Impacts of Groundwater Pumping on Subterranean Microbial Communities in a Deep Aquifer Associated with an Accretionary Prism.

Accretionary prisms are composed mainly of ancient marine sediment scraped from the subducting oceanic plate at convergent plate boundaries. Anoxic groundwater is stored in deep aquifers associated with accretionary prisms and can be collected via deep wells. We investigated how such groundwater pumping affects the microbial community in a deep aquifer.

Interlimb and Intralimb Coordination of Rectus Femoris and Biceps Femoris Muscles at Different Running Speeds.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between spatiotemporal variables and the muscle activity of the rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) in both legs at various running speeds.

Methods: Eighteen well-trained male athletes (age: 20.7 ± 1.

The Timing of Thigh Muscle Activity Is a Factor Limiting Performance in the Deceleration Phase of the 100-m Dash.

Purpose: We aimed to examine the timing of electromyography activity of the rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) in both legs, as well as spatiotemporal variables (running speed (RS), step frequency (SF), step length (SL)) between the maximal speed (Max) phase (50-70 m) and the deceleration (Dec) phase (80-100 m) of the 100-m dash.

Methods: Nine track and field athletes performed the 100-m dash with maximal effort. Spatiotemporal variables of each 10-m section were measured.

Spatiotemporal inflection points in human running: Effects of training level and athletic modality.

The effect of the different training regimes and histories on the spatiotemporal characteristics of human running was evaluated in four groups of subjects who had different histories of engagement in running-specific training; sprinters, distance runners, active athletes, and sedentary individuals. Subjects ran at a variety of velocities, ranging from slowest to fastest, over 30 trials in a random order. Group averages of maximal running velocities, ranked from fastest to slowest, were: sprinters, distance runners, active athletes, and sedentary individuals.

Timing of Rectus Femoris and Biceps Femoris Muscle Activities in Both Legs at Maximal Running Speed.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between spatiotemporal variables of running and onset/offset timing of rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) muscle activities in both legs.

Methods: Eighteen male well-trained athletes (age = 20.7 ± 1.

Clinical, radiological, and pathological features of anti-asparaginyl tRNA synthetase antibody-related interstitial lung disease.

Background: Myositis and interstitial lung disease (ILD) frequently occur in patients with anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (ARS) antibodies. Nearly half of ARS-ILD patients have the acute or subacute form of the disease, and one-third of these patients show a deterioration in pulmonary function over the long-term course because of frequent recurrences and refractoriness to therapy. Several reports recently described different characteristics depending on the individual anti-ARS antibodies, and the anti-asparaginyl tRNA synthetase (KS) antibody was strongly linked to ILD rather than to myositis.

Evaluation of changes in the serum levels of Krebs von den Lungen-6 and surfactant protein-D over time as important biomarkers in idiopathic fibrotic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia.

Background: Some cases of idiopathic fibrotic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (f-NSIP) show a progressive course that is similar to that of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, it is difficult to predict poor patient outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate whether serial changes in serum levels of Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) and surfactant protein-D (SP-D) can predict disease progression.

Interstitial lung disease associated with anti-citrullinated peptide/protein antibody-positive anti-synthetase syndrome.

Little has been reported on the characteristics of interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with anti-citrullinated peptide/protein antibody (ACPA)-positive anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS). We sought to investigate the clinical, radiologic, and pathologic features of patients with ILD associated with ACPA-positive ASS. Medical records of seven ILD patients with positive results of both ACPA and anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase antibody were retrospectively reviewed.

Foot posture alteration and recovery following a full marathon run.

Prolonged running results in lowering of the foot arch and a low arch is associated with subsequent chronic injuries. Foot posture alteration and recovery following a marathon run remain unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate foot posture alteration following a full marathon run.

Scale-invariant feature extraction of neural network and renormalization group flow.

Theoretical understanding of how a deep neural network (DNN) extracts features from input images is still unclear, but it is widely believed that the extraction is performed hierarchically through a process of coarse graining. It reminds us of the basic renormalization group (RG) concept in statistical physics. In order to explore possible relations between DNN and RG, we use the restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM) applied to an Ising model and construct a flow of model parameters (in particular, temperature) generated by the RBM.

Predictive Factors for the Long-Term Deterioration of Pulmonary Function in Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Anti-Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase Antibodies.

Background: Little has been reported on long-term pulmonary function trends among patients with interstitial lung disease associated with anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase antibodies (ARS-ILD).

Objectives: To clarify the factors predictive of progression in ARS-ILD based on patients' initial clinical and radiological features.

Methods: The clinical courses of 88 patients with > 1 year of follow-up data on pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were retrospectively analyzed.

Emphysematous change with scleroderma-associated interstitial lung disease: the potential contribution of vasculopathy?

Background: Pulmonary emphysema combined with systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) occurs more often in smokers but also in never-smokers. This study aimed to describe a new finding characterized by peculiar emphysematous change with SSc-associated ILD (SSc-ILD).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 21 consecutive patients with SSc-ILD diagnosed by surgical lung biopsy and focused on the radio-pathological correlation of the emphysematous change.

