Sample records for takafumi kanazawa hideki

  1. Evolutionary Psychology and Intelligence Research Cannot Be Integrated the Way Kanazawa (2010) Suggested

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Penke, Lars; Borsboom, Denny; Johnson, Wendy; Kievit, Rogier A.; Ploeger, Annemie; Wicherts, Jelte M.

    2011-01-01

    This article shares the authors' comments on a record by Kanazawa. Evolutionary psychologists search for human universals, differential psychologists for variation around common human themes. So far, evolutionary psychology and differential psychology seem somewhat disparate and unconnected, although Kanazawa is certainly not the first to attempt…

  2. Genetic Analyses of an H3N8 Influenza Virus Isolate, Causative Strain of the Outbreak of Equine Influenza at the Kanazawa Racecourse in Japan in 2007.

    PubMed

    Ito, Mika; Nagai, Makoto; Hayakawa, Yuji; Komae, Hirofumi; Murakami, Naruto; Yotsuya, Syouichi; Asakura, Shingo; Sakoda, Yoshihiro; Kida, Hiroshi

    2008-09-01

    In August 2007, an outbreak of equine influenza occurred among vaccinated racehorses with Japanese commercial equine influenza vaccine at Kanazawa Racecourse in Ishikawa prefecture in Japan. Apparent symptoms were pyrexia (38.2-41.0 degrees C) and nasal discharge with or without coughing, although approximately half of the infected horses were subclinical. All horses had been shot with a vaccine that contained two inactivated H3N8 influenza virus strains [A/equine/La Plata/93 (La Plata/93) of American lineage and A/equine/Avesta/93 (Avesta/93) of European lineage] and an H7N7 strain (A/equine/Newmarket/1/77). Influenza virus, A/equine/Kanazawa/1/2007 (H3N8) (Kanazawa/07), was isolated from one of the nasal swab samples of diseased horses. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Kanazawa/07 was classified into the American sublineage Florida. In addition, four amino acid substitutions were found in the antigenic sites B and E in the HA1 subunit protein of Kanazawa/07 in comparison with that of La Plata/93. Hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test using 16 serum samples from recovering horses revealed that 1.4- to 8-fold difference in titers between Kanazawa/07 and either of the vaccine strains. The present findings suggest that Japanese commercial inactivated vaccine contributed to reducing the morbidity rate and manifestation of the clinical signs of horses infected with Kanazawa/07 that may be antigenically different from the vaccine strains.

  3. The Yumekobo Project Education at Kanazawa Institute of Technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Demura, Kosei; Tani, Masashi; Hattori, Yoichi

    Yumekobo, which can be translated as “Factory for Dreams and Ideas” , has been attracting the attention of reform-minded educators in Japanese universities. The major function of Yumekobo is to support a student project called the Yumekobo project. It resembles an extra-curricular club activity as at other universities; however, the Yumekobo project is not only an extra-curricular activity but also a symbol of the educational philosophy of Kanazawa Institute of Technology. Students in the Yumekobo project are encouraged to develop a good character, which includes independence, creativity, morality, cooperation, and internationalism. In this paper, an overview of the Yumekobo project is given, and its characteristics are described. Further, its educational effects are discussed based on an analysis of student questionnaires conducted from 2002 to 2005.

  4. First Year Experiences in School of Mechanical Engineering Kanazawa University

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kinari, Toshiyasu; Kanjin, Yuichi; Furuhata, Toru; Tada, Yukio

    This paper reports two lectures of the first year experience, ‧Lecture on Life in Campus and Society‧ and ‧Freshman Seminar‧ and discusses their effects. Both lectures have been given freshmen of the school of mechanical engineering, Kanazawa University in H20 spring term. The former lecture is aimed at freshmen to keep on a proper way in both social and college life. It consists of normal class and e-learning system lectures. E-learning system examination requires students to review the whole text book and that seems to have brought better results in the survey. The latter seminar is aimed at freshmen to get active and self-disciplined learning way through their investigation, discussion, presentation, writing work, and so on.

  5. Pharmacological evaluation for improvement of Kanazawa Sutra, medicinal thread for anal fistula.

    PubMed

    Yokogawa, Takami; Sasaki, Yohei; Ando, Hirokazu; Yamamoto, Katsuya; Mikage, Masayuki

    2017-04-01

    Kanazawa Sutra (KanS) is a medicinal thread that is used for the treatment of anal fistula. It is used as a substitute for Kshara Sutra (KS) which is used in Ayurvedic medicine. KanS is composed of Ficus carica latex (FCL), Capsicum annuum tincture (CAT), Achyranthes fauriei Kshara (which is processed ash from the whole plant) and powdered Curcuma longa rhizome (CLR). In this study, we evaluated the ingredients of KanS by measuring nitric oxide (NO) production in murine macrophage-like cell line J774.1 as well as examining cytotoxicity to rat skeletal muscle myoblasts (L6) and L6 differentiation, with a view to improving its pharmacological effect. We focused on Mallotus japonicus bark (MJB), which is described in the Japanese Pharmacopeia and belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. Its biological activities were evaluated in a similar manner to the evaluation of KanS ingredients. We found that MJB extracts showed similar biological activity to Euphorbia neriifolia latex (ENL), an ingredient of KS. We conclude that the NO inhibitory activity of KanS is mainly due to CLR, and its cytotoxicity to L6 and inhibitory activity on L6 differentiation are mainly due to CLR and FCL. As CAT has no characteristic activity, the biological activity and the anal fistula treatment ability of KanS would be improved by substituting MJB for CAT.

  6. [Parasitologic significance of the alteration of the causative Anisakidae worm and of the Pseudoterranova decipiens female immature adult worm, casting off the cuticles, and excreted from human in Kanazawa City].

    PubMed

    Ishikura, H; Kikuchi, K; Akao, N; Doutei, M; Yagi, K; Takahashi, S; Sato, N

    1995-09-01

    We have been studying Anisakidae larvae, their intermediate hosts and their final hosts in the northern Japan Sea area. These larvae cause anisakidosis. According to the investigation, the recent burst of pseudoterranovosis in this area can be attributed to the increased presence of sea lions, which proliferate in the Arctic region, then migrate to the northern Japan Sea and eat the intermediate host fish. In a stomach of a male sea lion that was captured in February 1995, we found more than 4,500 Pseudoterranova decipiens. Although there is no known circumstance in which a human would consume an adult worm of Anisakis nematode, an astonishing case of this was found in Kanazawa; a female young adult Pseudoterranova decipiens undergoing the final metamorphosis was emitted from a patient. This indicates that the Anisakis larva can mature into the adult worm in humans. It is postulated that the Pseudoterranova decipiens larva is in the process of adapting to use humans as the final host.

  7. Exacerbation of daily cough and allergic symptoms in adult patients with chronic cough by Asian dust: A hospital-based study in Kanazawa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Higashi, Tomomi; Kambayashi, Yasuhiro; Ohkura, Noriyuki; Fujimura, Masaki; Nakanishi, Sayaka; Yoshizaki, Tomokazu; Saijoh, Kiyofumi; Hayakawa, Kazuichi; Kobayashi, Fumihisa; Michigami, Yoshimasa; Hitomi, Yoshiaki; Nakamura, Hiroyuki

    2014-11-01

    The health effects associated with Asian dust have attracted attention due to the rapid increase in the number of Asian dust events in East Asia in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between Asian dust and daily cough, as well as allergic symptoms, in adult patients who suffer from chronic cough. We enrolled 86 adult patients from Kanazawa University Hospital, Japan, who were diagnosed with asthma, cough variant asthma, atopic cough or a combination of these conditions. From January to June 2011, subjects recorded their symptoms in a diary every day. Asian dust and non-Asian dust periods were defined according to the dust extinction coefficient, measured using the light detection and ranging (LIDAR). The daily levels of total suspended particulates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and coexisting factors related to allergies, such as the Japanese cedar pollen count, were measured. McNemar's test showed that there were significantly more cough-positive patients during Asian dust periods than during the non-Asian dust period (p = 0.022). In addition, during Asian dust periods when the daily levels of Japanese cedar pollen, Japanese cypress pollen and PAHs were elevated, there were significantly more patients who experienced itchy eyes than during the non-Asian dust period (p < 0.05). On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the allergic symptoms, including sneezing or a runny nose and nasal congestion. This is the first report to show that Asian dust triggers cough and allergic symptoms in adult patients with chronic cough.

  8. Global simulation of canopy scale sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence with a 3 dimensional radiative transfer model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kobayashi, H.; Yang, W.; Ichii, K.

    2015-12-01

    Global simulation of canopy scale sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence with a 3 dimensional radiative transfer modelHideki Kobayashi, Wei Yang, and Kazuhito IchiiDepartment of Environmental Geochemical Cycle Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology3173-25, Showa-machi, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan.Plant canopy scale sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) can be observed from satellites, such as Greenhouse gases Observation Satellite (GOSAT), Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), and Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2), using Fraunhofer lines in the near infrared spectral domain [1]. SIF is used to infer photosynthetic capacity of plant canopy [2]. However, it is not well understoond how the leaf-level SIF emission contributes to the top of canopy directional SIF because SIFs observed by the satellites use the near infrared spectral domain where the multiple scatterings among leaves are not negligible. It is necessary to quantify the fraction of emission for each satellite observation angle. Absorbed photosynthetically active radiation of sunlit leaves are 100 times higher than that of shaded leaves. Thus, contribution of sunlit and shaded leaves to canopy scale directional SIF emission should also be quantified. Here, we show the results of global simulation of SIF using a 3 dimensional radiative transfer simulation with MODIS atmospheric (aerosol optical thickness) and land (land cover and leaf area index) products and a forest landscape data sets prepared for each land cover category. The results are compared with satellite-based SIF (e.g. GOME-2) and the gross primary production empirically estimated by FLUXNET and remote sensing data.

  9. Off-Axis Ratcheting Behavior of Unidirectional Carbon/Epoxy Laminate under Asymmetric Cyclic Loading at High Temperature

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-11-01

    ply unidirectional carbon/epoxy laminates [0]12 were fabricated from the prepreg tape of P3252-20 (TORAY). They were laid up by hand and cured in...Off-Axis Ratcheting Behavior of Unidirectional Carbon/Epoxy Laminate under Asymmetric Cyclic Loading at High Temperature Takafumi Suzuki 1 and...Development of an engineering model for predicting the off-axis ratcheting behavior of a unidirectional CFRP laminate has been attempted. For this purpose

  10. The Evaluation of Novel Bioactive Ingredients for Combat Ration Intermediate Moisture (IM) Products to Assure the Microbiological Safety

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-10-01

    bacterial inactivation ( Hiraki , 2000 and Hiraki et al., 2003). The exact mechanism of action is not well understood. Purasal®P is a combination of...coli O157:H7, Slamonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes Journal of Food Science 70: M404-M408. Hiraki J. 2000. ε-polylysine; its...development and utilization. Fine Chem 29: 18-25. Hiraki J., Takafumi I., Ninomiya S., Seki H., Uohama K., Seki H., Kimura S., Yangimoto Y. and Barnett J

  11. Identification and Targeting of Tyrosine Kinase Activity in Prostate Cancer Initiation, Progression, and Metastasis

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-12-01

    University) "Effectors of the DNA damage and radiotherapy response in cancer" 9:20 pm - 9:30 pm Discussion TUESDAY 7:30 am - 8:30 am Breakfast 9:00...M. Morris , Hideki Onagi, Timothy M. Altamore, Allan B. Gamble, Christopher J. Easton Prohormone-substrate peptide sequence recognition by

  12. Literacy not intelligence moderates the relationships between economic development, income inequality and health.

    PubMed

    Marks, David F

    2007-05-01

    Kanazawa (2006) presented data allegedly supporting a racist version of evolutionary psychology that claims that the populations of wealthier and more egalitarian societies live longer and stay healthier, not because they are wealthier and more egalitarian, but because they are more intelligent. The objectives of this study are: (i) to determine the relationship between IQ and literacy in Kanazawa's sample of countries and (ii) to reanalyse Kanazawa's dataset using measures of literacy in lieu of national IQ test scores. Correlation and regression were employed. National literacy scores across the countries in the sample are highly skewed. In spite of this, the literacy measures are highly correlated with alleged differences in national IQ (r = .83-.86). The measure of literacy together with economic development (GDPpc) and income inequality (Gini coefficient) control at least 59-64% of the variance in national life expectancy at birth. There is no scientific justification for believing that alleged intelligence differences play any role in explaining international differences in health status. Measures of alleged national IQ scores are highly confounded with differences in literacy. Literacy is a key factor in the health of any community and policies designed to enhance the literacy of a population are expected to lead to significant improvements in health status.

  13. Atmospheric chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in East Asia.

    PubMed

    Kakimoto, Kensaku; Nagayoshi, Haruna; Konishi, Yoshimasa; Kajimura, Keiji; Ohura, Takeshi; Hayakawa, Kazuichi; Toriba, Akira

    2014-09-01

    This study estimates atmospheric concentrations of chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ClPAHs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in East Asia using a Gas Chromatograph with High Resolution Mass Spectrometer (GC-HRMS). ClPAHs are ubiquitously generated from PAHs through substitution, and some ClPAHs show higher aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated activities than their parent PAHs. Atmospheric particles were collected using a high-volume air sampler equipped with a quartz-fiber filter. We determined the ClPAH concentrations of atmospheric particles collected in Japan (Sapporo, Sagamihara, Kanazawa, and Kitakyushu), Korea (Busan), and China (Beijing). The concentrations of ClPAHs were highest in the winter Beijing sample, where the total mean concentration was approximately 15-70 times higher than in the winter samples from Japan and Korea. The concentrations of Σ19ClPAHs and Σ9PAHs were significantly correlated in the Kanazawa and the Busan samples. This indicates that within those cities ClPAHs and PAHs share the same origin, implying direct chlorination of parent PAHs. Toxic equivalent concentrations (TEQs) of the total ClPAHs and PAHs were lowest in Kanazawa in the summer, reaching 1.18 and 2610fg-TEQm(-3) respectively, and highest in Beijing in the winter, reaching 627 and 4240000fg-TEQm(-3) respectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Thermal Modeling of Millimeter Wave Energy and Heat Transfer in Skin

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-11-25

    34 29* Annual Meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society, Kanazawa, Japan. (W. Hubert , N. Millenbaugh, C. Roth, R. Sypniewska, V. Chan, J. Eggers, R...Research Student) - 100% Fall 2007. i. Marcos Lopez (Undergraduate Research Student) - 25% Spring 2006; 100% Summer 2006. j. Amber MacDonald

  15. Biography of Professor Hayashi

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sato, Humitaka

    2012-09-01

    Biography of Chushiro Hayashi(1920-2010) is described with an emphasis on his early career as a theoretical physicist. In spite of his well-recognized achievements in theoretical astrophysics, such as Hayashi phase, p/n-ratio at Big Bang, stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis and Kyoto Model on the origin of solar system, Hayashi had once wished to devote in study of non-local field theory of particle physics. However, the various changes of situation around Hideki Yukawa(Nobel prize laureate in 1949) had guided him to the study of astrophysics.

  16. [Online-conference using JGN.].

