Surface Structure of Aerobically Oxidized Diamond Nanocrystals

Science.gov (United States)

2014-10-27

Diamond. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2000, 84, 5160−5163. (31) Ownby, P. D.; Yang, X.; Liu, J. Calculated X-Ray-Diffraction Data for Diamond Polytypes. J. Am. Ceram...Surfaces from Ab-Initio Calculations . Phys. Rev. B 1995, 51, 14669−14685. (39) Ferrari, A. C.; Robertson, J. Raman Spectroscopy of Amorphous, Nanostructured...Y.; Takami, S.; Kubo , M.; Belosludov, R. V.; Miyamoto, A.; Imamura, A.; Gamo, M. N.; Ando, T. First-Principle Study on Reactions of Diamond (100

Chronic unremitting headache associated with Lyme disease-like illness

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Pedro Andre Kowacs

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The Brazilian Lyme-disease-like illness (BLDLI or Baggio-Yoshinari syndrome is a unique zoonosis found in Brazil. It reproduces all the clinical symptoms of Lyme disease except for the high frequencies of relapse and the presence of autoimmune manifestations. Two cases of borreliosis manifesting with unremitting headache, which is a symptom associated with late-stage BLDLI, were presented. Clinical, therapeutic, and prognostic aspects of the BLDLI and its associated headaches were showed and discussed in this article. BLDLI diagnosis requires additional attention by physicians, since the disease has a tendency to progress to the late, recurrent stage or the chronic form, and the associated headache can be confused with chronic primary headache or with analgesic-overuse one. Special attention should be paid to patients with headaches who have traveled to endemic areas.

Survey for Tick-Borne Zoonoses in the State of Espirito Santo, Southeastern Brazil

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Spolidorio, Mariana G.; Labruna, Marcelo B.; Machado, Rosangela Z.; Moraes-Filho, Jonas; Zago, Augusto M.; Donatele, Dirlei M.; Pinheiro, Sônia R.; Silveira, Iara; Caliari, Késia M.; Yoshinari, Natalino H.

2010-01-01

Blood samples collected from 201 humans, 92 dogs, and 27 horses in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil, were tested by polymerase chain reaction, indirect immunofluorescence assays, and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for tick-borne diseases (rickettsiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, borreliosis, babesiosis). Our results indicated that the surveyed counties are endemic for spotted fever group rickettsiosis because sera from 70 (34.8%) humans, 7 (7.6%) dogs, and 7 (25.9%) horses were reactive to at least one of the six Rickettsia species tested. Although there was evidence of ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia canis) and babesiosis (Babesia canis vogeli, Theileria equi) in domestic animals, no human was positive for babesiosis and only four individuals were serologically positive for E. canis. Borrelia burgdorferi-serologic reactive sera were rare among humans and horses, but encompassed 51% of the canine samples, suggesting that dogs and their ticks can be part of the epidemiological cycle of the causative agent of the Brazilian zoonosis, named Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome. PMID:20595502

Evidence of Borrelia in wild and domestic mammals from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

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Carlos Emmanuel Montandon

Full Text Available The main of the study was to evaluate the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in domestic and wild vertebrates and ectoparasites in endemic areas from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A total of 445 serum samples were examined by ELISA, which used the Borrelia burgdorferi strain G39/40 U.S. source and 3,821 tick samples were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR. B. burgdorferi antibodies were found in 30 serum samples (6.74%; three in marsupials (7.69%, three in rodents (2.80%, nine in dogs (6.25%, and 15 in horses (9.68%. Nested-PCR performed in DNA samples obtained from collected ticks demonstrated negative results. Although attempts to amplify B. burgdorferi DNA from ticks had been not successful, the presence of seroreactive vertebrates suggests the possibility the Borrelia species circulating in these regions. Further research is required to provide information on the presence of Borrelia in Brazilian territory and its association with Baggio-Yoshinari syndrome.

Fuzzy sets, rough sets, multisets and clustering

CERN Document Server

Dahlbom, Anders; Narukawa, Yasuo

2017-01-01

This book is dedicated to Prof. Sadaaki Miyamoto and presents cutting-edge papers in some of the areas in which he contributed. Bringing together contributions by leading researchers in the field, it concretely addresses clustering, multisets, rough sets and fuzzy sets, as well as their applications in areas such as decision-making. The book is divided in four parts, the first of which focuses on clustering and classification. The second part puts the spotlight on multisets, bags, fuzzy bags and other fuzzy extensions, while the third deals with rough sets. Rounding out the coverage, the last part explores fuzzy sets and decision-making.

Cross-cultural similarities and differences in the experience of awe.

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Razavi, Pooya; Zhang, Jia Wei; Hekiert, Daniela; Yoo, Seung Hee; Howell, Ryan T

2016-12-01

Current research on awe is limited to Western cultures. Thus, whether the measurement, frequency, and consequences of awe will replicate across non-Western cultures remains unanswered. To address this gap, we validated the dispositional awe scale (Shiota, Keltner, & John, 2006) in 4 countries (United States, Iran, Malaysia, and Poland; N = 1,173) with extensive variations in cultural values (i.e., power distance) and personality profiles (i.e., extraversion and openness). Multigroup factor analyses demonstrated that, across all cultures, a 3-factor model that treats awe, amusement, and pride as 3 unique emotions is superior to a single-factor model that clusters all 3 emotions together. Structurally, the scales of awe, amusement and pride were invariant across all countries. Furthermore, we found significant country-level differences in dispositional awe, with the largest discrepancy between the United States and Iran (d = 0.79); these differences are not likely due to cultural response biases. Results are discussed in terms of possible explanations for country-level differences and suggestions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Asymptotic Poincare lemma and its applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ziolkowski, R.W.; Deschamps, G.A.

1984-01-01

An asymptotic version of Poincare's lemma is defined and solutions are obtained with the calculus of exterior differential forms. They are used to construct the asymptotic approximations of multidimensional oscillatory integrals whose forms are commonly encountered, for example, in electromagnetic problems. In particular, the boundary and stationary point evaluations of these integrals are considered. The former is applied to the Kirchhoff representation of a scalar field diffracted through an aperture and simply recovers the Maggi-Rubinowicz-Miyamoto-Wolf results. Asymptotic approximations in the presence of other (standard) critical points are also discussed. Techniques developed for the asymptotic Poincare lemma are used to generate a general representation of the Leray form. All of the (differential form) expressions presented are generalizations of known (vector calculus) results. 14 references, 4 figures

Use of pharmacist blood pressure telemonitoring systems in diagnosis of nocturnal hypertension in a young healthy male

