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More than 600 bacterial species have been identified in the oral cavity, but only a limited number of species show a strong association with periodontitis. The purpose of the present study was to provide a comprehensive outline of the microbiota in dental plaque related to periodontal status. Dental plaque from 90 subjects was sampled, and the subjects were clustered based on bacterial composition using the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism of 16S rRNA genes. Here, we evaluated (1) periodontal clinical parameters between clusters; (2) the correlation of subgingival bacterial composition with supragingival bacterial composition; and (3) the association between bacterial interspecies in dental plaque using a graphical Gaussian model. Cluster 1 (C1) having high prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in subgingival plaque showed increasing values of the parameters. The values of the parameters in Cluster 2a (C2a) having high prevalence of non-pathogenic bacteria were markedly lower than those in C1. A cluster having low prevalence of non-pathogenic bacteria in supragingival plaque showed increasing values of the parameters. The bacterial patterns between subgingival plaque and supragingival plaque were significantly correlated. Chief pathogens, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, formed a network with other pathogenic species in C1, whereas a network of non-pathogenic species, such as Rothia sp. and Lautropia sp., tended to compete with a network of pathogenic species in C2a. Periodontal status relates to non-pathogenic species as well as to pathogenic species, suggesting that the bacterial interspecies connection affects dental plaque virulence.

In the Sambagawa schist, southwest Japan, while ductile deformation pervasively occurred at D 1 phase during exhumation, low-angle normal faulting was locally intensive at D 2 phase under the conditions of frictional–viscous transition of quartz ( c . 300 °C) during further exhumation into the upper crustal level. Accordingly, the formation of D 2 shear bands was overprinted on type I crossed girdle quartz c -axis fabrics and microstructures formed by intracrystalline plasticity at D 1 phase in some quartz schists. The quartz c -axis fabrics became weak and finally random with increasing shear, accompanied by the decreasing degree of undulation of recrystallized quartz grain boundaries, which resulted from the increasing portion of straight grain boundaries coinciding with the interfaces between newly precipitated quartz and mica. We interpreted these facts as caused by increasing activity of pressure solution: the quartz grains were dissolved mostly at platy quartz–mica interface, and precipitated with random orientation and pinned by mica, thus having led to the obliteration of existing quartz c -axis fabrics. In the sheared quartz schist, the strength became reduced by the enhanced pressure solution creep not only due to the reduction of diffusion path length caused by increasing number of shear bands, but also to enhanced dissolution at the interphase boundaries.

Increasing attention is being focused on evaluating the salivary microbiota as a promising method for monitoring oral health; however, its bacterial composition greatly differs from that of dental plaque microbiota, which is a dominant etiologic factor of oral diseases. This study evaluated the relative abundance of subgingival plaque-specific bacteria in the salivary microbiota and examined a relationship between the abundance and severity of periodontal condition in patients with periodontitis. Four samples (subgingival and supragingival plaques, saliva, and tongue coating) per each subject were collected from 14 patients with a broad range of severity of periodontitis before periodontal therapy. The bacterial composition was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing using Ion PGM. Of the 66 species-level operational taxonomic units (OTUs) representing the mean relative abundance of ≥ 1% in any of the four niches, 12 OTUs corresponding to known periodontal pathogens, including Porphyromonas gingivalis, were characteristically predominant in the subgingival plaque and constituted 37.3 ± 22.9% of the microbiota. The total relative abundance of these OTUs occupied only 1.6 ± 1.2% of the salivary microbiota, but significantly correlated with the percentage of diseased sites (periodontal pocket depth ≥ 4 mm; r = 0.78, P < 0.001), in addition to the abundance of subgingival plaque microbiota (r = 0.61, P = 0.02). After periodontal therapy, the total relative abundance of these 12 OTUs was evaluated as well as before periodontal therapy and reductions of the abundance through periodontal therapy were strongly correlated in saliva and subgingival plaque (r = 0.81, P < 0.001). Based on these results, salivary microbiota might be a promising target for the evaluation of subgingival plaque-derived bacteria representing the present condition of periodontal health.

Recently, it has been reported that eriC and crcB are involved in bacterial fluoride resistance. However, the fluoride-resistance mechanism in oral streptococci remains unclear. BLAST studies showed that two types of eriCs (eriC1 and eriC2) and two types of crcBs (crcB1 and crcB2) are present across 18 oral streptococci, which were identified in ≥ 10% of 166 orally healthy subjects with ≥ 0.01% of the mean relative abundance. They were divided into three groups based on the distribution of these four genes: group I, only eriC1; group II, eriC1 and eriC2; and group III, eriC2, crcB1, and crcB2. Group I consisted of Streptococcus mutans, in which one of the two eriC1s predominantly affected fluoride resistance. Group II consisted of eight species, and eriC1 was responsible for fluoride resistance, but eriC2 was not, in Streptococcus anginosus as a representative species. Group III consisted of nine species, and both crcB1 and crcB2 were crucial for fluoride resistance, but eriC2 was not, in Streptococcus sanguinis as a representative species. Based on these results, either EriC1 or CrcBs play a role in fluoride resistance in oral streptococci. Complementation between S. mutans EriC1 and S. sanguinis CrcB1/CrcB2 was confirmed in both S. mutans and S. sanguinis. However, neither transfer of S. sanguinis CrcB1/CrcB2 into wild-type S. mutans nor S. mutans EriC1 into wild-type S. sanguinis increased the fluoride resistance of the wild-type strain. Co-existence of different F- channels (EriC and CrcB) did not cause the additive effect on fluoride resistance in oral Streptococcus species.

This population-based study determined the salivary microbiota composition of 2,343 adult residents of Hisayama town, Japan, using 16S rRNA gene next-generation high-throughput sequencing. Of 550 identified species-level operational taxonomic units (OTUs), 72 were common, in ≥75% of all individuals, as well as in ≥75% of the individuals in the lowest quintile of phylogenetic diversity (PD). These “core” OTUs constituted 90.9 ± 6.1% of each microbiome. The relative abundance profiles of 22 of the core OTUs with mean relative abundances ≥1% were stratified into community type I and community type II by partitioning around medoids clustering. Multiple regression analysis revealed that a lower PD was associated with better conditions for oral health, including a lower plaque index, absence of decayed teeth, less gingival bleeding, shallower periodontal pockets and not smoking, and was also associated with tooth loss. By contrast, multiple Poisson regression analysis demonstrated that community type II, as characterized by a higher ratio of the nine dominant core OTUs, including Neisseria flavescens, was implicated in younger age, lower body mass index, fewer teeth with caries experience, and not smoking. Our large-scale data analyses reveal variation in the salivary microbiome among Japanese adults and oral health-related conditions associated with the salivary microbiome.

