Purpose
Since the 1980s, the detection sensitivity of mass spectrometers has increased by improving the analysis of drugs in hair. Accordingly, the number of hair strands required for the analysis ...has decreased. The length of the hair segment used in the analysis has also shortened. In 2016, micro-segmental hair analysis (MSA), which cuts a single hair strand at a 0.4-mm interval corresponding to a hair growth length of approximately one day, was developed. The advantage of MSA is that the analytical results provide powerful evidence of drug use in the investigation of drug-related crimes and detailed information about the mechanism of drug uptake into hair. This review article focuses on the MSA technique and its applications in forensic toxicology.
Methods
Multiple databases, such as SciFinder, PubMed, and Google, were utilized to collect relevant reports referring to MSA and drug analysis in hair. The experiences of our research group on the MSA were also included in this review.
Results
The analytical results provide a detailed drug distribution profile in a hair strand, which is useful for examining the mechanism of drug uptake into hair in detail. Additionally, the analytical method has been used for various scenarios in forensic toxicology, such as the estimation of days of drug consumption and death.
Conclusions
The detailed procedures are summarized so that beginners can use the analytical method in their laboratories. Moreover, some application examples are presented, and the limitations of the current analytical method and future perspectives are described.
The type C asteroid Ryugu has been visited by the JAXA Hayabusa2 mission, a first for a primitive asteroid in the Solar System exploration. Samples have been collected at its surface by the ...spacecraft and are now on their way back to Earth. The surface of Ryugu has also been observed both in the visible and infrared wavelengths with the objective of characterizing its properties at a global scale. Here, we report on the albedo and spectro-photometric properties of Ryugu as derived from the NIRS3 IR spectrometer. Thanks to an innovative technique based on a Bayesian approach, we retrieved the Hapke photometric parameters from multi-geometric NIRS3 observations over the NIR spectral range and different areas of Ryugu, including the first collection site. Results reveal an overall spatial homogeneity of the photometric parameters, though some small variations can be highlighted. A new photometric correction was derived and applied to NIRS3 data. Reflectance spatial heterogeneity was quantitatively investigated, in particular by deriving and mapping the single scattering albedo (SSA) at various spatial scales. This parameter could be derived with confidence on about one fourth of Ryugu’s surface, especially around the equatorial region and the southern middle latitudes. Although Ryugu is to first order homogeneous with a typical SSA of 0.045–0.050, we demonstrate with a local-scale photometric correction (1) the presence of a large “bright” area between ∼190∘E and ∼290∘E longitude around the equator and the southern middle latitudes, and (2) the presence of darker areas with a clear connection to geomorphological features. We show here that these darker regions tend to have a slightly deeper 2.72μm feature, at least compared to the surrounding areas, which can be explained by an enrichment of the top-surface in dark fines coupled to hydrated phases. Some spatial variability observed in the coupling between the SSA at 1.89μm and the 2.72μm absorption feature also suggests that Ryugu exhibits some (slight) heterogeneity in its building blocks.
•We use a Bayesian approach to derive the photometric parameters from NIRS3 data.•Ryugu is to first order homogeneous though some slight heterogeneity can be noticed.•The SSA is derived and mapped to investigate potential albedo variations.•The presence of darker areas linked to geomorphological features is established.•These areas tend to have a deeper 2.72μm band compared to their surroundings.
The urinary metabolic profiles of three hallucinogenic 2,5-dimethoxy-4-alkylthiophenethylamine analogs: 2,5-dimethoxy-4-ethylthiophenethylamine (2C-T-2), 2,5-dimethoxy-4-isopropylthiophenethylamine ...(2C-T-4), and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-propylthiophenethylamine (2C-T-7), were investigated in rats. For each drug, four male Sprague-Dawley rats were orally administered 10 mg/kg of 2C-T-2, 2C-T-4, or 2C-T-7, and urine was collected 0–24 and 24–48 h after administration. The urine samples were processed by liquid–liquid extraction, and the extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to quantify the metabolites. The metabolic patterns of these drugs were different: for 2C-T-7, the principal metabolite was the β-hydroxylated-N-acetylated-sulfoxide, whereas for 2C-T-2 and 2C-T-4 the major metabolites were the N-acetylated-sulfoxide and S-methylated-N-acetylated-sulfoxide, respectively.
Exposure to daylight has much to offer and should be optimised to maximise its potential. In order to harvest its benefits, any visual discomfort from daylight should be anticipated and minimised. ...Hence, there is the need to predict discomfort from daylight glare. While more than 20 models for predicting discomfort from daylight glare have been developed, none accurately predict it. The inclusion of additional factors in the models may improve the predictions. One such factor is the socio-environmental context of the observer. This study compares the evaluations of discomfort glare from daylight for office buildings in four socio-environmental contexts: Chile, Belgium, Japan and Switzerland. The evaluations of discomfort glare, each consisting of subjective assessments and physical measurements of a view condition, were collected at the office desks of 401 participants, although only 211 responses were used in the analyses due to exclusion rules. The results do not suggest evidence of an influence of socio-environmental context on discomfort from daylight glare. In other words, the participants in this study perceived discomfort glare similarly, regardless of their socio-environmental context.
