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Background Catheter ablation (RFA) is significantly more effective in terms of arrhythmia recurrence rate than antiarrhythmic medication. For the duration of the procedure, the patient needs to remain motionless on the operation table. General anesthesia (GA) is widely used during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation in all over the world, however RFA of AF is performed under conscious sedation (CS) in the most centers in Japan. It remains controversial whether cardiac anesthesiologists are best suited to manage anesthesia in the electrophysiology lab. Objective The aim of this study was to report the efficacy and safety of GA during AF ablation. Methods 297 patients (67.3±11.7 years, 208 men, 128 paroxysmal, mean follow up 443 days±306) with AF undergoing RFA in our department from January 2018 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. 113 assigned to the GA group, 184 patients to the CS group. The primary efficacy end point was radiofrequency time, ablation index, force time integral. The secondary end points defined AF recurrence and the complications. Result There was no difference in the baseline characteristics between the two groups. There was no difference between groups in AF recurrence (22.1% vs. 14.1%, P=0.103) and complications.However, Patients in GA had shorter radiofrequency times (66.9±3.7 minute vs 79.0±2.9 minutes P=0.01)Ablation index (376±18.6 vs 371±22.6 P Conclusion General anesthesia is superior to conscious sedation with shorter radiofrequency times and higher than Force time integral, ablation index. Moreover, it is not inferior in regard to arrhythmia recurrence or complication rates of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Gene doping is prohibited in horseracing. In a previous study, we developed a method for non-targeted transgene detection using DELLY, which is based on split-read (SR) and paired-end (PE) algorithms to detect structural variants, on WGS data. In this study, we validated the detection sensitivity of DELLY using artificially generated sequence data of 12 target genes. With DELLY, at least one intron was detected as a deletion in eight targeted genes using the 150 bp PE read WGS data, whereas all targeted genes were detected by DELLY using the 100 bp PE read data. The detection sensitivity was higher in 100 bp PE reads than in 150 bp PE reads, despite a lower total sequence coverage, probably because of mismatch tolerance between the mapped reads and reference genome. In addition, it was observed that the average intron size detected by SR alone was 293 bp and that that detected by both SR and PE was 8924 bp. Thus, we showed that transgenes with various intron-exon structures could be detected using DELLY, suggesting its application in gene-doping control in horses.

L-tryptophan (TRP), one of the essential amino acids in humans, is a precursor of serotonin, and hence its intake is closely related to the suppression of depressed and anxious moods. We did a systematic review of RCTs to examine the effects of tryptophan intake on the mood of healthy adults by searching PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Ichu-shi according to PRISMA guidelines. As a result, 11 RCTs met the criteria and were accepted. Four RCTs showed the effects of tryptophan intake on negative feelings and happy feelings in healthy individuals, with significant differences between the treatment and the control groups. This suggests that TRP intake may be an effective approach to decrease anxiety and increase positive mood in healthy individuals. On the other hand, the effectiveness of TRP for aggressive feelings was not recognized. Reviewing these 11 RCTs, we concluded that taking 0.14-3

Some mammalian species that inhabit cold environments are known to eat snow to fulfill their water requirements. However, there is a potential trade-off between eating snow and drinking water because of the considerable energy that the body invests in warming the ingested snow. It is claimed that the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) eats snow to fulfill its requirement of water, which is why several researchers do not consider water as a limiting resource when developing resource selection functions. In this study, we placed camera traps along the unfrozen river banks in the Shamshy Wildlife Sanctuary in Kyrgyz Republic from September 2018 to May 2019 with the objective of recording access to liquid water by animals during different times of the year. A snow leopard was recorded for the first time drinking water during winter when the entire ground surface was covered with snow. The animal drank water for nearly 58 seconds, indicating that the snow leopard preferred to drink liquid water as opposed to snow that was ubiquitously present. The observation has significant implications for snow leopard research and conservation strategies that tend to assume the nonrelevance of the availability of water to snow leopards.

