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Aim: We investigated the relationship between trimethyl-13C-caffeine breath test (triCBT) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are related to caffeine metabolism and consumption.Methods: Subjects were 132 young healthy adults (median 21 years: 101 male, 31 female). Subjects completed a questionnaire that enquired about their smoking status, consumption of caffeinated drinks (including coffee, black tea, green tea), height, weight, and body mass index (BMI). DNA was extracted from saliva, and genotyping was performed using TaqMan® SNP Genotyping for cytochrome P4501A2 rs762551, rs2472297, and aryl-hydrocarbon receptor rs4410790. Trimethyl 13C-caffeine (100 mg) was dissolved in distilled water and administered orally. Subsequently, breath samples were collected every 10 mins for 90 mins. Infrared spectroscopy was used to analyze the amount of 13CO2 in the expired breath, and the sum (Δ13CO2) over 90 min (S90m) was calculated.Results: All subjects had genotype CC for rs2472297. S90m was not significantly different among rs762551 genotypes; however, there was a significant difference in S90m among rs4410790 genotypes. Δ13CO2 was significantly affected by rs4410790 SNPs and smoking. The receiver operating characteristic area under the curve was 0.758 when rs4410790 phenotype C was considered positive. When the cutoff value was set to S90m (23.4 ‰), the sensitivity and specificity were 71.4% and 72.1%, respectively.Conclusions: Our results suggest that caffeine demethylation is affected by rs4410790 SNPs and smoking, and that triCBT can be used to identify SNPs in rs4410790.

We present H- and K s-bands observations of the LkHα 330 disk with a multi-band detection of the large gap and spiral-like structures. The morphology of the outer disk (r ̃ 0.″3) at PA = 0°-45° and PA° = 180-290° is likely density wave-induced spirals, and comparison between our observational results and simulations suggests a planet formation. We have also investigated the azimuthal profiles at the ring and the outer-disk regions as well as radial profiles in the directions of the spiral-like structures and semimajor axis. Azimuthal analysis shows a large variety in wavelength and implies that the disk has non- axisymmetric dust distributions. The radial profiles in the major-axis direction (PA = 271°) suggest that the outer region (r ≥ 0.″25) may be influenced by shadows of the inner region of the disk. The spiral-like directions (PA = 10° and 230°) show different radial profiles, which suggests that the surfaces of the spiral-like structures are highly flared and/or have different dust properties. Finally, a color map of the disk shows a lack of an outer eastern region in the H-band disk, which may hint at the presence of an inner object that casts a directional shadow onto the disk.

