Mass transfer in polycrystalline ytterbium monosilicate under oxygen potential gradients at high temperatures

Mass transfer in polycrystalline Yb₂SiO₅ wafers with precise composition control was evaluated and analyzed by oxygen permeation experiments at high temperatures using an oxygen tracer. Oxygen permeation proceeded due to mutual grain boundary diffusion of oxide ions and Yb ions without synergistic effects such as acceleration or suppression. The oxygen shielding properties of Yb₂SiO₅ were compared with those of the other line compounds such as Yb₂Si₂O₇ and Al₂O₃ based on the determined mass transfer parameters. It was found that the more preferentially an oxide ion diffuses in the grain boundary compared to the interior of the grain, the greater the effect of suppressing the movement of the oxide ion by applying an oxygen potential gradient becomes.     

Multifaceted Mechanisms of Action of Metformin Which Have Been Unraveled One after Another in the Long History

While there are various kinds of drugs for type 2 diabetes mellitus at present, in this review article, we focus on metformin which is an insulin sensitizer and is often used as a first-choice drug worldwide. Metformin mainly activates adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the liver which leads to suppression of fatty acid synthesis and gluconeogenesis. Metformin activates AMPK in skeletal muscle as well, which increases translocation of glucose transporter 4 to the cell membrane and thereby increases glucose uptake. Further, metformin suppresses glucagon signaling in the liver by suppressing adenylate cyclase which leads to suppression of gluconeogenesis. In addition, metformin reduces autophagy failure observed in pancreatic β-cells under diabetic conditions. Furthermore, it is known that metformin alters the gut microbiome and facilitates the transport of glucose from the circulation into excrement. It is also known that metformin reduces food intake and lowers body weight by increasing circulating levels of the peptide hormone growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF15). Furthermore, much attention has been drawn to the fact that the frequency of various cancers is lower in subjects taking metformin. Metformin suppresses the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) by activating AMPK in pre-neoplastic cells, which leads to suppression of cell growth and an increase in apoptosis in pre-neoplastic cells. It has been shown recently that metformin consumption potentially influences the mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19). Taken together, metformin is an old drug, but multifaceted mechanisms of action of metformin have been unraveled one after another in its long history.     

Preparation of Mn2+-Cu+ co-doped P2O5–ZnO–Al2O3 glasses and their red fluorescence properties

To make a Mn²⁺-doped red glass phosphor that can be excited with ultraviolet (UV) light of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), 60P₂O₅-35ZnO-5Al₂O₃-8MnO-xCu₂O glasses (x = 0-1.00) were prepared by a melt-quenching method at 1200-1400°C for 30-180 minutes in atmospheric air, and the redox of Mn and Cu as well as fluorescence properties were investigated. The Mn²⁺ ion was not reduced and oxidized in the melting, quenching, and annealing processes. The valence of Cu in the glasses changed in the order of 0, 1+, and 2+ with the increase in the amount of Cu₂O and in the melting temperature and time. In this study, a 60P₂O₅-35ZnO-5Al₂O₃-8MnO-0.10Cu₂O glass melted at 1250°C for 90 minutes, having the highest Cu⁺ concentration, showed the strongest Mn²⁺ red fluorescence under the UV light at 275 nm. This strong Mn²⁺ red fluorescence has been caused by the energy transfer from excited Cu⁺ ions to Mn²⁺ ions.     

Principled analytic classifier for positive-unlabeled learning via weighted integral probability metric

Machine Learning - We consider the problem of learning a binary classifier from only positive and unlabeled observations (called PU learning). Recent studies in PU learning have shown superior...     

Multipath structure for FSR expansion in waveguide-based optical ring resonator

A multipath structure of a ring resonator is proposed to expand the free spectral range. Simulation work indicates that the multipath ring resonator has 25 GHz-adjacent-channel crosstalk of -41 dB, maximum interchannel crosstalk of -18 dB, and -1 dB bandwidth of 4 GHz for a typical expansion factor of 10. The results show the advantages of characteristics compared with a double-cavity ring resonator and a triple-coupler ring resonator.     