    PubMed

    Nakayama, Kazuya; Kojima, Kazuhiko; Suzuki, Masayuki; Kikuchi, Yuzo; Iwahara, Masayoshi; Matsui, Osamu; Noguchi, Masato

    2004-01-01

    Telemedicine and online conference systems have some benefits so that equalizing medical level, improving efficiency of medical care and improving service for patients. It is possible to give advice and to support its medical projects stationed in other facility and to provide the same quality treatments for patients. In this paper, we set up an experimental network system to teleconference using JGN (Japan Gigabit Network) and tried to discussion alternatively for case study between Kanazawa university and Fukui red cross hospital, 70 km away. The JGN used in this study is an ultra-high-speed network for the purpose of research and development. Kanazawa university, and Fukui red cross hospital are connected by a 10 Mbps communication link of the JGN. We tried online conference on the experimental network using video chat system. In result, using video chat system, the average transmission rate of MRI images (256 X 256pixel, 16bit) is 0.2 s/frame.

  17. Genetics Home Reference: inclusion body myopathy 2

    MedlinePlus

    ... Bird TD, Ledbetter N, Mefford HC, Smith RJH, Stephens K, editors. GeneReviews® [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; 1993-2017. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1262/ Citation on PubMed Tomimitsu H, Shimizu J, Ishikawa K, Ohkoshi N, Kanazawa I, ...

  18. The Consequence of Economic Growth for Human and Natural Resource Development: Case Study in Japan.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ninomiya, Tetsuo

    Before being included in Kanazawa City in 1954, all villages in the Yasuhara district of Japan might have been called model village communities, for these farming communities were built around common utilization of naturally-flowing ground water, and the rice farmers worked communally exhibiting principles of closeness and equality. When Yasuhara…

  19. Beauty and Intelligence May--or May Not--Be Related

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Denny, Kevin

    2008-01-01

    In a recent paper, [Kanazawa S. & Kovar J.L. (2004). Why beautiful people are more intelligent, "Intelligence," 32, 227-243] assert that given certain empirical regularities about assortative mating and the heritability of intelligence and beauty, that it logically follows that more intelligent people are more beautiful. It is argued here that…

  20. Hidden Process Models

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-12-18

    cannot be detected with univariate techniques, but require multivariate analysis instead (Kamitani and Tong [2005]). Two other time series analysis ...learning for time series analysis . The historical record of DBNs can be traced back to Dean and Kanazawa [1988] and Dean and Wellman [1991], with...Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 Keywords: Hidden Process Models, probabilistic time series modeling, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

  1. Second International Meeting on the Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis of the Clostridia.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1998-06-01

    the Products or services of these Hesearch Council .^"^c^’^a^nUi.S’S. ^re1%o^c^^^ the-invesC?igator (I) "dnered "ilizi^ recombinant DNA technology...Nakamura (Kanazawa Univ., Japon and Lanzhou Inst. of Biological Products , China): Isolation and characterisation of neutro-toxigenic Clostridium...Session 7: Regulation of Virulence Chair: Julian Rood 08:30 T. Shimizu (Tsukuba University, Japan) : Regulation of extracellular toxin production

  2. Coordinating, Planning and Control

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-08-31

    18] Joseph Jeffrey Finger. Eplosting constrandn in design synthesis. Ph.D. Thesis , Stanford University, 1987. [19] Michael Fischer and Richard...configuration. q, to the goal configuration, q*, is a continuous map / :[0, 1] - Cft ,., subject to the constraints that it(O) = q and r( I) - q°. The...Mathematics and C’omputer Science. University of Aalborg, 1989. (221 Kanazawa. Keij i. Pmbability. Time. arid Action. PhD thesis . Drown UnIiversit y

  3. Safety Control and Safety Education at Technical Institutes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iino, Hiroshi

    The importance of safety education for students at technical institutes is emphasized on three grounds including safety of all working members and students in their education, research and other activities. The Kanazawa Institute of Technology re-organized the safety organization into a line structure and improved safety minds of all their members and now has a chemical materials control system and a set of compulsory safety education programs for their students, although many problems still remain.

  4. Antigenic and genetic analysis of H3N8 influenza viruses isolated from horses in Japan and Mongolia, and imported from Canada and Belgium during 2007-2010.

    PubMed

    Motoshima, Masayuki; Okamatsu, Masatoshi; Asakura, Shingo; Kuribayashi, Saya; Sengee, Sugar; Batchuluun, Damdinjav; Ito, Mika; Maeda, Yukiko; Eto, Mariko; Sakoda, Yoshihiro; Sodnomdarjaa, Ruuragchaa; Kida, Hiroshi

    2011-08-01

    A/equine/Kanazawa/1/2007 (H3N8), A/equine/Hokkaido/I828/2008 (H3N8) and A/equine/Mongolia/1/2008 (H3N8) were isolated from infected horses. A/equine/Yokohama/aq19/2009 (H3N8) and A/equine/Yokohama/aq13/2010 (H3N8) were isolated from horses imported from Canada and Belgium examined at the Animal Quarantine Service in Yokohama, Japan. In the present study, these five isolates were genetically and antigenically analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes showed that three isolates from horses in Japan and imported from Canada belonged to the same branch, clade 1 of the Florida sublineage, while the isolates from horses in Mongolia and imported from Belgium belonged to another branch, clade 2 of the Florida sublineage. Reactivity patterns of a panel of monoclonal antibodies to the HA of A/equine/Kanazawa/1/2007 (H3N8) with the five isolates indicate that the HAs of these viruses were antigenically similar to each other and to the reference strains A/equine/La Plata/1/1993 (H3N8) and A/equine/Avesta/1/1993 (H3N8). The present findings indicate that extensive antigenic variation has not accumulated among H3N8 influenza viruses in horses.

  5. Synthesis and Self-Assembly of Films Containing FeCoPt Nanoparticles

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2001-04-01

    1989). 5. J.S. Yin and Z.L. Wang. .. Mater. Res. 14, 503 (1999). 6. T . Teranishi, M. Hosoe, T . Tanaka, and M. Miyaka. .1. Phys. Chem. B. 103, 3818 (1999...7. H. Kanazawa; G. Lauhoff; R. Sbiaa; T . Suzuki. Digests of the 8"h Joint MMM-Intermag Conference Jan. 7-11 2001, p. QC-03. 8. D. Weller, A. Moser...L. Folks, M. E. Best, W. Lee, M. F. Toney, M. Schwickert, J.-U. Thiele, and M. F. Doerner, IEEE Trans. Magn. 36, 10 (2000) 9. J. Numazawa and H

  6. Medication-related factors affecting discharge to home.

    PubMed

    Hashimoto, Masako; Matsuzaki, Yu; Kawahara, Kumiko; Matsuda, Hiroshi; Nishimura, Genichi; Hatae, Takashi; Kimura, Yoshiaki; Arai, Kunizo

    2014-01-01

    To assess the reasons for barriers to home discharge by determining whether they were predicted by medication, clinical variables, and patient characteristics, the retrospective cohort study of 282 patients discharged from Kanazawa Red Cross Hospital in Kanazawa, Japan from January 2011 to December 2012 was performed. The percentage of patients discharged was 67.4%. By multivariate logistic analysis, significant differences in home discharge destination were determined by six factors: the duration of hospitalization before discharge (odds ratio (OR) 0.993; 95% 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.988-0.999), the presence of excretion assistance (OR 0.115; 95% CI 0.043-0.308), individual payment of medical expense (OR 0.344; 95% CI 0.146-0.811), the degree of independent living for the demented elderly (OR4.570; 95% CI 1.969-10.604), presence of the primary caregiver (OR 8.638; 95% CI 3.121-23.906), and admission to a hospital from home (OR 5.483; 95% CI 2.589-11.613). This study suggests that necessity of excretion assistance, long duration of hospitalization, and high individual payment of medical expense were barriers to home discharge. In contrast, three factors i.e., admission to a hospital form home, low degree of independent living for the demented elderly, and presence of the primary caregiver, favored home discharge. The relation between a patient's status (cognitive status and incontinence) and a caregiver has an important effect on the home discharge. However, medication characteristics appeared to have little effect on recuperation destination.

  7. Long term trends in atmospheric concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: A study of Japanese cities from 1997 to 2014.

    PubMed

    Hayakawa, Kazuichi; Tang, Ning; Nagato, Edward Gou; Toriba, Akira; Sakai, Shigekatsu; Kano, Fumio; Goto, Sumio; Endo, Osamu; Arashidani, Kei-Ichi; Kakimoto, Hitoshi

    2018-02-01

    Total suspended particulate matter (TSP) was collected during the summer and winter in five Japanese cities spanning Hokkaido to Kyushu (Sapporo, Kanazawa, Tokyo, Sagamihara and Kitakyushu) from 1997 to 2014. Nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with four to six rings, including pyrene (Pyr) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. Two nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs), 1-nitropyrene (1-NP) and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (6-NBaP), were identified by HPLC with chemiluminescence detection. A comparison of PAH and NPAH concentrations and [NPAH]/[PAH] ratios such as [1-NP]/[Pyr] and [6-NBaP]/[BaP] revealed the following characteristics in the five cities: (1) In Sapporo, Kanazawa, Tokyo and Sagamihara, the concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs were high at the beginning of the sampling period and then steadily decreased, with NPAHs decreasing faster than PAHs. The large initial [1-NP]/[Pyr] ratios suggest that the major contributor was automobiles but subsequent decreases in this ratio suggest decreased automobile contributions. (2) By contrast, PAH concentrations in Kitakyushu did not decrease during the sampling period, though concentrations of NPAHs decreased. The consistently smaller [1-NP]/[Pyr] ratio and larger [6-NBaP]/[BaP] ratio in Kitakyushu suggests that the major contributor of PAHs was not automobiles but iron manufacturing which uses a large amount of coal. The sudden increase in atmospheric PAH concentrations in the winter of 2014 may also be due to iron manufacturing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Natural Vibration Analysis of Clamped Rectangular Orthotropic Plates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    dalaei, m.; kerr, a. d.

    The natural vibrations of clamped rectangular orthotropic plates are analyzed using the extended Kantorovich method. The developed iterative scheme converges very rapidly to the final result. The obtained natural frequencies are evaluated for a square plate made of Kevlar 49 Epoxy and the obtained results are compared with those published by Kanazawa and Kawai, and by Leissa. The agreement was found to be very close. As there are no exact analytical solutions for clamped rectangular plates, the generated closed form expression for the natural modes, and the corresponding natural frequencies, are very suitable for use in engineering analyses.

  9. Development of Engineering Design Education in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Kanazawa Technical College

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamada, Hirofumi; Ten-Nichi, Michio; Mathui, Hirosi; Nakamura, Akizi

    This paper introduces a method of the engineering design education for college of technology mechanical engineering students. In order to teach the practical engineering design, the MIL-STD-499A process is adapted and improved upon for a Mechatronics hands-on lesson used as the MOT method. The educational results in five years indicate that knowledge of the engineering management is useful for college students in learning engineering design. Portfolio for lessons and the hypothesis method also have better effects on the understanding of the engineering specialty.

  10. Aspects of Sino-Japan Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Development on the Traditional Uighur Medicine

    PubMed Central

    Yusup, Abdiryim

    2009-01-01

    Two consecutive conferences on ‘Sino-Japan Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Development on the Traditional Uighur Medicine’ were held in Xinjiang Medical University on July 3 and Kanazawa Medical University on October 6, 2007. The Vice president Halmurat Upur presided over the meeting and gave congratulatory address on holding of the conference. In order to understand mutually and discuss the possibility of the Uighur Medicine as CAM and the situation of medicine in the global sense, specialist scholars of Traditional Uighur Medicine and postgraduates attended this conference. In the meeting of the CAM, the achievements on the research of Traditional Uighur Medicine were exchanged and warmly discussed. Presentations were made in the consecutive conference. PMID:19470524

  11. Transport of carbon-bearing dusts from Iraq to Japan during Iraq's War

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tazaki, Kazue; Wakimoto, Rie; Minami, Yukiya; Yamamoto, Masayoshi; Miyata, Koshirou; Sato, Kazuhiro; Saji, Ichiro; Chaerun, S. Khodijah; Zhou, Guoping; Morishita, Tomoaki; Asada, Ryuji; Segawa, Hiromi; Imanishi, Hiroki; Kato, Rie; Otani, Yusuke; Watanabe, Tomoko

    Rainwater collected during the period of February-April, 2003 in Kanazawa University and Hakui, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, was investigated by ion chromatography of the dissolved ions, and Scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive analyzer (SEM-EDX), electron microprobe analyzer (EPMA), transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analyses of the filtered samples. The pH, Eh, EC, dissolved oxygen (DO) and depleted U (DU) of the rainwater were also measured. The results show a rare case with low pH value of rain and high value of electrical conductivity (EC) in the rainwater during certain period. The NO 3-, SO 42- and NH 4+ concentrations on 26th March, show quite high values after oil field fires on 21st March 2003. The powdery dust and carbon-bearing nm sized particles contained in the rainwater have characteristics different from that of the Asian dust (Kosa). Since 21 March, 2003 the Iraq plunged into the war, the 9 oil field fires were reported on 25 March, 2003 in Rumaylah oil field near the borderline of Kuwait. The first precipitation was caught in Kanazawa on 24 March, 2003. The pH value of the rainwater indicated a strong acid rain (pH 3.6) with black powdery dusts. The acid rain on 27th March to 2nd April (pH 3.4-4.3; 5-17 mm) associated with WNW wind (2.7-4.1 m/s) has continued to the first 10 days of April in Kanazawa, during the 9 oil fields were burning in Iraq. The EC in rainwater collected from 24 March to 15 April, 2003, shows high concentrations of ions, suggesting high contents of water soluble-carbon particles and soot. In the meantime, it was the highest season of sandstorms at bare dried land in Iraq from the end of March to the beginning of April. Westerly wind blew around 5500 m high, and the sandstorm with 2000 m wide was transported by strong wind to Zagros 3000 m high mountains. The hot wind hit the Zagros Mountains and easily to join and rise to Westerly wind high by a rising air current. The

  12. Career Design Education by Cooperation and Collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takahashi, Takeo; Koma, Tetsuya; Akiyama, Akira; Kihara, Hitoshi; Yamada, Hirofumi

    Kanazawa Technical College (KTC) was established to train beginner engineering students in 1962. Since then, KTC offers a unique education/hands on, and has maintained a 100% employment rate upon graduation. In the fourth grade, students participate in a unique industrial internship program for two weeks during summer vacation. As a result, students’ overall satisfaction rate concerning their education is high. Therefore, instead of offering traditional courses that value the experience of the present, it is necessary to offer a new course that lets student discover for themselves what their future will be like. In this paper, an outline of the career design education executed by the students together with their parent (s) /guardian, the school and industry is described.