In 2016, the dominant greenhouse gases released into Earth's atmosphere-carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide-continued to increase and reach new record highs. The 3.5 +/- 0.1 ppm rise in global annual mean carbon dioxide from 2015 to 2016 was the largest annual increase observed in the 58-year measurement record. The annual global average carbon dioxide concentration at Earth's surface surpassed 400 ppm (402.9 +/- 0.1 ppm) for the first time in the modern atmospheric measurement record and in ice core records dating back as far as 800000 years. One of the strongest El Nino events since at least 1950 dissipated in spring, and a weak La Nina evolved later in the year. Owing at least in part to the combination of El Nino conditions early in the year and a long-term upward trend, Earth's surface observed record warmth for a third consecutive year, albeit by a much slimmer margin than by which that record was set in 2015. Above Earth's surface, the annual lower troposphere temperature was record high according to all datasets analyzed, while the lower stratospheric temperature was record low according to most of the in situ and satellite datasets. Several countries, including Mexico and India, reported record high annual temperatures while many others observed near-record highs. A week-long heat wave at the end of April over the northern and eastern Indian peninsula, with temperatures surpassing 44 degrees C, contributed to a water crisis for 330 million people and to 300 fatalities. In the Arctic the 2016 land surface temperature was 2.0 degrees C above the 1981-2010 average, breaking the previous record of 2007, 2011, and 2015 by 0.8 degrees C, representing a 3.5 degrees C increase since the record began in 1900. The increasing temperatures have led to decreasing Arctic sea ice extent and thickness. On 24 March, the sea ice extent at the end of the growth season saw its lowest maximum in the 37-year satellite record, tying with 2015 at 7.2% below the 1981-2010 average. The September 2016 Arctic sea ice minimum extent tied with 2007 for the second lowest value on record, 33% lower than the 1981-2010 average. Arctic sea ice cover remains relatively young and thin, making it vulnerable to continued extensive melt. The mass of the Greenland Ice Sheet, which has the capacity to contribute similar to 7 m to sea level rise, reached a record low value. The onset of its surface melt was the second earliest, after 2012, in the 37-year satellite record. Sea surface temperature was record high at the global scale, surpassing the previous record of 2015 by about 0.01 degrees C. The global sea surface temperature trend for the 21st century-to-date of +0.162 degrees C decade(-1) is much higher than the longer term 1950-2016 trend of +0.100 degrees C decade(-1). Global annual mean sea level also reached a new record high, marking the sixth consecutive year of increase. Global annual ocean heat content saw a slight drop compared to the record high in 2015. Alpine glacier retreat continued around the globe, and preliminary data indicate that 2016 is the 37th consecutive year of negative annual mass balance. Across the Northern Hemisphere, snow cover for each month from February to June was among its four least extensive in the 47-year satellite record. Continuing a pattern below the surface, record high temperatures at 20-m depth were measured at all permafrost observatories on the North Slope of Alaska and at the Canadian observatory on northernmost Ellesmere Island. In the Antarctic, record low monthly surface pressures were broken at many stations, with the southern annular mode setting record high index values in March and June. Monthly high surface pressure records for August and November were set at several stations. During this period, record low daily and monthly sea ice extents were observed, with the November mean sea ice extent more than 5 standard deviations below the 1981-2010 average. These record low sea ice values contrast sharply with the record high values observed during 2012-14. Over the region, springtime Antarctic stratospheric ozone depletion was less severe relative to the 1991-2006 average, but ozone levels were still low compared to pre-1990 levels. Closer to the equator, 93 named tropical storms were observed during 2016, above the 1981-2010 average of 82, but fewer than the 101 storms recorded in 2015. Three basins-the North Atlantic, and eastern and western North Pacific-experienced above-normal activity in 2016. The Australian basin recorded its least active season since the beginning of the satellite era in 1970. Overall, four tropical cyclones reached the Saffir-Simpson category 5 intensity level. The strong El Nino at the beginning of the year that transitioned to a weak La Nina contributed to enhanced precipitation variability around the world. Wet conditions were observed throughout the year across southern South America, causing repeated heavy flooding in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Wetter-than-usual conditions were also observed for eastern Europe and central Asia, alleviating the drought conditions of 2014 and 2015 in southern Russia. In the United States, California had its first wetter-than-average year since 2012, after being plagued by drought for several years. Even so, the area covered by drought in 2016 at the global scale was among the largest in the post-1950 record. For each month, at least 12% of land surfaces experienced severe drought conditions or worse, the longest such stretch in the record. In northeastern Brazil, drought conditions were observed for the fifth consecutive year, making this the longest drought on record in the region. Dry conditions were also observed in western Bolivia and Peru; it was Bolivia's worst drought in the past 25 years. In May, with abnormally warm and dry conditions already prevailing over western Canada for about a year, the human-induced Fort McMurray wildfire burned nearly 590000 hectares and became the costliest disaster in Canadian history, with $3 billion (U.S. dollars) in insured losses.

Attribution of extreme events is a challenging science and one that is currently undergoing considerable evolution. In this paper are 19 analyses by 18 different research groups, often using quite different methodologies, of 12 extreme events that occurred in 2012. In addition to investigating the causes of these extreme events, the multiple analyses of four of the events, the high temperatures in the United States, the record low levels of Arctic sea ice, and the heavy rain in northern Europe and eastern Australia, provide an opportunity to compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the various methodologies. The differences also provide insights into the structural uncertainty of event attribution, that is, the uncertainty that arises directly from the differences in analysis methodology. In these cases, there was considerable agreement between the different assessments of the same event. However, different events had very different causes. Approximately half the analyses found some evidence that anthropogenically caused climate change was a contributing factor to the extreme event examined, though the effects of natural fluctuations of weather and climate on the evolution of many of the extreme events played key roles as well.

