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Showing papers by "University of Tokyo published in 2011"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A conceptual framework and operational research criteria are proposed, based on the prevailing scientific evidence to date, to test and refine these models with longitudinal clinical research studies and it is hoped that these recommendations will provide a common rubric to advance the study of preclinical AD.
Abstract: The pathophysiological process of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is thought to begin many years before the diagnosis of AD dementia. This long "preclinical" phase of AD would provide a critical opportunity for therapeutic intervention; however, we need to further elucidate the link between the pathological cascade of AD and the emergence of clinical symptoms. The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association convened an international workgroup to review the biomarker, epidemiological, and neuropsychological evidence, and to develop recommendations to determine the factors which best predict the risk of progression from "normal" cognition to mild cognitive impairment and AD dementia. We propose a conceptual framework and operational research criteria, based on the prevailing scientific evidence to date, to test and refine these models with longitudinal clinical research studies. These recommendations are solely intended for research purposes and do not have any clinical implications at this time. It is hoped that these recommendations will provide a common rubric to advance the study of preclinical AD, and ultimately, aid the field in moving toward earlier intervention at a stage of AD when some disease-modifying therapies may be most efficacious.

5,671 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
12 May 2011-Nature
TL;DR: Three robust clusters (referred to as enterotypes hereafter) are identified that are not nation or continent specific and confirmed in two published, larger cohorts, indicating that intestinal microbiota variation is generally stratified, not continuous.
Abstract: Our knowledge of species and functional composition of the human gut microbiome is rapidly increasing, but it is still based on very few cohorts and little is known about variation across the world. By combining 22 newly sequenced faecal metagenomes of individuals from four countries with previously published data sets, here we identify three robust clusters (referred to as enterotypes hereafter) that are not nation or continent specific. We also confirmed the enterotypes in two published, larger cohorts, indicating that intestinal microbiota variation is generally stratified, not continuous. This indicates further the existence of a limited number of well-balanced host-microbial symbiotic states that might respond differently to diet and drug intake. The enterotypes are mostly driven by species composition, but abundant molecular functions are not necessarily provided by abundant species, highlighting the importance of a functional analysis to understand microbial communities. Although individual host properties such as body mass index, age, or gender cannot explain the observed enterotypes, data-driven marker genes or functional modules can be identified for each of these host properties. For example, twelve genes significantly correlate with age and three functional modules with the body mass index, hinting at a diagnostic potential of microbial markers.

5,566 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
21 Jan 2011-Science
TL;DR: Oral inoculation of Clostridium during the early life of conventionally reared mice resulted in resistance to colitis and systemic immunoglobulin E responses in adult mice, suggesting a new therapeutic approach to autoimmunity and allergy.
Abstract: CD4+ T regulatory cells (Tregs), which express the Foxp3 transcription factor, play a critical role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis. Here, we show that in mice, Tregs were most abundant in the colonic mucosa. The spore-forming component of indigenous intestinal microbiota, particularly clusters IV and XIVa of the genus Clostridium, promoted Treg cell accumulation. Colonization of mice by a defined mix of Clostridium strains provided an environment rich in transforming growth factor–β and affected Foxp3+ Treg number and function in the colon. Oral inoculation of Clostridium during the early life of conventionally reared mice resulted in resistance to colitis and systemic immunoglobulin E responses in adult mice, suggesting a new therapeutic approach to autoimmunity and allergy.

3,096 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The new cellulose-based nanofibers formed by size reduction process of native cellulose fibers by TEMPO-mediated oxidation have potential application as environmentally friendly and new bio- based nanomaterials in high-tech fields.
Abstract: Native wood celluloses can be converted to individual nanofibers 3–4 nm wide that are at least several microns in length, i.e. with aspect ratios >100, by TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical)-mediated oxidation and successive mild disintegration in water. Preparation methods and fundamental characteristics of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCN) are reviewed in this paper. Significant amounts of C6 carboxylate groups are selectively formed on each cellulose microfibril surface by TEMPO-mediated oxidation without any changes to the original crystallinity (∼74%) or crystal width of wood celluloses. Electrostatic repulsion and/or osmotic effects working between anionically-charged cellulose microfibrils, the ζ-potentials of which are approximately −75 mV in water, cause the formation of completely individualized TOCN dispersed in water by gentle mechanical disintegration treatment of TEMPO-oxidized wood cellulose fibers. Self-standing TOCN films are transparent and flexible, with high tensile strengths of 200–300 MPa and elastic moduli of 6–7 GPa. Moreover, TOCN-coated poly(lactic acid) films have extremely low oxygen permeability. The new cellulose-based nanofibers formed by size reduction process of native cellulose fibers by TEMPO-mediated oxidation have potential application as environmentally friendly and new bio-based nanomaterials in high-tech fields.

