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Researchers have increasingly concentrated on loneliness in the workplace as a crucial factor influencing the mental health of employees and the viability of telework. In contrast, the current understanding of the strategies mitigating workplace loneliness and how leaders utilize their behaviors to impact followers' loneliness remains limited. Since servant leadership values the emotional needs of followers and displays a high level of empathy, this study investigated the direct and indirect effects of servant leadership on workplace loneliness. In this study, 267 employees (mean age = 31.5 years) from 28 provinces in China were recruited to participate in this survey. We proposed that servant leaders motivate their own empathic communication and other followers' empathic communication to reduce lonely followers' workplace loneliness. This research further examined the relationship between the leader's and colleagues' empathic communication, and the two jointly mediate the connection between servant leadership and followers' workplace loneliness. We constructed a serial mediation model to examine the relationships between servant leadership, leader's empathic communication, colleagues' empathic communication, and workplace loneliness. The results indicate that servant leadership creates a cycle of empathy and provides insights into building a culture of empathy to improve employee well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Somatic mosaicism of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2 (IDH1/2) mutation is a cause of Ollier disease (OD), characterized by multiple enchondromatosis. A 35‐year‐old woman who was diagnosed with OD at age 24 underwent resection surgery for multifocal tumors located at the right and left frontal lobes that were discovered incidentally. No apparent spatial connection was observed on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. Pathological examinations revealed tumor cells with a perinuclear halo in the left frontal lobe tumor, whereas astrocytic tumor cells were observed in the right frontal lobe tumor. Based on positive IDH1 R132H immunostaining and the result of 1p/19q fluorescent in situ hybridization, pathological diagnoses were IDH mutant and 1p/19q‐codeleted oligodendroglioma in the right frontal lobe tumor and IDH mutant astrocytoma in the left frontal lobe tumor, respectively. The DNA sequencing revealed IDH1 R132H mutation in the peripheral blood sample and frontal lobe tumors. This case suggested that in patients with OD, astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma can co‐occur within the same individual simultaneously, and IDH1 R132H mutation was associated with supratentorial development of gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have predicted that antagonistic intraspecific evolution of sexually dimorphic characters causing rapid speciation can be driven by demographic history and environmental variations. However, researchers have rarely examined this issue in the wild. Here, we examined intraspecific evolution of sexually dimorphic characters and its driving force by using a diving beetle, Acilius japonicus, which has very marked sexually dimorphic characters. Males with wider big suction cups could copulate with females with a higher success rate, whereas the mating durations of females with more hairs on their pronota were shorter. Females in a region with greater interpopulation genetic differentiation had more pronotal hairs. Considering that a previous study showed that less continuity among populations leads to a higher female cost of mating, this result suggests a greater female cost of mating in this region. Females at warmer sites also had more pronotal hairs. In light of the increase in O2 consumption in warmer water, our result suggests that more pronotal hairs in females at warmer sites have been maintained to prevent prolonged underwater mating at higher O2 demand. These findings suggest that demographic history and temperature can direct the evolution of sexually dimorphic characters related to sexual conflict in females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer-infiltrated ceramic network materials (PICNs) have high mechanical compatibility with human enamel. However, the wear properties of PICN against natural human enamel have not yet been clarified. We investigated the in vitro two-body wear behaviors of PICNs and an enamel antagonist. Two PICNs were used: Experimental PICN (EXP) prepared via the infiltration of methacrylate-based resin into the porous silica ceramic network and commercial Vita Enamic (ENA). Two commercial dental ceramics, lithium disilicate glass (LDS) and zirconia (ZIR), were also characterized, and their wear performance was compared to PICNs. The samples were subjected to Vickers hardness tests and two-body wear tests that involve the samples being cyclically impacted by enamel antagonists underwater at 37 °C. The results reveal that the Vickers hardness of EXP (301 ± 36) was closest to that of enamel (317 ± 17). The volumetric wear losses of EXP and ENA were similar to those of LDS but higher than that of zirconia. The volumetric wear loss of the enamel antagonist impacted against EXP was moderate among the examined samples. These results suggest that EXP has wear behavior similar to that of enamel. Therefore, PICNs are mechanically comparable to enamel in terms of hardness and wear and are excellent tooth-restoration materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research has developed a fabricating process of thin‐strain sensor by utilizing wafer‐level‐packaging (WLP) techniques. The thickness of sensor makes thinner, its performance is able to highly increase. However, the thinner sensor was fragile, and so it was difficult to handle in post processes. Thus, a thin sensor with lid by utilizing WLP techniques, which is tough to break even when handled, is proposed in this research. More than 250‐µm‐deep grooves were fabricated around the lid by deep reactive ion etching. After the lid substrate was bonded on the sensor substrate with a resin, the sensor and lid substrates were respectively polished to 50 and 200 µm thickness. The lids were released along the grooves, and the 50‐µm‐thick strain sensors were able to be fabricated by utilizing WLP techniques. This sensor was used as a diaphragm to measure pressure. The sensors were assembled on a stainless steel housing without breakage. The performance of the developed sensor was almost showed with a conventional pressure sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of an accurate reservoir model and prediction of reservoir behaviour associated with geothermal exploitation using that model are fundamentally important for sustainable geothermal utilisation. Gravity observation for a few tens of days after a field-wide shut-in of geothermal wells potentially provides valuable constraints to improve reservoir models. We investigated the applicability of superconducting gravimeters (SGs) to short-term observations after shut-ins, as a first step towards the development of a method for reservoir model improvement using short-term gravity data. Results from a reservoir simulation of a shut-in at a geothermal field in Japan showed that gravity change at 20 days after the shut-in was 10 nm/s2. To detect such changes with SGs, locations of SG stations should be chosen to minimise noise sufficient to resolve the signal. Considering that field operations and traffic in geothermal fields can make SG data noisy, laboratory gravity measurements were carried out with a SG to investigate the influence of noise level on signal detection. Test masses, which produced a gravity change (7.7–9.0 nm/s2) comparable to the simulation result, were repeatedly placed and removed above the SG during both day and night times with different ambient noise levels. Test results showed that noise level greatly affected signal detection. The signal was only detected twice, under low-noise conditions with the standard deviations of 1.1 and 5.3 nm/s2. In addition, tests in which the SG was operated without a cryogenic refrigerator revealed that the absence of the refrigerator did not increase the noise level. Enhancing the portability of a SG by