Aim Metabolic syndrome is associated with periodontal disease and dental caries; however, little attention has been given to the association between metabolic syndrome and tooth loss, which is the endpoint of these two diseases. This study examined this association in middle-aged adults over a 5-year period. Methods A retrospective study was performed in 2107 participants (1718 males and 389 females) aged 35-60 years who underwent annual dental check-ups, to evaluate tooth loss and metabolic components, including obesity, elevated triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and reduced high-density lipoprotein. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between metabolic syndrome (≥3 components) at the baseline examination and tooth loss. Results Over a 5-year period, 10.8% of the participants lost at least one tooth. Compared to those with no metabolic components, participants with ≥3 components had an increased risk of tooth loss (odds ratio = 1.54; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-2.37), adjusting for age, gender, dental caries experience, attachment loss, oral hygiene status, number of teeth, tooth brushing frequency, smoking, and occupational status. Conclusions Metabolic syndrome was associated with the incidence of tooth loss among middle-aged adults.

Oral candidiasis is closely associated with changes in oral fungal biodiversity and is caused primarily by Candida albicans. However, the widespread use of empiric and prophylactic antifungal drugs has caused a shift in fungal biodiversity towards other Candida or yeast species. Recently, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has provided an improvement over conventional culture techniques, allowing rapid comprehensive analysis of oral fungal biodiversity. In this study, we used NGS to examine the oral fungal biodiversity of 27 patients with pseudomembranous oral candidiasis (POC) and 66 healthy controls. The total number of fungal species in patients with POC and healthy controls was 67 and 86, respectively. The copy number of total PCR products and the proportion of non-C. albicans, especially C. dubliniensis, in patients with POC, were higher than those in healthy controls. The detection patterns in patients with POC were similar to those in controls after antifungal treatment. Interestingly, the number of fungal species and the copy number of total PCR products in healthy controls increased with aging. These results suggest that high fungal biodiversity and aging might be involved in the pathogenesis of oral candidiasis. We therefore conclude that NGS is a useful technique for investigating oral candida infections.

Objectives To investigate bacterial adhesion to various abutment materials. Material and methods Thirty volunteers participated in this study. Resin splints were fabricated, and five types of disks were fabricated from pure titanium, gold-platinum alloy, zirconia, alumina, and hydroxyapatite with uniform surface roughness and attached to the buccal surface of each splint. After 4 days of use by the subjects, the plaque accumulated on the disk surfaces was analyzed. The bacterial community structure was evaluated using 16S rRNA gene profiling with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The total bacterial count on each disk was estimated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism profiles were more similar between tested materials than between subjects, suggesting that the bacterial community structures on the abutment material were influenced more by the individuals than by the type of material. However, the total number of bacteria attached to a disk was significantly different among five materials (P

A variety of bacteria densely colonize the human oral cavity not as individuals, but as members of an indigenous microbiota that exhibit extensive intracellular interactions. To prevent the onset of oral diseases caused by the members of this microbiota, regulation of the total oral microbiota, including the surrounding bacterial environment, is required. In this review, we highlight current knowledge on the global composition of the salivary bacterial population associated with oral conditions through a molecular ecological approach using the 16S rRNA gene. The salivary bacterial populations of Japanese subjects were commonly dominated by bacterial genera such as Streptococcus , Prevotella , and Neisseria , and their relative abundances differed according to the specific periodontal condition of the patient. This suggests that manipulation of the predominant oral microbiota may assist in the maintenance of periodontal health. A broad view of the relationship of oral health with oral microbes would provide novel insights into oral health and disease.

Oral Diseases (2012) 18, 771–777 Objectives: To characterize the global composition of oral fungal populations in frail elderly adults and to investigate the relationship with their health status. Materials and methods: We investigated the fungal populations on the tongue dorsum in 291 institutionalized elderly adults by molecular PCR-based techniques using internal transcribed spacer regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Results: Quantitative PCR analysis showed that fungi were present on the tongue dorsum of 128 subjects at ≥104 CFU per sample, and 35 of them exceeded 105 CFU per sample. Length heterogeneity-PCR analysis and nucleotide sequence determinations showed that Candida albicans was most frequently detected in those subjects with fungi at ≥104 CFU per sample (105 subjects), followed by Candida dubliniensis (78), Malassezia restricta (57), and Candida tropicalis (45). Statistical analysis revealed that those subjects with ≥105 CFU of fungi other than C. albicans per sample had an increased risk of fever (≥7 febrile days per 12 months) compared with subjects with

The timing of partial melting and the pressure–temperature ( P–T ) paths in the High Himalayan Crystalline Sequence (HHCS) in far-eastern Nepal has been investigated using zircon chronology, rare earth element (REE) compositions, and P–T pseudosection analysis. Zircon from migmatites formed during Himalayan thermal events displays inherited magmatic core overgrown by two generations of metamorphic rims. The new rims are distinguished on the basis of their Tertiary ages, low MREE contents, and low Th/U ratios. The inner zircon rims from Sil + Grt + Bt + Kfs + Pl + Qtz and Ky + Sil + Grt + Bt + Ms + Pl + Qtz migmatites at different structural level of the HHCS display ages of c. 33–28 Ma (Early Oligocene) and c. 21–18 Ma (Early Miocene): these rims are characterized by flat MREE to HREE patterns and were overgrown by partial melt through muscovite dehydration melting under the stability of garnet, which occurred at P = c. 7–10 kbar and T = c. 730–780 °C, and at P = c. 8–14 kbar and T = c. 720–770 °C, respectively. The outer zircon rims are relatively enriched in HREE with respect to the inner rims and were overgrown at c. 27–23 Ma (Late Oligocene) and at c. 18–16 Ma (Early Miocene) during melt crystallization accompanying breakdown of garnet at P = c. 4–7 kbar and T = c. 650–725 °C. Early Miocene Ms–Bt leucogranites with two successively overgrown zircon rims at c. 18.3 ± 0.3 Ma and c. 16.3 ± 0.2 Ma were intruded into Early Oligocene migmatite hosts. Microstructural observations and the corresponding P–T conditions associated with the two generations of zircon rims indicate that the Early Oligocene and Early Miocene migmatites show relatively isobaric and nearly isothermal P–T paths during exhumation, respectively. The inferences are consistent with higher average cooling rates for the Early Miocene ( c. 30–40 °C/My) than the Early Oligocene ( c. 15–25 °C/My) migmatites, inferred from peak- T conditions and FT ( c. 6 Ma for both migmatites) and U–Pb zircon ages. The P–T–t paths of the two migmatites indicate that burial of the Early Miocene migmatites has been coeval with exhumation of the Early Oligocene migmatites, implying the formation of large-scale thrust within the HHCS.

Streptococcus mutans, a major etiological agent of dental caries, is resistant to bacitracin. Microarray analysis revealed that mbrA and mbrB, encoding a putative ATP-binding cassette transporter, are prominently induced in the presence of bacitracin. On the basis of the latest report that MbrC, a putative response regulator in a two-component signaling system, binds the promoter region of mbrA and thus regulates its transcription, we cut into the mechanism by generating a mutant MbrC (D54N-MbrC) that substituted asparagine for aspartate at position 54, the predicted phosphorylation site. MbrC, but not the mutant D54N-MbrC, showed affinity for a DNA probe that contained the hypothetical mbrA promoter sequence. Furthermore, we introduced a point mutation (D54N-MbrC) into UA159; this mutant strain exhibited neither mbrA induction nor resistance in the presence of bacitracin. These data suggest that the aspartate residue at position 54 of MbrC is a promising candidate for phosphorylation in a bacitracin-sensing system and indispensable for S. mutans bacitracin resistance.

