Photo-rechargeability of film electrodes prepared by pulsed laser deposition

The film electrodes of TiO₂, which have two functions of opto-electric conversion and storage of electrochemical energy, were prepared by pulsed laser deposition. To investigate the relationship between the photo-rechargeability and the surface structure, the TiO₂ film electrodes with different surface morphology were prepared by changing the inert gas pressure during the deposition. The photo-charged quantity was found to be proportional to the third power of the rms of surface roughness. The results suggest that not only the surface but also the interstices between crystal grains near the surface contribute to the photo-charging with low photo-emf.     

Determination of preservative and antimicrobial compounds in fish from Manila Bay, Philippines using ultra high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, and assessment of human dietary exposure

Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) determination of four paraben preservatives (methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl) and two antimicrobial agents (triclosan and triclocarban) belonging to personal care products (PCPs) in 20 species of fish from Manila Bay (Philippines) was performed. Detection of PCPs with greater frequency indicates the ubiquitous contamination of Manila Bay. Concentrations of total paraben were one order of magnitude higher than the antimicrobials in almost all fish, except in Stolephorus indicus and Leiognathus equulus. A positive correlation was observed between parabens concentration and fish length (r = 0.31-0.49; p<0.05 to <0.001) and fish weight (r = 0.28-0.49; p<0.05 to <0.001), but not for the antimicrobials. The estimated dietary exposure values of the four parabens in the Philippines through fish is four orders of magnitude lower than the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 10mg/kg/day, but the values of antimicrobials are just half of the ADI of TCS. To our knowledge, this is the first report of PCPs contamination in fish from Philippines.     

Multimedia services in the HDTV MUSE system

Experimental equipment to investigate multimedia service functions for application to MUSE (multiple sub-Nyquist sampling encoding) HDTV broadcasting has been developed. This system is called the multimedia MUSE system. Programs have also been produced to evaluate service functions of the system taking into account the capacity of the transmission path. This paper describes the configuration of the multimedia MUSE System, service examples, and evaluation of transmission capacity making use of test programs. Our studies reveal that multimedia broadcasting services can be provided when storage memory is installed for achieving interactive viewing and multimedia programs are appropriately configured. In addition, the services described here will provide the basic concept for multimedia broadcasting in future digital broadcasts     

Three-dimensional organization of collagen fibrils during corneal stromal wound healing after excimer laser keratectomy

PURPOSE: To investigate the structural changes in corneal stromal collagen fibrils after excimer laser keratectomy in relation to the degree of corneal haze. SETTING: University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. METHODS: Corneal haze was quantitatively measured by analyzing the light scattering in Scheimpflug images of the corneas of white rabbits after excimer laser keratectomy. Collagen fibril structure was examined using scanning electron microscopy after chemical digestion with sodium hydroxide solution; the same specimens were examined by transmission electron microscopy after re-embedding. RESULTS: Corneal haze reached a peak 4 weeks after excimer laser keratectomy and then gradually decreased. The collagen fibrils of the normal cornea were regularly arranged parallel to the surface of the cornea, with small interfibrillar distances. After excimer laser keratectomy, the arrangement was highly disordered, with increased interfibrillar distances. These structural changes were most prominent 4 weeks after excimer laser keratectomy. CONCLUSION: The structural changes in the collagen fibrils of the corneal stroma, especially the increase in interfibrillar distances and the disordered arrangement, were associated with corneal haze after excimer laser keratectomy.     

Inhibition of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis by transforming growth factor-beta 1 in B10. A mice

Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) in mice, an organ specific autoimmune disease, has been investigated as an animal model for human endogenous uveitis. In this study, we report on the immunosuppressive effect of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) on the development of EAU in mice. Inhibition by TGF-beta 1 of proliferation of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP)-specific T cell lines in B10.A mice against IRBP antigen was dose-dependent. However, when spleen cells used as the antigen presenting cell were first cultured with TGF-beta 1, this anti-proliferation effect was abolished. When IRBP-immunized mice were injected intraperitoneally with TGF-beta 1, dose-dependent suppression of EAU was obtained. The proliferation response of lymph node cells from TGF-beta 1 injected mice with IRBP-induced EAU was suppressed compared with phosphate buffered saline (PBS)-injected mice. These findings suggest that TGF-beta 1 may be a cytokine that plays a role in suppressing IRBP induced EAU in mice.     

Desensitization of the GABAA receptor shifts the dynamic range of retinal horizontal cells due to light and dark adaptation

The effects of the GABAergic pathway on the dynamic range of the light response of cone-driven horizontal cells (HCs) in the carp retina were investigated using conventional intracellular recordings and computer simulations. The amplitude of the HC responses to repetitive test flashes was altered by background illumination in control Ringer's solution, but was not changed following the application of picrotoxin or bicuculline, which suggests that GABAA receptors mediate the subsequent change in light response. This phenomenon was simulated by introducing the desensitization mechanism of the GABAA receptor into a cone-HC network model. These results suggest that desensitization of the GABAA receptor shifts the dynamic range of the HCs due to light and dark adaptation.     

Involvement of heat shock protein 90 in the degradation of mutant insulin receptors by the proteasome

We previously reported three families with type A insulin-resistant syndrome who had mutations, either Asp1179 or Leu1193, in the kinase domain of the insulin receptor. The extreme insulin resistance of these patients was found to be caused by the decreased number of insulin receptors on the cell surface, due to the intracellular rapid degradation (Imamura, T., Takata, Y., Sasaoka, T., Takada, Y., Morioka, H., Haruta, T., Sawa, T., Iwanishi, M., Yang, G. H., Suzuki, Y., Hamada, J., and Kobayashi, M. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 31019-31027). In the present study, we first examined whether these mutations caused rapid degradation of unprocessed proreceptors, using the exon 13 deleted mutant insulin receptors (DeltaEx13-IR), which were accumulated in the endoplasmic reticulum as unprocessed proreceptors. The addition of Asp1179 or Leu1193 mutation to DeltaEx13-IR caused accelerated degradation of the unprocessed DeltaEx13-IR in the transfected COS-7 cells. Next, we tested whether these mutant receptors were degraded by the proteasome. Treatment with proteasome inhibitors Z-Leu-Leu-Nva-H (MG-115) or Z-Leu-Leu-Leu-H (MG-132) prevented the accelerated degradation of these mutant receptors, resulting in increased amounts of the mutant receptors in the COS-7 cells. Essentially the same results were obtained in the patient's transformed lymphocytes. Finally, we found that these mutant receptors bound to heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90). To determine whether Hsp90 played an important role in the accelerated receptor degradation, we examined the effect of anti-Hsp90 antibody on the mutant receptor degradation. The microinjection of anti-Hsp90 antibody into cells prevented the accelerated degradation of both Asp1179 and Leu1193 mutant insulin receptors. Taken together, these results suggest that Hsp90 is involved in dislocation of the mutant insulin receptors out of the endoplasmic reticulum into the cytosol, where the mutant receptors are degraded by the proteasome.