Charge Trapping Process in Photoexcited Nitrogen-Doped Titanium Oxides.

We present a first-principles study on the structural changes induced by charge trapping that occurs after photoexcitation in nitrogen-doped titanium oxide (N-TiO). The charge trapping site and the corresponding K edge EXAFS spectra of Ti atoms were predicted and compared with those obtained by an experiment under ultraviolet (UV) light excitation. The results indicate that charge trapping occurs in the neighborhood of the oxygen vacancy (O-vac) sites.

A pathological complete response after neoadjuvant triplet chemotherapy for locally advanced transverse colon cancer.

Introduction: Perioperative chemotherapy could improve oncological outcomes for patients with advanced colon cancer. However, the effectiveness of triplet chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting is still unknown.

Presentation Of Case: A 61-year-old man was referred to our hospital due to abdominal distention.

Fe Ions Alleviate the Symptom of Citrus Greening Disease.

Citrus greening (CG) is among the most devastating citrus diseases worldwide. CG-infected trees exhibit interveinal chlorotic leaves due to iron (Fe) deficiency derived from CG; thus, Fe content is lower in infected leaves than in healthy leaves. In this study, we demonstrated that the foliar application of Fe relieves the symptom of CG infection in citrus trees.

Single-incision laparoscopic total colectomy using an organ retractor: A case report.

Introduction: Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) has benefits, including less postoperative pain, a shorter incision, and improved cosmesis. However, SILS is technically difficult because of the limited movement. An organ retractor is an instrument that has the potential to overcome these limitations.

First Measurement of Λ_{c} Baryon Production in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV.

We report on the first measurement of the charmed baryon Λ_{c}^{±} production at midrapidity (|y|<1) in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV collected by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The Λ_{c}/D^{0} [denoting (Λ_{c}^{+}+Λ_{c}^{-})/(D^{0}+D[over ¯]^{0})] yield ratio is measured to be 1.08±0.

Social interaction in the emergence of toddler's mealtime spoon use.

The use of a spoon for eating is among the important daily skills in early development. The article provides an analysis of how caregiver-toddler interactions guides the attention of toddlers who were first learning how to use a spoon to spoon-related action opportunities that were relevant to the mealtime context. Our analysis revealed several related results.

Application of Continuous Glucose Monitoring for Assessment of Individual Carbohydrate Requirement during Ultramarathon Race.

Background: The current study intended to evaluate the feasibility of the application of continuous glucose monitoring to guarantee optimal intake of carbohydrate to maintain blood glucose levels during a 160-km ultramarathon race.

Methods: Seven ultramarathon runners (four male and three female) took part in the study. The glucose profile was monitored continuously throughout the race, which was divided into 11 segments by timing gates.

Acute Kidney Injury Following Elective Open Aortic Repair with Suprarenal Clamping.

: To investigate predictors of acute kidney injury (AKI) following open aortic repair (OAR) requiring suprarenal clamping. : The study included 833 nonhemodialysis patients who had undergone elective OAR (with suprarenal clamping, n=73; with infrarenal clamping, n=760). We evaluated AKI as defined by the criteria of the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) and compared in-hospital outcomes between the two groups.

Etiology and impact on outcomes of polycystic kidney disease in abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Purpose: We investigated the etiology and impact on outcomes of polycystic kidney disease in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Methods: Eight-hundred patients who underwent open (n = 603) or endovascular aortic repair (n = 197) were divided into three groups: no cyst (n = 204), non-polycystic kidney (n = 503), and polycystic kidney (≥ 5 cysts in the bilateral kidneys, n = 93). The characteristics and outcomes were compared among the groups.

A new algorithm to convert a normal antibody into the corresponding catalytic antibody.

Over thousands of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been produced so far, and it would be valuable if these mAbs could be directly converted into catalytic antibodies. We have designed a system to realize the above concept by deleting Pro, a highly conserved residue in CDR-3 of the antibody light chain. The deletion of Pro is a key contributor to catalytic function of the light chain.

Locating the Inexhaustible: Material, Medium, and Ambient Information.

The fundamental difference between the enactive approach and Gibson's ecological approach lies in the view toward our shared environment. For Varela et al. (1991), a pregiven environment that exists "out there" is incompatible with the worlds enacted by various histories of life.

Clinical impact of evaluation of frailty in endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer in elderly patients.

Aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric cancer (EGC) is performed safely and effectively in elderly patients; however, whether ESD for EGC in elderly patients with frailty is safe and improves prognosis remains unclear.

Methods: In total, 142 patients aged ≥80 years who underwent ESD for EGC between September 2008 and September 2014 were included. We compared outcomes between patients with frailty and those without frailty.

Factors related to short-term outcomes and delayed systemic treatment following primary tumor resection for asymptomatic stage IV colorectal cancer.

Background: The effectiveness of primary tumor resection (PTR) for asymptomatic stage IV colorectal cancer patients to continue prolonged and safe systemic chemotherapy has recently been re-evaluated. However, postoperative complications lead to a prolonged hospital stay and delay systemic treatment, which could result in a poor oncologic outcome. The objective of this study was to identify the risk factors for morbidity and delay of systemic chemotherapy in such patients.

