Leptonic CP Violation Search and the Ambiguity of dm^2_31

We consider a search for the CP-violating angle deltaCP in long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. We show that the subleading deltaCP-dependent terms in the nu_mu -> nu_e oscillation probability can be easily obscured by the ambiguity of the leading term which depends on |dm^2_31|. It is thus necessary to determine the value of dm^2_31 with a sufficient accuracy. The nu_mu survival events, which can be accumulated simultaneously with the nu_e appearance events, can serve for this purpose owing to its large statistics. Therefore, the combined analysis of nu_e appearance and nu_mu survival events is crucial to provide a restrictive constraint on deltaCP. Taking a test experimental setup, we demonstrate in the deltaCP-dm^2_31 plane that the analysis of nu_e appearance events leads to less restrictive constraints on the value of deltaCP due to the ambiguity of dm^2_31 and that the combined analysis efficiently improves the constraints.Comment: ReVTeX file, 9 pages, 7 figures. Discussions added in Sections 1, 2, and 4; Reference expande

Architecture of Mixed Calcium Oxalate Dihydrate and Monohydrate Stones

Calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD) and monohydrate (COM) are the most frequent constituents of urinary stones, and there still exist some questions about the interrelation between the two hydrates. Architecture of mixed COD and COM stones was observed by electron microscopy to solve the questions. The fractured surface of a stone is composed of the fractured face of the crystals. In this situation a morphological criterion of typical dipyramid shape is useless to identify COD. But we could identify COD using the partial dissolution method, which etched square pits on COD crystals. COD and COM formed distinctly separate layers. COD was always found in the stone surface and COM in the center. The stone surface was covered by a thick layer of organic matrix, and the intercrystalline space was filled with matrix. The crystals were grown thrusting the matrix aside to minimize the space. Although COD is more soluble than COM, the urine contains specific substances that favor the formation of COD. Supposing the stone matrix excludes these substances selectively, the gel-state matrix provides a preferable condition for COM formation. This hypothesis is suitable to explain the high incidence of COM stones. An abrupt change of the crystalline constituent can be explained by COD crystal deposition on COM stones. Frequent COD crystalluria can explain why COD is always found in the stone surface. Once the stone surface is covered with COD crystals, they continue to grow in the gel-state matrix or deposit further to form the bulk of the stone

Difference of signal change by a language task on autistic patients using functional MRI

[Objective] Cerebral function with a language task was evaluated by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and the differences of activated pattern and signal changes were compared between autistic patients and normal controls. [Methods] Ten autistic and ten normal subjects were tested by fMRI with a language task requiring the attribution of complex mental states. Activation maps analyzed between two groups were generated and the asymmetry indexes calculated by the quotient of activated pixels of the right frontal lobe divided by those of the left frontal lobe were statistically compared by unpaired t-test. [Results] Both the autistic and the normal subjects showed activation at the bilateral prefrontal cortical areas and the ventral occipito-temporal regions. However, the autistic patients demonstrated more activation at the right frontal lobe than the normal controls. Thus it was considered that in the autistic patients the right-hemisphere was more dominant for the language task than that of the normal controls. The result is consist to the theory that autism is related to early left-hemisphere dysfunction. [Conclusions] We considered that fMRI may be a useful non-invasive method to evaluate the cerebral functional abnormality in autistic patients

Efficient Methods of Blind Deconvolution Based on the Lane-Bates Algorithm: Comprehensive Summary

　We developed efficient methods of blind deconvolution on the basis of the Lane-Bates algorithm. The methods consist of two kinds of mathematical tools and their modified versions. We give a comprehensive summary of them in this report

Study on the light insulator between scintillator crystals

　In our current project, we undertake an R&D of a new type of PED device which can be produced with a much lower cost yet has a better spatial resolution, compared to the currently used devices. In the course of this development, we encountered a difficulty of light cross-talk between the scintillator crystals. Large amount of effort has been paid to find out the best material to be used to reduce this cross-talk without reducing the light output and the spatial resolution. The experimental result shows that a black flock paper has the most promising features

Leaf litter, a critical habitat for juvenile Japanese giant salamander, Andrias japonicus (Amphibia: Caudata)

