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This technical report explains details on the results of the investigation to build a subsurface structural model and a selection of earthquake data at the target site of the blind prediction exercise for "The 6th International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior/International Association of Earthquake Engineering International Symposium on the Effect of Surface Geology on Seismic Motion (ESG6)." The selection process of the target site in the Kumamoto Plain, Japan, in ESG6 was explained with a historical review of the blind prediction tests in the previous ESG conferences. We have collected existing subsurface structural and earthquake data and conducted geophysical and geotechnical surveys in and around the target site to generate important velocity structure and the earthquake data used in the blind test. Microtremor data were obtained in triangular arrays ranging in side lengths from 1 to 962 m, and active surface wave data were derived along a 36-m line at the site. These data were provided for the prediction of a subsurface structural model in the first step of the blind prediction exercise. We also conducted a velocity logging in a borehole to a bottom depth of 39 m at the site and laboratory tests of soil samples from the borehole. We constructed a velocity profile of the shallow and deep sedimentary layers from a combination of the geophysical and geotechnical data at the site, and validated it by comparing the characteristics of the ground motion data from the moderate event. This "preferred velocity model" was provided as a standard model to the participants in the second and third steps of the blind prediction test to predict the earthquake ground motions of a moderate event and the mainshock of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The on-site P-wave earthquake early warning (EEW) based on the site-specific ratios of S-waves to P-waves has been applied to large-sized offshore earthquakes, and the efficiency of the method has been validated. However, the method requires the P-waves including earthquake ground motions radiated from a large slip area while avoiding the inclusion of S-waves. In this study, we investigated the applicability of the on-site P-wave EEW method for ground motions near an earthquake source fault region, using strong-motion data observed during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence in Japan. At first, we examined the appropriate time-window length following the arrival of the P-waves. As a result, P-waves with a time-window length of 2.56 s after the arrival at most strong-motion stations were required at least to predict appropriately S-waves for the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence, including the large-sized earthquakes. On the other hand, in the case of the large-sized earthquake as the mainshock (Mj 7.3), the method can predict within a brief time of 0.5 to 2 s in the operational use that strong ground motions exceeding a certain threshold (e.g., acceleration of 150 cm/s2) will come. Moreover, we found that the method was not strongly affected by the non-linearity of soil deposits due to strong ground motions during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence. The variability of the relationship between P- and S-waves at the seismic bedrock influenced by the source and path effects is larger than the variability of the relationships between P-/S-waves at the seismic bedrock and at the ground surface by the site effects, and therefore, it hides the effect of the non-linearity of soil deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of calibration models using Raman spectra data has long been challenged owing to the substantial time and cost required for robust data acquisition. To reduce the number of experiments involving actual incubation, a calibration model development method was investigated by measuring artificially mixed samples. In this method, calibration datasets were prepared using spectra from artificially mixed samples with adjusted concentrations based on design of experiments. The precision of these calibration models was validated using the actual cell culture sample. The results showed that when the culture conditions were unchanged, the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of glucose, lactate, and antibody concentrations was 0.34, 0.33, and 0.25 g/L, respectively. Even when variables such as cell line or culture media were changed, the RMSEPs of glucose, lactate, and antibody concentrations remained within acceptable limits, demonstrating the robustness of the calibration models with artificially mixed samples. To further improve accuracy, a model training method for small datasets was also investigated. The spectral pretreatment conditions were optimized using error heat maps based on the first batch of each cell culture condition and applied these settings to the second and third batches. The RMSEPs improved for glucose, lactate, and antibody concentration, with values of 0.44, 0.19, and 0.18 g/L under constant culture conditions, 0.37, 0.12, and 0.12 g/L for different cell lines, and 0.26, 0.40, and 0.12 g/L when the culture media was changed. These results indicated the efficacy of calibration modeling with artificially mixed samples for actual incubations under various conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical investigation of surface wave propagation in the surface wave exploration of river embankments is implemented using 3D shallow soil models with different subsurface shapes and S-wave velocities. The focus is on the effects of surface and subsurface irregularities on the propagation and dispersion characteristics of Rayleigh waves generated by a surface source and observed at points along the crest of the embankment. Rayleigh wave dispersion curves observed along the embankment crest are found to be contaminated by reflected waves, with the amount of contamination affected more by the position of the velocity boundary at the bottom edge of the embankment than the surface topography. When the velocity boundary is close to the ground surface, especially at the toe of the slope, the effect of reflected waves is sufficiently large to generate biases in the phase velocity estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we compared observations and predictions submitted by participants for blind prediction experiments for ground motions using aftershocks, foreshock, and mainshock of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence, Japan, to improve our understanding of the quality of state-of-the-art methods on the reproducibility of the