Effectiveness for Determination of Depositional Age by Detrital Zircon U–Pb Age in the Cretaceous Shimanto Accretionary Complex of Japan

Detrital zircon U–Pb ages indicate the crystallization age. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of determining the age of deposition using zircon age data. We carried out U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from sandstone at eight sites in the Cretaceous Shimanto accretionary complex on Kii Peninsula, Japan, with the aim of evaluating the accuracy of U–Pb zircon ages as indicators of the depositional age of sedimentary rocks by comparing zircon ages with radiolarian ages. Our results reveal zircons of late Cretaceous age, and the youngest peak ages are in good agreement with depositional ages inferred from radiolarian fossils. In addition, the youngest peak ages become younger as tectono-structurally downwards, and this tendency is clearer for the zircon ages than for the radiolarian ages. These results indicate that newly crystalized zircons were continuously supplied to the sediment by constant igneous activity during the late Cretaceous and that zircon ages provide remarkably useful information for determining the age of deposition in the Cretaceous Shimanto accretionary complex

Updating source term and atmospheric dispersion simulations for the dose reconstruction in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident

In order to assess the radiological dose to the public resulting from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident in Japan, especially for the early phase of the accident when no measured data are available for that purpose, the spatial and temporal distribution of radioactive materials in the environment are reconstructed by computer simulations. In this study, by refining the source term of radioactive materials discharged into the atmosphere and modifying the atmospheric transport, dispersion and deposition model (ATDM), the atmospheric dispersion simulation of radioactive materials is improved. Then, a database of spatiotemporal distribution of radioactive materials in the air and on the ground surface is developed from the output of the simulation. This database is used in other studies for the dose assessment by coupling with the behavioral pattern of evacuees from the FDNPS accident. By the improvement of the ATDM simulation to use a new meteorological model and sophisticated deposition scheme, the ATDM simulations reproduced well the 137Cs and 131I deposition patterns. For the better reproducibility of dispersion processes, further refinement of the source term was carried out by optimizing it to the improved ATDM simulation by using new monitoring data

Updating source term and atmospheric dispersion simulations for the dose reconstruction in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident

In order to assess the radiological dose to the public resulting from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident in Japan, especially for the early phase of the accident when no measured data are available for that purpose, the spatial and temporal distribution of radioactive materials in the environment are reconstructed by computer simulations. In this study, by refining the source term of radioactive materials discharged into the atmosphere and modifying the atmospheric transport, dispersion and deposition model (ATDM), the atmospheric dispersion simulation of radioactive materials is improved. Then, a database of spatiotemporal distribution of radioactive materials in the air and on the ground surface is developed from the output of the simulation. This database is used in other studies for the dose assessment by coupling with the behavioral pattern of evacuees from the FDNPS accident. By the improvement of the ATDM simulation to use a new meteorological model and sophisticated deposition scheme, the ATDM simulations reproduced well the 137Cs and 131I deposition patterns. For the better reproducibility of dispersion processes, further refinement of the source term was carried out by optimizing it to the improved ATDM simulation by using new monitoring data

Updating source term and atmospheric dispersion simulations for the dose reconstruction in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident

In order to assess the radiological dose to the public resulting from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident in Japan, especially for the early phase of the accident when no measured data are available for that purpose, the spatial and temporal distribution of radioactive materials in the environment are reconstructed by computer simulations. In this study, by refining the source term of radioactive materials discharged into the atmosphere and modifying the atmospheric transport, dispersion and deposition model (ATDM), the atmospheric dispersion simulation of radioactive materials is improved. Then, a database of spatiotemporal distribution of radioactive materials in the air and on the ground surface is developed from the output of the simulation. This database is used in other studies for the dose assessment by coupling with the behavioral pattern of evacuees from the FDNPS accident. By the improvement of the ATDM simulation to use a new meteorological model and sophisticated deposition scheme, the ATDM simulations reproduced well the 137Cs and 131I deposition patterns. For the better reproducibility of dispersion processes, further refinement of the source term was carried out by optimizing it to the improved ATDM simulation by using new monitoring data

Transcriptome analysis of peripheral blood from patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review

Abstract In the era of precision medicine, transcriptome analysis of whole gene expression is an essential technology. While DNA microarray has a limited dynamic range and a problem of background hybridization, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has a broader dynamic range and a lower background signal that increase the sensitivity and reproducibility. While transcriptome analyses in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have generally focused on whole peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), analyses of detailed cell subsets have an increased need for understanding the pathophysiology of disease because the involvement of CD4+ T cells in the pathogenesis of RA has been established. Transcriptome analysis of detailed CD4+ T cell subsets or neutrophils shed new light on the pathophysiology of RA. There are several analyses about the effect of biological treatment. Many studies report the association between type I interferon signature gene expression and response to therapy

Semiconductor–metal transition in Bi2Se3 caused by impurity doping

Abstract Doping a typical topological insulator, Bi2Se3, with Ag impurity causes a semiconductor–metal (S-M) transition at 35 K. To deepen the understanding of this phenomenon, structural and transport properties of Ag-doped Bi2Se3 were studied. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) showed no structural transitions but slight shrinkage of the lattice, indicating no structural origin of the transition. To better understand electronic properties of Ag-doped Bi2Se3, extended analyses of Hall effect and electric-field effect were carried out. Hall effect measurements revealed that the reduction of resistance was accompanied by increases in not only carrier density but carrier mobility. The field-effect mobility is different for positive and negative gate voltages, indicating that the E F is located at around the bottom of the bulk conduction band (BCB) and that the carrier mobility in the bulk is larger than that at the bottom surface at all temperatures. The pinning of the E F at the BCB is found to be a key issue to induce the S-M transition, because the transition can be caused by depinning of the E F or the crossover between the bulk and the top surface transport

TGF-β3 Inhibits Antibody Production by Human B Cells

<div><p>TGF-β is a pleotropic cytokine involved in various biological processes. Of the three isoforms of TGF-β, TGF-β1 has long been recognized as an important inhibitory cytokine in the immune system and has been reported to inhibit B cell function in both mice and humans. Recently, it has been suggested that TGF-β3 may play an important role in the regulation of immune system in mice. Murine CD4⁺CD25^-LAG3⁺ regulatory T cells suppress B cell function through the production of TGF-β3, and it has been reported that TGF-β3 is therapeutic in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus. The effect of TGF-β3 on human B cells has not been reported, and we herein examined the effect of TGF-β3 on human B cells. TGF-β3 suppressed B cell survival, proliferation, differentiation into plasmablasts, and antibody secretion. Although the suppression of human B cells by TGF-β1 has long been recognized, the precise mechanism for the suppression of B cell function by TGF-β1 remains elusive; therefore, we examined the effect of TGF-β1 and β3 on pathways important in B cell activation and differentiation. TGF-β1 and TGF-β3 inhibited some of the key molecules of the cell cycle, as well as transcription factors important in B cell differentiation into antibody secreting cells such as IRF4, Blimp-1, and XBP1. TGF-β1 and β3 also inhibited B cell receptor signaling. Our results suggest that TGF-β3 modifying therapy might be therapeutic in autoimmune diseases with B cell dysregulation in humans.</p></div