Search

We present the results of a time-coincident event search for low-energy electron antineutrinos in the KamLAND detector with gamma-ray bursts from the Gamma-ray Coordinates Network and Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor. Using a variable coincidence time window of $\pm$500s plus the duration of each gamma-ray burst, no statistically significant excess above background is observed. We place the world's most stringent 90% confidence level upper limit on the electron antineutrino fluence below 17.5 MeV. Assuming a Fermi-Dirac neutrino energy spectrum from the gamma-ray burst source, we use the available redshift data to constrain the electron antineutrino luminosity and effective temperature., 9 pages, 3 figures

We report on a search for electron antineutrinos ($\bar{\nu}_e$) from astrophysical sources in the neutrino energy range 8.3 to 30.8 MeV with the KamLAND detector. In an exposure of 6.72 kton-year of the liquid scintillator, we observe 18 candidate events via the inverse beta decay reaction. Although there is a large background uncertainty from neutral current atmospheric neutrino interactions, we find no significant excess over background model predictions. Assuming several supernova relic neutrino spectra, we give upper flux limits of 60--110 cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ (90% CL) in the analysis range and present a model-independent flux. We also set limits on the annihilation rates for light dark matter pairs to neutrino pairs. These data improves on the upper probability limit of $^{8}$B solar neutrinos converting into $\bar{\nu}_e$'s, $P_{\nu_e \rightarrow \bar{\nu}_e} < 3.5\times10^{-5}$ (90% CL) assuming an undistorted $\bar{\nu}_e$ shape. This corresponds to a solar $\bar{\nu}_e$ flux of 60 cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ (90% CL) in the analysis energy range., Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal

We present the results of a search for core-collapse supernova neutrinos, using long-term KamLAND data from 2002 March 9 to 2020 April 25. We focus on the electron antineutrinos emitted from supernovae in the energy range of 1.8--111 MeV. Supernovae will make a neutrino event cluster with the duration of $\sim$10 s in the KamLAND data. We find no neutrino clusters and give the upper limit on the supernova rate as to be 0.15 yr$^{-1}$ with a 90% confidence level. The detectable range, which corresponds to a >95% detection probability, is 40--59 kpc and 65--81 kpc for core-collapse supernovae and failed core-collapse supernovae, respectively. This paper proposes to convert the supernova rate obtained by the neutrino observation to the Galactic star formation rate. Assuming a modified Salpeter-type initial mass function, the upper limit on the Galactic star formation rate is, 10 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal

We developed a CANDLES-III system to study the neutrino-less double beta (0$\nu\beta\beta$) decay of $^{48}$Ca. The proposed system employs 96 CaF$_{2}$ scintillation crystals (305 kg) with natural Ca ($^{\rm nat.}$Ca) isotope which corresponds 350\,g of $^{48}$Ca. External backgrounds were rejected using a 4$\pi$ active shield of a liquid scintillator surrounding the CaF$_2$ crystals. The internal backgrounds caused by the radioactive impurities within the CaF$_2$ crystals can be reduced effectively through analysis of the signal pulse shape. We analyzed the data obtained in the Kamioka underground for a live-time of 130.4\,days to evaluate the feasibility of the low background measurement with the CANDLES-III detector. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we estimated the background rate from the radioactive impurities in the CaF$_{2}$ crystals and the rate of high energy $\gamma$-rays caused by the (n, $\gamma$) reactions induced by environmental neutrons. The expected background rate was in a good agreement with the measured rate, i.e., approximately 10$^{-3}$ events/keV/yr/(kg of $^{\rm nat.}$Ca), in the 0$\nu\beta\beta$ window. In conclusion, the background candidates were estimated properly by comparing the measured energy spectrum with the background simulations. With this measurement method, we performed the first search for 0$\nu\beta\beta$ decay in a low background condition using a detector with a Ca isotope, in which the Ca present was not enriched, in a scale of hundreds of kg. The $^{48}$Ca isotope has a high potential for use in 0$\nu\beta\beta$ decay search, and is expected to be useful for the development of a next-generation detector for highly sensitive measurements.

