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In the present study, we examined neural circuit formation in the forebrain of the Olig2 knockout (Olig2-KO) mouse model and found disruption of the anterior commissure at the late foetal stage. Axon bundles of the anterior commissure encountered the wall of the third ventricle and ceased axonal extension. L1-CAM immunohistochemistry showed that Olig2-KO mice lose decussation formation in the basal forebrain. DiI tracing revealed that the thin bundles of the anterior commissure axons crossed the midline but ceased further extension into the deep part of the contralateral side. Furthermore, some fractions of DiI-labelled axons were oriented dorsolaterally, which was not observed in the control mouse forebrain. The rostral part of the third ventricle was much wider in the Olig2-KO mice than in wild-type mice, which likely resulted in the delay of midline fusion and subsequent delay and malformation of the anterior commissure. We analysed gene expression alterations in the Olig2-KO mice using a public database and found multiple genes, which are related to axon guidance and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, showing subtle expression changes. These results suggest that Olig2 is essential for anterior commissure formation, likely by regulating multiple biological processes.

Computer codes for irradiation behavior analysis of a fuel pin and a fuel pin bundle and for coolant thermal-hydraulic analysis were coupled into an integrated code system. In the system, each code...

The dorsal raphe (DR) nucleus contains many tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons which are regarded as dopaminergic (DA) neurons. These DA neurons in the DR and periaqueductal gray (PAG) region (DADR-PAGneurons) are a subgroup of the A10 cluster, which is known to be heterogeneous. This DA population projects to the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and has been reported to modulate various affective behaviors. To characterize, the histochemical features of DADR-PAGneurons projecting to the CeA and BNST in mice, the current study combined retrograde labeling with Fluoro-Gold (FG) and histological techniques, focusing on TH, dopamine transporter (DAT), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGlut2). To identify putative DA neurons, DAT-Cre::Ai14 mice were used. It was observed that DATDR-PAGneurons consisted of the following two subpopulations: TH+/VIP– and TH–/VIP+ neurons. The DAT+/TH–/VIP+ subpopulation would be non-DA noncanonical DAT neurons. Anterograde labeling of DATDR-PAGneurons with AAV in DAT-Cre mice revealed that the fibers exclusively innervated the lateral part of the CeA and the oval nucleus of the BNST. Retrograde labeling with FG injections into the CeA or BNST revealed that the two subpopulations similarly innervated these regions. Furthermore, using VGlut2-Cre::Ai14 mice, it was turned out that the TH–/VIP+ subpopulations innervating both CeA and BNST were VGlut2-positive neurons. These two subpopulations of DATDR-PAGneurons, TH+/VIP– and TH–/VIP+, might differentially interfere with the extended amygdala, thereby modulating affective behaviors.

The Japanese pavement ant Tetramorium tsushimae Emery (Formicidae) is a species of seed-collecting ant found in Japan. However, its role in seed dispersal has not yet been satisfactorily documented. We investigated the seed-carrying behaviour of T. tsushimae both in the laboratory and in the field. In the laboratory, seeds of three common weeds [evening primrose Oenothera biennis (Onagraceae), purslane Portulaca oleracea (Portulacaceae), and dropseed Sporobolus fertilis (Poaceae)] were examined. More than 65% of each kind of seed was carried by the ants, but some were later discarded outside the nest. Among the three, S. fertilis seeds were collected most frequently. The germination rate of the seeds was higher than 80% for both discarded and stored O. biennis and S. fertilis seeds but lower than half for discarded P. oleracea seeds. In the field, the relationship between the ants and the growing locations of O. biennis or P. oleracea was investigated. The distribution of O. biennis plants considerably overlapped with the distribution of T. tsushimae nest holes at all survey sites. The distribution of P. oleracea also overlapped with that of ant nest holes at some sites. In areas where O. biennis and P. oleracea were absent, a high proportion (> 65%) of artificially placed seeds were carried by T. tsushimae. A few months later, O. biennis seedlings were observed near many ant nest holes. The mean distance between the seedlings and seed-set point was 7.2 m. Although P. oleracea seeds were observed near nest holes, their seedlings were not detected. The present results suggest that O. biennis plants benefit from seed dispersal by T. tsushimae and that the distribution of P. oleracea plants might also be influenced by ant foraging behaviour.

