Growth activation of influenza virus by trypsin and effect of T-705 (favipiravir) on trypsin-optimized growth condition

Influenza virus is activated by proteolytic cleavage of hemagglutinin by trypsin. After determining the optimal trypsin concentration, intracellular and extracellular influenza A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and A/Victoria/361/2011 (H3N2) virus productions were compared in cultures treated with T-705 (favipiravir) and GS 4071 (an active form of oseltamivir). Although both drugs efficiently inhibited extracellular viral RNA release in a dose-dependent manner, T-705 inhibited it to the level of the inoculum without trypsin treatment, while GS 4071 inhibited it to a final level 10 times higher than that without trypsin. T-705 inhibited intracellular viral RNA production to the level of input virus in both trypsin-treated and untreated cells. In contrast, GS 4071 dose-dependently inhibited intracellular viral RNA production in cells treated with trypsin but allowed viral RNA synthesis. The level of maximum inhibition by GS 4071was 10 times higher than that of cells without trypsin and 1,000 times greater than the inoculum titer in cells without trypsin. T-705 inhibited both intracellular and extracellular virus production 1,000 and 10 times more strongly, respectively, than GS 4071. T-705 has powerful anti-influenza activity in the absence of trypsin and even in the trypsin-optimized growth condition, suggesting the therapeutic advantage in treatment of influenza complicated with bacterial pneumonia. Keywords: influenza; T-705; Tamiflu; trypsin; bacterial trypsin-like protease.

Nuclear Dependence of the Transverse Single-Spin Asymmetry in the Production of Charged Hadrons at Forward Rapidity in Polarized p+p, p+Al, and p+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

We report on the nuclear dependence of transverse single-spin asymmetries (TSSAs) in the production of positively charged hadrons in polarized p^{↑}+p, p^{↑}+Al, and p^{↑}+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. The measurements have been performed at forward rapidity (1.4<η<2.4) over the range of transverse momentum (1.8<p_{T}<7.0  GeV/c) and Feynman x (0.1<x_{F}<0.2). We observed positive asymmetries for positively charged hadrons in p^{↑}+p collisions, and significantly reduced asymmetries in p^{↑}+A collisions. These results reveal a nuclear dependence of TSSAs for charged-hadron production in a regime where perturbative techniques are applicable. These results provide new opportunities to use p^{↑}+A collisions as a tool to investigate the rich phenomena behind TSSAs in hadronic collisions and to use TSSAs as a new handle in studying small-system collisions.

Dynamics of the boundary layer created by the explosion of a dense object in an ambient dilute gas triggered by a high power laser

The dynamics of the boundary layer in between two distinct collisionless plasmas created by the interaction between a dense object modeling a cluster and a short laser pulse in the presence of an ambient gas is studied with two dimensional relativistic particle-in-cell simulations, which are found to be described by three successive processes. In the first phase, a collisionless electrostatic shock wave, launched near the cluster expansion front, reflects the ambient gas ions at a contact surface as a moving wall, which allows a particle acceleration with a narrower energy spread. In the second phase, the contact surface disappears and the compressed surface of the ambient gas ions passes over the shock potential, forming an overlapping region between the cluster expansion front and the compressed surface of the ambient gas. Here, another type of nonlinear wave is found to be evolved, leading to a relaxation of the shock structure, while continuing to reflect the ambient gas ions. The nonlinear wave exhibits a bipolar electric field structure that is sustained for a long timescale coupled with slowly evolving ion dynamics, suggesting that a quasistationary kinetic equilibrium dominated by electron vortices in the phase space is established. In the third phase, a rarefaction wave is triggered and evolves at the compressed surface of ambient gas. This is because some of the ambient gas ions tend to pass over the potential of the bipolar electric field. Simultaneously, a staircase structure, i.e., a kind of internal shock, is formed in the cluster due to the deceleration of cluster ions. Such structure formations and successive dynamics accompanied by the transitions from the shock wave phase through the overlapping phase to the rarefaction wave phase are considered to be a unique nature at the boundary layer created by an explosion of a dense plasma object in an ambient dilute plasma.

NOVEL ANALYTICAL STUDY FOR REACTION INTERMEDIATES IN THE PRIMARY RADIATION INTERACTION OF DNA USING A SYNCHROTRON RADIATION-INDUCED LUMINESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY

To identify the precise molecular processes to induce DNA lesions, we attempt a novel spectroscopy of X-ray induced luminescence (XIL) using soft X-ray synchrotron radiation, which is a non-destructive analysis of the reaction intermediates in the elementary reaction pathway of damage induction and self-organized restoration. Using a liquid micro-jet technique to introduce aqueous samples in a vacuum chamber, we measure UV-visible luminescence from nucleotide solution as a function of the soft X-ray energy from the nitrogen to oxygen K-edge region. The XIL intensities for the nucleotide solutions are significantly enhanced in the soft X-ray region (410-530 eV) which is ascribed to the K-shell excitation/ionization of nitrogen atoms in the nucleobases. Furthermore, the XIL spectra do not show any signature of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) of the nucleobases. This is because the luminescence intensities collected from the integral area of the micro-jet only reflect the quantum yield of luminescence of the absorbed X-ray into UV-visible light irrespective of the absorption cross sections, i.e. of XANES. Thus the present result is the first evidence of luminescence as a result of X-ray absorption of aqueous nucleotides.

