We present observations of the Mopra carbon monoxide (CO) survey of the Southern Galactic Plane, covering Galactic longitudes spanning $l = 250^{\circ}$ ($-110^{\circ}$) to $l = 355^{\circ}$ ($-5^{\circ}$), with a latitudinal coverage of at least $|b|<1^\circ$, totalling an area of $>$210 deg$^{2}$. These data have been taken at 0.6 arcmin spatial resolution and 0.1 km s$^{-1}$ spectral resolution, providing an unprecedented view of the molecular gas clouds of the Southern Galactic Plane in the 109–115 GHz $J = 1-0$ transitions of $^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO, C$^{18}$O, and C$^{17}$O.

Tuberculosis (TB) in immigrants is becoming a challenge in eliminating TB in Japan. We investigated the epidemiology of TB in foreign students in Japan in 2015–2019. A total of 2007 foreign students with TB whose median age was 22.5 years (1243 (61.9%) were males) were registered. The notification rates peaked in 2016 at 164.0 per 100 000 population and decreased towards 2019. Of the 2007, 535 were from Vietnam, 444 from China and 395 from Nepal. The notification rates were 596.6 per 100 000 person-years (PYs) for Myanmar, 595.4 for the Philippines and 438.6 for Cambodia. The rates were much higher than those of the general populations in their countries of origin for Myanmar, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, Mongolia, Vietnam and China. In comparison with the years 2010–2014, the notification rates for foreign students decreased for the students from Nepal, Vietnam and China. The TB notification rate of the foreign students in Japan can be a good surrogate indicator for the risk of TB among the immigrant subpopulation in Japan and should continuously be monitored. Those who are at higher risk of TB may be annually screened for TB to prevent TB outbreaks.

In the collapsing phase of a molecular cloud, the molecular gas temperature is a key to understand the evolutionary process from a dense molecular cloud to stars. In order to know this, mapping observations in NH3 lines are required. Therefore, we made them based on the FUGIN (FOREST Unbiased Galactic plane Imaging survey with Nobeyama 45m telescope). The 6 maps were observed in NH3 (J,K) = (1,1), (2,2), (3,3) and H2O maser lines and obtained temperature maps; some show temperature gradient in a cloud. Additionally 72 cores were observed. These candidates were called as KAGONMA or KAG objects as abbreviation of KAgoshima Galactic Object survey with Nobeyama 45-M telescope in Ammonia lines. We show the results of two regions in W33 and discuss their astrophysical properties.

Coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and viral hepatitis is associated with high morbidity and mortality in the absence of clinical management, making identification of these cases crucial. We examined characteristics of HIV and viral hepatitis coinfections by using surveillance data from 15 US states and two cities. Each jurisdiction used an automated deterministic matching method to link surveillance data for persons with reported acute and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, to persons reported with HIV infection. Of the 504 398 persons living with diagnosed HIV infection at the end of 2014, 2.0% were coinfected with HBV and 6.7% were coinfected with HCV. Of the 269 884 persons ever reported with HBV, 5.2% were reported with HIV. Of the 1 093 050 persons ever reported with HCV, 4.3% were reported with HIV. A greater proportion of persons coinfected with HIV and HBV were males and blacks/African Americans, compared with those with HIV monoinfection. Persons who inject drugs represented a greater proportion of those coinfected with HIV and HCV, compared with those with HIV monoinfection. Matching HIV and viral hepatitis surveillance data highlights epidemiological characteristics of persons coinfected and can be used to routinely monitor health status and guide state and national public health interventions.

Insufficient nutrition during the perinatal period causes structural alterations in humans and experimental animals, leading to increased vulnerability to diseases in later life. Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica, in which partial (8–10%) egg white was withdrawn (EwW) from eggs before incubation had lower birth weights than controls (CTs). EwW birds also had reduced hatching rates, smaller glomeruli and lower embryo weight. In EwW embryos, the surface condensate area containing mesenchymal cells was larger, suggesting that delayed but active nephrogenesis takes place. In mature EwW quail, the number of glomeruli in the cortical region (mm2) was significantly lower (CT 34.7±1.4, EwW 21.0±1.2); capillary loops showed focal ballooning, and mesangial areas were distinctly expanded. Immunoreactive cell junction proteins, N-cadherin and podocin, and slit diaphragms were clearly seen. With aging, the mesangial area and glomerular size continued to increase and were significantly larger in EwW quail, suggesting compensatory hypertrophy. Furthermore, apoptosis measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling analysis was higher in EwWs than in CTs on embryonic day 15 and postnatal day 4 (D4). Similarly, plasma glucocorticoid (corticosterone) was higher (P<0.01) on D4 in EwW quail. These results suggest that although nephrogenic activity is high in low-nutrition quail during the perinatal period, delayed development and increased apoptosis may result in a lower number of mature nephrons. Damaged or incompletely mature mesangium may trigger glomerular injury, leading in later life to nephrosclerosis. The present study shows that birds serve as a model for ‘fetal programming,’ which appears to have evolved phylogenetically early.