effects of surface geology on seismic motions. In the blind predictions, 1D, 2D, and 3D methods, Green's function methods, spectral ratio approaches, and other approaches were applied. As for PGA/PGV, acceleration/velocity duration, Fourier spectrum, pseudo-velocity response spectrum, and site amplification factors, the observed values are mostly within the range of average ± σ of all the predictions in the case of weak and strong ground motions. The results of the mean absolute percentage errors for these indices show that the applied methods can predict weak and strong ground motions for the three components in the range of one-half to twice the observations. The average goodness-of-fit (GOF) scores for weak and strong ground motions indicate either a very good fit (6.5–8) or a good fit (4.5–6.5) for the three components. Finally, examples of the categorized methods are quite limited; however, results indicate that the predictions by all the categorized methods can adequately reproduce weak and strong ground motions within either a very good or good fit. Although we could not find a significant difference in the results from the categorized methods, scores by the 2D and 3D methods in the frequency range of 0.5–1 and 1–2 Hz for all the blind predictions are higher than the scores by the other methods. The GOF score for the part after the S-wave by the 2D and 3D methods is higher than that by the 1D method. This supports that the predictions by the 2D and 3D methods due to the accounting of the proper geometry could reproduce the basin-induced and/or basin-transduced surface waves excited by the basin-edge effect more than the 1D method using the earthquake record observed at the reference site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1D velocity profiles at a strong motion station in the northern part of the Kumamoto plain, Japan, were submitted in Step-1 of the blind prediction exercise of strong ground motions in the sixth international symposium on effects of surface geology on seismic motion (ESG6). Individual participants were requested to estimate a 1D S-wave velocity profile of sedimentary layers from the given data obtained by microtremor array explorations and surface-wave explorations at the site. This paper reports the target site, methods used by the individual participants, and the submitted results. More than half of the participants estimated the phase velocities of the Rayleigh-wave in the frequency range from 0.53 to 29.8 Hz. The statistical analysis of the phase velocity dispersion curves indicates that the standard deviation was below 40 m/s at the frequencies above 3.4 Hz, and it was below 20 m/s above 20 Hz. The S-wave velocity profiles are also similar to a depth of 20 m. The standard deviation was below 45 m/s. The average S-wave velocity in the top 30 m from the surface is 207.3 ± 60.7 m/s for the submitted profiles. The large variation is related to the introduction of the near-surface low velocity layers. The large variation of the S-wave velocities was found in the deep part. The average S-wave velocity at a depth of 1500 m was 2674 m/s with the standard deviation of 786 m/s. We compared 1D amplifications for the submitted profiles. Common peaks can be identified at 0.3–0.4 Hz and 1–2 Hz, excluding two teams. However, the amplifications vary much in the frequency range higher than 4 Hz. Through the experiment, it was found that the dispersion curves and the shallow S-wave velocity structures are estimated with a low standard deviation among the participants. Further development of the techniques for deep S-wave velocity profiling was found to be required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Thoracoscopic repair (TR) of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is associated with a higher recurrence rate than the conventional open method. We evaluated the effectiveness of our strategy for quality improvement, named "tension-free TR of CDH". Methods: The subjects of this retrospective analysis were 11 consecutive patients with CDH who underwent TR at our hospital between 2017 and 2021. Tension-free TR of CDH included the proactive use of an oversized patch for dome-shaped reconstruction and gapless suturing. We developed a percutaneous extracorporeal closure technique for secure suturing using a commercially available needle. Results: Patch repair was performed in 8 (73%) patients and none required conversion to open surgery because of technical difficulties. Recurrence developed in one patient (9%), who underwent successful reoperation via TR. All patients had an uneventful postoperative course. Conclusion: Tension-free TR combined with extracorporeal closure could reduce the difficulty of suturing and the risk of recurrence of CDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S-net is a large-scale ocean bottom (OB) network in the Japan Trench area, consisting of inline-type 150 observatories equipped with seismometers and pressure gauges. Among them, 41 observatories have been buried about one meter beneath the seafloors in the shallow water regions (water depth <1500 m). We analyzed the strong-motion data recorded at the S-net sites from earthquakes with magnitudes 3.5 < Mw ≤ 7 and focal depths < 70 km to understand the site amplification effect on the recorded motions. We used the spectral inversion technique and obtained some fundamental properties of the earthquake source spectra, path attenuation, and site factors from the horizontal-component S-wave portions of the recordings. We obtained that the source spectra followed the ω - 2 source model generally well, and the estimated magnitudes were mostly within ± 0.3 magnitude units of the catalog magnitudes. The stress drops increased systematically with the focal depths, and the values for the shallow earthquakes in the Pacific Plate were higher than those for the interplate earthquakes with comparable focal depths. The path-averaged quality factors were generally frequency-dependent and were somewhat larger than those in the past studies. The peak site frequencies ranged between about 0.2 and 10 Hz, while the peak amplification factors ranged between 10 and 50. Even though the peak frequencies and amplification factors differed from site to site, the peak frequencies were mostly higher than 2 Hz at the outer trench stations, while they were lower than 2 Hz at many inner trench stations. The amplification factors at a few OB sites in the shallow water regions were comparable with the theoretical ones computed from the 1-D subsea model. The amplification factors at intermediate frequencies (~ 0.3 to 2 Hz) generally increased with P-wave travel time in the sediments estimated