Metastatic Voyage of Ovarian Cancer Cells in Ascites with the Assistance of Various Cellular Components

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy and has a unique metastatic route using ascites, known as the transcoelomic root. However, studies on ascites and contained cellular components have not yet been sufficiently clarified. In this review, we focus on the significance of accumulating ascites, contained EOC cells in the form of spheroids, and interaction with non-malignant host cells. To become resistant against anoikis, EOC cells form spheroids in ascites, where epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition stimulated by transforming growth factor-β can be a key pathway. As spheroids form, EOC cells are also gaining the ability to attach and invade the peritoneum to induce intraperitoneal metastasis, as well as resistance to conventional chemotherapy. Recently, accumulating evidence suggests that EOC spheroids in ascites are composed of not only cancer cells, but also non-malignant cells existing with higher abundance than EOC cells in ascites, including macrophages, mesothelial cells, and lymphocytes. Moreover, hetero-cellular spheroids are demonstrated to form more aggregated spheroids and have higher adhesion ability for the mesothelial layer. To improve the poor prognosis, we need to elucidate the mechanisms of spheroid formation and interactions with non-malignant cells in ascites that are a unique tumor microenvironment for EOC.     

D-Amino Acids in Non-gelling Components of Gelatin

Abstract

As a possible cause of the non-gelling property of the sol fraction of gelatin, we considered that higher D-amino acid content should result in decreased formation of helices. The sol fractions ivere extracted from gelatin gels and hydrolyzed to amino acid mixtures. The rates of reaction with D-amino acid oxidase (D-AOX) were recorded for thehydrolyzates. For a comparison, residual gels were also treated similarly. The sol fractions always gave higher results than the residual gels for the three types of gelatin examined. The result also showed that the rates obtained from the sol fractions were in the order: limed ossein > limed hide > acid pigskin.

To examine the reliability of this procedure the D-form content for each amino acid in the sol from the limed hide gelatin was compared with that of the residual gel. The contents in the sol were higher than those in the residue for most of the amino acids which racemized. The results indicate that the increased racemization of amino acids on the extraction of gelatin from raw materials is a cause of the non-gelling property.     

TEM/STEM Observation of ZrC Coating Layer for Advanced High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Fuel, Part II

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has started to study and develop zirconium carbide (ZrC)-coated fuel particles for advanced high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. The ZrC coating layer has been fabricated at JAEA by chemical vapor deposition using a pyrolytic reaction of zirconium bromide. The microstructures of the ZrC layers, whose nominal deposition temperatures could be measured and controlled during the deposition process, were characterized by means of TEM and STEM. In the present study, three batches were prepared and compared with each other as well as the previous batches. The crystallographic orientation of ZrC with regard to the growth direction in the ZrC layers deposited at a constant temperature of 1630 K was different from that deposited at varying temperatures in the 1493–1823 K range. A thin layer of turbostratic carbon was observed at the boundary between pyrolytic carbon and ZrC in particles deposited at the highest temperature among those used in this study (the nominal temperature was 1769 K); no such structure was found in a batch deposited at a lower temperature (the nominal temperature was 1632 K). Therefore, precise control of temperature is shown to be critical to the formation of good ZrC coatings.     

Simultaneous three-dimensional step-height measurement and high-resolution tomographic imaging with a spectral interferometric microscope

A noncontact, nonmechanical scanning, wide-field spectral interference microscope is developed for simultaneous measurement of three-dimensional step-height of discontinuous objects and tomographic imaging. A superluminescent diode (SLD) is used as a broadband light source and a liquid-crystal Fabry-Perot interferometer (LC-FPI) as a frequency-scanning device. By means of changing the injection current to the SLD, the spectral profile of the SLD is equalized, and a constant light input to the interferometer is achieved over the entire frequency-scan range. The Fourier-transform technique is used to determine both the amplitude and the phase of spectral fringe signals. Three-dimensional height distribution of a discontinuous object is obtained from the phase information, whereas optically sectioned images of the object are obtained either from the amplitude information alone or from the combination of both the amplitude and phase information. Experimental results with submicrometer resolution are presented for both step-height measurement and tomographic sectioning.     

Multilingual disaster information system: information delivery using graphic text for mobile phones

A multilingual disaster information system (MLDI) has been developed to overcome the language barrier during times of natural disaster. MLDI is a web-based system that includes templates in nine languages so that translated texts can be made available immediately. Mobile phone e-mail with graphic text is a useful tool for delivering multilingual disaster information. The visibility of graphic text on mobile phones was measured and found to be equivalent to the built-in font. However, visibility deteriorates as the character size becomes smaller, especially, on displays with poor resolution. This article also discusses the necessity of multilingual information and measures for a safe and barrier-free society.     

Illumination control system for adaptive dynamic range control

Abstract— We have developed an illumination control system for adaptive dynamic range control. This system satisfies several performance requirements for image quality and reliability. A projection system using the illumination control system can reproduce images with optimum brightness for each image.     

