Effects of forest cover on richness of threatened fish species in Japan.

Estuaries--one of the most vulnerable ecosystems globally--face anthropogenic threats, including biodiversity loss and the collapse of sustainable fisheries. Determining the factors contributing to the maintenance of estuarine biodiversity, especially that of fish, is vital for promoting estuarine conservation and sustainability. We used environmental DNA metabarcoding analysis to determine fish species composition in 22 estuaries around Japan and measured watershed-scale land-use factors (e.g., population size, urban area percentage, and forest area percentage). We sought to test the hypothesis that the richness of the most vulnerable estuarine fish species (i.e., registered by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment in the national species red-list) is determined by watershed-scale land-use factors. The richness of such species was greater, where forest cover was highest; thus, forest cover contributes to their conservation. The proportion of agriculture cover was associated with low species richness of red-listed fishes (redundancy analysis, adjusted R2 = 43.9% of total variance, df = 5, F = 5.3843, p = 0.0001). The number of red-listed species increased from 3 to 11 along a watershed land-use gradient ranging from a high proportion of agriculture cover to a large proportion of forest cover. Furthermore, the results showed that throughout Japan all the examined watersheds that were covered by >74.8% forest had more than the average (6.7 species per site) richness of red-listed fish species. This result can be attributed to the already high average forest cover in Japan of 67.2%. Our results demonstrate how the land use of watersheds can affect the coastal sea environment and its biodiversity and suggest that proper forest management in conjunction with land-use management may be of prime importance for threatened fish species and coastal ecosystems in general.

Efectos de la Cobertura Forestal sobre la Riqueza de Especies Amenazadas de Peces en Japón Resumen Los estuarios-uno de los ecosistemas más vulnerables a nivel mundial-enfrentan amenazas causadas por el hombre, incluyendo la pérdida de biodiversidad y el colapso de las pesquerías sustentables. La determinación de los factores que contribuyen al mantenimiento de la biodiversidad estuarina, especialmente la de los peces, es vital para fomentar la conservación y sustentabilidad estuarinas. Usamos un análisis de metasecuenciación de ADN ambiental para determinar la composición de especies de peces en 22 estuarios de Japón y medimos los factores del uso de suelo a nivel de cuenca (p. ej.: tamaño poblacional, porcentaje de área urbana y porcentaje de área forestal). Buscamos probar la hipótesis de que la riqueza de las especies de peces más vulnerables (es decir, aquellas registradas por el Ministerio Japonés del Ambiente en la lista roja de especies a nivel nacional) está determinada por los factores de uso de suelo a nivel de cuenca. La riqueza de dichas especies fue mayor en donde la cobertura forestal era la más alta; por lo tanto, la cobertura forestal contribuye a la conservación de estas especies. La proporción de la cobertura agrícola estuvo asociada con una baja riqueza de especies de peces en la lista roja (análisis de redundancia, R2 ajustada = 43.9% de la varianza total, gl = 5, F = 5.3843, p = 0.0001). El número de especies en la lista roja incrementó de 3 a 11 a lo largo del gradiente de uso de suelo de la cuenca, yendo desde una proporción alta de cobertura agrícola a una proporción alta de cobertura forestal. Además, los resultados mostraron que, en Japón, todas las cuencas analizadas que contaban con una cobertura forestal >74.8% tenían mayor riqueza de especies de peces en la lista roja que el promedio (6.7 especies por sitio). Este resultado puede atribuirse a la ya de por sí elevada cobertura forestal de Japón (67.2%). Nuestros resultados demuestran cómo el uso de las cuencas puede afectar al ambiente costero marino y a su biodiversidad y sugiere que la gestión adecuada de los bosques en conjunto con el manejo del uso de suelo puede ser de suma importancia para las especies amenazadas de peces y los ecosistemas costeros en general.

Photoresponse of graphene field-effect-transistor with n-type Si depletion layer gate.

Graphene/semiconductor Schottky junctions are an emerging field for high-performance optoelectronic devices. This study investigates not only the steady state but also the transient photoresponse of graphene field-effect transistor (G-FET) of which gate bias is applied through the Schottky barrier formed at an n-type Si/graphene interface with a thin oxide layer, where the oxide thickness is sufficiently thin for tunneling of the charge carrier. To analyze the photoresponse, we formulate the charge accumulation process at the n-Si/graphene interface, where the tunneling process through the SiOx layer to graphene occurs along with recombination of the accumulated holes and the electrons in the graphene at the surface states on the SiOx layer. Numerical calculations show good qualitative agreement with the experimentally obtained results for the photoresponse of G-FET.