  13. Short hookwire placement under imaging guidance before thoracic surgery: A review.

    PubMed

    Iguchi, T; Hiraki, T; Matsui, Y; Fujiwara, H; Masaoka, Y; Uka, M; Gobara, H; Toyooka, S; Kanazawa, S

    2018-05-07

    During video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), localization is sometimes needed to detect a target lesion that is too small and/or too far from the pleura. In 1995, Kanazawa et al. developed short hookwire and suture system. Since then, this system has been placed often for selected targets before VATS in Japan. This short hookwire and suture system is a representative preoperative localization method and the placement procedure is well-established. Its placement success rates are very high (range: 97.6%-99.6%), and dislodgement of this short hookwire rarely occurs with an incidence of 0.4%-2.5%. The most common complication of short hookwire placement is pneumothorax (incidence: 32.1%-68.1%), followed by pulmonary hemorrhage (incidence: 8.9%-41.6%). Complications are frequent; however, most complications are minor and asymptomatic. Copyright © 2018 Société française de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  14. Violent men have more sons: further evidence for the generalized Trivers-Willard hypothesis (gTWH).

    PubMed

    Kanazawa, Satoshi

    2006-04-21

    The generalized Trivers-Willard hypothesis (gTWH) [Kanazawa, S., 2005a. Big and tall parents have more sons; further generalizations of the Trivers-Willard hypothesis. J. Theor. Biol. 235, 583-590] proposes that parents who possess any heritable trait which increases the male reproductive success at a greater rate than female reproductive success in a given environment have a higher-than-expected offspring sex ratio, and parents who possess any heritable trait which increases the female reproductive success at a greater rate than male reproductive success in a given environment have a lower-than-expected offspring sex ratio. One heritable trait which increases the reproductive success of sons significantly more than that of daughters in the ancestral environment is the tendency toward violence and aggression. I therefore predict that violent parents have a higher-than-expected offspring sex ratio (more sons). The analysis of both American samples and a British sample demonstrates that battered women, who are mated to violent men, have significantly more sons than daughters.

  15. Joseph A. Burton Forum Award Talk: Remembering our Humanity: the deep impact of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lewis, Patricia M.

    2009-05-01

    ``There lies before us, if we choose, continual progress in happiness, knowledge, and wisdom. Shall we, instead, choose death, because we cannot forget our quarrels? We appeal as human beings to human beings: Remember your humanity, and forget the rest.'' Days before his death, Albert Einstein joined Bertrand Russell and other notable scientists and philosophers in issuing a statement calling for the abolition of war and for governments to ``find peaceful means for the settlement of all matters of dispute between them." As a first step, they called for the renunciation of nuclear weapons. The initiative led to the establishment of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, which bring together influential scholars and public figures concerned with reducing the danger of armed conflict and seeking cooperative solutions for global problems. The Russell-Einstein Manifesto has had a major impact on the way in which people discuss the issues of peace and war. The paper traces the growing awareness of the meaning of war, ways in which violent conflict can be prevented, particularly in the nuclear age, and the humanitarian imperative for so doing. From the Russell-Einstein Manifesto, London, 9 July 1955, signed also by Max Born, Percy W. Bridgman, Leopold Infeld, Frederic Joliot-Curie, Herman J. Muller, Linus Pauling, Cecil F. Powell, Joseph Rotblat and Hideki Yukawa

  16. Influence of electrolytes in the QCM response: discrimination and quantification of the interference to correct microgravimetric data.

    PubMed

    Encarnação, João M; Stallinga, Peter; Ferreira, Guilherme N M

    2007-02-15

    In this work we demonstrate that the presence of electrolytes in solution generates desorption-like transients when the resonance frequency is measured. Using impedance spectroscopy analysis and Butterworth-Van Dyke (BVD) equivalent electrical circuit modeling we demonstrate that non-Kanazawa responses are obtained in the presence of electrolytes mainly due to the formation of a diffuse electric double layer (DDL) at the sensor surface, which also causes a capacitor like signal. We extend the BVD equivalent circuit by including additional parallel capacitances in order to account for such capacitor like signal. Interfering signals from electrolytes and DDL perturbations were this way discriminated. We further quantified as 8.0+/-0.5 Hz pF-1 the influence of electrolytes to the sensor resonance frequency and we used this factor to correct the data obtained by frequency counting measurements. The applicability of this approach is demonstrated by the detection of oligonucleotide sequences. After applying the corrective factor to the frequency counting data, the mass contribution to the sensor signal yields identical values when estimated by impedance analysis and frequency counting.

  17. Role of gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma: consensus at the Symposium of the 48th Annual Meeting of the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan.

    PubMed

    Kudo, Masatoshi; Matsui, Osamu; Sakamoto, Michiie; Kitao, Azusa; Kim, Tonsok; Ariizumi, Shun-ichi; Ichikawa, Tomoaki; Kobayashi, Satoshi; Imai, Yasuharu; Izumi, Namiki; Fujinaga, Yasunari; Arii, Shigeki

    2013-01-01

    We summarize here the consensus reached at the Symposium of the 48th Annual Meeting of the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan held in Kanazawa on July 20th and 21st, 2012, on the role of gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (EOB-MRI) in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Currently, dynamic CT is the first choice of imaging modality when HCC is suspected. EOB-MRI is useful for differentiation and definitive diagnosis of HCC when dynamic CT/MRI does not show conclusive findings for HCC. In addition, contrast- enhanced ultrasound with Sonazoid is useful for making a decision on whether or not to treat a hypovascular lesion <1 cm when the nodules are shown with low intensity in the hepatocyte phase of EOB-MRI. Furthermore, EOB-MRI should be performed in selected cases of HCC ultrahigh-risk groups every 3-4 months, or EOB-MRI should be performed at least once at the first visit in all HCC ultrahigh-risk groups. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  18. COMMITTEES: Quark Matter 2008 Organising and International Advisory Committees

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2008-10-01

    Organising Committee Madan M Aggarwal (Chandigarh) Jan-e Alam (Kolkata) Convener Arup Bandyopadhyay (Kolkata) Debades Bandyopadhyay (Kolkata) Rahul Basu (Chennai) Rakesh K Bhandari (Kolkata) Anju Bhasin (Jammu) Subhasis Chattopadhyay (Kolkata) Convener Sukalyan Chattopadhyay (Kolkata) Asis Chaudhuri (Kolkata) Premomoy Ghosh (Kolkata) Sanjay Ghosh (Kolkata) Sourendu Gupta (Mumbai) Muhammad Irfan (Aligarh) Durga P Mahapatra (Bhubaneswar) DAmruta Mishra (New Delhi) Ajit K Mohanty (Mumbai) Bedangadas Mohanty (Kolkata) Vaisali Naik (Kolkata) Tapan K Nayak (Kolkata) Convener Sudhir Raniwala (Jaipur) Sourav Sarkar (Kolkata) Bikash Sinha (Kolkata) Chair Dinesh Srivastava (Kolkata) Raghava Varma (Mumbai) Yogendra P Viyogi (Bhubaneswar)Co-chair International Advisory Committee R Aymar,Switzerland Jean Paul Blaizot, France Peter Braun Münzinger, Germany Igor M Dremin, Russia Kari Eskola, Finland Jens Jorgen Gaardhoje,Denmark Rajiv V Gavai, India Hans-Ake Gustaffson, Sweden Hans Gutbrod, Germany Miklos Gyulassy, USA Timothy Hallman, USA Hideki Hamagaki, Japan Tetsuo Hatsuda, Japan Huan-Zhong Huang, USA Barbara Jacak, USA Peter Jenni, Switzerland Taka Kajino, Japan Takeshi Kodama, Brazil T D Lee, USA Peter Levai, Hungary Luciano Maiani, Italy Larry McLerran, USA Berndt Müller, USA Guy Paic, Mexico Sibaji Raha, India Lodovico Riccati, Italy Hans Georg Ritter, USA Helmut Satz, Germany Jurgen Schukraft, Switzerland Yves Schutz, France Edward V Shuryak, USA Johanna Stachel, Germany Horst Stöcker, Germany Itzhak Tserruya, Israel Xin-Nian Wang, USA Bolek Wyslouch, USA Glenn R Young, USA William A Zajc, USA Wen-Long Zhan, China

  19. Why do very unattractive workers earn so much?

    PubMed

    Kanazawa, Satoshi; Hu, Shihao; Larere, Adrien

    2018-05-01

    Kanazawa and Still (2018) showed that very unattractive workers earned more than unattractive workers, sometimes more than average-looking or attractive workers, because they had higher levels of intelligence and education, but they did not explain why very unattractive workers had higher intelligence and education. There are both theoretical and empirical reasons to expect that some intelligent men may prefer to marry very unattractive women. The analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) shows that very unattractive women were significantly more likely to be married at Age 29 than unattractive or average-looking women, and their spouses or partners earned significantly more than those of unattractive or average-looking women. If intelligent men have historically preferred to marry very unattractive women generation after generation, then, because both general intelligence and physical attractiveness are highly heritable, this can explain why very unattractive workers are more intelligent and achieve higher education, thereby earning more. It can also explain why the positive correlation between intelligence and physical attractiveness is not larger despite assortative mating of intelligent men of higher status and physically attractive women over many generations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Flomoxef sodium and levofloxacin concentrations in aqueous humor.

    PubMed

    Mizuki, Nobuhisa; Watanabe, Yoichiro; Miyamoto, Mariko; Iijima, Yasuhito; Takiyama, Naoaki; Ito, Yoshiki; Ito, Norihiko; Nishida, Tomomi; Iwata, Shinko; Endo, Yoko; Ito, Daizo

    2005-01-01

    We intravenously administered flomoxef sodium (FMOX) 120 minutes before cataract surgery, topically administered levofloxacin (LVFX) into the eyes four times at 30-minute intervals before surgery, and measured the aqueous humor concentrations of these agents to investigate their penetration into the aqueous humor and their efficacy in the prevention of postoperative endophthalmitis. Sixty-eight patients who underwent cataract surgery at the Department of Ophthalmology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, or its affiliate, Kanazawa Hospital, Yokohama, were enrolled in this study. They received one or both of the following: 1.0 g FMOX via a 20-minute intravenous drip and LVFX ophthalmic solution applied four times at 30-minute intervals, both beginning two hours before the operation. Aqueous humor was aspirated from the anterior chamber and assayed for FMOX and LVFX concentrations using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The mean intraoperative FMOX and LVFX concentrations in the patients' aqueous humor were 1.21 +/- 0.63 microg/ml and 0.69 +/- 0.47 microg/ml, respectively. These concentrations sufficiently exceeded the MIC90 values against Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. aureus, and Propionibacterium acnes. The FMOX and LVFX concentrations in the aqueous humor sampling were adequate to kill bacteria in vitro. These drugs may have efficacy in the prevention of postoperative endophthalmitis in patients undergoing cataract surgery.

  1. The Faculties of Pharmacy Schools Should Make an Effort to Network with Community Pharmacies.

    PubMed

    Matsushita, Ryo

    2016-01-01

    By law, medical faculties are mandated to have a designated partner hospital for the purposes of student practical training. In contrast, pharmacy faculties do not have such a legal requirement for student training in a community pharmacy setting. Nevertheless, there are several public and private universities that do have community pharmacies. However, there is no national university that has established both an educational hospital and a community pharmacy. When Kanazawa University (KU) established a graduate school with a clinical pharmacy course, the faculty of KU deemed it necessary to set up an independent community pharmacy for the purpose of practical training. Thus, in 2003, the Acanthus Pharmacy was set up as the first educational community pharmacy in Japan, managed by a nonprofit organization, with the permission of the Ishikawa Pharmaceutical Association and local community pharmacists. Since that time, Acanthus has managed a clinical pharmacy practice for students from both the undergraduate and graduate schools of KU. From 2006, the undergraduate pharmacy program was changed to a 6-year program, and the Acanthus Pharmacy has continued its roles in educating undergraduate pharmaceutical students, medical students, and as a site of early exposure for KU freshmen. From our experience, it is important to have a real clinical environment available to university pharmacy faculty and students, especially in training for community pharmacy practices.

  2. GLSM realizations of maps and intersections of Grassmannians and Pfaffians

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Căldăraru, Andrei; Knapp, Johanna; Sharpe, Eric

    2018-04-01

    In this paper we give gauged linear sigma model (GLSM) realizations of a number of geometries not previously presented in GLSMs. We begin by describing GLSM realizations of maps including Veronese and Segre embeddings, which can be applied to give GLSMs explicitly describing non-complete intersection constructions such as the intersection of one hypersurface with the image under some map of another. We also discuss GLSMs for intersections of Grassmannians and Pfaffians with one another, and with their images under various maps, which sometimes form exotic constructions of Calabi-Yaus, as well as GLSMs for other exotic Calabi-Yau constructions of Kanazawa. Much of this paper focuses on a specific set of examples of GLSMs for intersections of Grassmannians G(2 , N ) with themselves after a linear rotation, including the Calabi-Yau case N = 5. One phase of the GLSM realizes an intersection of two Grassmannians, the other phase realizes an intersection of two Pfaffians. The GLSM has two nonabelian factors in its gauge group, and we consider dualities in those factors. In both the original GLSM and a double-dual, one geometric phase is realized perturbatively (as the critical locus of a superpotential), and the other via quantum effects. Dualizing on a single gauge group factor yields a model in which each geometry is realized through a simultaneous combination of perturbative and quantum effects.

  3. Determination of the shear impedance of viscoelastic liquids using cylindrical piezoceramic resonators.

    PubMed

    Kiełczyński, Piotr; Pajewski, Wincenty; Szalewski, Marek

    2003-03-01

    In this paper, a new method for determining the rheological parameters of viscoelastic liquids is presented. To this end, we used the perturbation method applied to shear vibrations of cylindrical piezoceramic resonators. The resonator was viscoelastically loaded on the outer cylindrical surface. Due to this loading, the resonant frequency and quality factor of the resonator changed. According to the perturbation method, the change in the complex resonant frequency deltaomega = deltaomega(re) + jdeltaomega(im) is directly proportional to the specific acoustic impedance for cylindrical waves Zc of a viscoelastic liquid surrounding the resonator, i.e., deltaomega is approximately equal to jZc, where j = (-1)1/2. Hence, the measurement of the real and imaginary parts of the complex resonant frequency deltaomega determines the real part, Rc, and imaginary part, Xc, of the complex acoustic impedance for cylindrical waves Zc of an investigated liquid. Furthermore, the specific impedance ZL for plane waves was related to the specific impedance Zc for cylindrical waves. Using theoretical formulas established and the results of the experiments performed, the shear storage modulus mu and the viscosity eta for various liquids (e.g., epoxy resins) were determined. Moreover, the authors derived for cylindrical resonators a formula that relates the shift in resonant frequency to the viscosity of the liquid. This formula is analogous to the Kanazawa-Gordon formula that was derived for planar resonators and Newtonian liquids.

  4. Hematology and serum biochemistry in debilitated, free-ranging raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) infested with sarcoptic mange.

