Chirality-Induced Selectivity of Phonon Angular Momenta in Chiral Quartz Crystals.

A generation, propagation, and transfer of phonon angular momenta are examined on thermal transport in chiral insulative and diamagnetic crystals of α-quartz. We found that thermally driven phonons carry chirality-dependent angular momenta in the quartz crystals and they could be extracted from the quartz as a spin signal. Namely, chirality-induced selectivity of phonon angular momenta is realized in the chiral quartz. We argue that chiral phonons available in chiral materials could be a key element in triggering or enhancing chirality-induced spin selectivity with robust spin polarization and long-range spin transport found in various chiral materials.

Spin polarization gate device based on the chirality-induced spin selectivity and robust nonlocal spin polarization.

Nonlocal spin polarization phenomena are thoroughly investigated in the devices made of chiral metallic single crystals of CrNb3S6 and NbSi2 as well as of polycrystalline NbSi2. We demonstrate that simultaneous injection of charge currents in the opposite ends of the device with the nonlocal setup induces the switching behavior of spin polarization in a controllable manner. Such a nonlocal spin polarization appears regardless of the difference in the materials and device dimensions, implying that the current injection in the nonlocal configuration splits spin-dependent chemical potentials throughout the chiral crystal even though the current is injected into only a part of the crystal. We show that the proposed model of the spin dependent chemical potentials explains the experimental data successfully. The nonlocal double-injection device may offer significant potential to control the spin polarization to large areas because of the nature of long-range nonlocal spin polarization in chiral materials.

Chirality-Induced Spin Polarization over Macroscopic Distances in Chiral Disilicide Crystals.

A spin-polarized state is examined under charge current at room temperature without magnetic fields in chiral disilicide crystals NbSi_{2} and TaSi_{2}. We found that a long-range spin transport occurs over ten micrometers in these inorganic crystals. A distribution of crystalline grains of different handedness is obtained via location-sensitive electrical transport measurements. The sum rule holds in the conversion coefficient in the current-voltage characteristics. A diamagnetic nature of the crystals supports that the spin polarization is not due to localized electron spins but due to itinerant electron spins. A large difference in the strength of antisymmetric spin-orbit interaction associated with 4d electrons in Nb and 5d ones in Ta is oppositely correlated with that of the spin polarization. A robust protection of the spin polarization occurs over long distances in chiral crystals.

Chirality-Induced Spin-Polarized State of a Chiral Crystal CrNb_{3}S_{6}.

Chirality-induced spin transport phenomena are investigated at room temperature without magnetic fields in a monoaxial chiral dichalcogenide CrNb_{3}S_{6}. We found that spin polarization occurs in these chiral bulk crystals under a charge current flowing along the principal c axis. Such phenomena are detected as an inverse spin Hall signal which is induced on the detection electrode that absorbs polarized spin from the chiral crystal. The inverse response is observed when applying the charge current into the detection electrode. The signal sign reverses in the device with the opposite chirality. Furthermore, the spin signals are found over micrometer length scales in a nonlocal configuration. Such a robust generation and protection of the spin-polarized state is discussed based on a one-dimensional model with an antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling.

Anomalous Change in the de Haas-van Alphen Oscillations of CeCoIn_{5} at Ultralow Temperatures.

We perform de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) measurements of the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn_{5} down to 2 mK above the upper critical field. We find that the dHvA amplitudes show an anomalous suppression, concomitantly with a shift of the dHvA frequency, below the transition temperature T_{n}=20 mK. We suggest that the change is owing to magnetic breakdown caused by a field-induced antiferromagnetic (AFM) state emerging below T_{n}, revealing the origin of the field-induced quantum critical point (QCP) in CeCoIn_{5}. The field dependence of T_{n} is found to be very weak for 7-10 T, implying that an enhancement of AFM order by suppressing the critical spin fluctuations near the AFM QCP competes with the field suppression effect on the AFM phase. We suggest that the appearance of a field-induced AFM phase is a generic feature of unconventional superconductors, which emerge near an AFM QCP, including CeCoIn_{5}, CeRhIn_{5}, and high-T_{c} cuprates.

