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The quantum tunneling mechanism of DySc2N@C80 and Dy2ScN@C80 in single-walled carbon nanotubes was revealed to be tuned in opposite ways.

The `Millennium Eruption’ of Changbaishan/Paektu-san Volcano, situated today on border between the People's Republic of China and Democratic People's Republic of Korea, ranks as one of the largest eruptions of the Common Era. Dated to 946 CE, its tephra deposits represent a critical marker spanning terrestrial and marine archives, as well as the glacial record of Greenland. Its geographically extensive footprint, along with the great magnitude of the eruption, have drawn wide attention from scholars working in different disciplines and representing different national and international groups. While much has been achieved through programmes of field and laboratory research, particularly sedimentological, tephrostratigraphic and petrographic studies, a universally accepted stratigraphy and timeline for the eruption episode have yet to be realised. The lack of consensus and discrepancies in interpretations of the deposits reflect, in part, the paucity and ambiguity in interpreting outcrops and historical records of the eruption, as well, arguably, as the geopolitical challenges of conducting international fieldwork in a sensitive border region. Here, we interrogate the scientific literature on the Millennium Eruption with the aims of highlighting points of contention, reconciling disparate observations where possible, and proposing new interpretations of existing data. We hope thereby to provide a clear foundation for future studies to use to build towards a coherent stratigraphic and sedimentological interpretation of the proximal tephra record, and new understanding of the compositional, stratigraphic and spatial variations of the distal deposits. Such a research agenda will lead to an improved reconstruction of this iconic volcanic eruption, which will offer wider implications for understanding the contemporary regional history and archaeology, as well as the potential environmental, ecological and climatological impacts of the eruption.

This case involved a 63-year-old man. He underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) for prostate cancer. One year after the operation, he consulted our hospital about left inguinal swelling. Under a diagnosis of a left external inguinal hernia, transabdominal preperitoneal repair (TAPP) was performed under general anesthesia. The inside of the hernia orifice had been damaged by the RARP, and the resultant fibrosis was so marked that it was difficult to dissect the preperitoneal space. Furthermore, an external iliac vein injury occurred during the operation. The bleeding was controlled, and we used laparoscopic continuous non-absorbable sutures to repair the external iliac vein injury. The number of TAPP procedures performed after radical prostatectomy has been increasing in recent years, but dissecting the preperitoneal space inside a hernia orifice is difficult. Although external iliac vein injuries are rare complications of TAPP procedures, they can be laparoscopically repaired.

Background As the elderly population increases, cases of elderly advanced gastric cancer (AGC) also increase. This study aims to investigate the safety and utility of curative gastrectomy, as well as the efficacy of laparoscopic gastrectomy, for these elderly patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the surgical outcomes of patients with cStage IB-III AGC who underwent distal gastrectomy (DG) with D2 lymph node dissection in our institution. We compared the results between elderly patients (>75 years) and non-elderly patients ( Results From January 2014 to March 2019, 84 patients underwent DG with D2 lymph node dissection for cStage IB-III AGC (52 elderly patients and 32 non-elderly patients). ASA was significantly higher in elderly patients; however, there was no significant difference in surgical outcomes nor in overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) between the 2 groups. Among 52 elderly patients, 19 had LDG, whereas 33 had ODG. The LDG group had a significantly shorter length of hospital stay and a significantly less amount of blood loss. There was no significant difference in RFS and OS between these 2 groups. Conclusions Safety and oncologic curability may be achieved in elderly patients with AGC. LDG may be safely performed as ODG in elderly patients with AGC and it is expected to benefit them by achieving minimally invasive surgery.

The first interdigitated MX-type chain complex with infinite π-stacked arrays was synthesized. The synchronization between a Pt-Br⋯ chain and π-stacking periodicities led to the longest M-X-M distance (6.6978(15) Å) and nil or negligible intervalence charge transfer, which is essential to realize the Robin-Day class I mixed valence state in MX chains.

A 66-year-old man was referred to our department with the diagnosis of ascending colon cancer. He was undergoing dialysis for chronic renal failure due to diabetic nephropathy. Laparoscopic ileocecal resection was planned for the ascending colon cancer, but the procedure was converted to laparotomy owing to intraoperative bleeding. The patient was discharged from the hospital after 7 days. On the 14th postoperative day, the patient presented with purulent drainage from the wound and fever and was diagnosed to have a minor anastomotic leak. The suture of the anterior sheath was exposed in part of the wound. The patient's general condition was stable, and conservative treatment was planned. However, when he coughed, the wound separated and the intestine prolapsed, and emergency surgery was performed. Intraoperative findings showed leakage of intestinal fluid from the anastomotic border, and we diagnosed delayed suture failure. We present a rare case of delayed anastomotic leakage in a hemodialysis patient.

