Seesaw mass matrix model of quarks and leptons with flavor-triplet Higgs scalars

In a seesaw mass matrix model with a universal structure of , as the origin of m_L (m_R) for quarks and leptons, flavor-triplet Higgs scalars whose vacuum expectation values v_i are proportional to the square roots of the charged lepton masses m_ei, i.e. , are assumed. Then, it is investigated whether such a model can explain the observed neutrino masses and mixings (and also quark masses and mixings) or not.     

Antiadhesive Nanosomes Facilitate Targeting of the Lysosomal GlcNAc Salvage Pathway through Derailed Cancer Endocytosis

Activated endocytosis of extracellular macromolecules and their intracellular trafficking to lysosomes is an essential metabolic mechanism in cancer cells during their rapid proliferation. Cancer cells reuse a vast amount of N‐acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) supplied from the GlcNAc salvage pathway for the accelerated synthesis of a pivotal uridine diphosphate (UDP)‐GlcNAc. A method to inactivate key glycosidases in lysosomes could critically contribute to the development of potent anticancer therapy. Here we demonstrate that “nanosomes” made of core metals covered by an antiadhesive mixed self‐assembled monolayer allow for avoiding nonspecific surface protein corona and targeted molecular delivery through activated endocytosis. Nanosomes carrying suicide substrates showed that lysosomal glycosidases such as β‐hexosaminidase and β‐galactosidase in cancer cells are promising targets for novel anticancer therapeutic nanomedicine that induce apoptotic cell death through lysosomal membrane permeabilization. The advantage of this method is evident because multivalent surface loading by antiadhesive nanosomes makes it possible to highlight “weak interactions” such as carbohydrate–lectin interactions independent of surface protein corona.     

Transition between internal transport barriers with different temperature-profile curvatures in JT-60U Tokamak plasmas

A spontaneous transition phenomena between two states of a plasma with an internal transport barrier (ITB) is observed in the steady-state phase of the magnetic shear in the negative magnetic shear plasma in the JT-60U tokamak. These two ITB states are characterized by different profiles of the second radial derivative of the ion temperature inside the ITB region (one has a weak concave shape and the other has a strong convex shape) and by different degrees of sharpness of the interfaces between the L mode and the ITB region, which is determined by the turbulence penetration into the ITB region.     

The promiscuity of beta-strand pairing allows for rational design of beta-sheet face inversion

Recent studies suggest the dominant role of main-chain H-bond formation in specifying beta-sheet topology. Its essentially sequence-independent nature implies a large degree of freedom in designing beta-sheet-based nanomaterials. Here we show rational design of beta-sheet face inversions by incremental deletions of beta-strands from the single-layer beta-sheet of Borrelia outer surface protein A. We show that a beta-sheet structure can be maintained when a large number of native contacts are removed and that one can design large-scale conformational transitions of a beta-sheet such as face inversion by exploiting the promiscuity of strand-strand interactions. High-resolution X-ray crystal structures confirmed the success of the design and supported the importance of main-chain H-bonds in determining beta-sheet topology. This work suggests a simple but effective strategy for designing and controlling nanomaterials based on beta-rich peptide self-assemblies.     

High‐performance poly(ethylene‐2,6‐naphthalate) fiber prepared by high‐tension annealing

A high‐tension annealing (HTA) method has been applied to zone‐annealed poly(ethylene‐2,6‐naphthalate) (PEN) fibers in order to further improve their mechanical properties. The HTA treatment was carried out under an applied tension of 428 MPa at a treating temperature of 175 °C. The applied tension was close to the tensile strength at 175 °C. The resulting HTA fiber had a birefringence of 0.492 and degree of crystallinity of 57%. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) photographs of the HTA fibers showed three reflections (010, 100, and 1 10) attributed to an α form crystal, but no (020) reflection attributed to a β form was observed in the equator. The tensile modulus and tensile strength increased with processing, and the HTA fiber had a maximum modulus of 33 GPa, a tensile strength of 1.1 GPa, and a storage modulus of 33 GPa at 25 °C. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 61–67, 2000     

Dynamical origin of power spectra

We discuss a possible origin of Tsallis’ statistics from the correlation among constituents which reduces the phase space of the system. We also show that a system of coupled linear harmonic oscillators can exhibit a Tsallis-type behavior. This paper is part of the Topical Issue Statistical Power Law Tails in High-Energy Phenomena.     

Mechanism underlying bioinertness of self-assembled monolayers of oligo(ethyleneglycol)-terminated alkanethiols on gold: protein adsorption, platelet adhesion, and surface forces

The mechanism underlying the bioinertness of the self-assembled monolayers of oligo(ethylene glycol)-terminated alkanethiol (OEG-SAM) was investigated with protein adsorption experiments, platelet adhesion tests, and surface force measurements with an atomic force microscope (AFM). In this work, we performed systematic analysis with SAMs having various terminal groups (-OEG, -OH, -COOH, -NH(2), and -CH(3)). The results of the protein adsorption experiment by the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method suggested that having one EG unit and the neutrality of total charges of the terminal groups are essential for protein-resistance. In particular, QCM with energy dissipation analyses indicated that proteins absorb onto the OEG-SAM via a very weak interaction compared with other SAMs. Contrary to the protein resistance, at least three EG units as well as the charge neutrality of the SAM are found to be required for anti-platelet adhesion. When the identical SAMs were formed on both AFM probe and substrate, our force measurements revealed that only the OEG-SAMs possessing more than two EG units showed strong repulsion in the range of 4 to 6 nm. In addition, we found that the SAMs with other terminal groups did not exhibit such repulsion. The repulsion between OEG-SAMs was always observed independent of solution conditions [NaCl concentration (between 0 and 1 M) and pH (between 3 and 11)] and was not observed in solution mixed with ethanol, which disrupts the three-dimensional network of the water molecules. We therefore concluded that the repulsion originated from structured interfacial water molecules. Considering the correlation between the above results, we propose that the layer of the structured interfacial water with a thickness of 2 to 3 nm (half of the range of the repulsion observed in the surface force measurements) plays an important role in deterring proteins and platelets from adsorption or adhesion.     

A reversible near-infrared fluorescence probe for reactive oxygen species based on Te-rhodamine

We have designed and synthesized a reversible near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence probe, 2-Me TeR, for reactive oxygen species (ROS), utilizing the redox properties of the tellurium (Te) atom. 2-Me TeR is oxidized to fluorescent 2-Me TeOR by various ROS, while the generated 2-Me TeOR is quickly reduced in the presence of glutathione to regenerate 2-Me TeR. This redox-induced reversible NIR-fluorescence response of 2-Me TeR allowed us to detect the endogenous production of ROS and subsequent homeostatic recovery of the intracellular reductive environment in hydrogen peroxide-stimulated HL-60 cells. This probe is expected to be useful for monitoring the dynamics of ROS production continuously in vivo.