Transmission line tower models in frequency domain

This paper proposes a transmission line tower model in frequency domain for back-flashover analysis, which has a uniform characteristic impedance and a uniform propagation constant. Most conventional tower models are constructed as a constant and uniform parameter transmission line that is independent of frequency. However, the authors' models have the frequency dependency of the characteristic impedance and the propagation constant to express the frequency characteristic of the transmission line tower. Two models, a cylinder model and a four-frames model, were investigated to simulate the tower. Their surge responses were computed by numerical electromagnetic field analysis based on the moment method. From the results, the two-port circuit constants were calculated in the frequency domain, and the characteristic impedance and the propagation constant are derived from them. The complex artificial oscillations appeared in frequency dependency of the parameters because the parameters were calculated numerically. The equations with analytical form were obtained by approximating with a smooth curve to the oscillations. It is possible for the equations to represent the transmission line constants as a function of geometrical parameters such as the tower height and the radius. Close agreement was found between the surge response computed by the numerical electromagnetic field analysis and the result calculated by inverse Laplace transformation of the analytical equations. To prove the model, the experimental results were compared with the computed ones of the cylinder model that has arms, and it was shown that the new model agrees closer with the experiment than conventional transmission line models.     

Generation of single-walled carbon nanotubes from alcohol and generation mechanism by molecular dynamics simulations

Recent advances in high-purity and high-yield catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) generation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) from alcohol are comprehensively presented and discussed on the basis of results obtained from both experimental and numerical investigations. We have uniquely adopted alcohol as a carbon feedstock, and this has resulted in high-quality, low-temperature synthesis of SWNTs. This technique can produce SWNTs even at a very low temperature of 550 degrees C, which is about 300 degrees C lower than the conventional CVD methods in which methane or acetylene is typically used. We demonstrate the excellence of the proposed alcohol catalytic CVD method for high-yield production of SWNTs when Fe-Co on USY-zeolite powder was used as a catalyst. At optimum CVD conditions, a SWNT yield of more than 40 wt % was achieved over the weight of the catalytic powder within the reaction time of 120 min. In addition to the advantages for mass production, this method is also suitable for the direct synthesis of high-quality SWNTs on Si and quartz substrates when combined with the newly developed liquid-based "dip-coat" technique to mount catalytic metals on the surface of substrates. This method allows easy and costless loading of catalytic metals without the need for any support or underlayer materials that were usually required in previous studies for the generation of a sufficient quantity of SWNTs on an Si surface. Finally, the result of molecular dynamics simulation for the SWNT growth process is presented to obtain a fundamental insight into the initial growth mechanism on the catalytic particles.     

Spectral interferometric microscope with tandem liquid-crystal Fabry-Perot interferometers for extension of the dynamic range in three-dimensional step-height measurement

The maximum measurable range of a spectral interference microscope depends on the coherence length of the light transmitted by its tunable spectral filter. To achieve a large range in step-height measurement we have developed a new tunable spectral filter that uses tandem liquid-crystal Fabry-Perot interferometers (LC-FPIs), which can simultaneously attain both a high spectral resolution and a large tuning range. Fringe visibility measurements were carried out, and it was found that the coherence length of the light transmitted through tandem LC-FPIs is two times larger than that transmitted through a single LC-FPI. Using this novel tunable spectral filter, we developed a new spectral interference microscope for the measurement of three-dimensional shapes of discontinuous objects. Experimental results of step-height measurements both with a single LC-FPI and with tandem LC-FPIs are presented for a combination of standard steel gauge block sets with 1-, 99-, and 100-microm steps. A large range (1-100 microm) of measurement with submicrometer resolution was achieved with tandem LC-FPIs that was not possible with our previous system in which a single LC-FPI was used.     

Spectral interference Mirau microscope with an acousto-optic tunable filter for three-dimensional surface profilometry

A nonmechanical scanning Mirau-type spectral interference microscope has been developed for the measurement of three-dimensional surface profiles of discontinuous objects. An acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) is used as a high-resolution spectral filter, which scans the optical frequency of the broadband light emitted from a superluminescent diode. To generate spectral fringes that make full use of the limited coherence length of the filtered light we unbalanced the Mirau interferometric system by positioning the reference mirror nearly halfway between the top and the bottom of the step height. When the frequency of the broadband light source is scanned by an AOTF, the interference fringes move in opposite directions on the top and the bottom of the object. To uniquely determine the sign of the fringe movement over the large area of the object, we developed a three-dimensional Fourier-transform technique, and from the detected sign of the fringe movement and phase information, we determined the three-dimensional step height. Experimental results of the measurement of 100-microm step height are presented. The main advantages of the proposed system are that it provides nonmechanical scanning and a large measurement range without ambiguity in the sign of the phase.