The impact of evacuation on the incidence of chronic kidney disease after the Great East Japan Earthquake: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

BACKGROUND: About 146,000 people were forced into long-term evacuation due to the nuclear power plant accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Disaster is known to induce hypertension in survivors for a certain period, but it is unclear whether prolonged disaster stress influences chronic kidney disease (CKD). We conducted an observational cohort study to elucidate the effects of evacuation stress on CKD incidence. METHODS: Participants were individuals living in communities near the Fukushima nuclear power plant, aged 40-74 years without CKD as of their 2011 general health checkup (non-evacuees: n = 9780, evacuees: n = 4712). We followed new-onset CKD [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 or proteinuria] using general annual health checkup data from 2012 to 2014. Association between evacuation and CKD incidence was analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: Mean age of the participants at baseline was 65 years, 46.7% were men, and baseline eGFR was 75.7 ml/min/1.73 m2. During the mean follow-up period of 2.46 years, CKD incidence rate was 80.8/1000 and 100.2/1000 person-years in non-evacuees and evacuees, respectively. Evacuation was a significant risk factor of CKD incidence after adjusting for age, gender, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, and baseline eGFR [hazard ratio (HR): 1.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.35-1.56]. Evacuation was significantly associated with the incidence of eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (HR: 1.48; 95% CI 1.37-1.60), but not with the incidence of proteinuria (HR: 1.21; 95% CI 0.93-1.56). CONCLUSION: Evacuation was a risk factor associated with CKD incidence after the disaster.

Anomalous superfluid density in quantum critical superconductors.

When a second-order magnetic phase transition is tuned to zero temperature by a nonthermal parameter, quantum fluctuations are critically enhanced, often leading to the emergence of unconventional superconductivity. In these "quantum critical" superconductors it has been widely reported that the normal-state properties above the superconducting transition temperature T(c) often exhibit anomalous non-Fermi liquid behaviors and enhanced electron correlations. However, the effect of these strong critical fluctuations on the superconducting condensate below T(c) is less well established. Here we report measurements of the magnetic penetration depth in heavy-fermion, iron-pnictide, and organic superconductors located close to antiferromagnetic quantum critical points, showing that the superfluid density in these nodal superconductors universally exhibits, unlike the expected T-linear dependence, an anomalous 3/2 power-law temperature dependence over a wide temperature range. We propose that this noninteger power law can be explained if a strong renormalization of effective Fermi velocity due to quantum fluctuations occurs only for momenta k close to the nodes in the superconducting energy gap Δ(k). We suggest that such "nodal criticality" may have an impact on low-energy properties of quantum critical superconductors.

Association between kyphosis and subacromial impingement syndrome: LOHAS study.

BACKGROUND: Kyphosis is a cause of scapular dyskinesis, which can induce various shoulder disorders, including subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS). This study aimed to clarify the impact of kyphosis on SIS with use of cross-sectional data from the Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcome in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS). METHODS: The study enrolled 2144 participants who were older than 40 years and participated in health checkups in 2010. Kyphosis was assessed by the wall-occiput test (WOT) for thoracic kyphosis and the rib-pelvic distance test (RPDT) for lumbar kyphosis. The associations between kyphosis, SIS, and reduction in shoulder elevation (RSE) were investigated. RESULTS: Age- and gender-adjusted logistic regression analysis demonstrated significant association between SIS and WOT (odds ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.02, 2.64; P < .05), whereas there was no significant association between SIS and RPDT. Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated no significant association between SIS and both WOT and RPDT, whereas there was significant association between SIS and RSE. CONCLUSION: RSE plays a key role in the development of SIS, and thoracic kyphosis might influence the development of SIS indirectly by reducing shoulder elevation induced by the restriction of the thoracic spine extension and scapular dyskinesis.

The proximal origins of the flexor-pronator muscles and their role in the dynamic stabilization of the elbow joint: an anatomical study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to anatomically investigate the proximal origin of flexor-pronator muscles (FPMs) and clarify their contribution to dynamic stabilization of the elbow joint during valgus stress. METHODS: 52 elbows from 26 donated formalin-fixed cadavers were examined. The pronator teres muscle (PT), flexor carpi radialis muscle (FCR), palmaris longus muscle (PL), flexor digitorum superficialis muscle (FDS), and flexor carpi ulnaris muscle (FCU) were identified, and their proximal origin and relationship to the anterior bundle of the medial ulna collateral ligament (AOL) were macroscopically and histologically investigated. RESULTS: The PT, FCR, PL, and FDS converged and formed a common tendon at their proximal origin (the anterior common tendon: ACT). The ACT was attached to the medial epicondyle and the joint capsule, just anterior and parallel to the AOL. The histological morphology of the ACT was quite similar to that of the AOL. The ulnar head of the PT was observed in 48 of 52 elbows (92.3 %), just behind the humeral head of PT. It mainly originated from the anterior edge of the sublime tubercle, while the upper part of ulnar head transitioned directly into the thickened joint capsule just anterior to the AOL. CONCLUSION: The proximal attachment of the FPMs had a characteristic morphology. According to our results, the ACT and PT might assist the AOL by sharing static and dynamic traction forces applied to the medial elbow joint.

