357 research outputs found
First records of two invasive species of thrips (Insecta: Thysanoptera) from Kyoto and Wakayama Prefectures
Two invasive species of thrips were recorded from Kyoto and Wakayama Prefectures. Adults and larvae of Haplothrips nigricornis were collected on flower heads of Tagetes patula at the University Farm, Kyoto Prefectural University in Shimogamo, Kyoto City and on those of Senecio madagascariensis in Gobo City, Wakayama Prefecture. Some adults of Tenothrips frici were captured on flower heads of Hypochaeris radicata on roadsides in Minamiyamashiro-mura, Kyoto, and in Wakayama City, Wakayama. We noted T. frici found in Sapporo City, Hokkaido, as the most northern locality in Japan
Paradoxical increase in the PPG amplitude
Background : Although an increase in sympathetic nerve activity is generally associated with a decrease in the photoplethysmography (PPG) amplitude, the present case study demonstrates that nociceptive stimuli, such as tracheal intubation, paradoxically induce an increase in PPG amplitude. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to capture an increase in the PPG amplitude in response to sympathetic nerve activation. Case presentation : A 73-year-old woman underwent open surgery. Following anesthesia induction, tracheal intubation was performed, which resulted in increased heart rate and raised blood pressure. While nociception usually decreases the PPG amplitude, the opposite was found. Conversely, the vascular stiffness K value, our research group’s unique monitoring method to quantify the strength of sympathetic activity, increased reflecting increased peripheral vascular resistance. Conclusions : We report a paradoxical case of increased PPG amplitude following tracheal intubation. It is important to note that the PPG amplitude does not always decrease with nociceptive stimuli
Clarithromycin Suppresses Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection-Induced Streptococcus pneumoniae Adhesion and Cytokine Production in a Pulmonary Epithelial Cell Line
Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sometimes causes acute and severe lower respiratory tract illness in infants and young children. RSV strongly upregulates proinflammatory cytokines and the platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor, which is a receptor for Streptococcus pneumoniae, in the pulmonary epithelial cell line A549. Clarithromycin (CAM), which is an antimicrobial agent and is also known as an immunomodulator, significantly suppressed RSV-induced production of interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES). CAM also suppressed RSV-induced PAF receptor expression and adhesion of fluorescein-labeled S. pneumoniae cells to A549 cells. The RSV-induced S. pneumoniae adhesion was thought to be mediated by the host cell's PAF receptor. CAM, which exhibits antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities, was found in this study to suppress the RSV-induced adhesion of respiratory disease-causing bacteria, S. pneumoniae, to host cells. Thus, CAM might suppress immunological disorders and prevent secondary bacterial infections during RSV infection
Laparoscopic Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Dissemination after Induction Chemotherapy
Gastric cancer with peritoneal dissemination may be diagnosed as unresectable. More recently, as a result of progress in chemotherapy, some patients with peritoneal dissemination have exhibited extended survival. We report on our experience with three patients in whom induction chemotherapy allowed for totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy (TLTG). All three patients were diagnosed as having advanced gastric cancer with peritoneal dissemination using staging laparoscopy. As induction chemotherapy, S-1 combined with cisplatin was administered to two patients and trastuzumab plus capecitabine combined with cisplatin to one patient. TLTG was performed in all patients and there were no postoperative complications. Adjuvant chemotherapy was initiated within 3 weeks after surgery in all three patients. Laparoscopic gastrectomy undertaken after induction chemotherapy was found to be effective and safe; this treatment has the potential to achieve good treatment outcomes in patients with stage IV gastric cancer
Reduction in Flux Loss of an Nd-Fe-B Bonded Ring Magnet for an SPM Motor
We have previously proposed a simulation method of an initial flux loss in permanent magnets using finite element method, and confirmed that predicted flux loss of an Nd-Fe-B boned ring magnet showed good agreement with measured flux loss. In this paper, we applied our proposed method to an Nd-Fe-B boned ring magnet in an SPM motor. We modeled a rotor composed of an Nd-Fe-B bonded ring magnet and a soft magnetic core made from silicon steels, and carried out the simulations for magnetizing process and prediction process of the flux loss. From the simulation results, we found that the inner side of the ring magnet has large flux loss. In order to reduce in flux loss, we enhanced the coercivity in the inner side of the ring magnet by partial replacement with another bonded magnet with high coercivity. Consequently, we found that the ring magnet with locally enhanced coercivity is effective to reduce in the flux loss
High Excitation Molecular Gas in the Galactic Center Loops; 12CO(J =2-1 and J =3-2) Observations
We have carried out 12CO(J =2-1) and 12CO(J =3-2) observations at spatial
resolutions of 1.0-3.8 pc toward the entirety of loops 1 and 2 and part of loop
3 in the Galactic center with NANTEN2 and ASTE. These new results revealed
detailed distributions of the molecular gas and the line intensity ratio of the
two transitions, R3-2/2-1. In the three loops, R3-2/2-1 is in a range from 0.1
to 2.5 with a peak at ~ 0.7 while that in the disk molecular gas is in a range
from 0.1 to 1.2 with a peak at 0.4. This supports that the loops are more
highly excited than the disk molecular gas. An LVG analysis of three
transitions, 12CO J =3-2 and 2-1 and 13CO J =2-1, toward six positions in loops
1 and 2 shows density and temperature are in a range 102.2 - 104.7 cm-3 and
15-100 K or higher, respectively. Three regions extended by 50-100 pc in the
loops tend to have higher excitation conditions as characterized by R3-2/2-1
greater than 1.2. The highest ratio of 2.5 is found in the most developed foot
points between loops 1 and 2. This is interpreted that the foot points indicate
strongly shocked conditions as inferred from their large linewidths of 50-100
km s-1, confirming the suggestion by Torii et al. (2010b). The other two
regions outside the foot points suggest that the molecular gas is heated up by
some additional heating mechanisms possibly including magnetic reconnection. A
detailed analysis of four foot points have shown a U shape, an L shape or a
mirrored-L shape in the b-v distribution. It is shown that a simple kinematical
model which incorporates global rotation and expansion of the loops is able to
explain these characteristic shapes.Comment: 59 pages, accepted to PAS
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