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The first X-band dual polarized phased array weather radar (DP-PAWR), which simultaneously transmits pulses of horizontal and vertical polarized radiation, was developed and installed at Saitama University, Japan, in December 2017. The DP-PAWR uses mechanical and electronic scanning at azimuth and elevation angles, respectively. It provides polarimetric precipitation measurements via 3-D volume scanning with an update rate between 10 and 60 s, for a range of up to 80 km. Here, we describe the initial DP-PAWR observation results. To evaluate the DP-PAWR observation accuracy, we compared the observational data with radar variables derived from Parsivel disdrometer data. In comparison with the disdrometer, the relative observation accuracy for the DP-PAWR radar reflectively factor had a standard deviation of 1.1 dB and mean value of 0.4 dB. We also conducted detailed observations of a developing thunderstorm using a specific differential phase ( $K_{\mathrm {dp}}$ ) column, focusing on the $K_{\mathrm {dp}}$ core during the storm. The $K_{\mathrm {dp}}$ core movements provided useful information about the convection flow during the storm.

This paper is an overview of a project concerned with “Early warning for torrential rainfall/tornado” under “Enhancement of Societal Resiliency against Natural Disasters,” which is one of eleven themes of the SIP (Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program under the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan). The characteristics of the project are the development of a multi-parameter phased array weather radar (MP-PAWR) that enables the accomplishment of an accurate three-dimensional model of precipitation over 30 s within a 60 km radius. Various products developed ducts using MP-PAWR and other observations, and numerical predictions, are also discussed, with a demonstration experiment to provide early warnings for torrential rainfall and related disasters. For end users such as local governments and general citizens, the final goal of this project is the social implementation of these products.

To improve rain rate estimation accuracy of the networked phased-array weather radars (PAWRs) installed in Osaka and Kobe, Japan, we employ a rain rate estimation method using a sequentially varying radar reflectivity and rain rate ( ${Z}$ – ${R}$ ) relationship. To calculate the time variation in the ${Z}$ – ${R}$ relationship, the rain rate of the existing X-band radar network comprising four dual-polarization radars and the radar reflectivity factor of the PAWRs are used. The proposed method is compared with estimation methods using the Marshall–Palmer relationship and the attenuation coefficient (k). From the comparisons between the rain rate with the three different estimation methods and the rain rate of the rain gauges installed in an analyzed area, we discuss the estimation accuracy. From the comparisons, the proposed method shows significantly better performance than do the other two methods even when weather conditions include heavy or violent rain.

形態: カラー図版あり, Physical characteristics: Original contains color illustrations, Accepted: 2017-10-16, 資料番号: PA1820030000

形態: カラー図版あり, Physical characteristics: Original contains color illustrations, Accepted: 2017-08-03, 資料番号: PA1820029000

形態: カラー図版あり, Physical characteristics: Original contains color illustrations, Accepted: 2017-03-07, 資料番号: PA1720013000

Osaka University, Toshiba and the Osaka Local Government started a new project to develop the Osaka Urban Demonstration Network. The main sensor of the Osaka Network is a 2-node Phased Array Radar Network and lightning location system. Data products that are created both in local high performance computer and Toshiba Computer Cloud, include single and multi-radar data, vector wind, quantitative precipitation estimation, VIL, nowcasting, lightning location and analysis. These new products are transferred to Osaka Local Government in operational mode and evaluated by several section in Osaka Prefecture.

It is demonstrated that the monomer conversion versus time curves observed in the seeded emulsion copolymerization of styrene and acrylonitrile at 50 °C can be explained very well by the simulation results obtained by employing the kinetic model previously developed for an emulsion copolymerization system by the present authors. In the model predictions, thermodynamic equilibrium equations are used for predicting the monomer concentrations in the copolymer particles, and the free volume theory is applied to account for the diffusion-controlled termination in the copolymer particles that often takes place in the region after the monomer droplets have disappeared from the water phase.

The glycoprotein B (gB) region of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a major envelope glycoprotein that is a principal target of neutralizing antibodies and is known to stimulate the immune response of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. HCMV is currently classified into four genotypes on the basis of the nucleotide sequence of the gB region. The presence of HCMV in patients under 3 years of age was determined by subjecting urine samples taken from the patients to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Analysis by direct sequencing of the gB region was carried out in 90 cases. These cases were grouped into the gB genotype 1 and gB genotype 3. Of 28 cases with a peak serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level(or =100 IU/l), the duration of observed serum ALT elevation in the gB genotype 1 patients (166.7+/-126.7 days [mean+/-S.D.] [19 cases]) was significantly longer than that in the gB genotype 3 patients (39.7+/-31.7 days [9 cases]) (p0.01). In the 54 cases with a serum ALT level(or =50 IU/l), similar tendency was seen (p0.05). These findings suggest that when serum ALT elevation is confirmed in young children infected with HCMV, analysis of the gB region is helpful for prediction of the duration of serum ALT elevation in the early stage of infection.

