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A chemical dissolution method based on different leaching rates of kamacite, taenite and tetrataenite in concentrated HF was developed for isolating metal phases from non-magnetic minerals (mainly silicates) in chondritic meteorites, and for separating taenite from kamacite. This method was applied to an Antarctic chondrite, ALH-77231 (L6), to study the elemental distributions between metal and non-magnetic phases and between taenite and kamacite. The separated phases as well as the bulk metal were studied by Mossbauer spectrometry and by INAA. Mossbauer spectra of ^Fe show that our procedure is efficient in removing silicates from metal and separating taenite from kamacite. The existence of tetrataenite and the absence of disordered taenite in ALH-77231 metals imply that the parent body of ALH-77231 has not experienced severe shock events that redistribute elements among different phases. Thus, element distributions among different phases reflect, in general, the metamorphic history of ALH-77231. INAA results show that siderophile elements are differently distributed between taenite and kamacite. Most siderophiles have very strong to moderate affinities to taenite, while Co is enriched in kamacite. Refractory siderophile elements seem to behave as an individual group. Distribution of Ir between the metal and the non-magnetic fractions implies that a portion of Ir is present in the silicate fraction. This portion of Ir cannot be attributed to the contamination of FeNi metal in the silicates. While the Os/Ir rations in the metals of ALH-77231 are in agreement with the CI value, the Re/Ir rations are significantly higher than the CI value, indicating that Re is fractionated from Ir and Os, between the metal and the non-magnetic fractions. This may be attributable to either the later redistribution of Re between metal and non-magnetic fractions or differences in the condensation phases for Re, and for Ir and Os.

In order to determine trace lanthanoids in geological and cosmochemical samples, an analytical procedure for radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) was developed, where lanthanoids are radio-chemically purified through precipitations of hydroxides and fluorides, and cation exchange using HBr as an eluent. Chemical yields are determined by reactivation. The procedure was applied to the Allende meteorite and geological standard rocks. Our data for Allende are in excellent agreement with literature values, and those values for standard rocks, JP-1 (peridotite) and JF-2 (feldspar), in which lanthanoids are depleted by orders of 1 to 2 compared with those in Allende, seem to be reasonable, although not properly evaluated because of large scatterings in their literature data. This suggests that the present RNAA procedure is highly effective in determining trace lanthanoids (less than 1 ng) in rock samples.

In order to determine trace amounts of phosphorus in geological and cosmochemical rock samples, simple as well as reliable analytical schemes using an ICP-AES instrument were investigated. A (conventional) ICP-AES procedure could determine phosphorus contents at the level of several 100 μg g(-1) with a reasonable reproducibility (10% for 200 μg g(-1); 1σ). An ICP-AES procedure coupled with matrix-separation using cation and anion exchange resins could lower the quantification level down to 1 μg g(-1) or even lower under the present experimental conditions. The matrix-separation ICP-AES procedure developed in this study was applied to twenty-one geological reference samples issued by Geological Survey of Japan. Obtained values vary from 1250 μg g(-1) for JB-3 (basalt) to 2.07 μg g(-1) for JCt-1 (carbonate). Matrix-separation ICP-AES yielded reasonable reproducibility (less than 8.3%; 1σ) of three replicate analyses for all the samples analyzed. In comparison of our data with certificate values as well as literature or reported values, there appear to be an apparent (and large) discrepancy between our values and certificate/reported values regardless of phosphorus contents. Based on the reproducibility of our data and the analytical capability of the matrix-separation ICP-AES procedure developed in this study (in terms of quantification limit, recovery, selectivity of an analyte through pre-concentration process, etc.), it is concluded that certified values for several reference standard rocks should be reevaluated and revised accordingly. It may be further pointed that some phosphorus data reported in literatures should be critically evaluated when they are to be referred in later publications.

The 34-million-year (My) interval of the Late Triassic is marked by the formation of several large impact structures on Earth. Late Triassic impact events have been considered a factor in biotic extinction events in the Late Triassic (e.g., end-Triassic extinction event), but this scenario remains controversial because of a lack of stratigraphic records of ejecta deposits. Here, we report evidence for an impact event (platinum group elements anomaly with nickel-rich magnetite and microspherules) from the middle Norian (Upper Triassic) deep-sea sediment in Japan. This includes anomalously high abundances of iridium, up to 41.5 parts per billion (ppb), in the ejecta deposit, which suggests that the iridium-enriched ejecta layers of the Late Triassic may be found on a global scale. The ejecta deposit is constrained by microfossils that suggest correlation with the 215.5-Mya, 100-km-wide Manicouagan impact crater in Canada. Our analysis of radiolarians shows no evidence of a mass extinction event across the impact event horizon, and no contemporaneous faunal turnover is seen in other marine planktons. However, such an event has been reported among marine faunas and terrestrial tetrapods and floras in North America. We, therefore, suggest that the Manicouagan impact triggered the extinction of terrestrial and marine organisms near the impact site but not within the pelagic marine realm.

