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Initial analyses showed that asteroid Ryugu's composition is close to CI (Ivuna-like) carbonaceous chondrites (CCs) - the chemically most primitive meteorites, characterized by near-solar abundances for most elements. However, some isotopic signatures (for example, Ti, Cr) overlap with other CC groups, so the details of the link between Ryugu and the CI chondrites are not yet fully clear. Here we show that Ryugu and CI chondrites have the same zinc and copper isotopic composition. As the various chondrite groups have very distinct Zn and Cu isotopic signatures, our results point at a common genetic heritage between Ryugu and CI chondrites, ruling out any affinity with other CC groups. Since Ryugu's pristine samples match the solar elemental composition for many elements, their Zn and Cu isotopic compositions likely represent the best estimates of the solar composition. Earth's mass-independent Zn isotopic composition is intermediate between Ryugu/CC and non-carbonaceous chondrites (NCs), suggesting a contribution of Ryugu-like material to Earth's budgets of Zn and other moderately volatile elements.

Background: Widely used psychotropic medications for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may change the volumes of subcortical brain structures, and differently in children vs. adults. We measured subcortical volumes cross-sectionally in patients finely stratified for age taking various common classes of OCD drugs. Methods: The ENIGMA-OCD consortium sample (1081 medicated/1159 unmedicated OCD patients and 2057 healthy controls aged 6–65) was divided into six successive 6–10-year age-groups. Individual structural MRIs were parcellated automatically using FreeSurfer into 8 regions-of-interest (ROIs). ROI volumes were compared between unmedicated and medicated patients and controls, and between patients taking serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), tricyclics (TCs), antipsychotics (APs), or benzodiazepines (BZs) and unmedicated patients. Results: Compared to unmedicated patients, volumes of accumbens, caudate, and/or putamen were lower in children aged 6–13 and adults aged 50–65 with OCD taking SRIs (Cohen's d = −0.24 to −0.74). Volumes of putamen, pallidum (d = 0.18–0.40), and ventricles (d = 0.31–0.66) were greater in patients aged 20–29 receiving APs. Hippocampal volumes were smaller in patients aged 20 and older taking TCs and/or BZs (d = −0.27 to −1.31). Conclusions: Results suggest that TCs and BZs could potentially aggravate hippocampal atrophy of normal aging in older adults with OCD, whereas SRIs may reduce striatal volumes in young children and older adults. Similar to patients with psychotic disorders, OCD patients aged 20–29 may experience subcortical nuclear and ventricular hypertrophy in relation to APs. Although cross-sectional, present results suggest that commonly prescribed agents exert macroscopic effects on subcortical nuclei of unknown relation to therapeutic response.

Correction to: Nature Astronomy https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-022-01846-1. Published online 12 December 2022.

Current knowledge about functional connectivity in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is based on small-scale studies, limiting the generalizability of results. Moreover, the majority of studies have focused only on predefined regions or functional networks rather than connectivity throughout the entire brain. Here, we investigated differences in resting-state functional connectivity between OCD patients and healthy controls (HC) using mega-analysis of data from 1,024 OCD patients and 1,028 HC from 28 independent samples of the ENIGMA-OCD consortium. We assessed group differences in whole-brain functional connectivity at both the regional and network level, and investigated whether functional connectivity could serve as biomarker to identify patient status at the individual level using machine learning analysis. The mega-analyses revealed widespread abnormalities in functional connectivity in OCD, with global hypo-connectivity (Cohen’s d: -0.27 to -0.13) and few hyper-connections, mainly with the thalamus (Cohen’s d: 0.19 to 0.22). Most hypo-connections were located within the sensorimotor network and no fronto-striatal abnormalities were found. Overall, classification performances were poor, with area-under-the-receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUC) scores ranging between 0.567 and 0.673, with better classification for medicated (AUC=0.702) than unmedicated (AUC=0.608) patients versus healthy controls. These findings provide partial support for existing pathophysiological models of OCD and highlight the important role of the sensorimotor network in OCD. However, resting-state connectivity does not so far provide an accurate biomarker for identifying patients at the individual level.