Routine genetic testing of lung cancer specimens derived from surgery, bronchoscopy and fluid aspiration by next generation sequencing.

After the development of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), genetic testing of EGFR became required for effective treatment of lung cancer. Initially, the testing was conducted separately for each mutated region. However, many EGFR mutations have since been identified that determine the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs. Therefore, genetic testing of EGFR by next generation sequencing (NGS) may be a suitable strategy for lung cancer. Here we examined the applicability of the NGS method in regard to sensitivity, time and cost. A total of 939 specimens were obtained from 686 lung cancer patients at our hospital. DNA and RNA were simultaneously extracted from specimens derived from surgery, bronchoscopy, and fluid aspiration. Specimens included cerebrospinal fluid, pleural effusion, abdominal fluid, and pericardial effusion. From RNA, target regions (EGFR, KRAS, ALK fusion and RET fusion) were enriched by RT-PCR and sequenced with MiSeq. From DNA, PCR or PCR-RFLP conventional methods were performed. NGS and conventional methods were carried out routinely per week. Among the total 939 specimens, 38 specimens could not be examined with NGS. Among these, 34 specimens were analyzed by conventional testing with simultaneously extracted DNA. The remaining four specimens could not be tested with either method. Compared with the conventional method, the concordance rate of mutations was 99% (892/901), excluding specimens with NGS failure. The time period required from processing of specimens to results was 4 days, and the cost per sample was sufficiently low. In conclusion, the genetic testing with NGS method was useful for lung cancer treatment. The cost, sensitivity and time were able to tolerate routine examinations.

A very luminous magnetar-powered supernova associated with an ultra-long γ-ray burst.

A new class of ultra-long-duration (more than 10,000 seconds) γ-ray bursts has recently been suggested. They may originate in the explosion of stars with much larger radii than those producing normal long-duration γ-ray bursts or in the tidal disruption of a star. No clear supernova has yet been associated with an ultra-long-duration γ-ray burst. Here we report that a supernova (SN 2011kl) was associated with the ultra-long-duration γ-ray burst GRB 111209A, at a redshift z of 0.677. This supernova is more than three times more luminous than type Ic supernovae associated with long-duration γ-ray bursts, and its spectrum is distinctly different. The slope of the continuum resembles those of super-luminous supernovae, but extends further down into the rest-frame ultraviolet implying a low metal content. The light curve evolves much more rapidly than those of super-luminous supernovae. This combination of high luminosity and low metal-line opacity cannot be reconciled with typical type Ic supernovae, but can be reproduced by a model where extra energy is injected by a strongly magnetized neutron star (a magnetar), which has also been proposed as the explanation for super-luminous supernovae.

Aggregation kinetics of single-walled carbon nanotubes investigated using mechanically wrapped multinuclear complexes: probing the tube-tube repulsive barrier.

The rational design of supraparticle assemblies requires a detailed understanding of directed assembly processes. The stability of dispersions of nanoscale materials, like single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), is still not fully understood, nor are the mechanisms of aggregation and assembly. A detailed balance of attractive van der Waals type interactions with various repulsive barrier mechanisms is needed to control the assembly of industrially viable and functional hybrid-nanoscale supraparticles. We report a detailed study of SWCNT dispersion stability and aggregation kinetics as a function of the nature of the coagulant used in various solvent systems. We explore three classes of coagulants that vary in charge, size, shape, solvation energy, and the ability to bind to the SWCNTs. We use these kinetic data to assess the tube-solvent-coagulant-tube interactions. We compare the relative contributions from two types of repulsive barriers. We find that tube-mediated structured solvent around the SWCNTs does not sufficiently describe our measured kinetic data. A DLVO type, electrical double layer repulsion is used to rationalize our observations. The data presented in this paper require a more detailed theoretical understanding of the physico-chemical environment near nanoparticle surfaces such as aggregating SWCNTs.