We report the result of a search for neutrinos in coincidence with solar flares from the GOES flare database. The search was performed on a 10.8 kton-year exposure of KamLAND collected from 2002 to 2019. This large exposure allows us to explore previously unconstrained parameter space for solar flare neutrinos. We found no statistical excess of neutrinos and established 90% confidence level upper limits of $8.4 \times 10^7$ cm$^{-2}$ ($3.0 \times 10^{9}$ cm$^{-2}$) on electron anti-neutrino (electron neutrino) fluence at 20 MeV normalized to the X12 flare, assuming that the neutrino fluence is proportional to the X-ray intensity., 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted October 27, 2021

Aims Alterations in microenvironments are a hallmark of cancer, and these alterations in germinomas are of particular significance. Germinoma, the most common subtype of central nervous system germ cell tumours, often exhibits massive immune cell infiltration intermingled with tumour cells. The role of these immune cells in germinoma, however, remains unknown. Methods We investigated the cellular constituents of immune microenvironments and their clinical impacts on prognosis in 100 germinoma cases. Results Patients with germinomas lower in tumour cell content (i.e. higher immune cell infiltration) had a significantly longer progression-free survival time than those with higher tumour cell contents (P = 0.03). Transcriptome analyses and RNA in-situ hybridization indicated that infiltrating immune cells comprised a wide variety of cell types, including lymphocytes and myelocyte-lineage cells. High expression of CD4 was significantly associated with good prognosis, whereas elevated nitric oxide synthase 2 was associated with poor prognosis. PD1 (PDCD1) was expressed by immune cells present in most germinomas (93.8%), and PD-L1 (CD274) expression was found in tumour cells in the majority of germinomas examined (73.5%). Conclusions The collective data strongly suggest that infiltrating immune cells play an important role in predicting treatment response. Further investigation should lead to additional categorization of germinoma to safely reduce treatment intensity depending on tumour/immune cell balance and to develop possible future immunotherapies.

BACKGROUND In BIOMARK trial, patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma were treated with standard chemoradiotherapy combined with first-line bevacizumab; a subset of patients continued bevacizumab beyond progression (BBP). Neurocognitive function (NCF), symptom burden, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were examined as secondary endpoints. PATIENTS AND METHODS In the primary protocol, newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients aged 20-75 received standard 6-week radiotherapy combined with temozolomide and bevacizumab followed by 4-week cycles of temozolomide plus bevacizumab, and then 2-3-week cycles of bevacizumab monotherapy. Upon recurrence, patients were subjected to the secondary protocol with 2-3-week cycles of bevacizumab monotherapy with or without other chemotherapeutic agents. NCF tests (Hopkins verbal learning test-revised, trail making test, and controlled oral word association), EORTC QLQ-C30/BN20, and MDASI-BT were completed by the patients. Time to deterioration (TTD) was defined as the time from randomization until a pre-specified change from baseline without further improvement or death. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test were used to assess TTD for each subscale of the above tests. RESULTS Overall, 94 patients were enrolled in the study. Analyses were based on the full analysis set cohort (N=90), excluding non-glioblastoma diagnosis by central review. The median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 25.0 and 14.9 months, respectively. Baseline HRQoL and symptom burden subscales (emotional functioning, symptom severity score, affective factor, and focal factor) were significantly associated with PFS. The median TTD was 8.7, 7.5, 8.1 months for global health status/QoL, symptom severity score, interference score, respectively. Among patients who experienced recurrence, disease progression was apparently preceded by deterioration in terms of symptom burden. CONCLUSIONS Detailed analysis of HRQoL and symptom burden may aid care of glioblastoma patients throughout the disease trajectory.