Carbonaceous meteorites are thought to be fragments of C-type (carbonaceous) asteroids. Samples of the C-type asteroid (162173) Ryugu were retrieved by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. We measured the mineralogy and bulk chemical and isotopic compositions of Ryugu samples. The samples are mainly composed of materials similar to those of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, particularly the CI (Ivuna-type) group. The samples consist predominantly of minerals formed in aqueous fluid on a parent planetesimal. The primary minerals were altered by fluids at a temperature of 37° ± 10°C, about 5.2 − 0.7 + 0.8 million (statistical) or 5.2 − 2.1 + 1.6 million (systematic) years after the formation of the first solids in the Solar System. After aqueous alteration, the Ryugu samples were likely never heated above ~100°C. The samples have a chemical composition that more closely resembles that of the Sun’s photosphere than other natural samples do.

Rock fragments of the Cb-type asteroid Ryugu returned to Earth by the JAXA Hayabusa2 mission share mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic properties with the Ivuna-type (CI) carbonaceous chondrites. Similar to CI chondrites, these fragments underwent extensive aqueous alteration and consist predominantly of hydrous minerals likely formed in the presence of liquid water on the Ryugu parent asteroid. Here we present an in situ analytical survey performed by secondary ion mass spectrometry from which we have estimated the D/H ratio of Ryugu's hydrous minerals, D/HRyugu, to be [165 ± 19] × 10⁻⁶, which corresponds to δDRyugu = +59 ± 121‰ (2σ). The hydrous mineral D/HRyugu's values for the two sampling sites on Ryugu are similar; they are also similar to the estimated D/H ratio of hydrous minerals in the CI chondrites Orgueil and Alais. This result reinforces a link between Ryugu and CI chondrites and an inference that Ryugu's samples, which avoided terrestrial contamination, are our best proxy to estimate the composition of water at the origin of hydrous minerals in CI-like material. Based on this data and recent literature studies, the contribution of CI chondrites to the hydrogen of Earth's surficial reservoirs is evaluated to be ∼3%. We conclude that the water responsible for the alteration of Ryugu's rocks was derived from water ice precursors inherited from the interstellar medium; the ice partially re-equilibrated its hydrogen with the nebular H₂ before being accreted on the Ryugu's parent asteroid., The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 946 (2), ISSN:1967-2014, ISSN:2041-8213

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of people around the world. Anxiety related to infection, stress and stigma caused by the forced changes in daily life have reportedly increased the incidence and symptoms of depression, anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Under such circumstances, telepsychiatry is gaining importance and attracting a great deal of attention. However, few large pragmatic clinical trials on the use of telepsychiatry targeting multiple psychiatric disorders have been conducted to date.MethodsThe targeted study cohort will consist of adults (>18 years) who meet the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for either (1) depressive disorders, (2) anxiety disorders, or (3) obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Patients will be assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either a “telepsychiatry group” (at least 50% of visits to be conducted using telemedicine, with at least one face-to-face treatment [FTF] every six months) or an “FTF group” (all visits to be conducted FTF, with no telemedicine). Both groups will receive the usual treatment covered by public medical insurance. The study will utilize a master protocol design in that there will be primary and secondary outcomes for the entire group regardless of diagnosis, as well as the outcomes for each individual disorder group.DiscussionThis study will be a non-inferiority trial to test that the treatment effect of telepsychiatry is not inferior to that of FTF alone. This study will provide useful insights into the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the practice of psychiatry.Trial RegistrationjRCT1030210037, Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (jRCT)