We previously reported the direct detection of a low mass companion at a projected separation of 55+-2 AU around the B9 type star �� Andromedae. The properties of the system (mass ratio, separation) make it a benchmark for the understanding of the formation and evolution of gas giant planets and brown dwarfs on wide-orbits. We present new angular differential imaging (ADI) images of the Kappa Andromedae system at 2.146 (Ks), 3.776 (L'), 4.052 (NB 4.05) and 4.78 ��m (M') obtained with Keck/NIRC2 and LBTI/LMIRCam, as well as more accurate near-infrared photometry of the star with the MIMIR instrument. We derive a more accurate J = 15.86 +- 0.21, H = 14.95 +- 0.13, Ks = 14.32 +- 0.09 mag for �� And b. We redetect the companion in all our high contrast observations. We confirm previous contrasts obtained at Ks and L' band. We derive NB 4.05 = 13.0 +- 0.2 and M' = 13.3 +- 0.3 mag and estimate Log10(L/Lsun) = -3.76 +- 0.06. We build the 1-5 microns spectral energy distribution of the companion and compare it to seven PHOENIX-based atmospheric models in order to derive Teff = 1900+100-200 K. Models do not set constrains on the surface gravity. ``Hot-start" evolutionary models predict masses of 14+25-2 MJup based on the luminosity and temperature estimates, and considering a conservative age range for the system (30+120-10 Myr). ``warm-start" evolutionary tracks constrain the mass to M >= 11 MJup. Therefore, the mass of �� Andromedae b mostly falls in the brown-dwarf regime, due to remaining uncertainties in age and mass-luminosity models. According to the formation models, disk instability in a primordial disk could account for the position and a wide range of plausible masses of �� And b., 20 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics on August 6, 2013

We report the discovery of 76 new T dwarfs from the UKIDSS Large Area Survey (LAS). Near-infrared broad and narrow-band photometry and spectroscopy are presented for the new objects, along with WISE and warm-Spitzer photometry. Proper motions for 128 UKIDSS T dwarfs are presented from a new two epoch LAS proper motion catalogue. We use these motions to identify two new benchmark systems: LHS 6176AB, a T8+M4 pair and HD118865AB, a T5.5+F8 pair. Using age constraints from the primaries and evolutionary models to constrain the radii we have estimated their physical properties from their bolometric luminosity. We compare the colours and properties of known benchmark T dwarfs to the latest model atmospheres and draw two principal conclusions. Firstly, it appears that the H - [4.5] and J - W2 colours are more sensitive to metallicity than has previously been recognised, such that differences in metallicity may dominate over differences in Teff when considering relative properties of cool objects using these colours. Secondly, the previously noted apparent dominance of young objects in the late-T dwarf sample is no longer apparent when using the new model grids and the expanded sample of late-T dwarfs and benchmarks. This is supported by the apparently similar distribution of late-T dwarfs and earlier-type T dwarfs on reduced proper motion diagrams that we present. Finally, we present updated space densities for the late-T dwarfs, and compare our values to simulation predictions and those from WISE., Comment: MNRAS accepted. Updated 9th May 2013 to correct error in column headings for Table 4

We report the discovery of 47 new T dwarfs in the Fourth Data Release (DR4) from the Large Area Survey (LAS) of the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey with spectral types ranging from T0 to T8.5. These bring the total sample of LAS T dwarfs to 80 as of DR4. In assigning spectral types to our objects we have identified 8 new spectrally peculiar objects, and divide 7 of them into two classes. H2O-H-early have a H2O-H index that differs with the H2O-J index by at least 2 sub-types. CH4-J-early have a CH4-J index that disagrees with the H20-J index by at least 2 subtypes. We have ruled out binarity as a sole explanation for both types of peculiarity, and suggest that they may represent hitherto unrecognised tracers of composition and/or gravity. Clear trends in z'(AB)-J and Y-J are apparent for our sample, consistent with weakening absorption in the red wing of the KI line at 0.77microns with decreasing effective temperature. We have used our sample to estimate space densities for T6-T9 dwarfs. By comparing our sample to Monte-Carlo simulations of field T dwarfs for various mass functions of the form phi(M) \propto M^-alpha, we have placed weak constraints on the form of the field mass function. Our analysis suggests that the substellar mass function is declining at lower masses, with negative values of alpha preferred. This is at odds with results for young clusters that have been generally found to have alpha > 0., 23 pages, 10 figures. MNRAS accepted. Version 2 includes omitted authors.

Although many single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) studies have reported an association of atopy, allergic diseases and total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, almost all of these studies sought risk factors for the onset of these allergic diseases. Furthermore, many studies have analyzed a single gene and hardly any have analyzed environmental factors. In these analyses, the results could be masked and the effects of other genes and environmental factors may be decreased. Here, we described the correlation between four genes [interleukin (IL)-4 (C-590T), IL-4 receptor (A1652G), FCER1B (G6842A) and STAT6 (G2964A)] in connection with IgE production; the role of IL-10 (C-627A) as a regulatory cytokine of allergy; and the severity of food allergy (FA) and atopic eczema (AE) in 220 Japanese allergic children. In addition to these SNPs, environmental factors, i.e., patient's attitude, indoor environment, and so on, were also investigated in this study. Our study was retrospective, and the correlation was analyzed by our defined clinical scores divided into three terms: worst symptoms, recent symptoms and general amelioration at the most recent examination during the disease course. Our results indicated that IL-10 AA, the genotype with lower IL-10 production, is associated with higher IgE levels in the serum (p < 0.0001, estimate; 0.912). Marginal liver abnormalities were observed in the subject group with both FA and AE (p < 0.1191, estimate; 0.1490). Our defined clinical scores enabled evaluation of various aspects of disease severity. Based on the scores, while no single SNP selected in this study determined severity, the combination of the SNP with laboratory data and environmental factors appeared to determine severity.

