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Magnetocaloric and related properties of Ru and Ni substituted (MnFe)2(PSi) are presented. It is found that Ru and Ni are effective doping elements to reduce the thermal hysteresis of (MnFe)2(PSi). The origin of the thermal hysteresis is discussed on the basis of a thermodynamic model. It is shown that the elastic energy is responsible for the thermal hysteresis. We also show recent developments of the production process of Mn compounds in an industrial scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We are developing a superconducting magnet system to grow high-quality protein crystals. The gravity-controlled environment, based on magnetic forces, can suppress thermal convection and may give rise to a variety of additional effects on the protein crystal growth. To design suitable magnetic force conditions for protein crystal growth in protein solutions, we are studying a gravity-controlled environment by magnetic forces in the crystal growth process by computer simulations. In this study, we derived a modified Navier-Stokes equation with gravity and static magnetic force and numerically solved the equation. The obtained results show that the temperature dependence of the magnetization modifies the levitation condition and the magnetic force gives rise to an unexpected change of fluid motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Commercial drivers suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) have been identified as a major cause of road traffic accidents. Alcohol usage directly affects sleep, adversely affecting next-day alertness and performance. Aims To examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and EDS among commercial truck drivers in Japan and the implications of this on public health. Methods All participants in this cross-sectional study were commercial motor vehicle drivers from Tokyo and Niigata Prefecture. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire with details of their age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score and tobacco usage. Participants' oxygen desaturation index was determined by a pulse oximetry device that participants took home. Results A total of 1422 males registered with the Japan Trucking Association and aged 20–69 years participated. The multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of EDS among participants aged <43 years was 0.81 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47–1.40) for light drinkers, 0.93 (95% CI 0.51–1.70) for moderate drinkers and 0.61 (95% CI 0.21–1.79) for heavy drinkers, compared to non-drinkers. The multivariate-adjusted OR among participants aged ≥43 years was 1.42 (95% CI 0.59–3.45) for light drinkers, 1.53 (95% CI 0.63–3.75) for moderate drinkers and 3.37 (95% CI 1.14–9.96) for heavy drinkers (P for interaction = 0.05). Conclusion We found that the association between ESS and alcohol intake was more evident among those aged ≥43 years, who reported higher levels of EDS with increased alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that examined the enhanced high-field current carrying capacities and pinning behavior of Niobium-based alloys. List of alloys used in the study; Device used to examine the microstructural features of alloys; Current density capacity of NbTi superconducting alloys.

Thermite and related processes have attracted considerable attentions as highly useful technologies for material and energy supplies in extreme environments such as geothermal and disaster-stricken areas as well as in space exploration. As part of the development of casing pipes used in geothermal power plants started from the 1970s, long ceramic-lined pipes have been obtained via thermite reaction under effective centrifugal force without any additional heat treatment [Centrifugal-Thermite (C-T) process]. The potentials of the ceramic-lined pipes in deeper geothermal utilizations are revalidated in details by reviewing the results obtained through the erosion-corrosion tests carried out under the conditions of high velocities (up to 100 m/s) and various acidities (from pH 2.0 to pH 4.0) of two-phase flows provided by the geothermal field test apparatus at the Onikobe geothermal power plant in Japan. By reducing the FeO content of the ceramic layer processed under proper additives and reactant amounts, the tested ceramic-lined pipes were significantly improved compared to highly corrosion-resistant stainless steels. The technological advantages obtained through the development of the C-T process can show a useful model to promote thermite-related technologies onward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular stressors initiate the heat shock response mediated by heat shock proteins (HSPs). There are two main types of HSPs, constitutive (always expressed) and inducible (upon stress), but as many in vivo studies fail to distinguish between them and because temporal expression patterns often differ among various types of HSPs, it is unclear when to measure HSPs. In this study, 26 (13 per treatment) adult female Zebra Finches Taeniopygia guttata were heat‐stressed (39 °C) or placed in a control brooder (room temperature) for 3 h and were bled 1 week prior to and at 1, 2, 4, 6 and 20 h post‐treatment. Treatment had no effect on levels of either constitutive HSP70 or inducible HSP90, but both HSPs decreased with time relative to baseline, suggesting a possible effect of handling stress and/or circadian variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant cells plastically change their functions according to the environment. Although Arabidopsis roots are heterotrophic organs, they increase photosynthetic capacity after shoot removal. Transcription factors regulating chloroplast development are involved in this response downstream of positive cytokinin and negative auxin regulation. To dissect the crosstalk of these regulators after shoot removal, we analyzed photosynthetic parameters in roots with chloroplast development enhanced by shoot removal, overexpression of transcription factors, or hormonal treatment. Our data suggest that shoot removal improves electron transfer downstream of PSII in roots, with a decrease in nonregulated energy dissipation. Cytokinin, auxin, and transcription factors affect the photosynthetic capacity of roots in a highly complex manner. Overexpression of two different types of transcription factors (GOLDEN 2-LIKE 1 and class-B GATAs) synergistically increased root chlorophyll content while maintaining high photosynthetic efficiency. Our data demonstrate the flexible regulation of the photosynthetic machinery by hormone signaling and downstream transcription factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: An analysis of the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in major orthopedic surgery patients receiving edoxaban for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) was carried out. Methods: The APTT waveform was analyzed in the above patients to monitor edoxaban administration. Results: Of these 99 patients, 12 exhibited deep vein thrombosis, and 25 had massive bleeding. An increased biphasic pattern of the APTT waveform was observed after the administration of edoxaban, but there were no significant differences between the patients with and without complications. The peak times of acceleration, velocity, and 1/2 fibrin formation were significantly prolonged after the administration of edoxaban, especially in patients with massive bleeding, and were moderately correlated with the anti‐Xa activity. While the heights of velocity and acceleration peak 2 were lower in patients receiving warfarin treatment than in those receiving edoxaban, the widths of these parameters were significantly longer. The height of 1/2 fibrin formation and the width of acceleration peaks 1 and 2 and the velocity were significantly increased after the administration of edoxaban. Conclusion: The peak time of the APTT waveform was significantly prolonged after the administration of edoxaban. The analysis of the APTT waveform may therefore be useful for the prediction of the risk of massive bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetocaloric effect of Mn[sub 3]GaC, which shows an antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic transition at 165 K has been investigated. In this compound, magnetocaloric effect obtained at the transition is opposite to that of ordinary ferromagnetic systems, namely, negative magnetocaloric effect. It was found that a large magnetic entropy change, ΔS[sub mag], of 15 J/kg K is obtained under an applied field of 2 T. The adiabatic temperature change, ΔT[sub ad], reaches 5.4 K in a field change of 2 T. At higher magnetic fields, both ΔS[sub mag] and ΔT[sub ad] retain a large value over wide temperature range, exhibiting characteristic temperature dependence of a trapezoidal shape. These features are attributed to a sharp first-order transition retained in high magnetic fields as well as small magnetocrystalline anisotropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The Fukushima Nuclear Energy Worker's Support (NEWS) Project Study previously showed that experiences related to the Fukushima nuclear disaster on 11 March 2011 had a great impact on psychological states, including post-traumatic stress response (PTSR) and general psychological distress (GPD), among the Fukushima nuclear plant workers. To determine the causal relationship between disaster-related experiences and levels of psychological states, we conducted a 3-year longitudinal study from 2011 to 2014. Method. PTSR and GPD of the nuclear plant workers were assessed by annual questionnaires conducted from 2011 to 2014. The present study included a total of 1417 workers who provided an assessment at baseline (2011). A total of 4160 observations were used in the present analysis. The relationship between disaster-related experiences and psychological states over time was analysed using mixed-effects logistic regression models. Results. A declining influence of disaster-related experiences on PTSR over time was found. However, the impact on PTSR remained significantly elevated even 3 years after the disaster in several categories of exposure including the experience of life-threatening danger, experiences of discrimination, the witnessing of plant explosion, the death of a colleague and home evacuation. The associations between GPD and disaster-related experiences showed similar effects. Conclusions. The effects of disaster-related experiences on psychological states among the nuclear plant workers reduced over time, but remained significantly high even 3 years after the event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which discussed critical temperatures (T[subc]) and critical currents (I[subc]) under uniaxial tensile loading on multifilamentary Nb[sub3]Al wires fabricated by a composite diffusion process. Summary of the fabrication process; Comparison of the rates of T[subc] and I[subc] degradation; Description of the wire cross section of Nb[sub3]Al.

