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Retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma (RPLMS) is rare and usually presents as a large abdominal mass with poor clinical symptoms. Radiological findings of an RPLMS arising in the pelvis of a woman resemble those of adnexal tumors. Herein, we present a case of RPLMS mimicking an adnexal tumor which was differentiated from having an ovarian origin as the right ovarian vein was passing through the tumor but there was no direct vascular connection with the tumor. Therefore, it is important to identify the ovarian vein to distinguish between these tumors.

Objective: Although cervical conization is considered a standard treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2/3, laser ablation can compensate for the disadvantages of the former. CO2, semiconductor, and holmium yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) lasers are applied in ablation, but no previous studies have shown the effectiveness of any of these techniques. Here, we retrospectively analyzed the application of the Ho:YAG laser in our hospital to verify its efficacy, and discussed the methods for optimal recurrence detection. Methods: We evaluated the recurrence rates of the pathological condition in patients who underwent laser ablation with a Ho:YAG laser for CIN2/3 at our institution from June 2012 to November 2021. We defined the recurrence as histologically confirmed CIN2 or more advanced stage. Age, preoperative diagnosis, human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype, and postoperative high-risk HPV status were recorded to establish their association with recurrence rates. Results: We performed surgery in 607 patients and the 2-year recurrence rate after interventions was 5.6%. Five patients were diagnosed with invasive cancer at the time of recurrence. Older age significantly correlated with higher risk of recurrence, but preoperative CIN grade and preoperative HPV 16/18 status did not significantly affect it. The postoperative high-risk HPV test was 100% sensitive for detecting recurrence. Conclusions: Laser ablation with the Ho:YAG laser yields promising results. Together with postinterventional management, high-risk HPV test after laser ablation should be conducted after diagnostic conization.This study received the approval from the Ethics Committee of the NHO Tokyo Medical Center (Ethics Committee approval number: R22-067).

Cardiac angiosarcoma is a malignant tumor derived from vascular endothelium with a dismal prognosis. The imaging findings of cardiac angiosarcoma are nonspecific and endomyocardial and pericardial biopsies have insufficient accuracy. For these reasons, the diagnosis is sometimes difficult. Primary and metastatic tumors tend to bleed easily, causing hemoptysis and neurological symptoms. Brain metastases are not often known to be fatal when they cause hemorrhage. We report a 27-year-old man diagnosed with right atrium angiosarcoma, with metastases in the lung, brain, and bone. The patient had only respiratory symptoms at the first visit and did not show any symptoms derived from brain metastases yet died after 27 days due to hemorrhage from brain metastases. If brain metastasis from angiosarcoma is suspected based on imaging findings, urgent radiotherapy should be considered before histological examination for a definitive diagnosis.

Abstract Due to the ecological importance of mutualism between reef-building corals and symbiotic algae (Family Symbiodiniaceae), various transcriptomic studies on coral-algal symbiosis have been performed; however, molecular mechanisms, especially genes essential to initiate and maintain these symbioses remain unknown. We investigated transcriptomic responses of Acropora tenuis to inoculation with the native algal symbiont, Symbiodinium microadriaticum, during early life stages, and identified possible symbiosis-related genes. Genes involved in immune regulation, protection against oxidative stress, and metabolic interactions between partners are particularly important for symbiosis during Acropora early life stages. In addition, molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that some possible symbiosis-related genes originated by gene duplication in the Acropora lineage, suggesting that gene duplication may have been the driving force to establish stable mutualism in Acropora, and that symbiotic molecular mechanisms may vary among coral lineages.

To obtain the design and development guidelines for a cryo-capture system that combines an amine absorption method with a novel cryo-sublimation pump for recovering CO2 from flue gas using the cryogenic heat (−162 °C) of liquefied natural gas (LNG), we investigated the cooling, depressurization, and regeneration characteristics of CO2 through numerical analysis. We developed an unsteady lumped constant numerical model consisting of a regeneration tower, sublimation tank, and connecting passage. The numerical analysis investigated the effects of the partial pressure of CO2 in the inlet gas in the absorption tower, the CO2 regeneration rate in the regeneration tower, and the cooling wall area of the sublimation tank, on the temporal changes of various quantities in the process. The following findings were obtained as design and development guidelines: the interface area of CO2 regeneration tower SR should be a necessary and sufficient area where the integrated amount of dry ice production [Formula: see text] and the dry ice production efficiency η are as high as possible to make it compact and low-cost. At the same time, the area of the cooling wall SC is determined such that the sublimation and solidification capacity of CO2 is balanced with the CO2 regeneration capacity.

