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Ternary thallium compound TlInSe2 exhibits a giant Seebeck effect below around 410 K, where Tl atoms form one dimensional incommensurate (IC) arrays. To clarify the origin of large thermoelectric power in the IC phase, the electronic properties of Tl-atom super-structured TlInSe2 were studied using the first-principles calculations. It was shown that the super-structures induce strong binding states between Se-p orbitals in the nearest neighboring layers and produce large density of states near lower conduction bands, which might be one of the origins to produce large thermoelectric power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the existence of sulfonamides and colistin resistance genes among extended‐spectrum beta‐lactamase (ESBL)‐producing Escherichia coli recovered from fish gut in Vietnam and evaluated the susceptibility patterns of the ESBL‐producing E. coli to relevant antimicrobials. A total of 88 ESBL‐producing E. coli isolates were analysed for the presence of the ESBLs, sul (1, 2, 3) and mcr (1–3) genes by PCR. Antimicrobial resistance phenotypes of isolates were determined by disc diffusion. Results showed that: (i) A high prevalence of 94·3% of sulfonamide resistance was observed in 88 isolates. Moreover, the existence of 2·3% of ESBL‐producing E. coli harbouring mcr‐1 gene were detected; (ii) The phylogenetic types A and B1 were most frequent, and the blaCTX‐M group1 and blaTEM genes encoding ESBL were detected in 47·7% of the isolates; (iii) ESBL‐producing E. coli harbouring mcr‐1 gene exhibited resistance to 11 antibiotics. The existence of mcr‐1 and sul1,2,3 genes and the extremely high level of multiple drug resistance in all ESBL‐producing E. coli isolates obtained from sampled fish in Vietnam is a major concern. Therefore, it is imperative to monitor ESBL‐producing E. coli in the river waters of Vietnam. Significance and Impact of the Study: Although extended‐spectrum beta‐lactamase (ESBL)‐producing Escherichia coli have been thoroughly investigated in Vietnamese society, distribution of ESBL‐producing E. coli in fisheries has not been. This is the first study reporting ESBL‐producing E. coli isolates harbouring sul and mcr‐1 genes from fish gut in the Mekong delta, Vietnam. The existence of ESBL, sulfonamide and colistin resistance genes and high levels of multiple drug resistance in resistant E. coli isolates obtained from fish gut in this region is a major concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buffer-gas pressure broadening for the ν1+ν3 band of H2O at 1.34–1.44 μm for a variety of buffer gases was investigated at room temperature using continuous-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy. The effective interaction energy of water dimer under room temperature conditions was evaluated from the pressure broadening coefficients for rare gases using Permenter-Seaver’s relation. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using ab initio molecular orbital calculations to evaluate the interaction energies for the water dimer at 300 K. In this theoretical calculation, the orientations of the two water molecules were statistically treated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a nanostructuring method using the solid electrochemical reaction induced by a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). This method has some distinctive features that have not previously been obtained by conventional nanostructuring STM methods. The formation and disappearance of the nanostructure are reversible, and the rates can be controlled using STM. These features are realized via a local oxidation/reduction reaction of mobile metal ions in an ionic/electronic mixed conductor. In this study, a crystal of silver sulfide (Ag[sub 2]S), a mixed conductor, was used as the material for the STM tip. A nanoscale Ag cluster was formed at the apex of the Ag[sub 2]S tip when a negative bias voltage was applied to the sample. The Ag ions in the Ag[sub 2]S tip are reduced to Ag atoms by the tunneling electrons from the sample, and the Ag cluster is formed by the precipitation of the Ag atoms at the apex of the tip. The Ag cluster shrank gradually and disappeared when the polarity of the sample bias voltage was switched to positive. Ag atoms in the Ag cluster are oxidized to Ag ions, and the Ag ions redissolve into the Ag[sub 2]S tip. The formation and disappearance rates of the cluster were controlled by regulating the tunneling current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new approach to investigating formation processes of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the atmosphere, ozone-induced potential aerosol formation was measured in summer at a suburban forest site surrounded by deciduous trees, near Tokyo, Japan. After passage through a reactor containing high concentrations of ozone, increases in total particle volume (average of 1.4 × 10 9 nm 3 /cm 3 , which corresponds to 17% that of pre-existing particles) were observed, especially during daytime. The observed aerosol formations were compared with the results of box model simulations using simultaneously measured concentrations of gaseous and particulate species. According to the model, the relative contributions of isoprene, monoterpene, and aromatic hydrocarbon oxidation to SOA formation in the reactor were 24, 21, and 55%, respectively. However, the model could explain, on average, only ∼40% of the observed particle formation, and large discrepancies between the observations and model were found, especially around noon and in the afternoon when the concentrations of isoprene and oxygenated volatile organic compounds were high. The results suggest a significant contribution of missing (unaccounted-for) SOA formation processes from identified and/or unidentified volatile organic compounds, especially those emitted during daytime. Further efforts should be made to explore and parameterize this missing SOA formation to assist in the improvement of atmospheric chemistry and climate models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the electrical properties of a two-dimensionally (2D) hexagonal C60 photopolymer, using four-probe measurements in air at room temperature. The current–voltage curve shows that the photopolymer exhibits nondoped semiconducting behavior. This behavior is consistent with the theoretical prediction that a 2D hexagonal C60 polymer with a crosslinkage of a [2+2] cycloadditional four-member ring between adjacent C60 molecules is semiconducting [S. Okada and S. Saito, Phys. Rev. B 59, 1930 (1999)]. The origin of these semiconducting properties is discussed on the basis of density-functional calculations for the valence molecular orbitals of the dumbbell C120, which is regarded as a basic unit of the [2+2] crosslinkage of the 2D photopolymer. