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Background The short-term effects of teduglutide (TED) for short bowel syndrome with chronic intestinal failure (SBS–IF) in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) remain unknown and real-world data have not been scarce. This study aimed to investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of TED in CD patients on parenteral support (PS) for SBS–IF. Methods We retrospectively investigated the medical records of CD patients with SBS–IF who initiated TED between January 2020 and October 2022 in Hyogo Medical University hospital. The primary outcomes were the change in PS volume and proportion of patients with a reduction of PS volume by ≥20% at week 4. Secondary outcomes were the changes in body mass index (BMI), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), albumin, hematocrit (Ht), PS calorie requirements, withdrawal from PS, and adverse events during the observation period. Results Of 605 CD patients, 23 who underwent home PS for SBS–IF were included in this study. Twenty patients continued TED throughout the observation period. The median PS duration was 11.6 (range 1.0-20.0) years and the observation period after starting TED was 48.0 (7.0-60.0) weeks. TED significantly reduced the PS volume from 17989(570-49000) mL/week to 14257(0-42000) mL/week at week 4 (p = 0.0013), and the PS volume decreased by ≥20% in 8 patients (40.0%) at week 4 and in 16 patients (80.0%) during the observation period after TED administration. The BMI significantly increased from 17.9 (12.9–23.9) kg/m2 before TED administration and 18.9 (14.6–25.4) kg/m2 after TED administration (p = 0.014). Although there were no significant differences in albumin (p = 0.53), eGFR (p = 0.66), and Ht (p = 0.089), the PS calorie /week was significantly decreased from 6581 (244–14000) kcal to 3747(0– 8820) kcal after TED administration (p = 0.0001). Ten patients (50.0%) experienced gastrointestinal stoma complications, including stoma swelling and/or prolapse during the observation period. Abdominal pain occurred in 7 cases (35.0%), catheter-related infection in five patients (25.0%), oedema in 4 patients (20.0%), nausea in 2 patients (10.0%), abdominal distension in 3 patients (15.0%), and upper respiratory tract infection in 1 patient (5.0%). All the symptoms were transient and tolerable. Although 3 patients discontinued TED due to nausea and abdominal pain and were excluded from this analysis, these symptoms improved after the discontinuation. Conclusion TED reduced PS volume at week 4 in CD patients with SBS–IF, and the BMI and the PS calorie requirement were improved during the observational period without serious adverse events.

A high-performance photocathode is required to advanced accelerators and electron microscopes. In particular, the CsK2Sb photocathode is of interest because it has features such as low emittance, excitability with visible light, and high quantum efficiency (QE). Generally, the CsK2Sb photocathode is produced by depositing a cathode element on a substrate, so that the cathode performance strongly depends on the surface condition of the substrate. We have found graphene as reusable substrate, which has the property of being chemically inactive. In this study, graphene film quality dependence of CsK2Sb photocathode performance was evaluated. Specifically, CsK2Sb photocathode was deposited using different quality graphene film substrates and their QE values and uniformity were compared. The quality of graphene films was analyzed using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS). We found that the graphene film can be cleaned by heating at 500 deg. The QE of the cathode on a good quality graphene film was higher and more uniform than that on a poor quality graphene film.

The synchrotron light source with the electron energy of 1.2 GeV is operated by Aichi Synchrotron Radiation Centre (AichiSR) in Aichi prefecture, Japan. The light has been offered to industrial and academic users since March 2013 in the top-up operation mode to maintain a constant current of 300 mA. This facility was established by Aichi prefecture, universities, and industries with support of government. Major purpose of the light source is to support research and development activities of industries and academia mostly in the area, which is the heart land of manufacturing of Japan. This paper describes evolution of the beamlines and recent research results and their impact to the society.

Across Far East Asia, aspermic Fasciola forms are found endemically. They have abnormal spermatogenesis and oogenesis, and it is presumed that their progeny are produced parthenogenetically and clonally. Because of this, they are also termed parthenogenic Fasciola forms. Currently, there is no evidence that they do indeed reproduce parthenogenetically and clonally. In this study, the multilocus genetic type (MLG) in 12 microsatellite markers of adult flukes and their subsequent progeny larvae were analysed using two laboratory aspermic Fasciola triploid strains. The MLGs of adults and their larvae were identical for all markers evaluated, suggesting that these strains reproduce their progeny clonally. The deviation between theoretical and actual frequency within the larvae genotype of the Fh_6 locus resulted in the inability for self-fertilization within individual adult flukes. These findings strongly suggested that aspermic Fasciola forms reproduce their progeny by means of parthenogenesis, possibly gynogenesis.

