Relativistic Chiral Mean Field Model for Finite Nuclei

We present a relativistic chiral mean field (RCMF) model, which is a method for the proper treatment of pion-exchange interaction in the nuclear many-body problem. There the dominant term of the pionic correlation is expressed in two-particle two-hole (2p-2h) states with particle-holes having pionic quantum number, J^{pi}. The charge-and-parity-projected relativistic mean field (CPPRMF) model developed so far treats surface properties of pionic correlation in 2p-2h states with J^{pi} = 0^{-} (spherical ansatz). We extend the CPPRMF model by taking 2p-2h states with higher spin quantum numbers, J^{pi} = 1^{+}, 2^{-}, 3^{+}, ... to describe the full strength of the pionic correlation in the intermediate range (r > 0.5 fm). We apply the RCMF model to the ^{4}He nucleus as a pilot calculation for the study of medium and heavy nuclei. We study the behavior of energy convergence with the pionic quantum number, J^{pi}, and find convergence around J^{pi}_{max} = 6^{-}. We include further the effect of the short-range repulsion in terms of the unitary correlation operator method (UCOM) for the central part of the pion-exchange interaction. The energy contribution of about 50% of the net two-body interaction comes from the tensor part and 20% comes from the spin-spin central part of the pion-exchange interaction.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figure

Sensitivity to Rocuronium-Induced Neuromuscular Block and Reversibility with Sugammadex in a Patient with Myotonic Dystrophy

We report a patient with myotonic dystrophy who showed prolonged rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade, although with a fast recovery with sugammadex. During general anesthesia with propofol and remifentanil, the times to spontaneous recovery of the first twitch (T1) of train of four to 10% of control values after an intubating dose of rocuronium 1 mg/kg and an additional dose of 0.2 mg/kg were 112 min and 62 min, respectively. Despite the high sensitivity to rocuronium, sugammadex 2 mg/kg administered at a T1 of 10% safely and effectively antagonized rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block in 90 s

THE FAILURE OF CIVIL SOCIETY?: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF NPOS AND THE STATE IN CONTEMPORARY JAPAN

This dissertation is an ethnographic study of the emergence of nonprofit organizations (NPOs), which have been proliferating in Japan since the passage of the Law to Promote Specified Nonprofit Activities (so-called NPO Law) in 1998. My research analyzes the dynamic micro-politics of everyday interactions between the state and ordinary people in the creation and ongoing activities of an NPO. It especially focuses on how different levels in the Japanese government shape these civil-society organizations into a structure that supports the state?s goals, and how people at the grassroots level respond to the state?s actions. Furthermore, this dissertation examines the meaning of civil society in an anthropological context. My approach explores the mutually constitutive roles of state and society, avoiding any easy essentialism or stereotyping of Japan?s social and political development, but it does aim at destabilizing some of the key assumptions regarding civil society. Based on twenty months of ethnographic fieldwork, from September 2001 through April 2003, in Tokyo, I document the transition that Japanese society at a grassroots level has undergone since this epoch-making law allowed thousands of civic groups to be acknowledged as proactive participants in Japanese social and political life. My fieldwork involved intensive participant observation as an unpaid staff-researcher at an NPO promoting continuing education in the local community; this field research was supplemented by extensive interviews with NPO participants, Japanese NPO experts in academia, and government officials, attendance at workshops for NPO practitioners across the country, as well as discourse analysis of mass media coverage about NPOs. What I did not see was evidence of a transition, however. The state continues to be strong, and NPOs ? a product of the state?s deliberate institutionalization of civil society ? are now even synonymous with the state. The state is an unusually strong actor, retarding development of a healthy, dynamic civil society. The state is using underhanded tactics for institutionalizing civil society to meet its goals. The case calls into question the relationship between state and society in contemporary Japanese life, and raises the issue of whether civil society can be created through the actions of the state

Analysis of A-Type and B-Type Highly Polymeric Proanthocyanidins and Their Biological Activities as Nutraceuticals

Proanthocyanidins have a series of heteroflavan-3-ols, (+)-catechin/(−)-epicatechin units, which are linked through a single B-type linkage and a doubly linked A-type linkage. Recently, we have performed the structural characterization of seed shells of the Japanese horse chestnut and fruits of blueberry and cranberry. The molecular sizes of them were higher in the order of blueberry > cranberry > seed shells of the Japanese horse chestnut between the respective fractions. For the analysis of terminal and extension units in those proanthocyanidins, the isolated fractions were subjected to the thiolytic cleavage of the B-type linkages using 1-dodecanethiol, and the resulting degradation products were identified by ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry. These analyses provided fast and good resolution of the degradation products and revealed higher proportions of A-type linkages compared with B-type linkages in both isolated fractions in the order of the seed shells > cranberry > blueberry. Moreover, the isolated fractions with higher molecular sizes and those more abundant in the proportions of A-type linkages were found to be more effective in the inhibition of pancreatic lipase activity. The results suggest that A-type highly polymeric proanthocyanidins are promising for the attenuation of lipid digestion as dietary supplements