2,301 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: SDSS-III as mentioned in this paper is a program of four spectroscopic surveys on three scientific themes: dark energy and cosmological parameters, the history and structure of the Milky Way, and the population of giant planets around other stars.
Abstract: Building on the legacy of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-I and II), SDSS-III is a program of four spectroscopic surveys on three scientific themes: dark energy and cosmological parameters, the history and structure of the Milky Way, and the population of giant planets around other stars. In keeping with SDSS tradition, SDSS-III will provide regular public releases of all its data, beginning with SDSS DR8 (which occurred in Jan 2011). This paper presents an overview of the four SDSS-III surveys. BOSS will measure redshifts of 1.5 million massive galaxies and Lya forest spectra of 150,000 quasars, using the BAO feature of large scale structure to obtain percent-level determinations of the distance scale and Hubble expansion rate at z 100 per resolution element), H-band (1.51-1.70 micron) spectra of 10^5 evolved, late-type stars, measuring separate abundances for ~15 elements per star and creating the first high-precision spectroscopic survey of all Galactic stellar populations (bulge, bar, disks, halo) with a uniform set of stellar tracers and spectral diagnostics. MARVELS will monitor radial velocities of more than 8000 FGK stars with the sensitivity and cadence (10-40 m/s, ~24 visits per star) needed to detect giant planets with periods up to two years, providing an unprecedented data set for understanding the formation and dynamical evolution of giant planet systems. (Abridged)

2,265 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that the penetration and efficacy of the larger micelles could be enhanced by using a transforming growth factor-β inhibitor to increase the permeability of the tumours.
Abstract: Drug-loaded polymeric micelles with a diameter of 30 nm can penetrate poorly permeable tumours to achieve an antitumour effect.

2,026 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
27 May 2011-Science
TL;DR: The differences across cultures in the enforcement of conformity may reflect their specific histories and advances knowledge that can foster cross-cultural understanding in a world of increasing global interdependence and has implications for modeling cultural change.
Abstract: With data from 33 nations, we illustrate the differences between cultures that are tight (have many strong norms and a low tolerance of deviant behavior) versus loose (have weak social norms and a high tolerance of deviant behavior). Tightness-looseness is part of a complex, loosely integrated multilevel system that comprises distal ecological and historical threats (e.g., high population density, resource scarcity, a history of territorial conflict, and disease and environmental threats), broad versus narrow socialization in societal institutions (e.g., autocracy, media regulations), the strength of everyday recurring situations, and micro-level psychological affordances (e.g., prevention self-guides, high regulatory strength, need for structure). This research advances knowledge that can foster cross-cultural understanding in a world of increasing global interdependence and has implications for modeling cultural change.

1,895 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
27 Jan 2011-Nature
TL;DR: It is proposed that acetate produced by protective bifidobacteria improves intestinal defence mediated by epithelial cells and thereby protects the host against lethal infection.
Abstract: The human gut is colonized with a wide variety of microorganisms, including species, such as those belonging to the bacterial genus Bifidobacterium, that have beneficial effects on human physiology and pathology. Among the most distinctive benefits of bifidobacteria are modulation of host defence responses and protection against infectious diseases. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects have barely been elucidated. To investigate these mechanisms, we used mice associated with certain bifidobacterial strains and a simplified model of lethal infection with enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7, together with an integrated 'omics' approach. Here we show that genes encoding an ATP-binding-cassette-type carbohydrate transporter present in certain bifidobacteria contribute to protecting mice against death induced by E. coli O157:H7. We found that this effect can be attributed, at least in part, to increased production of acetate and that translocation of the E. coli O157:H7 Shiga toxin from the gut lumen to the blood was inhibited. We propose that acetate produced by protective bifidobacteria improves intestinal defence mediated by epithelial cells and thereby protects the host against lethal infection.