Embryonic craniofacial development depends on the coordinated outgrowth and fusion of multiple facial primordia, which are populated with cranial neural crest cells and covered by the facial ectoderm. Any disturbance in these developmental events, their progenitor tissues, or signaling pathways can result in craniofacial deformities such as orofacial clefts, which are among the most common birth defects in humans. In the present study, we show that Rdh10 loss of function leads to a substantial reduction in retinoic acid (RA) signaling in the developing frontonasal process during early embryogenesis, which results in a variety of craniofacial anomalies, including midfacial cleft and ectopic chondrogenic nodules. Elevated apoptosis and perturbed cell proliferation in postmigratory cranial neural crest cells and a substantial reduction in Alx1 and Alx3 transcription in the developing frontonasal process were associated with midfacial cleft in Rdh10-deficient mice. More important, expanded Shh signaling in the ventral forebrain, as well as partial abrogation of midfacial defects in Rdh10 mutants via inhibition of Hh signaling, indicates that misregulation of Shh signaling underlies the pathogenesis of reduced RA signaling-associated midfacial defects. Taken together, these data illustrate the precise spatiotemporal function of Rdh10 and RA signaling during early embryogenesis and their importance in orchestrating molecular and cellular events essential for normal midfacial development.

Penguins are adapted to underwater life and have excellent swimming abilities. Although previous motion analyses revealed their basic swimming characteristics, the details of the 3D wing kinematics, wing deformation and thrust generation mechanism of penguins are still largely unknown. In this study, we recorded the forward and horizontal swimming of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) at an aquarium with multiple underwater action cameras and then performed a 3D motion analysis. We also conducted a series of water tunnel experiments with a 3D printed rigid wing to obtain lift and drag coefficients in the gliding configuration. Using these coefficients, the thrust force during flapping was calculated in a quasi-steady manner, where the following two wing models were considered: (1) an ‘original’ wing model reconstructed from 3D motion analysis including bending deformation and (2) a ‘flat’ wing model obtained by flattening the original wing model. The resultant body trajectory showed that the penguin accelerated forward during both upstroke and downstroke. The motion analysis of the two wing models revealed that considerable bending occurred in the original wing, which reduced its angle of attack during the upstroke in particular. Consequently, the calculated stroke-averaged thrust was larger for the original wing than for the flat wing during the upstroke. In addition, the propulsive efficiency for the original wing was estimated to be 1.8 times higher than that for the flat wing. Our results unveil a detailed mechanism of lift-based propulsion in penguins and underscore the importance of wing bending.

How do individuals respond to discrimination against their group? The authors help answer this normatively important question by conducting a survey with a large, national, quota-based sample of 2,482 Asians living in the United States during December 2020. In the survey, the authors provide respondents with truthful information about the increasing prevalence of anti-Asian discrimination in the United States during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and ask them to write about what this makes them feel or think about life in America. Using automatic text analysis tools to analyze this rich, novel set of personal reflections, the authors show in this visualization that Asian reactions to discrimination do not meaningfully differ across partisan identification. These findings extend the large literature showing partisan differences in perceptions of racial discrimination and its effects by the general public and show at least one way in which partisan polarization does not influence American views. © The Author(s) 2021.

Fractures are medical conditions that compromise the athletic potential of horses and/or the safety of jockeys. Therefore, the reduction of fracture risk is an important horse and human welfare issue. The present study used molecular genetic approaches to determine the effect of genetic risk for fracture at four candidate SNPs spanning the myostatin (MSTN) gene on horse chromosome 18. Among the 3706 Japanese Thoroughbred racehorses, 1089 (29.4%) had experienced fractures in their athletic life, indicating the common occurrence of this injury in Thoroughbreds. In the case/control association study, fractures of the carpus (carpal bones and distal radius) were statistically associated with g.65809482T/C (P = 1.17 x 10-8 ), g.65868604G/T (P = 2.66 x 10-9 ), and g.66493737C/T (P = 6.41 x 10-8 ). In the retrospective cohort study using 1710 racehorses born in 2000, the relative risk (RR) was highest for male horses at g.65868604G/T, based on the dominant allele risk model (RR = 2.251, 95% confidence interval 1.407-3.604, P = 0.00041), and for female horses at g.65868604G/T, based on the recessive allele risk model (RR = 2.313, 95% confidence interval 1.380-3.877, P = 0.00163). Considering the association of these SNPs with racing performance traits such as speed, these genotypes may affect the occurrence of carpus fractures in Japanese Thoroughbred racehorses as a consequence of the non-genetic influence of the genotype on the distance and/or intensity of racing and training. The genetic information presented here may contribute to the development of strategic training programs and racing plans for racehorses that improve their health and welfare.