Photolysis of Hydrophobic Vitamin B12 Derivatives Covalently Bound to Lipid in Aqueous Media

An alkyl ligand coordinated to hydrophobic vitamin B12 derivatives covalently bound to N,N-dihexadecyl-Nα-[6-(trimethylammonio)hexanoyl]-L-aspartamide bromide underwent a novel bromination reaction along with its rearrangement in the single-walled vesicle of N,N-dihexadecyl-Nα-[6-(trimethylammonio)hexanoyl]-L-alaninamide bromide under photolysis conditions

Relativistic Hartree approach with exact treatment of vacuum polarization for finite nuclei

We study the relativistic Hartree approach with the exact treatment of the vacuum polarization in the Walecka sigma-omega model. The contribution from the vacuum polarization of nucleon-antinucleon field to the source term of the meson fields is evaluated by performing the energy integrals of the Dirac Green function along the imaginary axis. With the present method of the vacuum polarization in finite system, the total binding energies and charge radii of 16O and 40Ca can be reproduced. On the other hand, the level-splittings in the single-particle level, in particular the spin-orbit splittings, are not described nicely because the inclusion of vacuum effect provides a large effective mass with small meson fields. We also show that the derivative expansion of the effective action which has been used to calculate the vacuum contribution for finite nuclei gives a fairly good approximation.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure

Effect of Delta-Tocotrienol on Melanin Content and Enzymes for Melanin Synthesis in Mouse Melanoma Cells

マウス黒色腫細胞B16細胞において、δ-トコトリエノールによる長期処置がメラニン含量およびメラニン合成関連酵素(TRP-1、TRP-2)に及ぼす効果、ならびに細胞毒性を検討した。δ-トコトリエノール(25μM、50μM)で48時間および72時間処置すると、メラニン含量は各々44(25μM)〜50%(50μM)、14(25μM)〜21%(50μM)減少した。チロシナーゼ活性、チロシナーゼ量およびTRP-1量は用量に無関係に減少し、TRP-2量は用量依存性に減少した。50μMまでの濃度のδ-トコトリエノールは、TRP-1、TRP-2、チロシナーゼを減少させ、用量依存性にメラニ含量を減少させたが、細胞毒性は観察されなかった。マウス黒色腫細胞B16細胞において、δ-トコトリエノールによる長期処置がメラニン含量およびメラニン合成関連酵素(TRP-1、TRP-2)に及ぼす効果、ならびに細胞毒性を検討した。δ-トコトリエノール(25μM、50μM)で48時間および72時間処置すると、メラニン含量は各々44(25μM)〜50%(50μM)、14(25μM)〜21%(50μM)減少した。チロシナーゼ活性、チロシナーゼ量およびTRP-1量は用量に無関係に減少し、TRP-2量は用量依存性に減少した。50μMまでの濃度のδ-トコトリエノールは、TRP-1、TRP-2、チロシナーゼを減少させ、用量依存性にメラニ含量を減少させたが、細胞毒性は観察されなかった

Obstructive azoospermia as an unusual complication associated with herniorrhaphy of an omphalocele: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Iatrogenic damage to the seminal tract is one of the causes of obstructive azoospermia, which can be an indication for reconstruction surgery. We present a case of obstructive azoospermia as an unusual complication after neonatal herniorrhaphy of an omphalocele.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 30-year-old Japanese man was diagnosed with obstructive azoospermia. He had undergone herniorrhaphy of an omphalocele immediately after birth. Reconstruction surgery of both seminal tracts was performed to pursue the possibility of naturally achieved pregnancy. Intra-operative findings demonstrated that both vasa deferentia were interrupted at the internal inguinal rings, although the abdominal end of the right vas leading to the seminal vesicle was found in the abdominal cavity. The discharge from the stump of the testicular end had no sperm, although the right epididymal tubules were dilated with motile sperm. Therefore, we performed right-sided vasovasostomy in the internal inguinal ring and ipsilateral epididymovasostomy simultaneously.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing obstructive azoospermia as an unusual complication of herniorrhaphy of an omphalocele. It is important to pay attention to the existence of seminal tracts in such surgery as well as in inguinal herniorrhaphy.</p