from the multi-channel seismic survey. At about 20% of the sites (mainly at the unburied stations), spurious site spectra were recognized at frequencies higher than about 4 Hz. If the site spectra between 4 and 10 Hz are required, using only the X-component records is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Testicular torsion (TT) is common surgical emergency that requires early diagnosis and immediate intervention within 6 h since its onset to salvage the testis. However, the decision was made only by the surgeon's experience whether it has to be resected or not. Recently, indocyanine green (ICG) has become an excellent tool to identify biliary and vascular anatomy, and assess perfusion abnormalities in tissues. In this case report, we successfully salvaged the twisted testis, since the testicular blood perfusion was confirmed by means of intraoperative ICG (IICG) fluorescence imaging. Case presentation: A 14-year-old healthy male patient presented due to acute left testicular pain. The patient was diagnosed with TT and had immediate surgery. Macroscopically, the testis had stagnant blood flow and appeared to be dark colored. After manual detorsion, the testis remained cyanotic and with macroscopically poor blood flow. ICG angiography was performed under near-infrared light by laparoscopic camera to assess the perfusion of the affected testicle. An excellent ICG signal appeared after 45 s in the testis, and decision was made to be preserved. Therefore, left orchidopexy was performed to complete the operation. The patient had a good postoperative course and was discharged the day after surgery. Six months later, the testis did not show any shrinkage, and both sides of the testis showed the same size without any consequences. Conclusion: The blood flow in the testis was visually confirmed during the IICG fluorescence method. ICG fluorescence imaging may become an effective alternative to evaluate whether a testis can be preserved following TT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microtremor array measurements, and passive surface wave methods in general, have been increasingly used to non-invasively estimate shear-wave velocity structures for various purposes. The methods estimate dispersion curves and invert them for retrieving S-wave velocity profiles. This paper summarizes principles, limitations, data collection, and processing methods. It intends to enable students and practitioners to understand the principles needed to plan a microtremor array investigation, record and process the data, and evaluate the quality of investigation result. The paper focuses on the spatial autocorrelation processing method among microtremor array processing methods because of its relatively simple calculation and stable applicability. Highlights: 1. A summary of fundamental principles of calculating phase velocity from ambient noise 2. General recommendations for MAM data collection and processing using SPAC methods 3. A discussion of limitations and uncertainties in the methods [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Kanto Basin, Japan, it has been reported that the dominant periods of long-period ground motions vary depending on the areas where earthquakes occurred. This suggests that the characteristics of long-period ground motions are closely related to their propagation paths in the sedimentary layers. We, firstly, investigated the azimuthal dependence of amplifications for long-period ground motions based on the spectral ratios of ground motions on the surface to those on the basement, using both the observation data and the simulation data in the Kanto Basin. In both the data for periods of more than 3 s, the seismic stations where the dominant periods vary for individual earthquakes are concentrated in the central part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. The azimuthal dependence on amplifications for long-period ground motions suggests that the wave propagation features of long-period ground motions are related to the laterally complex three-dimensional subsurface structures along the propagation paths between stations and epicenters. We, secondly, investigated the amplification characteristics for body and surface waves, to evaluate their contributions to earthquake ground motions for periods of more than 1 s observed in the basin. It is found that body and surface waves tend to dominate at periods of less than 2 s and more than 3 s, respectively. We, finally, understood the amplification characteristics of body and surface waves including the dominant periods and those amplification factors, to appropriately predict broadband earthquake ground motions. Highlights: The characteristics of long-period ground motions including the dominant periods and those amplification factors were quantitatively investigated based on the spectral ratio by seismic data observed on the surface and the bottoms of the deep boreholes. The azimuthal dependence of amplifications for long-period ground motions propagating in the Kanto Basin was demonstrated by analyzing both the observation data and the simulation data. The dominant periods of the spectral ratios vary for individual earthquakes in the central part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. This suggests that the wave propagation features of the long-period ground motions depend on the laterally complex subsurface structures in the Kanto Basin along the propagation paths between stations and epicenters. The amplification characteristics for body and surface waves for periods of more than 1 s observed were investigated to evaluate their contributions to earthquake ground motions. Surface and body waves significantly influence earthquake ground motions at periods of more than 3 s and less than 2 s in the Kanto Basin, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new waveform inversion method to estimate the 2D S-wave velocity structure of deep sedimentary layers using broadband Love waves. As a preprocessing operation in our inversion scheme, we decompose earthquake observation records into velocity waveforms for periods of 1 s each. Then, we include in the inversion only those periods for which the assumption of 2D propagation holds, which we propose to determine through a principal component analysis. A linearized iterative inversion analysis for the selected Love wave segments filtered for periods of 1 s each allows a detailed estimation of the boundary shapes of interfaces over the seismic bedrock with an S-wave velocity of approximately 3 km/s. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique with applications to observed seismograms in the Kanto Plain, Japan. The differences between the estimated and existing velocity structure models are remarkable at the basin edges. Our results show remarkable differences from previous existing structural models, particularly near the basin edges while being in good agreement with the surface geology. Since a subsurface structure at a basin edge strongly affects the earthquake ground motions in a basin with the generation of surface waves, our method can provide a detailed model of a complex S-wave velocity structure at an edge part for strong ground motion prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To establish whether new indices on plain chest X-ray (CXR) can replace those on computed tomography (CT) for the follow-up of children who have undergone the Nuss procedure. Methods: The subjects of this retrospective study were 45 children who underwent the Nuss procedure between 2000 and 2016. The Haller index (HI) was measured by preoperative CT. Preoperative and postoperative chest deformities were evaluated by two CXR measurements: the concave rate on the lateral view (CR; the depth of the concavity divided by the anterior–posterior diameter of the rib cage) and the tracheal bifurcation angle (TBA) on the anterior view. Data are expressed as the median with range. Results: The median age and HI of the children, when they underwent the Nuss procedure, was 9.3 (3.8–17.3) years and 4.5 (3.2–10.1), respectively. The preoperative CR was correlated significantly with the HI. The postoperative CR was significantly lower than the preoperative CR [pre: 0.17 (0.08–0.37), post: 0.09 (0.01–0.18), p < 0.05], and the low value was sustained after bar removal. The TBA decreased significantly after the Nuss procedure from 74.2° (55–104) preoperatively to 65.0° (45–92) postoperatively (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These results suggest that CXR can replace CT for the follow-up of patients after the Nuss procedure, with lower radiation exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the stress drop variability of shallow normal-faulting earthquakes in western Anatolia through strong-motion simulations. For this purpose, source characteristics of three moderate to large magnitude events are constrained by the empirical Green's function simulation in a broadband frequency range. Recordings of ten strong-motion stations in 78-km epicentral distance range are utilized for the simulation. Estimated strong-motion generation areas (SMGAs) are 22 km2, 66 km2, and 110 km2 where rise times are 0.6 s, 0.7 s, and 0.6 s, respectively, for the 2011 Simav (Mw 5.8), 2017 Lesvos (Mw 6.3), and 2017 Bodrum-Kos (Mw 6.6) earthquakes. Those values are found to be consistent with global source-scaling relationships. One particular observation is that stress drop ratios between the mainshock and aftershock for all events are relatively large compared with those previously calculated for strike-slip events in Turkey. Stress drops of SMGAs for the Simav and Bodrum earthquakes are in the range of 25 MPa, and this value drops to 19 MPa for the Lesvos earthquake. To further investigate the stress drop variation of earthquakes in Western Anatolia, an earthquake source database (fc-Mo) offered by Yamanaka et al. (IAG-IASPEI 2017, S07-1-03, 2017) is utilized. Brune (Journal of Geophysical Research, 76:5002, 1971) stress drop values of > 360 small to moderate earthquakes (Mw 3.0–6.0) are calculated with the given corner frequency and seismic moment information assuming a constant shear wave velocity. Results indicate that the majority of the earthquakes have a stress drop value < 5 MPa. This value changes to between 5 and 57 MPa for the remaining earthquakes. These high stress drop values support the former findings stating that normal-faulting earthquakes may release higher stress than strike-slip earthquakes. This indicates that the regional stress regime in western Turkey may cause relatively larger stress release during the normal-faulting mainshocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large acceleration with a peak amplitude of 2700 cm/s2 was recorded at the K-NET Tsukidate station (MYG004) during the 2011 off Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake. Nonetheless, there was little structural damage around the station. In this study, we estimate the engineering bedrock's motion variability due to the main shock, deconvolved from the observed surface motions, considering uncertainties in shallow S-wave velocity (Vs) profiles. The Vs profile uncertainty at the strong motion station is estimated with observed Rayleigh wave phase velocities, from microtremor explorations, using the Markov-chain Monte Carlo inversion. We obtain upper and lower possible values of the estimated bedrock spectral accelerations and the ground motion proxies at MYG004 using the uncertainty of the Vs profile. The estimated bedrock peak ground acceleration ranges are 610–930 cm/s2 and 2000–3100 cm/s2 for the east–west (EW) and north–south (NS) directions, respectively. Meanwhile, the ranges of the peak ground velocities are about 35–40 cm/s and 90–120 cm/s for the EW and NS components, respectively. The results indicate that the minimum and maximum possible values of the deconvolved spectral acceleration and the ground motion proxies are not only affected by Vs profile uncertainty but also by surface ground motion characteristics. Moreover, the spectral velocities at a station in the main part of Tsukidate Town are also estimated with the observed phase velocity. They have predominant peaks at periods shorter than 0.5 s, suggesting only minor structural damage in the city center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed spectral inversions using ground motion data observed by K-NET, KiK-net, SK-net, and the earthquake observation network of the East Japan Railway Company in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Japan, to evaluate the effects of site amplification factors of both S- and P-waves for the future use of an on-site earthquake early warning system based on predicted S-wave amplitudes from observed P-wave amplitudes. The source and path effects from the inversions were similar to those estimated by previous studies. The spatial distributions of the site amplification factors of the S- and P-waves depend on the geological conditions, especially for the S-waves. The site amplification factors of the S- and P-waves nearly agree with those calculated with a 1D reverberation theory using existing velocity models from KiK-net. The site amplification ratios of the S-waves to the P-waves show a decrease in the amplitudes at frequencies greater than 2–5 Hz, especially on the plateaus and in the