Heat-Induced Liquid Hovering in Liquid-Gas Coexistence under Gravity.

We study a liquid-gas coexistence system in a container under gravity with heat flow in the direction opposite to gravity. By molecular dynamics simulation, we find that the liquid buoys up and continues to float steadily. The height at which the liquid floats is determined by a dimensionless parameter related to the ratio of the temperature gradient to gravity.

Control of Metastable States by Heat Flux in the Hamiltonian Potts Model.

The local equilibrium thermodynamics is a basic assumption of macroscopic descriptions of the out of equilibrium dynamics for Hamiltonian systems. We numerically analyze the Hamiltonian Potts model in two dimensions to study the violation of the assumption for phase coexistence in heat conduction. We observe that the temperature of the interface between ordered and disordered states deviates from the equilibrium transition temperature, indicating that metastable states at equilibrium are stabilized by the influence of a heat flux.

Stochastic order parameter dynamics for phase coexistence in heat conduction.

We propose a stochastic order parameter model for describing phase coexistence in steady heat conduction near equilibrium. By analyzing the stochastic dynamics with a nonequilibrium adiabatic boundary condition, where total energy is conserved over time, we derive a variational principle that determines thermodynamic properties in nonequilibrium steady states. The resulting variational principle indicates that the temperature of the interface between the ordered region and the disordered region becomes greater (less) than the equilibrium transition temperature in the linear response regime when the thermal conductivity in the ordered region is less (greater) than that in the disordered region.

Effective Langevin equations leading to large deviation function of time-averaged velocity for a nonequilibrium Rayleigh piston.

We study fluctuating dynamics of a freely movable piston that separates an infinite cylinder into two regions filled with ideal gas particles at the same pressure but different temperatures. To investigate statistical properties of the time-averaged velocity of the piston in the long-time limit, we perturbatively calculate the large deviation function of the time-averaged velocity. Then, we derive an infinite number of effective Langevin equations yielding the same large deviation function as in the original model.

Complex hereditary spastic paraplegia associated with episodic visual loss caused by ACO2 variants.

Most patients with homozygous or compound heterozygous pathogenic ACO2 variants present with muscular hypotonia features, namely, infantile cerebellar-retinal degeneration. Recently, two studies reported rare familial cases of ACO2 variants presenting as complex hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) with broad clinical spectra. Here, we report the case of a 20-year-old Japanese woman with complex HSP caused by compound heterozygous ACO2 variants, revealing a new phenotype of episodic visual loss during febrile illness.

Unattainability of Carnot efficiency in thermal motors: Coarse graining and entropy production of Feynman-Smoluchowski ratchets.

We revisit and analyze the thermodynamic efficiency of the Feynman-Smoluchowski (FS) ratchet, a classical thought experiment describing an autonomous heat-work converter. Starting from the full kinetics of the FS ratchet and deriving the exact forms of the hidden dissipations resulting from coarse graining, we restate the historical controversy over its thermodynamic efficiency. The existence of hidden entropy productions implies that the standard framework of stochastic thermodynamics applied to the coarse-grained descriptions fails in capturing the dissipative feature of the system.

Liquid-Gas Transitions in Steady Heat Conduction.

We study liquid-gas transitions of heat conduction systems in contact with two heat baths under constant pressure in the linear response regime. On the basis of local equilibrium thermodynamics, we propose an equality with a global temperature, which determines the volume near the equilibrium liquid-gas transition. We find that the formation of the liquid-gas interface is accompanied by a discontinuous change in the volume when increasing the mean temperature of the baths.

Numerical determination of entropy associated with excess heat in steady-state thermodynamics.

We numerically determine the global entropy for heat-conducting states, which is connected to the so-called excess heat considered as a basic quantity for steady-state thermodynamics in nonequilibrium. We adopt an efficient method to estimate the global entropy from the bare heat current and find that the obtained entropy agrees with the familiar local equilibrium hypothesis well. Our method possesses a wider applicability than local equilibrium and opens a possibility to compare thermodynamic properties of complex systems in nonequilibrium with those in the local equilibrium.

Clinical Diagnosis of Mendelian Disorders Using a Comprehensive Gene-Targeted Panel Test for Next-Generation Sequencing.

Background: Genetic diagnoses provide beneficial information to patients and families. However, traditional genetic diagnoses are often difficult even for experienced clinicians and require recognition of characteristic patterns of signs or symptoms to guide targeted genetic testing for the confirmation of diagnoses. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a powerful genetic diagnostic tool.

Universal expression for adiabatic pumping in terms of nonequilibrium steady states.

We develop a unified treatment of pumping and nonequilibrium thermodynamics. We show that the pumping current generated through an adiabatic mechanical operation in equilibrium can be expressed in terms of the stationary distribution of the corresponding driven nonequilibrium system. We also show that the total transfer in pumping can be evaluated from the work imported to the driven counterpart.

Characterization of the low-temperature properties of a simplified protein model.

Prompted by results that showed that a simple protein model, the frustrated Gō model, appears to exhibit a transition reminiscent of the protein dynamical transition, we examine the validity of this model to describe the low-temperature properties of proteins. First, we examine equilibrium fluctuations. We calculate its incoherent neutron-scattering structure factor and show that it can be well described by a theory using the one-phonon approximation.

