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Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a progressive, deteriorating complication of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) that occurs in 13-47% of liver transplant candidates. Although LT is the only therapeutic option for HPS, it has a high morbidity and mortality, especially in patients with severe hypoxemia before transplantation, but the course of HPS after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), especially for biliary atresia (BA) patients is not well established.The present study evaluated 122 patients who received an LDLT for BA and of these, 3 patients had HPS at the time of LDLT in a single-center series.Two patients of the HPS patients them had biliary and/or vascular complications, but they recovered uneventfully with interventional treatment. None of the patients required supplemental oxygen and had no residual cardiopulmonary abnormalities at a follow-up of more than 24 months.Although a series of three patients is too small for definitive conclusion and further investigations must be conducted, pediatric LDLT can be a favorable therapeutic option for HPS.

Heat transport in reduced mass targets irradiated with a high-intensity laser pulse was studied. Kα lines from partially ionized chlorine embedded in the middle of a triple-layered plastic target were measured to evaluate bulk electron temperature in the tracer region inside the target. Two groups of Kα lines, one from Cl+–Cl6+ (hereby called “cold Kα”), and the other from Cl9+ and Cl10+ (“shifted Kα”) are observed from different regions within the target. Two-dimensional collisional particle-in-cell simulations show two distinct heating mechanisms occurring concurrently. These processes, which made the target temperature distribution non-uniform, are responsible for producing the two groups of Kα lines in the experiment. The blue shift of cold Kα lines in the experiment is the signature of higher temperatures achieved by the refluxing heating in smaller mass targets.

Background The aging of recipients is becoming increasingly important in organ transplantation. Patients and Methods We analyzed outcomes in 215 consecutive adult kidney transplant recipients from living donors who underwent transplantation at our center between November 1988 and March 2012. The list of recipients was divided by age at transplantation into those aged 16 to 29 years (n = 61), 30 to 39 years (n = 69), 40 to 49 years (n = 33), 50 to 59 years (n = 29), and those 60 years or older (elderly group, n = 23). Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to calculate the relative risk (RR) of patient death and graft failure, with recipient age included as a continuous variable. Results Univariate analysis showed that recipient age did not significantly affect the risk of graft failure, either uncensored (RR = 1.01, P = .312) or censored for death (RR = 0.993, P = .587). Multivariate analysis, however, showed that recipient age was an independent risk factor for patient death (RR = 1.053, P = .024). The patient survival rate was the poorest in elderly group (87.0%, P = .036), whereas the both death uncensored and censored graft survival rates of this group were 78.1% and 91.3%, respectively, comparable to those of other age groups ( P = .567 and P = .696). Mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 1 year after transplantation was lower in elderly groups than in other groups (46.1 ± 13.0 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , P = .014). However, mean δeGFR, defined as the difference between pretransplantation eGFR of the donor and eGFR of the recipient 1 year post-transplantation, did not differ significantly among age groups. Conclusion Recipient age did not affect allograft deterioration in living donor kidney transplantation, although it was an independent risk factor of recipient death.

Bowel perforation after liver transplantation (LT) is a rare, but highly lethal complication with a poor prognosis. Here, we report the outcome of cases of bowel perforation after pediatric LT in our department.The study subjects were 148 patients who underwent pediatric living donor liver transplantation. The 114 with biliary atresia (BA) were divided into two groups: those with associated bowel perforation (Group A) and those without (Group B).Four patients in all (2.5%) suffered bowel perforation. Their original disease was BA and emergency surgery was performed in all cases, with a mortality rate of 50.0%. Comparison of Groups A and B revealed significant differences in the patient age, body weight, duration of surgery, cold ischemic time, and blood loss volume. The survival rates in Groups A and B were 50.0 and 99.1%, respectively (p0.01). Duration of surgery was an independent risk factor (p = 0.05).Bowel perforation after LT is a potentially fatal complication. LT is a procedure that requires care and precision, and the possibility of bowel perforation should always be borne in mind during post-operative management, when the duration of surgery has been long.

Summary Bilioenteric anastomotic stricture after liver transplantation is still frequent and early detection and treatment is important. We established the management using double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) and evaluated the intractability for bilioenteric anastomotic stricture after pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). We underwent DBE at Jichi Medical University from May 2003 to July 2009 for 25 patients who developed bilioenteric anastomotic stricture after pediatric LDLT. The patients were divided into two types according to the degree of dilatation of the anastomotic sites before and after interventional radiology (IVR) using DBE. Type I is an anastomotic site macroscopically dilated to five times or more, and Type II is an anastomotic site dilated to less than five times. The rate of DBE reaching the bilioenteric anastomotic sites was 68.0% (17/25), and the success rate of IVR was 88.2% (15/17). There were three cases of Type I and 12 cases of Type II. Type II had a significantly longer cold ischemic time and higher recurrence rate than Type I (P = 0.005 and P = 0.006). In conclusion, DBE is a less invasive and safe treatment method that is capable of reaching the bilioenteric anastomotic site after pediatric LDLT and enables IVR to be performed on strictures, and its treatment outcomes are improving. Type II and long cold ischemic time are risk factors for intractable bilioenteric anastomotic stricture.

