Hiroshima: A Study in Science, Politics and the Ethics of War. Teacher and Student Manuals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Jonathan

By focusing on the question of whether it was right or wrong to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, this social studies unit seeks to illuminate the political, military, scientific, and moral complexities involved in making far-reaching decisions today. Sections of the unit use primary materials from American, Japanese, and English sources to…

Comparison of rescue and relief activities within 72 hours of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

PubMed

Matsunari, Yuko; Yoshimoto, Nao

2013-12-01

To clarify the factors and reasons for the differences in the outcomes of rescue and relief efforts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, mainly focusing on the numbers of rescue/relief staffs and casualties in the period within 72 hours of the atomic bombings in August 1945. By retrieving the data and information from the records and reports concerning the disasters in the two cities, together with other publications as to the damages by the atomic bombings and subsequent rescue-relief activities, and restoration activities. It seems that there was less damage in Nagasaki, where a stronger atomic bomb was used than in Hiroshima. There were crucial geographic factors that led to the different effects in terms of the numbers of victims; however, systematic organization and mobilization of rescue and relief staffs, maintenance of functional transportation, and advanced medical knowledge and public warning with regard to disaster all may have contributed to a lower death toll and increase in survivors in Nagasaki.

Hemoglobin Hiroshima (β143 histidine → aspartic acid): a newly identified fast moving beta chain variant associated with increased oxygen affinity and compensatory erythremia

PubMed Central

Hamilton, Howard B.; Iuchi, Iwao; Miyaji, Takaoki; Shibata, Susumu

1969-01-01

During a survey for hemoglobinopathies in over 9000 residents of Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, a fast moving hemoglobin was identified in eight members of three generations in a Japanese family. The abnormal hemoglobin, named Hb Hiroshima, constitutes about 50% of the total hemoglobin in hemolysates from the carriers who have a mild erythremia but are otherwise apparently clinically unaffected. All preparations of Hb Hiroshima have increased affinity for oxygen, by either tonometric or oxygen electrode determinations. At pH 7.0, the oxygen pressure, P50 required to half saturate an unfractionated hemolysate from a carrier was one-half that of Hb A, and the P50 of a purified sample containing no Hb A was one-fourth that of Hb A. The pH dependence of the oxygen equilibrium (Bohr effect) is below normal, as shown by the absolute value of the Bohr effect factor which is about half that of Hb A, in the pH range between 7.0 and 7.4. The Hill constant, n, for Hb Hiroshima between pH 7.0 and 7.4 is 2-2.4, compared to 2.8-3 for Hb A under the same conditions, indicating reduction of, but not complete abolition of heme-heme interaction. Urea dissociation and canine hybridization tests located the biochemical lesion in the beta chain. Fingerprints (Ingram), carboxypeptidase digestion, and amino acid analysis demonstrated that the substitution was at residue 143 in the beta chain, where histidine was replaced by aspartic acid. In contrast to other recently described high oxygen affinity mutants that show intact Bohr effects, all three of the major characteristics of the reversible combination of hemoglobin with oxygen (oxygen equilibrium, heme-heme interaction, and pH dependence) are affected in Hb Hiroshima. A tentative interpretation of these effects, relating structure to function, is offered in terms of recently developed models of normal hemoglobin. Images PMID:5773089

Technical Basis for Expedited Processing of Radiation Dose Assessments for NTPR Hiroshima and Nagasaki Participants

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

submitted by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for atmospheric nuclear weapons testing veterans with qualifying participant exposure scenarios...the east. Fallout3 was assumed to consist of weapon -specific 3 Measurements verify that weapon debris including fission products were in the Hiroshima...assumed to be outdoors, with no shielding by buildings or other structures. • To model the suspension of in situ neutron -induced soil activation products

Long-term effects of the rain exposure shortly after the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

PubMed

Sakata, Ritsu; Grant, Eric J; Furukawa, Kyoji; Misumi, Munechika; Cullings, Harry; Ozasa, Kotaro; Shore, Roy E

2014-12-01

The "black rain" that fell after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been generally believed to contain radioactive materials. During 1949-1961 the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission conducted surveys that included a query about exposure to the rain that fell a short time after the bombings. This article presents the first report of those data in relation to possible adverse health outcomes. This study looked at Life Span Study subjects who were in either city at the time of bombing and had an estimated direct radiation dose from the bombs (n = 86,609). The mortality data from 1950-2005 and cancer incidence data from 1958-2005 were used. Excess relative risks (ERRs) of subjects who were exposed to rain compared to those who reported no rain exposure were calculated using a Poisson regression model. In Hiroshima 11,661 subjects (20%) reported that they were exposed to rain, while in Nagasaki only 733 subjects (2.6%) reported rain exposure. To avoid outcome dependent biases (i.e., recall of exposure after a health outcome has already occurred), the primary analyses were based on events that occurred during 1962-2005. No significant risks due to rain exposure were observed for death due to all causes, all solid cancer or leukemia in Hiroshima. In Nagasaki there was no significantly elevated rain exposure-associated risks for 1962-2005, however, for 1950-2005 there was a weak association for all-cause mortality (ERR = 0.08; 95% confidence interval 0.00006, 0.17; P = 0.05). For incidence of solid cancer and leukemia, no significantly elevated rain exposure risks were observed in either city. These results failed to show deleterious health effects from rain exposure. While these data represent the most extensive set of systematically collected data on rain exposure of the atomic bomb survivors, they are limited by substantial uncertainties regarding exposures and missing individual data, so cautious interpretation is advised.

Radiation Dose Reconstruction U.S. Occupation Forces in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 1945-1946.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-06

Fipire 7 H~r~him 2V0 HIROSHIM 27 November 1945 - Sent Patrol to Mitsubishi Heavy Industrial Corp. to check and inventory equipment. De - stroyed Japanese...HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI/NISHIYAMA According to Glasstone , the gamma intensity from early fallout de ,,\\s with time after the detonation (up to 4000 hours...FOR THE ARTILLERY GROUP: DF D DF D DE D) ISOTOPE Q (bone) (bone) (RBM) (RBiM) (Whole Body) (Whole Body) Sr-89 5.52E-02 3.38E-02 1.86E-03 1.33E-02 0.73E

Workshop Report on Atomic Bomb Dosimetry--Review of Dose Related Factors for the Evaluation of Exposures to Residual Radiation at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

PubMed

Kerr, George D; Egbert, Stephen D; Al-Nabulsi, Isaf; Bailiff, Ian K; Beck, Harold L; Belukha, Irina G; Cockayne, John E; Cullings, Harry M; Eckerman, Keith F; Granovskaya, Evgeniya; Grant, Eric J; Hoshi, Masaharu; Kaul, Dean C; Kryuchkov, Victor; Mannis, Daniel; Ohtaki, Megu; Otani, Keiko; Shinkarev, Sergey; Simon, Steven L; Spriggs, Gregory D; Stepanenko, Valeriy F; Stricklin, Daniela; Weiss, Joseph F; Weitz, Ronald L; Woda, Clemens; Worthington, Patricia R; Yamamoto, Keiko; Young, Robert W

2015-12-01

Groups of Japanese and American scientists, supported by international collaborators, have worked for many years to ensure the accuracy of the radiation dosimetry used in studies of health effects in the Japanese atomic bomb survivors. Reliable dosimetric models and systems are especially critical to epidemiologic studies of this population because of their importance in the development of worldwide radiation protection standards. While dosimetry systems, such as Dosimetry System 1986 (DS86) and Dosimetry System 2002 (DS02), have improved, the research groups that developed them were unable to propose or confirm an additional contribution by residual radiation to the survivor's total body dose. In recognition of the need for an up-to-date review of residual radiation exposures in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a half-day technical session was held for reports on newer studies at the 59 th Annual HPS Meeting in 2014 in Baltimore, MD. A day-and-a-half workshop was also held to provide time for detailed discussion of the newer studies and to evaluate their potential use in clarifying the residual radiation exposure to atomic bomb survivors at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The process also involved a re-examination of very early surveys of radioisotope emissions from ground surfaces at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and early reports of health effects. New insights were reported on the potential contribution to residual radiation from neutron-activated radionuclides in the airburst's dust stem and pedestal and in unlofted soil, as well as from fission products and weapon debris from the nuclear cloud. However, disparate views remain concerning the actual residual radiation doses received by the atomic bomb survivors at different distances from the hypocenter. The workshop discussion indicated that measurements made using thermal luminescence and optically stimulated luminescence, like earlier measurements, especially in very thin layers of the samples, could be expanded to detect possible

A crack model of the Hiroshima atomic bomb: explanation of the contradiction of "Dosimetry system 1986".

PubMed

Hoshi, M; Endo, S; Takada, J; Ishikawa, M; Nitta, Y; Iwatani, K; Oka, T; Fujita, S; Shizuma, K; Hasai, H

1999-12-01

There has been a large discrepancy between the Dosimetry system 1986 (DS86) and measured data, some of which data in Hiroshima at about 1.5 km ground distance from the hypocenter are about 10 times larger than the calculation. Therefore its causes have long been discussed, since it will change the estimated radiation risks obtained based on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki data. In this study the contradiction was explained by a bare-fission-neutron leakage model through a crack formed at the time of neutron emission. According to the present calculation, the crack has a 3 cm parallel spacing, which is symmetric with respect to the polar axis from the hypocenter to the epicenter of the atomic bomb. We made also an asymmetric opening closing 3/4 of this symmetric geometry, because there are some data which shows asymmetry. In addition, the height of the neutron emission point was elevated 90 m. By using the asymmetric calculation, especially for long distant data located more than 1 km, it was verified that all of the activity data induced by thermal and fast neutrons, were simultaneously explained within the data scattering. The neutron kerma at a typical 1.5 km ground distance increases 3 and 8 times more than DS86 based on the symmetric and asymmetric model, respectively.

Towards a "Common" View of Difficult Past? The Representation of Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Trilateral Teaching Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szczepanska, Kamila

2017-01-01

The centrality of atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japanese collective memory has been often perceived by the country's neighbours, i.e. the People's Republic of China and South Korea, as a pillar of the country's (alleged) "victim consciousness" and amnesia in regard to the suffering inflicted on others. For this reason, the…

Late radiation responses in man: Current evaluation from results from Hiroshima and Nagasaki

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schull, William J.

Among the late effects of exposure to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, none looms larger than radiation related malignancies. Indeed, the late effects of A-bomb radiation on mortality appear to be limited to an increase in malignant tumors. At present, it can be shown that cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, lungs, stomach, thyroid, and urinary tract as well as leukemia and multiple myeloma increase in frequency with an increase in exposure. No significant relationship to radiation can as yet be established for malignant lymphoma, nor cancers of the rectum, pancreas or uterus. Radiation induced malignancies other than leukemia seem to develop proportionally to the natural cancer rate for the attained age. For specific age-at-death intervals, both relative and absolute risks tend to be higher for those of younger age at the time of bombing. Other late effects include radiation-related lenticular opacities, disturbances of growth among those survivors still growing at the time of exposure, and mental retardation and small head sizes among the in utero exposed. Chromosomal abnormalities too are more frequently encountered in the peripheral leucocytes of survivors, and this increase is functionally related to their exposure. Some uncertainty continues to surround both the quantity and quality of the radiation released by these two nuclear devices, particularly the Hiroshima bomb. A recent reassessment suggests that the gamma radiation estimates which have been used in the past may be too low at some distances and the neutron radiation estimates too high at all distances; moreover, the energies of the neutrons released now appear ``softer'' than previously conjectured. These uncertainties not sufficiently large, however, to compromise the reality of the increased frequency of malignancy, but make estimates of the dose response, particularly in terms of gamma and neutron exposures, tentative.

Neutron relative biological effectiveness in Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors: a critical review

PubMed Central

Sasaki, Masao S.; Endo, Satoru; Hoshi, Masaharu; Nomura, Taisei

2016-01-01

The calculated risk of cancer in humans due to radiation exposure is based primarily on long-term follow-up studies, e.g. the life-span study (LSS) on atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since A-bomb radiation consists of a mixture of γ-rays and neutrons, it is essential that the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of neutrons is adequately evaluated if a study is to serve as a reference for cancer risk. However, the relatively small neutron component hampered the direct estimation of RBE in LSS data. To circumvent this problem, several strategies have been attempted, including dose-independent constant RBE, dose-dependent variable RBE, and dependence on the degrees of dominance of intermingled γ-rays. By surveying the available literature, we tested the chromosomal RBE of neutrons as the biological endpoint for its equivalence to the microdosimetric quantities obtained using a tissue-equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) in various neutron fields. The radiation weighting factor, or quality factor, Qn, of neutrons as expressed in terms of the energy dependence of the maximum RBE, RBEm, was consistent with that predicted by the TEPC data, indicating that the chromosomally measured RBE was independent of the magnitude of coexisting γ-rays. The obtained neutron RBE, which varied with neutron dose, was confirmed to be the most adequate RBE system in terms of agreement with the cancer incidence in A-bomb survivors, using chromosome aberrations as surrogate markers. With this RBE system, the cancer risk in A-bomb survivors as expressed in unit dose of reference radiation is equally compatible with Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities, and may be potentially applicable in other cases of human radiation exposure. PMID:27614201

PREFACE: International Conference on Quantum Simulators and Design, Hiroshima, Japan, 3 6 December 2006

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akai, Hisazumi; Oguchi, Tamio

2007-09-01

This special issue of Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter comprises selected papers from the 1st International Conference on Quantum Simulators and Design (QSD2006) held in Hiroshima, Japan, 3-6 December 2006. This conference was organized under the auspices of the Development of New Quantum Simulators and Quantum Design Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT), and Hiroshima University Quantum design is a computational approach to the development of new materials with specified properties and functionalities. The basic ingredient is the use of quantum simulations to design a material that meets a given specification of properties and functionalities. For this to be successful, the quantum simulation should be highly reliable and be applicable to systems of realistic size. A central interest is, therefore, the development of new methods of quantum simulation and quantum design. This includes methods beyond the local density approximation of density functional theory (LDA), order-N methods, methods dealing with excitations and reactions, and so on, as well as the application of these methods to the design of new materials and devices. The field of quantum design has developed rapidly in the past few years and this conference provides an international forum for experimental and theoretical researchers to exchange ideas. A total of 183 delegates from 8 countries participated in the conference. There were 18 invited talks, 16 oral presentations and 100 posters. There were many new ideas and we foresee dramatic progress in the coming years. The 2nd International Conference on Quantum Simulators and Design will be held in Tokyo, Japan, 31 May-3 June 2008.

Diuron, Irgarol 1051 and Fenitrothion contamination for a river passing through an agricultural and urban area in Higashi Hiroshima City, Japan.

PubMed

Kaonga, Chikumbusko Chiziwa; Takeda, Kazuhiko; Sakugawa, Hiroshi

2015-06-15

A study was conducted on the pesticides Diuron, Irgarol 1051 and Fenitrothion in Kurose River water, Higashi Hiroshima, Japan for a period of one year to assess the contribution of agriculture and urban activities on pesticide pollution of the river. Samples were analysed by a reverse phase HPLC system. The maximum pesticide concentrations were; 4620 ng/L, 50 ng/L and 370 ng/L for Diuron, Irgarol 1051 and Fenitrothion, respectively. While Diuron and Fenitrothion were detected at all sites, Irgarol 1051 was only present at Izumi, a high density urban and industrial area which also registered the highest concentrations of the pesticides. The pattern showed by Diuron and Fenitrothion was linked to farming activities. Also, Diuron and Fenitrothion concentration correlated with pesticide utilization data for Hiroshima Prefecture. Irgarol 1051 showed a different pattern to that of Diuron and Fenitrothion and its source was attributed to paint. It was noted that 78% and 42% of water samples at Izumi sampling site exceeded the European Union (EU) guidelines for Diuron and Fenitrothion, respectively. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neutron relative biological effectiveness in Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors: a critical review.

PubMed

Sasaki, Masao S; Endo, Satoru; Hoshi, Masaharu; Nomura, Taisei

2016-11-01

The calculated risk of cancer in humans due to radiation exposure is based primarily on long-term follow-up studies, e.g. the life-span study (LSS) on atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since A-bomb radiation consists of a mixture of γ-rays and neutrons, it is essential that the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of neutrons is adequately evaluated if a study is to serve as a reference for cancer risk. However, the relatively small neutron component hampered the direct estimation of RBE in LSS data. To circumvent this problem, several strategies have been attempted, including dose-independent constant RBE, dose-dependent variable RBE, and dependence on the degrees of dominance of intermingled γ-rays. By surveying the available literature, we tested the chromosomal RBE of neutrons as the biological endpoint for its equivalence to the microdosimetric quantities obtained using a tissue-equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) in various neutron fields. The radiation weighting factor, or quality factor, Q n , of neutrons as expressed in terms of the energy dependence of the maximum RBE, RBE m , was consistent with that predicted by the TEPC data, indicating that the chromosomally measured RBE was independent of the magnitude of coexisting γ-rays. The obtained neutron RBE, which varied with neutron dose, was confirmed to be the most adequate RBE system in terms of agreement with the cancer incidence in A-bomb survivors, using chromosome aberrations as surrogate markers. With this RBE system, the cancer risk in A-bomb survivors as expressed in unit dose of reference radiation is equally compatible with Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities, and may be potentially applicable in other cases of human radiation exposure. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japan Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.

Rediscovery of an old article reporting that the area around the epicenter in Hiroshima was heavily contaminated with residual radiation, indicating that exposure doses of A-bomb survivors were largely underestimated

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The A-bomb blast released a huge amount of energy: thermal radiation (35%), blast energy (50%), and nuclear radiation (15%). Of the 15%, 5% was initial radiation released within 30 s and 10% was residual radiation, the majority of which was fallout. Exposure doses of hibakusha (A-bomb survivors) were estimated solely on the basis of the initial radiation. The effects of the residual radiation on hibakusha have been considered controversial; some groups assert that the residual radiation was negligible, but others refute that assertion. I recently discovered a six-decade-old article written in Japanese by a medical doctor, Gensaku Obo, from Hiroshima City. This article clearly indicates that the area around the epicenter in Hiroshima was heavily contaminated with residual radiation. It reports that non-hibakusha who entered Hiroshima soon after the blast suffered from severe acute radiation sickness, including burns, external injuries, fever, diarrhea, skin bleeding, sore throat and loss of hair—as if they were real hibakusha. This means that (i) some of those who entered Hiroshima in the early days after the blast could be regarded as indirect hibakusha; (ii) ‘in-the-city-control’ people in the Life Span Study (LSS) must have been irradiated more or less from residual radiation and could not function properly as the negative control; (iii) exposure doses of hibakusha were largely underestimated; and (iv) cancer risk in the LSS was largely overestimated. Obo's article is very important to understand the health effects of A-bombs so that the essence of it is translated from Japanese to English with the permission of the publisher. PMID:29088449

Radiation exposure and disease questionnaires of early entrants after the Hiroshima bombing.

PubMed

Imanaka, Tetsuji; Endo, Satoru; Kawano, Noriyuki; Tanaka, Kenichi

2012-03-01

It is popularly known that people who entered into the ground-zero area shortly after the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered from various syndromes similar to acute radiation effects. External exposures from neutron-induced radionuclides in soil have recently been reassessed based on DS02 calculations as functions of both distance from the hypocentres and elapsed time after the explosions. Significant exposure due to induced radiation can be determined for those who entered the area within 1000 m from the hypocentres shortly after the bombing. Although it was impossible to track the action of each of the survivors over the days or weeks following the bombings in order to make reliable dose estimates for their exposures to soil activation or fallout, four individuals among those early entrants were investigated here to describe useful information of what happened shortly after the bombing.

The image of the atomic bomb in Japan before Hiroshima.

PubMed

Nakao, Maika

2009-01-01

This paper traces the roots of the image of the atomic bomb in Japan by investigating the various discourses on atomic energy and atomic weapons in Japanese literature prior to the bombing of Hiroshima in August 1945. Japan is a country that suffered an atomic attack and, at the same time, one of the countries that was engaged in atomic weapons research during the Second World War. During the war, the discourses on atomic weapons were not limited to the military or scientific communities, but included the general public, thus facilitating the creation of a shared image of the atomic bomb as an ultimate weapon. This paper examines how this image was created. This special issue deals with the comparison among different countries, but the purpose of my paper is to deepen this subject by illustrating the differences within a single country in different periods. This research aims to extend the historical perspective concerning the atomic bomb in Japan, and offers another way of looking at this both historical and contemporary issue.

Swarm slide - debris flow disaster induced by extreme rainfall in Hiroshima, August 2014 and lessons learnt in urban designing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukuoka, H.; Wang, C.

2015-12-01

Hiroshima city was hit by swarm debris flows along a narrow, and linear-shaped rain band of 2 km x 10 km which appeared in the early morning of August 20, 2014. Most of the flows were induced by shallow slide in the upstream. This disaster claimed 74 death, although this city experienced very similar disaster in 1999, claiming more than 30 residents lives. In the most severely affected debris flow torrent, more than 50 residents were killed. Most of the casualties arose in the wooden, vulnerable houses constructed in front of the exit of torrents. Points and lessons learnt from the disaster are as follows:1. Authors collected two types of sands from the source scar of the initial debris slides which induced debris flows. Tested by the ring shear apparatus under pore-pressure control condition, clear "Sliding surface liquefaction" was confirmed for both samples even under small normal stress, representing the small thickness of the slides. These results shows even instant excess pore pressure could initiate the slides and trigger slide-induced debris flow byundrained loading onto the torrent deposits.2. Apparently long-term land-use change since 1945 affected and raised the vulnerability of the community. Residential area had expanded into hill-slope (mountainous / semi-mountainous area) especially along the torrents. Those communities were developed on the past debris flow fan.3. As the devastated area is very close to downtown of Hiroshima city, it gave large societal impact to the Japanese citizens. After 1999 Hiroshima debris flow disaster, the Landslide disaster reduction law which intends to promote designation of landslide potential risk zones, was adopted in 2000. Immediately after 2014 disaster, national diet approved revision of the bill to promote rapid completion of the designation over the national territory. MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Tranportation and Tourism) decided to install X-band rain radars at more sites to cover whole city zones

Rediscovery of an old article reporting that the area around the epicenter in Hiroshima was heavily contaminated with residual radiation, indicating that exposure doses of A-bomb survivors were largely underestimated.

PubMed

Sutou, Shizuyo

2017-09-01

The A-bomb blast released a huge amount of energy: thermal radiation (35%), blast energy (50%), and nuclear radiation (15%). Of the 15%, 5% was initial radiation released within 30 s and 10% was residual radiation, the majority of which was fallout. Exposure doses of hibakusha (A-bomb survivors) were estimated solely on the basis of the initial radiation. The effects of the residual radiation on hibakusha have been considered controversial; some groups assert that the residual radiation was negligible, but others refute that assertion. I recently discovered a six-decade-old article written in Japanese by a medical doctor, Gensaku Obo, from Hiroshima City. This article clearly indicates that the area around the epicenter in Hiroshima was heavily contaminated with residual radiation. It reports that non-hibakusha who entered Hiroshima soon after the blast suffered from severe acute radiation sickness, including burns, external injuries, fever, diarrhea, skin bleeding, sore throat and loss of hair-as if they were real hibakusha. This means that (i) some of those who entered Hiroshima in the early days after the blast could be regarded as indirect hibakusha; (ii) 'in-the-city-control' people in the Life Span Study (LSS) must have been irradiated more or less from residual radiation and could not function properly as the negative control; (iii) exposure doses of hibakusha were largely underestimated; and (iv) cancer risk in the LSS was largely overestimated. Obo's article is very important to understand the health effects of A-bombs so that the essence of it is translated from Japanese to English with the permission of the publisher. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japan Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.

Benchmark test of transport calculations of gold and nickel activation with implications for neutron kerma at Hiroshima.

PubMed

Hoshi, M; Hiraoka, M; Hayakawa, N; Sawada, S; Munaka, M; Kuramoto, A; Oka, T; Iwatani, K; Shizuma, K; Hasai, H

1992-11-01

A benchmark test of the Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code system (MCNP) was performed using a 252Cf fission neutron source to validate the use of the code for the energy spectrum analyses of Hiroshima atomic bomb neutrons. Nuclear data libraries used in the Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code calculation were ENDF/B-III, ENDF/B-IV, LASL-SUB, and ENDL-73. The neutron moderators used were granite (the main component of which is SiO2, with a small fraction of hydrogen), Newlight [polyethylene with 3.7% boron (natural)], ammonium chloride (NH4Cl), and water (H2O). Each moderator was 65 cm thick. The neutron detectors were gold and nickel foils, which were used to detect thermal and epithermal neutrons (4.9 eV) and fast neutrons (> 0.5 MeV), respectively. Measured activity data from neutron-irradiated gold and nickel foils in these moderators decreased to about 1/1,000th or 1/10,000th, which correspond to about 1,500 m ground distance from the hypocenter in Hiroshima. For both gold and nickel detectors, the measured activities and the calculated values agreed within 10%. The slopes of the depth-yield relations in each moderator, except granite, were similar for neutrons detected by the gold and nickel foils. From the results of these studies, the Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code was verified to be accurate enough for use with the elements hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, chlorine, and cadmium, and for the incident 252Cf fission spectrum neutrons.

Benchmark test of neutron transport calculations: indium, nickel, gold, europium, and cobalt activation with and without energy moderated fission neutrons by iron simulating the Hiroshima atomic bomb casing.

PubMed

Iwatani, K; Hoshi, M; Shizuma, K; Hiraoka, M; Hayakawa, N; Oka, T; Hasai, H

1994-10-01

A benchmark test of the Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code system (MCNP) was performed using a bare- and energy-moderated 252Cf fission neutron source which was obtained by transmission through 10-cm-thick iron. An iron plate was used to simulate the effect of the Hiroshima atomic bomb casing. This test includes the activation of indium and nickel for fast neutrons and gold, europium, and cobalt for thermal and epithermal neutrons, which were inserted in the moderators. The latter two activations are also to validate 152Eu and 60Co activity data obtained from the atomic bomb-exposed specimens collected at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The neutron moderators used were Lucite and Nylon 6 and the total thickness of each moderator was 60 cm or 65 cm. Measured activity data (reaction yield) of the neutron-irradiated detectors in these moderators decreased to about 1/1,000th or 1/10,000th, which corresponds to about 1,500 m ground distance from the hypocenter in Hiroshima. For all of the indium, nickel, and gold activity data, the measured and calculated values agreed within 25%, and the corresponding values for europium and cobalt were within 40%. From this study, the MCNP code was found to be accurate enough for the bare- and energy-moderated 252Cf neutron activation calculations of these elements using moderators containing hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.

Investigation on circular asymmetry of geographical distribution in cancer mortality of Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors based on risk maps: analysis of spatial survival data.

PubMed

Tonda, Tetsuji; Satoh, Kenichi; Otani, Keiko; Sato, Yuya; Maruyama, Hirofumi; Kawakami, Hideshi; Tashiro, Satoshi; Hoshi, Masaharu; Ohtaki, Megu

2012-05-01

While there is a considerable number of studies on the relationship between the risk of disease or death and direct exposure from the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the risk for indirect exposure caused by residual radioactivity has not yet been fully evaluated. One of the reasons is that risk assessments have utilized estimated radiation doses, but that it is difficult to estimate indirect exposure. To evaluate risks for other causes, including indirect radiation exposure, as well as direct exposure, a statistical method is described here that evaluates risk with respect to individual location at the time of atomic bomb exposure instead of radiation dose. In addition, it is also considered to split the risks into separate risks due to direct exposure and other causes using radiation dose. The proposed method is applied to a cohort study of Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors. The resultant contour map suggests that the region west to the hypocenter has a higher risk compared to other areas. This in turn suggests that there exists an impact on risk that cannot be explained by direct exposure.

Addressing practical issues related to nursing care for international visitors to Hiroshima.

PubMed

Nishikawa, Mariko; Niiya, Kiyoka; Okayasu, Masako

2014-04-01

When nine million foreigners visited Japan in 2013, the federal government set a goal to attract an additional two and a half million visitors including medical tourists by 2020. This research investigates the attitudes and concerns of Japanese nurses when they are in a situation dealing with foreign patients. The data were collected from March through September 2010, from 114 nurses at three hospitals, in close proximity to popular tourist destinations in Hiroshima. A questionnaire was developed for this research, named Mari Meter, which included a section to write answers to an open question for the nurses to express their opinions. These responses were examined statistically and by word analysis using Text Mining Studio. Japanese nurses expressed greatest concern about payment options, foreign language skills, and issues of informed consent, when dealing with foreigners. The results confirm that, in order to provide a high quality of patient care, extra preparation and a greater knowledge of international workers and visitors are required by nursing professionals in Japan.

Structure of the disturbed region of the atmosphere after the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shcherbin, M. D.; Pavlyukov, K. V.; Salo, A. A.; Pertsev, S. F.; Rikunov, A. V.

2013-09-01

An attempt is undertaken to describe the development of the disturbed region of the atmosphere caused by the nuclear explosion over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Numerical simulation of the phenomenon is performed using the dynamic equations for a nonconducting inviscid gas taking into account the combustion of urban buildings, phase changes of water, electrification of ice particles, and removal of soot particles. The results of the numerical calculation of the development of the disturbed region indicate heavy rainfall, the formation of a storm cloud with lightning discharges, removal of soot particles, and the formation of vertical vortices. The temporal sequence of these meteorological phenomena is consistent with the data of observations. Because of the assumptions and approximations used in solving the problem, the results are of qualitative nature. Refinement of the results can be obtained by a more detailed study of the approximate initial and boundary conditions of the problem.

Exposure to Atomic Bomb Radiation and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Later Life: The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivor Study.

PubMed

Itakura, Katsumasa; Takahashi, Ikuno; Nakashima, Eiji; Yanagi, Masahide; Kawasaki, Ryo; Neriishi, Kazuo; Wang, Jie Jin; Wong, Tien Yin; Hida, Ayumi; Ohishi, Waka; Kiuchi, Yoshiaki

2015-08-01

To investigate the association between radiation exposure from the atomic bombings and the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) among older residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Adult Health Study is a cohort study of atomic bomb survivors living in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, comprising 2153 participants who underwent examinations with retinal fundus photographs in 2006-2008. The radiation dose to the eye for the analysis was estimated with the revised dosimetry system (DS02). The retinal photographs were graded according to the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System modified for nonstereoscopic retinal images. Early and late AMD were defined according to the type of lesion detected in the worse eye of the participants. Person-specific data were analyzed by using a logistic regression model to assess the association between radiation dose and AMD. Among the 1824 subjects with gradable retinal images (84.7% of the overall participants), the estimated eye dose was widely distributed, with a mean of 0.45 Gy and standard deviation of 0.74 Gy. The prevalence of early and late AMD was 10.5% and 0.3%, respectively. There were no significant associations between radiation dose and AMD, with each 1-Gy increase in exposure, adjusted odds ratio was 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-1.15) for early AMD and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.21-2.94) for late AMD. No significant associations were found between atomic bomb irradiation early in life and the prevalence of early or late AMD later in life among Japanese atomic bomb survivors.

Hiroshima neutron fluence on a glass button from near ground zero.

PubMed

Fleischer, R L; Fujita, S; Hoshi, M

2001-12-01

A decorative glass button that was uncovered at a location that is 190 +/- 15 m from directly beneath the atomic explosion at Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 has been scanned for induced fission tracks produced mostly by the thermal neutrons from the bomb due to interactions with the trace uranium that is normally present in silicate glasses. In surveying 4.14 cm2 at 500x magnification, 28 tracks were seen. From a calibration irradiation in a nuclear reactor we infer that the neutron fluence in 1945 was 5.7(+/-1.1) x 10(11) cm(-2); and, allowing for shielding by the structure in which the button was probably located, the free-air (i.e., outside) value is estimated as 1.5(+/-0.5) x 10(12) cm(-2). A limit has been placed on possible fading of the radiation-damage tracks that could increase the fluence by at most a factor of 1.27. The values bracket the calculated value of 9 x 10(11) given in DS86 but are higher than the 3.6 x 10(11) inferred from induced radionuclides for the distance given. The difference is, however, within the observed variability of the two types of results.

Electron spin resonance (ESR) dose measurement in bone of Hiroshima A-bomb victim.

PubMed

Kinoshita, Angela; Baffa, Oswaldo; Mascarenhas, Sérgio

2018-01-01

Explosion of the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki corresponds to the only historical moment when atomic bombs were used against civilians. This event triggered countless investigations into the effects and dosimetry of ionizing radiation. However, none of the investigations has used the victims' bones as dosimeter. Here, we assess samples of bones obtained from fatal victims of the explosion by Electron Spin Resonance (ESR). In 1973, one of the authors of the present study (SM) traveled to Japan and conducted a preliminary experiment on the victims' bone samples. The idea was to use the paramagnetism induced in bone after irradiation to measure the radiation dose. Technological advances involved in the construction of spectrometers, better knowledge of the paramagnetic center, and improvement in signal processing techniques have allowed us to resume the investigation. We obtained a reconstructed dose of 9.46 ± 3.4 Gy from the jawbone, which was compatible with the dose distribution in different locations as measured in non-biological materials such as wall bricks and roof tiles.

Electron spin resonance (ESR) dose measurement in bone of Hiroshima A-bomb victim

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Explosion of the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki corresponds to the only historical moment when atomic bombs were used against civilians. This event triggered countless investigations into the effects and dosimetry of ionizing radiation. However, none of the investigations has used the victims’ bones as dosimeter. Here, we assess samples of bones obtained from fatal victims of the explosion by Electron Spin Resonance (ESR). In 1973, one of the authors of the present study (SM) traveled to Japan and conducted a preliminary experiment on the victims’ bone samples. The idea was to use the paramagnetism induced in bone after irradiation to measure the radiation dose. Technological advances involved in the construction of spectrometers, better knowledge of the paramagnetic center, and improvement in signal processing techniques have allowed us to resume the investigation. We obtained a reconstructed dose of 9.46 ± 3.4 Gy from the jawbone, which was compatible with the dose distribution in different locations as measured in non-biological materials such as wall bricks and roof tiles. PMID:29408890

Encounter with disaster: a medical diary of Hiroshima, 1945. Condensed from the original publication, 1965.

PubMed Central

Liebow, A. A.

1983-01-01

The effects of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 are described. Immediately after the bombing, Japanese civilian and military authorities mobilized an intense effort to provide help to the damaged cities and their inhabitants. At the same time, research was undertaken by the Japanese in an attempt to determine the nature of the effects of the bombs on the population. Some weeks later, the American armed services and the Manhattan District also organized an investigation of these effects. This memoir describes the early days of the American research effort, its integration with the Japanese program, and the development of a Joint Commission to study the effects of the bombing. After the first rapid survey, described in this paper, the effort was reorganized and continued under the sponsorship of the National Research Councils of America and Japan as the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission. PMID:6349144

Combined Effect of an Atmospheric River and a Cut-off Low in Hiroshima Flooding Event on August 19, 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takayabu, Y. N.; Hirota, N.; Kato, M.; Arakane, S.

2015-12-01

An extraordinary precipitation over 100 mmhr-1in Hiroshima on August 19, 2014, caused a flash flood which resulted in 74 fatalities and collapse of 330 houses. In order to examine the meteorological background of this flooding event, we carried out a detailed analysis utilizing rain gauge data, satellite precipitation dataset, and a meso scale and a global scale objective analyses provided from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Then, we performed numerical experiments using a nonhydrostatic compressible equation model called the Cloud-Resolving Storm Simulator (CReSS). As a result, a combined effect of an atmospheric river (AR) and a cut-off low (COL) in this flooding event was elucidated. During the event, a filamentary transport of moisture extending from the Indochina Peninsula to the Japanese Islands was observed along the southern side of the subtropical jet, forming an AR. This AR had a deep structure with an amount of free tropospheric moisture comparable to that of the boundary layer. Concurrently, there was a COL, detached from the Mid-Pacific Trough, moving northwestward toward the Japanese Archipelago. With various sensitivity experiments, we concluded that a mid-tropospheric instability associated with the cold core of the COL and a dynamical ascent induced in its foreside, collaboratively worked with the anomalous moisture in the free troposphere associated with the AR, to extraordinarily enhance the precipitation over Hiroshima region. An orographic effect to concentrate the precipitation in this region was also confirmed. An implication on a difference in effects of AR in this event with a climatologically moist boundary layer, from those in the US west coast with a very dry environment, was also obtained. Acknowledgment: This study is supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (2-1503) of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, and by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.

The Hiroshima/Nagasaki Survivor Studies: Discrepancies Between Results and General Perception

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The explosion of atom bombs over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 resulted in very high casualties, both immediate and delayed but also left a large number of survivors who had been exposed to radiation, at levels that could be fairly precisely ascertained. Extensive follow-up of a large cohort of survivors (120,000) and of their offspring (77,000) was initiated in 1947 and continues to this day. In essence, survivors having received 1 Gy irradiation (∼1000 mSV) have a significantly elevated rate of cancer (42% increase) but a limited decrease of longevity (∼1 year), while their offspring show no increased frequency of abnormalities and, so far, no detectable elevation of the mutation rate. Current acceptable exposure levels for the general population and for workers in the nuclear industry have largely been derived from these studies, which have been reported in more than 100 publications. Yet the general public, and indeed most scientists, are unaware of these data: it is widely believed that irradiated survivors suffered a very high cancer burden and dramatically shortened life span, and that their progeny were affected by elevated mutation rates and frequent abnormalities. In this article, I summarize the results and discuss possible reasons for this very striking discrepancy between the facts and general beliefs about this situation. PMID:27516613

Pre-Bombing Population Density in Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Its Measurement and Impact on Radiation Risk Estimates in the Life Span Study of Atomic Bomb Survivors.

PubMed

French, Benjamin; Funamoto, Sachiyo; Sugiyama, Hiromi; Sakata, Ritsu; Cologne, John; Cullings, Harry M; Mabuchi, Kiyohiko; Preston, Dale L

2018-03-29

In the Life Span Study of atomic bomb survivors, differences in urbanicity between high-dose and low-dose survivors could confound the association between radiation dose and adverse outcomes. We obtained data on the pre-bombing population distribution in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and quantified the impact of adjustment for population density on radiation risk estimates for mortality (1950-2003) and incident solid cancer (1958-2009). Population density ranged from 4,671-14,378 and 5,748-19,149 people/km2 in urban regions of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. Radiation risk estimates for solid cancer mortality were attenuated by 5.1%, but those for all-cause mortality and incident solid cancer were unchanged. There was no overall association between population density and adverse outcomes, but there was evidence that the association between density and mortality differed by age at exposure. Among survivors 10-14 years old in 1945, there was a positive association between population density and risk of all-cause mortality (relative risk, 1.053 per 5,000 people/km2 increase, 95% confidence interval: 1.027, 1.079) and solid cancer mortality (relative risk, 1.069 per 5,000 people/km2 increase, 95% confidence interval: 1.025, 1.115). Our results suggest that radiation risk estimates from the Life Span Study are not sensitive to unmeasured confounding by urban-rural differences.

Bone marrow cytology in Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors 5 years following exposure (in Japanese and English)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oesterle, S.N.; Finch, S.C.

1978-11-01

Bone marrow aspiration smears obtained from 35 individuals, 5 years following expsoure to the Hiroshima atomic bomb, were intensively evaluated for radiation related cytologic abnormalities. No definite radiaton related changes were observed, but some findings were very suggestive. The most interesting of these was the occurrence of internuclear bridges joining erythroid precursors in the marrow smears of seven (20%) of the heavily exposed survivors. Although not specific it is likely that this lesion is indicative of residual stem cell damage and some degree of ineffectual erythropoiesis. The bone marrow morphologic lesions may be good markers of residual radiation damage butmore » they are too infrequent in their occurrence to be of value as a biologic dosimeter. The findings in this study also suggest that a gradual disappearance of radiation induced late bone marrow changes continues for periods of 3 to 5 years or more following high dose acute radiation exposure.« less

Biomarkers of Radiosensitivity in A-Bomb Survivors Pregnant at the Time of Bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki

DOE PAGES

Miles, Edward F.; Tatsukawa, Yoshimi; Funamoto, Sachiyo; ...

2011-01-01

Purpose . There is evidence in the literature of increased maternal radiosensitivity during pregnancy. Materials and Methods . We tested this hypothesis using information from the atomic-bomb survivor cohort, that is, the Adult Health Study database at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, which contains data from a cohort of women who were pregnant at the time of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Previous evaluation has demonstrated long-term radiation dose-response effects. Results/Conclusions . Data on approximately 250 women were available to assess dose-response rates for serum cholesterol, white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and serum hemoglobin, and on approximatelymore » 85 women for stable chromosome aberrations, glycophorin A locus mutations, and naïve CD4 T-cell counts. Although there is no statistically significant evidence of increased radiosensitivity in pregnant women, the increased slope of the linear trend line in the third trimester with respect to stable chromosome aberrations is suggestive of an increased radiosensitivity.« less

Recent progress in carcinogenesis, progression and therapy of breast cancer: the 20th Hiroshima Cancer Seminar--the 4th Three Universities' Consortium International Symposium, October 2010: 31 October 2010, International Conference Center Hiroshima.

PubMed

Toi, Masakazu; Yasui, Wataru; Ito, Hisao; Tahara, Eiichi

2011-07-01

The 20th Hiroshima Cancer seminar focused upon breast cancer research and treatment particularly on the mechanism of tumorigenesis and drug resistance and development of novel therapeutics. Several molecules such as retinoblastoma and p16 were raised as key factors in tumorigenesis and invasiveness. Estrogen-related pathways seem to be closely involved in the process. For the tumor lacking hormone receptor and human epidermal growth factor 2, some other mechanisms could be responsible. It seems that MicroRNA 22 directing some putative targets such as SIRT1, Sp1 and CDK6 plays a crucial role in breast tumor growth and metastasis. In addition, ribophorin and the associated molecules might be engaged in breast cancer stemness. Obviously, these molecules provide potential for therapeutic targets. It was also discussed about new drug development such as anti-human epidermal growth factor 2 therapy, anti-angiogenesis, pro-tumor aspects of anti-cancer therapy and application of circulating markers for monitoring, imaging and health-care system. Furthermore, we discussed risk factors, prevention and screening to reduce invasive cancers as well. Throughout the conference, panelists and attendee indicated the importance of translational research and biomarker exploration in order to realize efficient and individualized therapy for breast cancer.

Amendments to (63)Ni production calculation for Hiroshima by Takamiya et al. and DS02 fluence data by Egbert et al.

PubMed

Takamiya, K; Imanaka, T; Egbert, S D; Rühm, W

2011-05-01

In a previous paper, Takamiya et al. calculated (63)Ni production in copper samples exposed to the Hiroshima atomic bomb. More specifically, they used their experimental cross-section values of the (63)Cu(n,p)(63)Ni reaction and compared the result with that of the corresponding calculation in the radiation dosimetry system DS02, which used another set of cross-section values. These results were different, and the following two reasons were found: typographical errors in several energy boundary values in the DS02 report that was also used in the calculation by Takamiya et al. and an inappropriate assumption on the cross-section values of the low neutron energy region in the calculation by Takamiya et al. These two issues are described and amended in the present report.

Concentration of Antifouling Biocides and Metals in Sediment Core Samples in the Northern Part of Hiroshima Bay

PubMed Central

Tsunemasa, Noritaka; Yamazaki, Hideo

2014-01-01

Accumulation of Ot alternative antifoulants in sediment is the focus of this research. Much research had been done on surface sediment, but in this report, the accumulation in the sediment core was studied. The Ot alternative antifoulants, Diuron, Sea-Nine211, and Irgarol 1051, and the latter’s degradation product, M1, were investigated in five samples from the northern part of Hiroshima Bay. Ot compounds (tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT)) were also investigated for comparison. In addition, metal (Pb, Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn) levels and chronology were measured to better understand what happens after accumulation on the sea floor. It was discovered that Ot alternative antifoulant accumulation characteristics in sediment were like Ot compounds, with the concentration in the sediment core being much higher than surface sediment. The concentration in sediment seems to have been affected by the regulation of Ot compounds in 1990, due to the concentration of Ot alternative antifoulants and Ot compounds at the survey point in front of the dock, showing an increase from almost the same layer after the regulation. PMID:24901529

Neutron-induced 63Ni activity and microscopic observation of copper samples exposed to the Hiroshima atomic bomb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shizuma, Kiyoshi; Endo, Satoru; Shinozaki, Kenji; Fukushima, Hiroshi

2013-05-01

Fast neutron activation data for 63Ni in copper samples exposed to the Hiroshima atomic bomb are important in evaluating neutron doses to the survivors. Up to until now, accelerator mass spectrometry and liquid scintillation counting methods have been applied in 63Ni measurements and data were accumulated within 1500 m from the hypocenter. The slope of the activation curve versus distance shows reasonable agreement with the calculation result, however, data near the hypocenter are scarce. In the present work, two copper samples obtained from the Atomic bomb dome (155 m from the hypocenter) and the Bank of Japan building (392 m) were utilized in 63Ni beta-ray measurement with a Si surface barrier detector. Additionally, microscopic observation of the metal surfaces was performed for the first time. Only upper limit of 63Ni production was obtained for copper sample of the Atomic bomb dome. The result of the 63Ni measurement for Bank of Japan building show reasonable agreement with the AMS measurement and to fast neutron activation calculations based on the Dosimetry System 2002 (DS02) neutrons.

In-Situ U-Pb Dating of Apatite by Hiroshima-SHRIMP: Contributions to Earth and Planetary Science.

PubMed

Terada, Kentaro; Sano, Yuji

2012-01-01

The Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) is the first ion microprobe dedicated to geological isotopic analyses, especially in-situ analyses related to the geochronology of zircon. Such a sophisticated ion probe, which can attain a high sensitivity at a high mass resolution, based on a double focusing high mass-resolution spectrometer, designed by Matsuda (1974), was constructed at the Australian National University. In 1996, such an instrument was installed at Hiroshima University and was the first SHRIMP to be installed in Japan. Since its installation, our focus has been on the in-situ U-Pb dating of the mineral apatite, as well as zircon, which is a more common U-bearing mineral. This provides the possibility for extending the use of in-situ U-Pb dating from determining the age of formation of volcanic, granitic, sedimentary and metamorphic minerals to the direct determination of the diagenetic age of fossils and/or the crystallization age of various meteorites, which can provide new insights into the thermal history on the Earth and/or the Solar System. In this paper, we review the methodology associated with in-situ apatite dating and our contribution to Earth and Planetary Science over the past 16 years.

In-Situ U–Pb Dating of Apatite by Hiroshima-SHRIMP: Contributions to Earth and Planetary Science

PubMed Central

Terada, Kentaro; Sano, Yuji

2012-01-01

The Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) is the first ion microprobe dedicated to geological isotopic analyses, especially in-situ analyses related to the geochronology of zircon. Such a sophisticated ion probe, which can attain a high sensitivity at a high mass resolution, based on a double focusing high mass-resolution spectrometer, designed by Matsuda (1974), was constructed at the Australian National University. In 1996, such an instrument was installed at Hiroshima University and was the first SHRIMP to be installed in Japan. Since its installation, our focus has been on the in-situ U–Pb dating of the mineral apatite, as well as zircon, which is a more common U-bearing mineral. This provides the possibility for extending the use of in-situ U–Pb dating from determining the age of formation of volcanic, granitic, sedimentary and metamorphic minerals to the direct determination of the diagenetic age of fossils and/or the crystallization age of various meteorites, which can provide new insights into the thermal history on the Earth and/or the Solar System. In this paper, we review the methodology associated with in-situ apatite dating and our contribution to Earth and Planetary Science over the past 16 years. PMID:24349912

A Study of Future Change of Extreme Precipitation Event Accompanying Land Slide Disaster at Hiroshima Using Cloud Resolving Model with 500 m Horizontal Grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hibino, K.; Takayabu, I.; Wakazuki, Y.; Ogata, T.

2016-12-01

An extreme precipitation event happened at Hiroshima in 2014. Over 250 mm total rainfall was observed at the night of 19th August, which caused a flood and several land slides. The precipitation event is thought to be a rare event happening once in approximately 30 years i.e., 30 years return level. We investigate the mechanism of this event and examine its future change by using a 27-members ensemble experiment with Japan Meteorological Research Institute non­hydrostatic regional climate model (MRI­-NHRCM). Because the heavy rainfall was provided by local convection system (about 100 km), high resolution model of 500 m horizontal grid is used to reproduce the system in the model. Future climate experiments are performed by pseudo­global warming method, in which future changes of sea surface temperature (ΔSST) and vertical profile of temperature (ΔT) are added to the present environmental conditions with relative humidity not being changed. The ΔSST and ΔT are obtained from d4PDF dataset, in which greenhouse gas concentration is fixed so that the surface air temperature averaged globally is 4K warmer than that in the preindustrial time. The ensemble experiment shows that the total amount of rainfall around Hiroshima plain in the future experiments is approximately identical to or slightly decreased from that in the present experiments in spite of the increase of water vapor due to the atmosphere warming. The hypothesis to understand this non-intuitive result is that the future change of temperature profile, of which lower atmosphere is approximately +4K and upper atmosphere near tropopause is approximately +7.5K, increases the convective stability of atmosphere. In order to verify the hypothesis, 5 additional future experiments are performed, in which the future change of temperature profile is constant throughout the troposphere. The experiments yield a large increase of precipitation, and we infer that the increase of water vapor and stabilization effect

[A descriptive analysis of cognitive activities involved in locating fishing points: In the case of fishermen of Toyoshima Island, Hiroshima Prefecture].

PubMed

Sawada, H

1995-10-01

This study aimed at descriptive understanding of traditional methods involved in locating fishing points and navigating to them in the sea, and investigate associated cognitive activities. Participant observations and interviews were conducted for more than 30 fishermen who employed hand-line or long-line fishing methods near Toyoshima Island, Hiroshima Prefecture. The main findings were: (1) Fishermen readily perceived environmental cues when locating fishing points, which enabled them to navigate to a correct point on the sea. (2) Their memory of fishing points was not verbal, but visual, directly tied to the cue perception, and was constantly renewed during fishing activities. (3) They grasped configurations of various natural conditions (e.g., swiftness of the tide, surface structure of the sea bottom) through tactile information from the fishing line, and comprehended their surroundings with accumulated knowledge and inductive inferences. And (4) their cognitive processes of perception, memory, and understanding were functionally coordinated in the series of fishing work.

Long-term Radiation-Related Health Effects in a Unique Human Population: Lessons Learned from the Atomic Bomb Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

PubMed Central

Douple, Evan B.; Mabuchi, Kiyohiko; Cullings, Harry M.; Preston, Dale L.; Kodama, Kazunori; Shimizu, Yukiko; Fujiwara, Saeko; Shore, Roy E.

2014-01-01

For 63 years scientists in the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission and its successor, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, have been assessing the long-term health effects in the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and in their children. The identification and follow-up of a large population (approximately a total of 200 000, of whom more than 40% are alive today) that includes a broad range of ages and radiation exposure doses, and healthy representatives of both sexes; establishment of well-defined cohorts whose members have been studied longitudinally, including some with biennial health examinations and a high survivor participation rate; and careful reconstructions of individual radiation doses have resulted in reliable excess relative risk estimates for radiation-related health effects, including cancer and noncancer effects in humans, for the benefit of the survivors and for all humankind. This article reviews those risk estimates and summarizes what has been learned from this historic and unique study. PMID:21402804

Nickel-63 production in copper samples exposed to the Hiroshima atomic bomb: estimation based on an excitation function obtained by neutron irradiation experiments.

PubMed

Takamiya, K; Imanaka, T; Ota, Y; Akamine, M; Shibata, S; Shibata, T; Ito, Y; Imamura, M; Uwamino, Y; Nogawa, N; Baba, M; Iwasaki, S; Matsuyama, S

2008-07-01

The upper and lower limits of the excitation function of the (63)Cu(n,p)(63)Ni reaction were experimentally determined, and the number of (63)Ni nuclei produced in copper samples exposed to atomic bomb neutrons in Hiroshima was estimated by using the experimental excitation functions and the neutron fluences given in the DS02 dosimetry system. The estimated number of (63)Ni nuclei was compared with that measured and with that calculated using the DS02 dosimetry system and the corresponding ENDF/B-VI cross section. In comparison with DS02, there is about a 60% maximum difference in (63)Ni production at the hypocenter when the experimental upper cross section values are used. The difference becomes smaller at greater distances from the hypocenter and decreases, for example, to less than 30 and 5% when using the upper and lower experimental cross sections at 1,000 m, respectively.

Protein variants in Hiroshima and Nagasaki: tales of two cities.

PubMed Central

Neel, J V; Satoh, C; Smouse, P; Asakawa, J; Takahashi, N; Goriki, K; Fujita, M; Kageoka, T; Hazama, R

1988-01-01

The results of 1,465,423 allele product determinations based on blood samples from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, involving 30 different proteins representing 32 different gene products, are analyzed in a variety of ways, with the following conclusions: (1) Sibships and their parents are included in the sample. Our analysis reveals that statistical procedures designed to reduce the sample to equivalent independent genomes do not in population comparisons compensate for the familial cluster effect of rare variants. Accordingly, the data set was reduced to one representative of each sibship (937,427 allele products). (2) Both chi 2-type contrasts and a genetic distance measure (delta) reveal that rare variants (P less than .01) are collectively as effective as polymorphisms in establishing genetic differences between the two cities. (3) We suggest that rare variants that individually exhibit significant intercity differences are probably the legacy of tribal private polymorphisms that occurred during prehistoric times. (4) Despite the great differences in the known histories of the two cities, both the overall frequency of rare variants and the number of different rare variants are essentially identical in the two cities. (5) The well-known differences in locus variability are confirmed, now after adjustment for sample size differences for the various locus products; in this large series we failed to detect variants at only three of 29 loci for which sample size exceeded 23,000. (6) The number of alleles identified per locus correlates positively with subunit molecular weight. (7) Loci supporting genetic polymorphisms are characterized by more rare variants than are loci at which polymorphisms were not encountered. (8) Loci whose products do not appear to be essential for health support more variants than do loci the absence of whose product is detrimental to health. (9) There is a striking excess of rare variants over the expectation under the neutral mutation

Protein variants in Hiroshima and Nagasaki: tales of two cities.

PubMed

Neel, J V; Satoh, C; Smouse, P; Asakawa, J; Takahashi, N; Goriki, K; Fujita, M; Kageoka, T; Hazama, R

1988-12-01

The results of 1,465,423 allele product determinations based on blood samples from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, involving 30 different proteins representing 32 different gene products, are analyzed in a variety of ways, with the following conclusions: (1) Sibships and their parents are included in the sample. Our analysis reveals that statistical procedures designed to reduce the sample to equivalent independent genomes do not in population comparisons compensate for the familial cluster effect of rare variants. Accordingly, the data set was reduced to one representative of each sibship (937,427 allele products). (2) Both chi 2-type contrasts and a genetic distance measure (delta) reveal that rare variants (P less than .01) are collectively as effective as polymorphisms in establishing genetic differences between the two cities. (3) We suggest that rare variants that individually exhibit significant intercity differences are probably the legacy of tribal private polymorphisms that occurred during prehistoric times. (4) Despite the great differences in the known histories of the two cities, both the overall frequency of rare variants and the number of different rare variants are essentially identical in the two cities. (5) The well-known differences in locus variability are confirmed, now after adjustment for sample size differences for the various locus products; in this large series we failed to detect variants at only three of 29 loci for which sample size exceeded 23,000. (6) The number of alleles identified per locus correlates positively with subunit molecular weight. (7) Loci supporting genetic polymorphisms are characterized by more rare variants than are loci at which polymorphisms were not encountered. (8) Loci whose products do not appear to be essential for health support more variants than do loci the absence of whose product is detrimental to health. (9) There is a striking excess of rare variants over the expectation under the neutral mutation

Persistence and Epidemic Propagation of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Sequence Type 235 Clone Harboring an IS26 Composite Transposon Carrying the blaIMP-1 Integron in Hiroshima, Japan, 2005 to 2012

PubMed Central

Shimizu, Wataru; Kayama, Shizuo; Kouda, Shuntaro; Ogura, Yoshitoshi; Kobayashi, Kanao; Shigemoto, Norifumi; Shimada, Norimitsu; Yano, Raita; Hisatsune, Junzo; Kato, Fuminori; Hayashi, Tetsuya; Sueda, Taijiro; Ohge, Hiroki

2015-01-01

A 9-year surveillance for multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Hiroshima region showed that the number of isolates harboring the metallo-β-lactamase gene blaIMP-1 abruptly increased after 2004, recorded the highest peak in 2006, and showed a tendency to decline afterwards, indicating a history of an epidemic. PCR mapping of the variable regions of the integrons showed that this epidemic was caused by the clonal persistence and propagation of an MDR P. aeruginosa strain harboring the blaIMP-1 gene and an aminoglycoside 6′-N-acetyltransferase gene, aac(6′)-Iae in a class I integron (In113), whose integrase gene intl1 was disrupted by an IS26 insertion. Sequence analysis of the representative strain PA058447 resistance element containing the In113-derived gene cassette array showed that the element forms an IS26 transposon embedded in the chromosome. It has a Tn21 backbone and is composed of two segments sandwiched by three IS26s. In Japan, clonal nationwide expansion of an MDR P. aeruginosa NCGM2.S1 harboring chromosomally encoded In113 with intact intl1 is reported. Multilocus sequence typing and genomic comparison strongly suggest that PA058447 and NCGM2.S1 belong to the same clonal lineage. Moreover, the structures of the resistance element in the two strains are very similar, but the sites of insertion into the chromosome are different. Based on tagging information of the IS26 present in both resistance elements, we suggest that the MDR P. aeruginosa clone causing the epidemic in Hiroshima for the past 9 years originated from a common ancestor genome of PA058447 and NCGM2.S1 through an IS26 insertion into intl1 of In113 and through IS26-mediated genomic rearrangements. PMID:25712351

Long-term epidemiological studies of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki: study populations, dosimetry and summary of health effects.

PubMed

Okubo, Toshiteru

2012-10-01

The Radiation Effects Research Foundation succeeded 28 years' worth of activities of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission on long-term epidemiological studies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It has three major cohorts of atomic bomb survivors, i.e. the Life Span Study (LSS) of 120,000 people, the In Utero Cohort of 3600 and the Second Generation Study (F(1)) of 77,000. The LSS and F(1) studies include a periodic health examination for each sub-cohort, i.e. the Adult Health Study and the F(1) Clinical Study, respectively. An extensive individual dose estimation was conducted and the system was published as the Dosimetry System established in 2002 (DS02). As results of these studies, increases of cancers in relation to dose were clearly shown. Increases of other mortality causes were also observed, including heart and respiratory diseases. There has been no evidence of genetic effects in the survivors' children, including cancer and other multi-factorial diseases. The increase in the expected mortality number in the next 10 y would allow the analyses of further details of the observed effects related to atomic bomb exposures.

Experimental derivation of relative biological effectiveness of A-bomb neutrons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and implications for risk assessment.

PubMed

Sasaki, M S; Nomura, T; Ejima, Y; Utsumi, H; Endo, S; Saito, I; Itoh, T; Hoshi, M

2008-07-01

Epidemiological data on the health effects of A-bomb radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki provide the framework for setting limits for radiation risk and radiological protection. However, uncertainty remains in the equivalent dose, because it is generally believed that direct derivation of the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of neutrons from the epidemiological data on the survivors is difficult. To solve this problem, an alternative approach has been taken. The RBE of polyenergetic neutrons was determined for chromosome aberration formation in human lymphocytes irradiated in vitro, compared with published data for tumor induction in experimental animals, and validated using epidemiological data from A-bomb survivors. The RBE of fission neutrons was dependent on dose but was independent of the energy spectrum. The same RBE regimen was observed for lymphocyte chromosome aberrations and tumors in mice and rats. Used as a weighting factor for A-bomb survivors, this RBE system was superior in eliminating the city difference in chromosome aberration frequencies and cancer mortality. The revision of the equivalent dose of A-bomb radiation using DS02 weighted by this RBE system reduces the cancer risk by a factor of 0.7 compared with the current estimates using DS86, with neutrons weighted by a constant RBE of 10.

Radiation exposure and circulatory disease risk: Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor data, 1950-2003.

PubMed

Shimizu, Yukiko; Kodama, Kazunori; Nishi, Nobuo; Kasagi, Fumiyoshi; Suyama, Akihiko; Soda, Midori; Grant, Eric J; Sugiyama, Hiromi; Sakata, Ritsu; Moriwaki, Hiroko; Hayashi, Mikiko; Konda, Manami; Shore, Roy E

2010-01-14

To investigate the degree to which ionising radiation confers risk of mortality from heart disease and stroke. Prospective cohort study with more than 50 years of follow-up. Atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. 86 611 Life Span Study cohort members with individually estimated radiation doses from 0 to >3 Gy (86% received <0.2 Gy). Mortality from stroke or heart disease as the underlying cause of death and dose-response relations with atomic bomb radiation. About 9600 participants died of stroke and 8400 died of heart disease between 1950 and 2003. For stroke, the estimated excess relative risk per gray was 9% (95% confidence interval 1% to 17%, P=0.02) on the basis of a linear dose-response model, but an indication of possible upward curvature suggested relatively little risk at low doses. For heart disease, the estimated excess relative risk per gray was 14% (6% to 23%, P<0.001); a linear model provided the best fit, suggesting excess risk even at lower doses. However, the dose-response effect over the restricted dose range of 0 to 0.5 Gy was not significant. Prospective data on smoking, alcohol intake, education, occupation, obesity, and diabetes had almost no impact on the radiation risk estimates for either stroke or heart disease, and misdiagnosis of cancers as circulatory diseases could not account for the associations seen. Doses above 0.5 Gy are associated with an elevated risk of both stroke and heart disease, but the degree of risk at lower doses is unclear. Stroke and heart disease together account for about one third as many radiation associated excess deaths as do cancers among atomic bomb survivors.

Publicly Released Prompt Radiation Spectra Suitable for Nuclear Detonation Simulations, Revision 1

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

dominates the photon emission. During the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings , the prompt radiation contributed from 40% to 70% of the free-in-air dose...Terms for the Initial Radiation. LA-UR-83-198. US-Japan Joint Workshop on the Reassessment of the A- Bomb Radiation Dosimetry in Hiroshima and Nagasaki...2005). Reassessment of the Atomic Bomb Radiation Dosimetry for Hiroshima and Nagasaki—Dosimetry System 2002. Hiroshima, Japan: Radiation Effects

The Changing Academic Profession in Asia: Contexts, Realities and Trends. Report of the International Conference on the Changing Academic Profession Project, 2011. RIHE International Seminar Reports. No. 17

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, 2011

2011-01-01

The Research Institute for Higher Education (RIHE) at Hiroshima University established a program of research on the Changing Academic Profession (CAP) in 2005. The first conference of this new project was held in Hiroshima in February 2011. This conference was organized by the Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, Japan in…

The hierarchical cluster analysis of oral health attitudes and behaviour using the Hiroshima University--Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) among final year dental students in 17 countries.

PubMed

Komabayashi, Takashi; Kawamura, Makoto; Kim, Kang-Ju; Wright, Fredrick A C; Declerck, Dominique; Goiâs, Maria do Carmo Matias Freire; Hu, De-Yu; Honkala, Eino; Lévy, Gérard; Kalwitzki, Matthias; Polychronopoulou, Argy; Yip, Kevin Hak-Kong; Eli, Ilana; Kinirons, Martin J; Petti, Stefano; Srisilapanan, Patcharawan; Kwan, Stella Y L; Centore, Linda S

2006-10-01

To explore and describe international oral health attitudes/ behaviours among final year dental students. Validated translated versions of the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) questionnaire were administered to 1,096 final-year dental students in 17 countries. Hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted within the data to detect patterns and groupings. The overall response rate was 72%. The cluster analysis identified two main groups among the countries. Group 1 consisted of twelve countries: one Oceanic (Australia), one Middle-Eastern (Israel), seven European (Northern Ireland, England, Finland, Greece, Germany, Italy, and France) and three Asian (Korea, Thailand and Malaysia) countries. Group 2 consisted of five countries: one South American (Brazil), one European (Belgium) and three Asian (China, Indonesia and Japan) countries. The percentages of 'agree' responses in three HU-DBI questionnaire items were significantly higher in Group 2 than in Group 1. They include: "I worry about the colour of my teeth."; "I have noticed some white sticky deposits on my teeth."; and "I am bothered by the colour of my gums." Grouping the countries into international clusters yielded useful information for dentistry and dental education.

Acute effect of oral flavonoid-rich dark chocolate intake on coronary circulation, as compared with non-flavonoid white chocolate, by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography in healthy adults.

PubMed

Shiina, Yumi; Funabashi, Nobusada; Lee, Kwangho; Murayama, Taichi; Nakamura, Koki; Wakatsuki, Yu; Daimon, Masao; Komuro, Issei

2009-01-24

To assess the effects of the oral intake of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate on coronary circulation, we measured coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) by noninvasive transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) in healthy adult subjects. The study was a randomized, single-blind design conducted for 2 weeks in 39 healthy men (mean age 29.7+/-3.9 years, range 23-40 years). Subjects were randomly assigned a daily intake of either flavonoid-rich dark chocolate (Meiji Black Chocolate 45 g, Meiji Seika kaisya Ltd, including cacao polyphenol 550 mg/day, 200 kcal) or non-flavonoid white chocolate (Meiji White Chocolate 35 g, Meiji Seika kaisya Ltd, including cacao polyphenol 0 mg/day, 140 kcal) as a control. CFVR was recorded by TTDE, and assessed before and after 2 weeks of intake. At the same time, we also assessed serum asymmetric dimethylarginine, 8-isoprostanes, and malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein (MDA-LDL) as markers of oxidative stress. Flavonoid-rich dark chocolate consumption significantly improved CFVR (3.38+/-0.49 before intake, 4.28+/-0.85 after intake; p<0.01), whereas non-flavonoid white chocolate consumption did not (3.28+/-0.49 before intake, 3.16+/-0.49 after intake; p=0.44). All predictor variables were used as dependent variables in a multiple regression model of the incremental change in CFVR after 2 weeks of chocolate intake. Intake of dark (but not white) chocolate, MDA-LDL, triglyceride (TG) and heart rate (HR) significantly influenced the change of CFVR after 2 weeks of intake (p<0.01) according to the multiple regression formula: Y=1.01X(1)-0.005X(2)-0.003X(3)-0.017X4 (Y=change in CFVR after 2 weeks of chocolate intake, X1=intake of dark (but not white) chocolate, X2=MDA-LDL, X3=TG, X4=HR). Flavonoid-rich dark chocolate intake significantly improved coronary circulation in healthy adults, independent of changes in oxidative stress parameters, blood pressure and lipid profile, whereas non-flavonoid white chocolate had no such effects.

Health-related quality of life and sense of coherence among the unemployed with autotelic, average, and non-autotelic personalities: a cross-sectional survey in Hiroshima, Japan.

PubMed

Hirao, Kazuki; Kobayashi, Ryuji

2013-01-01

Unemployment is known to have a negative effect on the quality of life (QOL) of individuals. However, the influence of an autotelic personality on QOL and SOC of unemployed individuals remains unclear. Our study compared health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and sense of coherence (SOC) among 3 groups: (i) an autotelic personality group (AP), which tends to "go with the flow," (ii) an average group (AV), and (iii) a non-autotelic personality group (NAP). In October 2010, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among 140 job trainees not receiving unemployment benefits in Hiroshima, Japan. We collected 134 completed questionnaires. Autotelic personality was investigated using the Flow Experience Checklist, health-related quality of life was assessed using the Short Form (SF-8) Health Survey, and SOC was measured using the University of Tokyo Health Sociology version of the SOC3 scale (SOC3-UTHS). The average age of participants was 36.14±11.54 year. Participants were classified into 3 groups based on daily activity values: 4+ for AP (n = 22), 1-3 for AV (n = 82), and 0 for NAP (n = 30). Significant differences were observed in mental component summary (MCS) score and SOC3-UTHS total scores in the ranking order of AP (highest), AV, and NAP. Our findings indicate a need to develop programs for facilitating AP among unemployed people to enhance mental QOL and SOC.

Health-Related Quality of Life and Sense of Coherence among the Unemployed with Autotelic, Average, and Non-Autotelic Personalities: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Hiroshima, Japan

PubMed Central

Hirao, Kazuki; Kobayashi, Ryuji

2013-01-01

Background Unemployment is known to have a negative effect on the quality of life (QOL) of individuals. However, the influence of an autotelic personality on QOL and SOC of unemployed individuals remains unclear. Our study compared health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and sense of coherence (SOC) among 3 groups: (i) an autotelic personality group (AP), which tends to “go with the flow,” (ii) an average group (AV), and (iii) a non-autotelic personality group (NAP). Methods In October 2010, we conducted a cross-sectional survey among 140 job trainees not receiving unemployment benefits in Hiroshima, Japan. We collected 134 completed questionnaires. Autotelic personality was investigated using the Flow Experience Checklist, health-related quality of life was assessed using the Short Form (SF-8) Health Survey, and SOC was measured using the University of Tokyo Health Sociology version of the SOC3 scale (SOC3–UTHS). Results The average age of participants was 36.14±11.54 year. Participants were classified into 3 groups based on daily activity values: 4+ for AP (n = 22), 1–3 for AV (n = 82), and 0 for NAP (n = 30). Significant differences were observed in mental component summary (MCS) score and SOC3–UTHS total scores in the ranking order of AP (highest), AV, and NAP. Conclusion Our findings indicate a need to develop programs for facilitating AP among unemployed people to enhance mental QOL and SOC. PMID:24069249

A comparative study of oral health attitudes and behavior using the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI) between dental and civil engineering students in Colombia.

PubMed

Jaramillo, Jorge A; Jaramillo, Fredy; Kador, Itzjak; Masuoka, David; Tong, Liyue; Ahn, Chul; Komabayashi, Takashi

2013-03-01

The aim of this study was to use the Hiroshima University - Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI) to compare oral health attitudes and behavior of dental and civil engineering students in Colombia. The HU-DBI's survey consisting of twenty dichotomous responses (agree-disagree) regarding tooth brushing, was completed at University Antonio Narino for the dental students and the University of Cauca for the civil engineering students. The Spanish version of the HU-DBI questionnaire was taken by 182 of 247 dental students and 411 of 762 engineering students. The data was-statistically analyzed by the chi-square test and backward logistic regression. Compared to the engineering students, the dental students were more likely to agree with questions such as "I am bothered by the color of my gums"(OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.3-3.7),"I think I can clean my teeth well without using toothpaste" (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.5-5.9), "I have used a dye to see how clean my teeth are" (OR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.9-4.3), and "I have had my dentist tell me that I brush very well" (OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.3-3.1). The dental education curriculum in a dental school compared to a civil engineering school in Colombia indicated that a three-phase curriculum in didactics and clinics increased oral health attitudes and behavior from entry to graduation.