A single dose of lipopolysaccharide into mice with emphysema mimics human chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation as assessed by micro-computed tomography.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), manifested as emphysema and chronic airway obstruction, can be exacerbated by bacterial and viral infections. Although the frequency of exacerbations increases as the disease progresses, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are largely unknown, and there is a need for a simple in vivo exacerbation model. In this study, we compared four groups of mice treated with PBS alone, elastase alone, LPS alone, and elastase plus LPS. A single intratracheal administration of LPS to mice with elastase-induced emphysema provoked infiltration of inflammatory cells, especially CD8(+) T cells, into alveolar spaces and increased matrix metalloproteinase-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1, and perforin production in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid at the acute inflammatory phase compared with the other groups. We also measured the percentage of low-attenuation area (LAA%) in the above mice using micro-computed X-ray tomography. The LAA% was the most sensitive parameter for quantitative assessments of emphysema among all the parameters evaluated. Using the parameter of LAA%, we found significantly more severe alveolar destruction in the group treated with elastase plus LPS compared with the other groups during long-term longitudinal observations. We built three-dimensional images of the emphysema and confirmed that the lungs of elastase plus LPS-treated mice contained larger emphysematous areas than mice treated with elastase alone. Although human exacerbation of COPD is clinically and pathologically complicated, this simple mouse model mimics human cases to some extent and will be useful for elucidating its mechanism and developing therapeutic strategies.

Self-Assembly of Coordinative Supramolecular Polygons with Open Binding Sites.

The design and synthesis of coordinative supramolecular polygons with open binding sites is described. Coordination-driven self-assembly of 2,6-bis(pyridin-4-ylethynyl)pyridine with 60° and 120° organoplatinum acceptors results in quantitative formation of a supramolecular rhomboid and hexagon, respectively, both bearing open pyridyl binding sites. The structures were determined by multinuclear ((31)P and (1)H) NMR spectroscopy and electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry, along with a computational study.

Cognitive profile of patients with burning mouth syndrome in the Japanese population.

The present study investigated which cognitive characteristics, including cancer phobia, self-efficacy, pain-related catastrophizing, and anxiety sensitivity, affect burning mouth syndrome (BMS) symptoms in the Japanese population. A total of 46 BMS patients (44 women and 2 men; mean age, 59.98 +/- 9.57 years; range, 30-79 years) completed a battery of questionnaires, including measures of pain severity, oral-related quality of life (QOL), stress-response, pain-related catastrophizing, self-efficacy, anxiety sensitivity, and tongue cancer phobia. The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) scores in the BMS patients were compared with the scores of Japanese healthy participants (PCS, n = 449; GSES, n = 278; ASI, n = 9603) reported in previous studies. Catastrophizing and anxiety sensitivity were significantly higher in the BMS patients than in the healthy subjects (P < 0.001). In BMS patients, catastrophizing was significantly correlated with pain severity, stress-response, psychological disability, social disability, and handicap. Cancer phobia was significantly correlated with psychological disability and handicap. Since catastrophizing showed a higher correlation with BMS symptoms than cancer phobia, catastrophizing might be a more significant cognitive factor affecting symptoms than cancer phobia in BMS patients in the Japanese population.

Early optical polarization of a gamma-ray burst afterglow.

We report the optical polarization of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglow, obtained 203 seconds after the initial burst of gamma-rays from GRB 060418, using a ring polarimeter on the robotic Liverpool Telescope. Our robust (2sigma) upper limit on the percentage of polarization, less than 8%, coincides with the fireball deceleration time at the onset of the afterglow. The combination of the rate of decay of the optical brightness and the low polarization at this critical time constrains standard models of GRB ejecta, ruling out the presence of a large-scale ordered magnetic field in the emitting region.

Acellular invertebrate hemoglobins as model therapeutic oxygen carriers: unique redox potentials.

Natural acellular polymeric hemoglobins (Hb) provide oxygen transport and delivery within many terrestrial and marine invertebrate organisms. It has been our premise that these natural acellular Hbs may serve as models of therapeutic hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOC). Our attention has focused on the acellular Hb from the terrestrial invertebrate, Lumbricus terrestris (Lt), which possesses a unique hierarchical structure and a unique ability to function extracellularly without oxidative damage. Lumbricus Hb and Arenicola Hb are resistant to autoxidation, chemical oxidation by potassium ferricyanide, and have little or no capacity to transfer electrons to Fe(+3)-complexes at 37 degrees C. An understanding of how these invertebrate acellular oxygen carriers maintain their structural integrity and redox stability in vivo is vital for the design of a safe and effective red cell substitute. We report here a positive redox potential for these giant hemoglobins that may lie at the basis for its resistance to oxidation.