First Observation of Electron Scattering from Online-Produced Radioactive Target.

We successfully performed electron scattering off unstable nuclei which were produced online from the photofission of uranium. The target ^{137}Cs ions were trapped with a new target-forming technique that makes a high-density stationary target from a small number of ions by confining them in an electron storage ring. After developments of target generation and transportation systems and the beam stacking method to increase the ion beam intensity up to approximately 2×10^{7} ions per pulse beam, an average luminosity of 0.9×10^{26} cm^{-2} s^{-1} was achieved for ^{137}Cs. The obtained angular distribution of elastically scattered electrons is consistent with a calculation. This success marks the realization of the anticipated femtoscope which clarifies the structures of exotic and short-lived unstable nuclei.

Presence and quantification of pathogenic Arcobacter and Campylobacter species in retail meats available in Japan.

We present estimations for the amounts of Arcobacter (A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus and A. skirrowii) and Campylobacter (C. jejuni, C. coli and C. fetus) species in retail chicken, pork and beef meat using PCR-MPN. Arcobacter butzleri, A. cryaerophilus and C. jejuni were found in 100, 60 and 55% of chicken samples, respectively. No other Arcobacter or Campylobacter species were found in chicken. The MPNs of A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus and C. jejuni were greater than 103 per 100 g in 50, 0 and 5% of samples, respectively. The MPN of A. butzleri was higher than that of C. jejuni in 95% of samples. In pork, A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus were detected in 10 and 11 (50 and 55%) of 20 samples, respectively. No other Arcobacter or Campylobacter species were found in pork. Only one pork sample had more than 103 MPN per 100 g of A. cryaerophilus. For beef, only two samples tested positive for A. cryaerophilus, at 4600 and 92 MPN per 100 g. Overall, we found that the presence and MPNs of Arcobacter species are very high in chicken. In contrast, the positive ratios of Arcobacter in pork were high as chicken samples, but MPNs were lower than in chicken.

Usefulness of real-time elastography for diagnosing lymph node metastasis of skin cancer: does elastography potentially eliminate the need for sentinel lymph node biopsy in squamous cell carcinoma?

BACKGROUND: The metastatic involvement of regional lymph nodes is the most important prognostic factor for overall survival of skin cancer patients. The sonographic technique of freehand real-time tissue elastography (RTE), which displays tissue rigidity as a colour overlay of the tissue image, was developed. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate the benefit of RTE for detecting lymph node metastases of skin cancer non-invasively before operation. METHODS: We first selected lymph nodes of skin cancer patients which had already been diagnosed by biopsy as being reactive or metastatic, and then retrospectively collected images of RTE and B-mode and colour Doppler ultrasound on those lymph nodes performed preoperatively. Twenty-one lymph nodes from 12 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 23 lymph nodes from 14 patients with malignant melanoma (MM) and 14 lymph nodes from six patients with extramammary Paget disease (Paget) were investigated. Elastographic images were assessed on a scale of one to four according to the percentage of high elasticity (hard) area (HEA) in the lymph node. RESULTS: In all three skin cancers, lymph nodes evaluated as grade 3 or 4 by RTE were metastatic. All lymph nodes evaluated as grade 1 or 2 by RTE were reactive in SCC, whereas some lymph nodes evaluated as grade 1 or 2 were metastatic in MM and Paget. CONCLUSION: Real-time tissue elastography may aid in distinguishing reactive lymph nodes from metastatic ones especially in SCC.

FRAC: Fringing-RF-field-activated dc-to-pulse converter for low-energy ion beams.