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Mizuno T

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Tomohiro Mizuno,1,* Chizuru Matsumoto,1,* Nobuko Nabetani,2 Yoshinari Yasuda,3 Tadashi Nagamatsu,1 Norimasa Umemura2 1Department of Analytical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, Nagoya, Japan; 2Haruka Community Pharmacy, Nagoya, Japan; 3Department of Chronic Kidney Disease Initiatives, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Blood pressure (BP telemonitoring systems and pharmacist management programs were introduced into Haruka Community Pharmacy. A 22-year-old healthy male came to the community pharmacy, although he was not in a diseased state, he had been informed previously that he had a moderately high BP during a routine examination. He continued home BP telemonitoring for 28 days. A pharmacist intervention was conducted at 2 week intervals. His average nighttime systolic BP was higher than the daytime systolic BP. The pharmacist consulted a doctor based on the BP telemonitoring results, and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM was initiated. The doctor detected nocturnal hypertension based on the results of ABPM monitoring. BP telemonitoring systems have been introduced into a small percentage of pharmacies in Japan, and this is the first case report for the usefulness of these systems in a community pharmacy. Keywords: community pharmacy, management, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Avaliação de híbridos de pepino tipo japonês sob ambiente protegido em duas épocas de cultivo

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Cardoso Antonio Ismael I.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Foram avaliados 12 híbridos de pepino do tipo japonês em cultivo de verão (duas repetições, 7 plantas/parcela e 14 em cultivo de outono-inverno (quatro repetições, 5 plantas/parcela, em um delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com o objetivo de avaliar o comportamento dos mesmos sob cultivo protegido nas condições de São Manuel (SP. Somente o híbrido Rensei caracterizou-se por ser ginóico, e os demais (AF-1327, AF-1328, AF-1329, BU-92, Hokuho, Hokushin, Hyuma, KH-705, Natsusuzumi, Nikkey, Summer Green, Top Green, Tsuyataro e Yoshinari foram monóicos, embora todos partenocárpicos. Os híbridos mais produtivos no cultivo de verão foram o Tsuyataro (25,4 frutos/planta e o Rensei (25,3 frutos/planta. No cultivo de outono-inverno foram o Nikkey (26,8 frutos comerciais/planta e Top Green (23,4 frutos comerciais/planta e os menos produtivos foram o Rensei (16,1 frutos comerciais/planta e o AF-1328 (17,6 frutos comerciais/planta. Em média, obteve-se maior produção no cultivo de outono-inverno.

Adult-onset opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia syndrome as a manifestation of brazilian lyme disease-like syndrome: a case report and review of literature

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Angelina Maria Martins Lino

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Described in 1962, the opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia syndrome (OMAS is a rare, neurologically debilitating disorder with distinct characteristics that may begin in childhood or adult life. Although many cases remain without etiological diagnosis, others are related to neoplasms and infectious diseases. We report a 41-year-old previously healthy male with an 8-day history of headache, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and nystagmus. After a normal brain computed tomography and lymphocytic pleocytosis in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF, intravenous acyclovir therapy was initiated in the emergency room. On the third day of hospitalization, the diagnosis of OMAS was made based on the presence of chaotic and irregular eye movements, dysarthric speech, gait instability, generalized tremor, and myoclonic jerks. In the face of his neurological worsening, ampicillin followed by nonspecific immunotherapy (methylprednisolone and intravenous immunoglobulin was prescribed, with mild clinical improvement. After a thorough laboratory workup, the definite diagnosis of neuroborreliosis was established and ceftriaxone (4 g/daily/3wks and doxycycline (200 mg/day/2 mo was administered. Toward the end of the ceftriaxone regimen, the neurologic signs substantially improved. We believe this to be the first case description of OMAS as clinical presentation of Brazilian Lyme disease-like syndrome (Baggio-Yoshinari syndrome.

Supporting data for comparative proteomic analysis of Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644 exposed to a sublethal concentration of nisin

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Kendi Nishino Miyamoto

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Here we provide the LC–MS/MS data from a comparative analysis of Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644 treated and non-treated with a sublethal concentration of nisin (10−3 mg/mL. Protein samples were analyzed by multidimensional protein identification technology (MudPIT approach, in an off-line configuration. The raw MS/MS data allowed the detection of 49,591 spectra which resulted in 576 protein identifications. After Scaffold validation, 179 proteins were identified with high confidence. A label-free quantitative analysis based of normalized spectral abundance factor (NSAF was used and 13 proteins were found differentially expressed between nisin-treated and non-treated cells. Gene ontology analysis of differentially expressed proteins revealed that most of them are correlated to metabolic process, oxidative stress response mechanisms and molecular binding. A detailed analysis and discussion of these data may be found in Miyamoto et al. [1].

Investigation of transverse Peltier effect on top-seeded melt textureYBa2Cu3O7-δ

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Z.H.; Ma, Z.G.; Li, Q.Y.; Luo, Y.Y.; Zhang, J.X.; Meng, R.L.; Chu, C.W.

1996-01-01

The transverse Peltier effect is investigated on the top-seeded melt texture superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (YBCO). By restricting the heat absorbing or evolving on one of the sample close-quote s surfaces, the Peltier heat flow is converted into a temperature difference for measurement. The temperature difference is found proportional to the current applied, which is in accordance with the prediction of transverse Peltier effect. Based on a simplified model, the difference of the Seebeck coefficients between the ab plane and the c axis, |S ab -S c |, is about 35 μV/K. It is in good agreement with that of large single crystal [I. Terasaki, Y. Sato, S. Tajima, S. Miyamoto, and S. Tanaka, Physica C 235-240, 1413 (1994)]. The transverse Peltier effect is verified. This supports the idea that the off-diagonal thermoelectric effect is responsible for the anomalously high laser-induced transient transverse voltage on the oriented YBCO superconducting thin films. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

Are only Emotional Strengths Emotional? Character Strengths and Disposition to Positive Emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Güsewell, Angelika; Ruch, Willibald

2012-07-01

This study aimed to examine the relations between character strengths and dispositional positive emotions (i.e. joy, contentment, pride, love, compassion, amusement, and awe). A sample of 574 German-speaking adults filled in the Dispositional Positive Emotion Scales (DPES; Shiota, Keltner, & John, 2006), and the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS; Peterson, Park, & Seligman, 2005). The factorial structure of the DPES was examined on item level. Joy and contentment could not be clearly separated; the items of the other five emotions loaded on separate factors. A confirmatory factor analysis assuming two latent factors (self-oriented and object/situation specific) was computed on scale level. Results confirmed the existence of these factors, but also indicated that the seven emotions did not split up into two clearly separable families. Correlations between dispositional positive emotions and character strengths were positive and generally low to moderate; a few theoretically meaningful strengths-emotions pairs yielded coefficients>.40. Finally, the link between five character strengths factors (i.e. emotional strengths, interpersonal strengths, strengths of restraint, intellectual strengths, and theological strengths) and the emotional dispositions was examined. Each of the factors displayed a distinctive "emotional pattern"; emotional strengths evidenced the most numerous and strongest links to emotional dispositions. © 2012 The Authors. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being © 2012 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

Reprodução de Meloidogyne spp. em porta-enxertos e híbridos de pepino Reproduction of Meloidogyne spp. in rootstocks and cucumber hybrids

