371 research outputs found
Investigation of environmental change pattern in Japan
The author has identified the following significant results. A detailed land use classification for a large urban area of Tokyo was made using MSS digital data. It was found that residential, commercial, industrial, and wooded areas and grasslands can be successfully classified. A mesoscale vortex associated with large ocean current, Kuroshio, which is a rare phenomenon, was recognized visually through the analysis of MSS data. It was found that this vortex affects the effluent patterns of rivers. Lava flowing from Sakurajima Volcano was clearly classified for three major erruptions (1779, 1914, and 1946) using MSS data
A Spectral Study of the Black Hole Candidate XTE J1752-223 in the High/Soft State with MAXI, Suzaku and Swift
We report on the X-ray spectral analysis of the black hole candidate XTE\
J1752--223 in the 2009--2010 outburst, utilizing data obtained with the
MAXI/Gas Slit Camera (GSC), the Swift/XRT, and Suzaku, which work
complementarily. As already reported by Nakahira et al. (2010) MAXI monitored
the source continuously throughout the entire outburst for about eight months.
All the MAXI/GSC energy spectra in the high/soft state lasting for 2 months are
well represented by a multi-color disk plus power-law model. The innermost disk
temperature changed from 0.7 keV to 0.4 keV and the disk flux
decreased by an order of magnitude. Nevertheless, the innermost radius is
constant at 41 km, where is the
source distance in units of 3.5 kpc and the inclination. The multi-color
disk parameters obtained with the MAXI/GSC are consistent with those with the
Swift/XRT and Suzaku. The Suzaku data also suggests a possibility that the disk
emission is slightly Comptonized, which could account for broad iron-K features
reported previously. Assuming that the obtained innermost radius represents the
innermost stable circular orbit for a non-rotating black hole, we estimate the
mass of the black hole to be 5.510.28 , where the correction for the stress-free inner boundary condition
and color hardening factor of 1.7 are taken into account. If the inclination is
less than 49 as suggested from the radio monitoring of transient jets
and the soft-to-hard transition in 2010 April occurred at 1--4% of Eddignton
luminosity, the fitting of the Suzaku spectra with a relativistic
accretion-disk model derives constraints on the mass and the distance to be
3.1--55 and 2.3--22 {\rm kpc}, respectively. This confirms that the
compact object in XTE J1752--223 is a black hole.Comment: 12 pages including 7 figures and 4 tables, accepted for publication
in PAS
Sleep and energy intake in early childhood
Background And Objectives: Shorter sleep is associated with higher weight in children, but little is known about the mechanisms. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that shorter sleep was associated with higher energy intake in early childhood. Methods: Participants were 1303 families from the Gemini twin birth cohort. Sleep duration was measured using the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire when the children were 16 months old. Total energy intake (kcal per day) and grams per day of fat, carbohydrate and protein were derived from 3-day diet diaries completed by parents when children were 21 months old. Results: Shorter nighttime sleep was associated with higher total energy intake (P for linear trend=0.005). Children sleeping <10 h consumed around 50 kcal per day more than those sleeping 11–<12 h a night (the optimal sleep duration for children of this age). Differences in energy intake were maintained after adjustment for confounders. As a percentage of total energy intake, there were no significant differences in macronutrient intake by sleep duration. The association between sleep and weight was not significant at this age (P=0.13). Conclusions: This study provides the first evidence that shorter nighttime sleep duration has a linear association with higher energy intake early in life. That the effect is observed before emergence of associations between sleep and weight indicates that differences in energy intake may be a mechanism through which sleep influences weight gain
Aplastic anemia associated with interferon alpha 2a in a patient with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: a case report
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia is a common syndrome in patients with bone marrow failure. However, hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia is an immune-mediated disease that does not appear to be caused by any of the known hepatitis viruses including hepatitis C virus. In addition, to the best of our knowledge there are no reported cases of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection developing aplastic anemia associated with pegylated interferon alpha 2a treatment.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 46-year-old Greek man who developed severe aplastic anemia during treatment with pegylated interferon alpha 2a for chronic hepatitis C virus infection. He presented with generalized purpura and bruising, as well as pallor of the skin and mucous membranes. His blood tests showed pancytopenia. He underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation after completing two courses of immunosuppressive therapy with antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporin A.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The combination of a specific environmental precipitant represented by the hepatitis C virus infection, an altered metabolic detoxification pathway due to treatment with pegylated interferon alpha 2a and a facilitating genetic background such as polymorphism in metabolic detoxification pathways and specific human leukocyte antigen genes possibly conspired synergistically in the development of aplastic anemia in this patient. Our case clearly shows that the causative role of pegylated interferon alpha 2a in the development of aplastic anemia must not be ignored.</p
The Homeodomain Protein Defective Proventriculus Is Essential for Male Accessory Gland Development to Enhance Fecundity in Drosophila
The Drosophila male accessory gland has functions similar to those of the mammalian prostate gland and the seminal vesicle, and secretes accessory gland proteins into the seminal fluid. Each of the two lobes of the accessory gland is composed of two types of binucleate cell: about 1,000 main cells and 40 secondary cells. A well-known accessory gland protein, sex peptide, is secreted from the main cells and induces female postmating response to increase progeny production, whereas little is known about physiological significance of the secondary cells. The homeodomain transcriptional repressor Defective proventriculus (Dve) is strongly expressed in adult secondary cells, and its mutation resulted in loss of secondary cells, mononucleation of main cells, and reduced size of the accessory gland. dve mutant males had low fecundity despite the presence of sex peptide, and failed to induce the female postmating responses of increased egg laying and reduced sexual receptivity. RNAi-mediated dve knockdown males also had low fecundity with normally binucleate main cells. We provide the first evidence that secondary cells are crucial for male fecundity, and also that Dve activity is required for survival of the secondary cells. These findings provide new insights into a mechanism of fertility/fecundity
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