The chemical states of iron in sixteen Antarctic meteorites belonging to H-group chondrites were studied by means of Mossbauer spectroscopy. An Fe-Ni alloy, troilite, paramagnetic Fe(III), and two kinds of paramagnetic Fe(II) were observed in each meteorite. The Mossbauer parameters indicated that the Fe(II) components can be assigned to olivine and some pyroxenes. The relative area intensities of Fe(III) in the chondrites correlated positively with iodine content, which was determined by radiochemical neutron activation analysis, and those of two Fe(II)-species correlated negatively with the content. On the basis of the data on the halogen and the Mossbauer spectrocopy, the terrestrial contamination on Antarctic meteorites is discussed.

Simple and effective procedures for the determination of Re, Os and Ir by radiochemical neutron activation analysis are presented. Those elements are separated individually by distillation (for Os) and anion exchange techniques (for Re and Ir) for a single specimen. Reproducibilities of the data obtained by the present procedures are evaluated by replicate analyses of the Allende meteorite sample, and are deduced to be 3% for Re, 6% for Os and 4% for Ir (1σ). Detection limits for the present procedures are calculated to be 1 ppb for Re, 20 ppb for Os and 5 ppb for Ir. These procedures were applied to Antarctic meteorites and proved to work very effectively for the determination of trace Re, Os and Ir in chondrite meteorites.

The chemical states of iron in fourteen Antarctic H chondrites were studied by means of Mossbauer spectroscopy. Fe 3+ , Fe 3+ , troilite, and Fe-Ni alloy were analyzed in all meteorites. Determinations of Cl and I in 28 Antarctic H, L, and LL chondrites were carried out by radiochemical neutron activation analysis, and those in three Antarctic eucrites were carried out by isotope dilution mass spectrometry. The results ranged from 90 to 1700 ppm for Cl and from 0.07 to 5 ppm for I in ordinary chondrites, and from 30 to 330 ppm for Cl and from 1 to 9 ppm for I in eucrites. On the basis of the data on halogens and the Mossbauer spectroscopy, terrestrial weathering of Antarctic meteorites are discussed. The relative amount of Fe 3+ in H chondrites correlates positively with chlorine and iodine contents, and Fe 2+ and troilite correlate negatively. Chlorine shows a higher enrichment in ordinary chondrites than in eucrites whereas the I enrichment seems to be larger in Fe-Ni alloy-poor meteorites.

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) and isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) are applied to the determination of Cl, Br and I in igneous standard rocks. Seventeen different standard samples of igneous rocks distributed by the Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) and by the Association National de la Recherche Technique (ANRT) in France were investigated. The Cl contents range from 10 to 1000 ppm, Br from 0.05 to 2.5 ppm, and I from 5 to 100 ppb. In this study, four standard samples for Cl, eight for Br, and six for I were newly determined. The analytical results between RNAA and IDMS are in good agreement within one standard deviation. The halogen contents are found to be well correlated for Cl and Br, but less clearly for I. Halogens generally are enriched in rhyolites in the volcanic rock series while they are depleted in plutonic rock series, especially in granite.

For the determination of trace Cu, Zn and In in rock samples, a simple and convenient scheme of RNAA is presented. In this scheme, relatively short-lived nuclides,64Cu,69mZn and116mIn are radiochemically purified immediately after the irradiation of samples. Although the sensitivity for Zn and In is lower in this scheme than that in the RNAA using65Zn and114mIn at a higher neutron fluence, the present radiochemical procedures are simpler and were proved to be highly effective for the determination of these elements in most terrestrial igneous rocks and meteorite samples.

In order to investigate the mobility of fissiogenic90Sr in the geological environment, the Zr isotopic compositions of seven samples from one of the newly formed Oklo natural reactor zones (i.e., reactor core and adjacent rocks (10, SF84)) in the Republic of Gabon were determined with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Zr isotopes in uraninite grains from different reactor zones were also measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Fissiogenic Zr isotopic abundances of three samples from the reactor core have excess90Zr, which has never before been formed in previous Oklo samples. In this paper, the geochemical behaviour of90Zr is discussed by making use of the relative retentivity inferred from the isotopic abundance of Sr. The excess in90Zr suggests dependence on the degree of retention/migration of90Sr, the precursor of90Zr in the fission chain. In the aqueous phase, chemical fractionation between Sr and Zr could have occurred before radioactive90Sr decayed. Considering the halflife of90Sr (t1/2 = 29.1y), considerable amounts of the latter have been produced during criticality. Sr and Zr (including90Zr) could have been redistributed between the reactor core and its vicinity. The retentivity of fissiogenic90Zr in reactor core 10 is not homogeneous. In addition, the distributions of Rb, Cs and Ba is also heterogeneous.

Zirconium and hafnium contents were determined by radiochemical neutron activation analysis for some basaltic and granitic geological standard rock samples. Our values for Zr and Hf are consistent with the literature values for basaltic samples, but are systematically higher than the literature data, especially for Zr, for granitic samples, though their relative ratios were found to be in good agreement with meteoritic values. The present work suggests that the literature values of Zr and Hf are systematically low for some granitic rock standard samples.

