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We conducted magnetotelluric measurements to investigate a large serpentinite complex in the northern Kamuikotan Zone that intruded a Cretaceous–Paleocene forearc sedimentary sequence. The resistivity model we derived by three-dimensional inversion clearly shows a low-resistivity zone beneath the outcrop of the serpentinite complex. We interpret the low-resistivity zone to represent aqueous pore fluid within a serpentinite mélange derived from the subducting Pacific plate or mantle wedge. Previous geological studies in the area have shown that the serpentinite mélange had uplifted during the early Pleistocene. They indicate that the ultramafic rocks and aqueous fluids have continued to rise in the area. The uplifting serpentinite body might have formed a zone enriched in pore fluid that promoted the occurrence of a previously identified intra-plate slow slip event. These results demonstrate the important role of fluid transport during tectonic processes related to uplift in subduction zones.

Purpose This retrospective study aimed to identify predictive factors and imaging features of adrenohepatic adhesion found during laparoscopic right adrenalectomy. Materials and methods Altogether, 77 patients underwent laparoscopic right adrenalectomy between January 2005 and December 2018. Adrenohepatic adhesion was defined as strict adhesion that required either partial adrenalectomy with coagulation of residual tissue or partial hepatectomy to accomplish complete resection. We assessed their surgical video records to determine if adrenohepatic adhesion was present. Age, sex, body mass index, tumor size, tumor diagnosis and radiological findings (attachment between the liver and the adrenal gland, diameters of the right and left adrenal veins and its ratio) were evaluated as preoperative variables. Results Adrenohepatic adhesion was present in 11 of the 77 patients (14.3%). Age, sex, and body mass index were not statistically significant factors. Tumor size was significantly small in adhesion group (14.2 mm vs. 25.9 mm, p=0.02). Attachment to the liver and adrenal gland was frequently seen regardless of the adhesion. The mean right/left adrenal veins diameters ratio was significantly lower in the adhesion group (0.8 vs. 1.1, p=0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated the right/left adrenal veins diameters ratio was the only significant predictor of adhesion. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value and positive predictive value were 0.82, 0.76, 0.43, and 0.95 respectively when the optimal cutoff value for the ratio was 0.9 (area under the curve, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.60-0.90). Conclusions The right/left adrenal veins diameters ratio was possible predictor of adrenohepatic adhesion.

We conducted magnetotelluric measurements to investigate a large serpentinite complex in the northern Kamuikotan zone that intruded a Cretaceous–Paleocene forearc sedimentary sequence. The resistivity model we derived by three-dimensional inversion clearly shows a low-resistivity zone beneath the outcrop of the serpentinite complex. We interpret the low-resistivity zone to represent aqueous pore fluid within a serpentinite mélange derived from the subducting Pacific plate or mantle wedge. Previous geological studies in the area have shown that the serpentinite mélange had uplifted during the early Pleistocene. They indicate that the ultramafic rocks and aqueous fluids have continued to rise in the area. The uplifting serpentinite body might have formed a zone enriched in pore fluid that promoted the occurrence of a previously identified intra-plate slow slip event. These results demonstrate the important role of fluid transport during tectonic processes related to uplift in subduction zones.

A 72-year-old man underwent a bilateral nerve-sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) with pelvic lymph node dissection 11 years earlier. His prostate specific antigen (PSA) value at diagnosis was 61.024 ng/ml. Bone scans and computed tomographic (CT) scans showed no metastasis. Pathological findings and stage were adenocarcinoma, Gleason score 4+3, positive surgical margin, pT3b, and no lymph node metastasis. The postoperative PSA nadir was 0.218 ng/ml, and salvage radiotherapy (SRT, total 66 Gy) was performed six months after RRP. However, the PSA value continued to rise after SRT. Therefore, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was started 11 months after SRT. Nine years postoperatively, the PSA value showed a continuous rise despite ADT, and prostate cancer was considered to be castration-resistant. Although he was taking enzalutamide, his PSA value rose to 18. 271 ng/ml. Repeated bone scans and CT scans were negative. Eleven years after RRP, the fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucosepositronemissiontomography (FDG-PET) revealed a nodule lesiondorsal to the left pubic bone. The patient underwent a resection of the lesion. Three months after the resection, his PSA level declined to 0.038 ng/ml, thus ADT was discontinued. Thirteen months after the resection, PSA re-elevation was absent, and follow-up without ADT is ongoing.