Schistosomiasis japonica is one of seven NTDs endemic in the Philippines that continues to threaten public health in the country. The causative agent, the blood fluke Schistosoma japonicum, uses an amphibious snail Oncomelania hupensis quadrasi which can harbor larval stages that multiply asexually, eventually producing the infective cercariae which are shed into the water. Contamination of freshwater bodies inhabited by the snail intermediate host occurs through release of human and animal feces containing S. japonicum eggs. Miracidia hatching from these eggs subsequently infect the snails that inhabit these water bodies. The degree of fecal contamination can vary across snail sites and influences snail infection rates in these sites. In this study, conventional malacological surveys using intensive manual search for snails were conducted from 2015 to 2016 in seven selected endemic provinces, namely Leyte and Bohol in the Visayas and Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte and Compostela Valley in Mindanao. A total of 6,279 O. hupensis quadrasi snails were collected from 38 snail sites. The municipality of Trento in Agusan del Sur recorded the highest number of snail sites (7) that yielded O. hupensis quadrasi snails while only one snail site was found positive for O. hupensis quadrasi snails in Kapatagan in Lanao del Norte and Talibon in Bohol. Alegria in Surigao del Norte yielded the highest number of snail sites (5) that were found to harbor snails positive for S. japonicum infection. The snail infection rates in this municipality ranged from 0.43% to 14.71%. None of the snails collected from Talibon in Bohol was infected. Bohol is the only province among the 28 schistosomiasis-endemic provinces which has reached near elimination status. Snail infection rates were found to vary considerably across snail sites, which could be due to the degree of fecal contamination of the snail sites and their connectivity to water that can serve as contamination source.

Background & aims: Genome-wide association studies in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) have failed to find X chromosome (chrX) variants associated with the disease. Here, we specifically explore the chrX contribution to PBC, a sexually dimorphic complex autoimmune disease. Methods: We performed a chrX-wide association study, including genotype data from 5 genome-wide association studies (from Italy, United Kingdom, Canada, China, and Japan; 5244 case patients and 11,875 control individuals). Results: Single-marker association analyses found approximately 100 loci displaying P < 5 × 10-4, with the most significant being a signal within the OTUD5 gene (rs3027490; P = 4.80 × 10-6; odds ratio [OR], 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.028-1.88; Japanese cohort). Although the transethnic meta-analysis evidenced only a suggestive signal (rs2239452, mapping within the PIM2 gene; OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.09-1.26; P = 9.93 × 10-8), the population-specific meta-analysis showed a genome-wide significant locus in East Asian individuals pointing to the same region (rs7059064, mapping within the GRIPAP1 gene; P = 6.2 × 10-9; OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.21-1.46). Indeed, rs7059064 tags a unique linkage disequilibrium block including 7 genes: TIMM17B, PQBP1, PIM2, SLC35A2, OTUD5, KCND1, and GRIPAP1, as well as a superenhancer (GH0XJ048933 within OTUD5) targeting all these genes. GH0XJ048933 is also predicted to target FOXP3, the main T-regulatory cell lineage specification factor. Consistently, OTUD5 and FOXP3 RNA levels were up-regulated in PBC case patients (1.75- and 1.64-fold, respectively). Conclusions: This work represents the first comprehensive study, to our knowledge, of the chrX contribution to the genetics of an autoimmune liver disease and shows a novel PBC-related genome-wide significant locus.

