Probing New Bosons and Nuclear Structure with Ytterbium Isotope Shifts.

In this Letter, we present mass-ratio measurements on highly charged Yb^{42+} ions with a precision of 4×10^{-12} and isotope-shift measurements on Yb^{+} on the ^{2}S_{1/2}→^{2}D_{5/2} and ^{2}S_{1/2}→^{2}F_{7/2} transitions with a precision of 4×10^{-9} for the isotopes ^{168,170,172,174,176}Yb. We present a new method that allows us to extract higher-order changes in the nuclear charge distribution along the Yb isotope chain, benchmarking ab initio nuclear structure calculations. Additionally, we perform a King plot analysis to set bounds on a fifth force in the keV/c^{2} to MeV/c^{2} range coupling to electrons and neutrons.

Novel Pacemaker Relocation Method for Radiotherapy Against Overlapping Lung Cancer.

We experienced a case of a patient with a history of pacemaker implantation who was found to have lung cancer just behind the pacemaker. She was an 80-year-old woman with a history of valve replacement, pacemaker implantation, and sarcoidosis. Computed tomography showed a ground-glass opacity of 1.

The impact of nuclear shape on the emergence of the neutron dripline.

Atomic nuclei are composed of a certain number of protons Z and neutrons N. A natural question is how large Z and N can be. The study of superheavy elements explores the large Z limit, and we are still looking for a comprehensive theoretical explanation of the largest possible N for a given Z-the existence limit for the neutron-rich isotopes of a given atomic species, known as the neutron dripline.

Novel Shape Evolution in Sn Isotopes from Magic Numbers 50 to 82.

A novel shape evolution in the Sn isotopes by the state-of-the-art application of the Monte Carlo shell model calculations is presented in a unified way for the ^{100-138}Sn isotopes. A large model space consisting of eight single-particle orbits for protons and neutrons is taken with the fixed Hamiltonian and effective charges, where protons in the 1g_{9/2} orbital are fully activated. While the significant increase of the B(E2;0_{1}^{+}→2_{1}^{+}) value, seen around ^{110}Sn as a function of neutron number (N), has remained a major puzzle over decades, it is explained as a consequence of the shape evolution driven by proton excitations from the 1g_{9/2} orbital.

Double Gamow-Teller Transitions and its Relation to Neutrinoless ββ Decay.

We study the double Gamow-Teller (DGT) strength distribution of ^{48}Ca with state-of-the-art large-scale nuclear shell model calculations. Our analysis shows that the centroid energy of the DGT giant resonance depends mostly on the isovector pairing interaction, while the resonance width is more sensitive to isoscalar pairing. Pairing correlations are also key in neutrinoless ββ (0νββ) decay.

Quantum Phase Transition in the Shape of Zr isotopes.

The rapid shape change in Zr isotopes near neutron number N=60 is identified to be caused by type II shell evolution associated with massive proton excitations to its 0g_{9/2} orbit, and is shown to be a quantum phase transition. Monte Carlo shell-model calculations are carried out for Zr isotopes of N=50-70 with many configurations spanned by eight proton orbits and eight neutron orbits. Energy levels and B(E2) values are obtained within a single framework in good agreement with experiment, depicting various shapes in going from N=50 to 70.

Nature of isomerism in exotic sulfur isotopes.

We clarify the origin of the anomalously hindered E2 decay from the 4_{1}^{+} level in ^{44}S by performing a novel many-body analysis in the shell model. Within a unified picture about the occurrence of isomerism in neutron-rich sulfur isotopes, the 4_{1}^{+} state is demonstrated to be a K=4 isomer dominated by the two-quasiparticle configuration νΩ^{π}=1/2^{-}⊗νΩ^{π}=7/2^{-}. The 4_{1}^{+} state in ^{44}S is a new type of high-K isomer which has significant triaxiality.

Incorporating GSA-SPECT into CT-based dose-volume histograms for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma radiotherapy.

In single photon emission computed tomography-based three-dimensional radiotherapy (SPECT-B-3DCRT), images of Tc-99m galactosyl human serum albumin (GSA), which bind to receptors on functional liver cells, are merged with the computed tomography simulation images. Functional liver is defined as the area of normal liver where GSA accumulation exceeds that of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In cirrhotic patients with a gigantic, proton-beam-untreatable HCC of ≥ 14 cm in diameter, the use of SPECT-B-3DCRT in combination with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization achieved a 2-year local tumor control rate of 78.

Radiation dose to rectum in high-dose-rate brachytherapy with a single implant and two fractions for prostate cancer, and its prediction by prostate volume.

We aimed to clarify the differences between the estimated rectal dose (ERD) and the first measured dose (FMD) and second measured dose (SMD) to the rectum during high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, and to predict FMD from the prostate volume (PV) or the rectal dose-volume parameters (RDVPs). ERD, FMD, and SMD were assessed with a rectal dosimeter during HDR brachytherapy of 18 Gy given in two fractions to 110 patients (48 hormone recipients, 62 hormone-naïve patients) with prostate cancer. The correlations between FMD and PV, and between FMD and RDVP (D 2ml-D 5ml) were investigated.

Mean-field derivation of the interacting boson model Hamiltonian and exotic nuclei.

A novel way of determining the Hamiltonian of the interacting boson model (IBM) is proposed. Based on the fact that the potential energy surface of the mean-field model, e.g.

Primary cardiac osteosarcoma in a young man with severe congestive heart failure.

A primary cardiac malignant tumor is very rare; its prevalence is only 0.002-0.28%.

Relation between oscillatory ventilation at rest before cardiopulmonary exercise testing and prognosis in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

Background: Although nocturnal Cheyne-Stokes respiration alternating between hyperpnea and hypopnea has been considered a sign of severe heart failure, the clinical status of cardiac patients who exhibit oscillatory ventilation during wakefulness has not been clarified. This study was carried out to determine the relation between oscillatory ventilation during wakefulness and exercise capacity in patients with chronic heart disease. We also evaluated retrospectively whether the presence of oscillatory ventilation influences the long-term prognosis in these patients.

Effects of nitric oxide inhalation on periodic breathing in awake patients with chronic heart disease.

Background: Periodic breathing, an abnormal pattern of respiration consisting of alternating hyperpnea and hypopnea, has been recognized in patients with heart failure. Although fluctuations in pulmonary blood flow have been considered as a possible cause of this type of breathing, its patho-physiological mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we sought to determine whether inhaled nitric oxide (NO), a selective pulmonary vasodilator, attenuates periodic breathing.

New biomarker evidence of oxidative DNA damage in whole saliva from clinically healthy and periodontally diseased individuals.

Background: There is an increasing body of evidence implicating reactive oxygen species in the pathogenesis of periodontal tissue destruction. 8-Hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is one of the most commonly used markers to evaluate oxidative damage in a number of disorders including chronic inflammatory diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate 8-OHdG levels in whole saliva of patients with periodontitis and to assess the changes after initial treatment.