We analyzed the fission-track (FT) thermochronology of zircon in two samples of psammitic schist from the chlorite zone of the Sambagawa metamorphic belt, central Shikoku, Japan. The samples were collected from the lower-grade part of the chlorite zone (pumpellyite-actinolite facies). Detrital zircons from a single locality along the Asemi River are completely annealed, yielding FT ages of 92.6±6.2 Ma (1σ, 13 grains), and those from a single locality along the Dozan River are also completely annealed, yielding FT ages of 47.2±3.8 Ma (1σ, 7 grains). Although both samples were collected from within the chlorite zone, the two FT zircon ages are different, possibly because they represent the timing of peak metamorphism in the former sample, and a D3 thermal event (post peak-metamorphism) in the latter sample.

More than 700 species of commensal bacteria inhabit the human oral cavity, of which many have been of keen interest due to their pathogenicity in oral diseases ( e.g. , dental caries and periodontal diseases) ; however, the interactions between the pathogens and the remaining commensal bacteria are not well known, thus preventing us from understanding the genuine etiologies of oral diseases. To overcome this challenge, it is essential to comprehensively identify the species compositions of individual oral flora in order to associate them with various conditions of oral health and understand the virulence derived from the oral flora community. In this review, we refer to modern molecular genetic technologies, such as terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, DNA microarray, and pyrosequencing analyses using bioinformatics. We also discuss their potential to further our comprehension of the complexities of floral composition.

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate whether oral administration of lactobacilli alters the degree of halitosis and clinical conditions associated with halitosis. Study design Twenty patients with genuine halitosis were given 2.0 × 109Lactobacillus salivarius WB21 and xylitol in tablet form daily. Oral malodor and clinical parameters were evaluated at the same time of day for each patient after 2 and 4 weeks. Results All 20 patients were positive for L. salivarius DNA in their saliva at 2 weeks, although 12 patients were negative for this organism at baseline. Oral malodor parameters significantly decreased at 2 weeks in the subjects with physiologic halitosis. The scores of an organoleptic test and bleeding on probing significantly decreased at 4 weeks in the subjects with oral pathologic halitosis. Conclusions Oral administration of probiotic lactobacilli primarily improved physiologic halitosis and also showed beneficial effects on bleeding on probing from the periodontal pocket.

We have developed a new approach for the estimation of bacterial proportional compositions in microbiota based on terminal restriction length polymorphism (T-RFLP) data and a Monte Carlo algorithm. This program estimates proportional compositions by minimizing distances between peak values and the relative abundance of each group, containing several species, estimated from peak areas of capillary electrophoresis for T-RFLP analysis. Oral bacteria in 36 saliva samples obtained from three individuals were analyzed using the program. Upon comparison, the estimated proportional composition obtained from one of the samples matched that from a clone library. Additionally, comparisons among the bacterial proportional compositions of saliva samples obtained from three individuals four times per day for 3 days revealed that the types of microbiota present in each individual did not change within each 24-h time period and were distinguishable from those in other individuals.

Thermobarometric data and compositional zoning of garnet show the discontinuities of both metamorphic pressure conditions at peak-T and P–T paths across the Main Central Thrust (MCT), which juxtaposes the high-grade Higher Himalayan Crystalline Sequences (HHCS) over the low-grade Lesser Himalaya Sequences (LHS) in far-eastern Nepal. Maximum recorded pressure conditions occur just above the MCT (∼11 kbar), and decrease southward to ∼6 kbar in the garnet zone and northward to ∼7 kbar in the kyanite ± staurolite zone. The inferred nearly isothermal loading path for the LHS in the staurolite zone may have resulted from the underthrusting of the LHS beneath the HHCS. In contrast, the increasing temperature path during both loading and decompression (i.e. clockwise path) from the lowermost HHCS in the staurolite to kyanite ± staurolite transitional zone indicates that the rocks were fairly rapidly buried and exhumed. Exhumation of the lowermost HHCS from deeper crustal depths than the flanking regions, recording a high field pressure gradient (∼1.2–1.6 kbar km−1) near the MCT, is perhaps caused by ductile extrusion along the MCT, not the emplacement along a single thrust, resulting in the P–T path discontinuities. These observations are consistent with the overall scheme of the model of channel flow, in which the outward flowing ‘HHCS’ and inward flowing ‘LHS’ are juxtaposed against each other and are rapidly extruded together along the ‘MCT’. A rapid exhumation by channel flow in this area is also suggested by a nearly isothermal decompression path inferred from cordierite corona surrounding garnet in gneiss of the upper HHCS. However, peak metamorphic temperatures show a progressive increase of temperature structurally upward (∼570–740 °C) near the MCT and roughly isothermal conditions (∼710–810 °C) in the upper structural levels of the HHCS. The observed field temperature gradient is much lower than those predicted in channel flow models. However, the discrepancy could be resolved by taking into account heat advection by melt and/or fluid migration, as these can produce low or nearly no field temperature gradient in the exhumed midcrust, as observed in nature.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize a comprehensive outline of the oral microflora related to pneumonia in older adults. DESIGN: Prospective and retrospective longitudinal study. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Long-term hospitalized patients and people in nursing homes (343 subjects, aged ≥65). MEASUREMENTS: Subjects were assessed at baseline for pneumonia-related health problems. The flora of the tongue coating was characterized according to terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis. All subjects were followed prospectively for 6 months for a diagnosis of pneumonia. The number of febrile days (>37.5°C) was assessed in 299 subjects who were observed for 12 months (retrospectively for 6 months and prospectively for 6 months). The follow-up data were analyzed using multivariate regression analyses in relation to the baseline data, including T-RFLP patterns. RESUTS: T-RFLP patterns outlining the floral composition of the tongue coating were grouped into Clusters A, B, C, and D. According to Cox regression analysis, the subjects in Clusters C (hazard ratio (HR)=4.0, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.1–15.1) and D (HR=4.9, 95% CI=1.2–21.1) were at a significantly greater risk of pneumonia than those in Cluster A, independent of other confounding factors. Logistic regression analysis adjusting for the same covariates indicated that the number of subjects with more than 9 febrile days per year was significantly lower in Cluster A than in the other clusters. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive microfloral profile of the tongue coating is closely related to pneumonia-related health problems in institutionalized older adults.

