A study of the effects of antidepressants on the GABAA receptor and its complex based on the drug actions on the power-spectral changes of rat hippocampal EEG induced by GABA antagonists and inverse agonists

A randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare the early development of children with d-transposition of the great arteries (N = 171) repaired by an arterial switch operation that used either predominantly total circulatory arrest or predominantly continuous low-flow cardiopulmonary bypass. The children assigned to the circulatory arrest group scored lower than those assigned to low-flow bypass on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 1 year of age. Responses to parental questionnaires completed when the children were 2.5 years old indicated that the children in the circulatory arrest group, especially those with a ventricular septal defect, also manifested poorer expressive language and were considered to display more internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. The use of circulatory arrest to protect vital organs during open heart surgery might place children at increased risk of early developmental difficulties, especially in the domains of motor and language function.     

Derivative of the disturbance with respect to information from quantum measurements

Quantum Information Processing - One of the limitations of continuous variable quantum key distribution is the relatively short transmission distance of secure keys. Some solutions have been...     

Modelling Cl- homeostasis and volume regulation of the cardiac cell

We aim at introducing a Cl- homeostasis to the cardiac ventricular cell model (Kyoto model), which includes the sarcomere shortening and the mitochondria oxidative phosphorylation. First, we examined mechanisms underlying the cell volume regulation in a simple model consisting of Na+/K+ pump, Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter 1 (NKCC1), cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, volume-regulated Cl- channel and background Na+, K+ and Cl- currents. The high intracellular Cl- concentration of approximately 30 mM was achieved by the balance between the secondary active transport via NKCC1 and passive currents. Simulating responses to Na+/K+ pump inhibition revealed the essential role of Na+/K+ pump in maintaining the cellular osmolarity through creating the negative membrane potential, which extrudes Cl- from a cell, confirming the previous model study in the skeletal muscle. In addition, this model well reproduced the experimental data such as the responses to hypotonic shock in the presence or absence of beta-adrenergic stimulation. Finally, the volume regulation via Cl- homeostasis was successfully incorporated to the Kyoto model. The steady state was well established in the comprehensive cell model in respect to both the intracellular ion concentrations and the shape of the action potential, which are all in the physiological range. The source code of the model, which can reproduce every result, is available from http://www.sim-bio.org/.     

Comprehensive evaluation of antioxidant activity for various substances with 5-axe cobweb chart

Antioxidant activities of various substances against peroxynitrite and peroxyl radical generated from 2,2′-azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH) were evaluated by the previously proposed method [Terashima, M., Nakatani, I., Harima, A., Nakamura, S., & Shiiba M. (2007). New method to evaluate water-soluble antioxidant activity based on protein structure change. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 55(1), 165–169] using myoglobin as a probe. Activities of several antioxidants against five different reactive oxygen species, DPPH, hypochlorite ion, hydroxyl radical, peroxynitrite, and peroxyl radical, were characterised comprehensively by 5-axe cobweb charts. For example, Trolox, ascorbic acid, and ferulic acid show similar activities against DPPH radicals (7–10 mM VC), the shapes of the 5-axe cobweb charts are different from each others. This clear-cut expression would be useful to predict probable physiological effects of various antioxidants and to compare quality of antioxidants contained in food materials and food products.     

Mechanism of color breakup in field-sequential-color projectors

Abstract— To investigate color breakup in field-sequential-color projectors, we measured the threshold of color fusion frequency relative to retinal velocity of the moving edge on the color flicker field. The characteristic changed as the velocity approached saccade. The result suggests that the mechanism of color breakup differs according to the velocity of the image on the retina.     

Propionates and Acetates of Chiral Secondary Alcohols: Novel Sex Pheromone Components Produced by a Lichen Moth Barsine expressa (Arctiidae: Lithosiinae)

Females of a lichen moth, Barsine expressa (Arctiidae, Lithosiinae), which inhabit Iriomote Island in Japan, were captured by a black-light trap, and the pheromone gland extract was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) with an electroantennographic (EAG) detector, and by GC coupled with mass spectrometry. The females produced several EAG-active esters, and the mass spectrum of a major component indicated the mixture consists of propionates derived from C₁₇-saturated secondary alcohols, which were inseparable on the capillary GC column. In addition to these main components, the pheromone glands included two acetate derivatives of C₁₇ alcohols, and other propionates of C₁₆ and C₁₅ alcohols. The crude extract was treated with K₂CO₃, and a 1:1 mixture of C₁₇ alcohols with a C₆- or C₇-chain moiety was obtained. The two alcohols were uniformly converted into monodeuterated n-heptadecane by mesylation and succeeding LiAlD₄ reduction. This result revealed a straight-chain structure of the C₁₇ alcohols with the acyl groups located at the 7- or 8-position. Field tests on Iriomote Island showed that the synthetic esters were behaviorally active. A 1:1 mixture of racemic 7-propioxyheptadecane and 8-propioxyheptadecane, which were prepared from the secondary alcohols synthesized by a Grignard coupling reaction, attracted male moths. Furthermore, propionates of the alcohols synthesized enantioselectively by using a hydrolytic kinetic resolution with Jacobsen’s catalyst were evaluated. Only the traps baited with a mixture of the two esters with the same S-configuration significantly attracted B. expressa males. In the Tokyo area, the propionate mixture attracted a closely related species, Barsine aberrans aberrans.     

Discovery of Superconductivity in 2M WS2 with Possible Topological Surface States

Recently the metastable 1T′‐type VIB‐group transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted extensive attention due to their rich and intriguing physical properties, including superconductivity, valleytronics physics, and topological physics. Here, a new layered WS₂ dubbed “2M” WS₂, is constructed from 1T′ WS₂ monolayers, is synthesized. Its phase is defined as 2M based on the number of layers in each unit cell and the subordinate crystallographic system. Intrinsic superconductivity is observed in 2M WS₂ with a transition temperature T_c of 8.8 K, which is the highest among TMDs not subject to any fine‐tuning process. Furthermore, the electronic structure of 2M WS₂ is found by Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations and first‐principles calculations to have a strong anisotropy. In addition, topological surface states with a single Dirac cone, protected by topological invariant Z₂, are predicted through first‐principles calculations. These findings reveal that the new 2M WS₂ might be an interesting topological superconductor candidate from the VIB‐group transition metal dichalcogenides.