Significant Role of Intrahepatic Shunt in Hepatic Function Test with the Use of Dye in Cirrhosis

1979-03Using hepatic vein catheterization, fractional clearance (K) and hepatic extraction rate (ER) of Indocyanine Green (ICG) and radioisotope particles (RI) were studied in cirrhotic portal hypertension (24 postnecrotic cirrhotics and 25 alcoholic cirrhotics). ICG given intravenously is cleared from blood only by hepatocytes, whereas RI are uptaken by intrahepatic (Kupffer cells) and extrahepatic reticuloendothelial (RE) cells. Since there were significant positive correlations between K-ICG and K-RI in postnecrotic cirrhosis (r = 0.588, p < 0.01) and in alcoholic cirrhosis (r = 0.620, p < 0.01), and between ER-ICG and ER-RI in postnecrotic cirrhosis (r =0.508, p < 0.02) and in alcoholic cirrhosis (r = 0.558, p < 0.01), the most reasonable explanation of these correlations was that significant amount of ICG and Rl given intravenously bypassed both Kupffer cells and hepatocytes in the patients with portal hypertenaion due to cirrhosis. Therefore, liver function test with the use of dye, such as ICG, is influenced significantly by intrahepatic shunt bypassing hepatocytes in cirrhosis.departmental bulletin pape

DECIGO pathfinder

DECIGO pathfinder (DPF) is a milestone satellite mission for DECIGO (DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory) which is a future space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to provide us fruitful insights into the universe, in particular about dark energy, a formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and the inflation of the universe. Since DECIGO will be an extremely large mission which will formed by three drag-free spacecraft with 1000m separation, it is significant to gain the technical feasibility of DECIGO before its planned launch in 2024. Thus, we are planning to launch two milestone missions: DPF and pre-DECIGO. The conceptual design and current status of the first milestone mission, DPF, are reviewed in this article

The Japanese space gravitational wave antenna; DECIGO

DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO) is the future Japanese space gravitational wave antenna. DECIGO is expected to open a new window of observation for gravitational wave astronomy especially between 0.1 Hz and 10 Hz, revealing various mysteries of the universe such as dark energy, formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, and inflation of the universe. The pre-conceptual design of DECIGO consists of three drag-free spacecraft, whose relative displacements are measured by a differential Fabry– Perot Michelson interferometer. We plan to launch two missions, DECIGO pathfinder and pre- DECIGO first and finally DECIGO in 2024

Affinity selection of DNA-binding protein complexes using mRNA display

Comprehensive analysis of DNA–protein interactions is important for mapping transcriptional regulatory networks on a genome-wide level. Here we present a new application of mRNA display for in vitro selection of DNA-binding protein heterodimeric complexes. Under improved selection conditions using a TPA-responsive element (TRE) as a bait DNA, known interactors c-fos and c-jun were simultaneously enriched about 100-fold from a model library (a 1:1:20 000 mixture of c-fos, c-jun and gst genes) after one round of selection. Furthermore, almost all kinds of the AP-1 family genes including c-jun, c-fos, junD, junB, atf2 and b-atf were successfully selected from an mRNA display library constructed from a mouse brain poly A(+) RNA after six rounds of selection. These results indicate that the mRNA display selection system can identify a variety of DNA-binding protein complexes in a single experiment. Since almost all transcription factors form heterooligomeric complexes to bind with their target DNA, this method should be most useful to search for DNA-binding transcription factor complexes

DEVELOPMENT OF SMART PRECISION FOREST IN CONIFER PLANTATION IN JAPAN USING LASER SCANNING DATA

Currently, the authors are planning to launch a consortium effort toward Japan’s first smart precision forestry project using laser data and to develop this technology throughout the country. Smart precision forestry information gathered using the Nagano model (laser scanning from aircraft, drone, and backpack) is being developed to improve the sophistication of forest information, reduce labor-intensive work, maintain sustainable timber productivity, and facilitate supply chain management by laser sensing information in collaboration with industry, academia, and government. In this paper, we outline the research project and the technical development situation of unmanned aerial vehicle laser scanning

Use of cDNA Tiling Arrays for Identifying Protein Interactions Selected by In Vitro Display Technologies

In vitro display technologies such as mRNA display are powerful screening tools for protein interaction analysis, but the final cloning and sequencing processes represent a bottleneck, resulting in many false negatives. Here we describe an application of tiling array technology to identify specifically binding proteins selected with the in vitro virus (IVV) mRNA display technology. We constructed transcription-factor tiling (TFT) arrays containing ∼1,600 open reading frame sequences of known and predicted mouse transcription-regulatory factors (334,372 oligonucleotides, 50-mer in length) to analyze cDNA fragments from mRNA-display screening for Jun-associated proteins. The use of the TFT arrays greatly increased the coverage of known Jun-interactors to 28% (from 14% with the cloning and sequencing approach), without reducing the accuracy (∼75%). This method could detect even targets with extremely low expression levels (less than a single mRNA copy per cell in whole brain tissue). This highly sensitive and reliable method should be useful for high-throughput protein interaction analysis on a genome-wide scale

Cost-Effectiveness of Ecomark in a Company and Consumer Behavior

《論文》departmental bulletin pape

Mechanical behavior of structural steel clad by wire arc thermal spraying

Thermal spraying is a surface modification technique in which molten particles are deposited to form protective or functional coatings. This study investigated the mechanical behavior of structural steel components strengthened by wire arc thermal spray cladding. The thermal spraying process was performed using martensitic stainless steel wire to achieve a target cladding thickness of approximately 5 mm. Tensile, compression, and bending tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical performance of the cladding under various loading conditions. The cladding exhibited a Young's modulus of 70 GPa, approximately one-third that of bulk steel. The tensile strength of the cladding was estimated at 231 MPa, with brittle fracture occurring at a strain of 0.3 %. Despite its limited tensile ductility, the cladding contributed to an increase in axial stiffness in the elastic range. In contrast, under compression, the cladding exhibited ductile nonlinear behavior and failed by vertical cracking. The 0.2 % proof stress of the cladding in compression was 1.3 times that of the substrate, indicating adequate load-bearing capacity under compressive stress. In bending tests, the maximum load of clad steel plates was five times that of unclad steel plates, although cracking and debonding of the cladding were observed. These findings suggest that cladding applied by thermal spraying has mechanical characteristics suitable for structural applications, particularly under compressive stress