Seeking Repeating Anthropogenic Seismic Sources: Implications for Seismic Velocity Monitoring at Fault Zones.

Seismic velocities in rocks are highly sensitive to changes in permanent deformation and fluid content. The temporal variation of seismic velocity during the preparation phase of earthquakes has been well documented in laboratories but rarely observed in nature. It has been recently found that some anthropogenic, high-frequency (>1 Hz) seismic sources are powerful enough to generate body waves that travel down to a few kilometers and can be used to monitor fault zones at seismogenic depth. Anthropogenic seismic sources typically have fixed spatial distribution and provide new perspectives for velocity monitoring. In this work, we propose a systematic workflow to seek such powerful seismic sources in a rapid and straightforward manner. We tackle the problem from a statistical point of view, considering that persistent, powerful seismic sources yield highly coherent correlation functions (CFs) between pairs of seismic sensors. The algorithm is tested in California and Japan. Multiple sites close to fault zones show high-frequency CFs stable for an extended period of time. These findings have great potential for monitoring fault zones, including the San Jacinto Fault and the Ridgecrest area in Southern California, Napa in Northern California, and faults in central Japan. However, extra steps, such as beamforming or polarization analysis, are required to determine the dominant seismic sources and study the source characteristics, which are crucial to interpreting the velocity monitoring results. Train tremors identified by the present approach have been successfully used for seismic velocity monitoring of the San Jacinto Fault in previous studies.

Spontaneous regression of malignant lymphoma of the maxillary gingiva following biopsy.

A case of spontaneous regression of malignant lymphoma of the maxillary gingiva following a biopsy is reported. An 84-year-old man was referred to the hospital with chief complaints of swelling of the anterior maxillary gingiva. A non-tender swelling with an ulcer was observed. There was no abnormal bone resorption in the anterior maxillary region and no swelling of the cervical lymph nodes. A biopsy was performed, and the patient was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The lesion regressed spontaneously 3 weeks after the initial biopsy. Two years have passed since the spontaneous regression and no recurrence has been observed. If malignant lymphoma regresses on biopsy, observation is considered to be sufficient.

Chemotactic responses of Brugia pahangi infective third-stage larvae to tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane-related compounds and amino acids.

Since the exogenous compound tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) showed a potent chemoattractant activity for Brugia pahangi infective third-stage larvae (L3), it was assumed that, in natural infection to a host, filarial L3 can be expected to recognize an endogenous Tris-related compound. In addition, a few amino acids have been identified as water-soluble attractants for second-stage juveniles of Meloidogyne incognita, a plant parasitic nematode. Therefore, the present study assesses the in vitro chemotactic responses of B. pahangi L3 to Tris-related compounds and amino acids using an agar-plate assay. Among Tris-related compounds, 2-amino-1,3-propanediol (APD) and 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (AMPD) exhibited a potent chemoattractant activity for filarial L3 at a level similar to Tris. Furthermore, arginine (Arg) was identified as a potent attractant for filarial L3 among amino acids. In addition, filarial L3 were attracted to Arg, APD and AMPD in mild alkaline conditions rather than acidic conditions. The chemoattractant activity of the three compounds for filarial L3 was observed in concentrations between 6.3 and 200 mm. This is the first report to demonstrate that Arg, APD and AMPD are potent chemoattractants for B. pahangi L3. Endogenous Arg and APD, in particular, may be involved in the regulation of the chemotactic behaviour of filarial L3 in the infection to a host. The present results will help to elucidate the mechanism of filarial skin-penetrating invasion of a host.

Measurement of zinc concentration in blood and breast milk of a Wilson's disease patient taking zinc acetate.

Case: A 27-year-old, gravida 2, para 0, Japanese female who was maintained on zinc acetate (75 mg/day) during pregnancy expressed her desire to breastfeed after birth. We investigated the possibility of breastfeeding while on treatment. Breast milk zinc concentrations were determined using an atomic absorption photometer. Breast milk zinc concentrations on the 4th (colostrum) and 32nd (post-colostrum) days post partum were 10.80 µg/mL and 3.28 µg/mL, respectively. These values are less than the reported range of breast milk zinc concentrations in Japanese women who are not under any medication. Conclusion: We measured blood and breast milk zinc concentrations of a patient with Wilson's disease who was taking zinc acetate (75 mg/day). Zinc values were within the range of breast milk concentrations of mothers who are not on zinc acetate.

Evaluation of screening for drug use using postmortem prolactin levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid.