Climate change increases the occurrence of chalky rice (Oryza sativa L.) through frequent extreme weather conditions, such as high temperature and low radiation. The objective of this study was to examine the possibility of developing prediction methods for estimating the occurrence of a major type of chalky rice, the milky-white rice. The methods evaluated the chalky patterns on the transverse section of premature grains by visual inspection or by employing a newly developed image analyzer. The predicted grain rates of milky-white rice using the above-mentioned method(s) as well as two other methods using a grain scanner, were compared with periodically sampled grains approaching maturity under shade treatments at Kagoshima and Fukuoka, Japan. The grain rates predicted using visual inspection and the developed analyzer at 6 to 7 d before maturity (DBM) and 9 to 10 DBM, were positively correlated with the target grain rates of milky-white rice obtained at maturity; R² was 0.906 (p < 0.01) to 0.964 (p < 0.001), and the RMSE value ranged from 2.00 to 6.10, at both the DBMs. In the methods employing the grain scanner, the correlations between the predicted and target grain rates at the same DBMs were lower; R² was 0.556 (p = 0.054) to 0.777 (p < 0.01), the RMSE value was between 7.86 and 12.03. Thus, the methods using transverse section of premature grains developed in this study could be applied for predicting the occurrence of milky-white rice a week to 10 DBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friction plays an important role in desorption and/or ionization of nonvolatile compounds in mass spectrometry, e.g., sonic spray, easy ambient sonic-spray ionization, solvent-assisted inlet ionization, desorption electrospray, etc. In our previous work, desorption of low molecular weight compounds induced by solid/solid dynamic friction was studied. The objective of this work was to investigate desorption of low-volatility compounds induced by liquid/solid friction. Water/methanol (1/1) microdroplets with ∼30 μm in diameter were generated by using a piezoelectric microdroplet generator. They were injected to analytes deposited on the flat surface of a blade vibrating ultrasonically with the frequency of 40 kHz. Neutral molecules desorbed from the blade were ionized by a helium dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), generating strong signals for samples including drugs, explosives, and insecticides. These signals were not detected when either the blade vibrator or the piezoelectric microdroplet generator was off. In contrast, for ionic compounds such as 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoro-methylsulfonyl)imide, p-chlorobenzyl pyridinium chloride, and rhodamine B, strong ion signals were obtained when the vibrator and droplet generator were on, but DBD was off. Sub-nanogram limits of detection were attained for low-volatility compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RATIONALE: In electrospray droplet impact (EDI) developed in our laboratory, an atmospheric pressure electrospray source has been used. To increase the ion beam intensity and reduce the evacuation load, a vacuum electrospray cluster ion source using a silica capillary was developed. METHODS: A silica capillary with a tip inner diameter of 8 μm was used for vacuum electrospray using aqueous 10% methanol. To stabilize the flow rate of the liquid for nano-electrospray, a home-made constant pressure liquid pump was also developed. RESULTS: By using the silica tip nano-electrospray emitter and a constant pressure pump, stable electrospray with flow rate of 22 nL/min was realized without using any heating system such as laser irradiation. Comparative study of mass spectra obtained by atmospheric pressure EDI (A-EDI) and vacuum EDI (V-EDI) was made for various samples such as thermometer molecule, peptide, polystyrene, Alq3, NPD, C60, indium, and SiO2. V-EDI showed slightly milder ionization than A-EDI. CONCLUSIONS: Because V-EDI gave higher target current (5-10 nA) than A-EDI (a few nA at most), V-EDI secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) would be a useful technique for the surface and interface analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous paper, it was suggested that metal fluorides may be