Internal Structures and Growth Style of a Quaternary Subaerial Rhyodacite Cryptodome at Ogariyama, Usu Volcano, Hokkaido, Japan

Cryptodomes are shallow-level intrusions that cause updoming of overlying sediments or other rocks. Understanding the formation of cryptodomes is important for hazard assessment, as cryptodome-forming eruptions are one of the major triggering factors in sector collapse. This paper describes internal structures of a Quaternary subaerial rhyodacite cryptodome at Ogariyama, Usu volcano, Japan (the Ogariyama dome), and examines the textural differences between subaerial and subaqueous cryptodomes to extend our knowledge of these phenomenon. The Ogariyama dome, which is one of the youngest subaerial cryptodomes in the world (<0.4 ka), can be viewed in cross-section because a vertical fault formed during the 1977–1978 eruption and cut through the center of the cryptodome, exposing its interior. The morphology of the cryptodome is scalene triangular in shape, with rounded corners in cross-section, and it is 150 m across and 80 m high. The internal structure of the dome is concentrically zoned, with a massive core, jointed rim, and brecciated border, all of which are composed of uniform, feldspar-phyric rhyodacite (SiO2 = 71–72 wt.%). The massive core (130 m across) consists of coherent rhyodacite that has indistinct, large-scale flow banding and rectangular joints that are spaced 50–200 cm apart. The jointed rim (8–12 m wide) surrounds the massive core and consists of coherent rhyodacite that is characterized by distinct rectangular joints that are 30–80 cm apart and radiate outward. The outermost brecciated border (7–10 m wide) comprises monolithological breccia, consisting of angular rhyodacite clasts (5–30 cm across) and a cogenetic matrix. These internal structures suggest that the Ogariyama dome was formed by endogenous growth, involving continuous magma supply during a single intrusive event and simple expansion from its interior. The massive core formed by slow cooling of homogeneous rhyodacite magma. The jointed rim formed by fracturing of solidifying rhyodacite magma in response to cooling–contraction and dynamic stress driven by continued movement of the less viscous core. The brecciated border formed by fragmentation of the solidified rim of the dome in response to dynamic stress. The growth style of the Ogariyama dome closely resembles that of subaqueous cryptodomes. However, the morphology and internal structures of the Ogariyama dome differ from those of subaqueous cryptodomes, given its asymmetric morphology and absence of radial columnar joints and large-scale flow banding. These differences might reflect the well-consolidated and inhomogeneous physical properties of the host sediment and the slow cooling rate and high viscosity of the Ogariyama dome. The Ogariyama dome is probably the best cross-sectional example of a subaerial cryptodome in the world. Our descriptive study of the cryptodome provides invaluable information for hazard assessment

Task support system by displaying instructional video onto AR workspace

This paper presents an instructional support system based on aug-mented reality (AR). This system helps a user to work intuitively by overlaying visual information in the same way of a navigation system. In usual AR systems, the contents to be overlaid onto real space are created with 3D Computer Graphics. In most cases, such contents are newly created according to applications. However, there are many 2D videos that show how to take apart or build elec-tric appliances and PCs, how to cook, etc. Therefore, our system employs such existing 2D videos as instructional videos. By trans-forming an instructional video to display, according to the user’s view, and by overlaying the video onto the user’s view space, the proposed system intuitively provides the user with visual guidance. In order to avoid the problem that the display of the instructional video and the user’s view may be visually confused, we add var-ious visual effects to the instructional video, such as transparency and enhancement of contours. By dividing the instructional video into sections according to the operations to be carried out in order to complete a certain task, we ensure that the user can interactively move to the next step in the instructional video after a certain op-eration is completed. Therefore, the user can carry on with the task at his/her own pace. In the usability test, users evaluated the use of the instructional video in our system through two tasks: a task involving building blocks and an origami task. As a result, we found that a user’s visibility improves when the instructional video is transformed to display according to his/her view. Further, for the evaluation of visual effects, we can classify these effects according to the task and obtain the guideline for the use of our system as an instructional support system for performing various other tasks

Microstructure and Electrical Conductivity of Epitaxial BaRuO 3 Thin Films Prepared on (001), (110) and (111) SrTiO 3 Substrates by Laser Ablation

BaRuO 3 (BRO) thin films were prepared on SrTiO 3 (STO) single crystal substrate by laser ablation, and their microstructures and the anisotropy of electrical conductivity were investigated. The (205) and (104) doubly oriented BRO thin film was grown epitaxially on (001) STO substrate. Epitaxial (110) and (009) BRO thin films were obtained on (110) and (111) STO substrates, respectively, at oxygen pressure of 13 Pa and substrate temperature of 973 K. Epitaxial (205) (104) BRO thin film had a tetragonal texture whereas (110) BRO thin film showed a faceted island texture. Epitaxial (009) BRO thin films had a smooth surface due to a good lattice consistency between (009) BRO plane and (111) STO plane, and exhibited the highest electrical conductivity of 1:1 Â 10 5 SÁm À1 among the (205

Fibroblasts Show More Potential as Target Cells than Keratinocytes in COL7A1 Gene Therapy of Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is an inherited blistering skin disorder caused by mutations in the type VII collagen gene (COL7A1). Therapeutic introduction of COL7A1 into skin cells holds significant promise for the treatment of DEB. The purpose of this study was to establish an efficient retroviral transfer method for COL7A1 into DEB epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts, and to determine which gene-transferred cells can most efficiently express collagen VII in the skin. We demonstrated that gene transfer using a combination of G protein of vesicular stomatitis virus-pseudotyped retroviral vector and retronectin introduced COL7A1 into keratinocytes and fibroblasts from a DEB patient with the lack of COL7A1 expression. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of the normal human skin demonstrated that the quantity of COL7A1 expression in the epidermis was significantly higher than that in the dermis. Subsequently, we have produced skin grafts with the gene-transferred or untreated DEB keratinocytes and fibroblasts, and have transplanted them into nude rats. Interestingly, the series of skin graft experiments showed that the gene-transferred fibroblasts supplied higher amount of collagen VII to the new dermal–epidermal junction than the gene-transferred keratinocytes. An ultrastructural study revealed that collagen VII from gene-transferred cells formed proper anchoring fibrils. These results suggest that fibroblasts may be a better gene therapy target of DEB treatment than keratinocytes

Inhomogeneous superconductivity in thin crystals of FeSe1-xTex (x=1.0, 0.95, and 0.9)

We investigated the temperature dependence of resistivity in thin crystals of FeSe1-xTex (x = 1.0, 0.95, and 0.9), though bulk crystals with 1.0 x 0.9 are known to be non-superconducting. With decreasing thickness of the crystals, the resistivity of x = 0.95 and 0.9 decreases and reaches zero at a low temperature, which indicates a clear superconducting transition. The anomaly of resistivity related to the structural and magnetic transitions completely disappears in 55- to 155-nm-thick crystals of x = 0.9, resulting in metallic behavior in the normal state. Microbeam x-ray diffraction measurements were performed on bulk single crystals and thin crystals of FeSe1-xTex. A significant difference of the lattice constant, c, was observed in FeSe1-xTex, which varied with differing Te content (x), and even in crystals with the same x, which was mainly caused by inhomogeneity of the Se/Te distribution. It has been found that the characteristic temperatures causing the structural and magnetic transition (T-t), the superconducting transition (T-c), and the zero resistivity (T-c(zero)) are closely related to the value of c in thin crystals of FeSe1-xTex