The unicellular rhodophyte Cyanidioschyzon merolae, having a single plastid and a single mitochondrion, is suitable for the analysis of the cell cycle involving the division of organelles. In conventional methods of synchronous culture of algae, light/dark cycles have been used as signals for synchronization, and the gene expression promoted by light is not separated from the gene expression related to cell cycle progression. We previously devised a novel synchronous culture system with controlled photosynthesis, which is triggered by 6 h-light/18 h-dark cycles combined with different levels of CO2. The cells do not enter S-phase and consequently do not divide after the minimum light period without CO2 supplementation, but do divide after a light period with 1 % CO2. In this way, we can compare a dividing cycle and a non-dividing cycle. We examined changes in the expression of 74 genes throughout the cell cycle by quantitative RT-PCR. The expression of genes for two cyclins (cyclin C and H) and two CDKs (CDKA and CDKD) as well as metabolic enzymes was promoted by light, whereas the expression of genes for G1/S or G2/M cyclins and CDKs as well as DNA replication enzymes and proteins related to organellar division was promoted only in the dividing cycles. These results suggested that C. merolae has a checkpoint for G1/S progression, which is regulated by nutrients within the 6 h light period.

Summary Background Hyperkeratosis and acanthosis occur in inflamed skin. Proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes are important processes during epidermal repair after inflammation. Neuropsin and its human homologue kallikrein-related peptidase 8 (KLK8) have been reported to be involved in epidermal proliferation and differentiation, but the involved molecular mechanisms are obscure. Objectives To explore the molecular mechanism of KLK8/neuropsin-induced hyperkeratosis and acanthosis in inflamed skin. Methods The molecular mechanism involved in KLK8/neuropsin-induced hyperkeratosis and acanthosis in inflamed skin was investigated both in vivo and in vitro using neuropsin knockout mice and KLK8 knockdown human keratinocytes. Neuropsin-related genes were identified by differential gene display. The localization and functional relationship of the molecules affected downstream of KLK8/neuropsin in normal and inflamed skin were analysed by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Results Hyperkeratosis and acanthosis in sodium lauryl sulphate-stimulated skin were markedly inhibited in neuropsin knockout mice. Knockdown of KLK8/neuropsin increased transcription factor activator protein-2α (AP-2α) expression and decreased keratin 10 expression in human keratinocytes and mouse skin, respectively. AP-2α has been reported to inhibit epidermal proliferation and keratin 10 expression. Distributional analysis showed that KLK8/neuropsin was expressed in the stratum spinosum, AP-2α was expressed in the stratum basale and the lower part of the stratum spinosum, and keratin 10 was expressed throughout the stratum spinosum. Conclusions The above findings suggest the following mechanism of events underlying KLK8/neuropsin-induced hyperkeratosis: (i) skin inflammation increases KLK8/neuropsin expression in the stratum spinosum; (ii) the released KLK8/neuropsin inhibits AP-2α expression in the cells of the stratum basale and stratum spinosum; (iii) the decrease in AP-2α results in cell proliferation in the stratum basale and cell differentiation in the stratum spinosum, with an increase in keratin 10 expression.

Plastids assume various morphologies depending on their developmental status, but the basis for developmentally regulated plastid morphogenesis is poorly understood. Chemical induction of alterations in plastid morphology would be a useful tool for studying this; however, no such chemicals have been identified. Here, we show that antimycin A, an effective respiratory inhibitor, can change plastid morphology rapidly and reversibly in Arabidopsis thaliana. In the root cortex, hypocotyls, cotyledon epidermis and true leaf epidermis, significant differences in mitochondrial morphology were not observed between antimycin-treated and untreated tissues. In contrast, antimycin caused extreme filamentation of plastids in the mature cortices of main roots. This phenomenon was specifically observed in the mature root cortex. Other mitochondrial respiratory inhibitors (rotenone and carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone), hydrogen peroxide, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine [a nitric oxide (NO) donor] and 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea did not mimic the phenomenon under the present study conditions. Antimycin-induced plastid filamentation was initiated within 5 min after the onset of chemical treatment and appeared to complete within 1 h. Plastid morphology was restored within 7 h after the washout of antimycin, suggesting that the filamentation was reversible. Co-applications of antimycin and cytoskeletal inhibitors (demecolcine or latrunculin B) or protein synthesis inhibitors (cycloheximide or chloramphenicol) still caused plastid filamentation. Antimycin A was also effective for plastid filamentation in the chloroplast division mutants atftsZ1-1 and atminE1. Salicylhydroxamic acid, an alternative oxidase inhibitor, was solely found to suppress the filamentation, implying the possibility that this phenomenon was partly mediated by an antimycin-activated alternative oxidase in the mitochondria.

