25 research outputs found
Magnetic Instability of Pr3Ru4Sn13
We report on the quantum criticality of PrRuSn revealed by our
new material research. PrRuSn has been synthesized by flux
growth and characterized by single X-ray, powder X-ray, and powder neutron
diffraction measurements. The compound adopts a YbRhSn-type
structure with a cubic Pmn. From the magnetization at 1 T, the
effective magnetic moment was estimated to be 3.58 per Pr,
suggesting that the magnetism is mainly contributed by Pr ions. The
specific heat and magnetization show an anomaly at ~ K owing to
the phase transition. The muon spin rotation and relaxation (SR) time
spectra exhibit clear oscillations below . This suggests that the phase is
magnetically ordered. The volume fraction of the magnetic phase estimated from
the initial asymmetry is around ten percent. In addition, spin fluctuations
were observed at low temperatures. These results provide microscopic evidence
that the material is closest to the antiferromagnetically quantum critical
point with a partial order among PrSn ( Co, Ru, Rh).Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
World Robot Challenge 2020 -- Partner Robot: A Data-Driven Approach for Room Tidying with Mobile Manipulator
Tidying up a household environment using a mobile manipulator poses various
challenges in robotics, such as adaptation to large real-world environmental
variations, and safe and robust deployment in the presence of humans.The
Partner Robot Challenge in World Robot Challenge (WRC) 2020, a global
competition held in September 2021, benchmarked tidying tasks in the real home
environments, and importantly, tested for full system performances.For this
challenge, we developed an entire household service robot system, which
leverages a data-driven approach to adapt to numerous edge cases that occur
during the execution, instead of classical manual pre-programmed solutions. In
this paper, we describe the core ingredients of the proposed robot system,
including visual recognition, object manipulation, and motion planning. Our
robot system won the second prize, verifying the effectiveness and potential of
data-driven robot systems for mobile manipulation in home environments
The efficacy and safety of anamorelin for patients with cancer-related anorexia/cachexia syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract Cancer-related anorexia/cachexia syndrome (CACS) is characterized by anorexia and loss of body weight. Evidence is insufficient to strongly endorse any pharmacologic agent for the treatment of CACS. In this systematic review, we assessed the efficacy of oral anamorelin treatment for patients with CACS. On July 6, 2022, we systematically searched the following databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adults with CACS comparing oral anamorelin versus placebo: CENTRAL, PubMed, EMBASE, and ICHUSHI. The primary outcomes were total body weight (TBW), patient-reported quality of life (QOL), and adverse events (AEs). Secondary outcomes included lean body mass (LBM), overall survival (OS), non-dominant hand grip strength (HGS), and appetite. We included seven RCTs with a total of 1944 CACS patients. Anamorelin significantly increased TBW (mean difference (MD) 1.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.34–2.13, p < 0.00001), LBM (MD 1.06, 95% CI 0.30–1.81, p = 0.006), and QOL (standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.16, 95% CI 0.04–0.27, p = 0.006) compared with placebo without a significant difference in all AEs, severe AEs, OS, HGS or appetite. Anamorelin may be an effective treatment for CACS patients; however, further studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of this drug
Estimation of the effects of heavy Asian dust on respiratory function by definition type
Abstract Background The adverse effects of Asian dust (AD) on health have been demonstrated in earlier studies, but there is no standardized definition for heavy–AD. This study aimed to examine which definition of heavy–AD has the most adverse effect on respiratory function. Methods One–hundred–and–thirty–seven adults with asthma, and 384 school children self-measured their morning peak expiratory flow (PEF). The four definitions of heavy–AD are: (1) the definition provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), (2) daily median AD particle level ≥ 0.07 km−1, obtained through light detection and ranging (LIDAR) (3) hourly AD particle level ≥ 0.1 km−1, and (4) hourly level ≥ 0.07 km−1. Linear mixed models were used to estimate the effects of heavy–AD, by definition type, on daily PEF values. Results In adults with asthma, as per the JMA’s definition, significantly reduced PEF were observed on heavy–AD days (lag 0), lag 0–1, and lag 0–3. In school children, after a heavy–AD event, as defined by the JMA, PEF significantly decreased on lag 0–1, lag 0–2, and lag 0–3. However, as per the other definitions, there was no significant decrease in the PEF in the adults and children. Conclusion The associations between heavy–AD and respiratory function differed between these definitions
