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.     

Synthesis of lanosterol derivatives with a functional group at C-32, including an antineoplastic sterol, 3 beta-hydroxylanost-7-en-32-oic acid

Lanosterol derivatives with a functional group at C-32 have been synthesized from 3 beta-acetoxylanostan-7 alpha-ol. The key reaction of the synthesis is the hypoiodite reaction of 3 beta-acetoxylanostan-7 alpha-ol. In vitro antitumor activity testing of the lanosterol derivatives revealed that 3 beta-hydroxylanost-7-en-32-oic acid has antineoplastic activity.     

The polar ionosphere at Zhongshan station on May 11, 1999, the day the solar wind almost disappeared

The solar wind almost disappeared on May 11, 1999: the solar wind plasma density and dynamic pressure were less than 1cm⁻³ and 0.1 nPa respectively, while the interplanetary magnetic field was northward. The polar ionospheric data observed by the multi-instruments at Zhongshan Station in Antarctica on such special event day was compared with those of the control day (May 14). It was shown that geomagnetic activity was very quiet on May 11 at Zhongshan. The magnetic pulsation, which usually occurred at about magnetic noon, did not appear. The ionosphere was steady and stratified, and the F₂ layer spread very little. The critical frequency of day-side F₂ layer, f₀F₂, was larger than that of control day, and the peak of f₀F₂ appeared 2 hours earlier. The ionospheric drift velocity was less than usual. There were intensive auroral E_s appearing at magnetic noon. All this indicates that the polar ionosphere was extremely quiet and geomagnetic field was much more dipolar on May 11. There were some signatures of auroral substorm before midnight, such as the negative deviation of the geomagnetic H component, accompanied with auroral E_s and weak Pc3 pulsation.

     

Silicon-Based Integrated Optic Pressure Sensor Using Intermodal Interference between TM-Like and TE-Like Modes

In this paper, a silicon-based integrated optic pressure sensor using an intermodal interference between the fundamental TM-like and TE-like modes is described. The sensor consists of a micromachined rectangular diaphragm and a straight polystyrene optical waveguide passing over the diaphragm. Its sensitivity is theoretically known to be strongly dependent on the position of the waveguide over the diaphragm. To experimentally investigate such dependence, we fabricated a sensor with a 1.2 mm ×10 mm ×20 μm diaphragm, over which waveguides were placed at 50 μm intervals. The measured phase sensitivity was 98 mrad/kPa for the waveguide nearest to the diaphragm edge. The measurement was also carried out for the other waveguides. As theoretically expected, the largest sensitivity was obtained for the waveguide nearest to the edge.     

ESR studies on calcite encrustation on Fili neotectonic fault, Greece

Electron spin resonance (ESR) study was done on calcite encrustation on Fili neotectonic fault surface, Greece. Normally such calcite encrustations on fault surfaces are not observed. Significantly, the ESR study has detected the presence of nitrate NO₃²⁻ radical in this calcite encrustation, havingg _⊥=2.0063±0.0001 and hyperfine coupling constantA _⊥=3.44 mT, the second such detection of nitrate NO₃²⁻ radical following a sample from Scott Glacier, Antarctica. From isochronal thermal annealing measurement the NO₃²⁻ radical was found to be quite stable, only fully annealed at 475°C. This study also shows that the ESR, as a tool, can be suitably applied to date the age of formation of the calcite encrustation with SO₃⁻ as an ESR dating signal by additive γ-ray irradiation. A preliminary estimation indicates the age of formation of calcite precipitation at Fili fault, Greece to be about 5600 years.     

Oxygen isotope effect of superconducting (Nd1−xCex)2CuO4−δ system

The effect of oxygen isotope substitution on the transition temperature T_c of a superconducting (Nd_1−xCe_x)₂CuO_4−δ system was studied, where the special synthetic method was taken to minimize ambiguous factors on the oxygen concentration and to guarantee the complete substitution of ¹⁶O by ¹⁸O. The isotope exponent in the relationship of T_c∝1/M was estimated to be less than 0.15 by magnetic susceptibility measurements.     

放射性9C束流不同贯穿深度上的线能谱测量

为阐述放射性⁹C束流应用于治癌的物理基础, 运用一个球形生物组织等效正比计数器测量了⁹C束流不同贯穿深度上的线能谱, 得到了沿束流贯穿深度上的剂量平均线能分布. 将实验测量得到的线能谱转换成为不同传能线密度在吸收剂量中所占份额的分布, 得到了该⁹C束流在不同贯穿深度上的剂量平均传能线密度分布. 将生物组织等效正比计数器测量得到的与先前通过平行板正比计数器测量得到的该⁹C束流的剂量平均传能线密度分布进行比较, 发现: 在束流入射通道上, 两者测量数据符合很好, 而在束流Bragg峰附近⁹C离子的沉积区域, 由组织等效正比计数器测量得到的剂量平均传能线密度值大于由平行板正比计数器测量得到的值.     

Light Diffraction of Aligned Polymer Fibers Periodically Dispersed by Phase Separation of Liquid Crystal and Polymer

We have confirmed light diffraction of aligned polymer fibers obtained by a phase separation of an anisotropic-phase solution of liquid crystal and polymer. He—Ne laser light passing through the polymer fibers was scattered in the axis vertical to the fibers, and had two peaks of light intensity symmetrical to the center of the transmitting laser spot. The two peaks were found to be caused by light diffraction due to the periodic polymer-fiber dispersion because the peaks corresponded to values calculated by intervals between the fibers. The periodical fiber networks are considered to be formed by anisotropic spinodal decomposition. This effect can be used to measure the dispersion order of the polymer fibers. © 2004 The Optical Society of Japan