A locally minimal, but not globally minimal bridge position of a knot

We give a locally minimal, but not globally minimal bridge position of a knot, that is, an unstabilized, nonminimal bridge position of a knot. It implies that a bridge position cannot always be simplified so that the bridge number monotonically decreases to the minimal.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures, v3: minor corrections throughout the pape

Thrombosis and Anticoagulation Strategies in Patients with COVID-19 Including Japanese Perspective

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a major health problem worldwide since 2020. Although the main pathophysiology of COVID-19 is a respiratory infectious disease, it could also cause cardiovascular complications, including thrombosis. Thus, anticoagulation therapy has been thought to help prevent thrombosis, leading to improved survival. However, to date, several aspects of the optimal anticoagulation strategies for COVID-19 remain unclear. Considering the status of COVID-19-related thrombosis and some domestic issues in Japan, the optimal anticoagulation strategies for COVID-19 might have to be based on Japanese domestic clinical data considering racial difference. Racial disparities in terms of thromboembolic risk have been well known in the pre-COVID-19 era, and the risk of COVID-19-associated thrombosis depending on race could be an important issue. Considering a potential higher risk of bleeding with anticoagulation therapy in the Asian population, it might be important to maintain a good balance between the risks of thrombosis and bleeding. Latest evidences of COVID-19-related thrombosis and anticoagulation strategies, including some domestic issues in Japan, showed a different status of COVID-19-related thrombosis in Japan from that in Western countries, suggesting the potential benefit of different anticoagulation strategies, specifically for the Japanese population. Although these insights could be useful for the consideration of anticoagulation strategies for the Japanese population, the final decision should be based on balancing the benefits and risks of anticoagulation therapy in each patient

Melittophily and Ornithophily of Long-tubed Flowers in Zingiberaceae and Gesneriaceae in West Sumatra

Pollination of seven zingiberaceous and two gesneriaceous species was studied in natural forests at various altitudes in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Terrestrial, red, long-tubed flowers of Achasma macrocheilos were visited by a large, remarkably long-tongued anthophorine bee, Amegilla elephas. The swiftly-flying bees showed traplining foraging behavior just like euglossine bees in the Neotropics. This bee species was oligolectic to the plant species and almost the only pollinator of it. Yellow (rarely white), long-tubed flowers of Zingiber puberulum, Grobba aurantiaca, Amomum aculeatum and Cyrtandra pendula were pollinated by median-sized, shade-loving, traplining, long-tongued anthophorine bees in the genera Amegilla and Elaphropoda. White, short-tubed flowers of Amomum uliginosum and Cyrtandra aff. grandiflora were pollinated by traplining halictid bees in the genus Nomia. Long-tubed flowers borne on red stout spikes of Hornstedtia aff. conica and Phaeomeriafulgens were pollinated by a long-billed sunbird, Arachnothera longirostra. These ornithophilous flowers produced significantly more nectar of lower sugar concentration than the melittophilous flowers. According to the proboscis lengths, long-tongued bees were classified into three groups, which corresponded to the three pollination guilds of the melittophilous flowers. Among species in a bee guild, convergence of proboscis lengths was detected, and the floral hosts of the bee species were sometimes overlapping. Twenty-five percent of melittophilous species were visited by more than one bee species, but nonetheless most individual plants were visited by only a single bee species. At higher altitudes more than 1400 m, anthophorine bees were displaced by bumblebees and the guild structure of longtongued bees was simpler than at lower altitudes.ArticleTropics. 2(3): 129-142(1993)journal articl

Discovery of Enhanced Radiative Recombination Continua of He-like Iron and Calcium from IC 443 and Its Implications