1,799 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
06 Oct 2011-Nature
TL;DR: The results provide the first evidence indicating that genetic alterations of the major splicing components could be involved in human pathogenesis, also implicating a novel therapeutic possibility for myelodysplasia.
Abstract: Myelodysplastic syndromes and related disorders (myelodysplasia) are a heterogeneous group of myeloid neoplasms showing deregulated blood cell production with evidence of myeloid dysplasia and a predisposition to acute myeloid leukaemia, whose pathogenesis is only incompletely understood. Here we report whole-exome sequencing of 29 myelodysplasia specimens, which unexpectedly revealed novel pathway mutations involving multiple components of the RNA splicing machinery, including U2AF35, ZRSR2, SRSF2 and SF3B1. In a large series analysis, these splicing pathway mutations were frequent (∼45 to ∼85%) in, and highly specific to, myeloid neoplasms showing features of myelodysplasia. Conspicuously, most of the mutations, which occurred in a mutually exclusive manner, affected genes involved in the 3'-splice site recognition during pre-mRNA processing, inducing abnormal RNA splicing and compromised haematopoiesis. Our results provide the first evidence indicating that genetic alterations of the major splicing components could be involved in human pathogenesis, also implicating a novel therapeutic possibility for myelodysplasia.

1,746 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The first data release of SDSS-III is described in this article, which includes five-band imaging of roughly 5200 deg2 in the southern Galactic cap, bringing the total footprint of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging to 14,555 deg2, or over a third of the Celestial Sphere.
Abstract: The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) started a new phase in 2008 August, with new instrumentation and new surveys focused on Galactic structure and chemical evolution, measurements of the baryon oscillation feature in the clustering of galaxies and the quasar Lyα forest, and a radial velocity search for planets around ~8000 stars. This paper describes the first data release of SDSS-III (and the eighth counting from the beginning of the SDSS). The release includes five-band imaging of roughly 5200 deg2 in the southern Galactic cap, bringing the total footprint of the SDSS imaging to 14,555 deg2, or over a third of the Celestial Sphere. All the imaging data have been reprocessed with an improved sky-subtraction algorithm and a final, self-consistent photometric recalibration and flat-field determination. This release also includes all data from the second phase of the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE-2), consisting of spectroscopy of approximately 118,000 stars at both high and low Galactic latitudes. All the more than half a million stellar spectra obtained with the SDSS spectrograph have been reprocessed through an improved stellar parameter pipeline, which has better determination of metallicity for high-metallicity stars.