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Silvia Renata S Wilcken

2010-03-01

Full Text Available A enxertia é uma técnica alternativa frequentemente recomendada para a cultura do pepino em áreas infestadas com nematóides das galhas. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo determinar o fator de reprodução de Meloidogyne javanica e de Meloidogyne incognita raça 2 em seis porta-enxertos para pepino (abóbora 'Menina Brasileira', moranga 'Exposição', 'Shelper', 'Tetsukabuto', 'B8-A Tetsukabuto' e 'Excite Ikki' e quatro híbridos de pepino (Cucumis sativus tipo japonês ('Yoshinari', 'Kouki', 'Taisho' e 'Tsuyataro'. Foram conduzidos dois experimentos em casa-de-vegetação, um com cada espécie do nematóide, sendo cada parcela constituída de uma planta mantida em vaso contendo 2 litros de solo autoclavado. Nove dias após transplante, cada planta foi inoculada com 5.000 ovos e juvenis de segundo estádio (população inicial - Pi de M. javanica ou M. incognita raça 2. Tomateiros 'Rutgers' foram utilizados como padrão de viabilidade do inóculo, em ambos os experimentos. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado com cinco repetições por tratamento. Sessenta dias após a inoculação, cada planta foi avaliada, quanto ao peso fresco da raiz, número total de nematóides presentes no solo e na raiz (população final - Pf, número de nematóides/g de raiz e fator de reprodução de ambas as espécies de Meloidogyne (FR=Pf/Pi. Todos os porta-enxertos e híbridos de pepino testados apresentaram fatores de reprodução superiores a um, proporcionando a multiplicação de M. javanica e de M. incognita raça 2, porém, os valores nos híbridos de pepino foram superiores aos dos porta-enxertos.Grafting is an alternative technique often recommended for the cucumber crop in root-knot nematodes infested areas. This study aimed to determine the reproduction factor of Meloidogyne javanica and M. incognita race 2 on six rootstocks for cucumber (squash 'Menina Brasileira, pumpkim 'Exposição', 'Shelper', 'Tetsukabuto', 'B8-A

Enhanced production of parthenocarpic cucumbers pollinated with stingless bees and Africanized honey bees in greenhouses

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Euclides Braga Malheiros

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Crops have different levels of dependence on pollinators; this holds true even for cultivars of the same species, as in the case of cucumber (Cucumis sativus. The aim of this research was to assess the attractiveness of flowers of three Japanese parthenocarpic cucumber cultivars and evaluate the importance of Africanized bees (Apis mellifera, and the Brazilian native stingless bees, Jataí (Tetragonisca angustula and Iraí (Nannotrigona testaceicornis on fruit production. Several parameters, including frequency of bee visits to flowers as well as duration of nectar collection and fruit set were examined; additionally, fruit weight, length and diameter were evaluated. Three greenhouses located in Ribeirão Preto, SP, were used for planting three cucumber cultivars (Hokushin, Yoshinari and Soudai. The female flowers were more attractive than male flowers; however, Jataí bees were not observed visiting the flowers. The Africanized and the Iraí bees collected only nectar, with a visitation peak between 10 and 12h. Visits to female flowers had a longer duration than visits to male flower visits in all three cultivars. Africanized bee colonies declined due to loss of bees while in the greenhouse; the native stingless bee colonies did not suffer these losses. When bees were excluded, fruit set was 78%; however, when bees had access to the flowers, fruit set was significantly (19.2% higher. Fruit size and weight did not differ with and without bees. This demonstrates that even in parthenocarpic cucumber cultivars, which do not require pollination in order to from fruits, fruit production is significantly increased by bee pollination.

Correlation of Electrical and Swelling Properties with Nano Free Volume Structure of Conductive Silicone Rubber Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd-El Salam, M.H.; El-Gamal, S.; Abd El-Maqsoud, D.M.; Mohsen, M.

2013-01-01

The present study focuses on finding a correlation between the positron annihilation parameters in silicone rubber based on Poly dimethyl siloxane (PDMS) composites loaded with different conductive fillers and their swelling and electrical properties. Four types of conductive fillers have been used in this study: carbon black, graphite, copper, and nickel powders. The maximum degree of swelling Q m %, the penetration rate, P, as well as the diffusion coefficient, D, decrease with increasing the filler content due to the reduction of the size of free volume, as observed through a decrease of the probability of ortho-positronium (o-Ps) formation I 3 and the o-Ps lifetime Τ 3 , representing the size of free volume measured by the positron annihilation lifetime technique (PAL). The electrical conductivity ln (Σ) is positively correlated with the probability of free annihilation of positrons at interfaces I 2 , thus suggesting an increase in the electron density with the filler content. The activation energy of conduction, E a , is found to decrease with the increase in the loading of conductive filler and the particle size of the filler. A correlation between the free-volume V f , and the d.c. electrical conductivity ln (Σ) is found to be in accordance with Miyamoto and Shibayma model of ion conduction.

BOOK REVIEW: Controlled Fusion and Plasma Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Engelmann, F.

2007-07-01

This new book by Kenro Miyamoto provides an up-to-date overview of the status of fusion research and the important parts of the underlying plasma physics at a moment where, due to the start of ITER construction, an important step in fusion research has been made and many new research workers will enter the field. For them, and also for interested graduate students and physicists in other fields, the book provides a good introduction into fusion physics as, on the whole, the presentation of the material is quite appropriate for getting acquainted with the field on the basis of just general knowledge in physics. There is overlap with Miyamoto's earlier book Plasma Physics for Nuclear Fusion (MIT Press, Cambridge, USA, 1989) but only in a few sections on subjects which have not evolved since. The presentation is subdivided into two parts of about equal length. The first part, following a concise survey of the physics basis of thermonuclear fusion and of plasmas in general, covers the various magnetic configurations studied for plasma confinement (tokamak; reversed field pinch; stellarator; mirror-type geometries) and introduces the specific properties of plasmas in these devices. Plasma confinement in tokamaks is treated in particular detail, in compliance with the importance of this field in fusion research. This includes a review of the ITER concept and of the rationale for the choice of ITER's parameters. In the second part, selected topics in fusion plasma physics (macroscopic instabilities; propagation of waves; kinetic effects such as energy transfer between waves and particles including microscopic instabilities as well as plasma heating and current drive; transport phenomena induced by turbulence) are presented systematically. While the emphasis is on displaying the essential physics, deeper theoretical analysis is also provided here. Every chapter is complemented by a few related problems, but only partial hints for their solution are given. A selection of

Numerical computation of gravitational field for general axisymmetric objects

Science.gov (United States)

Fukushima, Toshio

2016-10-01

We developed a numerical method to compute the gravitational field of a general axisymmetric object. The method (I) numerically evaluates a double integral of the ring potential by the split quadrature method using the double exponential rules, and (II) derives the acceleration vector by numerically differentiating the numerically integrated potential by Ridder's algorithm. Numerical comparison with the analytical solutions for a finite uniform spheroid and an infinitely extended object of the Miyamoto-Nagai density distribution confirmed the 13- and 11-digit accuracy of the potential and the acceleration vector computed by the method, respectively. By using the method, we present the gravitational potential contour map and/or the rotation curve of various axisymmetric objects: (I) finite uniform objects covering rhombic spindles and circular toroids, (II) infinitely extended spheroids including Sérsic and Navarro-Frenk-White spheroids, and (III) other axisymmetric objects such as an X/peanut-shaped object like NGC 128, a power-law disc with a central hole like the protoplanetary disc of TW Hya, and a tear-drop-shaped toroid like an axisymmetric equilibrium solution of plasma charge distribution in an International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor-like tokamak. The method is directly applicable to the electrostatic field and will be easily extended for the magnetostatic field. The FORTRAN 90 programs of the new method and some test results are electronically available.