We present deep observations of the Galactic supernova remnant IC 443 with the {\it Suzaku X-ray satellite}. We find prominent K-shell lines from iron and nickel, together with a triangle residual at 8--10~keV, which corresponds to the energy of the radiative recombination continuum (RRC) of He-like iron. In addition, the wavy residuals have been seen at $\sim$5.1 and $\sim$5.5~keV. We confirm that the residuals show the first enhanced RRCs of He- and H-like calcium found in supernova remnants. These facts provide robust evidence for the recombining plasma. We reproduce the plasma in the 3.7--10~keV band using a recombining plasma model at the electron temperature 0.65~keV. The recombination parameter $n_{\rm e}t$ ($n_{\rm e}$ is electron density and $t$ is elapsed time after formation of a recombining plasma) and abundances of iron and nickel are strongly correlated, and hence the errors are large. On the other hand, the ratio of nickel to iron relative to the solar abundances is well constrained to 11$^{+4}_{-3}$ (1$\sigma$). A possibility is that the large abundance ratio is a result of an asymmetric explosion of the progenitor star.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, published in Ap

Thrinchostoma (Diagonozus) asianum sp. nov.: Discovery of an African Subgenus of Long-malared Halictine Bees from Sumatra, with some Observations on its Oligotrophy to Impatiens

Thrinchostoma asianum sp. nov. is described from Sumatra as the first record of the subgenus Diagonozus known by four African species. T. asianum shares the unusually long lower part of the head with these species but is less differentiated in some features. This species is probably oligo-trophic to Impatiens korthalsii flowers.ArticleTropics. 1(1): 49-58(1991)journal articl

Analyses of Histocompability and Isozyme Variations in Triploid Fish, Carassius auratus langsdorfii

Clonal diversity of triploid gynogenetic fish, Carassius auratus langsdorfii, was examined by tissue grafts and electrophoreses of several enzymes and muscle protein. The hypervariabilities of histocompatibility clones and electromorph clones were observed in wild-caught specimens. The ratio of DNA value of each specimen to control diploid fish varied from 1.38 to 2.01. Unidirectional histocompatibility and protein variations in histocompatibility clones were the characteristics of this gynogenetic fish. These facts seem to indicate the divergence of a clone. Tissue-incompatibility was observed betweeen F脀 progeny of triploid ginbuna × Shubunkin. Some of offspring expressed the male-dependent transparent-scaled character. This indicates the fact that fusions of female and male pronuclei must have occured. In the other strain, random reductions of DNA values were observed. The divergence of a clone must have been caused by the gene addition or loss.Article信州大学理学部紀要 19(1): 9-25(1984)departmental bulletin pape

n-3系脂肪散を強化した食事療法が有効と考えられた肺気腫の一例

An effective treatment for the advanced stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has not been established yet. We report our recent experience of one patient with pulmonary emphysema treated by dietary supplementation of n-3 fatty acid for two months. He presented improvements in clinical symptoms and pulmonary function, and suppression of leukotriene B(4) generation by peripheral leukocytes. We consequently suppose that dietary treatment with n-3 fatty acids (perilla seed oil) may offer benefits for the treatment of pulmonary emphysema by competitively inhiabiting the conversion of arachidonicacid to leukotrienes and prostanoids.今回我々は,肺気腫の症例に対してn-3系脂肪酸を強化した食事療法をおこない,臨床症状,呼吸機能検査所見ともに速やかに改善を認め,同時に白血球のロイコトリエンB4産生能が著明に減少した一例を経験したので報告する｡ 症例は67歳,男性｡主訴は労作時呼吸困難｡【第一回目入院】3カ月間入院し,薬物療法,温泉を用いた理学療法を行った｡自覚症状はやや改善が見られたが,呼吸機能検査所見の改善は得られなかった｡【第二回目入院】1年後に再入院｡n-3系脂肪酸強化食事療法も併用した｡自覚症状および,呼吸機能検査上,FVC,FEV1.0,PEFなどに改善を認めた｡n-3系脂肪酸はアラキドン酸代謝を通してロイコトリエン合成に関与すると推定されるが,経渦中に白血球のLTB4産生能の減少を認めた｡この症例は肺気腫に対するn-3系脂肪酸強化食 事療法の有用性が示唆され,病態を考える上でも興味深いと考えられた