The cerebral arterial network covering the brain cortex has multiscale anastomosis structures with sparse intermediate anastomoses (O[102] μm in diameter) and dense pial networks (O[101] μm in diameter). Recent studies indicate that collateral blood supply by cerebral arterial anastomoses has an essential role in the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke caused by large vessel occlusion. However, the physiological importance of these multiscale morphological properties-and especially of intermediate anastomoses-is poorly understood because of innate structural complexities. In this study, a computational model of multiscale anastomoses in whole-brain-scale cerebral arterial networks was developed and used to evaluate collateral blood supply by anastomoses during middle cerebral artery occlusion. Morphologically validated cerebral arterial networks were constructed by combining medical imaging data and mathematical modeling. Sparse intermediate anastomoses were assigned between adjacent main arterial branches; the pial arterial network was modeled as a dense network structure. Blood flow distributions in the arterial network during middle cerebral artery occlusion simulations were computed. Collateral blood supply by intermediate anastomoses increased sharply with increasing numbers of anastomoses and provided one-order-higher flow recoveries to the occluded region (15%-30%) compared with simulations using a pial network only, even with a small number of intermediate anastomoses (≤10). These findings demonstrate the importance of sparse intermediate anastomoses, which are generally considered redundant structures in cerebral infarction, and provide insights into the physiological significance of the multiscale properties of arterial anastomoses.

Background Aminoglycoside antibiotics are used for treating certain acute infections. However, these drugs cause ototoxicity by inducing inner ear hair cell death. Aims/Objectives We investigated the protective effect of a nanoemulsion of the carotenoid astaxanthin on mammalian inner ear hair cells against neomycin-induced ototoxicity. Material and Methods Dose-response relationship, quantification of hair cell loss, and reactive oxygen species production were assayed in response to neomycin with and without astaxanthin in cultured utricles of CBA/N mice. In addition, auditory brain response (ABR) and hair cell loss after exposure to the nanoformulation and loud noise were examined in vivo in guinea pigs. Results Astaxanthin suppressed neomycin-induced reduction of hair cells by reducing the production of hydroxy radicals. Furthermore, hair cell loss in the second rotation of the cochlea was significantly lower in the astaxanthin group than in the noise-only group. Conclusions and Significance The blood-labyrinth barrier limits the successful delivery of drugs for inner ear complications. However, in the nanoemulsion form, astaxanthin can penetrate the round window (fenestra ovale) membrane, enabling topical administration. Thus, astaxanthin nanoemulsion could be useful in treating ototoxicity in individuals with inner ear complications.

Summary: The giant clam Tridacna crocea thrives in poorly nourished coral reef water by forming a holobiont with zooxanthellae and utilizing photosynthetic products of the symbiont. However, detailed metabolic crosstalk between clams and symbionts is elusive. Here, we discovered that the nonphosphorous microalgal betaine lipid DGCC (diacylglycerylcarboxy-hydroxymethylcholine) and its deacylated derivative GCC are present in all tissues and organs, including algae-free sperm and eggs, and are metabolized. Colocalization of DGCC and PC (phosphatidylcholine) evidenced by MS imaging suggested that DGCC functions as a PC substitute. The high content of GCC in digestive diverticula (DD) suggests that the algal DGCC was digested in DD for further utilization. Lipidomics analysis showing the organ-specific distribution pattern of DGCC species suggests active utilization of DGCC as membrane lipids in the clam. Thus, the utilization of zooxanthellal DGCC in animal cells is a unique evolutionary outcome in phosphorous-deficient coral reef waters.

Within microeukaryotes, genetic variation and functional variation sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history and ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine diversity at multiple levels of organization. In the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians (e.g., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellyfish), other marine invertebrates (e.g., sponges, molluscs, flatworms), and protists (e.g., foraminifera), molecular data have been used extensively over the past three decades to describe phenotypes and to make evolutionary and ecological inferences. Despite advances in Symbiodiniaceae genomics, a lack of consensus among researchers with respect to interpreting genetic data has slowed progress in the field and acted as a barrier to reconciling observations. Here, we identify key challenges regarding the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae genetic diversity across three levels: species, populations, and communities. We summarize areas of agreement and highlight techniques and approaches that are broadly accepted. In areas where debate remains, we identify unresolved issues and discuss technologies and approaches that can help to fill knowledge gaps related to genetic and phenotypic diversity. We also discuss ways to stimulate progress, in particular by fostering a more inclusive and collaborative research community. We hope that this perspective will inspire and accelerate coral reef science by serving as a resource to those designing experiments, publishing research, and applying for funding related to Symbiodiniaceae and their symbiotic partnerships.