Cultural differences in visual object recognition in 3-year-old children

Science.gov (United States)

Kuwabara, Megumi; Smith, Linda B.

2016-01-01

Recent research indicates that culture penetrates fundamental processes of perception and cognition (e.g. Nisbett & Miyamoto, 2005). Here, we provide evidence that these influences begin early and influence how preschool children recognize common objects. The three tasks (n=128) examined the degree to which nonface object recognition by 3 year olds was based on individual diagnostic features versus more configural and holistic processing. Task 1 used a 6-alternative forced choice task in which children were asked to find a named category in arrays of masked objects in which only 3 diagnostic features were visible for each object. U.S. children outperformed age-matched Japanese children. Task 2 presented pictures of objects to children piece by piece. U.S. children recognized the objects given fewer pieces than Japanese children and likelihood of recognition increased for U.S., but not Japanese children when the piece added was rated by both U.S. and Japanese adults as highly defining. Task 3 used a standard measure of configural progressing, asking the degree to which recognition of matching pictures was disrupted by the rotation of one picture. Japanese children’s recognition was more disrupted by inversion than was that of U.S. children, indicating more configural processing by Japanese than U.S. children. The pattern suggests early cross-cultural differences in visual processing; findings that raise important questions about how visual experiences differ across cultures and about universal patterns of cognitive development. PMID:26985576

Coronal mass ejection hits mercury: A.I.K.E.F. hybrid-code results compared to MESSENGER data

Science.gov (United States)

Exner, W.; Heyner, D.; Liuzzo, L.; Motschmann, U.; Shiota, D.; Kusano, K.; Shibayama, T.

2018-04-01

Mercury is the closest orbiting planet around the sun and is therefore embedded in an intensive and highly varying solar wind. In-situ data from the MESSENGER spacecraft of the plasma environment near Mercury indicates that a coronal mass ejection (CME) passed the planet on 23 November 2011 over the span of the 12 h MESSENGER orbit. Slavin et al. (2014) derived the upstream parameters of the solar wind at the time of that orbit, and were able to explain the observed MESSENGER data in the cusp and magnetopause segments of MESSENGER's trajectory. These upstream parameters will be used for our first simulation run. We use the hybrid code A.I.K.E.F. which treats ions as individual particles and electrons as a mass-less fluid, to conduct hybrid simulations of Mercury's magnetospheric response to the impact of the CME on ion gyro time scales. Results from the simulation are in agreement with magnetic field measurements from the inner day-side magnetosphere and the bow-shock region. However, at the planet's nightside, Mercury's plasma environment seemed to be governed by different solar wind conditions, in conclusion, Mercury's interaction with the CME is not sufficiently describable by only one set of upstream parameters. Therefore, to simulate the magnetospheric response while MESSENGER was located in the tail region, we use parameters obtained from the MHD solar wind simulation code SUSANOO (Shiota et al. (2014)) for our second simulation run. The parameters of the SUSANOO model achieve a good agreement of the data concerning the plasma tail crossing and the night-side approach to Mercury. However, the polar and closest approach are hardly described by both upstream parameters, namely, neither upstream dataset is able to reproduce the MESSENGER crossing of Mercury's magnetospheric cusp. We conclude that the respective CME was too variable on the timescale of the MESSENGER orbit to be described by only two sets of upstream conditions. Our results suggest locally strong

A case of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura induced by acute pancreatitis

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Arimoto M

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Miyoko Arimoto1, Yutaka Komiyama2, Fumiko Okamae1, Akemi Ichibe1, Setsuko Teranishi1, Hirohiko Tokunaga1, Keiko Nakaya3, Michie Fujiwara3, Manabu Yamaoka4, Shuji Onishi4, Rie Miyamoto5, Naoto Nakamichi5, Shosaku Nomura51Blood Transfusion Unit, Kansai Medical University Takii Hospital, 2Department of Clinical Sciences and Laboratory Medicine, Kansai Medical University, 3Clinical Medical Technology Unit, Kansai Medical University Takii Hospital, 4Blood Transfusion Unit, Kansai Medical University Hirakata Hospital, 5First Department of Internal Medicine, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi, JapanAbstract: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP is a multisystemic microvascular disorder that may be caused by an imbalance between unusually large von Willebrand factor multimers and the cleaving protease ADAMTS13. In acquired TTP, especially in secondary TTP with various underlying diseases, the diagnosis is difficult because there are many cases that do not exhibit severe deficiency of ADAMTS13 or raised levels of ADAMST13 inhibitors. It is well known that collagen disease, malignancy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be underlying conditions that induce TTP. However, TTP induced by acute pancreatitis, as experienced by our patient, has rarely been reported. Our patient completely recovered with treatments using steroids and plasma exchange (PE only. In cases where patients develop acute pancreatitis with no apparent causes for hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia, the possibility of TTP should be considered. Treatments for TTP including PE should be evaluated as soon as a diagnosis is made.Keywords: thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, ADAMTS13, acute pancreatitis, plasma exchange

Orbits in a Stäckel approximation.

Science.gov (United States)

de Bruyne, V.; Leeuwin, F.; Dejonghe, H.

One family of potentials frequently used for dynamical models for galaxies are the Stackel potentials (e.g. de Zeeuw et al., 1986, MNRAS 221, 1001, Dejonghe et al., 1996, A&A 306, 363) because of their unique analytical tractability. An axisymmetric model is determined by a potential psi(R,z) and a distribution function F(E,Lz,I3), generally depending on 3 integrals of motion. It has indeed been known for a long time that the integration of orbits in many realistic potentials reveals the presence of an effective third integral I3. Unfortunately, no general analytic expression exists for such an integral, and this has put a limitation on designing anisotropic axisymmetric models. However, I3 can be computed analytically if a Stackel potential is used. This could be used as a local analytic approximation for the third integral in general potentials. One long-standing concern though, is that SPs form only a very small subspace in the family of all potentials, and may not capture the essential of the dynamics for a general potential. One way to address this issue is to compare orbits in both potentials. We therefore fit a Stackel potential (like in Mathieu et al., A&A 314, 25), for different radial ranges, to a spheroidal (MN-)potential (Miyamoto-Nagai, 1975, PASJ 27, 533), and compare orbits for an appropriate sampling of integral space. As a result, we find that the orbit shapes are very similar (as exhibited on surfaces of section, or by the orbital densities). The Stackel I3 is found to be a good approximation to a third integral of the MN-potential. The variation of I3 along an orbit in the MN-potential is of the same order as the difference between the two potentials.