Journal ArticleDOI
21 Jul 2011-Nature
TL;DR: It is shown that mixing fine droplets of an antisolvent and a solution of an active semiconducting component within a confined area on an amorphous substrate can trigger the controlled formation of exceptionally uniform single-crystal or polycrystalline thin films that grow at the liquid–air interfaces.
Abstract: Printing electronic devices using semiconducting 'ink' is seen as a promising route to cheap, large-area and flexible electronics, but the performance of such devices suffers from the relatively poor crystallinity of the printed material. Hiromi Minemawari and colleagues have developed an inkjet-based printing technique involving controlled mixing on a surface of two solutions — the semiconductor (C8-BTBT) in its solvent and a liquid in which the semiconductor is insoluble. The products of this antisolvent crystallization technique are thin semiconductor films with exceptionally high and uniform crystallinity. The use of single crystals has been fundamental to the development of semiconductor microelectronics and solid-state science1. Whether based on inorganic2,3,4,5 or organic6,7,8 materials, the devices that show the highest performance rely on single-crystal interfaces, with their nearly perfect translational symmetry and exceptionally high chemical purity. Attention has recently been focused on developing simple ways of producing electronic devices by means of printing technologies. ‘Printed electronics’ is being explored for the manufacture of large-area and flexible electronic devices by the patterned application of functional inks containing soluble or dispersed semiconducting materials9,10,11. However, because of the strong self-organizing tendency of the deposited materials12,13, the production of semiconducting thin films of high crystallinity (indispensable for realizing high carrier mobility) may be incompatible with conventional printing processes. Here we develop a method that combines the technique of antisolvent crystallization14 with inkjet printing to produce organic semiconducting thin films of high crystallinity. Specifically, we show that mixing fine droplets of an antisolvent and a solution of an active semiconducting component within a confined area on an amorphous substrate can trigger the controlled formation of exceptionally uniform single-crystal or polycrystalline thin films that grow at the liquid–air interfaces. Using this approach, we have printed single crystals of the organic semiconductor 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) (ref. 15), yielding thin-film transistors with average carrier mobilities as high as 16.4 cm2 V−1 s−1. This printing technique constitutes a major step towards the use of high-performance single-crystal semiconductor devices for large-area and flexible electronics applications.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is found that purified osteocytes express a much higher amount of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) and have a greater capacity to support osteoclastogenesis in vitro than osteoblasts and bone marrow stromal cells.
Abstract: Osteocytes embedded in bone have been postulated to orchestrate bone homeostasis by regulating both bone-forming osteoblasts and bone-resorbing osteoclasts. We find here that purified osteocytes express a much higher amount of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) and have a greater capacity to support osteoclastogenesis in vitro than osteoblasts and bone marrow stromal cells. Furthermore, the severe osteopetrotic phenotype that we observe in mice lacking RANKL specifically in osteocytes indicates that osteocytes are the major source of RANKL in bone remodeling in vivo.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The formation of SkX close to room temperature in thin-films of the helimagnet FeGe with magnetic chirality inversion of the SkX across lattice twin boundaries will pave a new path to designing quantum-effect devices based on the controllable skyrmion dynamics.
Abstract: Skyrmions are vortex-like arrangements of spin magnetic moments, which so far have been observed in only a few compounds, and only at low temperatures. The discovery that skyrmions can be stabilized by thin magnetic films close to room temperature promises their use in spintronic devices.

Journal ArticleDOI
K. Abe1, N. Abgrall2, Yasuo Ajima, Hiroaki Aihara1  +413 moreInstitutions (53)
TL;DR: The T2K experiment observes indications of ν (μ) → ν(e) appearance in data accumulated with 1.43×10(20) protons on target, and under this hypothesis, the probability to observe six or more candidate events is 7×10(-3), equivalent to 2.5σ significance.
Abstract: The T2K experiment observes indications of nu(mu) -> nu(mu) e appearance in data accumulated with 1.43 x 10(20) protons on target. Six events pass all selection criteria at the far detector. In a three-flavor neutrino oscillation scenario with |Delta m(23)(2)| = 2.4 x 10(-3) eV(2), sin(2)2 theta(23) = 1 and sin(2)2 theta(13) = 0, the expected number of such events is 1.5 +/- 0.3(syst). Under this hypothesis, the probability to observe six or more candidate events is 7 x 10(-3), equivalent to 2.5 sigma significance. At 90% C.L., the data are consistent with 0.03(0.04) < sin(2)2 theta(13) < 0.28(0.34) for delta(CP) = 0 and a normal (inverted) hierarchy.


