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Objective: This study was carried out to determine whether asthma affects the development of emphysema. Methods: We studied 62 patients with reversible airway obstruction during remission, and evaluated the presence [...]

ABSTRACTThe Japanese landscape has been characterised by the occurrence of ancient, massive trees described here as “giant trees”, and many of these have had major historic, cultural, and religious significance. However, modern Japan has experienced significant and rapid urbanisation and in relation to ancient woods and trees, “cultural severance” too. This study identified the species, size, and locations of the giant trees growing in Tokyo’s urban centre and its western suburbs, by conducting field surveys and collecting data from published studies. Classification of sites according to tree girth, with giant trees, revealed six broad locations: (1) forest and agricultural lands of managed secondary and later abandoned woodland with deciduous, broad-leaved trees; (2) public gardens, comprising useful and ornamental plants introduced from southern Japan; (3) parks, including mostly exotic species; (4) shrine sites, including Zelkova serrata, conifers, and evergreen broad-leaved trees; (5) temple sites, including many Torreya nucifera; and (6) Imperial lands, with rare species of trees in low numbers. The highest percentage of giant trees (36%) were found in parks, followed by temple and shrine sites (32%), whereas only 10% were found in other historical places. This study highlights the importance of studying giant tree habitats and history and identifying the relationships between human activities and living trees.

ABSTRACTCinnamomum camphorais an evergreen broad-leaved tree distributed throughout southeastern China, Taiwan, and southern Japan. This tree has been widely cultivated and utilized by humans since ancient times; therefore, its natural distribution and regeneration are ambiguous. We established a mowing zone and a control zone in an abandoned deciduous broad-leaved forest in eastern Japan. In the mowing zone, an evergreen dwarf bamboo, Pleioblastus chino, and evergreen broad-leaved trees such as Quercus myrsinifoliaand Eurya japonicawere cut at ground level. We set nine study sites (1 × 1 m quadrats) on the forest floor of these zones, and measured the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fAPAR), soil moisture content, and soil temperature. Overall, 120 seeds of C. camphorawere sown at a depth of 1 cm on each site, and seed germination and the survival and growth of seedlings were monitored over 4 years. Seed germination ratios at the sites were negatively affected by fAPAR and soil moisture content and positively affected by daily fluctuation of soil temperature. Seedling survival ratios and heights were negatively affected by fAPAR and positively affected by soil moisture content; no seedlings survived at the control site, and the height of seedlings was significantly higher under the canopy gap. Seeds of C. camphoracould germinate in an abandoned secondary forest in eastern Japan, but the dominance of P. chinolargely prevented the establishment of seedlings; the presence of a canopy gap, along with consecutive mowing, was considered to be indispensable for regeneration.

The effective one-body method provides a framework to apply the black hole perturbation theory to the binary system where two masses can be comparable. We study the gravitational-wave equation in the background of the effective one-body system for the spinless binary, which is in general available with the spherically symmetric background as well. We obtain the gauge conditions for the decoupled wave equation, and also give the solutions to the gauge conditions in terms of the metric perturbation for a special case, which extends the result by Jing et al. (Sci. China-Phys. Mech. Astron. 65, 260411 (2022)). Finally we obtain the gravitational-wave equation which is the generalization of the Teukolsky equation.

This study investigated the variations in the clinical efficacy and drug cost following the introduction of the Asthma Prevention and Management Guidelines in Japan (JGL2003).

Mitsubishi Materials Corporation and The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. have been jointly developing intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells as stationary power generation units since 2001. High performance LSGMC cells and a unique seal-less cell-stack design enable high efficiency operation at temperatures below 800oC. The 1st long-term durability test over 4,200 hours of the 4th generation 1kW-class module was ended in 2006 with a voltage degradation rate of about 0.5%/1000hours. And the 2nd durability test and output fluctuation tests were conducted in 2007. Scaling-up of the module toward 10kW-class has been successfully done and the electrical efficiency of 50% HHV on DC output was achieved in 2006. The first field test of 10kW-class CHP system was performed in 2007.

Mediastinal lung herniation is a rare condition characterized by protrusion of 1 lower lung through behind the heart into the opposite side of the chest, usually from right to left. We present a case of mediastinal lung herniation associated with pulmonary sequestration, which was confirmed both surgically and pathologically in a 13-year-old girl initially admitted with a diagnosis of pneumonia. Contrast-enhanced computed tomographic images using a multidetector-row computed tomography clearly demonstrated the right lung herniation toward the left and 2 aberrant systemic arteries supplying the sequestered lung mass. These arteries run through the herniated lung from right to left. Additionally, on the basis of pleural anatomy, we discuss herein the difference between a mediastinal lung herniation and horseshoe lung.

