Effects of Sciatic Neurectomy on Arthritis and Bone Loss in Rats with Collagen-Induced Arthritis

We investigated the effects of sciatic neurectomy on arthritis and bone mineral density (BMD) in 7-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). After the animals obtained a uniform mean body weight, we divided them at random into 4 groups, and treated them with the following surgical manipulations: (i) sham group (n = 8), sham surgery; (ii) CIA group (n = 9), collagen sensitization and sham surgery; (iii) NTx group (n = 9), sciatic neurectomy and (iv) CIA + NTx group (n = 9), collagen sensitization and a sciatic neurectomy. Every 2 weeks up to 8 weeks after sensitization, the arthritis score for hind paw swelling was evaluated, and BMD of the cancellous and cortical bones in the proximal tibia was measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Both the hind paw swelling and arthritis score in the CIA + NTx group were significantly lower than those in the CIA group at 6 and 8 weeks after sensitization. There was no significant difference in the cancellous BMD between the CIA and CIA + NTx groups. The cortical BMD of the tibial metaphysis was significantly lower in the NTx and CIA + NTx groups than in the sham group at 4 and 8 weeks, and in the CIA + NTx group than in the CIA group at 4 weeks after sensitization. There was no significant difference between the CIA and sham groups as well as the CIA and CIA + NTx group at 8 weeks after sensitization. It was concluded that sciatic neurectomy suppressed the severity of arthritis, but did not affect the cancellous bone loss in adult CIA rats

The Quiescent Intracluster Medium in the Core of the Perseus Cluster

Clusters of galaxies are the most massive gravitationally-bound objects in the Universe and are still forming. They are thus important probes of cosmological parameters and a host of astrophysical processes. Knowledge of the dynamics of the pervasive hot gas, which dominates in mass over stars in a cluster, is a crucial missing ingredient. It can enable new insights into mechanical energy injection by the central supermassive black hole and the use of hydrostatic equilibrium for the determination of cluster masses. X-rays from the core of the Perseus cluster are emitted by the 50 million K diffuse hot plasma filling its gravitational potential well. The Active Galactic Nucleus of the central galaxy NGC1275 is pumping jetted energy into the surrounding intracluster medium, creating buoyant bubbles filled with relativistic plasma. These likely induce motions in the intracluster medium and heat the inner gas preventing runaway radiative cooling; a process known as Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback. Here we report on Hitomi X-ray observations of the Perseus cluster core, which reveal a remarkably quiescent atmosphere where the gas has a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of 164+/-10 km/s in a region 30-60 kpc from the central nucleus. A gradient in the line-of-sight velocity of 150+/-70 km/s is found across the 60 kpc image of the cluster core. Turbulent pressure support in the gas is 4% or less of the thermodynamic pressure, with large scale shear at most doubling that estimate. We infer that total cluster masses determined from hydrostatic equilibrium in the central regions need little correction for turbulent pressure.Comment: 31 pages, 11 Figs, published in Nature July

Hitomi (ASTRO-H) X-ray Astronomy Satellite

The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese x-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E  >  2  keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft x-rays to gamma rays. After a successful launch on February 17, 2016, the spacecraft lost its function on March 26, 2016, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the onboard instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month

Hitomi X-Ray Studies of Giant Radio Pulses from the Crab Pulsar

To search for giant X-ray pulses correlated with the giant radio pulses (GRPs) from the Crab pulsar, we performed a simultaneous observation of the Crab pulsar with the X-ray satellite Hitomi in the 2300 keV band and the Kashima NICT radio telescope in the 1.41.7 GHz band with a net exposure of about 2 ks on 2016 March 25, just before the loss of the Hitomi mission. The timing performance of the Hitomi instruments was confirmed to meet the timing requirement and about 1000 and 100 GRPs were simultaneously observed at the main pulse and inter-pulse phases, respectively, and we found no apparent correlation between the giant radio pulses and the X-ray emission in either the main pulse or inter-pulse phase. All variations are within the 2 fluctuations of the X-ray fluxes at the pulse peaks, and the 3 upper limits of variations of main pulse or inter-pulse GRPs are 22% or 80% of the peak flux in a 0.20 phase width, respectively, in the 2300 keV band. The values for main pulse or inter-pulse GRPs become 25% or 110%, respectively, when the phase width is restricted to the 0.03 phase. Among the upper limits from the Hitomi satellite, those in the 4.510 keV and 70300 keV bands are obtained for the first time, and those in other bands are consistent with previous reports. Numerically, the upper limits of the main pulse and inter-pulse GRPs in the 0.20 phase width are about (2.4 and 9.3) 10(exp 11) erg cm(exp 2), respectively. No significant variability in pulse profiles implies that the GRPs originated from a local place within the magnetosphere. Although the number of photon-emitting particles should temporarily increase to account for the brightening of the radio emission, the results do not statistically rule out variations correlated with the GRPs, because the possible X-ray enhancement may appear due to a >0.02% brightening of the pulse-peak flux under such conditions

The legal concept of ‘heritage’ in the world heritage convention: The case of Yakushima, Island

Yakushima Island (Yakushima) has been developed for eco-tourism, and it has been registered on the list of UNESCO world heritage (WH) sites. The inhabitants of Yakushima have derived great prosperity from their WH registration and are considered successful in Japan. In spite of the island’s strong economic growth due to tourism, there have been many social problems. The inhabitants, including tourist agencies and tour guides, are the primary agents of these social problems. In this paper, we explain that the causes of these social problems are rooted in a misinterpretation of the WH convention, especially the concept of ‘heritage’. We must define the meaning of ‘heritage’ and the related words in the convention. In doing this, it is necessary to introduce strictly defined legal terms from the civil law. In our civil law, the concept of ‘heritage’ is described as one concept, that is, joint-property or inheritance. Inheritance is owned jointly, and it consists of heirs and inheritance obligees, that is, all the peoples of the world. The inhabitants in Yakushima should recognize that they gave everyone from around the world the right to enjoy the naturale environment of their island after it was registered on the WH list