Charts, signatures, and stabilizations of Lefschetz fibrations

We employ a certain labeled finite graph, called a chart, in a closed oriented surface for describing the monodromy of a(n achiral) Lefschetz fibration over the surface. Applying charts and their moves with respect to Wajnryb's presentation of mapping class groups, we first generalize a signature formula for Lefschetz fibrations over the 2-sphere obtained by Endo and Nagami to that for Lefschetz fibrations over arbitrary closed oriented surface. We then show two theorems on stabilization of Lefschetz fibrations under fiber summing with copies of a typical Lefschetz fibration as generalizations of a theorem of Auroux.Comment: 30 pages, 29 figures; (v2) a co-author added; (v3) proofs simplified, remarks and references added, typos corrected; (v4) symbols simplified, examples added, typos correcte

Transverse Galvanomagnetic Effect of Bismuth Single Crystal in a Strong Magnetic Field

Transverse galvanomagnetic effects of bismuth single crystal are measured in a strong magnetic field up to about 100 kilo Oersted at 4.2, 3.0 and 1.8K. And the twelve components of the galvanomagnetic tensor are obtained with respect to the magnetic field dependence. Furthermore the behaviors of the galvanomagnetic tensor components near the quantum limit of the magnetic quantization are studied, expecting that they can lend themselves to analyse the energy band structure. In a strong magnetic field, the amplitudes of the oscillatory part of the galvanomagnetic tensors are nearly temperature independent, and the behaviors of Hall effect appear to be different from the expected one from the classical theory of the two bands model

The role of a conserved guanosine residue in the hammerhead-type RNA enzyme

AbstractWe have designed a hammerhead-type RNA system which consists of three RNA fagments for normal and modified complexes which contain a non-cleavable substrate with 2'-O-methylcytidine and a guanosine-to-inosine replaced enzyme. Examination of the RNA-cleaving activity and conformational properties of the complexes suggests that the 2-amino group of a conserved guanosine residue in the loop region plays an important role for maintaining both the activity and loop conformation

Rehabilitation Using 13-Degree Forward Bending Poles for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis After a Total Joint Replacement.

Here we evaluate the usefulness of 13-degree forward bending pole-assisted walking to promote the early discharge of rheumatoid arthritis patients after a total joint arthroplasty. We evaluated two male and six female rheumatoid arthritis patients with an average age of 64 who received a total hip or knee arthroplasty. We required them to perform pole-assisted walking five times a week for 20 minutes a day. Rehabilitation lasted 4-6 weeks until discharge. Clinical follow-up included mobility, physical strength and flexibility assessments. After 1 year of pole-assisted walking, two patients can play golf without the assistance of a cane. Patients who performed pole-assisted walking improved their walking speed 1 year after surgery by 5 seconds compared with speeds measured 4 weeks after surgery. Chair stand repetitions also increased over that time. Pole-assisted walking improved the stability and safety of the ambulation of rheumatoid arthritis patients after surgery. Patients also reported improved arm and leg strength. No falls were reported 5 years after surgery. This clinical trial is thought to be specific to patients with severe pain in many joints including knees and hips

Can Narrow-band Imaging Be Used to Determine the Surgical Margin of Superficial Hypopharyngeal Cancer?

Narrow-band imaging (NBI) is a novel optical technique that uses narrow bandwidth filters in a video endoscope system to improve the diagnostic capability of endoscopes in characterizing tissues. It is well known that early identification of neoplasia in the gastrointestinal tract using this technique might make it possible to reduce the suffering of patients caused by loss of function or severe complications after radical surgery. Several reports have introduced this system as a preoperative examination to evaluate the lateral spread of the neoplastic lesions in the oropharynx or hypopharynx. We experienced a case with hypopharyngeal cancer in which we were able to avoid underestimating cancer lesions following insufficient resection using the NBI system. A 62-year-old female underwent partial hypopharyngectomy with the margin estimated by an NBI view coupled with reconstruction of the hypopharynx while preserving the larynx. The resected specimen was cut into serial sections for a detailed pathology examination. The surgical margin seemed to be wide enough and it could be assumed that if possible we should observe these cancers with conventional electroendoscopy and NBI before treatment.</p

バレーボールゲームの分析的研究(2) (荒井鉄男名誉教授退任記念号)

11 full imprès, b/n. Els fulls d’aquesta sèrie corresponen a la divisió 12 x 8 de la malla de distribució del Mapa topográfico nacional de España 1:50 000.80 x 60 cm1:5 000254 pp

Factors associated with overall satisfaction level of older people regarding medical-health and long-term care service within residential areas

Purpose: This study examined the factors related to the overall satisfaction level of older people treated at home, regarding medical and welfare services in their area of residence.Method: The survey targeted older people who reported using the services at a day rehabilitation center in Nagasaki Prefecture. The survey investigated the individuals’ backgrounds of, including their age, sex, period of long-term care insurance use, living environment, details and anxiety. It also indicated, through a self-rate system, the extent of information sharing among medical personnel and long-term care workers. The Japanese version of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire 8-item version (CSQ-8J) was used to measure their level of satisfaction with medical and long-term care services. Results: Data from 205 people were analyzed, which included 73 men (35.6%) and 132 women (64.4%). The mean age was 81.2 ± 7.6(mean±standard deviation) years, the mean period of long-term care insurance was 38.1 ± 38.2 months, and the mean CSQ-8J score was 24.8 ± 5.7 points. The results of the multiple regression analysis (backward stepwise method) showed that only the item “information on illness and treatment is shared among medical personnel and long-term care workers” was significantly associated with the CSQ-8J score (p = 0.007). The results suggest the need to determine the details of the information regarding illness and treatment that should be shared among concerned parties