Substrate-induced epitaxial strain plays a crucial role in the physical properties of cuprate thin films; therefore, it is essential to control the epitaxial strain. In this work, we studied the ...effect of a La
0.7
Sr
0.3
MnO
3
(LSMO) buffer layer on the epitaxial strain experienced by GdBa
2
Cu
3
O
7−
x
(GdBCO) thin films deposited on a LaAlO
3
(LAO) substrate. This was accomplished by varying the thickness of the LSMO buffer layer, which was inserted between the GdBCO and LAO to control the substrate-induced epitaxial strain, from 20 to 80 nm. It was found that the direction of MnO
6
octahedral distortion in the LSMO layer was changed by the substrate-induced strain and it causes a difference on the local structure and the superconducting properties of the GdBCO/LSMO bilayer, confirming local structural coupling between the LSMO buffer and the GdBCO. The superconducting transition temperature (
T
c
) of GdBCO can be enhanced by adequately relaxing the strain state of the CuO
2
plane. This finding suggests the possibility of actively enhancing the superconductivity by controlling the substrate-induced strain state by suitably adjusting the LSMO layer.
The epitaxial bilayer systems consisting of GdBa2Cu3O7–x (GdBCO) and La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) grown on (001) SrTiO3 (STO) and LaAlO3 (LAO) substrates have been fabricated to study the correlation of ...magnetic flux pinning with substrate-induced strain state examined by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Strain-dependent distortions of the MnO6 octahedron are clearly observed in both cases. In the bilayer system on the STO substrate, a weak elongation of the in-plane MnO6 octahedron and a reduction in the magnetization anisotropy of LSMO are observed by substrate-induced tensile strain. In contrast, a large elongation of the out-of-plane MnO6 octahedron and a large magnetic anisotropy are observed for the bilayer system on the LAO substrate that is under compressive strain. The flux pinning analyses of the two systems reveal that magnetic pinning effectively works with a small magnetic anisotropy. For the system under strong compressive strain, not only the magnetic pinning induced by LSMO but also additional flux pinning by structural distortion play a role in the pinning mechanism. These findings suggest a possibility of an active tuning of magnetic pinning by the ferromagnetic layer through a controlling of substrate-induced strain state.
Photoepilation is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures. However, there has been no objective method to evaluate the efficacy of hair removal. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effect ...of photoepilation more objectively using a phototrichogram method. Thirteen young, healthy, female volunteers were enrolled in this study. At initial work‐up, semi‐permanent tattoos were marked in both axillae of all the volunteers and hair variables were evaluated by phototrichogram and digital camera. Intense pulsed light‐assisted photoepilations were performed in both axillae of the volunteers twice at 4‐week intervals. At each visit, dermatologists checked changes of hair parameters. Clinically, 8 weeks after two treatments, hair reduction of all patients was achieved. Total hair counts, changes of anagen ratio, non‐vellus hair counts, hair density, anagen growth rate and hair diameter were decreased sequentially and the reduction was statistically significant. No correlations were found between power, pain, patient and doctor evaluations at 4 weeks. Doctor evaluations correlated with anagen hair counts, anagen/total hair ratio, anagen/telogen ratio and total growth rate. Using phototrichograms could be an objective evaluation technique for hair removal. Anagen parameters and total growth rate of hairs in phototrichograms may be able to be predictable values for evaluating epilation.
Metabolic engineering of non-photosynthetic microorganisms to increase the utilization of CO2 has been focused on as a green strategy to convert CO2 into valuable products such as fatty acids. In ...this study, a CO2 utilization pathway involving carbonic anhydrase and biotin carboxylase was formed to recycle CO2 in the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, thereby increasing the production of fatty acids. In the recombinant strain in which the CO2 utilization pathway was introduced, the production of fatty acids was 10.7 g/L, which was 1.5-fold higher than that of the wild-type strain. The resulting strain had a 1.4-fold increase in dry cell mass compared to the wild-type strain. In addition, linoleic acid was 47.7% in the fatty acid composition of the final strain, which was increased by 11.6% compared to the wild-type strain. These results can be applied as an essential technology for developing efficient and eco-friendly processes by directly utilizing CO2.
Background/Aims: Capsule endoscopy (CE) has shown that low-dose aspirin occasionally causes small bowel (SB) bleeding. We herein evaluated the protective effects of mucoprotective agents (MPAs) on SB ...bleeding in aspirin users using the nationwide database of claims data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS).
Methods: As CE is an insured procedure, we constructed an aspirin-SB cohort using NHIS claims data, with a maximum follow- up period of 24 months. Patients with anemia, melena, or hematochezia that occurred within 4 weeks before and after performing CE were suspected to have SB bleeding. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to determine the risk factors for SB bleeding. Subgroup analyses were conducted among patients who used acid suppressants, such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine-2 receptor antagonists.
