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Presents a study which developed a vectorial finite element method for the analysis of electromagnetic waves propagating in helical systems. Discussion of twisted coordinates; Derivation of the covariant and contravariant finite element equations in the twisted coordinates; Conclusions.

Provides information on a single-roller rapid quenching apparatus with a plasma-arc torch and a water-cooled copper hearth for the quenching of high melting temperature alloys. Mathematical analysis of thermal conditions during the quenching process; Suitable shape of the nozzle hole; Highest transition temperature of niobium-germanium alloy.

Presents a study that grew single-crystal Iron/Chromium (Fe/Cr) superlattices having extremely flat interfaces. Characteristics of Fe/Cr superlattices; Importance of interface roughness in the magnetoresistance effect; Methodology.

Discusses the magnetic properties of metastable γ phase alloys made from FeCoMnCSi alloy in relations to cold-working and heat-treatment. Effects of manganese and carbon addition to the γ phase stability; Microstructures of the alloy; Application of the alloy.

Hypertestosteroneemia can be caused by a variety of diseases and drugs, some of which can cause male infertility. We report a case of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SMBA) diagnosed by hypertestosteronemia during infertility treatment. The patient was a 28-year-old man. His wife had no cause of infertility, did not become pregnant after 10 cycles of timed-intercourse. His semen test pointed out insufficient semen volume and asthenozoospermia. Although varicocele surgery was performed at the neighboring general hospital, semen findings did not improve. Even though two cycles of intrauterine insemination (IUI) were performed, she did not become pregnant. The couple were introduced to our clinic in November 2019. Semen findings at the first visit were same as first time. Serum hormone levels were LH 12.0 mIU / mL, FSH 3.9 mIU / mL and total testosterone 19.47 ng / mL. The testicular volume was 13 ml on both sides. SHIM: 22 points, EHS: Grade 3; the erectile function was a slight decreased. Drug-induced hypertestosteroneemia was negative. Microscopic pituitary adenoma revealed at the general hospital, but no pituitary dysfunction. The examination was conducted at the local national hospital, and a high value of CK 621 IU / L was pointed out. SMBA was suspected and the patient visited the neurology department. Finally, he had an allele of 49 CAG repeats and SMBA was diagnosed with mild bulbar palsy, weakness of the extremities Even with 3 courses of IUI, she did not become pregnant and was scheduled for in vitro fertilization (IVF). At the same time as the start of IVF, the patient had a definitive diagnosis of SMBA and was scheduled for LHRH agonist treatment. Because LHRH agonists were predicted to exacerbate semen findings, we performed sperm freezing for the purpose of fertility preservation. In the initial treatment cycle of ovum pick-up, 11 oocytes were collected, and 7 mature oocytes were obtained. Five oocytes were fertilized by ICSI using frozen sperm, and four blastocysts were vitrified. After that, the second vitrified-warmed blastocyst transplantation led to pregnancy, and the pregnancy is currently ongoing. SMBA, also known as Kennedy's Disease, affects adult men aged 30-60 years. It is a slowly progressive neuromuscular disease that causes muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, and fasciculation due to degeneration of lower motor neurons. This is a genetic disorder of X-linked recessive inheritance. It is caused by a trinucleotide repeat expansion; >40 CAG repeats, in the androgen receptor gene located on the X chromosome. Patients are mildly desensitized to androgens, causing gynecomastia, testicular atrophy, and diminished fertility. It is also accompanied by mild hypertestosteroneemia. These findings must have been the same for this patient. This report is the world's first report of fertility-preserving sperm freezing in SMBA patients using ejaculated sperm, and is also the first report of ICSI-induced pregnancy in frozen sperm in SMBA patients. The effectiveness of ART was suggested for SMBA patients. Work supported by industry: no. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the cases of osteochondrodysplasia (OCD) in Scottish Fold (SF) cats. The medical history of the cats include exercise intolerance due to chronic pain, chronic hindlimb pain and hindlimb lameness prior to the diagnosis which was confirmed after performing radiography and X-ray computed tomography (CT). The use of low-dose radiation therapy (LD-RT) in the treatment of inflammatory and degenerative diseases is discussed.