Abstract Background Scleractinian corals of the genus Montipora (Anthozoa, Cnidaria) possess some unusual biological traits, such as vertical transmission of algal symbionts; however, the genetic bases for those traits remain unknown. We performed extensive comparative genomic analyses among members of the family Acroporidae (Montipora, Acropora, and Astreopora) to explore genomic novelties that might explain unique biological traits of Montipora using improved genome assemblies and gene predictions for M. cactus, M. efflorescens and Astreopora myriophthalma. Results We obtained genomic data for the three species of comparable high quality to other published coral genomes. Comparative genomic analyses revealed that the gene families restricted to Montipora are significantly more numerous than those of Acropora and Astreopora, but their functions are largely unknown. The number of gene families specifically expanded in Montipora was much lower than the number specifically expanded in Acropora. In addition, we found that evolutionary rates of the Montipora-specific gene families were significantly higher than other gene families shared with Acropora and/or Astreopora. Of 40 gene families under positive selection (Ka/Ks ratio > 1) in Montipora, 30 were specifically detected in Montipora-specific gene families. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of early life stages of Montipora, which possesses maternally inherited symbionts, and Acropora, which lacks them, revealed that most gene families continuously expressed in Montipora, but not expressed in Acropora do not have orthologs in Acropora. Among the 30 Montipora-specific gene families under positive selection, 27 are expressed in early life stages. Conclusions Lineage-specific gene families were important to establish the genus Montipora, particularly genes expressed throughout early life stages, which under positive selection, gave rise to biological traits unique to Montipora. Our findings highlight evolutionarily acquired genomic bases that may support symbiosis in these stony corals and provide novel insights into mechanisms of coral-algal symbiosis, the physiological foundation of coral reefs.

Microorganisms possess taxes, which are the behavioral response to stimuli. The interaction between taxis and fluid dynamic instability leads to a macroscopic flow called bioconvection. In this study, we demonstrated that an isolated, single, three-dimensional bioconvection cell can exist within Euglena suspension. The isolated convection cell was named a “bioconvection spot.” To reveal the formation of this bioconvection spot in a cylindrical container, position-control experiments were designed in a non-uniform light environment. Upon exposure of Euglena suspensions to varying light conditions with white and red regions, Euglena was determined to aggregate into the red (darker) region. This was attributed to its phototactic response of Euglena, causing its movement toward a darker environment and away from a strong light. Thus, the bioconvection spot was created by manipulating the local cell density of the suspension and the light environments. Using our experimental setup, we observed the structure of the spot and established that it radiated pulses of local cell densities of Euglena.

Microorganisms respond to environmental conditions and often spontaneously form highly ordered convection patterns. This mechanism has been well-studied from the viewpoint of self-organization. However, environmental conditions in nature are usually dynamic. Naturally, biological systems respond to temporal changes in environmental condition. To elucidate the response mechanisms in such a dynamic environment, we observed the bioconvection pattern of Euglena under periodical changes in illumination. It is known that Euglena shows localized bioconvection patterns under constant homogeneous illumination from the bottom. Periodical changes in light intensity induced two different types of spatiotemporal patterns: alternation of formation and decomposition over a long period and complicated transition of pattern over a short period. Our observations suggest that pattern formation in a periodically changing environment is of fundamental importance to the behavior of biological systems.