Studies on geologic structures including some deformation microstructures in both areas along the Median Tectonic Line (MTL) in western Shikoku and of the South Fossa Magna indicate that N-S trending horizontal compression tectonics prevailed in these areas during the earliest Middle Miocene (ca. 15 Ma). Also, a review of structural development in Nankai province indicates that similar compression tectonics prevailed during the periods from the Early to earliest Middle Miocene (ca. 20-15 Ma). These periods are nearly coeval with the timing of the Japan Sea opening. Although there is uncertainty about the reactivation of the MTL around this time, south-dipping normal faults were formed in the Sambagawa belt truncating the MTL to produce the Kuma basin (18-16 Ma), which were later reactivated as thrusts (Tobe and Hanayama thrusts), indicating inversion tectonics. In the South Fossa Magna region, not only a large amount of shortening—as much as 40-50%—was caused in the Momonoki Subgroup (earliest Middle Miocence, 16-15 Ma) by folding strata, but also the constituent quartz grains were moderately plastically deformed and microcracked followed by healing (i.e. healed microcracks), indicating deformation under brittle-ductile transition conditions (ca. 300°C) at ca. 15 Ma. Furthermore, slaty cleavage caused by pressure solution developed in the strata constituting the Oligocene-Early Miocene (>20 Ma) Southern Shimanto belt, and forearc sediments (18-15 Ma) as thick as 4000 m overlying these sediments with angular unconformity (e.g. Tanabe and Kumano Groups in the Kii peninsula) were also deformed by folding with a shortening ratio of 10-20%. All these onland geological facts in the forearc region indicate that the forearc region was in a regime of compression, while the back-arc region was in a regime of extension at the same time during the Japan Sea opening. Similar tectonics also occurred in Italy, where the Tyrrhenian Sea (back-arc basin) has opened since the Pliocene (5 Ma), while shortening tectonics shown by the development of fold and thrust belts and deep (>7 km) basins occurred at the same time in the forearc region. Although these concurrent back-arc extension and forearc shortening are difficult to interpret, they may be caused by ridge push force (i.e. gravity tectonics) after back-arc spreading commences so that extensional force is no longer sustained in the arc.

C-terminal deletion of the diacylglycerol kinase (Dgk) homologue of the cariogenic oral bacteriumStreptococcus mutansresulted in loss of aciduricity. To confirm the role of the C terminus of the Dgk homologue in aciduricity, various mutants ofS. mutansUA159 with a C-terminally truncated Dgk homologue were constructed. The deletion of one or two amino acid residues at the C terminus had no effect on the acid-tolerance properties of mutants. When further amino acid residues at the C terminus were removed, mutants became more acid-sensitive. The mutant with deletion of eight amino acid residues at the C terminus did not grow at pH 5.5, suggesting that the C-terminal tail of the Dgk homologue was indispensable for tolerance to acid stress inS. mutans. Kinase activity assays revealed that deletion of the C-terminal amino acids of Dgk led to a reduction of kinase activity for undecaprenol. A truncated mutant that had completely lost kinase activity was unable to grow at pH 5.5. These results suggest that the acid tolerance ofS. mutansis closely related to kinase activity of the Dgk homologue. Additionally, thedgkdeletion mutant exhibited markedly reduced levels of smooth-surface carious lesions in pathogen-free rats, despite there being no difference between the mutant and the parental organism in the extent of total smooth surface plaque. The results suggest that Dgk activity may play a direct role in the virulence ofS. mutans.

Environmental microbiology studies commonly use terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) of 16S rRNA genes, for example, to analyze changes in community structure in relation to changing physicochemical and biological conditions over space and time. Although T-RFLP is most useful for comparing samples from different environments, a large number of samples makes effective analysis difficult using the Web-based tools that are currently available. To resolve this dilemma, we used a new approach for calculating data from multiple T-RFLP samples by estimating terminal fragment combinations, then applying a correlation analysis using two different fluorescent dyes generated simultaneously from all samples. This calculation was based on the expectation that the proportions of two terminal fragments from one full-length polymerase chain reaction fragment would be nearly the same in each analysis. Using this program, the oral microflora in 73 human saliva samples were analyzed, and 24 bacterial groups, with peak areas of at least 0.5% and correlation coefficients of 0.55 or greater, were identified from the T-RFs within 40 s.

Analysis of fault system in the high-P/T type Sambagawa metamorphic rocks of central Shikoku, southwest Japan, shows that conjugate normal faults pervasively developed in the highest-grade biotite zone (upper structural level) in three study areas (Asemi river, Oriu and Niihama areas). These conjugate normal faults consist of NE–SW to E–W striking and moderately north-dipping (set A), and NNW–SSE striking and moderately east dipping (set B) faults. The fault set A is dominant compared to the fault set B, and hence most of deformation is accommodated by the fault set A, leading to non-coaxial deformation. The sense of shear is inferred to be a top-to-the-WNW to NNW, based on the orientations of striation or quartz slickenfibre and dominant north-side down normal displacement. These transport direction by normal faulting is significantly different from that at D1 penetrative ductile flow (i.e. top-to-the-W to WNW). It has also been found that these conjugate normal faults are openly folded during the D3 phase about the axes trending NW–SE to E–W and plunging west at low-angles or horizontally, indicating that normal faulting occurred at the D2 phase. D2 normal faults, along which actinolite breccia derived from serpentinite by metasomatism sometimes occurs, perhaps formed under subgreenschist conditions (ca. 250 °C) in relation to the final exhumation of Sambagawa metamorphic rocks into the upper crustal level. The pervasive development of D2 normal faults in the upper structural level suggests that the final exhumation of Sambagawa metamorphic rocks could be caused by “distributed extension and normal faulting (removal of overburden)” in the upper crust.

The orientations of both healed extension microcracks and microcracks in quartz grains sealed mostly by carbonate minerals were measured from Cretaceous granodiorite core samples drilled along the Nojima Fault, southwest Japan. The preferred orientations of both healed and sealed microcracks consist of approximately three orthogonal sets, (components) A, B and C, in which A strikes NS–NW-SE and dips vertically, B strikes EW–NE-SW and dips vertically, and C is subhorizontal. Both the healed and sealed microcracks were possibly formed by hydraulic fracturing, and the successive release of tensile stress due to pore fluid overpressure in the principal stress directions could have caused this microcracking in mutually orthogonal directions. The quartz grains are also very moderately plastically deformed, which is indicated by the occurrence of kink bands and undulose extinction. The association of healed microcracks and kink bands in the quartz suggests that these microstructures formed under subgreenschist facies conditions (≈300°C) during hydrothermal activity that could have occurred immediately after the emplacement of granodiorite during the Late Cretaceous period. Based on both the preferred orientation of microcracks, and c-axis fabrics of kinked and unkinked grains (so called kink method), it is inferred that the σ1-and σ3-axis were oriented horizontally in NS–NW-SE and EW–NE-SW directions, respectively. The inferred paleostress field does not conform to the east–west-trending compression during the Quaternary period, but to the activation of EW–NE-SW-trending, left–lateral strike–slip faults during the Late Cretaceous period in southwest Japan.

