Subdominant H60 antigen-specific CD8 T-cell response precedes dominant H4 antigen-specific response during the initial phase of allogenic skin graft rejection

In allogeneic transplantation, including the B6 anti-BALB.B settings, H60 and H4 are two representative dominant minor histocompatibility antigens that induce strong CD8 T-cell responses. With different distribution patterns, H60 expression is restricted to hematopoietic cells, whereas H4 is ubiquitously expressed. H60-specific CD8 T-cell response has been known to be dominant in most cases of B6 anti-BALB.B allo-responses, except in the case of skin transplantation. To understand the mechanism underlying the subdominance of H60 during allogeneic skin transplantation, we investigated the dynamics of the H60-specific CD8 T cells in B6 mice transplanted with allogeneic BALB.B tail skin. Unexpectedly, longitudinal bioluminescence imaging and flow cytometric analyses revealed that H60-specific CD8 T cells were not always subdominant to H4-specific cells but instead showed a brief dominance before the H4 response became predominant. H60-specific CD8 T cells could expand in the draining lymph node and migrate to the BALB.B allografts, indicating their active participation in the anti-BALB.B allo-response. Enhancing the frequencies of H60-reactive CD8 T cells prior to skin transplantation reversed the immune hierarchy between H60 and H4. Additionally, H60 became predominant when antigen presentation was limited to the direct pathway. However, when antigen presentation was restricted to the indirect pathway, the expansion of H60-specific CD8 T cells was limited, whereas H4-specific CD8 T cells expanded significantly, suggesting that the temporary immunodominance and eventual subdominance of H60 could be due to their reliance on the direct antigen presentation pathway. These results enhance our understanding of the immunodominance phenomenon following allogeneic tissue transplantation.     

Cobalt Based Nanoparticles Embedded Reduced Graphene Oxide Aerogel for Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalyst

Efficient water electrolysis catalyst is highly demanded for the production of hydrogen as a sustainable energy fuel. It is reported that cobalt derived nanoparticle (CoS₂, CoP, CoS|P) decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite aerogel catalysts for highly active and reliable hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalysts. 7 nm level cobalt derived nanoparticles are synthesized over graphene aerogel surfaces with excellent surface coverage and maximal expose of active sites. CoS|P/rGO hybrid aerogel composites show an excellent catalytic activity with overpotential of ≈169 mV at a current density of ≈10 mA cm^?2. Accordingly, efficient charge transfer is attained with Tafel slope of ≈52 mV dec^?1 and a charge transfer resistance (R_ct) of ≈12 Ω. This work suggests a viable route toward ultrasmall, uniform nanoparticles decorated graphene surfaces with well‐controlled chemical compositions, which can be generally useful for various applications commonly requiring large exposure of active surface area as well as robust interparticle charger transfer.     

Fluorescent oligonucleotide incorporating 5-(1-ethynylpyrenyl)-2-deoxyuridine: sequence-specific fluorescence changes upon duplex formation

We describe the design and properties of a pyrene-labeled deoxyuridine that can be inserted efficiently into oligodeoxynucleotides using phosphoramidite chemistry. An oligonucleotide incorporating the pyrene-labeled deoxyuridine is a sensitive fluorescence probe that can discriminate between perfect and single-base-mismatched pairing by changes in its fluorescence intensity.     

Effects of poly[styrene‐b‐(ethylene‐co‐butylene)‐b‐styrene] on the charge distributions of low‐density polyethylene/polystyrene blends

The effect of the triblock copolymer poly[styrene‐b‐(ethylene‐co‐butylene)‐b‐styrene] (SEBS) on the formation of the space charge of immiscible low‐density polyethylene (LDPE)/polystyrene (PS) blends was investigated. Blends of 70/30 (wt %) LDPE/PS were prepared through melt blending in an internal mixer at a blend temperature of 220 °C. The amount of charge that accumulated in the 70% LDPE/30% PS blends decreased when the SEBS content increased up to 10 wt %. For compatibilized and uncompatibilized blends, no significant change in the degree of crystallinity of LDPE in the blends was observed, and so the effect of crystallization on the space charge distribution could be excluded. Morphological observations showed that the addition of SEBS resulted in a domain size reduction of the dispersed PS phase and better interfacial adhesion between the LDPE and PS phases. The location of SEBS at a domain interface enabled charges to migrate from one phase to the other via the domain interface and, therefore, resulted in a significant decrease in the amount of space charge for the LDPE/PS blends with SEBS. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2813–2820, 2004     

Photoswitching of holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystals doped with chiral dopant

Chiral dopants were added to the formulation of holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystals and the effects studied in terms of grating formation dynamics, morphology, diffraction efficiency, contrast ratio and electro-optical properties of the films. A gradual increase of real-time diffraction efficiency, decrease of droplet size and increase of diffraction efficiency of the composite film were obtained with the addition and increasing content of chiral dopant, due to the increased viscosity of the liquid crystal (LC) doped with the chiral dopant leading to decreased droplet coalescence. The contrast ratio decreased with increasing content of chiral dopant due to the difficult orientation of LC molecules caused by the formation of a helical structure. Addition of a small amount of the chiral dopant increased the driving voltage slightly, whereas the decay time is decreased significantly as a result of the high twisting of the helical structure.     

Effects of in situ thermal annealing on the structural, optical, and electrical properties in Hg0.7Cd0.3Te epilayers grown on CdTe buffer layers

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) transmission, and Hall effect measurements were performed to investigate the structural, optical, and electrical properties of as-grown and in situ-annealed Hg_0.7Cd_0.3Te epilayers grown on CdTe buffer layers by using molecular beam epitaxy. After the Hg_0.7Cd_0.3Te epilayers had been annealed in a Hg-cell flux atmosphere, the SEM images showed that the surface morphologies of the Hg_0.7Cd_0.3Te thin films were mirror-like with no indication of pinholes or defects, and the FTIR spectra showed that the transmission intensities had increased in comparison to that of the as-grown Hg_0.7Cd_0.3Te epilayer. Hall-effect measurements showed that n-Hg_0.7Cd_0.3Te epilayers were converted to p-Hg_0.7Cd_0.3Te epilayers. These results indicate that the surface, optical, and electrical properties of the Hg_1 − xCd_xTe epilayers are improved by annealing and that as-grown n-Hg_1 − xCd_xTe epilayers can be converted to p-Hg_1 − xCd_xTe epilayers by in situ annealing.     

Quantum Dynamics of Systems Connected by a Canonical Transformation

Quantum Hamiltonian systems corresponding to classical systems related by a general canonical transformation are considered. The differential equation to find the unitary operator, which corresponds to the canonical transformation and connects quantum states of the original and transformed systems, is obtained. The propagator associated with their wave functions is found by the unitary operator. Quantum systems related by a linear canonical point transformation are analyzed. The results are tested by finding the wave functions of the under-, critical-, and over-damped harmonic oscillator from the wave functions of the harmonic oscillator, free-particle system, and negative harmonic potential system, using the unitary operator to connect them, respectively.