Upregulated Expression of Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase in Ocular Adnexal Marginal Zone Lymphoma with IgG4-Positive Cells

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic disorder characterized by tissue fibrosis and intense lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, causing progressive organ dysfunction. Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), a deaminase normally expressed in activated B-cells in germinal centers, edits ribonucleotides to induce somatic hypermutation and class switching of immunoglobulin. While AID expression is strictly controlled under physiological conditions, chronic inflammation has been noted to induce its upregulation to propel oncogenesis. We examined AID expression in IgG4-related ophthalmic disease (IgG4-ROD; n = 16), marginal zone lymphoma with IgG4-positive cells (IgG4+ MZL; n = 11), and marginal zone lymphoma without IgG4-positive cells (IgG4- MZL; n = 12) of ocular adnexa using immunohistochemical staining. Immunohistochemistry revealed significantly higher AID-intensity index in IgG4-ROD and IgG4+ MZL than IgG4- MZL (p < 0.001 and = 0.001, respectively). The present results suggest that IgG4-RD has several specific causes of AID up-regulation in addition to inflammation, and AID may be a driver of oncogenesis in IgG4-ROD to IgG4+ MZL.     

FI Catalysts for Olefin Oligomerization and Polymerization: Production of Useful Olefin-Based Materials by Unique Catalysis

This contribution highlights the uniqueness of FI catalysts (phenoxy-imine ligated group 4 metal complexes) for olefin coordination insertion catalysis. FI catalysts possess characteristic structural and electronic features that are different from those of group 4 metallocene catalysts. These special features in turn initiate versatile catalytic properties that result in useful olefin-based materials some of which have already been commercialized.     

Inhibition of char deposition using a particle bed in heating section of supercritical water gasification

Supercritical water gasification (SCWG) has attracted attention as a technology for utilizing wet biomass. We used a fluidized bed of alumina particles to prevent blockage of a SCWG reactor. A glucose solution was heated in the reactor with and without fluidized alumina particles. In the absence of alumina particles, char particles formed homogeneously in the reactor, but the use of a fluidized bed resulted in accumulation of char particles at the reactor’s exit rather than inside the reactor. Therefore, the fluidized bed was effective at preventing blockage of the reactor. However, the alumina particles did not remove deposits from the reactor’s walls. Instead, the fluidized bed caused larger char particles to form, preventing their adhesion to the reactor’s wall.     

Effect of additives on the renaturation of reduced lysozyme in the presence of 4 M urea

Reduced lysozyme was renatured by sulfhydryl-disuffide interchangereactions at pH 8.0 in the presence of 4 M urea, with or withoutadditives at 40°C. In the absence of additives, the finalfolding yield of reduced lysozyme was 40%. In the presence ofsarcosine, glycerol, ammonium sulfate, N-acetyl glucosamineand glucose, its folding yields increased in all cases. In particular,yields increased up to 90% in the presence of 4 M sarcosine.On the other hand, the melting temperatures of lysozyme withor without additives in 0.02 M citrate buffer (pH 6.0) wereevaluated using differential scanning calorimetry. In the absenceof additive, the melting temperature of lysozyme was 73.8°C.In the presence of additives, all melting temperatures werehigher than that of lysozyme in the absence of additives. Moreover,there was a good correlation on addition of additives betweenan increase in the folding yield of reduced lysozyme with 4M urea and an increase in the melting temperature without 4M urea. Therefore, we conclude that additives, which stabilizenative lysozyme, are effective at increasing the folding yieldof reduced lysozyme in 4 M urea.     

pH-controlled uphill transport of ammonium ions through polymer membranes with sulfonic acid groups

Uphill transport of ammonium ions through a membrane with sulfonic acid groups were investigated with pH-controllers which keep the solution at a constant pH. A membrane with sulfonic acid groups was prepared by casting an aqueous solution containing poly(styrenesulfonic acid) and poly(vinyl alcohol) on a glass plate. When a membrane with one side alkaline and the other acidic was fixed as a diaphragm in a cell, ammonium ions were transported from the alkaline side to the acidic side through the membrane against the concentration gradient of the adjacent solutions. Uphill transport of ammonium ions with pH-controllers was more efficient than without, thus keeping the pH difference between both sides of the membrane constant, which is a driving force for the uphill transport. Furthermore, the effect of pH of the acidic side on the uphill transport was investigated and the mechanism of the pH-controlled uphill transport is discussed.     