Portal vein complications after liver transplantation (LT) are serious complications that can lead to graft liver failure. Although the treatment of interventional radiology (IVR) by means of balloon dilatation for portal vein stenosis (PVS) after LT is an effective method, the high rate of recurrent PVS is an agonizing problem. Anticoagulant therapy for PVS is an important factor for preventing short-term recurrence following IVR, but no established regimen has been reported for the prevention of recurrent PVS following IVR. In our population of 197 pediatric patients who underwent living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), 22 patients (22/197, 11.2%) suffered PVS. In the 9 earliest patients, unfractionated heparin was the only anticoagulant therapy given following IVR. In the 13 more recent patients, 3-agent anticoagulant therapy using low-molecular-weight heparin, warfarin, and aspirin was employed. In the initial group of 9 patients, 5 patients (55.6%) suffered recurrent PVS and required repeat balloon dilatation. Among the 13 more recent patients, none experienced recurrent PVS (P = 0.002). In conclusion, our 3-agent anticoagulant therapy following IVR for PVS in pediatric LDLT can be an effective therapeutic strategy for preventing recurrent PVS.

While it has been established that binary fission of leaf chloroplasts requires the prokaryote-derived, division site determinant protein MinE, it remains to be clarified whether chloroplast division in non-leaf tissues and the division of non-colored plastids also involve the MinE protein. In an attempt to address this issue, plastids of cotyledons, floral organs, and roots were examined in the Arabidopsis thaliana mutant of the MinE (AtMinE1) gene, which was modified to express the plastid-targeted cyan fluorescent protein constitutively, and were quantitatively compared with those in the wild type. In the cotyledons, floral organs, and root columella, the plastid size in the atminE1 mutant was significantly larger than in the wild type, while the plastid number per cell in atminE1 appeared to be inversely smaller than that in the wild type. In addition, formation of the stroma-containing plastid protrusions (stromules) in the cotyledon epidermis, petal tip, and root cells was more active in atminE1 than in the wild type.

Laboratory spectroscopy of non-thermal equilibrium plasmas photoionized by intense radiation is a key to understanding compact objects, such as black holes, based on astronomical observations. This paper describes an experiment to study photoionizing plasmas in laboratory under well-defined and genuine conditions. Photoionized plasma is here generated using a 0.5-keV Planckian x-ray source created by means of a laser-driven implosion. The measured x-ray spectrum from the photoionized silicon plasma resembles those observed from the binary stars Cygnus X-3 and Vela X-1 with the Chandra x-ray satellite. This demonstrates that an extreme radiation field was produced in the laboratory, however, the theoretical interpretation of the laboratory spectrum significantly contradicts the generally accepted explanations in x-ray astronomy. This model experiment offers a novel test bed for validation and verification of computational codes used in x-ray astronomy., 5 pages, 4 figures are included. This is the original submitted version of the manuscript to be published in Nature Physics

Thermal vacancy formation was studied for the Heusler-type ferromagnetic alloys Co 2 MnZ (Z = Si, Ge, Sn) as a function of temperature (773–1273 K) by the density, electrical resistivity and positron annihilation measurements. The vacancy concentration increased with increase in quenching temperature and particularly, a high vacancy concentration exceeding 2% was observed in Co 2 MnGe and Co 2 MnSn. Estimated vacancy formation and migration energies were comparable with those for B2-type FeAl and CoGa alloys with high vacancy concentration. Further, the vacancy type and the vacancy site were examined for alloys quenched from 773 K. As a result, it was suggested that the mono-vacancies are randomly distributed over the lattice sites.

High heat flux experiments using a hydrogen–helium mixture beam have been carried out on powder metallurgy tungsten (PM-W) and ultra fine grain W–TiC alloy (W–0.5 wt%TiC-H 2 ). The energy of is 18 keV. Beam flux and heat flux at the beam center is 2.0 × 10 21 atoms/m 2 s and 7.0 MW/m 2 , respectively. Typical ratio of He/D ion is 0.25. Beam duration is 1.5–3 s and interval of beam shot start is 30 s. The samples are irradiated up to a fluence of 10 22 –10 24 He/m 2 by the repeated irradiation pulses. After the irradiation, surface modification by the irradiation and hydrogen retention, surface composition have been investigated. Surface modification by hydrogen–helium mixture beams is completely different from results of single beam irradiation. In particular, mixture beam irradiation causes remarkably high hydrogen retention.