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in March 2011 emitted a considerable amount of radioactive materials. This study isolated radiocesium-bearing microparticles (CsMPs), a form of radioactive materials emitted from the FDNPP at the early stage of the accident, from aerosols collected hourly on filter tapes at seven monitoring stations at the greater Kanto Region, including the Tokyo metropolitan area, on 15 March 2011. The aerosols had a spherical shape ~ 1 μm in diameter with activity of less than 1 Bq of 137Cs per particle. Their physical and chemical characteristics, including radioactivity ratio 134Cs/137Cs as well as chemical composition and state, are essentially the same as previously reported CsMPs. This study demonstrated that air parcels containing CsMPs emitted from the FDNPP were widespread over the greater Kanto Region, more than 250 km away from the FDNPP, during the daytime of 15 March. Trajectory analysis indicated that these particles were emitted from the reactor No. 2 of FDNPP between 14 March evening and 15 March early morning. The information obtained on the widespread distribution of CsMPs can be useful for assessing the actual impacts of radioactive contamination from the FDNPP accident on the environment and human health.

Aim Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common and severe disease; however, the duration of untreated illness (DUI) of OCD is approximately 7 years, which is longer than that of other psychiatric disorders. Differences in medical environments have been reported to affect the DUI. Therefore, we surveyed the DUI of OCD in Japan and the reason for delayed treatment. Methods The study participants were outpatients who visited the OCD specialty outpatient clinic for the first time between June 1, 2017 and May 31, 2019. Obsessive-compulsive disorder was diagnosed using the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, and semistructured clinical interviews, which included asking the reason for the delay in seeking treatment and treatment drop-out history. Results Seventy-one patients met the inclusion criteria for the study. The mean period between OCD and the first visit to the hospital was 2.8 years and the mean DUI of OCD was 4.7 years. There was a significant difference in the history of tic disorders and treatment drop out between patients with a DUI of >2 years and those with a DUI of ≤2 years. The most common reason for delaying treatment was that the patient did not consider the symptoms of OCD to be those of an illness, and the most common reason for dropping out of treatment was lack of improvement. Conclusions This was the first study on the DUI of OCD in Japan. The DUI was relatively shorter than that found by studies in other countries. Stopping treatment lengthened the duration of the illness. Preventing the patient from dropping out of treatment could further shorten the duration of the illness.

SummaryWe may view most of our daily activities as rational action selections; however, we sometimes reinforce maladaptive behaviors despite having explicit environmental knowledge. In this study, we model obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms as implicitly learned maladaptive behaviors. Simulations in the reinforcement learning framework show that agents implicitly learn to respond to intrusive thoughts when the memory trace signal for past actions decays differently for positive and negative prediction errors. Moreover, this model extends our understanding of therapeutic effects of behavioral therapy in OCD. Using empirical data, we confirm that patients with OCD show extremely imbalanced traces, which are normalized by serotonin enhancers. We find that healthy participants also vary in their obsessive-compulsive tendencies, consistent with the degree of imbalanced traces. These behavioral characteristics can be generalized to variations in the healthy population beyond the spectrum of clinical phenotypes.

In 1964, a fragment of a colorless facet-cut glass vessel was collected at the Kamigamo Shrine, located in Kyoto, which was the capital city of Japan from late 8th century AD through the mid-19th century AD. X-ray fluorescence analytical techniques were applied to this fragment in a nondestructive manner with the aim of scientific provenancing based on its chemical compositional features. It was found that, the chemical composition of the fragment closely matched that of one compositional group in Sasanian glass which was characterized by the use of a pure silica source and magnesia-rich plant ash as the raw materials. Given the discoveries of facet-cut glassware from the region of the Sasanian Empire that are very similar to this fragment, it is concluded that the primary production and possibly subsequent production processes (i.e., secondary production and a facet-cut decoration) of this glass were carried out at the Sasanian glass workshops. This study is the second case of an investigation that has identified a specific provenance of one of the few glass vessels introduced into ancient Japan through the Silk Road.

