Radiation hydrodynamics simulations of wide-angle outflows from super-critical accretion disks around black holes

By performing two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulations with large computational domain of 5000 Schwarzschild radius, we revealed that wide-angle outflow is launched via the radiation force from the super-critical accretion flows around black holes. The angular size of the outflow, of which the radial velocity (v_r) is over the escape velocity (v_esc), increases with an increase of the distance from the black hole. As a result, the mass is blown away with speed of v_r > v_esc in all direction except for the very vicinity of the equatorial plane, theta=0-85^circ, where theta is the polar angle. The mass ejected from the outer boundary per unit time by the outflow is larger than the mass accretion rate onto the black hole, ~150L_Edd/c^2, where L_Edd and c are the Eddington luminosity and the speed of light. Kinetic power of such wide-angle high-velocity outflow is comparable to the photon luminosity and is a few times larger than the Eddington luminosity. This corresponds to ~10^39-10^40 erg/s for the stellar mass black holes. Our model consistent with the observations of shock excited bubbles observed in some ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs), supporting a hypothesis that ULXs are powered by the super-critical accretion onto stellar mass black holes.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

A Prospective Study of Long-term Outcomes in Female Patients with Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Using Age- and Body Mass Index-matched Cohorts

In patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the prevalence of cirrhosis is higher among women than men, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) develops mainly in the cirrhotic stage among women. However, the long-term outcomes in female patients with NASH have not been fully elucidated, and age, gender and BMI were not simultaneously adjusted in previous studies on the prognosis of NASH. To elucidate the outcomes in female patients with NASH, we prospectively compared NASH patients with advanced fibrosis (advanced NASH) with hepatitis C virus-related advanced fibrosis (advanced CHC) patients and NASH patients with mild fibrosis (mild NASH) using study cohorts that were adjusted for body mass index (BMI) in addition to age. The median follow-up period was 92.5 months. Liver-related complication-free survival was significantly reduced in the advanced NASH group compared to the mild NASH group. No liver-related complications developed in the mild NASH group. The overall survival, liver-related complication- and cardiovascular/cerebrovascular disease-free survival were not significantly different between the advanced NASH and CHC groups. Female patients with NASH and advanced fibrosis may have a less favorable prognosis for liver-related complications than the matched cohorts with NASH and mild fibrosis, but may have a similar prognosis to the matched cohorts with CHC

BAT KINEMATICS IN BALL HITTING TASK

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationship between timing of ball-bat impact and bat kinematics. University baseball players were asked to hit one of three kinds of ball (a baseball, a polystyrene ball, a small polystyrene ball) hung with a string. Peak velocity of the distal end of the bat appeared in different timing among ball conditions. Regardless of conditions, the lowest position of the distal end of the bat during bat swing showed up at almost same timing for each SUbject. These results showed that height of the distal end of the bat might be useful for estimating impact point of each baseball batter

Initial Stage of Molecular Adsorption on Si(100) and H-terminated Si(100) Investigated by UHV-STM(STM-Si(001))

We have investigated the initial stage of adsorption of a conjugated aromatic compound, 1, 4-bis[β-pyridyl-(2)-vinyl]benzene (P2VB), on the clean Si(100)-2×1 surface and the hydrogen terminated Si(100)-2×1-H surface by ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). We found adsorbed molecules cannot migrate on the chemically active Si(100)-2×1 surface, while they can migrate on the chemically inactive hydrogen terminated Si(100)-2×1-H surface until they are trapped to hydrogen-missing dangling bonds. On the clean Si(100)-2×1, we observed four different adsorption directions. An individual molecule appears as two or three bright spots, the brightness and distance between bright spots varying for different cases. Through structural analysis and bias-voltage-dependent STM images, we conclude that the electronic states of Si dimers modulated by the adsorbed molecules are observed instead of the molecules themselves. A simple estimation by considering only the molecular size and shape reproduces the distribution of four different kinds of adsorption structures we observed

A population of the Japanese giant salamander Andrias japonicus (Amphibia: Caudata) inhabiting a small stream flowing through a wetland upstream of a dam: A study on the population of small individuals and larval growth in the field