Multimodal Plant Healthcare Flexible Sensor System.

The rising global human population and increased environmental stresses require a higher plant productivity while balancing the ecosystem using advanced nanoelectronic technologies. Although multifunctional wearable devices have played distinct roles in human healthcare monitoring and disease diagnosis, probing potential physiological health issues in plants poses a formidable challenge due to their biological complexity. Herein an integrated multimodal flexible sensor system is proposed for plant growth management using stacked ZnIn2S4(ZIS) nanosheets as the kernel sensing media. The proposed ZIS-based flexible sensor can not only perceive light illumination at a fast response (∼4 ms) but also monitor the humidity with a perdurable steady performance that has yet to be reported elsewhere. First-principles calculations reveal that the tunneling effect dominates the current model associated with humidity response. This finding guides the investigation on the plant stomatal functions by measuring plant transpiration. Significantly, dehydration conditions are visually recorded during a monitoring period (>15 days). This work may contribute to plant-machine biointerfaces to precisely manage plant health status and judiciously utilize limited resources.

Effects of lifestyle on hepatobiliary enzyme abnormalities following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident: The Fukushima health management survey.

Dramatic lifestyle changes due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident increased the prevalence of hepatobiliary enzyme abnormalities (HEA). We aimed to evaluate associations of HEA with specific lifestyle- and disaster-related factors in residents who lived near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.This cross-sectional study included 22,246 residents who underwent a Comprehensive Health Check and the Mental Health and Lifestyle Survey from June 2011 to March 2012. Residents were divided into 2 groups based on residential area and housing status after the accident. Associations between HEA and lifestyle- and disaster-related factors, including psychological distress, were estimated using logistic regression analysis adjusted for demographic and lifestyle factors.HEA was present in 27.3% of subjects. The prevalence of HEA was significantly higher in evacuees than controls (29.5% vs 25.7%, P < .001). There were significant differences in various lifestyle characteristics and the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder between evacuees and controls. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that age, sex, moderate to heavy drinking, and low/no physical activity were significantly associated with HEA regardless of evacuation status. Changes in jobs and unemployment were significantly associated with HEA in controls and evacuees, respectively.Lifestyle and disaster-related factors, but not psychological distress, were associated with HEA among subjects who lived near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Persistent prevalence of polycythemia among evacuees 4 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake: A follow-up study.

We previously reported that the lifestyle of evacuees significantly increased the prevalence of polycythemia compared with non-evacuees at an average of 1.6 years (2011-2012) from the previous annual health checkup before the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE). Here we analyzed how the prolonged evacuation affected the prevalence of polycythemia an average of 2.5 years (2013-2014) after the previous data. Subjects were individuals aged 40-90 years living in the vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture who had attended the annual health checkups since 2008. The prevalence of polycythemia and changes in its defining factors of red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb) level, hematocrit (Ht) level were compared between before and after the GEJE in 7713 individuals (3349 men and 4364 women) receiving follow-up examinations both 2011-2012 and 2013-2014. RBC, Hb levels and Ht levels in 2011-2012 were higher among evacuees than non-evacuees in both men and women. However, all levels in 2013-2014 were on the decline from those in 2011-2012. On the other hand, among evacuees, Hb and Ht levels continued to be higher than before the GEJE in both men and women evacuees. The prevalence of polycythemia, which was diagnosed if one of the defining factors was beyond the standard value, was significantly higher among evacuees than non-evacuees regardless of the presence or the absence of overweight/obesity, smoking, and hypertension. Therefore, prolonged evacuation is a cause of polycythemia even 3 to 4 years after the GEJE and regular health management of evacuees is important.

Changes in Hepatobiliary Enzyme Abnormality After the Great East Japan Earthquake: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.

