オットセイ仔獣の発生音の個体差について

The calls of six northern fur seal pups, Callorhinus ursinus, transported from Robben Island to Mito Sea Paradise were analized. The calls of northern fur seal pups consist of a short one of a few-tenths of a second and a shriek type of 1-2 seconds or longer. They have frequency components which range from a few-tens Hertz to eight kilo-Hertz. Each call consists of a clear main peak frequency and a sub-main peak frequency. The call of each pup has a characteristic structure which hardly changes according to the physiological condition. It is considered that a mother seal distinguishes the call of the pup and uses it as the first clue to find her pup.ロベン島で捕獲され,三津シーパラダイスに搬入されたオットセイ仔獣6頭の発生音を解析した.オットセイ仔獣の発生音は1秒の数分の1の短いものと,1～2秒,時には数秒持続する大きなワメキ音で,数十Hzから8kHz以上にも達する周波数成分より成る.各発生音は顕著な主極大周波数と副極大周波数より成る.各仔獣の発生音は各々特徴的な構造を有し,発音時の生理的状態によって大きく変わることはない.母獣はこれらの発生音を識別して,自己の仔獣を発見する最初の手掛りとしていると考えられる

Outcomes of Patients with Pulmonary Atresia with Intact Ventricular Septum Reaching Adulthood

Background: There is limited information on outcomes of adult patients with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PA-IVS) due to the low incidence of disease and the large variation of surgical histories. Methods: Among 58 patients with repaired PA-IVS, a total of 32 patients aged ≥16 years and who were followed at our institution between January 2003 and December 2018 were reviewed. Surgical history, clinical outcomes, and laboratory, echocardiographic and electrocardiographic data were obtained by chart review. Results: Follow-up was from the age of 16 years and the median age at the latest follow-up was 23.7 years. Twenty-four patients had undergone biventricular repair (BVR), 3 had undergone one-and-a half ventricular repair (1.5VR), and 5 had undergone univentricular repair. Over a median follow-up period of 7.7 years (interquartile range: 4.1–11.0 years), 1 BVR patient died suddenly and 7 patients had heart failure. Arrhythmias were present in 5 patients. Ten patients underwent surgical re-interventions, including 4 BVR take-downs with conversion to 1.5VR and 3 Fontan conversions. Overall survival, heart failure-free, arrhythmia-free, and surgical re-intervention-free rates at 5 years and 10 years from the age of 16 years were 96.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 77.2–99.4) and 96.2% (95% CI, 77.2– 99.4), 81.4% (95% CI, 62.1–92.1) and 74.6% (95%CI, 52.3–88.7), 88.7% (95% CI, 70.1–96.3) and 75.9% (95% CI, 51.7–90.2), and 80.7% (95% CI, 60.8–91.8) and 70.8% (95% CI, 49.7–85.7), respectively. Conclusion: Adults with PA-IVS have preserved long-term survival regardless of the early operative strategy, while they are at risk for heart failure, arrhythmia, and surgical re-intervention. Thus, detailed and continued follow-up is mandatory for all PA-IVS patients from childhood to adulthood

Abnormal spermatogenesis and male infertility in testicular zinc finger protein Zfp318-knockout mice

Zfp318, a mouse gene with a Cys2/His2 zinc finger motif, is mainly expressed in germ cells in the testis. It encodes two alternative transcripts, which regulate androgen receptor-mediated transcriptional activation or repression by overexpression of them. However, the role of Zfp318 is still obscure in vivo, especially in spermatogenesis. To elucidate the role of Zfp318 during gamete production, we established a knockout mouse line. Zfp318-null male mice exhibited infertility, whereas Zfp318-null female mice displayed normal fertility. ZFP318 was expressed during multiple stages of spermatogenesis, from spermatocytes to round spermatids. The nuclei of secondary spermatocytes showed high levels of expression. Histological analysis and quantitative analysis of DNA content showed decreased numbers of both spermatids in the seminiferous tubules and mature spermatozoa in the epididymides of Zfp318-null mice. These results suggest that Zfp318 is expressed as a functional protein in testicular germ cells and plays an important role in meiosis during spermatogenesis

Clinical outcomes of stereotactic body radiotherapy for stage I non-small cell lung cancer using different doses depending on tumor size

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The treatment schedules for stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung cancer vary from institution to institution. Several reports have indicated that stage IB patients had worse outcomes than stage IA patients when the same dose was used. We evaluated the clinical outcomes of SBRT for stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with different doses depending on tumor diameter.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between February 2004 and November 2008, 124 patients with stage I NSCLC underwent SBRT. Total doses of 44, 48, and 52 Gy were administered for tumors with a longest diameter of less than 1.5 cm, 1.5-3 cm, and larger than 3 cm, respectively. All doses were given in 4 fractions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For all 124 patients, overall survival was 71%, cause-specific survival was 87%, progression-free survival was 60%, and local control was 80%, at 3 years. The 3-year overall survival was 79% for 85 stage IA patients treated with 48 Gy and 56% for 37 stage IB patients treated with 52 Gy (<it>p </it>= 0.05). At 3 years, cause-specific survival was 91% for the former group and 79% for the latter (<it>p </it>= 0.18), and progression-free survival was 62% versus 54% (<it>p </it>= 0.30). The 3-year local control rate was 81% versus 74% (<it>p </it>= 0.35). The cumulative incidence of grade 2 or 3 radiation pneumonitis was 11% in stage IA patients and 30% in stage IB patients (<it>p </it>= 0.02).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>There was no difference in local control between stage IA and IB tumors despite the difference in tumor size. The benefit of increasing the SBRT dose for larger tumors should be investigated further.</p

The Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) for AKARI

The Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) is one of two focal plane instruments on the AKARI satellite. FIS has four photometric bands at 65, 90, 140, and 160 um, and uses two kinds of array detectors. The FIS arrays and optics are designed to sweep the sky with high spatial resolution and redundancy. The actual scan width is more than eight arcmin, and the pixel pitch is matches the diffraction limit of the telescope. Derived point spread functions (PSFs) from observations of asteroids are similar to the optical model. Significant excesses, however, are clearly seen around tails of the PSFs, whose contributions are about 30% of the total power. All FIS functions are operating well in orbit, and its performance meets the laboratory characterizations, except for the two longer wavelength bands, which are not performing as well as characterized. Furthermore, the FIS has a spectroscopic capability using a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS). Because the FTS takes advantage of the optics and detectors of the photometer, it can simultaneously make a spectral map. This paper summarizes the in-flight technical and operational performance of the FIS.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures, and 2 tables. Accepted for publication in the AKARI special issue of the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japa

Foreword

Relationship between Tantric and Non-Tantric Doctrines in Late Indian Buddhism / Editor-in-Chief 馬場 紀

Rethinking the Composition of the Khuddakanikāya : A Comparative Study with Sarvāstivāda Parallels

The ar ticle discusses how the Khuddakanikāya became a par t of the Pāli Tipiṭaka. In my book, Jōzabu Bukkyō no shisō keisei (Formation of Theravāda Buddhist Thought), I note that the Khuddakanikāya does not appear as a collection of suttantas in the four parts of the Pāli commentaries (Aṭṭhakathā) which refer to structure of the Pāli Tipiṭaka. Based on this assessment, I concluded that the Khuddakanikāya was the last collection added to the Pāli Tipiṭaka. In an article published in 2016, the scholar Toshifumi Shimizu critiqued my conclusion, insisting that the four parts of Pāli commentaries, which my book dealt with, do, in fact, mention the Khuddakanikāya. Reassessing these Pāli commentaries, I argue that Shimizu’s hypothesis is not valid because it is based on cer tain misunderstandings of Pāli words, and their context, and, on account of more general flaws in the logic informing his critique

Changes in the Interpretation of the Paţiccasamuppādańgas : On the interpretation of Paţiccasamuppāda theory in the Mahāvihāra Theravāda tradition

The Interpretation of the Paţiccasamuppādangas in the Mahāvihāra Theravāda tradition changed in the order of the ""Vibhasigasutta"", Vibhańga, VIsuddhimagga and the commentaries on the Vinaya and the four Nikāyas. In this paper, I examine the process of change in these different interpretations. (1) The ""Vibhańgasutta"" (Samyuttanikāyu Nidānavagga2) is the only sutta in the four Nikāyas that describes paţiccasamuppāda as having twelve ańgas and defines all twelve paţiccasamuppādańgas. (2) The ""Suttantabhājaniya"" section of the ""Paccayākāravibhańga"" chapter in the Vibhańga follows almost the same definitions of the paţiccasamuppādańgas as are found in the ""Vibhańgasutta"", but changes the definitions of sańkhārā, nāma, and bhava. ""Vibhańgasutta"" → Vibhańga (a) sańkhārā : kāya-, vacī-, mano-sańkhāra → puñña-, apuñña-, āneñja-, kāya-, vacī-, mano-(abhi)sańkhāra (b) nāma : v edanā, sañña, cetanā, phassa, manasikāra → sañña-, sańkhāra-, viññāna-kkhandha (As a result of this change, viññāna and nāmarūpa came to mean pañcakkhandha) (c) bhava : kāma-, rūpa-, arūpa-bhava. → kamma-, uppatti-bhava These changes made both ""sańkhārā ⇒ viññāna・nāmarūpa"" and ""bhava ⇒ jāti"" common causation as follows. (a) sańkhārā ⇒ viññāna → nāmarūpa ＝ puñña-, apuñña-, āneñja-abhisańkhāra ⇒ khandhā kāya-, vaci-, mano-sańkhārā (b) bhava ⇒ jāti ＝ kamma-bhava (including puñña-, apuñña-, āneñja-abhisańkhāra) ⇒ khandhā uppatti-bhava ※jāti is defined as ""khandhānam pātubhāvo"" (the appearance of khandhā) in the Vibhanga. But in this text the standpoints of ""kayia-, vaci-, mano-sańkhārā"" and ""uppatti-bhavia"" are not yet clear. (3) The Visuddhimagga basically follows the same definition of the paţiccasamuppādańgas as found in the Vibhańga rather than those of the ""Vibhańgasutta"". Moreover, the Visuddhimagga interpretes the six sańkhāras as three sańkhāras, and restricts bhava as being the cause of jāti to only kammabhava. (a) sańkhārā ⇒ viññāna → nāmarūpa ＝ puñña-, apuñña-, āneñja-abhisańkhāra ⇒ khandhā (b) bhava ⇒ jāti ＝ kamma-bhava (including puñña-, apuñña-, āneñja-abhisańkhāra) ⇒ khandhā Therefore, it is clear those the Vrsuddhimagga interpretes both ""sańkhārā"" ⇒ viññāna→nāmarūpa"" and ""bhava ⇒ jāti"" as ""kamma (action) ⇒ rebirth"". With these interpretations, Paţiccasamuppāda theory came to explain the causation of the past, present, and future. (4) The commentary on the Vinaya (Samantapāsādikā) and the commentaries on the four Nikāyas (Sumańgalavilāsinī, Papañcasūdanī, Sāratthappakāsinī, Manorathapūranī) do not explain paţiccasamuppāda in detail and advise readers to study it by reading the Visuddhimagga. Thus, the Visuddhimagga represents the final stage in the interpretation of paţiccasamuppāda theory