Impact of avalanche type of transport on internal transport barrier formation in tokamak plasmas.

In magnetic fusion plasmas, a transport barrier is essential to improve the plasma confinement. The key physics behind the formation of a transport barrier is the suppression of the micro-scale turbulent transport. On the other hand, long-range transport events, such as avalanches, has been recognized to play significant roles for global profile formations.

Activities of medical centers for athletes and spectators at cycling track events in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Aim: We focused on the preparation and activities of clinics for spectators and athletes in the Izu Velodrome in Shizuoka Prefecture, which was managed by the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOC).

Methods: Two medical clinics were established for the track cycling competition: one for Olympians and their associates, and one for spectators, TOC-related individuals, and volunteers. Each medical clinic had two separate buildings.

Prediction of a single Gaussian shape of spectral line measured with low-dispersion spectrometer by using machine learning.

We have developed a denoising autoencoder based neural network (NN) method to determine a spectral line intensity with an uncertainty lower than the uncertainty determined by fitting the spectral line. The NN method processes the measured raw spectral line shape, providing a single Gaussian shape based on the training dataset, which consists of synthetically prepared Doppler shift and broadening free spectral lines in the present work. It is found that the uncertainty reduction level significantly depends on the training dataset.

Comparison of methods for predicting genomic breeding values for growth traits in Nellore cattle.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of genomic predictions of growth traits in Nellore cattle. Data from 5064 animals belonging to farms that participate in the Conexão DeltaGen and PAINT breeding programs were used. Genotyping was performed with the Illumina BovineHD BeadChip (777,962 SNPs).

Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis are Beneficial Tools for Measuring the Trunk Muscle Mass of Patients with Low Back Pain.

Introduction: Limb muscle mass measurement using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of sarcopenia. Moreover, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is also recognized as a beneficial tool considering its high correlation with DXA. However, it remains to be elucidated whether DXA and BIA can accurately measure trunk lean mass.

Use of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis for the Measurement of Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass/Whole Fat Mass and Its Relevance in Assessing Osteoporosis among Patients with Low Back Pain: A Comparative Analysis Using Dual X-ray Absorptiometry.

Study Design: Cross-sectional observational study.

Purpose: To compare measurements of appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASMM) and whole fat mass (WFM) obtained using dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) among patients with low back pain (LBP). Moreover, the study investigated the correlation between BIA-based ASMM and DXA-based bone mineral density (BMD).

The effects of minodronate and activated vitamin D on bone mineral density and muscle mass in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

Introduction: Osteoporosis and sarcopenia are said to be similar disorders. However, few reports have described the effects of anti-osteoporosis drugs on muscle mass in clinical practice.

Methods: We selected 150 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis treated by minodronate (osteoporosis medication [OM] group) and 50 postmenopausal women without osteoporosis who did not receive treatment (no osteoporosis [NO] group).

Genome-wide association study for growth traits in Nelore cattle.

The objective of this study was to investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with birth weight, weight gain from birth to weaning and from weaning to yearling, yearling height and cow weight in Nelore cattle. Data from 5064 animals participating in the DeltaGen and PAINT breeding programs were used. The animals were genotyped with a panel of 777 962 SNPs (Illumina BovineHD BeadChip) and 412 993 SNPs remained after quality control analysis of the genomic data.

A Clinical Prospective Observational Cohort Study on the Prevalence and Primary Diagnostic Accuracy of Occult Vertebral Fractures in Aged Women with Acute Lower Back Pain Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Background: Elderly female patients complaints of acute low back pain (LBP) may involve vertebral fracture (VF), among which occult VF (OVF: early-stage VF without any morphological change) is often missed to be detected by primary X-ray examination. The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of VF and OVF and the diagnostic accuracy of the initial X-ray in detecting OVF.

Method: Subjects were elderly women (>70 years old) complaining of acute LBP with an accurate onset date.

Measurement of neutral gas pressure in the D-module of GAMMA 10/PDX by using ASDEX type fast ionization gauge.

In the divertor simulation experiments in the GAMMA 10/PDX tandem mirror, pressure of the neutral gas was investigated by using a fast ionization gauge. The gauge was absolutely calibrated for hydrogen gas by using a capacitance manometer. Change of the gauge sensitivity due to the magnetic field of GAMMA 10/PDX was also evaluated.

Quality of Life in Patients With Untreated and Symptomatic Hallux Valgus.

Background: The purposes of this study were to compare the quality of life (QOL) of subjects who had untreated symptomatic hallux valgus with the QOL of the general population and to investigate factors associated with the QOL of the subjects.

Methods: One hundred sixteen subjects with previously untreated and symptomatic hallux valgus were surveyed. QOL was assessed using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).

Genome-Wide Association Study for Indicator Traits of Sexual Precocity in Nellore Cattle.

The objective of this study was to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to detect chromosome regions associated with indicator traits of sexual precocity in Nellore cattle. Data from Nellore animals belonging to farms which participate in the DeltaGen® and Paint® animal breeding programs, were used. The traits used in this study were the occurrence of early pregnancy (EP) and scrotal circumference (SC).

Lower Lumbar Segmental Arteries Can Intersect Over the Intervertebral Disc in the Oblique Lateral Interbody Fusion Approach With a Risk for Arterial Injury: Radiological Analysis of Lumbar Segmental Arteries by Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Study Design: A retrospective radiological study on vascular anatomy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the anatomical and radiological features of lumbar segmental arteries with respect to the surgical field of the oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) approach by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Summary Of Background Data: OLIF surgery restores disc height and enables indirect decompression of narrowed spinal canals through an oblique lateral approach to the spine, by using a specially designed retractor.