A New Fluorogenic Probe for the Detection of endo‐β‐N‐Acetylglucosaminidase

We developed a fluorescence‐quenching‐based assay system to determine the hydrolysis activity of endo‐β‐N‐acetylglucosaminidases (ENGases). The pentasaccharide derivative 1 was labeled with an N‐methylanthraniloyl group as a reporter dye at the non‐reducing end and with a 2,4‐dinitrophenyl group as a quencher molecule at the reducing end. This derivative is hydrolyzed by ENGase, resulting in an increase in fluorescence intensity. Thus, the fluorescence signal is directly proportional to the amount of the tetrasaccharide derivative, hence allowing ENGase activity to be evaluated easily and quantitatively. Using this system, we succeeded in measuring the hydrolysis activities of ENGases and thus the inhibitory activities of known inhibitors. We confirmed that this assay system is suitable for high‐throughput screening for potential inhibitors of human ENGase that might serve as therapeutic agents for the treatment of N‐glycanase 1 (NGLY1) deficiency.     

Insights from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations for a multicomponent oxide glass

It remains a challenge to establish structural models of multicomponent oxide glass systems. In this study, we have investigated 68.3SiO₂–16.1B₂O₃–4.2Al₂O₃–11.4Na₂O glass and melt structures by ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. The atomic configurations obtained from AIMD simulations were validated against ¹⁷O solid‐state NMR spectrum under 24.0 T and neutron diffraction data, and excellent agreement was achieved. The bond lengths, angles, and coordination geometries were statistically analyzed for each atomic species. Here we particularly address the role of minor atomic species such as five‐coordinate Si (Si^V) and Al (Al^V). The Si^V–O bond lengths and O–Si^V–O angle distribution in the glass indicated 1.718 Å and three peaks at 90°, 120°, and 175°, which are assigned to a coordination geometry of the trigonal bipyramidal structure. Ring statistic analysis revealed that Si^V and Al^V were found to preferentially contribute to the formation of small ring sizes.     

Photoconductivity of DLC film deposited by pulsed discharge plasma CVD

DLC films were deposited by a new pulsed DC discharge plasma chemical vapour deposition (CVD) using hydrogen and methane gas mixture. When methane concentration (Cm) i.e. CH₄/(H₂ + CH₄) was increased from 3 to 40%, the graphitization of the carbon film increases as evident from Raman study. When Cm was increased to 30%, DLC film shows photoconducting property. The white light photoconductivity (S = I_l/I_d, where I_l is light current and I_d is dark current) measured with solar simulator under AM 1.5 condition was approximately 20 at room temperature. The photoconductivity was not clear when Cm was lower than 20%. ESR measurements also show that the electron spin density was slightly decreased with decreasing concentration of methane. Thus we can conclude here that at higher concentrations of methane at 30%, Sp² content of the film increases and the DLC film becomes photoconducting.     

A formalization for the specification and systematic generation of computer graphics systems

A formalization of graphical processes in computer graphics systems is presented in terms of functions and their system of axioms. The concept of the viewing pipeline is formalized as operation sequence which is a sequential composition of graphical elementary operations. The formalization includes two kinds of operation sequences which are used as the formal specifications of graphics systems and display devices. In order to generate a graphics system using a display device, we introduced the concept of functionality-preserving transformation of operation sequences in terms of various types of commutations among primitive operations. A type of transformation, which is called extraction, plays a central role in the generation algorithm.