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of motion-sensitised driven-equilibrium (MSDE)-prepared balanced magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in a gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced study compared to conventional T2-weighted MRCP.Materials and Methods: Fifteen patients (seven male and eight female patients) prospectively underwent conventional three-dimensional turbo spin-echo T2-weighted MRCP and MSDE-balanced MRCP using a 1.5 T MRI system after hepatobiliary phase image acquisition. For quantitative evaluation, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the common hepatic duct to liver tissue was calculated. For qualitative analysis, two radiologists evaluated the depiction of the biliary system and main pancreatic duct (MPD) using a scoring system. Signal suppression of the portal vein (PV) and hepatic vein (HV) on MSDE-balanced MRCP was also scored.Results: MSDE-balanced MRCP showed significantly higher CNR than T2-weighted MRCP. For all biliary structures, the mean depiction scores of MSDE-balanced MRCP were significantly higher than those of T2-weighted MRCP, whereas the mean depiction score of MPD with MSDE-balanced MRCP was significantly lower than that of T2-weighted MRCP. Signal suppression of the PV and HV was thought to be clinically sufficient.Conclusions: MSDE-balanced MRCP more clearly depicted biliary structures compared with T2-weighted MRCP in a Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced study. This sequence may be utilised for routine MRCP on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coincident aerosol observations of multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS), cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), lidar, and sky radiometer were conducted in Tsukuba, Japan, on 5-18 October 2010. MAX-DOAS aerosol retrieval (for aerosol extinction coefficient and aerosol optical depth at 476 nm) was evaluated from the viewpoint of the need for a correction factor for oxygen collision complexes (O4 or O2-O2) absorption. The present study strongly supports this need, as systematic residuals at relatively high elevation angles (20 and 30°) were evident in MAX-DOAS profile retrievals conducted without the correction. However, adopting a single number for the correction factor (fO4 = 1.25) for all of the elevation angles led to systematic overestimation of nearsurface aerosol extinction coefficients, as reported in the literature. To achieve agreement with all three observations, we limited the set of elevation angles to ≥10° and adopted an elevation-angle-dependent correction factor for practical pro- file retrievals with scattered light observations by a ground- based MAX-DOAS. With these modifications, we expect to minimize the possible effects of temperature-dependent O4 absorption cross section and uncertainty in DOAS fit on an aerosol profile retrieval, although more efforts are encouraged to quantitatively identify a physical explanation for the need of a correction factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives This study compares the frequency of adverse transfusion reactions ( ATRs) after first transfusions with the frequency of ATRs for subsequent (non-first) transfusions. Materials and Methods Five hospitals agreed to systematically collect and share 2 years of data. This was a retrospective observational analysis of data including the number of transfusion episodes and ATRs for red blood cells ( RBCs), fresh frozen plasma ( FFP) and platelet concentrates ( PCs) given to first-time transfusion recipients and to those previously transfused. Results First transfusion ATRs to RBCs, FFP and PCs were 1·08%, 2·84% and 3·34%, respectively. These are higher than ATR incidences to RBCs (0·69%), FFP (1·91%) and PCs (2·75%) on subsequent transfusions. Specifically, first transfusion incidences of febrile non-haemolytic transfusion reactions ( FNHTRs) to RBCs (0·43%) and allergic reactions to FFP (2·51%) were higher than on subsequent transfusions ( RBCs: 0·23%, FFP: 1·65%). Conclusion There are risks of ATRs on the first transfusion as well as transfusions of patients with transfusion history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coincident aerosol observations of Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS), Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (CRDS), lidar, and sky radiometer were conducted in Tsukuba, Japan on 5-18 October 2010. MAX-DOAS aerosol retrieval (for aerosol extinction coefficient and aerosol optical depth at 476 nm) was evaluated from the viewpoint of the need for a correction factor for oxygen collision complexes (O4 or O2-O2) absorption. The present study strongly supports this need, as systematic residuals at relatively high elevation angles (20 and 30°) were evident in MAX-DOAS profile retrievals conducted without the correction. However, adopting a single number for the correction factor (fO4 = 1.25) for all of the elevation angles led to systematic overestimation of near-surface aerosol extinction coefficients, as reported in the literature. To achieve agreement with all three observations, we limited the set of elevation angles to ⩽10° and adopted an elevation-angle-dependent correction factor for practical profile retrievals with scattered light observations by a ground-based MAX-DOAS. With these modifications, we expect to minimize the possible effects of temperature-dependent O4 absorption cross section and uncertainty in DOAS fit on an aerosol profile retrieval, although more efforts are encouraged to quantitatively identify a physical explanation for the need of a correction factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptococcus species release cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs), which are a main toxin, and their heat susceptibility is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to clarify the heat susceptibility of streptococcal exotoxins and CDCs. Streptococcal exotoxins were treated with heat incubation at 60 °C for 10 or 30 min. The Streptococcus suis exotoxin of serotypes 1 and 2 exhibited more than 50 % haemolytic activity, and all Streptococcus pneumoniae exotoxins exhibited more than 60 % haemolytic activity. During the thermolabile assay, the virulent streptococcal haemolytic activity remarkably decreased after being heated at 60 °C for 10 m. Then, streptococcal recombinant CDCs were produced and put through a thermolabile assay. The haemolytic activity of suilysin (SLY), pneumolysin (PLY) and streptolysin O (SLO) decreased more than 80 % after heat incubation. We also conducted a TER assay to evaluate the cell monolayer. The cell monolayer of all CDCs broke down, and the FITC-dextran translocated at 1 h post addition, while the CDCs treated with heating did not induce cell disruption. Moreover, the microscopy analysis demonstrated that CDCs treated with heating lost their activity. In conclusion, heat incubation induced the inactivation of streptococcal exotoxins and CDCs. Heat incubation plays a role in the degradation of the streptococcal exotoxin, and this result applies to the inhibition of streptococcal infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Density-functional-theory-based electronic-structure