Can a gravitational wave and a magnetic monopole coexist?

We investigate the behavior of small perturbations around the Kaluza-Klein monopole in the five dimensional space-time. We find that the even parity gravitational wave does not propagate in the five dimensional space-time with Kaluza-Klein monopole provided that the gravitational wave is constant in the fifth direction. We conclude that a gravitational wave and a U(1) magnetic monopole do not coexist in five dimensional Kaluza-Klein spacetime.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX. To appear in Modern Physics Letters

Sea turtle conservation and management in Japan

For conservation purposes, the Japanese government is directly regulating the taking of sea turtles, their international trade, domestic trade and possession of both animals and products; preventing eggs and hatchlings poaching, and promoting research efforts to determine the status of turtle population in the Japanese waters. Six turtle species occur in these water; 3 species, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), nest on the coastal beaches of Japan, but the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and black turtle (Chelonia agassizi) are known to only migrate into Japanese waters. Although a few individuals of black turtle were captured, migration of these species in Japanese waters is still questionable. Factors that are known to affect turtle population and distribution in Japan are coastal construction, beach erosion, human presence on the nesting beaches and nest predation. The government is promoting projects to reduce artificial debris on nesting beaches, prevents poaching of eggs and hatchlings, undertakes tagging and satellite tracking to determine the population structure and to monitor the nesting activities and hatching success

Anomalous Change of y\u27 and z in Na_x(H?O)_zCoO?・y\u27H?O at x ? 0.33

Abstract: We prepared some Nax(H?O)zC0O?・yH?O with BLH single phase and examined the Na content (x), H?O content (z)and H?O content (y). Nax(H?O)zC0O?・yH?O with BLH single phase and 0.28≦x≦0.36 were prepared by changing the amount of Br? used. The drastical changes in the c-axis length and z, Co valence, y around x=0.33 were observed, strongly suggesting that there exists a phase transition here

Non-perturbative moduli superpotential with positive exponents

We study non-perturbative moduli superpotentials with positive exponents, i.e. the form like $Ae^{aT}$ with a positive constant $a$ and the modulus $T$. These effects can be generated, e.g., by D-branes which have negative RR charge of lower dimensional D-brane. The scalar potentials including such terms have a quite rich structure. There are several local minima with different potential energies and a high barrier, whose height is of ${\cal O}(M_p^4)$. We discuss their implications from the viewpoints of cosmology and particle phenomenology, e.g. the realization of inflation models, avoiding the overshooting problem. This type of potentials would be useful to realize the inflation and low-energy supersymmetry breaking.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, v2: reference adde

Idiopathic Retroperitoneal Hematoma

A 34-year-old female presented with sudden onset of severe abdominal pain in a flank distribution. A large mass was palpable in the right upper quadrant on physical examination. Abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed a well-defined, right-sided, retroperitoneal cystic lesion located between the abdominal aorta and the inferior vena cava (IVC). The tumor size was 55 × 58 mm, and it compressed the gallbladder and the duodenum. Upper gastrointestinal radiography revealed a stricture of the second portion of the duodenum by the tumor. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed that the whole part was hyperintense with hypointense rims, but the inner was partially hypointense. Based on the radiological findings, the preoperative differential diagnosis included retroperitoneal teratoma, Schwannoma, abscess, and primary retroperitoneal tumor. On laparotomy, the tumor was located in the right retroperitoneal cavity. Kocher maneuver and medial visceral rotation, which consists of medial reflection of the upper part of right colon and duodenum by incising their lateral peritoneal attachments, were performed. Although a slight adhesion to the IVC was detected, the tumor was removed safely. Thin-section histopathology examination detected neither tumor tissues nor any tissues such as adrenal gland, ovarian tissue, or endometrial implants. The final pathological diagnosis was idiopathic retroperitoneal hematoma; the origin of the bleeding was unclear. The patient was discharged without any complication 5 days after the operation

Medium-chain triglycerides (8:0 and 10:0) increase muscle mass and function in frail older adults: a combined data analysis of clinical trials

BackgroundThree clinical trials have examined the chronic effects of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) on muscle mass and function in frail older adults (mean age 85 years old). However, significant increases in muscle mass and some muscle function relative to long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) have yet to be shown, possibly due to the small number of participants in each trial.ObjectiveWe re-analyzed these previous clinical trials to clarify whether MCT supplementation can increase muscle mass and function.AnalysisAfter adding post hoc tests to the original report, we compared changes in measurement between the MCT and LCT groups in the first 2 trials and conducted a combined data analysis.MethodsIn a combined data analysis, changes from baseline in measurements at the 3 months intervention in the MCTs- and LCTs-containing groups were assessed by analysis of covariance adjusted for baseline values of each measurement, age, sex, BMI, allocation to trial, habitual intakes in energy, protein, leucine, octanoic acid, decanoic acid, and vitamin D during the baseline period. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to analyze data on right and left knee extension times.ResultsMCT supplementation for 3 months increased muscle function relative to LCT supplementation with and without an L-leucine (1.2 g) and vitamin D (cholecalciferol, 20 μg)-enriched supplement. In a combined data analysis (n = 29 in MCTs, n = 27 in LCTs), relative to supplementation with 6 g LCTs/day, supplementation with 6 g MCTs/day at dinner for 3 months significantly increased body weight (adjusted mean change from baseline: MCTs 1.2 vs. LCTs 0.2 kg, p = 0.023), right arm muscle area (MCTs 1.4 vs. LCTs-0.7 cm2, p = 0.002), left calf circumference (p = 0.015), right-hand grip strength (MCTs 1.6 vs. LCTs 0.3 kg, p = 0.017), right knee extension time (p = 0.021), left knee extension time (p = 0.034), walking speed (p = 0.002), and number of iterations in leg open and close test (p < 0.001) and decreased right triceps skinfold thickness (p = 0.016).ConclusionIn frail older adults, supplementation for 3 months with a low dose (6 g/day) of MCTs (C8:0 and C10:0) increased muscle mass and function. These findings indicate the potential for the practical use of MCTs in daily life in treating sarcopenia