Reduced Claudin-12 Expression Predicts Poor Prognosis in Cervical Cancer

Background: Within the claudin (CLDN) family, CLDN12 mRNA expression is altered in various types of cancer, but its clinicopathological relevance has yet to be established due to the absence of specific antibodies (Abs) with broad applications. Methods: We generated a monoclonal Ab (mAb) against human/mouse CLDN12 and verified its specificity. By performing immunohistochemical staining and semiquantification, we evaluated the relationship between CLDN12 expression and clinicopathological parameters in tissues from 138 cases of cervical cancer. Results: Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the established mAb selectively recognized the CLDN12 protein. Twenty six of the 138 cases (18.8%) showed low CLDN12 expression, and the disease-specific survival (DSS) and recurrence-free survival rates were significantly decreased compared with those in the high CLDN12 expression group. We also demonstrated, via univariable and multivariable analyses, that the low CLDN12 expression represents a significant prognostic factor for the DSS of cervical cancer patients (HR 3.412, p = 0.002 and HR 2.615, p = 0.029, respectively). Conclusions: It can be concluded that a reduced CLDN12 expression predicts a poor outcome for cervical cancer. The novel anti-CLDN12 mAb could be a valuable tool to evaluate the biological relevance of the CLDN12 expression in diverse cancer types and other diseases.     

Polarity control of GaN epilayers grown on ZnO templates

We report the successful growth of Ga-polar GaN epilayers on O-polar ZnO templates pre-deposited on c-sapphire. Prior to GaN growth, NH₃ is exposed onto the ZnO template. The polarity of the GaN layers is confirmed by etching of the surface and by conversion beam electron diffraction (CBED), while the O-polar ZnO is confirmed by CBED. It is suggested that the NH₃ pre-exposure helps form a Zn₃N₂ layer, which possesses inversion symmetry and inverts the crystal from anion polar to cation polar.     

Molecular aggregation of PEEK with PES blends and the block copolymers composed of PEEK and PES components

Polymer blends of PEEK with PES were prepared by the solution blending method. Copolymers composed of PEEK and PES components were synthesized from these oligomers. The formation conditions exerted an influence over the molecular aggregation and the crystallization behaviors of the blend films and block copolymers which were examined by X-ray diffractometry and DSC analysis. As a result, phase-separation in the blend films was found when the formation temperature was high. The blend films formed at 340°C, quenched and annealed at 180°C, exhibited the same crystallization behavior as those of PEEK. In the case of the blend films formed at 300°C, the annealing of the films at 250°C was required to crystallize the blend films. The T_g of a copolymer with a PEEK component content of more than 50% tends to shift toward a higher temperature than the T_g of PEEK itself, and the T_m of the copolymer toward a lower temperature than that of PEEK ist.     

Prediction model of compressive strength development of fly-ash concrete

Based on experimental results concerning the compressive strength development of concrete containing fly ash, the authors derived an estimation equation for compressive strength development. The equation can express coefficient , which indicates the activity of fly ash as a binder, in the form of a function of age, fly-ash content, and Blaine specific surface area of fly ash.

This equation is capable of explaining the increases in the early strength due to fly ash in place of part of fine aggregate, the decreases in the early strength due to fly ash in place of part of cement, the increases in the long-term strength due to pozzolanic reaction, the relationship between the fly-ash replacement ratio and the ratio of strength increase/decrease, and the effect of fly ash's Blaine specific surface area on the strength.     

Crystal transformation from the α- to the β-form upon tensile drawing of poly(l-lactic acid)

A film of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) consisting of highly oriented α crystals was uniaxially drawn by tensile force. The effects of the draw ratio (DR), draw temperature (T_d), and draw stress on the crystal/crystal transformation from the α- to the β-form crystals were studied. At the initial stage of drawing, the highly oriented α crystals of the starting film transformed into a broader orientation distribution, and significant crystal disorder was introduced. Upon further drawing, the α crystals steadily transformed into β crystals with increasing the DR. For the drawing at a constant T_d, the crystal transformation proceeded more efficiently at a higher draw rate and, hence, at a higher draw stress. Furthermore, for the drawing at a constant draw rate, the transformation proceeded with DR most efficiently for the tensile draw at a T_d around 140 °C, although the draw stress increased with decreasing the T_d. The present result combined with the previous finding in the drawing of PLLA by solid-state extrusion [Macromolecules 36 (2003) 3601] suggests that there is a T_d of around 140 °C at which the crystal transformation proceeds most efficiently with DR, suggesting that there are two factors that have opposite effects on the efficiency of the crystal transformation with increasing the T_d. However, as a result of the combined effects of the T_d and DR on the crystal transformation and the ductility increase with the T_d, an oriented film consisting predominantly of β crystals was obtained by tensile drawing at a T_d in the range of 140-170 °C to the highest DR achieved at each T_d.     

