Microscopic evaluation of spin and orbital moment in ferromagnetic resonance.

Time-resolved X-ray magnetic circular dichroism under the effects of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), known as X-ray ferromagnetic resonance (XFMR) measurements, enables direct detection of precession dynamics of magnetic moment. Here we demonstrated XFMR measurements and Bayesian analyses as a quantitative probe for the precession of spin and orbital magnetic moments under the FMR effect. Magnetization precessions in two different Pt/Ni-Fe thin film samples were directly detected. Furthermore, the ratio of dynamical spin and orbital magnetic moments was evaluated quantitatively by Bayesian analyses for XFMR energy spectra around the Ni L 2 , 3 absorption edges. Our study paves the way for a microscopic investigation of the contribution of the orbital magnetic moment to magnetization dynamics.

Switchable and orthogonal gene expression control inside artificial cells by synthetic riboswitches.

Here we report two novel synthetic riboswitches that respond to ASP2905 and theophylline and function in reconstituted cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) system. We encapsulated the CFPS system as well as DNA-templated encoding reporter genes regulated by these orthogonal riboswitches inside liposomes, and achieved switchable and orthogonal control over gene expression by external stimulation with the cognate ligands.

Shoe-Type Walking Assist Device with Controllable Subtalar Joint Alignment at Heel Contact.

In this study, we propose a shoe-type walking assist device that can control the inversion/eversion angle of the subtalar joint during heel contact, with the aim of improving the long-term quality of life of both elderly people and young healthy people. The proposed device enables the heel mechanism to rotate dynamically in the frontal plane to lead the subtalar joint alignment to the neutral position when the heel contacts the ground. The effectiveness of the proposed mechanism was demonstrated by comparing the amount of lateral thrust (lateral sway) during stepping movements with and without the mechanism assist in 5 healthy male subjects wearing the device.

Time-resolved resonant soft X-ray scattering combined with MHz synchrotron X-ray and laser pulses at the Photon Factory.

A picosecond pump-probe resonant soft X-ray scattering measurement system has been developed at the Photon Factory storage ring for highly efficient data collection. A high-repetition-rate high-power compact laser system has been installed to improve efficiency via flexible data acquisition to a sub-MHz frequency in time-resolved experiments. Data are acquired by gating the signal of a channel electron multiplier with a pulse-counting mode capable of discriminating single-bunch soft X-ray pulses in the dark gap of the hybrid operation mode in the storage ring. The photoinduced dynamics of magnetic order for multiferroic manganite SmMn2O5 are clearly demonstrated by the detection of transient changes in the resonant soft X-ray scattering intensity around the Mn LIII- and O K-edges.

Topological charge of soft X-ray vortex beam determined by inline holography.

A Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) vortex beam having a spiral wavefront can be characterized by its topological charge (TC). The TC gives the number of times that the beam phase passes through the interval [Formula: see text] following a closed loop surrounding the propagation axis. Here, the TC spectra of soft X-ray vortex beams are acquired using the in-line holography technique, where interference between vortex waves produced from a fork grating and divergent waves from a Fresnel zone plate is observed as a holographic image. The analyses revealed the phase distributions and the TC for the LG vortex waves, which reflects topological number of the fork gratings, as well as for the Hermite-Gaussian (HG) mode waves generated from the other gratings. We also conducted a simulation of the present technique for pair annihilation of topological defects in a magnetic texture. These results may pave the way for development of probes capable of characterizing the topological numbers of magnetic defects.

[Survey on the Pharmacists Perceptions of Clinical Trial Literature Accessibility].

The purpose of this study is to understand the reading habits of Japanese pharmacists regarding clinical trial literature in 2014. Questionnaires were mailed to 1997 pharmacists in Miyagi Prefecture. Six hundreds and five [342 (56.5%) hospital pharmacists and 254 (42.0%) community pharmacists] responded to questionnaires (Response rate: 30.3%). Regarding the question, "Do you habitually read clinical trial literature?", 19.5% of hospital and 8.3% community pharmacists responded "yes", respectively, which showed both pharmacists are not habitual readers of clinical trial literature. That would be because they did not study critical reading of clinical trial literature at pharmacy schools as well as their work environments to access and retrieve clinical trial literature were limited.

A Sequential Electron Doping for Quadruple Perovskite Oxides ACu3Co4O12 (A = Ca, Y, Ce).

A novel quadruple perovskite oxide CeCu3Co4O12 has been synthesized in high-pressure and high-temperature conditions of 12 GPa and 1273 K. Rietveld refinement of the synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction pattern reveals that this oxide crystallizes in a cubic quadruple perovskite structure with the 1:3-type ordering of Ce and Cu ions at the A-site. X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis demonstrates the valence-state transitions in the ACu3Co4O12 series (A = Ca, Y, Ce) from Ca2+Cu3+3Co3.25+4O12 to Y3+Cu3+3Co3+4O12 to Ce4+Cu2.67+3Co3+4O12, where the electrons are doped in the order from B-site (Co3.25+ → Co3+) to A'-site (Cu3+ → Cu2.67+). This electron-doping sequence is in stark contrast to the typical B-site electron doping for simple ABO3-type perovskite and quadruple perovskites CaCu3B4O12 (B = V, Cr, Mn), further differing from the monotonical A'-site electron doping for Na1-xLaxMn3Ti4O12 and A'- and B-site electron doping for AMn3V4O12 (A = Na, Ca, La). The differences in the electron-doping sequences are interpreted by rigid-band models, proposing a wide variety of electronic states for the complex transition-metal oxides containing the multiple valence-variable ions.