Although most felids have an exclusive carnivore diet, the presence of plant matter in scat has been reported among various species. This indicates that there may be an adaptive significance to the conservation of plant-eating behavior in felid evolution. Some studies have hypothesized that felids consume plants for self-medication or as a source of nutrition. In addition, it is thought that plant intake helps them to excrete hairballs, however, no scientific work has confirmed these effects. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between plant intake and hair evacuation in felid species. We selected snow leopards (Panthera uncia) as the study species because they have longer and denser hair than other felids. The behavior of 11 captive snow leopards was observed and scat samples from eight of them and two other captive individuals were analyzed. Snow leopards evacuate hair possibly by vomiting and excreting in scats. The frequency of plant-eating and vomiting and the amount of hair and plant in scat were evaluated. We found that the frequency of vomiting was much lower than the frequency of plant-eating. In addition, there was no significant relationship between the amount of plant matter contained in scats and the amount of hair in scats. Contrary to the common assumption, our results indicate that plant intake has little effect on hair evacuation in felid species.

Background: Atezolizumab can induce sustained responses in metastatic urothelial carcinoma. We report the results of IMvigor130, a phase 3 trial that compared atezolizumab with or without platinum-based chemotherapy versus placebo plus platinum-based chemotherapy in first-line metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Methods: In this multicentre, phase 3, randomised trial, untreated patients aged 18 years or older with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, from 221 sites in 35 countries, were randomly assigned to receive atezolizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy (group A), atezolizumab monotherapy (group B), or placebo plus platinum-based chemotherapy (group C). Patients received 21-day cycles of gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 body surface area, administered intravenously on days 1 and 8 of each cycle), plus either carboplatin (area under the curve of 4·5 mg/mL per min administered intravenously) or cisplatin (70 mg/m2 body surface area administered intravenously) on day 1 of each cycle with either atezolizumab (1200 mg administered intravenously on day 1 of each cycle) or placebo. Group B patients received 1200 mg atezolizumab, administered intravenously on day 1 of each 21-day cycle. The co-primary efficacy endpoints for the intention-to-treat population were investigator-assessed Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours 1.1 progression-free survival and overall survival (group A vs group C) and overall survival (group B vs group C), which was to be formally tested only if overall survival was positive for group A versus group C. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02807636. Findings: Between July 15, 2016, and July 20, 2018, we enrolled 1213 patients. 451 (37%) were randomly assigned to group A, 362 (30%) to group B, and 400 (33%) to group C. Median follow-up for survival was 11·8 months (IQR 6·1–17·2) for all patients. At the time of final progression-free survival analysis and interim overall survival analysis (May 31, 2019), median progression-free survival in the intention-to-treat population was 8·2 months (95% CI 6·5–8·3) in group A and 6·3 months (6·2–7·0) in group C (stratified hazard ratio [HR] 0·82, 95% CI 0·70–0·96; one-sided p=0·007). Median overall survival was 16·0 months (13·9–18·9) in group A and 13·4 months (12·0–15·2) in group C (0·83, 0·69–1·00; one-sided p=0·027). Median overall survival was 15·7 months (13·1–17·8) for group B and 13·1 months (11·7–15·1) for group C (1·02, 0·83–1·24). Adverse events that led to withdrawal of any agent occurred in 156 (34%) patients in group A, 22 (6%) patients in group B, and 132 (34%) patients in group C. 50 (11%) patients in group A, 21 (6%) patients in group B, and 27 (7%) patients in group C had adverse events that led to discontinuation of atezolizumab or placebo. Interpretation: Addition of atezolizumab to platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment prolonged progression-free survival in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma. The safety profile of the combination was consistent with that observed with the individual agents. These results support the use of atezolizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy as a potential first-line treatment option for metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Funding: F Hoffmann-La Roche and Genentech. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