The Median Tectonic Line (MTL) in southwest Japan, a major east–west-trending arc-parallel fault, has been defined as the boundary fault between the Cretaceous Sambagawa metamorphic rocks and Ryoke granitic and metamorphic rocks, which are unconformably covered by the Upper Cretaceous Izumi Group. The juxtaposition by faulting occurred after the deposition of the Izumi Group. Based on detailed fieldwork and previous studies, the authors reconstruct the kinematic history along the MTL during the Paleogene period, which has not been fully understood before. It is noted that although the strata of the Izumi Group along the MTL dip gently, east–west-trending north-vergent folds with the wavelength of ∼300 m commonly develop up to 2 km north from the MTL. Along the MTL, a disturbed zone of the Izumi Group up to 400 m thick, defined by the development of boudinage structures with the transverse boudin axis dipping nearly parallel to the MTL, occurs. Furthermore, east–west-trending north-vergent folds with the wavelength of 1–5 m develop within the distance up to 60 m from the MTL. The disturbed zone with the map-scale north-vergent folds along the MTL, strongly suggests that they formed due to normal faulting with a top-to-the-north sense along the MTL. Considering that the normal faulting is associated with the final exhumation of the Sambagawa metamorphic rocks, and its juxtaposition against the Izumi Group at depth, this perhaps occurred before the denudation of the Sambagawa metamorphic rocks indicated by the deposition of the Lower Eocene Hiwada-toge Formation. Dynamic equilibrium between crustal thickening at depth (underplating) and extension at shallow level is a plausible explanation for the normal faulting because the arc-normal extension suggests gravity as the driving force.

To examine whether posterior teeth occlusion is associated with functional dependence regardless of the number of natural teeth among Japanese nursing home residents.The present cross-sectional study included 234 residents aged60 years from eight nursing homes in Aso City, Japan. Functional dependence in basic activities of daily living was measured using the Barthel Index, and the primary outcome was independence for essential personal care (Barthel Index ≥ 60 points). Posterior teeth occlusion was assessed by a dentist using the total number of functional tooth units, depending on the number and location of the remaining natural and artificial teeth on implant-supported, fixed, and removable prostheses. Logistic regression models were used to assess univariate and multivariate associations between the total number of functional tooth units and independence for essential personal care. Models were sequentially adjusted for the number of natural teeth, demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, health behaviors and comorbidities.Independence for essential personal care was found in 14.1% of participants. Greater total numbers of functional tooth units were significantly associated with greater odds of independence for essential personal care (odds ratio 1.12; 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.24). The association remained significant after adjustment for the number of natural teeth and other possible confounders (odds ratio 1.14, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.29).Posterior teeth occlusion was independently associated with functional dependence among nursing home older residents in Japan. The maintenance and restoration of posterior teeth occlusion might be preventive factors against late-life functional decline. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 622-627.

Early detection and subsequent reduction of modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline is important for extending healthy life expectancy in the currently aging society. Although a recent increase in studies on the state or number of the teeth and cognitive function, few studies have focused on the association between posterior teeth occlusion necessary to maintain chewing function and cognitive function among older adults. This study examined the association between posterior teeth occlusion and cognitive function in nursing home older residents. In this cross-sectional study, 279 residents aged ≥60 years from eight nursing homes in Aso City, Japan participated in cognitive function and dental status assessments and completed a comprehensive questionnaire survey in 2014. Cognitive function was measured using a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Posterior teeth occlusion was assessed using a total number of functional tooth units (total-FTUs), depending on the number and location of the remaining natural and artificial teeth on implant-supported, fixed, and removable prostheses. Linear regression models were used to assess univariate and multivariate associations between total-FTUs and MMSE scores. Models were sequentially adjusted for demographic characteristics, number of natural teeth, socioeconomic status, health behaviors, comorbidities, physical function, and nutritional status. Among the 200 residents included in our analysis, mean MMSE scores and total-FTUs were 11.0 ± 8.6 and 9.3 ± 4.6, respectively. Higher total-FTUs were significantly associated with higher MMSE scores after adjustment for demographics and teeth number (B = 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.22–0.74). The association remained significant even after adjustment for all covariates (B = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.01–0.49). The current findings demonstrated that loss of posterior teeth occlusion was independently associated with cognitive decline in nursing home older residents in Japan. Maintenance and restoration of posterior teeth occlusion may be a preventive factor against cognitive decline in aged populations.

There is no established second-line treatment for steroid-resistant acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We prospectively assessed the safety and efficacy of intra-arterial steroid infusions (IASIs) for steroid-resistant acute gastrointestinal (GI) GVHD and compared the outcomes with those of historical controls at our institution. Nineteen consecutive, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation subjects aged 31-67 years (median 52) were enrolled between October, 2008, and November, 2012. Acute GVHD was confirmed by biopsy in all cases. The enrolled patients were treated with infusions of methylprednisolone into the mesenteric arteries and/or gastroduodenal and left gastric arteries. Fourteen consecutive patients who developed steroid-resistant acute GI GVHD between 2001 and 2008 were used as controls. For the primary endpoint at day 28, the overall and complete responses in the IASI group trended higher (79% vs. 42%, p = 0.066) and were significantly higher (63% vs. 21%, p = 0.033) than those in the control group. Although not statistically significant, owing to the small population, the crude day-180-nonrelapse mortality rate was about 20% lower and the day-180-overall-survival rate tended to be higher than the control (11% vs. 29%, p = 0.222; 79% vs. 50%, p = 0.109, respectively). There were no serious IASI-related complications. Our results suggest that IASI can safely provide excellent efficacy for refractory acute GI GVHD without increasing infection-related complications and may improve prognosis.

The purpose of this study was to determine distinct risk factors causing reduced salivary flow rate in a community-dwelling population using a prospective cohort study design. This was a 5-year follow-up survey of 1,377 community-dwelling Japanese individuals aged ≥40 years. The salivary flow rate was evaluated at baseline and follow-up by collecting stimulated saliva. Data on demographic characteristics, use of medication, and general and oral health status were obtained at baseline. The relationship between reduced salivary flow rate during the follow-up period and its predictors was evaluated after adjustment for confounding factors. In a multivariate logistic regression model, higher age and plaque score and lower serum albumin levels were significantly associated with greater odds of an obvious reduction in salivary flow rate (age per decade, odds ratio [OR] = 1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03–1.51; serum albumin levels

Dental plaque is a dynamic microbial biofilm ecosystem that comprises hundreds of species including difficult-to-cultivate bacteria. We observed the assembly of a plaque bacterial community through 16S rRNA gene analysis. Plaque samples that accumulated on a hydroxyapatite disk for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 days with saliva on day 0 were collected from 19 young adults using a removable resin splint. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that the total bacterial amount gradually increased and reached a plateau on day 4. Barcoded pyrosequencing analysis revealed that the microbial richness and diversity particularly increased between days 5 and 7. A principal coordinate analysis plot based on unweighted UniFrac showed the community assembly in a time-related manner, which became increasingly similar to the salivary microbiota. Facultative anaerobic bacteria such as Streptococcus, Neisseria, Abiotrophia, Gemella, and Rothia were predominant in the plaque bacterial community in the earlier days, whereas obligate anaerobes, such as Porphyromonas, Fusobacterium, Prevotella, and Capnocytophaga showed increased dominance on later days. UniFrac analysis also demonstrated that dental caries experience had a significant effect on the assembly process. Our results reveal the development pattern of the plaque bacterial community as well as the inter-individual differences associated with dental caries experience.

