Atomic-scale direct observation of hydrogen-trapping sites in vanadium carbide (VC) precipitation steel was performed using a three-dimensional atom probe (3DAP) with a deuterium-charging method. ...Most of the deuterium (D) atoms were observed at larger VC platelets, while such trapping of D atoms was not observed at smaller VC platelets. 3DAP analysis showed that these platelets had the chemical composition V4C3. The results suggest that the misfit dislocation cores on semicoherent platelets are deep trapping sites for hydrogen.
Histopathologic evaluation of occlusive thrombi retrieved from cerebral arteries using endovascular therapy is possible. We investigated the relationship between successful reperfusion after ...thrombectomy and histopathologic characteristics of retrieved thrombi.
Among consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with endovascular therapy at our institute from December 2010 to July 2015, we retrospectively reviewed those with acute major arterial occlusion from which retrieved thrombi were evaluated histopathologically. Obtained thrombi were assessed for the existence of atheromatous gruel, organization, and the ratios of erythrocyte and fibrin/platelet components. Successful reperfusion was defined as the modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia grade of 2b to 3.
Of 83 patients studied, 58 (70%) underwent successful reperfusion. Atheromatous gruel was less frequently identified (3% versus 20%; P=0.024), and the proportion of erythrocyte components was higher (57±23% versus 47±24%; P=0.042) in thrombi retrieved from the reperfused than the unreperfused group. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, atheromatous gruel was inversely related (odds ratio, 0.062; 95% confidence interval, 0.002-0.864), and >64% erythrocyte components (cutoff obtained from receiver operating characteristic curve) were positively related (odds ratio, 4.352; 95% confidence interval, 1.185-19.363) to successful reperfusion.
Successful reperfusion could be associated with the histopathology of occlusive thrombi, including the existence of atheromatous gruel and proportion of erythrocyte components.
URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02251665.
The ligand-induced internalization of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is generally considered to attenuate downstream signaling via its endosomal degradation. However, the endocytosis of an ...oncogenic EGFR variant III (EGFRvIII) is impaired, which leads to persistent signaling from the cell surface, thereby promoting the proliferation and survival of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells. Cellular stress triggers the non-canonical endocytosis-recycling of EGFR by p38-mediated phosphorylation. In the present study, we used temozolomide (TMZ), the standard chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of GBM patients, to examine whether EGFRvIII is controlled by a non-canonical mechanism. TMZ triggered the endocytic trafficking of serine phosphorylated EGFRvIII. Moreover, phosphorylation and endocytosis were abrogated by the selective p38 inhibitor SB203580, but not gefitinib, indicating that EGFRvIII is recruited to p38-mediated non-canonical endocytosis. The combination of TMZ and SB203580 also showed potential inhibitory effects on the proliferation and motility of glioblastoma cells.
We report a simple method, using p53 suppression and nontransforming L-Myc, to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with episomal plasmid vectors. We generated human iPSCs from ...multiple donors, including two putative human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-homozygous donors who match ∼20% of the Japanese population at major HLA loci; most iPSCs are integrated transgene-free. This method may provide iPSCs suitable for autologous and allologous stem-cell therapy in the future.
The incidence and cause of strokes associated with pregnancy and the puerperium are still not fully understood. The aim of this study was to characterize pregnancy-related strokes in Japan using a ...large-scale survey with current imaging techniques.
A retrospective analysis was conducted based on clinical chart reviews in 736 stroke teaching hospitals certified by the Japan Stroke Society between 2012 and 2013, using a web-based questionnaire requesting the detailed clinical course without any personally identifying information. The collection rate of this questionnaire was 70.5%, with 151 pregnancy-associated strokes extracted.
Hemorrhagic strokes were observed in 111 cases (73.5%), ischemic strokes in 37 (24.5%), and mixed type in 3 cases (2.0%). The estimated incidence of pregnancy-associated stroke was 10.2 per 100 000 deliveries. Major causes of hemorrhage were aneurysm (19.8%), arteriovenous malformation (17.1%), pregnancy-induced hypertension (11.7%), and HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count) (8.1%). Preexisting cerebrovascular diseases responsible for hemorrhage were detected in 59 cases (53.1%). Among the ischemic strokes, 28 (75.7%) were arterial and 9 (24.3%) were venous infarctions. The most frequent cause of arterial infarctions was reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. Hemorrhagic stroke showed much poorer prognosis than ischemic stroke.
The incidence of pregnancy-associated stroke in Japan did not seem higher than that in other Asian and Western countries. The proportion of hemorrhagic stroke among Japanese women was much higher than that in white women. Preexisting cerebrovascular diseases and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome play a key role in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke, respectively.