reducing its weight can make multi-location noise surveys feasible. Our method, of combining reservoir simulations and preliminary noise surveys, would enable successful SG observations to be made in relatively short periods after shut-ins, which would possibly contribute to the development of a method to obtain additional constraints to be used for reservoir model calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Latitudinal clines of species diversity are widely documented in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. However, the processes governing species diversity gradients in riverine ecosystems have not been well‐studied. We addressed this issue by comparing species diversity between riverine aquatic and terrestrial earthworm groups (genus Sparganophilus and Diplocardia, respectively). Location: North American temperate zone. Taxon: Sparganophilus and Diplocardia. Methods: We collected 556 Sparganophilus earthworms from 64 sites spanning 27 degrees of latitude (18.77°–45.90°N), and 165 Diplocardia earthworms from 23 sites (21 degrees, 19.77°–41.20°N). We split potential species from the phylogenetic trees based on four genes and compared the latitudinal pattern of species diversity between these two groups. Results: We estimated the number of potential species to be 10 for Sparganophilus and 8 for Diplocardia, respectively, from 526 haplotypes (403 in Sparganophilus and 123 in Diplocardia). Sparganophilus species diversity was higher at mid‐latitudes (32° to 40°) due to a preponderance of species with limited geographical distributions, whereas all specimens collected north of 40° belonged to broadly distributed species. Species with limited geographical distributions were more often collected at higher elevations than broadly distributed species in Sparganophilus. For Diplocardia, species diversity was higher at lower latitudes (28° to 32°). Main Conclusions: These results suggest that, in Sparganophilus, species composition at higher latitudes above 40° is derived from range expansion by broadly distributed species from lower latitudes. The high elevation area in the native distribution range of Sparganophilus is limited to the Appalachian Mountains, which ranges above 33° in latitude. The high species diversity of Sparganophilus with limited distributions at mid‐latitude (32°–40°) suggests that the headwater regions at the Appalachian Mountains are sites for more frequent speciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu is effective on the refinement of Fe3O4 rust particles but its mechanism is not clarified. In this study, the influence of Cu on the nanostructure of Fe3O4 particles was investigated through a detailed analysis of the characteristics of the artificially synthesized Fe3O4 particles formed with Cu2+ by various means. X‐ray absorption fine structure analysis showed that Cu is substituted for octahedral Fe and exists as CuxFe(3‐x)O4 in Fe3O4. The first‐principle calculation showed that lattice strain resulted around the substituted Cu. These results suggest that this lattice strain around substituted Cu inhibited the lattice growth and contributed to the refinement of Fe3O4 particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to prepare an organic–inorganic composite with a nanoscale dual-network structure composed of a ceramic skeleton and infiltrated resin to mimic the mechanical properties of human enamel. A porous silica block was obtained by sintering a green body composed of SiO 2 nanoparticles and poly(vinyl alcohol) organic binder. Methyl methacrylate monomers were infiltrated into the porous silica block and thermally polymerized to form poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). A monolithic SiO 2 –PMMA composite was obtained, and its nanoscale structure was investigated. Its mechanical properties were characterized by Vickers hardness, elastic modulus, and flexural strength tests. The SiO 2 –PMMA composite had a nanoscale dual-network structure composed of a silica–ceramic skeleton with PMMA-filled continuous 10–20 nm sized pores. The mechanical properties of the composite depended on the SiO 2 content, which could be adjusted by modifying sintering time of the porous silica block. The mechanical properties of the composite exhibited wide variations with Vickers hardness values of 54–756, elastic moduli of 7–54 GPa, and flexural strengths of 75–120 MPa. The preparation of a SiO 2 –PMMA composite with a dual-network structure at the nanoscale was demonstrated, and the composite was characterized with respect to its hardness compatibility with human enamel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To immunohistochemically examine the lacrimal sac walls harvested during dacryocystorhinostomy using an immunostain for immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4).Methods: Forty-four lacrimal sac walls were evaluated. We determined "intensively positive," "sparsely positive," or "negative" staining when the specimens showed IgG4-positive lymphoplasmacytic staining with or without >50 IgG4-positive cells/high-power field, or the absence of stained IgG4-positive cells.Results: Intensively positive, sparsely positive, or negative staining was observed in 8 (18.2%), 14 (31.8%), and 22 specimens (50.0%), respectively. Stained cells infiltrated the subepithelial layer in all specimens with positive staining. Four of the 8 specimens demonstrated partial epithelial denudation with loss of goblet cells.Conclusions: IgG4-positive lymphoplasmacytic infiltration was observed in the subepithelial layer in specimens with intensively positive staining, of which some showed a partially denuded epithelium with loss of goblet cells. These may lead to narrowing of the lacrimal sac lumen and adhesions of the sac walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Kalanchoe humifica Desc. (Crassulaceae) was described in 2005 based on vegetative characters because of the absence of floral material. According to the original description, the holotype of K. humifica should be at P, but we were unable to find it there. We therefore designate one of the photographs published in the protologue as the lectotype. Furthermore, the flowering specimen Miyata et al. 15031401 in TI is designated as an epitype of K. humifica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Underground community assemblies have not been studied well compared with aboveground communities, despite their importance for our understanding of whole ecosystems. To investigate underground community assembly over evolutionary timescales, we examined terrestrial earthworm communities (Oligochaeta: Haplotaxida) in conserved mountainous primary forests in Japan as a model system. We collected 553 earthworms mostly from two dominant families, the Megascolecidae and the Lumbricidae, from 12 sites. We constructed a molecular taxonomic unit tree based on the analysis of three genes to examine the effects of a biogeographic factor (dispersal ability) and an evolutionary factor (habitat adaptation) on the earthworm community assembly process. The phylogenetic distance of the earthworm communities among sites was positively correlated with geographic distance when intraspecific variation was included, indicating that the divergence within species was affected by biogeographic factors. The community assembly process in the Megascolecidae has also been affected by environmental conditions in relation to an evolutionary relationship between habitat environment and intestinal cecum type, a trait closely related to habitat depth and diet, whereas that in the Lumbricidae has not been affected as such. Intestinal cecum type showed a pattern of niche conservatism in the Megascolecidae lineage. Our results suggest that investigating the evolution of a key trait related to life history can lead to the clear description of community assembly process over a long timescale and that the community assembly process can differ greatly among related lineages even though they live sympatrically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planar and rigid frameworks that consist of two 1,8-substituted anthracene units and two acetylene linkers were utilized as key structures for the generation of stereoisomers through the introduction of extra substituents. These