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Objective Tolvaptan, a vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist, is a water diuretic, removing electrolyte-free water from the kidneys and affecting the water balance between the intracellular and extracellular fluid. We previously reported that tolvaptan efficiently reduced the intracellular fluid volume, suggesting its utility for treating cellular edema. Furthermore, tolvaptan is known for its low incidence of worsening the renal function, with conventional diuretics use associated with worsening of the renal function Methods In this retrospective observational study, five chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with fluid retention were assessed by the bioelectrical impedance (BIA) method twice (before and after tolvaptan therapy). Tolvaptan was used with conventional diuretics. The post/pre ratio of extracellular water (ECW)/total body water (TBW) in the tolvaptan group was compared with that in 18 CKD patients undergoing body fluid reduction with conventional diuretics alone (conventional diuretics groups), taking the reduced amount of body fluid into consideration. Results Removing body fluid, either by tolvaptan or by conventional diuretics alone, decreased the ECW/TBW ratio. Of note, the reduction in extracellular fluid was milder in the tolvaptan group than in the conventional diuretics group. Conclusion Tolvaptan reduces the extracellular fluid per amount of body fluid reduction less markedly than conventional diuretics.

Trace impurity patterns are important nuclear forensic signatures in uranium ore concentrates (UOCs) and Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) are used to validate the analysis methods employed by end users. Herein, we discuss the certification campaign for three new UOC CRMs from the National Research Council Canada: UCLO-1 (https://doi.org/10.4224/crm.2020.uclo-1), UCHI-1 (https://doi.org/10.4224/crm.2020.uchi-1), and UPER-1 (https://doi.org/10.4224/crm.2020.uper-1). This study involved 15 laboratories from 10 countries, using sector-field and (triple) quadrupole inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry to analyze 64 trace element impurities. We discuss the importance of the acids used for sample digestion, difficulties analyzing in a high uranium matrix, and data combination and uncertainty evaluation for this large dataset.

Zinc deficiency is one cause of anemia. However, it has been reported that some patients who were treated with zinc supplementation to resolve this anemia subsequently experienced copper deficiency, which lead to continued anemia, as well as leukocytopenia and other symptoms. However, only two patients with copper deficiency induced by zinc supplementation undergoing peritoneal dialysis have been reported. Here, we report the case of a 59 year-old man with copper deficiency after zinc supplementation undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). He took meals only once a day and drank about 750 mL/day of wine every day. He had been receiving zinc supplementation for 4 months. He was diagnosed with severe leukocytopenia and worsening anemia at a planned outpatient visit; in addition, his copper levels had markedly decreased. Thus, zinc supplementation was discontinued, and the patient was instructed to take cocoa for copper supplementation. Because of severe leukocytopenia, he was admitted to our hospital, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was administered. Red blood cell transfusions were performed for anemia. After discontinuing zinc supplementation, his white blood cell count and hemoglobin levels improved. To avoid Cu deficiency, patients’ dietary history should be checked in detail and Cu should be monitored carefully when Zn is supplemented in patients undergoing PD.

In this study, data from thirteen laboratories from around the world are presented for a successful certification of uranium isotope ratios in uranium ore concentrate (UOC) certified reference materials from the National Research Council Canada. Different mass spectrometric measurement principles (including SF-ICP-MS, quadruple ICP-MS, TIMS, MC-ICP-MS, SIMS and AMS) and measurement procedures were employed. In general, data from all sources exhibit good consistency with TIMS and MC-ICP-MS showing superior performance. The three candidate UOC CRMs (UCLO-1, UCHI-1 and UPER-1) have natural uranium isotope ratios with certified values of 0.5304(7) × 10⁻⁴, 0.5475(2) × 10⁻⁴ and 0.5361(4) × 10⁻⁴ for n(²³⁴U)/n(²³⁸U) and 0.007 2563(13), 0.007 2563(10) and 0.007 2542(11) for n(²³⁵U)/n(²³⁸U), respectively, with expanded uncertainty (k = 2) applicable to the last digit of the value given in the parentheses. Information values for n(²³⁶U)/n(²³⁸U) in these three CRMs, measured by AMS, are also provided: 10 × 10⁻¹², 200 × 10⁻¹² and 22 × 10⁻¹². The uncertainties of the proposed certified values of uranium isotope ratios in UOC CRMs are superior to available reference materials, and the values of n(²³⁴U)/n(²³⁸U) and n(²³⁶U)/n(²³⁸U) show significant variation among the three CRMs.