There is a possibility that small metallic contaminants could be mixed with industrial products made of ceramics or plastic resin. If this event occurs in a battery production line, it may result in a recall because of the possibility of fire, in the worst case. Consequently, a detection system for fine metallic contaminants is required. Presently, there are conventional methods such as using an eddy current, a CCD camera and an X-ray. However, these methods are not enough to detect a contaminant of stainless steel. We have proposed a fine stainless steel contaminant detection technique for industrial products. An AC drive magnetic field with a frequency of 1 kHz and a DC bias field were applied. In each of the AC and DC fields differentially connected detection coils were placed and the output signals of the detection coils were recorded and analyzed. A segment of stainless steel (SUS304) wire with dimensions of ∅0.2 mm × L5 mm was prepared as a specimen. Since the signal is highly affected by the M-H characteristics of the specimen, the AC drive field and the DC bias field were varied and optimized so that the largest harmonic signals can be obtained. In the case of without specimen, neither a 2nd nor a 3rd harmonic can be seen. When a specimen was placed in the detection coil, both the 2nd and 3rd peaks dramatically increased due to the non-linearity of the M-H characteristics of the specimen. The peak signal of the 3rd harmonic was three times larger than that of the 2nd harmonic at the optimal condition for each harmonic signal. The reason for this result was investigated and it was found that minor loops arose in the conditions of smaller amplitudes of the AC drive field and the DC bias field as compared to the saturation point of the magnetization of the specimen and that accordingly, the 2nd second harmonic signal was weak.

A shortage of donors poses a serious problem for organ transplantation around the world. In response, the concept of the expanded criteria donor (ECD) has been defined to include donors with traditionally less favorable characteristics. That definition has now been accepted and is being applied in kidney transplantation in the United States and Europe. However, the ECD has not yet been defined for deceased donor kidney transplantation in Japan.We analyzed data on graft survival and relevant risk factors in patients who received deceased donor kidney transplants through the East Japan Branch of the Japan Organ Transplant network (n = 1051). Recipients were divided into two groups: the standard-function group (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] ≥20 mL/min/1.73 mThe 10-year survival rate was significantly lower in the poor-function group than in the standard-function group (85.5% vs 22.5%; P .0001). The two groups differed significantly in recipient and donor risk for graft failure. Recipient risk factors were length of time on dialysis before renal transplantation and incidence of acute rejection after transplantation. Donor risk factors were donor category (heart death), age, history of hypertension, presence of cerebrovascular disease, mean urine output, and donor creatinine level immediately before donor nephrectomy, total ischemic time, and warm ischemic time.Data from deceased donor transplantation should be analyzed in depth to determine which factors influence renal function after transplantation. In addition, ECD standards should be reconsidered for use in a Japanese context.

Background and aims Analgesic efficacy of quadratus lumborum block (QLB) has been proven for lower abdominal surgery but not for other types of abdominal surgeries. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to compare QLB and epidural anesthesia (EA) with respect to postoperative analgesic effect for robot-assisted partial nephrectomy. Methods After institutional review board approval and informed consent, we reviewed the medical charts of 111 ASA-PS 1–2 patients who underwent robot-assisted partial nephrectomy under general anesthesia with QLB using 0.125–0.25% levobupivacaine 20–40 ml or EA between October 2015 and September 2018. We performed propensity-score matching by using patient characteristics. The primary outcome was the additional analgesic requirement within the first 24 hours. The secondary outcomes included intraoperative fentanyl and remifentanil requirements, incidence of PONV, and first ambulation times. The QLB and EA groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U test or chi-square test, where appropriate. A p Results There were 59 cases of QLB and 52 cases of EA during the study period. After matching, 52 cases each were analyzed. Even after matching, the fraction of QLB patients who received postoperative patient-controlled intravenous administration of fentanyl was small compared to the EA patients who received postoperative continuous epidural fentanyl (23.1% vs. 51.9%, p=0.004). Compared to EA group, QLB group requested additional analgesics more often (median 1 [IQR 0–2] vs. 0[0–0], p Conclusions QLB does not appear to provide an advantage over EA regarding analgesia for robot-assisted partial nephrectomy.