BACKGROUND Manual segmentation of brain tumor images from a large volume of MR images generated in clinical routines is difficult and time-consuming. Hence, it is imperative to develop a machine learning model for automated segmentation of brain tumor images. PURPOSE Machine learning models for automated MR image segmentation of gliomas may be useful. However, the image differences among facilities cause performance degradation and impede successful automatic segmentation. In this study, we proposed a method to solve this issue. METHODS We used the data from the Multimodal Brain Tumor Image Segmentation Benchmark (BraTS) and the Japanese cohort (JC) datasets collected from 10 facilities. Three models for tumor segmentation were developed. The BraTS model was trained on the BraTS dataset, and the JC model was trained on the JC dataset; whereas, the Fine-tuning model was a fine-tuned BraTS model using the JC dataset. RESULTS MR images of 544 patients were obtained for the JC dataset. Half of the JC dataset was used for independent testing. The Dice coefficient score of the JC model for the JC dataset was 0.779± 0.137, whereas that of the BraTS model was remarkably lower (0.717 ± 0.207). The mean of the Fine-tuning models for the JC dataset was 0.769 ± 0.138. There was a significant difference between the BraTS and JC models (P < 0.0001) and the BraTS and Fine-tuning models (P = 0.002); however, no significant difference was observed between the JC and Fine-tuning models (P = 0.673). CONCLUSIONS Application of the BraTS model to heterogeneous datasets can significantly reduce its performance; however, fine-tuning can solve this issue. Since our fine-tuning method only requires less than 20 cases, this methodology is particularly useful for a facility where there are a few glioma cases.

BACKGROUND Ependymomas commonly occur in the fourth ventricle and the spinal cord. Gross total resection, age and WHO grade are known prognostic factors. Ependymomas are currently classified into 9 distinct subgroups by DNA methylation profile analysis. Spinal cord ependymoma is distinct from other subgroups. To investigate heterogeneity within spinal cord ependymoma, we examined DNA methylation profiles. MATERIALS AND METHODS We used Infinium MethylationEPIC array (illumina) to obtain DNA methylation data from frozen specimens of spinal ependymoma resected at the University of Tokyo, Osaka City University, and Tokyo Metropolitan Neurological Hospital. Japan Pediatric Molecular Neuro-Oncology Group provided methylation data for 11 reported cases. Cluster analysis was performed using Cluster3.0. RESULTS We analyzed 34 patients, 21 male and 13 female, aged from 18 to 76 years (median 50.5 years), including 2 cases with neurofibromatosis type 2. WHO grade was grade_3 in 2 cases and grade_2 in others. Clustering of the DNA methylation data showed that WHO grade_3 cases tended to be classified into a subgroup distinct from other cases. CONCLUSION This is the largest DNA methylation profiling study on spinal cord ependymoma to date. The study may suggest a new subgroup correlated with higher WHO grade.

PURPOSE The current research tested the hypothesis that TI shorter than 2400 ms under 3T for FLAIR can improve the diagnostic accuracy of the T2-FLAIR mismatch sign for identifying IDHmt, non-CODEL astrocytomas. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We prepared three different cohorts; 94 MRI from 76 IDHmt, non-CODEL LrGGs, 33 MRI from 31 LrGG under the restriction of FLAIR being acquired with TI < 2400 ms for 3T or 2016 ms for 1.5T, and 103 MRI from 103 patients from the TCIA/TCGA dataset for LrGG. The presence or absence of the “T2-FLAIR mismatch sign” was evaluated, and we compared diagnostic accuracies according to TI used for FLAIR acquisition. RESULTS The T2-FLAIR mismatch sign was more frequently positive when TI was shorter than 2400 ms under 3T for FLAIR acquisition (p = 0.0009, Fisher’s exact test). The T2-FLAIR mismatch sign was positive only for IDHmt, non-CODEL astrocytomas even if we confined the cohort with FLAIR acquired with shorter TI (p = 0.0001, Fisher’s exact test). TCIA/TCGA dataset validated that the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the T2-FLAIR mismatch sign to identify IDHmt, non-CODEL astrocytomas improved from 31%, 90%, 79%, and 51% to 67%, 94%, 92%, and 74%, respectively if we acquired FLAIR with TI shorter than 2400 ms. CONCLUSIONS We revealed that TI for FLAIR impacts diagnostic accuracy of the T2-FLAIR mismatch sign and that FLAIR scanned with TI < 2400 ms in 3T is necessary for LrGG imaging.