The influence of Nb codoping is studied in PbWO4:Mo scintillator. The measurements of radioluminescence, thermoluminescence, scintillation decay and light yield show that steady-state radioluminescence efficiency of PbWO4:Mo,Nb scintillator with the optimised doping concentrations becomes comparable with BGO. However, slow components in the decay appear down to several tens of microseconds, which results in LY increase of about factor 3 only compared to an undoped PbWO4. The existence of slow decay components may be related to relatively intense thermoluminescence peak round 230 K.

Pulmonary blood flow (PBF) distribution was studied at rest and during exercise in rats acclimatized to chronic hypoxia (barometric pressure [PB] 370 Torr for 3 weeks, A rats) and non-acclimatized (NA) littermates. Both A and NA rats exercised in hypoxia (inspired O2 pressure [PIO2] approximately 70 Torr) or in normoxia (PlO2 approximately 145 Torr). PBF distribution was determined using fluorescent-labeled microspheres injected into the right atrium. The lungs were cut into 28 samples to determine relative scatter of specific PBF ([sample fluorescence intensity/sample dry weight)/(total lung fluorescence intensity/total lung dry weight]). Exercise produced redistribution of PBF both in NA and A rats, and this effect was larger in hypoxia than in normoxia, with minimal redistribution occurring during normoxic exercise in NA rats. The pattern of distribution varies considerably among individual animals. As a result of distribution, the previous high flow areas would be overperfused during hypoxic exercise in some rats. The results support the concept that hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is not uniform and suggest that the combination of hypoxia and exercise may lead to overperfusion and capillary leak in some individuals.

The beamline network system at SPring-8 consists of three LANs; a BL-LAN for beamline component control, a BL-USER-LAN for beamline experimental users and an OA-LAN for the information services. These LANs are interconnected by a firewall system. Since the network traffic and the number of beamlines have increased, we upgraded the backbone of BL-USER-LAN from Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet. And then, to establish the independency of a beamline and to raise flexibility of every beamline, we also introduced the IEEE802.1Q Virtual LAN (VLAN) technology into the BL-USER-LAN. We discuss here a future plan to build the firewall system with hardware load balancers., Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure, 8th International Conference on Accelerator and Large Experimental Physics Control Systems (PSN TUAP056), San Jose, CA, USA, November 27-30

In order to test the hypothesis that the effects on ventilation of nasal inhalation of sevoflurane during induction of anaesthesia differ from those of oral inhalation, 20 patients underwent inhalation induction of anaesthesia with sevoflurane 5% either through the nasal route or the oral route. In 10 patients who breathed through the nose (N-group), there was an immediate decrease in tidal volume with no change in respiratory duration whereas no similar change was observed in the 10 patients who breathed through the mouth (O-group). The time from the start of sevoflurane inhalation to the onset of sleep was significantly shorter in the O-group compared with the N-group [86.2 +/- 4.4 (mean +/- SE) vs. 115.0 +/- 8.4 sec, P < 0.01].

The primary structure of a pyrimidine base-specific ribonuclease from bovine brain was determined. The sequence determined is (sequence; see text). Although the sequence homology of this RNase with bovine pancreatic RNase A is 78.2%, it consists of 140 amino acid residues, and it is 16 amino acid residues longer than RNase A at the carboxyl-terminal. In addition to an N-glycosylated long carbohydrate chain, the bovine brain RNase has two short O-glycosylated carbohydrate chains at the 129th and the 133rd serine residues. The additional C-terminal tail of the bovine brain RNase has a unique composition: 6 proline, 5 hydrophobic amino acids, and two basic amino acids, arginine and histidine.

We developed a device to measure inhaled aerosol deposition in the lung from the difference in particle size distribution of the aerosol during inspiration and expiration. To measure quantity and size distribution of nebulized aerosol particles directly at the subject's mouth we used a He-Ne gas laser scattering technique. To test the reliability of the instrument, we measured particle size distributions of saline aerosols generated by four kinds of nebulizer and compared the results with those from a Malvern 2600D particle sizer as a standard of comparison. Measured mass median diameters (MMDs) were almost identical by both methods. Aerosol deposition in five normal subjects showed that the deposition fraction of the particles increased the larger the particle sizes inhaled. The data suggest that the newly developed aerosol spectrometer can directly analyze aerosol particle size distribution at the mouth during tidal breathing, and that the instrument is useful for quantitative analysis of aerosol inhaled and of inhaled aerosol deposition.