    PubMed

    Kido, Nobuhide; Kamegaya, Chihiro; Omiya, Tomoko; Wada, Yuko; Takahashi, Maya; Yamamoto, Yasuhiko

    2011-12-01

    Frequent outbreaks of Sarcoptes scabiei infestation in raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) have been reported in Japan. Although many raccoon dogs are brought to Kanazawa Zoological Garden (Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan) because of S. scabiei infestation and debilitation, some of them die of asthenia. The clinical status of severely debilitated raccoon dogs must be determined to save their lives. In this study, we compared hematological and serum biochemical values between severely debilitated and nondebilitated raccoon dogs infested with S. scabiei. The total protein, albumin, glucose, and calcium values of debilitated raccoon dogs were significantly lower than those of nondebilitated raccoon dogs. On the other hand, debilitated raccoon dogs had significantly higher aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen, sodium, chloride, and phosphorus values than did nondebilitated raccoon dogs. The increase in the blood urea nitrogen value was particularly dramatic. The present study revealed that debilitated raccoon dogs infested with S. scabiei exhibited abnormal hematological values compared with nondebilitated raccoon dogs infested with S. scabiei. Clinically, the raccoon dogs developed malnutrition and sepsis if the mange infestation was untreated. Moreover, dehydration associated with appetite loss may have resulted in insufficient renal perfusion. These findings suggest that chronic S. scabiei infestations debilitated the raccoon dogs and resulted in physiological changes that were detected with hematological and serum biochemical tests. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Microbial Immobilization of Si, Mn, Fe, and Sr Ions in the Nacreous Layer of Sinohyliopsis schlegeli and Environmental Factors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tazaki, Kazue; Morii, Issei

    Environmental changes recorded in the shell nacre of Sinohyliopsis schlegeli were observed with elemental factors of characteristic water and nutrition for eight months in a cultivated drainage pond at Kanazawa University, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Tetracycline as an indicator was injected into the shell nacre once every month from May to November in 2007. Water qualities such as the pH, redox potential, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen concentration, and water temperature were measured periodically, and the suspended solids in the water were removed by filtration for optical microscopy, X-ray fluorescence analysis, and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) observations. X-ray fluorescence chemical analysis of shell nacre indicated layers with strong tetracycline accumulation corresponding to high concentrations of Si, Mn, Fe, and Sr ions. The redox potential and dissolved oxygen concentration measurements supported the existence of layers in the nacre. The suspended materials in the drainage pond water comprised mainly of Si, Mn, and Fe elements, which were the same elements involved in microbial immobilization in the shell nacre during the summer of 2007. SEM-EDX analyses confirmed that the ions originated from diatoms, Siderocapsa sp. and Gallionella ferruginea in the stomach. There was little microbial immobilization of the ions in winter. The results suggested elemental immobilization in the layered shell nacre and indicated that Sinohyliopsis schlegeli fed on the ions, to grow the nacre during summer. Sinohyliopsis schlegeli with these biogenic oxides might contribute to the scavenging of heavy metals in natural water.

  6. Impact of lesion morphology and associated procedures for left main coronary stenting on angiographic outcome after intervention: sub-analysis of Heart Research Group of Kanazawa, HERZ, Study.

    PubMed

    Kawashiri, Masa-aki; Sakata, Kenji; Uchiyama, Katsuharru; Konno, Tetsuo; Namura, Masanobu; Mizuno, Sumio; Tatami, Ryozo; Kanaya, Honin; Nitta, Yutaka; Michishita, Ichiro; Hirase, Hiroaki; Ueda, Kosei; Aoyama, Takashi; Okeie, Kazuyasu; Haraki, Tatsuo; Mori, Kiyoo; Araki, Tsutomu; Minamoto, Masaharu; Oiwake, Hisanori; Ino, Hidekazu; Hayashi, Kenshi; Yamagishi, Masakazu

    2014-04-01

    Whether the lesion morphology and associated interventional procedures for the left main coronary artery disease (LMCA) could affect clinical outcome is still controversial. Therefore, we examined the impact of lesion morphology and associated procedures on clinical and angiographic outcomes of stenting for the LMCA. Among 7,660 patients with coronary intervention registered, we analyzed early angiographic results of 228 patients (179 men, mean age 69.4 years) concerned with LMCA lesions. In 121 out of 228 patients having long-term angiographic results, we examined the occurrence of major adverse coronary events (MACE) particularly in terms of the presence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the kind of stents, bear metal or drug eluting, the lesion morphology and associated procedures. Early angiographic success rate of LMCA stenting was 100 %, and clinical success rate was 94.3 %. During follow-up period for 3 years, MACE was observed in 17 patients. Under these conditions, multiple stenting (p < 0.01) and complicated procedures such as such as Y-stent, T-stent and crush stent (p < 0.01) were listed as risks for MACE, although there was no statistical difference in kinds of stent. Multivariate analysis demonstrated the significant disadvantage of complicated procedures using the bear metal stent on the occurrence of MACE (p < 0.01). These results demonstrate that the complicated procedures have great impact on clinical and angiographic outcomes after stenting for LMCA lesions, and suggest the simple procedure with a single stent for LMCA lesions in the present cohort. Whether the presence of ACS can affect the prognosis should further be sought.

  7. Spatial radiation environment in a heterogeneous oak woodland using a three-dimensional radiative transfer model and multiple constraints from observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kobayashi, H.; Ryu, Y.; Ustin, S.; Baldocchi, D. D.

    2009-12-01

    B15: Remote Characterization of Vegetation Structure: Including Research to Inform the Planned NASA DESDynI and ESA BIOMASS Missions Title: Spatial radiation environment in a heterogeneous oak woodland using a three-dimensional radiative transfer model and multiple constraints from observations Hideki Kobayashi, Youngryel Ryu, Susan Ustin, and Dennis Baldocchi Abstract Accurate evaluations of radiation environments of visible, near infrared, and thermal infrared wavebands in forest canopies are important to estimate energy, water, and carbon fluxes. Californian oak woodlands are sparse and highly clumped so that radiation environments are extremely heterogeneous spatially. The heterogeneity of radiation environments also varies with wavebands which depend on scattering and emission properties. So far, most of modeling studies have been performed in one dimensional radiative transfer models with (or without) clumping effect in the forest canopies. While some studies have been performed by using three dimensional radiative transfer models, several issues are still unresolved. For example, some 3D models calculate the radiation field with individual tree basis, and radiation interactions among trees are not considered. This interaction could be important in the highly scattering waveband such as near infrared. The objective of this study is to quantify the radiation field in the oak woodland. We developed a three dimensional radiative transfer model, which includes the thermal waveband. Soil/canopy energy balances and canopy physiology models, CANOAK, are incorporated in the radiative transfer model to simulate the diurnal patterns of thermal radiation fields and canopy physiology. Airborne LiDAR and canopy gap data measured by the several methods (digital photographs and plant canopy analyzer) were used to constrain the forest structures such as tree positions, crown sizes and leaf area density. Modeling results were tested by a traversing radiometer system that

  8. Dermal Structure in Lymphedema Patients with History of Acute Dermatolymphangioadenitis Evaluated by Histogram Analysis of Ultrasonography Findings: A Case-Control Study.

    PubMed

    Dai, Misako; Sato, Aya; Maeba, Hiroko; Iuchi, Terumi; Matsumoto, Masaru; Okuwa, Mayumi; Nakatani, Toshio; Sanada, Hiromi; Sugama, Junko

    2016-03-01

    Acute dermatolymphangioadenitis (ADLA) is a risk factor for increasing of edema and worsening severity. Reducing ADLA frequency is an important objective of lymphedema management because ADLA episodes are strongly associated with poor quality of life. Lymphedema changes dermal and subcutaneous structure, favoring ADLA; ADLA recurrence may be caused by structural change of the dermis. However, the structure of the skin following ADLA episodes has not been studied in depth. The aim of this study was to examine changes in the skin after episodes of ADLA in breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) using histogram analysis of ultrasonography findings. This was a case-control study with matching for the duration of lymphedema. We compared 10 limbs (5 BCRL patients, Cases) with a history of ADLA and 14 limbs (7 BCRL patients, Controls) without. Ultrasonography was performed using a 20-MHz probe, and measurements were made at a site 10 cm proximal to the ulnar styloid process. We compared "skewness" of the images in the dermis from the histogram analysis. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Kanazawa University. Skewness was significantly different between the affected and unaffected limbs (p = 0.02). Cases showed a positive value (median 0.74, range -0.18 to 1.26), whereas Controls showed a negative value (median -0.21, range -0.45 to 0.31). Episodes of ADLA changed the distribution of echogenicity on imaging, which indicates a change in the collagen fibers in the dermis. These findings might contribute to improving the management of lymphedema and prevention of recurrent ADLA.

  9. Co-administration of dexamethasone increases severity and accelerates onset day of neutropenia in bladder cancer patients on methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin and cisplatin chemotherapy: a retrospective cohort study.

    PubMed

    Itai, Shingo; Suga, Yukio; Hara, Yusuke; Izumi, Kouji; Maeda, Yuji; Kitagawa, Yasuhide; Ishizaki, Junko; Shimada, Tsutomu; Mizokami, Atsushi; Sai, Yoshimichi

    2017-01-01

    Bladder cancer patients receiving methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin and cisplatin (MVAC) chemotherapy are co-administered with dexamethasone as an anti-emetic. We examined whether or not dexamethasone affects the severity and onset day of MVAC-induced severe neutropenia. This was a retrospective study of bladder cancer patients treated with MVAC chemotherapy with or without dexamethasone as an antiemetic at Kanazawa University Hospital during January 2005 - December 2009. Patients were categorized into three groups; no dexamethasone use (Dex (-)), dexamethasone on day 2 (Dex 1 day), and dexamethasone on days 2, 3 and 4 (Dex multiday). We evaluated the incidence of grade 3/4 neutropenia and the day of onset of first severe neutropenic episode during the first course of MVAC chemotherapy. Logistic regression was used to investigate whether co-administration of dexamethasone was a risk factor for severe neutropenia. Episodes of grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 3 out of 6 (50.0%), 11 out of 12 (91.7%) and 6 out of 6 (100%) patients in the Dex (-), Dex 1 day, and Dex multiday groups, respectively. The appearance day of first severe neutropenia in the Dex multiday group (13.2 ± 1.0) was significantly accelerated compared to the Dex (-) group (17.7 ± 2.1). Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that dexamethasone is a risk factor for severe neutropenia (OR 17.0; 95%CI: 1.3-223.1). Co-administration of dexamethasone for anti-emesis brings forward the first appearance of neutropenia, and increases the severity of neutropenia, in bladder cancer patients receiving MVAC chemotherapy.

  10. Epidemiology of sarcoptic mange in free-ranging raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in Yokohama, Japan.

    PubMed

    Kido, N; Itabashi, M; Takahashi, M; Futami, M

    2013-01-16

    Free-ranging raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) from Nogeyama Zoological Gardens, Kanazawa Zoological Gardens, and Yokohama Zoological Gardens frequently rescued dogs having Sarcoptes scabiei infestation. However, the epidemiology of S. scabiei infestation has not yet been elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the epidemiology of S. scabiei infestation in raccoon dogs and its influence on the population of masked palm civets in Yokohama, Japan. We examined records of raccoon dog rescue between 1981 and 2010 and classified the dogs into the following 4 categories on the basis of the reason for rescue: dogs with S. scabiei infestation, scabies-infested dogs involved in car accidents, uninfested dogs involved in car accidents, and other reasons for rescue. We found that the number of dogs rescued due to car accidents and other reasons increased from 1989 onwards, and an S. scabiei outbreak was recorded since 1993. The infestation spread from the southern to the northern regions of Yokohama. The total number of raccoon dogs rescued annually peaked in 1995 and declined thereafter. The number of masked palm civets (Paguma larvata) rescued gradually increased with a decline in the number of raccoon dogs rescued. In the present study, we revealed the epidemiology of S. scabiei infestation in the raccoon dog. The outbreak might be induced by the increased population density, and the infestation spread immediately from the southern to the northern regions of Yokohama since 1993. Further, the population of masked palm civets may have increased due to the decrease in the population of the raccoon dog. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Lipid Management in a Japanese Community:Attainment Rate of Target Set by the Japan Atherosclerosis Society Guidelines for the Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases 2012.

    PubMed

    Tada, Hayato; Kawashiri, Masa-Aki; Nohara, Atsushi; Inazu, Akihiro; Kobayashi, Junji; Yasuda, Kenji; Mabuchi, Hiroshi; Yamagishi, Masakazu; Hayashi, Kenshi

    2017-03-01

    The Japan Atherosclerosis Society (JAS) guidelines for the prevention of atherosclerotic diseases 2012 (JAS2012) proposed lipid management targets; however, less data is available regarding the attainment rates of each target in community-based settings. Therefore, we assessed the attainment rates of lipid management targets among subjects who underwent Japanese specific health checkups. A total of 85,716 subjects (male=29,282, 34.2%) aged 40-74 years who underwent specific health checkups from 2012 to 2014 in Kanazawa city, Japan, were included in this study. We evaluated the attainment rates of the lipid management targets according to the JAS2012 guideline and investigated the clinical characteristics of the subjects without achieving the targets. The target for LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) was the least attained in all risk categories, 89, 72, 50, and 34% for category I, II, III, and secondary prevention, respectively, in 2014. In addition, these rates inversely correlated with the grade of risk categories (p-value for trends <0.001). Attainment rate of the LDL-C target in the suspected chronic kidney disease (CKD) group was significantly lower than in the groups with diabetes, stroke, or absolute risk in category III (49.2, 60.3, 63.5, 54.4%, respectively, p-value <0.001 for each). Moreover, the attainment rate of the LDL-C target was significantly lower in subjects that did not receive lipid-lowering therapy than in those who received it in the secondary prevention (27.7 and 40.6%, respectively, p-value <0.001). Lipid management is inadequate in community-based settings, particularly, in subjects with CKD and secondary prevention.

  12. Effect of radical scavengers on the inactivation of papain by ascorbic acid in the presence of cupric ions.

    PubMed

    Kanazawa, H; Fujimoto, S; Ohara, A

    1994-04-01

    Incubation of papain (EC 3.4.22.2) with ascorbic acid (AsA) and Cu2+ in acetate buffer (pH 5.6) results in an irreversible loss of enzyme activity by site-specific generation of free radicals [H. Kanazawa, S. Fujimoto, A. Ohara, Biol. Pharm.Bull., 16, 11 (1993)]. In this study, the effect of some compounds, known free radical scavengers, on the relationship between the inactivation of papain by the Cu(2+)-AsA system and the oxidation of AsA was investigated. Catalase completely protected the enzyme from inactivation by the Cu(2+)-AsA system, although hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by itself, known to be generated during the autoxidation of AsA, did not inactivate the enzyme. The oxidation of AsA was unaffected by catalase. Both thiourea and sodium thiocyanate completely protected the enzyme from inactivation, while AsA was partially oxidized only in the initial stage. In the presence of potassium iodide, both the inactivation of the enzyme and the oxidation of AsA were characterized by a rapid initial phase followed by a stable phase where no reaction took place and, subsequently, a slower phase. Histidine partially prevented the inactivation of the enzyme and the oxidation of AsA. The present results suggest that H2O2 serves as a source of secondary, highly reactive species, probably hydroxyl radicals, which are responsible for the inactivation, and that the protection from inactivation by some radical scavengers, such as thiourea, sodium thiocyanate, potassium iodide, and histidine, is based on the removal of metal ions (Cu2+ or Cu+) at the specific site of inactivation.