calculations are carried out to elucidate the mechanism of the metal-insulator transition (MIT) of a Wadsley-phase vanadium oxide V6O13. We show that, at the MIT, the orbitals occupied by electrons are reconstructed in the single trellis layers of the V(l) ions, which occurs simultaneously with the transfer of electrons from the V(2) to V(3) ions in the double trellis layers, leaving the V(2) ions nonmagnetic. We discuss that these changes lead to the formation of spin-singlet state associated with the ordering of the dyz and dxz orbitals in the V(l) zigzag chain, together with the formation of the Mott-insulator state with frustrated spin degrees of freedom in the zigzag ladder of the dxyorbitals of the V(3) ions; possible antiferromagnetic ordering patterns are predicted for the latter state. Thus, the spin-singlet and antiferromagnetic states coexist in spatially separated regions at lowest temperatures. The band Jahn-Teller-type instability hidden in the single trellis layer, which is the orbital ordering instability in the strong correlation limit, is suggested to cause the MIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Streptococcus suis is an emerging zoonotic agent. This study aimed to investigate whether S. suis is likely to translocate across the intestines of human hosts who have liver disease and/or consume alcohol. Both the alcoholism and cirrhosis models exhibited high mRNA expression of TGF and collagen1, but only the cirrhosis model had fibrosis in the liver. After both models were infected with S. suis, significantly different concentrations of S. suis were detected in the blood and brains of the alcoholism model (Blood: 36.4%; Brain: 31.8%) and the cirrhosis model (Blood: 62.5%; Brain: 62.5%) compared to the concentrations in the healthy mice (Blood: 15.4%; Brain: 0%). Trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TER) was used to examine the Caco-2 cells in the in vitro that had an S. suis infection combined with 1% ethanol. Although the ethanol did not influence the Caco-2 cells' barriers, it did rapidly decrease the barriers' TER value and then their E-cadherin compared to the infected Caco-2 cells without the ethanol treatment. Immunofluorescence also indicated that the barriers of the Caco-2 cells treated with ethanol were disrupted and that S. suis translocated from the apical to the basolateral side. This study demonstrated that alcohol consumption helped S. suis to translocate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: Social withdrawal, or hikikomori, is one of Japan's most serious psychosocial issues. The concept gained international attention around 2010 and widespread psychiatric epidemiological studies have since been conducted. Objectives: With an understanding of the extensive range of hikikomori circumstances as a spectrum, we aimed to quantitatively measure the severity of hikikomori in adolescent subjects, an age group considered particularly susceptible to the condition, and to identify factors associated with its severity. Methods:We selected population demographics, socioeconomic data, and psycho-behavioral characteristics as factors related to hikikomori and explored their associations with hikikomori severity using crosssectional analysis. Subjects were a patient group of middle school students examined as outpatients at a psychiatric clinic during adolescence for a chief complaint of hikikomori and a control group of middle school students matched for sex and age. Subjects' parents completed a questionnaire pertaining to their child's hikikomori symptoms and living environment along with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The data collected was then statistically analyzed. Results: T-test results demonstrated that scores for all CBCL syndrome scales were significantly higher in the patient group, but no scores fell within the clinical range. Multiple regression analysis revealed that being anxious/depressed, somatic complaints, lack of communication between parents, and overuse of the Internet were statistical predictors of hikikomori severity. Conclusions: It may be possible to prevent hikikomori from becoming severe if the above predictors are used to identify highrisk individuals requiring active intervention while hikikomori is at an early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hodgkin's lymphoma is frequently associated with mast cell infiltration that correlates directly with disease severity, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. Here, we report that mast cells promote the growth of Hodgkin's tumor by modifying the tumor microenvironment. A transplantation assay shows that primary murine mast cells accelerate tumor growth by established Hodgkin's cell lines, and promote marked neovascularization and fibrosis. Both mast cells and Hodgkin's cells were sensitive to bortezomib, but mast cells were more resistant to bortezomib. However, bortezomib inhibited degranulation, PGE2-induced rapid release of CCL2, and continuous release of vascular endothelial growth factor-A from mast cells even at the concentration that did not induce cell death. Bortezomib-treated mast cells lost the ability to induce neovasculization and fibrosis, and did not promote the growth of Hodgkin tumor in vivo. These results provide further evidence supporting causal relationships between inflammation and tumor growth, and demonstrate that bortezomib can target the tumor microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban heat island effect has become a serious environmental problem with the expansion of cities and industrial areas. Prohibition of the use of groundwater has caused a further serious problem such as floating of subways, stations and buildings through an imbalance of the hydrologic cycle in a Japanese megalopolis. Most of the previous research has evaluated separately hydrologic and thermal cycles in atmospheric, land and water areas because of the complexity in this feedback mechanism. In this study, the author used the process-based National Integrated Catchment-based Eco-hydrology (NICE) model, which includes surface-unsaturated-saturated water processes coupled with the urban canopy and regional atmospheric models, to simulate the effect of urban geometry and anthropogenic exhaustion on the hydrothermal changes in the atmospheric/land areas of the Japanese megalopolis. The simulation was conducted with multi-scale in horizontal regional-urban-point levels and in vertical atmosphere-surface-unsaturated-saturated layers, and projected the effect of water resources use to ameliorate the heat island and its impact on the hydrologic change in the catchment. Finally, the author presented the procedure to visualize the missing role of hydrothermal interactions in atmospheric, land and water areas, which would be effective to recover a sound hydrologic cycle and to create thermally pleasing environments in an eco-conscious megalopolis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate progress in stomach cancer care in Japan since 1975.Design: Population-based study of data extracted from the Osaka Cancer Registry.Setting: Population-based cancer registry in the area of Osaka Prefecture.Participants: All 66,032 cases diagnosed with a stomach cancer in Osaka Prefecture, Japan between 1975 and 2000 and registered in the Osaka Cancer Registry.Main Outcome Measures: 'Cure' fraction and median survival time for 'uncured' patients were estimated with multivariable mixture 'cure' model. The role played by age and stage at diagnosis on the changes in 'cure' parameters between 1975 and 2000 was evaluated. Missing stage was handled by multiple imputation approach.Results: More than 50% of the patients diagnosed with a stomach cancer in 1996-2000 were estimated 'cured' from their cancer, corresponding to a 20% increase since 1975-1980. Median survival time for 'uncured' patients however remained unchanged at about 8 months. 