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Atsuko Kawai,1,2 Masatake Kurita,1,3,4 Satoshi Nishino,3,4 Eishin Hirata,5 Tadahiro Sato,5 Yoshiro Okubo1 1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Nippon Medical School, Bunkyo-ku, 2Total Health Clinic, Nanyo, 3Natori Station Front Clinic, Natori, 4Laboratory of Pharmacotherapy of Life-Style Related Diseases, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 5Sato Hospital, Nanyo, Japan Abstract: Many smokers find it difficult to stop smoking without assistance. The antidepressants bupropion and nortriptyline can aid smoking cessation. The main aim of this study was to understand the pathophysiology of smoking cessation better based on biological backgrounds. We investigated the following biological markers for any alterations during smoking cessation in the absence of pharmacotherapy: the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA), the noradrenaline metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Assessment and blood sampling were performed at a baseline (the start) time point and at a critical time point during smoking cessation. Seven of 30 smokers quit during a 16-week follow-up period; these smokers were defined as remission group from tobacco dependence. The remaining 23 smokers were categorized as hardcore smokers. The smoking group was compared with 23 non-smokers matched for age and gender. We compared blood levels of biological markers in each of the three groups. The hardcore smoker group showed significant decreases in HVA and MHPG levels between baseline and the critical time point (p=0.018 and p=0.033, respectively). However, the remission from tobacco dependence group exhibited no significant changes in any of the biomarkers examined. They had lower scores on the Minnesota nicotine withdrawal scale than the hardcore smoker group (p=0.002). The hardcore smoker group had higher MHPG and BDNF levels than the non-smoker group (p=0.002 and p

A woman was diagnosed with non-24-hour sleep–wake syndrome and depressive symptoms. Her depressive symptoms did not respond to standard doses of several antidepressants or mood stabilizers. Furthermore, her sleep–wake cycle remained non-entrained despite treatment with a melatonin-related drug, vitamin B12, and phototherapy. Ultimately, her sleep–wake rhythm was restored to a 24-hour pattern with a low dose of valproic acid, and her depressive symptoms tended to improve as a result of synchronization without antidepressants. Low-dose valproic acid appears to be one of the effective means of entraining circadian rhythms in patients with non-24-hour sleep–wake syndrome, which in turn likely improves associated depressive symptoms.

Masatake Kurita,1–3 Satoshi Nishino,1,2 Yukio Numata,1 Yoshiro Okubo,3 Tadahiro Sato11Sato Hospital, Koutokukai, Nanyo, Yamagata, Japan; 2Department of Cellular Signaling, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan; 3Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, JapanBackground: Treatment of the depressive and manic states in bipolar disorder I (BDI) is a challenge for psychiatrists. Despite the recognized importance of the switch phenomenon, the precise mechanisms underlying this process are yet to be shown. We conducted a naturalistic study in two BDI patients to determine whether biological markers (monoamine metabolites and brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF]) are associated with the switch between depressive and manic states.Case presentation and methods: Blood sampling and mood assessments were performed at 2-week intervals over a period of 2 (Case 1, n=72) and 6 (Case 2, n=183) years. Plasma concentrations of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Plasma BDNF was assayed by sandwich ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).Results: MHPG had the highest standardized coefficient (β) in the multiple regression analysis. We found a significant positive correlation between Young Mania Rating Scale scores and plasma MHPG levels (Case 1: р=0.429; Case 2: р=0.488), and a significant negative correlation between Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale scores and MHPG levels (Case 1: р=-0.542; Case 2: р=-0.465). Conversely, no significant correlation was found between the level of BDNF and the presence of a manic or depressive state, and although HVA had a slightly stronger correlation than MHPG, the levels of neither of these were found to significantly correlate with the symptoms.Conclusion: These data suggest that peripheral MHPG levels (which is related to noradrenaline levels in the brain) could be used as a biomarker of mood states in BDI. The noradrenaline level in the brain is likely to reflect the clinical characteristics of the switch process in BDI, and has prognostic significance for the treatment of both manic and depressive states.Keywords: brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), monoamine, dopamine, homovanilic acid (HVA), depression, pathophysiology, mood disorder

Mood stabilizers such as lithium (Li) or valproic acid (VPA) are used in the therapy of bipolar disorders, but the mechanisms by which these medicines work is unclear. Recently, neuroprotection has attracted attention as a potential action for VPA and Li. The close spatial relationship of the pre- and post-synapse with an astrocyte process within a 'tripartite synapse' suggests that mood stabilizer actions on astrocytes may be important. Therefore, we examined the effect of Li and VPA, at therapeutic concentrations, on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) production in cultured human astrocytoma cells over an extended period of exposure. Released (extracellular) and intracellular BDNF was measured with sandwich-ELISA. Intracellular BDNF mRNA was also quantified using RT-PCR. VPA treatment potentiated the level of extracellular BDNF, whereas Li reduced it. Furthermore, VPA caused increased intracellular levels of BDNF protein and mRNA, while exposure to Li led to no significant differences compared to control cells. We suggest the possibility that VPA and Li have divergent effects on astrocyte BDNF production. Mood stabilizers play an essential role in regulating BDNF not only in neurons, but also in astrocytes. These findings could form the basis of a new astrocyte-targeted approach towards developing effective medications to treat bipolar disorders.