Eucrites are a class of basaltic meteorites that share common mineralogical, isotopic, and chemical properties and are thought to have been derived from the same parent body, possibly asteroid 4 Vesta. The texture, mineralogy, and noble gas data of the recently recovered meteorite, Northwest Africa (NWA) 011, are similar to those of basaltic eucrites. However, the oxygen isotopic composition of NWA011 is different from that of other eucrites, indicating that NWA011 may be derived from a different parent body. The presence of basaltic meteorites with variable oxygen isotopic composition suggests the occurrence of multiple basaltic meteorite parent bodies, perhaps similar to 4 Vesta, in the early solar system.

Objective: Operative mortality is the most important index for assessing operative results, which has rarely been examined in reconstructive surgery. The aims of this study were to establish a representative index of operative mortality after head and neck reconstruction and to consider measures to improve operative results. Methods: We reviewed cases of head and neck reconstruction by means of free tissue transfer performed from July 1992 through December 2005 at the National Cancer Center Hospital East, Chiba, Japan. The subjects were 1249 patients with a mean age of 62 years. Operative mortality was evaluated on the basis of the 30-day post-operative mortality rate and the inhospital mortality rate. Statistical analysis was performed with the Cochran–Armitage test. Results: The 30-day post-operative mortality rate was 0.88% (11 of 1249 patients), and the in-hospital mortality rate was 1.84% (23 of 1249 patients). The 30-day post-operative mortality was significantly correlated with age (P ¼ 0.002), but the in-hospital mortality was not (P ¼ 0.148). Among patients older than 80 years, the 30-day post-operative mortality rate was 8.57%. The most common cause of 30-day post-operative death was cerebral infarction. Of the 23 in-hospital deaths, 13 were due to cancer recurrence. Conclusions: These results indicate that head and neck reconstruction with free flaps is reliable. However, the high 30-day post-operative mortality rate among patients 80 years or older should be considered when deciding whether to operate. To decrease the operative mortality rate, careful perioperative management is needed to prevent complications and shorten the hospital stay.

Objective After complete resection of carcinomas of the head and neck, including carcinoma of the cervical esophagus, the pattern of first failure is more often locoregional than distant metastasis. We retrospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of the combination of post-operative radiation and concurrent chemotherapy with low-dose cisplatin for high-risk squamous cell carcinoma of the cervical esophagus. Methods From 2005 through 2008, 34 patients with previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the cervical esophagus underwent cervical esophagectomy with or without laryngectomy. Of these 34 patients, 11 with disease-positive lymph nodes in the upper mediastinum (M1 lymph/Stage IV) confirmed by pathologic examination were enrolled. Patients received radiotherapy (66 Gy in 33 fractions) and concurrent low-dose cisplatin. Results Nine patients completed the planned radiotherapy and two or more courses of chemotherapy. Grade 3 toxicities during chemoradiotherapy were leukopenia (36% of patients), neutropenia (18%) and mucositis (9%). At a median follow-up time of 39.5 months, the overall 1- and 3-year survival rates were 91 and 71%, respectively. Conclusions The combination of post-operative radiation and concurrent chemotherapy with low-dose cisplatin is well tolerated and has the potential to improve the rates of locoregional control and overall survival in patients with high-risk advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

A glycoside hydrolase (GH) gene from Photobacterium profundum SS9 (PBPRA0520) belonging to GH family 9 was expressed in Escherichia coli. The protein was expressed with the intact N-terminal sequence, suggesting that it is an intracellular enzyme. The recombinant protein showed hydrolytic activity toward chitobiose [(GlcN)(2)] and cellobiose (CG(2)) in various disaccharides. This protein also released 4-nitrophenol (PNP) from both 4-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucosaminide (GlcN-PNP) and 4-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucoside (Glc-PNP). The hydrolytic pattern observed in chitooligosaccharides and cellooligosaccharides suggested that the reaction proceeded from the nonreducing end in an exo-type manner. Time-dependent (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of the anomeric form of the enzymatic reaction products indicated that the protein is an inverting enzyme. k(cat)/K(m) of (GlcN)(2) hydrolysis was 14 times greater than that of CG(2) hydrolysis. These results suggested that the protein is an exo-β-D-glucosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.165) rather than a glucan 1,4-β-D-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.74). Based on the results, we suggest that the function of conserved GH9 proteins in the chitin catabolic operon is to cleave a (GlcN)(2)-phosphate derivative by hydrolysis during intracellular chitooligosaccharide catabolism in Vibrionaceae.

For determining trace amounts of iodine in geological samples (igneous and sedimentary rocks), applicabilities of instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analyses (NAA) using a short-lived nuclide 128I were examined. Instrumental NAA using a TRIGA-type reactor and Cd metal or boron carbide as an absorbing filter of thermal neutron could be applied for the determination of iodine in ppm level in sedimentary rocks. Further, radiochemical NAA (RNAA) could lower the detection limit down to several ppb for igneous rock samples. Even though RNAA was employed, at least 6 samples could be routinely analyzed a day (6h in reactor operation) using the analytical procedures reported in this work.