Background Right ventricular (RV) septal pacing is often selected to preserve a more physiologic ventricular activation. But the pacing leads are not always located in true septal wall, rather in hinge or free wall in some cases with the conventional stylet-guided lead implantation. In recent years, new guiding catheter systems has attracted attention as a solution to that problem. Objective The aim of this study is to investigate that true ventricular sepal pacing can be achieved by use of the new guiding catheter system for pacing lead. Methods We enrolled 198 patients who underwent RV septal lead implantation and computed tomography (CT) after pacemaker implantation. 16 cases were used delivery catheter (Delivery), and 182 cases were used stylet for targeting ventricular septum (Conventional). We analyzed the lead locations with CT, and evaluated capture thresholds, R-wave amplitudes, lead impedances and 12-lead electrocardiogram findings one month after implantation. Results All cases of delivery catheter group had true septal lead positions (Delivery; 100% vs Conventional; 44%, p Conclusions The delivery catheter system designated for pacing lead can contribute to select the true ventricular septal sites and to attain the more physiologic ventricular activation. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

Summary Background & aims The associations between dietary magnesium intake and stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) incidences are inconsistent and not established in Asian. We aimed to determine the association between dietary magnesium intake and the risk of stroke and CHD in a Japanese population. Subjects/Methods We studied 85,293 Japanese subjects by questionnaire at baseline (age 45–74 years, without cardiovascular disease or cancer in 1995 and 1998 for Cohorts I and II, respectively). The participants were followed until the end of 2009 and 2010 in Cohorts I and II, respectively. Dietary magnesium intake was estimated from a self-administered 138-item food-frequency questionnaire. Results After 1,305,738 person-years of follow-up, 4110 strokes and 1283 cases of CHD were documented. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs, 95% confidence intervals, 95%CIs) of CHD for the fourth and fifth quintiles of dietary magnesium intake were 0.70 (0.50–0.99) and 0.66 (0.44–0.97) in men (P for trend = 0.036), respectively, and third quintile of dietary magnesium intake was 0.61 (0.39–0.96) in women (P for trend = 0.241), compared with the lowest quintile in men and women. We observed no decreased risks of incident stroke in men or women with higher dietary magnesium intakes. Conclusions Higher dietary magnesium intake was associated with a reduced risk of CHD in Japanese men.

Background Few reports of the real-world efficacy and safety of tofacitinib (TFB) in Asians are available, and potential predictors of the response to therapy are unclear. We investigated the efficacy and safety profiles of TFB treatment for one year in patients with active Ulcerative Colitis (UC) in our specialized Inflammatory Bowel Disease center. Methods This study included 111 patients who received TFB between May 2018 and February 2020. We assessed disease activity using the partial Mayo Score (pMS). Clinical remission was defined as pMS ≤2, with no subscore >1 and a rectal bleeding subscore of 0. Clinical response was defined as a decrease in pMS of ≥2 points from baseline with an accompanying decrease in the rectal bleeding subscore of ≥1 point or an absolute rectal bleeding subscore of ≤1 point. Results Mean patient age was 35 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 28-47), 60 (59.4%) were men, and mean disease duration was 4.8 years (IQR:1.5-10). The pMS was 6 (IQR:4-7) and C-reactive protein was 0.30 mg/dl (IQR: 0.1-1.0). At baseline, 63 (62.4%) patients received an anti-TNFα agent, 11 (10.9%) received vedolizumab, and 7 (6.9%) received both. Clinical response and clinical remission were, respectively, 66.3% (67/101) and 50.5% (51/101) at week 8, and 47.1% (40/85) and 43.5% (37/85) at week 48. The cumulative remission rate was 61.7% at 1 year and 51.7% at 2 years, and tended to be better in the ≥2 anti-TNFα agents failure group than in the 1 anti-TNFα agent failure and bio-naïve groups (P=0.10). Cumulative colectomy-free survival was 91.9% at 1 year and 89.1% at 2 years. Cumulative drug-free survival in the non-remission group at week 8 was 30.9% at 1 year and 30.9% at 2 years, significantly lower than in the remission-achieving group at week 8 (P Conclusion TFB was more effective in low-activity UC patients and its efficacy was not affected by previous treatment with anti-TNF agents. Most patients in the remission groups at week 8 could continue TFB for one year without severe adverse events, although careful monitoring for herpes zoster is necessary. The risk of thrombotic adverse events might be lower in Japanese UC patients.

A pulse shape difference between photons and neutrons was observed in the output signals of scintillation light from the un-doped CsI calorimeter of the KOTO experiment for the K L → π 0 ν ν decay. We developed a discrimination method to reject neutrons and to accept photons in the deposited energy range from 0.1 to 2 GeV. The method rejects 67% of neutron-induced single hadronic clusters and 86% of neutron-induced two-cluster events while keeping more than 90% of photon-induced single electromagnetic clusters and two-photon events.

