Synchrotron X-ray diffraction techniques for in situ measurement of hydride formation under several gigapascals of hydrogen pressure

The high-pressure technique is a fundamental tool for realizing novel phase transitions, chemical reactions, and other exotic phenomena. Hydrogenation is one example of a high-pressure reaction; at high pressures of several gigapascals, hydrogen becomes chemically active and reacts with metals and alloys to form hydrides. This paper covers a high-pressure study of the hydrogenation process and the synthesis of hydrides using a cubic-type multi-anvil apparatus. The experimental details of a hydrogenation cell assembly, high-temperature and highpressure generation, and an in situ observation technique are presented. These experiments are conducted with the aid of in situ synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction measurements operated in an energy-dispersive mode in the conventional manner for time-resolved measurements and a newly developed angle-dispersive mode for observation of the crystal growth process during formation of metal hydrides. Two successful cases of high-pressure hydrogenation are presented： aluminum hydride, Al H3, and an aluminum-based alloy hydride, Al2 Cu Hx, which are potential candidates for hydrogen storage materials.     

The ultrastructural localization of antigens in ehrlich ascites tumor cells against antinuclear factors in lupus erytematosus sera by peroxidase-labelled antibody method

Zusammenfassung Nach indirekter, peroxidasekonjugierter Antikörpermethode wurden elektronenmikorskopisch Ehrlich-Aszitestumorzellen geprüft und am Chromatin solcher Zellen das Antigen gegen den antinukleären Faktor in Seren einiger systemisch Lupus-erythematosus-Erkrankter gezeigt.     

Exploitation of shape memory alloy actuator using resistance feedback control and its development

The relationship between phase transformation and electric re sistivity of Ti-42.6Ni-7Cu SMA was investigated. In the isothermal tensile tests, stress—strain curve shows large hysteresis and nonlinearity, whereas the resistivity—strain curve can be fitted by linearity. The resistivity of SMAs can be determined from the volume fractions of the martensitic and austenitic phas es. This characteristics leads to that the resistance of the SMAs is used as a parameter of strain of SMAs. A SMA actuator using resistance feedback control system was proposed, which can control and retain positioning at any positions without using sensor devices, and the deviation of position of this system was less than 3 μm.     

Fabrication, nanostructures and electronic properties of nanodiamond-based solar cells

Nanodiamond-based solar cells were fa bricated and the photovoltaic properties were investigated. Fullerene (C60) and fullerenol (C60(OH)10-12) were used as n-type semiconductors, and diamond nan oparticles and metal phthalocyanine derivative were used as p-type semiconductors. The nanostructures of the solar cel ls were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffracometry, and the electronic property was discussed.     

The origin of multiple superconducting gaps in MgB2

Magnesium diboride, MgB2, has the highest transition temperature (T(c) = 39 K) of the known metallic superconductors. Whether the anomalously high T(c) can be described within the conventional BCS (Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer) framework has been debated. The key to understanding superconductivity lies with the 'superconducting energy gap' associated with the formation of the superconducting pairs. Recently, the existence of two kinds of superconducting gaps in MgB2 has been suggested by several experiments; this is in contrast to both conventional and high-T(c) superconductors. A clear demonstration of two gaps has not yet been made because the previous experiments lacked the ability to resolve the momentum of the superconducting electrons. Here we report direct experimental evidence for the two-band superconductivity in MgB2, by separately observing the superconducting gaps of the sigma and pi bands (as well as a surface band). The gaps have distinctly different sizes, which unambiguously establishes MgB2 as a two-gap superconductor.     

Common variation in GPC5 is associated with acquired nephrotic syndrome

Severe proteinuria is a defining factor of nephrotic syndrome irrespective of the etiology. Investigation of congenital nephrotic syndrome has shown that dysfunction of glomerular epithelial cells (podocytes) plays a crucial role in this disease. Acquired nephrotic syndrome is also assumed to be associated with podocyte injury. Here we identify an association between variants in GPC5, encoding glypican-5, and acquired nephrotic syndrome through a genome-wide association study and replication analysis (P value under a recessive model (P(rec)) = 6.0 × 10(-11), odds ratio = 2.54). We show that GPC5 is expressed in podocytes and that the risk genotype is associated with higher expression. We further show that podocyte-specific knockdown and systemic short interfering RNA injection confers resistance to podocyte injury in mouse models of nephrosis. This study identifies GPC5 as a new susceptibility gene for nephrotic syndrome and implicates GPC5 as a promising therapeutic target for reducing podocyte vulnerability in glomerular disease.     

Live imaging of yeast Golgi cisternal maturation

There is a debate over how protein trafficking is performed through the Golgi apparatus. In the secretory pathway, secretory proteins that are synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum enter the early compartment of the Golgi apparatus called cis cisternae, undergo various modifications and processing, and then leave for the plasma membrane from the late (trans) cisternae. The cargo proteins must traverse the Golgi apparatus in the cis-to-trans direction. Two typical models propose either vesicular transport or cisternal progression and maturation for this process. The vesicular transport model predicts that Golgi cisternae are distinct stable compartments connected by vesicular traffic, whereas the cisternal maturation model predicts that cisternae are transient structures that form de novo, mature from cis to trans, and then dissipate. Technical progress in live-cell imaging has long been awaited to address this problem. Here we show, by the use of high-speed three-dimensional confocal microscopy, that yeast Golgi cisternae do change the distribution of resident membrane proteins from the cis nature to the trans over time, as proposed by the maturation model, in a very dynamic way.