We analyzed the PHKA2 gene in four Japanese families with hepatic phosphorylase kinase (PhK) deficiency. Mutational analysis of PHKA2 cDNA was performed by reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and direct sequencing, and each mutation was confirmed on the genomic DNA. In boys with low erythrocyte PhK activity (i.e., x-linked liver glycogenosis [XLG] type I), deletion of exon 2 (splice site mutation of 79-1 G > T) or nonsense mutation of Q1169X or R497X was identified. However, missense mutation of R295C was identified in one boy with normal erythrocyte PhK activity (i.e., XLG type II). This mutation was not found in 100 control alleles, and was considered responsible for presentation of the XLG type II phenotype. Excluding Q1169X, all mutations detected in this study represented novel mutations. All mothers were found to be heterozygous carriers of the mutations. Gene analysis was confirmed to represent a useful procedure for diagnosing XLG type II, for which liver biopsy had previously been required to detect hepatic PhK deficiency.

A 2-D phased array weather radar (PAR) is under consideration. This radar system consists of 6992 antenna elements aligned to form a symmetrical round shape. Adaptive digital beam forming is used to sharpen the fan beam of scattered signals in order to observe precipitation at different elevation and azimuth angles simultaneously. In this paper, two digital beam forming methods including Fourier beam forming (FR) method and minimum mean square error (MMSE) beam forming method are used to simulate the performance of the 2-D PAR and compared with each other. Both point targets and distributed targets are simulated. It is found that the MMSE beam forming method can significantly reduce the sidelobes and is an effective beam forming method for 2-D PAR.

A new Phased Array Radar (PAR) system for meteorological application has been developed by Toshiba Corporation and Osaka University under a grant of NICT, and installed in Osaka University, Japan in 2012. The phased array radar system developed has the unique capability of scanning the whole sky with 100m and 10 to 30 second resolution up to 60 km. The system adopts the digital beam forming technique for elevation scanning and mechanically rotates the array antenna in azimuth direction within 10 to 30 seconds. The radar transmits a broad beam of several degrees with 24 antenna elements and receives the back scattered signal with 128 elements digitizing at each elements. Then by digitally forming the beam in the signal processor, the fast scanning is realized. After the installation of the PAR system in Osaka University, the initial observation campaign was conducted in Osaka urban area with Ku-band Broad Band Radar (BBR) network, C-band weather radar, and lightning location system. The initial comparison with C band radar system shows that the developed PAR system can observe the behavior of the thunderstorm structure in much more detail than any other radar system. The observed high temporal resolution images of the severe thunderstorm are introduced, showing the potential capabilities of the PAR system. The correlation coefficient of the reflectivity in PAR with C band radar ranges from 0.6 to 0.9 as a function of the distance from the PAR.

Infants born to serum HCV-positive 12 mothers were enrolled in the study. Nucleotide sequences amplified by primers deduced from a noncoding region were compared between mothers and their infants. The rates for detection of serum TTV in 12 mothers and their infants were 10/12 (83%) and 9/12 (75%), respectively. Serum TTV DNA was not detected in any infant at 1 month of age, but was detected for the first time between 1.5 and 8 months after birth. Positivity persisted thereafter throughout the follow-up period. In seven randomly selected mother-infant pairs, intrahost TTV heterogeneity was lower in infants than in mothers. Furthermore, one of seven mother-infant pairs showed a high degree of similarity (98.7-100%) in all clones, while in four infants, all nucleotide sequences differed by >10% from those of their mothers. However, the degree of homology in the two mother-infant pairs was 89-98.7% in family 2 and 88.1-99.4% in family 5. In the present study, with only one exception, it was shown that TTV from infants is not identical to TTV from mothers. The mechanism is discussed briefly in this paper.

