Laser-Driven Proton-Only Acceleration in a Multicomponent Near-Critical-Density Plasma.

An experimental investigation of collisionless shock ion acceleration is presented using a multicomponent plasma and a high-intensity picosecond duration laser pulse. Protons are the only accelerated ions when a near-critical-density plasma is driven by a laser with a modest normalized vector potential. The results of particle-in-cell simulations imply that collisionless shock may accelerate protons alone selectively, which can be an important tool for understanding the physics of inaccessible collisionless shocks in space and astrophysical plasma.

Association between subjective walking speed and metabolic diseases in individuals with obesity: a cross-sectional analysis.

The association between subjective walking speed and metabolic diseases has received limited attention, particularly in individuals with obesity. We aimed to clarify this association using comprehensive health checkup data of participants with obesity. In total, 8578 individuals with a body mass index ≥ 25.

Various handcrafted artificial vessels: Evaluation of practicality and feasibility for supermicrosurgery training.

Background: Supermicrosurgery demands more refined skills compared to traditional microsurgery, necessitating comprehensive training prior to clinical implementation. Despite the existence of various training models, they often fall short in terms of cost, ethical considerations, and infection risk. Our objective was to develop and evaluate novel training models for supermicrosurgery that are cost-effective, ethical, and risk-free.

Characteristic Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography-Computed Tomography Findings in Lower Extremity Lymphedema: Comparison to Indocyanine Green Lymphography.

Evaluation of lymph circulation is significant in lower extremity lymphedema (LEL) management. Single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography (SPECT-CT) has been introduced for lymphedema evaluation, but its characteristic findings are yet fully clarified. The purpose of this study was to reveal typical SPECT-CT findings in secondary LEL by contrasting with indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography findings.

Age-wise examination of the association of obesity based on body mass index and waist circumference with metabolic diseases in comprehensive health checkup participants.

Aim: Body mass index and waist circumference are used for obesity diagnosis and screening of visceral fat; however, their evidence in older adults is insufficient. This study investigated the age-specific association of body mass index and waist circumference with metabolic diseases, assessing their applicability as diagnostic criteria for individuals aged ≥65 years.

Methods: Analysis included 46,324 individuals aged ≥18 years, categorized into five age groups: 18-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, and ≥75 years.

Centrilobular emphysema and airway dysanapsis: factors associated with low respiratory function in younger smokers.

Background: Low respiratory function in young adulthood is one of the important factors in the trajectory leading to the future development of COPD, but its morphological characteristics are not well characterised.

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 172 subjects aged 40-49 years with ≥10 pack-years smoking history who underwent lung cancer screening by computed tomography (CT) and spirometry at two Japanese hospitals. Emphysema was visually assessed according to the Fleischner Society guidelines and classified into two types: centrilobular emphysema (CLE) and paraseptal emphysema (PSE).

Automation of etch pit analyses on solid-state nuclear track detectors with machine learning for laser-driven ion acceleration.

Solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) are often used as ion detectors in laser-driven ion acceleration experiments and are considered to be the most reliable ion diagnostics since they are sensitive only to ions and measure ions one by one. However, ion pit analyses require tremendous time and effort in chemical etching, microscope scanning, and ion pit identification by eyes. From a laser-driven ion acceleration experiment, there are typically millions of microscopic images, and it is practically impossible to analyze all of them by hand.

A reference equation for lung volume on computed tomography in Japanese middle-aged and elderly adults.

Background: Effective use of lung volume data measured on computed tomography (CT) requires reference values for specific populations. This study examined whether an equation previously generated for multiple ethnic groups in the United States, including Asians predominantly composed of Chinese people, in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) could be used for Japanese people and, if necessary, to optimize this equation. Moreover, the equation was used to characterize patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung hyperexpansion.

Application of polyimide films as a nuclear track detector (2): A latent track structure study with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

This paper reports the relation between latent track structure and the detection threshold of etch pits formation in UPILEX-S® and Kapton. At the similar stopping power value, effective track core radii and G values for heavier ions are lower than those of lighter ions. These results would be due to the difference of the radial dose distribution for low- and high-velocity ions.

Association of age with computed tomography airway tree morphology in male and female never smokers without lung disease history.

Background: Sex and aging may affect the airway tree structure in patients with airway diseases and even healthy subjects. Using chest computed tomography (CT), this study sought to determine whether age is associated with airway morphological features differently in healthy males and females.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study consecutively incorporated lung cancer screening CT data of asymptomatic never smokers (n = 431) without lung disease history.

Mass-resolved ion measurement by particle counting analysis for characterizing relativistic ion beams driven by lasers.

Particle counting analysis is a possible way to characterize GeV-scale, multi-species ions produced in laser-driven experiments. We present a multi-layered scintillation detector to differentiate multi-species ions of different masses and energies. The proposed detector concept offers potential advantages over conventional diagnostics in terms of (1) high sensitivity to GeV ions, (2) realtime analysis, and (3) the ability to differentiate ions with the same charge-to-mass ratio.