In order to understand the effect of impurity injection into divertor plasma, a multi-fluid code was developed and applied to the region from west plug/barrier-cell to end cell in GAMMA 10/PDX. In this research, Ar is applied as impurity neutrals. To investigate the effect of impurity injection on plasma parameters, interactions between Ar impurity and hydrogen bulk plasma were included in this model. Under the condition of injecting neutral hydrogen and impurity Ar, the charge exchange loss between hydrogen ion and neutrals reaches to about 95% and the radiation loss for electron is enhanced to about 45%. Therefore, hydrogen ion and electron temperatures decrease from about 55 eV to 4 eV and 15 eV to 4 eV, respectively. The heat load on the target plate is also reduced by nearly 80% compared with the condition of low injection rate of neutral hydrogen and impurity. It is also observed that the particle flux increases with neutral density and then shows a tendency to saturate in the higher neutral density (> 2.1 × 1018 m–3). (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

This paper describes the results of the experiments performed on Tandem Mirror device GAMMA 10/PDX mainly using a new “divertor simulation experimental module (D-module)” installed on one of the end mirror exits which is specially designed to investigate the physics of plasma detachment. The additional ICRF heating in the anchor-cells, connected to both ends of the central-cell, significantly increases the density in the both cells, which attained the generation of the highest particle flux up to 1023 particles/s m2 at the end-mirror exit. H2 and noble gas injection to enhance the radiation cooling in D-module was performed and a remarkable reduction of the electron temperature (from few tens eV to

Aims Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) manifest aggressive clinical behaviour and have poor prognosis. Although constitutive activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway has been documented, knowledge about the genetic alterations leading to the impairment of the NF-κB pathway in PCNSLs is still limited. This study was aimed to unravel the underlying genetic profiles of PCNSL. Methods We conducted the systematic sequencing of 21 genes relevant to the NF-κB signalling network for 71 PCNSLs as well as the pyrosequencing of CD79B and MYD88 mutation hotspots in a further 35 PCNSLs and 46 glioblastomas (GBMs) for validation. Results The results showed that 68 out of 71 PCNSLs had mutations in the NF-κB gene network, most commonly affecting CD79B (83%), MYD88 (76%), TBL1XR1 (23%), PRDM1 (20%) and CREBBP1 (20%). These mutations, particularly CD79B and MYD88, frequently coincided within each tumour in various combinations, simultaneously affecting diverse pathways within the network. No GBMs had hotspot mutation of CD79B Y196 and MYD88 L265. Conclusions The prevalence of CD79B and MYD88 mutations in PCNSLs was considerably higher than reported in systemic diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. This observation could reflect the paucity of antigen stimuli from the immune system in the central nervous system (CNS) and the necessity to substitute them by the constitutive activation of CD79B and MYD88 that would initiate the signalling cascades. These hotspot mutations may serve as a genetic hallmark for PCNSL serving as a genetic marker for diagnose and potential targets for molecular therapy.

In tandem mirror GAMMA 10/PDX, H2 gas has been injected to a divertor simulation experimental module (D-module) for radiation cooling and detachment study. Electron temperature (Te) and density (ne) distributions have been measured by Langmuir probes in the D-module. With increase of H2 gas amount, Te has decreased especially at the V-shaped target plate from 30-40 eV to 3-5 eV. Moreover, ne and ion saturation current Iis have increased at the inlet but decreased at the target and had a steeper distribution toward the corner. These results suggest detachment. The movement of the ionization front to the upstream side with increase of the gas is suggested from the change in the plasma parameters profiles along the magnetic field line.