The cell motion of Euglena gracilis in homogeneous and heterogeneous light environments was analyzed. Homogeneous and heterogeneous environments were prepared, with only a red color or with a red circle surrounded by brighter white regions, respectively. In a heterogeneous environment, the cells move into the red circle. Swimming orbits at 1/25 s intervals for 120 s were analyzed. The speed distribution of the 1 s-averaged cell orbits in a homogeneous environment was different from that in a heterogeneous environment, where the faster swimming fraction was enhanced. The relationship between speed and curvature radius was analyzed using a joint histogram. Histograms for short timescale motion, constructed by 1 s-averaged orbits, suggest that the cell swimming curves are not biased, while those for long timescale motion, constructed by 10 s-averaged orbits, suggest that the cell swimming curves are biased in the clockwise direction. Furthermore, the curvature radius determines the speed, which does not seem to depend on the light environment. The mean squared displacement in a heterogeneous environment is larger than that in a homogeneous environment on a 1 s timescale. These results will be the basis for constructing a model for the long-time behavior of photomovement for light differences.

Abstract Although numerous dinoflagellate species (Family Symbiodiniaceae) are present in coral reef environments, Acropora corals tend to select a single species, Symbiodinium microadriaticum, in early life stages, even though this species is rarely found in mature colonies. In order to identify molecular mechanisms involved in initial contact with native symbionts, we analyzed transcriptomic responses of Acropora tenuis larvae at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after their first contact with S. microadriaticum, as well as with non-native symbionts, including the non-symbiotic S. natans and the occasional symbiont, S. tridacnidorum. Some gene expression changes were detected in larvae inoculated with non-native symbionts at 1 h post-inoculation, but those returned to baseline levels afterward. In contrast, when larvae were exposed to native symbionts, we found that the number of differentially expressed genes gradually increased in relation to inoculation time. As a specific response to native symbionts, upregulation of pattern recognition receptor-like and transporter genes, and suppression of cellular function genes related to immunity and apoptosis, were exclusively observed. These findings indicate that coral larvae recognize differences between symbionts, and when the appropriate symbionts infect, they coordinate gene expression to establish stable mutualism.

There is little evidence concerning the need to treat gestational diabetes (GDM) in the same way as pregestational diabetes. We evaluated the efficacy of the simple insulin injection (SII) regimen for achieving the target glucose goal without increasing adverse perinatal outcomes in singleton pregnant women with GDM. All subjects underwent self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), and insulin therapy was indicated according to the SMBG profile. Insulin was initially started with the SII regimen, in which one daily injection of NPH insulin before breakfast was used, and another NPH injection was added at bedtime, if necessary. We used the target glucose as the SII>the diet group. The rate of achieving target glucose levels before delivery in the SII group at fasting, postprandial

Abstract Background Both fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) and late-onset neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) show CGG/GGC trinucleotide repeat expansions. Differentiating these diseases are difficult because of the similarity in their clinical and radiological features. It is unclear that skin biopsy can distinguish NIID from FXTAS. We performed a skin biopsy in an FXTAS case with cognitive dysfunction and peripheral neuropathy without tremor, which was initially suspected to be NIID. Case presentation The patient underwent neurological assessment and examinations, including laboratory tests, electrophysiologic test, imaging, skin biopsy, and genetic test. A brain MRI showed hyperintensity lesions along the corticomedullary junction on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in addition to middle cerebellar peduncle sign (MCP sign). We suspected NIID from the clinical picture and the radiological findings, and performed a skin biopsy. The skin biopsy specimen showed ubiquitin- and p62-positive intranuclear inclusions, suggesting NIID. However, a genetic analysis for NIID using repeat-primed polymerase chain reaction (RP-PCR) revealed no expansion detected in the Notch 2 N-terminal like C (NOTCH2NLC) gene. We then performed genetic analysis for FXTAS using RP-PCR, which revealed a repeat CGG/GGC expansion in the FMRP translational regulator 1 (FMR1) gene. The number of repeats was 83. We finally diagnosed the patient with FXTAS rather than NIID. Conclusions For the differential diagnosis of FXTAS and NIID, a skin biopsy alone is insufficient; instead, genetic analysis, is essential. Further investigations in additional cases based on genetic analysis are needed to elucidate the clinical and pathological differences between FXTAS and NIID.

Phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) allows us to acquire biofluid flow velocity maps, whereas MRI data is restricted by spatiotemporal resolution limitations and contains theoretically inevitable errors. Although various approaches to estimating actual velocity from MR velocity maps using the mass and momentum conservation laws have been proposed, practically reasonable methodologies are still not well established. This study investigates a practical strategy for estimating physically consistent velocities from MR velocity maps based on variational optimal boundary control through examples of the 2D steady Stokes flow as an incompressible viscous fluid. We defined a minimization problem of the sum of squared residuals between MR and the estimated velocity at all pixels (voxels) considering the image data structure with respect to the Dirichlet boundary velocity condition subject to flow governing equations based on variational formulations. This optimization problem is treated as an unconstrained optimization problem by deriving the Lagrange functional, including the cost function, regularization term, and constraint conditions. The optimality condition is computed using the adjoint variable method in a finite element manner. The boundary velocity profile is iteratively updated by the optimality condition using gradient-based optimization until convergence. Numerical examples for 2D Poiseuille flow with noise-free and noisy reference data demonstrated good convergencies of the cost function minimization. The estimated flow velocities were in excellent agreement with reference data. Finally, we demonstrated the viability of the velocity estimation using the actual MR velocity of the cerebrospinal fluid flow. The proposed approach with further considerations specialized for the MRI may be feasible in providing physically consistent velocity profiles in a versatile target of the biofluid flow.

BackgroundEarly intervention and prevention of psychiatric comorbidities of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are urgent issues. However, the differences in the diagnoses of ASD and ADHD and psychiatric comorbidities associated with age, long-term healthcare utilization trajectories, and its associated diagnostic features have not been fully elucidated in Japan.MethodWe conducted a retrospective observational study using the medical records. Member hospitals of three major consortiums of hospitals providing child and adolescent psychiatric services in Japan were recruited for the study. Children who accessed the psychiatry services of the participating hospitals in April 2015 were followed up for 5 years, and data on their clinical diagnoses, consultation numbers, and hospitalizations were collected. Non-hierarchical clustering was performed using two 10-timepoint longitudinal variables: consultation numbers and hospitalization. Among the major clusters, the differences in the prevalence of ASD, ADHD, comorbid intellectual disability, neurotic disorders, and other psychiatric disorders were assessed.ResultsA total of 44 facilities participated in the study (59.5%), and 1,003 participants were enrolled. Among them, 591 diagnosed with ASD and/or ADHD (58.9%) and 589 without missing data were assessed. The mean age was 10.1 years, and 363 (70.9%) were boys. Compared with the pre-schoolers, the school-aged children and adolescents had fewer ASD, more ADHD, and fewer comorbid intellectual disability diagnoses, as well as more diagnoses of other psychiatric disorders. A total of 309 participants (54.7%) continued consultation for 2 years, and 207 (35.1%) continued for 5 years. Clustering analysis identified three, two, and three major clusters among pre-schoolers, school-aged children, and adolescents, respectively. The largest cluster was characterized by early termination of the consultation and accounted for 55.4, 70.6, and 73.4% of pre-schoolers, school-aged children, and adolescents, respectively. Among the school-aged children, the diagnosis of ADHD was associated with a cluster that required longer periods of consultations. Among the adolescents, comorbid psychiatric disorders other than intellectual disability and neurotic disorders were associated with clusters that required hospitalization.ConclusionContinuous healthcare needs were common and psychiatric comorbidities were associated with complex trajectory among adolescents. The promotion of early intervention and prevention of comorbidities are important.

One possibility to reduce the climate impact of aviation is the avoidance of climate-sensitive regions, which is synonymous with climate-optimised flight planning. Those regions can be identified by algorithmic Climate Change Functions (aCCFs) for nitrogen oxides (NOx), water vapour (H2O) as well as contrail cirrus, which provide a measure of climate effects associated with corresponding emissions. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of reducing the aviation-induced climate impact via ozone (O3) formation (resulting from NOx emissions), when solely using O3 aCCFs for the aircraft trajectory optimisation strategy. The effectiveness of such a strategy and the associated potential mitigation of climate effects is explored by using the chemistry–climate model EMAC (ECHAM5/MESSy) with various submodels. A summer and winter day, characterised by a large spatial variability of the O3 aCCFs, are selected. A one-day air traffic simulation is performed in the European airspace on those selected days to obtain both cost-optimised and climate-optimised aircraft trajectories, which more specifically minimised a NOx-induced climate effect of O3 (O3 aCCFs). The air traffic is laterally and vertically re-routed separately to enable an evaluation of the influences of the horizontal and vertical pattern of O3 aCCFs. The resulting aviation NOx emissions are then released in an atmospheric chemistry–climate simulation to simulate the contribution of these NOx emissions to atmospheric O3 and the resulting O3 change. Within this study, we use O3-RF as a proxy for climate impact. The results confirm that the climate-optimised flights lead to lower O3-RF compared to the cost-optimised flights, although the aCCFs cannot reproduce all aspects of the significant impact of the synoptic situation on the transport of emitted NOx. Overall, the climate impact is higher for the selected summer day than for the selected winter day. Lateral re-routing shows a greater potential to reduce climate impact compared to vertical re-routing for the chosen flight altitude. We find that while applying the O3 aCCFs in trajectory optimisation can reduce the climate impact, there are certain discrepancies in the prediction of O3 impact from aviation NOx emissions, as seen for the summer day. Although the O3 aCCFs concept is a rough simplification in estimating the climate impact of a local NOx emission, it enables a reasonable first estimate. Further research is required to better describe the O3 aCCFs allowing an improved estimate in the Average Temperature Response (ATR) of O3 from aviation NOx emissions. A general improvement in the scientific understanding of non-CO2 aviation effects could make climate-optimised flight planning practically feasible.

