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Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS), which is recognized as one of the major analytical methods of positron annihilation spectroscopy, can directly detect information related to the size of vacancy-type defects from lifetime values. PALS measurements performed under high background radiation have been previously reported. It is well known that coincidence techniques such as age–momentum correlation (AMOC) measurements are effective for the background reduction, but count rates decline significantly. In this study, a preliminary experiment was performed to reduce the influence of the background radiation without the coincidence technique in the pulsing system of the Kyoto University research Reactor (KUR) slow positron beamline. This experiment involved the introduction of a gate circuit for the background radiation discrimination using a dynode signal from a single scintillation detector (photomultiplier). After introducing the gate circuit, the time resolution and the lifetime value of Kapton were 308 ps and 388 ± 3 ps, respectively, with count rates of ∼400 counts/s at a KUR 5 MW operation. In the AMOC measurement, the time resolution and the lifetime value of Kapton were 297 ps and 380 ± 7 ps, respectively, with count rates of ∼40 counts/s at a KUR 5 MW operation. When the single detector with the gate circuit was used, the count rate was ∼1 order of magnitude higher than those of the AMOC measurements, while the time resolutions of the two methods were comparable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River floods are common natural disasters that cause serious economic damage worldwide. In addition to direct economic damage, such as the destruction of physical assets, floods with long‐lasting inundation cause direct and indirect economic losses within and outside the affected area. Direct economic losses include loss of opportunity, due to interruption of business activities, and the costs associated with emergency measures such as cleaning, while indirect economic losses affect sectors within the trade and supply network. Few studies have explicitly estimated direct and indirect economic losses in several sectors, due to the difficulty of modeling inundation depth and period at finer scales. Here we developed a global modeling framework to estimate the direct and indirect economic losses associated with floods using a computable general equilibrium model and a global river and inundation model, which can simulate the flood extent, depth, and period. Application of the method to the 2011 Thailand flood demonstrated that the estimated economic losses due to business interruption in the industry and service sectors totaled $14.7 billion, which was about two thirds of the estimated direct economic damage caused by the flood ($22.0 billion). The estimated indirect economic losses reduced the gross domestic product of Thailand by 4.81% in 2011, without considering transboundary effects, and will cause more than 0.5% reduction in gross domestic product even in 2030, resulting in $55.3 billion of total losses from 2011 to 2030. Comprehensive estimation of direct and indirect economic losses facilitates understanding of various types of flood‐related economic risks during and after a flood. Key Points: We have developed a modeling framework to estimate direct and indirect economic losses due to river flooding with long inundation periodWe applied the modeling framework to the 2011 Thailand flood and calculated long‐term indirect economic lossesOur modeling framework facilitates understanding of various types of flood‐related economic risks during and after a flood [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the recording capability of a perpendicular magnetic tape at a higher linear recording density using magnetic force microscopy. Fabrication of perpendicular magnetic tapes with polyamide base sheets; Remnant magnetization state.

Pulsed-field magnetization (PFM) is one of the practical activation techniques for bulk applications, especially as an inexpensive, small-volume, and mobile experimental setup. To utilize the method, its effectiveness to excite the bulk superconductors was examined by four samples with different trapped-flux performance as representatives. The PFM experiments were conducted with a pair of vortex-type copper coils at liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K). The utmost trapped-flux performance of the four samples was obtained by a multi-PFM method with progressively increased applied fields. By comparison with their trapped-flux results of static field-cooling magnetization (FCM), the effectiveness of PFM according to different performance bulk superconductors was analyzed. It was found that with the improvement of the bulk performance, the PFM results start to deviate from the FCM ones more and more, indicating a harder tendency to excite the bulk samples by the PFM method. The possible explanations from heat generation during the pulse and some suggestions to the improvement of the PFM process for practical applications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The catabasis of inflammation is an active process directed by n-3 derived pro-resolving lipid mediators. We aimed to determine whether high-fat (HF) diet-induced n-3 deficiency compromises the resolution capacity of obese mice and thereby contributes to obesity-linked inflammation and insulin resistance.Research Design and Methods: We used transgenic expression of the fat-1 n-3 fatty acid desaturase from C. elegans to endogenously restore n-3 fatty acids in HF-fed mice. After 8 weeks on HF or chow diets, wild-type and fat-1 transgenic mice were subjected to insulin and glucose tolerance tests and a resolution assay was performed. Metabolic tissues were then harvested for biochemical analyses.Results: We report that the n-3 docosanoid resolution mediator protectin D1 is lacking in muscle and adipose tissue of HF-fed wild-type mice. Accordingly, HF-fed wild-type mice have an impaired capacity to resolve an acute inflammatory response and display elevated adipose macrophage accrual and chemokine/cytokine expression. This is associated with insulin resistance and higher activation of iNOS and JNK in muscle and liver. These defects are reversed in HF-fed fat-1 mice, in which the biosynthesis of this important n-3 docosanoid resolution mediator is improved. Importantly, transgenic restoration of n-3 fatty acids prevented obesity-linked inflammation and insulin resistance in HF-fed mice without altering food intake, weight gain, or adiposity.Conclusions: We conclude that inefficient biosynthesis of n-3 resolution mediators in muscle and adipose tissue contributes to the maintenance of chronic inflammation