A 49-year-old male with untreated diabetes mellitus type 2 experienced eyesight deterioration and general malaise, and was treated for uveitis and orbital cellulitis. Later, he was taken to a local hospital via ambulance for a consciousness disorder and was diagnosed with bilateral infectious endophthalmitis, a right ureteral stone, and emphysematous pyelonephritis. He was then referred to our hospital for further examination and treatment. We immediately initiated intravenous antibiotic therapy with meropenem and glycemic control with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, and placed a ureteral and percutaneous drain tube into the right ureter and the emphysema, respectively. We performed a diagnostic and therapeutic vitrectomy on the patient's left eye. Urinary, blood, and vitreous cultures were positive for Klebsiella aerogenes. Abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed bilaterally comparable renal contrast enhancement. On the 60th hospital day, we performed endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery (ECIRS) and completely removed the urinary stone. Although he lost light sensitivity in his right eye, his left eyesight improved, and his blood glucose level was adequately managed by oral medication. Three months after the surgery, he was discharged from our hospital and he showed no sign of recurrence of the infection at ten months after surgery.

Neural network has been successfully used for field-scale temperature estimation based on resistivity data. Although the methodology is able to estimate temperature distribution based on geophysical data with a limited number of temperature data, it has also been shown that the estimation accuracy can decrease as distance increases from temperature measurements. In this letter, we developed a resistivity-based neural kriging approach to improve the accuracy of estimated temperatures. The neural kriging method in this letter incorporated a variogram of temperature data, which constrained the spatial distribution of temperature. We examined the accuracy of standard neural network approaches, as well as the neural kriging approach, using a cross-validation test. The examination showed that when neural kriging was used, the estimation error and variogram error were reduced by 6%–87% and 191%–285%, respectively. The improvement was also significant at areas distant from well logs. The pattern of estimated temperatures matched the underlying geology and was in accordance with previous studies. The proposed methodology can incorporate other types of geophysical data for estimating other physical parameter distributions.

Fluids trapped under supercritical conditions are potential geothermal resources yielding high well-productivity. These supercritical fluids may be imaged as deep conductors (> 2km depth) using the magnetotelluric (MT) method. However, MT imaging of a deep conductor is strongly dependent on the conductor geometries and the overlying clay layers. The ability of the MT method to image a deep conductor needs clarification to understand the usefulness of MT for exploring supercritical fluids and accurately relate the imaged conductor to supercritical fluids. In this study, we investigated MT imaging of a deep conductor of supercritical fluids using numerical tests, based on a conceptual resistivity model for a supercritical geothermal system in the Kakkonda area, northeast Japan. The test result showed that the MT method was able to image the deep conductor of supercritical fluids. However, we found that the shape and resistivity value of the imaged deep conductor might significantly differ from those of the true conductor. Specifically, if a deep vertically elongated conductor is imaged by MT inversion, it is necessary to be aware that the actual bottom part may be much wider in the horizontal directions than the imaged size.

A 66-year-old man had undergone multiple treatments for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, including 11 cycles of nivolumab, which was discontinued because of disease progression. About three weeks after discontinuing nivolumab, he reported suffering from worsening of dyspnea. Pulse oximetry showed no desaturation. His cardiovascular and pulmonary functions were normal. His dyspnea slowly worsened with no underlying diagnosis. Two months after symptoms developed, he was diagnosed with isolated adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency. His dyspnea disappeared soon after receiving hydrocortisone. Nivolumab-induced isolated adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency may not present with typical symptoms, and can occur even after discontinuing nivolumab. Cortisol levels should be routinely monitored in patients who receive nivolumab.

The Asia-Pacific Region Global Earthquake and Volcanic Eruption Risk Management (G-EVER) Consortium among the Asia-Pacific geohazard research institutes was established in 2012 with the main objective of reducing the risk caused by earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions world-wide. The first G-EVER workshop was held in Tsukuba, Japan in February 2012. The G-EVER1 accord was approved by the workshop participants which made 10 recommendations that focused on the enhancement of collaboration, sharing of resources and making information about the risks of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions freely available and understandable. The G-EVER Promotion Team in Geological Survey of Japan was organized in Nov. 2012 to coordinate the G-EVER related activities. The G-EVER Hub website was setup to promote the exchange of information and knowledge about volcanic and seismic hazards among the Asia-Pacific countries. Establishing or endorsing data interchange and analytical methods standards for geohazard institutes of the world are important to promote data sharing and comparative analyses. Several G-EVER Working Groups and projects were proposed such as the Next-generation volcanic hazard assessment WG and the Asia-Pacific region earthquake and volcanic hazard mapping project. The volcanic assessment support system is developed based on eruption history, volcanic eruption database and numerical simulations. The G-EVER hazard assessment support system is implemented with user-friendly interface, making the risk assessment system easy to use and accessible online. The Asia-Pacific region earthquake and volcanic hazard mapping project aims to make a sophisticated online hazard information system that provides past and recent earthquake and volcanic hazards information, risk assessment tools for earthquake and volcanic eruption hazards and links to global earthquake and volcanic eruption databases. The hazard mapping project plans to create the system with the cooperation of Asia-Pacific countries.

