Gamma-Ray-Induced Amino Acid Formation during Aqueous Alteration in Small Bodies: The Effects of Compositions of Starting Solutions.

Organic compounds, such as amino acids, are essential for the origin of life, and they may have been delivered to the prebiotic Earth from extra-terrestrial sources, such as carbonaceous chondrites. In the parent bodies of carbonaceous chondrites, the radioactive decays of short-lived radionuclides, such as Al, cause the melting of ice, and aqueous alteration occurs in the early stages of solar system formation. Many experimental studies have shown that complex organic matter, including amino acids and high-molecular-weight organic compounds, is produced by such hydrothermal processes.

Head Gesture Interface for Mouse Stick Users by AAGI.

We developed a gesture interface (AAGI) for individuals with motor dysfunction who cannot use standard interface switches. These users have cerebral palsy, quadriplegia, or traumatic brain injury and experience involuntary movement, spasticity, and so on. In this paper, we describe a disabled user who utilizes a mouth stick for laptop PC input in daily life.

Gamma-Ray-Induced Amino Acid Formation in Aqueous Small Bodies in the Early Solar System.

Carbonaceous chondrites contain life's essential building blocks, including amino acids, and their delivery of organic compounds would have played a key role in life's emergence on Earth. Aqueous alteration of carbonaceous chondrites is a widespread process induced by the heat produced by radioactive decay of nuclides like Al. Simple ubiquitous molecules like formaldehyde and ammonia could produce various organic compounds, including amino acids and complex organic macromolecules.

Space Exposure of Amino Acids and Their Precursors during the Tanpopo Mission.

Amino acids have been detected in extraterrestrial bodies such as carbonaceous chondrites (CCs), which suggests that extraterrestrial organics could be the source of the first life on Earth, and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) or micrometeorites (MMs) are promising carriers of extraterrestrial organic carbon. Some amino acids found in CCs are amino acid precursors, but these have not been well characterized. The Tanpopo mission was conducted in Earth orbit from 2015 to 2019, and the stability of glycine (Gly), hydantoin (Hyd), isovaline (Ival), 5-ethyl-5-methylhydantoin (EMHyd), and complex organics formed by proton irradiation from CO, NH, and HO (CAW) in space were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and/or gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Effects of monthly intravenous ibandronate on bone mineral density and microstructure in patients with primary osteoporosis after teriparatide treatment: The MONUMENT study.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of sequential therapy with monthly intravenous ibandronate on bone mineral density (BMD) and microstructure in patients with primary osteoporosis who received teriparatide treatment.

Methods: Sixty-six patients with primary osteoporosis who had undergone teriparatide treatment for more than 12 months (mean 18.6 months) received sequential therapy with 1 mg/month intravenous ibandronate for 12 months.

A continuous reaction network that produces RNA precursors.

Continuous reaction networks, which do not rely on purification or timely additions of reagents, serve as models for chemical evolution and have been demonstrated for compounds thought to have played important roles for the origins of life such as amino acids, hydroxy acids, and sugars. Step-by-step chemical protocols for ribonucleotide synthesis are known, but demonstrating their synthesis in the context of continuous reaction networks remains a major challenge. Herein, compounds proposed to be important for prebiotic RNA synthesis, including glycolaldehyde, cyanamide, 2-aminooxazole, and 2-aminoimidazole, are generated from a continuous reaction network, starting from an aqueous mixture of NaCl, NHCl, phosphate, and HCN as the only carbon source.

Estimating the capacity for production of formamide by radioactive minerals on the prebiotic Earth.

Water creates special problems for prebiotic chemistry, as it is thermodynamically favorable for amide and phosphodiester bonds to hydrolyze. The availability of alternative solvents with more favorable properties for the formation of prebiotic molecules on the early Earth may have helped bypass this so-called "water paradox". Formamide (FA) is one such solvent, and can serve as a nucleobase precursor, but it is difficult to envision how FA could have been generated in large quantities or accumulated in terrestrial surface environments.

Modular Gesture Interface for People with Severe Motor Dysfunction: Foot Recognition.

We have collected various gestures from persons with motor dysfunction who cannot use normal interface switches to develop contactless, non-constraining, and inexpensive gesture interfaces for operating PCs by utilizing a commercially available image range sensor. We describe the collection and classification of the gestures and the foot gesture recognition module.

