MovieMaker: A Parallel Movie-Making Software for Large Scale Simulations

We have developed a parallel rendering software for scientific visualization of large-scale, three-dimensional, time development simulations. The goal of this software, MovieMaker, is to generate a movie, or a series of visualization images from totally one TB-scale data within one night (or less than 12 hours). The isocontouring, volume rendering, and streamlines are implemented. MovieMaker is a parallel program for the shared memory architecture with dynamic load balancing and overlapped disk I/O.Comment: 3pages, 5figures, submitted to J. Plasma Physcs (special issue for 19th ICNSP

Spreading of Antarctic Bottom Water examined using the CFC-11 distribution simulated by an eddy-resolving OGCM

We have investigated the spreading and pathway of Antarctic Bottom Water(AABW) using the simulated distribution of chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) in a global eddy-resolving(1/10°) OGCM. Our goal is understanding of the processes and pathways determining the distribution of CFCs in the Southern Ocean, where much of this tracer is entrained by formation of deep and bottom water. The simu- lated high CFC-11 water reveals the newly formed AABW around the Antarctic Continent. The main source regions of AABW in the model are in the Weddell Sea(60°- 30°W ), offshore of Wilkes Land(120°- 160°E ) and in the Ross Sea(170°E -160°W ). In our model, spreading of simulated CFC-11 in the deep Southern Ocean from the newly formed AABW regions is more similar to the observed distribution than in coarse-resolution models. In the Weddell Sea, the high CFC-11 water spreads eastward with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current(ACC) and flows northward to the Argentine Basin. The high CFC-11 water from Wilkes Land joins with the high CFC-11 water from the Ross Sea. Some of the high CFC-11 water from Wilkes Land flows northward toward New Zealand. The high CFC-11 water from the Ross Sea flows eastward with the ACC along the Mid Ocean Ridge and northward to the Southeast Pacific Basin

A Zebrafish Chemical Suppressor Screening Identifies Small Molecule Inhibitors of the Wnt/β-catenin Pathway

SummaryGenetic screening for suppressor mutants has been successfully used to identify important signaling regulators. Using an analogy to genetic suppressor screening, we developed a chemical suppressor screening method to identify inhibitors of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. We used zebrafish embryos in which chemically induced β-catenin accumulation led to an “eyeless” phenotype and conducted a pilot screening for compounds that restored eye development. This approach allowed us to identify geranylgeranyltransferase inhibitor 286 (GGTI-286), a geranylgeranyltransferase (GGTase) inhibitor. Our follow-up studies showed that GGTI-286 reduces nuclear localization of β-catenin and transcription dependent on β-catenin/T cell factor in mammalian cells. In addition to pharmacological inhibition, GGTase gene knockdown also attenuates the nuclear function of β-catenin. Overall, we validate our chemical suppressor screening as a method for identifying Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitors and implicate GGTase as a potential therapeutic target for Wnt-activated cancers

WMAPping out Neutrino Masses

Recent data from from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) place important bounds on the neutrino sector. The precise determination of the baryon number in the universe puts a strong constraint on the number of relativistic species during Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis. WMAP data, when combined with the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS), also directly constrain the absolute mass scale of neutrinos. These results impinge upon a neutrino oscillation interpretation of the result from the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector (LSND). We also note that the Heidelberg--Moscow evidence for neutrinoless double beta decay is only consistent with the WMAP+2dFGRS data for the largest values of the nuclear matrix element.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. v2:Streamlined discussion of thermalization; improved discussion of large lepton asymmetry. v3: Added References. v4: More conservative treatment of bia

Resurgence of human coronavirus OC43 at a long-term care facility during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: Outbreak investigation

The incidence of seasonal infections due to respiratory viruses other than severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has declined due to heightened public infection prevention measures against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We describe an outbreak of human coronavirus OC43 infection that occurred at a long-term care facility and whose clinical features were indistinguishable from COVID-19

Late recurrence of acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland

Acinic cell carcinoma of the salivary glands is a rare cancer representing a low grade malignancy. The recurrence of a tumor is sometimes encountered, usually within 5years of initial operation. We describe an unusual recurrence after a long interval following primary surgery. In1987, a 60-year-old woman underwent excision of a mass in the superficial lobe of the right parotid gland under the preoperative diagnosis of a benign tumor. A histologic diagnosis of acinic cell carcinoma was made by examining sections from the resected mass. The patient noted several small nodules in the right parotid region in 1995, but she did not visit our clinic until 1998 when tenderness developed. A locally recurrent tumor and cervical lymph nodes containing metastases were resected and postoperative radiotherapy was given11years after the first operation. At least 10years of follow-up may be necessary for patients with acinic cell carcinoma because of slow-tumor growth

Accurate and simple method for quantification of hepatic fat content using magnetic resonance imaging: a prospective study in biopsy-proven nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

To assess the degree of hepatic fat content, simple and noninvasive methods with high objectivity and reproducibility are required. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one such candidate, although its accuracy remains unclear. We aimed to validate an MRI method for quantifying hepatic fat content by calibrating MRI reading with a phantom and comparing MRI measurements in human subjects with estimates of liver fat content in liver biopsy specimens. The MRI method was performed by a combination of MRI calibration using a phantom and double-echo chemical shift gradient-echo sequence (double-echo fast low-angle shot sequence) that has been widely used on a 1.5-T scanner. Liver fat content in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, n = 26) was derived from a calibration curve generated by scanning the phantom. Liver fat was also estimated by optical image analysis. The correlation between the MRI measurements and liver histology findings was examined prospectively. Magnetic resonance imaging measurements showed a strong correlation with liver fat content estimated from the results of light microscopic examination (correlation coefficient 0.91, P < 0.001) regardless of the degree of hepatic steatosis. Moreover, the severity of lobular inflammation or fibrosis did not influence the MRI measurements. This MRI method is simple and noninvasive, has excellent ability to quantify hepatic fat content even in NAFLD patients with mild steatosis or advanced fibrosis, and can be performed easily without special devices.ArticleJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY. 45(12):1263-1271 (2010)journal articl

High-resolution, Quantitative Tsunami simulation on New Earth Simulator

2015年より本格稼働した新地球シミュレータ（SX-ACE）で南海トラフ地震を想定した大規模津波シミュレーションを実施し，多数のシナリオに基づく和歌山県沿岸域における津波浸水データベースを構築した．津波シミュレーションを効率的に実施するために，津波シミュレーションコード（JAGURS）の最適化やスケーラビリティの評価，マルチジョブコントロールを実施した．津波シミュレーションの効率化により，3万ケースを超える津波シミュレーションを3か月という短期間で完了させた．津波浸水データベースは和歌山県が運用している津波浸水予測システムに組み込まれ，気象庁以外で初めて和歌山県が独自に津波予報業務をはじめている．2016年ハイパフォーマンスコンピューティングと計算科学シンポジウム（2016年6月6日～7日, 東北大学片平キャンパス