compounds were synthesized from 1,8-substituted anthracene building units by a combination of coupling reactions. We designed diastereomers, enantiomers, and topomers by modifying the combination of the two linkers and the number of substituents at sterically crowded intraannular positions. The molecular structures, stereochemistry, and properties of these compounds were investigated by means of spectroscopic techniques and theoretical calculations. A prochiral cyclic dimer with one extraannular substituent was designed to generate a stereochemical phenomenon in two dimensions. Scanning tunneling microscopy measurements revealed that the molecules formed a self-assembled monolayer at the liquid-solid interface in a conglomerate-type manner. The scope and potential of the macrocyclic frameworks in studies of π-conjugated compounds are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with an impedancemetric sensor based on an yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) using an oxide sensing-electrode (SE) for measuring O 2 concentration. Fourteen oxides were examined as the SE materials for selective detection of O 2 . Among the sensors examined, the YSZ-based sensor using BaFeO 3 -SE was found to be insensitive to interfering gases such as NH 3 , H 2 , C 3 H 6 , C 3 H 8 , CH 4 , NO 2 , NO or CO, while sensitive to only O 2 at 600 °C. The impedance value |Z| at 10 Hz for the sensor using BaFeO 3 -SE decreased linearly with increasing O 2 concentration on a logarithmic scale in the range of 0.05–21 vol.%. The present sensor exhibited quick and repeatable responses to the change in O 2 concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tricyrtis macrantha Maxim. (Liliaceae), an endemic species to Japan, is illustrated. It is distributed in a small area in Shikoku (Kochi Prefecture), and grows on limestone cliffs. Tricyrtis macrantha and its allied species, T. macranthopsis Masam., distributed in Kii Peninsula in western Honshu, and T. ishiiana (Kitag. & T. Koyama) Ohwi & Okuyama, distributed in Pacific coast side of central Honshu, comprise one natural group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the effect of mold stiffness on the surface flatness of mold-pressed glass for glass molding and imprint processes. Phosphate and borosilicate glasses were pressed at their viscoelastic temperature region using flat molds of several kinds and subsequently cooled to room temperature. Surface flatness of the mold-pressed glasses was examined using a stylus surface profilometer. The glass surface curvature was observed after spontaneous demolding by thermal shrinkage stress of the glass and the mold during cooling. The curvature decreased with increasing mold stiffness, as determined by the Young's modulus and mold thickness. The curvature also decreased with decreasing cooling rate during cooling, which was discussed in terms of the glass fragility. It was demonstrated that the Young's modulus, mold thickness, and cooling rate are key factors for the control of the molded glass surface flatness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A monolithic silica glass doped with Pr3+ was prepared by immersing a mesoporous SiO2–polyvinly alcohol (PVA) nanocomposite in a Pr nitrate solution and then sintering it at 1100℃ in air. The sintered glass exhibited pink emission when excited by ultraviolet irradiation. The photoluminescence intensity of the glass depended on the total concentration of Pr ions, which was adjusted by changing the concentration of the Pr nitrate solution and the immersion time. The glass with the highest photoluminescence intensity was prepared by using a 1- or 10-mM Pr solution at an immersion time of 60 min. To reveal how the immersion conditions affected the photoluminescence intensity, we analyzed and discussed the adsorption kinetics of the Pr ions onto the surface of the mesoporous nanocomposite. At immersion times below 60 min, the Pr ions diffused into pores of the nanocomposite without aggregating. To prepare Pr3+-doped silica glass with high photoluminescence, both the concentration of the Pr solution and the immersion time must be controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to elucidate oxygen sorption/desorption behavior accompanying with phase transition for perovskite-type oxide of SrFeO 3− δ , as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure. Oxygen desorption of SrFeO 3− δ in the temperature range of 100–800 °C was examined in terms of oxygen non-stoichiometry and crystal structural change, by means of thermogravimetric analysis and Mössbauer spectroscopy. In the case of oxygen desorption in nitrogen, the oxygen content of SrFeO 3− δ was reduced in a stepwise manner. Thus, three phases having oxygen-vacancy-ordered structures were observed, depending on temperature; Sr 8 Fe 8 O 23 (SrFeO 2.875 ) below 300 °C, Sr 4 Fe 4 O 11 (SrFeO 2.75 ) at 300–400 °C, and Sr 2 Fe 2 O 5 (SrFeO 2.5 ) above 400 °C. In contrast, in the case of oxygen desorption in air, the oxygen content decreased monotonically with increasing temperature without appearance of any stable phases. Furthermore, the isothermal oxygen sorption/desorption behavior of SrFeO 3− δ was examined to evaluate the capability as an oxygen sorbent for the high-temperature pressure-swing adsorption (HT-PSA) process. The sample sorbed oxygen in air and desorbed it in nitrogen reversibly at a constant temperature above 300 °C. The oxygen-storage capacity based on the reversible weight change exhibited rather large value above 400 °C, due to the large difference in its oxygen content between in air and in nitrogen. Actual oxygen separation from atmospheric air was performed at 600 °C by means of the small-scale HT-PSA apparatus loaded with the SrFeO 3− δ pellet-sample. The result suggests that SrFeO 3− δ is one of potential oxygen sorbents for the HT-PSA process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen sorption/desorption properties of SrCo x Fe1-x O3−δ were examined as an oxygen sorbent for a high-temperature pressure-swing adsorption (HT-PSA) process. Perovskite-type structure of the SrCo x Fe1-x O3−δ powder samples was observed in the composition range of 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.85, by using XRD measurements. A temperature-programmed-desorption (TPD) measurement revealed that the oxygen desorption temperature in N2 for the perovskite-type SrCo x Fe1-x O3−δ samples was lowered with increasing x. Consequently, the oxygen desorption temperature of the SrCo0.85Fe0.15O3−δ sample exhibited around 300 °C, which was the lowest of those of the examined samples. A high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD) measurement suggested that the oxygen desorption of SrCo0.85Fe0.15O3−δ in N2 occurred, accompanying the phase transition from perovskite-type structure to brownmillerite structure. Isothermal oxygen sorption/desorption behavior of the SrCo x Fe1-x O3−δ samples was examined by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). As a result, it was confirmed that the amount of sorbed oxygen for the SrCo0.85Fe0.15O3−δ sample gave 11.7 cm³ g-1 at 300 °C, which was larger than that (8.6 cm³ g-1) for a benchmark oxygen sorbent (La0.1Sr0.9Co0.9Fe0.1O3−δ). In order to obtain oxygen-enriched air by using the SrCo0.85Fe0.15O3−δ pellet sample as the oxygen sorbent, the oxygen separation from synthetic air was carried out by using a small-scale PSA apparatus equipped with a vacuum pump. It was confirmed that the 45 vol % oxygen-enriched air was obtained even at 300 °C, by using this apparatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite-type oxides of Ba x Sr 1 - x FeO 3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.5, 0.9 and 1.0) were examined as a sensing electrode (SE) material of potentiometric yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based oxygen sensors. The sensors using each of Ba x Sr 1 - x FeO 3 -SEs were found to be insensitive to the various examined gases (100 ppm each) such as NH 3 , H 2 , C 3 H 6 , C 3 H 8 , CH 4 , NO 2 , NO and CO, while they were sensitive to oxygen in the concentration range of 0.05-21 vol.