The strong growth rate of the aviation industry in recent years has created significant challenges in terms of environmental impact. Air traffic contributes to climate change through the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other non-CO2 effects, and the associated climate impact is expected to soar further. The mitigation of CO2 contributions to the net climate impact can be achieved using novel propulsion, jet fuels, and continuous improvements of aircraft efficiency, whose solutions lack in immediacy. On the other hand, the climate impact associated with non-CO2 emissions, being responsible for two-thirds of aviation radiative forcing, varies highly with geographic location, altitude, and time of the emission. Consequently, these effects can be reduced by planning proper climate-aware trajectories. To investigate these possibilities, this paper presents a survey on operational strategies proposed in the literature to mitigate aviation’s climate impact. These approaches are classified based on their methodology, climate metrics, reliability, and applicability. Drawing upon this analysis, future lines of research on this topic are delineated.

The continuous separation and filtration of particles immersed in fluid flows are important interests in various applications. Although the inertial focusing of particles suspended in a duct flow is promising in microfluidics, predicting the focusing positions depending on the parameters, such as the shape of the duct cross-section and the Reynolds number (Re) has not been achieved owing to the diversity of the inertial-focusing phenomena. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the variation of the inertial focusing depending on Re in rectangular duct flows. We performed a numerical simulation of the lift force exerted on a spherical particle flowing in a rectangular duct and determined the lift-force map within the duct cross-section over a wide range of Re. We estimated the particle trajectories based on the lift map and Stokes drag, and identified the particle-focusing points appeared in the cross-section. For an aspect ratio of the duct cross-section of 2, we found that the blockage ratio changes transition structure of particle focusing. For blockage ratios smaller than 0.3, particles focus near the centres of the long sides of the cross-section at low Re and near the centres of both the long and short sides at relatively higher Re. This transition is expressed as a subcritical pitchfork bifurcation. For blockage ratio larger than 0.3, another focusing pattern appears between these two focusing regimes, where particles are focused on the centres of the long sides and at intermediate positions near the corners. Thus, there are three regimes; the transition between adjacent regimes at lower Re is found to be expressed as a saddle-node bifurcation and the other transition as a supercritical pitchfork bifurcation.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Aviation aims to reduce its climate effect by exploiting the potential of identifying alternative climate optimized aircraft trajectories. Such climate-optimized trajectories require a dedicated meteorological service in order to inform on those regions of the atmosphere where aviation emissions have a large effect on climate, for example, by contrail formation or nitrogen-oxide (NOx)-induced ozone formation. With the algorithmic Climate Change Functions (aCCFs) prototypes of a mathematical formulation for the temporal and spatial climate effects of aviation emissions in the atmosphere is provided, which relies solely on numerical weather prediction at the time and location of emissions. Based on the recently published consistent set of aCCF-V1.0, we here introduce newly derived calibration factors for the individual non-CO2 effects of aviation (NOx, water vapour, contrail cirrus) and establish version V1.0A of aCCFs (aCCF-V1.0A). ACCF-V1.0A represents an updated formulation of aCCF while exploring the current level of scientific understanding of individual climate effects of aviation emissions by evaluating quantitative estimates of climate effects with the state-of-the-art climate-response model AirClim. Individual scaling factors (i.e. AirClim calibration factors) are provided for the respective non-CO2 effects comprising contrail cirrus, water vapour and NOx-induced climate effects on ozone and methane, resulting uniformly in lower estimates in aCCF-V1.0A for all species compared to the earlier version aCCF-V1.