Thallium-201 chloride dynamic analysis using thallium-201 chloride and sodium iodide-131 thyroid subtraction scintigraphy

The mechanism of 201Tl chloride accumulation is unclear in thyroid gland and thyroid tumor. This report examines 108 patients that received thyroid scintigraphy examinations with both 201Tl chloride and sodium 131I. The patients were diagnosed clinically and histologically whenever possible. The ROI were obtained by subtraction imaging with both isotopes and by subtraction positive and negative areas of imaging. Dynamic curves were obtained for 201Tl chloride per square unit of each ROI. The dynamic curve in the radioiodide-accumulated area was examined. The data indicate that the clearance rate of 201Tl chloride (T15) was correlated with the sodium 131I uptake rate at 24 h (r = 0.70).     

Single-transverse-mode output from a fiber laser based on multimode interference

An alternative original approach to achieve single-transverse-mode laser emissions from multimode (MM) active fibers is demonstrated. The fiber cavity is constructed by simply splicing a conventional passive single-mode fiber (SMF-28) onto a few centimeters-long active MM fiber section whose length is precisely controlled. Owing to the self-imaging property of multimode interference (MMI) in the MM fiber, diffraction-limited laser output is obtained from the end of the SMF-28, and the MMI fiber laser is nearly as efficient as the corresponding MM fiber laser. Moreover, because of the spectral filtering effect during in-phase MMI, the bandwidth of the MMI fiber laser is below 0.5 nm.     

Application of 28Mg to the kinetic study of Mg uptake by rice plants

The time course of Mg uptake and release using intact rice plants and ²⁸Mg as a tracer is presented. Since there is no conventional Mg tracer available, ²⁸Mg was produced via ²⁷Al(α, 3p)²⁸Mg reaction using a cyclotron. Using the purified ²⁸Mg tracer, it was found that the uptake amount of ²⁸Mg by the rice plants increased linearly during 30 min of application. After ²⁸Mg treatment for 90 min, the roots were sequentially washed with iced solution for 120 min. Within about 10 min, almost all of the ²⁸Mg, that was thought to be weakly bound to the apoplast, was washed away.     

4-Ketozeinoxanthin,a novel carotenoid produced in Escherichia coli through metabolic engineering using carotenogenic genes of bacterium and liverwort

In order to produce a novel keto-carotenoid in Escherichia coli, we introduced the marine bacterial carotenoid ketolase gene (crtW) into pathway-engineered E. coli producing carotenoids of plant origin, which carried the lycopene biosynthesis genes (crtE, crtB, and crtI) from soil bacterium Pantoea ananatis and the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha genes that encode lycopene β-cyclase (MpLCYb), lycopene ε-cyclase (MpLCYe), and β-carotenoid hydroxylase (MpBHY). A novel keto-carotenoid (1) was produced by these carotenoid biosynthesis genes in E. coli along with α-echinenone, adonirubin, and adonixanthin. The structure of 1 was determined as (3S,6′R)-3-hydroxy-β,ε-caroten-4-one based on Uv–vis, MS, ¹H NMR, and CD spectral data. This compound was named 4-ketozeinoxanthin and showed anti-tumor-promoting activity.     

Removal efficiency of 75Se, 51Cr and 60Co from tidal water by mangrove sediments from Sepetiba Bay (SE Brazil)

Mangrove sediment cores sampled from Sepetiba Bay (SE Brazil) were covered with tidal water spiked with ⁷⁵Se, ⁵¹Cr and ⁶⁰Co to evaluate the removal efficiency of these radiotracers by underlying sediments. Variable time-evolution trends were observed along 115 h experiments, with significant differences between removal efficiencies of all radiotracers observed only after 70 h (⁵¹Cr > ⁶⁰Co > ⁷⁵Se). After an event of ⁶⁰Co release back to overlying water, there was a general trend of lower ⁶⁰Co removal than observed for other radiotracers during the period from 20 to 54 h. After this event, alternated periods of higher ⁶⁰Co and higher ⁷⁵Se removal trends were observed, attributed to behavioural differences expected for such anionic and cationic radiotracers. While ⁷⁵Se and ⁵¹Cr showed uniform time-evolution curves, as typically found in the literature for most radiotracers, ⁶⁰Co removal rates presented oscillations, probably due to sensitivity to changes in redox conditions within underlying sediments. Results evidenced the role of mangrove sediments as trace element sinks, which have implications for coastal water quality and for possible uses of such sediments in wastewater treatment systems.     

Power dependence of Brillouin linewidths in a silica fiber

We report the dependence of Brillouin linewidths on the pump power below the threshold of Brillouin lasing in a silica fiber. The Stokes Brillouin shift in a silica fiber is nearly unchanged, and its linewidth decreases with increasing pump power. However, the anti-Stokes Brillouin shift becomes smaller and its linewidth larger with increasing pump power. We explain these experimental results by the distributed fluctuating source model.