% at 600 °C. The number of electron (n) in the electrochemical reaction of oxygen for the present sensors was estimated to be about 4.2 based on Nernst equation in the examined concentration range. The estimated n values for the present sensors are consistent with that (n = 4.2) for the conventional YSZ-based oxygen sensor using Pt-SE, being almost same as the theoretical value (n = 4). The YSZ-based sensor attached with BaFeO 3 -SE further showed excellent responses at temperatures of 450–600 °C. The electric potential difference (Δ V ) value of the present sensor was rather stable under the operating conditions (relative humidity: 20–100%, 400 ppm CO 2 , 600 °C) for the examined period of 14 days. In addition, it was found that the sensor using BaFeO 3 -SE could work well as a lambda (λ) sensor at 600 °C in the combustion gas of O 2 /C 3 H 8 , as is the case with the sensor using Pt-SE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based sensor using Zn–Ta-based oxide as a sensing electrode (SE) has been previously reported to generate a highly sensitive and selective response to hydrogen (H 2 ) after the aging of 40 days at 500 °C. This study is focused on shortening such a long aging time (stabilization) for obtaining the high-performance of the sensor. Initially, different heat treatments (changing the sintering parameter and the aging temperature) were done and could not give satisfactory results. However, when the sensor was exposed to 400 ppm H 2 in N 2 (the H 2 treatment), the stabilization time was found to decrease from 40 to 24 days. Prolongation of the H 2 -treatment time from 30 to 60 min helped the sensor using Zn–Ta–O-SE to reach the stabilized level in 15 days. Extending the treatment time up to 120 min gave an adverse effect to the shortening of stabilization time. Furthermore, the sensing performance of the stabilized sensor received the 400 ppm H 2 treatment for 60 min was unaffected by this H 2 treatment, since the sensor was still able to exhibit likewise highly sensitive and selective response to H 2 after the stabilized state was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to fabricate microhole arrays onto a silica glass via a room temperature imprint and subsequent sintering by using a monolithic SiO2-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposite as the silica glass precursor. The SiO2-PVA suspension was prepared from fumed silica particles and PVA, followed by drying to obtain tailored SiO2-PVA nanocomposites. The dependence of particle size of the fumed silica particles on pore size of the nanocomposite was examined. Nanocomposites prepared from 7 nm silica particles possessed suitable mesopores, whereas the corresponding nanocomposites prepared from 30 nm silica particles hardly possessed mesopores. The pore size of the nanocomposites increased as a function of decreasing pH of the SiO2-PVA suspension. As a consequence, the crack-free monolithic SiO2-PVA nanocomposite was obtained using 7 nm silica particles via the suspension at pH 3. Micropatterns were imprinted on the monolithic SiO2-PVA nanocomposite at room temperature. The imprinted nanocomposite was sintered to a transparent silica glass at 1200°C in air. The fabricated sintered glass possessed the microhole array on their surface with aspect ratios identical to the mold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are reporting here a potentiometric sensor by using yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as a solid electrolyte as well as zirconium silicate (ZrSiO 4 ) added with Au as a sensing electrode (SE), for achieving sensitive and selective detection of hydrogen (H 2 ). The addition of 10 wt.% Au into ZrSiO 4 -SE increased the sensitivity toward 100 ppm H 2 at 500 °C, while lower responses to other examined gases were observed. The ability to detect H 2 selectively was elucidated via polarization-curve measurements in air and in N 2 and confirmed via gas conversion test. It was found that the sensitive and selective H 2 behavior was due to a lower catalytic activity against the gas-phase oxidation of H 2 than that of C 3 H 6 , in combination with a higher catalytic activity to anodic reaction of H 2 than that of C 3 H 6 . The good agreement between the observed sensitivity and the estimated value from the polarization-curve measurements confirmed that the sensing mechanism is based on mixed potential model. The sensor using ZrSiO 4 (+ 10 wt.% Au)-SE demonstrated a linear relationship between sensitivity and H 2 concentration on a logarithmic scale and was capable of detecting H 2 concentration as low as 20 ppm at 500 °C under humid conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monolithic silica glasses doped with Cu ions were prepared by immersing a mesoporous SiO 2 -polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanocomposite in a copper nitrate solution followed by sintering at 1100 °C for 12 h in air. The Cu ions were reduced from divalent to monovalent during the sintering process and consequently Cu + was doped into the silica glass matrix. The sintered glass possessed blue or yellow photoluminescence (PL) under UV irradiation, depending on the total concentration of Cu ions in the sintered silica glass. At a lower concentration below 30 ppm, the isolated Cu + existed in the glass matrix resulting in the blue PL. However, above 70 ppm, the Cu + –Cu + pairs were present, exhibiting the yellow PL. It was demonstrated that the PL characteristics of the sintered silica glasses doped with monovalent copper ions were affected by the total concentration of Cu ions in the glass, which can be adjusted as a function of the immersion conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine surgical outcomes of the posterior layer advancement of the lower eyelid retractors (LER) in patients with congenital entropion and to ascertain whether the pretarsal orbicularis oculi muscle (OOM) was hypertrophic or not. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included three Japanese patients with congenital entropion who underwent posterior layer advancement of the LER. We reviewed the surgical outcomes and postoperative complications, such as lower eyelid ectropion and retraction for each patient. We also measured the diameters of the pretarsal OOM fibers in these patients and compared them with those measured in the previously reported 67 eyelids of 41 Japanese patients with congenital epiblepharon. Results: Congenital entropion was successfully corrected in all three patients without recurrence during 12-months of follow-up. No patient exhibited lower eyelid ectropion or lower eyelid retraction. The mean diameter of the pretarsal OOM fibers was 21.9 μm (range, 20.5-23.7 μm), which was not significantly different from that of the congenital epiblepharon (25.3 μm; range, 18.1-34.7 μm; p = 0.272, Mann-Whitney U test). Conclusions: The surgical outcomes in the present study suggest that posterior layer advancement of the LER is a useful surgical option for treatment of congenital entropion. No histological evidence of pretarsal OOM hypertrophy was shown in congenital entropion, which demonstrated that debulking of the pretarsal OOM may not be significant for correction of this entity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various metal oxides were examined for a sensing-electrode (SE) material of potentiometric yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based oxygen sensors. Among the oxides tested, perovskite-type oxides of Ba x Sr 1 − x FeO 3 (x = 1.0, 0.9, 0.5, 0.1, 0) were found to give low responses to various gases (NH 3 , H 2 , C 3 H 6 , C 3 H 8 , CH 4 , NO 2 , NO, and CO, 100 ppm each) at 600 °C. Particularly, BaFeO 3 -SE gave the most insensitive behavior to all the gases tested even in the temperature range of 500–600 °C, as the conventional Pt-SE did. Furthermore, the sensor using this inexpensive BaFeO 3 -SE was found to be quite sensitive to oxygen in the concentration range of 0.05–21 vol.% at temperatures of 500–600 °C, as similar to the case of an expensive Pt-SE. At 600 °C, the number of electron (n) involved in the electrochemical reaction of oxygen for the sensors using each of BaFeO 3 -SE and Pt-SE was estimated to be 4.2, which was obtained from the slope of linear correlation between potential response and the logarithm of oxygen concentration. The estimated n value was in good agreement with the theoretical value (n = 4). The present sensor using BaFeO 3 -SE was also confirmed to work well as a λ (lambda) sensor at 600 °C, showing similar behavior as the sensor using Pt-SE did. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is widely used in dental applications. However, PMMA specialized for stereolithography (SLA) additive manufacturing (3D-printing) has not been developed yet. This study aims to develop a novel PMMA-based resin for SLA 3D-printing by mixing methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), and PMMA powder in various mixing ratios. The printability and the viscosity of the PMMA-based resins were examined to determine their suitability for 3D-printing. The mechanical properties (flexural strength and Vickers hardness), shear bond strength, degree of conversion, physicochemical properties (water sorption and solubility), and cytotoxicity for L929 cells of the resulting resins were compared with those of three commercial resins: one self-cured resin and two 3D-print resins. EGDMA and PMMA were found to be essential components for SLA 3D-printing. The viscosity increased with PMMA content, while the mechanical properties improved as EGDMA content increased. The shear bond strength tended to decrease as EGDMA increased. Based on these characteristics, the optimal composition was determined to be 30% PMMA, 56% EGDMA, 14% MMA with flexural strength (84.6 ± 7.1 MPa), Vickers hardness (21.6 ± 1.9), and shear bond strength (10.5 ± 1.8 MPa) which were comparable to or higher than those of commercial resins. The resin's degree of conversion (71.5 ± 0.7%), water sorption (19.7 ± 0.6 μg/mm3), solubility (below detection limit), and cell viability (80.7 ± 6.2% at day 10) were all acceptable for use in an oral environment. The printable PMMA-based resin is a potential candidate material for dental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Scrub typhus (ST) is endemic in Fukushima, with the largest number of cases reported in Japan from 2009 to 2010. Although ST is highly treatable, its atypical clinical presentation impedes diagnosis, causing delays in treatment. Methods We review the clinical features of ST in adults from 2008 to 2017 at Ohta Nishinouchi General Hospital in Fukushima, Japan. Results Fifty-five cases (serotype Karp 24, Irie/Kawasaki 21, Hirano/Kuroki 10) of ST were confirmed via serology based on elevated immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgG and polymerase chain reaction positivity of eschar samples. The mean age was 69 years, and 64% were female. The case fatality rate was 1.8% (1/55). Approximately 70% of cases (38/55) were not diagnosed as ST upon the initial clinic visit. Inappropriate use of antibiotics was identified in 22% of cases (12/55). In terms of atypical clinical features, 1 or more of the manifestations, fever, rash, and eschar, was absent in 31% of cases (17/55). Approximately 11% of cases presented without eschar (6/55; Karp 1, Irie/Kawasaki 1, Hirano/Kuroki 4). Moreover, severe complications were observed with shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation in 7% of cases (4/55), Thus, while 53% of cases presented with the typical triad (29/55), unusual complications and atypical features occurred in 40% (22/55). Conclusions Diagnosis of ST becomes clinically challenging in the absence of typical features. In Fukushima, an endemic area of ST, an atypical presentation involving multisystem disease is common. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer infiltrated ceramic network (PICN) composites are an increasingly popular dental restorative material that offer mechanical biocompatibility with human enamel. This study aimed to develop a novel PICN composite as a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) block for dental applications. Several PICN composites were prepared under varying conditions via the sintering of a green body prepared from a silica-containing precursor solution, followed by resin infiltration. The flexural strength of the PICN composite block (107.8–153.7 MPa) was similar to a commercial resin-based composite, while the Vickers hardness (204.8–299.2) and flexural modulus (13.0–22.2 GPa) were similar to human enamel and dentin, respectively. The shear bond strength and surface free energy of the composite were higher than those of the commercial resin composites. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis revealed that the microstructure of the composite consisted of a nanosized silica skeleton and infiltrated resin. The PICN nanocomposite block was successfully used to fabricate a dental crown and core via the CAD/CAM milling process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the thickness and translucency of various computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) materials on the polymerization of dual-cure resin cement in endocrown restorations. Three commercially available CAD/CAM materials—lithium disilicate glass (e.max CAD), resin composite (CERASMART), and a polymer-infiltrated ceramic network (ENAMIC)—were cut into plates with five different thicknesses (1.5, 3.5, 5.5, 7.5, and 9.5 mm) in both high-translucency (HT) and low-translucency (LT) grades. Panavia V5, a commercial dual-cure resin cement, was polymerized through each plate by light irradiation. Post-polymerization treatment was performed by aging at 37 °C for 24 h under light-shielding conditions. The degree of conversion and Vickers hardness measurements were used to characterize the polymerization of the cement. The findings revealed a significant decrease in both the degree of conversion and Vickers hardness with increasing thickness across all CAD/CAM materials. Notably, while the differences in the degree of conversion and Vickers hardness between the HT and LT grades of each material were significant immediately after photoirradiation, these differences became smaller after post-polymerization treatment. Significant differences were observed between samples with a 1.5 mm thickness (conventional crowns) and those with a 5.5 mm or greater thickness (endocrowns), even after post-polymerization treatment. These results suggest that dual-cure resin cement in endocrown restorations undergoes insufficient polymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carex sect. Confertiflorae s.l. is a medium‐sized species group (ca. 40 species) with its center of diversity in E Asia (China and Japan). According to morphological traits, the section has been proposed to split into two sections (sects. Confertiflorae sensu Ohwi and Molliculae Ohwi) up to five different ones (sects. Confertiflorae s.s., Molliculae, Dispalatae Ohwi, Ischnostachyae Ohwi, and Alliiformes Akiyama). Recent phylogenetic reconstructions showed Confertiflorae s.l. not to be monophyletic, as species traditionally considered part of it were found to belong to other clades, whereas species traditionally ascribed to other sections were nested within it. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic structure, morphological affinities, and biogeographic history of sect. Confertiflorae s.l. We employed a taxon‐based approach to explore the morphological affinities of the species considered in sect. Confertiflorae and compared the micromorphology of the nutlets of almost all the taxa using SEM. We included 40 samples representing 31 species/subspecies of sect. Confertiflorae s.l. and used two nuclear (ETS and ITS) and three plastid (trnL‐F, matK, and rpl32‐trnLUAG) molecular markers to reconstruct the phylogeny of the group. The phylogenetic analyses confirmed the polyphyly of sect. Confertiflorae s.l., whose representatives were found within five distinct clades. From these, two clades, sect. Confertiflorae and sect. Molliculae, were found to be closely related and contained the majority of the species. The composition of the two clades agreed with the morphological structure of the group, and we confirmed an exclusive combination of features (namely color of basal sheaths, presence of bract sheath, peduncle of lowest spike, inflorescence sex distribution, shape of pistillate glume apex, and color and veins of utricle, among others) characterizing each of the two clades. The origin of the two clades was found to be in the early Pliocene; however, the majority of the diversification events within each clade took place