In order to understand the metamorphic history of the parent bodies of unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (UOC's), we compare REE distributions in the HCI/HNO3 (acid)-residues of seven Antarctic UOC' s with those of equilibrated ordinary chondrites (EOC's). REE parameters designated to characterize the abundance pattern of REE's—normalized La abundance, normalized La/Lu abundance ratio and the degree of Eu anomaly—were found to be highly variable in the acid-residues of UOC's, suggesting that REE's were redistributed on UOC parent bodies. In contrast, the REE parameters are fairly constant in the acid-residues of EOC's, suggesting that REE distribution attained equilibrium on EOC parent bodies. The REE parameters for the acid-residues of UOC's are poorly correlated with the In, Zn and Se contents in the whole rock samples analyzed in this study, but appear to correlate with carbon content. This implies that REE parameters can be used as indices for the subclassification of UOC's. From the viewpoint of REE distribution, ALH 77011 (and its paired ALH 78038) appears to be one of the least metamorphosed UOC's.

The new neutron-deficient americium isotope 233Am produced via the 233U( 6Li, 6n) reaction has been identified using the JAERI on-line isotope separator (JAERI-ISOL) coupled to a gas-jet transport system. The α-decay of 233Am and its subsequent α-decay chain have been observed in the mass-233 fraction. The half-life and α-particle energy of 233Am have been determined to be 3.2±0.8 min and 6780±17 keV, respectively. From these results and a deduced α-decay branching ratio, the observed α-decay is regarded as a favored transition.

International audience; We have performed a mineralogical and geochemical study of eight metamorphosed basaltic eucrites. These are classified into granulitic eucrites and type 4–7 eucrites on the basis of their textures and pyroxene mineralogy, and display mineralogical evidence for high temperature metamorphism, including partial melting. In particular, rare earth element (REE) patterns of a number of the eucrites studied show varying degrees of light REE depletion due to partial melting, with subsequent melt extraction. A simple correlation between metamorphic grade, as deduced from pyroxene mineralogy, and the degree of light REE depletion was not detected. This can be explained by the fact that homogenization, exsolution and inversion of pigeonite would have required prolonged heating at moderate temperatures (not, vert, similar800–1000 °C), whereas partial melting would have taken place over a short time interval where temperatures exceeded that of the solidus. The eucrites studied therefore record a two stage thermal regime consisting of short, high temperature reheating events superimposed on long duration global crustal metamorphism. The short reheating events may have been caused by impact events and/or intrusions of hot magmas. The results of this study demonstrate that the thermal history of eucritic crust was more complex than can be explained by a simple burial model alone. In particular, the origin of Stannern trend eucrites requires contamination of Main-Group magmas by partial melts extracted from residual eucrites.

Thirty-eight new enclaves from the Vaca Muerta mesosiderite have been studied, and detailed SEM-petrography was carried out on fourteen of them. Three are coarse-grained gabbroic ilmenite-free enclaves consisting mainly of pigeonite (En_) and plagioclase, seven are fine- to medium-grained ilmenite-bearing enclaves (En_) with ophitic to granular texture, and four are breccias. The most important breccias are diogenitic monomict breccias (En_) and an olivine-orthopyroxenite monomict breccia (Fo_). Reduction-induced orthopyroxene commonly surrounds pigeonite grains in the ilmenite-free enclaves, and occurs rarely in the marginal parts of the ilmenite-bearing enclaves. Whitlockite forms from augite lamellae as a result of reduction, and the ilmenite-free enclaves have been enriched in P_2O_5. Reduction of the ilmenite-free enclaves occurred in the parent body before mixing with Fe-Ni metal on the mesosiderite parent body. In the ilmenite-bearing enclaves reduction occurred on the mesosiderite parent body after Fe-Ni metal was mixed in. Thus, two stages of subsolidus reduction occurred in enclaves. Ilmenite and rutile occur in the ilmenite-bearing and diogenitic enclaves, and various subsolidus reaction textures of chromite, ilmenite, rutile and probably preexisting pseudobrookite are found. Al_2O_3-depleted chromite formed through the decomposition of Cr_2O_3-bearing ilmenite and pseudobrookite. Zircon and baddeleyite were also found in the ilmenite-bearing enclaves, and the latter is the first occurrence reported in mesosiderites. The ilmenite-bearing enclaves always contain baddeleyite, whereas ZrO_2-bearing phases are hardly ever found in HED meteorites. The bulk compositions of the enclaves were analyzed, and found to be more SiO_2-enriched than the HED meteorites. Highly SiO_2-enriched ilmenite-bearing enclaves are especially common, and follow the Nuevo Laredo trend of the eucrites, whereas the other ilmenite-bearing enclaves follow the Stannern trend. The highly SiO_2-enriched enclaves probably formed by fractional crystallization, whereas the other ilmenite-bearing enclaves formed through partial melting. The existence of the highly SiO_2-enriched enclaves may partly explain the SiO_2-rich nature of mesosiderites, in addition to the in situ reduction process. Our observations suggest that the parent body and the parental magmas of the enclaves in the mesosiderites were initially different from those of the HED meteorites.