Summary: Soon after fertilization, the few totipotent cells of mammalian embryos diverge to form a structure called the blastocyst (BC). Although numerous cell types, including germ cells and extended-pluripotency stem cells, have been developed from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in vitro, generating functional BCs only from PSCs remains elusive. Here, we describe induced self-organizing 3D BC-like cysts (iBLCs) generated from mouse PSC culture. Resembling natural BCs, iBLCs have a blastocoel-like cavity and were formed with outer cells expressing trophectoderm lineage markers and with inner cells expressing pluripotency markers. iBLCs transplanted to pseudopregnant mice uteruses implanted, induced decidualization, and exhibited growth and development before resorption, demonstrating that iBLCs are implantation competent. iBLC precursor intermediates required the transcription factor Prdm14 and concomitantly activated the totipotency-related cleavage-stage MERVL reporter and 2C genes. Thus, our system may contribute to the understanding of molecular mechanisms underpinning totipotency, embryogenesis, and implantation. : In this article, Kime and Tomoda worked with collaborators to expand their previous studies increasing primed pluripotent stem cell potency with defined media cell reprogramming. They induced unique 2C-like cells with the potential to self-organize blastocyst-like cysts that can implant and develop in utero for several days until resorbed. Keywords: pluripotent stem cells, early embryo, implantation, cell biology, totipotency, reproduction, cell plasticity, blastocyst, reprogramming

9Cr-ODS steel claddings consisting of tempered martensitic matrix, showed prominent creep rupture strength at 1000 °C, which surpassed that of heat-resistant austenitic steels although creep rupture strength of tempered martensitic steels is generally lower than that of austenitic steels at high temperatures. The measured creep rupture strength of 9Cr-ODS steel claddings at 1000 °C was higher than that from extrapolated creep rupture trend curves formulated using data at temperatures from 650 to 850 °C. This superior strength seemed to be owing to transformation of the matrix from the α-phase to the γ-phase. The transient burst strengths for 9Cr-ODS steel were much higher than those for 11Cr-ferritic/martensitic steel (PNC-FMS). Cumulative damage fraction analyses suggested that the life fraction rule can be used for the rupture life prediction of 9Cr-ODS steel and PNC-FMS claddings in the transient and accidental events with a certain accuracy.

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Expert Group on Innovative Structural Materials (EGISM) was established in 2008 under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC). Its objectives are to conduct joint and comparative studies to support the development, selection and characterisation of innovative structural materials that can be implemented in advanced nuclear fuel cycles, under long service lifetime and extreme conditions, such as high temperature, high dose/dose rate and corrosive chemical environments. In this context of growing interest and initiatives, the EGISM initiated at the beginning of 2018 an activity among its members to: • Identify, in a non-exhaustive way, the currently existing programs on innovative materials and fabrication processes in NEA member countries and China; • Establish a first cartography of the activities that are underway on these topics and identify common subjects and thematic; • Propose a Technology Readiness Level scale to estimate the maturity of both innovative materials and fabrication processes; • Carry out a reflection on what the enablers are to quickly climb this TRL scale, as well as the obstacles, in order to identify solutions to overcome them. This paper first gives definitions shared between the EGISM members on what are considered as advanced structural materials solutions. Next, some international initiatives for the accelerated development of high performance materials are presented both in non-nuclear and nuclear fields. Then, the methodology adopted for technology readiness assessment is explained. A non-exhaustive synthesis of the projects identified among the EGISM members on innovative structural materials and advanced manufacturing solutions such as additive manufacturing is presented. The TRL level of these projects is evaluated. A focus is also made on some of these projects to illustrate and explain the TRLs chosen as well as highlighting enablers or obstacles identified to climbing up the TRL scale.

Decorin (DCN) is involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of lens epithelial cells (LECs) has been proposed as a major cause for the development of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) after cataract surgery. We investigated the plausible target gene(s) that suppress PCO. The expression of Dcn was significantly upregulated in rat PCO tissues compared to that observed in the control using a microarray-based approach. LECs treated with fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 2 displayed an enhanced level of DCN expression, while LECs treated with transforming growth factor (TGF)β-2 showed a decrease in DCN expression. The expression of tropomyosin 1 (Tpm1), a marker of lens EMT increased after the addition of TGFβ-2 in human LEC, however, upregulation of Tpm1 mRNA or protein expression was reduced in human LECs overexpressing human DCN (hDCN). No phenotypic changes were observed in the lenses of 8- and 48-week-old transgenic mice for lens-specific hDCN (hDCN-Tg). Injury-induced EMT of the mouse lens, and the expression patterns of α smooth muscle actin, were attenuated in hDCN-Tg mice lenses. Overexpression of DCN inhibited the TGFβ-2-induced upregulation of Tpm1 and EMT observed during wound healing of the lens, but it did not affect mouse lens morphology until 48 weeks of age. Our findings demonstrate that DCN plays a significant role in regulating EMT formation of LECs and PCO, and suggest that for therapeutic intervention, maintenance of physiological expression of DCN is essential to attenuate EMT progression and PCO formation.

