Cominimum Additive Operators

This paper proposes a class of weak additivity concepts for an operator on the set of real valued functions on a finite state space \omega, which include additivity and comonotonic additivity as extreme cases. Let \epsilon be a collection of subsets of \omega. Two functions x and y on \omega are \epsilon-cominimum if, for each E \subseteq \epsilon, the set of minimizers of x restricted on E and that of y have a common element. An operator I on the set of functions on is E- cominimum additive if I(x+y) = I(x)+I(y) whenever x and y are \epsilon-cominimum. The main result characterizes homogeneous E-cominimum additive operators in terms of the Choquet integrals and the corresponding non-additive signed measures. As applications, this paper gives an alternative proof for the characterization of the E-capacity expected utility model of Eichberger and Kelsey (1999) and that of the multi-period decision model of Gilboa (1989).Choquet integral; comonotonicity; non-additive probabilities; capacities; cooperative games

A triplet biradical with double bidentate sites based on tert-butyl pyridyl nitroxide as a candidate for strong ferromagnetic couplers

We synthesised a new biradical, 34bpybNO, having two chelating radical sites and demonstrated its crystal structure and ground triplet nature. Frozen-solution magnetic measurement and electron spin resonance results revealed a strong intramolecular ferromagnetic coupling reaching 2J/kB = ∼+170 K, which is supported by density functional theory calculations

Combined use of baking soda and electric toothbrushing for removal of artificial extrinsic stain on enamel surface : an in vitro study

This study aimed to investigate the combined effect of baking soda and electric toothbrushing on the removal of artificial extrinsic stain in vitro. Material and Methods: Flat enamel surfaces of 15 bovine incisors were artificially stained

Photochemical Characterization of a New Heliorhodopsin from the Gram-Negative Eubacterium Bellilinea caldifistulae (BcHeR) and Comparison with Heliorhodopsin-48C12

Many microorganisms express rhodopsins, pigmented membrane proteins capable of absorbing sunlight and harnessing that energy for important biological functions such as ATP synthesis and phototaxis. Microbial rhodopsins that have been discovered to date are categorized as type-1 rhodopsins. Interestingly, researchers have very recently unveiled a new microbial rhodopsin family named the heliorhodopsins, which are phylogenetically distant from type-1 rhodopsins. Among them, only heliorhodopsin-48C12 (HeR-48C12) from a Gram-positive eubacterium has been photochemically characterized [Pushkarev, A., et al. (2018) Nature 558, 595-599]. In this study, we photochemically characterize a purple-colored heliorhodopsin from Gram-negative eubacterium Bellilinea caldifistulae (BcHeR) as a second example and identify which properties are or are not conserved between BcHeR and HeR-48C12. A series of photochemical measurements revealed several conserved properties between them, including a visible absorption spectrum with a maximum at around 550 nm, the lack of ion-transport activity, and the existence of a second-order O-like intermediate during the photocycle that may activate an unidentified biological function. In contrast, as a property that is not conserved, although HeR-48C12 shows the light adaptation state of retinal, BcHeR showed the same retinal configuration under both dark- and light-adapted conditions. These comparisons of photochemical properties between BcHeR and HeR-48C12 are an important first step toward understanding the nature and functional role of heliorhodopsins

Types of Damages in Fission-Neutron Irradiated Cu and Cu Dilute Alloys at 200℃

The damage structures in Cu and Cu based alloys neutron-irradiated at 200℃ were examined by transmission electron microscopy. Large dislocation loops of complex structure and small dot defects were formed in the specimens. The large dislocation loops were interstitial type. On the other hand, the small dot defects were vacancy type. They were stacking faulted tetrahedra. The damage structure in these metals evolves as follows. Interstitial atoms produced by neutron irradiation aggregate and grow to large complicated loops which will become finally dislocation lines by intersection of them with further irradiation, by absorbing interstitials subsequently produced. By the consumption of the interstitials to the sinks, vacancy concentration increases locally to be high enough to form vacancy defects

Reduction in BDNF from inefficient precursor conversion influences nest building and promotes depressive-like behavior in mice

Kojima, M.; Otabi, H.; Kumanogoh, H.; Toyoda, A.; Ikawa, M.; Okabe, M.; Mizui, T. Reduction in BDNF from Inefficient Precursor Conversion Influences Nest Building and Promotes Depressive-Like Behavior in Mice. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 3984. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms2111398

Post-Cataract Surgery Visual Disturbance in a Retinitis Pigmentosa Patient with Asteroid Hyalosis

A patient with retinitis pigmentosa showed visual disturbances following successful cataract surgery. He had a dense asteroid hyalosis in the eye before cataract surgery. After the surgery he noticed that his vision became worse. The visual disturbance was explained as being caused by the progression of retinal degeneration. Although the electroretinogram was non-recordable, the degeneration of macular area appeared relatively small. We considered that dense asteroid hyalosis was responsible for his visual disturbances, and pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) was performed to remove the asteroid hyalosis. After the PPV, rapid improvement of his visual acuity was observed. Cataract surgery may affect the status of asteroid hyalosis and cause rapid visual loss. PPV should be considered for retinitis pigmentosa patients with dense asteroid hyalosis, especially when a large decrease in visual acuity is noted shortly after cataract surgery

Outer retinal circular structures in patients with Bietti crystalline retinopathy.

[Background] : Bietti crystalline retinopathy (BCR) is a distinct retinal degenerative disease characterised by retinal degeneration with many yellow–white crystals located mainly at the posterior pole area. Using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), the structural change in retina was investigated. [Methods] : Patients diagnosed with BCR (n=12), retinitis pigmentosa (RP, n=292) and cone dystrophy (n=16) were included in this study. The authors mainly examined fundus photographs and SD-OCT, infrared and fundus autofluorescence images of these patients. [Results]: Crystalline deposits were detected in portions of the retinal pigment epithelium that lacked patchy degenerated lesions. SD-OCT revealed that most of the observed crystalline deposits were located adjacent to the inner side of retinal pigment epithelium layer. The change most frequently observed was circular hyper-refractive structures in the outer nuclear layer. Although the structures were considered to be previously reported “tubular formation” or “tubular degeneration”, we determined that many of these circular structures were slices of spherical structures and were typically noted in areas suspected of ongoing active degeneration. [Conclusion] : BCR has characteristic structures in the outer nuclear layer. Although the incidence of the structure varies, it may be characteristic of retinal degeneration and can be found in many retinal degenerative diseases

A Refinement of the Myerson Value *

Abstract The Myerson value is an allocation rule which assigns a vector of payoffs to a collection of conferences. It treats direct and indirect connections of players in conferences equally, and thus assigns the same vector of payoffs to a large class of collections of conferences. This paper proposes and axiomatizes an allocation rule which distinguishes direct connections from indirect ones, and hence provides a refinement of the Myerson value. JEL classification: C71

Lifestyle carbon footprints and changes in lifestyles to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, and ways forward for related research

This paper presents an approach for assessing lifestyle carbon footprints and lifestyle change options aimed at achieving the 1.5 °C climate goal and facilitating the transition to decarbonized lifestyles through stakeholder participatory research. Using data on Finland and Japan it shows potential impacts of reducing carbon footprints through changes in lifestyles for around 30 options covering food, housing, and mobility domains, in comparison with the 2030 and 2050 per-capita targets (2.5-3.2 tCO2e by 2030; 0.7-1.4 tCO2e by 2050). It discusses research opportunities for expanding the footprint-based quantitative analysis to incorporate subnational analysis, living lab, and scenario development aiming at advancing sustainability science on the transition to decarbonized lifestyles