Two Antarctic achondrites, Yamato (Y)-74359 and Y-74360,are very similar in bulk chemical compositions to the silicate portions of H chondrites, but the siderophile elements are extremely depleted in comparison to those of H chondrites. They consist of olivine, pyroxene and cryptocrystalline feldspar with minor amounts of chromite, kamacite, and troilite, and the chemical compositions of the constituent minerals are similar to those in H chondrites. Taking into consideration that the two achondrites have oxygen isotopic compositions typical of H chondrites, they were produced from H chondrites or the precursors of H chondrites. Chondrules are not observed, and the texture of the two achondrites is similar to one another, although Y-74360 is coarser-grained than Y-74359. Olivine occurs as euhedral or subhedral grains, mostly smaller than 100 microns in diameter, and they show slight chemical zoning, from magnesian cores (Fo_) to ferroan rims (Fo_). Orthopyroxene occurs as euhedral grains, larger than olivine grains, and also shows slight chemical zoning, from Ca-poorer magnesian cores to Ca-richer ferroan rims. Clinopyroxene occurs as rims of orthopyroxenes and shows remarkable chemical zoning continuously from pigeonitic interiors to augitic rims. Cryptocrystalline feldspar occurs in interstitial spaces between olivine and/or pyroxene, and seems to have crystallized in interstitial liquids in a rapid cooling condition. The cryptocrystalline feldspars in Y-74359 are chemically heterogeneous, classified into three groups, albite (An_Ab_Or_), anorthoclase (An_Ab_Or_), and intermediate alkali feldspar (An_Ab_Or_), and occur in different portions of the thin section. The two achondrites seem to have formed by partial melting from heterogeneous silicate precursors of unequilibrated H chondrites.

岩石試料中のヨウ素を短寿命核種128Iを用いる中性子放射化分析法で分析する方法について, 放射性トレーサ131Iを用いて詳細に検討した。比較標準試料作成時において, ヨウ素標準溶液が充分アルカリ性でない場合や, 長時間乾燥した場合には, ヨウ素が容易に揮散することがわかった。また試料融解時, 試料を濃アルカリ溶液で浸したのち乾固し, ついで融解すればヨウ素の揮散は認められなかった。照射に熱外中性子を用いることにより, 分析操作を簡略化できると同時に, 分析感度を向上させることも可能となることがわかった。ここで示す分析操作法は, 岩石試料中の極微量ヨウ素の定量法としては, ほとんど唯一の方法として機能するものと期待される。

Nine eucritic enclaves from mesosiderites and one possible enclave were petrologically and chemically studied. Three are from Mt. Padbury, six from Vaca Muerta, and one eucritic meteorite (AMNH 4627) was found in northern Chile and may be an enclave from Vaca Muerta. The enclaves studied were classified into two groups based on the presence or absence of primary ilmenite : (1) an Il-bearing group ranging in texture from medium-grained ophitic to coarse-grained gabbroic, and (2) an Il-free group from gabbroic to coarse-grained equigranular texture. Pigeonites of the Il-bearing group are more ferroan than those of the Il-free group. The peripheral portions of pigeonite in the Il-free group have remarkable textures not found in HED meteorites. They are replaced by more-magnesian hypersthene and troilite with a minor amount of silica-mineral, indicating that reduction of pigeonite took place by H_2S under subsolidus conditions prior to formation of the mesosiderite, metal-silicate mixing. The major element compositions of the ten whole rock samples indicate that the Il-bearing group is similar to the non-cumulate eucrites, but the Il-free group differs from the cumulate eucrites. The Il-free group is significantly enriched in silica-mineral component in comparison with the cumulate eucrites. INAA and RNAA analyses for five whole rock samples were performed. Two Il-free enclaves have low REE contents with remarkable positive Eu-anomalies (chondrite-normalized Eu/Sm=13.6), and two Il-bearing enclaves have higher REE contents with slight positive Eu-anomalies (chondrite-normalized Eu/Sm=1.88-2.22). The high Eu/Sm ratios are partly due to terrestrial alteration of whitlockites, and the original Eu/Sm ratios of the Il-bearing and Il-free enclaves might be similar to those of non-cumulate eucrites and cumulate eucrites, respectively. These suggest that the Il-bearing enclaves were formed in the similar way to the non-cumulate eucrites, and the Il-free enclaves formed as cumulates from silica-rich magmas or as residues by partial melting of silica-bearing cumulate eucritic sources. A eucritic sample (AMNH 4627) has the highest REE content with no Eu-anomaly and is similar to the non-cumulate eucrites, and may be an independent eucrite.