Improved visible-light responsive photocatalytic activity of N and Si co-doped titanias

Thermal reaction of titanium tetraisopropoxide and tetraethyl orthosilicate in 1,4-butanediol afforded nanocrystalline silica-modified titanias having large surface area and superior thermal stability. In this study, the thus-obtained silica-modified titanias were treated in an NH₃ flow at high temperatures, and their physical and photocatalytic properties were investigated. Compared with NH₃-treated TiO₂ without silica modification, the NH₃-treated silica-modified titanias showed a stronger absorption in the visible region (400–500 nm) and had a larger peak at 396 eV in the N 1s XPS spectrum. These results indicate that a larger amount of nitrogen was stably doped in the silica-modified titania. The obtained products exhibited a high photocatalytic activity for degradation of Rhodamine B and decomposition of acetaldehyde under visible light irradiation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Preparation and antibacterial activity of novel fluoroalkyl end-capped oligomers/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated low molecular biocides

Fluoroalkyl end-capped N-(1,1-dimethyl-3-oxobutyl)acrylamide oligomer [R_F-(DOBAA) _n -R_F] reacted with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and silica nanoparticles in the presence of low-molecular weight biocides such as hibitane, hinokitiol, and hinokioil under alkaline conditions to afford R_F-(DOBAA) _n -R_F/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated these biocides in excellent to moderate isolated yields. Fluoroalkyl end-capped N,N-dimethylacrylamide oligomer [R_F-(DMAA) _n -R_F] and acrylic acid oligomer [R_F-(ACA) _n -R_F]/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated hibitane were obtained under similar conditions. Dynamic light scattering measurements showed that the size of these fluorinated nanocomposites-encapsulated biocides thus obtained is nanometer size-controlled. Additionally, these fluorinated nanocomposites were shown to have a good dispersibility and stability in methanol and water. Of particular interest, these fluorinated nanocomposites-encapsulated biocides were found to have a good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, and these nanocomposites were applied to the surface modification of traditional organic polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate).     

Ureteral obstruction enhances eicosanoid production in cortical and medullary tubules of rat kidneys

We examined prostaglandin (PG) E2, 6-keto PGF1alpha, and thromboxane B2 (TxB2) production in cortical and medullary tubules from sham-operated control (SOC) rats and rats with bilateral ureteral obstruction (BUO) of 24 h duration. In SOC rats medullary tubules produced significantly greater amounts of the three eicosanoids than cortical tubules. Again, the production of PGE2, 6-keto PGF1alpha, and TxB2 by cortical and medullary tubules was significantly greater in BUO rats than in SOC rats. To elucidate the mechanisms involved, we examined the activity of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) reactive against phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), the activity of phospholipase C (PLC), and the levels of cyclooxygenase (COX) in cortical and medullary tubules from SOC and BUO rats. In SOC rats the activity of phosphatidylcholine-PLA2 and PE-PLA2, the activity of PLC, and the mass of COX were significantly greater in medullary tubules than in cortical tubules. On the other hand, the activity of PLC in membranes of cortical tubules and the activity of PE-PLA2 and PLC in membranes of medullary tubules, which were in active location, were significantly greater in BUO rats than in SOC rats. COX levels were also significantly greater in cortical and medullary tubules of BUO rats than in those of SOC rats. Thus, we indicate that medullary tubules from SOC rats have greater production of eicosanoids through increased activity of the PLA2 and PLC-COX pathway than cortical tubules from the same group of rats. Again, in rats with BUO, the tubular eicosanoid production may be enhanced via activation of the PLC-COX pathway in cortical tubules or through activation of the PE-PLA2 and PLC-COX pathway in medullary tubules. The enhanced production of tubular eicosanoids observed in rats with BUO may affect tubular function, particularly sodium and water reabsorption.     

Heat Capacity of 3He Solid Film on Graphite in Magnetic Fields

Heat capacities of a submonolayer ³He solid film adsorbed on a graphite surface are measured in magnetic fields up to 400 Oe. The measured heat capacity shifts to higher temperatures with an increasing magnetic field. The amplitudes of the shifts are twenty times larger than the magnitude of the Zeeman energy, which is anomalously large. With regard to the origin of these large shifts, the reduction of frustrations and the weakening of the competition between multiple spin exchange interactions are discussed.