Effects of the Tsunami Generated by the 1662 Hyuga-Nada Earthquake off Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan

1662年日向灘地震の新たな断層モデルを構築 --地球物理学と地質学の検証に基づく初の成果--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-01-24.The Hyuga-nada region is located in the southwestern part of the Nankai Trough in the Pacific Ocean, where M7 class interplate earthquakes have been repeatedly occurring because of the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate. The largest earthquake recorded in history for the Hyuga-nada region was the Hyuga-nada earthquake of 1662, which occurred off Miyazaki Prefecture in the southeastern area of Kyushu region, Japan, generating a tsunami. The region is also an area where slow earthquakes are active at the shallow part of the plate boundary. It is confirmed by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that the active area of shallow slow earthquakes also became a tsunami source area. We hypothesize that the unusually large tsunami of 1662 was caused by the coseismic slipping of the active source area of shallow slow earthquakes. We constructed the fault model of the 1662 Hyuga-nada earthquake based on recent geophysical observations. A numerical simulation of the tsunami was carried out using the fault model constructed based on hypotheses. The total seismic moment was 9.8 × 10²⁰ Nm (Mw 7.9) estimated from the fault model. The estimated fault model can explain the distribution of the likely tsunami event deposits which were recognized in this study and also have been reported by other studies and tsunami heights in historical records. Hypotheses based on geophysical findings have been found to be correct

Corrosion Resistance of Modified Heat-Treated 16Cr-4Ni Steel for Geothermal Steam Turbine Blades

Immersion corrosion tests and electrochemical corrosion tests were carried out in the simulated geothermal water on a modified heat-treated material of 16Cr-4Ni steel, which is used for geothermal steam turbine blades. Incidentally, the purpose of the modified heat treatment is for reducing the susceptibility of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of the steel in the geothermal fluids. For comparison, a conventional heat-treated material of the 16Cr-4Ni steel was also used in the corrosion tests. In the immersion corrosion tests up to 4,000 hours, the modified heat-treated material showed lower corrosion rates than those of the conventional heat-treated one in the test water. In the electrochemical corrosion tests, the modified heat-treated material exhibited noble and stable corrosion potential behavior. The XPS analysis results exhibited that the passive films formed on the materials were consisted mainly of Cr-oxides (CrOOH, CrO3) and Fe-oxides (FeO, Fe2O3). Furthermore, the composition ratio of Cr-oxides in the outermost surface of the passive film formed on the modified heat-treated material was higher than that on the conventional heat-treated one. It was suggested that the better corrosion resistance of the modified heat-treated 16Cr-4Ni steel was contributed to the formation of the passive film with higher compositions of Cr-oxides

Vaginoplasty with a Pudendal-Thigh Flap in Intersexuals

We treated 2 different types of intersexual patients who underwent a vaginoplasty with the pudendal-thigh flap. One was a female with testicular feminization syndrome for whom we reconstructed the total vagina with a pudendal-thigh flap, and the other was a female with an adrenogenital syndrome for whom we enlarged the introitus of the vagina with the same approach. There were no complications such as a flap necrosis. In addition, there was no stricture of the neo-vagina and no urinary problem.</p

Considerations in hiPSC-derived cartilage for articular cartilage repair

Background: A lack of cell or tissue sources hampers regenerative medicine for articular cartilage damage. Main text: We review and discuss the possible use of pluripotent stem cells as a new source for future clinical use. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have several advantages over human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Methods for the generation of chondrocytes and cartilage from hiPSCs have been developed. To reduce the cost of this regenerative medicine, allogeneic transplantation is preferable. hiPSC-derived cartilage shows low immunogenicity like native cartilage, because the cartilage is avascular and chondrocytes are segregated by the extracellular matrix. In addition, we consider our experience with the aberrant deposition of lipofuscin or melanin on cartilage during the chondrogenic differentiation of hiPSCs. Short conclusion: Cartilage generated from allogeneic hiPSC-derived cartilage can be used to repair articular cartilage damage

X-Ray bright optically faint active galactic nuclei in the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam wide survey