Journal ArticleDOI
John K. Colbourne1, Michael E. Pfrender2, Michael E. Pfrender3, Donald L. Gilbert1, W. Kelley Thomas4, Abraham E. Tucker4, Abraham E. Tucker1, Todd H. Oakley5, Shin-ichi Tokishita6, Andrea Aerts7, Georg J. Arnold8, Malay Kumar Basu9, Malay Kumar Basu10, Darren J Bauer4, Carla E. Cáceres11, Liran Carmel12, Liran Carmel9, Claudio Casola1, Jeong Hyeon Choi1, John C. Detter7, Qunfeng Dong13, Qunfeng Dong1, Serge Dusheyko7, Brian D. Eads1, Thomas Fröhlich8, Kerry Geiler-Samerotte5, Kerry Geiler-Samerotte14, Daniel Gerlach15, Daniel Gerlach16, Phil Hatcher4, Sanjuro Jogdeo17, Sanjuro Jogdeo4, Jeroen Krijgsveld18, Evgenia V. Kriventseva16, Dietmar Kültz19, Christian Laforsch8, Erika Lindquist7, Jacqueline Lopez1, J. Robert Manak20, J. Robert Manak21, Jean Muller22, Jasmyn Pangilinan7, Rupali P Patwardhan23, Rupali P Patwardhan1, Samuel Pitluck7, Ellen J. Pritham24, Andreas Rechtsteiner25, Andreas Rechtsteiner1, Mina Rho1, Igor B. Rogozin9, Onur Sakarya26, Onur Sakarya5, Asaf Salamov7, Sarah Schaack1, Sarah Schaack24, Harris Shapiro7, Yasuhiro Shiga6, Courtney Skalitzky20, Zachary Smith1, Alexander Souvorov9, Way Sung4, Zuojian Tang27, Zuojian Tang1, Dai Tsuchiya1, Hank Tu26, Hank Tu7, Harmjan R. Vos18, Mei Wang7, Yuri I. Wolf9, Hideo Yamagata6, Takuji Yamada, Yuzhen Ye1, Joseph R. Shaw1, Justen Andrews1, Teresa J. Crease28, Haixu Tang1, Susan Lucas7, Hugh M. Robertson11, Peer Bork, Eugene V. Koonin9, Evgeny M. Zdobnov29, Evgeny M. Zdobnov16, Igor V. Grigoriev7, Michael Lynch1, Jeffrey L. Boore30, Jeffrey L. Boore7 
04 Feb 2011-Science
TL;DR: The Daphnia genome reveals a multitude of genes and shows adaptation through gene family expansions, and the coexpansion of gene families interacting within metabolic pathways suggests that the maintenance of duplicated genes is not random.
Abstract: We describe the draft genome of the microcrustacean Daphnia pulex, which is only 200 megabases and contains at least 30,907 genes. The high gene count is a consequence of an elevated rate of gene duplication resulting in tandem gene clusters. More than a third of Daphnia's genes have no detectable homologs in any other available proteome, and the most amplified gene families are specific to the Daphnia lineage. The coexpansion of gene families interacting within metabolic pathways suggests that the maintenance of duplicated genes is not random, and the analysis of gene expression under different environmental conditions reveals that numerous paralogs acquire divergent expression patterns soon after duplication. Daphnia-specific genes, including many additional loci within sequenced regions that are otherwise devoid of annotations, are the most responsive genes to ecological challenges.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The findings suggest that HOTAIR expression is associated with a genome-wide reprogramming of PRC2 function not only in breast cancer but also in CRC, where upregulation of this long ncRNA may be a critical element in metastatic progression.
Abstract: The functional impact of recently discovered long noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in human cancer remains to be clarified. One long ncRNA which has attracted attention is the Hox transcript antisense intergenic RNA termed HOTAIR, a long ncRNA expressed from the developmental HOXC locus located on chromosome 12q13.13. In cooperation with Polycomb complex PRC2, the HOTAIR long ncRNA is reported to reprogram chromatin organization and promote breast cancer metastasis. In this study, we examined the status and function of HOTAIR in patients with stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC) who have liver metastases and a poor prognosis. HOTAIR expression levels were higher in cancerous tissues than in corresponding noncancerous tissues and high HOTAIR expression correlated tightly with the presence of liver metastasis. Moreover, patients with high HOTAIR expression had a relatively poorer prognosis. In a subset of 32 CRC specimens, gene set enrichment analysis using cDNA array data revealed a close correlation between expression of HOTAIR and members of the PRC2 complex (SUZ12, EZH2, and H3K27me3). Our findings suggest that HOTAIR expression is associated with a genome-wide reprogramming of PRC2 function not only in breast cancer but also in CRC, where upregulation of this long ncRNA may be a critical element in metastatic progression.

