Mechanical stretch induces hypertrophic responses in cardiac myocytes of angiotensin II type 1a receptor knockout mice

Many lines of evidence have suggested that angiotensin II (AngII) plays an important role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy through AngII type 1 receptor (AT1). To determine whether AngII is indispensable for the development of mechanical stress-induced cardiac hypertrophy, we examined the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family and the expression of the c-fos gene as hypertrophic responses after stretching cultured cardiac myocytes of AT1a knockout (KO) mice. When cardiac myocytes were stretched by 20% for 10 min, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERKs) were strongly activated in KO cardiomyocytes as well as wild type (WT) myocytes. Both basal and stimulated levels of ERKs were higher in cardiomyocytes of KO mice than in those of WT mice. Activation of another member of the MAPK family, p38(MAPK), and expression of the c-fos gene were also induced by stretching cardiac myocytes of both types of mice. An AT1 antagonist attenuated stretch-induced activation of ERKs in WT cardiomyocytes but not in KO cardiomyocytes. Down-regulation of protein kinase C inhibited stretch-induced ERK activation in WT cardiomyocytes, whereas a broad spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor (genistein) and selective inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor (tyrphostin, AG1478, and B42) suppressed stretch-induced activation of ERKs in KO cardiac myocytes. Epidermal growth factor receptor was phosphorylated at tyrosine residues by stretching cardiac myocytes of KO mice. These results suggest that mechanical stretch could evoke hypertrophic responses in cardiac myocytes that lack the AT1 signaling pathway possibly through tyrosine kinase activation.     

A new approach to the design of high-Tc superconductors: Metallised interlayers

We show from muon spin relaxation (SR) studies on mercury HTS superconductors that a 50-fold increase in irreversibility field obtained by partial substitution of Re for Hg is due to metallisation of the Hg/Re layer. Induced superconductivity on this metallic layer doubles the overall superfluid density. This suggests a new approach to the design of high performance HTS materials: metallising one of the non-CuO₂ interlayers and thereby greatly enhancing the superconducting properties.     

Antiferromagnetic Transition in Sr14−x Ca x Cu24O41 Investigated by Specific Heat Measurements

Results for low temperature specific heat for single crystals of ladder/chain materials Sr _14–x Ca _x Cu ₂₄ O ₄₁ (x= 0, 8, 10, 11.5) in magnetic field up to 15 T are reported. A sharp peak of the specific heat of a single crystal Sr _2.5 Ca _11.5 Cu ₂₄ O ₄₁, was found at 2.3 K, clearly indicating the onset of a long range order. In measurements of the specific heat in magnetic fields the transition temperature, T _N , was found to shift to lower temperatures with increasing magnetic field, indicating that the ordering is antiferromagnetic, which has been confirmed by neutron scattering measurements. With decreasing x T _N rapidly shifts to lower temperatures. For x=10 T _N decreases to 1 K and for x= 0 no anomaly indicating the transition was found down to 0.6K     

Copper(II) formate cathodes for seawater batteries

The preparation of copper(II) formate cathodes, their discharge in magnesium seawater cells, and the discharge reactions are described. This soluble active material could be discharged at high voltages (1.4–1.0 V) with high efficiencies (80–95%) in magnesium cells, when polystyrene solutions were used as the binder to make the cathode plates. For single cells energy densities in the range 70–120 Whkg^–1 (based on the dry state) were obtained. The Cu(HCOO)₂/Mg cell would meet many applications at low or moderate discharge rates as a substitute for the AgCl/Mg cell.     