To date, the routes of mother-to-infant transmission of TT virus (TTV) have not been fully elucidated. The present study examines the detection rates of TTV DNA in the serum of pregnant Japanese women and in cord blood at the time of delivery, as well as in the saliva and breast milk of mothers one-month postpartum. Primers derived from the well-known translated region N22 (N22 system), as well as the untranslated region (UTR system) were used. The prevalence of TTV DNA in the serum of pregnant women was found to be 11.9% (19/160) using the N22 system and 72.4% (55/76) using the UTR system. No TTV DNA was detected in the cord blood samples (0/160) when the N22 system was used for detection but TTV DNA was detected in 11.8% (7/76) of samples studied with the UTR system. Using the N22 system, TTV DNA was not detected in breast milk, but was detected in saliva. However using the UTR system, TTV DNA was detected in both specimens. These results imply that some babies are vertically infected with TTV via cord blood at the time of delivery or via breast milk or saliva. However, further research is necessary to confirm this hypothesis. polymerase chain reaction; pregnant women; horizontal route of transmission

The prevalence of serum GB virus C (GBV-C)/Hepatitis G virus (HGV) RNA and anti-E2 was investigated in Japanese children younger than 16 years of age without a history of blood transfusion and the family members of serum GBV-C/HGV RNA-positive children. The prevalences of serum GBV-C/HGV RNA and anti-E2 were 0.5% (5/1000) and 0% (0/330), respectively. Viral RNA was also detected in the mothers of all five GBV-C/HGV RNA-positive children and in two of their siblings. Sequence determinations indicated the likelihood of mother-to-infant transmission in all cases. The presence of the virus persisted for at least 10-18 months in all 5 children, without any appearance of anti-E2.

The fracture mechanisms of a creep-damaged Class A SMC composite with notch are investigated by the acoustic emission (AE) technique and the residual strength is estimated. The creepdamage mode is mainly the fiber or the filler debonding, but fiber breaking appears in the case of high temperature and long loading time. The residual strength can be represented by the ratio P/P(N) of loads, showing a change in the damage mechanisms of a creep-loaded specimen and a non-creep loaded specimen(N). It is found that the residual strength decreases remarkably with long creep loading time when the temperature is higher than 150°C.

Effects of various operating variables on the kinetic behavior of the seeded emulsion copolymerization of styrene and acrylonitrile and on the monomer concentration in the copolymer particles were examined. Applicability of high-performance liquid adsorption chromatography to determination of the average composition and composition distribution of the resulting copolymer was also examined.

AE monitoring tests are conducted on the specimens with different angles between the directions of applied load and the yarn of cross-ply CFRP or plain woven CFRP. Effects of water environment on the ratio of the loads Pb and Pc determined by the AE energy gradient method to the maximum load Rmax are discussed. The crack initiation and propagation at notch tip are observed by a monitor microscope and the damage modes of constituents are investigated by AE frequency analysis at or near the points of Pb/Pmax and Pc/Pmax. The ratios of Pb/Pmax and Pc/Pmax are important points to clarify fracture mechanisms of CFRP.

Background: Recently, sporadic cases of acute hepatitis and fulminant hepatitis caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV) have been reported in Japan. However, few reports have addressed the issue of HEV infection during childhood. Methods: This study included 5 patients with fulminant hepatitis, 30 patients with acute hepatitis, and 309 patients without history of hepatic dysfunction or hepatitis in childhood as control. RNA was extracted from each serum sample, and HEV specific reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was performed. Anti-HEV immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG were measured by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay. Results: HEV RNA, anti-HEV IgM, and anti-HEV IgG were not detected in the sera of any of the five patients with fulminant hepatitis. In the 30 patients with acute hepatitis, only one (3.3%) was positive for anti-HEV IgG, and all were negative for anti-HEV IgM and HEV RNA. Of the 309 control patients, 8 (2.6%) were positive for anti-HEV IgG, and 2 (0.6%) were positive for anti-HEV IgM, respectively. Conclusion: The result of patients with fulminant hepatitis suggests that HEV is an unlikely cause of fulminant hepatitis in children. However, the detection rate of anti-HEV IgG shows that a history of HEV infection is not so rare among children in Japan.

Background: In recent years, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis has been classified into at least three types by genetic analysis: PFIC1, PFIC2, and MDR3. Liver transplantation is effective for treating patients with this intractable syndrome. Confirming the correct diagnosis is of paramount importance because prognosis after transplantation differs with the genetic type of the disease. Methods: Synthesis of cDNA was accomplished using RNA extracted from liver tissue of two Japanese patients with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis Polymerase chain reaction was performed using 13 primer sets designed for amplification of the bile salt export pump cDNA. Direct sequencing was undertaken, and identified sequences were compared with the sequence for bile salt export pump gene registered with GenBank. In addition, gene sequences for nonprogressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis patients were analyzed. Results: Genetic analysis of patient I revealed that substitutions in bile salt export pump protein sequences, namely R575X and E636G, might be the cause of the disease. In patient 2. V330X and R487H might fulfill the same role. Results of gene analysis in parents and cholestatic controls supported these conclusions. Conclusions: Absence or presence of bile salt export protein gene mutations was confirmed as representing a useful prognostic marker for clinical course after liver transplantation.

