Sea ice changes during the early 20th century Arctic warming in an Earth System Model

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OM] Polar Meteorology and Glaciology, Thu. 5 Dec. / 2F Auditorium , National Institute of Polar Researc

Japanese Irrigation Management at the Crossroads

To achieve the goals of irrigation projects, governments need to ensure appropriate operations and maintenance. The Japanese government has established a national-level participatory irrigation management (PIM) approach since 17th century and the Japanese farmers presently operate and maintain entire irrigation systems at their own cost under the Land Improvement Act enacted in 1949. However, whether this Japanese system is relevant to other countries remains unclear. This paper aims to characterise the PIM system in detail; it analyses its background conditions and extracts implications for successful PIM methodology. To that end, we mobilised and compared all relevant information regarding legal aspects, practices and statistics. We concluded that: 1) farmers’ involvement from the initial planning stages – which is a requirement of the Japanese government’s application system for irrigation projects – is critical if projects are to succeed; 2) resolving farmers’ conflicts and coordination in advance are the key to success; 3) while transferring all facility management to the farmer irrigation association known as the Land Improvement District (LID), the government must constantly supervise and support the LID; 4) the experiences of Japan are relevant to countries that have small-scale farming systems; and 5) there is a rapid shift underway in the primary actors of Japanese agriculture in rural villages, from many small-scale farmers to a limited number of large-scale farmers. This transformation may require reshaping the Japanese model to adapt to new circumstances

Aberrant Expression of TFF1, TFF2, and PDX1 and Their Diagnostic Value in Lobular Endocervical Glandular Hyperplasia

Lobular endocervical glandular hyperplasia (LEGH) is a distinct benign glandular lesion expressing gastric gland mucous cell-type mucin (N-acetylglucosaminal -> 4galactose -> R [GlcNAc alpha 1 -> 4Gal -> R]). To investigate histogenesis and diagnostic markers of LEGH, we examined the immunohistochemical expression profile of gastric surface mucous cell (MUC5AC and TFF1), gastric gland mucous cell (MUC6, TFF2, and GlcNAc alpha 1 -> 4Gal -> R), gastric pyloric epithelial cell (PDX1), and endocervical cell (keratan sulfate) markers in normal endocervix samples and benign glandular lesions (nabothian cysts, tunnel clusters, and LEGHs). MUC5AC and MUC6 were expressed in normal endocervical mucosa and benign glandular lesions. TFF1, TFF2, GlcNAc alpha 1 -> 4Gal -> R, and PDX1 were expressed only in LEGH. Keratan sulfate was expressed in normal endocervical mucosa and benign glandular lesions. In LEGH, gastric surface mucous cell and gastric gland mucous cell differentiation were demonstrated, and transdifferentiation from endocervical mucosa into gastric pyloric mucosa was suggested. In addition to GlcNAc alpha 1 -> 4Gal -> R, TFF1, TFF2, and PDX1 are additional useful markers for LEGH.ArticleAMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PATHOLOGY. 135(2):253-261 (2011)journal articl

Pan-Arctic Sea Ice Prediction System with the MIROC Climate Model

第6回極域科学シンポジウム分野横断セッション：[IA] 急変する北極気候システム及びその全球的な影響の総合的解明―GRENE北極気候変動研究事業研究成果報告2015―11月19日（木）　国立極地研究所１階交流アトリウ

System Design of an Autonomous Underwater Robot “DaryaBird”

Various kinds of robots have been developed parallel with the progress of computers and information processing technology, and the operations in the extreme environments, such as disaster areas, space and ocean, are getting one of the practical solutions for those hazardous missions. The underwater robots are one of the extreme environment robots and expected as one of solutions for underwater activities i.e., maintenance of underwater structures, observations, scientific research, where research area is getting wide and deep and also underwater structures are getting large-scale and deep-depth. Their efficiencies have been investigated during recent decades and are proven by ocean experiments. However, the robotic system including the support vessels is still big scale, and not so easy to handle by a few researchers. In this paper, we describe the design of an underwater robot “DaryaBird” developed aiming at handy, small underwater robots which can be operated by a few researchers. In addition, experimental results and mission strategies for AUVC 2010 are reported.AUVSI & ONR\u27s 13th AUVSI 2010 : Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) North America 2010, Aug 24-27, 2010, Denver, CO., US

The first case of recurrent ultra late onset group B streptococcal sepsis in a 3-year-old child

AbstractGroup B streptococcus (GBS) is a commonly recognized cause of sepsis and meningitis in neonatal and young infants. Invasive GBS infection is classified into early onset GBS disease (EOD, day 0–6), late onset GBS disease (LOD, day 7–89) and ultra late onset GBS disease (ULOD, after 3 months of age). ULOD is uncommon and recurrence is especially rare. We present the first recurrent case of ULOD GBS sepsis in 3-year-old girl with a past medical history of hydrops fetalis and thoracic congenital lymphatic dysplasia. The first episode presented as sepsis at 2 years 8 months of age. The second episode occurred as sepsis with encephalopathy at 3 years 1 months of age. During each episode, the patient was treated using intravenous antimicrobials and her condition improved. Serotype examination was not performed in the first episode, but GBS type V was serotyped in the second episode. ULOD over 1year of age is quite rare and may recur