during the Pleistocene. This illustrates that although Asia has been regarded as having little potential ecological space for Carex to diversify due to its climate stability, groups of sedges sub‐endemic from that area may have a fairly recent origin related to glaciations. We proposed the rearrangement of sect. Confertiflorae as previously conceived as three independent sections: the monotypic Alliiformes, sect. Molliculae, and sect. Paludosae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: When experiments are conducted on the effects of freestream turbulence on the flow around bluff structures, generation of both high-intensity and large-scale turbulence in a wind tunnel is of major importance. We attempt this by developing a new type of wind tunnel named 'multi-fan wind tunnel' (MFWT), wherein airflow is driven by multiple fans. We focus on the use of shear layers generated between the outflows from adjacent ducts. Herein, we propose an efficient driving method in which an input signal composed of numerous sinusoidal waves is fed to each fan with quasi-random phases ('random-phase mode'). It was confirmed that this mode generates approximately homogeneous turbulence within a short downstream distance. We found that pulsatile components were eliminated, which prevented the development of turbulence in our preceding experiments using the MFWT. The initial rectangular spectrum provided by forcing rapidly changes its shape as turbulence convects downstream, and asymptotes to a typical broad spectrum including a few decades of -5/3 power law. The intensity and the integral scale can be controlled by the amplitude of the input signal, and for an approximately isotropic region at large downstream stations, the intensity reaches 12-16% and the integral scale 0.6-0.7 m.Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons consisting of two or three rubicene substructures were designed as π‐conjugated compounds embedding five‐membered rings. The target compounds with t‐butyl groups were synthesized by the Scholl reaction of precursors consisting of 9,10‐diphenylanthracene units, even though a partially precyclized precursor was required for the synthesis of the trimer. These compounds were isolated as stable and dark blue solids. Single‐crystal X‐ray analysis and DFT calculations revealed the planar aromatic framework of these compounds. In the electronic spectra, the absorption and emission bands were considerably red‐shifted compared with those of the reference rubicene compound. In particular, the emission band of the trimer extended to the near‐IR region while retaining the emissive property. The narrowed HOMO‐LUMO gap with the extension of the π‐conjugation was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry and DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental and theoretical studies on the thermodynamics and properties of 2-substituted 6(4)-methyl-1,4(1,6)-dihydropyrimidine-5-carboxylates were undertaken by 1 H NMR measurements and DFT (density functional theory) calculations. The ratios of tautomers a / b of dihydropyrimidines (DPs) 1 , 2 , and 3 were determined under various conditions to reveal the effects of temperature, solvent, and concentration on the thermodynamic data. The observed results, the free energy differences (Δ G ), enthalpy differences (Δ H ), and entropy differences (Δ S ), are discussed in terms of the molecular structures, dipole moments (DM), and the electrostatic potential maps calculated by the DFT to clarify the nature of the DPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A YSZ-based amperometric sensor using spinel oxide as a sensing electrode (SE) has been proposed here for detecting NO 2 sensitively and selectively. Among the examined spinel-oxide SEs, NiFe 2 O 4 -SE was found to give relatively sensitive and selective response to NO 2 . Addition of 30 wt.% Fe 2 O 3 into NiFe 2 O 4 -SE increased the NO 2 response, while the responses to other interfering gases were maintained small. The sensor using NiFe 2 O 4 (+30 wt.% Fe 2 O 3 )-SE could detect NO 2 as low as 5 ppm in humid air within 15 s (90% response time). The mechanism of NO 2 selective behavior given by the sensor using NiFe 2 O 4 (+30 wt.% Fe 2 O 3 )–SE was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A selective carbon monoxide (CO) sensor was developed by the use of both of CuCrFeO 4 and CoCrFeO 4 as the sensing electrode (SE) for yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based potentiometric sensor. The sensing-characteristic examinations of the YSZ-based sensors using each of spinel oxides as the single-SE sensor showed that CuCrFeO 4 -SE had the ability to detect CO, hydrocarbons and NO x gases, while CoCrFeO 4 -SE was sensitive to hydrocarbons and NO x gases. Thus, when both SEs were paired as a combined-SEs sensor, the resulting sensor could generate a selective response to CO at 450 °C under humid conditions. The sensor was also capable of detecting CO in the concentration range of 20–700 ppm. Its sensing mechanism that was examined via polarization-curve measurements was confirmed to be based on mixed-potential model. The CO response generated by the combined-SEs sensor was unaffected by the change of water vapor concentration in the range of 1.3–11.5 vol% H 2 O. Additionally, the sensing performance was stable during 13 days tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) is commonly employed in dental prostheses owing to its excellent mechanical properties; however, it is limited by its low bond strength with dental resin cement. This study aimed to clarify the type of resin cement most suitable for bonding to PEEK: methyl methacrylate (MMA)-based resin cement or composite-based resin cement. For this purpose, two MMA-based resin cements (Super-Bond EX and MULTIBOND II) and five composite-based resin cements (Block HC Cem, RelyX Universal Resin Cement, G-CEM LinkForce, Panavia V5, and Multilink Automix) were used in combination with appropriate adhesive primers. A PEEK block (SHOFU PEEK) was initially cut, polished, and sandblasted with alumina. The sandblasted PEEK was then bonded to resin cement with adhesive primer according to the manufacturer's instructions. The resulting specimens were immersed in water at 37 °C for 24 h, followed by thermocycling. Subsequently, the tensile bond strengths (TBSs) of the specimens were measured; the TBSs of the composite-based resin cements after thermocycling were found to be zero (G-CEM LinkForce, Panavia V5, and Multilink Automix), 0.03 ± 0.04 (RelyX Universal Resin Cement), or 1.6 ± 2.7 (Block HC Cem), whereas those of Super-Bond and MULTIBOND were 11.9 ± 2.6 and 4.8 ± 2.3 MPa, respectively. The results demonstrated that MMA-based resin cements exhibited stronger bonding to PEEK than composite-based resin cements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boron difluoride (BF 2 ) complexes of N -(5-phenyl-2-pyrazinyl)pivalamide and its derivatives having a substituent on the phenyl group were prepared and their spectroscopic properties were investigated. It was found that the BF 2 complexes show fluorescence in solution and the solid state. The origins of the fluorescence properties are discussed on the basis of the fluorescence yields and lifetimes, crystal structures and DFT calculations. The present work would provide a guide to design BF 2 complexes of amidopyrazines exhibiting solid state fluorescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study was performed to determine the proportion of transgender women with self‐adjusted hormone administration and excess dosing. Methods: The medical records of 87 transgender women who visited our gender clinic from 2010 through 2019 were reviewed. The complete blood count and serum concentrations of D‐dimer, gonadotropins, and sex steroids were compared between transgender women who were self‐administering gender‐affirming hormones and women not using such hormones. Results: Fifty‐eight of 87 (66.7%) transgender women had contravened the guideline and self‐adjusted their hormone administration. The hormonal data of one woman with hypopituitarism were eliminated from the analyses. The serum gonadotropin and testosterone levels were significantly lower in the self‐administration group than in the hormone‐naïve group. Gonadotropin