'Cure' fraction was over 85% for localised tumours and 30% for regional tumours, but stayed as low as 2.5% for distant metastatic cancers. Improvement was underestimated by about 10% because of ageing of cancer patients. Changes in stage distribution explained up to 40% of the increase in 'cure' fraction among men and up to 13% in women. Overdiagnosis was unlikely to play any role in these patterns.Conclusions: 'Cure' fraction from stomach cancer dramatically increased in Osaka, Japan since 1975, partly because of earlier stage at diagnosis, but mostly due to improvement in treatment of stomach cancer patients. This study, based on a leading country in term of stomach cancer management, provides insightful results for other countries in which 'cure' fraction is usually much lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Schottky-barrier changes by the segregation and structural disorder are studied using the first-principles calculations and adopting Au/Si interface. The Schottky barrier for electrons simply decreases as increasing the valency of segregated atoms from II to VI families, which variation is shown closely related to how the Si atoms are terminated at the interface. On the other hand, the structural disorders (defects) prefer to locate near the interface and the Schottky barrier for hole carriers does not change in cases of Si vacancy and Au substitution, while it increases in cases of Si and Au interstitials reflecting the appearance of Si dangling bonds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6)-associated encephalitis or pneumonitis has been reported in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed individuals. Several MRI studies in patients with HHV-6-associated encephalitis have been presented. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies describing thin-section CT imaging in patients with HHV-6-associated pneumonitis have been reported. Here we describe a case of HHV-6-associated encephalitis and pneumonitis that developed after bone marrow transplantation. Thin-section CT images of the chest revealed ground-glass attenuation, consolidation and centrilobular nodules in both lungs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The NIES Integrated Catchment-based Eco-hydrology (NICE) model was applied to the Biliu River catchment, northern China, to estimate the carrying capacity of the water resource there. The model reproduced well the water and heat budgets after the construction of a reservoir in the middle reach of the river. It also correctly backcasted the degradation of water resources such as river discharge and groundwater after the completion of the reservoir. Calculation of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from satellite data clearly showed vegetation degradation downstream of the reservoir. Statistical analysis of a decoupling indicator based on the simulated water carrying capacity and on the satellite data of vegetation index indicated that water-related stress in Dalian city, where the economy has grown rapidly after the completement of the reservoir, has increased in accordance with the environmental degradation below the reservoir. The results indicate a close relationship between water resource and economic growth, which has greatly affected ecosystem degradation and its serious burden on the environment in the catchment. The simulated results highlight the linkage between urban development in Dalian and sustainable water resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor is a complex molecule that consists of calcitonin receptor-like receptor and receptor activity-modifying protein-1 (RAMP1). It was recently reported that RAMP1-deficient mice (RAMP1(−/−)) showed inflammatory responses with a transiently significant increase in serum CGRP levels and proinflammatory cytokines when compared with RAMP1(+/+) mice. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the human RAMP1 gene and cerebral infarction (CI) using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a Japanese population. We selected six SNPs in the human RAMP1 gene (rs3754701, rs3769048, rs7557078, rs1584243, rs10199956 and rs7590387) and performed a case–control study using each SNP and haplotype in 171 CI patients and 234 controls. There were no significant differences in overall distribution of genotype and allele frequencies of the SNPs between the CI and control groups. However, there was a significant difference in overall distribution between the CI and control groups (P<0.001) in the haplotype-based case–control study with the combinations of rs3754701–rs3769048–rs7590387. The T-A-C susceptibility haplotype for CI was significantly more frequent than in the control group (P=0.0024). The results suggest that the T-A-C haplotype is a genetic marker for CI, and that RAMP1 or neighbouring genes are associated with increased susceptibility to CI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P2RY2 has an important function in the regulation of blood pressure by activating adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the human P2RY2 gene and essential hypertension (EH) through a haplotype-based case–control study that included two gender groups. The 273 EH patients and 255 age-matched controls were genotyped for five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the human P2RY2 gene (rs4944831, rs1783596, rs4944832, rs4382936 and rs10898909). Data were analysed for men and women separately and then as a combined total group. For the total and the men only groups, the genotype distribution of the T allele of rs4944831 and the recessive model (GG vs TG+TT) of rs4944831 differed significantly between the EH patients and controls (P=0.028 and 0.019; P=0.009 and 0.008, respectively). Logistic regression showed that for the total and men groups, the TG+TT genotype of rs4944831 was more prevalent in EH patients than in the controls (P=0.026 and 0.011, respectively). For men, the overall distribution of the haplotype (SNP2-SNP4-SNP5) was significantly different between the EH patients and the controls (P=0.006). As compared with controls, the frequency of the T-A-G haplotype was significantly