The pathogenecity of the TT virus (TTV) especially during childhood remains obscure. We investigated the prevalence of TTV in 40 patients with non-A to C hepatic dysfunction (non-A to C hepatic dysfunction group). Five patients with fulminant hepatitis of unknown etiology were enrolled in this group. We also examined 380 children without a history of transfusion or liver disease (control group). Subsequently, the genotypes of TTV strains isolated were analyzed in terms of their nucleotide sequences including 222 bp in the open reading frame 1 region. The prevalence of serum TTV DNA was 10/40 (25%) in the non-A to C hepatic dysfunction group and 25/380 (7%) in the control group. Sixty-six percent (23/35) of all examined cases exhibited either genotype 1 or 2. However, assessment of genotype in the non-A to C hepatic dysfunction group (10 cases) revealed a higher prevalence of genotype 1 than of all other genotypes (80% vs. 20%). This result differed significantly from that of the control group (25 cases; 32% vs. 68%). Such overrepresentation of genotype 1 suggests that this type of TTV strain is associated with the development of hepatic dysfunction of unknown etiology in Japanese children.

The prevalence rates of serum TT virus (TTV) DNA among children with or without a history of transfusion or liver disease were studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using either the Okamoto primer set or the Takahashi primer set developed more recently. Using Okamoto and Takahashi primer sets, the prevalence rates were 31.6% (12/38) and 78.9% (30/38), respectively, for children with a history of blood transfusion (including malignant and non-malignant groups) and 6.7% (2/30) and 60% (18/30), respectively, for children without a history of blood transfusion. Among pregnant women, these rates were 12.9% (4/31) and 61.3% (19/31), respectively. On the other hand, the prevalence rates were 0% (0/16) and 50% (8/16), respectively, in hepatitis B patients, 21.4% (3/14) and 71.4% (10/14), respectively, for hepatitis C patients, and 20.0% (9/45) and 57.8% (26/45), respectively, for non-A to C hepatitis patients (including 27 acute hepatitis patients, 5 fulminant patients and 13 chronic hepatitis patients). In this study, the prevalence rates determined by the Takahashi primer set tended to be 2-9 times higher than those determined using the Okamoto primer set. These results suggest that TTV infection is widespread among Japanese children. Furthermore, blood transfusion does not appear to be the major route of infection. The similar prevalence rates between control children and children with various types of hepatitis using the Takahashi primer system suggest that TTV infection does not play a direct causative role in the development of liver disease in children.

Recently, genomic DNA of the novel TT virus (TTV) was isolated from patients suffering from posttransfusion hepatitis of unknown etiology. We examined sera from 197 children who visited the Department of Pediatrics at Toyohashi National Hospital. Sera were tested for TTV DNA by seminested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a set of primers synthesized according to the published TTV sequence. Ten children were found to be positive for TTV (5.1%). All positive PCR products were directly sequenced in both directions using a fluorescent dye terminator cycle sequencing system. The sequences were compared by a multiple sequence alignment and a phylogenetic tree was constructed. The phylogenetic tree showed that two of the TTV isolates found in the present experiment did not belong to any of the phylogenetic groups previously reported.

To clarify the prevalence of Japanese children thought to be at a risk for infection with GB virus-C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV), we investigated the detection rates of serum GBV-C/ HGV ribonucleic acid (RNA) by reverse transcription-seminested PCR and serum anti-HGV-E2 antibody by ELISA in 162 children with histories of blood or plasma product transfusions or with liver diseases and performed phylogenetic analysis of the 5' noncoding region sequences of GBV-C/HGV genomes. Children with histories of transfusions were divided into those who had been treated with antineoplastic agents for malignant diseases (malignant group) and those who had received transfusions for nonmalignant diseases (nonmalignant group). Children with liver diseases were divided into hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and non-A-C hepatitis groups. We detected GBV-C/ HGV RNA in 11 of 33 (33.3%) and anti-HGV-E2 in 1 of 27 (3.7%) children in the malignant group and in 3 of 56 (5.4%) and 1 of 53 (1.9%) children, respectively, in the nonmalignant group. Neither GBV-C/HGV RNA nor anti-HGV-E2 was detected in the HBV and non-A-C hepatitis groups. GBV-C/HGV RNA and anti-HGV-E2 were detected in 7 of 23 (30.4%) and in 1 of 18 (5.6%) children, respectively, in the HCV group. All children positive for either GBV-C/HGV RNA or anti-HGV-E2, except one whose route of GBV-C/HGV infection suggested mother-to-infant transmission, had histories of transfusions. The phylogenetic analysis showed that all isolates in this study were divisible into three groups and that most of them were clustered into group 3 (Asian group).

