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Abstract Mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) including famous catenanes show switchable physical properties and attract continuous research interest due to their potential application in molecular devices. The advantages of using spin crossover (SCO) materials here are enormous, allowing for control through diverse stimuli and highly specific functions, and enabling the transfer of the internal dynamics of MIMs from solution to solid state, leading to macroscopic applications. Herein, we report the efficient self-assembly of catenated metal-organic frameworks (termed catena-MOFs) induced by stacking interactions, through the combination of rationally selected flexible and conjugated naphthalene diimide-based bis-pyridyl ligand (BPND), [MI(CN)2]− (M = Ag or Au) and Fe2+ in a one-step strategy. The obtained bimetallic Hofmann-type SCO-MOFs [FeII(BPND){Ag(CN)2}2]·3CHCl3 (1Ag) and [FeII(BPND{Au(CN)2}2]·2CHCl3·2H2O (1Au) possess a unique three-dimensional (3D) catena-MOF constructed from the polycatenation of two-dimensional (2D) layers with hxl topology. Both complexes undergo thermal- and light-induced SCO. Significantly, abnormal increases in the maximum emission intensity and dielectric constant can be detected simultaneously with the switching of spin states. This research opens up SCO-actuated bistable MIMs that afford dual functionality of coupled fluorescence emission and dielectricity.

Abstract Background Pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDAC) is an extremely poor prognostic disease. Even though multidisciplinary treatment for PDAC has developed, supportive therapies, such as nutritional therapy or perioperative rehabilitation to sustain and complete aggressive treatment, have not yet been well-established in PDAC. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between the combined index using psoas muscle mass index (PMI) values and controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score and prognosis. Methods We included 101 patients diagnosed with PDAC who underwent radical pancreatectomy with regional lymphadenectomy. The cut-off value was set at the first quartile (male, 6.3 cm2/m2; female 4.4 cm2/m2), and patients were classified into high PMI and low PMI groups. A CONUT score of 0 to 1 was classified as the normal nutritional status group, and 2 or more points as the malnutritional status group. Patients were further divided into three groups: high PMI and normal nutrition (good general condition group), low PMI and low nutrition (poor general condition group), and none of the above (moderate general condition group). We performed a prognostic analysis of overall survival (OS), stratified according to PMI values and CONUT scores. Results In the poor general condition group, the proportion of elderly people over 70 years of age was significantly higher than that in the other groups (p

Abstract The continuing emergence of new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has renewed interest in phage therapy; however, there has been limited progress in applying phage therapy to multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infections. In this study, we show that bacteriophage strains D29 and DS6A can efficiently lyse Mtb H37Rv in 7H10 agar plates. However, only phage DS6A efficiently kills H37Rv in liquid culture and in Mtb-infected human primary macrophages. We further show in subsequent experiments that, after the humanized mice were infected with aerosolized H37Rv, then treated with DS6A intravenously, the DS6A treated mice showed increased body weight and improved pulmonary function relative to control mice. Furthermore, DS6A reduces Mtb load in mouse organs with greater efficacy in the spleen. These results demonstrate the feasibility of developing phage therapy as an effective therapeutic against Mtb infection.

Electrospun drug-eluting fibers have demonstrated potentials in topical drug delivery applications, where drug releases can be modulated by polymer fiber compositions. In this study, blend fibers of polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) at various compositions were electrospun from 10 wt% of polymer solutions to encapsulate a model drug of ibuprofen (IBP). The results showed that the average polymer solution viscosities determined the electrospinning parameters and the resulting average fiber diameters. Increasing PEO contents in the blend PCL/PEO fibers decreased the average elastic moduli, the average tensile strength, and the average fracture strains, where IBP exhibited a plasticizing effect in the blend PCL/PEO fibers. Increasing PEO contents in the blend PCL/PEO fibers promoted the surface wettability of the fibers. The in vitro release of IBP suggested a transition from a gradual release to a fast release when increasing PEO contents in the blend PCL/PEO fibers up to 120 min. The in vitro viability of blend PCL/PEO fibers using MTT assays showed that the fibers were compatible with MEF-3T3 fibroblasts. In conclusion, our results explained the scientific correlations between the solution properties and the physicomechanical properties of electrospun fibers. These blend PCL/PEO fibers, having the ability to modulate IBP release, are suitable for topical drug delivery applications.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has demonstrated impressive success in the treatment of patients with hematologic tumors yet achieved very limited efficacy for solid tumors due to hurdles unique to solid tumors. It is also noted that the tumor microenvironment composition varies between tumor type, which again imposes unique set of hurdles in each solid tumor. Therefore, elucidation of individual hurdles is key to achieving successful CAR-T therapy for solid tumors. In the present study, we employed an orthotopic human PDAC xenograft model, in which quantitative, spatial and functional dynamics of CAR-T cells in tumor tissues were analyzed to obtain insights into ways of overcoming PDAC related hurdles. Contrary to previous studies that demonstrated a limited persistency and infiltration of CAR-T cells in many solid tumors, they persist and accumulated in PDAC tumor tissues. Ex vivo analysis revealed that CAR-T cells that had been recovered at different time points from mice bearing an orthotopic PDAC tumor exhibited a gradual loss of tumor reactivity. This loss of tumor reactivity of CAR-T cells was associated with the increased expression of AMP-activated protein kinase and Mitofusin 1/ Dynamin-related protein 1 ratio.