higher, whereas the T-C-G haplotype was significantly lower for the EH patients (P=0.001 and 0.014, respectively). In conclusion, the present results indicate that rs4944831 and the T-A-G haplotype of the human P2RY2 gene might be genetic markers for EH in Japanese men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Filter-based absorption photometers have been widely used to measure mass concentrations of black carbon (BC) by measurement of the absorption coefficient of BC. In these techniques, correction for the effect of multiple scattering by the filter medium is necessary, even if only BC particles are extracted by evaporating co-existing volatile compounds using a heated inlet. The correction depends on particle size, because it varies with the aerosol penetration depth into the filter. The size dependence has not, however, been taken into account in previous studies. For the first time, we quantify the particle size dependence of the sensitivities of two filter-based photometers, PSAP and COSMOS, using mono-disperse nigrosin particles, which were generated by the combination of a differential mobility analyzer and an aerosol particle mass analyzer. At diameters smaller than 200nm, the absorption coefficients measured by PSAP and COSMOS were much larger than those calculated by Mie theory. The size-dependent correction factors for PSAP and COSMOS are determined by comparing the observed absorption coefficients at a flow rate of 0.7 standard liter per minute with those calculated by Mie theory. The correction factors to the mass absorption cross-section are also estimated for typical size distributions of ambient black carbon particles. The new factors reduce the mass absorption cross-sections measured by PSAP and COSMOS by 28–36% for typical ambient black carbon particles observed with an inlet heated to 400°C. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aim: To investigate the effects of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus megaterium in terms of toxin and growth of pathogenic Vibrio harveyi. Methods and Results: Three Bacillus probionts were isolated from probiotic BZT aquaculture and identified using a 16S rDNA sequence. Growth inhibition assay showed that supernatants from the 24-h culture of three Bacillus species were able to inhibit the growth of V. harveyi (LMG 4044); B. subtilis was the most effective based on the well diffusion method. Results of a liquid culture model showed that B. subtilis was also widely effective in inhibiting three strains of V. harveyi (isolated from Thailand, the Philippines and LMG 4044), and that both B. licheniformis and B. megaterium inhibit the growth of V. harveyi isolated from the Philippines. Moreover, a haemolytic activity assay demonstrated that V. harveyi (IFO 15634) was significantly decreased by the addition of B. licheniformis or B. megaterium supernatant. Conclusions: Bacillus subtilis inhibited Vibrio growth, and both B. licheniformis and B. megaterium suppressed haemolytic activity in Vibrio. Significance and Impact of the Study: The cell-free supernatants produced by Bacillus probionts inhibit Vibrio disease, and Bacillus probionts might have an influence on Vibrio cell-to-cell communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Using first-principles calculations, we explain why some metal atoms such as Ni produce bulk silicides and the others like Au never produce silicides, why silicides with some stoichiometry are difficult to grow on Si substrate, and why Schottky barrier for electrons simply decreases as the Si ratio in silicides increases. It is shown that the key origins to answer these questions are the electron transfer from Si-p to metal-atom-d orbitals and the energy losses by the elastic strain and the bond-breaking at the interface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Electronic structures of edge dislocations in InN films are studied using the first-principles calculation. We found that dangling-bond states of In atoms localized in the dislocation core are located above the conduction-band bottom and thus supplies the electron carriers to the conduction band of bulk InN, in agreement with the experimental suggestion by Wang et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 90 (2007) 151901]. Moreover, it is shown that the Fermi energy in the conduction band has the tendency to be pinned at the energy positions of N-related dangling-bond states. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK-3beta) was subsequently shown to function in a wide range of cellular processes. GSK-3beta is a multifunctional serine/threonine kinase which performs a role in several signaling pathways including Wnt signal transduction. Recently, the activity of membrane-localized GSK-3beta has been shown to be crucial for initiation of Wnt cascade. In our study, the membrane localization of GSK-3beta was found on the apical membrane of normal epithelium, where co-localized and directly bound with MUC1. In colorectal cancer, depolarized cells showed the aberrant distribution of GSK-3beta on the cellular membrane with beta-catenin nuclear accumulation. The aberrant distribution of the membrane-localized GSK-3beta may contribute to the development of colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synovial sarcoma is a rare sarcoma of unknown histologic origin. We previously reported the gene expression profile of synovial sarcoma was closely related to that of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, and the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signal was one of the main growth signals in synovial sarcoma. Here we further demonstrate the neural origin of synovial sarcoma using primary tumors and cell lines. The expression of neural tissue-related genes was confirmed in synovial sarcoma tumor tissues, but the expression of some genes was absent in synovial sarcoma cell lines. Treatment of synovial sarcoma cell lines with BMP4 or FGF2 enhanced or restored the expression of neural tissue-related genes and induced a neuron-like morphology with positive Tuj-1 expression. Treatment with all-trans-retinoic acid also induced the expression of neural tissue-related genes in association with growth inhibition, which was not observed in other cell lines except a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor cell line. A growth-inhibitory effect of all-trans-retinoic acid was also observed for xenografted tumors in athymic mice. The simultaneous treatment with FGF signal inhibitors enhanced the growth-inhibitory effect of all-trans-retinoic acid, suggesting the combination of growth signaling inhibition and differentiation induction could be a potential molecular target for treating synovial sarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Almost every year, China is affected by severe flooding, which causes considerable economic loss and serious damage to towns and farms, in particular, at the middle and lower regions of Changjiang (Yangtze) River. In addition to abnormal weather, previous research has concluded