Risk prediction of landslide and debris flow using slope gradation map obtained from airborne laser scanning

The slope gradation map which is obtained from airborne laser scanning is very important tool to detect hazardous sites of landslide, debris flow and others. The features of the images (what the images are represented) in the map were confirmed by field survey. The study area, Tamagashi is situated in the Kibi Plateau area, Okayama City, Japan. The map helps to distinguish between artificial microrelief and natural microtopography very well. Small scarps (even 0.5m high), rocky cliffs and large blocks (larger than 2m) are identified in the map. The detail images of the microrelief suggest threatening sites. The merit of the map leads us to find the site in the field easily. We will not miss the threatening sites by using the map

Pressure Effect on Transport Properties of EuNi(Si1-xGex)3 Compounds

AbstractThe compounds of EuNi(Si1−xGex)3 order antiferromagnetically. At the temperature TC below the Ńeel temperature TN, EuNiSi3 (x = 0) shows an additional magnetic transition into ferro-magnetic state. TN decreases monotonously with increasing the Ge composition x. The Curie temperature TC decreases rapidly with increasing x and vanishes at the critical composition x ≈ 0.3. We have measured the electrical resistivity and thermopower of EuNi(Si0.8Ge0.2)3, which is a compound near to the boundary between the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic ground states in the phase diagram for EuNi(Si1−xGex)3 system, under pressures up to 1.8GPa at temperatures from 2 to 300K. The anomalies in ρ(T) and S(T) curves of EuNi(Si0.8Ge0.2)3 are observed at TC = 16K and TN = 34K at ambient pressure. Both TC and TN increase linearly with increasing pressure. The temperature variations of ρ and S of EuNi(Si0.8Ge0.2)3 at P = 1.8GPa are almost the same as those of EuNi(Si0.9Ge0.1)3 (x=0.1) at ambient pressure, revealing that the effect of pressure on TN and TC is the same as that of the increase of Si concentration. The pressure and atomic composition dependences of the magnetic transition temperatures TN and TC can be expressed by using the Grüneisen parameters. These results indicate that the changes of TN and TC are attributed to the change of atomic volume induced by the applying pressure or the atomic substitution

Immunohistochemical Profile for Unknown Primary Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: Development of tailored treatment based on immunohistochemical profiles (IPs) of tumors for cancers of unknown primary is needed. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We developed an algorithm based on primary known adenocarcinoma for testing sensitivity and specificity. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 71 patients of unfavorable subsets of unknown primary adenocarcinoma were obtained. We examined 15 molecular markers using the algorithm incorporating these IPs and classified the tumours into 9 subsets based on the primary tumour site. The sensitivity and specificity of this algorithm were 80.3% and 97.6%, respectively. Apparent primary sites were lung in 17 patients, digestive organs in 13, gynecological organs in 9, prostate in 7, liver or kidney in 6, breast in 4, urothelial organ in 2, biliary tract and pancreatic profile in none, and unclassified in 13. The response rate to chemotherapy was highest for the gynecological IPs. Patients with gynecological or lung cancer IPs had longer median progression-free survival than those with others: 11.2 months for gynecological IPs (p<0.001) and 6.8 months for lung IPs (p = 0.05). Lung, digestive, prostate, and gynecological profiles were associated with significantly longer median survival time than the other profiles. Multivariate analysis confirmed that the IPs were independent prognostic factors for survival. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The IPs identified in this study can be used to further stratify patient prognosis for unfavorable subsets of unknown primary adenocarcinoma

Effects of cement anchors with screw holes for cementing a liner into a stable, cementless acetabular metal shell: A laboratory study

A mechanical study was conducted on the shell-cement interface in order to construct an acetabular metal shell, and to fix a polyethylene liner with the bone cement. Six types of models were tested. All cementations were performed under the similar conditions. The “lever out” test was conducted 3 times for each group in order to measure the dissociation strength. The average dissociation strength values were 11.5 N·m for those without screw holes; 33.6, 34.7, and 78.7 N·m for those with single holes at 1-, 3-, and 6-mm depth, respectively; and 41.3 and 101.1 N·m for the different configurations with three holes at 3-mm depth. The strength of adhesion increased with the use of a cement anchor and with increased lengths and numbers of anchors. The application of a cement anchor with a screw hole is clinically useful for increasing the mechanical strength of the shell-cement interface

Assembly of the draft genome of buckwheat and its applications in identifying agronomically useful genes.