The FASER experiment at the LHC is designed to search for light, weakly-interacting particles produced in proton-proton collisions at the ATLAS interaction point that travel in the far-forward direction. The first results from a search for dark photons decaying to an electron-positron pair, using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 27.0 fb−1 collected at centre-of-mass energy s=13.6 TeV in 2022 in LHC Run 3, are presented. No events are seen in an almost background-free analysis, yielding world-leading constraints on dark photons with couplings ϵ∼2×10−5−1×10−4 and masses ∼17 MeV−70 MeV. The analysis is also used to probe the parameter space of a massive gauge boson from a U(1)B−L model, with couplings gB−L∼5×10−6−2×10−5 and masses ∼15 MeV−40 MeV excluded for the first time.

Abstract To alleviate the energy and environmental crisis, in the last decades, energy harvesting by utilizing optical control has emerged as a promising solution. Here we report a polar crystal that exhibits photoenergy conversion and energy storage upon light irradiation. The polar crystal consists of dinuclear [CoGa] molecules, which are oriented in a uniform direction inside the crystal lattice. Irradiation with green light induces a directional intramolecular electron transfer from the ligand to a low-spin CoIII centre, and the resultant light-induced high-spin CoII excited state is trapped at low temperature, realizing energy storage. Additionally, electric current release is observed during relaxation from the trapped light-induced metastable state to the ground state, because the intramolecular electron transfer in the relaxation process is accompanied with macroscopic polarization switching at the single-crystal level. It demonstrates that energy storage and conversion to electrical energy is realized in the [CoGa] crystals, which is different from typical polar pyroelectric compounds that exhibit the conversion of thermal energy into electricity.

Pyroelectric materials exhibiting large and nearly constant pyroelectric coefficients over a wide temperature range are highly desirable. Here, the authors develop molecular [FeCo] crystals with continuous pyroelectricity, originating from a transition between three distinct electronic structures.

Little is known about how the orientation of coordinated water molecules affects the magnetic properties of single molecule magnets. Here the authors combine experimental data and theoretical calculations to study how the rotation of water molecules alters the magnetic anisotropy of a pyrazine-based cobalt(II) complex.

We are developing the Gamma-Ray Astro-Imager with Nuclear Emulsion project, designed for 10 MeV–100 GeV cosmic γ -ray observations with a high angular resolution (5′/0.°08 at 1–2 GeV) and a polarization-sensitive large-aperture (∼10 m ^2 ) emulsion telescope for repeated long-duration balloon flights. In 2018, a balloon-borne experiment was carried out in Australia with a 0.38 m ^2 sensitive area and a flight duration of 17.4 hr, including 6.7 hr of Vela observations. Significant improvements compared with the 2015 balloon-borne experiment were achieved by a factor of 5, including both an increase in effective area × time and a reduction in the background contribution. We aimed to demonstrate the telescope’s overall performance based on detection and imaging of a known γ -ray source, the Vela pulsar. A robust detection of the Vela pulsar was achieved with a 68% containment radius of 0.°42, at a significance of 6 σ , at energies above 80 MeV. The resulting angular profile is consistent with that of a pointlike source. We achieved the current best imaging performance of the Vela pulsar using an emulsion γ -ray telescope with the highest angular resolution of any γ -ray telescope to date.

Chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cell (CAR-T) therapy has high therapeutic efficacy against blood cancers, but it has not shown satisfactory results in solid tumors. Therefore, we examined the therapeutic effect of CAR-T therapy targeting carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). CEA expression levels on the cell membranes of various PDAC cell lines were evaluated using flow cytometry and the cells were divided into high, medium, and low expression groups. The relationship between CEA expression level and the antitumor effect of anti-CEA-CAR-T was evaluated using a functional assay for various PDAC cell lines; a significant correlation was observed between CEA expression level and the antitumor effect. We created orthotopic PDAC xenograft mouse models and injected with anti-CEA-CAR-T; only the cell line with high CEA expression exhibited a significant therapeutic effect. Thus, the therapeutic effect of CAR-T therapy was related to the target antigen expression level, and the further retrospective analysis of pathological findings from PDAC patients showed a correlation between the intensity of CEA immunostaining and tumor heterogeneity. Therefore, CEA expression levels in biopsies or surgical specimens can be clinically used as biomarkers to select PDAC patients for anti-CAR-T therapy.

The shapes of industrial products are expressed as the features defined by the manner of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) for the purpose of product manufacturing. Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) are widely used for products' geometrical features inspection in manufacturing floors. For proper product quality control, the verification results shall be validated with the consideration of measurement uncertainty related to the test. There exists difficulty in the evaluation of the task specific uncertainty of dimensional measurement using CMMs. That is because of the several number of uncertainty contributors caused by the complex mechanical components of CMMs and the environmental variations through the measurements. In this research, an easy-to-execute verification procedure of GD&T inspection and its task specific uncertainty evaluation is developed. The values of products’ geometrical features and their measurement uncertainties can be calculated. The method is widely available on the facilities installed in ordinal manufacturing floors.

Polarization change from directional electron transfer attracts considerable attention owing to its fast switching rate and potential light control. Here, the authors provide a proof-of-concept of electronic pyroelectricity induced by intramolecular electron transfer in the single crystal of a valence tautomeric compound.

Abstract In the DsTau experiment at the CERN SPS (NA65), an independent and direct way to measure tau neutrino production following high energy proton interactions was proposed. As the main source of tau neutrinos is a decay of D s mesons, produced in proton-nucleus interactions, the project aims at measuring a differential cross section of this reaction. The experimental method is based on a use of high resolution emulsion detectors for effective registration of events with short lived particle decays. Here we present the motivation of the study, details of the experimental technique, and the first results of the analysis of the data collected during test runs, which prove feasibility of the full scale study of the process in future.

Abstract Neutrinos are copiously produced at particle colliders, but no collider neutrino has ever been detected. Colliders produce both neutrinos and anti-neutrinos of all flavors at very high energies, and they are therefore highly complementary to those from other sources. FASER, the Forward Search Experiment at the LHC, is ideally located to provide the first detection and study of collider neutrinos. We investigate the prospects for neutrino studies with FASER$$\nu $$ ν , a proposed component of FASER, consisting of emulsion films interleaved with tungsten plates with a total target mass of 1.2 t, to be placed on-axis at the front of FASER. We estimate the neutrino fluxes and interaction rates, describe the FASER$$\nu $$ ν detector, and analyze the characteristics of the signals and primary backgrounds. For an integrated luminosity of $$150~\text {fb}^{-1}$$ 150fb-1 to be collected during Run 3 of the 14 TeV LHC in 2021–23, approximately 1300 electron neutrinos, 20,000 muon neutrinos, and 20 tau neutrinos will interact in FASER$$\nu $$ ν , with mean energies of 600 GeV to 1 TeV. With such rates and energies, FASER will measure neutrino cross sections at energies where they are currently unconstrained, will bound models of forward particle production, and could open a new window on physics beyond the standard model.

Fast intermetallic electron transfer is expected in principle in nanozised transition metal complexes, but has been prevented by the bridging ligands. Here the authors synthesize a mixed-valence iron metal-ligand nanocluster with cyanide bridges, showing extended delocalized electronic structure

Designing materials with large thermal expansion is highly desirable to fabricate microscale devices. The authors report unusually large anisotropic negative and positive thermal expansion in a simple crystalline material, through temperature-driven orientation of imidazole cations acting as molecular wheels.