Comparative toxicity of 20 herbicides to 5 periphytic algae and the relationship with mode of action.

The authors used 5 species of periphytic algae to conduct toxicity assays of 20 herbicides. The 5 tested species represent riverine primary producers most likely to be affected by herbicides. A fluorescence microplate toxicity assay was used as an efficient and economical high-throughput assay.

Evidence-based Effective Triage Operation During Disaster: Application of Human-trajectory Data to Triage Drill Sessions.

Introduction: Though many governmental and nongovernmental efforts for disaster prevention have been sought throughout Japan since the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, most of the preparation efforts for disasters have been based more on structural and conventionalized regulations than on scientific and objective grounds. Problem There has been a lack of scientific knowledge for space utilization for triage posts in disaster drill sessions. This report addresses how participants occupy and make use of the space within a triage post in terms of areas of use and occupied time.

Early staphylococcal biofilm formation on solid orthopaedic implant materials: in vitro study.

Biofilms forming on the surface of biomaterials can cause intractable implant-related infections. Bacterial adherence and early biofilm formation are influenced by the type of biomaterial used and the physical characteristics of implant surface. In this in vitro research, we evaluated the ability of Staphylococcus epidermidis, the main pathogen in implant-related infections, to form biofilms on the surface of the solid orthopaedic biomaterials, oxidized zirconium-niobium alloy, cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy (Co-Cr-Mo), titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V), commercially pure titanium (cp-Ti) and stainless steel.

Effect of surface roughness of biomaterials on Staphylococcus epidermidis adhesion.

Background: Implant-related infections are caused by adhesion of bacteria to the surface of biomaterials. In this in vitro research, we evaluated the ability of Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC35984) to adhere to the surface of solid biomaterials at different levels of roughness below 30 nm Ra and investigated the minimum level of roughness required to promote bacterial adhesion on five kinds of biomaterials: oxidized zirconium-niobium alloy (Oxinium), cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy (Co-Cr-Mo), titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4 V), commercially pure titanium (Cp-Ti) and stainless steel (SUS316L), samples of which were categorized into a fine group and a coarse group according to surface roughness. The test specimens were physically analyzed and the viable bacterial density of the adhered bacteria was quantitatively determined (n = 20).

Adherence ability of Staphylococcus epidermidis on prosthetic biomaterials: an in vitro study.

Bacterial adhesion to the surface of biomaterials is an essential step in the pathogenesis of implant-related infections. In this in vitro research, we evaluated the ability of Staphylococcus epidermidis to adhere to the surface of solid biomaterials, including oxidized zirconium-niobium alloy (Oxinium), cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy, titanium alloy, commercially pure titanium, and stainless steel, and performed a biomaterial-to-biomaterial comparison. The test specimens were physically analyzed to quantitatively determine the viable adherent density of the S.

Clinical and histomorphometrical study on titanium dioxide-coated external fixation pins.

Background: Pin site infection is the most common and significant complication of external fixation. In this work, the efficacy of pins coated with titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) for inhibition of infection was compared with that of stainless steel control pins in an in vivo study.

Methods: Pins contaminated with an identifiable Staphylococcus aureus strain were inserted into femoral bone in a rat model and exposed to ultraviolet A light for 30 minutes.

Tranexamic acid reduces perioperative blood loss in cervical laminoplasty: a prospective randomized study.

Study Design: A prospective randomized comparative study.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of tranexamic acid (TXA) on decreasing perioperative blood loss in cervical laminoplasty, in which the surgical procedure is identical in all cases.

Summary Of Background Data: TXA, an inhibitor of fibrinolysis, has proven to be effective in reducing perioperative blood loss in patients undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasty.

A case of small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix presenting Cushing's syndrome.

A proportion of small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix is known to secrete a neuroendocrine substance. However, cases presenting Cushing's syndrome due to ACTH secreted from a cervical small cell carcinoma are extremely rare. Here, we report a case of small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix that ectopically secreted ACTH and presented Cushing's syndrome.

The development and practical use of information systems in the pharmaceutical industry.

To provide information on the efficacy, safety, and quality of medicine promptly and accurately, we have developed two databases: a literature database with numerical data, and a Drug Information database. By an easy-to-use, company-wide information network system, over 1,000 medical representatives in more than 80 offices throughout Japan can retrieve information. Information derived from the system is displayed on the terminal and the original documents are automatically output through a facsimile.