A comparative study of oral health attitudes and behavior using the Hiroshima University - Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI) between dental and civil engineering students in Colombia

PubMed Central

Jaramillo, Jorge A.; Jaramillo, Fredy; Kador, Itzjak; Masuoka, David; Tong, Liyue; Ahn, Chul; Komabayashi, Takashi

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to use the Hiroshima University - Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI) to compare oral health attitudes and behavior of dental and civil engineering students in Colombia. The HU-DBI's survey consisting of twenty dichotomous responses (agree-disagree) regarding tooth brushing, was completed at University Antonio Narino for the dental students and the University of Cauca for the civil engineering students. The Spanish version of the HU-DBI questionnaire was taken by 182 of 247 dental students and 411 of 762 engineering students. The data was-statistically analyzed by the chi-square test and backward logistic regression. Compared to the engineering students, the dental students were more likely to agree with questions such as “I am bothered by the color of my gums”(OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.3-3.7),“I think I can clean my teeth well without using toothpaste” (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.5-5.9), “I have used a dye to see how clean my teeth are” (OR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.9-4.3), and “I have had my dentist tell me that I brush very well” (OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.3-3.1). The dental education curriculum in a dental school compared to a civil engineering school in Colombia indicated that a three-phase curriculum in didactics and clinics increased oral health attitudes and behavior from entry to graduation. PMID:23485597

A STUDY OF FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH LOSS OF DISTANT VISUAL ACUITY AMONG CHILDREN FIVE TO ELEVEN YEARS OF AGE IN HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, R.W.

1962-08-01

An evaluation of the effects of inheritance and environment on the loss of distant visual acuity in 7117 Japanese grammar school children is presented. Unique features of the survey included: entry of the child in the study during gestation; measurement of pediatric, neurologic, and dental health, of physical and intellectual growth, and of circumstances of the in utero and home environments, and the opportunity to appraise the effects of inbreeding, since approximately half of those examined were born of parents who were second cousins or more closely related. the results showed that congenital organic lesions of the eye were verymore » signiiicantly higher among children of first cousins than among the outbred children. So great was the increase, it suggested that the eye is more subject to disability mediated by recessive genes than are other organsystems. Loss of distani visual acuity in which no organic lesion was revealed by ophthalmoscopy was attributed to refractive errors; about 80% of the children with 20/70 visual acuity or worse in one or both eyes appeared to have myopia. The role of inheritance was iraplicated by the increasing frequency of the defects as the degree of inbreeding increased, and by the tendency for cases to aggregate in families. Effects of the environment during intra-uterine life, or soon thereafter, were suggested by thc relationship of season of birth to the risk of visual aeuity loss later in childhood and, independently, by the association of birth weight less than 2500 grams with an increased risk of such loss. No association was found between visual acuity loss and socio-economic status physical, neurological, or dental development, or the history or presence of illness. The age-specific prevalence rates were consistently higher in Nagasaki than in Hiroshima. The accumulated evidence suggests that myopia is attributable to a developmental flow in the sclera.« less

The Changing Academic Profession in Asia: The Formation, Work, Academic Productivity, and Internationalization of the Academy. Report of the International Conference on the Changing Academic Profession Project, 2014. RIHE International Seminar Reports. No. 22

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, 2015

2015-01-01

The International Conference on the Changing Academic Profession Project convened in Hiroshima City, Japan, January 24-25, 2014. It was jointly hosted by the Research Institutes of Higher Education at Hiroshima and Kurashiki Sakuyo Universities. The theme of the conference was "The Changing Academic Profession in Asia: The Formation, Work,…

The Changing Academic Profession in International and Quantitative Perspectives: A Focus on Teaching & Research Activities. Report of the International Conference on the Changing Academic Profession Project, 2010. RIHE International Seminar Reports. No.15

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, 2010

2010-01-01

The Research Institute for Higher Education in Hiroshima University started a program of research on the Changing Academic Profession (CAP) in 2005. The fourth and final conference was held in Hiroshima in January 2010. The following papers are presented at the conference: (1) Differentiation and Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning in…

Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Their potential health risks and sources at three non-urban sites in Japan.

PubMed

Jadoon, Waqar A; Sakugawa, Hiroshi

2016-09-18

This investigation was undertaken to monitor particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations in order to determine their emission sources and potential human health risks in remote and rural areas of Japan. Seventeen PAHs in aerosol samples collected in remote (Kamihaya), coastal (Hiki) and inland (Higashi-Hiroshima) areas of Japan during 2013-2014 were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Total PAH (Σ17PAH) concentrations in aerosol samples were in the range of 0.08-6.51 ng m(-3), 0.09-4.74 ng m(-3), and 0.21-6.53 ng m(-3) at Kamihaya, Hiki, and Higashi-Hiroshima sites, with mean concentrations of 1.63, 1.18, and 2.43 ng m(-3), respectively. Significant seasonal variation in concentrations occurred at Hiki and Higashi-Hiroshima, while no significant variation occurred at Kamihaya. Ambient air temperature greatly affected PAH concentrations in Higashi-Hiroshima, but had only moderate effects in Kamihaya and Hiki. Wind direction also influenced the concentrations of PAHs. Vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, biomass combustion, and domestic heating and cooking were identified as the main PAH emission sources using principal component analysis. Backward trajectory calculations showed that domestically generated PAHs were significant in Kamihaya and Hiki, while in Higashi-Hiroshima concentrations were mainly influenced by long-range transport. The incremental lifetime lung cancer risk had values of 3.38 × 10(-5) and 1.84 × 10(-5) at Higashi-Hiroshima and Hiki, which are greater than the US EPA acceptable level (10(-6)). Typically, 5-6-ring PAHs contributed 95% to this overall health risk, of which benzo(a)pyrene was the largest contributor, followed by dibenz(a,h)anthracene at both residential sites. Clearly, stricter guidelines for PAHs need to be implemented at these sites to protect the population.

Ophthalmologic survey of atomic bomb survivors in Japan, 1949. Atomic bomb radiation cataract case report with histopathologic study. Medical examination of Hiroshima patients with radiation cataracts (in Japanese and English)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cogan, D.G.; Martin, S.F.; Kimura, S.J.

1959-01-01

This document contains 3 reports dealing with the delayed effects of radiation on the eyes of survivors of the atomic explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the first study, 1000 persons who were listed as having been in the open and within two kilometers of the hypocenter at the time of the explosion were selected at random from the census files of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission for study. In addition, 231 others, comprising the total available number of surviving persons listed at present in the census files as having been within one kilometer of the hypocenter, were examined, asmore » were several hundred others who were contacted through newspaper publicity, referrals from local ophthalmologists, or through hearsay. The survey resulted in bringing in persons having, or having had, a variety of ocular conditions. Those connected with the atomic bomb included the following diagnoses; multiple injuries of eyes and eyelids; keratoconjunctivitis from ultraviolet and ionizing radiations; thermal burn of the cornea and of the retina; retinitis proliferans; and radiation cataracts. The cataracts were the only delayed manifestations of ocular injury from the atomic bomb. The second paper is a case report of a histopathologic study of atomic bomb radiation cataract. The third paper presents the results of medical examinations of survivors having radiation induced cataracts. 32 references, 8 figures. (DMC)« less

The photosensitizer talaporfinum caused microvascular embolization for photodynamic therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Liming; Aizawa, Katsuo

2005-07-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been evolving rapidly in the recent years. A second-generation Photosensitizer mono-1-aspartyl chlorine 6 (Talaporfin / Npe6 / ME2906, Japan Meiji Seika, Ltd.) has been sanctified for the lung cancer clinical PDT by the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. In this paper, Talaporfin was injected to the implant cancer of a mouse a Talaporfin dose of 5mg/kg through intravenous. After 6 hours, the fluorescence images of the mouse were observed with a microscope and a 664 nm diode laser. Effects of therapy were clarified using the different irradiation energies of the laser (50, 100, 200 J/cm2). Both in plasma and in cancer, the concentrations of Talaporfin were analyzed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Authors find that the higher concentrations of Talaporfin in plasma, the better PDD effect. It is experimentally verified that local microvascular embolisms in the cancer are formed for photodynamic therapy after the Talaporfin injection and the laser irradiation.

The "Enola Gay."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. National Air And Space Museum.

This text accompanied the Smithsonian Institution's display, "Enola Gay," at the National Air and Space Museum commemorating the end of World War II and the role played by the B-29 aircraft, Enola Gay, that on August 6, 1945 carried the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, Japan. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to the…

Characteristic expression of fukutin in gastric cancer among atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Pham, Trang T B; Oue, Naohide; Yamamoto, Manabu; Fujihara, Megumu; Ishida, Teruyoshi; Mukai, Shoichiro; Sakamoto, Naoya; Sentani, Kazuhiro; Yasui, Wataru

2017-02-01

Approximately 70 years have passed since the atomic bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. To elucidate potential biomarkers and possible mechanisms of radiation-induced cancer, the expression of FKTN , which encodes fukutin protein and causes Fukuyama-type congenital muscular dystrophy, was analyzed in gastric cancer (GC) tissue samples from atomic bomb survivors. Expression of cluster of differentiation (CD) 10 was also evaluated, as it has previously been observed that positive fukutin expression was frequently noted in CD10-positive GC cases. In the first cohort from Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-Bomb Survivors Hospital (Hiroshima, Japan; n=92), 102 (53%) of the GC cases were positive for fukutin. Expression of fukutin was not associated with exposure status, but was associated with CD10 expression (P=0.0001). The second cohort was from Hiroshima University Hospital (Hiroshima, Japan; n=86), and these patients were also in the Life Span Study cohort, in which atomic bomb radiation doses were precisely estimated using the DS02 system. Expression of fukutin was detected in 58 (67%) of GC cases. GC cases positive for fukutin were observed more frequently in the low dose-exposed group than in the high dose-exposed group (P=0.0001). Further studies with a larger cohort, including precise radiation dose estimation, may aid in clarifying whether fukutin could serve as a potential biomarker to define radiation-induced GC in atomic-bomb survivors.

Characteristic expression of fukutin in gastric cancer among atomic bomb survivors

PubMed Central

Pham, Trang T.B.; Oue, Naohide; Yamamoto, Manabu; Fujihara, Megumu; Ishida, Teruyoshi; Mukai, Shoichiro; Sakamoto, Naoya; Sentani, Kazuhiro; Yasui, Wataru

2017-01-01

Approximately 70 years have passed since the atomic bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. To elucidate potential biomarkers and possible mechanisms of radiation-induced cancer, the expression of FKTN, which encodes fukutin protein and causes Fukuyama-type congenital muscular dystrophy, was analyzed in gastric cancer (GC) tissue samples from atomic bomb survivors. Expression of cluster of differentiation (CD) 10 was also evaluated, as it has previously been observed that positive fukutin expression was frequently noted in CD10-positive GC cases. In the first cohort from Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-Bomb Survivors Hospital (Hiroshima, Japan; n=92), 102 (53%) of the GC cases were positive for fukutin. Expression of fukutin was not associated with exposure status, but was associated with CD10 expression (P=0.0001). The second cohort was from Hiroshima University Hospital (Hiroshima, Japan; n=86), and these patients were also in the Life Span Study cohort, in which atomic bomb radiation doses were precisely estimated using the DS02 system. Expression of fukutin was detected in 58 (67%) of GC cases. GC cases positive for fukutin were observed more frequently in the low dose-exposed group than in the high dose-exposed group (P=0.0001). Further studies with a larger cohort, including precise radiation dose estimation, may aid in clarifying whether fukutin could serve as a potential biomarker to define radiation-induced GC in atomic-bomb survivors. PMID:28356981

Tree-ring strontium-90 and cesium-137 as potential indicators of radioactive pollution.

PubMed

Kagawa, Akira; Aoki, Toru; Okada, Naoki; Katayama, Yukio

2002-01-01

To examine whether tree rings can be used to detect or assess local historical 90Sr or 137Cs fallout, such as that resulting from the Hiroshima atomic bomb, radial distribution of 90Sr and 137Cs in trees was examined. We studied a gymnosperm [Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica (L. f.) D. Don] and an angiosperm (Japanese persimmon, Diospyros kaki Thunb.) tree species from the vicinity of the atomic bomb hypocenter, and from other locations in Japan. A significant amount of 137Cs was detected in tree rings formed before 1945, indicating lateral migration of Cs. In contrast, the specific activity of 90Sr in the Hiroshima Japanese cedar showed the highest level in 1945, due to relatively immobile characteristics of Sr compared with Cs. Strontium-90 and Sr analyses in tree rings helped identify and distinguish between residual 90Sr activity from the Hiroshima atomic bomb and the atmospheric nuclear testing. This indicates the possibility of detecting or assessing previous local 90Sr pollution through with treering analysis.

Korean atomic bomb victims.

PubMed

Sasamoto, Yukuo

2009-01-01

After colonizing Korea, Japan invaded China, and subsequently initiated the Pacific War against the United States, Britain, and their allies. Towards the end of the war, U.S. warplanes dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which resulted in a large number of Koreans who lived in Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffering from the effects of the bombs. The objective of this paper is to examine the history of Korea atomic bomb victims who were caught in between the U.S., Japan, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).

Around Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: progress of dose estimations relevant to the consequences of nuclear tests (a summary of 3rd Dosimetry Workshop on the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site area, RIRBM, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, 9-11 of March, 2005).

PubMed

Stepanenko, Valeriy F; Hoshi, Masaharu; Bailiff, Ian K; Ivannikov, Alexander I; Toyoda, Shin; Yamamoto, Masayoshi; Simon, Steven L; Matsuo, Masatsugu; Kawano, Noriyuki; Zhumadilov, Zhaxybay; Sasaki, Masao S; Rosenson, Rafail I; Apsalikov, Kazbek N

2006-02-01

The paper is an analytical overview of the main results presented at the 3rd Dosimetry Workshop in Hiroshima(9-11 of March 2005), where different aspects of the dose reconstruction around the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site(SNTS) were discussed and summarized. The results of the international intercomparison of the retrospective luminescence dosimetry(RLD) method for Dolon' village(Kazakhstan) were presented at the Workshop and good concurrence between dose estimations by different laboratories from 6 countries (Japan, Russia, USA, Germany, Finland and UK) was pointed out. The accumulated dose values in brick for a common depth of 10mm depth obtained independently by all participating laboratories were in good agreement for all four brick samples from Dolon' village, Kazakhstan, with the average value of the local gamma dose due to fallout (near the sampling locations) being about 220 mGy(background dose has been subtracted).Furthermore, using a conversion factor of about 2 to obtain the free-in-air dose, a value of local dose approximately 440 mGy is obtained, which supports the results of external dose calculations for Dolon': recently published soil contamination data, archive information and new models were used for refining dose calculations and the external dose in air for Dolon village was estimated to be about 500 mGy. The results of electron spin resonance(ESR) dosimetry with tooth enamel have demonstrated the notable progress in application of ESR dosimetry to the problems of dose reconstruction around the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. At the present moment, dose estimates by the ESR method have become more consistent with calculated values and with retrospective luminescence dosimetry data, but differences between ESR dose estimates and RLD/calculation data were noted. For example mean ESR dose for eligible tooth samples from Dolon' village was estimated to be about 140 mGy(above background dose), which is less than dose values obtained by RLD and

Hiroshima as Politics and History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherwin, Martin J.

1995-01-01

Argues that the objections raised to the Enola Gay exhibit are rooted in Cold War politics. Maintains that this historical myopia exemplifies the need for challenging historical inquiry. Characterizes opposition to the exhibit as largely political and discusses demands made to censor exhibit material. (MJP)

[Determination of 235U/238U isotope ratios in camphor tree bark samples by MC-ICP-MS after separation of uranium from matrix elements].

PubMed

Wang, Xiao-Ping; Zhang, Ji-Long

2007-07-01

Twelve camphor (cinnamomum camphora) tree bark samples were collected from Hiroshima and Kyoto, and the matrix element composition and morphology of the outer surface of these camphor tree bark samples were studied by EDXS and SEM respectively. After a dry decomposition, DOWEX 1-X8 anion exchange resin was used to separate uranium from matrix elements in these camphor tree bark samples. Finally, 235U/238 U isotope ratios in purified uranium solutions were determined by MC-ICP-MS. It was demonstrated that the outer surface of these camphor tree bark samples is porous and rough, with Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Si, C, O and S as its matrix element composition. Uranium in these camphor tree bark samples can be efficiently separated and quantitatively recovered from the matrix element composition. Compared with those collected from Kyoto, the camphor tree bark samples collected from Hiroshima have significantly higher uranium contents, which may be due to the increased aerosol mass concentration during the city reconstruction. Moreover, the 235 U/23.U isotope ratios in a few camphor tree bark samples collected from Hiroshima are slightly higher than 0.007 25.

A United States perspective on long-term management of areas contaminated with radioactive materials.

PubMed

Jones, C Rick

2004-01-01

The US has far-reaching and extensive experience in the long-term management of areas contaminated with radioactive materials. This experience base includes the Department of Energy's continued follow-up with Hiroshima and Nagasaki from the 1940s at the Radiological Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima, Japan, the long-term management of the Marshall Islands Programme, the clean-up of the US nuclear weapons complex and the ongoing management of accident sites such as in Palomares, Spain. This paper discusses the lessons learnt and best practices gained from this far-reaching and extensive experience in the long-term management of areas contaminated with radioactive materials. Copyright 2004 Oxford University Press

Detection of surface temperature from LANDSAT-7/ETM+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suga, Y.; Ogawa, H.; Ohno, K.; Yamada, K.

Hiroshima Institute of Technology (HIT) in Japan has established LANDSAT-7 Ground Station in cooperated with NASDA for receiving and processing the ETM+ data on March 15t h , 2000 in Japan. The authors performed a verification study on the surface temperature derived from thermal infrared band image data of LANDSAT- 7/Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) for the estimation of the thermal condition around Hiroshima City and Bay area in the western part of Japan as a test site. As to the thermal infrared band, the approximate functions for converting the spectral radiance into the surface temperature are estimated by considering both typical surface temperatures measured by the simultaneous field survey with the satellite observation and the spectral radiance observed by ETM+ band 6, and then the estimation of the surface temperature distribution around the test site was examined. In this paper, the authors estimated the surface temperature distribution equivalent to the land cover types around Hiroshima City and Bay area. For the further study, the authors performed the modification of approximate functions for converting the spectral radiance into the surface temperature by the field and satellite observation throughout a year and the development of various monitoring systems for the environmental issues such as the sea surface anomalies and heat island phenomena.

Environmental consequences of nuclear war

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Toon, Owen B.; Robock, Alan; Turco, Richard P.

A regional war involving 100 Hiroshima-sized weapons would pose a worldwide threat due to ozone destruction and climate change. A superpower confrontation with a few thousand weapons would be catastrophic.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Otake, M.; Schull, W.J.

This paper investigates the quantitative relationship of ionizing radiation to the occurrence of posterior lenticular opacities among the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki suggested by the DS86 dosimetry system. DS86 doses are available for 1983 (93.4%) of the 2124 atomic bomb survivors analyzed in 1982. The DS86 kerma neutron component for Hiroshima survivors is much smaller than its comparable T65DR component, but still 4.2-fold higher (0.38 Gy at 6 Gy) than that in Nagasaki (0.09 Gy at 6 Gy). Thus, if the eye is especially sensitive to neutrons, there may yet be some useful information onmore » their effects, particularly in Hiroshima. The dose-response relationship has been evaluated as a function of the separately estimated gamma-ray and neutron doses. Among several different dose-response models without and with two thresholds, we have selected as the best model the one with the smallest x2 or the largest log likelihood value associated with the goodness of fit. The best fit is a linear gamma-linear neutron relationship which assumes different thresholds for the two types of radiation. Both gamma and neutron regression coefficients for the best fitting model are positive and highly significant for the estimated DS86 eye organ dose.« less

Integral measurements of neutron and gamma-ray leakage fluxes from the Little Boy replica

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Muckenthaler, F.J.

This report presents integral measurements of neutron and gamma-ray leakage fluxes from a critical mockup of the Hiroshima bomb Little Boy at Los Alamos National Laobratory with detector systems developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Bonner ball detectors were used to map the neutron fluxes in the horizontal midplane at various distances from the mockup and for selected polar angles, keeping the source-detector separation constant. Gamma-ray energy deposition measurements were made with thermoluminescent detectors at several locations on the iron shell of the source mockup. The measurements were performed as part of a larger progam to provide benchmark data formore » testing the methods used to calculate the radiation released from the Little Boy bomb over Hiroshima. 3 references, 10 figures.« less

Probability of major depression diagnostic classification using semi-structured versus fully structured diagnostic interviews.

PubMed

Levis, Brooke; Benedetti, Andrea; Riehm, Kira E; Saadat, Nazanin; Levis, Alexander W; Azar, Marleine; Rice, Danielle B; Chiovitti, Matthew J; Sanchez, Tatiana A; Cuijpers, Pim; Gilbody, Simon; Ioannidis, John P A; Kloda, Lorie A; McMillan, Dean; Patten, Scott B; Shrier, Ian; Steele, Russell J; Ziegelstein, Roy C; Akena, Dickens H; Arroll, Bruce; Ayalon, Liat; Baradaran, Hamid R; Baron, Murray; Beraldi, Anna; Bombardier, Charles H; Butterworth, Peter; Carter, Gregory; Chagas, Marcos H; Chan, Juliana C N; Cholera, Rushina; Chowdhary, Neerja; Clover, Kerrie; Conwell, Yeates; de Man-van Ginkel, Janneke M; Delgadillo, Jaime; Fann, Jesse R; Fischer, Felix H; Fischler, Benjamin; Fung, Daniel; Gelaye, Bizu; Goodyear-Smith, Felicity; Greeno, Catherine G; Hall, Brian J; Hambridge, John; Harrison, Patricia A; Hegerl, Ulrich; Hides, Leanne; Hobfoll, Stevan E; Hudson, Marie; Hyphantis, Thomas; Inagaki, Masatoshi; Ismail, Khalida; Jetté, Nathalie; Khamseh, Mohammad E; Kiely, Kim M; Lamers, Femke; Liu, Shen-Ing; Lotrakul, Manote; Loureiro, Sonia R; Löwe, Bernd; Marsh, Laura; McGuire, Anthony; Mohd Sidik, Sherina; Munhoz, Tiago N; Muramatsu, Kumiko; Osório, Flávia L; Patel, Vikram; Pence, Brian W; Persoons, Philippe; Picardi, Angelo; Rooney, Alasdair G; Santos, Iná S; Shaaban, Juwita; Sidebottom, Abbey; Simning, Adam; Stafford, Lesley; Sung, Sharon; Tan, Pei Lin Lynnette; Turner, Alyna; van der Feltz-Cornelis, Christina M; van Weert, Henk C; Vöhringer, Paul A; White, Jennifer; Whooley, Mary A; Winkley, Kirsty; Yamada, Mitsuhiko; Zhang, Yuying; Thombs, Brett D

2018-06-01

original sponsor of the development of the PHQ-9, which is now in the public domain. Dr Chan is a steering committee member or consultant of Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Lilly, MSD and Pfizer. She has received sponsorships and honorarium for giving lectures and providing consultancy and her affiliated institution has received research grants from these companies. Dr Hegerl declares that within the past 3 years, he was an advisory board member for Lundbeck, Servier and Otsuka Pharma; a consultant for Bayer Pharma; and a speaker for Medice Arzneimittel, Novartis, and Roche Pharma, all outside the submitted work. Dr Inagaki declares that he has received grants from Novartis Pharma, lecture fees from Pfizer, Mochida, Shionogi, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, Daiichi-Sankyo, Meiji Seika and Takeda, and royalties from Nippon Hyoron Sha, Nanzando, Seiwa Shoten, Igaku-shoin and Technomics, all outside of the submitted work. Dr Yamada reports personal fees from Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd., MSD K.K., Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, Seishin Shobo, Seiwa Shoten Co., Ltd., Igaku-shoin Ltd., Chugai Igakusha and Sentan Igakusha, all outside the submitted work. All other authors declare no competing interests. No funder had any role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data; preparation, review or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Quantifying Faculty Productivity in Japan: Development and Application of the Achievement-Motivated Key Performance Indicator. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.8.16

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aida, Misako; Watanabe, Satoshi P.

2016-01-01

Universities throughout the world are trending toward more performance based methods to capture their strengths, weaknesses and productivity. Hiroshima University has developed an integrated objective measure for quantifying multifaceted faculty activities, namely the "Achievement-Motivated Key Performance Indicator" (A-KPI), in order to…

[A-bomb experience and Hibakushas' lives].

PubMed

Akiba, Tadatoshi

2012-01-01

The A-bomb experience of Hiroshima may shed light on the reconstruction plan of the Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and on implementing middle to long range care plans for the victims of the catastrophe. An important element in the success of Hiroshima's reconstruction was the understanding of the realities of everyday life of citizens and hibakusha by local and national government, and incorporation of those points of view into the reconstruction plan. Sharing of accurate and fair information about the disaster, restoration, and reconstruction with citizens was and still is a prerequisite for success. To convey learned lessons from the Hiroshima experience, three books are helpful: "A-bomb Mayor" by Shinzo Hamai, "The Meaning of Survival" compiled by the Chugoku Shimbun and "The Children of the A-bomb" compiled by Arata Osada. They help understand the history of hibakusha psychology from the point of view of their everyday lives and may help those affected by the Earthquake and Tsunami. To summarize the history of psychological changes among the hibakusha, three key transitional pairs of statements used widely by them over the span of 66 years help show the change in their attitude and emotional outlook. Each pair consists of an expression from the period immediately following the bombing and a second more recent expression: (1) Transition from "I would rather die." to "I am glad I am alive." (2) Transition from "I would rather forget." to "We should not forget." (3) Transition from "You will understand if you are a victim." to "No one else should ever suffer as we did".

Viewpoints on Nuclear Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Social Education, 1983

1983-01-01

The Committee on the Present Danger, Inc., the Committee of Atomic Bomb Survivors in the United States, the World Friendship Center in Hiroshima, two authors, physics and education professors, an English and history teacher, and a high school student comment on nuclear education. (RM)

75 FR 65053 - Mazda North American Operations, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-21

... Noncompliance Mazda North American Operations (MNAO),\\1\\ on behalf of Mazda Motor Corporation of Hiroshima..., Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports, dated December 18, 2009. \\1\\ Mazda Motor Corporation... noncompliance is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety. This notice of receipt of Mazda's petition is...

The Internationalization of Higher Education: Realities and Implications. Report of the International Workshop on University, 2013. RIHE International Seminar Reports. No. 21

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, 2014

2014-01-01

The Research Institute for Higher Education (RIHE), Hiroshima University, hosted an international workshop on December 5, 2013. The theme was "The Internationalization of Higher Education: Realities and Implications." To discuss the theme, three foreign speakers, one Japanese speaker, and one commentator, were invited to speak. This…

Some Resources on the End of World War II. Resource Review.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Social Education, 1995

1995-01-01

Presents reviews of three instructional resources on World War II. Includes a multimedia kit based on newspapers and a videotape, an illustrated book on issues surrounding the bombing of Hiroshima, and a diary of a grade school teacher's experiences in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. (CFR)

Physicians confront the apocalypse: the American medical profession and the threat of nuclear war

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boyer, P.

1985-08-02

Physicians figured prominently in the resurgence of nuclear weapons activism and cultural awareness that swept the US in the early 1980s. This discussion seeks to place this activism in historical context. It explores the American medical profession's shifting engagement with the issue of nuclear war. Attention is focused on the period 1945 to 1954, with a brief evaluation of the period 1954 to 1963, the years to which the activism of the 1980s may be traced. Radiation studies are reviewed including Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors. Radiological studies were begun within days of Japan's surrender. The delayed effects of radiation exposuremore » on some 14,000 persons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki include hemorrhage, leukocyte destruction, bone marrow damage, anemia, sterility, and the suppression of menstruation. In contrast, the American medical profession in the late 1940s focused much attention on the atom's potential medical benefits, especially the diagnostic and treatment value of radioisotopes. 90 references.« less

38 CFR 3.311 - Claims based on exposure to ionizing radiation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Department of Defense. (ii) Hiroshima and Nagasaki occupation claims. In all claims based on participation in... requested from the Department of Defense. (iii) Other exposure claims. In all other claims involving... Department of Defense is consistent with the claim that the veteran was present where and when the claimed...

USSR Report, Translations from Kommunist No. 9, June 1985

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-09-13

Buchenwald , Auschwitz, Khatyn and Oradour and Hiroshima and Nagasaki will no longer allow anyone’s hand to unsheath the sword. Alas, to this day, in...Soviet war veterans, who participate in the mass demonstrations on the grounds of the former death camps, such as Auschwitz, Matthausen, Buchenwald

The Changing Academic Profession in International Comparative and Quantitative Perspectives. Report of the International Conference on the Changing Academic Profession Project, 2008. RIHE International Seminar Reports. No.12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, 2008

2008-01-01

This year the Research Institute for Higher Education in Hiroshima University hosted an international conference in close collaboration with Hijiyama University. The main purpose of the 2008 conference was to enable the participants to give preliminary country/regional reports based on their national/regional surveys. This publication reports the…

Current risk estimates based on the A-bomb survivors data - a discussion in terms of the ICRP recommendations on the neutron weighting factor.

PubMed

Rühm, W; Walsh, L

2007-01-01

Currently, most analyses of the A-bomb survivors' solid tumour and leukaemia data are based on a constant neutron relative biological effectiveness (RBE) value of 10 that is applied to all survivors, independent of their distance to the hypocentre at the time of bombing. The results of these analyses are then used as a major basis for current risk estimates suggested by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) for use in international safety guidelines. It is shown here that (i) a constant value of 10 is not consistent with weighting factors recommended by the ICRP for neutrons and (ii) it does not account for the hardening of the neutron spectra in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which takes place with increasing distance from the hypocentres. The purpose of this paper is to present new RBE values for the neutrons, calculated as a function of distance from the hypocentres for both cities that are consistent with the ICRP60 neutron weighting factor. If based on neutron spectra from the DS86 dosimetry system, these calculations suggest values of about 31 at 1000 m and 23 at 2000 m ground range in Hiroshima, while the corresponding values for Nagasaki are 24 and 22. If the neutron weighting factor that is consistent with ICRP92 is used, the corresponding values are about 23 and 21 for Hiroshima and 21 and 20 for Nagasaki, respectively. It is concluded that the current risk estimates will be subject to some changes in view of the changed RBE values. This conclusion does not change significantly if the new doses from the Dosimetry System DS02 are used.

Gamma-ray spectra and doses from the Little Boy replica

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moss, C.E.; Lucas, M.C.; Tisinger, E.W.

1984-01-01

Most radiation safety guidelines in the nuclear industry are based on the data concerning the survivors of the nuclear explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Crucial to determining these guidelines is the radiation from the explosions. We have measured gamma-ray pulse-height distributions from an accurate replica of the Little Boy device used at Hiroshima, operated at low power levels near critical. The device was placed outdoors on a stand 4 m from the ground to minimize environmental effects. The power levels were based on a monitor detector calibrated very carefully in independent experiments. High-resolution pulse-height distributions were acquired with a germaniummore » detector to identify the lines and to obtain line intensities. The 7631 to 7645 keV doublet from neutron capture in the heavy steel case was dominant. Low-resolution pulse-height distributions were acquired with bismuth-germanate detectors. We calculated flux spectra from these distributions using accurately measured detector response functions and efficiency curves. We then calculated dose-rate spectra from the flux spectra using a flux-to-dose-rate conversion procedure. The integral of each dose-rate spectrum gave an integral dose rate. The integral doses at 2 m ranged from 0.46 to 1.03 mrem per 10/sup 13/ fissions. The output of the Little Boy replica can be calculated with Monte Carlo codes. Comparison of our experimental spectra, line intensities, and integral doses can be used to verify these calculations at low power levels and give increased confidence to the calculated values from the explosion at Hiroshima. These calculations then can be used to establish better radiation safety guidelines. 7 references, 7 figures, 2 tables.« less

System-Level and Strategic Indicators for Monitoring Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century. Studies on Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yonezawa, Akiyoshi, Ed.; Kaiser, Frans, Ed.

Papers in this collection result from the work carried out in the context of an Invitational Roundtable on System-Level Indicators for Higher/Tertiary Education organized by the European Centre for Higher Education (UNESCO-CEPES) and the Research Institute for Higher Education of Hiroshima University, Japan. Section 1, "The Roundtable--An…

The Changing Academic Profession in Asia: Teaching, Research, Governance and Management. Report of the International Conference on the Changing Academic Profession Project, 2013. RIHE International Seminar Reports. No. 20

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, 2013

2013-01-01

The purpose of this conference (organized by the Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, and the Research Institute for Higher Education, Kurashiki Sakuyo University) was to share major findings from each national survey conducted on higher education in selected Asian countries. The following major issues were addressed: (1)…

Nuclear War in High School History Textbooks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Daniel B.

1983-01-01

A review of 19 recently published, secondary-level United States and world history textbooks found only brief coverage of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Japan) bombings, slight attention to the arms race and disarmament, and concentration on scientific and technical developments behind the atomic bomb rather than on its effects. (Author/RW)

Naval Power in the Twenty-first Century: A Naval College Review Reader

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-07-01

amends. A more ominous analog was the sinking by a U-boat in 1915 of the British passenger liner Lusitania , an attack that cost over a thousand lives...competition between champions, to adjudicate a dispute between rival states. In the first, war is Hiroshima, the Lusitania , Sherman through Georgia, and the

Public Discussion of Nuclear Warfare: A Time for Hope.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Martha

Anti-nuclear discourse, which peaked in 1981-82, signaled an emergence of public discourse on the nuclear warfare issue. During the development of the original atomic bomb, public discussion of the issue was severely restricted, but immediately after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, discourse on the subject increased. During the Cold War…

The Potential for Normal Political Relations between the United States and Iran Following Presidential Elections in Each Country

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-01

of the only two known nuclear attacks in the world, those being the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The first weapon known as little boy was......Iran have to come to the table with the U.S.? 45 CONCLUSION Now the man who has risen to the top finds himself with new concerns

Discovering Different Perspectives of World War II in Sixth-Grade Social Studies Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogawa, Masato

A study recorded and analyzed instances of how middle school students develop their skills of historical thinking and perspective taking through the use of two methods: textbook analysis and oral history interviews. First, students analyzed textbook treatment of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in their U.S. and Japanese history…

Legacies, Assumptions, and Decisions: The Path to Hiroshima

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-01-01

responsibmty of btuldmg a bomb, and General Leslie Groves was selected to head the Manhattan Project and to organize the work of the scientists The...atomic bomb on Japan began to take shape as Germany weakened The Manhattan Project was about building bombs and the assumphon was that they would be...mformahon tuned toward obtammg mtemahOnd control of atormc weapons. In spite of mtensive secunty measures surroundmg the Manhattan Project , by 1943

Comparison of the diagnostic ability of blue laser imaging magnification versus pit pattern analysis for colorectal polyps.

PubMed

Nakano, Arihiro; Hirooka, Yoshiki; Yamamura, Takeshi; Watanabe, Osamu; Nakamura, Masanao; Funasaka, Kohei; Ohno, Eizaburo; Kawashima, Hiroki; Miyahara, Ryoji; Goto, Hidemi

2017-04-01

Background and study aims  There have been few evaluations of the diagnostic ability of new narrow band light observation blue laser imaging (BLI). The present prospective study compared the diagnostic ability of BLI magnification and pit pattern analysis for colorectal polyps. Patients and methods  We collected lesions prospectively, and the analysis of images was made by two endoscopists, retrospectively. A total of 799 colorectal polyps were examined by BLI magnification and pit pattern analysis at Nagoya University Hospital. The Hiroshima narrow-band imaging classification was used for BLI. Differentiation of neoplastic from non-neoplastic lesions and diagnosis of deeply invasive submucosal cancer (dSM) were compared between BLI magnification and pit pattern analysis. Type C2 in the Hiroshima classification was evaluated separately, because application of this category as an index of the depth of cancer invasion was considered difficult. Results  We analyzed 748 colorectal polyps, excluding 51 polyps that were inflammatory polyps, sessile serrated adenoma/polyps, serrated adenomas, advanced colorectal cancers, or other lesions. The accuracy of differential diagnosis between neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions was 98.4 % using BLI magnification and 98.7 % with pit pattern analysis. In addition, the diagnostic accuracy of BLI magnification and pit pattern analysis for dSM for cancer was 89.5 % and 92.1 %, respectively. When type C2 lesions were excluded, the diagnostic accuracy of BLI for dSM was 95.9 %. The 18 type C2 lesions comprised 1 adenoma, 9 intramucosal or slightly invasive submucosal cancers, and 8 dSM. Pit pattern analysis allowed accurate diagnosis of the depth of invasion in 13 lesions (72.2 %). Conclusions  Most colorectal polyps could be diagnosed accurately by BLI magnification without pit pattern analysis, but we should add pit pattern analysis for type C2 lesions in the Hiroshima classification.

Cancer incidence in atomic bomb survivors. Part IV: Comparison of cancer incidence and mortality

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ron, E.; Preston, D.L.; Mabuchi, Kiyohiko

1994-02-01

This report compares cancer incidence and mortality among atomic bomb survivors in the Radiation Effects Research Foundation Life Span Study (LSS) cohort. Because the incidence data are derived from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki tumor registries, case ascertainment is limited to the time (1958-1987) and geographic restrictions (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) of the registries, whereas mortality data are available from 1950-1987 anywhere in Japan. With these conditions, there were 9,014 first primary incident cancer cases identified among LSS cohort members compared with 7,308 deaths for which cancer was listed as the underlying cause of death on death certificates. When deaths were limitedmore » to those occurring between 1958-1987 in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, there were 3,155 more incident cancer cases overall, and 1,262 more cancers of the digestive system. For cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, skin, breast, female and male genital organs, urinary system and thyroid, the incidence series was at least twice as large as the comparable mortality series. Although the incidence and mortality data are dissimilar in many ways, the overall conclusions regarding which solid cancers provide evidence of a significant dose response generally confirm the mortality findings. When either incidence or mortality data are evaluated, significant excess risks are observed for all solid cancers, stomach, colon, liver (when it is defined as primary liver cancer or liver cancer not otherwise specified on the death certificate), lung, breast, ovary and urinary bladder. No significant radiation effect is seen for cancers of the pharynx, rectum, gallbladder, pancreas, nose, larynx, uterus, prostate or kidney in either series. There is evidence of a significant excess of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the incidence data, but not in the mortality series. 19 refs., 2 figs., 10 tabs.« less

University Management, Present and Future: How and by Whom? Report of the International Workshop on University Reform, 2011. RIHE International Seminar Reports. No.18

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, 2012

2012-01-01

The Research Institute for Higher Education (RIHE) at Hiroshima University, through special funding by the Ministry of Education and Science in 2008, has been implementing a research project on the reform of higher education in the knowledge-based society of the 21st century. Research into the design of the future higher education system,…

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes: The Dialogic Narrative in the Educational Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Jafar, Ali A.

2016-01-01

This study used the story of "Sadako and the thousand paper cranes" by Coerr (1977) to discover similarities between the events of August 1945 in Hiroshima and the events of August 1990 in Kuwait. The participants in a children's literature class at Kuwait University folded paper cranes and wrote in their journals to answer two…

The Changing Academic Profession over 1992-2007: International, Comparative, and Quantitative Perspectives. Report of the International Conference on the Changing Academic Profession Project, 2009. RIHE International Seminar Reports. No. 13

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, 2009

2009-01-01

The Research Institute for Higher Education (RIHE) in Hiroshima University started a program of research on the Changing Academic Profession (CAP) in 2005. This research is funded by the Ministry of Education and Science as a grant-in-aid for scientific research headed by Professor Akira Arimoto, Director of the Research Institute for Higher…

Nuclear Weapon Tests and their Consequences,

DTIC Science & Technology

Nuclear weapon research, specifically nuclear bomb tests, and the deleterious effects of heightened radioactivity levels on the world’s biology, are...Soviet Union is discussed. The effects of the U.S.A. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the U.S.A. bomb test of March 1, 1954, and listed as

Workshop report on atomic bomb dosimetry-residual radiation exposure: recent research and suggestions for future studies.

PubMed

Kerr, George D; Egbert, Stephen D; Al-Nabulsi, Isaf; Beck, Harold L; Cullings, Harry M; Endo, Satoru; Hoshi, Masaharu; Imanaka, Tetsuji; Kaul, Dean C; Maruyama, Satoshi; Reeves, Glen I; Ruehm, Werner; Sakaguchi, Aya; Simon, Steven L; Spriggs, Gregory D; Stram, Daniel O; Tonda, Tetsuji; Weiss, Joseph F; Weitz, Ronald L; Young, Robert W

2013-08-01

There is a need for accurate dosimetry for studies of health effects in the Japanese atomic bomb survivors because of the important role that these studies play in worldwide radiation protection standards. International experts have developed dosimetry systems, such as the Dosimetry System 2002 (DS02), which assess the initial radiation exposure to gamma rays and neutrons but only briefly consider the possibility of some minimal contribution to the total body dose by residual radiation exposure. In recognition of the need for an up-to-date review of the topic of residual radiation exposure in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, recently reported studies were reviewed at a technical session at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Health Physics Society in Sacramento, California, 22-26 July 2012. A one-day workshop was also held to provide time for detailed discussion of these newer studies and to evaluate their potential use in clarifying the residual radiation exposures to the atomic-bomb survivors at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Suggestions for possible future studies are also included in this workshop report.

Workshop Report on Atomic Bomb Dosimetry--Residual Radiation Exposure: Recent Research and Suggestions for Future Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2013-06-06

There is a need for accurate dosimetry for studies of health effects in the Japanese atomic bomb survivors because of the important role that these studies play in worldwide radiation protection standards. International experts have developed dosimetry systems, such as the Dosimetry System 2002 (DS02), which assess the initial radiation exposure to gamma rays and neutrons but only briefly consider the possibility of some minimal contribution to the total body dose by residual radiation exposure. In recognition of the need for an up-to-date review of the topic of residual radiation exposure in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, recently reported studies were reviewedmore » at a technical session at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Health Physics Society in Sacramento, California, 22-26 July 2012. A one-day workshop was also held to provide time for detailed discussion of these newer studies and to evaluate their potential use in clarifying the residual radiation exposures to the atomic-bomb survivors at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Suggestions for possible future studies are also included in this workshop report.« less

Prevention of nuclear war

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lifton, R.J.

Physicians are exercising their responsibility as healers in their efforts to prevent nuclear war. Death for Hiroshima survivors was experienced in four stages: the immediate impact of destruction, the acute impact of radiation, delayed radiation effects, and later identification as an atomic bomb survivor. Each phase had its physical and psychological impacts and negates Hiroshima as a model for rational behavior despite those who claim survival is possible for those who are prepared. The psychic effects of modern nuclear, chemical, and germ warfare need to be challenged with a symbolization of life and immortality. Studies of psychological reactions to themore » terror children felt during practice air-raid drills indicate that the fears can be surpressed and re-emerge in adult life as a linking of death with collective annihilation. Other themes which emerge are feelings of impermanence, craziness, identification with the bomb, and a double existence. Psychic numbing and the religion of nuclearism cause dangerous conflicts with the anxieties caused by increasing awareness of death. (DCK)« less

A Miocene breeding ground of an extinct baleen whale (Cetacea: Mysticeti).

PubMed

Tsai, Cheng-Hsiu

2017-01-01

Locating breeding sites is definitely a key to understanding the ecological requirements and maintaining the sustainability of populations/species. Here I re-examined published specimens of an extinct baleen whale, Parietobalaena yamaokai , from the lower part of Itahashi Formation (16.1-15.6 Ma, Middle Miocene) in Shobara, Hiroshima, Japan. A critical and previously unnoticed feature, the open suture between the supraoccipital and exoccipital, in one specimen indicates the preservation of a very young individual-under six months old and even close to a new-born calf. Given the occurrence of a new-born whale and relatively abundant assemblage of Parietobalaena yamaokai , I propose a previously hidden and unknown breeding ground for the extinct baleen whale, P. yamaokai , in the Middle Miocene of Shobara (16.1-15.6 Ma), Hiroshima. Discovery of paleo-breeding sites of extinct populations/species should further help us to understand biological extinctions from a long-term perspective as conservation paleobiology aims to offer new insights into policy making for conserving endangered populations/species.

Producing Qualified Graduates and Assuring Education Quality in the Knowledge-Based Society: Roles and Issues of Graduate Education. Report of the International Workshop on Graduate Education, 2009. RIHE International Seminar Reports. No.14

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, 2010

2010-01-01

Through being specially funded by the Ministry of Education and Science in 2008, the Research Institute for Higher Education (RIHE) in Hiroshima University has been able to implement a new research project on the reform of higher education in the knowledge-based society of the 21st century. Thus RIHE hosted the second International Workshop on…

Diversifying Higher Education Systems in the International and Comparative Perspectives. Report of the International Workshop on University Reform, 2010. RIHE International Seminar Reports. No.16

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, 2011

2011-01-01

Through special funding by the Ministry of Education and Science in 2008, the Research Institute for Higher Education (RIHE) at Hiroshima University has been able to implement a new research project on the reform of higher education in the knowledge-based society of the 21st century. RIHE hosted the third International Workshop on the Higher…

78 FR 38302 - Veterans' Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-26

... occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan; and veterans who were prisoners of war in those regions at the conclusion of World War II. In addition, the advisory board will assist the VA and DTRA in communicating with... contacted toll-free at 1-866-657-VBDR (8237). Additional information may be found at http://www.vbdr.org...

One minute after the detonation of the atomic bomb: the erased effects of residual radiation.

PubMed

Takahashi, Hiroko

2009-01-01

The U.S. Government's official narrative denies the effects of residual radiation which appeared one minute after the atomic bomb detonations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This paper explores declassified documents from the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, the Atomic Bomb Casualties Commission, and others and shows that these documents actually suggested the existence of serious effects from residual radiation.

Bombsights and Adding Machines: Translating Wartime Technology into Peacetime Sales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tremblay, Michael

2010-01-01

On 10 February 1947, A.C. Buehler, the president of the Victor Adding Machine Company presented Norden Bombsight #4120 to the Smithsonian Institute. This sight was in service on board the Enola Gay when it dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Through this public presentation, Buehler forever linked his company to the Norden Bombsight, the…

Modification of Acute Radiation Response in Different Demographic Age Groups

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-25

17 5.3.1. Data from the atomic bomb survivors...different age groups. Limited data is available from the atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, supporting evidence of the...impact age-dependent survival rates. 5.3 Human Data 5.3.1. Data from the atomic bomb survivors Data collected by the Joint Commission for the

Nobel Laureate Mohamed ElBaradei: Preventing Nuclear Proliferation Peacefully

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dufour, Joanne

2006-01-01

The 2005 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded 60 years after the first atomic bombs fell on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 200,000 people; the peace prize raises the hopes of those working to rejuvenate global efforts to prevent the spread and development of nuclear arms. This article profiles the International Atomic…

The International Atomic Energy Agency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dufour, Joanne

2004-01-01

The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II inaugurated a new era in world history, the atomic age. After the war, the Soviet Union, eager to develop the same military capabilities as those demonstrated by the United States, soon rivaled the U.S. as an atomic and nuclear superpower. Faced by the possibility of…

The Executive Process, Grade Eight. Resource Unit (Unit III).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Project Social Studies Curriculum Center.

This resource unit, developed by the University of Minnesota's Project Social Studies, introduces eighth graders to the executive process. The unit uses case studies of presidential decision making such as the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the Cuba Bay of Pigs and quarantine decisions, and the Little Rock decision. A case study of…

Photographs and Pamphlet about Nuclear Fallout. The Constitution Community: Postwar United States (1945 to Early 1970s).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawlor, John M., Jr.

In August 1945, the United States unleashed an atomic weapon against the Japanese at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and brought an end to World War II. These bombs killed in two ways -- by the blast's magnitude and resulting firestorm, and by nuclear fallout. After the Soviet Union exploded its first atom bomb in 1949, the Cold War waged between the two…

Airman Scholar Journal. Volume 15, Fall 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

more. The titles emergent from his hand ranged from Astronomy to On Freedom From Pain. He directed one of the wonders of the ancient world, a...Military Education Adapt?.................................................................... 49 Col Thomas A. Drohan “ Ancient Alexandria...the process of removing radioactive materials from the site. What the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki taught us is that nuclear clean-up

A man, a plan, a bomb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, Margaret

2015-03-01

Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki justified? Was it necessary? Were there other - better - options available, either to the scientists who built the bombs or the generals who ordered them dropped? Nearly 70 years later, there are still no settled answers to these questions, and Tom Morton-Smith's new play Oppenheimer wisely avoids dwelling on the "what ifs" of atomic history.

Potential for a pluripotent adult stem cell treatment for acute radiation sickness

PubMed Central

Rodgerson, Denis O; Reidenberg, Bruce E; Harris, Alan G; Pecora, Andrew L

2012-01-01

Accidental radiation exposure and the threat of deliberate radiation exposure have been in the news and are a public health concern. Experience with acute radiation sickness has been gathered from atomic blast survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and from civilian nuclear accidents as well as experience gained during the development of radiation therapy for cancer. This paper reviews the medical treatment reports relevant to acute radiation sickness among the survivors of atomic weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, among the victims of Chernobyl, and the two cases described so far from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi disaster. The data supporting the use of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and the new efforts to expand stem cell populations ex vivo for infusion to treat bone marrow failure are reviewed. Hematopoietic stem cells derived from bone marrow or blood have a broad ability to repair and replace radiation induced damaged blood and immune cell production and may promote blood vessel formation and tissue repair. Additionally, a constituent of bone marrow-derived, adult pluripotent stem cells, very small embryonic like stem cells, are highly resistant to ionizing radiation and appear capable of regenerating radiation damaged tissue including skin, gut and lung. PMID:24520532

The Last Act: The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. National Air And Space Museum.

This text was to have been the script for the National Air and Space Museum's exhibition of the Enola Gay, focusing on the end of World War II and the decision of the United States to use of the atomic bomb. The Enola Gay was a B-29 aircraft that carried the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. The atomic bomb brought a…

CHANGES IN THE TREND OF ROENTGEN THERAPY SINCE HIROSHIMA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Orendorff, J.R.

1963-02-01

A survey of the literature before and after 1945 established that there has been a change in attitude concerning the use of radiation therapy, especially for benign conditions. ln the example chosen, Duplay's disease (subdeltoid bursitis), this change has been reflected by a reduction of the dose, decrease in port size, an increase in filtration, and in many cases the complete elimination of retreatment or initial x-ray therapy for such conditions. Before 1945, radiation up to 2400 r in air at the rate of 300 to 350 r/day was administered for this condition, and retreatment was considered acceptable. Now, themore » amount recommended is about 600 r in air at a rate of 100 to 200 r/day, and retreatment is not even considered. The recommended size of port has been reduced since 1945 from 15 by 15 or 20 by 20 cm to 8 by 6 cm or less. Previously, 0.25 mm Cu was considered satisfactory filtration; now, at least 0.5 mm Cu is thought essential. An increasing number of reports have questioned the therapeutic effectiveness of radiotherapy in bursitis patients, and antirheumatic drugs in use since 1945 have offered alternate treatment. The attitude regarding the frequency and reasons for using x-ray therapy in the treatment of subacromial bursitis has also changed radically. Before 1945, x-ray therapy was considered one of the best treatments for this disease. The possible leukemogenic effect of radiation and the importance of curtailing radiotherapy in benign diseases are discussed. (BBB)« less

Publicly Released Prompt Radiation Spectra Suitable for Nuclear Detonation Simulations

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

emission. During the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings , the prompt radiation contributed from 40%-70% of the free-in-air dose depending on distance from...intermediate- and low-yield thermonuclear weapons for initial radiation shielding calculations No Gritzner, et al. 1976 ( EM -1, Low, Henre...DNA 4267F ( EM -1 Fission) Neutron Gritzner, et al. 1976 1.00 x 1023 Glasstone (Thermonuclear) Neutron Glasstone & Dolan 1977 1.445 x 1023 ORNL-TM

ONR Far East Scientific Information Bulletin. Volume 15, Number 3, July- September 1990

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-01

video IMSL, an extremely well known com- Mimura’s Laboratory at tapes. Most of the programming is done mercial software library probably avail- Hiroshima...are visualized via video tape. The experiment associated with this. In a ifthiswill have the horsepower tocrank finished product is professional...individuals associated for tional composite applications include tor- the various Japanese databases are: pedo tubes by St. Tropez and aerospace radomes by

Laser Ablated Pure Non-Crystalline Co Thin Films for Inductors for Ultra-High Frequencies

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-04-01

Applications of Ferromagnetic and Optical Materials, Storage and Magnetoelectronics: Symposia Held in San Francisco , California, U.S.A. on April 16-20...V. Madurga, J. Vergara , C. Favieres Departamento de Ffsica. Universidad Paiblica de Navarra. Campus Arrosadfa. E-31006 Pamplona. Spain. ABSTRACT Non...Y. Hiroshima, T. Ishiguro, I. Urata, H. Ohta, M. Tohogi, Y. Ichinose. I. Appl. Phys. 79, 3572 (1996). 8. V. Madurga, J. Vergara , I.P. Landazhlbal

Hydrogen analysis for granite using proton-proton elastic recoil coincidence spectrometry.

PubMed

Komatsubara, T; Sasa, K; Ohshima, H; Kimura, H; Tajima, Y; Takahashi, T; Ishii, S; Yamato, Y; Kurosawa, M

2008-07-01

In an effort to develop DS02, a new radiation dosimetry system for the atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, measurements of neutron-induced activities have provided valuable information to reconstruct the radiation situation at the time of the bombings. In Hiroshima, the depth profile of (152)Eu activity measured in a granite pillar of the Motoyasu Bridge (128 m from the hypocenter) was compared with that calculated using the DS02 methodology. For calculation of the (152)Eu production due to the thermal-neutron activation reaction, (151)Eu(n,gamma)(152)Eu, information on the hydrogen content in granite is important because the transport and slowing-down process of neutrons penetrating into the pillar is strongly affected by collisions with the protons of hydrogen. In this study, proton-proton elastic recoil coincidence spectrometry has been used to deduce the proton density in the Motoyasu pillar granite. Slices of granite samples were irradiated by a 20 MeV proton beam, and the energies of scattered and recoil protons were measured with a coincidence method. The water concentration in the pillar granite was evaluated to be 0.30 +/- 0.07%wt. This result is consistent with earlier data on adsorptive water (II) and bound water obtained by the Karl Fisher method.

A preliminary study on the use of (10)Be in forensic radioecology of nuclear explosion sites.

PubMed

Whitehead, N E; Endo, S; Tanaka, K; Takatsuji, T; Hoshi, M; Fukutani, S; Ditchburn, R G; Zondervan, A

2008-02-01

Cosmogenic (10)Be, known for use in dating studies, unexpectedly is also produced in nuclear explosions with an atom yield almost comparable to (e.g.) (137)Cs. There are major production routes via (13)C(n, alpha)(10)Be, from carbon dioxide in the air and the organic explosives, possibly from other bomb components and to a minor extent from the direct fission reaction. Although the detailed bomb components are speculative, carbon was certainly present in the explosives and an order of magnitude calculation is possible. The (n, alpha) cross-section was determined by irradiating graphite in a nuclear reactor, and the resulting (10)Be estimated by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) giving a cross-section of 34.5+/-0.7mb (6-9.3MeV), within error of previous work. (10)Be should have applications in forensic radioecology. Historical environmental samples from Hiroshima, and Semipalatinsk (Kazakhstan) showed two to threefold (10)Be excesses compared with the background cosmogenic levels. A sample from Lake Chagan (a Soviet nuclear cratering experiment) contained more (10)Be than previously reported soils. (10)Be may be useful for measuring the fast neutron dose near the Hiroshima bomb hypocenter at neutron energies double those previously available.

Iran Nuclear Threat - An Environmental Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

Hibakusha is the term widely used in Japan referring to the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese word translates...literally to "explosion-affected people.,,29 Researchers have studied and followed the lives of more than fifty thousand Hibakusha over the last sixty years...who have significant exposure to the bombs’ effects, Studies have revealed that these Hibakusha have about a 30 percent higher than normal chance of

The Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site: Through My Own Eyes

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-01

valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED (From...Accordingly, this document is translated essentially verbatim, with only minor edits to clarify dated material, etc. Both the medical data he collected...There are three points on the Earth which have been poisoned by excessive ionizing radiation. The first is Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the

Pearl to V-J Day: World War II in the Pacific

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-01

wanted to keep as large a proportion as possible of Australian and New Zealand forces in the North African campaign, several American divisions were sent...an entirely new dimension of horror to an already ferocious struggle. 16 Naval authorities in Kure, located across the bay from Hiroshima, sent a...locate where the Japanese had hidden important elements of their remaining fleet, perhaps in Patience Bay , on Karafuto Island, where a vast new air base

A Guide to the Microform Collections of the USMA (United States Military Academy) Library,

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-01-01

array of material about the Manhattan Project and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; none of it was declassified until 1976. Foremost among...1946. The twenty-one page printed A Guide to the Manhattan Project : Official History and Documents, located on top of the metal cabinets in Room 212, is...organizational characteristics of the Manhattan Project . The seven succeeding books discussed the 49 various sub-projects of the effort, such as Book III

A statistical study on synergetic effects of atmospheric rivers and cut-off lows upon precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuji, H.; Takayabu, Y. N.

2017-12-01

Effects of atmospheric rivers (ARs) on precipitation in the western North Pacific (WNP) region has been less studied compared with that in the eastern Pacific. Recently, Hirota et al. (2016, MWR) analyzed the extreme rainfall event which caused a disastrous flood in Hiroshima, Japan, on 19 August 2014. They showed that a coincidence of very moist troposphere associated with AR and instability and dynamical ascent associated with a cut-off low (COL) played a significant role for the rainfall event. As in this case, AR in the WNP region seems to enhance rainfall with additional instability or ascending motion brought by another system. However, it is not clear how far large-scale conditions such as AR and COL can determine locations of severe rainfall. In this study, we statistically investigate the differences in precipitation between cases in which AR exists near a COL (AR category) and those in which AR does not exist near a COL (non-AR category). Precipitation data are obtained from hourly Global Satellite Mapping of Precipitation (GSMaP) data (0.1 degree grid). We define AR and COL with six-hourly JRA55 (1.25 degree grid) precipitable water (PW) and 350 K isentropic potential vorticity, respectively. The analyses are conducted in the WNP region (100E-160W, 0-60N), from March 2000 to February 2013. Composite results show that precipitation amount around the front side of COL's moving direction (north) in the AR category (139 cases) is larger than that in the non-AR category (63 cases). In particular, the difference of precipitation around the front-left side (north-west) is statistically significant. The relationship among the locations of COL, positive PW anomaly region corresponding to AR, and the region where the difference of precipitation is statistically significant is similar with that among the locations of COL, AR, and extreme precipitation area in the event of Hiroshima. It is indicated that a precipitation enhancement can occur associated with a

The Lesson of Hiroshima and Nagasaki--Part I: The Past.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kauffman, George B.

1985-01-01

Examines scientific discoveries which underlie the atomic bomb and its technological development in the United States during World War II. Changing views, super-weapon development, early American efforts, production/dropping the bombs, and the Oppenheimer case are considered. (DH)

Determination of 60Co activity in steel samples in Hiroshima.

PubMed

Hamada, T

1991-03-01

Specific activity of 60C in two steel samples taken at 687m S and 1295m NNW from the hypocenter was measured by gamma-ray spectrometry and neutron activation analysis. The results are consistent with previous data by Hashizume et al. for steel rings on the surface of roofs of buildings. content of nickel and copper in the samples was found to be too small to account for any significant 60Co production by fast neutron reactions.

Textbook of Military Medicine. Part 3. Disease and the Environment. Volume 2. Occupational Health. The Soldier and the Industrial Base

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-01-01

hygiene;and provid- Many agents--including tuberculosis, varicella ,and ing hazard-recognition training.’ rubella-pose significant threats and deserve...Wod War II, abcut 180 scientists from Peenemundeand 300 fir.,ht cars full of V-2 parts werecaptured by UtS ArmyOrdnanceexperts and taken to New Mexico ...detonated in New Mexico . On 6 August an atornic bomb (z gun-assembly. uranium-fueld device code-named Little Boy) was drcpped on HiroshimaJapan.On 11 August a

Foundations of the Ethics for Martial Technologies

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-07

1945, America unleashed an emergent martial-technic that redefined the character of warfare. The atomic bomb , President Truman announced, is the...the president promised to meet any further recalcitrance by Japan with even more powerful bombs – bringing them a “rain of ruin.” Nagasaki followed...34Statement by the President Announcing the Use of the a- Bomb at Hiroshima," The White House. 54 Toyofumi Ogura, Letters from the End of the World : A

Modulation of Mortality by Tissue Trauma and Sepsis in Mice after Radiation Injury

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

at Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Chernobyl underscore the need for useful animal models to (a) evaluate the combined effects of radiation and tissue trauma...States, and Chernobyl , U.S.S.R.) and from abandoned medical radiation devices (Juarez, Mexico, and Goiania, Brazil). Th ;nceased risk to human health as...well as the loss of life in Chernobyl and Goiania have had sobering influences upon the world. 202 92-19333 92 o J1 I l ~l ,,TIIII,1 .\\hodtatlon Of

Surveying with Charge Coupled Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-01

number of two-pixel events were seen that we ascribe to muons depositing ionization energy near a boundary of two adjacent pixels. There also were...column are given in terms of the energy expended at Hiroshima in August 1945, an equivalent of 13 kilotons of TNT, or 5 x 1020 ergs. The magnitude...300,000 years. Twice as many impacts of comparable energy release occur in the oceans, generating large tidal waves and destructive effects on coastal areas

Our Missing Shield: The U.S. Civil Defense Program in Historical Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-04-01

investigators ob- served: "The casualty rates at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, applied to the massed inhabitants of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx , yield a grim...211.Ill -. 2 14A. a1 Manhattan (night) I. rim Or 22.2 7fi, Min Bronx ............. .. . . 4. I.W71 41.4 ., o Brooklyn ........... ....... 7 0 M.9...were aware, of course, of the "internal bureaucratic rumblings "--the reassessments of the strategic implications of civil defense and the policy and

Remarkable experiences of the nuclear tests in residents near the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: analysis based on the questionnaire surveys.

PubMed

Kawano, Noriyuki; Ohtaki, Megu

2006-02-01

The main objective of this paper is to identify salient experiences of those who were exposed to radiation by the nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Tests Site (SNTS). In 2002, our research team of the Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, started to conduct some field research by means of a questionnaire survey. Through this, we expected to examine the health condition of the residents near the SNTS, identify their experiences from the nuclear tests, and understand the exposure path. This attempt at clarifying the reality of radiation exposure at Semipalatinsk through the use of a survey research method is the first of its kind. Among the responses to our survey, the present paper focuses mainly upon responses to the questions concerning the experiences of the nuclear tests. It deals mainly with direct experiences of nuclear tests of the residents characteristic to Semipalatinsk, including some new experiences hitherto unnoticed. The present paper touches upon their concrete direct experiences of flash, bomb blast, heat, rain and dust. We also discuss distinct experiences in Semipalatinsk such as evacuation, through the additional use of their testimonies. The data have been compared with the results obtained in a similar survey made in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For the data analysis, a statistical method called logistic multiple linear regression analysis has been used.

Manufacturability of compact synchrotron mirrors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douglas, Gary M.

1997-11-01

While many of the government funded research communities over the years have put their faith and money into increasingly larger synchrotrons, such as Spring8 in Japan, and the APS in the United States, a viable market appears to exist for smaller scale, research and commercial grade, compact synchrotrons. These smaller, and less expensive machines, provide the research and industrial communities with synchrotron radiation beamline access at a portion of the cost of their larger and more powerful counterparts. A compact synchrotron, such as the Aurora-2D, designed and built by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. of japan (SHI), is a small footprint synchrotron capable of sustaining 20 beamlines. Coupled with a Microtron injector, with 150 MeV of injection energy, an entire facility fits within a 27 meter [88.5 ft] square floorplan. The system, controlled by 2 personal computers, is capable of producing 700 MeV electron energy and 300 mA stored current. Recently, an Aurora-2D synchrotron was purchased from SHI by the University of Hiroshima. The Rocketdyne Albuquerque Operations Beamline Optics Group was approached by SHI with a request to supply a group of 16 beamline mirrors for this machine. These mirrors were sufficient to supply 3 beamlines for the Hiroshima machine. This paper will address engineering issues which arose during the design and manufacturing of these mirrors.

Estimation of the emission factors of PAHs by traffic with the model of atmospheric dispersion and deposition from heavy traffic road.

PubMed

Ozaki, N; Tokumitsu, H; Kojima, K; Kindaichi, T

2007-01-01

In order to consider the total atmospheric loadings of the PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) from traffic activities, the emission factors of PAHs were estimated and from the obtained emission factors and vehicle transportation statistics, total atmospheric loadings were integrated and the loadings into the water body were estimated on a regional scale. The atmospheric concentration of PAHs was measured at the roadside of a road with heavy traffic in the Hiroshima area in Japan. The samplings were conducted in summer and winter. Atmospheric particulate matters (fine particle, 0.6-7 microm; coarse particle, over 7 microm) and their PAH concentration were measured. Also, four major emission sources (gasoline and diesel vehicle emissions, tire and asphalt debris) were assumed for vehicle transportation activities, the chemical mass balance method was applied and the source partitioning at the roadside was estimated. Furthermore, the dispersion of atmospheric particles from the vehicles was modelled and the emission factors of the sources were determined by the comparison to the chemical mass balance results. Based on emission factors derived from the modelling, an atmospheric dispersion model of nationwide scale (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology - Atmospheric Dispersion Model for Exposure and Risk assessment) was applied, and the atmospheric concentration and loading to the ground were calculated for the Hiroshima Bay watershed area.

Critical Infrastructure Protection- Los Alamos National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bofman, Ryan K.

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has been a key facet of Critical National Infrastructure since the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima exposed the nature of the Laboratory’s work in 1945. Common knowledge of the nature of sensitive information contained here presents a necessity to protect this critical infrastructure as a matter of national security. This protection occurs in multiple forms beginning with physical security, followed by cybersecurity, safeguarding of classified information, and concluded by the missions of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Leukemia in US Navy Enlisted Personnel

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-02-03

the health efects of living near or working in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1946-64. 1. Distribution, inci- with electricity generation and transmission...Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in U.S. Navy personnel. Arch posure. Ann NY Acad Sci 1976;27:143-51. Environ Health 1988;43:425-9. 40. Fishbeck WA, Townsend JC...human lym- benzene. Arch EnvL.on Health 1978;33:3-10. phocytes. Cell Calcium 1987;8:412-27. 43. Rushton L, Alderson MR. A case-control study to

28. Graffiti in north cells: '20 years old 4315 CD ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

28. Graffiti in north cells: '20 years old 4315 C-D Mamoru Yoshimoto 5/24/45 180 days Kumamoto'; '18 ' ' years old 1406-A Haruo Yokoi 6/17/45 270 days Nagoya'; '31 ' ' years old 5604-B Masaki Nishii 5/24/45 180 days Kumamoto'; '19 ' ' years old 1806-B Masaharu Yoshida 5/24/45 180 days Hiroshima'; 135mm lens with electronic flash illumination. - Tule Lake Project Jail, Post Mile 44.85, State Route 139, Newell, Modoc County, CA

Critical Elements and Needs for Nuclear Weapons Maintenance: A Delphi Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

means the world to me. You’ve always stood by my side and made life easier for me through all of the moves and deployments. I would also like to...recommendations will be discussed. Trinity and the Cold War July 16, 1945 forever changed the history of the world when the first atomic bomb...than one month later, atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bringing an end to World War II. Since that time, no

Quantitative assessment of cerebral blood flow in genetically confirmed spinocerebellar ataxia type 6.

PubMed

Honjo, Kie; Ohshita, Tomohiko; Kawakami, Hideshi; Naka, Hiromitsu; Imon, Yukari; Maruyama, Hirofumi; Mimori, Yasuyo; Matsumoto, Masayasu

2004-06-01

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) is an autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia caused by CAG trinucleotide expansion. The characteristics of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in SCA6 patients have not been established, whereas it has been reported that decreased rCBF in the cerebrum seems to be a remote effect of cerebellar impairment in other cerebellar disorders. To clarify the characteristics of rCBF, including cerebro-cerebellar relationship, and its correlation with clinical manifestations in patients with genetically confirmed SCA6 using quantitative assessment of rCBF by brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Technetium Tc 99m ethyl cysteinate dimer SPECT study using a Patlak plot. Patients Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan. Ten patients with SCA6 and 9 healthy controls. Main Outcome Measure The rCBF of the cerebellar vermis, cerebellar hemisphere, and frontal lobes. In SCA6 patients, rCBF was decreased only in the cerebellar vermis and hemisphere compared with healthy controls, and this was inversely correlated with duration of illness. The rCBF in the frontal lobes was slightly correlated with duration of illness without statistical significance. The rCBF in the vermis was inversely correlated with severity of dysarthria, but there was no significant correlation with CAG repeated expansions. Decrease in rCBF was found only in the cerebellum and was associated with duration of illness, dysarthria and ataxia, and cerebellar atrophy. No remote effect of cerebellar hypoperfusion was found in the SCA6 patients.

Resilience among Japanese atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Knowles, A

2011-03-01

The purpose of the study was to explore the experience of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Never has the world experienced such extreme devastation as with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945. Although significant quantitative research has been completed about the medical effects following radiation, the literature lacks qualitative exploration from a holistic health perspective. This was a qualitative descriptive study, using methods of narrative analysis, oral history and ethnography. The sample for this research included eight individuals who were exposed to the atomic bombings in Japan and currently reside in the United States. Findings provide insight to the resilience that the survivors exhibited immediately following the bomb, as well as throughout the 65 years following the event. From ethnographic data and interviews with survivors, a thematic structure was developed that depicts the essential elements of the atomic bomb experience. Two ways of being in the world followed the bombing: surviving and thriving, with resilience serving as a lever, allowing for fluid movement over time across the continuum. Individuals experiencing surviving exhibited anxiety about their personal and family members' health, expressed mistrust, and felt a stigma associated with being a survivor. For those who were thriving, peace activism, overcoming and forgiveness were typically displayed. Findings from this study add to the disaster nursing literature and highlight the role resilience plays in the atomic bomb survivors' life perspective. © 2011 The Author. International Nursing Review © 2011 International Council of Nurses.

Cross-cultural differences of self-reported oral health behaviour in Japanese and Finnish dental students.

