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Two-dimensional dodecagonal boron nitride is designed via first principles calculations. Calculations unveil that the proposed two-dimensional dodecagonal boron nitride is energetically stable and less dense than what is observed with hexagonal and octagonal configurations of two-dimensional boron nitride. Furthermore, it is found that modifying the atomic configuration of two-dimensional boron nitride can tune the band structure. In particular, a direct bandgap of 5.2 eV is observed for two-dimensional dodecagonal boron nitride while a direct bandgap of 5.79 eV and an indirect bandgap of 5.20 eV are observed for the hexagonal and octagonal configurations, respectively. Thus, tailoring atomic configurations demonstrates the possibility to tune the electric band structures of two-dimensional materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sn2+-based oxysulfides Sn 2 Nb 2 O 7- x S x have narrow band gaps of ∼2.1 eV at a minimum. • They possess appropriate band levels for both water reduction and oxidation. • They function as photocatalysts for water reduction and oxidation under visible light. • Both the H 2 and O 2 evolution rates enhanced with increasing x up to x = 0.4. Efficient solar-driven production of hydrogen requires the development of semiconductors with narrow band gaps that can absorb a wider range of visible light, while still maintaining the appropriate band levels for both water reduction and oxidation processes. A few Sn2+-based oxides (e.g. , SnNb 2 O 6 and Sn 2 Nb 2 O 7) have attracted attention as photocatalysts due to their ability to respond to visible light, attributed to the strong interaction between the 5s orbital of Sn2+ and the O-2p orbital. However, their band gaps are limited around 2.3 eV (∼540 nm). Here, we focused on Sn2+-based oxysulfides Sn 2 Nb 2 O 7- x S x , which are sulfur-substituted Sn 2 Nb 2 O 7 pyrochlore compounds. These compounds exhibit a wider range of visible light absorption due to their smaller band gap (∼2.1 eV). However, their band levels and photocatalytic activity have not been explored yet. In this study, Sn 2 Nb 2 O 7- x S x samples were synthesized by a solid-state reaction between SnO, Nb 2 O 5 , and SnS in which the band gaps shift toward longer wavelength (from 525 to 600 nm) almost linearly with increasing sulfur content. This can be attributed to a negative shift of the valence band maxima due to the increased contribution of S-3p orbitals, which have higher energy compared to O-2p orbitals. The obtained oxysulfides possess appropriate band levels for both water reduction and oxidation. Thus, the photocatalysts were observed to function for both water reduction and oxidation in the presence of sacrificial reagents under visible light, without noticeable decrease in activity. The H 2 and O 2 evolution rates of these samples increased as x increased up to x = 0.4, which corresponds to a sulfur concentration of approximately 0.26 (i.e. , the measured values of 2 × S/Sn). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, nitrogen doping into layered perovskite niobites, KCa 2 Na n –3 Nb n O 3 n +1 ( n = 3 or 4), was attempted to enhance their response to visible light during photocatalytic water reduction and oxidation. Although conventional nitridation, i.e., heating in NH 3 stream at a high temperature, produced black-colored samples due to the undesirable reduction of Nb 5+ to Nb 4+ (and/or Nb 3+ ), the use of KCl flux with NH 3 stream effectively prevented the reduction of Nb 5+ , resulting in yellow-colored samples that had a much lower concentration of reduced Nb species. The samples prepared with KCl flux exhibited stronger absorption (at λ  = 350–550 nm) when compared to those prepared without KCl flux. This was due to the higher concentration of N 3– anions, as confirmed by elemental analysis and the observed peak shift in XRD patterns. On the other hand, the absorption band with λ  > 550 nm, which indicated the presence of reduced species or anion vacancies, were astonishingly smaller for the samples prepared with KCl than for those without KCl. This indicated that the formation of reduced Nb species was inhibited by KCl. XPS analysis also supported this effect. The use of KCl flux also prevented the problematic decrease in the concentration of potassium cations in the interlayer space during high-temperature treatment in NH 3 flow. The samples prepared with KCl flux exhibited much higher O 2 and H 2 evolution rates under visible-light irradiation in the presence of an electron acceptor and a donor, respectively as compared to those prepared without KCl. This clear improvement in O 2 and H 2 evolution was probably due to the larger amount of doped nitrogen introduced and/or the suppressed formation of reduced Nb species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered oxyiodides with a Sillén-Aurivillius structure ([Bi 2 O 2 ][A n −1 B n O 3 n +1 ][Bi 2 O 2 ][X]; X = halide, n = number of perovskite layers) have attracted much attention as promising photocatalysts for visible-light-induced water splitting. Changing the number of perovskite layers in oxychlorides provides broad structural variations. However, there are no reports on the synthesis of Sillén-Aurivillius oxyiodides with n ≥ 3 due to unestablished synthetic methods. Three novel oxyiodides, namely, BaBi 5 Ti 3 O 14 I (n = 3), Ba 2 Bi 5 Ti 4 O 17 I (n = 4), and Ba 3 Bi 5 Ti 5 O 20 I (n = 5) with triple-, quadruple-, and quintuple-perovskite layers, respectively, were synthesized in this study by investigating and optimizing the synthetic routes in the solid-state reaction. The results reveal that the key to achieving the single-phase synthesis of multi-layered oxyiodides is avoiding the use of low-reactivity Aurivillius compounds as raw materials. The obtained oxyiodides possessed narrower band gaps than their chloride and bromide counterparts, as well as appropriate band levels for water splitting. They functioned as photocatalysts for water (reduction) and oxidation under (UV-) visible light; notably BaBi 5 Ti 3 O 14 I exhibited significantly higher photocatalytic O 2 evolution than the other oxyiodides and chloride/bromide counterparts. [Display omitted] • Three novel Sillén-Aurivillius oxyiodides with triple-, quadruple-, and quintuple-perovskite layers were successfully synthesized. • Non-use of low-reactive Aurivillius precursors is key to achieving single-phase synthesis of oxyiodide. • The oxyiodides have narrower band gaps than their chloride and bromide counterparts. • All the oxyiodides functioned as photocatalysts for water reduction and oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RHfO2N perovskites with R = La, Nd and Sm show a GdFeO3-type structure and are semiconductors with band gaps of 3.35, 3.40 and 2.85 eV and relative dielectric constants of 30, 16 and 28 respectively. These compounds have adequate reduction and oxidation potentials to conduct the overall water splitting reaction, and the analogous perovskite LaZrO2N with a band gap of 2.8 eV shows photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation for O2 evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to develop the bioassays for genotixicity and/or oxidative damage using the recombinant yeast. A genotoxicity assay was developed using recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain BY4741 with a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter plasmid, driven by the DNA damage-responsive RNR3 promoter. Enhanced fluorescence induction was observed in DNA repair-deficient strains treated with methyl methanesulfonate, but not with hydrogen peroxide. A GFP reporter yeast strain driven by the oxidative stress-responsive TRX2 promoter was newly developed to assess oxidative damage, but fluorescence was poorly induced by oxidants. In place of GFP, yeast strains with luciferase gene reporter plasmids ( luc2 and luc2CP, encoding stable and unstable luciferase, respectively) were prepared. Transient induction of luciferase activity was clearly detected only in a TRX2 promoter-driven luc2CP reporter strain within 90 min of oxidant exposure. However, luciferase was strongly induced by hydroxyurea in the RNR3 promoter-driven luc2 and GFP reporter strains over 8 h after the exposure, suggesting that the RNR3 promoter is continuously upregulated by DNA damage, whereas the TRX2 promoter is transiently activated by oxidative agents. Luciferase activity levels were also increased in a TRX2-promoter-driven luc2CP reporter strain treated with tert-butyl hydroperoxide and menadione and weakly induced with diamide and diethyl maleate. Weakly enhanced luciferase activity induction was detected in the sod1Δ, sod2Δ, and rad27Δ strains treated with hydrogen peroxide