We developed a new type of dc-to-pulse converter, called FRAC (Fringing-RF-field-Activated dc-to-pulse Converter) for low-energy ion beams electrostatically accelerated from an ion source. FRAC is based on a radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linear trap technique and works in principle under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Ions continuously injected into FRAC are decelerated by an alternating longitudinal electric field produced in a distorted radio frequency field around the edge region of RFQ rods. These ions accumulate in FRAC for a significantly long time. This edge effect appears most notably when the energy of incoming ions exceeds the injection barrier potential by less than a few eV and the energy spread is quite small. The ions stacked during the FRAC operation period are ejected as a high intensity pulsed beam. We investigated the performance of FRAC and the capability of some FRAC operation methods developed to enhance the dc-to-pulse conversion efficiency. The maximum conversion efficiencies achieved were 22% and 5.6% at FRAC operation frequencies of 10 and 1 Hz, respectively. The number of ions contained in an output beam pulse with a duration of 500 µs was in practice 1.6 × 109 ions/pulse at an injected dc beam intensity of 4.6 nA and an operation frequency of 1 Hz.

Majorana quantization and half-integer thermal quantum Hall effect in a Kitaev spin liquid.

The quantum Hall effect in two-dimensional electron gases involves the flow of topologically protected dissipationless charge currents along the edges of a sample. Integer or fractional electrical conductance is associated with edge currents of electrons or quasiparticles with fractional charges, respectively. It has been predicted that quantum Hall phenomena can also be created by edge currents with a fundamentally different origin: the fractionalization of quantum spins. However, such quantization has not yet been observed. Here we report the observation of this type of quantization of the Hall effect in an insulating two-dimensional quantum magnet1, α-RuCl3, with a dominant Kitaev interaction (a bond-dependent Ising-type interaction) on a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice2-7. We find that the application of a magnetic field parallel to the sample destroys long-range magnetic order, leading to a field-induced quantum-spin-liquid ground state with substantial entanglement of local spins8-12. In the low-temperature regime of this state, the two-dimensional thermal Hall conductance reaches a quantum plateau as a function of the applied magnetic field and has a quantization value that is exactly half of the two-dimensional thermal Hall conductance of the integer quantum Hall effect. This half-integer quantization of the thermal Hall conductance in a bulk material is a signature of topologically protected chiral edge currents of charge-neutral Majorana fermions (particles that are their own antiparticles), which have half the degrees of freedom of conventional fermions13-16. These results demonstrate the fractionalization of spins into itinerant Majorana fermions and Z2 fluxes, which is predicted to occur in Kitaev quantum spin liquids1,3. Above a critical magnetic field, the quantization disappears and the thermal Hall conductance goes to zero rapidly, indicating a topological quantum phase transition between the states with and without chiral Majorana edge modes. Emergent Majorana fermions in a quantum magnet are expected to have a great impact on strongly correlated quantum matter, opening up the possibility of topological quantum computing at relatively high temperatures.

Unusual Thermal Hall Effect in a Kitaev Spin Liquid Candidate α-RuCl_{3}.

The Kitaev quantum spin liquid displays the fractionalization of quantum spins into Majorana fermions. The emergent Majorana edge current is predicted to manifest itself in the form of a finite thermal Hall effect, a feature commonly discussed in topological superconductors. Here we report on thermal Hall conductivity κ_{xy} measurements in α-RuCl_{3}, a candidate Kitaev magnet with the two-dimensional honeycomb lattice. In a spin-liquid (Kitaev paramagnetic) state below the temperature characterized by the Kitaev interaction J_{K}/k_{B}∼80 K, positive κ_{xy} develops gradually upon cooling, demonstrating the presence of highly unusual itinerant excitations. Although the zero-temperature property is masked by the magnetic ordering at T_{N}=7 K, the sign, magnitude, and T dependence of κ_{xy}/T at intermediate temperatures follows the predicted trend of the itinerant Majorana excitations.

Excitation of the Isovector Spin Monopole Resonance via the Exothermic

The (^{12}N, ^{12}C) charge-exchange reaction at 175 MeV/u was developed as a novel probe for studying the isovector spin giant monopole resonance (IVSMR), whose properties are important for better understanding the bulk properties of nuclei and asymmetric nuclear matter. This probe, now available through the production of ^{12}N as a secondary rare-isotope beam, is exothermic, is strongly absorbed at the surface of the target nucleus, and provides selectivity for spin-transfer excitations. All three properties enhance the excitation of the IVSMR compared to other, primarily light-ion, probes, which have been used to study the IVSMR thus far. The ^{90}Zr(^{12}N,^{12}C) reaction was measured and the excitation energy spectra up to about 70 MeV for both the spin-transfer and non-spin-transfer channels were deduced separately by tagging the decay by γ emission from the ^{12}C ejectile. Besides the well-known Gamow-Teller and isobaric analog transitions, a clear signature of the IVSMR was identified. By comparing with the results from light-ion reactions on the same target nucleus and theoretical predictions, the suitability of this new probe for studying the IVSMR was confirmed.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid deficiency during neurodevelopment in mice models the prodromal state of schizophrenia through epigenetic changes in nuclear receptor genes.

