The lipopolysaccharide-binding protein participating in hemocyte nodule formation in the silkworm Bombyx mori is a novel member of the C-type lectin superfamily with two different tandem carbohydrate-recognition domains

We recently isolated and characterized the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein, BmLBP, from the larval hemolymph of the silkworm Bombyx mori. BmLBP is a pattern recognition molecule that recognizes the lipid A portion of LPS and participates in a cellular defense reaction. This paper describes the cDNA cloning of BmLBP. The deduced amino acid sequence of BmLBP revealed that BmLBP is a novel member of the C-type lectin superfamily with a unique structural feature that consists of two different carbohydrate-recognition domains in tandem, a short and a long form.     

Slug to annular flow transition during boiloff in a rod bundle under high-pressure conditions

High-pressure boiloff experiments in a wide range of bundle powers by using the Two-Phase Flow Test Facility (TPTF) were conducted. Two kinds of boiloff patterns were observed in these experiments. One is the boiloff pattern in a low bundle power, in which the dryout points of rods locate at a certain elevation in the bundle because the mixture level controls the dryout points. The other is the boiloff pattern in a high bundle power, in which the clear mixture level can not be observed and the dryout points of rods locate in a wide range of vertical directions. The vertical scatter of the dryout points is considered to be due to the break of the thin water film on the heater rods under the annular flow pattern.A simple model to predict the slug to annular flow transition in the rod bundle is proposed. In the model, the slug to annular flow transition takes place when the interferences of the water films on the neighboring rods cease. The model appeares to give good predictions of the previous flow transition experiment conducted in a rod bundle. The slug-annular transition below the dryout points was predicted with the present model in the high power boiloff experiments of TPTF. No slug-annular transition below the dryout points is predicted with the present model in the low power boiloff experiments.     

Multiple lungs tumors found 17 years after hysterectomy--a case of benign metastasizing leiomyoma

Fifty-five samples of pus were collected from 51 acute, non-perforated, two spontaneously ruptured and two recurrent peritonsillar abscesses (35 males and 18 females; median age 18 years) and analysed regarding (i) aerobic and anaerobic bacteria (standard culturing), (ii) morphology of bacteria and inflammatory cells (direct microscopy of acridine orange-stained material), and (iii) the percentage of bacteria coated with immunoglobulins IgG, secretory IgA (SIgA) and IgM and complement cleavage product C3b (immunofluorescence assay). Seventy-one per cent of the abscesses harboured a mixed bacterial flora of various aerobes and anaerobes. In none of the cases with a single bacterial species (27 per cent) could immunoglobulin- or complement-coated bacteria be found. In abscesses with a mixed flora, 18 per cent harboured IgG-coated, 15 per cent SIgA-coated, five per cent IgM-coated and five per cent C3b-coated bacteria, respectively. All pus samples contained inflammatory cells in abundance but they were mostly deformed and only occasionally could intracellular bacteria be recognized. Insufficient immunoglobulin-coating of bacteria might be an important aetiopathogenic factor in the development of a peritonsillar abscess. Bactericide in the abscesses is accomplished chiefly by protective mechanisms not dependent on antigen recognition by antibodies.     

The effect of a secreted form of beta-amyloid-precursor protein on intracellular Ca2+ increase in rat cultured hippocampal neurones

1. The effects of secreted forms of beta-amyloid-precursor proteins (APP(S)s) on the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) were investigated in rat cultured hippocampal neurones. APP695S, a secretory form of APP695, attenuated the increase in [Ca2+]i evoked by glutamate. In addition, APP695S itself evoked an increase in [Ca2+]i in 1 or 2 day-cultured hippocampal cells, but not in 7 to 13 day-cultured cells. 2. Eighty-one percent of neurones which were immunocytochemically positive for microtubule-associated protein 2 responded to APP695S with an increase in [Ca2+]i. 3. APP695S induced a transient rise in [Ca2+]i even in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ and produced an elevation in inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) in a concentration-dependent manner from 100 to 500 ng ml(-1). In the presence of extracellular Ca2+, APP695S caused a transient rise in [Ca2+]i followed by a sustained phase at high [Ca2+]i, suggesting Ca2+ entry from the extracellular space. 4. The [Ca2+]i elevation was mimicked by amino terminal peptides of APPs, but not by carboxy terminal peptides. 5. These results taken together suggest that APP695S induces an increase in [Ca2+]i in hippocampal neurones through an IP3-dependent mechanism that changes according to the stage of development.     

Simulation and fabrication of flat-plate concentrator modules

A flat-plate concentrator (FPC) module has been proposed and developed for cost reduction of PV modules. The FPC has V-grooved rear reflectors on spaces between adjacent cells. To find appropriate design parameters, yearly optical performance is simulated by using meteorological data and introducing a performance index. As a result of the simulation, it is shown that the FPC module can reduce occupation area of solar cells to 75% compared with that of a conventional module, although its module area increases to 1.16 times. Several prototypes are fabricated and measured under a solar simulator. The measured results are somewhat lower than the simulated ones, but generally show the validity of the simulation.     

