Gunma University

The iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster assembly homolog 1 (ISCA1) is a ubiquitous protein conserved in various organisms. Previous work has shown that a pigeon ISCA1 (clISCA1) forms columnar oligomers in the 2Fe-2S cluster-bound state, the length of which has been known to change in response to magnetic fields. However, whether this unique property is conserved in ISCA1 proteins of other species, particularly humans (hsISCA1), is unclear. Moreover, a recent study revealed that clISCA1 binds to not only Fe-S clusters but also mononuclear iron atoms, which may impart some magnetic properties to clISCA1. In this study, the electron spin resonance revealed that hsISCA1 also binds to mononuclear iron atoms. Moreover, the magnetic responses of Fe-S cluster-unbound ISCA1s (Fe-ISCA1s), which bind only mononuclear iron atoms, were inspected by small-angle X-ray scattering analyses for pigeon (Fe-clISCA1) and human (Fe-hsISCA1). The results indicated that Fe-hsISCA1 formed columnar oligomers under geomagnetic conditions, whereas Fe-clISCA1 formed dumbbell-like oligomers. When a magnetic field (180 mT) was applied, the Fe-hsISCA1 oligomer was shortened within 1 min and gradually elongated again after 10 min. This result indicates that mononuclear iron atoms contribute to the magnetically induced structural ordering of ISCA1, whereas the contribution of the Fe-S clusters to the columnarization of ISCA1 varies among species. Although the physiological role of the magnetic properties of ISCA1 is not yet elucidated, this study demonstrated that the magnetic field responsiveness of ISCA1 is conserved in humans. The magnetic field responsiveness may be a hidden fundamental property of ISCA1 that is maintained even if the Fe-S cluster is released.

Currently, there are no established treatments for esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO). In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of acotiamide for EGJOO by targeting impaired lower esophageal sphincter (LES) function. This investigator-initiated, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II trial enrolled 35 patients with EGJOO between December 2021 and December 2023. Patients were randomized to receive either placebo (n = 11) or acotiamide (300mg/day, n = 12; 600mg/day, n = 12) for 4weeks (placebo-controlled period). Subsequently, all patients received 600mg/day acotiamide for an additional 4weeks (open-label period). As a primary endpoint, during the placebo-controlled period, the improvement rate of food-sticking symptoms in the chest was 12.5% and 0.0% in the acotiamide and placebo groups, respectively (p = 0.3092). In terms of secondary endpoints, the integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) normalization rate was significantly higher in the acotiamide group (41.7%) than in the placebo group (0.0%) (p = 0.0107). No other secondary endpoints showed significant differences between the groups. Regarding the exploratory endpoints, during the open-label period, among the 24 patients treated with ≥ 300mg/day of acotiamide for 8weeks, the improvement rate of food-sticking symptoms in the chest increased to 37.5%, and the IRP normalization rate rose to 54.2%. Acotiamide is effective in normalizing impaired LES relaxation in patients with EGJOO and may improve food-sticking symptoms in the chest. Japan Registry of Clinical Trials ( https://jrct.mhlw.go.jp/en-top ); registration number jRCT2071210072.

To address the challenges associated with inter-module energy interaction and mode adjustment at load ports in distributed energy systems in the context of the energy transition, this paper proposes and designs a multi-port wireless energy interaction system based on LC series resonance and multi-coil magnetic coupling. The system aims to facilitate flexible energy interaction among power sources, energy storage units, and loads, as well as multi-modal port regulation. The system employs a multi-coil coupled full-bridge topology combined with a phase-shift control strategy to achieve energy exchange and power regulation among multiple ports. To meet the power demands of different ports, a port state control method incorporating a mode preset mechanism is proposed, enabling the intermediate port to switch seamlessly among input (source), output (load), and active relay modes. This paper analyzes the operating modes of a single port and establishes the dynamic mathematical model of the overall three-coil system as well as the small-signal model of the port output. Furthermore, it investigates the energy interaction mechanism to derive the operating characteristics and conditions under different modes, and elucidates the energy relay mechanism with zero active power consumption. A three-port hardware experimental platform was constructed based on a dsPIC33 controller. Experimental results indicate that: (1) the prototype achieved a maximum transmission power of 100 W; (2) the peak system efficiency reached 83.1% under different load conditions; and (3) during mode switching, the system response time was less than 200 ms with no significant overshoot. The study demonstrates that the proposed topology and control strategy effectively realized dynamic energy interaction and seamless mode switching among multiple ports, providing a theoretical basis and engineering reference for multi-port energy interaction and wireless power transfer networks.

Recall that in On a general second order derivative, Sci. Rep. Tokyo Kyoiku Daigaku A, 5(124–127)(1956), 111–114, Ozaki, Ono and Umezawa proved a result that if f(z) is analytic and satisfies |f″(z)|<1 in the unit disc D=z:z<1, then |f′(z)−1|<1 and so, f(z) is univalent in D, because Re{f′(z)}>0 in D implies univalence by the Noshiro–Warschawski Theorem. In this paper, we obtain another sufficient condition for univalence of f(z) by applying a hypothesis for modulus of arg{f″(z)}.