Although sedentary behavior is a risk factor of cardiometabolic diseases and mortality, little information is available about a clinical impact of occupational sedentary behavior on chronic kidney disease (CKD).The present retrospective cohort study included 10,212 workers of a national university in Japan who underwent annual health checkups between April 2006 and March 2013. Main exposure of interest was self-reported occupational sedentary behavior at the baseline visit. The outcome was the incidence of proteinuria defined as dipstick urinary protein of 1 + or more. The association between sedentary workers and the incidence of proteinuria was assessed using Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for clinically relevant factors, including television viewing time, the major home sedentary behavior.During median 4.8 years (interquartile range 2.1-7.9) of the observational period, the incidence of proteinuria was observed in 597 (12.0%) males and 697 (13.3%) females. In males, sedentary workers were identified as a significant predictor of proteinuria (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio of non-sedentary and sedentary workers: 1.00 [reference] and 1.35 [1.11-1.63]), along with longer television viewing time ( 30 min, 30-60 min, 1-2 h, 2-3 h, and 3 h/day: 1.15 [0.93-1.42], 1.00 [reference], 1.24 [1.00-1.53], 1.41 [1.03-1.93], and 1.77 [1.13-2.76]), whereas not daily exercise time. In females, neither sedentary workers nor television viewing time was associated with the incidence of proteinuria.In conclusion, male sedentary workers were at high risk of proteinuria. Occupational sedentary behavior may be a potentially modifiable target for the prevention of CKD.

We have previously reported that combination therapy with polymyxin-B direct hemoperfusion (PMX-DHP) and recombinant thrombomodulin (rTM) is effective in patients with septic shock accompanied by disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Two previous studies reporting the favorable effect of early initiation of PMX-DHP for septic shock did not focus on the combination therapy of PMX-DHP and rTM. This retrospective study included 47 consecutive patients who underwent the combination therapy of PMX-DHP and rTM for septic shock with DIC from August 2011 to August 2016. Main exposure was early or late initiation of PMX-DHP. PMX-DHP initiated within 12 hours after catecholamine administration was designated as early group (N = 25) and later than 12 hours as late group (N = 22). Main outcome was 28-day survival rate. The patient characteristics were age median 73 (IQR 68-78) years, 26 men (55%), APACHE II score 32.7 ± 7.7 and lactate 26.0 (18.0-41.0) mg/dL. The 28-day survival rate after PMX-DHP initiation was 76.6% and was not significantly different in the two groups. In the early group, APACHE II score was lower (P = .02), and lactate was higher (P = .005) than in the late group. Lactate was the only predictor of 28-day mortality [odds ratio (95%CI) per 1 mg/dL, 1.08 (1.03-1.19); P = .037] in multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted with age, sex, APACHE II score, lactate and timing of PMX-DHP initiation. Late PMX-DHP initiation did not lead to statistically worse 28-day survival rate in this combination therapy. The combination therapy of PMX-DHP and rTM may improve the therapeutic effect of PMX-DHP and modify the effect of early PMX-DHP on the prognosis. Lactate may be an appropriate indicator rather than time after catecholamine administration if we discuss when to start PMX-DHP in this combination therapy.

Recently, the opportunity to use FPGA in the field of embedded computer system has increased. However, the development cost using FPGA is quite high. We can reduce the cost by limiting the development of the dedicated circuit to the essenially required part of the system and by using soft-core processor together. If the performance of the soft-core processor improves, the development cost can be suppressed, since the amount of the dedicated circuit can be reduced. Furthermore, even in the field of embedded system, the opportunity for data parallel processing such as image processing is increasing. We consider that it is important merit of soft-core processor with SIMD extension that the computation performance can be optimized to the system by changing the number of parallel computing units according to the application. However, it is an obstacle that the software for soft-core processor needs to be changed every time we change the number of computing units. Thus, vector processing facility should provide the scalability that means the number of computing units can be changed without changing the program code. In this paper, we develop a RISC-V based soft-core processor with the scalable vector extension.