Electromagnetic (EM) data sets were acquired using ground-based small-loop electromagnetic (EM) sensors over an artificially constructed sandy ground in Tsukuba, Japan, for three conditions of water saturation. The research aim was to evaluate the imaging capability of the geophysical method for detecting a water leak. Because the sensitivity analysis showed a considerable three-dimensional (3D) distribution of sensitivity around the source–receiver location, 3D inversion was applied to the field data sets. We used an accurate 3D controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) inversion algorithm, which adopted an edge-based finite element method as a forward scheme. To obtain the best inversion strategy for our field data and for the selection of the optimal regularization method, 3D inversion was applied to synthetic data sets prior to the inversion of the field data; the synthetic data sets were based on synthetic resistivity models used to simulate the three water-saturation phases of the real test site. Based on the results of sensitivity analysis, different regularization methods were systematically tested and the inversion results were qualitatively analyzed. For our monitoring scenario, the best performance was achieved by combining spatially varying regularization parameters, structural constraints, and the reference model method. The reference model parameters were derived from the less ill-posed model, instead of the main target model, which allowed for more accurate imaging of the main region of interest. This optimal inversion strategy was applied to the test-site field data. The water leak was successfully visualized by small-loop EM data, with systematic application of a priori information as constraints.

Magnetotelluric(MT) soundings were done in Central Victoria, Australia, to investigate the electrical conductivity structure of the Bendigo and Melbourne structural zones. We reprocess and reinterpret the MT data, which were acquired along the same path as the seismic transect in 2006 by GeoScience Victoria (GSV). Deep crustal faulting in this region is considered to be responsible for significant mineralization and magmatic processes. The resulting two dimensional (2D) MT conductivity model is consistent with the seismic interpretation in that it clearly shows known boundaries as well, as additionally reveals four clearly isolated resistors, which could be hardly imaged by reflection seismic. With the result previously published, these resistors can be interpreted as granite or granodiorite intruded in the Devonian, or alteration associated with fluid migration. The 2-D electric conductivity model also agrees with seismic interpretations, which shows that internal faults in the Bendigo Zone are thrust fault systems with listric geometries that are connected in the mid-crust, and clarifies that the Bendigo Zone and Melbourne Zone experienced different tectonic evolution during the Benambran Orogeny in the Silurian. The model also supports the conjecture that the Melbourne Zone formed as a foreland basin to the uplifted Bendigo Zone.

Although fairness concerns are frequently discussed in the real world environmental politics, their effects are relatively neglected in the environmental economics literature. Using a survey method, this paper attempts to reveal how fairness norms affect the incidence of subsidy both in the short-run and long-run. The results indicate that statutory incidence (legal right to receive subsidy) affects people’s fairness norms on who should receive subsidy. In particular it is considered unfair for a firm to receive a part of the subsidy when it is legally granted to the consumer side. If firms avoid behaviors that are considered unfair, the tax and subsidy equivalence theorem may not hold under this situation. The survey results also reveal that fairness norms affect the incidence of subsidy in the long-run, in a sense that the allocation of gains that are generated due to subsidy is affected. People find it fair if allocation is made in proportion to firms’ own effort. Therefore, if an increase in profit is achieved by activities directly supported by subsidy, people find it less justifiable for firms to keep all the gains by themselves and thus firms may be forced to share the gains with consumers.

The 2nd G-EVER International Symposium and the 1st IUGS & SCJ International Workshop on Natural Hazards aimed to encourage extensive discussions on the present situation of natural disaster mitigation of earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption and landslide in the Asia and Pacific regions. The discussions included (1) prioritization of important researches to make society strong and resilient, (2) development of suitable hazard maps which are essential to society and Asia-Pacific scale hazard assessment activities, and (3) the importance of contributions to solid earth science. There were also discussions on the mitigation processes needed in the next-decade to reduce the risks of natural hazards. The 2nd G-EVER International Symposium and the 1st IUGS & SCJ International Workshop on Natural Hazards was held in Sendai, Tohoku, Japan on Oct. 19-20, 2013 (Fig. 1). The symposium was organized by the G-EVER Consortium, Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) and Science Council of Japan (SCJ). It was co-organized by the Geological Society of Japan and the Coordinating Committee for Geoscience Programmes in East and Southeast Asia (CCOP). Tohoku University, Disaster Prevention Research Institutes (DPRI) of Kyoto University, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED), GNS Science, Philippine Institute of Volcanology & Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the Seismological Society of Japan, the Volcanological Society of Japan, Japan Association for Quaternary Research, Japanese Society for Active Fault Studies, Japan Society of Engineering Geology, and Tokyo Geographical Society supported the symposium (Fig. 2). The Asia-Pacific Region is an area with a high risk of catastrophic natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. In today’s highly globalized economy, when a major disaster occurs, it can create unpredictable turmoil not just in the affected area but also the rest of the world. Countermeasures against these natural disasters are crucial for the sustainable development. We believe that continuous efforts to develop an effective international framework to reduce the risk of natural disasters are very important. It is expected that geological institutions will collaborate and create a system to gather and process information to formulate disaster mitigation measures in the Asia-Pacific Region. This system must be easy to use and freely accessible to the public to meet societal needs. The Sumatra earthquake of December 26, 2004 and Tohoku earthquake of March 11, 2011 clearly show the urgency of developing an information and knowledge system for infrequent natural hazards. We also have to recognize that smaller events could have adverse effect to society. For example, the magnitude of the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake was just 6.3 (ML), but caused major damage to the second largest city of New Zealand and 185 casualties. Volcanic ash ejected from the Eyjafjallajokull eruptions in Iceland on April 2000 caused more than 20,000 airline flight cancellations a day in Europe, resulting to the largest air-traffic shut-down since World War II. The IATA estimated that airline companies lost US$200 million a day during the shut-down. After the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, more efforts for the prevention and reduction of the risks of natural disasters have been made all over the world. The G-EVER Consortium promotes natural disaster risk reduction activities through the collaboration different research institutes worldwide. The consortium’s major activities are the following: 1. Establish a framework for cooperation of research institutes and organizations working on volcanic disaster prevention in the AsiaPacific region.

