Observation of the 4f146s2 1S0−4f135d6s2(J=2)4f^{14}6s^{2}~^1S_0- 4f^{13}5d6s^{2}(J=2) clock transition at 431 nm in 171^{171}Yb

We report on the observation of the $4f^{14}6s^{2}~^1S_0- 4f^{13}5d6s^{2}(J=2)$ transition at 431 nm in $^{171}$Yb by depleting atoms in a magneto-optical trap formed by the $6s^{2}~^1S_0-6s6p~^3P_1$ intercombination transition. The absolute frequency of the transition to the $F=3/2$ state is determined to be $695~171~054~858.1(8.2)$~kHz against physical realization of Coordinated Universal Time maintained by the National Metrology Institute of Japan with a frequency comb. The $g$ factor of the transition to the $F=3/2$ state and the A hyperfine constant are measured to be $g_J=1.54(13)$ and 1123.273(13)~MHz, respectively. More precise spectroscopy of this transition can lead to searches for time variation of the fine structure constant and searches for new physics with isotope shift measurements.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Training Learners to Negotiate for Meaning: An Exploratory Case Study

This paper reports on an exploratory case study investigatingthe possibility of training second language learners to beeffective interlocutors in second language learning tasks. Thestudy followed a pre-test, instruction, post-test design. Fourlearners completed a picture difference task, then receivedinstruction on negotiation for meaning, and finally completeda different version of the picture difference task. Learners alsoparticipated in stimulated recall sessions at each stage of theexperiment and completed a questionnaire at the end. Findingssuggest that learners are receptive to instruction on negotiation,that such instruction has the potential to enrich the quantityand quality of negotiation between learners, and thatinstruction on negotiation for meaning may also enhancelearners’ motivation for learning

AKARI Infrared Camera Survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud. I. Point Source Catalog

We present a near- to mid-infrared point source catalog of 5 photometric bands at 3.2, 7, 11, 15 and 24 um for a 10 deg2 area of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) obtained with the Infrared Camera (IRC) onboard the AKARI satellite. To cover the survey area the observations were carried out at 3 separate seasons from 2006 May to June, 2006 October to December, and 2007 March to July. The 10-sigma limiting magnitudes of the present survey are 17.9, 13.8, 12.4, 9.9, and 8.6 mag at 3.2, 7, 11, 15 and 24 um, respectively. The photometric accuracy is estimated to be about 0.1 mag at 3.2 um and 0.06--0.07 mag in the other bands. The position accuracy is 0.3" at 3.2, 7 and 11um and 1.0" at 15 and 24 um. The sensitivities at 3.2, 7, and 24 um are roughly comparable to those of the Spitzer SAGE LMC point source catalog, while the AKARI catalog provides the data at 11 and 15 um, covering the mid-infrared spectral range contiguously. Two types of catalog are provided: a Catalog and an Archive. The Archive contains all the detected sources, while the Catalog only includes the sources that have a counterpart in the Spitzer SAGE point source catalog. The Archive contains about 650,000, 140,000, 97,000, 43,000, and 52,000 sources at 3.2, 7, 11, 15, and 24 um, respectively. Based on the catalog, we discuss the luminosity functions at each band, the color-color diagram, and the color-magnitude diagram using the 3.2, 7, and 11 um band data. Stars without circumstellar envelopes, dusty C-rich and O-rich stars, young stellar objects, and background galaxies are located at distinct regions in the diagrams, suggesting that the present catalog is useful for the classification of objects towards the LMC.Comment: 59 pages, 12 figures, accepted for the Astronomical Journa

Alcohol consumption and mortality from aortic disease among Japanese men: The Japan Collaborative Cohort study

Background and aimsOnly a few population-based prospective studies have examined the association between alcohol consumption and abdominal aortic aneurysm, and the results are inconsistent. Moreover, no evidence exists for aortic dissection. We examined the effect of alcohol consumption on risk of mortality from aortic diseases.MethodsA total of 34,720 men from the Japan Collaborative Cohort study, aged 40–79 years, without history of cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline 1988 and 1990 were followed up until the end of 2009 for their mortality and its underlying cause. Hazard ratios of mortality from aortic diseases were estimated according to alcohol consumption categories of never-drinkers, ex-drinkers, regular drinkers of ≤30 g, and >30 g ethanol per day.ResultsDuring the median 17.9-year follow-up period, 45 men died of aortic dissection and 41 men died of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Light to moderate drinkers of ≤30 g ethanol per day had lower risk of mortality from total aortic disease and aortic dissection compared to never-drinkers. The respective multivariable hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.46 (0.28–0.76) for total aortic disease and 0.16 (0.05–0.50) for aortic dissection. Heavy drinkers of >30 g ethanol per day did not have reduced risk of mortality from total aortic disease, albeit had risk variation between aortic dissection and abdominal aortic aneurysm.ConclusionsLight to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with reduced mortality from aortic disease among Japanese men.Available online 21 September 2017, In Pres