Objective Twenty-four-hour urinary creatinine (Cr) excretion (24h-uCr) is the basis of Cr clearance and urinary protein-Cr ratio, and it is related to frailty, worsening kidney function, and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. Although subjects with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) tend to have lower 24h-uCr, previous formulae for the estimation of 24h-uCr did not include Cr as a predictor. Methods This retrospective study included patients admitted to the Department of Nephrology at our hospital (derivation cohort and validation cohort: patients admitted between April 2016 and March 2020). The prediction formula of 24h-uCr was calculated using a multivariate linear regression model with the bootstrap method. Age, height, weight, sex, Cr, and cystatin C were used as predictors. Results The derivation and validation cohorts included 187 and 63 patients, respectively. The characteristics of the derivation and validation cohorts were as follows: age 73 (61-79.5) years and 70 (58.5-79) years; males, 61.5% and 60.3%; eGFRCr 27.0 (13.7-48.6) mL/min/1.73 m2 and 26.3 (14.0-51.5) mL/min/1.73 m2; and 24-hour urinary protein excretion 0.79 (0.17-2.12) g/day and 1.08 (0.26-2.55) g/day, respectively. Seven prediction formulae were derived. In all models, the Pearson's correlation coefficient was relatively high and statistically significant. However, previous models tended to overestimate the 24h-uCr. Furthermore, the predicted 24h-uCr calculated by the models that do not include Cr as a predictor fluctuates depending on the eGFRCr. Conclusion The best formula for predicting 24h-uCr (mg/day) in a wide range of eGFR populations is a Cr-containing formula: [-9.04 × age (years) + 8.03 × weight (kg) + 0.66 × height (cm) + 188.59 (if male) – 32.11 × Cr (mg/dL) + 779.14].

Although multiple studies have revealed a close association of skipping breakfast with cardiometabolic diseases, few studies have reported its association with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Furthermore, there is scant reporting on the clinical impacts that skipping lunch and dinner has on cardiometabolic diseases and CKD. This retrospective cohort study, including 5439 female and 4674 male workers of a national university in Japan who underwent annual health checkups between January 2005 and March 2013, aimed to assess an association of frequencies of breakfast, lunch, and dinner with incidence of proteinuria (dipstick urinary protein &ge, 1+). The incidence of proteinuria was observed in 763 (14.0%) females and 617 (13.2%) males during the median 4.3 and 5.9 years of the observational period, respectively. In females, skipping breakfast as well as skipping dinner, but not lunch, were associated with the incidence of proteinuria (adjusted hazard ratios of breakfast frequency of &ldquo, every day&rdquo, &ldquo, sometimes&rdquo, and &ldquo, rarely&rdquo, 1.00 (reference), 1.35 (1.09&ndash, 1.66), and 1.54 (1.22&ndash, 1.94), respectively, those of dinner frequency of &ldquo, &le, 1.00 (reference) and 1.31 (1.00&ndash, 1.72), respectively). However, no association was observed in male workers. Skipping breakfast and skipping dinner were identified as risk factors of proteinuria in females, but not in males.

Recently, the use of FPGA in the fields of embedded systems has been increasing. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to develop dedicated circuit on FPGA in a short time in many cases. One method for solving this problem is to reduce the development cost of the dedicated circuit by migrating some part of the target task, whose performance is not critical in the system, onto soft-core processor. If the performance of the soft-core processor is improved, more part of the target task can be migrated onto it, the amount of the dedicated circuit to be developed can be further reduced, and thus the development cost can be reduced.However, when trying to raise the performance of soft-core processor, the improvement of the memory access performance is a critical issue, since the performance of memory system including off-chip memory is generally not high in embedded system. Therefore, in this paper, we aim to improve the performance of off-chip SDRAM memory access, and discuss the method of efficient data transfer that utilizes the SDRAM bandwidth as efficiently as possible. And we implement the mechanism to realize the efficient data transfer. We also develop a soft-core processor equipped with vector loading function as research prototype platform, and preliminarily evaluate the performance.

