The appropriateness of the method to estimate the annual appearance frequency of the stability classes from the meteorological observations executed in a week during each of the four seasons was ...examined. This method is often employed for the environmental impact assessment of NO2 for rather small scale constructions. Meteorological data were obtained from 12 observatories throughout Japan for 11 years. Two methods were compared; Method 1: to calculate the variance of the annual appearance frequency for stability D for 10 years obtained from all the data of each year except for the year used in Method 2, and Method 2: to calculate the variance of the estimated annual appearance frequency of stability D from the summation of oneweek of observations in each of the four seasons. The F-test was applied to the hypothesis that the variance of Method 1 and Method 2 is equal. The hypothesis was rejected for more than half of the years and observatories, which suggests that it is generally not acceptable to estimate the annual appearance frequency of the stability class from four weeks of observations. Conservative results were obtained for the Gaussian dispersion calculation by considering the stability D only for the distance farther than 40 m from the source point for construction in the daytime.
Fugacity models are used widely to predict the time-dependent behaviors of chemicals in environments containing several media (e.g., air, sediment, soil, and water). However, these fugacity models ...work on the assumption that the concentration of a chemical in each medium is uniform, so they cannot describe the spatial distribution of the chemical. We developed a new fugacity model, termed InPestCFD, incorporating computational fluid dynamics to describe both the time-dependent distribution and the spatial distribution of a chemical in a medium. InPestCFD was used to calculate the behavior of an insecticide released from an aerosol canister in a room. Indoor airflow and aerosol particle behavior were calculated via computational fluid dynamics and using a Lagrangian dispersion model. Transport of the insecticide among media (aerosol particles, air, ceiling, floor, and walls) was calculated using the fugacity model. The time-dependent distributions and spatial distributions of the insecticide in the media agreed well with real measurements.
Polymerization of amphiphilic peptides stabilizes size-controlled lipid-peptide nanodiscs.
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Amphiphilic peptide ASPP1 formed lipid-peptide nanodiscs with POPC bilayer.Size of the ...ASPP1-POPC nanodiscs was controlled by lipid-to-peptide ratio.ASPP1 self-polymerized in the nanodiscs by native chemical ligation.ASPP1-POPC nanodiscs were highly resistant to heat- and urea-denaturation.
Nanodiscs are discoidal particles with a planar phospholipid bilayer enwrapped by proteins such as apolipoprotein A-I. Nanodiscs have been widely used for analyzing structures and functions of membrane proteins by dispersing them in solution. They are expected to be used as drug carriers and therapeutic agents. Amphiphilic peptides are known to form nanodiscs. However, the lipid-peptide nanodiscs are relatively unstable in solution, making them unsuitable for many applications. Here, we report the synthesis of an amphiphilic self-polymerizing peptide termed ASPP1, which polymerizes by intermolecular native chemical ligation reactions. ASPP1 spontaneously formed nanodiscs when added to phospholipid vesicles without using detergents. The diameter of the planar lipid bilayer in the nanodiscs was controlled by the lipid:peptide molar ratio. ASPP1-nanodiscs exhibited greater stability at high temperatures or in the presence of urea than nanodiscs formed by the non-polymerizing amphiphilic peptide or apolipoprotein A⿿I. Average and maximal degrees of ASPP1 polymerization were 2.4 and 12, respectively. Self-polymerization of the peptide appears to be responsible for stabilization of the nanodiscs. Our results open a new avenue for the development of nanodisc technology.
A record‐breaking high temperature of 39.8 °C for June in Japan was observed at 1420 Japan Standard Time on 24 June 2011 60 km northwest of central Tokyo. In this extreme high‐temperature (EHT) ...event, surface air temperatures above 37.0 °C were recorded in and around Kumagaya, an area just north of the convergence line between westerly winds from the Chubu Mountains and a southwesterly wind from the Pacific Ocean. To determine the mechanism of this EHT event, we applied various analyses using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and observational data. According to the heat budget analysis obtained from the WRF model, during the morning most of the sensible heat supply to the mixed layer came from the net heat input, due to surface sensible heat transported by subgrid‐scale turbulent diffusion. However, most of the net heat input came from advective heat transport after noon, when the westerly wind penetrated the EHT area. This westerly wind, according to backward trajectory, Lagrangian energy budget and Eulerian forward tracer analyses, arose from a combination of two kinds of foehn flow (‘hybrid’‐type foehn wind). Specifically, the westerly wind became a foehn wind that was caused by dry‐adiabatic heating and wet‐diabatic heating with water vapour condensation. This ‘hybrid’ foehn wind was an important factor in causing the present EHT event.
BackgroundPostpartum peripheral nerve injuries can impact recovery. Elastic stockings are recommended for thromboembolism prevention, although concerns about entrapment neuropathy exist. In this ...prospective observational study, we investigated the differential compressions caused by wearing elastic stockings before and after anesthesia, as well as changes in the diameters of the lower leg and ankle in parturient women undergoing spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean section (CS).MethodsEighteen pregnant women, classified by the American Society of Anesthesiologists as having physical status 2, underwent lower leg measurements taken before a CS. Elastic stockings were applied, and compression pressure was measured at pre-anesthesia, post-surgery, and six hours post-return to a hospital room. Fluid, blood loss, urine output, and neuropathy presence were recorded. For all parameters, changes at the three time points were compared for the primary analysis. For secondary analysis, participants were categorized as having intraoperative blood loss greater than (group P) or less than 1,000 g (group N), and factors were compared with pre-anesthesia and six hours post-return to a room. Data were analyzed and presented using a one-way analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons or unpaired two-tailed t-tests for pairwise comparison.ResultsNone of the women had postoperative entrapment neuropathy. Six patients had >1,000 g of blood loss. Compression significantly increased from pre-anesthesia (left 13.6 ± 2.4, 95% CI: 12.18 to 14.52; right 13.4 ± 2.4, 95% CI: 12.41 to 14.69) to post-surgery (left, 17.4 ± 2.6, 95% CI: 15.68 to 18.12; right, 16.9 ± 2.6, 95% CI: 16.20 to 18.70) (p < 0.01). Compression pressure at post-surgery differed significantly between group P (left, 15.3 ± 1.3; right, 14.7 ± 1.8; 95% CI: -4.98 to -0.32) and group N (left, 18.1 ± 2.9; right, 17.8 ± 2.4; 95% CI: -5.38 to -0.26) (p < 0.05). The results are expressed as mean ± standard deviation, with P-values <0.05 indicating statistical significance.ConclusionsIn this study, no neuropathy occurred; however, over-compression risk with elastic stockings, especially when exceeding recommended pressure levels, was highlighted. Balancing thromboembolism prevention and over-compression risks is crucial for patients undergoing CSs with spinal anesthesia.