This paper describes the recent results of divertor simulation research toward the realization of the detached plasma using the end-mirror of a large tandem mirror device. The additional ion cyclotron range of frequency heating in the anchor-cells for higher particle flux generation significantly increases the density, which attained the highest particle flux up to 1.76 × 1023 particles/·m2 at the end-mirror exit. Massive gas injection (H2 and noble gases) into the divertor simulation experimental module (D-module) was performed, and a remarkable reduction of the electron temperature on the target plate was successfully achieved associated with the strong reduction of particle and heat fluxes in D-module. Two-dimensional images of Hα emission in D-module observed with a high-speed camera showed strong emission in the upstream region and significant reduction near the target plate. These results clarified the effect of radiation cooling and formation of detached plasma due to gas injection. It is a...

The divertor simulation experimental module (Dmodule) has been installed in the west end region in GAMMA 10/PDX. By use of Langmuir probes and spectroscopic measurement of intensity ratios of He I ...

Introduction: Approximately 60–80% of GBM harbour mutations in the promoter region of TERT that leads to its upregulation, making it the most common single genetic abnormalities in GBM. TERT, a reverse-transcriptase subunit of telomerase, has been an attractive candidate for therapy target because of their observed upregulation in a wide variety of cancers, including GBMs, a phenomenon that presumably helps maintain telomeres for their indefinite proliferation. However, no targeted therapy against telomerase has been successful so far, possibly because telomerase inhibition may not be necessarily expected to immediately suppress proliferation when telomere has already been elongated. It has been reported recently that TERT has an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) activity independent of its function at telomeres. The TERT-RdRP activity appears to be involved in controlling cell cycle and maintenance of stem cell phenotype, suggesting that TERT may be directly targeted to suppress tumour cell proliferation. Through drug screening, we have previously identified eribulin as a specific inhibitor for RdRP activity of TERT. Eribulin does not affect the telomerase activity at the concentration to inhibit the RdRP activity. In order to develop a novel TERT-targeted therapy against GBM, we investigated the anti-tumour efficacy of eribulin in cultured and xenografted GBM cells.

In GAMMA 10/PDX, a temperature-controlled V-shaped target has been utilized to study an effect of target temperature on hydrogen recycling. The V-shaped tungsten target in the divertor simulation experimental module (D-module) is heated up to 573 K and it is exposed to the end loss plasma. It is found that the Hα intensity and the electron density of the plasma in front of the target are positively correlated with the target temperature, indicating that the recycling is enhanced due to increase in the target temperature. Moreover, additional hydrogen gas is injected into the D-module with the temperature-controlled target. As the amount of hydrogen gas injection increased, enhancement of hydrogen recycling by high temperature target becomes smaller.

Objective: Glioblastomas (GBMs) mainly occur locally, and develop distant or disseminated recurrence (non-local recurrence) in the time course of disease. Non-local recurrences indicate tumor cells invasion into normal brain or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space, and the treatment will be difficult. We studied the pattern of recurrence in GBMs treated with prolonged temozolomide (TMZ) maintenance and the risk factors to progress to non-local recurrence. Methods: We investigated 102 GBM patients with single lesion, who were treated with combined chemoradiotherapy using TMZ for a total of 24 cycles or until disease progression between May 2006 and May 2013. Pattern of recurrences were classified as local (at the regional tumor), distant (intraparenchymal, but distant from the original tumor site), and disseminated (distant from the original tumor and exposed to the CSF space, including subarachnoidal, subependymal, intraventricular, and spinal lesion). IDH1/2 mutation and O-6-methylguanine DNA ­methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation were analyzed by direct sequencing and pyrosequencing, respectively. Results: Of 102 patients, 76 developed radiological recurrences including 48 (63.2%) local, 13 (17.1%) distant, and 15 (19.7%) disseminated. Of 48 the local recurrent tumors, 37 developed radiological recurrences including 24 (64.9%) local, 9 (24.3%) distant, and 5 (13.5%) disseminated. Finally, of the 76 recurrences, 50 (65.8%) developed non-local recurrences. The median time to local recurrence was 17.6 months, whereas that to disseminated was 42.4 months (p = 0.0023), and that to distant was not reached (p < 0.0001). Multivariate analyses of 76 patients who were available for IDH1/2 and MGMT promoter status analysis indicated that extent of resection, IDH1/2 mutations, and MGMT promoter methylation were correlated with non-local recurrence. In 45 GBMs with IDH1/2 wildtype and MGMT promoter unmethylation (IDH-WT-Unmet GBMs), the median time to local recurrence was 9.6 months, whereas that to disseminated was 24.5 months (p = 0.025), and that to distant was 17.4 months (p = 0.023). Conclusions: The predominant pattern of recurrence is local, and non-local recurrences increase cumulatively. The risk factors of developing non-local recurrence are partial/biopsy, IDH1/2 wildtype, and MGMT promoter unmethylation. Our results indicate that intensifying local tumor control before progression of non-local recurrence is the mainstay of treatment, especially in IDH-WT-Unmet GBMs.