Encapsulation of a metallofullerene single-molecule magnet, Dy

This study demonstrated that an enteric polymer can mitigate the effects of gastric pH on the oral absorption of a poorly water-soluble weak acid drug, dantrolene (DNT). An amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) of DNT with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) acetate succinate (ASD-HPMCAS) was prepared as the enteric released ASD (ER-SF). ASD with HPMC (ASD-HPMC) and DNT sodium salt were also used as immediate-release supersaturable formulations (IR-SFs) with and without water-soluble polymer, respectively. In vivo study with rats and in vitro study with a dissolution/permeation (D/P) system were performed to evaluate oral DNT absorption from each formulation under normal and high gastric pH conditions in rats and humans, respectively. The oral absorption of DNT from both IR-SFs in rats with a high gastric pH was significantly higher than that in rats with a normal gastric pH. In contrast, ASD-HPMCAS attenuated the difference in oral absorption between normal and high gastric pH conditions with significant improvement of DNT absorption. In vivo results implied that an enteric polymer delayed the onset of dissolution until after gastric emptying. ASD-HPMCAS generated supersaturation in the small intestine irrespective of gastric conditions, which was supported bythe in vitrostudy using the D/P system. This study suggested that an enteric polymer is useful to mitigate the inter- and intra-individual differences in oral absorption of poorly water-soluble weak acid drugs.

Introduction Although partial cystectomy has been performed by laparoscopy in patients with benign disease, there have only been a few reports regarding the laparoscopic partial resection of urinary bladder–adherent colorectal cancer. This study was conducted to evaluate the short-term surgical outcomes of laparoscopic partial resection of urinary bladder–adherent colorectal cancer. Case presentation Between April 2014 and February 2017, 6 patients with colorectal cancers that were adherent to the urinary bladder underwent laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection combined with partial cystectomy. Their surgical outcomes were reviewed retrospectively. The primary colorectal cancer was located in the sigmoid colon in 5 patients and the upper rectum in 1 patient. None of the patients required conversion to open surgery. The median duration of surgery was 411 minutes, and the median amount of intraoperative blood loss was 284 mL. In the patients with sigmoid colon cancer, the bladder was primarily closed under direct visualization via the small lower abdominal incision used to remove the tumor. In the patient with upper rectal cancer, the bladder was primarily closed laparoscopically. None of the patients demonstrated urinary leakage on retrograde cystography or anastomotic leakage, and there were no cases of perioperative mortality or morbidity. None of the patients developed recurrence of cancer at the median follow-up of 21 months. Conclusion Laparoscopic partial resection of urinary bladder–adherent colorectal cancer produces good short-term outcomes without increasing morbidity. Performing bladder closure under direct visualization via a small lower abdominal incision might be useful in selected patients.

Cocrystallization of a lithium ion encapsulated fullerene Li+@C60 with a terbium(III) phthalocyaninato porphyrinato double-decker single-molecule magnet [Tb(Pc)(OEP)] is reported. The cocrystal, containing PF6− as a counter anion, packs in a quasi-kagome lattice, which leads to intermolecular ferromagnetic interactions as well as the modulation of the single-molecule magnet (SMM) properties.

Infrequent megathrust earthquakes, with their complex cycles and rupture modes, require a high-resolution spatiotemporal record of tsunami inundation over thousands of years for more accurate long-...

A 72-year-old woman underwent sigmoid colon resection plus D2 lymph node dissection in 2008, with additional resection after endoscopic mucosal resection(EMR). Histopathological examination revealed only atypical ducts in the EMR scar, with no invasion below the submucosa. No lymphatic, venous, or nerve invasions were confirmed, and oral and anal stumps and lymph node metastases were negative. She was followed up for 5 years after the surgery, and no recurrence was detected. In 2018, she visited our hospital with the chief complaint of diarrhea and constipation. Colonoscopy revealed a circumferential lesion around the anastomosis. She underwent laparoscopic low anterior resection for suspected anastomotic recurrence, which was confirmed by histopathological diagnosis. The anastomotic recurrence 10 years after surgery for SM cancer of the colon with negative lymph node metastasis and vascular factor was extremely rare. We recognized the importance of surveillance 5 years after surgery.