First walls and divertor plates of large helical device (LHD) are made of stainless steels and isotropic graphite, respectively. They are bombarded by energetic plasma particles, and are caused the radiation damages. For understanding of long term irradiation effects of metallic first walls, probe specimens of Mo were mounted on the special sample stage of outer-port of the LHD torus which is located at about 2500 mm from LCFS (last closed flux surface) of heliotron plasma, and then, exposed to plasma discharges through the single experimental campaign. Majority of discharge gas was hydrogen or helium. Amorphous re-deposition layer of about few nm thick and large sized blisters with few micrometer were formed at the specimen surface. Formation of dense gas bubbles (1–2 nm), dislocation loops and surface roughening were simultaneously occurred in the sub-surface layer about 30 nm thick. Such nano scale damages may be mainly caused by helium particle bombardment.

Co-type and Mn–Z-type atomic disorder and magnetic property are investigated for Co-based Heusler alloys Co 2 MnZ (Z = Si, Ge, Sn) as a function of quenching temperature. It is shown that the Co-type disorder preferentially proceeds with increase in quenching temperature in Co 2 MnSi, while the Mn–Ge-type disorder preferentially proceeds in Co 2 MnGe. In Co 2 MnSn, only the Mn–Sn-type disorder proceeds. On the other hand, the mean magnetic moment decreases with increase in quenching temperature for Co 2 MnSi and Co 2 MnGe, while it remains almost constant in Co 2 MnSn. Relation between the atomic disorder and the magnetic behavior is discussed. It is concluded that the Co-type disorder leads to degradation of the magnetism as observed in Co 2 MnSi and Co 2 MnGe, while the Mn–Z-type disorder affects hardly the magnetism as in Co 2 MnSn. Atomic disorder behaviors found in the present alloys are examined by thermodynamic approach based on the Bragg–Williams approximation.

To elucidate the mechanism(s) underlying dioecious flower development, the present study analyzed a SUPERMAN (SUP) homolog, SlSUP, which was identified in Silene latifolia. The sex of this plant is determined by heteromorphic X and Y sex chromosomes. It was revealed that SlSUP is a single-copy autosomal gene expressed exclusively in female flowers. Introduction of a genomic copy of SlSUP into the Arabidopsis thaliana sup (sup-2) mutant complemented the excess-stamen and infertile phenotypes of sup-2, and the overexpression of SlSUP in transgenic Arabidopsis plants resulted in reduced stamen numbers as well as the suppression of petal elongation. During the development of the female flower in S. latifolia, the expression of SlSUP is first detectable in whorls 2 and 3 when the normal expression pattern of the B-class flowering genes was already established and persisted in the stamen primordia until the ovule had matured completely. In addition, significant expression of SlSUP was detected in the ovules, suggestive of the involvement of this gene in ovule development. Furthermore, it was revealed that the de-suppression of stamen development by infection of the S. latifolia female flower with Microbotryum violaceum was accompanied by a significant reduction in SlSUP transcript levels in the induced organs. Taken together, these results demonstrate that SlSUP is a female flower-specific gene and suggest that SlSUP has a positive role in the female flower developmental pathways of S. latifolia.

In order to clarify the radiation damages caused by charge-exchanged helium particles, metal specimens were inserted into the first wall position by using material probe system in LHD, and then, exposed to the neutral beam heated helium plasmas (87 s in total). After the exposure, dense helium bubbles with size of 1–2 nm and dislocation loops were confirmed in all specimens from transmission electron microscope observation. It means that the energy of incidence helium particles is sufficiently higher than that of the minimum energy for creating the knock-on damage ( E min ). Majority of such incidence helium particles are energetic neutrals created by charge-exchange collisions [R.J. Goldston, P.H. Rutherford, Introduction to Plasma Physics, 1996, p. 156]. It was tried to estimate the flux and energy of CX-helium to the first walls by comparing with systematic helium ion irradiation experiments [H. Iwakiri et al., J. Nucl. Mater. 283–287 (2000) 1134] , [M. Tokitani et al., J. Nucl. Mater. 329–333 (2004) 761]. The estimated flux and energy from size and density of the defects is the order of ∼10 19 He/m 2 s, and about 1–2 keV, respectively.

Plastids are maintained in cells by proliferating prior to cell division and being partitioned to each daughter cell during cell division. It is unclear, however, whether cells without plastids are generated when plastid division is suppressed. The crumpled leaf (crl) mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana is a plastid division mutant that displays severe abnormalities in plastid division and plant development. We show that the crl mutant contains cells lacking detectable plastids; this situation probably results from an unequal partitioning of plastids to each daughter cell. Our results suggest that crl has a partial defect in plastid expansion, which is suggested to be important in the partitioning of plastids to daughter cells when plastid division is suppressed. The absence of cells without detectable plastids in the accumulation and replication of chloroplasts 6 (arc6) mutant, another plastid division mutant of A. thaliana having no significant defects in plant morphology, suggests that the generation of cells without detectable plastids is one of the causes of the developmental abnormalities seen in crl plants. We also demonstrate that plastids with trace or undetectable amounts of chlorophyll are generated from enlarged plastids by a non-binary fission mode of plastid replication in both crl and arc6.