Anri Watanabe,1 Takashi Nakamae,1 Yuki Sakai,2 Seiji Nishida,1 Yoshinari Abe,1 Kei Yamada,3 Isao Yokota,4 Jin Narumoto1 1Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan; 2Department of Neural Computation for Decision-Making, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International Brain Information Communication Research Laboratory Group, Kyoto, Japan; 3Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan; 4Department of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan Purpose: In recent years, a large number of studies have investigated obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) using diffusion-weighted images (DWIs) and have reported microstructural abnormalities in various regions, mainly the corpus callosum and cingulum. In the present study, we aimed to detect microstructural changes in the white matter using whole-brain tractography. Patients and methods: We obtained MRI data from 25 adult non-medicated OCD patients and 27 healthy controls. DWI data from MRI scans were analyzed by the automated probabilistic tractography method referred to as TRActs Constrained by UnderLying Anatomy (TRACULA). We investigated diffusivity parameters: fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity (RD), axial diffusivity, and mean diffusivity in 18 major white matter tracts and examined indices to know which measurements in which fibers can predict the diagnosis of OCD. Results: Compared to healthy controls, OCD patients had significantly increased RD in the forceps major and a reduction of RD in the right cingulum angular (infracallosal) bundle. There was no correlation between these values and the clinical features. Conclusion: We found RD alterations in the forceps major and the right cingulum angular (infracallosal) bundle, which might be associated with myelination changes in the temporal and occipital regions in OCD. Our results suggest that the pathogenesis of OCD may include abonormality of myelination status in not only the fronto-striato-thalamic circuit but also the posterior and temporal regions. Keywords: tractography, radial diffusivity, forceps major, cingulum

X-ray fluorescence analytical techniques were applied to two pieces of glass fragments because they are believed to be sampled from two pieces of important glassware, a facet-cut bowl and a deeply-blue colored dish, excavated from Niizawa Senzuka Tumulus No.126, Nara, Japan (late 5th century). Two different provenances were estimated as primary production area for the two glass fragments. One fragment has a chemical composition being a good match with that of Sasanian glass excavated at Veh Ardasīr in central Iraq. Conversely, composition of another fragment is consistent with common blue-green colored Roman glass manufactured during the imperial period. If these glass fragments are actually identical to the ancient glassware excavated from Nara, our results can provide scientific evidence how various cultures were introduced to and accepted by ancient Japan. Concomitantly, they are also evidence of an extremely widespread Silk Road trading from the Mediterranean and West Asia to the Far East of Japan during the 1st millennium AD.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of people around the world. Anxiety related to infection, stress and stigma caused by the forced changes in daily life have reportedly increased the incidence and symptoms of depression, anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Under such circumstances, telepsychiatry is gaining importance and attracting a great deal of attention. However, few large pragmatic clinical trials on the use of telepsychiatry targeting multiple psychiatric disorders have been conducted to date. METHODS: The targeted study cohort will consist of adults (>18 years) who meet the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for either (1) depressive disorders, (2) anxiety disorders, or (3) obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Patients will be assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either a "telepsychiatry group" (at least 50% of treatments to be conducted using telemedicine, with at least one face-to-face treatment [FTF] within six months) or an "FTF group" (all treatments to be conducted FTF, with no telemedicine). Both groups will receive the usual treatment covered by public medical insurance. The study will utilize a master protocol design in that there will be primary and secondary outcomes for the entire group regardless of diagnosis, as well as the outcomes for each individual disorder group. DISCUSSION: This study will be a non-inferiority trial to test that the treatment effect of telepsychiatry is not inferior to that of FTF alone. This study will provide useful insights into the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the practice of psychiatry. TRIAL REGISTRATION: jRCT1030210037, Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (jRCT). ispartof: CONTEMPORARY CLINICAL TRIALS vol:111 ispartof: location:United States status: published

The use of a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer revealed the provenance of a shard of a relief-cut glass bowl which was dedicated to ancient ritual on the sacred island of Okinoshima, Japan over a thousand years ago. The shard was unearthed from one of the ritual sites on the island in the 1950s and is now designated as a national treasure in Japan. A nondestructive and on-site X-ray fluorescence analytical technique was applied to the Okinoshima glass shard to establish where and when it was originally manufactured based on its chemical composition. Clear correspondence of chemical composition between the shard and glass excavated from a Sasanian city site in Mesopotamia demonstrated that the shard was derived from a type of glassware primarily produced in glass workshops within the Sasanian Empire between the fifth and seventh centuries AD. This is the first scientific evidence demonstrating that glass was imported from overseas across thousands of kilometers and then dedicated for the ritual on Okinoshima Island. This simultaneously gives us a glimpse of the specific details of divine rituals conducted on Okinoshima Island in ancient times.