We surveyed the occurrence of three emergent alien aquatic plants, Gymnocoronis spilanthoides, Alternanthera sessilis, and Alternanthera philoxeroides, in Lake Kasumigaura from 2013 to 2017. To determine the effects of shoreline modification on the expansion of alien aquatic plants, we compared the relative occurrence of alien aquatic plants in varying shoreline conditions modified by shoreline hardening and wave breakers. The distribution of alien aquatic species increased continually in Lake Kasumigaura over the study period, although the rate of expansion differed among years. Furthermore > 64.6% of the vegetative fragments were found within 2 km of the nearest patch. The construction of artificial wave breakers, which were installed parallel to the shoreline, had a positive influence on alien aquatic plant patch establishment. Especially, parallel wave breakers increased the patch establishment of G. spilanthoides by about 2.27-fold compared to the natural environment. Perpendicular wave breakers increased alien patch establishment by about 1.63-fold. For lakeshore management, it is important to consider both alien plant suppression and levee protection. We further suggest prompt action to prevent the expansion of alien aquatic species around pumping stations, which can also result in the relocation and expansion of invasive species.

In order to estimate the size and the origin of giant tsunamis, it is useful to investigate “tsunami far-field” as the coastal area far from the source. However, it is challenging to distinguish a tsunami deposit from an extreme storm deposit in these areas. In this study, we report sand layers induced by extreme waves on the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, facing the southern Kuril Trench. In the study area (central part of the Hidaka coast), it is said that the tsunamis caused by observed earthquakes have never exceeded the dune or beach. However, geological evidence indicates that giant earthquakes and tsunamis occurred at intervals of several hundred years in the Kuril Trench, and the traces of these tsunamis are still unclear in the Hidaka region.The study area can be classified into the inland zone consisting of peatland and the seaward zone consisting of floodplain muds by the paleo beach ridge. We identified three volcanic ash layers and three to four sand layers with clear boundaries to the ordinary mud layer in each zone. However, there are large gaps in the ages of the sand layers discovered in both inland and seaward zones, and their distributions are limited (ranging from a few tens to 100 m from the ridge at that time) and do not overlap. To understand the peculiarities of the depositional age and distribution of the sand layers, we clarified the sedimentary environmental changes and sea-level index in the late Holocene by analyzing the diatom assemblage and CNS of the mud layer. The inland zone showed the paleoenvironments from the sandy tidal flat formed by the transgression in the mid-Holocene to the beach ridge formed by the regression, and the sheet sand layers were formed only during the period of the beach ridge development. On the other hand, the seaward zone showed various changes due to the formation of meandering rivers and beach ridges associated with the regression, and the formation of recognizable event layers is accompanied by changes in the depositional environment, such as the opening of lagoons and rapid changes to upland. Thus, especially in the tsunami far-field, the preservation potential of the event layers is strongly influenced by the coastal development and relative sea level, and such geological information will provide clues to identify the origin of the sand layer. In the presentation, the numerical simulation of the paleo-tsunami considering the reconstructed relative sea-level change and topographic development will be reported.

A liquid droplet can hover over a solid surface that is heated above the Leidenfrost point (LFP), at which an insulating vapor layer is formed that acts as a heat transfer barrier. Recent studies have reported that hierarchical micro- and nanoscale textures provide high wettability and significant LFP enhancement. However, such textures are often difficult and expensive to fabricate. Therefore, this study aimed to experimentally demonstrate LFP enhancement through the use of low-cost hierarchical textures. Surface textures were fabricated by coating SiO2 nanoparticles on stainless steel wire meshes. The droplet lifetime method was used to determine the LFP in a temperature range of 200 °C–490 °C. High-speed imaging (4000–23,000 fps) was performed for visualizing the impact behavior of a droplet. The LFP value of the nanocoated mesh surface was found to be greater than 490 °C. This enhanced LFP was 178 °C higher than that of a stainless steel surface and 38 °C higher than that of a single-layer textured surface. Furthermore, with respect to the LFP enhancement, the explosive impact behavior of a droplet can be observed on nanocoated mesh surfaces.