To elucidate the mechanisms of late asthmatic response (LAR) observed in asthmatic subjects, we have developed an animal model of LAR using guinea pigs. Fifty guinea pigs were immunized with a mixture of Ascaris suum extract and aluminum hydroxide and then challenged with an inhalation of Ascaris suum extract without anesthesia. Twenty of the 50 guinea pigs showed a dual asthmatic response in which the LAR occurred 3 to 6 h after immediate asthmatic response (IAR). Histologic studies by rapid freezing with liquid nitrogen or bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were performed in 14 of these 20 guinea pigs with LAR and compared with those in 10 of 18 guinea pigs with only IAR, 10 control guinea pigs, and 10 nonimmunized but challenged guinea pigs. Both the percentage and the absolute number of neutrophils in the BAL fluid of the guinea pigs with LAR were significantly greater than those of the control guinea pigs (p less than 0.02) and than those of the nonimmunized but challenged guinea pigs (p less than 0.02). However, that of guinea pigs with LAR was not significantly different from that of guinea pigs with only IAR. On the other hand, histologic examination showed that eosinophil infiltration within the airway walls of the guinea pigs with LAR was more prominent than that of the guinea pigs with only IAR, and showed that there was no significant difference in neutrophil infiltration within the airway walls between the guinea pigs with LAR and the animals with only IAR. Contraction of airway (bronchus, bronchiole) smooth muscle, submucosal edema, and mucus in airway lumen were also observed in LAR.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

To investigate the similarities and differences between Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and autoimmune and autoinflammatory rheumatic diseases characterised by hyperferritinaemia, such as antimelanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) autoantibody-positive dermatomyositis and adult Still's disease.We reviewed consecutive, newly diagnosed, untreated patients with COVID-19, anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis, or adult Still's disease. We compared their clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics, including the prevalence of macrophage activation syndrome and lung involvement in each disease.The numbers of patients with COVID-19, anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis, and adult-onset Still's disease with hyperferritinaemia (serum ferritin ≥500ng/dL) who were included for main analysis were 22, 14, and 59, respectively. COVID-19 and adult Still's disease both featured hyperinflammatory status, such as high fever and elevated serum C-reactive protein, whereas COVID-19 and anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis both presented with severe interstitial lung disease and hypoxaemia. While two-thirds of the patients in each group met the criteria for macrophage-activated syndrome that is used in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, the HScore, an indicator of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, was low in anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis and COVID-19 even in severe or critical cases. The findings of chest computed tomography were similar between COVID-19 and anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis.COVID-19 shared clinical features with rheumatic diseases characterised by hyperferritinaemia, including anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis and adult Still's disease. These findings should be investigated further in order to shed light on the pathogenesis of not only COVID-19 but also the aforementioned rheumatic diseases.

It is well established that the ocean plays an important role in absorbing anthropogenic carbon Cant from the atmosphere. Under global warming, Earth system model simulations and theoretical arguments indicate that the capacity of the ocean to absorb Cant will be reduced, with this constituting a positive carbon–climate feedback. Here we apply a suite of sensitivity simulations with a comprehensive Earth system model to demonstrate that the surface waters of the shallow overturning structures (spanning 45°S–45°N) sustain nearly half of the global ocean carbon–climate feedback. The main results reveal a feedback that is initially triggered by warming but that amplifies over time as Cant invasion enhances the sensitivity of surface pCO2 to further warming, particularly in the warmer season. Importantly, this “heat–carbon feedback” mechanism is distinct from (and significantly weaker than) what one would expect from temperature-controlled solubility perturbations to pCO2 alone. It finds independent confirmation in an additional perturbation experiment with the same Earth system model. There mechanism denial is applied by disallowing the secular trend in the physical state of the ocean under climate change, while simultaneously allowing the effects of heating to impact sea surface pCO2 and thereby CO2 uptake. Reemergence of Cant along the equator within the shallow overturning circulation plays an important role in the heat–carbon feedback, with the decadal renewal time scale for thermocline waters modulating the feedback response. The results here for 45°S–45°N stand in contrast to what is found in the high latitudes, where a clear signature of a broader range of driving mechanisms is present.