Thromboendarterectomy of the common femoral artery (CFA) for occlusive disease is a crucial procedure in vascular surgery. As an outcome reference for emerging endovascular procedures and new devices, we need more robust evidence of the outcome of this gold standard technique. The purpose of this study was to report 10-year results after femoral endarterectomy (FEA). A retrospective review of medical records at our institution identified eighty consecutive patients (91 limbs) who underwent FEA for CFA lesions. Indications for FEA included 50 limbs (55%) for intermittent claudication (IC) and 39 limbs (43%) with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI). Two limbs (2%) underwent FEA to prevent hemodynamic steal during extra-anatomical bypass. Adjunctive procedures included endovascular therapy in 32%. CFAs were closed with patch angioplasty in 44%. With a mean follow-up period of 39 months, the survival rates at 3 and 8 years were 85% and 77%, respectively. Limb salvage rates were 92% and 87%. Primary patencies were 98% and 84%. Freedom from target lesion revascularization was 95% at 3 years and 91% at 8 years. Our findings support the durability of FEA, with comparable long-term procedural results in CLTI patients as well as IC patients. Since the FEA is a gate maneuver for hybrid revascularization in CLTI patients, our findings support a strategy combining open and endovascular approaches. Femoral endarterectomy remains a durable solution for common femoral occlusive disease in IC and CLTI in the era of endovascular therapy.

Fascin, a major actin cross-linking protein, is expressed in most vertebrate epithelial tissues. It organizes actin filaments into well-ordered bundles that are responsible for the extension of dynamic membrane protrusions, including microspikes, filopodia, and invadopodia from cell surfaces, which are involved in cell migration and invasion as critical components of cancer metastasis. However, it is not well-understood how fascin-1 induces actin binding/bundling and where fascin-1 localizes along the actin filaments, thus facilitating actin bundle formation. In the present study, we attempted to clarify these problems by using biochemical and electron microscopic analyses using various fascin-1 constructs. Three dimensional structures of actin/fascin-1 complex were obtained by electron microscopy (EM) with iterative helical real-space reconstruction (IHRSR) and tomography. We revealed that the N-terminal region containing the Actin-Binding Site 2 (ABS2) of fascin-1 is responsible for actin bundling and the C-terminal region is important for the dimerization of fascin-1. We also found that the dimerization of fascin-1 through intermolecular interactions of the C-terminal region is essential for actin bundling. Since fascin is an important factor in cancer development, it is expected that the findings of present study will provide useful information for development of therapeutic strategies for cancer.

Key Clinical Message The chemotherapy guidelines for mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) remain poorly defined, and prognosis remains dismal. In this case, we successfully performed resection after FOLFOX for unresectable metastatic MANEC of the liver. Thus, chemotherapy for adenocarcinoma may be effective for MANEC.

Pleural mesothelial cells (PMCs) play a central role in the progression of pleural fibrosis. As pleural injury progresses to fibrosis, PMCs transition to mesenchymal myofibroblast via mesothelial mesenchymal transition (MesoMT), and produce extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins including collagen and fibronectin (FN1). FN1 plays an important role in ECM maturation and facilitates ECM-myofibroblast interaction, thus facilitating fibrosis. However, the mechanism of FN1 secretion is poorly understood. We report here that myosin 5b (Myo5b) plays a critical role in the transportation and secretion of FN1 from human pleural mesothelial cells (HPMCs). TGF-β significantly increased the expression and secretion of FN1 from HPMCs and facilitates the close association of Myo5B with FN1 and Rab11b. Moreover, Myo5b directly binds to GTP bound Rab11b (Rab11b-GTP) but not GDP bound Rab11b. Myo5b or Rab11b knockdown via siRNA significantly attenuated the secretion of FN1 without changing FN1 expression. TGF-β also induced Rab11b-GTP formation, and Rab11b-GTP but not Rab11b-GDP significantly activated the actin-activated ATPase activity of Myo5B. Live cell imaging revealed that Myo5b- and FN1-containing vesicles continuously moved together in a single direction. These results support that Myo5b and Rab11b play an important role in FN1 transportation and secretion from HPMCs, and consequently may contribute to the development of pleural fibrosis.

Crystalline materials generally show small positive thermal expansion along all three crystallographic axes because of increasing anharmonic vibrational amplitudes between bonded atoms or ions pairs on heating. In very rare cases, structural peculiarities may give rise to negative, anomalously large or zero thermal expansion behaviors, which remain poorly understood. Host–guest composites may exhibit such anomalous behavior if guest motions controllable. Here we report an anionic framework of helical nanotubes comprising three parallel helical chains. The anisotropic interaction between the guest and the framework, results in anisotropic thermal expansion in this framework. A series of detailed structural determination at 50 K intervals enable process visualization at the molecular level and the observed guest-dependent phases of the framework strongly support our proposed mechanism.

