/X-ray dominated region models, we further find that neither UV-/X-ray-driven nor shock-dominated chemistry is a viable single alternative as none of these processes can adequately fit the abundances of all of these species.
Abstract
Previous studies have largely failed to clarify the relationship between p16
INK4A
status and cervical adenocarcinoma prognosis. The current study aimed to examine the clinical and ...pathological significance of p16
INK4A
expression in several cervical adenocarcinoma subtypes. Eighty-two samples collected from patients with cervical adenocarcinoma were formalin fixed and paraffin embedded. Next, p16
INK4A
levels were analyzed with immunohistochemistry. Additionally, the relationship between p16
INK4A
expression and clinicopathological factors as well as prognosis was evaluated. The expression of p16
INK4A
was mostly detected in all usual cervical adenocarcinoma subtypes. In the gastric type, only a few cases were positive for p16
INK4A
expression. Results of the Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that the positive p16
INK4A
expression in tumor cells was significantly associated with favorable progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with cervical adenocarcinoma (
p
= 0.018 and
p
= 0.047, respectively, log-rank test). Our findings suggest that the status of p16
INK4A
expression may influence prognosis. Thus, p16
INK4A
expression could be used as a biomarker for improving the prognosis of patients with cervical adenocarcinoma.
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