Recently electrically conducting SPM probes were used as read/write sensor of magneto-resistive nanopillars and ferroelectric domains in the development of >1 Tb/inch2 data storage. Since metal coated (platinum (Pt) or Pt/iridium) silicon (Si) probes are not suitable at high current densities, probes with an entire metallic tip form a solution, such as tungsten or platinum. We present the fabrication of a hybrid SPM probe with full platinum cantilever and tip. The body of the probe consists of the negative type photopolymer SU-8, hexagonally structured. This enables a dry under-etch probe release. A high yield with straight cantilevers is obtained. Figure 1a) shows a probe with two 100-µm-long cantilevers. Figure 1b) shows a Pt-cantilever in detail. Figure 1c) gives a close-up of a tip. A tip radius better than 20 nm is measured. First analyses show a resistance to electrical currents beyond 10 mA.

In 2017, the dominant greenhouse gases released into Earth's atmosphere-carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide-reached new record highs. The annual global average carbon dioxide concentration at Earth's surface for 2017 was 405.0 ± 0.1 ppm, 2.2 ppm greater than for 2016 and the highest in the modern atmospheric measurement record and in ice core records dating back as far as 800 000 years. The global growth rate of CO2 has nearly quadrupled since the early 1960s. With ENSO-neutral conditions present in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean during most of the year and weak La Niña conditions notable at the start and end, the global temperature across land and ocean surfaces ranked as the second or third highest, depending on the dataset, since records began in the mid-to-late 1800s. Notably, it was the warmest non-El Niño year in the instrumental record. Above Earth's surface, the annual lower tropospheric temperature was also either second or third highest according to all datasets analyzed. The lower stratospheric temperature was about 0.2°C higher than the record cold temperature of 2016 according to most of the in situ and satellite datasets. Several countries, including Argentina, Uruguay, Spain, and Bulgaria, reported record high annual temperatures. Mexico broke its annual record for the fourth consecutive year. On 27 January, the temperature reached 43.4°C at Puerto Madryn, Argentina-the highest temperature recorded so far south (43°S) anywhere in the world. On 28 May in Turbat, western Pakistan, the high of 53.5°C tied Pakistan's all-time highest temperature and became the world-record highest temperature for May. In the Arctic, the 2017 land surface temperature was 1.6°C above the 1981-2010 average, the second highest since the record began in 1900, behind only 2016. The five highest annual Arctic temperatures have all occurred since 2007. Exceptionally high temperatures were observed in the permafrost across the Arctic, with record values reported in much of Alaska and northwestern Canada. In August, high sea surface temperature (SST) records were broken for the Chukchi Sea, with some regions as warm as +11°C, or 3° to 4°C warmer than the longterm mean (1982-present). According to paleoclimate studies, today's abnormally warm Arctic air and SSTs have not been observed in the last 2000 years. The increasing temperatures have led to decreasing Arctic sea ice extent and thickness. On 7 March, sea ice extent at the end of the growth season saw its lowest maximum in the 37-year satellite record, covering 8% less area than the 1981-2010 average. The Arctic sea ice minimum on 13 September was the eighth lowest on record and covered 25% less area than the long-term mean. Preliminary data indicate that glaciers across the world lost mass for the 38th consecutive year on record; the declines are remarkably consistent from region to region. Cumulatively since 1980, this loss is equivalent to slicing 22 meters off the top of the average glacier. Antarctic sea ice extent remained below average for all of 2017, with record lows during the first four months. Over the continent, the austral summer seasonal melt extent and melt index were the second highest since 2005, mostly due to strong positive anomalies of air temperature over most of the West Antarctic coast. In contrast, the East Antarctic Plateau saw record low mean temperatures in March. The year was also distinguished by the second smallest Antarctic ozone hole observed since 1988. Across the global oceans, the overall long-term SST warming trend remained strong. Although SST cooled slightly from 2016 to 2017, the last three years produced the three highest annual values observed; these high anomalies have been associated with widespread coral bleaching. The most recent global coral bleaching lasted three full years, June 2014 to May 2017, and was the longest, most widespread, and almost certainly most destructive such event on record. Global integrals of 0-700-m and 0-2000-m ocean heat content reached record highs in 2017, and global mean sea level during the year became the highest annual average in the 25-year satellite altimetry record, rising to 77 mm above the 1993 average. In the tropics, 2017 saw 85 named tropical storms, slightly above the 1981-2010 average of 82. The North Atlantic basin was the only basin that featured an above-normal season, its seventh most active in the 164-year record. Three hurricanes in the basin were especially notable. Harvey produced record rainfall totals in areas of Texas and Louisiana, including a storm total of 1538.7 mm near Beaumont, Texas, which far exceeds the previous known U.S. tropical cyclone record of 1320.8 mm. Irma was the strongest tropical cyclone globally in 2017 and the strongest Atlantic hurricane outside of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean on record with maximum winds of 295 km h-1. Maria caused catastrophic destruction across the Caribbean Islands, including devastating wind damage and flooding across Puerto Rico. Elsewhere, the western North Pacific, South Indian, and Australian basins were all particularly quiet. Precipitation over global land areas in 2017 was clearly above the long-term average. Among noteworthy regional precipitation records in 2017, Russia reported its second wettest year on record (after 2013) and Norway experienced its sixth wettest year since records began in 1900. Across India, heavy rain and flood-related incidents during the monsoon season claimed around 800 lives. In August and September, above-normal precipitation triggered the most devastating floods in more than a decade in the Venezuelan states of Bolívar and Delta Amacuro. In Nigeria, heavy rain during August and September caused the Niger and Benue Rivers to overflow, bringing floods that displaced more than 100 000 people. Global fire activity was the lowest since at least 2003; however, high activity occurred in parts of North America, South America, and Europe, with an unusually long season in Spain and Portugal, which had their second and third driest years on record, respectively. Devastating fires impacted British Columbia, destroying 1.2 million hectares of timber, bush, and grassland, due in part to the region's driest summer on record. In the United States, an extreme western wildfire season burned over 4 million hectares; the total costs of $18 billion tripled the previous U.S. annual wildfire cost record set in 1991.