Pluripotency of mouse embryonic stem cells is regulated by transcription factor regulatory networks as well as mechanical stimuli sensed by the cells. It has been unclear how the mechanical strain applied to the plasma membrane is transferred to the nucleus in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). We here investigated the machinery of the mechanotransduction based on the finding that spontaneous differentiation of mESCs was inhibited with the downregulation of ROCK2 in cells attached to soft substrates. On examining the effects of actin bindings to both focal adhesions and cell junctions in cells on soft substrates, co-localization of actin filaments and α-catenin, which links actin to E-cadherin, decreased after differentiation induction. Also, disrupting actin-nucleus mechanical link through dominant negative assay of Nesprins helps to sustain the pluripotency genes; thus, revealing that mechanical strain relayed by actin-Nesprin connection is required for the initiation of the differentiation process. Keywords: Embryonic stem cells, Stem cell pluripotency, Nesprin

Abstract—For the past decades Japan has remained number one in a range of population health metrics including the world's longest healthy life expectancy. While this was achieved through various socioeconomic factors besides public health interventions, health promotion policies to prevent and control non-communicable diseases (NCDs) played a major role. Japan introduced its first comprehensive national plan to prevent and control NCDs in 1978 and has revised the plan every decade since. These 10-year policy packages were instrumental in galvanizing stakeholders, while adapting to changing social, behavioral, and epidemiological trends. In this article, we provide an overview of trends in policy on the prevention and control of NCDs in Japan with a focus on successes and challenges especially due to a rapidly aging population. Through this review we aim to share the lessons learned in Japan for other countries tackling or expecting to be challenged by NCDs. These lessons include the role of multisectoral approaches, clear goals and targets with effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, addressing social aspects, adjustment to the local context, and foreseeing future demographic transition. Japan is committed to contributing to the world as a forerunner of the health challenges posed by unprecedented demographic change, by sharing its lessons in the global quest to create a world where all people can live longer and healthier lives.

Two isostructural NiII compounds, bis{N-[1-(pyridin-2-yl-κN)ethylidene]pyridine-4-carbohydrazonato-κ2N′,O}nickel(II)–2,5-dichloroterephthalic acid (1/1), [Ni(C13H11N4O)2](C8H4Cl2O4), and bis{N-[1-(pyridin-2-yl-κN)ethylidene]pyridine-4-carbohydrazonato-κ2N′,O}nickel(II)–2,5-dibromoterephthalic acid (1/1), [Ni(C13H11N4O)2](C8H4Br2O4), were synthesized and their crystal structures determined. The pair of N,N′,O-tridentate N-[1-(pyridin-2-yl-κN)ethyl]pyridine-4-carbohydrazonate L ligands result in a cis-NiO2N4 octahedral coordination sphere for the metal ions. The asymmetric units consist of two half-molecules of the dicarboxylic acids, which are completed by crystallographic inversion symmetry. In the respective crystals, the 2,5-dichloroterephthalic acid (H2Cl2TPA, 1-Cl) molecules form zigzag hydrogen-bonded chains with the [Ni(L)2] molecules, with the hydrogen-bond distances in 1-Br slightly longer than those in 1-Cl. The packing is consolidated by aromatic π–π stacking between the dicarboxylic acid molecules and terminal pyridine rings in [Ni(L)2] and short halogen–halogen interactions are also observed. The qualitative prediction of the H-atom position from the C—N—C angles of the terminal pyridine rings in L and the C—O distances in the carboxyl groups show that 1-Cl and 1-Br are co-crystals rather than salts.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical model of frost/ice formation on the heat exchanger (condenser) of high-pressure water separation used in the air conditioning system of commercial jet aircraft. The high-pressure water separation is based on the heat exchange between the upstream and downstream sides of the same air flow with pressure difference. That is, relatively high-pressure and warmer air upstream of a condenser with high humidity is cooled by relatively low-pressure and cooler air discharged from a turbine downstream of the condenser; condensed water in the high-pressure side is removed by a water separator while in the low-pressure side the super-cooled water mist is produced by adiabatic expansion process in the turbine. In the both sides, when the heat-exchange fins are below the freezing temperature of the humid air, frost/ice formation occur, although their physical mechanism are utterly different. In this study, a phase-change model taking the features of a cross-flow heat exchanger into account is newly proposed. In particular, attention is focused on the increase of the pressure drop in the lower pressure side due to frost/ice formation. The validity of the analytical model is checked by the comparison with the experiment.