Context-Based Network and Application Management on Seamless Networking Platform

A context-based adaptive communication system is introduced for use in heterogeneous networks. Context includes the user's presence, location, available network interfaces, network availability, network priority, communication status, terminal features, and installed applications. An experimental system was developed to clarify the feasibility of using context information to flexibly control networks and applications. The system operates on a seamless networking platform we developed for heterogeneous networks. By using contexts, the system can inform the caller and callee of applications they can access, which are available through the network before communication occurs. Changes in contexts can switch an on-going application to another during actual communication. These functions provide unprecedented styles of communication. A business scenario for a seamless networking provider is also presented. Dr. Morikawa has also been in charge of NICT's Mobile Networking Group. Masugi Inoue received his B.E. from Kyoto University in 1992 and his M.E. and D.E. from the University of Tokyo in 1994 and 1997, all in the field of Electrical Engineering. He is currently a senior researcher at the Yokosuka Radio Communications Research Center under the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan, and has been engaged in R&D on ultrahigh-speed WLANs and mobile networking. He joined the Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Japan, in 1997, which was reorganized as NICT in April 2004. He was a visiting researcher at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, New York in 2000. Khaled Mahmud received his B.Sc. (Eng.) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in Dhaka in 1991. He received his M.E. and Ph.D. in the same field from Shizuoka University in Japan, in 1997 and 2000, respectively. He was a research fellow at NICT, Japan, from 2000 to 2004. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at North South University, Bangladesh. His research interests include modulation-demodulation techniques, software radio, mobile communication systems, wireless Internet, and IP mobility technologies. Homare Murakami received his B.E. and M.E. in Electronic Engineering from Hokkaido University in 1997 and 1999. In 2004, he received the Young Investigators Award from IEICE. He is currently a researcher at NICT's Mobile Networking Group. He is also an industrial PhD student in Aalborg University since 2003. His interest areas are naming scheme, wireless TCP and new transport protocol, IP mobility, fast handover method, and location management. Mikio Hasegawa received his B. Eng, M. Eng., and Dr. Eng. in 1995, 1997, and 2000 from Science University of Tokyo. From 1997 to 2000, he was a Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). He is currently a senior researcher in Mobile Networking Group, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, and a technical advisor in ChaosWare Inc. His research interests include applications of chaotic dynamical theory, combinatorial optimization, mobile networks, and ubiquitous computing. Hiroyuki Morikawa received his B.E., M.E., and D.E. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1987, 1989, and 1992. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Frontier Informatics at the University of Tokyo and is in charge of NICT's Mobile Networking Group. His research interests are in the areas of computer networks, mobile computing/networks, ubiquitous computing, and network services. He serves as Editor of Transactions of the IEICE and has been on the technical program committees of IEEE/ACM conferences and workshops. He sits on numerous telecommunications advisory committees and frequently serves as a consultant to the government.     

Microprocessor-Based Decoupled Control of Manipulator Using Modified Model-Following Method with Sliding Mode

A methodology of discontinuous feedback and continuous feedforward control is developed to achieve accurate decoupled tracking in a class of nonlinear, time varying systems in the presence of disturbances, parameter variations and nonlinear dynamic interactions. The method is based on an improved variable structure control with a sliding mode.     

Incidence of apoptotic bodies in membrana granulosa of the patients participating in an in vitro fertilization program

Vagal primary afferent neurons have their cell bodies located in the nodose (inferior) and jugular (superior) vagal ganglia and send terminals into the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) which lies in the dorsomedial medulla. The presence of glutamate (Glu)-containing neurons in the rat nodose ganglion was investigated using immunohistochemistry. Glu-immunoreactivity on nodose sections was found in neuronal perikarya and nerve fibers, but not in non-neuronal elements such as Schwann cells and satellite cells. Both immunoreactive and non-immunoreactive ganglion cells were observed. The immunoreactive ganglion cells amounted to about 60% of the nodose population. No specific intraganglionic localization was observed for the non-immunoreactive cells. Immunoreactive perikarya were slightly smaller than the non-immunoreactive ones, but no relationship was found between size and staining intensities of immunoreactive neurons. The present data indicate that immunodetectable Glu is present in a large population of vagal afferent neurons. They therefore add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that Glu may be the main neurotransmitter released by vagal afferent terminals within the nucleus tractus solitarii.