Magnetotelluric (MT) surveys have been performed along five lines in the Jeju volcanic island located at South Sea of Korea. The purposes of the MT surveys are to see if there still remains thermal regime and if there exist deeply extended fractures or an aquifer system beneath the mid-mountain region of Mt. Halla in Jeju. By performing Audio-frequency MT (AMT) surveys together with MT surveys at each site and by operating far-remote reference site of approximately 480 km apart, we could get a broadband (10 − 4 –10 4 Hz) MT dataset of totally 108 sites with very good quality. 3D inversion of MT data from 88 measurement sites gives a reasonable estimation of the subsurface structures beneath the island. An induction vector analysis and 3D inversion results commonly indicate the existence of a conductive anomaly extended down to a few-kilometer depth beneath the central part of the island, which can be related to ancient volcanic activities. Because the island is surrounded by electrically conductive sea and has steep topographic variation, measured MT data in terms of impedance is seriously biased by distortion of electric fields and is suffered from the static shifts. The Jeju MT dataset is valuable for the research purpose in the sense that the dataset contains so many problems, some of which can frequently be observed in every field data, and that the geology of Jeju Island is relatively simple.

Information disclosure has been touted as a powerful tool to effect change in environmental quality. We present the first empirical analysis of investor reactions to a pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR) outside the United States. In contrast to the US studies, we found only weak evidence of negative investor reactions to firms listed on Japan’s PRTR. We identified several institutional reasons for these contradictory results. Our results suggest that PRTRs may not have the same effect in all nations and thus further empirical studies of the burgeoning number of PRTRs being implemented globally are warranted.

A three-dimensional (3D) magnetotelluric (MT) survey has been carried out to delineate subsurface structures and possible fractures, for development of low-temperature geothermal resources in Pohang, Korea. Quite good quality MT data could be obtained throughout the survey region by locating the remote reference in Kyushu, Japan, which is ∼480 km from the centre of the field site. 3D modelling and inversion are performed taking into account the sea effect in MT measurements near the seashore. The nearby sea in the Pohang area affects MT data at frequencies below 1 Hz ∼0.2 Hz, depending on the distance from the seashore. The most severe sea effects were observed in the south-east parts of the survey area, closer to Youngil Bay. 3D inversion with and without the seawater constraint showed very similar results at shallow depths, roughly down to 2 km. At greater depths, however, a strong sea effect seems to form a fictitious conductive structure in ordinary 3D inversion, especially in the south-eastern part of the survey region. Comparison between drilling results and the resistivity profiles from inversions showed that five layered structures can be distinguished the subsurface beneath the target area. They are: (a) semi-consolidated mudstones with resistivity less than 10 � m, which are ∼300 m thick in the northern part and ∼600 m thick in the southern part of the survey area; (b) occasional occurrence of trachybasalt and lapilli tuff within the mudstone layer has resistivity of a few tens ofm, (c) intrusive rhyolite ∼400 m thick has resistivity of several hundreds ofm, (d) alternating sandstone and mudstone down to 1.5 km depth shows resistivity of ∼100 � m, (e) a conductive structure was found at a depth of ∼3 km, but more geological and geophysical study should be carried out to identify this structure.

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys are frequently used to delineate the distribution of subsurface water. This paper demonstrates that GPR is suitable for detecting water leakage from underground construction areas because it produces detailed images of changes in water-level that are related to water leaks. For this experiment, we used a test pit filled with river sand and a buried mortar wall that divides the pit into two sections. To simulate water leaks, we drilled holes through the mortar wall at a depth of 1.15 m and maintained constant water levels of 1.4 m and 0.4 m below the surface on each side of the wall. Water-levels were controlled by pump-extraction and injection using water-control wells. Variations in water-level under dynamic hydraulic conditions caused by water leakage through the holes were delineated by dense GPR single-fold profiling measurements. Wide-angle reflection and refraction (WARR) measurements were also performed to obtain velocity information and to support the interpretation of profiling data. To image minor changes in waterlevel accurately, we took minor topographic changes into account and applied finite-difference method migration and time-variant depth conversion to the GPR single-fold profiling data. We were able to construct a three-dimensional water-level map using the water-table depths extracted from migrated depth sections. Our results clearly demonstrate a rising trend in water-level approaching the mortar wall, indicating water leakage from the drilled holes. In addition, the WARR data confirmed that the upward trend in water-level continues to the mortar wall; it was not possible to image this trend on the single-fold profiling section within 0.5–1 m of the mortar wall because of interference from measuring equipment buried close to the wall.