An accurate prediction of ocean tides in southeast Alaska is developed using a regional, barotropic ocean model with a finite difference scheme. The model skill is verified by the observational tidal harmonics in southeast Alaska including Glacier Bay. The result is particularly improved in Glacier Bay compared to the previous model described by Foreman et al. (2000). The model bathymetry dominates the model skill. We re-estimate tidal energy dissipation in the Alaska Panhandle and suggest a value for tidal energy dissipation of 3.4 GW associated with the M2 constituent which is 1.5 times the estimation of Foreman et al. (2000). A large portion of the M2 energy budget entering through Chatham Strait is dissipated in the vicinity of Glacier Bay. Moreover, it is shown that the developed model has the potential to correct the ocean tide loading effect in geodetic data more efficiently than the model of Foreman et al. (2000), especially around Glacier Bay.

The search for weak oscillations in noisy records requires the development of analysis tools more sophisticated than the Fourier spectrum analysis. We present in this paper a new non-linear damped harmonic analysis (NLDHA) method that enables us to detect any damped harmonic signal hidden in noise and to simultaneously estimate the amplitude, frequency, phase and damping factor of the harmonic signal. We also compare this newly developed NLDHA method with a conventional auto-regressive method called ESPRIT. The application of the NLDHA method to the seismic normal modes 0S2 and 0S3 excited after the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake highlights its ability to precisely recover the frequencies and quality factors of the singlets that constitute these two seismic modes. The application of the NLDHA in the sub-seismic frequency band reveals the presence of some unmodelled waves but no detection of the translational oscillation of the inner core has been claimed.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami reached Syowa Station, Antarctica, approximately 12.5 hr after the December Sumatra–Andaman earthquake. We have analyzed the tsunami signals recorded on ocean-bottom pressure gauges, broadband seismometers (sts-1), and a superconducting gravimeter (sg). We calculated the sea level variation, tilt, and gravity changes induced by the tsunami and compared these results to observations. From this comparison we confirmed the loading and gravity effects of the tsunamis on the sts-1 (horizontal components) and the sg records at Syowa Station. The magnitudes of these effects given as root mean square amplitudes are as follows: for the tilt effects obtained from 20-hr-long sts-1 records at frequencies in the range 0.3–0.6 mHz, 5 and 8 μGal (10−8 m/sec2) in the east–west and north–south directions, respectively; and for the gravity effect obtained from the sg records for the same time period of 20 hr at frequencies in the range 0.1–0.2 mHz, 0.2 μGal. By using detailed bathymetry around Syowa Station, the synthetic amplitudes similar to the observed were obtained, although the waveforms of synthetic and observation are not always consistent.

Recent theoretical simulations on the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) have revealed that the model differences arising from considering mantle compressibility are not necessarily negligible if compared with the observation accuracy of present-day deformation rates. In this study, a compressible model is constructed for the GIA in southeast Alaska, and the uplift rate is compared with GPS data and the incompressible case for the first time. It is shown that, for Maxwell rheology, the incompressible model potentially underestimates the mean uplift rate by approximately 27% (4 mm/yr) with respect to the compressible case and the difference is detectable given observational precision. This difference between the compressible and incompressible models is reduced to 10% by matching the flexural rigidity of both earth models. When carrying out an inversion using incompressible models, this adjustment is important to infer a physically more correct viscoelastic structure.

OBJECTIVE: To report 3 cases of severe behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) with fluvoxamine treatment and to discuss the treatment implications for use of the drug. CASE SUMMARY: An 83-year-old woman was diagnosed with AD. Before treatment, she showed sudden irritation and excitement. Her BEHAVE-AD score was 40. She was started on fluvoxamine and quetiapine. Eight weeks later, she was friendly and thankful towards the staff. Her BEHAVE-AD score was 10. The second case was a 79-year-old woman diagnosed with AD. Before treatment, she attempted to leave our hospital and wandered and shouted throughout the day. Her BEHAVE-AD score was 42. She was started on fluvoxamine, and the dosage was gradually increased. Eight weeks later, the shouting and excitement disappeared almost completely. Her BEHAVE-AD score was 13. The third case was a 79-year-old man diagnosed with AD. Before treatment, we put him in a private, locked room because he was extremely agitated and violent because of delusions. His BEHAVE-AD score was 42. He was started on fluvoxamine and sodium valproate. Eight weeks later, the delusion became mild and did not affect his mood or behavior. His BEHAVE-AD score at this point was 4. DISCUSSION: Fluvoxamine was effective in controlling BPSD with AD. This finding shows that the pathophysiology of BPSD due to AD may occur because of a hyposerotonergic state in the brain. CONCLUSION: These cases show that fluvoxamine appears to be effective in the control of BPSD with AD.