Accurate and fast methods to estimate the population mutation rate from error prone sequences

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Miyamoto Michael M

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The population mutation rate (θ remains one of the most fundamental parameters in genetics, ecology, and evolutionary biology. However, its accurate estimation can be seriously compromised when working with error prone data such as expressed sequence tags, low coverage draft sequences, and other such unfinished products. This study is premised on the simple idea that a random sequence error due to a chance accident during data collection or recording will be distributed within a population dataset as a singleton (i.e., as a polymorphic site where one sampled sequence exhibits a unique base relative to the common nucleotide of the others. Thus, one can avoid these random errors by ignoring the singletons within a dataset. Results This strategy is implemented under an infinite sites model that focuses on only the internal branches of the sample genealogy where a shared polymorphism can arise (i.e., a variable site where each alternative base is represented by at least two sequences. This approach is first used to derive independently the same new Watterson and Tajima estimators of θ, as recently reported by Achaz 1 for error prone sequences. It is then used to modify the recent, full, maximum-likelihood model of Knudsen and Miyamoto 2, which incorporates various factors for experimental error and design with those for coalescence and mutation. These new methods are all accurate and fast according to evolutionary simulations and analyses of a real complex population dataset for the California seahare. Conclusion In light of these results, we recommend the use of these three new methods for the determination of θ from error prone sequences. In particular, we advocate the new maximum likelihood model as a starting point for the further development of more complex coalescent/mutation models that also account for experimental error and design.

Globular Clusters: Absolute Proper Motions and Galactic Orbits

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Chemel, A. A.; Glushkova, E. V.; Dambis, A. K.; Rastorguev, A. S.; Yalyalieva, L. N.; Klinichev, A. D.

2018-04-01

We cross-match objects from several different astronomical catalogs to determine the absolute proper motions of stars within the 30-arcmin radius fields of 115 Milky-Way globular clusters with the accuracy of 1-2 mas yr-1. The proper motions are based on positional data recovered from the USNO-B1, 2MASS, URAT1, ALLWISE, UCAC5, and Gaia DR1 surveys with up to ten positions spanning an epoch difference of up to about 65 years, and reduced to Gaia DR1 TGAS frame using UCAC5 as the reference catalog. Cluster members are photometrically identified by selecting horizontal- and red-giant branch stars on color-magnitude diagrams, and the mean absolute proper motions of the clusters with a typical formal error of about 0.4 mas yr-1 are computed by averaging the proper motions of selected members. The inferred absolute proper motions of clusters are combined with available radial-velocity data and heliocentric distance estimates to compute the cluster orbits in terms of the Galactic potential models based on Miyamoto and Nagai disk, Hernquist spheroid, and modified isothermal dark-matter halo (axisymmetric model without a bar) and the same model + rotating Ferre's bar (non-axisymmetric). Five distant clusters have higher-than-escape velocities, most likely due to large errors of computed transversal velocities, whereas the computed orbits of all other clusters remain bound to the Galaxy. Unlike previously published results, we find the bar to affect substantially the orbits of most of the clusters, even those at large Galactocentric distances, bringing appreciable chaotization, especially in the portions of the orbits close to the Galactic center, and stretching out the orbits of some of the thick-disk clusters.

Standing Wave Linear Accelerators: An Investigation of the Fundamental Field Stability and Tuning Characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

The first accelerators were designed as a tool in high-energy particle physics. Their development has given rise to numerous applications in industry, such as materials processing, sterilization, food preservation, and radiopharmaceutical product generation (Barbalat, 1994). Modern day linear accelerators for particle physics accelerate multiple bunches of electrons and positrons up to 50 GeV. Accelerators of the next generation, such as the Next Linear Collider (NLC), aim to accelerate the bunches initially to a center of mass of 500GeV and later to 1.5 TeV (Decking 2001, Miyamoto 2002, Phinney 2002). The NLC will operate under gradient fields on the order of 70 MV/m (Phinney, 2002). For all accelerators, two issues are fundamental for their construction: maximizing the efficiency of acceleration while, at the same time, preserving the luminosity of the beam. These issues are critically important in the design of the NLC. A linear accelerator operates as follows: An electron gun fires electrons into a structure that bunches the electrons and tightly focuses the beam. At the same time, a radiofrequency wave is fed into the accelerating structure. The electron bunches enter the accelerating structure in phase with the crest of the radiofrequency wave in order to achieve maximum energy. There are two principal types of accelerating structures: traveling wave (TW) and standing wave (SW). The electromagnetic wave in a TW structure travels in one direction; the electromagnetic wave in a SW structure travels in two directions. Many TW structures have been designed for the NLC, but recent experiments indicate that TW structures suffer from electrical breakdown at high gradients (Miller et. al., 2001). To address this problem, SW structures are being considered as the alternative for the NLC (Jones and Miller et. al., 2002). The input power required for an accelerating cavity increases with the length of the cavity (Miller et. al., 2001). Since SW structures can be made

Changes in metamorphopsia in daily life after successful epiretinal membrane surgery and correlation with M-CHARTS score

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Kinoshita T

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Takamasa Kinoshita,1,2 Hiroko Imaizumi,1 Hirotomo Miyamoto,1 Utako Okushiba,1 Yuki Hayashi,2 Takashi Katome,2 Yoshinori Mitamura2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Sapporo City General Hospital, Sapporo, Japan; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan Purpose: To determine the correlation between the changes in metamorphopsia in daily life environment and the M-CHARTS scores after epiretinal membrane (ERM removal, and to determine the criterion for determining whether clinically significant changes in the metamorphopsia score have occurred in M-CHARTS. Methods: We studied 65 eyes undergoing vitrectomy for unilateral ERM. Self-administered questionnaires were used to examine the metamorphopsia in their daily life. The degree of metamorphopsia was determined by M-CHARTS. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the best predictor of the changes in metamorphopsia in daily life. To determine the reproducibility of the M-CHARTS score, another set of 56 eyes with ERM was tested twice on two different days. Results: The postoperative changes in the logarithm of the M-CHARTS score was defined as M2-value. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the M2-value as a predictor of the changes in metamorphopsia in daily life was larger than area under the receiver operating characteristic curve obtained for any other parameter. The optimal cutoff value was -0.4. The 95% limits of agreement between test and retest measurements had a reproducibility of ±0.3 logarithm of the M-CHARTS score. Taking into account not only the reproducibility but also the consistency with the subjective changes, we determined the criterion for clinically significant changes in the M-CHARTS scores as a change of the M2-value by ≥0.4. Conclusion: Evaluating the changes in the M-CHARTS scores in logarithmic form is favorable not only theoretically but also

BOOK REVIEW: Fundamentals of Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion

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Brambilla, Marco

1998-04-01

Professor Kenro Miyamoto, already well known for his textbook Plasma Physics for Nuclear Fusion (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1976; revised edition 1989), has now published a new book entitled Fundamentals of Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (Iwanami Book Service Center, Tokyo, 1997). To a large extent, the new book is a somewhat shortened and well reorganized version of its predecessor. The style, concise and matter of fact, clearly shows the origin of the text in lectures given by the author to graduate students. As announced by the title, the book is divided into two parts: the first part (about 250 pages) is a general introduction to the physics of plasmas, while the second, somewhat shorter, part (about 150 pages), is devoted to a description of the most important experimental approaches to achieving controlled thermonuclear fusion. Even in the first part, moreover, the choice of subjects is consistently oriented towards the needs of fusion research. Thus, the introduction to the behaviour of charged particles (particle motion, collisions, etc.) and to the collective description of plasmas is quite short, although the reader will get a flavour of all the most important topics and will find a number of examples chosen for their relevance to fusion applications (only the presentation of the Vlasov equation, in the second section of Chapter 4, might be criticized as so concise as to be almost misleading, since the difference between microscopic and macroscopic fields is not even mentioned). Considerably more space is devoted to the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) description of equilibrium and stability. This part includes the solution of the Grad-Shafranov equation for circular tokamaks, a brief discussion of Pfirsch-Schlüter, neoclassical and anomalous diffusion, and two relatively long chapters on the most important ideal and resistive MHD instabilities of toroidal plasmas; drift and ion temperature gradient driven instabilities are also briefly presented. The

Response of eyes with age-related macular degeneration to anti-VEGF drugs and implications for therapy planning

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Miyamoto N

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Noriko Miyamoto,1,2 Michiko Mandai,1,3 Hiroshi Kojima,1,2 Takanori Kameda,1,2 Masataka Shimozono,1,2 Akihiro Nishida,1,2 Yasuo Kurimoto1,2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, 2Department of Ophthalmology, Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation, 3Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan Purpose: To evaluate the response to and dependence on aflibercept or ranibizumab in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed AMD patients who received induction therapy with aflibercept or ranibizumab for the following parameters: whether complete resolution of the retinal fluid (“good response” was achieved and whether recurrence was observed within 3 months (“dependent” after the induction treatment. With aflibercept treatment, treatment-naïve eyes with a good response/non-dependence were recommended a pro re nata regimen, and other eyes were recommended a proactive bimonthly regimen, followed by monitoring of visual acuity (VA for 12 months. The measured values of the groups were compared using one-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s test to evaluate the difference between baseline and postinjection VA.Results: Among the treatment-naïve eyes, 76% had a good response to aflibercept and 37% of these were aflibercept-dependent, while 58% had a good response to ranibizumab but 51% of these were ranibizumab-dependent. Among the eyes that converted from ranibizumab treatment, 92% of the good responders to ranibizumab with dependence and 76% of the poor responders on ranibizumab had a good response to aflibercept. With aflibercept treatment, the mean VA of treatment-naïve patients was significantly better than the baseline VA over 12 months (P<0.001, and the VA of the converted group improved significantly with proactive treatment and the improvement was continuously maintained from 6 to 12 months

Numerical computation of gravitational field of general extended body and its application to rotation curve study of galaxies

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Fukushima, Toshio

2017-06-01

Reviewed are recently developed methods of the numerical integration of the gravitational field of general two- or three-dimensional bodies with arbitrary shape and mass density distribution: (i) an axisymmetric infinitely-thin disc (Fukushima 2016a, MNRAS, 456, 3702), (ii) a general infinitely-thin plate (Fukushima 2016b, MNRAS, 459, 3825), (iii) a plane-symmetric and axisymmetric ring-like object (Fukushima 2016c, AJ, 152, 35), (iv) an axisymmetric thick disc (Fukushima 2016d, MNRAS, 462, 2138), and (v) a general three-dimensional body (Fukushima 2016e, MNRAS, 463, 1500). The key techniques employed are (a) the split quadrature method using the double exponential rule (Takahashi and Mori, 1973, Numer. Math., 21, 206), (b) the precise and fast computation of complete elliptic integrals (Fukushima 2015, J. Comp. Appl. Math., 282, 71), (c) Ridder's algorithm of numerical differentiaion (Ridder 1982, Adv. Eng. Softw., 4, 75), (d) the recursive computation of the zonal toroidal harmonics, and (e) the integration variable transformation to the local spherical polar coordinates. These devices succesfully regularize the Newton kernel in the integrands so as to provide accurate integral values. For example, the general 3D potential is regularly integrated as Φ (\\vec{x}) = - G \\int_0^∞ ( \\int_{-1}^1 ( \\int_0^{2π} ρ (\\vec{x}+\\vec{q}) dψ ) dγ ) q dq, where \\vec{q} = q (√{1-γ^2} cos ψ, √{1-γ^2} sin ψ, γ), is the relative position vector referred to \\vec{x}, the position vector at which the potential is evaluated. As a result, the new methods can compute the potential and acceleration vector very accurately. In fact, the axisymmetric integration reproduces the Miyamoto-Nagai potential with 14 correct digits. The developed methods are applied to the gravitational field study of galaxies and protoplanetary discs. Among them, the investigation on the rotation curve of M33 supports a disc-like structure of the dark matter with a double-power-law surface

Physical Diversity of Phyllosilicate Deposits at the MSL Candidate Landing Sites

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Fergason, R. L.

2008-12-01

The identification of phyllosilicates on Mars implies aqueous activity at the time of their formation and is important for understanding the history of Martian water and the past habitability of Mars. In addition, a significant fraction of the global water budget of Mars may be locked into clay mineral deposits within the Martian crust. As a result, six out of seven final landing sites being considered for the Mars Science Laboratory are sites where phyllosilicates have been identified in CRISM and OMEGA data. The physical characteristics of these materials, as identified using thermal inertia data, are an important component for understanding the geologic history of these deposits. Thermal inertia values provide information regarding effective particle size and help to constrain the possible presence of duricrust, rocks, and exposed bedrock at these locations. These identified physical characteristics suggest the degree of resistivity to erosion, which has implications for the post-emplacement modification of these deposits. At the aforementioned six locations (Nili Fossae Trough, Holden Crater, Mawrth Vallis, Miyamoto crater, southern Meridiani Planum, and Gale crater) the physical properties were quantified using THEMIS-derived thermal inertia data to characterize the physical properties at each site and identify the presence or absence of physical diversity among these materials. I identified a wide range of surface properties at these locations ranging from indurated surfaces intermixed with unconsolidated aeolian material (thermal inertia of 150-460 J m-2 K-1 s- 1/2) at Mawrth Vallis, to exposures of in-place bedrock and the presence of rocky material (thermal inertia exceeding 800 J m-2 K-1 s-1/2) in Gale crater. In addition, the surface texture and morphologic features observed in high-resolution visible images (such as narrow-angle MOC, HiRISE, and CTX) are dissimilar across these phyllosilicate exposures, and confirm the interpretation of thermal inertia

mHealth Technology and Nurse Health Coaching to Improve Health in Diabetes: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

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Miyamoto, Sheridan; Dharmar, Madan; Fazio, Sarina; Tang-Feldman, Yajarayma; Young, Heather M

2018-02-15

loop by bringing patient-generated data into the EHR. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02672176; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02672176 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6xEQXe1M5). ©Sheridan Miyamoto, Madan Dharmar, Sarina Fazio, Yajarayma Tang-Feldman, Heather M Young. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 15.02.2018.