The phylogenetically-conserved vertebrate transcription factor, NFIB, is an orchestrator of glial differentiation in the developing mammalian central nervous system. We found NFIB expression to be reduced in glioblastoma (GBM), the commonest and most lethal primary adult brain cancer, so investigated what effect increased expression of NFIB had on GBM. Increased expression of NFIB in primary GBM cell lines induced expression of markers of glial differentiation, inhibited cell proliferation, reduced stem/progenitor cell growth, altered cell cycle progression and inhibited tumor growth in murine models of GBM. We thus identified NFIB to be a novel tumor suppressor gene in GBM.

Summary Nasal obstruction is a crucial symptom in allergic rhinitis (AR) patients and may affect the quality of life. It is caused mostly by nasal mucosal obstruction, and to a lesser extent, fluid secretion. Mucosal congestion is primarily a vascular phenomenon comprising vasodilatation of capacitance vessels (cavernous sinus) and oedema formation due to plasma leakage from post-capillary venules. The nose has a complex microvascular anatomy consisting of capacitance vessels, arteriovenous anastomosis, and subepithelial and periglandular capillaries. Nasal congestion is explained by the effects of local mediators exerting potent vasodilatation or increasing permeability of nasal blood vessels and nerves. Capacitance vessels usually constrict because of constant sympathetic tone. They distend by a variety of stimuli such as loss of continuous sympathetic stimulation on the sinusoids, direct vasodilatation by vasoactive substances, contraction of cushion veins, and compression of venules by distended arteries in the intraosseous bony canals of periosteal space. Although topical application of histamine can cause vasodilatation and oedema, histamine is not likely a major mediator causative of nasal congestion in AR. Nasal vascular dilatation elicited by cysleukotriene 1 (cysLT1) may be induced by nitric oxide produced through cysLT1 receptor activation. Thromboxane A2 may cause capacitance vessel dilatation through a contraction of cushion veins. Potentiation of vasoconstrictor action of steroids has been reported since the 1950s. Glucocorticoids (GCs) have two fundamentally different vascular effects: classic action modifying the transcription of pro-inflammatory genes and acute non-genomic action (within minutes) that increases the vasomotor tone. The non-genomic effect is likely related to binding of GCs to the plasma membrane and inhibition of extraneuronal monoamine transporter on vascular smooth muscle cells, thereby increasing noradrenaline concentrations at α1-adrenoceptors. Genomic vascular effects include the reduction of vessel density, decrease of hyperperfusion, reduction of inflammatory microvascular hyperpermeability, and decreased influx and activation of inflammatory cells. These effects require hours to manifest themselves physiologically.