Cocrystallization of a lithium ion encapsulated fullerene Li

Investigating coastal areas far from tsunami sources can improve the understanding of the magnitude and origin of giant tsunamis. However, distinguishing tsunami deposits from extreme storm deposits is more challenging since the layers are less prominent compared to the those in the locations near the origin of a tsunami-generated rupture site. This study reconstructed the Holocene coastal environments on the central coast of Hidaka, Hokkaido, ~250 km from the Kuril Trench. Sand layers induced by extreme waves were identified by examining the sea-level index points in the late to mid-Holocene by diatom-assemblage analysis through the combination of chemical analyses with the investigation of sediment cores. Detailed facies analyses on sediment cores obtained from several transects showed that sediment preservation differs according to the location of the cores relative to the ambient coastline. In the zone behind the beach ridge, the paleoenvironments changed from a saltmarsh formed by transgression to a swamp closed by a beach ridge formed by sea regression in the mid-Holocene. Conversely, the seaward zone indicated various environmental changes due to meandering rivers and the development of the beach ridge system due to sea regression. We found four volcanic ash layers and seven sand layers with clear basal contact with peat or organic mud. According to their sedimentological features, these sand layers were formed by tsunamis or storm surges; at least four of the sand layers are likely to be tsunami deposits, considering the ages of tsunami deposits in the surrounding region. Dramatic changes in the depositional environment associated with relative sea-level changes resulted in a short period of preservation of the sand layers. In addition, their distributions were limited, ranging from a few tens of meters to hundreds of meters from the beach ridge. Thus, in an area far from tsunami sources, the traces of extreme waves may be overlooked if the coastal evolutional process is not considered.

DySc2N@C80 is an endohedral metallofullerene showing single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior. In this work, we encapsulated DySc2N@C80-SMMs into the internal one-dimensional nanospace of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Using transmission electron microscopy, “peapod” structures were clearly observed. From magnetic field dependent measurements, DySc2N@C80 showed stepwise hysteresis characteristic of SMMs even inside the SWCNTs, and the coercivity increased from 0.5 to 4 kOe. In addition, it showed slow relaxation of the magnetization without an applied external magnetic field. This system is the first example where SMMs have been encapsulated in SWCNTs, and this system could be used in future molecular-spintronics devices.

Fluoropyrimidine has been commonly used not only in unresectable cases of metastatic colorectal cancer, but also in adjuvant therapy. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is an enzyme encoded by the DPYD gene, which is responsible for the rate-limiting step in pyrimidine catabolism and breaks down more than 80% of standard doses of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and capecitabine, an oral prodrug of 5-FU. The lack of enzymatic activity increases the half-life of the drug, resulting in excess drug accumulation and toxicity which may lead to life-threatening side effects. There have been several published case reports about DPD deficiency in patients with colorectal cancer in Western countries. However, case reports of DPD deficiency in Japanese patients with colorectal cancer are rare because measuring DPD activity is not covered by public medical insurance in Japan, and it is not examined in our daily clinical practice currently. Therefore, we think that it is important to accumulate such case reports for further understanding. This report describes the case of a Japanese patient with colon cancer who experienced severe side effects while taking capecitabine, due to DPD deficiency. A 68-year-old man with ascending colon cancer underwent curative laparoscopic right hemicolectomy. Because final pathologic staging was Stage IIIa, standard adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine (3600 mg/body/day, days 1–14, every 3 weeks) was started on postoperative day 50. After 2 weeks, he started to experience Grade 3 diarrhea and was admitted to the hospital on postoperative day 66. On day 70, the patient had Grade 4 febrile neutropenia. Antibiotics and granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor were administered until his blood tests recovered to the normal degree. After 1 week of diarrhea, antidiarrheal agents were administered, and the patient gradually recovered. During the occurrence of diarrhea, specimen cultures were negative for infection. He was discharged on day 21 of the hospital stay. DPD deficiency was suspected, and 2 weeks later the DPD activity of the peripheral blood mononucleocytes was examined. The result was 10.3 U/mg protein which was remarkedly low (reference range 22.6–183.6 U/mg protein), and DPD deficiency was diagnosed. We always must consider the possibility of DPD deficiency in patients who experience severe side effects while taking capecitabine.

Structures and magnetic characteristics of two three-coordinate erbium(III) compounds with C3v geometry, tris(2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresolate)erbium, Er(dbpc)3 (1) and tris(bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl)erbium, Er(btmsm)3 (2), were determined. Both underwent temperature-dependent slow magnetic relaxation processes in the absence of an external magnetic field. As a result of the differences in the coordination environment, they exhibit different energy barriers and quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM) constants.