SUMMARY We have analysed the Ny-Alesund very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) data over the period 1994 August to 2004 May, and we obtain secular displacement rates relative to a NNR-NUVEL-1A reference frame of 0.2 ± 0.5 mm yr −1 , −1.7 ± 0.5 mm yr −1 and 4.8 ± 1.1 mm yr −1 for the north, east and vertical directions, respectively. The corresponding global positioning system (GPS) station displacement rates relative to the same reference frame for the north, east, and vertical directions are 0.2 ± 0.6 mm yr −1 , −2.3 ± 0.6 mm yr −1 , and 6.4 ± 1.5 mm yr −1 at NYA1 and -−0.1 ± 0.5 mm yr −1 , −1.6 ± 0.5 mm yr −1 , and 6.9 ± 0.9 mm yr −1 at NALL, where these GPS rates were derived from the ITRF2000 velocity solution of Heflin. From the comparison at 25 globally distributed collocated sites, we found that the difference in uplift rate between VLBI and GPS at Ny-Alesund is mainly due to a GPS reference frame scale rate error corresponding to 1.6 mm yr −1 in the GPS vertical rates. The uplift rate was estimated to be 5.2 ± 0.3 mm yr −1 from the analysis of the tide gauge data at Ny-Alesund. Hence the uplift rates obtained from three different kinds of data are very consistent each other. The absolute gravity (AG) measurements at Ny-Alesund, which were carried out four times (period: 1998‐2002) by three different FG5 absolute gravimeters, lead to a decreasing secular rate of −2.5 ± 0.9 μGal yr −1 (1 μGal = 10 −8 ms −2 ). In this analysis, the actual data obtained from a superconducting gravimeter at Ny-Alesund were used in the corrections for the gravity tide (including the ocean tide effect) and for the air pressure effect. We have

ライフスタイルや消費者意識の変化, 環境問題への意識向上により, 家電製品の顧客ニーズは量の時代から質の時代に入り, 他とは異なった個性を重んじる傾向や所有に拘らない意識が台頭し, 折りしも地球環境問題として持続可能な発展をコンセプトに, モノを所有する時代からサービスや価値を消費する時代へとサービス経済への移行の重要性が叫ばれ始め, 特に, 特定家庭用機器商品化法 (通称家電リサイクル法) の2001年4月完全実施を控え, 消費者の意識変革とリサイクル料金負担義務化を背景に, 2000年10月から消費者にとっても生産者にとっても, 『一石二鳥』の新しい環境ビジネスとして中長期使用の家電レンタルビジネスを開始しました。これは, 使用者の初期費用負担軽減・期間中の修理代無料や廃棄処分費用負担不要の直接効果に加えて環境負荷低減の潜在力をも有し, 資源を無駄にしない循環型社会に結びつく効果が期待されます。

We have analyzed 4 years of gravity data (September 1999–August 2003) obtained from the superconducting gravimeter at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard in Arctic. The tidal analysis results indicate that the time variation in amplitude and phase of the short-period gravity tides may be due to the seasonal variation of the ocean tides, especially in the semidiurnal band. The gravity residuals, which were reduced from the following three effects from the original data: (1) the observed short- and long-period tides (up to the annual Sa wave) including the loading and attraction of ocean tide, (2) the air pressure and (3) the polar motion, show clear correlation with the computed hydrological effects (i.e. the effects of soil moisture and snow) in both the amplitude and phase. However, we found that the gravity data reveal a problem in the snow model at Ny-Alesund that was used for the computation. The vertical motion obtained from the continuous GPS measurements carried out near the gravity station shows seasonal variations that are consistent with the gravity data at least in their sign.

Long duration precise and stable tidal observations are recorded to detect the temporal variation of free core nutation (also called the fluid core resonance, FCR) parameters, so as to reveal geophysical and dynamical processes at the core mantle boundary (CMB) of the Earth. At Esashi Earth Tides Station of National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the tidal admittance and the non-tidal signal are estimated from 17 years of records with three extensometer data. From the estimated admittances of diurnal tidal constituents, the FCR parameters are fitted. The obtained time series of FCR eigenperiod and quality factor show 10-11 years scale temporal variation. The range of the eigenperiod variation is several dozens sidereal days (s.d.). This phenomenon is validated and confirmed by the gravitational tidal observation of a co-located super-conducting gravimeter (SG) with the observation from 1992 to 2002. Overestimated atmospheric response, extra loading effects from the temporal variations of local rock properties and of ocean tidal constituents, as well as the flattening variation of the topography at CMB are suggested to be the possible mechanisms to cause the periodical variation of FCR parameters. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

