Topological Strings and Integrable Hierarchies

We consider the topological B-model on local Calabi-Yau geometries. We show how one can solve for the amplitudes by using W-algebra symmetries which encodes the symmetries of holomorphic diffeomorphisms of the Calabi-Yau. In the highly effective fermionic/brane formulation this leads to a free fermion description of the amplitudes. Furthermore we argue that topological strings on Calabi-Yau geometries provide a unifying picture connecting non-critical (super)strings, integrable hierarchies, and various matrix models. In particular we show how the ordinary matrix model, the double scaling limit of matrix models, and Kontsevich-like matrix model are all related and arise from studying branes in specific local Calabi-Yau three-folds. We also show how A-model topological string on P^1 and local toric threefolds (and in particular the topological vertex) can be realized and solved as B-model topological string amplitudes on a Calabi-Yau manifold.Comment: 82 pages, harvmac, 1 figur

Study on the necessary survey days for energy intake in school children assessed by 7 day survey

Theoretically, the longer the period of a nutrition survey, the more reliable the results. However, a long survey can impose a burden on subjects and cause the results to become inaccurate. For adults, a 3 non-consecutive day survey is usually recommended ; however, for school children, at least in Japan, it has not been determined whether this is necessary. In this study we conducted a survey of 7 days and tried to find the minimum number of days necessary to determine the energy intake. The subjects were about 300 children aged from 6 to 7, 10 to 11 and 13 to 14 years old in a city in the western part of Japan. The weighing method was used for the school lunch and other meals were surveyed by 24-recalling method. For the 6-7 year-old school children, guardians were asked to keep dietary records. The final number of subjects who were able to complete the 7-day survey was 139. Energy intakes for each weekday were not statistically different (p>0.05) and those for each weekend did not differ (p>0.05). Average energy intakes on weekdays were higher than those on weekend days in 10-11 and 13-14 year-old children. The average intakes of energy in 10-11 and 13-14 year-old children were lower than Japanese estimated energy requirements (EER). However, body weight of more than 90% of subjects was within the normal range. The results suggest that a survey of one weekday is reliable for all weekdays and that of one week-end day is reliable for any weekend day and also indicate the necessity of further studies of EER in rapidly growing children

The role of CCN2 in cartilage and bone development

CCN2, a classical member of the CCN family of matricellular proteins, is a key molecule that conducts cartilage development in a harmonized manner through novel molecular actions. During vertebrate development, all cartilage is primarily formed by a process of mesenchymal condensation, while CCN2 is induced to promote this process. Afterwards, cartilage develops into several subtypes with different fates and missions, in which CCN2 plays its proper roles according to the corresponding microenvironments. The history of CCN2 in cartilage and bone began with its re-discovery in the growth cartilage in long bones, which determines the skeletal size through the process of endochondral ossification. CCN2 promotes physiological developmental processes not only in the growth cartilage but also in the other types of cartilages, i.e., Meckel’s cartilage representing temporary cartilage without autocalcification, articular cartilage representing hyaline cartilage with physical stiffness, and auricular cartilage representing elastic cartilage. Together with its significant role in intramembranous ossification, CCN2 is regarded as a conductor of skeletogenesis. During cartilage development, the CCN2 gene is dynamically regulated to yield stage-specific production of CCN2 proteins at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. New functional aspects of known biomolecules have been uncovered during the course of investigating these regulatory systems in chondrocytes. Since CCN2 promotes integrated regeneration as well as generation (=development) of these tissues, its utility in regenerative therapy targeting chondrocytes and osteoblasts is indicated, as has already been supported by experimental evidence obtained in vivo

栄養士校外実習の学習効果に関する検討 : 食物科学科における「総合演習」のあり方

The Department of Food Science and Nutrition at Showa Women\u27s Junior College provides Practical Food Service Administration, a two-unit compulsory lesson, for would-be dietitians to acquire knowledge and skills to step up to practical stages, and also provides compulsory "Integrated Studies of Practical Exercises" to enhance the effectiveness of, the Practical Food Service Administration. In "Integrated Studies of Practical Exercises, " the mental attitude toward practical exercise and necessary knowledge and skills are taught, and post-mortem meetings are held. To incorporate more effective educational content into this course, we submitted questionnaires to 133 second-year students in 2005. This report examines the effectiveness of learning in the Practical Exercise of Food Service Administration for would-be dietitians and discusses the ideal way of implementing "Integrated Studies of Practical Exercises." The survey included areas of anxiety before participating in the exercise, subjects that should have been taught, the effectiveness of Integrated Studies of Practical Exercise, the degree of understanding the exercise, and future courses. All questionnaires were completed and returned. Students participating in the exercise felt anxiety about their ability. Clinical Nutrition Exercise, Cookery, Science and Practice, and Administration of Feeding Service and Practicum were among the top subjects listed as desirable prerequisites. After taking Practical Food Service Administration, 97.7% of students understood the role of, dietitians. Most students (93.9%) rated "Integrated Studies of Practical Exercises" as "useful, " thus confirming its effectiveness. Of the students, 48.8% desired to become dietitians. The importance of positive actions and acquisition of knowledge and skills was recognized, and further careful guidance in appropriate facilities for exercise was indicated as desirable

Structure and reaction mechanism of binary Ni–Al oxides as materials for lithium-ion battery anodes