Quasimonoenergetic Proton Bunch Acceleration Driven by Hemispherically Converging Collisionless Shock in a Hydrogen Cluster Coupled with Relativistically Induced Transparency

An approach for accelerating a quasimonoenergetic proton bunch via a hemispherically converging collisionless shock created in laser-cluster interactions at the relativistically induced transparency (RIT) regime is studied using three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. By the action of focusing a petawatt class laser pulse onto a micron-size spherical hydrogen cluster, a crescent-shaped collisionless shock is launched at the laser-irradiated hemisphere and propagates inward. The shock converges at the sphere center in concurrence with the onset of the RIT, thereby allowing the proton bunch to be pushed out from the shock surface in the laser propagation direction. The proton bunch experiences further acceleration both inside and outside of the cluster to finally exhibit a quasimonoenergetic spectral peak around 300 MeV while maintaining a narrow energy spread (∼10%) and a small half-divergence angle (∼5°) via the effect of the RIT. This mechanism works for finite ranges of parameters with threshold values concerning the laser peak intensity and the cluster radius, resulting from the synchronization of the multiple processes in a self-consistent manner. The present scheme utilizing the internal and external degrees of freedom ascribed to the spherical cluster leads to the proton bunch alternative to the plain target, which allows the operation with a high repetition rate and impurity free.

Pseudorapidity Dependence of Particle Production and Elliptic Flow in Asymmetric Nuclear Collisions of p+Al, p+Au, d+Au, and ^{3}He+Au at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

Asymmetric nuclear collisions of p+Al, p+Au, d+Au, and ^{3}He+Au at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV provide an excellent laboratory for understanding particle production, as well as exploring interactions among these particles after their initial creation in the collision. We present measurements of charged hadron production dN_{ch}/dη in all such collision systems over a broad pseudorapidity range and as a function of collision multiplicity. A simple wounded quark model is remarkably successful at describing the full data set. We also measure the elliptic flow v_{2} over a similarly broad pseudorapidity range. These measurements provide key constraints on models of particle emission and their translation into flow.

Search for CP Violation in Neutrino and Antineutrino Oscillations by the T2K Experiment with 2.2×10^{21} Protons on Target

The T2K experiment measures muon neutrino disappearance and electron neutrino appearance in accelerator-produced neutrino and antineutrino beams. With an exposure of 14.7(7.6)×10^{20} protons on target in the neutrino (antineutrino) mode, 89 ν_{e} candidates and seven anti-ν_{e} candidates are observed, while 67.5 and 9.0 are expected for δ_{CP}=0 and normal mass ordering. The obtained 2σ confidence interval for the CP-violating phase, δ_{CP}, does not include the CP-conserving cases (δ_{CP}=0, π). The best-fit values of other parameters are sin^{2}θ_{23}=0.526_{-0.036}^{+0.032} and Δm_{32}^{2}=2.463_{-0.070}^{+0.071}×10^{-3}  eV^{2}/c^{4}.

High-contrast high-intensity repetitive petawatt laser

We report the generation of 63 J of broadband pulse energies at 0.1 Hz from the J-KAREN-P laser, which is based on an OPCPA/Ti:sapphire hybrid architecture. Pulse compression down to 30 fs indicates a peak power of over 1 PW. High temporal contrast of 10¹² prior to the main pulse has been demonstrated with 10 J output energy. High intensities of 10²²  W/cm² on target by focusing a 0.3 PW laser with an f/1.3 off-axis parabolic mirror have been achieved. Fundamental processes of laser matter interaction at over 10²²  W/cm² intensities belong to a new branch of science that will be the principal research task of our infrastructure.

Search for Boosted Dark Matter Interacting with Electrons in Super-Kamiokande

A search for boosted dark matter using 161.9 kt yr of Super-Kamiokande IV data is presented. We search for an excess of elastically scattered electrons above the atmospheric neutrino background, with a visible energy between 100 MeV and 1 TeV, pointing back to the Galactic center or the Sun. No such excess is observed. Limits on boosted dark matter event rates in multiple angular cones around the Galactic center and Sun are calculated. Limits are also calculated for a baseline model of boosted dark matter produced from cold dark matter annihilation or decay. This is the first experimental search for boosted dark matter from the Galactic center or the Sun interacting in a terrestrial detector.