Encouragingfirms to develop voluntarily more comprehensive envi- ronmental management systems (EMSs) is touted as a policy tool to augment mandatoryenvironmentalregulations.Usingauniquedatasetofenvironmental managementpracticesofJapanesemanufacturersandcontrollingforself-selec- tion bias in survey responses, we find that proxies for regulatory pressures and consumer pressures are the most important factors that motivate firms toward morecomprehensiveEMSs.Despitetheoft-claimed"voluntary"natureofEMS development, our results show that the government may have a role to play in both directly and indirectly affecting EMS development by firms.

There has been a growing interest among policy makers on the use of information disclosure policies for pollution control. This paper theoretically assesses the consequences of information disclosure policies and identifies the conditions under which such policies are likely to bring environmental improvements. Based on a dynamic game framework, the paper shows that both eco-labeling and more general full information disclosure policies may not always result in pollution reduction. Full information disclosure policies are likely to be effective if the product is not heavily polluting and if the minimum quality standard is set quite low. The paper also identifies the conditions under which all consumers are strictly better off with information disclosure policies.

Introduction Aspirin is one of the most effective antiplatelet agents and is now commonly used to prevent vascular events. In some patients, however, recurrent vascular events have been demonstrated despite aspirin therapy. Our objective was to characterize individuals showing poor response to in vitro effect of aspirin, using PFA-100. Methods One hundred sixty-eight healthy male subjects were analyzed. We assessed platelet function tests, including PFA-100, whole blood aggregation, and optical platelet aggregation. Also measured were hemostatic and other parameters including von Willebrand factor (VWF:Ag), VWF ristocetin cofactor activity (VWF:RCo), soluble vascular adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and adiponectin. Poor responders were defined as having a collagen/epinephrine-induced closure time (CEPI-CT) under 250 s with PFA-100 when incubated with 10 μM aspirin, whereas good responders were defined as having a CEPI-CT of more than 250 s. Results and conclusions PFA-100 tests revealed that 40 subjects (24%) were poor responders (PR) and 128 (76%) were good responders (GR). Poor responsiveness was significantly associated with (1) higher basal platelet activities in PFA-100, as well as in whole blood aggregation and aggregometer;(2) increased level of adiponectin (8.8±4.1 μg/mL [PR] vs 7.3±2.9 μg/mL [GR], p =0.010);and (3) the presence of diabetes mellitus (17.5% [PR] vs 4.7% [GR], p =0.009). Importantly, whereas 24% of the subjects showed insufficient inhibition in PFA-100 when incubated with 10 μM aspirin, almost all subjects showed maximum inhibition with 30 μM aspirin. These observations suggest that higher doses of aspirin might overcome aspirin resistance.

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists of Japan (SEGJ) hosted the 8th SEGJ International Symposium on Imaging and Interpretation Technologies at Kyoto University Clock Tower Centennial Hall, Kyoto, Japan on November 26-28, 2006, following a tutorial course for young geoscientists and engineers on 24 and 25 at Kyotodaigaku Kaikan. A technical tour was also held on November 29. The symposium was co-sponsored by the Korean Society of Exploration Geophysicists (KSEG), the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG), the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG), European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), and the Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (EEGS), and Vietnam Association of Geophysicists (VAG). Discussions at the symposium focused on Imaging and Interpretation technologies that contribute to Interdisciplinary Integration of Geosciences for better understanding and modeling invisible underground structures and processes. In particular geophysical imaging technologies, such as seismic methods, electrical and electromagnetic methods, ground penetrating radar, gravity and geomagnetics in various applications in human activities, such as natural resource exploration, civil engineering, environmental applications, and natural hazard mitigation were discussed as a major theme of the symposium. Also, our discussions included theoretical developments in geophysical methods, laboratory measurements, various data-processing schemes, and modeling and inverse theories that help to understand geoscientific processes in the invisible underground. Geophysical data management and integrated geophysical technologies were recognized as indispensable tools for deepening our understandings of subsurface structures and focusing into survey objectives.

