A wind tunnel study of flow distortion at an ultrasonic anemometer sensor on a microwave tower in Himeji, Japan

We observed atmospheric turbulence using a microwave tower in the city of Himeji. A tower distorts the airflow. Therefore, an ultrasonic anemometer is usually installed on a horizontal pole located upstream of the tower. However, there is no general theory concerning the distance between sensor and tower, because different towers have varying structures. Therefore, we made a 1/100 scale partial model of a microwave tower in Himeji, where we observed turbulence and performed wind tunnel experiments to examine flow distortion at an ultrasonic anemometer sensor on the tower. The result was a measured wind speed 5% lower than that upstream. Therefore, the tower influence on measurements is smal

Developmental Changes of Prefrontal Activation in Humans: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study of Preschool Children and Adults

Previous morphological studies indicated that development of the human prefrontal cortex (PFC) appears to continue into late adolescence. Although functional brain imaging studies have sought to determine the time course of functional development of the PFC, it is unclear whether the developmental change occurs after adolescence to adulthood and when it achieves a peak because of the narrow or discontinuous range in the participant's age. Moreover, previous functional studies have not focused on the anterior frontal region, that is, the frontopolar regions (BA9/10). Thus, the present study investigated the developmental change in frontopolar PFC activation associated with letter fluency task by using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), in subjects from preschool children to adults. We analyzed the relative concentration of hemoglobin (ΔHb) in the prefrontal cortex measured during the activation task in 48 typically-developing children and adolescents and 22 healthy adults. Consistent with prior morphological studies, we found developmental change with age in the children/adolescents. Moreover, the average Δoxy-Hb in adult males was significantly larger than that in child/adolescent males, but was not true for females. These data suggested that functional development of the PFC continues into late adolescence. Although the developmental change of the frontopolar PFC was independent of gender from childhood to adolescence, in adulthood a gender difference was shown

フウドウ ジッケン ニヨル ハチウエ ショクブツ ノ ゴリュウコウ コウゾウ カイセキ ト キャノピ : モデル オ ツカッタ CFD シミュレーション

A wake of plants was investigated using the wind tunnel and computational Fluid Dynamics. Two plants whose leaf area density is different were used in the wind tunnel experiments. The canopy model was used for simulating the stream. The canopy model is the standard k-ε model including a resistance term within the transport equations for the turbulence kinetic energy (k) and its dissipation rate (ε) as well as the Reynolds equation. The wind tunnel experiments showed that the wind speed near the plant was affected by the flow passing through the leaves of the plant. However, the wind speed at x=2.5W downwind was affected by the outer flow which was entrained by large eddies in the wake, where W is the width of the plant. A cavity was formed in the wake. The volume of the cavity increased as the leaf area density increased. The resistance term within the transport equations for the turbulence kinetic energy (k) and its dissipation rate (ε) affected the wind speed which passed through the plant. These terms affected to decrease the wind speed and increase the volume of the cavit

Circadian protection against bacterial skin infection by epidermal CXCL14-mediated innate immunity

体内時計は夜間に自然免疫を発動 --皮膚ケモカインによる自然免疫機構--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-06-16.Biological clocks set for skin immunity. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-06-21.The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin and the body’s primary barrier to external pathogens; however, the early epidermal immune response remains to be mechanistically understood. We show that the chemokine CXCL14, produced by epidermal keratinocytes, exhibits robust circadian fluctuations and initiates innate immunity. Clearance of the skin pathogen Staphylococcus aureus in nocturnal mice was associated with CXCL14 expression, which was high during subjective daytime and low at night. In contrast, in marmosets, a diurnal primate, circadian CXCL14 expression was reversed. Rhythmically expressed CXCL14 binds to S. aureus DNA and induces inflammatory cytokine production by activating Toll-like receptor (TLR)9-dependent innate pathways in dendritic cells and macrophages underneath the epidermis. CXCL14 also promoted phagocytosis by macrophages in a TLR9-independent manner. These data indicate that circadian production of the epidermal chemokine CXCL14 rhythmically suppresses skin bacterial proliferation in mammals by activating the innate immune system

Cigarette smoking, genetic polymorphisms and colorectal cancer risk: the Fukuoka Colorectal Cancer Study