The purpose of this study is to develop an analytical model of cross-flow heat exchangers with offset strip fins which are usually equipped in the aircraft air conditioning system (so called the environmental control system, ECS). The ECS mainly consists of four cross-flow heat exchanges, i.e., a primary heat exchanger, a secondary heat exchanger, a reheater and a condenser. Because of the special requirements of the design for the aircraft, the primary and secondary heat exchangers are set adjoiningly; the reheater and the condenser are also set adjoingly. Therefore, in both the pairs, the effect of the temperature profile of the upstream component (the secondary heat exchanger or the reheater) on those of the downstream component (the primary heat exchanger or the condenser) should be taken into account for precise prediction of the system. To this end, a core element model was newly proposed in this study. In addition to the effect of temperature profile, phase changes (condensation and evaporation) of water included in the humid air simultaneously occur except for the primary heat exchanger. Regarding these phenomena, the method of sensible heat fraction (SHF) to convert the latent heat into the equivalent sensible heat was introduced, and the global and local SHF models were examined by comparison with the experiments. The prediction by these models were found to agree well with the actual performance of the ECS operations.

Following the March 2011 accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, many residents of Fukushima have faced anxieties about the health impacts of radiation exposure. Considering that source of information may influence resident anxiety, this study aimed to elucidate the correlation between the two. In addition, a health literacy query was included to examine a possible relationship between anxiety and health literacy skills. A mail survey was conducted in August 2016 among 2000 residents of Fukushima Prefecture aged 20 to 79 years. Survey items included questions about current health anxieties caused by radiation, trusted sources of information about radiation, and media used to obtain information on radiation. The survey valid response rate was 43.4%. Results of multiple linear regression analysis revealed that anxiety was significantly higher for the groups indicating "trust in citizen groups" and "use of internet sites." Anxiety was significantly lower for the groups indicating "trust in government ministries," "trust in local government," and "use of local broadcast television." Also anxiety was significantly lower for groups with higher health literacy. It was found that the significant relationship to anxiety varies depending on the sources of trust and media used. There is a possibility that this was caused by the difference between the contents of each information and media reports. In preparation for any future nuclear accident, government may consider action to improve the media literacy of residents. In addition, improving health literacy of both the recipient and the sender of information can improve access to information and thereby safeguard the health and well-being of the public.

Magnetic vortex structures in a superconductor under a helical magnetic field are investigated using the Ginzburg-Landau equations and the three-dimensional finite element method. Magnetic-field-amplitude dependence of vortex structure is investigated. Also how superconductivity is destroyed is shown. Also peculiar vortex structures are found under the helical magnetic field.

Designing porous materials with empty shape-switchable pores remains a formidable challenge. Here, the authors fabricate a supramolecular organic framework possessing empty shape-memory nanopores which operates via a ferroelastic transition, endowing it with switchable sorption properties.

The asymmetric unit of the title salt, [Co(C20H14N4S)(H2O)2](NO3)2, comprises a [Co(C20H14N4S)(H2O)2]2+ cation and two NO3− anions. In the complex, [Co(C20H14N4S)(H2O)2]2+ cation, the tetradentate 6,6′-sulfanediylbis(2,2′-bipyridine) ligand coordinates to the CoII cation in the equatorial positions, while two water molecules occupy the axial positions, forming a compressed octahedral CoN4O2 coordination sphere. The NO3− anions are linked to the [Co(C20H14N4S)(H2O)2]2+ cations via O—H...O hydrogen bonds, yielding a layered arrangement parallel to (001).

The vibration and noise from internal gears is an important issue in mechanical devices such as automobiles. The characteristics of the vibration and noise of internal gears are markedly influenced by micrometer-order manufacturing errors of the tooth flank form. Therefore, quality control using a measuring instrument is required. The accuracy of a gear measuring instrument is usually evaluated using a master gear. However, it is difficult to manufacture master gears with high accuracy because the reference surface of a master gear for an internal gear has a geometrically complicated form. This limits the accuracy of the evaluation and calibration of measuring instruments for internal gears. In order to address this problem, the present paper proposes a novel artifact with a concave spherical surface for the evaluation of the accuracy of measuring instruments for internal gears. A concave spherical surface can be manufactured with high accuracy because of its simple features. As such, a highly accurate artifact can be developed using this surface. In the present paper, the concept for the proposed artifact is described, and a mathematical model for the measurement conditions of the artifact is constructed. The design of the artifact is described, and an evaluation method for the measuring instrument is developed. The artifact is then manufactured, and its accuracy is calibrated. A measurement experiment using the proposed artifact is carried out, and the effectiveness of the evaluation method is verified.

In peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of the lower extremities, the presence of flow-limiting stenoses can be objectively detected by the ankle-brachial index (ABI). However, the severity of ischemic symptoms is not necessarily associated with the ABI value. Atherosclerotic plaque in lower extremity PAD induces ankle arterial stiffness and reduces ankle vascular resistance, which may decrease ankle blood flow and cause ischemic symptoms. We hypothesized that the ankle hemodynamic index (AHI), defined as the ratio of ankle arterial stiffness to ankle vascular resistance, could be used to assess the blood supply deficiency in a diseased lower limb in patients with PAD. The 85 consecutive patients with PAD who were retrospectively analyzed in this study had Rutherford grade 1 to grade 6 ischemia diagnosed as PAD and significant stenotic lesions (>50% diameter stenosis) of the lower extremity on contrast angiography. The AHI was calculated as the product of the ankle pulse pressure and the ratio of heart rate to ankle mean arterial pressure (ankle pulse pressure × heart rate/ankle mean arterial pressure). The Rutherford grade was significantly correlated with the AHI (r = 0.50, P < 0.001), but not with the ABI (r = 0.07, P = 0.52). Multiple ordinal regression analysis showed that anemia (odds ratio 0.66, P = 0.002) and AHI (odds ratio 1.04, P = 0.02) were independently associated with Rutherford grade. Our study shows that AHI, a novel parameter based on the ABI measurement, is well correlated with ischemic symptoms, and may be a useful means to assess the arterial blood supply of the lower extremities of patients with PAD.

Background: Dystrophin Dp71 is one of the isoforms produced by the DMD gene which is mutated in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Although Dp71 is expressed ubiquitously, it has not been detected in normal skeletal muscle. This study was performed to assess the expression of Dp71 in human skeletal muscle. Methods: Human skeletal muscle RNA and tissues were obtained commercially. Mouse skeletal muscle was obtained from normal and DMDmdx mice. Dp71 mRNA and protein were determined by reverse-transcription PCR and an automated capillary Western assay system, the Simple Western, respectively. Dp71 was over-expressed or suppressed using a plasmid expressing Dp71 or antisense oligonucleotide, respectively. Results: Full-length Dp71 cDNA was PCR amplified as a single product from human skeletal muscle RNA. A ca. 70 kDa protein peak detected by the Simple Western was determined as Dp71 by over-expressing Dp71 in HEK293 cells, or suppressing Dp71 expression with antisense oligonucleotide in rhabdomyosarcoma cells. The Simple Western assay detected Dp71 in the skeletal muscles of both normal and DMD mice. In human skeletal muscle, Dp71 was also detected. The ratio of Dp71 to vinculin of human skeletal muscle samples varied widely, indicating various levels of Dp71 expression. Conclusions: Dp71 protein was detected in human skeletal muscle using a highly sensitive capillary Western blotting system.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the effect of a component for high-pressure water separation, which is included in the air conditioning system of the general commercial aircrafts, on the air-cycle operation (reverse Brayton cycle); the high-pressure water separation consists of water separator and two heat exchangers called reheater and condenser, respectively. This paper briefly describes the typical system configuration of the air-cycle refrigeration progressed with evolutions in turbofan engine. Since nowadays, 4-Wheel air-cycle has been a trend on the aircraft air conditioning system, this paper theoretically shows its advantage on the basis of the thermodynamic cycle study. In the following chapters, an analysis was conducted on the interaction between a reheater and a condenser when each heat transfer performance changes from the baseline operating point. Also, the comparative study was made on the system performances by the 3-wheel and 4-wheel air-cycle. In addition, this paper describes how the heat transfer performance is designed for the reheater and the condenser under the system requirements for the entire air conditioning system.

Four Fe(III) spin-crossover (SCO) compounds, [Fe(HL1)2](HCl4TPA) (1-Cl), [Fe(HL1)2](HBr4TPA) (1-Br), [Fe(HL2)2](HCl4TPA) (2-Cl), and [Fe(HL2)2](HBr4TPA) (2-Br) (HL1 = 4-chloro-2-nitro-6-(1-(2-(pyridine-2-yl)hydrazono)ethyl)phenolate; HL2 = 4-bromo-2-nitro-6-(1-(2-(pyridine-2-yl)hydrazono)ethyl)phenolate; HCl4TPA = 2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-4-carboxybenzoate; and HBr4TPA = 2,3,5,6-tetrabromo-4-carboxybenzoate), were synthesized to investigate the halogen substituent change effect in salicylaldehyde 2-pyridyl hydrazone-type ligands and dicarboxylic acids in SCO complexes to the spin-transition temperature. Crystal structure analyses showed that these compounds were isostructural. In addition, a one-dimensional hydrogen–bonded column was formed by the dicarboxylic acid anion and weak hydrogen bonds between the Fe(III) complexes. From Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic property measurements, these compounds were confirmed to exhibit gradual SCO. The spin-transition temperature can be shifted by changing the halogen substituent in the salicylaldehyde 2-pyridyl hydrazone-type ligands and dicarboxylic acids without changing the molecular arrangement in the crystal packing.