Three different-scale electromagnetic (EM) measurements have been performed in the Kujukuri coastal plain, southeast Japan, to investigate the distribution of saline groundwater. The three techniques were audio-frequency magnetotelluric (AMT), transient electromagnetic (TEM), and small loop-loop EM measurements. The resistivity sections estimated from these data sets reveal three independent resistivity distributions extending to different depths. The AMT method reveals a regional-scale resistivity distribution across the plain to a maximum depth of approximately [Formula: see text] and the existence of deep conductive zones, which are inferred to be associated with fossil seawater trapped in a Pleistocene formation. The TEM results show a medium-scale resistivity distribution to depths of approximately [Formula: see text], in which two shallow conductive zones are recognized. It is concluded that these features are caused by present seawater intrusion and high-salinity salt-marsh deposits formed during sporadic marine regressions. The small loop-loop EM method provided a shallow resistivity profile that highlights the conductive salt-marsh deposits and resistive sandy ridges. Although these resistivity sections correspond to different depth ranges, the overlapping portions of the sections are very consistent with one another. These EM methods are useful in detecting and interpreting important resistivity features. Taking the geologic evolution of the coastal plains into consideration is crucial when interpreting resistivity profiles such as these, and our results suggest that the presence of fossil seawater is an important factor controlling resistivity at a variety of depths.

To evaluate the long-term functional outcome of colonic J-pouch reconstruction after low anterior resection (LAR) for rectal cancer in a prospective study. We compared the functional outcome of 46 patients who underwent J-pouch reconstruction (J-group) and 49 patients who underwent straight anastomosis (S-group) after LAR for rectal cancer. We evaluated clinical function using a 17-item questionnaire about different aspects of bowel function. Physiologic reservoir function was evaluated by manovolumetry. Among the patients with an ultralow anastomosis (≤4 cm from the anal verge), those in the J-group had fewer bowel movements during the day and at night, and less urgency, soiling, protective pad use, incontinence, and dissatisfaction with bowel function than those in the S-group. Among the patients with a low anastomosis (5–8 cm from the verge), those in the J-group had fewer bowel movements at night, and less urgency and soiling than those in the S-group. Moreover, reservoir function (reflected by the maximum tolerable volume, threshold volume, and compliance) was better in the J-group than in the S-group in both the ultralow and low anastomosis groups. J-pouch reconstruction after low anterior resection creates a better stool reservoir than straight anastomosis, especially when the anastomosis is less than 4 cm from the anal verge, resulting in a better quality of life 3 years after rectal cancer resection.

In colon cancer surgery, it is recommended that en bloc resection involving extended lymphadenectomy, characterized as a hemicolectomy, be performed by ligating the primary feeding artery at a high position and resecting proximal and distal with 5-cm to 10-cm bowel margins. However, there is little evidence to unequivocally support such extensive lymphovascular resection. The distribution of nodal metastases was obtained by the clearing method in 164 patients with colon cancer. For pericolic spread, for pT1 tumors, the distance from the primary tumor to a diseased node was 2.5 cm; for pT2, the distance was less than 5 cm; for 97.0 percent of pT3 tumors and 93.3 percent of pT4 tumors with nodes involved, the distance was less than 7 cm. For central spread, for pT1 tumors, the rate of spread to central nodes was 0 percent; for pT2, the rate of spread was 20.0 percent to intermediate nodes (for tumors more than 5 cm from the feeding artery, the rate for central nodes was 0 percent); for pT3, the rate was 30.6 percent to intermediate nodes and 15.3 percent to main nodes; for pT4, the rate was 44.4 percent to intermediate nodes and 22.2 percent to main nodes. For curative resection cases with pT3 tumors more than 7 cm from the feeding artery, the rate to central nodes was 0 percent. In T1 tumors, central node dissection is not required, but resection with proximal and distal 3-cm margins are required; in T2, central node dissection that includes the intermediate node should be performed in addition to resection with proximal and distal 5-cm margins. In T3 and T4, central node dissection that includes the main node should be performed in addition to resection with proximal and distal 7-cm margins. However, for T2 more than 5 cm from the primary feeding artery, and for T3 more than 7 cm from the primary feeding artery, proximal and distal resection alone may be adequate.

‘Green’ markets represent a means through which public goods can be privately provided. A green product is an impure public good consisting of a private good (e.g., rain forest honey) bundled with a jointly produced public good (e.g., biodiversity protection). In the context of ecosystem protection, popular green commodities include eco-tourism excursions, coffee grown under forest canopies (‘shade-grown’), tagua nuts for buttons and ornaments, rainforest nuts and oils for cosmetic products, and rain forest honey. We examine the dynamic efficiency of eco-friendly price premiums in achieving ecosystem protection and rural welfare goals by contrasting the use of price premiums to the use of payments that are tied directly to ecosystem protection. We demonstrate analytically and empirically that direct payments are likely to be more efficient as a conservation policy instrument. Depending on the available funds, the direct payments may be better or worse than green price premiums in achieving rural welfare objectives. If direct payments are not feasible for social or political reasons, we demonstrate analytically and empirically that the price premium approach is likely to be more effective at achieving conservation and development objectives than the currently more popular policy of subsidizing capital acquisition in eco-friendly commercial activities.

