Spatio-temporal chaos of one-dimensional thin elastic layer with the rate-and-state friction law

The rate-and-state friction (RSF) law is an empirical law often used to model the behavior of rock friction and reproduce the behavior of earthquakes. Recently, the model has been expanded to include so-called slow earthquakes, which are observed at the margins between steadily sliding aseismic and seismogenic zones. In this study, we incorporate the RSF law into a one-dimensional elastic layer spanned perpendicular to the loading direction as a model for the marginal area between aseismic and seismogenic zones. We obtained the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation near a Hopf bifurcation, and showed that the system has Benjamin-Fair instability, leading to spatio-temporal chaos. We conducted numerical calculations near the Hopf bifurcation point, and showed that an irregular oscillation appears when parameters with Benjamin-Feir instability are employed. The size of slip event showed an exponential distribution that resembles a type of slow earthquake.Comment: 33 pages, 7 figure

Responses to depressive symptom items exhibit a common mathematical pattern across the European populations

The theoretical distribution of responses to depressive symptom items in a general population remains unknown. Recent studies have shown that responses to depressive symptom items follow the same pattern in the US and Japanese populations, but the degree to which these findings can be generalized to other countries is unknown. The purpose of this study was to conduct a pattern analysis on the EU population’s responses to depressive symptom items using data from the Eurobarometer. The Eurobarometer questionnaires include six depressive symptom items from the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. The pattern analysis revealed that, across the entire EU population, the ratios between “score = 2” and “score = 1” and between “score = 3” to “score = 2” were similar among the six items and resulted in a common pattern. This common pattern was characterized by an intersection at a single point between “score = 0” and “score = 1” and a parallel pattern between “score = 1” and “score = 3” on a logarithmic scale. Country-by-country analyses revealed that the item responses followed a common characteristic pattern across all 15 countries. Our results suggest that responses to depressive symptom items in a general population follow the same characteristic pattern regardless of the specific country

Stability of the Distribution of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Scores Against Age in the General Population: Data From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Background: Epidemiological studies using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) have reported inconsistencies regarding the relationship between age and total scores. To determine whether this discrepancy is due to the stability of the distribution of PHQ-9 total scores against age, we investigated whether the total score distribution remains stable during adulthood, and also investigated the mathematical patterns of the total score distribution.Methods: The present study utilized data from 15,847 participants of the 2009–2014 United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, all of whom responded to all PHQ-9 items. The stability of the total score distribution among different age groups was examined using overlap coefficients and graphical analysis.Results: High overlap coefficients were observed between all age groups for the distributions of PHQ-9 total scores, suggesting that the distribution of PHQ-9 total scores remains stable against age. Graphical analysis demonstrated that distributions of PHQ-9 total scores were similar across age groups. In addition, distributions of PHQ-9 total scores exhibited an exponential pattern, except at the lower end of the distribution.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the stability of the distribution of PHQ-9 total scores throughout adulthood may underlie inconsistencies in the evidence regarding age-related changes in total depression scores

Vitamin D and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level

The changes in the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations after daily 1000-IU vitamin D intake for 3 months (3-month-VD), 6 months (6-month-VD) and then 6-month cessation of vitamin D intake (6-month-VD cessation) were examined. The serum 25(OH)D levels in 11 male and 16 female subjects were 12.1 ± 3.5 ng / mL at baseline, increased to 27.1 ± 4.7 ng / mL at 3-month-VD, 28.5 ± 5.1 ng / mL at 6-month-VD and decreased to 16.4 ± 4.0 ng / mL at 6-month-VD cessation. The present study suggested that a vitamin D intake of 1000 IU / day is required to maintain the 25(OH) D concentration at 30 ng / mL or higher without vitamin D intoxication

Surgery for pulmonary aspergillosis

Surgery for pulmonary aspergillosis was evaluated in 20 patients who underwent surgery. These included pulmonary aspergillosis in 17, bronchial aspergillosis in 2 and pleural aspergillosis in 1, respectively. The operative procedures were mainly lobectomy and segmentectomy except for one in whom fenestration was carried out. With advances in development of drugs such as fluconazole and miconazole, surgical outcome was improved without any operative death related to surgery as far as healthy polmonary tissues are preserved. Nevertheless, it is emphasized that severity of preexisting disorder should be precisely assessed prior to surgery

Severe fenitrothion poisoning complicated by rhabdomyolysis in psychiatric patient.

Non-traumatic rhabdomyolysis associated with organophosphate intoxication has not been generally reported. We report here in a severe case of fenitrothion poisoning complicated by rhabdomyolysis. A 43-year-old woman ingested approximately 100 ml of fenitrothion emulsion (50%) in an attempt to commit suicide. On day 3 after admission, her creatine phosphokinase (CPK) peaked at 47,762 IU/L. She received supportive treatment included sodium bicarbonate and fluid resuscitation. However, muscarinic symptoms including excessive miosis and salivation developed on day 5 when her CPK levels decreased. The delay in cholinergic symptoms might have been due to the trihexyphenidyl she took with the antipsychotic drugs. Fortunately, the present patient recovered from the acute cholinergic crisis, and acute renal failure was prevented by early diagnosis. This is a case of organophosphate poisoning complicated by rhabdomyolysis in a psychiatric patient. The masking of acute cholinergic symptoms should be taken into consideration in such patients.</p

CEA in Esophageal Cancer Tissues

The presence of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was assessed in cancer tissues of 53 patients with esophageal carcinoma. Positive rates of CEA staining in tissues were 81.1%. Well differentiated carcinomas tended to be well stained. The survival time in positive tissue CEA patients was longer than that in negative one. The measurement of a presence of tissue CEA is of help to judge the prognosis

Availability of Low Potassium UW Solution for a 24 Lung

A comparative study of preservation solution was made in a 24 hour storaged donor lung between original UW (University of Wisconsin) solution (k = 120mEq/l) and Low potassium UW (k = 30mEq/l) solution. Preservation of a donor lung with low potassium UW solution was superior to that with original UW solution in terms of static compliance and pulmonary vascular resistance. In conclusion, the use of low potassium UW solution is of great value to storage a donor lung

Surgery for Traumatic Injury of the Trachea and Bronchus

Surgery for traumatic disruption of the trachea and the bronchus was evaluated with respect to the surgical outcome in three with tracheal injury and four with bronchial injury. In this series, the results were satisfied except for one who underwent delayed operation. Experience seems to indicate that the primary care to ensure security of air way is of great value in life-saving and guarantee of the outcome including pulmonary function following surgery. In conclusion, it is emphasized that the fortuitous result and preservation of pulmonary function are mandatory for pertinent treatment with expediously precise diagnosis