coastal areas covered with thick soft layers because the site amplification factors of the S-waves are small in this frequency range and those of the P-waves are nearly constant over the entire frequency range. Further, the remarkable peaks of the site amplification factors for the S-waves are preserved in the site amplification ratios of the S-waves to the P-waves at sites in the valleys and on the boundaries between the plateaus and the lowlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have explored 1D S-wave velocity profiles of shallow and deep soil layers over a basement at strong motion stations in Eskisehir Province, Turkey. Microtremor array explorations were conducted at eight strong motion stations in the area to know shallow 1D S-wave velocity models. Rayleigh wave phase velocity at a frequency range from 3 to 30 Hz was estimated with the spatial autocorrelation analysis of array records of vertical microtremors at each station. Individual phase velocity was inverted to a shallow S-wave velocity profile. Low-velocity layers were identified at the stations in the basin. Site amplification factors from S-wave parts of earthquake records that had been estimated at the strong motion stations by Yamanaka et al. (2017) were inverted to the S-wave velocities and Q-values of the sedimentary layers. The depths to the basement with an S-wave velocity of 2.2 km/s are about 1 km in the central part of the basin, while the basement becomes shallow as 0.3 km in the marginal part of the basin. We finally discussed the effects of the shallow and deep sedimentary layers on the 1D S-wave amplification characteristics using the revealed profiles. It is found that the shallow soil layers have no significant effects in the amplification at a frequency range lower than 3 Hz in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, edge effect on the spatial variation of surface ground motion was evaluated by conducting one (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) dynamic analyses on the numerical model of Duzce basin. Duzce is a province in northwestern Turkey and was hit by a devastating earthquake in November 1999. In order to estimate the seismic behavior of Duzce basin, 1D and 2D dynamic response analyses were carried out on its numerical model by using the seismic bedrock motion data derived from the deconvolution analysis of the N-S component of 1999 Duzce earthquake accelerogram. In addition, a series of different accelerograms and slope values were utilized to investigate the possible effects of change in strong ground motion intensity level and edge geometry on the dynamic response of soil layers over inclined bedrock. The finite element model for the edge section of the flat sedimentary basin was set up by using the 2D shear wave velocity profile, geotechnical and geological site conditions in Duzce. The variation of 2D/1D spectral acceleration ratios and aggravation factors with distance from basin edge was obtained for different period values. The results indicate that the aggravation factors reached their maximum values at a specific zone near basin edge and they generally converged to 1 regardless of the bedrock inclination or period values with increasing distance from the edge section. The highest aggravation factor values were calculated as 2.0-2.5 for the period interval of T= 0.2-0.6 s. A relationship was proposed between the aggravation factor and basin edge geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 24 May 2014, a Mw 6.9 earthquake occurred in the west of Gokceada Island, northern Aegean Sea. The earthquake was close to Canakkale, Enez, Tekirdag cities, and damaged 300 buildings in the Marmara Region, NW Turkey. We simulated its broadband (0.1-10 Hz) ground motions including 1D deep and shallow structures soil amplification effects at the 12 strong ground motion stations in the western Marmara Region. The 1D deep velocity structures from the focal layer to the engineering bedrock with an S-wave velocity of 0.78 km/s in different azimuthal directions were tuned by comparing the observed group-velocity dispersion curves of Rayleigh and Love waves from the mainshock with theoretical ones. We also added the shallow parts from previous surveys into the 1D models. Synthetic seismograms on the engineering bedrock were generated using the discrete wave number method with a source model and the 1D deep velocity structures. Then the surface motion was generated considering shallow soil amplification. The synthetic seismograms are generally in good agreement with the observed low and high-frequency parts at most of the stations indicating an appropriateness of the source model and the 1D structural model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) and portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) are extrahepatic complications of biliary atresia (BA). Their detection is sometimes delayed, which may result in missed opportunities for liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to determine the onset ages of HPS and PoPH in BA patients.Methods: BA patients followed at our institution were identified. Patients visited our clinic for routine blood work, as well as regular electrocardiography, chest X-rays, and arterial blood gas tests. Lung perfusion scintigraphy and cardiac ultrasound were performed to diagnose HPS. Cardiac catheterization was conducted to diagnose PoPH.Results: The study population consisted of 88 BA patients. The median follow-up duration was 11.6 years (range 0.8-26.0 years). Six patients (6.8%) developed HPS and three patients (3.4%) developed PoPH. The median age of onset of HPS was significantly younger than that of PoPH (HPS: 4 years, PoPH: 15 years, P < 0.019). Two patients (66%) with PoPH died, while all patients with HPS survivied.Conclusion: The onset of HPS was significantly earlier than that of PoPH. The mortality rate was high in patients with PoPH. Teenagers with BA should receive routine cardiac echocardiograms to detect PH in its early stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the long-term morbidity of surgically treated esophageal atresia (EA) in adolescents and young adults and establish whether these long-term morbidities are affected by the type of EA. Patients and methods: We reviewed the medical records, including backgrounds and associated conditions, of 69 long-term survivors of EA, aged >15 years. The long-term morbidities included neurodevelopmental abnormality, nutritional impairment (short height <−2SD, low BMI <18.5), subjective symptoms, and musculoskeletal deformities. Comparisons of the results were made between Gross A-type EA ( n = 6) and Gross C-type EA ( n = 63). Results: All patients underwent esophageal anastomosis without esophageal replacement. Cardiac anomalies and long gap were present in 26 and 18%, respectively. Esophageal dilatation, fundoplication, and aortopexy were performed in 40, 34, and 18%, respectively. The incidence of long gap and esophageal stenosis was higher in Gross A-type EA than in Gross C-type EA. The long-term morbidities included neurodevelopmental abnormality (13%), nutritional impairment (62%: as short height in 34% and as low BMI in 46%), subjective symptoms (14%), and musculoskeletal deformities (59%). There were no differences in the long-term morbidities between Gross A and Gross C. Conclusions: The incidence of the long-term morbidities is high in adolescents and young adults, regardless of the type of EA. Early detection of morbidity is important to improve the long-term outcomes of EA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate local site effects in Kumamoto City, we installed six temporary seismic stations along a 6-km north-south survey line in the city immediately after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake foreshock (Mj 6.4), which occurred on April 14, 2016. Seismic data from the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake (Mj 7.3), which occurred on April 16, 2016, were successfully recorded at two sites and indicated large amplitudes in the frequency range of 0.5-3 Hz. Site amplifications estimated from weak ground motion data, with a station at Mt. Kinbo used as a reference, are relatively variable along this survey line; however, site amplification factors in the frequency range of 0.5-3 Hz are not large enough to explain the amplitudes produced by the main shock. Nevertheless, site amplifications estimated from strong ground motion data recorded at the two sites during the main shock are large in the frequency range of 1-3 Hz. These findings reveal that the strong ground motions in the frequency range of 1-3 Hz were enhanced by nonlinear behavior of the subsurface soil in Kumamoto City. Moreover, it is observed that the frequency contents of the main shock data in the frequency range of 0.7-3 Hz differ significantly between the two sites, despite the proximity of these sites (600-m interval). Therefore, we also performed single-station microtremor measurements with an interval distance of approximately 100 m between these two sites. We confirmed that the peak frequencies of the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios of microtremors have trends that are similar to those of the site amplification factors between the two sites. However, these results could not explain the differences in strong ground motions observed at the two sites during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shallow S-wave velocity V profiles were estimated for 26 temporary strong motion observation sites surrounding the epicenters of a sequence of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. The microtremor array method was used to gather the dispersion characteristics of Rayleigh waves. V profiles were obtained by inverting the dispersion curves for each site and those of three permanent strong motion stations that recorded the sequence of seismic events. The shallow V profiles near two of the permanent strong motion stations in the town of Mashiki were almost identical. However, the V profiles at other stations varied. The V profiles were found to have the common feature of the uppermost low-velocity layer being widely distributed from Mashiki to the village of Minami-Aso, and it was especially thick in the areas that suffered heavy damage. This low-velocity layer was a major contributor to the site amplification. The horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios of the microtremors indicate that both the shallow soil and deep sedimentary layers may control the site response characteristics over a broad frequency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have conducted observation of earthquake ground motion due to aftershocks of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake at 26 temporary stations in damaged areas of Kumamoto city, Mashiki town, Nishihara village and Minami-Aso village (partly in Aso city) in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan. Continuous recordings of ground acceleration were acquired in a period of about 1 month after the occurrence of the main shock on April 16, 2016. This preliminary analysis of the observed records clearly indicates strong effects of local geological condition in the heavily damaged districts in Mashiki town and Nishihara village. Spectral ratios of the ground motions at the stations in the severely damaged districts to those at the reference sites are characterized by large amplitudes at periods of 0.5-1 s. Peak ground velocities and seismic intensities are also large at the sites. Seismic intensities at the stations in the damaged districts are larger by an intensity of one at the maximum than those at the stations with the minor damage. The ground motions at the stations in Kumamoto city are rich in later phases with long duration suggesting basin effects. However, site amplification effects could not clearly be identified at the stations in the Minami-Aso area from the results in the conventional spectral ratio approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S-wave velocity profiles of sedimentary layers in Tacna, southern Peru, based on analysis of microtremor array data and earthquake records, have been determined for estimation of site amplification. We investigated vertical component of microtremors in temporary arrays at two sites in the city for Rayleigh wave phase velocity. A receiver function was also estimated from existing earthquake data at a strong motion station near one of the microtremor exploration sites. The phase velocity and the receiver function were jointly inverted to S-wave velocity profiles. The depths to the basement with an S-wave velocity of 2.8 km/s at the two sites are similar as about 1 km. The top soil at the site in a severely damaged area in the city had a lower S-wave velocity than that in a slightly damaged area during the 2001 southern Peru earthquake. We subsequently estimate site amplifications from the velocity profiles and find that amplification is large at periods from 0.2 to 0.8 s at the damaged area indicating possible reasons for the differences in the damage observed during the 2001 southern Peru earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of social science, a variety of high-performance computing simulations such as the Monte Carlo simulation and the Multi-agent simulation must be efficiently