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In 2016, a countermeasure was announced against the Nankai Trough long‐period and long‐duration ground motions (LPGMs) in Japan. However, the response spectrum method (RSM), indicated by the Ministry of Construction notification Vol. 2009 (MCN), was out of the countermeasure. An RSM considering characteristic changes due to repeated deformations has also been proposed. However, since the damping correction formula of MCN was used, its applicability to LPMGs has not been sufficiently investigated. In this paper, a method is proposed to evaluate the influence of characteristic changes due to repeated deformations using RSM for LPGMs and seismically isolated buildings using the lead plug‐inserted laminated rubber (LRB). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered silicene with deformed buckled structure attracts great interest as a next generation 2D Dirac thermoelectric material beyond conventional layered materials. However, the difficulty of modulating atomic positions in silicene prevents its realization. This study proposes a method to deform buckled structure in layered silicene by controlling the intercalated atoms, which can dramatically enhance its thermoelectric properties. Silicene buckled structure is deformed in epitaxial CaSi2 thin films, Ca‐intercalated layered silicenes, on Si(111) substrates, which is related to the composition of intercalated Ca. Therein, buckling height of silicene is changed. This CaSi2 film with deformed silicene exhibits not only metal‐like electrical conductivity but also three times larger Seebeck coefficient than the theoretically predicted value, resulting in ≈3000 times larger power factor (≈40 μW cm−1 K−2) than that of the reported CaSi2 film at room temperature. This result experimentally demonstrates that power factor can be greatly enhanced by deforming the silicene buckled structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The associative interaction between resin‐bound polybrominated arenes and small molecules was analyzed by using various spectroscopic techniques as well as a synthetic molecular model to establish the thermodynamics. The binding in acetonitrile was three orders of magnitude stronger than that in methanol, partly owing to the tertiary conformational gating of the resin that controls the entropic terms. By using the entropic superiority, the associative binding of up to 3×104  m−1 is achieved with the non‐biological system. A modified Hill plot for the quantitative analysis of bindings was also devised, which enabled the interactions at the molecular level to be elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The self‐assembly behavior of ABA triblock copolymers comprising side‐chain (SC) liquid crystalline (LC) polymer (A blocks) and a main‐chain (MC) LC polyester (B block) is investigated for SCLC segment volume fractions (ϕ) ranging from 22% to 81%. At ϕ = 81% and 65%, the MCLC segments form cylinders and spheres, respectively, embedded in an SCLC matrix. At ϕ ≤ 56%, block copolymers form lamellar microdomains in which each segment forms smectic layers parallel to the lamellae. Whereas MCLC segments are mostly extended along the lamella normal but are folded to fit within the lamellae, the SCLC segment backbone is more elongated, traversing the smectic layers. Such backbone dimensions and mesogens' orientation in the SCLC segment are explained in light of the small interfacial area with the B5 segment, which is conserved even when the SCLC segment is in the isotropic liquid state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY The photoacoustic (PA) signal from the depletion layer beneath the metal electrode in a metal/semiconductor (M/S) structure was detected using the PA method. To measure the reverse-bias voltage dependence of distribution of the PA signal from the depletion layer, the surface of the electrode was illuminated and scanned by an intensity-modulated optical beam. It was found that the PA signal phase differences between depletion layer formation and the absence of a depletion layer were dependent on depletion layer spreading. One-dimensional scanning of the electrode also revealed that spreading of the depletion layer extends from the edges of the electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate whether personality traits affect the rate of decline of gray matter volume, we analyzed the relationships between personality traits and the annual rate of changes of gray matter volume in 274 healthy community dwelling subjects with a large age range by applying a longitudinal design over 6 years, using brain magnetic resonance images (MRI) and the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) at baseline. Brain MRI data were processed using voxel-based morphometry with a custom template by applying the DARTEL diffeomorphic registration tool. For each subject, we used NEO-PI-R to evaluate the five major personality traits, including neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The results show that the annual rate of change in regional gray matter volume in the right inferior parietal lobule was correlated significantly and negatively with a personality of openness, which is known to be related to intellect, intellectual curiosity, and creativity adjusting for age, gender, and intracranial volume. This result indicates that subjects with a personality trait of less openness have an accelerated loss of gray matter volume in the right inferior parietal lobule, compared with subjects with a personality trait of more openness. Because the right inferior parietal lobule is involved in higher cognitive function such as working memory and creativity, a personality trait of openness is thought to be important for preserving gray matter volume and cognitive function of the right inferior parietal lobule in healthy adults. Hum Brain Mapp 34:3347-3353, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microlamellar and smectic liquid crystal (LC) structures of a block copolymer of a main-chain LC polyester connected at both ends with poly(ethyl methacrylate) are investigated by fiber X-ray scattering. In