A concept of hazardous NEO detection and impact warning system

In 2013, the well-known Chelyabinsk meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia. It is estimated that the meteor exploded at altitude near 30 km[2], which damaged thousands of buildings and injured a thousand of residents[3–4]. The estimated size of the meteor is approximately 20 m[2]. Because the meteor approached to Earth from Sun direction, no ground-based observatories could not detect until the impact. Considering such situations, the paper proposes a concept to detect Chelyabinsk-class small Near-Earth Objects. The concept addresses a “last-minute” warning system of NEO impact, in the same manner of “Tsunami” warning. To achieve the mission objective, two locations are assumed for the space telescope installation point i.e., Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1, SEL1 and Artificial Equilibrium Point, AEP. SEL1 is one of the natural equilibrium points, on the other hand, AEP is artificially equilibrated point by Sun and Earth gravity, centrifugal force and low-thrust acceleration. The magnitude of the acceleration to keep AEP is sufficiently small near 1 au radius orbit around the Sun i.e., the order of μm/s2 which can be achieved by solar sail. Through some cases of numerical simulations considering the size of NEOs and detector capability, this paper will show the feasibility of the proposed concept

Postoperative Loss of Lumbar Lordosis Affects Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Pseudoarthrosis after Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Using Cortical Bone Trajectory Screw Fixation

Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Purpose This study aimed to investigate relationships between clinical outcomes and radiographic parameters in patients with pseudoarthrosis after posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). Overview of Literature In some patients with pseudoarthrosis after PLIF, clinical symptoms improve following surgery, although pseudoarthrosis can often be one of the complications. However, there are no previous reports describing differences between patients with pseudoarthrosis after PLIF who have obtained better clinical outcomes and those who have not. Methods Twenty-seven patients who were diagnosed with pseudoarthrosis after single-level PLIF with cortical bone trajectory screw fixation (CBT-PLIF) were enrolled in this study. They were divided into two groups based on mean improvement of 22 points on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) at the 2-year follow-up. Group G consisted of 15 patients who showed improvement on the ODI of ≥22 points, and group P consisted of the residual 12 patients. Radiographic parameters, percentage of slip, lumbar lordosis (LL), segmental lordosis, segmental range of motion, screw loosening, and subsidence were compared between the two groups. Results There were no significant differences between the two groups on radiographic parameters except for postoperative changes in LL. Although surgery-induced changes in LL showed no significant difference between the two groups, changes in LL from before surgery to 2-year follow-up and during postoperative 2-year follow-up were significantly better in group G (mean change of LL: +3.5° and +5.1°, respectively) compared to group P (mean change of LL: −4.6° and −0.5°, respectively) (p<0.01 and 0.05, respectively). Conclusions Patients with greater improvement in ODI gained LL over the 2-year follow-up, whereas patients with less improvement in ODI lost LL during the 2-year follow-up. These results indicate that there is a significant correlation between clinical outcomes and LL even in patients with pseudoarthrosis after single-level CBT-PLIF

A simple calculation for the preoperative estimation of transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous free flap volume in 2-stage breast reconstruction using a tissue expander

Background Flap volume is an important factor for obtaining satisfactory symmetry in breast reconstruction with a transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) free flap. We aimed to develop an easy and simple method to estimate flap volume. Methods We performed a preoperative estimation of the TRAM flap volume in five patients with breast cancer who underwent 2-stage breast reconstruction following an immediate tissue expander operation after a simple mastectomy. We measured the height and width of each flap zone using a ruler and measured the tissue thickness by ultrasound. The volume of each zone, approximated as a triangular or square prism, was then calculated. The zone volumes were summed to obtain the total calculated volume of the TRAM flap. We then determined the width of zone II, so that the calculated flap volume was equal to the required flap volume (1.2×1.05×the weight of the resected mastectomy tissue). The TRAM flap was transferred vertically so that zone III was located on the upper side, and zone II was trimmed in the sitting position after vascular anastomosis. We compared the estimated flap width of zone II (=X) with the actual flap width of zone II. Results X was similar to the actual measured width. Accurate volume replacement with the TRAM flap resulted in good symmetry in all cases. Conclusions The volume of a free TRAM flap can be straightforwardly estimated preoperatively using the method presented here, with ultrasound, ruler, and simple calculations, and this technique may help reduced the time required for precise flap tailoring

The Climate-system Historical Forecast Project: providing open access to seasonal forecast ensembles from centers around the globe

Fil: Tompkins, Adrian M.. The Abdus Salam; ItaliaFil: Ortiz de Zarate, Maria Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera; Argentina. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Saurral, Ramiro Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera; Argentina. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Vera, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera; Argentina. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Saulo, Andrea Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. Secretaria de Planeamiento. Servicio Meteorológico Nacional; ArgentinaFil: Merryfield, William J.. Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis; CanadáFil: Sigmond, Michael. Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis; CanadáFil: Lee, Woo Sung. Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis; CanadáFil: Baehr, Johanna. Universitat Hamburg; AlemaniaFil: Braun, Alain. Météo-France; FranciaFil: Amy Butler. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Déqué, Michel. Météo-France; FranciaFil: Doblas Reyes, Francisco J.. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats; España. Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputacion; EspañaFil: Gordon, Margaret. Met Office; Reino UnidoFil: Scaife, Adam A.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Yukiko Imada. Japan Meteorological Agency. Meteorological Research Institute. Climate Research Department; JapónFil: Masayoshi Ishii. Japan Meteorological Agency. Meteorological Research Institute. Climate Research Department; JapónFil: Tomoaki Ose. Japan Meteorological Agency. Meteorological Research Institute. Climate Research Department; JapónFil: Kirtman, Ben. University of Miami; Estados UnidosFil: Kumar, Arun. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Müller, Wolfgang A.. Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie; AlemaniaFil: Pirani, Anna. Université Paris-Saclay; FranciaFil: Stockdale, Tim. European Centre for Medium-Range Weather; Reino UnidoFil: Rixen, Michel. World Meteorological Organization. World Climate Research Programme; SuizaFil: Yasuda, Tamaki. Japan Meteorological Agency. Climate Prediction Division; Japó