A nanometer sized solid solution of NiO and Al2O3 was synthesized by calcination of Ni–Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs). The crystal structure of the obtained compound was determined by XRD and XAFS analyses: Ni2+ and Al3+ ions are located at the metal ion site of the rock salt structure and a certain amount of cation vacancies are also introduced for charge compensation. The electrochemical properties of the Ni–Al binary metal oxide as an anode material for lithium ion batteries were examined by the constant current charge–discharge test. Ni–Al oxide showed higher charging capacity in comparison with pristine NiO. In particular, the capacity in the lower voltage region (below 1.5 V), the limited capacity in this region is the weak point of the conversion anode, was improved to 540 mA h g−1 that is about twice that of pristine NiO. This improvement in the capacity in the lower voltage region is concluded to be due to the redox activity of Al3+ ions during the charge–discharge on the basis of the results of electrochemical measurements and ex situ XAFS measurements at the Ni and Al edge. The reaction mechanism of this compound is investigated using ex situ XRD and XAFS methods. For the charge (reduction) in the higher voltage region (OCV–1.0 V), lithium ion intercalation into the cation vacancy sites and/or lithium ion adsorption on the surface of particles are proceeding. For the charge in the lower voltage region (1.0–0.03 V), conversion reaction occurs by the reduction of Ni2+ and Al3+ ions to metal particles with surface electrolyte interface (SEI) layer formation. For the discharge in the lower voltage region (0.03–1.5 V), only Al metal particles are oxidized to Al3+ ions and some intermediate complexes are formed. For the discharge in the higher voltage region (1.5–3.0 V), the lattice of the Ni–Al binary oxide solid solution is reconstructed with the oxidation of Ni to Ni2+

Comprehensive characterization of hepatocyte-derived extracellular vesicles identifies direct miRNA-based regulation of hepatic stellate cells and DAMP-based hepatic macrophage IL-1β and IL-17 upregulation in alcoholic hepatitis mice

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been growingly recognized as biomarkers and mediators of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in human and mice. Here we characterized hepatocyte-derived EVs (HC-EVs) and their cargo for their biological functions in a novel murine model that closely resembles liver pathology observed in patients with alcoholic hepatitis (AH), the most severe spectrum of ALD. The numbers of circulating EVs and HC-EVs were significantly increased by 10-fold in AH mice compared with control mice. The miRNA (miR)-seq analysis detected 20 upregulated and 4 downregulated miRNAs (P < 0.001-0.05) in AH-HC-EVs. Treatment of murine primary hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) with AH-HC-EVs induced α-SMA (P < 0.05) and Col1a1 (P < 0.001). Smad7 and Nr1d2 genes, which were downregulated in HSCs from the AH mice, were predicted targets of 20 miRs upregulated in AH-HC-EVs. Among them were miR-27a and miR-181 which upon transfection in HSCs, indeed repressed Nr1d2, the quiescent HSC marker. AH-HC-EVs were also enriched with organelle proteins and mitochondrial DNA (10-fold, P < 0.05) and upregulated IL-1β and IL-17 production by hepatic macrophages (HMs) from AH mice in a TLR9-dependent manner. These results demonstrate HC-EV release is intensified in AH and suggest that AH-HC-EVs orchestrate liver fibrogenesis by directly targeting the quiescent HSC transcripts via a unique set of miRNAs and by amplifying HSC activation via DAMP-based induction of profibrogenic IL-1β and IL-17 by HMs. KEY MESSAGES: • Circulating EVs and HC-EVs were increased in AH mice compared with control mice • AH-HC-EVs were enriched in miRNAs, organelle proteins, and mitochondrial DNA • AH-HC-EVs increased cytokine production by AH-HMs in a TLR9-dependent manner

Tumor size and computed tomography attenuation of pulmonary pure ground-glass nodules are useful for predicting pathological invasiveness.

OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary ground-glass nodules (GGNs) are occasionally diagnosed as invasive adenocarcinomas. This study aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features of patients with pulmonary GGNs to identify factors predictive of pathological invasion. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 101 pulmonary GGNs resected between July 2006 and November 2013 and pathologically classified them as adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS; n = 47), minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA; n = 30), or invasive adenocarcinoma (I-ADC; n = 24). The age, sex, smoking history, tumor size, and computed tomography (CT) attenuation of the 3 groups were compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to identify factors that could predict the presence of pathologically invasive adenocarcinomas. RESULTS: Tumor size was significantly larger in the MIA and I-ADC groups than in the AIS group. CT attenuation was significantly greater in the I-ADC group than in the AIS and MIA groups. In ROC curve analyses, the sensitivity and specificity of tumor size (cutoff, 11 mm) were 95.8% and 46.8%, respectively, and those for CT attenuation (cutoff, -680 HU) were 95.8% and 35.1%, respectively; the areas under the curve (AUC) were 0.75 and 0.77, respectively. A combination of tumor size and CT attenuation (cutoffs of 11 mm and -680 HU for tumor size and CT attenuation, respectively) yielded in a sensitivity and specificity of 91.7% and 71.4%, respectively, with an AUC of 0.82. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor size and CT attenuation were predictive factors of pathological invasiveness for pulmonary GGNs. Use of a combination of tumor size and CT attenuation facilitated more accurate prediction of invasive adenocarcinoma than the use of these factors independently