The measurement of the viscosity coefficient of sea water

In an old study by Ruppin and Krummel (Krümmel, 1907: 281), the viscosity of sea water was measured by the method of Wil. Ostwald. However, at that time the data for the viscosity of sea water were given relative to that of pure water at 0° C. Since then several precise measurements (Dorsey, 1940: 182) have been made and reliable data obtained, and therefore it is necessary to determine more exact values for the viscosity of sea water

Type III hyperlipoproteinemia exaggerated by Sheehan\u27s syndrome with advanced systemic atherosclerosis - A 28-year clinical course

金沢大学大学院医学系研究科　A 38-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to hospital for further examination of systemic xanthomas. She had a past history of genital bleeding during her third delivery at the age of 21 years. She was diagnosed with Sheehan\u27s syndrome. Her serum total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were 500 and 898 mg/dl, respectively. She was also diagnosed as having type III hyperlipoproteinemia on the basis of the presence of a broad-β-band on agarose gel electrophoresis and extremely high concentrations of very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (310 mg/dl). The diagnosis was later confirmed by her apolipoprotein E isoforms (E2/E2) and genotypes (epsilon2/epsilon2). Thyroid and corticosteroid hormone replacement therapy cured the xanthomas, but also elevated her blood pressure. The serum concentration of intermediate-density lipoprotein cholesterol was consistently high, whereas that of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was relatively low during the follow-up. Coronary atherosclerosis had already developed by the age of 38 years, and progressed significantly over the following 28 years. Severe stenotic lesions were observed in the bilateral renal arteries and carotid arteries, and in the abdominal aorta when she was 66 years old. These findings suggest that the continuous elevation of intermediate-density lipoprotein cholesterol for a long period contributed to the development of the atherosclerotic lesions

Fast Retrieval Algorithm for Earth Mover's Distance Using EMD Lower Bounds and a Skipping Algorithm

The earth mover's distance (EMD) is a measure of the distance between two distributions, and it has been widely used in multimedia information retrieval systems, in particular, in content-based image retrieval systems. When the EMD is applied to image problems based on color or texture, the EMD reflects the human perceptual similarities. However, its computations are too expensive to use in large-scale databases. In order to achieve efficient computation of the EMD during query processing, we have developed “fastEMD,” a library for high-speed feature-based similarity retrievals in large databases. This paper introduces techniques that are used in the implementation of the fastEMD and performs extensive experiments to demonstrate its efficiency

ICE-WEDGE FORMATION IN SEYMOUR ISLAND (MARAMBIO ISLAND), ANTARCTIC PENINSULA REGION

The depth of permafrost, defined as continuous, in the upper terrace in Seymour Island (Marambio Island) near James Ross Island in the Weddel Sea, exceeds 180m. In continuous permafrost regions in Arctic and Antarctic regions, ice-wedge is a common feature. Ice-wedge is a wedge-shaped ground ice developed into the frozen ground. The origin of ice-wedge is frostcracking caused by thermal contraction in cold environment. In the wintertime, the upper part of frozen ground is cooled to -30℃ or lower temperature. Then the frozen ground tends to shrink and large shear stress causes cracks due to fracture of the frozen layer.In spring and summer, melt water percolates into open cracks and in-situ freezing takes place. Repeated cycles of crack development and melt water during the winter months cause the ice to grow into the frozen ground. The severe winter coldness and the warm summer melting ice account for the formation of ice-wedge. The characteristics of ice-wedge were studied by excavation of frozen ground using the rock breaker and the boring machine at three different locations on the upper terrace (+200m above sea level). The vertical profile of ice-wedge shows it is 180cm deep and 40cm wide at the top. Compared with ice-wedge in Arctic regions, ice-wedge in Seymour Island is smaller than the latter. Ice structure of ice-wedge with oriented air bubbles in it is clearly visible. The high salt concentration is observed by the chemical analysis of melt water. Especially concentration of NaCl is half sea water. Ice-wedge has grown into the Tertiary bedrock. Formation of new frost cracks was monitored by changing the distance between two poles over the ice-wedge head. Widening of cracks by 2mm was observed in midwinter. This observation implies the ice-wedge formation is active under the present climatic conditions. However, the water content in the upper active layer is very small and a little water is supplied during the summer season. Thus, the growth rate of ice-wedge is lower than that in Arctic regions. The age of ice-wedge is estimated as older than 10000 years based upon the comparison with those in Arctic environment

Japanese Version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS): Development and Validation

医療用モバイルアプリの客観的評価スケールの日本語版開発に成功 --アプリの研究、開発、選択の基準となることを期待--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-06-22.BACKGROUND: The number of mobile health apps (mHealth apps) continues to rise each year. Widespread use of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) has allowed objective and multidimensional evaluation of the quality of these apps. However, no Japanese version of MARS has been made available to date. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is (1) to develop a Japanese version of MARS and (2) to assess the translated version's reliability and validity in evaluating mHealth apps. METHODS: To develop the Japanese version of MARS, cross-cultural adaptation was adopted using a universalist approach. A total of 50 mental health apps were evaluated by two independent raters. Internal consistency and inter-rater reliability were then calculated. Convergent and divergent validity were assessed using multi-trait scaling analysis and concurrent validity. RESULTS: After cross-cultural adaptation, all 23 items from the original MARS were included in the Japanese version. Following translation, back-translation, and review by the author of the original MARS, a Japanese version of MARS was finalized. Internal consistency was acceptable by all subscales of objective and subjective quality with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.78-0.89. Inter-rater reliability was deemed acceptable with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) ranging from 0.61-0.79 in all subscales, except for "Functionality" with an ICC of 0.40. Convergent/divergent validity and concurrent validity were also considered acceptable. The rate of missing responses was high in several items in the "Information" subscale. CONCLUSIONS: A Japanese version of MARS was developed and shown to be reliable and valid, comparable to the original MARS. This Japanese version of MARS can be used as a standard to evaluate the quality and credibility of mHealth apps

Glucocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Administration Prevents Adrenal Gland Atrophy in an ACTH-Independent Cushing’s Syndrome Rat Model

ACTH-independent Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is mainly caused by cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumours. It is well known that secondary adrenal insufficiency occurs after surgical resection of these tumours. In this regard, impaired adrenocortical function is likely induced by atrophy of the residual adrenal tissue as a result of chronic suppression by the low ACTH levels of the hypercortisolism state. Therefore, we considered the prevention of adrenal atrophy as a method for preventing postoperative adrenal insufficiency. On the basis of these findings, we hypothesized that the use of a glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist before surgery in ACTH-independent CS would rapidly activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and residual adrenal function. We thus examined adrenal function in a dexamethasone- (DEX-) induced CS rat model with or without mifepristone (MIF). In this study, MIF-treated rats had elevated plasma ACTH levels and increased adrenal weights. In addition, we confirmed that there were fewer atrophic changes, as measured by the pathological findings and mRNA expression levels of corticosterone synthase CYP11B1 in the adrenal glands, in MIF-treated rats. These results indicate that MIF treatment prevents the suppression of the HPA axis and the atrophy of the residual adrenal tissue. Therefore, our study suggests that preoperative GR antagonist administration may improve residual adrenal function and prevent postoperative adrenal insufficiency in ACTH-independent CS

Effect of Pravastatin-Induced LDL-Cholesterol Reduction on Coronary Heart Disease and Cerebrovascular Disease in Japanese: Hokuriku Lipid Coronary Heart Disease Study-Pravastatin Atherosclerosis Trial (Holicos-PAT)

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