Background and aims Equinus foot due to damage of the common peroneal nerve is a dreaded complication after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and high tibial osteotomy (HTO) but can also occur after sciatic nerve block (SNB). We have previously reported the risk factors of equinus foot after TKA with SNB and introduced selective tibial nerve block (STNB) instead of SNB. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to compare STNB and SNB with respect to the postoperative equinus foot incidence in HTO. Methods After institutional review board approval and informed consent, we reviewed the medical charts of 198 consecutive ASA-PS 1–2 patients who underwent HTO under general anesthesia with SNB using 0.125% levobupivacaine 10–40 ml or STNB using the same less than 10 ml. The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative equinus foot incidence using Fischer’s exact test. A p Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine significant equinus foot predictors. Results There were 171 cases of SNB and 27 cases of STNB during the study period. While equinus occurred in 17 cases after SNB and none after STNB, this difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.136). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the amount of local anesthetics was significantly associated with the occurrence of postoperative equinus foot (odds ratio 1.18 [95% confidence interval: 1.02–1.38]). Conclusions No postoperative equinus foot was observed after STNB. This may be because of the use of smaller amount of local anesthetic.

Eight horse breeds-Hokkaido, Kiso, Misaki, Noma, Taishu, Tokara, Miyako and Yonaguni-are native to Japan. Although Japanese native breeds are believed to have originated from ancient Mongolian horses imported from the Korean Peninsula, the phylogenetic relationships among these breeds are not well elucidated. In the present study, we compared genetic diversity among 32 international horse breeds previously evaluated by the Equine Genetic Diversity Consortium, the eight Japanese native breeds and Japanese Thoroughbreds using genome-wide SNP genotype data. The proportion of polymorphic loci and expected heterozygosity showed that the native Japanese breeds, with the exception of the Hokkaido, have relatively low diversity compared to the other breeds sampled. Phylogenetic and cluster analyses demonstrated relationships among the breeds that largely reflect their geographic distribution in Japan. Based on these data, we suggest that Japanese horses originated from Mongolian horses migrating through the Korean Peninsula. The Japanese Thoroughbreds were distinct from the native breeds, and although they maintain similar overall diversity as Thoroughbreds from outside Japan, they also show evidence of uniqueness relative to the other Thoroughbred samples. This is the first study to place the eight native Japanese breeds and Japanese Thoroughbred in context with an international sample of diverse breeds.

Wind farms along the migration route of birds act as unnatural barriers, and avoiding them during flight may require the expenditure of extra energy. Information regarding cumulative effects of barriers on migrating birds is generally lacking, mainly because of the complexities of monitoring the number of encounters of migratory birds with wind farms and their flight path for avoiding these barriers. It would be desirable to develop a general method for monitoring the rate at which migratory birds encounter wind farms. In this study, we attempted to assess the potential cumulative barrier effects on 17 eastern buzzards (Buteo japonicus) and eight Oriental honey-buzzards (Pernis ptilorhynchus) using global positioning system (GPS) tracking data. We obtained the location data of wind turbines in Japan and migration paths of the birds using GPS loggers and assumed four scenarios that birds could use to avoid the wind turbines along their routes. Although the number of studied individuals was limited and the impact of the cumulative effects are inconclusive at the present stage, the estimated additional distance, time, and energetic cost during one migration were no more than 31.97 km, 75.74 min and 132 kJ, respectively, which were relatively small. Additionally, we showed the possibility that GPS tracking could provide information on migration episodes of birds associated with wind farms and could be a promising method for addressing the cumulative barrier effects. We expect that a higher sampling frequency of locations would enable precise measurement of avoidance flights and energetic costs.

The negative triangularity tokamak (NTT) is a unique reactor concept based on 'power-handling-first' philosophy with the heat exhaust problem as the leading concern. The present paper exposes a reactor concept using L-mode edge based on NTT configuration, providing merits of no (or very weak) edge-localized modes, larger particle flux and large major radius for power handling. It is shown that a reasonably compact (R-p from 9 m to 7 m) NTT reactor is possible by achieving higher confinement improvement (H-H = 1.5) and/or by utilizing reasonably higher magnetic field (B-max = 15.5 T). Current physics basis and critical issues on its scientific and technical feasibility are discussed.