Environmental impact assessment using a utility-based recursive evidential reasoning approach for structural flood mitigation measures in Metro Manila, Philippines.

In recent years, the practice of environmental impact assessment (EIA) has created significant awareness on the role of environmentally sound projects in sustainable development. In view of the recent studies on the effects of climate change, the Philippine government has given high priority to the construction of flood control structures to alleviate the destructive effects of unmitigated floods, especially in highly urbanized areas like Metro Manila. EIA thus, should be carefully and effectively carried out to maximize or optimize the potential benefits that can be derived from structural flood mitigation measures (SFMMs).

Environmental impact assessment of structural flood mitigation measures by a rapid impact assessment matrix (RIAM) technique: a case study in Metro Manila, Philippines.

In recent decades, the practice of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in the planning processes of infrastructure projects has created significant awareness on the benefits of environmentally sound and sustainable urban development around the world. In the highly urbanized megacities in the Philippines, like Metro Manila, high priority is given by the national government to structural flood mitigation measures (SFMM) due to the persistently high frequency of flood-related disasters, which are exacerbated by the on-going effects of climate change. EIA thus, should be carefully and effectively executed to maximize the potential benefits of the SFMM.

Novel semisynthetic antibiotics from caprazamycins A-G: caprazene derivatives and their antibacterial activity.

Acidic treatment of a mixture of caprazamycins (CPZs) A-G isolated from a screen of novel antimycobacterial agents gave caprazene, a core structure of CPZs, in high yield. Chemical modification of the resulting caprazene was performed to give its various derivatives. The structure-activity relationships of the caprazene derivatives against several mycobacterial species and pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were studied.

Work relations for time-dependent states.

For time-dependent states generated by an external operation, a generalized free energy may be introduced by the relative entropy with respect to an equilibrium state realized after sufficient relaxation from the time-dependent states. Recently, by studying overdamped systems, Sivak and Crooks presented a formula that relates the generalized free energy with measurable thermodynamic works. We rederive this relation with emphasizing a connection to an extended Clausius relation proposed in the framework of steady state thermodynamics.

Work relation and the second law of thermodynamics in nonequilibrium steady states.

We extend Jarzynski's work relation and the second law of thermodynamics to a heat conducting system, which is operated by an external agent. These extensions contain a nonequilibrium contribution expressed as the violation of the (linear) response relation caused by the operation. We find that a natural extension of the minimum work principle involves information about the time-reversed operation, and is far from straightforward.

A fate model of pathogenic viruses in a composting toilet based on coliphage inactivation.

A composting toilet using sawdust as a matrix has the potential to trap pathogens that might occasionally be contained in human feces. Therefore, care should be taken when handling the sawdust. It should also be noted that pathogenic viruses tend to have stronger tolerance than pathogenic bacteria.

Critical examination of the inherent-structure-landscape analysis of two-state folding proteins.

Recent studies attracted the attention on the inherent-structure-landscape (ISL) approach as a reduced description of proteins allowing to map their full thermodynamic properties. However, the analysis has been so far limited to a single topology of a two-state folding protein, and the simplifying assumptions of the method have not been examined. In this work, we construct the thermodynamics of four two-state folding proteins of different sizes and secondary structure by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the ISL method and critically examine possible limitations of the method.

[Differences of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels performed using two different analyzers].

The measurement of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is going to become more wide-spread as a noninvasive marker for diagnosing and controlling bronchial asthma. In Japan, both stationary and portable FeNO analyzers are now available. However, the difference between these analyzers has not been fully examined.

[Transesophageal endoscopic ultrasonography guided-fine needle aspiration for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis].

Sarcoidosis is a multi-organ disorder of unknown etiology characterized by noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas. The specimen for histopathological diagnosis is usually obtained by transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB), but the diagnostic accuracy rate of TBLB is not satisfactory, especially for stage I patients. Since hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy is a common finding in patients with sarcoidosis, an approach to lymph nodes is expected to have a good diagnosis yield.

Monoclonal antibodies in man that neutralized H3N2 influenza viruses were classified into three groups with distinct strain specificity: 1968-1973, 1977-1993 and 1997-2003.

We tried to reveal the strain specificity of neutralizing mAbs against H3N2 influenza viruses in individuals. A large number of B lymphocytes of a pediatrician were collected by apheresis and two Ab libraries were constructed at 2004 and 2007 by using the phage-display technology. The libraries were screened against 12 different H3 strains of flu isolated between 1968 and 2004.

Sensitivity of rapid immunoassay for influenza A and B in the early phase of the disease.

Background: Immunochromatography (IC) tests are often used for the rapid diagnosis of influenza. Once influenza is diagnosed, an anti-influenza drug can be administered. Physicians claim, however, that they are not sufficiently sensitive, especially in the early phase of the disease.

Cocirculation of antigenic variants and the vaccine-type virus during the 2004-2005 influenza B virus epidemics in Japan.

In the 2004-2005 season, there was a large epidemic of the influenza B virus Yamagata group in Kobe, Japan. In hemagglutination inhibition tests, most of the clinical isolates from Kobe showed antigenicities similar to those of previous isolates (the vaccine-type virus). Only a few antigenic variants were isolated around the peak of the epidemic; however, Kobe residents developed antibodies against the variants during the season.