The purpose of this study was to quantify the sleep disturbances caused by climate change using disability-adjusted life years (DALY). The revised sleep quality index for daily sleep (SQIDS2), a ...self-administered questionnaire for daily sleep quality, was developed to assess daily sleep disturbances. This questionnaire referenced and simplified the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). This study was conducted in Nagoya City in August 2011 and 2012. Sleep quality was measured using SQIDS2 and PSQI. A total of 574 participants in 2011 and 710 in 2012 responded to the survey. The sleep disturbance prevalence calculated from the SQIDS2 score was correlated with the daily minimum temperature (
p
= 0.0067). This score increased when the daily minimum temperature was above 24.8 °C. When correcting for the PSQI score, DALY loss due to heat-related sleep disturbances in Nagoya City (population: 2,266,851) was estimated to be 81.8 years in 2012. This value was comparable to the DALY loss due to heatstroke. Sleep disturbance due to climate change was quantified using the DALY based on the PSQI. Legislators must recognize the critical impact of the damage caused by sleep disturbances due to high temperatures at night. Additionally, a daily minimum temperature of 25 °C should be the starting point when establishing a goal or guideline for nighttime temperature.
In order to examine O2 consumption and CO2
emission in a megacity, continuous observations of atmospheric O2 and
CO2 concentrations, along with CO2 flux, have been carried out
simultaneously since ...March 2016 at the Yoyogi (YYG) site located in the
middle of Tokyo, Japan. An average O2 : CO2 exchange ratio for net
turbulent O2 and CO2 fluxes (ORF) between the urban area and
the overlaying atmosphere was obtained based on an aerodynamic method using
the observed O2 and CO2 concentrations. The yearly mean ORF
was found to be 1.62, falling within the range of the average OR values of
liquid and gas fuels, and the annual average daily mean O2 flux at YYG
was estimated to be −16.3 µmol m−2 s−1 based on the ORF
and CO2 flux. By using the observed ORF and CO2 flux, along
with the inventory-based CO2 emission from human respiration, we
estimated the average diurnal cycles of CO2 fluxes from gas and liquid
fuel consumption separately for each season. Both the estimated and
inventory-based CO2 fluxes from gas fuel consumption showed average
diurnal cycles with two peaks, one in the morning and another one in the
evening; however, the evening peak of the inventory-based gas consumption
was much larger than that estimated from the CO2 flux. This can explain
the discrepancy between the observed and inventory-based total CO2
fluxes at YYG. Therefore, simultaneous observations of ORF and CO2
flux are useful in validating CO2 emission inventories from statistical
data.
Keywords: Acute myeloid leukemia; RUNX1-RUNX1T1; Pseudo-Chediak-Higashi granules Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Pediatrics, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan (2) ...Department of Pediatrics, National Hospital Organization Maizuru Medical Center, 2410, Azayukinaga, 625-8502, Maizuru, Japan (3) Infection Control and Laboratory Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan (a) hkondo@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp (b) kanaya-t@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp Article History: Registration Date: 03/22/2021 Received Date: 01/27/2021 Accepted Date: 03/21/2021 Online Date: 03/29/2021 Byline:
The utilization of numerical atmospheric dispersion prediction (NDP) models for assisting the emergency response to emission of radionuclides has been recommended by a working group of the ...Meteorological Society of Japan. This paper verifies the feasibility of the recommendation through NDP model intercomparison with limited emission source information for the case of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. According to the recommendation of the working group, the NDP models are run under the assumption of a constant rate of emission during the whole forecast period. This is the worst-case scenario when limited source information is available. Generally, no information is provided on the temporal variability and strength of the emissions, while the source location is known. Surface air radionuclide forecasts are utilized for providing warnings of the risk of inhaling radioactive substances suspended in the low-level atmosphere, whereas column-integrated radionuclide forecasts are utilized for estimating the potential maximum wet deposition of radioactive materials on the ground due to precipitation. The NDP model short-range forecasts were validated with observational data for three locations, at the times when the most serious contamination events occurred at each of the three monitoring stations. The NDP models successfully predicted the risk of surface air contamination and/or ground surface contamination caused by wet deposition in these cases. Particularly, the NDP model forecasts allow us to disseminate warnings at effective lead times before exposure to radiation. The different NDP models gradually deviate their forecasts as the lead time progresses. The deviations may indicate the magnitude of forecast errors. Thus, the use of multi-model forecasts is of greater benefit than the single model forecasts, because forecast error information is suggested.
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•We propose the use of prediction models for environmental emergencies.•We performed model prediction experiments for atmospheric radionuclide dispersion.•The prediction models were validated with the Fukushima nuclear accident data.•Model prediction allows us to disseminate warnings at effective lead times.
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