Although the incidence of hepatobiliary enzyme abnormality increased immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, longer-term trends remain unclear. The aims of this study were to determine longer-term trends in hepatobiliary enzyme abnormality and to elucidate lifestyle factors associated with such changes among residents of a nuclear-disaster-affected area. This longitudinal survey enrolled 20,395 adults living in the vicinity of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Data were obtained from the records of annual health checkups of adults aged ≥40 years between 2011 and 2012. Follow-up examinations were conducted from June 2013 to March 2014. Associations were assessed between changes in hepatobiliary enzyme abnormality immediately and 3-4 years after the disaster and lifestyle factors. The overall prevalence of hepatobiliary enzyme abnormality significantly decreased over the study period, from 29.9% to 27.1%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between improved hepatobiliary enzyme abnormality and improvements in daily physical activity and frequency of breakfast consumption. The results suggest that improvements in daily physical activity and frequency of breakfast consumption significantly reduced the incidence of hepatobiliary enzyme abnormality 3-4 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Chronic hyperglycemia increases the risk of lateral epicondylitis: the Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcome in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS).

BACKGROUND: Although humeral epicondylitis is a common health problem, there have been no reports that describe its prevalence in Japanese general population, and relatively little is known about its etiology and associated risk factors. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: This study aimed to clarify the prevalence of humeral epicondilitis in Japanese general population, and investigate the associated risk factors using the data from a cross-sectional study of the Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcome in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS). METHODS: A total of 1,777 participants who participated in health checkups conducted at rural area in Japan in 2010 were enrolled. The prevalence of lateral and medial epicondylitis was investigated. Logistic regression models were performed to examine the relationship between lateral epicondylitis and correlated factors such as occupational status, smoking and alcohol preferences, and medical characteristics. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of lateral and medial epicondylitis was 2.5 % and 0.3 %, respectively. A shortened version of the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (The QuickDASH) score was significantly higher in subjects with lateral epicondylitis than in those without (15.0 ± 12.7 vs 8.5 ± 11.1). Subjects with definite chronic hyperglycemia (HbA1c ≥ 6.5) showed a 3.37-times higher risk of lateral epicondylitis than those with favorable glycemic control (HbA1c < 5.5) (95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.16-8.56). Age and sex, as well as occupational status, smoking and alcohol preference, and other metabolic factors were not significantly related to higher risk of lateral epicondylitis. CONCLUSIONS: Lateral epicondylitis influences activities of daily living. Chronic hyperglycemia might be one of the risk factor for lateral epicondylitis. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Chronic hyperglycemia is significantly associated with lateral epicondylitis.

Ultrasonographic assessment of the flexor pronator muscles as a dynamic stabilizer of the elbow against valgus force.

Flexor pronator muscles (FPMs) play a key role in stabilizing the elbow joint against valgus forces. However, no studies have investigated the in vivo kinematics of FPMs against these forces on the elbow. This study aimed to clarify the in vivo contribution of each FPM as a dynamic stabilizer in a clinical situation.Twelve healthy volunteers participated in this study. Verbal informed consent was obtained from all subjects. The elbow was flexed to 90 degrees, and the forearm was placed in the neutral position. Manual valgus stress was applied to the elbow joint until maximal shoulder external rotation was achieved. The width of the ulnohumeral joint space and the ulnar shift of the sublime tubercle were measured before and after isometric contraction of FPMs using ultrasonography.The horizontal distances were decreased 1.1±0.6 mm after forearm pronation, 0.6±0.5 mm after wrist palmar flexion, 0.1±0.4 mm after wrist ulnar flexion, and 0.2±0.5 mm after finger flexion. Significant changes were observed during forearm pronation, wrist palmar flexion, and finger flexion but not during wrist ulnar flexion (p<0.05). The sublime tubercle was significantly shifted 0.5±0.1 mm medially after forearm pronation, 0.2±0.1 mm medially after wrist palmar flexion, and 0.1±0.1 mm laterally after wrist ulnar flexion and finger flexion (p<0.05). The FPMs, especially the pronator teres and the flexor carpi radialis, function as dynamic stabilizers against elbow valgus stress. The results of this study may be useful in developing injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies for throwing injuries of the elbow.

Postoperative outcomes of arthroscopic subacromial decompression for rotator cuff tear with shoulder stiffness.