SummaryPulse treatment with 4% (w/v) sucrose plus 10 µM abscisic acid (ABA) suppressed leaf damage caused by sucrose and extended the vase-life of cut Eustoma flowers. To clarify the translocation of exogenous carbon supplied from the sucrose, or sucrose-plus-ABA solutions, 13C-labelled sucrose was used. Immediately after a 24-h pulse treatment (i.e., day-0), concentrations of exogenous carbon derived from the applied sucrose accumulated to greater levels in the leaves of sucrose-only-treated, than of sucrose-plus-ABA-treated flowers. The percentage distribution of exogenous carbon derived from the sucrose applied was 40% in the leaves of the sucrose-only treatment, compared to 15% for the sucrose-plus-ABA treatment. These results suggest that ABA suppressed the accumulation of exogenous sucrose in the leaves, and thus avoided the induction of leaf damage. Exogenous carbon derived from the applied sucrose increased in open flowers and flower buds in both treatments on day-2. On day-5, exogenous carbon der...

In order to understand whether Ce in rare earth (RE) phosphate minerals can be used as a proxy for the estimation of atmospheric oxygen evolution in the Precambrian, we examined the formation mechanisms of RE phosphate minerals in 2.45-Ga paleosol (ancient soil formed by weathering), Pronto, Canada. The RE phosphate minerals were observed and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron back-scattered diffraction analysis, and by transmission electron microscopy. The textures and chemistries of RE phosphate minerals have revealed that monazite-[light RE elements (REE)] and xenotime-(Y) at the rims of apatite and pores are secondary products. Monazite-(light REE) and xenotime-(Y) were found to have been formed by either of two mechanisms: the direct formation during metasomatism occurring after weathering or the formation of rhabdophane containing light REE and Y during weathering and its subsequent decomposition into monazite-(light REE) and xenotime-(Y) during metasomatism. If the latter was the actual reaction pathway, the Ce contents in the secondary monazite suggest a very low atmospheric oxygen level at ∼ 2.45 Ga.

SummaryWhile pulse treatment with sucrose extends the vase-life of cut Eustoma grandiflorum flowers, it may also cause leaf damage. Here, the effects of abscisic acid (ABA) treatment on leaf damage and the vase-life of Eustoma ‘Mira Coral’ cut flowers were investigated. Cut flowers with five open florets and four buds were treated with distilled water, 4% (w/v) sucrose including biocide, 10 µM ABA, or 4% (w/v) sucrose plus 10 µM ABA including biocide, at 23oC and 66% relative humidity, in the dark, for 21 h. After pulse treatment, 50% of the cut flowers treated with sucrose alone had at least one damaged leaf, compared to none of the cut flowers treated with sucrose plus ABA. Sucrose plus ABA treatment resulted in a greater reduction in solution uptake than did treatment with sucrose alone. Fresh weight and the number of open florets in flowers decreased more slowly in flowers treated with sucrose plus ABA than in flowers treated with sucrose alone. Both the sucrose, and the sucrose plus ABA treatments ex...

In this work, the high temperature oxidation behavior of selected MCrAlY overlay coatings has been investigated using the elemental concentration profile analysis. Emphasis is placed upon the influence of chemical composition on the oxidation. The results show that the oxide scale formation on coatings is considerably influenced by the microstructure of coating, the chemical composition of M as well as CrAlY, and the interdiffusion from substrate. If an element exists only in the one side of the overlay coating system, the diffusion amount of that particular element becomes higher. The vacancies which formed near the substrate/coating interface after thermal exposure could be generated by the diffusion of Ni and Al. A seriously diffusion-affected zone between substrate and coating are observed within 80 μm from the substrate/coating interface toward the coating surface. The cobalt-including CoCrAlYs and CoNiCrAlYs outperform the nickel-based system under the high temperature oxidizing condition.

Aluminum alloys are widely used as materials for engineering components of automobiles and airplanes because of their light weight and high corrosion resistance. However, cracks may develop sometimes in aluminum components, which have to be repaired by welding. It is difficult to weld aluminum components due to its high specific thermal conductivity and high coefficient of thermal expansion. The low-pressure cold-spray technique can be used instead of welding for repairing cracks. However, the effects of surface conditions on particle deposition and the mechanical properties of cold-sprayed coatings have not been investigated thus far. In this study, the effect of surface conditions focusing on active newly formed surface on aluminum particle deposition is studied and the mechanical properties of low-pressure cold-sprayed aluminum coatings are investigated by four-point bending tests. It is found that for efficient particle deposition it was necessary to obtain active newly formed surface of the substrate and particle surfaces by several impingements because the existence of inactive native oxide films has an adverse effect on the deposition. Furthermore, the strength of a cold-sprayed specimen is found to be higher than that of a cold-rolled specimen under compressive loading.