Bialkali photocathodes, such as cesium potassium antimonide (CsK2Sb), can generate a high-brightness electron beam using a high-power green laser. These photocathode materials have potential applications in advanced accelerators and electron microscopes. It is known that the quantum efficiency (QE) of these photocathodes is affected severely by their substrates; however, reusability of the substrates is not well known. Here, we use graphene, silicon (Si), and molybdenum (Mo) substrates to evaluate the effects of substrates on the QE of redeposited CsK2Sb photocathodes after thermal cleanings. We found that the QE of CsK2Sb photocathodes redeposited on a graphene substrate after thermal cleaning at 500 °C remained largely unchanged. On the other hand, the QE of redeposited photocathodes on Si and Mo substrates after thermal cleaning at the same temperature decreased drastically. We used x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to quantitatively evaluate the residues of photocathodes after thermal cleaning at 400 °C and 500 °C. We found that Sb, K, and Cs are removed by thermal cleaning at 500 °C for the graphene substrate, but all or the majority of these elements remained on the Si and Mo substrates. The results were consistent with our density functional theory calculations for the case of Si, which we investigated. Furthermore, our angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on graphene indicated that its intrinsic electronic structure is preserved after photocathode deposition and thermal cleaning at 500 °C. Hence, we attributed the difference in the amount of photocathode residue to the unique dangling-bond-free surface of inert graphene. Our results provide a foundation for graphene-based reusable substrates for high-QE semiconductor photocathodes.

Aims Coping strategies may be significantly associated with health outcomes. This is the first study to investigate the association between baseline coping strategies and cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality in a general population cohort. Methods and results The Japan Public Health Center-based prospective Study asked questions on coping in its third follow-up survey (2000–04). Analyses on CVD incidence and mortality included 57 017 subjects aged 50–79 without a history of CVD and who provided complete answers on approach- and avoidance-oriented coping behaviours and strategies. Cox regression models, adjusted for confounders, were used to determine hazard ratios (HRs) according to coping style. Mean follow-up time was 7.9 years for incidence and 8.0 years for mortality. The premorbid use of an approach-oriented coping strategy was inversely associated with incidence of stroke (HR = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73–1.00) and CVD mortality (HR = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.55–0.99). Stroke subtype analyses revealed an inverse association between the approach-oriented coping strategy and incidence of ischaemic stroke (HR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.64–0.98) and a positive association between the combined coping strategy and incidence of intra-parenchymal haemorrhage (HR = 2.03; 95% CI, 1.01–4.10). Utilizing an avoidance coping strategy was associated with increased mortality from ischaemic heart disease (IHD) only in hypertensive individuals (HR = 3.46; 95% CI, 1.07–11.18). The coping behaviours fantasizing and positive reappraisal were associated with increased risk of CVD incidence (HR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03–1.50) and reduced risk of IHD mortality (HR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.40–0.99), respectively. Conclusion An approach-oriented coping strategy, i.e. proactively dealing with sources of stress, may be associated with significantly reduced stroke incidence and CVD mortality in a Japanese population-based cohort.

Background and aims Higher intake of fish or n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has been associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, it is unclear whether increased blood levels of n-3 PUFAs are associated with reduced risk of CHD in the Japanese population. Methods The relationship between circulating levels of n-3 PUFAs (eicosapentaenoic acid + docosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid) and risk of CHD was examined in a nested case-control study among participants in the Japan Public Health Center (JPHC)-based Study Cohort. Plasma n-3 PUFA phospholipid levels were measured at baseline by gas chromatography in 209 cases with CHD and 418 controls matched for sex, age, date of blood draw, time elapsed since last meal before blood collection, and study location. The CHD cases (n = 209) comprised 168 cases of myocardial infarction and 41 of sudden cardiac death, otherwise classified as 157 non-fatal and 52 fatal coronary events, respectively. Mean duration of follow-up was 13.5 years. Results Multivariate conditional logistic analysis showed no significant association between n-3 PUFAs and risk of total CHD. The odds ratio (OR) for the highest versus lowest quartiles of plasma n-3 PUFAs was 0.79 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.41–1.51, p for trend = 0.51). Subtype analysis of CHD revealed that the multivariate ORs for the highest versus lowest quartiles for n-3 PUFAs were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.43–1.89, p for trend = 0.90) for myocardial infarction, 0.08 (95% CI: 0.01–0.88, p for trend = 0.04) for sudden cardiac death, 0.89 (95% CI: 0.42–1.89, p for trend = 0.97) for nonfatal coronary events, and 0.12 (95% CI: 0.02–0.75, p for trend = 0.03) for fatal coronary events. Conclusions Plasma n-3 PUFA levels were not associated with risk of total CHD but were inversely associated with risks of sudden cardiac death and fatal coronary events among middle-aged Japanese individuals.