[1] The concentrations of scandium (Sc) in seawater, which have remained unreported since the early 1970s, were determined together with those of yttrium (Y) and lanthanides (Ln) with samples from the north central Pacific Ocean (St. BO-3). The Sc concentration shows a so-called nutrient-like profile: it increases gradually from the surface (about 2 pmol/kg) to the ocean floor (about 20 pmol/kg). That pattern closely resembles those of Y and Ln (correlation coefficient (r) > 0.92). Some light-to-middle Ln (Pr–Tb) exhibit a closer correlation with Sc than do Y, La, or heavy Ln (Ho–Lu). In contrast, Y/Sc and Ln/Sc ratios (elemental abundance ratios) indicate that Sc is depleted compared to either Y or Ln in seawater more than in loess, which represents chemical compositions of crustal material. These observations offer a conflicting view of chemical reactivity related Y, Ln, and Sc: r values show that the chemical reactivity of Sc resembles those of Y and Ln, but differences of Y/Sc and Ln/Sc ratios in seawater and in loess suggest that the chemical reactivity of Sc differs from those of Y and Ln. More Sc data for seawater are necessary to clarify the chemical reactivity of Sc in the ocean. We also propose that comparative studies of vertical profiles of Sc and such elements as Fe, Ti, Zr, and Hf showing so-called nutrient-like profiles at the same oceanic stations would be helpful and effective for clarifying the behavior of Sc in the ocean.

Expansions of a (GCN)10/polyalanine tract in the Poly(A) Binding Protein Nuclear 1 (PABPN1) cause autosomal dominant oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD). In OPMD muscles, as in models, PABPN1 accumulates in intranuclear inclusions (INIs) whereas in other diseases caused by similar polyalanine expansions, the mutated proteins have been shown to abnormally accumulate in the cytoplasm. This study presents the impact on the subcellular localization of PABPN1 produced by large expansions or deletion of its polyalanine tract. Large tracts of more than 24 alanines result in the nuclear accumulation of PABPN1 in SFRS2-positive functional speckles and a significant decline in cell survival. These large expansions do not cause INIs formation nor do they lead to cytoplasmic accumulation. Deletion of the polyalanine tract induces the formation of aggregates that are located on either side and cross the nuclear membrane, highlighting the possible role of the N-terminal polyalanine tract in PABPN1 nucleo-cytoplasmic transport. We also show that even though five other proteins with polyalanine tracts tend to aggregate when over-expressed they do not co-aggregate with PABPN1 INIs. This study presents the first experimental evidence that there may be a relative loss of function in OPMD by decreasing the availability of PABPN1 through an INI-independent mechanism.

We have investigated seven micrometeorites (MMs) from Antarctic snow collected in 2003 and 2010 by means of electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation, and noble-gas isotope analysis. Isotopic ratios of He and Ne indicate that the noble gases in these MMs are mostly of solar wind (SW). Based on the release patterns of SW 4He, which should reflect the degree of heating during atmospheric entry, the seven MMs were classified into three types including two least heated, three moderately heated, and two severely heated MMs. The heating degrees are well correlated to their mineralogical features determined by TEM observation. One of the least heated MMs is composed of phyllosilicates, whereas the other consists of anhydrous minerals within which solar flare tracks were observed. The two severely heated MMs show clear evidence of atmospheric heating such as partial melt of the uppermost surface layer in one and abundant patches of dendritic magnetite and Si-rich glass within an olivine grain in the other. It is noteworthy that a moderately heated MM composed of a single crystal of olivine has a 3He/4He ratio of 8.44 × 10−4, which is higher than the SW value of 4.64 × 10−4, but does not show a cosmogenic 21Ne signature such as 20Ne/21Ne/22Ne = 12.83/0.0284/1. The isotopic compositions of He and Ne in this sample cannot be explained by mixing of a galactic cosmic ray (GCR)-produced component and SW gases. The high 3He/4He ratio without cosmogenic 21Ne signature likely indicates the presence of a 3He-enriched component derived from solar energetic particles., This work was supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) (No. 22224010, PI: H. Nagahara) and partly by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A) (No. 23684046, PI: R. Okazaki).

Published on Web 11/16/2015 In the original version of TABLE 1, TABLE 2, and Appendix A in this article, there were some incorrect expressions. The corrected expressions are listed in the following table; Erratum to: A Database of Hourly Atmospheric Concentrations of Radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs) in Suspended Particulate Matter Collected in March 2011 at 99 Air Pollution Monitoring Stations in Eastern Japan

Radiochemical neutron activation analysis coupled with the k0-standardization method (k0-RNAA method) was applied to silicate rock samples for the simultaneous determination of trace halogens (Cl, Br and I). Analytical results obtained by the k0-RNAA method for geological standard rocks and meteorite samples agreed with those determined by the conventional comparison method conducted in the same set of experiments, suggesting that the k0-RNAA method is as reliable as the conventional method. Our data for these samples are in good agreement with their literature values except for rare cases. Detection limits calculated under the present experimental condition are sufficiently low for Cl and Br but not for I for typical geologic and meteoritic samples. The k0-RNAA method coupled with longer neutron-irradiation is expected to yield satisfactorily low detection limits for halogens including I in these samples.