  13. Art as an indicator of male fitness: does prenatal testosterone influence artistic ability?

    PubMed

    Crocchiola, Danae

    2014-05-28

    In his groundbreaking research, Geoffrey Miller (1999) suggests that artistic and creative displays are male-predominant behaviors and can be considered to be the result of an evolutionary advantage. The outcomes of several surveys conducted on jazz and rock musicians, contemporary painters, English writers (Miller, 1999), and scientists (Kanazawa, 2000) seem to be consistent with the Millerian hypothesis, showing a predominance of men carrying out these activities, with an output peak corresponding to the most fertile male period and a progressive decline in late maturity. One way to evaluate the sex-related hypothesis of artistic and cultural displays, considered as sexual indicators of male fitness, is to focus on sexually dimorphic traits. One of them, within our species, is the 2nd to 4th digit length (2D:4D), which is a marker for prenatal testosterone levels. This study combines the Millerian theories on sexual dimorphism in cultural displays with the digit ratio, using it as an indicator of androgen exposure in utero. If androgenic levels are positively correlated with artistic exhibition, both female and male artists should show low 2D:4D ratios. In this experiment we tested the association between 2D:4D and artistic ability by comparing the digit ratios of 50 artists (25 men and 25 women) to the digit ratios of 50 non-artists (25 men and 25 women). Both male and female artists had significantly lower 2D:4D ratios (indicating high testosterone) than male and female controls. These results support the hypothesis that art may represent a sexually selected, typically masculine behavior that advertises the carrier's good genes within a courtship context.

  14. Improved accuracy of markerless motion tracking on bone suppression images: preliminary study for image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tanaka, Rie; Sanada, Shigeru; Sakuta, Keita; Kawashima, Hiroki

    2015-05-01

    The bone suppression technique based on advanced image processing can suppress the conspicuity of bones on chest radiographs, creating soft tissue images obtained by the dual-energy subtraction technique. This study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of bone suppression image processing in image-guided radiation therapy. We demonstrated the improved accuracy of markerless motion tracking on bone suppression images. Chest fluoroscopic images of nine patients with lung nodules during respiration were obtained using a flat-panel detector system (120 kV, 0.1 mAs/pulse, 5 fps). Commercial bone suppression image processing software was applied to the fluoroscopic images to create corresponding bone suppression images. Regions of interest were manually located on lung nodules and automatic target tracking was conducted based on the template matching technique. To evaluate the accuracy of target tracking, the maximum tracking error in the resulting images was compared with that of conventional fluoroscopic images. The tracking errors were decreased by half in eight of nine cases. The average maximum tracking errors in bone suppression and conventional fluoroscopic images were 1.3   ±   1.0 and 3.3   ±   3.3 mm, respectively. The bone suppression technique was especially effective in the lower lung area where pulmonary vessels, bronchi, and ribs showed complex movements. The bone suppression technique improved tracking accuracy without special equipment and implantation of fiducial markers, and with only additional small dose to the patient. Bone suppression fluoroscopy is a potential measure for respiratory displacement of the target. This paper was presented at RSNA 2013 and was carried out at Kanazawa University, JAPAN.

  15. Exposure to daily ambient particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and cough occurrence in adult chronic cough patients: A longitudinal study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anyenda, Enoch Olando; Higashi, Tomomi; Kambayashi, Yasuhiro; Thao, Nguyen Thi Thu; Michigami, Yoshimasa; Fujimura, Masaki; Hara, Johsuke; Tsujiguchi, Hiromasa; Kitaoka, Masami; Asakura, Hiroki; Hori, Daisuke; Yamada, Yohei; Hayashi, Koichiro; Hayakawa, Kazuichi; Nakamura, Hiroyuki

    2016-09-01

    The specific components of airborne particulates responsible for adverse health effects have not been conclusively identified. We conducted a longitudinal study on 88 adult patients with chronic cough to evaluate whether exposure to daily ambient levels of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) has relationship with cough occurrence. Study participants were recruited at Kanazawa University Hospital, Japan and were physician-diagnosed to at least have asthma, cough variant asthma and/or atopic cough during 4th January to 30th June 2011. Daily cough symptoms were collected by use of cough diaries and simultaneously, particulate PAH content in daily total suspended particles collected on glass fiber filters were determined by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detector. Population averaged estimates of association between PAH exposure and cough occurrence for entire patients and subgroups according to doctor's diagnosis were performed using generalized estimating equations. Selected adjusted odds ratios for cough occurrence were 1.088 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.031, 1.147); 1.209 (95% CI: 1.060, 1.379) per 1 ng/m3 increase for 2-day lag and 6-day moving average PAH exposure respectively. Likewise, 5 ring PAH had higher odds in comparison to 4 ring PAH. On the basis of doctor's diagnosis, non-asthma group had slightly higher odds ratio 1.127 (95% CI: 1.033, 1.228) per 1 ng/m3 increase in 2-day lag PAH exposure. Our findings suggest that ambient PAH exposure is associated with cough occurrence in adult chronic cough patients. The association may be stronger in non-asthma patients and even at low levels although there is need for further study with a larger sample size of respective diagnosis and inclusion of co-pollutants.

  16. A cross-sectional investigation of the quality of selected medicines in Cambodia in 2010

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Access to good-quality medicines in many countries is largely hindered by the rampant circulation of spurious/falsely labeled/falsified/counterfeit (SFFC) and substandard medicines. In 2006, the Ministry of Health of Cambodia, in collaboration with Kanazawa University, Japan, initiated a project to combat SFFC medicines. Methods To assess the quality of medicines and prevalence of SFFC medicines among selected products, a cross-sectional survey was carried out in Cambodia. Cefixime, omeprazole, co-trimoxazole, clarithromycin, and sildenafil were selected as candidate medicines. These medicines were purchased from private community drug outlets in the capital, Phnom Penh, and Svay Rieng and Kandal provinces through a stratified random sampling scheme in July 2010. Results In total, 325 medicine samples were collected from 111 drug outlets. Non-licensed outlets were more commonly encountered in rural than in urban areas (p < 0.01). Of all the samples, 93.5% were registered and 80% were foreign products. Samples without registration numbers were found more frequently among foreign-manufactured products than in domestic ones (p < 0.01). According to pharmacopeial analytical results, 14.5%, 4.6%, and 24.6% of the samples were unacceptable in quantity, content uniformity, and dissolution test, respectively. All the ultimately unacceptable samples in the content uniformity tests were of foreign origin. Following authenticity investigations conducted with the respective manufacturers and medicine regulatory authorities, an unregistered product of cefixime collected from a pharmacy was confirmed as an SFFC medicine. However, the sample was acceptable in quantity, content uniformity, and dissolution test. Conclusions The results of this survey indicate that medicine counterfeiting is not limited to essential medicines in Cambodia: newer-generation medicines are also targeted. Concerted efforts by both domestic and foreign manufacturers, wholesalers

  17. Assessment of the Risk of Medium-Term Internal Contamination in Minamisoma City, Fukushima, Japan, after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Accident

    PubMed Central

    Gilmour, Stuart; Tsubokura, Masaharu; Nomura, Shuhei; Kami, Masahiro; Oikawa, Tomoyoshi; Kanazawa, Yukio; Shibuya, Kenji

    2014-01-01

    Background: The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster, the first level-7 major nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, raised concerns about the future health consequences of exposure to and intake of radionuclides. Factors determining the risk and level of internal radiation contamination after a nuclear accident, which are a key to understanding and improving current nuclear disaster management, are not well studied. Objective: We investigated both the prevalence and level of internal contamination in residents of Minamisoma, and identified factors determining the risk and levels of contamination. Methods: We implemented a program assessing internal radiation contamination using a whole body counter (WBC) measurement and a questionnaire survey in Minamisoma, between October 2011 and March 2012. Results: Approximately 20% of the city’s population (8,829 individuals) participated in the WBC measurement for internal contamination, of which 94% responded to the questionnaire. The proportion of participants with detectable internal contamination was 40% in adults and 9% in children. The level of internal contamination ranged from 2.3 to 196.5 Bq/kg (median, 11.3 Bq/kg). Tobit regression analysis identified two main risk factors: more time spent outdoors, and intake of potentially contaminated foods and water. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that, with sensible and reasonable precautions, people may be able to live continuously in radiation-affected areas with limited contamination risk. To enable this, nuclear disaster response should strictly enforce food and water controls and disseminate evidence-based and up-to-date information about avoidable contamination risks. Citation: Sugimoto A, Gilmour S, Tsubokura M, Nomura S, Kami M, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y, Shibuya K. 2014. Assessment of the risk of medium-term internal contamination in Minamisoma City, Fukushima, Japan, after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear accident. Environ Health Perspect 122:587–593;

  18. Application of the newly developed Japanese adenosine normal database for adenosine stress myocardial scintigraphy.

    PubMed

    Harata, Shingo; Isobe, Satoshi; Morishima, Itsuro; Suzuki, Susumu; Tsuboi, Hideyuki; Sone, Takahito; Ishii, Hideki; Murohara, Toyoaki

    2015-10-01

    The currently available Japanese normal database (NDB) in stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy recommended by the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine (JSNM-NDB) is created based on the data from exercise tests. The newly developed adenosine normal database (ADS-NDB) remains to be validated for patients undergoing adenosine stress test. We tested whether the diagnostic accuracy of adenosine stress test is improved by the use of ADS-NDB (Kanazawa University). Of 233 consecutive patients undergoing (99m)Tc-MIBI adenosine stress test, 112 patients were tested. The stress/rest myocardial (99m)Tc-MIBI single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images were analyzed by AutoQUANT 7.2 with both ADS-NDB and JSNM-NDB. The summed stress score (SSS) and summed difference score (SDS) were calculated. The agreements of the post-stress defect severity between ADS-NDB and JSNM-NDB were assessed using a weighted kappa statistic. In all patients, mean SSSs of all, right coronary artery (RCA), left anterior descending (LAD), and left circumflex (LCx) territories were significantly lower with ADS-NDB than those with JSNM-NDB. Mean SDSs in all, RCA, and LAD territories were significantly lower with ADS-NDB than those with JSNM-NDB. In 28 patients with significant coronary stenosis, the mean SSS in the RCA territory was significantly lower with ADS-NDB than that with JSNM-NDB. In 84 patients without ischemia, both mean SSSs and SDSs in all, RCA, LAD, and LCx territories were significantly lower with ADS-NDB than those with JSNM-NDB. Weighted kappa values of all patients, patients with significant stenosis, and patients without ischemia were 0.89, 0.83, and 0.92, respectively. Differences were observed between results from ADS-NDB and JSNM-NDB. The diagnostic accuracy of adenosine stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy may be improved by reducing false-positive results.

  19. Effects of Asian dust on daily cough occurrence in patients with chronic cough: A panel study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Higashi, Tomomi; Kambayashi, Yasuhiro; Ohkura, Noriyuki; Fujimura, Masaki; Nakai, Satoshi; Honda, Yasushi; Saijoh, Kiyofumi; Hayakawa, Kazuichi; Kobayashi, Fumihisa; Michigami, Yoshimasa; Olando, Anyenda Enoch; Hitomi, Yoshiaki; Nakamura, Hiroyuki

    2014-08-01

    Asian dust, known as kosa in Japanese, is a major public health concern. In this panel study, we evaluated the effects of exposure to kosa on daily cough occurrence. The study subjects were 86 patients being treated for asthma, cough variant asthma, or atopic cough in Kanazawa University Hospital from January 2011 to June 2011. Daily mean concentrations of kosa and spherical particles were obtained from light detection and ranging (LIDAR) measurements, and were categorized from Grade 1 (0 μg/m3) to 5 (over 100 μg/m3). The association between kosa and cough was analyzed by logistic regression with a generalized estimating equation. Kosa effects on cough were seen for all Grades with potential time lag effect. Particularly at Lag 0 (the day of exposure), a dose-response relationship was observed: the odds ratios for Grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 above the referent (Grade 1) were 1.111 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.995-1.239), 1.171 (95% CI: 1.006-1.363), 1.357 (95% CI: 1.029-1.788), and 1.414 (95% CI: 0.983-2.036), respectively. Among the patients without asthma, the association was higher: the odds ratios for Grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 were 1.223 (95% CI: 0.999-1.497), 1.309 (95% CI: 0.987-1.737), 1.738 (95% CI: 1.029-2.935) and 2.403 (95% CI: 1.158-4.985), respectively. These associations remained after adjusting for the concentration of spherical particles or particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5). Our findings demonstrate that kosa is an environmental factor which induces cough in a dose-response relationship.

  20. Reprint of: Effects of Asian dust on daily cough occurrence in patients with chronic cough: A panel study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Higashi, Tomomi; Kambayashi, Yasuhiro; Ohkura, Noriyuki; Fujimura, Masaki; Nakai, Satoshi; Honda, Yasushi; Saijoh, Kiyofumi; Hayakawa, Kazuichi; Kobayashi, Fumihisa; Michigami, Yoshimasa; Olando, Anyenda Enoch; Hitomi, Yoshiaki; Nakamura, Hiroyuki

    2014-11-01

    Asian dust, known as kosa in Japanese, is a major public health concern. In this panel study, we evaluated the effects of exposure to kosa on daily cough occurrence. The study subjects were 86 patients being treated for asthma, cough variant asthma, or atopic cough in Kanazawa University Hospital from January 2011 to June 2011. Daily mean concentrations of kosa and spherical particles were obtained from light detection and ranging (LIDAR) measurements, and were categorized from Grade 1 (0 μg/m3) to 5 (over 100 μg/m3). The association between kosa and cough was analyzed by logistic regression with a generalized estimating equation. Kosa effects on cough were seen for all Grades with potential time lag effect. Particularly at Lag 0 (the day of exposure), a dose-response relationship was observed: the odds ratios for Grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 above the referent (Grade 1) were 1.111 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.995-1.239), 1.171 (95% CI: 1.006-1.363), 1.357 (95% CI: 1.029-1.788), and 1.414 (95% CI: 0.983-2.036), respectively. Among the patients without asthma, the association was higher: the odds ratios for Grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 were 1.223 (95% CI: 0.999-1.497), 1.309 (95% CI: 0.987-1.737), 1.738 (95% CI: 1.029-2.935) and 2.403 (95% CI: 1.158-4.985), respectively. These associations remained after adjusting for the concentration of spherical particles or particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5). Our findings demonstrate that kosa is an environmental factor which induces cough in a dose-response relationship.