PubMed

Kawamura, M; Honkala, E; Widström, E; Komabayashi, T

2000-02-01

To determine whether any differences existed in dental health behaviour between Japanese and Finnish dental students. Hiroshima University School of Dentistry and the University of Helsinki. Comparison of cross-cultural differences of self-reported oral health behaviour. Dental students, 337 in Japan and 113 in Finland. Subjects were surveyed using the Japanese and Finnish versions of a 20-item questionnaire entitled Hiroshima University--Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI). Only 2 per cent of Finnish students reported that they put off going to the dentist until they had toothache, compared to 56 per cent of Japanese students. Similarly, significantly more Japanese students thought that their teeth were getting worse despite their daily brushing, compared to their Finnish peers. The mean HU-DBI score of Year 1 Finnish students was higher than that of their Japanese peers, which suggested a higher level of dental health awareness in Finnish students upon entry into dental school. The mean scores of the Japanese students were lower than those of their Finnish peers until Year 3. The mean scores of Year 5 and Year 6 Japanese students were higher than that of Year 1 students, indicating raised self-care levels influenced by the course in preventive dentistry. The gender difference of the HU-DBI score was not a major feature in either country. Self-reported oral health behaviours seemed to be very different between the two countries, which reflected different culture and/or health education systems of the students.

Statistical Analysis of the Medical Effects of the Atomic Bombs

DTIC Science & Technology

1955-02-28

high incidence in In Nagasaki, the incidence of Since there WE@ no requimmnt for the It may be that the BloOay Diarrhea, Necrotic Gingivitis amd...ring 1, bLnody diarrhea WBS reported far lO.7$ In Hiroshima 170 cases of necrotic gingivitis were reported, of which no cww of necrotic 5 inciderice...the women in ring 1 and 18.0$ of the woman i n ring 7 in N a g a s a k i . menstruation were produced primarily by gamma radiation, or whether they

Epidemiology of accidental radiation exposures.

PubMed Central

Cardis, E

1996-01-01

Much of the information on the health effects of radiation exposure available to date comes from long-term studies of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Accidental exposures, such as those resulting from the Chernobyl and Kyshtym accidents, have as yet provided little information concerning health effects of ionizing radiation. This paper will present the current state of our knowledge concerning radiation effects, review major large-scale accidental radiation exposures, and discuss information that could be obtained from studies of accidental exposures and the types of studies that are needed. PMID:8781398

Policy and Technical Issues Facing a Fissile Material (Cutoff) Treaty

DOE PAGES

von Hippel, Frank; Mian, Zia

2015-05-18

We report the largest obstacle to creating nuclear weapons, starting with the ones that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has been to make sufficient quantities of fissile materials – highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium – to sustain an explosive fission chain reaction.1 Recognition of this fact has, for more than fifty years, underpinned both the support for and the opposition to adoption of an international treaty banning at a minimum the production of more fissile materials for nuclear weapons, commonly referred to as a fissile material cutoff treaty (FMCT).

Resource Letter MP-3: The Manhattan Project and Related Nuclear Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, B. Cameron

2016-10-01

This Resource Letter is a supplement to the earlier Resource Letters MP-1 and MP-2, and provides further sources on the Manhattan Project and related research. Books, review papers, journal articles, videos, and websites are cited for the following topics: general works, technical works, biographical and autobiographical works, foreign wartime nuclear programs and related allied intelligence, the use of the bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, technical papers of historical interest, postwar policy and technical developments, and educational materials. Together, these three Resource Letters describe nearly 400 sources of information on the Manhattan Project.

The development of fetal dosimetry and its application to A-bomb survivors exposed in utero.

PubMed

Chen, Jing

2012-03-01

The cohort of the atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki comprises the major basis for investigations of health effects induced by ionising radiation in humans. To study the health effects associated with radiation exposure before birth, fetal dosimetry is needed if significant differences exist between the fetal absorbed dose and the mother's uterine dose. Combining total neutron and gamma ray free-in-air fluences at 1 m above ground with fluence-to-absorbed dose conversion coefficients, fetal doses were calculated for various exposure orientations at the ground distance of 1500 m from the hypocentres in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The results showed that the mother's uterine dose can serve as a good surrogate for the dose of the embryo and fetus in the first trimester. However, significant differences exist between doses of the fetus of different ages. If the mother's uterine dose were used as a surrogate, doses to the fetus in the last two trimesters could be overestimated by more than 20 % for exposure orientations facing towards and away from the hypocentre while significantly underestimated for lateral positions relative to the hypocentre. In newer fetal models, the brain is modelled for all fetal ages. Brain doses to the 3-month fetus are generally higher than those to an embryo and fetus of other ages. In most cases, brain absorbed doses differ significantly from the doses to the entire fetal body. In order to accurately assess radiation effects to the fetal brain, it is necessary to determine brain doses separately.

Somatic cell mutations at the glycophorin A locus in erythrocytes of atomic bomb survivors: Implications for radiation carcinogenesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kyoizumi, Seishi; Akiyama, Mitoshi; Tanabe, Kazumi

To clarify the relationship between somatic cell mutations and radiation exposure, the frequency of hemizygous mutant erythrocytes at the glycophorin A (GPA) locus was measured by flow cytometry for 1,226 heterozygous atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors in HIroshima and Nagasaki. For statistical analysis, both GPA mutant frequency and radiation dose were log-transformed to normalize skewed distributions of these variables. The GPA mutant frequency increased slightly but significantly with age at testing and with the number of cigarettes smoked. Also, mutant frequency was significantly higher in males than in females even with adjustment for smoking and was higher to Hiroshima than inmore » Nagasaki. These characteristics of background GPA mutant frequency are qualitatively similar to those of background solid cancer incidence or mortality obtained from previous epidemiological studies of survivors. An analysis of the mutant frequency dose response using a descriptive model showed that the doubling dose is about 1.20 Sv [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95-1.56], whereas the minimum dose for detecting a significant increase in mutant frequency is about 0.24 Sv (95% CI: 0.041-0.51). No significant effects of sex, city or age at the time of exposure on the dose response were detected. Interestingly, the doubling dose of the GPA mutant frequency was similar to that of solid cancer incidence in A-bomb survivors. This observation is in line with the hypothesis that radiation-induced somatic cell mutations are the major cause of excess cancer risk after radiation. 49 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Are passive smoking, air pollution and obesity a greater mortality risk than major radiation incidents?

PubMed Central

Smith, Jim T

2007-01-01

Background Following a nuclear incident, the communication and perception of radiation risk becomes a (perhaps the) major public health issue. In response to such incidents it is therefore crucial to communicate radiation health risks in the context of other more common environmental and lifestyle risk factors. This study compares the risk of mortality from past radiation exposures (to people who survived the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs and those exposed after the Chernobyl accident) with risks arising from air pollution, obesity and passive and active smoking. Methods A comparative assessment of mortality risks from ionising radiation was carried out by estimating radiation risks for realistic exposure scenarios and assessing those risks in comparison with risks from air pollution, obesity and passive and active smoking. Results The mortality risk to populations exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl accident may be no higher than that for other more common risk factors such as air pollution or passive smoking. Radiation exposures experienced by the most exposed group of survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to an average loss of life expectancy significantly lower than that caused by severe obesity or active smoking. Conclusion Population-averaged risks from exposures following major radiation incidents are clearly significant, but may be no greater than those from other much more common environmental and lifestyle factors. This comparative analysis, whilst highlighting inevitable uncertainties in risk quantification and comparison, helps place the potential consequences of radiation exposures in the context of other public health risks. PMID:17407581

Neutron spectrum from the little boy mock-up

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robba, A.A.

1986-01-01

Most of the human exposure data used for setting radiation protection guidelines have been obtained by following the survivors of the nuclear explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Proper evaluation of these data requires estimates of the radiation exposure received by those survivors. Until now neutron dose estimates have relied primarily on calculations as no measurements of the leakage neutron flux or neutron spectrum were available. We have measured the high-energy leakage neutron spectrum from a mock-up of the Little Boy device operating at delayed critical. The measurements are compared with Monte Carlo calculations of the leakage neutron spectrum.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yokosawa, A.

The author described the polarized-proton and polarized-antiproton beams up to 200 GeV/c at Fermilab. The beam line, called MP, consists of the 400-m long primary and 350-m long secondary beam line followed by 60-m long experimental hall. We discuss the characteristics of the polarized beams. The Fermilab polarization projects are designated at E-581/704 initiated and carried out by an international collaboration, Argonne (US), Fermilab (US), Kyoto-Kyushu-Hiroshima-KEK (Japan), LAPP (France), Northwestern University (US), Los Alamos Laboratory (US), Rice (US), Saclay (France), Serpukhov (USSR), INFN Trieste (Italy), and University of Texas (US).

The study of human mutation rates. Progress report, 1989--1992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Neel, J.V.

1992-12-01

We will describe recent developments regarding the question of induced mutations in the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As part of that work we, describe some developments with respect to the Amerindian blood samples collected under DoE sponsorship between 1964 and 1982. Then developments regarding the application of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) to the study of genetic variation and mutation affecting protein characteristics. In particular, we will report on the identification and isolation of genes of especial interest as reflected in the behavior of the proteins which they encode.

The study of human mutation rates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Neel, J.V.

1992-01-01

We will describe recent developments regarding the question of induced mutations in the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As part of that work we, describe some developments with respect to the Amerindian blood samples collected under DoE sponsorship between 1964 and 1982. Then developments regarding the application of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) to the study of genetic variation and mutation affecting protein characteristics. In particular, we will report on the identification and isolation of genes of especial interest as reflected in the behavior of the proteins which they encode.

Translating research findings to promote peace: moving from "field to forum" with verbatim theatre.

PubMed

Liehr, Patricia; Morris, Kate; Leavitt, Mary Ann; Takahashi, Ryutaro

2013-01-01

Peace, both personal and global, resides in understanding. Verbatim theatre is introduced as a vehicle for translating research findings to promote understanding and thereby, promote health. By shifting our translation lens from "bench to bedside" to "field to forum," new opportunities arise for moving nursing research-findings to an engaged audience. Stories from Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima survivors were woven into the verbatim performance, With Their Voices Raised. Analysis of audience members' reflections after the performance suggests that verbatim theatre created a connection based in openness, engagement, and trust that informed understanding and raised awareness about peace processes.

The Lesson of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Part II: The Present and Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kauffman, George B.

1985-01-01

Part I (SE 537 587) briefly reviewed the scientific discoveries underlying the atomic bomb and its technological development. This part examines the implications of these events for science education. Areas considered include the nuclear arms race, nuclear winter, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and others. (DH)

Clinical usefulness of magnifying endoscopy for non-ampullary duodenal tumors.

PubMed

Mizumoto, Takeshi; Sanomura, Yoji; Tanaka, Shinji; Kuroki, Kazutoshi; Kurihara, Mio; Yoshifuku, Yoshikazu; Oka, Shiro; Arihiro, Koji; Shimamoto, Fumio; Chayama, Kazuaki

2017-04-01

Study aims  This study aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness of magnifying endoscopy (ME) for non-ampullary duodenal tumors. Patients and methods  We enrolled 103 consecutive patients with non-ampullary duodenal tumors that were observed by ME with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) and had pit pattern analysis before endoscopic resection at Hiroshima University Hospital before December 2014. ME-NBI images were classified as Type B or Type C according to the Hiroshima classification, and pit patterns were classified as regular or irregular. We studied the clinicopathological features and diagnoses with ME-NBI and pit pattern analyses according to the Vienna classification (category 3: 73 patients; category 4: 30 patients). Results  Category 4 lesions were significantly larger than category 3 lesions. According to ME-NBI images, category 4 Type C lesions (83 %) were significantly more common than category 4 Type B lesions (17 %). According to pit pattern analyses, category 4 irregular lesions 4 (77 %) were significantly more common than category 4 regular lesions (23 %). The accuracies of using Type C ME-NBI images and irregular pit patterns to diagnose category 4 lesions were 87 % and 84 %, the sensitivities were 83 % and 77 %, and the specificities were 89 % and 88 %, respectively. There was no significant difference between ME-NBI and pit pattern analyses for diagnosing the histologic grade of non-ampullary duodenal tumors. Conclusion  Our study showed that ME-NBI and pit pattern analysis had equivalent abilities to determine the histologic grade of non-ampullary duodenal tumors. ME-NBI may be more useful because it is a simple, less time-consuming procedure.

Monitoring exposure to atomic bomb radiation by somatic mutation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akiyama, Mitoshi; Kyoizumi, Seishi; Kusunoki, Yoichiro

Atomic bomb survivors are a population suitable for studying the relationship between somatic mutation and cancer risk because their exposure doses are relatively well known and their dose responses in terms of cancer risk have also been thoroughly studied. An analysis has been made of erythrocyte glycophorin A (GPA) gene mutations in 1,226 atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The GPA mutation frequency (Mf) increased slightly but significantly with age at the time of measurement and with the number of cigarettes smoked. After adjustment for the effect of smoking, the Mf was significantly higher in males than in femalesmore » and higher in Hiroshima than in Nagasaki. All of these characteristics of the background GPA Mf were in accord with those of solid tumor incidence obtained from an earlier epidemiological study of A-bomb survivors. Analysis of the dose effect on Mf revealed the doubling dose to be about 1.20 Sv and the minimum dose for detection of a significant increase to be about 0.24 Sv. No significant dose effect for difference in sex, city, or age at the time of bombing was observed. Interestingly, the doubling dose for the GPA Mf approximated that for solid cancer incidence (1.59 Sv). And the minimum dose for detection was not inconsistent with the data for solid cancer incidence. The dose effect was significantly higher in those diagnosed with cancer before or after measurement than in those without a history of cancer. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that somatic mutations are the main cause of excess cancer risk from radiation exposure. 27 refs., 2 figs.« less

Influence of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine on Acute Otitis Media with Severe Middle Ear Inflammation: A Retrospective Multicenter Study.

PubMed

Sugino, Hirotoshi; Tsumura, Shigeru; Kunimoto, Masaru; Noda, Masuhiro; Chikuie, Daisuke; Noda, Chieko; Yamashita, Mariko; Watanabe, Hiroshi; Ishii, Hidemasa; Tashiro, Toru; Iwata, Kazuhiro; Kono, Takashi; Tsumura, Kaoru; Sumiya, Takahiro; Takeno, Sachio; Hirakawa, Katsuhiro

2015-01-01

The Japanese guidelines for acute otitis media in children recommend classifying acute otitis media by age, manifestations and local findings, and also recommend myringotomy for moderate-grade cases with severe local findings, severe-grade cases, and treatment-resistant cases. The heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was released in Japan in February 2010. In Hiroshima City, public funding allowing free inoculation with this vaccine was initiated from January 2011, and the number of vaccinated individuals has since increased dramatically. This study investigated changes in the number of myringotomies performed to treat acute otitis media during the 5-year period from January 2008 to December 2012 at two hospitals and five clinics in the Asa Area of Hiroshima City, Japan. A total of 3,165 myringotomies for acute otitis media were performed. The rate of procedures per child-year performed in <5-year-old children decreased by 29.1% in 2011 and by 25.2% in 2012 compared to the mean rate performed in the 3 years prior to the introduction of public funding. A total of 895 myringotomies were performed for 1-year-old infants. The rate of myringotomies per child-year performed for acute otitis media in 1-year-old infants decreased significantly in the 2 years after the introduction of public funding for heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine compared to all years before introduction (p<0.000001). Our results suggest a benefit of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for acute otitis media in reducing the financial burden of myringotomy. In addition, this vaccine may help prevent acute otitis media with severe middle ear inflammation in 1-year-old infants.

Rice crop growth monitoring using ENVISAT-1/ASAR AP mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konishi, Tomohisa; Suga, Yuzo; Omatu, Shigeru; Takeuchi, Shoji; Asonuma, Kazuyoshi

2007-10-01

Hiroshima Institute of Technology (HIT) is operating the direct down-links of microwave and optical earth observation satellite data in Japan. This study focuses on the validation for rice crop monitoring using microwave remotely sensed image data acquired by ENIVISAT-1 referring to ground truth data such as height of rice crop, vegetation cover rate and leaf area index in the test sites of Hiroshima district, the western part of Japan. ENVISAT-1/ASAR data has the capabilities for the monitoring of the rice crop growing cycle by using alternating cross polarization mode images. However, ASAR data is influenced by several parameters such as land cover structure, direction and alignment of rice crop fields in the test sites. In this study, the validation was carried out to be combined with microwave image data and ground truth data regarding rice crop fields to investigate the above parameters. Multi-temporal, multi-direction (descending and ascending) and multi-angle ASAR alternating cross polarization mode images were used to investigate during the rice crop growing cycle. On the other hand, LANDSAT-7/ETM+ data were used to detect land cover structure, direction and alignment of rice crop fields corresponding to the backscatter of ASAR. Finally, the extraction of rice planted area was attempted by using multi-temporal ASAR AP mode data such as VV/VH and HH/HV. As the result of this study, it is clear that the estimated rice planted area coincides with the existing statistical data for area of the rice crop field. In addition, HH/HV is more effective than VV/VH in the rice planted area extraction.

Characteristic miR-24 Expression in Gastric Cancers among Atomic Bomb Survivors.

PubMed

Naito, Yutaka; Oue, Naohide; Pham, Trang T B; Yamamoto, Manabu; Fujihara, Megumu; Ishida, Teruyoshi; Mukai, Shoichiro; Sentani, Kazuhiro; Sakamoto, Naoya; Hida, Eisuke; Sasaki, Hiroki; Yasui, Wataru

2015-01-01

To elucidate the mechanism of radiation-induced cancers, we analyzed the expression profiles of microRNAs extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) gastric cancer (GC) tissue samples from atomic bomb survivors. The expression levels of miR-21, miR-24, miR-34a, miR-106a, miR-143, and miR-145 were measured by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The expression of microRNAs was measured by qRT-PCR in a Hiroshima University Hospital cohort comprising 32 patients in the high-dose-exposed group and 18 patients in the low-dose-exposed group who developed GC after the bombing. The GC cases showing high expression of miR-24, miR-143, and miR-145 were more frequently found in the high-dose-exposed group than in the low-dose-exposed group. We next performed qRT-PCR of miR-24, miR-143, and miR-145 in a cohort from the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-Bomb Survivors Hospital comprising 122 patients in the high-dose-exposed group and 48 patients in the low-dose-exposed group who developed GC after the bombing. High expressions of miR-24 and miR-143 were more frequently found in the high-dose-exposed group than in the low-dose-exposed group. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only high expression of miR-24 was an independent predictor for the exposure status. These results suggest that the measurement of miR-24 expression from FFPE samples is useful to identify radiation-associated GC.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Inada, G.J.; Hall, C.W.

Results are reported from ophthalmologic observations carried out on residents of Nagasaki and Hiroshima and exposed to radiation from an atomic explosion. Very significant statistical test results indicate that lenticular opacities observed have definite relationship to ionizing radiation exposure distance from the hypocenter (exposure distance in this instance is used as a relative index of radiation dosage received). Exposure to ionizing radiation does increase the incidence of lenticular changes indicative of ionizing radiation (definite opacities, polychrome posterior capsular roughening, excessive cortical opacities unexplained and, especially, the polychrome posterior capsular plaques). No appreciable differences in opacities by sex or loss ofmore » visual acuity were observed.« less

Tarawa to Okinawa: The Evolution of Amphibious Operations in the Pacific during World War II

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-06

successfully tested at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Tinian-based B-29 drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Tinian-based B-29 drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Russia...I< URO SHiM.\\ ~KAM!Y MothiiiOIO WAN tlTSUGEN SHIM!\\ Yli>:ABI SHIMA• ·~ i hMA,. SHIMA SHIIIIA :;nu~l·;;. U··be u’" OliO ru · ~Kil. SHlMA<:?r..EA MA...J .. _ ... ··j"··· JAPANESE DEFENSIVE OISPOS1TIONS 1 APRIL 1945 I - ~ .’!1 -4 lCXX 00 c?Sl29 tCORPS RES) lO ( [8Jr XX (Z17

Higher incidence of hysterectomy and oophorectomy in women suffering from clinical depression: retrospective chart review.

PubMed

Mantani, Akio; Yamashita, Hidehisa; Fujikawa, Tokumi; Yamawaki, Shigeto

2010-02-01

The aim of the present study was to retrospectively evaluate women who were admitted to Hiroshima University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, from 1979 to 2008. The women were classified as 'depressed women' (n = 159; mean age, 52.3 +/- 5.7 years) or 'non-depressed women' (n = 182; mean age, 51.5 +/- 4.5 years). A total of 14.5% of the depressed women and 3.3% of the non-depressed women had a hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy; this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0003). This is consistent with previous reported information as well as clinical experience that depressed women had a higher incidence of hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy.

[Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident and Tokaimura criticality accident].

PubMed

Takada, Jun

2012-03-01

It is clear from inspection of historical incidents that the scale of disasters in a nuclear power plant accident is quite low level overwhelmingly compared with a nuclear explosion in nuclear war. Two cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by nuclear blast with about 20 kt TNT equivalent and then approximately 100,000 people have died respectively. On the other hand, the number of acute death is 30 in the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident. In this chapter, we review health hazards and doses in two historical nuclear incidents of Chernobyl and Tokaimura criticality accident and then understand the feature of the radiation accident in peaceful utilization of nuclear power.

American Physicists, Nuclear Weapons in World War II, and Social Responsibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badash, Lawrence

2005-06-01

Social responsibility in science has a centuries-long history, but it was such a minor thread that most scientists were unaware of the concept. Even toward the conclusion of the Manhattan Project, which produced the first nuclear weapons, only a handful of its participants had some reservations about use of a weapon of mass destruction. But the explosions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki not only made society more aware of the importance of science, they made scientists more aware of their responsibility to society. I describe the development of the concept of social responsibility and its appearance among American scientists both before and after the end of World War II.

Atomic Bomb: The Story of the Manhattan Project; How nuclear physics became a global geopolitical game-changer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, Bruce Cameron

2015-06-01

This volume, prepared by an acknowledged expert on the Manhattan Project, gives a concise, fast-paced account of all major aspects of the project at a level accessible to an undergraduate college or advanced high-school student familiar with some basic concepts of energy, atomic structure, and isotopes. The text describes the underlying scientific discoveries that made nuclear weapons possible, how the project was organized, the daunting challenges faced and overcome in obtaining fissile uranium and plutonium, and in designing workable bombs, the dramatic Trinity test carried out in the desert of southern New Mexico in July 1945, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Why 159°?: a story about the dropping of the Hiroshima atom bomb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prunty, Sean L.

2015-04-01

This paper presents an analysis of the evasive manoeuvre undertaken by the pilot of the Enola Gay aircraft following the dropping of the first uranium bomb. The pilot was instructed to make a 159° turn following the bomb’s release in order to acquire the greatest distance from the point at which the bomb explodes. Accordingly, the objective here is to investigate why the angle should be exactly 159°. The optimum flight-path to maximize the distance from the detonation point is analysed by considering the escape or exit angle taken by the aircraft following a turning-manoeuvre that points it directly away from the detonation site. A range of escape angles are predicted based on the requirement to exit the turning radius prior to detonation. By using information that appeared in a historical account of the event regarding the manoeuvre undertaken by the pilot following the release of the bomb, an estimate is made of the escape angle. Despite the fact that the result shows reasonable agreement with the value of 159°, some uncertainty is expressed as to the close coincidence obtained. In addition, the location of the aircraft and the time of arrival of the shock wave following detonation are also briefly discussed.

Electron spin resonance analysis of tooth enamel does not indicate exposures to large radiation doses in a large proportion of distally-exposed A-bomb survivors.

PubMed

Hirai, Yuko; Kodama, Yoshiaki; Cullings, Harry M; Miyazawa, Chuzo; Nakamura, Nori

2011-01-01

The atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to two different types of radiation exposure; one was direct and brief and the other was indirect and persistent. The latter (so-called exposure to residual radiation) resulted from the presence of neutron activation products in the soil, or from fission products present in the fallout. Compared with the doses from direct exposures, estimations of individual doses from residual radiation have been much more complicated, and estimates vary widely among researchers. The present report bases its conclusions on radiation doses recorded in tooth enamel from survivors in Hiroshima. Those survivors were present at distances of about 3 km or greater from the hypocenter at the time of the explosion, and have DS02 estimated doses (direct exposure doses) of less than 5 mGy (and are regarded as control subjects). Individual doses were estimated by measuring CO(2)(-) radicals in tooth enamel with the electron spin resonance (ESR; or electron paramagnetic resonance, EPR) method. The results from 56 molars donated by 49 survivors provided estimated doses which vary from -200 mGy to 500 mGy, and the median dose was 17 mGy (25% and 75% quartiles are -54 mGy and 137 mGy, respectively) for the buccal parts and 13 mGy (25% and 75% quartiles: -49 mGy and 87 mGy, respectively) for the lingual parts of the molars. Three molars had ESR-estimated doses of 300 to 400 mGy for both the buccal and lingual parts, which indicates possible exposures to excess doses of penetrating radiation, although the origin of such radiation remains to be determined. The results did not support claims that a large fraction of distally-exposed survivors received large doses (e.g. 1 Gy) of external penetrating radiation resulting from residual radiation.

Oral self-care behaviours: comparing Greek and Japanese dental students.

PubMed

Polychronopoulou, Argy; Kawamura, Makoto

2005-11-01

This study explored cross-cultural differences of self-reported oral health behaviours between Greek and Japanese dental students. The sample population included 877 dental students, 539 students registered at the University of Athens Dental School, and 338 registered at the Hiroshima University Dental School. Oral health behaviour was assessed using the Greek and Japanese versions of a 20-item questionnaire entitled Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI). The mean questionnaire score of the Japanese students (7.40) was significantly greater than that of the Greek peers (6.86, P = 0.001), indicating better oral self-care behaviour amongst the Japanese students; however, the overall difference was mainly attributed to their additional sixth study year. Greek and Japanese students provided significantly different answers to 14 of 20 HU-DBI items. Greeks significantly more often were required by their dentist to evaluate their brushing technique (OR = 14.4, P < 0.01), checked their teeth in the mirror after brushing (OR = 8.1, P < 0.01), worried about bad breath (OR = 6.7, P < 0.01), and believed that gum disease is preventable by tooth brushing alone (OR = 2.1, P < 0.05), whereas their Japanese peers significantly more often felt comfortable to clean their teeth without the use of a toothpaste (OR = 0.3, P < 0.01), believed that they take much time to brush their teeth (OR = 0.3, P < 0.01), used a child-sized toothbrush (OR = 0.2, P < 0.01), and put off going to the dentist until having toothache (OR = 0.4, P < 0.01). Considerable differences in dental health attitudes/behaviour exist amongst students in the two countries reflecting the different culture and the health education system of the students; moreover, it is possible to distinguish Greek dental students from Japanese peers with a probability of more than 89% by using the HU-DBI instrument.

Broad Energy Range Neutron Spectroscopy using a Liquid Scintillator and a Proportional Counter: Application to a Neutron Spectrum Similar to that from an Improvised Nuclear Device.

PubMed

Xu, Yanping; Randers-Pehrson, Gerhard; Marino, Stephen A; Garty, Guy; Harken, Andrew; Brenner, David J

2015-09-11

A novel neutron irradiation facility at the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility (RARAF) has been developed to mimic the neutron radiation from an Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) at relevant distances (e.g. 1.5 km) from the epicenter. The neutron spectrum of this IND-like neutron irradiator was designed according to estimations of the Hiroshima neutron spectrum at 1.5 km. It is significantly different from a standard reactor fission spectrum, because the spectrum changes as the neutrons are transported through air, and it is dominated by neutron energies from 100 keV up to 9 MeV. To verify such wide energy range neutron spectrum, detailed here is the development of a combined spectroscopy system. Both a liquid scintillator detector and a gas proportional counter were used for the recoil spectra measurements, with the individual response functions estimated from a series of Monte Carlo simulations. These normalized individual response functions were formed into a single response matrix for the unfolding process. Several accelerator-based quasi-monoenergetic neutron source spectra were measured and unfolded to test this spectroscopy system. These reference neutrons were produced from two reactions: T(p,n) 3 He and D(d,n) 3 He, generating neutron energies in the range between 0.2 and 8 MeV. The unfolded quasi-monoenergetic neutron spectra indicated that the detection system can provide good neutron spectroscopy results in this energy range. A broad-energy neutron spectrum from the 9 Be(d,n) reaction using a 5 MeV deuteron beam, measured at 60 degrees to the incident beam was measured and unfolded with the evaluated response matrix. The unfolded broad neutron spectrum is comparable with published time-of-flight results. Finally, the pair of detectors were used to measure the neutron spectrum generated at the RARAF IND-like neutron facility and a comparison is made to the neutron spectrum of Hiroshima.

Incidence of disability and its associated factors in Japanese men and women: the Longitudinal Cohorts of Motor System Organ (LOCOMO) study.

PubMed

Yoshimura, Noriko; Akune, Toru; Fujiwara, Saeko; Shimizu, Yoko; Yoshida, Hideyo; Nishiwaki, Yuji; Sudo, Akihiro; Omori, Go; Yoshida, Munehito; Shimokata, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Takao; Muraki, Shigeyuki; Oka, Hiroyuki; Nakamura, Kozo

2015-03-01

We investigated the incidence of disability and its risk factors in older Japanese adults to establish an evidence-based disability prevention strategy for this population. For this purpose, we used data from the Longitudinal Cohorts of Motor System Organ (LOCOMO) study, initiated in 2008 to integrate information from cohorts in nine communities across Japan: Tokyo (two regions), Wakayama (two regions), Hiroshima, Niigata, Mie, Akita, and Gunma prefectures. We examined the annual occurrence of disability from 8,454 individuals (2,705 men and 5,749 women) aged ≥65 years. The estimated incidence of disability was 3.58/100 person-years (p-y) (men: 3.17/100 p-y; women: 3.78/100 p-y). To determine factors associated with disability, Cox's proportional hazard model was used, with the occurrence of disability as an objective variable and age (+1 year), gender (vs. women), body build (0: normal/overweight range, BMI 18.5-27.5 kg/m(2); 1: emaciation, BMI <18.5 kg/m(2); 2: obesity, BMI >27.5 kg/m(2)), and regional differences (0: rural areas including Wakayama, Niigata, Mie, Akita, and Gunma vs. 1: urban areas including Tokyo and Hiroshima) as explanatory variables. Age, body build, and regional difference significantly influenced the occurrence of disability (age, +1 year: hazard ratio 1.13, 95% confidence interval 1.12-1.15, p < 0.001; body build, vs. emaciation: 1.24, 1.01-1.53, p = 0.041; body build, vs. obesity: 1.36, 1.08-1.71, p = 0.009; residence, vs. living in rural areas: 1.59, 1.37-1.85, p < 0.001). We concluded that higher age, both emaciation and obesity, and living in rural areas would be risk factors for the occurrence of disability.

Medical Effects of Atomic Bombs. The Report of the Joint Commission for the Investigation of the Effects of the Atomic Bomb in Japan; Volume 5

DTIC Science & Technology

1951-04-19

t rea txents a r e shown on the back of the Porn (figure l b ) under i t e m 10, 63 If the pa t icn t dicd, t he dlzto, cause and autopsy...j.nconp1etely recorded, being copied from old records, Furthermore, cases l as t seen a wekk or two after t h e bombing, and d i v e a t t h a t...l a s t cd an ,z.vo;.agc of 16 -8 days .in C ~ S C S obsorvcd i n Hiroshima and 10,2 days i n Naps&i, appoar to be correl a%cd with .d ls Lance

On the Effect of Introduction of Students' Evaluation for Teachers' Performanceon Graduation Thesis, Placement, and Postgraduate Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinohara, Michimasa; Nakamura, Shozo

In fiscal 2004, Hiroshima Institute of Technology introduced the questionnaire for students to evaluate advice and guidance by professors on their graduation thesis, placement, and postgraduate studies. In this paper, questionnaire results for fiscal 2004 and 2005 are reported. The data shows the improvement of professors' teaching methods in fiscal 2005 compared to fiscal 2004. This questionnaire was performed from the standpoint of satisfaction of students, while professors endeavor to improve students' ability as well as their satisfaction. The questionnaire results will now be examined among all faculties, and the contents and method for the questionnaire should be improved aiming at higher quality education, based on the accumulated data from the continued observation.

Invited commentary: missing doses in the life span study of Japanese atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Ozasa, K; Grant, E J; Cullings, H M; Shore, R E

2013-03-15

The Life Span Study is a long-term epidemiologic cohort study of survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. In this issue of the Journal, Richardson et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2013;177(6):562-568) suggest that those who died in the earliest years of follow-up were more likely to have a missing dose of radiation exposure assigned, leading to a bias in the radiation risk estimates. We show that nearly all members of the cohort had shielding information recorded before the beginning of follow-up and that much of the alleged bias that Richardson et al. describe simply reflects the geographic distribution of shielding conditions for which reliable dosimetry was impossible.

The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 87, 2003 July

USGS Publications Warehouse

Russell, S.S.; Zipfel, J.; Folco, L.; Jones, R.; Grady, M.M.; McCoy, T.; Grossman, J.N.

2003-01-01

Meteoritical Bulletin No. 87 lists information for 1898 newly classified meteorites, comprising 1048 from Antarctica, 462 from Africa, 356 from Asia (355 of which are from Oman), 18 from North America, 5 from South America, 5 from Europe, and 3 from Australia. Information is provided for 10 falls (Beni M'hira, Elbert, Gasseltepaoua, Hiroshima, Kilabo, Neuschwanstein, Park Forest, Pe??, Pe??te??lkole??, and Thuathe). Two of these-Kilabo and Thuathe-fell on the same day. Orbital characteristics could be calculated for Neuschwanstein. Noteworthy specimens include 8 Martian meteorites (5 from Sahara, 2 from Oman and 1 from Antarctica), 13 lunar meteorites (all except one from Oman), 3 irons, 3 pallasites, and many carbonaceous chondrites and achondrites.

Global Properties of X-Ray Flashes and X-Ray-Rich Gamma-Ray Bursts Observed by Swift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakamoto, Takanori; Yamazaki, Ryo; Barthelmy, Scott; Gehrels, Neil; Osborne, Julian; Hullinger, Derek; Sato, Goro; Barbier, Louis; Cummings, Jay; Fenimore, Ed; Krimm, Hans; Lamb, Don; Markwardt, Craig; Palmer, David; Parsons, Ann; Stamatikos, Michael; Tueller, Jack

Takanori Sakamoto, Taka.Sakamoto@nasa.gov NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Ryo Yamazaki, ryo@theo.phys.sci.hiroshima-u.ac.jp Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan Scott Barthelmy, scott@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Neil Gehrels, gehrels@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Julian Osborne, julo@star.le.ac.uk University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom Derek Hullinger, derek.hullinger@gmail.com Moxtek, Inc, Orem, Utah, United States Goro Sato, Goro.Sato@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Louis Barbier, lmb@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Jay Cummings, jayc@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Ed Fenimore, efenimore@lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, California, United States Hans Krimm, hans.krimm@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Don Lamb, d-lamb@uchicago.edu University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States Craig Markwardt, Craig.Markwardt@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States David Palmer, palmer@lanl.gov Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, California, United States Ann Parsons, Ann.M.Parsons@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Michael Stamatikos, michael@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States Jack Tueller, jack.tueller@nasa.gov Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States We present the spectral and temporal characteristics of the prompt emission and X-ray afterglow emission of X-ray flashes (XRFs) and X-ray-rich gamma-ray bursts (XRRs) detected and observed by Swift between December 2004 and September 2006. We compare these characteristics to a sample of conventional

Boundary elements; Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference, Hiroshima, Japan, November 8-11, 1983

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brebbia, C. A.; Futagami, T.; Tanaka, M.

The boundary-element method (BEM) in computational fluid and solid mechanics is examined in reviews and reports of theoretical studies and practical applications. Topics presented include the fundamental mathematical principles of BEMs, potential problems, EM-field problems, heat transfer, potential-wave problems, fluid flow, elasticity problems, fracture mechanics, plates and shells, inelastic problems, geomechanics, dynamics, industrial applications of BEMs, optimization methods based on the BEM, numerical techniques, and coupling.

Breast cancer risk from low-dose exposures to ionizing radiation: results of parallel analysis of three exposed populations of women

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Land, C.E.; Boice, J.D. Jr.; Shore, R.E.

1980-08-01

Breast cancer incidence data were analyzed from three populations of women exposed to ionizing radiation: survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs, patients in Massachusetts tuberculosis sanitoria who were exposed to multiple chest fluoroscopies, and patients treated by X-rays for acute postpartum mastitis in Rochester, New York. Parallel analyses by radiation dose, age at exposure, and time after exposure suggested that risk of radiation-induced cancer increased approximately linearly with increasing dose and was heavily dependent on age at exposure; however, the risk was otherwise remarkably similar among the three populations, at least for ages 10 to 40 years atmore » exposure, and followed the same temporal pattern of occurrence as did breast cancer incidence in nonexposed women of similar ages.« less

Neutron and gamma-ray dose measurements at various distances from the Little Boy replica

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huntzinger, C.J.; Hankins, D.E.

We measured neutron and gamma-ray dose rates at various distances from the Little Boy-Comet Critical Assembly at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in April of 1983. The Little Boy-Comet Assembly is a replica of the atomic weapon detonated over Hiroshima, designed to be operated at various steady-state power levels. The selected distances for measurement ranged from 107 m to 567 m. Gamma-ray measurements were made with a Reuter-Stokes environmental ionization chamber which has a sensitivity of 1.0 ..mu..R/hour. Neutron measurements were made with a pulsed-source remmeter which has a sensitivity of 0.1 ..mu..rem/hour, designed and built at Lawrence Livermore Nationalmore » Laboratory (LLNL). 12 references, 7 figures, 6 tables.« less

Proof-of-principle to unfold an angle-energy dependent source from forward and adjoint calculations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pace, J.V. III

For many years there has existed a discrepancy between the measured and calculated responses from the Little Boy weapon in Hiroshima. A myriad of solutions have been proposed, but to no avail. If one can rationalize to himself that it does not really matter exactly what happened with the weapon when it exploded, and if sufficient information exist about the measurements, one should be able to unfold the source. Moreover, if a source can be unfolded in a controlled environment, then it should be possible to unfold a more complicated source, for example, the Little Boy source. This report recordsmore » the findings of a proof-of-principle test to unfold a source in the controlled environment.« less

A study of integrated learning and the value of science in remote education: using the Internet to relay the total solar eclipse of 2001 June 11 in Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, N.; Agata, H.; Maeda, K.; Okyudo, M..; Yamazaki, Y.

A total solar eclipse was observed on 2001 June 21 in Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe in Africa. For the purpose of promotion of science education using a solar eclipse as an educational project, the whole image and an enlarged image of the Sun, that showed the process of an eclipse and how things went in the observation area, were broadcast to the world through the Internet (Live Eclipse). Such images were distributed to four primary schools in Hiroshima and the Science and Technology Museum in Tokyo to give a remote lecture through computers. To find the effectiveness of the lecture, the learning effect on the participating children was examined two times before and after the remote lecture on the solar eclipse.

Organ dose conversions from ESR measurements using tooth enamel of atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Takahashi, Fumiaki; Sato, Kaoru

2012-03-01

Dose conversions were studied for dosimetry of atomic bomb survivors based upon electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements of tooth enamel. Previously analysed data had clarified that the tooth enamel dose could be much larger than other organ doses from a low-energy photon exposure. The radiation doses to other organs or whole-body doses, however, are assumed to be near the tooth enamel dose for photon energies which are dominant in the leakage spectrum of the Hiroshima atomic bomb assumed in DS02. In addition, the thyroid can be a candidate for a surrogate organ in cases where the tooth enamel dose is not available in organ dosimetry. This paper also suggests the application of new Japanese voxel phantoms to derive tooth enamel doses by numerical analyses.

Detection of surface temperature from LANDSAT-7/ETM+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suga, Y.; Ogawa, H.; Ohno, K.; Yamada, K.

2003-12-01

Hiroshima Institute of Technology (HIT) in Japan has established a LANDSAT-7 Ground Station in cooperation with NASDA for receiving and processing the ETM+ data on March 15 th, 2000 in Japan. The authors performed a verification study on the surface temperature derived from thermal infrared band image data of LANDSAT 7/Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) for the estimation of temperatures around Hiroshima city and bay area in the western part of Japan as a test site. As to the thermal infrared band, the approximate functions for converting the spectral radiance into the surface temperature are estimated by considering both typical surface temperatures measured by the simultaneous field survey with the satellite observation and the spectral radiance observed by ETM+ band 6 (10.40-12.50μm), and then the estimation of the surface temperature distribution around the test site was examined.In this study, the authors estimated the surface temperature distribution equivalent to the land cover categories around the test site for establishing a guideline of surface temperature detection by LANDSAT7/ETM+ data. As the result of comparison of the truth data and the estimated surface temperature, the correlation coefficients of the approximate function referred to the truth data are from 0.9821 to 0.9994, and the differences are observed from +0.7 to -1.5°C in summer, from +0.4 to -0.9 *C in autumn, from -1.6 to -3.4°C in winter and from +0.5 to -0.5C in spring season respectively. It is clearly found that the estimation of surface temperature based on the approximate functions for converting the spectral radiance into the surface temperature referred to the truth data is improved over the directly estimated surface temperature obtained from satellite data. Finally, the successive seasonal change of surface temperature distribution pattern of the test site is precisely detected with the temperature legend of 0 to 80'C derived from LANDSAT-7/ETM+ band 6 image data for the

Broad Energy Range Neutron Spectroscopy using a Liquid Scintillator and a Proportional Counter: Application to a Neutron Spectrum Similar to that from an Improvised Nuclear Device

PubMed Central

Randers-Pehrson, Gerhard; Marino, Stephen A.; Garty, Guy; Harken, Andrew; Brenner, David J.

2015-01-01

A novel neutron irradiation facility at the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility (RARAF) has been developed to mimic the neutron radiation from an Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) at relevant distances (e.g. 1.5 km) from the epicenter. The neutron spectrum of this IND-like neutron irradiator was designed according to estimations of the Hiroshima neutron spectrum at 1.5 km. It is significantly different from a standard reactor fission spectrum, because the spectrum changes as the neutrons are transported through air, and it is dominated by neutron energies from 100 keV up to 9 MeV. To verify such wide energy range neutron spectrum, detailed here is the development of a combined spectroscopy system. Both a liquid scintillator detector and a gas proportional counter were used for the recoil spectra measurements, with the individual response functions estimated from a series of Monte Carlo simulations. These normalized individual response functions were formed into a single response matrix for the unfolding process. Several accelerator-based quasi-monoenergetic neutron source spectra were measured and unfolded to test this spectroscopy system. These reference neutrons were produced from two reactions: T(p,n)3He and D(d,n)3He, generating neutron energies in the range between 0.2 and 8 MeV. The unfolded quasi-monoenergetic neutron spectra indicated that the detection system can provide good neutron spectroscopy results in this energy range. A broad-energy neutron spectrum from the 9Be(d,n) reaction using a 5 MeV deuteron beam, measured at 60 degrees to the incident beam was measured and unfolded with the evaluated response matrix. The unfolded broad neutron spectrum is comparable with published time-of-flight results. Finally, the pair of detectors were used to measure the neutron spectrum generated at the RARAF IND-like neutron facility and a comparison is made to the neutron spectrum of Hiroshima. PMID:26273118

Yale and the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission.

PubMed Central

Bowers, J. Z.

1983-01-01

This is a description, based largely on personal discussions, of the contributions of men from the Yale University School of Medicine to the saga of the immediate and long-term studies on the medical effects of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They played key roles in the immediate studies of bomb effects, in the creation of long-term studies of delayed effects, and in elevating the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission after 1955 to a position of excellence in its studies and relations with the Japanese. The accumulation of the information presented in this paper derives from research for the preparation of the history of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission. In 1975, the commission was passed to Japanese leadership as the Radiation Effects Research Foundation. PMID:6349145

Genius in the shadows

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lanouette, W.; Silard, B.

1993-01-01

This book is a well-researched, anecdote-rich biography of Leo Szilard, the inventive Hungarian physicist who pressed Einstein in 1939 to alert President Roosevelt to the possible wartime uses of atomic energy. Withdrawing from nuclear physics after the bombing of Hiroshima, Szilard studied biology, advocated international arms control, and wrote, among other things, [open quotes]The Voice of the Dolphins[close quotes], a utopian novel offering his ideas for reducing Cold War tensions. Based on research in the Leo Szilard papers, extensive interviews with Szilard's colleagues and friends, and on material and recollections provided by Szilard's younger brother, Bela Szilard, the book offersmore » a detailed picture of the physicist. The book provides a record of Szilard's life before 1939 and a thorough, readable account of a significant historical figure.« less

Medical lessons learned from chernobyl relative to nuclear detonations and failed nuclear reactors.

PubMed

Dallas, Cham E

2012-12-01

The Chernobyl disaster in 1986 involved the largest airborne release of radioactivity in history, more than 100 times as much radioactivity as the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs together. The resulting emergency response, administrative blunders, and subsequent patient outcomes from this large-scale radiological disaster provide a wealth of information and valuable lessons for those who may find themselves having to deal with the staggering consequences of nuclear war. Research findings, administrative strategies (successful and otherwise), and resulting clinical procedures from the Chernobyl experience are reviewed to determine a current utility in addressing the appropriate protocols for a medical response to nuclear war. As various myths are still widely associated with radiation exposure, attention is given to the realities of a mass casualty medical response as it would occur with a nuclear detonation.

Mechanism of shallow disrupted slide induced by extreme rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Igwe, O.; Fukuoka, H.

2010-12-01

On July 16, 2010, extreme rainfall attacked western Japan and it caused very intense rainfall in Shobara city, Hiroshima prefecture, Japan. This rainfall induced hundreds of shallow disrupted slides and many of those became debris flows. One of this debris flows attacked a house standing in front of the exit of a channel, and claimed a resident’s life. Western Japan had repeatedly similar disasters in the past. Last event took place from July 19 to 26, 2009, when western Japan had a severe rainstorms and caused floods and landslides. Most of the landslides are debris slide - debris flows. Most devastated case took place in Hofu city, Japan. On July 21, extremely intense rainstorm caused numerous debris flows and mud flows in the hillslopes. Some of the debris flows destroyed residential houses and home for elderly people, and finally killed 14 residents. One of the unusual feature of both disaster was that landslides are distributed in very narrow area. In the 2010 Shobara city disaster, all of the landslides were distributed in 5 km x 3 km, and in the 2009 Hofu city disaster, most devastated zone of landslides were 10 km x 5 km. Rain radars of Meteorological Agency of Government of Japan detected the intense rainfall, however, the spatial resolution is usually larger than 5 km and the disaster area is too small to predict landslides nor issue warning. Furthermore, it was found that the growth rate of baby clouds was very quick. The geology of both areas are rhyolite (Shobara) and granite (Hofu), so the areal assessment of landslide hazard should be prepared before those intense rainfall will come. As for the Hofu city case, it was proved that debris flows took place in the high precipitation area and covered by covered by weathered granite sands and silts which is called “masa". This sands has been proved susceptible against landslides under extreme rainfall conditions. However, the transition from slide - debris flow process is not well revealed, except

An American hibakusha in Fukushima.

PubMed

Nollet, Kenneth E

2011-01-01

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami originating off the east coast of Japan triggered the explosive release of radioactive isotopes from one of four nuclear power plants in the affected area. This event has been compared with the 1986 nuclear accident at Chernobyl, the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the intervening era of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing. The credibility of any comparison depends on the source, for which reason various specialists were invited to address an audience of media, healthcare, and disaster response professionals on July 18, 2011 in Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture. This article is based on a presentation given July 18, and interprets the Fukushima nuclear crisis from the perspective of an American doctor who grew up downwind of an atomic bomb test site, and who now works at Fukushima Medical University.

Cross sections for n+{sup 14}N from an R-matrix analysis of the {sup 15}N system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hale, G.M.; Young, P.G.; Chadwick, M.B.

1994-06-01

As part of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Dose Reevaluation Program, a new evaluation of the neutron cross sections for {sup 14}N was made for ENDF/B-VI, based at energies below 2.5 MeV on a multichannel R-matrix analysis of reactions in the {sup 15}N system. The types of data used in the analysis, and the resulting cross sections and resonance structure for {sup 15}N are briefly described. The resonant features of the neutron cross sections were especially well determined by including precise, high-resolution neutron total cross section measurements from ORNL. While the new evaluated cross section appear to be significant improvements over the earliermore » ones, they still need to be tested more extensively against recent measurements of the differential elastic cross section from Oak Ridge.« less

Health consequences and health systems response to the Pacific U.S. Nuclear Weapons Testing Program.

PubMed

Palafox, Neal A; Riklon, Sheldon; Alik, Wilfred; Hixon, Allen L

2007-03-01

Between 1946 and 1958, the United States detonated 67 thermonuclear devices in the Pacific as part of their U.S. Nuclear Weapons Testing Program (USNWTP). The aggregate explosive power was equal to 7,200 Hiroshima atomic bombs. Recent documents released by the U.S. government suggest that the deleterious effects of the nuclear testing were greater and extended farther than previously known. The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) government and affected communities have sought refress through diplomatic routes with the U.S. government, however, existing medical programs and financial reparations have not adequately addressed many of the health consequences of the USNWTP. Since radiation-induced cancers may have a long latency, a healthcare infrastructure is needed to address both cancer and related health issues. This article reviews the health consequences of the Pacific USNWTP and the current health systems ability to respond.

Bird Ingestion into Large Turbofan Engines

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-01

11 FU1( FUKUOKA, JAPAN 3 1 4 HIJ HIROSHIMA,JAPAN 1. 1 HND TOKYO-HND,JAPAN 1 3 4 JKT JAKARTA, INDONESIA 1I KCZ KocHI,JAPAN44 KIJ NIGATA,JAPAN2 MYJ...8217RlPPRI:RCH soý 1 R N C, 10.-L II1$ I Hi N V 2’ -q HPIC 53 7 DEIS U100U.PREFLITE DI’:.P. 6? 1 H N I I FIT L. CURL 14’ 2IG61.11 1U -1i I 𔃺 M N V: V 2...INLET COWL. LI P 6~t 114SFP 192? (AN WARTRIDE. 11.05 2 1.;4 N N 14 V’ I’ !] FSP RPL.IE.LII C:i~f. It?’ CURL .. 11:1 IŔ(CHAP.ii ;�$ 2 37 5 yy: V V v 2

Radiation-induced leukemia: lessons from history.

PubMed

Finch, Stuart C

2007-03-01

Beginning in 1895, with the discovery of x-rays, alpha and beta radiation, uranium, radium, thorium, and polonium, the fascinating story of the beginning of knowledge concerning the existence of ionizing radiation unfolds. This brief history of radiation and leukemia is divided into two main parts: the first 50 years, which deals with the confusion regarding radiation effects and the failure to clearly recognize that exposure to ionizing radiation may induce leukemia. The second part focuses on the last 60 years, when the radiation induction of leukemia was accepted and some progress achieved in understanding the clinical and pathophysiological characteristics of radiation-induced leukemia. Particular attention in this is paid to the effects of radiation on the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The discussion in this section also covers some concepts of radiation-induced cell damage and ruminations on unanswered questions.

Space radiation concerns for manned exploration.

PubMed

Stanford, M; Jones, J A

1999-07-01

Spaceflight exposes astronaut crews to natural ionizing radiation. To date, exposures in manned spaceflight have been well below the career limits recommended to NASA by the National Council of Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). This will not be the case for long-duration exploratory class missions. Additionally. International Space Station (ISS) crews will receive higher doses than earlier flight crews. Uncertainties in our understanding of long-term bioeffects, as well as updated analyses of the Hiroshima. Nagasaki and Chernobyl tumorigenesis data, have prompted the NCRP to recommend further reductions by 30-50% for career dose limit guidelines. Intelligent spacecraft design and material selection can provide a shielding strategy capable of maintaining crew exposures within recommended guidelines. Current studies on newer radioprotectant compounds may find combinations of agents which further diminish the risk of radiation-induced bioeffects to the crew.

Nuclear weapons at 70: reflections on the context and legacy of the Manhattan Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, B. Cameron

2015-08-01

August 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These bombs, the products of the United States Army’s Manhattan Project, helped to end World War II and had enormous long-term effects on global political strategies by setting the stage for the Cold War and nuclear proliferation. This article explores the context and legacy of the Manhattan Project. The state of the war in the summer of 1945 is described, as are how the target cities came to be chosen, deliberations surrounding whether the bombs should be used directly or demonstrated first, and the long-term effects of the Project on individual scientists, the relationship between scientists and society, the subsequent development of nuclear arsenals around the world, and the current status of these arsenals and how they might evolve in the future.

Cooperation not confrontation: the imperative of a nuclear age. The message from Budapest.

PubMed

Lown, B; Chazov, E

1985-08-02

Reprinted here is the text of a speech to the Fifth Congress of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), delivered in Budapest on 29 June 1985 by the group's co-founders, Dr. Bernard Lown from the United States and Dr. Eugene Chazov from the U.S.S.R. After reminding the delegates that 1985 marked the 40th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the founding of the United Nations, the two physicians review the work of the IPPNW in alerting the world to the dangers of nuclear warfare. They warn that the chances of nuclear confrontation have increased, and urge their colleagues to foster cooperation between East and West. Lown and Chazov identify nuclear war as the greatest public health threat of all, and call for a moratorium on all nuclear explosions.

Nuclear Security, Disarmament and Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salam, Abdus

The world's stock of nuclear weapons, which was three in 1945, has been growing ever since and is 50,OOOa in 1985. Nearly two trillion dollars of the public funds have been spent over the years to improve their destructive power, and the means of delivering them. One indicator of the awful power of these weapons is that the explosive yield of the nuclear weapons stockpiled today by the US, USSR, UK, France, and China is equivalent to one million Hiroshima bombs. Less than 1,000 of these 50,000 weapons could destroy USA and USSR. A thousand more in an all-out nuclear exchange could destroy the world as a habitable planet, ending life for the living and the prospects of life for those not yet born, sparing no nation, no region of the world…

Natural lactic acid bacteria population of tropical grasses and their fermentation factor analysis of silage prepared with cellulase and inoculant.

PubMed

Khota, Waroon; Pholsen, Suradej; Higgs, David; Cai, Yimin

2016-12-01

Natural lactic acid bacteria (LAB) populations in tropical grasses and their fermentation characteristics on silage prepared with cellulase enzyme and LAB inoculants were studied. A commercial inoculant Lactobacillus plantarum Chikuso 1 (CH), a local selected strain Lactobacillus casei TH14 (TH14), and 2 cellulases, Acremonium cellulase (AC) and Maicelase (MC; Meiji Seika Pharma Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan), were used as additives to silage preparation with fresh and wilted (6 h) Guinea grass and Napier grass. Silage was prepared using a laboratory-scale fermentation system. Treatments were CH, TH14, AC at 0.01% fresh matter, AC 0.1%, MC 0.01%, MC 0.1%, CH+AC 0.01%, CH+AC 0.1%, CH+MC 0.01%, CH+MC 0.1%, TH14+AC 0.1%, TH14+AC 0.01%, TH14+MC 0.1%, and TH14+MC 0.01%. Microorganism counts of Guinea grass and Napier grass before ensiling were 10 2 LAB and 10 6 aerobic bacteria; these increased during wilting. Based on morphological and biochemical characteristics, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, natural strains from both grasses were identified as L. plantarum, L. casei, Lactobacillus acidipiscis, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, Leuconostoc garlicum, Weissella confusa, and Lactococcus lactis. Lactobacillus plantarum and L. casei are the dominant species and could grow at lower pH and produce more lactic acid than the other isolates. Crude protein and neutral detergent fiber were 5.8 and 83.7% of dry matter (DM) for Guinea grass, and 7.5 and 77.1% of DM for Napier grass. Guinea grass had a low level of water-soluble carbohydrates (0.39% of DM). Guinea grass silage treated with cellulase had a lower pH and higher lactic acid content than control and LAB treatments. The 0.1% AC and MC treatments had the best result for fermentation quality. All high water-soluble carbohydrate (2.38% DM) Napier grass silages showed good fermentation quality. Compared with control and LAB-inoculated silage, the cellulase-treated silages had significantly higher crude protein content and

Neutron and gamma dose and spectra measurements on the Little Boy replica

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoots, S.; Wadsworth, D.

1984-06-01

The radiation-measurement team of the Weapons Engineering Division at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) measured neutron and gamma dose and spectra on the Little Boy replica at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in April 1983. This assembly is a replica of the gun-type atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima in 1945. These measurements support the National Academy of Sciences Program to reassess the radiation doses due to atomic bomb explosions in Japan. Specifically, the following types of information were important: neutron spectra as a function of geometry, gamma to neutron dose ratios out to 1.5 km, and neutron attenuation in themore » atmosphere. We measured neutron and gamma dose/fission from close-in to a kilometer out, and neutron and gamma spectra at 90 and 30/sup 0/ close-in. This paper describes these measurements and the results. 12 references, 13 figures, 5 tables.« less

Relationships between motives to become a physical therapist, delayed graduation, and perceptions of school and internship learning among physical therapy students.

PubMed

Kota, Munetsugu; Kudo, Hiroyuki; Okita, Kazuhiko

2018-01-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study is to reveal the relationships between physical therapy students' motives to become physical therapists and their academic performance. This was investigated by their experience of delayed or non-delayed graduation, and their perceptions of learning in school and internship. [Subjects and Methods] Subjects were 245 physical therapists participating in a newcomer orientation by the Hiroshima Prefectural Physical Therapy Association in May, 2017. Subjects' basic attributes and their responses to specially created questionnaires were investigated. [Results] Seventeen of 193 physical therapists in their first year experienced delayed graduation. There were differences between the delayed graduation group and the non-delayed graduation group about motives for becoming a physical therapist. Moreover, there were significant relationships between motives for becoming a physical therapist and perceptions of learning in school as opposed to internship. [Conclusion] We conclude that motives for becoming a physical therapist are related to academic performance.

[Medical and biological consequences of nuclear disasters].

PubMed

Stalpers, Lukas J A; van Dullemen, Simon; Franken, N A P Klaas

2012-01-01

Medical risks of radiation exaggerated; psychological risks underestimated. The discussion about atomic energy has become topical again following the nuclear accident in Fukushima. There is some argument about the gravity of medical and biological consequences of prolonged exposure to radiation. The risk of cancer following a low dose of radiation is usually estimated by linear extrapolation of the incidence of cancer among survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The radiobiological linear-quadratic model (LQ-model) gives a more accurate description of observed data, is radiobiologically more plausible and is better supported by experimental and clinical data. On the basis of this model there is less risk of cancer being induced following radiation exposure. The gravest consequence of Chernobyl and Fukushima is not the medical and biological damage, but the psychological and economical impact on rescue workers and former inhabitants.

Generalized Teleportation and Entanglement Recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strelchuk, Sergii; Horodecki, Michał; Oppenheim, Jonathan

2013-01-01

We introduce new teleportation protocols which are generalizations of the original teleportation protocols that use the Pauli group and the port-based teleportation protocols, introduced by Hiroshima and Ishizaka, that use the symmetric permutation group. We derive sufficient conditions for a set of operations, which in general need not form a group, to give rise to a teleportation protocol and provide examples of such schemes. This generalization leads to protocols with novel properties and is needed to push forward new schemes of computation based on them. Port-based teleportation protocols and our generalizations use a large resource state consisting of N singlets to teleport only a single qubit state reliably. We provide two distinct protocols which recycle the resource state to teleport multiple states with error linearly increasing with their number. The first protocol consists of sequentially teleporting qubit states, and the second teleports them in a bulk.

Generalized teleportation and entanglement recycling.

PubMed

Strelchuk, Sergii; Horodecki, Michał; Oppenheim, Jonathan

2013-01-04

We introduce new teleportation protocols which are generalizations of the original teleportation protocols that use the Pauli group and the port-based teleportation protocols, introduced by Hiroshima and Ishizaka, that use the symmetric permutation group. We derive sufficient conditions for a set of operations, which in general need not form a group, to give rise to a teleportation protocol and provide examples of such schemes. This generalization leads to protocols with novel properties and is needed to push forward new schemes of computation based on them. Port-based teleportation protocols and our generalizations use a large resource state consisting of N singlets to teleport only a single qubit state reliably. We provide two distinct protocols which recycle the resource state to teleport multiple states with error linearly increasing with their number. The first protocol consists of sequentially teleporting qubit states, and the second teleports them in a bulk.

Exposition of humans to low doses and low dose rate irradiation: an urgent need for new markers and new models.

PubMed

Chenal, C; Legue, F; Nourgalieva, K; Brouazin-Jousseaume, V; Durel, S; Guitton, N

2000-01-01

In human radiation protection, the shape of the dose effects curve for low doses irradiation (LDI) is assumed to be linear, extrapolated from the clinical consequences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear explosions. This extrapolation probably overestimates the risk below 200 mSv. In many circumstances, the living species and cells can develop some mechanisms of adaptation. Classical epidemiological studies will not be able to answer the question and there is a need to assess more sensitive biological markers of the effects of LDI. The researches should be focused on DNA effects (strand breaks), radioinduced expression of new genes and proteins involved in the response to oxidative stress and DNA repair mechanisms. New experimental biomolecular techniques should be developed in parallel with more conventional ones. Such studies would permit to assess new biological markers of radiosensitivity, which could be of great interest in radiation protection and radio-oncology.

Factors affecting physical therapists’ job satisfaction: questionnaire survey targeting first-year physical therapists

PubMed Central

Kota, Munetsugu; Kudo, Hiroyuki; Okita, Kazuhiko

2018-01-01

[Purpose] The survey aimed to clarify the factors that affect physiotherapists’ job satisfaction. [Subjects and Methods] To examine factors affecting physical therapists’ job satisfaction using a cross-sectional study with a questionnaire survey. Subjects were 193 first-year physical therapists who participated in a newcomer orientation at Hiroshima Prefectural Physical Therapy Association. The questionnaire comprised items concerning physical therapists’ satisfaction with their work, motives for becoming physical therapists, education in school, internships, the workplace, and comfort in the workplace. [Results] Subjects were divided into two groups according to their satisfaction with their occupation. The “high satisfaction” group included 157 subjects, and the group “low satisfaction” group included 36 subjects. Using logistic regression analysis, items concerning comfort in the workplace, motives for becoming physical therapists, and learning in school were analysed. [Conclusion] Factors affecting physical therapists’ job satisfaction were primarily influenced by previous experience and working conditions. PMID:29706706

Factors affecting physical therapists' job satisfaction: questionnaire survey targeting first-year physical therapists.

PubMed

Kota, Munetsugu; Kudo, Hiroyuki; Okita, Kazuhiko

2018-04-01

[Purpose] The survey aimed to clarify the factors that affect physiotherapists' job satisfaction. [Subjects and Methods] To examine factors affecting physical therapists' job satisfaction using a cross-sectional study with a questionnaire survey. Subjects were 193 first-year physical therapists who participated in a newcomer orientation at Hiroshima Prefectural Physical Therapy Association. The questionnaire comprised items concerning physical therapists' satisfaction with their work, motives for becoming physical therapists, education in school, internships, the workplace, and comfort in the workplace. [Results] Subjects were divided into two groups according to their satisfaction with their occupation. The "high satisfaction" group included 157 subjects, and the group "low satisfaction" group included 36 subjects. Using logistic regression analysis, items concerning comfort in the workplace, motives for becoming physical therapists, and learning in school were analysed. [Conclusion] Factors affecting physical therapists' job satisfaction were primarily influenced by previous experience and working conditions.

Re-Visiting Hiroshima: The Role of US and Japanese History Textbooks in the Construction of National Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Keith

2003-01-01

This paper originates from the perspective that school textbooks are crucial organs in the process of constructing legitimated ideologies and beliefs and are a reflection of the values considered important by powerful groups in society. This claim is explored through investigating the manner in which a selection of history textbooks in use in US…

International Conference on Numerical Ship Hydrodynamics (5th) Held in Hiroshima, Japan on 24-28 September 1989

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-28

Introduction source. The near field part N has an integrand which is in terms of the higher order derived exponential integral func- For a number of...Methods for potential produced improved results near the flow calculations including first and stern, but none of them could accura- higher order theories ...method Naghdi method applied to the nonlinear free- in laminar boundary layer theory . I think the surface flow problems. higher theory Green-Naghdi

Morality of Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Case Study of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

effects from biological weapons may not be apparent until after a battle . However, these weapons can do great damage to civilians, even if...justify. Ultimately, even though some chemical and biological weapons are non-lethal, Francis Harbour warns against callously using these agents due to...In this case, the United States had justly entered World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, meeting the criteria of just cause and

A report from the 2013 international symposium: the evaluation of the effects of low-dose radiation exposure in the life span study of atomic bomb survivors and other similar studies.

PubMed

Grant, E J; Ozasa, K; Ban, N; de González, A Berrington; Cologne, J; Cullings, H M; Doi, K; Furukawa, K; Imaoka, T; Kodama, K; Nakamura, N; Niwa, O; Preston, D L; Rajaraman, P; Sadakane, A; Saigusa, S; Sakata, R; Sobue, T; Sugiyama, H; Ullrich, R; Wakeford, R; Yasumura, S; Milder, C M; Shore, R E

2015-05-01

The RERF International Low-Dose Symposium was held on 5-6 December 2013 at the RERF campus in Hiroshima, Japan, to discuss the issues facing the Life Span Study (LSS) and other low-dose studies. Topics included the current status of low-dose risk detection, strategies for low-dose epidemiological and statistical research, methods to improve communication between epidemiologists and biologists, and the current status of radiological studies and tools. Key points made by the participants included the necessity of pooling materials over multiple studies to gain greater insight where data from single studies are insufficient; generating models that reflect epidemiological, statistical, and biological principles simultaneously; understanding confounders and effect modifiers in the current data; and taking into consideration less studied factors such as the impact of dose rate. It is the hope of all participants that this symposium be used as a trigger for further studies, especially those using pooled data, in order to reach a greater understanding of the health effects of low-dose radiation.

Psychoanalysis and the nuclear threat

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levine, H.B.; Jacobs, D.; Rubin, L.J.

1988-01-01

{ital Psychoanalysis and the Nuclear Threat} provides coverage of the dynamic and clinical considerations that follow from life in the nuclear age. Of special clinical interest are chapters dealing with the developmental consequences of the nuclear threat in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, and those exploring the technical issues raised by the occurrence in analytic and psychotherapeutic hours of material related to the nuclear threat. Additional chapters bring a psychoanalytic perspective to bear on such issues as the need to have enemies, silence as the real crime, love, work, and survival in the nuclear age, the relationship of the nuclear threatmore » to issues of mourning and melancholia, apocalyptic fantasies, the paranoid process, considerations of the possible impact of gender on the nuclear threat, and the application of psychoanalytic thinking to nuclear arms strategy. Finally, the volume includes the first case report in the English language---albeit a brief psychotherapy---involving the treatment of a Hiroshima survivor.« less

Prevalence and impact of musculoskeletal pain in Japanese gastrointestinal endoscopists: A controlled study

PubMed Central

Kuwabara, Takayasu; Urabe, Yuji; Hiyama, Toru; Tanaka, Shinji; Shimomura, Takako; Oko, Shiro; Yoshihara, Masaharu; Chayama, Kazuaki

2011-01-01

AIM: To examine the frequency and prevention of musculoskeletal pain in Japanese gastrointestinal endoscopists and non-endoscopist physicians. METHODS: Questionnaires were sent to 275 endoscopists and 173 non-endoscopists working in Hiroshima University Hospital and its affiliated hospitals. RESULTS: The completed questionnaires were returned by 190 (69%) endoscopists and 120 (69%) non-endoscopists. The frequency of pain in the hand and wrist, and especially the left thumb, was significantly higher in endoscopists than in non-endoscopists (17% vs 6%, P = 0.004). Using multivariate analysis, the only significant factor associated with this pain was the age of the endoscopist (odds ratio 2.77, 95% confidence interval, 1.23-6.71, P = 0.018). Interestingly, endoscopists had made significantly fewer modifications to their endoscopic practices than non-endoscopists (12% vs 33%, P < 0.0001) to prevent pain. CONCLUSION: Pain in the hand and wrist may be endoscopy-related. However, endoscopists made little modifications in practice to prevent such pain. More attention to prevention appears necessary. PMID:21472109

Mobile Healthcare System for Health Checkups and Telemedicine in Post-Disaster Situations.

PubMed

Hu, Min; Sugimoto, Megumi; Hargrave, Andrew Rebeiro; Nohara, Yasunobu; Moriyama, Michiko; Ahmed, Ashir; Shimizu, Shuji; Nakashima, Naoki

2015-01-01

Portable Healthcare Clinic (PHC) is a mobile healthcare system comprising of medical sensors and health assessment criteria. It has been applied in Bangladesh for the last two years as a pilot program to identify non-communicable diseases. In this study, we adapted PHC to fit post-disaster conditions. The PHC health assessment criteria are redesigned to deal with emergency cases and healthcare worker insufficiency. A new algorithm makes an initial assessment of age, symptoms, and whether the person is seeing a doctor. These changes will make the turn-around time shorter and will enable reaching the most affected patients better. We tested the operability and turn-around time of the adapted system at the debris flow disaster shelters in Hiroshima, Japan. Changing the PHC health assessment criteria and other solutions such as a list of medicine preparation makes the PHC system switch into an emergency mode more smoothly following a natural disaster.

James V. Neel and Yuri E. Dubrova: Cold War debates and the genetic effects of low-dose radiation.

PubMed

Goldstein, Donna M; Stawkowski, Magdalena E

2015-01-01

This article traces disagreements about the genetic effects of low-dose radiation exposure as waged by James Neel (1915-2000), a central figure in radiation studies of Japanese populations after World War II, and Yuri Dubrova (1955-), who analyzed the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. In a 1996 article in Nature, Dubrova reported a statistically significant increase in the minisatellite (junk) DNA mutation rate in the children of parents who received a high dose of radiation from the Chernobyl accident, contradicting studies that found no significant inherited genetic effects among offspring of Japanese A-bomb survivors. Neel's subsequent defense of his large-scale longitudinal studies of the genetic effects of ionizing radiation consolidated current scientific understandings of low-dose ionizing radiation. The article seeks to explain how the Hiroshima/Nagasaki data remain hegemonic in radiation studies, contextualizing the debate with attention to the perceived inferiority of Soviet genetic science during the Cold War.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miles, Edward F.; Tatsukawa, Yoshimi; Funamoto, Sachiyo

Purpose . There is evidence in the literature of increased maternal radiosensitivity during pregnancy. Materials and Methods . We tested this hypothesis using information from the atomic-bomb survivor cohort, that is, the Adult Health Study database at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, which contains data from a cohort of women who were pregnant at the time of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Previous evaluation has demonstrated long-term radiation dose-response effects. Results/Conclusions . Data on approximately 250 women were available to assess dose-response rates for serum cholesterol, white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and serum hemoglobin, and on approximatelymore » 85 women for stable chromosome aberrations, glycophorin A locus mutations, and naïve CD4 T-cell counts. Although there is no statistically significant evidence of increased radiosensitivity in pregnant women, the increased slope of the linear trend line in the third trimester with respect to stable chromosome aberrations is suggestive of an increased radiosensitivity.« less

Imaginary Savior: the image of the nuclear bomb in Korea, 1945-1960.