In wireless sensor networks deployed in open environments, e.g., public spaces, malicious can physically access the storage of sensor nodes, steal secure information such as encryption keys, and inject malicious sensor nodes that carry out falsifications with the stolen keys in networks. Conventional mechanisms for falsification detection generally use encryption with a completely secure key. Therefore, they cannot effectively be applied in such a situation in which the key is not secure and the reliability of the data is completely lost. To protect the reliability of wireless sensor networks without depending a secure key, we propose a mechanism that detects malicious nodes through the cooperation of legitimate (hereafter, proper) nodes and logically isolates the detected malicious nodes through inter-node vote from wireless sensor networks.

Previous studies report conflicting results of a dose-dependent association between alcohol consumption and incidence of chronic kidney disease. Only a few studies have assessed the clinical impact of > 45–65 g/day of critically high alcohol consumption. This retrospective cohort study included 88,647 males and 88,925 females with dipstick urinary protein ≤ ± and estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 at their first annual health examinations between April 2008 and March 2010 in Japan. The exposure was the self-reported alcohol consumption. The outcome was proteinuria defined as dipstick urinary protein ≥ 1 + or ≥ 2 +. During median 1.8 years (interquartile range 1.0–2.1) of the observational period, 5416 (6.1%) males and 3262 (3.7%) females developed proteinuria defined as dipstick urinary protein ≥ 1 +. In males, a U-shape association between alcohol consumption and proteinuria was observed in a multivariable-adjusted Poisson regression model [incidence rate ratio (95% confidence interval) of rare, occasional, and daily drinkers with ≤ 19, 20–39, 40–59, and ≥ 60 g/day: 1.00 (reference), 0.86 (0.79–0.94), 0.70 (0.64–0.78), 0.82 (0.75–0.90), 1.00 (0.90–1.11), and 1.00 (0.85–1.17), respectively], whereas a J-shape association was observed in females [1.00 (reference), 0.81 (0.75–0.87), 0.74 (0.64–0.85), 0.93 (0.78–1.11), 1.09 (0.83–1.44), and 1.45 (1.02–2.08), respectively]. Similar associations with dipstick urinary protein ≥ 2 + were shown in males and females. Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with lower risk of proteinuria in both males and females. Females with ≥ 60 g/day of high alcohol consumption were at higher risk of proteinuria, whereas males were not. Females were more vulnerable to high alcohol consumption, than males.

In 2010, the Japanese Government issued the national statement at Nuclear Security Summit (Washington D.C., USA) to develop technologies related to measurement and detection of nuclear materials for nuclear forensics, and to share them with the international community, in order to contribute to strengthening the nuclear security system. In response to this statement, Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Nuclear Security (ISCN) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has initiated R&Ds on nuclear forensics technical capabilities since Japanese Fiscal Year of 2011. One of the main R&D topics of this project is to develop prototype nuclear forensics library (NFL), which is an organized collection of data and information about nuclear and other radioactive materials. In this paper, the development of prototype NFL for nuclear materials and radioisotopes will be presented. An NFL plays an important role to compare the seized materials with the characteristics of known materials to provide information about a material’s origin and history. Recently, the development of nuclear forensics library has been carried out in some countries and the concept of national NFL to collect all target material in the country is the most popular in current international society. The prototype NFL in JAEA also follows this concept. The design of database in an NFL depends strongly on the scale of nuclear fuel cycle in one country, which refers to the amount and variety of the materials available. The database and its structure of the prototype library were studied and designed based on data of target materials possessed in JAEA. This is because the target materials and fuel cycle facilities in JAEA can cover almost all stages of nuclear fuel cycle. The prototype library developed in JAEA and its experiences could contribute to future national library in our country and also for other countries which intends to develop NFLs as a model of NFL development.

Tolvaptan (TLV) promotes aquaresis; however, little is known about its effect on solute excretion in chronic kidney disease (CKD). We retrospectively studied CKD patients with decompensated heart failure (HF) or those with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) receiving TLV. Patients with an increased urine volume of more than twice of daily variance were defined as “responders” in HF. We compared the ability of the urinary osmolality (U-OSM) change and urinary creatinine concentration ([U-Cr]) change to discriminate “responders”. The fractional excretion of sodium (FeNa) and urea nitrogen (FeUN), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were monitored. In 30 responders among 53 HF patients, TLV increased FeUN significantly from 36.1 to 44.2% after starting TLV, but not FeNa. Since U-OSM is determined partially by urinary UN concentration, the decrease of [U-Cr] after treatment outperformed the U-OSM decrement to discriminate responders, as shown in receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and significantly higher net reclassification index. In 13 ADPKD patients, TLV increased FeUN (34.8, 47.3%, p = 0.02), and significant decrease of BUN by 2.3 (95% confidence interval 0.4–4.2) mg/dL was observed even 3 months after the intervention. Systolic blood pressure decreased significantly by 14.2 (95% confidence interval 4.0–24.4) mmHg along with the increase in FeNa, leading to reduced dosage of antihypertensives in 6 patients. TLV promotes the excretion of sodium and urea. The change in [U-Cr] is useful for early discrimination of responders. Hypotension should be carefully monitored during high-dose TLV therapy.