In situ X-ray Raman spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility study on the Li[LiMn]O oxygen anion redox reaction.

Li-rich compounds have received significant attention as electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their large rechargeable capacities (qrecha). We have demonstrated a novel reaction scheme of one of the Li-rich compounds, Li[Li0.15Mn1.

Evaluation of the Trend of Deformation around the Kanto Region Estimated Using the Time Series of PALSAR-2 Data.

In the Kanto region of Japan, a large quantity of natural gas is dissolved in brine. The large-scale production of gas and iodine in the region has caused large-scale land subsidence in the past. Therefore, continuous and accurate monitoring for subsidence using satellite remote sensing is essential to prevent extreme subsidence and ensure the safety of residences.

The C-reactive protein to albumin ratio predicts postoperative complications in oldest-old patients with colorectal cancer.

Purpose: The C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) is a simple and useful score for predicting the outcomes of patients with various cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the CAR and short-term outcomes in oldest-old patients with colorectal cancer.

Methods: A total of 126 patients aged 85 years and older with colorectal cancer who underwent resection for primary colon cancer from April 2015 to December 2018 were included.

Postmortem Quantitative Analysis of Prion Seeding Activity in the Digestive System.

Human prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders caused by prion protein. Although infectivity was historically detected only in the central nervous system and lymphoreticular tissues of patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, recent reports suggest that the seeding activity of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions accumulates in various non-neuronal organs including the liver, kidney, and skin. Therefore, we reanalyzed autopsy samples collected from patients with sporadic and genetic human prion diseases and found that seeding activity exists in almost all digestive organs.

Clinical outcomes of previously untreated patients with unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma following proton beam therapy.

Background: The effectiveness of proton beam therapy (PBT) as initial treatment for patients with unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is unclear, particularly as related to ICC histological subtypes. We performed this study to address this gap in knowledge.

Methods: Thirty-seven patients with unresectable ICC who underwent PBT as their initial treatment were evaluated.

Prion-like properties of assembled TDP-43.

A neuropathological hallmark of most neurodegenerative diseases is the appearance of characteristic inclusions composed of misfolded proteins in brains of patients. Increasing evidence shows that aggregation-prone proteins such as tau, α-synuclein and TDP-43 are accumulated in a seed-dependent and self-templating manner in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that pathological protein aggregates found in these diseases function like abnormal prion protein. Indeed, insoluble tau and α-synuclein aggregates are transferred from cell to cell both in vitro and in vivo, indicating that prion-like propagation of aberrant protein aggregates may play a key role in the pathogenesis of most neurodegenerative diseases.

Proton beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma associated with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus.

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus (IVCTT) is rare and regarded as an advanced disease stage with poor prognosis. Treatment effect data regarding HCC with IVCTT is scarce and clear evidence has not been established. This study, therefore, aims to examine the safety and effectiveness of proton beam therapy (PBT) for HCC patients with IVCTT.

[The Propagation Hypothesis of Prion-like Protein Agregates in Neurodegenerative Diseases].

The most common neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are known to be protein-misfolding diseases, and characterized by the presence of disease-specific protein aggregates in neuronal and glial cells. Recently, the propagation hypothesis of prion-like protein inclusions in neurodegenerative diseases has been proposed. Many studies have shown that aggregation-prone proteins such as tau, alpha-synuclein and TDP-43 can form aggregates in a seed-dependent and self-templating prion-like manner, and these aggregates can be transferred intercellularly to neighboring cells and seeded for further aggregation.

Prognostic value of the preoperative prognostic nutritional index in oldest-old patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), which is calculated using serum albumin and the peripheral lymphocyte count, is a simple and useful score for predicting the prognosis in patients with various cancers. The correlation between the preoperative PNI and long-term outcomes is unclear in oldest-old patients with colorectal cancer.

Methods: A total of 84 consecutive patients ≥ 85 years old who underwent resection for primary colon adenocarcinoma at our institution between April 2008 and March 2017 were retrospectively reviewed.

First Observation of the Directed Flow of D^{0} and D^{0}[over ¯] in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV.

We report the first measurement of rapidity-odd directed flow (v_{1}) for D^{0} and D^{0}[over ¯] mesons at midrapidity (|y|<0.8) in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV using the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. In 10-80% Au+Au collisions, the slope of the v_{1} rapidity dependence (dv_{1}/dy), averaged over D^{0} and D^{0}[over ¯] mesons, is -0.

Observation of Excess J/ψ Yield at Very Low Transverse Momenta in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV and U+U Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193 GeV.

We report on the first measurements of J/ψ production at very low transverse momentum (p_{T}<0.2  GeV/c) in hadronic Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV and U+U collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193  GeV. Remarkably, the inferred nuclear modification factor of J/ψ at midrapidity in Au+Au (U+U) collisions reaches about 24 (52) for p_{T}<0.