本見学コースでは，三波川変成岩が後退変成作用を受けつつ上昇して来た時に形成された変形構造（D1，D2およびD3時相に形成された構造）を観察する．このうち，著しい東西塑性流動で形成されたD1変形構造と，鉛直の開いた東西方向の褶曲群で特徴付けられるD3変形構造は識別が比較的容易であり，本見学コースで数地点において観察する．一方D2変形構造はこれまで必ずしも明確でなかったが，最近著者らは，その実体や上昇テクトニクスにおける意味を明らかにしつつあり，本見学コースの重要な観察・議論の対象として取り上げる．第1日目では汗見川流域の高度変成岩中に発達する，D2褶曲やスラストおよびデタッチメント正断層が観察の見所となる．第2日目には，中央構造線近傍国領川流域の変形帯で，D2正断層およびそれを転位させるD3褶曲を観察する．ここでは，D2の北北西方向への運動方向を示す石英スリッケンファイバーも観察する．

The subduction and exhumation of accretionary prism metasedimentary rocks are accompanied by large-strain ductile deformations which may be recorded in microstructures. Porphyroblast microstruc- tures have been a key to unravel the kinematics in such deformed belts. Shape-preferred orientation (SPO) of epidote and amphibole inclusions that define S-shaped trails in prograde cores of plagioclase porphyroblasts were analysed from the high-P/T Sambagawa metamorphic rocks. Inclusions are found to be elongate parallel to the (010) and (001) directions, respectively, and their long-axis orientations define an internal foliation Si (best-fit great circle) and lineation Li (maximum on the Si). S-shaped inclusion trails in the orthogonal sections do not exhibit the same geometries, but rather are grouped into two types, where the foliation intersection axes (FIAs) are nearly perpendicular and parallel to Li, respectively. These two types of S-shaped inclusion trails are seen in the sections inclined at low and high angles to the Li, respectively. However, the latter type commonly consists of composite trails, where the Si is first rotated about an FIA perpendicular to the Li (i.e. unique axis), and then about an FIA parallel to the Li. The S-shaped inclusion trails are interpreted to have formed by the successive overgrowth of matrix minerals and rotation of the plagioclase porphyroblast cores about a unique axis in non-coaxial deformation. The rotation of Si about an FIA nearly parallel to the Li is perhaps an apparent rotation, caused by the deflection of foliation around the growing prismatic plagioclase grain prior to inclusion into the porphyroblast. This study has for the first time documented the 3-D geometry of S-shaped inclusion trails in porphyroblasts from accretionary prism metasedimentary rocks and identified their origin, which helps to understand the flow kinematics in the deeper part of a subduction channel.

In this paper we present new U–Pb zircon ages determined with Sensitive High-Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) for nine plutonic rocks or orthogneisses and one paragneiss from the Higo and Maana belts (here referred to as the paleo-Ryoke belt) in southwest Japan, and the South Kitakami belt in northeast Japan. Both belts are Paleozoic–Mesozoic continental terranes discontinuously distributed along the Median Tectonic Line (MTL), and structurally lying on the Sambagawa belt in the Japanese Islands. Three groups of U–Pb zircon ages showing the timing of different magmatic events were determined for the plutonic rock or orthogneiss samples: ca. 500 Ma (Early Ordovician, two samples), a mean age of 292.0±12.4 Ma (Late Carboniferous–Early Permian, one sample) and ca. 110 Ma (Early Cretaceous, six samples). Furthermore, zircons with core–rim microstructures from a garnet–biotite–cordierite paragneiss in the Higo belt were also dated with SHRIMP. The cores yielded 2155–184 Ma inherited U–Pb ages (mostly varying between 330 and 184 Ma), while the rims yielded a mean age of 116.5±18.7 Ma (Early Cretaceous) U–Pb recrystallization ages comparable with the igneous ages, limiting the sedimentary age of the protolith to between Early–Middle Jurassic (ca. 180 Ma) and Early Cretaceous time. These SHRIMP U–Pb ages of plutonism, metamorphism and sedimentation, together with previously reported radiometric ages, have revealed a strong similarity in the tectonic histories of the paleo-Ryoke and South Kitakami and Abukuma belts, suggesting that these belts can be correlated. At present the paleo-Ryoke belt and the South Kitakami and Abukuma belts are separated by more than 1000 km. However, these belts may have originally comprised a continuous continental terrane that was later displaced and juxtaposed, together with the underlying Sambagawa belt, against the Ryoke belt by large-scale sinistral faulting along the MTL and associated major strike–slip faults during the Latest Cretaceous.

Regional variation in the P–T path of the Sambagawa metamorphic rocks, central Shikoku, Japan has been inferred from compositional zoning of metamorphic amphibole. Rocks constituting the northern part (Saruta River area) exhibit a hairpin type P–T path, where winchite/actinolite grew at the prograde stage, the peak metamorphism was recorded by the growth of barroisite to hornblende and sodic amphibole to winchite/actinolite grew at the retrograde stage. In the southern part (Asemi River area), rocks exhibit a clockwise type P–T path, where barroisite to hornblende core is rimmed by winchite to actinolite. The difference in P–T path could suggest a faster exhumation rate (i.e. more rapid decompression) in the southern than in the northern part. On the other hand, physical conditions of deformation during the exhumation stage have been independently inferred from microstructures in deformed quartz. Recrystallized quartz grains in rocks from the low-grade (chlorite and garnet) zones are much more stretched in the southern part (aspect ratio ≥ 4.0) than in the northern part (aspect ratio< 4.0), indicating a higher strain rate in the former than in the latter. These facts may indicate that the exhumation and strain rates are correlated (i.e. the exhumation rate increases with increasing the strain rate). The difference in the exhumation rate inferred from amphibole zoning between the northern and southern parts could be explained by an extensional model involving normal faulting, where the lower plate can be exhumed faster than the upper plate due to the displacement along the fault. Furthermore, the model may explain the positive correlation between the exhumation and strain rates, because the lower plate tended to support more stress than the upper plate.