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) manifest aggressive clinical behaviour and have poor prognosis. Although constitutive activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway has been documented, knowledge about the genetic alterations leading to the impairment of the NF-κB pathway in PCNSLs is still limited. This study was aimed to unravel the underlying genetic profiles of PCNSL.We conducted the systematic sequencing of 21 genes relevant to the NF-κB signalling network for 71 PCNSLs as well as the pyrosequencing of CD79B and MYD88 mutation hotspots in a further 35 PCNSLs and 46 glioblastomas (GBMs) for validation.The results showed that 68 out of 71 PCNSLs had mutations in the NF-κB gene network, most commonly affecting CD79B (83%), MYD88 (76%), TBL1XR1 (23%), PRDM1 (20%) and CREBBP1 (20%). These mutations, particularly CD79B and MYD88, frequently coincided within each tumour in various combinations, simultaneously affecting diverse pathways within the network. No GBMs had hotspot mutation of CD79B Y196 and MYD88 L265.The prevalence of CD79B and MYD88 mutations in PCNSLs was considerably higher than reported in systemic diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. This observation could reflect the paucity of antigen stimuli from the immune system in the central nervous system (CNS) and the necessity to substitute them by the constitutive activation of CD79B and MYD88 that would initiate the signalling cascades. These hotspot mutations may serve as a genetic hallmark for PCNSL serving as a genetic marker for diagnose and potential targets for molecular therapy.

Photoluminescence and photoexcitation spectra of KDP:Tl have been investigated in the energy region of 2 - 10 eV. A broad luminescence band is observed at 4.5 eV under the excitation with UV light at 10 K, showing a Gaussian lineshape and a large Stokes shift. The 4.5 eV luminescence is efficiently induced under the excitation of the A, B and C absorption bands associated with impurity Tl+ ions. It is found that the 4.5 eV luminescence spectrum exhibits a drastic change at the ferroelectric transition temperature TC = 123 K, and the bandwidth has also been changed at TC. These results suggest that the relaxed excited electronic states of the Tl+ ions are strongly influenced by the ferroelectric local field due to surrounding ligand ions. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Development of a balloon to fly at higher altitudes is one of the most attractive challenges in scientific balloon technologies. After reaching the highest record setting balloon altitude of 53.0 km using the 3.4 μm film in 2002, we tried to make a thinner balloon film. In 2003, we developed a forming die and an air-ring and succeeded in forming a film with a thickness of 3.0 μm and a width of 220 cm. Using this film, we manufactured a balloon with a volume of 5000 m3 and succeeded in flying the balloon up to an altitude of 46.0 km. We then searched for a good combination of resins to make a thinner and wider film and obtained films with widths of 280 cm, and a thickness of 3.0 μm at first, and then 2.8 μm. In 2004, we performed balloon experiments making a 30,000 m3 balloon with the 3.0 μm film and a 5000 m3 balloon with the 2.8 μm film. Both balloons were well manufactured and reached the highest altitudes of 50.7 and 42.6 km, respectively.

Various concentrations of sucrose (0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 or 15.0%) were fed to cut spray carnation flowers cv. Barbara. Vase life, ethylene production, ACC production and ACO activity were measured. Sucrose at 5.0% extended flower vase life the most. Its effect on vase life was associated with a delay in the petal climacteric ethylene peak. The same delay was found in gynoecium ethylene production. It is concluded that sucrose apparently inhibits climacteric ethylene production by inhibiting ACO activity. This effect may be indirect, by affecting gene expression.