In cattle, interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) such as ISG15, MX1, MX2, and OAS1 are known as classic ISGs that are highly involved in the implantation process. Various molecules play a crucial role in the mechanisms underlying ISG effects. Although microarray analyses have highlighted the expression of various molecules during the implantation period, these molecules remain incompletely characterized. In the present study, various specifically expressed genes were selected and their characteristics were examined. The microarray data from peripheral blood leukocytes derived from artificially inseminated cows and granulocytes obtained from embryo-transferred cows, respectively, were used to identify new ISG candidates. Seven common genes, including ISG15 and OAS1, were confirmed, but only 4 of the 5 genes were amplified by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In addition, 3 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) exhibited significantly greater expression in granulocytes from pregnant cows than that observed in bred nonpregnant cows, and the expression in granulocytes increased after interferon-tau stimulation. Sequence alignment revealed similar sequences within 2 ESTs on the Hairy and enhancer of split (Hes) family basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor 4 (HES4) gene. An additional EST was identified as cytidine/uridine monophosphate kinase 2 (CMPK2). In silico analysis facilitated the identification of transcription factor-binding sequences, including an interferon-stimulated response element and interferon regulatory factor-binding sites, within the promoter region of HES4 and CMPK2. These genes may function as new ISGs in the context of implantation and may participate in the coordination of the feto-maternal interface in cows.

Changes in climate and anthropogenic pressures might affect the composition and abundance of forage fish in the world's oceans. The junk‐food hypothesis posits that dietary shifts that affect the quality (e.g., energy content) of food available to marine predators may impact their physiological state and consequently affect their fitness. Previously, we experimentally validated that deposition of the adrenocortical hormone, corticosterone, in feathers is a sensitive measure of nutritional stress in seabirds. Here, we use this method to examine how changes in diet composition and prey quality affect the nutritional status of free‐living rhinoceros auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata). Our study sites included the following: Teuri Is. Japan, Middleton Is. central Gulf of Alaska, and St. Lazaria Is. Southeast Alaska. In 2012 and 2013, we collected “bill loads” delivered by parents to feed their chicks (n = 758) to document dietary changes. We deployed time–depth–temperature recorders on breeding adults (n = 47) to evaluate whether changes in prey coincided with changes in foraging behavior. We measured concentrations of corticosterone in fledgling (n = 71) and adult breeders' (n = 82) feathers to determine how birds were affected by foraging conditions. We found that seasonal changes in diet composition occurred on each colony, adults dove deeper and engaged in longer foraging bouts when capturing larger prey and that chicks had higher concentrations of corticosterone in their feathers when adults brought back smaller and/or lower energy prey. Corticosterone levels in feathers of fledglings (grown during the breeding season) and those in feathers of adult breeders (grown during the postbreeding season) were positively correlated, indicating possible carryover effects. These results suggest that seabirds might experience increased levels of nutritional stress associated with moderate dietary changes and that physiological responses to changes in prey composition should be considered when evaluating the effect of prey quality on marine predators.

We have investigated the influence of self-field on the critical current density distribution in a Bi-2223 tape and its effect on the current capacity of an assembled conductor. Critical current of a tape is usually measured by four-probe transport method under self-field. On the other hand, the critical current of an assembled conductor cannot be simply summed because the tape experiences different condition of magnetic field due to the interaction among the tapes. To quantify the situation, it is necessary to clarify first how the critical current of a tape is determined at the self-field and then to consider the interaction among the tapes. In this study, it was found that the distribution of critical current density was largely influenced by local magnetic field inside the tape. The results were quantitatively described by a model considering the position dependence and magnetic field dependence of local critical current density. Using such a quantitative model, we numerically investigated the current capacities of assembled conductors with different arrangements of the tapes.