In this study, we designed and manufactured a pulsed multipole magnet for beam injection into the UVSOR-III ring. A sextupole-like magnetic field could be excited when using the multipole magnet. To compensate for the residual field at the center of the magnet caused by manufacturing imprecisions, thin ferrite sheets were used. The injection experiments at UVSOR-III demonstrated multi-turn injections with the pulsed multipole magnet. The injection efficiency was 23% and the electron beam was stored up to the normal operation current of 300 mA. Moreover, we confirmed that oscillations of stored beams caused by beam injection were drastically suppressed compared with conventional pulsed dipole injection.

Seafood/fish intake has been regarded as a protective factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), while smoking is a strong risk factor. To examine whether associations between smoking and risk of CHD are modified by seafood/fish intake, we studied 72,012 Japanese men and women aged 45-74 years who completed 2 food frequency questionnaires, 5 years apart, during the period 1995-2009. After 878,163 person-years of follow-up, 584 incident cases of CHD (101 fatal and 483 nonfatal), including 516 myocardial infarctions, were documented. There was a clear dose-response association between smoking and CHD risk among subjects with a low seafood/fish intake (

We theoretically demonstrate for the first time that a single free electron in circular/spiral motion emits twisted photons carrying well defined orbital angular momentum along the axis of the electron circulation, in adding to spin angular momentum. We show that, when the electron velocity is relativistic, the radiation field contains harmonic components and the photons of l-th harmonic carry lhbar total angular momentum for each. This work indicates that twisted photons are naturally emitted by free electrons and more ubiquitous in laboratories and in nature than ever been thought.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic oligomers of d-(+)-glucopyranose units linked through α-1,4-glycoside bonding. CDs are produced from starch, not from fossil resources, and are practically nontoxic. CDs recognize hydrophobic guest compounds, of which shape and size match the cavity, to form inclusion complexes in aqueous media. CDs have thus been widely used in industry and academia as functional compounds with molecular recognition ability. This entry overviews CDs; the historical background, basic characteristics and inclusion behavior, industrial applications, and cutting-edge applications.

Inverse Compton-scattered gamma rays of tunable energy were generated by changing the collision angle between a laser and an electron beam of fixed energy at the electron storage ring, UVSOR-II. Analytic expressions were derived for energy and intensity of the gamma rays. The measured energy and intensity of the gamma rays agreed with the theoretical values, and the pulse width was calculated to be a few ps, under experimental conditions. It was shown that ultra-short gamma ray pulses with a pulse width of 150 fs can be generated by optimizing the size of the laser spot.

Flange spread is one of the most important factors in the production of H-beams with the universal rolling mill. Although some prediction models for flange spread have been proposed, the constants in the model equations should be determined for each product size, which requires much experimental work. In this research, finite element analysis was carried out in various rolling conditions and a technique for deciding the model constants by the analysis was investigated. First, rolling experiments using pure lead were carried out to confirm the correctness of the flange spread model. Finite element analyses were then executed for rolling conditions corresponding to the experiments. The flange spread in the numerical analyses showed very good agreement with the experimental results, confirming the accuracy of the numerical simulation. At the same time, the possibility of determining the model constants by numerical analysis was demonstrated. Other related properties of universal rolling were also investigated with the data from the finite element analysis. Changes in the web and flange thicknesses after exiting the roll gap were quantitatively simulated. The cross-flow behavior between the web and flange was investigated, and the effect of rolling conditions on the cross-flow ratio was obtained. This research demonstrates that finite element simulation is a powerful tool for investigating and modeling deformation in H-beam universal rolling.

We are developing an ultra-short gamma ray pulse source based on laser Compton scattering technology. Ultra-short gamma ray pulses can be generated by injecting femtosecond laser pulses into the electron beam circulating in an electron storage ring from the direction perpendicular to the orbital plane. The energy, intensity, and pulse width of the gamma rays are estimated to be 6.6 MeV, 2.4×10 6 photons s −1 , and 288 fs, respectively, for the case of a 750 MeV electron storage ring with a commercially available femtosecond laser. A preliminary head-on collision experiment was conducted. The measured spectral shape agreed well with the simulation, including the detector response calculated by the EGS5 code. The results implied that the generation of gamma rays occurred by laser Compton scattering and confirmed the validity of the estimation of the gamma ray intensity in the case of 90° collisions.

Terahertz (THz) coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) is emitted not only from ultra-short electron bunches, but also from electron bunches with micro-structures. Formation of micro-structures at the sub-picosecond scale in electron bunches by a laser slicing technique is experimentally studied through observation of the THz CSR. The THz CSR spectrum was found to depend strongly on the intensity and the pulse width of the laser. The results agreed qualitatively with a numerical simulation. It was suggested that the evolution of the micro-structure during CSR emission is important under some experimental conditions.

