Population Outflow from Earthquake-Stricken Areas and Resindent-led Reconstruction: A Theoretical Analysis

We build a cultural transmission model to consider an effective measure for mitigating population outflow from areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. In an economy with firms and two heterogeneous agents (residents within earthquake stricken areas and around these areas), when the stable interior steady state exists in our system, first we analyze how subsidies to firms affect the steady state population share for residents in earthquake stricken areas. Depending on conditions, the policy may either succeed (an increase in the population share compared to the case with no policy) or fail (a decrease in the share). Second, even if the subsidy policy fails, resident-led reconstruction efforts could potentially increase the steady state population share for residents when subsidy is simultaneously given. From the analysis, we find that resident-led reconstruction efforts can be an effective measure to mitigate the population outflow in earthquake stricken areas

High-flow nasal cannula on diaphragm

Background : Diaphragm dysfunction is a serious problem. However, a few management techniques exist for diaphragm dysfunction. Methods : Adult patients treated with high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in the intensive care unit were included in this study. The diaphragm function was evaluated using ultrasound measurement of thickening fraction before and after HFNC liberation. Normal diaphragm contraction was defined as thickening fraction ≥ 15% without HFNC, whereas decreased or paradoxical diaphragm contractions were 0%–15% or < 0%, respectively. Results : Forty patients were enrolled, and 16 (40%) had normal diaphragm contraction, whereas 19 (48%) or 5 (13%) had decreased or paradoxical diaphragm contractions, respectively. Thickening fraction increased after HFNC liberation (27.0% ± 25.7% vs. 38.8% ± 34.5%, p = 0.03 in HFNC vs. no HFNC) in patients without diaphragm dysfunction. In patients with decreased diaphragm contraction, thickening fraction did not change with or without HFNC (8.9% ± 11.7% vs. 6.7% ± 5.2%, p = 0.35), whereas paradoxical contraction decreased with HFNC (1.0% ± 10.2% vs. –10.3% ± 2.7%, p = 0.04) in patients with paradoxical diaphragm contraction. Conclusions : The work of breathing decreased with HFNC in patients without diaphragm dysfunction, but did not decrease in patients with decreased diaphragm contraction. Paradoxical diaphragm contraction decreased with HFNC

Importance of the ammonia assimilation by Penicillium purpurogenum in amino derivative Monascus pigment, PP-V, production

A fungal strain, Penicillium purpurogenum IAM 15392, produced the azaphilone Monascus pigment homolog when cultured in a medium composed of soluble starch, ammonium nitrate, yeast extract, and citrate buffer, pH 5.0. One of the typical features of violet pigment PP-V [(10Z)-12- carboxyl-monascorubramine] is that pyranoid oxygen is replaced with nitrogen. In this study, we found that glutamine synthetase (glnB) and glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh1) genes were expressed in the culture conditions conducive to PP-V production. Gln and Glu both support PP-V biosynthesis, but PP-V biosynthesis was much more efficient with Gln. We determined that synthesis of Gln by glutamine synthetase from ammonium is important for PP-V production

Comparação dos elementos previstos para as “rodovias que perdoam” da CEDR com as normas brasileiras

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Civil e Ambiental, 2019.Segundo o Internacional Transport Forum (ITF) os acidentes de trânsito têm impacto devastador no mundo inteiro, de forma que todo ano morrem 1,25 milhão de pessoas nas rodovias com entre 20 e 50 milhões gravemente feridas, causando uma perca econômica gigantesca na ordem de 2 a 5% do Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) de cada país. Então esses dados mostram que mortes no trânsito e acidentes graves são inaceitáveis tanto socialmente quanto economicamente. Com esse paradigma em vista foi criada a Visão Segura para reduzir os acidentes graves e mortes no trânsito a zero na Suécia. Posteriormente, em conjunto com o modelo de desenvolvimento sustentável criou-se o sistema seguro. Nesse sistema seguro toda a cadeia produtiva desde o projetista até os gestores das rodovias tem culpabilidade pelo acidente, gerando a necessidade de rodovias mais seguras desde o projeto. Essas rodovias mais seguras são as rodovias autoexplicativas e que perdoam. O presente trabalho traz um estudo sobre o conceito inerente ao conceito das rodovias que perdoam, verificando quais elementos são necessários para perdoar os erros dos motoristas e reduzir as consequências dos acidentes. Dessa forma é realizada uma análise dos elementos previstos para as rodovias que perdoam descritos no documento da CEDR (2013) e os compara com elementos previstos nas normas e manuais brasileiros, de forma a viabilizar a identificação de elementos relevantes para a segurança das rodovias e que não são ainda contemplados nas normativas brasileiras. A análise entre a normativa e manuais brasileiros com o documento da CEDR (2013) abrange 18 pontos, dos quais apenas 5 já são abordados de forma satisfatória nos documentos brasileiros. Dessa forma, 15 de 18 pontos (72% do total) não são abordados, possibilitando concluir que as normas e manuais brasileiros tem elementos condizentes com o conceito de rodovias que perdoam, porém confirma que o país e está muito aquém do necessário para efetivamente propiciar a segurança requerida na infraestrutura rodoviária brasileira. Diante disso, evidenciase a necessidade de desenvolver estudos para analisar esses conceitos e possibilitar uma melhor averiguação sobre cada elemento para o contexto brasileiro, de forma que seja possível demonstrar o impacto qualitativo e quantitativo das limitações das normas e manuais brasileiros

New application of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging for the assessment of deglutitive tongue movement

Background: Deglutitive motion of the tongue may function to maintain tooth position. However, the causation between abnormal patterns of orofacial muscle function and dental malocclusion remains unclear. To clarify the pathogenic mechanism of malocclusion, it is important to determine the relative positional relationship between the tongue tip and incisor edge or the dorsal tongue and palate during deglutition. Here, we assessed the utility of 3-T segmented cine-magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, combined with static MR images for hard tissue visualization, in assessing the relationship between the tongue and the surrounding tissues during deglutitive tongue movement. Methods: Cine-MR images were acquired from three healthy female volunteers during deglutition who had no history of swallowing disorder or other chronic illness, normal alignment and occlusion, and a skeletal class I relationship. Three cine-MR images were taken during deglutition in accordance with an auditory cue for each volunteer. During static imaging, custom-made, contrast-medium-filled clear retainers were positioned in the mouth to allow visualization of the upper and lower incisors and hard palate boundaries. Static images were superimposed onto images of the three stages in deglutitive tongue movement, which were selected from a series of cine-MR images. These superimpositions were assessed five times by tracing cephalometric parameters to examine the reproducibility of the method. Results: Traces varied little across repeated measurements, and all subjects had a similar pattern of dorsal tongue movement. Tongue-to-palate contact increased slightly during the first to second stage of swallowing and abruptly increased during the second to third stage, while the tongue tip position remained constant. Conclusions: Segmented cine-MR imaging combined with static MR images is useful for assessing soft tissue motion during deglutition. This method is particularly useful in dentistry to evaluate the relationship between tongue function and maxillofacial morphology in terms of orthodontic treatment and orofacial myofunctional therapy, and for improving tongue movement during speech therapy