Recently electrically conducting SPM probes were used as read/write sensor of magneto-resistive nanopillars and ferroelectric domains in the development of >1 Tb/inch2 data storage. Since metal coated (platinum (Pt) or Pt/iridium) silicon (Si) probes are not suitable at high current densities, probes with an entire metallic tip form a solution. We present the fabrication and characterisation of hybrid SPM probes with fully metallic cantilever and tip. One method is based on a backside opening etch in KOH solution. The other method uses a dry under-etch probe release. Fully metallic cantilevers with integrated tips of tungsten (W) and Pt have been fabricated. The body of the probes consists of the photopolymer SU-8. A tip sharpness controlling method is presented.

The ternary sulfide Ag7TaS6 displays high Ag-ion conductivity at ambient temperature, and the framework TaS6 and Ag ions can be respectively regarded as the host structure and guest ions. Two low-temperature phases, i.e. Ag7TaS6 II and Ag7TaS6 III, were found. The Rietveld analysis of Ag7TaS6 II has been performed based on the X-ray data measured at 240K using a wove length 0.64997 Angstrom by a high-resolution powder diffraction instrument combined with the beam line BM1B at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facilities. Smooth convergence has been obtained (R-WP=0.066), and the crystal structure was described based on a space group Pn with monoclinic lattice constants a=7.4462, b=7.4013, c=10.5296 Angstrom, and beta=90.069 degrees. The narrow widths of reflections even at high angle have made possible the analysis of individual thermal parameters fur Ag ions. In Ag7TaS6, II, Ag-Ag linkage rather than Ag-S coordination seem to affect the thermal parameters of Ag ions. The guest-guest interaction can be important fur mobility of guest ions in the ionic-conductor. [References: 7]

To comprehend ionospheric-thermospheric coupling, one must understand the thermospheric wind system. However, measuring the thermospheric wind using a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) is not an easy task. Because of this difficulty, some researchers have estimated meridional wind velocities using data obtained from a pair of ionosonde stations near the geomagnetic conjugate points, under the assumption that the meridional wind is the same at the two ionosonde stations (transequatorial mode wind). In this paper, we construct the first comparison of the estimated meridional wind velocitieswith meridional wind observed with FPIs. We analyzed data from the ionosondes and FPIs installed at Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Kototabang, Indonesia, from 2010. We found that the estimated and observed wind velocities were generally in good agreement on most nights, although on some nights, the wind velocities were different. The assumption that the meridional wind is equal anywhere between the two ionosonde stations would not be suitable for the days when the winds were not in good agreement. We also investigated the seasonal dependence of the correlation between the estimated and observed meridional winds. They were in good agreement from February to April and were not in good agreement from May to July.

This literature review explored the factors promoting interprofessional collaborative practice for the child maltreatment prevention in Japan. We searched the Japanese database of ICHUSHI-web, focusing on studies published between 1990 and 2015. The studies were examined for methodological quality using the critical appraisal checklists. We initially identified 161 articles and finally selected eight studies that met the selection criteria and were analyzed. The Collaborative Practice Circle based on the Interprofessional Education for Collaborative Patient-Centered Practice framework, was used as a conceptual framework to analyze the data and to discuss the review findings. Data analysis continued until categories were saturated using content analysis. Five categories as interactional factors, two categories as organizational factors and three categories as systemic factors were identified. The findings revealed that interactional factors were composed of practical competencies and experiences of professionals. Our findings also indicate that educational programs for improving practical competencies of professionals at the individual level and establishing a system of training and human resource development at the organizational level are required. Further research is warranted to examine the impact the challenges outlined in the interactional factors, the organizational interventions and support for clients.