Mitsubishi Materials Corporation and The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. have been jointly developing intermediate- temperature SOFCS as stationary power generation units since 2001. High performance cells based on lanthanum gallate electrolyte and a unique seal-less cell-stack design enable high efficiency operation. The 4th generation module with internal manifolds was developed and the electrical efficiency of 54% HHV on DC output was achieved in 2005. The first long- term durability test using town gas for fuel over 4000hrs was ended recently and its voltage degradation rate was about 0.5%/1000hrs. In parallel to 1kW module development efforts, scaling-up of the module toward 10kW-class has been successfully done and the electrical efficiency of 50% HHV on DC output was achieved in 2006. Fabrication of the 10kW-class CHP system is under progress and will be finished by the end of FY2006. The field test of this system is scheduled in FY2007.

To clarify whether structural changes of the airway wall impair respiratory function in patients with mild asthma, and to determine whether mild asthma should be treated with inhaled steroids.

Microphotometric enzyme assay in single muscle fibers was performed on two patients with lactic acidosis. Neither case showed ragged red fibers upon histochemical evaluation. Biochemical analysis of mitochondrial enzymes demonstrated low normal cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity in Case 1 and deficient COX in Case 2. Quantitative single muscle fiber analysis in patients showed marked variation in COX activity in Case 1, reflecting mosaic distribution of fibers with near-normal COX activity and with defective COX activity. These data suggest that this microphotometric assay may be valuable for elucidating the significance of ‘partial enzyme deficiency’. In addition, this assay method may be applied to needle biopsy specimens.

Tuberculous mediastinitis, a rare complication of pulmonary tuberculosis, may simulate a mediastinal tumor on chest radiography. For evaluation and follow-up of the disease, CT and MRI are needed.

We study UV properties of the two-dimensional supersymmetric CPN−1 model on non(anti)commutative superspace. We show that the deformed model has the same UV property as the ordinary model in the leading order of 1/N and that the deformation gives rise to UV divergence which cannot be dealt with in the next-to-leading order.

We study the instanton equation of the supersymmetric CPN−1 sigma model on non(anti)commutative superspace in two dimensions. We show that the undeformed instanton equation is consistent with the deformed equations of motion. Then we conclude that the instanton equation is not deformed by superspace non(anti)commutativity.

We construct a closed form of the action of the supersymmetric CPN sigma model on noncommutative superspace in four dimensions. We show that this model has supersymmetry and that the transformation law is not modified. The supersymmetric CPN sigma model on noncommutative superspace in two dimensions is obtained by dimensional reducing the model in four dimensions.

The field theory dual to the Freedman-Townsend model of a non-Abelian anti-symmetric tensor field is a nonlinear sigma model on the group manifold G. This can be extended to the duality between the Freedman-Townsend model coupled to Yang-Mills fields and a nonlinear sigma model on a coset space G/H. We present the supersymmetric extension of this duality and find that the target space of this nonlinear sigma model is a complex coset space, GC/HC.

The prevalence of hepatitis G virus (HGV) in liver disease of non-A, -B, -C viral hepatitis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C was determined. Two of 44 patients (4.5%) with liver injury without any hepatitis A, B or C marker were positive for HGV. One of five cases of hepatocellular carcinoma was positive for HGV. One of three cases with fulminant hepatitis was positive for HGV. This case was negative at the onset of fulminant hepatitis and became positive after plasmapheresis. No patient with acute (n=8) or chronic (n=5) hepatitis or liver cirrhosis (n=8) was positive for HGV in non-A, -B, -C liver disease. One of 30 patients with various HBV-positive liver diseases and nine (17.3) of 52 patients with type C liver disease were positive for HGV. In patients with hepatitis C, four (28.6%) of 14 HGV-co-infected patients were complicated with diabetes mellitus compared with four (10.5%) of 38 single hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients (not significant). In 12 HGV-positive patients, eight of 10 (80%) had a history of blood transfusion. In HCV-positive patients, co-infection with HGV was not a risk factor in patients with diabetes mellitus as a complication. HGV appeared to cause non-A, -B, -C hepatitis rarely, and its main route of infection was blood transfusion.

It was found that GaAs melt can be purified in-situ by our new method of bubbling distillation technique. The degree of the purification can be detected by the measurement of the electric conductivity of the melt. With this technique homogeneouse undoped semi-insulating 2 inches in diameter GaAs single crystals can be grown with high reproducibility.

An improved LEC technique of enhanced heating of B2O3encapsulant layer through the windows of susceptor cylinder is described. By this technique, low temperature gradients of 10?25°C/cm in the axial direction and 5°C/cm in the radial direction were achieved. Two-inch diameter crystals grown by this technique with a slow cooling rate exhibited quite low dislocation density of 8×103to low 104cm-2order from front to tail of the crystal.