Background: It is uncertain whether smoking is related to colorectal cancer risk. Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) are important enzymes in the metabolism of tobacco carcinogens, and functional genetic polymorphisms are known for these enzymes. We investigated the relation of cigarette smoking and related genetic polymorphisms to colorectal cancer risk, with special reference to the interaction between smoking and genetic polymorphism. Methods: We used data from the Fukuoka Colorectal Cancer Study, a population-based case-control study, including 685 cases and 778 controls who gave informed consent to genetic analysis. Interview was conducted to assess lifestyle factors, and DNA was extracted from buffy coat. Results: In comparison with lifelong nonsmokers, the odds ratios (OR) of colorectal cancer for <400, 400-799 and ≥800 cigarette-years were 0.65 (95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.45-0.89), 1.16 (0.83-1.62) and 1.14 (0.73-1.77), respectively. A decreased risk associated with light smoking was observed only for colon cancer, and rectal cancer showed an increased risk among those with ≥400 cigarette-years (OR 1.60, 95 % CI 1.04-2.45). None of the polymorphisms under study was singly associated with colorectal cancer risk. Of the gene-gene interactions studied, the composite genotype of CYP1A1*2A or CYP1A1*2C and GSTT1 polymorphisms was associated with a decreased risk of colorecta

A tripartite paternally methylated region within the Gpr1-Zdbf2 imprinted domain on mouse chromosome 1 identified by meDIP-on-chip

The parent-of-origin specific expression of imprinted genes relies on DNA methylation of CpG-dinucleotides at differentially methylated regions (DMRs) during gametogenesis. To date, four paternally methylated DMRs have been identified in screens based on conventional approaches. These DMRs are linked to the imprinted genes H19, Gtl2 (IG-DMR), Rasgrf1 and, most recently, Zdbf2 which encodes zinc finger, DBF-type containing 2. In this study, we applied a novel methylated-DNA immunoprecipitation-on-chip (meDIP-on-chip) method to genomic DNA from mouse parthenogenetic- and androgenetic-derived stem cells and sperm and identified 458 putative DMRs. This included the majority of known DMRs. We further characterized the paternally methylated Zdbf2/ZDBF2 DMR. In mice, this extensive germ line DMR spanned 16 kb and possessed an unusual tripartite structure. Methylation was dependent on DNA methyltransferase 3a (Dnmt3a), similar to H19 DMR and IG-DMR. In both humans and mice, the adjacent gene, Gpr1/GPR1, which encodes a G-protein-coupled receptor 1 protein with transmembrane domain, was also imprinted and paternally expressed. The Gpr1-Zdbf2 domain was most similar to the Rasgrf1 domain as both DNA methylation and the actively expressed allele were in cis on the paternal chromosome. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of meDIP-on-chip as a technique for identifying DMRs

Clinical practice guideline for drug-induced kidney injury in Japan 2016: digest version

Approximately one in eight adults has chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Japan, and the prevalence rate is expected to rise steeply due to the aging of the population in this country. In patients with CKD, quite a few medications require the dosage reduction or discontinuation because of their reduced urinary excretion and the increased risk of further renal impairment. Therefore, CKD patients are often treated by insufficient amounts of the medications, even though they may suffer from various complications. Moreover, it is empirically known that drug-induced kidney injury (DKI) accelerates the progression of renal failure, while it is not superficially ranked as a primary cause of kidney disease.In this context, the early detection, prevention, and treatment of DKI are very important issue in preventing the progression of CKD and the development of renal failure. However, there are no comprehensive and practical guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of DKI for CKD patients and on dosage adjustments for these patients.In response to this need, a clinical practice guideline for DKI was developed with the support of a Health and Labour Science Research Grant from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) for Practical Research Project for Renal Diseases, “Early detection and treatment of drug-induced kidney injury that aggravate chronic kidney disease.” This guideline was established by doing a clinical survey on DKIs, evaluating clinicopathological factors, investigating the methods of the early detection of the disease, and analyzing animal models. The present article represents a Committee of Clinical Practice Guideline for DKI. We collected supportive evidence and analyzed data, focusing on several clinical questions that have practical importance