Ni–Cr alloys have been focused on as a new promising material for the reinforcement of DI-BSCCO wire. In addition to Ni–Cr alloy lamination, the thinner Type H wire and pretension have been employed. The fabricated Type H wires laminated with 35- $\mu\text{m} $ -thick Ni–Cr alloys have shown no degradation in $I_c$ properties and surpassed all the Type HT wires laminated with the thicker stainless-steel tapes in the tensile strength and double bending diameter. It was demonstrated that the wire could tolerate the practical extent of tensile load up to 10 000 cycles. The in-field $I_c$ performance has hardly been compromised with the moderate pretension. These results, along with the smaller cross-sectional size, have led to the compatibility between high $J_e$ and high mechanical strength. The Type HT wire with the thinner Type H wire and 30- $\mu\text{m}$ -thick Ni–Cr tapes are currently developed.

Alcids propel themselves by flapping wings in air and water that have vastly different densities. We hypothesized that alcids change wing kinematics and maintain Strouhal numbers (St = fA/U, where f is wingbeat frequency, A is the wingbeat amplitude, and U is forward speed) within a certain range, to achieve efficient locomotion during both flying and swimming. We used acceleration and GPS loggers to measure the wingbeat frequency and forward speed of free-ranging rhinoceros auklets Cerorhinca monocerata during both flying and swimming. We also measured wingbeat amplitude from video footage taken in the wild. On average, wingbeat frequency, forward speed, and wingbeat amplitude were 8.9 Hz, 15.3 m s−1, and 0.39 m, respectively, during flying, and 2.6 Hz, 1.3 m s−1, and 0.18 m, respectively, during swimming. The smaller wingbeat amplitude during swimming was achieved by partially folding the wings, while maintaining the dorso-ventral wingbeat angle. Mean St was 0.23 during flying and 0.36 during swimming. The higher St value for swimming might be related to the higher thrust force required for propulsion in water. Our results suggest that rhinoceros auklets maintain St for both flying and swimming within the range (0.2–0.4) that propulsive efficiency is known to be high and St in both flying specialists and swimming specialists are known to converge.

We developed a method for classifying hydrometeor particle types, including cloud and precipitation phase and ice crystal habit, by a synergistic use of CloudSat/Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO)/Cloud-Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP). We investigated how the cloud phase and ice crystal habit characterized by CALIOP globally relate with radar reflectivity and temperature. The global relationship thus identified was employed to develop an algorithm for hydrometeor type classification with CPR alone. The CPR-based type classification was then combined with CALIPSO-based type characterization to give CPR-CALIOP synergy classification. A unique aspect of this algorithm is to exploit and combine the lidar's sensitivity to thin ice clouds and the radar's ability to penetrate light precipitation to offer more complete picture of vertically resolved hydrometeor type classification than has been provided by previous studies. Given the complementary nature of radar and lidar detections of hydrometeors, our algorithm delivers thirteen hydrometeor types: warm water, supercooled water, randomly-oriented ice crystal (3D-ice), horizontally-oriented plate (2D-plate), 3D-ice+2D-plate, liquid drizzle, mixed-phase drizzle, rain, snow, mixed-phase cloud, water+liquid drizzle, water+rain and unknown. The global statistics of three-dimensional occurrence frequency of each hydrometeor type revealed that 3D-ice contributes the most to the total cloud occurrence frequency (53.8%), followed by supercooled water (14.3%), 2D-plate (9.2%), rain (5.9%), warm water (5.7%), snow (4.8%), mixed-phase drizzle (2.3%), and the remaining types (4.0%). This hydrometeor type classification provides useful observation-based information for climate model diagnostics in representation of cloud phase and their microphysical characteristics.

Multiple surface cracks and interfacial delamination are the major failure mechanisms in film/substrate systems. The effect of interlayer upon the failure mechanisms of interfacial delamination concomitant to surface crack was explored. Finite element model was developed to obtain the stress and energy release rate (ERR), which governs the propagation of interface cracks. The dependences of delamination upon the geometry and constitutive properties of interlayer were examined. The results indicate that the effect of elastic modulus of interlayer on the steady state ERR is insignificant. In cases of different geometrical parameters, however, the steady ERR decreases with the increase of the interlayer thickness. These findings lead to the conclusion that the interlayer constraint has significant effect on the ERR and thus coating life, which can be adopted to modify the ceramic top coat.