Results: A total of 15,542 aspirin users were included. Anticoagulant use (hazard ratio HR, 3.22), high Charlson comorbidity index score (≥ 2) (HR, 3.54), and PPI use (HR, 2.85) were significantly associated with SB bleeding, whereas eupatilin use (HR, 0.35) was a preventive factor. SB bleeding occurred more frequently in concurrent users of acid suppressants than in nonusers (1.3% vs. 0.5%). Subgroup analysis revealed that eupatilin significantly reduced the risk of SB bleeding in aspirin users with concurrent use of acid suppressants (HR, 0.23 vs. 2.55).
Conclusions: Eupatilin was associated with a reduced risk of SB bleeding in both aspirin users and those with concomitant use of acid suppressants. Eupatilin use should be considered for aspirin users, especially for those concomitantly taking acid suppressants.
To evaluate the efficacy of beta-irradiation therapy with rhenium 188 ((188)Re) mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3)-filled balloon dilation to prevent neointimal hyperplasia after stent placement in a ...canine iliac artery model.
A total of 15 stents were implanted into the iliac arteries of eight dogs (one or two stents in each dog). Rhenium 188 MAG3-filled balloon dilation was performed immediately after placement of 10 bare stents-20 Gy in group II (n = 5) and 40 Gy in group III (n = 5)-and conventional balloon dilation was performed immediately after placement of the remaining five bare stents (group I). A follow-up angiogram was obtained 8 weeks after the procedure, and percentage of luminal stenosis was calculated for the proximal and distal ends of each stent. Neointimal thickening (expressed as the neointimal area divided by the sum of neointimal area and media area) was assessed for microscopic examination.
All eight dogs survived until they were euthanized 8 weeks after the procedures. The mean luminal stenosis measurements at 8-week follow-up angiography in groups I, II, and III were 26.63%, -0.44%, and 10.53%, respectively. The mean neointimal thickening measurements in groups I, II, and III were 0.77, 0.21, and 0.34, respectively. The mean percentage of luminal stenosis and neointimal thickening differed significantly among the three groups (P < .05).
beta-Irradiation with (188)Re-MAG3-filled balloon dilation has the potential to reduce neointimal hyperplasia secondary to stent placement in a canine iliac artery model. A dose of 20 Gy may be preferable versus a dose of 40 Gy to reduce neointimal hyperplasia.
The concept of cognitive reserve (CR) originated from discrepancies between the degree of brain pathology and the severity of clinical manifestations. CR has been characterized through CR proxies, ...such as education and occupation complexity; however, such approaches have inherent limitations. Although several methods have been developed to overcome these limitations, they fail to reflect the entire Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Meanwhile, graph theory analysis, one of most powerful and flexible approaches, have established remarkable network properties of the brain. The functional and structural brain networks are damaged in neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, network analysis has been applied to clarify the characteristics of the disease or give insight. Here, using multimodal neuroimaging, we propose an intuitive model to estimate CR based on its original definition, and explore the neural substrates of CR from the perspective of networks and functional connectivity. A total of 87 subjects (21 AD, 32 mild cognitive impairment, and 34 normal aging) underwent tau and amyloid PET, 3D T1-weighted MR, and resting-state fMRI. We hypothesized CR as a residual of actual cognitive performance and expected performance to be related to quantitative factors, such as AD pathology, demographics, and a genetic factor. Then, we correlated this marker using education and occupation complexity as conventional CR proxies. We validated this marker by testing whether it would modulate the effect of brain pathology on memory function. To examine the neural substrates associated with CR, we performed graph analysis to investigate the association between the CR marker and network measures at different granularities in total subjects, AD spectrum and normal aging, respectively. The CR marker from our model was well associated with education and occupation complexity. More directly, the CR marker was revealed to modify the relationship between brain pathology and memory function among AD spectrum. The CR marker was correlated with the global efficiency of the entire network, nodal clustering coefficient, and local efficiency of the right middle-temporal pole. In connectivity analysis, one cluster of edges centered on right middle-temporal pole was significantly correlated with the CR marker. In subgroup analysis, the network measures of right middle-temporal pole still correlated with the CR marker among AD spectrum. However, right precentral gyrus was revealed to be associated with the CR marker in normal aging. This study demonstrates that our intuitive model using multimodal neuroimaging and network perspective adequately and comprehensively captures CR. From a network perspective, CR is associated with the capacity to process information efficiently in the brain. The right middle-temporal pole was revealed to be a pivotal neural substrate of CR in AD spectrum. These findings foster understanding of AD and will be useful to help identify individuals with vulnerability or resistance to AD pathology, and characterize patients for intervention or drug trials.
•We generated an equation to quantify cognitive reserve (CR) reflecting overall AD neuropathology using multimodal neuroimaging techniques.•CR was proved to modify the relationship between brain pathology and memory function in AD spectrum.•CR was associated with global network efficiency and nodal clustering coefficient and local efficiency of the right middle-temporal pole.•Graph parameters of right middle-temporal pole was revealed to modulate the effect of brain atrophy on cognition in AD spectrum.