QCD-Electroweak First-Order Phase Transition in a Supercooled Universe.

If the electroweak sector of the standard model is described by classically conformal dynamics, the early Universe evolution can be substantially altered. It is already known that-contrarily to the standard model case-a first-order electroweak phase transition may occur. Here we show that, depending on the model parameters, a dramatically different scenario may happen: A first-order, six massless quark QCD phase transition occurs first, which then triggers the electroweak symmetry breaking.

Long-term clinical course of anti-glycyl tRNA synthetase (anti-EJ) antibody-related interstitial lung disease pathologically proven by surgical lung biopsy.

Background: Anti-glycyl-tRNA synthetase (anti-EJ) antibody is occasionally positive in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). We aimed to define the clinical, radiological and pathological features of patients with anti-EJ antibody-positive ILD (EJ-ILD).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 12 consecutive patients with EJ-ILD who underwent surgical lung biopsy.

Clinical Features of Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonia with Systemic Sclerosis-Related Autoantibody in Comparison with Interstitial Pneumonia with Systemic Sclerosis.

Background: Patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonias sometimes have a few features of connective tissue disease (CTD) and yet do not fulfil the diagnostic criteria for any specific CTD.

Objective: This study was conducted to elucidate the characteristics, prognosis, and disease behavior in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc)-related autoantibodies.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of 72 ILD patients: 40 patients with SSc (SSc-ILD) and 32 patients with SSc-related autoantibody-positive ILD but not with CTD (ScAb-ILD), indicating lung-dominant CTD with SSc-related autoantibody.

Low-normal lung volume correlates with pulmonary hypertension in fibrotic idiopathic interstitial pneumonia: computer-aided 3D quantitative analysis of chest CT.

Objective: We investigated whether the lung volume determined on CT, especially the volume of the normal lung, is correlated with mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) in patients with chronic fibrosing idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP).

Materials And Methods: The subjects were 40 patients with IIP who underwent right heart catheterization (RHC) and chest CT. Thirty-three patients (82.

Cognitive training for schizophrenia in developing countries: a pilot trial in Brazil.

Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia can massively impact functionality and quality of life, furthering the importance of cognitive training. Despite the development of the field in Europe and in the United States, no programmes have been developed and tested in developing countries. Different cultural backgrounds, budget restrictions, and other difficulties may render treatment packages created in high income countries difficult for adoption by developing nations.

Continuous change in spring-mass characteristics during a 400 m sprint.

The purpose of the present study was to utilise a spring-mass model to (1) continuously measure vertical stiffness (K(vert)) and leg stiffness (K(leg)) over an entire 400 m sprint, and (2) investigate the relationship between leg spring stiffness (K(vert) and K(vert)) and the performance characteristics of mean forward running velocity (V(forwad)), mean stride frequency (f(stride)), and mean stride length (L(stride)). Eight well-trained male athletes performed a 400 m sprint with maximal effort on an outdoor field track. K(vert) was calculated from the subjects' body mass, ground contact time and flight time at each step.

Transarterial ethanol ablation for sporadic and non-hemorrhaging angiomyolipoma in the kidney.

Purpose: We evaluated the efficacy and side effects of transarterial ethanol ablation in sporadic and non-hemorrhaging angiomyolipomas (AMLs) in the kidney.

Material And Methods: A total of 10 patients with solitary and sporadic AMLs underwent selective transarterial absolute ethanol ablation for prophylaxis against hemorrhage. We confirmed the ratio areas of tumor vessel on angiogram, those of infraction on post-ablation computed tomography (CT) and those of tumor reduction in a 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-up CT.

Determinants of difference in leg stiffness between endurance- and power-trained athletes.

Understanding the leg and joint stiffness during human movement would provide important information that could be utilized for evaluating sports performance and for injury prevention. In the present study, we examined the determinants of the difference in the leg stiffness between the endurance-trained and power-trained athletes. Seven distance runners and seven power-trained athletes performed in-place hopping, matching metronome beats at 3.

Hawking radiation from charged black holes via gauge and gravitational anomalies.

Extending the method of Robinson and Wolczek, we show that in order to avoid a breakdown of general covariance and gauge invariance at the quantum level the total flux of charge and energy in each outgoing partial wave of a charged quantum field in a Reissner-Nordström black hole background must be equal to that of a (1 + 1)-dimensional blackbody at the Hawking temperature with the appropriate chemical potential.

In vitro infection of host roots by differentiated calli of the parasitic plant Orobanche.

Root parasites of the genus Orobanche are serious weeds in agriculture. An aseptic infection system of host roots using calli of three Orobanche species was developed for the study of host-parasite interaction. The response of calli to various hormonal combinations was studied, because a requirement for infection is the differentiation of root-like protrusions, which are capable of producing haustorial connections to the host.

Scaling behaviors of branched polymers.

We study the thermodynamic behavior of branched polymers. We first study random walks in order to clarify the thermodynamic relation between the canonical ensemble and the grand canonical ensemble. We then show that correlation functions for branched polymers are given by those for straight phi(3) theory with a single mass insertion, not those for the straight phi(3) theory themselves.