Lagrangians of the state-averaged multiconfigurational self-consistent field (SA-MCSCF) and multistate extended second-order quasidegenerate perturbation theory (MS-XMCQDPT2) coupled with the reference interaction site model self-consistent field constraint spatial electron density are defined. In addition, variational equations were derived to calculate the excitation energies of the target molecules dissolved in various solvents. The theory was applied to a phenol molecule in various solutions, and the gradients and Hessian matrices were calculated to evaluate the absorption spectral lines, including the broadening bandwidth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe quantified and subsequently analyzed bandwidth of ultraviolet and visible photoabsorption spectral lines in solution by applying time-dependent first-order perturbation theory using the Born-Oppenheimer adiabatic potential calculated using the multistate extended-multi-configurational quasi-degenerated second-order perturbation theory (MS-XMCQDPT2) coupled with the reference interaction site model self-consistent field spatial electron density distribution (RISM-SCF-cSED). The proposed method was implemented for 2-thiocytosine in solution, and solvatochromism of the bandwidth of the ππ* transition was clearly observed. The standard deviation of a characteristic electronic excitation was decomposed into the contributions of the characteristic vibrational mode of 2-thiocytosine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe developed a high-speed filterless airflow multistage photocatalytic elbow aerosol removal system for the treatment of bioaerosols such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Human-generated bioaerosols that diffuse into indoor spaces are 1-10 μm in size, and their selective and rapid treatment can reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A high-speed airflow is necessary to treat large volumes of indoor air over a short period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated the effects of anti-CD80/86 antibodies in a murine high-risk corneal transplantation rejection model. A mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay was conducted with anti-CD80/86 antibodies. Inflammatory cytokine levels in the culture supernatant were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanoneedle structures on dragonfly and cicada wing surfaces or black silicon nanoneedles demonstrate antibacterial phenomena, namely mechano-bactericidal action. These air-exposed, mechano-bactericidal surfaces serve to destroy adherent bacteria, but their bactericidal action in the water is no precedent to report. Calcium carbonate easily accumulates on solid surfaces during long-term exposure to hard water.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To investigate the effects of ex vivo-induced bone marrow myeloid-derived suppressor cells (BM-MDSCs) on allogeneic immune responses in corneal transplantation.
Methods: Bone marrow cells from C57BL/6J (B6) mice were cultured with IL-6 and GM-CSF for four days. The ex vivo induction of the BM-MDSCs was assessed using flow cytometry, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and nitric oxide (NO) production in allogeneic stimulation.
Solvatochromic shifts of the activation free energies are important aspects to consider for reaction control. To predict the energies, the stationary points in a solution must be accurately determined along the reaction pathway. In this study, the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation (MP2) theory combined with the reference interaction site model was applied using our fitting approach, and the MP2 analytical energy gradient was determined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study assessed the feasibility of using camera image analysis to detect behavioral changes as an indicator of the onset of calving in Japanese Black cattle. Thirty-five pregnant cattle individually housed in pens were used and were continuously monitored using a digital camera system. For the automatic determination of the x and y coordinates of a cow, trajectory analysis was conducted using thermal image and analysis software, and the distances moved were calculated using coordinate data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCorneal allograft survival is mediated by the variety of immunological reactions and wound healing process. Our aim was to explore the effects of topical administration of ripasudil, a selective Rho-associated coiled-coil protein kinase inhibitor, on corneal allograft survival. Ripasudil was administered to mice thrice a day after allogeneic corneal transplantation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe precise mechanism of how the regulatory T cell population elicits and maintains tolerant state in activated T cells is poorly understood. To address this issue, we established an in vitro coculture system using mouse T cells and showed that tolerant state is serially passed from preinduced-tolerant T cells into new TCR-stimulated T cells across generations in a dendritic cell-independent manner. In this successive induction process of tolerant state, TIGIT was found to play an important role: TIGIT expression on induced-tolerant T cells was promoted in stimulated T cells cocultured with the tolerant cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe photocatalytic inactivation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) under light-emitting diode (LED) light irradiation was performed with P/Ag/AgO/AgPO/TiO photocatalyst to investigate the photocatalytic bactericidal activity. Our work showed that this composite photocatalyst possessed remarkable bacterial disinfection ability and could completely inactivate 10 cfu/mL of E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIf photocatalytic water purification technologies will find practical applications, the impact of total dissolved solids in the source water on the activity of the photocatalyst must be evaluated. In this study, we evaluated the effects of SiO in water on a TiO ceramic photocatalyst; specifically, we determined the effects of