Recently electrically conducting SPM probes were used as read/write sensor of magneto-resistive nanopillars and ferroelectric domains in the development of >1 Tb/inch2 data storage. Since metal coated (platinum (Pt) or Pt/iridium) silicon (Si) probes are not suitable at high current densities, probes with an entire metallic tip form a solution. We present the fabrication and characterisation of hybrid SPM probes with fully metallic cantilever and tip. One method is based on a backside opening etch in KOH solution. The other method uses a dry under-etch probe release. Fully metallic cantilevers with integrated tips of tungsten (W) - and Pt have been fabricated. The body of the probes consists of the photopolymer SU-8. A tip sharpness controlling method is presented. Both processes are based on a surface moulding technique where a pyramidal mould made in KOH solution is used to form the tip. Oxidation sharpening of the mould yields very sharp tips with measured tip radius below 20 nm. Sputter deposition guarantees with its good step coverage an excellent mould filling with the desired metal (W or Pt). Stress control in the metal layer is important for straight cantilevers and is done by adjustment of deposition parameters. After a dry structuring of the cantilever, a 200-m-thick SU-8 body for the probe is formed on top of the metal, which can be spun in a single step. Proper surface treatment prior to SU-8 spinning ensures a good adhesion between the SU-8 and the metal. The use of SU-8 forms a substantial advantage over bonding or Si-etching techniques. A backside release etch in KOH solution is done for the W probes using a vacuum chuck. For the Pt probes, with an open honey-comb body structure, a top-side dry etch release is done. Figure 1 shows released Pt probes after a final BHF SiO2 removal. AFM imaging has been shown and IV analysis of the probes on a gold sample was performed. The results are shown for the W-probe and Pt-probe in figure 2 and 3, respectively. The measured contact resistance between tip and substrate values around 30 ohm for the W-probe and 10 ohm for the Pt probe. This is one order of magnitude lower than for metal coated probes. The W probe shows oxidation in air, but the Pt probe shows reproducible curves at currents higher than 10 mA, as needed for switching of magneto-resistive nanopillars. Besides use in future data storage, the probes are promising in contact and non contact mode (e.g. Kelvin Probe Microscopy).

Recently electrically conducting SPM probes were used as read/write sensor of magneto-resistive nanopillars and ferroelectric domains in the development of >1 Tb/inch2 data storage. Since metal coated (platinum (Pt) or Pt/iridium) silicon (Si) probes are not suitable at high current densities, probes with an entire metallic tip and high electrical conductivity (i.e. low contact resistance) form a solution. We present the fabrication and characterization of hybrid SPM probes with full metallic cantilever and tip. The body of the probes consists of the photopolymer SU-8. Recently, we presented the fabrication and analysis of a SPM probe with full tungsten cantilever and tip, based on a back-side KOH release principle. Here, we present a probe with Pt as the cantilever-tip material, based on a top-side dry release. The Pt tip has a radius of curvature below 20 nm. A tip sharpness controlling method is presented. The process is based on a surface molding technique where a pyramidal mould made in KOH solution is used to form the tip. Oxidation sharpening of the mould yields very sharp tips. Sputter deposition guarantees with its good step coverage an excellent mould filling with Pt. Stress control in the metal layer is important for straight cantilevers and is done by adjustment of deposition parameters. After a dry structuring of the cantilever, a double layer of SU-8 is used to form the body of the probe, consisting of a 10-um-thick and a 200-um-thick layer, respectively. Proper surface treatment prior to SU-8 spinning ensures a good adhesion between the SU-8 and the metal. The use of SU-8 forms a substantial advantage over bonding or Si-etching techniques. The open honey-comb body structure of the body keeps the body rigid and enables a top-side dry etch release. AFM imaging has been shown and IV analysis of the probes on a gold sample was performed. The measured contact resistance between tip and substrate values around 10 Ohm. This is one order of magnitude lower than for metal coated probes. The Pt probe shows reproducible curves at currents higher than 10 mA, as needed for switching of magneto-resistive nanopillars. Due to the low contact resistance, Joule heating of the tip remains limited, preventing melting of the tip. Besides use in future data storage, the probes are promising in contact and non contact mode (e.g. Kelvin Probe Microscopy).