Composition analysis of sinking particles by using gel sediment traps in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean during austral summer

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

Utilisation of Cs-contaminated Fukushima soil as natural pozzolan for embedding into k-alkali activated materials

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Natural Variation of Ambient Dose Rate in Air of Izu-Oshima Island After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident

The ambient dose rate in air and radioactivity concentration in soil samples collected on Izu-Oshima Island were observed in 2012, 2013 and 2014, i.e., one, two and three years after the severe accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. A car-borne survey for the ambient dose rate in air was carried out for the entire island. Soil samples were collected for the radioactivity concentration measurements from 22 points. The ambient dose rates in air were 36 nGy h⁻¹ in 2012, 34 nGy h⁻¹ in 2013 and 29 nGy h⁻¹ in 2014, respectively. The corresponding radioactivity concentrations in those years for ¹³⁴Cs were 53 Bq kg⁻¹, 39 Bq kg⁻¹ and 29 Bq kg⁻¹ and for ¹³⁷Cs, 87 Bq kg⁻¹, 73 Bq kg⁻¹ and 75 Bq kg⁻¹. All the values have decreased every year

Positron emission tomography assessments of phosphodiesterase 10A in patients with schizophrenia

[Background and hypothesis] Phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) is a highly expressed enzyme in the basal ganglia, where cortical glutamatergic and midbrain dopaminergic inputs are integrated. Therapeutic PDE10A inhibition effects on schizophrenia have been reported previously, but the status of this molecule in the living patients with schizophrenia remains elusive. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the central PDE10A status in patients with schizophrenia and examine its relationship with psychopathology, cognition, and corticostriatal glutamate levels. [Study design] This study included 27 patients with schizophrenia, with 5 antipsychotic-free cases, and 27 healthy controls. Positron emission tomography with [18F]MNI-659, a specific PDE10A radioligand, was employed to quantify PDE10A availability by measuring non-displaceable binding potential (BPND) of the ligand in the limbic, executive, and sensorimotor striatal functional subregions, and in the pallidum. BPND estimates were compared between patients and controls while controlling for age and gender. BPND correlations were examined with behavioral and clinical measures, along with regional glutamate levels quantified by the magnetic resonance spectroscopy. [Study results] Multivariate analysis of covariance demonstrated a significant main effect of diagnosis on BPND (p = .03). A posthoc test showed a trend-level higher sensorimotor striatal BPND in patients, although it did not survive multiple comparison corrections. BPND in controls in this subregion was significantly and negatively correlated with the Tower of London scores, a cognitive subtest. Striatal or dorsolateral prefrontal glutamate levels did not correlate significantly with BPND in either group. [Conclusions] The results suggest altered striatal PDE10A availability and associated local neural dysfunctions in patients with schizophrenia

Transonic Dislocation Propagation in Diamond

The motion of line defects (dislocations) has been studied for over 60 years but the maximum speed at which they can move is unresolved. Recent models and atomistic simulations predict the existence of a limiting velocity of dislocation motions between the transonic and subsonic ranges at which the self-energy of dislocation diverges, though they do not deny the possibility of the transonic dislocations. We use femtosecond x-ray radiography to track ultrafast dislocation motion in shock-compressed single-crystal diamond. By visualizing stacking faults extending faster than the slowest sound wave speed of diamond, we show the evidence of partial dislocations at their leading edge moving transonically. Understanding the upper limit of dislocation mobility in crystals is essential to accurately model, predict, and control the mechanical properties of materials under extreme conditions