The application of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTPs) for automotive mass production is attracting increasing attention from researchers and engineers in related fields. This article ...presents recent developments in CFRTPs focusing on the systematic development of lightweight CFRTP applications for automotive mass production. Additionally, a related national project of Japan conducted at the University of Tokyo is also introduced. The basic development demands, the specific requirements of CFRTPs for lightweight applications in automotive mass production, and the current development status and basic scientific outputs are discussed. The development of high-performance CFRTPs (chopped carbon fiber tape-reinforced thermoplastics (CTTs)) and functional CFRTPs (carbon fiber mat-reinforced thermoplastics (CMTs)) is also introduced. The fabrication process control of CTTs is evaluated, which demonstrates the extreme importance of the mechanical performance. The ultralight lattice, toughened structures, and orientation designable components of CMTs provide a flexible multi-material solution for the proposed applications. Moreover, highly efficient carbon fiber recycling technology is discussed, with recycled carbon fibers exhibiting outstanding compatibility with CFRTPs. A cost sensitivity analysis of carbon fiber and CFRTPs is conducted to guarantee the feasibility and affordability of their application. This article also discusses the trends and sustainability of carbon fiber and CFRTPs usage. The importance of the object-oriented optimal development of CFRTPs is emphasized to efficiently exploit their advantages.
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•Combustion studies of Cu concentrate tablets were performed.•A video-based classification system based on deep learning was used.•This system recognized the combustion patterns of ...the Cu concentrate tablets.•The contact area between the tablet and gas may be critical in this recognition.
The combustion behavior of the complex, ever-changing Cu concentrate with SiO2 flux in a flash smelting shaft should be comprehensively understood to improve the efficiency and energy consumption of smelting. To characterize the combustion behavior of each sample, combustion studies involving high-speed digital microscopy and thermal measurements were performed using numerous small Cu concentrate tablets. Generally, two temperature ranges of heating retardation were observed during combustion, at approximately 800–1000 and 1150–1200 °C.
A novel video-based Cu concentrate classification system was used to successfully recognize the different combustion patterns of tablets with Cu concentrate-SiO2 mixtures under oxidation gas. This classification system also enabled the calculation of the chemical composition of the concentrate by transforming the network output into a probability distribution. The algorithm based on deep learning employed in this study could learn the combustion behaviors of SiO2-containing Cu concentrates using time-series images extracted from video data.
Intracellular Ca2+ signaling regulates diverse functions of the nervous system. Many of these neuronal functions, including learning and memory, are regulated by neuronal calcium sensor-1 (NCS-1). ...However, the pathways by which NCS-1 regulates these functions remain poorly understood. Consistent with the findings of previous reports, we revealed that NCS-1 deficient (Ncs1-/-) mice exhibit impaired spatial learning and memory function in the Morris water maze test, although there was little change in their exercise activity, as determined via treadmill-analysis. Expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF; a key regulator of memory function) and dopamine was significantly reduced in the Ncs1-/- mouse brain, without changes in the levels of glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor or nerve growth factor. Although there were no gross structural abnormalities in the hippocampi of Ncs1-/- mice, electron microscopy analysis revealed that the density of large dense core vesicles in CA1 presynaptic neurons, which release BDNF and dopamine, was decreased. Phosphorylation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II-α (CaMKII-α, which is known to trigger long-term potentiation and increase BDNF levels, was significantly reduced in the Ncs1-/- mouse brain. Furthermore, high voltage electric potential stimulation, which increases the levels of BDNF and promotes spatial learning, significantly increased the levels of NCS-1 concomitant with phosphorylated CaMKII-α in the hippocampus; suggesting a close relationship between NCS-1 and CaMKII-α. Our findings indicate that NCS-1 may regulate spatial learning and memory function at least in part through activation of CaMKII-α signaling, which may directly or indirectly increase BDNF production.
Poor survival of human embryonic stem (hES) cells after cell dissociation is an obstacle to research, hindering manipulations such as subcloning. Here we show that application of a selective ...Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, Y-27632, to hES cells markedly diminishes dissociation-induced apoptosis, increases cloning efficiency (from ∼1% to ∼27%) and facilitates subcloning after gene transfer. Furthermore, dissociated hES cells treated with Y-27632 are protected from apoptosis even in serum-free suspension (SFEB) culture and form floating aggregates. We demonstrate that the protective ability of Y-27632 enables SFEB-cultured hES cells to survive and differentiate into Bf1+ cortical and basal telencephalic progenitors, as do SFEB-cultured mouse ES cells.
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