Transient electrostatic fields and related energetic proton generation with a plasma fiber.

We observe a hollow structure and a fine ring in the proton images from a petawatt scale laser interaction with a "cone-fiber" target. The protons related to the hollow structure are accelerated from the cone-tip surface and deflected later by a radial electric field surrounding the fiber. Those associated with the fine ring are accelerated from the fiber surface by this radial electric field.

Demonstration of bulk acceleration of ions in ultraintense laser interactions with low-density foams.

Ion acceleration inside low-density foams irradiated by ultraintense laser pulses has been studied experimentally and theoretically. It is found that the ion generation is closely correlated with the suppressed hot electron transport inside the foams. Particle-in-cell simulations suggest that localized electrostatic fields with multi peaks around the surfaces of lamellar layers inside the foams are induced.

Intestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma associated with celiac disease: a Japanese case.

Intestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), especially the T-cell type, is well known to be associated with celiac disease (CD), an enteropathic disorder with a propensity for certain racial and genetic backgrounds. CD is typically characterized by gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, anti-transglutaminase antibodies in the sera, and microscopical findings of the intestinal mucosa, which resolve with a gluten-free diet (GFD). In Asian populations, including the Japanese, CD and the associated NHL have been supposed to be quite rare, and studies concerning the frequency of CD or its relationship with NHL are scarce.

Nuclear localization of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is not involved in the initiation of apoptosis induced by 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-pyridium iodide (MPP+).

Nuclear localization of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is implicated in the process of apoptosis. To study the function of GAPDH, we expressed GAPDH C-terminally fused with or without nuclear localization signal (NLS) in SH-SY5Y and NB41A3 cells using a retrovirus expression system. GAPDH carrying NLS (GAPDH-NLS) was expressed mainly in the nucleus.

Sodium-level-sensitive sodium channel Na(x) is expressed in glial laminate processes in the sensory circumventricular organs.

Na(x) is an atypical sodium channel that is assumed to be a descendant of the voltage-gated sodium channel family. Our recent studies on the Na(x)-gene-targeting mouse revealed that Na(x) channel is localized to the circumventricular organs (CVOs), the central loci for the salt and water homeostasis in mammals, where the Na(x) channel serves as a sodium-level sensor of the body fluid. To understand the cellular mechanism by which the information sensed by Na(x) channels is transferred to the activity of the organs, we dissected the subcellular localization of Na(x) in the present study.

Enhancement of energetic electrons and protons by cone guiding of laser light.

Energetic electrons and protons are observed when a target consisting of a reentrant cone with a disk at the tip is irradiated by a petawatt (PW) laser at an intensity of approximately 10(19) W cm(-2). The angular distribution of the electrons and protons, dependent on the open angle of the reentrant cone, is found to differ from that in the case when a target with planar geometry is used. Two jet beams are observed, in directions parallel to the cone axis and normal to the cone-shaped wall.

Simulation of heating-compressed fast-ignition cores by petawatt laser-generated electrons.

We report on unique particle-in-cell simulations to understand the relativistic electron beam thermalization and subsequent heating of highly compressed plasmas. The simulations yield heated core parameters in good agreement with the GEKKO-PW experimental measurements, given reasonable assumptions of laser-to-electron coupling efficiency and the distribution function of laser-produced electrons. The classical range of the hot electrons exceeds the mass density-core diameter product rhoL by a factor of several.

Petawatt-laser direct heating of uniformly imploded deuterated-polystyrene shell target.

A uniformly imploded deuterated polystyrene (CD) shell target is fast-heated by a Petawatt (PW) laser without cone guide. The best illumination timing is found to be in a narrow region around 80+/-20 picoseconds from the onset of the stagnation phase, where thermal neutrons are enhanced four to five times by the PW laser of energy less than 10% of the implosion laser. The timing agrees with the timings of enhancement of the x-ray emission from the core and reduction of the bremsstrahlung radiation from scattered hot electrons.