Electromagnetic (EM) traveltime tomography has been applied for reservoir characterization at the Lost Hills oil field, California. Four data sets at frequencies of 24, 90, 370, and 1000 Hz were obtained along a pair of monitoring boreholes located 80.5 m apart. Traveltime information was first extracted from these EM data sets using a wavefield transform with a ray series approximation. The conductivity contrast of each layer is no greater than two in the region of interest, so the first arrivals can be estimated within 5% error by the approximate scheme. A nonlinear traveltime tomography algorithm adopting a Fresnel zone concept was then applied to obtain the conductivity model between the boreholes. The resultant conductivity image represents the conductivity structure between the boreholes. This image is consistent with the results of both a finite-difference inversion and the induction log obtained prior to waterflooding. Comparing the two conductivity images with the induction logs, we observe major differences in the fracture-dominant resistive reservoir layer, which may have been caused by changes in reservoir condition before and after waterflooding.

We investigated a new family with cross-reactive material-positive factor X (FX) deficiency. The proband was an 11 -year-old French girl from Sri Lanka with a tendency towards severe bleeding. The FX antigen level was 67%, although the activity with extrinsic pathway was 1 U/dl. The complete nucleotide sequences of all exons and exon/ intron junctions of the patient's genomic DNA revealed a homozygous G → A substitution in exon 8, which would result in replacement of Gly366 with Ser. The proband is the first reported case of homozygote for the FX Gly366Ser mutation. Heterozygosity for Gly366Ser substitution was previously reported in a Japanese patient (FX Nagoya 2). We studied the functional consequences by expressing mutant FX Gly366Ser protein in HEK293 cells. FX Gly366Ser was secreted into the culture media at levels similar to wild-type FX; however, mutant FX activities were only 0.04, 1.05, and 0.75% of wild-type FX upon activation by the extrinsic system, the intrinsic system, and Russell's viper venom, respectively. Moreover, the activity of FX Gly366Ser was undetectable when analyzed with chromogenic-activated FX and thrombin generation assays. These data suggest that the Gly366Ser substitution would cause a major defect in function of the FX molecule.

The development of an electromagnetic numerical modelling scheme for a magnetic dipole in an arbitrary casing segment in an inhomogeneous conductivity background has been difficult, due to the very high electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability contrasts between the steel casing and the background medium. To investigate the effect of steel casing efficiently, we have developed an accurate but simple finite-element modelling scheme to simulate electromagnetic fields in a medium of cylindrically symmetric conductivity structures. In order to preserve the cylindrical symmetry in the resulting electromagnetic fields, a horizontal loop current source is used throughout. One of the main advantages of the approach is that the problem is scalar when formulated using the azimuthal electric field, even if the casing is both electrically conductive and magnetically permeable. Field calculations have been made inside the cased borehole as well as in another borehole which is not cased. Careful analyses of the numerical modelling results indicate that the anomaly observed in a cross-borehole configuration is sensitive enough to be used for tomographic imaging.

We present a finite‐element algorithm for computing MT responses for 3D conductivity structures. The governing differential equations in the finite‐element method are derived from the T–Ω Helmholtz decomposition of the magnetic field H in Maxwell's equations, in which T is the electric vector potential and Ω is the magnetic scalar potential. The Coulomb gauge condition on T necessary to obtain a unique solution for T is incorporated into the magnetic flux density conservation equation. This decomposition has two important benefits. First, the only unknown variable in the air is the scalar value of Ω. Second, the curl–curl equation describing T is only defined in the earth. By comparison, the system of curl–curl equations for H and the electric field E are singular in the air, where the conductivity σ is zero. Although the use of a small but nonzero value of σ in the air and application of a divergence correction are usually necessary in the E or H formulation, the T–Ω method avoids this necessity. In the finite‐element approximation, T and Ω are represented by the edge‐element and nodal‐element interpolation functions within each brick element, respectively. The validity of this modeling approach is investigated and confirmed by comparing modeling results with those of other numerical techniques for two 3D models.

Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) launched a new project to develop the low-enthalpy geothermal water in the area showing high geothermal anomaly, north of Pohang city, for large-scale space heating from Korea Research Council of Public Science & Technology(KORP) funding. Surface geologic and geophysical surveys including Landsat TM image analysis, gravity, magnetic, magnetotelluric (MT) and controlled-source audio-frequency MT (CSAMT) and self-potential (SP) methods have been conducted and the possible fracture zone was found that would serve as deeply connected geothermal water conduit. By the end of 2003, two test wells of 1 km depth were drilled, various kinds of borehole survey along with additional MT measurements and sample analysis will follow and then the detailed subsurface condition is to be characterized. Next step would be drilling the production well of 2 km depth and all further steps remain to be determined depending upon the results of the test well studies.