Associations of Daily Walking Time With Pneumonia Mortality Among Elderly Individuals With or Without a Medical History of Myocardial Infarction or Stroke: Findings From the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study

Background: The association between daily walking and pneumonia mortality, stratified by the presence of disease conditions, such as myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke, was investigated.Methods: The study participants were 22,280 Japanese individuals (9,067 men and 13,213 women) aged 65–79 years. Inverse propensity weighted competing risk model was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for pneumonia mortality.Results: After a median of 11.9 years of follow-up, 1,203 participants died of pneumonia. Participants who did not have a history of MI or stroke and who walked for 1 hour/day or more were less likely to die from pneumonia (HR 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82–0.98) than those walked for 0.5 hours/day. A similar inverse association of pneumonia and walking (0.5 hours/day) was observed among participants with a history of MI (HR 0.66; 95% CI, 0.48–0.90). Among the participants with a history of stroke, those who walked for 0.6–0.9 hours/day were less likely to die because of pneumonia (HR 0.65; 95% CI, 0.43–0.98).Conclusions: Regular walking for ≥1 hour/day may reduce the risk of pneumonia mortality in elderly individuals with or without cardiovascular disease history

Phase I clinical trial of autologous NK cell therapy using novel expansion method in patients with advanced digestive cancer

Table S2. Change in NK population in PBL

マウス胸腺における脂肪化および脂肪細胞分化

The mouse thymus locates on a position close to the pericardial cavity and consists of two lobes. The lobes surrouded by a capsule are subdivided into many lobules by connective tissue trabeculae. Each lobule consists of lymphocytes-accumulated regions, cortex and medulla. In the previous study, since only lymphocytes in many kinds of thymus-constructing cell expressed the long type leptin receptor (OBRL), it was suggested that thymocytes were regulated with leptin produced by adipocytes differenciated and proliferated through thymic age involution. Then it is naturally interested in studying when lipogenesis and adipogenesis begin in the thymus either in embryogenesis or in postnatal growth. We extracted and measured the quantity of total lipid of the thymus and found that that began to increase at the period of 5 to 8 week-old after birth. The quantity of DNA of the thymus was little changed for this period. Then we directly observed histologically HE-stained sections under light microscope. The small number of adipocytes was observed at surrouding connective tissue, but never found in trabeculae of thymus of neonatal. In 5 week-old thymus adipocytes were first observed in small groups in the trabeculae. Secondly, we detected FGF10,PPARγ and leptin mENA expressions by the RTPCR method as the indication of adipogenesis in the thymus from embryo just before birth to 6 month-old. Both FGF10 and PPARγmRNA were detected in all specimens. The expression of PPARγ is slightly less than that of FGF10 in the embryonic thymus, but with incresing age it incresed and apparently more than that of FGF10 in the 6 moth-old thymus. These results suggest that adipogenesis in the thymus begins just before birth at the latest and that lipogenesis in the thymus does at 5 week-old after birth

Endothelial-mesenchymal transition in human atrial fibrillation

Background: Atrial fibrosis is a hallmark of atrial structural remodeling leading to the persistence of atrial fibrillation. Although fibroblasts play a major role in atrial fibrosis, their source in the adult atrium is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that endothelial cells contribute to fibroblast accumulation through an endothelial-mesenchymal transition in the atrium of patients with atrial fibrillation. Methods and results: The study group consisted of patients with atrial fibrillation and valvular disease or atrial septal defect who underwent left atrial appendectomy during cardiac surgery (n =38). The amount of fibrotic depositions in the left atrium positively correlated with left atrial dimension. Furthermore, snail and S100A4, indicative of endothelial-mesenchymal transition, were quantified in the left atrium using western blot analysis, which showed statistically significant correlations with left atrial dimension. Immunofluorescence assay of the left atrial tissue identified snail and S100A4 being expressed within the endocardium which is composed of CD31+ cells. The snail-positive endocardium also showed the expression of membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase. Immunofluorescence multi-labeling experiments identified that heat shock protein 47, prolyl-4-hydroxylase, and procollagen type 1 co-localized with snail and S100A4 within the endothelial cells of the left atrium, indicating the mesenchymal phenotype to produce collagen. Conclusions: In this study, we showed that the endothelial-mesenchymal transition occurs in the atrium of patients with atrial fibrillation. This observation should help in constructing a novel therapeutic approach for preventing atrial structural remodeling. © 2016 Japanese College of Cardiology