広島県廿日市市飯山のダム上流の湿地を流れる小河川に生息するオオサンショウウオAndrias japonicusの個体群について報告する。本産地は標高が775–795mあり，本種の生息地で最も標高の高い部類に入る。飯山貯水池は1932年より水力発電ダム湖として建造され，その上流は約90年間ダムの下流域と隔離されている。水位の低下した2001年以降は長年人の手の加わっていない湿地となっている。2017–2020年ののべ17日間に渡る調査で，0歳から1歳，2歳と考えられる幼生が多数見つかり，全長210mmの幼体や326–680mmの成体，繁殖巣穴も見つかった。これは独立した繁殖個体群として世代交代している証拠でもある。この個体群からは全長700mmを越える個体が見つかっておらず，全長が小さい傾向がある。また，0歳幼生の全長と確認日の関係を見ると，全長46mmで離散した0歳幼生が，6月から8月にかけて急成長して75mmに達し，10月以降はほとんど成長しないで翌春を迎えることを示唆していた。幼生は主にダム湖であった当時の名残の水草，ヒルムシロPotamogeton distinctusの中から見つかる傾向がある点も特異な点である。ダム湖へ直接流入する源流域の小河川で本種が持続的に繁殖している例として本産地と個体群は稀少な存在であると言える。Here, we describe a population of the Japanese giant salamander Andrias japonicus inhabiting upstream of the Iinoyama Reservoir in Iinoyama, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The locality is situated at 775–795 m above the sea level and is one of the highest localities in the habitat of this salamander. The Iinoyama Reservoir was originally built as a hydroelectric dam lake in 1932, and its upstream part has remained isolated for nearly 90 years. Since 2001, when the water level dropped, it has become a wetland, albeit not used by human for many years. In surveys over 17 days during 2017–2020, many zero-, first-, and second-year larvae; a juvenile 210 mm in total length (TL); and adults (326–680 mm in TL) as well as a breeding nest were found, providing evidence that the salamanders in this regions constitute an independent breeding population. No individuals measuring over 700 mm in TL were found in this population, and the overall TL tended to be low. Considering the association between the total length and the date of discovery of zero-year larvae, these larvae likely dispersed when they were about 46 mm and rapidly grew from June to August to reach 75 mm; from October, however, they barely grew until the next spring. Interestingly, the larvae were found in the remnants of the dam lake, near the aquatic plant Potamogeton distinctus. The described locality and population present a rare example of continuous breeding of the Japanese giant salamander in a small stream directly flowing into the dam lake

Successful Treatment for Hepatic Encephalopathy Aggravated by Portal Vein Thrombosis with Balloon-Occluded Retrograde Transvenous Obliteration

This report presents the case of a 78-year-old female with hepatic encephalopathy due to an inferior mesenteric venous-inferior vena cava shunt. She developed hepatocellular carcinoma affected by hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis and underwent posterior sectionectomy. Portal vein thrombosis developed and the portal trunk was narrowed after hepatectomy. Portal vein thrombosis resulted in high portal pressure and increased blood flow in an inferior mesenteric venous-inferior vena cava shunt, and hepatic encephalopathy with hyperammonemia was aggravated. The hepatic encephalopathy aggravated by portal vein thrombosis was successfully treated by balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration via a right transjugular venous approach without the development of other collateral vessels

Hospital and clinic cooperation for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Objective: To survey the current status and problems of cooperation between clinics and hospitals in Okayama Prefecture, Japan for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 　Methods: We distributed a questionnaire to 300 of the 983 Okayama Prefecture clinics that had either an internal medicine or orthopedic surgery department, from December 2013 to February 2014. The questionnaire covered practice pattern for RA treatment in clinics, current status of the hospital and clinic cooperation, and acceptance of the biologic therapy. 　Results: One hundred clinics responded to the questionnaire. Seventy percent of the clinics reported making referrals to rheumatologists before the initiation of RA treatment, and half of the other 30% of the clinics administered methotrexate as the first-line treatment for RA by their own decision. Sixty-six clinics cooperated with flagship hospitals, conducting medical and laboratory examinations, providing prescriptions, and treating common diseases of patients. These clinics expected the cooperating rheumatologists to follow-up patients every 3 to 6 months and to make the diagnosis, make decisions regarding RA treatment changes, and perform surgery. Seventy-one percent of the clinics responded that cooperation with a hospital is possible even for patients who are administered biologics. As reasons for no cooperation with the flagship hospitals, clinics noted the lack of information about rheumatologists in the area and recent trends in the management of RA. 　Conclusion: The current study reported, for the first time, the actual conditions of management of RA in clinics, as well as future problems of hospital and clinic cooperation in Okayama Prefecture

ケンコウ スポーツ キョウイク カモク ニ オケル UKK Walk Test ドウニュウ ノ ココロミ

This study aimed to examine whether UKK Walk Test can be useful in physical education for estimating the cardiorespiratory fitness of students at university. At the beginning and end of the first semester in 2015, we estimated VO2max and fitness index (deviation value of VO2max) using UKK Walk Test among first-year students who attended physical training classes at Osaka University. At the beginning of the semester, there was no significant difference in VO2max and fitness index between the group that did high frequency exercise (twice a week and above) and the group that did low frequency exercise (once a week or less). However, at the end of the semester, these indices were significantly larger in the group that did high frequency exercise than in the other group. Additionally, there were significant increases in both indices of UKK Walk Test at the end of the semester. UKK Walk Test was thus indicated to be a useful tool for estimating the influence of exercise habit on cardiorespiratory fitness and the effect of physical training classes. However, when we applied it to the physical training class, we found some areas of improvement, such as a lack of understanding of exercise intensity during test, methods for coping with the malfunction of a heartbeat detector, and the shortening of test duration. In addition to solving these problems, we need to consider further utilization of UKK Walk Test in physical education at university for promoting lifestyle modification like an increase in physical activity