Lactic acid has a wide range of applications in many industries, both as an ingredient and as an intermediate. Here, we investigated the catalytic conversion of cellulose to lactic acid by using heterogeneous mixed-oxide catalysts containing ZrO2. Although pure ZrO2 has catalytic activity for the conversion of cellulose to lactic acid, the yield of lactic acid obtained is not satisfactory. In contrast, a series of ZrO2–Al2O3 catalysts containing various percentages of ZrO2 provided higher yields of lactic acid. The ZrO2–Al2O3 catalysts had more Lewis acid sites and far fewer base sites than ZrO2. This suggests that the Lewis acid sites on ZrO2–Al2O3 catalysts are more important than the base sites for the conversion of cellulose to lactic acid.

In the title compound, C12H6N2O2·C2H5OH, the molecule of the 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione is approximately planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.051 (1) Å. In the crystal, molecules are linked by O—H...N and weak C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming supramolecular chains propagating along [110]. π–π stacking interactions are observed between the pyridine rings of neighbouring chains, the centroid–centroid separations being 3.6226 (11) and 3.7543 (11) Å.

In the title complex, [FeIIFeIII2(C9H10BN6)2(CN)6(CH3OH)4]·2CH3OH, two [FeIII(Tp)(CN)3]− anions [Tp is hydrotris(pyrazoylborate)] are bridged by an [FeII(MeOH)4]2+ cation, forming a centrosymmetric trinuclear unit. These units are connected via O—H...O and O—H...N hydrogen bonds involving the uncoordinated methanol solvent molecules, forming a three-dimensional network.

In the title salt C6H14N22+·2C7H4ClO2−, two 3-chlorobenzoate (3CBA) anions are bridged by one diprotonated 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane-1,4-diium (H2DABCO2+) dication through N—H...O hydrogen bonds. In this way, a trimeric unit is generated, in which the mean planes of the two 3CBA anions are twisted with respect to each other by a dihedral angle of 59.87 (9)°. The trimeric units are linked into a three-dimensional network via weak C—H...O interactions.

In the title complex, [Fe(NCS)2(C18H18N4)], the FeII cation is chelated by a tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine ligand and coordinated by two thiocyanate anions in a distorted N6 octahedral geometry. In the crystal, weak C—H...S hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking interactions between parallel pyridine rings of adjacent molecules [centroid–centroid distance = 3.653 (3) Å] link the molecules into a two-dimensional supramolecular architecture. The structure contains voids of 124 (9) Å3, which are free of solvent molecules.

Mutations in five unconventional myosin genes have been associated with genetic hearing loss (HL). These genes encode the motor proteins myosin IA, IIIA, VI, VIIA and XVA. To date, most mutations in myosin genes have been found in the Caucasian population. In addition, only a few functional studies have been performed on the previously reported myosin mutations. We performed screening and functional studies for mutations in the MYO1A and MYO6 genes in Korean cases of autosomal dominant non-syndromic HL. We identified four novel heterozygous mutations in MYO6. Three mutations (p.R825X, p.R991X and Q918fsX941) produce a premature truncation of the myosin VI protein. Another mutation, p.R205Q, was associated with diminished actin-activated ATPase activity and actin gliding velocity of myosin VI in an in vitro analysis. This finding is consistent with the results of protein modelling studies and corroborates the pathogenicity of this mutation in the MYO6 gene. One missense variant, p.R544W, was found in the MYO1A gene, and in silico analysis suggested that this variant has deleterious effects on protein function. This finding is consistent with the results of protein modelling studies and corroborates the pathogenic effect of this mutation in the MYO6 gene.

We synthesized new Fe(II) compounds consisting of [Fe(L)2] (HL: 2-Acetylpyridine isonicotinoylhydrazone) and dicarboxylic acids. Single crystal analysis shows that short hydrogen bonds are formed between [Fe(L)2] and dicarboxylic acids. The hydrogen bonding interactions between metal complexes and dicarboxylic acids are complemented by π-π interactions, forming two-dimensional network structures. Magnetic properties show that the Fe(II) compounds exhibit gradual spin crossover behavior around room temperature and a T1/2 value is dependent on the halogen substituent on the dicarboxylic acids.