Atomistic design of microbial opsin-based blue-shifted optogenetics tools
Microbial opsins with a bound chromophore function as photosensitive ion transporters and have been employed in optogenetics for the optical control of neuronal activity. Molecular engineering has been utilized to create colour variants for the functional augmentation of optogenetics tools, but was limited by the complexity of the protein-chromophore interactions. Here we report the development of blue-shifted colour variants by rational design at atomic resolution, achieved through accurate hybrid molecular simulations, electrophysiology and X-ray crystallography. The molecular simulation models and the crystal structure reveal the precisely designed conformational changes of the chromophore induced by combinatory mutations that shrink its π-conjugated system which, together with electrostatic tuning, produce large blue shifts of the absorption spectra by maximally 100 nm, while maintaining photosensitive ion transport activities. The design principle we elaborate is applicable to other microbial opsins, and clarifies the underlying molecular mechanism of the blue-shifted action spectra of microbial opsins recently isolated from natural sources
Association between Outdoor Fungal Concentrations during Winter and Pulmonary Function in Children with and without Asthma
Outdoor fungi are important components of airborne particulate matter (PM). However, the associations between pulmonary function and outdoor fungi are less well known compared to other airborne PM constituents. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between outdoor fungi and pulmonary function in children. Morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) rates were measured daily in 339 schoolchildren (including 36 with asthma), aged 10 to 12, 2 to 27 February 2015. Airborne PM was collected on filters, using a high volume air sampler, each day during the study period. The daily concentration of outdoor fungi-associated PM was calculated using a culture-based method. A linear mixed model was used to estimate the association between PEF values and daily concentrations of outdoor fungi, and the daily levels of suspended PM (SPM) and PM ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5). An increase in the interquartile range (46.2 CFU/m3) for outdoor fungal concentration led to PEF changes of −1.18 L/min (95% confidence interval, −2.27 to −0.08) in all children, 1.22 L/min (−2.96 to 5.41) in children without asthma, and −1.44 L/min (−2.57 to −0.32) in children with asthma. Outdoor fungi showed a significant negative correlation with PM2.5 levels (r = −0.4, p = 0.04), but not with SPM (r = ‒0.3, p = 0.10) levels. Outdoor fungi may be associated with pulmonary dysfunction in children. Furthermore, children with asthma may show greater pulmonary dysfunction than those without asthma
Long-term survival of a patient with uterine cancer-induced pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy following treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy and bevacizumab: A case report
Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a rare but fatal cancer-related disease. Owing to its non-specific findings, aggressive course, and lack of established treatment guidelines, only a few cases of antemortem diagnosis in long-term survivors have been reported. We aimed to report a case of uterine cervical cancer induced PTTM that was suspected based on pulmonary hypertension and successfully treated using combination chemotherapy despite of delayed diagnose. It is important to be aware that PTTM should be suspected when respiratory failure occurs in patients with unexplained pulmonary hypertension. Multidisciplinary treatments including molecular targeted therapies might be effective treatment options
Additional file 1 of The relationship between chest tube position in the thoracic cavity and treatment failure in patients with pleural infection: a retrospective cohort study
Additional file 1. Supplementary Table 1. The RAPID scoring system using baseline parameters
Transcatheter arterial embolization of a type 2 endoleak through the dorsal pancreatic artery after the hybrid repair of a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm: A case report
An 83-year-old woman with a history of hybrid repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm presented with enlargement of the aneurysm due to a type 2 endoleak from the celiac artery. The endoleak cavity was accessed via the dorsal pancreatic artery, and embolization using N-butyl cyanoacrylate and coils was successfully performed. When celiac artery branches are embolized during hybrid repair of a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm, attention should be paid to the dorsal pancreatic artery to appropriately determine which branches are to be embolized, because a nonembolized dorsal pancreatic artery may lead to type 2 endoleaks