This study examined whether propolis, which had many biological activities, affected body fat and lipid metabolism. Four-week-old Wistar rats were fed a control or propolis diet for 8 wk. The control group was fed a high-fat diet, the low and the high group were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with 0.5% (w/w) and 0.05% (w/w) propolis, respectively. The weight of total white adipose tissue of the high group was lower than that of the control group. The level of PPARγ protein in the adipose tissues of the high group was significantly lower than that of the control group. In plasma and the liver, the high group showed a significantly reduced level of cholesterol and triglyceride compared to the control group. The liver PPARα protein level of the high group was significantly higher than that of the control group. The liver HMG-CoA reductase protein in the high group was also significantly lower than that in the control group. Results from rats on an olive oil loading test were used to investigate whether propolis inhibited triglyceride absorption. The serum triglyceride level of the group, which received propolis corresponding to the daily dose of the high group, was significantly lower than that of the control group. It is possible that the administration of propolis improves the accumulation of body fat and dyslipidemia via the change of the expression of proteins involved in adipose depot and lipid metabolism.

Coherent Harmonic Generation (CHG) is of great interest for new Free Electron Laser light sources in the VUV—soft X-ray region. In this configuration, an external laser is focused inside a first undulator. The interaction between the electron beam and the external laser leads to a density modulation resulting in coherent emission with harmonic content in a second undulator. Experiments have been carried out on the UVSOR-II FEL (Okasaki, Japan) seeded with a Ti:Sa laser at 800 nm wavelength, 2.5 mJ, 1 kHz repetition rate and 1.2 ps pulse duration. In this paper, generation of the second, third and fourth harmonics of the fundamental (400, 266 and 200 nm) using planar undulators is reported, together with angular distribution measurement of the second harmonic. We also present coherent generation of the second and third harmonic using helical undulators. These investigations on even harmonic generation with both undulator configurations may provide interesting insight in nonlinear harmonic generation with FELs for next generation FELs, aiming at GW pulse delivery at sub-nm wavelengths.

A tunable source of coherent narrowband terahertz radiation is realized by using a laser to modulate the emission characteristics of a relativistic electron beam. In the quest for sources of optical radiation in the terahertz domain, promising candidates are nonlinear optical processes occurring when an intense laser beam interacts with a material medium1,2,3,4,5. Besides conventional media (such as crystals), relativistic electrons also show striking nonlinear collective behaviours, which can lead to powerful laser-induced coherent emission6,7, revealing huge potentials of these devices as terahertz sources8. However, up to now only broadband emissions were reported, and experimental control of their radiation properties, such as their spectra9,10, remained an important challenge. Here, we demonstrate the possibility of mastering the coherent emission experimentally by producing tunable narrowband terahertz radiation. The interaction is made to occur between an electron beam and laser pulses possessing a longitudinal quasi-sinusoidal modulation, and the narrowband emission occurs in a region of quasi-uniform magnetic field. The process therefore strongly differs from classical synchrotron radiation experiments, where narrowband emission occurs inside a periodic magnetic field.

We have developed a method to measure the Touschek beam lifetime of an electron storage ring using spurious bunches in single-bunch operation by measuring changes in the single-bunch impurity over time. To measure a spurious bunch and the main bunch simultaneously, we use a photon counting method with sufficient dynamic range and response time. We demonstrate the method by measuring the Touschek beam lifetime in the UVSOR-II electron storage ring. We find that the Touschek beam lifetime dominates the total beam lifetime in UVSOR-II in the usual vacuum condition.

The spatial distribution of the effective dose of photons, electrons and positrons caused by beam loss around a small electron storage ring in a synchrotron radiation source is calculated. We propose a simple formula applicable to calculate the effective dose for storage rings for beam energies ranging from 200 MeV to 5 GeV. The formula is derived from Monte Carlo calculations of radiation flux using the simulation code EGS4. We apply the formula to estimate the effective dose distribution in a small synchrotron radiation facility planned by the Nagoya University.

The UVSOR electron storage ring has been shutdown since April till August 2003 for upgradation of its performance. This upgrade includes high brightness lattice, longer straight sections for in-vacuum undulators and high-quality vacuum system, and it can increase the brightness of synchrotron radiation from undulators with reduced beam emittance. The improved quality of the electron beam is also of great advantage to the storage ring FEL. To further improve the performance of the FEL and deliver shorter wavelength laser to the user, we are considering a project, which can upgrade the FEL system. One of the solutions is to construct a new in-vacuum optical klystron type undulator in the new long straight section, which is optimized for lasing in the deep UV and VUV region.