Alcohol consumption is one of the major modifiable risk factors of hypertension. The aim of the present retrospective study was to assess the clinical impact of obesity on the association between alcohol consumption and the incidence of hypertension. The present study included 5116 male and 6077 female university employees with a median age of 32 (interquartile range 27–39) who underwent annual health checkups between January 2005 and March 2013. Self-reported drinking frequency was recorded at their first checkup and categorized into rarely and 1–3, 4–6, and 7 days/week. During the median observational period of 4.9 years (interquartile range 2.1–8.3), hypertension, defined as systolic/diastolic blood pressure of ≥140/90 mmHg and/or self-reported treatment for hypertension, was observed in 1067 (20.9%) men and 384 (6.3%) women. Poisson regression models adjusted for clinically relevant factors revealed a dose-dependent association between drinking frequency and the incidence of hypertension in men (adjusted incidence rate ratio [95% confidence interval] of men who drank rarely, 1–3, 4–6, and 7 days/week was 1.00 [reference], 1.12 [0.97–1.30], 1.42 [1.19–1.70], and 1.35 [1.14–1.59], respectively; Ptrend

Short sleep duration is a risk factor of chronic kidney disease, along with cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality. Several studies reported that many people sleep longer on weekends than on weekdays, suggesting that they should be compensated for their sleep debt on weekdays on the weekends. Few studies have reported the clinical impact of sleep debt on the kidney. This cross-sectional study included 5799 employees of Osaka University who visited its Health Care Center for their annual health examinations and answered ≤ 6 h of sleep duration on weekdays. The independent variable was the sleep debt index defined as a gap in self-reported sleep duration (≤ 5, 5–6, 6–7, 7–8, 8–9, and ≥ 9 h) between weekdays and weekends, which was categorized into ≤ 0, + 1, + 2, + 3 and ≥+4. An association between the sleep debt index and a prevalence of proteinuria defined as dipstick proteinuria of ≥ 1 + was assessed using logistic regression models adjusting for clinically relevant factors. More than four-fifths of the subjects had a positive sleep debt index (≤ 0, + 1, + 2, + 3, and ≥+4 recorded for 19%, 36%, 28%, 11%, and 6%, respectively). The multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models showed the sleep debt index ≥ 3 + was significantly associated with the prevalence of proteinuria (sleep debt index ≤ 0, adjusted odds ratio 1.13 [0.77, 1.65]; + 1, 1.00 [reference]; + 2, 1.29 [0.93, 1.79]; + 3, 1.54 [1.02, 2.33]; ≥ + 4, 1.87 [1.15, 3.05]). Sleep debt was associated with the prevalence of proteinuria in a dose-dependent manner.

This study aims to develop a new type of peristaltic pump that transports high-viscosity and solid–liquid mixture fluids. Pumps capable of transporting such fluids are essential in various situations such as factory transportation, outdoors, and emergencies. These fluids are conventionally transported by positive-displacement and rotodynamic pumps. However, solid–liquid fluids could collide with the impeller of the rotodynamic pump and thereby damage the pump, whereas the positive-displacement pump must be sufficiently large to apply high pressure to the transported fluid. A small pump that can transport these fluids would save factory space and enable outdoor applications such as dredging operations. Thus, we adopted earthworm peristalsis as a model mechanism of fluid transport within a standard plumbing infrastructure. The insertion-type peristaltic pump developed in this study uses an artificial rubber muscle to achieve an earthworm-like mechanism. The capability and energy efficiency of the mechanism ...

