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Plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX) accepts electrons from plastoquinol to reduce molecular oxygen to water. We introduced the gene encoding Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Cr)PTOX2 into the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) wild-type (WT) and proton gradient regulation5 (pgr5) mutant defective in cyclic electron transport around photosystem I (PSI). The accumulation of CrPTOX2 only mildly affected photosynthetic electron transport in the WT background during steady-state photosynthesis but partly complemented the induction of nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) in the pgr5 background. During the induction of photosynthesis by actinic light (AL) of 130 µmol photons m−2 s−1, the high level of PSII yield (Y(II)) was induced immediately after the onset of AL in WT plants accumulating CrPTOX2. NPQ was more rapidly induced in the transgenic plants than in WT plants. P700 was also oxidized immediately after the onset of AL. Although CrPTOX2 does not directly induce a proton concentration gradient (ΔpH) across the thylakoid membrane, the coupled reaction of PSII generated ΔpH to induce NPQ and the downregulation of the cytochrome b6f complex. Rapid induction of Y(II) and NPQ was also observed in the pgr5 plants accumulating CrPTOX2. In contrast to the WT background, P700 was not oxidized in the pgr5 background. Although the thylakoid lumen was acidified by CrPTOX2, PGR5 was essential for oxidizing P700. In addition to acidification of the thylakoid lumen to downregulate the cytochrome b6f complex (donor-side regulation), PGR5 may be required for draining electrons from PSI by transferring them to the plastoquinone pool. We propose a reevaluation of the contribution of this acceptor-side regulation by PGR5 in the photoprotection of PSI.

Pembrolizumab-induced adrenal insufficiency (AI) is recognized as a rare immune-related adverse event (irAE) that can be fatal if diagnosis is delayed. Clinical features of AI in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received pembrolizumab as the first-line treatment were observed. Five out of 49 patients with untreated advanced NSCLC developed AI between April 2017 and February 2021. Of the 5 patients, 4 developed AI with a grade >3 and were hospitalized. The median time of the onset of AI from the start of first-line treatment was 4.63 months. All the patients improved after corticosteroid replacement therapy. The efficacy of treatment was complete response in 1 patient and partial response in 4 patients. Median progression-free survival was 37.7 months, and overall survival had not been reached. This case series revealed the efficacy of immunotherapy in AI as an irAE.

Background Degenerative aortic arch aneurysms are known to develop through a pathological process of arterial atherosclerosis, which could be accompanied by peripheral artery diseases and resultant development of intrapelvic collateral arteries to the ischemic lower limbs. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between peripheral collateral circulation and postoperative paraplegia after total arch repair with a frozen elephant trunk in patients with degenerative aortic arch aneurysms and peripheral artery diseases. Methods Between October 2014 and March 2020, 27 patients (20 men; 69.8 ± 7.7 years old) underwent total arch repair with a frozen elephant trunk. Two of the 27 patients developed paraplegia postoperatively. The patients were divided into two groups, spinal cord ischemia (SCI) group (2 patients) and no-SCI group (25 patients). The aortic shagginess score, arterial calcification (subclavian artery; hypogastric artery) score, and the number of hypogastric artery branches, assessed using preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography images, were compared between the two groups. Results The ankle brachial artery pressure index (i.e., lower side value each patient) was lower in the SCI group than that in the no-SCI group (0.64, 0.71, and 1.09±0.07, respectively). There was no difference between the two groups in the arterial calcification scores or the aortic shagginess score. The number of hypogastric artery branches was greater in the SCI group than in the no-SCI group (66, 66, and 30.7±7.5, respectively). Conclusions Enhanced collateral circulation to the ischemic lower limbs in patients with combination of degenerative aortic arch aneurysms and peripheral artery diseases may be involved in paraplegia the upper thoracic spinal cord injury after total arch repair with a frozen elephant trunk.

Organic Mott-insulators are abundant among molecular conductors and are relevant to many emerging properties such as insulator-to-metal transitions, superconductivity, multiferroics, spin-liquids, ...

This study examines the impact of the bonding sequence on the contact resistance in the hybrid bonding of a via-middle Cu though-silicon via (TSV) wafer. Hybrid bonding was performed at room temperature via a surface-activated bonding method using an ultrathin Si film. Comparative study of various bonding sequences revealed that the (a) cleaning of the target Si, via-middle TSV, and Cu electrode wafers with an Ar fast atom beam (FAB), (b) transferring of the Cu electrode wafer into another chamber during cleaning of the via-middle TSV wafer, and (c) transferring of the via-middle TSV wafer to another chamber while cleaning the Cu electrode wafer were all effective in decreasing the oxygen atoms in the bonding interface (amorphous Si layer) and reducing the contact resistances between the TSVs and Cu electrodes.

