Circular Polarization of the Astrophysical Gravitational Wave Background.

The circular polarization of gravitational waves is a powerful observable to test parity violation in gravity and to distinguish between the primordial or the astrophysical origin of the stochastic background. This property comes from the expected unpolarized nature of the homogeneous and isotropic astrophysical background, contrary to some specific cosmological sources that can produce a polarized background. However, in this work we show that there is also a non-negligible amount of circular polarization in the astrophysical background, generated by Poisson fluctuations in the number of unresolved sources, which is present in the third-generation interferometers with signal-to-noise ratio larger than 2. We also explain in which cases the gravitational wave maps can be cleaned from this extra source of noise, exploiting the frequency and the angular dependence, in order to search for signals from the early Universe. Future studies about the detection of polarized cosmological backgrounds with ground- and space-based interferometers should account for the presence of such a foreground contribution.

Scrubbing technique for needleless connectors to minimize contamination risk.

This study aimed to investigate the appropriate scrubbing technique for needleless connectors to minimize contamination risk. To demonstrate a highly effective scrubbing technique to physically eliminate bacteria, needleless connectors were contaminated with Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores and then scrubbed. The study showed that the highest bacterial elimination rate was achieved by scrubbing an access port in a straight line with an alcohol cotton swab, applying a force that was almost equal to an arterial compression haemostasis to the access port, and repeating this procedure once using a new alcohol cotton swab.

2D potential measurements by applying automatic beam adjustment system to heavy ion beam probe diagnostic on the Large Helical Device.

Two-dimensional potential profiles in the Large Helical Device (LHD) were measured with heavy ion beam probe (HIBP). To measure the two-dimensional profile, the probe beam energy has to be changed. However, this task is not easy, because the beam transport line of LHD-HIBP system is very long (∼20 m), and the required beam adjustment consumes much time. To reduce the probe beam energy adjustment time, an automatic beam adjustment system has been developed. Using this system, required time to change the probe beam energy is dramatically reduced, such that two-dimensional potential profiles were able to be successfully measured with HIBP by changing the probe beam energy shot to shot.

Close association between metal allergy and nail lichen planus: detection of causative metals in nail lesions.

BACKGROUND: Lichen planus (LP) is a common skin disorder of unknown aetiology that affects the skin, mucous membranes and nails. Although metal allergies have been implicated in the development of oral LP (OLP), the contribution of these allergies to nail LP (NLP) has yet to be studied in detail. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the link between metal allergy and NLP. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 115 LP patients with respect to the contribution of metals to either NLP or OLP. We also attempted to detect the specific metals involved in these nail lesions. RESULTS: Of the 79 patients that received a metal patch test (PT), 24 (30%) were positive for at least one of the metal compounds tested. Notably, the prevalence of positive reactions to metals in the NLP patients was significantly higher as compared with the OLP patients (59% vs. 27%, P < 0.05). Among the 10 PT-positive patients with NLP, improvement of the skin lesions was seen in six of the patients after removal of dental materials containing causative metals or systemic disodium cromoglycate therapy. On the other hand, only 3 of 16 PT-positive patients with OLP exhibited improvement after the removal of dental materials. Causative metals in the dental fillings/braces were detected in the involved nail tissues. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that metal allergies are more closely associated with NLP vs. OLP, and that deposited metals in the nail apparatus contribute to the development of lichenoid tissue reactions in the nail bed and matrix.

Change of zonal flow spectra in the JIPP T-IIU tokamak plasmas.

When Ohmically heated low-density plasmas are additionally heated by higher-harmonics ion-cyclotron-range-of frequency heating, heated by neutral beam injection, or strongly gas puffed, the intensity of zonal flows in the geodesic acoustic mode frequency range in the tokamak core plasma decreases sharply and that of low-frequency zonal flow grows drastically. This is accompanied by a damping of the drift wave propagating in the electron diamagnetic drift direction, turbulence by trapped electron mode (TEM), and the increase of the mode propagating to ion diamagnetic drift direction (ITG). In the half-radius region, TEM and high-frequency zonal flows remain intense in both OH and heated phases. ITG and low-frequency zonal flows grow in heated plasmas, suggesting a strong coupling between ITG and low-frequency zonal flow.