The differential cross sections for inclusive neutral pions as a function of transverse and longitudinal momentum in the very forward-rapidity region have been measured at the LHC with the LHC ...forward detector in proton-proton collisions at sradical=2.76 and 7 TeV and in proton-lead collisions at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energies of super()sNNradical=5.02TeV. Such differential cross sections in proton-proton collisions are compatible with the hypotheses of limiting fragmentation and Feynman scaling. Comparing proton-proton with proton-lead collisions, we find a sizable suppression of the production of neutral pions in the differential cross sections after subtraction of ultraperipheral proton-lead collisions. This suppression corresponds to the nuclear modification factor value of about 0.1-0.3. The experimental measurements presented in this paper provide a benchmark for the hadronic interaction Monte Carlo simulation codes that are used for the simulation of cosmic ray air showers.
ABSTRACT
The JAXA Hayabusa2 mission accomplished the formation of an artificial crater on the asteroid Ryugu. The aim of this work is to analyse the area surrounding the artificial crater and reveal ...spectral variability compared to the same region before the crater formation, to mineralogically and physically characterize the subsurface exposed material. The crater’s investigation focused on the analysis of two regions corresponding to the inner part of crater (the pit and the crater wall/floor), two areas related to ejecta deposited close to the crater, two areas of ejecta moved far from the crater, and two external areas. Each area was investigated both before and after the crater formation, by the study of the photometrically corrected spectral parameters: the 1.9 $\mu$m reflectance, the near-infrared spectral slope, and the depth of the bands at 2.7 and 2.8 $\mu$m. The subsurface material of the post-crater areas shows deeper absorption bands, a decrease in reflectance, and a reddening in spectral slope with respect to the surface material of pre-crater areas. The subsurface regolith could have experienced a lower OH devolatilization due to space weathering and/or could be composed of finer dark grains than the surface layer. The ejecta reached distances of $\sim $20 m from the impact point, mainly moving in the northern direction; nevertheless, a few ejecta also reached the south-eastern part of crater.
Summary
RNA‐binding proteins (RBPs) regulate mRNA stability by binding to the 3′‐untranslated region (UTR) region of mRNA. Human antigen‐R (HuR), one of the RBPs, is involved in the progression of ...diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus and some inflammatory diseases. Interleukin (IL)‐6 is a major inflammatory cytokine regulated by HuR binding to mRNA. Periodontal disease (PD) is also an inflammatory disease caused by elevations in IL‐6 following an infection by periodontopathogenic bacteria. The involvement of HuR in the progression of PD was assessed using in‐vitro and in‐vivo experiments. Immunohistochemistry of inflamed periodontal tissue showed strong staining of HuR in the epithelium and connective tissue. HuR mRNA and protein level was increased following stimulation with Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), one of the periodontopathogenic bacteria, lipopolysacchride (LPS)‐derived from Pg (PgLPS) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α in OBA‐9, an immortalized human gingival epithelial cell. The luciferase activity of 3′‐UTR of IL‐6 mRNA was increased by TNF‐α, Pg and PgLPS in OBA‐9. Luciferase activity was also increased in HuR‐over‐expressing OBA‐9 following a bacterial stimulation. Down‐regulation of HuR by siRNA resulted in a decrease in mRNA expression and production of IL‐6. In contrast, the over‐expression of HuR increased IL‐6 mRNA expression and production in OBA‐9. The HuR inhibitor, quercetin, suppressed Pg‐induced HuR mRNA expression and IL‐6 production in OBA‐9. An oral inoculation with quercetin also inhibited bone resorption in ligature‐induced periodontitis model mice as a result of down‐regulation of IL‐6. These results show that HuR modulates inflammatory responses by regulating IL‐6.
This illustration is showing the proposed mechanism of IL‐6 elevations by HuR with a Pg stimulation. Up‐regulated HuR stimulated by P. gingivalis binds to the 3'‐UTR of IL‐6 mRNA, and this binding results in an increase in the stability of IL‐6 mRNA. On the other hand, the mRNA expression of IL‐6 and HuR is not induced under normal conditions (without a stimulation).
The Near-Earth Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) was investigated by the JAXA Hayabusa2 mission from June 2018 to November 2019. The data acquired by NIRS3 spectrometer revealed a dark surface with a ...positive near-infrared spectral slope. In this work we investigated the spectral slope variations across the Ryugu surface, providing information about physical/chemical properties of the surface.