All-solid-state ion-selective electrodes as potentiometric ion sensors for the determination of chloride (Cl−) or nitrate (NO3−) ions were designed by inserting an electrodeposited composite layer consisting of manganese dioxide and poly(allylamine), a polymeric cation, as the inner solid-contact layer between the electrode substrate and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)-based ion-sensitive membrane containing the corresponding ionophores for Cl− or NO3− ions. The double-layered ion-selective electrodes exhibited selective and quick (≤10 s) potential response for the anions; moreover, the Nernstian slopes of the calibration curves of the electrodes were adequate, and the electrodes presented a wide detection range (10−5–10−1 mol dm−3). As the poly(allylamine)-manganese dioxide composites presented anion-insertion redox activity, the insertion of composite layers was highly effective in stabilizing the membrane potential of PVC because it lowered the impedance at the electrode interface, resulting in quicker responses to the anion activity in analytes than those of the corresponding electrodes without composite layers.

Dysfunction of the fronto-striato-thalamic circuit routing through the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is thought to play the main role in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Repetitious stimulation of the OFC–ventral striatum (VS) projections in mice has been shown to increase the firing of the postsynaptic VS cells and the frequency of OCD-like symptoms. Moreover, increased functional connectivity (FC) between the OFC and the VS has been reported in patients with OCD. While FC is a synchronous, non-directed correlation, the directed influence between these brain regions remains unclear in patients with OCD. We obtained resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans from 37 non-medicated patients with OCD and 38 matched healthy volunteers, and calculated bivariative voxel-wise Granger Causality (GC) to and from three striatal regions of interest (ROI) using a blind deconvolution procedure. Additionally, we conducted multivariative GC analysis to determine if the effect revealed by the bivariative voxel-wise GCA is mediated by another seed ROI. We found a significant hyper-influence of the OFC over the VS of subjects with OCD (p

Anxiety is one of the most common mental states of humans. Although it drives us to avoid frightening situations and to achieve our goals, it may also impose significant suffering and burden if it becomes extreme. Because we experience anxiety in a variety of forms, previous studies investigated neural substrates of anxiety in a variety of ways. These studies revealed that individuals with high state, trait, or pathological anxiety showed altered neural substrates. However, no studies have directly investigated whether the different dimensions of anxiety share a common neural substrate, despite its theoretical and practical importance. Here, we investigated a brain network of anxiety shared by different dimensions of anxiety in a unified analytical framework using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We analyzed different datasets in a single scale, which was defined by an anxiety-related brain network derived from whole brain. We first conducted the anxiety provocation task with healthy participants who tended to feel anxiety related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in their daily life. We found a common state anxiety brain network across participants (1585 trials obtained from 10 participants). Then, using the resting-state fMRI in combination with the participants' behavioral trait anxiety scale scores (879 participants from the Human Connectome Project), we demonstrated that trait anxiety shared the same brain network as state anxiety. Furthermore, the brain network between common to state and trait anxiety could detect patients with OCD, which is characterized by pathological anxiety-driven behaviors (174 participants from multi-site datasets). Our findings provide direct evidence that different dimensions of anxiety have a substantial biological inter-relationship. Our results also provide a biologically defined dimension of anxiety, which may promote further investigation of various human characteristics, including psychiatric disorders, from the perspective of anxiety.

