The annual heat balance of Lake Untersee in Dronning Maud Land

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions : [OB] Polar Biology, Wed. 4 Dec. / Entrance Hall (1st floor) , National Institute of Polar Researc

Antiviral and Virucidal Activities of Nα-Cocoyl-L-Arginine Ethyl Ester

Various amino acid-derived compounds, for example, Nα-Cocoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester (CAE), alkyloxyhydroxylpropylarginine, arginine cocoate, and cocoyl glycine potassium salt (Amilite), were examined for their virucidal activities against herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), influenza A virus (IAV), and poliovirus type 1 (PV-1) in comparison to benzalkonium chloride (BKC) and sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) as a cationic and anionic control detergent and also to other commercially available disinfectants. While these amino acid-derived compounds were all effective against HSV-1 and HSV-2, CAE and Amilite were the most effective. These two compounds were, however, not as effective against IAV, another enveloped virus, as against HSV. Cytotoxicity of CAE was weak; at 0.012%, only 5% of the cells were killed under the conditions, in which 100% cells were killed by either SDS or BKC. In addition to these direct virucidal effects, CAE inhibited the virus growth in the HSV-1- or PV-1-infected cells even at 0.01%. These results suggest a potential application of CAE as a therapeutic or preventive medicine against HSV superficial infection at body surface

アーチェリーにおける標的の視覚的補助がエイミングの注視運動に及ぼす影響

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of an assisting mark, The a cross (a vertical line and a horizon line), which was put on the target to stabilize aiming in archery. Subjects in this study were nine male and one female university archers. They were required to aim at the center of the target for 5 sec. as in archery competition. Dependent valuables were frequency, angle of eye movement and eye fixation time. This study assumed that the presense of a cross on the target makes it easier to aim than under normal conditions. Hypotheses were as follows : (1) Frequency of eye movement for the cross condition is less than that for normal condition in aiming. (2) Eye fixation time for the cross condition is longer than that for normal condition in aiming. (3) Angle of eye movement on cross line condition is smaller than that for normal condition in aiming. The results of analysis indicated that the three hypothesizes were supported and that subjects focused attention on the center of the target when the cross was present on the target

The Kinase Inhibitor SFV785 Dislocates Dengue Virus Envelope Protein from the Replication Complex and Blocks Virus Assembly

Dengue virus (DENV) is the etiologic agent for dengue fever, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific anti-viral drug. As a remedy for this, we explored the use of compounds that interfere with the action of required host factors and describe here the characterization of a kinase inhibitor (SFV785), which has selective effects on NTRK1 and MAPKAPK5 kinase activity, and anti-viral activity on Hepatitis C, DENV and yellow fever viruses. SFV785 inhibited DENV propagation without inhibiting DENV RNA synthesis or translation. The compound did not cause any changes in the cellular distribution of non-structural 3, a protein critical for DENV RNA synthesis, but altered the distribution of the structural envelope protein from a reticulate network to enlarged discrete vesicles, which altered the co-localization with the DENV replication complex. Ultrastructural electron microscopy analyses of DENV-infected SFV785-treated cells showed the presence of viral particles that were distinctly different from viable enveloped virions within enlarged ER cisternae. These viral particles were devoid of the dense nucleocapsid. The secretion of the viral particles was not inhibited by SFV785, however a reduction in the amount of secreted infectious virions, DENV RNA and capsid were observed. Collectively, these observations suggest that SFV785 inhibited the recruitment and assembly of the nucleocapsid in specific ER compartments during the DENV assembly process and hence the production of infectious DENV. SFV785 and derivative compounds could be useful biochemical probes to explore the DENV lifecycle and could also represent a new class of anti-virals

The Hyper Suprime-Cam SSP survey: Overview and survey design

Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) is a wide-field imaging camera on the prime focus of the 8.2-m Subaru telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. A team of scientists from Japan, Taiwan, and Princeton University is using HSC to carry out a 300-night multi-band imaging survey of the high-latitude sky. The survey includes three layers: the Wide layer will cover 1400 deg2 in five broad bands (grizy), with a 5 σ point-source depth of r ≈ 26. The Deep layer covers a total of 26 deg2 in four fields, going roughly a magnitude fainter, while the UltraDeep layer goes almost a magnitude fainter still in two pointings of HSC (a total of 3.5 deg2). Here we describe the instrument, the science goals of the survey, and the survey strategy and data processing. This paper serves as an introduction to a special issue of the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, which includes a large number of technical and scientific papers describing results from the early phases of this survey

Monitoring diaphragm function in a patient with myasthenia gravis: electrical activity of the diaphragm vs. maximal inspiratory pressure

Abstract Background Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) is used to assess respiratory muscle strength of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) requiring ventilatory support. Electrical activity of the diaphragm (E-di) has been used to guide weaning. Case presentation The MIP and tidal volume/ΔE-di (the patient-to-ventilator breath contribution) were monitored in a 12-year-old girl with MG requiring ventilator support. The same ventilatory settings were maintained until extubation. During weaning, MIP increased slightly, but varied unpredictably. Tidal volume/ΔE-di decreased at a constant rate as muscle strength recovered. Conclusion In this patient with muscle weakness, E-di was a reliable tool to monitor weaning from mechanical ventilation

Fabrication of Aluminum Tubes Filled with Aluminum Alloy Foam by Friction Welding

Aluminum foam is usually used as the core of composite materials by combining it with dense materials, such as in Al foam core sandwich panels and Al-foam-filled tubes, owing to its low tensile and bending strengths. In this study, all-Al foam-filled tubes consisting of ADC12 Al-Si-Cu die-cast aluminum alloy foam and a dense A1050 commercially pure Al tube with metal bonding were fabricated by friction welding. First, it was found that the ADC12 precursor was firmly bonded throughout the inner wall of the A1050 tube without a gap between the precursor and the tube by friction welding. No deformation of the tube or foaming of the precursor was observed during the friction welding. Next, it was shown that by heat treatment of an ADC12-precursor-bonded A1050 tube, gases generated by the decomposition of the blowing agent expand the softened ADC12 to produce the ADC12 foam interior of the dense A1050 tube. A holding time during the foaming process of approximately tH = 8.5 min with a holding temperature of 948 K was found to be suitable for obtaining a sound ADC12-foam-filled A1050 tube with sufficient foaming, almost uniform pore structures over the entire specimen, and no deformation or reduction in the thickness of the tube

Association between Sedentary Time and Falls among Middle-Aged Women in Japan

There are many reports on the risk of falls in older adults but none regarding the risk among middle-aged people. We aimed to determine fall risk factors among middle-aged women. The participants comprised 1421 women aged 40 to 64 years; anthropometric and other measurements were obtained, and lifestyle factors were examined using a self-administered questionnaire. The participants were categorized into two groups (No-fall and Fall/Almost-fall) based on their questionnaire responses. The No-fall and Fall/Almost-fall groups comprised 1114 and 307 participants, respectively. Body mass index, abdominal circumference measurements, and prevalence of dyslipidemia were significantly higher in the Fall/Almost-fall group. Additionally, those in the Fall/Almost-fall group had a shorter two-step test, experienced difficulty performing the 40 cm single-leg sit-to-stand test, and had higher 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale (GLFS-25) scores than those in the No-fall group. The results of the adjusted logistic regression analysis indicated that physical activity, higher GLFS-25 scores, and sedentary time of more than seven hours were all risk factors for falling or almost falling. Longer sedentary time is a new risk factor for falls among middle-aged women. It is necessary for people to be concerned with their sedentary behavior, such as by reducing or interrupting continuous sedentary time