that artificial effects have also been significant causes of major flood disasters along this catchment. These have included (i) extreme deforestation and soil erosion in the upper reaches, (ii) shrinking of lake water volumes and their reduced connection with the Changjiang River due to reclamation of lakes that retarded water in the middle reaches, and (iii) restriction of channel capacity following levee construction. The present research focused on the flood storage ability of Dongting and Poyang Lake in the middle region and simulated the water/heat dynamics for the 1998 large-scale flood, which was one of the largest floods in the 20th century, in the entire Changjiang River catchment. The authors expanded the process-based model for application to broader catchments in order to evaluate large-scale flooding in the Changjiang River (NICE-FLD), and compared the severe flood-period of 1998 with the usual flood-period of 1987–1988. The model reproduced excellently the river discharge, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, groundwater level, and other factors. Furthermore, the authors conducted the back-casting simulation by recreating the areas of both lakes in the 1950s and by inputting the meteorological data in the 1998 severe flood in order to evaluate the role of flood storage ability of lakes. The simulation shows that the peak flow and groundwater level around the junction and downstream from it decrease as qualitatively described by the previous researches. This indicates that the increase of lake storage capacity moderates the peak value of lake water level during the flood periods and decreases the groundwater level surrounding the lakes. This result is very important for minimizing flood damage as far as possible and making the better decision on sustainable development in the catchment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is a mature CD4+ T-cell malignancy etiologically associated with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). Primary ATL cells frequently express CCR4 at high levels. Since HTLV-1 Tax does not induce CCR4 expression, transcription factor(s) constitutively active in ATL may be responsible for its strong expression. We identified an activator protein-1 (AP-1) site in the CCR4 promoter as the major positive regulatory element in ATL cells. Among the AP-1 family members, Fra-2, JunB and JunD are highly expressed in fresh primary ATL cells. Consistently, the Fra-2/JunB and Fra-2/JunD heterodimers strongly activated the CCR4 promoter in Jurkat cells. Furthermore, Fra-2 small interfering RNA (siRNA) or JunD siRNA, but not JunB siRNA, effectively reduced CCR4 expression and cell growth in ATL cells. Conversely, Fra-2 or JunD overexpression promoted cell growth in Jurkat cells. We identified 49 genes, including c-Myb, BCL-6 and MDM2, which were downregulated by Fra-2 siRNA in ATL cells. c-Myb, BCL-6 and MDM2 were also downregulated by JunD siRNA. As Fra-2, these proto-oncogenes were highly expressed in primary ATL cells but not in normal CD4+ T cells. Collectively, aberrantly expressed Fra-2 in association with JunD may play a major role in CCR4 expression and oncogenesis in ATL.Oncogene (2008) 27, 3221–3232; doi:10.1038/sj.onc.1210984; published online 10 December 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer screening programmes using chest X-ray and sputum cytology are routinely performed in Japan; however, the efficacy is insufficient. Screening using low-dose computed tomography (CT) is a more effective approach and has the potential to detect the disease more accurately. A total of 7183 low-dose CT screening tests for 4689 participants and 36 085 chest X-ray screening tests for 13 381 participants were conducted between August 1998 and May 2002. Sensitivity and specificity of lung cancer screening were calculated by both the detection method and the incidence method by linkage of the screening database and the Cancer Registry database. The preclinical detectable phase was assumed to be 1 year. Sensitivity and specificity by the detection method were 88.9 and 92.6% for low-dose CT and 78.3 and 97.0% for chest X-ray, respectively. Sensitivity of low-dose CT by the incidence method was 79.5%, whereas that of chest X-ray was 86.5%. Lung cancer screening using low-dose CT resulted in higher sensitivity and lower specificity than traditional screening according to the detection method. However, sensitivity by the incidence method was not as high as this. These findings demonstrate the potential for overdiagnosis in CT screening-detected cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recently, it is expected that hydrogen plays an important role in energy source including electric power in near future. Liquid hydrogen has high potential for cooling down superconducting coil wound with high temperature superconductors (HTS), such as BSCCO, YBCO. In this paper, we study stabilities of the coils wound with BSCCO tapes, which are immersed in the liquid hydrogen, and compare stability results with those cooled by liquid helium. We treat a minimum propagation zone (MPZ) theory to evaluate the coil stability considering boiling heat flux of the liquid hydrogen, and specific heat, heat conduction and resistivity of HTS materials as a function of temperature. It is found that the coil cooled by the liquid hydrogen has higher stability margin than that cooled by the liquid helium. We compare the stability margins of both coils wound with Bi-2223/Ag tape and Bi-2212/Ag tape in liquid hydrogen. As a result, it is found that the stability of Bi-2212 coil is equivalent to that of Bi-2223 coil in low and high magnetic field, while the maximum current of Bi-2212 coil exceeds a little bit that of Bi-2223 coil in both magnetic fields. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Visible and near-infrared laser light pulses were coupled into two different types of optical fiber cavities. One cavity consisted of a short strand of fiber waveguide that contained two identical fiber Bragg gratings. Another cavity was made using a loop of optical fiber. In either cavity ∼40 ps laser pulses, which were generated using a custom-built gain-switched diode laser, circulated for a large number of round trips. The optical loss of either cavity was determined from the ring-down times. Cavity ring-down spectroscopy was performed on 200 pL volumes of liquid samples that were injected into the cavities using a 100 μm gap in the fiber loop. A detection limit of 20 ppm of methylene blue dye in aqueous solution, corresponding to a minimum absorptivity of εC<6 cm-1, was realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absorption spectra of the 3ν3 band of nitrous oxide isotopologues, 14N15N16O and 15N14N16O, have been measured using diode laser cavity ring-down spectroscopy in 6400–6463 and 6465–6532 cm-1, respectively. Spectroscopic parameters and the rotational line intensities of the bands have been determined. We have applied this spectroscopic technique to the measurements of the absolute isotope