DNA polymerase γ, a mitochondrial replication enzyme of yeasts and animals, is not present in photosynthetic eukaryotes. Recently, DNA polymerases with distant homology to bacterial DNA polymerase I were reported in rice, Arabidopsis, and tobacco, and they were localized to both plastids and mitochondria. We call them plant organellar DNA polymerases (POPs). However, POPs have never been purified in the native form from plant tissues. The unicellular thermotrophic red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae contains two genes encoding proteins related to Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I (PolA and PolB). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that PolB is an ortholog of POPs. Nonphotosynthetic eukaryotes also have POPs, which suggested that POPs have an ancient origin before eukaryotic photosynthesis. PolA is a homolog of bacterial DNA polymerase I and is distinct from POPs. PolB was purified from the C. merolae cells by a series of column chromatography steps. Recombinant protein of PolA was also purified. Sensitivity to inhibitors of DNA synthesis was different in PolA, PolB, and E. coli DNA polymerase I. Immunoblot analysis and targeting studies with green fluorescent protein fusion proteins demonstrated that PolA was localized in the plastids, whereas PolB was present in both plastids and mitochondria. The expression of PolB was regulated by the cell cycle. The available results suggest that PolB is involved in the replication of plastids and mitochondria.

著者人数: 42名, Accepted: 2016-03-14, 資料番号: SA1160038000

We have developed an efficient system to detect and analyze DNA mutations induced by heavy-ion beams in Arabiopsis thaliana. In this system, a stable transgenic Arabidopsis line that constitutively expresses a yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) by a single-copy gene at a genomic locus was constructed and irradiated with heavy-ion beams. The YFP gene is a target of mutagenesis, and its loss of function or expression can easily be detected by the disappearance of YFP signals in planta under microscopy. With this system, a (12)C(6+)-induced mutant with single deletion and multiple base changes was isolated.

We have investigated the improvement of critical current in YBCO coated conductors in association with c-axis correlated artificial pinning centers (APCs). Current carrying property has been measured in detail at various conditions of temperature, T: 65–83 K, magnetic field, B: self-field to 17 T, and field’s angles, θ. The APCs were introduced by pulse laser deposition process using 2 vol% YSZ doped target. The enhancement of Jc in parallel field along the c-axis direction was observed experimentally over wide range T, B, and θ. Moreover, improvements of transition field and pinning force density in B∥c were also evaluated by pinning analysis based on percolation model.

A cyclic helium beam with energy 18.7 keV has been used to irradiate stress relieved and recrystallized powder metallurgy tungsten up to a fluence of ∼10 23 He/m 2 . After the helium irradiations, the samples have been exposed to pulsed high heat loading by an electron beam with a heat flux of 1 GW/m 2 and duration of 1, 1.5 or 2 ms. Surfaces of irradiated samples become smooth as a result of the electron beam irradiation of 1 GW/m 2 for 1 ms, due to atom migration on the surface at high temperature. On the other hands, the surface of irradiated samples is partially melted and resolidified. However, smoothing does not occur around the melted area. Stress relieved tungsten is melted by irradiation of a heat flux of 1 GW/m 2 and duration of 1.5 ms, but recrystallized tungsten is not melted by the same heat loading.

Retention of hydrogen in co-deposits formed under high-density plasma discharge in TRIAM-1M was studied. In order to quantify the retained hydrogen, material probe experiments were performed under the high-density ( n ˜ e ∼ 10 19 m - 3 ) discharges. After the exposure to the plasma, the quantitative analysis of deposition, hydrogen retention, and microscopic modification of specimens were performed by means of ion beam analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The co-deposits mainly consisted of Mo. The deposition rate of Mo was about ten times higher than that of the low-density discharge case. The hydrogen concentrations (H/Mo) retained in the co-deposits were 0.06–0.17, which was much higher than that in bulk-Mo and almost equal to the low-density case. These results indicate that as long as the co-deposition layers are continuously formed, strong wall pumping in TRIAM-1M is maintained during the discharges.

Polycrystalline molybdenum specimens kept at room temperature and 873 K has been irradiated by 1.2 keV- and 8 keV-He + up to 3 × 10 22 He + /m 2 . Optical reflectivity has been measured with a spectrophotometer for the wave length between 190 and 900 nm. Surface morphology and chemical analyses has been examined with a scanning electron microscope, an atomic force electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer. Loss of metallic gloss and remarkable reduction of reflectivity (190–900 nm) occurs by the irradiation of only 1 × 10 22 He + /m 2 . Reflectivity decreases with increasing ion energy, irradiation temperature and dose of helium ions. At rather low dose, it is reasonable to suppose that the reflectivity reduction may be due to the surface roughening and fine bubble formation. With increasing dose, roughness became smaller, while reflectivity decreased further. The further reduction of the reflectivity at high dose is considered to be due to the porous structure with nano-scale helium bubbles.

