Captive Elephants in Japan: Census and History

A total of 172 elephants was maintained in 68 institutions in Japan as of 1984. The elephants were distributed as follows: 89 (3/76)* Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and 83 (19/64) African elephants (Loxodonta africana). The 68 institutions included 64 public and private zoos parks and others plus 4 circuses which held from one (1) elephant to twelve (12) elephants. Results of the survey also showed that 32 (4/28) elephants had been with their current owners for more than 20 years. The oldest elephant in Japan was held by Ueno Zoo, Tokyo; she ( Indira ) was 49 years old as of 1983 when she died

Unanswered questions and future direction in the management of terminal breathlessness in patients with cancer

© © Author (s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. Published by BMJ on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. Breathlessness is among the most common and deteriorating symptoms in patients with advanced cancer, which may worsen towards the end of life. Breathlessness in patients with estimated life expectancy of weeks to days has unique clinical features: it tends to worsen rapidly over days to hours as death approaches often despite current symptom control measures. Breathlessness in patients during the last weeks to days of life can be called € terminal breathlessness'. While evidence has accumulated for the management of breathlessness in patients with cancer who are not dying, such evidence may not be fully applied to terminal breathlessness. Only a few studies have investigated the best practice of terminal breathlessness in patients with cancer. In this paper, we summarise the current evidence for the management of terminal breathlessness, and propose future directions of clinical research

Integrable discretizations of derivative nonlinear Schroedinger equations

We propose integrable discretizations of derivative nonlinear Schroedinger (DNLS) equations such as the Kaup-Newell equation, the Chen-Lee-Liu equation and the Gerdjikov-Ivanov equation by constructing Lax pairs. The discrete DNLS systems admit the reduction of complex conjugation between two dependent variables and possess bi-Hamiltonian structure. Through transformations of variables and reductions, we obtain novel integrable discretizations of the nonlinear Schroedinger (NLS), modified KdV (mKdV), mixed NLS, matrix NLS, matrix KdV, matrix mKdV, coupled NLS, coupled Hirota, coupled Sasa-Satsuma and Burgers equations. We also discuss integrable discretizations of the sine-Gordon equation, the massive Thirring model and their generalizations.Comment: 24 pages, LaTeX2e (IOP style), final versio

Atomic carbon chains mediated carriers transfer over polymeric carbon nitride for efficient photocatalysis

Atomic structure tailoring towards high electron mobility is an essential approach to maximizing the solar energy conversion efficiency of polymeric carbon nitride CN but still presents a significant challenge. Here we construct a smooth carrier channel in the basal plane of CN by filling the rich defects in layer with various kinds of short carbon chains, whereby the light induced carriers transfer kinetics is boosted distinctly. Consequently, the optimal carbon chains planted CN delivers a remarkably enhanced photocatalytic performance, achieving a 13.2 and 29.2 fold improvement in H2 evolution and CO2 reduction, respectively. This study provides an in depth insight into the modulation of in plane electrical conductivity at molecular scale over CN and offers new opportunities for reinforcing the reaction kinetics of organic based photocatalyst

OPERATION TEST OF DISTRIBUTED RF SYSTEM WITH CIRCULATOR- LESS WAVEGUIDE DISTRIBUTION IN S1-GLOBAL PROJECT AT STF/KEK

Abstract The distributed RF dystem (DRFS) is one of the candidate designs for a single main linac tunnel in the international linear collider (ILC). In the S1-Global project, one DRFS unit, consisting of four superconducting cavities, two klystrons, and a modulator, was constructed at STF/KEK. In a demonstration of this DRFS, a power distribution system from the RF source to the cavities was constructed without circulators and the performance of the RF system was evaluated. The results of the DRFS operation with this circulator-less waveguide distribution system are reported here

Are litter, plastic and microplastic quantities increasing in the ocean?

Whilst both plastic production and inputs at sea have increased since the 1950s, several modelling studies predict a further increase in the coming years in these respective quantities. We compiled scientific literature on trends in marine litter, consisting largely of plastic and microplastics in the ocean, understanding that monitoring programs or assessments for these aspects are varied, frequently focusing on limited components of the marine environment in different locations, and covering a wide spectrum of marine litter types, with limited standardization. Here we discuss how trends in the amounts of litter in the marine environment can be compared with the information provided by models. Increasing amounts of plastic are found in some regions, especially in remote areas, but many repeated surveys and monitoring efforts have failed to demonstrate any consistent real temporal trend. An observed steady state situation of plastic quantities in many marine compartments and the fate and transport of plastic in the marine environment remain areas for much needed further research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New Insights into the Mechanism of Visible Light Photocatalysis

ABSTRACT: In recent years, the area of developing visible-lightactive photocatalysts based on titanium dioxide has been enormously investigated due to its wide range of applications in energy and environment related fields. Various strategies have been designed to efficiently utilize the solar radiation and to enhance the efficiency of photocatalytic processes. Building on the fundamental strategies to improve the visible light activity of TiO2-based photocatalysts, this Perspective aims to give an insight into many contemporary developments in the field of visible-light-active photocatalysis. Various examples of advanced TiO2 composites have been discussed in relation to their visible light induced photoconversion efficiency, dynamics of electron− hole separation, and decomposition of organic and inorganic pollutants, which suggest the critical need for further development of these types of materials for energy conversion and environmental remediation purposes