  1. Clinical characteristics of Japanese patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia.

    PubMed

    Tada, Hayato; Kawashiri, Masa-Aki; Nakahashi, Takuya; Yagi, Kunimasa; Chujo, Daisuke; Ohbatake, Azusa; Mori, Yukiko; Mori, Shunsuke; Kometani, Mitsuhiro; Fujii, Hiroshi; Nohara, Atsushi; Inazu, Akihiro; Mabuchi, Hiroshi; Yamagishi, Masakazu; Hayashi, Kenshi

    2015-01-01

    Although of interest, few data exist on the clinical characteristics of Japanese patients with an extremely high triglyceride level (≥ 1000 mg/dL). We assessed the clinical characteristics of Japanese patients with an extremely high triglyceride level. We investigated the presence of coronary artery disease, history of pancreatitis, the presence of fatty liver, and the potential causes of elevated triglyceride in Japanese subjects with an extremely high level of fasting triglyceride (≥ 1000 mg/dL) among 70,368 subjects whose serum triglyceride was measured for any reason at Kanazawa University Hospital from April 2004 to March 2014. We identified 215 (0.31%) subjects (mean age, 46 years; male, 170, mean body mass index, 25 kg/m(2)) with severe hypertriglyceridemia. Among them, 4 (1.9%) subjects were classified as type I, 97 (45.1%) subjects were type IV, and 114 (53.0%) subjects were type V hyperlipidemia, according to Fredrickson's classification. Among 215 subjects, 116 subjects (54.0%) drank alcohol, 58 (27.0%) showed heavy intake (≥ 60 g/d), and 64 (29.8%) subjects had diabetes. In total, 59 (27.4%) subjects had transient severe hypertriglyceridemia caused by corticosteroids (N = 19), antidepressant (N = 18), l-asparaginase and steroids for acute lymphoid leukemia (N = 15), hormone replacement therapy for breast cancer (N = 9), β-blocker (N = 5), hypothyroidism (N = 4), pregnancy (N = 4), and panhypopituitarism (N = 2). As many as 119 (55.3%) subjects exhibited fatty liver. Moreover, 12 (5.6%) and 17 (7.9%) subjects had a history of pancreatitis and coronary artery disease, respectively. A variety of situations can cause severe hypertriglyceridemia. We suggest that potential secondary causes should be carefully assessed for such patients. Copyright © 2015 National Lipid Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. The 1990 Western Pacific Geophysics meeting

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    The 1990 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting was held in Kanazawa, Japan from 15-21 Aug. 1990. This was the first meeting of a new series of meetings for the American Geophysical Union, and it proved to be very successful in terms of the scientific program and attendance, which included over 1,000 participants. The intent of this meeting was an effort on the part of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and several Japanese geophysical societies to gather individual Earth and space scientists at a major scientific meeting to focus on geophysical problems being studied in the western Pacific rim. The meeting was organized along the lines of a typical AGU annual meeting with some invited talks, many contributed talks, poster sessions, and with emphasis on presentations and informal discussions. The program committee consisted of scientists from both the U.S. and Japan. This meeting provided ample opportunities for U.S. and Japanese scientists to get to know each other and their works on a one-to-one basis. It was also a valuable opportunity for students studying geophysics to get together and interact with each other and with scientists from both the U.S. and Japan. There were 939 abstracts submitted to the conference and a total of 102 sessions designed as a result of the abstracts received. The topics of interest are as follows: space geodetic and observatory measurements for earthquake and tectonic studies; gravity, sea level, and vertical motion; variations in earth rotation and earth dynamics; sedimentary magnetism; global processes and precipitation; subsurface contaminant transport; U.S. Western Pacific Rim initiatives in hydrology; shelf and coastal circulation; tectonics, magmatism, and hydrothermal processes; earthquake prediction and hazard assessment; seismic wave propagation in realistic media; and dynamics and structure of plate boundaries and of the Earth's deep interior.

  3. BOOK REVIEW: Great Physicists - The Life and Times of Leading Physicists from Galileo to Hawking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cropper, William H.

    2002-11-01

    The author, a former American chemistry professor, has organized his book into nine parts with 29 chapters, covering, in a fairly historical sequence and systemtic conceptual progression, all fundamentals of today's physics: i.e., mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, statistical mechanics, relativity, quantum mechanics, nuclear physics, particle physics, astronomy-astrophysics-cosmology. Obviously, the 20th century (when about 90% of professional physicists of all time worked) assumes with five topics the dominant role in this enterprise. For each topic, a small number (ranging from one to eight) of leading personalities is selected and the biographies of these 29 physicists, including two women (Marie Curie and Lise Meitner), are presented in some detail together with their achievements in the particular topic. Important relevant contributions of other scholars to each topic are also discussed. In addition, Cropper provides each of the topics with a short 'historical synopsis' justifying his selection of key persons. One may argue that concentrating on leading physicists constitutes an old-fashioned approach to displaying the history and contents of fundamental topics in physics. However, the mixture of biographies and explanation of leading contributions given here will certainly serve for a larger public, not just professional physicists and scientists, as a guide through the exciting development of physical ideas and discoveries. In general, the presentation of the material is quite satisfactory (with only few slips, e.g., in the Meitner story, where the author follows too closely a new biography) and gives the essence of the great advances in physics since the 15th century. One notices perhaps the limitation of the author in cases where no biography in English is available - this would also explain the omission of some of the main contributors to atomic and particle physics, such as Arnold Sommerfeld and Hideki Yukawa, or that French or Russian readers

  4. Outcome of diabetes insipidus in patients with Rathke's cleft cysts.

    PubMed

    Oishi, Masahiro; Hayashi, Yasuhiko; Sasagawa, Yasuo; Kita, Daisuke; Tachibana, Osamu; Nakada, Mitsutoshi

    2018-04-01

    It is well-known that Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) infrequently cause headache, endocrinological dysfunction, and visual disturbance, and in rare cases, cause diabetes insipidus (DI). Although surgical evacuation of the cyst content can result in high rates of symptomatic improvement, not only the treatment efficacy but also the pathophysiology of DI with RCC are undetermined. The aim of this study is to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and outcomes of DI associated with RCCs. We retrospectively studied 109 patients with RCCs treated at Kanazawa University Hospital between 2000 and 2016. Their age, sex, symptoms, endocrinological status, DI, visual disturbance, neuroradiological findings, pathological appearances, and pre-/post-operative hormone levels and status of anti-diuretic hormone replacements were assessed. Among 109 cases of RCCs, five cases (4.6%, 2 males and 3 females) manifested with DI as initial presentation were included. These five cases could be divided into two types: the acute type and the chronic type, based on the onset and duration of symptoms. Three acute onset cases presented with not only strong thirst but also sudden headaches without pituitary dysfunction, whereas the two chronic onset cases presented with chronic headaches and hypopituitarism. Pathological examination in the acute type revealed inflammatory cell infiltration into only the posterior lobe of the pituitary and disruption of the cyst wall adjacent to the posterior lobe, which might suggest RCC rupture. In contrast, the chronic type showed inflammatory cell infiltration into both the anterior and posterior lobes of the pituitary and thickened fibrosis beneath the cyst wall. Postoperatively, two cases of the acute type could be controlled with a smaller amount of 1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) than that required preoperatively, whereas no change was observed in the cases of the chronic type. The cases of DI onset caused by RCCs could be divided into the acute

  5. EDITORIAL: Integrated assessments of environmental change on the Tibetan Plateau Integrated assessments of environmental change on the Tibetan Plateau

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheng, Yongwei; Yao, Tandong

    2009-12-01

    in frozen ground in the Source Area of the Yellow River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, and their eco-environmental impacts Huijun Jin, Ruixia He, Guodong Cheng, Qingbai Wu, Shaoling Wang, Lanzhi Lü and Xiaoli Chang A shallow ice core re-drilled on the Dunde Ice Cap, western China: recent changes in the Asian high mountains Nozomu Takeuchi, Takayuki Miyake, Fumio Nakazawa, Hideki Narita, Koji Fujita, Akiko Sakai, Masayoshi Nakawo, Yoshiyuki Fujii, Keqin Duan and Tandong Yao Review of climate and cryospheric change in the Tibetan Plateau Shichang Kang, Yanwei Xu, Qinglong You, Wolfgang-Albert Flügel, Nick Pepin and Tandong Yao Simulated impacts of land cover change on summer climate in the Tibetan Plateau Qian Li and Yongkang Xue

  6. Multiscale plant wakes, turbulence and non linear scaling flexible effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vila, Teresa; Redondo, Jose M.; Velasco, David

    2010-05-01

    We present velocity ADV measurements and flow visualization of the turbulent wakes behind plant arrays, as these are often fractal in nature, we compare the multifractal spectra and the turbulence structure behind the wakes. Both statistical measures allowing to calculate integral lengthscales and their profiles modified by the plant cannopies [1,2] as well as intermittency and spectral behaviour are also measured [3,4]. We distinguish several momentum transfer mechanisms between the cannopy and the flow, an internal one where lateral turbulent tensions are dominant, and another one just above the plant average height dominated by vertical Reynolds stresses. Visualization of flow over individual plant models show the role of coherent vortices triggered by plant elasticity. The deformation rate of the plants and their Youngs modulus may be correlated with overal plant drag and geometry. This is modified strongly in fractal canopies. Large turbulent integral scales are linked to rugosity and the scaling of the waves.[5,6] Pearlescence experiments where local shear is visualized and numerical simulations of Fractal grids are compared following [7]. [1] Nepf,H.M. Drag, turbulence and diffusion in flow through emergent vegetation. Water Resources Res. 35(2)(1999) [2] Ben Mahjoub,O., Redondo J.M. and Babiano A. Jour.Structure functions in complex flows. Flow Turbulence and Combustion 59, 299-313. [3] El-Hakim, O. Salama, M. Velocity distribution inside and above branched flexible roughness. ASCE Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Vol. 118, No 6, (November/December 1992) 914-927. [4] Finnigan,J. Turbulence in plant canopies. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 2000 , Vol. 32: 519-571. [5] Ikeda, S., Kanazawa, M. Three- dimensional organized vortices above flexible water plants. ASCE Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Vol. 122, No 11, (1996) 634-640. [6] Velasco, D.,Bateman A.,Redondo J.M and Medina V. An open channel flow experimental and theorical study of resistance and

  7. Multiple indices method for real-time tsunami inundation forecast using a dense offshore observation network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamamoto, N.; Aoi, S.; Hirata, K.; Suzuki, W.; Kunugi, T.; Nakamura, H.

    2015-12-01

    We started to develop a new methodology for real-time tsunami inundation forecast system (Aoi et al., 2015, this meeting) using densely offshore tsunami observations of the Seafloor Observation Network for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (S-net), which is under construction along the Japan Trench (Kanazawa et al., 2012, JpGU; Uehira et al., 2015, IUGG). In our method, the most important concept is involving any type and/or form uncertainties in the tsunami forecast, which cannot be dealt with any of standard linear/nonlinear least square approaches. We first prepare a Tsunami Scenario Bank (TSB), which contains offshore tsunami waveforms at the S-net stations and tsunami inundation information calculated from any possible tsunami source. We then quickly select several acceptable tsunami scenarios that can explain offshore observations by using multiple indices and appropriate thresholds, after a tsunami occurrence. At that time, possible tsunami inundations coupled with selected scenarios are forecasted (Yamamoto et al., 2014, AGU). Currently, we define three indices: correlation coefficient and two variance reductions, whose L2-norm part is normalized either by observations or calculations (Suzuki et al., 2015, JpGU; Yamamoto et al., 2015, IUGG). In this study, we construct the TSB, which contains various tsunami source models prepared for the probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment in the Japan Trench region (Hirata et al., 2014, AGU). To evaluate the propriety of our method, we adopt the fault model based on the 2011 Tohoku earthquake as a pseudo "observation". We also calculate three indices using coastal maximum tsunami height distributions between observation and calculation. We then obtain the correlation between coastal and offshore indices. We notice that the index value of coastal maximum tsunami heights is closer to 1 than the index value of offshore waveforms, i.e., the coastal maximum tsunami height may be predictable within appropriate thresholds defined for

  8. A reevaluation of the primary diagnosis of hemangiopericytoma and the clinical importance of differential diagnosis from solitary fibrous tumor of the central nervous system.

    PubMed

    Hayashi, Yutaka; Uchiyama, Naoyuki; Hayashi, Yasuhiko; Nakada, Mitsutoshi; Iwato, Masayuki; Kita, Daisuke; Higashi, Ryo; Hirota, Yuichi; Kai, Yutaka; Kuratsu, Jun-ichi; Hamada, Jun-ichiro

    2009-01-01

    Hemangiopericytomas (HPCs) are rare neoplasms with relatively high rates of recurrence and extracranial metastasis. Though the differential diagnoses from angiomatous meningiomas and from solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are both important, the latter diagnosis is somewhat more important in light of the benign prognosis of SFTs and the difficulties in distinguishing SFTs from HPCs. Newly developed immunohistochemical methods reveal differences in the specific immunohistochemical features of HPCs and SFTs. To elucidate whether SFTs have been misdiagnosed as HPCs in the past, our group used recent immunohistochemical methods to re-evaluate tissues that had been originally diagnosed as HPCs. We also compared the clinical features of these cases. Thirteen sequential cases of HPC diagnosed in Kanazawa University Hospital and Kumamoto University Hospital between 1970 and 2006 were retrospectively analyzed by immunohistochemical staining for CD34, Bcl-2, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), vimentin, and S100 protein, and by measurement of the MIB-1 labeling index (LI). The cases were then re-evaluated and newly diagnosed based on the results of the immunohistochemical stainings. The clinical course of each case was also evaluated. Four of the 13 cases were newly diagnosed as SFTs and eight were reconfirmed as HPCs, based on the immunohistochemical studies for CD34, Bcl-2, and reticulin staining. One case was newly diagnosed as meningioma on the basis of a strong EMA positivity. The MIB-1 LI was less than 1% in 12 of the cases. In two cases, one case of HPC and the other of meningioma, the MIB-1 LI was relatively high, 8% and 4% respectively. All eight of the HPCs recurred, and 5 of the HPC patients died of the disease. Only one case of the SFTs recurred. Our study suggests that a relatively high percentage of the tumors diagnosed as HPCs in the past may have in fact been intracranial SFTs. Immunohistochemical examinations of CD34, Bcl-2, and reticulin stains are keys for the

  9. Design and Prototype Implementation of non-Triggered Database-driven Real-time Tsunami Forecast System using Multi-index Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamamoto, N.; Aoi, S.; Suzuki, W.; Hirata, K.; Takahashi, N.; Kunugi, T.; Nakamura, H.

    2016-12-01

    We have launched a new project to develop real-time tsunami inundation forecast system for the Pacific coast of Chiba prefecture (Kujukuri-Sotobo region), Japan (Aoi et al., 2015, AGU). In this study, we design a database-driven real-time tsunami forecast system using the multi-index method (Yamamoto et al., 2016, EPS) and implement a prototype system. In the previous study (Yamamoto et al., 2015, AGU), we assumed that the origin-time of tsunami was known before a forecast based on comparing observed and calculated ocean-bottom pressure waveforms stored in the Tsunami Scenario Bank (TSB). As shown in the figure, we assume the scenario origin-times by defining the scenario elapsed timeτp to compare observed and calculated waveforms. In this design, when several appropriate tsunami scenarios were selected by multiple indices (two variance reductions and correlation coefficient), the system could make tsunami forecast using the selected tsunami scenarios for the target coastal region without any triggered information derived from observed seismic and/or tsunami data. In addition, we define the time range Tq shown in the figure for masking perturbations contaminated by ocean-acoustic and seismic waves on the observed pressure records (Saito, 2015, JpGU). Following the proposed design, we implement a prototype system of real-time tsunami inundation forecast system for the exclusive use of the target coastal region using ocean-bottom pressure data from the Seafloor Observation Network for Earthquakes and Tsunamis along the Japan Trench (S-net) (Kanazawa et al., 2012, JpGU; Uehira et al., 2015, IUGG), which is constructed by National Research institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED). For the prototype system, we construct a prototype TSB using interplate earthquake fault models located along the Japan Trench (Mw 7.6-9.8), the Sagami Trough (Mw 7.6-8.6), and the Nankai Trough (Mw 7.6-8.6) as well as intraplate earthquake fault models (Mw 7.6-8.6) within

  10. Significant improvement of intractable headache after transsphenoidal surgery in patients with pituitary adenomas; preoperative neuroradiological evaluation and intraoperative intrasellar pressure measurement.

