PARADOX BROUGHT FROM VARIOUS MEANINGS OF “COMPACT VILLAGES” AND “COMPACT PLUS NETWORK” POLICY

国土計画における「コンパクト＋ネットワーク」政策の下，非都市部における生活の持続可能性を担保するために始まった小さな拠点形成に対し，選定の統一的基準は政府から未だ示されていない．本研究は客観的な小さな拠点選定を可能とするため，その選定手法を提案した上で，小さな拠点選定の試行を行った．その結果，選定基準に施設立地等「モノ」に加え住民活動等「コト」を採用する可能性を示した上で，選定基準の違いが小さな拠点選定結果を変化させ施設立地や機能の面で多義性を生じさせることを明らかにした．特に「交通ネットワーク」に着目するとその改善が全ての小さな拠点に福音をもたらすのではなくむしろ選別が進むという，「コンパクト＋ネットワーク」政策上のパラドクスの存在可能性を指摘した． “Compact Villages” have been set in rural areas under the “Compact plus Network” of national land policy. However, the government has not indicated how to choose Compact Villages. This study was undertaken to ascertain suitable locations for Compact Villages and to consider how to choose Compact Villages. From our analyses, we identified the possibility that not only a distribution of daily facilities, but also the social capital produced by residents can maintain standards. We presented various meanings of Compact Villages occurring from variation of the function and distribution of daily facilities produced by differences of chosen standards. Especially, the improvements of road network infrastructure will not bring benefits to all Compact Villages. Rather, it will promote the selection of fewer Compact Villages. This suggests that policy of “Compact plus Network” may have paradox

Characterization of SiPM Optical Crosstalk and its Dependence on the Protection-Window Thickness

Owing to their high photon detection efficiency, compactness, and low operating voltage, silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) have found widespread application in many fields, including medical imaging, particle physics, and high-energy astrophysics. However, the so-called optical crosstalk (OCT) phenomenon of SiPMs is a major drawback to their adoption. Secondary infrared photons are emitted inside the silicon substrate spontaneously after the avalanche process caused by the primary incident photons, and they can be detected by the surrounding photodiodes. As a result large output pulses that are equivalent to multiple photoelectrons are observed with a certain probability (OCT rate), even for single-photon events, making the charge resolution worse and increasing the rate of accidental triggers by single-photon events in applications such as atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. In our previous study, we found that the OCT rates of single-channel SiPMs was dependent on the thickness of their protection resin window, which may be explained by photon propagation inside the resin. In the present study, we measured the OCT rate of a multichannel SiPM and those of neighboring channels caused by photon propagation. Both OCT rates were found to be dependent on the protection-window thickness. We report our OCT measurements of a multichannel SiPM and comparisons with a ray-tracing simulation.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on New Photon-Detectors (PD18

Grade of Subchondral Insufficiency Fracture of the Knee and the Presence of a Posterior Shiny-Corner Lesion are Correlated with Duration of Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Tear in Women

Bone marrow edema (BME) after meniscus injury and risk factors for subchondral insufficiency fracture of the knee (SIFK) have been reported. However, their association with medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT) remains unknown. We investigated the association of BME volume (BME-V), posterior shinycorner lesion (PSCL), and SIFK with MMPRT to examine the correlations between BME-V and medial meniscus extrusion (MME), PSCL and duration from injury to the time of magnetic resonance imaging (duration), and SIFK and duration. Twenty-nine patients who underwent surgery for MMPRT were included (mean age, 59.2; range, 39-84). The presence of PSCL, femoral BME-V (cm3), and SIFK grade (1-4) were evaluated. Preoperative factors, such as MME (mm) and duration (weeks), were investigated using multivariate linear/ logistic regression analyses. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed duration as a significant factor for high-grade SIFK (p<0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed duration as a significant factor for the presence of PSCL (odds ratio=0.94, p<0.05). A long duration of MMPRT leads to severe MME and highgrade SIFK (3 and 4), often resulting in knee arthroplasty. Early diagnosis of MMPRT and pullout repair can prevent severe MME and high-grade SIFK