We construct a sample of X-ray bright optically faint active galactic nuclei by combining Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam, XMM-Newton, and infrared source catalogs. 53 X-ray sources satisfying i band magnitude fainter than 23.5 mag and X-ray counts with EPIC-PN detector larger than 70 are selected from 9.1 deg^2, and their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and X-ray spectra are analyzed. 44 objects with an X-ray to i-band flux ratio F_X/F_i>10 are classified as extreme X-ray-to-optical flux sources. SEDs of 48 among 53 are represented by templates of type 2 AGNs or starforming galaxies and show signature of stellar emission from host galaxies in the optical in the source rest frame. Infrared/optical SEDs indicate significant contribution of emission from dust to infrared fluxes and that the central AGN is dust obscured. Photometric redshifts determined from the SEDs are in the range of 0.6-2.5. X-ray spectra are fitted by an absorbed power law model, and the intrinsic absorption column densities are modest (best-fit log N_H = 20.5-23.5 cm^-2 in most cases). The absorption corrected X-ray luminosities are in the range of 6x10^42 - 2x10^45 erg s^-1. 20 objects are classified as type 2 quasars based on X-ray luminsosity and N_H. The optical faintness is explained by a combination of redshifts (mostly z>1.0), strong dust extinction, and in part a large ratio of dust/gas.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in PAS

Phantom erectile penis after sex reassignment surgery

Between January 2001 and December 2007, we performed vaginoplasty as sex reassignment surgery in a total of 14 male-to-female transsexual (MTFTS) patients [1]. Several complications occurred such as partial flap necrosis, rectovaginal fistula formation and hypersensitivity of the neoclitoris. Just after the operation, some patients feel that their penises still exist, but by several weeks postoperatively, this sensation has disappeared. Herein we report a case of MTFTS in whom the sensation of a phantom erectile penis persisted for much longer.</p

重度大動脈弁狭窄症患者の大動脈弁置換術後における血小板機能および高分子量 von Willebrand 因子多量体の急速な回復

AIM: Patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) may have bleeding episodes due to the loss of high-molecular-weight (HMW) von Willebrand factor multimers (VWFMs). The absence of HMW-VWFMs and bleeding tendency are usually corrected after aortic valve replacement (AVR). To investigate the process of VWFM recovery and symptoms in patients with severe AS, we analyzed changes in VWF antigen (VWF:Ag), ADAMTS13 activity (ADAMTS13:AC), and platelet thrombus formation under high shear stress conditions. METHODS: Nine patients with severe AS undergoing AVR were analyzed. RESULTS: Evident deficiency of HMW-VWFMs was observed in six patients before surgery, which was rapidly restored within 8 days after AVR. Median levels of VWF:Ag before surgery, on postoperative days (PODs) 1, 8, 15, and 22, and one year after AVR were 78.1%, 130%, 224%, 155%, 134%, and 142%, respectively. In contrast, ADAMTS13:AC was 50.5%, 35.5%, 25.5%, 25.1%, 30.3%, and 84.6%, respectively. Preoperative thrombus formation but not surface coverage was significantly lower than that on POD 22, which was considered as normal level in each patient. Compared with preoperative levels, thrombus volume was significantly lower on POD 1, but rapidly increased by POD 8. CONCLUSION: Bleeding tendency and loss of HMW-VWFMs observed in patients with severe AS before surgery was rapidly corrected after AVR. Instead, patients were in a VWF-predominant state between POD 8 and 22.博士（医学）・乙第1395号・平成29年3月15日Copyright © 2016 Japan Atherosclerosis Society本論文の著作権は日本動脈硬化学会が保持しています。This article is distributed under the terms of the latest version of CC BY-NC-SA defined by the Creative Commons Attribution License

Vaginoplasty with an M-Shaped Perineo- Scrotal Flap in a Male-to-female Transsexual

To date, many techniques have been reported for vaginoplasty in male-to-female trans-sexual (MTFTS) patients, such as the use of a rectum transfer, a penile-scrotal flap and a reversed penile flap. However, none of these procedures is without its disadvantages. We developed a newly kind of flap for vaginoplasty, the M-shaped perineo-scrotal flap (M-shaped flap), using skin from both sides of the scrotum, shorn of hair by preoperative laser treatment. We applied this new type of flap in 7 MTFTS patients between January 2006 and January 2007. None of the flaps developed necrosis, and the patients could engage in sexual activity within 3 months of the operation. The M-shaped flap has numerous advantages: it can be elevated safely while retaining good vascularity, it provides for the construction of a sufficient deep vagina without a skin graft, the size of the flap is not influenced entirely by the length of the penis, and it utilizes skin from both sides of the scrotal area, which is usually excised.</p