Adenoid squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is an uncommon but well-recognized variant of squamous cell carcinoma that was first described by Lever in 1947. ASCC has been reported to originate in the sun-exposed skin of the head and neck and in other sites. An additional case of ASCC is reported here. The patient was a 64-year-old Japanese woman who requested examination of a reddish lesion on the left floor of the mouth. The biopsy material was diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma. Clinical examination showed a well-circumscribed, 20 x 10 mm-sized lesion, which was categorized as cT2cN0cm 0. Tumor resection was therefore performed. Histologically, most parts of the lesion were conventional squamous cell carcinoma in situ, but the invasive part consisted of ASCC with gland-like or reticular appearance. The latter part was negative for mucin staining. Immunohistochemically, this lesion was positive for pancytokeratin, high-molecular-weight keratin, cytokeratin (CK) 7/8, CK19, E-cadherin and p53, but negative for vimentin, CK20, and S-100 protein. The Ki-67 labeling index was 50.3% in the ASCC part and 34.5% in the carcinoma in situ part. These findings and a review of the literature indicate that a gland-like feature of ASCC is associated with the loss of cell adhesion in the center of the cancer nests, and it can be confirmed simply by mucin staining to be neither an adenosquamous carcinoma nor ductal involvement of conventional squamous cell carcinoma.

Most of nuclei emit two or more prompt gamma rays in the neutron capture reaction. In multiple prompt gamma‐ray analysis (MPGA), the gamma rays are simultaneously measured by two or more sets of gamma‐ray detectors; these gamma rays are reduced to a pair of two prompt gamma rays, and it is added to the two‐dimensional spectrum, which sets two energy axes. A gamma‐ray peak corresponding to the pair of gamma rays that are emitted simultaneously will appear on the two‐dimensional spectrum. By analyzing this two‐dimensional peak, resolution can be raised by leaps and bounds. MPGA needs not only the knowledge of energies of capture gamma rays, but also nuclear level structure data. While the energies are usually accurate, many of the excited level structures are poorly known. Complete sets of these nuclear data are of great importance. A new MPGA system will be constructed at the guide‐hall of JRR‐3M in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. This system consists of three clover Ge detectors with anti‐Compton suppressors. The absolute efficiency of the system is about 10% for a 1.3‐MeV gamma ray. It will be widely used in the fields of agriculture, engineering, geosciences, environmental science, and measurement of neutron capture cross sections of minor actinides.

We previously identified a polymorphic compound short tandem repeat (STR) in the 5'-regulatory region of the cholecystokinin (CCK) gene, and showed that when the STRs were classified into three groups based on length and linkage disequilibrium behavior with neighboring variants, the medium class allele was significantly associated with panic disorder. The present study examined the transcriptional activity of the CCK promoter construct containing the STR and downstream -188A/G variation. The STRs acted as transcriptional repressors with a similar potency among the three classes, but the long (L) class STR exhibited a synergistic effect on decreasing promoter activity when combined with -188G. The haplotype composed of the L class of STR and -188G was significantly less frequent in panic disorder (P = 0.0032; odds ratio, 95% confidence interval = 0.06, 0.01-0.69). These results suggest that the L-(-188G) haplotype may act as a protective factor against panic by reducing the expression of anxiogenic CCK.

We have recently identified a novel polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) in the 5′ upstream region of the cholecystokinin (CCK) gene and reported its association with panic disorder. A linkage study of affective disorder showed a modest linkage signal on the short arm of chromosome 3, the location of the CCK gene. Furthermore, clinical comorbidity of depression and anxiety disorders have been documented. In the present study, we examined a possible association of the CCK STR with mood disorders. We genotyped 165 subjects with mood disorders consisting of unipolar and bipolar disorders and 253 control samples. However, no significant allelic associations were detected between the STR and either the combined mood disorders (P = 0.885), the unipolar group (P = 0.296), or the bipolar group (P = 0.605). These data suggest that the CCK promoter STR is unlikely to have a major genetic effect on the development of mood disorders in the Japanese population. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

In compiling the solar system abundance of the elements, analytical data of CI chondrites have been playing an important role for the past several decades. With an increase in the number of high quality data for chondritic meteorites including CI chondrites, it is a good opportunity to critically evaluate the status of CI chondrites as the solar abundance standard. In this article, the abundance data of rare earth elements and refractory siderophile elements in carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites are discussed. Each group of elements are typical refractory elements and are supposed to have behaved similarly in planetary processes in the early solar system. New observations for chemical composition show an apparent fractionation among each group of elements. As we have no criteria for judging which group of meteorites hold the initial composition of the solar nebula from which our solar system formed, we have to return to the composition of the sun. A new measure for such a judgement will be able to be in hand when the solar wind composition is accurately determined for a large number of elements. Fortunately, this will come true in early 21 century by the Genesis space mission project of NASA.