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) are members of the herpesvirus family and common causes of viral infection in humans. CMV infection of the gastrointestinal tract occurs mainly in immunocompromised individuals, on the other hand EBV infection and reactivation involving the gastrointestinal tract is very rare. A 56-year-old man was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia and treated with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporine (CSP). After 2 years of ATG/CSP therapy, he suddenly started passing bloody diarrhea and developed a high fever despite CSP treatment. Endoscopic features included severe edema and multiple superficial ulcers; the patient was initially diagnosed with severe colitis resembling inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, his symptoms did not resolve with steroid treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis of samples obtained from a second colonoscopy showed cells positive for CMV, and in situ hybridization revealed EBV-encoded small RNA-1-positive cells. Additionally, the patient's serum was positive for C7-HRP, and both blood and colon tissues were positive for EBV DNA, which was detected using PCR analysis. We finally diagnosed the patient with colitis associated with reactivation of both CMV and EBV. The patient remains diarrhea-free after 1.5 years with scheduled globulin treatment and after cessation of immunosuppressive drug therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an immunodeficient patient with severe hemorrhagic colitis that was associated with reactivation of both EBV and CMV, and whose endoscopic findings mimicked IBD.

Background: Many micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are differentially expressed in Helicobacter pylori-infected gastric mucosa and in gastric cancer tissue and previous reports have suggested the possibility of serum miRNAs as complementary tumour markers. The aim of the study was to investigate serum miRNAs and pepsinogen levels in individuals at high risk for gastric cancer both before and after H. pylori eradication. Methods: Patients with recent history of endoscopic resection for early gastric cancer and the sex- and age-matched controls were enrolled. Serum was collected from subjects before or after eradication and total RNA was extracted to analyse serum levels of 24 miRNAs. Serum pepsinogen (PG) I and II levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Results: Using miR-16 as an endogenous control, the relative levels of miR-106 and let-7d before and after H. pylori eradication and miR-21 after eradication were significantly higher in the high-risk group than in the controls. H. pylori eradication significantly decreased miR-106b levels and increased let-7d only in the control group. After eradication, the combination MiR-106b with miR-21 was superior to serum pepsinogen and the most valuable biomarker for the differentiating high-risk group from controls. Conclusion: Serum miR-106b and miR-21 may provide a novel and stable marker of increased risk for early gastric cancer after H. pylori eradication.

GOAL The aim was to investigate the clinical utility of RAPID Access 6.5 Quickview software and to evaluate whether preview of the capsule endoscopy video by a trained nurse could detect significant lesions accurately compared with endoscopists. BACKGROUND As reading capsule endoscopy is time consuming, one possible cost-effective strategy could be the use of trained nonphysicians or newly available software to preread and identify potentially important capsule images. STUDY The 100 capsule images of a variety of significant lesions from 87 patients were investigated. The minimum percentages for settings of sensitivity that could pick up the selected images and the detection rate for significant lesions by a well-trained nurse, two endoscopists with limited experience in reading, and one well-trained physician were examined. RESULTS The frequency of the selected lesions picked up by Quickview mode using percentages for sensitivity settings of 5%, 15%, 25%, and 35% were 61%, 74%, 93%, and 98%, respectively. The percentages for sensitivity significantly correlated (r=0.78, P

The proliferation resistance of plutonium can be enhanced by isotopic denaturing and one of the features of Pu isotopic denaturing is increasing of the spontaneous fission neutron emission rate. A high spontaneous fission neutron emission rate causes “predetonation” in a nuclear explosive device, and it makes the designing and building of a nuclear explosive device more complicated. In this paper, the enhancement of Pu proliferation resistance by isotopic denaturing was evaluated based on spontaneous fission neutron emission rate using a simple nuclear explosive device model. The feature of spontaneous fission neutron was evaluated with probabilistic approach, and a new Pu categorization which makes enable to categorize plutonium by its isotopic compositions was proposed based on the evaluation results. The Pu categorization was applied to an evaluation of the proliferation resistance of plutonium produced in LWRs and FBRs using the evaluation function, “Attractiveness” for two types of plutonium; plutonium produced in typical LWRs and FBRs, and denatured plutonium produced by transmutation of MAs.