Prolactin (PRL) levels can usually be controlled by PRL-inhibiting psychiatric drugs that include anti-dopamine agents. However, the use of dopamine (DA) antagonists may lead to hyperprolactinemia under certain clinical conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate postmortem PRL levels as potential markers of drug abuse, especially that of DA antagonists, in autopsy cases. We examined 121 autopsy cases, excluding cases involving acute hypoxia/ischemia, such as asphyxia, because PRL concentrations are reportedly increased under acute hypoxic conditions. Detected drugs were classified as either DA antagonists, stimulants, psychotropic drugs other than DA antagonists, or other non-psychotropic drugs, and many cases had no detected drugs. Samples comprised blood collected from the right heart chamber and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). PRL protein level was measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay, and PRL gene expression in the anterior pituitary of autopsy cases was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The PRL-positive cell ratio in the anterior pituitary gland was also measured by immunohistochemical analysis. The results indicated that PRL levels in the serum and CSF were higher in DA antagonist cases than in other cases. PRL levels in the serum and CSF also correlated with the PRL gene expression in cases with abuse of DA antagonists. However, no significant difference in the PRL-positive cell ratio in the anterior pituitary gland was evident between any of the classes of drug-detected and drug-undetected cases. These results suggest that postmortem measurements of PRL transcription levels may be useful for diagnosing cases of DA antagonist use.

Satisfaction After Joint-preservation Surgery in Patients With Musculoskeletal Knee Sarcoma Based on Various Scores.

BACKGROUND/AIM: At our institute, we prioritize joint-preservation whenever possible in cases of musculoskeletal knee sarcoma. This study aimed to evaluate patient satisfaction after joint-preservation surgery using different scales. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Surveys were mailed to 62 patients with musculoskeletal knee sarcoma. We analyzed the responders' data based on the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score, Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS), and three component scores (physical, mental, and role/social) of the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey according to whether they belonged to patients in the joint-preservation or in the joint-replacement groups. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 67.7%. MSTS and TESS scores were higher in the patients in the joint-preservation group than in the joint-replacement group, although the differences lacked statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Better physical outcomes improve patient satisfaction, as demonstrated by the high satisfaction in the group with joint-preservation.

Determining Patient Satisfaction and Treatment Desires in Patients With Musculoskeletal Sarcoma of the Knee After Joint-preservation Surgery Using a Questionnaire Survey.

BACKGROUND/AIM: For cases of musculoskeletal sarcoma of the knee presenting to our institute, we prioritize joint preservation whenever possible. To investigate patient satisfaction and desire for joint preservation, a questionnaire survey was performed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Surveys were mailed to 62 patients with musculoskeletal sarcoma of the knee. Responses concerning the patient and their families' satisfaction were evaluated on a 5-point Likert scale and their priorities for the surgery were noted as well. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 67.7%. All but one person were above neutral for the 5-point Likert scale. Overall, the first priority was tumor removal followed by preservation of function. CONCLUSION: Patients identified tumor removal as their first priority, which could increase satisfaction. Following that, better preservation of function could also increase patient satisfaction. Joint-preservation was consistent with these priorities.

Allergy and anaphylactic reaction to loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) are induced by a bet V 1 homolog

No disponible

Polar Kerr Effect from Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor PrOs_{4}Sb_{12}.

We present polar Kerr effect measurements of the filled skutterudite superconductor PrOs_{4}Sb_{12}. Simultaneous ac susceptibility measurements allow us to observe the superconducting transition under the influence of heating from the optical beam. A nonzero Kerr angle θ_{K} develops below the superconducting transition, saturating at ∼300 nrad at low temperatures. This result is repeated across several measurements of multiple samples. By extrapolating the measured θ_{K}(T) to zero optical power, we are able to show that the Kerr angle onset temperature in one set of measurements is consistent with the transition to the B phase at T_{C2}. We discuss the possible explanations for this result and its impact on the understanding of multiphase and inhomogeneous superconductivity in PrOs_{4}Sb_{12}.

Metallic phase in stoichiometric CeOBiS2 revealed by space-resolved ARPES.

Recently CeOBiS2 system without any fluorine doping is found to show superconductivity posing question on its origin. Using space resolved ARPES we have found a metallic phase embedded in the morphological defects and at the sample edges of stoichiometric CeOBiS2. While bulk of the sample is semiconducting, the embedded metallic phase is characterized by the usual electron pocket at X point, similar to the Fermi surface of doped BiS2-based superconductors. Typical size of the observed metallic domain is larger than the superconducting correlation length of the system suggesting that the observed superconductivity in undoped CeOBiS2 might be due to this embedded metallic phase at the defects. The results also suggest a possible way to develop new systems by manipulation of the defects in these chalcogenides with structural instability.