First, wind-tunnel experiments were carried out to measure the trajectories of saltating snow particles with varying friction velocity. Trajectories of saltating particles were recorded by a video system with a laser sheet and trajectory statistics, such as ejection and impact velocities and angles, were obtained for each particle. Parabolic trajectories are considerably elongated with an increase in the friction velocity; impact angle was approximately the same but ejection angle decreased with increasing friction velocity. Furthermore, it should be noted that the gradient of flux decay with height decreased with friction velocity. In the experiments, a snow-particle counter, which can sense not only the number of particles but also their diameters, was introduced. The flux distribution and the transport rate obtained as a function of the particle size gave a new insight into the relationship with the friction velocity.

Trajectories of saltating grains were computed, using the measurements of the initial ejection velocities, angles and the mean velocity profile of the air. The results agreed reasonably with our measurements. Using the measured probability distribution of the ejection velocities, an ensemble of trajectories was computed and thence the vertical profiles of stream-wise fluxes. The exponential decay of the flux on height was obtained in all cases and it supports the basic validity of the model, although agreement is less than expected.

While Japanese diets have attracted considerable attention because of, for example, the long-life expectancy in Japan, their health benefits have not been examined. In the present study, we cross-sectionally examined whether adherence to the food-based Japanese dietary guidelines is associated with metabolic risk factors in 1083 Japanese women aged 18–22 years. Based on the Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top, adherence to the food-based Japanese dietary guidelines was assessed using dietary information on consumed servings of grain dishes, vegetable dishes, fish and meat dishes, milk and fruits and energy from snacks and alcoholic beverages during the preceding month, which was derived from a comprehensive diet history questionnaire. Higher dietary adherence was associated with higher intakes of protein, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, Na, K and vitamin C, and lower intakes of total and saturated fat. There was also an inverse association between dietary adherence and dietary energy density. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, dietary adherence was inversely associated with waist circumference (P for trend = 0·002). It also showed an inverse association with LDL-cholesterol concentrations (P for trend = 0·04). There was no association with the other metabolic risk factors examined, including BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total and HDL-cholesterol, TAG, glucose, glycated Hb and insulin concentrations. In conclusion, higher adherence to the food-based Japanese dietary guidelines, which was characterised by favourable dietary intakes of foods and nutrients as well as lower energy density, was associated with lower waist circumference and LDL-cholesterol concentrations in this group of young Japanese women.

The transport of relativistic electron beam in compressed cylindrical targets was studied from a numerical and experimental point of view. In the experiment, cylindrical targets were imploded using the Gekko XII laser facility of the Institute of Laser Engineering. Then the fast electron beam was created by shooting the LFEX laser beam. The penetration of fast electrons was studied by observing Kα emission from tracer layers in the target.

The objective of this study was to examine temporal and regional variations of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD) in a retrospective study using Japanese national surveillance data from 2001 to 2010. We calculated the incidence of sCJD by age and sex, derived the standardized incidence in each of the 47 prefectures, and performed spatial disease clustering analysis. The average annual incidence of sCJD was 1·026 per million in men (637 patients) and 1·132 per million in women (733 patients), a significant sex difference after adjustment for age (P = 0·001). The ratios of familial CJD to sCJD apparently increased between 2001–2005 and 2006–2010, possibly as a result of the nationwide introduction of genetic testing after 2006. Based on the data of 2006–2010, certain geographical clusters of sCJD were identified. The incidence of sCJD was higher in several specific prefectures compared to the national average. Thus, sCJD appears to have regional variations, suggesting the existence of genetic or region-specific factors affecting the incidence of the disease.

A seroprevalence survey on measles, mumps, rubella and varicella was conducted on healthcare workers (HCWs) at Shimane University Hospital, Japan utilizing an enzyme immunoassay. Of 1811 HCWs tested, 91·8% were seropositive to measles, 92·1% to mumps, 89·5% to rubella and 96·3% to varicella. Sex-related differences in seroprevalence were found in rubella (males vs. females: 84·7 vs. 92·2%, P < 0·001). Moreover, males aged 30–39 years were most susceptible to rubella (22·4%), which may be attributed to the design of childhood immunization programmes in Japan. Individuals aged ⩽29 years were more susceptible to measles (14·3%) and mumps (10·9%), compared to other age groups. There were no significant sex- and age-related differences in varicella seroprevalence. The physician occupational group was more susceptible to rubella, but no significant occupational-related difference was observed in the other diseases. Susceptible subjects, with negative or equivocal serological results were given a vaccine which induced seroconversion in most vaccinees. Seroconversion occurred more frequently in the equivocal group than in the negative group. These findings provide a new insight for the seroprevalence survey of vaccine-preventable diseases in Japanese HCWs with special reference to vaccine efficacy.