Main features of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), hyperplasia of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) and joint destruction are caused by inflammatory cytokines produced in chronic autoimmune inflammation. Cell-intrinsic acquisition of tumour-like phenotypes of RA-FLS could also be responsible for the aggressive proliferation and invasion, which are supported by the fact that in some cases RA-FLS has mutations of a tumour suppressor gene TP53. However, the underlying molecular mechanism for TP53 mutations in RA-FLS has not yet been clarified. Recently it has been reported that the non-lymphoid cells in the inflammatory tissues express ectopically the activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) gene that induces somatic hypermutations, not only at the immunoglobulin (Ig) gene variable regions in germinal centre B lymphocytes but also at coding regions in TP53. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses revealed more than half (five of nine) of the RA-FLS lines we established showed the markedly increased expression of AID. AID transcription in RA-FLS was augmented by tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and even by physiological concentration of β-oestradiol that could not induce AID transcription in osteoarthritis-FLS. Furthermore, AID-positive RA-FLS presented a higher frequency of somatic mutations in TP53. Cytological and immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated clearly the ectopic expression of AID in the FLS at the RA synovium. These data suggested strongly a novel consequence of RA; the ectopic expression of AID in RA-FLS causes the somatic mutations and dysfunction of TP53, leading to acquisition of tumour-like properties by RA-FLS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper describes a homogenization method for magnetic materials with fine structure. In this method, the structures of the magnetic materials are assumed to be periodic, and the unit cell is defined. The effective permeability is determined on the basis of magnetic energy balance in the unit cell. This method can be applied not only for linear problems but also for non-linear ones. In this paper, estimation of the effective permeability of non-linear magnetic materials by using the homogenization method is described in detail, and then the validity for the non-liner problems is tested for two-dimensional problems. It is shown that this homogenization method gives accurate non-linear effective permeability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper discusses the comparison between the geometric multigrid (GMG) method and the algebraic multigrid (AMG) method in edge-based finite-element (FE) analysis. The GMG method requires the hierarchical meshes. On the other hand, the AMG method requires the only a single mesh information. The system matrices of the coarse grids are generated using algebraic operation in AMG. The numerical results show that both multigrid methods are faster than the conventional solvers in large-scale analysis. Although multi- grid methods require the setup procedures, the calculation time of these procedures is comparatively short and increase linearly with the number of unknowns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the reason for the superiority of A-V method in the driven microwave problems. Formulation of the electromagnetic waves in vacuum; Convergence of preconditioned conjugate gradient; Spectra of diagonally scaled matrix.

Discusses the convergence of the incomplete Cholesky conjugate gradient method which solves edge-based finite-element equations for quasi-static electromagnetic fields. Details of formulation; Results of a numerical experiment; Spectra of finite-element matrix; Discussion on theoretical consideration; Example of a simple test problem.

Provides information on a study which discussed properties of the curl-curl matrix in the finite element formulation with edge elements. Description of the rank of the curl-curl matrix; Condition of the matrix and its influence on convergence of the CG and ICCG method; Numerical example.

Presents information on a study which described the reconstruction of magnetization in a magnetic roller from the magnetic fields measured on an outer circle. Problem formulation; Numerical results; Conclusions.

Unlabelled: In the period 1985 to 1993, a total of 802 school-aged children (284 first-graders and 518 seventh-graders) were referred to our hospital for further evaluation of electrocardiographic abnormalities. Among them, 57 (male 24 and female 33) children were confirmed as having Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome based on the findings of 12-lead surface electrocardiograms (ECG). According to Lindsay's criteria, the locations of the accessory pathways were as follows: Left-lateral in 10 (18%), left-posterior in 2 (4%), right-free-wall in 28 (49%), anterior-septum in 13 (23%) and posterior-septum in 3 (5%). One 12-y-old girl had multiple accessory pathways. Six patients had associated diseases: Ebstein's anomaly in 4, epilepsy in 1 and mental retardation with scoliosis in 1. Follow-up periods ranged from 2.0 to 13.0 y (mean +/- SD: 8.0 +/- 3.3 y) for 23 first-graders with WPW syndrome, and from 2.0 to 13.0y (mean +/- SD: 7.3 +/- 4.2y) for 34 seventh-graders, respectively. Initially, 5 children had at least one episode of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) by history and 6 children developed SVT during the follow-up. One girl with multiple accessory pathways and recurrent SVT required long-term drug therapy.Conclusions: The outcome of children with WPW syndrome detected by a heart screening program at school was favorable. Our 8 y follow-up of 57 children with WPW syndrome will serve as additional information concerning the indication of radio-frequency catheter ablation therapy for WPW syndrome in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study in which the time-dependent Schrodinger equation governing dynamics of a single electron in magnetic fields is solved by the finite difference method. Formulation; Numerical results; Conclusions.