performed to deal with social scientific big data. To facilitate social scientists in performing their own analysis against such big data, the information infrastructure for social science must be equipped with a core technology that efficiently and effectively leverages limited resources available on the information infrastructure. From such a perspective, a new type of job management technology, which treats not only computational resources such as the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and memory, but also network resources unlike traditional job management, is investigated in this paper. A cluster system with a fat-tree topology interconnect is conventional cluster architecture these days. For this investigation, the National Aeronautics Space Administration Advanced Supercomputing, USA (NAS) Parallel Benchmarks, which contain computation patterns often observed in social scientific simulations, are used to assess the efficacy of the resource allocation by our proposed job management technology on a cluster system with a fat-tree topology interconnect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), invasion and metastasis remain the most critical determinants of resectability and survival. The objective of this study was to determine whether Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays a role in the invasion of RMS. Methods: Two kinds of specific Hh signaling inhibitors, cyclopamine and forskolin, were used to suppress activated Hh signals in three RMS cell lines. The effects of the Hh signaling inhibitors on tumor cell invasion and motility were investigated using Matrigel invasion assays and wound closure assays, respectively. Results: The number of invaded cells counted in six random microscopic fields in the Matrigel chambers was significantly decreased by both cyclopamine and forskolin in every RMS cell line. Furthermore, the wound closure assays revealed that a blockade of the Hh signaling pathway by the Hh inhibitors strongly impairs RMS cell motility, as visualized by the delayed closure of the gaps generated in the cultured cell monolayers of the three RMS cell lines. Conclusions: Both the invasive capacity and motility of RMS cells are significantly suppressed by Hh signaling inhibitors, demonstrating that the Hh pathway plays an important role in the invasion of RMS. Hh inhibitors may provide a new paradigm for the treatment of RMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seismic hazard potential for metropolitan of Damascus, Syria is mainly controlled by earthquakes along Serghaya Fault which is a branch of Dead Sea Fault System. In this study, strong ground motion due to the November 1759 Earthquake along the fault of Serghaya was estimated with a numerical simulation technique. In the simulation, the Kostrov-like slip-velocity function was used as an input to the discrete wave number method to simulate the strong ground motions in a broadband frequency range. In order to model the incoherent rupture propagation which can excite large high-frequency waves, random numbers are added to arrival time of circular rupture front. MMI intensities calculated from the synthetic ground motions are compared with the observed values by Ambraseys and Barazangi (). The calculated intensities are in good agreement with the observed ones at the most sites that validate appropriateness of the proposed source model. The PGA and PGV in the eastern region of Damascus city are higher than those in the western region due to the effects of local site amplification. The simulated high-frequency (1.0-6.0 Hz) ground motions for the sites in the Damascus city are higher than the design requirements defined by the Syrian building code. Furthermore, the simulated high-frequency ground motions for sites in the focal region are bigger than the design requirements in the case of the near-fault factors and are not considered. That demonstrates the appropriateness of considering the near-fault factors for a site near the focal region as introduced by the new building code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed three-dimensional (3-D) finite difference simulations of long-period ground motions (2-10 s) in the Kanto basin using the Japan Seismic Hazard Information Station (J-SHIS ), Yamada and Yamanaka (Exploration Geophysics 65(3):139-150, ) (YY), and Head Quarter for Earthquake Research Promotion (HERP ) velocity models for two intermediate depth (68-80 km) moderate earthquakes (Mw 5.8-5.9), which occurred beneath the Kanto basin. The models primarily differ in the basic data set used in the construction of the velocity models. The J-SHIS and HERP models are the results of integration of mainly geological, geophysical, and earthquake data. On the other hand, the YY model is oriented towards the microtremor-array-observation data. We obtained a goodness of fit between the observed and synthetic data based on three parameters, peak ground velocities (PGVs), smoothed Fourier spectra (FFT), and cross-correlations, using an algorithm proposed by Olsen and Mayhew (Seism Res Lett 81:715-723, ). We found that the three models reproduced the PGVs and FFT satisfactorily at most sites. However, the models performed poorly in terms of cross-correlations especially at the basin edges. We found that the synthetics using the YY model overestimate the observed waveforms at several sites located in the areas having V 0.3 km/s in the top layer; on the other hand, the J-SHIS and HERP models explain the waveforms better at the sites and perform similarly at most sites. We also found that the J-SHIS and HERP models consist of thick sediments beneath some sites, where the YY model is preferable. Thus, we have concluded that the models require revisions for the reliable prediction of long-period ground motions from future large earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generalized inversion of S-wave amplitude spectra from the free-field strong motion recordings of the China National Strong Motion Observation Network System (NSMONS) are used to evaluate the site effects in the Wenchuan area. In this regard, a total of 602 recordings from 96 aftershocks of the Wenchuan earthquake with magnitudes of M3.7- M6.5 were selected as a dataset. These recordings were obtained from 28 stations at a hypocenter distance ranging from 30 km to 150 km. The inversion results have been verified as reliable by comparing the site response at station 62WUD using the Generalized Inversion Technique (GIT) and the Standard Spectral Ratio method (SSR). For all 28 stations, the site predominant frequency F and the average site amplification in different frequency bands of 1.0-5.0 Hz, 