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimization of aircraft trajectories involves balancing operating costs and climate impact, which are often conflicting objectives. To achieve compromise optimal solutions, higher-level information such as preferences of decision-makers must be taken into account. This paper introduces the SolFinder 1.0 module, a decision-making tool designed to identify eco-efficient aircraft trajectories, which allow to reduce the flights climate impact with limited cost penalties compared to cost-optimal solutions. SolFinder 1.0 offers flexible decision-making options that allow users to select trade-offs between different objective functions, including fuel use, flight time, NOx emissions, contrail distance, and climate impact. The module is included in the AirTraf 3.0 submodel, which optimizes trajectories under atmospheric conditions simulated by the ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry model. This paper focuses on the ability of the module to identify eco-efficient trajectories while solving a bi-objective optimization problem that minimizes climate impact and operating costs. SolFinder 1.0 enables users to explore trajectory properties at varying locations of the Pareto fronts without prior knowledge of the problem results and to identify solutions that limit the cost of reducing the climate impact of a single flight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Pregnancy after conization is associated with a high risk of preterm delivery. However, because risk factors for preterm delivery after conization remain unknown, we conducted a multicenter observational study to investigate risk factors associated with preterm delivery. Methods We selected patients who had previously undergone conization and reviewed medical records from 18 hospitals in cooperation with Keio University School of Medicine between January 2013 and December 2019. Women were classified as nulliparous and primiparous, and a multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relative contributions of the various maternal risk factors for preterm delivery (i.e. delivery before 37 gestational weeks). Results Among 409 pregnant women after conization, 68 women delivered preterm (17%). The incidence of nulliparity (p = .014) was higher and a history of preterm delivery (p = .0010) was more common in the preterm delivery group than in the term delivery group. Furthermore, the proportion of women diagnosed with adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and cervical cancer in the preterm delivery group was higher than that in the term delivery group (p = .0099 and .0004, respectively). In multiple regression models in nulliparous women, cervical cancer or AIS (Odds ratio [OR]: 4.16, 95% CI: 1.26–13.68, p = .019) and a short cervix in the second trimester (OR: 13.41, 95% CI: 3.88–46.42, p < .0001) increased the risk of preterm delivery. Furthermore, a history of preterm delivery (OR: 7.35, 95% CI: 1.55–34.86, p = .012), cervical cancer or AIS (OR: 5.07, 95% CI: 1.24–20.73, p = .024), and a short cervix in the second trimester (OR: 4.29, 95% CI: 1.11–16.62, p = .035) increased the risk of preterm delivery in the multiple regression models in primiparous women. Conclusion Pregnant women who previously underwent conization are at risk for preterm delivery. The histological type of AIS and cervical cancer was evaluated as a risk factor for preterm delivery. KEY MESSAGES Prior preterm delivery, presence of a short cervix, and cervical cancer or AIS were predictors of preterm delivery after conization. The depth of conization in cervical cancer or AIS group was significantly larger than that in the CIN group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aviation aims to reduce its climate impact by adopting trajectories, that avoid those regions of the atmosphere where aviation emissions have a large impact. To that end, prototype algorithmic climate change functions (aCCFs) can be used, which provide spatially and temporally resolved information on aviation's climate impact in terms of future near-surface temperature change. These aCCFs can be calculated with meteorological input data obtained from e.g. numerical weather prediction models. We here present the open-source Python Library called CLIMaCCF, an easy to use and flexible tool which efficiently calculates both the individual aCCFs (i.e., water vapour, nitrogen oxide (NOx) induced ozone and methane, and contrail-cirrus aCCFs) and the merged non-CO2 aCCFs that combine all these individual contributions. These merged aCCFs can be only constructed with the technical specification of aircraft/engine parameters, i.e., NOx emission indices and flown distance per kg burnt fuel. These aircraft/engine specific values are provided within CLIMaCCF version V1.0 for a set of aggregated aircraft/engine classes (i.e. regional, single-aisle, wide-body). Moreover, CLIMaCCF allows by a user-friendly configuration setting to choose between a set of different physical climate metrics (i.e. average temperature response for pulse or future scenario emissions over the time horizons of 20, 50 or 100 years). Finally, we demonstrate the abilities of CLIMaCCF by a series of example applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]