Reduction of converging distance change in an aquatic display formed with aerial imaging by retro-reflection in conjugated optical structure.

This paper proposes an optical system for aquatic display that shows an image in water. The aquatic image is formed by utilizing aerial imaging by retro-reflection, which converges light by a retro-reflector and a beam splitter. Refraction on intersection between air and another material causes spherical aberration, which changes light-converging distance. In order to reduce the converging distance change, the light-source component is filled with water so that the optical system becomes conjugate including the medium. We analyzed converging of light in water by simulations. Furthermore, we have confirmed effectiveness of conjugated optical structure experimentally by use of a prototype.

Efficacy and prognosis of antiviral therapy on hepatitis C following treatment of lymphoma in HCV-positive diffuse large-cell lymphoma.

The purpose of this study is to study the usefulness of post-remission antiviral therapy in cases of HCV-RNA-positive diffuse large-cell lymphoma. Antiviral therapy against HCV was performed after remission using CHOP or CHOP-like chemotherapy in combination with rituximab in five successive cases of HCV-RNA-positive diffuse large-cell lymphoma. The control groups consisted of a group of HCV-RNA-positive diffuse large-cell lymphoma cases prior to this trial (control 1), and a group of cases that tested negative for HIV, HCV, and HBV (control 2). All the cases were in remission at the time of initial treatment. There were no significant differences between the three groups in terms of age, sex, treatment, stage, or International Prognosis Index (IPI). When HCV antiviral therapy was performed after treatment for diffuse large-cell lymphoma, we observed no recurrence or deaths, and the 2-year overall survival and progression-free survival rates were significantly greater than those in the control 1 group (P = 0.0246). It is possible that a better prognosis can be achieved by performing HCV antiviral therapy after achieving remission in cases of HCV-RNA-positive diffuse large-cell lymphoma through the use of R-CHOP or similar treatments.

Light-dependent destabilization of PHL in Arabidopsis.

Plants sense environmental stimuli such as light to regulate their flowering time. In Arabidopsis, phytochrome B (phyB) is the major photoreceptor that perceives red and far-red light, and destabilizes transcriptional regulator CONSTANS (CO) protein. However the mechanism that links photoreceptor and CO protein degradation is largely unknown. We recently showed that PHYTOCHROME-DEPENDENT LATE-FLOWERING (PHL) protein inhibits phyB signaling through direct protein-protein interaction. Here, we report that light exposure destabilizes PHL protein as is the case with CO. Fluorescence from PHL-YFP fusion protein expressed under the control of Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (CaMV) 35S promoter (35S::PHL-YFP) almost disappeared after four-hour treatment of white light. Furthermore, the similar results were also obtained from the analysis of PHL-GUS fusion protein expressed by PHL promoter (PHLpro::PHL-GUS phl-1). These results highlight the importance of post-transcriptional regulation in phyB-mediated flowering regulation and will give us hints how phyB regulates CO protein amount.