International audience; This article presents the Direct Metal Deposition (DMD) process as a method to build a graded austenitic-to-martensitic steel. Builds are obtained by varying the ratio of the two powders upon DMD processing. Samples with gradual transitions were successfully obtained thanks to the use of a high dilution rate from a layer to another. Long austenitic grains are observed on 316L side when martensitic grains are observed on Fe-9Cr-1Mo side. In the transition zone, the microstructure is mainly martensitic.Characterizations were performed after building and after a tempering heat treatment at 630°C during 8h and compared to dissimilar Electron Beam welds. Before heat treatment, DMD graded area has high hardness values (around 430 HV) due to fresh martensite formed during building. Tempering heat treatment allows reducing hardness in this area to 300 HV. EDS measurements indicate that the chemical gradient between 316L and Fe-9Cr-1Mo obtained by DMD is smoother than the chemical change obtained in Electron Beam (EB) welds. Microstructures in DMD are quite different from those obtained by EB welding. Hardness measurements in DMD samples and in welds exhibit similar behaviours: the weld metal and the Fe-9Cr-1Mo heat affected zone are relatively hard after welding because of fresh martensite, such as the DMD transition zone. These areas are all softened by the tempering heat treatment.

The previous two-point Body-Braille (BB) device, which used two vibration motors, was not versatile and required a dedicated device. Currently, we study a one-point BB using a vibration speaker. However, only one Windows application is used as the vibration device. In this study, since many people have tablets, we propose to make those tablets into BB devices. The tablet also has a camera and an accelerometer, so we will be able to use them for past life support applications of BB. In this paper, we report that a tablet-based device was realized as a one-point BB device using a vibration speaker.

9CrODS steel, a candidate fission and fusion structural material, was subjected to hot-rolling with varying parameters of surface temperature and cooling rate just after hot-rolling. The deformation-induced dynamic ferrite transformation was confirmed at the rolling temperature 805 °C above Ar3 (780 °C). This transformation exhibits three characteristic features: transformation for extremely short duration (0.044 second), retaining carbon content equal to the original without long-distance carbon diffusion, and elongated coarse ferrite grains (10 μm). The massive transformation was proposed for the dynamic ferrite transformation from the hot-rolled austenite. The driving force for massive transformation was quantitatively estimated considering dislocations accumulated by hot-rolling. It was also shown that the oxide particles in 9CrODS steel play a critical role for dynamic ferrite transformation by suppressing the dynamic recrystallization at hot-rolling.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of nitrogen concentration on mechanical properties and nano-structure of 9Cr oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic/martensitic steel. 9Cr-ODS specimens with the wide range of nitrogen concentration, from 0.004 to 0.110 wt%, were systematically investigated by hardness and tensile tests and several microstructural characterization methods. Hardness and tensile strength at 973 K were significantly decreased as nitrogen concentration increased, due to the decrease in the amount of the residual α-ferrite phase. Coarse inclusions containing Y and Ti, which could negatively affect creep strength and processability, were formed, and that suggested degradation of the nano-particle distribution. The technical knowledge obtained in this study will contribute towards the setting of a reasonable nitrogen concentration specification for 9Cr-ODS steel. Keywords: ODS, Nitrogen, Ferrite, Martensite, α to γ reverse transformation, HT-XRD