The KOTO ($K^0$ at Tokai) experiment aims to observe the CP-violating rare decay $K_L \rightarrow \pi^0 \nu \bar{\nu}$ by using a long-lived neutral-kaon beam produced by the 30 GeV proton beam at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex. The $K_L$ flux is an essential parameter for the measurement of the branching fraction. Three $K_L$ neutral decay modes, $K_L \rightarrow 3\pi^0$, $K_L \rightarrow 2\pi^0$, and $K_L \rightarrow 2\gamma$ were used to measure the $K_L$ flux in the beam line in the 2013 KOTO engineering run. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the detector acceptance for these decays. Agreement was found between the simulation model and the experimental data, and the remaining systematic uncertainty was estimated at the 1.4\% level. The $K_L$ flux was measured as $(4.183 \pm 0.017_{\mathrm{stat.}} \pm 0.059_{\mathrm{sys.}}) \times 10^7$ $K_L$ per $2\times 10^{14}$ protons on a 66-mm-long Au target., Comment: 27 pages, 16 figures. To be appeared in Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics

Objectives: To study the factors which influence cognitive impairment among elderly subjects living in a local community, based on both MRI and clinical findings, to further elucidate the causes of dementia, and also to help develop strategies for its prevention. Methods: Cranial MRI and other medical examinations were performed on non-demented elderly subjects who resided in one rural community. A total of 254 subjects aged from 60 to 91 years of age, with a mean age of 73.9 (SD 6.8) were examined. The mini mental state examination (MMSE) was used to identify cognitive impairment. White matter lesions and cerebral atrophy on MR images were measured quantitatively. A multivariate analysis was also performed with the existence of cognitive impairment as the dependent variable, and the MRI findings and clinical observations were used as the independent variables. Results: Cognitive impairment was present in 46 subjects (18.1%). They were older, had a lower educational level, and more frequent hypertension compared with those without cognitive impairment. The packed cell volume was lower in the impaired group. In addition, their MRI findings showed significantly larger quantities of white matter lesions and cerebral atrophy, as well as more infarcts. A logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant relation among such factors as white matter lesions (odds ratio (OR) 1.575, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.123–2.208), cerebral atrophy (OR 0.761, 95%CI 0.587–0.987), and lower education (OR 0.682, 95%CI 0.544–0.855) for subjects with a cognitive impairment. Conclusions: White matter lesions and cerebral atrophy are factors which induce a cognitive impairment in community dwelling elderly subjects without dementia. It is important to carefully watch for any abnormalities in these factors, and to perform cohort studies to check for the above risk factors, to both prevent and make an early diagnosis of dementia.

We examined the association between green tea consumption and mortality due to all causes, cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory disease, injuries, and other causes of death in a large-scale population-based cohort study in Japan.We studied 90,914 Japanese (aged between 40 and 69 years) recruited between 1990 and 1994. After 18.7 years of follow-up, 12,874 deaths were reported. The association between green tea consumption and risk of all causes and major causes of mortality was assessed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model with adjustment for potential confounders.Hazard ratios for all-cause mortality among men who consumed green tea compared with those who drank less than 1 cup/day were 0.96 (0.89-1.03) for 1-2 cups/day, 0.88 (0.82-0.95) for 3-4 cups/day, and 0.87 (0.81-0.94) for more than 5 cups/day (P for trend.001). Corresponding hazard ratios for women were 0.90 (0.81-1.00), 0.87 (0.79-0.96), and 0.83 (0.75-0.91; P for trend.001). Green tea was inversely associated with mortality from heart disease in both men and women and mortality from cerebrovascular disease and respiratory disease in men. No association was found between green tea and total cancer mortality.This prospective study suggests that the consumption of green tea may reduce the risk of all-cause mortality and the three leading causes of death in Japan.

We present experimental and self-consistent field (SCF) modeling results on partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl acetate) (PVA) chains adsorbed on poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) latex particles to determine the relationship between the structure of PVA and the steric force between the colloidal particles with adsorbed PVA. By measuring the surface pressure−area isotherms for a PVA-coated PVC latex monolayer at the air/water interface with the Langmuir−Blodgett surface balance, we found that both an increase in chain length and a decrease in degree of hydrolysis increase the repulsive energy between colloidal particles. Surface pressure−area isotherms also reveal that temperatures ranging from 20 to 50 °C have little effect on the repulsive energy between the colloidal particles. We also used this method to analyze the effect of PVA mixtures on colloidal stability. SCF modeling was used to analyze our experimental results. Our results showed excellent agreement between the SCF modeling results and the experimental ...

Two cDNA encoding red sea bream DE-1 and DE-2 phospholipases A2 (PLA2) were cloned from the hepatopancreas of red sea bream, Pagrus (Chrysophrys) major. The cDNA of DE-1 PLA2 encoded a mature protein of 125 amino acid residues with an apparent signal peptide of 20 residues and propeptide of 5 residues, and that of DE-2 PLA2, a mature protein of 126 amino acid residues with an apparent signal peptide of 17 residues and propeptide of 6 residues. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequences for mature DE-1 and DE-2 PLA2 showed that both proteins contain 14 cysteines including Cys 11 and 77 and a pancreatic loop, which are commonly conserved in group IB PLA2; however, the identity in amino acid sequence between DE-1 and DE-2 PLA2 was low (47%). A previous report concerning the cDNA cloning of red sea bream gill G-3 PLA2 and the present results represent the first cloning and sequencing of three distinct isoforms of group IB PLA2 in a single fish species, red sea bream. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that DE-1 PLA2 mRNA was expressed in the hepatopancreas, pyloric ceca, intestine, spleen, gonad, stomach, and kidney, whereas gill G-3 PLA2 mRNA was expressed only in the gills and gonad. The expression of DE-2 PLA2 mRNA was detected in all of the tissues analyzed. These results indicate that three distinct isoforms of group IB PLA2, DE-1 and DE-2 PLA2 in hepatopanceas and gill G-3 PLA2, are expressed in a tissue-specific manner in red sea bream.