Genetic associations between scrotal circumference and female reproductive traits in Nelore cattle.

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic associations between scrotal circumference obtained at 12 (SC12; mean of 21.46 ± 2.74 cm), 15 (SC15; mean of 25.

Evaluation of productivity of sexually precocious Nelore heifers.

The objectives of the present study were to investigate the influence of yearling weight on the occurrence of early pregnancy and to determine differences between precocious and non-precocious heifers in terms of pre- and postnatal calf mortality, calf weight and height, mature cow weight, and stayability of the cow in the herd. Data from 26 977 females of a Nelore herd that participated in the breeding season between 1986 and 2004 were analyzed. The influence of yearling weight on sexual precocity and differences between precocious and non-precocious heifers in pre- and postnatal calf mortality and stayability were analyzed using the GENMOD procedure of the SAS program.

Work stress among nurses engaged in palliative care on general wards.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to elucidate the work stress among nurses engaged in palliative care on general wards. The relationship between nurses' psychological characteristics and stress was the particular focus of this study in order to clarify the actual stress situation.

Methods: Nurses with ≥3 years of experience in palliative care on general wards were surveyed with respect to their personal characteristics, work stress using a scale created by the authors, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) short version, and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS).

Evaluation of the effect of glucosamine administration on biomarkers of cartilage and bone metabolism in bicycle racers.

In the present study, the effect of glucosamine administration (1.5 or 3 g/day) on cartilage and bone metabolism was investigated in bicycle racers, using cartilage‑ and bone‑specific biomarkers, including C‑terminal cross‑linked telopeptides of type II collagen (CTX‑II), C‑terminal propeptides of type II procollagen (CPII), N‑terminal telopeptides of bone‑specific type I collagen (NTx) and bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP). The results indicate that CPII (a marker of type II collagen synthesis) was not substantially changed, however, CTX‑II (a marker of type II degradation) was reduced by glucosamine administration, particularly at a dose of 3 g/day.

Pedicle freezing with liquid nitrogen for malignant bone tumour in the radius: a new technique of osteotomy of the ulna.

We describe a new technique of pedicle freezing of the distal radius with malignant bone tumour and osteotomy of the normal ulna. The distal radius was sufficiently elevated to enable freezing without damaging adjacent tissues by releasing the distal radio-ulnar and radio-carpal joint and cutting the middle third of the ulna. The distal radius (including the tumour) was soaked in liquid nitrogen and the defect filled with iliac grafts.

Creation of a questionnaire to measure stress among nurses engaged in palliative care on general wards.

Purpose: This study was conducted to create a questionnaire that measures stress among nurses engaged in palliative care on general wards.

Methods: Nurses with at least 3 years of experience involved in palliative care on a general ward in six facilities in Japan were the subjects from September 7 to October 4, 2004. A draft questionnaire on stress factors and conditions of stress in nurses engaged in end-of-life care was created, and question items and content meaning were revised to produce 32 question items, with a four-point Likert scale for the responses.

Bone versus soft-tissue sarcomas in the elderly.

Purpose: To compare survival rates in the elderly with bone versus soft-tissue sarcomas.

Methods: Records of 12 men and 8 women aged 70 to 91 (mean, 77) years with bone or soft-tissue sarcomas were retrospectively reviewed. The grade, size, location, and stage of the sarcomas, as well as their surgical margins, treatment modalities, local recurrence, metastasis, and prognosis were recorded.

Xanthoma of bone associated with lipoprotein lipase deficiency.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) deficiency is an extremely rare congenital metabolic disorder with an accumulation of chylomicrons in the blood. We encountered a patient with an LPL deficiency leading to multiple bone xanthomas associated with hyperlipidemia. Radiographs and MRI of the humerus and femur revealed symmetrical bone lesions, and there is a possibility that these symmetrical lesions may therefore be a characteristic feature for this disorder.

Extraskeletal osteosarcoma in Japan: multiinstitutional study of 20 patients from the Japanese Musculoskeletal Oncology Group.

Background: The clinical features of extraskeletal osteosarcoma are not well known. Unlike osteosarcoma of the bone, the efficacy of chemotherapy for extraskeletal osteosarcoma has not been established yet.

Methods: A multiinstitutional study of extraskeletal osteosarcoma was conducted.

Primary pleomorphic liposarcoma of bone: MRI findings and review of the literature.

Primary liposarcoma of bone is exceedingly rare. We report a case of primary pleomorphic liposarcoma in the humerus of a 38-year-old female. Radiographs demonstrated an expansile and osteolytic lesion extending from the head to the proximal part of the shaft in the right humerus.

Clear cell sarcoma arising from the chest wall: a case report.

Clear cell sarcoma is a rare malignant soft tissue neoplasm that usually arises adjacent to tendons or aponeuroses. The clinical course is rather slow, with repeated local recurrences followed by late metastases and eventual death. The principal sites of this neoplasm are the extremities, but tumors do occur in the trunk on rare occasions.

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 stimulates differentiation of cultured spinal ligament cells from patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the spine is characterized by heterotopic bone formation occurring in spinal ligament, causing severe compression myelopathy. In order to investigate the mechanism of OPLL development, we isolated spinal ligament cells from OPLL patients as well as non-OPLL patients, and established 10 OPLL cell lines and 7 non-OPLL cell lines, respectively. We analyzed the effects of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) on these cells with respect to alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity, DNA synthesis, and collagen production.