Current transport properties in 200 A-200 m-class IBAD-YBCO coated conductor (CC) have been investigated over a wide range of temperature and magnetic flux density up to 26 T. YBCO CC fabricated by reel-to-reel pulsed laser deposition equipment with a multi-plume and multi-turn deposition system showed high critical current of 245 A in length of 212.6 m. Critical current density, Jc, in 5 T parallel to c-axis at 65 K and 4.2 K were 0.44 MA/cm2 and 5.5 MA/cm2, respectively. Moreover, even in very high magnetic flux density, the superior Jc property remains at lower temperature, e.g. Jc at 4.2 K in 26 T was 2 MA/cm2. We also showed analytical expressions of electric field vs. current density (E-J) characteristics based on a framework of percolation model and scaling law of the flux pinning properties. Using the expressions, E-J characteristics and Jc value at any conditions of temperature and magnetic flux density can be predicted quantitatively.

To study retention properties of plasma particles in tungsten exposed to divertor plasmas, material probe experiments were carried out by exposing tungsten specimens to long pulse helium or hydrogen divertor plasma in LHD. After the exposure, the quantitative analysis of the implanted helium and hydrogen atoms were conducted by using ion beam analytical techniques. Though the incidence energies were very low, remarkable retention of plasma particles were confirmed. In the case of helium divertor experiment, the specimen which located at the strike point (highest retention), the total retained helium atoms were estimated to be 1.2 × 10 20 He/m 2 , and depth profile of helium atoms reached to about 25 nm. It is the much deeper range than that of the calculated results of 200 eV-He + irradiation by TRIM-code. In the case of hydrogen, the total retention of hydrogen at the strike point was estimated to be 3 × 10 19 H/m 2 (lowest retention).

Hypocholinesterasemia is often observed clinically, especially in various liver diseases. Not well known, however, is the fact that some patients have a hereditary BChE variant. Little has been reported on liver transplants associated with this hereditary BChE variant. Furthermore, no cases have been reported of a LDLT involving hereditary BChE variant that had been diagnosed preoperatively. A 23-month-old girl who had had a failed Kasai operation for biliary atresia underwent a liver transplant using as a graft her father's lateral segment. Preoperatively, she had been diagnosed with hypocholinesterasemia. As the donor, her father had undergone a preoperative examination, during which he was found to also have hypocholinesterasemia. DNA sequencing revealed that both had the hereditary BChE variant. The unique mutation caused a frame-shift mutation. Variant K was also detected. The patient was discharged 143 days after the operation and has had no problems with immunosuppression since. In conclusion, we report that the hereditary BChE variant is not a contraindication for either transplantation or living liver donation.

A fully integrated direct conversion DVB-H tuner is realized in a 0.5-mum SiGe BiCMOS technology. To meet the stringent linearity requirement while keeping low power consumption, novel linearization techniques for a variable-gain low-noise amplifier (VG-LNA) and a mixer are proposed. The proposed linearized VG-LNA has a variable gain range of over 50 dB, noise figure of less than 2.6 dB over the frequency range from 200 to 1000 MHz, and IIP3 of more than -10 dBm at a current consumption of 2.1 mA. The quadrature mixer with the proposed linearization technique achieves OIP3 of more than 25 dBm at a current consumption of 5 mA. In addition, a new offset-cancel feedback is introduced for the baseband block of a direct conversion receiver, which keeps the high-pass cutoff frequency independent of the baseband VGA gain. The fabricated tuner IC satisfies all the DVB-H requirements at a power consumption of 184 mW

Sulfite reductase (SiR) is an important enzyme catalyzing the reduction of sulfite to sulfide during sulfur assimilation in plants. This enzyme is localized in plastids, including chloroplasts, and uses ferredoxin as an electron donor. Ferredoxin-dependent SiR has been found in isolated chloroplast nucleoids, but its localization in vivo or in intact plastids has not been examined. Here, we report the DNA-binding properties of SiRs from pea (PsSiR) and maize (ZmSiR) using an enzymatically active holoenzyme with prosthetic groups. PsSiR binds to both double-stranded and single-stranded DNA without significant sequence specificity. DNA binding did not affect the enzymatic activity of PsSiR, suggesting that ferredoxin and sulfite are accessible to SiR molecules within the nucleoids. Comparison of PsSiR and ZmSiR suggests that ZmSiR does indeed have DNA-binding activity, as was reported previously, but the DNA affinity and DNA-compacting ability are higher in PsSiR than in ZmSiR. The tight compaction of nucleoids by PsSiR led to severe repression of transcription activity in pea nucleoids. Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy showed that the majority of SiR molecules colocalized with nucleoids in pea chloroplasts, whereas no particular localization to nucleoids was detected in maize chloroplasts. These results suggest that SiR plays an essential role in compacting nucleoids in plastids, but that the extent of association of SiR with nucleoids varies among plant species.