in obesity and that these novel lipids offer exciting potential for the treatment of insulin resistance and diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have conducted both electrical and cryomechanical designs of a superconducting propulsion motor based on fieldpoles made of twinned Double-Pancake-Coils (DPC) with Bi-2223 superconducting wire. Neither field-poles nor armature coils have an iron core; that way the magnetic flux increases with increasing applied current in the HTS wire. Special attention has been paid to reducing heat from the coils upon excitation. We have fixed a final design with a low energy loss up to 0.25 W maximum excitation of 1.5 T, corresponding to a current of 200 A at 30 K. In the present study, we have assembled these 8 twinned DPCs into the HTS axial-gap type motor. The dimensions of the motor are 850 mm in diameter for 507 mm in length and the weight is 1044 kg for 100 kW at 230 rpm. The HTS field-pole coils were cooled by thermal conduction by using a circulation of condensed neon with a thermal siphon using a GM cryocooler. We report cryomechanical and technical issues. The successful excitation of the HTS rotor made of 8 twinned DPCs and the rotation test under low frequency are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Although electroacupuncture (EA) therapy is used to relieve various kinds of pain, the optimal frequency and duration of EA remain unclear. We investigated the effect of varying frequency and duration of EA during hyperalgesia elicited by carrageenan-induced inflammation. METHODS: Carrageenan was administered by subcutaneous intraplantar injection to induce inflammation. Nociceptive thresholds were measured using the paw pressure threshold (PPT) (Randall-Selitto Test). EA was applied at 3, 15, or 100Hz to the left anterior tibial muscles for 1, 15, or 60 minutes. Intensities used were chosen within the known tolerance of the animal, and increased up to 3mA for 3Hz, and up to 1.5mA for 15 and 100Hz. EA was started three hours after carrageenan injection. RESULTS: Three hours after carrageenan injection, a marked ipsilateral inflammatory response appeared and PPT decreased significantly. This decrease persisted for at least 24 hours after carrageenan injection. EA at 3Hz (60 minutes) resulted in significant increases of PPT which persisted for 24 hours after injection. EA at 3Hz (15 minutes) also induced PPT elevations immediately and for one hour after EA compared to the control group. However, no other variety of EA significantly increased PPT. CONCLUSION: These results show that EA produces electroacupuncture analgesia of carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia. These findings also suggest that, among the frequencies and durations tested, EA at 3Hz (60 minutes) is the most suitable frequency and duration for carrageenan-induced inflammation. It seems that EA has different analgesic effects and mechanisms according to the parameters of stimulation. For EA in the clinical induction of analgesia, it is especially important that an effective frequency and duration are selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular nature and cellular localization of Thy-1 antigen in human renal tissue were studied. Strong immunohistochemical staining was observed in frozen sections of human kidney using monoclonal anti-human Thy-1 antibody; this reaction was almost completely abolished by pretreating the kidney section with phosphatidyl inositol (PI)-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the Thy-1 antigen is localized on the proximal tubular epithelial cells and the Bowman's capsule of the glomerulus. Northern blot analysis of renal mRNA using a cloned human Thy-1 gene revealed the presence of human Thy-1 mRNA of a similar size to the one in human brain. When a human kidney cDNA library was greened with the same probe, a cDNA of human Thy-1 was isolated. Moreover, human Thy-1 protein with a molecular weight (MW) of 21,000 was detected in renal tissue by gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis using monoclonal anti-human Thy-1 antibody. These data demonstrate for the first time the production of human Thy-1 as a PI-anchored protein with a unique cellular location in human renal tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation was to assess the role of genetic loading of hypertensive parents in the determination of blood pressure (BP) in their normotensive offspring. The medical check-up data from 7279 Japanese university students aged 19.22 ± 0.01 years were analysed of which 641 students had only one hypertensive parent with or without hypertensive grandparents, and from this number 609 cases were available for the present analysis. The BP in the students having only one hypertensive parent were in the normotensive range, but was significantly higher than in those students without hypertensive relatives. Analyses of the data from the students having only one hypertensive parent revealed that systolic BP (SBP) and body mass index (BMI) were higher in the male than in the female students. In addition, there were no differences in BP and BMI between the male students with a hypertensive father and the male students having a normotensive father. However, multivariate analyses revealed that BMI was an independent predictor of SBP solely in the male students having a hypertensive father, but not in the male students having a normotensive father. Such a relationship between BMI and BP determination was not observed in the female students with one hypertensive parent. It is suggested that there are different mechanisms for the determination of BP in normotensive offspring of hypertensive parents, and genetic loading of a hypertensive father plays a critical role in the determination of BP through BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which examined the relationship between the exchange stiffness constant of a perpendicular medium- and high-density magnetic recording characteristics. Calculation model and parameters; Effect of Exchange stiffness constant; Effect of exchange dispersion.

We provide evidence that the mesangial cells of rat kidney glomeruli express Thy-1 as a phosphatidylinositol-anchored protein. Both the mesangial area of kidney, examined in tissue sections, and mesangial cells maintained in culture for more than 3 months, showed prominent immunofluorescence staining with an anti-Thy-1 monoclonal antibody (OX7); this staining was almost completely abolished by pretreating kidney sections or mesangial cells with the phosphatidylinositol-specific enzyme, phospholipase C. By Northern blotting, mesangial cells were shown to express mRNA of an appropriate size, hybridizing to a mouse Thy-1.1-specific probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]