Identifying deformation mechanisms in the NEEM ice core using EBSD measurements

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Kuiper, Ernst-Jan; Weikusat, Ilka; Drury, Martyn R.; Pennock, Gill M.; de Winter, Matthijs D. A.

2015-04-01

.; Schneijdenberg, C. T. W. M. Drury, M. R. Cryogenic EBSD on ice: preserving a stable surface in a low pressure SEM. J. Microsc., 2010, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2818.2010.03471.x ²Weikusat, I.; Miyamoto, A.; Faria, S. H.; Kipfstuhl, S.; Azuma, N.; Hondoh. T. Subgrain boundaries in Antarctic ice quantified by X-ray Laue diffraction. J. of Glaciol., 2011, 57, 85-94

A invisibilização identitária da África lusófona na Folha de S. Paulo e em O Globo

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Elton Antunes

2015-09-01

BRAGA, J. L. Nem rara, nem ausente - tentativa. Matrizes, São Paulo: ECA-USP, 2010, p 65-81. Disponível em http://www.matrizes.usp.br/index.php/matrizes/article/view/179 Acesso em 16/8/2014. CUNHA, E. L. Estampas do imaginário: literatura, história e identidade cultural. Belo Horizonte: Ed. UFMG, 2006. DELEUZE, G. ¿Que és un dispositivo? In: BALBIER, E. et al. Michel Foucault, filósofo. Barcelona: Gedisa, 1990, pp. 155-161. FOUCAULT, M. História da Sexualidade. 13ª Ed. Rio de Janeiro: Graal, 1988. _____________ Microfísica do poder. 13ª Ed. Rio de Janeiro: Graal, 1979. FREYRE, G. Casa Grande & Senzala. 2ª Ed. Rio de Janeiro: Ed. José Olympio, 1946. FURTADO, C. Formação Econômica do Brasil. 32ª Ed. São Paulo: Cia Editora Nacional, 2005. HALL, S. A identidade cultural na pós-modernidade. 11ª ed. RJ: DP&A, 2006. MIYAMOTO, S. O Brasil e a comunidade dos países de língua portuguesa (CPLP. Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional, 2009, pp. 22-42. Disponível http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=35814269002 Acesso 11/8/2013. QUÉRÉ, L. De um modelo epistemológico da comunicação a um modelo praxiológico. Trad. por Lúcia Lamounier Sena e Vera Lígia Westin. Do original: "D'un modèle épistemologique de la communication à un modèle praxéologique". In: Réseaux, Paris: Tekhné, 1991. RODRIGUES, N. As raças humanas. São Paulo: Ed. Progresso, 1957. ROMERO, S. História da literatura brasileira. Rio de Janeiro: Ed. José Olympio, 1943. SANTOS, B. S. Modernidade, identidade e a cultura de fronteira. Tempo Social. USP, SP, 1993, pp.31-52. Disponível em https://estudogeral.sib.uc.pt/handle/10316/11597 Acesso em 02/06/2014. SHOHAT, E, e STAM, R. Crítica da imagem eurocêntrica. São Paulo: Cosac Naify, 2006. SODRÉ, M. Claros e escuros: identidade, povo e mídia no Brasil. Petrópolis/RJ: Vozes, 1999. XAVIER, I. Prefácio. In: STAM, R & SHOHAT, E. Crítica da imagem eurocêntrica. São Paulo: Cosac Naify, 2006.   Disponível em: Url

EBSD in Antarctic and Greenland Ice

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Weikusat, Ilka; Kuiper, Ernst-Jan; Pennock, Gill; Sepp, Kipfstuhl; Drury, Martyn

2017-04-01

boundaries. However, an almost equal number of tilt subgrain boundaries were measured, involving dislocations gliding on non-basal planes (prism or prism slip). A few subgrain boundaries involving prism edge dislocation glide, as well as boundaries involving basal twist dislocation slip, were also identified. The finding that subgrain boundaries built up by dislocations gliding on non-basal planes are as frequent as those originating from basal plane slip is surprising and has impact on the discussion on rate-controlling processes for the ice flow descriptions of large ice masses with respect to sea-level evolution. Weikusat, I.; Miyamoto, A.; Faria, S. H.; Kipfstuhl, S.; Azuma, N. & Hondoh, T.: Subgrain boundaries in Antarctic ice quantified by X-ray Laue diffraction J. Glaciol., 2011, 57, 85-94

Martian Pyroxenes in the Shergottite Meteorites; Zagami, SAU005, DAG476 and EETA79001

Science.gov (United States)

Stephen, N.; Benedix, G. K.; Bland, P.; Hamilton, V. E.

2010-12-01

means of FT-IR analyses in efforts to further constrain Martian-specific minerals such as pigeonite in the meteorites, and will be added to the current spectral database. References: [1] McSween, H.Y. Jnr (1994) Meteoritics and Planetary Science 29, 757-779 [2] Benedix G. and Hamilton V. (2007) Abstract #1805 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference XXXVIII [3] Benedix G.K. and Hamilton V.E. (2009) Abstract #5082 Meteoritics and Planetary Science Annual Meeting 44 [4] Stephen, N.R. et al. (2010) Abstract #2367 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference XLI [5] Stolper E. and McSween, H.Y. Jnr (1979) Geochemica et Cosomochimica Acta, 43, 1475-1498 [6] McCoy, T. et al. (1992) Geochemica et Cosomochimica Acta 56, 3571-3582 [7] Mikouchi, T. and Miyamoto, M. (1999) Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 35, 155-159

Pharmacist-based Donepezil Outpatient Consultation Service to improve medication persistence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Watanabe N

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Norio Watanabe,1,2 Keiko Yamamura,3 Yusuke Suzuki,4 Hiroyuki Umegaki,4 Katsuro Shigeno,5 Ryo Matsushita,1 Yoshimichi Sai,1 Ken-ichi Miyamoto,1 Kiyofumi Yamada61Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan; 2Department of Pharmacy, Hashima Municipal Hospital, Hashima, Gifu, Japan; 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Aichi Gakuin University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan; 4Department of Community Healthcare and Geriatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan; 5Department of Pharmacy Practice and Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Aichi Gakuin University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan; 6Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, JapanAim: Donepezil is widely used to delay the progression of cognitive dysfunction in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD, but the efficacy of pharmacotherapy is often reduced by poor adherence to medication. In order to improve adherence by providing information about AD and the significance of pharmacotherapy, the Donepezil Outpatient Consultation Service (DOCS was set up. The influence of this service on medication persistence was assessed in the present study.Methods: Among outpatients starting donepezil therapy, we enrolled 59 patients between April 2008 and September 2010 before establishment of the DOCS (non-DOCS group and 52 patients between October 2010 and March 2012 who attended the DOCS (DOCS group. Each patient's and their caregiver's understanding about the clinical features of AD and pharmacotherapy with donepezil were also assessed. Their understanding was compared before and after the DOCS, and the 1-year medication persistence rate and the reasons for discontinuation were also investigated.Results: The 1-year medication persistence rate was significantly higher in the DOCS group than in the non-DOCS group (73

