Mobilisation of seed storage reserves is important for seedling establishment in Arabidopsis. In this process, sucrose is synthesised from triacylglycerol via core metabolic processes. Mutants with defects in triacylglycerol-to-sucrose conversion display short etiolated seedlings. We found that whereas sucrose content in the indole-3-butyric acid response 10 (ibr10) mutant was significantly reduced, hypocotyl elongation in the dark was unaffected, questioning the role of IBR10 in this process. To dissect the metabolic complexity behind cell elongation, a quantitative-based phenotypic analysis combined with a multi-platform metabolomics approach was applied. We revealed that triacylglycerol and diacylglycerol breakdown were disrupted in ibr10, resulting in low sugar content and poor photosynthetic ability. Importantly, batch-learning self-organised map clustering revealed that threonine level was correlated with hypocotyl length. Consistently, exogenous threonine supply stimulated hypocotyl elongation, indicating that sucrose levels are not always correlated with etiolated seedling length, suggesting the contribution of amino acids in this process.

A software release game was formulated by Zeephongsekul and Chiera [Zeephongsekul, P. & Chiera, C. (1995). Optimal software release policy based on a two-person game of timing. Journal of Applied Probability 32: 470–481] and was reconsidered by Dohi et al. [Dohi, T., Teraoka, Y., & Osaki, S. (2000). Software release games. Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications 105(2): 325–346] in a framework of two-person nonzero-sum games. In this paper, we further point out the faults in the above literature and revisit the Nash equilibrium strategies in the software release games from the viewpoints of both silent and noisy type of games. It is shown that the Nash equilibrium strategies in the silent and noisy of software release games exist under some parametric conditions.

Smallpox is an acute, febrile, contagious disease caused by the Variola virus, which is a member of the Poxviridae family. Until the 1970s, smallpox had been a pandemic disease for more than 3000 years, endemic in tropical and developing areas and periodically epidemic worldwide. The World Health Organization declared smallpox to be completely eradicated in 1980 as the result of global vaccination efforts. At that time, all routine vaccination programs were terminated, given the success of this monumental eradication. Although smallpox remains fully eradicated, uncertainty exists regarding the possibility of recurrent smallpox outbreaks. At the end of the Cold War, concerns regarding unstable international security and the feasibility of terrorism with weapons of mass destruction have been highlighted. The potential threat of intentional release of smallpox has forced regional health authorities to reconsider their political landscape and create preparedness plans to protect the community in the event of biological attacks. Here we present current countermeasures to this biological threat in Japan and discuss methods for strengthening public health preparedness both domestically and internationally. These methods include infection control, vaccination policy, and international partnerships to help deter or contain a contagious smallpox pandemic. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:220-223)

Rapid development in the area of low-temperature fuel cells has led to increased attention on catalyst synthesis with cost effective and environmentally-benign technology (green chemistry). In this study, a highly dispersed palladium nanoparticle catalyst was successfully prepared on a bacterial cell support by a single-step, room-temperature microbial method without dispersing agents. The metal ion reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis were able to reduce palladium ions into insoluble palladium at room temperature when formate was provided as the electron donor. The prepared biomass-supported palladium nanoparticles were characterized for their catalytic activity as anodes in polymer electric membrane fuel cell for power production. The maximum power generation of the biomass-supported palladium catalyst was up to 90% of that of a commercial palladium catalyst.

The first dedicated space-VLBI project, the VLBI Space Observatory Programme (VSOP), commenced with the successful launch of radio-astronomical satellite HALCA in 1997. Plans for a second generation space-VLBI project have been made by a working group over a number of years. This project, VSOP-2, has now been approved by Japan's space agency, JAXA, as the ASTRO-G project. It is planned for the spacecraft to observe in the 8, 22 and 43 GHz bands with cooled receivers for the two higher bands, which include important maser lines. It will have a maximum angular resolution at 43 GHz (7 mm) of about 40 micro-arcseconds. Although the VSOP project mainly observed continuum emission from active galactic nuclei (AGN), VSOP-2/ASTRO-G is expected to enable a variety of high angular resolution maser line observations.

Objective: It is known that families of terminally-ill cancer patients show levels of emotional and functional disruption and are called “second order patients,” however, little is actually known about the health problems of family members, especially in terms of cancer.

Methods: This study reviewed the family histories of terminally-ill cancer patients in a palliative care unit and investigated cancer related health problems of the spouses of terminally-ill cancer patients.

Results: We investigated the past medical history of 125 spouses of terminally-ill cancer patients and found that five spouses had a past medical history of cancer. In these five spouses, the duration of illness, present status of treatment and physical condition were reviewed from the database. Of these five spouses, three patients continued to attend an outpatient clinic regularly for checkup and one patient was hospitalized for nephrectomy. Two spouses did not have physical symptoms that made them unable to provide direct care for the terminally-ill spouses, while three could not provide care because of their own physical symptoms derived from cancer.

Significance of results: Our findings indicated that some of the spouses of terminally-ill cancer patients are not only “second order patients” but also “cancer patients.” Our findings also suggest that some spouses of terminally-ill cancer patients might experience distress both as a cancer patient and as a spouse and may need care both as a cancer patient and as a spouse.

In this communication, we report an acute leukemia patient who developed conversion disorder mimicking the adverse effects of high-dose cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) treatment after the patient received high-dose Ara-C treatment.

A 21-year-old woman, with acute recurrent leukemia after bone marrow transplantation, received high-dose Ara-C treatment and 10 days later was referred for psychiatric consultation because of an abrupt onset of convulsion. On neurologic examination, she showed convulsion of all the limbs without loss of consciousness. All limbs looked paretic; however, tendon reflexes in all limbs were normal and pathological reflex was not recognized. When her hand was dropped onto her own face, it fell next to her face but not on her face. Laboratory data were unremarkable. She had no history of psychiatric illness or drug or alcohol abuse.

The patient explained that she knew about the recurrence of her own leukemia and the news of the death of a close friend due to leukemia at the same time, which was a shocking event for her, focusing her attention on her own fears of dying from the same disease.

Conversion disorder in cancer patients is not common; however, appropriate diagnosis is very important to avoid inappropriate examinations and treatments.

In leukemia patients receiving chemotherapy, various kinds of signs and symptoms may develop due to the adverse effects of chemotherapy and/or infection. Therefore, conversion disorder might be overlooked and inappropriate treatment and examinations might be performed. Clinicians should consider conversion disorder in the differential diagnosis when patients develop unexplained neurological symptoms.

Enhanced emissions at 0.98 μm of Yb3+ ions (2F5/2 → 2F7/2) incorporated in porous silicon are obtained when the host porous silicon is pre-annealed in an O2 containing atmosphere. Time decay characteristics are measured for the Yb 3+-related 0.98 μm emissions as well as for the emissions of these host porous silicon between 20 K and 300 K. The decay of the Yb3+ peak at 20 K is characterized with a fast (˜ 30 μs) and a slow decay time (≤ ˜ 400 μs), whereas it is fitted with one slow decay time (˜ 390 μs) at 300 K. The results are explained in terms of two optical centers: one has a fast fluorescent lifetime with a large temperature quenching, and the other has a slow fluorescent lifetime which is nearly constant between 20 K and 300 K.