The risk of schizophrenia is increased in offspring whose mothers experience malnutrition during pregnancy. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are dietary components that are crucial for the structural and functional integrity of neural cells, and PUFA deficiency has been shown to be a risk factor for schizophrenia. Here, we show that gestational and early postnatal dietary deprivation of two PUFAs-arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-elicited schizophrenia-like phenotypes in mouse offspring at adulthood. In the PUFA-deprived mouse group, we observed lower motivation and higher sensitivity to a hallucinogenic drug resembling the prodromal symptoms in schizophrenia. Furthermore, a working-memory task-evoked hyper-neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex was also observed, along with the downregulation of genes in the prefrontal cortex involved in oligodendrocyte integrity and the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic system. Regulation of these genes was mediated by the nuclear receptor genes Rxr and Ppar, whose promoters were hyper-methylated by the deprivation of dietary AA and DHA. In addition, the RXR agonist bexarotene upregulated oligodendrocyte- and GABA-related gene expression and suppressed the sensitivity of mice to the hallucinogenic drug. Notably, the expression of these nuclear receptor genes were also downregulated in hair-follicle cells from schizophrenia patients. These results suggest that PUFA deficiency during the early neurodevelopmental period in mice could model the prodromal state of schizophrenia through changes in the epigenetic regulation of nuclear receptor genes.

First Elastic Electron Scattering from

The first elastic electron scattering has been successfully performed at the self-confining radioactive-isotope ion target (SCRIT) facility, the world's first electron scattering facility for SCRIT technique achieved high luminosity (over 10^{27} cm^{-2} s^{-1}, sufficient for determining the nuclear shape) with only 10^{8} target ions. While ^{132}Xe used in this time as a target is a stable isotope, the charge density distribution was first extracted from the momentum transfer distributions of the scattered electrons by comparing the results with those calculated by a phase shift calculation.

Analysis of induced pluripotent stem cells carrying 22q11.2 deletion.

Given the complexity and heterogeneity of the genomic architecture underlying schizophrenia, molecular analyses of these patients with defined and large effect-size genomic defects could provide valuable clues. We established human-induced pluripotent stem cells from two schizophrenia patients with the 22q11.2 deletion (two cell lines from each subject, total of four cell lines) and three controls (total of four cell lines). Neurosphere size, neural differentiation efficiency, neurite outgrowth, cellular migration and the neurogenic-to-gliogenic competence ratio were significantly reduced in patient-derived cells. As an underlying mechanism, we focused on the role of DGCR8, a key gene for microRNA (miRNA) processing and mapped in the deleted region. In mice, Dgcr8 hetero-knockout is known to show a similar phenotype of reduced neurosphere size (Ouchi et al., 2013). The miRNA profiling detected reduced expression levels of miRNAs belonging to miR-17/92 cluster and miR-106a/b in the patient-derived neurospheres. Those miRNAs are reported to target p38α, and conformingly the levels of p38α were upregulated in the patient-derived cells. p38α is known to drive gliogenic differentiation. The inhibition of p38 activity by SB203580 in patient-derived neurospheres partially restored neurogenic competence. Furthermore, we detected elevated expression of GFAP, a gliogenic (astrocyte) marker, in postmortem brains from schizophrenia patients without the 22q11.2 deletion, whereas inflammation markers (IL1B and IL6) remained unchanged. In contrast, a neuronal marker, MAP2 expressions were decreased in schizophrenia brains. These results suggest that a dysregulated balance of neurogenic-to-gliogenic competence may underlie neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia.