5.0-10.0 Hz and 1.0-10.0 Hz have been calculated based on the inversion results. Compared with the results from the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method, it shows that the HVSR method can reasonably estimate the site predominant frequency but underestimates the site amplification. The linear fitting between the average site amplification for each frequency band and the V (the average uppermost-20 m shear wave velocity) shows good correlation. A distance measurement called the asperity distance D is proposed to reasonably characterize the source-to-site distance for large earthquakes. Finally, the inversed site response is used to identify the soil nonlinearity in the main shock and aftershocks of Wenchuan earthquake. In ten of the 28 stations analyzed in the main shock, the soil behaved nonlinearly, where the ground motion level is apparently beyond a threshold of PGA > 300 cm/s or PGV > 20 cm/s, and only one station coded 51SFB has evidence of soil nonlinear behavior in the aftershocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational assembly of ultrathin films of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)—highly ordered microporous materials—with well-controlled growth direction and film thickness is a critical and as yet unrealized issue for enabling the use of MOFs in nanotechnological devices, such as sensors, catalysts and electrodes for fuel cells. Here we report the facile bottom-up fabrication at ambient temperature of such a perfect preferentially oriented MOF nanofilm on a solid surface (NAFS-1), consisting of metalloporphyrin building units. The construction of NAFS-1 was achieved by the unconventional integration in a modular fashion of a layer-by-layer growth technique coupled with the Langmuir–Blodgett method. NAFS-1 is endowed with highly crystalline order both in the out-of-plane and in-plane orientations to the substrate, as demonstrated by synchrotron X-ray surface crystallography. The proposed structural model incorporates metal-coordinated pyridine molecules projected from the two-dimensional sheets that allow each further layer to dock in a highly ordered interdigitated manner in the growth of NAFS-1. We expect that the versatility of the solution-based growth strategy presented here will allow the fabrication of various well-ordered MOF nanofilms, opening the way for their use in a range of important applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Venous malformations (VMs) involve multiple anatomical spaces and encase critical neuromuscular structures, making surgical treatment difficult. Recently sclerotherapy has been suggested as the primary treatment for VMs instead of surgical intervention. This report represents eight cases of children with VMs treated with direct percutaneous injections of sclerosing agents, such as ethanol, polidocanol or ethanolamine oleate.Methods: All eight patients had large lesions (>3 cm) located on the head, foot, neck and face. Sclerotherapy was performed in an angiographic suite under general anesthesia. Prior to sclerotherapy, percutaneous phlebography was performed in order to visualize the dynamic situation inside the lesion and the draining flow into the adjacent venous vascular system. A 2-15 ml of sclerosing agent was injected into VM lesions under fluoroscopy.Results and Conclusions: An evaluation by MRI examination showed that 6 out of 8 patients had remission, and alleviation of their symptoms without major complications, furthermore one of the lesions apparently disappeared. Intralesional sclerotherapy provides a simple, safe and effective treatment for VMs in the subcutaneous lesions in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, mortality due to intestinal perforation has been increasing for the last 15 years, as the survival rate of extremely-low-birth-weight neonates (ELBWs) has been increasing. In our NICU, although the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis has been decreasing, that of focal intestinal perforation (FIP) has been increasing. To elucidate the pathogenesis of FIP, a histological study was performed. For the last 20 years, in our NICU, 11 ELBWs with FIP, including one with multiple perforations and impending rupture, underwent laparotomy and enterostomy. The intestinal wall around the perforation was resected for histological study. Histological studies revealed well-developed ganglion cells in all the cases. Although some lymphocytic infiltration and hemorrhage were observed, no apparent neutrophilic infiltration, or necrotic change was identified in any case. No evidence of microcirculatory impairment was identified. The intestinal musculature discontinued abruptly with thinning in three cases, and without thinning in the others. The histology of impending rupture showed an absence of the muscularis with preservation of the remaining components of the bowel wall. The findings that the punched-out perforations had the appearance of Hirschsprung's disease, FIP exclusively occurred in ELBWs, and that neither mechanical obstruction nor necrotic change could be identified as the cause of the perforation suggest that immature bowel movement and congenital muscle defects may be involved in the pathogenesis of FIP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the cause of destructive ground motion during the 2018 Hokkaido eastern Iburi earthquake. We conducted strong motion observations of aftershocks and microtremors and the surface wave method in the damaged areas of the town of Mukawa, Hokkaido prefecture, Japan. The ground accelerations were continuously recorded during a period of approximately 3 months after the main shock on September 6, 2018. The heavily damaged buildings were mainly situated around the strong motion station (HKD126) in Mukawa town. Such concentration of damage can be explained by the strong power that was observed in the 1–2 s period of the response spectrum at this station. We estimated the S-wave velocity profiles of this station site and a temporary station site that was installed on a nearby hill. The estimated S-wave velocity, which was inverted from phase velocity structures with the microtremor array and the surface wave method observations explained the difference in the SH-wave amplification characteristics between the two sites. An analysis of HKD126 and the temporarily observed records clearly indicates the strong effects of the local geological conditions on the heavily damaged area of Mukawa. The strong ground motion power generated during the main shock in Mukawa for 1–2 s period was mainly amplified by this shallow underground velocity structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]