We have estimated the parameters of fluid core resonance (FCR) due to the nearly diurnal free wobble of the Earth's core based on the superconducting gravimeter (SG) data obtained at the following four observation sites; Esashi and Matsushiro in Japan, Canberra in Australia and Membach in Belgium. By fitting the tidal admittances normalized with the O1 wave at each site to a model of the damped harmonic oscillator, we obtained values of 429.66 ± 1.43 sidereal days, 9350–10,835, −4.828E−4 ± 3.4E−6, −3.0E−5 ± 4.5E−6 for the eigenperiod, the Q-value and the real and imaginary parts of the resonance strength, respectively. Our values obtained from only using the gravity data are very consistent with those inferred from the VLBI nutation data. Our study strongly indicates that the systematic difference between two estimations from the gravity and the nutation in particular for the Q-value, which has been shown in previous works, is mainly caused by the inaccurate correction for the ocean tide effects. The error in the ocean tide correction is discussed based on the comparison among four global ocean tide models; Schwiderski model (1980), NAO.99b (Matsumoto et al., 2000), CSR4.0 (Eanes and Bettadpur, 1994) and GOT99.2b (Ray, 1999).

対イオンをドデシル硫酸イオンに交換したトリメチルアンモニオプロピル基を側鎖にもつアクリルアミドゲルの水/有機混合溶媒中での膨潤挙動を検討した. 水/アセトン混合溶媒中では, 溶媒のアセトン含有率を大きくすると, ある含有率で収縮したゲルが急激に体積増加する現象が観察された. さらに含有率が増大すると, ゲルは再収縮する傾向が見られた. その他の有機溶媒を用いたときも, 急激な膨潤を示す点が見られた. この急激な膨潤は, 有機溶媒を加えることによってゲル中に存在していたドデシル硫酸イオンの集合体が破壊されることによって引き起こされていることが示唆された.

トリメチルアンモニウム基を含有するアクリルアミドゲルを合成し, その界面活性剤水溶液中での膨潤挙動と内部状態との関係について検討した. 陽イオン性界面活性剤水溶液中では, ゲル内の界面活性剤濃度は外液の濃度よりも低かったのに対して, 陰イオン性界面活性剤中においては, ゲル中の界面活性剤濃度は外液中の濃度よりも高くなった. また, ドデシル硫酸ナトリウム水溶液中に浸したゲルを純水に浸すと, さらに収縮した. アンモニウム基とスルホ基を併せもつ両性イオン性ゲルでは, アンモニウム基がスルホ基よりも過剰な場合に, アンモニウム基のみを含むゲルと類似の膨潤挙動を示した. これらの結果から, ゲルに界面活性剤が対イオンとして取込まれたときゲルが収縮すること, 高濃度水溶液中では過剰な界面活性剤の取込みが起こり, そのときに体積増加が見られることが明らかになった.

Records of superconducting gravimeters (SGs) at Canberra (Australia), Esashi (Japan), Metsahovi (Finland) and Syowa Stations (Antarctica) were analyzed to search for further evidence of background free oscillations of the Earth. Spectrograms for 1-year period and averaged power spectra for seismically quiet periods were obtained for each of the stations. Anomalous features of the oscillations observed at Syowa Station, such as an apparent seasonal variation and a high intensity at frequencies between 3 and 4 mHz, were absent at the other SG stations. Among the SG stations used in this study, the background free oscillations were detected most consistently and distinctly at Canberra, where the noise level was comparable to that at the IDA quietest station, while that at Syowa Station was close to the critical limit for detecting the oscillations. The background free oscillations provide a good reference to evaluate the noise level in the milliHertz band.

The long-period tides (Mf and Mm waves) were analyzed with the 2 years data obtained with a superconducting gravimeter (SG) installed at Syowa Station (69.0° S, 39.6° E), Antarctica. The observed amplitudes, phase lags and amplitude factors (δ factors) were 11.642 ± 0.035 μGal, −0.12° ± 0.17° and 1.1218 ± 0.0034 for the Mf wave, and 6.143 ± 0.058 μGal, 0.33° ± 0.54° and 1.1205 ± 0.0106 for the Mm wave, respectively (1 μGal = 10 −8 m s −2 ). The ocean tide effects (effects of the attraction and loading due to the ocean mass) at the observation site were estimated using the five global ocean tide models: equilibrium ocean tide model, Schwiderski model (Schwiderski, E.W., 1980. On charting global ocean tides. Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 18, 243–268.), Dickman model (Dickman, S.R., 1989. A complete spherical harmonic approach to luni-solar tides. Geophys. J. Int. 99, 457–468.), CSR model (Eanes, R.J., 1995. Private communication.), and Desai and Wahr model (Desai, S.H., Wahr, J.M., 1995. Empirical ocean tide models estimated from TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry. J. Geophys. Res. 100, 25205–25228.). The averages of the five estimates are 0.433 μGal and 0.244 μGal in amplitude and 192.9° and 179.5° in phase for the Mf and Mm waves, respectively. The five estimates differ by a maximum of 0.104 μGal in amplitude and 18.8° in phase for the Mf wave, and by 0.033 μGal and 6.4° for the Mm wave. The estimated Mm phases are nearly 180° for the five models, and the variation of their values among the models is relatively small compared with that of the Mf phases. These indicate that the Mm wave is much closer to an equilibrium tide than the Mf wave. Due to the variation of the ocean tide corrections, the corrected δ factors were scattered within the ranges of 1.158 to 1.169 for the Mf wave and of 1.163 to 1.169 for the Mm wave. However, it is noted that the mean δ factors of the five ocean models, i.e. 1.162 ± 0.023 for the Mf wave and 1.165 ± 0.014 for the Mm wave, prefer slightly larger value rather than those estimated from the theory of the elastic tide.