compared with that in the wild-type strain. In conclusion, tests using GFP and stable luciferase reporters are useful for genotoxicity, and oxidative damage can be clearly detected by assay with an unstable luciferase reporter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Chl- a derivatives possessing a carboxy group in the 20-substituent were synthesized. • Electronic absorption and emission of the four synthetic derivatives were measured. • Redox potentials of the Chl- a derivatives were determined by DPV technique. • The pigments were used for the hydrogen evolution photocatalysts on TiO 2 with Pt. • Photocatalytic activities were dependent on the linker between COOH and chlorin. Chlorophyll (Chl) derivatives have attracted much attention as photosensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells. In contrast, only a few studies have been reported as Chl-based photosensitizers in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water, and therefore systematic studies should be required to obtain the optimal Chl photosensitizers for the photocatalytic water splitting system. In this study, we prepared four carboxylated Chl derivatives with different linkers at the 20-position, and investigated the effects of the linker length and π-conjugation between a chlorin macrocycle and a carboxy anchor. Hydrogen evolution rates on the Pt-loaded TiO 2 adsorbing the Chl derivatives are significantly affected by the kind of linkers. The results indicated that (1) π-conjugation of a chlorin moiety with a carboxy anchor and (2) an appropriate linker length are of great importance to the photocatalytic activity probably due to the balance of electron injection to and back electron transfer from TiO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum machine learning (QML) has attracted significant research attention over the last decade. Multiple models have been developed to demonstrate the practical applications of the quantum properties. In this study, we first demonstrate that the previously proposed quanvolutional neural network (QuanvNN) using a randomly generated quantum circuit improves the image classification accuracy of a fully connected neural network against the Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology (MNIST) dataset and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research 10 class (CIFAR-10) dataset from 92.0% to 93.0% and from 30.5% to 34.9%, respectively. We then propose a new model referred to as a Neural Network with Quantum Entanglement (NNQE) using a strongly entangled quantum circuit combined with Hadamard gates. The new model further improves the image classification accuracy of MNIST and CIFAR-10 to 93.8% and 36.0%, respectively. Unlike other QML methods, the proposed method does not require optimization of the parameters inside the quantum circuits; hence, it requires only limited use of the quantum circuit. Given the small number of qubits and relatively shallow depth of the proposed quantum circuit, the proposed method is well suited for implementation in noisy intermediate-scale quantum computers. While promising results were obtained by the proposed method when applied to the MNIST and CIFAR-10 datasets, a test against a more complicated German Traffic Sign Recognition Benchmark (GTSRB) dataset degraded the image classification accuracy from 82.2% to 73.4%. The exact causes of the performance improvement and degradation are currently an open question, prompting further research on the understanding and design of suitable quantum circuits for image classification neural networks for colored and complex data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose clustered quantization techniques for multiuser multi-input/multi-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) using constellation based codebooks. Constellation based codebooks provide scalability and efficient codeword search capability, which are key features for practical multiuser MIMO-OFDM systems with a large number of antennas. The proposed clustered quantization scheme quantizes consecutive subcarriers into a single codeword that minimizes aggregated quantization errors. We base our new clustering techniques on two constellation based quantization methods, namely equal-magnitude angular quantization (EMAQ) and squared-lattice angular quantization. New efficient codebook search algorithms are proposed for the clustered quantization. In addition, we propose new constellations to guarantee different users quantize channels into distinct codewords. One is a rotated M-PSK constellation suitable for randomly-distributed user scenarios, and the other is a random phase equal-magnitude (RPEM) constellation suitable for ill-conditioned user scenarios. Thus, full spatial multiplexing gain can be achievable even with small number of users. Finally, a near-sphere codeword search algorithm is proposed for the RPEM. In simulations, the proposed clustered quantization shows up to 50% higher throughput compared to conventional fixed-pilot channel quantization. Also, we show our new constellations for EMAQ improve throughput almost 35% compared to the standard EMAQ. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

About half of all cancer patients show a syndrome of cachexia, characterized by anorexia and loss of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle mass. Cachexia can have a profound impact on quality of life, symptom burden, and a patient's sense of dignity. It is a very serious complication, as weight loss during cancer treatment is associated with more chemotherapy-related side effects, fewer completed cycles of chemotherapy, and decreased survival rates. Numerous cytokines have been postulated to play a role in the etiology of cancer cachexia. Cytokines can elicit effects that mimic leptin signaling and suppress orexigenic ghrelin and neuropeptide Y (NPY) signaling, inducing sustained anorexia and cachexia not accompanied by the usual compensatory response. Furthermore, cytokines have been implicated in the induction of cancer-related muscle wasting. Cytokine-induced skeletal muscle wasting is probably a multifactorial process, which involves a protein synthesis inhibition, an increase in protein degradation, or a combination of both. The best treatment of the cachectic syndrome is a multifactorial approach. Many drugs including appetite stimulants, thalidomide, cytokine inhibitors, steroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, branched-chain amino acids, eicosapentaenoic acid, and antiserotoninergic drugs have been proposed and used in clinical trials, while others are still under investigation using experimental animals. There is a growing awareness of the positive impact of supportive care measures and development of promising novel pharmaceutical agents for cachexia. While there has been great progress in understanding the underlying biological mechanisms of cachexia, health care providers must also recognize the psychosocial and biomedical impact cachexia can have. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghrelin is a growth hormone (GH) secretagogue and a potent orexigenic factor that stimulates feeding by interacting with hypothalamic feeding-regulatory nuclei. Its multifaceted effects are potentially beneficial as a treatment in human disease states. In both adult and pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, decreased appetite plays a major role in wasting, which in turn is linked to morbidity and mortality; wasting has also been linked to high levels of leptin and proinflammatory cytokines. The beneficial effects of ghrelin treatment in CKD are potentially mediated by multiple concurrent actions, including the stimulation of appetite-regulating centers, anti-inflammatory effects, and direct kidney effects. Further evaluation of this appetite-regulating hormone in CKD is needed to confirm previous findings and to determine the underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: A reduction in dispersal ability has been thought to be a general trend for island land birds. However, recent studies have indicated that long‐distance dispersal among island habitats may be maintained in island pigeon populations. Here, we investigated whether pigeons could maintain their long‐distance dispersal ability to move among islands within the archipelago, even in highly insular conditions, by comparing two subspecies of Japanese wood pigeon distributed on islands with different levels of insularity. Location: The Ogasawara, Izu and Nansei Islands in the north‐western Pacific Ocean. Taxon: Japanese wood pigeon (Columba janthina). Methods: We compared the hand‐wing index related to dispersal potential between the two subspecies: C. j. janthina and C. j. nitens. We performed