Journal ArticleDOI
25 Feb 2011-Immunity
TL;DR: The identified functions of each IL-17 family member are described and the potential of these molecules as therapeutic targets are discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: LAST, the open source implementation of adaptive seeds, enables fast and sensitive comparison of large sequences with arbitrarily nonuniform composition, and guarantees that the number of matches increases linearly, instead of quadratically, with sequence length.
Abstract: The main way of analyzing biological sequences is by comparing and aligning them to each other. It remains difficult, however, to compare modern multi-billionbase DNA data sets. The difficulty is caused by the nonuniform (oligo)nucleotide composition of these sequences, rather than their size per se. To solve this problem, we modified the standard seed-and-extend approach (e.g., BLAST) to use adaptive seeds. Adaptive seeds are matches that are chosen based on their rareness, instead of using fixed-length matches. This method guarantees that the number of matches, and thus the running time, increases linearly, instead of quadratically, with sequence length. LAST, our open source implementation of adaptive seeds, enables fast and sensitive comparison of large sequences with arbitrarily nonuniform composition.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the generalized Galileons were used as a framework to develop the most general single-field inflation models ever, Generalized G-inflation, containing yet further generalization of Ginf lation, as well as previous examples such as k-inflation, extended inflation, and new Higgs inflation as special cases.
Abstract: We study generalized Galileons as a framework to develop the most general single-field inflation models ever, Generalized G-inflation, containing yet further generalization of Ginf lation, as well as previous examples such as k-inflation, extended inflation, and new Higgs inflation as special cases. We investigate the background and perturbation evolution in this model, calculating the most general quadratic actions for tensor and scalar cosmological perturbations to give the stability criteria and the power spectra of primordial fluctuations. It is pointed out in the Appendix that the Horndeski theory and the generalized Galileons are equivalent. In particular, even the non-minimal coupling to the Gauss-Bonnet term is included in the generalized Galileons in a non-trivial manner. Subject Index: 440, 442, 453

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In Scale-treated mouse brain, neurons labeled with genetically encoded fluorescent proteins were visualized at an unprecedented depth in millimeter-scale networks and at subcellular resolution, suggesting that the Scale method will be useful for light microscopy–based connectomics of cellular networks in brain and other tissues.
Abstract: The authors describe a chemical approach for imaging deep into fixed brain tissue using Scale, a solution that renders biological samples transparent, but preserves fluorescent signals. This technique allows for imaging at unprecedented depth and at subcellular resolution, and makes three-dimensional reconstruction of neural networks possible without serial sectioning.

Journal ArticleDOI
Marcos Daniel Actis1, G. Agnetta2, Felix Aharonian3, A. G. Akhperjanian  +682 moreInstitutions (109)
TL;DR: The ground-based gamma-ray astronomy has had a major breakthrough with the impressive results obtained using systems of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes as mentioned in this paper, which is an international initiative to build the next generation instrument, with a factor of 5-10 improvement in sensitivity in the 100 GeV-10 TeV range and the extension to energies well below 100GeV and above 100 TeV.
Abstract: Ground-based gamma-ray astronomy has had a major breakthrough with the impressive results obtained using systems of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. Ground-based gamma-ray astronomy has a huge potential in astrophysics, particle physics and cosmology. CTA is an international initiative to build the next generation instrument, with a factor of 5-10 improvement in sensitivity in the 100 GeV-10 TeV range and the extension to energies well below 100 GeV and above 100 TeV. CTA will consist of two arrays (one in the north, one in the south) for full sky coverage and will be operated as open observatory. The design of CTA is based on currently available technology. This document reports on the status and presents the major design concepts of CTA.