The freely dissolved concentrations (C

We report gate-induced enhancement of intrinsic charge rectification without p-n junctions in chiral semiconductor Te under magnetic field B. As gating shifts the chemical potential to the valence band maximum of Te, the charge rectification efficiency is enhanced hundredfold. By integrating model calculations, we attribute the charge rectification to the B-induced asymmetry of the chiral band structure. We also show that the carrier density subject to this asymmetry is augmented by a saddle-point structure near the valence band maximum, which further enhances the gate-tunable charge rectification together with its improved switchability and thermal robustness., accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B. 6 pages, 4 figures

We describe a case of frozen elephant trunk deployment unintentionally malpositioned into the false lumen. An 83-year-old man underwent total arch repair with a frozen elephant trunk for type A acute aortic dissection complicated by mesenteric malperfusion. However, intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography showed expansion of the false lumen in the descending aorta, suggesting a malpositioned frozen elephant trunk into the false lumen. Endovascular fenestration of the dissecting flap and subsequent endograft deployment from the inside of the malpositioned frozen elephant trunk graft to the true lumen of the descending aorta was successfully performed under intravascular ultrasound guidance.

Construction works along a causeway at Mubarraz Island near Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in the Arabian Gulf necessitated the salvaging and replanting of 300 mangroves (Avicennia marina). Mangroves were excavated manually by shovel (smaller trees and saplings) or mechanically using a backhoe excavator (larger trees), transported with the root ball wrapped in burlap and replanted in a newly created tidal channel. Relocated mangroves were exposed to two different watering regimes and two tidal inundation levels, and were monitored for survival, plant height and leaf health (percentage of green leaves) at 0 and 1 weeks, and then at 3, 7 and 12.5 months. Tree mortality was high in the first week (24%) in mid-summer, with further losses (43%) during the next 3 months. After 12.5 months, 31% of the transplanted trees had survived. There was a significant effect of the duration of tidal inundation on survival and leaf health (higher survival in shallow than deeper plots). There were no significant effects of initial tree height or freshwater treatment on survival or plant performance. These results demonstrate that salvaging of larger mangroves is technically feasible, potentially providing faster ecosystem services (e.g. shoreline protection, source of new propagules) than newly planted seedlings in arid regions where growth is extremely slow.

Introduction The family of Amplatzer Vascular Plugs (AVPs) is characterized by their precise deployment and high resistance to migration. However, a risk of recanalization of the embolized vessels has been reported. To augment the effectiveness of embolization, the coil-in-plug (CIP) technique was developed, exclusively using AVP I or IV. However, these plugs cannot be used for large vessels like portovenous shunt because of the size limitation. AVP II has a larger-sized model up to 22 mm. This article reports two cases of embolizing high-flow and large-caliber portosystemic shunts where the CIP technique with multilayer AVP II was effectively employed. Materials and methods The CIP technique using AVP II was utilized for one case with a portocaval shunt and another with a splenorenal shunt. CIP was established with wire penetration through the multilayer meshes, followed by a microcatheter insertion. After the microcatheter was positioned in the central lobe, the internal space was embolized tightly using pushable or detachable coils. Results A use of guidewire with a high tip load enabled an establishment of CIP and complete occlusion of the target vessels immediately without migration of the embolic devices in both cases. The symptom of encephalopathy improved after the procedure in both the case of the portocaval and the splenorenal shunt. Conclusion The CIP technique with the AVP II was safe and effective to achieve complete occlusion of the large-caliber portosystemic shunts.

Bacterial cytidine deaminase fused to the DNA binding domains of transcription activator-like effector nucleases was recently reported to transiently substitute a targeted C to a T in mitochondrial DNA of mammalian cultured cells1. We applied this system to targeted base editing in the Arabidopsis thaliana plastid genome. The targeted Cs were homoplasmically substituted to Ts in some plantlets of the T1 generation and the mutations were inherited by their offspring independently of their nuclear-introduced vectors., This study used bacterial cytidine deaminase fused to the DNA binding domains of transcription activator-like effector nucleases to enable targeted base editing in the Arabidopsis thaliana plastid genome, generating T1 plants with inheritable homoplasmic mutations.

In IoT era, the growth of data variety is driven by cross-domain data fusion. In this paper, we advocate that “local production for local consumption (LPLC) paradigm” can be an innovative approach in cross-domain data fusion, and propose a new framework, geolocation-centric information platform (GCIP) that can produce and deliver diverse spatio-temporal content (STC). In the GCIP, (1) infrastructure-based geographic hierarchy edge network and (2) adhoc-based STC retention system are interplayed to provide both of geolocation-awareness and resiliency. Then, we discussed the concepts and the technical challenges of the GCIP. Finally, we implemented a proof-of-concepts of GCIP and demonstrated its efficacy through practical experiments on campus IPv6 network and simulation experiments.

Understanding the changes in the temporal and spatial concentrations of chemical substances in sediment toxicity tests facilitates interpretation of their toxicity and accumulation in benthic organisms because benthic organisms are affected by chemicals via multiple exposure pathways. However, such investigations using chronic sediment toxicity tests have rarely been performed. To examine the concentration profiles of a hydrophobic organic chemical using chronic spiked-sediment toxicity tests, we performed 28-day sediment toxicity tests of fluoranthene with a freshwater amphipod, Hyalella azteca, using a semi-flow-through system and compared the results with those of 10-day tests. In these experiments, we measured various types of fluoranthene concentrations over the test periods: total dissolved (C