ratio of those isotopologues using the absolute line intensities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To demonstrate the influence of copper on luminescence and toxin production in Vibrio harveyi. Methods and Results: The effect of copper concentration on the expression of both luminescence and toxin of V. harveyi was investigated. Copper concentration of less than 40 ppm had no effect on the growth. While V. harveyi cultured with 40 ppm copper concentration showed decreased luminescence as measured by spectrofluorophotometer and as observed. LuxD gene, which is related to luminescence expression, was monitored using real-time RT-PCR. Result showed that the concentration of cDNA coding for luxD was lower in V. harveyi with copper. Toxic activity against both HeLa cells and shrimp haemocytes was also lower in the culture supernatant of V. harveyi grown with 40 ppm copper concentration. Moreover, V. harveyi extracellular proteins were analysed using SDS–PAGE. Results showed that culture supernatant from V. harveyi grown without copper had thicker band indicating a higher concentration of the putative cysteine protease, one of the major toxin of V. harveyi. Conclusions: This study proved that both luminescence and toxin were repressed by copper. Significance and Impact of the Study: The current study demonstrated that copper inhibited expression of phenotype of V. harveyi. Furthermore, it may inhibit quorum sensing of V. harveyi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to the low measles vaccination rate, localized measles epidemics occasionally occur in Japan with the majority of sufferers being children under 2 years of age. Despite an increased risk of infection at day-care centers, the measles vaccination coverage for day-care attendees is lower than children who are reared-at-home or attend kindergartens. This study aims to describe the current state of measles prevention policy at day-care centers and to examine factors associated with vaccine promotion. Methods: A cross-sectional study using anonymous self-administered questionnaires were distributed to the director or person-in-charge at 250 all licensed day-care centers in Kyoto City, Japan, in 2004. The preventive measures against measles at day-care centers and factors related to carrying out the promotion of measles vaccination were examined. Descriptive statistics and odds ratios (OR) using a logistical model were presented. Results: Out of 250 day-care centers, 187 questionnaires were returned (response rate, 74.8%). Measles vaccination history was taken at 161 day-care centers (86.1%) at the time of enrolment; only 61 day-care centers (32.6%) took a history during the school year. A total of 101 day-care centers (54.0%) promoted measles vaccination in day-care attendees who had not yet been immunized. Day-care centers which promoted it were more likely to be 'public facility' (OR, 3.09) and 'having opportunities to learn about vaccination' (OR, 5.55). After adjustment, 'having opportunities to learn about vaccination' and 'having knowledge that measles vaccination is best under the age of 15 months' were significantly related to carrying out the promotion of measles vaccination (OR, 6.47; 95% confidence interval, 2.52-18.61; OR, 3.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.45-6.95, respectively). Conclusion: Preventive measures for measles at day-care centers are currently insufficient. Increasing opportunities to learn about vaccination may encourage promotional behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To demonstrate that Vibrio harveyi produces various types of toxins and how the production of those toxins is related with luminescence. Methods and Results: Luminescence and toxicity of eight V. harveyi were evaluated. We demonstrated that all V. harveyi emitting luminescence were isolated from marine organisms and also showed that they were highly pathogenic when compared with culture collection V. harveyi based on cytotoxic assay test. On the contrary, V. harveyi isolated from shrimp farm showed no luminescence but showed high pathogenicity based on toxicity test. The effect of protease inhibitors on pathogenicity and luminescence was also investigated. We demonstrated that light emission of pathogenic V. harveyi remarkably decreased after addition of protease inhibitor. Furthermore, extracellular proteins from cell-free culture supernatant of luminescent and nonluminescent V. harveyi were compared using SDS-PAGE analysis. Results showed that there were differences in molecular weight and amount of proteins. Conclusions: Vibrio harveyi parasiting marine organisms have both luminescence and pathogenicity. Based on this study, luminescence and protease toxin activity in V. harveyi are related. Moreover, this paper clarified that V. harveyi produces various types of toxins. Significance and Impact of the Study: The current study demonstrated that V. harveyi produces two kinds of toxins, haemolysin and protease toxin. It may be clear roots of V. harveyi toxin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Differentiation of naive CD4 T cells into Th2 cells is accompanied by chromatin remodeling including hyperacetylation of histones H3 and H4 in the nucleosomes associated with the IL-4, IL-13 and IL-5 genes. A conserved GATA3 response element (CGRE) containing four GATA consensus sequences was identified 1.6 kbp upstream of the IL-13 gene, corresponding with the 5′ border of the Th2-specific histone hyperacetylation region. The CGRE was shown to bind to GATA3, histone acetyl transferase complexes including CBP/p300, and RNA polymerase II. As for the IL-5 gene locus, CD28 costimulation selectively enhanced histone hyperacetylation through NF-κB activation and subsequent upregulation of GATA3. Chromatin remodeling of type 2 cytokine gene loci occurs also in developing Tc2 cells. IL-4 production and histone hyperacetylation in IL-4-associated nucleosomes in developing Tc2 cells were significantly lower than those of Th2 cells; however, cytokine production and histone hyperacetylation of IL-5 and IL-13 genes were equivalent. Developing Tc2 cells expressed lower GATA3 levels and dramatically increased levels of repressor of GATA (ROG). A ROG response element in the IL-13 gene exon 4 displayed Tc2-specific binding of ROG, HDAC1 and HDAC2. Thus, ROG may confer CD8 T cell-specific repression of histone hyperacetylation and activation of the IL-4 gene locus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article examines correlation between the human Sur2 gene and essential hypertension using single nucleotide polymorphism. Essential hypertension (EH) believed to be multifactorial and contributes the variation in blood pressure among individuals. Studies indicate that ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels and Sur 2 are involved in physiology of the cardiovascular system. Likewise, haplotype of the Sur2 gene is a useful genetic marker and it is a sensitive gene of essential hypertension.