東広島市椋梨川水系にはオオサンショウウオが生息している。2011 年から，生息状況や産卵，幼生の離散などの生態学的な調査が行われている。この過程で幼生が巣穴から離散した直後の隠れ家や餌となる水生昆虫の生息場所として流水中の落ち葉・落枝が重要な役割を担う可能性が示唆されている。本研究では流水中の落ち葉・落枝の詳細を明らかにするため，河畔林のフロラを調査するとともに，幼生が発見された場所の落ち葉との比較を行った。その結果，流水中の落ち葉・落枝として29種の維管束植物が同定できた。流水中の落ち葉・落枝の大半がコナラやスギなどの木本で，離散後の幼生や餌となる水生昆虫の生息場所として周辺の植生が強い影響を与える可能性が示唆された。Japanese giant salamanders Andrias japonicus inhabit the Mukunashi River around Higashi-Hiroshima City in Hiroshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan; researchers and local people have collaborated to investigate the species’ behavior, particularly its oviposition and the movement of larvae after leaving the nest. In this research we focused on leaf litter in the stream as habitat in which salamander larvae and the aquatic insects which are its critical food cohabit. We studied the flora of the riparian forest to identify the species of leaf litter in the stream among which salamander larvae were found. Leaf litter and branches belonging to 29 species of vascular plants were identified, and most leaves were from the deciduous oak Quercus serrata and the conifer Cryptomeria japonica. It is suggested that the surrounding flora has an important influence on the survival of Japanese giant salamander larvae that have left the nest

ノウソッチュウ チョウキュウセイキ ニオケル ガゾウ シンダン プロトコール

We described our imaging protocol for apoplexy to select a therapeutic way. The recent advance of MR technology much contributes to diagnosis of cerebral ischemic disease. Especially the EPI method is now applied to clinical MR machine and make possible to obtain diffusion-weighted images (DWI) with excellent quality, which can detect super-acute phase of cerebral infarction. Then we choose MRI as the first modality conducted for patients of apoplexy and measured DWI and perfusion MRI before conducting conventional cerebral angiography. The mismatch area between DWI and perfusion MRI will suggest the necessity of re-circulation therapy because rescuable neuronal cells from ischemia will exist in the mismatch area. Furthermore cerebral hemorrhage can be detected using EPI-T2 weighted images and DWI, and the luxury perfusion will be also evaluated by perfusion MRI. Therefore we considered that MR examination could be the first modality conducted for diagnosis of cerebral vascular accident of acute phase

NCRT with S-1 plus irinotecan for LALRC

Background and purpose: Preoperative 5-fluorouracil-based chemoradiotherapy is a standard treatment for locally advanced lower rectal cancer (LALRC). We performed a phase I study to develop a new regimen combining irinotecan and S-1. Materials and methods: Patients with LALRC (T3-4, N0-2) were studied. The radiation dose was 45 Gy in 25 fractions. S-1 (80 mg/m2/day) was administered on days 1–5, 8–12, 22–26, and 29–33. Irinotecan was administered on days 1, 8, 22, and 29. The dose of irinotecan was initially 60 mg/m2 (level 1). Surgery was performed 6–10 weeks after the chemoradiotherapy. Results: Twenty patients were enrolled, of whom 18 patients were analyzed. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) did not occur in the first 3 patients treated with irinotecan at 80 mg/m2 (level 2), but developed in 3 of the 6 patients who received irinotecan at 90 mg/m2 (level 3). Then DLT occurred in 3 other patients at level 2. At level 2 or 3, DLT comprised neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and diarrhea. Level 2 was designated as the maximum tolerated dose, and level 1 as a recommended dose (RD). The pathological complete response rate was 28%, and the down-staging rate was 56%. Conclusions: Our results suggested that the RD of irinotecan when combined with preoperative S-1 and pelvic radiation was 60 mg/m2

Brain Tumor CE on T1-Cube versus 3D SPGR

Purpose: T1-Cube (GE HealthCare) is a relatively new 3-dimensional (3D) fast spin-echo (FSE)-based magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequence that uses a variable flip angle to acquire gap-free volume scans. We compared the gadolinium enhancement characteristics of a heterogeneous population of brain tumors imaged by T1-Cube and then 3D fast spoiled gradient recall acquisition in steady state (3D FSPGR) 3-tesla MR imaging to identify the superior modality for specific diagnostic purposes. Methods: We examined 61 lesions from 32 patients using the 2 sequences after administration of gadopentetic acid (Gd-DTPA; 0.1 mmol/kg). Two neuroradiologists independently measured each lesion twice using a region-of-interest (ROI) method. We measured the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), the difference in signal intensity (SI) between the tumor and normal white matter relative to the standard deviation (SD) of the SI within the lesion, for both post-contrast 3D FSPGR and post-contrast T1-Cube images of the same tumor and compared modality-specific CNRs for all tumors and in subgroups defined by tumor size, enhancement ratio, and histopathology. Results: The mean CNR was significantly higher on T1-Cube images than 3D FSPGR images for the total tumor population (1.85 ± 0.97 versus 1.12 ± 1.05, P < 0.01) and the histologic types, i.e., metastasis (P < 0.01) and lymphoma (P < 0.05). The difference in CNR was even larger for smaller tumors in the metastatic group (4.95 to 23.5 mm2) (P < 0.01). In contrast, mean CNRs did not differ between modalities for high grade glioma and meningioma. Conclusions: Gadolinium enhancement of brain tumors was generally higher when imaged by T1-Cube than 3D FSPGR, and T1-Cube with Gd enhancement may be superior to 3D FSPGR for detecting smaller metastatic tumors