ピロディンを用いて容積密度を推定する方法について検討し，密度基準によるスギ生材丸太のクラス分けへの応用の可能性を検討した。広葉樹，針葉樹，品種や産地の異なるスギにおいて，放射方向の打ち込み深さ（Pr）と打ち込み部の容積密度（ρouter）との間に，高い負の相関（r =-0.92，-0.86，-0.82，P＜0.001）が認められたので，Prに基づいてρouter を推定することは可能と考えられた。スギでは，同じρouter に対するPrの値にバラツキがあり，密度が同程度の試料で比較すると，早材幅が広い試料でPrが小さかった。スギ生材丸太（n=208）において，Prと円盤の平均容積密度との間に，高い相関（r =-0.84，P＜0.001）が認められ，丸太円周上の2方位で1回ずつ測定し，回帰式で容積密度を推定した場合，推定値の95％信頼区間は±47 kg/m3 であった。したがって，丸太内の放射方向の密度分布が，樹齢，遺伝的要因，生育履歴により変動することを考慮しても，Prからスギ丸太の平均密度をおおよそ推定し，その推定値に基づき，ある値よりも密度が低い丸太あるいは高い丸太を選別することは可能と考えられた。

Treatment durations and factors associated with delays for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) have previously been described but are not fully understood. Impact of delays on overall survival (OS) remains unclear.The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was used to analyze 4868 patients with oral cavity SCC from 1998 to 2011. Diagnosis-to-surgery, surgery-to-radiotherapy (RT)Medians for diagnosis-to-surgery, surgery-to-RTNumerous factors are associated with treatment delays. RT duration is significantly associated with OS. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 639-646, 2017.

The aim of this study is to compare the weight loss of obese adolescents on two different low-calorie diets: fixed diet plan and calorie-counting diet. This is a randomized clinical study with 66 obese adolescents (body mass index Z score (ZBMI)>+3, 13.7±0.7 years, 60.6% male) with anthropometric, food intake, physical activity, laboratory, body composition and stage of pubertal development data evaluated. There was a reduction in the ZBMI in both groups (P

Background Study is limited on the association between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and social integration, which is important for health among elderly. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between childhood SES and social integration among older people in Japan. Methods We used data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) 2010. …

Evidence of a heavy neutrino, ν H , in the K + → μ + ν H decays was sought using the E949 experimental data with an exposure of 1.70 × 1 0 12 stopped kaons. With the major background from the radiative K + → μ + ν μ γ decay understood and suppressed, upper limits (90% C.L.) on the neutrino mixing matrix element between the muon and heavy neutrinos, | U μ H | 2 , were set at the level of 1 0 - 7 to 1 0 - 9 for the heavy neutrino mass region 175 to 300 MeV / c 2 .

Continuous strip casting and direct rolling method are receiving attention as the integrated producing process to obtain wrought magnesium alloys. In this research, AZ61 strip was cast from molten metal by twin-roll strip caster and rolled by “Structure-Control rolling process”. The effects of casting conditions and rolling parameters on surface aspects and microstructure of the rolled sheet were investigated. The results obtained were as follows: (1) By casting 1.5 mm strip, a better surface and finer microstructure were obtained compared to 3 mm strip. (2) By using structure-control rolling with R.T. pass, a microstructure of mean grain size of 5 μm was obtained. (3) By lowering the starting rolling temperature, mean grain size and duplex grain size degree decreased and hardness increased. In addition, the deformation resistance decreased and the fracture strain increased.

The performance of connected GSO (Gd 2 SiO 5 :Ce) bars was investigated using a proton beam of 0.6–1.0 GeV/ c . Single crystals of 20 cm-long GSO with different Ce concentrations (1.5, 0.5 mol%) and cross-sections (1×1 cm 2 , 2×2 cm 2 ) were prepared. Long GSO bars were constructed by connecting two crystals of the same type with or without a 10 cm-long plastic scintillator between the crystals. The position dependences of the pulse height, energy resolution and time resolution were investigated. At a typical proton momentum, 1.0 GeV/ c , the best energy resolution was 4.8% for 2×2×20 cm 3 GSO crystals doped with 0.5 mol% Ce due to the larger light yield, and the best position resolution was 0.55 cm for 1.5 mol% Ce due to the shorter attenuation length.