Effects of single-pulse (< or = 1 ps) X-rays from laser-produced plasmas on mammalian cells.

The effects of low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation on mammalian cells have been studied at dose-rates as high as 10(9) Gy/sec delivered as a single 3-nanosecond pulse, and no increase in cytotoxicity was shown compared with delivery at a conventional dose-rate. There have been no observations on the effects of radiation delivered at even higher dose-rates on the picosecond time-scale. Here we examined, for the first time, the effects on cultured mouse L5178Y cells and its radiosensitive XRCC4-deficient mutant M10 cells of sub-picosecond X-rays emitted from laser-produced plasmas at the ultrahigh dose-rate of 10(12)-10(13) Gy/sec.

Plasma devices to guide and collimate a high density of MeV electrons.

The development of ultra-intense lasers has facilitated new studies in laboratory astrophysics and high-density nuclear science, including laser fusion. Such research relies on the efficient generation of enormous numbers of high-energy charged particles. For example, laser-matter interactions at petawatt (10(15) W) power levels can create pulses of MeV electrons with current densities as large as 10(12) A cm(-2).

Ion acceleration from the shock front induced by hole boring in ultraintense laser-plasma interactions.

Ion-acceleration processes have been studied in ultraintense laser plasma interactions for normal incidence irradiation of solid deuterated targets via neutron spectroscopy. The experimental neutron spectra strongly suggest that the ions are preferentially accelerated radially, rather than into the bulk of the material from three-dimensional Monte Carlo fitting of the neutron spectra. Although the laser system has a 10(-7) contrast ratio, a two-dimensional magnetic hydrodynamics simulation shows that the laser pedestal generates a 10 mum scale length in the coronal plasma with a 3 mum scale-length plasma near the critical density.

Wegener's granulomatosis of the penis: diagnosis and management.

A 24 year old uncircumcised man presented with a 1 month history of a painful, fungating lesion on his glans penis. Following biopsy, and further clinical developments, a diagnosis of Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG) was made. The penile lesion was treated with surgical debridement, and a penile stump was salvageable.

Cerebellar atrophy in a patient with anorexia nervosa.

Unlabelled: Reversible cerebral atrophy (pseudoatrophy) is observable in patients with anorexia nervosa. However, it is extremely rare to see marked cerebellar atrophy.

Objectives: We report on a patient who developed cerebellar atrophy after the severe deterioration of cardiac and respiratory functions resulting from undernutririon.

Potential approaches to the assessment of amino acid adequacy in rats: a progress report.

We report on research progress on two approaches that may be useful in determining the upper adequacy range for macronutrients such as amino acids. One approach was to attempt to identify "toxic metabolites" that were responsible for toxicity or biomarkers for the toxicity of excessive intake of an amino acid in rats. We found that there was hepatic toxicity that was specifically associated with L-cystine excess, but not with L-cysteine excess.

Electron acceleration in an ultraintense-laser-illuminated capillary.

An ultraintense laser injected a 10 J of power at 1.053 microm in 0.5 ps into a glass capillary of 1 cm long and 60 microm in diameter and accelerated plasma electrons to 100 MeV.

Study of hot electrons by measurement of optical emission from the rear surface of a metallic foil irradiated with ultraintense laser pulse.

Hot electrons and optical emission are measured from the rear surface of a metallic foil. The spectra of the optical emission in the near infrared region have a sharp spike around the wavelength of the incident laser pulse. The optical emission is ascribed to coherent transition radiation due to microbunching in the hot electron beam.

Fast ion acceleration in ultraintense laser interactions with an overdense plasma.

In order to study the ion acceleration processes in ultraintense laser-plasma interactions with solid targets, neutron spectra from deuteron-deuteron (D-D) nuclear reactions were measured. Spectra were obtained when (50-100 TW, 0.5-1 ps) laser light irradiated obliquely incident deuterated plastic targets as a function of laser polarization, intensity, and density scale length of the preformed plasma.