Objective: Brain imaging studies of structural abnormalities in OCD have yielded inconsistent results, partly because of limited statistical power, clinical heterogeneity, and methodological differences. The authors conducted meta- and mega-analyses comprising the largest study of cortical morphometry in OCD ever undertaken. Method: T1-weighted MRI scans of 1,905 OCD patients and 1,760 healthy controls from 27 sites worldwide were processed locally using FreeSurfer to assess cortical thickness and surface area. Effect sizes for differences between patients and controls, and associations with clinical characteristics, were calculated using linear regression models controlling for age, sex, site, and intracranial volume. Results: In adult OCD patients versus controls, we found a significantly lower surface area for the transverse temporal cortexand a thinner inferiorparietalcortex.Medicated adult OCD patients also showed thinner cortices throughout the brain. In pediatric OCD patients compared with controls, we found significantly thinner inferior and superior parietal cortices, but none of the regions analyzed showedsignificant differences in surface area. However, medicated pediatric OCD patients had lower surface area in frontal regions. Cohen's d effect sizes varied from 20.10 to 20.33. Conclusions: The parietal cortex was consistently implicated in both adults and children with OCD. More widespread cortical thickness abnormalities were found in medicated adult OCD patients, and more pronounced surface area deficits (mainly in frontal regions) were found in medicated pediatric OCD patients. These cortical measures represent distinct morphological features and may be differentially affected during different stages of development and illness, and possibly moderated by disease profile and medication.

Synchrotron radiation (SR) X-ray microbeam analyses revealed the detailed chemical nature of radioactive aerosol microparticles emitted during the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, resulting in better understanding of what occurred in the plant during the early stages of the accident. Three spherical microparticles (∼2 μm, diameter) containing radioactive Cs were found in aerosol samples collected on March 14th and 15th, 2011, in Tsukuba, 172 km southwest of the FDNPP. SR-μ-X-ray fluorescence analysis detected the following 10 heavy elements in all three particles: Fe, Zn, Rb, Zr, Mo, Sn, Sb, Te, Cs, and Ba. In addition, U was found for the first time in two of the particles, further confirmed by U L-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra, implying that U fuel and its fission products were contained in these particles along with radioactive Cs. These results strongly suggest that the FDNPP was damaged sufficiently to emit U fuel and fission products outside the containment vessel as aerosol particles. SR-μ-XANES spectra of Fe, Zn, Mo, and Sn K-edges for the individual particles revealed that they were present at high oxidation states, i.e., Fe(3+), Zn(2+), Mo(6+), and Sn(4+) in the glass matrix, confirmed by SR-μ-X-ray diffraction analysis. These radioactive materials in a glassy state may remain in the environment longer than those emitted as water-soluble radioactive Cs aerosol particles.

Dysfunction of the fronto-striatal circuit is repeatedly reported in obsessive-compulsive disorder. The abnormality of the functional connectivity (FC) of this circuit is also reported and the deep brain stimulation is showed to restore it. However, the directions of the reported abnormalities are not consistent and the more detailed analysis is needed. The blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal obtained from the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans is usually analyzed after some preprocessing steps including band-pass filtering (typically, 0.010-0.080 Hz). The frequency of the filtering is decided considering the signal-noise ratio, while this band width involve two bands having different functions; slow-4 band (0.027-0.073 Hz) and slow-5 band (0.010-0.027 Hz) (Buzsaki et al., 2004). Here we conducted the frequency specific analysis of the functional networks. The participants are 37 non-medicated patients with OCD and 38 matched healthy volunteers. We obtained resting state fMRI scans and preprocessed BOLD data with slow-4 band and slow-5 band. Then we calculated voxelwise statistical parametric maps testing strength of functional connectivity of three striatal seed regions of interest (ROIs) in each hemisphere with remaining brain regions between groups. We found the significantly decreased FC between the dorsal caudate and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex only with the slow-5 band data (peak level corrected p

Variscite is a green, lustrous mineral similar to turquoise. While both variscite and turquoise are aluminum-bearing, hydrated phosphate minerals, variscite contains no copper. We applied three kinds of portable analytical instruments to a nondestructive, on-site analysis of Late Bronze Age (LBA) artifacts excavated from a royal tomb at Qatna, Syria, including a portable micro-Raman spectrometer, an X-ray powder diffractometer, and an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Variscite was positively identified as the raw material for a number of items from the Qatna tomb. Our analytical result is the first scientific evidence of the use of variscite for personal ornaments during the LBA in the Middle East. Because differentiating between variscite and turquoise is difficult with the naked eye, it is possible that variscite artifacts were misidentified as turquoise among Middle Eastern LBA items excavated from other archaeological sites.

