Numerical studies of the ABJM theory for arbitrary N at arbitrary coupling constant

We show that the ABJM theory, which is an N=6 superconformal U(N)*U(N) Chern-Simons gauge theory, can be studied for arbitrary N at arbitrary coupling constant by applying a simple Monte Carlo method to the matrix model that can be derived from the theory by using the localization technique. This opens up the possibility of probing the quantum aspects of M-theory and testing the AdS_4/CFT_3 duality at the quantum level. Here we calculate the free energy, and confirm the N^{3/2} scaling in the M-theory limit predicted from the gravity side. We also find that our results nicely interpolate the analytical formulae proposed previously in the M-theory and type IIA regimes. Furthermore, we show that some results obtained by the Fermi gas approach can be clearly understood from the constant map contribution obtained by the genus expansion. The method can be easily generalized to the calculations of BPS operators and to other theories that reduce to matrix models.Comment: 35 pages, 20 figures; reference added. The simulation code is available upon request to [email protected]

Associations among hair loss, oral sulfur-containing gases, and gastrointestinal and metabolic linked diseases in Japanese elderly men: pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Male pattern baldness (MPB), an observable trait, has been reported to be associated with various diseases, such as prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. Oral sulfur-containing gases have also been suggested to be useful as markers of systemic health condition. However, there are no known reports regarding the associations among MPB, and oral sulfur-containing gases, and systemic health conditions in males.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied 170 male subjects aged either 60 or 65 years old. The degree of MPB was assessed using the Norwood-Hamilton Baldness scale. Oral sulfur-containing gases were measured using a compact-designed device. All subjects completed physical and laboratory blood examinations, a face-to-face medical questionnaire, and an oral examination.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were significant differences between the levels of CH₃SCH₃and baldness patterns, independent of age. When we analyzed whether the association was linked to systemic health condition, a strong significant association was observed between the level of CH₃SCH₃and severe MPB in subjects with gastrointestinal diseases, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that MPB is associated with the level of CH₃SCH₃, a sulfur-containing gas that causes oral malodor, in elderly Japanese males. Further, the association was intensified by the existence of gastrointestinal tract and metabolic disorders.</p

CT Image Segmentation Using FEM with Optimized Boundary Condition

The authors propose a CT image segmentation method using structural analysis that is useful for objects with structural dynamic characteristics. Motivation of our research is from the area of genetic activity. In order to reveal the roles of genes, it is necessary to create mutant mice and measure differences among them by scanning their skeletons with an X-ray CT scanner. The CT image needs to be manually segmented into pieces of the bones. It is a very time consuming to manually segment many mutant mouse models in order to reveal the roles of genes. It is desirable to make this segmentation procedure automatic. Although numerous papers in the past have proposed segmentation techniques, no general segmentation method for skeletons of living creatures has been established. Against this background, the authors propose a segmentation method based on the concept of destruction analogy. To realize this concept, structural analysis is performed using the finite element method (FEM), as structurally weak areas can be expected to break under conditions of stress. The contribution of the method is its novelty, as no studies have so far used structural analysis for image segmentation. The method's implementation involves three steps. First, finite elements are created directly from the pixels of a CT image, and then candidates are also selected in areas where segmentation is thought to be appropriate. The second step involves destruction analogy to find a single candidate with high strain chosen as the segmentation target. The boundary conditions for FEM are also set automatically. Then, destruction analogy is implemented by replacing pixels with high strain as background ones, and this process is iterated until object is decomposed into two parts. Here, CT image segmentation is demonstrated using various types of CT imagery

Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Resilience Scale and its short version

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The clinical relevance of resilience has received considerable attention in recent years. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Resilience Scale (RS) and short version of the RS (RS-14).</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The original English version of RS was translated to Japanese and the Japanese version was confirmed by back-translation. Participants were 430 nursing and university psychology students. The RS, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) were administered. Internal consistency, convergent validity and factor loadings were assessed at initial assessment. Test-retest reliability was assessed using data collected from 107 students at 3 months after baseline. Mean score on the RS was 111.19. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the RS and RS-14 were 0.90 and 0.88, respectively. The test-retest correlation coefficients for the RS and RS-14 were 0.83 and 0.84, respectively. Both the RS and RS-14 were negatively correlated with the CES-D and SDS, and positively correlated with the RSES, SSQ and PSS (all p < 0.05), although the correlation between the RS and CES-D was somewhat lower than that in previous studies. Factor analyses indicated a one-factor solution for RS-14, but as for RS, the result was not consistent with previous studies.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study demonstrates that the Japanese version of RS has psychometric properties with high degrees of internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, and relatively low concurrent validity. RS-14 was equivalent to the RS in internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity. Low scores on the RS, a positive correlation between the RS and perceived stress, and a relatively low correlation between the RS and depressive symptoms in this study suggest that validity of the Japanese version of the RS might be relatively low compared with the original English version.</p

Sequencing and Bioinformatics-Based Analyses of the microRNA Transcriptome in Hepatitis B–Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) participate in crucial biological processes, and it is now evident that miRNA alterations are involved in the progression of human cancers. Recent studies on miRNA profiling performed with cloning suggest that sequencing is useful for the detection of novel miRNAs, modifications, and precise compositions and that miRNA expression levels calculated by clone count are reproducible. Here we focus on sequencing of miRNA to obtain a comprehensive profile and characterization of these transcriptomes as they relate to human liver. Sequencing using 454 sequencing and conventional cloning from 22 pair of HCC and adjacent normal liver (ANL) and 3 HCC cell lines identified reliable reads of more than 314000 miRNAs from HCC and more than 268000 from ANL for registered human miRNAs. Computational bioinformatics identified 7 novel miRNAs with high conservation, 15 novel opposite miRNAs, and 3 novel antisense miRNAs. Moreover sequencing can detect miRNA modifications including adenosine-to-inosine editing in miR-376 families. Expression profiling using clone count analysis was used to identify miRNAs that are expressed aberrantly in liver cancer including miR-122, miR-21, and miR-34a. Furthermore, sequencing-based miRNA clustering, but not individual miRNA, detects high risk patients who have high potentials for early tumor recurrence after liver surgery (P = 0.006), and which is the only significant variable among pathological and clinical and variables (P = 0,022). We believe that the combination of sequencing and bioinformatics will accelerate the discovery of novel miRNAs and biomarkers involved in human liver cancer