levels below the lower limit of normal were found in 32/86 (37.2%) transgender women. The testosterone levels in six transgender women were not analyzed because these women had undergone sex reassignment surgery before visiting our hospital. Testosterone levels below the lower limit of normal men were found in 36/80 (45.0%) transgender women. Unexpectedly, 29/36 (80.6%) transgender women who were classified as having suppressed serum testosterone levels had testosterone levels of <0.6 ng/mL, which corresponds to the levels in cisgender women. The white blood cell count and hemoglobin concentration were significantly different between the groups. Conclusion: Self‐initiated hormonal treatments seem to affect the serum concentrations of gonadotropin and sex steroids and the complete blood count. The prevalence of transgender women with self‐adjusted use of gender‐affirming hormones is high, and an excess dose of hormones occasionally occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valsartan is an antihypertensive drug that was developed using common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) in pivotal toxicity studies as a non-rodent species. The aim of the present study was to investigate the utility of marmosets in the candidate selection of this drug from a pharmacokinetic and metabolic viewpoint. Valsartan, as well as three other angiotensin II type-I receptor blockers, assumed as competitive candidates, were administered to common marmosets. Human pharmacokinetic parameters predicted by single-species allometric scaling and Wajima superposition suggested that valsartan may exhibit promising pharmacokinetic properties in humans. In vitro metabolic studies of valsartan using isolated rat, dog, marmoset, cynomolgus monkey, and human hepatocytes revealed that the marmoset was the most relevant animal species to humans presenting with the most abundant human metabolite, 4-hydroxyvalsartan. Oral administration of an elevated dose of valsartan to a common marmoset demonstrated that the level of 4-hydroxyvalsartan in the plasma was comparable to that in clinical practice and suggested that safety of the human metabolite might have been confirmed in the toxicity studies using common marmosets. These results suggest that common marmosets, the small, non-human primates, had been a suitable species for the development of valsartan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the characteristic features of the gravity recordings produced by the superconducting gravimeter CT #036 at Ishigakijima, Japan, is that it indicates gravity increase when a typhoon (hurricane) approaches the island. Since we are trying to detect small gravity signals associated with the long-term slow slip events in this region, it is very important in the interpretation of the observed data whether such gravity changes are of natural or instrumental origin. In this paper, we investigate whether or not nonlinearity in the sensor of the superconducting gravimeter is responsible for this phenomenon. Here we take the same theoretical approach as taken by our previous study which investigated the effect of coupling between horizontal and vertical components of the gravity sensor in order to understand the noise caused by the movements of a nearby VLBI antenna. From theoretical and experimental approaches, we prove that the gravity increase observed by CT #036 at the times of high background noise level cannot be explained by instrumental effects, such as the nonlinearity in the vertical component or the coupling between horizontal and vertical components of the gravity sensor. This implies that the observed gravity increases are real gravity signals of natural origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corona discharge reflects the spatial migration of alkali ions over a gap between two glass plates. This study examined stacked glass plates containing different alkali ions treated with the corona discharge plasma generated by applied voltage of 4.5 kV at 200 °C. Protons generated at the anode electrode penetrate into the potassium-ion-containing upper glass plate, which is located 5 mm below the anode electrode. Potassium ions intruded into the lower glass plate containing sodium ions placed on the cathode electrode, even over a 1 mm gap separating the plates. Finally, the sodium ion discharged on the cathode electrode. The hydrogen atmosphere was effective at inhibiting the potassium ion reaction with ambient gases during the spatial migration between the two glass plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Carabinae ground beetles occur on all continents except Antarctica. • Their evolutionary history was studied using ultraconserved element sequence data. • Dispersal occurred during the Cretaceous and since the Oligocene. • Ancestors were winged, and loss of flight occurred in multiple lineages in parallel. • Marked species diversification occurred in a flightless lineage in Eurasia. The origin and diversification process of lineages of organisms that are currently widely distributed among continents is an interesting subject for exploring the evolutionary history of global species diversity. Ground beetles of the subfamily Carabinae are flightless except for one lineage, but nevertheless occur on all continents except Antarctica. Here, we used sequence data from ultraconserved elements to reconstruct the phylogeny, divergence time, biogeographical history, ancestral state of hind wings and changes in the speciation rate of Carabinae. Our results show that Carabinae originated in the Americas and diversified into four tribes during the period from the late Jurassic to the late Cretaceous, with two in South America (Celoglossini) and Australasia (Pamborini) and two in Laurasia (Cychrini and Carabini). The ancestral Carabinae were inferred to be winged; three of four tribes (Cychrini, Ceglossini and Pamborini) have completely lost their hind wings and flight capability. The remaining tribe, Carabini, diverged into the subtribes Carabina (wingless) and Calosomina (winged) in the Oligocene. Carabina originated in Europe, spread over Eurasia and diversified into approximately 1000 species, accounting for around 60% of all Carabinae species. Calosomina that were flight-capable dispersed from North America or Eurasia to South America, Australia, and Africa, and then flightless lineages evolved on oceanic islands and continental highlands. The speciation rate increased in the Cychrini and Carabini clades in Eurasia. Within Carabini, the speciation rate was higher for wingless than winged states. Our study showed that the global distribution of Carabinae resulted from ancient dispersal before the breakup of Gondwana and more recent dispersal through flight around the world. These patterns consequently illustrate the causal relationships of geographical history, evolution of flightlessness, and the global distribution and species diversity of Carabinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravity monitoring might require observation of temporal changes of gravity below the nanometre per second squared (nm s−2) level, which can be achieved by precise isolation of the signal of interest from all other disturbing effects. One method of signal isolation is elimination of disturbing effects by taking the difference between gravity changes measured simultaneously using two gravimeters installed close together. Herein, we describe differences in temporal gravity changes below the nm s−2 level in the tidal frequency bands as observed through simultaneous measurements taken with three superconducting gravimeters (SGs) located 80, 93 and 94 m from the coastline in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, northern Japan. Those changes are consistent with differences in ocean tide loading effects on gravity at the SG locations computed using the software package GOTIC2, which uses a highly accurate land–sea boundary and ocean tide model near our site. The observed ocean tide loading differences were found to result from Newtonian attraction of the ocean tide mass within an angular distance of 0.003° from the SG locations. This result suggests that coastal observations of differential tidal gravity variations at different distances from the coast help to validate