phylogenetic analyses with likelihood and Bayesian frameworks and estimated population genetic structure using the principal component analyses and individual admixture analyses based on the genotype likelihood of MIG‐seq SNPs. We calculated divergence times of the two subspecies using Bayesian and PSMC models for MIG‐seq SNPs and whole genome data, respectively. Results: C. j. nitens had a wing shape that was better suited for long‐distance flight than that of C. j. janthina. Both subspecies maintained sufficient gene flow among the islands within their habitat archipelagos, with no evidence of isolation by distance. The divergence time of the two subspecies was 0.67 (95%CI: 0.33–0.97) million years ago, which was sufficient to reduce dispersiveness compared to other cases of island land birds. Main Conclusion: Long‐distance flight can be maintained under highly insular conditions despite long‐term isolation from the ancestral populations. This indicates that the strategy of maintaining dispersal ability may also be possible in island systems, where organisms have repeatedly and globally shown reduced dispersal ability. Although further studies are required to reveal its evolutionary processes, our study provides an exceptional case for island birds' biogeography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and the urocortins (UCN1, UCN2, and UCN3) belong to the CRF family of peptides and are the major regulators of the adaptive response to internal and external stresses. The actions of CRF and UCNs are mediated through two receptor subtypes: CRF receptor 1 (CRFR1) and CRFR2. Their physiological roles, among other functions, include the regulation of food intake and anxiety-like behavior. In this review, we describe the progress that has been made towards understanding how anxiety- and depression-like behavior and food intake are regulated by CRF, UCN1, UCN2, and UCN3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We developed the method to efficiently construct recombinant vaccinia viruses based on LC16m8Δ strain that can replicate in mammalian cells but is still safe in human. Immunization in a prime-boost strategy using DNA and LC16m8Δ expressing SIV Gag elicited 7–30-fold more IFN-γ-producing T cells in mice than that using DNA and non-replicating vaccinia DIs recombinant strain. As the previous study on the DNA-prime and recombinant DIs-boost anti-SIV vaccine showed protective efficacy in the macaque model [Someya K, Ami Y, Nakasone T, Izumi Y, Matsuo K, Horibata S, et al. Induction of positive cellular and humoral responses by a prime-boost vaccine encoded with simian immunodeficiency virus gag/pol. J Immunol 2006;176(3):1784–95], LC16m8Δ would have potential as a better recombinant viral vector for HIV vaccine. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aldehydes are toxic carbonyl compounds that are identified in various matrices surrounding us. For instance, aldehydes could be formed during the cooking and frying of foods which affects the food quality and safety. Derivatization is a must for the determination of aldehydes as they lack intrinsic chromophoric groups. 2,4-Dinitrophenyl hydrazine (DNPH) is the most used derivatizing reagent for aldehydes and the formed hydrazones could be determined by either HPLC-UV or LC-MS. However, UV detection is non-sensitive, and the MS equipment is expensive and not widely available. Thus, herein we report a smart chemiluminescence (CL) detection method for the DNPH aldehydes derivatives. These derivatives are supposed to possess photosensitization ability due to the presence of strong chromophoric structures; nitrobenzene and phenyl hydrazone. Upon their UV irradiation, singlet oxygen is found to be produced which then converts the DNPH-aldehyde derivative into hydroperoxide. Next, the hydroperoxide reacts with luminol in an alkaline medium producing a strong CL. An HPLC system with online UV irradiation and online reaction with luminol followed by CL detection was constructed and used for the determination of aldehydes after their derivatization with DNPH. The developed method showed excellent sensitivity with detection limits down to 1.5–18.5 nM. The achieved sensitivity is superior to that obtained by HPLC-UV and LC-MS detection methods for DNPH-aldehydes derivatives. Additionally, our approach is an chemiluminogenic where the DNPH reagent itself does not produce CL which is an excellent advantage. The method was applied successfully for the determination of aldehydes in canola oil samples using simple liquid-liquid extraction showing good recovery (87.0–106.0%), accuracy (87.2–106.6), and precision (RSD≤10.2%). After analysis of fresh and heated oil samples, it was demonstrated that heating of oil, even for short time, strongly elevated the level of their aldehydes' content. At last, it was found that the results of the analysis of aldehydes in oil samples using the proposed method perfectly matched those obtained by a reference LC-MS method. [Display omitted] • HPLC-CL assay for the DNPH derivatized aldehydes based on their photosensitization. • UV-irradiation of DNPH derivatized aldehydes forms singlet oxygen and hydroperoxide. • This CL reaction was found to be chemiluminogenic since DNPH itself shows no CL. • Application to monitor aldehydes in oil samples with sensitivity down to 1.5 nM. • The achieved sensitivity was superior to analogous HPLC-UV and LC-MS methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: As sarcopenia has been shown to be associated with a variety of functional impairments and increased mortality, it has become increasingly important to evaluate sarcopenia comorbidity in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We assessed sarcopenia in patients with OSCC in a way that is feasible in daily practice and retrospectively evaluated its impact on prognosis. Patients with both low quality and low quantity of cervical muscles had a significantly worse prognosis. Assessing sarcopenia by evaluating both the quality and quantity of preoperative cervical skeletal muscle mass may be useful in optimizing the treatment of patients with OSCC without requiring additional imaging or patient burden. Accumulating evidence has shown that sarcopenia in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is at a risk of poor prognosis. There is no universal consensus on how to assess sarcopenia in patients with OSCC in daily practice. It is important to validate the usefulness of sarcopenia assessment from cervical muscles, which are frequently used in routine clinical practice in patients with OSCC. In this study, we investigated whether preoperative lumbar (L3) skeletal muscle mass and adiposity in OSCC patients were associated with cervical (C3) skeletal muscle mass and adiposity from CT measurements. We also investigated whether skeletal muscle mass and adiposity in the C3 muscles were associated with survival rates in patients with OSCC. We demonstrated that both the quality and quantity of muscle between the C3 and L3 levels were positively correlated with each other. We also demonstrated that the survival rates in patients with low sternocleidomastoid muscle mass index, high processus spinosus muscle-intramuscular adipose tissue content, and the combination of both were significantly lower than those in the controls. These results suggest that the assessment of sarcopenia from multiple neck muscles by preoperative CT measurements may be useful in predicting the prognosis of patients with OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the validity of Recommendation ITU-R P.1546 in a short-range terrestrial environment is analyzed. Its three versions (P.1546, P.1546-1, and P.1546-2) are compared against simple models and evaluated using measurement results that were obtained by utilizing the pilot signal of a commercial code-division multiple-access mobile telephone network. Measurement results show that P.1546-2, on average, underestimates the field strength by more than 10 dB for typical Australian rural areas. However, it improves the error standard deviation compared to previous versions. The causes of these effects and the suggestions for further development of the Recommendation are discussed and evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We generated a novel SHIV (termed SHIV-pr) that possesses the HIV-1-derived protease (PR) gene in the corresponding position in the SIVmac genome. SHIV-pr is replication-competent in human and monkey CD4+ T lymphoid cell lines as well as rhesus macaque PBMCs. The viral growth of SHIV-pr was completely blocked in the presence of a peptide-analog PR inhibitor at the tissue culture level. When SHIV-pr was intravenously inoculated into two rhesus macaques, it resulted in a weak but long-lasting persistent infection in one monkey, whereas the infection of another was only temporary. To enhance the viral growth competence by adaptation, we then passaged the virus in vivo from a monkey up to the fourth generation. The initial peak values of plasma viral loads as well as the setpoint values increased generation by generation and reached those of a parental virus SIVmac. When a medication using the content of Kaletra capsule (a mixture of two PR inhibitors, lopinavir and ritonavir) was orally given to three SHIV-pr-infected monkeys for 4 weeks, plasma viral loads dropped to near or below the detection limit and quickly rebounded after the cessation of medication. The results suggest that SHIV-pr can be used to evaluate PR inhibitors using monkeys. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports on ionization fraction in sputter-based copper ion sources for plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). Deposition rate of copper thin film on a silicon substrate was measured, and A Cu+ ion flux fraction to overall Cu species was obtained from the effects of the substrate bias on the deposition rate. The ion flux fraction increased with Ar pressure and the fraction reached ∼100%. The fraction was also compared with that obtained from quadrupole mass spectroscopy (QMS) and Langmuir probe measurements; and these results showed a fairly good agreement. The ionization fraction increased with the discharge pressure and a flight length of the sputtered copper atoms in the plasma column, suggesting that a long interaction time of the copper atoms with the plasma is a crucial condition for the enhancement of the ionization fraction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To clarify the early pathological events in simian and human immunodeficiency chimeric virus (SHIV)-infected lymphoid organs, we examined rhesus macaques infected with an acute pathogenic SHIV (SHIV89.6P) or a nonpathogenic SHIV (NM-3rN) by sequential biopsies and serial necropsies. In the SHIV89.6P-infected monkeys, acute thymic involution as shown by increased cortical tingible-body macrophages and by neutrophilic infiltrates without follicular aggregation in the medulla began within 14 days postinoculation (dpi). Cells that were strongly positive for the virus were identified in the thymic medulla. SHIV89.6P-infected lymph nodes showed severe paracortical lymphadenitis with scattered virus-positive cells at 14 dpi and they developed paracortical depletion without the obvious follicular involution. In contrast, NM-3rN-infected monkeys showed no signs of thymic dysinvolution and the lymph nodes exhibited only follicular hyperplasia. NM-3rN-infected monkeys showed much fewer virus-positive cells in these lymphoid tissues than did SHIV89.6P-infected monkeys during the same period. These differences clearly reflect the difference in the virulence of these SHIVs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report a case of pulmonary nocardiosis in a 69-year-old man with rheumatoid arthritis who was receiving corticosteroid treatment. The patient received prednisolone for rheumatoid arthritis and antibiotics for his fever and pneumonia in another hospital, but the response to the therapy was poor. After admission to our hospital, he improved following treatment with imipenem/cilastatin for Nocardia asteroides . Pulmonary nocardiosis is difficult to diagnose and should be considered in the differential diagnosis, especially in an immunocompromised host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a frustum ray tracing technique for the prediction of channel characteristic maps in a complex in-building environment. Limitations of conventional ray tracing methods; Description of the power delay measurement system setup in the target environment; Analysis of results; Conclusion.

[Display omitted] • Pressure-assisted treatment was for the first time applied to particle-based BiS X (X = Br, I) photoelectrodes. • The treatment resulted in densely-packed arraignment of the BiS X particle layer most likely with substantial pores inside the layer. • The fused BiS X being near the electrode surface after the treatment suggests partial sintering of the overall BiS X layer proceeded under the treatment. • The treatment even at 323 K successfully increased photocurrent of BiS X electrodes up to three times. Metal mixed-anion compounds (e.g., metal oxyhalides and sulfahalides) have recently emerged as promising photo-absorber materials that harvest a wide range of solar spectrum, whereas fabrication of their porous-structured photoelectrodes for efficient wet-type photoelectrochemical (PEC) reactions remains a challenge. This prime issue is that although partial sintering between the particles in the porous electrodes is required for efficient charge transport, conventional (air-)calcinations for such sintering often cause damage to mixed-anion materials. We herein applied pressure assisted treatment (PAT) to fabrication of porous-structured photoelectrodes based on BiOI and BiS X (X =Br, I). PAT for BiS X electrodes resulted in forming particle layer of densely-packed arraignment accompanied by an obvious decrease in thickness of the particle layers, along with partial fusion of BiS X particles only around the electrode surfaces. The resulting decreased thickness was greatly larger than the theoretical one estimated as a fully filled film, supporting the presence of substantial pores to which liquid electrolytes and reactants can access. In terms of PEC performance, PAT even at 323 K, close to room temperature, for BiS X electrodes led to an apparent increase in the anodic photocurrent, strongly suggesting that PAT enhanced the electron transport through the sintered and enlarged contacts between the particles. On the other hand, PAT for BiOI electrodes did not show any improvement of the PEC performance. This stark contrast suggests that softer nature of BiS X originated from the composition of S2– compared to BiOI is one of the keys to produce an effect on fabricating intended porous structure by the pressure-assisted sintering at low temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A triple-layered perovskite Sillén–Aurivillius oxychloride Bi 5 SrTi 3 O 14 Cl is synthesized for the first time, and compared with the previously reported Bi 5 PbTi 3 O 14 Cl in terms of band structures and levels. • Bi 5 SrTi 3 O 14 Cl has an elevated valence band similar to Bi 5 PbTi 3 O 14 Cl even without Pb-6 s, due to strong interactions between Bi-6 s and O-2p within triple-perovskite layers. • Bi 5 SrTi 3 O 14 Cl exhibits H 2 and O 2 evolution in the presence of electron donor and acceptor, respectively. • The visible-light-driven Z-scheme water splitting is demonstrated using Bi 5 SrTi 3 O 14 Cl modified with an (Fe,Ru)O x cocatalyst as an O 2 -evolving photocatalyst. A series of Sillén–Aurivillius layered oxyhalides with a single- and double-perovskite layer, Bi 4 M O 8 X (M = Nb, Ta; X = Cl, Br) and AA′ Bi 3 M 2 O 11 Cl (A , A′ = Sr, Ba, Pb, Bi; M = Ti, Nb, Ta), have been recently demonstrated as promising photocatalysts for visible-light-induced water splitting due to relatively high energy valence bands arising from strong interactions between Bi-6s and O-2p orbitals. Herein, we report the synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic property of Bi 5 SrTi 3 O 14 Cl with triple-perovskite layers. The combined use of synchrotron X-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy allowed the precise determination of the crystal structure (space group: P 2 an), including site occupancies. The experimental results revealed that Bi 5 SrTi 3 O 14 Cl possesses a similar bandgap and valence band level as the previously reported Bi 5 PbTi 3 O 14 Cl, indicating that the presence of Pb-6s is not essential for the formation of a higher energy valence band maximum. Partial density of states for both materials obtained by DFT calculations suggested considerable interactions of the Bi-6s orbitals with the O-2p orbitals, in particular those in the perovskite layers, which is the key to the formation of the higher energy valence band. Bi 5 SrTi 3 O 14 Cl exhibited higher activity for O 2 evolution than Bi 5 PbTi 3 O 14 Cl, suggesting the detrimental effect of Pb2+ on the photocatalytic activity, thereby allowing the construction of a Z-scheme water splitting system workable under visible light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of exogenous cAMP on the activities of the stress enzymes were studied using the extracts from stigmas and styles of Lilium longiflorum cv. Hinomoto without pollination in relation to self-incompatibility. The activity of NADH- and NADPH-dependent oxidases (O2--forming enzymes) was inhibited by cAMP. This inhibition was noncompetitive with NAD(P)H. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has the highest mortality rate among all head and neck cancers. To date, the impact of preoperative malnutrition and sarcopenia on survival in OSCC patients remains controversial. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of preoperative nutritional status and abnormalities in body composition on the mortality of OSCC patients. The disease-specific survival (DSS) rate among patients with a high intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC) and a low psoas muscle mass index was significantly lower than that in controls. Multivariate analysis revealed that a low preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and high IMAC were independent risk factors. We demonstrated that preoperative malnutrition and abnormal body composition, such as abnormal preoperative skeletal muscle quality, are associated with DSS in OSCC patients. Our study suggests that the evaluation of preoperative malnutrition and skeletal muscle quality would be useful for predicting mortality in patients with OSCC. The impact of preoperative malnutrition and sarcopenia on survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients remains controversial. We investigated the effects of the preoperative nutritional status and abnormalities in body composition on the mortality of OSCC patients. A retrospective study involving 103 patients with OSCC was conducted. Disease-specific survival (DSS) according to the preoperative psoas muscle mass index (PMI) and intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC) was evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the predictive performance of the covariates with respect to DSS. The DSS rate in patients with high IMAC and low PMI was significantly lower than that in controls. Multivariate analysis revealed that a low preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and high IMAC were independent risk factors. We demonstrated that preoperative malnutrition and abnormal body composition, such as preoperative skeletal muscle quality, are associated with DSS in OSCC patients. Our study suggests that the evaluation of preoperative malnutrition and skeletal muscle quality would be useful for predicting mortality in patients with OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In recent years, much research has focused on how exercise improves cancer prognosis and how the protein myokine, which is associated with exercise, inhibits cancer progression. However, there have been few detailed studies on oral cancer. This study is the first to show that exercise inhibits the progression of oral cancer. While other studies have shown that exercise suppresses growth, decreases the tumor formation rate, or improves survival in patients with other organ cancers, this study showed that exercise inhibits tumor formation and growth in oral cancer and prolongs survival. Furthermore, while many studies have demonstrated an indirect immune-mediated mechanism by which exercise suppresses cancer, this study suggests the additional possibility that myokines released by exercise directly affect oral cancer cells. This study has the above novelties. Major advances have been made in cancer treatment, but the prognosis for elderly cancer patients with sarcopenia and frailty remains poor. Myokines, which are thought to exert preventive effects against sarcopenia, have been reported to be associated with the prognosis of various cancers, but their effect on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is unknown. The aim of this study was to clarify the influence of exercise on the control of HNSCC and to examine the underlying mechanism involved. Mice were injected with HSC-3-M3 cells, a human cell line of highly metastatic and poorly differentiated tongue cancer, at the beginning of the study. Just prior to transplantation, blood was collected from the mice, and the levels of myokines were measured by ELISA. Oncostatin M (OSM), a selected myokine, was added to HSC-3-M3 cells, after which the cell proliferation ability, cell cycle, and protein expression were analyzed in vitro. Tumor cell viability was lower (control: 100%, exercise: 75%), tumors were smaller (control: 26.2 mm3, exercise: 6.4 mm3), and survival was longer in the exercise group than in the control group in vivo. OSM inhibited HSC-3-M3 cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner in vitro. The addition of OSM increased the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase, decreased the proportion of cells in the G2/M phase, and increased the expression of the CDK inhibitors p21 and p27. These results indicate that exercise may directly inhibit the proliferation of HNSCC cell lines via OSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Macrophages in the peripheral nervous system are key players in the repair of nerve tissue and the development of neuropathic pain due to peripheral nerve injury. However, there is a lack of information on the origin and morphological features of macrophages in sensory ganglia after peripheral nerve injury, unlike those in the brain and spinal cord. We analyzed the origin and morphological features of sensory ganglionic macrophages after nerve ligation or transection using wild-type mice and mice with bone-marrow cell transplants.Methods: After protecting the head of C57BL/6J mice with lead caps, they were irradiated and transplanted with bone-marrow-derived cells from GFP transgenic mice. The infraorbital nerve of a branch of the trigeminal nerve of wild-type mice was ligated or the infraorbital nerve of GFP-positive bone-marrow-cell-transplanted mice was transected. After immunostaining the trigeminal ganglion, the structures of the ganglionic macrophages, neurons, and satellite glial cells were analyzed using two-dimensional or three-dimensional images.Results: The number of damaged neurons in the trigeminal ganglion increased from day 1 after infraorbital nerve ligation. Ganglionic macrophages proliferated from days 3 to 5. Furthermore, the numbers of macrophages increased from days 3 to 15. Bone-marrow-derived macrophages increased on day 7 after the infraorbital nerve was transected in the trigeminal ganglion of GFP-positive bone-marrow-cell-transplanted mice but most of the ganglionic macrophages were composed of tissue-resident cells. On day 7 after infraorbital nerve ligation, ganglionic macrophages increased in volume, extended their processes between the neurons and satellite glial cells, and contacted these neurons. Most of the ganglionic macrophages showed an M2 phenotype when contact was observed, and little neuronal cell death occurred.Conclusion: Most of the macrophages that appear after a nerve injury are tissue-resident, and these make direct contact with damaged neurons that act in a tissue-protective manner in the M2 phenotype. These results imply that tissue-resident macrophages signal to neurons directly through physical contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kampo medicine was introduced into the core curriculum model of medical education in Japan in 2007, and has been taught at all 80 medical universities across the country. However, as there are differences in terms of content and between universities, Kampo medicine education needs to be standardized. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of combining multiple strategies, including lectures, problem‐based learning (PBL), and simulator training for the development of a standardized educational curriculum for Kampo medicine. Methods: We offered a lectures‐only class (Kampo strategy‐lectures [Ks‐L]), a class with lectures and decoction (Ks‐LD), a class with lectures, decoction, and PBL (Ks‐LDP), and a class with lectures, decoction, PBL, and simulator training (Ks‐LDPS). We analyzed the data from a 12‐item questionnaire conducted by the Faculty Development Committee of Kagoshima University Faculty of Medicine to evaluate the curriculum. Results: Ks‐LDPS was rated significantly higher than the other modules in active learning, and overall satisfaction. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that combining multiple strategies rather than offering classes with lectures promoted a positive attitude to Kampo medicine and deep self‐learning among students, thereby improving the educational effects of Kampo medicine education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection is related to the pathogenesis of chronic gastric disorders and extragastric diseases. Here, we examined the anorexigenic and anxiogenic effects of Hp vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA) through activation of hypothalamic urocortin1 (Ucn1). VacA was detected in the hypothalamus after peripheral administration and increased Ucn1 mRNA expression and c-Fos-positive cells in the hypothalamus but not in the nucleus tractus solitarius. c-Fos and Ucn1-double positive cells were detected. CRF1 and CRF2 receptor antagonists suppressed VacA-induced anxiety and anorexia, respectively. VacA activated single paraventricular nucleus neurons and A7r5 cells; this activation was inhibited by phospholipase C (PLC) and protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors. VacA causes anorexia and anxiety through the intracellular PLC-PKC pathway, migrates across the blood-brain barrier, and activates the Ucn1-CRF receptor axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The read length of single-molecule DNA sequencers is reaching 1 Mb. Popular alignment software tools widely used for analyzing such long reads often take advantage of single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) operations to accelerate calculation of dynamic programming (DP) matrices in the Smith–Waterman–Gotoh (SWG) algorithm with a fixed alignment start position at the origin. Nonetheless, 16-bit or 32-bit integers are necessary for storing the values in a DP matrix when sequences to be aligned are long; this situation hampers the use of the full SIMD width of modern processors. Results: We proposed a faster semi-global alignment algorithm, “difference recurrence relations,” that runs more rapidly than the state-of-the-art algorithm by a factor of 2.1. Instead of calculating and storing all the values in a DP matrix directly, our algorithm computes and stores mainly the differences between the values of adjacent cells in the matrix. Although the SWG algorithm and our algorithm can output exactly the same result, our algorithm mainly involves 8-bit integer operations, enabling us to exploit the full width of SIMD operations (e.g., 32) on modern processors. We also developed a library, libgaba, so that developers can easily integrate our algorithm into alignment programs. Conclusions: Our novel algorithm and optimized library implementation will facilitate accelerating nucleotide long-read analysis algorithms that use pairwise alignment stages. The library is implemented in the C programming language and available at https://github.com/ocxtal/libgaba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of lavender oil inhalation on blood pressure, pulse measurements, cortisol levels, depressive mood, and anxiety in healthy male adults. The mechanism was investigated by the action on oxytocin single neurons in the hypothalamus of rodents. Methods. The participants (n = 7) were aged 20–40 years. After randomisation, they received an inhaled dose of lavender oil or distilled water for 20 min. They received the other treatment after a washout period of one week. We assessed the outcomes using the Self-Rating Depression Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and self-rated unidimensional Visual Analogue Scale for depression; anxiety; and hunger, thirst, and appetite, respectively. Blood pressure, pulse rate, and cortisol concentration in the peripheral blood were assessed before and after inhalation. In the rodent study (n = 4), oxytocin single neurons were isolated from the mouse hypothalamus. Intracellular Ca2+ concentration in the oxytocin neurons isolated from the hypothalamus was measured following direct administration of lavender oil. Results. Seven participants completed the study. Lavender inhalation decreased Self-Rating Depression Scale score and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Ex vivo administration of lavender oil increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration in the hypothalamic oxytocin neurons. Conclusions. Lavender oil might be a useful therapy for stress relief, and its mechanism of action may include activation of the central oxytocin neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient organic light-emitting diodes have been developed using emitters containing rare metals, such as platinum and iridium complexes. However, there is an urgent need to develop emitters composed of more abundant materials. Here we show a thermally activated delayed fluorescence material for organic light-emitting diodes, which realizes both approximately 100% photoluminescence quantum yield and approximately 100% up-conversion of the triplet to singlet excited state. The material contains electron-donating diphenylaminocarbazole and electron-accepting triphenyltriazine moieties. The typical trade-off between effective emission and triplet-to-singlet up-conversion is overcome by fine-tuning the highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital distributions. The nearly zero singlet-triplet energy gap, smaller than the thermal energy at room temperature, results in an organic light-emitting diode with external quantum efficiency of 29.6%. An external quantum efficiency of 41.5% is obtained when using an out-coupling sheet. The external quantum efficiency is 30.7% even at a high luminance of 3,000 cd m−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound, C28H44N2, is one of the precursors of the amphiphilic heteroleptic ruthenium(II) sensitizer for DSC (dye-sensitized solar cells), and its molecule has a crystallographically imposed centre of symmetry. A segregated packing structure between the alk­yl chain layers and pyridine rings is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The presence of cervical lymph node metastasis is the most important prognostic factor in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Therefore, the detection of metastatic lymph nodes before treatment is most important to improve patient prognosis. The purpose of this study was to combine imaging findings of cervical lymph nodes and histopathological factors of biopsy specimens associated with cervical lymph node metastasis in OSCC. Our results suggest that cervical lymph node metastasis is related to the internal echo of ultrasonography (US), rim enhancement of enhanced Computed Tomography (CT), vascular invasion, and Yamamoto–Kohama (YK) classification of biopsy specimens. We have established new diagnostic criteria combining these factors. This strategy may reduce false negative diagnoses of cervical lymph node metastasis. Purpose: To establish a diagnosis method based on imaging findings and histopathological factors associated with cervical lymph node metastasis. Methods: A total of 1587 cervical lymph nodes that were detected using imaging tools in 73 OSCC patients who underwent surgical treatment were enrolled to evaluate the association between imaging findings (long diameter, short diameter, long–short ratio, US findings (hilum and internal echo), contrast effect with enhanced CT, standardized uptake value (SUV) max and SUV average with 18F FDG-Positron Emission Tomography (PET)) and metastatic cervical lymph nodes. In 57 OSCC patients, biopsy specimens were evaluated for histopathologic factors (budding score, lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, nerve invasion, and YK classification) and the presence of cervical lymph node metastases. Cervical lymph node metastasis was determined based on histopathological examination of the lymph nodes of patients with no metastasis observed 3 years after primary surgery. Results: In total, 22 of the 73 patients had cervical lymph node metastasis pathologically. In the comparison of the presence of metastatic lymph nodes, univariate analysis showed significant differences in cervical lymph node long and short diameter, long/short ratio, internal echo, rim enhancement, SUV max, SUV average, budding score, and vascular invasion. Multivariable analysis showed significant differences in internal echo, rim enhancement, SUV max, and budding score. Conclusions: We propose a chart diagnostic system that combines imaging and histopathological findings to improve the diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid proliferation of the emerging yet promising notion of the Internet-of-Vehicles (IoV) has led to the development of a variety of conventional trust assessment schemes to tackle insider attackers. The primary reliance of these frameworks is on the accumulation of individual trust attributes. While aggregating these influential parameters, weights are often associated with each individual attribute to reflect its impact on the final trust score. It is of paramount importance that such weights be precise to lead to an accurate trust assessment. Moreover, the value of the minimum acceptable trust threshold employed for the identification of dishonest vehicles needs to be carefully defined to avoid delayed or erroneous detection. This paper employs an IoT data set from CRAWDAD by suitably transforming it into an IoV format. This data set encompasses information regarding 18,226 interactions