Some patients with rotator cuff tear have shoulder stiffness preoperatively. Concomitant preoperative shoulder stiffness may affect postoperative outcomes of arthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD) for rotator cuff tear. The purpose of this study was to compare postoperative outcomes for ASD between rotator cuff tear patients with and without preoperative shoulder stiffness and to analyze the serial change in functional scores, range of motion (ROM), and pain intensity of the 2 groups after operation. 60 shoulders of 58 patients who underwent ASD for rotator cuff tear were studied. Arthroscopic release was performed for the stiffness group. The results were assessed before surgery and 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after surgery, and the results in the stiffness group and non-stiffness group were compared. No differences in serial changes for postoperative outcomes of ASD were seen in terms of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association shoulder scoring system (JOA scores) and the visual analog scale (VAS scores) for pain at night and pain during motion between the stiffness group and non-stiffness group. However, compared to the non-stiffness group, forward flexion and abduction angles were significantly smaller for the stiffness group at 1 and 3 months after surgery. External rotation and internal rotation angles were significantly smaller at 1 month after surgery for the stiffness group than for the non-stiffness group. Preoperative shoulder stiffness does not affect improvement of postoperative JOA scores and VAS scores of ASD. When measured 6 months after surgery, ROM in the stiffness group and the non-stiffness group was similar.

Effects of long-term corset wearing on chronic low back pain.

There are few studies of the therapeutic effects of long-term corset wearing in patients with chronic low back pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of long-term corset wearing on chronic low back pain and to examine the myoelectrical activities of the paravertebral muscles. Forty subjects with chronic low back pain were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups: a group wearing corsets for 6 months (CW) group and a group not wearing corsets (NW). The treatment effects were measured using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score. Muscle endurance was evaluated during the Biering-Sorensen test (S-test), and the degree of muscle fatigue was evaluated by the change in percent mean power frequency (%MPF) of the paravertebral muscles. Corset treatment for chronic low back pain improved low back pain and increased muscle endurance for a short period of time. Paravertebral muscle fatigue was not increased by long-term corset wearing for chronic low back pain, and weakening of the paravertebral muscles was not observed up to 6 months after the start of corset wearing.

A comparison of pain-related behavior following local application of nucleus pulposus and/or mechanical compression on the dorsal root ganglion.

Symptomatic induction of disc herniation involves both mechanical compression and chemical factors. Inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) are known to reduce pain-related behavior in experimental models. Animals were divided into mechanical compression (MC) group; a stainless steel rod was inserted on the dorsal root ganglion, nucleus pulposus (NP) group: NP was harvested from the coccygeal vertebral disc, MC and NP group; rats were received stainless rod and NP, and sham group; rats were received neither rod nor NP. Rats in the MC group received a TNF-α antibody (10 mg/kg) (antibody group) or were not treatment (untreated group). The withdrawal thresholds of the MC, NP and MC+NP groups decreased significantly compared with the sham group. In the antibody group, the threshold was significantly higher than that of the untreated group. An anti-TNF-α antibody reduced allodynia caused by DRG compression.

Enhancing the superconducting transition temperature of CeRh 1-x IrxIn5 due to the strong-coupling effects of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations: an 115In nuclear quadrupole resonance study.

We report on systematic evolutions of antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin fluctuations and unconventional superconductivity (SC) in heavy-fermion (HF) compounds CeRh(1-x)Ir(x)In(5) via an (115)In nuclear-quadrupole-resonance experiment. The nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T(1) has revealed the marked development of AFM spin fluctuations as approaching an AFM ordered state. Concomitantly, the superconducting transition temperature T(c) and the energy gap Delta0 increase drastically from T(c)= 0.4K and 2Delta0/k(B)T(c)=5 in CeIrIn(5) up to T(c) =1.2K and 2Delta0/k(B)T(c) =8.3 in CeRh(0.3)Ir(0.7)In5 , respectively. The present work suggests that the AFM spin fluctuations in close proximity to the AFM quantum critical point are indeed responsible for the strong-coupling unconventional SC in HF compounds.

Enhancing the superconducting transition temperature of the heavy fermion compound CeIrIn5 in the absence of spin correlations.

We report on a pressure- (P-)induced evolution of superconductivity and spin correlations in CeIrIn(5) via the (115)In nuclear-spin-lattice-relaxation rate measurements. We find that applying pressure suppresses dramatically the antiferromagnetic fluctuations that are strong at ambient pressure. At P = 2.1 GPa, T(c) increases to T(c) = 0.8 K, which is twice T(c) (P = 0 GPa), in the background of Fermi-liquid state. This is in sharp contrast to the previous case in which a negative, chemical pressure (replacing Ir with Rh) enhances magnetic interaction and increases T(c). Our results suggest that multiple mechanisms work to produce superconductivity in the same compound CeIrIn(5).