Laser-driven multi-MeV high-purity proton acceleration via anisotropic ambipolar expansion of micron-scale hydrogen clusters.

Multi-MeV high-purity proton acceleration by using a hydrogen cluster target irradiated with repetitive, relativistic intensity laser pulses has been demonstrated. Statistical analysis of hundreds of data sets highlights the existence of markedly high energy protons produced from the laser-irradiated clusters with micron-scale diameters. The spatial distribution of the accelerated protons is found to be anisotropic, where the higher energy protons are preferentially accelerated along the laser propagation direction due to the relativistic effect.

A multi-stage scintillation counter for GeV-scale multi-species ion spectroscopy in laser-driven particle acceleration experiments.

Particle counting analysis (PCA) with a multi-stage scintillation detector shows a new perspective on angularly resolved spectral characterization of GeV-scale, multi-species ion beams produced by high-power lasers. The diagnosis provides a mass-dependent ion energy spectrum based on time-of-flight and pulse-height analysis of single particle events detected through repetitive experiments. With a novel arrangement of multiple scintillators with different ions stopping powers, PCA offers potential advantages over commonly used diagnostic instruments (CR-39, radiochromic films, Thomson parabola, etc.

Robustness of large-area suspended graphene under interaction with intense laser.

Graphene is known as an atomically thin, transparent, highly electrically and thermally conductive, light-weight, and the strongest 2D material. We investigate disruptive application of graphene as a target of laser-driven ion acceleration. We develop large-area suspended graphene (LSG) and by transferring graphene layer by layer we control the thickness with precision down to a single atomic layer.

Methodological and Conceptual Progresses in Studies on the Latent Tracks in PADC.

Modified structure along latent tracks and track formation process have been investigated in poly (allyl diglycol carbonate), PADC, which is well recognized as a sensitive etched track detector. This knowledge is essential to develop novel detectors with improved track registration property. The track structures of protons and heavy ions (He, C, Ne, Ar, Fe, Kr and Xe) have been examined by means of FT-IR spectrometry, covering the stopping power region between 1.

Discriminative detection of laser-accelerated multi-MeV carbon ions utilizing solid state nuclear track detectors.

A new diagnosis method for the discriminative detection of laser-accelerated multi-MeV carbon ions from background oxygen ions utilizing solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) is proposed. The idea is to combine two kinds of SSNTDs having different track registration sensitivities: Bisphenol A polycarbonate detects carbon and the heavier ions, and polyethylene terephthalate detects oxygen and the heavier ions. The method is calibrated with mono-energetic carbon and oxygen ion beams from the heavy ion accelerator.

STOX1 deficiency is associated with renin-mediated gestational hypertension and placental defects.

The pathogenesis of preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy remains poorly defined despite the substantial burden of maternal and neonatal morbidity associated with these conditions. In particular, the role of genetic variants as determinants of disease susceptibility is understudied. Storkhead-box protein 1 (STOX1) was first identified as a preeclampsia risk gene through family-based genetic linkage studies in which loss-of-function variants were proposed to underlie increased preeclampsia susceptibility.

Loss of placental growth factor ameliorates maternal hypertension and preeclampsia in mice.

Preeclampsia remains a clinical challenge due to its poorly understood pathogenesis. A prevailing notion is that increased placental production of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) causes the maternal syndrome by inhibiting proangiogenic placental growth factor (PlGF) and VEGF. However, the significance of PlGF suppression in preeclampsia is uncertain.

A ketogenic amino acid rich diet benefits mitochondrial homeostasis by altering the AKT/4EBP1 and autophagy signaling pathways in the gastrocnemius and soleus.

Muscle biology is important topic in diabetes research. We have reported that a diet with ketogenic amino acids rich replacement (KAAR) ameliorated high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatosteatosis via activation of the autophagy system. Here, we found that a KAAR ameliorated the mitochondrial morphological alterations and associated mitochondrial dysfunction induced by an HFD through induction of the AKT/4EBP1 and autophagy signaling pathways in both fast and slow muscles.

Approaching the diffraction-limited, bandwidth-limited Petawatt.

J-KAREN-P is a high-power laser facility aiming at the highest beam quality and irradiance for performing state-of-the art experiments at the frontier of modern science. Here we approached the physical limits of the beam quality: diffraction limit of the focal spot and bandwidth limit of the pulse shape, removing the chromatic aberration, angular chirp, wavefront and spectral phase distortions. We performed accurate measurements of the spot and peak fluence after an f/1.

Characterization of micron-size hydrogen clusters using Mie scattering.

Hydrogen clusters with diameters of a few micrometer range, composed of 10 hydrogen molecules, have been produced for the first time in an expansion of supercooled, high-pressure hydrogen gas into a vacuum through a conical nozzle connected to a cryogenic pulsed solenoid valve. The size distribution of the clusters has been evaluated by measuring the angular distribution of laser light scattered from the clusters. The data were analyzed based on the Mie scattering theory combined with the Tikhonov regularization method including the instrumental functions, the validity of which was assessed by performing a calibration study using a reference target consisting of standard micro-particles with two different sizes.