Background: The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a key signalling molecule implicated in the regulation of growth and malignant transformation. Constitutive activation of STAT3 is seen in several tumour derived cell lines, and in a wide variety of human malignancies. Aims: To examine the relation between p-STAT3 (activated form of STAT3) expression and clinicopathological factors in human colorectal adenocarcinoma and adenoma. Methods: Immunohistochemical analyses were carried out on tissues from 44 colorectal adenomas and 95 colorectal adenocarcinomas, comprising 18 intramucosal carcinomas and 77 invasive carcinomas. Results: Seventy seven of these 139 samples (55.4%) showed immunoreactivity for p-STAT3. Positive staining for p-STAT3 was seen in 69 of the 95 carcinomas. Only eight of the 44 adenomas showed immunopositivity for p-STAT3, resulting in a significant difference between total adenocarcinomas and adenomas (p < 0.001). Among the 95 cases of colorectal adenocarcinoma, p-STAT3 immunoreactivity was significantly correlated with the depth of tumour invasion (p < 0.05), venous invasion (p < 0.05), lymph node metastasis (p < 0.05), and increasing stages of the Dukes' classification (p < 0.01). Expression of p-STAT3 was detected by Western blot analysis in two different cultured human colorectal carcinoma cell lines and six colon carcinoma tissue samples obtained at surgery. Conclusion: This is the first study to report a significant correlation of p-STAT3 expression with the depth of tumour invasion. These findings suggest that p-STAT3 expression is an important factor related to carcinogenesis and/or tumour invasion of colorectal adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The use of a structured abstract has been recommended in reporting medical literature to quickly convey necessary information to editors and readers. The use of structured abstracts increased during the mid-1990s; however, recent practice has yet to be analyzed. OBJECTIVES: This article explored actual reporting patterns of abstracts recently published in selected medical journals and examined what these journals required of abstracts (structured or otherwise and, if structured, which format). METHODS: The top thirty journals according to impact factors noted in the 'Medicine, General and Internal' category of the ISI Journal Citation Reports (2000) were sampled. Articles of original contributions published by each journal in January 2001 were examined. Cluster analysis was performed to classify the patterns of structured abstracts objectively. Journals' instructions to authors for writing an article abstract were also examined. RESULTS: Among 304 original articles that included abstracts, 188 (61.8%) had structured and 116 (38.2%) had unstructured abstracts. One hundred twenty-five (66.5%) of the abstracts used the introduction, methods, results, and discussion (IMRAD) format, and 63 (33.5%) used the 8-heading format proposed by Haynes et al. Twenty-one journals requested structured abstracts in their instructions to authors; 8 journals requested the 8-heading format; and 1 journal requested it only for intervention studies. CONCLUSIONS: Even in recent years, not all abstracts of original articles are structured. The eight-heading format was neither commonly used in actual reporting patterns nor noted in journal instructions to authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alipov G, Nakayama T, Ito M, Kawai K, Naito S, Nakashima M, Niino D&Sekine I(2005)Histopathology46,202–208Overexpression of Ets-1 proto-oncogene in latent and clinical prostatic carcinomas: The high incidence of clinically diagnosed prostatic cancer is exceeded by the frequency of tumours detected at autopsy. The Ets-1 proto-oncogene is expressed by a variety of malignant and normal tissues. Therefore, in this study, expression of Ets-1 protein was investigated in‘latent’ prostatic cancer detected at autopsy, compared with benign prostatic hyperplasia, normal prostatic tissues and clinical prostatic cancer.: Using immunohistochemistry, we analysed Ets-1 expression in 95 prostatic specimens including 19 cases of latent prostatic carcinoma (LPC) and 55 cases of clinical prostatic carcinoma (CPC), 11 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 10 cases of normal prostate (NP). Differences in the incidence of LPC and CPC suggest different courses for the biological progression of prostatic cancer. There was a significant difference in the degree of Ets-1 expression in CPC and LPC (P < 0.05). Ets-1 was not expressed in BPH and NP, but in malignant cases (57 of 74; 77.0%) commonly demonstrated immunoreactivity in the tumour cells. In our study the expression of Ets-1 between benign and malignant, and well, moderately and poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas of prostatic cancer showed significant differences. The presence of Ets-1 mRNA was confirmed byin-situhybridization in human prostatic tissues.: Our results suggest that Ets-1 might play an important role in carcinogenesis and/or the progression of human prostatic carcinomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an analysis of the experimental data obtained by means of inelastic neutron scattering (INS) experiments for diluted Heisenberg antiferromagnet RbMn 0.39 Mg 0.61 F 3 (H. Ikeda et al. , J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 67 , 3376 (1998)). Calculated results recover well INS results. These results confirm the observation of antiferromagnetic fractons in RbMn 0.39 Mg 0.61 F 3 by Ikeda et al. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential hypertension (EH) is thought to be a polygenic disease. Several candidate genes of this disease have been investigated in studies using polymorphic genetic markers, but some studies have failed to show any association of EH with these genes. In this experiment, we used microsatellite markers on chromosome 1, and performed an association study between EH and control subjects. Genomic DNA was amplified with fluorescently labelled primers from the Applied Biosystems PRISM linkage mapping set HD-5 comprising 63 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers with an average spacing of 4.5?cM. We isolated three loci showing significant differences: D1S507, D1S2713 and D1S2842. The P-values of the allele with the greatest post hoc contributions in D1S507, D1S2713 and D1S2842 were 0.0008, 0.0062 and 0.0084, respectively. All these values were significant after Bonferroni correction. Furthermore, we found that the three microsatellite alleles were associated with the levels of systolic blood pressure. These data suggest that there are at least the three susceptibility loci for EH on chromosome 1, and that a case-control study using microsatellite markers on genomewide basis is a useful method for isolating the susceptibility loci of multifactorial disorders.Journal of Human Hypertension (2004) 18, 823-828. doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1001740 Published online 10 June 2004 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]