Objectives To assess acetaldehyde (ACH) production by bacteria constituting the oral microbiota and the inhibitory effects of sugar alcohols on ACH production. Materials and Methods The predominant bacterial components of the salivary microbiota of 166 orally healthy subjects were determined by barcoded pyrosequencing analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. Bacterial ACH production from ethanol or glucose was measured using gas chromatography. In addition, inhibition by four sugars and five sugar alcohols of ACH production was assayed. Results Forty-one species from 16 genera were selected as predominant and prevalent bacteria based on the following criteria: identification in ≥95% of the subjects, ≥1% of mean relative abundance or ≥5% of maximum relative abundance. All Neisseria species tested produced conspicuous amounts of ACH from ethanol, as did Rothia mucilaginosa, Streptococcus mitis and Prevotella histicola exhibited the ability to produce ACH. In addition, xylitol and sorbitol inhibited ACH production by Neisseria mucosa by more than 90%. Conclusions The oral microbiota of orally healthy subjects comprises considerable amounts of bacteria possessing the ability to produce ACH, an oral carcinogen. Consumption of sugar alcohols may regulate ACH production by oral microbes.

A comparison of national surveys on oral health suggested that the population of South Korea has a better periodontal health status than that of Japan, despite their similar inherent backgrounds. Here, we investigated differences in oral bacterial assemblages between individuals from those two countries. To exclude potential effects of oral health condition on the microbiota, we selected 52 Korean and 88 Japanese orally healthy adults (aged 40–79 years) from the participants of two cohort studies, the Yangpyeong study in South Korea and the Hisayama study in Japan, and compared the salivary microbiomes. The microbiota of the Japanese individuals comprised a more diverse community, with greater proportions of 17 bacterial genera, including Veillonella, Prevotella, and Fusobacterium, compared to the microbiota of the Korean individuals. Conversely, Neisseria and Haemophilus species were present in much lower proportions in the microbiota of the Japanese individuals than the Korean individuals. Because higher proportions of Prevotella and Veillonella and lower proportions of Neisseria and Haemophilus in the salivary microbiome were implicated in periodontitis, the results of this study suggest that the greater proportion of dysbiotic oral microbiota in the Japanese individuals is associated with their higher susceptibility to periodontitis compared to the Korean individuals.

It remains unclear whether serum antibody titer againstPorphyromonas gingivalis(Pg) and inflammatory components lead to periodontal deterioration in each gender, as periodontal and systemic status is influenced by gender. The present study investigates the gender-specific probable effects of titer againstPgand inflammatory markers on periodontal health status in a longitudinal study. A retrospective study design was used. At two time points over an 8-year period (in 2003 and 2011), 411 individuals (295 males with a mean age of 57.6 ± 11.2 years and 116 females with a mean age of 59.2 ± 10.3 years) were surveyed. Periodontal status, serum antibody titer againstPg, and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were evaluated. Poisson regression analyses revealed that the elevated titer againstPgand hsCRP significantly predicted the persistence of periodontal disease 8 years later in females with periodontal disease in 2003. Elevated hsCRP was significantly associated with the incidence of periodontal disease 8 years later in females who were periodontally healthy in 2003. Males had a weaker association among titer againstPg, inflammatory markers, and periodontal disease. These findings suggest that immune response toPginfection in addition to inflammatory components affects periodontal deterioration in females.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between abnormal retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RPLNs) and sinonasal malignancies among adults. Magnetic resonance and computed tomography images from 89 patients over 20 years old who were all histopathologically confirmed to have sinonasal malignancies from September 2001 to April 2014 were assessed retrospectively. Abnormal RPLNs were determined as those >5 mm in shortest axis or showing heterogeneous enhancement on axial images. Locations of sinonasal malignancies were categorized using the anterior border of the pterygopalatine fossa as a boundary: (a) anterior lesions, only present anterior to the boundary, or (b) posterior lesions, present or extending posterior to the boundary. Fisher’s exact test was used for the analysis of the relationship between frequency of abnormal RPLNs and lesion location. Abnormal RPLNs were present in 13 of 89 patients (15 %), including 6 of 41 squamous cell carcinomas (15 %), 4 of 24 malignant lymphomas (17 %), 3 of 5 olfactory neuroblastomas (60 %), and 0 of 19 others (0 %). Four of the 39 patients (10 %) with anterior lesions showed abnormal RPLNs, compared to 9 of 50 patients (18 %) with posterior lesions. No significant difference in frequency of abnormal RPLNs was apparent between anterior and posterior lesions (P = 0.37). In primary sinonasal malignancies among adults, the highest incidence of abnormal RPLNs was seen with olfactory neuroblastoma. The frequency of abnormal RPLNs was unaffected by the location of sinonasal malignancies among adults.

While mutans streptococci have long been assumed to be the specific pathogen responsible for human dental caries, the concept of a complex dental caries-associated microbiota has received significant attention in recent years. Molecular analyses revealed the complexity of the microbiota with the predominance of Lactobacillus and Prevotella in carious dentine lesions. However, characterization of the dentin caries-associated microbiota has not been extensively explored in different ethnicities and races. In the present study, the bacterial communities in the carious dentin of Japanese subjects were analyzed comprehensively with molecular approaches using the16S rRNA gene. Carious dentin lesion samples were collected from 32 subjects aged 4-76 years, and the 16S rRNA genes, amplified from the extracted DNA with universal primers, were sequenced with a pyrosequencer. The bacterial composition was classified into clusters I, II, and III according to the relative abundance (high, middle, low) of Lactobacillus. The bacterial composition in cluster II was composed of relatively high proportions of Olsenella and Propionibacterium or subdominated by heterogeneous genera. The bacterial communities in cluster III were characterized by the predominance of Atopobium, Prevotella, or Propionibacterium with Streptococcus or Actinomyces. Some samples in clusters II and III, mainly related to Atopobium and Propionibacterium, were novel combinations of microbiota in carious dentin lesions and may be characteristic of the Japanese population. Clone library analysis revealed that Atopobium sp. HOT-416 and P. acidifaciens were specific species associated with dentinal caries among these genera in a Japanese population. We summarized the bacterial composition of dentinal carious lesions in a Japanese population using next-generation sequencing and found typical Japanese types with Atopobium or Propionibacterium predominating.

Domainal electron and optical microscopy and c -axis fabric analysis are utilized to document microstructures and the associated deformation partitioning between crystal plastic, brittle and fluid-assisted deformation mechanisms during folding of Proterozoic banded iron formation (a hematite–quartz–calcite multilayer) from the Quadrilatero Ferrifero granite–greenstone terrain (southeastern Brazil). The operation of different mechanisms was partially determined by the contrasting rheologic response of these three minerals at greenschist facies metamorphic conditions. Fracturing was the main deformation process in hematite, while solution-transfer accounted for part of the deformation in both calcite and quartz. Notably, there is strong interaction among the different deformation mechanisms, which have influenced each other in various ways. Fracturing of hematite in hinge zones of folds caused opening of gaps, which were sealed by direct precipitation of silica from the fluid phase. As a consequence, a chemical potential gradient between crystals and fluid phase was produced, and quartz was dissolved to restore the thermodynamical crystal–fluid equilibrium. Thus, brittle deformation of hematite partially controlled solution-precipitation creep in quartz. Heterogeneous access of fluid into the deforming medium also affected the deformation processes. Inhomogeneous deformation in the quartz–calcite aggregates generated intergranular porosity and increased fluid access, with solution-transfer becoming dominant in these domains. In contrast, the relatively more homogeneous deformation in the pure quartz aggregates served to maintain well-adjusted grain boundaries and reduced fluid access into the intergranular space, such that these domains deformed uniformly by crystal plastic processes, at relatively dry conditions.