High-energy electrons produced in subpicosecond laser-plasma interactions from subrelativistic laser intensities to relativistic intensities.

The characteristics of the forward hot electrons produced by subpicosecond laser-plasma interactions are studied for different laser polarizations at laser intensities from subrelativistic to relativistic. The peak of the hot electron beam produced by p-polarized laser beam shifts to the laser propagation direction from the target normal direction as the laser intensity reaches the relativistic. For s-polarized laser pulse, hot electrons are mainly directed to the laser axis direction.

Implosion of indirectly driven reentrant-cone shell target.

We have examined the implosion of an indirectly driven reentrant-cone shell target to clarify the issues attendant on compressing fuel for a fast ignition target. The target design is the hydrodynamic equivalent of a NIF cryoignition target scaled to be driven by Omega. Implosions were imaged with backlit x radiographs and modeled with LASNEX.

[Three patients with Parkinson's disease whose therapeutic levels were successfully improved after administration of quetiapine for suppression of psychosis].

Psychosis characterized by hallucination or delusion, which occurs during drug therapy of parkinsonian patients, is one of the limiting factors for the control of motor symptoms or complications. In the present study, we encountered three patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) at advanced stages; all three patients had severe psychosis and severe wearing-off phenomenon and one had severe orthostatic hypotension. Their psychotic symptoms were successfully treated by administration of quetiapine, resulting in the favorable control of motor fluctuations and elevation of therapeutic levels unless any aggravation of parkinsonism occurs.

High-power and high-contrast optical parametric chirped pulse amplification in beta-BaB2O4 crystal.

We have developed a high-power laser system based on optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification in a beta-BaB2O4 crystal. The system provides gain of 10(8), a conversion efficiency of approximately 23%, an output energy of -65 mJ, and good amplified beam quality. The prepulse ratio has been measured to be 1.

Foot formation in hydra: commitment of the basal disk cells in the lower peduncle.

Foot regeneration in the freshwater hydra Pelmatohydra robusta was examined using a monoclonal antibody AE03 as a marker. This antibody specifically recognizes mucous-producing ectodermal epithelial cells in the basal disk, but not cells in the peduncle region located just above the basal disk in the foot. When the basal disk was removed by amputation at the upper or lower part of the peduncle, AE03-positive (basal disk) cells always appeared at the regenerating tip of the footless polyp approximately 12-16 h later.

GM-CSF induces expression of gp91phox and stimulates retinoic acid-induced p47phox expression in human myeloblastic leukemia cells.

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) combined with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) synergistically increases superoxide-generating activity in human myeloblastic leukemia ML-1 cells. ATRA is known to increase the expression of some NADPH components; however, little is known about the effect of GM-CSF on the expression of these components. We examined the expression of NADPH oxidase components in ML-1 cells treated with ATRA, GM-CSF, or a combination of ATRA and GM-CSF.

NaX sodium channel is expressed in non-myelinating Schwann cells and alveolar type II cells in mice.

Na(x) is an extracellular sodium-level-sensitive sodium channel expressed in the circumventricular organs in the brain, essential loci for the sodium-level homeostasis in body fluids. Here, we examined the localization of Na(x) throughout the visceral organs at the cellular level. In visceral organs including lung, heart, intestine, bladder, kidney and tongue, a subset of Schwann cells within the peripheral nerve trunks were highly positive for Na(x).

Fast heating scalable to laser fusion ignition.

Rapid heating of a compressed fusion fuel by a short-duration laser pulse is a promising route to generating energy by nuclear fusion, and has been demonstrated on an experimental scale using a novel fast-ignitor geometry. Here we describe a refinement of this system in which a much more powerful, pulsed petawatt (10(15) watts) laser creates a fast-heated core plasma that is scalable to full-scale ignition, significantly increasing the number of fusion events while still maintaining high heating efficiency at these substantially higher laser energies. Our findings bring us a step closer to realizing the production of relatively inexpensive, full-scale fast-ignition laser facilities.