We carried out a several day experiment at two sites to verify the precision of the FG5 absolute gravimeter through collocation with superconducting gravimeters. We found 2 to 4 microgal diurnal/semi-diurnal signals in the time series of absolute gravity measurements. These signals agreed well with theoretical ocean tide both in amplitude and in phase, demonstrating that the FG5's precision is better than 2 microgal. Furthermore, we found that the discrepancy between the FG5 measurements and the SG measurements is 1.3 to 1.5 microgal. These results verify that the FG5 is precise to 1 to 2 microgal.

The descriptive term behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) is used to cover a range of noncognitive disturbances including anxiety, depression, irritability, aggression, agitation, eating disorders, and inappropriate social or sexual behaviors. Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia are seen in about 90% of patients with dementia. We aimed to compare the efficacy and tolerability of risperidone, yokukansan, and fluvoxamine used for BPSD in elderly patients with dementia. Ninety inpatients with dementia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria were investigated in Sato Hospital, Koutokukai. We conducted an 8-week, rater-blinded, randomized trial, administering flexibly dosed risperidone, yokukansan, or fluvoxamine. Primary outcome measures were Neuropsychiatric Inventory in Nursing Home Version total score and its items. Secondary outcome measures were cognitive function measured by Mini-Mental State Examination and daily life function measured by Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Neurological adverse effects were measured by the Drug-Induced Extra-Pyramidal Symptoms Scale. At the end of the study, we analyzed 76 patients (92.7%). Mean Neuropsychiatric Inventory in Nursing Home Version total score decreased in all 3 drug groups, with no significant between-group differences. Mini-Mental State Examination and Functional Independence Measure scores did not change significantly. Drug-Induced Extra-Pyramidal Symptoms Scale scores did not change in the yokukansan and fluvoxamine groups, but increased significantly in the risperidone group. Risperidone, yokukansan, and fluvoxamine were equally effective in the treatment of BPSD in elderly patients. However, yokukansan or fluvoxamine for BPSD showed a more favorable profile in tolerability compared with risperidone. This trial is registered at UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (identifier: UMIN000006146).

The combination therapy of counseling and medication is very important in smoking cessation treatment. Motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) are interventions recommended in two well-recognized guidelines for smoking cessation in the United States. MI is effective for those who do not want to quit smoking; CBT for those who cannot but want to quit smoking, those who repeatedly quit and re-smoke, those who are depressed, and women who are concerned about their weight. However, neither MI nor CBT for smoking cessation is widely practiced in Japan. We describe the nature of, evidence for, and practice of MI and CBT in smoking cessation treatment, hopeful that clinicians and other healthcare staff learn and apply these techniques.

With high-resolution continuous gravity recordings from a regional network of superconducting gravimeters, we have detected permanent changes in gravity acceleration associated with a recent large earthquake. Detected changes in gravity acceleration are smaller than 10 –8 meters seconds –2 (1 micro-Galileo, about 10 –9 times the surface gravity acceleration) and agree with theoretical values calculated from a dislocation model. Superconducting gravimetry can contribute to the studies of secular gravity changes associated with tectonic processes.

Vertical displacements of sea ice accompanied by the ocean tide were measured at Nisi-no-ura Cove on East Ongul Island, Antarctica, and compared with the ocean tide observed by pressure type tide gauge installed at the same cove. The displacements of sea ice were measured at two places which were respectively located at 20m (P20M) and 60m (P60M) offshore of bench mark BM No. 1040. The displacement at P20M, where the sea ice is close to the fast ice, showed strong non-linear behavior in both amplitude and phase compared with the ocean tide measured by the bottom-pressure gauge. On the other hand the displacement at P60M was very consistent with the observed ocean tide. According to the 6 measurements made at P60M in the 8 months from May to December, 1993,the differences in amplitude are less than 5% as represented by the ratio of the displacement of the sea ice to the ocean tide.