Pipes of isotactic polybutene-1 were pressure-tested in chlorinated water at a controlled pH (6.5 ± 0.1), and the lifetime was assessed as a function of temperature (95–115 °C) and chlorine content (≤3 ppm). These data were compared with data from pressure testing in hot water (0 ppm chlorine). The lifetime shortening in chlorinated water was significant even at relatively low chlorine contents, 0.5 ppm. A further increase in chlorine content led only to a moderate shortening of the lifetime. The temperature dependence of the lifetime data obeyed the Arrhenius law. The activation energy obtained for failure data in chlorinated water was ∼140 kJ mol −1 , which was greater than the value of 108 kJ mol −1 earlier reported for failure data from hot-water pressure testing. A 0.5-mm thick layer of material at the inner wall in the fractured pipes showed depletion of the antioxidant system and the inner wall displayed a large number of surface cracks, confirming that there was a pronounced chemical degradation of the inner wall material. The decrease in the antioxidant concentration was independent of the chlorine concentration in the range 0.5–1.5 ppm. The time to reach depletion of the antioxidant system could be predicted by linear extrapolation in an oxidation induction time (log scale)–exposure time (linear scale) diagram.

Icosahedral quasicrystals (QC) are obtained in ternary Zn–M–Sc alloys with various kinds of third element M which may be substituted for Zn. Electronic structures of cubic approximants Zn–M–Sc with M = Fe substituted for Zn at several sites are studied theoretically. It is found that the binding energies in a range of 7–9 eV per atom are gained by substitution of Fe. However, the energy difference is not sufficiently large to conclude selectivity of atomic sites for Fe substitution. The spin-polarized calculations do not suggest any signature of strong magnetism observed in the experiment. When Fe atoms occupy a pair of the sites at a very short distance, formation of the Fe complex induces further stabilization of the system.

A well-crystallized AMO4 (A=Ba, Ca, Sr; M=W, Mo) films have been prepared at room temperature through a simple solution reaction in respective alkaline solution at higher pH ranging from 12–14. Adopting the corrosion principle for oxidation of metal substrate, these double oxide films were carried out in presence of chemical driving force without any special apparatus or devices. Hydrogen peroxide was used to enhance the dissolution rate of metal substrates. The driving force for the film formation and growth were high concentration of A2+, MO42− ions with high pH conditions. Average grain sizes of 8–10 μm with bipyramidal shaped particle were grown to the thickness of about 10–14 μm after 3–6 hours treatment. The crystallization of AMO4 was characterized by three-dimensional nucleation. This work demonstrates the possibility of fabrication of functional ceramic films directly from the aqueous solution in a single step by solution reactions.

Sildenafil is most effective in men with mild-to-moderate ED, but not severe ED in Japan. In order to evaluate the efficacy of sildenafil, we conducted the present study using the AVSS test by the RigiScan Plus. The subjects were 56 patients (age: 34-82 years, mean: 60.5 years) with ED. The IIEF5 questionnaire and the AVSS test were conducted before and after administration of sildenafil. The penile rigidity could not be measured in 19 patients. Of these 19, sildenafil was effective in 7 and not effective in 12. The 7 cases in whom sildenafil was effective were all false-negatives. The sensitivity of sildenafil was 84%, and its specificity was 100%. This study suggests that the AVSS test by RigiScan Plus can objectively evaluate the efficacy of sildenafil, and shows potential for predicting that efficacy.

Glow discharge cleaning (GDC) is a widely used technique for wall conditioning in fusion experimental devices. Though the cleaning effects of GDC are essentially related to the microscopic modification of the wall surface, there are few reports about it. In the present study, specimens of wall materials were exposed to GDC plasma of helium, hydrogen and neon in the Large Helical Device (LHD) by using the retractable material probe transfer system and irradiation damage was examined by transmission electron microscopy to understand the underlying microscopic mechanism of GDC. In the case of Ne-GDC, the specimen surface was covered with a thick deposited layer of Fe and Cr but no radiation induced defects were observed. Due to the high sputtering efficiency and very shallow penetration, it is likely that neon atoms effectively sputter the surface contamination without leaving serious damage or remaining in the sub-surface region. After the Ne-GDC phase, retained Ne can be successfully removed by the following short hydrogen GDC. It was shown that a two-step GDC with Ne and H is very effective to clean the metallic surface of the LHD.

The photon detection inefficiency of electromagnetic calorimeters due to photonuclear reactions has been studied at photon energies below 1 GeV using a tagged-photon beam at the KEK-Tanashi 1.3-GeV electron synchrotron. Photonuclear reactions are identified by detecting low-energy neutrons with liquid scintillation counters surrounding the sample calorimeter. For a Cesium Iodide (CsI) calorimeter with a detection threshold of 10 MeV, the inefficiency due to photonuclear reactions is 10 - 4 at E γ = 100 MeV , and decreases to 2 × 10 - 7 at E γ = 1 GeV . For a lead-scintillator sampling calorimeter, the inefficiency is larger than the above values by a factor of 2–3, reflecting the sampling effect after photonuclear reactions. By decreasing the detection threshold down to 1 MeV, the inefficiencies are reduced by a factor of 10 for both types of calorimeters.