PubMed

Kim, Dong-Won

2009-01-01

Two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 brought the unexpected liberation of Korea from the 35-year Japanese occupation. Koreans therefore had a very favorable and positive image of the nuclear bomb and nuclear energy from the beginning. The image of the nuclear bomb as "savior" was strengthened during the Korean War when the United States openly mentioned the possible use of the nuclear bomb against North Korean and Chinese military. After the end of the Korean War in July 1953 South Koreans strongly supported the development of the nuclear bomb in order to deter another North Korean invasion. When the US government provided South Korea with a research nuclear reactor in the late 1950s, most South Koreans hailed it as the first step to developing their own nuclear bomb. This paper will analyze how and why the savior image of the nuclear bomb originated and spread in Korea during the 1950s.

Ashley W. Oughterson, MD: Surgeon, Soldier, Leader

PubMed Central

Kunstman, John W.; Longo, Walter E.

2015-01-01

Ashley W. Oughterson, MD, (1895-1956) was a longtime faculty surgeon at Yale University. He performed some of the earliest pancreatic resections in the United States. During World War II, Colonel Oughterson was the primary “Surgical Consultant” in the South Pacific and present at nearly every major battle. His meticulously kept diary is regarded as the foremost source detailing wartime surgical care. Colonel Oughterson led the initial Army team to survey Hiroshima and Nagasaki following the nuclear attacks. Thoughout his academic career at Yale, Oughterson was a key leader in several medical and surgical societies. As scientific director of the American Cancer Society, Oughterson lectured widely and guided research priorities in oncology following World War II. Oughterson also authored numerous benchmark papers in surgical oncology that continue to be cited today. These extensive contributions are examined here and demonstrate the wide-ranging impact Oughterson exerted during a formative period of American surgery. PMID:26029018

The children of parents exposed to atomic bombs: estimates of the genetic doubling dose of radiation for humans.

PubMed Central

Neel, J V; Schull, W J; Awa, A A; Satoh, C; Kato, H; Otake, M; Yoshimoto, Y

1990-01-01

The data collected in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the past 40 years on the children of survivors of the atomic bombings and on the children of a suitable control population are analyzed on the basis of the newly revised estimates of radiation doses. No statistically significant effects emerge with respect to eight different indicators. Since, however, it may confidently be assumed some mutations were induced, we have taken the data at face value and calculated the minimal gametic doubling doses of acute radiation for the individual indicators at various probability levels. An effort has also been made to calculate the most probable doubling dose for the indicators combined. The latter value is between 1.7 and 2.2 Sv. It is suggested the appropriate figure for chronic radiation would be between 3.4 and 4.5 Sv. These estimates suggest humans are less sensitive to the genetic effects of radiation than has been assumed on the basis of past extrapolations from experiments with mice. PMID:2339701

Taking the Ethics of Einstein into the 21st Century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neuenschwander, Dwight E.

2004-10-01

We are an inquisitive species. Our curiosity about the structure of matter led to the discovery of the nucleus. In the cultural and political environment of the times, how short were the steps from the innocence of discovery to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Cold War that followed! If you had been a graduate student in 1942, invited to help build these nuclear weapons, what would you have done? If the choice of how to end World War II had been yours to make instead of President Truman's-invade Japan, or use the new atomic bomb-what would you have decided? The deeper issues did not go away in 1945. They continue to haunt all scientists today, from hydrogen bombs to general manipulation to environmental sustainability. How do intellectual questions about nature lead to potentially horrific applications of knowledge? What are our ethical responsibilities as physicists? What ethical principles should guide scientific research and its applications?

Simultaneous observation of the gamma-ray binary LS I+61 303 with GLAST and Suzaku

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanaka, Takuya; Fukazawa, Yasushi; Mizuno, Tsunefumi

2007-07-12

The gamma-ray binary LS I+61 303 is a bright gamma-ray source, and thus an attracting object for GLAST. We proposed to observe this object with the X-ray satellite Suzaku (AO-2), simultaneously with GLAST, radio wave, and optical spectro-polarimetry, in order to probe the geometrical state of the binary system emitting the gamma-ray radiation, as a function of the binary orbital phase for the first time. This is essential to understand the mechanism of jet production and gamma-ray emission. The idea is not only to measure the multi-band overall continuum shape, but also to make use of continuous monitoring capability ofmore » GLAST, wide X-ray band of Suzaku, and good accessibility of the Kanata optical/NIR telescope (Hiroshima University) with the sensitive optical spectro-polarimetry. Further collaboration with TeV gamma-ray telescopes is also hoped to constrain the jet constitution.« less

Fermi's Conundrum: Proliferation and Closed Societies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teller, Wendy; Westfall, Catherine

2007-04-01

On January 1, 1946 Emily Taft Douglas, a freshman Representative at Large for Illinois, sent a letter to Enrico Fermi. She wanted to know whether, if atomic energy was used for peaceful purposes, it might be possible to clandestinely divert some material for bombs. Douglas first learned about the bomb not quite five months before when Hiroshima was bombed. Even though she was not a scientist she identified a key problem of the nuclear age. Fermi responded with requirements to allow peaceful uses of atomic energy and still outlaw nuclear weapons. First, free interchange of information between people was required, and second, people who reported possible violations had to be protected. Fermi had lived in Mussolini's Italy and worked under the war time secrecy restrictions of the Manhattan Project. He was not optimistic that these conditions could be met. This paper discusses how Douglas came to recognize the proliferation issue and what led Fermi to his solution and his pessimism about its practicality.

The moderating role of autonomy and control on the benefits of written emotion expression.

PubMed

Weinstein, Netta; Hodgins, Holley S

2009-03-01

Two studies examined the hypothesis that relative to control motivation, autonomy motivation is associated with effective written expression and regulation, leading to positive emotional, physical, and cognitive outcomes over time. Participants viewed a Hiroshima-Nagasaki documentary in each of two sessions. Study 1 showed that dispositionally autonomous participants, particularly those who expressed, had positive well-being, energy, and memory after the second viewing. Study 2 explored benefits of situational motivation by priming autonomy and control. Results showed that dispositionally controlled individuals received the same benefits as autonomous individuals only when primed with autonomy and encouraged to express. Coding of writing content revealed that the benefits of autonomy were mediated by nondefensive and effective emotional processing, as reflected in greater use of self-referencing and cognitive mechanism words and lower use of concrete words. Results support the expectation that autonomy relates to effective expression and emotion regulation, leading to positive functioning over time.

Relationships between motives to become a physical therapist, delayed graduation, and perceptions of school and internship learning among physical therapy students

PubMed Central

Kota, Munetsugu; Kudo, Hiroyuki; Okita, Kazuhiko

2018-01-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study is to reveal the relationships between physical therapy students’ motives to become physical therapists and their academic performance. This was investigated by their experience of delayed or non-delayed graduation, and their perceptions of learning in school and internship. [Subjects and Methods] Subjects were 245 physical therapists participating in a newcomer orientation by the Hiroshima Prefectural Physical Therapy Association in May, 2017. Subjects’ basic attributes and their responses to specially created questionnaires were investigated. [Results] Seventeen of 193 physical therapists in their first year experienced delayed graduation. There were differences between the delayed graduation group and the non-delayed graduation group about motives for becoming a physical therapist. Moreover, there were significant relationships between motives for becoming a physical therapist and perceptions of learning in school as opposed to internship. [Conclusion] We conclude that motives for becoming a physical therapist are related to academic performance. PMID:29410584

Risk of death among children of atomic bomb survivors after 62 years of follow-up: a cohort study.

PubMed

Grant, Eric J; Furukawa, Kyoji; Sakata, Ritsu; Sugiyama, Hiromi; Sadakane, Atsuko; Takahashi, Ikuno; Utada, Mai; Shimizu, Yukiko; Ozasa, Kotaro

2015-10-01

No clear epidemiological hereditary effects of radiation exposure in human beings have been reported. However, no previous studies have investigated mortality into middle age in a population whose parents were exposed to substantial amounts of radiation before conception. We assessed mortality in children of the atomic bomb survivors after 62 years of follow-up. In this prospective cohort study, we assessed 75 327 singleton children of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and unexposed controls, born between 1946 and 1984, and followed up to Dec 31, 2009. Parental gonadal doses of radiation from the atomic bombings were the primary exposures. The primary endpoint was death due to cancer or non-cancer disease, based on death certificates. Median follow-up was 54·3 years (IQR 45·4-59·3). 5183 participants died from disease. The mean age of the 68 689 surviving children at the end of follow-up was 53·1 years (SD 7·9) with 15 623 (23%) older than age 60 years. For parents who were exposed to a non-zero gonadal dose of radiation, the mean dose was 264 mGy (SD 463). We detected no association between maternal gonadal radiation exposure and risk of death caused by cancer (hazard ratio [HR] for 1 Gy change in exposure 0·891 [95% CI 0·693-1·145]; p=0·36) or risk of death caused by non-cancer diseases (0·973 [0·849-1·115]; p=0·69). Likewise, paternal exposure had no effect on deaths caused by cancer (0·815 [0·614-1·083]; p=0·14) or deaths caused by non-cancer disease (1·103 [0·979-1·241]; p=0·12). Age or time between parental exposure and delivery had no effect on risk of death. Late effects of ionising radiation exposure include increased mortality risks, and models of the transgenerational effects of radiation exposure predict more genetic disease in the children of people exposed to radiation. However, children of people exposed to the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had no indications of deleterious health effects after 62

Annotated Resource List of Peace Education Resources Available from Wilmington College Peace Resource Center, Hiroshima/Nagasaki Memorial Collection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilmington Coll., OH. Peace Resource Center.

Over 130 print and nonprint peace education resources for use with adult groups and elementary, secondary, and college students are described. Audiovisuals may be rented and books may be purchased from the Wilmington College (Ohio) Peace Resource Center. Audiovisuals, including slides, videotapes and videotape cassettes, and 16mm films, are…

Sixth Grade Students' Development of Historical Perspective: World War II and the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogawa, Masato

This study investigated how the use of various teaching methods influenced perspective taking skills of sixth grade middle school students during a unit of instruction on World War II. Three questions directed the study: (1) What do students know about World War II prior to a unit of study on World War II; (2) What do students know about World War…

The continuing risk of nuclear war.

PubMed

McCoy, Ronald

2007-01-01

Climate change and nuclear war are currently the most dangerous challenges to human civilisation and survival. The effects of climate change are now sufficient to persuade many governments to take effective measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Today there are about 27,000 nuclear warheads, many at least ten times more powerful than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, and a meaningful medical response to a nuclear attack is impossible. Nevertheless, the threat of nuclear war does not raise public concern, and indeed the nuclear-weapon states are upgrading their capability. The only effective preventive measure is the abolition of nuclear weapons. Steps towards this include: a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, for the nuclear weapon states to observe their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to enter into force. The ultimate need is for a Nuclear Weapons Convention; International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War have launched an International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons (ICAN) to promote a NWC.

Measurement of radon/thoron exhalation rates and gamma-ray dose rate in granite areas in Japan.

PubMed

Prasad, G; Ishikawa, T; Hosoda, M; Sahoo, S K; Kavasi, N; Sorimachi, A; Tokonami, S; Uchida, S

2012-11-01

Radon and thoron exhalation rates and gamma-ray dose rate in different places in Hiroshima Prefecture were measured. Exhalation rates were measured using an accumulation chamber method. The radon exhalation rate was found to vary from 3 to 37 mBq m(-2) s(-1), while the thoron exhalation rate ranged from 40 to 3330 mBq m(-2) s(-1). The highest radon exhalation rate (37 mBq m(-2) s(-1)) and gamma-ray dose rate (92 nGy h(-1)) were found in the same city (Kure City). In Kure City, indoor radon and thoron concentrations were previously measured at nine selected houses using a radon-thoron discriminative detector (Raduet). The indoor radon concentrations varied from 16 to 78 Bq m(-3), which was higher than the average value in Japan (15.5 Bq m(-3)). The indoor thoron concentration ranged from ND (not detected: below a detection limit of approximately 10 Bq m(-3)) to 314 Bq m(-3). The results suggest that radon exhalation rate from the ground is an influential factor for indoor radon concentration.

[Need for occupational and environmental allergology in occupational health - the 45th Japanese society of Occupational and Environmental Allergy Annual Meeting 2014 in Fukuoka].

PubMed

Kishikawa, Reiko; Oshikawa, Chie

2014-12-01

The 45th Japanese Society of Occupational and Environmental Allergy (OEA) Annual Meeting 2014 was held in Fukuoka city in conjunction with a technical course for occupational health physicians to learn occupational and environmental diseases more deeply. Allergic reaction due to low concentrations of chemical and biological materials is important in toxicological diseases due to highly concentrated chemical materials in the field of occupational and environmental medicine. In this paper we describe the activities of the OEA, which was established in 1970 and has completely cured patients with severe occupational asthma, such as the regional Konjac asthma in Gunma prefecture and Sea Squirt asthma in Hiroshima prefecture. Regard for the occupational environment will prevent the onset and/or exacerbation of allergic occupational disease in individual employees with allergy. Occupational cancer of the bile duct and asbestosis are also current, serious issues that should be resolved as soon as possible. It is desirable for the occupational health physician to have a large stock of knowledge about toxicological and allergic diseases in various occupational settings to maintain the health and safety of workers.

Climatic Effects of Regional Nuclear War

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oman, Luke D.

2011-01-01

We use a modern climate model and new estimates of smoke generated by fires in contemporary cities to calculate the response of the climate system to a regional nuclear war between emerging third world nuclear powers using 100 Hiroshima-size bombs (less than 0.03% of the explosive yield of the current global nuclear arsenal) on cities in the subtropics. We find significant cooling and reductions of precipitation lasting years, which would impact the global food supply. The climate changes are large and longlasting because the fuel loadings in modern cities are quite high and the subtropical solar insolation heats the resulting smoke cloud and lofts it into the high stratosphere, where removal mechanisms are slow. While the climate changes are less dramatic than found in previous "nuclear winter" simulations of a massive nuclear exchange between the superpowers, because less smoke is emitted, the changes seem to be more persistent because of improvements in representing aerosol processes and microphysical/dynamical interactions, including radiative heating effects, in newer global climate system models. The assumptions and calculations that go into these conclusions will be described.

Biological Profiles of Korean Atomic Bomb Survivors in Residence at Daegu and Kyungbuk, Republic of Korea

PubMed Central

Jhun, Hyung-Joon; Kim, Byoung-Gwon; Kim, Su-Young; Koo, Bon-Min; Kim, Jin-Kook

2008-01-01

In 1945, many Koreans, in addition to Japanese, were killed or injured by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. This study compared the biological profiles of Korean atomic bomb survivors in residence at Daegu and Kyungbuk, Republic of Korea with those of a representative sample of Koreans obtained during a similar period. We evaluated anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, blood cell counts, blood chemistry, and urinalysis of survivors (n=414) and age- and sex-matched controls (n=414) recruited from the third Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2005. Univariate analyses revealed significantly higher systolic blood pressure, white blood cell count, and serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and aspartate aminotransferase levels (p<0.01) in the survivors. Conversely, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, red blood cell count, and the proportion of positive urine occult blood (p<0.01) were lower in the survivors. Our findings suggest that biological profiles of Korean atomic bomb survivors were adversely affected by radiation exposure. PMID:19119455

The 50(th) Anniversary IMIA History of Medical Informatics Project.

PubMed

Kulikowski, Casimir A

2014-02-01

At the meeting of the IMIA Board in 2009 in Hiroshima, it approved an IMIA 50th Anniversary History Project to produce a historical volume and other materials to commemorate the anniversary of the foundation of the predecessor of IMIA-the IFIP-TC4 in 1967. A Taskforce was organized under the direction of Casimir Kulikowski, then the VP for Services of IMIA, and since that time it has met regularly to plan and implement the 50th Anniversary History of IMIA as an edited volume, and as material available online on a Media Presentation Database. The IMIA Taskforce is gathering IMIA-related archival materials, currently accessible through a prototype media repository at Rutgers University in order to help those contributing to the book or writing their own recollections and histories. The materials will support a chronicle of the development and evolution of IMIA, its contributors, its sponsored events and publications, educational and other professional activities. During 2013 Workshops were held at the Prague EFMI-STC meeting in April and at the MEDINFO 2013 Congress in Copenhagen in August.

Atomic Bomb Survivors Life-Span Study

PubMed Central

Dobrzyński, Ludwik

2015-01-01

The atomic bomb survivors life-span study (LSS) is often claimed to support the linear no-threshold hypothesis (LNTH) of radiation carcinogenesis. This paper shows that this claim is baseless. The LSS data are equally or better described by an s-shaped dependence on radiation exposure with a threshold of about 0.3 Sievert (Sv) and saturation level at about 1.5 Sv. A Monte-Carlo simulation of possible LSS outcomes demonstrates that, given the weak statistical power, LSS cannot provide support for LNTH. Even if the LNTH is used at low dose and dose rates, its estimation of excess cancer mortality should be communicated as 2.5% per Sv, i.e., an increase of cancer mortality from about 20% spontaneous mortality to about 22.5% per Sv, which is about half of the usually cited value. The impact of the “neutron discrepancy problem” – the apparent difference between the calculated and measured values of neutron flux in Hiroshima – was studied and found to be marginal. Major revision of the radiation risk assessment paradigm is required. PMID:26673526

Nova Scorpii 2011 = PNV J16551100-3838120

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waagen, Elizabeth O.

2011-06-01

Announces the discovery of Nova Scorpii 2011 = PNV J16551100-3838120 by John Seach (Chatsworth Island, NSW, Australia) on 2011 June 1.40 UT at magnitude 9.5 (DSLR + orange filter). Spectra by Bernard Heathcote (South Yarra, Vic, Australia) on Jun 2.4896 UT, A. Arai, T. Kajikawa, and M. Nagashima (Kyoto Sangyo University, Japan) on 2011 June 2.68 UT, and Masayuki Yamanaka and Ryosuke Itoh (Hiroshima University, Japan) on Jun 2 UT indicate a highly-reddened classical nova. Initially reported to the AAVSO by Seach and announced in AAVSO Special Notice #240 (Arne Henden) and IAU CBET 2735 (Daniel W. E. Green, ed.). The object was designated PNV J18102135-2305306 when posted on the Central Bureau's Transient Objects Confirmation Page (TOCP) webpage. Finder charts with sequence may be created using the AAVSO Variable Star Plotter (http://www.aavso.org/vsp). Observations should be submitted to the AAVSO International Database. See full Alert Notice for more details, observations, and links to images. [Nova Sco 2011 subsequently assigned the name V1312 Sco

Ionizing radiations, underground world and nuclear tests in Algeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chama, Allel

2010-05-01

Today, the exposure to ionizing radiations, is still a real great physical hazard in the world at various levels until the nuclear tests which led to a rich and lawful debate, and needs the installation of preventive rules through technical and medical aspects during the use of the radioactive sources, (theradioprotection). Concerning the occupational health, the pathology of the ionizing radiations is repaired under occupational disease. Our interest is to highlight this physical hazard, which represents an important chapter of the occupational pathology in its effects and prevention of the workers exposed in Algeria. The second aim of the paper is to highlight the historical aspect of the risk of ionizing radiations and consequences causes by the French nuclear tests in In Eker (underground galleries of the mountain of Hoggar in the south of Algeria in 1961), whose effects present a great damage on the health of the Algerian captive, and "workers", indigenous population and environment until now. This event deserves its place as much as that of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945).

50 Years of the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility (RARAF)

PubMed Central

Marino, Stephen A.

2017-01-01

The Radiological Research Accelerator Facility (RARAF) is in its 50th year of operation. It was commissioned on April 1, 1967 as a collaboration between the Radiological Research Laboratory (RRL) of Columbia University, and members of the Medical Research Center of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). It was initially funded as a user facility for radiobiology and radiological physics, concentrating on monoenergetic neutrons. Facilities for irradiation with MeV light charged particles were developed in the mid-1970s. In 1980 the facility was relocated to the Nevis Laboratories of Columbia University. RARAF now has seven beam lines, each having a dedicated irradiation facility: monoenergetic neutrons, charged particle track segments, two charged particle microbeams (one electrostatically focused to <1 μm, one magnetically focused), a 4.5 keV soft X-ray microbeam, a neutron microbeam, and a facility that produces a neutron spectrum similar to that of the atomic bomb dropped at Hiroshima. Biology facilities are available on site within close proximity to the irradiation facilities, making the RARAF very user friendly. PMID:28140790

Determination of specific activity of cobalt (60Co/Co) in steel samples exposed to the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.

PubMed

Kimura, T; Takano, N; Iba, T; Fujita, S; Watanabe, T; Maruyama, T; Hamada, T

1990-06-01

Specific activity 60Co/Co in two steel samples taken at 687m S and 1295m NNW from the hypocenter was measured by gamma-ray spectrometry and neutron activation analysis. The results were, respectively, (2.64 +/- 0.38) x 10(1) and (3.09 +/- 0.48) x 10(-1) dpm/mg Co at the time of bombing, which are consistent with previous data by Hashizume et al. for steel rings on the surface of roofs of buildings. The present data are expected to serve as verification of the bomb neutron transport calculations. Content of nickel and copper in the samples, determined by colorimetric and neutron activation methods, respectively, was too small to account for any significant 60Co production by the (n,p) and (n, alpha) reactions.

[Disease mongering and bipolar disorder in Japan].

PubMed

Ihara, Hiroshi

2011-01-01

Frequently used in a pejorative sense, "disease mongering" connotes a widening of the diagnostic boundaries of illness. Pharmaceutical companies conduct disease awareness campaigns on the pretext of educating the public about the prevention of illness or the promotion of health. Encouraged by disease awareness advertisements, people gradually become filled with concern that they are ill and need medical treatment. As a result, pharmacotherapy is increasingly being applied to ever-milder conditions, leading to potentially unnecessary medication, wasted resources, and even adverse side effects. Among all fields of clinical medicine, psychiatry is undoubtedly the most vulnerable to the danger of disease mongering. In Japan, depression provides the most drastic example of the impact of disease awareness campaigns on the number of patients seeking treatment. Until the late 1990s, Japanese psychiatrists focused almost exclusively on psychosis and endogenous depression, the latter being severe enough to require conventional forms of antidepressants, known as tricyclic antidepressants, and even hospitalization. At this time, people's attitude toward depression was generally unfavorable. Indeed, the Japanese word for clinical depression, utubyo, has a negative connotation, implying severe mental illness. This situation, however, changed immediately after fluvoxiamine (Luvox-Fujisawa, Depromel-Meiji Seika), the first selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) to receive approval in Japan, was introduced in 1999. In order to aid the drug's acceptance by the Japanese public, pharmaceutical companies began using the catchphrase kokoro no kaze, which literally means "a cold of the soul". Thus armed with this phrase, the pharmaceutical industry embarked on a campaign to lessen the stigma surrounding depression. According to national data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of patients with a diagnosis of mood disorder increased from 327,000 in 1999 to 591

Oral Health Attitudes and Behavior among a Group of Dental Students in Bangalore, India.

PubMed

Neeraja, R; Kayalvizhi, G; Sangeetha, P

2011-04-01

To evaluate self-reported oral health attitudes and behavior among a group of dental students in Bangalore, India and to compare the oral health attitudes of students of different years of dental school. A self-administered questionnaire based on a modified version of the Hiroshima University Dental Behavior Inventory (HU-DBI) was administered to 250 dental students. Significant differences (P<.05) were observed among students of different years in the degree of worrying about the color of the teeth, not having been to the dentist before and brushing each tooth carefully. Strongly significant differences (P<.001) were observed among students of different years in brushing the teeth twice daily, being satisfied with the appearance of the teeth, cleaning the teeth well without toothpaste, visiting dentist only when having a toothache, taking too much time to brush their teeth, worrying about having bad breath and using mouth rinse on a regular basis. Among dental students, the overall knowledge of oral health was good, even though there were deficits in knowledge in a few areas. The oral health attitudes and behavior of dental students improved with increasing levels of education.

Cataractogenic potential of ionizing radiations in animal models that simulate man

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lett, J. T.; Cox, A. B.; Lee, A. C.

1986-01-01

Aspects of experiments on radiation-induced lenticular opacification during the life spans of two animal models, the New Zealand white rabbit and the rhesus monkey, are compared and contrasted with published results from a life-span study of another animal model, the beagle dog, and the most recent data from the ongoing study of the survivors from radiation exposure at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An important connection among the three animal studies is that all the measurements of cataract indices were made by one of the authors (Lee), so variation from personal subjectivity was reduced to a minimum. The primary objective of the rabbit experiments (radiations involved: Fe-56, Ar-40, and Ne-20 ions and Co-60 gamma photons) is an evaluation of hazards to astronauts from Galactic particulate radiations. An analogous evaluation of hazards from solar flares during space flight is being made with monkeys exposed to 32, 55, 138 and 400-MeV protons. Conclusions are drawn about the proper use of animal models to simulate radiation responses in man and the levels of radiation-induced lenticular opacification that pose risks to man in space.

Optimization of Single- and Dual-Color Immunofluorescence Protocols for Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Archival Tissues.

PubMed

Kajimura, Junko; Ito, Reiko; Manley, Nancy R; Hale, Laura P

2016-02-01

Performance of immunofluorescence staining on archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded human tissues is generally not considered to be feasible, primarily due to problems with tissue quality and autofluorescence. We report the development and application of procedures that allowed for the study of a unique archive of thymus tissues derived from autopsies of individuals exposed to atomic bomb radiation in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. Multiple independent treatments were used to minimize autofluorescence and maximize fluorescent antibody signals. Treatments with NH3/EtOH and Sudan Black B were particularly useful in decreasing autofluorescent moieties present in the tissue. Deconvolution microscopy was used to further enhance the signal-to-noise ratios. Together, these techniques provide high-quality single- and dual-color fluorescent images with low background and high contrast from paraffin blocks of thymus tissue that were prepared up to 60 years ago. The resulting high-quality images allow the application of a variety of image analyses to thymus tissues that previously were not accessible. Whereas the procedures presented remain to be tested for other tissue types and archival conditions, the approach described may facilitate greater utilization of older paraffin block archives for modern immunofluorescence studies. © 2016 The Histochemical Society.

Novel neutron sources at the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility.

PubMed

Xu, Yanping; Garty, Guy; Marino, Stephen A; Massey, Thomas N; Randers-Pehrson, Gerhard; Johnson, Gary W; Brenner, David J

2012-03-16

Since the 1960s, the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility (RARAF) has been providing researchers in biology, chemistry and physics with advanced irradiation techniques, using charged particles, photons and neutrons.We are currently developing a unique facility at RARAF, to simulate neutron spectra from an improvised nuclear device (IND), based on calculations of the neutron spectrum at 1.5 km from the epicenter of the Hiroshima atom bomb. This is significantly different from a standard fission spectrum, because the spectrum changes as the neutrons are transported through air, and is dominated by neutron energies between 0.05 and 8 MeV. This facility will be based on a mixed proton/deuteron beam impinging on a thick beryllium target.A second, novel facility under development is our new neutron microbeam. The neutron microbeam will, for the first time, provide a kinematically collimated neutron beam, 10-20 micron in diameter. This facility is based on a Proton Microbeam, impinging on a thin lithium target near the threshold of the (7)Li(p,n)(7)Be reaction. This novel neutron microbeam will enable studies of neutron damage to small targets, such as single cells, individual organs within small animals or microelectronic components.

Cataractogenic potential of ionizing radiations in animal models that simulate man

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lett, J. T.; Cox, A. B.; Lee, A. C.

Aspects of experiments on radiation-induced lenticular opacification during the life spans of two animal models, the New Zealand white rabbit and the rhesus monkey, are compared and contrasted with published results from a life span study of another animal model, the beagle dog, and the most recent data from the ongoing study of the survivors from radiation exposure at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An important connection among the three animal studies is that all the measurements of cataract indices were made by one of the authors (A.C.L.), so variation from personal subjectivity was reduced to a minimum. The primary objective of the rabbit experiments (radiations involved: 56Fe, 40Ar and 20Ne ions and 60Co γ photons) is an evaluation of hazards to astronauts from galactic particulate radiations. An analogous evaluation of hazards from solar flares during space flight is being made with monkeys exposed to 32, 55, 138 and 400 MeV protons. Conclusions are drawn about the proper use of animal models to simulate radiation responses in man and the levels of radiation-induced lenticular opacification that pose risks to man in space.

Energy-dependent RBE of neutrons to induce micronuclei in root-tip cells of Allium cepa onion irradiated as dry dormant seeds and seedlings.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenyi; Fujikawa, Kazuo; Endo, Satoru; Ishikawa, Masayori; Ohtaki, Megu; Ikeda, Hideo; Hoshi, Masaharu

2003-06-01

The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of various energy neutrons produced from a Schenkel-type accelerator at the Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University (HIRRAC), compared with 60Co gamma-ray radiation was determined. The neutron radiations and gamma-ray radiation produced good linear changes in the frequency of micronuclei induced in the root-tip cells of Allium cepa onion irradiated as dry dormant seeds (seed assay) and seedlings (seedling assay) with varying radiation doses. Therefore the RBE for radiation-induced micronuclei can be calculated as the ratio of the slopes of the fitted linear dose response for the neutron radiations and the 60Co gamma-ray radiation. The RBE values by seed assay and seedling assay decreased to 174 +/- 7, from 216 +/- 9, and to 31.4 +/- 1.0, from 45.3 +/- 1.3 (one standard error), respectively, when neutron energies increased to 1.0 MeV, from 0.2 MeV, in the present study. Furthermore, the ratio of the micronucleus induction rates of seed assay to seedling assay by gamma-ray radiation was much lower than that by neutron radiations.

Radiation Exposure and Health Effects – is it Time to Reassess the Real Consequences?

PubMed Central

Thomas, G.A.; Symonds, P.

2017-01-01

Our acceptance of exposure to radiation is somewhat schizophrenic. We accept that the use of high doses of radiation is still one of the most valuable weapons in our fight against cancer, and believe that bathing in radioactive spas is beneficial. On the other hand, as a species, we are fearful of exposure to man-made radiation as a result of accidents related to power generation, even though we understand that the doses are orders of magnitude lower than those we use everyday in medicine. The 70th anniversary of the detonation of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was marked in 2015. The 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident will be marked in April 2016. March 2016 also sees the fifth anniversary of the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Perhaps now is an opportune time to assess whether we are right to be fearful of the effects of low doses of radiation, or whether actions taken because of our fear of radiation actually cause a greater detriment to health than the direct effect of radiation exposure. PMID:26880062

The long-term outcome of atomic bomb survivors with gastric carcinoma.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Manabu; Matsuyama, Ayumi; Kameyama, Toshifumi; Okamoto, Masahiro; Okazaki, Jin; Utsunomiya, Tohru; Tsutsui, Shinichi; Ishida, Teruyoshi

2009-12-01

During the decade following the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a high incidence of leukemia was observed among atomic bomb survivors. Subsequently, the incidence of other cancers gradually increased while that of leukemia decreased. We examined the long-term clinical outcome of gastric cancer and second primary cancer in atomic bomb survivors. Results of surgical treatment of gastric cancer were reviewed in 231 atomic bomb survivors and 759 control patients between 1995 and 2006. Long-term prognosis of gastric cancer in atomic bomb survivors was significantly poorer than that in control patients (P < 0.05). In a multivariate analysis, age, depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastases, and curability were found to be significant and independent prognostic factors for gastric cancer. The incidence of second primary cancer after gastric cancer was significantly higher in survivors than in control patients (P < 0.01), because the number of elderly patients in the survivors was higher. Gastric cancer in survivors had a significantly poorer prognosis. Although the frequency of second primary cancer after gastric cancer in survivors was higher than that in control patients, it did not influence the prognosis.

Non-destructive analysis of ancient bimetal swords from western Asia by γ-ray radiography and X-ray fluorescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shizuma, Kiyoshi; Kajimoto, Tsuyoshi; Endo, Satoru; Matsugi, Kazuhiro; Arimatsu, Yui; Nojima, Hisashi

2017-09-01

Eight ancient bimetal swords held by Hiroshima University, Japan were analyzed non-destructively through γ-ray radiography and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). 137Cs and 60Co γ-ray irradiation sources were used to obtain transmission images of swords. A scanning radiography method using a 60Co γ-ray source was developed. XRF was used for qualitative elemental analysis of the swords. The presence of iron cores in the hilts of some swords had been observed and it was assumed that the cores were a ritual symbol or had a functional purpose. However, our work reveals that these swords were originally bronze-hilted iron swords and that the rusty blades were replaced with bronze blades to maintain the swords' commercial value as an antique. Consequently, the rest of the iron blade was left in the hilt as an iron tang. The junction of the blade and the guard was soldered and painted to match the patina color. XRF analysis clearly showed that the elemental Sn/Cu ratios of the blades and the hilts were different. These findings are useful for clarifying the later modifications of the swords and are important for interpreting Bronze Age and Iron Age history correctly.

Themes of culture and ancestry among children of concentration camp survivors.

PubMed

Heller, D

1982-08-01

Response to the most stressful of circumstances provides insight into the human capacity for adaptability. Survivors of catastrophic historical events, such as the Nazi Holocaust and the Atomic Holocaust of Hiroshima, provide evidence of individual and cultural resilience. Of particular interest is the impact of concentration camp atrocities. As Israeli statesman Abba Eban recounts: "Never in all of recorded history has any family of the human race been overwhelmed by such a wave of grief and havoc" (Eban 1961). Existing research repeatedly demonstrates that the massive trauma of concentration camp internment profoundly affects survivors for the rest of their lives (Eitinger and Strom 1973; Chodoff 1970; Eitinger 1957). In order to comprehend the long-term cultural implications of the experiences of survivors, investigation of the succeeding generation is essential. The effect on sensitivity to culture and ancestry among children of concentration camp survivors is likely to be substantial, but the full scope of this impact has yet to be determined. The purpose of the present study is to begin to examine this impact and describe the intergenerational response of a culture to extreme stress.

Virtual reality training followed by box training improves the laparoscopic skills of novice surgeons.

PubMed

Sumitani, Daisuke; Egi, Hiroyuki; Tokunaga, Masakazu; Hattori, Minoru; Yoshimitsu, Masanori; Kawahara, Tomohiro; Okajima, Masazumi; Ohdan, Hideki

2013-06-01

The detailed influence of virtual reality training (VRT) and box training (BT) on laparoscopic performance is unknown; we aimed to determine the optimal order of imparting these training programs. This randomized controlled trial involved two groups, each with 20 participants without prior laparoscopic surgical experience: A BT-VRT group (60 min BT followed by 60 min VRT) and a VRT-BT group (60 min VRT followed by 60 min BT). We objectively assessed the laparoscopic skills with a motion-analysis system (Hiroshima University Endoscopic Surgical Assessment Device: HUESAD), which reliably assesses surgical dexterity. Skill assessment was performed before and after the training session. No inter-group differences were identified in the study measures at the pre-training assessment. In both groups, the performance on all tasks was significantly better at the post-training assessment than at the pre-training assessment. However, the outcome of the tests using the HUESAD was significantly better in the VRT-BT group than in the BT-VRT group at the post-training assessment. VRT followed by BT effectively improves the dexterity of novice surgeons during initial laparoscopic (combination) training.

Novel neutron sources at the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Y.; Garty, G.; Marino, S. A.; Massey, T. N.; Randers-Pehrson, G.; Johnson, G. W.; Brenner, D. J.

2012-03-01

Since the 1960s, the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility (RARAF) has been providing researchers in biology, chemistry and physics with advanced irradiation techniques, using charged particles, photons and neutrons. We are currently developing a unique facility at RARAF, to simulate neutron spectra from an improvised nuclear device (IND), based on calculations of the neutron spectrum at 1.5 km from the epicenter of the Hiroshima atom bomb. This is significantly different from a standard fission spectrum, because the spectrum changes as the neutrons are transported through air, and is dominated by neutron energies between 0.05 and 8 MeV. This facility will be based on a mixed proton/deuteron beam impinging on a thick beryllium target. A second, novel facility under development is our new neutron microbeam. The neutron microbeam will, for the first time, provide a kinematically collimated neutron beam, 10-20 micron in diameter. This facility is based on a proton microbeam, impinging on a thin lithium target near the threshold of the 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction. This novel neutron microbeam will enable studies of neutron damage to small targets, such as single cells, individual organs within small animals or microelectronic components.

Plutonium Bioassay Testing of U.S. Atmospheric Nuclear Test Participants and U.S. Occupation Forces of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-30

with nuclear weapons testing or plutonium work. The results for the 100 atomic veterans were compared to those of the unexposed population, and...as a marker for significant internal intakes of other associated radionuclides in nuclear weapons debris due to its low natural background. However...isotope in weapons grade plutonium, is important from a health perspective, its presence within a given urine sample being analyzed by FTA can only

Natural hazards education in global environment leaders education programme for designing a low-carbon society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Han Soo; Yamashita, Takao; Fujiwara, Akimasa

2010-05-01

Global environmental leader (GEL) education programme at graduate school for international development and cooperation (IDEC) in Hiroshima University is an education and training programme for graduate students especially from developing countries in Asian region to build and enhance their ability to become international environmental leaders. Through this programme, they will participate in regular course works and other activities to learn how to cope with the various environment and resource management issues from global to regional scales toward a low-carbon society via multi-disciplinary approaches considering sustainable development and climate change. Under this GEL programme, there are five different research sub-groups as follows assuming a cause-effect relationship among interacting components of social, economic, and environmental systems; 1) urban system design to prevent global warming, 2) wise use of biomass resources, 3) environmental impact assessment, 4) policy and institutional design, and 5) development of environmental education programs. Candidate students of GEL programme belong to one of the five research sub-groups, perform their researches and participate in many activities under the cross-supervisions from faculty members of different sub-groups. Under the third research group for environmental impact assessment, we use numerical models named as regional environment simulator (RES) as a tool for research and education for assessing the environmental impacts due to natural hazards. Developed at IDEC, Hiroshima University, RES is a meso-scale numerical model system that can be used for regional simulation of natural disasters and environmental problems caused by water and heat circulation in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. RES has three components: i) atmosphere-surface waves-ocean part, ii) atmosphere-land surface process-hydrologic part, and iii) coastal and estuarine part. Each part is constructed with state-of-the-art public

Higher Education Expansion in Asia. Reports from the 1985 International Seminar on Asian Higher Education (Hiroshima, Japan, January 28-31, 1985).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiroshima Univ. (Japan). Research Inst. for Higher Education.

Expansion of the past 10 years in Asian higher education and associated problems, as well as the role of colleges and universities in national development, are discussed in 11 papers from a 1985 International Seminar. Paper titles and authors include: "Prospects and Problems in Asian Higher Education: Introductory Presentation by the…

Issues in Education in Asia and the Pacific: An International Perspective. OECD Documents. Conference Proceedings (Hiroshima, Japan, October 7-9, 1992).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Phillip; Renwick, William

This document reports on the first international conference in Japan in October 1992 to open up a dialogue among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries and the Dynamic Asian Economies (DAEs) of Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore. Experts from each of the DAEs attended the…

The Manhattan Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, B. Cameron

2014-10-01

The Manhattan Project was the United States Army’s program to develop and deploy nuclear weapons during World War II. In these devices, which are known popularly as ‘atomic bombs’, energy is released not by a chemical explosion but by the much more violent process of fission of nuclei of heavy elements via a neutron-mediated chain-reaction. Three years after taking on this project in mid-1942, the Army’s Manhattan Engineer District produced three nuclear bombs of two different designs. Two of these devices were fueled with the 239 isotope of the synthetic element plutonium, while the third employed the rare 235 isotope of uranium. One of the plutonium devices, code-named Trinity, was detonated in a test in southern New Mexico on 16 July 1945; this was the world’s first nuclear explosion. Three weeks later, on 6 August, the uranium bomb, Little Boy, was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. On 9 August the second plutonium device, Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki. Together, the two bombings killed over 100 000 people and were at least partially responsible for the Japanese government’s 14 August decision to surrender. This article surveys, at an undergraduate level, the science and history of the Manhattan Project.

Novel neutron sources at the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility

PubMed Central

Xu, Yanping; Garty, Guy; Marino, Stephen A.; Massey, Thomas N.; Randers-Pehrson, Gerhard; Johnson, Gary W.; Brenner, David J.

2012-01-01

Since the 1960s, the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility (RARAF) has been providing researchers in biology, chemistry and physics with advanced irradiation techniques, using charged particles, photons and neutrons. We are currently developing a unique facility at RARAF, to simulate neutron spectra from an improvised nuclear device (IND), based on calculations of the neutron spectrum at 1.5 km from the epicenter of the Hiroshima atom bomb. This is significantly different from a standard fission spectrum, because the spectrum changes as the neutrons are transported through air, and is dominated by neutron energies between 0.05 and 8 MeV. This facility will be based on a mixed proton/deuteron beam impinging on a thick beryllium target. A second, novel facility under development is our new neutron microbeam. The neutron microbeam will, for the first time, provide a kinematically collimated neutron beam, 10–20 micron in diameter. This facility is based on a Proton Microbeam, impinging on a thin lithium target near the threshold of the 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction. This novel neutron microbeam will enable studies of neutron damage to small targets, such as single cells, individual organs within small animals or microelectronic components. PMID:22545061

Academic Responses to Fukushima Disaster.

PubMed

Yasui, Kiyotaka; Kimura, Yuko; Kamiya, Kenji; Miyatani, Rie; Tsuyama, Naohiro; Sakai, Akira; Yoshida, Koji; Yamashita, Shunichi; Chhem, Rethy; Abdel-Wahab, May; Ohtsuru, Akira

2017-03-01

Since radiation accidents, particularly nuclear disasters, are rarer than other types of disasters, a comprehensive radiation disaster medical curriculum for them is currently unavailable. The Fukushima compound disaster has urged the establishment of a new medical curriculum in preparation for any future complex disaster. The medical education will aim to aid decision making on various health risks for workers, vulnerable people, and residents addressing each phase in the disaster. Herein, we introduce 3 novel educational programs that have been initiated to provide students, professionals, and leaders with the knowledge of and skills to elude the social consequences of complex nuclear disasters. The first program concentrates on radiation disaster medicine for medical students at the Fukushima Medical University, together with a science, technology, and society module comprising various topics, such as public risk communication, psychosocial consequences of radiation anxiety, and decision making for radiation disaster. The second program is a Phoenix Leader PhD degree at the Hiroshima University, which aims to develop future leaders who can address the associated scientific, environmental, and social issues. The third program is a Joint Graduate School of Master's degree in the Division of Disaster and Radiation Medical Sciences at the Nagasaki University and Fukushima Medical University.

Effects of environmental factors on perinatal outcome: neurological development in cases of intrauterine growth retardation and school performance of children perinatally exposed to ionizing radiation.

PubMed Central

Ikenoue, T; Ikeda, T; Ibara, S; Otake, M; Schull, W J

1993-01-01

We performed two studies to investigate environmental factors in relation to neurological development in infants. The first, a field study, examined the elementary school performance of 929 children who were born from mothers exposed to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, August 6, 1945. The most severe mental retardation was observed in the group exposed between 8 and 15 weeks following fertilization, and the second most severely damaged group was exposed between 16 and 25 weeks. The second, a clinical investigation, examined infants in the perinatal center who survived intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Those who survived with abnormal neurological development had a mean growth arrest corresponding to a uterine height of 27 weeks of gestation. This was at an earlier stage than those who survived with normal neurological development and had a mean growth arrest corresponding to 29-30 weeks of gestation. A smaller head circumference at birth was closely correlated with abnormal neurological sequelae. These results indicate that the brain development of the fetuses may have been affected by neurotoxic events similar to ionizing radiation. We emphasize the importance of avoiding neurotoxic stress to pregnant women when the fetus is in the critical period of neuronal development, before 27 weeks of gestational age. PMID:8243407

A cross-cultural comparison of dental health attitudes and behaviour among freshman dental students in Japan, Hong Kong and West China.

PubMed

Kawamura, M; Yip, H K; Hu, D Y; Komabayashi, T

2001-06-01

To clarify the differences in dental health attitudes/behaviour among freshman dental students. Cross-cultural differences. Japan, Hong Kong and West China. The original version of the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) was written in Japanese. After testing the validity of both English and Chinese versions, the original version of the HU-DBI was administered to 58 freshman Japanese dental students, the English version to 43 Hong Kong Chinese peers and the Chinese version to 39 West Chinese peers. Significant cultural differences were found for 16 items out of 20. The most striking result was that the Japanese students were more likely to have used a dye to see how clean their teeth were, compared to their Chinese peers (P<0.001). The Chinese students were less likely to have a belief that they could clean their teeth well without using toothpaste (P<0.001), whereas higher percentages of the Chinese students worried about having bad breath (P<0.001). A higher percentage of the Hong Kong students reported that they regularly checked their teeth in a mirror than did their West Chinese or Japanese peers (P<0.05). There were considerable differences in dental health attitudes/behaviour among freshman dental students in the three cultural groups.

Little Boy to Star Wars the evolution of American deterrence. Research report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Havey, M.E.

1986-05-01

The historical and sociological development of the American deterrent posture in the nuclear age is traced since the its dawn at Alamagordo, New Mexico, 16 July 1945, and the use of the Little Boy over Hiroshima three weeks later. A description of Western man's involvement in and reaction to pre-1945 catastrophic circumstances is followed by a comparative examination of the post-1945 changes in national policy in regard to the use and dangers of total war. Using Bernard Brodie as a theoretical deterrent baseline, the author analyzes the ethical and military shifts in U.S. declaratory (versus actual) nuclear policy, through Paulmore » Nitze's statements of future policy in light of strategic defense. The author concludes that extremely effective--not necessarily perfect--defenses can be based dramatically on the beneficial effects of arms control. But at the same time, such a condition must inevitably result in a de facto reversion of U.S. nuclear policy to that of a small, non-counterforce force de frappe deterrent - similar in effect to that of the present French posture. The implications of this upon U.S.-Soviet force balance, the historical trends of the American Way of War, and the present deterrent mindset of the officer corps is left as a grave concern.« less

Fieldable computer system for determining gamma-ray pulse-height distributions, flux spectra, and dose rates from Little Boy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moss, C.E.; Lucas, M.C.; Tisinger, E.W.

1984-01-01

Our system consists of a LeCroy 3500 data acquisition system with a built-in CAMAC crate and eight bismuth-germanate detectors 7.62 cm in diameter and 7.62 cm long. Gamma-ray pulse-height distributions are acquired simultaneously for up to eight positions. The system was very carefully calibrated and characterized from 0.1 to 8.3 MeV using gamma-ray spectra from a variety of radioactive sources. By fitting the pulse-height distributions from the sources with a function containing 17 parameters, we determined theoretical repsonse functions. We use these response functions to unfold the distributions to obtain flux spectra. A flux-to-dose-rate conversion curve based on the workmore » of Dimbylow and Francis is then used to obtain dose rates. Direct use of measured spectra and flux-to-dose-rate curves to obtain dose rates avoids the errors that can arise from spectrum dependence in simple gamma-ray dosimeter instruments. We present some gamma-ray doses for the Little Boy assembly operated at low power. These results can be used to determine the exposures of the Hiroshima survivors and thus aid in the establishment of radation exposure limits for the nuclear industry.« less

Risk factors for postoperative complications following oral surgery.

PubMed

Shigeishi, Hideo; Ohta, Kouji; Takechi, Masaaki

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to clarify significant risk factors for postoperative complications in the oral cavity in patients who underwent oral surgery, excluding those with oral cancer. This study reviewed the records of 324 patients who underwent mildly to moderately invasive oral surgery (e.g., impacted tooth extraction, cyst excision, fixation of mandibular and maxillary fractures, osteotomy, resection of a benign tumor, sinus lifting, bone grafting, removal of a sialolith, among others) under general anesthesia or intravenous sedation from 2012 to 2014 at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstructive Surgery, Hiroshima University Hospital. Univariate analysis showed a statistical relationship between postoperative complications (i.e., surgical site infection, anastomotic leak) and diabetes (p=0.033), preoperative serum albumin level (p=0.009), and operation duration (p=0.0093). Furthermore, preoperative serum albumin level (<4.0 g/dL) and operation time (≥120 minutes) were found to be independent factors affecting postoperative complications in multiple logistic regression analysis results (odds ratio 3.82, p=0.0074; odds ratio 2.83, p=0.0086, respectively). Our results indicate that a low level of albumin in serum and prolonged operation duration are important risk factors for postoperative complications occurring in the oral cavity following oral surgery.

Gamma radiation at a human relevant low dose rate is genotoxic in mice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graupner, Anne; Eide, Dag M.; Instanes, Christine; Andersen, Jill M.; Brede, Dag A.; Dertinger, Stephen D.; Lind, Ole C.; Brandt-Kjelsen, Anicke; Bjerke, Hans; Salbu, Brit; Oughton, Deborah; Brunborg, Gunnar; Olsen, Ann K.

2016-09-01

Even today, 70 years after Hiroshima and accidents like in Chernobyl and Fukushima, we still have limited knowledge about the health effects of low dose rate (LDR) radiation. Despite their human relevance after occupational and accidental exposure, only few animal studies on the genotoxic effects of chronic LDR radiation have been performed. Selenium (Se) is involved in oxidative stress defence, protecting DNA and other biomolecules from reactive oxygen species (ROS). It is hypothesised that Se deficiency, as it occurs in several parts of the world, may aggravate harmful effects of ROS-inducing stressors such as ionising radiation. We performed a study in the newly established LDR-facility Figaro on the combined effects of Se deprivation and LDR γ exposure in DNA repair knockout mice (Ogg1-/-) and control animals (Ogg1+/-). Genotoxic effects were seen after continuous radiation (1.4 mGy/h) for 45 days. Chromosomal damage (micronucleus), phenotypic mutations (Pig-a gene mutation of RBCCD24-) and DNA lesions (single strand breaks/alkali labile sites) were significantly increased in blood cells of irradiated animals, covering three types of genotoxic activity. This study demonstrates that chronic LDR γ radiation is genotoxic in an exposure scenario realistic for humans, supporting the hypothesis that even LDR γ radiation may induce cancer.

Captives of Their Fantasies: The German Atomic Bomb Scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klotz, Irving M.

1997-02-01

When the Nazi government collapsed in May, 1945, an Allied intelligence mission took into custody nine of the German scientists who played key roles in the German atomic bomb project. Under great secrecy these men were confined in a large country house, Farm Hall, near Cambridge (England), and their conversations were recorded surreptitiously by hidden microphones in every room. The transcripts were kept TOP SECRET for 47 years and were finally released recently. They give fascinating insights into the personalities of the guests and invaluable information on what the Germans really understood about the physics and chemistry of a nuclear reactor and an atomic bomb. The Farm Hall transcripts clearly establish that (a) the Germans on August 6, 1945 did not believe that the Allies had exploded an atomic bomb over Hiroshima that day; (b) they never succeeded in constructing a self-sustaining nuclear reactor; (c) they were confused about the differences between an atomic bomb and a reactor; (d) they did not know how to correctly calculate the critical mass of a bomb; (e) they thought that "plutonium" was probably element 91. The Farm Hall transcripts contradict the self-serving and sensationalist writings about German efforts that have appeared during the past fifty years.

Cancer risk at low doses of ionizing radiation: artificial neural networks inference from atomic bomb survivors

PubMed Central

Sasaki, Masao S.; Tachibana, Akira; Takeda, Shunichi

2014-01-01

Cancer risk at low doses of ionizing radiation remains poorly defined because of ambiguity in the quantitative link to doses below 0.2 Sv in atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki arising from limitations in the statistical power and information available on overall radiation dose. To deal with these difficulties, a novel nonparametric statistics based on the ‘integrate-and-fire’ algorithm of artificial neural networks was developed and tested in cancer databases established by the Radiation Effects Research Foundation. The analysis revealed unique features at low doses that could not be accounted for by nominal exposure dose, including (i) the presence of a threshold that varied with organ, gender and age at exposure, and (ii) a small but significant bumping increase in cancer risk at low doses in Nagasaki that probably reflects internal exposure to 239Pu. The threshold was distinct from the canonical definition of zero effect in that it was manifested as negative excess relative risk, or suppression of background cancer rates. Such a unique tissue response at low doses of radiation exposure has been implicated in the context of the molecular basis of radiation–environment interplay in favor of recently emerging experimental evidence on DNA double-strand break repair pathway choice and its epigenetic memory by histone marking. PMID:24366315

Ultrasound-Detected Thyroid Nodule Prevalence and Radiation Dose from Fallout

PubMed Central

Land, C. E.; Zhumadilov, Z.; Gusev, B. I.; Hartshorne, M. H.; Wiest, P. W.; Woodward, P. W.; Crooks, L. A.; Luckyanov, N. K.; Fillmore, C. M.; Carr, Z.; Abisheva, G.; Beck, H. L.; Bouville, A.; Langer, J.; Weinstock, R.; Gordeev, K. I.; Shinkarev, S.; Simon, S. L.

2014-01-01

Settlements near the Semipalatinsk Test Site (SNTS) in northeastern Kazakhstan were exposed to radioactive fallout during 1949–1962. Thyroid disease prevalence among 2994 residents of eight villages was ascertained by ultrasound screening. Malignancy was determined by cytopathology. Individual thyroid doses from external and internal radiation sources were reconstructed from fallout deposition patterns, residential histories and diet, including childhood milk consumption. Point estimates of individual external and internal dose averaged 0.04 Gy (range 0–0.65) and 0.31 Gy (0–9.6), respectively, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.46. Ultrasound-detected thyroid nodule prevalence was 18% and 39% among males and females, respectively. It was significantly and independently associated with both external and internal dose, the main study finding. The estimated relative biological effectiveness of internal compared to external radiation dose was 0.33, with 95% confidence bounds of 0.09–3.11. Prevalence of papillary cancer was 0.9% and was not significantly associated with radiation dose. In terms of excess relative risk per unit dose, our dose–response findings for nodule prevalence are comparable to those from populations exposed to medical X rays and to acute radiation from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. PMID:18363427

Short- and long-term results of lateral pancreaticojejunostomy for chronic pancreatitis: a retrospective Japanese single-center study.

PubMed

Sudo, Takeshi; Murakami, Yoshiaki; Uemura, Kenichiro; Hashimoto, Yasushi; Kondo, Naru; Nakagawa, Naoya; Sueda, Taijiro

2014-06-01

The study aim was to determine the short- and long-term results of lateral pancreaticojejunostomy for chronic pancreatitis at a single center in Japan. The records of 64 consecutive patients were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent surgery at Hiroshima University Hospital between December 1996 and April 2013. Long-term follow-up was performed in 58 patients (91%) for a median period of 34 months. The 53 men (83%) and 11 women (17%) had a mean age of 55 years. The etiology of pancreatitis was chronic alcohol abuse in 44 patients (69%). The major indication for surgery was acute pancreatitis exacerbation (80%). There was no postoperative mortality. Postoperative morbidity occurred in 21 patients (33%), with severe complications requiring non-surgical intervention in four (6%). The percentage of pain-free patients after surgery was 91%, and further acute exacerbation was prevented in 95%. Four patients (7%) required subsequent surgery for pancreatitis-related complications. Of the patients that completed follow-up, 33 (57%) had diabetes mellitus, including 11 patients (19%) with new-onset diabetes; 30 patients (56%) developed pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. Full-length lateral pancreaticojejunostomy is safe, feasible, and effective for managing chronic pancreatitis. The technique prevents further exacerbations and maintains appropriate pancreatic endocrine and exocrine function. © 2013 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.

Novel neutron sources at the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility

DOE PAGES

Xu, Yanping; Garty, G.; Marino, S. A.; ...

2012-03-16

Since the 1960s, the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility (RARAF) has been providing researchers in biology, chemistry and physics with advanced irradiation techniques, using charged particles, photons and neutrons. We are currently developing a unique facility at RARAF, to simulate neutron spectra from an improvised nuclear device (IND), based on calculations of the neutron spectrum at 1.5 km from the epicenter of the Hiroshima atom bomb. This is significantly different from a standard fission spectrum, because the spectrum changes as the neutrons are transported through air, and is dominated by neutron energies between 0.05 and 8 MeV. This facility will bemore » based on a mixed proton/deuteron beam impinging on a thick beryllium target. A second, novel facility under development is our new neutron microbeam. The neutron microbeam will, for the first time, provide a kinematically collimated neutron beam, 10-20 micron in diameter. This facility is based on a proton microbeam, impinging on a thin lithium target near the threshold of the Li-7(p,n)Be-7 reaction. Lastly, this novel neutron microbeam will enable studies of neutron damage to small targets, such as single cells, individual organs within small animals or microelectronic components.« less

Health status of radiation exposed residents living near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site based on health assessment by interview.

PubMed

Hirabayashi, Kyoko; Kawano, Noriyuki; Ohtaki, Megu; Harada, Yuka; Harada, Hironori; Muldagaliyev, Talgat; Apsalikov, Kazbek; Hoshi, Masaharu

2008-03-01

The purpose of the present paper is to examine the aftereffects of radiation exposure on residents of villages near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) in Kazakhstan. Our Hiroshima University (Japan) research team began field research in 2002 by means of health assessments conducted via interviews. We focus on persons who responded to questions concerning their medical conditions and symptoms. In this paper, we summarize and analyze, using multiple linear logistic regression analysis, the answers obtained by questionnaire survey. The results show: (1) 31% of the residents reported that they felt bad or were in very poor health. (2) Residents living in villages having higher radiation levels were more likely to report having poor or very poor health, minor complaints such as loss of sleep, headaches, nighttime sweating and swollen arms or legs, and the need for nursing care in performing activities of daily living. (3) Symptoms reported by over 40% of the respondents included high blood pressure, heart disease and arthralgia/ lower back pain/ arthritis. Our results suggest that radiation exposure in the Semipalatinsk area is one of the causes of poor health in general among residents. There is also a possibility that radiation exposure has influenced the incidence of some specific medical conditions.

High frequency of AML1/RUNX1 point mutations in radiation-associated myelodysplastic syndrome around Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.

PubMed

Zharlyganova, Dinara; Harada, Hironori; Harada, Yuka; Shinkarev, Sergey; Zhumadilov, Zhaxybay; Zhunusova, Aigul; Tchaizhunusova, Naylya J; Apsalikov, Kazbek N; Kemaikin, Vadim; Zhumadilov, Kassym; Kawano, Noriyuki; Kimura, Akiro; Hoshi, Masaharu

2008-09-01

It is known that bone marrow is a sensitive organ to ionizing radiation, and many patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) have been diagnosed in radiation-treated cases and atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The AML1/RUNX1 gene has been known to be frequently mutated in MDS/AML patients among atomic bomb survivors and radiation therapy-related MDS/AML patients. In this study, we investigated the AML1 mutations in radiation-exposed patients with MDS/AML among the residents near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS), where the risk of solid cancers and leukemias was increased due to the radiation effects. AML1 mutations were identified in 7 (39%) of 18 radiation-exposed MDS/AML patients. In contrast, no AML1 mutation was found in 13 unexposed MDS/AML cases. The frequency of AML1 mutations in radiation-exposed patients with MDS/AML was significantly higher compared with unexposed patients (p < 0.05).We also found a significant correlation between individual estimated doses and AML1 mutations (p < 0.05). Considering these results, AML1 point mutations might be a useful biomarker that differentiates radio-induced MDS/AML from spontaneous MDS/AML.

Significant correlation between spleen volume and thrombocytopenia in liver transplant patients: a concept for predicting persistent thrombocytopenia.

PubMed

Ohira, Masahiro; Ishifuro, Minoru; Ide, Kentaro; Irei, Toshimitsu; Tashiro, Hirotaka; Itamoto, Toshiyuki; Ito, Katsuhide; Chayama, Kazuaki; Asahara, Toshimasa; Ohdan, Hideki

2009-02-01

Interferon (IFN) therapy with or without ribavirin treatment is well established as a standard antiviral treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. However, susceptibility to thrombocytopenia is a major obstacle for initiating or continuing this therapy, particularly in liver transplant (LTx) recipients with HCV. Studies have reported that splenectomy performed concurrently with LTx is a feasible strategy for conditioning patients for anti-HCV IFN therapy. However, the relationship between the severity of splenomegaly and alterations in the blood cytopenia in LTx recipients remains to be clarified. Here, we analyzed the relationship between spleen volume (SV) and thrombocytopenia in 45 patients who underwent LTx at Hiroshima University Hospital. The extent of pre-LTx splenomegaly [the SV to body surface area (BSA) ratio in an individual] was inversely correlated with both the post-LTx white blood cell count and platelet (PLT) count (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the PLT count of patients with thrombocytopenia (PLT count or= 400), persistent thrombocytopenia is predictable after LTx. (c) 2009 AASLD.

Long term effects of radiation exposure on telomere lengths of leukocytes and its associated biomarkers among atomic-bomb survivors

PubMed Central

Lustig, Ana; Shterev, Ivo; Geyer, Susan; Shi, Alvin; Hu, Yiqun; Morishita, Yukari; Nagamura, Hiroko; Sasaki, Keiko; Maki, Mayumi; Hayashi, Ikue; Furukawa, Kyoji; Yoshida, Kengo; Kajimura, Junko; Kyoizumi, Seishi; Kusunoki, Yoichiro; Ohishi, Waka; Nakachi, Kei; Weng, Nan-ping; Hayashi, Tomonori

2016-01-01

Ionizing radiation (IR) is a major source of cellular damage and the immediate cellular response to IR has been well characterized. But the long-term impact of IR on cell function and its relationship with aging are not known. Here, we examined the IR effects on telomere length and other biomarkers 50 to 68 years post-exposure (two time points per person) in survivors of the atomic bombing at Hiroshima during WWII. We found that telomere length of leukocytes was inversely correlated with the dose of IR (p=0.008), and this effect was primarily found in survivors who were exposed at younger ages; specifically those <12 years old (p=0.0004). Although a dose-related retardation of telomere shortening with age was observed in the cross-sectional data, longitudinal follow-up after 11 years did not show IR exposure-related alteration of the rate of telomere shortening with age. In addition, IR diminished the associations between telomere length and selected aging biomarkers that were observed in survivors with no dose. These included uric acid metabolism, cytokines, and blood T cell counts. These findings showed long-lasting detrimental effects of IR on telomere length of leukocytes in both dose- and age-at-exposure dependent manner, and on alterations of biomarkers with aging. PMID:27102155

Mortality in the Children of Atomic Bomb Survivors and Controls

PubMed Central

Neel, James V.; Kato, Hiroo; Schull, William J.

1974-01-01

A continuing study of mortality rates among children born to survivors of the atomic bombings and a suitable group of controls has been updated; the average interval between birth and verification of death or survival is 17 years. The mortality experience is now based on 18,946 children liveborn to parents one or both of whom were proximally exposed, receiving jointly an estimated dose of 117 rem; 16,516 children born to distally exposed parents receiving essentially no radiation; and 17,263 children born to parents not in Hiroshima or Nagasaki at the time of the bombings. No clearly significant effect of parental exposure on child's survival can be demonstrated either by a contingency χ2 type of analysis or regression analysis. On the basis of the regression data, the minimal gametic doubling dose of radiation of this type for mutations resulting in death during (on the average) the first 17 years of life among liveborn infants conceived 0–13 years after parental exposure is estimated at 46 rem for fathers and 125 rem for mothers. On the basis of experimental data, the gametic doubling dose for chronic, low-level radiation would be expected to be three to four times this value for males and as much as 1000 rem for females. PMID:4822470

Cancer risk at low doses of ionizing radiation: artificial neural networks inference from atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Sasaki, Masao S; Tachibana, Akira; Takeda, Shunichi

2014-05-01

Cancer risk at low doses of ionizing radiation remains poorly defined because of ambiguity in the quantitative link to doses below 0.2 Sv in atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki arising from limitations in the statistical power and information available on overall radiation dose. To deal with these difficulties, a novel nonparametric statistics based on the 'integrate-and-fire' algorithm of artificial neural networks was developed and tested in cancer databases established by the Radiation Effects Research Foundation. The analysis revealed unique features at low doses that could not be accounted for by nominal exposure dose, including (i) the presence of a threshold that varied with organ, gender and age at exposure, and (ii) a small but significant bumping increase in cancer risk at low doses in Nagasaki that probably reflects internal exposure to (239)Pu. The threshold was distinct from the canonical definition of zero effect in that it was manifested as negative excess relative risk, or suppression of background cancer rates. Such a unique tissue response at low doses of radiation exposure has been implicated in the context of the molecular basis of radiation-environment interplay in favor of recently emerging experimental evidence on DNA double-strand break repair pathway choice and its epigenetic memory by histone marking.

Long term effects of radiation exposure on telomere lengths of leukocytes and its associated biomarkers among atomic-bomb survivors.

PubMed

Lustig, Ana; Shterev, Ivo; Geyer, Susan; Shi, Alvin; Hu, Yiqun; Morishita, Yukari; Nagamura, Hiroko; Sasaki, Keiko; Maki, Mayumi; Hayashi, Ikue; Furukawa, Kyoji; Yoshida, Kengo; Kajimura, Junko; Kyoizumi, Seishi; Kusunoki, Yoichiro; Ohishi, Waka; Nakachi, Kei; Weng, Nan-Ping; Hayashi, Tomonori

2016-06-28

Ionizing radiation (IR) is a major source of cellular damage and the immediate cellular response to IR has been well characterized. But the long-term impact of IR on cell function and its relationship with aging are not known. Here, we examined the IR effects on telomere length and other biomarkers 50 to 68 years post-exposure (two time points per person) in survivors of the atomic bombing at Hiroshima during WWII. We found that telomere length of leukocytes was inversely correlated with the dose of IR (p=0.008), and this effect was primarily found in survivors who were exposed at younger ages; specifically those <12 years old (p=0.0004). Although a dose-related retardation of telomere shortening with age was observed in the cross-sectional data, longitudinal follow-up after 11 years did not show IR exposure-related alteration of the rate of telomere shortening with age. In addition, IR diminished the associations between telomere length and selected aging biomarkers that were observed in survivors with no dose. These included uric acid metabolism, cytokines, and blood T cell counts. These findings showed long-lasting detrimental effects of IR on telomere length of leukocytes in both dose- and age-at-exposure dependent manner, and on alterations of biomarkers with aging.

Chromosome aberration analysis in atomic bomb survivors and Thorotrast patients using two- and three-colour chromosome painting of chromosomal subsets.

PubMed

Tanaka, K; Popp, S; Fischer, C; Van Kaick, G; Kamada, N; Cremer, T; Cremer, C

1996-07-01

Chromosomal translocations in peripheral lymphocytes of three healthy Hiroshima atomic (A)-bomb survivors, as well as three Thorotrast patients and two non-irradiated age-matched control persons from the German Thorotrast study were studied by two- and three-colour fluorescence in situ hybridization (chromosome painting) with various combinations of whole chromosome composite probes, including chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12. Translocation frequencies detected by chromosome painting in cells of the A-bomb survivors were compared with results obtained by G-banding. A direct comparison was made, i.e. only those cells with simple translocations or complex aberrations detected by G-banding were taken into consideration which in principle could be detected also with the respective painting combination. The statistical analysis revealed no significant differences from a 1:1 relationship between the frequencies of aberrant cells obtained by both methods. The use of genomic translocation frequencies estimated from subsets of chromosomes for biological dosimetry is discussed in the light of evidence that chromosomes occupy distinct territories and are variably arranged in human lymphocyte nuclei. This territorial organization of interphase chromosomes implies that translocations will be restricted to chromatin located at the periphery of adjacent chromosome territories.

Effect of voluntary attention on auditory processing during REM sleep.

PubMed

Takahara, Madoka; Nittono, Hiroshi; Hori, Tadao

2006-07-01

The study investigates whether there is an effect of voluntary attention to external auditory stimuli during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in humans by measuring event-related potentials (ERPs). Using a 2-tone auditory-discrimination task, a standard 1000-Hz tone and a deviant 2000-Hz tone were presented to participants when awake and during sleep. In the ATTENTIVE condition, participants were requested to detect the deviant stimuli during their sleep whenever possible. In the PASSIVE sleep condition, participants were only exposed to the tones. ERPs were measured during REM sleep and compared between the 2 conditions. All experiments were conducted at the sleep laboratory of Hiroshima University. Twenty healthy university student volunteers. N/A. In the tonic period of REM sleep (the period without REM), P200 and P400 were elicited by deviant stimuli, with scalp distributions maximal at central and occipital sites, respectively. The P400 in REM sleep showed larger amplitudes in the ATTENTIVE condition, whereas the P200 amplitude did not differ between the 2 conditions. No effects on ERPs due to attention were observed during stage 2 sleep. The instruction to pay attention to external stimuli during REM sleep influenced the late positive potentials. Thus electrophysiologic evidence of voluntary attention during REM sleep has been demonstrated.

Phenomenological aspects of possible vacua of a neutrino flavor model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morozumi, Takuya; Okane, Hideaki; Sakamoto, Hiroki; Shimizu, Yusuke; Takagi, Kenta; Umeeda, Hiroyuki

2018-01-01

We discuss a supersymmetric model with discrete flavor symmetry {A}4× {Z}3. The additional scalar fields which contribute masses of leptons in the Yukawa terms are introduced in this model. We analyze their scalar potential and find that they have various vacuum structures. We show the relations among 24 different vacua and classify them into two types. We derive expressions of the lepton mixing angles, Dirac CP violating phase and Majorana phases for the two types. The model parameters which are allowed by the experimental data of the lepton mixing angles are different for each type. We also study the constraints on the model parameters which are related to Majorana phases. The different allowed regions of the model parameters for the two types are shown numerically for a given region of two combinations of the CP violating phases. Supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP17K05418 (T.M.). This work is also supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [No. 16J05332 (Y.S.), Nos. 24540272, 26247038, 15H01037, 16H00871, and 16H02189 (H.U.)] from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. H.O. is also supported by Hiroshima Univ. Alumni Association

Promote health, not nuclear weapons: ethical duty of medical professionals.