Kenji Takeyoshi,1,2 Masatake Kurita,1–3 Satoshi Nishino,2,3 Mika Teranishi,1 Yukio Numata,2 Tadahiro Sato,2 Yoshiro Okubo11Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 2Sato Hospital, Koutokukai, Nanyo, Yamagata, 3Department of Cellular Signaling, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, JapanAbstract: Although three drugs, risperidone, yokukansan, and fluvoxamine, have shown equal efficacy in treating behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in our previous study, their mechanisms of action are different from one another. Monoamines have attracted attention for their key roles in mediating several behavioral symptoms or psychological symptoms through synaptic signaling. We aimed to clarify the monoamines changed by treatment with each drug in patients with BPSD. The main purpose of this study was to determine whether plasma levels of catecholamine metabolites are correlated with pharmacological treatments. This was an 8-week, rater-blinded, randomized, flexible-dose, triple-group trial. In total, 90 subjects were recruited and subsequently three different drugs were allocated to 82 inpatients with BPSD. We examined BPSD data from patients who completed 8 weeks of treatment. Eventually, we analyzed 42 patients (yokukansan: 17; risperidone: 9; fluvoxamine: 16). Homovanillic acid, a metabolite of dopamine, and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, a metabolite of noradrenaline, in their plasma were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. All three drugs showed equal significant efficacy between baseline and study endpoint. By contrast, biomarkers showed mutually different changes. Patients in the yokukansan group had significantly decreased plasma homovanillic acid levels from baseline. Conversely, patients in the risperidone and fluvoxamine groups exhibited no significant changes in plasma homovanillic acid levels from baseline. Yokukansan contains geissoschizine methyl ether, which is known to have a partial agonist effect on dopamine D2 receptors. An improvement in BPSD condition with the intake of yokukansan is suggested to occur through a suppressed dopaminergic function, which is similar to the effect of aripiprazole.Keywords: herbal medicine, MHPG, homovanillic acid, HVA, noradrenaline, BPSD

gravity change rates (unit: mGal/yr, 1 mGal = 10 8 ms 2 ) over the 6 sites are estimated to be 4.50 0.76 and 4.30 0.92 by only using our data and also using the 1987 data, respectively. We computed the uplift and gravity rates predicted by ice load models for three different time intervals: Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Little Ice Age (LIA) and Present-Day (PD). Except for 1–2 examples, the predictions recover the observed rates within the observation errors. We also estimated the viscous portion of the ratio (unit: mGal/mm) of the observed gravity rate to the uplift rate by correcting for the effects of the Present-Day Ice Mass Change (PDIMC). Two PDIMC models are compared, which are called here as UAF05 and UAF07. Mean ratios are estimated to be 0.205 0.089 and 0.183 0.052 for the cases using UAF05 and UAF07, respectively. The predicted mean ratios are 0.166 0.001 and 0.171 0.002 for the cases using both the LGA and LIA ice models and only using the LIA ice model, respectively. We have confirmed that our AG and GPS observations detect the rates and ratios reflecting an early stage of viscoelastic relaxation mainly due to the unloading effects after the LIA.

The resonance in the diurnal tide due to the Free Core Nutation (FCN, Toomre, 1974), is investigated by using data from three superconducting gravimeters (SCG) in Japan. To estimate the resonance parameters, i.e. the eigenfrequency, Q-value and strength of the resonance, tidal parameters are normalized to the O1 constituent at each site and simultaneously fitted to a damped harmonic oscillator model. Before fitting, five corrections were applied to the observed tide data: an atmospheric pressure effect, the phase delay introduced by the electronic filter in the SCG, the so-called “inertia correction”, ocean tide effects, and the effect of unconserved mass in the ocean tide models. The present study strongly suggests that the unconserved mass in ocean models used for the correction is responsible for low Q-values for the FCN obtained from the previous tidal estimates (Levine et al., 1986; Neuberg et al., 1987; Richter and Zurn, 1988; Sato, 1984, 1991). We found that the parameters obtained by taking into account mass conservation gives a value for Q which is more consistent with nutation studies based on VLBI data (Gwinn et al., 1986; Herring et al., 1986, 1988) and with the result of Cummins and Wahr (1993) obtained by stacking global gravimeter data. The values of resonance parameters obtained here are: 1.00229±0.0007, 6000 (3240 to ∞), -4.62±0.28×10-4 and 0.01±0.17×10-4 for the frequency in cycle per sidereal days, Q-value, real part of the resonance strength and its imaginary, respectively.

Superconducting gravimeter (SCG) observation is believed to offer high sensitivity and high resolution data for study of the Earth's core dynamics. We describe the importance of SCG installation at Syowa Station at high southern latitudes (69.0°S) for weak signal detection of fluid core resonance, core undertones, Slichter mode, etc. In order to assess the SCG capability as a long-period seismometer, parallel observations using a Streckeisen seismometer and a LaCoste & Romberg type-D gravimeter with the same data acquisition systems are planned. Although leakage of liquid helium from the SCG dewar during the installation procedure in the 33rd Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE-33 : February 1992) delayed the start of the SCG observation, a retrial was performed during JARE-34 (February 1993). The installation proved successful, although fine tuning may still be required.