the as-spun fiber, the lamellae are parallel to the fiber axis, while the smectic layers are perpendicular to it. Annealing the as-spun fiber at a temperature higher than the isotropization temperature ( Ti) of the LC segment preserves the lamellae, but the LC structure disappears. Further annealing the fiber at T < Ti improves the lamellar stacking coherence and aligns the smectic layers parallel to the lamellae. In contrast, annealing the as-spun fiber at T < Ti conserves the smectic layers and arranges the lamellae in parallel to the smectic layers. Thus, the liquid crystallinity affects the lamellar ordering and orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although elevated serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is related to atherosclerosis, brain infarction, and cognitive decline, it has not been clarified whether increased hsCRP is associated with the decline in brain gray matter volume. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between hsCRP levels and brain regional gray matter volume using brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 109 community-dwelling healthy elderly subjects. Brain MRIs were processed with voxel-based morphometry using a custom template by applying diffeomorphic anatomical registration using the exponentiated lie algebra (DARTEL) procedure. We found a significant negative correlation between regional gray matter volume of the posterior and lateral aspects of the left temporal cortex and hsCRP level after adjusting for age, gender, and intracranial volume. Our results suggest that subjects who have mild inflammation related to arteriosclerosis have decreased regional gray matter volume in the posterior and lateral aspects of the left temporal cortex. Thus, preventing the progression of arteriosclerosis may be important for preventing a decrease in gray matter volume in healthy elderly subjects. Hum Brain Mapp 34:2418-2424, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to analyze correlations among the annual rate of gray matter volume change, age, gender, and cerebrovascular risk factors in 381 healthy community-dwelling subjects with a large age range by applying a longitudinal design over 6 years using brain magnetic resonance images (MRIs). Brain MRI data were processed with voxel-based morphometry using a custom template by applying diffeomorphic anatomical registration using the exponentiated lie algebra procedure. The annual rate of regional gray matter volume change showed significant positive correlations with age in several regions, including the bilateral temporal pole, caudate nucleus, ventral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, insula, hippocampus, and temporoparietal cortex, whereas significant negative correlations with age were observed in several regions including the bilateral cingulate gyri and anterior lobe of the cerebellum. Additionally, a significant age-by-gender interaction was found for the annual rate of regional gray matter volume change in the bilateral hippocampus. No significant correlations were observed between the annual rate of regional gray matter volume change and body mass index or systolic blood pressure. A significant positive correlation between the annual rate of gray matter volume change and age indicates that the region shows not linear but accelerated gray matter loss with age. Therefore, evaluating the annual rate of the gray matter volume change with age in healthy subjects is important in understanding how gray matter volume changes with aging in each brain region and in anticipating what cognitive functions are likely to show accelerated decline with aging. Hum Brain Mapp 34:2292-2301, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A liquid crystal (LC) ABA triblock copolymer with poly(styrene) (PS) A blocks and a main-chain nematic LC polyester B block is synthesized by atom-transfer radical polymerization of styrene with an LC polyester macro-initiator. The nematic LC and PS amorphous phases are segregated from each other to form lamellae with a spacing of 27 nm. The 16 nm-thick nematic LC lamellae are significantly smaller than the contour length of the LC segment (63 nm), and the nematic director is parallel to the lamellae. The central LC segment is primarily more extended in the lamellar direction, but folds so as to meander through the LC lamella and bridges adjacent PS domains. The lamellar microstructure exhibits a reversible spacing increase of up to 31 nm with increasing temperature, suggesting a corresponding increase in the probability of the chain folding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photoacoustic signal from the depletion layer formed within a planar metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) structure was detected using the photoacoustic method. To measure the distribution of the photoacoustic signal from the depletion layer, the surface of the sample was illuminated and scanned by an intensity-modulated optical beam. The amplitude and phase shifts of the observed signal increased with an increase in the reverse bias in the Schottky barrier. The intensity distribution of the photoacoustic signal corresponded closely to the position of the photocurrent distribution, showing the presence of the depletion layer as measured by the photoelectric method. This demonstrates clearly that the photoacoustic signal reflects the presence of the depletion layer in semiconductor materials, and that the photoacoustic method can be used effectively for the visualization of the depletion layer. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 96(2): 65-70, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.10402 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine structural brain networks using regional gray matter volume, as well as to investigate changes in small-world and modular organization with normal aging. We constructed structural brain networks composed of 90 regions in young, middle, and old age groups. We randomly selected 350 healthy subjects for each group from a Japanese magnetic resonance image database. Structural brain networks in three age groups showed economical small-world properties, providing high global and local efficiency for parallel information processing at low connection cost. The small-world efficiency and node betweenness varied significantly and revealed a U- or inverted U-curve model tendency among three age groups. Results also demonstrated that structural brain networks exhibited a modular organization in which the connections between regions are much denser within modules than between them. The modular organization of structural brain networks was similar between the young and middle age groups, but quite different from the old group. In particular, the old group showed a notable decrease in the connector ratio and the intermodule connections. Combining the results of small-world efficiency, node betweenness and modular organization, we concluded that the brain network changed slightly, developing into a more distributed organization from young to middle age. The organization eventually altered greatly, shifting to a more localized organization in old age. Our findings provided quantitative insights into topological principles of structural brain networks and changes related to normal aging. Hum Brain Mapp, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine if muscle energy metabolism, as measured by (31)P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), is a metabolic marker for the efficacy of treatment of Machado-Joseph disease (MJD). We obtained (31)P-MRS in the calf muscle of 8 male patients with MJD and 11 healthy men before, during, and after a 4 minute plantar flexion exercise in a supine position. The data showed that there was a significant difference between the groups in terms of the PCr/(Pi + PCr) ratio at rest (P = 0.03) and the maximum rate of mitochondrial ATP production (V(max)) (P < 0.01). In addition, V(max) was inversely correlated with the scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia score (r = -0.34, P = 0.04). The MJD group also showed a reduction in V(max) over the course of 2 years (P < 0.05). These data suggest that this noninvasive measurement of muscle energy metabolism may represent a surrogate marker for MJD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate a spatially explicit metapopulation model with Allee effects. We refer to the patch occupancy model introduced by Levins (Bull Entomol Soc Am 15:237–240, ) as a spatially implicit metapopulation model, i.e., each local patch is either occupied or vacant and a vacant patch can be recolonized by a randomly chosen occupied patch from anywhere in the metapopulation. When we transform the model into a spatially explicit one by using a lattice model, the obtained model becomes theoretically equivalent to a “lattice logistic model” or a “basic contact process”. One of the most popular or standard metapopulation models with Allee effects, developed by Amarasekare (Am Nat 152:298–302, ), supposes that those effects are introduced formally by means of a logistic equation. However, it is easier to understand the ecological meaning of associating Allee effects with this model if we suppose that only the logistic colonization term directly suffers from Allee effects. The resulting model is also well defined, and therefore we can naturally examine it by Monte Carlo simulation and by doublet and triplet decoupling approximation. We then obtain the following specific features of one-dimensional lattice space: (1) the metapopulation as a whole does not have an Allee threshold for initial population size even when each local population follows the Allee effects; and (2) a metapopulation goes extinct when the extinction rate of a local population is lower than that in the spatially implicit model. The real ecological metapopulation lies between two extremes: completely mixing interactions between patches on the one hand and, on the other, nearest neighboring interactions with only two nearest neighbors. Thus, it is important to identify the metapopulation structure when we consider the problems of invasion species such as establishment or the speed of expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which examines any correlation between body mass index (BMI) and brain gray matter volume. Volumetric analysis found a significant negative correlation in men between BMI and the gray matter ratio, which represents the percentage of gray matter volume in the intracranial volume. The study demonstrates that global loss and regional alterations in gray matter volume were observed in obese male subjects, suggesting that male subjects with an increased BMI are at greater risk for future deterioration in brain functions.

Background: Non–alcohol-dependent heavy drinkers, as well as alcohol-dependent individuals, show brain atrophy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there are correlations between global and regional gray matter volumes and the lifetime alcohol intake using volumetric analysis and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) among Japanese non-alcohol–dependent male individuals. Methods: High-resolution three-dimensional magnetic resonance images were acquired from 405 Japanese non-alcohol–dependent male individuals. The collected images were normalized, segmented for volumetric analysis, and additionally smoothed for VBM. For volumetric analysis, the partial correlation coefficient was estimated between the gray matter ratio, which represents the percentage of gray matter volume in the intracranial volume, and the lifetime alcohol intake adjusted for the age of each subject. Multiple regression analysis was performed among regional gray matter volume, lifetime alcohol intake, and age using VBM. Results: Volumetric analysis revealed that gray matter ratio showed a negative correlation with the lifetime alcohol intake adjusted for age ( p=0.059, partial correlation coefficient=−0.091). The VBM revealed that the gray matter volumes of the bilateral middle frontal gyri showed a significant negative correlation with the lifetime alcohol intake adjusted for age and systolic blood pressure (left side, p=0.006, Z=4.77; right side, p=0.023, Z=4.45, and p=0.046, Z=4.27). Conclusions: Our study suggests that