Utsunomiya University

About: Utsunomiya University is a education organization based out in Utsunomiya, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Laser & Holography. The organization has 4139 authors who have published 6812 publications receiving 91975 citations. The organization is also known as: Utsunomiya daigaku.

Analysis of tungsten laser produced plasmas in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectral region

Abstract: Tungsten will be used as a wall material in ITER and therefore will be present as an intrinsic plasma impurity with the resulting emission having the potential to be used as a plasma diagnostic. We have recorded spectra of tungsten laser produced plasmas in the 1‐7 nm region using Nd:YAG lasers operating at a range of power densities. We have analysed these spectra, giving special attention to the unresolved transition arrays in the 3 nm region that appear at the highest laser power densities. We compare our results to those from previous work and also use new atomic structure calculations to identify a number of new features. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)

Molecular evolution of kiss2 genes and peptides in vertebrates.

Abstract: The kiss1 peptide (kisspeptin), a product of the kiss1 gene, is one of the key neuropeptides regulating vertebrate reproduction. In 2009, we identified a paralogous gene of kiss1 in the brain of amphibians and named it kiss2. Currently, the presence of the kiss2 gene and the kiss2 peptide is still obscure in amniotes compared with that in other vertebrates. Therefore, we performed genome database analyses in primates and reptiles to investigate the molecular evolution of the kiss2 gene in vertebrates. Because the mature kiss2 peptide has been identified only in amphibians, we further performed immunoaffinity purification and mass spectrometry to identify the mature endogenous kiss2 peptide in the brains of salmon and turtle that possessed the kiss2 gene. Here we provide the first evidence for the presence of a kiss2-like gene in the genome database of primates including humans. Synthetic amidated human KISS2 peptide activated human GPR54 expressed in COS7 cells, but nonamidated KISS2 peptide was inactive. The endogenous amidated kiss2 peptide may not be produced in primates because of the lack of an amidation signal in the precursor polypeptide. The kiss2-like gene may be nonfunctional in crocodilians because of premature stop codons. We identified the mature amidated kiss2 peptide in turtles and fish and analyzed the localization of kiss2 peptide mRNA expression in fish. The present study suggests that the kiss2 gene may have mutated in primates and crocodilians and been lost in birds during the course of evolution. In contrast, the kiss2 gene and mature kiss2 peptide are present in turtles and fish.

Effects of Ultrasound on Dyeing of Nylon 6

Abstract: In order to study the effect of ultrasound, amorphous and unoriented nylon 6 films were dyed with disperse, acid, acid mordant, and reactive dyes with and without ultrasound. Dyeings were done at 20, 40, and 60°C. Ultrasound was effective in in creasing the uptakes of all four dyes on nylon 6 at these temperatures. The activation energies of the four dyes decreased with ultrasound. It is clear that ultrasound has an effect on the rate of dyeing on nylon 6.

Musidunin and musiduol, insect antifeedants from Croton jatrophoides.

Abstract: Two novel limonoids, musidunin (1) and musiduol (2), were isolated from a methanol extract of Croton jatrophoides by bioassay-guided fractionation. Their structures were established by extensive NMR experiments. Interestingly, A,B-seco limonoid 1 contains a unique acetal annulation of A, A', and B' rings. Both limonoids exhibited antifeedant activities against two pests, Pectinophora gossypiella and Spodoptera frugiperda.

Single-shot common-path off-axis digital holography: applications in bioimaging and optical metrology [Invited].

Abstract: The demand for single-shot and common-path holographic systems has become increasingly important in recent years, as such systems offer various advantages compared to their counterparts. Single-shot holographic systems, for example, reduce computational complexity as only a single hologram with the object information required to process, making them more suitable for the investigation of dynamic events; and common-path holographic systems are less vibration-sensitive, compact, inexpensive, and high in temporal phase stability. We have developed a single-shot common-path off-axis digital holographic setup based on a beam splitter and pinhole. In this paper, we present a concise review of the proposed digital holographic system for several applications, including the quantitative phase imaging to investigate the morphological and quantitative parameters, as a metrological tool for testing of micro-optics, industrial inspection and measurement, and sound field imaging and visualization.