Well-established mechanisms for regulation of protein activity include thiol-mediated oxidoreduction in addition to protein-protein interactions and phosphorylation. Nucleoredoxin (NRX), glutaredoxin (GRX), and thioredoxin (TRX) have been shown to act as a potent thiol reductase and reactive oxygen species regulator. They constitute a oxidoreductase superfamily and have been suggested as a candidate operating in the redox regulation of gene expression. We demonstrated here that intracellular localization of these redox molecules differ from each other and that the redox molecules differentially regulate NF-kappaB, AP-1, and CREB activation induced by TNFalpha, PMA, and forskolin and by expression of signaling intermediate kinases, NIK, MEKK, and PKA in HEK293 cells. This is a first report that describes involvement of NRX and GRX and differences from TRX in transcriptional regulation of NF-kappaB, AP-1, and CREB in living cells.

A novel thermophilic Bacillus smithii strain SC-J05-1, isolated from a hot spring, had the ability of hydrating nitrile to form amide. The nitrile hydratase was purified to homogeneity from the microbial cells of SC-J05-1 and was characterized. The enzyme was a 130-kDa protein composed of two different subunits (25.3 kDa and 26.8 kDa) and contained cobalt ions. This enzyme had the optimal temperature of 40°C and was stable up to 50°C. The optimal pH was in the alkaline region higher than pH 10.

The development of advanced technology for the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing should be achieved not only considering cost, non proliferation and reduction of radioactive wastes but also corresponding to both spent nuclear fuels of LWR and FBR. We have proposed an ion exchange process for reprocessing using a new type ion exchanger developed to chemical method of U enrichment technology. This process possess possibility of a sharp cut in cost, since this ion exchanger is characterized by rapid adsorption-desorption rate dominating the treatment rate. From the basic experimental results, this reprocessing process has been constructed by 3 ion exchanger columns which consist of a main separation column, the uranium-refining column and the plutonium-refining column. Comparing ion exchange process with the conventional Purex process, this ion exchange process has many advantages such as the decrease in the number and size separation equipment, solvent-spent free and alkaline-liquid-spent free. With these advantages, this process is estimated that the construction cost of reprocessing process is greatly reduced comparing to the conventional process.

Novel concepts of X-ray production by relativistic electrons in stratified targets are developed. It is shown that by transmitting an electron beam through a compound target, consisting of a periodic multifoil structure and a crystal, it is possible to obtain the intense, tunable, quasi-monochromatic X-rays, emitting at large (Bragg) angles with respect to the electron beam axis due to the diffraction on the crystal of resonance transition radiation, previously generated in the multilayered structure. The first results of experimental investigation of this effect for 900 MeV electrons, transmitting through the periodic stack of 10 Mylar foils and pyrolytic graphite crystal, are presented. The obtained results show that, by using of the combined radiator, it is possible to produce much more intense X-rays than parametric X-ray radiation, emitting by relativistic electrons due to the diffraction of virtual photons of electron eigenfield during the electron passage through the crystal.

We study the efficiency limitation affecting laser-induced coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) at high laser power. Experiments are made on the UVSOR-II storage ring in conditions of narrowband terahertz CSR emission. While, at moderate power, CSR power increases quadratically with laser power, a noticeable decrease in efficiency and eventually a decrease in CSR power is observed experimentally at high power. Details of the underlying process are analyzed numerically. As the saturation effect depends almost instantaneously on the laser intensity, the saturation occurs locally in longitudinal space. This has important consequences on the modulation pattern induced on the electron bunch.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the distribution and chemical characteristics of cations in annual rings of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) grown in a healthy stand of an unindustrialized region in Japan and discuss the possibility of using cations in tree-rings as a chronological index of acidic deposition. Radial distributions of some cations and P at different vertical positions of the stem were analyzed for five trees from the same mountain. Each cation and P in all trees showed a specific distribution in its radial pattern but similar distribution trends were observed at all vertical positions. The cations and P were classified into three groups : (I) constant radial concentrations (Ca 2+ , Sr 2+ , Na + , and probably Ba 2+ ), (II) high concentrations in the heartwood and low in the sapwood (mg 2+ , K + , Rb + , Cs + ), and (III) increasing concentrations in the sapwood (P, Mn 2+ , Cu 2+ ). The total concentration of cations exceeded the calcium-binding capacity (CBC) of the wood, and the excess was attributed to K + in a salt form. The CBC increased from the sapwood/heartwood boundary toward the pith in the heartwood but remained constant in the sapwood. The increase of CBC in the heartwood was consistent with the profile of Mg 2+ , indicating a transfer of Mg 2+ into heartwood and fixation on the acquired binding site. The radial distribution of 90 Sr was closely related to the cumulative deposition of fallout from the nuclear weapon tests, but that of 137 Cs was unrelated. This suggests immobility of Sr 2+ and mobility of Cs + in the horizontal direction of wood. The conservation of the historical 90 Sr/Sr 2+ change indicated that no influence of heartwood formation on the chemical environment of Sr 2+ in cedar xylem and a possibility of using Sr 2+ as a chronological index of nutrient availability. A steady-state in nutrient availability is speculated for trees growing in this mountain because all of the trees analyzed show constant radial distributions of Sr 2+ for decades.