There have been few reliable reports of observation of seismic core modes, in spite of their geophysical importance. In this study, we analyze low-frequency seismic signals from a superconducting gravimeter (SCG) located at the Esashi Earth Tides Station, Japan, to make observations of core modes. Spectral analysis of an SCG record from the great Macquarie Ridge earthquake, which occurred during the period of our test runs of a SCG, by means of the sompi method has yielded well-resolved signals which are most likely to be the core modes 2S2 and 6S2. Close investigation of the analysis results, however, has revealed that there may be systematic bias in their Q estimates due to some methodological problems. Our tentative conclusion is that the Q values of the core modes observed here are relatively low (probably not exceeding 1000), and also that their amplitudes are larger than theoretically predicted from a spherically symmetric Earth model. At any rate, the present results demonstrate that the SCG also has excellent potential as a long-period seismometer.

few mm a � 1 of horizontal and vertical motions around HS. The calibration factor and driftingrateofT48are � 75.96±0.07mGalV � 1 and0.2±0.7mGala � 1 (1mGal=10 � 8 ms � 2 ). Both the SG and absolute gravity records contain trends of about 2–3 mGal a � 1 . The ocean tide gravity effects (OTGEs) were estimated from NAO.99b, FES2004, and CSR4.0, and their amplitudes agree with the SG observations at the submicroGal level, but their phasesdifferfromtheobservationsupto10.TheNewtonianeffectofoceantidecontributes 20% to the total OTGE at HS, and it is larger at islands in the Taiwan Strait. The inelastic body tide model of Dehant et al. (1999) is more consistent with the SG observations than the elastic model. Modeled gravity-atmosphere admittances based on an exponential distribution of air mass explain well the observed admittances. The average gravityatmosphere admittance during typhoons is 30% larger than that in a nontyphoon time. A list of coseismic gravity changes from T48 caused by earthquakes over 2006–2007 is given for potential studies of fault parameters. The modeled effects of atmospheric pressure, groundwater, soil moisture, and polar motion explain the FG5 observed gravity trend to 1.1 mGal a � 1 . Seasonally, the groundwater-induced gravity change contributes the most

The Indian Ocean Tsunami reached Syowa Station, Antarctica, in approximately 12.5 hours after the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake. We have analyzed the tsunami records of the tide gauge, including the superconducting gravimeter (SG) at the station. The synthetic tsunami and the induced gravity variations were calculated in order to compare with observations. It was found that the gravity effects of the tsunami exhibited an amplitude of microGal (10−8 m/s2); obtained from the Syowa SG. Furthermore, the effects of the tsunami on the Earth’s free oscillation records of the SG were subtracted by applying a transfer function method, using the tide gauge records as input. The improvement of S/N at frequencies of 0.3 mHz is remarkable.

The Southern Ocean is a major link between the world oceans via complicated processes associated with the melting and accumulation of the vast Antarctic ice sheets and the surrounding sea ice. The Southern Ocean sea level is poorly observed except from recent near-polar orbiting space geodetic satellites. In this study, the Southern Ocean mass variations at the seasonal scale are compared using three independent data sets: (1) the Gravity Recovery And Climate Recovery Experiment (GRACE) observed ocean bottom pressure (OBP), (2) steric-corrected satellite altimetry (ENVISAT) and, (3) the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) model OBP data. The height difference between sea level derived from altimetry and steric sea level contains the vertical displacement of the Earth surface due to elastic loading. Here we provide a formulation of this loading term which has not been considered previously in other studies and demonstrate that it is not negligible, especially for regional studies. In this study, we first conduct a global comparison using steric-corrected JASON-1 altimetry with GRACE to validate our technique and to compare with recent studies. The global ocean mass variation comparison shows excellent agreement with high correlation (∼0.81) and with discrepancies at 3–5 mm RMS. However, the discrepancies in the Southern Ocean are much larger at 12–17 mm RMS. The mis-modeling of geocenter variations and the second degree zonal harmonic (J 2) degrade the accuracy of GRACE-derived mass variations, and the choice of ocean temperature data sets and neglecting the loading correction on altimetry affect the OBP comparisons between GRACE and altimetry. This study indicates that the satellite observations (GRACE and ENVISAT) are capable of providing an improved constraint of oceanic mass variations in the Southern Ocean.