The present paper is prepared for the peaceful use of the nuclear energy. It is important to develop the methodology to evaluate the proliferation resistance of nuclear energy systems, and the concept of evaluation function “ Attractiveness (ATTR) ” has been proposed as a new evaluation function for one of the intrinsic features of proliferation resistance, fissile material characteristics based on its isotopic barriers. In the present paper, the improvement of the function ATTR to evaluate plutonium is examined and performed. The terms of the characteristics of potential explosive energy and the technical difficulty for fission explosive device use in the evaluation function ATTR are both improved to refer their physical nature. The effect of compression on Rossi-alpha is introduced to improve the term of the characteristics of potential explosive energy. A relation between Rossi-alpha and potential explosive energy is also studied theoretically for the improvement of the evaluation function ATTR . Radiation barrier of plutonium is also introduced as a new technical difficulty factor. The improved evaluation function ATTR is applied for the categorizations of plutonium produced in typical reactors.

In this study we propose a new method for improving the surface strength and reliability of ceramics that combines shot peening with crack-healing ability. We used Si 3 N 4 /SiC composite ceramics with high crack-healing ability and subjected the specimens to shot peening and crack healing. To evaluate the effect of our method, we investigated the residual stress after shot peening and crack healing and examined the specimens’ mechanical properties, including apparent fracture resistance, contact strength and bending strength. We found that shot peening and crack healing is effective to increase apparent fracture resistance, contact strength and bending strength.

Background and Aims: There are limited data concerning the clinical outcome of patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) after double-balloon endoscopy (DBE). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term outcome of patients with OGIB after DBE. Patients and Methods: Eighty-seven consecutive patients with OGIB (47 men and 40 women; mean age 65.3 years) underwent DBE between July 2006 and December 2009. The criteria for assessment included documented iron deficiency anemia/occult or obscure small intestinal bleeding, and overt small intestinal bleeding. They were followed for a mean period of 41.4 months after DBE, and were divided into two groups according to their outcome, that is a good clinical course group (GC group) and a poor clinical course group (PC group). The clinical characteristics associated with rebleeding after DBE were analyzed by comparison of these two groups. Results: The source of bleeding was identified in 40 patients (46.0%) and endoscopic treatment was required in 21 of them (52.5%). The most frequent source of bleeding was ulcers/erosions (18.4%). During the follow-up period, 39 patients (44.8%) experienced bleeding and/or persistent iron deficiency anemia after DBE, while 48 patients did not. There were no significant differences of clinical characteristics between the two groups. However, there were more patients with diverticular bleeding in the GC group than the PC group, and there were significantly more patients with treatable small intestinal tumors/polyps in the GC group. There were also more patients with normal DBE findings in the GC group. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the rebleeding rate after DBE varies depending on the source of bleeding.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the energy efficiency of an insertion-type peristalsis pump and compare it with conventional methods such as the positive-displacement pump and rotodynamic pump. This device can transport high-viscosity fluids and solid-liquid-mixture fluids with low applied pressure in small spaces and various places such as the outdoors. In previous studies, the authors showed that this pump can transport water through a vertical pipe and a bent pipe. However, the performance of this devise has not been compared with that of conventional pumps. Thus, this paper evaluates the efficiency of the insertion-type peristalsis pump and has demonstrated that the insertion-type peristalsis pump has excellent energy efficiency.

We evaluated the relationship between colorectal neoplasms and visceral obesity using computed tomographic colonography and adipocytokine levels. We included 123 patients and classified them into four groups as per computed tomographic colonography: no lesion (NL; n=40), adenomatous polyp (polyp; n=41), early colorectal cancer (eCRC; n=21), and advanced CRC (aCRC; n=21). We also measured the patients' serum metabolic markers and adipocytokine levels. The visceral adiposity index in the polyp and eCRC groups was significantly higher than that in the NL group. Visceral obesity is an important risk factor for the development of colonic polyps. Computed tomographic colonography could be a useful examination technique not only for diagnosis of colorectal neoplasms but also for simultaneous evaluation of visceral obesity.