We have started to construct a nationwide forensic soil sediment database for Japan, based on the heavy mineral and trace heavy element compositions of stream sediments collected at 3024 points across Japan. The data were measured by high-resolution synchrotron radiation X-ray powder diffraction (SR-XRD) and high-energy SR X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) using the SR source of SPring-8, the SR radiation facility in Japan. The automated sampling systems allow the measurement of 130 powder diffraction patterns and 100 XRF spectra per day using sediment samples of just a few milligrams, which enabled us to construct a database of a large number of samples. The concentrations of heavy elements such as rare earth elements, Cs and W up to 500 ppm level in soil sediments can be determined by the calibration curve method by using high-energy SR-XRF utilizing monochromatic X-rays of 116 keV. A heavy element concentration map superimposed on a geographical map of Japan was successfully prepared from these analytical data. The heavy mineral compositions were quantitatively evaluated by using the peak intensity of characteristic XRD peaks of the component minerals measured by a Debye–Scherrer camera having a radius of 286.5 mm, recorded with an imaging plate and monochromatic X-rays (λ = 1.0 A). This study demonstrates that XRF and XRD data collected from the sediments of Shizuoka Prefecture closely reflect the geological and geographical signature of the sediment samples, which can be used for the provenance determination of soil evidence from a crime scene. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We have started the construction of a nationwide forensic soil sediment database for Japan based on the heavy mineral and trace heavy element compositions of stream sediments collected at 3024 points all over Japan obtained by high-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (SR-XRD) and high-energy synchrotron X-ray fluorescence analysis (HE-SR-XRF). In this study, the performance of both techniques was demonstrated by analyzing soil sediments from two different geological regions, the Kofu and Chiba regions in Kanto province, to construct database that can be applied in the future to provenance analysis of soil evidence from a crime scene. The sediments from the quaternary volcanic lithology of the Chiba region were found to be dominated by heavy minerals of volcanic origin - orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and amphibole, and the REEs (rare earth elements) within the region showed similar geochemical behavior. On the other hand, four distinct heavy mineral groups were identified in the sediments of the Kofu region, where there is a great variety of underlying bedrock, and the geochemical behavior of the REEs in the sediments also varied accordingly to their geological origins. As such, our study shows that high-resolution SR-XRD data can provide information on the spatial distribution patterns of heavy minerals in stream sediments, playing an important role in determining their likely geographical origin. Meanwhile, the highly sensitive HE-SR-XRF data allow us to study the geochemical behavior of trace heavy elements, especially the REEs in the sediments, providing additional support to further constrain the likely geographical origin of the sediments determined by heavy minerals.

Cobalt-blue colorant was first used in the 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom of Egypt. The source of this cobalt was cobaltiferous alum from the Western Oases of Egypt. The use of this alum, especially in glass, was suddenly limited at the end of the 18th Dynasty. There is little evidence of the production of cobalt-blue glass in the Ramesside Period (the 19th–20th Dynasties) in the New Kingdom of Egypt. In this study, we brought a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to two archaeological sites located in the Memphite region and used it for onsite analyses of Ramesside cobalt blue-colored glasses and faiences. This method revealed that the compositional characteristics of the cobalt-blue colorant in these Ramesside glasses and faiences is different from the colorant derived from cobaltiferous alum used in the 18th Dynasty, based on the comparison of transition metal composition and alumina content with those of the cobalt blue-colored artifacts from the 18th Dynasty. This result suggests that a new cobalt source other than cobaltiferous alum from the Western Oases was utilized in Egypt during the Ramesside Period.