Threshold for Millimeter-Wave (60 GHz)-Induced Ocular Injury

Journal of Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves - Millimeter waves (MMW) absorbed by skin or cornea may induce damage by heat. We have developed a 60 GHz MMW exposure-induced eye...     

Moiré‐reduction methods for integral videography autostereoscopic display with color‐filter LCD

Abstract— Moiré‐reduction methods for integral videography displays are proposed. Integral videography is based on the principles of integral photography and extended real‐time video processing. There are two moiré‐reduction methods that can be used for integral videography displays that have a lens array and a liquid‐crystal display. The first is color moiré, and the second is intensity moiré. To reduce color moiré, an optimized color‐filter layout in the liquid‐crystal display was used. To reduce intensity moiré, a defocusing method was used. Adesign of a viewing area for the integral videography display is also presented. To control the viewing area, the lens pitch and the shape of the integral videography elemental image was changed. A 5‐in. integral videography display was implemented by using the proposed methods, and an integral videography display was evaluated.     

Fabrication of micro-gelatin fiber utilizing coacervation method

Biotechnology has drastically been advanced by the development of iPS and ES cells, which are representative forms induced pluripotent stem cells. In the micro/nano bio field, the development of cells and Taylor-made medicine for a potential treatment of incurable diseases has been a center of attention. The melting point of gelatin is between 25 and 33 °C, and the sol–gel transition occurs in low temperature. This makes the deformation of this useful biomaterial easy. The examples of gelatin fiber applications are suture threads, blood vessel prosthesis, cell-growth-based materials, filter materials, and many others. Because the cell size differs depending on the species and applications, it is essential to fabricate gelatin fibers of different diameters. In this paper, we have developed a fabrication method for gelatin fibers the coacervation method. We fabricated narrow gelatin fibers having a diameter over 10 μm.     

An intercomparison of bio-optical techniques for detecting dominant phytoplankton size class from satellite remote sensing

Satellite remote sensing of ocean colour is the only method currently available for synoptically measuring wide-area properties of ocean ecosystems, such as phytoplankton chlorophyll biomass. Recently, a variety of bio-optical and ecological methods have been established that use satellite data to identify and differentiate between either phytoplankton functional types (PFTs) or phytoplankton size classes (PSCs). In this study, several of these techniques were evaluated against in situ observations to determine their ability to detect dominant phytoplankton size classes (micro-, nano- and picoplankton). The techniques are applied to a 10-year ocean-colour data series from the SeaWiFS satellite sensor and compared with in situ data (6504 samples) from a variety of locations in the global ocean. Results show that spectral-response, ecological and abundance-based approaches can all perform with similar accuracy. Detection of microplankton and picoplankton were generally better than detection of nanoplankton. Abundance-based approaches were shown to provide better spatial retrieval of PSCs. Individual model performance varied according to PSC, input satellite data sources and in situ validation data types. Uncertainty in the comparison procedure and data sources was considered. Improved availability of in situ observations would aid ongoing research in this field.     

Accumulation of triosephosphate isomerase, with sequence homology to Beta amyloid peptides, in vessel walls of the newborn piglet hippocampus

We investigated whether beta-amyloid (Abeta)-like immunoreactivity was seen in the brains of newborn piglets. The immunoreactivity for Abeta(1-42) and Abeta(1-40) proteins, but not Abeta precursor protein, was present in CD68-positive perivascular cells of the hippocampus and in parts of the meninges. It was colocalized with immunoreactivity for receptor for advanced glycation end product and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. The protein with a molecular mass of 27 kDa, which was recognized by the Abeta antibodies, was identified as triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) with sequence homology to Abeta peptides by N-terminal amino acid sequencing, mass fingerprint analysis using matrix-associated laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, and Western blotting. Western blotting assay also revealed that detectable expression of Abeta proteins were not seen in the piglet brains. These findings indicate that TPI with sequence homology to Abeta peptides accumulates in perivascular cells of the microglia/macrophage lineage located around arterial vessels of the newborn piglet hippocampus.