Salmonella type III effector SpvC, a phosphothreonine lyase, contributes to reduction in inflammatory response during intestinal phase of infection.

Salmonella phosphothreonine lyase SpvC inactivates the dual-phosphorylated host mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) through ß-elimination. While SpvC can be secreted in vitro by both Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-1 and SPI-2 type III secretion systems (T3SSs), translocation of this protein into the host cell cytosol has only been demonstrated by SPI-2 T3SS. In this study, we show that SpvC can be delivered into the host cell cytoplasm by both SPI-1 and SPI-2 T3SSs. Dephosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERK) was detected in an SPI-1 T3SS-dependent manner 2 h post infection. Using a mouse model for Salmonella enterocolitis, which was treated with streptomycin prior to infection, we observed that mice infected with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strains lacking the spvC gene showed pronounced colitis when compared with mice infected with the wild-type strain 1 day after infection. The effect of SpvC on the development of colitis was characterized by reduced mRNA levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and reduced inflammation with less infiltration of neutrophils. Furthermore, the reduction in inflammation by SpvC resulted in increased bacterial dissemination in spleen of mice infected with Salmonella. Collectively, our findings suggest that SpvC exerts as an anti-inflammatory effector and the attenuation of intestinal inflammatory response by SpvC is involved in systemic infection of Salmonella.

Antitumor effect of liposomal histone deacetylase inhibitor-lipid conjugates in vitro.

Histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACI), suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of cutaneous T cell lymphoma, is a promising new treatment strategy for various cancers. In this study, we hypothesized that a liposomal formulation of HDACI might efficiently deliver HDACI into tumors. To incorporate HDACI efficiently into the liposomal membrane, we synthesized six HDACI-lipid conjugates, in which polyethylene glycol(2000) (PEG(2000))-lipid or cholesterol (Chol) was linked with a potent hydroxamic acid, HDACI, SAHA or K-182, by cleavable linkers, such as ester, carbamide and disulfide bonds. Liposomal HDACI-lipid conjugates were prepared with distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) and HDACI-Chol conjugate or with DSPC, Chol and HDACI-PEG-lipid conjugates, and their cytotoxicities were evaluated for human cervix tumor HeLa and mouse colon tumor Colon 26 cells. Among the liposomes, liposomal oleyl-PEG(2000)-SAHA conjugated with SAHA and oleyl-PEG(2000) via a carbamate linker showed higher cytotoxicity via hyperacetylation of histone H3 and induction of caspase 3/7 activity. These results suggested that liposomal HDACI-lipid conjugates may be a potential tool for cancer therapy.

Genome-wide identification of novel genomic islands that contribute to Salmonella virulence in mouse systemic infection.

Salmonella pathogenicity islands are inserted into the genome by horizontal gene transfer and are required for expression of full virulence. Here, we performed tRNA scanning of the genome of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and compared it with that of nonpathogenic Escherichia coli in order to identify genomic islands that contribute to Salmonella virulence. Using deletion analysis, we identified four genomic islands that are required for virulence in the mouse infection model. One of the newly identified pathogenicity islands was the pheV-tRNA-located genomic island, which is comprised of 26 126 bp, and encodes 22 putative genes, including STM3117-STM3138. We also showed that the pheV tRNA-located genomic island is widely distributed among different nontyphoid Salmonella serovars. Furthermore, genes including STM3118-STM3121 were identified as novel virulence-associated genes within the pheV-tRNA-located genomic island. These results indicate that a Salmonella-specific pheV-tRNA genomic island is involved in Salmonella pathogenesis among the nontyphoid Salmonella serovars.

Histone deacetylase inhibitor prodrugs in nanoparticle vector enhanced gene expression in human cancer cells.

We developed histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACI) prodrugs to enhance the expression of the external genes transfected into human cells with cationic nanoparticles (NPs). We synthesized five kinds of lipid-linked HDACI prodrugs in which n-dodecanoic acid or cholesterol is linked with a potent HDACI, K-182, by an ester bond or a disulfide carbonate linker. The prodrugs were able to admix as a component of NPs, although the intact K-182 was not incorporated into NPs. Namely, NPs composed of cholesteryl-3beta-carboxyamidoethylene-N-hydroxyethylamine and Tween 80 with the 10 mol% K-182 prodrug were prepared as a DNA vector to transfect plasmid DNAs into human prostate cancer cells, PC-3, or human breast cancer cells, Sk-Br-3. The NPs containing K-182 prodrugs with n-dodecanoic acid exhibited two to four times higher the gene expression than the original NPs. The enhancement of the gene expression will be due to the hyperacetylation of core histones caused by intact K-182 degraded from the prodrug in the vector incorporated into the cells.