Immunohistochemical localization of lutropin beta (LH beta) and follitropin beta (FSH beta) in the pituitary gland of the frog Rana japonica was studied by the peroxidase-anti-peroxidase method and the two-face, double-labeling method with different-sized gold particles at the light- and electron-microscopic levels, respectively, using monoclonal antibodies against bullfrog LH beta and FSH beta. Light-microscopic immunohistochemistry indicated that approximately 66.0% of all the gonadotrophs in the pituitary contained both LH beta and FSH beta, whereas 33.4% of gonadotrophs contained only LH beta, and 0.6% contained only FSH beta. The staining intensity of LH beta and FSH beta varied from cell to cell. The gonadotrophs were classified into four types (Types I-IV) in terms of their ultrastructural and immunolabeling characteristics. Moreover, several secretory granule types were recognized according to differences in their shape and electron density. In all the cell types, both LH beta and FSH beta were often seen in the same secretory granules, but the proportion of granules bearing both hormones ranged from 5.5% in Type I to 32.7% in Type IV. Most secretory granules in Types I and II were immunolabeled with LH beta alone, whereas a small number of granules were immunolabeled with FSH beta alone. More immunolabeled FSH beta granules were present in Types III and IV than in Types I and II.

Our recent finding that the number of immunoreactive alpha-subunit cells was invariably greater than the total number of immunoreactive gonadotropin (GTH) and thyrotropin (TSH) cells in the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) pituitary gland raises the possibility that the alpha-subunit also exists in pituitary cells other than GTH and TSH cells. The present study demonstrates that there are a considerable number of immunoreactive prolactin (PRL) cells that are also stained with antibody against the alpha-subunit when adjacent sections are immunocytochemically examined. Neither immunoreactive growth hormone nor adrenocorticotropin cells are stained with the antibody against the alpha-subunit. The specificity of the antibody against the alpha-subunit and of that against PRL was demonstrated by preabsorption test, non-competitive binding test, and immunoblot analysis. Double-immunolabeling with gold particles of different sizes for the alpha-subunit and PRL revealed that most of the immunolabeled PRL-secretory granules are also labeled with the alpha-subunit antibody. The gold particles indicating the presence of the alpha-subunit were mostly found in the peripheral zone of the secretory granules.

We experienced siblings of hemolytic uremic syndrome which occurred following diarrhea and bloody stool. They were immediately treated with dipyridamole and aspirin, and recovered from hemolytic uremic syndrome in about two weeks. E. coli O157:H7 (verotoxin producing E. coli) which is recently thought to be related to the pathogenesis of hemolytic uremic syndrome was isolated in their stool cultures on admission. As far as we know, this is the first case in Japan from which stool E. coli O157:H7 was detected. Moreover, we reported clinical effectiveness of genomic investigation utilizing polymerase chain reaction method for verotoxin coding region in a rapid diagnosis of this bacterial infection.

We described a 8-month-old boy of massive hemorrhagic enteritis due to rotavirus complicated by shock. As far as we know, this case is the first patient who developed vascular collapse from the gastrointestinal tract bleeding by rotavirus infection. Clinicians should be alerted to the possibility of the occurrence of severe hemorrhagic enteritis as a life threatening complication in rotavirus induced enteritis.

Recently, a novel viral agent, hepatitis G virus, was identified by independent researchers from the serum of patients with liver disease, and termed GBV-C or HGV. At present, GBV-C and HGV are considered to be separate isolates of the same virus; however, the role of this virus in acute and chronic liver disease remains uncertain. Although vertical transmission is known to be one of the routes of transmission, the prevalence of GBV-C/HGV viremia in pregnant Japanese women is unknown. Thus, we determined this prevalence using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

One hundred sixty seven survivors among very low birthweight infants with a gestational age of less than 35 weeks have been studied prospectively. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship of severe prenatal and perinatal complications and hypocarbic alkalosis, defined as a carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) of less than or equal to 2.67 kPa and a pH of 7.50 or greater during the first 24 hours of life, to cystic periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) depicted by serial cranial ultrasonographic examinations. Complications occurred in 16 infants, five of whom presented with PVL, while eight of 151 infants without complications had PVL. Twenty six of the infants had hypocarbic alkalosis, six with evidence of PVL, and seven of the 136 infants without hypocarbic alkalosis had PVL. These results suggest a significant relationship of complications and hypocarbic alkalosis to PVL. Mechanical ventilation should be managed carefully in premature infants to avoid PaCO2 of lower than 2.67 kPa.