Chemoattractant activity of tris-(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane for Brugia pahangi infective third-stage larvae.

Urocanic acid (UCA) is known as a major chemoattractant for Strongyloides stercoralis infective third-stage larvae (L3). Since Brugia pahangi is a skin-penetrating parasitic nematode similar to S. stercoralis, UCA was expected to be a chemoattractant for B. pahangi L3. Thus, the chemoattractant activity of UCA for B. pahangi L3 was assessed. The chemotactic responses of B. pahangi L3 to UCA or acetic acid (CH3COOH) dissolved in amine solutions were assessed using an agar-plate assay. A test solution of 200 mm UCA dissolved in aqueous 270 mm tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) significantly attracted B. pahangi L3 compared with deionized water (DW), while neither a solution of 200 mm UCA dissolved in aqueous 230 mm ammonia (NH3) nor 290 mm triethylamine (TEA) significantly attracted L3. Similarly, a test solution of 200 mm CH3COOH dissolved with 200 mm Tris significantly attracted L3, but neither a test solution of 200 mm CH3COOH plus 200 mm NH3 nor 200 mm TEA attracted L3. Furthermore, L3 were significantly attracted to 200 mm Tris alone, compared with DW, but avoided 200 mm NH3 and 200 mm TEA. Moreover, the chemoattractant activity of Tris for L3 was observed even at a low concentration of 25 mm, and it was observed in a mild alkaline condition but not in an acidic condition. The present study reveals that Tris is a potential chemoattractant for B. pahangi L3 while UCA is not. This finding will contribute to an understanding of the mechanisms of skin-penetrating infection of filarial L3.

Advancement of magma fragmentation by inhomogeneous bubble distribution.

Decompression times reported in previous studies suggest that thoroughly brittle fragmentation is unlikely in actual explosive volcanic eruptions. What occurs in practice is brittle-like fragmentation, which is defined as the solid-like fracture of a material whose bulk rheological properties are close to those of a fluid. Through laboratory experiments and numerical simulation, the link between the inhomogeneous structure of bubbles and the development of cracks that may lead to brittle-like fragmentation was clearly demonstrated here. A rapid decompression test was conducted to simulate the fragmentation of a specimen whose pore morphology was revealed by X-ray microtomography. The dynamic response during decompression was observed by high-speed photography. Large variation was observed in the responses of the specimens even among specimens with equal bulk rheological properties. The stress fields of the specimens under decompression computed by finite element analysis shows that the presence of satellite bubbles beneath a large bubble induced the stress concentration. On the basis of the obtained results, a new mechanism for brittle-like fragmentation is proposed. In the proposed scenario, the second nucleation of bubbles near the fragmentation surface is an essential process for the advancement of fragmentation in an upward magma flow in a volcanic conduit.

Review of lattice results concerning low-energy particle physics: Flavour Lattice Averaging Group (FLAG).

We review lattice results related to pion, kaon, D- and B-meson physics with the aim of making them easily accessible to the particle-physics community. More specifically, we report on the determination of the light-quark masses, the form factor [Formula: see text], arising in the semileptonic [Formula: see text] transition at zero momentum transfer, as well as the decay constant ratio [Formula: see text] and its consequences for the CKM matrix elements [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, we describe the results obtained on the lattice for some of the low-energy constants of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] Chiral Perturbation Theory. We review the determination of the [Formula: see text] parameter of neutral kaon mixing as well as the additional four B parameters that arise in theories of physics beyond the Standard Model. The latter quantities are an addition compared to the previous review. For the heavy-quark sector, we provide results for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] (also new compared to the previous review), as well as those for D- and B-meson-decay constants, form factors, and mixing parameters. These are the heavy-quark quantities most relevant for the determination of CKM matrix elements and the global CKM unitarity-triangle fit. Finally, we review the status of lattice determinations of the strong coupling constant [Formula: see text].