useful as cationization matrices in Electrospray droplet impact/SIMS. In this work, NaF and AgF were used as the cationization matrices for cyclodextrin (CD), polyethylene glycol (PEG), polystyrene (PS), garlic juice, and sliced raw rice. EDI mass spectra were measured without and with the use of matrices. Enhancement of ion abundances of [M + Na]+ for CD and PEG with NaF matrix and that of [M + Ag]+ for PS with AgF matrix were observed. However, the addition of matrices was not effective for the cationization of garlic juice and sliced raw rice samples. This may be due to the Coulombic repulsion of the reagent ions of Na+ or Ag+ with the preformed K+ adducts of oligosaccharides already present in the samples. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared the expected medical costs of empirical and preemptive treatment strategies for invasive fungal infection in neutropenic patients with hematological diseases. Based on the results of two clinical trials with different backgrounds reported by Oshima et al. [J Antimicrob Chemother 60(2):350-355; Oshima study] and Cordonnier et al. [Clin Infect Dis 48(8):1042-1051; PREVERT study], we developed a decision tree model that represented the outcomes of empirical and preemptive treatment strategies, and estimated the expected medical costs of medications and examinations in the two strategies. We assumed that micafungin was started in the empirical group at 5 days after fever had developed, while voriconazole was started in the preemptive group only when certain criteria, such as positive test results of imaging studies and/or serum markers, were fulfilled. When we used an incidence of positive test results of 6.7 % based on the Oshima study, the expected medical costs of the empirical and preemptive groups were 288,198 and 150,280 yen, respectively. Even in the case of the PREVERT study, in which the incidence of positive test results was 32.9 %, the expected medical costs in the empirical and preemptive groups were 291,871 and 284,944 yen, respectively. A sensitivity analysis indicated that the expected medical costs in the preemptive group would exceed those in the empirical group when the incidence of positive test results in the former was over 34.4 %. These results suggest that a preemptive treatment strategy can be expected to reduce medical costs compared with empirical therapy in most clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Extramammary Paget's disease ( EMPD) is a rare cutaneous malignancy that is usually treated with surgery. Patients with positive surgical margins require adjuvant therapy, but there have been few reports on the use of radiation therapy. Objectives To investigate the effectiveness of postoperative radiation therapy in EMPD. Materials and methods Twenty-one patients with EMPD involving the genitalia underwent radiation therapy as adjuvant therapy after surgery. Ten patients had inguinal lymph node involvement before radiation therapy, but none had distant metastases. A median total dose of 59·4 Gy (range, 45-64·8 Gy) was delivered to the tumour bed in 30 fractions (range, 23-36 fractions). Results At a median follow-up period of 38 months, all patients had local control. However, six patients had developed distant metastases 6-43 months after radiation therapy. The distant metastasis-free rates were 66% at 3 years and 55% at 5 years. Inguinal lymph node involvement was a significant risk factor for distant metastases. Four patients died 33-58 months after irradiation; the causes of death were tumour progression in three patients and infectious pneumonia in one. The overall and cause-specific survival rates were both 92% at 3 years, and 62% and 71% at 5 years, respectively. No therapy-related toxicities of grade ≥ 3 were observed. Conclusions Postoperative radiation therapy is safe and effective in maintaining local control in patients with EMPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Bloodstream infections ( BSI) are frequently observed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant ( HSCT), and could cause morbidity and mortality. Methods We retrospectively evaluated the incidence, characteristics of, and risk factors for BSI at both pre- and post-engraftment in 209 adult HSCT patients at our institute between June 2006 and December 2013. The median age at transplantation was 45 years (range, 15-65). A total of 122 patients received bone marrow, 68 received peripheral blood stem cells, and 19 received umbilical cord blood. Results The cumulative incidences of pre- and post-engraftment BSI were 38.9% and 17.2%, respectively. Nine patients had both pre- and post-engraftment BSI. In the pre- and post-engraftment periods, respectively, 67.4% and 84.1% of isolates were gram-positive bacteria ( GPB), 28.3% and 11.4% were gram-negative bacteria ( GNB), and 4.3% and 4.5% were fungi. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most commonly isolated GPB, while Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most commonly isolated GNB. Pre-engraftment BSI was associated with an increased risk of death. Overall survival at day 180 for patients with or without pre-engraftment BSI was 70.0% and 82.7%, respectively ( P = 0.02). Conclusions Risk factors for BSI in the pre-engraftment period were the interval between diagnosis and transplantation (261 days or more), engraftment failure, and high-risk disease status at HSCT in a multivariate analysis. No significant risk factor for BSI in the post-engraftment period was identified by a univariate analysis. These findings may be useful for deciding upon empiric antibacterial treatment for HSCT recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Cytomegalovirus ( CMV) reactivation still remains a major problem following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation ( HSCT). Patients and methods In this study, we analyzed an immunoglobulin allotype, IgG1m(f), in CMV-seropositive HSCT recipients and their donors to distinguish donor-derived antibody from recipient-derived antibody. Eight donor-recipient pairs were informative regarding the appearance of donor-derived immunoglobulin-G (IgG), as the recipients were homozygous null for the IgG1m(f) allotype and the donors were IgG1m(f) positive. In these patients, total IgG, IgM, and allotype-specific IgG against CMV were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All subjects were monitored for at least 9 months after HSCT with ( n = 5) or without ( n = 3) CMV reactivation. Results Donor-derived CMV IgG tended to be elevated earlier in patients with CMV-seropositive donors than in those with CMV-seronegative donors. In 1 patient with a CMV-negative donor, donor-derived CMV IgG was not detected until late CMV reactivation. In 3 patients without CMV reactivation, donor-derived CMV IgG was also elevated within 1-6 months after HSCT. Conclusion In conclusion, the CMV serostatus of the donor may be related to the timing of the appearance of donor-derived CMV IgG and the reconstitution of humoral immunity against CMV, regardless of the CMV antigenemia level after HSCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Cytomegalovirus ( CMV)-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes ( CMV- CTLs) play a crucial role in preventing CMV disease. However, the actual in vivo dynamics of CMV- CTL clones after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo HCT) are still unclear. Methods Using a single-cell T-cell receptor repertoire analysis, we monitored clones and chimerism of CMV- CTLs in 3 CMV-seropositive allo HCT recipients from CMV-seronegative donors, with or without CMV reactivation. Results Nearly all of the CMV- CTLs during follow-up were CD45 RA− CCR7− effector memory/ CD45 RA+ CCR7− effector T cells, and were highly matured. In each case, the use of BV gene families was restricted, especially in BV5, 7, 28, and 29. Although no common predominant CMV- CTL clones were found, several shared motifs of complementarity-determining region-3 were identified among the 3 cases; QGA in all, TGE and TDT in Case 1 and Case 2, and RDRG in Case 2 and Case 3. In all cases, CMV- CTL clones that were detected for the first time after allo HCT persisted as the dominant clones. In Case 1, without CMV reactivation, recipient-derived CMV- CTLs exclusively persisted as a dominant clone, while all CMV- CTLs in the other 2 cases, with CMV reactivation, were donor derived. Conclusion Clone monitoring and chimerism analyses should help to further clarify novel aspects of immuno-reconstitution after allo HCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]