From 1972 to 1989, 20 cases of tuberculous peritonitis were seen in Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital. In 13 patients the diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis was made only at autopsy, which in 7 patients was made during life. Of all 20 cases the mean age was 78 years, with a range of 63 to 96 years. There were no differences in mean ages between autopsied patients and clinically diagnosed patients. There were 11 male and 9 female patients. In autopsied patients 6 were male and 7 were female. Of the clinically diagnosed patients 5 were male and 2 were female. Seven of 13 patients who were diagnosed at autopsy had liver diseases, for example liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma or chronic hepatitis. In 4 of 7 patients who were diagnosed during life, ileus was also present and their diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis was made at operation. Only 6 patients had tuberculin test with intermediate strength PPD. There were no positive reactions. In patients who were diagnosed during life, abdominal swelling, anorexia, abdominal pain and fever, the most common clinical manifestations, were seen in 100%, 75%, 50% and 86%, respectively. In contrast, they were seen in 33%, 57%, 0% and 62%, respectively, in autopsied patients. The volume of ascitic fluid varied from zero to 3000 cc. Total white-cell count in the peripheral blood was within or lower than the normal range in 85% of all 20 cases. The lymphocytes count in the peripheral blood was decreased in 95% of all 20 cases. There were no characteristic features in the serum biochemical analysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Accumulating evidence has suggested significant roles of apolipoproteins in lipoprotein metabolism. Therefore it is important to measure serum levels of apolipoproteins to understand the pathophysiology of lipid metabolism. The newly developed turbidimetric immunoassay (TIA) method for the determination of serum apolipoprotein concentration is the first method which can be employed with autoanalyzer, and is expected to be used widely. The standard values of serum concentrations of apolipoproteins measured by the TIA method for Japanese adults and children have been reported recently, but not yet for the elderly. Therefore, we investigated serum concentrations of apolipoproteins (A-I, A-II, B, C-II, C-III and E) in healthy normolipidemic elderly, aged 65-99 years, in order to obtain the standard values of apolipoproteins for the elderly. The subjects consisted of 84 males and 91 females. They had normal serum values for total cholesterol (TC) (120-220 mg/dl) and triglyceride (TG) (50-150 mg/dl). No one demonstrated clinical, biochemical or haematological evidence of cardiovascular, peripheral-vascular, cerebrovascular, hepatic, renal or endocrine disorders. Between-assay and intra-assay coefficient variations were approximately 5% and approximately 1.5%, respectively, in all apolipoproteins examined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Biweekly atmospheric depositions of 137 Cs were measured in Rokkasho, Aomori, Japan from March 2000 to March 2006 to study recent 137 Cs deposition. Although the deposition level was generally lower than the detectable limit, deposition samples collected in spring occasionally had measurable levels of 137 Cs. The annual 137 Cs deposition from 2001 to 2005 was 0.04–0.69 Bq m −2 with a mean value of 0.27 Bq m −2 . Depositions of insoluble Al, Fe and Ti were strongly correlated with the 137 Cs deposition, suggesting that suspension of soil particles was the main source of the recent 137 Cs deposition. Asian dust events were coincident with some of the significant 137 Cs depositions in spring. It was found that the ratios of 137 Cs/Al and Fe/Al could be used as indices for discriminating Asian dust from suspension of the local surface soil. Backward trajectory analysis suggested southern Mongolian and northeastern China regions as sources of the significant 137 Cs depositions.

[1] We discuss tidal and non-tidal signals which are obtained from ocean bottom pressure (OBP) measurements at two sites off Sanriku, Japan. Comparison between the observed tidal component and five ocean tide models shows that recent models have accuracy better than 1.3 cm in terms of root sum square of vector differences for eight principal constituents. The empirical estimates of non-tidal signal from TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) and JASON-1 deviate from barotropic signals observed by OBP recorders, which can be attributed to baroclinic component in the altimeter data. We also compared the non-tidal barotropic signal derived from the observation with those from ECCO model (wind-driven) and Kyushu University model (pressure-driven). The comparison indicates that the pressure-driven model increases explained variance and it is suggested to combine the wind-driven model and the pressure-driven model in order to describe non-tidal ocean mass variability in particular at period shorter than 30 days.

International audience; The Mw > 9 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on December 26, 2004 has strongly excited the low-frequency seismic modes and is a unique opportunity to improve the frequency and damping measurements of the gravest seismic modes. The precise estimation of the frequency splitting of the seismic modes below 1 mHz is needed to improve 1D-density models of the Earth. From this event, 2S1 is observed for the first time without any stacking on both SG (Superconducting Gravimeter) and seismic records. We report here analyses of SG data obtained from 11 sites. The spectra of SG records clearly show the splitting of 0S2 into 5 completely resolved singlets and the splitting of 0S3 into 7 singlets at individual stations. The present results demonstrate that SGs provide high quality data for a precise analysis of the low-frequency seismic modes.

[1] We determined long-period gravimetric tidal parameters from 10 years of superconducting gravimeter observations at Syowa Station in Antarctica. The obtained amplitude and phase lead for the Mm wave were 6.106 ± 0.030 μGal (μGal = 10−8 m s−2), 0.32° ± 0.28°, respectively, and those for the Mf wave were 11.657 ± 0.018 μGal, 0.78° ± 0.09°, respectively. We also determined the parameters of other tidal constituents with periods of 6 to 32 days; Mqm, Msqm, Mtm, Mstm, Msf, Msm, and their frequency dependence was estimated by means of a weighted least squares method. The observed values, corrected by the four ocean tide models of Schwiderski, NAO.99L, FES99, and TPXO6.0, were compared with the theoretical values calculated from the elastic and inelastic solid Earth tide models by Dehant et al. Even though the values of the ocean tide corrections have relatively large discrepancies between the four models and it is still difficult to discuss the degree of inelasticity of the Earth for this frequency band, we can say that the observations favor the inelastic Earth model rather than the elastic model.