ocean tide loading computation models in the immediate vicinity of the SG stations. This method enables observation of non-periodic gravity changes occurring below the nm s−2 level over a few hours. Its salient benefit is that rapid and simple observation can be achieved without long-term continuous measurements, which is necessary for observing that level of gravity change with only one SG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the association of remnant preservation (RP) and non-RP (NRP) with patient-reported outcome measures and subsequent graft rupture at a minimum 2-year follow-up after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Methods: Patients in this retrospective study underwent primary isolated ACL reconstruction by the RP or NRP technique with a four- to five-strand hamstring tendon graft. Multivariate linear or logistic regression and Cox regression analyses were performed to compare the physical and psychological outcomes by the International Knee Documentation Committee subjective knee form (IKDC-SKF) and the Japanese Anterior Cruciate Ligament questionnaire 25 (JACL-25), respectively; satisfaction rate; and prognosticators of graft rupture. Results: In total, 120 patients (mean age, 30.6 ± 12.7 years; 54 RP, 66 NRP) with a mean follow-up of 3.2 ± 1.6 years were enrolled in this study. At the latest postoperative follow-up, the RP group showed a mean IKDC-SKF score of 92.3 ± 8.5 and mean JACL-25 score of 13.2 ± 11.2, while these scores in the NRP group were 86.4 ± 12.2 and 24.4 ± 19.5, respectively (P = 0.016 and 0.007, respectively). No significant differences were found in the return-to-sports rate (RP vs. NRP, 79.5% vs. 67.5%) or satisfaction rate (RP vs. NRP, 89.2% vs. 74.4%) (n.s.); however, a significant difference was found in the rate of return to the preinjury sports level (RP vs. NRP, 64.1% vs. 37.5%; P = 0.014). The graft rupture rate was significantly higher in the NRP than RP group (9/66 vs. 1/54; hazard ratio 9.29; 95% confidence interval 1.04–82.81). Younger age (≤ 18 years) was the other important risk factor for graft rupture (hazard ratio 8.67; 95% confidence interval 2.02–37.13). Conclusion: Patients who underwent ACL reconstruction with the RP technique obtained somewhat better physical and psychological results than those who underwent ACL reconstruction with the NRP technique. With respect to clinical relevance, patients treated with the RP technique may obtain better outcomes in terms of graft rupture and return to the preinjury sports level than those treated with the NRP technique, but with no differences in overall return to sports or satisfaction. Level of evidence: IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are small non-human primates that genetically lack cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9). Polymorphic marmoset CYP2C19 compensates by mediating oxidations of typical human CYP2C9/19 substrates. Twenty-four probe substrates were intravenously administered in combinations to marmosets assigned to extensive or poor metaboliser (PM) groups by CYP2C19 genotyping. Eliminations from plasma of cilomilast, phenytoin, repaglinide, tolbutamide, and S-warfarin in the CYP2C19 PM group were significantly slow; these drugs are known substrates of human CYP2C8/9/19. Human total clearance values and volumes of distribution of the 24 test compounds were extrapolated using single-species allometric scaling with experimental data from marmosets and found to be mostly comparable with the reported values. Human total clearance values and volumes of distribution of 15 of the 24 test compounds similarly extrapolated using reported data sets from cynomolgus or rhesus monkeys were comparable to the present predicted results, especially to those based on data from PM marmosets. These results suggest that single-species allometric scaling using marmosets, being small, has advantages over multiple-species-based allometry and could be applicable for pharmacokinetic predictions at the discovery stage of drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) π-conjugated molecules based on dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine (dppz) were developed as photosensitizers for singlet oxygen generation. These dppz derivatives showed electronic absorption assigned to an intramolecular charge transfer transition in the red region at a wavelength of around 600 nm. Evaluation of singlet oxygen generation quantum yield (ΦΔ) using the trapping agent 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran showed relatively efficient singlet oxygen generation (ΦΔ; 0.173–0.255) for the dppz derivatives with selenophene-containing π-conjugated side-arms. On the other hand, 2,7-dibromo substitution and Pt(II)Cl2 complexation of the dppz derivative with thiophene-containing side-arms did not facilitate photosensitized singlet oxygen generation. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations, as well as evaluation of the kinetics of the photophysical processes, revealed that appropriate placement of heavy atoms on the frontier orbitals facilitates intersystem crossing from the lowest singlet excited state to the triplet excited state, thus improving ΦΔ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to validate and determine the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in the Japanese version of the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (Japanese IKDC-SKF) for patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.Methods: This prospective study was performed using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guideline to assess the measurement properties of reliability, responsiveness, validity, and interpretability of the Japanese IKDC-SKF.Results: A total of 152 patients were enrolled in the study. The Japanese IKDC-SKF had excellent internal consistency [Cronbach's alpha (95% confidence interval, CI) was 0.90 (0.88-0.92), and the test-retest reliability [intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC2,1 (95% CI)] was 0.97 (0.94-0.98). The content validity (r), which was interpretable between the Japanese IKDC-SKF and the Japanese Anterior Cruciate Ligament questionnaire 25 was -0.87 (P < 0.001). The construct validity for the IKDC-SKF was 86% (six of seven hypotheses were consistent with the results), also indicating high validity. Responsiveness of the Japanese IKDC-SKF was confirmed, with an acceptable area under the curve of 0.81 and a large effect size (Cohen's d of 0.8). There were no floor or ceiling effects. The MCID for the Japanese IKDC-SKF for ACL injury was 10.7.Conclusions: Our results indicate that the Japanese version of the IKDC-SKF is a reliable, valid, and responsive measurement instrument with which to evaluate the physical function of patients with ACL injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some highly isolated oceanic islands harbour endemic ground beetles that have lost the ability to fly. Here, we investigated the origin of the possibly extinct flightless giant ground beetle Aplothorax burchelli on St Helena Island in the South Atlantic. Aplothorax burchelli was initially considered to be a member of the subtribe Calosomina (=genus Calosoma) of the subfamily Carabinae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) closely related to the genus Ctenosta (= Calosoma subgenus Ctenosta), but this proposition was questioned due to its unique external and genital morphology. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis of mitogenome sequences using historical specimens of A. burchelli and samples of representative species of Carabinae. Our analysis of 13 protein-coding gene sequences revealed that A. burchelli is definitely a member of Calosomina, most closely related to a species of Ctenosta. Further analysis using NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 gene sequences from most groups in Calosomina showed that A. burchelli formed a monophyletic group with Ctenosta species from Africa and Madagascar. Our results suggest that the ancestor of A. burchelli , which had the ability to fly, colonized St Helena from Africa after the emergence of the island 14 Mya, and has since undergone evolutionary changes in conjunction with loss of flight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]