A region of 150 kb has been analysed around a previously isolated, lymphoma associated, translocation breakpoint located at chromosome band 11q23. This balanced and reciprocal translocation, t(11;14)(q32;q23), has been shown to result in the fusion between chromosome 11 specific sequence and the switch gamma4 region of the IGH locus. The LPC gene, encoding a novel proprotein convertase belonging to the furin family, has been identified in this region. In order to characterize further the region surrounding the translocation, we have determined the detailed structure of LPC. Here we show that LPC consists of at least 16 exons covering 25 kb, and that there is a partial duplication, involving mobile genetic elements and containing LPC exons 13-17 in a tail-tail configuration at 65 kb downstream. Since the chromosomal breakpoint lay between these two structures, the intervening region was further analysed and shown to contain at least two unrelated genes. The previously known SM22 gene was localized close to the 3' tail of LPC. Furthermore, we identified the gene encoding the alpha2 subunit of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (Pafah1a2) at the chromosomal breakpoint. The position of another previously identified breakpoint was also located to within the first intron of this gene. Altogether, our results give evidence of a genomic instability of this area of 11q23 and show that Pafah1a2 and not LPC is the gene disrupted by the translocation, suggesting that deregulated Pafah1a2 may have a role in lymphomagenesis.

Objectives To examine postoperative complications and swallowing function associated with free jejunal patch graft transfer after partial hypopharyngectomy with laryngeal preservation. Design Retrospective medical record review. Setting Academic research. Patients A consecutive series of 43 patients who underwent free jejunal patch graft transfer after partial hypopharyngectomy with laryngeal preservation composed the study sample. They represented the following 3 groups based on the type of hypopharyngeal defect: 13 patients with defects of the posterior wall (PW group), 28 patients with defects extending to the unilateral piriform sinus (PS-PW group), and 2 patients with defects extending to the bilateral piriform sinuses (PS-PS group). Main Outcome Measures Postoperative complications and oral intake ability were compared among the groups. Results Except for 1 patient, all the patients in the PW and PS-PS groups resumed oral intake within 2 weeks after surgery. Four patients in the PS-PW group had severe dysphagia, 2 of whom could not discontinue tube feeding. Conclusions Free jejunal patch graft transfer after partial hypopharyngectomy allows satisfactory swallowing function, with a low complication rate. Postoperative dysphagia was slightly more common in the PS-PW group than in the PW group.

The high precision gamma-ray spectrometer (GRS) is carried on the first Japan's large-scaled lunar explorer, SELENE (KAGUYA) circling a polar orbit. The GRS consists of a large Ge crystal as a main detector and massive bismuth germanate crystals and a plastic scintillator as anticoincidence detectors. Since the successful launch on Sep. 14, 2007, radiation damage in the Ge detector has been induced from the incidence of energetic particles from space, which degraded its energy resolution. Then the Ge detector was annealed for 2 days at 85±5 K and the resolution is recovered to the level at the initial phase of the early observation. The special operations were conducted in December, 2008 in order to measure backgrounds gamma rays from the materials of the spacecraft body and the GRS instrument itself. The GRS data from the 100 km altitude reveal the global distribution of trace elements of Th and K on the Moon which delineates the distributions of KREEP component of lunar materials. Th and K-rich materials are concentrated around the Imbrium basin in Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT) and intermediately concentrated in South Pole–Aitken basin area on the farside. Results from special operations and observation are described and discussed.

Research Institute for Science and Engineering., Waseda Univ., Japan College of Health Science, Saitama Prefectural University,, Japan Inst. of Space and Astronautical Science, JAXA, Japan Nippon Medical School, Japan Dep. of Chemistry, Tokyo Metropolitan Univ., Japan National Institute of Polar Research, Japan Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Japan Research Institute, Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan Centre d’Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements,Toulouse, France Dep. of Meteorites, Univ. of New Mexico, USA *nhasebe@waseda.jp

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was applied to the determination of rare earth elements (REEs) in Precambrian sediments which contain high concentrations of iron [1.5–62% measured by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA)]. Although a large suppression effect was observed owing to a huge amount of iron, the suppression effect was corrected for by using both In and Bi as internal standards, and reliable analytical results could be obtained. It was found that the interference of oxide ions was not so significant for the determination of REEs. The REE data obtained by ICP-MS are in relatively good agreement (within 10%) with those by INAA. The precision of the analytical results obtained by ICP-MS was 1–14% when using internal standards.

The question of the origin of ureilites was reexamined using new data obtained by radiochemical NAA for Ag, Au, Bi, Br, Cd, Cs, Ge, In, Ir, Ni, Pd, Os, Rb, Re, Sb, Se, Te, Tl, U, and Zn in two vein separates from Haveroe and Kenna and a bulk sample of Kenna. Vein material was found to be enriched in all elements analyzed, except Zn, and to account for most of the carbon, noble gases, and, presumably, siderophiles in the meteorite. The results support the earlier interpretation of Higuchi et al. (1976) on the composition of ureilite parent body (similar to C3V or H3, but not C3O chondrites).