Partial Product Updates for Agents of Detectable Failure and Logical Obstruction to Task Solvability

The logical method proposed by Goubault, Ledent, and Rajsbaum provides a novel way to show the unsolvability of distributed tasks by means of a logical obstruction, which is an epistemic logic formula describing the reason of unsolvability. In this paper, we introduce the notion of partial product update, which refines that of product update in the original logical method, to encompass distributed tasks and protocols modeled by impure simplicial complexes. With this extended notion of partial product update, the original logical method is generalized so that it allows the application of logical obstruction to show unsolvability results in a distributed environment where the failure of agents is detectable. We demonstrate the use of the logical method by giving a concrete logical obstruction and showing that the consensus task is unsolvable by the single-round synchronous message-passing protocol

Imaging of Ultraweak Spontaneous Photon Emission from Human Body Displaying Diurnal Rhythm

The human body literally glimmers. The intensity of the light emitted by the body is 1000 times lower than the sensitivity of our naked eyes. Ultraweak photon emission is known as the energy released as light through the changes in energy metabolism. We successfully imaged the diurnal change of this ultraweak photon emission with an improved highly sensitive imaging system using cryogenic charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. We found that the human body directly and rhythmically emits light. The diurnal changes in photon emission might be linked to changes in energy metabolism

Sox7 is dispensable for primitive endoderm differentiation from mouse ES cells

Abstract Background Primitive endoderm is a cell lineage segregated from the epiblast in the blastocyst and gives rise to parietal and visceral endoderm. Sox7 is a member of the SoxF gene family that is specifically expressed in primitive endoderm in the late blastocyst, although its function in this cell lineage remains unclear. Results Here we characterize the function of Sox7 in primitive endoderm differentiation using mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells as a model system. We show that ectopic expression of Sox7 in ES cells has a marginal effect on triggering differentiation into primitive endoderm-like cells. We also show that targeted disruption of Sox7 in ES cells does not affect differentiation into primitive endoderm cells in embryoid body formation as well as by forced expression of Gata6. Conclusions These data indicate that Sox7 function is supplementary and not essential for this differentiation from ES cells

Sox7 is dispensable for primitive endoderm differentiation from mouse ES cells.

BACKGROUND: Primitive endoderm is a cell lineage segregated from the epiblast in the blastocyst and gives rise to parietal and visceral endoderm. Sox7 is a member of the SoxF gene family that is specifically expressed in primitive endoderm in the late blastocyst, although its function in this cell lineage remains unclear. RESULTS: Here we characterize the function of Sox7 in primitive endoderm differentiation using mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells as a model system. We show that ectopic expression of Sox7 in ES cells has a marginal effect on triggering differentiation into primitive endoderm-like cells. We also show that targeted disruption of Sox7 in ES cells does not affect differentiation into primitive endoderm cells in embryoid body formation as well as by forced expression of Gata6. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that Sox7 function is supplementary and not essential for this differentiation from ES cells

Future trends of excess mercury in Asia in response to Minamata Convention on Mercury

Owing to rapid industrialization, Asia has become the main source of mercury emissions and a significant net importer of mercury. Therefore, the situation regarding excess mercury in Asia needs to be better understood. In this study, mercury flows and excess mercury in 2010–2050 in Asian regions, with a particular focus on China, are assessed under updated assumptions. The excess mercury in China in 2030 and 2050 is estimated to be 125 and 284 tons, respectively. The cumulative excess mercury in China will reach around 10,000 tons in 2050 under the assumption of no export of it in the years 2010–2050. In addition, the year in which mercury reaches a surplus in Asia (excl. China) is estimated to be 2039. The mercury supply in Asia strongly depends on the usage of excess mercury in China. It is estimated that mercury supplies will be insufficient in Asia until at least 2017. These predictions should support decision-making and planning for long-term storage capacity, discussions of regional coordination, securing of technical support, and development of the basic design of related facilities

Locating earthquakes around Antarctica by using neural networks based on deep learning

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

Numerical estimation of a tsunami source at the flexural area of Kuril and Japan Trenches in the fifteenth to seventeenth century based on paleotsunami deposit distributions in northern Japan

Paleotsunami deposit investigations and numerical tsunami computations have been performed to elucidate the source and size of large tsunamis along the Kuril to Japan Trenches, particularly for unusual tsunamis that occurred in the seventeenth century, the 1611 CE Keicho tsunami (M 8.1) along the Japan Trench and seventeenth-century tsunami (> Mw 8.8) along the Kuril Trench, which caused serious damages on the coastal residents and environments. Moreover, several paleotsunami deposits dating from the thirteenth to eighteenth centuries have been reported along the area between the Kuril and Japan subduction zones, but their sources have not been clarified. In this study, we estimated the tsunami sources from numerical simulations using the distribution of fifteenth- to seventeenth-century tsunami deposits at Sekinehama along the coast of the Shimokita Peninsula. Based on numerical simulations with previously proposed fault models, the tsunami deposits showing similar ages at Sekinehama and another site on the coast of Shimokita Peninsula, which are within 50 km apart, could not be explained except with the huge earthquake models (> Mw 9.1), whose rupture zones extend to not only the Kuril or Japan Trenches but also their flexural area. Thus, we modified or newly proposed twelve fault models located in the flexural area between the two trenches to explain tsunami deposits possibly around the seventeenth century at the above-mentioned two sites on the coast of Shimokita Peninsula. Simulations using these models elucidated that the rupture in the shallow or deep plate boundaries with > 14–32 m slip (> Mw 8.55–8.76) is necessary. If the tsunami deposits around the seventeenth century along the Iburi–Hidaka coast in Hokkaido and those at the two sites mentioned above might be left by an identical event, an interplate earthquake with > 18–40 m slip (> Mw 8.62–9.2) in the flexural area is needed. Moreover, this interplate earthquake might have occurred in the deep plate boundary than in the shallower plate boundary based on slip deficit and slow earthquake distribution data. Our results offer significant insights into a large earthquake (> M 8) along the Kuril and Japan Trenches in the fifteenth to seventeenth century