Streamers in the JIPP T-llU tokamak plasmas.

It is shown that the low-density Ohmically heated tokamak plasmas have streamerlike eddies at the outer region at normalized minor radius of about 0.7 and high-frequency zonal flows of large amplitudes in the core. The amplitudes of the eddies ePhi/kT(e) and n(e)/n(e) are of order of 0.5, similar to that of blobs in the tokamak plasma boundary. The waveforms are featured by pulses of complex shape with sharp fronts, similar to the results of streamer simulations by Garbet et al.. The time constant of the fronts is also in agreement with the simulation. The radial span of the eddies is estimated to be much larger than the poloidal span.

Muir-torre syndrome with intriguing squamous lesions: a case report and review of the literature.

Muir-Torre syndrome (MTS) is an autosomal, dominantly inherited disorder characterized by sebaceous neoplasms and visceral malignancies. We report a 56-year-old woman who underwent resections of extraocular sebaceous carcinoma, sebaceous epithelioma, actinic keratosis, and keratoacanthoma (KA)-like squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with venous invasion metachronously over a 9-year period. Because of the mixed, unusual features of the skin lesions, and her history of endometrial and colorectal cancers that had been resected 12 years and 1 year, respectively, before the present event, a possible diagnosis of Muir-Torre syndrome was suggested. Immunohistochemical studies revealed loss of hMSH2 expression in all the cutaneous lesions including the actinic keratosis, and also in the endometrial and colorectal cancers. This patient presented with intriguing squamous lesions including keratoacanthoma-like squamous cell carcinoma that showed venous invasion and actinic keratosis, and associated loss of hMSH2 expression, in addition to the sebaceous neoplasms typical of Muir-Torre syndrome.

Sawtooth oscillation in current-carrying plasma in the large helical device.

Sawtooth oscillations have been observed in current-carrying helical plasmas by using electron-cyclotron-emission diagnostics in the Large Helical Device. The plasma current, which is driven by neutral beam injection, reduces the beta threshold of the sawtooth oscillation. When the central q value is increased due to the plasma current, the core region crashes, and, when it is decreased, the edge region crashes annularly. Observed rapid mixture of the plasma in the limited region suggests that these sawtooth crashes are reconnection phenomena. Unlike previous experiments, no precursor oscillation has been observed.

Two antiprothrombin antibodies against prothrombin and prothrombin-phosphatidyl serine show partial but not total identity.

Recently, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using prothrombin (PT) as the antigen has become a widely used test. Two ELISA methods for the detection of antiprothrombin antibody have been used extensively: one method employs PT as an antigen (aPT), and the other employs PT and phosphatidyl serine (aPT/PS) as antigens along with Ca. However, the results obtained by the two methods are not necessarily consistent with each other even using the same samples, suggesting the possibility that aPT and aPT/PS are different antibodies. We conducted an investigation to determine whether aPT and aPT/PS are identical or different antibodies. Five patients who were positive for both tests become negative to aPT after absorption with an aPT-ELISA plate or fluid-phase PT; however, they retained reactivity to aPT/PS after the same absorption procedure. These results suggest that aPT and aPT/PS are partially identical, yet still different antibodies. However, further examination employing more samples may be needed to verify our hypothesis including clarification of the clinicopathological significance of these antibodies in the future.

Observation of the fast potential change at L-H transition by a heavy-ion-beam probe on JFT-2M.

The fast potential change near the separatrix is measured directly at the L-H transition by a heavy-ion-beam probe. The potential changes with two different time scales at the L-H transition triggered by a sawtooth crash: it drops at first with the time scale of 10--100 mus just after the arrival of the heat pulse due to the sawtooth crash. Then, it decreases again at a few 100 mus after the first drop at a time scale of about 200 mus.