Journal ArticleDOI
14 Jan 2011-Science
TL;DR: Mid-infrared femtosecond pulses are used to enable coherent transport between the copper oxide planes of a cuprate superconductor, and an upper limit for the time scale needed to form the superconducting phase is estimated to be 1 to 2 picoseconds, which places stringent new constraints on the understanding of stripe order and its relation to superconductivity.
Abstract: One of the most intriguing features of some high-temperature cuprate superconductors is the interplay between one-dimensional "striped" spin order and charge order, and superconductivity. We used mid-infrared femtosecond pulses to transform one such stripe-ordered compound, nonsuperconducting La(1.675)Eu(0.2)Sr(0.125)CuO(4), into a transient three-dimensional superconductor. The emergence of coherent interlayer transport was evidenced by the prompt appearance of a Josephson plasma resonance in the c-axis optical properties. An upper limit for the time scale needed to form the superconducting phase is estimated to be 1 to 2 picoseconds, which is significantly faster than expected. This places stringent new constraints on our understanding of stripe order and its relation to superconductivity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the historical development of water-splitting photocatalysts has been described and a review article describes the development of active water splitting materials has relied on both photochemical and cocatalytic materials.
Abstract: Overall water splitting to produce H 2 and O 2 over a semiconductor photocatalyst using solar energy is a promising process for the large-scale production of clean, recyclable H 2 . Numerous attempts have been made to develop photocatalysts that function under visible-light irradiation to efficiently utilize solar energy. In general, overall water splitting over a photocatalyst particle can be achieved by modifying the photocatalyst with a suitable cocatalyst to provide an active redox site. Therefore, the development of active photocatalytic materials has relied on both photocatalysts and cocatalysts. This review article describes the historical development of water-splitting photocatalysts.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors considered the initial value/boundary value problems for fractional diffusion-wave equation and established the unique existence of the weak solution and the asymptotic behavior as the time t goes to ∞ and the proofs are based on the eigenfunction expansions.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a review mainly focuses on the transcriptional regulation of ABA-mediated gene expression in response to osmotic stress during the vegetative growth stage in Arabidopsis.
Abstract: The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a pivotal role in a variety of developmental processes and adaptive stress responses to environmental stimuli in plants. Cellular dehydration during the seed maturation and vegetative growth stages induces an increase in endogenous ABA levels, which control many dehydration-responsive genes. In Arabidopsis plants, ABA regulates nearly 10% of the protein-coding genes, a much higher percentage than other plant hormones. Expression of the genes is mainly regulated by two different families of bZIP transcription factors (TFs), ABI5 in the seeds and AREB/ABFs in the vegetative stage, in an ABA-responsive-element (ABRE) dependent manner. The SnRK2-AREB/ABF pathway governs the majority of ABA-mediated ABRE-dependent gene expression in response to osmotic stress during the vegetative stage. In addition to osmotic stress, the circadian clock and light conditions also appear to participate in the regulation of ABA-mediated gene expression, likely conferring versatile tolerance and repressing growth under stress conditions. Moreover, various other TFs belonging to several classes, including AP2/ERF, MYB, NAC, and HD-ZF, have been reported to engage in ABA-mediated gene expression. This review mainly focuses on the transcriptional regulation of ABA-mediated gene expression in response to osmotic stress during the vegetative growth stage in Arabidopsis.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used local imaging of the magnetization and magnetic susceptibility to directly observe a landscape of ferromagnetism, paramagnetic response, and superconductivity.
Abstract: LaAlO{sub 3} and SrTiO{sub 3} are insulating, nonmagnetic oxides, yet the interface between them exhibits a two-dimensional electron system with high electron mobility, superconductivity at low temperatures, and electric-field-tuned metal-insulator and superconductor-insulator phase transitions Bulk magnetization and magnetoresistance measurements also suggest some form of magnetism depending on preparation conditions and suggest a tendency towards nanoscale electronic phase separation Here we use local imaging of the magnetization and magnetic susceptibility to directly observe a landscape of ferromagnetism, paramagnetism, and superconductivity We find submicron patches of ferromagnetism in a uniform background of paramagnetism, with a nonuniform, weak diamagnetic superconducting susceptibility at low temperature These results demonstrate the existence of nanoscale phase separation as suggested by theoretical predictions based on nearly degenerate interface subbands associated with the Ti orbitals The magnitude and temperature dependence of the paramagnetic response suggests that the vast majority of the electrons at the interface are localized, and do not contribute to transport measurements In addition to the implications for magnetism, the existence of a 2D superconductor at an interface with highly broken inversion symmetry and a ferromagnetic landscape in the background suggests the potential for exotic superconducting phenomena


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the transport properties of nonequilibrium systems under the application of light in many-terminal measurements, using the Floquet picture, were investigated. And they showed that the quantum transport properties can be controlled in materials such as graphene and topological insulators, via the use of light.
Abstract: In this paper, we study transport properties of nonequilibrium systems under the application of light in many-terminal measurements, using the Floquet picture. We propose and demonstrate that the quantum transport properties can be controlled in materials such as graphene and topological insulators, via the application of light. Remarkably, under the application of off-resonant light, topological transport properties can be induced; these systems exhibit quantum Hall effects in the absence of a magnetic field with a near quantization of the Hall conductance, realizing so-called quantum Hall systems without Landau levels first proposed by Haldane.