EDITORIAL: Focus on Advances in Surface and Interface Science 2008 FOCUS ON ADVANCES IN SURFACE AND INTERFACE SCIENCE 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Scheffler, Matthias; Schneider, Wolf-Dieter

2008-12-01

Basic research in surface and interface science is highly interdisciplinary, covering the fields of physics, chemistry, biophysics, geo-, atmospheric and environmental sciences, material science, chemical engineering, and more. The various phenomena are interesting by themselves, and they are most important in nearly all modern technologies, as for example electronic, magnetic, and optical devices, sensors, catalysts, lubricants, hard and thermal-barrier coatings, protection against corrosion and crack formation under harsh environments. In fact, detailed understanding of the elementary processes at surfaces is necessary to support and to advance the high technology that very much founds the prosperity and lifestyle of our society. Current state-of-the-art experimental studies of elementary processes at surfaces, of surface properties and functions employ a variety of sophisticated tools. Some are capable of revealing the location and motion of individual atoms. Others measure excitations (electronic, magnetic and vibronic), employing, for example, special light sources such as synchrotrons, high magnetic fields, or free electron lasers. The surprising variety of intriguing physical phenomena at surfaces, interfaces, and nanostructures also pose a persistent challenge for the development of theoretical descriptions, methods, and even basic physical concepts. This second focus issue on the topic of 'Advances in Surface and Interface Science' in New Journal of Physics, following on from last year's successful collection, provides an exciting synoptic view on the latest pertinent developments in the field. Focus on Advances in Surface and Interface Science 2008 Contents Organic layers at metal/electrolyte interfaces: molecular structure and reactivity of viologen monolayers Stephan Breuer, Duc T Pham, Sascha Huemann, Knud Gentz, Caroline Zoerlein, Ralf Hunger, Klaus Wandelt and Peter Broekmann Spin polarized d surface resonance state of fcc Co/Cu(001) K Miyamoto, K

Lipids from the nacreous and prismatic layers of two Pteriomorpha Mollusc shells

Science.gov (United States)

Farre, B.; Dauphin, Y.

2009-04-01

Mollusc shells are the best-known Ca-carbonate biominerals. They are commonly described as a mineralized two layered structure: an outer layer composed of calcite prismatic units, and an internal layer composed of tablets of aragonite: the nacreous layer. An external organic layer (periostracum) is present in most taxa. However, the most common structure in the Mollusc shell is the aragonite crossed lamellar layer, but aragonite prisms, calcite foliated layers and homogeneous layers have been also described by Boggild (1930) in all the Mollusc orders. Since, more detailed descriptions of Bivalve shells have been done (Taylor et al., 1969, 1973). Despite the nacroprismatic arrangement is rare, calcite prismatic and aragonite nacreous layers are the best studied because of their simple 3D structure and large units. Among these Molluscs, some Bivalve species composed of these two layers are of commercial interest, such as the pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera, cultivated in French Polynesia to produce black pearls. It is well established that Mollusc shells are composite structures of organic and inorganic components (Hatchett, 1799; Grégoire et al., 1955; Beedham, 1958; Simkiss, 1965; Mutvei, 1969; Cuif et al., 1980; Berman et al., 1993; Kobayashi and Samata, 2006). Numerous studies are concerned with the organic matrix of the shell. Organic components are commonly obtained after a strong or mild decalcification process. They are said to consist of both a soluble and insoluble fraction. The main part of studies is dedicated to the soluble components, and among them, proteins (Grégoire et al., 1955; Grégoire, 1961; Krampitz et al., 1976; Samata et al., 1980, 2004; Weiner, 1983; Miyamoto et al., 2006). Despite the pioneering work of Wada (1980) sugars are usually neglected despite their role in biomineralization. The third component of the organic matrix of calcareous biominerals is lipids. To date, there is a paucity of information concerning the presence

Transect-scale imaging of root zone electrical conductivity by inversion of multiple-height EMI measurements under different salinity conditions

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Piero Deidda, Gian; Coppola, Antonio; Dragonetti, Giovanna; Comegna, Alessandro; Rodriguez, Giuseppe; Vignoli, Giulio

2017-04-01

The ability to determine the effects of salts on soils and plants, are of great importance to agriculture. To control its harmful effects, soil salinity needs to be monitored in space and time. This requires knowledge of its magnitude, temporal dynamics, and spatial variability. Soil salinity can be evaluated by measuring the bulk electrical conductivity (σb) in the field. Measurements of σb can be made with either in situ or remote devices (Rhoades and Oster, 1986; Rhoades and Corwin, 1990; Rhoades and Miyamoto, 1990). Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) sensors allow simultaneous measurements of water content, θ, and σb. They may be calibrated in the laboratory for estimating the electrical conductivity of the soil solution (σw). However, they have a relatively small observation volume and thus they only provide local-scale measurements. The spatial range of the sensors is limited to tens of centimeters and extension of the information to a large area can be problematic. Also, information on the vertical distribution of the σb soil profile may only be obtained by installing sensors at different depths. In this sense, the TDR may be considered as an invasive technique. Compared to the TDR, non-invasive electromagnetic induction (EMI) techniques can be used for extensively mapping the bulk electrical conductivity in the field. The problem is that all these techniques give depth-weighted apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) measurements, depending on the specific depth distribution of the σb, as well as on the depth response function of the sensor used. In order to deduce the actual distribution of local σb in the soil profile, one may invert the signal coming from EMI sensors. Most studies use the linear model proposed by McNeill (1980), describing the relative depth-response of the ground conductivity meter. By using the forward linear model of McNeill, Borchers et al. (1997) implemented a Least Squares inverse procedure with second order Tikhonov

EDITORIAL: Opposites attract: nanomagnetism in theory and practice Opposites attract: nanomagnetism in theory and practice

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Demming, Anna

2012-09-01

Applications of artificial intelligence for chemical inference. XVII. An approach to computer-assisted elucidation of molecular structure J. Am. Chem. Soc. 97 5755-62 [7] Saito S, Oshiyama A, Miyamoto Y, Hamada N and Sawada S 1992 Electronic structure of fullerenes and fullerides: artificial atoms and their solids Nanotechnology 3 167-72 [8] Shinohara H 2000 Endohedral metallofullerenes Rep. Prog. Phys. 63 843-92 [9] Heitmann D, Kern K, Demel T, Grambow P, Ploog K and Zhang Y H 1992 Spectroscopy of quantum dots and antidots Surf. Sci. 267 245-52 [10] Andergassen S, Meen V, Schoeller H, Splettstoesser J and Wegewijs M R 2010 Charge transport through single molecules, quantum dots and quantum wires Nanotechnology 21 272001 [11] Lim W H, Yang C H, Zwanenburg F A and Dzurak A S 2011 Spin filling of valley-orbit states in a silicon quantum dot Nanotechnology 22 335704