Blue-painted pottery was produced in the New Kingdom, Egypt, and decorated with blue, red, and black pigment. In this study, two newly developed portable instruments, a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer and a portable X-ray powder diffractometer, were brought to the site on the outcrop at Northwest Saqqara, an archaeological site in Egypt, to verify their performance in on-site analysis of excavated artifacts at the site. Pigments used for the blue-painted pottery and plasters in the New Kingdom were analyzed by these instruments on the basis of both their chemical compositions and crystal-structural information. The blue pigments were identified as two different pigments, Egyptian blue and cobalt blue. The diffraction pattern of the blue pigment of the painted pottery exhibited that of spinel structure. The XRF spectrum of the blue pigment obtained by the same instrument from the same position indicates the presence of Mn, Co, Fe, Ni, and Zn. The possibility of compositional transitions of the cobalt blue pigment with time was revealed on by detailed analysis of the XRF data. The reason for the transitions is considered together with the archaeological background of the New Kingdom, Egypt.

Total synthesis of cis -solamin A was accomplished without using protecting groups starting from (−)-muricatacin in 11 steps with an overall yield of 4.5%. The backbone of cis -solamin A was constructed by olefin cross-metathesis between the tetrahydrofuran moiety and γ-lactone moiety. An enzymatic kinetic transesterification procedure was successfully applied to the synthesis of an optically pure γ-lactone moiety.

A 30-year-old woman was admitted to the first institution with subacutely progressive aphasia and depression. Despite of lacking conclusive evidence on magnetic resonance imaging, cerebrospinal fluid examination, or electroencephalogram, we tentatively diagnosed her disease as limbic encephalopathy due to its acute progression. High-dose methylprednisolone was started on admission. However, symptoms did not improve. To make matters worse, psychiatric symptoms, such as hallucinations and emotional incontinence, appeared on the same day. Additional treatment with plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin administration was also ineffective. Therefore, we could not manage the patient in a general ward due to severe psychiatric symptoms. The patient was transferred to a psychiatric ward in the second institution. She received both psychiatric treatment and steroid therapy, including a second course of intravenous high-dose methylprednisolone, followed by long-term oral prednisolone. Her symptoms gradually improved. A final diagnosis of Hashimoto's encephalopathy was made based on the patient's clinical course and positive results for both serum anti-thyroid antibody and anti-NAE antibody. In our case, long-term oral steroid therapy under psychiatric treatment was effective for good outcome.

High-energy (116 keV) synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence analysis has for the first time been applied to the quantitative analysis of trace heavy elements of geological samples. Calibration c...

We have started the construction of a nationwide forensic soil sediment database for Japan based on the heavy mineral and trace heavy element compositions of stream sediments collected at 3024 points all over Japan obtained by high-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (SR-XRD) and high-energy synchrotron X-ray fluorescence analysis (HE-SR-XRF). In this study, the performance of both techniques was demonstrated by analyzing soil sediments from two different geological regions, the Kofu and Chiba regions in Kanto province, to construct database that can be applied in the future to provenance analysis of soil evidence from a crime scene. The sediments from the quaternary volcanic lithology of the Chiba region were found to be dominated by heavy minerals of volcanic origin - orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and amphibole, and the REEs (rare earth elements) within the region showed similar geochemical behavior. On the other hand, four distinct heavy mineral groups were identified in the sediments of the Kofu region, where there is a great variety of underlying bedrock, and the geochemical behavior of the REEs in the sediments also varied accordingly to their geological origins. As such, our study shows that high-resolution SR-XRD data can provide information on the spatial distribution patterns of heavy minerals in stream sediments, playing an important role in determining their likely geographical origin. Meanwhile, the highly sensitive HE-SR-XRF data allow us to study the geochemical behavior of trace heavy elements, especially the REEs in the sediments, providing additional support to further constrain the likely geographical origin of the sediments determined by heavy minerals.