UO 2 powders of 90–150, 300–355, and 850–1000 μm were dissolved in HNO 3 solutions stirred at 300 rpm. Concentrations of HNO 2 in dissolvent solutions were held constant by supplying NaNO 2 solutions of appropriate concentrations at 0.2 ml/min. The dissolution reactions were analyzed on the assumptions that the UO 2 powders are spherical particles and homogeneously dissolved from their external surface. Dissolution rate constants (φ) in mol cm −2 min −1 were measured at various concentrations of HNO 3 and HNO 2 , and temperatures. Furthermore, the effect of UO 2 2+ and NO 3 − ions on the dissolution rate was also examined. It was found that the dissolution rate of UO 2 powders is not accelerated by UO 2 2+ ions and expressed as φ = ( k a + k b [HNO 2 ])[NO 3 − ] T 2.3 ([NO 3 − ] T = total nitrate concentration). Activation energies ( ΔE ≠ ) for k a and k b were evaluated to be 79.5 ± 6.7 and 36.8 ± 2.9 kJ/mol, respectively. The φ value at 80°C, [HNO 3 ] = 8M, and [HNO 2 ] = 0.024M (M = mol/dm 3 ) is 8.5 × 10 −6 mol cm −2 min −1 .

Summary In making a friction welded joint, it is necessary to produce a flash at the weld during the welding process. In this research, the flash was measured by the image processing method and the joint performance was evaluated by the data from such measurements. The monochrome image of the flash was transformed to binary image data in order to remove noise in the image processing process. Then, the characteristics of the flash were extracted as numerical information on the outline of the welds. The measured features were the height, width, curvature radius of the toe and sectional area of the flash. In this way, an evaluation of friction welded joint performance can be made by recognition of the flash shape.

Dissolution experiments of U0 2 powders(100∼300μ m) were carried out under various conditions to get information on oxidants for dissolving U02 under mild conditions. It was found that the U0 2 powders are dissolved even at room temperature in HNO 3 solutions containing 0.1 M (M = mol/dm 3 ) Ce(NO 3 ) 3 bubbled with 0 3 gas and also dissolved even in HCl solutions by adding NaClO 3 . These dissolution behaviors are reasonably explained as actions of strong oxidants, that is, Ce(IV) ions generated with the oxidation of Ce(III) ions by O 3 and ClO 2 produced with the reaction between ClO 3 3 and Cl − . In fact, the U02 powders were found to be easily dissolved at 20°C in acid solutions(HCl, HNO 3 , or HClO 4 ) bubbled with ClO 2 gas. These results suggest that the bubbling method of O 3 or ClO 2 into dissolvent solutions will be a candidate for dissolving nuclear fuels under the mild conditions.

Background/Purpose. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave coagulation therapy (MCT) have been gaining acceptance as a standard method in the management strategy of liver cancer, for reasons of minimally invasive techniques and effective results. We present our experience of RFA and MCT in patients with liver cancer, and analyze retrospectively the advantages and disadvantages of both of the percutaneous and laparoscopic approaches. Methods. Thirty-two consecutive patients (23 men and 9 women) with 19 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), 12 metastatic liver cancers, and recurrent cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCC), were enrolled in this study. Out of these 32 patients, as a prior laparotomy, 19 underwent hepatectomy, colectomy, gastrectomy or cholecystectomy, and 15 were treated with the laparoscopic approach, 17 treated with the percutaneous approach, and 2 treated with the combined approach of those two. All of these procedures were carried out under general anesthesia with ultrasound guidance. Seven and 30 days after these procedures, an assessment helical computed tomography was done. Results. No sign of the residual tissues was noted in all patients except only one case. Conclusions. The percutaneous approach was thought to be a more practical and less invasive method regardless previous laparotomy. For the laparoscopic approach, tumors located at the hepatic surface or margin were preferable candidates.