PubMed

Mitra, Arun

2018-03-07

Despite ongoing tensions in various parts of the world, the year 2017 ended on a positive note. The Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was passed by the UN General Assembly on July 7, 2017, which will always be a red-letter day in history. It has raised many hopes for a future world without nuclear weapons and staved off the impending humanitarian catastrophe. Good health is a basic need of every individual. Therefore, each person yearns for a life free of violence and free of man-made catastrophes like the ones at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, which killed over two hundred thousand people and resulted in genetic mutations affecting generations thereafter. Unfortunately, instead of working for nuclear disarmament, the world moved towards an unending nuclear arms race, costing billions which could have been used for healing millions of people living in despair and sickness. This is why on December 10, 2017, Oslo, the capital of Norway, was filled with excitement when the Nobel Peace Prize for this year was bestowed upon the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Large numbers of medical professionals from around the globe had gathered there to affirm their commitment to a healthy future through diversion of wasteful expenditure from the nuclear arms race towards universal health.

August 5, 1963-President Kennedy's Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed in Moscow, Russia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kennedy, John F.

On August 5, 1963, after more than eight years of negotiations, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union signed the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by atomic bombs marked the end of World War II and the beginning of the nuclear age. As tensions between East and West settled into a Cold War, scientists in the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union conducted tests and developed more powerful nuclear weapons. In 1959, radioactive deposits were found in wheat and milk in the northern United States. As scientists and themore » public gradually became aware of the dangers of radioactive fallout, they began to raise their voices against nuclear testing. Leaders and diplomats of several countries sought to address the issue. In May 1955, the United Nations Disarmament Commission brought together the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and the Soviet Union to begin negotiations on ending nuclear weapons testing. Conflict soon arose over inspections to verify underground testing. The Soviet Union feared that on-site inspections could lead to spying that might expose the Soviets' vastly exaggerated claims of the number of deliverable nuclear weapons. As negotiators struggled over differences, the Soviet Union and the United States suspended nuclear tests—a moratorium that lasted from November 1958 to September 1961. John F. Kennedy had supported ban on nuclear weapons testing since 1956. He believed a ban would prevent other countries from obtaining nuclear weapons, and took a strong stand on the issue in the 1960 presidential campaign. Once elected, President Kennedy pledged not to resume testing in the air and promised to pursue all diplomatic efforts for a test ban treaty before resuming underground testing. He envisioned the test ban as a first step to nuclear disarmament. President Kennedy met with Soviet Premier Khrushchev in Vienna in June 1961, just five weeks after the

Pacific Circle Consortium: A Regional Project of OECD/CERI. Report of Annual Conference (6th, Hiroshima, Japan, September 27-October 4, 1982).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France). Centre for Educational Research and Innovation.

Pacific region countries reported on their 1982 cooperative activities in education, including exchange and curriculum development projects, aimed at improving intercultural understanding. The first part of the report describes what happened at the sessions; the second part contains the appendices. Various countries--Australia, Canada, Japan, New…

Endoscopic submucosal dissection for anorectal tumor with hemorrhoids close to the dentate line: a multicenter study of Hiroshima GI Endoscopy Study Group.

PubMed

Tamaru, Yuzuru; Oka, Shiro; Tanaka, Shinji; Hiraga, Yuko; Kunihiro, Masaki; Nagata, Shinji; Furudoi, Akira; Ninomiya, Yuki; Asayama, Naoki; Shigita, Kenjiro; Nishiyama, Soki; Hayashi, Nana; Chayama, Kazuaki

2016-10-01

The lower rectum close to the dentate line has distinct characteristics, making endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of tumors challenging. We assessed clinical outcomes of ESD for such patients with hemorrhoids. Sixty-four patients (mean age, 68 years) underwent ESD for anorectal tumors close to the dentate line. We divided patients into those with (Group A, 45 patients) and without hemorrhoids (Group B, 19 patients). We examined en bloc and histological en bloc resection rates, procedure time, complication rates, and postoperative prognosis after ESD. The mean tumor size was 43 mm. Histologic diagnoses were adenoma (42 %, 27/64), carcinoma in situ (44 %, 28/64), and T1 carcinoma (14 %, 9/64). There was no significant difference in en bloc resection (93 %, 42/45 vs. 95 %, 18/19) or postoperative bleeding rates (16 %, 7/45 vs. 11 %, 2/19) between Groups A and B, respectively. The mean procedural durations were 120 and 124 min, respectively, in Groups A and B. No perforations occurred. There was no significant difference in postoperative anal pain rate between Groups A (18 %, 8/45) and B (16 %, 3/19), and it resolved within a few days in all cases. There was one case of stricture in Group B. Two patients with T1 carcinoma underwent additional surgery, one underwent chemotherapy, and five had no additional treatment. No recurrence occurred during the follow-up period of 38 months. ESD is safe and effective for anorectal tumors close to the dentate line in patients with hemorrhoids.

Proceedings of the International Workshop on Water Waves and Floating Bodies (16th) Held in Hiroshima, Japan on April 22-25, 2001

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-04-25

design. The method should be easy to handle and should not be time consuming. In this aspect, Takagi and Kohara [2000] proposed an application of the...of a Very Large Floating Structure, Proc. of 14th Int. WWWFB, Port Huron, 1999, pp. 13 7- 14 0 . TAKAGI, K. and KOHARA , K. :Application of the Ray

An Attempt to Develop AN Environmental Information System of Ecological Infrastructure for Evaluating Functions of Ecosystem-Based Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction Eco-Drr

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doko, T.; Chen, W.; Sasaki, K.; Furutani, T.

2016-06-01

), JMC dataset 50m grid (elevation) (13,071 maps), Old Edition Maps: Topographic Map (325 maps), Digital Base Map at a scale of 2500 for reconstruction planning (808 maps), Detailed Digital Land Use Information for Metropolitan Area (10 m land use) (2,436 maps), and Digital Information by GSI (national large scale map) (71 maps). Old Edition Maps: Topographic Map were analogue maps, and were scanned and georeferenced. These geographical area covered 1) Tohoku area, 2) Five Lakes of Mikata area (Fukui), 3) Ooshima Island (Tokyo), 4) Hiroshima area (Hiroshima), 5) Okushiri Island (Hokkaido), and 6) Toyooka City area (Hyogo). The European data includes topographic map in Germany (8 maps), old topographic map in Germany (31 maps), ancient map in Germany (23 maps), topographic map in Austria (9 maps), old topographic map in Austria (17 maps), and ancient map in Austria (37 maps). Second, focusing on Five Lakes of Mikata area as an example, these maps were integrated into the ArcGIS Online® (ESRI). These data can be overlaid, and time-series data can be visualized by a time slider function of ArcGIS Online.

Oral health attitudes and behavior of dental students at the University of Zagreb, Croatia.

PubMed

Badovinac, Ana; Božić, Darko; Vučinac, Ivana; Vešligaj, Jasna; Vražić, Domagoj; Plancak, Darije

2013-09-01

The aim of this study was to investigate oral health behavior and attitudes of dental students in years 1 to 6 at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. The Croatian version of the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI) was administered to predoctoral dental students, and collected data were analyzed. A total of 503 students (22.3 ± 2.6 mean age) completed the questionnaire. The response rate was 85.1 percent, and 72.4 percent of the respondents were female. These dental students' answers to eleven out of twenty HU-DBI items differed significantly by academic year. The mean questionnaire score was 6.62 ± 1.54, and the highest value of the HU-DBI score was in the fourth year (7.24 ± 1.54). First-year students were most likely to have a toothbrush with hard bristles and felt they had not brushed well unless done with hard strokes. Students in the sixth year were least worried about visiting a dentist and most frequently put off going to a dentist until having a toothache, indicating that rise of knowledge contributes to higher self-confidence. The mean HU-DBI score for these students showed average value, pointing out the need for a comprehensive oral hygiene and preventive program from the start of dental school.

Historic Manhattan Project Sites at Los Alamos

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McGehee, Ellen

The Manhattan Project laboratory constructed at Los Alamos, New Mexico, beginning in 1943, was intended from the start to be temporary and to go up with amazing speed. Because most of those WWII-era facilities were built with minimal materials and so quickly, much of the original infrastructure was torn down in the late '40s and early '50s and replaced by more permanent facilities. However, a few key facilities remained, and are being preserved and maintained for historic significance. Four such sites are visited briefly in this video, taking viewers to V-Site, the buildings where the first nuclear explosive device wasmore » pre-assembled in preparation for the Trinity Test in Southern New Mexico. Included is another WWII area, Gun Site. So named because it was the area where scientists and engineers tested the so-called "gun method" of assembling nuclear materials -- the fundamental design of the Little Boy weapon that was eventually dropped on Hiroshima. The video also goes to Pajarito Site, home of the "Slotin Building" and "Pond Cabin." The Slotin Building is the place where scientist Louis Slotin conducted a criticality experiment that went awry in early 1946, leading to his unfortunate death, and the Pond Cabin served the team of eminent scientist Emilio Segre who did early chemistry work on plutonium that ultimately led to the Fat Man weapon.« less

Planning guidance for emergency response to a hypothetical nuclear attack on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shubayr, Nasser Ali M.

The threat of nuclear attack will remain imminent in an ever-advancing society. Saudi Arabia is not immune to this threat. This dissertation establishes planning guidance for response to a nuclear attack on Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, based on a hypothetical scenario of a nuclear detonation. A case scenario of a one-megaton thermonuclear bomb detonated at ground level over Riyadh is used to support the thesis. Previous nuclear tests and the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings have been used to present possible effects on Riyadh. US planning guidance and lessons learned from the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear plants accidents have been used to develop the emergency response guidance. The planning guidance outlines a rapid response to the nuclear detonation. Four damage zones have been identified; severe damage zone, moderate damage zone, light damage zone and dangerous fallout zone. Actions that are recommended, and those that should be avoided, have been determined for each zone. Shelter/ evacuation evaluation for blast-affected and fallout-affected areas is the basis for the recommendation that shelter in place is the best decision for the first hours to days after the attack. Guidelines for medical care response and population monitoring and decontamination are included to reduce the early and long-term effects of the attack. Recommendations to the Saudi Arabian authorities have been made to facilitate suitable preparedness and response for such an event.

[WAR AND WORLD OF ERWIN CHARGAFF (DEDICATED TO 110 ANNIVERSARY OF BIRTH)].

PubMed

Volkov, R A; Rudenko, S S

2016-01-01

The article shortly describes the life path of Erwin Chargaff, one of the most famous figures in the history of molecular biology and genetics. Chargaff was born in Chernivtsi (Austria-Hungary, now Ukraine) but during the First World War his family was forced to move to Vienna. After graduating from the University of Vienna, Chargaff worked in Berlin, where he studied bacterial lipids. Due to Nazis coming to power in Germany, Chargaff moved to Paris and later (1935) emigrated to the USA and obtained a position at Columbia University, where he initially investigated the role of phospholipids in blood clotting. In 1944, applying novel methods Chargaff initiated intensive investigation of the chemical composition of nucleic acids from taxonomically distant species and established two rules which were later named after him. The first Chargaff's rule provided a significant support to Watson and Crick in construction of their double helical DNA model. The explosion of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced Chargaff to think about the moral responsibility of researchers and science to mankind. He begins to raise these issues in the press and manifests himself as a talented journalist, who criticized the bureaucratization of science and its transformation into a way of earning money. Despite decades of life in America, spiritually Erwin Chargaff always remained a European, who never forgot his roots and always remembered his native land.

Accelerator-Based Biological Irradiation Facility Simulating Neutron Exposure from an Improvised Nuclear Device.

PubMed

Xu, Yanping; Randers-Pehrson, Gerhard; Turner, Helen C; Marino, Stephen A; Geard, Charles R; Brenner, David J; Garty, Guy

2015-10-01

We describe here an accelerator-based neutron irradiation facility, intended to expose blood or small animals to neutron fields mimicking those from an improvised nuclear device at relevant distances from the epicenter. Neutrons are generated by a mixed proton/deuteron beam on a thick beryllium target, generating a broad spectrum of neutron energies that match those estimated for the Hiroshima bomb at 1.5 km from ground zero. This spectrum, dominated by neutron energies between 0.2 and 9 MeV, is significantly different from the standard reactor fission spectrum, as the initial bomb spectrum changes when the neutrons are transported through air. The neutron and gamma dose rates were measured using a custom tissue-equivalent gas ionization chamber and a compensated Geiger-Mueller dosimeter, respectively. Neutron spectra were evaluated by unfolding measurements using a proton-recoil proportional counter and a liquid scintillator detector. As an illustration of the potential use of this facility we present micronucleus yields in single divided, cytokinesis-blocked human peripheral lymphocytes up to 1.5 Gy demonstrating 3- to 5-fold enhancement over equivalent X-ray doses. This facility is currently in routine use, irradiating both mice and human blood samples for evaluation of neutron-specific biodosimetry assays. Future studies will focus on dose reconstruction in realistic mixed neutron/photon fields.

Self-reported oral health behavior and attitudes of dental and technology students in Lithuania.

PubMed

Pacauskiene, Ingrida M; Smailiene, Dalia; Siudikienė, Jolanta; Savanevskyte, Julija; Nedzelskiene, Irena

2014-01-01

The aim of the present study was to assess self-reported oral health habits, attitudes, lifestyle between the sample groups of preclinical and clinical dental and technology students in Lithuania using the Hiroshima University Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI), and to evaluate the impact of education on their behavior and self-reported oral health. A sample of 183 dental and 75 technology students at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Medical Academy, Faculty of Odontology, and Kaunas University of Technology completed the Lithuanian version the HU-DBI questionnaire with 11 additional items. The data were analyzed using the "SPSS 19.0 for Windows" software package. The mean HU-DBI score of clinical final-year dentistry students was significantly higher (p=0.001) than the score of the preclinical group (6.81 (1.2) and 5.96 (1.5), respectively). The mean scores of both groups of dental students were significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of the technology group (5.37 (1.8)). Oral health behaviors and knowledge were superior in dental students. Dental education had a significant positive impact on the oral health and behavior improvement. The attitudes of the Lithuanian dental students should be further improved by initiating a comprehensive program that would emphasize the importance of oral hygiene before the clinical program starts.

Evaluation of adverse events in atomic bomb survivors receiving curative-intent radiation therapy from 2005 to 2010.

PubMed

Doi, Yoshiko; Murakami, Yuji; Kenjo, Masahiro; Imano, Nobuki; Kimura, Tomoki; Nagata, Yasushi

2016-01-01

To evaluate the safety of radiation therapy (RT) in atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors (ABS), we evaluated the frequency of RT-associated adverse events (AEs) in ABS. We selected patients who underwent curative external-beam RT (EBRT) at Hiroshima University Hospital between January 2005 and December 2010 and were born before August 1946; the patients were divided into ABS and non-ABS groups, which groups received identical treatments without stratification. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 220 ABS and 753 non-ABS patients. The median age was 72 years. The median observation durations were 41 and 37 months for the ABS and non-ABS groups, respectively. The ABS group had higher frequencies of women, breast cancer patients, and concurrent chemotherapy and had a lower incidence of only acute hematological AEs. However this tendency disappeared when breast cancer patients were excluded, and no significant differences were observed between the ABS and non-ABS groups regarding Grade ⩾ 3 other acute and late AEs. The overall cumulative incidence of Grade ⩾ 3 late AEs did not significantly differ between the ABS and non-ABS groups. Notable increases in AEs were not observed during or after RT among ABS. This study clarified that stratification is not required when treating ABS with RT. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of de novo single nucleotide variants in offspring of atomic-bomb survivors close to the hypocenter by whole-genome sequencing.

PubMed

Horai, Makiko; Mishima, Hiroyuki; Hayashida, Chisa; Kinoshita, Akira; Nakane, Yoshibumi; Matsuo, Tatsuki; Tsuruda, Kazuto; Yanagihara, Katsunori; Sato, Shinya; Imanishi, Daisuke; Imaizumi, Yoshitaka; Hata, Tomoko; Miyazaki, Yasushi; Yoshiura, Koh-Ichiro

2018-03-01

Ionizing radiation released by the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 caused many long-term illnesses, including increased risks of malignancies such as leukemia and solid tumours. Radiation has demonstrated genetic effects in animal models, leading to concerns over the potential hereditary effects of atomic bomb-related radiation. However, no direct analyses of whole DNA have yet been reported. We therefore investigated de novo variants in offspring of atomic-bomb survivors by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). We collected peripheral blood from three trios, each comprising a father (atomic-bomb survivor with acute radiation symptoms), a non-exposed mother, and their child, none of whom had any past history of haematological disorders. One trio of non-exposed individuals was included as a control. DNA was extracted and the numbers of de novo single nucleotide variants in the children were counted by WGS with sequencing confirmation. Gross structural variants were also analysed. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to the study. There were 62, 81, and 42 de novo single nucleotide variants in the children of atomic-bomb survivors, compared with 48 in the control trio. There were no gross structural variants in any trio. These findings are in accord with previously published results that also showed no significant genetic effects of atomic-bomb radiation on second-generation survivors.

Exposure to an atomic bomb explosion is a risk factor for in-hospital death after esophagectomy to treat esophageal cancer.

PubMed

Nakashima, Y; Takeishi, K; Guntani, A; Tsujita, E; Yoshinaga, K; Matsuyama, A; Hamatake, M; Maeda, T; Tsutsui, S; Matsuda, H; Ishida, T

2015-01-01

Esophagectomy, one of the most invasive of all gastrointestinal operations, is associated with a high frequency of postoperative complications and in-hospital mortality. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether exposure to the atomic bomb explosion at Hiroshima in 1945 might be a preoperative risk factor for in-hospital mortality after esophagectomy in esophageal cancer patients. We thus reviewed the outcomes of esophagectomy in 31 atomic bomb survivors with esophageal cancer and 96 controls (also with cancer but without atomic bomb exposure). We compared the incidences of postoperative complications and in-hospital mortality. Of the clinicopathological features studied, mean patient age was significantly higher in atomic bomb survivors than in controls. Of the postoperative complications noted, atomic bomb survivors experienced a longer mean period of endotracheal intubation and higher incidences of severe pulmonary complications, severe anastomotic leakage, and surgical site infection. The factors associated with in-hospital mortality were exposure to the atomic bomb explosion, pulmonary comorbidities, and electrocardiographic abnormalities. Multivariate analysis revealed that exposure to the atomic bomb explosion was an independent significant preoperative risk factor for in-hospital mortality. Exposure to the atomic bomb explosion is thus a preoperative risk factor for in-hospital death after esophagectomy to treat esophageal cancer. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.

Non-cancer Diseases of Korean Atomic Bomb Survivors in Residence at Hapcheon, Republic of Korea

PubMed Central

Ju, Young-Su; Kim, Jung-Bum; Kim, Jin-Kook

2006-01-01

Many Koreans, in addition to Japanese, were killed or injured by the atomic bombs detonated over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. Our study examined non-cancer diseases of Korean A-bomb survivors in residence at Hapcheon, Republic of Korea and evaluated whether they had significantly higher prevalence of non-cancer diseases than non-exposed people. We evaluated a number of tests, including anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, blood chemistry, hepatitis B surface antigen, and urinalysis, of survivors (n=223) and controls (n=372). Univariate analysis revealed significantly lower fasting glucose and creatinine, and higher diastolic blood pressure, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and blood urea nitrogen levels in the survivors than in the controls. The calculation of crude prevalence ratios (PRs) revealed that A-bomb survivors had a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension (PR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.00-1.35) and chronic liver disease (2.20; 1.59-3.06) than controls. After adjusting for covariates (age, sex, body mass index, marital status, education, alcohol consumption, and smoking), A-bomb survivors had a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension (1.24; 1.06-1.44), chronic liver disease (2.07; 1.51-2.84), and hypercholesterolemia (1.79; 1.11-2.90) than controls. This study suggests that A-bomb exposure is associated with a higher prevalence of non-cancer diseases in Korean survivors. PMID:16778377

Rice Crop Monitoring Using Microwave and Optical Remotely Sensed Image Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suga, Y.; Konishi, T.; Takeuchi, S.; Kitano, Y.; Ito, S.

Hiroshima Institute of Technology HIT is operating the direct down-links of microwave and optical satellite data in Japan This study focuses on the validation for rice crop monitoring using microwave and optical remotely sensed image data acquired by satellites referring to ground truth data such as height of crop ratio of crop vegetation cover and leaf area index in the test sites of Japan ENVISAT-1 ASAR data has a capability to capture regularly and to monitor during the rice growing cycle by alternating cross polarization mode images However ASAR data is influenced by several parameters such as landcover structure direction and alignment of rice crop fields in the test sites In this study the validation was carried out combined with microwave and optical satellite image data and ground truth data regarding rice crop fields to investigate the above parameters Multi-temporal multi-direction descending and ascending and multi-angle ASAR alternating cross polarization mode images were used to investigate rice crop growing cycle LANDSAT data were used to detect landcover structure direction and alignment of rice crop fields corresponding to the backscatter of ASAR As the result of this study it was indicated that rice crop growth can be precisely monitored using multiple remotely sensed data and ground truth data considering with spatial spectral temporal and radiometric resolutions

Historic Manhattan Project Sites at Los Alamos

ScienceCinema

McGehee, Ellen

2018-05-11

The Manhattan Project laboratory constructed at Los Alamos, New Mexico, beginning in 1943, was intended from the start to be temporary and to go up with amazing speed. Because most of those WWII-era facilities were built with minimal materials and so quickly, much of the original infrastructure was torn down in the late '40s and early '50s and replaced by more permanent facilities. However, a few key facilities remained, and are being preserved and maintained for historic significance. Four such sites are visited briefly in this video, taking viewers to V-Site, the buildings where the first nuclear explosive device was pre-assembled in preparation for the Trinity Test in Southern New Mexico. Included is another WWII area, Gun Site. So named because it was the area where scientists and engineers tested the so-called "gun method" of assembling nuclear materials -- the fundamental design of the Little Boy weapon that was eventually dropped on Hiroshima. The video also goes to Pajarito Site, home of the "Slotin Building" and "Pond Cabin." The Slotin Building is the place where scientist Louis Slotin conducted a criticality experiment that went awry in early 1946, leading to his unfortunate death, and the Pond Cabin served the team of eminent scientist Emilio Segre who did early chemistry work on plutonium that ultimately led to the Fat Man weapon.

The Potentialities of the Atomic Bomb

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meade, Roger Allen; Bradbury, Norris E.

In January 1949, Norris Bradbury gave a lecture at the National War College which summarized the progress Los Alamos had made since the end of the war. The transcript of the talk was filed and forgotten until it surfaced fifty years later. It is, perhaps, one of the best summaries of the state of the United States nuclear weapons program in 1949. It is also evidence of how Bradbury saw the future of atomic weapons. It is presented in full, with minor editing, and begins as follows: Since the first use of an atomic bomb on August 5 [sic], 1945,more » over the city of Hiroshima, Japan, there has been a continual flood of speculation and discussion concerning the effect of this new weapon on military technology. Much of this speculation and discussion has been intelligent and fruitful; much, I regret to say, has had neither of these characteristics. The enormity of the device, in terms of potential destruction and loss of life, and the practical necessity to surround the technical facts with full security restrictions have only combined to make the problem more difficult. At the same time, it is imperative that policymaking personnel in charge of long range national planning know the basic facts concerning atomic weapons and have these facts in a reasonable perspective. This document describes these potentialities in detail.« less

Accelerator-Based Biological Irradiation Facility Simulating Neutron Exposure from an Improvised Nuclear Device

PubMed Central

Xu, Yanping; Randers-Pehrson, Gerhard; Turner, Helen C.; Marino, Stephen A.; Geard, Charles R.; Brenner, David J.; Garty, Guy

2015-01-01

We describe here an accelerator-based neutron irradiation facility, intended to expose blood or small animals to neutron fields mimicking those from an improvised nuclear device at relevant distances from the epicenter. Neutrons are generated by a mixed proton/deuteron beam on a thick beryllium target, generating a broad spectrum of neutron energies that match those estimated for the Hiroshima bomb at 1.5 km from ground zero. This spectrum, dominated by neutron energies between 0.2 and 9 MeV, is significantly different from the standard reactor fission spectrum, as the initial bomb spectrum changes when the neutrons are transported through air. The neutron and gamma dose rates were measured using a custom tissue-equivalent gas ionization chamber and a compensated Geiger-Mueller dosimeter, respectively. Neutron spectra were evaluated by unfolding measurements using a proton-recoil proportional counter and a liquid scintillator detector. As an illustration of the potential use of this facility we present micronucleus yields in single divided, cytokinesis-blocked human peripheral lymphocytes up to 1.5 Gy demonstrating 3- to 5-fold enhancement over equivalent X-ray doses. This facility is currently in routine use, irradiating both mice and human blood samples for evaluation of neutron-specific biodosimetry assays. Future studies will focus on dose reconstruction in realistic mixed neutron/photon fields. PMID:26414507

[An investigation into the actual condition of the sports drink intake on children].

PubMed

Yamamoto, M; Amano, H; Miura, K; Nagasaka, N

1990-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the actual condition of the sport drink intake on children. We conducted an investigation by means of questionnaires at 3 nursery schools and a day nursery in and around Hiroshima City, and using 505 answers with the comparison between 4 areas. The following results were obtained: 1) Less than 10% of the children often took sport drinks and about 70% of the children sometimes. 2) In response to the question of when taken, 40-50% of answers revealed that the drinks were taken when the children ill and 20-40% of answers were take from home. 3) In response to the question as to why children begin to take the drinks, many parents answered that they were advised by a doctor and a nurse to give their child sport drinks to prevent for dehydration, when their children were ill. This answer accounted for about 60% of the answers to this question. 4) Parents imagined that fruit drinks, carbonated beverages and beverages with lactic acid promoted tooth decay. Also the image of cariogenicity was less than 100% fruit juices, home-made juices, sport drinks, cow milks and water or tea in that order. The results suggest that parents regard sport drinks as beverages which do not promote tooth decay and give their child sport drinks frequency.

Longitudinal trends of total white blood cell and differential white blood cell counts of atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Hsu, Wan-Ling; Tatsukawa, Yoshimi; Neriishi, Kazuo; Yamada, Michiko; Cologne, John; Fujiwara, Saeko

2010-01-01

In studying the late health effects of atomic-bomb (A-bomb) survivors, earlier findings were that white blood cell (WBC) count increased with radiation dose in cross-sectional studies. However, a persistent effect of radiation on WBC count and other risk factors has yet to be confirmed. The objectives of the present study were 1) to examine the longitudinal relationship between A-bomb radiation dose and WBC and differential WBC counts among A-bomb survivors and 2) to investigate the potential confounding risk factors (such as age at exposure and smoking status) as well as modification of the radiation dose-response. A total of 7,562 A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were included in this study from 1964-2004. A linear mixed model was applied using the repeated WBC measurements. During the study period, a secular downward trend of WBC count was observed. Radiation exposure was a significant risk factor for elevated WBC and differential WBC counts over time. A significant increase of WBC counts among survivors with high radiation dose (> 2 Gy) was detected in men exposed below the age of 20 and in women regardless of age at exposure. Effects on WBC of low dose radiation remain unclear, however. Cigarette smoking produced the most pronounced effect on WBC counts and its impact was much larger than that of radiation exposure.

Effectiveness and safety of endoscopic radial incision and cutting for severe benign anastomotic stenosis after surgery for colorectal carcinoma: a three-case series.

PubMed

Asayama, Naoki; Nagata, Shinji; Shigita, Kenjiro; Aoyama, Taiki; Fukumoto, Akira; Mukai, Shinichi

2018-03-01

Benign colonic anastomotic stenosis sometimes occurs after surgical resection and usually requires surgical or endoscopic dilation. Limited data are available on the effectiveness and safety of the endoscopic radial incision and cutting (RIC) method at sites other than the esophagus. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of RIC dilation for severe benign anastomotic colonic stenosis. Subjects were 3 men (median age 72 years, range 65 - 76 years) who developed severe benign anastomotic stenosis after surgical resection for colorectal carcinoma and were subsequently treated by RIC dilation at Hiroshima City Asa Citizens Hospital between May 2014 and December 2016. Severe anastomotic stenosis was defined as a narrowed anastomosis through which a standard colonoscope could not be passed. The median interval from surgery to RIC was 21 months (range 9 - 29 months). RIC was successful in all 3 patients and reduced the severity of dyschezia postoperatively; 2 patients experienced improvement after a single RIC session and the other after 6 RIC sessions. No treatment-related adverse events or re-stenosis requiring repeat dilation was noted during a median follow-up of 27 months (range 8 - 37 months). Our findings indicate that the RIC technique can be applied safely and effectively to various sites in the colon, avoiding the need for reoperation.

Risk factors for esophageal stenosis after entire circumferential endoscopic submucosal dissection for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Miwata, Tomohiro; Oka, Shiro; Tanaka, Shinji; Kagemoto, Kenichi; Sanomura, Yoji; Urabe, Yuji; Hiyama, Toru; Chayama, Kazuaki

2016-09-01

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is used to perform en block resection for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, but it is strongly associated with postoperative stenosis, especially during entire circumferential resection. This study aimed to clarify the risk factors for refractory postoperative stenosis after entire circumferential esophageal ESD. Nineteen patients who underwent entire circumferential esophageal ESD from February 2006 to December 2013 at Hiroshima University Hospital were divided into two groups: refractory postoperative stenosis [≥6 endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) procedures, 12 lesions in 12 patients] and non-refractory postoperative stenosis (≤5 EBD procedures, 7 lesions in 7 patients). We retrospectively examined the patient factors (age, sex, alcohol consumption, smoking index, and chemoradiation therapy history), tumor factors (location, macroscopic type, fibrosis, and depth), and treatment factors (mean procedure time, entire circumferential resection diameter, muscle layer damage, and steroid administration method) between the two groups. Muscle layer damage (p = 0.019) and ≥5 cm of longitudinal mucosal defect length after entire circumferential esophageal ESD (p = 0.010) were significant factors associated with the refractory group. Regarding the patient and tumor factors, there were no significant differences between the two groups. Our data suggest that refractory post-ESD stenosis occurs after entire circumferential esophageal ESD with muscle layer damage and ≥5 cm of longitudinal mucosal defect length.

On JALT96: Crossing Borders. Proceedings of the Annual JALT International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning (23rd, Hiroshima, Japan, November 1996).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cornwell, Steve, Ed.; Rule, Peggy, Ed.; Sugino, Toshiko, Ed.

Papers from an international conference on language teaching/learning are presented by topic and grouped under seven sections. An introductory section contains two papers on cultural diversity and world English. The second section, on teacher development, contains papers on these topics: teacher development and socialization; teachers' responses…

Comparative Approaches to Higher Education--Curriculum, Teaching, and Innovations in an Age of Financial Difficulties. Reports of the Hiroshima/OECD Meetings of Experts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiroshima Univ. (Japan). Research Inst. for Higher Education.

Academic activities undertaken during 1981-1982 by member countries of the Organization of Educational Cooperation and Development are reported in 21 articles. The following topics are addressed: higher education in the international age, curriculum and teaching, reforms and innovations, open universities and adult education, and higher education…

Solid Cancer Incidence among the Life Span Study of Atomic Bomb Survivors: 1958-2009.

PubMed

Grant, Eric J; Brenner, Alina; Sugiyama, Hiromi; Sakata, Ritsu; Sadakane, Atsuko; Utada, Mai; Cahoon, Elizabeth K; Milder, Caitlin M; Soda, Midori; Cullings, Harry M; Preston, Dale L; Mabuchi, Kiyohiko; Ozasa, Kotaro

2017-05-01

This is the third analysis of solid cancer incidence among the Life Span Study (LSS) cohort of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, adding eleven years of follow-up data since the previously reported analysis. For this analysis, several changes and improvements were implemented, including updated dose estimates (DS02R1) and adjustment for smoking. Here, we focus on all solid cancers in aggregate. The eligible cohort included 105,444 subjects who were alive and had no known history of cancer at the start of follow-up. A total of 80,205 subjects had individual dose estimates and 25,239 were not in either city at the time of the bombings. The follow-up period was 1958-2009, providing 3,079,484 person-years of follow-up. Cases were identified by linkage with population-based Hiroshima and Nagasaki Cancer Registries. Poisson regression methods were used to elucidate the nature of the radiation-associated risks per Gy of weighted absorbed colon dose using both excess relative risk (ERR) and excess absolute risk (EAR) models adjusted for smoking. Risk estimates were reported for a person exposed at age 30 years with attained age of 70 years. In this study, 22,538 incident first primary solid cancer cases were identified, of which 992 were associated with radiation exposure. There were 5,918 cases (26%) that occurred in the 11 years (1999-2009) since the previously reported study. For females, the dose response was consistent with linearity with an estimated ERR of 0.64 per Gy (95% CI: 0.52 to 0.77). For males, significant upward curvature over the full dose range as well as restricted dose ranges was observed and therefore, a linear-quadratic model was used, which resulted in an ERR of 0.20 (95% CI: 0.12 to 0.28) at 1 Gy and an ERR of 0.010 (95% CI: -0.0003 to 0.021) at 0.1 Gy. The shape of the ERR dose response was significantly different among males and females (P = 0.02). While there was a significant decrease in the ERR with increasing attained age, this

Medical Effects of Atomic Bombs. The Report of the Joint Commission for the Investigation of the Effects of the Atomic Bomb in Japan; Volume 2. Section 4H. Materials and Methods (Hiroshima. Section 4N. Materials and Methods (Nagasaki). Section 5H. Clinical Observations in Hiroshima. Section 5N. Clinical Observations in Nagasaki

DTIC Science & Technology

1951-04-19

ansip& 2 fAnc grow of laborztory room (figure 4 ) t o the Joint C o j W s a i a , Therevas rm-ming inter, ovens, balances, sow cheidca3.s and...t he c e l l i?s a whole. respect t o chronosomes and genes , ionizing pa r t i c l e of suf f ic ien t energy will produce changes which may

A new method of fully three dimensional analysis of stress field in the soil layer of a soil-mantled hillslope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Y. H.; Nakakita, E.

2017-12-01

Hillslope stability is highly related to stress equilibrium near the top surface of soil-mantled hillslopes. Stress field in a hillslope can also be significantly altered by variable groundwater motion under the rainfall influence as well as by different vegetation above and below the slope. The topographic irregularity, biological effects from vegetation and variable rainfall patterns couple with others to make the prediction of shallow landslide complicated and difficult. In an increasing tendency of extreme rainfall, the mountainous area in Japan has suffered more and more shallow landslides. To better assess shallow landslide hazards, we would like to develop a new mechanically-based method to estimate the fully three-dimensional stress field in hillslopes. The surface soil-layer of hillslope is modelled as a poroelastic medium, and the tree surcharge on the slope surface is considered as a boundary input of stress forcing. The modelling of groundwater motion is involved to alter effective stress state in the soil layer, and the tree root-reinforcement estimated by allometric equations is taken into account for influencing the soil strength. The Mohr-Coulomb failure theory is then used for locating possible yielding surfaces, or says for identifying failure zones. This model is implemented by using the finite element method. Finally, we performed a case study of the real event of massive shallow landslides occurred in Hiroshima in August, 2014. The result shows good agreement with the field condition.

Assessment of oral health attitudes and behavior among students of Kuwait University Health Sciences Center.

PubMed

Ali, Dena A

2016-01-01

The aims of this study were to assess attitudes and behavior of oral health maintenance among students in four faculties (Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Allied Health) and to compare oral health attitudes and behavior of all students at Kuwait University Health Sciences Center (KUHSC) based on their academic level. Students enrolled in the Faculties of Dentistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Allied Health at KUHSC were evaluated regarding their oral health attitudes and behavior by an e-mail invitation with a link to the Hiroshima University Dental Behavior Inventory survey that was sent to all 1802 students with Kuwait University Health Sciences Center e-mail addresses. The data were analyzed for frequency distributions, and differences among the groups were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. P values less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant ( P < 0.05). The results of this study indicated that dental students achieved better oral health attitudes and behavior than that of their nondental professional fellow students ( P < 0.05). Students in advanced academic levels and female students demonstrated better oral health attitudes and behavior. Dental students and students who were in advanced levels of their training along with female students demonstrated better oral health practices and perceptions than students in lower academic levels and male students, respectively. Additional studies for investigating the effectiveness and identifying areas requiring modification within the dental curriculum at KUHSC may be warranted.

(41)Ca in tooth enamel. Part I: a biological signature of neutron exposure in atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Wallner, A; Rühm, W; Rugel, G; Nakamura, N; Arazi, A; Faestermann, T; Knie, K; Maier, H J; Korschinek, G

2010-08-01

The detection of (41)Ca atoms in tooth enamel using accelerator mass spectrometry is suggested as a method capable of reconstructing thermal neutron exposures from atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In general, (41)Ca atoms are produced via thermal neutron capture by stable (40)Ca. Thus any (41)Ca atoms present in the tooth enamel of the survivors would be due to neutron exposure from both natural sources and radiation from the bomb. Tooth samples from five survivors in a control group with negligible neutron exposure were used to investigate the natural (41)Ca content in tooth enamel, and 16 tooth samples from 13 survivors were used to estimate bomb-related neutron exposure. The results showed that the mean (41)Ca/Ca isotope ratio was (0.17 +/- 0.05) x 10(-14) in the control samples and increased to 2 x 10(-14) for survivors who were proximally exposed to the bomb. The (41)Ca/Ca ratios showed an inverse correlation with distance from the hypocenter at the time of the bombing, similar to values that have been derived from theoretical free-in-air thermal-neutron transport calculations. Given that gamma-ray doses were determined earlier for the same tooth samples by means of electron spin resonance (ESR, or electron paramagnetic resonance, EPR), these results can serve to validate neutron exposures that were calculated individually for the survivors but that had to incorporate a number of assumptions (e.g. shielding conditions for the survivors).

Perception and psychological evaluation for visual and auditory environment based on the correlation mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujii, Kenji

2002-06-01

In this dissertation, the correlation mechanism in modeling the process in the visual perception is introduced. It has been well described that the correlation mechanism is effective for describing subjective attributes in auditory perception. The main result is that it is possible to apply the correlation mechanism to the process in temporal vision and spatial vision, as well as in audition. (1) The psychophysical experiment was performed on subjective flicker rates for complex waveforms. A remarkable result is that the phenomenon of missing fundamental is found in temporal vision as analogous to the auditory pitch perception. This implies the existence of correlation mechanism in visual system. (2) For spatial vision, the autocorrelation analysis provides useful measures for describing three primary perceptual properties of visual texture: contrast, coarseness, and regularity. Another experiment showed that the degree of regularity is a salient cue for texture preference judgment. (3) In addition, the autocorrelation function (ACF) and inter-aural cross-correlation function (IACF) were applied for analysis of the temporal and spatial properties of environmental noise. It was confirmed that the acoustical properties of aircraft noise and traffic noise are well described. These analyses provided useful parameters extracted from the ACF and IACF in assessing the subjective annoyance for noise. Thesis advisor: Yoichi Ando Copies of this thesis written in English can be obtained from Junko Atagi, 6813 Mosonou, Saijo-cho, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-0024, Japan. E-mail address: atagi\\@urban.ne.jp.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Winstanley, J. L.

In August 1945, U.S. Navy Captain William Parsons served as the weaponeer aboard the Enola Gay for the mission to Hiroshima (Shelton 1988). In view of the fact that four B-29s had crashed and burned on takeoff from Tinian the night before, Captain Parsons made the decision to arm the gun-type weapon after takeoff for safety reasons (15 kilotons of TNT equivalent). Although he had no control over the success of the takeoff, he could prevent the possibility of a nuclear detonation on Tinian by controlling what we now call the nuclear explosive. As head of the Ordnance Division atmore » Los Alamos and a former gunnery officer, Captain Parsons clearly understood the role of safety in his work. The advent of the pre-assembled implosion weapon where the high explosive and nuclear materials are always in an intimate configuration meant that nuclear explosive safety became a reality at a certain point in development and production not just at the time of delivery by the military. This is the only industry where nuclear materials are intentionally put in contact with high explosives. The agency of the U.S. Government responsible for development and production of U.S. nuclear weapons is the Department of Energy (DOE) (and its predecessor agencies). This paper will be limited to nuclear explosive safety as it is currently practiced within the DOE nuclear weapons« less

Healing a Sick World: Psychiatric Medicine and the Atomic Age.

PubMed

Zwigenberg, Ran

2018-01-01

The onset of nuclear warfare in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had far-reaching implications for the world of medicine. The study of the A-bomb and its implications led to the launching of new fields and avenues of research, most notably in genetics and radiation studies. Far less understood and under-studied was the impact of nuclear research on psychiatric medicine. Psychological research, however, was a major focus of post-war military and civilian research into the bomb. This research and the perceived revolutionary impact of atomic energy and warfare on society, this paper argues, played an important role in the global development of post-war psychiatry. Focusing on psychiatrists in North America, Japan and the United Nations, this paper examines the reaction of the profession to the nuclear age from the early post-war period to the mid 1960s. The way psychiatric medicine related to atomic issues, I argue, shifted significantly between the immediate post-war period and the 1960s. While the early post-war psychiatrists sought to help society deal with and adjust to the new nuclear reality, later psychiatrists moved towards a more radical position that sought to resist the establishment's efforts to normalise the bomb and nuclear energy. This shift had important consequences for research into the psychological trauma suffered by victims of nuclear warfare, which, ultimately, together with other research into the impact of war and systematic violence, led to our current understanding of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Is Einstein the Father of the Atomic Bomb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lustig, Harry

2009-05-01

Soon after the American atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the notion took hold in the popular mind that Albert Einstein was ``the father of the bomb.'' The claim of paternity rests on the belief that E=mc2 is what makes the release of enormous amounts of energy in the fission process possible and that the atomic bomb could not have been built without it. This is a misapprehension. Most physicists have known that all along. Nevertheless in his reaction to the opera Dr. Atomic, a prominent physicist claimed that Einstein's discovery that matter can be transformed into energy ``is precisely what made the bomb possible.'' In fact what makes the fission reaction and one of its applications,the atomic bomb, possible is the smaller binding energies of fission products compared to the binding energies of the nuclei that undergo fission.The binding energies of nuclei are a well understood consequence of the numbers and arrangements of protons and neutrons in the nucleus and of quantum-mechanical effects. The realization that composite systems have binding energies predates relativity. In the 19th century they were ascribed to potential and other forms of energy that reside in the system. With Einstein they became rest mass energy. While E=mc2 is not the cause of fission, measuring the masses of the participants in the reaction does permit an easy calculation of the kinetic energy that is released.

A computer system to be used with laser-based endoscopy for quantitative diagnosis of early gastric cancer.

PubMed

Miyaki, Rie; Yoshida, Shigeto; Tanaka, Shinji; Kominami, Yoko; Sanomura, Yoji; Matsuo, Taiji; Oka, Shiro; Raytchev, Bisser; Tamaki, Toru; Koide, Tetsushi; Kaneda, Kazufumi; Yoshihara, Masaharu; Chayama, Kazuaki

2015-02-01

To evaluate the usefulness of a newly devised computer system for use with laser-based endoscopy in differentiating between early gastric cancer, reddened lesions, and surrounding tissue. Narrow-band imaging based on laser light illumination has come into recent use. We devised a support vector machine (SVM)-based analysis system to be used with the newly devised endoscopy system to quantitatively identify gastric cancer on images obtained by magnifying endoscopy with blue-laser imaging (BLI). We evaluated the usefulness of the computer system in combination with the new endoscopy system. We evaluated the system as applied to 100 consecutive early gastric cancers in 95 patients examined by BLI magnification at Hiroshima University Hospital. We produced a set of images from the 100 early gastric cancers; 40 flat or slightly depressed, small, reddened lesions; and surrounding tissues, and we attempted to identify gastric cancer, reddened lesions, and surrounding tissue quantitatively. The average SVM output value was 0.846 ± 0.220 for cancerous lesions, 0.381 ± 0.349 for reddened lesions, and 0.219 ± 0.277 for surrounding tissue, with the SVM output value for cancerous lesions being significantly greater than that for reddened lesions or surrounding tissue. The average SVM output value for differentiated-type cancer was 0.840 ± 0.207 and for undifferentiated-type cancer was 0.865 ± 0.259. Although further development is needed, we conclude that our computer-based analysis system used with BLI will identify gastric cancers quantitatively.

A progress report of the Marshall Islands nationwide thyroid study: an international cooperative scientific study.

PubMed

Takahashi, T; Simon, S L; Trott, K R; Fujimori, K; Nakashima, N; Arisawa, K; Schoemaker, M J

1999-04-01

The objective of this report is to present a summary of progress of the Marshall Islands Nationwide Thyroid Study. As well known, the US atomic weapons testing program in the Pacific was conducted primarily between 1946 and 1958 in the Marshall Islands. The nuclear tests resulted in radioactive contamination of a number of atolls and resulted in exposure of Marshallese to undefined levels before our study. Little information has been paid to health consequences among residents of the nearly twenty inhibited atolls except for some information about nodular thyroid disease which was reported on by an US group. In a cooperative agreement with the Government of the Marshall Islands, between 1993 and 1997 we studied the prevalence of both thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer among 4766 Marshallese potentially exposed to radioiodines from bomb test fallout. That group represents more than 65% of the population at risk. We diagnosed 45 thyroid cancers and 1398 benign thyroid nodules. In addition, 23 study participants had been operated on prior to our study for thyroid cancer. Presently, we are developing a database of information to estimate radiation doses and planning a statistical analysis to determine if a dose-response relationship exists. These data will be important for the health promotion of exposed people all over the world including Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Semipalatinsk, Chernobyl and other locations. A timely completion is important for purpose of assisting Marshallese as well as to add the global understanding of radiation induced thyroid cancer.

Prevalence of uterine myoma detected by ultrasound examination in the atomic bomb survivors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawamura, Sachiko; Kodama, Kazunori; Fujiwara, Saeko

1997-06-01

Benign tumors of several organs have been demonstrated to occur as late effects of atomic bomb exposure, and a recent addition to the list of affected organs in the uterus. The increased incidence of uterine myoma noted in Radiation Effects Research Foundation (REFR) Adult Health Study Report 7, however, was based on self-reported information, optional gynecological examination and patient-requested ultrasound examination. Thus the possibility of dose-related bias in case detection was a serious concern. Therefore, the relationship between the prevalence of uterine myoma and dose to the uterus was examined after excluding as much bias as possible by asking allmore » women who had undergone biennial examinations from December 1991 through December 1993 to undergo ultrasound examinations. Among 2506 female participants in Hiroshima, the uterus was visualized by ultrasound examination in 1190, and 238 were found to have uterine nodules. Multiple logistic analysis using Dosimetry System 1986 uterine doses revealed a significant dose response for the prevalence of uterine nodules. The odds ratio at 1 Gy was 1.61 (95% confidence interval: 1.12-2.31). It is unlikely that the observed relationship after adjusting for bladder filling, volume of the uterus, age and menopause status was the result of dose-related bias. These results support previous findings at RERF and provide further evidence that radiation exposure is one of the factors associated with uterine myoma. 28 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs.« less

Missing doses in the life span study of Japanese atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Richardson, David B; Wing, Steve; Cole, Stephen R

2013-03-15

The Life Span Study of atomic bomb survivors is an important source of risk estimates used to inform radiation protection and compensation. Interviews with survivors in the 1950s and 1960s provided information needed to estimate radiation doses for survivors proximal to ground zero. Because of a lack of interview or the complexity of shielding, doses are missing for 7,058 of the 68,119 proximal survivors. Recent analyses excluded people with missing doses, and despite the protracted collection of interview information necessary to estimate some survivors' doses, defined start of follow-up as October 1, 1950, for everyone. We describe the prevalence of missing doses and its association with mortality, distance from hypocenter, city, age, and sex. Missing doses were more common among Nagasaki residents than among Hiroshima residents (prevalence ratio = 2.05; 95% confidence interval: 1.96, 2.14), among people who were closer to ground zero than among those who were far from it, among people who were younger at enrollment than among those who were older, and among males than among females (prevalence ratio = 1.22; 95% confidence interval: 1.17, 1.28). Missing dose was associated with all-cancer and leukemia mortality, particularly during the first years of follow-up (all-cancer rate ratio = 2.16, 95% confidence interval: 1.51, 3.08; and leukemia rate ratio = 4.28, 95% confidence interval: 1.72, 10.67). Accounting for missing dose and late entry should reduce bias in estimated dose-mortality associations.

Inbreeding Ratio and Genetic Relationships among Strains of the Western Clawed Frog, Xenopus tropicalis

PubMed Central

Igawa, Takeshi; Watanabe, Ai; Suzuki, Atsushi; Kashiwagi, Akihiko; Kashiwagi, Keiko; Noble, Anna; Guille, Matt; Simpson, David E.; Horb, Marko E.; Fujii, Tamotsu; Sumida, Masayuki

2015-01-01

The Western clawed frog, Xenopus tropicalis, is a highly promising model amphibian, especially in developmental and physiological research, and as a tool for understanding disease. It was originally found in the West African rainforest belt, and was introduced to the research community in the 1990s. The major strains thus far known include the Nigerian and Ivory Coast strains. However, due to its short history as an experimental animal, the genetic relationship among the various strains has not yet been clarified, and establishment of inbred strains has not yet been achieved. Since 2003 the Institute for Amphibian Biology (IAB), Hiroshima University has maintained stocks of multiple X. tropicalis strains and conducted consecutive breeding as part of the National BioResource Project. In the present study we investigated the inbreeding ratio and genetic relationship of four inbred strains at IAB, as well as stocks from other institutions, using highly polymorphic microsatellite markers and mitochondrial haplotypes. Our results show successive reduction of heterozygosity in the genome of the IAB inbred strains. The Ivory Coast strains clearly differed from the Nigerian strains genetically, and three subgroups were identified within both the Nigerian and Ivory Coast strains. It is noteworthy that the Ivory Coast strains have an evolutionary divergent genetic background. Our results serve as a guide for the most effective use of X. tropicalis strains, and the long-term maintenance of multiple strains will contribute to further research efforts. PMID:26222540

[Iodine and thyroid gland with or without nuclear catastrophe].

PubMed

Dilas, Ljiljana Todorović; Bajkin, Ivana; Icin, Tijana; Paro, Jovanka Novaković; Zavisić, Branka Kovacev

2012-01-01

Iodine, as a trace element, is a necessary and limiting substrate for thyroid gland hormone synthesis. It is an essential element that enables the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Synthesis of Thyroid Hormones and Iodine Metabolism. Three iodine molecules are added to make triiodothyronine, and four for thyroxine - the two key hormones produced by the thyroid gland. Iodine deficiency The proper daily amount of iodine is required for optimal thyroid function. Iodine deficiency can cause hypothyroidism, developmental brain disorders and goiter. Iodine deficiency is the single most common cause of preventable mental retardation and brain damage in the world. It also decreases child survival, causes goiters, and impairs growth and development. Iodine deficiency disorders in pregnant women cause miscarriages, stillbirths, and other complications. Children with iodine deficiency disorders can grow up stunted, apathetic, mentally retarded, and incapable of normal movements, speech or hearing. Excessive Iodine Intake. Excessive iodine intake, which can trigger a utoimmune thyroid disease and dysfunction. is on the other side. Iodine use in Case of Nuclear Catastrophe. In addition to other severe consuquences of radioactivity, high amount of radioactive iodine causes significant increase in incidence of thyroid gland carcinoma after some of the nuclear catastrophes (Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Chernobyl, Fukushima). The incidence of thyroid carcinoma was increased mostly in children. This paper was aimed at clarifying some of the possibilities of prevention according to the recommendations given by the World Health Organization.

Predictors of postoperative complications in elderly and oldest old patients with gastric cancer.

PubMed

Takama, Takehiro; Okano, Keiichi; Kondo, Akihiro; Akamoto, Shintaro; Fujiwara, Masao; Usuki, Hisashi; Suzuki, Yasuyuki

2015-07-01

The incidence of gastric cancer has been increasing among elderly persons in Japan. This study aimed to clarify risk factors for postoperative complications in oldest old patients with gastric cancer. One-hundred ninety patients more than 75 years old with gastric cancer underwent gastrectomy between 2000 and 2011. Patients were classified into two groups: group A included 29 patients who were 85 years or older (oldest old patients), and group B included 161 patients who were 75-84 years of age. Perioperative parameters associated with complications were compared in each group. The preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate was significantly lower in group A (p = 0.03). The two groups significantly differed in performance status (p = 0.018). Patients in group A received a lesser extent of lymph node dissection and had fewer lymph nodes excised. As a result, the duration of the operation was significantly shorter in group A. There were no significant differences in the frequency or grade of total complications or mortality between the two groups. Operative hemorrhage (>300 ml) and Hiroshima POSSUM (predicted morbidity risk >40) were risk factors in both groups A and B; the risk factors of preoperative serum albumin level and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were specific to group A. Adjustments to the extent of surgery among oldest old patients most likely reduces the incidence of postoperative complications in this group. Preoperative serum albumin level and PNI are significant predictors of postoperative complications in oldest old patients with gastric cancer.

Measurements of neutron distribution in neutrons-gamma-rays mixed field using imaging plate for neutron capture therapy.

PubMed

Tanaka, Kenichi; Endo, Satoru; Hoshi, Masaharu

2010-01-01

The imaging plate (IP) technique is tried to be used as a handy method to measure the spatial neutron distribution via the (157)Gd(n,gamma)(158)Gd reaction for neutron capture therapy (NCT). For this purpose, IP is set in a water phantom and irradiated in a mixed field of neutrons and gamma-rays. The Hiroshima University Radiobiological Research Accelerator is utilized for this experiment. The neutrons are moderated with 20-cm-thick D(2)O to obtain suitable neutron field for NCT. The signal for IP doped with Gd as a neutron-response enhancer is subtracted with its contribution by gamma-rays, which was estimated using IP without Gd. The gamma-ray response of Gd-doped IP to non-Gd IP is set at 1.34, the value measured for (60)Co gamma-rays, in estimating the gamma-ray contribution to Gd-doped IP signal. Then measured distribution of the (157)Gd(n,gamma)(158)Gd reaction rate agrees within 10% with the calculated value based on the method that has already been validated for its reproducibility of Au activation. However, the evaluated distribution of the (157)Gd(n,gamma)(158)Gd reaction rate is so sensitive to gamma-ray energy, e.g. the discrepancy of the (157)Gd(n,gamma)(158)Gd reaction rate between measurement and calculation becomes 30% for the photon energy change from 33keV to 1.253MeV.

Greetings: 50 years of Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission–Radiation Effects Research Foundation studies

PubMed Central

Shigematsu, Itsuzo

1998-01-01

The Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission was established in Hiroshima in 1947 and in Nagasaki in 1948 under the auspices of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences to initiate a long-term and comprehensive epidemiological and genetic study of the atomic bomb survivors. It was replaced in 1975 by the Radiation Effects Research Foundation which is a nonprofit Japanese foundation binationally managed and supported with equal funding by the governments of Japan and the United States. Thanks to the cooperation of the survivors and the contributions of a multitude of scientists, these studies flourish to this day in what must be the most successful long-term research collaboration between the two countries. Although these studies are necessarily limited to the effects of acute, whole-body, mixed gamma-neutron radiation from the atom bombs, their comprehensiveness and duration make them the most definitive descriptions of the late effects of radiation in humans. For this reason, the entire world relies heavily on these data to set radiation standards. As vital as the study results are, they still represent primarily the effects of radiation on older survivors. Another decade or two should correct this deficiency and allow us to measure definitively the human risk of heritable mutation from radiation. We look to the worldwide radiation and risk community as well as to the survivors who have contributed so much to what has been done already to accomplish this goal. PMID:9576897

Prejudice and Health Anxiety about Radiation Exposure from Second-Generation Atomic Bomb Survivors: Results from a Qualitative Interview Study.

PubMed

Kamite, Yuka

2017-01-01

The effect of atomic bomb radiation exposure on the survivors and their children has been a worrisome problem since soon after the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Researchers have examined physical and genetic effects; however, no research has focused on second-generation survivors' (SGS) psychological effects. Consequently, this study shed light on the SGS' experience of discrimination and prejudice and their anxiety concerning the genetic effects of radiation exposure. This study utilized semi-structured interviews with 14 SGS (10 women, mean age = 56 ± 6.25 years, range = 46-68 years). Data were analyzed using a modified version of the grounded theory approach. Three categories were extracted: low awareness as an SGS, no health anxiety regarding the effect of radiation, and health anxiety regarding the effect of radiation. The results did not reveal that SGS who grew up in the bombed areas experienced discrimination or prejudice. They had little health anxiety from childhood to adolescence. In this study, some of the SGS developed health anxiety about their third-generation children, but only among female participants. Perhaps the transgenerational transmission of anxiety concerning the genetic effects of radiation exposure causes stress, particularly among women with children. However, a change was seen in adulthood health anxiety regarding the effects of radiation, suggesting the possibility that changes in the psychological experiences of SGS can be observed throughout their lifetimes and that their own health status, and that of their children, the third-generation survivors, affects their health anxiety regarding radiation.

Long-term follow-up of atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Sakata, Ritsu; Grant, Eric J; Ozasa, Kotaro

2012-06-01

The Life Span Study (LSS) is a follow-up study of atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors to investigate the radiation effects on human health and has collected data for over 60 years. The LSS cohort consists of 93,741 A-bomb survivors and another 26,580 age and sex-matched subjects who were not in either city at the time of the bombing. Radiation doses have been computed based on individual location and shielding status at the time of the bombings. Age at death and cause of death are gathered through the Japanese national family registry system and cancer incidence data have been collected through the Hiroshima and Nagasaki cancer registries. Noncancer disease incidence and health information are collected through biannual medical examinations among a subset of the LSS. Radiation significantly increases the risks of death (22% at 1 Gy), cancer incidence (47% at 1 Gy), death due to leukemia (310% at 1 Gy), as well as the incidence of several noncancer diseases (e.g. thyroid nodules, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, uterine myoma, and hypertension). Significant effects on maturity (e.g. growth reduction and early menopause) were also observed. Long-term follow-up studies of the A-bomb survivors have provided reliable information on health risks for the survivors and form the basis for radiation protection standards for workers and the public. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[The sensitivity and clinical course of patients with wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis sensitized to hydrolyzed wheat protein in facial soap].

PubMed

Hiragun, Makiko; Ishii, Kaori; Hiragun, Takaaki; Shindo, Hajime; Mihara, Shoji; Matsuo, Hiroaki; Hide, Michihiro

2011-12-01

Recently an increasing number of patients with wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA), developed during or after using hydrolyzed wheat protein (HWP)-containing soap (HWP-WDEIA), were reported in Japan. To clarify the relation between WDEIA and HWP-containing soap and their prognosis, we investigated the patients who visited Hiroshima University Hospital and were diagnosed as WDEIA from January 2010 to June 2011. We took detailed clinical histories, performed skin prick tests, serum immunoassays for antigen-specific IgE and basophil histamine release test, and followed up their clinical courses after the diagnosis. Among 36 patients with WDEIA, 30 patients had used only one type of HWP-soap. The patients with HWP-WDEIA were mainly women and had developed facial symptoms and angioedema. They suffered from blood pressure reductions less frequently than patients with conventional WDEIA. The levels of glutens-specific IgE were higher than those of ω-5 gliadin in patients with HWP-WDEIA (p<0.05, One-way ANOVA). All patients with HWP-WDEIA were positive against HWP in histamine release test. Among the conventional wheat antigens, glutenins induced highest histamine release from basophils of patients with HWP-WDEIA. The sensitivities of patients against glutens and glutenins were reduced over months along with the discontinuance of HWP-soap. The development of HWP-WDEIA is associated with the use of HWP-soap. The sensitivities to HWP that cross reacts with non-processed wheat may be reduced or possibly cured after the discontinuation of HWP-soap.

Prevalence of Tracheotomy and Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy in Patients with Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

PubMed

Yoshida, Mitsuyoshi; Ikeda, Junko; Urikane, Yukiko; Kashiwada, Takashi; Kaseda, Yumiko; Kohriyama, Tatsuo

2017-04-01

Some patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome require respiratory management by tracheotomy and/or nutritional management by tube feeding; however, few studies have reported the follow-up course in these patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the follow-up course of tracheotomy and gastrostomy in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome. The study subjects were 50 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (25 males, 25 females; mean age, 51.1 ± 18.7 years) who were admitted to the Hiroshima City Rehabilitation Hospital during the period from April 2008 to December 2015. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records to determine the presence or absence of tracheotomy and/or feeding tube, and the timing of withdrawal from these treatments. During the acute phase, 15 patients underwent tracheotomy and 14 underwent tube feeding management. A tracheotomy tube was inserted for 110 days or longer in five patients, and four of these five patients also had a gastrostomy tube inserted. Among the 14 patients in the tube feeding group, seven underwent nasal feeding and seven underwent percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. All patients had the nasal tube removed (mean duration of nasal tube placement, 62.1 ± 46.5 days); however, the gastrostomy tube could not be removed in two patients. Our findings indicate that patients in the acute phase of Guillain-Barré syndrome carry a relevant risk of long-term tube feeding and prolonged need of an artificial airway.

Proceedings of the Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) (24th, Hiroshima, Japan, July 23-27, 2000), Volume 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakahara, Tadao, Ed.; Koyama, Masataka, Ed.

The fourth volume of the 24th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education contains full research report papers. Papers include: (1) "What are essential to apply the 'discovery' function of proof in lower secondary school mathematics?" (Mikio Miyazaki); (2) "The anatomy of an 'open' mathematics lesson"…

Proceedings of the Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) (24th, Hiroshima, Japan, July 23-27, 2000), Volume 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakahara, Tadao, Ed.; Koyama, Masataka, Ed.

The second volume of the 24th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education contains full research report papers. Papers include: (1) "What you see is what you get: The influence of visualization on the perception of data structures" (Dan Aharoni); (2) "Exploring the transparency of graphs and graphing"…

Proceedings of the Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) (24th, Hiroshima, Japan, July 23-27, 2000), Volume 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakahara, Tadao, Ed.; Koyama, Masataka, Ed.

The first volume of the 24th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education includes plenary addresses, plenary panel discussions, research forum, project groups, discussion groups, short oral communications, and poster presentations. (ASK)

Proceedings of the Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) (24th, Hiroshima, Japan, July 23-27, 2000), Volume 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakahara, Tadao, Ed.; Koyama, Masataka, Ed.

The third volume of the 24th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education contains full research report papers. Papers include: (1) "Mathematics classrooms functioning as communities of inquiry: Possibilities and constraints for changing practice" (Susie Groves, Brian Doig, and Laurance Splitter); (2)…

The grave is wide: the Hibakusha of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the legacy of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission and the Radiation Effects Research Foundation.

PubMed

O'Malley, Gerald F

2016-07-01

Following the atomic bomb attacks on Japan in 1945, scientists from the United States and Japan joined together to study the Hibakusha - the bomb affected people in what was advertised as a bipartisan and cooperative effort. In reality, despite the best efforts of some very dedicated and earnest scientists, the early years of the collaboration were characterized by political friction, censorship, controversy, tension, hostility, and racism. The 70-year history, scientific output and cultural impact of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission and the Radiation Effects Research Foundation are described in the context of the development of Occupied Japan.

Seasonal changes in needle water content and needle ABA concentration of Japanese red pine, Pinus densiflora, in declining forests on Mt. Gokurakuji, Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.

PubMed

Kume, Atsushi; Hanba, Yuko T; Nakane, Kaneyuki; Sakurai, Naoki; Sakugawa, Hiroshi

2006-05-01

To evaluate the effects of air pollution on the decline of Pinus densiflora forests, various research has been conducted around Mt. Gokurakuji (34 degrees 23'N, 132 degrees 19'E, 693 m a.s.l.) north of the Seto Inland Sea, west Japan. To investigate the mechanisms responsible for decreases in photosynthesis (Pn) and stomatal conductance (gl), delta13C of needles and seasonal changes in the water content (WC) and abscisic acid concentration (ABA) of needles were measured in various stands. The delta13C values were less negative in declining stands and younger needles. ABA and WC were not correlated with each other. WC decreased consistently with needle age while the ABA showed a minimum in August and a smaller content in older needles. Monthly precipitation and the daily maximum vapor pressure were not correlated with ABA and WC. In declining stands, WC and ABA tended to be higher and lower, respectively, than in nondeclining stands. These results suggest that the trees in declining stands received less water stress than those in nondeclining stands and the differences in gl and delta13C are not caused by the difference in water stress. The possibilities of the effects of air pollution and the infection of pine-wood nematode on the physiological decline on the pine needles are discussed.

[Patient-centered medicine for tuberculosis medical services].

PubMed

Fujita, Akira; Narita, Tomoyo

2012-12-01

The 2011 edition of Specific Guiding Principles for Tuberculosis Prevention calls for a streamlined medical services system capable of providing medical care that is customized to the patient's needs. The new 21st Century Japanese version of the Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) expands the indication of DOTS to all tuberculosis (TB) patients in need of treatment. Hospital DOTS consists of comprehensive, patient-centered support provided by a DOTS care team. For DOTS in the field, health care providers should select optimal administration support based on patient profiles and local circumstances. In accordance with medical fee revisions for 2012, basic inpatient fees have been raised and new standards for TB hospitals have been established, the result of efforts made by the Japanese Society for Tuberculosis and other associated groups. It is important that the medical care system be improved so that patients can actively engage themselves as a member of the team, for the ultimate goal of practicing patient-centered medicine. We have organized this symposium to explore the best ways for practicing patient-centered medicine in treating TB. It is our sincere hope that this symposium will lead to improved medical treatment for TB patients. 1. Providing patient-centered TB service via utilization of collaborative care pathway: Akiko MATSUOKA (Hiroshima Prefectural Tobu Public Health Center) We have been using two types of collaborative care pathway as one of the means of providing patient-centered TB services since 2008. The first is the clinical pathway, which is mainly used by TB specialist doctors to communicate with local practitioners on future treatment plan (e.g. medication and treatment duration) of patients. The clinical pathway was first piloted in Onomichi district and its use was later expanded to the whole of Hiroshima prefecture. The second is the regional care pathway, which is used to share treatment progress, test results and other

Effect of using a Planecta™ port with a three-way stopcock on the natural frequency of blood pressure transducer kits.

PubMed

Fujiwara, Shigeki; Tachihara, Keiichi; Mori, Satoshi; Ouchi, Kentaro; Yokoe, Chizuko; Imaizumi, Uno; Morimoto, Yoshinari; Miki, Yoichiro; Toyoguchi, Izumi; Yoshida, Kazu-Ichi; Yokoyama, Takeshi

2016-12-01

Blood pressure transducer kits are equipped with two types of Planecta™ ports-the flat-type Planecta™ port (FTP) and the Planecta™ port with a three-way stopcock (PTS). We reported that FTP application decreased the natural frequency of the kits. However, Planecta™ is an invaluable tool as it prevents infection, ensures technical simplicity, and excludes air. Hence, an ideal Planecta™ port that does not decrease the frequency characteristics is required. As a first step in this direction, we aimed to assess the influence of PTSs on the natural frequency of blood transducer kits. A DTXplus transducer kit (DT4812J; Argon Medical Devices, TX, USA) was used along with ≥1 PTSs (JMS, Hiroshima, Japan), and the frequency characteristics were assessed. The natural frequency and damping coefficient of each kit were obtained by using frequency characteristics analysis software, and these parameters were evaluated by plotting them on Gardner's chart. Regardless of whether one or two PTSs were inserted, the natural frequency of the kits only slightly decreased (from 42.5 to 41.1 Hz, when 2 PTSs were used). Thus, the frequency characteristics of the kits with PTSs were adequate for pressure monitoring. The insertion of ≥2 FTPs in pressure transducer kits should be avoided, as they markedly decrease the natural frequency and lead to underdamping. However, the effect of PTS insertion in pressure transducer kits on the frequency characteristics is minimal. Thus, we found that the use of PTS markedly improved the frequency characteristics as compared to the use of FTP.

Identification of risk factors for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency after pancreaticoduodenectomy using a 13C-labeled mixed triglyceride breath test.

PubMed

Hirono, Seiko; Murakami, Yoshiaki; Tani, Masaji; Kawai, Manabu; Okada, Ken-ichi; Uemura, Kenichiro; Sudo, Takeshi; Hashimoto, Yasushi; Nakagawa, Naoya; Kondo, Naru; Yamaue, Hiroki

2015-02-01

There are only a few reports concerning long-term exocrine function after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), although the number of long-term survivors has increased. We assessed pancreatic exocrine function after PD in 189 patients to identify risk factors for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. We evaluated patients' exocrine function by using the (13)C-labeled mixed triglyceride breath test, a noninvasive test feasible in outpatient service units. The present study included 99 patients that underwent pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) at Wakayama Medical University Hospital and 90 patients that underwent pancreaticogastrostomy (PG) at Hiroshima University Hospital, the standard reconstruction techniques during PD at the respective hospitals. We also analyzed long-term morphological changes of remnant pancreas by computed tomography (main pancreatic duct dilation and parenchymal atrophy), nutritional status, and endocrine function. Independent risk factors for exocrine insufficiency after PD include hard pancreas (P = 0.003, odds ratio; 3.157) and PG reconstruction (P = 0.040, odds ratio; 2.321). Breath test results correlated significantly with post-operative morphological changes, nutritional status, and endocrine function. Atrophic changes of the remnant pancreas in the PG group were more severe than those in the PJ group. Furthermore, for patients with a soft pancreas, postoperative body weight changes, prognostic nutritional index, serum total protein levels as well as exocrine test were worse in the PG group, compared with the PJ group. Our results showed that PJ reconstruction might be superior to PG during PD, from the viewpoint of long-term pancreatic exocrine function, although further prospective studies are needed.

Ecological Dynamics of Two Distinct Viruses Infecting Marine Eukaryotic Decomposer Thraustochytrids (Labyrinthulomycetes, Stramenopiles)

PubMed Central

Takao, Yoshitake; Tomaru, Yuji; Nagasaki, Keizo; Honda, Daiske

2015-01-01

Thraustochytrids are cosmopolitan osmotrophic or heterotrophic microorganisms that are considered as important decomposers in coastal ecosystems. However, because of a lack of estimation method for each genus or systematic group of them, relatively little is known about their ecology in situ. Previously, we reported two distinct types of virus infecting thraustochytrids (AuRNAV: reported as SssRNAV, and SmDNAV) suggesting they have wide distributions in the host-virus systems of coastal environments. Here we conducted a field survey from 2004 through 2005 to show the fluctuation pattern of thraustochytrids and their viruses in Hiroshima Bay, Japan. During the field survey, we monitored the dynamics of the two types of thraustochytrid-infecting virus: small viruses causing lysis of Aurantiochytrium sp. NIBH N1-27 (identified as AuRNAV) and the large viruses of Sicyoidochytrium minutum NBRC 102975 (similar to SmDNAV in physiology and morphology). Fluctuation patterns of the two distinct types of virus were different from each other. This may reflect the difference in the preference of organic substrates; i.e., it may be likely the host of AuRNAV (Aurantiochytrium sp.) increases utilizing algal dead bodies or feeble cells as the virus shows a large increase in abundance following raphidophyte blooms; whereas, the trophic nutrient supply for S. minutum may primarily depend on other constantly-supplied organic compounds because it did not show any significant change in abundance throughout the survey. Further study concerning the population composition of thraustochytrids and their viruses may demonstrate the microbial ecology (especially concerning the detrital food web) of marine environments. PMID:26203654

Ecological Dynamics of Two Distinct Viruses Infecting Marine Eukaryotic Decomposer Thraustochytrids (Labyrinthulomycetes, Stramenopiles).