Free fatty acid receptors, G protein-coupled receptor 120 and G protein-coupled receptor 40, are essential for oil-induced gastric inhibitory polypeptide secretion

Aims/Introduction: Incretin hormone glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) plays a key role in high‐fat diet‐induced obesity and insulin resistance. GIP is strongly secreted from enteroendocrine K cells by oil ingestion. G protein‐coupled receptor (GPR)120 and GPR40 are two major receptors for long chain fatty acids, and are expressed in enteroendocrine K cells. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the two receptors on oil‐induced GIP secretion using GPR120‐ and GPR40‐double knockout (DKO) mice. Materials and Methods: Global knockout mice of GPR120 and GPR40 were crossbred to generate DKO mice. Oral glucose tolerance test and oral corn oil tolerance test were carried out. For analysis of the number of K cells and gene expression in K cells, DKO mice were crossbred with GIP‐green fluorescent protein knock‐in mice in which visualization and isolation of K cells can be achieved. Results: Double knockout mice showed normal glucose‐induced GIP secretion, but no GIP secretion by oil. We then investigated the number of K cells and gene characteristics in K cells isolated from GIP‐green fluorescent protein knock‐in mice. Deficiency of both receptors did not affect the number of K cells in the small intestine or expression of GIP messenger ribonucleic acid in K cells. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the expression of the genes associated with lipid absorption or GIP secretion in K cells between wild‐type and DKO mice. Conclusions: Oil‐induced GIP secretion is triggered by the two major fatty acid receptors, GPR120 and GPR40, without changing K‐cell number or K‐cell characteristics

Absence of Tc-Pinning Phenomenon Under High Pressure in High-Entropy REO0.5F0.5BiS2 Layered Superconductor

Recently, robustness of superconductivity (transition temperature, Tc) under high pressures has been observed in high-entropy alloy (HEA), bcc-type Ti-Zr-Hf-Nb-Ta, and HEA-type compounds (Ag,In,Sn,Pb,Bi)Te with a NaCl-type structure. Since those materials have three-dimensional crystal structure, investigation on the pressure dependence of Tc of low-dimensional materials is needed to understand the phenomena. Here, we investigated the superconducting properties and the crystal structure of BiS2-based layered system REO0.5F0.5BiS2. Although the robustness of Tc was induced in MTe with increasing M-site configurational entropy, the increase in RE-site configurational entropy does not induce robustness of Tc under high pressures in REO0.5F0.5BiS2. The crystal structure of HEA-type REO0.5F0.5BiS2 was confirmed as monoclinic P21/m, which is the same space group as the zero-entropy counterpart LaO0.5F0.5BiS2. The results suggest that an increase in configurational entropy at blocking layers do not affect crystal structure and superconducting properties under high pressures in the BiS2-based layered system.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Nutritional sources of meio- and macrofauna at hydrothermal vents and adjacent areas: Natural-abundance radiocarbon and stable isotope analyses

© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Nomaki, H., Uejima, Y., Ogawa, N. O., Yamane, M., Watanabe, H. K., Senokuchi, R., Bernhard, J. M., Kitahashi, T., Miyairi, Y., Yokoyama, Y., Ohkouchi, N., & Shimanaga, M. Nutritional sources of meio- and macrofauna at hydrothermal vents and adjacent areas: Natural-abundance radiocarbon and stable isotope analyses. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 622, (2019): 49-65, doi:10.3354/meps13053.Deep-sea hydrothermal vents host unique marine ecosystems that rely on organic matter produced by chemoautotrophic microbes together with phytodetritus. Although meiofauna can be abundant at such vents, the small size of meiofauna limits studies on nutritional sources. Here we investigated dietary sources of meio- and macrofauna at hydrothermal vent fields in the western North Pacific using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N) and natural-abundance radiocarbon (Δ14C). Bacterial mats and Paralvinella spp. (polychaetes) collected from hydrothermal vent chimneys were enriched in 13C (up to -10‰) and depleted in 14C (-700 to -580‰). The δ13C and Δ14C values of dirivultid copepods, endemic to hydrothermal vent chimneys, were -11‰ and -661‰, respectively, and were similar to the values in the bacterial mats and Paralvinella spp. but distinct from those of nearby non-vent sediments (δ13C: ~-24‰) and water-column plankton (Δ14C: ~40‰). In contrast, δ13C values of nematodes from vent chimneys were similar to those of non-vent sites (ca. -25‰). Results suggest that dirivultids relied on vent chimney bacterial mats as their nutritional source, whereas vent nematodes did not obtain significant nutrient amounts from the chemolithoautotrophic microbes. The Δ14C values of Neoverruca intermedia (vent barnacle) suggest they gain nutrition from chemoautotrophic microbes, but the source of inorganic carbon was diluted with bottom water much more than those of the Paralvinella habitat, reflecting Neoverruca’s more distant distribution from active venting. The combination of stable and radioisotope analyses on hydrothermal vent organisms provides valuable information on their nutritional sources and, hence, their adaptive ecology to chemosynthesis-based ecosystems.We are grateful to the crews and scientists of the R/V ‘Natsushima’ and the ROV ‘Hyper-Dolphin’ of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) during the NT12-10, NT13-09 and NT14-06 cruises, and the R/V ‘Kaimei’ and the KM-ROV of JAMSTEC during the KM-ROV training cruise. We thank Yuki Iwadate for her help on sample preparations and 2 anonymous reviewers and the editor, who provided helpful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (Scientific Research C 26440246 to M.S.), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Invitational fellowships for research in Japan, S14032 to J.M.B.), the WHOI Robert W. Morse Chair for Excellence in Oceanography, and The Investment in Science Fund at WHOI

Influence of Diabetes Mellitus on Surgical Outcomes in Patients with Cervical Myelopathy: A Prospective, Multicenter Study

[Study Design] Multicenter, prospective study. [Purpose] To investigate the effects of diabetes mellitus (DM) on surgical outcomes in patients with cervical myelopathy. [Overview of Literature] To date, few studies have investigated the influence of postoperative blood glucose or glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels on surgical outcomes. [Methods] The participants were patients who underwent surgery for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament. The 61 cases were evaluated preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores and the JOA Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire (JOACMEQ). The study variables included fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels measured preoperatively and at 1 week, 4 weeks, and 1 year postoperatively; the F-wave conduction velocity, latency, rate of occurrence, and M-wave latency in the ulnar and tibial nerves were measured preoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively. The patients were divided into a group without diabetes (N group, 42 patients) and a group with diabetes (DM group, 19 patients). We then assessed the associations between the surgical outcomes and each of the study variables. [Results] JOA scores significantly improved in both groups; however, no significant between-group differences were found. There was no significant improvement in the JOACMEQ scores, which assessed cervical function, upper and lower limb function, and bladder function in both groups. We then subdivided the DM group into those with a good control of HbA1c after 1 year (DMG group, 12 patients) and those with HbA1c deterioration after 1 year (DMB group, seven patients), prior to comparing the surgical outcomes. The JOACMEQ scores for upper and lower limb function significantly improved in the DMG group (p<0.01). Compared with the DMB group, there were no significant increases in upper or lower limb function scores in the DMG group. [Conclusions] Poor glycemic control might prevent postoperative functional recovery of the spinal cord

2,2′-[(E,E)-1,1′-(2,2-Dimethyl­propane-1,3-diyldinitrilo)diethyl­idyne]diphenol

The title Schiff base, C21H26N2O2, contains two intra­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups and the nearest imine N atoms, each leading to a six-membered ring. Weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds result in a ladder network running along the a axis. In addition, inter­molecular C—H⋯π inter­actions serve to stabilize the extended structure