    PubMed

    Hayashi, Yasuhiko; Kita, Daisuke; Iwato, Masayuki; Fukui, Issei; Oishi, Masahiro; Tsutsui, Taishi; Tachibana, Osamu; Nakada, Mitsutoshi

    2016-04-01

    Headache is the most common symptom of both primary and metastatic brain tumor, and is generally considered the primary symptom in patients with large pituitary adenomas. However, patients with small pituitary adenomas rarely complain of intractable headache, and neurosurgeons are unsure whether such small adenomas actually contribute to headache. If conventional medical treatments for headache prove ineffective, surgical removal of the adenoma can be considered as an alternative management strategy. We conducted a retrospective review of 180 patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) for pituitary adenomas at Kanazawa University Hospital between 2006 and 2014. Patients with acute phase intratumoral hemorrhage were excluded. We identified nine patients with intractable headache as the chief complaint associated with small pituitary adenoma (diameters 15.8 ± 2.6 mm, 11-20 mm), non-functioning in eight, and prolactin-secreting in one. The preoperative neuroradiological studies and headache characteristics were assessed retrospectively, and the intrasellar pressure evaluation was performed during TSS in the last seven patients. All nine patients had complete or substantial resolution of their formerly intractable headache after TSS. Headaches consisted of ocular pain ipsilateral to the adenoma localization within the sella in four cases and bifrontal headache in five. Magnetic resonance imaging of these patients revealed small diaphragmatic foramen, which were so narrow that only the pituitary stalk could pass. Computed tomography scans showed ossification beneath the sellar floor in the sphenoid sinus, presellar type in six cases, and choncal type in three. The adenomas included cysts in seven cases. There was no cavernous sinus invasion. Intrasellar pressure measurements averaged 41.5 ± 8.5 mmHg, range 34-59, significantly higher than in control patients without headache (n = 12), namely 22.2 ± 10.6 mmHg (16-30). In this study, the authors demonstrated

  11. Characterization of individual ice residual particles by the single droplet freezing method: a case study in the Asian dust outflow region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iwata, Ayumi; Matsuki, Atsushi

    2018-02-01

    In order to better characterize ice nucleating (IN) aerosol particles in the atmosphere, we investigated the chemical composition, mixing state, and morphology of atmospheric aerosols that nucleate ice under conditions relevant for mixed-phase clouds. Five standard mineral dust samples (quartz, K-feldspar, Na-feldspar, Arizona test dust, and Asian dust source particles) were compared with actual aerosol particles collected from the west coast of Japan (the city of Kanazawa) during Asian dust events in February and April 2016. Following droplet activation by particles deposited on a hydrophobic Si (silicon) wafer substrate under supersaturated air, individual IN particles were located using an optical microscope by gradually cooling the temperature to -30 °C. For the aerosol samples, both the IN active particles and non-active particles were analyzed individually by atomic force microscopy (AFM), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Heterogeneous ice nucleation in all standard mineral dust samples tested in this study was observed at consistently higher temperatures (e.g., -22.2 to -24.2 °C with K-feldspar) than the homogeneous freezing temperature (-36.5 °C). Meanwhile, most of the IN active atmospheric particles formed ice below -28 °C, i.e., at lower temperatures than the standard mineral dust samples of pure components. The most abundant IN active particles above -30 °C were predominantly irregular solid particles that showed clay mineral characteristics (or mixtures of several mineral components). Other than clay, Ca-rich particles internally mixed with other components, such as sulfate, were also regarded as IN active particle types. Moreover, sea salt particles were predominantly found in the non-active fraction, and internal mixing with sea salt clearly acted as a significant inhibiting agent for the ice nucleation activity of mineral dust particles. Also, relatively

  12. Poor embryo development in post-ovulatory in vivo-aged mouse oocytes is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, but mitochondrial transfer from somatic cells is not sufficient for rejuvenation.

    PubMed

    Igarashi, Hideki; Takahashi, Toshifumi; Abe, Hiroyuki; Nakano, Hiroshi; Nakajima, Osamu; Nagase, Satoru

    2016-10-01

    types into aged oocytes on their fertilization and embryonic development rates. The results from the present study showed that poor embryonic development was associated with impairment of mitochondrial functions in in vivo-aged oocytes. However, the microinjection of mitochondria from liver cells did not improve the low fertilization and embryonic development rates of aged oocytes. It remains to be demonstrated whether oocyte quality can be rescued by the transfer of cytosolic factors or cellular organelles, such as the endoplasmic reticulum or mitochondria, from specific cell types. This study was supported by Grants-in-Aid for General Science Research to Toshifumi Takahashi (No. 25462550) and Hideki Igarashi (No. 26462474). The funding source played no role in study design in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  13. Clever sillies: why high IQ people tend to be deficient in common sense.

    PubMed

    Charlton, Bruce G

    2009-12-01

    In previous editorials I have written about the absent-minded and socially-inept 'nutty professor' stereotype in science, and the phenomenon of 'psychological neoteny' whereby intelligent modern people (including scientists) decline to grow-up and instead remain in a state of perpetual novelty-seeking adolescence. These can be seen as specific examples of the general phenomenon of 'clever sillies' whereby intelligent people with high levels of technical ability are seen (by the majority of the rest of the population) as having foolish ideas and behaviours outside the realm of their professional expertise. In short, it has often been observed that high IQ types are lacking in 'common sense'--and especially when it comes to dealing with other human beings. General intelligence is not just a cognitive ability; it is also a cognitive disposition. So, the greater cognitive abilities of higher IQ tend also to be accompanied by a distinctive high IQ personality type including the trait of 'Openness to experience', 'enlightened' or progressive left-wing political values, and atheism. Drawing on the ideas of Kanazawa, my suggested explanation for this association between intelligence and personality is that an increasing relative level of IQ brings with it a tendency differentially to over-use general intelligence in problem-solving, and to over-ride those instinctive and spontaneous forms of evolved behaviour which could be termed common sense. Preferential use of abstract analysis is often useful when dealing with the many evolutionary novelties to be found in modernizing societies; but is not usually useful for dealing with social and psychological problems for which humans have evolved 'domain-specific' adaptive behaviours. And since evolved common sense usually produces the right answers in the social domain; this implies that, when it comes to solving social problems, the most intelligent people are more likely than those of average intelligence to have novel but

  14. PREFACE: Advanced Science Research Symposium 2009 Positron, Muon and other exotic particle beams for materials and atomic/molecular sciences (ASR2009)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Higemoto, Wataru; Kawasuso, Atsuo

    2010-05-01

    Heffner, JAEA/LANL W Higemoto, JAEA (Co-chair) T Hyodo, Univ. Tokyo I Kanazawa, Tokyo Gakugei Univ. A Kawasuso, JAEA (Co-chair) Y Kobayashi, AIST T Matsuzaki, RIKEN-RAL Y Miyake, KEK N Nishida, Tokyo IT K Nishiyama, KEK I Shimamura, RIKEN Y Shirai, Kyoto Univ. R Suzuki, AIST A Uedono, Univ. Tsukuba Local organizing committee (JAEA) M Maekawa Y Fukaya T U Ito A Yabuuchi K Ninomiya T Hirade W Higemoto A Kawasuso S Sakurai Secretariat (JAEA) H Sekino Cooperation The Physical Society of Japan Positron Science Society Society of Muon and Meson Science of Japan International Society for μSR Spectroscopy Conference photograph

  15. PREFACE: 7th International Conference on Applications of Physics in Financial Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takayasu, M.; Watanabe, T.; Ikeda, Y.; Takayasu, H.

    2010-04-01

    become interested in such datasets, conducting empirical investigations about various aspects of economic activities. Specifically, they have searched for regularities and 'laws' akin to the ones in natural science, successfully producing fascinating results, as shown in the papers contained in this volume. Each paper submitted for publication in this volume has gone through the refereeing process, and has been revised on the basis of comments and discussion at the conference as well as comments from the anonymous referees. Finally, 19 papers were accepted for publication. The editors are very grateful to the colleagues involved in the refereeing process for their rapid and careful reviewing of the papers. We thank Takayuki Mizuno, Koji Sakai, Hiwon Yoon and Hiroki Matsui for their support for the conference. We appreciate the administrative assistance provided by Yayoi Hatano of Hitotsubashi University, and Masahiko Ozaki, Masato Yamada and Tomoko Kase of RIETI. We are most grateful to the authors for their contributions, as well as to the participants, all of whom made this conference stimulating and enjoyable. Misako Takayasu Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan Tsutomu Watanabe Hitotsubashi University, Japan RIETI, Japan Yuichi Ikeda Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi Ltd, Japan Hideki Takayasu Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc, Japan

  16. Japan-China Joint Medical Workshop on Drug Discoveries and Therapeutics 2008: The need of Asian pharmaceutical researchers' cooperation.

    PubMed

    Nakata, M; Tang, W

    2008-10-01

    and the effect of these modifications on in vitro anticancer activity by Yingxia Li (Ocean University of China, China) ● Spirohexalines A and B, novel undecaprenyl pyrophosphate inhibitors produced by Penicillium sp. FKI-3368 by Junji Inokoshi (Kitasato University, Japan) ● Nosokomycins, novel anti-MRSA antibiotics, produced by Streptomyces sp. K04-0144 by OR. Uchida (Kitasato University, Japan) ● In vivo screening for antimicrobial activity of Thai Herbal Medicines using silkworm model by Santad Chanprapaph (Chulalongkorn University, Thailand) ● Novel electrochemical sensor of nitric oxide for screening anti-aging Traditional Chinese Medicine by Zilin Chen (Wuhan University, China) ● Polysacchride from green tea purified by silkworm muscle contraction assay induces innate immunity by increasing the expression of various inflammatory cytokine mRNA in human leukocytes by Saphala Dhital (The University of Tokyo, Japan) Session IV. Anti-influenza Drugs ● Structure-activity relationship of flavonoids as influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitors and their in vitro anti-viral activities by Guanhua Du (Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, China) ● Mechanisms and consequences of phagocytosis of influenza virus-infected cells by Yoshinobu Nakanishi (Kanazawa University, Japan) ● Nuclear export inhibitors; a possible target for novel anti-influenza viral drugs by Ken Watanabe (Nagasaki University, Japan) ● Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of oseltamivir phosphate directing toward its stable worldwide supply by Motomu Kanai (The University of Tokyo, Japan) ● Clinical effects of probiotic bifidobacterium in the prevention of influenza virus infections and allergic diseases by Jin-zhong Xiao (Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Japan) ● Production of anti-influenza PR8-scFv using a phage display by Normaiza Zamri (Tokai University, Japan) Session V. Anti-infection/Antiviral Drugs ● Emerging infectious diseases and anti

  17. PREFACE: 11th Asia-Pacific Conference on Plasma Science and Technology (APCPST-11) and 25th Symposium on Plasma Science for Materials (SPSM-25)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watanabe, Takayuki; Kaneko, Toshio; Sekine, Makoto; Tanaka, Yasunori

    2013-06-01

    advances in thermal and non-equilibrium plasmas as well as on more new and innovative developments in the field of life innovation, green innovation and a technical report session. The editors hope that this volume will be useful and helpful for deepening our understanding of science and technology of plasma materials processing and also for stimulating further development of the plasma technology. Finally, we would like to thank the conference chairmen, the members of the organizing committee, the advisory committee, the executive committee, the program committee, the publication committee, organizing secretariat and financial support from The 153rd Committee on Plasma Materials Science, JSPS. Sponsors and Supporting Organization: The 153rd Committee on Plasma Materials Science, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Organizing Committee Chairperson: Osamu Tsuji, SAMCO Corporation, Japan Advisory Committee Chairperson: Akihisa Matsuda, Osaka University, Japan Executive Committee Chairperson: Masaru Hori, Nagoya University, Japan Program Committee Chairperson: Takamasa Ishigaki, Hosei University, Japan Publication Committee Chairperson: Takayuki Watanabe, Kyushu University Editors of APCPST-11 and SPMS-25 Professor Takayuki Watanabe, Kyushu University, Japan Professor Toshio Kaneko, Tohoku University, Japan Professor Makoto Sekine, Nagoya University, Japan Professor Yasunori Tanaka, Kanazawa University, Japan

  18. Possibility of existence of serpentinized material at the Izu-Bonin subduction plate boundary around 31N using Q structure by FDM-simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamimura, A.; Kasahara, J.

    2003-12-01

    model has no low-Q zone, another one has low-Q zone only just below the serpentine seamount. Other models have low-Q zones just below the serpentine seamount and above the subducting slab, horizontal width of the low-Q zone are different one another. Comparing synthetic waveforms and observed data, we can conclude that there must be a low-Q zone just below the serpentine seamount and on the subducting oceanic slab. The low-Q zone on the slab has ca. 80 km wide east to west and connects to the serpentine seamount. It is very important to understand where serpentinites of the seamounts came from to explain the characteristics of seismicity at the IBSZ. In this presentation we are going to explain an interpretation that serpentine moved through the plate boundary and reached just below the serpentine seamount, using an existence of the low-Q zone. Kamimura, A., Kasahara, J., Masanao S., Hino, R., Shiobara, H., Fujie, G., Kanazawa, T., 2002. Crustal structure study at the Izu-Bonin subduction zone around 31° N: implications of serpentinized materials along the subduction plate boundary, Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 132, 105-129.

  19. The Chondrite Neagari: Petrography, Mineralogy, Chemical Compositions, and Cosmogenic Nuclides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Okada, A.; Komura, K.; Nagao, K.; Nishiizumi, K.; Miyamoto, Y.; Sakamoto, K.; Ebihara, M.; Shima, M.