SiO on the rate of photocatalytic degradation of formic acid (as a model contaminant) and on the rate of photocatalytic inactivation of Escherichia coli in an aqueous solution. Both the rate of formic acid degradation and the sterilization rate decreased with increasing SiO concentration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: : Previous studies have demonstrated that neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) promote functional recovery in rodent animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI). Because distinct differences exist in the neuroanatomy and immunological responses between rodents and primates, it is critical to determine the effectiveness and safety of allografted embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived NS/PCs (ESC-NS/PCs) in a nonhuman primate SCI model. In the present study, common marmoset ESC-NS/PCs were grafted into the lesion epicenter 14 days after contusive SCI in adult marmosets (transplantation group).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDelta-like 4 (Dll4)-mediated Notch signaling is critical for specifying T-cell fate, but how Dll4-mediated Notch signaling actually contributes to T-cell development in the thymus remains unclear. To explore this mechanism in the thymic three-dimensional structure, we performed fetal thymus organ culture using Dll4-deficient mice. DN1a/b+DN2mt cells, which had not yet committed to either the αβ T or γδ T/NK cell lineage, did not differentiate into the αβ T-cell lineage in Dll4-deficient thymus despite the lack of cell fate conversion into other lineages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNotch signaling has been shown to contribute to murine pancreatic development at various stages. Delta-like 1 (Dll1) or Jagged1 (Jag1) are the Notch ligands that solely function to trigger this signaling during the pancreatic bud stage (~e9.5) or after birth, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe photocatalytic degradation of the antiviral drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate, OP) by TiO2 - P25, ST-01 and ATO was investigated in aqueous solution under ultraviolet (UV-A) irradiation. The photocatalysis of OP is well described by pseudo-first-order kinetics with r2>98.0% for all cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe developed a photocatalytic solar tower reactor for the elimination of low concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) typically emitted from small industrial establishments. The photocatalytic system can be installed in a narrow space, as the reactor is cylindrical-shaped. The photocatalytic reactor was placed vertically in the center of a cylindrical scattering mirror, and this vertical reactor was irradiated with scattered sunlight generated by the scattering mirror.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommensal bacteria in gastrointestinal tracts are reported to function as an environmental factor to regulate intestinal inflammation and immune responses. However, it remains largely unknown whether such bacterial function exerts any effect on other immune organs distant from the intestine. In this study, the influence of commensal bacteria in the thymus, where T cell lineages develop into mature type to form proper repertoires, was investigated using germ-free (GF) mice and Nod1-deficient mice lacking an intracellular recognition receptor for certain bacterial components, in which a commensal bacterial effect is predicted to be less.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe human immune system can be reconstituted in experimental animals by transplanting human hematopoietic stem cells (hHSCs) into immunodeficient mice. To generate such humanized mice, further improvements are required, particularly to ensure that transplanted hHSCs are maintained in mice and proliferate long enough to follow prolonged immune responses to chronic diseases or monitor therapeutic effects. To prepare the relatively human bone marrow environment in mice, we generated nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency/interleukin-2 receptor gamma chain null (NOG) mice expressing human Jagged1 (hJ1) in an osteoblast-specific manner (hJ1-NOG mice) to examine whether Notch signaling induced by hJ1 mediates hHSC proliferation and/or maintenance in mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effects of UV irradiation on the respiration and survival of Escherichia coli in various concentrations of aqueous NaCl were investigated in the presence of a photocatalyst. In this study, we anticipated that the photocatalysis of residual chlorine generated in a solution containing Cl(-) would result in bacterial elimination. Our results indicated a gradual reduction in the E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To compare mean differences in core body temperature (T(core)) as assessed via rectal thermometry (T(re)) and aural thermometry (T(au)) in hyperthermic exercising individuals.
Data Sources: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library in English from the earliest entry points to August 2009 using the search terms aural, core body temperature, core temperature, exercise, rectal, temperature, thermistor, thermometer, thermometry, and tympanic. Study Selection: Original research articles that met these criteria were included: (1) concurrent measurement of T(re) and T(au) in participants during exercise, (2) minimum mean temperature that reached 38°C by at least 1 technique during or after exercise, and (3) report of means, standard deviations, and sample sizes.
NOD/Shi-scid IL2rγnull (NOG) mice with severe immunodeficiency are excellent recipients to generate "humanized" mice by the transplantation of human CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). In this study, we developed NOG mice carrying a human Delta-like1 (DLL1) gene, which is a ligand of the Notch receptor and is known to be important in HSC maintenance and self-renewal. We also analyzed the effect of DLL1 signaling on human hematopoiesis and HSC maintenance using humanized DLL1 transgenic NOG mice.
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