PubMed

Takao, Yoshitake; Tomaru, Yuji; Nagasaki, Keizo; Honda, Daiske

2015-01-01

Thraustochytrids are cosmopolitan osmotrophic or heterotrophic microorganisms that are considered as important decomposers in coastal ecosystems. However, because of a lack of estimation method for each genus or systematic group of them, relatively little is known about their ecology in situ. Previously, we reported two distinct types of virus infecting thraustochytrids (AuRNAV: reported as SssRNAV, and SmDNAV) suggesting they have wide distributions in the host-virus systems of coastal environments. Here we conducted a field survey from 2004 through 2005 to show the fluctuation pattern of thraustochytrids and their viruses in Hiroshima Bay, Japan. During the field survey, we monitored the dynamics of the two types of thraustochytrid-infecting virus: small viruses causing lysis of Aurantiochytrium sp. NIBH N1-27 (identified as AuRNAV) and the large viruses of Sicyoidochytrium minutum NBRC 102975 (similar to SmDNAV in physiology and morphology). Fluctuation patterns of the two distinct types of virus were different from each other. This may reflect the difference in the preference of organic substrates; i.e., it may be likely the host of AuRNAV (Aurantiochytrium sp.) increases utilizing algal dead bodies or feeble cells as the virus shows a large increase in abundance following raphidophyte blooms; whereas, the trophic nutrient supply for S. minutum may primarily depend on other constantly-supplied organic compounds because it did not show any significant change in abundance throughout the survey. Further study concerning the population composition of thraustochytrids and their viruses may demonstrate the microbial ecology (especially concerning the detrital food web) of marine environments.

Healing a Sick World: Psychiatric Medicine and the Atomic Age

PubMed Central

Zwigenberg, Ran

2018-01-01

The onset of nuclear warfare in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had far-reaching implications for the world of medicine. The study of the A-bomb and its implications led to the launching of new fields and avenues of research, most notably in genetics and radiation studies. Far less understood and under-studied was the impact of nuclear research on psychiatric medicine. Psychological research, however, was a major focus of post-war military and civilian research into the bomb. This research and the perceived revolutionary impact of atomic energy and warfare on society, this paper argues, played an important role in the global development of post-war psychiatry. Focusing on psychiatrists in North America, Japan and the United Nations, this paper examines the reaction of the profession to the nuclear age from the early post-war period to the mid 1960s. The way psychiatric medicine related to atomic issues, I argue, shifted significantly between the immediate post-war period and the 1960s. While the early post-war psychiatrists sought to help society deal with and adjust to the new nuclear reality, later psychiatrists moved towards a more radical position that sought to resist the establishment’s efforts to normalise the bomb and nuclear energy. This shift had important consequences for research into the psychological trauma suffered by victims of nuclear warfare, which, ultimately, together with other research into the impact of war and systematic violence, led to our current understanding of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PMID:29199929

The American atom: A documentary history of nuclear policies from the discovery of fission to the present

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, R.C.; Cantelon, P.L.

1984-01-01

In selecting these historical documents the authors have applied three general tests: first, does the document help tell the story of the development of American nuclear policy in a nontechnical way; second, is the source primary rather than secondary, written by an actor in the drama rather than by a member of the audience; third, does the document provide coverage of the major chapters in the story. The Manhattan Project was America's $2 billion secret project to build an atomic bomb. Many documents associated with the project have come to light only in recent years. In Section II they usemore » the letters of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the recently declassified minutes of policy committees to tell the story of how the bomb was designed and built and how the decision was made to drop the first uranium and plutonium devices on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. How did a weapon of war become the key to a peacetime industry. In considering atomic energy after World War II, they focus in Section III on the legislative enabling acts that established the Atomic Energy Commission, the short-lived dream of international control of nuclear weapons under the Baruch Plan, and the ''atoms for peace'' program of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. By 1954 the highly classified work on nuclear weapons paralleled a new development of nuclear energy and power reactors. Knowledge was shared with both private industry and other countries. The fruits of this program are considered in the later section on nuclear power.« less

Enhanced neoplastic transformation by mammography X rays relative to 200 kVp X rays: indication for a strong dependence on photon energy of the RBE(M) for various end points.

PubMed

Frankenberg, D; Kelnhofer, K; Bär, K; Frankenberg-Schwager, M

2002-01-01

The fundamental assumption implicit in the use of the atomic bomb survivor data to derive risk estimates is that the gamma rays of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are considered to have biological efficiencies equal to those of other low-LET radiations up to 10 keV/microm, including mammography X rays. Microdosimetric and radiobiological data contradict this assumption. It is therefore of scientific and public interest to evaluate the efficiency of mammography X rays (25-30 kVp) to induce cancer. In this study, the efficiency of mammography X rays relative to 200 kVp X rays to induce neoplastic cell transformation was evaluated using cells of a human hybrid cell line (CGL1). For both radiations, a linear-quadratic dose-effect relationship was observed for neoplastic transformation of CGL1 cells; there was a strong linear component for the 29 kVp X rays. The RBE(M) of mammography X rays relative to 200 kVp X rays was determined to be about 4 for doses < or = 0.5 Gy. A comparison of the electron fluences for both X rays provides strong evidence that electrons with energies of < or = 15 keV can induce neoplastic transformation of CGL1 cells. Both the data available in the literature and the results of the present study strongly suggest an increase of RBE(M) for carcinogenesis in animals, neoplastic cell transformation, and clastogenic effects with decreasing photon energy or increasing LET to an RBE(M) approximately 8 for mammography X rays relative to 60Co gamma rays.

An exploratory study on cultural variations in oral health attitudes, behaviour and values of freshman (first-year) dental students.

PubMed

Kawamura, M; Wright, F A C; Declerck, D; Freire, M C M; Hu, D Y; Honkala, E; Lévy, G; Kalwitzki, M; Polychronopoulou, A; Yip, H K; Kinirons, M J; Eli, I; Petti, S; Komabayashi, T; Kim, K J; Razak, A A A; Srisilapanan, P; Kwan, S Y L

2005-08-01

To identify similarities and differences in oral health attitudes, behaviour and values among freshman dental students. Cross-cultural survey of dental students. 18 cultural areas. 904 first-year dental students completed the Hiroshima University-Dental Behavioural Inventory (HU-DBI) translated into their own languages. Individual areas were clustered by similarity in responses to the questions. The first group displayed an 'occidental-culture orientation' with the exception of Brazil (Cluster 1 comprised: Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and Brazil, Cluster 2: Germany, Italy, Finland and France). The second group displayed an 'oriental-cultural orientation' with the exception of Greece and Israel (Cluster 3 comprised: China and Indonesia, and Cluster 4: Japan, Korea, Israel, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and Greece). Australia and United Kingdom were the countries that were most alike. Ireland was the 'neighbour' to these countries. Greece and Malaysia had similar patterns of oral health behaviour although geographic conditions are very different. Although it was considered that in Hong Kong, occidental nations have affected the development of education, it remained in the oriental-culture group. Comparison with the data from the occidentals indicates that a higher percentage of the orientals put off going to the dentist until they have toothache (p < 0.001). Only a small proportion of the occidentals (8%) reported a perception of inevitability in having false teeth, whereas 33% of the orientals held this fatalistic belief (p = 0.001). Grouping the countries into key cultural orientations and international clusters yielded plausible results, using the HU-DBI.

Importance of frailty evaluation in the prediction of the prognosis of patients with chronic subdural hematoma.

PubMed

Shimizu, Kiyoharu; Sadatomo, Takashi; Hara, Takeshi; Onishi, Shumpei; Yuki, Kiyoshi; Kurisu, Kaoru

2018-05-17

The present study aimed to clarify the relationship between frailty and prognosis of patients with chronic subdural hematoma. This retrospective study involved 211 patients aged ≥65 years with chronic subdural hematoma, who underwent surgery at Higashihiroshima Medical Center, Hiroshima, Japan, between July 2011 and May 2017. The study outcome was the patient's modified Rankin Scale score at 3 months after surgery. A logistic regression analysis was carried out to analyze factors that influenced the outcome. Chronic subdural hematoma patients with frailty had a poorer prognosis than those without (median modified Rankin Scale: 4 and 2, P < 0.001; proportions of patients discharged to home: 35% and 91%, P < 0.001, respectively). After adjusting for patients' background, the patients' modified Rankin Scale scores at 3 months after surgery were found to be associated with age, controlling nutritional status score and recurrence, but not with frailty. However, receiver operating characteristic curves of the model with the Clinical Frailty Scale were more accurately correlated with prognosis than those of the model without this scale (area under the curve 0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.96-0.99; and 0.87, 95% confidence interval 0.82-0.91, respectively.) CONCLUSIONS: Chronic subdural hematoma patients with frailty had poorer prognosis than those without. The evaluation of the presence of frailty on admission can be an important factor in the prediction of the prognosis of chronic subdural hematoma patients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; ••: ••-••. © 2018 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Thyroid Dysfunction and Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases Among Atomic Bomb Survivors Exposed in Childhood.

PubMed

Imaizumi, Misa; Ohishi, Waka; Nakashima, Eiji; Sera, Nobuko; Neriishi, Kazuo; Yamada, Michiko; Tatsukawa, Yoshimi; Takahashi, Ikuno; Fujiwara, Saeko; Sugino, Keizo; Ando, Takao; Usa, Toshiro; Kawakami, Atsushi; Akahoshi, Masazumi; Hida, Ayumi

2017-07-01

The risk of thyroid cancer increases and persists for decades among individuals exposed to ionizing radiation in childhood, although the long-term effects of childhood exposure to medium to low doses of radiation on thyroid dysfunction and autoimmune thyroid diseases have remained unclear. To evaluate radiation dose responses for the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and autoimmune thyroid disease among atomic bomb survivors exposed in childhood. Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors who were younger than 10 years old at exposure underwent thyroid examinations at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation between 2007 and 2011, which was 62 to 66 years after the bombing. Data from 2668 participants (mean age, 68.2 years; 1455 women) with known atomic bomb thyroid radiation doses (mean dose, 0.182 Gy; dose range, 0 to 4.040 Gy) were analyzed. Dose-response relationships between atomic bomb radiation dose and the prevalence of hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism (Graves' disease), and positive for antithyroid antibodies. Prevalences were determined for hypothyroidism (129 cases, 7.8%), hyperthyroidism (32 cases of Graves' disease, 1.2%), and positive for antithyroid antibodies (573 cases, 21.5%). None of these was associated with thyroid radiation dose. Neither thyroid antibody-positive nor -negative hypothyroidism was associated with thyroid radiation dose. Additional analyses using alternative definitions of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism found that radiation dose responses were not significant. Radiation effects on thyroid dysfunction and autoimmune thyroid diseases were not observed among atomic bomb survivors exposed in childhood, at 62 to 66 years earlier. The cross-sectional design and survival bias were limitations of this study. Copyright © 2017 Endocrine Society

Prejudice and Health Anxiety about Radiation Exposure from Second-Generation Atomic Bomb Survivors: Results from a Qualitative Interview Study

PubMed Central

Kamite, Yuka

2017-01-01

The effect of atomic bomb radiation exposure on the survivors and their children has been a worrisome problem since soon after the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Researchers have examined physical and genetic effects; however, no research has focused on second-generation survivors’ (SGS) psychological effects. Consequently, this study shed light on the SGS’ experience of discrimination and prejudice and their anxiety concerning the genetic effects of radiation exposure. This study utilized semi-structured interviews with 14 SGS (10 women, mean age = 56 ± 6.25 years, range = 46–68 years). Data were analyzed using a modified version of the grounded theory approach. Three categories were extracted: low awareness as an SGS, no health anxiety regarding the effect of radiation, and health anxiety regarding the effect of radiation. The results did not reveal that SGS who grew up in the bombed areas experienced discrimination or prejudice. They had little health anxiety from childhood to adolescence. In this study, some of the SGS developed health anxiety about their third-generation children, but only among female participants. Perhaps the transgenerational transmission of anxiety concerning the genetic effects of radiation exposure causes stress, particularly among women with children. However, a change was seen in adulthood health anxiety regarding the effects of radiation, suggesting the possibility that changes in the psychological experiences of SGS can be observed throughout their lifetimes and that their own health status, and that of their children, the third-generation survivors, affects their health anxiety regarding radiation. PMID:28912738

Outcome and status of microsatellite stability in Japanese atomic bomb survivors with early gastric carcinoma.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Manabu; Taguchi, Kenichi; Yamanaka, Takeharu; Matsuyama, Ayumi; Yoshinaga, Keiji; Tsutsui, Shinichi; Ishida, Teruyoshi

2013-03-01

In the decade after the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a high incidence of leukemia was observed among atomic bomb survivors. However, the incidence of other cancers gradually increased, while that of leukemia decreased after this period. We evaluated the clinical outcome of early gastric cancer and microsatellite stability over a long-term period in atomic bomb survivors. The results of surgical treatment for early gastric cancer were reviewed for 117 atomic bomb survivors and 394 control patients between 1995 and 2006. In addition, immunohistochemical staining for hMSH2 and hMLH1 expression was performed to evaluate the status of microsatellite stability in 57 atomic bomb survivors and 82 control patients. The long-term survival rate for early gastric cancer in atomic bomb survivors was significantly lower than that in control patients (p < 0.01). Multivariable analysis revealed that age and sex were significant and independent prognostic factors for early gastric cancer. Defective hMSH2 and/or hMLH1 expression was also significantly higher in survivors than in control patients (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that atomic bomb survivorship was related to defective hMSH2 and/or hMLH1 expression. The prognosis of early gastric cancer in atomic bomb survivors was poor and was related to age and sex, rather than to being an atomic bomb survivor. Furthermore, a higher rate of defective hMSH2 and/or hMLH1 expression was observed in the survivors.

Isolation and characterization of a single-stranded RNA virus infecting the bloom-forming diatom Chaetoceros socialis.

PubMed

Tomaru, Yuji; Takao, Yoshitake; Suzuki, Hidekazu; Nagumo, Tamotsu; Nagasaki, Keizo

2009-04-01

Diatoms are very significant primary producers in the world's oceans. Various environmental factors affect the depletion of diatom populations. The importance of viruses as a potential mortality source has recently been recognized. We isolated and characterized a new diatom virus (Chaetoceros socialis f. radians RNA virus [CsfrRNAV]) causing the lysis of the bloom-forming species Chaetoceros socialis Lauder f. radians (Schütt) Proschkina-Lavrenko. The virus infectious to C. socialis f. radians was isolated from water samples collected in Hiroshima Bay. Here we show the physiology, morphology, and genome characteristics of the virus clone. Virions were 22 nm in diameter and accumulated in the cytoplasm of the host cells. The latent period and the burst size were estimated to be <48 h and 66 infectious units per host cell, respectively. CsfrRNAV harbors a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) genome and encodes at least three polypeptides of 32.0, 28.5, and 25.0 kDa. Sequencing analysis shows the length of the genome is 9,467 bases, excluding a poly(A) tail. The monophyly of CsfrRNAV and other diatom-infecting RNA viruses, Rhizosolenia setigera RNA virus and Chaetoceros tenuissimus RNA virus, was strongly supported by phylogenetic analysis based on the amino acid sequence of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domains. This suggested a new ssRNA virus family, Bacillariornaviridae. This discovery of CsfrRNAV may aid in further understanding the ecological dynamics of the C. socialis f. radians population in nature and the relationships between ssRNA diatom viruses and their hosts.

An Assessment of the Detection of Highly Enriched Uranium and its Use in an Improvised Nuclear Device using the Monte Carlo Computer Code MCNP-5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cochran, Thomas

2007-04-01

In 2002 and again in 2003, an investigative journalist unit at ABC News transported a 6.8 kilogram metallic slug of depleted uranium (DU) via shipping container from Istanbul, Turkey to Brooklyn, NY and from Jakarta, Indonesia to Long Beach, CA. Targeted inspection of these shipping containers by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel, included the use of gamma-ray imaging, portal monitors and hand-held radiation detectors, did not uncover the hidden DU. Monte Carlo analysis of the gamma-ray intensity and spectrum of a DU slug and one consisting of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) showed that DU was a proper surrogate for testing the ability of DHS to detect the illicit transport of HEU. Our analysis using MCNP-5 illustrated the ease of fully shielding an HEU sample to avoid detection. The assembly of an Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) -- a crude atomic bomb -- from sub-critical pieces of HEU metal was then examined via Monte Carlo criticality calculations. Nuclear explosive yields of such an IND as a function of the speed of assembly of the sub-critical HEU components were derived. A comparison was made between the more rapid assembly of sub-critical pieces of HEU in the ``Little Boy'' (Hiroshima) weapon's gun barrel and gravity assembly (i.e., dropping one sub-critical piece of HEU on another from a specified height). Based on the difficulty of detection of HEU and the straightforward construction of an IND utilizing HEU, current U.S. government policy must be modified to more urgently prioritize elimination of and securing the global inventories of HEU.

Missing Doses in the Life Span Study of Japanese Atomic Bomb Survivors

PubMed Central

Richardson, David B.; Wing, Steve; Cole, Stephen R.

2013-01-01

The Life Span Study of atomic bomb survivors is an important source of risk estimates used to inform radiation protection and compensation. Interviews with survivors in the 1950s and 1960s provided information needed to estimate radiation doses for survivors proximal to ground zero. Because of a lack of interview or the complexity of shielding, doses are missing for 7,058 of the 68,119 proximal survivors. Recent analyses excluded people with missing doses, and despite the protracted collection of interview information necessary to estimate some survivors' doses, defined start of follow-up as October 1, 1950, for everyone. We describe the prevalence of missing doses and its association with mortality, distance from hypocenter, city, age, and sex. Missing doses were more common among Nagasaki residents than among Hiroshima residents (prevalence ratio = 2.05; 95% confidence interval: 1.96, 2.14), among people who were closer to ground zero than among those who were far from it, among people who were younger at enrollment than among those who were older, and among males than among females (prevalence ratio = 1.22; 95% confidence interval: 1.17, 1.28). Missing dose was associated with all-cancer and leukemia mortality, particularly during the first years of follow-up (all-cancer rate ratio = 2.16, 95% confidence interval: 1.51, 3.08; and leukemia rate ratio = 4.28, 95% confidence interval: 1.72, 10.67). Accounting for missing dose and late entry should reduce bias in estimated dose-mortality associations. PMID:23429722

Massive global ozone loss predicted following regional nuclear conflict

PubMed Central

Mills, Michael J.; Toon, Owen B.; Turco, Richard P.; Kinnison, Douglas E.; Garcia, Rolando R.

2008-01-01

We use a chemistry-climate model and new estimates of smoke produced by fires in contemporary cities to calculate the impact on stratospheric ozone of a regional nuclear war between developing nuclear states involving 100 Hiroshima-size bombs exploded in cities in the northern subtropics. We find column ozone losses in excess of 20% globally, 25–45% at midlatitudes, and 50–70% at northern high latitudes persisting for 5 years, with substantial losses continuing for 5 additional years. Column ozone amounts remain near or <220 Dobson units at all latitudes even after three years, constituting an extratropical “ozone hole.” The resulting increases in UV radiation could impact the biota significantly, including serious consequences for human health. The primary cause for the dramatic and persistent ozone depletion is heating of the stratosphere by smoke, which strongly absorbs solar radiation. The smoke-laden air rises to the upper stratosphere, where removal mechanisms are slow, so that much of the stratosphere is ultimately heated by the localized smoke injections. Higher stratospheric temperatures accelerate catalytic reaction cycles, particularly those of odd-nitrogen, which destroy ozone. In addition, the strong convection created by rising smoke plumes alters the stratospheric circulation, redistributing ozone and the sources of ozone-depleting gases, including N2O and chlorofluorocarbons. The ozone losses predicted here are significantly greater than previous “nuclear winter/UV spring” calculations, which did not adequately represent stratospheric plume rise. Our results point to previously unrecognized mechanisms for stratospheric ozone depletion. PMID:18391218

Nuclear energy in postwar Japan and anti-nuclear movements in the 1950s.

PubMed

Yamazaki, Masakatsu

2009-01-01

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 revealed the most destructive power to-date of man-made weapons. Their impact was so great that Japanese scientists thought that a bigger disaster could be prevented only if war was abolished. Thus they welcomed the international control of atomic energy. It was, however, only after the occupation that the Japanese general public began to learn about the horror of these atomic disasters due to the censorship imposed by the occupational forces. The hydrogen bomb test by the US in the Bikini atoll on March 1, 1954 renewed fears of nuclear weapons. The crew of a Japanese fishing vessel, the "Daigo Fukuryu Maru" (Lucky Dragon No. 5) suffered from exposure to radiation from the test. Even after the incident the US did not stop nuclear tests which continued to radioactively contaminate fish and rains in Japan. As a result, the petition movement for the ban of nuclear trials suddenly spread all over the country. By the summer of 1955 the number of the signatures grew to more than one third of Japan's population at the time. Under the strong influence of anti-nuclear Japanese public opinion the Science Council of Japan announced the so-called three principles of atomic energy: "openness," "democracy," and "independence" to ensure atomic energy was used for peaceful uses only. These principles were included in the Atomic Energy Basic Law established in December 1955. With this law, military uses of nuclear energy were strictly forbidden.

Up-front systemic chemotherapy is a feasible option compared to primary tumor resection followed by chemotherapy for colorectal cancer with unresectable synchronous metastases.

PubMed

Niitsu, Hiroaki; Hinoi, Takao; Shimomura, Manabu; Egi, Hiroyuki; Hattori, Minoru; Ishizaki, Yasuyo; Adachi, Tomohiro; Saito, Yasufumi; Miguchi, Masashi; Sawada, Hiroyuki; Kochi, Masatoshi; Mukai, Shoichiro; Ohdan, Hideki

2015-04-24

In stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC) with unresectable metastases, whether or not resection of the primary tumor should be indicated remains controversial. We aim to determine the impact of primary tumor resection on the survival of stage IV CRC patients with unresectable metastases. We retrospectively investigated 103 CRC patients with stage IV colorectal cancer with metastases, treated at Hiroshima University Hospital between 2007 and 2013. Of these, those who had resectable primary tumor but unresectable metastases and received any chemotherapy were included in the study. We analyzed the overall survival (OS) and short-term outcomes between the patients who received up-front systemic chemotherapy (USC group) and those who received primary tumor resection followed by chemotherapy (PTR group). Of the 57 included patients, 15 underwent USC and 42 PTR. The median survival times were 13.4 and 23.9 months in the USC and PTR groups, respectively (P = 0.093), but multivariate analysis for the overall survival showed no significant difference between the two groups (hazard ratio, 1.30; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.60 to 2.73, P = 0.495). In the USC group, the disease control rate of primary tumor was observed in 12 patients (80.0%), but emergency laparotomy was required for 1 patient. Morbidity in the PTR group was observed in 18 cases (42.9%). The overall survival did not differ significantly between the USC and PTR groups. USC may help avoid unnecessary resection and consequently the high morbidity rate associated with primary tumor resection for stage IV CRC with unresectable metastases.

PAHs concentration and toxicity in organic solvent extracts of atmospheric particulate matter and sea sediments.

PubMed

Ozaki, Noriatsu; Takeuchi, Shin-ya; Kojima, Keisuke; Kindaichi, Tomonori; Komatsu, Toshiko; Fukushima, Takehiko

2012-01-01

The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the toxicity to marine bacteria (Vibrio fischeri) were measured for the organic solvent extracts of sea sediments collected from an urban watershed area (Hiroshima Bay) of Japan and compared with the concentrations and toxicity of atmospheric particulate matter (PM). In atmospheric PM, the PAHs concentration was highest in fine particulate matter (FPM) collected during cold seasons. The concentrations of sea sediments were 0.01-0.001 times those of atmospheric PM. 1/EC50 was 1-10 L g(-1) PM for atmospheric PM and 0.1-1 L g(-1) dry solids for sea sediments. These results imply that toxic substances from atmospheric PM are diluted several tens or hundreds of times in sea sediments. The ratio of the 1/EC50 to PAHs concentration ((1/EC50)/16PAHs) was stable for all sea sediments (0.1-1 L μg(-1) 16PAHs) and was the same order of magnitude as that of FPM and coarse particulate matter (CPM). The ratio of sediments collected from the west was more similar to that of CPM while that from the east was more similar to FPM, possibly because of hydraulic differences among water bodies. The PAHs concentration pattern analyses (principal component analysis and isomer ratio analysis) were conducted and the results showed that the PAHs pattern in sea sediments was quite different to that of FPM and CPM. Comparison with previously conducted PAHs analyses suggested that biomass burning residues comprised a major portion of these other sources.

Health effects model for nuclear power plant accident consequence analysis. Part I. Introduction, integration, and summary. Part II. Scientific basis for health effects models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Evans, J.S.; Moeller, D.W.; Cooper, D.W.

1985-07-01

Analysis of the radiological health effects of nuclear power plant accidents requires models for predicting early health effects, cancers and benign thyroid nodules, and genetic effects. Since the publication of the Reactor Safety Study, additional information on radiological health effects has become available. This report summarizes the efforts of a program designed to provide revised health effects models for nuclear power plant accident consequence modeling. The new models for early effects address four causes of mortality and nine categories of morbidity. The models for early effects are based upon two parameter Weibull functions. They permit evaluation of the influence ofmore » dose protraction and address the issue of variation in radiosensitivity among the population. The piecewise-linear dose-response models used in the Reactor Safety Study to predict cancers and thyroid nodules have been replaced by linear and linear-quadratic models. The new models reflect the most recently reported results of the follow-up of the survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and permit analysis of both morbidity and mortality. The new models for genetic effects allow prediction of genetic risks in each of the first five generations after an accident and include information on the relative severity of various classes of genetic effects. The uncertainty in modeloling radiological health risks is addressed by providing central, upper, and lower estimates of risks. An approach is outlined for summarizing the health consequences of nuclear power plant accidents. 298 refs., 9 figs., 49 tabs.« less

Effects of hypnagogic imagery on the event-related potential to external tone stimuli.

PubMed

Michida, Nanae; Hayashi, Mitsuo; Hori, Tadao

2005-07-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of hypnagogic imagery on the information processes of external tone stimuli during the sleep onset period with the use of event-related potentials. Event-related potentials to tone stimuli were compared between conditions with and without the experience of hypnagogic imagery. To control the arousal level when the tone was presented, a certain criterion named the electroencephalogram stage was used. Stimuli were presented at electroencephalogram stage 4, which was characterized by the appearance of a vertex sharp wave. Data were collected in the sleep laboratory at Hiroshima University. Eleven healthy university and graduate school students participated in the study. N/A. Experiments were performed at night. Reaction times to tone stimuli were measured, and only trials with shorter reaction times than 5000 milliseconds were analyzed. Electroencephalograms were recorded from Fz, Cz, Pz, Oz, T5 and T6. There were no differences in reaction times and electroencephalogram spectra between the conditions of with and without hypnagogic imagery. These results indicated that the arousal levels were not different between the 2 conditions. On the other hand, the N550 amplitude of the event-related potentials in the imagery condition was lower than in the no-imagery condition. The decrease in the N550 amplitude in the imagery condition showed that experiences of hypnagogic imagery exert some influence on the information processes of external tone stimuli. It is possible that the processing of hypnagogic imagery interferes with the processing of external stimuli, lowering the sensitivity to external stimuli.

Establishment of expanded and streamlined pipeline of PITCh knock-in – a web-based design tool for MMEJ-mediated gene knock-in, PITCh designer, and the variations of PITCh, PITCh-TG and PITCh-KIKO

PubMed Central

Nakamae, Kazuki; Nishimura, Yuki; Takenaga, Mitsumasa; Sakamoto, Naoaki; Ide, Hiroshi; Sakuma, Tetsushi; Yamamoto, Takashi

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The emerging genome editing technology has enabled the creation of gene knock-in cells easily, efficiently, and rapidly, which has dramatically accelerated research in the field of mammalian functional genomics, including in humans. We recently developed a microhomology-mediated end-joining-based gene knock-in method, termed the PITCh system, and presented various examples of its application. Since the PITCh system only requires very short microhomologies (up to 40 bp) and single-guide RNA target sites on the donor vector, the targeting construct can be rapidly prepared compared with the conventional targeting vector for homologous recombination-based knock-in. Here, we established a streamlined pipeline to design and perform PITCh knock-in to further expand the availability of this method by creating web-based design software, PITCh designer (http://www.mls.sci.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/smg/PITChdesigner/index.html), as well as presenting an experimental example of versatile gene cassette knock-in. PITCh designer can automatically design not only the appropriate microhomologies but also the primers to construct locus-specific donor vectors for PITCh knock-in. By using our newly established pipeline, a reporter cell line for monitoring endogenous gene expression, and transgenesis (TG) or knock-in/knockout (KIKO) cell line can be produced systematically. Using these new variations of PITCh, an exogenous promoter-driven gene cassette expressing fluorescent protein gene and drug resistance gene can be integrated into a safe harbor or a specific gene locus to create transgenic reporter cells (PITCh-TG) or knockout cells with reporter knock-in (PITCh-KIKO), respectively. PMID:28453368

Establishment of expanded and streamlined pipeline of PITCh knock-in - a web-based design tool for MMEJ-mediated gene knock-in, PITCh designer, and the variations of PITCh, PITCh-TG and PITCh-KIKO.

PubMed

Nakamae, Kazuki; Nishimura, Yuki; Takenaga, Mitsumasa; Nakade, Shota; Sakamoto, Naoaki; Ide, Hiroshi; Sakuma, Tetsushi; Yamamoto, Takashi

2017-05-04

The emerging genome editing technology has enabled the creation of gene knock-in cells easily, efficiently, and rapidly, which has dramatically accelerated research in the field of mammalian functional genomics, including in humans. We recently developed a microhomology-mediated end-joining-based gene knock-in method, termed the PITCh system, and presented various examples of its application. Since the PITCh system only requires very short microhomologies (up to 40 bp) and single-guide RNA target sites on the donor vector, the targeting construct can be rapidly prepared compared with the conventional targeting vector for homologous recombination-based knock-in. Here, we established a streamlined pipeline to design and perform PITCh knock-in to further expand the availability of this method by creating web-based design software, PITCh designer ( http://www.mls.sci.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/smg/PITChdesigner/index.html ), as well as presenting an experimental example of versatile gene cassette knock-in. PITCh designer can automatically design not only the appropriate microhomologies but also the primers to construct locus-specific donor vectors for PITCh knock-in. By using our newly established pipeline, a reporter cell line for monitoring endogenous gene expression, and transgenesis (TG) or knock-in/knockout (KIKO) cell line can be produced systematically. Using these new variations of PITCh, an exogenous promoter-driven gene cassette expressing fluorescent protein gene and drug resistance gene can be integrated into a safe harbor or a specific gene locus to create transgenic reporter cells (PITCh-TG) or knockout cells with reporter knock-in (PITCh-KIKO), respectively.

The sensitivity and clinical course of patients with wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis sensitized to hydrolyzed wheat protein in facial soap - secondary publication.

PubMed

Hiragun, Makiko; Ishii, Kaori; Hiragun, Takaaki; Shindo, Hajime; Mihara, Shoji; Matsuo, Hiroaki; Hide, Michihiro

2013-09-01

Recently, an increasing number of patients with wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA) have been reported in Japan. Most of them had developed this condition during or after using hydrolyzed wheat protein (HWP)-containing soap (HWP-WDEIA). To clarify the relation between WDEIA and HWP-containing soap and their prognosis, we retrospectively studied the patients who visited Hiroshima University Hospital and were diagnosed as WDEIA from January 2010 to June 2011. We took detailed clinical histories, performed skin prick tests, serum immunoassays for antigen-specific IgE and basophil histamine release test, and followed up their clinical courses after the diagnosis. Among 36 patients with WDEIA, 30 patients had used only one type of HWP-soap. The patients with HWP-WDEIA were mainly women and had developed facial symptoms and angioedema. They suffered from blood pressure reductions less frequently than patients with conventional WDEIA. The levels of gluten-specific IgE were higher than those of omega-5 gliadin in patients with HWP-WDEIA (P < 0.05, One-way ANOVA). All patients with HWP-WDEIA were positive against HWP in histamine release test. Among the conventional wheat antigens, glutenins induced the highest histamine release from basophils of patients with HWP-WDEIA. The sensitivities of patients against glutens and glutenins were reduced over months along with the discontinuance of HWP-soap. The development of HWP-WDEIA is associated with the use of HWP-soap. The sensitivity to HWP that cross reacts with non-processed wheat may be reduced or possibly cured after the discontinuation of HWP-soap.

Foreign Students and Internationalization of Higher Education. Proceedings of OECD/Japan Seminar on Higher Education and the Flow of Foreign Students (Hiroshima, Japan, November 8-10, 1988).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebuchi, Kazuhiro, Ed.

This volume reports on a seminar structured around three themes: institutional policies toward the flow of foreign students in member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); specific measures and programs for foreign students; and social and cultural adjustment by foreign students. The volume contains seminar…

Public and Private Sectors in Asian Higher Education Systems: Issues and Prospects. Reports from the International Seminar on Higher Education in Asia (3rd, Hiroshima, Japan, 1987).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiroshima Univ. (Japan). Research Inst. for Higher Education.

The roles of public and private sectors of higher education in Asia and relationships to national systems are explored in reports from the Third International Seminar on Higher Education in Asia. The focus was China, Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, Japan, and Thailand. Patterns by which national systems of higher education are differentiated…

Viral Impacts on Total Abundance and Clonal Composition of the Harmful Bloom-Forming Phytoplankton Heterosigma akashiwo

PubMed Central

Tarutani, Kenji; Nagasaki, Keizo; Yamaguchi, Mineo

2000-01-01

Recent observations that viruses are very abundant and biologically active components in marine ecosystems suggest that they probably influence various biogeochemical and ecological processes. In this study, the population dynamics of the harmful bloom-forming phytoplankton Heterosigma akashiwo (Raphidophyceae) and the infectious H. akashiwo viruses (HaV) were monitored in Hiroshima Bay, Japan, from May to July 1998. Concurrently, a number of H. akashiwo and HaV clones were isolated, and their virus susceptibilities and host ranges were determined through laboratory cross-reactivity tests. A sudden decrease in cell density of H. akashiwo was accompanied by a drastic increase in the abundance of HaV, suggesting that viruses contributed greatly to the disintegration of the H. akashiwo bloom as mortality agents. Despite the large quantity of infectious HaV, however, a significant proportion of H. akashiwo cells survived after the bloom disintegration. The viral susceptibility of H. akashiwo isolates demonstrated that the majority of these surviving cells were resistant to most of the HaV clones, whereas resistant cells were a minor component during the bloom period. Moreover, these resistant cells were displaced by susceptible cells, presumably due to viral infection. These results demonstrated that the properties of dominant cells within the H. akashiwo population change during the period when a bloom is terminated by viral infection, suggesting that viruses also play an important role in determining the clonal composition and maintaining the clonal diversity of H. akashiwo populations. Therefore, our data indicate that viral infection influences the total abundance and the clonal composition of one host algal species, suggesting that viruses are an important component in quantitatively and qualitatively controlling phytoplankton populations in natural marine environments. PMID:11055943

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Otake, M.; Schull, W.J.

The occurrence of lenticular opacities among atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki detected in 1963-1964 has been examined in reference to their ..gamma.. and neutron doses. A lenticular opacity in this context implies an ophthalmoscopic and slit lamp biomicroscopic defect in the axial posterior aspect of the lens which may or may not interfere measureably with visual acuity. Several different dose-response models were fitted to the data after the effects of age at time of bombing (ATB) were examined. Some postulate the existence of a threshold(s), others do not. All models assume a ''background'' exists, that is, that somemore » number of posterior lenticular opacities are ascribable to events other than radiation exposure. Among these alternatives we can show that a simple linear ..gamma..-neutron relationship which assumes no threshold does not fit the data adequately under the T65 dosimetry, but does fit the recent Oak Ridge and Lawrence Livermore estimates. Other models which envisage quadratic terms in gamma and which may or may not assume a threshold are compatible with the data. The ''best'' fit, that is, the one with the smallest X/sup 2/ and largest tail probability, is with a ''linear gamma:linear neutron'' model which postulates a ..gamma.. threshold but no threshold for neutrons. It should be noted that the greatest difference in the dose-response models associated with the three different sets of doses involves the neutron component, as is, of course, to be expected. No effect of neutrons on the occurrence of lenticular opacities is demonstrable with either the Lawrence Livermore or Oak Ridge estimates.« less

Methyltransferases mediate cell memory of a genotoxic insult.

PubMed

Rugo, R E; Mutamba, J T; Mohan, K N; Yee, T; Chaillet, J R; Greenberger, J S; Engelward, B P

2011-02-10

Characterization of the direct effects of DNA-damaging agents shows how DNA lesions lead to specific mutations. Yet, serum from Hiroshima survivors, Chernobyl liquidators and radiotherapy patients can induce a clastogenic effect on naive cells, showing indirect induction of genomic instability that persists years after exposure. Such indirect effects are not restricted to ionizing radiation, as chemical genotoxins also induce heritable and transmissible genomic instability phenotypes. Although such indirect induction of genomic instability is well described, the underlying mechanism has remained enigmatic. Here, we show that mouse embryonic stem cells exposed to γ-radiation bear the effects of the insult for weeks. Specifically, conditioned media from the progeny of exposed cells can induce DNA damage and homologous recombination in naive cells. Notably, cells exposed to conditioned media also elicit a genome-destabilizing effect on their neighbouring cells, thus demonstrating transmission of genomic instability. Moreover, we show that the underlying basis for the memory of an insult is completely dependent on two of the major DNA cytosine methyltransferases, Dnmt1 and Dnmt3a. Targeted disruption of these genes in exposed cells completely eliminates transmission of genomic instability. Furthermore, transient inactivation of Dnmt1, using a tet-suppressible allele, clears the memory of the insult, thus protecting neighbouring cells from indirect induction of genomic instability. We have thus demonstrated that a single exposure can lead to long-term, genome-destabilizing effects that spread from cell to cell, and we provide a specific molecular mechanism for these persistent bystander effects. Collectively, our results impact the current understanding of risks from toxin exposures and suggest modes of intervention for suppressing genomic instability in people exposed to carcinogenic genotoxins.

Inability of Open-Field Autorefraction to Eliminate Accommodation in Preschoolers.

PubMed

Kara, Caner; Petriçli, İkbal Seza

2017-09-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Shin-Nippon NVision-K 5001 autorefractometer (Rexxam Co. Ltd., Osaka, Japan) (also branded as the Grand Seiko WR-5100K; Grand Seiko Co. Ltd., Hiroshima, Japan) based on the open-field refractometry principle in refractive measurements of preschool children and to determine its ability to eliminate accommodation adequately. The refractive results of 114 preschool children who presented to the ophthalmology outpatient department for screening were evaluated. The measurements were obtained before and after cycloplegia with the Shin-Nippon NVision-K 5001 autorefractometer and after cycloplegia with retinoscopy, which is the gold standard. The results underwent vectorial transformation to produce the spherical equivalent (M) and two Jackson cross-cylinder (J0 and J45) values. All results were then subjected to statistical analysis. The difference between the measurements was evaluated with repeated measures analysis of variance. Included in the study were 106 preschool children (51 boys and 55 girls). The mean age was 5.3 ± 0.9 years (range: 3 to 6 years). Although statistically significantly more myopic results were obtained with non-cycloplegic measurements using the Shin-Nippon NVision-K 5001 autorefractometer (P < .001), no difference was observed in cylindrical values (P > .05). Cycloplegic J0 measurements were significantly lower (P < .001), but no difference was found between J45 values before and after cycloplegia (P > .05). The Shin-Nippon NVision-K 5001/Grand Seiko WR-5100K open-field autorefractometer seems to be inadequate in eliminating accommodation in childhood. Measurements under cycloplegia continue to be the best method to ensure accurate results. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2017;54(5):311-318.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Calculating excess lifetime risk in relative risk models.

PubMed Central

Vaeth, M; Pierce, D A

1990-01-01

When assessing the impact of radiation exposure it is common practice to present the final conclusions in terms of excess lifetime cancer risk in a population exposed to a given dose. The present investigation is mainly a methodological study focusing on some of the major issues and uncertainties involved in calculating such excess lifetime risks and related risk projection methods. The age-constant relative risk model used in the recent analyses of the cancer mortality that was observed in the follow-up of the cohort of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is used to describe the effect of the exposure on the cancer mortality. In this type of model the excess relative risk is constant in age-at-risk, but depends on the age-at-exposure. Calculation of excess lifetime risks usually requires rather complicated life-table computations. In this paper we propose a simple approximation to the excess lifetime risk; the validity of the approximation for low levels of exposure is justified empirically as well as theoretically. This approximation provides important guidance in understanding the influence of the various factors involved in risk projections. Among the further topics considered are the influence of a latent period, the additional problems involved in calculations of site-specific excess lifetime cancer risks, the consequences of a leveling off or a plateau in the excess relative risk, and the uncertainties involved in transferring results from one population to another. The main part of this study relates to the situation with a single, instantaneous exposure, but a brief discussion is also given of the problem with a continuous exposure at a low-dose rate. PMID:2269245

Association of Acute Radiation Syndrome and Rain after the Bombings in Atomic Bomb Survivors.

PubMed

Ozasa, K; Sakata, R; Cullings, H M; Grant, E J

2016-06-01

Acute radiation-induced symptoms reported in survivors after the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been suspected to be associated with rain that fell after the explosions, but this association has not been evaluated in an epidemiological study that considers the effects of the direct dose from the atomic bombs and other factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate this association using information from a fixed cohort, comprised of 93,741 members of the Life Span Study who were in the city at the time of the bombing. Information on acute symptoms and exposure to rain was collected in surveys conducted by interviewers, primarily in the 1950s. The proportion of survivors developing severe epilation was around 60% at levels of direct radiation doses of 3 Gy or higher and less than 0.2% at levels <0.005 Gy regardless of reported rain exposure status. The low prevalence of acute symptoms at low direct doses indicates that the reported fallout rain was not homogeneously radioactive at a level sufficient to cause a substantial probability of acute symptoms. We observed that the proportion of reported acute symptoms was slightly higher among those who reported rain exposure in some subgroups, however, suggestions that rain was the cause of these reported symptoms are not supported by analyses specific to the known areas of radioactive fallout. Misclassification of exposure and outcome, including symptoms due to other causes and recall bias, appears to be a more plausible explanation. However, the insufficient and retrospective nature of the available data limited our ability to quantify the attribution to those possible causes.

Formation of Clustered DNA Damage after High-LET Irradiation: A Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hada, Megumi; Georgakilas, Alexandros G.

2008-01-01

Radiation can cause as well as cure cancer. The risk of developing radiation-induced cancer has traditionally been estimated from cancer incidence among survivors of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These data provide the best estimate of human cancer risk over the dose range for low linear energy transfer (LET) radiations, such as X- or gamma-rays. The situation of estimating the real biological effects becomes even more difficult in the case of high LET particles encountered in space or as the result of domestic exposure to particles from radon gas emitters or other radioactive emitters like uranium-238. Complex DNA damage, i.e., the signature of high-LET radiations comprises by closely spaced DNA lesions forming a cluster of DNA damage. The two basic groups of complex DNA damage are double strand breaks (DSBs) and non-DSB oxidative clustered DNA lesions (OCDL). Theoretical analysis and experimental evidence suggest there is increased complexity and severity of complex DNA damage with increasing LET (linear energy transfer) and a high mutagenic or carcinogenic potential. Data available on the formation of clustered DNA damage (DSBs and OCDL) by high-LET radiations are often controversial suggesting a variable response to dose and type of radiation. The chemical nature and cellular repair mechanisms of complex DNA damage have been much less characterized than those of isolated DNA lesions like an oxidized base or a single strand break especially in the case of high-LET radiation. This review will focus on the induction of clustered DNA damage by high-LET radiations presenting the earlier and recent relative data.

Virtual impact: visualizing the potential effects of cosmic impact in human history

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Masse, W Bruce; Janecky, David R; Forte, Maurizio

2009-01-01

Current models indicate that catastrophic impacts by asteroids and comets capable of killing more than one quarter of Earth's human population have occurred on average once every million years; smaller impacts, such the 1908 Tunguska impact that leveled more than 2,000 square km of Siberian forest, occur every 200-300 years. Therefore, cosmic impact likely significantly affected hominine evolution and conceivably played a role in Holocene period human culture history. Regrettably, few archaeologists are trained to appreciate the nature and potential effects of cosmic impact. We have developed a conceptual model for an extensible set of educational and research tools basedmore » on virtual reality collaborative environments to engage archaeologists and the general public on the topic of the role of cosmic impact in human history. Our initial focus is on two documented asteroid impacts in Argentina during the period of 4000 to 1000 B.C. Campo del Cicio resulted in an energy release of around 2-3 megatons (100-150 times the Hiroshima atomic weapon), and left several craters and a strewn field covering 493 km{sup 2} in northeastern Argentina. Rio Cuarto was likely more than 1000 megatons and may have devastated an area greater than 50,000 km{sup 2} in central Argentina. We are focusing on reconstructions of these events and their potential effects on contemporary hunter and gatherers. Our vinual reality tools also introduce interactive variables (e.g., impactor physical properties, climate, vegetation, topography, and social complexity) to allow researchers and students to better investigate and evaluate the factors that significantly influence cosmic impact effects.« less

Calculating excess lifetime risk in relative risk models.

PubMed

Vaeth, M; Pierce, D A

1990-07-01

When assessing the impact of radiation exposure it is common practice to present the final conclusions in terms of excess lifetime cancer risk in a population exposed to a given dose. The present investigation is mainly a methodological study focusing on some of the major issues and uncertainties involved in calculating such excess lifetime risks and related risk projection methods. The age-constant relative risk model used in the recent analyses of the cancer mortality that was observed in the follow-up of the cohort of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is used to describe the effect of the exposure on the cancer mortality. In this type of model the excess relative risk is constant in age-at-risk, but depends on the age-at-exposure. Calculation of excess lifetime risks usually requires rather complicated life-table computations. In this paper we propose a simple approximation to the excess lifetime risk; the validity of the approximation for low levels of exposure is justified empirically as well as theoretically. This approximation provides important guidance in understanding the influence of the various factors involved in risk projections. Among the further topics considered are the influence of a latent period, the additional problems involved in calculations of site-specific excess lifetime cancer risks, the consequences of a leveling off or a plateau in the excess relative risk, and the uncertainties involved in transferring results from one population to another. The main part of this study relates to the situation with a single, instantaneous exposure, but a brief discussion is also given of the problem with a continuous exposure at a low-dose rate.

Circulating Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Aging Atomic Bomb Survivors.

PubMed

Kyoizumi, Seishi; Kubo, Yoshiko; Misumi, Munechika; Kajimura, Junko; Yoshida, Kengo; Hayashi, Tomonori; Imai, Kazue; Ohishi, Waka; Nakachi, Kei; Young, Lauren F; Shieh, Jae-Hung; Moore, Malcolm A; van den Brink, Marcel R M; Kusunoki, Yoichiro

2016-01-01

It is not yet known whether hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are compromised in the aging population of atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors after their exposure nearly 70 years ago. To address this, we evaluated age- and radiation-related changes in different subtypes of circulating HSPCs among the CD34-positive/lineage marker-negative (CD34(+)Lin(-)) cell population in 231 Hiroshima A-bomb survivors. We enumerated functional HSPC subtypes, including: cobblestone area-forming cells; long-term culture-initiating cells; erythroid burst-forming units; granulocyte and macrophage colony-forming units; and T-cell and natural killer cell progenitors using cell culture. We obtained the count of each HSPC subtype per unit volume of blood and the proportion of each HSPC subtype in CD34(+)Lin(-) cells to represent the lineage commitment trend. Multivariate analyses, using sex, age and radiation dose as variables, showed significantly decreased counts with age in the total CD34(+)Lin(-) cell population and all HSPC subtypes. As for the proportion, only T-cell progenitors decreased significantly with age, suggesting that the commitment to the T-cell lineage in HSPCs continuously declines with age throughout the lifetime. However, neither the CD34(+)Lin(-) cell population, nor HSPC subtypes showed significant radiation-induced dose-dependent changes in counts or proportions. Moreover, the correlations of the proportions among HSPC subtypes in the survivors properly revealed the hierarchy of lineage commitments. Taken together, our findings suggest that many years after exposure to radiation and with advancing age, the number and function of HSPCs in living survivors as a whole may have recovered to normal levels.

Circulating Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Aging Atomic Bomb Survivors

PubMed Central

Kyoizumi, Seishi; Kubo, Yoshiko; Misumi, Munechika; Kajimura, Junko; Yoshida, Kengo; Hayashi, Tomonori; Imai, Kazue; Ohishi, Waka; Nakachi, Kei; Young, Lauren F.; Shieh, Jae-Hung; Moore, Malcolm A.; van den Brink, Marcel R. M.; Kusunoki, Yoichiro

2016-01-01

It is not yet known whether hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are compromised in the aging population of atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors after their exposure nearly 70 years ago. To address this, we evaluated age- and radiation-related changes in different subtypes of circulating HSPCs among the CD34-positive/lineage marker-negative (CD34+Lin− ) cell population in 231 Hiroshima A-bomb survivors. We enumerated functional HSPC subtypes, including: cobblestone area-forming cells; long-term culture-initiating cells; erythroid burst-forming units; granulocyte and macrophage colony-forming units; and T-cell and natural killer cell progenitors using cell culture. We obtained the count of each HSPC subtype per unit volume of blood and the proportion of each HSPC subtype in CD34+Lin− cells to represent the lineage commitment trend. Multivariate analyses, using sex, age and radiation dose as variables, showed significantly decreased counts with age in the total CD34+Lin− cell population and all HSPC subtypes. As for the proportion, only T-cell progenitors decreased significantly with age, suggesting that the commitment to the T-cell lineage in HSPCs continuously declines with age throughout the lifetime. However, neither the CD34+Lin− cell population, nor HSPC subtypes showed significant radiation-induced dose-dependent changes in counts or proportions. Moreover, the correlations of the proportions among HSPC subtypes in the survivors properly revealed the hierarchy of lineage commitments. Taken together, our findings suggest that many years after exposure to radiation and with advancing age, the number and function of HSPCs in living survivors as a whole may have recovered to normal levels. PMID:26720799

Cancer mortality among atomic bomb survivors exposed as children.

PubMed

Goto, Hitomi; Watanabe, Tomoyuki; Miyao, Masaru; Fukuda, Hiromi; Sato, Yuzo; Oshida, Yoshiharu

2012-05-01

To compare cancer mortality among A-bomb survivors exposed as children with cancer mortality among an unexposed control group (the entire population of Japan, JPCG). The subjects were the Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bomb survivor groups (0-14 years of age in 1945) reported in life span study report 12 (follow-up years were from 1950 to 1990), and a control group consisting of the JPCG. We estimated the expected number of deaths due to all causes and cancers of various causes among the exposed survivors who died in the follow-up interval, if they had died with the same mortality as the JPCG (0-14 years of age in 1945). We calculated the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of A-bomb survivors in comparison with the JPCG. SMRs were significantly higher in exposed boys overall for all deaths, all cancers, leukemia, and liver cancer, and for exposed girls overall for all cancers, solid cancers, liver cancer, and breast cancer. In boys, SMRs were significantly higher for all deaths and liver cancer even in those exposed to very low doses, and for all cancers, solid cancers, and liver cancer in those exposed to low doses. In girls, SMRs were significantly higher for liver cancer and uterine cancer in those exposed to low doses, and for leukemia, solid cancers, stomach cancer, and breast cancer in those exposed to high doses. We calculated the SMRs for the A-bomb survivors versus JPCG in childhood and compared them with a true non-exposed group. A notable result was that SMRs in boys exposed to low doses were significantly higher for solid cancer.

Metabolic Dysregulation after Neutron Exposures Expected from an Improvised Nuclear Device.

PubMed

Laiakis, Evagelia C; Wang, Yi-Wen; Young, Erik F; Harken, Andrew D; Xu, Yanping; Smilenov, Lubomir; Garty, Guy Y; Brenner, David J; Fornace, Albert J

2017-07-01

The increased threat of terrorism across the globe has raised fears that certain groups will acquire and use radioactive materials to inflict maximum damage. In the event that an improvised nuclear device (IND) is detonated, a potentially large population of victims will require assessment for radiation exposure. While photons will contribute to a major portion of the dose, neutrons may be responsible for the severity of the biologic effects and cellular responses. We investigated differences in response between these two radiation types by using metabolomics and lipidomics to identify biomarkers in urine and blood of wild-type C57BL/6 male mice. Identification of metabolites was based on a 1 Gy dose of radiation. Compared to X rays, a neutron spectrum similar to that encountered in Hiroshima at 1-1.5 km from the epicenter induced a severe metabolic dysregulation, with perturbations in amino acid metabolism and fatty acid β-oxidation being the predominant ones. Urinary metabolites were able to discriminate between neutron and X rays on day 1 as well as day 7 postirradiation, while serum markers showed such discrimination only on day 1. Free fatty acids from omega-6 and omega-3 pathways were also decreased with 1 Gy of neutrons, implicating cell membrane dysfunction and impaired phospholipid metabolism, which should otherwise lead to release of those molecules in circulation. While a precise relative biological effectiveness value could not be calculated from this study, the results are consistent with other published studies showing higher levels of damage from neutrons, demonstrated here by increased metabolic dysregulation. Metabolomics can therefore aid in identifying global perturbations in blood and urine, and effectively distinguishing between neutron and photon exposures.

Nuclear Explosion Monitoring History and Research and Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawkins, W. L.; Zucca, J. J.

2008-12-01

Within a year after the nuclear detonations over Hiroshima and Nagasaki the Baruch Plan was presented to the newly formed United Nations Atomic Energy Commission (June 14, 1946) to establish nuclear disarmament and international control over all nuclear activities. These controls would allow only the peaceful use of atomic energy. The plan was rejected through a Security Council veto primarily because of the resistance to unlimited inspections. Since that time there have been many multilateral, and bilateral agreements, and unilateral declarations to limit or eliminate nuclear detonations. Almost all of theses agreements (i.e. treaties) call for some type of monitoring. We will review a timeline showing the history of nuclear testing and the more important treaties. We will also describe testing operations, containment, phenomenology, and observations. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) which has been signed by 179 countries (ratified by 144) established the International Monitoring System global verification regime which employs seismic, infrasound, hydroacoustic and radionuclide monitoring techniques. The CTBT also includes on-site inspection to clarify whether a nuclear explosion has been carried out in violation of the Treaty. The US Department of Energy (DOE) through its National Nuclear Security Agency's Ground-Based Nuclear Explosion Monitoring R&D Program supports research by US National Laboratories, and universities and industry internationally to detect, locate, and identify nuclear detonations. This research program builds on the broad base of monitoring expertise developed over several decades. Annually the DOE and the US Department of Defense jointly solicit monitoring research proposals. Areas of research include: seismic regional characterization and wave propagation, seismic event detection and location, seismic identification and source characterization, hydroacoustic monitoring, radionuclide monitoring, infrasound monitoring, and

Internal exposure to neutron-activated 56Mn dioxide powder in Wistar rats-Part 2: pathological effects.

PubMed

Shichijo, Kazuko; Fujimoto, Nariaki; Uzbekov, Darkhan; Kairkhanova, Ynkar; Saimova, Aisulu; Chaizhunusova, Nailya; Sayakenov, Nurlan; Shabdarbaeva, Dariya; Aukenov, Nurlan; Azimkhanov, Almas; Kolbayenkov, Alexander; Mussazhanova, Zhanna; Niino, Daisuke; Nakashima, Masahiro; Zhumadilov, Kassym; Stepanenko, Valeriy; Tomonaga, Masao; Rakhypbekov, Tolebay; Hoshi, Masaharu

2017-03-01

To fully understand the radiation effects of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki among the survivors, radiation from neutron-induced radioisotopes in soil and other materials should be considered in addition to the initial radiation directly received from the bombs. This might be important for evaluating the radiation risks to the people who moved to these cities soon after the detonations and probably inhaled activated radioactive "dust." Manganese-56 is known to be one of the dominant radioisotopes produced in soil by neutrons. Due to its short physical half-life, 56 Mn emits residual radiation during the first hours after explosion. Hence, the biological effects of internal exposure of Wistar rats to 56 Mn were investigated in the present study. MnO 2 powder was activated by a neutron beam to produce radioactive 56 Mn. Rats were divided into four groups: those exposed to 56 Mn, to non-radioactive Mn, to 60 Co γ rays (2 Gy, whole body), and those not exposed to any additional radiation (control). On days 3, 14, and 60 after exposure, the animals were killed and major organs were dissected and subjected to histopathological analysis. As described in more detail by an accompanying publication, the highest internal radiation dose was observed in the digestive system of the rats, followed by the lungs. It was found that the number of mitotic cells increased in the small intestine on day 3 after 56 Mn and 60 Co exposure, and this change persisted only in 56 Mn-exposed animals. Lung tissue was severely damaged only by exposure to 56 Mn, despite a rather low radiation dose (less than 0.1 Gy). These data suggest that internal exposure to 56 Mn has a significant biological impact on the lungs and small intestine.

A comparison of clinicopathological features and prognosis in prostate cancer between atomic bomb survivors and control patients

PubMed Central

Shoji, Koichi; Teishima, Jun; Hayashi, Tetsutaro; Shinmei, Shunsuke; Akita, Tomoyuki; Sentani, Kazuhiro; Takeshima, Yukio; Arihiro, Koji; Tanaka, Junko; Yasui, Wataru; Matsubara, Akio

2017-01-01

An atomic bomb (A-bomb) was dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August 1945. Although numerous studies have investigated cancer incidence and mortality among A-bomb survivors, only a small number have addressed urological cancer in these survivors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinicopathological features of prostate cancer (PCa) in A-bomb survivors. The clinicopathological features and prognosis of PCa were retrospectively reviewed in 212 survivors and 595 control patients between November 1996 and December 2010. The histopathological and clinical outcomes of surgical treatment of PCa were also evaluated in 69 survivors and 162 control patients. Despite the higher age at diagnosis compared with the control group (P=0.0031), survivors were more likely to have been diagnosed with PCa from a health check compared with the control group (P<0.0001). As a consequence, the survivors were found to exhibit metastasis significantly less frequently (199/212, 93.9%) compared with the control patients (521/595, 87.6%; P=0.0076). Prognosis in the two groups was examined, subsequent to a mean length of follow-up of 44 months. Overall survival (OS) and PCa-specific survival (CS) were similar between the two groups (OS, P=0.2196; CS, P=0.1017). A-bomb exposure was not found to be an independent predictor for prognosis by multivariate analysis (OS, P=0.7800; CS, P=0.8688). The clinicopathological features of patients who underwent a prostatectomy were similar except for the diagnosis opportunity between the two groups. Progression-free survival rates were similar between the two groups (P=0.5630). A-bomb exposure was not a significant and independent predictor for worsening of progression-free prognosis by multivariate analysis (P=0.3763). A-bomb exposure does not appear to exert deleterious effects on the biological aggressiveness of PCa and the prognosis of patients with PCa. PMID:28693168

Promoting factors of physical and mental development in early infancy: a comparison of preterm delivery/low birth weight infants and term infants.

PubMed

Hayashida, Kaori; Nakatsuka, Mikiya

2014-03-01

The aim of this study was to assess correlations between various factors and the physical and mental development of 4-month-old infants using a multi-faceted evaluation approach. A total of 1,402 self-administered questionnaires were distributed to consenting mothers of infants who had undergone a 4-month health checkup in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan. The questionnaires included items from the Japan Child and Family Research Institute Child Rearing Support Questionnaire and the KIDS type A test. Of the 421 completed questionnaires on mother-child pairs that were returned, 318 met the inclusion criteria and were eligible for further analysis. Comparison between infants in a preterm delivery or low birth weight (LBW) group (preterm and/or LBW group; n = 31) and a term delivery appropriate-weight for date (AFD) infant group (term AFD group; n =287) revealed that the preterm and/or LBW group had significantly higher mother child-rearing anxiety and difficult baby scores, along with significantly lower infant development and motor skill scores. Within the term AFD group, infants of primiparous mothers had significantly higher scores for motor skill and sociability with adults than those of multiparous mothers. Language comprehension scores were significantly higher in infants that were exclusively breast-fed than those formula-fed or combined breast-fed and formula-fed. Verbalization scores of infants whose mothers worked were significantly higher than those of infants whose mothers did not work. Infants with siblings aged <4 years exhibited significantly lower scores for motor skills, verbalization, and sociability with adults than infants without siblings or with siblings aged at least 5 years. In particular, we found that a mother's child-rearing anxiety was related to many areas of infant development. Evaluating the absence or presence of such factors and conducting preventive treatment could promote healthy infant development.

Coherent resonance stop bands in alternating gradient beam transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, K.; Okamoto, H.; Tokashiki, Y.; Fukushima, K.

2017-06-01

An extensive experimental study is performed to confirm fundamental resonance bands of an intense hadron beam propagating through an alternating gradient linear transport channel. The present work focuses on the most common lattice geometry called "FODO" or "doublet" that consists of two quadrupoles of opposite polarities. The tabletop ion-trap system "S-POD" (Simulator of Particle Orbit Dynamics) developed at Hiroshima University is employed to clarify the parameter-dependence of coherent beam instability. S-POD can provide a non-neutral plasma physically equivalent to a charged-particle beam in a periodic focusing potential. In contrast with conventional experimental approaches relying on large-scale machines, it is straightforward in S-POD to control the doublet geometry characterized by the quadrupole filling factor and drift-space ratio. We verify that the resonance feature does not essentially change depending on these geometric factors. A few clear stop bands of low-order resonances always appear in the same pattern as previously found with the sinusoidal focusing model. All stop bands become widened and shift to the higher-tune side as the beam density is increased. In the space-charge-dominated regime, the most dangerous stop band is located at the bare betatron phase advance slightly above 90 degrees. Experimental data from S-POD suggest that this severe resonance is driven mainly by the linear self-field potential rather than by nonlinear external imperfections and, therefore, unavoidable at high beam density. The instability of the third-order coherent mode generates relatively weak but noticeable stop bands near the phase advances of 60 and 120 degrees. The latter sextupole stop band is considerably enhanced by lattice imperfections. In a strongly asymmetric focusing channel, extra attention may have to be paid to some coupling resonance lines induced by the Coulomb potential. Our interpretations of experimental data are supported by theoretical

A comparison of clinicopathological features and prognosis in prostate cancer between atomic bomb survivors and control patients.

PubMed

Shoji, Koichi; Teishima, Jun; Hayashi, Tetsutaro; Shinmei, Shunsuke; Akita, Tomoyuki; Sentani, Kazuhiro; Takeshima, Yukio; Arihiro, Koji; Tanaka, Junko; Yasui, Wataru; Matsubara, Akio

2017-07-01

An atomic bomb (A-bomb) was dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August 1945. Although numerous studies have investigated cancer incidence and mortality among A-bomb survivors, only a small number have addressed urological cancer in these survivors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinicopathological features of prostate cancer (PCa) in A-bomb survivors. The clinicopathological features and prognosis of PCa were retrospectively reviewed in 212 survivors and 595 control patients between November 1996 and December 2010. The histopathological and clinical outcomes of surgical treatment of PCa were also evaluated in 69 survivors and 162 control patients. Despite the higher age at diagnosis compared with the control group (P=0.0031), survivors were more likely to have been diagnosed with PCa from a health check compared with the control group (P<0.0001). As a consequence, the survivors were found to exhibit metastasis significantly less frequently (199/212, 93.9%) compared with the control patients (521/595, 87.6%; P=0.0076). Prognosis in the two groups was examined, subsequent to a mean length of follow-up of 44 months. Overall survival (OS) and PCa-specific survival (CS) were similar between the two groups (OS, P=0.2196; CS, P=0.1017). A-bomb exposure was not found to be an independent predictor for prognosis by multivariate analysis (OS, P=0.7800; CS, P=0.8688). The clinicopathological features of patients who underwent a prostatectomy were similar except for the diagnosis opportunity between the two groups. Progression-free survival rates were similar between the two groups (P=0.5630). A-bomb exposure was not a significant and independent predictor for worsening of progression-free prognosis by multivariate analysis (P=0.3763). A-bomb exposure does not appear to exert deleterious effects on the biological aggressiveness of PCa and the prognosis of patients with PCa.

Relationship between spontaneous γH2AX foci formation and progenitor functions in circulating hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells among atomic-bomb survivors.

PubMed

Kajimura, Junko; Kyoizumi, Seishi; Kubo, Yoshiko; Misumi, Munechika; Yoshida, Kengo; Hayashi, Tomonori; Imai, Kazue; Ohishi, Waka; Nakachi, Kei; Weng, Nan-Ping; Young, Lauren F; Shieh, Jae-Hung; Moore, Malcolm A; van den Brink, Marcel R M; Kusunoki, Yoichiro

2016-05-01

Accumulated DNA damage in hematopoietic stem cells is a primary mechanism of aging-associated dysfunction in human hematopoiesis. About 70 years ago, atomic-bomb (A-bomb) radiation induced DNA damage and functional decreases in the hematopoietic system of A-bomb survivors in a radiation dose-dependent manner. The peripheral blood cell populations then recovered to a normal range, but accompanying cells derived from hematopoietic stem cells still remain that bear molecular changes possibly caused by past radiation exposure and aging. In the present study, we evaluated radiation-related changes in the frequency of phosphorylated (Ser-139) H2AX (γH2AX) foci formation in circulating CD34-positive/lineage marker-negative (CD34+Lin-) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) among 226Hiroshima A-bomb survivors. An association between the frequency of γH2AX foci formation in HSPCs and the radiation dose was observed, but the γH2AX foci frequency was not significantly elevated by past radiation. We found a negative correlation between the frequency of γH2AX foci formation and the length of granulocyte telomeres. A negative interaction effect between the radiation dose and the frequency of γH2AX foci was suggested in a proportion of a subset of HSPCs as assessed by the cobblestone area-forming cell assay (CAFC), indicating that the self-renewability of HSPCs may decrease in survivors who were exposed to a higher radiation dose and who had more DNA damage in their HSPCs. Thus, although many years after radiation exposure and with advancing age, the effect of DNA damage on the self-renewability of HSPCs may be modified by A-bomb radiation exposure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Psychological and perceived health effects of the Chernobyl disaster: a 20-year review.

PubMed

Bromet, Evelyn J; Havenaar, Johan M

2007-11-01

The mental health impact of Chernobyl is regarded by many experts as the largest public health problem unleashed by the accident to date. This paper reviews findings reported during the 20-y period after the accident regarding stress-related symptoms, effects on the developing brain, and cognitive and psychological impairments among highly exposed cleanup workers. With respect to stress-related symptoms, the rates of depressive, anxiety (especially post-traumatic stress symptoms), and medically unexplained physical symptoms are two to four times higher in Chernobyl-exposed populations compared to controls, although rates of diagnosable psychiatric disorders do not appear to be elevated. The symptom elevations were found as late as 11 y after the accident. Severity of symptomatology is significantly related to risk perceptions and being diagnosed with a Chernobyl-related health problem. In general, the morbidity patterns are consistent with the psychological impairments documented after other toxic events, such as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Three Mile Island accident, and Bhopal. With respect to the developing brain of exposed children who were in utero or very young when the accident occurred, the World Health Organization as well as American and Israeli researchers have found no significant associations of radiation exposure with cognitive impairments. Cognitive impairments in highly exposed cleanup workers have been reported by Ukrainian researchers, but these findings have not been independently confirmed. A seminal study found a significant excess death rate from suicide in cleanup workers, suggesting a sizable emotional toll. Given the magnitude and persistence of the adverse mental health effects on the general population, long-term educational and psychosocial interventions should be initiated that target primary care physicians, local researchers, and high risk populations, including participants in ongoing cohort studies.

The impact of travel time on geographic distribution of dialysis patients.

PubMed

Kashima, Saori; Matsumoto, Masatoshi; Ogawa, Takahiko; Eboshida, Akira; Takeuchi, Keisuke

2012-01-01

The geographic disparity of prevalence rates among dialysis patients is unclear. We evaluate the association between travel time to dialysis facilities and prevalence rates of dialysis patients living in 1,867 census areas of Hiroshima, Japan. Furthermore, we study the effects of geographic features (mainland or island) on the prevalence rates and assess if these effects modify the association between travel time and prevalence. The study subjects were all 7,374 people that were certified as the "renal disabled" by local governments in 2011. The travel time from each patient to the nearest available dialysis facility was calculated by incorporating both travel time and the capacity of all 98 facilities. The effect of travel time on the age- and sex-adjusted standard prevalence rate (SPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) at each census area was evaluated in two-level Poisson regression models with 1,867 census areas (level 1) nested within 35 towns or cities (level 2). The results were adjusted for area-based parameters of socioeconomic status, urbanity, and land type. Furthermore, the SPR of dialysis patients was calculated in each specific subgroup of population for travel time, land type, and combination of land type and travel time. In the regression analysis, SPR decreased by 5.2% (95% CI: -7.9--2.3) per 10-min increase in travel time even after adjusting for potential confounders. The effect of travel time on prevalence was different in the mainland and island groups. There was no travel time-dependent SPR disparity on the islands. The SPR among remote residents (>30 min from facilities) in the mainland was lower (0.77, 95% CI: 0.71-0.85) than that of closer residents (≤ 30 min; 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.97). The prevalence of dialysis patients was lower among remote residents. Geographic difficulties for commuting seem to decrease the prevalence rate.

A registry for exposure and population health in the Altai region affected by fallout from the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.