Describes a method for the three dimensional analysis of quasi-static magnetic fields around a thin magnetic conductive layer. Formulation for open structures; Numerical results; Conclusions.

Reports the analysis of plasma sheaths which occur between plasma and the wall. Diverter system; The plasma equation; The plasma-sheath boundary condition; Regularization of the governing equation; Numerical results of the analysis; Conclusions.

This study presents the first nationwide survey of migraine in Japan. A representative sample of 4029 subjects aged 15 years or older was selected from the Japanese population according to the quota method. A combination of telephone interview and mailed questionnaire methods was used. Diagnosis of migraine was based on the International Headache Society (IHS) Classification. The overall prevalence of migraine in the past year was 8.4%; 5.8% was migraine without aura and 2.6% was migraine with aura. Significant correlation was found between the prevalence of migraine and such variables as gender, age and district of residence. Doctor attendance rate was very low and 69.4% with migraine had never consulted a physician for headache. Yet, 74.2% complained that migraine headache impaired their daily activity significantly. Only 11.6% were aware that their headache was migraine and 56.9% were using only the over-the-counter drugs. The study revealed a comparably high prevalence of migraine in the general population of Japan compared with other countries. A genetic factor was speculated as the cause of regional difference in migraine prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of the DCBA (Drift Chamber Beta-ray Analyzer) experiment is to search for neutrinoless double beta decay (). The half-life of is expected to give us the information of Majorana nature and the absolute mass scale of neutrinos. A prototype test apparatus DCBA-T2 has the energy resolution of about 150keV (FWHM) around 1MeV. In order to check the detector performance, engineering runs detecting double beta decay of 100Mo started in May 2009 using natural Mo, which contains 9.6% of 100Mo. Ten candidates of the double beta decay have been detected so far. It has been found that the background events due to 214Bi decay are distinguishable from the double beta decays by detecting from 214Po. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses robustness of the multigrid (MG) method against distortion of finite elements. Formulation; Investigation of the robustness of the MG method against mesh distortion; Decomposition of residual vector.

Analyzes the structure and magnetic properties of cobalt/aluminum (Co/Al) multilayered thin films (MLF). Information on the behavior of the MLF samples; Details of the formation of a nonmagnetic CoAl compound from the Co/Al interfaces; Discussion of the surface anisotropy energy findings.

Presents a study which formed continuous ribbons of titanium-zirconium-boron ternary alloys consisting of early transition and metalloid elements by a single-roller melt-spinning method. Reason single-roller melt-spinning technique has become the method for preparing amorphous ribbons; Experimental procedures used; Composition range of the amorphous phase formation; Results of the electrical resistivity measurement of amorphous alloys.

An abstract of the article "Survey of the differences between Migraine and MOH pre-existing migraine" by H. Igarashi is presented.