Measurement of residual platelet thrombogenicity under arterial shear conditions in cerebrovascular disease patients receiving antiplatelet therapy.

UNLABELLED: Essentials A consensus methodology for assessing the effects of antiplatelet agents has not been established. Measuring platelet thrombus formation (PTF) for evaluating antiplatelet effects was assessed. PTF differentially reflected antiplatelet effects compared to other tests. PTF may be associated with the severity of carotid or intracranial arterial stenosis. Click to hear a presentation on platelet function testing in the clinic by Gresele and colleagues SUMMARY: Background A consensus methodology for assessing the effects of antiplatelet agents has not been established. Objective We investigated the usefulness of directly measuring platelet thrombus formation (PTF) using a microchip-based flow chamber system for evaluating antiplatelet therapy. Patients/Methods Platelet thrombus formation in the whole blood of 94 patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease treated with clopidogrel and/or aspirin was measured in a flow chamber system at a shear rate of 1500 s(-1) and was compared with the results of assays for agonist-induced platelet aggregability, phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein, platelet p-selectin expression (PS), and platelet-monocyte complexes. Results In all patients tested, area under the flow pressure curve (AUC10), which represents platelet thrombogenicity, showed weak correlation with platelet aggregation induced by either adenosine diphosphate or collagen. In addition, AUC10 was lower in patients treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (median 79.4) compared with patients treated with aspirin or clopidogrel alone (217.7 and 301.0, respectively), whereas the parameters evaluated by the other assays did not reflect the combined treatment efficacy. In clopidogrel monotherapy patients, AUC10 was associated with the severity of arterial stenosis (R(2) = 0.127, ß = 1.25), and AUC10 and PS were higher in patients with severe carotid or intracranial arterial stenosis than in those with mild stenosis. Conclusions Platelet thrombus formation measurement using a flow-chamber system was useful for evaluating the efficacy of treatment with aspirin and clopidogrel, both alone and in combination. The present findings indicate that high residual platelet thrombogenicity in patients treated with clopidogrel may be associated with the severity of carotid or intracranial arterial stenosis.

Genetic variants of Kudoa septempunctata (Myxozoa: Multivalvulida), a flounder parasite causing foodborne disease.

Foodborne disease outbreaks caused by raw olive flounders (Paralichthys olivaceus) parasitized with Kudoa septempunctata have been reported in Japan. Origins of olive flounders consumed in Japan vary, being either domestic or imported, and aquaculture-raised or natural. Although it is unknown whether different sources are associated with different outcomes, it is desirable to identify whether this is the case by determining whether unique K. septempunctata strains occur and if so, whether some are associated with foodborne illness. We here developed an intraspecific genotyping method, using the sequence variation of mitochondrial genes. We collected olive flounder samples from foodborne disease outbreaks, domestic fish farms or quarantine offices and investigated whether K. septempunctata genotype is associated with pathogenicity or geographic origin. The 104 samples were classified into three genotypes, ST1, ST2 and ST3. Frequency of symptomatic cases differed by genotypes, but the association was not statistically significant. Whereas K. septempunctata detected from aquaculture-raised and natural fish from Japan were either ST1 or ST2, those from fish inspected at quarantine from Korea to Japan were ST3. Our method can be applied to phylogeographic analysis of K. septempunctata and contribute to containing the foodborne disease. The genotype database is hosted in the PubMLST website (http://pubmlst.org/kseptempunctata/).

Treatment with mild brain hypothermia for cardiopulmonary resuscitation after myoclonic seizures in infant with robertsonian type of trisomy 13.

Congenital chromosomal abnormality with trisomy 13 is known to be associated with poor life prognosis and lethal. Therefore, physician advice the patients be kept in intensive treatment with resuscitation and state of the art intensive care when sudden change in the general condition with this trisomy is observed. We report herein, the treatment with mild brain hypothermia therapy for cardiopulmonary resuscitation after myoclonic seizures in infant with Robertsonian type of trisomy 13 in intensive care unit. Our study indicated that brain hypothermia therapy and steroid pulse therapy on an infant who was believed to have post-resuscitation hypoxic encephalopathy was highly effective as the patient's general condition recovered to the original state after four months.