Pumps capable of transporting high-viscosity fluids and solid-liquid mixtures are essential for emergency situations. Today, those pumps that can transport high-viscosity fluids and solid-liquid mixtures centralize pressure at one point and convey a fluid, the size of those pumps also becomes large to put high pressure, and the point that we can set is limited. We have previously developed a peristaltic pump based on the bowel mechanism by using an artificial rubber muscle that can transport fluids such as sludge without centralizing pressure. Unfortunately, it is difficult to attach the pump to various structures or manipulate the geometry for easy access. Herein, we focus on earthworm peristalsis as a model mechanism that can induce peristaltic activity in the pipe and transport fluids containing little water. We have developed a flexible device which can transport high-viscosity fluids and solid-liquid mixtures by applying the peristalsis mechanism of earthworms. In this study we investigate water transport using this insertion-type peristalsis pump in both straight and bent device orientations.

More than 80 group I introns were detected and characterized in Chlorella viruses isolated from various locations in Japan; the overall average frequency of viruses containing the group I intron was 8.0%. Although most of these introns were inserted in the gene for either transcriptional elongation factor TFIIS (approximately 60%) or URF 14.2 (unidentified open reading frame coding for a 14.2-kDa polypeptide) (approximately 40%), in a few cases, the gene for the major capsid protein Vp52 contained an intron. These introns were biologically active (self-splicing) both in vivo and in vitro. Viruses that contained introns almost usually contained only one, but more than two introns coexisted in several virus isolates. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that the intron sequences have diverged under strong constraint of the exon genes: introns in the same gene showed more than 99% sequence identity, whereas introns in different genes were only 72-78% identical. Phylogenetic analysis suggested relatedness of these introns to those found in the rRNA genes of a variety of organisms including green algae, red algae, red algae, yeasts, fungi, and protozoa.

Pumps capable of transporting high-viscosity fluids and solid- liquid mixtures are required during disasters such as floods and liquefactions, and in various industrial settings including sewage treatment and food processing plants. Moreover, it should be easy possible to install such pump systems. Today, turbine-, piston-, and squeeze-type pumps are often used to transport high-viscosity fluids and solid-liquid mixtures. However, these pump types have disadvantages. Turbine-type pumps cannot exert a high discharge pressure and stones often cause some damage to turbines. Piston-type pumps are usually quite large, because a high pressure is needed to transport large quantities of fluid, and squeeze-type pumps are large and complex. Furthermore, it may be difficult to arrange the bent pipes required by these systems because of the high friction between the fluid and pipe walls. Hence, an innovative transport system is desirable. In this study, we focus on bowel peristalsis as a model for a mechanism that can transport fluids, such as sludge with little water. We developed and confirmed the capabilities of a peristaltic pump based on the bowel mechanism by using an artificial rubber muscle. In addition, we developed an exsufflation system to improve the peristaltic pump performance. Finally, we measured the water, high-viscosity liquid, and solid-liquid mixture flow rates and compared the exsufflation system with a previous system.

Study design Biomechanical study using a 3D motion analysis system conducted in a laboratory setting. Objective To determine the effect of mental processing on low back load during lifting. Summary of background data In addition to ergonomic factors such as frequent lifting, work-related psychosocial factors are significant in the onset of disabling back pain. Although the ergonomic effects on low back load while lifting have been investigated and are widely accepted in the workplace, few studies have investigated the effect of psychosocial factors on low back load while lifting. Methods Thirteen healthy subjects lifted a box from the ground in 4 different lifting tasks in randomized order: (1) squat posture with knees flexed; (2) stoop posture with knees extended; (3) squat posture with mental processing using arithmetic tasks; and (4) stoop posture with mental processing using arithmetic tasks. We used a 3D motion analysis system and 4 force plates to record kinematic and kinetic data. We calculated dynamic triaxial low back joint moments and low back compression force as index parameters of low back load under these experimental conditions. Results Mental processing significantly increased peak low back compression force and low back extension moment, but not lateral flexion or rotation moment, while lifting in both lifting postures. Also, mental processing increased trunk bending angles in the squat posture. Although a tendency for decreased pelvic forward tilt was observed, mental processing did not significantly decrease forward pelvic tilt in the stoop posture. Conclusion Mental processing during lifting tasks seems to affect both trunk and pelvis angles in the sagittal plane for squat and stoop postures, resulting in increased low back load. The present findings might help explain the effect of ergonomic demands of lifting tasks as well as psychosocial factors responsible for the onset of disabling back pain. Level of evidence 2.