A stable inversion technique has been developed for three-dimensional (3-D) interpretation of magnetotelluric (MT) data. The inversion method was based on the Gauss-Newton (linearized least-squares) method with smoothness regularization. Static shifts were also treated as unknown parameters in the inversion. The forward modeling was done by using the staggered-grid finite difference method. The Akaike Bayesian information criterion (ABIC) was applied to searching for the optimum trade-off parameters among the minimization of the data misfit, model roughness and static shifts. The inversion method was then applied to a large volume MT dataset obtained in the Ogiri geothermal area, southwestern Japan. The inversion was performed stably, resulting in a good fitting between the observed and computed apparent resistivities and phases. The recovered 3-D resistivity structure was generally similar to that obtained by a two-dimensional (2-D) inversion in a previous work, although the deeper portion of the 3-D model seemed to be more realistic than that of the 2-D one. The 3-D model was also in a good agreement with the geological interpretation of the geothermal reservoirs. These results indicated the necessity of the 3-D interpretation for geothermal exploration and other applications in complicated geological environments.

The growth in SEG membership outside the United States is strong and rapidly approaching 50% of the total membership. This is due in part to the Global Membership category, which in 2002 added 649 new members to the SEG roster. So far in 2003 another 280 Global Members have joined. Apache Oil Corporation is sponsoring the dues of the first 1000 Global Members (entitled to all the rights of a regular membership except for voting privileges and hard copy delivery of the journals).

Interpretation of controlled‐source electromagnetic (CSEM) data is usually based on 1‐D inversions, whereas data of direct current (dc) resistivity and magnetotelluric (MT) measurements are commonly interpreted by 2‐D inversions. We have developed an algorithm to invert frequency‐Domain vertical magnetic data generated by a grounded‐wire source for a 2‐D model of the earth—a so‐called 2.5‐D inversion. To stabilize the inversion, we adopt a smoothness constraint for the model parameters and adjust the regularization parameter objectively using a statistical criterion. A test using synthetic data from a realistic model reveals the insufficiency of only one source to recover an acceptable result. In contrast, the joint use of data generated by a left‐side source and a right‐side source dramatically improves the inversion result. We applied our inversion algorithm to a field data set, which was transformed from long‐offset transient electromagnetic (LOTEM) data acquired in a Japanese oil and gas field. As demonstrated by the synthetic data set, the inversion of the joint data set automatically converged and provided a better resultant model than that of the data generated by each source. In addition, our 2.5‐D inversion accounted for the reversals in the LOTEM measurements, which is impossible using 1‐D inversions. The shallow parts (above about 1 km depth) of the final model obtained by our 2.5‐D inversion agree well with those of a 2‐D inversion of MT data.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho de mudas de caroba (Jacaranda copaia (Aubl.) D. Don.), jatobá (Hymenaea courbaril L.) e pau-de-balsa (Ochroma lagopus (Cav. ex. Lam.) Urban) sob diferentes níveis de sombreamento, em viveiro. O experimento foi realizado na Estação Experimental de Silvicultura Tropical (EEST) do Inpa, em Manaus, AM. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos ao acaso, com cinco tratamentos: dois tratamentos com 50% de sombra durante 15 e 30 dias, respectivamente, e o restante do período a pleno sol (0%), e três tratamentos com sombreamento a 30, 50 e 70%, respectivamente, obtido com o uso de telas de polipropileno, de cor preta. Foram avaliados o diâmetro do colo, a altura total da parte aérea das mudas, o comprimento das raízes, a massa de matéria seca de raízes, caule e folhas, a área foliar e as relações altura/diâmetro do colo e parte aérea/sistema radicular. Hymenaea courbaril teve seu crescimento prejudicado quando cultivada sob 70% de sombra. As mudas de Ochroma lagopus e Jacaranda copaia apresentaram maior crescimento sob sombra, porém a qualidade das mudas foi prejudicada. Na tomada de decisão sobre qual sombreamento a ser usado, devem ser considerados, principalmente, os parâmetros que refletem um crescimento equilibrado da muda como um todo e um bom desenvolvimento radicular. The objective of this paper was to assess the development of Jacaranda copaia (Aubl.) D. Don., Hymenaea courbaril L. and Ochroma lagopus (Cav. ex. Lam.) Urban seedlings under different shade levels in the nursery. The experiment was carried out at Experimental Station of Tropical Silviculture (EEST) of Inpa, in Manaus, AM, Brazil. The experiment design was fully randomised blocks with five treatments: two treatments with 50% of shading during 15 and 30 days, respectively and the remaining period under full sun light (0%) and three treatments under 30, 50 and 70% shade, respectively by using black polypropylene screen. Stem diameter, seedling height, root length, leaf area, dry mass of leaves, root and stem, shoot/root ratio and height/diameter ratio were assessed. Hymenaea courbaril had its growth affected under 70% of shade. Ochroma lagopus and Jacaranda copaia seedlings increased their growth under shade, but seedlings quality was poor. In choosing shade levels to grow seedlings, shoot/root ratio and development of root system should be considered.