PubMed

Shoikhet, Y N; Kiselev, V I; Zaitsev, E V; Kolyado, I B; Konovalov, B Y; Bauer, S; Grosche, B; Burkart, W

1999-09-01

A registry of the rural population in the Altai region exposed to fallout from nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site (STS) was established more than four decades after the first Soviet nuclear explosion on August 29, 1949. Information about individuals living in an exposed and a control area was collected using all available local sources, such as kolkhoz documentation, school registries, medical treatment records and interviews with residents. As a result, a database comprising an exposed group of 39 179 individuals from 53 Altai region villages, 6769 external and 3303 internal controls was compiled. For several settlements, effective dose estimates reached the level of 1.5 Sv, while the average effective dose estimate in the exposed group was 340 mSv. Dosimetric data, vital status information and health records gathered at rayon and village medical facilities are held in the registry. Cause-of-death information for deceased residents is obtained from death registration forms archived at the Altai region vital statistics office. At present, a follow-up of approximately 40% of the population exposed in 1949 has been done. More will be added by searching for migrants to the larger towns of the Altai region, i.e. Barnaul, Rubtsovsk and Biisk. In order to assess the influence of radiation exposure, analytical studies with a case-control design for stomach and lung cancer are currently being prepared. The number of known cases is sufficient to detect an odds ratio of 1.5 at the 95% confidence level. Epidemiological studies in populations affected by fallout from STS may be equally important to the atomic bomb survivors' study for the direct quantification of radiation effects. The range of exposure rates experienced will extend the acute high-dose-rate findings from Hiroshima/Nagasaki towards acute and protracted lower exposures, which are more relevant for radiation protection issues.

Helicobacter pylori dupA and gastric acid secretion are negatively associated with gastric cancer development.

PubMed

Imagawa, Shinobu; Ito, Masanori; Yoshihara, Masaharu; Eguchi, Hidetaka; Tanaka, Shinji; Chayama, Kazuaki

2010-12-01

Few reports have described the cancer prevalence of peptic ulcer patients with long-term follow-up studies. We have conducted a long-term retrospective cohort study of Japanese peptic ulcer patients and evaluated the risk factors for the occurrence of gastric cancer (GCa). A total of 136 patients diagnosed with peptic ulcers from 1975 to 1983 were enrolled. These 136 cases [102 males and 34 females; 69 gastric ulcer (GU) and 67 duodenal ulcer (DU) patients at the time of enrollment; mean follow-up period of 14.4 years (range 1-30 years)] after being matched with a tumour registry database in Hiroshima prefecture were surveyed for GCa. We investigated Helicobacter pylori duodenal ulcer promoter gene A (dupA) using paraffin-embedded gastric biopsy specimens in 56 cases. Gastric acid secretion and basal acid output (BAO) in 40 cases, and maximal acid output in 68 cases, had been measured at first diagnosis of peptic ulcers. GCa was detected in 24 patients (17 with GU, 7 with DU) during the follow-up. The prevalence of GCa was significantly higher in GU patients than in DU patients (log-rank test P<0.05). dupA-positive H. pylori was detected not only in DU patients (9/20) but also in GU patients (9/36). Gastric acid output was significantly larger in quantity in patients with dupA-positive H. pylori than in those with dupA-negative H. pylori (P<0.05). The occurrence of GCa was significantly lower in patients with dupA-positive H. pylori and a high BAO level (log-rank test P<0.05). DUs, higher acid output and dupA-positive H. pylori were negatively associated with GCa.

Risk factors for development of new-onset diabetes mellitus and progressive impairment of glucose metabolism after living-donor liver transplantation.

PubMed

Abe, T; Onoe, T; Tahara, H; Tashiro, H; Ishiyama, K; Ide, K; Ohira, M; Ohdan, H

2014-04-01

New-onset diabetes mellitus (NODM) has a negative impact on graft and patient survivals. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, high body mass index, increased donor and recipient ages, and calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) type have been identified as risk factors for the development of NODM. We aimed to elucidate the risk factors for the development of NODM and those for progressive glucose intolerance in adult living-donor liver transplant (LDLT) recipients. We collected data from 188 primary liver transplant recipients (age > 16 years) who underwent LDLT from June 1991 to December 2011 at Hiroshima University Hospital. Risk factors for NODM and progressive impairment of glucose metabolism in pre-transplantation diabetes mellitus (DM) recipients were examined. Pre-transplantation DM was diagnosed in 32 recipients (19.3%). The overall incidence of NODM was 6.0% (8/134 recipients). Multivariate analysis revealed that old recipient age (≥55 years) is a unique predictive risk factor for developing NODM. The incident of pre-transplantation DM was significantly higher in recipients with HCV infection than in those without HCV. A high pre-transplantation triglyceride level was an independent risk factor for progressive impairment of glucose tolerance among 32 LDLT recipients with pre-transplantation DM. All of the NODM patients were being treated with tacrolimus at the time of diagnosis. Switching the CNI from tacrolimus to cyclosporine allowed one-half of the patients (4/8) to withdraw from insulin-dependent therapy. NODM and post-transplantation glucose intolerance had no negative impact on patient and graft outcomes. Older age of the recipient (≥55 years) was a significant risk factor for NODM. Hypertriglyceridemia in the recipients with DM is an independent risk factor for post-transplantation progressive impairment of glucose metabolism. NODM had no negative impact on outcomes in the LDLT recipients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The scientific jigsaw puzzle: Fitting the pieces of the low-level radiation debate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beyea, Jan

2012-05-01

Quantitative risk estimates from exposure to ionizing radiation are dominated by analysis of the one-time exposures received by the Japanese survivors at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Three recent epidemiologic studies suggest that the risk from protracted exposure is no lower, and in fact may be higher, than from single exposures. There is near-universal acceptance that epidemiologic data demonstrates an excess risk of delayed cancer incidence above a dose of 0.1 sievert (Sv), which, for the average American, is equivalent to 40 years of unavoidable exposure from natural background radiation. Model fits, both parametric and nonparametric, to the atomic-bomb data support amore » linear no-threshold model, below 0.1 Sv. On the basis of biologic arguments, the scientific establishment in the United States and many other countries accepts this dose-model down to zero-dose, but there is spirited dissent. The dissent may be irrelevant for developed countries, given the increase in medical diagnostic radiation that has occurred in recent decades; a sizeable percentage of this population will receive cumulative doses from the medical profession in excess of 0.1 Sv, making talk of a threshold or other sublinear response below that dose moot for future releases from nuclear facilities or a dirty bomb. The risks from both medical diagnostic doses and nuclear accident doses can be computed using the linear dose-response model, with uncertainties assigned below 0.1 Sv in a way that captures alternative scientific hypotheses. Then, the important debate over low-level radiation exposures, namely planning for accident response and weighing benefits and risks of technologies, can proceed with less distraction. One of the biggest paradoxes in the low-level radiation debate is that an individual risk can be a minor concern, while the societal risk-the total delayed cancers in an exposed population-can be of major concern.« less

Metabolic Profile as a Potential Modifier of Long-Term Radiation Effects on Peripheral Lymphocyte Subsets in Atomic Bomb Survivors.

PubMed

Yoshida, Kengo; Nakashima, Eiji; Kyoizumi, Seishi; Hakoda, Masayuki; Hayashi, Tomonori; Hida, Ayumi; Ohishi, Waka; Kusunoki, Yoichiro

2016-09-01

Immune system impairments reflected by the composition and function of circulating lymphocytes are still observed in atomic bomb survivors, and metabolic abnormalities including altered blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels have also been detected in such survivors. Based on closely related features of immune and metabolic profiles of individuals, we investigated the hypothesis that long-term effects of radiation exposure on lymphocyte subsets might be modified by metabolic profiles in 3,113 atomic bomb survivors who participated in health examinations at the Radiation Effect Research Foundation, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in 2000-2002. The lymphocyte subsets analyzed involved T-, B- and NK-cell subsets, and their percentages in the lymphocyte fraction were assessed using flow cytometry. Health examinations included metabolic indicators, body mass index, serum levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, C-reactive protein and hemoglobin A1c, as well as diabetes and fatty liver diagnoses. Standard regression analyses indicated that several metabolic indicators of obesity/related disease, particularly high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, were positively associated with type-1 helper T- and B-cell percentages but were inversely associated with naïve CD4 T and NK cells. A regression analysis adjusted for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol revealed a radiation dose relationship with increasing NK-cell percentage. Additionally, an interaction effect was suggested between radiation dose and C-reactive protein on B-cell percentage with a negative coefficient of the interaction term. Collectively, these findings suggest that radiation exposure and subsequent metabolic profile changes, potentially in relationship to obesity-related inflammation, lead to such long-term alterations in lymphocyte subset composition. Because this study is based on cross-sectional and exploratory analyses, the implications regarding radiation exposure, metabolic

Relationship between spontaneous γH2AX foci formation and progenitor functions in circulating hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells among atomic-bomb survivors

PubMed Central

Kajimura, Junko; Kyoizumi, Seishi; Kubo, Yoshiko; Misumi, Munechika; Yoshida, Kengo; Hayashi, Tomonori; Imai, Kazue; Ohishi, Waka; Nakachi, Kei; Weng, Nan-ping; Young, Lauren F.; Shieh, Jae-Hung; Moore, Malcolm A.; van den Brink, Marcel R.M.; Kusunoki, Yoichiro

2016-01-01

Accumulated DNA damage in hematopoietic stem cells is a primary mechanism of aging-associated dysfunction in human hematopoiesis. About 70 years ago, atomic-bomb (A-bomb) radiation induced DNA damage and functional decreases in the hematopoietic system of A-bomb survivors in a radiation dose-dependent manner. The peripheral blood cell populations then recovered to a normal range, but accompanying cells derived from hematopoietic stem cells still remain that bear molecular changes possibly caused by past radiation exposure and aging. In the present study, we evaluated radiation-related changes in the frequency of phosphorylated (Ser-139) H2AX (γH2AX) foci formation in circulating CD34-positive/lineage marker-negative (CD34 + Lin−) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) among 226Hiroshima A-bomb survivors. An association between the frequency of γH2AX foci formation in HSPCs and the radiation dose was observed, but the γH2AX foci frequency was not significantly elevated by past radiation. We found a negative correlation between the frequency of γH2AX foci formation and the length of granulocyte telomeres. A negative interaction effect between the radiation dose and the frequency of γH2AX foci was suggested in a proportion of a subset of HSPCs as assessed by the cobblestone area-forming cell assay (CAFC), indicating that the self-renewability of HSPCs may decrease in survivors who were exposed to a higher radiation dose and who had more DNA damage in their HSPCs. Thus, although many years after radiation exposure and with advancing age, the effect of DNA damage on the self-renewability of HSPCs may be modified by A-bomb radiation exposure. PMID:27169377

Prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance in Asia: a viewpoint from nagasaki atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Iwanaga, Masako; Tomonaga, Masao

2014-02-01

Exposure to ionizing radiation is a known environmental risk factor for a variety of cancers including hematological malignancies, such as leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and multiple myeloma. Therefore, for Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors (surviving victims who were exposed to ionizing radiation emitted from the nuclear weapons), several cancer-screening tests have been provided annually, with government support, to detect the early stage of malignancies. An M-protein screening test has been used to detect multiple myeloma at an early stage among atomic bomb survivors. In the screening process, a number of patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), in addition to multiple myeloma, have been identified. In 2009 and 2011, we reported the age- and sex-specific prevalence of MGUS between 1988 and 2004 and the possible role of radiation exposure in the development of MGUS using the screening data of more than 1000 patients with MGUS among approximately 52,000 Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors. The findings included: (1) a significant lower overall prevalence (2.1%) than that observed in Caucasian or African-origin populations; (2) a significantly higher prevalence in men than in women; (3) an age-related increase in the prevalence; (4) a significantly higher prevalence in people exposed to higher radiation doses only among those exposed at age 20 years or younger; and (5) a lower frequency of immunoglobulin M MGUS in Japanese patients than in patients in Western countries. The large study of MGUS among Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors has provided important findings for the etiology of MGUS, including a possible role of radiation exposure on the cause of MGUS and an ethnicity-related difference in the characteristics of MGUS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Search for mutations altering protein charge and/or function in children of atomic bomb survivors: final report.

PubMed Central

Neel, J V; Satoh, C; Goriki, K; Asakawa, J; Fujita, M; Takahashi, N; Kageoka, T; Hazama, R

1988-01-01

A sample of (1) children whose parents had been proximally exposed (i.e., less than 2,000 m from the hypocenter) at the time of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and (2) a suitable comparison group have been examined for the occurrence of mutations altering the electrophoretic mobility or activity of a series of 30 proteins. The examination of the equivalent of 667,404 locus products in the children of proximally exposed persons yielded three mutations altering electrophoretic mobility; the corresponding figure for the comparison group was three mutations in 466,881 tests. The examination of a subset of 60,529 locus products for loss of enzyme activity in the children of proximally exposed persons yielded one mutation; no mutations were encountered in 61,741 determinations on the children of the comparison group. When these two series are compared, the mutation rate observed in the children of proximally exposed persons is thus 0.60 x 10(-5)/locus/generation, with 95% confidence intervals between 0.2 and 1.5 x 10(-5), and that in the comparison children is 0.64 x 10(-5)/locus/generation, with 95% intervals between 0.1 and 1.9 x 10(-5). The average conjoint gonad doses for the proximally exposed parents are estimated to be 0.437 Gy of gamma radiation and 0.002 Gy of neutron radiation. If a relative biological effectiveness of 20 is assigned to the neutron radiation, the combined total gonad dose for the parents becomes 0.477 Sv. (Organ absorbed doses are expressed in gray [1 Gy = 100 rad]; where dose is a mixture of gamma and neutron radiation, it is necessary because of the differing relative biological effectiveness of gamma and neutron radiation to express the combined gamma-neutron gonad exposures in sieverts [1 Sv = 100 rem]). PMID:3358419

Malignant tumors during the first 2 decades of life in the offspring of atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed Central

Yoshimoto, Y; Neel, J V; Schull, W J; Kato, H; Soda, M; Eto, R; Mabuchi, K

1990-01-01

The risk of cancer (incidence) prior to age 20 years has been determined for children born to atomic bomb survivors and to a suitable comparison group. Tumor ascertainment was through death certificates and the tumor registries maintained in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The rationale for the study stemmed from the evidence that a significant proportion of such childhood tumors as retinoblastoma and Wilms tumor arise on the basis of a mutant gene inherited from one parent plus a second somatic cell mutation involving the allele of this gene. Gonadal radiation doses were calculated by the recently established DS86 system, supplemented by an ad hoc system for those children for one or both of whose parents a DS86 dose could not be computed but for whom an ad hoc dose could be developed on the basis of the available information. The total data set consisted of (1) a cohort of 31,150 live-born children one or both of whose parents received greater than 0.01 Sv of radiation at the time of the atomic bombings (average conjoint gonad exposure 0.43 Sv) and (2) two suitable comparison groups totaling 41,066 children. Altogether, 43 malignant tumors were ascertained in the children of exposed parents, and 49 malignant tumors were ascertained in the two control groups. A multiple linear regression analysis revealed no increase in malignancy in the children of exposed parents. However, examination of the data suggested that only 3.0-5.0% of the tumors of childhood that were observed in the comparison groups are associated with an inherited genetic predisposition that would be expected to exhibit an altered frequency if the parental mutation rate were increased. There is thus far no confirmation of the positive findings that Nomura found in a mouse system. PMID:2160192

[Questionnaire-based study on the key to the guidance to the patients with atopic dermatitis by pharmacist].

PubMed

Kaneko, Sakae; Kakamu, Takeyasu; Matsuo, Hiroaki; Naora, Koji; Morita, Eishin

2014-11-01

Atopic dermatitis is a condition with a chronic or recurrent course that requires continued treatment, meaning that patients must be provided with instructions that fit their lifestyle. Surveys of doctors and patients have revealed the importance of instructions on how to apply topical medication. Here we conducted a survey of the instructions provided by pharmacists, who play an important role in educating patients on how to apply topical medication. Questionnaires were distributed to clinics and dispensing pharmacies in Shimane and Hiroshima prefectures. The questionnaire format comprised selecting each matter on which instructions are provided. A total of 548 questionnaires (response rate, 13.8%) were collected and analyzed. Concerning topical steroids, the most frequently instructed item was "Explanation of application site"(86%), followed by "Explanation of number and timing of applications"(68%). Only 45% chose "Instruction to apply a small amount to avoid side effects." For tacrolimus ointment, "Explanation of tingling sensation"(as a side effect) was the most frequently selected item (52%), and "Instruction by using a brochure"(27.3%) was more commonly selected for tacrolimus ointment than for steroids and emollients. "Demonstrate the application method by means of actual application" was selected by few respondents for any topical medication. Regarding what they wanted from doctors, many respondents wrote in the section for their own comments that they would like a clear description of the method of use and dose and indications of the amount to be applied. Failure included times when patients failed to apply medication correctly due to inadequate instructions and an insufficient explanation of side effects. Instructions vary among patients and professions, but good instructions lead to good results. Cross-tabulation showed that pharmacists who are aware of the guidelines of atopic dermatitis offer significantly more instructions in a range of areas

Metabolic Dysregulation after Neutron Exposures Expected from an Improvised Nuclear Device

PubMed Central

Laiakis, Evagelia C.; Wang, Yi-Wen; Young, Erik F.; Harken, Andrew D.; Xu, Yanping; Smilenov, Lubomir; Garty, Guy Y.; Brenner, David J.; Fornace, Albert J.

2017-01-01

The increased threat of terrorism across the globe has raised fears that certain groups will acquire and use radioactive materials to inflict maximum damage. In the event that an improvised nuclear device (IND) is detonated, a potentially large population of victims will require assessment for radiation exposure. While photons will contribute to a major portion of the dose, neutrons may be responsible for the severity of the biologic effects and cellular responses. We investigated differences in response between these two radiation types by using metabolomics and lipidomics to identify biomarkers in urine and blood of wild-type C57BL/6 male mice. Identification of metabolites was based on a 1 Gy dose of radiation. Compared to X rays, a neutron spectrum similar to that encountered in Hiroshima at 1–1.5 km from the epicenter induced a severe metabolic dysregulation, with perturbations in amino acid metabolism and fatty acid β-oxidation being the predominant ones. Urinary metabolites were able to discriminate between neutron and X rays on day 1 as well as day 7 postirradiation, while serum markers showed such discrimination only on day 1. Free fatty acids from omega-6 and omega-3 pathways were also decreased with 1 Gy of neutrons, implicating cell membrane dysfunction and impaired phospholipid metabolism, which should otherwise lead to release of those molecules in circulation. While a precise relative biological effectiveness value could not be calculated from this study, the results are consistent with other published studies showing higher levels of damage from neutrons, demonstrated here by increased metabolic dysregulation. Metabolomics can therefore aid in identifying global perturbations in blood and urine, and effectively distinguishing between neutron and photon exposures. PMID:28475424

Impact of Neutron Exposure on Global Gene Expression in a Human Peripheral Blood Model

PubMed Central

Broustas, Constantinos G.; Xu, Yanping; Harken, Andrew D.; Chowdhury, Mashkura; Garty, Guy; Amundson, Sally A.

2017-01-01

The detonation of an improvised nuclear device would produce prompt radiation consisting of both photons (gamma rays) and neutrons. While much effort in recent years has gone into the development of radiation biodosimetry methods suitable for mass triage, the possible effect of neutrons on the endpoints studied has remained largely uninvestigated. We have used a novel neutron irradiator with an energy spectrum based on that 1–1.5 km from the epicenter of the Hiroshima blast to begin examining the effect of neutrons on global gene expression, and the impact this may have on the development of gene expression signatures for radiation biodosimetry. We have exposed peripheral blood from healthy human donors to 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 or 1 Gy of neutrons ex vivo using our neutron irradiator, and compared the transcriptomic response 24 h later to that resulting from sham exposure or exposure to 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1, 2 or 4 Gy of photons (X rays). We identified 125 genes that responded significantly to both radiation qualities as a function of dose, with the magnitude of response to neutrons generally being greater than that seen after X-ray exposure. Gene ontology analysis suggested broad involvement of the p53 signaling pathway and general DNA damage response functions across all doses of both radiation qualities. Regulation of immune response and chromatin-related functions were implicated only following the highest doses of neutrons, suggesting a physiological impact of greater DNA damage. We also identified several genes that seem to respond primarily as a function of dose, with less effect of radiation quality. We confirmed this pattern of response by quantitative real-time RT-PCR for BAX, TNFRSF10B, ITLN2 and AEN and suggest that gene expression may provide a means to differentiate between total dose and a neutron component. PMID:28140791

TNF-α and LPS activate angiogenesis via VEGF and SIRT1 signalling in human dental pulp cells.

PubMed

Shin, M R; Kang, S K; Kim, Y S; Lee, S Y; Hong, S C; Kim, E-C

2015-07-01

To assess whether SIRT1 and VEGF are responsible for tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced angiogenesis and to examine the molecular mechanism(s) of action in human dental pulp cells (HDPCs). Immortalized HDPCs obtained from Prof. Takashi Takata (Hiroshima University, Japan) were treated with LPS (1 μg mL(-1) ) and TNF-α (10 ng mL(-1) ) for 24 h. mRNA and protein levels were examined by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Migration and tube formation were examined in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The data were analysed by one-way anova. Statistical analysis was performed at α = 0.05. LPS and TNF-α upregulated VEGF and SIRT1 mRNA and protein levels. Inhibition of SIRT1 activity by sirtinol and SIRT1 siRNA or inhibition of the VEGF receptor by CBO-P11 significantly attenuated LPS + TNF-α-stimulated MMPs production in HDPCs, as well as migration and tube formation in HUVECs (P < 0.05). Furthermore, sirtinol, SIRT1 siRNA and CBO-P11 attenuated phosphorylation of Akt, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. Pre-treatment with inhibitors of p38, ERK, JNK, PI3K and NF-κB decreased LPS + TNF-α-induced VEGF and SIRT1 expression, MMPs activity in HDPCs and angiogenesis (P < 0.05) in HUVECs. TNF-α and LPS led to upregulation of VEGF and SIRT1, and subsequent upregulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 production, and promote angiogenesis via pathways involving PI3K, p38, ERK, JNK and NF-κB. The results suggest that inhibition of SIRT1 and VEGF might attenuate pro-inflammatory mediator-induced pulpal disease. © 2014 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Impact of Neutron Exposure on Global Gene Expression in a Human Peripheral Blood Model.

PubMed

Broustas, Constantinos G; Xu, Yanping; Harken, Andrew D; Chowdhury, Mashkura; Garty, Guy; Amundson, Sally A

2017-04-01

The detonation of an improvised nuclear device would produce prompt radiation consisting of both photons (gamma rays) and neutrons. While much effort in recent years has gone into the development of radiation biodosimetry methods suitable for mass triage, the possible effect of neutrons on the endpoints studied has remained largely uninvestigated. We have used a novel neutron irradiator with an energy spectrum based on that 1-1.5 km from the epicenter of the Hiroshima blast to begin examining the effect of neutrons on global gene expression, and the impact this may have on the development of gene expression signatures for radiation biodosimetry. We have exposed peripheral blood from healthy human donors to 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 or 1 Gy of neutrons ex vivo using our neutron irradiator, and compared the transcriptomic response 24 h later to that resulting from sham exposure or exposure to 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1, 2 or 4 Gy of photons (X rays). We identified 125 genes that responded significantly to both radiation qualities as a function of dose, with the magnitude of response to neutrons generally being greater than that seen after X-ray exposure. Gene ontology analysis suggested broad involvement of the p53 signaling pathway and general DNA damage response functions across all doses of both radiation qualities. Regulation of immune response and chromatin-related functions were implicated only following the highest doses of neutrons, suggesting a physiological impact of greater DNA damage. We also identified several genes that seem to respond primarily as a function of dose, with less effect of radiation quality. We confirmed this pattern of response by quantitative real-time RT-PCR for BAX, TNFRSF10B, ITLN2 and AEN and suggest that gene expression may provide a means to differentiate between total dose and a neutron component.

Climatic Consequences and Agricultural Impact of Regional Nuclear Conflict

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toon, O. B.; Robock, A.; Mills, M. J.; Xia, L.

2013-05-01

A nuclear war between India and Pakistan, with each country using 50 Hiroshima-sized atom bombs as airbursts on urban areas, would inject smoke from the resulting fires into the stratosphere.This could produce climate change unprecedented in recorded human history and global-scale ozone depletion, with enhanced ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the surface.Simulations with the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM), run at higher vertical and horizontal resolution than a previous simulation with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies ModelE, and incorporating ozone chemistry for the first time, show a longer stratospheric residence time for smoke and hence a longer-lasting climate response, with global average surface air temperatures still 1.1 K below normal and global average precipitation 4% below normal after a decade.The erythemal dose from the enhanced UV radiation would greatly increase, in spite of enhanced absorption by the remaining smoke, with the UV index more than 3 units higher in the summer midlatitudes, even after a decade. Scenarios of changes in temperature, precipitation, and downward shortwave radiation from the ModelE and WACCM simulations, applied to the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer crop model for winter wheat, rice, soybeans, and maize by perturbing observed time series with anomalies from the regional nuclear war simulations, produce decreases of 10-50% in yield averaged over a decade, with larger decreases in the first several years, over the midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The impact of the nuclear war simulated here, using much less than 1% of the global nuclear arsenal, would be devastating to world agricultural production and trade, possibly sentencing a billion people now living marginal existences to starvation.The continued environmental threat of the use of even a small number of nuclear weapons must be considered in nuclear policy deliberations in Russia, the U.S., and the rest of

Climatic Consequences of Nuclear Conflict

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robock, A.

2011-12-01

A nuclear war between Russia and the United States could still produce nuclear winter, even using the reduced arsenals of about 4000 total nuclear weapons that will result by 2017 in response to the New START treaty. A nuclear war between India and Pakistan, with each country using 50 Hiroshima-sized atom bombs as airbursts on urban areas, could produce climate change unprecedented in recorded human history. This scenario, using much less than 1% of the explosive power of the current global nuclear arsenal, would produce so much smoke from the resulting fires that it would plunge the planet to temperatures colder than those of the Little Ice Age of the 16th to 19th centuries, shortening the growing season around the world and threatening the global food supply. Crop model studies of agriculture in the U.S. and China show massive crop losses, even for this regional nuclear war scenario. Furthermore, there would be massive ozone depletion with enhanced ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface. These surprising conclusions are the result of recent research (see URL) by a team of scientists including those who produced the pioneering work on nuclear winter in the 1980s, using the NASA GISS ModelE and NCAR WACCM GCMs. The soot is self-lofted into the stratosphere, and the effects of regional and global nuclear war would last for more than a decade, much longer than previously thought. Nuclear proliferation continues, with nine nuclear states now, and more working to develop or acquire nuclear weapons. The continued environmental threat of the use of even a small number of nuclear weapons must be considered in nuclear policy deliberations in Russia, the U.S., and the rest of the world.

Utility of cytopathological specimens and an automated image analysis for the evaluation of HER2 status and intratumor heterogeneity in breast carcinoma.

PubMed

Arihiro, Koji; Oda, Miyo; Ogawa, Katsunari; Kaneko, Yoshie; Shimizu, Tomomi; Tanaka, Yuna; Marubashi, Yukari; Ishida, Katsunari; Takai, Chikako; Taoka, Chie; Kimura, Shuji; Shiroma, Noriyuki

2016-12-01

Although updated HER2 testing guidelines have been improved by a collaboration between the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in 2013, HER2 evaluation is still problematic because of issues involving CEP17 polysomy, heterogeneity, and HER2 score 2+ cases. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the relationship between HER2 gene heterogeneity, or so called CEP17 polysomy, using breast carcinoma cells sampled by scraping and the IHC score graded by automated image analysis using whole slide image. We randomly selected 23 breast carcinoma cases with a HER2 score 0, 24 cases with a HER2 score 1+, 24 cases with HER2 score 2+, and 23 cases with HER2 score 3+ from the records of patients with breast cancer at Hiroshima University Hospital. We compared the results of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues and cytological samples and compared the HER2 score calculated using an automated image analysis using wholly scanned slide images and visual counting. We successfully performed the FISH assay in 78 of 94 cases (83%) using FFPE tissues and in all 94 (100%) cases using cytological samples. Frequency of both HER2 amplification and CEP17 polysomy was higher when cytological samples were used than when FFPE tissue was used. Frequency of HER2 heterogeneity using cytological samples was higher that than using FFPE tissue, except for the IHC score 3+ cases. When assessment of HER2 status based on FISH using FFPE tissue cannot be accomplished, FISH using cytological samples should be considered. When intensity of HER2 is heterogeneous in the tumor tissue, particularly in cases regarded as score 2+, they should be evaluated by automated image analysis using the whole slide image. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

International Symposium on Disarmament Education: A Report. Proceedings from a World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession and Japan Teachers Union Symposium (Hiroshima, Japan, October 25-29, 1982).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Japan Teachers Union, Tokyo.

Proceedings from an international symposium devoted to the cause of disarmament education are presented. Representatives from international and national teacher organizations together with scholars and researchers from 35 countries and all continents attended. The symposium focused on the idea that teachers have a special responsibility to work…

Ensuring Opportunities for the Professional Development of Teachers. Innovation and Reform in Teacher Education for the 21st Century in the Asia-Pacific Region. Seminar Report (Hiroshima, Japan, September 1998).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tabata, Yoshinori, Ed.; Griek, Lyckle, Ed.

This is the second seminar report in the sixth cycle of the UNESCO-APEID (Asia-Pacific Program of Educational Innovation for Development) Program on Innovation and Reform in Teacher Education for the 21st Century in the Asia-Pacific Region. The seminar focused on ensuring opportunities for the professional development of teachers. Experts from 10…

Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) Development Risk Communication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Tony

2014-01-01

There are clear advantages of development of a Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) for a crewed mission to Mars. NTR for in-space propulsion enables more ambitious space missions by providing high thrust at high specific impulse (approximately 900 sec) that is 2 times the best theoretical performance possible for chemical rockets. Missions can be optimized for maximum payload capability to take more payload with reduced total mass to orbit; saving cost on reduction of the number of launch vehicles needed. Or missions can be optimized to minimize trip time significantly to reduce the deep space radiation exposure to the crew. NTR propulsion technology is a game changer for space exploration. However, "NUCLEAR" is a word that is feared and vilified by some groups and the hostility towards development of any nuclear systems can meet great opposition by the public as well as from national leaders and people in authority. Communication of nuclear safety will be critical to the success of the development of the NTR. Why is there a fear of nuclear? A bomb that can level a city is a scary weapon. The first and only times the Nuclear Bomb was used in a war was on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War 2. The "Little Boy" atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and the "Fat Man" on Nagasaki 3 days later on August 9th. Within the first 4 months of bombings, 90- 166 thousand people died in Hiroshima and 60-80 thousand died in Nagasaki. It is important to note for comparison that over 500 thousand people died and 5 million made homeless due to strategic bombing (approximately 150 thousand tons) of Japanese cities and war assets with conventional non-nuclear weapons between 1942- 1945. A major bombing campaign of "firebombing" of Tokyo called "Operation Meetinghouse" on March 9 and 10 consisting of 334 B-29's dropped approximately1,700 tons of bombs around 16 square mile area and over 100 thousand people have been estimated to have died. The declaration of death is very

The Japan Statin Treatment Against Recurrent Stroke (J-STARS): A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-label, Parallel-group Study.

PubMed

Hosomi, Naohisa; Nagai, Yoji; Kohriyama, Tatsuo; Ohtsuki, Toshiho; Aoki, Shiro; Nezu, Tomohisa; Maruyama, Hirofumi; Sunami, Norio; Yokota, Chiaki; Kitagawa, Kazuo; Terayama, Yasuo; Takagi, Makoto; Ibayashi, Setsuro; Nakamura, Masakazu; Origasa, Hideki; Fukushima, Masanori; Mori, Etsuro; Minematsu, Kazuo; Uchiyama, Shinichiro; Shinohara, Yukito; Yamaguchi, Takenori; Matsumoto, Masayasu

2015-09-01

Although statin therapy is beneficial for the prevention of initial stroke, the benefit for recurrent stroke and its subtypes remains to be determined in Asian, in whom stroke profiles are different from Caucasian. This study examined whether treatment with low-dose pravastatin prevents stroke recurrence in ischemic stroke patients. This is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint, parallel-group study of patients who experienced non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke. All patients had a total cholesterol level between 4.65 and 6.21 mmol/L at enrollment, without the use of statins. The pravastatin group patients received 10 mg of pravastatin/day; the control group patients received no statins. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA), with the onset of each stroke subtype set to be one of the secondary endpoints. Although 3000 patients were targeted, 1578 patients (491 female, age 66.2 years) were recruited and randomly assigned to pravastatin group or control group. During the follow-up of 4.9 ± 1.4 years, although total stroke and TIA similarly occurred in both groups (2.56 vs. 2.65%/year), onset of atherothrombotic infarction was less frequent in pravastatin group (0.21 vs. 0.64%/year, p = 0.0047, adjusted hazard ratio 0.33 [95%CI 0.15 to 0.74]). No significant intergroup difference was found for the onset of other stroke subtypes, and for the occurrence of adverse events. Although whether low-dose pravastatin prevents recurrence of total stroke or TIA still needs to be examined in Asian, this study has generated a hypothesis that it may reduce occurrence of stroke due to larger artery atherosclerosis. This study was initially supported by a grant from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan. After the governmental support expired, it was conducted in collaboration between Hiroshima University and the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation.

Accommodation and convergence during sustained computer work.

PubMed

Collier, Juanita D; Rosenfield, Mark

2011-07-01

With computer usage becoming almost universal in contemporary society, the reported prevalence of computer vision syndrome (CVS) is extremely high. However, the precise physiological mechanisms underlying CVS remain unclear. Although abnormal accommodation and vergence responses have been cited as being responsible for the symptoms produced, there is little objective evidence to support this claim. Accordingly, this study measured both of these oculomotor parameters during a sustained period of computer use. Subjects (N = 20) were required to read text aloud from a laptop computer at a viewing distance of 50 cm for a sustained 30-minute period through their habitual refractive correction. At 2-minute intervals, the accommodative response (AR) to the computer screen was measured objectively using a Grand Seiko WAM 5500 optometer (Grand Seiko, Hiroshima, Japan). Additionally, the vergence response was assessed by measuring the associated phoria (AP), i.e., prism to eliminate fixation disparity, using a customized fixation disparity target that appeared on the computer screen. Subjects were asked to rate the degree of difficulty of the reading task on a scale from 1 to 10. Mean accommodation and AP values during the task were 1.07 diopters and 0.74∆ base-in (BI), respectively. The mean discomfort score was 4.9. No significant changes in accommodation or vergence were observed during the course of the 30-minute test period. There was no significant difference in the AR as a function of subjective difficulty. However, the mean AP for the subjects who reported the least and greatest discomfort during the task was 1.55∆ BI and 0, respectively (P = 0.02). CVS, after 30 minutes was worse in subjects exhibiting zero fixation disparity when compared with those subjects having a BI AP but does not appear to be related to differences in accommodation. A slightly reduced vergence response increases subject comfort during the task. Copyright © 2011 American Optometric

Radioactivity in atomic-bomb samples from exposure to environmental neutrons.

PubMed

Endo, S; Shizuma, K; Tanaka, K; Ishikawa, M; Rühm, W; Egbert, S D; Hoshi, M

2007-12-01

For about one decade, activation measurements performed on environmental samples from a distance larger than 1 km from the hypocenter of the atomic-bomb explosion over Hiroshima suggested much higher thermal neutron fluences to the survivors than predicted. This caused concern among the radiation protection community and prompted a complete re-evaluation of all aspects of survivor dosimetry. While it was shown recently that secondary neutrons from cosmic radiation and other sources have probably been the reason for the high measured concentrations of the long-lived radioisotope 36Cl in these samples, the source for high measured concentrations of the short-lived radionuclides 152Eu and 60Co has not yet been investigated in detail. In order to quantify the production of 152Eu and 60Co in environmental samples by secondary neutrons from cosmic radiation, thermal neutron fluxes were measured by means of a He gas proportional counter in various buildings where these samples had been and still are being stored. Because a 252Cf neutron source has been operated occasionally close to one of the sample storage rooms, additional neutron flux measurements were carried out when the neutron source was in operation. The thermal neutron fluxes measured ranged from 0.00017 to 0.00093 n cm(-2) s(-1) and depended on the floor number of the investigated building. Based on the measured neutron fluxes, the specific activities from the reactions 151Eu(n,gamma)152Eu and 59Co(n,gamma)60Co in the atomic-bomb samples were estimated to be 7.9 mBq g(-1) Eu and 0.27 mBq g(-1) Co, respectively, in saturation. These activities are much lower than those recently measured in samples that had been exposed to atomic-bomb neutrons. It is therefore concluded that environmental and moderated 252Cf neutrons are not the source for the high activities that had been measured in these samples.

A Physicist Looks at the Terrorist Threat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muller, Richard

2009-05-01

Many people fear a terrorist nuclear device, smuggled into the United States, as the one weapon that could surpass the destruction and impact of 9-11. I'll review the design of nuclear weapons, with emphasis on the kinds that can be developed by rogue nations, terrorist groups, and high-school students. Saddam, prior to the first gulf war, was developing a uranium bomb, similar to the one that destroyed Hiroshima. His calutrons (named after my university) were destroyed by the United Nations. The North Korean nuclear weapon was, like the U.S. bomb used on Nagasaki, based on plutonium. Its test released the energy equivalent of about 400 tons of TNT. Although some people have speculated that they were attempting to build a small bomb, it is far more likely that this weapon was a fizzle, with less than 1 percent of the plutonium exploded. In contrast, the energy released from burning jet fuel at the 9-11 World Trade Center attack was the equivalent of 900 tons of TNT for each plane -- over twice that of the North Korean Nuke. The damage came from the fact that gasoline delivers 10 kilocalories per gram, about 15 times the energy of an equal weight of TNT. It is this huge energy per gram that also accounts for our addiction to gasoline; per gram, high performance lithium-ion computer batteries carry only 1 percent as much energy. A dirty bomb (radiological weapon) is also unattractive to terrorists because of the threhold effect: doses less than 100 rem produce no radiation illness and will leave no dead bodies at the scene. That may be why al Qaeda instructed Jose Padilla to abandon his plans for a dirty bomb attack in Chicago, and to try a fossil fuel attack (natural gas) instead. I will argue that the biggest terrorist threat is the conventional low-tech one, such as an airplane attack on a crowded stadium using the explosive fuel that they can legally buy at the corner station.

Japan.

PubMed

1989-02-01

Japan consists of 3900 islands and lies off the east coast of Asia. Even though Japan is one of the most densely populated nations in the world, its growth rate has stabilized at .5%. 94% of all children go to senior high school and almost 90% finish. Responsibility for the sick, aged, and infirmed is changing from the family and private sector to government. Japan was founded in 600 BC and its 1st capital was in Nara (710-1867). The Portuguese, the 1st Westerners to make contact with Japan in 1542, opened trade which lasted until the mid 17th century. US Navy Commodore Matthew Perry forced Japan to reopen in 1854. Following wars with China and Russia in the late 1800s and early 1900s respectively, Japan took part in World Wars I and II. In between these wars Japan invaded Manchuria and China. The US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japanese surrendered in September, 1945 ending World War II (WWII). Following, WWII, the Allied Powers guided Japan's establishment as a nonthreatening nation and a democratic parliamentary government (a constitutional monarchy) with a limited defense force. Japan remains one of the most politically stable of all postwar democracies. The Liberal Democratic Party's Noboru Takeshita became prime minister in 1987. Japan has limited natural resources and only 19% of the land is arable. Japanese ingenuity and skill combine to produce one of the highest per hectare crop yields in the world. Japan is a major economic power, and its and the US economies are becoming more interdependent. Its exports, making up only 13% of the gross national product, mainly go to Canada and the US. Many in the US are concerned, however, with the trade deficit with Japan and are seeking ways to make trade more equitable. Japan wishes to maintain good relations with its Asian neighbors and other nations. The US and Japan enjoy a strong, productive relationship.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marra, J.

The ore pitchblende was discovered in the 1750's near Joachimstal in what is now the Czech Republic. Used as a colorant in glazes, uranium was identified in 1789 as the active ingredient by chemist Martin Klaproth. In 1896, French physicist Henri Becquerel studied uranium minerals as part of his investigations into the phenomenon of fluorescence. He discovered a strange energy emanating from the material which he dubbed 'rayons uranique.' Unable to explain the origins of this energy, he set the problem aside. About two years later, a young Polish graduate student was looking for a project for her dissertation. Mariemore » Sklodowska Curie, working with her husband Pierre, picked up on Becquerel's work and, in the course of seeking out more information on uranium, discovered two new elements (polonium and radium) which exhibited the same phenomenon, but were even more powerful. The Curies recognized the energy, which they now called 'radioactivity,' as something very new, requiring a new interpretation, new science. This discovery led to what some view as the 'golden age of nuclear science' (1895-1945) when countries throughout Europe devoted large resources to understand the properties and potential of this material. By World War II, the potential to harness this energy for a destructive device had been recognized and by 1939, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman showed that fission not only released a lot of energy but that it also released additional neutrons which could cause fission in other uranium nuclei leading to a self-sustaining chain reaction and an enormous release of energy. This suggestion was soon confirmed experimentally by other scientists and the race to develop an atomic bomb was on. The rest of the development history which lead to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 is well chronicled. After World War II, development of more powerful weapons systems by the United States and the Soviet Union continued to advance nuclear science. It was this

The non-cancer mortality experience of male workers at British Nuclear Fuels plc, 1946–2005

PubMed Central

McGeoghegan, Dave; Binks, Keith; Gillies, Michael; Jones, Steve; Whaley, Steve

2008-01-01

Background Recent studies of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bomb survivors, together with some (but not all) cohorts exposed occupationally or medically to ionizing radiation, have found an increasing trend in mortality from non-malignant disease with increasing radiation dose. The aim of this study was to establish whether such a trend could be found in a large cohort of employees in the UK nuclear industry. Methods The cohort comprised 64 937 individuals ever employed at the study sites between 1946 and 2002, followed up to 2005; radiation exposures as measured by personal dosimeters (‘film badges’) were available for 42 426 individuals classified as ‘radiation workers’. Poisson regression models were used to investigate the relationship between excess mortality rates and cumulative radiation exposure, using both relative and additive risk models. Results The cohort shows a pronounced ‘healthy worker’ effect. Overall, socio-economic status as indicated by employment status has a greater influence on mortality than does radiation exposure status. For male radiation workers, there is an apparent dose response for mortality from circulatory system disease [P < 0.001, ERR = 0.65 (90% CI 0.36–0.98) Sv−1]. However there is evidence for inhomogeneity in the apparent dose response (P = 0.016), arising principally at cumulative doses in excess of 300 mSv, when the four categories of employment and radiation exposure status are examined separately. Conclusions We have found evidence for an association between mortality from non-cancer causes of death, particularly circulatory system disease, and external exposure to ionizing radiation in this cohort. However, the tentative nature of biological mechanisms that might explain such an effect at low chronic doses and the above inhomogeneities in apparent dose–response, mean that the results of our analysis are not consistent with any simple causal interpretation. Further work is required to explain these

The impact of rural hospital closures on equity of commuting time for haemodialysis patients: simulation analysis using the capacity-distance model.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Masatoshi; Ogawa, Takahiko; Kashima, Saori; Takeuchi, Keisuke

2012-07-23

Frequent and long-term commuting is a requirement for dialysis patients. Accessibility thus affects their quality of lives. In this paper, a new model for accessibility measurement is proposed in which both geographic distance and facility capacity are taken into account. Simulation of closure of rural facilities and that of capacity transfer between urban and rural facilities are conducted to evaluate the impacts of these phenomena on equity of accessibility among dialysis patients. Post code information as of August 2011 of all the 7,374 patients certified by municipalities of Hiroshima prefecture as having first or third grade renal disability were collected. Information on post code and the maximum number of outpatients (capacity) of all the 98 dialysis facilities were also collected. Using geographic information systems, patient commuting times were calculated in two models: one that takes into account road distance (distance model), and the other that takes into account both the road distance and facility capacity (capacity-distance model). Simulations of closures of rural and urban facilities were then conducted. The median commuting time among rural patients was more than twice as long as that among urban patients (15 versus 7 minutes, p<0.001). In the capacity-distance model 36.1% of patients commuted to the facilities which were different from the facilities in the distance model, creating a substantial gap of commuting time between the two models. In the simulation, when five rural public facilitiess were closed, Gini coefficient of commuting times among the patients increased by 16%, indicating a substantial worsening of equity, and the number of patients with commuting times longer than 90 minutes increased by 72 times. In contrast, closure of four urban public facilities with similar capacities did not affect these values. Closures of dialysis facilities in rural areas have a substantially larger impact on equity of commuting times among dialysis

The impact of rural hospital closures on equity of commuting time for haemodialysis patients: simulation analysis using the capacity-distance model

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Frequent and long-term commuting is a requirement for dialysis patients. Accessibility thus affects their quality of lives. In this paper, a new model for accessibility measurement is proposed in which both geographic distance and facility capacity are taken into account. Simulation of closure of rural facilities and that of capacity transfer between urban and rural facilities are conducted to evaluate the impacts of these phenomena on equity of accessibility among dialysis patients. Methods Post code information as of August 2011 of all the 7,374 patients certified by municipalities of Hiroshima prefecture as having first or third grade renal disability were collected. Information on post code and the maximum number of outpatients (capacity) of all the 98 dialysis facilities were also collected. Using geographic information systems, patient commuting times were calculated in two models: one that takes into account road distance (distance model), and the other that takes into account both the road distance and facility capacity (capacity-distance model). Simulations of closures of rural and urban facilities were then conducted. Results The median commuting time among rural patients was more than twice as long as that among urban patients (15 versus 7 minutes, p < 0.001). In the capacity-distance model 36.1% of patients commuted to the facilities which were different from the facilities in the distance model, creating a substantial gap of commuting time between the two models. In the simulation, when five rural public facilitiess were closed, Gini coefficient of commuting times among the patients increased by 16%, indicating a substantial worsening of equity, and the number of patients with commuting times longer than 90 minutes increased by 72 times. In contrast, closure of four urban public facilities with similar capacities did not affect these values. Conclusions Closures of dialysis facilities in rural areas have a substantially larger impact on

Ionizing radiation: future etiologic research and preventive strategies.

PubMed

Darby, S C; Inskip, P D

1995-11-01

Estimates of cancer risks following exposure to ionizing radiation traditionally have been based on the experience of populations exposed to substantial (and known) doses delivered over short periods of time. Examples include survivors of the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and persons treated with radiation for benign or malignant disease. Continued follow-up of these populations is important to determine the long-term effects of exposure in childhood, to characterize temporal patterns of excess risk for different types of cancer, and to understand better the interactions between radiation and other host and environmental factors. Most population exposure to radiation occurs at very low dose rates. For low linear energy transfer (LET) radiations, it often has been assumed that cancer risks per unit dose are lower following protracted exposure than following acute exposure. Studies of nuclear workers chronically exposed over a working lifetime provide data that can be used to test this hypothesis, and preliminary indications are that the risks per unit dose for most cancers other than leukemia are similar to those for acute exposure. However, these results are subject to considerable uncertainty, and further information on this question is needed. Residential radon is the major source of population exposure to high-LET radiation. Current estimates of the risk of lung cancer due to residential exposure to radon and radon daughters are based on the experience of miners exposed to much higher concentrations. Data indicate that lung cancer risk among miners is inversely associated with exposure rate, and also is influenced by the presence of other lung carcinogens such as arsenic in the mine environment. Further study of populations of radon-exposed miners would be informative, particularly those exposed at below-average levels. More direct evidence on the effects of residential exposure to radon also is desirable but might be difficult to come by, as risks

Ionizing radiation: future etiologic research and preventive strategies.

PubMed Central

Darby, S C; Inskip, P D

1995-01-01

Estimates of cancer risks following exposure to ionizing radiation traditionally have been based on the experience of populations exposed to substantial (and known) doses delivered over short periods of time. Examples include survivors of the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and persons treated with radiation for benign or malignant disease. Continued follow-up of these populations is important to determine the long-term effects of exposure in childhood, to characterize temporal patterns of excess risk for different types of cancer, and to understand better the interactions between radiation and other host and environmental factors. Most population exposure to radiation occurs at very low dose rates. For low linear energy transfer (LET) radiations, it often has been assumed that cancer risks per unit dose are lower following protracted exposure than following acute exposure. Studies of nuclear workers chronically exposed over a working lifetime provide data that can be used to test this hypothesis, and preliminary indications are that the risks per unit dose for most cancers other than leukemia are similar to those for acute exposure. However, these results are subject to considerable uncertainty, and further information on this question is needed. Residential radon is the major source of population exposure to high-LET radiation. Current estimates of the risk of lung cancer due to residential exposure to radon and radon daughters are based on the experience of miners exposed to much higher concentrations. Data indicate that lung cancer risk among miners is inversely associated with exposure rate, and also is influenced by the presence of other lung carcinogens such as arsenic in the mine environment. Further study of populations of radon-exposed miners would be informative, particularly those exposed at below-average levels. More direct evidence on the effects of residential exposure to radon also is desirable but might be difficult to come by, as risks

The reference individual of radiation protection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eckerman, K.F.; Cristy, M.

1995-12-31

The 70-kg {open_quotes}standard man{close_quotes} representing a typical Western adult male has been used in physiological models since at least the 1920s. In 1949 at the Chalk River conference, health physicists from the U.S., UK, and Canada agreed on the concept of a standard man to facilitate comparison of internal dose estimates. The 70-kg standard man included specifications of the masses of 25 organs and tissues, total body content of 15 elements, total water intake and output, water content of the body, and some anatomical and physiological data for the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. In 1959, in its Publication 2{sup 2}more » on permissible doses for internal radiation the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) modified standard man. In 1963 the ICRP established a task group to revise and extend the standard man concept. The name was changed later to Reference Man and the task group`s work was published in 1975 as ICRP Publication 23{sup 3}. Publication 23 similar to Publication 2, updates and documents the sources of the data. Data on women, children, and fetuses were also collected, where available, but these data were limited primarily to anatomical data and only a few reference values were established for these groups. Information assembled during the course of the effort on the Reference Man report was used at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to construct a mathematical representation of the body (a phantom) that was suitable for use with Monte Carlo methods in the calculation of organ doses. That effort was undertaken to improve estimates of dose from photon-emitting radionuclides residing within organs, so-called internal emitters. The phantom, although updated throughout the years, remains today as the basis for organ dose estimates in nuclear medicine and radiation protection and underlies the radiation risk data derived from the epidemiologic studies of the atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.« less

Bernstein's failure to join the space race: his commentary on Tsiolkovskii's "Mechanics in Biology" (1964).

PubMed

Meijer, O G; Feigenberg, I M

2000-07-01

October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I into orbit from Tyuratam in Turkistan. An event "with the suddenness and surprise of a Pearl Harbor and of the impact of a Hiroshima atomic explosion" (Stoiko, 1970, p. ix). Nor would this be the only time America lost to the Russians in the space race. November 3 of the same year, Sputnik II carried the dog Laika, the first living being who traveled, and died, in space. In the USA, Senator Lyndon B. Johnson lamented: "Control of space means control of the world" (quoted from Heppenheimer, 1997, p. 126), and attempts were made to speed up Wernher von Braun's launching program (Piszkiewicz, 1995; cf. Von Braun, 1968). Alas, on December 6, when the American rocket began to lift, "it seemed as if the gates of hell had opened up. Brilliant stiletto flames shot out from the side of the rocket near the engine. The vehicle agonizingly hesitated for a moment, quivered again, and in front of our unbelieving, shocked eyes, began to topple" (Halberstam, quoted from Heppenheimer, p. 127). Thus, at the UN, "Soviet delegates asked their American counterparts if the United States might wish to receive foreign aid under Moscow's program of technical assistance to backwards nations" (from Heppenheimer, p. 128). Von Braun finally succeeded with the Explorer I on January 31, 1958, but for the Americans the agonizing wasn't over. On August 21, 1957, the Soviet Union launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), this time carrying a dummy, but able to carry a nuclear bomb (Harford, 1997). So, the first ICBMs in the world were aimed at the USA. And then, on the morning of April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin shouted "Poyekhali" ("Let's go!") (quoted from Heppenheimer, p. 172), and was launched into space at 9:06 to fly "over America" 51 minutes later. Quite naturally, the Soviet authorities wanted to show that Russia had been ahead all the time, and historical heroes were in strong demand. The Russians didn't have to look far.

Solid cancer mortality associated with chronic external radiation exposure at the French atomic energy commission and nuclear fuel company.

PubMed

Metz-Flamant, C; Samson, E; Caër-Lorho, S; Acker, A; Laurier, D

2011-07-01

Studies of nuclear workers make it possible to directly quantify the risks associated with ionizing radiation exposure at low doses and low dose rates. Studies of the CEA (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique) and AREVA Nuclear Cycle (AREVA NC) cohort, currently the most informative such group in France, describe the long-term risk to nuclear workers associated with external exposure. Our aim is to assess the risk of mortality from solid cancers among CEA and AREVA NC nuclear workers and its association with external radiation exposure. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated and internal Poisson regressions were conducted, controlling for the main confounding factors [sex, attained age, calendar period, company and socioeconomic status (SES)]. During the period 1968-2004, there were 2,035 solid cancers among the 36,769 CEA-AREVA NC workers. Cumulative external radiation exposure was assessed for the period 1950-2004, and the mean cumulative dose was 12.1 mSv. Mortality rates for all causes and all solid cancers were both significantly lower in this cohort than in the general population. A significant excess of deaths from pleural cancer, not associated with cumulative external dose, was observed, probably due to past asbestos exposure. We observed a significant excess of melanoma, also unassociated with dose. Although cumulative external dose was not associated with mortality from all solid cancers, the central estimated excess relative risk (ERR) per Sv of 0.46 for solid cancer mortality was higher than the 0.26 calculated for male Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bomb survivors 50 years or older and exposed at the age of 30 years or older. The modification of our results after stratification for SES demonstrates the importance of this characteristic in occupational studies, because it makes it possible to take class-based lifestyle differences into account, at least partly. These results show the great potential of a further joint international study of

Climatic Consequences and Agricultural Impact of Regional Nuclear Conflict

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robock, Alan; Mills, Michael; Toon, Owen Brian; Xia, Lili

2013-04-01

A nuclear war between India and Pakistan, with each country using 50 Hiroshima-sized atom bombs as airbursts on urban areas, would inject smoke from the resulting fires into the stratosphere. This could produce climate change unprecedented in recorded human history and global-scale ozone depletion, with enhanced ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the surface. Simulations with the NCAR Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM), run at higher vertical and horizontal resolution than a previous simulation with the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies ModelE, and incorporating ozone chemistry for the first time, show a longer stratospheric residence time for smoke and hence a longer-lasting climate response, with global average surface air temperatures still 1.1 K below normal and global average precipitation 4% below normal after a decade. The erythemal dose from the enhanced UV radiation would greatly increase, in spite of enhanced absorption by the remaining smoke, with the UV index more than 3 units higher in the summer midlatitudes, even after a decade. Scenarios of changes in temperature, precipitation, and downward shortwave radiation from the ModelE and WACCM simulations, applied to the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer crop model for winter wheat, rice, soybeans, and maize by perturbing observed time series with anomalies from the regional nuclear war simulations, produce decreases of 10-50% in yield averaged over a decade, with larger decreases in the first several years, over several regions in the midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The impact of the nuclear war simulated here, using much less than 1% of the global nuclear arsenal, would be devastating to world agricultural production and trade, possibly sentencing a billion people now living marginal existences to starvation. The continued environmental threat of the use of even a small number of nuclear weapons must be considered in nuclear policy deliberations in Russia

Follow-up study of the regional quota system of Japanese medical schools and prefecture scholarship programmes: a study protocol.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Masatoshi; Takeuchi, Keisuke; Tanaka, Junko; Tazuma, Susumu; Inoue, Kazuo; Owaki, Tetsuhiro; Iguchi, Seitaro; Maeda, Takahiro

2016-04-15

Given the shortage of physicians, particularly in rural areas, the Japanese government has rapidly expanded the number of medical school students by adding chiikiwaku (regional quotas) since 2008. Quota entrants now account for 17% of all medical school entrants. Quota entrants are usually local high school graduates who receive a scholarship from the prefecture government. In exchange, they temporarily practise in that prefecture, including its rural areas, after graduation. Many prefectures also have scholarship programmes for non-quota students in exchange for postgraduate in-prefecture practice. The objective of this cohort study, conducted by the Japanese Council for Community-based Medical Education, is to evaluate the outcomes of the quota admission system and prefecture scholarship programmes nationwide. There are 3 groups of study participants: quota without scholarship, quota with scholarship and non-quota with scholarship. Under the support of government ministries and the Association of Japan Medical Colleges, and participation of all prefectures and medical schools, passing rate of the National Physician License Examination, scholarship buy-out rate, geographic distribution and specialties distribution of each group are analysed. Participants who voluntarily participated are followed by linking their baseline information to data in the government's biennial Physician Census. Results to date have shown that, despite medical schools' concerns about academic quality, the passing rate of the National Physician License Examination in each group was higher than that of all medical school graduates. The Ethics Committee for Epidemiological Research of Hiroshima University and the Research Ethics Committee of Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences permitted this study. No individually identifiable results will be presented in conferences or published in journals. The aggregated results will be reported to concerned government ministries

Calibration of Subsurface Amplification Factors Using Surface/Borehole Strong-motion Records from the KiK-net

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashida, T.; Tajima, F.

2007-12-01

The Real-time Earthquake Information System (REIS, Horiuchi et al., 2005) detects earthquakes and determines event parameters using the Hi-net (High-sensitivity seismograph network Japan) data in Japan. The system also predicts the arrival time and seismic intensity at a given site before ground motions arrive. Here, the seismic intensity is estimated based on the intensity magnitude which is derived from data of the Hi-net. As the Hi-net stations are located in the boreholes, intensity estimation on the ground surface is evaluated using a constant for subsurface amplification. But the estimated intensities based on the conventionally used amplification constants are not always in agreement with those observed at specific sites on the ground surface. The KiK-net (KIBAN Kyoshin network Japan) consists of strong motion instruments. Each station has two sets of accelerometers, one set is installed on the ground surface and the other one is co-located with a Hi-net station in the borehole. We use data recorded at the KiK-net stations to calibrate subsurface site amplification factors between the borehole and the ground surface. We selected data recorded for over 200 events during the period of 1997 to 2006 in Hiroshima prefecture and calculated the ratios of peak velocity amplitudes on the ground surface ( Asurf) to those in the borehole ( Abor). The subsurface amplification varies from station to station showing dependency on the propagation distance as well as on the incident direction of seismic waves. Results suggest that the site amplification factors shall be described as a function of distance and incident direction, and are not constants. Thus, we derived empirical amplification formulas between Asurf and the peak velocity amplitudes on the engineering bedrock ( Abed) as a function of distance in place of the conventionally used amplification constants. Here, the engineering bedrock is defined as the depth where the S- wave velocity is 600 m/s. The estimated

A molecular dynamics implementation of the 3D Mercedes-Benz water model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hynninen, T.; Dias, C. L.; Mkrtchyan, A.; Heinonen, V.; Karttunen, M.; Foster, A. S.; Ala-Nissila, T.

2012-02-01

The three-dimensional Mercedes-Benz model was recently introduced to account for the structural and thermodynamic properties of water. It treats water molecules as point-like particles with four dangling bonds in tetrahedral coordination, representing H-bonds of water. Its conceptual simplicity renders the model attractive in studies where complex behaviors emerge from H-bond interactions in water, e.g., the hydrophobic effect. A molecular dynamics (MD) implementation of the model is non-trivial and we outline here the mathematical framework of its force-field. Useful routines written in modern Fortran are also provided. This open source code is free and can easily be modified to account for different physical context. The provided code allows both serial and MPI-parallelized execution. Program summaryProgram title: CASHEW (Coarse Approach Simulator for Hydrogen-bonding Effects in Water) Catalogue identifier: AEKM_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEKM_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 20 501 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 551 044 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Fortran 90 Computer: Program has been tested on desktop workstations and a Cray XT4/XT5 supercomputer. Operating system: Linux, Unix, OS X Has the code been vectorized or parallelized?: The code has been parallelized using MPI. RAM: Depends on size of system, about 5 MB for 1500 molecules. Classification: 7.7 External routines: A random number generator, Mersenne Twister ( http://www.math.sci.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/m-mat/MT/VERSIONS/FORTRAN/mt95.f90), is used. A copy of the code is included in the distribution. Nature of problem: Molecular dynamics simulation of a new geometric water model. Solution method: New force-field for

ESD practice through global approach -7-year practices of developing science lessen modules and fostering integrated decision making ability-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kajiyama, Kosei

2016-04-01

Hiroshima University High School (HUHS) has devised and carried out overseas exchange programs on ESD issues for 7 years. These programs have been carried out as a part of a government-aided project called SSH (Super Science High School) *1. To start with, we had cooperative study program with a school in Germany in 2009, and next year with a school in Korea, and then gradually have expanded the cooperative schools. Since 2013, we have worked with schools in four countries; Korea, Thailand, Czech and Germany. Science lesson modules here refers to an assembly of a set of lessons, newly developed and improved for the project. These modules characteristically require the students to make decisions by themselves on given problems. In the course of the decision making, students learn what kind of data or facts should be presented as evidence and how they can make their decisions known to others. Among several modules we have designed, the one introduced here deals with the use of solar energy, which we carried out with a school in Korea in 2014-2015. It also includes lessons of the fuel cells using energy from hydrogen gas generated by solar cells. It aims to develop global human resources through carefully planned activities. First, the students of both schools make mixed groups and conduct experiments in physics, chemistry or biology on a given problem related to solar energy. Then they discuss in groups using data obtained from the experiments and through the Internet as evidence. After the thorough discussion, each group gives a presentation on their decision. The analysis of the presentations and the questionnaire to the students revealed the following points: 1) Students have come to have multidimensional perspectives on the utilization of solar energy. 2) Students have come to combine the results of different experiments when making decisions. 3) Students have developed flexible attitudes toward other cultures. 4) Students have developed communication skills in

Extreme QCD 2012 (xQCD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2013-04-01

Acknowledgements This conference would not have been possible without the generous support from Brookhaven National Laboratory and the George Washington University INS and IMPACT institutes, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of Vice-President for Research, and the Department of Physics. We thank them wholeheartedly. We are also very grateful for the support of our colleagues on the local organizing committee, Walter Freeman and Frank Lee, and on the International Advisory Committee: Simon Hands, Tetsuo Hatsuda, Frithjof Karsch, Maria Paola Lombardo, Tereza Mendes, Atsushi Nakamura, Owe Philipsen, Claudia Ratti, Paul Romatschke, Misha Stephanov, and Nu Xu. List of participants Alexandru, Andrei George Washington University Bazavov, Alexei Brookhaven National Laboratory Bloch, Jacques University of Regensburg Braun-Munzinger, Peter EMMI, GSI Breto Rangel, Guillermo CMS/UC Davis D'Elia, Massimo University of Pisa, INFN Dexheimer, Veronica UFSC - Federal University of Santa Catarina Ding, Heng-Tong Brookhaven National Laboratory Dion, Alan Stony Brook University Dumitru, Adrian RBRC and Baruch College, CUNY Freeman, Walter George Washington University Gavai, Rajiv Tata Institute (TIFR), Mumbai Hanada, Masanori KEK Theory Center Hands, Simon Swansea University Hegde, Prasad Brookhaven National Laboratory Heinke, Craig University of Alberta Horvath, Ivan University of Kentucky Karsch, Frithjof Brookhaven National Laboratory Krieg, Stefan Wuppertal University Lattimer, James Stony Brook University Lee, Frank George Washington University Li, Anyi Institute for Nuclear Theory Liu, Keh-Fei University of Kentucky Lombardo, Maria Paola INFN - LNF Lottini, Stefano Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main Maezawa, Yu Brookhaven National Laboratory Miura, Kohtaroh Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati - INFN Monnai, Akihiko The University of Tokyo Mukherjee, Swagato Brookhaven National Laboratory Myers, Joyce University of Groningen Nakamura, Atsushi RIISE, Hiroshima

Burns and military clothing.

PubMed

McLean, A D

2001-02-01

Burn injury is a ubiquitous threat in the military environment. The risks during combat are well recognised, but the handling of fuel, oil, munitions and other hot or flammable materials during peacetime deployment and training also imposes an inherent risk of accidental burn injury. Over the last hundred years, the burn threat in combat has ranged from nuclear weapons to small shoulder-launched missiles. Materials such as napalm and white phosphorus plainly present a risk of burn, but the threat extends to encompass personnel in vehicles attacked by anti-armour weapons, large missiles, fuel-air explosives and detonations/conflagrations on weapons platforms such as ships. Large numbers of burn casualties were caused at Pearl Harbor, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Vietnam, during the Arab/Israeli Wars and in the Falkland Islands conflict. The threat from burns is unlikely to diminish, indeed new developments in weapons seek to exploit the vulnerability of the serviceman and servicewoman to burns. Clothing can be a barrier to some types of burn--both inherently in the properties of the material, but also by trapping air between clothing layers. Conversely, ignition of the clothing may exacerbate a burn. There is hearsay that burnt clothing products within a wound may complicate the clinical management, or that materials that melt (thermoplastic materials) should not be worn if there is a burn threat. This paper explores the incidence of burn injury, the mechanisms of heat transfer to bare skin and skin covered by materials, and the published evidence for the complication of wound management by materials. Even light-weight combat clothing can offer significant protection to skin from short duration flash burns; the most vulnerable areas are the parts of the body not covered--face and hands. Multilayered combat clothing can offer significant protection for short periods from engulfment by flames; lightweight tropical wear with few layers offers little protection. Under

On the relationship between atmospheric rivers (ARs) and heavy precipitation over Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yatagai, A. I.; Takayabu, Y. N.

2016-12-01

Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) are known as the water-vapor rich part of the broader warm conveyor belt. Recently, several AR detection algorithms are proposed, and structures and that of statistical features are studied globally. Since Japan is a humid country located in the north of the warm pool, ARs, middle tropospheric fast moisture transport, might be an important moisture source for heavy precipitation events in Japan. The purpose of this study is to develop an algorithm of detection of ARs over Japan, and to investigate the possible relationship between them and Japanese heavy precipitation events. Since high spatial correlations were obtained between ERA-Interim reanalysis PW and that of SSM/I (microwave images), we used daily PW (0.75 degree grid) for detection of the ARs. Using 36 years (1979-2014) ERA-Interim, we defined daily smoothed PW climatology. Then, we detected AR area with daily anomaly of PW exceeding 10 mm. However, we exclude round-shaped (caused by Typhoon etc) area and the case of moisture transport not exceeding 30N/30S. The daily AR events over Japan (123-146E, 24-46N) are; 1013 cases for winter (DJF), 1722 for spring (MAM), 2229 for summer (JJA) and 1870 for autumn (SON) during the 36 years. They successfully include Hiroshima disaster event (19 August 2014, Hirota et al., 2015) and Amami heavy precipitation event (20 October 2010). The summer with large AR appearance (1998 and 2010) had negative SOI (La Nina), and lowest appearance year (1992) was the year of El Nino (positively significant SOI). Totally, more ARs come over Japan area in La Nina years, however, the seasonal statistics between SOI and the number of AR is not straightforward, indicating that it is difficult to explain ARs over Japan with only tropical inter-annual variability. We use APHRO-JP (Kamiguchi et al., 2010) daily gridded (0.05 degree) precipitation (1979-2011) over Japanese land areas for comparison. Among the 32 years (1979-2011), we had 82 cases of heavy

Historic American engineering record. Nevada national security site, Bren Tower Complex. Written historical and descriptive data and field records

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edwards, Susan R.; Goldenberg, Nancy

The BREN (Bare Reactor Experiment, Nevada) Tower Complex is significant for its role in the history of nuclear testing, radiation dosimetry studies, and early field testing of the Strategic Missile Defense System designs. At the time it was built in 1962, the 1,527 ft (465 m) BREN Tower was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River and exceeded the height of the Empire State Building by 55 ft (17 m). It remains the tallest ever erected specifically for scientific purposes and was designed and built to facilitate the experimental dosimetry studies necessary for the development of accurate radiation dosemore » rates for the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The tower was a key component of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission’s (ABCC) mission to predict the health effects of radiation exposure. Moved to its current location in 1966, the crucial dosimetry studies continued with Operation HENRE (High Energy Neutron Reactions Experiment). These experiments and the data they generated became the basis for a dosimetry system called the Tentative 1965 Dose or more commonly the T65D model. Used to estimate radiation doses received by individuals, the T65D model was applied until the mid-1980s when it was replaced by a new dosimetry system known as DS86 based on the Monte Carlo method of dose rate calculation. However, the BREN Tower data are still used for verification of the validity of the DS86 model. In addition to its importance in radiation heath effects research, the BREN Tower Complex is also significant for its role in the Brilliant Pebbles research project, a major component of the Strategic Defense Initiative popularly known as the “Star Wars” Initiative. Instigated under the Reagan Administration, the program’s purpose was to develop a system to shield the United States and allies from a ballistic missile attack. The centerpiece of the Strategic Defense System was space-based, kinetic-kill vehicles. In 1991, BREN Tower was used for the

Atmospheric effects and societal consequences of regional scale nuclear conflicts and acts of individual nuclear terrorism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toon, O. B.; Turco, R. P.; Robock, A.; Bardeen, C.; Oman, L.; Stenchikov, G. L.

2006-11-01

We assess the potential damage and smoke production associated with the detonation of small nuclear weapons in modern megacities. While the number of nuclear warheads in the world has fallen by about a factor of three since its peak in 1986, the number of nuclear weapons states is increasing and the potential exists for numerous regional nuclear arms races. Eight countries are known to have nuclear weapons, 2 are constructing them, and an additional 32 nations already have the fissile material needed to build substantial arsenals of low-yield (Hiroshima-sized) explosives. Population and economic activity worldwide are congregated to an increasing extent in megacities, which might be targeted in a nuclear conflict. Our analysis shows that, per kiloton of yield, low yield weapons can produce 100 times as many fatalities and 100 times as much smoke from fires as high-yield weapons, if they are targeted at city centers. A single "small'' nuclear detonation in an urban center could lead to more fatalities, in some cases by orders of magnitude, than have occurred in the major historical conflicts of many countries. We analyze the likely outcome of a regional nuclear exchange involving 100 15-kt explosions (less than 0.1% of the explosive yield of the current global nuclear arsenal). We find that such an exchange could produce direct fatalities comparable to all of those worldwide in World War II, or to those once estimated for a "counterforce'' nuclear war between the superpowers. Megacities exposed to atmospheric fallout of long-lived radionuclides would likely be abandoned indefinitely, with severe national and international implications. Our analysis shows that smoke from urban firestorms in a regional war would rise into the upper troposphere due to pyro-convection. Robock et al. (2006) show that the smoke would subsequently rise deep into the stratosphere due to atmospheric heating, and then might induce significant climatic anomalies on global scales.We also

Atmospheric effects and societal consequences of regional scale nuclear conflicts and acts of individual nuclear terrorism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toon, O. B.; Turco, R. P.; Robock, A.; Bardeen, C.; Oman, L.; Stenchikov, G. L.