We investigated the impacts of extensive anthropogenic (high seas driftnet squid fishery) and natural (late 1990s major climate regime shift) events on dominant epipelagic fish, squid, and shark in the central North Pacific Transition Region based on a driftnet survey covering the years 1979–2006. Fishing was conducted by Japan, Korea and Taiwan to target neon flying squid in the period 1979–1992, resulting in a decline in stocks of the target species and non-target species (Pacific pomfret and juvenile blue shark), which were by-catch of this fishery. The catch was found to be at the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) level for neon flying squid, the underfished level for juvenile blue shark, but the overfished level for Pacific pomfret. The MSY of Pacific pomfret indicated that this species is more susceptible to exploitation than previously considered. In response to the late 1990s regime shift, neon flying squid and Pacific saury showed low stock levels in 1999–2002 and 1998–2002, respectively, as a result of reduced productivity in their nursery grounds (the Subtropical Frontal Zone and Kuroshio Extension Bifurcation Region, respectively). On the other hand, Pacific pomfret showed no decreasing trend in stock during the low- and intermediate-productivity regimes because of the high productivity of their main spawning/nursery ground (Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front), which was independent of the regime shifts. Thus, squid and saury appear to be more susceptible to the regime shift than pomfret. We discuss the implications for stock management of the species-specific responses to the fishery and the regime shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents three-dimensional shape optimization of inductors for the dc-dc converters, in which the nonconforming voxel-based finite element method (FEM) is employed to realize fast FE mesh generation during the optimization. The operating point of the inductor under the bias current condition, which is estimated from the circuit analysis, is obtained by nonlinear FE analysis. Then, the FE equation linearized around the operating point is solved being coupled with the circuit equation to obtain the magnetic fields in the inductor. The hysteresis loss is computed from the Steinmetz formula. Validity of the field computation is tested by comparing the numerical results with measured data. The multiobjective optimization of the inductor shapes is performed to minimize the winding resistance and hysteresis loss. It is shown that the present method can effectively find the Pareto solutions which can lead to improvement in the efficiency of the dc-dc converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In recent years, many HTS superconducting magnetic energy storage (HTS-SMES) systems are investigated and designed. They usually consist of some superconducting element coils due to storing excessively high energy. If one of them was quenched, the storage energy of the superconducting element coil quenched has to be immediately dispersed to protect the HTS-SMES system. As the result, the current of the other element coils, which do not reach to quench, increases since the magnetic coupling between the quenched element coil and the others are excessively strong. The increase of the current may cause the quench of the other element coils. If the energy dispersion of the element coil quenched was failed, the other superconducting element coil would be quenched in series. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the behavior of the HTS-SMES after quenching one or more element coils. To protect a chain of quenches, it is also important to investigate the time constant of the coils. We have developed a simulation code to investigate the behavior of the HTS-SMES. By the quench simulation, it is indicated that a chain of quenches is caused by a quench of one element coil. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An HTS SQUID is a high sensitive magnetic sensor. In recent years, the HTS SQUID is widely used in various applications. In some applications, high robustness with respect to magnetic noise is required to realize stable operation at outside of a magnetic shielding room. The target of this paper is a directly coupled HTS dc-SQUID magnetometer. To enhance the robustness of the SQUID magnetometer, use of a superconducting thin film shield has been proposed. The magnetic field directly penetrating the SQUID ring causes the change of the critical current of Josephson junction, and then the SQUID magnetometer transitions into inoperative state. In order to confirm the magnetic shield effect of the superconducting film shield, electromagnetic field simulation with 3D edge finite element method was performed. To simulate the high temperature superconductor, E–J characteristics and c-axis anisotropy are considered. To evaluate the effect of the superconducting film shield, an external magnetic field which is supposed to be a magnetic noise is applied. From the simulation results, the time transition of the magnetic flux penetrating the SQUID ring is investigated and the effect of the superconducting film shield is confirmed. The amplitude of the magnetic flux penetrating the SQUID ring can be reduced to about one-sixth since the superconducting film shield prevents the magnetic noise from directly penetrating the SQUID ring. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes topology optimization of electromagnetic systems using the multigrid method. The topology optimization employs uniform rectangular finite elements, in which the multigrid method works effectively as a fast linear solver. Moreover, the present method uses a new optimization algorithm, based on the artificial immune systems paradigm, in which the multilevel search is carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Total pancreatectomy is required to completely clear tumours that are locally advanced or located in the centre of the pancreas. However, reports describing clinical outcomes after total pancreatectomy are rare. The aim of this retrospective observational study was to assess clinical outcomes following total pancreatectomy using a nationwide registry and to create a risk model for severe postoperative complications. Methods: Patients who underwent total pancreatectomy from 2013 to 2017, and who were recorded in the Japan Society of Gastroenterological Surgery and Japanese Society of Hepato‐Biliary‐Pancreatic Surgery database, were included. Severe complications at 30 days were defined as those with a Clavien–Dindo grade III needing reoperation, or grade IV–V. Occurrence of severe complications was modelled using data from patients treated from 2013 to 2016, and the accuracy of the model tested among patients from 2017 using c‐statistics and a calibration plot. Results: A total of 2167 patients undergoing total pancreatectomy were included. Postoperative 30‐day and in‐hospital mortality rates were 1·0 per cent (22 of 2167 patients) and 2·7 per cent (58 of 167) respectively, and severe complications developed in 6·0 per cent (131 of 2167). Factors showing a strong positive association with outcome in this risk model were the ASA performance status grade and combined arterial resection. In the test cohort, the c‐statistic of the model was 0·70 (95 per cent c.i. 0·59 to 0·81). Conclusion: The risk model may be used to predict severe complications after total pancreatectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ epitaxial growth of Bi2(Sr,Ca)3Cu2Ox films was performed by ion beam sputtering in atomic oxygen ambience at the substrate temperature of 640 °C. The films showed an epitaxial growth in which the a and b axes were parallel to <100> MgO, and the superstructure according to the incommensurate modulation along the b axis was also observed. The superconducting properties of the as-grown films seemed to sensitively depend on the oxidation treatment during the cooling down process. The zero resistivity temperature Tc(R=0) of a 600-Å-thick film cooled down in the same atomic oxygen density as the film growth ambience was 60 K, but it increased up to 80 K after a post-deposition annealing at 500 °C for 1 h in air. In contrast, as-grown films cooled down in insufficient oxidation ambience showed the Tc(R=0) of 76 K without post-deposition annealing. The control of the oxygen concentration is critical for the superconductivity of as-grown films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which fabricated preferentially oriented epitaxial yttrium-barium-copper-oxygen films on SrTiO[sub3] substrates by oxygen reactive ion beam sputtering. Experimental details; Results and discussion; Conclusion.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of an ovarian tissue transportation network for fertility preservation (FP) for cancer patients in Japan. Methods: PubMed was searched for papers on transportation of human ovarian tissue for FP. We analyzed population, area, number of cancer patients for ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC), quality control/assessment and safety, cost of a cryopreservation center for the building for 30 years, and medical fees of cancer patients (operation, cryopreservation, and storage of ovarian tissue). Results: More than twenty babies have been born in Denmark and Germany through a transportation system. Up to 400 new patients a year need OTC. The fees for removal, cryopreservation, and storage for 5 years, and transplantation of ovarian tissue are around €5,000, €4,000, and €5,000, respectively. It costs more than €5 million to establish and maintain one cryopreservation center for 30 years. If we have a few cryopreservation centers in Japan, we can cryopreserve 400 patients' ovarian tissue per year by safer slow freezing and maintain quality control/assessment. We need to lighten the patients' burden for easy to use FP by a government subsidy and medical insurance coverage. Conclusions: This model has been termed the Danish model ('the woman stays - the tissue moves'). This is truly patient-centered medicine. We can have maximum effects with the minimum burden. A transportation network like those of Denmark and Germany is the best strategy for FP in Japan. It may be the best system for cancer patients, medical staff, and the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Lower trophic ecosystem model for the global ocean. [•] 4D-VAR reanalysis is used for the environmental fields. [•] Optimization of bio-ecological parameter values by a Green’s function approach. [•] Consistent biological and environmental fields throughout the global ocean. [•] Analysis of variability in the ecosystem associated with El Niños. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and study aims: Only a few large cohort studies have evaluated the efficacy and safety of endoscopic necrosectomy for infected walled- off pancreatic necrosis (WOPN). Therefore, a multicenter, large cohort study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endoscopic necrosectomy and to examine the procedural details and follow-up after successful endoscopic necrosectomy. Patients and methods: A retrospective review was conducted in 16 leading Japanese institutions for patients who underwent endoscopic necrosectomy for infected WOPN between August 2005 and July 2011.The follow-up data were also reviewed to determine the long-term outcomes of the procedures. Results: Of 57 patients, 43 (75 %) experienced successful resolution after a median of 5 sessions of endoscopic necrosectomy and 21 days of treatment. Complications occurred in 19 patients (33 %) during the treatment period. Six patients died (11 %): two due to multiple organ failure and one patient each from air embolism, splenic aneurysm, hemorrhage from a Mallory-Weiss tear, and an unknown cause. Of 43 patients with successful endoscopic necrosectomy, recurrent cavity formation was observed in three patients during a median follow-up period of 27 months. Conclusions: Endoscopic necrosectomy can be an effective technique for infected WOPN and requires a relatively short treatment period. However, serious complications can arise, including death. Therefore, patients should be carefully selected, and knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced operators should perform the procedure. Further research into safer technologies is required in order to reduce the associated morbidity and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An equivalent circuit model is proposed to represent ferrite magnetic properties under ac and dc fields phenomenologically, where the H-input and B-input play models are used to handle hysteretic property accurately and concisely. A slow magnetization component is extracted from measured ac and dc properties. Frequency dependence of the ac loss is represented by an equivalent resistance. The simulated ac and dc magnetic properties agree with the measured properties. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The electromagnetic phenomena intrinsically spread over the infinite space. Thus, the efficient handling of the open boundary is one of the main issues in the electromagnetic field computation. This paper proposes the infinite edge element method (IEEM) with the boundary surface integration to accurately obtain the magnetic field, i.e., the derivatives of vector potentials, in the far-field region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an orthogonalization of the Hilbert matrix in element matrices of the infinite edge elements. The validity of the infinite edge element is demonstrated in previous researches, but the Hilbert matrix results in extremely slow convergence in the ICCG method, especially when using higher order expansions. The proposed orthogonalization technique improves the convergence drastically and it makes the infinite elements practical in the electromagnetic FEM analysis of the open boundary problems in quasi-static magnetic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The interannual variability of eastern subtropical mode water (ESTMW) formation in the North Pacific is examined using a new ocean dataset constructed by a 4-dimensional variational data assimilation experiment covering the decade of the 1990s. The volume of newly formed ESTMW varies due to interannual variability in the following three physical processes taking place in the surface layer: (1) convergence in the transport of surface saline water induced by Ekman flow in the vicinity of the formation region, (2) thermal stratification in the preconditioning phase in association with the insolation anomaly induced largely by low-level cloud coverage, and (3) wintertime surface cooling in the eastern subtropics. We find that, in addition to the surface forcing, the properties of both the ESTMW and the upper mixed-layer water are broadly controlled by the volume of the new ESTMW component, and that the variations in the upper mixed-layer water affect the properties of ESTMW formed in the following winter. Due to the combined effect of these processes, the ESTMW subducts down to subsurface layers with a wide range of σ θ values lying between 24.8 and 25.4 and with significant interannual variation in water mass formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Time-varying air–sea coupled processes in the central to eastern equatorial Pacific associated with strong El Niño development during the 1997–1998 period are examined using a newly developed reanalysis dataset obtained from four-dimensional variational ocean–atmosphere coupled data assimilation experiments. The time series of this data field exhibits realistic features of El Niño evolution. Our analysis indicates that resonance between eastward-propagating oceanic downwelling Kelvin waves and the seasonal rise of sea-surface temperature (SST) in the central to eastern equatorial Pacific generates relatively persistent high SST conditions accompanied by a deeper thermocline and more relaxed easterly winds than usual. The surface condition resulting from the wave-seasonal SST resonance represents a preconditioned state that leads to an enhancement in incident downwelling Kelvin waves to levels sufficient to induce large-amplitude unstable coupled waves in the central to eastern equatorial region. Heat balance estimates using our reanalysis dataset suggest that the unstable coupled waves are categorized within the intermediate regime of coupled Kelvin and Rossby waves and have the potential to grow rapidly. We argue that the seasonal resonance and the unstable coupled waves should play crucial roles in the development of the largest historical El Niño event, which was recorded between late 1997 and early 1998. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An immunochromatographic test was developed for rapid diagnosis of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infections using monoclonal antibodies against the nonstructural protein, NS3, of the virus. The kit detected specifically the NS3 of various BVDV strains. Using the kit, leukocyte extracts of cattle infected persistently with BVDV were found positive while those of healthy cattle were negative. The sensitivity and specificity of this kit in compared with virus isolation were 100% and 97.2%, respectively. Furthermore, the test also gave positive results for calves infected acutely with BVDV in experimental infection. The BVDV antigen was detected in 1ml of blood using a relatively simple procedure. This test kit should be useful for rapid diagnosis of BVD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Genomic amplification of oncogenes and inactivation of suppressor genes are critical in the pathogenesis of human cancer. To identify chromosomal alterations associated with hepatocarcinogenesis, we performed allelic gene dosage analysis on 36 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). Data from high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays were analysed using the Genome Imbalance Map (GIM) algorithm, which simultaneously detects DNA copy number alterations and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) events. Genome Imbalance Map analysis identified allelic imbalance regions, including uniparental disomy, and predicted the coexistence of a heterozygous population of cancer cells. We observed that gains of 1q, 5p, 5q, 6p, 7q, 8q, 17q and 20q, and LOH of 1p, 4q, 6q, 8p, 10q, 13q, 16p, 16q and 17p were significantly associated with HCC. On 6q24–25, which contains imprinting gene clusters, we observed reduced levels of PLAGL1 expression owing to loss of the unmethylated allele. Finally, we integrated the copy number data with gene expression intensity, and found that genome dosage is correlated with alteration in gene expression. These observations indicated that high-resolution GIM analysis can accurately determine the localizations of genomic regions with allelic imbalance, and when integrated with epigenetic information, a mechanistic basis for inactivation of a tumor suppressor gene in HCC was elucidated.Oncogene (2006) 25, 5581–5590. doi:10.1038/sj.onc.1209537; published online 19 June 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to report a possible implication of augmented vasogenic leakage in the mechanism of prolonged aura in sporadic hemiplegic migraine. A 35-year-old woman with sporadic hemiplegic migraine presented with headache followed by right arm weakness, right visual field defect, aphasia and confusion that persisted for 1 week. During the acute stage, focal hyperaemia was seen in the left cerebral hemisphere corresponding to persistent aura symptoms. Augmented vasogenic leakage was demonstrated on delayed enhanced fluid-attenuated inversion recovery image. Magnetic resonance angiography showed dilation of the left middle cerebral artery. During the convalescent stage, such abnormal findings were not seen. Based on these results, we speculate that augmented vasogenic leakage from the leptomeningeal vessels, probably associated with activation of the trigeminovascular system, may delay the recovery of hemiplegic migraine aura. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CD275-CD278 costimulatory pathway is a new pathway for CD28-B7 family molecules involved in the effector phase of T-cell-mediated immune responses. Expression of CD275 in oral mucosa at healthy and disease states has not been examined. We generated monoclonal antibodies against human CD275 and investigated its expression and regulation in cultured tissue cell lines and oral mucosal tissues. CD275 on monocytes was efficiently upregulated by interleukin-4, while interferon-γ abrogated this effect. CD275 on cultured endothelial cells (EC) was rapidly enhanced by tumour necrosis factor-α. In healthy oral mucosa, CD275 was not detected on keratinocytes, Langerhans cells or intraepithelial lymphocytes within the epithelium or on interstitial dendritic cells or lymphocytes in the subepithelium. Constitutive expression of CD275 on EC in the connective tissues was observed in healthy mucosa, but CD275 expression on EC in oral lichen planus was either upregulated or downregulated. Approximately 20% of the T cells found within infiltrating mononuclear cells in the subepithelium expressed high levels of the CD278 receptor. CD275 on lymphoid and nonlymphoid cells is positively or negatively regulated by various cytokines. Our results suggest that CD275 on EC is involved in the recruitment or extravasation of receptor-positive effector T cells into inflamed tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]