Quartz microstructures and c-axis fabrics formed during development of polycrystalline quartz ribbons in striped gneisses from the high-grade Alem Paraiba shear zone, in southeastern Brazil, are documented. Cluster analysis of quartz grains in samples exhibiting different degrees of shear strain revealed that formation of ribbons was a mass conservative process, where isolated quartz grains became plastically segregated and then coalesced to form polycrystalline ribbons. These ribbons are separated by feldspar-rich domains devoid of quartz. The stage at which individual, stretched quartz grains start to contact each other and initiate ribbon development represents a crucial microstructural change from single grain to polycrystalline ribbon deformation mode, which is reflected by an abrupt increase in the smoothness of the ribbon boundaries. This change is interpreted to represent a strain-softening kink in the stress-strain-time path. Progressive ribboning is accompanied by strengthening of the c-axis fabric Z-maximum, indicative of continued plastic flow by basal glide. Operation of basal glide at these high-temperature conditions (680–700°C) is interpreted to be a consequence of relatively dry deformation conditions. A model is then proposed for development of straight quartz ribbons in high-grade striped gneisses, where scattered quartz grains are continuously stretched and segregated by crystal–plastic processes. The small angle misorientation of the contacting grains enables subsequent coalescence and resulting grain size enlargement. Pervasive grain boundary migration accounts for the straight grain boundaries and rectangular grain shapes within the ribbons.

Progressive microstructural changes in quartz veins which were moderately deformed under subgreenschist conditions have been investigated by observation of microstructures and crystallographic orientation analysis. The geometry of kink bands relative to the finite strain framework and systematic dispersion patterns of crystallographic orientations of subgrains and recrystallized grains suggest the dominant and subordinate operation of basal (0001)〈a〉 and 〈m〉, and ω {10 1 3}〈a〉 slip systems, respectively, in the deformed quartz. Deformation of the quartz at an early stage was dominated by the formation of kink bands which rotated quickly and locked up at an inclination angle, α, of the active slip plane relative to the compression axis exceeding the optimum angle for slip (α=45°). Subsequently, polygonization and subgrain rotation recrystallization occurred first in highly strained portions, such as the inside of kink bands, and then outside of them. The sequential deformation process is reflected in the transition of the crystallographic orientation distribution from systematic to complicated (or random) dispersion patterns. Based on the fact that the subgrains and recrystallized grains are always elongated perpendicular to the bulk shortening axis, without any control of the orientation of active slip plane or kink bands, it is concluded that the polygonization and recrystallization by subgrain rotation were caused by a complete rearrangement of dislocation configuration by climbing, independent of kinking.

c-axis fabric and microstructures in a quartzite sample, sheared and extensively recrystallized under greenschist facies conditions, have been analyzed and compared with theoretical predictions using a viscoplastic self-consistent model modified to incorporate the effects of dynamic recrystallization. An asymmetric small-circle c-axis fabric about the finite shortening z-axis with a small half opening angle (35°) is present in the sample; it consists of four orientation components which are represented by host grain c-axis orientations (referred to as A, B, C and D): A and B are at high angles to the foliation plane, displaced against and with the sense of shear, respectively; C is in an intermediate direction between the Y- and Z-axis of finite strain, and D forms a subsidiary concentration around the intermediate strain (Y-) axis. B- and C-grains are favorably oriented for basal (0001) and pyramid {10 1 1}〈a〉 slip, respectively, and strongly deformed, while A- and D-grains are unfavorably oriented for the slip systems and little or moderately deformed. Some of A-grains are even fractured. The degree of dynamic recrystallization increases with increasing strain undergone by differently oriented grains (in the sequence of A-, D-, C- and B-grains). Microstructural evidence and theoretical predictions indicate that harder A-, C- and D-grains were significantly consumed by the grain boundary migration of the softer recrystallized B-component (although the consumption of A-grains was not really documented in the quartzite sample). The conclusion is supported by the fact that the B-component is much more dominant in the recrystallized than in the host c-axis fabric. Hence, the c-axis maximum nearly perpendicular to the shear plane and apparently displaced with the sense of shear commonly found in naturally sheared quartzites (correlated with the B-component) is presumably developed by the growth of soft orientations for basal (0001) slip by grain boundary migration at large strains.

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In order to clarify deformation mechanisms and behaviours of quartz in a low-temperature regime in the earth's crust, microstructural analyses, particularly on kink bands have been carried out for quartz veins moderately deformed under subgreenschist conditions. Both the dominance of subbasal deformation lamellae and geometry of kink bands suggest that basal (0001) slip was the sole active slip system in the deformed quartz. On a morphological basis, kink bands in the quartz were classified into two types: type I is characterized by conjugate and narrow bands with angular hinge zones, and type II by a wide monoclinal band. Dynamic analyses using deformation lamellae and kink bands have revealed that type I kink bands were formed in grains with basal plane (sub-)parallel to the compression axis, whereas type II kink bands were formed in grains with basal planes inclined to it. Using a numerical model of kinking of elastic multilayers modified after Honea and Johnson (Tectonophysics 30, 197–239, 1976), changes of the level of yielding stress for kinking and the width of kink bands as a function of the angle θ between the slip plane and the compression axis have been examined. The theory predicts that type I kink bands were formed at a higher stress level than type II kink bands, and hence occurrence of type I kink bands suggests that a significant strain hardening occurred in the deformed quartz veins. The theory also well explains the fact that the width of type I kink bands (θ=0 to 10°) is narrower by an order of magnitude than type II kink bands (θ=10 to 80°).

The quartz v-axis orientations and microstructures have been analyzed in an originally single-crystal buckled quartz vein of greenschist metamorphic grade from the Sambagawa metamorphic belt, southwest Japan. The basal (0001) plane was inclined by ca 10–20 to the quartz vein surface before deformation, and the flexure (essentially kink) which produced the fold was accomplished by basal (0001) slip alone in the hinges (i.e. flexural-slip folding). In addition to crystal plasticity, dissolution microstructures are ubiquitous in the quartz vein. Dynamic recrystallization resulted from both subgrain rotation and grain-boundary migration. Rotation recrystallization associated with basal (0001) slip resulted in host-controlled v-axis orientation distribution along a great circle, whereas migration recrystallization, perhaps assisted by intergranular fluid, resulted in a penetrative development of a weak X (elongation)-maximum v-axis fabric nowhere rotated by the folding. The migration recrystallization is evidenced by large v-axis misorientations across the grain boundaries, as well as irregular grain shape. Based on the weak v-axis fabric development and lack of grain shape fabric, solution-precipitation creep may have dominated in the fluid-assisted grain-boundary migration regime, and hence it is inferred that the transition from rotation to migration recrystallization was caused by a local decrease of differential stress in the buckled quartz vein.