    1995-09-01

    The Neagari meteorite fell on Feb. 18, 1995 at Neagari-machi, Nomi-gun, Ishikawa-ken, Japan (geographical coordinate: 36 degrees 26.9'N, 136 degrees 27.9'E). It was broken into several pieces when it hit a car upon falling. The largest piece weighing about 325 g and a small piece weighing 39 g were brought to the Kanazawa University for the measurements of gamma-rays emitted by cosmogenic nuclides only 2.7 days after the fall. Thereafter, the measurement was repeated several times. Other small pieces were used for petrographic, mineralogical and chemical studies. Noble gas mass spectrometry and AMS were also conducted. The Neagari meteorite shows a distinct, recrystallized structure under the microscopic observation of the thin section. Chondrules, 0.6 to 1.0 mm in diameter, are all present as relicts, buried in the well-recrystallized matrix. The chondrule-matrix boundaries are scarcely discernible in the granulated matrix. Olivine (Fa: 25.3 +/- 0.6 mole%) and orthopyroxene (Fs: 20.6 +/- 0.6 mole%) are the most abundant minerals both in matrix and in the chondrule relicts. Diopside is present as individual grains in the granular matrix. Interstitial feldspar crystal (Or(sub)6.3Ab (sub)88.0 An(sub)5.8) are common in the matrix and chondrule relicts, and often enclose minute pyroxene grains. Main opaque minerals are kamacite, taenite, troilite and chromite, and the metal phase is more abundant than the sulfide phase in the section. Both Fa and Fs values indicate that the Neagari meteorite is an L chondrite. The well-crystallized structure of the matrix, poorly defined outline of relict chondrules in the matrix, the prevalence of clear and well-developed plagioclase grains in the matrix and chondrule relicts and the absence of glass and monoclinic low-Ca pyroxene indicate the petrologic type to be 6. By the non-destructive gamma-ray measurement of the meteorite, eleven cosmogenic nuclides (^44mSc, ^52Mn, ^48V, ^51Cr, ^7Be, ^56Co, ^46Sc, ^57Co, ^54Mn, ^22Na, and ^26Al

  20. Obituary: Chushiro Hayashi (1920-2010)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakagawa, Yoshitsugu

    2011-12-01

    Chushiro Hayashi, the greatest Japanese theoretical astrophysicist, died of old age at a hospital in Kyoto on 28 February, 2010; he was 89 years old. C. Hayashi was born in Kyoto on July 25, 1920 as the fourth son of his parents Mume and Seijiro Hayashi. His father Seijiro managed a small finance company and the family "Hayashi" can trace its history back to honorable master carpenters who engaged in construction of the historic Kamigamo-shrine and Daitokuji-temple in Kyoto. In his high-school days in Kyoto, Hayashi enjoyed judo, and he was interested in philosophy and read a lot of philosophy books. Some of his schoolmates thought that Hayashi would become a philosopher. After graduating high school, he moved to Tokyo and entered the University of Tokyo, Department of physics in 1940, where he encountered astrophysics through a paper by G. Gamow and M. Schönberg on the URCA process (1941), A.S. Eddington's book "Internal Constitution of the Stars" (1926), etc. It was a difficult time of World War II. After a short time at university of two and half years, he graduated and was conscripted into the Navy. In 1945 the war was over he returned to his hometown Kyoto, where he joined a group of Professor Hideki Yukawa at Kyoto University, and studied elementary particle physics as well as astrophysics. In his early outstanding paper (1950), Hayashi pointed out an important effect of neutrinos in the expanding early hot universe, resulting in chemical equilibrium between neutrons and protons, while Gamow et al. (1948) did not notice the effect in their abg-theory, where they assumed a pure neutron state as an initial state. Also Hayashi investigated the structures of red giant stars; he showed how red giant stars kept such large radius structures, in terms of stellar models with energy source of nuclear shell-burning (1949, 1957). He received a DSc in 1954; the title of his thesis was "Hamiltonian Formalism in Non-local Field Theories." After that, Hayashi concentrated

  1. In This Issue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1996-06-01

    Mixture as an Extractant" by Onami and Kanazawa (page 556); and "The Analysis of Riboflavin in Urine Using Fluorescence" by Henderleiter and Hyslop (page 563). For the general undergraduate organic laboratory a wide range of topics and techniques are represented by "Epoxidation of Alpha-Methylstyrene and Its Lewis Acid Rearrangement to 2-Phenylpropanal" by Garin, Gamber, and Rowe (page 555); "Use of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) in Nonscience Major Course Laboratory Experiments" by Kostecka, Lerman, and Angelos (page 565); "Examination of a Reaction Mechanism by Polarimetry" by Mosher, Kelly, and Mosher (page 567); and "GS-MS and GC-FTIR Characterization of Products" by Amenta, DeVore, Gallaher, Zook, and Mosbo. Undergraduate laboratories are using more and more microscale experiments. The Microscale Laboratory feature brings new ideas regularly; this month features "Preparation and Properties of a Stable Organic Cation" by Manfredi and McGrew (page A124). Another microscale experiment "1H NMR Analysis of R/S Ibuprofen by the Formation of Diastereomeric Pairs" is provided by Sen and Aniker (page 569).

  2. Strong Coupling Gauge Theories in LHC ERA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fukaya, H.; Harada, M.; Tanabashi, M.; Yamawaki, K.

    2011-01-01

    conformal Higgs / Kazumoto Haba, Shinya Matsuzaki and Koichi Yamawaki -- Phase structure of topologically massive gauge theory with fermion / Yuichi Hoshino -- New regularization in extra dimensional model and renormalization group flow of the cosmological constant / Shoichi Ichinose -- Spectral analysis of dense two-color QCD / T. Kanazawa, T. Wettig and N. Yamamoto -- NJL model with dimensional regularization at finite temperature / T. Fujihara ... [et al.] -- A new method of evaluating the dynamical chiral symmetry breaking scale and the chiral restoration temperature in general gauge theories by using the non-perturbative renormalization group analyses with general 4-Fermi effective interaction space / Ken-Ichi Aoki, Daisuke Sato and Kazuhiro Miyashita -- The effective chiral Lagrangian with vector mesons and hadronic [symbol] decays / D. Kimura ... [et al.] -- Spontaneous SUSY breaking with anomalous U(1) symmetry in metastable vacua and moduli stabilization / Hiroyuki Nishino -- A new description of the lattice Yang-Mills theory and non-abelian magnetic monopole dominance in the string tension / Akihiro Shibata -- Thermodynamics with unbroken center symmetry in two-flavor QCD / S. Takemoto, M. Harada and C. Sasaki -- Masses of vector bosons in two-color QCD based on the hidden local symmetry / T. Yamaoka, M. Harada and C. Nonaka -- Walking dynamics from string duals / Maurizio Piai -- The quark mass dependence of the nucleon mass in AdS/QCD / Hyo Chul Ahn -- Structure of thermal quasi-fermion in QED/QCD from the Dyson-Schwinger equation / Hisao Nakkagawa -- Critical behaviors of sigma-mode and pion in holographic superconductors / Cheonsoo Park.

  3. Controllable Quantum States Mesoscopic Superconductivity and Spintronics (MS+S2006)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takayanagi, Hideaki; Nitta, Junsaku; Nakano, Hayato

    2008-10-01

    distance on the magnetization configuration of submicron-sized ferromagnetic rings / Tetsuya Miyawaki. A wide GaAs/GaAlAs quantum well simultaneously containing two dimensional electrons and holes / Ane Jensen. Simulation of the photon-spin quantum state transfer process / Yoshiaki Rikitake. Magnetotransport in two-dimensional electron gases on cylindrical surface / Friedland Klaus-Juergen. Full counting statistics for a single-electron transistor at intermediate conductance / Yasuhiro Utsumi. Creation of spin-polarized current using quantum point contacts and its detection / Mikio Eto. Density dependent electron effective mass in a back-gated quantum well / S. Nomura. The supersymmetric sigma formula and metal-insulator transition in diluted magnetic semiconductors / I. Kanazawa. Spin-photovoltaic effect in quantum wires / A. Fedorov -- Quantum interference. Nonequilibrium transport in Aharonov-Bohm interferometer with electron-phonon interaction / Akiko Ueda. Fano resonance and its breakdown in AB ring embedded with a molecule / Shigeo Fujimoto, Yuhei Natsume. Quantum resonance above a barrier in the presence of dissipation / Kohkichi Konno. Ensemble averaging in metallic quantum networks / F. Mallet -- Coherence and order in exotic materials. Progress towards an electronic array on liquid helium / David Rees. Measuring noise and cross correlations at high frequencies in nanophysics / T. Martin. Single wall carbon nanotube weak links / K. Grove-Rasmussen. Optical preparation of nuclear spins coupled to a localized electron spin / Guido Burkard. Topological effects in charge density wave dynamics / Toru Matsuura. Studies on nanoscale charge-density-wave systems: fabrication technique and transport phenomena / Katsuhiko Inagaki. Anisotropic behavior of hysteresis induced by the in-plane field in the v = 2/3 quantum Hall state / Kazuki Iwata. Phase diagram of the v = 2 bilayer quantum Hall state / Akira Fukuda -- Trapped ions (special talk). Quantum computation with trapped

  4. EDITORIAL: Nanotechnology in motion Nanotechnology in motion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Demming, Anna

    2012-02-01

    , Toshio Ando from the University of Kanazawa provides an overview of developments that have allowed atomic force microscopy to move from rates of the order of one frame a minute to over a thousand frames per second in constant height mode, as reported by Mervyn Miles and colleagues at Bristol University and University College London [8]. Among the pioneers in the field, Ando's group demonstrated the ability to record the Brownian motion of myosin V molecules on mica with image capture rates of 100 x 100 pixels in 80 ms over a decade ago [9]. The developments unleash the potential of atomic force microscopy to observe the dynamics of biological and materials systems. If seeing is believing, the ability to present real motion pictures of the nanoworld cannot fail to capture the public imagination and stimulate burgeoning new avenues of scientific endeavour. Nearly 350 years on from the publication Micrographia, images in microscopy have moved from the page to the movies. References [1] Binnig G, Quate C F, and Gerber Ch 1986 Phys. Rev. Lett. 56 930-3 [2] Ando T 2012 Nanotechnology 23 062001 [3] J G 1934 Nature 134 635-6 [4] Bharadwaj P, Anger P and Novotny L 2007 Nanotechnology 18 044017 [5] The Nobel Prize in Physics 1986 Nobelprize.org [6] Kim K K, Reina A, Shi Y, Park H, Li L-J, Lee Y H and Kong J 2010 Nanotechnology 21 285205 [7] Phillips D B, Grieve J A, Olof S N, Kocher S J, Bowman R, Padgett M J, Miles M J and Carberry D M 2011 Nanotechnology 22 285503 [8] Picco L M, Bozec L, Ulcinas A, Engledew D J, Antognozzi M, Horton M A and Miles M J 2007 Nanotechnology 18 044030 [9] Ando T, Kodera N, Takai E, Maruyama D, Saito K and Toda A 2001 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 98 12468

  5. EDITORIAL: Scanning probe microscopy: a visionary development Scanning probe microscopy: a visionary development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Demming, Anna

    2013-07-01

    The development of scanning probe microscopy repositioned modern physics. When Rohrer and Binnig first used electronic tunnelling effects to image atoms and quantum states they did more than pin down theoretical hypotheses to real-world observables; the scanning tunnelling microscope fed imaginations, prompting researchers to consider new directions and possibilities [1]. As Rohrer once commented, 'We could show that you can easily manipulate or position something small in space with an accuracy of 10 pm.... When you can do that, you simply have ideas of what you can do' [2]. The development heralded a cavalry of scanning probe techniques—such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) [3-5], scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) [6-8] and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) [9, 10]—that still continue to bring nanomaterials and nanoscale phenomena into fresh focus. Not long after the development of scanning tunnelling microscopy, Binnig, Quate and Gerber collaborating in California in the US published work on a new type of microscope also capable of atomic level resolution [3]. The original concept behind scanning tunnelling microscopy uses electrical conductance, which places substantial limitations on the systems that it can image. Binnig, Quate and Gerber developed the AFM to 'feel' the topology of surfaces like the needle of an old fashioned vinyl player. In this way insulators could be imaged as well. The development of a force modulation mode AFM extended the tool's reach to soft materials making images of biological samples accessible with the technique [4]. There have now been a number of demonstrations of image capture at rates that allow dynamics at the nanoscale to be tracked in real time, opening further possibilities in applications of the AFM as described in a recent review by Toshio Ando at Kanazawa University [5]. Researchers also found a way to retrieve optical information at 'super-resolution' [6, 7]. Optical microscopy provides spectral

  6. [Tuberculosis care and new horizon of Japanese society].

    PubMed

    Ishikawa, Nobukatsu; Nagayama, Naohiro

    2012-04-01

    SAWADA (Services for Health in Asian & African Regions (SHARE)). In 2006, Tokyo Metropolitan Government started to dispatch interpreters for foreigners to strengthen DOTS program. Collaboration with NGOs made it possible to train 37 volunteer interpreters, and to provide services in 13 languages, as of 2010. In Japan, the treatment defaulter rate among non-Japanese tuberculosis patients had been remarkably high. But with having the assistance of interpreters, the treatment completion rate has become higher than 80%. It is recommended to expand a similar system to other part of Japan, as the proportion of foreigners among total tuberculosis cases keeps on increasing nationwide. 3. Tuberculosis problems in Japan from the view point of homelessness-through the activities of a NPO supporting the homeless in collaboration with a public health center: Sadako KANAZAWA (Volunteer, NPO Medical Care Team of Shinjuku Renraku-Kai). It has been 20 years since the issue of homelessness emerged in Japanese society. The people with a history of both tuberculosis and experience of homelessness tend to show a poor prognosis. Our team has played an active role, working with Shinjuku Public Health Center for conducting a screening for tuberculosis every year. It seems that the screening service itself does not make a fundamental solution for homeless people with tuberculosis. Developing a more basic system of 'from street to apartment' is more essential. We believe that understanding the importance of the system is most essential to the people who are involved in health and medical care. 4. What we have learned from DOTS--Toward care by cuddling the patient's mind: Kazuyo ARIMA (PHN, Osaka City Public Health Center). Osaka City has achieved the goals of DOTS set up by the City's TB Control Guidelines since 2001 such as 80% DOTS implementation rate, halving the defaulter rate and incidence rate. It was shown by analysis that the treatment success depends on 'patient's awareness of the

  7. Realizing Controllable Quantum States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takayanagi, Hideaki; Nitta, Junsaku

    excitations in low-dimensional electron gases studied by far-infrared photoconductivity spectroscopy / C.-M. Hu. Control of photogenerated carriers and spins using surface acoustic waves / P. V. Santos, J. A. H. Stotz and R. Hey. PbTe nanostructures for spin filtering and detecting / G. Grabecki. G-factor control in an Ids-inserted InGaAs/InAlAs heterostructure / J. Nitta et al. Spin hall effect in p-type semiconductors / S. Murakami. Spin diffusion in mesoscopic superconducting A1 wires / Y.-S. Shin. H.-J. Lee and H.-W. Lee. Magnetization processes revealed by in-plane DC magnetoresistance measurements on manganite bicrystal thin film devices / R. Gunnarsson. M. Hanson and T. Claeson. Giant magnetoconductance at interface between a two-dimensional hole system and a magnetic semiconductor (Ga, Mn)As / Y. Hashimoto, S. Katsumoto and Y. Iye. Diffusion modes of the transport in diluted magnetic semiconductors / I. Kanazawa. Effect of an invasive voltage probe on the spin polarized current / J. Ohe and T. Ohtsuki -- 9. Spintronics in quantum dots. Tunable exchange interaction and Kondo screening in quantum dot devices / H. Tamura et al. Kondo effect in quantum dots in presence of itinerant-electron magnetism / J. Martinek et al. Optical band edge of II-VI and III-V based diluted magnetic semiconductors / M. Takahashi. Spin-polarized transport properties through double quantum dots / Y. Tanaka and N. Kawakami. RKKY interaction between two quantum dots embedded in an Aharonov-Bohm ring / Y. Utsumi et al. Fabrication and characterization of quantum dot single electron spin resonance devices / T. Kodera et al. Kondo effect in quantum dots with two orbitals and spin 1/2 - crossover from SU (4) to SU (2) symmetry / M. Eto. Detecting spin polarization of electrons in quantum dot edge channels by photoluminescence / S. Nomura. Manipulation of exchange interaction in a double quantum dot / M. Stopa, S. Tarucha and T. Hatano. Electron-density dependence of photoluminescence from Be