A calculation model was constructed to systematically study the effects of environmental conditions (i.e. Cr concentration in sodium, test temperature, axial temperature gradient of fuel pin, and sodium flow velocity) on Cr dissolution behavior. Chromium dissolution was largely influenced by small changes in Cr concentration (i.e. chemical potential of Cr) in liquid sodium in the model calculation. Chromium concentration in sodium coolant, therefore, should be recognized as a critical parameter for the prediction and management of Cr dissolution behavior in the sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) core. Because the fuel column length showed no impact on dissolution behavior in the model calculation, no significant downstream effects possibly take place in the SFR fuel cladding tube due to the much shorter length compared with sodium loops in the SFR plant and the large axial temperature gradient. The calculated profile of Cr concentration along the wall-thickness direction was consistent with that measured in BOR-60 irradiation test where Cr concentration in sodium bulk flow was set at 0.07 wt ppm in the calculation., 高温流動Na中での燃料被覆管からのCr溶出挙動に及ぼす各種試験パラメータ(Na中溶存Cr濃度、試験温度、軸方向温度勾配、Na流速)の影響を系統的に把握するための計算モデルを構築し、数値計算を行った。Cr溶出挙動が液体Na中の溶存Cr濃度の微量の変化に大きく影響される計算結果を得た。Na中のCr濃度は、Na冷却高速炉(SFR)内における燃料被覆管からのCr溶出挙動の予測・制御のため、注目すべき重要なパラメータであると考えられる。Na中溶存Cr濃度を0.07wtppmmとした場合の本モデル計算で得たODS鋼被覆管肉厚方向のCr濃度プロファイルは、BOR-60照射試験データとよく一致した。

The aim of this study was to evaluate the tensile properties and microstructures of dissimilar welds between 11Cr-ferritic/martensitic steel and 316 stainless steel after thermal aging at temperatures between 400 and 600 °C up to 30,000 h. Characterization of microstructure was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Microstructural analysis showed that the microstructure in the weld metals (WMs) consisted of lath martensite containing a small amount of residual austenite. Thermal aging hardening of WMs occurred at 400 and 450 °C due to the effects of both α-α’ phase separation and G-phase precipitation. However, there was no significant change in the total elongation, and fracture surfaces indicated that very fine dimpled rupture was predominant rather than the cleavage rupture. It was suggested that lath martensite phases enhanced the tensile strength due to phase separation, while residual austenite played a role in keeping elongation as a soft phase.

Further improvement of high-temperature strength is required for the martensitic oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) steels that are the promising structural materials for the advanced fission and fusion reactors, since they have better formability and isotropic mechanical property emphasized as the engineering structural materials. We conducted severe hot rolling at the elevated temperature and subsequent air-cooling for the martensitic 9CrODS steels, and their tensile and creep strength recorded the highest worldwide for the engineering class of ferritic-martensitic steels. Significant strength improvement is originated by replacing the martensitic structure with a transformed coarse ferrite during hot rolling and subsequent air-cooling. The formation of the transformed coarse ferrite doesn’t follow the widely accepted ultrafine grain formation by the similar processing in the ferrite-martensite steels. New structural control and improving high-temperature strength for the ODS steels are greatly important and opened the window for realizing high-performance fission and fusion reactor materials.

Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel cladding tubes have been developed for fast reactors. 9 chromium ODS and 11Cr-ODS tempered martensitic steels are prioritized for the candidate material in research being carried out at JAEA. In this work, fundamental immersion tests and electro-chemical tests of 9 to 12Cr-ODS steels were systematically conducted in various nitric acid solutions at 95$^{\circ}$C. The corrosion rate exponentially decreased with effective solute chromium concentration (Cr$_{eff}$) and nitric acid concentration. Addition of oxidizing ions also suppressed the corrosion rate. According to polarization curves and surface observations in this work, the combination of low Cr$_{eff}$ and dilute nitric acid could not prevent the active dissolution at the beginning of immersion, and the corrosion rate was high. In comparison, higher Cr$_{eff}$, concentrated nitric acid and addition of oxidizing ions helped to prevent the active dissolution, and suppressed the corrosion rate., 高速炉用に酸化物分散強化型(ODS)鋼燃料被覆管の開発が進められている。原子力機構では9および11Cr-ODS焼戻しマルテンサイト鋼をその候補材料としている。被覆管からの腐食生成物が再処理工程に及ぼす影響を見積もるためには、その腐食挙動を評価しておく必要がある。本研究では95$^{\circ}$Cの硝酸溶液中で基礎的な浸漬試験および電気化学試験を系統的に実施した。腐食速度は有効Cr濃度(Cr$_{\rm eff}$)および硝酸濃度の増加に対して、指数関数的に低下した。酸化性イオンの添加も腐食速度を低下させた。取得した分極曲線や浸漬後の表面観察結果より、低Cr$_{\rm eff}$と希硝酸の組み合わせでは浸漬初期に活性溶解が発生し、腐食速度が大きくなることが分かった。一方、高Cr$_{\rm eff}$と比較的高濃度の硝酸、あるいは酸化性イオンの添加の組み合わせは不働態化を促進し、腐食速度を低下させることが分かった。