Comprehensive evaluation of haemostatic function in von Willebrand disease patients using a microchip-based flow chamber system.

The diagnosis of von Willebrand disease (VWD) is difficult due to the wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes associated with this disorder. We have analysed and characterized haemostatic function in VWD patients using a microchip-based flow chamber system. Microchips coated with either collagen [platelet (PL)-chip] or collagen/thromboplastin [atherome (AR)-chip] were used to evaluate platelet thrombus formation at 1000 s(-1) and fibrin-rich platelet thrombus formation at 240 s(-1) respectively. Blood samples from an asymptomatic patient with VWD type 1 [von Willebrand factor (VWF): RCo 3.2%; bleeding score (BS 2] displayed normal thrombus formation in both PL- and AR-chips, whereas blood from a symptomatic type 1 patient (VWF: RCo 14%, BS 9) had significantly delayed capillary occlusion. Nearly complete suppression of the flow pressure increase was observed in symptomatic patients with VWD type 2A (BS 13) and 2N (BS 27), whereas no flow pressure was found for the type 3 patient (BS 6). Fibrin-rich platelet thrombus formation was only weakly increased by the in vitro addition of factor VIII (FVIII) to blood samples from the type 3 patient, but was normalized by the addition of VWF/FVIII. The in vivo effects of treatment with desmopressin or VWF/FVIII for the symptomatic patients were analysed using two types of microchips. The PL-chip was highly sensitive for patients' VWF-mediated platelet functions, whereas the AR-chip allowed assessment of overall haemostatic ability, including sensitivity to both VWF and FVIII. The combined analysis with PL- and AR-chips may be potentially useful for the diagnosis of VWD based on clinical phenotypes, and for monitoring drug effects.

Verruciform xanthoma: report of three patients with comparative dermoscopic study.

We report three cases of verruciform xanthoma (VX) in male patients aged 82, 88 and 39 years, respectively. The clinical appearance was of a mulberry-like area consisting of small papillae, which is typical of and specific to VX, and the diagnosis were histologically confirmed in all cases. Dermoscopy revealed that each surface papilla contained linear or hairpin vessels, which were surrounded by a marginal whitish rim. These structures are thought to correspond to dilated vessels in dermal papillae and papillated acanthotic epidermis, respectively. Furthermore, observation under compression (similar to diascopy) revealed yellow dots and debris, reflecting lipid-laden foam cells. In order to compare these findings with those of other disorders with similar findings, two patients with xanthogranuloma, six with sebaceous naevus, and three with senile sebaceous hyperplasia were examined. The dermoscopic findings in these patients were not similar to those of VX. Therefore, we believe that the above dermoscopic findings are specific to VX and could be helpful in diagnosis.

Observation of a p-wave one-neutron halo configuration in (37)Mg.

Cross sections of 1n-removal reactions from the neutron-rich nucleus (37)Mg on C and Pb targets and the parallel momentum distributions of the (37)Mg residues from the C target have been measured at 240 MeV/nucleon. A combined analysis of these distinct nuclear- and Coulomb-dominated reaction data shows that the (37)Mg ground state has a small 1n separation energy of 0.22(-0.09)(+0.12) MeV and an appreciable p-wave neutron single-particle strength. These results confirm that (37)Mg lies near the edge of the "island of inversion" and has a sizable p-wave neutron halo component, the heaviest such system identified to date.

Deformation-driven p-wave halos at the drip line: 31Ne.

The halo structure of 31Ne is studied using 1n-removal reactions on C and Pb targets at 230 MeV/nucleon. A combined analysis of the cross sections of these nuclear and Coulomb dominated reactions that feed directly the 30Ne ground-state reveals 31Ne to have a small neutron separation energy, 0.15(-0.10)(+0.16) MeV, and spin-parity 3/2-. Consistency of the data with reaction and large-scale shell-model calculations identifies 31Ne as deformed and having a significant p-wave halo component, suggesting that halos are more frequent occurrences at the neutron drip line.