Long-wavelength supercontinuum generation in bismuth-silicate fibres

A broad smooth supercontinuum has been generated at long wavelengths in a highly-nonlinear bismuth silicate fibre pumping near the zero-dispersion wavelength of the cladding glass.     

Effects of the degree of unsaturation of coexisting triacylglycerols on cholesterol oxidation

In order to evaluate the effects of the degree of unsaturation of triacylglycerols on cholesterol oxidation, mixtures of purified sardine oil triacylglycerols (iodine value, IV=182.6) and cholesterol; of partially hydrogenated sardine oil triacylglycerols (IV=174.5) and cholesterol; and of fully hydrogenated sardine oil triacylglycerols (IV=92.0) and cholesterol were incubated at 25°C in the dark. The oxidative stability of the samples decreased with increasing degree of unsaturation of the triacylglycerols in the sample mixtures; the induction period for peroxide values (PV) of the sardine oil triacylglycerols and cholesterol was shorter than that of the partially hydrogenated sardine oil triacylglycerols and cholesterol. Certain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the constituent fatty acids of sardine oil triacylglycerols started to decrease after a shorter induction period compared with that of the partially hydrogenated triacylglycerols. The prominent cholesterol oxides accumulated in the samples were 7β-hydroxycholesterol, 7-ketocholesterol, β-epoxide and cholestane triol. The tendency for accumulation of cholesterol oxides in the time course coincided with the changes in PV as well as the decrease in PUFAs. Cholesterol was oxidized in conjunction with autoxidation of coexisting fish oil triacylglycerols. Although lowering the degree of unsaturation of fish oil triacylglycerols was effective in prolonging the induction period of cholesterol oxidation, the rate of cholesterol oxidation in the cholesterol oxides' formation phase after the induction period was not affected by the difference in the proportion of highly unsaturated fatty acids in the natural and partially hydrogenated triacylglycerols of fish oils.     

Performance improvement of a static concentrator module with an asymmetric v-groove backsheet structure

A light-trapping type concentrator module with a new asymmetric V-groove structure at the rear surface is proposed to improve the performance of static concentrator module. Fundamental optical properties of various asymmetric V-grooves are calculated using a ray-tracing method. Based on these results, yearly integrated irradiance ratios of the concentrator module to a conventional flat-plate module are calculated using meteorological data. By the use of Ag as a reflection material, yearly integrated irradiance ratio of concentrator module with an asymmetric V-groove is 1.34, and the occupation area of Si cells in a module can be reduced to 74% compared with a conventional flat-plate module.     

Environmental ecological modeling of human blood lead levels in East Asia

Environmental ecological modeling (EEM), which unifies models simulating transport of chemicals and exposure of humans to chemicals, was used to simulate long-term trends of female adult human blood lead levels (BLLs) and historical exposure to the atmospheric lead in four East Asian countries: Japan, Korea, China, and Vietnam. Anthropogenic lead emissions to the atmosphere in Vietnam were estimated from energy statistics to be 1931 t yr(-1). Calculated BLLs generally agreed with those observed in samples collected in these countries as the error factors were less than 2. The model results revealed that BLLs decreased significantly in Tokyo (by 58%) and Seoul (by 45%) in recent decades and confirmed the effects of efforts to reduce environmental lead in Japan and Korea. The model results also revealed that BLLs in Beijing did not decrease in this decade as much as in Tokyo and Seoul, despite the phasing out of leaded gasoline, and that the contribution from the atmospheric component was increasing (43% in 2009). Finally, we applied EEM to simulate BLLs of children in Hanoi. The probability of children having BLLs greater than 50 μg L(-1) was 7.5%, which was greater than those observed in developed countries.     

Benzobisthiazole as Weak Donor for Improved Photovoltaic Performance: Microwave Conductivity Technique Assisted Molecular Engineering

New donor–acceptor‐type copolymers comprised of benzobisthiazole (BBTz) as a weak donor rather than acceptor are proposed. This approach can simultaneously lead to deepening the HOMO and LUMO of the polymers with moderate energy offset against fullerene derivatives in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics. As a proof‐of‐concept, BBTz‐based random copolymers conjugated with typical electron acceptors: thienopyrroledione (TPD) and benzothiadiazole (BT) based on density functional theory calculations are synthesized. Laser‐flash and Xe‐flash time‐resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) evaluations of polymer:[6,6]‐phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blends are conducted to screen the feasibility of the copolymers, leading to optimization of processing conditions for photovoltaic device application. According to the TMRC results, alternating BBTz‐BT copolymers are designed, exhibiting extended photoabsorption up to ca. 750 nm, deep HOMO (–5.5 to –5.7 eV), good miscibility with PCBM, and inherent crystalline nature. Moreover, the maximized PCE of 3.8%, the top‐class among BBTz‐based polymers reported so far, is realized in an inverted cell using TiO_x and MoO_x as the buffer layers. This study opens up opportunities to create low‐bandgap polymers with deep HOMO, and shows how the device‐less TRMC evaluation is of help for decision‐making on judicious molecular design.