2007-04-01

We assess the potential damage and smoke production associated with the detonation of small nuclear weapons in modern megacities. While the number of nuclear warheads in the world has fallen by about a factor of three since its peak in 1986, the number of nuclear weapons states is increasing and the potential exists for numerous regional nuclear arms races. Eight countries are known to have nuclear weapons, 2 are constructing them, and an additional 32 nations already have the fissile material needed to build substantial arsenals of low-yield (Hiroshima-sized) explosives. Population and economic activity worldwide are congregated to an increasing extent in megacities, which might be targeted in a nuclear conflict. We find that low yield weapons, which new nuclear powers are likely to construct, can produce 100 times as many fatalities and 100 times as much smoke from fires per kt yield as previously estimated in analyses for full scale nuclear wars using high-yield weapons, if the small weapons are targeted at city centers. A single "small" nuclear detonation in an urban center could lead to more fatalities, in some cases by orders of magnitude, than have occurred in the major historical conflicts of many countries. We analyze the likely outcome of a regional nuclear exchange involving 100 15-kt explosions (less than 0.1% of the explosive yield of the current global nuclear arsenal). We find that such an exchange could produce direct fatalities comparable to all of those worldwide in World War II, or to those once estimated for a "counterforce" nuclear war between the superpowers. Megacities exposed to atmospheric fallout of long-lived radionuclides would likely be abandoned indefinitely, with severe national and international implications. Our analysis shows that smoke from urban firestorms in a regional war would rise into the upper troposphere due to pyro-convection. Robock et al. (2007) show that the smoke would subsequently rise deep into the stratosphere due

The incidence of leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma among atomic bomb survivors: 1950 – 2001

PubMed Central

Hsu, Wan-Ling; Preston, Dale L.; Soda, Midori; Sugiyama, Hiromi; Funamoto, Sachiyo; Kodama, Kazunori; Kimura, Akiro; Kamada, Nanao; Dohy, Hiroo; Tomonaga, Masao; Iwanaga, Masako; Miyazaki, Yasushi; Cullings, Harry M.; Suyama, Akihiko; Ozasa, Kotaro; Shore, Roy E.; Mabuchi, Kiyohiko

2013-01-01

A marked increase in leukemia risks was the first and most striking late effect of radiation exposure seen among the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors. This paper presents analyses of radiation effects on leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma incidence in the Life Span Study cohort of atomic bomb survivors updated 14 years since the last comprehensive report on these malignancies. These analyses make use of tumor- and leukemia-registry-based incidence data on 113,011 cohort members with 3.6 million person-years of follow-up from late 1950 through the end of 2001. In addition to a detailed analysis of the excess risk for all leukemias other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia or adult T-cell leukemia (neither of which appear to be radiation-related), we present results for the major hematopoietic malignancy types: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, adult T-cell leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Poisson regression methods were used to characterize the shape of the radiation dose response relationship and, to the extent the data allowed, to investigate variation in the excess risks with sex, attained age, exposure age, and time since exposure. In contrast to the previous report that focused on describing excess absolute rates, we considered both excess absolute rate (EAR) and excess relative risk (ERR) models and found that ERR models can often provide equivalent and sometimes more parsimonious descriptions of the excess risk than EAR models. The leukemia results indicated that there was a non-linear dose response for leukemias other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia or adult T-cell leukemia, which varied markedly with time and age at exposure, with much of the evidence for this non-linearity arising from the acute myeloid leukemia risks. Although the leukemia excess risks generally declined with attained age or time since exposure, there was evidence

Association of radiation dose with prevalence of thyroid nodules among atomic bomb survivors exposed in childhood (2007-2011).

PubMed

Imaizumi, Misa; Ohishi, Waka; Nakashima, Eiji; Sera, Nobuko; Neriishi, Kazuo; Yamada, Michiko; Tatsukawa, Yoshimi; Takahashi, Ikuno; Fujiwara, Saeko; Sugino, Keizo; Ando, Takao; Usa, Toshiro; Kawakami, Atsushi; Akahoshi, Masazumi; Hida, Ayumi

2015-02-01

Few studies have evaluated the association of radiation dose with thyroid nodules among adults exposed to radiation in childhood. To evaluate radiation dose responses on the prevalence of thyroid nodules in atomic bomb survivors exposed in childhood. This survey study investigated 3087 Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors who were younger than 10 years at exposure and participated in the thyroid study of the Adult Health Study at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation. Thyroid examinations including thyroid ultrasonography were conducted between October 2007 and October 2011, and solid nodules underwent fine-needle aspiration biopsy. Data from 2668 participants (86.4% of the total participants; mean age, 68.2 years; 1213 men; and 1455 women) with known atomic bomb thyroid radiation doses (mean dose, 0.182 Gy; median dose, 0.018 Gy; dose range, 0-4.040 Gy) were analyzed. The prevalence of all thyroid nodules having a diameter of 10 mm or more (consisting of solid nodules [malignant and benign] and cysts), prevalence of small thyroid nodules that were less than 10 mm in diameter detected by ultrasonography, and atomic bomb radiation dose-responses. Thyroid nodules with a diameter of 10 mm or more were identified in 470 participants (17.6%): solid nodules (427 cases [16.0%]), malignant tumors (47 cases [1.8%]), benign nodules (186 cases [7.0%]), and cysts (49 cases [1.8%]), and all were significantly associated with thyroid radiation dose. Excess odds ratios per gray unit were 1.65 (95% CI, 0.89-2.64) for all nodules, 1.72 (95% CI, 0.93-2.75) for solid nodules, 4.40 (95% CI, 1.75-9.97) for malignant tumors, 2.07 (95% CI, 1.16-3.39) for benign nodules, and 1.11 (95% CI, 0.15-3.12) for cysts. The interaction between age at exposure and the dose was significant for the prevalence of all nodules (P = .003) and solid nodules (P < .001), indicating that dose effects were significantly higher with earlier childhood exposure. No interactions were seen for

Key Response Planning Factors for the Aftermath of Nuclear Terrorism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buddemeier, B R; Dillon, M B

Despite hundreds of above-ground nuclear tests and data gathered from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the effects of a ground-level, low-yield nuclear detonation in a modern urban environment are still the subject of considerable scientific debate. Extensive review of nuclear weapon effects studies and discussions with nuclear weapon effects experts from various federal agencies, national laboratories, and technical organizations have identified key issues and bounded some of the unknowns required to support response planning for a low-yield, ground-level nuclear detonation in a modern U.S. city. This study, which is focused primarily upon the hazards posed by radioactive fallout, used detailed fallout predictionsmore » from the advanced suite of three-dimensional (3-D) meteorology and plume/fallout models developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), including extensive global Key Response Planning Factors for the Aftermath of Nuclear Terrorism geographical and real-time meteorological databases to support model calculations. This 3-D modeling system provides detailed simulations that account for complex meteorology and terrain effects. The results of initial modeling and analysis were presented to federal, state, and local working groups to obtain critical, broad-based review and feedback on strategy and messaging. This effort involved a diverse set of communities, including New York City, National Capitol Regions, Charlotte, Houston, Portland, and Los Angeles. The largest potential for reducing casualties during the post-detonation response phase comes from reducing exposure to fallout radiation. This can be accomplished through early, adequate sheltering followed by informed, delayed evacuation.B The response challenges to a nuclear detonation must be solved through multiple approaches of public education, planning, and rapid response actions. Because the successful response will require extensive coordination of a large number of organizations

Rearranged anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene in adult-onset papillary thyroid cancer amongst atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Hamatani, Kiyohiro; Mukai, Mayumi; Takahashi, Keiko; Hayashi, Yuzo; Nakachi, Kei; Kusunoki, Yoichiro

2012-11-01

We previously noted that among atomic bomb survivors (ABS), the relative frequency of cases of adult papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with chromosomal rearrangements (mainly RET/PTC) was significantly greater in those with relatively higher radiation exposure than those with lower radiation exposure. In contrast, the frequency of PTC cases with point mutations (mainly BRAF(V600E)) was significantly lower in patients with relatively higher radiation exposure than those with lower radiation exposure. We also found that among ABS, the frequency of PTC cases with no detectable gene alterations in RET, neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor 1 (NTRK1), BRAF, or RAS was significantly higher in patients with relatively higher radiation exposure than those with lower radiation exposure. However, in ABS with PTC, the relationship between the presence of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene fused with other gene partners and radiation exposure has received little study. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the relative frequency of rearranged ALK in ABS with PTC, and with no detectable gene alterations in RET, NTRK1, BRAF, or RAS, would be greater in those having relatively higher radiation exposures. The 105 subjects in the study were drawn from the Life Span Study cohort of ABS of Hiroshima and Nagasaki who were diagnosed with PTC between 1956 and 1993. Seventy-nine were exposed (>0 mGy), and 26 were not exposed to A-bomb radiation. In the 25 ABS with PTC, and with no detectable gene alterations in RET, NTRK1, BRAF, or RAS, we examined archival, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded PTC specimens for rearrangement of ALK using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5' RACE). We found rearranged ALK in 10 of 19 radiation-exposed PTC cases, but none among 6 patients with PTC with no radiation exposure. In addition, solid/trabecular-like architecture in PTC was closely associated with ALK rearrangements, being observed in

PREFACE: Nanospintronics design and realization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akai, Hisazumi; Katayama-Yoshida, Hiroshi; Kasai, Hideaki

2004-12-01

This special issue of Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter contains selected papers from the 1st International Conference on Nanospintronics Design and Realization (ICNDR 2004), which was held in Kyoto, Japan, 24--28 May 2004. This conference was organized by the Nanospintronics Design and Realization project members: Hideaki Kasai, Osaka (Chair of the Conference) Hisazumi Akai, Osaka Hajime Asahi, Osaka Wilson Agerico Diño, Osaka Hiroshi Harima, Kyoto Tomoyuki Kakeshita, Osaka Junjiro Kanamori, Kyoto Hiroshi Katayama-Yoshida, Osaka Koichi Kusakabe, Osaka Hiroshi Nakanishi, Osaka (Secretary) Tamio Oguchi, Hiroshima Teruo Ono, Osaka Naoshi Suzuki, Osaka Hitoshi Tabata, Osaka under the auspices of the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology, and the sponsorship of Osaka University and the International Institute for Advanced Studies (IIAS). The conference is intended to provide an international forum for experimental and theoretical researchers, in the rapidly developing field of nanospintronics. It aims to: provide an overview of our current understanding of the physics of spin transport in (magnetic) semiconductors and hybrid magnetic/semiconductor structures; provide a venue to present and discuss the latest developments in using spin-dependent phenomena in nano-(opto-) electronics and computing applications; provide a venue for discussion and assessment of other possible means of exploiting the spin-dependent phenomena in future nano-(opto-) electronic and computing applications; address current (and foreseeable future) problems, of fundamental and applied nature, in an effort to bridge the physics and technology gap between semiconducting and magnetic materials. All of these being geared towards bringing about the realization of a functioning nanospintronics. A total of 127 delegates from 15 countries took part in ICNDR 2004, which was comprised of 62 invited

Internal exposure to neutron-activated 56Mn dioxide powder in Wistar rats: part 1: dosimetry.

PubMed

Stepanenko, Valeriy; Rakhypbekov, Tolebay; Otani, Keiko; Endo, Satoru; Satoh, Kenichi; Kawano, Noriyuki; Shichijo, Kazuko; Nakashima, Masahiro; Takatsuji, Toshihiro; Sakaguchi, Aya; Kato, Hiroaki; Onda, Yuichi; Fujimoto, Nariaki; Toyoda, Shin; Sato, Hitoshi; Dyussupov, Altay; Chaizhunusova, Nailya; Sayakenov, Nurlan; Uzbekov, Darkhan; Saimova, Aisulu; Shabdarbaeva, Dariya; Skakov, Mazhin; Vurim, Alexandr; Gnyrya, Vyacheslav; Azimkhanov, Almas; Kolbayenkov, Alexander; Zhumadilov, Kasym; Kairikhanova, Yankar; Kaprin, Andrey; Galkin, Vsevolod; Ivanov, Sergey; Kolyzhenkov, Timofey; Petukhov, Aleksey; Yaskova, Elena; Belukha, Irina; Khailov, Artem; Skvortsov, Valeriy; Ivannikov, Alexander; Akhmedova, Umukusum; Bogacheva, Viktoria; Hoshi, Masaharu

2017-03-01

There were two sources of ionizing irradiation after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: (1) initial gamma-neutron irradiation at the moment of detonation and (2) residual radioactivity. Residual radioactivity consisted of two components: radioactive fallout containing fission products, including radioactive fissile materials from nuclear device, and neutron-activated radioisotopes from materials on the ground. The dosimetry systems DS86 and DS02 were mainly devoted to the assessment of initial radiation exposure to neutrons and gamma rays, while only brief considerations were given for the estimation of doses caused by residual radiation exposure. Currently, estimation of internal exposure of atomic bomb survivors due to dispersed radioactivity and neutron-activated radioisotopes from materials on the ground is a matter of some interest, in Japan. The main neutron-activated radionuclides in soil dust were 24 Na, 28 Al, 31 Si, 32 P, 38 Cl, 42 K, 45 Ca, 46 Sc, 56 Mn, 59 Fe, 60 Co, and 134 Cs. The radionuclide 56 Mn (T 1/2 = 2.58 h) is known as one of the dominant beta- and gamma emitters during the first few hours after neutron irradiation of soil and other materials on ground, dispersed in the form of dust after a nuclear explosion in the atmosphere. To investigate the peculiarities of biological effects of internal exposure to 56 Mn in comparison with external gamma irradiation, a dedicated experiment with Wistar rats exposed to neutron-activated 56 Mn dioxide powder was performed recently by Shichijo and coworkers. The dosimetry required for this experiment is described here. Assessment of internal radiation doses was performed on the basis of measured 56 Mn activity in the organs and tissues of the rats and of absorbed fractions of internal exposure to photons and electrons calculated with the MCNP-4C Monte Carlo using a mathematical rat phantom. The first results of this international multicenter study show that the internal irradiation due to

Non-physician communities in Japan: are they still disadvantaged?

PubMed

Kashima, S; Inoue, K; Matsumoto, M; Takeuchi, K

2014-01-01

Non-physician community' (NPC) is a policy term that indicates a medically underserved area in Japan. Designated NPCs are politically targeted as the foci of medical resource allocation. NPC is defined as a specified district where 50 or more persons dwell within a geographic diameter of 4 km and medical care is not easily accessible. The definition of NPC was first introduced in 1960 and has been unchanged for more than half a century despite radical social changes in rural Japan. This study examines whether designated NPCs are still more disadvantaged in terms of geographical access to healthcare in comparison to other communities. Hiroshima prefecture, which has the largest number of NPCs in terms of tertiary healthcare areas of Japan, was used as the study area. Targeted communities were all the NPCs in the prefecture, and, as controls, two community groups were selected: non-NPC adjacent to NPC, and municipal center. We measured driving time from NPCs and control communities to the nearest healthcare facilities, which were classified into the following two types: primary or secondary care facilities (n=2636) and tertiary care facilities (equal to tertiary emergency care centers; n=6). We further calculated the driving time to the nearest facilities for secondary emergency care (n=246) extracted from the 2636 primary or secondary care facilities. The median driving times to the nearest primary or secondary healthcare facility for NPC, non-NPC, and municipal center were 11 minutes, 11 minutes, and 1 minute, respectively; the times to a tertiary healthcare facility (equal to an accident and emergency care center) were 80 minutes, 84 minutes, and 68 minutes, respectively; and the times to a secondary emergency care facility were 24 minutes, 18 minutes, and 15 minutes, respectively. Although a municipal center was significantly more advantageous in driving time compared to a primary or secondary care facility, the disadvantage of a NPC in access was no more obvious

Medical Effects of Atomic Bombs. The Report of the Joint Commission for the Investigation of the Effects of the Atomic Bomb in Japan; Volume 1. Section 1. Introduction. Section 2. Physics. Section 3H. Hiroshima City. Section 3N. Nagasaki City

DTIC Science & Technology

1951-04-19

cases. The patients complained of nausea and vomit- ing on the day of the bombing and this was followed by progressive fever , anorexia, severe diarrhea... Fever and diarrhea occurred frequently and at about this same time. In the more severely affected patients, all of these symptoms appeared after a...to those seen in aplastic anemia and agranulocytosis, ]ji the most severely affected patients, fever increased steadily and those who died usually

Evaluating the risk of death via the hematopoietic syndrome mode for prolonged exposure of nuclear workers to radiation delivered at very low rates.

PubMed

Scott, B R; Lyzlov, A F; Osovets, S V

1998-05-01

During a Phase-I effort, studies were planned to evaluate deterministic (nonstochastic) effects of chronic exposure of nuclear workers at the Mayak atomic complex in the former Soviet Union to relatively high levels (> 0.25 Gy) of ionizing radiation. The Mayak complex has been used, since the late 1940's, to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. Workers at Site A of the complex were involved in plutonium breeding using nuclear reactors, and some were exposed to relatively large doses of gamma rays plus relatively small neutron doses. The Weibull normalized-dose model, which has been set up to evaluate the risk of specific deterministic effects of combined, continuous exposure of humans to alpha, beta, and gamma radiations, is here adapted for chronic exposure to gamma rays and neutrons during repeated 6-h work shifts--as occurred for some nuclear workers at Site A. Using the adapted model, key conclusions were reached that will facilitate a Phase-II study of deterministic effects among Mayak workers. These conclusions include the following: (1) neutron doses may be more important for Mayak workers than for Japanese A-bomb victims in Hiroshima and can be accounted for using an adjusted dose (which accounts for neutron relative biological effectiveness); (2) to account for dose-rate effects, normalized dose X (a dimensionless fraction of an LD50 or ED50) can be evaluated in terms of an adjusted dose; (3) nonlinear dose-response curves for the risk of death via the hematopoietic mode can be converted to linear dose-response curves (for low levels of risk) using a newly proposed dimensionless dose, D = X(V), in units of Oklad (where D is pronounced "deh"), and V is the shape parameter in the Weibull model; (4) for X < or = Xo, where Xo is the threshold normalized dose, D = 0; (5) unlike absorbed dose, the dose D can be averaged over different Mayak workers in order to calculate the average risk of death via the hematopoietic mode for the population exposed at Site A

The update of resist outgas testing for metal containing resists at EIDEC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiobara, Eishi; Mikami, Shinji

2017-10-01

work was supported by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). [1] Eishi Shiobara, Shinji Mikami, Satoshi Tanaka, International Symposium on EUV Lithography, Hiroshima, Japan, P-RE-01, (2016). [2] Mark van de Kerkhof, Hans Jasper, Leon Levasier, Rudy Peeters, Roderik van Es, Jan-Willem Bosker, Alexander Zdravkov, Egbert Lenderink, Fabrizio Evangelista, Par Broman, Bartosz Bilski, Thorsten Last, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 10143, 101430D (2017). [3] Oktay Yildirim, Elizabeth Buitrago, Rik Hoefnagels, Marieke Meeuwissen, Sander Wuister, Gijsbert Rispens, Anton van Oosten, Paul Derks, Jo Finders, Michaela Vockenhuber, Yasin Ekinci, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 10143, 101430Q (2017).

The life-cycle of the digenetic trematode, Proctoeces maculatus (Looss, 1901) Odhner, 1911 (Syn. P. rubtenuis [Linton, 1907] Hanson, 1950), and description of Cerceria adranocerca n. sp

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stunkard, H.W.; Uzmann, J.R.

1959-01-01

The genus Proctoeces was erected by Odhner ( 191 1) to contain Distonium maculatuni Looss, 1901, from Labrus merula and Crenilabrus spp. at Triest. Odhner had found the parasite in Blennius ocellaris at Naples. One adult specimen from Chrysophrys bifasciata and two immature specimens from lulis lunaris taken in the Red Sea, were described as a new species, Proctoeces erythraeus. Dawes (1946) listed P. erythraeus as a synonym of  P. maculatus (Looss) , but the species was recognized by Manter ( 1947) on the basis of six specimens he had collected from Calamus calamus and Calamus bajonado at the biological laboratory of the Carnegie Institution at Dry Tortugas, Florida. Several additional species have been de scribed. Fujita ( 1925) reported a metacercaria from the Japanese oyster, Ostrea gigas, as a new species, Proctoeces ostreae. The paper was translated by R. Ph. Dollfus who noted (p. 57) ,“Il est à souhaiter que des recherches chez les poissons mangers de Lamellibranches, sur les côtes de la préfecture d'Hiroshima, permettent de découvrir des exemplaires complètement adultes de Proctoeces ostreae Fuj., chez lesquels l'extension des vitellogènes et les dimensions des oeufs puissent être observées avec précision; il sera alors possible de savoir définitivement si P. ostreae Fuj. doit ou non tomber en synonymie avec P. maculatus (Looss)." Yamaguti (1934) described P. maculatus from Sparus aries, Sparws macrocephalus, Pagrosomus auratus, and Epinephelus akaara in Japan. Several specimens from Pagrosomus auratus, which differed from P. maculatus in larger size, larger eggs, and trilobed ovary, he described as a new species, Proctoeces major. Yamaguti ( 1938) reported P. nzaculatus from Sensicossyphus reticulatus and described a larva from the liver of the pelecypod mollusk, Brachidontes senhausi, as an unidentified member of the genus Proctoeces. Manter ( 1940) described Proctoeces tnagnorus from a single specimen found in the intestine of Caulolatilus

Rays as weapons.

PubMed

Vogel, H

2007-08-01

Ionizing radiation is being regarded as life threatening. Therefore, accidents in nuclear power plants are considered equal threatening as nuclear bomb explosions, and attacks with dirty bombs are thought as dangerous as nuclear weapon explosions. However, there are differences between a nuclear bomb explosion, the largest imaginable accident in a nuclear power plant, and an attack with a dirty bomb. It is intended to point them out. The processes are described, which damage in a nuclear bomb explosion, in the largest imaginable accident in a nuclear power plant, and in an attack with a dirty bomb. Their effects are compared with each other, i.e. explosion, heat, shock wave (blast), ionizing radiation, and fallout. In the center of the explosion of a nuclear bomb, the temperature rises to 100Mio degrees C, this induces damaging heat radiation and shock wave. In the largest imaginable accident in a nuclear power plant and in the conventional explosion of a dirty bomb, the temperature may rise up to 3000 degrees C, heat radiation and blast are limited to a short distance. In nuclear power plants, explosions due to oxyhydrogen gas or steam may occur. In nuclear explosions the dispersed radioactive material (fall out) consists mainly of isotopes with short half-life, in nuclear power plants and in dirty bomb attacks with longer half-life. The amount of fall out is comparable in nuclear bomb explosions with that in the largest imaginable accident in a nuclear power plant, it is smaller in attacks with dirty bombs. An explosion in a nuclear power plant even in the largest imaginable accident is not a nuclear explosion. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there were 200,000 victims nearly all by heat and blast, some 300 died by ionizing radiation. In Chernobyl, there have been less than 100 victims due to ionizing radiation up till now. A dirty bomb kills possibly with the explosion of conventional explosive, the dispersed radioactive material may damage individuals. The

Effects and cost of glycyrrhizin in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections in members of the Japanese maritime self-defense force: Preliminary report of a prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled, parallel-group, alternate-day treatment assignment clinical trial

PubMed Central

Yanagawa, Youichi; Ogura, Masatsune; Fujimoto, Eita; Shono, Satoshi; Okuda, Eriya

2004-01-01

Background: Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) account for at least half of all acute illnesses. Specific antiviral therapy has not been developed against most respiratory viruses thought to cause URTIs. The pharmacologic action of glycyrrhizin has been shown to produce anti-inflammatory activity, modulation of the immune system, inhibition of virus growth, and inactivation of viruses. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the tolerability, efficacy, and cost of glycyrrhizin in improving the severity and duration of signs and symptoms of URTIs. The primary end point was tolerability, and the secondary and points included improvement in signs and symptoms of URTI and cost. Methods: Members of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (SDF) treated for URTIs from January 2002 to May 2002 in the SDF Etajima Hospital (Hiroshima, Japan) were eligible for this prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled, parallel-group, alternate-day treatment assignment study. All patients in this study fulfilled the following enrollment criteria: admitted to the hospital on the first arrival day as an outpatient; fever (body temperature <38.0°C) with signs and symptoms of URTI (headache, sore throat, rhinorrhea, pharyngitis); and had not received antibiotics or oseltamivir phosphate for 4 weeks before the study. Patients who were admitted on an even day received an IV drip infusion of 40 mL of glycyrrhizin (0.2%) and 500 mL of lactated Ringer's solution daily during hospitalization (glycyrrhizin group). Patients who were admitted on an odd day received an IV drip infusion of 500 mL/d of lactated Ringer's solution only (control group). Adverse effects were assessed by the physicians during hospitalization, using patient interview and laboratory analysis. Results: Forty-one consecutive patients entered the study; 15 patients (15 men, 0 women; mean [SD] age, 25.2 [1.5] years) were assigned to the glycyrrhizin group and 269 patients (24 men, 2 women; mean [SD] age

Impact on the Japanese atomic bomb survivors of radiation received from the bombs.

PubMed

Cullings, Harry M

2014-02-01

The Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) studies various cohorts of Japanese atomic bomb survivors, the largest being the Life Span Study (LSS), which includes 93,741 persons who were in Hiroshima or Nagasaki at the times of the bombings; there are also cohorts of persons who were exposed in utero and survivors' children. This presentation attempts to summarize the total impact of the radiation from the bombs on the survivors from both an individual perspective (both age-specific and integrated lifetime risk, along with a measure of life expectancy that describes how the risk affects the individual given age at exposure) and a group perspective (estimated numbers of excess occurrences in the cohort), including both early and late effects. As survivors' doses ranged well into the acutely lethal range at closer distances, some of them experienced acute signs and symptoms of radiation exposure in addition to being at risk of late effects. Although cancer has always been a primary concern among late effects, estimated numbers of excess cancers and hematopoietic malignancies in the LSS are a small fraction of the total due to the highly skewed dose distribution, with most survivors receiving small doses. For example, in the latest report on cancer incidence, 853 of 17,448 incident solid cancers were estimated to be attributable to radiation from the bombs. RERF research indicates that risk of radiation-associated cancer varies among sites and that some benign tumors such as uterine myoma are also associated with radiation. Noncancer late effects appear to be in excess in proportion to radiation dose but with an excess relative risk about one-third that of solid cancer and a correspondingly small overall fraction of cases attributable to radiation. Specific risks were found for some subcategories, particularly circulatory disease, including stroke and precedent conditions such as hypertension. Radiation-related cataract in the atomic bomb survivors is well known

Then and Now: Women Respond to the Manhattan Project - an illustrated talk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fermi, M. A., Olivia

2014-03-01

I am very much looking forward to visiting you, the family of physicists gathering for your annual APS conference. In different ways, my grandfather Enrico Fermi is a member of both our families. In this sense we are connected and share a common legacy, which I want to explore from the angle of two women inextricably involved with and affected by the Manhattan Project. One from the past and one alive now. These two women, despite a significant temporal and cultural gap share a remarkable number of traits and values. My talk will not offer a particular thesis or finding. Rather it will be about ways of seeing, including questioning unnoticed assumptions and belief systems. My grandmother Laura Fermi, modeled this for me as a youngster. She was at Enrico's side during the Manhattan Project years, yet in the dark about his work. What was it like to live in a climate of intellectually and patriotically charged enthusiasm, with an undercurrent of unspoken dread? Laura, just like most everyone else, discovered the true nature of the effort on the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. After the war and after Enrico's untimely death in 1954, in response to all she had experienced, Laura re-invented herself as an author and visionary, pioneering in both the environmental and handgun control movements. Marian Naranjo lives on the Santa Clara Pueblo near Los Alamos. Her ancestors dwelled on the Pajarito Plateau which encompasses the space where Los Alamos National Labs (LANL) is today. Her people, the Pueblo People have used the area's natural resources for ceremonial and survival for uncountable generations. They say, ``We are this place.'' What is it like to live on land one's families have safely occupied for thousands of years, with an undercurrent of dread at the prospect of toxic waste stream products from LANL? Like my grandmother did in her place and time, Marian builds community as an integral part of her environmental and social justice activism. She is

Rearranged Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) Gene in Adult-Onset Papillary Thyroid Cancer Amongst Atomic Bomb Survivors

PubMed Central

Mukai, Mayumi; Takahashi, Keiko; Hayashi, Yuzo; Nakachi, Kei; Kusunoki, Yoichiro

2012-01-01

Background We previously noted that among atomic bomb survivors (ABS), the relative frequency of cases of adult papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with chromosomal rearrangements (mainly RET/PTC) was significantly greater in those with relatively higher radiation exposure than those with lower radiation exposure. In contrast, the frequency of PTC cases with point mutations (mainly BRAFV600E) was significantly lower in patients with relatively higher radiation exposure than those with lower radiation exposure. We also found that among ABS, the frequency of PTC cases with no detectable gene alterations in RET, neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor 1 (NTRK1), BRAF, or RAS was significantly higher in patients with relatively higher radiation exposure than those with lower radiation exposure. However, in ABS with PTC, the relationship between the presence of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene fused with other gene partners and radiation exposure has received little study. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the relative frequency of rearranged ALK in ABS with PTC, and with no detectable gene alterations in RET, NTRK1, BRAF, or RAS, would be greater in those having relatively higher radiation exposures. Methods The 105 subjects in the study were drawn from the Life Span Study cohort of ABS of Hiroshima and Nagasaki who were diagnosed with PTC between 1956 and 1993. Seventy-nine were exposed (>0 mGy), and 26 were not exposed to A-bomb radiation. In the 25 ABS with PTC, and with no detectable gene alterations in RET, NTRK1, BRAF, or RAS, we examined archival, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded PTC specimens for rearrangement of ALK using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction and 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5′ RACE). Results We found rearranged ALK in 10 of 19 radiation-exposed PTC cases, but none among 6 patients with PTC with no radiation exposure. In addition, solid/trabecular-like architecture in PTC was closely associated with ALK

Strengthening of synthetic quartz-rich sediments during time-dependent compaction due to pressure solution-precipitation compaction creep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noda, H.; Okazaki, K.; Katayama, I.

2013-12-01

During diagenesis, incohesive sediments are compacted and gain strength against shear deformation for a geologically long time scale. The evolution of shear strength as well as the change in the mechanical and hydraulic characteristics under shear deformation is of significant importance in considering deformation at shallow part of the subduction zones and in accretionary prisms. Sediments after induration due to time-dependent diagenesis process probably deform with increases in porosity and permeability much more significantly than normally compacted incohesive sediments. An active fault in a shallow incohesive medium may favor thermal pressurization of pore fluid when slid rapidly, while the lack of time-dependent healing effect may cause stable (e.g., rate-strengthening) frictional property there. On the other hand, indurated sediments may deform with significant post-failure weakening, and thus exhibit localization of deformation or unstable behavior. In order to investigate how the time-dependent compaction and induration affect the mechanical and hydraulic characteristics of sediments under deformation, we have conducted a series of compaction experiments under hydrothermal conditions (at temperatures from R.T. to 500 °C, 200 MPa confining pressure, 100 MPa pore water pressure, and for various time), and following triaxial deformation experiments for the compacted samples, with monitoring permeability and storage capacity with pore pressure oscillation method [Fischer and Paterson, 1992]. Previous work [e.g., Niemeijer et at., 2003] reported that under the adopted conditions, quartz aggregate deforms by pressure solution-precipitation creep. The initial synthetic sediments have been prepared by depositing commercially available crushed quartzite the grain size of which is about 6 μm on average. 4 cm long samples have been extracted from the middle of 10 cm long deposited columns. The experiments have been performed with a gas-medium apparatus in Hiroshima

Ion microprobe U-Pb dating and strontium isotope analysis of biogenic apatite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sano, Y.; Toyoshima, K.; Takahata, N.; Shirai, K.

2012-12-01

Conodonts are micro-fossils chemically composed of apatite which occurred in the body of one animal. They are guide fossils to show formation ages of sedimentary sequences with the highest resolution [1] and good samples to verify the dating method. We developed the ion microprobe U-Pb dating of apatite [2] and applied the method to a Carboniferous conodont [3] by using a SHRIMP II installed at Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hiroshima University. Recently we have developed the NanoSIMS U-Pb dating method and successfully measured the formation ages of monazite [4] and zircon [5] at Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo. In this work we carried out the NanoSIMS U-Pb dating of biogenic apatite such as conodont. Since the spot size of NanoSIMS is smaller than SHRIMP II, it is easier to have multi-spots on the single fragment of biogenic apatite. Based on the isochron method of U-Pb system, we have calculated the formation ages. They are consistent with those in literature. In order to study the chemical evolution of ocean during the past 600 Million years, strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) of fossil marine carbonate such as coral skeletons and foraminifera tests were measured and compiled [6]. However they are not robust when the age is older than 500Ma, partly due to post-depositional histories. Apatite is more stable and more resistant to the alteration than carbonate [7]. Recently we have developed the method of NanoSIMS strontium isotopic analysis of a fish otolith, which composed of aragonite [8]. In this work we carried out the strontium isotopic analysis of biogenic apatite. The advantage of the ion microprobe technique over the TIMS (thermal ionization mass spectrometer) and MC-ICP-MS (multi-collector inductively coupled argon plasma mass spectrometer) method is preservation of the important textural context and to provide an opportunity for other simultaneous analytical work with high spatial resolution. This is the case for

Permeability anisotropy of serpentinite and fluid pathways in a subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katayama, I.; Kawano, S.; Okazaki, K.

2011-12-01

Subduction zones are the only sites where water is transported into the Earth's deep interior. Although the fluid released into the mantle wedge is generally believed to ascend under buoyancy, it is possible that fluid movement is influenced by anisotropic permeability in localized shear zones. The mantle rocks at the plate interface of a subducting slab are subjected to non-coaxial stress and commonly develop a strong foliation. Indeed, the existence of foliated serpentinite is indicated by strong seismic anisotropy in the forearc mantle wedge (e.g., Katayama et al., 2009; Bezacier et al., 2010). Therefore, fluid pathways in the mantle wedge may be controlled by the preferred orientation of highly anisotropic minerals. In this study, we measured the permeability of highly foliated natural serpentinite, in directions parallel and perpendicular to the foliation, and we discuss the influence of permeability anisotropy on fluid flow in subduction zones. The permeability was measured by an intra-vessel deformation and fluid flow apparatus housed at Hiroshima University. In the measurements, we used nitrogen gas as a pore fluid and maintained constant pore pressure during the measurements (Pp < 6 MPa). The obtained gas permeability was then converted to intrinsic permeability using the Klinkenberg effect, which is known to be insensitive to the type of pore fluid. Under low confining pressure, all the experiments show similar permeability, in the order of 10-19 m2. However, permeability anisotropy appears under high confining pressures, with the specimens oriented parallel to the foliation having higher permeability than those oriented normal to the foliation. At a confining pressure of 50 MPa, the difference in permeability between the samples with contrasting orientations reaches several orders of magnitude, possibly reflecting the pore tortuosity of the highly sheared serpentinite, as indicated by the Kozeny-Carman relation. The present experimental data show that

Climate and chemistry effects of a regional scale nuclear conflict

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenke, A.; Hoyle, C. R.; Luo, B.; Rozanov, E.; Gröbner, J.; Maag, L.; Brönnimann, S.; Peter, T.

2013-05-01

Previous studies have highlighted the severity of detrimental effects for life on Earth after an assumed regionally limited nuclear war. These effects are caused by climatic, chemical and radiative changes persisting for up to one decade. However, so far only a very limited number of climate model simulations have been performed, giving rise to the question how realistic previous computations have been. This study uses the coupled chemistry climate model (CCM) SOCOL, which belongs to a different family of CCMs than previously used, to investigate the consequences of such a hypothetical nuclear conflict. In accordance with previous studies, the present work assumes a scenario of a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, each applying 50 warheads with an individual blasting power of 15 kt ("Hiroshima size") against the major population centers, resulting in the emission of tiny soot particles, which are generated in the firestorms expected in the aftermath of the detonations. Substantial uncertainties related to the calculation of likely soot emissions, particularly concerning assumptions of target fuel loading and targeting of weapons, have been addressed by simulating several scenarios, with soot emissions ranging from 1 to 12 Tg. Their high absorptivity with respect to solar radiation leads to a tremendous self-lofting of the soot particles into the strato- and mesosphere, where they remain for several years. Consequently, the model suggests Earth's surface temperatures to drop by several degrees Celsius due to the shielding of solar irradiance by the soot, indicating a major global cooling. In addition, there is a substantial reduction of precipitation lasting 5 to 10 yr after the conflict, depending on the magnitude of the initial soot release. Extreme cold spells associated with massive sea ice formation are found during Northern Hemisphere winter, which expose the continental land masses of Northern America and Eurasia to chilling coldness. In the

Climate and chemistry effects of a regional scale nuclear conflict

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenke, A.; Hoyle, C. R.; Luo, B.; Rozanov, E.; Gröbner, J.; Maag, L.; Brönnimann, S.; Peter, T.

2013-10-01

Previous studies have highlighted the severity of detrimental effects for life on earth after an assumed regionally limited nuclear war. These effects are caused by climatic, chemical and radiative changes persisting for up to one decade. However, so far only a very limited number of climate model simulations have been performed, giving rise to the question how realistic previous computations have been. This study uses the coupled chemistry climate model (CCM) SOCOL, which belongs to a different family of CCMs than previously used, to investigate the consequences of such a hypothetical nuclear conflict. In accordance with previous studies, the present work assumes a scenario of a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, each applying 50 warheads with an individual blasting power of 15 kt ("Hiroshima size") against the major population centers, resulting in the emission of tiny soot particles, which are generated in the firestorms expected in the aftermath of the detonations. Substantial uncertainties related to the calculation of likely soot emissions, particularly concerning assumptions of target fuel loading and targeting of weapons, have been addressed by simulating several scenarios, with soot emissions ranging from 1 to 12 Tg. Their high absorptivity with respect to solar radiation leads to a rapid self-lofting of the soot particles into the strato- and mesosphere within a few days after emission, where they remain for several years. Consequently, the model suggests earth's surface temperatures to drop by several degrees Celsius due to the shielding of solar irradiance by the soot, indicating a major global cooling. In addition, there is a substantial reduction of precipitation lasting 5 to 10 yr after the conflict, depending on the magnitude of the initial soot release. Extreme cold spells associated with an increase in sea ice formation are found during Northern Hemisphere winter, which expose the continental land masses of North America and Eurasia to a

Development of the consumption behavior that promotes sustainable society: Focusing on recycling of small waste home appliances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ichinose, Takae

2015-04-01

Hiroshima University High School (HUHS) became the first UNESCO Associated School in Japan in 1953, and since then it has practiced ESD in various educational activities in all ranges of education. As a teacher of home economics, I have focused on consumer affairs and encouraged my students to consider what each of them can do as an individual consumer in order to create a sustainable society. In Japan, several acts related to consumer affairs have been enforced in recent years. "Act on Promotion of Consumer Education" was enforced in December 2012, and construction of the "Consumer Citizen Society" was proposed. It places emphasis not only on environmental concerns but also on the initiative of consumers and its influence on social and economic trends. In addition, "Act on Promotion of Recycling of Small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment" was enforced in April, 2013. It aims at protecting living environment and healthy development of the national economy by appropriate treatment of waste materials and effective use of resources. For my lessons on "food, clothing and shelter in relation to consumption behavior and environmental problems", I took up "the recycling of small waste home appliances" as the teaching materials to raise awareness on resources recycling. The purpose of the lessons is three-fold: (1) to make students aware of environmental load; (2) to deepen the understanding of the influence which excessive consumption has on developing countries; (3) to encourage the students to think positively toward the solution of the problems. I am currently practicing the lessons, and I have shown below the summary of the instruction. Lesson 1: Give a quiz based on the database on environmental label from Ministry of the Environment website. Then show a film on whereabouts of the hi-tech industrial waste (e-waste). After the film, show some everyday products for which mineral resources are used in order to impress the idea of "urban mine". Lesson 2: Show a

Impacts of Geoengineering and Nuclear War on Chinese Agriculture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, L.; Robock, A.

2011-12-01

Climate is one of the most important factors determining crop yields and world food supplies. To be well prepared for possible futures, it is necessary to study yield changes of major crops under different climate scenarios. Here we consider two situations: stratospheric sulfate geoengineering and nuclear war. Although we certainly do not advocate either scenario, we cannot exclude the possibilities: if global warming is getting worse, we might have to deliberately manipulate global temperature; if nuclear weapons still exist, we might face a nuclear war catastrophe. Since in both scenarios there would be reductions of temperature, precipitation, and insolation, which are three controlling factors on crop growth, it is important to study food supply changes under the two cases. We conducted our simulations for China, because it has the highest population and crop production in the world and it is under the strong influence of the summer monsoon, which would be altered in geoengineering and nuclear war scenarios. To examine the effects of climate changes induced by geoengineering and nuclear war on Chinese agriculture, we use the DSSAT crop model. We first evaluate the model by forcing it with daily weather data and management practices for the period 1978-2008 for all the provinces in China, and compare the results to observations of the yields of major crops in China (middle season rice, winter wheat, and maize). Then we perturbed observed weather data using climate anomalies for geoengineering and nuclear war simulations using NASA GISS ModelE. For stratospheric geoengineering, we consider the injection of 5 Tg SO2 per year into the tropical lower stratosphere. For the nuclear war scenario, we consider the effects of 5 Tg of soot that could be injected into the upper troposphere by a war between India and Pakistan using only 100 Hiroshima-size atomic bombs dropped on cities. We perturbed each year of the 31-year climate record with anomalies from each year of

Radiation in the workplace-a review of studies of the risks of occupational exposure to ionising radiation.

PubMed

Wakeford, Richard

2009-06-01

Many individuals are, or have been, exposed to ionising radiation in the course of their work and the epidemiological study of occupationally irradiated groups offers an important opportunity to complement the estimates of risks to health resulting from exposure to radiation that are obtained from other populations, such as the Japanese survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Moreover, workplace exposure to radiation usually involves irradiation conditions that are of direct relevance to the principal concern of radiological protection: protracted exposure to low level radiation. Further, some workers have been exposed to radioactive material that has been inadvertently taken into the body, and the study of these groups leads to risk estimates derived directly from the experience of those irradiated by these 'internal emitters', intakes of alpha-particle-emitters being of particular interest. Workforces that have been the subject of epidemiological study include medical staff, aircrews, radium dial luminisers, underground hard-rock miners, Chernobyl clean-up workers, nuclear weapons test participants and nuclear industry workers. The first solid epidemiological evidence of the stochastic effects of irradiation came from a study of occupational exposure to medical x-rays that was reported in 1944, which demonstrated a large excess risk of leukaemia among US radiologists; but the general lack of dose records for early medical staff who tended to experience the highest exposures hampers the derivation of risks per unit dose received by medical workers. The instrument dial luminisers who inadvertently ingested large amounts of radium-based paint and underground hard-rock miners who inhaled large quantities of radon and its decay products suffered markedly raised excess risks of, respectively, bone and lung cancers; the miner studies have provided standard risk estimates for radon-induced lung cancer. The large numbers of nuclear industry

PREFACE: 3rd International Workshop on Materials Analysis and Processing in Magnetic Fields (MAP3)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakka, Yoshio; Hirota, Noriyuki; Horii, Shigeru; Ando, Tsutomu

2009-07-01

the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. All articles have been refereed by experts in the field. Both of these journals are fully accessible electronically and can be cited and referenced in the usual way. It is our hope that the reader will enjoy and profit from the MAP3 Proceedings. Hitoshi Wada (Kashiwa, Japan) Chair Eric Beaugon (Grenoble, France) Hans J Schneider-Muntau (Tallahassee, USA) Co-chair Advisory Board Shigeo Asai (Nagoya, Japan) Koichi Kitazawa (Tokyo, Japan) Mitsuhiro Motokawa (Sendai, Japan) Shoogo Ueno (Fukuoka, Japan) Robert Tournier (Grenoble, France) Justin Schwartz (Tallahassee, USA) J C Maan (Nijmegen, Netherland) Scientific Committee Yoshifumi Tanimoto (Hiroshima, Japan) Masuhiro Yamaguchi (Yokohama, Japan) Tsunehisa Kimura (Kyoto, Japan) Yoshio Sakka (Tsukuba Japan) Ryoichi Aogaki (Tokyo, Japan) Jyunji Miyakoshi (Hirosaki, Japan) Kazuo Watanabe (Sendai, Japan) James M Valles Jr. (Providence, USA) Joon Pyo Park (Pohang, Korea) Qiang Wang (Shenyang, China) Nicole Pamme (Hull, UK) Sophie Rivoirard (Grenoble, France) P C M Christianen (Nijmegen, Netherland) Local Organizing Committee Isao Yamamoto Masafumi Yamato Shigeru Horii Norihito Sogoshi Masateru Ikehata Noriyuki Hirota Tsutomu Ando Proceedings Editorial Board Yoshio Sakka Noriyuki Hirota Shigeru Horii Tsutomu Ando Conference photograph

Initiation and runaway process of Tsaoling landslide, triggered by the 1999 Taiwan Chi-Chi earthquake, as studied by high-velocity friction experiments (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Togo, T.; Shimamoto, T.; Dong, J.; Lee, C.

2013-12-01

disaggregation, in order to prevent the complete mixing of broken-up pieces that would have given no chance for survival. This work partly justifies our experimental approach for understanding the Tsaoling landslide. We performed a series of oscillatory slip experiments on the crushed siltstone gouge at a normal stress of 3 MPa that corresponds to the overburden pressure at the base of about 150-meter thick landslide mass, using a rotary-shear low to high-velocity friction apparatus at Hiroshima University. The slip rate was increased linearly to the maximum velocity of 0.33-1.3 m/s and was decreased linearly to zero with oscillation frequencies ranging 0.3-1.2 Hz. Results indicate that the accelerating and decelerating motions cause weakening and strengthening, respectively, at each oscillation cycle and that the gouge undergoes overall weakening with the repeated oscillation cycles. The overall weakening of the gouge depends on the maximum velocity, but not on the oscillation frequency. When the maximum velocity is 1.0 and 1.3 m/s, the friction coefficient decreases from about 0.8 to below 0.25 (or friction angle of 14 degree) after a few to several oscillations to initiate a runaway sliding of the landslide mass and the friction coefficient reduces to 0.1-0.2. Our results are consistent with the delayed onset and the high speed of the Tsaoling landslide. Our experiments will provide a way of evaluating the potential danger for earthquake-induced catastrophic landslides.

Impacts on Chinese Agriculture of Geoengineering and Smoke from Fires Ignited by Nuclear War

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, L.; Robock, A.

2013-12-01

troposphere by a war between India and Pakistan using only 100 Hiroshima-size atomic bombs dropped on cities. We used results from three climate models that did the same simulation. For the geoengineering scenario, without changes of agricultural technology, the combined effect of climate changes due to geoengineering and CO2 fertilization would change rice production in China by -4.6×6.0 Mt (4.5×5.9%) as compared with 1pctCO2 and would increase Chinese maize production by 20.9×6.9 Mt (14.8×4.9%) the period 46-50 years after the CO2 increase and compensating insolation reduction began. The CO2 fertilization effect compensates for the deleterious impacts of climate changes due to geoengineering on rice production, increasing rice production by 8.2 Mt and the elevated CO2 concentration enhances maize production in G2, contributing 35.5% to the total increase. While agricultural impacts may not be a serious problem for geoengineering, there are many other potential risks that need to be evaluated before geoengineering should be considered. Climate changes due to nuclear war would decrease Chinese rice production by 20×4.7%, maize production by 15×6.2% and winter wheat production by 35×19.3% for a five-year period after the soot injection, producing a major world food security crisis.

FOREWORD: Focus on Magneto-Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanimoto, Yoshifumi; Beaugnon, Eric; Kimura, Tsunehisa; Ozeki, Sumio

2008-06-01

, diamagnetic materials such as water and wood can be levitated by applying vertical magnetic fields: magnetic levitation. These phenomena are interpreted in terms of magnetic force. Although the effect of a magnetic force has been well investigated both theoretically and experimentally, before these reports it was difficult to imagine that water could be separated or levitated using magnetic fields, simply because the magnetic force generated by a tabletop electromagnet is not strong enough to demonstrate these phenomena clearly. The magnetic phenomena occurring under a 10 T field markedly differ from those under a 1 T field: strong magnetic fields of approximately 10 T present researchers with a new interdisciplinary field of science, encompassing physics, chemistry and biology, which will also be useful for technological development. Taking these benefits into account, we adopted the term 'magneto-science' (basic and applied), to refer to the investigation of magnetic field effects (MFEs) on physical, chemical and biological phenomena in order to differentiate this new interdisciplinary field from traditional ones. In consideration of the important role of magneto-science in the 21st century, this focus issue contains 16 articles selected from the International Conference on Magneto-Science (ICMS2007), which was held in Hiroshima, Japan in November 2007. The selected papers describe various studies of MFEs (≤ 16 T) in hard, soft and biological materials. Topics such as the magnetic processing of alloys or hard materials, spin chemistry and spin dynamics, magneto-electrochemistry, the magnetic processing of soft materials, the applications of magnetic fields to analysis, and magneto-biology are addressed to delineate the frontiers of magneto-science. We hope that this focus issue will help readers to understand several aspects of the frontiers of magneto-science.

Industrial Health—Meeting the Challenge*

PubMed Central

Meiklejohn, A.

1959-01-01

are recognized as the growing points of the challenge to health by the Industrial Revolution. The means whereby the challenge was met are discussed. Towards the end of the nineteenth century scientists increasingly concentrated their studies on the elements. This culminated in the isolation of the atom. During the last 10 years atomic power has become a reality and the foundation of the second Industrial Revolution. While the potential hazards of ionizing radiations had long been known and proved at Hiroshima, the inherent dangers for the general population only became impressed on the public mind by a breakdown at the Windscale No. 1 plutonium pile on October 10, 1957. Radio-active iodine escaped, contaminating the atmosphere as far afield as western Europe. A committee under the chairmanship of Sir Alexander Fleck was appointed to investigate the cause of the accident and its consequences and to make recommendations. The report, which laid special emphasis on safety and health, was published early in 1958. So by analogy, Windscale, Fleck, and atomic power are identified as the growing points of the challenge of the Second Industrial Revolution. How this challenge is to be met by doctors is discussed. It is submitted that the urgent need is to formulate now a basic philosophy for future development of industrial medicine. Continuation of the old order will not suffice: ideas must again become revolutionary. The responsibility for leadership rests on the Industrial Health Advisory Committee established in 1955 under the chairmanship of the Minister of Labour and National Service. PMID:13618514

Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar Recent Advances @ the ELEDIA Research Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salucci, Marco; Tenuti, Lorenza; Nardin, Cristina; Oliveri, Giacomo; Viani, Federico; Rocca, Paolo; Massa, Andrea

2014-05-01

-set-based optimization have been developed for the qualitative reconstruction of multiple and disconnected homogeneous scatterers [5]. Finally, the real-time detection and classification of subsurface scatterers has been investigated by means of learning-by-examples (LBE) techniques, such as Support Vector Machines (SVM) [6]. Acknowledgment - This work was partially supported by COST Action TU1208 'Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar' References [1] M. Salucci, D. Sartori, N. Anselmi, A. Randazzo, G. Oliveri, and A. Massa, 'Imaging Buried Objects within the Second-Order Born Approximation through a Multiresolution Regularized Inexact-Newton Method', 2013 International Symposium on Electromagnetic Theory (EMTS), (Hiroshima, Japan), May 20-24 2013 (invited). [2] A. Giannopoulos, 'Modelling ground penetrating radar by GprMax', Construct. Build. Mater., vol. 19, no. 10, pp.755 -762 2005 [3] L. Poli, G. Oliveri, P. Rocca, and A. Massa, "Bayesian compressive sensing approaches for the reconstruction of two-dimensional sparse scatterers under TE illumination," IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sensing, vol. 51, no. 5, pp. 2920-2936, May. 2013. [4] L. Poli, G. Oliveri, and A. Massa, "Imaging sparse metallic cylinders through a Local Shape Function Bayesian Compressive Sensing approach," Journal of Optical Society of America A, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 1261-1272, 2013. [5] M. Benedetti, D. Lesselier, M. Lambert, and A. Massa, "Multiple shapes reconstruction by means of multi-region level sets," IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sensing, vol. 48, no. 5, pp. 2330-2342, May 2010. [6] L. Lizzi, F. Viani, P. Rocca, G. Oliveri, M. Benedetti and A. Massa, "Three-dimensional real-time localization of subsurface objects - From theory to experimental validation," 2009 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, vol. 2, pp. II-121-II-124, 12-17 July 2009.

Cancer and non-cancer effects in Japanese atomic bomb survivors.

PubMed

Little, M P

2009-06-01

The survivors of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are a general population of all ages and sexes and, because of the wide and well characterised range of doses received, have been used by many scientific committees (International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiations (BEIR)) as the basis of population cancer risk estimates following radiation exposure. Leukaemia was the first cancer to be associated with atomic bomb radiation exposure, with preliminary indications of an excess among the survivors within the first five years after the bombings. An excess of solid cancers became apparent approximately ten years after radiation exposure. With increasing follow-up, excess risks of most cancer types have been observed, the major exceptions being chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, and pancreatic, prostate and uterine cancer. For most solid cancer sites a linear dose response is observed, although in the latest follow-up of the mortality data there is evidence (p = 0.10) for an upward curvature in the dose response for all solid cancers. The only cancer sites which exhibit (upward) curvature in the dose response are leukaemia, and non-melanoma skin and bone cancer. For leukaemia the dose response is very markedly upward curving, indeed largely describable as a pure quadratic dose response, particularly in the low dose (0-2 Sv) range. Even 55 years after the bombings over 40% of the Life Span Study cohort remain alive, so continued follow-up of this group is vital for completing our understanding of long-term radiation effects in people. In general, the relative risks per unit dose among the Japanese atomic bomb survivors are greater than those among comparable subsets in studies of medically exposed individuals. Cell sterilisation largely accounts for the discrepancy in relative risks between these two populations, although other

Communicating Certainty About Nuclear Winter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robock, A.

2013-12-01

I have been spending much of my time in the past several years trying to warn the world about the continuing danger of nuclear weapons, and that the solution is a rapid reduction in the nuclear arsenal. I feel that a scientist who discovers dangers to society has an ethical duty to issue a warning, even if the danger is so scary that it is hard for people to deal with. The debate about nuclear winter in the 1980s helped to end the nuclear arms race, but the planet still has enough nuclear weapons, even after reductions planned for 2017 under the New START treaty, to produce nuclear winter, with temperatures plunging below freezing in the summer in major agricultural regions, threatening the food supply for most of the planet. New research by myself, Brian Toon, Mike Mills, and colleagues over the past six years has found that a nuclear war between any two countries, such as India and Pakistan, using 50 atom bombs each of the size dropped on Hiroshima could produce climate change unprecedented in recorded human history, and a world food crisis because of the agricultural effects. This is much less than 1% of the current global arsenal. Communicating certainty - what we know for sure - has been much more effective than communicating uncertainty. The limited success I have had has come from persistence and serendipity. The first step was to do the science. We have published peer-reviewed articles in major journals, including Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Geophysical Research, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Physics Today, and Climatic Change. But policymakers do not read these journals. Through fairly convoluted circumstances, which will be described in this talk, we were able to get papers published in Scientific American and the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. I have also published several encyclopedia articles on the subject. As a Lead Author of Chapter 8 (Radiative Forcing) of the recently published Fifth Assessment

GPR Technologies and Methodologies in Italy: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetto, Andrea; Frezza, Fabrizio; Manacorda, Guido; Massa, Andrea; Pajewski, Lara

2014-05-01

. Frezza, P. Nocito, L. Porrini, L. Pajewski, G. Schettini e C. Twizere, 'FDTD Simulation of GPR Measurements in a Laboratory Sandbox for Landmine Detection', Proc. IWAGPR 2009, Granada, Spagna, 27-29 maggio 2009, pp. 45-49. [2] M. Balsi, S. Esposito, F. Frezza, P. Nocito, P. M. Barone, S. E. Lauro, E. Mattei, E. Pettinelli, G. Schettini e C. Twizere, 'GPR Measurements and FDTD Simulations for Landmine Detection', Proc. XIII International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, 21-25 giugno 2010, Lecce, pp. 865-869. [3] M. Balsi, P. M. Barone, S. Esposito, F. Frezza, S. E. Lauro, P. Nocito, E. Pettinelli, G. Schettini e C. Twizere, 'FDTD Simulations and GPR Measurements for Land Mine Detection in a Controlled Environment', Atti XVIII Riunione Nazionale di Elettromagnetismo, Benevento, 6-10 settembre 2010, pp. 59-65. [4] M. Salucci, D. Sartori, N. Anselmi, A. Randazzo, G. Oliveri, and A. Massa, 'Imaging buried objects within the second-order born approximation through a multiresolution regularized Inexact-Newton method', 2013 International Symposium on Electromagnetic Theory (EMTS), (Hiroshima, Japan), May 20-24 2013. [5] L. Lizzi, F. Viani, P. Rocca, G. Oliveri, M. Benedetti and A. Massa, 'Three-dimensional real-time localization of subsurface objects - From theory to experimental validation,' 2009 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, vol. 2, pp. II-121-II-124, 12-17 July 2009. [6] S. Meschino, L. Pajewski, M. Pastorino, A. Randazzo, and G. Schettini, 'Detection of Subsurface Metallic Utilities by Means of a SAP Technique: Comparing MUSIC- and SVM-Based Approaches', J. Appl. Geophy., vol. 97, pp. 60-68, Oct. 2013. [7] M. Pastorino, and A. Randazzo, 'Buried object detection by an Inexact-Newton applied to nonlinear inverse scattering', Int. J. of Microwave Sci. Technol., vol. 2012, Article ID 637301, 7 pages, 2012. [8] F. Soldovieri and L. Crocco, "Electromagnetic Tomography", in Subsurface Sensing, A. S. Turk, K. A. Hocaoglu, A. A. Vertiy ed., Wiley

PKS 1502+106: A new and distant gamma-ray blazar in outburst discovered by the Fermi Large Area Telescope

DOE PAGES

Abdo, A. A.

2010-01-22

The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope discovered a rapid (~5 days duration), high-energy (E > 100 MeV) gamma-ray outburst from a source identified with the blazar PKS 1502+106 (OR 103, S3 1502+10, z = 1.839) starting on 2008 August 5 (~23 UTC, MJD 54683.95), and followed by bright and variable flux over the next few months. Our results on the gamma-ray localization and identification, as well as spectral and temporal behavior during the first months of the Fermi all-sky survey, are reported here in conjunction with a multiwaveband characterization as a result of onemore » of the first Fermi multifrequency campaigns. The campaign included a Swift ToO (followed up by a 16 day observation on August 7-22, MJD 54685-54700), VLBA (within the MOJAVE program), Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) 40 m, Effelsberg-100 m, Metsähovi-14 m, RATAN-600, and Kanata-Hiroshima radio/optical observations. Results from the analysis of archival observations by INTEGRAL, XMM-Newton, and Spitzer space telescopes are reported for a more complete picture of this new gamma-ray blazar. PKS 1502+106 is a sub-GeV peaked, powerful flat spectrum radio quasar (luminosity at E > 100 MeV, L γ, is about 1.1 × 10 49 erg s –1, and black hole mass likely close to 10 9 M ⊙), exhibiting marked gamma-ray bolometric dominance, in particular during the asymmetric outburst (L γ/L opt ~ 100, and 5 day averaged flux F E > 100 MeV = 2.91 ± 1.4 × 10 –6 ph cm –2 s –1), which was characterized by a factor greater than 3 of flux increase in less than 12 hr. The outburst was observed simultaneously from optical to X-ray bands (F 0.3 – 10 keV = 2.18 +0.15 –0.12 × 10 –12 erg cm –2 s –1, and hard photon index ~1.5, similar to past values) with a flux increase of less than 1 order of magnitude with respect to past observations, and was likely controlled by Comptonization of external-jet photons produced in the broad-line region (BLR) in the gamma

PREFACE: Selected contributions from the 3rd Theory Meets Industry International Workshop, TMI2009 (Nagoya, Japan, 11-13 November 2009) Selected contributions from the 3rd Theory Meets Industry International Workshop, TMI2009 (Nagoya, Japan, 11-13 November 2009)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Isao; Hafner, Jürgen; Wimmer, Erich; Asahi, Ryoji

2010-09-01

. Lectures and poster presentations were thus solicited from leading international academic and industrial researchers. The large audience that attended responded to the high quality of the talks with pertinent questions and lively discussions. The third workshop, TMI2009, was held over three days from 11-13 November, 2009, at the Nagoya International Center, Nagoya, Japan. Invited talks were given by 23 speakers from 9 countries from both the academic and industry sectors. The speakers were Ryoji Asahi (Toyota Central R&D Labs, Japan), Tomas Bucko (University of Vienna, Austria), Gábor Csányi (University of Cambridge, UK), Alessandro De Vita (King's College London, UK), Bernard Delley (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland), Christophe Domain (EDF, France), George Fitzgerald (Accelrys, USA), Takeo Fujiwara (University of Tokyo, Japan), Jürgen Hafner (University of Vienna, Austria), Masaya Ishida (Sumitomo Chemicals, Japan), Werner Janse Van Rensburg (Sasol Technology, South Africa), Masanori Kohyama (AIST, Japan), Takao Kotani (Tottori University, Japan), Georg Kresse (University of Vienna, Austria), Katsuyuki Matsunaga (Kyoto University, Japan), Stefan Müller (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany), Shin-ichiro Nakamura (Mitsubishi Chemicals, Japan), Fumiyasu Oba (Kyoto University, Japan), Tamio Oguchi (Hiroshima University, Japan), Pascal Raybaud (IFP, France), Isao Tanaka (Kyoto University/JFCC, Japan), Göran Wahnström (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden), and Erich Wimmer (Materials Design Inc., USA). There were 40 poster presentations in total. The workshop was attended by approximately 120 participants with approximately 50 per cent from industry. The invited talks covered advances in ab initio solid-state calculations and their practical use in industry. Presentations outlining the progress made in treating large and complex systems, as well as more accurate and efficient calculation methods, were given from the theory side. Examples of the use of ab

Milky Way's super-efficient particle accelerators caught in the act

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2009-06-01

/JAXA Department of High Energy Astrophysics, Kanagawa, Japan), S. Funk (Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford, USA), P. Ghavamian (Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, USA), K. J. van der Heyden (University of Cape Town, South Africa), and R. Yamazaki (Department of Physical Science, Hiroshima University, Japan). C.G. Bassa is also affiliated with the Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive astronomical observatory. It is supported by 14 countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory. ESO is the European partner of a revolutionary astronomical telescope ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. ESO is currently planning a 42-metre European Extremely Large optical/near-infrared Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".

What Risk? (edited by Roger Bate)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behrman, E. J.

1999-07-01

Jaworowski on ionizing radiation. First, the extrapolation of data on the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings involves dose rates on the order of 5000 mSv/year. For these dose rates, the effects are well established. The average natural dose rate (from the unperturbed environment) is about 2.4 mSv/year. Average additional levels resulting from the Chernobyl accident in Central Europe were about 0.01 mSv/year. So, are there measurable effects at these low dose rates? The linear extrapolation model says yes. But there is no evidence to support this model. Indeed, the author refers to a large body of literature (more than 1000 publications) which is said to show that not only are these low dose rates not harmful, but they are actually beneficial. Examples: people in houses with higher than average radon levels show a lower mortality from lung cancer. The number of birth defects in Hungary in the two years following Chernobyl was smaller than in the years preceding it. At low dose rates, the incidence of neoplasms in irradiated mice is lower than in nonirradiated controls. There are other examples. This literature should be critically examined. Then there is the question of cost. Funds are limited. Are we spending our money wisely? Ames and Gold give some numbers that suggest not. The average toxin control program costs 60 times more per life-year saved than an injury prevention program and 150 times more than a health care program. Chemical educators could do much for humanity by encouraging study of the material in this book.

[Tuberculosis care and new horizon of Japanese society].

PubMed

Ishikawa, Nobukatsu; Nagayama, Naohiro

2012-04-01

Current tuberculosis (TB) problems are reflections of Japanese society. Living or dying alone among the elderly, difficulty in finding jobs or withdrawal into themselves among the youths are features of modem society. The future needs for TB care were discussed on specific topics of TB among the elderly, foreigners and the homeless. Presenters showed the importance of the patient-centered care in collaboration with public health and welfare services. Both patients and staffs will see others shining, as they touch each other in the deep part of human existence. A diabetic ex-TB patient talked his experience in his treatment. His window of mind was gradually opened from inside with the continuous support in DOTS by the staff of the public health center. To accumulate these experiences of a heartwarming atmosphere will have the effective power on establishment of social supporting systems. This symposium can be a step towards humanized society or a new horizon of public health which can answer to another need of inner cry of a sick people particularly among the socially disadvantaged who are the victims of the weakness of society. 1. Current situation and issues of elderly tuberculosis patients: Eriko SHIGETO (NHO Higashihiroshima Medical Center). By the analysis of 102 tuberculosis patients of 70 years old and above who were registered at Hiroshima Prefectural Health Center in 2009, 41 patients had severe complications such as diabetes mellitus, renal insufficiency, malignancy or cerebrovascular disorder. Their prognosis was rather poor and the ADL tended to be worsened during hospitalization. Though 16 of the 34 deaths were caused with non-tuberculosis diseases, the ratio of the tuberculosis deaths was higher (4/17) among the patients living alone. Sufficient care of the elderly for early diagnosis, care system to treat various complications and patient support are required. 2. Provision of medical interpreters to help foreigners with tuberculosis in Tokyo: Takashi

Twenty five years of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine - progress and priorities for future of radiation medicine and biology.

PubMed

Bazyka, D

2017-12-01

safety include the aging of the material base of the NPPs with the prolongation of the working life for nuclear reactors with the expired terms of exploitation; the existence of a «nuclear legacy» sites of the former USSR in the territories of enterprises for the extrac tion and processing of uranium ores. About 5,000 institutions and enterprises use more than 25,000 sources of ionizing radiation in general. The use of radiological technologies and sources of ionizing radiation in medicine is increasing, in particular the burden on patients and staff in invasive cardiac sur gery. This will require significant efforts from the NRCRM to ensure an adequate radiation protec tion of the population, taking into account the experience collected during the mitigation of health effects of Chornobyl. Radiological threats of malev olent use of nuclear technology hasn't be forgotten.The mission of the NRCRM is to expand basic research of the health effects of ionizing radiation, elaboration and implementation of the care and radiation protection of population. Background for future is paved by a successful implementation of a special program of medical and biophysical control of personnel during transformation of the Shelter object into an environmentally safe sys tem, the State social program of increasing safty, labor hygiene and environment for 2014-2018; many years of successful cooperation with the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate, the Natio nal Commission for Radiation Protection, «Ener goatom» company, the relevant departments of the Ministry of Health, international organizations such as WHO, UNSCEAR, IAEA, IARC, the US National Cancer Institute, IRSN, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Fukushima universities and others.From the editorial board I congratulate the staff of the Center with the twenty fifth anniversary of the Academy. I would like also to wish the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine new ad vances in medical science and practice, sustainabil ity, unity

Overview of the epidemiology methods and applications: strengths and limitations of observational study designs.

PubMed

Colditz, Graham A

2010-01-01

's concerns regarding the timing of the preventive intervention in the disease process. The extent of DNA damage accumulated across the colonic mucosa at the time of detecting the "eligibility polyp" was certainly not limited only to the removed polyp. Rather, these observations beg the question that at what stage in the disease process may fiber play a role in protecting against colon cancer? This contrasts with the richness of epidemiologic studies that can address exposure over the life course and relate such exposure to disease risk. Perhaps the best-known example is the radiation follow-up effects cohort in Japan in which a radiation dose was estimated for each woman who had been exposed to the effects of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and followed-up over 40 years. The results of this study showed a clear and strong relationship between the increased risk of breast cancer with higher exposure among those participants who were exposed before the age of 20 years (Land et al., 2003). Retrospective assessment of diet after disease diagnosis has been demonstrated to introduce bias into the evaluation of exposure-disease relationships. For example, Giovannucci et al. (1993) evaluated retrospective recall of diet after breast cancer diagnosis within the ongoing Nurses' Health Study. In contrast with the prospective analysis in which no relationship between dietary fat and breast cancer was observed, the retrospective analysis yielded a positive relationship for total fat and saturated fat (Giovannucci et al., 1993). By comparing the top quintile versus the bottom quintile of reported intake, the retrospective assessment yielded odds ratios of 1.43 for total fat and 1.38 for saturated fat. Therefore, the magnitude of bias was sufficient to distort evaluation of the diet-disease relationship. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Obituary: Philip Morrison, 1915-2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trimble, Virginia

2005-12-01

-e.g., an abstract-paper pair with Dancoff on internal conversion coefficients, and another pair with Cooper on internal scattering of gamma rays. An isolated 1939 abstract dealt with the zero-point fluctuations of the electromagnetic field and reads as if he might have been sneaking up on the Casimir effect. His first astrophysics paper, on electron capture in the interior of white dwarfs, came in 1941. At Los Alamos, Morrison and Marshall Holloway were largely responsible for the final readiness and assembly of the plutonium bombs. He escorted the first "Fat Man" core out to the Trinity test site and observed the explosion from a distance at which the most overwhelming feature was the heat. Morrison was on Tinian in the South Pacific to help assemble the Nagasaki bomb and was part of the group of US physicists who first flew over and then visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki a month later. His formal and informal reports make clear that the damage was overwhelming, that he found it a devastating experience, and that his easily-recognizable writing style was already in place. From then onward, Morrison was in the vanguard of the "no third bomb" movement. Indeed he had been the leader of a group of young Los Alamos physicists who favored a public demonstration of the bomb prior to any use in Japan. Oppenheimer firmly discouraged them. After WWII, Morrison became a founder of the Federation of American Scientists (chair 1973-76) and of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, both entities strongly opposed to nuclear war and indeed war in general. Morrison's post-war careers in science, education, and much else took place first at Cornell University (1946-65), which firmly supported him against an ouster effort during the McCarthy era, and later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1965 to official retirement in 1986). The switch was associated with the break-up of his first (1938) marriage to Emily Kramer, and remarriage in 1964 to Phylis Singer, who predeceased him in