We analysed the calibrated, thermally and photometrically corrected NIRS3 data, and we evaluated the spectral slope between 1.9 μm and 2.5 μm, whose values extend from 0.11 to 0.28 and the mean value corresponds to 0.163±0.022. Starting from the mean value of slope and moving in step of 1 standard deviation (0.022), we defined 9 “slope families”, the Low-Red-Slope families (LR1, LR2 and LR3) and the High-Red-Sloped families (HR1, HR2, HR3, HR4, HR5, HR6). The mean values of some spectral parameters were estimated for each family, such as the reflectance factor at 1.9 μm, the spectral slope, the depth of bands at 2.7 μm and at 2.8 μm. A progressive spectral reddening, darkening and weakening/narrowing of OH bands is observed moving from the LR families to the HR families.
We concluded that the spectral variability observed among families is the result of the thermal metamorphism experienced by Ryugu after the catastrophic disruption of its parent body and space weathering processes that occurred on airless bodies as Ryugu, such as impact cratering and solar wind irradiation. As a consequence, the HR1, LR1, LR2 and LR3 families, corresponding to equatorial ridge and crater rims, are the less altered regions on Ryugu surface, which experienced the minor alteration and OH devolatilization; the HR2, HR3, HR4, HR5 families, coincident with floors and walls of impact craters, are the most altered areas, result of the three processes occurring on Ryugu. The strong reddening of the HR6 family (coincident with Ejima Saxum) is likely due to the fine-sized material covering the large boulder.
•We developed a new method to rapidly distinguish drug-type from fiber-type cannabis.•Active THCAS and CBDAS are characteristic of drug-type and fiber-type, respectively.•Primer sets targeting active ...THCAS and active CBDAS were designed.•Allele-specific duplex PCR identified cannabis type in 1pg to 10ng DNA sample.•We identified a hybrid-type with both active genes and a special type with neither.
Cannabis is classified into two types: drug-type cannabis, which is abused worldwide, and fiber-type cannabis, which is used for industrial purposes. The two types are a result of differences in the sequences of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase (THCAS) and cannabidiolic acid synthase (CBDAS) genes. In the present study, we aimed to establish a PCR-based method to distinguish between drug-type and fiber-type cannabis by detecting the differences in the sequences of THCAS and CBDAS. We constructed a single-plex PCR targeting active THCAS, and observed drug-type cannabis-specific amplification when using 10pg to 1ng of DNA; however, amplification was also observed in fiber-type cannabis when the DNA content reached 10ng. Similarly, single-plex PCR targeting active CBDAS showed fiber-type cannabis-specific amplification in 100pg of DNA, as well as in >1ng of drug-type cannabis DNA. Therefore, when an allele-specific duplex PCR system was constructed, in which both primer sets were mixed at an appropriate ratio, unintended nonspecific amplification was suppressed and amplicons of different sizes were observed between the drug-type and fiber-type cannabis, using DNA samples in the range of 1pg to 10ng. When the constructed duplex PCR was performed on DNA extracted from various cannabis seed samples, it was possible to distinguish between the drug-type and the fiber-type as well as detect a hybrid-type with both active THCAS and active CBDAS and a special type with neither. The identification method developed in the present study can quickly and accurately distinguish between drug-type and fiber-type cannabis, and is expected to be used for various purposes such as the detection of genetic contamination of industrial hemp as well as forensic examination of cannabis-related cases.
To examine the upper limit of the analyzable wavelength ranges (upper limit wavelength, ULW) of the spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) method in microtremor surveys, we have derived a formula evaluating ...stochastic errors of a phase velocity estimate obtained by the SPAC method. We then followed our previous paper to evaluate biases generated in a phase velocity estimate that come from the presence of the incoherent noise so that we could discuss which is the crucial factor determining the ULW. As a result, the incoherent noise is considered as the crucial factor. In the consequence, we proposed a formula to evaluate signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and to determine phase velocity with the effects of the incoherent noise compensated. We used observed data to validate the above theory. Through the validation procedure, we obtained an approximation equation NULW≈ASNR, where NULW means ULW normalized by array radius and A is a constant. The parameter A took a value from about 1/2 to 2 in the cases of this study. Finally, an additional and simple analysis was executed, which indicates that the incoherent noise not only limits the SPAC analysis but also can provide benefits: they are possibly used for evaluating the attenuation of soils. A microtremor array survey with the traditional SPAC method of Okada (2003, https://doi.org/10.1190/1.9781560801740) can be a mobile tool for evaluating the very local attenuation at a site of interest (i.e., gaining a high spatial resolution), in frequency ranges suited for earthquake engineering and by using simple seismic arrays with short time observations.
Key Points
A theory suggests that the incoherent noise crucially determines the upper limit of the analyzable wavelengths of the spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) method
The presented theory has been validated based on field data
A novel use of the SPAC method is suggested and demonstrated to evaluate attenuation coefficients of soils based on the incoherent noise
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