among 76 nodes, both honest and dishonest. First, the influencing parameters (i.e., packet delivery ratio, familiarity, timeliness and interaction frequency) were computed, and two feature matrices were formed. The first matrix (FM1) takes into account all the pairwise individual parameters as individual features, whereas the second matrix (FM2) considers the average of all pairwise computations performed for each individual parameter as one feature. Subsequently, unsupervised learning is employed to achieve the ground truth prior to applying supervised machine learning algorithms for classification purposes. It is worth noting that Subspace KNN yielded a perfect precision, recall, and the F1-score equal to 1 for individual parametric scores, whereas Subspace Discriminant returned an ideal precision, recall, and the F1-score equal to 1 for mean parametric scores. It is also evident from extensive simulations that FM2 yielded more accurate classification results compared to FM1. Furthermore, decision boundaries among honest and dishonest vehicles have also been computed for respective feature matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed transgenic (Tg) rats that express human CD4, CCR5, CXCR4, CyclinT1, and CRM1 genes. Tg rat macrophages were efficiently infected with HIV-1 and supported production of infectious progeny virus. By contrast, both rat primary CD4+ T cells and established T cell lines expressing human CD4, CCR5, CyclinT1, and CRM1 genes were infected inefficiently, but this was ameliorated by inhibition of cyclophilin A. The infectivity of rat T cell-derived virus was lower than that of human T cell-derived virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Injection molding of thin-wall parts with micro/nano-scale patterns using various polymers was performed to clarify the processability and surface replication of molded parts. Effects of process conditions on processability, higher-order structure and surface properties of molded parts were evaluated. The optical anisotropy in the vicinity of the gate became higher than at any other positions. The height replication ratio of surface patterns increased with increasing injection speed, holding pressure, injection temperature and mold temperature. In the case of nanomolding, negative birefringence toward the flow direction appeared higher than at the skin–shear region from the observation of skin–shear and core structure inside molded parts. Thus, the molecular orientation axis was oriented along the thickness direction because of deformation during the demolding process. Thermal stability of nano-surface patterns was influenced by the size of surface features and internal higher-order structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Layered bismuth oxyhalides with bilayered (Bi2O2) fluorite (FL) slabs are promising visible‐light photocatalysts because of their excellent stability and the ability to adjust band levels depending on the layers combined. It is interesting to manipulate the Bi2O2 slab itself, but only trilayered FL blocks (e.g., Bi3O4) are reported so far. Here, a structurally uncharacterized Bi12O17Cl2, which is extensively studied as a photocatalyst for a variety of reactions, has a sextuple Bi6O8.5 block separated by Cl is shown. Unlike double and triple layered cases, the inner region of the Bi6O8.5 block contains 1D rock‐salt (RS) units in the FL matrix along the a‐axis, causing in‐plane corrugation. A topochemical reaction involving anion‐exchange gives Bi12O17–0.5xFxCl2 (x ≤ 6) with alternate FL and RS slabs along the c‐axis. The elimination of the structural corrugation increases higher photo‐conductivity and improves photocatalytic activity against acetic acid decomposition under visible light irradiation. This study paves new opportunities of controlling the properties of layered bismuth oxyhalides by the thickness of Bi–O block, FL/RS configuration, and structural modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging yet promising paradigm of Internet-of-Vehicles (IoV) has received considerable attention in the recent years as an integral and indispensable constituent of the modern intelligent transportation systems, wherein safety-critical information is exchanged amongst the connected vehicles via a high-bandwidth, low-latent vehicle-to-everything communication system so as to ensure road safety and highly efficient traffic flows. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to ensure the authenticity and reliability of such safety messages together with the legitimacy of the vehicles disseminating the same. This necessitates instituting a state-of-the-art trust-based mechanism in order to not only identify but to further evict the malicious vehicles from an IoV network. The risk augments if a malicious vehicle (via its malign attempts) assume the role of a cluster head in a cluster, thereby jeopardizing the safety of both the occupants of the vehicles and vulnerable pedestrians. Hence, intelligent algorithms with a potential to opt for both a trusted and a resource efficient cluster head needs to be put into place to guarantee the overall security and resource efficacy of the corresponding cluster. Accordingly, in this paper, we have envisaged a scalable hybrid trust-based model which introduces a composite metric encompassing the weighted amalgamation of a vehicle's computed trust score and its corresponding available resources in order to ensure that the stringent performance requirements of the safety-critical vehicular applications are fully met. A Hungarian algorithm-based role assignment mechanism has been subsequently envisaged for the selection of an optimal cluster head, proxy cluster head, and followers amongst the members of a vehicular cluster for maximizing its overall efficacy. Furthermore, the notion of an adaptive threshold has been proposed in order to identify and subsequently eliminate the smart malicious vehicles from an IoV network in a timely manner, i.e., as soon as they start exhibiting an adverse behavior, to guarantee that the network is not manipulated for any malicious gains. Extensive simulations have been carried out and performance analysis demonstrates the efficaciousness of our proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present unified performance analysis framework of distributed transmit beamforming (DTB) with residual phase errors which arise from various sources such as imperfect synchronization and channel feedback quantization. More specifically, we derive statistics of the receive signal-to-noise ratio of DTB in Rayleigh and Rician fading channels in the presence of residual phase errors. In the case of residual phase errors caused by channel feedback quantization, we show that the distribution of residual phase errors can be modeled by uniform distribution in Rayleigh fading channels and Gaussian distribution in Rician fading channels. Also, our results reveal that a small number of bits are sufficient for quantized feedback to achieve comparable performance to DTB with perfect channel feedback. Finally, capitalizing on the derived statistics, we present closed-form expressions for the outage probability and the ergodic capacity of DTB with quantized channel feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents and evaluates artificial neural network (ANN) models used for macrocell path-loss prediction. Measurement data obtained by utilizing the IS-95 pilot signal from a commercial code-division multiple-access (CDMA) mobile network in rural Australia are used to train and evaluate the models. A simple neuron model and feed-forward networks with different numbers of hidden layers and neurons are evaluated regarding their training time, prediction accuracy, and generalization properties. Furthermore, different backpropagation training algorithms, such as gradient descent and Levenberg--Marquardt, are evaluated. The artificial neural network inputs are chosen to be distance to base station, parameters easily obtained from terrain path profiles, land usage, and vegetation type and density near the receiving antenna. The path-loss prediction results obtained by using the ANN models are evaluated against different versions of the semi-terrain based propagation model Recommendation ITU-R P.1546 and the Okumura--Hata model. The statistical analysis shows that a non-complex ANN model performs very well compared with traditional propagation models with regard to prediction accuracy, complexity, and prediction time. The average ANN prediction results were 1) maximum error: 22 dB; 2) mean error: 0 dB; and 3) standard deviation: 7 dB. A multilayered feedforward network trained using the standard backpropagation algorithm was compared with a neuron model trained using the