世界初となるソバの全ゲノム解読に成功 －ソバの安全性、高品質性、収量安定性の鍵となる遺伝情報の発見－. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2016-04-13.Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentumMoench; 2n= 2x= 16) is a nutritionally dense annual crop widely grown in temperate zones. To accelerate molecular breeding programmes of this important crop, we generated a draft assembly of the buckwheat genome using short reads obtained by next-generation sequencing (NGS), and constructed the Buckwheat Genome DataBase. After assembling short reads, we determined 387, 594 scaffolds as the draft genome sequence (FES_r1.0). The total length of FES_r1.0 was 1, 177, 687, 305 bp, and the N50 of the scaffolds was 25, 109 bp. Gene prediction analysis revealed 286, 768 coding sequences (CDSs; FES_r1.0_cds) including those related to transposable elements. The total length of FES_r1.0_cds was 212, 917, 911 bp, and the N50 was 1, 101 bp. Of these, the functions of 35, 816 CDSs excluding those for transposable elements were annotated by BLAST analysis. To demonstrate the utility of the database, we conducted several test analyses using BLAST and keyword searches. Furthermore, we used the draft genome as a reference sequence for NGS-based markers, and successfully identified novel candidate genes controlling heteromorphic self-incompatibility of buckwheat. The database and draft genome sequence provide a valuable resource that can be used in efforts to develop buckwheat cultivars with superior agronomic traits

Content analysis of oncology-related pharmaceutical advertising in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

BACKGROUND: The oncology market represents one of the largest pharmaceutical markets in any medical field, and printed advertising in medical journals is an important channel by which pharmaceutical companies communicate with healthcare professionals. The aim of the present study was to analyze the volume and content of and trends and changes in oncology-related advertising intended for healthcare professionals in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Information that could be included in advertisements to promote drug development and improve treatment strategies for cancer patients is discussed on the basis of the results of the analysis. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Overall, 6,720 advertisements covering 13,039 pages in a leading oncology medical journal published (by the American Society of Clinical Oncology) between January 2005 and December 2009 were analyzed. The advertisements targeting pharmaceuticals and clinical trials, in particular, were reviewed. A total of 6,720 advertisements covering 13,039 pages were included in the analysis. For the years 2005-2009, the percentages of total journal pages dedicated to advertising were 24.0%, 45.7%, 49.8%, 46.8%, and 49.8%, respectively. Package insert information and efficacy and safety explanations appeared in more than 80% of advertisements intended for pharmaceutical promotion. From 2005 to 2009, the overall quantity of drug advertisements decreased by approximately 13%, whereas advertisements calling for the enrollment of patients into registration trials increased by approximately 11%. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Throughout the study period, oncology-related pharmaceutical advertisements occupied a considerable number of pages relative to other journal content. The proportion of advertisements on ongoing clinical trials increased progressively throughout the study period

Pulse and IR Study on the Reaction Pathways for the Conversion of Ethanol to Propene over Scandium-Loaded Indium Oxide Catalysts

Potential reaction intermediates in the conversion of ethanol to propene, acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, crotonaldehyde, acetic acid, acetone, and 2-propanol were introduced as pulses onto a scandium-loaded indium oxide catalyst. The product distributions were primarily measured as a function of the space velocity in the absence or presence of hydrogen and water. The FT-IR spectra of the surface adsorbates were also collected after ethanol adsorption and indicated the formation of ethoxide species, which were converted to acetate species over the catalyst. The proposed reaction route involved the dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde, direct oxidation of acetaldehyde with water or a surface hydroxyl group to yield acetic acid, ketonization of acetic acid to acetone and carbon dioxide, and hydrogenation and subsequent dehydration of acetone to propene. The total reaction can be described as 2 CH₃CH₂OH → CH₂CHCH₃ + CO₂ + 3 H₂. A side reaction involving isobutene formation also occurred via the acetone intermediate