After PD, RPV and status of postoperative infection paradoxically influenced the development of NAFLD.

A spin-valve transistor with an epitaxial Fe/Au/Fe(001) base was formed on n-GaAs, the characteristics of which were examined under a magnetic field for emitter voltages up to 3 V. The transfer ratio of the transistor, i.e., the ratio of collector-to-emitter current exceeded 10−3 at 3 V, preserving the magnet current ratio, i.e., the ratio of collector current in the parallel-to-antiparallel magnetic configuration well above 100%. It was suggested that the transfer ratio would be further enhanced by improving the flatness of the tunnel junction for injecting electrons from the emitter into the base, as well as by increasing the electron transmittance at the base/collector interface.

It is well recognized that high fruit and vegetable consumption is associated with a reduction of blood pressure (BP) measured by conventional BP measurement in Western countries; however, there is little evidence about these associations in other regions and there have been no reports on these associations using self-measured BP at home (home BP). The objective of this work was to investigate the associations of fruit and vegetable consumption and their related micronutrients with the reduction of hypertension risk by using home BP in Japanese residents. Data were obtained from 1,569 residents aged 35 and over who measured their home BP in a general population of Ohasama, Japan. Dietary intake was measured using a 141-item food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and then subjects were divided into tertiles according to fruit, vegetable, potassium, vitamin C, and beta-carotene consumption. Hypertension was defined as home systolic/ diastolic BP > or = 135/85 mmHg and/or the use of antihypertensive medication. The prevalence of home hypertension was 39.4% for men and 29.3% for women. After adjustment for all potential confounding factors, the highest-tertile consumptions of fruits, vegetables, potassium, and vitamin C were associated with a significantly lower risk of hypertension (45%, 38%, 46%, and 43% lower risk of home hypertension, respectively). In conclusion, this cross-sectional study based on home BP measurement suggests that high-level consumptions of fruits, vegetables, potassium, and vitamin C are associated with a significantly lower risk of hypertension.

Nacreous layers of pearl oyster are one of the major functional biominerals. By participating in organic compound-crystal interactions, they assemble into consecutive mineral lamellae-like photonic crystals. Their biomineralization mechanisms are controlled by macromolecules; however, they are largely unknown. Here, we report two novel lectins termed PPL2A and PPL2B, which were isolated from the mantle and the secreted fluid of Pteria penguin oyster. PPL2A is a hetero-dimer composed of α and γ subunits, and PPL2B is a homo-dimer of β subunit, all of which surprisingly shared sequence homology with the jacalin-related plant lectin. On the basis of knockdown experiments at the larval stage, the identification of PPLs in the shell matrix, and in vitro CaCO3 crystallization analysis, we conclude that two novel jacalin-related lectins participate in the biomineralization of P. penguin nacre as matrix proteins. Furthermore, it was found that trehalose, which is specific recognizing carbohydrates for PPL2A and is abundant in the secreted fluid of P. penguin mantle, functions as a regulatory factor for biomineralization via PPL2A. These observations highlight the unique functions, diversity and molecular evolution of this lectin family involved in the mollusk shell formation.

Current-induced magnetization excitations are studied for a spin-torque oscillator (STO) composed of a nanopillar with a perpendicular polarizer layer (PL), a MgO barrier layer, and a planar free layer (FL). By applying direct current and perpendicular-to-plane magnetic field, we measure resistance and radio-frequency electrical signal of the STO, which reflect magnetization motions of both PL and FL. Examination of the experimental results reveals that large-cone-angle magnetization oscillation occurs in the FL regardless of the current direction, whereas the PL magnetization shows principally either synchronized excitation with the FL oscillation or thermal-induced ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), depending on the current direction. Utilizing macrospin simulations, we show that hybridization of the excitation modes of the PL and FL through mutual dipolar field explains the magnetization dynamics. When the current flows from the PL to the FL, large-cone-angle oscillation of the FL magnetization occurs with the same rotation direction as that of FMR of the PL magnetization, leading to emergence of the synchronized excitation modes. On the other hand, when the current flows from the FL to the PL, the magnetization motions of the two layers have opposite rotation directions, and consequently, the PL and FL show their respective intrinsic excitation modes.

For the application of the spin-torque oscillator to a high-data-transfer-rate read head, it is indispensable that the oscillation frequency responds promptly to the magnetic field from recorded bits. In this paper, we numerically exemplify the phase response to a short magnetic pulse. The phase basically follows the magnetic pulse although it takes several nanoseconds to return to the steady state because of the frequency nonlinearity. We also demonstrate the differential detection of recorded bits at the data-transfer rate beyond 5 Gbit/s.

An application of spin-torque oscillators (STOs) to high-signal-transfer-rate read heads beyond 3 Gbits/s is considered and the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of the output signals under the thermal magnetization fluctuations are calculated by using the results of recent nonlinear theories. The STO head senses the media field as a modulation in the oscillation frequency, enabling high signal transfer rates beyond the limit of ferromagnetic relaxation. The output (digital) signal is obtained by frequency modulation (FM) detection, which is commonly used in communication technologies. As the problem of rapid phase diffusion in nonlinear STOs caused by the thermal fluctuations is overcome by employing a delay detection method, the sufficiently large SNRs are obtained even in nonlinear STOs less than 30×30 nm2 in size.

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