Flexible devices utilizing crystalline semiconductor nano or microstructures materials are attractive for many applications. However, these materials are fabricated or grown in unusable forms for flexible systems due to their rigid crystalline mother substrates. We demonstrate a transfer printing technique for transferring vertical arrays of one-dimensional (1D) materials from mother substrates to flexible substrates with subsequent device fabrication steps to create flexible devices from these arrays. The transfer printing technique is based on vertical embossing of arrays of 1D materials into thermoplastic (Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)) transfer layers, while the device fabrication steps rely on encapsulation with insulating polymers and contact deposition. We investigated the use of flexible insulating layers like polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyurethane (PU) which are shown to be effective for encapsulation and contact isolation. Representative flexible resistive devices were created from these transferred arrays and insulating layers which showed a reversible tactile characteristic. Electronic characterization and flexibility testing was carried out to show the potential of these methods for enabling large-scale integrations of nano and microstructures into vertical and flexible packages.

Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) on board International Space Station is capable ofobserving gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and sending notices of GRBs or other transient events,using real time connection to the ground. MAXI observed 32 GRBs or short X-ray transientsas of the end of September 2012. Among them, eleven events were simultaneously detected byother satellites. The observed rate of the MAXI GRBs is about one event per month. Thisrate is comparable to a past observation with larger effective area and larger field ofview. The fact indicates that MAXI has better sensitivity to observe GRBs because of lowbackground. The distribution of the spectral hardness of MAXI GRBs is similar to theresults of a past instrument, which is sensitive to similar energy range.

Neospora caninum is an intracellular parasite that poses a unique ability to infect a variety of cell types by causing host cell migration. Although previous studies demonstrated that parasite-derived proteins could trigger host cell migration, the related molecules have yet to be determined. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between Neospora-derived molecules and host cell migration using recombinant protein of N. caninum cyclophilin (NcCyp). Indirect fluorescent antibody test revealed that NcCyp was expressed in the tachyzoite cytosol. Furthermore, NcCyp release from extracellular parasites was detected by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a time-dependent manner. Recombinant NcCyp caused the cysteine–cysteine chemokine receptor 5-dependent migration of murine and bovine cells. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry indicated that NcCyp was consistently detected in tachyzoites distributed within or around the brain lesions. In conclusion, N. caninum-derived cyclophilin appears to contribute to host cell migration, thereby maintaining parasite/host interactions.

NEWAGE is a direction-sensitive dark matter search experiment with a gaseous time-projection chamber. We improved the direction-sensitive dark matter limits by our underground measurement. In this paper, R&D activities sinse the first underground measurement are described.

Experimental Hymenolepis diminuta infection was carried out in inbred strains of rats (F344/N. JAR-2. LOU/M, TM, DA and DA-bg/bg) and outbred Wistar rats. All strains became infected with this cestode, but clear strain-dependent variation in the susceptibility to H. diminuta infection was observed. Marked differences in worm persistence and worm weight were found at 6 weeks post-infection in TM and DA rats. These strains would be useful to clarify the interactions between H. diminuta and its rat host.

In the last few years, systematic studies on radiation hydrodynamics in the X-ray confining cavity and a fuel capsule have attained remarkable progress. This makes it possible to analyze quantitatively the energy transfer processes from laser to the fusion capsule and find uniform irradiation conditions of the fusion capsule driven by thermal X rays. As a result, reproducible and stable implosions were achieved. Throughout implosion experiments with the Gekko XII blue laser system (351 nm, kJ, 0.8 ns), good agreement of implosion has been obtained between the experiment and numerical simulations, assuming perfectly spherical symmetry, up to a radial convergence ratio of 15. Described are particularly the issues of (1) energy transfer processes from laser to a fuel capsule and conditions for uniform irradiation, (2) properties of the X-ray propagation through aluminum heated by X-ray radiation, and (3) dependence of the convergence ratio of Ri/Rf (where Ri and Rf are the initial and final radii) of the capsule on the initial fill pressure of D–T gas and its influence on the core parameters and fusion products to evaluate implosion sphericity.

The wavelength scalings of soft X-ray and hot electron generation efficiencies were studied using 1·05, 0·53, 0·35 and 0·26 μm lasers. A coupling efficiency from absorbed laser energy to compressed fuel core of 4.5% was obtained by using the GEKKO XII green laser.

A three-dimensional model to calculate X-ray intensity distribution on an indirectly driven fusion target is presented. The model includes conversion of laser light into X rays, radiation reemission from X-ray-heated wall of a cavity, and influence of an inner pellet (i.e., a fuel capsule) on radiation redistribution. Intensity distribution of an X ray inside a cylindrical cavity heated by intense blue laser light (wavelength 351 nm, energy 5.2 kJ, duration 0.7 ns) was determined by measuring a burn-through signal from a diagnostic foil integrated onto the cavity. The experimental result is well replicated by the model calculation. By using this model, optimum conditions for uniform irradiation of afusion capsule by X-ray radiation are evaluated for use in Gekko XII laser fusion experiments.