Fluoropyrimidine has been commonly used not only in unresectable cases of metastatic colorectal cancer, but also in adjuvant therapy. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is an enzyme encoded by the DPYD gene, which is responsible for the rate-limiting step in pyrimidine catabolism and breaks down more than 80% of standard doses of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and capecitabine, an oral prodrug of 5-FU. The lack of enzymatic activity increases the half-life of the drug, resulting in excess drug accumulation and toxicity which may lead to life-threatening side effects. There have been several published case reports about DPD deficiency in patients with colorectal cancer in Western countries. However, case reports of DPD deficiency in Japanese patients with colorectal cancer are rare because measuring DPD activity is not covered by public medical insurance in Japan, and it is not examined in our daily clinical practice currently. Therefore, we think that it is important to accumulate such case reports for further understanding. This report describes the case of a Japanese patient with colon cancer who experienced severe side effects while taking capecitabine, due to DPD deficiency. A 68-year-old man with ascending colon cancer underwent curative laparoscopic right hemicolectomy. Because final pathologic staging was Stage IIIa, standard adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine (3600 mg/body/day, days 1–14, every 3 weeks) was started on postoperative day 50. After 2 weeks, he started to experience Grade 3 diarrhea and was admitted to the hospital on postoperative day 66. On day 70, the patient had Grade 4 febrile neutropenia. Antibiotics and granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor were administered until his blood tests recovered to the normal degree. After 1 week of diarrhea, antidiarrheal agents were administered, and the patient gradually recovered. During the occurrence of diarrhea, specimen cultures were negative for infection. He was discharged on day 21 of the hospital stay. DPD deficiency was suspected, and 2 weeks later the DPD activity of the peripheral blood mononucleocytes was examined. The result was 10.3 U/mg protein which was remarkedly low (reference range 22.6–183.6 U/mg protein), and DPD deficiency was diagnosed. We always must consider the possibility of DPD deficiency in patients who experience severe side effects while taking capecitabine.

This paper presents a near-infrared imaging method to measure the concentrations of acid (HCl and H2SO4), base (NaOH), and produced salt (NaCl and Na2SO4) simultaneously during neutralization in a microfluidic channel. This method is based on spectral variations in the water absorption band observed in the wavelength range 1350–1600 nm. Linear correlation models using three characteristic wavelengths in the band are constructed to convert the absorbance to the concentrations. The images clearly show that at the interface between the acid and base solution streams, the concentrations decrease and salt is produced, diffusing in the transverse direction. The concentration range is 0–2 mol/L and the resolution is

On the Pacific coast of Hokkaido, historical documents and seismic detections spanning the last 200 years show that large earthquakes (magnitude 7–8) have occurred every 50–100 years along the Kuril Trench. Geological reconstructions of past earthquakes in the region show extend records to the last 6000 years and show that unusually large (>M8) earthquakes occurred at intervals of several hundreds of years. However, the magnitude and extent of tsunamis induced by these unusually large earthquakes are not fully understood. In this study, we found nine anomalous sand layers embedded in peat sediments that dated between 5.5 and 1.2 ka on the southern Hidaka coast, Hokkaido. Paleoenvironments reconstructed from the peat sediments using diatom, chemical, and mineralogical analyses showed an evolution of the site from a saltmarsh, to a supratidal marsh, to a back-barrier wetland environment. Radiocarbon dating of peat sediments showed that these environmental changes correspond to a sea-level fall following the mid-Holocene highstand. The anomalous sand layers showed inland thinning and shape contacts with the underlying peat. Amongst the layers, the most recent layer (1.7–1.2 ka) was designated as a storm deposit due to its limited distribution of less than 100 m from the beach ridge. Eight additional sand layers from 5.5 to 2.2 ka were distributed more than 300 m away from the beach ridge, and displayed a normal grading of sand particles, a characteristic typical of tsunami deposits. Because there was no record of tsunamis striking the Hidaka coast from the observed large earthquakes (M7–8) that recur every 50–100 years, we interpret the sand layers as tsunamis deposited by unusually large earthquakes. Because the eight inferred tsunami sand layers were deposited during the highstand period, prior to 2.2 ka, we infer that the inundation area due to tsunamis in the coastal zone has changed with relative sea-level (RSL) in the past. We highlight the necessity of evaluating the influence of long-term RSL change.

The six-coordinate mononuclear high-spin cobalt(II) complex [Co(bpy)2(ClAn)]·EtOH (1; bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, ClAn2– = chloranilate) and its magnetically diluted analogue [Co0.1Zn0.9(bpy)2(ClAn)]·EtOH (3), in which the CoII centres of 1 are partially diluted with the magnetically inactive ZnII centres of [Zn(bpy)2(ClAn)]·EtOH (2) as a diamagnetic matrix, exhibited slow magnetic relaxation in applied direct-current (DC) magnetic fields. Fits of the DC magnetic data indicate that this new field-induced single-ion magnet possesses large positive axial and significant rhombic zero-field splittings. The results of temperature-dependent and DC-magnetic-field-dependent alternating-current magnetic measurements on 1 and 3, which is a field-induced single-ion magnet, agree with those from theoretical studies, and spin relaxation occurs through two-phonon Raman and direct spin-phonon bottleneck processes of Kramers ions.