Late-stage divergent synthesis and antifouling activity of geraniol-butenolide hybrid molecules

Hybrid molecules consisting of geraniol and butenolide were designed and synthesized by the late-stage divergent strategy. In the synthetic route, ring-closing metathesis was utilized for the construction of a butenolide moiety. A biological evaluation of the eight synthetic hybrid compounds revealed that these molecules exhibit antifouling activity against the cypris larvae of the barnacle Balanus (Amphibalanus) amphitrite with EC₅₀ values of 0.30-1.31 μg mL^-1. These results show that hybridization of the geraniol and butenolide structural motifs resulted in the enhancement of the antifouling activity.

Measurements of Multiparticle Correlations in d+Au Collisions at 200, 62.4, 39, and 19.6 GeV and p+Au Collisions at 200 GeV and Implications for Collective Behavior

Recently, multiparticle-correlation measurements of relativistic p/d/^{3}He+Au, p+Pb, and even p+p collisions show surprising collective signatures. Here, we present beam-energy-scan measurements of two-, four-, and six-particle angular correlations in d+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200, 62.4, 39, and 19.6 GeV. We also present measurements of two- and four-particle angular correlations in p+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. We find the four-particle cumulant to be real valued for d+Au collisions at all four energies. We also find that the four-particle cumulant in p+Au has the opposite sign as that in d+Au. Further, we find that the six-particle cumulant agrees with the four-particle cumulant in d+Au collisions at 200 GeV, indicating that nonflow effects are subdominant. These observations provide strong evidence that the correlations originate from the initial geometric configuration, which is then translated into the momentum distribution for all particles, commonly referred to as collectivity.

Nuclear Dependence of the Transverse-Single-Spin Asymmetry for Forward Neutron Production in Polarized p+A Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

During 2015, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) provided collisions of transversely polarized protons with Au and Al nuclei for the first time, enabling the exploration of transverse-single-spin asymmetries with heavy nuclei. Large single-spin asymmetries in very forward neutron production have been previously observed in transversely polarized p+p collisions at RHIC, and the existing theoretical framework that was successful in describing the single-spin asymmetry in p+p collisions predicts only a moderate atomic-mass-number (A) dependence. In contrast, the asymmetries observed at RHIC in p+A collisions showed a surprisingly strong A dependence in inclusive forward neutron production. The observed asymmetry in p+Al collisions is much smaller, while the asymmetry in p+Au collisions is a factor of 3 larger in absolute value and of opposite sign. The interplay of different neutron production mechanisms is discussed as a possible explanation of the observed A dependence.

Subjective Well-Being Is Associated with Food Behavior and Demographic Factors in Chronically Ill Older Japanese People Living Alone

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the relationships among subjective well-being, food and health behaviors, socioeconomic factors, and geography in chronically ill older Japanese adults living alone.

DESIGN

The design was a cross-sectional, multilevel survey. A questionnaire was distributed by post and self-completed by participants.

SETTING

The sample was drawn from seven towns and cities across Japan.

PARTICIPANTS

A geographic information system was used to select a representative sample of older people living alone based on their proximity to a supermarket. Study recruitment was conducted with municipal assistance.

MEASUREMENTS

To assess subjective well-being and food and health behaviors of respondents with disease, a logistic regression analysis was performed using stepwise variable analyses, adjusted for respondent age, socioeconomic status, and proximity to a supermarket. The dependent variable was good or poor subjective well-being.

RESULTS

In total, 2,165 older people (744 men, 1,421 women) completed the questionnaire (63.5% response rate). Data from 737 men and 1,414 women were used in this study. Among people with a chronic disease, individuals with good subjective well-being had significantly higher rates than those with poor subjective well-being for satisfaction with meal quality and chewing ability, food diversity, food intake frequency, perception of shopping ease, having someone to help with food shopping, eating home-produced vegetables, preparing breakfast themselves, eating with other people, and high alcohol consumption. A stepwise logistic analysis showed that the factors strongly related to poor subjective well-being were shopping difficulty (men: odds ratio [OR] = 3.19, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.94-5.23; P < 0.0001; women: OR = 2.20, 95% CI, 1.54-3.14; P < 0.0001), not having someone to help with food shopping (women: OR = 1.41, 95% CI, 1.01-1.97; P = 0.043), not preparing breakfast (women: OR = 2.36, 95% CI, 1.40-3.98; P = 0.001), and eating together less often (women: OR = 1.99, 95% CI, 1.32-3.00; P = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

Subjective well-being of people with chronic diseases is associated with food intake and food behavior. The factors that affect poor subjective well-being in chronically ill older Japanese people living alone include food accessibility and social communication.

Approaching the diffraction-limited, bandwidth-limited Petawatt

J-KAREN-P is a high-power laser facility aiming at the highest beam quality and irradiance for performing state-of-the art experiments at the frontier of modern science. Here we approached the physical limits of the beam quality: diffraction limit of the focal spot and bandwidth limit of the pulse shape, removing the chromatic aberration, angular chirp, wavefront and spectral phase distortions. We performed accurate measurements of the spot and peak fluence after an f/1.3 off-axis parabolic mirror under the full amplification at the power of 0.3 PW attenuated with ten high-quality wedges, resulting in the irradiance of ~10²² W/cm² and the Strehl ratio of ~0.5.