Quantification of skin erythema response to topical alcohol in alcohol-intolerant East Asians.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Severe alcohol intolerance characterized by flushing, headache, nausea, and tachycardia even after very modest oral alcohol consumption, is common among East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans) and has been associated with the accumulation of acetaldehyde resulting from genetic polymorphism of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). These individuals also display erythema of the skin in response to exposure to topical alcohol. We have recently observed that dietary phytochemicals such as sulforaphane can accelerate the disposal of acetaldehyde from cells and animals by inducing ALDH. The goal of this study was to quantify the erythema response of skin to topical alcohol exposure. METHODS: The erythema response of the forearm skin of healthy Japanese with unusual alcohol sensitivity evoked by a range of very low doses of alcohol (2, 4, 8, and 16 µmol/cm2 ) was determined by means of a chromometer, which measures a* values (red-green scale). RESULTS: The magnitude of the a* response (∆a*) to alcohol was time- and dose-dependent, but differed considerably among individuals. It was much higher in those individuals who claimed to be alcohol intolerant, and ∆a* was unrelated to the initial a* values of the skin prior to alcohol challenge. CONCLUSION: The ∆a* index is suitable for the quantitative determination of topical alcohol-induced erythema response, and the evaluation of effectiveness of protective strategies against erythema response.

Should sexual intercourse be avoided during the embryo transfer cycle? Life-threatening ruptured heterotopic pregnancy after single thawed embryo transfer: case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: To report the life-threatening complication of a raptured heterotopic pregnancy occurring from thawed single embryo transfer. CASE REPORT: A 33-year-old woman underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) under a step-up regimen. After oocyte collection, blastocysts were frozen, and a single frozen-thawed blastocyst was then transferred according to the natural cycle. On day 17 after embryo transfer, an intrauterine pregnancy was confirmed. On day 28, she complained of sudden abdominal pain and ultrasonography revealed marked fluid retention in the peritoneal cavity. Emergency laparoscopy was performed, revealing hemoperitoneum and a ruptured interstitial heterotopic pregnancy (HP), which was then resected laparoscopically. Because sexual intercourse had occurred shortly before the transfer, a HP comprising a spontaneous pregnancy and a pregnancy achieved by assisted reproductive technology was assumed. The fetus in the uterus survived and was delivered. CONCLUSION: In this case, however, despite the single embryo transfer during the natural-cycle frozen-thawed embryo transfer process, the risk of life-threatening complication as a HP as a consequence of spontaneous pregnancy after sexual intercourse remained.

Efficacy and Safety of Salmeterol/fluticasone Combination Therapy in Infants and Preschool Children with Asthma Insufficiently Controlled by Inhaled Corticosteroids.

BACKGROUND: Clinical evidences of inhaled salmeterol/fluticasone propionate combination (SFC) therapy are insufficient in early childhood asthma. OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of SFC50, a combination product of salmeterol xinafoate (50 µg/day) and fluticasone propionate (100 µg/day), in infants and preschool children with asthma. METHODS: The study was conducted at 31 sites in Japan. 35 patients (6 months to 5 years old) with asthma insufficiently controlled by inhaled corticosteroids (100 µg/day) were initiated to treat with SFC50 twice a day for 12 weeks with pressurized metered dose inhalers. The efficacy of SFC50 was assessed using nighttime sleep disorder score as the primary endpoint and the other efficacy measurements. The safety measurement included the incidences of adverse event (AE). RESULTS: Mean patient age was 3.1 years, and 94.2% had mild-to-moderate persistent asthma (atopic type: 65.7%). Nighttime sleep disorder scores, assessed by a nighttime sleep diary, significantly decreased after treatment with SFC50 throughout the study period (p<0.01). SFC50 also significantly improved other efficacy outcomes including asthma symptom score, frequency of short-acting beta-agonist treatment, frequency of unscheduled visits to clinic, frequency of exacerbation due to virus infection, asthma control score and patient QOL score (p<0.01). AEs of cold, upper respiratory inflammation and asthmatic attack occurred in each of the 3 patients (8.6%); however, these were not regarded as treatment-related AEs. CONCLUSIONS: SFC50 improved nighttime sleep disorder score and other efficacy outcome measures with no safety concerns. The results suggest that SFC50 treatment is useful to control the mild-to-moderate asthma in infant and preschool-aged children.

Effect of high energy electrons on H⁻ production and destruction in a high current DC negative ion source for cyclotron.

Recently, a filament driven multi-cusp negative ion source has been developed for proton cyclotrons in medical applications. In this study, numerical modeling of the filament arc-discharge source plasma has been done with kinetic modeling of electrons in the ion source plasmas by the multi-cusp arc-discharge code and zero dimensional rate equations for hydrogen molecules and negative ions. In this paper, main focus is placed on the effects of the arc-discharge power on the electron energy distribution function and the resultant H(-) production. The modelling results reasonably explains the dependence of the H(-) extraction current on the arc-discharge power in the experiments.