Levenberg--Marquardt algorithm. It was found that the training time decreases from 150 000 to 10 iterations, while the prediction accuracy is maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fossil record provides useful information to estimate what island communities were like before human colonization. We examined the species composition of the subfossil land snail fauna of dune deposits at the Yatsuse River, central Chichijima, Ogasawara Islands, and compared it with the species recorded in Chichijima since the nineteenth century. The 22 species in the dune deposits included 13 species that are now extinct in Chichijima. Live specimens of 11 of these extinct species were recorded in the early twentieth century, but no living Mandarna pallasiana and Ogasawarana obtusa Chiba et al., n. sp., have ever been recorded. Age of the sediment, estimated by radiocarbon (14C) dating, was 720 years B.P., and it is possible that these two land snail species became extinct as a result of the impact of human colonization of the island, which started in 1830. Specifically Ogasawarana obtusa, n. sp., became extinct before the start of taxonomic studies of the land snails of Ogasawara. The sample included Hawaiia minuscula, which is generally now considered a cosmopolitan species introduced from North America. This finding suggests that Hawaiia minuscula is not alien in Ogasawara but indigenous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 often have higher viral loads and progress to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome more rapidly than adults. In our previous study of simian–human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)-infected adult monkeys, immature CD4CD8 double-positive T cells in the thymus and jejunum decreased faster than mature CD4 single-positive T cells. Here, we examined the effect of virus replication on immature T cells from the same SHIV-inoculated newborn monkeys having more immature T cells than adults. The infectious viruses were more abundantly detected in the thymus than in other tissues at both 13 and 26 days post-infection (dpi). However, mature CD4+ T cells in the thymus declined after 13 dpi and immature CD3− CD4 single-positive T cells remained at 26 dpi. These results suggested that many immature CD4+ T cells in the thymus of newborns support the production of infectious viruses even after the depletion of mature CD4+ T cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) have become widely used in asthma management during pregnancy since the publication of the NIH report Management of Asthma during Pregnancy in 1993. In the current study, the usefulness and safety of ICSs in the treatment of pregnant women with asthma were investigated. Methods: Of 11,358 women who delivered in our hospital between January 1987 and December 2003, 592 women had asthma. Their midwifery records, delivery records, and clinical charts retained in the outpatient clinic of the internal medicine department were reviewed to identify treatments provided, pregnancy/delivery course, and possible perinatal abnormalities. On the basis of these data, the usefulness and safety of ICSs were retrospectively investigated. Results: The percentage of pregnant women with asthma receiving asthma treatment was 17.5% from 1987 to 1989, 32.7% from 1990 to 1994, 43.8% from 1995 to 1999, and 40.7% from 2000 to 2003. Among those treated, the proportion treated with ICSs showed an increase (0% from 1987 to 1989, 10.0% from 1990 to 1994, 55.3% from 1995 to 1999, and 83.3% from 2000 to 2003). Intrapartum asthma attacks occurred in 1.38% of the asthma patients from 1995 to 1999, while there was no such occurrence in 2000 or later. In the untreated patients, the incidence of perinatal abnormalities remained unchanged with the guideline publication (31.6% before and 31.3% after). In contrast, the incidence of perinatal abnormalities in the treated patients decreased from 59.6% to 26.2% with the guideline publication. The incidence of perinatal abnormality among the treated was compared between the ICS therapy and non-ICS therapy groups. No difference was observed between the two groups from 1987 to 1994, but from 1995 to 2003, the total incidence of perinatal abnormalities was significantly higher in the non-ICS group. Conclusions: ICSs can be considered to be safe and useful for the prevention of asthma attacks during pregnancy and for decreasing perinatal abnormalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) have become widely used in asthma management during pregnancy since the publication of the NIH report Management of Asthma during Pregnancy in 1993. In the current study, the usefulness and safety of ICSs in the treatment of pregnant women with asthma were investigated. Methods: Of 11,358 women who delivered in our hospital between January 1987 and December 2003, 592 women had asthma. Their midwifery records, delivery records, and clinical charts retained in the outpatient clinic of the internal medicine department were reviewed to identify treatments provided, pregnancy/delivery course, and possible perinatal abnormalities. On the basis of these data, the usefulness and safety of ICSs were retrospectively investigated. Results: The percentage of pregnant women with asthma receiving asthma treatment was 17.5% from 1987 to 1989, 32.7% from 1990 to 1994, 43.8% from 1995 to 1999, and 40.7% from 2000 to 2003. Among those treated, the proportion treated with ICSs showed an increase (0% from 1987 to 1989, 10.0% from 1990 to 1994, 55.3% from 1995 to 1999, and 83.3% from 2000 to 2003). Intrapartum asthma attacks occurred in 1.38% of the asthma patients from 1995 to 1999, while there was no such occurrence in 2000 or later. In the untreated patients, the incidence of perinatal abnormalities remained unchanged with the guideline publication (31.6% before and 31.3% after). In contrast, the incidence of perinatal abnormalities in the treated patients decreased from 59.6% to 26.2% with the guideline publication. The incidence of perinatal abnormality among the treated was compared between the ICS therapy and non-ICS therapy groups. No difference was observed between the two groups from 1987 to 1994, but from 1995 to 2003, the total incidence of perinatal abnormalities was significantly higher in the non-ICS group. Conclusions: ICSs can be considered to be safe and useful for the prevention of asthma attacks during pregnancy and for decreasing perinatal abnormalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which assayed the tissue distribution and multiplicity of enzymes that generate and scavenge reactive oxygen species in Japanese monkey. Materials; Methodology; Results and discussion.

Background: Electrical cardioversion (ECV) is widely used to restore sinus rhythm in critically ill adult patients with atrial fibrillation, although its prognostic value is uncertain. This study aims to elucidate the clinical meaning of successful ECV. Methods: This is a sub-analysis of the AFTER-ICU study, a multicenter prospective study with a cohort of 423 adult non-cardiac patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients that underwent ECV within 7 days after initial onset of AF were included in the sub-analysis. We compared intensive care unit (ICU) and overall hospital mortality, survival time within 30 days, cardiac rhythm at ICU discharge, and the length of ICU and overall hospital stay between patients whose sinus rhythm was restored immediately after the first ECV session (primary success group) and those in whom it was not restored (unsuccessful group). To find the factors related to the primary success of ECV, we also compared patient characteristics, the delivered energy, and pretreatment. Results: Sixty-five patients received ECV and were included in this study. Although 35 patients (54%) had primary success, recurrence of AF occurred in 24 of these patients (69%). At ICU discharge, three patients still had AF in the unsuccessful group, but no patients in the primary success group still had AF. ICU mortality was 34% in the primary success group and 17% in the unsuccessful group (P = 0.10). Survival time within 30 days did not differ between the groups. Delivered energy and pretreatment were not associated with primary success of ECV. Conclusions: The primary success rate of ECV for new-onset AF in adult non-cardiac ICU population was low, and even if it succeeded, the subsequent recurrence rate was high. Primary success of ECV did not affect the rate of mortality. Pretreatment and delivered energy were not associated with the primary success of ECV. Trial registration: UMIN clinical trial registry, the Japanese clinical trial registry (registration number: UMIN000026401, March 31, 2017). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]