non-alcohol–dependent Japanese male individuals show that both global gray matter volume and regional gray matter volume have negative correlations with the lifetime alcohol intake. Our study may contribute to clarifying the mechanism underlying the brain structural changes because of alcohol influence in healthy non-alcohol–dependent individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upon activation of cell surface receptors coupled to the Gq subclass of G proteins, phospholipase C (PLC)β hydrolyses membrane phospholipid to yield a pair of second messengers, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and 1,2-diacylglycerol. PLCβ4 has been characterized as the isoform enriched in cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) and the retina and involved in motor and visual functions. Here we examined cellular and subcellular distributions of PLCβ4 in adult mouse brains. Immunohistochemistry showed that high levels of PLCβ4 were detected in the somatodendritic domain of neuronal populations expressing the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) type 1α, including olfactory periglomerular cells, neurons in the bed nucleus anterior commissure, thalamus, substantia nigra, inferior olive, and unipolar brush cells and PCs in the cerebellum. Low to moderate levels were detected in many other mGluR1α-positive neurons and in a few mGluR1α-negative neurons. In PCs, immunogold electron microscopy localized PLCβ4 to the perisynapse, at which mGluR1α is concentrated, and to the smooth endoplasmic reticulum in dendrites and spines, an intracellular Ca2+ store gated by IP3 receptors. In the cerebellum, immunoblot demonstrated its concentrated distribution in the post-synaptic density and microsomal fractions, where mGluR1α and type 1 IP3 receptor were also greatly enriched. Furthermore, PLCβ4 formed coimmunoprecipitable complexes with mGluR1α, type 1 IP3 receptor and Homer 1. These results suggest that PLCβ4 is preferentially localized in the perisynapse and smooth endoplasmic reticulum as a component of the physically linked phosphoinositide signaling complex. This close molecular relationship might provide PLCβ4 with a high-fidelity effector function to mediate various neuronal responses under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the functional organization of the human brain involved in cross-modal discrimination between tactile and visual information. Regional cerebral blood flow was measured by positron emission tomography in nine right-handed volunteers during four discrimination tasks; tactile–tactile (TT), tactile–visual (TV), visual–tactile (VT), and visual–visual (VV). The subjects were asked either to look at digital cylinders of different diameters or to grasp the digital cylinders with the thumb and index finger of the right hand using haptic interfaces. Compared with the motor control task in which the subjects looked at and grasped cylinders of the same diameter, the right lateral prefrontal cortex and the right inferior parietal lobule were activated in all the four discrimination tasks. In addition, the dorsal premotor cortex, the ventral premotor cortex, and the inferior temporal cortex of the right hemisphere were activated during VT but not during TV. Our results suggest that the human brain mechanisms underlying cross-modal discrimination have two different pathways depending on the temporal order in which stimuli are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the wave regeneration of forest trees in model populations with a lattice structure, in which each lattice point corresponds to a stand containing a cohort of trees. Saw-toothed spatial pattern; Models in which the absolute height and the height difference between neighbors affect tree mortality; Periodic boundary conditions and fixed height boundary conditions.

We report a case of a 31-year-old man with extrarenal angiomyolipoma of the perinephric space. He presented with asymptomatic macrohematuria. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a large perinephric mass which was separated from the right kidney and its unique growth appeared to have surrounded the kidney. Extrarenal angiomyolipomas of the perinephric fat are rare and they should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a retroperitoneal mass where asymptomatic macrohematuria was presented at the onset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ligand binding to neurotransmitter and hormone receptors which couple to the Gq subclass of GTP-binding protein leads to the activation of phospholipase Cβ (PLCβ) which hydrolyses phosphatidyl-inositol 4,5-bisphosphate, yielding a pair of second messengers, diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP[sub 3]). The expression of PLCβ1–4 mRNAs was comparatively examined by in situ hybridization in the mouse brain. In adults, PLCβ1 mRNA was expressed predominantly in the telencephalon, including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, lateral septum and olfactory bulb, with little expression in most thalamic nuclei. PLCβ2 mRNA was distributed in the white matter, suggesting its expression in non-neuronal cells, most likely oligodendrocytes. PLCβ3 mRNA was specifically expressed in cerebellar Purkinje cells. The highest levels of PLCβ4 mRNA were detected in Purkinje cells. High levels of PLCβ4 mRNA were also found in the thalamus and medial septum, whereas weak signals were detected in most telencephalic regions, thus showing an expression pattern almost reciprocal to that of PLCβ1 mRNA. During development, such characteristic regional expression of PLCβ1 and PLCβ4 were observed starting in late foetal stages, while specific expression of PLCβ2 and PLCβ3 appeared in early postnatal stages. We conclude that despite the existence of four PLCβ isoforms, only one or two of them is expressed in individual neurons and glial cells. The distinct expression of PLCβs provides a molecular basis for analysing the nature of the specific signal transduction pathway leading to the production of diacylglycerol and IP[sub 3] in distinct cell types and in different regions of the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]